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UNIVERSITY 
LIBRARY 


HISTORY 


OF 


WA  RREN    COUNTY 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 
OF  SOME  OF  ITS  PROMINENT  MEN  AND  PIONEERS 


EDITED   BY 

H.    P.    SMITH 


SYRACUSE,    N.  Y. 

D.  MASON  &  CO..  PUBLISHERS 

1885 

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D.  MASON  &  CO., 

PRINTERS  AND  PUBLISHERS, 

63  WEST  WATER  STREET 

SYRACUSE,  N.  Y 


INTRODUCTORY. 


WHILE  it  may  seem  to  the  uninitiated  a  task  involving  but  little  difficulty 
to  prepare  for  publication  a  work  no  more  comprehensive  in  character 
than  this  volume,  and  containing  merely  the  history  of  a  single  county,  still  it 
is  not  out  of  place  here  to  assure  all  such  readers  that  the  work  is  one  demand- 
ing a  vast  amount  of  labor  and  research,  watchful  care,  untiring  patience  and 
fair  discrimination.  This  need  not  be  said  to  any  person  who  has  had  experi- 
ence in  similar  work.  In  attempting  the  production  of  a  creditable  history  of 
Warren  county  the  publishers  and  the  editor  did  not  underestimate  the  diffi- 
culties of  their  task,  and  came  to  it  fully  imbued  with  a  clear  idea  of  its  mag- 
nitude and  determination  to  execute  it  in  such  a  manner  that  it  should  receive 
the  general  commendation  of  all  into  whose  hands  it  should  fall.  It  is  believed 
that  this  purpose  has  been  substantially  carried  out,  and  that,  while  a  perfect 
historical  work  has  never  yet  been  published,  this  one  will  be  found  to  contain 
so  few  imperfections  that  the  most  critical  readers  will  be  satisfied. 

It  is  a  part  of  the  plans  of  the  publishers  in  the  production  of  county  his- 
tories to  secure,  as  far  as  possible,  local  assistance,  either  as  writers,  or  in  the 
revision  of  all  manuscripts ;  the  consequence  being  that  the  work  bears  a  local 
character  which  could  not  otherwise  be  secured,  and,  moreover,  comes  from 
the  press  far  more  complete  and  perfect  than  could  possibly  be  the  case  were 
it  entrusted  wholly  to  the  effiDrts  of  comparative  strangers  to  the  locality  in 
hand.  In  carrying  out  this  plan  in  this  county  the  editor  has  been  tendered 
such  generous  co-operation  and  assistance  of  various  kinds  that  to  merely  men- 
tion all  who  have  thus  aided  is  impossible ;  the  satisfaction'  of  having  assisted 
in   the  production  of  a  commendable  public  enterprise  must  be  their  present 

S 


Introductory. 


reward.  But  there  are  some  who  have  given  so  generously  of  their  labor  and 
time  towards  the  consummation  of  this  work,  that  to  leave  them  unmentioned 
would  be  simple  injustice.  First,  perhaps,  should  be  mentioned  Dr.  A.  W. 
Holden,  of  Glens  Falls,  from  whose  excellent  history  of  Queensbury  we  have 
been  compelled  to  draw  so  liberally ;  to  his  generous  co-operation  we  are  also 
indebted  for  the  chapter  on  the  Medical  Profession,  the  Press  chapter,  and 
other  important  work.  To  the  Hon.  Isaac  Mott  the  work  is  indebted  for  the 
chapter  on  the  Courts,  the  Beanch  and  Bar  of  the  county.  Others,  who  have 
generously  aided  the  work,  are  T.  S.  Ketchum,  for  labor  on  the  Masonic 
Order ;  H.  M.  Harris,  of  the  Glens  Falls  Republican,  and  the  press  generally 
throughout  the  county,  for  use  of  files,  etc. ;  Henry  Griffing,  of  Warrensburgh  ; 
David  Noble,  of  Johnsburgh ;  D.  Aldrich,  of  Thurman ;  George  T.  Rockwell, 
of  Luzerne ;  Daniel  V.  Brown,  county  clerk ;  Professor  Farr,  of  Glens  Falls 
Academy ;  the  town  clerks  of  the  county,  and  many  others.  To  all  such  the 
gratitude  of  the  publishers  and  readers  is  extended. 

With  this  word  of  introduction  the  work  is  commended  to  its  readers  by 
the  publishers  and 


The  Editor. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE     SUBJECT. 

PAGE. 

The    Historical   Beginning  —  Formation  of   the    County  —  Situation   and  Boundaries' — 

Area,  etc 17 

CHAPTER  n. 

NATURAL    CHARACTERISTICS. 

Greneral  Topography  —  The  Geological  Survey—  Description  of  the  Fire  Mountain  Ranges 

—  Recommendations  to  Lovers  of  Nature — Valleys  of  the  County  —  Lakes  and 
Ponds  —  Falls  and  Cascades  —  Geology  —  Granite  —  Serpentine  —  Potsdam  Sand- 
stone —  Sand  Rook  —  Black  Marble  —  Trenton  Limestone  —  Utica'Slate 18 

CHAPTER  HI. 

INDIAN    OCCUPATION. 

Original  Possessors  of  the  Soil  —  Relative  Positions  of  the  Algonquins  and  Iroquois  —  A 
Great  Battle-Field  —  Evidences  of  Prolonged  and  Bloody  Conflict —  The  Eastern  In- 
dians —  Traditionary  Origin  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy  —  Peculiarities  of  the  League 

—  Personal  Characteristics  —  Jesuit  Labors  among  the  Indians  —  Names  of  the  Mis- 
sionaries —  Their  Unselfish  but  Fruitless  Work  —  The  St.  Francis  Indians  —  Indian 
Nomenclature 31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

EUROPEAN  DISCOVERT   AND   OCCUPATION. 

First  European  Colonists  —  Discoveries  by  Columbus  and  His  Successors  —  Competitors 

7 


Contents. 


PAGE. 

for  the  New  World — Colonization  of  New  Prance  —  Difficulties  of  the  Scheme  — 
Final  Success  —  Champlain's  Advent  — His  Enterprising  Explorations  —  His  Colony 
of  1608  —  Expedition  against  the  Iroquois— The  First  Battle — Henry  Hudson  and 
Dutch  Colonization  —  English  Colonies  at  Plymouth  Rock  and  Jamestown  —  Claims 
of  Three  European  Powers  —  Subsequent  Career  of  Champlain 45 


CHAPTER  V. 

FRENCH   AND   INDIAN   WAR. 

Antagonism  between  the  Northern  Indians  and  the  Iroquois  —  Lakes  George  and  Cham- 
plain  the  Highways  of  Hostile  Elements  —  End  of  the  Dutch  Regime  —  Expedition 
against  the  Mohawks  under  De  Courcelles  —  The  Peace  of  Breda  — •  Continued  Hostil- 
ities of  the  French  and  Iroquois  — ■  Invasion  of  the  Country  of  the  Senecas  —  Revenge 
of  the  Indians  —  Montreal  Sacked  —  Return  of  Frontenac  —  Three  English  Expedi- 
tions —  Schuyler's  Expedition  against  La  Prairie  —  Extracts  from  His  Journal —  De- 
plorable Condition  of  the  French  —  Frontenac  Marches  against  the  Mohawks  —  Peace 
Treaty  of  Ryswick — Neutrality  between  the  French  and  Iroquois  —  The  English  at 
•  Last  Rendered  Desperate  —  Failure  of  their  Plans  —  Treaty  of  Utrecht  —  Its  Provi- 
sions Broken  by  the  French  —  Fort  St.  Frederic  Built 57 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH   RIVALRY. 

Declaration  of  War  between  France  and  England  —  Destruction  of  Saratoga  —  Indian  and 
French  Atrocities  —  English  Apathy  —  Events  of  1747  —  Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  — 
Operations  by  the  English  in  1754  —  Hendrick's  Speech —  The  Massachusetts  Expedi- 
tion—  Braddock's  Campaign  —  The  Movement  Against  Crown  Point  —  Ticonderoga 
—  Arrival  of  Dieskau  and  Vaudreuil  —  Engagement  between  Johnson  and  Dieskau  — 
English  Victory  — Ephraim  WUliams's  Death — Building  of  Fort  William  Henry 67 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  WAR. 

Plans  of  the  Campaign— Apathy  and  Indecision  of  the  English  —  BriUiant  Deeds  of  the 
Rangers  —  Arrival  of  Montcalm  —  Capture  of  Oswego  —  Campaign  of  1757  —  Marin's 
Operations  — ■  Montcalm's  Preparation  for  the  Capture  of  Fort  WiUiam  Henry  —  Coun- 
cil with  the  Indians — March  of  De  Levis  —  Condition  of  the  Fort — Webb's  Pusil- 
lanimous Conduct  —  Details  of  the  Massacre , 84 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CONTINUATION  OF  FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  WAR. 

PAGE. 

Prospects  for  Campaign  of  1758  —  Discouragement  in  New  France  —  England's  Prepon- 
derance —  Rogers's  Rangers  and  their  Deeds  —  Putnam  —  Three  Expeditions  by  the 
English  —  Fall  of  Louisburg  and  Du  Quesne  —  March  against  Ticonderoga  —  Howe's 
Death  —  The  French  Position  —  Assault  by  the  English  on  the  French  Lines  —  A 
Bloody  Battle  —  Abercrombie's  Headquarters  —  Victory  of  the  French — Engagement 
at  Half-Way  Brook  —  Three  Military  Posts  Within  the  Present  Limits  of  Warren 
County" ; 96 

CHAPTER  IX. 

;  EXTINCTION  OP   FRENCH  POWER   IN    AMERICA. 

Continuation  of  the  Famine  —  Exigencies  of  the  French  —  Montcalm's  Prophecies  —  Pitt's 
Zeal  and  its  Effect  —  The  Proposed  Campaign  —  Abercrombie's  Recall  and  Amherst's 
Appointment  —  His  Extensive  Military  Preparations  —  Assembling  His  Army  — 
Montcalm  Asks  to  be  Recalled — Capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  by  Am- 
herst—  Fort  G-age  —  Destruction  of  the  Indian  Village  of  St.  Francis  —  Rogers's  Won- 
derful Expedition  —  Amherst's  Fleet  and  its  Operations — General  Wolfe  Before 
Quebec  —  Fall  of  the  City  —  Montcalm  and  Wolfe  Killed  —  Strengthening  of  Crown 
Point  and  Ticonderoga  —  Campaign  of  17G0  —  Extinction  of  French  Power  in  the 
New  World 109 

CHAPTER  X. 

■.:.;\„:    EARLY    SETTLEMENTS. 

Pioneers  of  Northern  New  York  —  Governor  De  Lancey's  Proclamation  —  Its  Effect  on 
Settlements — Jeffrey  Cowper  —  Queensbury  Surveyed  —  Abraham  Wing's  Advent  — 
His  Family  —  The  Queensbury  Patent  —  Names  of  the  Original  Proprietors  —  Their 
Early  Meetings  and  Action  —  Division  of  Lots  —  Steps  Toward  Permanent  Settle- 
ment     119 

CHAPTER  XL 

FROM  1763   TO  THE  REVOLUTION. 

The  New  Hampshire  Grants  Controversy  —  English  Oppression  of  Colonists  —  The  Sons 
of  Liberty  —  The  Stamp  Act  —  Its  Repeal  —  Obnoxious  Parliamentary  Action  —  The 
Liberty  Pole  Assault  —  Signals  of  the  Revolution 131 


lo  Contents. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM  1770  TO  1775. 

PAGE. 

Governor  Colden's  Successor  —  Old  Troubles  Renewed  —  A  Large  Cup  of  Tea  —  Congress 
and  its  Declaration  of  Rights  —  Impending  War  —  The  British  March  to  Lexington  — 
Paul  Revere's  Ride  —  The  Battle  on  the  Green  —  Retreat  of  the  British  —  Prepara- 
tions for  the  Capture  of  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga  —  Ethan  Allen's  Command  — 
Arnold's  Arrival  and  its  Consequences  —  Plan  of  the  Expedition  —  Capture  of  Ticon- 
deroga—  Surrender,  of  Crown  Point — Reassembling  of  Congress  —  Congressional 
Vacillation  —  Allen  and  Arnold's  Naval  Exploit  —  Indian  Action  in  the  Revolution  — 
The  Canadian  Invasion  —  Montgomery's  Initial  Movements  —  Allen's  Capture  — 
Carleton's  Plan  for  Relief  of  St.  Johns  —  Its  Failure  —  Capture  of  St.  Johns  and  Mon- 
treal by  Montgomery  —  Arnold's  "Wonderful  Expedition  —  Montgomery  before  Quebec 
—  Demand  for  its  Surrender  and  the  Reply  —  Montgomery's  Death  and  Failure  of  the 
Attack  —  A  Disastrous  Retreat  —  Charlotte  County  Created  —  Militia  Affairs 135 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CLOSE    OF    1776. 

The  Canadian  Mission  —  Its  Failure  —  HostiUties  Near  New  York  —  Battle  of  Long 
Island  —  Small-Pox  at  Crown  Point  —  Carleton's  Pursuit  of  the  Americans  —  Dr. 
Thacher's  Journal  —  Building  a  British  Fleet  for  Lake  Champlain  —  Counter- Action 
by  Arnold  —  Sailing  of  the  British  Fleet  —  Respective  Positions  of  the  American  and 
British  Vessels  —  The  Engagement  —  Retirement  of  the  Americans — Rapid  Pursuit 

—  Arnold's  Bravery  —  Burning  of  a  Portion  of  the  Fleet  —  Escape  of  the  Remainder 
to  Crown  Point  —  The  British  Retire  to  Canada  for  the  Winter  —  Campaign  of  1777 

—  Burgoyne's  Operations  —  Assault  Upon  and  Evacuation  of  Ticonderoga  —  The  Jane 
McCrea  Incident  —  Burgoyne's  Surrender 149 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

Effects  of  Burgoyne's  Defeat —  The  Gates-Conway  Cabal  —  Appointment  of  Lafayette  to 
Command  of  the  Northern  Department  —  Closing  Events  of  the  Revolution  —  An  In- 
sult to  General  Schuyler  —  Garrisons  at  Fort  Edward  and  Vicinity  —  Events  of  1778 
-79  —  Sir  John  ^Johnson's  Invasion  —  The  Sammons  Incident  —  Capture  of  Fort 
Anne  —  Attack  Upon  Fort  George  —  A  Bloody  Engagement  —  Evacuation  of  Fort 
Edward  —  The  Vermont  Mystery  —  Close  of  the  Revolution 163 


Contents.  i  i 


CHAPTER  XV. 

FROM  THE   REVOLUTION   TO   1815. 

PAGE. 

Advancement  of  Civil  Government  —  Political  Divisions  —  Renevred  Difficulties  with  Eng- 
land—  The  Non-Intercourse  Act  —  Its  Repeal  —  Troubles  Relative  to  Improvements 

—  Declaration  of  "War  —  Offensive  Measures  —  Canada  to  be  Invaded  —  Three  Move- 
ments and  the  Results  Thereof — The  Northern  New  York  Measures  —  Naval  Opera- 
tions on  Lake  Ontario  —  Attack  on  Sackett's  Harbor  by  the  British  —  Battle  of  Platts- 
burg  —  American  Victory  —  Close  of  the  War 177 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
TO    THE  PRESENT   TIME. 

Early  Settlement  —  Subdivision  of  Albany  County  —  Formation  of  Charlotte  County  — 
Change  of  Name  —  Formation  of  Towns  within  Present  Limits  of  Warren  County  — 
Pioneer  Experiences  —  Warren  County  Organized  —  Boundaries  —  County  Seat, 
Buildings,  etc.  —  The  "Cold  Summer"  —  Schools  and  Churches  —  Internal  Improve- 
ments—  Financial  Crisis  1837-38  —  State  Legislation  Referring  to  Warren  County  — 
Pohtical  Campaign  —  The  Leather  Industry  —  Civil  List 192 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

LAND    TITLES. 

Causes  Leading  to  Apphcation  for  Land  Patents  —  Difficulties  in  Locating  Many  Early 
Patents —  Conditions  of  Grants  of  Land  to  Officers  and  Privates  —  The  Great  DeUius 
Grant  —  Map  of  the  Same  —  Alphabetical  List  of  Land  Patents  Within  the  Present 
Warren  County  —  The  Glen  Tract  —  Other  Tracts  and  Patents  —  Map  Making  in  the 
County 206 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WARREN  COUNTY  IN  THE  REBELLION. 

Patriotic  Action  of  the  County  —  The  First  Recruiting  Officers  —  Two  Companies  Raised 

—  The  Twenty-second  Regiment  —  Company  Officers  —  Rosters — The  Ninety-Sixth 
Regiment — Company  I  —  Company  K,  One  Hundred  Fifty-third  Regiment — The 
Ninety-third  Regiment  —  Warren  County  Enlistments  —  The  One  Hundred  Eighteenth 
Regiment  —  Second  Veteran  Cavalry  — •  Statistics 223 


12  COMTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

COUNTY  BUILDINGS,  SOCIETIES,   ETC. 

PAGE. 

Where  Early  Public  Business  was  Transacted  —  The  County  Seat  —  The  First  County 
Courts  —  First  Steps  Towards  Erecting  County  Buildings  —  The  First  Buildings  — 
Changes  in  Court  Terras  —  Burning  of  the  County  Buildings  —  Erection  of  New  Ones 
—  Attempts  to  Remove  the  County  Seat  —  Reconstruction  of  Buildings  —  The  County 
Almshouse  —  Warren  County  Agricultural  Society 270 

CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   COUNTY   PRESS. 

Early  Papers  —  The  First  Publication  in  the  County  —  The  Warren  Republican  and  its 
Career — The  Lake  Oeorge  Watchman  —  The  Glens  Falls  Observer  —  The  Warren 
County  Messenger  and  its  Immediate  Descendants  —  The  Glens  Falls  Spectator —  The 
Glens  Falls  Gazette  —  The  Glens  Falls  Clarion  —  Another  Bepublican  —  The  Rechdbiie 
and  Temperance  Bugle  —  Glens  Falls  Free  Press  —  The  Warrensburgh  Annual --GXeas 
'Ea)i\s  Advertiser — The  American  Standard — The  Warren  County  Whig — The  Pres- 
ent Messenger  —  Daily  Press  —  The  Daily  Times  —  The  Morning  Star 277" 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS. 

Reminiscences  —  Early  Lumber  Operations  —  Incipient  Commercial  Operations  —  The 
Canal  and  Feeder  —  Early  Railroad  Agitation  —  The  Warren  County  Railroad  Com- 
pany—  Navigation  Projects  —  Other  Railroad  Enterprises  —  The  Railroad  Between 
Port  Edward  and  Glens  Falls 290 

CHAPTER  XXn. 
THE^BENCH  AND  BAR  OF  WARREN   COUNTY 294 


CHAPTER  XXni. 

THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION. 

Early  Medical  Legislation  —  Organization  of  the  State  Society  —  The  County  Society  — 
Loss  of  Records  —  First  Members  —  Early  Delegates  to  the  State  Society  —  List  of 
Officers  of  the  Warren  County  Society  —  Biographic  Sketches  of  Prominent  Members 
of  the  Profession 3q3 


Contents.  i  3 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

SECRET   SOCIETIES. 

PAGE. 

The  First  Lodge  of  Free  Masons  in  Warren  County  —  Glens  Falls  Chapter  —  Warrensburgh 
Lodge  —  Odd  Fellows  —  Horicon  Lodge  No.  305  —  Horicon  Lodge  No.  349  —  River- 
side Encampment  —  Other  Lodges 330 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
HISTORY  OF  THE  PATENT  AND  TOWN  OP  QUEENSBURT 332 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
HISTORY   OF  THE  TOWN   OF  LUZERNE 507 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN   OF   THURMAN 524 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
HISTORY  OF  THE   TOWN  OF  BOLTON 529 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OP  CHESTER 537 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
HISTORY  OF   THE   TOWN   OF  JOHNSBURGH 549 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  HAGUE 55S 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
HISTORY  OF  THE   TOWN  OF  CALDWELL 565 


14  Contents. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PAGE. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  WARRENSBURGH    573 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  HORICON 596 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
HISTORY   OF  THE   TOWN  OF   STONY   CREEK 603 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
BIOGRAPHICAL 606 

BRIEF   PERSONALS.. . , 648 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


AMES,  MERRITT 630 

BOWMAN,  JOHN  P .^_ 611 

BROWN,  GEORGE '. 628 

BROWN,  D.  V 636 

BROWN,  Sen.,  D.  V \ 633 

BURHANS,  COLONEL  B.  P 614 

OHAPIN,  F.  L 626 

D AY,  H.  M 642 

DICKINSON,  CAPTAIN  M.   N 616 

DIX,  J.   L 625 

FAXON,  C.  H 606 


Contents.  i  s 

PAGE. 

GOODMAN,  S.   L 639 

GRIFFIN,  2d,  STEPHEN 641 

HAVILAND,  2d,  JOSEPH 618 

HOLDEN,  M.D.,  A.  W 643 

MCDONALD,    L.  G 631 

MARTINE,  M.D.,  G.  R 327 

MONTY,  J.  0 638 

MOTT,  ISAAC 299 

PECK,  DANIEL 609 

SEELTE,  E.  L '. 637 

STREETER,  M.D.,  B.  G 323 

WING,  ABRAHAM     620 

WING,  HALSEY  R 622 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ARMS,  LEWIS  L   portrait. 

AMES,  MERRITT portrait. 

BROWN,  Sr.,  DANIEL  V portrait. 

BROWN,  DANIEL  V portrait. 

BROWN,  GEORGE portrait. 

BURHANS,  BENJAMIN  PECK portrait . 

BOWMAN,  JOHN  P portrait. 

BOWMAN,  MRS.  JANE  B.' portrait. 

BOWMAN,  ELLA  H portrait. 

CHAPIN,  FRANCIS  LE  ROY portrait. 

DAY,  HENRY  M portrait. 

DELLIUS  GRANT map  of. . 

DIESKAU'S   FIRST   ENGAGEMENT plan  of 

DIESKAU'S  SECOND   ENGAGEMENT plan  of  . 


.  facing  422 
.     "      630 


"      632 

"      636 

"      568 

"      576 

.between  604-605 
.between  604-005 
.between  604-605 

facing  626 

"      444 

209 

82 

83 


1 6  Contents. 


DIX,  J.  L portrait facing  456 

DICKINSON,  M.  N portrait "      584 

FAXON,  C.  H portrait "      544 

FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY plan  of  the  siege  of 95 

GOODMAN,  S.  L portrait facing  454 

GRIFFIN,  2d,    STEPHEN portrait "      640 

HOLDEN,  M.D.,  A.  W  portrait "      304 

HAVILAND,  2d,  JOSEPH portrait'. "      618 

LAKE  ST.  SACRAMENT map  of  the  outlet  of 103 

MONTY,  J.  C portrait facing  638 

MARTINE,  M.D.,  G.  R portrait "      328 

MOTT,  ISAAC portrait "      298 

SEELYE,  EUGENE  L portrait "      570 

STREETER,   M.D.,  B.  G portrait "      324 

TICONDBROGA  AND  ITS  DEFENCES plan  of 102 

WING,  ABRAHAM portrait facing  620 

WING,  HALSEY  R portrait "      296 


HISTORY 


OF 


WA  RREN     COUNTY 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE   SUBJECT. 
The  Historical  Beginning  —  Formation  of  the  County  —  Situation  and  Boundaries  —  Area,  etc. 


w 


^HILE  the  history  of  Warren  county  as  a  defined  section  of  the  State  of 
New  York  extends  into  the  past  only  to  the  year  1813,  yet  at  that  com- 
paratively recent  date  much  of  the  important  history  of  the  immediate  region, 
of  which  the  county  now  forms  a  part,  had  been  enacted.  For  how  many 
years  (or,  possibly,  centuries)  before  the  locality  was  known  to  the  white  race 
who  now  possess  it  the  beautiful  waters,  lovely  valleys  and  rugged  mountains 
were  favorite  resorts  of  the  aborigines  who  have  been  driven  from  their 
domain,  is  a  vexed  question  that  has  not  been  answered  with  any  great  degree 
of  assurance,  and  probably  never  will  be.  To  these  primitive  inhabitants, 
well-known  as  their  general  characteristics  now  are,  we  shall  devote  a  few 
pages  herein,  while  to  the  sanguinary  strife  in  which  they  were  prominent 
actors  and  which  for  nearly  two  centuries  made  this  region  one  great  battle- 
field, must  be  given  up  a  share  of  this  work  proportionate  to  the  historical  im- 
portance of  those  events.  The  history  of  the  territory  now  embraced  within 
the  boundaries  of  Warren  county  may,  therefore,  properly  begin  with  the 
early  years  of  the  seventeenth  century,  at  the  time  when  Samuel  de  Cham- 
plain,  with  his  party  of  northern  Indians  and  two  white  attendants,  came  up 
Lake  Champlain  on  a  hostile  incursion  against  the  proud  Iroquois.^ 

1  This  name  is  used  here  and  hereafter  for  convenience,  although  it  had  not  yet,  of  course,  been 
applied  to  these  Indians.  The  name  was  given  to  the  Five  Nations  by  the  French,  who  also  prefixed 
the  name  "  Huron,"  because  their  language  indicated  the  Hurons,  who  were  seated  on  the  shores  of 
the  Georgian  Bay,  as  a  branch  of  the  Iroquois,  and,  like  them,  isolated  in  the  midst  of  the  Algon- 
quins,  when  discovered  by  the  French.  —  LossiNG. 
2 


1 8  History  of  Warren  County. 

From  the  date  when  Champlain  entered  the  lake'  which  bears  his  name 
(July  4th,  1609)  to  the  present  time,  the  historic  traces  are  generally  clearly 
defined,  gradually  broadening  outward  toward  the  present  advanced  state  of 
civilized  occupation  of  this  region  ;  that  event,  approaching  as  it  did,  if  not 
actually  embracing  a  visit  from  the  great  explorer,  to  places  within  the  present 
boundaries  of  this  county,  was  the  direct  forerunner  of  the  stirring  era  that 
extended  down  to  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Warren  county  was  formed  from  Washington  county  on  the  12th  of 
March,  18 13,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  General  Joseph  Warren,  of  the 
Revolutionary  army.  It  lies  near  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State,  south 
and  west  of  Lake  George.  It  contains  nine  hundred  and  sixty-eight  square 
miles;  its  population  according  to  the  census  of  1880  was  25,180.  It  contains 
eleven  towns,  with  Caldwell  as  the  county  seat. 

Although  the  county  was  not  formed  until  181 3,  it  may  often  become 
necessary  to  speak  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory  now  embraced  within  the 
county  boundaries,  and  events  occurring  therein,  previous  to  the  actual  forma- 
tion and  existence  of  the  county  as  a  civil  organization.  In  doing  so,  allusion 
may  be  made,  for  the  sake  of  convenience  and  simplicity,  to  Warren  county 
before  its  actual  creation. 

Such  is  a  brief  general  reference  to  the  subject  of  this  history  — a  locality 
which  has  been  the  theatre  of  events  possessing  great  historic  interest  and  im- 
portance; which  is  distinguished  by  some  of  nature's  most  marvelous  works 
and  is  surrounded  with  an  atmosphere  of  romance.  * 


CHAPTER    II. 
NATURAL  CHARACTERISTICS.! 

General  Topography  —  The  Geological  Survey  —  Description  of  the  Five  Mountain  Ranges  — 
Recommendations  to  Lovers  of  Nature  —  Valleys  of  the  County  —  Lakes  and  Ponds  —  Falls  and  Cas- 
cades —  Geology  —  Granite  —  Serpentine  —  Potsdam  Sandstone  —  Sand  Rock  —  Black  Marble  —  Tren- 
ton Limestone —  Utica  Slate. 

MOUNTAINS.  —  When,  by  an  act  of  the  State  Legislature,  the  geological 
survey  was  commenced,  the  people  at  large  looked  upon  it  as  a  foolish 
waste  of  money  ;  but  when  Ebenezer  Emmons  submitted  his  report  in  1842 
for  the  survey  of  the  second  district,  there  was  throughout  the  country  a  feel- 
ing of  satisfaction,  and  particularly  among  men  of  scientific  attainments ;  for 

iThis  chapter  was  prepared  by  Homer  D.  L.  Sweet,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  a  gentleman  who  is  emi- 
nently qualified  for  the  task,  having  been  prominently  connected  with  one  survey  of  the  greater  part  of 
Northern  New  York,  and  with  much  other  similar  work. 


Natural  Characteristics.  19 

he  had  discovered  mountains  that  were  theretofore  unknown,  more  than  a  mile 
in  height,  giving  us,  as  a  State,  the  right  to  use  the  "  Great  Seal  "  without  in- 
consistency ;  for  the  sun,  as  depicted  on  the  shield,  could  rise  from  behind  real 
mountains,  and  the  legend  underneath,  "  EXCELSIOR,"  was  no  longer  a 
myth. 

Mr.  Emmons  gave,  in  the  early  pages  of  his  report,  a  very  concise  descrip- 
tion of  the  five  great  mountain  ranges  that  occupy  the  entire  northeast  quarter 
of  the  State,  and  which  farther  investigation  has  not  materially  changed  in  the 
last  forty  years  ;  but  when  treating  of  these  same  ranges  of  mountains  in  War- 
ren county,  he  has  given  to  them  different  names  from  those  applied  in  Essex 
county,  and  in  treating  of  the  same  in  the  county  of  Essex,  he  has  left  out  the 
third  range  entirely.  It  is  by  this  discrepancy  in  his  descriptions  that  much 
trouble  has  been  occasioned,  and  differences  of  opinion  among  individuals  have 
arisen.  To  some  of  these  ranges  he  gave  names,  and  to  others  none.  James 
Johonnot,  who  had  charge  of  the  topographical  features  of  French's  Gazetteer 
in  i860,  added  names  to  those  ranges  that  had  not  been  named,  changed  Mo- 
riah  range  to  Boquet  range  and  Clinton  to  Adirondack.  These  changes  were 
called  for,  because  that  portion  of  the  Boquet  range  in  Moriah  was  an  insignifi- 
cant portion  only  ;  whereas,  by  naming  it  from  a  river  that  bordered  it  on  the 
north,  the  name  rendered  its  location  at  once  apparent.  Changing  the  Clinton 
range  to  Adirondack  was  only  in  conformity  to  common  usage,  which  in 
twenty  years  had  become  quite  fixed  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  which 
twentj'-five  years  additional  has  completely  established. 

In  writing  of  the  topography  of  Warren  county,  to  obtain  a  fair  comprehen- 
sion of  the  whole  subject,  it  is  easier  and  much  more  satisfactory  to  take  it  in 
connection  with  the  surrounding  territory,  particularly  in  regard  to  the  moun- 
tain ranges,  for  four  of  the  five  cross  Warren,  although  they  may  have  their 
rise  or  termini  in  other  counties.  A  mountain  range  is  as  much  determined 
by  continuous  valleys  as  by  continuous  peaks,  and  in  the  following  descriptions 
I  shall  be  as  much  governed  by  one  as  by  the  other.  When  Mr.  Emmons 
made  his  survey  there  was  no  map  of  the  State  that  was  at  all  creditable,  very 
few  of  the  mountains  had  a  location  on  them  and  that  few  were  no  more  cor- 
rectly located  than  they  are  on  the  maps  we  have  at  present,  which  is  bad 
enough.  Nothing  but  the  trigonometrical  survey  of  this  entire  region  will 
ever  place  them  absolutely  in  their  right  localities. 

The  first,  or  Palmerton  range  of  mountains,  rises  in  the  extreme  south  point 
of  Warren  county,  where  it  is  locally  known  as  the  Luzerne  Mountain, 'with  its 
main  axis  lying  in  a  southwest  and  northeast  direction.  Proceeding  in  a  general 
northeast  course,  it  is  divided  by  a  lateral  valley,  through  which  the  road  runs 
from  Glens  Falls  to  Lake  George.  Proceeding  in  the  same  general  course,  the 
next  mass  is  known  as  French  Mountain.  Beyond  this  is  a  little  valley  in  which 
is  situated  the  hamlet  of  Harrisena.     From  this  point  the  mountain  ridge  be- 


20  History  of  Warren  County. 


comes  more  continuous,  and  occupies  about  all  the  territory  between  Lake 
George  and  Lake  Champlain,  with  the  same  general  course,  with  scarcely  any 
thing  like  a  lateral  valley,  receiving  different  names  in  different  localities,  and 
finally  terminates  at  Mount  Defiance,  where  it  proudly  overlooks  old  Fort  Ti- 
conderoga.  This  range  is  about  fifty  miles  in  length  ;  from  three  to  five  miles 
in  width,  and  extends  through  the  towns  of  Luzerne  and  Queensbury  in 
Warren  county ;  Fort  Ann,  Dresden,  and  Putnam  in  Washington  county  ;  and 
a  part  of  Ticonderoga  in  Essex  county.  The  highest  point  is  in  Washington 
county,  in  Dresden,  called  Black  Mountain,  which  is  about  3,000  feet  high. 
The  sides  of  this  range  are  steep  and  rocky,  often  precipitous ;  composed  of 
primitive  rock  and  but  scantily  covered  with  a  thin,  sandy  soil.  Viewed  from 
the  deck  of  a  steamboat  on  either  lake,  this  high  ridge  is  the  most  attractive 
in  the  landscape. 

The  second  or  Kayaderosseras  range,  rises  in  Montgomery  county,  a  little 
north  of  Amsterdam,  and  taking  the  same  general  northeast  direction,  is  not 
broken  by  any  lateral  valley  till  it  reaches  the  Sacandaga  River  a  little  west 
of  the  village  of  Luzerne.  North  of  the  Sacandaga,  and  west  of  the  Hudson, 
is  a  single  mass,  where  the  continuity  is  again  broken  by  the  Hudson.  From 
this  point  it  again  assumes  the  full  character  of  a  continuous  range  for  several 
miles,  only  partially  cleft  by  a  little  valley,  through  which  the  road  runs  from 
Caldwell  to  Warrensburgh.  Still  continuing  in  the  same  general  direction  in 
a  high  rocky  ridge  for  about  twenty  miles,  it  spreads  out  in  several  spurs  in 
the  vicinity  of  Brant  Lake,  and  one  of  them  culminates  in  Mount  Pharaoh,  which 
has  an  estimated  altitude  of  4,500  feet.  From  this  region  the  ridges,  which 
are  spread  to  about  fifteen  miles  in  width,  gradually  approach  each  other,  and 
finally  terminate  on  Lake  Champlain  in  Bulwagga  Mountain,  which  has  a  pre- 
cipitous face  of  about  1,200  feet. 

This  range  is  some  twenty  to  thirty  miles  longer  than  the  first,  and  is  flanked 
on  both  sides  with  outlying  spurs,  or  isolated  peaks,  sometimes  attaining  a  width 
of  seven  to  ten  miles  in  the  southwest  portion ;  but  between  the  Hudson 
River  and  Lake  George  it  is  not  more  than  four ;  farther  north  it  occupies 
all  the  territory  between  Schroon  Lake  and  Lakes  George  and  Champlain. 
This  mountain  range  takes  a  great  variety  of  forms  —  sharp,  steep  and  rocky 
on  one  side,  and  quite  gradual  in  its  slope  on  the  other ;  is  often  precipitous, 
with  bare  and  barren  summits.  In  the  southwest  portion  a  very  little  arable 
land  is  found  nestled  in  the  coves  and  curves  of  either  side,  but  as  we  proceed 
farther  north  the  cultivated  spots  become  less,  and  smaller,  and  finally  die  out 
altogether,  until  we  reach  the  slope  towards  Lake  Champlain,  where  the  dairy- 
man again  assumes  sway,  and  a  little  farther  on  the  soil  is  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation  well  up  on  to  the  sides  of  the  mountain  slopes.  This  range  occupies 
parts  of  the  towns  of  Edinburgh,  Day  and  Hadley  in  Saratoga  county ;  Luzerne, 
Caldwell,  Bolton,  Horicon  and  Hague  in  Warren  county  ;  Schroon,  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point  in  Essex  county. 


Natural  Characteristics.  21 

The  third,  or  Schroon,  range  rises  north  of  Johnstown,  where  it  is  called 
the  Mayfield  Mountain,  and  forms  for  a  considerable  distance  a  continuous 
ridge.  The  valley  of  the  Sacandaga  in  the  town  of  Hope,  Hamilton  county, 
completely  dissevers  it,  but  it  soon  assumes  the  full  characteristics  of  a  range, 
and  for  eight  or  ten  miles  lies  nearly  north  and  south,  but  finally  bears  off  to 
the  northeast  again,  and  sends  out  a  spur  to  the  right,  which  is  the  culminating 
point  of  the  range — Crane  Mountain  in  Johnsburgh. 

The  most  continuous  ridge  is  farther  west  and  passes  Schroon  Lake  on  the 
west  and,  some  miles  farther  north,  forms  the  divide  between  the  waters  of  the 
Hudson  and  the  Boquet,  where  it  bends  again  more  to  the  east  and  finally 
terminates  in  Split  Rock  Point  on  Lake  Champlain.  This  range  is  about  ninety 
miles  in  length,  from  three  to  five  in  width  at  the  southern  extremity,  and  about 
fifteen  in  width  opposite  Crane  Mountain  and  quite  narrow  at  its  terminus.  In 
the  widest  part  the  masses  are  not  very  high,  with  the  exception  of  Crane 
Mountain,  which  is,  barometrically,  3,289  feet,  and  the  slopes  are  quite  gentle 
in  some  places;  but  farther  north  in  Essex  county  (a  few  miles  north  of  Schroon), 
the  masses  are  high,  sharp  and  angular,  with  deep  narrow  valleys  or  gorges 
between  them.  This  range  occupies  all  the  north  part  of  Mayfield  in  Fulton 
county ;  the  east  part  of  Hope  and  Wells  in  Hamilton  county ;  Thurman, 
Johnsburgh  and  Chester  in  Warren  county ;  Minerva,  North  Hudson,  Moriah, 
a  corner  of  Elizabethtown  and  a  part  of  Westport  in  Essex  county.  The  lat- 
eral valleys  are  very  few,  and  the  only  ones  are  the  Sacandaga  before  spoken 
of,  and  the  northwest  branch  of  the  Hudson.  In  its  broadest  portion  there  is 
very  little  arable  land,  for  where  it  might  be  cultivated  so  far  as  the  surface  of 
the  soil  is  concerned,  it  is  covered  by  such  quantities  of  boulders  —  brought 
down  from  farther  north — that  it  is  unprofitable  to  attempt  the  raising  of  but 
very  limited  patches  of  grain. 

The  fourth,  or  Boquet,  range  rises  at  the  Noses,  on  the  east  line  of  the  town 
of  Palatine,  and  pursues  the  same  general  northeast  direction,  through  Palatine 
and  Mohawk  in  Montgomery  county  ;  Ephrata,  Johnstown,  Caroga  and  Bleeker 
in  Fulton  county ;  Hope,  Wells,  Lake  Pleasant  and  Indian  Lake  in  Hamilton 
county ;  all  the  northwest  part  of  Johnsburgh  in  Warren  county ;  it  enters 
Essex  county  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Minerva,  and,  still  continuing  its  course, 
it  finally  culminates  in  Dix's  Peak,  which  is,  barometrically,  4,916  feet  above 
tide.  This  point  is  in  the  town  of  North  Hudson,  and  from  there  it  loses  its 
continuity  as  a  range,  being  completely  broken  up  into  spurs  and  isolated 
masses  in  Keene,  Elizabethtown  and  Lewis ;  finally  it  ends  in  the  town  of 
Willsborough,  Essex  county,  and  is  the  only  range  that  does  not  end  abruptly 
in  a  precipice  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Champlain.  The  continuity  of  this  range 
is  broken  in  its  southern  portion,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  two  lateral  valleys 
of  the  western  branches  of  the  Sacandaga  River  in  Hamilton  county,  and  again 
by  the  Hudson  in  the  town  of  Minerva.     The  borders  of  this  range  are  not  as 


22  History  of  Warren  County. 

well  defined  as  in  some  of  the  others ;  it  is  broad  where  the  third  range  is  nar- 
row, and  narrow  where  the  third  range  is  broad.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles  in  length  and  from  five  to  fifteen  miles  in  width,  its  narrow  portions 
being  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Pleasant,  and  near  its  culminating  point,  with 
three  broad  portions :  one  at  the  southern  part,  one  in  the  vicinity  of  Indian 
Lake,  and  the  third  at  the  northern  extremity.  Piseco  Lake,  Lake  Pleasant, 
and  Indian  Lake  farther  north,  lie  upon  the  west  side. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Dix's  Peak  are  several  remarkable  mountains  —  high, 
sharp,  conical  peaks,  with  deep,  narrow  gorges  between  them  ;  or  very  narrow* 
sharp  ridges,  which,  plainly  visible  when  viewed  from  one  direction,  are  not 
recognized  when  viewed  from  another  but  slightly  altered  direction.  The 
clefts  between  them  are  very  narrow,  almost  chasms,  with  nearly  perpendicular 
sides,  ragged  in  the  extreme.  This  range  has  many  outlying  spurs,  some  of 
them  rising  into  quite  prominent  peaks,  that  in  any  other  portion  of  the  State 
would  be  considered  as  objects  of  grandeur. 

The  fifth,  or  Adirondack,  range  rises  fairly  south  of  the  Mohawk  River 
and  crosses  that  stream  at  Little  Falls.  From  this  point  it  pursues  the  same 
general  course  with  all  of  the  others,  occupying  a  portion  of  Manheim  and 
Salisbury  in  Herkimer  county ;  Morehouse,  Arietta,  Lake  Pleasant  and  Indian 
Lake  in  Hamilton  county ;  all  of  Newcomb,  Keene,  Jay  and  Chesterfield,  with 
parts  of  Elizabethtown  and  Lewis  in  Essex  county  ;  and  finally  terminates  at 
Trembleau  Point  on  Lake  Champlain,  near  Port  Kent,  at  the  mcuth  of  the 
great  Ausable  River.  The  continuity  of  this  whole  range  is  only  broken  by 
two  lateral  valleys ;  the  first,  by  the  little  branch  of  the  Hudson,  just  west  of 
Lake  Sanford,  in  Newcomb,  and  again  by  the  south  branch  of  the  Ausable  in 
the  town  of  Keene.  This,  principal  of  all  the  mountain  ranges  in  the  State,  is 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  in  length  from  the  Mohawk  River  to  the  lake  at 
Trembleau  Point,  and  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  in  width.  It  has  many  outly- 
ing spurs  in  its  whole  course,  but  around  the  highest  portion  are  clustered  a 
group  of  the  most  remarkable  peaks  in  the  United  States  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  Mount  Marcy,  the  highest  of  all,  is  5,344  feet  above  tide,  and 
Mount  Mclntyre,  a  near  neighbor,  5, 11 2.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  are  sev- 
eral others  that  have  an  altitude  of  over  4,000  feet,  and  in  the  whole  range 
there  are  perhaps  fifty  that  have  an  altitude  of  over  3,000  feet.  It  has  three 
outlying  spurs  to  the  north  that  culminate  in  three  remarkable  peaks :  Emmons 
in  Hamilton  county;  Seward  in  Franklin  county;  and  Whiteface  in  Essex 
county.  Emmons  (or  Blue  Mountain)  3,762,  Seward  4,384,  and  Whiteface 
4,871  feet  above  tide,  respectively.  In  the  southern  portion  of  this  range  the 
sides  of  the  hills  where  they  are  not  properly  called  mountains  are  susceptible  of 
some  cultivation,  and  farther  north  the  dairyman  finds  pasturage  for  his  herds ; 
but  after  leaving  the  county  of  Herkimer,  the  soil  is  thin,  sandy,  and  the  entire 
absence  of  lime  renders  it  unsusceptible  of  profitable  cultivation.     The  sides 


Natural  Characteristics.  23 

of  the  mountains  soon  become  steep  and  rocky,  and  the  valleys  filled  with 
boulders,  brought  from  the  far  north,  which  are  too  troublesome  to  contend 
with.  In  the  middle  portion  of  the  range,  in  Hamilton  county,  it  is  the  broad- 
est and  to  a  great  extent  has  not  been  explored  in  any  scientific  manner  known 
to  the  writer;  but  in  the  northern  part  this  has  been  done,  and  the  mountain 
masses  are  between  high,  sharp,  conical  peaks,  with  deep,  narrow  defiles,  gorges 
and  chasms,  in  great  variety.  The  flanking  spurs  on  either  side  are  great 
mountains,  nearly  equal  to  the  principal  ones  of  the  range,  and  cover  a  vast  ex- 
tent of  territory,  giving  in  this  portion  of  the  State  the  appellation  of  "The 
Switzerland  of  America."  Northeast  of  the  great  group  of  mountains  that 
gives  this  range  its  name,  the  "  flankers  "  seem  to  withdraw  from  their  skirm- 
ishing expeditions,  the  "pickets"  are  drawn  in,  and  on  approaching  the  lake 
the  range  modestly  assumes  the  form  of  a  respectable  hill,  and  finally  disap- 
pears in  the  rippling  depths. 

Still  farther  to  the  northwest  of  all  these  mountains  is  another  great  range, 
called  the  Ausable,  or  broken  range.  It  occupies,  with  its  spurs  and  isolated 
peaks,  a  territory  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles  in  length,  by  from  twenty  to  forty 
in  width,  embracing  several  hundred  peaks  of  greater  or  less  magnitude,  a  few 
of  which  only  have  been  measured.  The  highest  portion  is  the  southeast  bor- 
der, and  some  of  the  most  prominent  peaks  are  Mount  St.  Louis  in  Herkimer 
county,  2,295  ;  Owl's  Head  in  Hamilton,  2,825  ;  Graves  in  St.  Lawrence, 
2,345;  St.  Regis  in  Franklin,  2,888;  De  Bar  in  Franklin,  3,011;  and  Lyon 
Mountain  in  Clinton  county,  3,809. 

From  this  elevated  portion  towards  the  northwest  the  whole  country  grad- 
ually sinks  and  loses  its  rough  characteristics,  and  when  within  about  twenty 
miles  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  it  entirely  disappears,  and  a  nearly  level  plain 
continues  to  the  river.  This  is  not  properly  a  range,  but  in  treating  it  as  such 
it  occupies  all  of  the  territory  lying  to  the  northwest  of  the  Fulton  chain  of 
lakes  in  Herkimer,  Raquette  and  Long  Lakes  in  Hamilton,  the  Saranacs  and 
the  Saranac  valley  continued  to  Lake  Champlain.  This  range  is  thickly  inter- 
spersed with  numerous  lakes  and  ponds,  besides  those  on  the  southeast  side 
that  define  its  boundaries  and  give  to  it  that  fascination  and  attraction  to  those 
who  delight  in  visiting  this  region  as  a  summer  resort. 

Originally  all  of  these  mountain  ranges  were  covered  with  a  forest,  and  far 
up  the  slopes  a  heavy  growth  of  timber  of  many  varieties  formerly  existed,  and 
in  some  instances  to  the  very  summits;  but  generally  for  not  more  than  2,000 
feet  was  the  timber  of  any  great  value,  as  above  that  in  most  instances  it  was 
dwarfed  and  useless  except  to  retain  moisture  to  supply  the  little  rills  that 
formed  the  rivers  of  the  whole  region.  Some  of  the  highest  peaks  were  bald 
and  barren,  and  this  baldness  and  barrenness  has  been  terribly  increased  by 
the  forest  fires  and  the  woodman's  axe,  and  the  wildness,  rockyness  and  barren- 
ness revealed,  where  Nature,  in  her  charity,  has  robed  the  deformity  with  a 
mantle  of  beauty. 


24  History  of  Warren  County. 

Valleys.  —  To  the  lover  of  nature  in  winter,  Essex  stands  pre-eminently  first 
in  the  magnitude  and  magnificence  of  its  mountains  ;  but  in  summer,  Warren 
equally  claims  his  admiration,  in  the  verdant  beauty  of  its  valleys,  and  the  love- 
liness of  its  lakes.  The  first  valley  (that  is,  the  one  between  the  first  and 
second  ranges  of  mountains),  is  occupied  for  at  least  three-fourths  of  its  length 
by  Lake  George,  while  the  valley  continues  on  to  the  southwest  to  the  great 
bend  of  the  Hudson  River,  near  Corinth  in  Saratoga  county.  The  rise  in  this 
direction  from  the  lake  is  quite  gradual,  and  the  valley  has  several  little  lakes 
in  its  length  ;  this  is  the  most  natural  continuance  of  the  valley,  rather  than  the 
one  leading  to  Glens  Falls.  It  is  bordered  by  an  almost  continuous  chain  of 
mountains  on  both  sides,  and  the  little  lateral  valleys  are  hardly  noticeable  on 
either  side.  The  one  through  which  the  road  leads  to  Glens  Falls  is  the  only 
one  of  importance. 

The  second  valley  extends  from  Luzerne  northeasterly,  and  naturally  fol- 
lows the  Schroon  branch  of  the  Hudson  River ;  it  is  narrow  in  the  southern 
portion,  but  widens  out  in  the  vicinity  of  Warrensburgh  to  several  miles,  grad- 
ually contracting  again  in  the  vicinity  of  Schroon  Lake.  The  bordering  hills 
and  mountains  wind  and  curve  gracefully  in  the  whole  course  ;  one  little  lateral 
valley  only,  on  the  east  side,  breaks  the  continuity,  until  the  stream  from 
Brant  Lake  is  reached,  which  is  so  narrow  as  to  be  scarcely  noticeable.  On 
the  west  there  are  two  or  three  breaks  in  the  continuity  of  the  mountain  range 
before  the  valley  of  the  northwest  branch  of  the  Hudson  is  attained,  which  is 
quite  broad  for  some  distance,  and  one  other  little  break,  where  the  stream 
comes  in  from  Pottersville.  These  are  the  only  continuous  valleys  in '  the 
county  of  any  extent.  The  third  valley,  or  the  one  between  the  third  and 
fourth  ranges  of  mountains,  is  simply  a  depression  in  the  heights  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  is  not  occupied  by  any  considerable  stream.  Its  lowest  depression 
is  a  little  southeast  of  Gore  Mountain,  where  North  Creek  falls  into  the  Hud- 
son and  extends  in  the  same  southwest  direction,  and  jn  its  southern  portion 
is  occupied  by  the  east  branch  of  the  Sacandaga  River. 

The  valley  of  the  northwest  branch  of  the  Hudson  cuts  through  the  third 
range  of  mountains  ;  it  is  wild  and  picturesque,  and  the  only  one  of  any  con- 
sequence in  the  western  part  of  the  county.  The  valleys  of  the  smaller  streams 
are  narrow,  crooked,  deep,  wild,  and  rocky ;  and  hardly  one  of  them  afibrds 
much  opportunity  for  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  These  hill  and  mountain 
sides  are  for  the  most  part  covered  with  the  native  forest,  except  where  the 
fire  has  swept  them  bare,  and  even  here  they  are  gradually  regaining  their 
brightness  and  beauty.  The  broader  valleys  have  but  very  little  intervale 
land,  but  the  slopes  in  many  places  are  susceptible  of  cultivation.  They  are 
beautifully  winding  in  their  outlines,  with  an  occasional  rocky  promontory, 
high,  steep  and  covered  with  a  great  variety  of  foliage,  which,  in  the  autumn, 
cannot  be  surpassed  for  beauty  in  the  wide  world. 


Natural  Characteristics.  25 

Lakes,  Streams,  Drainage,  etc.  —  Lake  George  is  the  largest  lake  that  is 
directly  associated  with  the  great  wilderness  region  of  northern  New  York.  It 
is  thirty-six  miles  in  length,  and  nearly  all  lying  in  Warren  county.  It  varies 
in  width  from  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  about  two  miles  and  for  a  greater 
part  of  its  entire  length  is  beautified  with  many  lovely  islands.  These  are  said 
to  number  three  hundred  and  sixty-five,  and  vary  in  size  from  a  few  square 
feet,  to  several  acres.  A  number  of  them  are  inhabited  as  summer  resorts, 
having  elegant  residences ;  some  are  barren  and  others  are  covered  with  the 
native  forest,  embracing  a  great  variety  of  species  both  deciduous  and  conif- 
erous. It  is  flanked  on  both  sides  with  high,  rocky,  and  precipitous  moun- 
tains, clothed  with  dark  forests,  and  picturesque  in  the  highest  degree. 

As  seen  from  the  deck  of  a  steamboat  in  sailing  its  entire  length,  it  gives 
the  beholder  a  panorama  of  continual  beauty,  exciting  always  a  lively  interest, 
even  to  those  who  are  familiar  with  its  loveliness.  Travelers  often  compare  it 
with  the  famous  lakes  of  the  old  world  —  Scottish,  Swiss,  Italian,  and  usually 
with  no  disparagement  to  Lake  George.  Than  the  beauty  of  the  lake  itself, 
without  raising  the  eyes  above  their  natural  plane,  there  is  nothing  in  the  world 
more  lovely.  In  the  height  of  the  snow-capped  mountains  that  surround  it. 
Lake  Luzerne  (Switzerland)  may  bear  off  the  palm.  Lakes  Constance  and 
Geneva  have  none  of  the  beauty  of  its  islands  ;  Como  and  Maggiore  in  Italy, 
and  Lomond  in  Scotland  have  nothing  to  compare  with  the  variety  of  its  verd- 
ure on  the  mountain  sides,  while  in  the  purity  of  its  waters  all  travelers  ac- 
knowledge that  it  is  no  where  equaled.  It  is  three  hundred  and  forty-three 
feet  above  tide,  and  discharges  its  water  north  into  Lake  Champlain. 

A  well  known  American  writer  ^  has  thus  beautifully  pictured  this  lovely 
lake  in  language  that  has,  no  doubt,  often  been  felt  by  other  visitors  without 
his  poetic  power  of  expression  :  — 

I  linger  sadJy,  loth  to  say  adieu 

To  that  which  of  me  forms  so  sweet  a  part ; 
The  crystal  waters  and  the  mountains  blue. 

Are  mirrored  deeply  in  my  heart  of  heart. 
And  lake  and  mountains,  rocks  and  wooded  streams, 
Now  pass  from  pleasant  seeing  to  my  world  of  dreams. 

Upon  the  lofty  wooded  mount  I  stand,  i 

Where  erst  of  old  the  simple  huntsman  stood, 
I  see  about  me  far  and  wide  expand 

The  scene  of  lake  and  mountains,  isles  and  wood ; 
Like  him  I  linger,  loth  to  break  the  spell, 
That  lives  in  one  sad  word,  and  vainly  says,  farewell. 

Now  like  vast  giants  in  their  deep  repose 

These  mountains  rest  beneath  the  autumn  day ; 
From  early  morn  until  the  evening's  close 

The  dreamy  shadows  on  their  summits  play ; 
While  in  the  distance  dim  they  catch  the  hue 
Of  heaven,  and  melt  in  cloudland's  deepest  tint  of  blue. 

iDoNN  Piatt. 


26  ,  History  of  Warren  County. 

I  stood  by  lakes  where  peaks  do  pierce  the  sky, 

Snow-clad,  and  grand  in  rocky  solitudes ; 
I  saw  the  homes  where  round  them  living  lie 

Tradition-haunted  tales  of  love  and  feud ; 
Sweet  human  gossip  chased  the  gloom  so  drear. 
And  gave  to  what  was  grand,  humanity  more  dear. 

They  had  no  beauty  like  to  thine,  Lake  George, 

Where  all  that's  grand,  with  all  that's  sweet,  entwine ; 
I  see  thy  fairy  isles,  while  down  each  gorge 
'  The  birch  and  maple  tint  the  gloomy  pine ; 

The  mountain  sides  are  forests  wide  and  deep. 
Where  song  birds  nestle,  and  the  eagles  scream  and  sweep. 

And  all  is  wild,  as  in  that  early  day 

The  nations  found  a  highway  on  thy  shore. 
And  meeting,  battled  for  a  world's  wide  sway ; 

Thy  mountains  wakened  to  the  mouthing  roar 
Of  deadly  cannon,  while  from  each  glen 
Came  back  the  doubled  thunder  to  the  strife  of  men. 

And  all  is  wild,  as  when  (he  solemn  mind 

Of  Cooper  told  its  tale  of  savage  war ; 
One  was  not  startled  in  the  wood  to  find 

The  sage  Mohican,  or  wild  Iroquois  ; 
The  dusky  shadows  of  those  shadowy  things 
That  will  survive  our  life;  in  men's  imaginings. 

Ah  !   lovely  lake,  how  do  I  long  to  dwell 

In  humble  quiet  on  thy  fairy  shore. 
With  rod  and  books,  and  those  I  love  so  well, 

Forgetting  and  forgot,  live  evermore. 
To  float  upon  thy  water's  peaceful  sheen 
Where  love  is  life  and  life  a  poet's  happy  dream. 

Now  dies  apace  the  golden  autumn  day. 

Now  steal  the  ghostly  shadows  from  the  glen ; 
The  stars  are  gathering  in  their  glad  array. 

And  stillness  falls  upon  the  haunts  of  men ; 
Earth  parts  from  me,  and  closing  on  my  view. 
Back  to  the  busy  world  I  go.     Fair  lake,  adieu ! 

The  western  part  of  the  county  is  thickly  interspersed  with  little  lakes  and 
ponds  that  lie  in  the  notches  of  the  hills  and  mountains,  deep,  pure,  and  clear 
as  crystal,  usually  surrounded  with  the  native  forest;  these  are  the  natural 
home  of  the  trout,  and  consequently  the  enticing  resort  of  the  angler.  Some 
of  these  are  mere  specks,  as  depicted  upon  the  maps  of  this  region,  but  are 
really  large  enough  to  thrill  the  visitor  with  their  quiet  beauty,  to  enrapture 
the  poet,  and  captivate  the  painter. 

Thirteenth  Pond,  which  is  more  properly  a  lake,  lies  in  the  extreme  north- 
west corner  of  the  county.  Loon  Lake  and  Friends'  Lake  are  considerable 
bodies  of  water  in  the  north  part  of  the  county,  and  are  very  picturesque  in  all 
their  surroundings.     Besides  these,  there  are  many  little  ponds,  some   with 


Natural  Characteristics. 


■names,  but  more  without,  which  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery.  Eleventh, 
Mill  Creek,  Round,  Wolfe,  Lizzard,  Indian,  Puffer,  are  the  principal  ones,  but 
there  are  others  that  are  equally  as  handsome,  and  in  a  piscatorial  sense,  quite 
as  important. 

In  the  extreme  north  part  of  the  county  is  Schroon  Lake,  about  half  of 
which  lies  in  this  county  ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  State.  It  re- 
sembles those  in  the  central  counties  of  the  State  more  than  any  other  in  this 
region.  Cultivated  fields  reach  from  the  water's  edge  back  to  the  hills,  and  the 
-contour  of  the  shores  has  just  enough  of  variety  to  keep  the  observer  continu- 
ously on  the  watch  for  new  beauties.  It  is  eight  miles  long,  and  varies  con- 
siderably in  width,  but  averaging  about  a  mile.  It  is  about  eight  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  above  tide. 

Brant  Lake,  which  lies  between  Schroon  Lake  and  Lake  George,  is  five  miles 
in  length,  and  averages  about  half  a  mile  in  width,  lying  high  up  in  the  second 
range  of  mountains.  When  first  seen  by  the  writer  (1858)  it  was  completely 
■surrounded  by  an  unbroken  wilderness.  The  pale  blue  of  the  water,  the  deep 
blue  of  the  sky,  and  the  dark  green  of  the  forest  between,  brought  to  his  mind 
the  familiar  lines — 

*'  It  was  down  by  the  dark  tarn  of  Auber, 
In  the  ghoul-haunted  woodland  of  Wier." 

The  drainage  of  the  entire  county,  with  a  little  exception,  is  through  the 
Hudson  River  and  its  tributaries.  Schroon  Lake  being  considered  as  eight 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  tide,  there  is  a  fall  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-four 
^eet  between  it  and  the  mouth  of  the  Sacandaga  River.  This  gives  a  fall  of  about 
eight  and  a  half  feet  per  mile  in  the  distance  of  thirty-five  miles,  which  causes 
.a  strong  and  powerful  current.  The  west  or  main  branch  of  the  Hudson  must 
have  a  very  much  more  rapid  current,  for  the  fall  from  Lake  Sanford  to  the 
-same  place  cannot  be  far  from  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet,  and  the  dis- 
tance about  seventy  miles.  There  is  nothing  that  can  be  called  a  cascade  or  a 
rapid  in  this  whole  distance,  and  consequently  the  descent  must  be  very  uni- 
form. The  tributaries  of  the  Hudson  on  the  west  are  all  small,  rapid  streams, 
rising  high  among  the  mountain  peaks,  and  flowing  in  deep,  narrow  gorges. 
The  watershed  of  Lake  George  is  very  limited,  reaching  scarcely  more  than  a 
mile  from  the  shore  in  any  place ;  the  brooks  are  short  and  small.  The  im- 
:mense  flow  of  water  from  the  outlet,  that  hardly  varies  an  inch  in  a  year,  has 
been  computed  as  several  times  greater  than  is  due  to  the  rain-fall,  and  can 
-only  be  accounted  for  on  the  theory  of  great  springs.  In  proof  of  this  theory 
the  inhabitants  say  that  the  lake  rarely  freezes  at  the  north  end,  and  one  of  the 
inducements  offered  by  the  proprietors  of  the  water  privileges,  at  the  falls  of 
Ticonderoga,  has  ever  been  that  the  water  is  so  warm  in  winter  that  the  water- 
■wheels  are  never  troubled  by  the  formation  of  ice. 

Cascades.  — A  few  rods  below  the  junction  of  the  Sacandaga  River  with  the 
Hudson,  at  the  village  of  Luzerne,  their  united  waters  plunge  down  a  cascade 


28  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  considerable  height,  in  a  broken,  foamy  mass,  rolHng,  boiling  and  tumbling- 
in  a  most  fantastic  manner.  This  is  locally  known  as  Little  Jessup's  Falls,  and 
were  it  not  for  the  existence  of  one  much  larger  in  the  immediate  vicinity^ 
would  be  considered  one  of  the  remarkable  sights  of  this  region. 

Jessup's,  or  High  Falls,  on  the  Hudson,  are  situated  just  below  the  great 
bend  towards  the  east,  at  the  extreme  south  point  of  the  town  of  Luzerne,  near 
the  village  of  Corinth,  in  Saratoga  county.  The  water  flows  in  a  series  of  rap- 
ids for  three-fourths  of  a  mile  over  a  declining  rocky  bottom,  and  is  then  com- 
pressed into  a  narrow  gorge  for  eighty  rods,  at  the  bottom  of  which  it  shoots- 
down  a  nearly  perpendicular  descent  of  sixty  feet.  The  gneiss  ledge  over 
which  it  falls  is  convex  in  form,  and  the  water  is  broken  into  perfect  sheets  of 
snow-white  foam.  A  few  rods  above  the  last  leap  of  the  water,  and  where  it 
is  rushing  with  the  greatest  velocity,  the  river  can  be  spanned  with  a  single 
plank  thirteen  feet  in  length. 

At  Glens  Falls  the  river  flows  over  a  shelving  rock  with  a  total  descent  of 
fifty  feet.  The  fall  is  broken  into  three  channels  by  natural  piers  of  black  lime- 
stone standing  upon  the  brow  of  the  precipice  over  which  the  water  flows^ 
forming  a  cascade  of  remarkable  natural  beauty. 

GEOLOGY. 

Primary  Rock.  —  Of  the  geology  of  Warren  county,  the  most  that  we  know 
is  obtained  from  the  reports  of  Ebenezer  Emmons,  on  the  Second  District  of 
the  State,  and  made  in  1842.  From  this  source  we  have  condensed  portions 
of  the  following,  modified  by  the  discoveries  of  the  past  forty  years  and  a  few- 
personal  observations  of  the  writer :  — 

The  principal  portion  of  the  county  is  composed  of  gneiss;  granite,  primi- 
tive limestone  and  serpentine  appear  as  intruding  rocks  associated  with  the 
gneiss.  The  first  range  of  mountains  on  the  east  is  composed  of  gneiss;  the 
second  range  is  gneiss,  with  some  granite  and  hornblende;  the  third  range  is. 
gneiss  and  some  decomposing  granite  near  its  culminating  point  in  Johnsburgh. 
The  fourth  range  is  gneiss  in  its  southern  portion,  and  if  hypersthene  exists,  as- 
Mr.  Emmons  supposed,  it  must  be  limited  to  the  north  extremity,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Essex  county. 

There  is  no  peculiar  characteristic  in  this  gneiss ;  it  is  all  of  the  ordinary- 
kind,  with  some  intermixture  of  hornblende,  that  is  common  to  other  portions- 
of  the  State.  The  general  dip  of  the  strata  is  westerly,  and  the  strike  ob- 
hquely  across  the  main  axis  of  the  different  ranges,  in  a  direction  more  easterly 
than  the  general  direction  of  the  main  chain.  In  regard  to  imbedded  minerals^ 
there  is,  in  fact,  a  lack  of  them,  especially  of  the  useful  kinds.  Iron  ore  of  the 
magnetic  kind  is  not  infrequent;  but  it  does  not  occur  in  considerable  masses. 

Granite.  — This  rock,  the  next  of  any  importance  in  extent  in  the  county^ 
is  nearly  all   located   in   the  valley  between   the  second   and  third  ranges  of 


Natural  Characteristics.  29 

mountains.  The  most  important  mass  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Crane  Mountain,  in 
Johnsburgh.  It  is  white,  tolerably  coarse  and  contains  small  particles  of  mica. 
The  feldspar  decomposing  rapidly  forms  the  important  material  called  porcelain 
•clay.  The  precise  extent  of  this  material  has  not  been  determined,  but  it  is 
known  to  extend,  with  little  interruption,  for  about  twenty  miles. 

Primitive  Limestone. — This  rock  is  of  more  frequent  occurrence  than  gran- 
ite ;  its  beds,  however,  are  generally  quite  limited  in  extent,  but  form  quite  a  broad 
belt  entirely  across  the  county  in  the  direction  of  the  mountain  ranges.  It  lies 
at  their  bases  and  forms  low,  inconspicuous  hills,  in  the  main  valley.  This  belt, 
imperfect  as  it  must  be,  passes  through  Stony  Creek,  Thurman,  Johnsburgh, 
Warrensburgh,  Chester  and  Horicon.  It  is  one  of  the  most  important  rocks  in 
the  county,  as  from  it  all  the  lime  is  obtained  for  building  and  agriculture. 
When  the  stone  is  properly  selected  it  makes  the  strongest  lime,  a  bushel  be- 
ing worth  as  much  as  a  bushel  and  a  half  of  lime  made  from  the  transition 
limestone.  This  rock  is  not  suitable  for  marble,  in  consequence  of  its  liability 
to  disintegrate. 

Serpentine.  —  Associated  with  primitive  limestone  are  extensive  beds  of 
-serpentine,  intermixed  with  carbonate  of  lime.  This  is  usually  called  verde 
antique ;  but  this  ancient  and  beautiful  rock  is  composed  of  materials  much 
harder  and  more  valuable.  It  occurs  in  a  great  variety  of  colors,  from  a  very 
■dark  green  to  a  bright  yellowish  green.  It  has  been  discovered  in  a  great 
many  places,  and  for  indoor  work,  mantels,  table  tops,  etc.,  it  would  be  very 
valuable. 

Potsdam  Sandstone.  —  This  rock  lies  geologically  next  above  the  gneiss,  or 
primary  rocks,  and  is  the  first  sedimentary  rock  in  the  New  York  sytem.  At 
the  High  Falls  on  the  Hudson  at  Corinth  this  rock  appears  about  one  hundred 
feet  thick,  the  fall  being  occasioned  by  an  uplift,  and  where  the  gneiss  appears 
on  one  side  of  the  river,  and  the  sandstone  on  the  other.  Here  the  strata  of 
sandstone  appear  very  nearly  in  a  horizontal  position,  and  apparently  showing 
that  it  was  deposited  in  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  and  has  not  been  disturbed  by 
any  upheaval  since.  North  of  Glens  Falls  about  five  miles  it  appears  again,  and 
with  a  dip  to  the  south  and  southwest.  It  forms  a  good  building  material  in 
almost  all  the  localities  where  found.  A  fact  of  importance  to  the  geological 
student  is,  that  at  the  falls  in  Corinth,  the  sandstone  can  be  seen  perfectly  in 
place  at  its  juncture  with  the  primitive  rock. 

Calciferous  Sand  Rock.  —  This  rock  hes  next  above  the  Potsdam  sandstone 
and  may  be  observed  in  many  places  in  the  county.  Diamond  Island  in  Lake 
George  is  a  good  example,  and  is  the  usual  form  in  which  it  appears.  There 
are  many  varieties,  but  they  still  possess  many  characteristics  in  common. 
About  a  mile  northeasterly  from  Glens  Falls  it  appears  as  an  outcropping 
mass  ;  it  occurs  in  many  places,  at  some  of  which  it  was  quarried  for  locks  on 
the  Champlain  Canal,  and  for  other  purposes.      The  beds  are  thick  and  blocks 


30  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  large  size  can  be  obtained ;  the  stone  is  durable.  This  rock  also  appears- 
at  the  falls,  beneath  the  black  marble,  and  is,  we  believe,  the  first  rock  that 
shows  the  remains  of  any  living  animal. 

Black  Marble,  or  Chazy  Limestone.  —  The  stratum  of  limestone  that  is 
quarried  at  Glens  Falls,  and  sawed  into  marble,  lies  next  above  the  calciferous- 
sand  rock  and  corresponds  with  the  marble  of  the  Isle  la  Motte  and  the 
Chazy  limestone.  By  means  of  an  uplift  at  the  falls  and  the  action  of  the 
water,  the  three  rocks  have  here  been  exposed  and  may  be  seen  lying  one 
above  another,  on  the  Warren  county  side ;  on  the  Saratoga  side  is  an  addi- 
tional stratum  of  slate  above  the  Trenton  limestone.  The  black  marble  of  Glens 
Falls  is  ten  feet  thick,  and  has  now  been  quarried  and  manufactured  for  about 
half  a  century. 

Trenton  Limestone.  —  This  rock  lies  next  above  the  black  marble  and  is 
easily  recognized  by  the  geological  student  by  its  characteristic  fossils.  It  oc- 
cupies but  a  very  little  of  the  county  and  can  only  be  examined  with  any  de- 
gree of  success  in  the  limited  chasm  of  the  Hudson  River  below  the  falls.  The 
gorge  between  Glens  Falls  and  Baker's  Falls  gives  the  student  a  rare  oppor- 
tunity to  study  the  different  strata  and  obtain  an  exact  knowledge  of  their  sit- 
uation, their  fossils,  and  their  superposition  on  one  another. 

Utica  Slate.  — The  succeeding  rock  is  Utica  slate.  In  pursuing  the  course 
of  the  river  from  Glens  Falls  either  east  or  west  for  about  a  mile,  this  rock  is 
seen  resting  on  the  Trenton  limestone.  It  is  a  rock  easily  disintegrated  by 
the  frost,  very  fragile,  and  never  firm  enough  to  use  as  a  roofing  slate.  Its 
disintegration  makes  a  slaty  soil  that  time  changes  to  a  clayey  one.  It  is  of 
no  importance  in  this  county  except  as  being  the  highest  rock,  geologically. 

In  speculative  geology,  the  student  has  an  ample  field  in  this  county ; 
almost  equal  to  that  of  Essex,  and  in  some  particulars,  more  than  her  equal. 
Although  not  so  prolific  in  the  mineral  department,  and  not  quite  so  interesting^ 
in  her  great  masses  of  mountains,  there  is  a  greater  variety  of  rocks  which  show 
in  more  places,  with  different  characteristics  and  different  associations,  making" 
up  what  is  lacking  in  one  direction  by  going  farther  in  another.  Among  minor 
minerals,  those  of  no  particular  importance  in  an  economic  or  a  commer- 
cial value,  except  magnetic  iron  ore,  are  pyroxene,  hornblende,  calcareous  spar,, 
zircon,  pyritous  iron,  pyritous  copper,  crystals  of  quartz,  graphite,  labradorite,. 
red  oxide  of  titanium,  tourmaline,  sulphuret  of  iron,  ^colophonite,  scapolite  and 
manganese.  The  localities  of  these  different  minerals  are  in  various  parts  of 
the  county,  and  since  the  geological  survey  was  made  their  number  has  beea 
greatly  increased.  While  in  1840  when  there  were  not,  probably,  fifty  men  in 
the  State  who  were  deeply  interested  in  the  geology  of  this  or  any  other  State,, 
there  are  now  probably  five  thousand  who  have  made  investigations  in  the  Great 
Wilderness  of  Northern  New  York,  and  could  their  researches  be  brought  to- 
gether at  this  day,  and  published,  so  that  the  knowledge  that  each  has  obtained 


Indian  Occupation.  31 


would  be  combined  and  made  useful  to  each  and  all,  the  knowledge  of  our  State 
would  greatly  increased,  and  the  science  of  geology  made  more  popular  with  the 
great  mass  of  the  people. 

Soil.  —  Speaking  in  very  general  terms  the  soil  of  this  county  may  be  said 
to  be  composed  mostly  of  thin,  sandy  loam.  The  declivities  of  the  mountains 
particularly  have  a  very  thin  soil  and  usually  scant  vegetation.  In  the  valleys 
clay  is  mixed  with  the  sand  to  some  extent  which,  with  the  disintegrated  rock, 
forms  a  deep  and  generally  excellent  soil.  The  level  lands  about  Glens  Falls 
are  very  sandy,  and  have  been  known  as  the  "pine  plains,"  from  the  fact  of  the 
locality  having  formerly  been  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  heavy  pine  tim- 
ber. The  soil  of  each  town  will  be  further  described  in  the  succeeding  town 
histories. 

Forests. — Most  of  the  territory  within  this  county  was  originally  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  forest,  much  of  which  was  valuable  pine,  such  as  we 
have  mentioned  as  having  covered  the  "pine  plains."  The  cutting  and  market- 
ing of  these  forests  gave  employment  for  many  years  to  the  early  inhabitants 
and  caused  the  erection  of  almost  innumerable  saw-mills  wherever  there  was 
available  water-power.  In  some  portions  of  the  county  the  common  varieties 
of  hard  timber  were  found  —  beech,  maple,  birch,  oak,  etc.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  mountainous  portion  of  the  county,  which  is  not  adapted  to  successful 
cultivation  and  which  has  been  cleared  of  the  primitive  forest,  has  become  more 
or  less  overgrown  with  a  second  growth  of  yellow  pine  and  other  varieties  of 
wood,  which  in  later  years  has  furnished  a  supply  of  fuel.  Lumbering  is  still 
carried  on  in  the  northern  and  northwestern  parts  of  the  county,  where  there 
are  still  considerable  areas  of  forest. 


CHAPTER  III. 

INDIAN  OCCUPATION. 

Original  Possessors  of  the  Soil  —  Relative  Positions  of  the  Algonquins  and  Iroquois- — A  Great 

Battle- Field Evidences   of  Prolonged  and  Bloody  Conflict- — The  Eastern  Indians  —  Traditionary 

Origin  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy  —  Peculiarities  of  the  League  —  Personal  Characteristics  —  Jesuit 
Labors  among  the  Indians  —  Names  of  the  Missionaries — Their  Unselfish  but  Fruitless  Work  —  The 
St.  Francis  Indians  —  Indian  Nomenclature. 

THE  territory  of  which  this  work  treats  was  probably  never  permanently 
occupied  to  any  great  extent  by  nations  or  tribes  of  Indians  ;  that  it 
formed  a  part  of  their  hunting-grounds  and  was  especially  used  as  a  highway 
between  hostile  northern  and  western  nations  is  well  settled.      At  the  time  that 


32  History  of  Warren  County. 

Samuel  de  Champlain  made  his  memorable  voyage  up  Lake  Champlain  and 
possibly  penetrated  to  near  the  waters  of  Lake  George  (July,  1 609),  the  terri- 
tory now  embraced  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  New  York  formed  the 
frontier,  the  debatable  ground,  between  the  Algonquin  (or  Adirondack)  Indians 
on  the  north,  and  the  Iroquois  on  the  south.  Champlain  found  a  tradition 
among  the  Indians  along  the  St.  Lawrence  that  many  years  previously  they 
possessed  the  territory  far  to  the  southward,  but  were  driven  out  of  it  by  the 
powerful  Iroquois.  The  waters  of  Lake  George,  almost  uniting  with  those  of 
Lake  Champlain,  and  extending  almost  from  the  doors  of  the  "  Long  House  " 
of  the  Iroquois  to  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  was  doubtless  the  natural  war-path 
between  the  northern  Indians  ^  and  their  powerful  southern  neighbors. 

To  this  latter-named  nation  (the  Iroquois)  belonged  the  territory  now  em- 
braced in  Warren  county,  at  the  advent  of  the  whites,  more  than  to  any  other 
division  of  the  aborigines ;  and  more  particularly  to  the  Mohawk  tribe,  the 
easternmost  of  the  five  composing  the  great  Iroquois  League.  This  was  their 
hunting-ground,  and  later  their  memorable  battle-field.  The  waters  of  Lakes 
George  and  Champlain  formed  the  natural  war-path  between  the  hostile  savage 
elements  north  and  south  in  their  sanguinary  incursions.  Nature  had  given  to 
much  of  the  face  of  the  country  hereabouts  a  character  so  rugged  and  inacces- 
sible, that  it  could  not  in  any  event  have  formed  a  chosen  spot  for  the 
Indians  permanently  to  occupy ;  which  fact,  added  to  the  other  still  more 
forcible  one,  that  it  was  the  frontier,  the  fighting  ground,  between  the  hostile 
nations,  sufficiently  justify  the  belief  that  no  permanent  Indian  settlement  was 
ever  made  within  the  present  boundaries  of  the  county.  Almost  the  whole  of 
northeastern  New  York  is  a  labyrinth  of  mountains,  lakes  and  streams,  once 
covered  by  an  unusually  heavy  forest  growth.  It  abounded  in  game  and  fish 
of  all  kinds,  and  may  well  have  been  the  resort  of  the  red  man  in  his  grand 
hunts ;  but  as  far  as  can  be  known,  it  offered  him  no  permanent  abiding-place, 
and  many  of  the  conflicts  which  have  left  their  impress  upon  the  history  of  the 
county  since  its  discovery  and   occupation   by   Europeans,   found   hereabouts 

1  These  northern  Indians  are  known  under  the  general  national  title  of  Algonquins ;  also  as  Hurons. 
The  name  "  Montagners  "  was  applied,  according  to  Dr.  O'Callaghan,  to  all  the  St.  Lawrence  Indians, 
and  was  derived  from  a  range  of  mountains  extending  northwesterly  from  near  Quebec;  but  this  must 
have  been  a  local  title.  The  name  "Adirondack"  is  defined  as  meaning  "wood,  or  tree,  eaters."  Its 
origin  is  ascribed  to  the  Iroquois,  who,  after  having  conquered  the  former  occupants  of  their  territory 
and  driven  them  northward,  taunted  them  with  no  longer  being  brave  and  strong  enough  to  kill  game 
in  the  forests  and  they  would,  therefore,  be  compelled  to  "eat  barks  and  trees."  Mr.  Lossing  says, 
"  the  Algonquins  were  a  large  family  occupying  (,at  the  advent  of  the  Europeans)  jdl  Canada,  New 
England,  a  part  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania ;  all  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland  and  Virginia ; 
eastern  North  Carolina  above  Cape  Fear ;  a  large  part  of  Kentucky  and  Tennesee  and  all  north  and 
west  of  those  States  and  East  of  the  Mississippi.  They  were  the  most  powerful  of  the  eight  distinct 
Indian  nations  in  possession  of  the  country  when  discovered  by  the  whites.  Within  the  folds  of  this 
nation  were  the  Huron-Iroquois,  occupying  a  greater  portion  of  Canada  south  of  the  Ottawa  river  and 
the  region  between  Lake  Ontario,  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron,  nearly  all  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  a 
part  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie." 


Indian  Occupation.  33 


their  bloody  theatre,  and  opened  the  way  to  the  eventual  triumph  of  the  pres- 
ent occupants  of  the  soil. 

"  The  evidences  of  these  conflicts  are  found  imbedded  along  the  banks  of 
every  stream,  and  beneath  the  soil  of  every  carrying- place  from  Albany  to 
Montreal.  Arrow  and  spear-heads,  knives,  hatchets,  gouges,  chisels,  amulets, 
and  calumets,  are,  even  to  this  late  day,  often  foundr-in  the  furrow  of  the  plow- 
man or  the  excavation  of  the  laborer.  Few  localities  have  furnished  a  more 
abundant  yield  of  these  relics  than  the  soil  of  Queensbury.  While  gun-flints 
and  bullets,  spear-heads  and  arrow-points  are  found  broadcast  and  at  large 
through  the  town,  there  are  places  abounding  with  them.  Among  the  most 
noteworthy  of  these  may  be  enumerated  '  the  Old  Bill  Harris's  camp  ground,' 
in  Harrisena,  the  headlands  around  Van  Wormer's,  Harris's,  and  Dunham's 
Bays  on  Lake  George,  the  Round  Pond  near  the  Oneida,  the  Ridge,  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  Long  Pond,  the  banks  of  the  Meadow  Run  and  Carman's  Neck  at 
the  opening  of  the  Big  Bend.  This  last  was  long  noted  as  a  runway  for  deer 
and  traditions  are  handed  down  of  grand  hunting  frolics  at  this  point,  where 
large  quantities  of  game  were  hunted  and  driven  within  the  bend,  and  while  a 
small  detachment  of  hunters  served  to  prevent  their  retreat,  the  imprisoned 
game,  reluctant  to  take  the  water  down  the  precipitous  blufls,  was  captured  or 
killed  at  their  leisure.  At  this  point,  and  also  in  the  neighborhood  of  Long 
Pond,  fragments  of  Indian  pottery,  and  culinary  utensils  of  stone,  have  been 
found  in  such  profusion,  as  to  give  coloring  to  the  conjecture  that  large  num- 
bers of  the  natives  may  have  resorted  to  these  attractive  spots,  for  a  summer 
residence  and  camping-ground.  The  old  wilderness  trails,  and  military  thor- 
oughfares, the  neighborhood  of  block-houses,  picket  posts,  garrison  grounds, 
and  battle-fields,  in  addition  to  their  Indian  antiquities  have  yielded  many  evi- 
dences of  civilized  warfare,  in  their  harvests  of  bullets  and  bomb  shells,  buttons, 
buckles,  bayonets,  battered  muskets  and  broken  swords,  axes  and  tomahawks 
of  steel ;  chain  and  grape  shot,  coins,  cob-money  and  broken  crockery.  Such 
relics  are  often  valuable  as  the  silent  witnesses  to  the  truth  of  tradition,  and 
the  verification  of  history. 

"  The  eastern  part  of  New  York,  at  a  period  long  anterior  to  the  Iroquois 
ascendency,  was  occupied  by  a  tribe  variously  known  as  the  Ma-hick-an-ders, 
Muh-hea-kan-news,  Mo-hea-cans,  and  Wa-ra-na-wan-kongs.  The  territory 
subject  to  their  domination  and  occupancy,  extended  from  the  Connecticut  to 
the  Hudson  as  far  north  as  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  George.  Accord- 
ing to  Schoolcraft,  these  Indians  were  among  the  tribes  of  the  Algonquin  stock. 
At  the  period  of  their  greatest  power,  their  national  council  fire  was  held  on 
the  ground  now  covered  by  the  city  of  Albany,  which  was  then  known  to  them 
by  the  name  of  Pem-pot-a-wut-hut,  signifying  the  fireplace  of  the  nation. 
The  word  Muh-ha-a-kun-nuck,  from  which  the  word  Mohican  is  derived, 
means  a  great  water  or  sea  that  is  constantly  in  motion,  either  flowing  or  ebb- 
3 


34  History  of  Warren  County. 


ing.  Their  traditions  state  that  they  originally  came  from  a  country  very  far  to 
the  west,  where  they  lived  in  towns  by  the  side  of  a  great  sea.  In  consequence 
of  a  famine  they  were  forced  to  leave  their  homes,  and  seek  a  new  dweUing 
place  far  away  to  the  east.  They,  with  the  cognate  tribes  of  Manhattans, 
Pequots,  Narragansetts  and  Nipmucks,  occupied  the  whole  peninsula  of  New 
England  from  the  Penobscot  to  Long  Island  Sound.  The  Brotherton  commu- 
nity, and  the  Stockbridge  tribe,  now  constitute  the  sole  remnant  of  this  once 
numerous  people.  Previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  Dutch  colonies  in  this 
State  the  Mohicans  had  been  driven  eastwardly  by  the  Iroquois,  and,  at  the 
time  of  their  first  intercourse  with  the  whites,  were  found  in  a  state  of  tributary 
alliance  with  that  fierce  people.  The  early  attachment  which  was  formed  with 
the  first  English  colonists  of  Connecticut  by  the  politic  Mohicans,  no  doubt 
contributed  in  a  great  measure  to  their  preservation  during  the  harassing  wars 
which  prevailed  through  the  colonial  peninsula  for  the  first  fifty  years  of  its 
settlement. 

"  The  Schaghticoke  Indians  received  their  name  from  the  locahty  where  they 
dwelt,  derived,  according  to  Spaffbrd,  from  the  Indian  term  Scaugh-wank,  sig- 
nifying a  sand  slide.  To  this,  the  Dutch  added  the  terminal,  cook.  The  evi- 
dences of  the  early  Dutch  occupancy  exist  to-day  in  the  current  names  of  the 
tributaries  of  the  Hudson  as  far  up  as  Fort  Edward  Creek.  The  settlement  of 
this  tribe  was  seated  on  the  Hoosick  River  not  far  from  the  town  bearing  the 
same  nam.e.  The  hunting  grounds  of  this  vicinity,  as  far  north  as  Lake  George, 
for  many  years  after  the  first  white  man  had  erected  his  rude  habitation  within 
this  disputed  border,  were  occupied  by  the  Schaghticokes,  under  permission 
of  the  Mohawks,  who  owned  the  lands,  and  with  whom  they  were  upon  friendly 
terms."  ^ 

As  we  have  intimated,  at  the  time  of  the  French  discovery  and  occupation 
of  Canada,  the  Mohawks  were  in  the  ascendency  in  this  region,  and  had,  it  is 
believed,  extended  their  dominion  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  They  were  the  most 
powerful  and  warlike  of  the  Five  Nations  (Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Ca- 
yuga and  Senecas)  composing  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  which  was  located 
across  the  State  from  east  to  west  in  the  order  here  named.  The  tradition  of 
the  origin  of  this  remarkable  confederation  ascribes  it  to  Hiawatha,  who  was 
the  incarnation  of  wisdom,  about  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century.  He 
came  from  his  celestial  home  to  dwell  with  the  Onondagas,  where  he  taught 
the  related  tribes  all  that  was.  desirable  to  promote  their  welfare.  Under  his 
immediate  tutelage  the  Onondagas  became  the  wisest  counselors,  the  bravest 
warriors  and  the  most  successful  hunters.  While  Hiawatha  was  thus  quietly 
living,  the  tribes  were  attacked  by  a  powerful  enemy  from  the  north,  who  laid 
waste  their  villages  and  slaughtered  men,  women  and  children  indiscriminately; 
utter  destruction  seemed  inevitable.     In  this  extremity  they  turned  to  Hiawa- 

1  HoLDEN's  History  of  Queensbury. 


Indian  Occupation.  35 


tha  who,  after  thoughtful  contemplation,  advised  a  grand  council  of  all  that 
could  be  gathered  of  the  tribes,  saying,  "  our  safety  is  not  alone  in  the  club 
and  dart,  but  in  wise  counsels."^  The  counsel  was  held  on  Onondaga  Lake 
and  the  fires  burned  for  three  days  awaiting  the  presence  of  Hiawatha.  He 
was  troubled  with  forebodings  of  ill-fortune  and  had  resolved  not  to  attend  the 
council ;  but  in  response  to  the  importunities  of  messengers,  he  set  out  with 
his  beautiful  daughter.  Approaching  the  council  he  was  welcomed  by  all, 
who  then  turned  their  eyes  upward  to  behold  a  volume  of  cloudy  darkness 
descending  among  them.  All  fled  except  Hiawatha  and  his  daughter,  who 
calmly  awaited  the  impending  calamity.  Suddenly  and  with  a  mighty  swoop 
a  huge  bird,  with  long  and  distended  wings,  descended  upon  the  beautiful 
maiden  and  crushed  her  to  death,  itself  perishing  with  the  collision.  For  three 
days  and  nights  Hiawatha  gave  himself  up  to  exhibitions  of  the  most  poign- 
ant grief  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  regained  his  wonted  demeanor  and 
took  his  seat  in  the  council,  which,  after  some  deliberation,  adjourned  for  one 
day.  On  the  following  day  Hiawatha  addressed  the  council,  giving  to  each  of 
the  Five  Nations  its  location  and  degree  of  importance,  as  we  have  already 
noted.  The  advice  of  the  venerable  sage  was  deliberated  upon  until  the  next 
day,  when  the  celebrated  league  of  the  Iroquois  was  formed  and  its  details  per- 
fected. 

Whether  or  not  there  is  any  foundation  in  fact  for  this  traditionary  source 
of  the  confederacy,  it  grew  into  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  powerful  com- 
binations known  to  history,  a  marvel  to  civilized  nations  and  stamping  the 
genius  that  gave  it  birth  as  of  the  highest  order. 

The  tradition  further  relates  that  Hiawatha  now  considered  his  mission  on 
earth  as  ended  and  delivered  to  his  brothers  a  farewell  address,  which  conclu- 
ded as  follows  :  "  Lastly,  I  have  now  assisted  you  to  form  an  everlasting 
league  and  covenant  of  strength  and  friendship  for  your  future  safety  and  pro- 
tection. If  you  preserve  it,  without  the  admission  of  other  people,  you  will 
always  be  free,  numerous  and  mighty.  If  other  nations  are  admitted  to  your 
councils  they  will  sow  jealousies  among  you  and  you  will  become  enslaved, 
few  and  feeble.  Remember  these  words;  they  are  the  last  you  will  hear  from 
the  lips  of  Hiawatha.  Listen,  my  friends,  the  Great  Master  of  Breath  calls  me  to 
go.  I  have  patiently  awaited  his  summons.  I  am  ready;  farewell."  As  his  voice 
ceased  the  air  was  musical  with  sweet  sounds,  and  while  they  listened  to  the 
melody,  Hiawatha  was  seen  seated  in  his  white  canoe,  rising  in  mid  air  till  the 
clouds  shut  out  the  sight,  and  the  melody,  gradually  becoming  fainter,  finally 
ceased.^ 


1  RUTTENBER. 

2  Both  reason  and  tradition  point  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Iroquois  originally.formed  one  undivided 
people.  Sundered,  like  countless  other  tribes,  by  dissension,  caprice,  or  the  necessities  of  a  hunter's 
life,  they  separated  into  five  distinct  nations.— Parkman's  Jesuits. 

By  the   early  French  writers,  the  Mohawks  and  the  Oneidas  were  styled  the  lower  or  inferior  Iro- 


36  History  of  Warren  County. 

Previous  to  the  formation  of  the  Iroquois  confederacy  each  of  the  five  na- 
tions composing  it  was  divided  into  five  tribes.  When  the  union  was  estab- 
Hshed,  each  tribe  transferred  one-fifth  of  its  numbers  to  every  other  nation  than 
its  own.  The  several  tribes  thus  formed  were  named  as  follows:  Tortoise, 
Wolf,  Bear,  Beaver,  Deer,  Potato,  Snipe,  Heron.  The  Snipe  and  Heron  cor- 
respond with  the  great  and  little  Plover,  and  the  Hawk  with  the  Eagle  of  the 
early  French  writers.  Some  authors  of  repute  omit  the  name  of  the  Potato 
tribe  altogether.  These  tribes  were  formed  into  two  divisions,  the  second  sub- 
ordinate the  first,  which  was  composed  of  the  four  first  named.  Each  tribe 
constituted  what  may  be  called  a  family  and  its  members  who  were  all  consid- 
ered brothers  and  sisters,  were  also  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  members  of  all 
the  other  tribes  having  the  same  device.  It  will  be  seen  that  an  indissoluble 
bond  was  thus  formed  by  the  ties  of  consanguinity,  which  was  still  further 
strengthened  by  the  marriage  relation.  It  was  held  to  be  an  abomination  for 
two  persons  of  the  same  tribe  to  intermarry;  every  individual  family  must 
therefore  contain  members  from  at  least  two  tribes.  The  child  belonged  to  the 
tribe,  or  clan,  of  the  mother,  not  to  the  father,  and  all  rank,  titles  and  posses- 
sions passed  through  the  female  line.  The  chief  was  almost  invariably  suc- 
ceeded by  a  near  relative,  and  always  on  the  female  side ;  but  if  these  were 
unfit,  then  a  council  of  the  tribe  chose  a  successor  from  among  remoter  kin- 
dred, in  which  case  he  was  nominated  by  the  matron  of  the  late  chief's  house- 
hold. The  choice  was  never  made  adverse  to  popular  will.  Chiefs  and  sachems 
held  their  offices  only  through  courteous,  winning  behavior  and  their  general 
good  qualities  and  conduct.  There  was  another  council  of  a  popular  charac- 
ter, in  which  any  one  took  part  whose  age  and  experience  qualified  him  to  do 
so ;  it  was  merely  the  gathered  wisdom  of  the  nation.  The  young  warriors 
also  had  their  councils ;  so,  too,  did  the  women.  All  the  government  of  this 
"  remarkable  example  of  an  almost  pure  democracy  in  government"^  was  ex- 
ercised through  councils,  which  were  represented  by  deputies  in  the  councils 
of  the  sachems.  In  this  peculiar  blending  of  individual,  tribal,  national  and 
federal  interests,  lay  the,  secret  of  that  immense  power  which  for  more  than  a 
century  resisted  the  hostile  efforts  of  the  French  ;  which  caused  them  for  nearly 
a  century  to  be  alike  courted  and  feared  by  the  contending  French  and  English 
colonies,  and  enabled  them  to  exterminate  or  subdue  their  neighboring  Indian 
nations,  until  they  were  substantially  dictators  of  the  continent,^  gaining  them 
the  title  of  "The  Romans  of  the  New  World." 

quois ;  while  the  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  Senecas  were  denominated  the  upper  or  superior  Iroquois, 
because  they  were  located  near  the  sources  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  *  *  *  To  the  Mohawks 
was  always  accorded  the  high  consideration  of  furnishing  the  war  captain,  or  "  Tekarahogea, "  of  the  con- 
federacy, which  distinguished  title  was  retained  with  them  until  the  year  1814. — Clark's  Onotidaga. 

1 LOSSING. 

2 The  Iroquois  league  or  confederacy  was  given  an  Indian  name  signifying,  "They  forma  cabin," 
which  was  fancifully  changed  to  "  The  Long  House,"  the  eastern  door  of  which  was  kept  by  the  Mo- 
hawks, and  the  western  by  the  Senecas,  with  the  great  council  fire  in  the  center,  with  the  Onondagas. 


Indian  Occupation.  37 


The  military  dominated  the  civil  power  in  the  league,  and  the  army,  which 
was  supplied  by  volunteers,  was  always  full.  Every  able  bodied  man  was  sub- 
ject to  military  duty,  to  shirk  which  was  an  everlasting  cause  of  disgrace.  The 
warriors  called  councils  when  they  saw  fit  and  approved  or  disapproved  of 
public  measures.  But  their  knowledge  of  what  is  now  considered  military 
science,  while  vastly  better  than  that  of  many  of  their  neighbors,  was  insignif- 
icant, when  viewed  from  a  modern  civilized  standpoint.  They  seldom  took 
advantage  of  their  great  numbers  and  acted  in  concert  as  a  great  confederacy, 
but  usually  carried  on  their  warfare  in  detached  tribes  or  parties.  Their  brav- 
ery, however,  and  their  strategy  in  their  peculiar  methods  of  fighting,  are 
unquestioned.  In  the  forest  they  were  a  terrible  foe,  while  in  an  open  country 
they  could  not 'successfully  contend  with  European  disciplined  soldiery;  but 
they  made  up  for  this  to  a  large  extent,  by  their  self-confidence,  vindictiveness 
and  overwhelming  desire  for  ascendency  and  triumph.  There  is  considerable 
difierence  in  the  writings  of  authors  as  to  the  true  military  status  of  the  Iro- 
quois.i 

The  Iroquois  lacked  the  great  welding  and  cohesive  power  of  a  common 
language,  all  of  the  tribes  having  a  distinct  dialect,  bearing  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  each  other,  and  evidently  derived  from  a  common  root.  Of  these 
the  Mohawk  was  the  most  harsh  and  guttural,  and  the  language  of  the  Senecas 
the  most  euphonious.  In  their  ordinary  conversation  there  was  a  great  range 
of  modulation  in  the  inflections  of  the  voice,  while  expressive  pantomime  and 
vehement  gestures  helped  to  eke  out  the  meagerness  of  their  vernacular  on 
the  commonest  occasions.  Their  proper  names  were  invariably  the  embodi- 
ments of  ideas,  and  their  literature,  as  contained  in  their  oft  repeated  legends, 
and  the  well  remembered  eloquence  of  their  gifted  orators,  abounded  with  the 
most  sublime  imagery,  and  striking  antitheses,  which  were  drawn  at  will  by 
these  apt  observers  of  nature,  from  the  wild  scenes,  and  picturesque  solitudes 
with  which  they  were  most  familiar. 

While  the  Iroquois  Indians  were  superior  in  mental  capacity  and  less  im- 
provident than  the  Algonquins  and  other  nations,  there  is  little  indication  that 
they  were  ever  inclined  to  improve  the  conditions  in  which  they  were  found  by 
the  Europeans.  They  were  closely  attached  to  their  warrior  and  hunter  life ; 
hospitable  to  friends,  but  ferocious  and  cruel  to  their  enemies;  of  no  mean 
mental  capacity,  but  devoting  their  energies  to  the  lower,  if  not  the  lowest, 
forms  of  enjoyment  and  animal  gratification ;  they  had  little  regard  for  the 
marriage  tie  and  lasciviousness  and  unchastity  were  the  rule  ;  their  dwellings, 
even  among  the  more  stationary  tribes,  were  rude,  their  food   gross  and   poor 

1  They  reduced  war  to  a  science  and  all  their  movements  were  directed  by  system  and  policy  They 
never  attacked  a  hostile  country  till  they  had  sent  out  spies  to  explore  and  designate  its  vulnerable 
points,  and  when  they  encamped  they  observed  the  greatest  circumspection  to  guard  against  surprise. 
Whatever  superiority  of  force  they  might  have,  they  never  neglected  the  use  of  stratagem,  employ* 
ing  all  the  crafty  wiles  of  the  Carthaginians. — De  Witt  Clinton. 


38  History  of  Warren  County. 

and  their  domestic  habits  and  surroundings  unclean  and  barbaric ;  their  dress 
was  ordinarily  of  skins  of  animals,  until  the  advent  of  the  whites,  and  was 
primitive  in  character ;  woman  was  degraded  into  a  mere  beast  of  burden ; 
while  they  believed  in  a  supreme  being,  they  were  powerfully  swayed  by  su- 
perstition, incantations  by  "  medicine  men,"  dreams  and  the  like  ;  their  feasts 
were  exhibitions  of  debauchery  and  gluttony. 

Such  are  some  of  the  more  prominent  characteristics  of  the  race  encoun- 
tered by  Samuel  Champlain  when  he  floated  up  the  beautiful  lake  that  bears 
his  name  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  years  ago  and  welcomed  them 
with  the  first  volley  of  bullets  from  deadly  weapons — a  policy  that  has  been 
followed  with  faithful  pertinacity  by  his  civilized  successors.  These  Indians 
possessed  redeeming  features  of  character  and  practice ;  but  these  were  so 
strongly  dominated  by  the  barbaric  way  of  living  and  their  savage  traits,  that 
years  of  faithful  missionary  labor  among  them  by  the  Jesuits  and  others,  was 
productive  of  little  good.^ 

The  Society  of  Jesus,  or  Jesuits,  was  founded  in  1539  and  planted  the 
cross  amid  the  most  discouraging  circumstances,  overcoming  almost  insur- 
mountable obstacles,  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa  and  America.  When  Champlain 
opened  the  way  for  French  dominion  in  the  latter  country,  the  task  of  bearing 
the  Christian  religion  to  the  natives  was  assigned  to  this  noble  and  unselfish 
body  of  devotees.  While  their  primary  object  was  to  spread  the  gospel,  their 
secondary  and  scarcely  less  influential  purpose,  was  to  extend  the  dominion  of 
France.  Within  three  years  after  the  restoration  of  Canada  to^France  in  1736, 
there  were  fifteen  Jesuit  priests  in  the  province,  and  they  rapidly  increased  and 
extended  their  labors  to  most  of  the  Indian  nations  on  the  continent,  including 
the  powerful  Iroquois. 

In  1654,  when  peace  was  temporarily  established  between  the  French  and 
the  Five  Nations,  Father  Dablon  was  permitted  to  found  a  mission  and  build 
a  chapel  in  the  Mohawk  Valley.  The  chapel  was  built  in  a  day.  "  For  mar- 
bles and  precious  metals,"  he  wrote,  "  we  employed  only  bark ;  but  the  path 
to  Heaven  is  as  open  through  a  roof  of  bark  as  through  arched  ceilings  of  silver 
and  gold."  War  was  again  enkindled  and  the  Jesuits  were  forced  to  flee  from 
the  Iroquois ;  but  their  labors  never  ceased  while  opportunity  was  afforded. 

There  were  twenty-four  missionaries  who  labored  among  the  Iroquois  be- 
tween the  years  1657  and  1769.  We  are  directly  interested  only  in  those  who 
sought  converts  among  the  Mohawks.  These  were  Isaac  Jogues,  the  recital 
of  whose  career  in  the  Indian  country  forms  one  of  the  most  thrilHng  chapters 
of  history.     He  was  with  the  Mohawks  as  a  prisoner  from   August,  1642,  to 

lln  1 712  Rev.  Wm.  Andrews  was  sent  among  the  Mohawks  by  the  society  for  propagating  the 
gospel,  to  succeed  Rev.  Thoroughgood  Moor;  but  he  abandoned  the  work  in  1 719,  failing  in  it  as  his 
predecessor  had.  Says  Hammond's  History  of  Madison  County,  "  He  became  discouraged  and  asked 
to  be  recalled,  saying,  '  there  is  no  hope  of  making  them  better— heathen  they  are  and  heathen  they 
still  must  be.'"     This  is  but  one  example  of  most  of  the  missionary  efforts  among  the  Indians. 


Indian  Occupation.  39 

the  same  month  of  the  next  year,  and  as  a  missionary  with  the  same  nation  in 
in  1646,  in  October  of  which  year  he  was  killed.  Simon  Le  Moyne  was  with 
the  Mohawks  about  two  months  in  1655  ;  again  in  1656  and  the  third  time  from 
August,  1657  to  May,  1658.  He  died  in  Canada  in  1665.  Francis  Joseph 
Bressani  was  imprisoned  by  the  Mohawks  about  six  months  in  1644.  Julien 
Gamier  was  sent  to  the  Mohawks  in  May,  1668  and  passed  on  to  the  Ononda- 
gas  and  Senecas.  Jacques  Bruyas  came  from  the  Onondagas  to  the  Mohawks 
in  July,  1667,  left  for  the  Oneidas  in  September  and  returned  in  1672,  remain- 
ing several  years.  Jacques  Fremin  came  in  July,  1667,  and  remained  about  a 
year.  Jean  Pierron  was  sent  in  the  same  year  and  also  remained  about  one 
year.  Francis  Boniface  labored  here  from  1668  to  1673,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Francis  Vaillant  de  Gueslis. 

These  faithful  missionaries  were  followed  in  later  years  by  such  noble 
workers  as  Rev.  Henry  Barclay,  John  Ogilvie,  Revs.  Messrs.  Spencer,  Timothy 
Woodbridge  and  Gideon  Hawley,  Rev.  Dr.  Eleazer  Wheelock,  Rev.  Samuel 
Kirkland,  Bishop  Hobart,  Rev.  Eleazer  Williams,  Rev.  Dan  Barnes 
(Methodist)  and  others  of  lesser  note,  all  of  whom  labored  faithfully  and 
with  varying  degrees  of  perseverance,  for  the  redemption  of  the  Iroquois.  But 
all  were  forced  to  admit  that  their  efforts  as  a  whole  were  unsatisfactory  and 
discouraging.  ^ 

Later  religious  and  educational  work  among  the  Indians,  even  down  to  the 
present  time,  while  yielding,  perhaps,  sufficient  results  to  justify  its  prosecution, 
has  constantly  met  with  most  discouraging  obstacles  among  the  tribes  them- 
selves. 

The  advent  of  European  nations  to  the  American  continent  was  the  forerun- 
ner of  the  downfall  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy  and  doubtless  the  ultimate  ex- 
tinction of  the  Indian  race.  The  French  invasion  of  1693  and  that  of  three  years 
later,  cost  the  confederacy  half  of  its  warriors  ;  their  allegiance  to  the  British 
crown  (with  the  exception  of  the  Oneidas)  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  proving 
to  be  an  allegiance  with  a  failing  power,  —  these  causes,  operating  with  the 
dread  of  vengeance  from  the  American  colonists  who  had  so  frequently  suffered 
at  the  hands  of  the  savages,  broke  up  the  once  powerful  league  and  scattered  its 

1  The  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland,  who  acts  as  missionary  among  the  Oneidas,  has  taken  all  the  pains  that 
man  can  take,  but  his  whole  flock  are  Indians  still,  and  like  the  bear  which  you  can  muffle  and  lead  out 
to  dance  to  the  sound  of  music,  becomes  again  a  bear  when  his  muffler  is  removed  and  the  music 
ceases.  The  Indians  will  attend  public  worship  and  sing  extremely  well,  following  Mr.  Kirkland's 
notes ;  but  whenever  the  service  is  over,  they  wrap  themselves  in  their  blankets,  and  either  stand  like 
cattle  on  the  sunny  side  of  a  house,  or  lie  before  a  fire. —  Doc.  History. 

Mr.  Kirkland  was  one  of  the  very  ablest  and  most  self-sacrificing  of  the  missionaries,  and  what  he 
could  not  accomplish  in  his  work,  it  may  safely  be  concluded  others  could  not.  In  reference  to  his 
labors,  an  anonymous  writer  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collection  (1792)  says  :  "  I  cannot  help 
being  of  the  opinion  that  Indians  .  .  .  never  were  intended  to  live  in  a  state  of  civilized  society.  There 
never  was,  I  believe,  an  instance  of  an  Indian  forsaking  his  habits  and  savage  manners,  any  more  than 
a  bear  his  ferocity." 


40  History  of  Warren  County. 

members  to  a  large  extent,  upon  the  friendly  soil  of  Canada,  or  left  them  at  the 
mercy  of  the  State  and  general  government,  which  consigned  them  to  reser- 
vations. 

The  St.  Francis  Indians  are,  according  to  Dr.  Holden's  work  before  quoted, 
descended  from  the  once  powerful  Androscoggins,  a  branch  of  the  great 
Abenakies,  or  Tarrateens,  which  at  one  time  held  sway  over  the  entire  terri- 
tory embraced  in  the  peninsula  of  Nova  Scotia,  Maine  and  Eastern  Canada. 

Through  the  indefatigable  efforts  of  Father  Rasles,  who  dwelt  among  these 
tribes  for  more  than  twenty  years,  a  flourishing  mission  was  established  in  the 
early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  at  Nar-rant-souk  on  the  river  Kennebeck. 
This  settlement  speedily  became  the  rallying  point  for  the  French  and  Indians 
in  their  descents  upon  the  frontier  settlements  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massa- 
chusetts. The  danger  froni  this  quarter  at  length  became  so  imminent  and 
pressing,  that  an  expedition  was  finally  planned  for  its  destruction.  A  force 
of  two  hundred  men,  with  a  detachment  of  Indian  allies,  was  fitted  out  in  the 
summer  of  1724,  under  the  leadership  of  Captains  Moulton  and  Harman  of 
York.  The  village  was  invested.  The  attack  was  a  surprise.  Father  Rasles  and 
about  thirty  of  the  Abenaki  warriors  were  killed,  and  the  remainder  dispersed. 
The  survivers  of  this  relentless  massacre,  with  the  remainder  of  the  tribe,  fled 
to  the  mission  village  of  St.  Francis,  situated  upon  the  lake  of  that  name 
at  the  head  of  the  St.  Francis  River.  The  frequent  accessions  of  fugi- 
tives to  their  ranks,  due  to  the  active,  aggressive  policy  of  the  English,  so  in- 
creased their  numbers,  that  they  soon  became  known  as  the  St.  Francis  tribe. 
Under  the  training  of  their  priests  they  speedily  became  a  powerful  ally  of  the 
French,  co-operating  with  the  predaceous  bands  of  half  savage  habitants,  kept 
the  English  border  settlements  in  terror  and  trepidation  for  a  space  of  twenty- 
five  years.  In  the  notable  campaign  of  1757  a  large  party  of  them  accom- 
panied Montcalm  in  his  expedition  against  Fort  William  Henry,  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  Lake  George,  and  were  participants  in  the  fearful  and  fiendish 
massacre  which  followed  the  surrender  of  that  fort.  They  were  doomed,  how- 
ever, to  a  reprisal  and  vengeance,  swift,  thorough  and  effective.  Immediately 
subsequent  to  the  successes  of  General  Amherst  in  1759,  the  distinguished 
partisan,  Major  Robert  Rogers,  was  dispatched  with  a  force  of  two  hundred 
picked  men  from  his  corps  of  rangers,  to  demolish  the  settlement,  and  chastise 
the  tribe  for  its  comphcity  in  the  frightful  massacres  of  the  three  preceding  cam- 
paigns. Proceeding  with  caution  and  celerity,  the  village  was  surrounded  be- 
fore an  alarm  was  given,  and  after  a  brief,  sharp  contest,  the  place  was  reduced 
and  the  inhabitants,  without  respect  to  age  or  sex,  were  ruthlessly  put  to  the 
sword.  The  dwellings  and  fortifications,  together  with  a  valuable  church, 
fitted  up  with  costly  decorations  and  embeUishments,  were  committed  to  the 
flames,  and  destroyed. 

In  this  connection  may  profitably  be  inserted  the  following  Indian  names 


Indian  Occupation.  41 


and  their  meaning,  that  come  within  the  range  of  this  work,  as  obtained  in 
the  records  of  various  authors  :  — 

Adirondack.  — According  to  Schoolcraft  this  namesignifies  "  Bark-eaters." 
It  was  a  party  from  this  tribe  that  accompanied  Champlain  upon  his  journey 
into  the  country  of  the  Iroquois.  The  name  may  be  said  to  apply  to  the  In- 
dians who  dwelt  along  the  Canada  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River. 

Aganuschion.  —  Black  mountain  range,  as  the  Indians  called  this  Adiron- 
dack group.  —  LOSSING. 

Andiatorocte.  —  The  place  where  the  lake  contracts.  A  name  applied  to 
Lake  George.  —  Dr.  O'Callaghan. 

Aquanuschioni.  — The  united  people.  A  name  by  which  the  Iroquois  des- 
ignated themselves.  —  Drake's  Book  of  the  hidians. 

Atalapose.  —  A  sliding  place.  Roger's  Rock  on  Lake  George.  The  In- 
dians entertained  a  belief  that  witches  or  evil  spirits  haunt  this  place,  and  seiz- 
ing upon  the  spirits  of  bad  Indians,  on  their  way  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds, 
slide  down  the  precipitous  cliff  with  them  into  the  lake  where  they  are  drowned. 
—  Sabattis  in  Holden's  History  of  Queensbtiry. 

Ausable  Forks.  —  "  Tei-o-ho-ho-gen,"  the  forks  of  the  river. 

Bald  Peak.  —  (North  Hudson)  "  O-no-ro-no-rum,"  bald  head. 

Cahohatatea.  —  Iroquois  for  North  or  Hudson  River.  —  Dr.  Mitchell, 
Attnals  of  Albatiy. 

Canada.  —  From  Kanata,  a  village.  —  Dr.  Hough.  Drake  gives  one 
Josselyn,  an  early  writer,  as  authority  for  its  derivation  as  Can,  mouth,  and 
Ada,  country.      Other  derivations  are  also  given. 

Caniaderi  Guarante.  —  A  name  given  to  Lake  Champlain,  meaning  "  The 
gate  of  the  country." 

Caniaderi-Oit.  —  "The  tail  of  the  lake,"  i.  e..  Lake  Champlain.  This  name 
has  been  applied  to  Lake  George,  and  also  to  that  portion  of  Champlain  below 
Ticonderoga. ' 

Cancuskee.  —  Northwest  Bay,  Lake  George.  So  called  on  a  map  of  the 
Middle  British  Provinces,  1776.  —  Holden's  Queensbtiry. 

Cataraqui. — Ancient  name  of  Kingston.  —  HoUGH.  The  St.  Lawrence 
River,  signifying  a  fort  in  the  water.  — HOLDEN. 

Champlain. — "  Ro-tsi-ich-ni,"  the  coward  spirit.  The  Iroquois  are  said 
to  have  originally  possessed  an  obscure  mythological  notion  of  three  supreme 
beings,  or  spirits,  the  good  spirit,  the  bad  spirit,  the  coward  spirit.  The  latter 
inhabited  an  island  in  Lake  Champlain,  where  it  died,  and  from  this  it  derived 
the  name  above  given.  —  HoUGH. 

Chateaugay.  — This  is  by  some  supposed  to  be  an  Indian  name ;  but  it  is 
French,  meaning  gay  castle.  The  St.  Regis  Indians  call  it  "0-sar-he-hon," 
a  place  so  close  or  difficult  that  the  more  one  tries  to  extricate  himself  the 
worse  he  is  off.  This  probably  relates  to  the  narrow  gorge  near  Chateuagay 
village. 


42  History  of  Warren  County. 

Cheonderoga.  —  One  of  the  several  names  applied  to  Ticonderoga.  Signi- 
fies, three  rivers. 

Chepontuc.  —  A  difficult  place  to  climb  or  get  around.  An  Indian  name 
of  Glens  Falls.  —  Sabattis,  in  Holden's  History  of  Queensbury. 

Chicopee.  —  A  large  spring.      Indian   name  of  Saratoga  Springs.  —  Ibid. 

Conchsachraga  —  The  great  wilderness.  An  Indian  term  applied  to  the 
wild  track  north  of  the  Mohawk  and  west  of  Lakes  George  and  Champlain.  — 
Pownal's  Topographical  Description. 

Flume  of  the  Opalescent  River.  — "Gwi-en-dau-qua,"  a  hanging  spear. 

Ganaouske.  —  Northwest  Bay,  on  Lake  George.  —  Col.  Hist.  Judging 
from  analogy,  this  should  mean  the  battle  place  by  the  water  side.  —  Holden's 
Queensbury. 

Glens  Falls.  —  Mentioned  on  a  French  map  published  at  Quebec,  1748,  by 
the  name  of  "  Chute  de  Quatrevingt  Pds." —  Doc.  Hist. 

Hochelaga. — This  name  was  applied  by  the  Algonquins  to  the  site  now 
occupied  by  Montreal,  and  also  to  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  Hough  suggests 
its  derivation  from  Oserake,  a  beaver  dam. ' —  Hist.  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin 
Counties,  p.  181. 

Houtkill.  —  Dutch  name  of  Wood  Creek.  —  Doc.  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  vol.  II., 
p.  300. 

Huncksoock.  — The  place  where  everybody  fights.  A  name  given  by  the 
nomadic  Indians  of  the  north  to  the  upper  falls  on  the  outlet  of  Lake  George. 
—  Sabattis. 

Kaniadarosseras. — Hence  Kayaderosseras,  the  lake  country. — Colonial  Hist. 
N.   v.,  vol.  VII,  p.  436. 

Kaskongshadi. — Broken  water,  a  swift  rapid  on  the  Opalescent  river. — 
Lossing's  Hudson,  p.  33. 

Kayaderoga. — A  name  of  Saratoga  lake. — Butler's  Lake  George,  etc. 

Kayaderosseras. —  A  name  applied  to  a  large  patent  or  land  grant, 
stream  and  a  range  of  mountains  in  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.  In  the  Calendar 
of  N.  Y.  Land  Papers,  it  is  variously  written  Caniaderosseros,  Caneaderqsseras, 
Kanyaderossaros,  Cayaderosseras,  said  to  mean  "The  crooked  stream."  Oth- 
er authorities  give  its  meaning  as  "The  lake  country." 

Kingiaquahtonec.  —  A  portage  of  a  stone's  throw  or  two  in  length  be- 
tween Wood  Creek  and  Fort  Edward  Creek,  near  Moss  street  in  Kingsbury. — 
Evans's  Analysis,  p.  19. 

Miconacook.  — A  name  of  the  Hudson  river. — Sabele. 

Mohawk,  from  Mauqua  or  Mukwa.  a  bear. — Schoolcraft's  Notes  on  thelr- 
oquois,  p.  73. 

Mount  Marcy. — Tahawus,  "  He  splits  the  sky." 

Mount  Mclntyre. — He-no-ga,  "  Home  of  the  thunder." 

Mount  Golden. — "On-no-war-lah,"  scalp  mountain,  from  the  baring  of 
the  rocky  peak  by  slides. 


Indian  Occupation.  43 


Mount  Pharaoh. — "  On-de-wa,"  black  mountain. 

Oiogue. — The  Indian  (Mohawk)  name  of  the  Hudson  north  of  Albany. — 
Hist,  of  New  Netherland,  II,   300. 

Oneadalote  Tecarneodi. — The  name  of  Lake  Champlain  on  Morgan's 
map. 

Onderiguegon. — The  Indian  name  for  the  drowned  lands  on  Wood  Creek 
near  Fort  Anne,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.  It  signifies  conflux  of  waters. — 
From  a  Map  of  the  Middle  Bi-itish  Colonies  by  T.  Pownal,  M.  P.,  1776. 

Ongwehonwe. — A  people  surpassing  all  others.  The  name  by  which  the 
Iroquois  designated  themselves. 

Ossaragas. — Wood  Creek,  emptying  into  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain. — 
Top.  Descrip.  of  the  Middle  British  Coloiiies,  Map,  T.  Pownal,  1776. 

Oswegatchie,  or  Oghswagatchie  with  a  dozen  other  different  spellings. — 
""  An  Indian  name,"  the  historian  James  Macauley,  informed  the  author,"which 
signifies  going  or  coming  round  a  hill.  The  great  bend  in  the  Oswegatchie 
river  (or  the  necessity  of  it),  on  the  borders  of  Lewis  county,  originated  its 
■significant  name.  An  Indian  tribe  bearing  the  name  of  the  river,  once  lived 
upon  its  banks ;  but  its  fate,  like  that  of  many  sister  tribes,  has  been  to  melt 
away  before  the  progression  of  the  Anglo-Saxon." — Simmy's  Trappers  of  N. 
v.,  p.  249,  note.  According  to  a  writer  in  the  Troj/  Times  of  July  7th,  1866, 
it  is  a  Huron  word  signifying  black  water,  Sabattis  defined  it  as  meaning 
slow  and  long. 

Oukorlah. — Indian  name  of  Mount  Seward,  signifying  the  big-eye. — C.  F. 
Hoffman. 

Ounowarlah. — Scalp  Mountain.  Supposed  to  refer  to  that  peak  of  the 
Adirondacks  known  as  Whiteface  Mountain. — C.  F.  Hoffman  in  The  Vigil  of 
Faith. 

Petaonbough. — "  A  double  pond  or  lake  branching  out  into  two."  An 
Indian  name  of  Lake  Champlain,  which  refers  probably  to  its  connection  with 
Lake  George. — R.  W.  Livingston,  quoted  in  Watson's  Hist.  Essex  Co.,  N.  V. 

Petowahco. — Lake  Champlain. — Sabele. 

Raquette. — "  The  chief  source  of  the  Raquette  is  in  the  Raquette  Lake, 
towards  the  western  part  of  Hamilton  county.  Around  it,  the  Indians  in  the 
-ancient  days  gathered  on  snow-shoes  in  the  winter,  to  hunt  the  moose  then 
found  there  in  large  droves,  and  from  that  circumstance  they  named  it  Raquet, 
the  equivalent  in  French,  for  snow-shoes  in  English.  This  is  the  account  of 
the  origin  of  its  name  given  by  the  French  Jesuits  who  first  explored  that  re- 
gion. Others  say  that  its  Indian  name  Ni-ha-na-wa-le,  means  a  racket  or 
noise,  noisy  river,  and  spell  it  Racket.  But  it  is  no  more  noisy  than  its  near 
neighbor  the  Grass  River  which  flows  into  the  St.  Lawrence  from  the  bosom  of 
"the  same  wilderness." — Lossing's  Hudson,  p.  11. 

Rotsichini. — An   Indian  name  of  Lake  Champlain  signifying  the  coward 


44  History  of  Warren  County. 

spirit.     An  evil  spirit,  according  to  the  legend,  whose  existence  terminated  on 
an  island  in  Lake  Champlain.     The  name  was  thence  derived  to  the  lake. 

Santanoni. — "  Si-non-bo-wanne,"  the  great  mountain.  This  name  is  also- 
said  to  be  a  corruption  or  condensation  of  St.  Anthony. 

Schroon. — "  Sea-ni-a-dar-oon,"  a  large  lake.  Abreviated  first  to  Scaroon 
and  then  to  Schroon.  This  is  a  Mohawk  word  which  appears  in  the  old  land 
papers,  applied  to  Schroon  Lake.  In  addition,  Ska-ne-ta-no-wa-na,  the  largest 
lake.  Also,  Scarona,  the  name  of  an  Indian  girl  who  leaped  over  a  precipice 
from  her  French  lover  and  was  drowned.  It  has  been  alleged,  on  what  seems 
a  very  slender  foundation,  that  the  name  was  conferred  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
17th  century  by  a  wandering  party  of  Frenchmen  in  honor  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon  the  wife  of  the  poet  Scarron. — HOLDEN. 

Schroon  River. — "  Gain-bou-a-gwe,"  crooked  river. 

Saratoga. —  Vide  General  Index  to  documents  relating  to  the  history  of  the 
State  of  New  York  for  seventeen  different  spellings  of  this  word.  See  Calen- 
dar of  N.  Y.  Land  Papers,  where  it  is  found  spelled  Saragtoga,  Saraghtoga, 
Saraghtogue,  etc.  Morgan  renders  it  on  his  map  in  the  League  of  the  Lro- 
quois  Sharlatoga.  Hough,  in  the  Hist,  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin  Coun- 
ties, has  it  Saratake,  while  Ruttenber,  in  his  Lndiatt  Tribes  of  the  Hudson, 
on  what  authority  is  not  stated,  derives  it  from  Saragh,  salt,  and  Oga  a  place, 
though  he  adds  that  "  the  name  was  originally  applied  to  the  site  of  Schuyler- 
ville,  and  meant  swift  water  "  an  assertion  which  greatly  impairs  the  value  of 
the  preceding  statement.  Gordon  in  his  Gazetteer  of  New  York,  p.  671,  de- 
rives the  word  from  Sah-ra-kah,  meaning  the  great  hill  side,  and  states  that  it 
was  applied  to  the  country  between  the  lake  and  the  Hudson  river.  An  anon- 
ymous writer  in  the  Troy  Times  of  July  7,  1866,  defines  it  as  a  place  where 
the  track  of  the  heel  may  be  seen. 

Senongewok. — A  hill  like  an  inverted  kettle,  familiarly  known  as  "  the 
Potash,"  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  river  about  four  miles  north  of  Lu- 
zerne village,   Warren  county,  N.  Y. —  Vigil  of  Faith  by  C.  F.  Hoffman. 

Split  Rock. — "  Re-gioch-ne,"  or  Regio  rock,  or  Regeo.  From  name  of  Mo- 
hawk Indian  drowned  near  the  rock.  It  denoted  the  boundary  between  the 
Iroquois  and  the  northern  Indians. 

Skanehtade. — The  west  branch  of  the  Hudson  and  the  river  generally. — 
Morgan's  Map  in  The  League  of  the  Lroquois. 

Takundewide. — Indian  name  of  Harris's  Bay  on  Lake  George.  So  called 
on  a  map  of  the  middle  British  provinces  by  T.  Pownal,  M.  P.,  London,  1776. 

Tenonanatchie. — A  river  flowing  through  a  mountain.  A  name  applied  to- 
the  Mohawk  river  by  the  western  tribes. — H.  R.  SCHOOLCRAFT. 

Teohoken. — The  pass  where  the  Schroon  finds  its  confluence  with  the  Hud- 
son river. — The  Vigil  of  Faith  by  C.  F.  Hoffman.  See  also  Col.  Hist.  N.  Y.^ 
vol.  VII,  p.  10,  where  it  is  defined  as  the  forks  of  a  river. 


European  Discovery  and  Occupation.  45 

Ticonderoga. — There  are  about  twenty  renderings  of  the  orthography  of 
this  word,  and  wide  differences  of  meaning  assigned  to  it.  Those  most  wor- 
thy of  acceptance  are  given  herewith.  Tienderoga.  "  The  proper  name  of 
the  fort  between  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain  signifies  the  place  where 
two  rivers  meet." — Colden' s  Account  of  N.  Y.,  Col.  Hist.  N.  ¥.,  VII,  795.  "Ti- 
aontoroken,  a  fork  or  point  between  two  lakes." — Hough's  Hist.  St.  Lawrence 
and  Franklin  Cou7tties,  ■p.  181.  Morgan,  on  his  map,  frequently  referred  to 
herein,  spells  it  "Je  hone  ta  lo  ga."  Teahtontaloga  and  Teondeloga  are  both 
defined  as  "two  streams  coming  together."  The  sound  and  structure  of  the 
three  words  are  similar.     The  definition  given  by  Colden  is  doubtless  correct. 

Tiasaronda. — The  meeting  of  the  waters.  The  confluence  of  the  Sacan- 
daga  with  the  Hudson. —  The  Vigil  of  Faith  by  C.  F.  Hoffman. 

Wawkwaonk. — The  head  of  Lake  George,  Caldwell. — Sabele. 

Whiteface  Mountain. — "  Thei-a-no-gu-en,"  white  head,  from  the  naked 
rocky  peak. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

EUROPEAN  DISCOVERY  AND  OCCUPATION. 

First  European  Colonists  —  Discoveries  by  Columbus  and  His  Successors  —  Competitors  for  the 
Jwew  World  —  Colonization  of  New  France  —  Difficulties  of  the  Scheme  —  Final  Success  —  Champlain's 
Advent  —  His  Enterprising  Explorations  —  His  Colony  of  1608  —  Expedition  against  the  Iroquois  — 
The  First  Battle  —  Henry  Hudson  and  Dutch  Colonization  —  English  Colonies  at  Plymouth  Rock  and 
Jamestown  —  Claims  of  Three  European  Powers  —  Subsequent  Career  of  Champlain. 

BEFORE  entering  upon  the  work  of  detailing  the  events  more  directly  con- 
nected with  the  early  settlement  of  the  valley  of  Lakes  Champlain  and 
George,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  glance  hastily  over  some  of  the  more  not- 
able acts  and  movements  of  governments  and  men  that  had  much  to  do  in 
opening  the  way  and  leading  up  to  the  final  occupation  and  settlement  of  the 
territory  under  consideration. 

It  is  not  yet  four  hundred  years  since  the  day  on  which  occurred  the  event 
that  proved  to  be  the  first  ray  of  light  from  the  rising  sun  of  civilization,  whose 
beams  were  destined  to  penetrate  and  dissipate  the  clouds  of  barbarism  that 
hovered  over  the  untamed  wilderness  of  the  American  continent ;  and  during 
the  ages  that  preceded  that  event,  no  grander  country  in  all  respects  ever 
awaited  the  advance  of  civilization  and  enlightenment.  With  climate  and  soil 
diversified  between  almost  the  widest  extremes ;  with  thousands  of  miles  of 
ocean  shores  indented   by  magnificent   harbors   to  welcome   the  world's   com- 


46  History  of  Warren  County. 

merce ;  with  many  of  the  largest  rivers  of  the  globe  intersecting  and  draining 
its  territory  and  forming  natural  commercial  highways;  with  a  system  of  lakes- 
so  grand  in  proportions  as  to  entitle  them  to  the  name  of  inland  seas ;  with 
mountains,  hills  and  valleys  laden  with  the  richest  minerals  and  almost  exhaust- 
less  fuel ;  and  with  scenery  unsurpassed  for  grandeur,  it  needed  only  the  com- 
ing of  the  Caucasian  to  transform  a  continent  of  wilderness,  inhabited  by  sav- 
ages, into  the  free,  enlightened  republic  which  is  to-day  the  wonder  and  the- 
admiration  of  the  civilized  world. 

The  first  Europeans  to  visit  America  were  Scandinavians,  who  colonized 
Iceland  in  875,  Greenland  in  983,  and  about  the  year  looo  had  pushed  their 
discoveries  as  far  southward  as  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  But  it  was  towards, 
the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century  before  the  country  became  known  to  South- 
ern Europe,  a  discovery  accidentally  made  in  a  quest  of  a  westerly  route  to- 
India  and  China.  In  1492  the  Genoese,  Christopher  Columbus,  set  out  on  a  voy- 
age of  discovery  under  the  patronage  of  the  Spanish  power,  and  in  that  and  the 
two  succeeding  years  made  his  tropical  discoveries.  The  Venetian  sailor,  John 
Cabot,  was  commissioned  by  Henry  VII,  of  England,  in  1497,  to  voyage  to- 
the  new  territory  and  take  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  England.  He  dis- 
covered New  Foundland  and  portions  adjacent.  In  1500  the  coast  of  Labra- 
dor and  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  were  explored  by  two  broth- 
ers from  Portugal,  named  Cortereal.  In  1508  Aubert  discovered  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  four  years  later,  in  1512,  Ponce  de  Leon  discovered  Florida. 
Magellan,  the  Portuguese  navigator,  passed  through  the  straits  which  now  bear 
his  name  in  1519,  and  was  the  first  to  circumnavigate  the  globe.  In  1534^ 
Jacques  Cartier  explored  the  St.  Lawrence  as  far  as  Montreal,  and  five  years 
later  Fernando  de  Soto  explored  Florida.  In  1578  an  English  navigator 
named  Drake  discovered  Upper  California.  These  brief  data  indicate  that  not  a 
century  had  passed  after  the  discovery  of  Columbus,  before  the  different  mari- 
time powers  of  Europe  were  in  active  competition  for  the  rich  prizes  supposed, 
to  exist  in  the  New  World. 

While  the  Spaniards  were  pushing  their  acquisitions  in  the  South,  the 
French  had  gained  a  foothold  in  the  northern  part  of  the  continent.  Here  the- 
cod  fisheries  of  New  Foundland  and  the  prospects  of  a  more  valuable  trade  in 
furs,  opened  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  by  Frenchmen,. 
Basques,  Bretons  and  Normans,  held  out  the  most  glowing  inducements.  In 
1518  Baron  Livy  settled  there  (New  Foundland)  and  in  1524  Francis  I,  of 
France,  sent  thither  Jean  Verrazzani,  a  noted  Florentine  mariner,  on  a  voyage 
of  exploration.  He  sailed  along  the  coast  2,100  miles  in  the  frail  vessels  of 
the  period  and  returned  safely  to  his  country.  Ori  his  coast  voyage  he  entered, 
a  large  harbor  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  that  of  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained fifteen  days;  it  is  believed  that  his  crew  were  the  first  Europeans  to- 
land  on  the  soil  of  the  State  of  New  York.      He  proceeded  north  as  far  as  Lab- 


European  Discovery  and  Occupation.  47 

rador  and  gave  to  the  whole  region  the  name  of  New  France,  thus  opening  the 
way  for  the  future  contest  between  France  and  England. 

In  1534  a  French  navigator  named  Jacques  Cartier,  born  in  St.  Malo  in 
1494,  was  commissioned  by  the  same  French  king,  Francis  I,  and  put  in  com- 
mand of  an  expedition  to  explore  the  New  World.  After  celebrating  impress- 
ive religious  ceremonies,  as  was  the  custom  at  that  period  before  beginning  any 
important  undertaking,  on  the  20th  of  April,  1534,  Cartier  sailed  from  St. 
Malo  with  two  vessels  and  with  upwards  of  two  hundred  men.  He  touched 
first  the  coast  of  New  Foundland,  and  then,  sailing  northward,  passed  through 
the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  landing  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  where  he  took  formal 
possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign.  Continuing  his  voy- 
age, he  followed  the  coast  of  New  Foundland,  making  landings  at  various 
points  and  holding  friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives  ;  at  Gaspe  Bay  he  per- 
suaded a  chief  to  permit  his  two  sons  to  accompany  him  on  his  return  to 
France ;  here  also  he  planted  a  cross  with  the  French  arms  upon  it,  and  thence 
sailed  northeast  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  entered  the  river  of  that 
name  north  of  what  is  now  called  Anticosti  Island.  As  he  sailed  up  the  broad 
stream  on  St.  Lawrence  day  (August  loth),  he  applied  to  the  river  the  name 
of  the  illustrious  saint  whose  memory  is  perpetuated  by  that  day.  Here,  un- 
aware that  he  had  discovered  the  mouth  of  a  noble  river,  and  anxious  to  avoid 
the  autumnal  storms,  he  turned  his  prow  towards  France,  and  on  September 
5th,  1534,  entered  the  harbor  of  St.  Malo. 

The  succeeding  year,  153S,  having  under  the  command  of  the  king,  fitted 
up  a  fleet  of  three  vessels  and  organized  a  colony,  to  a  large  extent  composed 
of  the  younger  members  of  the  French  nobility,  Cartier  again  sailed  from 
France,  empowered  by  the  .iauthority  of  the  king  to  occupy  and  colonize  the 
country  he  had  discovered,  and  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  New  France. 

Arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in  July,  he  sailed  up  its  majes  ic 
course  to  where  the  St.  Charles  (to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  St  Croix)  enters 
it,  near  the  present  site  of  Quebec,  and  cast  anchor  on  the  14th  of  September. 

Here  he  was  entertained  by  Donnaconna,  a  prominent  chieftain,  with  the 
utmost  hospitality,  and  through  the  aid  of  the  two  young  Indians  who  had  re- 
turned with  Cartier,  was  enabled  to  indulge  in  considerable  conversation  with 
the  royal  savage.  From  this  point  he  made  several  expeditions,  the  most  impor- 
tant one  being  up  the  river  to  a  large  Huron  Indian  town  bearing  the  name  of 
Hochelaga,  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Montreal.  To  a  prominent  emi- 
nence back  of  the  town  Cartier  gave  the  name  Mount  Real  (Royal  Mountain), 
hence  the  name  of  the  modern  city.  This  was  the  most  important  town  of  a  large 
Indian  population  ;  they  possessed  the  country  for  a  long  distance  up  and  down 
the  river  from  that  point,  and  appeared  to  be  a  thrifty,  industrious  people,  liv- 
ing at  peace  among  themselves  and  with  adjoining  tribes.  Cartier  found  them 
kindly  disposed  towards  him,  and  received  numerous  substantial  evidences  of 


48  History  of  Warren  County. 

their  hospitality  and  confidence,  to  the  extent  of  being  permitted  to  take  away 
with  him  a  little  Huron  girl,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  chiefs,  who  "  lent  her  to 
him  to  take  to  France."  ^ 

Though  their  town  was  palisaded  plainly  for  the  purpose  of  protection 
against  enemies,  he  saw  before  him  the  open  fields  covered  with  ripening  corn, 
attesting  alike  the  industry  of  the  people  and  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  His  im- 
agination reveled  in  dreams  of  conquest  and  power,  as,  standing  on  the  lofty 
hill  at  the  rear  of  the  town,  his  gaze  wandered  along  the  majestic  river,  embo- 
soming fruitful  islands,  and  beyond  over  miles  of  forests,  streams,  and  lakes  to 
where  the  dim  outlines  of  mountain  tops  were  shadowed  upon  the  southern 
horizon.  This  was  during  the  delightful  Indian  summer  time;  the  coming 
winter,  with  its  storms  and  snows,  was  an  unknown  experience  to  the  advent- 
urers. 

Returning  in  October  to  the  point  where  his  vessels  were  moored,  called  by 
the  natives  Stadacona  (now  the  site  of  Quebec),  Cartier  made  preparations  to 
spend  the  winter.  The  result  of  this  decision  brought  with  it  extreme  suffering 
from  the  rigors  of  a  climate  to  which  the  new-comers  were  wholly  unaccus- 
tomed, augmented  by  the  affliction  of  the  scurvy,  from  which  disease  twenty- 
five  of  his  men  died.  The  bitter  experiences  of  this  winter  of  1535-36  on  the 
Isle  of  Orleans  (where  they  had  constructed  rude  barracks)  dimmed  the  bright 
hopes  of  the  colonists,  and  in  the  spring  Cartier,  finding  one  of  his  vessels  unfit 
for  sea,  placed  his  men  upon  the  other  two,  and  prepared  to  return  to  France. 
Taking  possession  of  the  country  with  all  the  formal  "  pomp  and  circumstance  " 
of  the  age,  he  and  his  discouraged  companions  abandoned  the  idea  of  coloni- 
zation and  on  the  9th  of  May,  1536,  sailed  for  France. 

The  day  before  his  departure  Cartier  invited  Donnaconna  and  eight  of  his 
chiefs  to  partake  of  a  feast  on  board  his  ship.  The  invitation  was  accepted, 
arid  Cartier,  imitating  the  infamy  of  the  Spanish  conquerors  of  the  southern 
part  of  the  continent,  treacherously  sailed  away  with  them  to  France  as  cap- 
tives, where  they  all  soon  died  with  grief 

No  further  efforts  at  colonization  were  undertaken  until  about  1540,  when 
Francis  de  la  Roque,  Lord  of  Roberval,  was  commissioned  by  the  king  of  France 
with  vice-royal  powers  to  establish  a  colony  in  New  France.  The  king's  author- 
ization of  power  conferred  upon  De  la  Roque  the  governorship  of  an  immense 
extent  of  teritory,  shadowy  if  not  illimitable  in  boundary,  but  extending  in  all  di- 
rections from  the  St.  Lawrence  and  including  in  its  compass  all  of  what  is  now 
New  England  and  much  of  New  York.  In  1 541  he  caused  to  be  fitted  out  a  fleet 
of  vessels,  which  sailed  from  St.  Malo,  with  Cartier  as  captain-general  and  pilot. 
When,  late  in  August,  they  arrived  at  Stadacona  the  Indians  were  overjoyed 
at  their  arrival,  and  poured  on  board  the  ships  to  welcome  their  chief  whose 
return  they  expected,  relying  upon  Cartier's  promise  to  bring  him  back.     They 

1  LOSSING. 


European  Discovery  and  Occupation.  49 

put  no  faith  in  the  tale  told  them  that  he  and  his  companions  were  dead ;  and 
even  when  shown  the  Huron  maiden,  who  was  to  be  returned  to  her  friends, 
they  incredulously  shook  their  heads,  and  their  peaceful  attitude  and  hospi- 
tality hour  by  hour  changed  to  moroseness  and  gradually  to  hostility.  The 
first  breach  of  faith  had  occurred,  never  to  be  entirely  healed. 

Cartier  made  a  visit  to  Hochelaga,  and  returned  thence  to  Stadacona.  On 
the  Isle  of  Orleans  he  erected  a  fort  for  protection  during  the  approaching 
winter.  Patiently  waiting  and  watching  for  De  la  Roque,  who  had  promised 
to  follow  him  early  in  the  season,  they  saw  the  arrival  of  winter  and  the  closing 
of  the  river  by  ice  without  the  vision  of  the  hoped-for  vessels. 

In  the  spring  following  (1542)  Cartier  departed  for  France.  He  ran  into 
the  harbor  of  St.  Johns,  and  there  met  De  la  Roque,  who  was  on  his  way  to 
the  St.  Lawrence.  From  Cartier  the  viceroy  heard  the  most  discouraging  ac- 
counts of  the  country,  with  details  of  the  suffering  he  and  his  men  had  endured 
during  the  preceding  winter,  both  from  the  climate  and  from  the  hostility  of 
the  Indians;  followed  by  the  navigator's  advice  that  the  whole  expedition  re- 
turn to  France,  or  sail  to  some  other  portion  of  the  continent.  This  De  la 
Roque  declined  to  do,  and  ordered  Cartier  to  return  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  Car- 
tier  disobeyed  this  order,  and  sailed  for  France.  This  was  his  last  voyage  ;  he 
died  in  1555. 

De  la  Roque,  after  his  separation  from  Cartier,  pushed  on  and  ascended  the 
river  to  above  the  site  of  Quebec,  where  he  constructed  a  fort  in  which  he  spent 
the  succeeding  winter,  undergoing  extreme  suffering  from  the  climate.  In  the 
autumn  of  1543  De  la  Roque  returned  to  France,  having  accomplished  nothing 
towards  colonization,  and  learning  but  little  of  the  country  not  already  known. 

This  was  the  final  breaking  up  of  French  attempts  at  colonization  at  that 
time,  and  nothing  more  was  done  by  that  nation  towards  settling  in  the  new 
country  for  nearly  fifty  years.  De  la  Roque,  however,  in  1549,  with  his 
brothers  and  a  number  of  adventurers,  again  sailed  for  the  St.  Lawrence,  but 
as  they  were  never  heard  of  afterwards  it  was  supposed  they  were  lost  at  sea. 

History  has  demonsti'ated  that  the  most  successful  attempts  at  colonization 
and  settlement  in  new  sections  have  been  achieved  by  private  enterprise,  in 
many  cases  started  and  fostered  by  commercial  undertakings.  The  interest 
and  spirit  of  individual  energy  has  more  often  than  otherwise  accomplished 
greater  results  in  subduing  the  wilds  of  nature  and  in  planting  and  extending 
the  benefits  of  civilization,  than  the  most  powerful  and  thoroughly  organized 
expeditions  sent  out  under  governmental  authority.  Too  often  in  the  latter 
case  the  personal  aggrandizement  of  the  leaders  has  overthrown  the  better 
motives  and  works  of  the  masses  composing  the  organizations. 

The  efforts  of  the  royal  government  of  France  in  endeavoring  to  establish 
a  foothold  in  the  New  World  were  no  exception  to  this  view,  and  it  was  not 
till  the  enterprise  was  undertaken  by  private  individuals  that  anything  like 
success  followed.  ^ 


50  History  of  Warren  County. 

From  1600,  and  on  for  a  few  years,  one  M.  Chauvin,  having  obtained  a  broad 
patent  which  formed  the  basis  of  a  trade  monopoly,  carried  on  an  extensive 
fur  trade  with  the  natives,  resulting  in  establishing  numerous  small  but  thrifty 
settlements ;   but  the  death  of  the  organizer  caused  their  abandonment. 

The  year  1603  was  signalized  by  the  initiatory  steps  that  resulted  in  the 
final  settlement  of  the  French  in  the  region  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  M.  Aylmer 
de  Chastes,  governor  of  Dieppe,  stimulated  by  the  commercial  success  that  had 
followed  the  efforts  of  Chauvin  and  others,  obtained  a  charter  to  establish  set- 
tlements in  New  France  and  organized  a  company  of  Rouen  merchants,  the 
existence  of  which  becomes  of  paramount  historic  importance  as  having  intro- 
duced to  the  field  of  his  later  great  work,  Samuel  de  Champlain,  discoverer  of 
the  lakes  and  the  territory  of  which  this  history  treats,  and  the  real  founder  of 
New  France,  as  well  as  the  most  illustrious  of  those  who  guided  its  destinies. 

"  Champlain  was  born  at  Brouage,  in  1567,  a  seaport  situated  on  the  Bay 
of  Biscay.  Addicted  to  an  intercourse  with  the  sea  by  the  associations  of  his 
boyhood,  near  the  most  tempestuous  waters  of  Western  Europe,  he  gratified 
his  instincts  by  a  connection  at  an  early  age  with  the  royal  marine  of  his  native 
country.  Although  a  Catholic  by  birth  and  sentiment,  he  followed  in  the 
civil  wars  of  France  the  '  Banner  of  Navarre.'  When  that  cause  had  triumphed 
he  received  a  pension  from  the  gratitude  of  his  liberal  but  impoverished  leader. 
Too  active  and  ardent  to  indulge  in  the  relaxations  of  peace,  he  conceived  the 
design  of  a  personal  exploration  of  the  colonial  possessions  of  Spain,  and  to 
thus  obtain  a  knowledge  of  their  condition  and  resources,  which  was  studiously 
vailed  from  the  world  by  the  jealous  policy  of  that  government.  His  scheme 
was  sanctioned  by  the  wise  and  sagacious  head  of  the  French  administration. 
Through  the  influence  of  a  relative  in  that  service  Champlain  secured  the  com- 
mand of  a  ship  in  the  Spanish  West  India  fleet.  This  singular  position,  not, 
perhaps,  in  perfect  accordance  with  modern  conceptions  of  professional  honor, 
was  occupied  two  years,  and  when  he  returned  to  France  his  mind  was  stored 
with  the  most  valuable  information  and  his  journal,  laded  with  the  results  of 
keen  observation  of  the  regions  he  had  visited,  was  quaintly  illustrated  by  his 
uncultivated  pencil."^ 

Champlain  must  have  been  born  with  the  uncontrollable  instinct  of  investi- 
gation and  desire  for  knowledge  of  the  material  world  that  has  always  strongly 
marked  the  great  explorers.  He  made  a  voyage  (1599),  landed  at  Vera  Cruz, 
penetrated  to  the  city  of  Mexico  and  visited  Panama.  More,  his  journal  shows 
that  he  conceived  the  idea  of  a  ship  canal  across  the  isthmus  by  which  "  the 
voyage  to  the  South  Sea  might  be  shortened  by  more  than  fifteen  hundred 
leagues." 

At  the  request  of  De  Chastes,  Champlain  was  commissioned  by  the  king 
lieutenant-general  of  Canada  (a  name  derived,  it  is  supposed,  "  from  the  Huron 

1  Watson's  Essex    County. 


European  Discovery  and  Occupation.  51 

word  Kan-na-ta,  signifying  a  collection  of  cabins,  such  as  Hochelaga  "  i).  He 
sailed  from  the  fort  of  Honfleur  in  March,  1603,  in  a  single  vessel,  commanded 
by  a  skilled  navigator  named  Pont-Greve. 

They  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  some  time  in  May,  and 
ascended  the  river  as  far  as  Stadacona,  where  they  anchored.  From  this  point 
Champlain  sent  Pont-Greve  upon  an  expedition  up  the  river  to  above  the 
La  Chine  Rapids.  At  Hochelaga  he  found,  instead  of  the  palisaded  city  de- 
scribed by  Cartier,  nothing  indicating  that  the  locality  had  ever  been  thickly 
populated.  A  few  scattered  bodies  of  Indians,  of  a  different  nation  from  those 
met  by  Cartier,  who  evinced  the  greatest  wonder  and  interest  in  the  new- 
comers, were  all  that  he  saw.  These  natives  gave  Pont-Greve  much  informa- 
tion relative  to  the  regions  on  the  south  and  west,  and  other  intelligence  of  a 
nature  to  fill  the  mind  of  the  explorer  with  the  wildest  dreams  of  conquest  and 
empire. 

Without  enacting  more  extended  measures  towards  colonization  and  settle- 
ment than  making  a  few  brief  expeditions  of  exploration,  Champlain,  in  the 
autumn,  returned  to  France ;  he  found  that  in  his  absence  his  patron,  De 
Chastes,  had  died,  and  that  the  concessions  and  privileges  of  the  latter  had  been 
transferred  to  M.  Pierre  de  Gast,  the  Sieur  de  Monts.  Though  a  Protestant, 
the  latter  had  secured  additional  favors  from  the  royal  hand,  covering  broad 
commercial  rights,  with  vice-regal  authority  over  a  section  of  the  new  country 
extending  from  Philadelphia,  or  its  site,  on  the  south,  to  the  forty-sixth  paral- 
lel on  the  north,  and  from  the  sea-shore  on  the  east  to  an  indefinite  limit  on 
the  west. 

Again,  in  the  spring  of  1604,  Champlain  sailed  with  De  Monts  with  four  ves- 
sels, bringing  with  them  a  number  of  people  intended  to  colonize  the  grants. 
They  landed  first  at  Nova  Scotia,  and  remained  there  long  enough  to  establish 
the  beginning  of  a  settlement,  and,  towards  autumn,  De  Monts  returned  to 
France  and  left  Champlain  to  explore  the  coast  to  the  south  as  far  his  grant 
extended.  Champlain  remained  for  some  time  at  this  point,  pushing  forward 
his  settlement,  and  exploring  the  surrounding  country,  carrying  out  his  em- 
ployer's instructions  to  the  extent  of  sailing  along  the  coast  as  far  south  as 
Cape  Cod.      In  1607  he  returned  to  France. 

Expressing  to  De  Monts  his  belief  that  the  better  site  for  establishing  the 
seat  of  the  proposed  new  empire  would  be  a  point  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River, 
some  distance  from  the  sea  coast,  he  was  sent  with  Pont-Greve  and  a  number 
of  colonists,  in  1608,  to  Stadacona,  and  there  founded  Quebec  (a  name  of  In- 
dian derivation).  There  houses  were  built,  and  agricultural  operations  begun. 
In  1609  Champlain,  who  had  secured  the  friendship  of  the  Montagnais 
Indians,  or  Montagners,  engaged  to  assist  them  in  an  expedition  against  their 
enemies,  the  Iroquois.^     It  is  probable  that  he  was  partly  incited  to  his  action 

1  LossiNG.  ^See  note  page  17. 


52  History  of  Warren  County. 

by  desire  to  extend  his  knowledge  of  the  country  and  to  widen  his  sphere  of 
influence.  They  were  joined  by  a  number  of  Hurons  and  Algonquins,  and  in 
May  proceeded  in  canoes  up  the  Sorel  to  the  Chambly  Rapids. 

The  Indians  had  told  Champlain  that  the  country  they  wished  to  conquer 
was  thickly  settled ;  that  to  reach  it  they  must  pass  by  a  waterfall,  thence  into 
another  lake,  from  the  head  of  which  there  was  a  carrying-place  to  a  river, 
which  flowed  towards  the  sea  coast.  This  course  of  their  intended  march  is 
clearly  understood  to-day  as  leading  up  Lake  Champlain  to  Ticonderoga,  thence 
up  the  outlet  of  Lake  George  past  the  fails,  thence  through  Lake  George  to 
the  Hudson  River. 

Pursuing  their  course  up  the  Sorel,  Champlain  says  in  his  journal,  they 
reached  "a  great  lake  and  gave  it  his  own  name."  Passing  along  the  west 
side  of  the  lake,  he  says  of  the  country:  "These  parts,  though  agreeable,  are 
not  inhabited  by  the  Indians,  in  consequence  of  their  wars." 

In  proceeding  up  the  lake  it  was  the  practice  of  the  Indians  to  send  three 
of  their  canoes  in  advance,  as  night  approached,  and  if  no  enemy  was  discov- 
ered, to  retire  in  peace.  Against  "  this  bad  habit  of  theirs  "  Champlain  expos- 
tulated, but  to  little  purpose.  In  this  manner  "  they  proceed  until  they  ap- 
proach an  enemy's  country,"  when  they  advance  "  stealthily  by  night,  all  in  a 
body  except  the  scouts,  and  retire  by  day  into  picket  forts  where  they  repose." 
Thus  the  party  proceeded  up  the  lake  to  their  landing-place,  a  full  and  graphic 
account  of  which  journey  is  contained  in  Champlain's  journal.  Following  is 
his  vivid  description  of  his  meeting  and  battle  with  the  Iroquois :  — 

"  Now  on  coming  within  about  two  or  three  days'  journey  of  the  enemy's 
quarters,  we  traveled  only  by  night  and  rested  by  day  Nevertheless,  they 
never  omitted  their  usual  superstition  to  ascertain  whether  their  enterprise 
would  be  successful,  and  often  asked  me  whether  I  had  dreamed  and  seen  their 
enemies. 

"  At  nightfall  we  embarked  in  our  canoes  to  continue  our  journey,  and  as 
we  advanced  very  softly  and  noiselessly,  we  encountered  a  party  of  Iroquois, 
on  the  29th  day  of  the  month,  about  10  o'clock  at  night,  at  a  point  of  a  cape 
which  juts  into  the  lake  on  the  west  side.  They  and  we  began  to  shout,  each 
seizing  his  arms.  We  withdrew  toward  the  water  and  the  Iroquois  repaired  on 
shore,  and  arranged  all  their  canoes,  the  one  beside  the  other,  and  began  to 
hew  down  trees  with  villainous  axes,  which  they  sometimes  get  in  war,  and  otli- 
ers  of  stone,  and  fortified  themselves  very  securely.  Our  party,  likewise,  kept 
their  canoes  arranged  the  one  along  side  of  the  other,  tied  to  poles  so  as  not 
to  run  adrift,  in  order  to  fight  all  together  should  need  be.  We  were  on  the 
water  about  an  arrow  shot  from  their  barricade. 

"  When  they  were  armed  and  in  order,  they  sent  two  canoes  from  the 
fleet  to  know  if  their  enemies  wished  to  fight,  who  answered  they  desired  noth- 
ing else ;  but  that  just  then  there  was  not  much  light,  and  that  we  must  wait 


European  Discovery  and  Occupation.  53 

for  day  to  distinguish  each  other,  and  that  they  would  give  us  battle  at  sunrise. 
This  was  agreed  to  by  our  party.  Meanwhile  the  whole  night  was  spent  in 
dancing  and  singing,  as  well  on  one  side  as  on  the  other,  mingled  with  an  infin- 
itude of  insults  and  other  taunts,  such  as  the  little  courage  they  had  ;  how  pow- 
erless their  resistance  against  their  arms,  and  that  when  day  would  break  they 
should  experience  this  to  their  ruin.  Ours  likewise  did  not  fail  in  repartee ; 
telling  them  they  should  witness  the  effects  of  arms  they  had  never  seen 
before ;  and  a  multitude  of  other  speeches  such  as  is  usual  at  the  siege  of  a 
town. 

"  After  the  one  and  the  other  had  sung,  danced  and  parliamented  enough, 
day  broke.  My  companions  and  I  were  always  concealed,  for  fear  the  enemy 
should  see  us  in  preparing  our  arms  the  best  we  could,  being,  however,  sepa- 
rated, each  in  one  of  the  canoes  of  the  savage  Montaquars.  After  being 
equipped  with  light  armor  we  took  each  an  arquebus  and  went  ashore.  I  saw 
the  enemy  leave  their  barricade  ;  they  were  about  200  men,  of  strong  and  ro- 
bust appearance,  who  were  coming  slowly  towards  us,  with  a  gravity  and  assur- 
ance which  greatly  pleased  me,  led  on  by  their  chiefs.  Ours  were  marching 
in  similar  order,  and  told  me  that  those  who  bore  three  lofty  plumes  were  the 
chiefs,  and  that  there  were  but  these  three  and  they  were  to  be  recognized  by 
those  plumes  which  were  considerably  larger  than  those  of  their  companions, 
and  that  I  must  do  all  I  could  to  kill  them.  I  promised  to  do  what  I 
could,  and  I  told  them  that  I  was  very  sorry  that  they  could  not  clearly 
understand  me,  so  as  to  give  them  the  order  and  plan  of  attacking  their  ene- 
mies, as  we  should  undoubtedly  defeat  them  all,  but  there  was  no  help  for  that ; 
that  I  was  very  glad  to  encourage  them  and  to  manifest  to  them  my  good 
will  when  we  should  be  engaged. 

"  The  moment  we  landed  they  began  to  run  about  two  hundred  paces  to- 
ward their  enemy,  who  stood  firm,  and  had  not  perceived  my  companions,  who 
went  into  the  bush  with  some  savages.  Ours  commenced  calling  me  in  a  loud 
voice,  and  making  way  for  rrie  opened  in  two,  and  placed  me  at  their  head, 
marching  about  twenty  paces  in  advance  until  I  was  within  thirty  paces  of  the 
enemy.  The  moment  they  saw  me  they  halted,  gazing  at  me  and  I  at  them. 
When  I  saw  them  preparing  to  shoot  at  us,  I  raised  my  arquebus,  and  aiming 
directly  at  one  of  the  three  chiefs,  two  of  them  fell  by  this  shot ;  one  of  their 
companions  received  a  wound  of  which  he  died  afterwards.  I  had  put  four  balls 
in  my  arquebus.  Ours  on  witnessing  a  shot  so  favorable  for  them,  set  up  such 
tremendous  shouts  that  thunder  could  not  have  been  heard  ;  and  yet  there  was 
no  lack  of  arrows  on  the  one  side  and  the  other.  The  Iroquois  were  greatly 
astonished  seeing  two  men  killed  so  instantaneously,  notwithstanding  they 
were  provided  with  arrow  proof-armor,^  woven  of  cotton   thread   and   wood ; 

I  The  allusion  to  this  armor  presents  an  interesting  and  suggestive  inquiry.  We  know  of  the 
product  of  no  indigenous  plant,  which  Champlain  might  have  mistaken  for  cotton.  He  must  have 
been  familiar  with  that  plant.     The  fact  he  mentions  implies  either  the  existence  of  a  commercial  inter- 


54  History  of  Warren  County. 

this  frightened  them  very  much.  Whilst  I  was  reloading  one  of  my  compan- 
ions in  the  bush  fired  a  shot,  which  so  astonished  them  anew,  seeing  their  chief 
slain,  that  they  lost  courage,  took  to  flight  and  abandoned  their  fort,  hiding 
themselves  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  whither  pursuing  them  I  killed  some 
others.  Our  savages  also  killed  several  of  them  and  took  ten  or  twelve  prison- 
ers. The  rest  canied  off  the  wounded.  Fifteen  or  sixteen  were  wounded  by 
arrows  ;  they  were  promptly  cured. 

"  After  having  gained  the  victory  they  amused  themselves  by  plundering 
Indian  corn  and  meal  from  the  enemy ;  also  their  arms  which  they  had  thrown 
away  to  run  the  better.  And  having  feasted,  danced  and  sung,  we  returned 
three  hours  afterward  with  the  prisoners. 

"  The  place  where  the  battle  was  fought  is  in  forty-three  degrees  some 
minutes  latitude,  and  I  named  it  Lake  Champlain." 

This  battle,  the  first  of  a  long  series  that  were  to  consecrate  the  locality 
with  the  blood  of  three  contending  powers,  was  doubtless  fought  near,  if  not 
directly  upon  the  promontory  afterwards  occupied  by  Fort  Ticonderoga. 
This  opinion  is  advanced  by  the  best  authorities.  The  plan  of  the  campaign 
and  the  route  to  be  traveled,  as  described  to  Champlain  by  his  savage  com- 
panions, led  beyond  question  up  the  outlet  from  Lake  Champlain  to  Lake 
George.  Hence  there  is  no  reason  for  assuming  that  they  followed  further  up 
the  coast  than  Ticonderoga,  and  ample  reason  for  believing  that  here  would  be 
their  landing  place.  The  Indians  had  told  Champlain  that  after  traversing  the 
lake  they  "  must  pass  by  a  water-fall  and  thence  into  another  lake  three  or 
four  leagues  long."  No  clearer  description  of  the  route  from  one  lake  to  the 
other  can  be  written  at  this  day. 

The  Algonquin  Indians,  who  had  passed  through  a  generation  or  more  of 
warfare  with  the  Iroquois  and  were  generally  getting  the  worst  of  the  contest, 
now  found  themselves  armed  with  a  weapon  with  which  they  could,  for  a  time, 
win  victory  on  any  field. 

Thus  signalized  the  first  hostile  meeting  between  the  civilized  white  man 
and  the  untutored  Indian.  Low  as  the  latter  was  found  in  the  scale  of  intelli- 
gence and  terrible  as  were  many  of  the  subsequent  bloody  deeds  of  the  Iro- 
quois, it  cannot  be  denied  that  their  early  treatment  by  the  Europeans  was 
scarcely  calculated  to  foster  in  the  savage  breast  any  other  feeling  than  bit- 
terest hostility.  It  is  like  a  pathetic  page  from  a  romance  to  read  that  "  the 
Iroquois  are  greatly  astonished,  seeing  two  men  killed  so  instantaneously,"  one 
of  whom  was  their  noble  chief;  while  the  ingenuousacknowledgment  of  Cham- 
plain, "  I  had  put  four  balls  in  my  arquebus,"  is  a  vivid  testimony  of  how  little 
mercy  the  Iroquois  nations  were  to  expect  thenceforth  from  their  northern 

course  between  the  natives  of  the  North  and  South ;  or  perhaps  the   Mohawks  may  have  secured  the 
cotton  as  a  trophy  in  some  of  their  southern  incursions.  —  Watson's  Essex  County. 

Without  desiring  to  argue  the  question,  it  is  still  pertinent  to  state  that  is  doubtful  if  the  Indians 
could  at  that  early  date,  have  obtained  cotton  upon  any  southern  incursion. 


European  Discovery  and  Occupation.  55 

enemies  and  the  pale-faced  race  who  were  eventually  to  drive  them  from  their 
domain. 

But  it  was  an  age  in  which  might  was  appealed  to  as  right  oftener  than  in 
late  years,  and  the  planting  of  the  lowly  banner  of  the  Cross  was  often  pre- 
ceded by  bloody  conquest.  In  the  light  of  the  prevailing  customs  in  the  Old 
World  at  that  time,  we  must  view  the  ready  hostility  of  Champlain  towards 
his  helpless  enemies. 

While  the  events  above  recorded  were  occurring  under  the  leadership  of 
Champlain,  who  was  thus  pushing  southward  from  his  embryo  settlement  on 
the  St.  Lawrence,  other  explorations  were  being  made  from  the  sea  coast 
northward,  the  actors  in  which  were  undoubtedly  impelled  by  the  same  spirit 
of  enterprise,  but  exemplified  in  a  less  belligerent  manner.  Prominent  among 
these,  and  particularly  noteworthy  as  opening  the  pathway  of  civilization  lead- 
ing to  the  same  territory  towards  which  Champlain's  expedition  tended,  was 
the  exploration  of  the  noble  river  that  now  bears  the  name  of  its  discoverer, 
Henry  Hudson. 

Hudson  was  an  Englishman,  an  expert  navigator,  and  had  made,  in  the  in- 
terest of  a  body  of  English  merchants,  several  voyages  in  search  of  a  north- 
eastern passage  to  India.  Finally  he,  as  well  as  his  employers,  became  dis- 
heartened in  attempting  to  force  a  way  through  the  ice  packs  and  floes  between 
Spitzbergen  and  Nova  Zembla,  and  Hudson  went  to  Holland  and  offered  his 
services  to  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  which  were  gladly  accepted.  He 
was  put  in  command  of  the  Half-Moon,  a  stoutly  built  vessel  of  ninety  tons, 
and  again,  casting  aside  his  previous  disappointments,  sailed  for  Nova  Zembla. 
But,  as  before,  the  fields  of  ice  were  a  barrier  too  strong  for  even  the  staunch 
vessel  commanded  by  Hudson,  and  he  was  forced  to  turn  back.  Determined 
not  to  return  to  Amsterdam  without  accomplishing  something  towards  ren- 
dering his  voyage  fruitful,  he  directed  his  course  towards  Greenland,  and  sailed 
around  the  southern  point  thereof,  taking  the  route  that  had  already  been  pur- 
sued by  others  in  search  of  a  northwest  passage.  Baffled  again  by  ice  packs,  he 
sailed  southward,  and  discovered  the  American  continent  somewhere  on  the 
coast  of  Maine.  Running  into  a  harbor,  he  made  necessary  repairs  to  his  bat- 
tered vessel,  and  then  followed  down  the  coast  as  far  as  Virginia.  Returning, 
he  entered  Delaware  bay  and  made  a  partial  examination  of  its  shores,  and  in 
September,  1609,  entered  the  present  harbor  of  New  York.  He  met  and  en- 
tertained the  natives,  and  was  hospitably  received  by  them ;  but  before  his  de- 
parture he  conferred  upon  them  experimental  knowledge  of  the  effects  of  in- 
toxicating liquor  —  an  experience  perhaps  more  baneful  in  its  results  than  that 
conferred  by  Champlain  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  northward,  with  his  new  and 
murderous  weapon.  Hudson  ascended  the  river  to  a  point  within  less  than  a 
hundred  miles  of  that  reached  by  Champlain,  and  r  turned  to  Europe,  after  hav- 
ing again  sailed  as  far  south  as  Chesapeake  bay.      "  The  unworthy  monarch  on 


S6  History  of  Warren  County. 

England's  throne,  jealous  of  the  advantage  which  the  Dutch  might  derive  from 
Hudson's  discoveries,  detained  him  in  England  as  an  English  subject ;  but  the 
navigator  outwitted  his  sovereign,  for  he  had  sent  an  account  of  his  voyage  to 
his  Amsterdam  employers  by  a  trusty  hand."^  Through  the  information  thus 
furnished  was  established  a  Dutch  colony  on  the  island  of  Manhattan,  for  which 
a  charter  was  granted  by  the  States- General  of  Holland,  bearing  date  October 
nth,  1614,  in  which  the  country  was  named  New  Netherland. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  at  this  point  to  make  brief  mention  of  Hud- 
son's subsequent  career  and  sad  ending.  In  1610  he  made  another  and  final 
voyage  from  England,  sailing  in  April,  and  during  the  months  of  June  and 
July  discovered  and  navigated  the  great  bay  that  bears  his  name.  It  was  his 
intention  to  winter  there,  but  owing  to  scant  provisions,  a  portion  of  his  crew 
mutinied  and  compelled  him  to  return.  On  the  way  Hudson,  his  son,  and 
seven  of  his  crew  who  had  remained  faithful  to  him,  were  placed  in  an  open 
boat,  which  was  towed  through  the  ice  floes  to  the  open  sea,  where  it  was  cut 
adrift,  and  the  unfortunate  occupants  were  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and 
waves.  His  fate  was  afterwards  revealed  by  one  of  the  mutineers.  England 
sent  an  expedition  in  search  of  him,  but  not  the  slightest  trace  was  found  of 
him  and  his  companions. 

Meanwhile,  in  1607,  the  English  had  made  their  first  permanent  settlement 
at  Jamestown,  Virginia,  and  in  1620  planted  a  second  colony  at  Plymouth 
Rock.  These  two  colonies  became  the  successful  rivals  of  all  others  of  what- 
ever nationality,  in  the  strife  that  finally  left  them  (the  English)  masters  of  the 
country. 

On  the  discoveries  and  the  colonization  efforts  we  have  briefly  noted,  three 
European  powers  based  claims  to  a  part  of  the  territory  embraced  in  the  State 
of  New  York.  England,  by  reason  of  the  discovery  of  Cabot,  who  sailed  un- 
der letters  patent  from  Henry  VII,  and  on  the  24th  of  June,  1497,  struck  the 
sterile  coast  of  Labrador,  and  that  made  in  the  following  year  by  his  son  Se- 
bastian, who  explored  the  coast  from  New  Foundland  to  Florida,  claiming  a 
territory  eleven  degrees  in  width  and  extending  westward  indefinitely.  France, 
by  reason  of  the  discoveries  of  Verrazzani,  claimed  a  portion  of  the  Atlantic 
coast ;  and  Holland,  by  reason  of  the  discovery  of  Hudson,  claimed  the  coun- 
try from  Cape  Cod  to  the  southern  shore  of  Delaware  Bay.  As  we  have 
stated,  the  Dutch  became,  for  the  time  being,  the  possessors  of  the  region  under 
consideration. 

In  concluding  this  chapter  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  make  a  brief  refer- 
ence to  the  later  career  of  Champlain,  intimately  associated  as  he  was  with  the 
civilized  knowledge  of  the  beautiful  waters  of  the  lake  that  perpetuates  his 
name,  although  the  events  noted  are  not  directly  connected  with  this  history. 
The  year  following  his  discovery  of  the  lake,  Champlain  passed  in  France ;  but 

1  LOSSING. 


French  and  Indian  War.  57 

the  opening  season  of  1610  found  him  again  ascending  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
the  same  year  he  was  wounded  by  an  arrow  in  a  fight  with  the  Iroquois.  Again 
returning  to  France,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years,  he  married  a  girl  of  twelve; 
and,  in  161 2  returned  to  Quebec,  clothed  with  the  power  of  sovereignty  granted 
him  by  Prince  de  Conde,  who  had  succeeded  Count  de  Soissons,  the  successor 
of  De  Monts.  In  the  following  year  he  ascended  the  Ottawa  River  in  quest 
of  a  fabulous  sea,  of  which  he  had  heard  tales;  made  successful  arrangements 
for  carrying  on  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indians ;  fought  a  battle  with  the  Onon- 
dagas;  and,  returning  to  France,  organized  a  fur  company  in  1616.  On  his 
return  to  Canada  he  took  with  him  several  Recollet  priests.  In  1620,  the  col- 
ony beginning  to  languish,  a  new  viceroy  was  appointed,  who  made  Champlain 
governor,  with  full  powers,  of  the  whole  territory.  In  1628  and  1629  the 
English  laid  siege  to  Quebec,  which  Champlain  was  finally  forced  to  surrender, 
and  he  was  taken  to  England.  By  treaty,  in  1632,  Canada  was  restored  to 
France,  and  Champlain  was  reinstated  governor ;  he  returned  the  last  time  in 
1633  to  the  state  his  wisdom  and  zeal  had  created,  invested  by  Richelieu  with 
all  his  former  prerogatives.  Having  suppressed  the  Indian  excitement  which 
had  agitated  his  province,  conciliated  the  jarring  jealousies  and  angry  feuds  of 
mercenary  traders  and  arbitrary  officials,  and  amply  asserted  and  perfected  the 
dominion  of  his  sovereign  over  a  vast  region,  Champlain  died  in  1635,  and  is 
commemorated  in  the  annals  of  the  country  he  served  so  ably  and  with  such 
fidelity  as  "  the  father  of  New  France." 


CHAPTER  V. 

FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR. 

Antagonism  between  the  Northern  Indians  and  the  Iroquois  —  Lakes  George  and  Champlain  the 
Highways  of  Hostile  Elements  —  End  of  the  Dutch  Regime  —  Expedition  against  the  Mohawks  under 
De  Courcelles  —  The  Peace  of  Breda  —  Continued  Hostilities  of  the  French  and  Iroquois  —  Invasion 
of  the  Country  of  the  Senecas  —  Revenge  of  the  Indians — Montreal  Sacked  —  Return  of  Frontenac  — 
Three  English  Expeditions  —  Schuyler's  Expedition  against  La  Prairie  —  Extracts  from  His  Journal  — 
Deplorable  Condition  of  the  French  —  Frontenac  Marches  against  the  Mohawks  —  Peace  Treaty  of 
Ryswick  —  Neutrality  between  the  French  and  Iroquois  —  The  English  at  last  Rendered  Desperate  — 
Failure  of  their  Plans  —  Treaty  of  Utrecht  —  Its  Provisions  Broken  by  the  French  —  Fort  St.  Frederic 
Built. 

FROM  the  date  of  the  death  of  Champlain  until  the  end  of  French  domina- 
tion in  New  France,  the  friendship  established  by  that  great  explorer  be- 
tween the  Northern  Indians  and  the  French  was  unbroken,  while  at  the  same 
time  it  led  to  the  unyielding  hostility  of  the  Iroquois,  and  especially  of  the 


58  History  of  Warren  County. 

Mohawks.  If  truces  and  informal  peace  treaties  were  formed  between  these 
antagonistic  elements,  they  were  both  brief  in  tenure  and  of  little  general  effect. 
As  a  consequence  of  this  and  the  fact  that  Lakes  Champlain  and  George  were 
the  natural  highway  between  the  hostile  nations,  they  became  the  scene  ol 
prolonged  conflict  and  deeds  of  savage  atrocity  which  retarded  settlement  and 
devastated  their  borders.  The  feuds  of  the  peoples  of  Europe  and  the  malig- 
nant passions  of  European  sovereigns,  armed  the  colonies  of  England  and  the 
provinces  of  France  in  conflicts  where  the  ordinary  ferocity  of  border  warfare 
was  aggravated  by  the  relentless  atrocities  of  savage  barbarism.  Each  power 
emulated  the  other  in  the  consummation  of  its  schemes  of  blood  and  rapine. 
Hostile  Indian  tribes,  panting  for  slaughter,  were  let  loose  along  the  whole 
frontier,  upon  feeble  settlements,  struggling  amid  the  dense  forest  with  a  rig- 
orous climate  and  reluctant  soil  for  a  precarious  existence.  Unprotected 
mothers,  helpless  infancy  and  decrepit  age,  were  equally  the  victims  of  the 
torch,  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife.  The  two  lakes  formed  portions  of  the 
great  pathway  (equally  accessible  and  useful  to  both  parties)  of  these  bloody 
and  devastating  forays.  In  the  season  of  navigation  they  glided  over  the 
placid  waters  of  the  lake,  with  ease  and  celerity,  in  the  bark  canoes  of  the  In- 
dians. The  ice  of  winter  afforded  them  a  broad,  crystal  highway,  with  no  ob- 
struction of  forest  or  mountain,  of  ravine  or  river.  If  deep  and  impassable 
snows  rested  upon  its  bosom,  snow-shoes  were  readily  constructed,  and  secured 
and  facilitated  their  march. 

The  settlement  made  on  Manhattan  Island,  the  occupation  of  which  followed 
Hudson's  discovery  and  the  granting  of  the  charter  of  1614  to  the  Dutch  East 
India  Company,  progressed  rapidly.  A  fort  was  built  on  the  island,  and  also 
one  on  the  site  of  Albany.  In  1621  the  Dutch  West  India  Company  was 
formed  and,  under  their  charter,  took  possession  of  New  Amsterdam,  as  the 
fort  with  its  surroundings  was  called.  For  fifteen  years  the  most  amicable  re- 
lations existed  between  the  Dutch  and  the  Indians ;  but  the  harsh  and  unwise 
administration  of  William  Kieft,  who  was  appointed  director-general  in  Sep- 
tember, 1637,  provoked  the  beginning  of  hostilities  with  the  natives,  which 
were  kept  up  with  more  or  less  vindictiveness  during  the  period  of  his  admin- 
istration. In  May,  1647,  Peter  Stuyvesant  succeeded  Kieft  as  director-general 
or  governor.  He  was  the  last  of  the  Dutch  officials  in  that  capacity,  and  the 
firm  and  just  coilrse  followed  by  him  harmonized  the  difficulties  with  the  In- 
dians and  also  with  the  Swedes  who  had  colonized  in  the  region  of  the 
Delaware. 

On  the  I2th  of  March,  1664,  Charles  II,  of  England,  conveyed  by  royal 
patent  to  his  brother  James,  Duke  of  York,  all  the  country  from  the  river  St. 
Croix  to  the  Kennebec,  in  Maine ;  also  Nantucket,  Martha's  Vineyard  and 
Long  Island,  together  with  all  the  land  from  the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut 
River  to  the  east  side  of  Delaware  Bay.     The  duke  sent  an  English  squadron, 


French  and  Indian  War.  59 

under  Admiral  Richard  Nicolls,  to  secure  the  gift,  and  on  the  8th  of  Septem- 
ber following  Governor  Stuyvesant  capitulated,  being  constrained  to  that 
■course  by  the  Dutch  colonists,  who  preferred  peace  with  the  same  privileges 
and  liberties  accorded  to  the  English  colonists,  to  a  prolonged  and  perhaps 
fruitless  contest.  Thus  ended  the  Dutch  regime.  The  English  changed  the 
name  of  New  Amsterdam  to  New  York. 

The  Dutch  had,  during  their  period  of  peace  with  the  Iroquois,  become 
thrifty  and  well-to-do  through  the  energetic  prosecution  of  their  missionary 
work  of. trading  guns  and  rum  to  the  Indians,  thus  supplying  them  with  a  two- 
«dged  sword.  The  peaceful  relations  existing  between  the  Dutch  and  the  In- 
<lians  at  the  time  of  the  English  accession  were  maintained  by  the  latter ;  but 
strife  and  jealousy  continued  between  the  English  and  French,  the  former 
steadily  gaining  ground,  both  through  their  success  in  forming  and  maintain- 
ing an  alliance  with  the  Iroquois  and  the  more  permanent  character  of  their 
settlements. 

"  The  right  of  France  to  the  country  of  the  Iroquois,  which  embraced  in 
part  the  valleys  of  Lakes  Champlain  and  St.  Sacrament  [George],  was  based 
on  an  established  maxim  existing  among  European  nations,  that  the  first  dis- 
coverers who  planted  the  arms  of  their  government  upon  aboriginal  soil  ac- 
■quired  thereby  the  property  of  that  country  for  their  respective  nations." ^ 

About  this  time  the  French  became  possessed  of  the  desire  to  control  the 
Hudson  River  and  the  port  of  New  York.  To  carry  out  this  purpose  meet- 
ings of  the  cabinet  council  discussed  plans,  and  measures  were  inaugurated. 
Also,  in  the  hope  of  avenging  past  injuries  and  to  put  an  end  to  future  incur- 
sions, the  government  of  New  France  resolved,  in  1665,  to  send  against  the 
Mohawks  a  force  that  would  not  return  until  their  enemies  were  wiped  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  On  the  23d  of  March  of  that  year  Daniel  De  Runy, 
knight,  Lord  de  Courcelles,  was  appointed  governor  of  Canada,  and  in  Sep- 
tember of  that  year  arrived  with  a  regiment,  several  families  and  necessaries ^ 
for  the  establishment  of  a  colony.  In  June  of  the  same  year  M.  de  Tracy  was 
appointed  viceroy  of  the  French  Possessions  in  America,  and  brought  with 
him  to  Quebec  four  regiments  of  infantry.  On  the  9th  of  January,  1666,  De 
Courcelles  started  with  less  than  six  hundred  men  on  a  long  and  perilous  march 
of  nearly  three  hundred  miles  in  mid- winter  when  the  snow  was  four  feet  deep. 
"  The  governor  caused  slight  sledges  to  be  made  in  good  numbers,  laying  pro- 
visions upon  them,  drew  them  over  the  snow  with  mastiff  dogs."^  The  men 
traveled  on  snow-shoes,  each  carrying  twenty-five  to  thirty  pounds  of  biscuits. 
"  On  the  third  day  out  many  had  their  noses,  ears,  fingers  or  knees  frozen,  and 
some,  wholly  overcome  by  the  cold,  were  carried  to  the  place  where  they  were 

1  Butler's  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain. 

2  It  is  recorded  that  the  first  horses  were  brought  to  Canada  on  this  occasion. 

3  Relations  of  the  march,  Doc.  History 


6o  History  of  Warren  County. 

to  pass  the  night.  Still  they  pushed  on,  until,  on  the  9th  of  February,  they 
arrived  within  two  miles  of  Schenectady.  "^  Here  they  learned  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  Mohawks  and  Oneidas  had  gone  to  a  distance  to  make  war  upon 
the  "  wampum-makers."  Watson  says  they  "  were  only  preserved  from  de- 
struction by  the  active,  though  ill-requited  beneficence  of  a  small  Dutch  set- 
tlement, standing  on  the  outer  verge  of  civilization.  The  potent  influence  and 
urgent  intercessions  of  a  prominent,  although  private  citizen  of  Schenectady 
averted  from  the  suffering  and  defenseless  Frenchmen,  the  vengeance  of  the 
exasperated  Mohawks  "  —  (referring  to  Arent  Van  Corlear).  His  unselfish  act 
was  gratefully  acknowledged  by  the  colonial  government,  and  De  Tracy  urged 
him  to  visit  Quebec.  Corlear  accepted  this  courtesy  in  the  year  1667,  and 
while  making  the  passage  of  Lake  Champlain  was  drowned  "  by  a  sudden 
squall  of  wind,  in  crossing  a  great  bay."  Deeming  it  "  useless  to  push  further 
forward  an  expedition  which  had  all  the  effect  intended  by  the  terror  it  spread 
among  all  the  tribes,"  ^  Courcelles  retraced  his  march. 

The  magnitude  of  this  expedition,  although  it  resulted  in  no  immediate 
disaster  to  the  Iroquois,  prompted  them  to  sue  for  peace,  and  a  treaty  was  con- 
cluded in  May,  June  and  July,  1666,  by  the  Senecas,  Oneidas  and  Mohawks, 
respectively.  Pending  the  negotiations,  the  Mohawks  committed  an  outrage 
on  the  Fort  St.  Anne  garrison,  and  M  de  Tracy  was  convinced  that  the  treaty 
would  be  rendered  more  stable  if  the  Mohawks  were  further  chastised.  Ac- 
cordingly in  September,  at  the  head  of  six  hundred  troops  and  seven  hundred 
Indians,  he  made  an  incursion  into  the  Mohawk  country  only  to  find  it  deserted, 
by  the  wily  savages ;  after  destroying  their  villages  and  crops,  he  returned. 

In  the  following  year  (July,  1667)  was  concluded  the  peace  of  Breda,  be- 
tween Holland,  England  and  France.  This  gave  the  New  Netherlands  to  the 
English,  and  Acadia  (Nova  Scotia),  with  fixed  boundaries,  to  the  French. 
But  the  period  of  quiet  was  of  short  duration,  for  in  1669  we  find  the  French 
again  at  war  with  their  old  antagonists,  the  Iroquois.  Owing  to  the  increasing 
hostilities  the  inhabitants  found  it  difficult  to  harvest  their  crops  in  safety ;  suf- 
fering and  consternation  prevailed  and  many  prepared  to  return  to  France. 
But  in  April,  1672,  Count  de  Frontenac  was  appointed  governor  and  lieuten- 
ant-general of  Canada,  and  under  his  efficient  administration,  confidence  was- 
restored  and  a  treaty  of  peace  again  established  in  1673. ^ 

In  1684  another  rupture  occurred  between  the  French  and  Iroquois.  M. 
de  la  Barre  was  then  governor  of  New  France,  and  Colonel  Dongan  governor 
of  New  York.     The  Frenchman   led   an   expedition  against  the  Senecas,  but 

1  Butler. 

^Doc.  History. 

3  Count  De  Frontenac  writes  September  14th,  1674  :  "In  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  Dutch  to  get 
the  Iroquois  to  make  war  on  the  French,  the  Iroquois  came  last  year  on  solemn  embassy  to  Montreal, 
brought  eight  children  belonging  to  the  principal  families  of  their  villages,  and  ratified  the  treaty  made 
with  them  in  1673."  —  Colonial  History  of  New  York. 


French  and  Indian  War.  6i 

hearing  that  the  latter  would  be  reinforced  by  Dongan  with  "  four  hundred 
horse  and  four  hundred  foot,"  he  gave  up  his  purpose.  This  pretentious  ex- 
pedition, which  ended  so  ignominiously,  subjected  De  la  Barre  to  severe  cen- 
sure and  in  the  following  year  he  was  superseded  by  the  Marquis  Denonville, 
who  came  over  instructed  to  preserve  a  strict  neutrality.  This  he  found  to  be 
impossible  and  so  informed  his  sovereign.  Reinforcements  were  sent  him  for  a 
determined  attack  upon  the  Senecas,  and  in  the  summer  of  1687  an  expedition 
of  two  thousand  French  and  Indians  was  organized  and  marched  against  the 
•enemy.  This  large  force  impelled  the  Indians  to  adopt  their  customary  tactics 
for  self-preservation,  and  their  villages  were  deserted,  or  nearly  so.  After  de- 
stroying everything  of  value,  the  expedition  returned.  This  bold  incursion 
into  the  country  of  their  strongest  nation,  alarmed  the  Iroquois  and  they  applied 
to  Governor  Dongan  for  protection.  It  was  promised  them,  of  course,  with 
the  accompanying  advice  that  they  should  not  make  peace  with  the  French ; 
but  Denonville  called  a  meeting  of  chiefs  of  the  Five  Nations  at  Montreal  to 
arrange  a  treaty,  and  they  decided  to  send  representatives.  Before  this  was 
consummated  and  on  account  of  alleged  treachery  on  the  part  of  Denonville, 
the  Iroquois  became  deeply  angered  against  the  French  and  burned  for  re- 
venge. In  July,  1689,  twelve  hundred  Iroquois  warriors  landed  on  the  upper 
■end  of  the  Island  of  Montreal,  burned  houses,  sacked  plantations,  massacred 
men,  women  and  children  and  retired  with  twenty-six  prisoners,  most  of  whom 
were  burned  alive.  In  October  following  they  made  a  similar  incursion  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  island,  which  was  likewise  devastated.  These  successful  in- 
vasions were  of  incalculable  injury  to  the  French  interests,  and  becoming 
known  to  their  Indian  allies,  already  disgusted  with  De  la  Barre's  failure, 
caused  many  of  them  to  seek  an  alliance  with  the  English  and  open  trade  with 
them.  "  They  would  have  murdered  the  whole  French  colony  to  placate  the 
Iroquois,  and  would  certainly  have  done  it,"  says  Golden,  "  had  not  the 
Sieur  Perot,  with  wonderful  sagacity  and  eminent  hazard  to  his  own  person, 
diverted  them." 

The  French  colony  was  now  in  a  pitiable  condition,  but  an  unexpected  and 
welcome  change  was  at  hand.  The  divided  counsels  of  the  English  colonies 
growing  out  of  the  revolution  in  the  mother  country  resulting  in  the  accession 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange  to  the  throne,  gave  a  new  aspect  to  affairs.  The 
Gount  de  Frontenac,  whose  previous  administration  had  been  wise  and  effi- 
cient, was  again  appointed  governor  May  21st,  1689,  and  arrived  in  October. 
He  had  learned  the  futility  of  prosecuting  ai  war  against  the  Iroquois  and  made 
earnest  efforts  to  negotiate  a  peace  with  them.  Failing,  he  determined  to  ter- 
rify them  in.to  neutrality.  For  this  purpose  he  fitted  out  three  expeditions, 
one  against  New  York,  one  against  Gonnecticut  and  the  third  against  New 
England.  The  first  was  directed  against  Schenectady,  which  was  sacked  and 
burned  on  the  night  of  February  9th,  1690.     A  band  of  the  French  and  Hu- 


62  History  of  Warren  County. 

ron  Indians,  after  a  march  of  twenty-two  days  "along  the  course  of  West 
Canada  creek" — a  route  the  course  of  which  is  to-day  shrouded  in  doubt,  but 
probably  west  of  the  lake,  through  certain  narrow  valleys,  where  evidences  of 
ancient  pathways  were  visible  but  a  few  years  since  —  fell  upon  the  defenseless 
hamlet.  But  two  houses  were  spared,  with  fifty  or  sixty  old  men,  women  and 
children  and  about  twenty  Mohawks,  "  in  order  to  show  them  that  it  was  the 
English  and  not  they  against  whom  the  grudge  was  entertained."  The  French 
made  a  rapid  but  disastrous  retreat,  suffering  from  the  severe  weather  and  the 
harassing  pursuit  of  their  enemies.  This  and  other  assaults  at  other  points  so 
disheartened  the  people  at  Albany  that  they  resolved  to  retire  to  New  York ;. 
their  course  was  altered  only  after  a  delegation  of  the  brave  Mohawks  had  vis- 
ited them  and  reproached  them  for  their  supineness,  urging  them  to  a  courag- 
eous defense  of  their  homes.  This  heroic  conduct  of  the  Iroquois  challenges 
our  admiration ;  notwithstanding  French  intrigues  and  Jesuitical  influence, 
combined  with  exasperating  English  apathy  which  appeared  willing  to  sacrifice 
these  savage  yet  noble  allies,  they  adhered  to  their  early  allegiance. 

Repeated  incursions  by  the  French  and  Indians  at  last  awakened  the  Eng- 
lish colonists  to  the  conviction  that  they  must  harmoniously  unite  in  their 
efforts  against  their  enemies  if  they  would  succeed.  A  convention  was  accord- 
ingly held  in  New  York  in  May,  1690,  constituted  of  delegates  from  Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut  and  New  York,  at  which  it  was  resolved  to  combine  their 
strength  for  the  subjugation  of  Canada.  Massachusetts  engaged  to  equip  a  fleet 
and  attack  the  French  possessions  by  sea,  while  the  other  two  States  should 
assault  Montreal  and  the  forts  upon  the  Sorel.  The  land  forces  mustered  at 
Lake  George  in  formidable  numbers,  embarked  in  canoes  and  sailed  to  Ticon- 
deroga.  Embarking  again  on  Lake  Champlain,  but  little  progress  was  made 
when  the  expedition  was  abandoned  through  failure  in  supplies  and  dissensions 
in  the  force.  The  failure  of  these  efforts  and  the  heavy  expenses  incurred,  left 
the  colonies  in  a  more  defenseless  situation  than  before. 

In  the  same  year,  John  Schuyler  (grandfather  of  Philip  Schuyler,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame)  organized  a  band  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  "  Chris- 
tians and  Indians  "  for  an  incursion  into  the  French  possessions.  He  cau- 
tiously passed  down  Lake  Champlain  and  landed  in  the  vicinity  of  Chambly. 
Leaving  his  canoes  in  safety,  he  penetrated  to  La  Prairie,  far  within  the  line  of 
the  French  fortresses.  The  unexampled  bravery  of  the  little  force  contributed 
largely  to  its  remarkable  success.  They  fell  upon  the  French  colonists  who 
were  unsuspectingly  engaged  in  their  harvest,  and  in  the  savage  spirit  that 
then  controlled  such  movements,  committed  young  and  old  alike  to  slaughter. 
The  "  scalps  of  four  women  folks  "  were  among  the  trophies. 

In  the  summer  following  (1691)  Major  Peter  Schuyler  collected  a  body  of 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  whites  and  Indians,  and  taking  the  route  followed 
by  John  Schuyler,  made  an  attack  upon  the  doomed  settlement  of  La  Prairie. 


French  and    Indian  War.  63 

He  states  in  his  journal  that  he  left  Albany  June  21st,  and  marched  twenty- 
four  miles  to  Stillwater.  Halting  till  the  24th,  on  that  day  he  proceeded  to 
Saraghtoga,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles ;  on  the  26th  he  marched  to  the  first 
carrying-place  (Fort  Miller),  and  thence  to  the  second  carrying-place  (Fort 
Edward).  On  the  28th  the  march  was  continued  to  the  last  carrying-place, 
and  there  they  began  building  canoes.  July  ist  they  built  eight  can oes,'_capable 
of  carrying  from  seven  to  twelve  men.  July  9th  (quoting  Schuyler's  journal), 
"  came  Gerrard  Luykosse  and  Herman  Vedder,  from  a  party  of  eighty  Mo- 
hawks, at  a  lake  right  over  Saraghtoga  [Saratoga  Lake],  who  went  by  the  way 
of  Lake  St.  Sacrament,^  and  promised  to  meet  us  in  six  days  at  '  Chinandroga '  " 
(Ticonderoga).  On  the  14th  "we  removed  to  the  Falls  [Whitehall],  distant 
sixteen  miles,  and  then  encamped."  On  the  i6th  "moved  from  the  Falls,  and 
pitched  our  tents  in  the  narrows  of  the  drowned  lands,  twelve  miles  distant." 
Proceeding  on  the  17th  they  "advanced  to  Chianderoga,  and  two  hours  after 
met  the  Mohauques,  eighty  in  number ;  after  which  we  fell  to  making  canoes, 
the  Christians  having  broken  two  of  theirs  coming  over  the  falls." 

This  is  the  first  record  known  of  a  military  expedition  passing  through 
Lake  George. 

The  party  reached  the  objective  point  of  their  march,  La  Prairie,  at  dawn 
on  the  1st  of  August.  After  "saying  their  prayers,"  they  moved  cautiously 
towards  the  fort.  But,  in  passing  a  wind-mill,  the  miller  fired  a  shot  (killing 
an  Indian),  which  was  returned  by  one  of  Schuyler's  white  men,  killing  the 
miller  in  his  own  door.  Before  reaching  the  fort  they  were  met  by  a  party  of 
militia,  whom  they  repulsed ;  they  next  encountered  a  body  of  regulars,  with 
whom  they  had  a  short  but  sharp  engagement.  Falling  back  a  short  distance, 
Schuyler  drew  up  his  men  in  a  ditch  or  disused  canal,  forming  an  ambuscade 
into  which  the  pursuing  Frenchmen  rushed,  meeting  with  considerable  loss, 
but  escaping  capture.  While  these  movements  were  enacting,  an  officer  with 
a  force  one- half  as  large  as  Schuyler's  interposed  between  the  latter  and  his 
boats.  Forming  his  men  and  telling  them  it  was  either  fight  or  die,  Schuyler 
ordered  an  advance.  The  first  volley  from  the  French  killed  and  wounded  the 
greater  part  of  those  lost  in  the  expedition.  But  the  case  was  a  desperate  one, 
and  a  vigorous  charge  dislodged  the  French  from  their  position,  and  the  men 
reached  their  boats,  embarked  and  arrived  at  Albany  on  the  9th  of  August. 
The  losses  were  twenty-one  killed  and   twenty-five  wounded.     The   result   of 

1  Saint  Sacrament,  literally  the  Lake  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  which  name  it  obtained  in  1646,  from 
Father  Jogues,  because  he  passed  through  it  on  the  Festival  of  Corpus  Chrisli. — E.  B.  O'Callaghan. 

The  common  impression  that  the  name  of  the  lake  was  suggested  by  the  singular  purity  of  its  water, 
is  erroneous.  By  the  aborigines,  it  was  in  one  dialect  called  Caniadere-Oit,  or  the  Tail  of  the  Lake,  in 
reference  to  its  relation  to  Lake  Champlain.  —  Spafford's  Gazetteer. 

By  the  Iroquois  it  was  named  Andiatarocte,  "There  the  lake  shuts  itself."  —  Relations. 

"  Honiton,"  although  redolent  with  beauty,  seems  to  be  a  pure  poetical  fancy.  The  various  names 
attached,  as  well  to  tribes  as  to  places,  in  the  difficult  Indian  language,  often  lead  to  confusion  and 
error.  —  Watson. 


64  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  expedition  was  fruitless,  except  so  far  as  it  aided  in  keeping  the  French 
settlers  in  a  state  of  terror. 

The  Iroquois  continued  their  incursions  against  the  French  and  were,  per- 
haps, more  dreaded  by  the  latter  than  the  English.  The  French  were  pre- 
vented from  tilling  their  lands  and  a  famine  ensued,  "  The  poor  inhabitants," 
says  Colden,  "  being  forced  to  feed  the  soldiers  gratis,  while  their  own  children 
wanted  bread."  The  French  fur  trade  was  also  nearly  ruined  by  the  Iroquois, 
who  took  possession  of  the  passes  between  them  and  their  western  allies,  and 
cut  off  the  traders.  These  terrible  incursions  by  the  Five  Nations  exasperated 
Count  de  Frontenac,  governor  of  New  France,  to  the  last  extremity  and  he 
determined,  if  possible,  to  end  them.^  He  planned  an  expedition  against  the 
Mohawks  to  be  undertaken  in  midwinter  of  the  year  1693.  He  collected  a 
force  of  between  six  and  seven  hundred  French  and  Indians,  secretly  passed 
Lake  Champlain  on  the  ice,  descended  into  the  Mohawk  country  and  captured 
three  of  their  castles,  meeting  with  resistance  only  in  the  last.  They  retreated 
with  about  three  hundred  prisoners.  Major  Peter  Schuyler,  ever  the  firm  friend 
of  the  Mohawks,  hastily  gathered  a  party  of  Albany  militia  and  Indians  to  the 
number  of  five  hundred,  and  started  in  pursuit.  So  prompt  was  their  action 
that  the  fugitives  were  closely  pressed  and  suffered  greatly  for  food,  being 
compelled  "to  eat  the  leather  of  their  shoes."  They  escaped,  however,  with  a 
loss  of  eighty  killed  and  thirty-three  wounded. 

After  vain  efforts  to  negotiate  peace  with  the  Iroquois  Frontenac  made  pre- 
parations for  a  still  more  formidable  effort  to  coerce  them  into  submission.  In 
the  summer  of  1695  he  sent  a  strong  force  to  repair  and  'garrison  Fort  Ca- 
daraqui,  which  then  took  his  name.  _  On  the  4th  of  July  in  the  following  year 
he  embarked  from  the  south  end  of  the  island  of  Montreal  with  all  the  miUtia 
of  the  colony  and  a  large  body  of  Indians,  for  a  destructive  incursion  against 
the  Onondagas.  Although  by  far  the  most  formidable  invasion  yet  made  into 
the  Iroquois  country,  it  was  almost  fruitless  in  results,  other  than  the  destruction 
of  villages  and  crops. 

The  treaty  of  Ryswick  was  concluded  in  September,  1697.  While  it  estab- 
lished peace  between  the  French  and  English,  it  practically  left  unsettled  the 
status  of  the  Iroquois.  The  French,  while  insisting  on  including  their  own 
Indian  allies  in  the  terms  of  the  treaty,  were  unwilling  to  include  the  Iroquois, 
and  made  preparations  to  attack  them  with  their  whole  force ;  but  the  English 
as  strenuously  insisted  on  extending  the  terms  to  their  allies,  and  Earl  Bello- 
mont  informed  Count  de  Frontenac  that  he  would  resist  with  the  entire  force 
of  his  government,  any  attack  on  the  Iroquois,  if  necessary.  This  put  an  end 
to    French  threats. 


1  June  6,  1692,  the  Iroquois  entered  into  a  formal  treaty  of  alliance  and  friendship  with  Major  Rich- 
ard Ingoldesby,  who  assumed  the  gubernatorial  office  of  New  York  on  the  death  of  Col.  Henry 
Sloughter,  in  July,  1691.     Ingoldesby  was  succeeded  by  Benjamin  Fletcher  in  August,  1692. 


French  and  Indian  War.  65 

For  five   or  six  years  after  the  signing  of  the  treaty  at  Ryswick  quiet  pre- 
vailed in  the  territory  between  Albany  and  Lake   Champlain.     The  breaking 
out  of  the   war   of  the   Spanish   Succession,   or,   as  it  was  called  in  America, 
Queen   Anne's  War,  again  plunged  the  colonies  of  the  two  countries  into  the 
caldron   of  contention.      Queen   Anne   ascended  the   English  throne  in  1702, 
and  soon  afterward  found  cause  to  declare  war  against  France.     The  Five  Na- 
tions, by  a  treaty  of  neutrality  with  the  French  in  Canada,  made  August  4th, 
1 70 1,  became  a  barrier  against  the  savages  from  the   north.     But  in   the  east 
the  French  induced  the  Indians  to  violate  a  treaty  made  with  the  colonists  of 
New  England,  thus  opening  a  new  series  of  hostilities  in  that  region  that  soon 
spread   along  the  whole  frontier.     For  several  years  ferocious  forays  occurred 
in  New  England  and  elsewhere.      "  Remote  settlements  were  abandoned,   and 
fields  were  cultivated  only  by  armed  parties  united  for  common  defense. "^  Fi- 
nally this  state  of  affairs  became  insupportable,  and  after  several  fruitless  expe- 
ditions, fitted  out  chiefly  by  Massachusetts   to  chastise  the   French  and  their 
Indian   allies   for  three  or  four   successive   seasons,  in  17 10  an  armament   of 
ships   and  troops   sailed   for   Port   Royal  (Nova  Scotia),  which  was  captured. 
Acadia  was  seized   and  annexed  to  the  English  colony.     The  following  year 
(171 1)  an  English  fleet  and  army  arrived  at  Boston.     On  the   15th   of  August 
fifteen  men-of-war  and  forty  transports,  bearing  an  army  of  7,000  men,  partly 
composed  of  New  England  forces,  sailed  for  the  St.  Lawrence,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Sir  Hovenden  Walker.     In  the  mean  time  Governor   Nicholson  had 
proceeded  to  Albany,  where  a  force  of  about  4,000,  partly  composed   of  Iro- 
quois Indians,  had  been  concentrated.  Walker,  inexperienced  and  "  strong  in  his 
own  conceit,"  declined  to  be  advised  by  subordinates  better  versed,  shipwrecked 
eight   of  the  vessels  of  his  fleet  and  lost  1,000  of  his  men  on  the  rocks  at  the 
entrance   of  the  St.  Lawrence.     Discouraged  by  this   he   ignobly  turned  his 
prow  towards  England,  having  first  sent  the  New  England  men  back  to  Boston. 
Nicholson,   who   had   begun  his  march  towards  Montreal,  was  overtaken  with 
the  news  of  Walker's  disheartening  failure,  and  immediately  retraced  his  route 
to  Albany.     Thus  ended  another  enterprise,  planned  upon  a  magnificent  scale 
for  those  days,  and  mainly  owing  its  disastrous  failure  to  the  policy  of  England 
of  placing  officials  in  command  who  were  every  way  unfitted  for  the  positions 

they  held. 

Hostilities  were  now  suspended,  and  the  treaty  of  peace  at  Utrecht  ^  be- 
tween England  and  France  (April  11,  17 13)  secured  peace  until  1744. 

The  Iroquois  were  now  debarred  from  continuing  their  incursions  upon  the 
northern  and  western   Indians,   and  their  natural  inchnations  led  them  south- 


1  LOSSING. 

2  This  treaty  "  secured  the  Protestant  succession  to  the  throne  of  England,  the  separation  of  the 
French  and  Spanish  crowns,  the  destruction  of  Dunkirk,  the  enlargement  of  the  British  colonies  in 
America,  and  full  satisfaction  from  France  of  the  claims  of  the  allies,  England,  Holland  and  Germany." 
This  treaty  terminated  Queene  Anne's  War,  and  secured  peace  for  thirty  years. 


66  History  of  Warren  County. 

ward  where  they  chastised  their  old  enemies  living  in  Carolina.  While  upon 
this  expedition  they  adopted  into  their  confederacy  the  Tuscaroras,  of  North 
Carolina,  who  became  known  as  the  sixth  nation  of  the  Iroquois.  They  were 
assigned  territory  west  of  and  near  to  the  Oneidas. 

But  in  1731,  during  this  period  of  peace,  M.  de  Beauharnois,  the  French 
governor  of  the  Canadian  colony,  by  the  authority  of  Louis  XV,  and  in  vio- 
lation of  the  treaties  of  Ryswick  and  Utrecht,  peoceeded  up  Lake  Champlain 
and  began  fortifying  Crown  Point.  As  the  work  was  first  erected,  it  was  a 
small  wooden  fort,  scarcely  strong  enough  to  resist  the  weakest  artillery ;  but 
it  was  added  to  and  strengthened  during  the  successive  years,  until,  in  1755,  it 
contained  space  and  quarters  for  five  or  six  hundred  men.  It  was  called  by 
the  French  Fort  St.  Frederic.  Thirty  men  only  formed  the  first  French  gar- 
rison at  this  point. 

This  movement  startled  New  York  and  New  England.  The  assembly  of 
the  former  resolved  that  "  this  encroachment,  if  not  prevented,  would  prove 
of  the  most  pernicious  consequence  to  this  and  other  colonies."  They  sent  no- 
tice of  the  encroachment  to  Pennsylvania,  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  and 
applied  to  the  board  of  trade  and  plantations  for  aid.  While  that  body  would 
have  granted  the  request,  Robert  Walpole  counseled  peace. 

The  French,  upon  their  occupation  of  Crown  Point,  seemed  to  have  antici- 
pated the  apathy  of  the  English  that  actually  followed.  Three  years  later 
Beauharnois  informed  his  government  that  he  was  "  preparing  to  complete" 
his  incipient  fortifications.  As  late  as  1747  it  had  not  attained  such  strength 
or  proportions  as  to  induce  the  belief  that  it  could  not  have  been  recaptured 
and  the  garrison  with  it,  at  any  time  since  its  occupation,  by  the  efforts  of  any 
one  of  the  English  colonies,  had  England  seen  fit  to  sanction  the  movement. 

To  protect  Canada  from  incursions  by  the  Iroquois  was  the  ostensible  rea- 
spn  advanced  by  France  for  erecting  the  fortress  at  Crown  Point.  That  there 
was  a  deeper  purpose  is  too  palpable  to  need  demonstration.  So  ignorant,  or 
indifferent,  or  both  together,  was  the  English  government,  to  the  real  situation 
and  its  importance,  that  the  lords  of  trade  as  early  as  December,  1738,  con- 
fessed to  Governor  Clinton  their  ignorance  of  the  location  even  of  French  for- 
tifications on  Lake  Champlain.  When,  soon  after,  the  attention  of  the  French 
government  was  called  to  the  violation  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  the  response 
was  a  denial  of  "  all  knowledge  of  the  projected  establishment,"  and  the  una- 
vailing assurance  that  an  inquiry  on  the  subject  would  be  made.  Meanwhile 
France,  in  pursuit  of  its  early  policy,  was  consummating  the  establishment  of 
trading  posts  from  Canada  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  6j 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  RIVALRY. 

Declaration  of  War  between  France  and  England  —  Destruction  of  Saratoga  —  Indian  and  French 
Atrocities —  English  Apathy —  Events  of  1 747  —  Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  —  Operations  by  the  Eng- 
lish in  1754  —  Hendrick's  Speech  —  The  Massachusetts  Expedition  —  Braddock's  Campaign  —  The 
Movement  Against  Crown  Point  —  Ticonderoga — Arrival  of  Dieskau  and  Vaudreuil  —  Engagement 
between  Johnson  and  Dieskau — English  Victory — Ephraim  Williams's  Death — Building  of  Fort 
William  Henry, 

AGAIN,  in  1744,  as  the  result  of  the  rivahies  and  jealousies  of  the  two  na- 
tions, war  was  declared  between  England  and  France. 

At  this  time  the  French  held  possession  of  the  Champlain  valley,  and  had 
fortified  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga.  In  the  fall  of  1745  an  expedition  was 
fitted  out  at  Montreal  and  placed  under  the  command  of  M.  Marin.  The  ex- 
pressed object  of  this  enterprise  was  to  attack  and  sack  certain  settlements  on 
the  Connecticut  River,  but  it  seems  that  on  arriving  at  Crown  Point,  or  Fort 
St.  Frederic,  the  party  was  met  by  Father  Piquet,  a  French  prefet  apostoliqice, 
who  induced  M.  Marin  to  change  his  purpose.  Accordingly  they  proceeded 
up  "  Lake  Champlain  to  Wood  Creek,  crossed  the  country  to  the  Hudson 
River,  destroyed  Lydius's  lumber  establishment  on  the  site  of  Fort  Edward, 
and  approached  the  thriving  settlement  of  Saratoga,  which  they  utterly  de- 
stroyed."^ In  this  massacre  about  thirty  men  and  women  were  killed,  and  fifty 
or  sixty  prisoners  were  taken.  But  one  family  escaped.  The  fort  was  burned 
to  the  ground.  The  New  York  Assembly  rebuilt  it  the  next  year  (1746)  and 
named  it  Fort  Clinton.  It  was  then  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  by 
one  hundred  in  breadth,  with  several  wooden  redoubts,  which  were  used  as 
barracks.  Its  armament  consisted  of  twelve  cannon,  six,  twelve  and  eighteen 
pounders. 

All  through  the  summer  of  1746  small  detachments  of  French  soldiers  and 
their  Indian  allies  were  dispatched  from  Montreal,  and,  proceeding  to  Fort  St. 
Frederic,  halted  long  enough  to  make  the  necessary  preparations,  and  then 
set  out  upon  the  trails  leading  to  the  scattered  English  settlements  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Albany  and  westward  along  the  Mohawk  River.  When  we  consider  the 
mercilessness  and  barbarous  atrocities  perpetrated  by  these  prowling  bands, 
acting  under  the  direct  control  of  the  French  commandants,  and  often  accom- 
panied by  them,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  American  colonists  looked 
upon  Fort  St.  Frederic  as  a  constant  menace,  and  the  source  from  which  the 
enemy  were  enabled  successfully  to  send  out  its  marauding  parties  ;  and  all 
the  time  the  inhabitants  felt  their  inability  to  protect  themselves  against  the 
forays,  and  burned  with   indignation  against  the  English   government  for  its 


1  LOSSING. 


68  History  of  Warren  County. 

apathy  and  dilatoriness  in  thus  leaving  them  to  suffer  at  the  hands  of  the  re- 
lentless foe.  The  following  memoranda,  from  the  original  French  documents 
preserved  in  the  Documentary  History,  throws  strong  light  upon  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  French  at  this  time,  and  may  be  considered  indisputable,  as  it  is 
their  own  statement :  — 

"March  29,  1746.  A  party  set  out,  consisting  of  fourteen  Indians  .... 
who  have  been  in  the  country,  near  Albany,  and  returned  with  some  prisoners 
and  scalps. 

"26th  (April).  A  party  of  thirty-five  warriors  belonging  to  the  Soult  set 
out.  They  have  been  in  the  neighborhood  of  Orange  (Albany),  have  made 
some  prisoners  and  taken  some  scalps. 

"  27th.  A  party  set  out  consisting  of  six  warriors,  who  struck  a  blow  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Albany. 

"  May  7.  Six  Nepissings  started  to  strike  a  blow  near  Boston  and  returned 
with  some  scalps. 

"  lOth.  Gatienonde,  an  Iroquois,  who  had  been  settled  at  the  lake  for  two 
or  three  years,  left  with  five  Indians  of  that  village  and  Lieutenant  St.  Blein,  to 
strike  a  blow  near  Orange.  They  brought  in  one  prisoner.  The  leader  was 
killed. 

"  1 2th.  Ten  Indians  of  the  Soult  set  out  towards  Boston  and  returned  with 
some  scalps. 

"  22d.  Nineteen  warriors  of  the  Soult  St.  Louis  have  been  equipped. 
They  have  been  made  to  strike  a  blow  in  the  direction  of  Albany. 

"  24th.  A  party  of  eight  Abenakis  has  been  fitted  out,  who  have  been  in 
the  direction  of  Corlac  [Schenectady]  and  have  returned  with  some  prisoners 
and  scalps. 

"  27th.  Equipped  a  party  of  eight  warriors  of  Soult,  who  struck  a  blow 
near  Albany,  and  brought  back  six  scalps. 

"  28th.  A  party  of  twelve  Nepissings  made  an  attack  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Boston,  and  brought  away  four  scalps  and  one  prisoner,  whom  they  killed 
on  the  road,  as  he  became  furious  and  refused  to  march. 

"  A  party  of  Abenakis  struck  a  blow  near  Albany  and  Corlac,  and  returned 
with  some  scalps. 

"June  2d.  Equipped  twenty- five  warriors,  who  returned  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Albany  with  some  scalps. 

"  3d.  Equipped  a  party  of  eighteen  Nepissings,  who  struck  a  blow  at 
Albany  and  Corlac. 

"  19th.  Equipped  a  party  of  twenty-five  Indians  of  the  Soult,  who  struck 
a  blow  near  Orange.  One  or  two  of  these  Indians  were  wounded.  They 
brought  away  some  scalps. 

"  20th.  Equipped  a  party  of  nineteen  warriors  of  the  Soult,  who  went  to 
Orange  to  strike  a  blow. 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  6g 

"  2 1  St.  Equipped  a  party  of  twenty- seven  of  the  same  village  to  go  to  Al- 
bany. Sieur  De  Carquiville,  an  officer,  was  of  the  party,  which  has  brought 
in  a  prisoner  that  was  on  the   scout  to  Saristeau  [Saratoga],  and  some  scalps. 

"  August  loth.  Chevalier  De  Repentigny  arrived  at  Quebec  and  reported 
that  he  had  made  an  attack  near  Corlac  and  took  eleven  prisoners  and  twenty- 
five  scalps." 

And  so  on,  each  succeeding  week  being  but  a  repetition  of  the  preceding 
one.  The  terms  of  the  records  are  brief,  but  the  miseries  and  horrors  hidden 
behind  the  few  tame  words  are  more  than  mind  can  conceive,  or  pen  can  write 
without  shuddering.  Cunning,  cruel  and  stealthy,  the  unfeeling  Indians  were 
fit  tools  in  the  hands  of  their  unscrupulous  employers.  It  is  no  wonder  that 
the  almost  powerless  English  settlers  were  driven  to  desperation,  and  to  a  thirst 
for  vengeance. 

In  1 747  the  same  methods  were  employed  by  the  French,  only  that  each 
succeeding  attack  seemed  to  be  actuated  by  a  deeper  intent  of  murder  and 
rapine  than  the  one  preceding.  The  terms  of  the  treaties  of  peace  between 
the  parties  were  utterly  ignored,  as  well  in  Europe  as  in  the  colonies.  The 
original  and  deep-rooted  plan  of  the  French  to  establish  a  chain  of  military 
posts  from  Canada  to  the  Mississippi  and  thence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  was 
never  relinquished  by  them,  no  matter  to  what  extent  the  text  of  the  treaties 
they  had  signed  forbade  such  a  proceeding.  By  all  the  devices  known  the  In- 
dians were  worked  upon  to  take  up  arms  in  their  favor,  and  so  successful  were 
they  in  accomplishing  this  even  questionable  military  measure,  that  it  is  told 
by  writers  of  the  time  that  the  sound  of  the  hammer  and  saw  in  the  construc- 
tion of  fortifications  mingled  with  that  of  the  rifles  of  their  dark-skinned  allies 
in  their  murderous  depredations  against  the  English  settlers. 

It  was  the  expressed  purpose  of  the  expeditions  fitted  out  by  the  French  at 
Montreal  to  "  harass,  murder,  scalp,  burn  and  pillage,  and  this  was  what  they 
called  war."  No  doubt  by  experience  they  had  learned  that  small  parties  thus 
composed  and  equipped  following  one  another  at  short  intervals,  had  a  greater 
terrorizing  effect  upon  the  stricken  settlers,  and  accomplished  greater  ruin  than 
would  the  same  number  of  men  consolidated  into  a  single  army.  The  apathy 
that,  from  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  of  the  country,  had  characterized  the 
English  government  in  protecting  its  colonists  probably  had  much  to  do  in 
augmenting  the  effrontery  and  recklessness  of  the  French  officials  ;  certain  it  is, 
that  none  of  the  expeditions  set  on  foot  by  the  English  succeeded  in  chastising 
the  marauders  to  the  extent  justice  demanded,  although  it  is  on  record  that  in 
the  colony  of  New  York  alone  seventy  thousand  pounds  were  expended  in  one 
year  in  carrying  out  plans  to  punish  the  French  and  Indians  for  the  depreda- 
tions they  had  committed. 

During  the  season  above  mentioned  {1747)  more  than  thirty  different  at- 
tacks were  made  on  the  settlements  between  the  head  of  Lake  George  and  Al- 


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'uoi;Bjadsapo;s;uB;iqBqui  aq;  uaAup  pBq  ajiu>[-SuidiBDS  puB  qojo;  aqj     'XuBq 

•AXNnoo  NaHHVAv  jio  a>ioxsih  oL 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  71 

French  and  to  a  request  by  Virginia  for  aid.  The  assembly  voted  a  thousand 
pounds  and  to  bear  its  share  in  erecting  forts  along  the  frontier.  By  victories 
in  western  Pennsylvania  in  1754,  the  French  were  left  in  undisputed  possession 
of  the  entire  region  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  necessity  for  concerted  ac- 
tion by  the  English  colonies  was  now  too  apparent  to  be  overlooked;  but  the  old 
sectional  differences  tended  to  prevent  harmonious  action.  The  Iroquois  were 
also  becoming,  to  some  extent,  alienated  from  the  English,  whose  apathy  and 
failures  they  did  not  relish.  The  English  ministry  had,  therefore,  advised  a 
convention  of  delegates  from  all  the  colonial  assemblies  in  an  effort  to  secure 
the  continued  alliance  of  the  Six  Nations.  This  convention  was  held  in  Albany 
in  Jime,  1754;  Governor  De  Lancey  was  president,  and  he  opened  the  proceed- 
ings with  a  speech  to  the  Indian  chiefs  who  were  present.  A  treaty  was  re- 
newed and  the  Indians  left  apparently  satisfied.  ^ 

It  was  upon  this  occasion  that,  in  his  final  speech,  Hendrick,  the  famous 
Mohawk  chief,  closed  as  follows  :  "  Brethren,  we  put  you  in  mind  from  our 
former  speech,  of  the  defenseless  state  of  your  frontiers,  particularly  of  this 
city  of  Schenectady,  and  of  the  country  of  the  Five  Nations.  You  told  us 
yesterday  you  were  consulting  about  securing  both.  We  beg  you  will  resolve 
upon  something  speedily.  You  are  not  safe  from  danger  one  day.  The  French 
have  their  hatchet  in  their  hands  both  at  Ohio  and  in  two  places  in  New  Eng- 
land. We  don't  know  but  this  very  night  they  may  attack  us.  Since  Colonel 
Johnson  has  been  in  this  city  there  has  been  a  French  Indian  at  his  house,  who 
took  measure  of  the  wall  around  it,  and  made  very  narrow  observations  on 
everything  thereabouts.  We  think  Colonel  Johnson  in  very  great  danger,  be- 
cause the  French  will  take  more  than  ordinary  pains  to  kill  him  or  take  him 
prisoner,  both  on  account  of  his  great  interest  among  us  and  because  he  is  one 
of  our  sacliems. 

"  Brethren,  there  is  an  affair  about  which  our  hearts  tremble  and  our  minds 
are  deeply  concerned.  We  refer  to  the  selling  of  rum  in  our  castles.  It  de- 
stroys many,  both  of  our  old  and  young  people.  We  are  in  great  fears  about 
this  rum.  It  may  cause  murder  on  both  sides.  We,  the  Mohawks  of  both 
castles,  request  that  the  people  who  are  settled  round  about  us  may  not  be  suf- 
fered to  sell  our  people  rum.  It  keeps  them  all  poor,  and  makes  them  idle  and 
wicked.  If  they  have  any  money  or  goods  they  lay  all  out  in  rum.  It  de- 
stroys virtue  and  the  progress  of  religion  among  us." 

1  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  venerable  Hendrick,  the  great  Mohawk  chieftain,  pronounced  one 
of  those  thrilling  and  eloquent  speeches  that  marked  the  nobler  times  of  the  Iroquois.  It  excited  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  those  who  listened,  and  commanded  the  highest  encomiums  wherever  it  was 
read.  In  burning  words  he  contrasted  the  supineness  and  imbecility  of  the  English,  with  the  energies 
of  the  French  policy.  His  hoary  head  and  majestic  bearing  attached  dignity  and  force  to  his  utterances. 
"We,"  he  exclaimed,  "would  have  gone  and  taken  Crown  Point,  but  you  hindered  us."  He  closed 
his  phillippic  with  this  overwhelming  rebuke :  "  Look  at  the  French,  they  are  men.  They  are  fortify- 
ing everywhere.  But  you,  and  we  are  ashamed  to  say  it,  you  are  like  women,  bare  and  open  without 
any  fortifications." 


72  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  governor  promised  satisfaction  to  this  pathetic  appeal,  of  course,  gave 
the  Indians  thirty  wagon  loads  of  presents,  and  the  civilized  inhabitants  went 
on  selling  their  gallons  of  rum  for  beaver  skins.  And  the  Indians  have  often 
been  cursed  for  their  intemperance. 

Meanwhile  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Massachusetts  delegates  to  this  conven- 
tion, a  plan  for  the  union  of  the  colonies  was  taken  into  consideration.  The 
suggestion  was  favorably  received  and  a  committee  of  one  from  each  colony 
was  appointed  to  draw  plans  for  the  purpose.  Then  the  fertile  mind  of  Ben- 
jamin Franklin,  having  already  conceived  the  necessity  of  union  and  harmony, 
produced  a  plan  which  he  had  already  prepared  and  which  was  adopted.  It 
was  the  forerunner  of  our  constitution  ;  but  the  assemblies  rejected  it,  deem- 
ing that  it  encroached  on  their  liberties,  while  the  ministry  rejected  it  as  grant- 
ing too  much  power  to  the  people. 

As  one  of  the  results  of  the  convention,  Massachusetts  raised  three  regi- 
ments of  infantry,  one  of  which  was  placed  under  command  of  Ephraim 
Williams  as  colonel.  As  an  element  in  the  proposed  campaign  Colonel  Will- 
iams was  to  co-operate  with  General  William  Johnson  in  an  attack  upon  the 
posts  the  French  had  established  along  Lake  Champlain,  and  was  ordered  to 
proceed  to  Albany  for  that  purpose,  along  with  other  New  England   forces. 

Though  England  and  France  were  nominally  at  peace,i  the  frontier  was 
continually  harassed  by  the  Indians,  fitted  out  and  let  loose  by  the  French, 
and  the  colonists  continued  their  appeals  to  the  English  ministry. 

On  April  14th,  1755,  a  congress,  composed  of  General  Edward  Braddock, 
Commodore  Keppel,  with  the  governors  of  Massachusetts,  New  York,  Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland  and  Virginia,  was  held  at  Annapolis,  Maryland.  Braddock 
had  lately  arrived  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in  America. 
Under  instructions  from  the  ministry  he  directed  the  attention  of  the  colonial 
governors  to  the  necessity  of  raising  a  revenue  for  military  purposes.  The 
governors  informed  him  of  their  strifes  with  their  respective  assemblies,  and 
assured  the  British  general  that  no  such  fund  could  be  established  without  the 
first  step  being  taken  by  parliament.  It  was  finally  determined,  however,  to 
begin  a  campaign  by  organizing  four  separate  expeditions.  The  first  to  effect 
the  reduction  of  Nova  Scotia ;  the  second  to  recover  the  Ohio  valley ;  the 
third  to  expel  the  French  from  Fort  Niagara  and  then  form  a  junction  with  the 
Ohio  expedition,  and  the  fourth  to  capture  Crown  Point.  The  first  of  these 
expeditions  was  entirely  successful ;  the  second,  under  command  of  Braddock 
himself,  was,  chiefly  through  his  folly,  disastrous  in  the  extreme.  He  failed  to 
send  out  scouts,  as  repeatedly  counseled  by  Washington,  and  when  within  a 
few  miles  of  Fort  Du  Quesne,  the  army  was  surprised  by  the  lurking  foe  and  only 
saved  from  destruction  by  Washington,  who,  upon  the  fall  of  Braddock,   as- 

1  War  was  not  formally  declared  in  Europe  till  the  following  year  ( 1 756)  by  England  on  the  i8th  of 
May,  and  by  France  on  the  9th  of  June  following. 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  j}, 

sumed  command  and  conducted  the  retreat.  The  expedition  against  Fort 
Niagara  was  also  unsuccessful.  It  was  commanded  by  General  Shirley,  gover- 
nor of  Massachusetts,  and  many  of  his  force  deserted  upon  hearing  of  Brad- 
dock's  defeat.  Leaving  a  garrison  at  Oswego,  he  led  the  remainder  of  his 
armj;^  to  Albany  and  returned  to  Massachusetts. 

The  army  gathered  for  the  capture  of  Crown  Point  was  assembled  at  Al- 
ban3f.,and  the  command  entrusted  to  General  William  Johnson.  It  comprised 
the  militia  and  volunteers  from  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and 
Connecticut.  They  came  together  fired  with  zeal  and  enthusiasm  born  of  the 
conviction  that  they  were  to  fight  for  the  safety  of  their  firesides. 

"His  army,  fresh  from  the  plow  and  the  workshop,  save  a  few  who  had  been 
engaged  at  the  siege  of  Louisburg,  were  novices  in  the  arts  and  services  of  war. 
The  provincials,  clothed  in  the  home-spun  garments  woven  by  wives  and  moth- 
ers, armed  only  with  their  own  rifles  and  fowling  pieces,  without  bayonets,  but 
animated  by  the  noblest  impulses  of  patriotism  and  courage,  and  inspired  by  a 
fervid  religious  enthusiasm,  which  kindled  the  faith  that  they  were  battling  in 
defense  of  the  altars  of  Protestantism  and  for  the  subversion  of  idolatry.  While 
the  preparations  were  in  active,  but  to  their  impatient  ardor,  slow  progress, 
they  were  restive  and  impatient  for  the  advance.  On  the  Sabbath,  in  obedience 
to  their  Puritan  habits,  they  assembled  to  unite  in  prayer  and  to  '  listen  to  the 
word,'  while   their  swarthy  allies  gravely  hear  the  interpretation  of  a  long  ser- 


mon. 


1 


In  July  General  Lyman,  of  New  Hampshire,  with  6oo  men  was  sent  for- 
ward to  clear  up  the  old  military  road  along  the  Hudson,  and  rebuild  the  fort 
at  Lydius's  Mills.  Meantime  Colonel  Williams  was  sent  to  the  "  second  car- 
rying-place" on  the  Hudson,  where  he  erected  a  block-house  and  entrench- 
ments. The  village  of  Fort  Miller  still  perpetuates  the  name  then  given  to 
these  defenses. 

The  French  were  not  idle  and  already  their  attention,  or  that  of  their  engi- 
neers, was  drawn  to  the  bold  and  rocky  cliffs  at  the  confluence  of  Lake  George 
(known  to  the  French  as  Lake  St.  Sacrament^)  and  Lake  Champlain,  as  an 
excellent  military  stronghold.  In  the  summer  of  1755,  Du  Quesne  had  ad- 
vised the  construction  of  works  at  that  point.  The  selection  of  the  site  and 
the  construction  of  the  works  were  entrusted  to  Lotbiniere,  an  engineer  of  the 
province.  The  original  fort  (which  was  still  unfinished  a  year  later)  "was  a 
square  fort  with  four  bastions,  and  built  of  earth  and  timber."^  In  the  same 
year  Johnson  mentions  Ticonderoga  as  an  important  but  unoccupied  position. 

1  Watson's  Essex  County. 

2  Father  Jogaes  ...  on  his  return  to  Canada  ...  set  out  with  some  Indians  for  the 
scene  of  his  former  sufferings  in  company  with  Sieur  Bourdon,  royal  engineer,  and  arrived  on  the  fes- 
tival of  Corpus  Christi  at  Lake  Andiatorocte,  to  which,  in  honor  of  the  day,  he  gave  the  name  of  the 
Lake  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament.— O'Callaghan. 

'i  Documentary  History ,  x,  414. 


74  History  of  Warren  County. 

Such  was  the  inception  of  Fort  Carillon, ^  about  which  was  to  center  so  much 
of  military  conflict  and  heroism.  It  is  not  now  known  when  the  imposing  stone 
battlements  were  erected,  whose  picturesque  ruins  inform  the  beholder  of  to-day 
of  their  original  strength.  In  the  year  1758  the  French  were  energetically 
engaged  in  extending  and  strengthening  the  fortress ;  at  that  time  Crown 
Point,  on  account  of  its  less  favorable  position,  and  the  falling  walls  of  Fort  St. 
Frederic,  became  of  secondary  importance  to  them. 

When  the  news  of  Braddock's  movements  reached  France,  a  fleet  bearing 
six  battalions  of  regulars  was  dispatched  to  the  aid  of  the  troops  in  Canada. 
With  it  came  also  Vaudreuil,  governor-general  of  New  France  (the  last 
one)  and  Baron  de  Dieskau  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  colonial  armies.  The 
latter  laid  his  plans  for  the  immediate  capture  of  Oswego,  when  the  govenor- 
general  received  the  startling  intelligence  of  Johnson's  movement  towards  Ti- 
conderoga  and  Crown  Point.  Dieskau  was,  therefore,  hurried  to  the  defense 
of  Lake  Champlain. 

All  the  preparations  for  the  campaign  having  been  completed  at  Albany 
in  the  early  part  of  August,  the  main  body  of  the  troops  began  its  slow  and 
tedious  march  along  the  old  military  road  up  the  Hudson,  General  Johnson 
following  immediately  after  with  the  artillery,  stores  and  baggage.  On  the 
14th  of  August  Johnson  reached  the  "  great  carrying-place,"  when  he  reported 
to  Governor  De  Lancey  that  his  whole  force  did  "  not  exceed  2,850  men  fit 
for  marching  to  Crown  Point."  One  regiment  was  left  behind  to  guard  the 
wagons  and  bateaux. 

While  awaiting  the  arrival  of  his  stores  and  implements  of  war,  General 
Johnson  began  an  addition  to  the  defenses  at  this  point,  to  which  was  given  the 
name  of  Fort  Lyman,  in  honor  of  Major-  General  Phineas  Ly  man,^  of  the  Connect- 
icut troops,  who  had  charge  of  its  erection.  It  was  soon  after  changed  to  Fort 
Edward,  as  a  compliment  to  Edward,  Duke  of  York,  brother  of  George  III. 

On  the  15  th  a  council  was  called  by  Johnson,  at  which  resolutions  were 
passed  asking  for  reinforcements  from  the  governors  of  New  York  and  Con- 
necticut ;  and  requesting  the  governor  of  Massachusetts  to  make  a  diversion  in 
his  favor  by  sending  a  detachment  down  the  Chaudiere  River  to  attack  the 

1  Mr.  Watson  says  the  name  "Carillon  seems  to  bear  the  same  signification  as  the  Indian  namej 
"  The-Onderoga, "  the  original  of  Ticonderoga,  meaning  noise-chimes,  in  allusion,  doubtless,  to  the 
brawling  waters. 

2  General  Lyman  was  a  giaduate  of  Yale  College,  and  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  commanded  the 
Connecticut  troops  in  this  movement,  under  Johnson,  and  when  the  latter  was  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Lake  George,  the  command  devolved  upon  him.  He  participated  in  later  campaigns,  under  Aber- 
crombie.  Lord  Howe,  and  Amherst.  In  1763  he  was  sent  to  England  as  agent  to  receive  prize  moneys 
due  him  and  other  officers,  and  as  agent  for  a  company  soliciting  a  grant  of  lands  on  the  Mississippi, 
and  there  wasted  eleven  years  of  his  life,  being  deluded  by  idle  promises  until  his  mind  sank  to  imbe- 
cility. In  1774  his  wife  sent  his  second  son  to  bring  him  home.  About  this  time  the  petitioners  re- 
ceived their  grant  of  land,  when  he  and  his  eldest  son  embarked  for  the  Mississippi,  and  died  on  the 
way  in  West  Florida  in  1 755. 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  75 

French  posts  in  that  vicinity.  Later  in  the  month  he  reported  to  Governor 
X>e  Lancey  that  "  the  road  is  now  making  from  this  place  to  Lake  St.  Sacra- 
ment where  I  propose  to  build  magazines  and  raise  a  defensible  fortification,"  and 
•adds,  "  I  propose  to  march  to-morrow  or  next  daj'  with  the  first  division  of 
.about  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  some  Indians,  and  a  few  field  pieces."^ 

The  following  detailed  and  trustworthy  account  is  taken  from  Holden's  His- 
tory of  Queensbicry.  It  is  based  upon  early  documents,  and  is  considered  a 
valuable  historical  statement : — 

"  Awaiting  developments,  General  Johnson  established  a  camp  at  the  head 
■of  the  lake,  and  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  Col.  Williams,  a  large 
•clearing  was  made  on  the  headland  afterward  covered  by  the  intrenchments  of 
Fort  William  Henry. 

"  In  a  communication  to  the  board  of  trade  dated  3d  Sept.,  1755,  General 
Johnson  states  as  follows :  '  I  am  building  a  fort  at  this  lake  where  no  house 
-ever  Before  was  built,  nor  a  rod  of  land  cleared,  which  the  French  call  Lake 
St.  Sacrament,  but  I  have  given  it  the  name  of  Lake  George,  not  only  in  honor 
to  His  Majesty  but  to  ascertain  his  undoubted  dominion  here.  When  the  bat- 
toes  (certain  small  boats  so  called)  are  brought  from  the  last  fort  caused  to  be 
built  at  the  great  carrying-place  ab'  17  miles  from  hence,  I  propose  to  go  down 
this  lake  with  a  part  of  the  army,  and  take  part  of  the  end  of  it  about  fifty 
miles  from  hence  at  a  pass  called  Tionderogue  ab*  1 5  miles  from  Crown  Point, 
there  wait  the  coming  up  of  the  rest  of  the  army,  and  then  attack  Crown 
Point' 

"  On  Sunday,  the  seventh,  the  camp  was  hushed  to  listen  to  the  first  Chris- 
tian services  and  sermon  held  on  this  spot  of  which  there  is  record.  The  ven- 
-erable  and  Reverend  Stephen  Williams,  of  Longmeadow,  Mass.,  a  near  relative 
-of  Col.  Williams,  and  chaplain  of  his  regiment,  preached  in  camp  from  the  pro- 
phetic words  of  Isaiah,  '  which  remain  among  the  graves  and  lodge  in  the  moun- 
tains.' The  forces  gathered  here  now  numbered  nearly  five  thousand,  and  the 
want  of  transportation,  coupled  with  the  intelligence  received  from  his  trusty 
:scouts  and  runners,  that  the  French  were  in  possession  of  the  passes  at  the 
north  dissipated  the  plan  for  any  further  advance. 

"  In  the  mean  time  the  enemy,  more  active  and  aggressive,  had  dispatched 
three  thousand  men  to  the  frontier  post  of  St.  Frederic ;  early  one-third  of 
these  veterans  from  the  fields  of  France,  the  remainder  consisting  of  Canadians 
and  Indians.  They  were  joined  on  the  seventeenth  by  the  Baron  de  Dieskau, 
■■a.  brave  and  experienced  officer,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
expedition.  For  the  following  fifteen  days  he  was  encamped  under  the  en- 
trenchments of  that  fort,  maturing  his  plans  —  sending  out  scouts  for  intelli- 
gence and  harmonizing  disagreements  among  the  intractable  savages  who  con- 
■stituted  so  large  a  part  of  his  following.     On   the   second   of  September   he 

1  Documentary  History  of  N.  K,  II,  p.  682. 


y6  History  of  Warren  County. 

reached  the  lower  fall  on  the  outlet  of  Lake  George,  whence  he  sent  out  a 
small  scouting  party,  and  bivouacked  for  a  couple  of  days  at  what  is  now 
known  as  the  fort  ground  of  Ticonderoga.  On  the  4th  M.  de  St.  Pierre  was 
sent  forward  with  the  Canadians  and  Indians,  who  were  to  sleep  that  night  on 
the  side  of  the  great  marsh  near  Whitehall.  General  Dieskau  made  the  great 
mistake  of  leaving  the  bulk  of  his  force,  viz. :  1800  men,  at  Carillon,  and  with 
a  flying  corps  of  six  hundred  Canadians,  as  many  Indians,  and  three  hundred 
regulars,  ....  he  reached  the  head  of  South  Bay,  on  Lake  Champlain,  on 
the  5th,  and  set  forward  on  his  march  to  Fort  Lyman.  Continuing  the  march 
on  the  6th,  about  noon  the  detachment  encamped  beyond  the  mountains. 
Here  small  scouting  parties  were  sent  off  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Lyman  and 
the  head  of  Lake  George.  One  of  these  returning  the  same  night  discovered 
and  reported  thick  smoke  seen  in  the  direction  of  Johnson's  camp.  On  the 
7th  the  army,  preceded  by  scouts,  again  set  forward.  About  two  o'clock  of 
that  day  the  scouts,  who  had  been  sent  to  reconnoiter  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Lyman,  rejoined  the  main  body,  with  the  information  that  there  were  about 
fifty  tents  outside  of  the  fort,  upon  which  Dieskau  decided  to  attack  it.  Push- 
ing forward  he  reached  that  night  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  River  about  one 
league  from  the  fort,  where  he  encamped  for  the  night.^ 

"  At  daybreak  on  the  8th  the  Indians  fired  at  and  killed  a  courier  galloping- 
towards  the  fort.  On  his  person  was  found  a  dispatch  to  the  officer  in  com- 
mand of  the  garrison  at  that  place  advising  him  of  Dieskau's  approach,  with  a 
large  force  of  Frenchmen,  Canadians,  and  Indians ;  and  cautioning  him  as  to 
the  proper  disposition  of  the  provisions  and  ammunition.  Twelve  wagons 
shortly  after  passed  in  the  same  direction,  from  which  Dieskau  only  obtained 
two  prisoners,  from  whom  he  obtained  tolerably  accurate  information  as  to  the 
condition  and  disposition  of  the  English  forces  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  The 
garrison  at  Fort  Lyman  consisted  of  only  about  three  hundred  troops  from  the 
New  Hampshire  levies  under  Col.  Blanchard.  It  was  the  baron's  original  in- 
tention, after  learning  the  weakness  of  the  latter  place,  to  move  forward  with 
celerity,  assault  and  carry  it  by  storm.  '  The  Iroquois  refused  point  blank  to 
march  to  attack  the  fort'  Dieskau  in  his  account  of  the  affair  says:  '  I  was 
to  arrive  at  nightfall  at  the  fort  and  rush  to  the  attack  ;  but  the  Iroquois,  who 
took  the  lead  on  the  march,  under  the  pretense  of  zeal,  caused  a  wrong  direc- 
tion to  be  taken ;  and  when  I  was  informed  of  the  circumstance,  it  was  no 
longer  time  to  apply  a  remedy,  so  that  at  nightfall  I  was  yet  a  league  from 
that  fort  on  the  road  leading  from  it  to  Lake  St.  Sacrament' 

"  M.  de  St  Pierre  who,  by  the  baron's  orders,  had  consulted  the  chiefs  of 
the  different  natives,  and  communicated  to  them  his  intention  of  attacking  the 
camp  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  under  the  alluring  representation  '  that  the  more 
English  there  were,  the  more  of  them  he  would  kill,'  reported  that  the  Indians 

1  Probably  on  the  flat  at  the  foot  of  Sandy  Hill. 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  t] 

would  submit  to  his  pleasure  ;  and  should  he  succeed  at  Lake  St.  Sacrament, 
they  would  accompany  him  to  the  fort. 

"  After  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  eighth,  Dieskau  commenced  his 
inarch  along  the  newly  made  road  so  recently  traversed  by  Johnson  and  his 
army.  His  force  was  disposed  in  five  columns,  marching  at  a  distance  of  thirty 
paces  apart.  The  regular  troops  forming  the  center  were  led  by  the  Baron, 
in  person,  while  on  either  flank  was  a  column  of  Canadians  and  another  of  In- 
dians. The  latter  were  obliged,  in  order  to  maintain  their  front,  to  wade  mo- 
rasses and  streams,  thread  the  tangled  underbrush  of  the  forest  and  climb  the 
hills  on  their  route.  Nevertheless  the  for  cemoved  with  considerable  celerity, 
reaching  the  heights  just  north  of  Brown's  Half-way  House,  at  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  Here  he  was  met  by  some  scouts  who  brought  in 
two  English  prisoners,  from  whom  he  derived  the  intelligence  that  General 
Johnson  had  fortified  and  entrenched  the  English  camp,  that  he  was  in  posses- 
sion of  twelve  cannon  from  thirty  pounders  down.  And,  '  that  a  large  body  of 
English  and  Indians  were  following  them  on  their  way  to  reinforce  Fort  Lyd- 
ius.'  In  consequence  of  this  information,  a  halt  was  ordered,  the  Canadians 
and  Indians  deposited  their  packs,  and  in  light  marching  order  were  instructed 
to  place  themselves  in  ambush  on  the  side  hill  west  of  the  road,  which  was 
occupied  by  Dieskau  with  his  regular  troops. 

"  In  the  mean  time  an  express  arrived  at  the  English  camp  with  the  intel- 
ligence that  he  had  seen  a  large  body  of  the  enemy,  a  few  miles  to  the  north 
of  Fort  Lyman.  In  the  morning  following  a  council  of  war  was  held  to  deter- 
mine a  plan  of  procedure,  at  which  it  was  resolved  to  send  out  a  small  party 
to  reconnoitre  and  harass  the  enemy's  flanks  as  they  approached.  King  Hen- 
drick,  the  celebrated  chief  of  the  Mohawks,  being  asked  for  his  opinion,  re- 
plied:  'If  they  are  to  fight  they  are  too  few,  if  they  are  to  be  killed  they  are 
too  many.'  It  was  subsequently  proposed  to  divide  the  party  into  three  de- 
tachments. The  brave  old  sachem  remonstrated,  and  forcibly  illustrated  the 
folly  of  the  suggestion  by  picking  up  three  sticks  and  binding  them  together 
saying :  '  You  see  now  that  these  cannot  easily  be  broken  ;  but  take  them  one 
by  one,  and  you  may  break  them  at  once.'  The  council  of  war  adopted  in 
part  the  chief's  advice,  and  one  thousand  men,  under  the  command  of  Col. 
Ephraim  Williams,  of  the  Massachusetts  levies,  and  two  hundred  Mohawks, 
led  by  King  Hendrick,  the  sachem  of  the  upper  castle  of  that  tribe,  were  de- 
tailed for  this  service.  Before  starting  King  Hendrick  mounted  a  gun  carriage 
and  addressed  his  followers  in  a  strain  of  thrilling  eloquence,  that  at  once 
aroused  their  courage,  and  kindled  their  ferocious  passions  for  the  approaching 
fray.  An  eye-witness,  who  did  not  understand  a  word  of  what  was  said,  de- 
scribed it  as  the  most  affecting  speech  he  ever  heard. 

"  The  road  recently  made  followed  the  course  of  a  ravine  extending  from 
the  head  of  the  lake  nearly  due  south  for  a  distance  of  several  miles.     The  de- 


78  History  of  Warren  County. 

tachment  headed  by  Colonel  Williams  took  this  route  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  in  consequence  of  the  intelligence  received  at  midnight,  supposed, 
the  enemy  to  be  still  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Lyman ;  and  probably  moved  for- 
ward with  less  precaution  than  he  would  have  done,  if  he  had  supposed  the 
enemy  nearer.  At  a  point  about  two  miles  south  of  the  encampment,  near 
a  place  now  known  as  Hendrick's  Spring,  he  halted,  and  was  joined  by  the- 
detachment  of  Mohawks,  who,  with  their  chief,  passed  to  the  front,  and  at. 
ten  o'clock  resumed  the  march.  King  Hendrick  was  mounted  on  a  small 
horse,  loaned  for  the  occasion  by  his  friend  the  general.  Flanking  parties- 
were  now  thrown  out,  which  advanced,  cautiously  beating  the  dense  woods  ott 
the  right  and  left. 

"  About  one-third  of  a  mile  south  of  Bloody  Pond  the  ravine,  through 
which  Williams's  detachment  proceeded,  is  narrowed  by  the  abrupt  shoulder 
of  a  hill  projecting  from  the  west,  while  on  the  east  the  sharp  acclivity  and  rug- 
ged sides  of  French  Mountain  abut  the  narrow  defile.  At  its  base  creep  the 
shimmering  waters  of  a  rivulet  known  as  Rocky  Brook.  When  within  a  short, 
distance  of  the  ambush,  a  herd  of  deer,  probably  driven  forward  by  the  French 
advance,  rushed  violently  down  the  defile,  and  effected  their  escape  by  break- 
ing through  the  ranks  of  the  advancing  party.  Still,  no  apprehensions  were 
entertained  of  the  proximity  of  the  enemy,  and  they  continued  to  advance  in 
fearless  confidence,  the  entire  command  marching  in  double  files  along  the  road^ 
until  entered  some  distance  within  the  jaws  of  the  ambuscade,  when,  reaching  a 
small  eminence,  the  keen  sighted  Hendrick  suddenly  halted  and  exclaimed  to 
Williams  who  was  near  him  :  '  I  scent  Indians.'  A  few  Mohawks  pushed  out  into- 
the  thick  undergrowth  of  bushes,  and  the  detachment  moved  cautiously  forward 
for  a  short  distance,  when  one  of  the  French  aUies  called  out,  '  Whence  come 
you  ? '  '  From  the  Mohawks,'  was  the  reply.  '  Whence  come  you  ?  '  returned 
Hendrick  to  which  was  answered,  '  Montreal,'  accompanied  with  a  few  scattering- 
shots,  followed  shortly  by  the  terrific  Indian  war-whoop,  and  a  destructive  vol- 
ley of  musketry  from  the  woods  and  rocks  on  the  right.  Shortly  afterward  a 
heavy  fire  was  poured  in  by  the  Canadians  on  the  left.  King  Hendrick's  horse 
was  killed  by  the  first  fire,  and  he  was  soon  after  dispatched  with  a  bayonet. 
The  advancing  files  of  provincials,  wholly  unprepared  for  the  unexpected  en- 
counter, made  but  a  feeble  resistance,  while  at  the  first  alarm  the  Mohawks- 
took  promptly  to  cover. 

"  Colonel  Williams,  perceiving  the  firing  to  be  the  heaviest  from  the  ascent, 
to  the  right,  ordered  his  troops  to  charge  up  the  the  hill  with  the  hope  of  turn- 
ing the  enemy's  flank,  and  gaining  a  more  elevated  and  commanding  position^ 
This  was  attempted,  but  they  had  no  sooner  changed  front  and  advanced,  than^ 
a  destructive  volley  was  poured  in  upon  them  from  the  thickly  guarded  sum- 
mit, and  the  thinned  ranks,  stunned,  swayed  backward,  closed  up  in  a  confused 
mob  and  fled  panic  stricken  from  the  scene  of  action.     Colonel  Williams  felL 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  79 

dead  at  the  head  of  his  column. ^  The  command  now  devolved  upon  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Whiting,  who,  after  a  while,  succeeded  in  restoring  a  degree  of 
order  among  the  fugitives. 

1  Colonel  Ephiaim  Williams  was  born  at  Newtown,  Mass.,  February  24th,  1 715.  His  ancestors 
were  of  Welsh  stock,  having  immigrated  to  America  in  1630.  The  surroundings  of  his  youth  must 
have  had  a  controlling  influence  in  the  formation  of  his  character.  Newtown  at  the  time  of  his  birth 
was  on  the  extreme  frontier,  and  exposed  to  all  the  horrors  of  rapine  and  massacre  by  the  savages  that 
were  the  invariable  accompaniment  of  first  settlements  elsewhere  in  the  new  country.  His  early  as- 
sociation with  peril  and  privation  tended  to  the  formation  of  a  character  noted  for  its  firmness,  keen 
conception,  bravery  and  honor.  His  parents  died  while  he  was  quite  young,  and  he  was  placed  in  the 
care  of  a  grandfather,  who  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In  his  grandfather's  employ  he  made 
several  voyages  to  foreign  ports,  spending  some  time  in  the  different  countries  with  which  the  colonists 
were  in  communication,  thereby  adding  to  his  knowledge  and  broadening  his  mind  with  information 
gleaned  by  the  way.  At  the  beginning  of  the  French  war  he  was  selected  as  a  proper  person  to  com- 
mand the  troops  of  that  section,  and  he  was  accordingly  commissioned  as  captain,  and  was  afterwards 
(in  1754)  promoted  to  colonel.  Until  August,  1746,  he  was  in  command  of  Fort  Massachusetts  "  which 
stood  not  far  from  the  northeastern  end  of  Saddle  Mountain,  within  the  present  township  of  Adams,  and 
on  the  eastern  border  of  Hoosac  river."  At  that  date  he  marched  at  the  head  of  the  Massachusetts 
levies  to  join  Governor  Clinton  at  Albany,  in  the  proposed  invasion  of  the  French  settlements  in  Can- 
ada. While  he  was  absent  Fort  Massachusetts  was  captured  by  the  French  rnder  Vaudreuil  and  its 
garrison  taken  prisoners  to  Canada.  In  1 748  he  was  again  iii  command  of  Fort  Massachusetts,  which 
had  been  rebuilt  and  garrisoned  with  one  hundred  men.  In  August  of  that  year  the  fort  was  attacked 
by  a  force  of  two  hundred  French  and  Indians.  Although  drawn  into  an  ambush  in  a  successful  sally 
for  the  rescue  of  four  of  his  men  who  were  returning  from  a  scout,  by  intrepidity  and  brilliant  maneuv- 
ering he  escaped  the  clutches  of  the  wily  foe  and  escaped  to  the  fort  with  the  loss  of  but  one  man.  In 
the  campaign  of  1755  he  was  ordered  with  his  command  to  Albany.  While  awaiting  here  the  move- 
ment of  the  troops  he  made  his  will,  in  which,  after  making  certain  bequests  to  relatives,  he  devised  the 
remainder  of  his  property  to  the  establishment  of  a  free  school.  The  terms  of  his  will  being  carried 
out  and  the  school  proving  a  success,  the  Legislature  in  1793,  erected  it  into  a  college,  by  the  name  of 
Williams  College. 

All  trustworthy  statements  regarding  the  death  of  Colonel  Williams  show  that  he  fell  at  the  head 
of  his  troops  at  the  beginning  of  the  battle.  Dr.  Holden  says:  "  He  was  shot  through  the  head, 
and  fell  dead  upon  the  spot.  His  body  was  hidden  by  two  of  his  comrades,  near  the  rock  which  bears 
his  name,  to  prevent  its  mutilation  by  the  savages.  After  the  action  it  was  buried  by  the  side  of  the  old 
military  road  at  the  foot  of  a  pine  tree.  This  place  was  originally  designated  by  a  small  granite  slab 
marked  E.  W. 

"About  forty  years  since.  Dr.  William  H.  Williams  (nephew  of  the  colonel),  of  Raleigh,  N.  C, 
exhumed  the  skull,  and  carried  it  off.  The  statement  that  the  entire  remains  were  subsequently  re- 
moved is  doubtless  an  error.  The  pine  has  fallen,  but  two  thrifty  scions,  till  within  a  few  years, 
shaded  the  grave  where  the  warrior  sleeps. 

"  When  the  monument  was  put  up,  the  grave  was  refilled  and  a  pyramidal  boulder  still  remain- 
ing, placed  upon  it,  bearing  the  plain  inscription  E.  W.  1755.  In  the  year  1854,  a  plain  marble  shaft 
was  placed  by  the  alumni  of  Williams  College  upon  the  rock  which  bears  his  name.     It  contains  the 

following  inscriptions :  — 

EAST  SIDE. 

To  the  memory  of  COLONEL  EPHRAIM  WILLIAMS. 
A  native  of  Newtown,  Mass.,  who,  after  gallantly  defend- 
ing the  frontiers  of  his  native  State,  served  under 
General  Johnson  against  the  French  and  Indians,  and 
nobly  fell  near  this  spot  in  the  bloody  conflict  of  Sept. 
8th,  1755,  in  the  42d  year  of  his  age. 

NORTH   SIDE. 
A  lover  of  peace  and  learning,    as  courteous  and  gene- 


8o  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  A  temporary  stand  was  made  at  the  Bloody  Pond,  behind  which  the 
troops  rallied,  and  the  French  were  held  in  check  for  several  minutes  by  the 
determined  and  resolute  bravery  of  the  provincials.  Compelled  at  length  from 
the  numerical  superiority  of  the  enemy  to  give  way,  they  resumed  their  retreat, 
constantly  holding  the  pursuers  in  check  by  a  scattering  but  well  aimed  fire 
from  every  cover  which  could  be  made  available  on  the  route.  The  echoes  of 
the  protracted  firing  had  been  heard  with  gradually  approaching  nearness  at 
the  head  of  the  lake,  and  hurried  preparations  were  made  for  placing  the  camp 
in  a  defensible  condition,  for  as  yet  no  line  of  entrenchments  had  been  thrown 
up,  or  any  cover,  redoubt,  rifle  pit  or  fortification  constructed  to  retard  the  pro- 
gress of  the  enemy.  The  trunks  of  the  trees,  already  fallen,  were  hastily  piled 
up  as  a  sort  of  rude  breastwork  in  front,  while  the  flanks  and  rear  were  pro- 
tected by  seven  field  pieces  and  two  mortars.  The  roadway  was  also  com- 
manded by  four  large  cannon  advantageously  posted.  While  these  dispositions 
were  being. made  Lieutenent- Colonel  Cole  was  dispatched  with  three  hundred 
men  to  the  assistance  and  relief  of  the  defeated  detachment.  He  met  the  fly- 
ing troops  a  little  north  of  the  Bloody  Pond,  and  checked,  by  a  well-timed 
volley,  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  and  covered  the  retreat  of  the  fugitives  into 
camp.  So  furious  and  disastrous  had  been  this  brief  engagement  that  on 
reaching  camp,  the  numbers  of  the  French  were  greatly  magnified  by  the  ter- 
rified survivors,  while,  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  their  own  powers  and 
achievements  were  greatly  exaggerated. 

"  Thus  terminated  the  battle  long  known  in  fireside  story  and  oral  tradition 
as  the  bloody  morning  scout,  which  resulted  in  disaster  and  humiliation  to  the 
English  cause,  and  well  nigh  terminated  the  fortunes  of  the  day." 

The  losses  of  the  English  were  severe,  especially  among  the  officers.  The 
total  loss  of  the  whites  was  two   hundred   and    sixteen  dead   and   ninety-six 

rous  as  he  was  brave  and  patriotic.  Col.  Williams 
sympathized  deeply  with  the  privations  of  the  frontier 
settlers,  and  by  his  will,  made  at  Albany,  on  his  way  to 
the  field  of  battle,  provided  for  the  founding  among 
them  of  an  institution  of  leariiing,  which  has  since  been 
chartered  as  Williams  College. 

WEST  SIDE. 
Forti     ac     magnanimo     EPH.    WILLIAMS,     Collegii 
Gulielmi  Conditori ;  Qui  in  hostibus  patriae  repellendis, 
prope   hoc  saxum    cecidit ;  grati   alumni   posuetunt,    A. 
D.   1854. 

SOUTH    SIDE. 
This    Monument  is    erected   by  the   alumni  of  Williams 
College ;    the   ground    donated   by  E.    H.   RosEKRANS, 
M.  \V.  Perrine,  J.  Haviland. 
"  This  monument  and  the  scenes  around  it  are  now  classic  ground  to  every  educated  American, 
and  are  annually  visited  by  hundreds,   eager  to  pay  the  tribute  of  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  a  hero 
and    a  patriot." 


French  and  English  Rivalry.  8i 

wounded,  and  of  the  Mohawks  thirty-eight  were  killed  and  twelve  wounded. 
The  death  loss  is  convincing  evidence  of  the  close  range  and  fierceness  of  the 
action,  evidence  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  few  prisoners  were  taken,  nearly 
all,  as  soon  as  fallen,  being  dispatched  by  the  tomahawk  and  scalping- knife. 

The  Mohawks  deeply  mourned  the  death  of  their  beloved  chief,  and  it  was 
with  difficulty  they  were  restrained  from  wreaking  their  vengeance  upon  the 
few  captives  taken. 

The  impetuous  Dieskau,  whose  motto  was,  "  Boldness  wins,"  did  not  stop 
to  reconnoitre,  but  started  at  the  head  of  the  French  and  Indians  in  rapid  pur- 
suit of  the  retreating  English.  He  hoped  thus  to  enter  and  capture  an  unfor- 
tified camp.  But  Johnson  and  his  skillful  woodsmen  from  New  England  had 
not  been  idle.  Trees  were  felled  and  hasty  breastworks  constructed,  behind 
which  a  few  cannon  that  were  hurried  from  the  lake  were  placed.  When  the 
Indians  heard  the  roar  of  the  guns,  they  again  thwarted  Dieskau's  designs  by 
"  stopping  short,"  and  he  also  soon  saw  the  Canadians  "  scattering  right  and 
left."  1 

This  defection  forced  Dieskau  to  make  a  brief  halt  near  the  works,  which 
was  of  great  advantage  to  his  enemy.  The  second  struggle  of  the  battle  now 
waged  hotter  than  before  and  continued  for  more  than  four  hours  —  the  blood- 
iest and  most  obstinately  contested  the  New  World  had  yet  witnessed.  A  vig- 
orous assault  on  the  center  by  Dieskau's  regulars  was  "  thrown  into  disorder 
by  the  warm  and  constant  fire  of  the  artillery  and  colonial  troops."  He  then 
assailed  the  left,  was  again  repulsed  and  in  a  last  desperate  effort  hurled  his  de- 
cimated force  upon  the  right ;  but  in  vain ;  only  a  bloody  repulse  awaited  him. 
The  French  regulars  fought  with  great  heroism,  but  were  unequal  to  their  un- 
der^king.  The  Canadians  and  Indians  were  of  but  little  assistance  and  "were 
dispersed  by  a  few  shots  thrown  into  their  midst." 

The  French  general  was  wounded  and  disabled,  but  bravely  refused  to  be 
carried  from  the  field,  and  ordered  his  subordinate,  Montrueil,  to  assume  the 
command  and  make  the  best  retreat  possible.  Two  Canadians  came  to  the  re- 
lief of  Dieskau,  but  one  of  them  was  shot  and  fell  directly  across  the  legs  of  the 
general,  "  to  his  great  embarrassment,"  as  he  expressed  it.  While  supporting 
himself  against  a  tree  here  amid  a  hail  of  bullets,  a  refugee  Frenchman  came 
upon  him  and  fired  a  bullet  through  both  his  hips,  causing  a  wound  which  re- 
sulted in  his  death  twelve  years  later.  He  was  left  by  his  king  to  suffer  as  a 
prisoner,  neglected  by  his  country,  until  the  peace  of  1763. 

The  French  army  was  now  broken  and  scattered,  and  a  routed  party  of 
about  three  hundred^were  encountered  by  a  body  of  provincials  under  McGin- 
nis,  of  New  Hampshire  (who  was  killed  in  the  action),  and  Folsom,  of  New 
York.  The  Frenchmen  were  put  to  flight  in  such  confusion  that  all  their  bag- 
gage and  ammunition  was  left  behind  for  the  victors. 

'^  DocMiientary  History. 


DiESKAu's  First  Engagement. 
From  Butler's  "  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain. ' 


ii^i,^ 


Extlanatum  : — 6.  Canadians  and  Indians.  —  7.   French  regulars  attacking  the  center.  —  8.  The  road.  —  9.   Provincials  in  action  posted  in  front  10    The 

trees  felled  for  the  breastworks.  —  11.    Cannon,  —  12.    A  cannon  posted   "advantageously"  on  the  eminence.  —  13,    Place  where  Dieskau  fell  14    ic     "Cana 

dians' attack.  — 16.  The  man  that  shot  Dieskau.  —  17.  Reserves.  —  18.   Woods  and  swamps.  —  19.   Morass. — 20.    Cannon  defending  the  flank  21    Baeeaee 

wagons.  —  22,23,24.  Stores  and  ammunition. — 25.  Mortars.  —  26.  Road  to  the  Lake.  —  27,  28,  29.  Storehouse. — 30.  Mohawks. —31  Gen  Johnson's  tent — 
32.  Lyman's  regiment.  —  33.  Col.  Harris'  company.  —  34.  Col.  Cockroft.  —  35.  Col.  Williams.  —  36.  Col.  Ruggles.  —  37.  Col.  Titcomb.  —  is.  Col  Guttridse 
—  39.    Officers.  *  ' 

DiESKAu's  Second  Engagement. 

Fi  om  Butler' s  "Lake  George  and  Lake  Ckampaliny 


84  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  losses  were  about  equal  on  both  sides,  amounting  to  four  hundred  and 
fifty  of  the  French,  and  something  less  by  the  English  and  Mohawks.  Deci- 
sive victory  rested  with  neither.  The  British  were  prevented  for  the  time  from 
the  conquest  of  Lake  Champlain,  an  object  of  no  small  advantage  to  the 
French.  But  the  colonists  achieved  an  actual  triumph  of  arms  which,  follow- 
ing closely  upon  the  disasters  of  Braddock,  filled  the  land  with  rejoicing.  The 
French  and  Canadians  were  taught  that  in  the  New  England  colonies  was  grow- 
ing an  element  of  military  strength  and  heroism  that  could  not  be  lightly  en- 
countered —  an  element  that  in  later  days  was  to  win  freedom  for  the  country. 

"  Dieskau  appears  not  to  have  been  adapted  by  temperament  or  manners  to 
conciliate  the  attachment  or  to  command  the  confidence  of  his  savage  allies. 
Instead  of  indulging  in  familiar  intercourse  and  yielding  to  their  habits  and 
peculiarities,  he  maintained  with  them  —  and  equally  with  his  subordinates 
and  the  Canadians — the  stately  German  style  of  seclusion  and  exclusiveness. 
This  course  destroyed  the  influence  and  devotion,  which  could  only  be  exerted 
over  their  rude  and  capricious  nature,  by  controlling  their  impulses  and  affec- 
tions." 

Johnson  was  wounded  early  in  the  battle  and  turned  the  command  over  to 
General  Lyman, ^  of  the  Massachusetts  division.  His  enthusiastic  soldiers  and 
the  impetuous  Mohawks  would  have  pursued  the  fleeing  French  and  Cana- 
dians, but  Johnson,  either  through  over-cautiousness  or  timidity,  restrained 
them,  and  the  French  continued  their  retreat  unmolested  to  Carillon.  A  vig- 
orous prosecution  of  the  campaign  as  originally  planned  was  urged  by  the 
people  of  the  colonies.  The  French  were  partially  paralyzed  by  the  defeat ; 
the  walls  of  St.  Frederic  were  crumbling,  and  the  fortress  at  Ticonderoga  was 
still  unfinished.  But  Johnson  neglected  what  was  undoubtedly  his  great  oppor- 
tunity and  spent  the  remainder  of  the  season  in  erecting  Fort  WiUiam  Henry 
at  the  head  of  Lake  George ;  the  Mohawks  returned  to  their  homes. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  WAR. 

Plans  of  the  Campaign  —  Apathy  and  Indecision  of  the  English  —  Brilliant  Deeds  of  the  Rangers  — 
Arrival  of  Montcalm  —  Capture  of  Oswego  —  Campaign  of  1757 — Marin's  Operations  —  Montcalm's 
Preparations  for  the  Capture  of  Fort  William  Henry  —  Council  with  the  Indians  —  March  of  De  Levis 
—  Condition  of  the  Fort  —  Webb's  Pusillanimous  Conduct — Details  of  the  Massacre. 

AFTER  the  hostilities  above  described,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  it  was  not 
till  the  following  year,  as  hereinbefore  mentioned,  that  a  formal  declaration 
of  war  was  proclaimed  between  England  and  France.      In  the  year  1756  an- 

1  Johnson's  conduct  seems  to  have  been  neither  just  nor  magnanimous.  He  ascribed  all  the  glory 
of  the  event  to  himself ;  Lyman  was  not  named  in  his  report,  and  but  slight  mention  was  made  of 
other  officers.  Yet  Johnson  was  rewarded  with  a  baronetcy,  ^^5,000  and  the  appointment  of  superin- 
tendent of  Indian  affairs,  which  was  wrung  from  the  pittance  allowed  the  colonies  for  their  burdens. 


French  and  English  War.  85 

other  force  was  organized  for  an  attack  upon  Crown  Point.  Sir  Charles  Hardy, 
who  arrived  as  governor  of  New  York  in  September,  1755,  had  delegated  most 
of  his  civil  duties  to  De  Lancey,  and  in  1757  resigned.  The  campaign  of  1756, 
as  planned,  comprised  movements  against  Fort  Niagara  with  six  thousand  men, 
Fort  Du  Quesne  with  three  thousand  men  and  Crown  Point  with  ten  thousand, 
while  two  thousand  were  to  advance  on  the  French  settlements  on  the  Chau- 
diere  and  to  Quebec  —  a  campaign  of  sufficient  magnitude  surely.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  province  of  New  York  was  then  96,775.  The  expedition  against 
Crown  Point  was  entrusted  to  General  John  Winslow,  but  lacking  confidence 
in  the  number  of  his  force,  he  awaited  reinforcements  from  England.  Lord 
Loudoun  had  recently  been  appointed  commander-in-chief  and  governor  of 
Virginia,  with  General  Abercrombie  second  in  command.  Late  in  June  the 
latter  arrived  with  troops  to  reinforce  General  Winslow,  but  he  at  once  blighted 
all  prospects  of  success  in  the  field,  by  placing  regular  officers  above  the  pro- 
vincial officers  of  equal  rank.  Many  men  deserted  and  officers  threatened 
to  relinquish  their  commissions.  This  difficulty  was  finally  adjusted  by  an 
agreement  that  the  regulars  should  be  assigned  to  garrison  duty,  the  provin- 
cials to  take  the  field.  But  through  the  dissensions,  incapacity  and  apathetic 
indecision  of  the  English  commander,  little  was  accomplished  of  an  offensive 
character  against  the  French  during  the  year,  other  than  the  often  brilliant  ex- 
ploits of  the  American  rangers,  commanded  by  Rogers,  Stark  and  others.  In 
the  language  of  Mr.  Watson,  "  Rogers,  the  gallant  ranger,  was  particularly  con- 
spicuous in  these  wild  and  daring  adventures.  Sometimes  stealing  under  the 
cover  of  night  by  the  forts  in  canoes,  he  lay  in  ambush  far  down  the  lake,  sur- 
prised and  captured  boats  laden  with  supplies,  which,  unsuspicious  of  danger, 
were  proceeding  to  relieve  the  garrisons.  Frequently  he  approached  the  forts 
by  land,  and  prowling  about  them  with  Indian  skill  and  patience,  until  he  as- 
certained the  intelligence  he  was  ordered  to  collect,  he  captured  prisoners,  shot 
down  stragglers,  burnt  dwellings,  and  slaughtered  cattle  feeding  around  the 
works,  and  then  defying  pursuit,  retreated  in  safety.  In  one  of  these  bold  in- 
cursions, which  signalized  the  opening  of  the  next  year,  Rogers  and  Stark  had 
penetrated  with  a  force  of  less  than  eighty  men,  to  a  point  between  the  French 
fortresses,  near  the  mouth  of  a  stream,  since  known  as  Putnam's  Creek,  and 
there  in  ambush  awaited  their  victims.  A  party  of  French  are  passing  in  gay 
and  joyous  security  on  the  ice  towards  Ticonderoga.  Part  are  taken,  the  rest 
escape  and  alarm  the  garrison.  The  rangers  attempt  to  escape,  pressing  rap- 
idly along  the  snow  path,  in  Indian  file,  as  was  their  custom,  but  on  ascending 
the  crest  of  a  hill  they  receive  the  fire  of  an  overwhelming  force,  posted  with  every 
advantage  to  receive  them.  A  fierce  and  bloody  conflict  ensued,  protracted 
from  near  meridian  until  evening.  The  rangers  retreating  to  a  hill,  are  pro- 
tected by  the  covert  of  the  trees  and  there  gallantly  sustain  the  unequal  con- 
flict.     Rogers,  twice  wounded,  yields  the  command  of  the  little  band  to  Stark, 


86  History  of  Warren  County. 


who,  with  infinite  skill  and  courage,  guides  the  battle,  repulses  the  foe,  with  a 
loss  far  exceeding  his  entire  force,  and  at  night  conducts  a  successful  retreat  to 
Lake  George.  This  courageous  band,  reduced  to  forty-eight  effective  men, 
with  their  prisoners  effected  a  retreat  to  Fort  William  Henry  in  safety." 

A  similar  brilliant  movement  was  attempted  in  the  ensuing  February,  by 
the  French  and  Canadians  to  the  number  of  fifteen  hundred,  led  by  Vaudreuil. 
They  traversed  the  ice  and  sncw  of  Lakes  Champlain  and  George,  more  than 
one  hundred  miles  in  an  effort  to  surprise  and  capture  Fort  William  Henry. 
But  the  vigilant  garrison  successfully  defended  the  works,  although  the  little 
fleet  of  bateaux  and  the  huts  of  the  rangers  were  destroyed. 

The  Marquis  de  Montcalm  was  made  the  successor  of  Dieskau  in  command 
of  the  French  and  their  allies,  and  succeeded,  even  to  a  greater  extent  than 
had  his  predecessors,  in  winning  the  confidence  and  utilizing  the  power  of  the 
Indians.!  They  were  the  most  dreaded  opponents  and  formidable  enemies  to 
the  brilliant  and  heroic  operations  of  the  rangers  under  Rogers,  Stark  and 
Putnam. 

Montcalm^  arrived  at  Quebec  in  May,  1756,  and  immediately  made  himself 
acquainted  with  the  condition  and  prospects  of  his  forces ;  and  he  found  the 
situation  anything  but  encouraging.  He  visited  Carillon  (Ticonderoga)  where 
he  had  given  but  one  day  to  inspection  and  consultation,  when  he  was  recalled 
by  Vaudreuil.  Early  in  August  he  had  organized  at  Frontenac  a  force  of 
about  five  thousand  men,  with  which  he  rapidly  advanced  upon  Oswego.  Ab- 
ercrombie  was  informed  at  Albany  of  the  contemplated  attack,  but  the  charac- 
teristic apathy  of  the  English  at  that  period  prevented  the  necessary  immediate 
action,  instead  of  which  Abercrombie  and  Loudoun  began  deliberate  prepara- 
tions for  a  descent  upon  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  Reinforcements  were 
sent  to  Forts  Edward  and  William  Henry.  The  opportunity  for  relieving 
Oswego  was  lost.  After  a  brief  defense  the  fort  at  that  point  capitulated  (Au- 
gust nth,  1756)  and  turned  over  to  Montcalm  sixteen  hundred  men,  one  hun- 
dred cannon,  a  large  quantity  of  stores,  and  the  vessels  then  in  the  harbor. 
Even  the  fall  of  Oswego  did  not  awaken  the  energies  of  Loudoun.  An  attack 
was,  however,  made  by  the  English,  with  a  fleet  of  boats  upon  the  outworks 
and  flotilla  at  Ticonderoga ;  but  Montcalm  had  proceeded  thither  and  the  at- 
tack was  repulsed  with  severe  loss. 

iThe  French,  far  more  than  the  English,  were  successful  in  conducting  military  operations  in  asso- 
ciation with  their  savage  auxiliaries.  More  flexible  in  their  own  feelings,  they  were  more  yielding  and 
tolerant  towards  the  peculiar  habits  and  temperament  of  the  Indians.  Coercion  and  reason  were  pow- 
erless with  such  allies.  They  were  often  the  most  valuable  auxiliaries,  and  achieved  victory  upon  more 
than  one  important  field ;  but  always  unreliable,  no  safe  calculations  could  be  placed  upon  their  ser- 
vices, their  fidelity  or  constancy.  Montcalm  pronounced  them  inestimable  as  scouts  and  spies. — 
Watson. 

2  He  was  of  noble  birth  and  thorough  education,  and  entered  the  French  army  at  fourteen  ;  distin- 
guished himself  in  the  war  of  the  Austrian  succession  in  Germany,  and  gained  the  rank  of  coloiiel  for 
his  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Piacenza,  in  Italy,  in  1 746.  His  career  in  the  New  World  was  marked  by 
skill,  heroism  and  humanity. 


French  and  English  War.  87 

For  the  campaign  of  1757  Loudoun  made  requisition  for  four  thousand 
troops  from  the  northern  colonies,  which  were  furnished,  as  was  supposed  for 
the  reduction  of  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga ;  but  the  incapable  official  again 
disappointed  them,  and  in  June  made  an  ineffectual  effort  to  capture  Louisburg. 
This  futile  and  impracticable  scheme  left  the  frontier  colonies  open  and  unpro- 
tected. The  vigilant  and  sagacious  enemy,  from  their  watch-towers  at  Carillon, 
saw  the  error  and  prepared  promptly  to  seize  the  advantage. 

In  July  Marin  1  left  Carillon  with  a  small  party  of  Indians  and  surprised  and 
attacked  near  Fort  Edward  two  detachments,  which  suffered  severely  at  his 
hands.  His  retreat,  made  in  the  face  of  superior  numbers,  was  successfully 
conducted.  He  brought  in  thirty-two  scalps.  In  the  same  summer  a  party 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  English  provincials,  who  were  proceeding  down  Lake 
George,  were  surprised  by  a  force  of  Ottawa  Indians,  under  Corbiere,  at 
Sabbath-day  Point.      Only  two  boats  and  fifty  men  escaped. 

It  had  now  become  a  cherished  purpose  with  Montcalm  to  destroy  Fort 
William  Henry,  which  was  a  source  of  constant  anxiety  to  the  Canadian  gov- 
ernment, and  he  resolved  to  make  the  effort.  The  Indian  warriors  were  sum- 
moned and  responded  in  such  numbers,  from  Lake  Superior  to  Acadia,  that 
Montcalm  was  constrained  to  write,  "  I  have  seized  their  manners  and  genius." 
This  able  general,  with  rare  intuitiveness,  mingled  with  the  savages  and  took 
part  in  their  ceremonies,  made  them  liberal  gifts,  and  then  excited  their  pas- 
sions with  visions  of  rich  plunder  and  revenge.  The  French  and  Canadian 
forces  were  rapidly  assembled  at  Crown  Point  and  Carillon,  where  they  were 
joined  by  the  Indians.  The  latter  came  up  the  lake  in  two  hundred  canoes, 
accompanied  by  the  priests,  the  war  chants  blending  with  missionary  hymns. 
Across  the  portage  of  about  three  miles  to  Lake  George,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  bateaux  and  two  hundred  canoes  were  transported,  a  work  of  great  mag- 
nitude, and  performed  witout  the  aid  of  horses  or  oxen.  The  following  day 
Montcalm  called  a  council  of  his  Indian  allies.  It  should  be  understood  that 
at  this  time  large  numbers  of  the  Five  Nations  had  become  settled  in  Canada, 
or  had  joined  the  French  cause  from  other  points,  chiefly  on  account  of  the 
success  of  the  French  arms  and  the  apathy  of  the  English.  On  the  occasion 
in  question  these  Iroquois  warriors  acted  the  host  and  received  the  other  tribes 
with  hospitality.  To  the  Iroquois  Montcalm  presented  the  "  great  belt  of  two 
thousand  beads,  to  bind  the  Indians  to  each  other  and  all  to  himself"  He 
then  unfolded  to  them  his  plans.  De  Levis,  with  twenty-two  hundred  French 
and  Canadians,  started  two  days  in  advance,  under  escort  of  six  hundred  In- 
dians, with  the  purpose  of  traversing  the  mountain  track  on  the  west  side  of 
the  lake,  leaving  his  baggage  to  come  by  water.     On  the  first  of  August  the 

1  Marin  was  formerly  connected  with  the  French  navy,  but  while  yet  young  he  was  allured  by  the 
promised  romance  and  daring  of  the  border  warfare  in  New  France  and  joined  the  irregular  forces  of 
Indians  and  Canadians.  His  deeds  were  valorous,  often  sanguinary,  but  sometimes  redeemed  by  gen- 
erous acts. 


History  of  Warren  County. 


remainder  of  the  force  embarked  in  the  bateaux.  After  severe  trials  De  Levis 
reached  his  destination  and  signaled  the  fact  to  Montcalm  by  means  of  fires  at 
Ganaouske.  On  the  same  evening  Montcalm  marched  towards  the  fort. 
Montcalm's  force  comprised  about  five  thousand  five  hundred  effective  men 
and  sixteen  hundred  Indians. 

The  fort  was  garrisoned  by  five  hundred  men,  under  the  gallant  veteran, 
Colonel  Munro,  and  supported  by  seventeen  hundred  troops  in  an  entrenched 
camp.  General  Webb  was  at  Fort  Edward,  only  fifteen  miles  distant,  with 
four  thousand  men.  Colonel  Munro  felt  strong  in  his  position  under  these 
favorable  circumstance.  Webb  had  visited  Fort  William  Henry  just  before 
Montcalm's  investment,  escorted  by  a  body  of  rangers  under  Putnam.  The 
latter,  in  making  a  reconnaissance  down  the  lake,  discovered  the  approach  of 
the  French,  which  fact  he  immediately  communicated  to  Webb  and  urged  him 
to  oppose  their  landing.  Instead,  he  ignobly  enjoined  secrecy  upon  Putnam 
and  hastily  returned  to  Fort  Edward.  Learning  of  the  movements  of  Mont- 
calm, Johnson  had  already  marched  to  Fort  Edward  with  a  force  of  militia  and 
Indians,  reaching  there  on  the  second  day  of  the  siege.  For  six  days  the 
siege  was  continued,  during  which  almost  daily  appeals  were  sent  to  Webb  for 
aid.  None  was  sent.  He  finally  consented  that  Johnson  should  march  with 
the  militia  and  rangers  to  the  relief  of  the  beleaguered  fortress ;  but  he  was 
peremptorily  recalled  after  he  had  proceeded  about  three  miles.  Webb  sent  a 
letter  1  to  Munro  advising  surrender.  It  is  clear  that  poltroons  sometimes  reach 
high  station  in  the  military  as  well  as  in  civil  life.  Montcalm  was  fortunate. 
On  the  same  day  he  received  from  France  dispatches  promising  royal  favors 
to  the  army  and  conferring  upon  himself  the  red  ribbon  with  the  rank  of  com- 
mander of  St.  Louis.     The  army  was  inspired  to  added  enthusiasm. 

Webb's  letter  to  Munro  was  intercepted  by  Montcalm,  who  forwarded  it  to 
the  fort,  with  a  demand  for  its  instant  surrender.  Further  resistance  was  use- 
less, and  with  his  ammunition  nearly  exhausted  and  half  his  guns  useless, 
Munro  was  forced  to  hang  out  a  flag  of  truce.  Montcalm  agreed  to  honorable 
terms,  one  stipulation  being  that  the  English  troops  should  march  out  of  the 
fort  "  with  their  arms  and  other  honors  of  war,  and  receive  an  escort  to  Fort 
Edward.  The  following  night  was  spent  by  the  Indians  in  their  customary 
orgies  in  celebration  of  a  victory ;  but  they  were  disappointed  that  they  could 

1  This  letter  was  written  by  an  aide-de-camp,  who  says  :  "  He  [General  Webb]  has  ordered  me  to 
acquaint  you  that  he  does  not  think  it  prudent  (as  you  know  his  strength  at  this  place)  to  attempt  a 
junction  or  to  assist  you,  till  reinforced  by  the  militia  of  the  colonies,  for  the  immediate  march  of  which 
repeated  expresses  have  been  sent.  One  of  our  scouts  brought  in  a  Canadian  prisoner  last  night  from 
the  investing  party,  which  is  very  large,  and  have  possessed  all  the  grounds  five  miles  on  this  side  of 
Fort  William  Henry.  The  number  of  the  enemy  is  very  considerable,  the  prisoners  say  eleven  thou- 
sand, and  have  a  large  train  of  artillery,  with  mortars,  and  were  to  open  their  batteries  this  day  (Aug. 
4th).  The  general  thought  proper  to  send  you  this  intelligence,  that  in  case  he  should  be  so  unfort- 
unate, from  the  delays  of  the  militia,  not  to  have  it  in  his  power  to  give  you  timely  assistance,  you 
might  be  able  to  make  the  best  terms  in  your  power,"  etc. 


French  and  English  War.  89 

not  glut  their  vengeance  with  more  blood,  and  a  most  horrible  and  disgrace- 
ful atrocity  followed.  As  the  garrison  was  marching  from  the  works  early  in 
the  morning,  the  Indians  gathered  about  and  began  robbing  and  insulting  the 
prisoners,  brandishing  their  tomahawks  and  amusing  themselves  with  the  ter- 
ror inspired  in  their  victims.  Personal  encounters  ensued  and  with  the  first 
flow  of  blood  the  savages  seemed  transformed  into  demons.  Slaughter  began 
on  all  sides  and  the  dismayed  prisoners  fled  in  confusion.  At  this  juncture 
Mon.tcalm  and  other  French  officers  rushed  upon  the  scene,  bared  their  breasts 
and  '  by  threats,  prayers,  caresses  and  conflicts  with  the  chiefs,  arrested  the 
massacre.'!  'Kill  me,'  cried  Montcalm,  'but  spare  the  English,  who  are 
under  my  protection.'  Over  one-half  the  English  reached  Fort  Edward  in 
broken  squads ;  four  hundred  were  rescued  with  their  property  and  restored 
under  the  capitulation  of  Montcalm  and  many  others,  through  his  solicitation, 
were  ransomed  from  the  Indians  by  Vaudreuil.  About  thirty  were  killed 
outright. 

Montcalm  has  been  impassionately  charged  with  complicity  in  this  outrage  ; 
but  it  must  be  confessed  that  a  calm  review  of  the  subject  does  not  warrant 
such  a  charge.2 

Fort  William  Henry  was  totally  destroyed  and  all  its  stores  and  munitions 
captured.  And  all  this  was  effected  with  a  loss  to  the  besiegers  of  only  fifty- 
three  men.  General  Webb  sent  his  personal  baggage  to  a  place  of  safety  and 
prepared  to  retreat  from  Fort  Edward  to  the  Hudson.  The  reduction  of  this 
fortification  and  the  possible  capture  of  Albany  had  been  a  part  of  the  plans 
of  Montcalm,  but  for  sufficient  reasons  (chief  among  which  was  the  required 
presence  of  his  Canadian  soldiers  in  their  harvest  fields  in  order  to  avert  a 
famine)  he  retired  satisfied  with  his  success  and  glory.  Meanwhile  Loudoun 
had  taken  his  position  on  Long  Island ;  the  English  had  been  driven  from  the 
Ohio  and  Montcalm  had  placed  the  valley  of  the  St.  La\ifrence  under  the  do- 
minion of  France.  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies  were  humiliated  and  fear- 
ful for  the  future. 

A  detailed  account  of  the  massacre  of  Fort  William  Henry,  published  by 
Dr.  Holden  in  his  History  of  Warren  County,  as  an  extract  from  a  now  very 
rare  work,  namely,  "  Travels  in  North  America,  by  Jonathan  Carver,  captain 
of  the  Provincial  troops  in  North  America,"  cannot  fail  to  be  of  interest  to  the 
people  of  Warren  county.  Dr.  Holden  says  that  it  has  long  been  the  basis 
from  which  the  various  accounts  of  the  affair  have  been  prepared,  and  as  an 
offset  to  the  French  account,  is  of  value  to  the  historian :  — 

T-Doc.  History. 

2  Such  atrocities  were  utterly  incompatible  with  his  high  character  as  a  Christian  noble,  a  gallant 
soldier,  and  a  refined  scholar,  whose  sensibilities  had  been  purified  and  elevated,  by  communion  with 
the  poets  and  philosophers  of  antiquity.  But  it  (history)  can  never  exonerate  his  fame  from  the  im- 
putation of  criminal  negligence  and  a  reckless  disregard  to  the  safety  of  those  confided  to  his  honor  and 
protection  by  the  most  solemn  act  known  to  warfare.  A  moral  responsibility  rests  upon  those  who  set 
in  motion  a  power,  which  they  know  they  have  no  ability  to  guide  or  control.  —  Watson. 


90  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  As  a  detail  of  the  massacre  at  Fort  William  Henry,  in  the  year  1757,  the 
scene  to  which  I  refer  cannot  appear  foreign  to  the  design  of  this  publication, 
but  will  serve  to  give  my  readers  a  just  idea  of  the  ferocity  of  this  people.  I 
shall  take  the  liberty  to  insert  it,  apologizing  at  the  same  time  for  the  length 
of  the  digression,  and  those  egotisms  which  the  relation   renders   unavoidable. 

"  General  Webb,  who  commanded  the  English  army  in  North  America, 
which  was  then  encamped  at  Fort  Edward,  having  intelligence  that  the  French 
troops  under  Mons.  Montcalm  were  making  some  movements  towards  Fort 
William  Henry,  he  detached  a  corps  of  about  fifteen  hundred  men,  consisting 
of  English  and  provincials,  to  strengthen  the  garrison.  In  this  party  I  went 
as  a  volunteer  among  the  latter. 

"  The  apprehensions  of  the  English  general  were  not  without  foundation  ; 
for  on  the  day  of  our  arrival  we  saw  Lake  George  (formerly  Lake  Sacrament), 
to  which  it  lies  contiguous,  covered  with  an  immense  number  of  boats  ;  and  in 
a  few  hours  we  found  our  lines  attacked  by  the  French  general,  who  had  just 
landed  with  eleven  thousand  regulars  and  Canadians,  and  two  thousand  Indians. 
Colonel  Monro,  a  brave  officer,  commanded  in  the  fort,  and  had  no  more  than 
two  thousand  three  hundred  men  with  him,  our  detachment  included. 

"  With  these  he  made  a  gallant  defense,  and  probably  would  have  been 
able  at  last  to  preserve  the  fort  had  he  been  properly  supported  and  permitted 
to  continue  his  efforts.  On  every  summons  to  surrender  sent  by  the  French 
general,  who  offered  the  most  honorable  terms,  his  answer  repeatedly  was,  that 
he  yet  found  himself  in  a  condition  to  repel  the  most  vigorous  attacks  his  be- 
siegers were  able  to  make ;  and  if  he  thought  his  present  force  insufficient,  he 
could  soon  be  supplied  with  a  greater  number  from  the  adjacent  army. 

"  But  the  colonel,  having  acquainted  General  Webb  of  his  situation,  and 
desired  he  would  send  him  some  fresh  troops,  the  general  dispatched  a  messen- 
ger to  him  with  a  letter,  wherein  he  informed  him  that  it  was  not  in  his  power 
to  assist  him,  and  therefore  gave  him  orders  to  surrender  up  the  fort  on  the 
best  terms  he  could  procure.  This  packet  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French 
general,  who  immediately  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  desiring  a  conference  with  the 
governor. 

"  They  accordingly  met,  attended  only  by  a  small  guard,  in  the  center  be- 
tween the  lines ;  when  Mons.  Montcalm  told  the  colonel  that  he  was  come  in 
person  to  demand  possession  of  the  fort,  as  it  belonged  to  the  king,  his  master. 
The  colonel  replied  that  he  knew  not  how  that  could  be,  nor  should  he  surren- 
der it  up  whilst  it  was  in  his  power  to  defend  it. 

"  The  French  general  rejoined,  at  the  same  time  delivering  the  packet  into 
the  colonel's  hand,  '  By  this  authority  do  I  make  the  requisition.'  The  brave 
governor  had  no  sooner  read  the  contents  of  it,  and  become  convinced  that 
such  were  the  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  not  to  be  disobeyed,  than 
he  hung  his  head  in  silence,  and  reluctantly  entered  into  a  negotiation. 


French  and  English  War.  91 

"  In  consideration  of  the  gallant  defense  the  garrison  had  made,  they  were 
permitted  to  march  out  with  all  the  honors  of  war,  to  be  allowed  covered  wag- 
ons to  transport  their  baggage  to  Fort  Edward,  and  a  guard  to  protect  them 
from  the  fury  of  the  savages. 

"  The  morning  after  the  capitulation  was  signed,  as  day  broke,  the  whole 
garrison,  now  consisting  of  about  two  thousand  men,  besides  women  and 
•children,  were  drawn  up  within  the  lines,  and  on  the  point  of  marching  off, 
when  great  numbers  of  Indians  gathered  about  and  began  to  plunder.  We 
"were  first  in  hopes  that  this  was  their  only  view,  and  suffered  them  to  proceed 
"without  opposition.  Indeed  it  was  not  in  our  power  to  make  any,  had  we  been 
■so  inclined  ;  for  though  we  were  permitted  to  carry  off  our  arms,  yet  we  were  not 
.allowed  a  single  round  of  ammunition.  In  these  hopes,  however,  we  were  dis- 
.appointed ;  for  presently  some  of  them  began  to  attack  the  sick  and  wounded, 
when  such  as  were  not  able  to  crawl  into  the  ranks,  notwithstanding  they  en- 
deavored to  avert  the  fury  of  their  enemies  by  their  shrieks  or  groans,  were 
■soon  dispatched. 

"  Then  we  were  fully  in  expectation  that  the  disturbuace  would  have  con- 
•cluded,  and  our  little  army  began  to  move ;  but  in  a  short  time  we  saw  the 
front  divison  driven  back,  and  discovered  that  we  were  entirely  encircled  by 
savages.  We  expected  every  moment  that  the  guard,  which  the  French  by 
the  articles  of  capitulation  had  agreed  to  allow  us,  would  have  arrived  and  put 
-an  end  to  our  apprehensions ;  but  none  appeared.  The  Indians  now  began  to 
:strip  every  one  without  exception  of  their  arms  and  clothes,  and  those  who 
made  the  least  resistance  felt  the  weight  of  their  tomahawks. 

"  I  happened  to  be  in  the  rear  division,  but  it  was  not  long  before  I  shared 
the  fate  of  my  companions.  Three  or  four  of  the  savages  laid  hold  of  me,  and 
whilst  some  held  their  weapons  over  my  head,  the  others  disrobed  me  of  my 
-coat,  waistcoat,  hat  and  buckles,  omitting  not  to  take  from  me  what  money  I 
had  in  my  pocket.  As  this  was  transacted  close  by  the  passage  that  led  from 
the  lines  on  to  the  plain,  near  which  a  French  sentinel  was  posted,  I  ran  to 
him  and  claimed  his  protection ;  but  he  only  called  me  an  English  dog,  and 
thrust  me  with  violence  back  again  iiito  the  midst  of  the  Indians. 

"  I  now  endeavored  to  join  a  body  of  our  troops  that  were  crowded  together 
at  some  distance ;  but  innumerable  were  the  blows  made  at  me  with  different 
weapons  as  I  passed  on ;  luckily,  however,  the  savages  were  so  close  together  that 
they  could  not  strike  at  me  without  endangering  each  other.  Notwithstanding 
which,  one  of  them  found  means  to  make  a  thrust  at  me  with  a  spear,  which 
.grazed  my  side,  and  from  another  I  received  a  wound  with  the  same  kind  of  a 
weapon  in  my  ankle.  At  length  I  gained  the  spot  where  my  countrymen  stood, 
and  forced  myself  into  the  midst  of  them.  But  before  I  got  thus  far  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  Indians  the  collar  and  wristbands  of  my  shirt  were  all  that  re- 
mained of  it,  and  my  flesh  was  scratched  and  torn  in  many  places  by  their 
savage  grips. 


92  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  By  this  time  the  war-whoop  was  given,  and  the  Indians  began  to  murder 
those  that  were  nearest  to  them  without  distinction.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of 
words  to  give  any  tolerable  idea  of  the  horrid  scene  that  now  ensued  ;  men, 
women  and  children  were  dispatched  in  the  most  wanton  and  cruel  manner 
and  immediately  scalped.  Many  of  these  savages  drank  the  blood  of  their 
victims  as  it  flowed  from  the  fatal  wounds. 

"  We  now  perceived,  though  too  late  to  avail  us,  that  we  were  to  expect  no 
relief  from  the  French ;  and  that,  contrary  to  the  agreement  they  had  so  late- 
ly signed  to  allow  us  a  sufficient  force  to  protect  us  from  these  insults,  they 
tacitly  permitted  them ;  for  I  could  plainly  perceive  the  French  officers  walk- 
ing about  at  some  distance,  discoursing  together  with  apparent  unconcern. 
For  the  honor  of  human  nature  I  would  hope  that  this  flagrant  breach  of  every 
sacred  law  proceeded  rather  from  the  savage  disposition  of  the  Indians,  which 
I  acknowledge  it  is  sometimes  almost  impossible  to  control,  and  which  now 
might  have  unexpectedly  arrived  to  a  pitch  not  easily  to  be  restrained,  than 
to  any  premeditated  design  in  the  French  commander.  An  unprejudiced  ob- 
server would,  however,  be  apt  to  conclude  that  a  body  of  ten  thousand  Chris- 
tian troops  had  it  in  their  power  to  prevent  the  massacre  from  becoming  so 
general.  But  whatever  was  the  cause  from  which  it  arose,  the  consequences 
of  it  were  dreadful,  and  not  to  be  paralleled  in  modern  history. 

"  As  the  circle  in  which  I  stood  enclosed  by  this  time  was  much  thinned, 
and  death  seemed  to  be  approaching  with  hasty  strides,  it  was  proposed  by 
some  of  the  most  resolute  to  make  one  vigorous  effort,  and  endeavor  to  force 
our  way  through  the  savages,  the  only  probable  method  of  preserving  our  lives 
that  now  remained.  This,  however  desperate,  was  resolved  on,  and  about 
twenty  of  us  sprang  at  once  into  the  midst  of  them. 

"  In  a  moment  we  were  all  separated,  and  what  was  the  fate  of  my  com- 
panions I  could  not  learn  till  some  months  after,  when  I  found  that  only  six  or 
seven  of  them  effected  their  design.  Intent  only  on  my  own  hazardous  situa- 
tion, I  endeavored  to  make  my  way  through  my  savage  enemies  in  the  best 
manner  possible.  And  I  have  often  been  astonished  since  when  I  have  recol- 
lected with  what  composure  I  took,  as  I  did,  every  necessary  step  for  my  pres- 
ervation. Some  I  overturned,  being  at  that  time  young  and  athletic,  and 
others  I  passed  by,  dextrously  avoiding  their  weapons ;  till  at  last  two  very 
stout  chiefs  of  the  most  savage  tribes,  as  I  could  distinguish  by  their  dress, 
whose  strength  I  could  not  resist,  laid  hold  of  me  by  each  arm,  and  began  to 
force  me  through  the  crowd. 

"  I  now  resigned  myself  to  my  fate,  not  doubting  but  that  they  intended 
to  dispatch  me,  and  then  to  satiate  their  vengeance  with  my  blood,  as  I  found 
they  were  hurrying  me  towards  a  retired  swamp  that  lay  at  some  distance. 
But  before  we  had  got  a  great  many  yards  an  English  gentleman  of  some  dis- 
tinction,   as    I   could  discover  from  his  breeches,  the  only  covering  he  had  on. 


French  and  English  War. 


93 


which  were  of  fine  scarlet  velvet,  rushed  close  by  us.  One  of  the  Indians  in- 
stantly relinquished  his  hold,  and,  springing  on  this  new  object,  endeavored  to 
seize  him  as  his  prey ;  but  the  gentleman,  being  strong,  threw  him  on  the 
ground  and  would  probably  have  got  away,  had  not  he  who  held  my  other 
arm  quitted  me  to  assist  his  brother.  I  seized  the  opportunity  and  hastened 
away  to  another  party  of  English  troops  that  were  yet  unbroken,  and  stood  in 
a  body  at  some  distance.  But  before  I  had  taken  many  steps  I  hastily  cast 
my  eyes  towards  the  gentleman,  and  saw  the  Indian's  tomahawk  gash  into  his 
back  and  heard  him  utter  his  last  groan ;  this  added  both  to  my  speed  and 
desperation. 

"  I  had  left  this  shocking  scene  but  a  few  yards  when  a  fine  boy  about  twelve 
years  of  age,  that  had  hitherto  escaped,  came  up  to  me  and  begged  that  I 
would  let  him  lay  hold  of  me,  so  that  he  might  stand  some  chance  of  getting  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  savages.  I  told  him  that  I  would  give  him  every  assistance 
in  my  power,  and  to  this  purpose  bid  him  lay  hold  ;  but  in  a  few  minutes  he  was 
torn  from  my  side,  and  by  his  shrieks  I  judge  was  soon  demolished.  I  could 
not  help  forgetting  my  own  cares  for  a  minute  to  lament  the  fate  of  so  young 
a  sufferer ;  but  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  take  any  methods  to  pre- 
vent it. 

"  I  now  got  once  more  into  the  midst  of  friends,  but  we  were  unable  to 
afford  each  other  any  succor.  As  this  was  the  division  that  had  advanced  the 
furthest  from  the  fort,  I  thought  there  might  be  a  possibility  (though  but  a 
bare  one)  of  my  forcing  my  way  through  the  outer  ranks  of  the  Indians,  and 
getting  to  a  neighboring  wood,  which  I  perceived  at  some  distance.  I  was 
still  encouraged  to  hope  by  the  almost  miraculous  preservation  I  had  already 
experienced. 

"  Nor  were  my  hopes  in  vain,  or  the  efforts  I  made  ineffectual.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  I  reached  the  wood ;  but  by  the  time  I  had  penetrated  a  little  way 
into  it  my  breath  was  so  exhausted  that  I  threw  myself  into  a  brake  and  lay 
for  some  minutes  apparently  at  the  last  gasp.  At  length  I  recovered  the  power 
of  respiration ;  but  my  apprehensions  returned  with  all  their  former  force  when 
I  saw  several  savages  pass  by,  probably  in  pursuit  of  me,  at  no  very  great  dis- 
tance. In  this  situation  I  knew  not  whether  it  was  better  to  proceed,  or. en- 
deavor to  conceal  myself  where  I  lay  till  night  came  on;  fearing,  however,  that 
they  would  return  the  same  way,  I  thought  it  most  prudent  to  get  further  from 
the  dreadful  scene  of  my  distresses.  Accordingly,  striking  into  another  part  of 
the  wood,  I  hastened  on  as  fast  as  the  briars  and  the  loss  of  my  shoes  would 
permit  me,  and  after  a  slow  progress  of  some  hours,  gained  a  hill  that  over- 
looked the  plain  that  I  had  just  left,  from  whence  I  could  discern  that  the 
bloody  storm  raged  with  unabated  fury. 

"  But  not  to  tire  my  readers,  I  shall  only  add  that,  after  passing  three  days 
without  subsistence,  and  enduring  the  severity  of  the  cold  dews  for  three  nights, 


94  History  of  Warren  County. 

I  at  length  reached  Fort  Edward,  where  with  proper  care  my  body  soon  re- 
covered its  wonted  strength,  and  my  mind,  as  fac  as  the  recollection  of  the  late- 
melancholy  events  would  permit,  its  usual  composure. 

"  It  was  computed  that  fifteen  hundred  persons  were  killed  or  made  prison- 
ers by  these  savages  during  this  fatal  day.  Many  of  the  latter  were  carried  ofT 
by  them  and  never  returned.  A  few,  through  favorable  accidents,  found  their 
way  back  to  their  native  country,  after  having  experienced  a  long  and  severe 
captivity. 

"  The  brave  Colonel  Monro  had  hastened  away  soon  after  the  confusion  be- 
gan to  endeavor  to  procure  the  guard  agreed  by  the  stipulation  ;  but  his  appH- 
cation  proving  ineffectual,  he  remained  there  till  General  Webb  sent  a  party 
of  troops  to  demand  and  protect  him  back  to  Fort  Edward.  But  these  un- 
happy occurrences,  which  would  probably  have  been  prevented  had  he  been- 
left  to  pursue  his  own  plans,  together  with  the  loss  of  so  many  brave  fellows,- 
murdered  in  cold  blood,  to  whose  valor  he  had  been  so  lately  a  witness,  made- 
such  an  impression  on  his  mind  that  he  did  not  long  survive.  He  died  in 
about  three  months,  of  a  broken  heart,  and  with  truth  it  might  be  said  that  he 
was  an  honor  to  his  country. 

"  I  mean  not  to  point  out  the  following  circumstance  as  the  immediate 
judgment  of  heaven  as  an  atonement  for  this  slaughter;  but  I  cannot  omit  that 
very  few  of  those  different  tribes  of  Indians  that  shared  in  it  ever  lived  to  re- 
turn home.  The  small-pox,  by  means  of  their  communication  with  the  Euro- 
peans, found  its  way  among  them  and  made  an  equal  havoc  to  what  they  had 
done.  The  methods  they  pursued  on  the  first  attack  of  that  disorder  rendered 
it  fatal.  Whilst  their  blood  was  in  a  state  of  fermentation,  and  nature  was- 
striving  to  throw  out  the  peccant  matter,  they  checked  her  operations  by  plung- 
ing into  the.  water ;  the  consequence  was  that  they  died  by  hundreds.  The 
few  that  survived  were  transformed  by  it  into  hideous  objects,  and  bore  with 
them  to  the  grave  the  deep  indented  marks  of  this  much-dreaded  disease.  .  .  . 
Mons.  Montcalm  died  soon  after  on  the  plains  of  Quebec. 

"  That  the  unprovoked  cruelty  of  this  commander  was  not  approved  by  the- 
generality  of  his  countrymen  I  have  since  been  convinced  by  many  proofs. 
One  only,  however,  which  I  received  from  a  person  who  was  a  witness  to  it- 
shall  I  at  present  give :  A  Canadian  merchant,  of  some  consideration,  having 
heard  of  the  surrender  of  the  English  fort,  celebrated  the  fortunate  event  with 
great  rejoicing  and  hospitality,  according  to  the  custom  of  that  country ;  but. 
no  sooner^did  the  news  of  the  massacre  which  ensued  reach  his  ears,  than  he 
put  an  immediate  stop  to  his  festivities,  and  exclaimed  in  the  severest  terms- 
against  the  inhuman  permission ;  declaring  at  the  same  time  that  those  who- 
had  connived^at  it  had  thereby  drawn  down  on  that  part  of  the  king's  domin- 
ions the  vengeance  of  heaven.  To  this  he  added  that  he  much  feared  the  totai 
loss  of  them  would  deservedly  be  the  consequence.  How  truly  this  predictiont 
has  been  verified  we  well  know." 


g6  History  of  Warren  County. 

Referring  to  the  scourging  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  service  of  the  French 
by  small- pox,  Carver  says  they  contracted  the  disease  "  by  means  of  their  com- 
munication with  the  Europeans."  In  the  Journals  of  Major  Robert  Rogers  he 
says  in  a  foot  note:  "My  brother,  Captain  Richard  Rogers,  died  with  the 
small-pox  a  few  days  before  this  fort  [Fort  William  Henry]  was  besieged;  but 
such  was  the  cruelty  and  rage  of  the  enemy  after  their  conquest,  that  they  dug 
him  up  out  of  his  grave,  and  scalped  him." 

Pouchot,  in  his  Memoirs  of  the  War  of  1756-60,  mentions  an  instance  of 
disinterment  of  the  dead  —  perhaps  the  same  as  that  of  Richard  Rogers  above 
noticed,  and  relates  the  consequences  as  follows :  "  The  Indians  as  they  set 
out  to  return  to  their  country,  carried  with  them  a  disease  of  which  many  died. 
Some  of  them,  seeing  new  graves,  disinterred  the  dead  to  take  their  scalps,  but 
unfortunately  found  that  they  had  died  of  small- pox,  and  the  infection  was 
thus  given  to  the  Indians.  The  Pouteotames  nation,  one  of  the  bravest 
and  most  strongly  attached  to  the  French,  almost  entirely  perished  of  this 
epidemic." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CONTINUATION  OF  FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  WAR. 

Prospects  for  Campaign  of  1 758  —  Discouragement  in  New  France  —  England's  Preponderance  — 
Kogers's  Rangers  and  their  Deeds  —  Putnam  —  Three  Expeditions  by  the  English  —  Fall  of  Louisburg 
and  Du  Quesne  —  March  against  Ticonderoga  —  Howe's  Death  —  The  French  Position  —  Assault 
by  the  English  on  the  French  Lines  —  A  Bloody  Battle —  Abercrombie's  Headquarters  — Victory  of 
the  French  —  Engagement  at  Half- Way  Brook  —  Three  Military  Posts  within  the  present  limits  of 
Warren  County. 

WHEN  the  reader  of  to-day  reflects  upon  the  relative  situations  of  France 
and  England  in  the  New  World  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1758,  he 
finds  it  difficult  to  believe  that  the  latter  government  would  submit  to  five 
years  more  of  destructive  war  upon  the  colonies  before  establishing  her  do- 
minion over  the  territory  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  vast  disproportion 
in  their  material  resources  and  military  strength  became  constantly  more  ob- 
vious and  decisive.  The  opening  of  the  year  named  found  Canada  threatened 
with  a  famine.  The  harvest  of  the  previous  year  was  a  failure,  and  the  home 
government  found  it  difficult  to  transmit  supplies  across  an  ocean  thronged 
with  the  enemies  ships.  Montcalm  wrote  the  French  minister,  "  The  article 
of  provisions  makes  me  tremble."  The  fact  is  a  scarcity  of  provisions  followed 
which  caused  many  deaths  by  starvation.  The  population  of  Canada  was  esti- 
mated at  only  eighty-two  thousand,  from  which  Montcalm  relied  upon  draw- 
ing about  seven  thousand  men,  a  force  which  he  could  support  with  nearly  four 


Continuation  of  French  and  English  War.  97 

thousand  regulars.  These  troops  were  "  suffering  and  impoverished,"  while  for- 
tunes awaited  the  corrupt  high  officials;  frauds  were  perpetrated  upon  the  king  of 
such  a  flagrant  character  that  they  demanded  investigation  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  numerous  other  embarrassments  crippled  the  energies  and  chafed  the 
gallant  spirit  of  Montcalm. 

On  the  other  hand,  although  the  recent  campaign  had  been  one  of  disaster 
to  the  English,  that  fact  seemed  to  infuse  a  little  spirit  into  the  English  ministry 
which  found  public  expression  chiefly  from  the  gifted  statesman,  William  Pitt. 
A  million  and  a  half  of  ,'people  inhabited  the  British  colonies  and  an  army  of 
some  fifty  thousand  men  was  subject  to  the  commands  of  Abercrombie.  Com- 
mercial intercourse  with  the  mother  country  was  almost  untrammeled,  and 
there  seems  no  sufficient  reason  why  the  French  power  should  not  have  been 
extinguished  by  one  grand  movement. 

But  this  predominance  of  the  English  was  considerably  modified  by  the 
facts  that  France  had  gained  far  stronger  influence  over  the  Indians  than  had 
the  English  ;  the  Canadian  population  was  more  concentrated,  and  above  all, 
the  French  cause  was  kept  under  command  and  direction  of  far  the  most  bril- 
liant and  able  men.  Britain  sent  to  her  colonies  effete  generals,  bankrupt  no- 
bles, and  debauched  parasites  of  the  court.  France  selected  her  functionaries 
from  the  wisest,  noblest  and  best  of  her  people,  and  therefore  her  colonial  in- 
.  terests  were  usually  directed  with  wisdom  and  sagacity. 

English  hostilities  began  in  December,  1757  with  brilliant  deeds  by  the 
rangers  under  Rogers  and  Putnam,  which  could  not,  however,  seriously  influ- 
e.nce  the  general  campaign.  On  the  17th  of  that  month,  Rogers,  in  pursuance 
of  orders  issued  by  Lieutenant- Colonel  Haviland,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
English  forces  at  Fort  Edward,  marched  thence  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  to  reconnoitre  Ticonderoga,  or  Carillon.  The  following  account  of  the 
expedition  Ave  take  from  Rogers's  Jour7ial,  and  serves  to  illustrate  the  character 
of  this  feature  of  the  war,  and  of  the  men  engaged  in  it :  — 

On  the  I7tli  "we  marched  six  miles  and  encamped,  the  snow  being  then 
three  inches  deep,  and  before  morning  it  was  fifteen;  we  however  pursued  our 
route. 

"  On  the  1 8th  in  the  morning,  eight  of  my  party  being  tired,  returned  to 
the  fort ;  with  the  remainder  I  marched  nine  miles  further,  and  encamped  on 
the-east -side  of  Lake  George,  near  the  place  where  Mons.  Montcalm  landed  his 
troops  when  he  besieged  and  took  Fort  William  Henry,  where  I  found  some 
cannon  balls  and  shells,  which  had  been  hid  by  the  French,  and  made  a  mark 
by  which  I  might  find  them  again. 

"The  19th  we  continued  our  march  on  the  -west  side  of  the  lake  nine  miles 
further,  near  the  head  of  the  northwest  bay. 

"The  2 1st  so  many  of  my  party  tired  and  returned  as  reduced  our  number 
to  123,  officers  included,  with   whom  I  proceeded   ten   miles   further,  and    en- 
7 


98  History  of  Warren  County. 

camped  at  night,  ordering  each  man  to  leave  a  day's  provisions  there  till  our 
return. 

"  The  next  day  we  marched  ten  miles  further,  and  encamped  near  the  great 
brook  that  runs  into  Lake  George,  eight  miles  from  the  French  advanced 
guard. 

"  The  23d  we  marched  eight  miles,  and  the  24th  six  more,  and  halted  within 
six  hundred  yards  of  Carillon  fort.  Near  the  mills  we  discovered  five  Indians' 
tracks,  that  had  marched  that  way  the  day  before,  as  we  supposed,  on  a  hunt- 
ing party.  On  my  march  this  day  between  the  advanced  guard  and  the  fort, 
I  appointed  three  places  of  rendezvous  to  repair  to,  in  case  of  being  broke  in 
an  action,  and  acquainted  every  officer  and  soldier  that  I  should  rally  the  party 
at  the  nearest  post  to  the  fort,  and  if  broke  then  to  retreat  to  the  second,  and 
at  the  third  to  make  a  stand  till  the  darkness  of  the  night  would  give  us  an  op- 
portunity to  get  off.  Soon  after  I  halted  I  formed  an  ambush  on  a  road  leading 
from  the  fort  to  the  woods,  with  an  advanced  party  of  twenty  men  and  a  rear 
guard  of  fifteen.  About  eleven  o'clock  a  sergeant  of  marines  came  from  the 
fort  up  the  road  to  my  advanced  party,  who  let  him  pass  to  the  main  body, 
where  I  made  him  prisoner.  Upon  examination  he  reported  '  that  there  were 
in  the  garrison  350  regulars,  about  fifty  workmen,  and  but  five  Indians;  that 
they  had  plenty  of  provisions,  &c.,  and  that  twelve  masons  were  constantly  em- 
ployed in  blowing  up  rocks  in  the  entrenchment,  and  a  number  of  soldiers  to 
assist  them  ;  that  at  Crown  Point  there  were  150  soldiers  and  fourteen  Indians  ; 
that  Mons.  Montcalm  was  at  Montreal ;  that  500  Ottowawas  Indians  wintered 
in  Canada,  and  that  500  Rangers  were  lately  raised  in  Canada,  each  man  hav- 
ing a  double-barrelled  fuzee,  and  put  under  an  experienced  officer,  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  country  ;  that  he  did  not  know  whether  the  French  intended 
to  attack  any  of  the  English  forts  this  winter  or  not ;  but  that  they  expected  a 
great  number  of  Indians  as  soon  as  the  ice  would  bear  them,  in  order  to  go 
down  to  the  English  forts ;  and  -that  all  the  bakers  in  Carillon  were  employed 
in  making  biscuit  for  the  scouts  above  mentioned.' 

"  About  noon  a  Frenchman,  who  had  been  hunting,  came  near  my  party  in 
his  return,  when  I  ordered  a  party  to  pursue  him  to  the  edge  of  the  cleared 
ground,  and  take  him  prisoner,  with  this  caution,  to  shoot  off  a  gun  or  two, 
and  then  retreat  to  the  main  body,  in  order  to  intice  the  enemy  from  their 
fort;  which  orders  were  punctually  obeyed,  but  not  one  of  them  ventured  out. 

"The  last  prisoner,  on  examination,  gave  much  the  same  account,  but  with 
this  addition,  '  that  he  had  heard  the  English  intended  to  attack  Ticonderoga 
as  soon  as  the  lake  was  froze  so  as  to  bear  them.' 

"  When  I  found  the  French  would  not  come  out  of  the  Fort,  we  went  about 
killing  their  cattle,  and  destroyed  seventeen  head,  and  set  fire  to  the  wood 
which  they  had  collected  for  the  use  of  the  garrison,  and  consumed  five  large 
piles;  the  French  shot  off" some  cannon  at  the  fires,  but  did  us  no   harm.     At 


Continuation  of  French  and  English  War.  99 

eight  o'clock  at  night  I  began  my  march  homewards,  and  arrived  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward with  my  prisoners  on  the  27th." 

In  a  document  entitled  Journal  of  Occurrences  in  Canada,  1757-58,  print- 
ed with  the  Paris  Documents,  under  date  of  January  2d,  1758,  occurs  the  fol- 
lowing entry :  "  A  courier  from  Carillon  reports  that  the  English  showed 
themselves  thereon  Christmas  eve  to  the  number  of  150,  with  the  design  of 
setting  fire  to  the  houses  under  the  curtain  of  the  fort ;  that  the  cannon  pre- 
vented them  from  doing  so  ;  that  they  killed  some  fifteen  beeves,  to  the  horns 
of  one  of  which  the  commander  had  affixed  a  letter  couched  in  these  words : 

"'  I  am  obliged  to  you,  sir,  for  the  repose  you  have  allowed  me  to  take.  I 
thank  you  for  the  fresh  meat  you  have  sent  me.  I  will  take  care  of  my  pris- 
oners. I  request  you  to  present  my  compliments  to  the  Marquis  de  Mont- 
calm. 

'"(Signed)  ROGERS, 

"'Commander  of  the  Independent  Companies.'  " 
It  seems  strange  that  the  English  did  not  immediately,  even  if  in   midwin- 
ter, precipitate  an  attack  upon  these  two  important  French  strongholds,  when 
it  was  shown  that  the  forces  that  occupied  them  were  so  small. 

Again  in  March  Rogers  left  Fort  Edward  with  one  hundred  and  eighty 
men  to  reconnoitre  the  vicinity  of  Ticonderoga ;  when  near  the  foot  of  the 
lake  they  encountered  a  body  of  about  a  hundred  Canadians  and  Indians. 
These  were  dispersed  and  the  march  continued  until  the  English  were  sudden- 
ly confronted  with  a  large  force  in  ambush.  A  desperate  conflict  followed, 
the  rangers  fighting  with  a  valor  born  of  their  knowledge  that  it  was  a  ques- 
tion of  life  or  death.  Nearly  the  entire  detachment  was  slain  and  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  scalps  were  carried  to  Montcalm.  Rogers,  with  a  few  of 
his  men  escaped.  This  bloody  affray  was  fought  near  the  rock  bearing  Rogers's 
name,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Warren  county.  The  battle  was  probably 
fought  on  snow-shoes,  amid  the  rugged  rocks  and  defiles  of  the  mountains. 

Another  heroic  incident  may  be  related  here.  Major  Putnam  was  employed 
early  in  the  campaign  in  protecting  the  English  communications  and  was  sta- 
tioned in  a  commanding  position  at  a  point  near  Whitehall,  where  he  lake 
makes  a  sharp  angle,  now  known  as  Fiddler's  Elbow.  He  was  in  command  of 
thirty-five  rangers,  and  on  the  eastern  cliffs  he  built  a  stone  breastwork,  which 
he  disguised  with  green  boughs.  Here  he  patiently  waited  four  days  until,  on 
the  evening  of  the  fourth  day,  his  scout  announced  the  approach  of  a  flotilla. 
Clear  moonlight  revealed  every  movement  on  the  water.  When  the  foremost 
boats  had  passed  the  barricade  the  rangers  poured  destructive  volleys  upon 
them  in  rapid  succession.  An  attempt  by  part  of  the  French  to  land  was  re- 
pulsed by  twelve  of  the  little  band.  As  dawn  appeared  Putnam  found  his 
ammunition  expended  and  was  forced  to  retire.  His  only  loss  was  two  men 
wounded.     The  location  is  still  known  as  Put's  Rock. 


loo  History  of  Warren  County. 

In  March  Rogers  was  ordered  to  Albany  for  recruiting  purposes,  and  met 
with  a  friendly  reception  from  Lord  Howe,  who  was  then  at  Albany,  organiz- 
ing an  army  with  which  to  begin  operations  as  soon  as  practicable.  Howe 
granted  Rogers  permission  to  visit  New  York,  where  he  waited  upon  General 
Abercrombie,  who  had  succeeded  Lord  Loudoun  as  commander-in-chief  Ab- 
ercrombie  commissioned  Rogers  major,  his  commission  placing  him  at  the  head 
of  all  the  scouts  and  rangers  in  that  vicinity.  On  his  return  to  Albany  he 
reported  to  Lord  Howe,  who  gave  him  his  instructions,  when  he  hurried  on  to 
Fort  Edward,  and  resumed  command  of  his  celebrated  corps. 

Three  formidable  expeditions  were  planned  for  this  year :  The  first  against 
Louisburg  ;  the  second  against  Fort  Du  Quesne ;  the  third  contemplated  the 
clearing  of  the  Champlain  valley  of  French  occupation. 

Admiral  Boscowan,  with  twenty  ships  of  the  line  and  fifteen  frigates,  to- 
gether with  twelve  thousand  men  under  General  Amherst  arrived  before  Lou- 
isburg on  the  3d  of  June.  A  vigorous  siege  was  begun,  which  lasted  until  the 
26th  of  July,  when  the  French  surrendered  the  position. 

The  expedition  against  Du  Quesne  was  commanded  by  General  John 
Forbes,  through  whose  dilatory  action  it  came  very  near  being  disastrous  and 
abandoned.  After  months  of  wasted  time,  Washington  was  sent  forward  and 
when  within  a  day's  march  of  the  fort  they  were  discovered  by  some  Indians, 
who  carried  the  news  of  their  approach  to  the  garrison.  There  were  then  but 
five  hundred  men  in  the  fortification,  and  they  on  the  24th  of  November  set  it 
on  fire  and  fled  down  the  Ohio  River. 

The  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  a  descent  upon  Montreal  was  the  more 
important,  indeed  it  was  the  vital,  point  in  the  plans  of  the  campaign.  A  force 
of  about  seven  thousand  regulars,  nearly  nine  thousand  provincials  and  a  heavy 
train  of  artillery  was  assembled  at  the  head  of  Lake  George  by  the  beginning 
of  July.  This  was  the  finest  army  yet  organized  on  the  western  continent ; 
but  unfortunately  its  command  was  given  to  General  James  Abercrombie.  Judg- 
ing well  of  his  incapacity,  Pitt  sought  to  avert  the  probability  of  failure  by  the 
selection  of  Lord  Howe,  who  was  given  the  rank  of  brigadier- general  and 
made  the  controlling  spirit  of  the  undertaking. 
>^  At  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  July  this  splendid  army  embarked 
on  Lake  George  in  nine  hundred  bateaux  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  whale 
boats,  the  artillery  being  transported  on  rafts.  It  was  an  imposing  fleet,  such 
as  had  not  before  been  seen  on  American  waters.  A  halt  was  made  at  Sab- 
bath-day Point  for  rest  and  refreshment  just  before  evening,  and  at  ten  o'clock 
the  army  was  again  under  headway.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  a  land- 
ing was  made  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake  at  a  point  which  still  bears  the  name 
of  General  Howe.  Howe  and  Stark  lay  upon  the  same  bear  skin  the  previous 
night  and  discussed  the  situation  at  Carillon  ;  a  feeling  of  mutual  regard  sprang 
up  between  them. 


Continuation  of  French  and  English  War.  ioi 

De  Boulamarque  had  been  stationed  at  the  foot  of  the  lake  with  three  reg- 
iments, to  oppose  the  landing  of  the  English ;  but  on  their  approach  in  such 
overwhelming  numbers,  he  retreated  to  the  fort,  burning  both  the  bridges 
across  the  outlet  of  Lake  George,  compelling  Abercrombie  to  pursue  his  march 
through  the  pathless  forest  on  the  west  side  of  the  stream.  He  left  his  bag- 
gage and  stores  at  the  deserted  camp  of  De  Boulamarque  and  took  up  the 
march  directly  for  the  French  works ;  but  the  intricacy  of  the  forest  and  the 
roughness  of  the  ground  soon  broke  up  the  columns.  While  in  this  state  of 
confusion  they  encountered  a  body  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  French  and  In- 
dians, who  had  been  detached  under  De  Trepesee,  and  had  been  for  twelve 
hours  endeavoring  to  tread  their  way  through  the  almost  impenetrable  woods. 
A  skirmish  ensued  in  which  the  French  soldiers  displayed  great  heroism,  de- 
spite their  exhausted  condition,  but  were  nearly  all  slain.  It  proved  a  dis- 
astrous event  to  the  English,  for  the  gallant  Lord  Howe,i  upon  whom,  as  it 
developed,  the  success  of  the  expedition  depended,  fell  at  the  first  fire.  The 
British  regulars  were  appalled  at  the  death  of  Howe  and,  unused  to  forest 
fighting,  faltered  and  broke,  but  were  gallantly  sustained  by  the  provincials. 
The  French  general  was  also  mortally  wounded  and  almost  the  entire  detach- 
ment slain  or  captured,  with  insignificant  loss  to  the  English. 2 

With  the  death  of  Howe  fled  the  hope  of  a  successful  campaign.  The 
chronic  imbecility  and  apathy  of  the  English  returned  and  the  army  of  sixteen 
thousand  men,  their  only  immediate  enemy  being  four  thousand  under  Mont- 
calm, was  withdrawn  to  Lake  George  on  the  morning  of  the  7th.  Bradstreet 
took  possession  of  the  saw- mill  at  the  Falls  about  noon,  rebuilt  the  bridges, 
and  in  the  evening  the  army  took  up  its  position  at  that  point,  about  two  miles 
from  the  fort.  During  this  valuable  period  the  French  were  strengthening 
their  defenses.  The  French  position  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Watson  :  "  The 
promontory  held  by  Montcalm  was  a  narrow  and  elevated  peninsula,  washed  on 
three  sides  by  deep  waters  (see  engraving),  with  its  base  on  the  western  and 
only  accessible  side.  On  the  north  of  this  base  access  was  obstructed  by  a 
wet  meadow,  and  on  the  southern  extremity  it  was  rendered  impracticable  to 
the  advance  of  an  army  by  a  deep  slope,  extending  from  the  hill  to  the  outlet. 
The  summit  between  these  two  points  was  rounded  and  sinuous  with  ledges 
and  elevations  at  intervals.  Here  and  about  half  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  fort 
Montcalm  traced  the  line  of  his  projected  entrenchment.  It  followed  the  sinu- 
osities of  the  land,  the  sections  of  the  works  reciprocally  flanking  each  other." 

1  This  noble  and  brave  officer  being  universally  beloved  by  both  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army, 
his  fall  was  not  only  sincerely  lamented,  but  seemed  to  produce  an  almost  general  consternation  and 
languor  through  the  whole.  —  Hough  in  Jiogers's  Journal. 

2  If  the  British  army  narrowly  escaped  by  this  panic  a  renewal  of  the  bloody  scenes  on  the  Monon- 
gahela,  it  is  equally  probable,  if  Howe  had  lived,  and  a  rapid  and  vigorous  advance  been  made  after 
the  annihilation  of  Tr^pes^e's  party,  that  the  imperfect  entrenchments  of  the  French  might  have  been 
entered  and  captured  in  the  disorder  and  alarm  of  the  moment.  But  the  bugle  of  Abercrombie 
sounded  the  retreat,  and  the  opportunity  was  lost.  — Watson. 


I02 


History  of  Warren  County. 


The  entrenchment,  which  was  about  an  eighth  of  a  league  in  length,  was  con- 
structed by  Dupont  Le  Roy,  an  accomplished  engineer.  "  It  was  formed  by 
falling  trunks  of  trees,  one  upon  the  other,  and  others  felled  in  front,  their 
branches  cut  and  sharpened  produced  the  effect  of  a  chevaux  de  frise."'^  The 
abatis  was  about  one  hundred  yards  in  width.  The  entire  day  of  the  7th  was 
spent  by  the  French  in  energetic  labor  on  this  effective  entrenchment,  their 
flags  flying  along  the  line  and  music  playing,  until  the  line  arose  to  a  height 
of  from  eight  to  ten  feet  its  entire  length. 


ticonderoga  and  its   dependencies,  august,  1 776,  from  a  plan  drawn  by 
Col.  John  Trumbull. 

De  Levis,  who  had  organized  an  expedition  against  the  Mohawk  Valley, 
was  recalled  to  reinforce  Ticonderoga,  which  was  reached  on  the  night  of  the 
7th,  by  his  four  hundred  veterans,  he  following  at  five  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing, accompanied  by  the  gallant  De  Senezergues.  At  about  the  same  hour 
Johnson  joined  the  English  camp  with  three  or  four  hundred  Mohawks. 

It  is  well  settled  that  at  this  time  it  was  Montcalm's  intention  to  evacuate 
Ticonderoga ;  to  the  experienced  military  eye  it  must  have  seemed  untenable, 
and   it  is   claimed   that   he   did  not  decide  upon  a  vigorous  defense  until  the 

1  Montcalm's  Report.     Rogers  says:    "We  toiled  with  repeated  attacks  for  four  hours,  being 
greatly  embarrassed  by  trees  that  were  felled  by  the  enemy  without  their  breastwork." 


Map  of  thk  Outlet  of  Lake  St.  Sacrament,  to   Illustrate  Abercrombie's  Attack  on  Carillon. 
from  Butler's  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champiatn. 


I04  History  of  Warren  County. 

morning  of  the  attack.  His  force  on  that  day  amounted  to  three  thousand 
and  six  hundred  men,  four  hundred  and  fifty  of  whom  were  irregular  troops. 
The  number  of  fighting  men  was  two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-two. 
The  troops  were  called  to  the  lines  at  daybreak  and  assigned  their  positions 
for  the  day  and  then  returned  to  improve  the  precious  hours  on  the  entrench- 
ments. The  meadow  on  the  right,  in  front  of  which  was  a  slight  abatis,  was 
occupied  by  the  irregular  troops.  The  fort  guns  commanded  this  opening  as 
well  as  the  slope  on  the  extreme  left.  De  Levis  was  placed  on  the  right  with 
three  regiments.  De  Boulamarque  held  the  left  with  an  equal  force,  while 
Montcalm  occupied  the  center  with  two  battalions  and  pickets.  The  declivity 
towards  the  outlet  was  guarded  by  two  companies.  Behind  each  battalion 
was  stationed  in  reserve  a  company  of  grenadiers.  At  the  preconcerted  signal 
(an  alarm  gun)  the  troops  left  their  labors  on  the  lines  and  were  at  their  re- 
spective stations  under  arms  just  as  the  advance  of  the  British  appeared. 

Abercrombie  was  misled  to  the  belief  that  reinforcements  were  on  their 
way  to  Montcalm.  This  fact,  with  the  added  opinion  of  his  engineer,  Clarke, 
that  the  French  lines  were  vulnerable  to  infantry  (although  the  practiced  eye 
of  Stark  saw  otherwise  and  so  reported),  prompted  Abercrombie  to  an  im- 
mediate attack  before  the  arrival  of  his  powerful  artillery. 

The  imposing  advance  was  made  in  three  columns :  First,  rangers,  bateau 
men  and  hght  infantry ;  next  the  provincials  marched  with  wide  openings  be- 
tween the  regiments ;  behind  these  openings  were  the  regulars  in  columns ; 
the  New  Jersey  and  Connecticut  levies  formed  the  rear.  Johnson  was  posted 
with  his  force  of  Indians  on  Mount  Defiance,  then  known  as  Sugar  Loaf  Hill. 
He  took  little  part  in  the  battle. 

The  regulars  rapidly  advanced  between  the  provincial  regiments  and  hurled 
themseleves  with  intrepid  bravery  and  great  determination  upon  the  abatis  in 
front  of  the  French.  Two  columns  attacked  the  right,  another  the  center,  and  a 
fourth  was  thrown  upon  the  left.  But  when  the  almost  insurmountable  barrier 
was  reached,  its  impenetrable  thicket  broke  up  allmilitary  order,  while  from  be- 
hind the  works  came  terrible  volleys  with  murderous  effectiveness.  More  he- 
roic valor  or  greater  individual  bravery  has  seldom  been  shown  in  battle  than 
was  exhibited  by  the  British  veterans,  and  seldom  has  the  great  advantage  of 
even  temporary  entrenchments  been  more  clearly  established.  The  deadly 
fire  of  the  French  soldiers,  protected  by  their  abatis,  and  the  cannonade  from 
the  howitzers  posted  at  intervals  along  the  line,  told  with  fearful  effect  upon 
the  assaulting  army ;  but  they  heard  no  command  to  retreat ;  they  had  re- 
ceived their  orders  to  advance,  and  although  they  could  not  surmount  the 
works  of  the  enemy,  they  could  die  in  front  of  them.  The  fire  of  the  provin- 
cials and  their  marksmen  was  perhaps  more  effective  than  the  volleys  of  the 
regulars  ;i  as  Montcalm  referred  to  "  their  murderous  fire." 

1  "Their  fire  greatly  incommoded  those  in  the  entrenchments."—  PouCHOT. 


Continuation  of  French  and  English  War.  105 

The  details  of  this  sanguinary  battle  need  not  be  further  pursued  ;  they 
are  emblazoned  on  the  pages  of  many  a  history.  The  assault  was  hopeless 
from  the  beginning,  and  while  its  bloody  scenes  were  being  enacted  under  the 
watchful  eye  of  the  brilliant  French  general,  Abercrombie  looked  after  the  wel- 
fare of  his  noble  person  amid  the  security  of  the  saw-mills,  two  miles  from  the 
battle-field.  All  day  long  the  battle  raged,  and  between  the  hours  of  six  and 
seven  the  heroic  columns  still  continued  to  charge  upon  the  French  lines.  But 
the  time  for  retreat  had  arrived  ;  it  should  have  arrived  earlier,  and  regiment 
after  regiment,  weary  and  decimated  and  without  any  general  order,  retired  to 
the  camp,  their  retreat  covered  by  the  provincials.  Then  followed  one  of 
those  strange  panics  to  which  armies,  made  up  of  the  bravest  material,  have  of- 
ten been  subject.  From  some  influence  that  is  difficult  to  comprehend,  a  feel- 
ing of  terror  spead  through  the  ranks,  and  a  wild  flight  ensued.  Nothing  but 
the  prompt  firmness  of  Bradstreet  prevented  further  sacrifice.  That  imme- 
diate pursuit  did  not  follow  was  due  only  to  the  comparative  feebleness  of  the 
enemy  and  the  impracticability  of  traversing  the  forest  without  Indian  guides. 
De  Levis  went  over  the  track  of  Abercrombie's  army  on  the  morning  of  the 
loth  and  found  only  the  vestiges  of  a  routed  host;  and  before  that  hour  the 
English  general  had  dishonorably  placed  the  length  of  Lake  George  between 
him  and  his  conquerors. 

Abercrombie  admitted  the  loss  of  about  two  thousand  men,  but  the  French 
placed  it  much  heavier,  claiming  their  own  to  be  less  than  five  hundred. 
Boulamarque  was  severly  and  Bougainville  slightly  wounded. 

This  terrible  and  probably  unnecessary  catastrophe  was  partially  offset  by 
the  successful  siege  of  Frontenac,  which  capitulated  to  Bradstreet  on  the  26th 
of  August,  but  the  while  Abercrombie  dallied  in  helpless  indecision,  Montcalm, 
reinforced  on  the  12th  of  July  by  the  younger  Vaudreuil  with  three  thousand 
Canadians,  and  by  six  hundred  Indians  on  the  i8th,  ^  was  vigilant  and  persist- 
ent, striking  wherever  and  whenever  he  could  detect  a  vulnerable  point. 

"  On  Friday,  the  20th  of  July,  succeeding  this  event,"  says  Holden,  in  his 
History  of  Qiieensbury ,  "  a  detachment  of  four  hundred  men,  consisting  of  Ca- 
nadians and  Indians,  under  the  command  of  M.  de  Luc  la  Come,  a  colonial  of- 
ficer, attacked  an  English  force  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  consisting  of 
teamsters  and  an  escort  of  soldiers,  while  on  their  way  from  the  station  at  the 
Half-way  Brook,  to  the  camp  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  The  account  here  given 
is  as  nearly  as  can  be  remembered  in  the  language  of  a  Mr.  Jones,  of  Connec- 
ticut, who  was  a  member  of  Putnam's  company  which  arrived  on  the  ground 
soon  after  the  affray  took  place.  In  the  year  1822  he  related  the  circum- 
stances as  here  recorded  to  the  late  Herman  Peck,  esq.,  of  this  place,  while 
on  a  visit  to  Connecticut.     It  is  from  Mr.  Peck  that   I  obtained  the   narrative, 

1  Abercrombie  uses  the  fact  of  the  arrival  of  these  reinforcements  to  justify  himself  for  attacking  the 
French  before  the  arrival  of  his  artillery. 


io6  History  of  Warren  County. 

which  corresponds  so  completelj^  with  the   French   version   of  the   affair  that 
there  can  be  no  question  whatever  as  to  its  general  accuracy  and  rehabiiity. 

"  A  baggage  train  of  sixty  carts,  each  cart  drawn  by  two  or  three  yoke  of 
oxen,  accompanied  by  an  unusually  large  escort  of  troops,  was  dispatched 
from  Fort  Edward  to  the  head  of  Lake  George  with  supplies  for  the  troops  of 
General  Abercrombie,  who  lay  encamped  at  that  point  with  a  force  of  twelve 
thousand  men.  This  party  halted  for  the  night  at  the  stockade  post  at  the 
Half-way  Brook.  As  they  resumed  their  march  in  the  morning,  and  before 
the  escort  had  fairly  cleared  the  picketed  enclosure,  they  were  suddenly  at- 
tacked by  a  large  party  of  French  and  Indians  which  lay  concealed  in  the 
thick  bushes  and  reeds  that  bordered  the  stream,  and  lined  the  road  on  both 
sides  along  the  low  lands  between  the  block-house  and  the  Blind  Rock. 

"The  night  previous  to  this  ambuscade  and  slaughter,  Putnam's  company 
of  rangers,  having  been  to  the  lake  to  procure  supplies,  encamped  at  the  flats 
near  the  southern  spur  of  the  French  Mountain.  In  the  early  morning  they 
were  aroused  from  their  slumbers  by  the  sound  of  heavy  firing  in  a  southerly 
direction,  and  rolling  up  their  blankets  they  sprang  to  their  arms  and  hastened 
rapidly  forward  to  the  scene  of  action,  a  distancfe  of  about  four  miles.  They 
arrived  only  in  time  to  find  the  slaughtered  carcasses  of  some  two  hundred 
and  fifty  oxen,  the  mangled  remains  of  the  soldiers,  women  and  teamsters,  and 
the  broken  fragments  of  the  two-wheeled  carts,  which  constituted  in  that  prim- 
itive age  the  sole  mode  of  inland  transportation. 

"  The  provisions  and  stores  had  been  plundered  and  destroyed.  Among 
the  supplies  were  a  large  number  of  boxes  of  chocolate  which  had  been  broken 
open  and  their  contents  strewed  upon  the  ground,  which,  dissolving  in  the  fer- 
vid heat  of  the  summer  sun,  mingled  with  the  pools  and  rivulets  of  blood,  form- 
ing a  sickening  and  revolting  spectacle.  The  convoy  had  been  ambushed  and 
attacked  immediately  after  leaving  the  protection  of  the  stockade  post,  and  the 
massacre  took  place  upon  the  flats  between  the  Half-way  Brook  and  the  Blind 
Rock,  or  what  is  more  commonly  known  at  the  present  day  as  the  Miller 
place. 

"Putnam,  with  his  command,  took  the  trail  of  the  marauders,  which  soon 
became  strewed  with  fragments  of  plunder  dropped  by  the  rapidly  retreating 
savages. 

"  They  were  followed  to  Ganaouske  Bay,  on  the  west  side  of  Lake  George, 
where  Putnam  arrived  only  in  time  to  find  them  embarked  in  their  canoes,  at  a 
safe  distance  from  musket  shot,  on  the  waters  of  the  lake ;  and  their  discovery 
was  responded  to  by  insulting  and  obscene  gestures,  and  yells  of  derision  and 
defiance.  The  provincials  returned  immediately  to  the  scene  of  the  butchery, 
where  they  found  a  company  from  Fort  Edward  engaged  in  preparing  a  trench 
for  the  interment  of  the  dead. 

"  Over  one  hundred  of  the  soldiers  composing  the  escort  were  slain,  many 


Continuation  of  French  and  English  War.  107 

of  whom  were  recognized  as  officers,  from  their  uniform,  consisting  in  part  of 
red  velvet  breeches.  The  corpses  of  twelve  females  weVe  mingled  with  the 
dead  bodies  of  the  soldiery.  All  the  teamsters  were  supposed  to  have  been 
killed.  While  the  work  of  burial  was  going  forward  the  rangers  occupied 
themselves  in  searching  the  trails  leading  through  the  dense  underbrush  and 
tangled  briars  which  covered  the  swampy  plains.  Several  dead  bodies  were 
by  these  means  added  to  the  already  large  number  of  the  slain.  On  the  side 
of  one  of  these  trails,  the  narrator  of  these  events  saw  a  new  unhemmed  ban- 
dana handkerchief  fluttering  from  the  twigs'  of  an  old  tree  that  lay  among  the 
weeds  near  the  brook.  This  he  found  perforated  with  a  charge  of  buck  shot, 
part  of  which  remained  enveloped  in  its  folds. 

"  Following  up  the  trail,  he  soon  found  the  corpse  of  a  woman  which  had 
been  exposed  to  the  most  barbarous  indignities  and  mutilations,  and  fastened 
in  an  upright  position  to  a  sapling  which  had  been  bent  over  for  that  purpose. 
All  of  the  bodies  had  been  scalped,  and  most  of  them  mangled  in  a  horrible 
manner. 

"  One  of  the  oxen  had  no  other  injury  than  to  have  one  of  its  horns  cut 
out ;  it  was  still  alive  and  bellowing  with  agony.  This  they  were  obliged  to 
kill. 

"  Another  ox  had  been  regularly  scalped.  This  animal  was  afterwards 
driven  to  the  lake,  where  it  immediately  became  an  object  of  sympathy  and  at- 
tention of  the  whole  army.  By  careful  attendance  and  nursing,  the  wound 
healed  in  the  course  of  the  season.  In  the  fall  the  animal  was  driven  down  to 
the  farm  of  Colonel  Schuyler,  near  Albany,  and  the  following  year  was  shipped 
to  England  for  exhibition  as  a  curiosity.  Far  and  wide  it  was  known  as  the 
scalped  ox.  The  bodies  of  the  dead  were  buried  in  a  trench  near  the  scene  of 
massacre,  a  few  rods  east  of  the  picketed  enclosure.  The  French  version  of 
the  affair  states  'the  oxen  were  killed,  the  carts  burnt,  the  property  pillaged  by 
the  Indians,  one  hundred  and  ten  scalps  were  secured,  and  eighty-four  prison- 
ers taken ;  of  these  twelve  are  women  and  girls.  The  escort  which  was  de- 
feated consisted  of  forty  men  commanded  by  a  lieutenant  who  has  been  taken. 
The  remainder  who  were  killed  or  taken  prisoners  consisted  of  wagoners, 
sutlers,  traders,  women  and  children.  The  English  'tis  known  feel  this  loss 
very  sensibly.  Some  baggage  and  effects  belonging  to  General  Abercrombie, 
as  well  as  his  music,  were  among  the  plunder.  On  the  news  of  this  defeat, 
the  English  general  sent  a  very  considerable  force  in  pursuit,  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  partisan  Robert  Rogers,  but  he  was  too  late.  He  was  on  the 
point  of  returning,  when,  on  the  advice  of  a  colonial  gunner,  a  deserter,  he  re- 
ceived orders  to  lay  in  ambush  to  surprise  a  third  detachment  which  the  Mar- 
quis de  Montcalm  had  just  dispatched  under  the  orders  of  M.  Marin,  a  colonial 
officer  of  great  reputation.  This  detachment  was  composed  of  fifty  regulars, 
one  hundred  Canadians,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians.     That  of  the  enemy, 


io8  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  about  seven  hundred  men.  They  met  in  the  woods,  about  seven  o'clock  in 
the  morning  of  the  eighth  of  August,  and  in  spite  of  superior  numbers,  M. 
Marin  made  his  arrangements  to  fight  the  enemy. 

"  He  forced  them  to  waver  by  two  volleys,  which  killed  a  great  many;  but 
having  been  supported  by  the  regulars,  they  rallied,  and  the  firing  was  brisk  on 
both  sides  for  nearly  an  hour.  M.  Marin,  perceiving  that  they  were  receiving 
a  reinforcement,  and  that  the  Indians,  who  feared  that  they  would  not  be  able 
to  carry  off  some  wounded,  demanding  to  retire,  he  was  obliged  to  think  of  re- 
treating, which  he  did  in  good  order,  and  without  being  pursued,  after  having, 
for  an  hour  longer  kept  up  a  fire  with  such  picked  men  as  he  had,  who  per- 
formed prodigies  of  valor.  The  Indians,  in  general,  have  also  behaved  well; 
but  of  one  hundred  Canadians,  more  than  sixty  deserted  M.  Marin,  no  one 
knows  wherefore,  at  the  very  moment  when  the  English  were  wavering.  The 
English  loss  is  reported  in  this  account  at  upwards  of  two  hundred  killed  and 
two  officers  taken  prisoners.  The  French  loss  is  stated  at  ten  killed  and  eleven 
wounded.  The  scene  of  this  engagement  was  near  Fort  Anne.'  Rogers's  jour- 
nal estimates  the  French  loss  at  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine." 

Putnam  and  a  few  others  were  cut  off  from  the  main  body.  The  men  were 
slain,  and  Putnam  captured  and  securely  bound  to  a  tree.  As  the  changes  of  the 
battle  surged  around  him,  he  was  placed  at  times  between  the  fire  of  the 
contending  parties  and  his  garments  torn  by  the  shots,  alike  by  friend  and  foe. 
While  in  this  helpless  condition,  a  young  Indian  approached  and  amused  him- 
self with  the  strange  pastime  of  hurling  his  tomahawk  at  the  prisoner,  practic- 
ing how  near  he  could  approach  without  hitting  the  mark.  A  still  more  sav- 
age Canadian  presented  his  gun  at  Putnam's  breast,  but  it  missed  fire.  He 
then  indulged  his  fierce  passions  by  inflicting  upon  the  prisoner  several  severe 
wounds  with  the  butt  of  the  weapon.  When  the  French  were  repulsed  and  com- 
menced their  retreat,  his  Indian  captor  released  Putnam  and  extended  to  him 
that  mysterious  tenderness  and  care  with  which  the  Indians  treat  their  victims 
destined  to  the  torture.  The  savages  encamped  at  night,  and  then  the  strange 
motive  that  actuated  this  kindness  was  revealed.  Putnam,  stripped  of  his 
clothing,  was  again  tied  to  a  sappling ;  dried  fagots  were  piled  about  him,  the 
torch  applied,  and  while  the  smoke  and  crackling  flames  began  to  ascend,  the 
thoughts  of  the  brave  ranger  dwelt  upon  his  happy  home  and  prattling  children. 
When  the  agony  of  death  in  this  frightful  form  was  almost  passed,  the  generous 
Marin,  who  had  learned  of  his  peril,  rushed  to  the  spot,  and  bursting  through 
the  circle  of  shouting  savages,  scattered  the  firebrands  and  rescued  the  victim. 
In  the  ensuing  autumn  Putnam  was  exchanged  and  returned  to  new  fields  of 
glory,  but  to  none  of  such  appalling  horror. 

About  this  time  there  were  three  picketed  forts  or  stockades  constructed 
along  the  line  of  the  old  military  road.  One  was  "  on  what  was  then  called 
Picket  Brook,  a  small  rivulet  which  crosses  the  plank  road  about  one-eighth  of 


Extinction  of  French  Power  in  America.  109 

a  mile  south  of  the  upper  toll-gate  by  Brown's  Half-way  House  (at  French 
Mountain),  and  empties  into  a  stream  known  in  the  earlier  annals  of  the  town 
as  Hampshire  Creek  or  Rocky  Brook,  but  now  called  Trout  Brook.  This  for- 
tification was  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  rivulet,  to  which  led  a  covered 
way,  even  now  to  be  distinctly  traced.  It  was  called  Fort  Williams. "^  One 
was  at  Half-way  Brook,  and  was  used  as  a  depot  for  provisions  and  stores.  A 
third,  "  capable  of  accommodating  about  three  hundred  men  was  built  some- 
where near  the  site  of  Richards's  steam  saw-mill,  on  the  berme  side  of  the 
Glens  Falls  feeder,  and  east  of  the  bridge  on  the  road  leading  to  Sandy  Hill. 
Connected  with  this  fort  was  a  burial  ground  which  has  been  in  use 
so  lately  as  since  the  Revolutionary  war."  ^ 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EXTINCTION  OF  FRENCH    POWER  IN  AMERICA. 

Continuation  of  the  Famine  —  Exigencies  of  tlie  French — Montcalm's  Prophecies  —  Pitt's  Zeal 
and  its  Effect  —  The  Proposed  Campaign  —  Abercrombie's  Recall  and  Amherst's  Appointment  —  His 
Extensive  Military  Preparations  —  Assembling  His  Army — Montcalm  Asks  to  be  Recalled  —  Capture 
of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  by  Amherst  —  Fort  Gage  —  Destruction  of  the  Indian  Village  of  St. 
Francis  —  Rogers's  Wonderful  Expedition  —  Amherst's  Fleet  and  its  Operations  —  Gen.  Wolfe  before 
Quebec  —  Fall  of  the  City  —  Montcalm  and  Wolfe  Killed  —  Strengthening  of  Crown  Point  and  Ticon- 
deroga —  Campaign  of  1 760  —  Extinction  of  French  Power  in  the  New  World. 

WHILE  the  events  recorded  in  the  preceding  chapter  would  seem  to  in- 
dicate an  early  approaching  triumph  of  the  French  cause  in  America, 
the  reverse  was  the  fact.  Canada  was  suffering  the  actual  horrors  of  famine 
and  was  almost  depopulated  of  males  who  had  reached  maturity,  to  swell  the 
ranks  of  the  military.  The  ocean  teemed  with  British  ships,  rendering  it  prac- 
tically impossible  for  France  to  grant  the  appeal :  "  We  want  provisions  ;  we 
want  powder ;  and  France  should  send  ten  thousand  men  to  preserve  the  col- 
ony." For  three  years,  against  odds  that  would,  in  any  other  hands  than  those 
of  the  incompetent  English  commanders,  have  crushed  him  in  a  single  cam- 
paign, the  brave  Montcalm  had  preserved  the  French  possessions ;  but  in  the 
spring  of  1759  he  wrote  the  government  minister  :  "  If  the  war  continues,  Can- 
ada will  belong  to  England,  perhaps  this  campaign  or  the  next."  And  then 
referring  to  the  gross  corruption,  jealous  wrangles  and  insolence  of  the  French 
officials  towards  the  Canadians,  added  in  the  same  letter:  "  If  there  be  peace 
the  colony  is  lost  unless  the  entire  government  is  changed."     Moreover,  a  feel- 

1  Hoi.I)I-;n's  History  of  Qiiefnsbnry.  2  Ibid. 


no  History  of  Warren  County. 

ing  of  jealousy  and  ill-will  had  grown  up  between  Montcalm  and  Vaudreuil 
and  was  fostered  by  the  brilliant  military  exploits  of  the  former ;  while  the  lat- 
ter, from  his  position  of  authority,  carried  to  the  throne  imputations  against 
Montcalm  of  insubordination,  neglect  of  instructions,  lack  of  adaptation  to  the 
command  in  Canada,  and  a  personal  deportment  that  alienated  the  alliance  of 
the  Indians.  This  spirit  was  reflected  upon  and  infused  into  the  army,  while 
the  savages,  although  still  professing  fealty,  failed  to  rally  to  the  French  cause 
as  they  had  formerly  done.  A  large  body  of  warriors  had  been  promised 
Montcalm  at  Ticonderoga,  with  the  aid  of  which  he  felt  that  he  could  have 
successfully  pursued  and  overwhelmed  Abercrombie.  The  warriors  did  not 
appear  until  too  late,  when  they  were  rebuked  by  Montcalm.  ^  The  chiefs  com- 
plained to  Vaudreuil  and  he  promptly  carried  their  complaints  to  Versailles. 

While  this  untoward  state  of  affairs  with  the  French  was  growing  worse, 
the  zeal  of  Pitt  was  stirring  the  sluggish  British  to  action.  The  proposed  cam- 
paign involved,  besides  the  conquest  of  Ticonderoga,  the  capture  of  Fort  Ni- 
agara and  the  siege  of  Quebec.  On  the  27th  of  July  General  Prideaux,  who 
was  joined  by  Johnson  at  Oswego,  appeared  before  Niagara,  but  the  siege  had 
scarcely  begun  when  he  was  slain.  Johnson  then  assumed  command  and  the 
siege  continued.  On  the  24th  a  large  body  of  French  and  Indians  attempted 
to  raise  the  siege.  A  sharp  conflict  ensued  and  the  effort  was  defeated.  The 
garrison  surrendered  the  next  day. 

With  the  fall  of  Louisburg,  as  already  recorded,  General  Amherst  em- 
barked four  or  five  regiments  and  hurried  to  Boston,  whence  he  marched 
across  the  country  for  Lake  George,  reaching  there  in  October  (1758).  Ab- 
ercrombie had  already  been  recalled  (September)  and  Amherst  given  the  com- 
mand of  all  the  forces  in  North  America,  which  he  assumed  in  November.^ 

Amherst  2  began  at  once  his  preparations  for  an  active  campaign.  He 
proved  to  be  the  right  man  for  the  emergency ;  and  the  colonies  had  need  of 
all  their  confidence  in  him  and  his  proposed  measures,  for  he  called  for  more 
than  seventeen  hundred  recruits,  a  number  that  appalled  them,  coming  as  an 
addition  to  their  already  heavy  sacrifices.  But  inspired  by  the  enthusiasm  of 
Pitt  and  relying  on  the  genius  of  Amherst,  the  colonies  yielded  up  their  men 
and  means. 

Rogers,  with  an  augmented  force  of  rangers,  under  Stark  and  other  Indian 

1  When  the  chiefs  proposed  to  take  the  war  path  toward  Fort  Edward,  Montcalm  told  them  to 
"go  to  the  d— 1." 

2  Abercrombie  returned  to  England ;  evaded  censure ;  was  gladdened  by  promotion,  and  4ived 
to  vote  as  a  member  of  Parliament  for  the  taxation  of  a  country,  which  his  imbecility  might  have  lost, 
and  which  was  always  the  object  of  his  malignant  aspersions.  —  Bancroft. 

3  Amherst,  without  any  claim  to  brilliancy  or  genius,  was  calculated  to  command  success  by  the 
excellence  of  his  judgment,  his  prudent  circumspection,  and  persevering  firmness.  His  character  and 
policy  had  secured  to  him  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  colonies.  His  measures  were  not  stimu- 
lated by  the  arrogance  of  Braddock,  nor  trammeled  by  the  feebleness  and  indecision  of  Abercrombie, 
nor  dishonored  by  the  pusillanimity  of  Webb.  —  Watson'. 


Extinction  of  French  Power  in  America.  i  i  i 

veteran  fighters,  was  constantly  on  the  move,  harassing  the  enemy's  outposts, 
capturing  prisoners,  sometimes  singly  and  often  in  considerable  numbers,  but 
always  enduring  the  severest  hardships  and  occasionally  suffering  defeat.  The 
shores  of  Lake  George  and  the  upper  end  of  Lake  Champlain  constituted  the 
field  of  operations,  and  there  was  hardly  a  mile  contiguous  to  the  banks  of  either 
from  Fort  George  to  Crown  Point  that  was  not  the  scene  of  some  thrilling  in- 
cident connected  with  the  war. 

"  General  Gage,  -who  was  a  prominent  officer  in  Amherst's  campaign,  being 
assigned  to  leading  and  important  duties,  with  a  strong  detachment  was  sent 
forward  in  advance  of  the  main  army,  and  taking  position  at  the  head  of  the 
lake,  proceeded  to  the  erection  of  some  temporary  defenses  on  a  commanding 
eminence,  spoken  of  as  Element  Hill  in  one  of  the  soldier's  journals,  to  the 
west  of  the  old  Fort  William  Henry,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Fort 
Gage.i  in  honor  of  its  builder.  Gage  was  soon  after  joined  by  Stark  with 
three  companies  of  rangers.  Rogers,  with  the  other  three  companies,  remained 
at  Fort  Edward,  engaged  in  frequent  scouts  and  reconnaissances,  under  the 
immediate  supervision  of  Amherst  in  person  " 

Continuing  our  extract  from  Dr.  Holden  :  "The  main  body  of  the  army 
was  put  in  motion  in  the  early  part  of  June,  and  after  three  days'  march  Gen- 
eral Amherst  encamped  with  his  entire  force  at  Fort  Edward.  Here  the  troops 
were  again  placed  under  a  rigid  system  of  discipline,  exercise,  and  drill  to  pre- 
pare them  for  their  coming  duties.  The  raw  and  inexperienced  provincials 
who  composed  the  greater  portion  of  the  army,  unused  to  the  irksome  and 
rigid  requirements  of  stern  military  rules,  soon  manifested  a  disposition  to  re- 
turn to  the  homes  from  which  they  had  been  so  unceremoniously  torn.  Wear- 
ied and  heartsick  of  the  monotonous  camp  duties  assigned  them,  with  a  certain 
prospect  of  a  dangerous  march  and  a  sanguinary  battle-field  before  them,  the 
spirit  of  insubordination  2  and  desertion  spread  to  an  alarming  extent;  the  pro- 
vincials by  twos,  threes  and  even  whole  platoons  stealing  off  to  the  woods,  de- 
spite the  most  exacting  vigilance,  and  animated  appeals  to  their  patriotism  and 
courage.  At  length  Amherst  found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  the  terrible  death 
penalty  to  stay  the  progress  of  the  alarming  defection   in   his   fast  dwindling 

1  Holden  in  his  History  of  Queensliury,  from  which  the  above  extract  is  taken,  says,  in  afoot-note, 
concerning  this  fort  that  he  "has  sought  diUigently  for  some  account  or  description  of  this  fortification, 
whose  name  and  site,  tradition  has  preserved  for  more  than  a  century,  but  none  has  been  found.  It  is 
on  the  authority  of  the  late  Hon.  William  Hay,  of  Saratoga  Springs,  that  the  period  above  named  is 
given  as  the  date  of  its  construction.  It  was  probably  little  more  than  a  redoubt,  and  intended  as  a 
flank  support  to  the  main  fortifications  now  known  as  the  ruins  of  Fort  George." 

2  Thomas  Burk,  waggoner,  tryed  by  a  court  martiall  of  the  line  for  abusing  and  offering  to  strick 
his  officer  at  Half-way  brook,  is  found  guilty  of  the  crime  laid  to  his  charge,  and  sentenced  to  receive 
four  hundred  lashes.  The  general  approves  of  the  above  sentence,  and  orders  that  the  said  Thomas 
Burk  is  marched  to-morrow  morning  at  5  o'clock  by  the  provost  guard,  regiment  to  regiment  and  that 
he  receives  30  lashes  at  each  of  the  four  regular  regiments,  beginning  at  Forbse's  and  so  on  to  the  right. 
That  he  also  receives  30  lashes  each  atthe  head  of  8  provincial  regiments,  and  40  at  the  head  of  Schuy- 
ler's.—Wilso.n's  Orderly  Book. 


112  History  of  Warren  County. 


army.  Four  deserters,  Dunwood,  Ward,  Rogers  and  Harris  by  name,  were 
apprehended,  and  after  a  trial  by  court  martial,  were  shot  in  the  sight  of  the 
whole  army,  which  was  drawn  out  in  battle  array  to  witness  the  execution. 
This  stringent  measure  had  the  desired  effect  in  stopping  the  progress  of  de- 
sertion." 1 

"Towards  the  close  of  June,  the  army,  amounting  to  six  thousand  men,  pre- 
ceded by  Rogers's  rangers,  advanced  in  two  colums  to  the  head  of  Lake 
George,  where  they  erected  their  camp,  very  nearly  on  the  ground  occupied 
by  Abecrombie  the  year  before.  On  the  following  day  Amherst  traced  a 
plan  for  a  fortification  near  the  camp  ground,  which  was  soon  afterwards  con- 
structed, and  whose  ruins  are  now  crumbling  in  massive  piles  upon  the  shrub- 
grown  eminence  to  the  east  of  the  village  of  Caldwell.  While  the  army 
remained  posted  at  this  position,  several  days  elapsed  in  bringing  up,  from  the 
various  posts  below,  the  artillery,  heavy  stores,  boats  and  baggage,  necessary 
for  prosecuting  the  siege  of  Forts  Carillon  and  St.  Frederic. 

"During  this  time  the  corvette,  Halifax,  which  had  been  sunk  at  the  head 
of  the  lake  after  Abecrombie's  retreat  the  preceding  year,  was  raised  and  re- 
fitted, together  with  several  bateaux,  and  a  large  floating  battery,  in  which 
labor  Captain  Loring  of  the  English  navy,  lent  his  most  efficient  aid.  In  the 
mean  time  several  skirmishes  both  by  land  and  water  occurred  between  the 
scouting  parties  of  the  opposing  forces,  in  the  majority  of  which  the  French 
were  triumphant." 

During  the  ensuing  month  Amherst's  army  was  swelled  to  more  than  eleven 
thousand  effective  men,  and  on  the  2ist  of  July,  1759,  the  bosom  of  Lake 
George  was  again  the  scene  of  a  gorgeous  array  of  boats  bearing  this  army 
towards  their  enemies.  A  landing  was  made  on  the  eastern  shore,  nearly  op- 
posite Howe's  Cove,  whence  he  was  prepared  for  his  successful  march  against 
Ticonderoga. 

The  unhappy  condition  of  the  French  had  already  impelled  Montcalm  to 
ask  repeatedly  for  his  own  recall,  a  request  that  was  as  often  endorsed  by  Vau- 
dreuil ;  but  the  home  government  appreciated  the  genius  of  the  general  at  its 
true  value  and  sent  him  the  following  dispatch  :  "  You  must  not  expect  to  re- 
ceive any  military  reinforcements ;  we  will  convey  all  the  provisions  and  am- 
munition possible ;    the   rest  depends   on   your   wisdom  and  courage  and  the 

1^  Of  the  seveiily  of  the  discipline  followed  in  this  campaign,  the  following  is  an  illustration. 

"Ticonderoga,  3d  August,  1759. 

"  George  Edwards  a  deserter  from  the  I7tli  regiment  is  to  suffer  death.  The  Picquits  of  the  line  to 
assemble  immediately  in  front  of  Montgomerys.  The  commanding  officer  of  Forbes  will  order  that 
remment  to  erect  a  gallows  imediately  on  the  battery  in  front  of  Montgomerys,  where  the  prisoner, 
Geori^e  Edwards  is  to  be  hanged  in  his  French  coat,  with  a  libbleon  his  breast,  Hanged  for  deserihig 
to  tlie  French.  He  is  to  be  hanging  all  clay  and  at  the  retreat  beating  he  is  to  be  buried  very  deep  under 
the  gallows,  and  his  French  coat  with  him.  This  to  bo  put  in  execution  instantly,  and  if  the  provost 
martiall  does  not  find  a  Irangman,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  I'icquitts  will  order  that  provost  mar- 
tial! does  it  himself."— Wii.so.x's  Orderly  Book,  p.  113. 


Extinction  of  French  Power  in  America.  113 

bravery  of  your  troops."  Our  sympathy  must  go  out  to  the  gallant  officer 
who  was  constrained  to  turn  his  thoughts  from  his  family  and  his  wasting  es- 
tate and  give  up  his  life  for  a  falling  fabric.  He  wrote  a  friend  in  France  :  "There 
are  situations  where  nothing  remains  for  a  general  but  to  die  with  honor.  " 

Amherst  arranged  his  forces  in  four  columns,  the  center  ones  consisting  en- 
tirely of  regulars,  and  led  by  himself,  while  the  two  flanking  columns,  com- 
posed mainly  of  provincial  troops,  were  commanded  by  General  Gage.  His 
whole  force  numbered  eleven  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-three  men, 
with  a  section  of  the  royal  artillery  and  fifty- four  guns  of  various  calibre. 

On  the  2 1st  of  July  the  army  landed  and  bivouacked  at  the  same  point 
where  Abercrombie  had  camped  the  year  before.  The  next  day  they  reached 
the  foot  of  the  lake  and  disembarked.  Rogers  with  his  rangers  pushed  for- 
ward across  the  mountain  ridge,  and  took  possession  of  the  bridge  and  saw- 
mills at  the  lower  falls.  On  what  is  now  known  as  Mount  Hope  they  were  met 
by  a  squad  of  French  and  Indians  and  a  skirmish  followed.  The  latter  were 
readily  dispersed  and  retreated  hastily  to  the  fort.  That  night  Amherst  with 
his  whole  force  occupied  the  heights  around  the  fort,  resting  upon  their  arms. 

The  next  morning  the  rangers  were  pushed  forward  to  a  point  on  the  shore 
of  the  lake  partly  flanking  the  enemy's  batteries,  while  a  force  attacked  the 
works  in  front,  carrying  the  first  entrenchment  and  forcing  the  enemy  inside 
the  fort.  While  these  preliminary  operations  were  going  on  the  provincials 
were  engaged  in  hauling  the  artillery  and  ammunition  over  the  "  carrying- 
place  "  from  Lake  George.  As  soon  as  the  artillery  was  in  position  and  his 
lines  formed  Amherst  moved  forward  to  make  the  final  assault.  To  his  sur- 
prise he  found  the  entrenchments  almost  unoccupied.  The  circumstances  sur- 
rounding the  abandonment  of  the  post  by  the  French,  as  narrated  in  Holden's 
History  of  Queensbury,  were  as  follows :  — 

"  The  defense  of  the  frontier  of  Lake  St.  Sacrament  and  fortress  of  Carillon 
was  entrusted  at  this  time  to  M.  de  Boulemarque,  an  officer  of  distinguished 
ability,  who  for  two  campaigns  had  served  with  great  success  in  this  vicinity. 
The  garrison  consisted  of  one  battahon  of  the  regiment  of  La  Reine,  two  bat- 
talions of  the  regiments  of  Berry,  one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  detached  from 
the  other  five  battalions,  an  equal  number  of  soldiers  of  the  marine,  and  eight 
hundred  provincial  militia,  making  an  aggregate  of  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred men.  His  instructions,  based  upon  dispatches  recently  received  from  the 
court  of  France,  were  not  to  hazard  an  engagement  but  to  fall  back  before  the 
advance  of  the  English  army,  and  take  position  upon  an  island  in  the  river  St. 
John  which  was  judged  to  be  the  post  best  adapted  to  protect  the  frontier. 
The  main  body  of  the  French  and  Canadian  forces  were  at  this  time  drawn 
away  by  Montcalm  to  the  north  for  the  defense  of  the  almost  impregnable 
stronghold  of  Quebec,  which  was  being  threatened  by  the  veteran  brigades 
under  the  command  of  the  daring  Wolfe. 


114  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  M.  de  Boulemarque,  finding  the  English  army  too  well  prepared  for  an 
attack,  and  he  being  too  circumspect  to  trust  the  event  of  a  siege,  prudently  re- 
solved to  act  in  conformity  with  his  instructions  and  abandon  the  fortress  to 
its  inevitable  fate.  Accordingly  preparations  were  made  for  a  retreat,  and 
during  the  night  of  the  23d  the  main  division  of  the  army  filed  noiselessly  out 
and  retired  to  their  boats.  The  final  defense  of  the  post  was  committed  to  the 
care  of  Captain  d'Hebecourt  and  four  hundred  men.  During  the  retreat  of 
the  main  body  the  attention  of  the  British  army  was  diverted  by  the  assault  of 
this  small  force  upon  the  entrenchments.  This  threw  the  English  lines  into 
such  confusion  that  they  fired  upon  each  other,  thus  enabling  the  assaulting 
party  to  retire  in  safety  to  their  defenses.  In  this  affray  the  English  lost  six- 
teen men.  During  the  next  three  days  the  fire  from  the  French  batteries  was 
maintained  with  great  activity  and  effect  holding  the  English  well  in  check. 
Among  the  killed  in  these  discharges  was  Colonel  Townsend,  assistant  adju- 
tant-general, an  officer  of  great  ability  and  universally  beloved  throughout  the 
army. 

"  During  this  period  the  English  engineers  were  busily  engaged  in  plant- 
ing siege  batteries,  while  a  portion  of  the  army  was  employed  in  preparing 
fascines.  At  the  same  time  a  portion  of  the  rangers  was  dispatched  on  a 
scout  to  CroWn  Point.  To  Major  Rogers  was  entrusted  the  important  duty  of 
cutting  away  a  large  boom  which  the  French  had  built  across  the  narrow  part 
of  the  lake,  opposite  the  fort,  to  obstruct  the  navigation 

"  On  the  evening  of  the  26th  some  deserters  brought  to  the  English  camp 
intelligence  that  the  French  had  abandoned  the  fort,  and  that,  in  expectation 
of  an  assault  from  the  besieging  army,  a  slow  match  had  been  left  burning 
which  connected  with  the  magazine  and  battery,  every  gun  of  which  was  loaded 
to  the  muzzle  with  grape,  canister  and  chain  shot.  In  addition  to  this,  several 
mines  charged  with  the  most  destructive  missiles  were  sprung  beneath  the  for- 
tifications. This  timely  notice  saved  the  English  forces.  At  ten  o'clock  at 
night,  in  the  sight  of  th-  whole  British  army,  which  was  drawn  out  in  antici- 
pation of  the  spectacle,  the  most  terrific  explosion  took  place.  Running  along 
the  cleft  chasms  in  the  rocky  ground  the  yellow  fire  rushed,  greedily  lapping 
with  the  forked  tongues  of  its  lambent  flame  the  gaping  crevices  in  the  massive 
masonry,  that  trembled,  reeled  and  fell,  while  the  solid  earth  for  many  rods 
shook  as  with  the  throes  of  an  earthquake.  One  after  another  the  guns  of  the 
fortress  flashed  out  from  the  sulphurous  glow  that  invested  the  ruined  pile,  and 
their  sharp  reports  were  slowly  answered  by  long,  dull  echoes  from  the  deep 
caverns  beneath.  Bombs,  grenades  and  rockets,  booming  and  whirring  through 
the  heavy  night  air,  exploded  in  every  direction,  trailing  earthward  long  and 
glittering  lines  of  various  colored  light.  Soon,  through  the  dim  haze  of  smoke 
and  vapor  the  glaring  red  light  of  the  barracks  and  woodwork  of  the  fortress 
burst  forth,  revealing  through  the  veil  of  surrounding  gloom,  the  ruined  wrecks 


Extinction  of  French  Power  in  America.  115 

hurled  in  unsightly  piles  along  the  line  of  fortification,  while  here  and  there  a 
long  gaping  fissure  in  the  smoking  earth  exhibited  the  direction  of  the  mines, 
and  the  tremendous  agencies  which  had  toppled  down  the  massive  ramparts 
and  towering  bastions  from  their  rocky  bases."  ^ 

General  Amherst,  mistaking  the  then  inevitable  current  of  events  and  con- 
sequently magnifying  the  importance  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  after 
their  capture,  began  the  work  of  erecting  a  new  fortress  near  the  site  of  St. 
Frederic  but  of  vastly  greater  strength  and  magnitude.  The  conquest  of  Can- 
ada left  the  fortification  useless  and  unfinished  after  an  expenditure  of  more 
than  ten  million  dollars.  He  also  began  the  vigorous  construction  of  a  naval 
flotilla  for  Lake  Champlain  which  should  permanently  secure  its  conquest. 
While  this  work  was  progressing  two  measures  of  considerable  importance  were 
ordered  by  Amherst.  The  first  was  the  construction  of  a  military  road  from 
Crown  Point  to  Charlestown  on  the  Connecticut  River.  This  was  an  improve- 
ment of  great  value  at  that  time  and  opened  up  a  large  territory  to  settlement 
earlier  than  would  have  been  the  case  without  it.  It  is  said  that  the  remains 
of  this  work  may  still  be  traced.  The  other  measure  contemplated  the  de- 
struction of  the  Indian  village  of  St.  Francis  on  the  river  of  that  name  about 
midway  between  Montreal  and  Quebec.  Rogers  was  selected  for  the  under- 
taking and  given  command  of  one  hundred  and  forty-two  men.  He  descended 
the  lake  with  caution  and  on  the  tenth  day  concealed  his  boats  at  the  foot  of 
Missisqui  Bay,  leaving  two  Indians  to  watch  them.  Two  days  later  he  was 
overtaken  by  the  Indians  with  the  information  that  he  was  followed  by  the 
French,  who  had  captured  his  boats  and  were  in  ambush  awaiting  his  return. 
In  this  emergency  he  conceived  the  bold  and  hazardous  design  of  prosecuting 
his  original  purpose,  after  which  he  would  march  through  the  wilderness  to  the 
"  Cohase  Intervales,"  a  point  sixty  miles  north  of  Charlestown  on  the  Con- 
necticut River,  and  the  northernmost  English  post  on  that  stream.  He  im- 
mediately dispatched  eight  of  his  men  under  Lieutenant  McMuUin  through  the 
wilderness  to  Crown  Point  with  a  request  to  Amherst  to  send  the  necessary 
supplies  to  meet  him  at  the  designated  point  on  the  Connecticut.  On  the 
evening  of  the  twenty-second  day  of  their  march  the  little  band  reached  the 
vicinity  of  the  Indian  village,  which  was  carefully  reconnoitered.  At  dawn  the 
next  morning  they  fell  upon  the  unsuspecting  savages,  of  whom  few  escaped  ; 
about  two  hundred  were  killed.  Daj'light  revealed  to  the  victors  the  sight  of 
more  than  six  hundred  English  scalps  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages  floating  from 
the  lodge  poles  of  the  Indians.  If  this  massacre  of  the  village  seems  a  cold  and 
blood-thirsty  deed,  the  finding  of  these  dread  trophies  of  savage  atrocities  against 
helpless  Europeans  must  modify  our  deprecation  of  it.  Rogers  loaded  his  men 
with  what  plunder  they  could  carry  and  started  for  the  Connecticut.  He  was 
pursued  by  a  body  of  Indians  who    hung  upon  his    rear,  repeatedly  attacking 

1  Holden's  History  of  Quccnslniiy. 


ii6  History  of  Warren  County. 

him.  He  was  finally  forced  to  divide  his  party  in  order  to  more  readily  pro- 
cure subsistence,  which  policy  left  him  still  more  exposed  to  the  assaults  of  the 
Indians,  who  killed  many  and  captured  a  number  of  prisoners.  Rogers  and  the 
remainder  of  his  men  reached  the  appointed  place  on  the  Connecticut  after 
much  hardship,  only  to  find  it  deserted  by  the  men  who  had  been  sent  by 
Amherst  with  supplies.  Rogers  then  took  with  him  one  ranger  and  an  Indian 
youth  and  started  to  descend  the  river  on  a  raft ;  the  journey  was  at  last  ac- 
complished after  the  most  perplexing  trials  and  inflexible  determination,  and 
supplies  were  forwarded  to  the  waiting  rangers.  Rogers  returned  to  Crown 
Point  on  the  1st  of  December,  and  when  the  scattered  parties  were  reassembled 
he  reported  a  loss  of  three  officers  and  forty-six  privates. 

Meanwhile  the  construction  of  Amherst's  navy  was  progressing  under  di- 
rection of  Captain  Loring,  and  by  the  nth  of  October  there  were  finished  a 
sloop  carrying  sixteen  guns,  a  brigantine  and  radeau  mounting  six  cannon  of 
large  calibre.  Under  escort  of  these  vessels,  Amherst  embarked  his  army  on 
bateaux  and  sailed  down  the  lake  on  his  long  deferred  expedition  towards 
Quebec.  On  the  following  day  twelve  of  his  boats  were  foundered  in  a  gale 
and  the  remainder  of  the  fleet  sought  shelter  in  lee  of  the  western  shores.^ 
Loring  took  the  brigantine  and  sloop,  continued  on  down  the  lake  and  forced 
the  French  to  destroy  two  of  their  vessels  in  a  hay  on  the  northeast  of  Valcour 
Island ;  a  third  was  sunk,  and  one  schooner  only  was  saved  by  seeking  shelter 
under  the  guns  of  Isle  aux  Noix.  It  is  believed  that  Amherst's  extreme  cau- 
tion more  than  the  exigencies  of  the  situation,  caused  him  to  return  to  Crown 
Point  after  an  absence  often  days,  instead  of  pressing  on  to  the  relief  of  Wolfe. 

This  brave  but  fated  officer  found  himself  before  Quebec  in  June,  with 
eight  thousand  men  in  transports  under  convoy  of  twenty-two  line-of-battle 
ships.  He  landed  his  men  on  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  three  miles  below  the  town, 
and  on  the  30th  seized  Point  Levi,  opposite  the  city,  on  which  he  erected  bat- 
teries. Several  unsuccessful  efforts  were  made  to  cut  out  and  destroy  the 
French  shipping,  and  two  months  passed  during  which  Httle  progress  had  been 
made  towards  the  capture  of  the  city.  Neither  had  any  intelligence  been  re- 
ceived from  Amherst  other  than  report  by  the  enemy  that  he  had  retreated. 
General  Wolfe  was  prostrated  by  sickness  and  the  future  looked   gloomy,  but 


1  Mr.  Watson  in  his  History  of  Essex  County  concludes  that  Amherst  probably  advanced  under  his 
adverse  circumstances  to  the  vicinity  of  Valcour  Island  and  there  on  the  mainland  formed  an  encamp- 
ment. In  support  of  this  conclusion  he  quotes  as  follows  from  the  -writings  of  Alvin  Colvin,  esq. :  "I 
adopt  this  conclusion  from  the  language  of  an  English  writer  of  the  period,  and  from  the  popular  tra- 
ditions of  the  region.  Those  are  still  living  who  recollect  an  opening  on  the  pine  bluffs,  south  of  the 
Ausable  River  and  directly  upon  the  boundary  line  between  Clinton  and  Essex  counties,  which,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  century,  was  known  as  Amherst's  encampment.  It  exhibited  vestiges  of  extensive 
field-works,  the  habitual  caution  of  Amherst  would  have  led  him  to  erect,  and  also  the  remains  of  tar 
manufactories,  formed  in  the  primitive  manner  of  the  pioneers.  It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  the 
tar  and  |Mtcli  used  in  the  equipment  of  Macdonough's  fleet  more  than  fifty  years  afterwards,  were  made 
on  the  same  ground  and  by  a  similar  process." 


Extinction  of  French  Power  in  America.  117 

a  council  of  officers  called  at  his  bedside  decided  to  scale  the  heights  of  Abra- 
ham from  the  St.  Lawrence  and  assault  the  town.  Feeble  as  Wolfe  was,  he 
resolved  to  lead  the  attack.  The  camp  below  the  Montmorency  was  broken 
up  on  the  8th  of  September  and  Montcalm's  attention  was  diverted  from  the 
real  movement  by  seeming  preparations  to  attack  his  lines.  On  the  I2th  the 
vessels  bearing  the  army  moved  up  the  stream  above  the  intended  landing 
place.  At  midnight  the  troops  left  the  ships  and  proceeded  in  flat  boats  and 
with  muffled  oars  to  the  landing,  where  a  ravine  led  up  to  the  plains.  In  early 
morning  the  entire  English  force  had  reached  the  destination  and  were  ready 
to  attack  the  works. 

Meanwhile  Montcalm  saw  the  coming  doom  and  on  the  24th  of  August 
wrote  with  realistic  forecast :  "  The  capture  of  Quebec  must  be  the  work  of  a 
coup  de  main.  The  English  are  masters  of  the  river.  They  have  but  to  effect 
a  descent  on  the  bank  on  which  this  city,  without  fortification  and  without  de- 
fense, is  situated,  and  they  are  at  once  in  condition  to  offer  me  battle  which  I 
cannot  refuse  and  which  I  ought  not  to  be  permitted  to  gain.  In  fine,  Mr. 
Wolfi?,  if  he  understands  his  business,  has  but  to  receive  my  first  fire,  to  rush 
rapidly  upon  my  army,  to  discharge  his  volley  at  close  quarters,  and  my  Ca- 
nadians, without  discipline,  deaf  to  the  call  of  the  drum  and  trumpet,  and 
thrown  into  disorder  by  this  assault,  will  be  unable  to  recover  their  ranks. 
They  have  no  bayonets  to  meet  those  of  their  enemy ;  nothing  remains  for 
them  but  flight,  and  I  am  routed  irretrievably." 

"  Mr.  Wolfe  "  understood  his  business.  This  plan  of  assault,  so  clearly 
practicable  to  the  experienced  eye  of  the  French  general,  was  substantially  car- 
ried out,  and  after  a  sanguinary  battle  (the  details  of  which  are  beyond  the 
province  of  this  work)  the  victory  was  won,  with  a  thousand  prisoners  and  five 
hundred  French  killed,  among  whom  was  the  brave  Montcalm.  The  English 
loss  was  six  hundred  killed  and  wounded,  among  the  former  being  the  gallant 
Wolfe,  who  received  three  wounds  early  in  the  attack,  the  third  one  being  mor- 
tal. General  Townsend  now  prepared  to  besiege  the  city  itself  "Threatened 
famine  within  aided  him,"  and  five  days  after  the  death  of  Wolfe  (September 
18,  1759),  Quebec  with  its  fortifications,  shipping,  stores  and  people  was  sur- 
rendered to  the  English.  General  Murray,  with  five  thousand  troops,  took 
possession,  and  the  fleet  with  the  sick  and  prisoners  sailed  for  Halifax. 

For  the  fall  of  Quebec  Montcalm  was  largely  held  responsible  and  was 
even  charged  with  deliberately  sacrificing  it  to  gratify  his  jealousy  of  Vau- 
dreuil ;  but  a  calm  view  of  the  situation  in  the  brilliant  light  of  his  previous  he- 
roic services  will  hardly  substantiate  such  charges.  Vaudreuil  returned  to 
France  after  the  capitulation,  and  he  also  became  an  object  of  persecution  and 
unjust  censure. 

A  period  of  quiet  followed  these   events,   during  which  Amherst  devoted 


ii8  History  of  Warren  County. 

his  energies  to  the  extension  of  the  works  at  Ticonderoga,  the  erection  of  the 
great  fortress  at  Crown  Point,  and  began  the  building  of  Fort  George.  ^ 

A  comparative  brief  campaign  in  1760  completed  the  conquest  of  the 
French  in  the  New  World.  De  Levis  made  a  heroic  effort  to  recapture  Que- 
bec in  the  battle  of  Sillery,  in  which  Murray  suffered  a  disastrous  defeat ;  but  it 
came  too  late  to  permanently  re-establish  the  fortunes  of  France.  Amherst's 
plans  for  the  year  1760  embraced  his  own  advance  upon  Montreal  by  way  of 
Oswego  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  for  which  purpose  he  reserved  for  himself  by 
far  the  strongest  column  of  the  army,  numbering  about  ten  thousand  men. 
With  this  invincible  force  he  moved  with  his  accustomed  deliberation  and  cau- 
tion and  appeared  before  Montreal  on  the  6th  of  September.  Haviland  was 
left  in  command  of  the  fortresses  on  Lake  Champlain,  from  which  locality  sev- 
eral successful  incursions  were  made  against  Canadian  settlements  under  com- 
mand of  Rogers,  while  awaiting  the  deliberate  movements  of  Amherst.  On 
the  1 6th  of  August  the  last  military  pageant  of  this  war  left  Crown  Point  and 
sailed  down  the  lake.  It  comprised  about  three  thousand  regulars  and  pro- 
vincials under  Haviland,  who  were  embarked  in  bateaux  under  convoy  of  four 
war  vessels,  with  an  equal  number  of  radeaux  bearing  heavy  armaments. 
Bougainville  occupied  the  Isle  aux  Noix,  which  he  had  strengthened  by  an- 
choring a  fleet  of  small  vessels  on  his  flank.  He  had  sixteen  hundred  men. 
Haviland  reached  the  main  land  opposite  the  island  without  opposition,  where 
he  erected  batteries.  The  vessels  of  the  French  were  dispersed  or  captured 
and  on  the  night  of  the  20th  they  abandoned  the  position.  The  fortifications 
at  St.  Johns  and  Chambly  were  evacuated  at  the  same  time,  the  garrisons 
falling  back  towards  Montreal.  Meanwhile  Murray  had  ascended  the  river 
from  Quebec  and  joined  Amherst  before  Montreal,  where  Haviland  formed  a 
junction  on  the  7th  of  September.  Here  was  gathered  all  that  remained  of 
the  chivalry  of  France  in  the  New  World,  with  their  allies,  to  oppose  the  last 
attack,  the  success  of  which  would  drive  them  from  the  country  forever.  How- 
ever honorable  to  the  French  arms,  the  struggle  was  hopelessly   unequal   and 

1  Concerning  the  erection  of  this  fort  Dr.  Holden,  in  his  History  of  Queensbtiry^  says  :  *'  The  plan 
of  Fort  George  was  marked  out  by  Colonel  James  Montressor,  chief  engineer  on  General  Amherst's 
staff,  on  the  22d  of  June,  1759.  It  was  laid  out  on  an  elevation  situated  about  six  hundred  yards  south 
from  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  about  the  same  distance  easterly  from  the  site  of  old  Fort  William  Henry. 
It  was  known  in  colloquial  parlance  as  '  Montressor's  Folly.'  The  only  portion  of  the  fort  ever  com- 
pleted was  the  southwest  bastion.  A  temporary  stockaded  post  was  built  within  its  protection ;  also  of- 
ficers' barracks,  soldiers'  barracks,  guard-room,  kitchen  and  store-houses.  A  saw-mill  in  the  swamp, 
southwest  from  the  fort,  furnished  a  great  portion  of  the  material  for  these  buildings.  An  irregular 
wall  to  the  northeast,  whose  ruins  are  still  partly  visible,  enclosed  a  space  devoted  to  gardening  pur- 
poses. In  1776  there  were  erected  for  hospital  use  two  buildings,  one  on  the  flat  below  the  fort,  and 
the  other,  of  considerable  dimensions,  near  the  former  site  of  Fort  William  Henry,  which  were  used  for 
the  accommodation  of  General  Schuyler's  army,  then  lying  at  Fort  Edward.  To  these  were  probably 
added  others,  for  in  the  army  correspondence  of  those  days  we  learn  that  over  three  thousand  troops 
were  invalided  here  with  the  small-pox.  ...  At  the  time  it  was  taken  possession  of  by  Burgoyne's 
advance  there  were  fourteen  pieces  of  ai'tillery  here,  only  two  of  which  were  mounted." 


Early  Settlements.  119 


on  the  8th  of  September  Vaudreuil  capitulated  and  New  France,  with  all  of  its 
dependencies,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  Amherst  made  terms  of  gen- 
erous magnanimity  and  the  details  were  soon  agreed  upon,  while  England  sent 
up  a  national  shout  of  exultation.  Although  hostilities  between  the  two 
nations  ceased,  a  formal  peace  was  not  established  until  1763,  when,  on  the 
I Otli  of  February,  the  treaty  of  Paris  was  signed,  by  which  France  ceded  to 
Great  Britain  all  her  possessions  in  Canada. 

On  the  30th  of  July,  1 760,  Governor  De  Lancey,  of  New  York,  suddenly 
died  and  the  government  passed  into  the  hands  of  Cadwallader  Golden,  who 
was  commissioned  lieutenant-governor  in  August,  1761.  In  October  of  that 
year  General  Robert  Monkton  was  appointed  governor  of  New  York. 


CHAPTER  X. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENTS. 

Pioneers  of  Northern  New  York  —  Governor  De  Lancey's  Proclamation  —  Its  Effect  on  Settle- 
ments—  Jeffrey  Cowper  —  Queensbury  Surveyed — Abraham  Wing's  Advent  —  His  Family  —  The 
Queensbury  Patent —  Names  of  the  Original  Proprietors  —  Their  Early  Meetings  and  Action  —  Divi- 
sion of  Lots  —  Steps  toward  Permanent  Settlement. 

THE  tumult  of  the  war  we  have  attempted  to  describe  had  scarcely  ceased 
and  the  new  reign  of  peace  begun  in  the  land,  before  the  adventurous 
pioneer  found  his  way  into  the  wilderness  of  Northern  New  York  in  quest  of  a 
home  where  he  and  his  descendants  could  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labor.  The  ter- 
ritory known  as  the  New  Hampshire  grants,  over  which  there  had  been  so  much 
strife,  was  already  echoing  with  the  sounds  of  the  settler's  axe.  From  Charles- 
town,  No.  4,  in  that  territory  John  Goffe,  in  charge  of  eight  hundred  levies,  cut 
the  road  already  alluded  to  through  the  wilderness  to  Crown  Point,  where  he 
joined  Colonel  Haviland  in  his  expedition  against  Montreal ;  and  through  the 
lands  of  Queensbury  hunters  and  trappers  made  their  trails  and  disbanded  sol- 
diers explored  among  the  often  trod  battle-fields  for  eligible  sites  for  homes  on 
lands  given  to  them  under  military  grants.  There  were  small  clearings  about 
the  three  picketed  forts  which  have  been  mentioned  as  erected  during  the 
French  war  along  the  line  of  the  old  military  road ;  beyond  these  almost  the 
entire  territory  was  unbroken  wilderness.  Northward  from  Albany  the  only 
settlements  were  a  small  hamlet  at  Fort  Edward  and  a  still  smaller  one  at  Still- 
water, and  the  tide  of  immigration  soon  to  begin  its  flow  northward  had  not  yet 
set  in.  But  while  the  smoke  of  battle  had  but  just  disappeared  and  there  still 
lingered  possible  danger  to  the  exposed  northern  frontier,  already  repeatedly 


I20  History  of  Warren  County. 

devastated  by  the  hand  of  war,  it  was  felt  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  taking 
steps  that  would  lead  to  its  settlement  by  a  class  of  inhabitants  peculiarly 
adapted  to  withstand  any  incursion  from  hostile  forces.  In  pursuance  of  this 
action  Lieutenant-Governor  De  Lancey  issued  the  following  proclamation:  — 

"By  the  Honorable  James  De  Lancey  Esq.,  His  Majesty's  Lietitenant  Gover- 
nor and  Coininander-ht-chief  in  and  over  the  province  of  New 

[  L.  S.]        York  and  the  territories  depending  thereon  in  America. 

A   Proclamation. 

"  Whereas  from  the  Success  of  His  Majesty's  Arms,  in  the  reduction  of  the 
important  Fortresses  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  and  the  Very  Strong 
Works  erecting  at  the  latter,  the  whole  Country  along  Hudson's  River  down 
to  Albany,  will  for  the  future  be  so  effectually  covered  and  secured  from  the 
Ravages  of  the  Enemy,  that  the  Inhabitants  may  return  to  their  settlements 
and  abide  there  with  safety  to  their  Persons,  Families  and  Estates ;  in  confi- 
dence of  which  many  have  already  returned  to  their  Habitations.  And  whereas 
the  Fortress  now  erecting  at  Crown  Point  is  in  great  forwardness,  and  His  Ex- 
cellency, Major-General  Amherst  hath  assured  me,  that  he  is  determined  it 
shall  be  so  far  finished  before  the  Troops  go  into  Winter  Quarters,  as  to  answer 
the  purpose  of  covering  and  protecting  the  country,  and  as  an  encouragement 
to  Settlers,  he  has  desired  that  I  would  make  known  that  those  who  with  the 
leave  of  this  Government  shall  now  choose  to  go  and  settle  between  Lake] 
George  and  Fort  Edward,  will  there  find,  three  Several  Spots  of  cleared  Ground, 
two  of  them  capable  of  containing  half  a  dozen  Families  each,  and  the  other  not 
less  than  twelve  ;  on  which  shall  be  left  standing  for  their  Convenience  the 
Wooden  Hutts  and  Coverings  of  the  Troops  that  have  been  posted  there  since 
the  Beginning  of  the  Campaign,  which  from  the  footing  we  have  now  at  Crown 
Point,  will  be  no  longer  necessary,  and  will  be  evacuated  and  left  for  the  use 
of  those  who  shall  become  Settlers.  The  first  of  the  said  Spotts  is  situated  four 
miles  above  Fort  Edward  ;  The  Second  at  the  Half- Way  Brook ;  and  the  other 
three  miles  from  Lake  George.  The  Soil  good  and  capable  of  improvement, 
and  all  three  well  watered.  The  Half- Way  Brook  being  the  Spott  sufficient 
for  a  dozen  families.  I  have  therefore  thought  fit  by  and  with  the  Advice  of 
His  Majesty's  Council  to  issue  this  Proclamation  Hereby  inviting  the  Inhabi- 
tants who  formerly  abandoned  their  Dwellings  to  return  to  their  Settlements, 
and  improve  the  advantages  offered  to  them  under  the  Protection  and  Cover 
of  the  important  Posts  and  Strong  Fortresses  above  mentioned.  And  as  an 
inducement  to  such  as  shall  be  inclined  to  settle  on  any  or  either  of  the  three 
Spotts  of  ground  above  described ;  I  do  hereby  promise  his  Majesty's  Grant 
thereof  to  any  persons  who  shall  apply  for  the  same,  on  condition  of  immedi- 
ate settlement  thereof  in  the  form  of  a  Township  with  a  sufficient  quantitj'  of 
woodland  adjoining  for  that  purpose ;  and  that  I  will  use  my  Endeavors  to  ob- 


Early  Settlements.  121 


tain  for  the  Grantees  an  Exemption  from  the  Payment  of  Quit  Rent  for  such 
a  number  of  years  as  His  Majesty  shall  be  pleased  to  indulge  therein. 

"  Given  under  my  Hand  and  Seal  at  Arms  at  Fort  George  in  the  city  of 
New  York  the  21st  day  of  September,  1759,  in  the  thirty-third  year  of  the 
Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  George  the  Second,  by  the  Grace  of  God  of 
Great  Britain,  France  and  Ireland  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith  and  so  forth. 

"James  De  Lancey. 
"  By  his  Honour's  Command, 

"  G.  W.  Banyar,  D.  Sec'y. 

"God  save  the  King." 

This  proclamation  had  the  desired  effect  and  led  to  the  immediate  applica- 
tion of  Daniel  Prindle  and  others  for  a  patent  for  a  township  of  twenty-three 
thousand  acres,  lying  upon  the  Hudson  river  and  embracing  within  its  limits 
the  three  clearings  mentioned.  Previous  to  this  however  the  buildings  at 
Half-way  Brook  were  occupied  by  Jeffrey  Cowper,  or  Cooper  (the  name  be- 
ing spelled  both  ways),  who  was,  without  doubt,  the  first  white  inhabitant  to 
make  a  permanent  residence  in  the  town.  In  regard  to  him  Sir  Jeffrey  Am- 
herst wrote  in  a  letter  to  a  Mr.  Sharpe,  dated  New  York,  20th  of  October, 
1762,  as  follows:  "The  permit  to  Jeffrey  Cooper  to  occupy  the  small  Post  at 
Half-way  Brook  between  Fort  Edward  and  Lake  George,  was  only  intended 
for  the  preservation  of  the  barracks,  etc.,  that  had  been  erected  there,  and  for 
the  convenience  of  Passengers,  as  I  judged  it  unnecessary  after  the  reduction 
of  Canada,  to  leave  a  Garrison  at  that  Post." 

Little  is  known  of  Cooper's  life,  but  it  has  been  conjectured  that  he  was  a 
seafaring  man,  from  the  fact  that  in  the  "  Calendar  of  English  Manuscripts  "  in 
the  Secretary  of  State's  office  is  filed  a  petition  by  "  Ephraim  Cook,  owner  of 
the  Snow  Cicero,  thirty-four  guns,"  in  which  he  applies  "  for  a  commission,  and 
in  case  of  his  death,  to  his  first  lieutenant,  Richard  Harris,  and  Jeffrey  Cow- 
per, his  second  lieutenant  to  command  said  Snow  Cicero."  His  name  appears 
in  the  town  records  for  the  year  1766  only,  and  in  April  of  the  year  preceding 
he  stands  charged  in  the  account  book  of  Abraham  Wing  ^  with  one  hundred 
pounds  of  pork  and  seven  pounds  of  nails. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  permit  to  Cooper  was  granted  as  early  as  1759  or 
1760,  while  Amherst  was  in  that  vicinity. 

In  the  summer  of  1762  the  survey  of  the  town  plot  of  Queensbury  was  in 

1  All  of  the  extracts  from  what  we  call  the  Wing  papers  that  appear  in  this  work,  are  from  Dr.  A. 
W.  Holden's  admirable  History  of  Queensbicry,  published  in  1873.  A  few  years  prior  to  that  date  the 
late  Abraham  Wing  gave  Dr.  Holden  access  to  family  books,  papers,  etc.,  which  had  descended 
through  three  generations  of  the  family,  from  which  he  obtained  much  material  that  was  almost  invalu- 
able in  the  preparation  of  his  work.  Jt  was  most  fortunate  that  this  work  was  performed  when  it  was, 
for  a  little  later  when  the  great  fire  of  1864  destroyed  the  greater  part  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls, 
those  books,  papers,  etc.,  were  burned. 


122  History  of  Warren  Countv. 

progress  by  Zaccheus  Towner,  who  was  accompanied  to  the  region  by  Abraham 
Wing,  as  appears  in  the  following  journal :  — 

"August  23d  day,  1762.  Then  set  out  for  Queensbury  township  from 
home  early  in  the  morning,  and  dined  at  Nehemiah  Merrits.  Then  set  off  for 
our  journey  and  lodged  at  Esquire  Castle's  that  night.  The  24th  traveled  to 
Livingstone's  manor;  the  25th  traveled  to  Greenbush  and  lodged  at  Captain 
Dows.  The  26th  we  passed  the  ferry  and  eat  breakfast  in  Albany  and  got  our 
stores  and  traveled  to  Stillwater  and  lodged  at  Millerd's  that  night  The  27th 
was  a  rainy  morn'ng,  but  we  traveled  on  to  Demises  and  there  we  eat  break- 
fast, and  waited  there  a  little  while,  then  went  forward  and  eat  dinner  at 
Moores,  and  traveled  that  night  to  Fort  Miller  and  stayed  there  that  night. 
The  28th  we  set  forward,  being  a  showery  day,  made  a  short  stop  at  Fort 
Edward  where  we  were  obliged  to  show  our  pass,  and  then  set  forward  and 
arrived  at  the  Half-way  Brook  about  the  middle  of  the  day,  where  we  were 
doubtful  of  some  trouble.  We  had  not  been  there  in  the  tavern  many  minutes 
before  the  question  was  asked  of  the  tender,  whether  we  should  have  the  lib- 
erty of  a  room  to  put  our  stores  in,  and  so  told  our  business.  He  replied, 
there  is  room  enough,  and  after  a  short  consideration,  he  replied,  if  we  would 
go  with  him,  he  would  show  us  a  room,  and  accordingly  we  cleared  out  our 
house,  put  in  our  stores,  and  went  to  surveying  the  town  plot.  The  29th, 
being  the  first  day  of  the  week,  set  forward  early  in  the  morning." 

This  was  the  first  visit  of  Mr.  Wing  to  the  scenes  of  his  subsequent  labors, 
and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  journal  must  be  abruptly  concluded  with  the 
above  entry.  The  town  plot  alluded  to  as  such  by  him  is  elsewhere  described 
as  the  originally  proposed  site  of  the  village. 

The  Wings  of  this  country,  as  far  as  known,  are  descended  from  John  Wing, 
who  settled  in  Sandwich,  where,  as  appears  by  the  records,  he  had  three  sons, 
Daniel,  John  and  Stephen.  These  accepted  the  Quaker  beliefs,  and  their  de- 
scendants became  scattered  through  different  parts  of  the  country.  Daniel 
was  the  eldest  son  and  had  a  son  of  the  same  name,  who  was  born  November 
28th,  1664,  and  married  Deborah  DilHngham,  of  Sandwich,  in  1686.  His 
oldest  son,  Edward,  was  born  July  loth,  1687.  He  had  three  wives,  the  first, 
Desire  Smith,  November,  1713,  of  Dartmouth,  whither  he  removed;  second, 
Sarah  Tucker,  June  ist,  1714;  third,  Patience  Ellis,  October,  1728.  Abraham 
Wing,  the  pioneer  of  Warren  county,  was  the  son  of  Edward  and  Sarah 
(Tucker)  Wing,  and  was  born  at  Dartmouth,  Bristol  county,  province  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay,  on  the  4th  of  August,  1721.  Sometime  previous  to  1745  he  re- 
moved to  "The  Oblong,"  Duchess  county,  the  precise  date  not  being  now 
known.  He  married  Anstis  Wood,  supposed  to  be  the  daughter  of  William 
Wood,  of  Dartmouth.  Following  is  the  family  record :  — 
Phebe,  b.  5th  of  3d  month,  1742,  m.  Nehemiah  Merritt,  jr.  ^ 
Sarah,  b.  7th  of  12th  month,  1743,  m.  Ichabod  Merritt.  >  brothers. 
Hannah,  b.  28th  of  12th  month,  1745,  m.  Daniel  Merritt.      ) 


Early  Settlements.  123 


Benj.,  b.  i8th  of  9th  month,  1748,  m.  Thankful  Lockwood,  d.  19th  June,  1824. 

Deborah,  b.  6th  of  7th  month,  1750,  m.  Daniel  Jones. 

Patience,  b.  6th  of  9th  month,  1751,  m.  Phineas  Babcock. 

„  ,  ,      .      ,  ,  )  Jacob  Hicks. 

Content,  b.  nth  of  4th  month,  1751;,  m.  V  , 

'    -^  j  James  Higson. 

Abraham,  b.  29th  of  6th  month,  1757,  m.  Mary  McKie. 

Mary,  b.  9th  of  iith  month,  1760,  ni.  Andrew  Lewis. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1762,  the  patent  of  Oueensbury  was  granted  to  twenty- 
three  petitioners,  as  will  presently  be  further  alluded  to  ;  in  the  month  of  June 
following  Abraham  Wing,  of  the  Oblong,  purchased  of  several  of  the  patentees 
for  a  nominal  sum  all  their  right,  title  and  interest  in  this  grant.  In  August 
following  the  official  survey  of  the  town  was  made  by  Zaccheus  Towner,  as 
mentioned  in  Mr.  Wing's  diar}',  divided  into  sections ;  these  were  distributed 
by  lot  at  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  and  subsequently  deeds  of  partition 
were  executed,  giving  each  one  his  title.  In  this  allotment  Abraham  Wing 
came  into  possession  of  two  sections,  upon  which  the  principal  portion  of  the 
village  of  Glens  Falls  ^  is  built.  He  was  subsequently  granted  by  the  proprie- 
tors as  a  free  gift,  a  lot  of  ten  acres  of  land  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  em- 
bracing the  valuable  water  privileges,  in  consideration  of  his  erecting  a  saw-mill 
and  grist-mill  at  that  point.  In  1765  he  removed  with  his  dependents  and 
laborers  and  began  a  settlement ;  three  log  houses  were  put  up  that  fall  and 
winter,  one  of  which  stood  back  of  the  old  McDonald  mansion,  near  the  rail- 
road ;  the  second  at  the  old  Buckbee  place  on  the  Sandy  Hill  road,  and  the 
third  near  Duncan  McGregor's  residence.  In  the  spring  of  1766  their  families 
were  removed  hither  and  in  May  the  first  town  meeting  was  held,  at  which 
Mr.  Wing  was  elected  supervisor,  a  position  which  he  held  until  after  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  During  that  period  he  was  the  foremost  man  in 
the  little  community  —  "  the  merchant,  the  lawyer,  the  minister  and  the  inn- 
keeper united  in  one."^  He,  with  his  sons-in-law  and  others,  suffered  heavy 
losses  during  the  war,  for  which  he  was  never  adequately  remunerated.  He 
was,  like  most  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  region,  a  member  of  the  society,  or 
sect,  of  Friends  (Quakers)  and  consistently  followed  and  adhered  to  this  sim- 
ple religious  faith  to  the  end  of  his  life.  His  remains  repose,  with  those  of 
many  other  early  settlers,  in  the  burial  ground  by  the  Half-way  Brook,  where 
the  old  Quaker  church  stood. 

The  granting  of  the  Queensbury  patent  was  preceded  by  various  preliminary 
applications  dating  from  January,  1760,  ending  with  the  application  dated 
March  31st,  1762,  by  Daniel  Prindle,  Elihu  Marsh,  Thomas  Hungerford, 
Samuel  Hungerford,  John  Buck,  Daniel  Tryon,  Amos  Leach,  Benjamin  Seelye, 

1  In  this  work  the  present  customary  spelling  of  the  name  of  the  village  will  be  followed,  unless  in 
case  of  quotations  from  old  documents.  The  name  has  passed  through  several  phases  of  orthography, 
such  as  "Glenns  Falls,"  "Glenn's  Falls,"  "Glen's  Falls,''  and  the  present  better  style. 

2  HoLDEN's  History  of  Queensbury. 


124  History  of  Warren  County. 

Anthony  Wanser,  Jonathan  Weeks,  John  Page,  Elihu  Marsh,  jr.,  Abraham 
Wanz(s)er,  Benjamin  Elliot,  John  Seeley,  Aaron  Prindle,  Thomas  Northrop, 
Ezekiel  Pain,  Jedediah  Graves,  David  Cummins,  Ebenezer  Preston,  David 
Preston  and  Joshua  Agard  for  twenty-three  thousand  acres  of  land. '^  This 
application  was  made  to  the  provincial  council  of  New  York,  presided  over  by 
the  Hon.  Cadwallader  Colden,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  province,  for  land 
lying  on  the  Hudson  River  west  of  lands  then  recently  surveyed  for  James 
Bradshaw,^  and  others,  called  Bradshaw's  Township,  and  named  in  the  patent 
the  Township  of  Kingsbury.  These  twenty-three  thousand  acres  embraced  a 
territory  six  miles  square,  besides  allowances  for  numerous  ponds,  for  high- 
ways to  be  constructed  and  a  due  regard  for  "the  profitable  and  unprofitable 
acres,"  so  that  the  actual  area  of  the  township  probably  reached  thirty  thou- 
sand acres  or  more. 

The  application  having  been  favorably  received,  the  patent  was  duly  granted 
on  the  20th  of  May,  1762,  it  being  in  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of  George 
HI ;  the  name  "  Queensbury  "  was  given  in  honor  of  his  then  lately  wedded 
consort.  The  grant  was  then  included  in  the  county  of  Albany,  the  undefined 
boundaries  of  which  embraced  all  the  northern  part  of  this  State  and  nearly 
all  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  Vermont.  This  grant  was  made  subject  to 
all  the  royal  quitrent  provisos,  as  also  the  annual  payment  of  two  shillings 
and  six  pence  sterling  for  every  hundred  acres  therein.  It  reserved  to  the 
crown  all  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  and  also  all  white  or  other  pine  trees  fit  for 
masts,  of  the  growth  of  twenty-four  inches  diameter  and  upwards  at  twelve 
inches  from  the  earth.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether  the  crown  ever  profited  by 
these  reservations,  although  the  entire  township  was  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  timber,  the  principal  part  of  which  was  valuable  yellow  pine  of  mag- 
nificent dimensions.  Among  the  conditions  of  the  patent  was  the  stipulation 
for  the  erection  of  the  town  into  a  body  politic,  providing  for  the  annual  elec- 
tion by  the  inhabitants  of  one  supervisor,  two  assessors,  one  treasurer,  two 
overseers  of  the  highway,  two  overseers  of  the  poor,  one  collector  and  four 
constables,  the  election  to  take  place  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  May,  at  the  most 
public  place  in  the  town,  which  was  forever  thereafter  to  be  the  place  for  such 
elections.  The  patent  was  also  to  be  vacated  in  case  three  of  every  one  thou- 
sand acres  should  not  be  planted  or  placed  under  cultivation  within  three  years 
from  the  termination  of  the  war  then  in  progress  between  France  and  England. 

Following  is  given  a  copy  of  the  original  patent  of  the  town  of  Queensbury, 
which  was  carefully  compared  with  the  transcript  on  file  in  the  office  of  the 
Secretary  of  State,  for  Dr.  Holden  :  — 

1  To  prevent  monopoly  of  the  then  wild  land  in  the  province.  His  Majesty  had  restricted  individual 
grants  of  land  to  one  thousand  acres  to  each  bona  fide  grantee. 

2Jaines  Bradshaw  was  a  resident  of  New  Milford,  Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  which  place  was  also 
the  home  of  the  greater  portion  of  the  applicants  for  the  Queensbury  patent,  and  contiguous  to  Quaker 
Hill,  Beekman  precinct,  and  the  Oblong,  whence  most  of  the  early  settlers  of  Queensbury  emigrated^ 


Early  Settlements.  125 


Copy  of  the  original  patent  of  the  town  of  Queensbicry. 

Compared  and  corrected  zuith  the  copy  on  file  in  the  Secretary  of  State's  office  at  Albany. 

"  GEORGE  the  Third,  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  Great  Britain,  France  and 
Ireland  King,  defender  of  the  faith  and  so  forth.  To  all  to  whom  these  presents 
shall  come  GREETING.  WHEREAS  our  loving  subjects  Daniel  Prindle,  Elihu 
Marsh,  Thomas  Hungerford,  Samuel  Hungerford,  John  Buck,  Daniel  Tryon, 
Amos  Leach,  Benjamin  Seeley,  Anthony  Wanser,  Jonathan  Weeks,  John  Page, 
Elihu  Marsh,  Junior,  Abraham  Wanzer,  Benjamin  Elliot,  John  Seeley,  Aaron 
Prindle,  Thomas  Northorp,  Ezekiel  Pain,  Jedediah  Graves,  David  Preston,  and 
Joshua  Agard,  did  by  their  humble  petition  presented  unto  our  trusty  and 
well  beloved  Cadwallader  Golden  Esquire,  our  Lieutenant  Governor  and  Com- 
mander-in-chief of  our  Province  of  New  York  and  the  territories  thereon  de- 
pending, in  America  in  council  on  the  thirty-first  day  of  March  now  last  past 
humbly  pray  our  Letters  Patent  granting  to  each  of  the  said  Petitioners  re- 
spectively and  to  their  respective  heirs,  the  quantity  of  One  Thousand  Acres 
of  a  certain  Tract  of  Land  in  the  said  Province  vested  in  the  Crown  that  had 
been  surveyed  and  laid  out  for  the  said  Daniel  Prindle  and  his  associates  above 
named  of  the  contents  of  six  miles  square  adjoining  to  the  lands  intended  to  be 
granted  to  James  Bradshaw  and  others  between  Fort  Edward  and  Lake  George 
under  the  Quit  Rent  provisoes,  Limitations  and  restrictions  directed  and  pre- 
scribed by  Our  Royal  instructions  together  with  the  like  privileges  of  a  Town- 
ship (as  were  lately  granted  to  Isaac  Sawyer  and  others)  by  the  name  of 
Queensbury  Township.  WHICH  PETITION  having  been  then  and  there 
read  and  considered  of  our  said  council  did  afterwards  on  the  fifteenth  day  of 
April  now  last  past  humbly  advise  our  said  Lieutenant  Governor  and  Com- 
mander-in-Chief to  grant  the  prayer  thereof  WHEREFORE  in  obedience 
to  our  said  Royal  Instructions  our  commissioners  appointed  for  the  setting  out 
all  lands  to  be  granted  within  our  said  province  have  set  out  for  the  petitioners 
above  named,  ALL  that  certain  Tract  or  Parcel  of  Land  situate  lying  and  be- 
ing in  the  county  of  Albany  on  the  north  side  of  Hudson's  river  between  Ft. 
Edward  and  Lake  George  BEGINNING  at  the  north-west  corner  of  a  certain 
Tract  of  land  surveyed  for  James  Bradshaw  and  his  associates  and  runs  from 
the  said  north-west  corner,  north  twenty-seven  chains,  then  west  five  hundred 
and  thirty-five  chains,  then  south  five  hundred  and  thirty-six  chains  to  Hud- 
p son's  river,  then  down  the  stream  of  said  River  as  it  runs  to  the  west  Bounds 
of  said  Tract  surveyed  for  James  Bradshaw  and  his  associates,  then  along 
the  said  West  Bounds  North  to  the  place  where  this  tract  first  began  con- 
taining after  deducting  for  sundry  ponds  of  water  lying  within  the  above 
mentioned  Bounds  Twenty-three  thousand  acres  of  land  and  the  usual 
allowances  for  Highways.  AND  in  setting  out  the  said  Tract  of  Land  the 
said  commissioners  have  had  regard  to  the  profitable  and  unprofitable  acres, 
and  have  taken  care  that  the  length  thereof  does  not  extend   along   the  Banks 


126  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  any  other  River  otherwise  than  is  conformable  to  our  said  Royal  Instruc- 
tions for  that  purpose  as  by  a  certificate  thereof  under  their  hand  bearing  Date 
the  Twenty-first  Day  of  April  now  last  past  and  entered  on  Record  in  our  Sec- 
retary's Office  in  our  City  of  New  York  may  more  fully  appear.  Which  said 
Tract  of  Land  set  out  as  aforesaid,  according  to  our  said  Royal  Instructions, 
We  being  willing  to  grant  to  the  said  petitioners  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever, 
with  the  several  privileges  and  powers  hereinafter  mentioned.  Know  Ye  that 
of  our  especial  grace  certain  knowledge  and  meer  motion  We  have  given 
granted  ratified  and  confirmed  and  DO  by  these  presents  for  us  our  Heirs  and 
successors  give  grant  retify  and  confirm  unto  them  the  said  Daniel  Prindle, 
Elihu  Marsh,  Thomas  Hungerford,  Samuel  Hungerford,  John  Buck,  Daniel 
Tryon,  Amos  Leach,  Benjamin  Seeley,  Anthony  Wanser,  Jonathan  Weeks, 
John  Page,  Elihu  Marsh  Junior,  Abraham  Wanser,  Benjamin  Elliot,  John  See- 
ley, Aaron  Prindle,  Thomas  Northorp,  Ezekiel  Pain,  Jedediah  Graves,  David 
Cummins,  Ebenezer  Preston,  Daniel  Preston  and  Joshua  Agard  their  Heirs  and 
Assignees  for  ever  ALL  THAT  the  aforesaid  Tract  or  parcel  of  Land  set  out 
abutted  bounded  and  described  in  Manner  and  Form  as  above  mentioned  to- 
gether with  all  and  singular  the  Tenements,  Hereditaments  Emoluments  and 
Appurtenances  thereunto  belonging  or  appertaining,  and  also  all  our  Estate, 
Right,  Title,  Interest,  Possession,  Claim  and  Demand  Whatsoever  of  in  and  to 
the  same  Lands  and  Premises  and  every  part  and  parcel  thereof  and  the  Re- 
version and  Reversions  Remainder  and  Remainders,  Rents,  Issues  and  profits 
thereof  and  of  every  part  and  parcel  thereof,  EXCEPT  and  always  reserved 
out  of  this  our  present  GRANT  unto  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors  for  ever  all 
mines  of  Gold  and  Silver  and  also  all  White  and  other  sorts  of  Pine  Trees  fit 
for  masts  of  the  Growth  of  Twenty-four  Inches  Diameter  and  upwards  at  twelve 
Inches  from  the  Earth,  for  Masts  for  the  Royal  Navy  of  us  our  Heirs  and  Suc- 
cessors TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD  one  full  and  equal  Three  and  Twentieth 
part  (the  whole  into  Twenty-three  equal  parts  to  be  divided)  of  the  said  Tract 
or  parcel  of  Land,  Tenements,  Hereditaments  and  Premises  by  these  Presents 
granted,  ratified  and  confirmed,  and  every  part  and  parcel  thereof  with  their 
and  every  of  their  appurtenances,  (except  as  is  herein  before  excepted)  unto  each 
of  them  our  Grantees  above  mentioned  their  Heirs  and  Assignees  respectively. 
TO  their  only  proper  and  separate  use  and  Behoof  respectively  for  ever  as  Ten- 
ants in  common  and  not  as  joint  tenants.  TO  BE  HOLDEN  of  us,  and 
Heirs  and  Successors  in  fee  and  common  socage  as  of  our  Manor  of  East 
Greenwich  in  our  County  of  Kent  within  our  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain, 
YIELDING,  rendering,  and  paying  therefore  yearly  and  every  year  forever 
unto  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors  at  our  Custom  House  in  our  City  of  New 
York,  unto  our  or  their  Collector  or  Receiver  General  therefore  the  time  being 
on  the  Feast  of  the  Annunciation  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  commonly  called 
Lady  day  the   yearly  rent  of  two  shillings  and  six  pence  Sterling  for  each  and 


Early  Settlements.  127 


every  Hundred  Acres  of  the  above  granted  lands  and  so  in  proportion  for  any 
less  in  quantity  thereof  saving  and  except  for  such  part  of  the  said  Lands  al- 
lowed for  Highways  as  above  mentioned  in  Lieu  and  stead  of  all  other  Rents, 
Services,  Dues,  Duties,  and  Demands  whatsoever  for  the  hereby  granted  Land 
and  Premises,  or  any  part  thereof  AND  WE  DO  of  our  especial  Grace  cer- 
tain knowledge  and  meer  motion,  create,  erect  and  constitute  the  said  Tract  or 
parcel  of  Land  hereby  granted  and  every  part  and  parcel  thereof  a  Township 
for  ever  hereafter  to  be,  continue,  and  remain  and  by  the  name  of  QuEENS- 
BURY  Township  for  ever  hereafter  to  be  called  and  known  AND  for  the  better 
and  more  easily  carrying  on  and  managing  the  public  affairs  and  Business  of 
the  said  Township  our  Royal  will  and  pleasure  is  and  we  do  hereby  for  us  our 
Heirs  and  Successors  give  and  grant  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  Township 
all  the  Powers,  Authority,  Privileges  and  Advantages  heretofore  given  and 
granted  to  or  legally  enjoyed  by  all,  any  or  either  our  other  Township  within 
our  said  Province  AND  we  also  ordain  and  establish  that  there  shall  be  forever 
hereafter  in  the  said  Township  One  Supervisor,  Two  Assessors,  One  Treasurer, 
Two  Overseers  of  the  Highways,  Two  Overseers  of  the  Poor,  One  Collector 
and  four  Constables  elected  and  chosen  out  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  said  Town- 
ship yearly  and  every  year  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  May  at  the  most  publick 
place  in  the  said  Township,  by  the  majority  of  Freeholders  thereof 
[End  of  contents  of  first  piece  of  parchment.] 

"  THEN  and  there  met  and  assembled  for  that  purpose,  hereby  declaring 
that  wheresoever  the  first  Election  in  the  said  Township  shall  be  held  the  future 
Elections  shall  forever  thereafter  be  held  in  the  same  place  as  near  as  may  be, 
and  giving  and  Granting  unto  the  said  officers  so  chosen,  power  and  authority 
to  exercise  their  said  several  and  respective  ofifices,  during  one  whole  year  from 
such  election,  and  until  others  are  legally  chosen  and  elected  in  their  room  and 
stead,  as  fully  and  amply  as  any  the  like  ofificers  have  or  legally  may  use  or 
exercise  their  ofifices  in  our  said  Province.  AND  in  case  any  or  either  of  the 
said  officers  of  the  said  Township  should  die  or  remove  from  the  said  Township 
before  the  Time  of  their  Annual  service  shall  be  expired  or  refuse  to  act  in  the 
Offices  for  which  they  shall  respectively  be  chosen,  then  our  Royal  Will  and 
pleasure  further  is  and  we  do  hereby  direct  ordain  and  require  the  Freeholders 
of  the  said  Township  to  meet  at  the  place  where  the  annual  election  shall  be 
held  for  the  said  Township  and  chuse  other  or  others  of  the  said  Inhabitants 
of  the  said  Township  in  the  place  or  stead  of  him  or  them  so  dying  remov- 
ing or  refusing  to  act  within  Forty  days  next  after  such  contingency. 
AND  to  prevent  any  undue  election  in  this  case.  We  do  hereby  ordain  and 
require.  That  upon  every  vacancy  in  the  office  of  Supervisor,  the  Assessors, 
and  in  either  of  the  other  offices,  the  Supervisor  of  the  said  Township  shall 
within  ten  days  next  after  any  such  vacancy  first  happens  appoint  the  Day  for 
such  Election   and   give   public  Notice  thereof  in  Writing   under  his  or  {heir 


128  History  of  Warren  County. 

Hands  by  affixing  such  Notice  on  the  Church  Door,  or  other  most  pubHc  place 
in  the  said  Township,  at  the  least  Ten  days  before  the  Day  appointed  for  such 
Election,  and  in  Default  thereof  we  do  hereby  require  the  Officer  or  Officers  of 
the  said  Township  or  the  Survivor  of  them,  who  in  the  order  they  are  herein- 
before mentioned  shall  next  succeed  him  or  them  so  making  Default,  within 
ten  days  next  after  such  default  to  appoint  the  day  for  such  election,  and  give 
notice  thereof  as  aforesaid,  HEREBY  Giving  and  Granting  that  such  person  or 
persons  as  shall  be  so  chosen  by  the  majority  of  such  of  the  Freeholders  of  the 
said  township  as  shall  meet  in  manner  hereby  directed,  shall  have,  hold,  exer- 
cise and  enjoy  the  Office  or  Offices,  to  which  he  or  they  shall  be  so  elected  and 
chosen  from  the  Time  of  such  Election  until  the  first  Tuesday  in  May  then 
next  following,  and  until  other  or  others  be  legally  chosen  in  his  or  their  place 
and  stead  as  fully  as  the  person  or  persons  in  whose  place  he  or  they  shall  be 
chosen  might  or  could  have  done  by  virtue  of  these  presents.  AND  WE  do 
hereby  will  and  direct  that  this  method  shall  for  ever  hereafter,  be  used  for  the 
filling  up  all  vacancies  that  shall  happen  in  any  or  either  of  the  said  Offices 
between  the  annual  Elections  above  directed,  PROVIDED  always  and  upon 
condition  nevertheless  that  if  our  said  Grantees,  their  heirs  or  assigns  or  some 
or  one  of  them  shall  not  within  three  years  next  after  the  conclusion  of  our 
present  war  with  France  settle  on  the  said  Tract  of  Land  hereby  granted  so 
many  families  as  shall  amount  to  one  Family  for  every  thousand  acres  thereof 
OR  if  they  our  said  Grantees,  or  one  of  them,  their  or  one  of  their  heirs,  or 
assigns  shall  not  also  within  three  years  to  be  computed  as  aforesaid  plant  and 
effectually  cultivate  at  the  least  three  acres  for  every  fifty  acres  of  such  of  the 
hereby  granted  Lands  as  are  capable  of  cultivation,  OR  if  they  our  said  Grantees 
or  any  of  them  or  any  of  their  heirs  or  assigns,  or  any  other  person  or  persons 
by  their  or  any  of  their  previty  consent  or  procurement,  shall  fell,  cut  down  or 
otherwise  destroy  any  of  the  Fine  Trees  by  these  Presents  reserved  to  us  our 
heirs  and  successors  or  hereby  intended  so  to  be,  without  the  Royal  license  of 
us,  our  heirs  or  successors  for  so  doing  first  had  and  obtained,  that  then  and  in 
any  of  these  cases  this  our  present  Grant  and  every  Thing  therein  contained 
shall  cease  and  be  absolutely  void,  and  the  Lands  and  Premises  hereby  granted 
shall  revert  to  and  vest  in  us,  our  heirs  and  successors,  as  if  this  our  pres- 
ent Grant  had  not  been  made,  anything  hereinbefore  contained  to  the  contrary 
thereof  in  anywise  notwithstanding  PROVIDED  further  and  upon  condition  also 
nevertheless,  and  we  do  hereby  for  us,  our  heirs  and  successors  direct  and  appoint 
that  this  our  present  Grant  shall  be  registered  and  entered  on  Record  within 
six  months  from  the"  date  thereof  in  our  Secretary's  Office  in  our  City  of  New 
York  in  our  said  Province  in  one  of  the  Books  of  Patents  there  remaining 
and  that  a  Docquet  thereof  shall  be  also  entered  in  our  Auditor's  Office  there 
for  our  said  Province  and  that  in  default  thereof  this  our  present  Grant  shall  be 
void,  and  of  none  effect  any  Thing  before  in  these  Presents   contained   to  the 


Early  Settlements.  129 


contrary  thereof  in  any  wise  notwithstanding.  AND  WE  DO  moreover  of 
our  Grace  certain  knowledge  and  meer  motion  consent  and  agree  that  this  our 
present  Grant  being  registered,  recorded  and  a  Docquet  thereof  made  as  before 
directed  and  appointed  shall  be  good  and  effectual  in  the  Law  to  all  Intents, 
Constructions  and  Purposes  whatsoever  against  us,  our  heirs  and  Successors 
notwithstanding  any  Misreciting,  Misbounding,  Misnaming  or  other  Imperfec- 
tion or  Omission  of,  in,  or  in  any  wise  concerning  the  above  granted  or  hereby 
mentioned  or  intended  to  be  granted  Lands,  Tenements,  hereditaments  and 
premises  or  any  part  thereof  IN  TESTIMONY  whereof  we  have  caused 
these  our  Letters  to  be  made  patent  and  the  Great  Seal  of  our  said  Province  to 
be  hereunto  affixed.  WITNESS  our  said  trusty  and  well  beloved  Cadwallader 
Golden,  Esquire,  our  Lieutenant  Governor  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  our 
Province  of  New- York  and  the  Territories  depending  thereon  in  America.  At 
our  Fort  in  our  City  of  New- York  the  Twentieth  day  of  May  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  One  Thousand  Seven  hundred  and  Sixty-two  and  of  our  Reign  the 
second.  (First  Skin  Line  3 1  the  word  of  interlined  line  47  the  words  any  or 
wrote  on  an  erazure  and  Line  49  the  word  the  interlined. 

"CLARKE."! 
Endorsements  on  the  back  of  the  parchment  skin  No.  i  : 
"Secretary's   Office   2Sth  May,  1762,  The  Within   Letters  Patent  are  Re- 
corded in  Lib  Patents  No.  13,  Pages  478  to  483." 

"  Geo.  Banyar  D  Sec'y  " 
"New  York  Auditor  Generals  Office  1st  June,  1762.     The  within  Letters 
Patent  to  Daniel  Prindle  and  others  are  Docqueted  in  this  office." 

"Geo  Banyar  Dept  Auditor" 
Endorsement  on  the  back  of  parchment  skin  No.  2. 
"Letters  Patent.  20th  May,  1762. 

"  To  Daniel  Prindle,  and  others  for  23000  acres  of  land  in  the  county  of 
Albany." 

Attached  to  these  parchments,  was  the  great  seal  of  the  province,  a  fac-simile 
of  which  may  be  found  in  the  fourth  vol.  of  the  Doc'y  Hist,  of  N.  Y. 

The  fact  that  this  patent  was  granted  on  the  20th  of  May  and  that  at  a 
proprietors'  meeting  held  on  the  i8th  of  June  following  the  ownership  of  the 
patent  had  nearly  all  changed  hands,  would  indicate  that  such  a  transfer  had 
been  contemplated  by  the  original  applicants,  who,  being  men  of  influence, 
lent  their  names  to  secure  the  grant  for  the  benefit  of  those  whose  purpose  it 
was  to  become  actual  settlers.  At  this  last  mentioned  meeting  a  vote  was 
passed  authorizing  Abraham  Wing  to  keep  and  preserve  the  certificate  and 
patent  of  the  township  for  the  benefit  of  the  proprietors;  these  are  still  in  the 
possession  of  his  descendants. 


1  One  of  the  members  of  the  council. 


I30  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  following  names  are  recorded  as  proprietors  at  this  meeting :  John 
Dobson,  Nehemiah  Merritt,  Abraham  Wing,  Daniel  Merritt,  John  Lawrence, 
Henry  Haydock,  Wm.  Smith,  Benjamin  Ferriss,  John  Burhng,  John  Akin, 
Thomas  Dobson,  Reed  Ferriss,  George  Bowne,  Ichabod  Merritt,  Elihu  Marsh, 
jr.,  John  Farrington,  Haydock  Bowne,  Nathaniel  Hazard,  John  Rapelje,  Sam- 
uel Bowne,  Benj'n  Seeley,  John  Carmon,  Jacob  Haviland,  Samuel  Hungerford, 
Joseph  Pursell,  John  Hadok,  Edward  Burling,  Elihu  Marsh,  Wm.  Haviland, 
Nathaniel  Stevenson,  Isaac  Mann. 

Thirty-one  names  in  all,  and  of  the  entire  number  not  over  half  a  dozen  of 
them  who  ever  became  actual  residents,  although  from  time  to  time  their  de- 
scendants appear  among  the  records  of  the  township. 

Another  meeting  of  proprietors  was  held  on  the  lOth  of  July  following  at 
the  shop  of  Nehemiah  and  Daniel  Merritt  (sons-in-law  of  Mr.  Wing)  on  the 
Oblong,  at  which  a  vote  was  passed  that  the  town  lots  in  said  township  be 
drawn  by  lot  on  the  24th  inst,  at  the  same  place ;  that  Daniel  Case  and  Thom- 
as Aiken  should  perform  the  drawing  and  that  John  Gurney  should  make  the 
proper  record  of  such  distribution.  The  survey  by  Zaccheus  Towner,  "of  New 
Fairfield,  Connecticut,  surveyor  for  the  proprietors,"  was  begun  on  the  29th 
of  August,  1762,  and  finished  before  the  following  November.  In  this  survey 
the  village  was  located  at  the  Half-way  Brook,  at  the  crossing  of  the  military 
road,  where  there  were  a  few  buildings  and  a  clearing.  The  town  plot  at  this 
point  was  run  out  into  forty-eight  ten  acre  lots,  six  lots  deep  from  north  to 
south  and  eight  lots  deep  from-  east  to  west,  forming  an  oblong  tract  which  was 
intersected  through  the  center  in  each  direction  by  a  highway  eight  rods  wide, 
and  two  four-rod  roads  between  the  tiers  of  lots  to  the  east  and  west  of  the 
main  road,  the  whole  plot  to  be  surrounded  by  a  four  rod  road.  The  center 
lots  were  reserved  for  public  buildings.  The  remainder  of  the  township  was 
run  out  into  one  hundred  and  one  two-hundred-and-fifty-acre  lots,  as  nearly 
as  possible.  At  the  drawing  Abraham  Wing  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure 
lots  numbers  29,  36  and  37,  which,  as  before  intimated,  became  among  the 
most  valuable  in  the  town,  embracing  the  greater  part  of  the  site  of  Glens 
Falls  village. 

On  the  8th  of  November  another  proprietors'  meeting  was  held  (their  num- 
ber now  increased  to  thirty)  at  the  same  place,  when  deeds  of  partition  were 
issued  to  the  individuals  for  the  lots  drawn  by  each.  At  this  meeting  it  was 
also  voted  that  Daniel  Chase  and  William  Haight  be  appointed  to  draw  lots 
for  the  balance  of  the  survey  not  then  appropriated.  In  this  second  partition 
several  of  the  great  lots  were  subdivided  by  lines  drawn  from  east  to  west,  and 
renumbered. 

On  the  23d  of  February,  1763,  the  proprietors  met  at  the  building  before 
mentioned,  in  Beekman  precinct.  Duchess  county,  and  appointed  William 
Smith,  Nehemiah  Merritt  and  Abraham  Wing,  trustees  to  partition  out  the  re- 
maining undivided  lands. 


From  1763  to  the  Revolution.  131 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  this  year  (1763)  a  Uttle  progress  was  made 
towards  the  first  permanent  settlement  of  the  town,  as  fully  appears  in  the  his- 
tory of  Queensbury  in  later  pages  of  this  work — progress  that  was  destined 
ere  long  to  be  disastrously  interrupted  by  the  clash  of  arms  and  the  din  of 
battle  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  previous  to  the  triumph  of  liberty  and  the 
reign  of  peace  that  followed. 

These  pioneers  who  penetrated  the  wilderness  where  fields  were  still  reek- 
ing with  the  signs  of  recent  bloody  strife  may  well  be  counted  among  the  early 
heroes  of  their  country;  and  their  heroism  was  yet  to  be  tested  and  honorably 
sustained  before  their  descendants  could  peacefully  enjoy  their  possessions. 


CHAPTER  XL 

from  1763  to  the  revolution. 

The  New  Hampshire  Grants  Controversy — English  Oppression  of  Colonists — The  Sons  of  Liberty 
— The  Stamp  Act — Its  Repeal — Obnoxious  Parliamentary  Action — The  Liberty  Pole  Assault — Signals 
of  the  Revolution. 

LET  us  now  return  to  the  important  events  occurring  elsewhere  in  the  coun- 
try between  the  peace  of  1763  and  the  outbreak  of  the  great  struggle  that  gave 
America  her  independence.  In  the  year  just  mentioned  the  boundary  Hne 
between  New  York  and  New  Hampshire  became  the  subject  of  much  contro- 
versy. The  territory  in  dispute  was  what  is  now  comprised  in  the  State  of 
Vermont,  lying  between  the  Connecticut  River  and  Lake  Champlain.  Con- 
troversies had  previously  arisen  growing  out  of  the  indefinite  character  of  their 
charters,  between  New  York,  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut ;  but  the  bound- 
aries were  finally  adjusted  by  negotiation  and  compromise.  The  line  between 
these  States  was  fixed  upon  as  extending  north  and  south  twenty  miles  east  of 
the  Hudson  River.  New  Hampshire,  regardless  of  justice  or  title,  insisted  up- 
on a  continuation  of  this  line  as  her  western  boundary,  and  by  the  year  1763 
her  governor  had  issued  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  townships  in  grants  to 
settlers.  Against  all  this  New  York  entered  vigorous  protest,  and  in  Decem- 
ber, of  the  year  named,  Governor  Colden  issued  a  proclamation  claiming  ju- 
risdiction to  the  Connecticut  River  and  commanded  the  sheriff  of  Albany 
county  to  return  the  names  of  all  persons  who,  by  virtue  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire grants  had  taken  possession  of  lands  west  of  the  Connecticut  River.  This 
was  followed  by  a  counter  proclamation  by  the  governor  of  New  Hampshire. 
In  the  following  year  the  question  was  referred  to  the  crown  and  a  decision 
rendered  that  the  Connecticut  River  should  form  the  boundary  between  New 
York  and  New  Hampshire.   Thereupon  the  government  of  New  York  declared 


132  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  grants  by  New  Hampshire  illegal,  and  insisted  that  the  settlers  on  those 
grants  should  either  surrender  or  repurchase  the  lands.  This  demand  was  op- 
posed by  the  settlers,  whereupon  the  New  York  government  granted  the  lands 
to  others,  who  obtained  judgments  in  their  favor  by  bringing  ejectment  suits 
in  Albany. 

Although  carrying  us  out  of  chronological  order  in  recording  events,  the  con- 
clusion of  this  controversy  may  as  well  be  detailed  here.  The  civil  officers  of  New 
York  were  opposed  by  force  in  their  attempts  to  eject  the  settlers  and  the  New 
York  Assembly  passed  an  act  declaring  such  resistance  to  be  felony.  A  procla- 
mation was  issued,  also,  by  Governor  Tryon,  who  succeeded  Lord  Dunmore 
(Colden's  successor)  in  1771,  offering  a  reward  for  the  apprehension  of  Ethan 
Allen  and  other  conspicuous  offenders.  This  was  followed  by  a  burlesque 
proclamation  offering  a  reward  for  the  arrest  of  the  governor  of  New  York. 
The  matter  neared  a  crisis  in  the  spring  of  177S,  when  New  York  sought  to 
establish  courts  in  the  disputed  territory ;  the  officers  were  prevented  from 
entering  the  court-house,  upon  which  they  collected  a  force,  fired  into  the 
building,  killing  one  man  and  wounding  others.  Some  of  the  officers  were  then 
arrested  and  lodged  in  jail.  The  Revolutionary  outbreak  caused  a  cessation 
of  these  disputes;  but  in  1777  the  inhabitants  of  the  disputed  territory  held  a 
convention  at  Windsor  and  declared  the  "  grants  "  an  independent  State  with 
the  name  of  Vermont.  They  at  the  same  time  addressed  a  petition  to  Congress 
setting  forth  their  motives  for  action  and  asking  admission  to  the  confederacy 
of  independent  states  and  seats  for  delegates  to  Congress.  This  petition  was 
disposed  of  by  resolutions,  one  of  which  declared  "  that  the  independent  gov- 
ernment attempted  to  be  established  by  the  people  styling  themselves  the  in- 
habitants of  the  New  Hampshire  grants  can  derive  no  countenance  or  justifica- 
tion from  the  act  of  Congress  declaring  the  united  colonies  to  be  independent 
of  the  crown  of  Great  Britain,  nor  from  any  other  act  or  resolution  of  Congress." 
The  discord  was  revived  and  so  antagonistic  to  New  York  and  the  colonial 
authorities  at  large  did  the  settlers  on  the  grants  become,  that  it  is  believed 
they  secrectly  negotiated  with  the  British  to  become  a  colony  under  the  crown  ; 
this  feature  of  the  controversy  will  be  hereafter  alluded  to.  After  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  Articles  of  Confederation  in  1781,  Congress  offered  to  admit  the 
new  State,  but  with  curtailed  boundaries;  this  offer  was  rejected  and  for  ten 
years  it  remained  outside  of  the  Union.  Finally  on  the  loth  of  January,  1791, 
a  convention  at  Bennington  adopted  the  National  constitution,  and  Vermont, 
having  agreed  to  pay  to  the  State  of  New  York  $30,000  for  territory  claimed 
by  that  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union. 

During  the  progress  of  these  events  and  those  described  in  Chapter  IX 
the  British  parliament  continued  its  arbitrary  and  oppressive  course  towards 
the  American  colonists.  But  the  time  arrived  when  unquestioning  submission 
to  such  measures  could  no  longer  be  exacted.     The  people   were  heavily  bur- 


From  1763  to  the  Revolution.  133 

dened  with  the  expenses  of  the  late  war,  the  results  of  which  gave  to  England 
a  large  extent  of  territory ;  yet,  almost  before  the  smoke  of  the  battles  had 
cleared  away,  the  English  ministry  began  devising  plans  to  tax  them  for  a 
revenue  without  their  consent.  In  1764  a  proposition  was  submitted  to  the 
House  of  Commons  for  raising  revenue  in  the  colonies  by  the  sale  of  stamps. 
Contrary  to  promises  the  stamp  act  was  passed  in  March,  1765.  By  its  pro- 
visions no  legal  or  commercial  documents  were  valid  unless  made  upon  stamped 
paper,  upon  which  a  price  was  placed  according  to  the  nature  of  the  document. 
This  act  was  bitterely  denounced  throughout  the  colonies  and  particularly  in 
New  York,  and  resistance  determined  upon.  The  "  Sons  of  Liberty  "  ^  were 
organized  and  meetings  held  to  devise  plans  of  opposition  to  the  obnoxious  act. 
On  the  7th  of  October  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the  different  colonies 
was  held  in  New  York  city  and  continued  in  session  two  weeks.  A  declara- 
tion of  rights  was  adopted  and  petitions  and  memorials  sent  to  parliament,  in 
which  the  principles  that  governed  the  colonies  during  the  Revolution  were 
clearly  foreshadowed. 

The  stamp  act  was  to  take  effect  on  the  1st  of  November;  but  as  the  date 
drew  near,  excitement  increased,  and  on  that  day  flags  hung  at  half  mast, 
bells  were  tolled  and  other  funereal  demonstrations  made.  Governor  Colden 
became  alarmed  and  refused  to  issue  any  of  the  stamped  paper,  leaving  the 
ugly  duty  to  his  successor,  Sir  Henry  Moore,  then  on  his  way  from  England. 
The  new  governor  soon  saw  the  folly  of  attempting  to  oppose  the  will  of  the 
people  in  that  direction.  The  final  result  was  the  destruction  of  a  large  quan- 
tity of  the  odious  paper  by  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  and  the  repeal  of  the  stamp 
act  in  March,  1766.  This  action  was  not,  however,  due  to  the  good  will  of 
parliament,  nor  to  the  appeals  of  the  colonists,  but  to  the  solicitations  of  Lon- 
don merchants  who  had  been  deprived  of  their  American  trade  through  a 
union  of  colonial  merchants  who  pledged  themselves  to  cease  importations 
from  England. 

"  From  the  time  of  the  stamp  act  riots,  occasional  gatherings  of  Whigs  as- 
sembled at  Fort  Edward  among  whom  were  numbered  such  representative  and 
influential  names  as  the  Bradshaw,  Moss,  Baker  and  High  families  of  Kings- 
bury ;  the  Bitleys,  Sherwoods,  and  Durkees,  of  Fort  Edward,  the  Paynes, 
Parkes  and  McCreas  of  the  yet  unnamed  district  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hud- 

1  In  1735  the  radical  opponents  of  the  royal  governors  were  called  Sons  of  Liberty  ;  but  the  name 
was  not  often  heard  until  after  Colonel  Barr^  made  his  memorable  speech  in  the  House  of  Commons 
(1765).  In  reply  to  an  assertion  by  Charles  Townshend  that  the  colonies  had  been  nurtured  into 
strength  by  the  indulgence  of  the  home  government,  Barr^  made  a  scornful  denial,  saying  that  the  only 
care  that  had  been  exercised  had  been  in  sending  weak  and  unfit  rnen  to  rule  over  them  —  "  men  whose 
behavior  on  many  occasions  had  caused  the  blood  of  those  j<;«j-  of  liberty  to  recoil  within  Ihem."  The 
organization  was  composed  chiefly  of  ardent  young  men,  who  had  nothing  to  lose  by  their  course,  with 
whom  people  of  consideration  did  not  affiliate,  though  they  generally  favored  the  acts  of  the  Sons. 
They  finally  spread  over  the  colonies  from  Massachusetts  to  Georgia,  and  became  the  most  radical 
leaders  in  the  growing  quarrel  with  England,  and  promoters  of  the  war  that  followed. 


134  History  of  Warren  County. 

son  ;  so  that  when  the  beacon  fires  of  the  Revolution  burst  forth,  the  hnes  of 
political  opinion  were  sharply  drawn  and  defined  and  it  was  known  at  the 
outset  through  a  wide  range  of  neighborhood,  who  were  the  friends  as  well 
as  foes  of  the  general  opposition  to  and  uprising  against  British  misrule."  ^ 

Rejoicing  over  the  repeal  of  the  stamp  act  had  scarcely  died  away,  when 
Parliament  again  stirred  up  discontent  among  the  colonists  by  other  unjust  and 
oppressive  acts.  The  Assembly  was  called  upon  by  the  governor  to  concede 
to  the  demands  of  the  ministry  in  furnishing  supplies  for  the  soldiers  in  New 
York  city ;  this  created  a  good  deal  of  animosity  and  led  to  hostility  between 
the  Sons  of  Liberty  and  the  troops.  The  Assembly,  moreover,  subsequently 
refused  to  comply  with  the  request  of  the  ministry  to  make  provision  for  the 
soldiers,  for  which  action  parliament  declared  the  legislative  powers  of  the  As- 
sembly annulled. 

In  1767  a  bill  was  passed  by  parliament  imposing  a  duty  on  tea,  glass,  lead, 
paper,  and  painter's  colors  imported  into  the  colonies.  This  action  caused  re- 
newed excitement  and  in  the  following  year  the  Assembly  of  Massachusetts 
addressed  a  circular  to  the  other  colonies  soliciting  their  co-operation  in  de- 
fending the  common  liberties.  This  so  offended  the  ministry  that  a  letter  was 
sent  to  the  colonial  governors  forbidding  their  assemblies  to  correspond  with 
that  of  Massachusetts.  This  mandate  was  absolutely  opposed  and  disobeyed, 
with  declarations  on  the  part  of  the  New  York  Assembly  of  its  inherent  rights 
in  the  case,  denunciations  of  parliament  and  other  evidences  of  refraction  ;  the 
Assembly  was  thereupon  dis.solved  by  the  governor.  But  the  people  sustained 
their  representatives  and  returned  most  of  them  to  the  new  Assembly  of  1769. 

The  English  merchants,  who  were  suffering  from  the  non- importation  agree- 
ment of  the  American  dealers,  now  joined  their  petitions  to  those  of  the  colo- 
nists for  the  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  custom-house  act.  A  circular  letter  as- 
sured the  people  in  response  that  the  duties  should  be  removed  at  the  next 
session  of  parliament  on  all  articles  except  tea.  This  was  something,  but  the 
principle  of  the  right  of  the  mother  country  to  tax  the  colonies  remained,  and 
the  promises  of  parliament  were  far  from  satisfactory.  Animosity  ancj  hostil- 
ity, moreover,  continued  between  the  soldiery  and  the  Sons  of  Liberty.  Ar- 
rangements having  been  perfected  by  which  the  soldiers'  supplies  were  guar- 
anteed, coming,  too,  largely  from  the  resources  of  the  colonists,  the  troops  still 
did  not  hesitate  to  make  manifest  their  disdain  for,  and  hostility  towards  the 
people.  On  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  January,  1769,  they  made  their  second 
assault  on  the  liberty  pole  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  in  New  York,  and  charged 
upon  the  opposing  citizens,  drove  a  party  of  them  into  a  tavern  which  was  a  pop- 
ular resort,  and  broke  in  the  windows  and  destroyed  the  furniture.  On  the  even- 
ing of  the  1 6th  they  sawed  down  the  pole,  cut  it  in  pieces  and  piled  them  in  front 
of  the  obnoxious  hotel.     A  resolution  of  the  citizens  followed,  to  the  effect  that 

1  Holden's  History  of  Queensbury. 


From  1770  to  1775.  135 


all  soldiers  found  in  the  streets  after  roll-call  should  be  dealt  with  as  enemies 
to  the  peace  of  the  city.  This  resolution  was  ridiculed  in  handbills  posted  by 
the  soldiers,  and  two  or  three  of  the  latter  were  arrested  in  the  act  of  posting 
them.  While  conducting  the  soldiers  to  the  mayor's  office  the  citizens  were 
attacked  by  a  party  of  twenty  troops  and  a  skirmish  ensued  in  which- several 
citizens,  some  of  whom  had  not  participated  in  the  melee,  were  wounded. 
Other  affrays  occurred  the  next  day  in  which  the  soldiers  generally  got  the 
worst  of  it.  The  mayor  then  issued  a  proclamation  forbidding  them  to  leave 
their  barracks  unless  in  company  of  a  non-commissioned  officer,  and  order  was 
partially  restored. 

It  is  commonly  held  that  the  battle  of  Lexington  was  the  first  conflict  of 
the  Revolutionary  struggle.  But,  although  this  skirmish  in  the  streets  of  New 
York  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  comparatively'  insignificant  affair,  still  there  was 
bloodshed,  and  it  was  the  actual  beginning  of  the  great  conflict,  five  years  be- 
fore the  guns  of  Lexington  were  heard. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PROM  1770  TO  1775. 

Governor  Colden's  Successor  —  Old  Troubles  Renewed  —  A  large  Cup  of  Tea  —  Congress  and  its 
Declaration  of  Rights  —  Impending  War  —  The  British  March  to  Lexington  —  Paul  Revere's  Ride  — 
The  Battle  on  the  Green  —  Retreat  of  the  British  —  Preparations  for  the  Capture  of  Crown  Point  and 
Ticonderoga  —  Ethan  Allen's  Command  — Arnold's  Arrival  and  its  Consequences —  Plan  of  the  Expe- 
dition—  Capture  of  Ticonderoga  —  Surrender  of  Crown  Point  —  Reassembling  of  Congress  —  Con- 
gressional Vacillation —  Allen  and  Arnold's  Naval  Exploit  —  Indian  Action  in  the  Revolution — The 
Canadian  Invasion — Montgomery's  Initial  Movements  —  Allen's  Capture — Carleton's  Plan  for  Relief 
of  St.  Johns  —  Its  Failure  —  Capture  of  St.  Johns  and  Montreal  by  Montgomery  —  Arnold's  Wonder- 
ful Expedition  —  Montgomery  ;before  Quebec  —  Demand  for  its  Surrender  and  the  Reply  —  Mont- 
gomery's death  and  Failure  of  the  Attack  —  A  Disastrous  Retreat  —  Charlotte  County  Created  —  Mil- 
itia Affairs. 

IN  October,  1770,  Lord  Dunmore  succeeded  Golden  as  governor  and 
brought  with  him  royal  approval  of  the  act  authorizing  the  issue  of  colonial 
bills  of  credit.  The  duties  had,  meanwhile,  been  removed  from  all  articles  ex- 
cept tea.  Colonial  affairs  were  going  on  more  smoothly.  On  the  i8th  of 
July,  1771,  William  Tryon  was  commissioned  governor  and  Lord  Dunmore 
transferred  to  Virginia.  The  old  differences  finally  again  came  to  the  surface. 
The  East  India  Company,  having  suffered  severely  through  the  imposition  of 
the  American  duty  on  tea,  petitioned  Parliament  in  1773  to  abolish  the  tax, 
offering  at  the  same  time  to  submit  to  double  the  amount  of  that  duty  as  an 
exportation  tariff.     This  was  refused,  but,  instead,  the  ministry  agreed  to  favor 


136  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  company  by  a  special  act  allowing  them  to  ship  their  teas  to  the  American 
colonies  free  of  duty  as  an  export,  while  still  enforcing  the  importation  duty ; 
in  other  words  the  determination  was  clearly  shown  that  the  assumed  right  to 
tax  the  colonists  in  any  way,  or  all  ways,  was  not  to  be  relinquished  under  any 
circumstances.  The  India  company  now  loaded  their  ships  with  teas,  appointed 
consignees  for  their  reception  and  expected  a  ready  sale  at  the  low  prices  that 
could  now  be  made.  Their  reckoning  failed.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  met  and  re- 
solved that  the  obnoxious  article  should  not  be  landed  in  the  province  under 
any  pretense.  The  tea  commissioners,  in  submission  to  the  popular  will,  re- 
signed. The  first  cargo  arrived  off  Sandy  Hook  in  April,  1774,  whence  the 
pilot,  acting  under  his  instructions  from  the  vigilance  committee,  refused  to 
bring  the  ship  to  port  In  the  mean  time  Captain  Chambers,  of  another  vessel, 
a  professed  patriot,  sailed  his  ship  into  the  harbor.  When  threats  were  made 
of  a  purpose  to  search  his  cargo,  he  admitted  that  he  had  tea  on  board  which 
he  had  brought  over  as  a  private  venture.  His  chests  were  thereupon  hoisted 
on  deck  and  given  a  salt  water  plunge  bath.  The  vessels  were  sent  on  return 
voyages.  In  the  mean  time  a  cargo  of  tea  had  arrived  in  Boston  harbor  ;  the 
vessel  was  boarded  by  the  patriotic  sons  of  that  city  and  the  chests  emptied 
into  the  sea. 

The  English  ministry  were  now  so  enraged  at  the  outcome  of  the  tea  tariff, 
in  connection  with  other  measures  of  resistance,  or  disloyalty,  as  it  was  there 
termed,  that  they  resolved  to  at  once  subjugate  the  country.  One  of  the  steps 
towards  this  end  was  the  adoption  of  the  infamous  "  Boston  port  bill,"  the  pur- 
pose of  which  was  to  practically  close  the  Boston  harbor  and  thus  destroy  the 
trade  of  the  city.  The  people  throughout  the  colonies  were  in  earnest  sympa- 
thy with  their  Massachusetts  friends,  aware  that  similar  ruinous  measures  might 
be  in  store  for  themselves.  Public  meetings  were  held  for  the  consideration 
of  the  common  grievances  and  among  movements  for  protection  the  restora- 
tion of  the  non-importation  agreement  was  urged  and  the  assembling  of  a  co- 
lonial congress. 

A  congress  was  called  and  met  on  the  5  th  of  September,  1774,  adopted  a 
declaration  of  rights,  and  agreed  upon  a  petition  to  the  king  and  an  appeal  to 
the  people  of  Great  Britain  and  Canada.  An  adjournment  was  then  taken 
until  the  following  May.  The  New  York  Assembly  was  the  only  one  that  did 
not  sanction  these  congressional  proceedings ;  but  instead,  addressed  a  remon- 
strance to  parliament,  which  was,  of  course,  treated  with  disdain.^  The  New 
York  Assembly  adjourned  on  the  3d  of  April,  1775,  and  never  met  again.  Its 
refusal  to  appoint  delegates  to  the  congress  gave   much  dissatisfaction  and  a 

1  On  the  I2th  of  January,  1775,  at  a  cabinet  council,  it  was  declared  there  was  nothing  in  the 
proceedings  of  Congress  that  afforded  any  basis  for  an  honorable  reconciliation.  It  was  therefore  re- 
solved to  break  off  all  commerce  with  the  Americans  ;  to  protect  the  loyalists  in  the  colonies  ;  and  to 
declare  all  others  to  be  traitors  and  rebels.  —  LossiNG. 


From  1770  to  1775.  137 


provincial  convention  of  county  representatives  was  called  by  the  people  to 
perform  that  duty. 

The  Americans  had  long  felt  their  critical  condition  and  foresaw  that  an 
appeal  to  arms  must,  doubtless,  follow.  A  quantity  of  military  stores  had 
been  collected  by  them  at  Concord,  Mass.  To  destroy  these.  General  Gage 
sent  a  detachment  of  British  regulars  on  the  i8th  of  April,  1775,  from  Boston, 
where  he  had  between  three  thousand  and  four  thousand  troops.  But  Paul 
Revere  made  his  famous  ride  to  Concord  and  aroused  the  people  to  the  men- 
aced incursion ;  and  when,  early  on  the  following  morning,  the  detachment 
reached  Lexington,  they  found  the  militia  drawn  up  on  the  public  green. 
The  British  officer  ordered  them  to  disperse ;  but  the  order  was  not  heeded, 
and  the  regulars  fired.  Eight  of  the  "  minute  men  "  were  killed  and  several 
wounded  ;  the  remainder  were  dispersed  and  the  British  pressed  on  to  Con- 
cord. There  the  militia  had  gathered  from  all  directions ;  the  stores  were 
secreted  and  the  invaders  were  given  a  warm  reception,  causing  them  to  re- 
treat. As  they  fell  back  towards  Lexington  they  were  disastrously  harassed 
by  the  colonists,  who  killed  many  of  their  number,  shooting  from  behind  fences, 
buildings  and  trees.  It  is  probable  that  the  whole  detachment  might  have 
been  cut  off,  but  for  the  fact  that  reinforcements  met  them  near  Lexington  ; 
but  the  retreat  was  continued  and  many  more  regulars  fell  by  the  sharp  shoot- 
ing of  the  citizens.  The  whole  country  was  aroused  and  the  revolution  was 
begun  in  earnest. 

The  next  event  of  importance,  and  one  that  bears  more  directly  upon  the 
history  of  Warren  county  and  vicinity  was  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point.  According  to  Dr.  Holden,  "  After  the  close  of  the  French  war, 
or  at  least  as  early  as  the  year  1767,  the  fort  at  the  head  of  Lake  George  was 
partially  dismantled,  and  abandoned  as  a  military  post ;  the  forts  at  Ticonder- 
oga and  Crown  Point  being  of  more  massive  character,  were  considered  an 
adequate  protection  on  a  frontier  no  longer  threatened  by  the  annual  incursion 
of  the  savages.  At  this  time  the  only  occupants  of  this  post  were  a  retired  in- 
valid officer  of  the  British  army.  Captain  John  Nordberg  and  two  men  supposed 
also  to  have  belonged  to  the  army,  and  who  were  possibly  pensioners  of  the 
crown.  There  are  reasons  for  supposing  that  one  of  these  was  John  McComb, 
and  the  other  Hugh  McAuley  whose  name  subsequently  appears  in  the  records, 
and  who  was  the  ancestor  of  the  McAuley  family,  of  the  town  of  Queens- 
bury."  ^  General  Frederick  Haldimand  had  been  left  in  command  on  Lake 
Champlain.  He  had  already  announced  to  the  British  government  in  1773 
that  the  fort  at  Crown  Point  was  entirely  destroyed,  while  that  at  Ticonderoga 
was  in  a  "  ruinous  condition,"  and  that  both  could  not  "  cover  fifty  men  in 
winter."  Ethan  Allen,  who  had  been  conspicuous  in  his  opposition  to  New 
York  in  the  New  Hampshire  grants  trouble,  and  was  declared  an  outlaw  and 

1  History  of  Queensbury. 


138  History  of  Warren  County. 

a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  offered  for  his  arrest,  was  one  of  the  brave  spirits 
who  first  took  up  arms  against  the  oppression  of  Great  Britain.  He  was  found 
at  Bennington  by  the  force  which  had  been  collected  in  Connecticut  and  Mas- 
sachusetts with  the  design  of  descending  upon  the  works  at  the  two  fortified 
points  on  Lake  Champlain.  The  expedition  numbered  about  forty  volunteers 
when  it  reached  Bennington,  where  Allen's  powerful  influence  and  enthusiastic 
assistance  were  secured.  On  the  7th  of  May  a  band  of  brave  men  numbering 
two  hundred  and  seventy  (all  but  forty-six  being  "  Green  Mountain  boys,"  as 
Allen's  followers  were  termed)  had  assembled  at  Castleton.  At  this  inoppor- 
tune time  Benedict  Arnold  appeared  on  the  scene,  bearing  a  commission  from 
the  Massachusetts  committee  of  safety,  dated  May  3d,  clothing  him  with  au- 
thority to  effect  the  same  purpose  for  which  the  other  force  was  destined.  A 
conflict  for  the  command  ensued,  which  was  finally  terminated  by  the  refusal 
of  the  volunteers  to  march  except  under  the  command  of  Allen.  Arnold  re- 
luctantly accompanied  the  expedition  as  second  in  command. 

Noah  Phelps,  one  of  the  Massachusetts  committee,  entered  the  fort  at  Ti- 
conderoga  in  pretended  quest  of  a  barber,  and  thus  gained  definite  knowledge 
of  its  condition.  Captain  Herrick  was  ordered  to  Skenesborough,  whence, 
after  the  capture  of  the  younger  Skene  and  the  stores  there  accumulated,  he 
was  to  join  Allen  at  Ticonderoga.  Douglass  was  ordered  to  Panton  to  secure 
boats  for  transportation  of  the  force.  The  committees  of  Albany  and  New 
York  appear  to  have  declined  any  part  in  these  operations. 

Allen's  force  marched  with  as  much  secrecy  as  possible  to  the  eastern  shore 
of  the  lake,  posted  pickets  on  all  roads  leading  to  Ticonderoga,  to  cut  off  pos- 
sible conveyance  to  the  fort  of  intelligence  of  the  movement,  and  there  waited 
a  day  and  a  night  for  the  arrival  of  the  boats.  Finally  with  the  few  boats  that 
were  at  hand  Allen  resolved  to  attempt  the  passage ;  and  on  the  night  of  the 
loth  eighty-three  men  embarked  at  Hand's  Point  and  landed  about  a  mile 
north  of  the  fort.  Dawn  was  approaching  and  the  commander  realized  to  the 
fullest  the  importance  of  prompt  action.  He  had  been  furnished  with  a  guide 
in  the  person  of  young  Nathan  Beman,  son  of  a  patriot  of  Shoreham,  who  had 
a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  works  gained  during  his  boyhood. 

Allen,  in  a  low  and  earnest  voice,  addressed  his  little  band,  inspiring  them 
with  the  importance  of  their  mission  and  the  glory  of  its  success,  and  then  told 
them  that  all  who  accompanied  him  must  go  voluntarily,  and  ordered  all  who 
were  ready  to  poise  their  firelocks.  Every  musket  was  instantly  raised.  After 
again  pacifying  Arnold,  who  assumed  to  the  leadership,  by  agreeing  that  they 
should  advance  together,  Allen  and  Arnold  took  the  lead,  with  young  Beaman, 
and  the  column  filed  up  to  the  sallyport  of  the  fortress.  The  sentinel  snapped 
his  gun  as  they  approached  and  retreated  through  the  covered  way,  closely 
followed  by  the  Americans,  who  drew  up  on  the  parade  in  two  lines,  each 
facing  the  barracks.     Their  shouts  awakened  the  garrison   and   Captain   de   la 


From  1770  to  1775.  139 


Place  came  forth  from  his  quarters  clad  only  in  his  night  apparel.  He  was 
confronted  by  Allen  with  a  peremptory  summons  to  surrender.  When  he  re- 
quested to  know  by  what  authority  the  demand  was  made,  Allen  uttered  his 
immortal  response,  "  By  the  authority  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental 
Congress !  " 

Allen  says,  in  his  own  graphic  account  of  the  event:  "The  authority  of 
the  Congress  being  very  little  known  at  that  time,  he  began  to  speak  again ; 
but  I  interrupted  him,  and  with  drawn  sword  over  his  head  again  demanded 
an  immediate  surrender  of  the  garrison ;  with  which  he  then  complied,  and 
ordered  his  men  to  be  forthwith  paraded  without  arms,  as  he  had  given  up  the 
garrison.  In  the  mean  time  some  of  my  officers  had  given  orders  and  in  con- 
sequence thereof  sundry  of  the  barrack  doors  were  beat  down,  and  about  one- 
third  of  the  garrison  imprisoned,  which  consisted  of  the  said  commander,  a  Lieu- 
tenant Feltham,  a  conductor  of  artillery,  a  gunner,  two  sergeants,  and  forty- 
four  rank  and  file,  about  one  hundred  pieces  of  cannon,  one  thirteen-inch  mor- 
tar, and  a  number  of  swivels.  This  surprise  was  carried  into  execution  in  the 
gray  of  the  morning  of  the  loth  of  May,  1775.  The  sun  seemed  to  rise  on 
that  morning  with  a  superior  lustre;  and  Ticonderoga  and  its  dependencies 
smiled  to  its  conquerors  who  tossed  about  the  flowing  bowl  and  wished  success 
to  Congress  and  the  liberty  and  freedom  of  America.  Happy  it  was  for  me, 
at  that  time,  that  those  future  pages  of  the  book  of  fate,  which  afterwards  un- 
folded a  miserable  scene  of  two  years  and  eight  months  imprisonment,  were 
hid  from  my  view." 

Allen's  well  planned  measures  were  all  successful.  Crown  Point  surren- 
dered on  the  following  day,  with  its  entire  armament  and  its  small  garrison  of 
twelve  men.  Herrick  made  his  capture  of  Skenesborough,  v/ith  Skene  and 
his  forces,  besides  several  boats  and  a  trading  schooner.  This  success  was 
crowned  by  the  capture  of  two  dispatch  boats  by  Baker,  which  had  been  sent 
from  Crown  Point  with  news  of  the  fall  of  Ticonderoga.  Amos  Callandar  was 
detached  with  a  party  to  the  fort  at  the  head  of  Lake  George,  whence  he  soon 
after  conducted  the  prisoners  to  Hartford. 

Although,  when  viewed  from  certain  standpoints,  this  event  was  not  one 
of  great  magnitude,  yet  it  was,  at  that  particular  time,  one  upon  the  success 
or  failure  of  which  depended  momentous  issues ;  and  its  success  caused  a  thrill 
of  joy  and  astonishment  to  pervade  the  country.  The  men  who  were  most 
prominent  in  its  brave  deeds  became  the  possessors  of  high  military  distinction 
before  the  close  of  the  Revolution  —  distinction  won  by  their  own  efficient 
heroism. 

New  York  was  slow  to  acknowledge  the  importance  of  Allen's  victory,  or 
to  profit  by  it.  The  Albany  Committee,  to  whom  John  Brown  bore  Allen's 
letter  of  particulars  of  the  event,  with  a  request  for  such  reinforcements  as  would 
prevent  the  recapture  of  the  fortifications,  merely  forwarded  the  letter  to  the 


140  History  of  Warren  County. 

New  York  Committee.  They  also  refused  to  act  in  the  matter  and  in  turn  for- 
warded the  dispatches  to  the  Congress  in  Philadelphia.  Brown  was  already 
there  and  gave  the  August  body  an  account  of  the  brillient  event.  Their  re- 
ception of  it  shows  that  they  were  still  uncertain  and  vacillating  in  attempting 
to  decide  what  were  to  be  the  future  relations  of  America  and  Great  Britain ; 
whether  it  might  not  still  be  the  best  policy  not  to  arouse  the  mother  country 
to  unconditional  hostility.  While  Congress  privately  exulted  over  Allen's 
conquest,  it  hesitated  to  publicly  and  directly  assume  the  responsibility  of  it. 
Instead,  it  recommended  the  New  York  and  Albany  Committees  to  immedi- 
ately remove  the  armament  and  stores  at  the  two  forts  on  Lake  Champlain  to 
the  head  of  Lake  George,  and  "indirectly  counseled  the  establishment  of  a 
strong  post  at  that  point."  As  an  indication  of  the  uncertainty  just  alluded 
to,  Congress  also  recommended  "  that  an  exact  inventory  of  them  [the  arma- 
ment and  stores]  should  be  taken,  in  order  that  they  might  be  safely  returned 
when  the  restoration  of  the  former  harmony  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
colonies,  so  ardently  wished  for  by  the  latter,  should  render  it  prudent  and 
consistent  with  the  overruling  law  of  self-preservation." 

To  this  response  Allen,  as  well  as  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  at  large, 
manifested  the  most  earnest  opposition,  and  the  plans  were  abandoned.  When, 
a  few  months  later,  Washington  at  Boston  was  in  sore  need  of  artillery,^  the 
immense  value  of  the  victory  won  by  Allen  and  his  men  at  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  became  apparent.  Henry  Knox,  the  young  Boston  bookseller 
(afterwards  a  brigadier-general  in  the  American  army),  transported  fifty  heavy 
guns  from  Ticonderoga  to  Washington's  camp  in  the  mid- winter  of  1775—76- 
This  enterprise  was  one  of  almost  unparalleled  toil,  the  work  being  accomplished 
by  numerous  teams  of  oxen,  and  the  journey  entending  through  two  hundred 
miles  of  wilderness.     The  procession  was  received  with  an  ovation. 

The  Continental  Congress  had  reassembled  and  organized  on  the  loth  of 
May,  the  day  on  which  Allen  captured  Ticonderoga.  Almost  its  first  labors 
were  in  the  direction  of  raising  an  army  for  general  defense.  New  York  was 
ordered  to  raise  three  thousand  volunteers.  A  Provincial  Congress  of  New 
York  convened  on  the  22d  of  May,  authorized  the  raising  of  troops,  encour- 
aged the  manufacture  of  powder  and  muskets  in  the  province,  and  projected 
fortifications  on  the  Lower  Hudson. 

The  capture  of  the  fortifications  on  Lake  Champlain  opened  the  way  for  an 
invasion  of  Canada,  which,  at  that  time  and  amid  the  then  prevailing  spirit  of 
the  Canada  soldiers  and  people,  could  scarcely  have  failed.  Canada  was  in  a 
peculiarly  defenseless  condition,  many  of  her  troops  having  been  withdrawn  to 
Boston,  and  it  was  believed  that  a  large  portion  of  her  people  would  assume  the 

iThe  whole  train  of  artillery  possessed  by  the  colonies  when  the  war  for  independence  broke  oat, 
was  composed  of  four  field  pieces,  two  belonging  to  citizens  of  Boston,  and  two  to  the  province  of 
Massachusetts.  —  LossiNG. 


From  1770  to  1775.  141 


cause  of  America  in  the  event  of  an  invasion  promising  success.  But  Congress 
hesitated,  and  although  Allen  had,  in  a  communication  of  June  7th,  declared 
that  "  with  fifteen  hundred  men  I  could  take  Montreal,"  that  body  was  averse 
to  an  act  involving  possibilities  of  apprehension  in  the  minds  of  many  citizens 
of  the  colonies,  and  so  thoroughly  offensive  in  its  character  against  the  mother 
country. 

Soon  after  the  capture  of  the  forts  fifty  men  who  had  been  enlisted  by 
Arnold  arrived  at  Ticonderoga.  An  armed  schooner  was  then  lying  in  the 
Sorel  River  near  St.  Johns.  Her  capture  would  secure  the  naval  supremacy 
of  the  lake,  and  Arnold  and  Allen  resolved  upon  the  attempt.  Arnold  took 
his  fifty  recruits  and  manned  the  schooner  captured  at  Skenesborough,  and  on 
the  fifth  day  after  the  surrender  of  the  fort  sailed  for  St.  Johns.  Allen  accom- 
panied him  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  in  bateaux.  Favorable  winds 
enabled  Arnold  to  distance  the  bateaux.  Arriving  within  thirty  miles  of  his 
destination,  a  calm  overtook  him ;  but  he  was  not  disposed  to  share  with  Allen 
whatever  honor  might  be  forthcoming,  and  accordingly  embarked  thirty-five 
men  in  two  boats,  hastened  forward,  surprised  and  captured  the  fort,  with  its 
guard  of  twelve  men,  and  seized  the  schooner,  making  a  successful  retreat  with 
his  prize.  Returning  he  met  Allen  and  acquainted  him  with  intelligence  he 
had  received  of  an  approaching  detachment  of  troops  towards  St.  Johns;  but 
Allen  pushed  on  and  landed.  The  presence  of  a  large  force  with  artillery 
compelled  him  to  return. ^ 

"  Among  the  military  personages  to  whom  the  emergencies  of  the  hour 
gave  special  prominence,''  says  Dr.  Holden,  "  was  Colonel  Bernard  Romans. 
....  He  was  a  soldier  by  training,  a  gentleman  by  birth  and  culture  and  an 
accomplished  scholar."  That  he  was  connected  with  the  capture  of  Skenes- 
borough is  an  undisputed  fact,  but  under  whom  or  by  whose  orders  no  record 
exists  to  show ;  it  is  only  known  that  he  took  possession  of  Fort  George  on 
the  I2th  of  May  (1775),  as  the  following  petition  of  John  Nordberg,  a  British 
officer  on  half  pay  who,  as  his  petition  states,  was  living  in  or  near  Fort  George 
at  the  time :  — 

1  Following  is  Arnold's  own  subsequent  estimate  of  the  importance  of  these  captures  :  "  We  were 
now  masters  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  the  garrisons  depending  thereon.  This  success  I  viewed  of  con- 
sequence in  the  scale  of  American  polttics  ;  for,  if  a  settlement  between  the  then  colonies  of  Great 
Britain  had  soon  taken  place,  it  would  have  been  easy  to  have  restored  these  acquisitions  ;  but  viewing 
the  then  future  consequences  of  a  cruel  war,  as  it  has  really  proved  to  be,  and  the  command  of  that  lake, 
garrisons,  artillery,  etc.,  it  must  be  viewed  to  be  of  signal  importance  to  the  American  cause,  and  it  is 
marvelous  to  me  that  we  ever  lost  command  of  it.  Nothing  but  taking  a  Burgoyne  with  his  whole 
British  army  could,  in  my  opinion,  atone  for  it;  and  notwithstanding  such  an  extraordinary  victory, 
we  must  be  obliged  to  regain  the  command  of  that  lake  again,  be  the  cost  what  it  will ;  by  doing  this 
Canada  will  easily  be  brought  into  union  and  confedei-acy  with  the  United  States  of  America.  Such 
an  event  would  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  the.  western  tribes  of  Indians  to  carry  on  a  war  with  us,  and 
be  a  solid  and  durable  bar  against  any  further  inhuman  barbarities  committed  on  our  frontier  inhabitants 
by  cruel  and  blood-thirsty  savages ;  for  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  carry  on  a  war,  except  they  are 
supported  by  the  trade  and  commerce  of  some  civilized  nation;  which  to  them  would  be  impracticable 
did  Canada  compose  a  part  of  the  American  empire." 


142  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  Captain  Nordberg  to  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress. 

"  The  most  respectable  Gentlemen  Provincial  Congress  in  New  York.  I 
beg  leave  to'  represent  to  the  most  respectable  congress  this  circumstance. 

"  I  am  a  native  of  Sweeden,  and  have  been  persecuted  for  that  I  have  been 
against  the  French  faction  there.  I  have  been  in  his  Brittannick  Majesty's  ser- 
vice since  January,  1758. 

"  I  have  been  twice  shot  through  my  body  here  last  war  in  America,  and 
I  am  now  55  years  old,  reduced  of  age,  wounds,  and  gravels,  which  may  be 
seen  by  Doctor  Jones  certificate. 

"  [In]  1773,  I  got  permission  in  Jamaica  to  go  to  London,  where  I  petition 
to  be  an  Invalid  officer,  but  as  a  foreigner,  I  could  not  enjoy  a  commission  in 
England  or  Ereland.  His  Majesty  was  graciously  pleased  to  give  me  the  allow- 
ance for  Fort  George,  7  shiUings  sterling  per  day,  with  liberty  to  live  where  I 
pleased  in  America,  becmise  the  Fort  has  been  abandoned  this  8  year  and  only  2 
■men  remain  there  for  to  assist  any  express  going  betweeii  New  York  and  Canada. 
I  arrived  here  in  New  York  last  year  in  September,  with  intention  to  live  in 
New  York,  as  I  heard  nothing  els  than  disharmony  amongst  Gentlemen  which 
was  not  agreeable  to  my  age,  I  resolved  to  go  to  Fort  George,  and  live  there 
in  a  little  cottage  as  a  Hermit  where  I  was  very  happy  for  6  months. 

"The  I2th  of  May  last  Mr.  Romans  came  and  took  possession  of  Fort 
George,  Mr.  Romans  behaved  very  genteel  and  civil  to  me,  I  told  that  I  did 
not  belong  to  the  army,  and  I  may  be  considered  as  half  pay  officer  or  invalid, 
and  convinced  him  that  I  was  plagued  with  Gravell,  Mr.  Romans  gave  me  his 
passport  to  go  to  New  Lebanon  for  to  recover  my  health,  and  he  told  me  that 
in  regard  to  my  age  I  may  go  where  I  pleased. 

"  As  I  can't  sell  any  bill  for  my  subsistence,  and  I  can't  live  upon  wind 
and  weather,  I  therefore  beg  and  implore  the  most  respectable  Congress  per- 
mission to  go  to  England,  and  I  entend  to  go  to  my  native  country.  I  could 
have  gone  away  secret  so  well  as  some  others  have  done,  but  I  will  not  upon 
any  account  do  such  thing. 

"  I  hope  the  most  respectable  will  not  do  partially  to  refuse  me,  because 
Major  Etherington,  Captain  Brown,  Captain  Kelly,  which  is  in  the  army  have 
been  permitted  to  go  to  England,  and  it  may  happen  they  return  here  again 
on  actual  service,  which  old  age  and  infirmities  render  me  incapable  off. 

"  As  it  is  the  custom  amongst  the  Christian  Nations  and  the  Turks,  that 
they  give  subsistence  to  every  Prisoner  according  to  their  rank,  should  the 
most  respectable  Congress  have  claim  upon  me  to  be  a  prisoner  here,  I  hope 
they  will  give  me  my  subsistence  from  the  12  May  last,  according  to  my  rank 
as  captain.  I  implore  the  favour  of  the  most  respectable  Congress,  answer.  I 
have  the  honor  to  remain  with  great  respect.  Gentlemen,  Your  most  obedt. 
servant, 

"John  Nordberg. 

"  New- York,  december,  1775." 


From  1770  to  1775.  143 


In  June  Arnold  turned  over  his  command  to  Colonel  Benjamin  Hinman, 
who  was  stationed  at  Ticonderoga  with  about  five  hundred  troops  of  the  1,000 
he  had  brought  from  Connecticut.  Soon  after  this,  through  an  understanding 
with  General  Washington  and  by  direction  of  Congress,  General  Schuyler  as- 
sumed the  general  command  of  all  the  northern  troops  On  the  ist  of  July 
following  Schuyler,  in  his  returns  to  Congress,  reported  the  following  troops 
under  his  command,  and  their  disposition  :  At  Ticonderoga,  495  ;  at  Crown 
Point,  302;  at  Lake  George  Landing,  102;  and  at  Fort  George  104,  all  be- 
longing to  Colonel  Hinman's  force  of  Connecticut  troops ;  and  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts troops  there  were  at  Ticonderoga  40;  at  Crown  Point,  109;  at  Fort 
George,  25  ;   of  New  York  soldiers  there  were  205  at  Fort  George. ^ 

Lossing,  in  his  Life  of  Schuyler,  quotes  from  a  letter  of  Schuyler  to  General 
Washington  the  following  not  encouraging  report  of  the  discipline  in  force  at 
Ticonderoga  upon  his  arrival  at  that  post ;  "  About  ten  last  night,  I  arrived 
at  the  landing  place,  the  north  end  of  Lake  George,  a  post  occupied  by  a  cap- 
tain and  one  hundred  men.  A  sentinel,  on  being  informed  that  I  was  in  the 
boat,  quitted  his  post  to  go  and  wake  the  guard  consisting  of  three  men,  in 
which  he  had  no  success.  I  walked  up  and  came  to  another,  a  sergeant's  guard. 
Here  the  sentinel  challenged,  but  suffered  me  to  come  up  to  him,  the  whole 
guard,  like  the  first,  being  sound  asleep." 

The  course  pursued  by  the  Indians  early  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle  was 
the  cause  of  much  anxiety  to  the  colonists  and  opened  the  way  to  the  bloody 
deeds  that  followed  their  alliance  with  the  English  and  their  association  with 
the  Tories.  The  alarming  encroachments  of  the  white  settlers  upon  the  do- 
main of  the  Iroquois  undoubtedly  had  its  influence  in  producing  this  deplorable 
result.  Sir  William  Johnson,  England's  Indian  agent,  died  in  1774,  but  much 
of  his  great  influence  over  the  Six  Nations  descended  to  his  successor,  an  in- 
fluence that  was  potent  in  withholding  the  Iroquois  power  from  alliance  with 
the  French  in  the  earlier  war.  The  successor  was  Sir  Guy  Johnson,  a  nephew 
of  Sir  William.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution  it  became  the  policy 
of  the  Americans  to  secure  simply  the  neutrality  of  the  Indians  (which  policy 
was  successful  as  far  as  the  Oneidas  were  concerned),  while  the  British  made 
undisguised  efforts  to  effect  their  close  alliance  to  the  royal  cause.  La  Corne 
St.  Luc,  a  bitter  partisan,  had  declared,  "  We  must  let  loose  the  savages  upon 
the  frontier  of  these  scoundrels  to  inspire  terror  and  to  make  them  submit.'" 
In  the  spring  of  1777  Governor  Tryon  wrote  to  Germain  that  he  and  the  par- 
tisan named  were  perfectly  agreed  as  to  the  employment  of  Indians  in  the 
war.  Brant,  the  great  Mohawk  chief,  had  already  been  taken  to  England 
(1775-6),  was  shown  marked  favor  by  the  government  and  employed  to  lead 
all  who  would  follow  him  against  the  colonists.  Against  this  inhuman  policy 
Pitt  hurled  his  bitterest  invective  and  in  1777,  when  the  policy  was  thus  de- 


1  LOSSI.NG. 


144  History  of  Warren  County. 

fended  by  one  of  the  secretaries  of  state,  in  parliament :  "  It  is  perfectly  justi- 
fiable to  use  all  the  means  that  God  and  nature  have  put  in  our  hands,"  Pitt 
replied  :  "  I  know  not  what  idea  that  lord  may  entertain  of  God  and  nature, 
but  I  know  that  such  abominable  principles  are  equally  abhorrent  to  religion 
and  humanity."  He  called  upon  the  bishops  to  disavow  such  principles  and 
"to  vindicate  the  religion  of  our  God."  But  his  appeals  were  in  vain,  and  the 
colonial  secretary  (Germain)  gave  special  instructions  to  employ  Indians  "  in 
fighting  Republicans." 

At  length,  late  in  the  season  of  1775,  the  Congress  began  to  see  the  im- 
portance of  an  invasion  into  Canada.  It  had,  apparently,  become  a  necessary 
measure  for  self-protection,  as  Governor  Carleton  (of  Canada)  had  received  a 
commission  authorizing  him  to  muster  and  arm  the  people  of  the  province,  and 
to  march  them  into  any  province  of  America  and  arrest  and  put  to  death,  or 
spare  "rebels"  and  other  offenders.  Major-General  Philip  Schuyler  had  been 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  northern  department  (which  included  all  of 
New  York)  with  Richard  Montgomery  as  his  chief  heutenant.  An  army  of 
three  thousand  men  was  concentrating  at  Ticonderoga  for  the  proposed  expe- 
dition, while  Carleton,  apprised  of  the  movement,  made  preparations  to  oppose 
it  by  creating  a  naval  force  competent  to  maintain  supremacy  on  the  lake.  To 
defeat  this  design  Montgomery  took  the  small  force  already  assembled  and  rap- 
idly descended  the  lake  and  seized  the  position  at  the  Isle  aux  Noix.  There 
he  was  joined  by  Schuyler  and  an  address  of  conciliation  was  made  to  the 
Canadians,  which  had  the  effect  of  partially  influencing  the  people  to  maintain 
neutrality  towards  the  Americans.  At  the  same  time  Carleton's  efforts  to  en- 
list the  general  populace  were  almost  unsuccessful ;  they  would  not  join  in  act- 
ive aggression  against  their  neighbors  across  the  border. 

A  council  had  already  been  held  at  Montreal  by  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of 
the  Iroquois,  Guy  Johnson  and  Brant  both  taking  part.  Here  the  savages 
swore  fealty  to  the  king,  the  first  act  in  the  long  catalogue  of  slaughter  and 
devastation  that  followed. 

As  the  first  step  towards  the  invasion  the  Americans,  1,000  strong,  made  a 
demonstration  against  St.  Johns,  during  which  they  were  attacked  by  a  body 
of  Indians  who  were  repulsed.  After  erecting  a  slight  breastwork  near  the 
fort,  Schuyler  fell  back  to  his  original  position  and  erected  a  chevaiix  de  frise 
in  the  Sorel,  obstructing  navigation  into  the  lake  by  Carleton's  vessels,  then 
in  progress  of  construction  at  St.  Johns.  Schuyler  was  now  called  to  Albany 
and  was  there  detained  by  sickness,  leaving  the  command  in  the  efficient  hands 
of  Montgomery.  He  soon  adopted  aggressive  measures.  St.  Johns  was  then 
occupied  by  a  garrison  of  700  men  under  Major  Preston,  and  was  looked  upon 
as  the  key  to  Canada.  This  position  was  considered  impregnable  to  the  force 
at  Montgomery's  command,  and  he  resolved  to  assault  the  works  at  Chambly, 
a  few  miles  below.     It  was  accomplished  in  the  night  (Oct.  19th),  after  feeble 


From  1770  to  1775.  145 


defense  by  the  small  garrison,  and  placed  in  Montgomery's  possession  several 
heavy  guns,  a  large  quantity  of  powder  and  other  stores,  all  which  he  was  in 
extreme  need  of  This  success  turned  the  scale  of  Canadian  sympathy  more 
towards  America  and  large  numbers  joined  the  army  ;  which  spirit  was  fostered 
by  Montgomery,  who  sent  detachments  of  his  soldiers  in  different  directions 
through  their  country  for  that  purpose.  Two  of  these  parties,  under  Allen  and 
Brown,  respectively,  approached  Montreal,  and  without  order  and  with  appa- 
rent injudiciousness,  resolved  upon  capturing  the  island.  Brown  failed  to  co- 
operate with  Allen,  as  arranged,  and  the  latter  with  his  party  was  captured 
after  gallant  fighting.  ^ 

Carleton's  success  over  Allen  and  Brown  now  led  him  to  attempt  the  re- 
lief of  St.  Johns.  His  plans  embraced  a  conjunction  with  Colonel  McLean 
who  was  stationed  with  a  corps  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel.  Carleton  started 
with  a  force  of  about  1,000,  mostly  Canadians  and  Indians,  to  make  the 
passage  of  the  river  from  Montreal  to  Longueil ;  but  Seth  Warner  had  already 
occupied  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  with  his  Green  Mountain  boys,  and  ap- 
prehending Carleton's  movements,  he  fortified  his  position  with  a  few  pieces  of 
artillery  and  awaited  the  fleet.  Carleton  was  welcomed  by  Warner  with  a  ter- 
rible fire  of  musketry  and  grape  shot,  which  sent  his  undisciplined  troops  flying 
back  to  the  island.  McLean  also  retreated  to  his  former  position  and  at  this 
time  through  an  intercepted  letter  from  Arnold  to  Schuyler,  learned  that  a 
formidable  force  was  descending  the  valley  of  the  Chaudiere  to  assault  Quebec  ; 
he  accordingly  hastened,  with  such  force  as  he  could  collect,  to  occupy  that 
place.  Montgomery  immediately  occupied  the  position  from  which  McLean 
had  fallen  back,  erected  works  at  the  confluence  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  So- 
rel and,  further  aided  by  floating  batteries,  completely  controlled  both  streams, 
cutting  off  Montreal  and  the  fortifications  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  river  and 
lakes  from  communication  with  Quebec  and  the  sea.  This  well  conceived  ac- 
tion forced  Preston  to  surrender  St.  Johns,  after  which  Montgomery  marched 
against  Montreal  and  that  city  also  surrendered  without  making  defense.  Carle- 
ton relinquished  the  command  at  Montreal  to  Prescott  before  Montgomery's 
arrival,  and  escaped  in  disguise  in  the  night  down  the  river  past  the  American 
batteries. 

Meanwhile  Washington  had  planned  one  of  those  remarkably  bold  and 
original  movements  for  which  he  was  famous,  with  the  capture  of  Quebec  as  its 
object.  This  was  no  less  than  the  march  of  a  thousand  men  from  Cambridge, 
by  way  of  Kennebec  River,  through  the  untrodden  wilderness  between  that 
stream  and  the  Chaudiere,  and  the  descent  of  the  latter  to  Quebec. 

Had  it  been  possible  for  human  sagacity  to  foresee  the  almost  insurmount- 

1  Allen  was  taken  a  prisoner  to  |England,  where  he  was  held  nearly  three  years,  and    persecuted 
with  all  manner  of  indignities  in  loathsome  prisons.     At  the  end  of  his  imprisonment  he  was  exchanged 
and  received  with  honors  by  his  country. 
10 


146  History  of  Warren  County. 

able  obstacles  and  hardships  to  overcome  in  this  then  unparalleled  expedition, 
it  would  in  all  probability  have  been  so  directed  as  to  have  been  entirely  suc- 
cessful. But  as  it  proved  the  heroic  troops  and  their  officers  were  buried  in 
the  depths  of  the  wilderness  for  thirty-two  days,  suffering  the  horrors  of  starv- 
ation, tempestuous  weather  and  freezing  floods  in  the  streams  they  were  forced 
to  ford,  before  reaching  the  Chaudiere.  Here  actual  starvation  threatened,  and 
it  was  still  seventy  miles  to  the  nearest  French  settlement.  Arnold,  therefore, 
left  the  main  body  of  his  troops  and,  taking  with  him  fifty-five  men,  started 
down  the  river  for  food.  The  settlement  was  reached  and  Indians  sent  back 
with  supplies  and  to  guide  the  troops  down  ^the  river.  This  was  all  accom- 
plished, but  it  took  time,  and  it  was  nearly  two  months  from  the  date  of  leav- 
ing Cambridge  before  they  reached  the  St.  Lawrence  opposite  Quebec  (No- 
vember 9th),  decimated  to  750  strong.  ^ 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  this  expedition,  bold,  hazardous,  and  secret 
as  it  was,  would  have  secured  the  prize  for  which  it  was  planned,  but  for  the 
intercepted  letter  before  alluded  to.  The  alertness  of  McLean  saved  the  city 
from  capitulation.  Four  days  Arnold  was  prevented  from  crossing  the  river, 
at  the  end  of  which,  on  the  night  of  the  13th  of  November,  he  embarked  550 
men  in  bark  canoes  and  landed  them  at  Wolfs  Cove,  whence  they  ascended  to 
the  Plains  of  Abraham.  Here  he  ordered  his  men  to  give  three  cheers,  in  the 
hope  of  thus  calling  the  garrison  out  to  attack  him,  upon  which  it  was  his  pur- 
pose to  rush  through  the  open  city  gates,  call  around  him  the  sympathizers  he 
believed  to  be  in  the  city  and  hold  the  situation.  The  regulars  did  not  come 
out.  Arnold  was  joined  by  the  200  men  left  on  Point  Levi  across  the  river, 
and  he  now  spent  a  few  days  in  issuing  proclamations  and  arrogantly  demand- 
ing the  surrender  of  the  city.  Little  attention  was  paid  to  him  or  his  move- 
ments by  the  enemy.  Learning  that  Carleton  was  coming  down  the  river  and 
that  the  garrison  was  preparing  for  a  sortie  that  might  overwhelm  his  really 
insignificant  force,  he  prudently  retreated  to  Point  aux  Trembles,  twenty  miles 
above,  and  awaited  instructions  from  Montgomery.  The  latter  had  left  Mon- 
treal in  charge  of  a  force  under  General  Wooster,  and  on  the  3d  of  December 
reached  Arnold  and  his  "  shivering  troops."  With  the  clothing  he  brought 
the.  complaining  soldiers  were  reclad  and  then  the  combined  force,  still  less 
than  1,000  strong,  outside  of  200  Canadians  who  had  volunteered  under  Col- 
onel James  Livingstone,  pressed  forward  and  halted  before  Quebec  on  the  5th 
of  December.  A  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  city  was  made  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  but  the  flag  sent  was  fired  upon,  and  in  response  to  a  letter  from 


1  Their  sufferings  from  cold  and  hunger  had  been  extreme.  At  one  time  they  had  attempted  to 
make  broth  of  boiled  deer  skin  moccasins  to  sustain  life,  and  a  dog  belonging  to  Henry  (afterwards 
General)  Dearborn  made  savory  food  for  them.  In  this  expedition  were  men  who  afterwards  became 
famous  in  American  history.  —  Aaron  Burr,  R.  J.  i\Ieigs,  Henry  Dearborn,  Daniel  Morgan  and  others. 
—  LossiNG. 


From  1770  to  1775.  147 


Montgomery  to  Carleton,  the  latter  said  he  would  hold  no  communication  with 
"  a  rebel  general." 

Preparations  were  now  made  to  assault  the  city.  Colonel  Lamb  had  brought 
six  twelve-pounder  guns  which  were  mounted  upon  a  redoubt  built  of  ice,  and 
from  a  few  mortars  stationed  in  the  lower  town,  shells  were  thrown  into  the 
city,  by  which  a  few  buildings  were  set  on  fire.  But  Lamb's  ice  battery  was 
destroyed  by  well-directed  cannonade  from  the  citadel  and  he  was  forced  to 
withdraw.  Clearly,  this  course  would  not  succeed,  and  Montgomery  waited 
two  weeks  in  vain  for  reinforcements.  His  soldiers,  many  of  whom  had  left 
him  before  his  departure  from  Montreal,  upon  expiration  of  their  terms,  were  be- 
coming dissatisfied  ;  the  small-pox  broke  out  among  them  and  to  make  mat- 
ters worse,  Arnold,  always  dictatorial  and  obstinate,  quarreled  with  other  of- 
ficers and  thus  further  alienated  some  of  the  troops. 

At  last  and  almost  in  desperation,  Montgomery  determined  upon  an  at- 
tempt to  carry  the  city  by  a  direct  assault  at  two  points,  one  division  to  be  led 
by  himself  and  the  other  by  Arnold.  On  the  first  stormy. night  Arnold  wasto 
attack  the  lower  town,  set  fire  to  the  suburb  of  St.  Roque,  while  the  main  body 
should  make  an  assault  from  the  St.  Lawrence  River  side  under  Montgomery. 
A  snow  storm  began  on  the  30th  of  December  ;  sickness,  desertion  and  expira- 
tion of  enlistment  terms  had  dwindled  the  force  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty  ef- 
fective men,  but  the  movement  was  carried  forward.  While  Arnold  led  his 
three  hundred  and  fifty  men  to  the  assault  on  the  St.  Charles  side,  Livingston 
made  a  feint  upon  the  St.  Louis  gate  and  Major  Brown  menaced  the  Cape  Dia- 
mond bastion.  At  the  same  time  Montgomery  descended  to  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  made  his  way  along  the  narrow  shore  at  the  foot  of  the  cape.  The  whole 
plan  had  been  revealed  to  Carleton  by  a  Canadian  deserter  and  the  garrison 
was  prepared  for  the  assault.  A  battery  was  placed  at  the  narrow  pass  on  the 
St.  Charles  side  and  a  block-house  with  masked  cannon  occupied  the  narrow 
road  at  the  foot  of  Cape  Diamond.  Montgomery  approached  this  block-house, 
where  all  was  still.  Believing  his  presence  was  not  known  he  shouted  to  the 
companies  of  Captains  Mott  and  Cheesemen,  near  him,  "  Men  of  New  York, 
you  will  not  fear  to  follow  where  your  general  leads  ;  push  on,  my  brave  boys 
and  Quebec  is  ours  !"  At  this  moment  a  charge  of  grape  shot  from  a  single 
gun,  which,  tradition  says,  was  fired  by  a  drunken  sailor  (the  last  of  the  block- 
house garrison,  the  remainder  having  fled  at  the  approach  of  the  Americans), 
swept  through  the  narrow  path  with  terrific  destructiveness.  Montgomery 
fell,  pierced  though  the  head  and  both  legs ;  his  dying  form  was  caught  in  the 
arms  of  Burr.  Cheeseman  and  McPherson,  aids,  and  ten  others  were  killed. 
The  assault  was  doomed;  the  fall  of  the  brave  leader  overwhelmed  the  troops, 
and  Montgomery's  division,  now  in  command  of  Colonel  Campbell,  hastily 
withdrew. 

Meanwhile  Arnold's  band  was  marching  through  blinding  snow  and  heavy 


148  History  of  Warren  County. 

drifts,  in  single  file,  up  the  defile  that  led  to  his  point  of  attack.  This  could  be 
raked  by  the  guns  of  the  battery  and  swept  by  the  musketry  from  the  garri- 
son walls.  Lamb  had  left  his  artillery  as  useless,  and  joined  Arnold.  The  city 
bells  began  ringing  and  drums  beating.  Fire  was  opened  on  the  narrow  pass 
and  Arnold  fell  wounded  and  was  borne  from  the  field.  Morgan  took  com- 
mand and  amid  desperate  fighting  a  battery  was  captured  with  a  number  of 
the  guards  and  its  barricades  scaled  with  ladders.  The  commander  was  the 
second  man  to  cross  the  works.  With  the  aid  of  Colonel  Green  and  Majors 
Bigelow  and  Meigs  he  succeeded  in  gathering  around  him  two  hundred  of  the 
troops,  covered  with  snow  and  ice  and  suffering  with  the  cold  ;  but  as  day 
dawned  they  were  imbued  with  renewed  enthusiasm  and  called  on  their  brave 
commander  to  lead  them  against  a  second  battery  mounted  beyond  the  angle 
of  a  street.  The  advance  was  quickly  made,  but  turning  the  angle  they  were 
met  by  a  body  of  troops  under  Captain  Anderson  ;  the  latter  called  on  Morgan 
to  surrender  and  was  immediately  shot  by  him.  The  Americans  now  rushed 
ahead,  planted  ladders  against  this  barricade  and  mounted  to  the  top.  Here 
they  saw  before  them  two  lines  of  British  regulars,  the  butts  of  their  muskets 
on  the  ground  and  their  bayonets  towards  the  summit  of  the  barricade.  Many 
of  the  Americans  retreated  into  the  stone  houses  whence  they  could  maintain 
their  fire,  and  the  conflict  continued.  But  Carleton  was  enabled,  through  the 
failure  of  the  other  assaults,  to  throw  his  entire  force  against  Morgan.  After 
several  hours  of  resistance  and  waiting  in  vain  for  aid  from  the  other  detach- 
ments, the  brave  band  was  compelled  to  surrender  after  a  loss  of  a  hundred 
men.     Thus  ended  the  siege. 

The  entire  loss  of  the  Americans  in  killed  wounded  and  prisoners,  was  about 
four  hjindred.     The  British  lost  about  twenty  killed. 

Upon  the  death  of  Montgomery  Arnold  took  the  command  and  retired 
with  the  remainder  of  the  troops  to  Silllery,  three  miles  up  the  river,  where  he 
blockaded  Quebec  during  the  remainder  of  the  winter.  His  position  and  his 
prospects  were  not  encouraging.  The  troops  were  insubordinate  and  the  Ca- 
nadian people,  prompted  by  the  priests,  were  becoming  disaffected  towards  the 
Americans,  while  at  the  same  time  disease  was  rampant  among  the  troops. 
Arnold  was  relieved  in  April  by  General  Wooster  and  a  month  later  General 
Thomas  took  command.  Arnold  was  transferrsd  to  Montreal,  where  "  he  re- 
vealed the  cupidity  and  rapaciousness,  which,  in  after  years,  and  on  another 
stage  deformed  and  debauched  his  whole  character."  ^ 

The  approach  of  three  British  ships  that  had  forced  their  way  up  the  river, 
conveying  troops  and  supplies,  coupled  with  his  own  almost  .helpless  situation, 
impelled  Thomas  to  begin  a  retreat,  which  was  done  on  the  5th  of  May.  The 
order  was  for  such  immediate  movement  that  most  of  the  sick  and  wounded 
and  the  stores  were  abandoned.     The  retreat  itself  was  a  long  series   of  hard- 

1  Watson's  Essex  County. 


Close  of  1776.  149 


ships,  struggles  with  sickness  and  hunger  and  general  suffering.  At  Sorel 
General  Thomas  fell  a  victim  to  the  prevailing  epidemic  and  was  succeeded  by- 
General  Sullivan.  This  officer's  subsequent  conduct  of  the  retreat  showed  the 
highest  generalship  and  was  formally  recognized  by  Congress.  The  capture 
of  the  post  at  the  Cedars,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  by  the  Canadians  and  Mo- 
hawks, and  the  sanguinary  disaster  at  the  Three  Rivers,  only  served  to  hasten 
Sullivan's  retreat,  and  he  arrived  at  Crown  Point  in  June,  with  the  remnant  of 
a  conquered  army. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CLOSE  OF  1776. 

The  Canadian -Mission  —  Its  Failure  —  Hostilities  near  New  York — Battle  of  Long  Island  — 
Sraall-Pox  at  Crown  Point  —  Carleton's  Pursuit  of  the  Americans  —  Dr.  Thacher's  Journal  —  Building 
a  British  Fleet  for  Lake  Charaplain  —  Counter- Action  by  Arnold — Sailing  of  the  British  Fleet  —  Re- 
spective Positions  of  the  American  and  British  Vessels  — The  Engagement —  Retirement  of  the  Amer- 
icans—  Rapid  Pursuit  —  Arnold's  Bravery — Burning  of  a  Portion  of  the  Fleet  —  Escape  of  the  Re- 
mainder to  Crown  Point  —  The  British  Retire  to  Canada  for  the  Winter  —  Campaign  of  1777  —  Bur- 
goyne's  Operations — Assault  upon  and  Evacuation  of  Ticonderoga — The  Jane  McCrea  Incident  —  Bur- 
goyne's  Surrender. 

THE  country  was  now  fully  ablaze  with  the  Revolution,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  year  1776  witnessed  some  important  occurrences.  The  month  of 
March,  while  Arnold  was  yet  in  command  at  Montreal,  had  witnessed  the  fail- 
ure of  the  commission  appointed  by  Congress,  consisting  of  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Samuel  Chase  and  Charles  Carroll,  to  proceed  to  Canada  and  induce  the  people 
to  establish  a  free  government  and  join  the  confederated  colonies.  Hostilities 
were  for  the  time  being  transferred  to  New  York  and  vicinity  and  the  battle  of 
Long  Island,  disastrous  to  the  Americans,  was  fought  and  New  York  was  evac- 
uated in  September,  while  other  occurrences  of  moment  were  taking  place  in 
the  northern  department,  with  which  we  are  more  directly  interested. 

When  the  retreating  army  had  reached  Crown  Point,  as  detailed  at  the  close 
of  the  preceding  chapter,  it  mustered  about  five  thousand  men;  but  more  than 
half  of  these  were  helpless  in  sickness,  chiefly  from  the  terrible  scourge,  small- 
pox. For  ten  days  the  troops  remained  there,  suffering  much  from  exposure, 
during  which  brief  period  three  hundred  deaths  occurred.  What  would  have 
happened  had  not  SuUivan,  in  his  wisdom,  destroyed  everything  in  his  track 
that  could  have  aided  the  British  in  their  pursuit,  may  be  imagined.  When 
they  arrived  at  Champlain  their  progress  was  stayed  for  want  of  shipping.  The 
naval  supremacy  of  the  lake  now  became  of  perhaps  greater  moment  than  ever 


I50  History  of  Warren  County. 


before.  Carleton  immediately  began  the  construction  of  boats  in  the  Sorel,  and 
six  large  vessels,  which  had  been  built  in  England,  were  taken  apart  below  the 
Chambly  Rapids  and  conveyed  to  St.  Johns,  where  they  were  again  rebuilt  in 
the  utmost  haste.  The  ist  of  October  found  him  with  a  fleet  of  thirty- one 
vessels  all  armed  with  from  one  to  eighteen  guns  and  manned  by  several  hun- 
dred seamen  and  a  corps  of  artillery. 

Congress  had  not  been  idle.  Here  Arnold  found  a  field  for  the  exercise  of 
his  indomitable  energy,  and  he  saw  the  construction,  directly  from  the  forest 
trees,  and  equipment  of  fifteen  vessels,  armed  in  the  aggregate  with  fifty-five 
guns  and  manned  by  three  hundred  and  fifty  men ;  men,  however,  with  little 
experience  in  naval  affairs. 

A  short  period  of  repose  followed,  but  neither  antagonist  was  idle.  Carle- 
ton  strengthened  the  forts  at  St.  Johns  and  Isle  auxNoix  and  gathered  a  land 
force  of  seven  thousand  troops  to  march  against  his  enemy  when  the  lake  was 
conquered;  and  Arnold  cruised  the  lake  in  defiance  of  the  foe,  perfected  his 
plans  for  the  expected  contest,  and  drilled  his  men. 

Meanwhile  General  Gates  had,  through  intrigue,  displaced  General 
Schuyler  in  command  of  the  northern  army,  and  concentrated  his  forces  at 
Ticonderoga.^ 

Dr.  James  Thacher  joined  the  American  forces  that  marched  to  Ticonder- 
oga  from  Boston.  He  was  an  intelligent  man  and  kept  a  journal  from  1775 
to  1783,  which  proved  of  great  historic  value.  He  writes  of  Ticonderoga  and 
the  events  about  to  occur  in  that  vicinity  with  such  clearness  and  evident  sin- 
cerity and  judgment,  that  we  are  fully  justified  in  quoting  as  follows  :  — 

August  20th,  1776.  —  "  Having  recovered  my  health  and  being  prepared 
to  follow  my  regiment,  I  am  this  day  to  bid  adieu  to  the  town  of  Boston,  where 
I  have  resided  very  pleasantly  for  the  last  five  months.  I  am  destined  to  a 
distant  part  of  our  country,  and  know  not  what  sufferings  and  hazards  I  shall 
be  called  to  encounter,  while  in  the  discharge  of  my  military  duty.  I  shall 
commence  my  journey  in  company  with  Lieutenant  Whiting  and  fourteen  men 
who  were  left  here  as  invalids. 

"  September. — We  took  our  route  through  Worcester,  Springfield,  Charles- 
town,  in  New  Hampshire,  and  over  the  Green  Mountains  to  Skeensboro ; 
which  is  the  place  of  rendezvous  for  the  continental  troops  and  militia  destined 
to  Ticonderoga.  Here  boats  are  provided  at  the  entrance  of  Lake  Champlain, 
which  are  continually  passing   to  and  from   this   place.     We  embarked  on  the 

1  Gates  at  first  established  his  headquarters  at  Crown  Point,  but  soon  afterward  withdrew  his  forces 
from  that  post  and  fell  back  upon  Ticonderoga.  This  step  was  taken  by  the  advice  and  concurrence  of 
a  board  of  general  officers  but  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the  field  officers.  The  commander-in-chief 
was  exceedingly  dissatisfied  with  this  movement  of  Gates,  believing  that  the  relinquishment  of  that  post 
in  its  consequences  would  be  equivalent  to  an  abandonment  of  Lakes  George  and  Champlain,  and  all 
advantages  to  be  derived  therefrom.  —  Stone's  Life  of  Brant,  with  reference  to  Washington's  letter 
to  Gates. 


Close  of  1776.  151 


6th  instant,  and  with  good  oarsmen  and  sails  we  arrived  the  same  day,  and 
joined  our  regiment  here,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles. 

"  loth.  — Ticonderoga  is  situated  on  an  angle  of  land  forming  the  western 
shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  or  rather  what  is  called  South  Bay ;  being  the  inlet 
into  the  lake.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  south  of  the  old  fortress  at  Crown 
Point,  and  about  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  north  of  Albany.  This  point  of 
land  is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  water,  and  on  the  northwest  side  it  is  well 
defended  by  the  old  French  lines  and  several  block-houses.  .  .  .  On  the 
east  side  of  South  Bay,  directly  opposite  to  Ticonderoga,  is  a  high  circular  hill, 
on  the  summit  of  which  our  army  has  erected  a  strong  fort,  within  which  is  a 
square  of  barracks.  This  is  called  Mt.  Independence.  A  communication  is 
maintained  between  the  two  places  by  a  floating  bridge  thrown  across  the  lake, 
which  is  about  four  hundred  yards  wide.  The  army  stationed  at  this  post  at 
present  is  supposed  to  consist  of  about  eight  to  ten  thousand  men,  and  Major 
General  Gates  is  commander-in-chief  We  have  a  naval  armament^  on  Lake 
Champlain,  below  this  garrison,  which  is  commanded  by  the  intrepid  General 
Arnold  ;  General  Waterbury  is  second  in  command.  The  British  have  also  a 
naval  armament  ^  of  superior  force,  at  the  head  of  which  is  the  celebrated  Sir 
Guy  Carleton." 

Carleton  and  Arnold^s  Naval  Battle.  —  "  Preparations  are  making  on  both 
sides  for  a  vigorous  combat  to  decide  which  power  shall  have  dominion  on  the 
lake.  Should  Sir  Guy  Carleton  be  able  to  defeat  our  fleet,  it  is  supposed  that 
he  will  pursue  his  victorious  career  by  an  attempt  to  possess  himself  of  this 
garrison  ;  and  our  troops  are  making  the  utmost  exertion  to  put  our  works  in 
the  best  possible  defense.  Each  regiment  has  its  alarm  post  assigned,  and 
they  are  ordered  to  repair  to  it,  and  to  man  the  lines  at  day  light  every  morn- 
ing. Among  our  defensive  weapons  are  poles,  about  twelve  feet  long,  armed 
with  sharp  iron  points,  which  each  soldier  is  to  employ  against  the  assailants 
when  mounting  the  breast  works. 

"  ioth.3  —  By  intelligence  from  our  fleet,  on  the  lake,  we  are  in  daily  ex- 
pectation of  a  decisive  naval  action,  as  the  British  are  known  to  have  a  supe- 
rior force ;  our  officers  here,  I  understand,  are  full  of  anxiety  respecting  the 
important  event.  Great  confidence  is  reposed  in  the  judgment  of  General 
Arnold,  whom  General  Gates  has  appointed  to  command  our  fleet. 

"15th.  —  I  have  now  to  recount  an  account  of  a  naval  engagement  be- 
tween the  two  fleets  on  Lake  Champlain.*  The  British  under  command  of  Sir 
Guy  Carleton,  advanced  on  the  nth  instant,  and  found  our  fleet  in  a  line  of 

1  Built  and  equipped  by  Arnold  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  as  already  described. 

2  Built  at  St.  Johns  and  navigated  by  seven  hundred  veteran  seamen. 

3  Without  doubt,  October  loth. 

^  This  engagement  occurred  in  the  strait  between  Valcour  Island  and  the  western  shore,  just  north 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Ausable.  Its  history  cannot  be  omitted  in  the  sketch  of  Fort  Ticonderoga,  be- 
cause the  American  vessels  were  built  and  manned  there. 


152  History  of  Warren  County. 

battle  prepared  for  the  attack.  A  warm  action  soon  ensued,  and  became  ex- 
tremely close  and  severe,  with  round  and  grape  shot,  which  continued  about 
four  hours.  Brigadier- General  Waterbury,  in  the  Washington  Galley,  fought 
with  undaunted  bravery,  till  nearly  all  his  officers  were  killed  and  wounded, 
and  his  vessel  greatly  injured;  when  General  Arnold  ordered  the  remaining 
shattered  vessels  to  retire  up  the  lake,  towards  Crown  Point,  in  order  to  refit. 
On  the  13th  they  were  overtaken  by  the  enemy,  and  the  action  was  renewed, 
in  which  was  displayed  the  greatest  intrepidity  on  both  sides.  The  Washing- 
ton Galley  being  crippled  in  the  first  action,  was  soon  obliged  to  strike  and 
surrender.  General  Arnold  conducted  during  the  action  with  great  judgment, 
firmness,  and  gallantry,  obstinately  defending  himself  against  a  superior  force, 
both  in  numbers  or  weight  of  metal.  At  length,  however,  he  was  so  closely 
pressed  that  his  situation  became  desperate  and  he  run  his  own  vessel,  the 
Congress  Galley,  on  shore,  which  with  five  gondolas  were  abandoned  and  blown 
up.  Out  of  sixteen  of  our  vessels,  eleven  were  taken  or  destroyed,  five  only 
arrived  safely  at  this  place.  Two  of  the  enemy's  gondolas  were  sunk  by  our 
fleet,  and  one  blown  up  with  sixty  men.  Their  loss  in  men  is  supposed  to  be 
equal  to  our  own,  which  is  estimated  at  about  one  hundred." 

Preparations  to  Receive  an  Attack.  —  "A  large  number  of  troops  were  on 
board  the  British  fleet,  consisting  of  regulars,  Canadians  and  savages,  which 
have  been  landed  on  each  side  of  the  lake,  and  it  is  now  expected  that  Sir  Guy 
Carleton,  at  the  head  of  his  army,  reported  to  be  about  ten  thousand  strong, 
will  soon  invest  this  post.  By  order  of  General  Gates,  our  commander,  the 
greatest  exertions  are  constantly  making,  by  strengthening  our  works,  to  en- 
able us  to  give  them  a  warm  reception ;  and  our  soldiery  express  a  strong  de- 
sire to  have  an  opportunity  of  displaying  their  courage  and  prowess  ;  both 
officers  and  men  are  full  of  activity  and  vigilance. 

"  1 8th.  —  It  is  now  ascertained  that  the  British  army  and  fleet  have  estab- 
lished themselves  at  Crown  Point,  and  are  strengthening  the  old  fortifications 
at  that  place.  Some  of  their  vessels  have  approached  within  a  few  miles  of 
our  garrison,  and  one  boat  came  within  cannon  shot  distance  of  our  lower  bat- 
tery, in  order  to  reconnoitre  and  sound  the  channel ;  but  a  few  shot  having 
killed  two  men,  and  wounded  another,  soon  obliged  her  to  retire.  All  of  our 
troops  are  to  repair  to  their  alarm  posts,  and  man  the  lines  and  works ;  every 
morning  our  continental  troops  are  advantageously  displayed  on  the  ramparts, 
and  our  cannon  and  spears  are  in  readiness  for  action. 

"  20th.  —  Ever  since  the  defeat  of  our  fleet  we  have  been  providentially 
favored  with  a  strong  southerly  wind,  which  has  prevented  the  enemy's  ad- 
vancing to  attack  our  lines,  and  afforded  us  time  to  receive  some  reinforce- 
ments of  militia,  and  to  prepare  for  a  more  vigorous  defense.  It  seems  now 
to  be  the  opinion  of  many  of  our  most  judicious  officers,  that  had  Sir  Guy 
Carleton  approached  with  his  army  immediately  after  his  victory  on  the  lake, 


Close  of  1776.  153 


the  struggle  must  have  been  most  desperate,  and  the  result  precarious ;  but 
we  now  feel  more  confidence  in  our  strength." 

Carleton  Retires  to  Canada.  —  "November  1st.  —  The  enemy  remain  at 
Crown  Point,  and  evince  no  disposition  to  molest  our  garrison,  having  proba- 
bly discovered  that  our  means  of  defense  are  too  formidable  for  them  to  en- 
counter. General  Gates  has  now  ordered  a  detachment  of  troops  to  march 
towards  Crown  Point,  to  reconnoitre  their  position,  or  to  attack  them.  A  re- 
port was  soon  returned  that  the  whole  fleet  and  army  have  abandoned  Crown 
Point,  and  retired  into  Canada,  where  they  will  probably  occupy  their  winter 
quarters  in  peace,  and  it  is  not  probable  that  Sir  Guy  Carleton  intends  to  in- 
vest our  garrison,  at  this  advanced  season,  unless,  however,  he  should  attempt 
it  by  marching  his  army  over  the  ice  when  the  lake  is  frozen,  which  will  prob- 
ably be  very  practicable." 

Winter  Life  iti  the  Barracks.  —  "  15th.  — Ticonderoga  is  in  about  latitude 
forty-four  degrees.  I  have  no  means  in  possession  of  ascertaining  the  precise 
degrees  of  cold  ;  but  we  all  agree  that  it  is  colder  here  than  in  Massachusetts  at 
the  same  season.  The  earth  has  not  yet  been  covered  with  snow,  but  the 
frost  is  so  considerable  that  the  water  of  the  lake  is  congealed,  and  the  earth 
is  frozen.  We  are  comfortably  situated  in  our  barracks ;  our  provisions  are 
now  good,  and  having  no  enemy  near  enough  to  alarm  and  disturb  us,  we 
have  nothing  of  importance  to  engage  our  attention.  Our  troops  are  quite 
healthy,  a  few  cases  of  rheumatism  and  pleurisy  comprise  our  sick  list,  and  it 
is  seldom  that  any  fatal  cases  occur." 

Such  was  the  sagacious  physician's  description  of  the  most  important  naval 
engagement  on  Lake  Champlain  and  other  contemporaneous  events.  General 
Carleton  was  harshly  and  unjustly  censured  for  his  retirement  to  Canada.  He 
realized  the  strength  of  the  garrison  at  that  time  and  properly  estimated  the 
hazards  of  an  approaching  winter  which  would  cut  him  off  from  rapid  trans- 
portation to  Canada. 

While  the  garrison  was  "  comfortably  situated  "  in  the  barracks  as  chron- 
icled by  Thacher,  Washington  was  retreating  in  gloom  across  the  Jerseys, 
closely  pursued  by  Cornwalis  ;  Forts  Washington  and  Lee  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy ;  the  militia  had  shown  little  of  that  heroism  that  was  ex- 
pected of  them,  and  the  tory  spirit  was  rife  in  New  York  and  New  Jersey ;  the 
American  cause  seemed  in  desperate  straits.  But  the  spirits  of  Washington 
rose  to  the  emergency  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  he  won  the  battle  of 
Trenton  (December  26),  which,  with  Carleton's  departure  from  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  revived  the  depressed  spirits  of  the  colonists. 

For  the  campaign  of  1777  the  English  made  the  most  thorough  prepara- 
tion in  the  north,  where  General  Burgoyne  had  succeeded  Carleton.  A  large 
and  fully  equipped  army  was  gathered  in  Canada  and  placed  under  his  com- 
mand, with  which  it  was  intended  to  crush  the  insurgent  colonies.     The  force 


154  History  of  Warren  County. 

designed  for  the  enterprise  numbered  more  than  seven  thousand  men,  besides 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  Canadians,  to  which  were  added  some  four  hun- 
dred Indians  and  a  large  park  of  artillery.  The  forces,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Indians,  assembled  at  St.  Johns  and  Isle  aux  Noix.  Its  command,  under 
Burgoyne,  was  entrusted  to  such  brave  and  skillful  officers  as  Generals  Phillips, 
Frazer,  Powell  and  Hamilton,  of  the  British  troops,  and  Riedesel  and  Specht 
of  the  hired  Germans.  Early  in  June  this  splendid  army  left  St.  Johns  in 
boats  and  reached  the  banks  of  the  Boquet,  where  it  halted  ten  days,  to  ena- 
ble the  commander  to  make  a  reconaissance  of  Ticonderoga,  drill  his  boatmen 
and  hold  his  notorious  conference  with  the  ludians,  in  which  they  were  deliber- 
ately employed  to  glut  their  savage  passions  upon  the  Americans.  This  con- 
ference was  held  on  the  2 1st.  Burgoyne  made  a  stirring  speech  to  the  Indians 
who  pledged  themselves  to  carry  out  his  behests  against  the  colonists.  There 
will  always,  doubtless,  be  differences  of  opinion  as  to  how  far  Burgoyne  wen* 
in  this  bargain  and  to  what  extent  he  inflamed  the  savages ;  but  the  fact  must 
remain  that  he  knew  the  character  of  the  Indians  and  their  mode  of  warfare ; 
he  knew  also,  that  the  Americans  had  not  sought  their  alliance,  desiring  only 
their  neutrality ;  hence  the  bloody  scenes  that  followed  directly  upon  this  bar- 
gain between  him  and  the  six  nations  must,  in  a  measure,  be  accredited  to 
him.i 

The  plans  of  the  English  for  the  campaign  embraced  the  cutting  off  of  New 
England  from  the  Middle  States  by  the  opening  of  communication  between 
New  York  and  Canada.  This  was  to  be  accomplished  by  Burgoyne,  in  co-op- 
eration with  General  Clinton,  whose  operations  were  to  be  carried  on  down  the 
Hudson.  At  the  same  time  Sir  Wm.  Howe,  with  an  army  of  16,000  men, 
was  to  withdraw  from  New  Jersey  and  move  simultaneously  around  to  the 
Chesapeake  and  take  possession  of  the  Middle  States. 

Unfortunately  for  the  Americans,  these  plans  were  hidden  and  mystified  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  commanding  officers  were  in  great  perplexity  in  devis- 
ing measures  of  opposition.  It  was  the  general  impression  that  Burgoyne 
contemplated  a  movement  against  Boston  and  that  Sir  Wm.  Howe  was  to  co- 
operate in  the  subjugation  of  the  hot- bed  of  rebellion.  New  England.  Even 
after  Burgoyne  descended  from  the  north,  General  Howe's  movements  were 
misunderstood  by  Washington,  his  uncertainty  being  strengthened  by  a  feigned 
dispatch  sent  by  Howe  to  Burgoyne  upon  the  subject  of  ascending  the  Hud- 
son ;  this  dispatch  was  purposely  allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the   Ameri- 

1  "  It  is  but  just  to  this  gallant  but  unfortunate  officer,  however,  to  state,  that  he  did  all  in  his 
power  to  restrain  the  excesses  and  barbarities  of  the  Indians.  At  the  council  and  war  feast,  which  he 
gave  them  near  Crown  Point,  he  endeavored  to  explain  to  them  the  laws  of  civilized  war ;  and  charged 
them  that  they  must  only  kill  those  opposing  them  in  arms  ;  that  old  men,  women  and  children,  and 
prisoners,  must  be  held  sacred  from  the  knife  or  hatchet,  even  in  the  heat  of  battle.  But  it  did  no 
good."  —  Stone's  Life  of  Brant.  The  question  will,  doubtless,  be  asked  whether  Burgoyne  should 
not  have  known,  or  did  not  know,  at  the  time  that  it  would  "  do  no  good." 


Close  of  1776.  155 


can  commander,  who  was  thereby  impelled  to  remain  inactive  and  to  withhold 
reinforcements  from  the  northern  department.  As  late  as  July  2d,  Washing- 
ton wrote  the  Congress,  "  If  we  were  certain  General  Burgoyne  were  approach- 
ing Ticonderoga  with  his  whole  army,  I  should  not  hesitate  a  moment  in  con- 
cluding that  it  is  in  consequence  of  a  preconcerted  plan  with  General  Howe, 
and  that  the  latter  is  to  co-operate  with  him  by  pushing  his  whole  force  up  the 
North  River."  And  July  22d  he  wrote,  "  I  cannot  give  you  any  certain  ac- 
count of  General  Howe's  operations.  His  conduct  is  puzzling  and  embarrass- 
ing beyond  measure  ;  so  are  the  informations  I  get.  At  one  time  the  ships 
are  standing  up  toward  the  North  River ;  in  a  little  while  they  are  going  up 
the  sound;  and  in  one  hour  after  they  are  going  out  of  the  hook."  This  to 
General  Schuyler.  In  reality  the  fleet  sailed  for  the  Virginia  capes  on  the  23d 
of  July. 

The  command  of  the  northern  department  was  again,  by  the  vacillation  of 
Congress,  placed  in  the  hands  of  General  Schuyler,  only  to  deprive  him  of  it 
the  second  time  on  the  first  of  the  following  August.  The  immediate  com- 
mand of  Ticonderoga  and  its  dependencies  was  given  to  General  Arthur  St. 
Clair,  an  officer  of  ability  and  experience,  but  destined  to  misfortune.  Here 
should  have  been  concentrated  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men ;  yet  Schuyler 
could  muster  but  half  that  number  in  his  whole  department,  while  but  three 
thousand  were  given  to  St.  Clair.  But  the  works  were  vastly  stronger  than 
when  they  were  so  heroically  defended  by  Montcalm.  The  old  lines  had  been 
fortified  by  the  erection  of  a  block-house,  and  new  works  erected  at  the  saw- 
mills and  the  Lake  George  landing,  all  of  which  were,  however,  only  occupied 
by  feeble  detachments.  A  small  fort  was  erected  on  Mount  Hope,  while 
Mount  Independence,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  directly  opposite  the 
main  fort,  was  effectively  fortified  by  a  star  fort  enclosing  barracks ;  the  base 
of  the  hill  and  its  sides  were  entrenched  and  supplied  with  artillery.  Ticonder- 
oga and  Mount  Independence  are  about  fifteen  hundred  yards  apart.  Let  us 
quote  a  little  further  from  the  journal  of  Dr.  Thacher :  — 

"  According  to  authentic  reports,  the  plan  of  the  British  government  for 
the  present  campaign  is  that  General  Burgoyne's  army  shall  take  possession 
of  Ticonderoga,  and  force  his  way  through  the  country  to  Albany  ;  to  facili- 
tate this  event,  Colonel  St.  Leger  is  to  March  with  a  party  of  British,  Ger- 
mans, Canadians  and  Indians,  to  the  Mohawk  River,  and  make  a  diversion  in 
that  quarter.  The  royal  army  at  New  York,  under  command  of  General 
Howe,  is  to  pass  up  the  Hudson  River,  and  calculating  on  success  in  all  quar- 
ters, the  three  armies  are  to  form  a  junction  at  Albany.  Here,  probably,  the 
three  commanders  are  to  congratulate  each  other  on  their  mighty  achieve- 
ments, and  the  flattering  prospects  of  crushing  the  rebellion.  This  being  ac- 
complished, the  communication  between  the  Southern  and  Eastern  States  will 
be  interrupted,  and  New  England,  as  they  suppose,  may  become  an  easy 
prey. 


156  History  of  Warren  County. 

"Judging  from  the  foregoing  detail,  a  very  active  campaign  is  to  be  ex- 
pected, and  events  of  the  greatest  magnitude  are  undoubtedly  to  be  unfolded. 

"  The  utmost  exertions  are  now  making  to  strengthen  our  works  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  and,  if  possible,  to  render  the  post  invulnerable.  Mt.  Independence, 
directly  opposite  to  Ticonderoga,  is  strongly  fortified  and  well  supplied  with 
artillery.  On  the  summit  of  the  mount,  which  is  table  land,  is  erected  a  strong 
fort,  in  the  center  of  which  is  a  convenient  square  of  barracks,  a  part  of  which 
are  occupied  for  our  hospital.  The  communication  between  these  two  places 
is  maintained  by  a  floating  bridge,  which  is  supported  on  twenty-two  sunken 
piers  of  very  large  timber.  The  spaces  between  these  are  filled  with  separate 
floats,  each  about  fifty  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  strongly  fastened  together 
with  iron  chains  and  rivets.  A  boom  composed  of  large  pieces  of  timber,  well 
secured  together  by  riveted  bolts,  is  placed  on  the  north  side  of  the  bridge, 
and  by  the  side  of  this  is  placed  a  double  iron  chain,  the  links  of  which  are 
one  and  a  half  inch  square.  The  construction  of  this  bridge,  boom  and  chain, 
of  four  hundred  yards  in  length,  has  proved  a  most  laborious  undertaking,  and 
the  expense  must  have  been  immense.  It  is,  however,  supposed  to  be  admir- 
ably adapted  to  the  double  purpose  of  a  communication  and  an  impenetrable 
barrier  to  any  vessels  that  might  attempt  to  pass  our  works. 

"  July  1st.  —  We  are  now  assailed  by  a!  proclamation  of  a  very  extraordinary 
nature,  from  General  Burgoyne.^  The  militia  of  New  England  are  daily  com- 
ing in  to  increase  our  strength ;  the  number  of  our  troops  and  our  ability  to 
defend  the  works  against  the  approaching  enemy,  are  considerations  which  be- 
long to  our  commanding  officers.  One  fact,  however,  is  notorious,  that  when 
the  troops  are  directed  to  man  the  lines,  there  is  not  a  sufficient  number  to 
occupy  the  whole  extent.  It  appears,  nevertheless,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  to  be 
the  prevalent  opinion,  that  we  shall  be  able  to  repel  the  meditated  attack  and 
defeat  the  views  of  the  royal  commander;  both  officers  and  men  are  in  high 
spirits  and  prepared  for  the  contest." 

In  spite  of  the  conclusions  of  this  eye  witness,  it  is  clear  that  St.  Clair  was 
in  no  condition  to  repel  an  assault  from  such  a  force  as  that  under  command 
of  Burgoyne.  He  knew  this  to  be  the  fact.  On  the  25th  of  June  he  commu- 
nicated to  Schuyler  the  perilous  circumstances  by  which  he  was  surrounded  and 
the  inadequacy  of  his  resources ;  but  he  was  given  no  alternative  other  than  to 
hold  the  position  to  the  last,  when  an  early  evacuation  might  have  averted  the 
misfortune  that  overtook  him.  The  commander-in-chief  and  Congress  were 
still  clinging  to  the  belief  and  hope  that  Burgoyne's  movements  were  pretexts 

1  Let  not  people  consider  their  distance  from  my  camp ;  I  have  but  to  give  stretch  to  the  Indian 
forces  under  my  direction  —  and  they  amount  to  thousands  —  to  overtake  the  banded  enemies  of  Great 
Britain.  If  the  frenzy  of  hostility  should  remain,  I  trust  I  shall  stand  acquitted  in  the  eyes  of  God  and 
man  in  executing  the  vengeance  of  the  State  against  the  wilful  outcasts.  —  From  Burgoyne' s  Proclama- 
tion. 


Close  of  1776.  157 


to  cover  other  operations.  Mt.  Defiance,  the  real  key  to  success  in  operations 
against  Ticonderoga,  was  still  unfortified  and  unoccupied.^ 

On  the  first  of  July  Burgoyne's  army  appeared  before  Ticonderoga.  The 
small  garrison  at  Crown  Point  had  fallen  back  to  this  point,  and  Burgoyne  es- 
tablished there  a  hospital,  magazine,  store-house  and  base  of  supplies.  He 
disposed  his  forces  with  light  infantry,  grenadiers,  Canadians,  Indians  and  ten 
pieces  of  artillery,  under  command  of  General  Frazer,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
lake  at  Putnam's  Creek.  This  force  was  moved  up  to  Five  Mile  Point.  On 
the  east  side  of  the  lake  were  the  Germans,  under  Riedesel  and  Breyman  ;  they 
were  moved  up  to  a  point  nearly  opposite,  while  the  remainder  of  the  army 
were  on  board  of  the  gunboats  and  the  frigates  Royal  George  and  Inflexible, 
under  the  immediate  command  of  Burgoyne  himself  This  fleet  was  anchored 
between  the  wings  of  the  army  and  just  out  of  cannon  shot  from  the  fort. 

On  the  second  the  right  wing  of  the  British  was  extended  on  the  flank, 
threatening  St.  Clair's  outposts,  whereupon  the  small  force  on  Mt.  Hope  and 
at  the  landing  was  ordered  to  burn  the  mills  and  the  public  property  and  fall 
back  within  the  American  lines.  Mt.  Hope  was  immediately  seized  by  the 
British  and,  it  is  said,  received  its  name  from  General  Phillips,  as  expressive  of 
his  feelings  at  that  time.  St.  Clair's  communications  with  Lake  George  were 
now  severed  and  the  eminence  was  at  once  further  fortified  and  artillery  con- 
veyed to  its  summit  by  almost  incredible  toil,  which  operations  were  carried 
on  under  a  cannonade  from  St.  Clair's  guns.  During  these  operations  Bur- 
goyne's engineer.  Lieutenant  Twiss,  reconnoitered  what  was  then  called  "Sugar 
Loaf  Hill,"  the  lofty  eminence  rising  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the  con- 
fluence of  Lake  Champlain  and  the  outlet  and  directly  commanding  both 
Ticonderoga  and  Mt.  Independence.  The  engineer  reported,  in  accordance 
with  his  belief,  that  the  eminence  was  not  only  unoccupied,  but  could  be 
reached  by  a  road  for  transportation  of  cannon  in  twenty-four  hours.  This 
road  was  cut  out  during  the  night  of  the  fourth,  the  sound  of  the  choppers' 
axes  being  drowned  by  a  cannonade  from  Mt.  Hope,  the  Americans  remaining 
in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  operation.  Before  morning  several  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, which  had  been  landed  from  the  Thunderer,  were  transported  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  Holes  were  drilled  directly  into  the  rocks  to  which  the  guns 
were  chained  j^  they  comprised  eight  pieces,  twelve  pounders  and  eight-inch 
howitzers.  When  the  sun  rose  on  the  fifth,  the  British  looked  down  on  the 
strongest  fortress  of  the  Americans,  confident  that  they  could  destroy  its  gar- 
rison and  demolish  its  walls  with  the  plunging  shots  from  their  guns.  They 
thereupon,  as  it  is  said,  called  the  eminence  Mt.  Defiance,  the  name  it  still  bears. 

1  The  imagined  impregnability  of  these  works  would  at  once  fail,  in  the  event  of  this  eminence  being 
occupied  by  a  hostile  battery.  St.  Clair  had  been  apprised  of  this  momentous  fact  by  the  examination 
of  the  preceding  year.  Pont  l.e  Roy,  the  engineer  of  Montcalm,  evidently  referred  to  it.  And  we 
•cannot  doubt  that  the  possession  of  Ticonderoga  during  more  than  eighteen  years,  had  disclosed  the 
military  value  of  this  position  to  the  British  commanders.  —  Watson. 

2  These  holes  are  still  visible. 


iS8  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  astonishment  and  anxiety  of  the  Americans  when  the  morning  mists 
swept  back  from  the  mountain  and  revealed  the  battery  almost  over  their 
heads,  may  be  imagined.  St.  Clair  saw  that  the  position  was  doomed.  A 
council  of  officers  was  called ;  but  there  could  be  but  one  decision,  if  the  army 
was  to  be  saved  —  evacuation. 

Even  this  alternative  was  threatened  with  disaster,  as  General  Riedesel  was 
menacing  the  only  avenue  of  escape  by  stretching  his  force  around  Mount  In- 
dependence to  command  the  narrow  water  passage  towards  Skenesborough. 
Situated,  as  they  were,  in  full  view  of  the  British  on  Mount  Defiance,  it  was 
clear  that  the  retreat  must  be  made  in  the  night,  and  preparations  were  at 
once  begun.  At  dusk  a  heavy  cannonade  was  opened  from  the  outer  lines  to 
cover  their  movements  while  the  garrison  gathered  stores  of  all  kinds,  which, 
with  the  sick  and  wounded,  were  placed  in  two  hundred  boats,  with  a  guard 
of  six  hundred  men  and  embarked  for  Skenesborough,  in  charge  of  Colonel 
Long  and  accompanied  by  five  armed  vessels.  At  three  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  6th  the  troops  began  to  cross  the  bridge.  At  this  juncture,  and  in 
contradiction  of  express  orders,  a  building  was  set  on  fire  on  Mount  Indepen- 
dence by  General  De  Fermoy.  The  brilliant  illumination  spread  over  the  en- 
tire scene,  the  British  were  aroused  and  preparations  for  immediate  pursuit 
begun.  St.  Clair  had  not  the  time  to  destroy  the  bridge  which  had  cost  so 
much  money  and  labor,  and  Frazer  hurried  across  it  with  a  strong  detach- 
ment in  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  Americans.  Within  the  next  few  hours  Bur- 
goyne  so  broke  up  the  bridge  as  to  admit  the  passage  of  two  ships  and  several 
of  his  gunboats,  which  were  crowded  on  after  the  American  flotilla.  Of  the 
moonlight  voyage  of  the  latter,  Dr.  Thacher  vividly  wrote  as  follows :  — 

"  At  about  twelve  o'clock  on  the  night  of  5th  instant  I  was  urgently  called 
from  sleep,  and  informed  that  our  army  was  in  motion,  and  was  instantly  to 
abandon  Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence.  I  could  scarcely  believe  that 
my  informant  was  in  earnest,  but  the  confusion  and  bustle  soon  convinced  me 
that  it  was  really  true,  and  that  the  short  time  allowed  demanded  my  utmost 
industry.  It  was  enjoined  on  me  immediately  to  collect  the  sick  and  wounded 
and  as  much  of  the  hospital  stores  as  possible,  and  assist  in  embarking  them 
on  board  the  bateaux  and  boats  at  the  shore.  Having  with  all  possible  dis- 
patch completed  our  embarkation,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  6th, 
we  commenced  our  voyage  up  the  South  Bay  to  Skeensboro,  about  thirty 
miles.  Our  fleet  consisted  of  five  armed  galleys  and  two  hundred  bateaux  and 
boats,  deeply  laden  with  cannon,  tents,  provisions,  invalids  and  women.  We 
were  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  600  men,  commanded  by  Colonel  Long,  of 
New  Hampshire. 

"  The  night  was  moonlight  and  pleasant,  the  sun  burst  forth  in  the  morn- 
ing with  uncommon  lustre,  the  day  was  fine,  the  water's   surface   serene   and 


Close  of  1776.  159 


unruffled.  The  shore  on  each  side  exhibited  a  variegated  view  of  huge  rocks, 
caverns  and  clifts,  and  the  whole  was  bounded  by  a  thick,  impenetrable  wilder- 
ness. My  pen  would  fail  in  the  attempt  to  describe  a  scene  so  enchantingly 
sublime.  The  occasion  was  peculiarly  interesting,  and  we  could  but  look  back 
with  regret  and  forward  with  apprehension.  We  availed  ourselves,  however, 
of  the  means  of  enlivening  our  spirits.  The  drum  and  fife  afforded  us  a  favorite 
music ;  among  the  hospital  stores  we  found  many  dozen  bottles  of  choice 
wine,  and,  breaking  off  their  necks,  we  cheered  our  hearts  with  the  nectarous 
contents. 

"  At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  our  destined  post  at  Skeens- 
boro,  being  the  head  of  navigation  for  our  galleys.  Here  we  were  unsus- 
picious of  danger ;  but,  behold  !  Burgoyne  himself  was  at  our  heels.  In  less 
than  two  hours  we  were  struck  with  surprise  and  consternation  by  a  discharge 
of  cannon  from  the  enemy's  fleet,  on  our  galleys  and  bateaux  lying  at  the 
wharf.  By  uncommon  efforts  and  industry  they  had  broken  through  the  bridge, 
boom  and  chain,  which  cost  our  people  such  immense  labor,  and  had  almost 
overtaken  us  on  the  lake,  and  horribly  disastrous  indeed  would  have  been  our 
fate.  It  was  not  long  before  it  was  perceived  that  a  number  of  their  troops 
and  savages  had  landed,  and  were  rapidly  advancing  towards  our  little  party. 
The  officers  of  our  guard  now  attempted  to  rally  the  men  and  form  them  in 
battle  array ;  but  this  was  found  impossible  ;  every  effort  proved  unavailing ; 
and  in  the  utmost  panic  they  were  seen  to  fly  in  every  direction  for  personal 
safety.  In  this  desperate  condition,  I  perceived  our  officers  scampering  for 
their  baggage ;  I  ran  to  the  bateaux,  seized  my  chest,  carried  it  a  short  dis- 
tance, took  from  it  a  few  articles,  and  instantly  followed  in  the  train  of  our  re- 
treating party.  We  took  the  route  to  Fort  Anne,  through  a  narrow  defile  in 
the  woods,  and  were  so  closely  pressed  by  the  pursuing  enemy,  that  we  fre- 
quently heard  calls  from  the  rear  to  '  March  on,  the  Indians  are  at  our  heels.' 

"  Having  marched  all  night  we  reached  Fort  Anne  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  where  we  found  provisions  for  our  refreshment.  A  small  rivulet 
called  Wood  Creek  is  navigable  for  boats  from  Skeensboro  to  Fort  Anne,  by 
which  means  some  of  our  invalids  and  baggage  made  their  escape;  but  all  our 
cannon,  provisions,  and  the  bulk  of  our  baggage,  with  several  invalids,  fell  into 
the  enemy's  hands." 

While  Burgoyne  was  engaged  in  these  successful  operations  St.  Clair  pur- 
sued a  forced  and  disorderly  march  towards  Castleton,  which  he  reached  in  the 
following  night.  The  three  regiments  constituting  the  rear  guard  of  the 
Americans,  under  Warner,  Francis  and  Hale,  halted  at  Hubbardton  to  reor- 
ganize and  collect  the  stragglers  who  had  fallen  out  on  the  hurried  retreat. 
They  occupied  a  favorable  position  and  there  awaited  an  expected  attack. 
Frazer  was  near  at  hand,  having  lain  on  his  arms  the  preceding  night,  and, 
without  waiting  for  the  expected  arrival  of  Riedesel,  attacked  the  American 


i6o  History  of  Warren  County. 

lines  with  vigor.  Frazer  had  but  eight  hundred  and  fifty  regulars,  while  the 
opposing  force  numbered  about  thirteen  hundred  ;  but  this  disparity  was  soon 
equalized  by  the  retreat  of  Hale's  regiment.^  A  long  and  bloody  engagement 
followed,  in  which  victory  seemed  alternately  to  belong  to  either  side.  Francis 
fell  at  the  head  of  his  regiment.  Warner  succeeded  in  joining  Schuyler  at 
Fort  Edward.  Six  miles  from  this  battle-field  lay  St.  Clair  with  his  detach- 
ment, the  co-operation  of  which  might  have  turned  defeat  into  victory.  That 
he  did  not  move  for  that  purpose  is  attributed  by  his  apologists  to  the  fact  that 
his  militia  refused  to  march. 

The  capture  of  Ticonderoga  caused  deep  consternation  and  regret  through- 
out the  colonies  and  general  rejoicing  in  England.  It  had  been  looked  upon  as 
an  impregnable  stronghold,  and  to  see  it  fall  without  a  battle  filled  the  Amer- 
icans with  despondency  and  gloom.  Charges  of  baseness  and  treachery  were 
freely  indulged  in  towards  St.  Clair  and  Schuyler,  and  the  latter  was  again 
superseded.  Even  the  serene  mind  and  cool  judgment  of  Washington  was 
disturbed. 2  The  truth  is,  the  actual  force  and  condition  of  St.  Clair's  army 
had  been  over-estimated,  both  by  army  officers  at  a  distance  and  the  general 
public. 

Burgoyne's  advance  was  temporarily  checked  at  Fort  Anne  by  Colonel 
Long,  but  the  latter  was  forced  to  retreat ;  setting  fire  to  the  fort,  he  fled  to 
Fort  Edward.  Here  was  General  Schuyler,  his  provisions  nearly  exhausted 
and  with  little  ammunition.  Being  in  no  condition  to  offer  effective  resistance, 
the  whole  force  was  compelled  to  fall  back  to  Albany.  It  was  in  this  crisis 
that  the  soul  of  Washington  arose  to  that  height  of  hopefulness,  patience  and 
calm  strength  so  seldom  reached.  Said  he  in  a  letter  to  Schuyler,  "  This  stroke 
is  severe  indeed,  and  has  distressed  us  much.  But,  notwithstanding  things  at 
present  have  a  dark  and  gloomy  aspect,  I  hope  a  spirited  opposition  will  check 
the  progress  of  General  Burgoyne's  army,  and  that  the  confidence  derived 
from  his  success  will  lead  him  into  measures  that  will,  in  their  consequences  be 
favorable  to  us.  We  should  never  despair,  our  position  has  before  been  un- 
promising, and  has  changed  for  the  better  ;  so,  I  trust,  it  will  again." 

It  is  not  out  of  place  here  to  digress  from  our  general  subject  to  mention 
an  incident  that  occurred  about  this  time —  an  incident  whose  terrible   details. 

1  Hale's  regiment  was  largely  composed  of  sick  and  convalescent  soldiers,  and  after  a  sharp  skirm- 
ish continued  the  retreat  to  Castleton;  hut  he  was  intercepted  by  a  British  detachment  and  himself  and 
nearly  his  whole'regiment  captured.  Hale  has  been  charged  with  misconduct  on  this  occasion,  but  the 
testimony  of  those  who  were  present  in  the  engagement  and  of  other  patient  investigators  is  to  the  ef- 
fect that  his  action  was  justified  by  the  circumstances  by  which  he  was  surrounded. 

2  The  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga  and  Mt.  Indepenence  is  an  event  of  chagrin  and  surprise,  not  ap- 
prehended nor  within  the  compass  of  my  reasoning.  I  know  not  upon  what  principle  it  was  founded, 
and  I  should  suppose  it  still  more  difficult  to  be  accounted  for,  if  the  garrison  amounted  to  five  thousand 
men,  in  high  spirits,  healthy,  well  supplied  with  provisions  and  ammunition,  and  the  eastern  militia 
marching  to  their  succor,  as  you  mentioned  in  your  letter  on  the  gth  to  the  council  of  safety  of  New 
York. —  Washington  to  General  Schuyler,  July  15,  1777. 


Close  of  1776.  161 


carried  a  shock  of  horror  to  the  hearts  of  all  men,  whether  royal  or  provincial, 
while  on  the  part  of  the  latter  a  feeling  of  indignation  was  engendered  that  no 
excuses  could  calm.  While  Burgoyne  was  slowly  making  his  way  to  the  Hud- 
son, Jane  McCrea,  an  attractive  young  woman,  was  visiting  friends  at  Fort 
Edward.  While  her  friends  were  staunch  defenders  of  freedom,  she  was  so 
much  of  a  royalist  as  to  have  become  the  betrothed  of  a  young  tory  whose 
home  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Edward,  but  who,  at  this  time,  was  with  Bur- 
goyne's  forces.  When  the  army  of  Burgoyne  had  reached  a  point  near  Fort 
Edward,  a  squad  of  Indians,  who  were  scouting  in  advance  of  the  troops,  en- 
tered the  house  of  her  friends  and  seized  Miss  McCrea,  and,  placing  her  on  a 
horse,  attempted  to  take  her  to  Burgoyne's  camp.  As  soon  as  information  of 
the  abduction  reached  the  fort,  a  detachment  was  started  off  to  rescue  her. 
The  Indians  with  their  captive  were  soon  overtaken,  but  instead  of  turning  to 
fight,  they  made  the  best  speed  possible  to  escape.  This  brought  a  volley  of 
bullets  from  their  pursuers,  one  of  which  struck  the  poor  girl  and  she  fell  dead 
to  the  ground.  Before  the  Americans  could  reach  them,  the  Indians,  seeing 
that  she  was  killed,  scalped  her  and  bore  her  sunny  lock  to  the  British  camp  as 
a  trophy.  Her  lover  was  so  shocked  by  the  deed  that  for  a  time  his  reason 
tottered  ;  he  finally,  after  securing  by  purchase  the  mournful  relic  of  her  death, 
went  to  Canada,  where  he  lived  alone,  a  melancholy  man,  to  his  death  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  Miss  McCrea's  body  was  buried  near  Fort  Edward,  whence,  a 
few  years  since,  it  was  removed  to  a  cemetery  between  Fort  Edward  and 
Sandy  Hill.  Many  wild  and  romantic  versions  of  the  atrocious  deed  have  been 
written,  but  this  is  the  true  one.  At  the  time  the  story,  being  repeated  from 
mouth  to  mouth,  became  enlarged  and  distorted  to  one  of  abduction  and  cold 
murder  and  raised  in  the  bosoms  of  hundreds  of  young  men  a  burning  indig- 
nation against  the  British,  and  Burgoyne  in  particular,  for  employing  the  mer- 
ciless savages  to  fight  against  their  countrymen,  and  caused  many  to  join  the 
army  with  a  determination  to  avenge  the  bitter  wrong. 

Contemporaneously  with  Burgoyne's  operations  thus  far  described,  was 
Colonel  Barry  St.  Leger's  march  from  Montreal  to  Oswego,  to  form  a  junction 
with  the  Indians  and  tories  collected  under  Johnson  and  Brant,  whence 
they  hoped  to  penetrate  to  the  Mohawk  River  by  way  of  Oneida  Lake  and 
Wood  Creek,  with  the  ultimate  view  of  joining  Burgoyne  at  Albany.  To  the 
office  of  general  history  must  be  resigned  the  details  of  this  unsuccessful  cam- 
paign, the  failure  of  which  formed  a  part  of  the  general  calamity  that  was  to 
overtake  Burgoyne. 

Gates  was  now  again  at  the  head  of  the  northern  military  department. 
General  Stark  was  at  Bennington,  with  part  of  a  brigade.  At  this  point  the 
Americans  had  collected  a  large  quantity  of  stores,  which  Burgoyne,  finding 
himself  short  of  provisions,  determined  to  capture,  and  at  the  same  time  secure 
loyalist  volunteers.  An  expedition  was  fitted  out  for  this  purpose,  under  com- 
11 


1 62  History  of  Warren  County. 

mand  of  Colonel  Baume,  about  the  middle  of  August.  On  the  14th  they  ap- 
proached the  American  position  and  entrenched.  Stark  had  collected  a  large 
number  of  fugitives  from  the  Hubbardton  disaster  and  Warner  joined  him  on 
the  15  th.  The  next  day  Stark  made  a  brilliant  attack  on  the  British  and  the 
ensuing  battle  of  Bennington  ended  with  a  loss  of  less  than  one  hundred  Amer- 
icans, while  the  Hessians  lost  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners  nearly  a  thou- 
sand. 

Burgoyne's  progress  was  slow,  harassed  as  he  was  by  the  desolation 
Schuyler  had  wisely  left  in  his  way  and  continued  attacks  by  the  Americans. 
Gates  formed  a  fortified  camp  on  Bemis's  Heights,  on  the  Hudson,  where  he 
was  attacked  by  Burgoyne  September  19th.  The  battle  was  indecisive,  the 
British  retiring  to  their  camp  on  Saratoga  Heights  (now  Schuylerville),  to 
await  the  hoped  for  approach  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  from  the  south.  The  latter 
captured  the  fortifications  on  the  Hudson  Highlands  and  burned  Kingston. 
Burgoyne  now  again  attacked  Gates  at  Bemis's  Heights,  but  was  defeated  and 
again  retired  to  his  camp.  Here,  harassed  by  defeat  on  all  sides,  his  supplies 
faiUng  and  finding  it  impossible  to  move  forward  and  equally  impossible  to 
make  a  successful  retreat,  he  surrendered  his  entire  army  on  the  17th  of  Octo- 
ber. At  the  opening  of  the  campaign  Burgoyne's  army  numbered  nine  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  thirteen  men.  When  he  laid  down  his  arms,  his  Indians 
having  already  abandoned  him,  he  surrendered  five  thousand,  seven  hundred 
and  fifty-two. 1 

While  Burgoyne  was  proceeding  southward,  as  detailed,  Lincoln  was  en- 
gaged in  collecting  a  force  of  four  thousand  militia  at  Manchester,  Vt,  by  which 
the  flank  of  the  British  army  was  seriously  menaced.  A  portion  of  this  force 
was  then  detailed  for  an  important  movement  which  was  intended  should  sever 
Burgoyne's  communications  and  possibly  seize  Ticonderoga.  Colonel  John- 
son, with  a  party  of  about  five  hundred  men  was  detached  and  sent  against 
Skenesborough  and  Fort  Edward,  and  with  the  special  object  of  covering  the 
retreat  of  the  other  detachments.  One  of  these  was  commanded  by  Brown 
(about  the  same  strength  as  the  first  named),  and  was  ordered  to  proceed  to 
the  landing  on  Lake  George  and  rescue  the  prisoners  held  there,  which  accom- 
plished he  was  to  act  upon  his  best  judgment.  Crossing  Lake  Champlain  at 
the  narrows  above  Ticonderoga,  his  band  marched  all  night,  kept  together  by 
signals  imitating  the  hooting  of  owls  and  after  severe  toil  among  the  rugged 
fastnesses  of  the  mountains  that  separate  the  two  lakes  for  a  distance  of  four- 
teen miles,  he  fell  upon  the  enemy  by  a  complete  surprise  just  as  day  was  break- 
ing. Three  hundred  British  troops  were  captured  without  resistance,  with  the 
works  on  Mount  Hope   and  at  the   landing,  two  hundred   bateaux,  an  armed 

1  "  It  was,  perhaps,  no  fault  of  General  Gates  that  he  had  been  placed  in  command  at  the  north  just 
at  the  auspicious  moment  (August  7st,  joining  the  army  the  19th)  when  the  discomfiture  of  Burgoyne 
was  no  longer  problematical.  He  was  ordered  by  Congress  to  the  station,  and  performed  his  duty  well. 
But  it  is  no  less  true  that  the  laurels  won  by  him  ought  to  have  been  harvested  by  Schuyler." 


To  THE  Close  of  the  Revolution.  163 

sloop  and  a  number  of  gunboats  stationed  here  to  protect  the  landing.  One 
hundred  American  prisoners  were  liberated,  which  was  the  primary  object  of 
the  expedition.  Captain  Ebenezer  Allen  was  detached  by  Brown  with  a  small 
force  to  assail  the  works  on  Mount  Defiance.  The  precipitous  acclivity  was 
scaled  and  the  battery  captured  without  firing  a  gun.  Early  the  following 
morning  Colonel  Johnson  joined  Brown  before  Ticonderoga.  These  united 
forces  invested  the  fortress  and  called  on  the  commander,  General  Powell,  to 
surrender.  A  defiant  reply  was  returned  and  after  cannonading  the  works  for 
four  days,  the  attack  was  abandoned,  the  walls  being  impregnable  to  the  small 
guns  in  possession  of  the  Americans.  At  the  landing  Brown  embarked  a  body 
of  troops  in  the  captured  boats  and  ascended  Lake  George,  with  the  design 
of  seizing  Diamond  Island,  where  Burgoyne  had  deposited  a  quantity  of  stores. 
When  the  tidings  of  Burgoyne's  surrender  reached  Ticonderoga  the  small 
garrison  dismantled  and  evacuated  the  works  and  started  upon  a  stealthy  flight 
down  the  lake  ;  but  they  were  not  permitted  to  escape  unscathed,  for  Allen  in- 
tercepted them  near  the  site  of  the  village  of  Essex,  cut  off  and  captured  sev- 
eral of  the  rear  boats  and   seized  about  fifty  prisoners,  with   stores,  cattle,  etc. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

to  the  close  of  the  revolution. 

Effects  of  Burgoyne's  Defeat — The  Gates-Conway  Cabal  —  Appointment  of  Lafayette  to  Command 
of  the  Northern  Department — Closing  Events  of  the  Revolution  —  An  Insult  to  General  Schuyler  — 
Garrisons  at  Fort  Edward  and  Vicinity  —  Events  of  177S-79  —  Sir  John  Johnson's  Invasion — The 
Sammons  Incident — Capture  of  Fort  Anne — Attack  upon  Fort  George — A  Bloody  Engagement — Evac- 
uation of  Fort  Edward — The  Vermont  Mystery — Close  of  the  Revolution. 

AFTER  Burgoyne's  surrender  all  the  forts  and  posts  held  by  the  British 
were  evacuated  and  as  far  north  as  Crown  Point  the  country  was  relieved 
of  the  invaders.  Even  the  Tories,  many  of  whom  had  taken  an  active  part  in 
Burgoyne's  advance,  seemed  to  be  suddenly  impressed  with  the  idea  that  Can- 
ada was  a  good  place  to  hve  in,  and,  leaving  lands  and  houses,  sought  sym- 
pathy and  homes  across  the  northern  border  among  their  royalist  friends. 

A  few  families  had  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  George  during  the  ex- 
citing weeks  preceding  Burgoyne's  futile  march,  and  all  had  suffered  more  or 
less  at  the  hands  of  the  invaders  for  their  temerity.  But  the  literal  wiping  out 
of  the  enemy  was  hailed  with  nearly  as  much  joy  as  would  have  been  a  proc- 
lamation of  peace  by  those  who  had  sought  safety  in  flight,  and  with  cheered 
hearts  they  returned  to  their  homes,  often  to  find  them  sacked  or  burned. 


i64  History  of  Warren  County. 

It  was  during  this  autumn  that  the  famous  "  Gates-Conway  cabal  "  came 
near  to  disrupting  Congress  and,  perhaps,  ruining  all  that  had  been  gained  in 
the  cause  of  liberty.  The  jealous,  intriguing  disposition  of  Gates  was  the  prime 
cause  of  the  trouble.  He  sought  to  fill  the  place  held  by  Washington  and  be- 
lieved that  the  powerful  influence  of  his  friends  in  Congress,  who  composed 
nearly  all  of  the  eastern  delegates,  would  place  him  there,  and  to  accomplish 
this  end  he  himself  left  no  effort  untried.  He  found  a  willing  and  capable  tool 
for  his  purpose  in  General  Thomas  Conway,  who  threw  his  whole  energy  and 
ability  into  the  dirty  work,  even  stooping  to  writing  anonymous  letters  to 
members  of  Congress  filled  with  vile  insinuations  against  Washington,  and  forg- 
ing others  as  from  the  pen  of  Washington.  But  though  feeling  ran  high  in 
Congress  regarding  the  matter  and  many  eminent  and  true  patriots  used  strong 
language  against  Washington  and  in  favor  of  Gates,  the  conspiracy  was  finally 
headed  off.  One  of  the  insults  of  this  disgraceful  affair  was  the  appointment 
by  Congress  of  Lafayette  to  the  command  of  the  northern  department,  unbe- 
known to  General  Washington,  at  whose  request  or  through  whose  orders  alone 
it  properly  should  have  been  done.  But  the  generous  commander-in-chief 
overlooked  the  insult  from  Congress,  and  lent  the  young  ally  his  best  aid  in 
making  preparations  for  an  invasion  in  Canada  — another  undertaking  ordered 
by  Congress  without  consulting  Washington.  But  like  many  another  attempt 
of  this  kind  by  legislatures  and  governments,  it  was  given  up  for  the  reason 
that  the  ordering  power  failed  to  furnish  men  and  means  for  carrying  out  its 
own  plans.  Consequently  comparative  quiet  existed  in  the  northern  part  of 
New  York,  and  particularly  so  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  George.  The  subsequent 
events  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle  bore  not  so  directly  upon  the  history  of 
Lake  George  and  its  environs,  as  those  which  have  been  briefly  detailed.  The 
year  1777  had  been  fruitful  in  military  events  of  a  minor  character,  which  are 
beyond  the  province  of  this  work,  yet  all  influencing  to  some  degree  the  fort- 
unes of  the  great  contest.  Among  these  were  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  fought 
in  September,  ending  in  at  least  partial  defeat  to  the  Americans  ;  the  massacre 
at  PaoH  ;  the  battle  of  Germantown,  October  4th,  claimed  as  an  American  vic- 
tory ;  the  effort  of  Congress  to  secure  the  neutrality,  at  least,  of  the  Six  Nations, 
December  3d,  an  effort  which  was  once  more  repeated  only  to  fail  on  both  oc- 
casions. But  the  discouraging  character  of  most  of  these  operations  was  hap- 
pily overshadowed  by  the  successes  of  the  North,  as  already  described. 

The  opening  of  1778  was  signalized  by  a  treaty  of  alliance  with  France, 
which  was  the  source  of  renewed  confidence  throughout  the  colonies ;  but 
though  the  year  was,  like  the  preceding  one,  filled  with  stirring  events,  nearly 
all  of  them  occurred  far  beyond  the  province  of  this  work  to  record.  The  his- 
toric invasion  and  massacre  at  Wyoming ;  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  at  first  dis- 
astrous to  the  Americans,  but  saved  to  them  by  the  genius  of  Washington ; 
the  destruction  of  the  settlement  at  the  German  Flats,  and  the  bloody  massa- 


To  THE  Close  of  the  Revolution.  165 

ere  at  Cherry  Valley,  were  among  the  more  prominent  events  of  the  year, 
which  closed  without  important  or  decisive  advantage  to  either  army. 

Much  complaint  had  been  made  in  Congress  concerning  the  administration 
of  the  northern  department,  no  doubt  generated  by  Gates  and  kept  in  brisk 
activity  by  his -friends  in  Congress.  A  committee  was  appointed  by  Congress 
to  investigate  the  subject,  which  finally  reported  in  February  following  (1778), 
recommending  the  ordering  of  a  court-martial  to  try  General  Schuyler  for 
general  neglect  of  duty.  The  court  was  organized  with  General  Lincoln  as 
president  and  John  Laurens  as  judge  advocate,  at  Pawling,  Duchess  county, 
and  the  trial  lasted  thirty- five  days,  when  he  was  acquitted  "  with  the  highest 
honor."  The  verdict  was  afterward  confirmed  by  Congress,  to  which  body 
Schuyler  had  been  elected  before  the  verdict  was  made  public. 

So  entirely  had  Burgoyne's  disastrous  campaign  crushed  the  war  spirit  and 
depleted  the  material  of  the  English  in  the  North,  that  all  the  American  troops 
were  withdrawn  to  Washington's  aid  in  the  more  exciting  and  stirring  scenes 
farther  South,  except  a  very  few  small  detachments,  which  were  left  more  to 
care  for  the  fortifications  they  occupied  than  to  repel  an  expected  or  possible 
attack  of  the  enemy. 

At  Fort  Edward  a  few  men  were  retained ;  this  post  for  some  time  was  the 
most  northern  one  occupied  by  the  Americans  in  the  valleys  of  Lakes  George 
and  Champlain.  It  was  even  contemplated  closing  this  fort,  judging  from  the 
following  extract  from  a  letter  from  General  Washington  to  General  Stark, 
written  in  October,  1778  ;  "  I  would  not  have  you  build  barracks  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward. The  troops  now  there  may  winter  at  Saratoga,  where  are  good  barracks 
for  three  hundred  men."^ 

In  fact,  nearly  all  the  great  military  operations  for  the  succeeding  two  years 
took  place  on  the  southern  boundary  of  the  State  and  along  the  sea  coast.  In 
June,  however,  a  company  of  Tories  who  had  fled  to  Canada  with  Sir  John 
Johnson,  to  the  number  of  one  hundred  or  more,  made  a  rapid  and  stealthy 
march  through  Fonda's  Bush  to  the  Sacandaga,  where  they  embarked  and 
"  descended  twenty-five  miles  to  the  Hudson,  and  thence  by  the  way  of  Lakes 
George  and  Champlain,  proceeded  to  St.  Johns  in  safety.  This  foray  may 
have  awakened  its  commander  to  a  sense  of  the  exposed  condition  of  the 
northern  department,  for  we  learn  from  Stark's  Memoirs  that  late  in  the  fall 
small  detachments  of  soldiers  were  stationed  at  Fort  Edward,  Fort  Schuyler, 
and  other  points,  in  expectation  of  further  raids.  In  November  of  this  year 
a  large  British  force  and  several  armed  British  vessels  advanced  to  Ticonderoga 
and  completed  the  devastation  that  had  been  begun  on  both  sides  of  the  lake 
—  a  course  that  was,  perhaps,  justified  by  the  rules  of  warfare,  but  one  that 
worked  little  good  to  the  English  cause,  while  it  needlessly  caused  much  pri- 
vate suffering.     The  year  1778  thus  closed,  neither  side  appearing  anxious  or 

1  General  Stark's  Memoirs. 


i66  History  of  Warren  Countv. 

able  to  disturb  the  other.  Only  bands  of  marauding  Indians  were  to  be  looked 
for  on  the  part  of  the  Americans,  while  the  Indians  themselves  cared  but  little 
for  any  injury  the  impoverished  and  harassed  settlers  could  do  them  in 
return. 

The  year  1779  witnessed  the  attempt  of  the  British  to  secure  the  alliance 
of  the  neutral  Oneidas,  an  attempt  that  did  not  succeed.  It  also  saw  the  re- 
markable expedition  of  Sullivan  and  Clinton  into  the  heart  of  the  domain  of 
the  Six  Nations  and  the  destruction  of  many  of  their  most  important  villages  ; 
but  the  general  progress  of  the  war  was  marked  with  but  few  signal  actions ; 
it  was  rather  a  continuation  of  the  predatory  warfare  that  had  already  distin- 
guished much  of  the  British  arms.  The  struggle  had  now  been  continued  for 
five  years,  but  the  settlers  of  New  York  State  were  destined  to  still  further 
suffering. 

In  March,  1779,  a  band  of  Indians  made  an  attack  upon  the  settlement  of 
Skenesborough.  But  three  lives  were  lost  by  this  incursion,  but  every  build- 
ing in  the  place  was  burned  to  the  ground,  and  all  property  that  was  trans- 
ferable was  borne  away  by  the  captors,  who,  as  usual,  loaded  it  upon  the  backs 
of  their  prisoners,  who  comprised  nearly  every  inhabitant  of  the  settlement. 
These  prisoners  were  afterwards  transferred  to  the  British  at  Montreal  for  the 
sum  of  eight  dollars  each,  and  were  finally  exchanged,  after  suffering  two  years 
imprisonment. 

In  the  spring  of  1780,  Sir  John  Johnson  came  up  Lake  Champlain  to 
Crown  Point,  at  the  head  of  a  force  of  five  hundred  men,  composed  of  British 
troops,  a  detachment  of  his  own  Royal  Greens,  and  about  two  hundred  Indians 
and  Tories.  From  Crown  Point  he  made  his  way  through  the  forest  to  the 
Sacandaga  River,  and  at  midnight  entered  the  north  part  of  Johnstown  so 
stealthily  that  the  sleeping  inhabitants  were  entirely  unaware  of  his  proximity. 
He  divided  his  force  into  two  bodies  that  they  might  cover  more  territory,  and 
then  ensued  a  catalogue  of  barbarous  atrocity  almost  too  cold-blooded  and 
ruthless  to  live  in  history.  Families  of  men,  women  and  children  were  bru- 
tally slaughtered,  their  dwellings  burned  and  their  property  destroyed.  Inci- 
dents almost  without  number  occurred,  the  recital  of  which  has  brought  the 
blush  of  anger  to  the  cheek  of  honorable  manhood  and  filled  the  childish  breast 
with  horror  for  a  century.  The  Mohawk  valley  was  devastated  in  the  track 
of  the  barbarous  horde.  The  immediate  object  of  this  cowardly  invasion  was 
the'  recovery  of  some  valuable  plate  which  had  been  buried  at  the  time  of 
Johnson's  flight  in  1776.  Since  that  time  it  had  been  faithfully  watched  over 
by  a  former  slave  of  Johnson's,  who,  with  the  aid  of  four  soldiers,  disinterred 
the  silver  and  laid  it  at  his  master's  feet.  It  was  divided  among  forty  soldiers 
for  transportation  to  Montreal.  Common  humanity  will  find  it  difficult  to  find 
in  the  quest  of  his  property,  justification  for  the  inhuman  accompaniments 
of  the   expedition.     At   the  time  of  this  invasion   Governor  Clinton   was  at 


To  THE  Close  of  the  Revolution.  167 

Kingston.  He  hastened  to  Albany  when  the  first  intelhgence  reached  him, 
collected  such  militia  as  he  was  able  and  marched  to  Lake  George  to  intercept 
Johnson.  Colonel  Van  Schaick  with  seven  hundred  men  followed  the  invad- 
ers by  way  of  Johnstown,  in  the  event  of  their  going  in  the  direction  of  Oswe- 
gatchie.  Descending  Lake  George  to  Ticonderoga,  the  governor  was  joined 
by  a  body  of  militia  from  beyond  the  lake ;  but  it  was  all  to  no  purpose  and 
Johnson  escaped,  taking  to  his  bateaux,  probably  at  Crown  Point,  whence 
they  proceeded  down  the  lake  to  St.  Johns.  Their  captives,  among  whom 
were  Jacob  and  Frederick  Sammons,  were  thence  transferred  to  the  fort  at 
Chambly.  These  two  of  the  forty  prisoners  resolved  upon  escape  and  the 
thrilling  story  of  the  attempt  is  of  such  interest  and  so  nearly  relates  to  Lake 
Champlain,  that  we  quote  it  as  given  in  Stone's  Life  of  Brant :  — 

"  On  the  day  after  their  arrival  Jacob  Sammons,  having  taken  accurate  sur- 
vey of  the  garrison  and  the  facilities  of  escape,  conceived  the  project  of  induc- 
ing his  fellow  prisoners  to  rise  upon  the  guards  and  obtain  their  freedom. 
The  garrison  was  weak  in  number,  and  the  sentinels  less  vigilant  than  is  usual 
among  good  soldiers.  The  prison  doors  were  opened  once  a  day,  when  the 
prisoners  were  visited  by  the  proper  officers,  with  four  or  five  soldiers.  Sam- 
mons had  observed  where  the  arms  of  the  guards  were  stacked  in  the  yard, 
and  his  plan  was,  that  some  of  the  prisoners  should  arrest  and  disarm  the  vis- 
iting guard  on  the  opening  of  the  door,  while  the  residue. were  to  rush  forth 
seize  the  arms,  and  fight  their  way  out.  The  proposition  was  acceded  to  by 
his  brother  Frederick,  and  one  other  man  named  Van  Sluyck,  but  was  con- 
sidered too  daring  by  the  great  body  of  the  prisoners  to  be  undertaken.  It 
was  therefore  abandoned,  and  the  brothers  sought  afterward  only  for  a  chance 
of  escaping  by  themselves.  Within  three  days  the  desired  opportunity  oc- 
curred, viz.,  on  the  13th  of  June.  The  prisoners  were  supplied  with  an 
allowance  of  spruce  beer,  for  which  two  of  their  number  were  detached  daily 
to  bring  the  cask  from  the  brew-house,  under  a  guard  of  five  men,  with  fixed 
bayonets.  Having  reason  to  suppose  that  the  arms  of  the  guards,  though 
charged  were  not  primed,  the  brothers  so  contrived  matters  as  to  be  taken  to- 
gether to  the  brewery  on  the  day  mentioned,  with  an  understanding  that  at  a 
given  period  they  were  to  dart  from  the  guard  and  run  for  their  lives  —  believ- 
ing that  the  confusion  of  the  moment,  and  the  consequent  delay  of  priming 
their  muskets  by  the  guards,  would  enable  them  to  escape  beyond  the  ordinary 
range  of  musket  shot.  The  project  was  boldly  executed.  At  the  concerted 
moment  the  soldiers  sprang  from  their  conductors  and  stretched  across  the 
plain  with  great  fleetness.  The  alarm  was  given,  and  the  whole  garrison  was 
soon  after  them  in  hot  pursuit.  Unfortunately  for  Jacob,  he  fell  into  a  ditch 
and  sprained  his  ankle.  Perceiving  the  accident,  Frederick  turned  to  his  as- 
sistance ;  but  the  other  generously  admonished  him  to  secure  his  own  flight  if 
possible,  and  leave  him  to  the  chances  of  war.     Recovering  from  his  fall,  and 


1 68  History  of  Warren  County. 

regardless  of  the  accident,  Jacob  sprang  forward  again  with  as  much  expedi- 
tion as  possible,  but  finding  that  his  lameness  impeded  his  progress,  he  plunged 
into  a  thick  clump  of  shrubs  and  trees,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  hide  him- 
self between  two  logs  before  the  pursuers  came  up.  Twenty  or  thirty  shots 
had  previously  been  fired  upon  them,  but  without  effect.  In  consequence  of 
the  smoke  of  their  fire,  probably,  the  guards  had  not  observed  Jacob  when  he 
threw  himself  into  the  thicket,  and  supposing  that,  like  his  brother,  he  had 
passed  around  it,  they  followed  until  they  were  fairly  distanced  by  Frederick, 
of  whom  they  lost  sight  and  trace.  They  returned  in  about  half  an  hour, 
halting  by  the  bushes  in  which  the  other  fugitive  was  sheltered,  and  so  near 
he  could  distinctly  hear  their  conversation.  The  officer  in  command  was  Cap- 
tain Steele.  On  calling  his  men  together,  some  were  swearing,  and  others 
laughing  at  the  race,  and  the  speed  of  the  'long-legged  Dutchmen,'  as  they 
called  the  flying  prisoners.  The  pursuit  being  abandoned,  the  guards  returned 
to  the  fort. 

"  The  brothers  had  agreed,  in  case  of  separation,  to  meet  at  a  certain  spot 
at  lo  o'clock  that  night.  Of  course  Jacob  lay  ensconced  in  the  bushes  until 
night  had  dropped  her  sable  curtains,  and  until  he  supposed  the  hour  had  ar- 
rived, when  he  sallied  forth,  according  to  the  antecedent  understanding.  But 
time  did  not  move  as  rapidly  on  that  evening  as  he  supposed.  He  waited 
upon  the  spot  designated,  and  called  aloud  for  Frederick,  until  he  despaired  of 
meeting  him,  and  prudence  forbade  his  remaining  any  longer.  It  subsequently 
appeared  that  he  was  too  early  on  the  ground,  and  that  Frederick  made  good 
his  appointment. 

"  Following  the  bank  of  the  Sorel  Jacob  passed  Fort  St.  Johns  soon  after 
daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  14th.  His  purpose  was  to  swim  the  river  at 
that  place,  and  pursue  his  course  homeward  through  the  wilderness  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Lake  Champlain ;  but  just  as  he  was  preparing  to  enter  the 
water,  he  descried  a  boat  approaching  from  below,  filled  with  officers  and  sol- 
diers of  the  enemy.  They  were  already  within  twenty  rods.  Concealing  him- 
self again  in  the  woods,  he  resumed  his  journey  after  their  departure,  but  had 
not  proceeded  more  than  two  or  three  miles  before  he  came  upon  a  party  of 
several  hundred  men  engaged  in  getting  out  timber  for  the  public  works  at 
the  fort.  To  avoid  these  he  was  obliged  to  describe  a  wide  circuit,  in  the 
course  of  which,  at  about  12  o'clock,  he  came  to  a  small  clearing.  Within  the 
enclosure  was  a  house,  and  in  the  field  were  a  man  and  boy  engaged  in  hoeing 
potatoes.  They  were  at  that  moment  called  to  dinner  and  supposing  them  to 
be  French,  who  he  had  heard  were  rather  friendly  to  the  American  cause  than 
otherwise  —  incited,  also,  by  hunger  and  fatigue  —  he  made  bold  to  present 
himself,  trusting  that  he  might  be  invited  to  partake  of  their  hospitality.  But, 
instead  of  a  friend,  he  found  an  enemy.  On  making  known  his  character,  he 
was  roughly  received. 


To  THE  Close  of  the  Revolution.  169 

"  'It  is  by  such  villians  as  you  are,'  replied  the  forester,  '  that  I  was  obliged 
to  fly  from  Lake  Champlain.'  The  rebels,  he  added,  had  robbed  him  of  all 
he  possessed,  and  he  would  now  deliver  his  self-invited  guest  to  the  guard, 
which,  he  said,  was  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  Sammons 
promptly  answered  him  that  that  was  more  than  he  could  do.  The  refugee  then 
said  he  would  go  for  the  guard  himself;  to  which  Sammons  replied  that  he 
might  act  as  he  pleased,  but  that  all  the  men  in  Canada  should  not  make  him 
again  a  prisoner. 

"  The  man  thereupon  returned  to  the  potatoe  field,  and  resumed  his  work ; 
while  his  more  compassionate  wife  gave  him  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk,  which 
he  ate  sitting  on  the  threshhold  of  the  door,  to  guard  against  surprise.  While 
in  the  house  he  saw  a  musket,  powder-horn  and  bullet-pouch  hanging  against 
the  wall,  of  which  he  determined,  if  possible,  to  possess  himself,  that  he  might 
be  able  to  procure  food  during  the  long  and  solitary  march  before  him.  On 
retiring,  therefore,  he  traveled  only  far  enough  into  the  woods  for  concealment 
—  returning  to  the  woodman's  house  in  the  evening,  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing the  musket  and  ammunition.  But  he  was  again  beset  by  eminent  peril. 
Very  soon  after  he  entered  the  house,  the  sound  of  approaching  voices  was 
heard,  and  he  took  to  the  rude  chamber  for  security,  where  he  lay  flat  upon 
the  irregular  floor,  and,  looking  through  the  interstices,  saw  eleven  soldiers  en- 
ter, who,  it  soon  appeared,  came  for  milk.  His  situation  was  now  exceedingly 
critical.  The  churlish  proprietor  might  inform  against  him,  or  a  single  move- 
ment betray  him.  But  neither  circumstance  occurred.  The  unwelcome  vis- 
itors departed  in  due  time,  and  the  family  all  retired  to  bed,  excepting  the  wife 
who,  as  Jacob  descended  from  the  chamber,  refreshed  him  with  another  bowl 
of  bread  and  milk.  The  good  woman  earnestly  entreated  her  guest  to  surren- 
der himself,  and  join  the  ranks  of  the  king,  assuring  him  that  his  majesty  must 
certainly  conquer  in  the  end,  in  which  case  the  rebels  would  lose  all  their  prop- 
erty, and  many  of  them  be  hanged  into  the  bargain.  But  to  such  a  proposi- 
tion he  of  course  would  not  listen.  Finding  all  her  efforts  to  convert  a  Whig 
into  a  Tory  fruitless,  she  then  told  him,  that  if  he  would  secrete  himself  two 
days  longer  in  the  woods,  she  would  furnish  him  with  some  provisions,  for  a 
supply  of  which  her  husband  was  going  to  the  fort  the  next  day,  and  she  would 
likewise  endeavor  to  provide  him  with  a  pair  of  shoes. 

"  Disinclined  to  linger  so  long  in  the  country  of  the  enemy,  and  in  the 
neighborhood  of  a  British  post,  however,  he  took  his  departure  forthwith.  But 
such  had  been  the  kindness  of  the  good  woman,  that  he  had  it  not  in  his  heart 
to  seize  upon  her  husband's  arms,  and  he  left  this  wild  scene  of  rustic  hospital- 
ity without  supplies,  or  the  means  of  procuring  them.  Arriving  once  more  at 
the  water's  edge  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Champlain,  he  came  upon  a  hut, 
within  which,  on  cautiously  approaching  it  for  reconnaisance,  he  discovered  a 
party  of  soldiers  all  soundly  asleep.     Their  canoe  was  moored  by  the  shore,  in- 


I70  History  of  Warren  County. 

to  which  he  sprang,  and  paddled  himself  up  the  lake  under  the  most  encourag- 
ing prospect  of  a  speedy  and  comparatively  easy  voyage  to  its  head,  hence  his 
return  home  would  be  unattended  with  either  difficulty  or  danger.  But  his 
pleasing  anticipations  were  extinguished  on  the  night  following,  as  he  ap- 
proached the  Isle  aux  Noix,  where  he  descried  a  fortification  and  the  glitter 
of  bayonets  bristling  in  the  air  as  the  moon-beams  played  upon  the  burnished 
arms  of  the  sentinels,  who  were  pacing  their  tedious  rounds.  The  lake  being 
very  narrow  at  this  point,  and  perceiving  that  both  sides  were  fortified,  he 
thought  the  attempt  to  shoot  his  canoe  through  between  them  rather  too  haz- 
ardous an  experiment.  His  only  course,  therefore,  was  to  run  ashore,  and  re- 
sume his  travels  on  foot  Nor,  on  landing,  was  his  case  in  any  respect  enviable. 
Without  shoes,  without  food,  and  without  the  means  of  obtaining  either — a 
long  journey  before  him  through  a  deep  and  trackless  wilderness  —  it  may  well 
be  imagined  that  his  mind  was  not  cheered  by  the  most  agreeable  anticipations. 
But  without  pausing  to  indulge  unnecessarily  his  '  thick-coming  fancies,'  he 
commenced  his  solitary  journey,  directing  his  course  along  the  eastern  lake 
shore  toward  Albany.  During  the  first  four  days  of  his  progress  he  subsisted 
entirely  upon  the  bark  of  the  birch  —  chewing  the  twigs  as  he  went.  On  the 
fourth  day,  while  resting  by  a  brook,  he  heard  a  rippHng  of  the  water  caused 
by  the  fish  as  they  were  stemming  its  current.  He  succeeded  in  catching  a 
few  of  these,  but  having  no  means  of  striking  a  fire,  after  devouring  one  of 
them  raw,  the  others  were  thrown  away. 

"  His  feet  by  this  time  were  cut,  bruised,  and  torn  by  thorns,  briars,  and 
stones  ;  and  while  he  could  scarcely  proceed  by  reason  of  their  soreness,  hun- 
ger and  fatigue  united  to  retard  his  cheerless  march.  On  the  fifth  da\'  his  mis- 
ery was  augmented  by  the  hungry  swarms  of  mosquitoes,  which  settled  upon 
him  in  clouds  while  traversing  a  swamp.  On  the  same  day  he  fell  upon  the 
nest  of  a  black  duck  —  the  duck  sitting  quietly  upon  her  eggs  until  he  came 
up  and  caught  her.  The  bird  was  no  sooner  deprived  of  her  life  and  her  feath- 
ers, than  he  devoured  the  whole,  including  the  head  and  feet  The  eggs  were 
nine  in  number,  which  Sammons  took  with  him,  but  on  opening  one  he  found 
a  little  half- made  duckling,  already  alive.  Against  such  food  his  stomach  re- 
volted, and  he  was  obliged  to  throw  the  eggs  away. 

"  On  the  tenth  day  Ke  came  to  a  small  lake.  His  feet  were  now  in  such  a 
horrible  state,  that  he  could  scarcely  crawl  along.  Finding  a  mitigation  of  pain 
by  bathing  them  in  water  he  plunged  his  feet  into  the  lake,  and  lay  down  upon 
its  margin.  For  a  time  it  seemed  as  though  he  could  never  rise  upon  his  feet 
again.  Worn  down  by  hunger  and  fatigue  —  bruised  in  body  and  wounded  in 
spirit  —  in  a  lone  wilderness,  with  no  eye  to  pity,  and  no  human  arm  to  pro- 
tect —  he  felt  as  though  he  must  remain  in  that  spot  until  it  should  please  God 
in  his  goodness  to  quench  the  dim  spark  of  Ufe  that  remained.  Still,  he  was 
comforted  in  some  measure  by  the  thought  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  a  being 
without  whose  knowledge  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground. 


To  THE  Close  of  the  Revolution.  171 

"Refreshed,  at  length,  though  to  a  trifling  degree,  he  resumed  his  weary 
way,  when,  on  raising  his  right  leg  over  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  he  was  bitten 
in  the  calf  by  a  rattlesnake.  Quick  as  a  flash,  with  his  pockf't  knife,  he  made 
an  incision  in  his  leg,  removing  the  wounded  flesh  to  a  greater  depth  than  the 
fangs  of  the  serpent  had  penetrated.  His  next  business  was  to  kill  the  venom- 
ous reptile,  and  dress  it  for  eating ;  thus  appropriating  the  enemy  that  had 
sought  to  take  his  life,  to  its  prolongation.  His  first  meal  was  made  from  the 
heart  and  fat  of  the  serpent.  Feeling  somewhat  strengthened  by  the  repast,  and 
finding,  moreover,  that  he  could  not  travel  further  in  his  present  condition,  he 
determined  to  remain  where  he  was  for  a  few  days,  and  by  repose,  and  feeding 
upon  the  body  of  the  snake,  recruit  his  strength.  Discovering,  also,  a  dry  fun- 
gus upon  the  trunk  of  a  maple,  he  succeeded  in  striking  a  fire,  by  which  his 
comforts  were  essentially  increased.  Still  he  was  obliged  to  creep  upon  his 
hands  and  knees  to  gather  fuel,  and  on  the  third  day  he  was  yet  in  such  a 
state  of  exhaustion  as  to  be  utterly  unable  to  proceed.  Supposing  that  death 
was  inevitable  and  very  near,  he  crawled  to  the  foot  of  a  tree,  upon  the  bark 
of  which  he  commenced  inscribing  his  name  —  in  the  expectation  that  he 
should  leave  his  bones  there  and  in  the  hope  that,  in  some  way,  by  the  aid  of 
the  inscription,  his  family  might  ultimately  be  apprised  of  his  fate.  While  en- 
gaged in  this  sad  work,  a  cloud  of  painful  thoughts  crowded  upon  his  mind ; 
the  tears  involuntarily  stole  down  his  cheeks,  and  before  he  had  completed 
the  melancholy  task,  he  fell  asleep. 

"On  the  fourth  day  of  his  residence  at  thisplace,  he  began  to  gain  strength 
and  as  a  part  of  the  serpent  yet  remained,  he  determined  upon  another  effort 
to  resume  his  journey.  But  he  could  not  do  so  without  devising  some  substi- 
tute for  shoes.  For  this  purpose  he  cut  up  his  hat  and  waistcoat,  binding 
them  upon  his  feet  —  and  thus  he  hobbled  along.  On  the  following  night, 
while  lying  in  the  woods,  he  became  strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  he 
was  not  far  distant  from  a  human  habitation.  He  had  seen  no  indications  of 
proximity  to  the  abode  of  man  ;  but  he  was,  nevertheless,  so  confident  of  the 
fact,  that  he  wept  for  joy.  Buoyed  up  and  strengthened  by  this  impression, 
he  resumed  his  journey  on  the  following  morning ;  and  in  the  afternoon,  it  be- 
ing the  28th  of  June,  he  reached  a  house  in  the  town  of  Pittsford,  in  the  New 
Hampshire  grants  —  now  forming  the  State  of  Vermont.  He  remained  there 
for  several  days,  both  to  recruit  his  health,  and,  if  possible,  to  gain  intelligence 
of  his  brother.  But  no  tidings  came  ;  and  as  he  knew  Frederick  to  be  a  capital 
woodsman,  he  of  course  concluded  that  sickness,  death  or  re-capture,  must 
have  interrupted  his  journey.  Procuring  a  conveyance  at  Pittsford,  Jacob 
traveled  to  Albany,  and  thence  to  Schenectady,  where  he  had  the  happiness  of 
finding  his  wife  and  family." 

The  adventures  of  the  brother  were  scarcely  less  thrilling,  but  this  one 
must  suflSce  as  an  example  of  many  similar  ones  happening  on  the  frontier. 


172  History  of  Warren  County. 

Frequent  forays  of  Indians  and  Tories  continued,  accompanied,  as  always, 
with  murder,  torture  and  rapine,  tliroughout  the  summer.  In  October,  1 780, 
a  force  of  eight  hundred  British  regulars  and  three  or  four  hundred  Indians 
and  Tories,  commanded  by  Major  Christopher  Carleton,  came  up  Lake  Cham- 
plain  with  eight  vessels  and  twenty-six  boats,  and  made  a  landing  on  the  shore 
of  South  Bay.  From  here  a  portion  of  the  party  was  detached  to  return  to 
Ticonderoga  (which  had  been  occupied  in  July  by  the  English),  with  the  view 
of  moving  across  the  carrying-place  to  Lake  George,  thence  proceeding  up  the 
west  side,  in  order  to  co-operate  with  the  main  force  in  an  -attack  upon  the 
forts  at  its  head.  Captain  Sherwood  was  in  command  of  a  force  of  about  sev- 
enty-five men  at  Fort  Anne,  mostly  undisciplined  recruits.  The  enemy  de- 
manded the  surrender  of  the  fort,  which,  in  consideration  of  the  smallness  of 
the  force  occupying  it,  and  a  limited  supply  of  ammunition,  was  conceded,  the 
one  stipulation  that  the  women  and  children  within  the  fort  should  be  safely 
conducted  to  their  homes,  being  the  only  conditions  insisted  upon.  This  fort 
was  burned  and  the  invaders  continued  their  march,  burning'and  destroying  as 
they  went. 

The  main  body,  under  Carleton  in  person,  marched  across  the  country 
to  Fort  George,  where  Captain  John  Chipman  was  stationed  with  two  com- 
panies of  Colonel  Warner's  regiment.  Early  in  the  month  his  scouts  had 
brought  him  advices  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  having  seen  the  arrival  of 
their  vessels  at  Crown  Point,  which  information  he  had  forwarded  to  head- 
quarters of  the  northern  department.  On  the  morning  of  the  nth  a  detach- 
ment was  sent  to  Fort  Edward  for  provisions.  From  this  body  a  messenger 
soon  returned  with  the  information  that  he  had  seen  a  party  of  Indians  near 
Bloody  Fond.  Being  unaware  that  these  Indians  were  Carleton's  advance  Cap- 
tain Chipman  deemed  it  best  to  send  out  a  party  of  sufficient  strength  to  put 
the  Indians  to  flight ;  and  he  was  probably  further  incited  to  that  by  the  fact 
that  he  was  short  of  ammunition,  and  believed  that  an  attack  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing number  would  make  the  action  shorter.  He  therefore  dispatched  all  his 
force  except  fourteen  men.  The  following  quaint  order  was  issued  to  Captain 
Thomas  Sill,  who  commanded  the  party  :  — 

"Oct'br  II,  1780. 

"  Sir  ;  as  it  is  reported  to  me  that  there  is  a  small  party  of  savages  near 
Bloddy  pond,  you  will  immediately  take  Forty  Eight  men,  officers  included 
and  proseed  on  the  main  road,  until  you  make  discoveries  of  them,  keeping  a 
Suffiscient  advance  and  Flank  gards  in  Such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  being  sur- 
rounded. If  you  find  a  large  party  you  will  Emmediately  Retreat  to  the  fort 
except  they  be  savages  only,  in  which  case  you  will  attack  and  immediately 
Charge  upon  them.  JOHN  CHIPMAN,  Capt.  Com'd*." 

In  carrying  out  his  orders,  Captain  Sill  made  the  mistake  of  passing  by  the 
enemy,  and  the  first  view  he  had  of  them  disclosed  the  fact  that  they  were  be- 


To  THE  Close  of  the  Revolution.  173 

tween  him  and  the  fort.  Had  his  force  been  larger  and  the  fort's  defenders 
less  few  in  number,  this  position  would  not  have  been  the  unenviable  one  it 
really  was.  But  there  was  no  chance  for  retreat,  and  the  action  that  followed 
his  discovery  by  the  enemy  was  short  and  bloody.  It  took  place  between 
Bloody  Pond  and  Gage's  Hill.  One  officer  and  fourteen  men,  becoming  sep- 
arated from  the  main  body  during  the  action,  escaped  capture.  The  victors 
immediately  invested  the  fort,  which  was  obliged  to  capitulate.  Fort  George, 
in  reality  but  one  angle  of  a  bastion,  was  destroyed. 

The  Tories  and  Indians  continued  their  depredations  to  the  south,  burning 
and  destroying  everything  that  came  in  their  way  belonging  to  the  patriots,  as 
far  as  Stillwater.      Fort  Edward  was  evacuated  after  the  removal  of  the  stores. 
The  peculiar  exemption  of  the  territory  of  Vermont  on  this  and  subsequent 
occasions,  attracted  attention  and  leads  us  to  the  consideration  of  the  equivocal 
position  of  that  territory  during  parts  of  the  years  1780—81.     We  have  already 
reviewed  the  trouble  growing  out  of  the  New  Hampshire  grants.    The  people  of 
these  grants  had  formally  declared  their  independence  in  1777,  and  under  the 
name  of  "Vermont"  had  assumed  to  themselves  the  attitudeand  prerogatives  ofa 
sovereign  state;  they  were  filled  with  bitter  hostility  towards  New  York,  growing 
out  of  the  firm  conviction  that  her  claims  were  unjust  and  that  Vermont  had  en- 
dured great  wrong.   In  a  message  from  Governor  Clinton  to  the  New  York  Leg- 
islature, he  communicated  important  information  respecting  the  designs  of  the 
Vermont  people,  foremost  among  whom  was   Ethan  Allen ;   this   information 
was  derived  from  two  prisoners  who  had  escaped  from  Canada.     The  substance 
of  their  statements  was  that  several  of  the  leading  men  of  the  grants  were  form- 
ing an  alliance  with   the  British  officers   in  Canada ;  that   mutual  consultation 
had  been  held  at  Castleton  and  in  Canada  ;  that  the  grants  were  to  furnish  fif- 
teen hundred  or  two  thousand  men  under  command  of  Allen,  etc.      Color  was 
given  to  these  statements  by  the  fact  that  the  two  prisoners  had  not  been  to- 
gether in  Canada  and  had  escaped   by  different  routes.     By  later  information 
the  governor  learned  further  details  of  the  purposes  of  the  disaffected  people. 
By  this  information  it  appeared  that  the  territory  claimed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Vermont  was  to  be  formed  into  a  distinct  colony  ;  that  the  government  thereof 
should  be  similar  to  that  of  Connecticut  except  that  the  nomination  of  the  gov- 
ernor should  be  vested  in  the  crown  ;  that  they  should   be  allowed  to  remain 
neutral  unless  the  war  should  be   carried  into  their  own  territory ;  that   they 
should  raise  two  battalions  to  be  in  the  pay  of  the  crown,  but  not  to  be  called 
to  service   except  in   defending  the  colony  ;  and  that  they  should   enjoy  free 
trade  with  Canada.     General  Haldimand  was  in  command  at  Ticonderoga,  and 
would  not  assume  the  responsibility  of  deciding  such  important  issues,  but  trans- 
mitted them  to  England. 

Such  was  the   purport  of  Governor  Clinton's   information,  and  so  powerful 
was  the  weight  of  testimony  that  he  did  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  they  "  proved 


174  History  of  Warren  County. 

a  treasonable  and  dangerous  intercourse  and  connection  between  the  leaders  of 
the  revolt  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  State  and  the  common  enemy." 
Aware  of  the  feeling  in  Vermont,  Colonel  Beverly  Johnson  wrote  Ethan  Allen 
in  March,  1780,  the  letter  being  personally  delivered  by  a  British  soldier  in  dis- 
guise ;  this  letter  was  not  answered  and  a  second  was  sent  in  February,  1781, 
which,  with  the  first,  was  enclosed  to  Congress  by  Allen  in  the  following  month, 
accompanied  by  a  letter  from  himself  in  which  he  plainly  claimed  the  right  of 
Vermont  to  agree  to  a  cessation  of  hostilities  with  Great  Britain,  provided  its 
claims  as  a  State  were  still  rejected  by  Congress.  In  April  and  May  following 
the  governor  of  Vermont  commissioned  Ira  Allen,  a  brother  of  Ethan,  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  Isle  aux  Noix  to  settle  a  cartel  with  the  British  in  Canada,  and 
also,  if  possible,  to  negotiate  an  armistice  in  favor  of  Vermont ;  only  eight  per- 
sons were  admitted  to  the  secret  design  of  this  expedition.  Allen  and  a  small 
party  made  the  journey  and  remained  for  a  considerable  time  in  consultation 
with  the  British  officers,  and  many  confidential  consultations  were  held.  From 
the  beginning  it  seems  to  have  been  perfectly  understood  by  both  parties  that 
they  were  treating  "  for  an  armistice,  and  to  concert  measures  to  establish  Ver- 
mont as  a  colony  under  the  crown  of  Great  Britain." ^  Allen  stated  that  "the 
people  of  Vermont  were  not  disposed  any  longer  to  assist  in  establishing  a  gov- 
ernment in  America  which  might  subject  them  and  their  posterity  to  New  York 
whose  government  was  more  detested  than  any  other  in  the  known  world." 
This  sentiment  was  gratifying  to  the  British  officers,  and  the  cartel  was  arranged 
and  a  verbal  armistice  established  to  continue  until  after  the  next  session  of 
the  Vermont  Legislature,  or  longer  if  the  prospects  warranted  it  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief in  Canada.  As  Vermont  had  then  extended  her  unjust  claim 
over  the  territory  of  New  York  to  the  Hudson  River,  that  also  was  included 
in  the  terms  of  the  armistice.  During  the  continuance  of  the  armistice  British 
officers  were  to  have  free  communication  through  the  State,  while  the  inhab- 
itants were  to  be  gradually  prepared  for  the  change  of  government." ^ 

But  the  suspicions  of  the  people  were  aroused  and  the  earnest  Whigs  be- 
came alarmed.  When  the  Legislature  met,  the  apprehensive  ones  gathered 
in  large  numbers  to  learn  of  the  situation;  but  the  adroit  dissimulations  of 
those  in  the  secret  quieted  the  suspicions  of  their  neighbors,  and  "  the  Allen's 
and  their  co-operators  held  communication  with  the  enemy  during  the  entire 
summer."^  In  September  negotiations  were  renewed,  the  representatives  of 
both  parties  meeting  at  Skenesborough.  But  Sir  Frederick  Haldimand  became 
impatient  and  efibrts  were  made  to  induce  Vermont  to  make  an  open  decla- 
ration ;  but  the  Vermont  Commissioners  pleaded  for  more  time  in  which  to 
prepare  the  public  mind  for  the  change,  and  asked  that  the  matter  might  go 

1  Political  History  of  Vciinont,  published  by  Ira  Allen  in  London,  1798. 

2  Allen's  Political  History  of  Vermont. 

3  .Sto.n'e's  Life  of  Brant. 


To  THE  Close  of  the  Revolution.  175 

over  the  winter.  It  was,  however,  stipulated  that  a  British  force  might  ascend 
the  lake  with  proclamations  offering  to  confirm  Vermont  as  a  British  colony 
if  the  people  would  return  to  their  allegiance.  The  Legislature  of  the  grants 
assembled  at  Charlestown  in  October.  General  St.  Leger,  in  consonance  with 
the  arrangement  alluded  to,  ascended  the  lake  to  Ticonderoga  with  a  strong 
force.  To  continue  an  appearance  of  hostility  to  this  movement  the  Vermont 
people  posted  a  military  force  on  the  opposite  shore,  under  General  Enos,  to 
whom  the  secret  was  confided.  Scouts  and  patrols  were  sent  out  in  alleged 
mimicry  of  hostile  preparations,  but  with  no  real  intention  of  offering  injury  to 
each  other.  But  on  one  of  these  occasions  shots  were  exchanged  and  a  Ver- 
mont sergeant  was  killed.  His  men  retreated.  St.  Leger  saw  that  the  body 
was  properly  buried  and  returned  the  uniform  to  General  Enos,  accompanied 
by  a  letter  of  apology  and  regret.  This  letter  was  unsealed  and  its  contents 
became  known.  General  suspicion  was  again  aroused  and  a  messenger  was 
dispatched  to  Governor  Chittenden  at  Charlestown  ;  he,  unsuspicious  of  the 
true  situation,  proclaimed  the  incident  of  the  killing,  of  the  sergeant  and  St. 
Leger's  remarkable  letter.  The  consequence  was  general  excitement  and  dis- 
trust at  Charlestown.  Major  Rtmnels  confronted  Ira  Allen  and  demanded  to 
know  why  St.  Leger  was  filled  with  regret  for  the  death  of  the  American  ser- 
geant. An  evasive  reply  was  returned.  An  altercation  ensued,  which  gave 
the  now  alarmed  board  of  war  time  to  prepare  a  document  embodying  certain 
portions  of  General  Enos's  dispatches  which  would  best  serve  their  purpose, 
to  be  read  to  the  Legislature  and  the  people.  This  action  had  the  desired  ef- 
fect and  the  excitement  was  allayed. 

Meanwhile  the  progress  of  the  great  contest  in  other  parts  of  the  country 
led  up  to  the  latest  scenes,  and  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  the  great  army  of 
Cornwallis,  which  virtually  closed  the  war,  reached  the  North.  The  effect  of 
the  first  intelligence  upon  the  people  was  such  as  to  induce  Allen  and  his  co- 
operators  to  write  the  British  Commissioners  that  it  would  be  imprudent  to 
promulgate  the  royal  proclamation  at  that  particular  time,  and  urging  delay. 
The  bearer  of  this  dispatch  had  not  been  an  hour  at  the  headquarters  of  St. 
Leger  in  Ticonderoga  when  an  express  confirmed  the  intelligence  of  the  sur- 
render of  Cornwallis  on  the  19th  of  October.  The  effect  was  electric.  All 
idea  of  further  operations  in  that  quarter,  hostile  to  the  American  cause,  was 
instantly  abandoned.  Before  evening  of  the  same  day  St.  Leger's  troops  and 
stores  were  re-embarked,  and  before  a  fair  wind  he  sailed  for  St.  Johns.  Ti- 
conderoga and  the  lake  were  at  peace  for  a  third  of  a  century.  1 

1  This  version  of  these  remarkable  events  is,based  upon  the  testimony  of  Ira  Allen,  as  before  noted, 
and  is  the  one  adopted  by  many  able  writers.  On  the  other  hand,  historians  of  equal  ability  and  judg- 
ment take  the  high  ground  that  all  the  apparently  disloyal  movements  described  were  actuated  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  deceiving  the  enemy  and  thus  escaping  the  destructive  effects  of  war  upon  their  own 
soil ;  that  the  people  of  Vermont  never  entertained  the  idea  of  returning  to  the  allegiance  of  Great 
Britain.     Stone  says  in  a  foot-note  in  his  Life  of  Brant :  "  Sparks,  adopting  the  view  of  early  writers. 


176  History  of  Warren  County. 

Whatever  may  be  the  reader's  judgment  upon  this  case,  the  early  patriotism 
of  the  men  connected  with  it  can  never  be  doubted  nor  the  value  of  their  ser- 
vices diminished.  If  they  hoped  to  escape  domestic  tyranny,  or  what  they 
considered  such,  even  by  equivocal  action,  it  is  equally  true  that  they  hated 
foreign  tyranny  and  promptly  came  forward  to  aid  in  putting  it  down ;  and 
whatever  may  have  been  the  designs  of  the  leaders,  the  masses  of  the  people 
of  Vermont  amply  vindicated  their  loyalty  to  their  country  through  all  the 
afflicting  scenes  and  events  of  the  Revolution. 

During  the  early  months  of  1782  Sir  Frederick  Haldimand  made  efforts 
towards  a  renewal  of  the  negotiations  which  had  been  so  suddenly  terminated ; 
but  his  advances  were  received  with  the  utmost  coolness  by  the  people  of  Ver- 
mont. The  intervention  of  peace  relieved  this  region  from  all  danger  of  fur- 
ther British  invasion. 

From  this  time  on  to  the  19th  of  April,  1783,  no  active  military  operations 
were  carric  d  on  in  the  northern  department.  General  Stark  had  been  placed 
in  command  of  the  division  in  June,  1781,  with  his  headquarters  at  Saratoga. 
But,  aside  from  the  rumors  of  expeditions  growing  out  of  the  Vermont  "  con- 
spiracy "  above  described,  comparative  peace  reigned.  The  whole  section, 
however,  was  infested  with  lawless  robbers,  nearly  always  in  small  bands,  who, 
royalists  at  heart  as  well  as  by  profession,  did  not  scruple  to  pillage  defenseless 
members  of  the  same  political  faith,  booty  being  their  chief  object. 

But  on  the  date  above  given  —  April  19th,  1783 — by  order  of  General 
Washington  a  proclamation  announcing  a  close  of  hostilities  with  England  was 
read  in  all  the  camps  of  the  patriots.  The  war  had  ceased,  although  the 
formal  ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace  did  not  occur  till  September  3d  of 
that  year. 

With  the  close  of  the  war  the  Iroquois  Indians,  dreading  the  possible  venge- 
ance of  the  whites,  took  refuge  in  Canada,  with  the  exception  of  the  Oneidas 
and  Tuscaroras.  Their  lands,  with  the  exception  of  certain  reservations,  passed 
to  the  possession  of  the  State. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  declaration  of  peace,  those  who  had  been  ab- 
sent in  the  ranks  of  the  army  returned  to  their  homes.  Town  organizations 
that  had  been  more  or  less  broken  up  by  the  war,  were  renewed,  and  the  first 
fruits  of  settled  peace  began  to  appear.  Details  of  these  beginnings  of  a  last- 
ing progress  will  be  found  in  the  town  histories  hereinafter. 

has  noticed  the  case  in  this  favorable  aspect  in  his  Sketch  of  the  Life  of  Ethan  Allen.  The  author  cer- 
tainly agrees  with  Mr.  Sparks  in  the  opinion  that  '  there  was  never  any  serious  intention  on  the  part 
of  the  Vermontese  to  listen  to  British  proposals.'  But  with  great  deference,  after  a  full  examination 
of  the  case,  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  the  leaders  of  the  Vermontese.  They  had  determined  that  New 
York  should  be  dismembered  ;  and  if  they  could  not  force  themselves  into  the  confederation  as  a  State, 
were  willing  to  fall  back  into  the  arms  of  Great  Britain  as  a  colony." 


From  the  Revolution  to  1815.  177 


CHAPTER  XV. 

from  the  revolution  to  1815. 

Advancement  of  Civil  Government — Political  Divisions  —  Renewed  Difficulties  with  England  — 
The  Non-Intercourse  Act  —  Its  Repeal  —  Troubles  Relative  to  Improvements — Declaration  of  War 
—  Offensive  Measures  —  Canada  to  be  Invaded  —  Three  Movements  and  the  Results  Thereof — The 
Northern  New  York  Measures  —  Naval  Operations  on  Lake  Ontario  —  Attack  on  Sackett's  Harbor  by 
the  British  —  Battle  of  Plattsburg  —  American  Victory  —  Close  of  the  War. 

WHILE  the  young  nation  was  making  rapid  strides  of  recovery  from  the 
baneful  effects  of  the  Revolution,  the  period  between  the  treaty  of  1783 
and  18 12  was  pregnant  with  the  discussion  and  settlement  of  several  impor- 
tant civil  matters,  and  the  inauguration  of  new  and  untried  measures  of  gov- 
ernment. It  was  a  day  when  statesmanship  was  developed,  and  the  best  in- 
tellects were  called  into  the  field  of  action  and  their  powers  brought  to  a  cru- 
cial test  in  dealing  with  questions  of  State  evolved  by  the  generation  of  plans 
of  government  yet  unproved. 

It  was  but  natural,  while  peace  was  hailed  by  all  as  a  blessing,  that  the  new 
era  should  give  birth  to  parties  influenced  by  strong  motives  and  actuated  by 
deep  feeling.  While  the  defense  of  their  rights  had  been  the  common  purpose 
of  the  patriotic  people  during  the  war,  no  sooner  were  those  rights  secured  to 
them  by  the  peace  that  followed,  than  the  enjoyment  and  administration  of 
those  rights  became  the  potent  elements  in  the  formation  of  political  parties. 
Added  to  this  cause  was  the  old  bitterness  of  feeling  engendered  by  the  diffi- 
culties between  England  and  France,  each  country  having  its  ardent  .sympa- 
thizers and  supporters  in  the  new  republic. 

The  Democratic  party,  from  the  time  of  its  organization,  had  maintained 
only  feelings  of  bitter  hostility  to  England,  and  those  of  warm  friendship  to- 
wards France.  Its  opponent  in  the  political  arena,  the  Federalist  organiza- 
tion, detested  France  and  every  thing  French,  while  they  sought  to  be  on  good 
terms,  at  least,  with  England.  Many  national,  and  often  local  questions,  for 
some  few  years,  prevented  thorough  party  organization  ;  nevertheless,  political 
sentiment  was  active,  and,  by  181 1,  resulted  in  the  drawing  of  firm  party  lines. 
Each  party  was  headed  by  able  men,  who,  we  believe,  were  actuated  by  hon- 
orable principles,  and  labored  for  what  they  believed  was  best  for  the  country's 
good. 

For  many  years  from   a  date  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  the 
"  insolence  and  aggressions  of  ever  insolent  and  aggressive  England  "  in  main- 
taining what  she  was  fain  to  consider  her  undoubted  position  as  "  mistress  of  the 
seas,"  added  to  her  continued  attempts  to  incite  the  savages  of  Canada  and  the 
12 


178  History  of  Warren  County. 

Northwest  into  a  war  of  extermination  against  the  Americans  on  the  northern 
and  western  borders  of  civilization,  in  order  that  the  valuable  trade  with  the 
Indians  might  be  diverted  into  the  hands  of  the  English  and  retained  by  them, 
had  demonstrated  to  those  of  clear  foresight  and  political  knowledge  that  ulti- 
mately nothing  but  war  between  the  two  nations  could  settle  the  troubles. 

The  United  States  had  maintained  a  strict  neutrality  during  the  progress 
of  the  Napoleonic  war  with  Great  Britain,  but  our  rights  as  a  neutral  nation 
had  been  totally  disregarded.  The  embargo  act,  passed  December  22d,  1807 
—  an  attempt  to  compel  two  belligerent  nations  to  respect  the  rights  of  neutrals 
in  refusing  intercourse  with  the  world  —  proved  so  disastrous  to  commercial 
pursuits  that  it  was  repealed  March  1st,  1809,  and  a  non-intercourse  act 
passed  in  its  stead.  In  April,  1809,  the  English  ambassador  at  Washington 
opened  negotiations  for  the  adjustment  of  existing  difficulties,  and  consented 
to  the  withdrawal  of  the  obnoxious  "  orders  in  council,"  as  far  as  they  effected 
the  United  States,  on  the  condition  that  the  non-intercourse  act  should  be  re- 
pealed. This  was  agreed  upon.  The  president  issued  a  proclamation  an- 
nouncing that  on  the  loth  of  Juue  trade  with  Great  Britain  might  be  renewed. 
But  when  official  intelligence  of  this  action  reached  England  that  government 
refused  to  ratify  the  proceedings,  and  the  minister  was  recalled.  The  presi- 
dent's proclamation  was  therefore  revoked,  and  the  previous  relations  between 
the  two  countries  were  resumed. 

Aside  from  all  other  causes  of  complaint  against  Great  Britain  the  one 
around  which,  irrespective  of  politics,  the  greater  portion  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States  gathered  in  unanimity,  was  that  of  impressment.  Beside  the 
insult  of  England's  claim  to  the  right  to  search  American  vessels  for  supposi- 
titious English  sailors,  gross  outrages  were  perpetrated,  and  for  which  it  seems 
there,  was  no  relief  Lord  Castlereagh,  British  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  ad- 
mitted on  the  floor  of  the  House  of  Commons  that,  at  the  beginning  of  181 1, 
there  were  sixteen  hundred  bona  fide  American  sailors  serving  under  compul- 
sion in  the  British  navy.  Add  to  this  that  the  captain  of  every  British  mer- 
chantmen claimed  and  exercised  the  right  to  impress  from  weaker  American 
vessels  such  seamen  as  he  desired,  it  is  but  little  wonder  that  a  feeling  of 
indignation  filled  the  breast  of  every  honest  American  against  the  insolent 
tyranny  of  the  government  that  upheld  such  a  disgraceful  and  unlawful 
custom. 

The  Democratic  party,  which  was  in  the  ascendant,  was  known  as  the  War 
party  and  the  Federalists  as  the  Peace  party.  The  president  and  a  majority 
of  his  cabinet,  though  Democrats,  were  opposed  to  a  declaration  of  war.  But 
the  strength  of  the  party  in  Congress  and  the  rising  storm  of  expressed  indig- 
nation on  the  part  of  the  people,  brought  about  a  determination  that  war 
should  be  declared  at  an  early  day,  as  all  attempts  at  a  pacific  adjustment  of 
the  differences  had  signally  failed.  Great  Britain  arrogantly  refusing  to  concede 


From  the  Revolution  to  1815.  179 

her  "  rights  "  to  impress  seamen  from  American  vessels,  and  insisting  upon 
other  as  audacious  privileges. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  18 12,  President  Madison  formally  declared  war  against 
Great  Britain.  The  Federalists,  in  their  apathy  and  sometimes  antagonistic 
actions,  were  a  paralyzing  influence  at  the  very  beginning  upon  the  aims  and 
proceedings  of  the  Democrats  or  War  party.  Nevertheless,  active  measures 
were  inaugurated,  and,  too,  upon  no  insignificant  scale.  The  results  of  these 
plans  can  be  but  briefly  reviewed,  as  but  little  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  War- 
ren county  in  consequence  of  the  war. 

For  nearly  two  years  the  United  States  attempted  to  carry  on  the  war  on 
the  offensive  plan  ;  but  owing  to  various  causes,  the  attempt  was  unsuccessful 
upon  the  whole.  The  entire  sea  coast  was  alive  with  British  cruisers,  and  every 
port  was  menaced.  Consequently  the  people  of  each  of  the  sea-board  cities 
sought  their  own  protection,  and  devoted  their  attention  to  arranging  for  the 
defense  of  their  own  towns.  While  in  nearly  every  naval  contest  between  the 
English  and  Americans  the  latter  were  victorious,  the  former,  possessed  of  a 
much  larger  fleet,  were  enabled  to  terrorize  the  whole  coast. 

One  of  the  early  war  measures  entertained,  like  many  undertaken  during 
the  Revolution,  was  an  invasion  of  Canada.  Steps  were  taken  to  gather  forces 
along  the  frontier  of  Northern  New  York  and  thence  westward  to  Michigan. 
These  were  arranged  in  three  divisions.  The  northwestern  division  assembled 
at  Detroit;  the  central,  under  command  of  General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer, 
had  its  headquarters  at  Lewiston,  on  the  Niagara  River ;  while  the  eastern 
made  its  rendezvous  on  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Plattsburg.     A  naval  force  was  also  placed  upon  the  lakes. 

The  first  of  the  three  attempts  resulted  in  the  disastrous  expedition  of  Hull 
to  Detroit,  ending  in  the  surrender  of  the  post  with  all  its  troops  and  stores,  to 
the  enemy,  on  the  i6th  of  August,  18 12.  General  Hull,  who  had  been  a  Rev- 
olutionary officer,  and  was  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan  at  this  time, 
was  severely  criticised  and  condemned  for  his  course.  He  was  afterwards  tried 
by  court-martial  and  condemned  to  be  shot,  but  on  account  of  his  age  and  the 
services  he  had  rendered  during  the  Revolution,  his  sentence  was  commuted  to 
dishonorable  discharge  from  the  army.  Before  he  died,  however,  in  1825,  he 
so  far  vindicated  his  course  by  his  own  statements  and  with  the  help  of  those 
who  were  with  him,  and  whose  judgments  and  criticisms  had  become  merciful 
under  cooler  consideration  of  his  offense,  that  the  people  looked  upon  his  error 
more  with  compassion  than  indignation.  "  To-day  the  character  of  General 
William  Hull,  purified  of  unwarranted  stains,  appears  in  history  without  a  blem- 
ish in  the  history  of  just  appreciation."  1 

The  results  of  the  efforts  of  the  second  division  of  the  invading  army,  while 
not  burdened  with  success,  were  far  more  encouraging  than  those  of  the  Detroit 


1  LOSSING. 


i8o  History  of  Warren  County. 

campaign.  On  the  9th  of  August,  18 12,  General  Dearborn,  commanding  the 
third  invading  wing  at  Plattsburg,  had  signed  an  armistice  with  Sir  George 
Provost,  governor- general  of  Canada,  in  consequence  of  negotiations  for  a  sus- 
pension of  hostilities  between  the  contending  powers  then  proposed.  The 
armistice  was  rejected  by  the  United  States  government,  but  Dearborn  contin- 
ued it  until  the  29th  of  August,  on  the  ground  that  by  doing  so  he  was  aided 
in  forwarding  stores  to  Sackett's  Harbor.  This  armistice  so  delayed  the  prep- 
arations for  invasion  on  the  Niagara  frontier  that  General  Van  Rensselaer,  who 
commanded  at  that  post,  found  himself  on  the  1st  of  September  at  the  head  of 
only  seven  hundred  men.  After  the  armistice  was  suspended  troops,  both  reg- 
ulars and  militia,  gathered  on  the  frontier,  along  the  river  from  Lewiston  to 
Buffalo,  to  the  number  of  six  thousand.  In  the  early  morning  of  October  12th, 
Colonel  Solomon  Van  Rensselaer  crossed  the  river  with  a  portion  of  his  force, 
and  after  a  sharp  contest  captured  Lewiston  Heights.  Emboldened  by  their 
success,  the  assailants,  reinforced  with  a  small  detachment  of  regulars  under 
Captain  (after  General)  John  E.  Wool,  pressed  the  British  back  and  finally 
gained  possession  of  Queenstown  Heights.  Colonel  Van  Rensselaer,  as  well 
as  Captain  Wool,  had  been  wounded,  but  the  latter  refused  to  leave  the  com- 
mand until  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chrystie.  At  Fort  George,  seven 
miles  below  Queenstown,  General  Brock,  who  had  heard  the  firing,  pushed 
hastily,  with  his  staff,  to  the  scene  of  action.  He  found  the  little  fortress  in  the 
possession  of  Captain  Wool,  who,  though  wounded,  still  remained  with  his  men. 
General  Brock  gathered  a  body  of  the  defeated  British  and  attempted  to  drive 
Wool  from  his  post,  but  unsuccessfully.  A  second  assault  was  made,  in  which 
General  Brock  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  Wool  was  left  master  of  the  Heights. 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Chrystie,  who  had  arrived  soon  after  the  last  assault,  was 
followed  by  General  Wadsworth,  of  the  New  York  militia ;  he  took  the  chief 
command.  The  British  General  Sheaffe,  who  succeeded  Brock,  once  more  ral- 
lied the  scattered  English  troops.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Winfield  Scott  (after- 
wards well  known  as  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  army),  having  arrived  as 
a  volunteer,  at  the  request  of  General  Wadsworth,  took  the  active  command. 
Soon  after  noon,  under  the  lead  of  the  Mohawk  chief,  John  Brant,  his  sav- 
age horde  fell  with  a  rush  and  war-whoop  upon  the  outer  American  lines. 
The  militia  wavered  and  were  about  to  break  into  retreat,  when  the  stentorian 
voice  of  Scott  arrested  their  flight.  He  urged  them  to  turn  upon  the  savages, 
which  they  did  to  such  purpose  that  the  barbarians  fled  in  terror  to  the  woods. 
General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  who  had  come  over  to  ascertain  the  state  of 
affairs,  hastened  back  to  Lewiston  to  send  over  more  militia.  But  the  latter 
refused  to  go,  claiming  that  they  were  not  obliged  to  leave  the  soil  of  their 
own  country.  General  Sheaffe,  who  had  received  reinforcements  from  Fort 
George,  pressed  forward  with  overwhelming  numbers  (the  Americans  on  the 
heights  did  not  number  more  than  nine   hundred),  and  compelled  the  plucky 


From  the  Revolution  to  1815.  181 

Americans  to  surrender  —  a  needless  sacrifice,  had  their  cowardly  comrades  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  hastened  to  their  assistance  when  ordered  by  Gen- 
eral Van  Rensselaer.  The  militia  were  paroled,  but  the  regulars  were  held  as 
prisoners.  Had  the  commanding  general  been  possessed  of  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  boats  to  have  transported  his  whole  force  across  the  river  in  the  morn- 
ing, at  the  time  the  first  attack  was  made,  no  doubt  final  success  would  have 
been  the  award  of  their  bravery.  As  it  was,  while  the  expedition  as  a  whole 
was  disastrous,  the  brave  militia  who  had  earned  victory  under  their  spirited 
officers,  felt  no  shame  at  their  defeat  —  excepting  the  cowardly  majority  who 
refused  their  aid  when  needed. 

The  third  element  in  the  plan  of  invasion  was  the  division  of  Northern 
New  York.  About  the  first  of  September,  18 12,  General  Bloomfield  had  col- 
lected a  force  of  about  8,000  men,  composed  of  regulars,  militia  and  volunteers, 
at  Plattsburg  ;  in  addition  a  few  scattered  detachments  were  stationed  at  ad- 
vanced points  along  the  lake  and  at  Chazy.  Major-General  Henry  Dearborn 
arrived  later  and  assumed  command  of  the  department,  and  on  the  i6th  of 
November  moved  with  5,000  troops  towards  Canada.  He  reached  the  La 
Colle,  a  small  stream  emptying  into  the  Sorel,  where  he  met  a  considerable 
force  of  British  and  Canadian  troops  and  Indians,  commanded  by  an  energetic 
British  officer,  Lieutenant-Colonel  De  Salaberry.  At  early  dawn  on  the  20th 
Colonel  Zebulon  Pike  crossed  the  La  Colle  and  surrounded  a  block-house.  A 
body  of  New  York  militia  sent  to  support  him  were  seen  approaching,  and,  in 
the  dim  light,  were  supposed  to  be  British ;  fire  was  opened  upon  them,  and 
they,  equally  mistaken  in  believing  the  fire  to  be  from  a  sallying  party  from 
the  block-house,  returned  it,  and  for  half  an  hour  a  sharp  engagement  was 
maintained.  Finally  when  the  error  was  discovered,  De  Salaberry  was  seen 
approaching  with  an  overwhelming  force,  cutting  off  their  only  path  of  escape. 
The  Americans  made  a  fierce  attack  upon  the  advancing  columns,  hoping 
to  make  an  opening  for  retreat ;  in  this  they  succeeded,  but  at  the  cost  of  leav- 
ing their  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.  This  unpropitious  opening  of  the 
campaign  disheartened  the  army,  and  it  returned  to  Plattsburg.  Dearborn 
was  charged  with  incompetency,  and  in  June  of  the  next  year,  he  was  super- 
seded.     He  asked  in  vain  for  a  court  of  inquiry. 

Thus  ended  for  the  year  the  grandly-planned  invasion  of  Canada.  Noth- 
ing was  gained  to  the  Americans,  while  its  losses  in  men  and  material  far  ex- 
ceeded that  of  the  British. 

One  of  the  first  warlike  measures  undertaken  by  the  Americans  before  hos- 
tihties  actually  began  on  the  northern  frontier,  was  the  construction  of  the  brig 
Oneida,  of  sixteen  guns,  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  She  was  launched  in  1 809,  and 
was  intended  to  serve  the  two-fold  purpose  of  enforcing  the  revenue  laws  un- 
der the  Embargo  Act,  and  to  defend  American  property  on  the  lake  in  case  of 
a  war  with  England,  of  which  ominous  mutterings  even   then   were   heard  all 


1 82  History  of  Warren  Count  v. 

over  the  country.  The  first  duty  of  the  Oneida  occurred  in  i8i2,  while  under 
the  command  of  Lieutenant  Woolsey.  A  schooner,  the  Lord  Nelson,  owned 
by  British  subjects  at  Niagara,  was  on  her  way,  laden  with  flour  and  other 
merchandise,  to  Kingston,  where  she  was  captured  by  the  Oneida  and  con- 
demned as  a  lawful  prize.  The  Oneida  captured  several  other  vessels,  which 
were  condemed  under  the  revenue  laws. 

Early  in  July  a  rumor  reached  Sackett's  Harbor  that  the  Oneida  had  been 
captured  by  the  British,  and  that  a  squadron  was  on  the  way  from  Kingston 
to  recapture  the  Lord  Nelson,  which  lay  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  The  rumor  was 
false  ;  but  eighteen  days  after  five  British  vessels,  carrying  an  aggregate  of 
eighty-two  guns,  commanded  by  Commodore  Earle,  of  Canada,  appeared  off 
the  town.  Earle  communicated  to  Colonel  Bellinger,  commanding  the  militia 
at  Sackett's  Harbor,  that  all  he  wanted  was  the  Oneida  and  Lord  Nelson,  and 
that  in  case  resistance  was  made  the  town  would  be  destroyed.  The  Oneida, 
failing  in  an  attempt  to  run  by  the  approaching  fleet  into  the  lake,  anchored  off 
Navy  Point  in  position  to  use  her  broadside  of  nine  guns  on  the  nearing  ves- 
sels. The  remainder  of  her  guns  were  taken  out  and  placed  in  battery  on  the 
shore.  An  iron  thirty-two  pounder,  which  had  been  lying  in  the  sand  on  the 
shore,  whereby  it  gained  the  name  of  the  "  Old  Sow,"  was  placed  in  battery  on 
a  bluff  with  three  other  heavy  guns.  A  company  of  artillery  also  had  four 
guns.  With  this  inadequate  supply  of  artillery  the  Americans  proposed  to  de- 
fend the  place.  The  fleet  slowly  entered  the  harbor,  and  were  fired  upon  by 
the  Americans,  whose  shots  fell  so  far  short  of  their  object,  that  shouts  of 
laughter  and  ridicule  were  heard  on  board  the  British  vessels  by  the  people  on 
shore.  For  about  two  hours  a  lively  cannonading  was  kept  up,  the  vessels 
standing  off  and  on,  but  keeping  out  of  range  of  the  Americans'  smaller  guns. 
Finally  a  thirty-two  pound  shot  from  one  of  the  vessels  struck  the  ground, 
plowed  a  furrow,  and  stopped  near  the  battery  wherein  the  "  Old  Sow  "  was 
placed.  Sergeant  Spier  caught  up  the  shot  and  ran  with  it  to  Captain 
Vaughn,  an  old  sailing-master  who  was  in  charge  of  the  battery,  saying:  "  I 
have  been  playing  ball  with  the  redcoats  and  have  caught  them  out.  See  if 
the  British  can  catch  it  back  again."  The  Royal  George,  the  larger  vessel  of 
the  fleet,  at  that  moment  was  nearing  to  deliver  a  broadside.  The  captured 
ball  was  immediately  sent  back  by  Captain  Vaughn's  "  Old  Sow  "  with  such 
force  and  accuracy  that  it  crushed  through  the  stern  of  the  Royal  George, 
raked  her  decks  to  the  stem,  sending  splinters  as  high  as  her  mizzen  topsail, 
killing  fourteen  men  and  wounding  eighteen.  She  had  already  received  a  shot 
between  wind  and  water  and  been  pierced  by  another,  which  forced  her  to  sig- 
nal retreat.  The  whole  squadron  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  to  the  strains  of 
"  Yankee  Doodle,"  played  by  the  fifes  and  drums  of  the  defenders.  The 
Americans  received  no  injury. 

About  the  first  of  October,  i8 12,  General  Jacob  Brown   was  sent  to    Og- 


From  the  Revolution  to  1815.  183 

densburg  to  garrison  old  Fort  Presentation  or  Oswegatchie,  to  repel  a  threat- 
ened invasion  by  the  British  in  that  quarter.  On  the  second  of  October  the 
British  left  Prescott,  immediately  opposite  Ogdensburg,  with  a  flotilla  of  two 
gunboats  and  twenty-five  bateaux,  and  750  armed  men  for  the  purpose  of  cap- 
turing Ogdensburg. 

Brown  had  about  twelve  hundred  men  in  the  village,  and  company  of  rifle- 
men encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  river  near  Fort  Presentation.  The  latter 
were  stationed  in  line  of  battle  upon  the  river  bank  to  dispute  the  landing  of 
the  invaders.  Brown  had  but  two  field-pieces,  and  when  the  approaching 
flotilla  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  river  the  two  guns  were  operated  with 
such  effect  that  the  enemy  retreated  with  the  utmost  alacrity.  This  repulse 
reflected  much  credit  upon  Brown. 

In  October,  18 12,  Lieutenant  Jesse  D.  Elliott,  then  but  twenty-seven  years 
of  age,  was  in  command  of  an  incipient  dockyard  which  had  been  established 
by  the  government  at  Black  Rock,  two  miles  below  Buffalo.  On  the  morning 
of  the  8th  two  British  vessels,  the  Caledonia  and  the  Detroit  (the  latter  had 
been  the  John  Adams  and  was  taken  at  the  surrender  of  Hull  and  its  name 
changed),  had  anchored  off" Fort  Erie.  Elliott  conceived  a  plan  for  their  cap-- 
ture,  which,  with  the  aid  of  a  squad  of  seamen  just  arrived  from  New  York, 
fifty  artillerymen,  and  several  sailors  and  citizens  from  Buffalo,  was  successfully 
carried  out  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  at  one  o'clock.  The  vessels  and  their 
men  were  made  captives  in  less  than  ten  minutes.  A  battery  at  Fort  Erie 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  vessels  before  they  could  be  got  away,  and  a 
severe  struggle  for  their  possession  ensued.  The  Detroit  was  finally  burned, 
but  the  Caledonia  was  got  away.  She  proved  a  rich  prize,  her  cargo  being 
worth  $200,000.     The  Americans  lost  one  man  killed  and  five  wounded. 

In  February,  1813,  the  British  again  attacked  Ogdensburg.  On  the  22d 
about  eight  hundred  British,  commanded  by  Colonel  McDonell,  appeared  in 
front  of  the  village  on  the  ice  in  two  columns.  Colonel  Forsyth,  with  his  rifle- 
men, were  stationed  at  Fort  Presentation,  and  against  them  moved  one  column, 
three  hundred  strong.  Awaiting  the  near  approach  of  the  British,  Forsyth's 
men  attacked  them  vigorously  with  rifle  and  the  two  field-pieces  that  had  done 
such  effective  service  in  the  hands  of  General  Brown.  The  attacking  column 
was  repulsed  with  considerable  loss,  and  retreated  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  While  this  was  going  on  the  second  column  of  five  hundred 
had  entered  the  town  and  captured  a  twelve-pound  cannon  and  the  gunners. 
The  invaders  supposed  their  conquest  complete,  but  were  soon  confronted  by 
two  pieces  of  artillery  under  Captain  Kellogg  and  Sheriff"  York.  The  gun  of 
the  former  becoming  disabled,  he  and  his  men  crossed  the  Oswegatchie  and 
joined  Colonel  Forsyth,  leaving  York  to  fight  the  battle  alone ;  the  latter  was 
soon  compelled  to  surrender.  McDonell  then  proceeded  to  dislodge  Forsyth, 
and  demanded  his  surrender,- in  these  words:   "  If  you   surrender   it   shall   be 


1 84  History  of  Warren  County. 

well;  if  not,  every  man  shall  be  put  to  the  bayonet."  " Tell  ^Colonel  Mc- 
Donell,"  replied  Forsyth,  "  that  there  must  be  more  fighting  done  yet."  But 
an  assault  by  an  overwhelming  force  compelled  the  spirited  commander,  after 
he  had  thrown  them  once  into  disorder  with  grape  and  canister,  to  order  a  re- 
treat, and  he  and  his  little  force  made  their  way  to  Black  Lake,  nine  miles 
distant.  The  town  was  plundered  by  the  Indians  and  camp-followers  of  both 
sexes,  who  came  over  from  Canada.  After  burning  the  barracks  and  two 
schooners  fast  in  the  ice,  and  sacking  every  house  but  three,  the  British  and 
their  tribe  of  marauders  returned  to  Prescott 

In  May,  1813,  the  British,  hearing  that  Chauncey  and  Dearborn  had  de- 
pleted the  forces  at  Sackett's  Harbor  to  strengthen  the  expedition  for  the  cap- 
ture of  York,  determined  to  attack  the  place.  It  was  then  the  chief  place  of 
deposit  of  the  goverment  military  stores,  and  its  possession  by  the  British  was 
desirable.  On  the  evening  of  the  27th  rumors  reached  Sackett's  Harbor  that 
Sir  James  Yeo  had  sailed  from  Kingston  with  a  formidable  squadron.  Colonel 
Backus  was  in  command  of  the  forces  at  the  Harbor.  General  Jacob  Brown, 
who  was  at  his  home  a  few  miles  from  Watertown,  had  promised  to  take  chief 
command  in  case  of  an  attack ;  he  was  therefore  summoned,  and  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  28th  was  in  Backus's  camp.  He  immediately  summoned  all  the 
militia  in  the  vicinity  to  the  field,  and  as  fast  as  they  arrived  they  were  armed 
and  sent  to  Horse  Island,  where  the  lighthouse  now  stands.  This  island  was 
connected  with  the  mainland  by  an  isthmus  covered  with  water  of  fordable 
depth ;  here  it  was  expected  the  British  would  attempt  to  land.  About  noon 
of  the  28th  six  vessels  and  forty  bateaux,  carrying  over  one  thousand  British 
land  troops,  appeared  off  the  town.  They  were  under  command  of  Governor- 
general  Sir  George  Provost.  The  troops  were  embarked  in  the  bateaux,  but 
were  soon  ordered  back,  and  the  whole  squadron  went  out  on  the  open  lake. 
Sir  George  had  been  frightened  by  the  appearance  outside  the  harbor  of  a 
flotilla  of  American  gunboats  that  were  bringing  part  of  a  regiment  from  Os- 
wego to  aid  the  post  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  As  soon  as  Sir  George  discovered 
the  weakness  of  this  force  he  returned,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  landed 
a  considerable  force  with  artillery  and  muskets  on  Horse  Island.  The  militia  had 
been  withdrawn  behind  a  gravel  ridge  on  the  mainland.  They  fled  at  the  first 
fire  of  the  British.  General  Brown  vainly  attempted  to  rally  the  fleeing  militia, 
while  Colonel  Backus,  with  his  regulars  and  Albany  volunteers,  contested  the 
ground,  inch  by  inch,  with  the  enemy,  and  a  heavy  gun  at  Fort  Tompkins  sent 
its  missiles  among  the  British  ranks.  At  this  moment  a  dense  smoke  was 
seen  rising  in  the  rear  of  the  Americans.  The  storehouses  with  their  valuable 
contents,  and  a  ship  on  the  stocks,  had  been  fired  by  the  officers  in  charge, 
who,  upon  seeing  the  flying  militia,  believed  the  fort  would  be  captured.  For 
a  moment  Brown,  who  supposed  the  British  to  be  the  incendiaries,  was  dis- 
heartened ;  but  when  he  learned  that  the  destruction  was  the  act  of  an  over- 


From  the  Revolution  to  1815.  185 

zealous  and  unwise  friend,  he  redoubled  his  exertions  to  make  an  effective  de- 
fense. He  finally  succeeded  in  rallying  the  militia,  and  was  returning  with 
them  in  good  order  to  the  field,  which  led  General  Prevost,  who,  perched  upon 
a  stump,  discerned  them  with  his  field-glass,  to  believe  that  the  Americans  had 
received  reinforcements.  Without  taking  further  measures  to  prove  the  truth 
of  his  surmise,  he  sounded  a  retreat,  which  soon  turned  to  a  disorderly  rout, 
and  left  his  dead  and  wounded  where  they  fell.  By  noon  the  whole  fleet  had 
left  the  harbor.  The  fired  ship  was  saved,  but  the  stores,  to  the  amount  of 
half  a  million  dollars,  were  destroyed.  For  this  gallant  defense  General  Brown 
was  made  a  brigadier  in  the  regular  army. 

These  few  detailed  accounts  are  given  that  an  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
nature  and  results  of  the  conflict  on  the  northern  border.  Almost  invariably 
the  Americans,  in  defending  their  positions,  were  successful ;  when  acting  on 
the  offensive,  seldom  so. 

The  brilliant  victories  of  the  navy,  both  on  the  lakes  and  the  ocean,  served 
to  encourage  and  strengthen  the  Americans,  and  to  fill  with  bitterness  the 
English  heart  that  had  always  been  firm  in  the  belief  of  the  invulnerability  of 
its  navy.  On  the  land  in  other  parts  of  the  country  occurred  engagements 
of  more  or  less  importance  in  their  results ;  particularly  the  burning  of  the 
public  buildings  at  Washington  and  the  defense  of  Fort  McHenry  at  Bal- 
timore. 

But  on  the  northeastern  frontier  nothing  of  note  occurred  until  the  summer 
of  1 8 14,  when  the  attack  upon  and  successful  defense  of  Plattsburg  brought 
the  war  so  near  to  the  residents  of  Warren  county,  that  every  inhabitant  was 
charged  with  its  excitement. 

The  British  plans  for  the  campaign  of  18 14  on  the  northern  New  York 
frontier  resembled  closely  those  made  for  Burgoyne  in  1777.  The  programme 
involved  the  invasion  of  the  State,  the  possession  of  Lakes  Champlain  and 
George,  the  penetration  of  the  country  to  Albany  and  below,  and  by  the  co- 
operation of  a  land  and  naval  force,  the  capture  of  New  York ;  and,  by  hold- 
ing the  Hudson  River,  separate  by  military  posts  the  New  England  States 
from  the  remainder  of  the  Union.  It  was  expected  that  the  downfall  of  Na- 
poleon would  release  a  large  number  of  troops,  and  allow  them  to  be  sent 
to  America  to  aid  in  crushing  the  Americans.  This  prospect  gave  joy  to 
the  "  Peace  party,"  who  did  not  hesitate  to  openly  flaunt  their  joyful  hopes  in 
the  faces  of  the  patriots,  who  felt  at  times  that  the  struggle  against  their  fire- 
side foes,  though  bloodless,  was  far  more  bitter  than  the  armed  war  against  their 
foreign  enemy.  The  crushing  of  Napoleon  did  release  many  British  troops 
on  the  Continent,  and  several  thousands  of  them  were  immediately  sent  to 
Canada  to  reinforce  General  Prevost.  They  arrived  in  July  and  were  imme- 
diately pushed  forward  to  Montreal.  In  the  mean  time  Prevost  had  been  en- 
gaged in  extensive  preparations  for  invading  New  York,  increasing  his  flotilla 


1 86  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  vessels  in  the  Sorel,  and  otherwise  strengthening  his  force.  Early  in  May- 
General  George  Izard  was  put  in  command  of  the  right  division  of  the  army 
of  the  North.  On  the  19th  of  that  month  he  was  informed  that  the  the  ene- 
my below  were  approaching.  Captain  Pring,  commanding  the  British  flotilla, 
moved  up  the  Sorel,  and  on  the  13th  attacked  the  American  flotilla  under 
Lieutenant  Thomas  Macdonough,  then  lying  at  Vergennes,  Vt,  at  the  head  of 
navigation  on  Otter  Creek.  Macdonough,  having  been  apprised  of  the  move- 
ment, sent  a  party  to  reinforce  a  detachment  of  light  artillery  who  had  a  small 
battery  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  Governor  Chittenden,  of  Vermont,  also 
ordered  out  some  militia  to  assist  in  repelling  the  expected  attack.  On  the 
morning  of  the  14th  Pring's  boats  and  a  bomb  sloop  anchored  off' the  mouth 
of  the  creek,  where  they  met  a  warm  welcome  from  the  little  battery.  For  an 
hour  the  cannonade  continued,  when  Pring  found  it  necessary  to  retreat.  He 
then  crossed  the  lake  and  passed  a  short  distance  up  the  Boquet  River  for  the 
purpose  of  destroying  a  quantity  of  flour  stored  there.  On  his  return  he  was 
assailed  by  a  number  of  militia,  who  had  gathered  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
Many  of  the  British  were  killed  and  wounded.  Meeting  with  stern  repulse  in 
each  attack,  Pring  returned  to  the  Sorel,  a  wiser  man  ;  for  he  had  learned  that 
the  people  of  Vermont  were  ready  to  fight,  even  if  their  governor  was  opposed 
to  the  war.  A  few  days  after  Macdonough  sailed  out  of  Otter  Creek  and  anch- 
ored in  Plattsburg  Bay. 

All  through  the  month  of  May  both  parties  were  making  additional  prep- 
arations to  settle  the  question  of  the  supremacy  of  Lake  Champlain  and  the 
route  to  the  Hudson.     Both  sides  were  reinforced  with  men  and  material. 

General  Izard,  contrary  to  the  orders  of  the  secretary  of  war,  erected  a  bat- 
tery of  four  eighteen-pounders  at  Cumberland  Head,  instead  of  at  Rouse's 
Point  at  the  mouth  of  the  Soul,  where  the  secretary,  urged  by  Major  Totten, 
chief  engineer,  ordered  it  placed. 

In  June  General  Izard  made  preparations  for  an  offensive  movement  into 
Canada.  He  sent  General  Smith  with  about  fourteen  hundred  men  to  occupy 
Champlain,  five  miles  below  the  Canada  line.  He  had  eight  hundred  men  at 
Chazy  under  Colonel  Pearce ;  and  about  twelve  hundred  occupied  the  penin- 
sula at  Plattsburg  between  the  lake  and  Saranac  River,  the  works  on  Cumber- 
land Head,  and  a  position  on  Dead  Creek,  two  miles  below  Plattsburg.  Mac- 
donough was  below  Cumberland  Head,  watching  the  British  flotilla,  which  lay 
at  the  Isle  aux  Tetes.  The  British  had  a  force  of  five  thousand  five  hundred 
men,  with  a  reserve  of  two  thousand  at  Montreal. 

Frequent  skirmishes  occurred  along  the  border,  each  side  exhibiting  a 
continued  restlessness,  and  apparently  anxious  to  draw  out  the  other.  ]5ut  no 
movement  of  great  moment  occurred  till  late  in  July,  when  General  Macomb's 
brigade  embarked  at  Cumberland  Head  for  Chazy  Landing  at  the  mouth  of 
Chazy  Creek.     At  the  same  time  Bissell's  brigade  started  by  land  for  Chazy 


From  the  Revolution  to  1815.         '  187 

village.  While  the  removal  of  these  troops  depleted  the  force  at  Plattsburg, 
the  enemy  was  continually  growing  stronger.  During  July  and  August  not 
less  than  fifteen  thousand  men,  chiefly  veterans  from  Wellington's  armies,  ar- 
rived at  Montreal.  All  but  one  brigade  of  these  forces  were  held  to  participate 
in  the  invasion  of  New  York. 

Soon  after  the  advance  of  the  Americans  to  Champlain  and  Chazy,  Gene- 
ral Prevost  arrived  at  Isle  aux  Noix,  where  he  had  sent  a  large  body  of  vete- 
rans, and  took  the  command  in  person.  It  was  plainly  evident  that  the  Brit- 
ish commander  was  contemplating  a  speedy  invasion  of  Northern  New  York ; 
and  yet,  with  full  information  of  the  circumstances,  the  United  States  govern- 
ment ordered  Izard  to  march  a  larger  part  of  his  force  westward  to  co-operate 
with  the  army  of  Niagara.  The  army  and  the  people  were  astonished  at  the 
order;  it  was  an  open  invitation  to  invasion.  The  disappointed  Izard  could 
suppress  his  indignation,  but  wrote  the  Secretary  of  War,  saying :  "I  will  make 
the  movement  you  direct,  if  possible :  but  I  shall  do  it  with  the  apprehension 
of  risking  the  forces  under  my  command,  and  with  the  certainty  that  every 
thing  in  this  vicinity  but  the  lately  erected  works  at  Plattsburg  and  Cumber- 
land Head  will,  in  less  than  three  days  after  my  departure,  be  in  possession  of 
the  enemy."  But  while  continuing  to  protest,  he  obeyed  orders.  Though 
short  of  means  of  transportation,  he  soon  put  four  thousand  men  in  motion  by 
way  of  Lake  George,  Schenectady  and  the  Mohawk  valley,  and  arrived  with 
them  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  September.  He  left  but  twelve  hundred  effective 
men  to  garrison  Plattsburg  and  Cumberland  Head,  and  made  a  requisition 
upon  General  Mooers  for  the  available  militia  of  the  district  to  assemble  at 
Chazy.  The  command  was  left  to  Brigadier- General  Alexander  Macomb,  with 
headquarters  at  Plattsburg. 

Macomb  used  every  available  method  to  increase  his  force.  At  the  end  of 
August  he  had  about  three  thousand  four  hundred  troops ;  but  these  were  in  a 
weak  condition,  full  fourteen  hundred  of  them  being  invalids  or  non-combat- 
ants ;  the  ordnance  and  stores  were  in  confusion,  and  the  works  of  defense  were 
all  incomplete.  Yet  Macomb,  concentrating  all  his  forces  at  Plattsburg,  worked 
with  energy  on  preparations  for  defense. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  the  day  Izard  left  his  camp  at  Champlain,  General 
Brisbane  crossed  the  line  with  a  considerable  body  of  British  troops  and  occu- 
pied the  village,  and  on  the  3d  of  September  full  fourteen  thousand  more  as- 
sembled in  the  vicinity,  Prevost  being  in  command,  assisted  by  General  De 
Rottenburgh.  The  governor-general  issued  a  proclamation  announcing  that  he 
intended  to  take  possession  of  the  country,  and  inviting  the  inhabitants  to  throw 
off  their  allegiance  to  the  Union,  and  furnish  him  with  supplies.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  they  moved  to  Chazy,  and  on  the  5  th  they  were  encamped  at 
Sampson's,  eight  miles  north  of  Plattsburg.  The  British  squadron  at  the  same 
time  moved   up  the   lake  and  anchored  off  Isle  la  Motte,  and  on  the  west  side 


1 88  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  that  island   erected  a  battery  to   cover  the  landing  of  supplies  for  Prevost's 
army. 

Meantime  Macomb,  by  working  his  men  day  and  night,  succeeded  in  erect- 
ing three  redoubts.  Remains  of  these  works  are  still  visible.  Also  two  block- 
houses were  built  on  the  Saranac ;  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  stood  a  heavy 
stone  mill.  Macomb  divided  his  forces  into  detachments,  holding  each  re- 
sponsible for  the  work  assigned  to  it. 

When  the  British  advanced  to  Chazy  Macomb  sent  out  troops  to  meet  them. 
On  the  morning  of  the  5th  the  initiatory  skirmish  of  the  battle  of  Plattsburg 
occurred  between  Major  John  E.  Wool,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
regulars,  and  the  advance  of  the  British.  The  fight  was  short  but  sharp.  Wool 
could  not  withstand  the  onslaught  of  the  heavy  column,  and  fell  back  to  within 
a  mile  and  a  half  of  Plattsburg.  There  he  was  joined  by  Captain  Leonard,  with 
two  pieces  of  artillery,  with  which  fearful  execution  was  done  upon  the  advanc- 
ing columns  of  the  enemy,  the  balls  cutting  open  lanes  through  the  moving 
mass.  Finally  a  charge  of  the  enemy  compelled  Leonard  and  Wool  to  retreat 
across  the  Saranac,  taking  their  guns  with  them.  Other  outlying  detachments 
had  been  driven,  though  in  each  case  with  greater  loss  to  the  enemy  than  to 
the  retreating  bodies.  When  all  had  crossed  the  Saranac,  the  planks  from  the 
bridges  were  removed. 

When  the  British  reached  Plattsburg  and  found  the  bridges  destroyed, 
they  made  preparations  to  encamp  in  order  that  measures  might  be  undertaken 
to  force  a  passage  at  the  fords.  Several  sharp  skirmishes  took  place,  with  no 
advantage  to  the  enemy;  and  he  was  even  forced  to  withdraw  from  a  number 
of  buildings  he  had  occupied  along  the  river,  driven  out  by  fire  communicated 
by  hot  shot  thrown  by  the  Americans.  Thus,  on  the  evening  of  the  6th  of 
September,  Prevost  was  aware  that  the  task  before  him  was  not  a  light  one, 
though  he  had  at  his  command  an  overwhelming  force  with  ample  munitions 
of  war. 

During  the  time  from  the  7th  to  the  nth  Prevost  brought  up  his  batteries 
and  stores,  and  threw  up  several  works,  commanding  the  river,  town  and  bay. 
Meantime  the  Americans  were  not  idle.  They  strengthened  such  fortifications 
as  they  had,  and  concentrated  their  forces  at  those  points  where  they  would 
probably  be  most  needed. 

While  these  operations  were  being  carried  on  on  the  land,  the  opposing 
forces  were  making  preparations  for  a  battle  on  the  water.  As  before  stated, 
Captain  Pring,  with  the  larger  part  of  the  British  flotilla,  had  advanced  to  Isle 
la  Motte,  where  the  remainder  of  the  squadron  joined  him,  and  Captain  George 
Downie,  of  the  royal  navy,  took  the  chief  command.  Macdonough  still  lay  at 
anchor  in  Plattsburg  bay.  For  the  five  days  during  which  Prevost  was  making 
his  preparations  for  the  attack,  the  seamen  were  awaiting  his  signal  to  also  be- 
gin.    During  this  time  several   affairs  of  minor  importance  occurred  between 


^From  the  Revolution  to  1815.  189 

the  land  troops;  one  in  particular,  in  which  fifty  men  under  Captain  McGlassin 
crossed  the  river  and  captured  one  of  Prevost's  redoubts,  occupied  by  three 
hundred  men,  who  fled  to  the  main  body,  leaving  the  Americans  to  spike  the 
guns,  destroy  the  carriages,  and  return  to  their  quarters,  to  the  discomfiture  of 
General  Prevost. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  nth  the  British  land  and  naval  forces  were  un- 
der motion  for  the  attack.  The  Americans  were  on  the  alert,  and  though 
threatened  with  overwhelming  numbers,  prepared  to  meet  the  onslaught 
pluckily. 

We  cannot  go  into  the  delails  of  the  engagement  for  want  of  space,  though 
their  interest  would  warrant  us  in  doing  so.  The  engagement  was  opened  on 
the  lake.  When  Macdonough  saw  the  British  vessels  approaching  in  line  of 
battle,  he  cleared  his  ship  for  action,  and  calling  his  officers  and  men  around 
him,  knelt  upon  the  deck  and  in  a  few  simple  words  prayed  the  Almighty  God 
for  aid,  and  left  the  issue  in  His  hands. 

The  naval  action  was  severe  and  continuous ;  for  two  hours  and  twenty 
minutes  the  battle  raged,  while  the  thunder  of  cannon,  the  hiss  of  rockets,  the 
scream  of  bombs  and  the  rattle  of  musketry  were  heard  on  the  shore.  The 
fight  was  characterized  by  a  vigor  and  destructiveness  not  excelled  by  any  dur- 
ing the  war.  The  force  of  the  American  squadron  was  eighty-six  guns  and 
eight  hundred  and  eighty- two  men;  while  that  of  the  British  was  ninety-five 
guns  and  a  little  more  than  one  thousand  men.  But  even  with  this  difference 
in  his  favor,  the  enemy  was  forced  to  lower  his  flag  to  the  young  lieutenant 
who  publicly  asked  the  Almighty's  assistance  before  opening  fire.  Immedi- 
ately after  receiving  the  surrender  of  the  British  vessels,  Macdonough  sent  the 
following  dispatch  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  :  — 

"Sir  —  The  Almighty  has  been  pleased  to  grant  us  a  signal  victory  on 
Lake  Champlain,  in  the  capture  of  one  frigate,  one  brig  and  two  sloops  of  war 
of  the  enemy." 

The  entire  loss  of  the  Americans  was  one  hundred  and  ten,  fifty-two  of 
whom  were  killed.  The  British  loss  was  was  more  than  two  hundred,  includ- 
ing Captain  Downie. 

According  to  an  arrangement  with  Captain  Downie,  Prevost  was  to  put  his 
troops  in  motion  when  the  topmasts  of  the  fleet  came  into  his  view  around 
Cumberland  Head.  When  the  first  gun  was  fired  on  the  lake,  the  British  land 
batteries  opened ;  and  under  cover  of  the  shot  and  shell  therefrom,  Prevost 
advanced  to  attack  the  Americans  in  three  columns.  At  the  lower  bridge  the 
attack  was  sharply  repulsed.  At  the  upper  bridge  the  enemy  met  an  obsti- 
nate resistance,  and  failed  in  forcing  a  passage.  At  the  upper  ford  the  column 
was  more  successful ;  there,  under  Generals  Mooers  and  Wright,  was  stationed 
the  militia  of  Essex  and  Clinton  ;  after  two  or  three  repulses  a  few  companies 
of  the  British  succeeded  in  crossing  and  forcing  the  militia  from  their  position. 


I90  History  of  Warren  County. 

Supports,  including  a  piece  of  artillery,  coming  up  at  this  time,  stimulated  the 
fleeing  militia  to  the  rallying-point,  when  they  turned  and  vigorously  assaulted 
the  pursuing  enemy.  At  this  moment  Mooer's  adjutant- general,  Walworth 
(late  chancellor  of  New  York),  dashed  up,  his  horse  flecked  with  foam,  and  an- 
nounced that  the  British  fleet  had  surrendered.  The  enemy  must  have  ob- 
tained this  information  at  the  same  time,  for  they  turned  their  backs  to  the 
cheers  of  their  opponents,  and  dashed  back  across  the  Saranac. 

Thus  ended  the  battle  of  Plattsburg.  Sir  George  Prevost,  a  coward  in 
danger,  according  to  English  historians,  became  terribly  alarmed,  and  experi- 
enced, as  he  said,  "  extreme  mortification  to  hear  the  shout  of  victory  from  the 
American  works,"  when  the  fleet  surrendered,  and  decided  him  that  "  further 
prosecution  of  the  service  was  become  impracticable." 

Before  morning  the  British  commander  and  his  army  were  ten  miles  on  the 
way  to  Canada,  having  left  his  sick  and  wounded  and  a  vast  quantity  of  mu- 
nitions of  war  behind  him.  Troops  were  sent  in  pursuit,  but  the  flight  of  the 
enemy  was  too  rapid,  and  he  reached  Montreal  without  further  chastisement. 
His  losses  were  not  far  from  two  thousand  men,  while  that  of  the  Americans 
was  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

This  victory  called  forth  acclamations  of  joy  throughout  the  country,  and 
generous  honors  were  awarded  the  leaders  therein.  Congress  voted  the 
thanks  of  the  nation,  and  to  Macdonough,  Macomb  and  others  gold  medals 
were  presented.  Honorable  burial  was  accorded  Captain  Downie  and  other 
British  officers.     They  were  buried  in  a  beautiful  cemetery  near  Plattsburg. 

Almost  simultaneous  with  this  victory  came  the  repulse  of  the  British  at 
Fort  Erie,  their  expulsion  from  Baltimore,  and  the  closing  scenes  of  their  op- 
erations on  the  New  England  coast. 

There  are  no  available  records  of  the  part  taken  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Warren  county  in  this  late  struggle  with  Great  Britain  ;  only  a  few  scattered 
items  can  to-day  be  gathered.  In  the  Warren  Republican,  of  December  13, 
18 1 3,  says  Dr.  Holden,  appears  the  following  notice  : 

"  To  Young  Men  of  Zeal  and  Honor, 
"  To  those  who  feel  for  the  abused  rights  of  tluir  beloved  country  : 

"  Every  able-bodied  man  between  the  age  of  18  and  45  years,  who  is 
willing  to  serve  his  country  during  the  present  war,  or  five  years  (as  he  may 
choose),  shall  receive  TWENTY  DOLLARS  IN  CASH  DOWN,  and  TWENTY  DOL- 
LARS more  when  he  shall  be  mustered,  or  join  his  regiment.  He  shall  also 
receive  neat  and  handsome  clothing  of  all  kinds  immediately :  Eight  dollars 
per  month  and  his  rations.  He  shall  furthermore  receive  and  have  guaranteed 
to  him  160  acres  of  excellent  land,  to  be  laid  out  and  located  at  the  public  ex- 
pense— or  if  he  should  die  in  the  service,  his  heirs  or  representatives  shall  be 
entitled  to  the   same  ;  and   three   months   additional  pay,    beyond  his  term  of 


From  the  Revolution  to  1815.  191 

service.     For  further  particulars,  please  call  at  the  Rendezvous  now  opened  at 
A.  Emmons'  Inn,  at  Glens  Falls. 

"  Charles  Harrison,  Lieut. 

"  x^th  Regiment  U.  S.  Infantry." 

This  is  certainly  evidence  that  .volunteers  were  called  for,  if  not  that  they 
were  forthcoming,  which  latter  is  more  than  probable,  if  the  following  state- 
ment in  Palmer's  History  of  Lake  Champlaiii  is  a  criterion  of  the  patriotism 
of  the  people  of  the  young  country  : — 

"  When  Major-General  Mooer's  orders  were  received  for  the  militia  of 
Warren  and  Washington  counties  to  assemble  en  masse,  and  march  to  the 
frontier,  there  appeared,  under  arms,  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  more  than 
had  ever  mustered  at  an  inspection  or  review." 

Dr.  Holden  says  that  "  of  the  male  citizens  of  Warren  and  Washington 
counties,  but  few  were  left  behind.  The  towns  of  Athol,  Luzerne,  Warrens- 
burg  and  Chester  were  almost  depopulated."  A  company  from  Luzerne, 
under  Captain  Gideon  Orton,  was  attached  to  the  Saratoga  regiment. 
Queensbury  sent  its  quota  of  two  companies  ;  the  one  from  Glens  Falls  being 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Royal  Leavens.  Caldwell  and  Bolton  sent  a  rifle 
company  under  the  command  of  Halsey  Rogers.  There  was  also  a  squadron 
of  cavalry  raised  chiefly  in  the  towns  of  Kingsbury  and  Qucensburj',  of  which 
Daniel  W.  Wing  was  lieutenant  commanding;  but  it  was  not  ordered  out  in 
time  to  take  part  in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg. 

During  the  latter  part  of  December,  1814,  General  Andrew  Jackson  was 
completing  preparations  for  the  defense  of  New  Orleans,  and  at  the  same  time 
was  frequently  engaged  with  the  enemy,  who  was  making  strenuous  efforts  to 
gain  a  foothold  on  the  coast,  thereby  enabling  him  to  more  effectually  block- 
ade the  port  of  New  Orleans.  Repeated  engagements  occurred,  some  of  them 
very  severe,  resulting  on  the  whole  in  favor  of  the  Americans. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  18 15,  the  contest  culminated  in  the  battle  histori- 
cally known  as  that  of  New  Orleans,  in  which  Jackson  signally  defeated  Pack- 
enham,  the  latter  losing  two  thousand  six  hundred  men,  killed  and  wounded, 
including  the  commander,  while  the  former's  force  suffered  by  the  loss  of  only 
eight  men  killed  and  one  hundred  wounded.  This  brilliant  action,  as  a  finish- 
ing stroke  of  repeated  successes  of  the  American  arms,  brought  joy  and  re- 
joicing to  the  country. 

The  treaty  of  Ghent  was  completed  December  24,  18 14,  and  was  ratified 
by  the  Prince  Regent  on  December  28th,  and  by  the  United  States  Congress 
on  February  17th,  1815.  While  it  secured  many  advantages  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, the  principle  for  which  they  went  to  war,  namely,  immunity  from  search 
and  impressment,  was  not  secured  them.  The  Americans  had  fought  their 
last  battle  with  a  foreign  foe. 

A    general   conviction   prevailed  after  the    declaration  of  peace   that  the 


192  History  of  Warren  County. 

United  States  would  not  again  become  involved  in  war.  It  had  twice  defeat- 
ed one  of  the  strongest  nations  of  the  earth,  and  the  feeling  grew  in  strength 
that  foreign  powers  would  hesitate  long  before  provoking  the  republic  to  hostil- 
ity. This  condition  of  the  public  mind  exerted  a  widespread  and  beneficial 
influence  upon  the  progress  of  settlement  in  all  new  localities,  which  had  been 
seriously  impeded  by  the  war.  The  people  of  Warren  county,  many  of 
whom  did  valiant  service  in  the  struggle  just  ended,  returned  to  their  homes 
and  engaged,  with  confidence  and  renewed  energy,  in  the  arts  of  peace  and 
progress. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
to  the  present  time. 

]^j;ii  Early  Settlement  —  Subdivision  of  Albany  County  —  Formation  of  Charlotte  County  —  Change 
of  Name  —  Formation  of  Towns  within  Present  Limits  of  Warren  County  —  Pioneer  Experiences  — 
Warren  County  Organized  —  Boundaries  —  County  Seat,  Buildings,  etc.  —  The  "  Cold  Summer  "  — 
Schools  and  Churches  —  Internal  Improvements  —  Financial  Crisis  1837-38 — State  Legislation  Re- 
ferring to  Warren  County. —  Political  Campaign  —  The  Leather  Industry — Civil  List. 

WE  have  in  Chapter  X  described  the  circumstances  surrounding  the  grant- 
ing of  the  Queensbury  Patent  in  1762  and  the  first  attempts  made  to- 
wards the  permanent  settlement  of  the  territory  within  the  present  limits  of 
Warren  county.  While  many  of  the  early  proprietors  of  the  original  Queens- 
bury  Patent  retained  their  ownership  and  a  few  spent  the  greater  part  of  their 
time  on  their  possessions  until  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  by  far  the 
larger  number  were  driven  away  to  the  more  peaceful  localities  where  they 
had  previously  dwelt,  by  the  excitement  and  danger  of  conflict  along  the 
northern  frontier.  With  all  the  details  of  the  early  settlements  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Queensbury,  as  well  as  in  the  other  towns  of  the  county,  the  reader 
will  be  made  familiar  in  the  subsequent  town  histories. 

With  the  dawn  of  peace  following  the  Revolution  the  pioneers  of  the 
county  again  turned  their  faces  towards  the  wilderness  and  were  rapidly  fol- 
lowed by  many  others,  who  resolutely  began  the  task  of  making  for  them- 
selves and  their  posterity  attractive  and  valuable  homes  where  had  recently 
stood  the  primeval  forest.  We  have  seen  in  the  preceding  chapter  how  the 
inhabitants  of  Warren  county  sprang  to  arms  for  the  last  time  in  nearly  half  a 
century,  in  the  War  of  18 12,  to  aid  in  convincing  the  mother  country  that  the 
reign  of  liberty  was  to  be  permanent  in  the  land. 

Previous  to  this  event  occurred  the  subdivision  of  Albany  county,  by  which 


To  THE  Present  Time.  193 

all  that  portion  which  included  the  colonial  settlements  to  the  west  and  south- 
west of  Schenectady  was  set  off  and  named  Tryon  county,  in  honor  of  William 
Tryon,  then  governor  of  the  province.  Charlotte  county  was  formed  on  the 
I2th  of  March,  1772,  and  embraced  the  territory  now  comprised  in  Washing- 
ton, Warren,  Essex  and  Clinton  counties  in  New  York,  and  part  of  Benning- 
ton, Rutland,  Addison,  Chittenden  and  Franklin  counties  in  Vermont.  This 
county  was  named  in  honor  of  the  Princess  Charlotte  of  Mecklenburgh-Stre- 
litz.  After  considerable  strife  the  county  seat  of  Charlotte  county  was  located 
at  Skenesborough  (now  Whitehall),  provided  Major  Skene  should  furnish  for 
public  use  a  tract  of  land.  On  the  i8th  day  March,  1772,  the  legislative 
council  passed  an  act,  "  to  enable  the  inhabitants  of  the  county  of  Charlotte 
to  raise  and  defray  the  public  and  necessary  charges  of  the  said  county,  and  to 
choose  county  officers."  In  September,  1773,  an  ordinance  was  issued  by  the 
governor  with  the  advice  of  the  Council,  "  establishing  a  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  and  a  Court  of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  to  be  held  annually  in  the 
county  of  Charlotte."  The  name  of  this  county  was  changed  in  1784  to  Wash- 
ington, and  on  the  loth  of  April,  1792,  the  town  of  Luzerne  was  set  off  from 
Queensbury  under  the  name  of  "  Fairfield,"  which  name  was  changed  April 
6th,  1808  ;  a  strip  one  mile  wide  was  taken  from  this  town  March  30th,  1802, 
and  given  to  Queensbury.  On  the  same  date  with  the  formation  of  Luzerne, 
the  original  town  of  Thurman  was  formed.  On  the  25th  of  March,  1799,  the 
towns  of  Bolton  and  Chester  were  formed  from  Thurman  and  the  town  of 
Hague  was  set  off  from  Bolton  February  28th,  1807,  under  the  name  of 
"Rochester,"  which  name  was  changed  April  6th,  1808.  Johnsburgh  was 
formed  from  Thurman  April  6th,  1805,  and  Caldwell  from  Queensbury,  Bol- 
ton and  Thurman  March  2d,  1810.  February  12th,  1813,  just  previous  to  the 
county  organization,  Warrensburgh  was  formed  from  Thurman.  Settlements 
in  all  of  these  towns  was  begun  long  before  their  formation  as  civil  divisions 
of  the  county,  as  detailed  in  the  subsequent  town  histories.  These  settlements 
contributed  a  class  of  pioneers  of  exceptionally  energetic,  persevering  and 
moral  character ;  men  who  came  into  the  wilderness  thoroughly  imbued  with 
a  determination  to  leave  not  only  good  homes  to  their  children,  but  names  un- 
tarnished by  evil  report.  Log  houses  sprang  up  in  the  forests,  to  be  followed 
at  a  date  much  earlier  than  was  the  case  in  many  localities  by  neater  frame 
cottages,  the  building  of  which  was  rendered  possible  by  the  early  establish- 
ment of  the  numerous  saw-mills. 

The  building  of  a  log  house  in  pioneetr  days  was  often  a  scene  of  neigh- 
borly gathering  and  festivity,  intermingled  with- the  most  energetic  and  rapid 
work,  to  which  the  old  inhabitants  have  always  loved  to  turn  their  thoughts. 
It  was  the  first  earnest  work  of  the  pioneer.  If  he  found  a  few  neighbors 
within  a  circle  of  as  many  miles,  he  was  generously  and  willingly  aided  in  the 
task ;   if  not,  he  must  do  the  best  he  could  with  the  aid  of  his  brave-hearted 

13 


194  History  of  Warren  County. 

wife  and  his  boy,  if  he  had  one.  In  such  cases  the  dwelling  often  scarcely  rose 
to  the  dignity  of  a  house  ;  it  was  more  frequently  a  mere  cabin.  Where  a  few 
settlers  formed  what  might,  by  a  broad  rendering  of  the  term,  be  called  a 
neighborhood,  the  incoming  pioneer  always  received  a  warm  welcome.  His 
arrival  meant  the  clearing  of  another  farm ;  another  social  neighbor  near  at 
hand ;  another  strong  and  willing  pair  of  hands  for  all  good  work  and  another 
friend  in  case  of  adversity.  Then  the  building  of  the  log  house  became,  not  a 
tedious  and  toilsome  task,  but  a  mere  occasion  for  a  day's  social  gathering  of 
neighbors,  a  scene  of  festivity,  mingled  with  a  little  labor.  For  such  an  event 
the  summons  went  out  for  a  house-raising  on  a  specified  day,  and  when  a  dozen 
or  more  willing  men  had  congregated,  every  one  of  them  unsurpassed  in  dex- 
terity with  the  axe,  down  fell  the  tall,  straight  trees,  the  logs  were  cut  and 
drawn  together  by  the  oxen  ;  four  of  the  most  active  and  expert  of  the  men, 
schooled  by  many  a  similar  experience,  were  placed  at  the  corners  of  the 
foundation  to  cut  and  shape  the  ends  of  the  logs,  and  long  before  night  the 
walls  were  raised  to  a  height  of  six  or  eight  feet,  the  rafters  were  put  in  place, 
and  the  dwelling  was  soon  ready  for  its  pioneer  occupants.  On  these  occa- 
sions the  hard-working  men  were  usually  cheered  in  their  labor  by  a  passing 
whisky  jug,  for  within  a  short  time  after  the  first  settlement  it  was  a  cold  day 
when  a  jug  of  whisky  could  not  be  found  in  almost  any  neighborhood.  The 
finishing  work  was  put  on  the  house  by  the  owner  at  his  leisure ;  but  there 
was  no  delay  in  beginning  "  to  live  "  in  those  days;  the  house  which  was  em- 
bodied in  standing  trees  in  the  morning,  sheltered  the  happy  pioneer  and  his 
wife  at  the  supper  table  in  the  evening  on  the  same  day. 

In  these  dwellings,  although  "  house-keeping  "  was  begun  under  many  ad- 
verse circumstances,  who  shall  say  that  there  were  not  as  warm  hearts,  as  true 
domestic  devotion  and  sympathy  and  as  pure  contentment  and  peace  as  ever 
existed  in  the  palaces  of  the  world.  Here  the' pioneer  and  his  family  began 
life  with  faith  in  their  Creator  and  faith  in  themselves  —  a  life  that  was  to  carry 
them  from  their  present  condition  of  trials  and  privations  onward  to  the  com- 
forts of  civilization.  His  house  once  built,  the  early  settler  found  ample  work 
for  his  hands  in  felling  the  forest  trees,  in  the  "  logging  bees  "  by  which  fields 
were  cleared  in  a  day  by  the  union  of  many  hands,  in  planting  a  little  corn  or 
wheat,  in  sugar-making  in  the  spring,  in  caring  for  his  limited  stock  and  in 
supplying  his  household  with  venison  and  other  game  from  the  forest. 

The  forests  in  the  region  of  which  this  work  treats  abounded,  not  only  with 
game  that  was  a  heaven-sent  boon  to  early  settlers,  but  with  wild  beasts  which 
ravenously  preyed  upon  the  scanty  flocks  and  sometimes  imperiled  the  lives 
of  the  people.  Long  after  they  ceased  to  cause  any  apprehensions  to  the  set- 
tlers themselves,  these  wild  beasts,  especially  the  wolves,  were  a  constant 
source  of  annoyance,  and  every  man's  hand  was  raised  against  them  for  their 
extermination.     This  work  was  encouraged   by  the  offer  of  generous  public 


To  THE  Present  Time.  195 

bounties.  Under  such  efforts,  and  the  gradually  increasing  population,  the 
forests  were  cleared  of  these  foes  to  man  and  his  civilizing  work. 

One  of  the  brightest  features  of  pioneer  life  and  one  to  which  the  writer 
may  always  turn  with  gratification,  was  the  general  spirit  of  fraternity  and 
sociability  and  mutual  helpfulness  which  pervaded  the  young  communities. 
Most  of  the  early  settlers  stood  upon  the  same  plane  of  life,  held  the  same 
hopes  and  aspirations,  born  of  poverty  and  nurtured  in  privation,  which  were 
common  to  all.  Each  felt  an  impulse,  dictated  by  the  humanity  that  was  sure 
to  develop  amid  such  surroundings,  to  assist  his  neighbor  whenever  and 
wherever  assistance  was  needed,  realizing  that  he  might  any  day  become  the 
grateful  recipient  of  similar  service.  That  social  ostracism  engendered  by 
caste,  a  relic  alike  of  ignorance  and  barbarism,  which  it  is  the  mission  of  the 
genius  of  American  institutions  to  eradicate,  and  which  inexorably  separates 
the  individual  members  of  a  community  at  the  present  day,  was  then  unknown. 
They  mingled  freely  with  each  other,  and  shared  each  other's  joys  and  sorrows. 

On  the  1 2th  of  March,  18 13,  Warren  county  was  set  off  from  Washington 
county,  receiving  its  name  in  honor  of  General  Joseph  Warren,  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary army.     The  boundaries  of  the  new  county  were  thus  defined  :  — 

"  All  that  part  of  the  State  bounded  northerly  by  a  line  running  a  due  west 
course  from  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county  of  Washington  so  as  to  strike 
the  most  northerly  point  of  the  rock  commonly  called  Rogers's  Rock,  on  the 
west  side  of  Lake  George,  and  continued  west  until  intersecting  a  line  drawn 
from  the  Mohawk  River,  where  the  northeast  corner  of  the  tract  of  land  granted 
by  letters  patent  to  George  Ingoldsby  and  others  touches  the  Mohawk,  north 
one  degree  and  twenty-five  minutes  west ;  westerly  by  the  line  just  mentioned 
intersecting  a  west  line  drawn  from  Fort  George,  near  Lake  George ;  by  that 
line  until  it  strikes  the  north  branch  of  the  Hudson  River,  and  by  the  middle 
of  said  branch  and  of  the  main  stream  to  the  southeast  corner  of  Queensbury  ; 
north  along  the  east  line  of  that  town  to  Lake  George  ;  thence  north  along  the 
west  line  of  the  towns  of  Fort  Ann  and  Putnam  to  the  north  bounds  of  the 
county."  , 

William  Robards  was  elected  the  first  judge  of  the  new  county  and  held 
the  office  until  1820.  Robert  Wilkinson  was  the  first  surrogate  ;  Henry  Spen- 
cer, sheriff;  John  Beebe,  county  clerk ;  and  Michael  Harris,  treasurer.  The 
ccunty  seat  was  established  at  Caldwell,  where  it  has  ever  since  remained,  in 
spite  of  numerous  energetic  attempts  to  secure  its  removal  to  Glens  Falls, 
as  narrated  in  a  later  chapter.  An  act  passed  March  12th,  1813,  established 
a  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  to  meet  three 
times  a  year.  The  courts,  meetings  of  the  supervisors  and  other  public  gath- 
erings were,  for  a  few  years,  held  in  the  old  Lake  George  Coffee- House,  on 
the  site  of  the  present  Lake  Hou.se  in  the  village  of  Caldwell.  On  the  first  of 
March,  18 16,  an  act  v/as  passed  providing  that  the  county  clerk's  ofiice  was  to 


196    '  History  of  Warren  County. 

be  kept  within  one-half  mile  of  the  Lake  George  Coffee- House,  and  the  mile- 
age to  be  computed  from  there.  The  new  county  buildings  were  erected  and 
ready  for  occupation  by  the  county  officials  in  18 17,  in  which  year  the  super- 
visors' meeting  was  held  in  the  court-house.  The  details  of  the  construction 
of  these  and  other  county  buildings  are  given  in  later  pages. 

It  was  the  month  of  June,  1813,  that  saw  the  issue  of  the  initial  number  of 
the  first  newspaper  published  in  Warren  county — an  event  always  of  much 
significance  in  any  locality.  The  young  pioneer  journal  bore  the  name  of  the 
Warren  Republican,  and  was  published  at  Glens  Falls.  Of  course  it  was  a 
small  affair,  but  its  birth  marked  an  era  in  the  growth  of  the  county.  (See 
chapter  on  the  county  press). 

Much  of  the  attention  of  pioneers  in  any  locality  and  of  early  public  offi- 
cials has  always  been  devoted  to  the  laying  out  and  opening  of  highways.  One 
of  the  most  important  of  the  early  thoroughfares  in  this  section  of  the  State  is 
what  is  still  known  as  the  old  State  Road.  Its  opening  was  authorized  early 
in  the  century  and  it  runs  from  Sandy  Hill  northward  through  the  present 
towns  of  Queensbury,  Caldwell,  Warrensburgh  and  Chester,  and  on  northward 
across  Essex  and  Clinton  counties  to  the  Canada  line.  Piatt  Rogers  was  con- 
spicuous in  opening  this  highway  and  received  large  grants  of  public  land  in 
Essex  county  for  his  services  in  this  capacity.  The  State  Road  involved  a 
heavy  outlay  in  its  construction  and  large  sums  have  since  been  expended  in 
its  maintenance ;  but  it  has  always  been  kept  in  very  good  repair  and  was, 
from  the  first,  of  great  utility  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory  contiguous  to 
its  course.  Another  prominent  highway,  which  was  opened  at  an  early  day, 
v^fas  that  running  from  the  State  Road  near  the  foot  of  Schroon  Lake  north- 
westerly across  the  town  of  Chester  and  the  southwest  corner  of  Essex  county 
and  into  Hamilton  county. 

The  inhabitants  of  Warren  county  suffered  considerably  from  the  effects  of 
what  is  remembered  as  the  cold  summer,  in  the  year  1816,  although  its  effects 
were  not  so  deplorable  as  those  of  the  succeeding  summer,  when  the  scarcity 
caused  by  the  failure  of  the  crops  of  the  preceding  year  was  most  seriously 
felt.  Perhaps  the  cases  of  actual  suffering  in  this  county  were  less  numerous 
than  in  many  other  localities,  as  the  inhabitants  were  a  little  less  dependent  upon 
the  actual  products  of  the  land  from  year  to  year ;  but  there  were  many  in  the 
rural  districts  who  felt  the  pinch  of  want  and  were  hard  pressed  to  provide 
actual  necessities  for  their  families.  The  season  was  a  most  remarkable  one 
and  has  not  had  a  parallel  since.  The  sun  seemed  bereft  of  his  power  to  give 
out  heat  to  the  freezing  earth ;  ice  formed  in  many  localities  every  month  in 
the  year;  snow  fell  in  this  county  in  June  and  crops  could  not  grow  and  ripen 
except  in  the  most  favored  localities.  Those  who  were  successful  in  raising 
crops  to  any  considerable  extent,  felt  the  extreme  need  of  saving  them  for  the 
next  year's  seed  time,  while  many  who  possessed  the  means   of  relieving  .the 


To  THE  Present  Time.  i97 

less  fortunate,  declined  to  do  so  except  at  such  exorbitant  rates  as  to  prac- 
tically shut  out  the  poor.  A  season  of  this  character  might  occur  at  the  pres- 
ent day  without  causing  even  a  scarcity  in  the  thickly  populated  communities 
of  the  country.  If  crops  fail  in  one  section  they  succeed  in  another,  and  even 
if  it  is  remote,  even  if  the  ocean  roll  between  the  favored  and  unfavored  local- 
ities, modern  rapid  transportation  is  adequate  to  adapt  the  supply  to  the  de- 
mand in  all  sections ;  while  the  wealth  of  one  region  rarely  rests  idle  in  these 
later  days,  another  one  wants.  Hence,  it  is  difficult  for  the  reader  of  to-day 
to  realize  and  appreciate  the  fact  that  their  ancestors  of  only  two  or  three 
generations  ago  saw  "  the  wolf  at  their  doors  "  in  the  great  Empire  State, 
because  a  cold  season  cut  off  most  of  the  crops.  But  the  fact  remains,  and  is 
vividly  remembered  by  old  residents  of  the  county. 

But  the  privations  and  hardships  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county  soon  began 
to  be  mitigated  by  the  advancing  march  of  civilization,  the  introduction  of 
public  improvements,  the  influx  of  settlers,  the  opening  of  roads,  the  establish- 
ment of  schools  and  churches  and  the  increasing  productiveness  of  the  farms. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  the  county  the  productions  of  the 
soil  were  limited  almost  exclusively  to  the  necessities  of  the  inhabitants.  If  a 
surplus  was  raised  there  was  little  market  for  it,  except  at  a  great  distance. 
Money  was  scarce,  very  scarce,  and  most  exchanges  were  made  by  bartering 
one  commodity  for  another.  Almost  every  dwelling  had  its  loom  ;  boots  and 
shoe  were  made  largely  by  itinerant  mechanics ;  while  the  actual  food  necessi- 
ties were  raised  from  the  ground.  Had  it  been  otherwise  in  these  respects, 
the  scarcity  of  money  would  have  been  felt  in  a  much  greater  degree  than  it 
was. 

The  early  settlers  of  the  county,  in  common  with  those  of  most  other  local- 
ities in  the  country,  no  sooner  became  located  in  their  humble  homes,  than 
they  set  about  providing  means  for  the  education  of  their  children,  and  rustic 
school-houses  were  soon  scattered  —  often  very  widely  scattered,  to  be  sure  — 
through  the  wilderness.  But  in  these  pioneer  schools  and  under  the  most  dis- 
couraging circumstances  were  laid  the  foundation  of  education  and  character 
which  enabled  the  growing  youth  to  enter  upon  life  as  they  found  it,  armed 
with  all  the  necessary  elements  of  success.  Churches,  too,  were  organized, 
the  primitive  school-houses  commonly  sufficing  for  some  years  as  places  for 
religious  worship,  and  the  spread  of  the  gospel  was  none  the  less  rapid  and 
permanent  because  the  prayers  of  the  people  went  up  from  very  humble 
temples. 

The  region  of  Northern  New  York  of  which  this  county  forms  an  impor- 
tant part,  was  vastly  benefited  in  its  material  interests  by  the  opening  of  the 
Champlain  canal  in  1823,  and  to  a  greater  degree,  particularly  the  locality  of 
which  we  are  writing,  by  the  completion  of  the  Glens  Falls  feeder  which  was 
made  navigable  for  boats  in  1832.     The  lumber  interest,  the  manufacture  of 


198  History  of  Warren  County. 

lime  and,  in  short,  every  branch  of  industry  in  the  county  was  given  an  im- 
petus by  these  improvements,  the  effects  of  which  are  still  felt.  Railroad  agi- 
tation also  began  as  early  as  1831-32,  in  which  year  the  Warren  County  Railroad 
Company  was  organized  and  incorporated  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  building 
a  road  from  Glens  Falls  to  Caldwell,  with  the  privilege  of  extending  the  line  to 
Warrensburgh.  Application  was  made  to  the  Legislature  early  in  1831  for  the 
incorporation  of  a  company  comprising  John  Baird,  Peter  D.  Threehouse  and 
associates,  as  a  company  to  build  a  railroad  from  Saratoga  to  Glens  Falls  ;  but 
it  was  many  years  before  these  projects  were  consummated.  The  details  of 
the  internal  improvements  in  the  county  are  given  in  a  later  chapter. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1836,  the  towns  of  Chester,  Johnsburgh,  Warrens- 
burgh, Athol,  Caldwell  and  Queensbury  were  taxed  $3,000  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  State  road,  with  John  Richards,  Allen  Nelson  and  Ezra  B.  Smith 
as  commissioners.  In  March  of  the  following  year  another  sum  was  taxed  for 
a  similar  purpose. 

The  memorable  financial  crisis  of  1837-38,  from  which  the  entire  country 
suffered,  was  severely  felt  in  this  county.  The  newspapers  of  the  period  teem 
with  accounts  of  failures,  losses  and  suffering  which  have  since  been  without  a 
parallel.  Money  was  extremely  scarce  and  the  ordinary  necessaries  of  life 
were  difficult  to  obtain  without  ready  pay.  One  item  in  a  local  paper  states 
that  "a  man  floated  a  raft  of  lumber  worth  $5,000  into  the  port  of  Bangor, 
Me.,  for  which  he  was  unable  to  obtain  a  single  barrrel  of  flour.  The  lumber 
would  not  sell  and  the  flour  could  not  be  bought  except  for  cash."  Many  in 
this  county  lost  their  all  in  the  general  panic  ;  but  the  energy  of  the  people  and 
the  advantages  of  the  locality  in  a  business  sense,  enabled  them  to  quickly  re- 
cover from  the  blow. 

We  have  before  in  this  work  alluded  to  the  prevalence  of  wild  animals  in 
this  region  and  the  part  they  played  in  the  food  supply  of  the  pioneers.  Down 
to  even  comparatively  recent  times,  the  remote  parts  of  the  county  have  been 
the  home  of  several  varieties  of  the  early  forest  denizens.  It  is  not  very  many 
years  since  the  larger  wild  animals  were  quite  frequently  killed  in  the  county 
and  were  even  viewed  as  a  public  nuisance.  In  the  Spectator  of  August  11, 
1837,  appears  the  following  item  :  "  Destruction  among  panthers. —  There  was 
an  old  panther  and  two  young  ones  killed  by  a  party  of  hunters  one  day  last 
week  in  the  town  of  Johnsburgh,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  The  old 
one  measured  eight  feet  in  length ;  the  others  were  some  somewhat  smaller." 
It  was  not  far  from  the  same  date  that  Samson  Paul  killed  a  large  panther  with 
a  fishing  spear  on  the  shore  of  Lake  George  in  the  town  of  Bolton.  Still  later, 
according  to  Dr.  Holden,  one  of  the  grandsons  of  Sabele,  the  Indian,  killed  one 
with  a  pitchfork  in  a  barn  in  Johnsburgh.  These  animals,  with  bears,  deer 
and  wolves,  have  been  known  to  frequent  the  county  at  much  later  times  than 
those  referred  to,  and  bounties  were  offered  in  most  of  the  towns  for  their  exter- 
mination. 


To  THE  Present  Time.  i99 

State  legislation  having  direct  reference  to  this  county  has  not  been  exten- 
sive nor  very  important  in  character,  having  for  its  chief  objects  the  authoriza- 
tion of  roads,  bridges,  the  improvement  of  the  streams,  and  kindred  topics. 
On  the  20th  of  April,  1836,  an  act  was  passed  appropriating  $4,000  to  build  a 
bridge  at  the  junction  of  the  Schroon  and  middle  branches  of  the  Hudson 
River,  between  the  towns  of  Athol  and  Warrensburgh.  George  Pattison  and 
Stephen  Griffin,  of  Warrensburgh,  and  Richard  Cameron  of  Athol,  were  the 
commissioners.  On  the  27th  of  April,  1841,  John  Richards,  jr.,  of  Warren 
county,  and  Ezra  Thompson  and  George  Parburt,  of  Hamilton  county,  were 
by  law  appointed  a  commission  to  lay  out  and  make  a  road  four  rods  wide, 
"  commencing  on  the  State  road  near  the  mills  of  Elias  P.  Gilman,  town  of  Gil- 
man,  Hamilton  county,  and  thence  in  the  most  direct  line  to  Johnsburgh."  On 
the  26th  of  May  of  the  same  year  $4,000  was  appropriated  for  the  repair  of 
the  State  road  from  Glens  Falls  to  Chesterfield,  in  Essex  county.  On  the  2d 
of  May,  1844,  an  act  was  passed  appointing  James  D.  Weston,  of  Luzerne, 
John  J.  Harris  and  Abraham  Wing,  of  Queensbury,  commissioners  to  locate 
and  superintend  the  building  of  a  bridge  over  the  Hudson  River  at  Johns- 
burgh. They  were  authorized  to  borrow  $2,500  on  the  credit  of  the  county 
for  that  purpose.  May  12th,  1846,  Abraham  Wing  and  Cyrus  Burnham,  of 
Warren  county,  and  Clark  Rawson,  of  Essex  county,  were  appointed  by  law 
as  commissioners  to  lay  out  roads  and  expend  the  highway  moneys  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Warren,  Essex  and  Hamilton.  On  the  31st  of  January,  1849,  ^"^  ^ct 
was  passed  authorizing  the  purchase  of  the  toll  bridge  at  Jessup's  Little  Falls, 
the  comptroller  being  allowed  to  loan  $1,200  to  the  counties  of  Saratoga  and 
Warren,  out  of  the  common  school  fund.  The  purchase  to  be  made  of  George 
T.  Rockwell,  Jeremy  Rockwell  and  Betsey  Rockwell,  executors  of  the  estate 
of  Jeremy  Rockwell.  In  the  year  1849  considerable  appropriations  were 
made  for  the  improvement  of  the  channels  of  streams  in  the  county,  for  the  fa- 
cilitating of  the  rafting  business.  Ten  thousand  dollars  were  appropriated  to- 
wards improving  the  upper  waters  of  the  Hudson,  with  Jacob  Parmeter,  of 
Essex,  Daniel  Stewart,  of  Warren,  and  Jeremy  Rockwell,  of  Saratoga  county,  as 
commissioners.  Two  thousand  dollars  appropriated  "to  clear  the  rafting  channel 
from  the  foot  of  the  rapids  at  the  head  of  the  Glens  Falls  feeder  pond  to  Had- 
ley's  Falls."  Fifteen  hundred  dollars  appropriated  for  clearing  the  rafting 
channel  between  Phelps  Bay  to  Barber  mill  dam.  Four  thousand  dollars  ap- 
propriated for  clearing  the  rafting  channel  at  and  above  Jessup's  Little  Falls, 
including  the  Schroon  and  the  west  branches  of  the  said  river.  April  9th,  1853, 
Wilham  Hotchkins,  of  Chester,  Jonas  Ordway,  of  Johnsburgh,  Thomas  Barnes, 
of  Minerva,  Essex  county,  were  by  law  appointed  a  commission  to  superintend 
the  construction  of  a  bridge  in  Johnsburgh  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  North 
Creek;  the  State  appropriated  $2,000.  On  the  25th  of  April,  1866,  Henry 
Crandell,  Joel  Green  and  Benjamin  C.   Butler  were   appointed   commissioners 


200  History  of  Warren  County. 

to  "  lay  out  a  road  for  wagons  from  Hudson  River  near  Roblee's  Hotel  in 
Johnsburgh,  up  through  the  town  of  Indian  Lake  to  the  Carthage  road  near 
the  head  of  Long  Lake,  Hamilton  county." 

In  the  year  1848  the  plank  road  was  built  from  Glens  Falls  to  the  village 
of  Caldwell,  an  improvement  that  was  of  much  benefit  to  the  northern  part  of 
the  county  ;  this  utility  was  still  further  enhanced  when  the  road  was  contin- 
ued to  Warrensburgh  a  few  years  later. 

The  formation  of  the  town  of  Horicon  took  place  March  29th,  1838,  when  it 
was  set  off  from  Bolton  and  Hague;  and  November  13th,  1852,  the  town  of 
"  Athol,"  which  had  been  formed  from  the  original  town  of  Thurman  at  the 
the  time  of  the  formation  of  Warrensburgh,  February  12th,  1813,  was  divided 
into  the  present  town  of  Thurman  and  Stony  Creek,  completing  the  town  or- 
ganization of  the  county. 

There  have  been  several  notably  exciting  political  campaigns  in  Warren 
county,  although  as  a  general  rule  political  antagonism  and  animosity  cannot 
be  said  to  have  run  as  high  as  in  many  localities.  During  the  anti-Masonic 
period  much  feeling  was  awakened  and  considerable  excitement  followed.  In 
1826—27,  also,  when  William  Hay  and  Norman  Fox  were  the  opposing  candi- 
dates for  the  Assembly,  a  very  stirring  campaign  was  carried  on.  Joseph  W. 
Paddock  came  into  the  field  as  a  "Jackson  man,"  and  by  the  aid  of  influential 
political  friends  was  run  as  an  "  independent "  candidate.  Hay  was  elected  on 
the  then  so-called  "  Republican  "  side,  and  his  victory  was  celebrated  in  polit- 
ical campaign  songs,  etc.  Personal  rivalry  ran  so  high  as  to  lead  to  libel  suits, 
which,  however,  did  not  result  seriously  to  any  one.  The  campaign  of  1844 
was  one  of  unusual  interest  in  this  section.  The  Glens  Falls  Republican,  started 
the  year  previous,  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Democracy  and  made  its  influence 
felt  from  the  first.  That  party  was  then  largely  in  the  ascendant  in  the  county. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  Warren  county  has  uniformly 
given  majorities  for  the  candidates  of  that  political  faith,  although  many  Dem- 
ocrats have  been  elected  to  offices  of  importance,  through  their  individual  pop- 
ularity and  worth. 

The  growth  of  Warren  county,  after  its  organization,  has  been  rapid  and 
healthful.  It  presented  to  settlers  attractions  in  its  water  power,  its  vast  and 
valuable  forests  and  its  other  natural  advantages  not  oflTered  by  many  other 
sections,  and  a  sturdy  and  energetic  population  sought  its  borders,  secured  the 
lands  and  many  of  them  entered  largely  into  the  lumber  business  when  it  was 
about  the  only  means,  or  at  least  the  most  available  one,  of  securing  a  livehhood 
and  ready  return  for  labor.  There  were  many  mills  within  the  present  limits 
of  the  county  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  the  number  rap- 
idly multiplied  after  that  date,  until  they  were  scattered  over  all  parts  of  the 
region,  many  of  them  erected  in  later  years  of  enormous  capacity,  and  the  lum- 
ber interest  became  and  long  continued  of  paramount  importance.     In  the  year 


To  THE  Present  Time.  201 

1877  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden  furnished  to  Franklin  B.  Hough  the  following  details 
and  statistics  of  the  lumber  interest  as  applicable  to  Warren  county,  which  we 
are  amply  justified  in  placing  in  these  pages  :  — 

"  The  lumber  business  on  the  Hudson  River  dates  back  to  an  early  period 
in  the   history  of  the  country.      Mrs.  Grant   in   her  Memoirs  of  an  American 
Lady,  speaks  of  timber  rafts  being  floated  down  to  Albany  as  far  back  as  1758. 
Saw-mills  were  erected  at  Glens  Falls  in  1770,  and  from  that  time  to  the  pres- 
ent the  manufacture  and  export  of  timber  has  constituted  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant industries.     But  the  once  heavily- timbered   pine   forests  have  receded 
before  the  axe  of  the  lumberman,  until   far  away  among  the   sources   of  the 
mountain  rivulets   at  the   north  there   is   only  left  here   and   there  a  scattered 
remnant  of  those  towering  and  stately  ornaments  of  the  woods.     Since  1850 
the  manufacture  of  pine  timber  has  formed  but  an  inconsiderable  item  in  the 
product  of  the  Hudson  River  mills.     In  addition  to  the  destructive  fires  which, 
from  time  to  time,  have  devastated  the  mountains  and  cleared  the  forests  along 
the  line  of  the  border  settlements,  the  death  of  the  spruces  from  some  myste- 
rious cause  has  stripped  the  forest  of  its  evergreens  and  in  many  instances  ne- 
cessitated the  in-gathering  of  thousands  of  logs   to  save  them  from  becoming 
a  loss  through  natural  decay.     Nevertheless,  as  fifty  spruce  trees  to  the  acre  is 
considered  a  liberal  estimate   and  the  surrounding  woods  are  often  so  heavily 
timbered  with  other  growths  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  fall  the  spruces  without 
lodgement,  the  clearing  away  of  the  dead-wood  makes  but  little  difference  in 
the  general  aspect  or  density  of  the  forest.     On  the  southeast  side  of  the  great 
Adirondack  plateau  the  hemlock-producing  belt  extends  but  little  if  any  north 
of  the  Warren  county  line.     A  few  isolated  clumps,  a   gnarled  and   dwarfed 
specimen  at  widely  recurring  intervals  are  but   the  exceptions  which  establish 
the  rule.     The  consumption  of  the  deciduous  forest  trees  within  the  lumber  dis- 
trict proper  has  not  yet  entered  as  a  factor  in  the  lumber  product. .    The  rela- 
tively few  dock-sticks,  spars  and  pieces  of  round   timber  which  find  their  way 
to  market  down  the  river,  or  by  the  Glens  Falls  feeder,  are  nearly  or  quite  all 
obtained  at  points  within  the  range  of  settlements  and  south  of  the  wilderness 
border.     The  lumber  region  tapped  by  the  Hudson  and  its  affluents  is  relatively 
small,  as  compared  with  the   vast  water-shed   drained  by  the  Raquette  and  its 
tributaries,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Black,  the  Oswegatchie,  the  Grass  aiid  the  St. 
Regis  Rivers,  all  of  which  contribute  to  swell  the  majestic  flood  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence.    And  yet  along  the  ponds  and  marshes  and  headwaters  of  the  Schroon, 
the   Sacandaga,  the  North,  Boreas,  Indian,  Cedar  and  Rock  Rivers   are   to  be 
found  extensive  and  untouched  tracts  of  timber  of  as  good  quahty  as  any  ever 
brought  to  market. 

"  It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  while  of  the  second  growth  of  white  pine  the 
quality  is  greatly  inferior  to  that  of  '  the  forest  primeval,'  the  same  is  not  true  of 
either  the  spruce  or  the  hemlock,  the  younger  and  newer  trees  being  preferable  as 


202  History  of  Warren  County. 

producing  the  strongest,  soundest  and  most  desirable  grades  of  lumber.  An- 
other interesting  fact  in  this  connection  is  that  considerable  tracts  of  territory 
on  the  borders  of,  and  within,  the  great  wilderness  whichhave  been  cleared  by 
the  axe  of  the  settler,  or  denuded  by  destructive  fires,  are  again  covered  with 
a  dense  second-growth  of  trees  ;  and  it  is  confidently  asserted  by  those  whose 
judgment  should  be  competent,  that  there  is  to-day  a  larger  area  of  forest  in 
'the  great  North  Woods'  than  there  was  twenty-five  years  ago;  and  that  this 
condition  is  relatively  increasing,  notwithstanding  the  enormous  consumption  of 
the  lumber-producing  evergreens.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Adi- 
rondack wilderness  is  being  cleared  up. 

"  River-driving  is  a  feature  in  the  lumber  business  which  came  in  vogue 
about  fifty  years  ago.  Previous  to  that  time  the  practice  prevailed  of  erecting 
small  mills  of  feeble  capacity  and  primitive  machinery  on  brooks,  rivulets,  or 
by  the  aid  of  wing  dams,  on  the  banks  of  rivers  near  the  sources  of  supply. 
This  system  was  attended  with  great  waste  of  labor  and  material.  As  the 
growth  of  our  cities  and  the  demands  of  commerce  increased,  mechanical  in- 
ventions multiplied,  the  economies  of  manufacture  were  studied,  extensive  mills 
with  all  the  adjuncts  of  machinery  were  constructed  at  central  points,  and  logs 
were  drawn  or  floated  to  the  mills  from  the  ponds  above.  As  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction increased  and  material  receded,  combinations  of  operators  were  organ- 
ized, river-driving  became  systematized  and  manufacturing  at  the  great  centers 
of  the  lumbering  business  steadily  increased. 

"  This  mode  of  operating  necessitated  the  accumulation  at  seasons  of  high 
water  of  large  quantities  of  logs  for  the  year's  supply.  At  this  day  the  points 
of  supply  and  consumption  are  so  remote  that  one  and  often  part  of  two  years' 
stocks,  representing  from  three-fourths  to  a  million  of  dollars,  are  constantly 
afloat.  A  system  of  booms  was  devised  in  order  to  retain  and  convey  the 
logs  to  the  points  where  they  were  to  be  sawed.  But  it  was  found  that  enor- 
mous losses  frequently  resulted  from  freshets.  Once  in  four  or  five  years, 
sometimes  oftener,  a  tremendous  spring  flood  would  occur,  which  no  amount 
of  precaution  or  care  could  (or  did)  prevent  from  bearing  off'  on  its  resistless, 
turbulent  and  turbid  waters,  the  gathered  harvest  of  an  entire  year's  work  in 
the  woods,  leaving  the  mills  idle  for  the  want  of  stock ;  and  the  employees, 
thus  thrown  out  of  their  regular  work,  were  forced  to  seek  in  other  fields  of  in- 
dustry a  scanty  and  precarious  employment. 

"  To  remedy  these  evils,  '  the  Hudson  River  Boom  Association  '  was  formed 
about  the  year  1849.  This  combination  included  all  the  mill  owners  below  the 
great  falls  on  the  Hudson  River  (Jessup's  Falls),  together  with  many  log  own- 
ers who  had  their  lumber  made  at  their  mills.  At  great  expense  a  substantial 
series  of  piers  and  system  of  chain  booms  was  constructed  at  the  foot  of  the 
Big  Bend,  about  four  miles  above  Glens  Falls,  which,  strengthened  and  im- 
proved from  time  to  time,  has  never  failed  to  accomplish  the  work  for  which  it 


To  THE  Present  Time.  203 

was  designed  and  to  withstand  the  pressure  of  the  heaviest  freshets.  In  order 
to  equalize  the  annual  expenses  attendant  upon  the  management  of  the  boom 
and  the  reception  and  discharge  of  the  logs,  a  record  of  the  number  delivered 
and  sworn  to  by  each  contributor  to  the  drive  had  to  be  kept  by  the  Boom 
Association,  and  thus  we  are  enabled  through  the  courtesy  of  its  secretary,  Mr. 
William  McEachron,  of  Glens  Falls,  to  present  in  a  tabulated  form  the  num- 
ber of  logs  received  for  the  last  twenty-five  years,  with  the  exception  of  three 
years,  which  are  estimated.  It  is  premised  that  each  unit  of  the  count  here 
given  is  a  market  log,  viz.:  a  log  thirteen  feet  long  and  nineteen  inches  in  diam- 
ter  in  the  clear  at  the  smaller  end.  Such  a  log,  calculated  as  a  cylinder,  con- 
tains 25.6  cubic  feet  and  practically  represents  about  two  hundred  feet  of  lum- 
ber, board- measure.  As  the  average  of  stock  runs  in  the  boom,  including  logs 
of  all  sorts,  each  market  log  will  represent  two  pieces  by  count  and  the  actual 
number  of  logs  delivered  to  the  various  drives  is  obtained  by  multiplying  the 
numbers  of  the  table  by  two. 

"The  amount  of  lumber  carried  to  market  by  rail  is  very  inconsiderable  and 
scarcely  worth  mentioning.  By  estimates  it  would  not  exceed  one  per  cent. 
The  number  of  market  logs  manufactured  at  points  above  the  Big  Boom  is 
roughly  estimated  at  twenty-five  thousand,  representing  5,000,000  feet  of  lum- 
ber per  annum  :  — 

Alarket  Logs  Received  at  the  Big  Boojii  from  the  time  of  its  Construction  in  1851   to  the  Present  Time. 

YEARS.  MARKET-LOGS. 

185  I 132,500 

1852 345,400 

1853 303.°oo 

1854 297,000 

1855 302, 500 

1856 292,500 

'j               1857 298,000 

1858 332,000 

1859 400,000 

i860 353,000 

.         1861 _ .  300,0001 

1862 300,0001 

1863 310,000 

1864 279,000 

1865 292,000 

1866 _ 507,000 

1867 832,000 

1868 600,000 

1869 543,000 

1870 687,000 

1871 551,000 

1872 1,069,000 

1873 824.000 

1874 446,000 

1875 563,000 

1*^76 575.500 

'877 575,0001 

Total 12,309,5002" 

1  No  report ;  estimated. 

2  Equal  to  2,461,800,000  feet  of  lumber  in  twenty-seven  years;  or  91,180,741  feet  on  general  aver- 
age per  annum. 


204-  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  conditions  of  the  lumber  interest  in  the  county  have  not  materially 
changed  from  those  above  described  in  1877.  It  is  still  the  leading  industry;  but 
must  soon  decline  with  the  gradual  disappearance  of  the  great  forests  upon 
which  it  has  fed  and  grown.  The  great  mills,  principally  located  in  the  town 
of  Queensbury,  the  lumber  companies,  and  other  features  of  the  business  are 
treated  in  the  history  of  that  town,  as  also  is  the  manufacture  of  lime,  one  of 
the  prominent  industries  of  the  county. 

WARREN   COUNTY   CIVIL   LIST. 

Representatives  in  Congress. —  1823-25,  John  Richards  ;  1835-37,  Dudley 
Farhn;  1845-47,  Joseph  Russell;  1849-51,  John  R.  Thurman ;  1851-53, 
Joseph  Russell;    1867-69,  Orange  Ferris;    1869-71,  Orange  Ferris. 

Delegates  to  Constittitional  Conventions. —  Oct.  13  to  Oct.  27,  1801,  John 
Vernor,  Queensbury;  Aug.  28  to  Nov.  ip,  1821,  John  Richards,  Johnsburgh ; 
June  I  to  Oct.  9,  1846,  William  Hotchkiss,  Chester;  1868,  Andrew  J.  Cher- 
ritree,  Luzerne. 

Pt%sidetttial  Electors. —  1808,  Micajah  Pettit  (appointed),  Chester;  i8i6» 
Artemus  Aldrich  (appointed),  Thurman;  1832,  Dudley  Farlin  (elected),  War- 
rensburgh;  1840,  Keyes  P.  Cool,  (elected),  Queensbury  ;  1848,  Billy  J.  Clark, 
(elected),  Queensbury;  i860,  N.  Edson  Sheldon  (elected),  Queensbury; 
1864,  Alonzo  W.  Morgan  (elected),  Queensbury. 

State  Senators. —  1839—42,  Bethuel  Peck,  Queensbury ;  1854—55,  George 
Richards,  Warrensburgh ;  1856-57,  William  Hotchkiss,  Chester;  1862-63, 
Russell  M.  Little,  Glens  Falls;  1878-79-81-82,  William  W.  Rockwell,  Glens 
Falls. 

Assemblytnen. —  1786-87—88-89,  Peter  B.  Tearse,  Queensbury;  1800-02, 
Micajah  Pettit;  1800,  John  Thurman,  Johnsburgh;  1800-01,  Seth  Alden, 
Queensbury;  1805,  James  Starbuck,  Chester;  1807,  William  Robards, 
Queensbury;  1812,  Halsey  Rogers,  Caldwell;  1812-13,  John  Beebe,  Cald- 
well; 1814,  Charles  Starbuck,  Chester ;  1814-15,  John  Richards,  Johnsburgh; 
18 16,  Michael  Harris,  Caldwell ;  18 17,  William  Cook,  Hague ;  1818,  Duncan 
Cameron,  Thurman;  1819-20,  Norman  Fox,  Chester;  1821,  James  L.  Thur- 
man, Warrensburgh;    1822,  Duncan  Cameron,  Thurman. 

Prior  to  the  erection  of  Warren  county,  and  until  1822,  this  portion  of  the 
Assembly  District,  which  embraced  Warren  county,  was  frequently  represent- 
ed. The  district  sent  from  three  to  six  members,  according  to  the  ratio  of 
representation.  The  above  names  are  among  the  list.  Since  1822  the  county 
has  formed  a  separate  Assembly  District,  entitled  to  send  only  one  member. 

Assemblymen. —  1822,  William  McDonald;  1823,  William  McDonald  J 
1824,  Dudley  Farlin;  1825,  William  Cook;  1826,  Norman  Fox;  1827,  Wil- 
liam Hay,  jr.;  1828,  Truman  B.  Hicks;  1829,  William  McDonald;  1830, 
Norman    Fox;     1831,   Samuel    Stackhouse ;     1832,    Allen    Anderson;    1833, 


To  THE  Present  Time.  205 

Nicholas  Roosevelt,  jr.  ;  1834,  Thomas  Archibald;  1835,  Truman  B.  Hicks; 
1836,  William   Griffin;    1837,  Walter   Geer,  jr.;    1838,   Thomas   A.  Leggett ; 

1839,  William  Griffin  ;  1840,  Joseph  Russell;  1841,  George  Sanford ;  1842, 
Benjamin  P.  Burhans ;  1843,  Pelatiah  Richards;  1844,  John  F.  Sherrill ; 
184s,  James  Cameron;  1846,  Winfield  S.  Sherwood;  1847,  John  Hodgson, 
2d;  1848,  Albert  N.  Cheney;  1849,  Reuben  Wells;  1850,  Cyrus  Burnham  ; 
185 1,  David  Noble,  2d  ;  1852,  George  Richards;  1853,  Richard  P.  Smith; 
1854,  David  Noble,  2d  ;  1855,  Reuben  Wells;  1856.  Thomas  S.  Gray;  1857, 
Samuel  Somerville,  jr. ;  1858,  Alexander  Robertson;  1859,  Elisha  Pendell ; 
i860,  Benjamin  C.  Butler;  1861,  Walter  A.  Faxon;  1862,  Thomas  S.  Gray; 
1863,  Newton  Aldrich  ;  1864,  Robert  Waddell ;  1865,  Jerome  Lapham ; 
1866,  David  Aldrich  ;  1867,  Columbus  Gill ;  1868,  Nicholas  B.  La  Bau  ;  1869, 
Nicholas   B.    La   Bau;    1870,    Godfrey    R.    Martine ;    1871,    Duncan    Griffin; 

1872,  Joseph  Woodward;  1873,  James  G.  Porteous  ;  1874,  Austin  W.  Hold- 
en  ;  1875,  Stephen  Griffin,  2d  ;  1876,  Robert  Waddell;  1877,  Robert  Wad- 
dell;  1878,  Alson  B.  Abbott;  1879,  Barclay  Thomas;  1880,  Henry  P. 
Gwinup  ;  1881,  Benjamin  C.  Butler;  1882,  Nelson  W.  Van  Dusen  ;  1883, 
Lorenzo  R.  Locke  ;    1884—85,  Frank  Byrne. 

Justices  of  the  Stifireme  Court. — 1855,  Enoch  H.  Rosekranz  ;  1863,  Enoch 
H.  Rosekranz. 

County  Judges. —  1813,  William  Robards;  1820,  Halsey  Rogers;  1823, 
Silas  Hopkins  ;  1827,  Joseph  W.  Paddock ;  1829,  Horatio  Buell ;  1832,  Seth 
C.Baldwin;  1837,  Hiram  Barber ;  1845,  Halsey  R.  Wing ;  1847,  Enoch  H. 
Rosekranz;  1851,  Orange  Ferris;  1863,  Stephen  Brown;  1871,  Isaac  J. 
Davis;    1882,  Andrew  J.  Cherritree. 

Surrogates. —  1813,  Robert  Wilkinson;  1815,  Thomas  Pattison  ;  1819, 
Joseph  W.  Paddock;  1820,  John  Beebe ;  1823,  Allen  Anderson;  1827, 
Abraham  Wing;  1832,  Stephen  Pratt;  1835,  Seth  C.  Baldwin;  1840,  Or- 
ange Ferris;    1845,  Thomas  S.  Gray;   County  Judge  since  1847. 

District  Attorneys. —  1818,  Ashael  Clark;  1821,  Horatio  Buell;  1823, 
Seth  C.Baldwin;  1825,  William  Hay,  jr.  ;  1827,  Seth  C.  Baldwin;  1835, 
Enoch  H.  Rosekranz;  1845,  Alfred  C.  Farhn  ;  1847,  George  Richards  ;  1850, 
Levi  H.  Baldwin  ;  1853,  Stephen  Brown  ;  1856-59-62-65,  Isaac  Mott ;  1868; 
Freedom    G.    Dudley;      1871,    Andrew   J.    Cherritree;     1873,    Isaac    Mott; 

1873,  Melville  A.  Sheldon;  1876,  Charles  M.  Mott;  1879,  Henry  A. 
Howard  ;    1882,  Henry  A.  Howard;    1884,  Henry  A.  Howard. 

Sheriffs. —  1813,  Henry  Spencer;  1815,  Joseph  Tefft ;  1817,  Artemus 
Aldrich;  1818,  James  L.  Thurman ;  1820,  Pelatiah  Richards;  1821,  Dudley 
Farlin  ;  1822,  Dudley  Farlin ;  1825,  Henry  Spencer;  1828,  Dudley  Farlin  ; 
1831,  James   I.   Cameron;    1834,  Joseph  Russell;    1837,  Timothy  Bowman; 

1840,  Steven  Griffin;  1843,  Timothy  Bowen  ;  1846,  James  Lawrence;  1849, 
Luther  Brown;    1852,  King  Allen;    1855,  Lewis  Pierson ;    1855,   Daniel  Fer- 


2o6  History  of  Warren  County. 


guson;  1858,  Stephen  Starbuck;  1861,  Daniel  V.  Brown;  1864,  Lewis  Pier- 
son;  1867,  WestelW.  Hicks;  1870,  John  Loveland  ;  1873,  Gideon  Towsley; 
1876,  John  Loveland;   1879,  Richard  P.  Smith;   1882,  Truman  N.  Thomas. 

County  Clerks.— 1S13,  John  Beebe ;  1815,  William  Smith;  1817,  Myron 
Beach;  1820,  Seth  C.  Baldwin,  jr.;  1821,  Thomas  Archibald;  1822,  Thomas 
Archibald,  served  forty  years  ;  1 86 1 ,  Westel  W.  Hicks ;  1 864,  George  P.  Wait ; 
1873,  Albert  F.  Ransom;  1876,  W.  Scott  Whitney;  1879,  Daniel  V.  Brown; 
1882,  Daniel  V.  Brown. 

County  Treasurers.  —  1813-20,  Michael  Harris;  1820-32,  Thomas  Patti- 
son;  1832-45,  Charles  Roberts;  1848,  Frederick  A.  Farhn ;  1851,  Westel  W. 
Hicks;  1857,  Samuel  T.  Richards;  1869,  Daniel  Peck  ;  1873,  Miles  Thomas; 
1879,  Emerson  S.  Crandall ;    1882,  Emerson  S.  Crandall. 

School  Commissioners. —  1856,  Andrew  J.  Cherritree ;  1858,  M.  Nelson 
Dickinson;  1861-64,  Luther  A.  Arnold;  1867,  Theodore  Welch;  Adam 
Armstrong,  jr.;  Daniel  B.  Ketchum;  Randolph  McNutt ;  Adam  Armstrong,  jr. 

County  Superintendents  of  Common  Schools.  — By  an  act  passed  April  17, 
1843,  the  Boards  of  Supervisors  of  the  several  counties  were  directed  to  ap- 
point county  superintendents  of  common  schools.  The  office  was  abolished 
March  13th,  1847.  During  the  existence  of  the  law  the  following  were  ap- 
pointed:  1843,  Seth  C.  Baldwin;  1843-44,  Halsey  R.  Wing;  1844-45, 
Lemon  Thompson;    1846-47,  Austin  W.  Holden. 


CHAPTER  XVn. 

LAND  TITLES.1 

Causes  Leading  to  Applications  for  Land  Patents  —  Difficulties  in  Locating  Many  Early  Patents  — 
Conditions  of  Grants  of  Land  to  Officers  and  Privates  —  The  Great  Dellius  Grant  —  Blap  of  the  Same 
—  Alphabetical  List  of  Land  Patents  within  the  present  Warren  County  —  The  Glen  Tract  —  Other 
Tracts  and  Patents  —  Map  Making  in  the  County. 

THE  establishment  of  the  military  posts  of  Fort  George  on  the  lake  and 
Fort  Edward  on  the  Hudson  had  as  much  to  do,  perhaps,  with  the  early 
settlement  of  the  present  county  of  Warren  as  any  other  one  circumstance.  It 
was  the  only  way  that  civilization  could  be  advanced  in  those  days,  for  but 
very  few  people  could  be  induced  to  try  to  establish  a  home  beyond  the  sound 
of  the  gun  of  the  fort ;  and  when  the  terms  of  enlistment  expired,  either  of 
officers  or  privates,  they  usually  applied  for  a  little   tract  of  land.     Sometimes 

iThis  chapter  was  prepared  by  Homer  D.  L.  Sweet,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  except  those  portions  cred- 
ited to  Dr.  Holden's  History  of  Queatsbury,  and  has  involved  extensive  research  among  the  records  in 
Albany,  added  to  a  large  general  knowledge  of  the  subject. 


Land  Titles.  207 


this  was  done  by  individuals,  but  generally  in  squads  of  from  four  to  a  dozen 
or  more,  probably  with  the  idea  of  founding  a  nucleus  for  a  little  community, 
in  which  mutual  aid  and  protection  was  their  first  consideration,  and  second 
the  quality  of  the  soil. 

One  thing  that  tended  to  make  small  communities  in  this  region  was  the 
small  quantity  of  arable  land  that  was  scattered  in  little  patches  among  the 
mountain  ranges,  and  would  not  profitably  admit  of  any  large  accumulation  of 
agricultural  inhabitants.  The  distance  to  market  was  not  taken  into  account 
as  at  the  present  day,  as  the  officers  and  garrisons  were  for  many  years  the 
only  non-producers  in  a  vast  region.  Had  any  community  raised  more  than 
was  needful  for  home  consumption,  the  facilities  for  getting  it  to  market  were 
of  the  rudest  kind ;  for  in  the  early  days  the  water  ways  were  the  only  avail- 
able means  of  transportation  ;  and  the  falls  in  the  Hudson,  at  Luzerne,  Corinth, 
Glens  and  Baker's,  rendered  that  stream  almost,  if  not  entirely,  unnavigable. 
Those  inhabitants  that  had  mechanical  trades  almost  invariably  had  a  little 
farm  attached  to  their  other  calling,  but  when  nine-tenths  of  the  heads  of  fam- 
ilies had  been  soldiers,  but  very  few  had  any  mechanical  trades  with  any  degree 
of  perfection. 

That  these  men,  educated  as  they  had  been  in  the  art  of  war,  born  in  a 
foreign  land,  on  a  fruitful  soil  with  a  different  climate,  should  fa i/  in  this  region 
is  not  surprising ;  and  this  circumstance  alone  may  be  the  excuse  we  have  to 
make  for  many,  very  many,  who  had  patents  granted  to  them,  and  where  it  is 
easily  ascertained  that  in  a  few  years  the  same  land  was  re-conveyed  to  other 
parties.  Sometimes  when  this  occurred,  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  we 
attribute  the  cause  to  non-occupancy,  or  a  neglect  to  record  the  patent ;  but 
after  that  period,  we  often  attribute  the  cause  to  a  disloyalty  to  the  new  gov- 
ernment, or  adherence  to  the  old.  Some  patents  were  granted  whose  boun- 
daries depended  on  other  and  older  patents,  perhaps,  but  when  these  were 
escheated,  or  confiscated,  it  is  impossible  for  the  writer  to  locate  them  without 
the  original  maps.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  these  in  the  county  that  ap- 
parently are  wiped  out  of  existence,  as  completely  as  they  are  rendered  obsolete 
on  the  maps ;  but  they  are  usually  very  small  and  appear  to  be  covered  by 
larger  tracts,  both  of  alluvial  and  mountain' land,  which  have  taken  their  places. 
Most  of  the  patents  in  the  county  are  for  small  alluvial  tracts  on  both  sides  of 
the  Hudson,  and  on  the  west  side  of  Lake  George,  and  were  granted  to  officers 
and  soldiers  who  served  in  the  French  and  Indian  War.  Other  patents  were 
granted  to  what  professed  to  be  actual  settlers,  and  to  no  man  more  than  a  thou- 
sand acres. 

The  quantity  of  the  British  grants  contemplated  by  the  proclamations  was  the 
concession  of  five  thousand  acres  to  a  field  officer ;  to  a  captain  three  thousand 
acres;  to  a  subaltern  staff  officer  two  thousand  acres ;  to  a  non-commissioned 
officer  two   hundred  acres,  and  to   a  private  fifty   acres.     These   grants   were 


2o8  History  of  Warren  County. 

conferred  by  parchment  patents,  under  the  great  seal  of  the  colony  and  im- 
pressed with  the  royal  arms.  They  reserved  to  the  king  "  all  mines  of  gold 
and  silver,  and  all  pine  trees  fit  for  masts  of  the  growth  of  twenty- four  inches 
diameter  and  upwards  at  twelve  inches  from  the  earth."  These  grants  were 
held  for  ten  years  "  in  free  and  common  socage  exempt  from  all  quit  rents, 
and  after  the  expiration  of  that  term,  rendering  and  paying  in  the  custom 
house  in  New  York,  at  Lady  Day,  the  yearly  rent  of  two  shillings  and  sixpence 
sterling,  for  each  and  every  hundred  acres  of  the  granted  land."  The  farther 
conditions  imposed  the  settlement  "  of  as  many  families  on  the  tract  as  shall 
amount  to  one  family  on  every  one  thousand  acres  thereof,"  and  "to  cultivate 
at  least  three  acres  for  every  fifty  acres  susceptible  of  cultivation."  Both  of 
these  conditions  were  to  be  performed  within  three  years  from  the  date  of  the 
grant.  "  No  waste  was  to  be  committed  on  the  reserved  timber ;  the  grant  to 
be  registered  at  the  secretary's  oflSce  and  docketed  at  the  auditor's  office  in 
New  York."  A  neglect  to  perform  either  of  these  conditions  worked  a  for- 
feiture of  the  grant.  We  may  trace  in  the  land  papers  serious  consequences 
resulting  from  these  delinquencies.  The  council  seems  to  have  possessed  cer- 
tain powers  to  control  the  nature  and  form  of  these  proceedings.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1765,  it  adopted  a  rule,  that  no  soldier  was  entitled  to  a  grant  "unless 
disbanded  on  the  reduction  of  the  regiment."  By  minutes  in  1770,  1771,  it 
required  grants  to  be  taken  out  in  three  months  after  the  petition  had  been  pre- 
sented, and  in  the  last  date  ordered  names  of  delinquents  to  be  stricken  from 
the  list  of  grants.  Most  of  these  grants  were  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Champlain,  and  a  large  proportion  upon  the  eastern  side,  upon  what  is  now 
the  territory  of  Vermont.  In  the  confusion  of  the  agitated  period  that,  pre- 
ceded the  Revolution,  numerous  cases  of  these  petitions  remained  in  an  in- 
choate condition  ;  and  in  others,  although  the  proceedings  had  been  regular 
and  ample,  were  not  consummated  by  patents  from  the  colonial  government. 
In  most  of  these  instances  the  succeeding  State  government  refused  to  ratify  the 
proceedings  of  the  claimants,  and  large  estates  were  lost.  The  State  constitu- 
tion of  1777,  by  a  provision  which  has  been  incorporated  in  the  constitutions 
of  182 1  and  1847,  abrogated  all  royal  grants  after  October  14th,  1775. 

As  appropriately  introducing  descriptions  of  the  various  patents  granted 
for  lands  within  the  present  county  of  Warren,  we  quote  the  following  relative 
to  the  old  Dellius  Grant,  from  Dr.  Holden's  work  on  Queensbury : — 

"  Following  in  the  wake  of  the  Van  Rensselaers,  the  Lansings,  the  Bay- 
ards, and  Van  Courtlandts,  the  Rev.  Godfrey  Dellius,  the  Dutch  minister  at 
Albany,  who  had  the  address  and  influence  to  secure  the  appointment  as  one 
of  the  commissioners  of  Indian  affairs,  made  use  of  his  position  to  obtain  the 
conveyance  from  the  Indians  and  a  subsequent  confirmation  by  patent  of  two 
lai-ge  wilderness  tracts,  bordering  upon  Lakes  George  and  Champlain  and  the 
east  banks  of  the  Hudson  as  far  south   as   the   Battenkill.     To  quote  the  Ian- 


Land  Titles. 


209 


guage  of  the  early  historian   of  the   province, ^  he   had  fraudulently  obtained 
the  Indian  deeds  according  to  which  the  patent  had  been  granted.       *       * 

"  One  of  the  grants  included  all  the  land  within  twelve  miles  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Hudson  River,  and  extended  twenty  miles  in  length,  from  the 
north  bounds   of  Saratoga.     Another  statement  says   the  patent  was  made 


"^ 


Saratoga. 

under  the  great  seal  of  the  province,  bearing  date  September  3d,  1696,  and 
embraced  the  territory  "  lying  upon  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  River  be- 
tween the  northernmost  bounds  of  Saratoga  and  the  Rock  Rossian,^  contain- 

1  Smith's  History  0/  New  York,  p.  159. 

2  "At  this  period,  tlie  country  on  both  sides  of  the  Hudson  was  called  Saratoga.     The  Rock  Ros- 
sian  is  in  Willsborough,    Essex  county,  and   is   now  called  ^'fX\ixozV."~Macauleys  Hist,  of  N.  Y. 
vol.  II,  p.  412,  note. 

14 


2IO  History  of  Warren  County. 


ing  about  ^o  miles  in  length  and  I2    miles  broad,  subject  to    a  yearly  rent  to 
the  crown  of  one  hundred  raccoon  skins  !  "^ 

This  patent  was  issued  under  the  great  seal  of  the  province,  by  Col. 
Fletcher  while  acting  as  governor  in  1696,  and  included  the  greater  portion  of 
Essex,  Warren  and  Washington  counties.  This  with  other  patents  was  vacat- 
ed at  the  instance  of  Lord  Bellamont,  at  the  session  of  the  provincial  assem- 
bly, which  was  organized  March  2ist,  1699.  Notwithstanding  this  fact,  Del- 
lius  still  asserted  his  claim  and  right  to  the  territory  in  question,  and  on  his  re- 
turn to  Holland  is  commonly  stated  to  have  disposed  of  his  interests  therein 
to  his  successor  in  the  ministry  at  Albany,  the  Rev.  John  Lydius.2 

Nearly  all  the  earlier  writers  concur  with  singular  unanimity  in  making 
this  statement,  and  are  endorsed  by  such  later  writers  as  Gordon,  Fitch  and 
Lossing. 

"  In  a  pamphlet  exposition  of  the  title  of  Lydius,  printed  at  New  Haven 
in  1764,  doubtless  by  his  authority,  he  says  nothing  about  the  Dellius  grant, 
but  claims  under  an  Indian  deed  in  language  as  follows  : 

"  '  The  father  of  the  present  Colonel  Lydius,  being  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
at  Albany,  was  well  known  to  have  taken  much  pains  with  the  Mohawk  In- 
dians for  a  series  of  years,  in  which  (on  his  decease)  he  was  succeeded  by  his 
son  aforesaid,  who  (though  not  a  clergyman)  still  continued  their  instruction, 
till  he  so  far  ingratiated  himself  into  their  favor,  that  on  the  first  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1732,  he  obtained  a  deed  of  the  heads  of  that  nation,  for  two  certain 
tracts  of  land  lying  on  Otter  Creek  and  Wood  Creek,  and  bounded  as  follows  : 
Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Otter  Creek,  where  it  empties  into  Lake  Cham- 
plain  and  runs  easterly,  six  Dutch  miles  (equal  to  twenty-four  English) ;  then 
runs  southerly  to  the  uppermost  falls  on  Otter  Creek,  being  about  fifteen  Dutch 
miles,  be  the  same  more  or  less ;  then  westerly  six  Dutch  miles,  and  thence 
northerly  to  the  place  of  beginning.  The  other  on  Wood  Creek  beginning 
two  Dutch  miles  and  a  half  due  north  of  the  place  called  Kingequaghtenock, 
or  the  falls  on  Wood  Creek  ;  and  thence  runs  westerly  to  the  falls  on  Hudson 
River,  going  to  Lake  St.  Sacrament ;  thence  down  said  river  five  Dutch  miles  ; 
and  thence  running  easterly  five  Dutch  miles ;  thence  southerly  three  Dutch 
miles  and  a  half;  thence  easterly  five  Dutch  miles  ;  and  thence  northerly  to 
the  place  of  beginning.' 

"  The  pamphlet  then  states  that  his  title  by  the  Indian  deed  was  confirmed 

"^  MunselVs  Annals  of  Albany,  vol.  I,  p.  95.     Macauley's  Hist,  of  N.   Y.,  vol.  II,  ut  sufra. 

2  Lydius  was  not  the  immediate  successor  of  Dellius.  In  August,  1683,  the  Reformed  Dutch 
church  of  Albany  took  measures  for  determining  the  salary  of  the  newly  arrived  pastor  from  Holland, 
the  Rev.  Godefridus  Dellius.  On  the  12th  of  May,  1699,  he  was  deposed  by  act  of  general  assembly 
"  from  the  exercises  of  his  ministerial  function  in  the  city  and  county  of  Albany,  for  the  illegal  and 
surreptitious  obtaining  of  said  grants."  Having  ten  months  in  which  to  procure  his  reinstatement, 
the  Rev.  John  Peter  Nucellajjoccupied  the  pulpit  as  a  temporary  supply  until  the  20th  of  July,  1700, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  John  Lydius,  whose  ministry  terminated  with  his  death  1st 
March,  1709. — MunselPs  Annals  of  Albany,  vol.  I,  pp.  82-88,  95. 


Land  Titles.  211 


and  declared  valid  by  Governor  Shirley  of  Massachusetts,  in  obedience  to  the 
special  command  of  his  majesty.  The  Indian  deed  to  Lydius,  as  well  as  the 
confirmation  of  it,  if  they  ever  existed,  were  both  doubtless  founded  in  fraud. 
But  the  description  of  the  land  claimed  by  Lydius,  as  well  as  the  title  under 
which  he  professes  to  derive  it,  seems  to  exclude  any  idea  that  it  had  any  con- 
nection with  the  previous  grant  to  Dellius.^ 

"  On  the  strength  of  this  claim  Mr.  John  Henry  Lydius,  son  of  the  minis- 
ter, erected  a  block-house  on  the  south  side  of  Fort  Edward  Creek  and  a  trad- 
ing post  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Nicholson,  which  had  been  built  as  early  as 
1709  ;  built  mills,  supplied  with  water  from  a  a  wing  dam  extending  from  the 
main  land  to  the  island  opposite  the  village,  put  up  a  number  of  log  dwellings, 
introduced  a  small  colony  of  dependents,  and  for  a  period  of  ten  years  main- 
tained a  considerable  state  of  establishment,  claiming  for  himself  the  title  of 
Governor  of  Fort  Edward,  in  his  majesty's  dominions  of  North  America.^ 
He  was  familiar  with  many  of  the  Indian  dialects,  was  often  consulted  by  Sir 
William  Johnson  in  reference  to  Indian  affairs,  and  was,  to  some  extent,  the 
rival  of  the  astute  baron  in  the  influence  and  regard  of  the  wandering  tribes  who 
enjoyed  his  hospitality,  accepted  his  gifts  and  looked  up  to  him  as  their  father. 
His  little  settlement  and  fort,  which  was  named  for  him,  were  once  or  twice 
made  the  subject  of  incursions  by  the  savages  in  1745,  when  the  improve- 
ments were  utterly  destroyed  and  the  inhabitants  driven  off.  They  were  af- 
terwards rebuilt  and  reoccupied  to  some  extent,  and  Lydius  is  supposed  to 
have  acquired  a  handsome  property  in  the  prosecution  of  his  traffic  with  the 
Indians.  After  the  outbreak  of  the  last  French  war  he  held  for  a  year  or 
more  some  subordinate  position  in  connection  with  the  public  service,  but  fall- 
ing into  disagreement  with  his  superiors,  he  afterwards  returned  to  Europe 
and  disappeared  from  public  view.  He  died  at  Kensington,  near  London,  in 
the  spring  of  1791,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-eight." 

The  great  patent  of  Queenbury  was  granted  May  20th,  1762,  for  twenty- 
three  thousand  acres.  This  will  be  noticed  more  at  length  in  an  appropriate 
place  in  the  history  of  that  town. 

Abeel.  —  James  Abeel  obtained  a  patent  for  three  thousand  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  northeast  branch  of  the  Hudson 
River,  next  to  Hill  Mitchell,  on  the  14th  of  August,  1786.  This  seemed  to 
take  the  place  of  several  small  patents  that  had,  perhaps,  been  confiscated. 
He  at  a  later  day  obtained  another  grant  for  eight  hundred  acres  lying  east  of 
the  fiist  tract,  which  overlapped  the  Northwest   Bay   tract.     The  first  patent 

1  Dr.  Hall,  in  number  $,  vol.  Ill,  Historical  Magazine  for  1868,  p.  310.  It  will  be  perceived  by  the 
above  defined  boundaries,  that  the  greater  portion  of  tlie  town  of  Queensbury  was  included  in  the 
Lydius  claim. 

2  "  Lydius  soon  after  built  a  stone  trading-house  upon  the  site  of  Fort  Ldward.  Its  doors  and 
windows  were  strongly  barred,  and  near  the  roof  the  walls  were  pierced  for  musketry.  It  was  erected 
upon  a  high  mound  and  palisaded  as  a  defense  against  enemies." — Lossing's  Hudson,  p.  74. 


212  History  of  Warren  County.. 

will  be  found  in  Patents,  Vol.  XIX,  page  146,  and  the  second  in  Patents,  XXIII, 
page  10.     These  are  both  located  in  the  present  town  of  Bolton. 

Adams.  —  On  a  little  tract,  called  Sabbath-day  Point  tract,  the  maps  in 
the  Surveyor-General's  office  have  the  name  of  Andrew  Adams.  Whether  it 
be  an  old  or  a  new  name  we  cannot  tell.     It  lies  in  the  town  of  Hague. 

Barber.  —  There  is  a  small  tract  on  the  map  in  the  Surveyor- General's  of- 
fice, next  north  of  Hitchcock's  and  Smith's,  marked  J.  Barber.  It  is  in  Bolton 
on  Northwest  Bay. 

Caldwell — James  Caldwell  was  granted  a  patent  for  four  tracts  of  land  on 
the  west  side  of  Lake  George  on  the  29th  of  September,  1787,  at  a  point  called 
at  that  time  McDonold's  Bay.  The  first  for  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
the  second  for  four  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres,  the  third  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty-five  acres,  and  the  fourth  for  one  thousand  acres.  This  last  one 
began  at  the  most  northerly  corner  of  the  first.  —  Patents,  Vol.  XX,  page  48 
to  51. 

He  was  granted  a  patent  for  six  hundred  acres  opposite  a  small  island, 
near  Rogers's  Rock,  on  the  nth  of  October,  1791,  and  another  tract  in  the 
same  patent  for  eight  hundred  acres,  which  began  on  the  north  bounds  of  the 
first,  and  probably  is  in  the  county  of  Essex. 

Mr.  Caldwell  obtained  other  tracts  by  purchase  or  otherwise  around  the 
head  of  Lake  George,  and  the  foot-note  in  French's  Gazetteer,  page  673,  is  an 
error,  for  those  lands  described  are  easily  located  in  a  patent  given  to  himself 
and  others,  at  a  later  date. 

Campbell. — A  patent  was  granted  to  John  Campbell  and  seven  others  for  four 
hundred  acres  on  the  30th  of  May,  1771.  The  description  began  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  a  tract  granted  to  John  Watts,  which  we  conclude  was  confis- 
cated, and  regranted  to  James  Abeel.  It  is  in  the  town  of  Bolton,  north  of 
Abeel,  and  south  of  Oglevie.  —  Military  Patents,  Vol.  II,  page  606. 

Christie.  —  A  patent  was  granted  to  William  Christie,  for  two  hundred 
acres,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson  River,  on  the  i8th  of  July,  1770.  It 
lies  north  of  Jessup's  second  tract  and  west  of  the  third,  in  the  town  of  Lu- 
zerne.—  Military  Patents,  Vol.  II,  page  364. 

Dartmouth  Township.  —  A  patent  was  granted  to  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer 
and  James  Abeel,  with  forty-five  others,  for  eighteen  thousand  and  thirty-six 
acres,  being  a  part  of  forty- seven  thousand  acres  petitioned  for  on  the  4th  of 
October,  1774.  This  tract  was  granted  with  the  usual  rights  and  privileges  of 
those  great  quit- rent  provisos,  and  with  the  usual  organization  of  a  township, 
precisely  the  same  as  in  the  Queensbury  patent.  —  Patents,  Vol.  XVI,  page 
452,  etc. 

On  the  same  day  a  patent  was  granted  to  the  same  parties  for  twenty- 
eight  thousand  acres  lying  next  north  of  the  first  purchase,- which  was  to  be 
divided  into  forty- seven  equal  parts.     Both  of  these   tracts   were  bounded  on 


Land  Titles.  213 


the  west  by  Palmer's  purchase.  These  patents  He  partly  in  Stony  Creek  and 
partly  in  Thurman.  —  Patents,  Vol.  XVI,  page  462,  etc. 

Davies.  —  A  patent  was  granted  to  Thomas  Davies,  which  began  in  the 
north  bounds  of  Thomas  Roberts  and  eleven  others,  and  at  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  Randall's.  This  tract  must  have  reverted,  or  the  name  has  become  ob- 
solete.—  Military  Patents,  Vol.  II,  page  611. 

Douglass.  —  Wheeler  Douglass  obtained  a  patent  for  two  tracts  on  the  west 
side  of  Lake  George,  on  the  i8th  of  April,  1794.  The  first  tract,  which  in- 
cluded Green  Island,  contained  five  hundred  acres,  and  the  second  was  south 
of  the  first  and,  exclusive  of  the  waters  of  Trout  Lake,  contained  two  thousand 
five  hundred  acres.  These  two  tracts  He  in  the  town  of  Bolton. —  Patents, 
Vol.  XXIII,  page  367. 

Ford.  —  Thomas  Ford  and  seven  others  obtained  a  patent  for  a  tract  of 
land  on  both  sides  of  Beaver  Brook,  which  empties  into  Northwest  Bay,  for 
one  thousand  six  hundred  acres,  on  the  7th  of  October,  1769.  This  little,  nar- 
row, crooked  tract  was  intended  to  cover  about  all  of  the  arable  land  between 
two  great  mountains.  It  lies  partly  in  Bolton  and  partly  in  Hague. — Military 
Patents,  Vol.  II,  page  297. 

Friend. —  I  have  not  found  any  map  that  showed  Friend's  patent;  but, 
judging  from  the  name  of  Friend's  Point  on  the  lake,  have  concluded  that  that 
must  be  its  locality.     It  is  in  the  town  of  Hague. 

Garland.  —  A  tract  of  one  thousand  acres  was  granted  to  Peter  Garland 
and  nineteen  others,  next  north  of  a  tract  surveyed  for  John  Hamilton  and 
nineteen  others,  on  the  28th  of  March,  1771.  The  land  surveyed  for  Hamil- 
ton and  others  was  afterwards  patented  to  Crane  Brush.  It  lies  in  Bolton.  — 
Military  Patents,  Vol.  II,  page  374. 

Goldthwaite.  —  A  patent  was  granted  to  Joseph  Goldthwaite  on  the  25th 
of  March,  1775,  for  two  thousand  acres.  This  was  granted  with  the  usual 
allowance,  but  the  dimensions  on  the  map,  when  computed,  amount  to  two 
thousand  one  hundred  acres  actually  granted.  This  patent  is  in  Warrensburgh, 
next  to  the  town  of  Luzerne.  —  Military  Patents,  Vol.  Ill,  page  49. 

Glen.  — "  Among  the  ancient  landmarks  connected  with  the  survey  of  this 
tract "  (the  Kayaderosseras  tract),  says  Dr.  Holden  in  his  History  of  Queens- 
bury,  "  were  a  rock  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  near  the  foot  of  Baker's  Falls ; 
a  point  near  the  Big  Falls  in  the  town  of  Luzerne,  Warren  county ;  and  a 
towering  pine,  whose  lofty  crest  is  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  conspicuous  from 
the  summit  of  the  Palmertown  Mountain,  about  two  miles  north  from  Doe's 
Corners  in  the  town  of  Wilton.  The  swerve  of  the  river  out  of  its  general 
direction  from  the  Queensbury  west  line  to  Baker's  Falls,  left  a  gore  contain- 
ing upwards  of  two  thousand  acres  between  the  north  line  of  the  Kayaderos- 
seras patent  and  the  Hudson  River  at  and  below  Glens  Falls.  This  tract 
afterwards  became  known  as  the  Glen  patent ;   it  was  at  one  time  petitioned 


214  History  of  Warren  County. 

for,  as  appears  by  documents  on  file  in  the  Secretary  of  State's  office  at  Albany, 
by  Simon  and  John  Remsen,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1769,  and  an  order 
was  issued  in  council  for  its  conveyance  on  the  29th  of  September,  1770.  In 
the  mean  time,  however,  other  claims  were  asserted  as  appears  by  the  follow- 
ing:— 

"  '  We  the  undermentioned  subscribers  do  hereby  certify  that  we,  being 
associates  in  a  certain  purchase  made  from  the  Indians  of  the  Mohawk  Castle 
by  John  Glen,  jr.,  Philip  Van  Petten,  Simon  Schermerhorn,  for  all  the  vacant 
lands  lying  between  Sacondago,  Kayaderosseras  and  the  river  to  the  third 
falls,^  we  hereby  allow  and  agree,  that  John  Glen,  jr.,2  is  to  have  that  part  lying 
near  the  third  falls  on  Hudson's  River,  containing  about  fifteen  hundred  acres, 
we  hereby  allow,  and  agree  with  the  said  John  Glen,  jr.,  that  he  may  take  out 
a  .special  patent  for  the  said  tract  of  land.^ 

"  '  Seymen  Schermerhorn,         Philip  V.  Van  Petten, 

"  '  Cornelius  Cuyler,  Johannis  Schermerhorn, 

"  'John  Cuyler,  jr.,  Ryckart  Vanfranken, 

"  '  Cornelius  Glen,  John  Roseboom, 

"  '  Henry  Glen,  Chris.  Yates,  for  myself  and  Jellis  Fonda, 

"  '  Abrm.  C.  Cuyler,  Harms.  H.  Wendell, 

"  '  Seymon  Job's  Veeder,  Aaron  Van  Petten, 

"  '  Deryk  V.  franken,  Reyier  Schermerhorn.' 

"  This  petition  was  endorsed  as  having  been  granted  on  the  request  of  Peter 
Remsen,  in  his  own  behalf  and  for  Simon  and  Peter  A.  Remsen,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  following  application  :  — 

"  '  To  the  Honorable  Cadwallader  Colden,  esq.,  lieutenant-governor,  and 
commander-in-chief  in  and  over  the  province  of  New  York,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  In 
council.  Humbly  showeth  That  your  Petitioner  and  associates  have  made  a 
purchase  of  all  the  vacant  lands  lying  between  the  patents  of  Kayaderosseras, 
Sacondago,  and  Hudson's  River  to  the  third  falls  on  said  river,  your  petitioners 
therefore  Humbly  Pray  your  Excellency  will  be  pleased  to  grant  them  a  patent 
for  a  small  part  thereof  Beginning  at  the  third  falls  on  Hudson's  River,  and  so 
up  the  river  till  it  joyns  the  line  of  Kayaderosseras  Patent  and  so  along  the  line 
thereof  to  the  third  falls  aforesaid,  being  the  place  of  beginning,  together  with 
all  the  islands  in  the  said  river  opposite.     And  your  Petitioners  shall  ever  pray. 

" '  JohnGlen,  Jr. 
" '  Henry  Glen.' 

1  Baker's  Falls  on  the  Hudson  River.  A  long  and  costly  law-suit,  in  the  early  part  of  the  century, 
hinged  upon  the  question  whether  the  third  fall  on  the  Hudson  River  applied  to  Baker's  Falls  or  the 
falls  at  Fort  Miller.  The  question  was  ultimately  decided  to  apply  to  the  former,  an  opinion  abundantly 
corroborated  by  all  the  earlier  maps  and  surveys. 

2  For  ancestry,  etc.,  of  Glen,  see  succeeding  history  of  Queensbury  and  Glens  Falls  village. 

3  This  tract  had  been  petitioned  for  by  John  Glen  and  others  as  early  as  May  6th,  1761,  thus  taking 
precedence  in  priority  of  the  Queensbury  patent.  —  Vide  Calendar  of  N.  Y.  Land  Papers,  p.  303. 


Land  Titles.  215 


"  The  Burnham  family  of  Glens  Falls  have,  in  their  possession,  a  lease  en- 
grossed on  parchment,  in  which,  on  the  5th  of  February,  1772,  John  Glen 
conveys  to  Christopher  Yates,  the  use  for  one  year  of  part  of  two  islands  in 
the  Hudson  River  and  a  tract  of  land  on  the  west  side  of  Hudson  River,  the 
same  being  a  part,  as  the  instrument  states,  of  a  patent  granted  to  John  Glen 
and  Henry  Glen.  The  islands  referred  to  are  those  lying  near  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  town  of  Queensbury,  and  elsewhere  referred  to  as  owned  first 
by  the  Jessups  and  afterwards  by  Daniel  Jones." 

Dr.  Holden  adds  the  observation  that  "  more  space  is  here  devoted  to  the 
consideration  of  the  Glen  tract  than  would  otherwise  be  given  it,  from  the  fact 
that  the  name  of  Glens  Falls  is  derived  from  one  of  the  patentees,  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  which  have  been  presented  to  the  public  in  such  dis- 
torted shape,  as  to  require  a  new  and  thorough  explanation."  This  statement 
gives  ample  reason  for  the  insertion  of  the  full  explanation  herein. 

Glen. — The  records  show  that  there  were  four  patents  granted  to  Jacob 
Glen  on  the  6th  of  March,  1790,  for  one  thousand  one  hundred  acres  in  the 
aggregate.  These  little  tracts  were  just  west  of  Queensbury  patent.  Two  of 
these  tracts  are  in  Queensbury,  and  two  in  Luzerne.  —  Patents  \o\.  XXH, 
page  199. 

Harris.  —  On  the  22d  of  April,  1788,  there  was  granted  to  Joshua  Harris 
four  small  patents  of  two  hundred  acres  each,  between  Queensbury  patent  and 
Lake  George.  These  lie  in  the  town  of  Queensbury. — Patents,  Vol.  XX, 
pages  293  to  296. 

Harris.  —  On  the  border  of  the  county  next  to  Washington  are  several 
patents  that  were  granted  to  Moses  Harris,  according  to  the  small  map  of  the 
Lake  George  tract,  through  which  the  county  line  runs. 

Houghton.  —  A  tract  around  the  head  of  Lake  George,  and  reaching  as  far 
south  as  Queensbury  patent,  was  granted  to  Robert  Harpur,  of  King's  College, 
New  York,  and  eighty-six  others,  "  Protestants  and  dutiful  subjects  of  the 
North  of  Ireland  "  for  three  thousand  seven  hundred  acres,  with  31,015  acres 
lying  between  Wood  Creek  and  Lake  George,  together  with  Long  Island  in 
Lake  George,  on  the  22d  of  May,  1765.  In  this  patent  was  granted  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  a  township  named  Harpurville ;  precisely  as  in  the  case  of 
Queensbury.  Why  this  patent  reverted  would  be  of  interest  to  know,  as  the  land 
that  was  covered  by  the  patent  has  been  resurveyed  in  other  tracts,  and  the 
original  boundaries  become  obsolete.  A  small  part  of  this  original  grant,  lying 
around  the  "  garrison  grounds  "  at  Caldwell,  and  reaching  south  to  Queens- 
bury patent  in  a  very  small  point,  was  granted  to  William  Houghton  on  the 
3d  of  July,  1770,  containing  two  thousand  acres.  The  commencement  of  this 
survey  is  identical  with  the  first  and  so  are  several  of  the  courses,  and  distances. 
The  first  grant  is  in  Patents,  Vol.  XIV,  page  78,  etc. ;  and  the  second  M.  P., 
Vol.  II,  page  479.      It  lies  in  the  town  of  Caldwell. 


2i6  History  of  Warren  County. 

Hyde  Township.  —  This  township  was  granted  to  Edward  and  Ebenezer 
Jessup  and  thirty-eight  others,  with  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  a  township, 
the  same  as  Queensbury.  The  tract  was  to  contain  forty  thousand  acres,  but 
in  reahty  contains  a  great  deal  more,  even  allowing  for  the  usual  five  per  cent, 
for  highways.  Patent  dated  September  loth,  1774.  —  Patents,  Vol.  XVI, 
page  410,  etc.      It  lies  in  Warrensburgh  and  Thurman. 

Hitchcock.  —  Zina  Hitchcock  and  Philip  Smith  were  granted  a  patent  for 
one  thousand  and  eighty-one  acres  on  the  15th  of  August,  1795.  It  lies  next 
north  of  Wheeler  Douglass  in  Bolton,  and  is  marked  "  Smith,"  on  Burr's  Atlas. 
—  Patents,  Vol.  XIII,  page  407. 

Jessups.  —  Ebenezer  Jessup  and  fourteen  associates  petitioned  for  fifteen 
thousand  acres  of  unoccupied  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  River.  As 
they  could  not  find  enough  to  suit  them  in  a  body,  they  were  content  to  take 
it  in  several  places.  The  first  tract,  which  is  the  one  lying  farthest  north  was 
granted  on  the  20th  of  May,  1768,  and  contained  seven  thousand  five  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  which  was  to  be  divided  into  fifteen  equal  shares.  —  Patents, 
Vol.  XIV,  page  270  etc. 

The  second  tract  was  patented  on  the  21st  day  of  May,  1768,  to  the  same 
parties,  and  contained  four  thousand  one  hundred  acres.  It  is  on  this  second 
tract  that  the  village  of  Luzerne  stands.  — Patents,  Vol.  XIV.  page  276,  etc. 

The  third  tract  was  located  between  these  two,  and  only  granted  to  Ebe- 
nezer and  Edward  Jessup.  It  was  patented  on  the  loth  of  April,  1772,  and 
contained  two  thousand  acres.  This  patent  was  bounded  on  the  west  by  Wat- 
cock,  Quinn  and  Christie  —  Patents,  Vol.  XVI,  page  208. 

Jones. — John  Jones,  who  is  described  as  "barrack- master,"  was  granted 
two  hundred  acres  on  the  west  side  of  Lake  George,  which  embraced  the  site 
of  the  village  of  Caldwell.  The  grant  was  made  in  June,  1785.  This  tract 
was  conveyed  to  Udney  Hay,  who  re-conveyed  it  to  Mr.  Caldwell.  (See  his- 
tory of  the  town  of  Caldwell.) 

Kennedy.  — .-  Robert  Kennedy  was  granted  a  patent  for  two  thousand  acres, 
on  the  west  side  of  Lake  George,  north  of  the  site  of  Caldwell  village.  The 
date  was  October  1st,  1774.  The  original  grant  is  in  the  Warren  county 
clerk's  office. 

Kayaderosseras  Patent.  —  Of  this  patent  Dr.  Holden  writes  as  follows  in 
his  History  of  Queensbury  :  — 

"  We  next  come  to  the  consideration  of  the  Kayaderosseras  patent,  whose 
north  hne  cuts  through  the  west  and  southwest  portions  of  the  town,  and  from 
the  beginning  has  given  rise  to  almost  interminable  litigation.  The  early  law 
reports  of  the  century  are  loaded  with  these  cases,  whose  various  points  and 
issues  have  hardly  yet  been  completely  tested.  One  of  tlie  more  recent  cases 
was  tried  in  1857,  being  brought  by  Thomas  B.  Bennett,  who  claimed  under 
the  Kayaderosseras  patent,  against  Abraham  Wing  and  others,  who  also  claimed 


Land  Titles.  217 


under  the  same  patent  but  from  a  different  deed.  Bennett's  action  being 
founded  on  a  supposition  that  Wing  would  claim  under  the  Queensbury  pat- 
ent, he  was  defeated  with  costs.  It  is  proper  to  state  however,  that  there 
were  other  points  in  issue. 

"  The  great  Kayaderosseras  patent  was  founded  on  a  grant  obtained  in 
1702  from  two  Mohawk  sachems  •  named  Ter-jen-nin-ho-ge,  or  Joseph,  and 
De-han-och-rak-has,  or  Hendrick.  The  grantees  were  Robert  Livingston  and 
David  Schuyler ;  and  the  consideration,  sundry  goods,  wares  and  merchandise. 
It  was  soon  afterwards  alleged  that  the  purchase  was  fraudulent,  the  chiefs 
signing  the  deed  being  intoxicated  for  that  purpose,  and  in  no  way  authorized 
by  their  tribe  to  dispose  of  the  lands  embraced  in  the  purchase,  and  that  much 
more  territory  was  claimed  and  subsequently  granted  by  patent  than  was  em- 
braced even  by  this  fraudulent  conveyance.  For  upwards  of  sixty  years,  this 
transaction  was  a  prolific  source  of  anxiety  to  the  Indians,  and  of  reproach  and 
trouble  to  the  whites.  At  a  council  held  with  the  lower  castle  of  the  Mo- 
hawks at  Albany,  Thursday,  June  27th,  1754,  Lieutenant  Governor  James  De 
Lancy  presiding,  the  speaker  in  behalf  of  the  Indians  said  :  — 

"  '  Brother,  we  are  told  a  large  tract  of  land  has  been  taken  up  called  Kaya- 
derosseras, beginning  at  the  half  moon,  and  so  along  up  the  Hudson  River,  to 
the  third  fall  and  thence  to  the  Cacknowaga  or  Canada  Creek  which  is  about 
four  or  five  miles  above  the  Mohawk,  which,  upon  enquiry  among  our  old  men, 
we  can  not  find  was  ever  sold,  and  as  to  the  particular  persons,  many  of  them 
live  in  this  town,i  but  there  are  so  great  a  number  we  cannot  name  them.' 

"  This  purchase  was  confirmed  by  letters  patent  from  the  crown  in  1708  to 
thirteen  patentees  and  contained  by  estimation  about  eight  hundred  thousand 
acres  lying  between  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  Rivers.  A  great  proportion  of 
the  land  titles  in  Saratoga  county,  as  also  the  western  part  of  Warren  county, 
are  predicated  upon  this  grant.^  The  points  in  controversy  were  amicably 
settled  in  1768,  by  the  recession  to  the  natives  of  a  portion  of  the  disputed 
territory  lying  near  the  Mohawk  River,^  and  the  payment  by  the  proprietors 
of  $5000  for  the  remainder,  extending  on  the  Hudson  (with  the  exception  of 
two  small  patents  previously  issued)  to  the  falls  at  Sandy  Hill." 

Copy  of  a  description  of  the  Kayaderosseras  Patent  from  the  Wing  MSS. 

"  Kayaderosseras  alias  Queensbury,  granted  by  Queen  Anne,  the  2d  day 
of  November,  1708,  beginning  at  a  place  in  Schenectady  River  about  three 
miles  distant  from  the  southwesterly  bounds  of  Nistigione,  the  said  place  being 

1  Albany,  where  the  council  was  being  held. 

2  In  one  of  the  road  surveys  for  the  town  of  Queensbury,  for  1820,  the  north  boundary  of  the  Kaya- 
derosseras patent  is  made  the  line  of  a  newly  relaid  road.  —  Town  Records,  p.  210. 

3  "  On  the  15th  of  Jan'y,  1793,  the  legislature  of  this  State  appointed  a  commission  consisting  of 
Egbert  Bensen  and  Peter  Curtenius  of  Dutchess,  Samuel  Jones  of  New  York,  Jesse  Woodhull  of  Or- 
ange and  Cornelius  Schoonmaker  of  Ulster  counties,  to  ascertain  and  settle  the  boundaries  of  the 
patent  of  Kayaderosseras  and  Half  Moon." 


2i8  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  southwesterly  corner  of  the  patent  then  lately  granted  to  Nanning  Har- 
manse,  Peter  Fauconier,  and  others,  thence  along  the  said  Schenectady  River 
westerly  to  the  southeasterly  corner  of  a  patent  lately  granted  to  William  Ap- 
ple, thence  along  the  easterly,  northerly  and  westerly  lines  of  the  said  William 
Apple's  patent  down  to  the  above  said  river,  thence  to  Schenectady  bounds, 
or  the  southwesterly  corner  of  the  said  patent  on  the  said  river,  so  along  the 
easterly  northerly  and  westerly  bounds  thereof  down  to  the  said  river  again, 
thence  along  the  said  river  up  westerly  to  the  southeasterly  bounds  of  a  tract 
of  land  then  lately  granted  to  Ebenezer  Wilson,  and  John  Abeel,  and  so  along 
the  patent  round  to  the  southwesterly-corner  thereof  up  the  said  Schenectada 
river  then  continuing  to  run  westerly  up  said  Schenectada  river  to  a  place  or 
hill  called  Tweetonondo  being  five  miles  distant  or  thereabouts  from  the  south- 
westerly corner  of  the  Wilson  and  Abeel's  patent,  thence  northerly  to  the 
northwesternmost  head  of  a  creek  called  Kayaderosseras  about  fourteen  miles 
more  or  less,  thence  eight  miles  more  northerly,  then  easterly  or  northeasterly 
to  the  third  falls  on  Albany  river  about  twenty  miles,  more  or  less  thence  along 
the  said  river  down  southerly  to  the  northeasterly  bounds  of  Saratoga  thence 
along  the  said  Saratoga  northerly,  westerly  and  southerly  bounds  on  the  said 
river,  thence  to  the  northeasterly  corner  of  Anthony  Van  Schalk's  lands  on 
the  said  river,  so  northerly  and  westerly  along  the  said  Van  Schaik's  patent  to 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  above  said  patent  granted  to  Nanning  Harmanse, 
Peter  Fauconier  and  others  thence  along  the  northerly  and  westerly  bounds 
thereof  down  to  the  above  said  river  of  Schenectada  it  being  the  place  where 
it  first  began,  which  said  tract  of  land  we  have  divided  into  twenty-five  allot- 
ments viz. :  Allotment  No.  3,  4,  7,  8,  9,  10,  21,  22,  23,  24,  and  25,  are  contro- 
verted, and  the  remaining  allotments,  viz.:  Allotment  No.  i,  2,  5,  6,  1 1,  12, 
13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  and  20,  are  not  controverted,  also  the  lots  No.  i  and 
2,  distinguished  in  the  map  by  the  red  stain,  which  together  contain  21,350 
acres  we  have  set  apart  for  defraying  the  charges  of  the  partition." 

(Not  signed.) 

Lawrence.  —  There  is  quite  a  tract  marked  on  the  map  of  French  Moun- 
tain tract,  as  belonging  to  John  Lawrence,  but  whether  it  was  patented  to  him 
or  not  we  did  not  succeed  in  finding  out.     It  is  in  Queensbury. 

McCajiley.  —  There  is  a  small  patent  nearly  south  of  the  village  of  War- 
rensburgh,  and  marked  Auley  on  Burr's  atlas  (which  ought  to  be  Hugh  Mc- 
Auley).  We  failed  to  find  further  records  of  it  It  lies  in  the  town  of  Cald- 
well. 

McClay.  —  There  is  another  small  patent  marked  on  the  map  of  Warrens- 
burgh  tract,  "  D.  McClay,"  of  which  we  have  failed  to  find  any  record.  It 
lies  in  the  town  of  Warrensburgh  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner. 

Laws.  —  A  patent  of  about  fifteen  hundred  and  fifty  acres  lies  in  the  town 
of  Hague,  on  the  lake  shore,  on  which  the  village  of  Hague  stands,  of  which 
we  obtained  no  definite  trace. 


Land  Titles.  219 


McClallen.  —  A  large  tract  of  twenty-two  thousand  one  hundred  acres  in 
the  north  part  of  Hague,  and  in  the  south  part  of  Ticonderoga,  was  granted  to 
Robert  McClallen,  James  Caldwell  and  Robert  Cochran,  and  a  second  tract 
south  of  the  first,  of  seventeen  thousand  six  hundred  acres,  on  the  3d  of  March, 
1795.  In  the  description  of  the  boundaries  of  these  two  tracts,  there  is  men- 
tion made  of  the  patents  of  Samuel  Deal,  John  Stoughton,  Jonathan  Mathews, 
John  Lee,  James  Stevenson,  Theopilact  Bache,  George  Robinson,  James  Scott, 
William  Friend,  besides  several  patents  that  were  granted  to  James  Caldwell. 
—  Patents,  Vol.  XVIII,  page  56,  etc. 

McDonald.  —  Niel  McDonold,  with  seven  others,  was  granted  a  patent  for 
sixteen  hundred  acres  on  the  28th  of  March,  1771.  It  lies  next  north  of  Peter 
Garland  and  among  the  names  is  WilHam  Nowland,  which  ma}'  account  for 
the  name  on  the  map  in  Burr's  atlas,  as  Norman.  We  find  no  such  name  in 
the  Indexes.  The  patent  is  in  the  town  of  Bolton.  —  Military  Patents,  Vol. 
II,  page  578. 

Mitchell.  —  Hill  Mitchell  and  fifteen  others  obtained  a  patent  for  eight  hun- 
dred acres  next  north  of  David  Smith,  and  twelve  others  on  the  5th  of  April, 
1771.  It  lies  in  the  extreme  north  point  of  Caldwell. — M.  P.,  Vol.  II, 
page  584. 

Porter.  —  Thomas  Porter  and  twenty-seven  others  were  granted  a  patent 
for  fifty-six  hundred  acres  lying  next  north  of  Niel  McDonold,  on  the  north- 
east branch  of  the  Hudson  River  (or  what '  is  now  known  as  the  Schroon 
branch),  on  the  8th  day  of  March,  1771.  It  is  in  Horicon.  — M.  P.,  Vol.  II, 
page  541. 

Oglevie.  —  Alexander  Oglevie  and  others  were  granted  a  patent  for  six 
hundred  acres  bounded  on  the  south  by  John  Campbell  and  west  by  the  river. 
This  patent  lies  in  the  town  of  Bolton.  —  Military  Patents,  Vol.  II,  page  604. 

Qiceensbicry.  —  See  later  pages. 

Quinn. — Edward  Quinn  and  six  others  obtained  a  patent  for  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  next  north  of  Christie's,  bounded  on  the  east  by  Jessup's 
third  tract.  It  is  in  the  town  of  Luzerne.  Dated  July  i8th,  1770. — M.  P., 
Vol.  II,  page  262. 

Robinson.  —  George  Robinson  and  others  obtained  a  patent  for  a  narrow 
strip  of  land  on  both  sides  of  Beaver  Brook,  and  north  of  Ford's  patent,  in  the 
town  of  Hague. 

Ross.  — James  Ross  obtained  a  patent  for  two  thousand  acres  on  the  loth 
of  April,  1775.  It  lies  next  north  of  Goldthwaite's  patent  in  the  town  of 
Warrensburgh.  — M.  P.,  Vol.  Ill,  page  50. 

Roberts. — Thomas  Roberts  and  eleven  others  obtained  a  grant  for  six  hun- 
dred acres  next  north  of  Thomas  Porter,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1771.  This  lies 
almost  all  in  the  town  of  Horicon. — M.  P.,  Vol.  II,  page  538. 

Rogers.  —  Piatt  Rogers  obtained  a  patent  for  a  large   tract  lying  on   both 


220  History  of  Warren  County. 

sides   of  Schroon  River,   as  compensation  for  building  roads.     This  patent, 
known  as  the  Road  patent,  is  in  the  towns  of  Horicon  and  Chester. 

Smith.  —  David  Smith  and  twelve  others  obtained  a  grant  for  a  tract  of 
two  thousand  six  hundred  acres,  next  south  of  Mitchell's  opposite  Warrens- 
burgh  village,  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  northeast  branch  of  the  Hudson 
River,  in  Caldwell,  on  the  5th  of  April,  1771.  — M.  P.,  Vol.  H,  page  582. 

Watcock.  —  Richard  Watcock  and  six  others  had  a  patent  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  next  south  of  Quinn,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson  River  in 
the  present  town  of  Luzerne.  — M.  P.,  Vol.  II,  page  361. 

By  an  examination  of  a  quantity  of  old  maps  obtained  in  various  places,  for 
the  construction  of  French's  map  of  the  State,  we  have  found  names  that  we  do  not 
find  on  any  of  the  engraved  maps.  Three  little  tracts  marked  E.  Dunham,  on 
Tongue  Mountain  tract ;  David  McClay,  on  Warrensburgh  tract ;  James  Rob- 
ertson, James  Mountfort,  and  William  Brown,  on  the  Luzerne  tract;  Charles 
Sheriff,  James  Parkinson,  James  Panton,  and  Jesse  Chidester,  on  the  north  of 
Hyde  township ;  Andrew  Gowdy,  F.  Turner,  James  Randell,  south  of  Brant 
Lake  tract.  N.  Gardinier,  just  south  of  Piatt  Rogers's  Road  tract,  on  the  same 
map.  On  the  other  hand  there  are  in  the  Indexes  at  Albany  the  names  of 
many  persons  that  are  indexed  to  various  parts  of  this  county  that  it  is  now 
impossible  to  locate. 

Large  Tracts.  —  Besides  these,  and  those  that  we  have  failed  to  find  the 
record  of,  and  others  where  we  have  found  the  record  and  have  not  found  a 
place  on  the  map  in  which  to  locate  them,  there  are  several  large  tracts  that 
were  surveyed  at  a  later  date,  and  sold  by  the  State  to  individuals,  and  al- 
though they  obtained  patents  for  their  purchases,  it  did  not  change  the  name 
of  the  tract.  Hague  tract  lies  in  the  west  part  of  Hague,  and  reaches  north 
into  Ticonderoga.  Brant  Lake  tract  lies  next  west  of  Hague,  and  covers  most 
of  the  town  of  Horicon.  South  of  these  lies  Northwest  Bay  tract,  in  Bolton, 
and  Tongue  Mountain  tract  partly  in  Bolton  and  partly  in  Hague.  Warrens- 
burgh tract  lies  in  the  southwest  corner  of  that  town,  and  Luzerne  tract  is 
nearly  all  in  the  east  part  of  that  town.  French  Mountain  tract  lies  in  the 
northeast  point  of  Queensbury.  Totten  and  Crossfield  purchase  covers  all  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  county,  all  of  Johnsburgh  and  a  part  of  Chester.  The 
rear  division  of  Palmer's  purchase  lies  mostly  in  Stony  Creek,  with  a  small  por- 
tion in^Thurman.  The  twenty-fifth  division  of  the  Kayaderosseras  lies  south 
of  Luzerne  tract  and  Queensbury  patent,  in  the  towns  of  Luzerne  and  Queens- 
bury.  The  rear  division  of  Palmer's  purchase  was  sub-divided  by  the  heirs  of 
Thomas  Palmer,  Philip  Livingstone,  Peter  Remsen  and  Dirck  Lefferts. 

When  application  was  made  to  the  colonial  government  for  a  tract  of  land 
the  signers  of  the  petition  usually  affirmed  that  they  were  true  and  lawful  sub- 
jects, and  desired  the  land  for  actual  settlement,  and  it  would  be  a  curious 
question  to  answer  by  the  historian  in  how  many  cases  the  land   was  actually 


Land  Titles.  221 


occupied  by  the  petitioners.  The  small  patents  were  usually  granted  to  the 
officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  of  the  British  army  that  were 
garrisoned  at  Fort  George,  Fort  Edward,  Fort  Lyman,  or  Fort  William  Henry. 
A  glance  at  the  map,  and  a  comparison  of  the  dates  of  their  respective  patents, 
will  convince  the  reader  that  the  county  was  sparsely  settled  long  before  the 
Revolutiouary  war,  if  those  only  who  took  patents  actually  occupied  them,  yet 
it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  trace  the  correct  history  of  occurrences  back  to  that 
period.  There  may  be  a  history  of  any  of  the  great  tracts,  equal  to  that  avail- 
able of  Queensbury,  if  we  only  knew  where  to  find  it,  but  we  do  not,  even  if  it 
exists. 

Map.  —  To  arrange  these  patents,  grants  and  large  tracts  in  their  proper 
places  in  order  to  project  a  map  of  the  county  is  one  of  those  tasks  that  never 
has  been  done  and  never  will  be  until  the  Trigonometrical  Survey  of  the  State 
has  been  completed.  The  causes  that  combine  to  defeat  anything  like  accu- 
racy are,  first,  the  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle  by  which  all  these  were  lo- 
cated ;  second,  the  errors  in  chaining  over  mountains  and  streams ;  third,  the 
allowances  that  surveyors  made  for  rough  land  and  for  highways ;  and,  fourth, 
the  laps  and  gores,  or  the  interference  of  patent  lines  and  the  spaces  between 
patents. 

Beside  the  annual  and  ever  increasing  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle,  the 
local  attractions  were  very  prominent  in  many  portions  of  this  county.  This 
cause  alone  was  sufficient  to  disarrange  any  survey  made  in  that  manner, 
but  frequently  the  surveyor,  in  correcting  up  his  latitude  and  departure,  would 
rely  on  his  needle  and  not  on  the  chain,  and  plot  his  courses  so  as  to  balance, 
making  his  distances  agree  to  a  single  link.  Surveyors  of  the  present  day 
know  that  this  is  utterly  preposterous,  and  when  they  have  the  least  suspi- 
cion, invariably  rely  on  the  chain.  Frequently  in  the  returns  of  the  surveyor 
to  the  land  commissioners,  he  would  say  in  his  survey-bill,  "  as  the  needle 
pointed  "  in  some  previous  year,  and  particularly  when  he  was  following  an 
old  line ;  but  when  he  began  to  run  a  new  line  in  the  wilderness,  he  would  in- 
variably run  as  the  needle  happened  to  point  at  that  time.  Thus  lines  that 
were  intended  as  parallel  on  the  ground,  and  were  so,  would  have  a  variation  on 
the  map  of  several  degrees. 

The  difficulties  in  chaining  over  mountains,  precipices,  lakes  and  chasms, 
and  getting  the  distances  correct,  is  apparent  to  any  intelligent  man ;  but  to 
make  this  look  particularly  absurd,  in  common  chain  surveying,  we  give  an  in- 
cident of  a  State  Deputy  Surveyor  who  measured  a  gore  between  the  Old  Mil- 
itary tract  and  the  Refugee  tract,  in  Clinton  county.  This  strip  of  land  was 
quite  narrow,  but  very  long,  reaching  from  Dannemora  to  the  Canada  line. 
He  passed  over  three  mountain  chains,  two  large  rivers,  several  precipices  and 
a  chasm  three  hundred  feet  deep ;  and  yet  his  distances  invariably  balance. 
Besides  this  impossible  feat,  he  made  the  Canada   line   at   right  angles   to  his 


222  History  of  Warren  County. 

north  and  south  lines.  When  absolute  accuracy  is  desired,  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
no  two  men  can  chain  a  mile  and  then  chain  it  back  again,  and  find  the  two 
measurements  agree. 

It  was  the  invariable  rule  in  the  early  surveys,  to  make  the  "  usual  allow- 
ance for  roads."  This  was  in  many  instances  known  to  be  five  per  cent,  but 
if  the  patent  was  for  a  specified  number  of  acres,  the  returns  of  the  surveyor 
would  make  the  distances  in  his  return,  and  the  map  also,  to  cover  the  precise 
quantity.  This  five  per  cent,  might  be  added  to  the  side  or  to  the  end  of  a 
patent,  and  to  this  day  which  course  was  adopted,  no  one  can  tell.  Besides 
this  discrepancy  in  the  measurement,  the  Commissioners  of  the  Land  Office 
would  often  say  in  the  patent,  "  in  setting  out  this  grant  we  have  made  due  al- 
lowance for  the  profitable  and  unprofitable  acres,"  and  this  may  have  added  to 
a  confusion  already  badly  confounded. 

The  laps,  or  the  interference  of  patent  lines  that  must  have  necessarily 
followed  such  a  style  of  surveying,  were  not  known  sometimes  until  many 
years  had  elapsed.  The  starting  points  were  often  ill- defined  and  a  malicious 
person  could,  with  an  axe,  destroy  them  in  a  few  minutes.  These  interferences 
were  necessarily  settled  in  the  courts,  and  there  is  hardly  a  map  in  the  archives 
of  the  State  to  show  such  records.  The  gores  that  have  been  discovered  by 
later  surveyors  have  invariably  been  applied  for,  the  tracts  surveyed  and  pat- 
ents granted.  Some  of  these  were  discovered  in  the  early  part  of  the  century, 
and  some  as  late  as  1855.  These  laps  and  gores  alone  are  enough  to  destroy 
the  accuracy  of  Burr's  atlas  and,  in  a  great  degree,  all  that  has  since  been  pub- 
lished. The  writer  had  practical  experience  in  plotting  Warren  county  and 
brief  details  of  the  work  may  not  be  uninteresting  here. 

The  county  line  on  the  north,  as  surveyed  by  Joseph  L.  Harris,  was  the 
base  line  for  the  plot,  and  from  this  was  projected  on  the  south  all  of  the  dif- 
ferent tracts,  as  he  had  indicated  them.  But  as  there  was  no  certainty  that  he 
had  laid  down  the  Hnes  of  the  lots,  the  patent  or  tract  lines  correctly,  every- 
thing that  could  be  obtained  in  the  offices  of  the  Secretary  of  State  and  the 
Surveyor-General,  and  all  that  could  be  obtained  on  the  ground  of  local 
surveyors  was  brought  to  bear  on  the  case,  and  all  known  authorities 
were  consulted.  The  measurements  governed  where  they  agreed,  or  very 
nearly,  and  the  course  of  the  lines  were  left  to  vary  as  the  measurements  should 
prove  them  to  be.  The  Hague  tract  was  first  plotted,  then  the  Northwest  Bay 
tract,  then  the  Luzerne  tract,  which  gave  a  strip  nearly  across  the  county  north 
and  south,  and  on  which  the  measurements  were  supposed  to  be  quite  accurate, 
as  no  account  had  to  be  taken  for  "  the  usual  allowance."  F"rom  these  as  a 
base  we  could  plot  to  the  east  and  west,  and  by  careful  work  bring  all  of  the 
little  patents  into  their  respective  places.  These  usually  did  not  agree  with  the 
dimensions  as  given  in  the  patents,  or  as  designated  on  the  maps,  but  when 
the  shore   line  of  Lake  George   was   drawn,  according  to   a   very  finely  made 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  223 

map  of  the  lake  by  Aug.  F.  Dalton  (1855),  it  was  ascertained  that  they 
agreed  in  very  many  nice  particulars.  In  plotting  west  from  the  large  tracts 
mentioned,  the  position  of  the  confluence  of  the  Sacandaga  River  with  the 
Hudson  was  obtained,  and  then  to  lay  out  the  Dartmouth  patent  and  Hyde 
township  was  undertaken.  This  brought  trouble  and  confusion,  as  the  north- 
west corner  of  Hyde  township  must  be  a  right  angle,  and  the  northwest  line 
would  strike  the  Hudson  River  too  far  south.  Finally  the  townships  of  Totten 
and  Crossfield  were  plotted  and  the  southwest  line  of  Hyde  township  made  to 
agree  with  townships  12  and  14,  and  the  space  that  was  left  was  assigned  to 
Hyde  township,  let  it  be  more  or  less.  From  this  line  the  Dartmouth  patent 
was  plotted,  and  Palmer's  purchase,  according  to  the  decision  of  the  court  in 
a  great  law  suit  where  the  patents  were  said  to  interfere.  From  the  Luzerne 
tract  to  the  east  there  was  no  trouble  in  plotting  Queensbury  and  the  French 
Mountain  tract,  and  the  work  was  completed.  In  all  this,  labor  the  greatest 
care  had  to  be  taken,  and  the  longest  lines  drawn  first.  To  make  sure  that  the 
surveyor  was  pretty  nearly  correct,  we  invariably  added  his  dimensions  of  the 
lots,  to  see  if  they  agreed  with  the  length  given  on  the  outside  lines,  and  as 
often  the  different  dimensions  of  the  little  patents  adjoining.  When  they  dis- 
agreed to  any  considerable  extent,  the  latest  measurement  was  adopted. 
When  we  consider  that  hardly  a  mile  of  any  of  these  lines  was  originally  run 
on  level  land,  and  some  of  them  over  very  high  mountains,  steep,  rocky,  and 
covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  forest,  it  is  surprising  that  anything  like  accu- 
racy could  be  obtained. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
warren  county  in  the  rebellion. 

Patriotic  Action  of  the  County  —  The  First  Recruiting  Officers  —  Two  Companies  Raised  —  The 
Twenty-second  Regiment  —  Company  Officers  —  Rosters  —  The  Ninety-sixtli  Regiment  —  Company  I 

Company  K,  One  Hundred  Fifty-third  Regiment  —  The  Ninety-third  Regiment — Warren  County 

Enlistments  —  The  One  Hundred  Eighteenth  Regiment  —  Second  Veteran  Cavalry  —  Statistics. 

THE  news  of  the  outburst  of  "the  great  Rebellion,"  in  April,  1861,  was 
borne  through  the  rugged  wilds  and  hills  of  Warren  county  with  a  celerity 
like  that  of  the  "  fiery  cross,"  which  in  past  generations  gathered  the  clans  of 
Scotland  to  the  call  of  their  chieftains. 

In  less  than  three  days  after  the  fall  of  Sumter,  applications  were  addressed 

to  the  adjutant-general's  office,  in  Albany,  for  authority  to  procure  enlistments. 

On  the  morning   of  Thursday,  the  i8th   of  April,  handbills   were   posted 


224  History  of  Warren  County. 

throughout  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  containing  a  call,  signed  by  over  forty  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  place,  for  "a  meeting  to  sustain  the  government." 
At  this  meeting,  which  was  held  the  same  evening,  and  which  was  largely  at- 
tended, several  spirited  addresses  were  made.  The  national  flag  was  brought 
in  and  displayed  amidst  the  wildest  enthusiasm,  and  a  series  of  patriotic  reso- 
lutions adopted,  from  which  the  following  extract  is  taken  as  a  sample  of  their 
purport  and  spirit :  — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  village  of  Glens  Falls  will  not  be  behind  any  of  her  sis- 
ter villages  in  contributing  the  men  and  the  means  necessary  to  defend  the 
government,  and  to  maintain  the  permanency  of  our  beloved  institutions ;  and 
that,  as  our  fathers  who  established  the  Union  pledged  '  their  lives,  their  for- 
tunes, and  their  sacred  honors,'  to  gain  our  independence,  so  will  we  pledge  all 
we  possess  to  cherish  and  protect  the  work  of  the  illustrious  men  of  the  past, 
and  to  transmit  unimpaired  to  our  descendants  the  noble  institutions  given 
to  us. 

"  Resolved,  That  to  the  end  we  are  for  maintaining  this  Union  undivided, 
and,  whatever  may  be  the  consequences,  sacrifice  of  property  or  life  itself — 
everything  but  loss  of  honor  —  we  will  stand  by  the  stars  and  stripes  until  the 
last  faint  echo  in  the  expiring  gale  wafts  our  dying  prayer  heavenward,  in  be- 
half of  our  country,  its  institutions,  and  humanity." 

On  the  succeeding  Saturday  the  first  recruiting  office  was  opened  by  Dr. 
A.  W.  Holden,  and  during  the  following  week  Captain  George  Clendon,  jr., 
was  similarly  authorized  to  raise  another  company,  both  of  which  were  designed 
to  apply  on  the  quota  of  New  York  to  fill  the  first  call  for  troops. 

At  this  early  period  in  the  war,  no  other  town  in  the  county  had  as  yet  un- 
dertaken to  raise  a  company.  The  hardy  and  adventurous  youth  and  patriotic 
manhood  of  its  northern  towns  were  not,  however,  to  be  repressed.  Day  by 
day  they  poured  in  at  the  recruiting  stations,  and,  in  many  instances,  impatient 
of  the  tardy  process  of  enlistment,  pushed  on  to  the  cities  and  enlisted  in  com- 
panies and  regiments  already  formed,  and  ready  for  departure  to  the  scene  of 
hostilities. 

The  two  companies  above  mentioned  were  soon  filled,  and  were  accepted 
into  the  State  service  on  the  6th  and  yth  of  May  following,  and  on  the  9th  were 
ordered  into  quarters — one  into  the  barracks  at  Troy,  the  other  at  the  Albany 
depot.  The  latter  was  at  a  later  period  sent  to  Troy,  and  the  two  afterwards 
joined  together  in  the  formation  of  the  New  York  Twenty-second  Volunteers, 
of  which  regiment  a  sketch  is  given  in  this  chapter.  Companies  G  and  I  of 
the  same  command  also  received  considerable  accessions  from  Warren  county. 

Contemporaneously  with  the  organization  of  these  companies  a  relief  fund 
was  raised  by  voluntary  subscriptions,  in  the  town  of  Queensbury  alone, 
amounting  to  $1 1,243,  for  the  aid  and  support  of  the  families  of  such  mem- 
bers  of  these   companies   as   were    needy  or    destitute.     Another    fund,    the 


9T 

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226  History  of  Warren  County. 

do  it  reverence),  supplied  a  large  proportion  of  the  officers,  and  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  the  men,  who  filled  this  first  installment  of  the  mighty  armies  of  the 
North.  By  special  favor  from  the  military  board  the  regiment  was  permitted 
to  go  into  barracks  at  the  fair  grounds  of  the  Rensselaer  County  Agricultural 
Society,  near  the  city  of  Troy,  although  Albany  had  been  officially  designated 
as  the  military  depot  for  that  section  of  the  State.  Here  commenced  the  first 
experiences  of  that  rigid  discipline  so  necessary  to  the  formation  of  the  thor- 
ough soldier.  Here  was  first  tasted  that  bitter  cup  to  the  volunteer  soldier, 
the  restriction  of  personal  liberty  by  sentries  and  guard  lines.  Although  ac- 
cepted and  mustered  Into  the  State  service,  some  of  the  companies,  through 
dissatisfaction  with  their  officers  and  various  other  causes,  became  rapidly  re- 
duced by  desertion.  Prompt  steps  were  taken  to  supply  the  unwelcome  de- 
ficit at  this  critical  moment,  for  it  was  still  obligatory  to  come  up  to  the  pre- 
scribed standard  of  "  seventy-five  men,"  neither  more  nor  less,  before  the  com- 
panies could  be  mustered  into  the  United  States  service.  Recruiting  officers 
from  nearly  every  company  were  dispatched  home  for  fresh  volunteers,  and 
the  regiment  was  thus  increased  by  over  a  hundred.  About  this  time  it  be- 
came necessary  to  disband  the  Whitehall  company,  through  an  embittered 
state  of  feeling  which  had  grown  up  between  the  men  and  its  officers,  and 
also,  as  was  alleged,  from  the  failure  of  the  home  committee  to  support  the 
families  of  the  enlisted  rnen  agreeably  to  the  understanding  had  when  they  en- 
listed. There  may  have  been  still  other  causes,  but  these  were  the  leading 
ones.  Most  of  the  men  re-enlisted,  some  in  one  company,  some  in  another. 
The  commissioned  officers  being  left  without  a  command,  of  course  resigned. 
Upon  the  feeble  debris  of  the  company  left  a  new  one  was  soon  afterward  or- 
ganized, nearly  all  the  companies  in  the  barracks  contributing  their  surplus 
men  for  the  purpose,  the  new  captain,  Benjamin  Mosher,  soon  after  increasing 
the  number  by  a  fresh  importation  of  recruits  from  Whitehall  and  vicinity. 

About  the  20th  of  May  the  staff  appointments  were  made  and  announced, 
and  for  the  first  a  complete  roster  was  made. 

Following  is  a  roster  of  the  officers  of  the  Twenty-second  Regiment  on 
the  1st  of  June,  1861.     The  commissions  are  all   dated  May  and  June,  1861. 

Field  and  Staff. —  Colonel,  Walter  Phelps,  jr..  Glens  Falls. 

Lieutenant-colonel,  Gorton  T.  Thomas,  Keeseville. 

Major,  John  M'Kie,  Cambridge. 

Adjutant,  Edward  Pruyn. 

Quartermaster,  Henry  Woodruff,  Troy. 

Surgeon,  J.  B.  Atherly,  Albany. 

Assistant  surgeon,  W.  F.  Hutchinson,  Sandy  Hill. 

Chaplain,  Rev.  H.  H.  Bates,  Glens  Falls. 

Paymaster,  Benjamin  C.  Butler,  Luzerne. 

Non- Commissioned  Staff. —  Sergeant- Major,  John  F.^Towne,  Sandy  Hill. 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  227 

Quartermaster-sergeant,  Jeremiah  W.  Fairbanks,  Cohoes. 

Commissary-sergeant,  Charles  Bellamy,  Glens  Falls. 

Hospital  steward,  David  H.  King,  Fort  Edward. 

Drum-major,  John  Scott,  Hebron. 

Fife-major,  John  Wright,  Glens  Falls. 

Color-sergeant,  James  Johnson,  Glens  Falls. 

Right  general-guide,  Malachi  Weidman,  Waterford. 

Left  general-guide,  John  J.  Barker,  Glens  Falls. 

Line  Officers.  —  Company  A.  —  Captain,  J.  L.  Yates,  Cohoes  ;  first  lieu- 
tenant, Jas.  H.  Bratt,  Waterford ;  second  lieutenant,  Hiram  Clute,  Cohoes. 

Company  B.  —  Captain,  Robert  McCoy,  Fort  Edward ;  first  lieutenant, 
Duncan  Lendrum,  Fort  Edward ;  second  lieutenant,  James  W.  McCoy,  Fort 
Edward. 

Company  C.  —  Captain,  O.  D.  Peabody,  Keeseville ;  first  lieutenant,  C.  D. 
Beaumont,  Keeseville  ;  second  lieutenant,  C.  B.  Piersons,  Albany. 

Company  D.  —  Captain,  H.  S.  Milliman,  Cambridge  ;  first  lieutenant,  T.  B. 
Fisk,  Cambridge ;  second  lieutenant,  R.  A.  Rice,  Cambridge. 

Company  E.  —  Captain,  Geo.  Clendon,  jr..  Glens  Falls  ;  first  lieutenant, 
John  S.  Fassett,  Glens  Falls  ;  second  lieutenant,  G.  H.  Gayger,  Glens  Falls. 

Company  F.  —  Captain,  A.  W.  Holden,  Glens  Falls  ;  first  lieutenant,  Wm. 
H.  Arlin,  Glens  Falls ;  second  lieutenant,  O.  B.  Smith,  Glens  Falls. 

Company  G.  —  Captain,  Benj.  J.  Mosher,  Whitehall ;  first  lieutenant, 
Duncan  Cameron,  Glens  Falls ;  second  lieutenant,  Henry  C.  Hay,  Glens  Falls. 

Company  H.  —  Captain,  T.  J.  Strong,  Sandy  Hill ;  first  lieutenant,  W.  A. 
Pierson,  Sandy  Hill ;  second  lieutenant,  M.  S.  Teller,  Sandy  Hill. 

Company  I.  —  Captain,  Lyman  Ormsbee,  Schroon ;  first  lieutenant,  J.  R. 
Seaman,  Schroon ;  second  lieutenant,  D.  Burgey,  Schroon. 

Company  K.  —  Captain,  Miles  P.  S.  Caldwell,  Port  Henry ;  first  lieutenant, 
E.  F.  Edgerly,  Moriah ;  second  lieutenant,  C.  W.  Huntly,  Bridgeport,  Vt. 

On  the  6th  of  June  the  band  of  the  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service 
by  Captain  Frank  Wheaton,  of  the  regular  army,  much  to  the  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  of  the  entire  organization.  It  was  under  the  leadership  of  Asa 
Patten. 

While  encamped  at  Troy  the  time  was  busily  improved  by  the  regiment  in 
the  daily  drill  which  is  necessary  to  efficiency  in  any  military  organization. 
On  Monday,  June  20,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Albany,  where  it  occupied 
quarters  at  the  Industrial  barracks,  quarters  which  were  vastly  inferior  to  those 
left.  On  the  following  day  the  men  received  their  first  pay  as  soldiers,  cover- 
ing the  time  passed  in  the  service  of  the  State.  While  in  Albany  the  regiment 
received  its  first  equipment  of  arms,  the  guns  being  the  old  pattern  of  smooth- 
bore Springfield  musket;  this  arm  gave  considerable  dissatisfaction,  and  at  a 
subsequent  date,  through  the  exertions  of  Colonel  Phelps  and  Quartermaster 
Schenck,  the  Springfield  rifle  was  substituted. 


228  History  of  Warren  County. 


June  27th  the  regiment  received  marching  orders,  and  on  the  following 
day  under  escort  of  Captain  Ainsworth's  Albany  Zouaves,  marched  through 
the  principal  streets  to  the  steamer.  The  band  played  national  airs  and  the 
troops  were  cheered  and  greeted  by  waving  banners  and  handkerchiefs  from 
many  windows.  Embarking  in  two  barges  and  a  steamer,  the  trip  down  the 
Hudson  was  made  and  the  next  day  the  Dey  street  dock  was  reached  in  New 
York  city  The  same  evening  the  regiment  was  transferred  to  a  steamer  and 
taken  to  Elizabethport,  N.  J.,  where  for  the  first  time  hard  tack  and  raw  meat 
were  issued  to  the  men.  It  was  an  unwelcome  and  radical  change  from  the 
sumptuous  Albany  rations  and  gave  a  foretaste  of  what  was  to  come.  About 
midnight  the  regiment  embarked  on  freight  cars  and  the  journey  to  Baltimore 
was  safely  made,  with  but  one  untoward  incident:  Joseph  Pero  and  Frederick 
Minne  of  Company  C,  were  knocked  from  the  car  by  coming  in  contact  with 
a  footbridge.  They  were  severely  injured,  but  finally  recovered.  Pero  was 
killed  in  the  Second  Bull  Run  battle. 

As  the  regiment  approached  Baltimore  the  men  were  .deeply  imbued  with 
the  expectation  of  an  attack  by  the  mobs  that  had  but  a  few  weeks  previously 
so  ruthlessly  attacked  the  Massachusetts  troops.     The   regiment  left  the   cars 
about  8  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  was  drawn  up  in   line.     The   following  description 
of  the  passage  through  the  city  was  written  by  Dr.   Holden  in   1862  :     *•  The 
men  who  had  been  previously  furnished  with  six  rounds  of  cartridges  were  now 
ordered  to  load.     Although  the  dun  clouds  which  shrouded  the   sun's  golden 
setting  had  veiled  the  stars  with  a  filmy  haze,  the  evening  was  still  calm,  beau- 
tiful and  serene.     Just  as  the  long  rows  of  gas  lights  came  flashing  into   exis- 
tence, we  were  ordered  to  wheel  into  column  by  platoons,  and  then  we  com- 
menced our  march.     Never  did   those   glorious  old   national  anthems  speak 
more  thrillingly  to  the  heart  than  on  the  occasion  now  described.     The  proud 
patriotism  which  animated  every  heart  in  the  line  prepared  each  one  then  and 
there  to  become  martyrs  if  need  be  for  our  country's  welfare.     It  was  Sunday 
night,  an  •  evening  calm  and  cool, '  when  all  were  at  leisure,  and  nothing  pre- 
vented the  gathering  of  a  mob.     The  bold,  martial  strains  of  a  military  band, 
especially  of  a  Sunday  night,  were  a  novelty  to  the  citizens  of  Baltimore,  for 
since  the  occurrence  of  the  riot  and  massacre  of  the  Massachusetts  troops  on  the 
17th  of  April,  all  of  the  national  troops  had  been  hurried   through   the  city 
without  ceremony,  regardless  of  military  display,  and  some  of  that  dignity  which 
should  always  attend  a  preponderating  armed  force.     Our  advent  and   transit 
was  at  first  met  with  a  dubious  welcome,  and  as  we  occasionally  turned  a  street 
corner,  with  a  few  faint-hearted   cheers.     In   one  or  two  instances   bouquets 
were  flung  in  our  midst  by  true-hearted,  loyal  women  who  dared  to   be  patri- 
otic, against  the  pretensions  of  class  and  the  exclusivness  of  caste,  at  a   period 
when  slave  aristocracy  was  combining  its  fairest  energies  to  rule  or  ruin.      As 
we  passed  the  heart  of  the  city  and  approached  the  suburbs   on   the  opposite 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  229 

side,  the  gathering  hostile  elements  became  rapidly  apparent,  and  cheers  for 
'  Jeff.  Davis, '  and  groans,  execrations,  anathemas  and  maledictions  for  '  Abe 
Lincoln, '  became  painfully  distinguishable  above  the  noise  of  the  music,  and 
the  steady  tramp  of  our  advancing  column.  As  we  drew  near  the  Camden 
depot  at  the  Washington  extremity,  the  shouts  and  clamor  increased  in  fre- 
quency and  volume,  while  the  walks  and  streets  were  thronged  with  the  pop- 
ulace eagerly  hurrying  along  upon  our  flanks.  Then  came  the  order  '  by  the 
right  flank,  by  file  left,  march, '  and  soon  the  head  file  of  the  column  entered 
the  depot.  The  band  continued  playing  until  it  reached  the  opposite  end  of 
the  building  when  the  line  was  '  halted, '  brought  to  the  '  front  face '  and 
'  dressed. '  Companies  B  and  G,  on  the  extreme  left,  were  still  outside  the 
building.  A  sergeant  was  entering  the  building ;  he  stumbled  and  fell,  and 
his  musket  (being  loaded  and  capped),  as  it  struck  heavily  on  the  floor,  ex- 
ploded, the  discharge  wounding  a  citizen,  standing  near  by,  in  the  foot.  This 
was  followed  by  three  or  four  scattering  shots,  apparently  from  the  roof  of  the 
building,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  fusilade  partly  on  the  right  and  partly  in 
the  center  of  the  regiment.  At  this  juncture  all  the  gas  lights  in  the  building 
were  suddenly  extinguished  as  though  by  a  preconcerted  signal.  At  the  same 
instant  a  flash  as  of  thirty  or  forty  pieces  was  seen  from  the  side  of  the  building 
towards  which  the  line  was  faced,  and  similar  flashes  appeared  as  though  from 
the  roof,  towards  which  a  scattered  and  irregular  fire  was  kept  up  through  the 
line.  At  this  stage  of  affairs  the  commanding  voices  of  Colonel  Phelps  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Thomas  were  heard  through  the  line  above  the  din  and 
roar  of  musketry.  Their  self-possession,  aided  by  the  efforts  of  the  line  ofiicers, 
soon  restored  order  and  quiet  through  the  ranks.  Major  M'Kie,  in  conse- 
quence of  an  injury  received  while  landing  from  the  boat  at  Elizabethport,  N. 
J.,  had  been  left  behind  and  did  not  rejoin  the  regiment  until  the  following  day. 
During  the  tumult,  one  of  the  privates  from  Company  F  mounted  the  shoulders 
of  a  comrade  and  endeavored  to  light  one  of  the  gas  burners  with  a  match, 
but  could  not,  thus  showing  conclusively  that  the  gas  had  been  turned  off  at  the 
meter.  Shots  were  also  distinctly  seen  by  those  standing  outside  the  building, 
fired  towards  the  regiment  from  the  windows  of  the  adjacent  houses.  As  soon 
as  order  was  restored  the  employees  of  the  building  rekindled  the  lights,  and 
the  startling  word  was  passed  through  the  line  that  one  of  our  brother  soldiers 
was  killed  and  another  seriously  wounded,  with  other  vague  conjectures  and 
rumors  that  an  organized  attack  was  being  made  upon  us  by  the  notorious  and 
infamous  '  plug-uglies  '  of  Baltimore.  A  portion  of  this  intelligence  was  alas, 
too  true,  and  as  later  acquired  knowledge  would  seem  to  justify  the  opinion, 
probably  all  of  it.  Edward  Burge,  a  private  belonging  to  Company  I,  whose 
home  was  in  Pottersville,  Warren  county,  was  found  dead — shot  through  the 
head,  by  the  testimony  of  the  regimental  surgeon  in  a  subsequent  investigation 
of  the  affair, — the  ball  entering  the  skull  from   above   and   passing  out  below 


230  History  of  Warren  County. 

near  the  jaw-bone.  The  wounded  man  belonged  to  Company  H,  of  Sandy 
Hill.  Hi.s  name  was  Lorenzo  Palmer.  Police  officers  were  soon  on  the  ground 
inquiring  into  the  details  of  the  affair,  and  seemed  anxious  to  get  rid  of  us  as 
quickly  as  possible.  In  a  short  time  the  regiment  was  shipped  aboard  of  a 
train  of  cars  and  was  rattling  on  its  way  to  Washington.  Before  we  left  assur- 
ances were  received  that  all  the  forces  in  the  adjacent  fortifications,  numbering 
eight  regiments,  were  already  on  their  way  to  our  assistance.  The  following 
morning  the  arrest  of  Marshal  Kane  and  other  arch  conspirators  in  that  hot- bed 
of  secession  did  something  towards  checking  that  rampant  hostility  towards  the 
northern  soldiery  then  pouring  in  daily  by  regiments  to  the  national  capitol. 
A  new  system  was  speedily  inaugurated.  The  old  police  force  was  disbanded, 
many  being  placed  under  summary  arrest,  some  of  whom  were  no  doubt  par- 
ticipants in  the  April  riots. " 

Whether  or  not  this  occurrence  was  the  result  of  preconcerted  plans  for 
assaulting  the  regiment  is  even  yet  a  question  of  dispute.  A  court  of  inquiry 
was  held  and  the  people  of  Baltimore  exonerated,  the  cause  of  the  whole  affair 
being  attributed  to  the  first  accidental  discharge  of  one  musket  and  the  suc- 
ceeding firing  by  the  troops  without  orders  ;  but  there  are  others  still  living 
who  were  participants  in  the  affair,  and  take  a  different  view  of  the  matter. 

The  regiment  reached  Washington  about  midnight,  where  the  men  saw  the 
dead  body  of  a  picket  brought  in,  one  who  had  recently  been  shot  while  on 
duty.  This  incident  —  a  trifle  in  the  red  annals  of  the  war  —  and  the  sight  of 
camp-fires  in  all  directions,  with  other  unmistakable  indications,  told  the  regi- 
ment in  no  uncertain  tones  that  they  had  almost  reached  the  theatre  of  their 
future  struggles.  A  portion  of  the  regiment  was  quartered  in  the  Washington 
Assembly  Rooms  and  the  remainder  in  the  Baptist  Church  on  Fifth  street.  On 
the  following  day  the  lamented  Burge  was  buried  in  one  of  the  city  burial 
grounds.  The  next  day,  July  ist,  the  regiment  was  marched  up  Seventh  street 
to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Soldiers'  Retreat,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  north- 
east of  the  city,  to  the  grounds  vacated  by  the  Fourteenth  (Brooklyn)  New 
York  State  Militia,  where  it  went  into  camp.  Here,  in  the  beautiful  Virginia 
summer  days,  the  regiment  enjoyed  a  period  of  pleasant  camp  life,  varied  only 
by  the  part  it  took  in  the  remarkable  celebration  of  July  4th  which  took  place 
in  Washington.  Again  we  quote  from  Dr.  Holden  his  description  of  the  oc- 
currences of  the  next  few  weeks :  "  The  fortnight  following  the  review  was  a 
busy  time  in  Washington,  for  preparations  were  being  actively  made  for  an  at- 
tack upon  the  rebel  force  assembled  at  Manassas  Plains The  bat- 
tle was  fought ;  —  fought  bravely  and  well  for  comparatively  raw  troops.  Its 
general  results  were  soon  known  far  and  wide,  and  the  whole  affair  has  now  be- 
come a  part  of  the  history  of  the  war.  The  cannonading  of  the  17th  (Thursday), 
as  well  as  the  21st,  was  distinctly  heard  in  our  camp,  and  while  speculation  was 
rife  as  to  its  causes  and  results,  we  were  in  the  interval  momentarily  expecting 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  231 

to  move  over  the  river  and  participate  in  the  action.  We  were  happily  spared 
both  its  dangers  and  glories.  On  Sunday  morning,  July  21st  (the  day  of  the 
famous  First  Bull  Run  fight),  just  as  the  regiment  had  been  drawn  up  in  line  for 
religious  services,  a  courier  dashed  up  to  headquarters  on  a  gallop  with  a  mes- 
sage which  proved  to  be  '  marching  orders  '  for  Harper's  Ferry.  The  regiment 
was  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  move  at  twelve  o'clock  M.,  at  which  hour  the 
order  was  countermanded.  The  same  evening  at  '  dress  parade  '  orders  were 
received  to  march  immediately  across  the  river.  The  line  was  dismissed  and 
the  boys  with  a  cheer  set  hastily  to  work  to  make  the  necessary  preparations, 
which  included  the  distribution  of  cartridges  and  the  preparation  of  two  days' 
rations.  Within  an  hour  to  the  inspiriting  rattle  of  the  'long  roll,'  the  men 
were  again  in  line  in  'light  marching  order.'  We  were  instructed  to  leave  our 
tents  standing  and  our  baggage  packed  behind  us.  The  men  moved  buoyantly 
forward  down  South  street,  to  the  exhilarating  music  of  our  band.  As  the 
head  of  our  column  wheeled  into  the  avenue,  dense  crowds  of  anxious-looking 
people  thronged  the  sidewalks,  who  hailed  our  advent  with  prolonged  and  re- 
peated cheers.  The  bad  news  was  just  coming  in  from  Bull  Run.  As  we 
reached  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Long  Bridge,  we  were  directed  to  'halt,' 
'stack  arms,'  and  '  rest'  While  awaiting  further  orders  at  this  point,  scattering 
and  fleet-footed  fugitives  from  the  scene  of  conflict  came  cantering  hurriedly 
across  the  bridge.  Among  the  number  was  the  famous  correspondent 
of  the  London  Times,  quite  extensively  known  by  the  sobriquet  of  '  Bull 
Run  Russell.'  Of  his  interview  with  our  regiments  at  that  time,  he  makes  the 
following  mention  in  his  published  'diary:'  'At  the  Washington  end  of  the 
bridge  I  was  challenged  again  by  the  men  of  a  whole  regiment,  who,  with  piled 
arms,  were  halted  on  the  chaussie,  smoking,  laughing,  and  singing.  "  Stranger 
have  you  been  to  the  fight  ?  "  "I  have  been  only  a  little  beyond  Centerville." 
But  that  was  quite  enough.  Soldiers,  civilians,  and  women  who  seemed  to  be 
out  unusually  late,  crowded  around  the  horse,  and  again  I  told  my  stereotyped 
story  of  the  unsuccessful  attempt  to  carry  the  Confederate  position,  and  the  re- 
treat to  Centerville  to  await  better  luck  next  time.  The  soldiers  alongside  me 
cheered,  and  those  next  them  took  it  up,  till  it  ran  through  the  whole  line,  and 
must  have  awakened  the  night-owls.  After  remaining  about  two  hours,  orders 
came,  and  the  men  in  a  very  despondent,  dissatisfied  sort  of  a  way,  resumed  their 
arms,  and  we  retraced  our  steps  in  silence  and  gloom,  only  broken  by  the  monot- 
onous tramp,  tramp,  of  many  feet.  The  next  day  was  a  gloomy  one  for  the 
city  and  the  government.  It  rained  heavily,  and  stragglers  wet,  dispirited  and 
demoralized,  thronged  the  thoroughfares,  while  the  wounded  came  in  like  the 
waves  of  a  flood-tide,  filling  up  all  the  temporary  makeshifts  dignified  by  the 
name  of  hospitals,  which  was  the  best  that  could  be  done  at  the  time,  no  doubt. 
The  Second  New  Hampshire  Volunteers,  whose  camp  adjoined  ours,  and  whose 
tents  had  been  left  standing,  suffered  severely  in  the  engagement,  and  all  day 


232  History  of  Warren  County. 

long  their  wounded  and  stragglers  came  droopingly  along  by  ones,  twos,  and 
threes — a  sorry  but  impressive  sight,  enabling  us  all  to  appreciate  to  some  de- 
gree the  terrors,  the  terrible  realities  of  war.  Fragments  of  regiments  but  lately 
exultant  with  swollen  ranks  and  brave  bearing,  came  creeping  along  to  the  slow 
tap  of  the  drum,  while  knots  and  gangs  of  stragglers  assailed  every  guard  line 
and  camp  for  food,  shelter,  and  drink.  The  army,  by  general  order  was  declared 
demoralized,  and  stringent  orders  were  speedily  promulgated,  that  all  stragglers 
and  soldiers  without  properly  authenticated  passes,  should  be  arrestee^  and  sent 
to  their  respective  commands.  It  was  not  permitted  to  harbor  or  refresh  them 
under  penalty,  —  seemingly  a  rash  rule,  but  really  just  and  proper;  contribut- 
ing largely  to  the  restoration  of  discipline  and  good  order  among  them.  It 
will  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  with  the  few  exceptions  of  sick  and  lame,  it  is 
the  poorest  and  most  cowardly,  and  not  the  bravest  and  best  soldiers,  who 
straggle  from  their  commands." 

The  remainder  of  our  account  of  this  regiment  is  gathered  in  disconnected 
details  from  portions  of  the  annual  reports  of  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Mil- 
itary Statistics  and  from  the  vivid  recitals  of  passing  events  written  home  by 
soldiers  at  the  time  of  their  occurrences. 

The  next  day  the  regiment  went  into  camp  on  Arlington  Heights.  Gene- 
ral McDowell  commanded  the  division.  On  the  route,  after  crossing  to  Alex- 
andria, the  march  was  conducted  between  almost  unbroken  lines  of  troops, 
among  which  were  the  New  York  Twenty-first,  Twenty-third,  Twenty-fourth 
and  Twenty-fifth  Volunteers,  and  the  Fourteenth  Chasseurs  from  Brooklyn, 
who,  in  the  engagement  at  Bull  Run,  had  seven  times  attacked  the  enemy's 
batteries  and  were  seven  times  repulsed  with  deadly  loss.  All  along  the  lines 
were  visible  the  pavilioned  fields  of  the  Union  patriots,  giving  encouraging  ev- 
idence that  the  government  deemed  it  necessary  to  make  this  important  post 
as  nearly  impregnable  as  possible  ;  for  from  the  heights  rising  just  across  the 
river  from  Washington,  the  city  could  be  easily  bombarded  and  destroyed. 
At  this  time  the  soldiers  were  in  a  general  state  of  discouragement.  The  ad- 
verse turn  which  affairs  had  taken  at  Bull  Run,  the  disheartening  disparity  in 
the  numbers  and  equipment  of  the  men  from  the  South  and  the  boys  from 
the  North,  and  the  greater  fatigue  necessarily  falling  to  the  lot  of  the  invad- 
ing forces,  united  in  augmenting  the  already  thickening  gloom  of  war.  Not- 
withstanding this  discouraging  state  of  affairs  the  men  of  the  Twenty-second 
bore  up  with  praiseworthy  stoicism.  In  a  letter  written  by  an  officer  of  this 
regiment  from  Arlington  Heights,  July  29th,  i86i,  is  the  following  description 
of  the  march  from  Washington  : — 

"  Our  regiment  received  the  order  on  Wednesday  afternoon  last  to  march 
across  the  Potomac ;  forty  minutes  after  notice  the  men  were  moving  in  col- 
umn towards  the  Long  Bridge,  which  they  crossed  between  seven  and  eight 
o'clock.     They  carried  their  muskets,  cartridge-boxes  and  haversacks,  with  ra- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  233 

tions  for  thirty-six  hours.  As  the  tents  and  other  camp  equipage  were  left  in 
charge  of  a  guard  at  the  old  encampment,  of  course  the  soldiers  had  to  rough 
it  a  little.  They  slept  on  the  ground  in  the  open  air,  and  on  their  arms,  pre- 
pared to  turn  out  at  a  moment's  warning  to  receive  the  enemy,  an  attack  from 
whom  was  not  entirely  unexpected.  Indeed,  the  long  roll  was  once  sounded 
and  the  whole  regiment  turned  out  and  marshaled  for  an  attack,  but  the 
alarm  was  happily  unfounded.  Located  as  we  now  are,  not  far  from  the  rebel 
outposts,  a  night  onset  on  our  sentinels,  or  even  an  attempted  surprisal  of  our 
camp,  might  at  any  hour  of  darkness  be  looked  for. 

"  Our  regiment  was  to-day  paid  off  from  the  first  of  June — the  day  on 
which  they  were  mustered  into  the  United  States  service — to  the  first  of  July. 
Hitherto  the  government  has  paid  its  soldiers  only  once  in  two  months  ;  but  a 
bill  is  before  Congress,  which  has  already  passed  the  House,  to  pay  the  men 
monthly.  This  bill  will  pass  the  Senate,  as  it  ought,  and  under  it  our  men 
will  in  a  few  days  receive  another  month's  pay  now  almost  due." 

Until  September  28th  the  regiment  remained  at  the  Heights  performing 
camp,  guard  and  fatigue  duties,  and  on  that  day  was  in  the  reconnaissance  to 
Upton's  Hill,  and  took  up  camp  there  for  the  winter. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  March  loth,  1862,  the  troops  were  no- 
tified that  orders  had  been  issued  for  the  advance,  early  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, of  the  entire  army.  The  march  was  commenced  as  ordered,  and  a  little 
after  noon  on  the  nth  took  the  Twenty-second  to  Fairfax  Court  House,  Va., 
about  three  miles  from  Centerville.  On  the  13th  they  advanced  to  Center- 
ville.  On  the  15th  the  regiment  returned  to  Alexandria  by  a  march  of  twen- 
ty-one miles  through  a  drenching  rain,  and  across  streams  almost  destitute  of 
bridges.      On  the  next  day  it  removed  to  its  old  camp  on  Upton's  Hill. 

The  regiment  entered  upon  the  campaign  of  1862  on  the  4th  of  April,  by 
breaking  camp  and  marching  to  within  four  miles  of  Fairfax,  where,  near  An- 
nandale,  it  bivouacked.  On  the  5th  camp  was  pitched  four  miles  beyond  Cen- 
terville. The  next  day  it  marched  about  four  miles  beyond  Manassas  Junction, 
near  Bristow  Station,  camped,  and  remained  through  a  severe  storm  of  rain 
and  snow  until  the  15th,  when,  between  the  hours  of  6  and  10  P.  M.,  it 
marched  to  near  Catlett's  Station  on  Cedar  Run.  At  half-past  six  on  the 
morning  of  the  17th  the  march  was  resumed,  and  continued,  with  occasional 
brief  intermissions,  until  nine  o'clock  that  evening;  on  the  i8th,  after  a  march 
was  begun  which  occupied  the  energies  of  the  regiment  from  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning  until  nine,  and  Falmouth,  opposite  Fredericksburg,  on  the  Rap- 
pahannock River,  was  reached.  During  the  entire  marching  the  retreating 
enemy  was  in  the  front  engaging  in  occasional  skirmishes  with  our  cavalry  ad- 
vance, and  finally  receding  to  Fredericksburg  and  burning  the  bridge  across 
the  Rappahannock.  At  this  encampment  the  regiment  remained  until  the 
25th  of  May,  with  varied  camp  and  patrol  duties.     It  participated  in  the  grand 


234  History  of  Warren  County. 

review  by  the  president  on  the  23d.  On  the  25th  it  crossed  the  river,  moved 
about  six  miles  below  Fredericksburg  and  bivouacked  near  the  Massaponax. 
Between  this  time  and  the  15th  of  June  the  regiment  was  kept  moving.  At 
Massaponax,  the  order  to  advance  being  countermanded,  the  regiment,  on  the 
29th  of  May,  retraced  its  steps  to  within  eight  miles  of  Fredericksburg,  reached 
Catlett's  Station  on  the  31st  {enroute  ior  Manassas  Gap),  there  took  the  cars 
and  after  riding  all  night  reached  Front  Royal.  Being  unable  to  cross  the 
Shenandoah,  by  reason  of  the  destruction  of  the  bridge,  it  returned  to  Hay- 
market,  June  6th.  On  the  15th  of  June,  it  passed  successively  from  bivouac 
to  bivouac,  through  Warrenton,  Warrenton  Junction,  to  Elk  Run  Crossing. 
At  this  encampment  the  men  were  chiefly  occupied  with  camp  duties  and 
details  on  the  railroad  bridge.  Field  duties  were  not  resumed  until  the  5th  of 
August.  After  returning  from  a  reconnaissance  south  of  Fredericksburg  it 
left  that  place  on  the  loth  and  after  repeated  marches  attended  with  all  the  lu- 
dicrous and  tragical  concomitants  of  an  army  in  motion,  reached  the  vicinity 
of  the  Cedar  Mountain  battle-field  August  9th.  Thence  it  passed  to  Cedar 
Mountain,  to  the  neighborhood  of  Rappahannock  Station  on  the  Orange  and 
Alexandria  railroad,  and,  on  the  20th,  across  the  Rappahanock.  Here  the 
rear  guard  went  through  the  initiatory  experience  of  an  engagement,  being  at- 
tacked by  the  enemy,  and  the  regiment  participated,  on  the  three  succeeding 
days,  in  a  series  of  engagements,  and  repulsed  the  efforts  of  the  enemy  to  cross 
the  river.  At  9  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  August  23d  the  regiment  reached 
Warrenton.  On  the  29th  it  was  engaged  at  Manassas  Plains  (second  Bull 
Run),  and  fell  back  to  Centerville  at  night  with  only  one  captain  and  four  lieu- 
tenants out  of  twenty-five  officers  who  had  accompanied  the  regiment  to  the 
battle-field,  and  two  hundred  and  four  enlisted  men  present  for  duty.  The 
fight  lasted  two  days.  On  both  days  the  men,  it  is  said,  were  sacrificed,  led 
into  an  ambush  and  subjected  to  a  terrible  enfilading  fire  on  the  left,  front  and 
rear.  The  men  stood  under  this  fire  until  their  ammunition  was  gone,  and 
then  threw  stones  at  the  enemy  ! 

On  the  second  of  September  the  remnant  of  the  regiment  reached  their  old 
encampment  at  Upton's  Hill,  and  on  the  sixth  entered  upon  the  Maryland  cam- 
paign. It  took  an  active  part  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Sharps- 
burg  (Antietam).  At  the  former  engagement  the  advance  was  made  under  hot 
fire,  to  close  quarters.  The  enemy  were  found  posted  behind  a  fence  and  were 
charged  and  routed  with  a  heavy  loss  on  both  sides,  and  the  position  held  for 
half  an  hour.  A  regiment  of  Patrick's  Brigade  then  relieved  the  Twenty- second, 
which,  however,  remained  on  the  field  during  the  night.  About  twenty- five 
per  cent,  of  this  regiment  were  lost  in  this  battle.  A  description  of  the  battle 
of  Antietam,  contained  in  a  report  of  an  oflicer  present  at  the  scene,  is  sub- 
stantially as  follows  :  On  Tuesday  night  (the  i6th)  the  men  slept  on  their  arms. 
At  half-past  five  in  the  morning  of  the  17th  the   Twenty-second  was  ordered 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  235 

to  the  support  of  Gibbon's  Brigade  which  had  advanced  to  attack  the  enemy. 
It  moved  by  the  flank  through  an  open  field  in  which  Campbell's  battery  had 
taken  position,  and  passed  into  a  cornfield  in  line  of  battle  to  support  Gibbon's 
Brigade.  The  direct  and  cross  artillery  fire  from  the  enemy's  batteries  playing 
on  this  field  was  very  heavy,  but  the  brigade  containing  the  Twenty-second 
Regiment  was  moved  without  loss  to  a  position  some  ninety  paces  in  advance 
of  Campbell's  battery,  where  a  column  was  deployed,  and  in  line  of  battle 
moved  steadily  forward  to  about  fifty  paces  in  the  rear  of  Gibbon's  infantry, 
who  at  this  time  had  not  engaged  the  enemy,  but  were  cautiously  advancing 
through  the  cornfield.  At  length  the  engagement  began,  the  enemy  being 
posted  in  the  road  behind  a  line  of  fence  and  sheltered  by  woods.  The 
Twenty-second,  in  company  with  the  other  regiments  in  the  same  brigade, 
moved  forward,  halted  about  twenty-five  paces  in  rear  of  Gibbon's  line,  and 
lay  down  in  preparation  for  the  support.  After  severe  fighting  and  consider- 
able loss  this  brigade  fell  back  to  the  rear  of  the  cornfield.  When  they  again 
faced  the  front  they  had  scarcely  enough  men  to  bear  the  colors.  In  the  en- 
gagement Lieutenant  Charles  Gushing,  of  Glens  Falls,  was  killed.  The  total 
loss  was  a  fraction  over  forty-three  per  cent,  of  those  engaged. 

The  regiment  marched  on  the  19th  to  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  Poto- 
mac, where  it  remained  encamped  until  October  20th.  Between  that  time 
and  the  nth  of  November  it  passed  through  Bakersville,  South  Mountain, 
Birketsville,  Petersville,  camped  near  Harper's  Ferry,  after  crossing  into  Vir- 
ginia on  a  pontoon  bridge,  marched  in  and  through  Purcellsville,  Bloomfield, 
Rectortown,  Warrenton,  Fayetteville,  and  thence  on  the  last  named  date  to 
Falmouth.  In  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  which  occurred  on  the  13th  of 
December,  1862,  it  was  on  the  extreme  left  of  Franklin's  Corps;  remained 
under  fire  for  three  days,  and  lost  seven  wounded.  It  returned  to  its  old 
camping- ground  on  the  iSth;  participated  in  the  well-named  "mud  march" 
of  January,  1863,  and  then  took  up  winter  quarters  at  Belle  Plain.  The  regi- 
ment crossed  the  Rappahannock  on  boats  (April  28th,  1863),  soon  after  the 
enemy  had  been  driven  from  their  rifle-pits.  On  the  following  day  it  was 
joined  by  the  rest  of  the  division,  and  was  marched  to  the  bank  of  the  river 
to  protect  the  detail  engaged  in  launching  the  boats,  where  it  was  exposed  to 
a  galling  fire  of  musketry,  which,  during  that  day,  wounded  eleven  of  the  men. 
It  manoeuvred  about  here  until  the  4th  of  June,  when  it  returned  to  this  State. 
Two  days  afterward  it  was  received  with  appropriate  ceremonies  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward, Sandy  Hill  and  Glens  Falls,  and  on  the  19th  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice at  Albany. 

Roster  with  Dates  and  Appointments  of  the  Field,  Staff  and  Line  Officers 
of  the  Twenty- second  N.  Y.  Volunteers  to  March  20th,  1863.  — Walter  Phelps, 
jr.,  colonel.  May  i6th,  1861,  on  detached  service  in  command  of  brigade. 
Gorton  T.  Thomas,  lieutenant  colonel,   May   i6th,  1861,  died  of  wounds  re- 


236  History  of  Warren  County. 

ceived  August  30th,  1862.  John  M'Kie,  major,  May  i6th,  1861,  promoted 
T^/cf  Thomas,  died  of  wounds,  September  3d,  1862.  John  M'Kie,  lieutenant 
colonel,  August  30th,  1862,  resigned  from  wounds  and  ill-health,  February 
13th,  1863.  George  Clendon,  jr.,  major,  August  30th,  1862,  promoted  from 
captain  (Co.  E)  vice  M'Kie  promoted.     Edward  Pruyn,  adjutant,  May  i6th,. 

1 86 1,  resigned  January  i8th,  1862.     John  S.  Fassett,  adjutant,  January  i8th, 

1862,  transferred  from  Company  E,  vice  Pruyn  resigned.  Henry  D.  Wood- 
ruff, quartermaster.  May  i6th,  1861,  resigned  from  ill-health  March  ist,  1863. 
James  W.  Schenck,  jr.,  quartermaster,  September  5th,  1861,  vice  Woodruff 
promoted  on  de  ached  service,  brigade  quartermaster.  Joseph  B.  Atherly,. 
surgeon,  May  i6th,  1861,  died  of  typhoid  fever  at  Falmouth,  Va.,  August 
1 2th,  1862.  William  F.  Hutchinson,  assistant  surgeon,  May  i6th,  1861,  pro- 
moted w^Ti?  Atherly  deceased.  William  F.  Hutchinson,  surgeon,  August  12th,. 
1862,  dismissed  the  service  November  20th,  1862.  Austin  W.  Holden,  assist- 
ant surgeon,  August  24th,  1862,  transferred  from  company  F,  vice  Hutchin- 
son promoted.  Miles  Goodyear,  second  assistant  surgeon,  September  22d,. 
1862,  resigned  from  physical  disability  January  24th,  1863.  Elias  S.  Bissell, 
surgeon,  November  20th,  1862,  vice  Hutchinson  dismissed.  Henry  H.  Bates, 
chaplain,  May  i6th,  1861. 

Non-commissioned  Staff:  —  John  F.  Tovvne,    sergeant-major.  May   i6th, 

1 86 1,  transferred  and  promoted   to  first  lieutenant  Company  G,  March    ist, 

1862.  Jeremiah  Fairbanks,  quartermaster-sergeant.  May  i6th,  1861,  dis- 
charged. Charles  B.  Bellamy,  commissary-sergeant.  May  i6th,  1861.  David 
H.  King,  hospital  steward.  May  i6th,  1861.  John  Scott,  drum  major.  May 
1 6th,  1 86 1,  discharged  by  general  order.     John  Wright,  fife- major.  May  i6th, 

1861,  transferred  to  band.     Malachi  Weidman,    sergeant-major,   March    ist,. 

1862,  viV^Towne  promoted.  Daniel  Thomson,  quartermaster-sergeant,  March 
1st,  1862,  vice  Fairbanks  discharged.  Levi  J.  Groom,  fife-major,  vice  Wright 
transferred,  resigned,  ill-health.  George  Crandell,  fife-major,  vice  Groom  dis- 
charged by  general  order.  Malachi  Weidman,  adjutant,  February  27th,  1863, 
vice  Fassett  resigned.  Henry  Barton,  sergeant-major,  March  22d,  1863,  from 
sergeant  Company  A,  vice  Bellamy  promoted.  George  Torrey,  commissary- 
sergeant,  March  22d,  1863,  from  sergeant  Company  B,  vice  Weidman,  pro- 
moted. 

Line  Officers.  —  Company  A.  —  Jacob  L.  Yates,  captain.  May  8th,  1861, 
resigned,  ill-health,  March  1st,  1863.  James  H.  Bratt,  first  lieutenant,  May 
8th,  1 86 1,  resigned  December  21st,  1861.  Hiram  Clute,  second  lieutenant. 
May  8th,  1861,  promoted  vice  Bratt  resigned.  Hiram  Clute,  first  heutenant,. 
December  21st,  1861,  died  September  28th,  1862,  of  wounds  received  August 
30th,  1862.  Addison  L.  Estabrook,  second  Heutenant,  December  21st,  1861, 
from  first  sergeant  vice  Hiram  Clute  promoted.  Addison  Estabrook,  first 
lieutenant,  September  28th,  1862,  vice  Hiram  Clute  deceased.     AmosT.  Calk- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  237 

ins,  second  lieutenant,   September  28th,    1862,  vice  Estabrook  promoted  from 
first  sergeant. 

Company  B.  — Robert  E.  M'Coy,  captain,  May  loth,  1861,  killed  in  action 
August  29th,  1862.  Duncan  Lendrum,  first  lieutenant,  May  loth,  1861,  miss- 
ing, probably  killed  in  action  August  30th,  1862.  James  W.  M'Coy,  second 
lieutenant.  May  loth,  1861,  promoted.  James  W.  M'Coy,  captain,  August 
29th,  1862,  vice  Robert  E.  M'Coy,  killed  in  action.  William  H.  Hoysradt, 
first  lieutenant,  August  30th,  1862,  vice  Lendrum,  missing,  from  first  sergeant. 
Charles  H.  Doubleday,  second  lieutenant,  November  i6th,  1862,  promoted 
and  transferred  from  Company  H,  vice  M'Coy,  promoted. 

Company  C.  —  Oliver  D.  Peabody,  captain,  June  1st,  1861.  Carlisle  D. 
Beaumont,  first  lieutenant,  June  ist,  1861,  killed  in  action  August  29th,  1862. 
Charles  B.  Piersons,  second  lieutenant,  June  1st,  1861,  died  September  7th  of 
wounds  received  in  action,  August  30th.  Gorton  T.  Thomas,  second  lieuten- 
ant, September  7th,  1862,  vice  Piersons,  died  of  wound.  Gorton  T.  Thomas, 
first  lieutenant,  February  ist,  1863,  vice  Beaumont,  killed  in  action.  James 
Valleau,  second  lieutenant,  February  1st,  1863,  from  first  sergeant  vice  Thomas 
promoted. 

Company  D.  —  Henry  S.  Milliman,  captain,  June  1st,  1861,  died  Septem- 
ber loth,  1862,  of  wounds  received  in  action  August  30th.  Thomas  B.  Fish, 
first  lieutenant,  June  1st,  1 86 1,  discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate  October  22d, 
1862.  Robert  A.  Rice,  second  lieutenant,  June  1st,  1861,  resigned  December 
14th,  1 86 1.  William  T.  Beattie,  second  lieutenant,  December  14th,  1861, 
from  first  sergeant  vice  Rice  resigned,  killed  in  action  August  30th,  1862. 
Lucius  E.  Wilson,  captain,  September  loth,  1862,  transferred  from  company 
G,  vice  Milliman,  died  of  wounds.  Henry  B.  Cook,  first  lieutenant,  October 
23d,  1862,  from  first  sergeant  vice  Fish,  discharged.  Charles  H.  Aiken,  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  August  30th,  1862,  from  second  sergeant  vice  William  T.  Beat- 
tie,  killed  in  action. 

Company  E.  —  George  Clendon,  jr.,  captain.  May  7th,  1861,  promoted  to 
major  August  30th,  1862.  John  Fassett,  first  lieutenant,  May  7th,  1861,  trans- 
ferred to  regimental  staff  January  8th,  1862.  G.  Horton  Gayger,  second  lieu- 
tenant. May  7th,  1861,  resigned  October  3d,  1861.  William  T.  Norris,  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  October  3d,  1861,  vice  Gayger  resigned.  WiUiam  T.  Norris, 
first  lieutenant,  January  8th,  1862,  vice  Fassett  transferred,  missing  and  prob- 
ably killed  in  action  August  30th,  1862.  Charles  Gushing,  second  lieutenant, 
January  8th,  1862,  vice  Norris  killed,  fell  in  action  September  7th,  1862. 
Warren  Allen,  second  lieutentant,  September  i8th,  1862,  z^zV^  Charles  Gushing 
killed  in  action,  from  first  sergeant.  Daniel  Burgey,  captain,  February  25th, 
1862,  transferred  and  promoted  from  Company  I,  j'zc^  Clendon,  promoted. 

Company   F.  —  Austin  W.  Holden,  captain.   May   8th,  1861,  transferred  to 
medical  staff"  August  i6th,  1862.     William  H.  Arlin,  first  lieutenant.  May  8th, 


238  History  of  Warren  County. 

1861,  resigned  January  8th,  1862.  Orville  B.  Smith,  second  lieutenant,  May 
8th,  1 86 1,  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  vice  Arlin,  resigned.  Orville  B.  Smith, 
first  lieutenant,  January  8th,  1862,  promoted  to  captain,  vice  Holden  trans- 
ferred. Fred  E.  Ranger,  second  lieutenant,  January  8th,  1862,  vice  Smith, 
promoted.  Orville  B.  Smith,  captain,  August  24th,  1862,  vice  Holden,  trans- 
ferred, resigned  November  5th,  1862.  Fred  E.  Ranger,  first  lieutenant,  Au- 
gust 24th,  1862,  vice  Smith,  promoted.  James  H.  Merrill,  second  lieutenant, 
August  24th,  1862,  from  first  sergeant,  vice  Ranger,  promoted.  Fred  E. 
Ranger,  captain,  November  5th,  1862,  vice  Smith,  resigned.  James  H.  Mer- 
rill, first  lieutenant,  November  5  th,  1862,  vice  Fred  E.  Ranger,  promoted. 
Salmon  D.  Sherman,  second  lieutenant,  November  5th,  1862,  from  second 
sergeant,  vice  Merrill,  promoted. 

Company  G.  —  Benjamin  Mosher,  captain,  June  6th,  1861,  resigned  Feb- 
ruary 28th,  1862.  Henry  Hay,  first  lieutenant,  June  6th,  1 86 1,  resigned  June 
1 2th,  1 86 1.  Horrace  W.  Lucca,  second  lieutennnt,  June  6th,  1861,  resigned 
February  28th,  1862.  Duncan  Cameron,  first  lieutenant,  June  iSth,  1861, 
vice  Hay,  resigned.  Duncan  Cameron,  captain,  March  ist,  1862,  vice  Mosher, 
resigned.  John  F.  Town,  first  lieutenant,  March  i,  1862,  vice  Cameron  pro- 
moted, resigned  July  23d,  1862.  Lucius  E.  Wilson,  second  lieutenant,  March 
1st,  1 862,  vice  Lucca  resigned,  from  first  sergeant.  Lucius  E.  Wilson,  first  lieu- 
tenant, July  2 1st,  1862,  vice  Town  resigned,  promoted  and  transferred  to 
Company  D.  Lester  A.  Bartlett,  second  lieutenant,  July  21st,  1862,  vice  Wil- 
son promoted,  transferred  from  Company  I.  Asa  W.  Barry,  first  lieutenant, 
September  nth,  1862,  from  first  sergeant,  vice  Wilson  transferred. 

Company  H.  —  Thomas  J.  Strong,  captain.  May  8th,  1861.  William  A. 
Pierson,  first  lieutenant.  May  8th,  1861,  discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate 
August  31st,  1862.  Mathew  S.Teller,  second  lieutenant,  May  8th,  1861  ; 
first  lieutenant,  August  31st,  1862,  vice  Pierson  resigned.  A.  Halleck  Hol- 
brook,  second  lieutenant,  August  31st,  1862,  from  sergeant,  vice  Teller  pro- 
moted. 

Company  I.  —  Lyman  Ormsbee,  captain,  May  9th,  1861.  Joseph  R.  Sea- 
man, first  lieutenant.  May  9th,  i86r,  resigned  February  22d,  1862.  Daniel 
Burgey,  second  lieutenant.  May  9th,  1861.  Daniel  Burgey,  first  lieutenant, 
February  22d,  1862,  vice  Seaman  resigned,  transferred  to  Company  E.  Les- 
ter A.  Bartlett,  second  lieutenant,  February  22d,  1862,  vice  Burgey  promoted, 
transferred  to  Company  G.     Benjamin  Wickham,  second  lieutenant,  July  21st, 

1862,  vice  Bartlett  transferred,  from  first  sergeant.  Benjamin  Wickham,  first 
lieutenant,  September  3d,  1862,  vice  Burgey  transferred.  George  Wetmore, 
second  lieutenant,  September  3d,  1862,  from  sergeant,  vice  Wickham  pror 
moted. 

Company  K.  — Miles  P.  Caldwell,  captain,  May  9th,  1861,  killed  in  action 
August   30th,    1862.      Edward   F.  Edgerly,  first  lieutenant.    May   9th,    1861. 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  239 

Clark  W.  Huntley,  second  lieutenant,  May  9th,  1861,  resigned  in  consequence 
of  wounds,  February  6th,  1863.  Edward  F.  Edgerly,  captain,  August  31st, 
1862,  vice  Caldwell  killed  in  action.  Clark  W.  Huntley,  first  lieutenant,  Au- 
gust 31st,  1862,  vice  Edgerly,  promoted.  John  J.  Baker,  second  lieutenant, 
August  31st,  1862,  from  first  sergeant,  vice  Huntley  promoted.  John  J. 
Baker,  first  lieutenant,  February  6th,  1863,  vice  Huntley  resigned.  Charles 
Bellamy,  second  lieutenant,  February  6th,  1863,  from  commissary-sergeant,  vice 
Barker  promoted. 

Register  of  Fatalities  in  the  Twenty-Second  Regiment  from  the  time  of  its 
Organization  to  March  20th,  1863.  —  Field  and  Staff. — Joseph  B.  Atherly, 
surgeon,  typhoid  fever,  August  12th,  1862,  at  Falmouth,  Virginia.  Gorton 
T.  Thomas,  lieutenant-colonel,  wounds,  September  2d,    1862,  at  Washington. 

Company  A. — Timothy  B.  Vandecar,  third  sergeant,  typhoid  fever,  Sep- 
tember 26th,  1 86 1,  at  Georgetown,  p.  C.  John  H.  Vanderworken,  private, 
typhoid  fever,  July  6th,  1862,  at  Eckington,  D.  C.  Hiram  Clute,  first  lieuten- 
ant, wounds,  September  i8th,  1862,  at  Washington.  John  Murray,  private, 
wounds,  September  23d,  1862,  Frederick,  Maryland.  Chauncey  F.  Van 
Dusen,  private,  fell  in  action,  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Leonard  G. 
Fletcher,  corporal,  fell  in  action,  August  30th,  at  Bull  Run.  Jonathan  G.  Por- 
ter, private,  fell  in  action,  September  14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain.  John 
Wright,  private,  fell  in  action,  September  14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain. 

Company  B. — William  Baker,  private,  pneumonia,  February  iith,  1862, 
at  Upton's  Hill,  Virginia.  Edward  Cromwell,  corporal,  wounds,  1862,  at  Up- 
ton's Hill.  Gurdon  F.  Viele,  private,  wounds.  Robert  E.  McCoy,  captain, 
fell  in  action  August  29th,  1862,  at  Groveton.  Charles  E.  Mills,  first  sergeant 
fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Patrick  Mehan,  private,  fell  in 
action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Charles  E.  Stickney,  second  sergeant, 
fell  in  action  September  14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain.  Oliver  L.  Lackey, 
private,  fell  in  action  September  14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain.  Duncan 
Lendrum,  first  lieutenant,  missing  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Charles  H. 
Reed,  private,  missing  August  30th,  1862,  Bull  Run. 

Company  C.  —  Charles  Piersons,  second  lieutenant,  wounds,  September  7th, 
1862,  at  Washington.  Carlysle  D.  Beaumont,  first  lieutenant,  fell  in  action 
August  29th,  1862,  at  Groveton.  James  Murray,  private,  fell  in  action  August 
29th,  1862,  at  Groveton.  Henry  N.  Dunckly,  private,  fell  in  action  August 
29th,  1862,  at  Groveton.  Joseph  Pero,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862, 
at  Bull  Run.  Henry  W.  Hathaway,  third  sergeant,  fell  in  action  September 
14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain. 

Company  D. — James  Stalker,  private,  inflammation  of  brain,  July  17th, 
1 86 1,  at  Washington.  Charles  J.  Eaton,  third  sergeant,  typhoid  fever.  May 
1 8th,  1862,  at  Washington.  Henry  S.  Milliman,  captain,  wounds,  September 
loth,  1 862,  at  Washington.  William  T.  Beattie,  second  lieutenant,  fell  in  action 
August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run. 


240  History  of  Warren  County. 

Company  E. — John  M'Auley,   private,  typhoid   fever,   September    14th, 

1 86 1,  at  Arhngton,  Virginia.  Rollin  F.  Austin,  private,  typhoid  fever,  April 
lOth,  1862,  at  Alexandria.     Timothy  Bradley,  private,  diarrhoea,  October  i6th, 

1862,  Smoketown,  Maryland.  Byron  G.  Charette,  private,  wounds,  Septem- 
ber 13th,  1862,  at  Washington.  Charles  Goolah,  private,  wounds,  September 
22d,  1862,  at  Washington.  Frank  Aubin,  private,  wounds,  1862,  at  Frederick, 
Maryland.  Joseph  Whitford,  private,  wounds,  1862,  in  field  hospital.  Jacob 
Ross,  private,  wounds,  October  14th,  1862,  at  Smoketown,  Maryland.  Wilber 
F.  Buswell,  private,  fell  in  action  September  14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain. 
Charles  Cushing,  second  lieutenant,  fell  in  action  September  17th,  1862,  at 
Antietam.  Patrick  Johnson,  private,  missing  August  29th,  1862,  Groveton. 
Nelson  Ross,  private,  missing,  August  29th,  1862,  Groveton.  William  T.  Nor- 
ris,  first  lieutenant,  missing,  August  30th,  1862,  Bull  Run. 

Company  F. — Emanuel  Noel,  private,  typhoid  fever,  November  24th,  1861, 
Georgetown.  Lyman  Ward,  private,  small-pox,  January  17th,  1862,  in  hos- 
pital. Titus  L.  West,  private,  typhoid  fever.  May  13th,  1862,  at  Alexandria. 
Rufus  N.  Barto,  private,  wounds,  October  i8th,  1862,  Colt's  hospital.  John 
E.  Benjamin,  private,  wounds,  September  nth,  1862,  at  Fairfax.  Allen  Sher- 
man, private,  wounds,  October  9th,  1862,  at  Frederick,  Maryland.  De  Witt  C. 
Barton,  private,  killed  April  5th,  1862,  at  Centerville,  Virginia.  Willard 
Combs,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Andrew  La 
Point,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1 862,  at  Bull  Run.  Daniel  Pendell, 
fifth  sergeant,  fell  in  action  September  14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain.  Ben- 
jamin F.  Hendricks,  private,  missing,  August  30th,  1862,  Bull  Run.  William 
O.  Jackson,  corporal,  missing,  August  30th,  1 862,  Bull  Run.  Archibald  Ram- 
sey, private,  missing,  August  30th,  1862,  Bull  Run. 

Company  G.  —  Nelson  Hastings,  private,  consumption,  July  i6th,  1861,  at 
Washington.  Cornelius  White,  private,  typhoid  fever,  October  26th,  1861,  at 
Upton's   Hill.     William   Washburn,  private,  typhoid   fever,   December    13th, 

1 86 1,  at   Upton's   Hill.     John  Constantine,  private,  wounds,  September   15th, 

1862,  at  Washington.  Rufus  K.  Verrill,  private,  wounds,  September  8th,  1862, 
at  Washington.  Ansel  Taft,  private,  wounds,  September,  at  Alexandria. 
Thomas  Whitton,  private,  wounds,  September,  1862,  at  Alexandria.  Lewis 
T.  Johnson,  corporal,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Thomas 
Moore,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  William  Riley, 
private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Lewis  Fenix,  private, 
fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  John  Necson,  private,  fell  in 
action  September  14th,  1862,  at  South  Mountain.  James  Connell,  private,  fell 
in  action  September  17th,  1862,  at  Antietam.  George  F.  Cleveland,  private, 
missing,  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run. 

Company  H.  —  Edward  Blanchard,  private,  typhoid  fever,  November  14th, 
1 86 1,  at   Colt's   hospital.     Lyman  Chamberlain,  private,   typhoid   fever,  April 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  241 

19th,  1862,  at  Bristol  Station.  Charles  H.  Bowen,  private,  pneumonia,  June 
20th,  1862,  at  Carver  Hospital.  Stephen  Podwin,  private,  wounds,  September 
3d,  1862,  qt  Washington.  James  Wythe,  private,  fell  in  action  August  29th, 
1862,  at  Groveton.  Rollin  C.  Wyman,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862, 
at  Bull  Run.  Selden  L.  Whitney,  private,  fell  in  action  September  14th,  1862, 
at  South  Mountain.  George  W,  Miner,  private,  missing,  August  30th,  1862, 
at  Bull  Run. 

Company  I.  — Edward  Burge,  private,  killed  June  30th,  1 861,  in  Baltimore. 
Thomas  Crawford,  fifth  sergeant,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run. 
Joseph  W.  Booth,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run.  Syl- 
vanus  A.  Durkee,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run. 
Ephraim  J.  Smith,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run. 
James  Dignan,  private,  fell  in  action  September  17th,  1862,  at  Antietam. . 

Company  K. — Timothy  D.  Murray,  private,  wounds,  October  15th,  1862, 
Harwood  Hospital.  Henry  Sumner,  private,  fell  in  action  August  29th,  1862, 
at  Groveton.  Miles  P.  Caldwell,  captain,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at 
Bull  Run.-  Daniel  McCartey,  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull 
Run.  James  Gleason  private,  fell  in  action  August  30th,  1862,  at  Bull  Run. 
James  Evans,  third  sergeant,  fell  in  action  September  14th,  1862,  at  South 
Mountain.  1 

The  Ninety- sixth  Regiment. — One  full  company  (Co.  I)  of  this  regiment 
was  recruited  in  Warren  county  in  the  fall  of  1861,  almost  entirely  by  and  at 
the  expense  of  C.  H.  Burhans,  now  of  Warrensburgh,  who  went  out  as  its  cap- 
tain. Following  are  the  names  of  its  officers  and  members,  as  given  on  the 
records : — 

Captain,  Charles  H.  Burhans ;  first  lieutenant,  Gerard  L.  M'Kenzie ;  second 
lieutenant,  Emory  M.  Lyon.  Sergeants,  Thomas  W.  Sutton,  John  G.  Joslin, 
of  Warrensburgh  ;  Warren  Luce  and  Levi  Hill,  of  North  River  ;  Mortimer 
Allen,  of  Athol.  Corporals,  William  Beadnell  and  Peter  Allard,  of  Potters- 
ville ;  Paul  Declane,  Abial  Fuller,  Thomas  Short,  Augustus  Stone  and  George 
Pelton,  of  Warrensburgh.  Musician,  Peleg  Barton,  of  Athol.  Wagoner, 
John  McMillen,  of  North  River.  Privates,  John  B.  Allard,  Isaac  Archibald, 
Edward  Archibald,  William  Ausmeut,  John  Baker,  James  W.  Bennett,  John 
C.  Bennett,  Augustus  Bennett  and  Levi  Bennett,  of  Warrensburgh ;  Theophile 
Beaudry,  North  River  ;  WiUiam  B.  Blany  and  George  Brown,  Warrensburgh  ; 
Benjamin  L.  Cady,  Pottersville ;  Charles  Combs  and  Francis  Darrell,  of  War- 
rensburgh;  Barney  Davar  and  Ed.  F.  Densmore,  of  Pottersville ;  Ebenezer  L. 
Farrar,  Ed.  S.  Fuller,  Joseph  Genier,  Antoine  Gerouse,  Jamon  Harrington, 
Myles  Hewett,  James  Hill,  of  Warrensburgh ;  John  H.  Ingraham,  Pottersville  ; 
John  Keys  and  Charles  Lamb,  of  Warrensburgh  ;  Michael  Lynch  and  Edward 
McDonnell,  of  Pottersville;  William  B.  Morrill  and  Samuel  B.  Moses,  of  War- 

iThe  preceding  rosters  are  kindly  furnished  us  by  Dr.  A.  W.  Ilolden. 
16 


242  History  of  Warren  County. 

rensburgh  ;  Levi  Olden,  Pottersville  ;  Chauncey  F.  Perry,  Oscar  F.  Perry,  Dan- 
iel O.  Porter,  Edward  Porter,  La  Fayette  Scripten  and  Jesse  N.  Seseton,  of 
Warrensburgh  ;  Cornelius  Sherman,  of  Pottersville  ;  George  W.  Stearns,  War- 
rensburgh  ;  Eli  Streeter,  Pottersville  ;  Samuel  J.  Taylor,  Warrensburgh ;  James 
Tucker  and  Giles  Vanderwarker,  of  Pottersville ;  Daniel  Vaughn  and  Paul 
Vigean,  of  Warrensburgh  ;  Nathan  Wallace,  Pottersville  ;  Henry  F.  Wright, 
Warrensburgh. 

This  regiment  was  entirely  enrolled  in  Northern  New  York  and  earned  a 
most  gallant  record.  One  of  its  companies  (G)  was  from  Essex  county  and 
was  commanded  by  Captain  Alfred  Weed,  it  having  been  principally  raised  in 
the  town  of  Ticonderoga.  This  fact  led  to  the  preparation  by  Winslow  C. 
Watson,  esq.,  of  Plattsburg,  of  a  detailed  history  of  the  organization,  which 
was  printed  in  his  valuable  History  of  Essex  County,  published  in  1870,  when 
data  for  military  history  was  much  more  accessible  than  at  the  present  time. 
From  his  work  we  condense  the  following  account:  — 

"  The  regiment  was  organized  at  Plattsburg,  and  departed  for  the  field 
March,  1862,  under  the  command  of  James  Fairman,  colonel,  Charles  O.  Gray, 
lieutenant-colonel,  and  John  E.  Kelley,  a  veteran  of  the  regular  army,  major. 
Nathan  Wardner,  of  Jay,  was  appointed  chaplain  of  the  organization,  John  H. 
Sanborn,  quartermaster,  and  Francis  Joseph  D'Avignon,  of  Ausable  Forks, 
surgeon.  The  Ninety-sixth,  in  the  early  stages  of  its  services,  was  severely 
depressed,  through  the  unfavorable  auspices  by  which  it  was  surrounded,  but 
after  the  brave  and  accomplished  Gray  was  placed  in  command,  the  regiment 
rapidly  attained  a  very  high  reputation.  It  had  been  precipitated  by  ill-ad- 
vised councils  into  active  service  without  the  advantages  of  any  adequate  drill- 
ing, and  was  hurried  into  the  peninsula  campaign  before  the  habits  of  the  troops 
were  adapted  to  field  duty,  and  while  they  were  yet  unacclimated.  From  this 
cause  and  some  dissensions  among  officers  the  efficiency  of  the  regiment  was 
much  impaired  for  a  period. 

"  Major  Kelley  was  killed  in  a  picket  skirmish  immediately  before  the  bat- 
tle of  Fair  Oaks.  In  that  action  the  losses  of  the  Ninety-sixth  regiment  were 
extremely  severe.  The  services  of  the  regiment,  throughout  the  peninsula 
campaign  were  marked  by  great  perils  and  hardships,  and  elicited  from  Gen- 
eral Peck,  the  commander  of  the  division,  warm  and  unusual  encomiums.  It 
was  afterwards  ordered  to  Suffijlk,  enduring  all  the  trials  and  suffijrings  of  that 
field,  and  was  subsequently  engaged  in  the  North  Carolina  expedition,  and 
gallantly  participated  in  all  the  hard  services  of  that  vigorous  campaign.  In 
the  battle  of  Kingston,  December  14th,  1862,  Colonel  Gray,  who  had  already, 
although  a  youth  of  twenty-four,  achieved  a  brilliant  fame,  was  killed  while 
charging  at  the  head  of  the  regiment  over  the  bridge  on  the  Neuse,  and  in  the 
act  of  planting  its  standard  upon  the  enemy's  works.  Three  weeks  before  in 
presenting  a  new  flag  to  the  Ninety-sixth,  he  had  uttered  a  glowing  and  elo- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  243 

quent  tribute  to  the  old  flag,  and  now  this  enveloped  his  coffin,  as  the  remains 
were  borne  from  his  last  battle-field  to  its  resting  place  among  his  familiar 
mountains.  That  venerated  flag  is  deposited  in  the  Military  Bureau.  After 
this  event  the  Ninety- sixth  was  for  a  short  term  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
McKenzie.  A.  A.  Fuller  and  J.  C.  Bennett,  Company  I,  were  wounded  in  this 
battle. 

"  Early  in  1864  the  regiment  was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  James  be- 
fore Petersburg,  and  attached  to  the  same  brigade  with  which  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eighteenth  was  connnected.  It  was  incorporated  with  the  Eight- 
eenth and  afterwards  with  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps.  The  Ninety-sixth  was 
engaged  in  all  the  subsequent  operations  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps.  At  Cold 
Harbor,  and  the  assault  on  Fort  Harrison,  the  Ninety-sixth  and  the  Eighth 
Connecticut  formed  the  assaulting  columns,  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Eight- 
eenth New  York,  and  Tenth  New  Hampshire  on  their  flanks  as  skirmishers. 
The  division  approached  the  works  in  close  order,  and  in  a  distance  of  four- 
teen hundred  yards  was  exposed  to  a  plunging  and  galling  fire  of  artillery  and 
musketry. 

"  It  steadily  advanced  to  the  base  of  the  hill,  which  was  crowned  by  the 
enemy's  work.  Here  the  column,  exhausted  by  its  rapid  progress,  paused. 
The  enemy  perceiving  the  point  of  attack  were  meanwhile  pouring  reinforce- 
ments into  the  menaced  works.  The  crisis  was  imminent,  and  General  Stan- 
nard  commanding  the  division  sent  an  earnest  order  for  an  instant  assault. 
The  head  of  the  column  charged  up  the  hill,  and  scaling  the  parapet,  drove 
the  enemy  from  their  guns.  Sergeant  Lester  Archer  of  the -Ninety-sixth  and 
the  color  bearer  of  the  Eighth  Connecticut  simultaneously  planted  their  re- 
spective regimental  flags  upon  the  ramparts.  The  Rev.  Nathan  Wardner, 
chaplain  of  the  Ninety-sixth,  charged  with  his  regiment  in  the  advancing  col- 
umns, prepared  to  administer  spiritual  consolation  on  the  very  field  of  carnage. 
The  captured  guns  of  the  fort  were  turned  upon  the  retreating  enemy  with  ter- 
rible effect.  The  Ninety-sixth  were  conspicuous  in  opposing  the  repeated,  res- 
olute and  desperate  attempts  of  the  rebels  to  recover  this  important  position. 

"  The  Ninety-sixth  continued  near  Fort  Harrison,  in  camp  with  its  brigade, 
after  the  capture  of  that  work,  until  the  24th  of  October,  when  the  entire  divi- 
sion marched  against  Fort  Richmond  at  Fair  Oaks.  It  bivouacked  that  night, 
about  three  miles  from  the  fort.  While  the  skirmishing  party  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eighteenth  was  engaged  in  the  perilous  and  hopeless  assault  of 
the  enemy's  line,  the  next  morning  the  Ninety-sixth,  in  common  with  the  re- 
mainder of  the  division,  stood  idle  spectators  of  the  slaughter  of  those  troops, 
although  little  doubt  now  exists,  that  a  combined  and  energetic  attack  of  the 
fort,  when  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  advanced  and  while  it  was  occu- 
pied by  a  force  wholly  inadequate  to  its  defense,  would  have  secured  a  glorious 
success.     A  designed  feint  had  been  converted  into  a  real  and  sanguinary  as- 


244  History  of  Warren  County. 

sault,  and  the  character  of  this  bloody  field,  conspicuous  for  its  profitless  and 
murderous  losses,  was  only  redeemed  by  the  valor  of  the  troops. 

"  For  two  long  and  trying  hours,  after  the  repulse  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighteenth  the  residue  of  the  division  stood  under  arms,  in  front  of  the  ene- 
my's lines,  with  no  orders,  either  to  advance  or  retreat,  while  the  rebels  were 
observed  eagerly  rushing  troops  into  the  fort,  on  foot  and  upon  horseback. 
Horses  were  constantly  perceived  hurrying  up  at  their  highest  speed,  bearing 
three  riders,  and  as  they  approached  the  works,  two  leaping  from  the  horse 
would  enter  the  fort,  while  the  third  returned  at  the  same  speed,  to  bear  back 
another  freight  of  defenders.  At  length,  when  the  lines  by  this  delay  had 
been  rendered  impregnable  to  an  attack,  the  division  was  madly  hurled  upon 
the  works.  It  was  bloodily  repulsed.  The  casualties  of  the  Ninety-sixth  were 
in  the  highest  degree  severe. 

"  The  ground  upon  which  these  unfortunate  operations  occurred  had  been 
signalized  by  the  sanguinary  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  during  the  peninsula  cam- 
paign. The  works  erected  by  McClellan  were  still  discernible,  and  as  the  Fed- 
eral troops  moved  to  the  assault,  they  disturbed  and  trampled  upon  skulls  and 
bones  and  other  ghastly  memorials  of  the  former  conflict.  The  Ninety-sixth 
participated  in  the  brilliant  closing  scenes  of  the  war  around  Richmond  and  its 
final  consummation." 

After  paying  a  glowing  and  deserved  tribute  to  Dr.  Francis  Joseph  D'Avig- 
non,  surgeon  of  the  Ninety-sixth,  Mr.  Watson  concludes  his  sketch  with  the 
following :  — 

Officers  of  the  Ninety-sixth  mustered  out  with  the  Regiment,  February  6th, 
1866.  —  Colon'el,  Stephen  Moffitt,  brevet  brigadier-general  U.  S.  V. ;  lieuten- 
ant-colonel, George  W.  Hinds,  brevet  colonel  N.  Y.  V. ;  major,  Courtland  C. 
BabcDck,  brevet  lieutenant-colonel  N.  Y.  V. ;  quartermaster,  Allen  Babcock ; 
surgeon,  Robert  W.  Brady;  chaplain,  Nathan  Wardner.  Captains  —  Earl 
Peirce,  Moses  Gill,  Moses  E.  Orr,  Henry  C.  Buckham,  brevet  major  N.  Y.  V. ; 
William  B.  Brokaw,  brevet  major  N.  Y.  V. ;  Merlin  C.  Harris,  brevet  major 
N.  Y.  V. ;  Thomas  E.  Allen,  Oscar  B.    Colvin.     First  lieutenants  —  William 

B.  Stafford,  Thomas  Burke,  Charles  H.  Hogan,  Orlando  P.  Benson,  Lyman 
Bridges,  George  J.  Cady,  Lucien  Wood,  Alexander  M.  Stevens,  Alonzo  E. 
Howard.  Second  lieutenants  —  Washington  Harris,  Stanford  H.  Bugbee,  Al- 
exander McMartin,  Charles  Sharron,  Amos  S.  Richardson,  Silas  Finch,  Judson 

C.  Ware. 

Enlisted  Men  of  the  Regiment  to  whom  Medals  of  Honor  have  been  Awarded 
by  the  Secretary  of  War.  —  Sergeant  Lester  Archer. 

The  archives  of  the  State  present  the  following  brilliant  record  of  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Ninety-sixth  :  Gainesville,  Second  Bull  Run,  South  Mountain,  An- 
tietam.  Mine  Run,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Wilderness, 
North  Anna,  Mattapony,  Spottsylvania,  Bethesda  Church,  Petersburg,  Weldon 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  245 

Railroad,  Chapel  House,  Hatcher's  Run,  Yorktown,  Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks, 
Seven  Days'  Battle,  Blackwater,  Kingston,  Whitehall,  Goldsboro',  Siege  of 
Newbern,  Drury's  Farm,  Port  Walthall,  Coal  Harbor,  Battery  Harrison,  Charles 
City  Road. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Regiment. —  One  company  (K)  of  this  regi- 
ment was  raised  in  Warren  county,  largely  in  the  town  of  Queensbury,  and 
principally  by  Frederick  J.  P.  Chitty,  who  served  as  its  captain.  Philip  H. 
Fitzpatrick,  first  lieutenant,  and  C.  H.  Pike,  second  lieutenant,  were  from  Clin- 
ton county.  The  regiment  was  recruited  for  three  years'  service  and  organized 
at  Fonda.  The  other  companies  were  from  Fulton,  Montgomery,  Saratoga, 
Clinton  and  Essex  counties.  It  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  October  i8th,  1862,  and  was  mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of  term  of 
service,  October  2d,  1865.  The  principal  engagements  in  which  the  regiment 
took  part  were  those  at  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Pleasant  Hill,  Marksville,  Cane 
River,  Mansura,  and  Alexandria,  La.,  as  given  in  the  reports. 

Captain  Chitty  has  kindly  furnished  us  with  the  enrollment  papers,  con- 
taining endorsements  of  the  fate  of  the  members  of  the  company,  from  which 
the  following  list  is  made  up  :  — 

George  Albro,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  Mark  A.  Allen,  died  in  Rich- 
mond as  a  prisoner;  Amos  Baker,  jr.,  died  in  hospital;  Amyel  Baker,  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment;  Stephen  J.  Beadleston,  mustered  out  with  regiment? 
Franklin  Benman,  mustered  out  with  regiment;  Robert  Blackburn,  discharged 
for  disability ;  Benjamin  Brown,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  John  M.  Cros- 
sett,  died  in  hospital;  Lemuel  Davis,  mustered  out  with  regiment;  Leonard 
N.  Foster,  deserted ;  George  Harris,  died  in  hospital  at  Alexandria,  December 
1st,  1862;  William  Hillis,  died  in  hospital;  Philander  Hurd,  died  in  hospital; 
Anson  Jones,  rejected  at  Fonda;  Charles  La  Point,  mustered  out  with  regi- 
ment ;  Frank  La  Point,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  Cass  La  Point ;  Joseph 
Luther,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  Jacob  F.  Miller,  mustered  out  with  reg- 
iment ;  Charles  W.  Morgan,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  Daniel  R.  Moss, 
died  in  hospital ;  Thomas  Robinson,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  Anson  A. 
Scovill,  discharged  from  hospital ;  William  H.  Sheffer,  mustered  out  with  reg- 
iment ;  Seneca  B.  Smith,  mustered  out  with  regiment ;  William  H.  Stevenson, 
mustered  out  with  regiment ;  Henry  A.  Swan,  mustered  out  with  regiment ; 
William  Sullivan,  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps ;  Thomas  Taylor,  dis- 
charged for  disability ;  Allen  S.  Underwood,  mustered  out  with  regiment  as 
first  lieutenant  (in  command  of  the  company  much  of  the  time  of  its  service) ; 
Weston  J.  Wilkie,  discharged  for  disability;  James  M.  Walkup,  died  from 
disease. 

The  following  brief  account  of  the  career  of  this  regiment  is  also  from 
Watson's  History  of  Essex  County  :  — 

"  The  regiment  immediately  after  its  organization  was  ordered  to  Alexan- 


246  History  of  Warren  County. 

dria,  and  subsequently  at  Washington  was  employed  in  provost  dut)'.  Early 
in  1864  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- third  was  transferred  to  Louisiana  and 
incorporated  with  the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps.  It  was  engaged  in  the  Red 
River  expedition  and  participated  in  all  the  hardships  and  disasters  of  that 
campaign.  When  the  Union  forces,  after  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  fell 
back.  Company  I  (of  Essex)  was  the  rear  company  in  the  retreat  of  the  army. 
The  Nineteenth  Corps  sailed  from  New  Orleans  on  the  3d  of  July  with  sealed 
orders;  but  its  destination  proved  to  be  the  Chesapeake.  The  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-third,  and  four  companies  belonging  to  other  regiments,  the  advance 
of  the  corps,  on  the  arrival  at  Fortress  Monroe  were  instantly  ordered,  without 
disembarking,  to  the  defense  of  Washington,  then  menaced  by  Early's  incur- 
sion. These  troops  were  hastened  through  the  city  amid  the  deep  excitement 
and  alarm  of  the  people  to  a  position  at  Fort  Stevens,  where  they  went  into 
immediate  action.  After  the  repulse  of  the  rebels,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
third  joined  in  their  pursuit  across  the  Potomac  into  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
but  was  suddenly  recalled  to  the  vicinity  of  the  capital,  to  oppose  another 
apprehended  advance  of  the  enemy.  The  regiment  was  soon  after  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  Winchester,  and  it  participated  in  the  engagement  at  Fisher 
Hill  and  in  the  pursuit  of  the  Confederates  from  that  field.  The  Nineteenth 
Corps  was  at  Cedar  Creek  and  suffered  heavy  losses  incident  to  the  surprise 
and  early  catastrophies  of  that  eventful  day.  The  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
third  formed  part  of  the  picket  line  that  enveloped  Washington  after  the  assas- 
sination of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  discharged  guard  duty  at  the  arsenal  on  the  mili- 
tary trials  that  succeeded.  In  June,  1865,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
Savannah,  where  it  performed  provost  duty  until  its  discharge.  In  the  suc- 
ceeding October  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third  was  mustered  out  at 
Albany." 

In  this  connection  the  following  brief  sketch  of  the  career  of  Captain 
Chitty,  embodying  military  history,  will  be  of  interest :  He  was  born  in  Bir- 
mingham, England,  in  April,  1824,  and  is  by  profession  a  druggist.  He  was 
mustered  in  as  Captain  of  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- Third  Regi- 
ment, October  12th,  1862.  In  April,  1863,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
Thjrd,  then  doing  duty  in  Alexandria,  Va.,  he  was  detached  by  order  of  Brig- 
adier-General J.  P.  Slough,  Military  Governor,  as  Provost  Marshal  of  the  city, 
remaining  in  that  position  until  the  following  August,  when  the  regiment  was 
removed  from  the  command.  Accompanying  the  order  relieving  him  was  a 
complimentary  letter  from  the  general,  thanking  him  for  the  very  efificient 
manner  in  which  he  had  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  regretting  that 
a  military  necessity  compelled  his  return  to  the'  regiment.  Captain  Chitty,  in 
command  of  the  guard  of  his  regiment,  removed  the  first  lot  of  rebel  prison- 
ers (five  hundred  in  number)  from  the  Old  Capitol  prison  in  Washington  to 
Point  Lookout  in  Maryland,  and  in   command   of  a  battalion  of  his  regiment 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  247 

escorted  the  remains  of  General  Cochrane  through  the  city  of  Washington  on 
their  way  to  New  York  for  interment.  In  February,  1864,  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-Third  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf,  and  in 
March  Captain  Chitty  was  appointed  Acting  Assistant  Inspector-General  of 
the  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  Nineteenth  Army  Corps,  on  the  staff  of  Brig- 
adier-General William  Dwight,  and  remained  in  that  position  through  the  Red 
River  expedition  and  until  the  Nineteenth  Corps  was  removed  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  in  July,  1864,  when  the  city  was  threatened  by  the  rebel  General 
Early.  General  Dwight  then  being  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  First  Di- 
vision, Captain  Chitty  was  removed  to  the  Division  Staff  as  Inspector-General  ' 
of  the  First  Division,  serving  as  such  through  General  Sheridan's  Shenandoah 
campaign  ;  but  on  the  removal  of  the  division  to  Washington,  immediately 
after  the  lamented  Lincoln's  assassination,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  at  Camp 
Stoneman  as  Provost  Marshal  of  the  post,  at  that  time  the  camp  of  organiza- 
tion for  Hancock's  Veteran  Corps,  and  in  a  very  demoralized  condition.  Cap- 
tain Chitty,  however,  went  to  Savannah,  Ga.,  with  his  division  in  June,  and 
the  organization  then  being  broken  up,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  staff  of 
Major- General  I.  M.  Brennan,  on  the  order  of  Major-General  Steadman,  com- 
manding the  Department  of  Georgia,  as  Inspector- General  of  the  District  of 
Savannah,  First  Division  Department  of  Georgia,  remaining  in  that  position 
until  the  following  October,  when  his  term  of  service  having  expired  he  was 
ordered  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  there  mustered  out  of  the  service  October  20th, 
1865,  having  served  full  three  years  and  participated  in  all  the  engagements 
on  the  Red  River  expedition  and  those  of  Hunter  and  Sheridan  in  Virginia  in 
the  summer  and  fall  of  1864  ;  never  having  been  in  a  fight  but  what  the  gal- 
lant First  Division  came  out  victorious. 

The  Ninety-third  Regiment. — This  regiment  was  recruited  in  the  counties 
of  Albany,  Alleghany,  Rensselaer,  Washington  and  Warren,  nearly  half  of  its 
members  being  from  the  last-named  county.  It  was  mustered  into  service  in 
October,  1861,  for  three  years.  At  the  expiration  of  its  term  of  service  the 
organization  returned  to  New  York  two  hundred  and  sixty  strong,  February 
28th,  1864,  all  of  whom  re-enlisted  and  were  retained  in  service  until  June 
29th,  1865,  when  they  were  finally  mustered  out. 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  with  the  memo- 
randa of  the  career  of  each  as  far  as  obtained,  and  the  names  of  recruits  in  the 
different  companies  from  Warren  county,  as  given  in  the  records  :  — 

Field  Officers. —  Colonel,  John  S.  Crocker,  discharged  September  19th, 
1864;  lieutenant-colonel,  Benjamin  C.  Butler,  then  of  Luzerne,  mustered  out 
February,  1865;  adjutant,  Haviland  Gifford ;  surgeon,  Strobridge  Smith,  of 
Glens  Falls,  mustered  out  with  the  regiment ;  major,  Ambrose  L.  Cassidy  ; 
Chaplain,  Christopher  H.  Edgerton,  of  Johnsburgh,  resigned  May  2d,  1862. 

Company  A. —  Captain,  Orville  L.  Colvin,  of  Chester,  dismissed  May  25th, 


248  History  of  Warren  County. 

1863;  first-lieutenant,  Henry  C.  Newton,  then  of  Glens  Falls  and  now  of 
Moreau,  promoted  to  captain  July  20th,  1863,  discharged  May  iSth,  1865  ; 
second  lieutenant,  James  M.  Southwick,  died  of  disease  May  4th,  1862;  ser- 
geants  (ist  to  5th,  inclusive)  —  Danford  R.  Edmonds,  John  D.  Nuttingj  Oscar 

B.  Ingraham,  promoted  to  second  lieutenant ;  David  Burnham,  Queensbury, 
promoted  to  second  lieutenant  June,  1862,  and  resigned  March  2d,  1863  ; 
Frederick  J.  Thompson.  Corporals  (ist  to  8th,  inclusive)  —  James  W.  Nut- 
ting of  Chester,  promoted  to  second  lieutenant  September  30th,  1864,  mus- 
tered out  with  regiment ;  Charles  A.  Culver,  Obed  A.  Brooks,  Charles  Finch, 
Rufus  D.  Hastings,  Eldridge  Fletcher,  Joseph  M.  Wood,  Philetus  Bump.  Pri- 
vates, Alexander  Anderson,  George  Algier,  Sheldon  Austin,  Nathaniel  Al- 
bro  (transferred  to  Captain  Charles  F.  Barnes's  company) ;  Rufus  Bump, 
Henry  A.  Brooks,  Jeremiah  Bennett,  Joel  Benjamin,  Daniel  Benjamin,  Joseph 

C.  Carpenter,  Benjamin  Cleveland,  Calvin  Clemens,  Franklin  Colt,  Aimer 
Conklin,  James  M.  Cowles,  Chauncey  Davis,  Augustus  Davis,  Jeremiah  Dris- 
coll,  Andrew  J.  Dickens,  Orvis  Fish  (died  in  hospital  December  21st,  1861); 
Daniel  Farr,  Louis  Frederick,  Franklin  G.  Gatchell,  George  W.  Greene,  Dal- 
las M.  Gurney,  Isaiah  Gififord,  Patrick  Hurson,  Norman  Hitchcock,  John  Hav- 
erty,  John  W.  Hays,  Edgar  Inlay,  Henry  Johnson,  Lewis  Jenks,  Samuel  Jack- 
son, Aaron  Knowlton,  Jerry  M.  King,  Allen  P.  Lillebridge,  Adolphus  La 
Point,  James  Lowe,  Andrew  J.  Merithen,  Peter  McGown,  John  McMahon, 
John  Mauller,  Samuel  Murdock,  Marvin  E.  Orion,  James  Pollard,  Loland 
Page,  Henry  Porter,  Francis  Quinn,  Orlin  M.  Russell,  George  B.  Rogers  (died 
is  hospital  December  25th,  1861),  Lewis  Robbins,  William  G.  Russell,  Orville 
Ross,  Charles  D.  Roberts,  Nelson  Rhodes,  Elisha  Randall,  Franklin  D.  Smith, 
Charles  Smith,  Bethuel  Smith,  Cyrenus  Sprague,  Moses  Sherman,  James 
Scribner,  James  H.  Stewart,  Asa  Swarz,  Elijah  Taft,  John  T.  Turner,  Lorenzo 
Underwood,  Jay  Vandusen,  Wesley  Wood,  George  Williams,  Simon  Welch, 
George  Youngs,  Anson  M.  Pettys,  John  Pettys. 

This  company  was  nearly  or  quite  all  recruited  from  Warren  county,  but 
we  have  no  means  of  crediting  them  to  their  respective  towns.  Below  are 
given  the  Warren  county  credits  to  the  other  companies  of  the  regiment,  with 
data  of  such  promotions  of  Warren  county  men  as  we  have  been  able  to 
collect : — 

Company  B,  Nathaniel  Albro,  corporal  (promoted  from  private),  James 
Barney,  Charles  Cowles,  Charles  Fish,  Oris  H.  King,  Elijah  Rider,  James  Ross, 
Elijah  Robbins,  Lewis  Taber,  George  Taber,  Henry  C.  Taber,  Andrew  J.  Smith. 
Company  C,  William  W.  Clark  and  Ambrose  Spencer,  sergeants  ;  James  H. 
Lawrence,  corporal ;  Abraham  Austin,  Martin  B.  Clemens,  William  C.  Fuller, 
Samuel  Galusha,  Thomas  J.  Hays,  Charles  Ramsey,  Truman  M.  Stewart,  Hen- 
ry E.  Whitmore. 

Company  F,  Edward  A.  Tanner  and  Fayette   Selleck,   sergeants ;  Abram 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  249 

Austen,  Daniel  Bennett,  Thomas  Bemis,  Jonathan  Brown,  jr.,  Elnathan  Bris- 
tol, Samuel  B.  Cutts,  James  I.  Darling,  Patrick  Ford,  James  H.  Gray,  Lewis 
Hamlin,  Robert  Martin,  George  McDonald,  Edward  Story,  Wesley  Scofield, 
Jesse  B..  Thompson,  Francis  L.  Tanner,  Joseph  Woodman,  Hough  Wells. 

Company  G,  James  H.  Morehouse,  James  F.  Rowe. 

Company  H,  Captain,  Hiram  S.  Wilson,  of  Bolton,  died  March  24th,  1864, 
of  disease.  First  lieutenant,  Edson  Fitch,  of  Warren  county,  promoted  to  cap- 
tain December  1st,  1863;  mustered  out  on  expiration  of  term.  Sergeant, 
Charles  F.  Brown.  Corporals,  Charles  Cleveland  and  Charles  Roberts.  Pri- 
vates, Owen  Allen,  Avery  Allen,  Fayette  Bush,  Franklin  Brese,  RoUand  Bal- 
com,  Murray  Bentley,  Benjamin  Clark,  Thomas  D.  Clark,  John  Calihan,  David 
H.  Decker,  John  Dean,  Ira  Duell,  2d,  Joseph  Duell,  Martin  J.  Eastwood,  War- 
ren Emerson,  Norman  F.  Eldridge,  Johnsburgh,  promoted  to  second  lieutenant 
May  25th,  1863,  and  to  first  lieutenant,  July  20th,  1863,  killed  in  action  in  the 
Wilderness,  May  6th,  1864;  Horace  P.  Eldridge,  Sidney  Fuller,  Thomas  Fitch, 
Montgomery  Fish,  Harley  Finkle,  George  French,  William  J.  Griffin,  Henry 
Goodwin,  Samuel  G.  Goodman,  Ashel  Granger,  Loren  S.  Gibson,  Almon  B. 
Griffin,  M.  C.  Holcomb,  Perry  G.  Hammond,  Hialmer  P.  Hammond  (musician), 
Artemus  A.  Hastings,  Nicholas  Hartman,  Daniel  T.  Hicks,  Homer  Hammond, 
Charles  H.  Hall,  Josiah  F.  Lovett,  Andrew  Lord,  Warren  Mead,  Sylvester 
McCauley,  E.  McDonnell,  Philander  Norton,  Ira  Ogden,  Leroy  Potter,  Oliver 
Pratt,  Stephen  M.  Pratt,  Luther  W.  Peck,  Robert  Ramsey,  Andrew  Ryan, 
Clark  Shaw,  Russell  Streeter,  William  Sexton,  Julius  P.  Sexton,  Leander  Sher- 
man, George  Smith,  George  Sweet,  Isaac  Threehouse,  Erskine  Truesdell,  Dal- 
las- M.  Vernam,  Sidney  B.  Viele,  Alfred  L.  Wescott,  Moses  Wright,  Ephriam 
T.  Weeks,  commissioned  second  lieutenant  January  30th,  1862,  resigned  Jan- 
uary 1 2th,  1863;  David  Bushaw,  James  Barnes,  Otis  Beswick,  Chauncey  Bul- 
lard,  Isaac  Bentley,  Philander  Bartlett,  Leander  Bartlett,  George  Lake,  Charles 
Larose,  Joseph  Larkin,  James  McCabe,  DeWitt  Munger,  John  Austin,  Isaac 
R.  Knapp,  Bernard  Murray. 

Company  I,  Bethuel  Comstock,  George  Cleveland,  Stephen  Monthoney, 
Stephen  F.  Monthoney. 

Company  K  were  all  credited  to  Troy,  N.  Y. 

During  its  term  of  service  and  upon  the  re-organization  of  the  Ninety-third 
after  the  expiration  of  its  first  term  of  service,  as  above  alluded  to,  there  were 
other  enlistments,  appointments  and  promotions  from  Warren  county,  among 
which  were  those  of  Joseph  S.  Little,  now  of  Glens  Falls,  who  was  promoted 
to  first  lieutenant  July  20th,  1863,  and  lost  a  leg  in  battle  ;  Daniel  W.  Thomp- 
son, commissioned  as  first  lieutenant  January  30th,  1865,  but  not  mustered 
under  the  commission  ;  Oscar  B.  Ingraham,  commissioned  first  lieutenant  Sep- 
tember i6th,  1864,  but  not  mustered  under  the  commission;  Lewis  W.  Ham- 
lin, then  of  Queensbury,  now  of  Moreau,  commissioned  second  lieutenant  Jan- 


2SO  History  of  Warren  County. 

uary  30th,  1865,  and  mustered  out  with  the  regiment;  John  Bailey,  of  Stoney 
Creek,  commissioned  captain  July  20th,  1863,  was  killed  in  action  May  5th, 
1864.  There  may  be  others  who  deserve  mention  under  this  feature  of  the 
records,  but  if  so,  we  have  been  unable  to  obtain  them. 

The  Ninety-third  regiment  has  a  noble  record,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  a  more  explicit  account  of  its  valorous  deeds  in  the  field  and  the  indi\'id- 
ual  acts  of  heroism  on  the  part  of  many  of  its  members  cannot  be  given  at  this 
late  day.  It  bears  upon  its  banners  a  list  of  engagements  embracing  Yorktown, 
Williamsburg,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Antietam,  Wilderness,  Coal 
Harbor,  Spottsylvania,  North  Anna,  Tolopotomoy,  Petersburg,  Strawberry 
Plains,  Deep  Bottom,  Poplar  Spring  Church,  and  Boydton  Road — a  series  of 
battles  through  which  no  regiment  could  pass  and  come  out  without  leaving  a 
large  portion  of  its  members  either  dead  on  southern  soil,  or  wounded  in  many 
hospitals.  We  find  the  following  brief  sketch  of  the  regiment  in  a  Glens  Falls 
paper  of  a  date  not  long  before  its  return  to  New  York,  in  1864: — 

"This  remarkably  fine  regiment  was  raised  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1861, 
in  the  courities  of  Washington,  Warren,  Essex  and  Alleghany,  and  took  its  de- 
parture from  the  State  in  March,  1862,  one  thousand  strong,  of  whom  but  two 
hundred  and  sixty  now  remain.  It  formed  part  of  Palmer's  Brigade,  of  Casey's 
Division,  in  Keyes's  Corps,  and  went  down  to  the  peninsula  with  the  rest  of 
McClellan's  army.  In  the  advance  from  Fortress  Monroe,  in  April,  the 
Ninety-third  formed  the  extreme  left  of  the  army  and  was  encamped  near  the 
the  mouth  of  Warwick  River,  where  they  took  part  in  many  skirmishes  and  re- 
connaissances and  performed  much  severe  labor.  While  here  Colonel  Crocker 
and  Major  Cassidy  were  taken  prisoners  within  our  own  lines,  through  the 
negligence  of  the  officer  of  the  picket,  and  until  their  exchange  several  months 
later,  the  command  of  the  regiment  devolved  upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Butler. 

"  At  the  battle  of  Williamsburg  the  Ninety-third  was  the  only  regiment  of 
the  brigade  that  arrived  on  the  field  during  the  action  and  was  highly  compli- 
mented by  General  Keyes  for  its  promptness  and  energy. 

"  Soon  after  the  battle  of  Williamsburg  General  McClellan  ordered  the  regi- 
ment to  be  detailed  as  guard  at  general  headquarters  of  the  army — a  high  tes- 
timonial to  its  drill,  discipline  and  morale.  General  Burnside,  on  assuming 
command  of  the  army,  retained  the  Ninety-third  at  his  headquarters,  as  did 
also  General  Hooker  and  General  Mead,  all  of  whom  spoke  of  it  in  the  highest 
terms.  In  drill,  discipline,  and  morale,  it  is  surpassed  by  no  regiment  in  the 
army  of  the  Potomac  and  none  can  better  perform  the  duties  of  the  position. 
Noble,  pure-minded  General  Patrick  greatly  admires  it,  and  declares  it  shall 
remain  at  headquarters  as  long  as  he  does. " 

One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Regiment.  —  This  regiment  was  organized 
at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  for  three  years'  service.  It  was  recruited  entirely  in  the 
Sixteenth  Senate  District,  comprising  the  counties  of  Clinton,  Essex  and  War- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  251 

ren,  companies  A,  D,  and  G,  being  from  the  last  named  county.  It  was  mus- 
tered into  service  on  the  30th  of  August,  1862.  Following  are  the  names  of 
the  regimental  officers  at  the  organization  of  the  regiment : — 

Field  Officers. — Colonel,  Samuel  T.Richards,  resigned  July  8th,  1863. 
Lieutenant-colonel,  Oliver  Keese,  jr.,  promoted  to  colonel  July  31st,  1863,  and 
resigned  September  i6th,  1864.  Major,  Geo.  F.  Nichols,  promoted  to  lieu- 
tenant-colonel August,  1863,  and  to  colonel  November  28th,  1864;  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment.  Adjutant,  Charles  E.  Pruyn,  promoted  to  major  Au- 
gust, 1863,  and  killed  in  action  June  13th,  1864.  Quartermaster,  Patrick 
Delaney,  resigned  August  19th,  1864.  Surgeon,  John  H.  Mooers,  resigned 
April  4th,  1864.  Assistant  surgeon,  James  G.  Porteus,  promoted  to  surgeon 
Forty-sixth  New  York  Volunteers,  November  12th,  1864.  Chaplain,  Charles 
S.  Hagar. 

Following  are  the  officers  and  members  of  Companies  A,  D,  and  G,  raised 
'n  Warren  county,  with  considerable  details  of  promotions,  etc. :  — 

Company  A,  captain,  Josiah  H.  Norris,  of  Glens  Falls,  resigned  January 
1st,  1864.  First  lieutenant,  Edward  Riggs,  of  Glens  Falls,  promoted  to  cap- 
tain January  1 2th,  1863,  resigned  August  5th,  1863.  Was  drowned  while  on 
his  way  South,  in  1865,  to  procure  substitutes  to  apply  on  the  Queensbury 
quota.  (See  biography  of  Daniel  V.  Brown,  in  later  pages  of  this  work.)  Sec- 
ond lieutenant,  Simon  E.  Chamberlain,  promoted  to  captain  Twenty-fifth  New 
York  Cavalry,  May  19th,  1864.  Sergeants  (first  to  fourth  inclusive),  Edgar 
Comstock,  James  Kendall,  Orange  A.  Cowles,  Michael  Reynolds,  commis- 
sioned second  lieutenant  April  13th,  1864,  killed  in  action  near  Coal  Harbor, 
June  2d,  1864;  these  all  from  Queensbury.  Corporals  (first  to  eighth  inclu- 
sive), Amos  B.  Haviland,  James  Goodwin,  Gustus  C.  Sherman,  Charles  A. 
Grace,  commissioned  second  lieutenant  May  nth,  1865,  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment ;  Samuel  Van  Tassell,  Cass  C.  La  Point,  Edward  E.  Clute,  George 
H.  Wing;  all  from  Queensbury.  William  E.  Hall,  drummer;  Carlos  M. 
Brainerd,  wagoner ;  Clark  Arnold,  Adelbert  Andrews,  William  H.  Allen, 
Henry  Andrews,  Charles  C.  Bennett,  Royal  Bullion,  William  Bullock,  Edward 
Brownse,  Andrew  J.  Brummagim,  John  Balfour,  jr.  Adolphus  P.  Burkhart, 
William  A.  Coffee,  Martin  Chamberlain,  Abner  Croff,  Charles  F.  Copeland, 
Abner  B.  Crannell,  John  Clute,  John  M.  J.  Crannell,  Joseph  Doket,  Marquis 
Davis,  Hosea  Day,  Robert  K.  Evans,  Edward  B.  Fish,  Franklin  Foster,  Isaac 
Gilman,  William  H.  Groom,  Norman  H.  Gourlay,  Hubbard  W.  Goodrich 
Adolphus  Guyat,  Joseph  Granger,  Joseph  Herbert,  William  Hartman,  John 
H.  Hall,  Henry  L.  Hall,  Allen  D.  Hubbell,  Alonzo  S.  Hopkins,  CHffijrd  Hub- 
bard (of  Glens  Falls;  commissioned  second  lieutenant  November  30th,  1864, 
and  made  adjutant.  May  iith,  1865  ;  mustered  out  with  the  regiment) ;  Eber 
F.  Irish,  John  Jordon,  Franklin  Jandro  (awarded  medal  of  honor  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  War) ;   De  Estaing  Johnson,   Stephen  B.   Little,   Mahlon  Lord   Levi 


252  History  of  Warren  County. 

Ladao,  Joseph  Morrison,  Henry  M.  Mellis,  Arad  B.  Mickle,  William  Mallery, 
Clark  N.  Northrup,  Daniel  Norlon,  Ira  Norlon,  Franklin  T.  Paige,  William  D. 
Palmer,  George  A.  Potter,  Mandeville  Potter,  William  H.  Potter,  Isaac  Philo, 
jr.,  Henry  W.  Persons,  John  C.  Robillard,  Theophile  Rienvielle,  Silas  Randall, 
Addison  L.  Stoddard,  Alanson  D.  Simpson,  Frederick  W.  Shaw,  Janurius  Sur- 
prenant,  John  S.  Shippy,  Wells  E.  Stone,  James  R.  Tillotson,  William  W. 
Thayer,  James  Van  Wagoner,  Albert  Wilson,  Duane  Williams,  Holdridge  H. 
Whipple,  Abraham  White,  Charles  C.  Wright,  Amos  Ward,  Edgar  M.  Wing, 
(Glens  Falls,  commissioned  second  lieutenant  January  I2th,  1864,  died  May 
i6th,  1864);  Benoni  T.  Wert,  George  Wescott,  Hiram  Yetto.  This  company 
was  raised  largely  in  the  town  of  Queensbury. 

Company  D,  captain,  Richard  P.  Smith,  Horicon,  resigned  December  loth, 
1862.  First  lieutenant,  Cyrus  O.  Burge,  Chestertown,  resigned  November 
24th,  1863.  Second  Heutenant,  John  H.  Smith,  jr.,  commissioned  first  heuten- 
ant,  June  I2th,  1863,  but  not  mustered,  resigned  January  i6th,  1863.  Ser- 
geants (first  to  fifth  inclusive),  Elisha  M.  Baxter,  Horicon  ;  James  M.  Colony, 
Ebenezer  N.  Jenks  and  Warren  S.  Wickham,  of  Chester ;  Joseph  A.  Hastings, 
Horicon.  Corporals  (first  to  eighth  inclusive),  Samuel  Sherman,  Horicon,  com- 
missioned second  lieutenant  March  17th,  1863,  and  promoted  to  first  lieuten- 
ant April  13th,  1864,  discharged  October  19th,  1864;  George  B.  Green,  Eb- 
enezer M.  Sexton,  William  C.  Duel,  C.  Brown,  of  Horicon  ;  Reuben  W.  Mead 
and  Charles  H.  Osborn,  of  Chester;  William  Cox,  Johnsburg.  Alfred  H. 
HoUey,  Horicon,  drummer ;  Eli  Pettys,  Chester,  wagoner.  Privates,  David 
Austin,  Johnsburg;  Lorenzo  J.  Barton,  Chester;  John  Bolton,  Royal  Z.  Ben- 
nett, Washington  Baker,  Lewis  Bartlett,  Hiram  Brown,  Joel  Brown,  Benjamin 
Baker,  Enos  Brown  and  Lemuel  Bentley,  of  Horicon ;  Jeremiah  Bennett, 
Johnsburgh ;  John  Calkins,  Hague  (commissioned  second  lieutenant  Septem- 
ber 1 6th,  1864,  and  promoted  to  first  lieutenant  May  nth,  1865  ;  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment) ;  Michael  Cummings,  Johnsburgh  ;  Henry  D.  Coville, 
Hiram  Drake,  Reuben  J.  Davis,  James  P.  Davis,  of  Chester  ;  Oscar  O.  Duel, 
Richard  Dycher  and  Patrick  H.  Dugan,  of  Horicon ;  James  H.  Dingman,  Lu- 
zerne ;  Edmond  Eldridge  and  James  D.  Flansburgh,  Johnsburgh ;  George 
Frazier,  Horicon  ;  William  Frazier,  Levi  Fuller  and  Henry  Flansburgh,  of 
Johnsburgh;  Emory  Gregory,  Horicon;  James  Hughes,  Alfred  Hotchkiss 
and  Charles  W.  Higley,  of  Chester ;  James  Hastings,  Amasa  Hill,  Timothy 
Hill  and  Thomas  J.  Hays,  of  Horicon ;  Ira  Hill,  Chester ;  Tarquin  Ingram, 
Horicon  ;  HoUis  Johnson,  Irwin  Johnson,  Norman  W.  King  and  John  E.  King, 
of  Chester ;  Daniel  King  and  Norman  J.  King,  of  Horicon  ;  Napoleon  Lape- 
rarie,  Johnsburgh ;  James  Lamb,  Horicon ;  Horace  P.  May,  Chester ;  Rus- 
sell McCauley,  Horicon  ;  James  McCormick  and  Frank  Potter,  of  Johnsburgh  ; 
Dalhousie  Priestley  and  David  G.  Perry,  of  Chester ;  Lewis  Pilotts,  Adam  Put- 
nam and  Jeffreys  Prichard,  of  Horicon  ;   Henry  R.  Putnam,  Johnsburgh  ;   Mi- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  253 

chad  Rattigan,  Chester ;  Orange  Remington,  Martin  Russell,  Benager  Rob- 
bins  and  Solomon  Robbins,  of  Horicon  ;  Rodney  Ross,  Johnsburgh  ;  William 
W.  Stannard,  Chester ;  Toner  Smith,  Horicon ;  Thomas  Simmons,  Samuel 
Smith  and  George  W.  Sherman,  Horicon ;  George  Sturgis,  Johnsburgh ; 
Charles  C.  Smith,  Alva  B.  Taylor,  Oscar  Tyrrell  and  Daniel  R.  Taylor,  of 
Chester ;  Lorenzo  D.  Tripp,  Mallory  Tripp,  Alonzo  Tyrrell  and  George  W. 
Tyrrell,  of  Horicon ;  Charles  Underwood,  Chester;  Josiah  D.  Waldron,  Rich- 
ard S.  Waters  and  Henry  A.  Wood,  of  Horicon ;  Job  A.  Wilcox,  Luzerne. 

Company  G. —  Captain,  Dennis  Stone,  of  Warrensburgh,  resigned  May  26th, 
1865.  First  lieutenant,  Stephen  H.  Smith,  Horicon,  resigned  November  23d, 
1862.  Second  lieutenant,  M.  Nelson  Dickinson,  Warrensburgh,  promoted  to 
first  lieutenant  June  12th,  1863,  resigned  May  3d,  1865.  Sergeants  (first  to 
fifth  inclusive),  Henry  P  Grump,  Luzerne;  B.  P.  Dean,  Stony  Creek;  Bennett 
J.  Leonard,  Johnsburgh;  Truman  N.  Thomas,  Bolton,  discharged  November 
20th,  1863;  George  W.  Carnes,  Warrensburgh.  Corporals  (first  to  eighth  in- 
clusive), Thomas  H.  Tripp,  Stony  Creek ;  George  W.  Fuller,  Johnsburgh ; 
David  W.  Bartlett,  Bolton ;  Charles  A.  Lincoln,  Warrensburgh ;  Roswell 
Walsh  and  George  Murray,  Stony  Creek;  Henry  S.  Perkins,  Warrensburgh; 
Orlando  J.  Brown,  Johnsburgh. 

J.  W.  Odell,  musician.  Stony  Creek;  Calvin  G.  Wood,  musician,  Warrens- 
burgh ;  D.  M.  Woodward,  wagoner,  Warrensburgh.  Privates,  Lewis  Aldrich, 
Luzerne ;  Edgar  Burnett,  Johnsburgh ;  Sewell  P.  Braley,  Bolton ;  John  Bes- 
wick,  John  Burnett,  Johnsburgh ;  Robert  Boyd,  Bolton  ;  Royal  Bates,  Cald- 
well ;  Nathan  Beswick,  Bolton,  John  H.  Bennett,  Warrensburgh ;  William  J. 
Barber,  Luzerne ;  George  Casey  and  George  H.  Clark,  Johnsburgh ;  Martin 
V.  B.  Coon,  John  Dawson  and  William  N.  Dingman,  Stony  Creek ;  Charles 
Fenton,  Warrensburgh  ;  William  Freeborn  and  Darius  Fuller,  Johnsburgh ; 
John  J.  Flanders,  Luzerne  ;  William  Goodnow,  Stony  Creek ;  Martin  Gardner, 
Johnsburgh  ;  John  A.  Grimes,  Warrensburgh  ;  Lemuel  Griffin,  Bolton  ;  Parley 
Gray,  jr.,  and  William  Gamble,  Stony  Creek;  William  H.  Gates  and  Hiram  B. 
Gates,  Johnsburgh ;  Edmond  Gibo,  Joseph  H.  Higgins  and  Jasper  Harvey, 
Johnsburgh;  Harrison  Hall,  Luzerne;  G.  H.  Hall,  Johnsburgh;  Valentine 
Hoyle,  Luzerne;  John  Jones,  Johnsburgh;  James  A.  King,  Stony  Creek;  Ed- 
gar E.  Lincoln,  Johnsburgh ;  William  Latham,  Warrensburgh ;  William  H. 
Layway,  Bolton  ;  James  McCarthy,  Warrensburgh ;  Benjamin  F.  W.  Monroe, 
Johnsburgh  ; '  Samuel  Maxim  and  William  Morehouse,  Warrensburgh  ;  Sylves- 
ter McDonald,  Stony  Creek;  A.  J.  Myers,  Warrensburgh;  Joseph  L.  Norton, 
Johnsburgh  ;  Jonathan  Nolton  and  Benjamin  F.  Nolton,  Stony  Creek  ;  Truman 
H.  Parke,  Warrensburgh ;  Dudley  R.  Peabody,  Luzerne  ;  Alfred  S.  Purver, 
Warrensburgh;  William  R.  Perkins,  Stony  Creek;  William  H.  Parkiss,  War- 
rensburgh ;  Benjamin  B.  Perry,  Caldwell;  Delius  Rist,  Johnsburgh;  Rufus 
Randall,  jr.,  Aaron  G.  Randall  and  Selah  Randall,  Bolton  ;  Joseph  Reed,  Stony 


254  History  of  Warren  County. 

Creek ;  Henry  Shaw,  Luzerne ;  George  Sanders,  Johnsburgh ;  Ransom  H. 
Stanton  and  Joel  Streeter,  Warrensburgh;  Sidney  Smith,  Johnsburgh;  Sylvanus 
H.  Smith,  Bolton ;  Elias  K.  Sargent,  Johnsburgh ;  H.  O.  Shedel,  Bolton ; 
Elihu  Stevens  and  William  C.  Stevens,  Stony  Creek  ;  Wilson  Smead,  Luzerne  ; 
Charles  C.  Sexton  and  James  E.  Sexton,  Bolton  ;  Edward  Tucker,  Warrens- 
burgh ;  Richard  H.  Turner,  Johnsburgh  ;  James  Tucker,  Warrensburgh ;  Will- 
iam S.  Taylor,  Luzerne  ;  Merritt  Vermun,  Warrensburgh;  Garry  Vandenburgh, 
\^  George  Williams  and  William  H.  Washburn,  Johnsburgh  ;  Franklin  L.  Weaver 
and  Joshua  Carnes,  Warrensburgh. 

Three  of  the  companies  of  this  regiment  were  from  Essex  county  (C,  E,  and 
F),  and  a  part  of  Company  K,  which  fact  rendered  it  incumbent  upon  Mr. 
Winslow  C.  Watson,  in  the  writing  of  his  history  of  that  county,  some  ten  years 
ago,  and  from  which  we  have  already  made  extracts  in  this  connection  to  give 
an  account- of  its  career;  from  his  sketch,  revised  and  corrected  by  several  liv- 
ing officers,  we  condense  the  following :  — 

"  The  regiment,  with  great  appropriateness  called  the  Adirondac,  was  mus- 
tered into  the  service  the  29th  of  August,  1862.  By  the  successive  resigna- 
tions of  Colonel  Richards  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Keese,  as  above  noted. 
Major  Nichols  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  regiment,  and  led  it  with 
distinguished  skill  and  courage.  John  L.  Cunningham,  then  of  Essex,  and 
now  of  Glens  Falls,  went  out  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  F,  of  which  Rob- 
ert W.  Livingston,  now  the  veteran  journalist  of  Essex  county,  living  at  Eliza- 
bethtown,  was  captain.  Lieutenant  Cunningham  was  promoted  to  captain  of 
Company  D,  of  Warren  county,  September  4th,  1863,  and  to  major  November 
28th,  1864;  he  was  also  brevetted  lieutenant-colonel,  and  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment.  James  S.  Garrett,  now  of  Glens  Falls,  was  promoted  from  ser- 
geant to  second  lieutenant,  December  9th,  1862,  and  to  first  lieutenant  March 
8th,  1864;  he  was  brevetted  captain  and  mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

"The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  entered  the  service  with  an  aggregate 
of  nine  hundred  and  eighty-three  men  ;  it  was  re-enforced  at  intervals  by  three 
hundred  and  fifty  recruits,  but  returned  from  the  field  at  the  expiration  of  its 
term  with  only  three  hundred  and  twenty-three  in  its  ranks,  both  officers  and 
privates.  Immediately  upon  joining  the  army  the  regiment  began  a  series  of 
active  and  incessant  duties.  It  formed  a  part  of  Peck's  force,  in  the  memora- 
ble defense  of  Suffialk,  and  was  employed  in  the  arduous  raids  along  the  Black 
River.  It  was  warmly  engaged  through  two  days  and  often  under  heavy  fire, 
in  a  continued  skirmish  with  the  rebel  sharp-shooters  near  Suffolk,  and  partici- 
pated in  a  diversion  to  the  northward  of  Richmond,  to  attack  Lee  or  a  portion 
of  his  army  from  Pennsylvania,  in  June,  1863.  The  brigade  to  which  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Regiment  was  attached  was  in  the  advance,  and  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  destroy  parts  of  the  Richmond  and  Fredericksburg 
railroad.     While  the  regiment  was  engaged  in  executing  this  service,  two  com- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  255 

panics,  A,  Captain  Norris,  and  F  in  the  absence  from  sickness  of  Captain 
Livingstone  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Cunningham,  were  advanced  as  skir- 
mishers along  the  railroad,  towards  the  South  Anna  River,  and  after  cautiously 
proceeding  about  cne  mile  came  in  contact  with  the  rebel  pickets.  The  com- 
mand continued  to  advance  in  line  under  a  sharp  and  constant  fire,  the  enemy 
slowly  retiring,  and  speedily  in  addition  to  small  arms  they  opened  a  fire  on 
the  Union  troops  from  batteries  in  front  commanding  the  line  of  railroad  and 
on  a  flank.  The  companies  under  this  concentrated  fire  were  compelled  to  re- 
treat and  fell  back  in  order,  assuming  a  strong  position  in  a  wood,  behind  a 
ditch  with  an  open  field  in  front.  During  this  movement.  Lieutenant  Cunning- 
ham received  a  painful  wound  from  a  spent  ball,  but  did  not  leave  the  field. 
Major  Nichols  soon  after  appeared  on  the  ground  with  two  fresh  companies,  D, 
Captain  Riggs,  and  a  company  of  the  Ninety-ninth  New  York.  These  com- 
panies deployed  on  either  side,  and  the  line  thus  formed  made  a  rapid  advance. 
A  warm  action  ensued  in  which  the  command  was  subjected  to  a  heavy  fire  of 
mingled  bullets,  shot  and  shells.  The  enemy  were  at  length  driven  back  along 
their  whole  front,  except  at  one  point  in  their  position,  which  was  obstinately 
maintained  and  appeared  to  be  fortified.  This  point,  which  proved  to  be  a 
breastwork  of  plank,  Lieutenant  W.  H.  Stevens  of  Company  F  proposed  to 
capture ;  and  calling  for  volunteers  for  the  service,  selected  five  of  the  first  who 
offered.  He  rapidly  advanced  in  the  dark  behind  a  screen  of  bushes,  which 
flanked  the  rebel's  position  on  the  right,  and  with  fi.xed  bayonets  and  loaded 
guns  rushed  upon  the  breastwork  with  a  wild  shout.  Although  surprised,  the 
enemy  attempted  a  resistance,  but  the  gallant  Stevenson  killed  one  with  his 
revolver,  wounded  a  second  and  captiired  the  remainder  of  the  party  consisting 
of  thirteen  men,  who  were  brought  into  the  Federal  lines.  The  constancy  and 
resolution  of  the  regiment  was  first  tested  on  this  occasion,  and  the  conduct  of 
the  officers  engaged  and  the  steadiness  and  discipline  of  the  troops  received  the 
highest  encomiums. 

"The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  continued  attached  to  the  column  of 
the  James  until  the  spring  of  1864,  and  was  engaged  in  operations  near  Norfolk 
and  at  or  near  Bermuda  Hundred,  and  in  February  it  advanced  to  Bolton's 
Bridge  from  Williamsburg,  in  an  attempt  on  Richmond  ;  and  in  operations  near 
Norfolk  and  at  or  near  Bermuda  Hundred.  It  at  this  time  constituted  a  part  of 
the  Second  Brigade,  First  Division  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps.  General  W.  F. 
Smith  commanded  the  corps,  Brooks  the  division,  and  Burnham  the  brigade. 
All  these  officers  were  eminently  distinguished  by  their  fighting  qualities  and 
high  reputation.  Early  in  May  the  army  marched  upon  the  ill-omened  expe- 
dition against  Fort  Darling  on  the  James,  which  was  terminated  by  the  fatal 
results  at  Drury's  Bluff.  This  march  from  its  commencement  to  its  disastrous 
issue  was  a  constant  scene  of  fighting  and  skirmishes.  On  the  tenth,  com- 
panies D,  F,  and  K,  were  advanced  in  a  skirmishing  line,  the  last  held  in  re- 


2$6  History  of  Warren  County. 

serve,  while  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  was  deployed.  The  coolness  and 
bearing  of  Lietenant  Stevenson  of  F,  and  Kellogg  of  Company  D,  were  con- 
spicuous, and  the  steadiness  of  the  whole  line  was  eminently  distinguished. 
The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  four  days  after  captured  with  small  loss  a 
series  of  rifle  pits,  redoubts  and  batteries,  which  formed  a  strong  advance  line 
of  the  enemy.  This  work  from  the  form  of  its  construction  offered  no  protec- 
tion to  the  Federal  troops.  The  enemy  occupied  a  short  distance  in  front  far 
more  formidable  works  mounted  with  heavy  guns,  and  during  the  whole  day 
the  Second  Brigade  was  exposed  to  a  severe  fire  of  shells  from  this  work.  One 
of  the  missiles  crushed  the  head  of  Sergeant  Place  of  Company  K,  a  brave  and 
intelligent  soldier.  Throughout  Sunday  the  15th  the  brigade  maintained  this 
exposed  position,  which  was  soon  to  acquire  a  dread  and  bloody  prominence  in  one 
of  the  darkest  pages  of  the  war.  Heckman's  Brigade,  lying  to  the  right  of  the 
second,  formed  the  extreme  right  of  the  army  Hne.  Between  Heckman's  Bri- 
gade and  the  James  there  was  an  interval  of  a  mile  in  length,  which  was  left 
unoccupied,  except  by  a  few  feeble  and  scattering  posts  of  colored  cavalry. 
No  entrenchment  had  been  constructed  either  in  front  of  the  Union  lines  or  on 
the  flank  ;  excepting  such  as  were  hastily  thrown  up  under  the  direction  of  com- 
manders of  particular  brigades  or  regiments.  The  ground  had  been  previous- 
ly occupied  by  the  Confederates,  by  whom  scattered  and  irregular  redoubts, 
trenches  and  rifle  pits  were  constructed ;  but  these  were  so  arranged  that  they 
afforded  no  protection  to  the  Union  troops  in  their  present  position.  The  line 
held  by  the  Second  Brigade  stretched  along  a  deep  excavation  which  had  been 
made  by  the  rebels  and  at  this  time  was  filled  with  water.  A  standing  place 
was  formed  for  the  brigade  by  leveling  a  narrow  space,  between  this  ditch  and 
the  enbankment  created  by  the  earth  thrown  up  at  its  construction.  Slight 
bridges  were  at  short  intervals  thrown  across  the  trench.  These  precautions 
proved  a  few  hours  later  of  infinite  importance.  The  embankment  was  thus 
converted  into  an  important  defense  which  in  the  subsequent  action  afforded 
great  protection  to  the  troops.  General  Brooks  conceived  the  novel  and 
happy  idea  of  extending  a  telegraph  wire  in  front  of  the  brigade ;  but  unfor- 
tunately Heckman's  Brigade  was  without  even  this  feeble  protection  and  lay 
totally  exposed  to  the  assault  of  a  vigilant  foe. 

"  At  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighteenth  was  aroused  and  at  its  post,  in  conformity  to  special  orders,  or  its 
established  practice.  The  air  was  loaded  with  a  thick,  dank  fog,  which  the 
opening  dawn  but  slightly  dissipated.  As  sun-rise  approached,  the  advance 
or  movement  of  troops  was  noticed  in  front,  but  in  the  obscure  light  the  color 
of  their  uniform  could  not  be  distinguished,  nor  their  evolutions  determined. 
A  few  shots  from  Belger's  artillery  in  front  of  the  brigade,  were  thrown  into 
the  ravine  along  which  these  troops  were  advancing  and  they  were  seen  to  halt 
and  lie  down.      A  staff"  officer  who  at  that  moment  appeared  on  the  field,  pro- 


Warren'  County  in  the  Rebellion.  257 

nouncing  them  to  .be  Federal  pickets  retiring  and  ordered  the  firing  to  cease. 
Small  white  flags  or  signals  were  distinctly  discerned  waving  in  the  mist,  and 
voices  shouted  from  the  obscurity,  '  Dori't  fire  on  your  friends.'  The  mus- 
ketry had  already  become  sharp  on  the  right,  but  the  Second  Brigade  had  re- 
ceived no  orders  of  any  kind.  There  was  a  period  of  fearful  suspense  and 
hesitation.  Captain  Ransom  of  Company  I,  unable  to  restrain  his  impatience, 
leaped  upon  the  embankment  and  firing  his  revolver,  exclaimed  :  '  This  is  my 
reception  of  such  friends.'  The  last  chamber  was  scarcely  exploded  when  he 
fell,  pierced  by  a  ball  that  passed  through  his  body,  and  shattered  an  arm. 
Doubt  no  longer  existed  of  the  character  or  purpose  of  these  troops,  and  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  instantly  poured  a  volley  into  the  advancing  line. 
The  front  rank  of  the  enemy  now  rushed  impetuously  forward,  and  in  the  dimness 
of  the  light  stumbled  over  the  wires,  and  those  in  the  rear  pressing  after  them  all 
were  hurled  together  in  a  promiscuous  mass;  their  ranks  broken  and  thrown 
into  inextricable  disorder.  Many  of  the  enemy  involved  in  the  confusion  threw 
down  their  arms  and  surrendered,  and  were  sent  to  the  rear.  Up  to  this  point 
the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  had  achieved  a  success.  It  was  vigilant  and 
the  contemplated  surprise  had  been  defeated  ;  but  Heckman's  Brigade  had  been 
surprised  and  nearly  flanked  from  the  undefended  space  on  its  right.  It  had 
fallen  back  and  at  one  time  the  whole  brigade  were  prisoners  ;  but  in  the  tu- 
mult and  amid  the  dense  mist  and  smoke  escaped.  The  Eighth  Connecticut, 
next  on  the  right  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth,  was  attacked  in  flank, 
doubled  up  and  disappeared  from  the  field.  The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth 
was  now  exposed  to  a  crushing  fire  in  front  and  upon  the  right  flank.  The 
extemporaneous  traverses  which  it  had  constructed  at  this  crisis  were  most 
effective,  affording  a  partial  protection,  and  for  a  while  the  resistance  of  the  regi- 
ment appeared  to  be  successful ;  but  it  was  enveloped  by  an  overwhelming 
force,  and  a  sanguinary  conflict  ensued.  In  this  desperate  aspect  of  the  battle 
each  man  was  directed  to  gain  the  rear  without  regard  to  discipline.  A  few 
embraced  the  opportunity  to  retreat ;  others  still  sustained  the  fight,  while  the 
wounded  implored  their  comrades  not  to  abandon  them,  and  more  than  one 
noble  life  was  sacrificed  to  preserve  these  sufferers  from  the  horrid  calamities 
of  a  hostile  prison  house.  The  regiment  was  soon  after  rallied  and  made  a 
gallant  stand  ;  but  was  compelled  to  fall  back  ;  again  advanced  a  short  space 
and  ultimately  retreated  in  order.  Captain  Dominy,  the  senior  officer,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  temporary  command  of  the  regiment  on  the  disability  of  Colonel 
Nichols. 

"  The  dire  aceldama  was  ennobled  by  deeds  of  daring  heroism,  and  in- 
stances of  exalted  devotion.  An  intrepid  young  lieutenant,  Henry  J.  Adams, 
of  Elizabethtown,  at  the  moment  the  regiment  was  breaking  seized  a  standard 
and  shouting  the  words  so  familiar  to  scenes  of  home  and  festive  joyousness : 
'  Rally  around  the   flag,  boys,'  attempted  to  arrest  the  retreat,  and  essentially 

17 


258  History  of  Warren  County. 

aided  in  rallying  the  troops.  Captain  Robert  W.  Livingston  of  Company  F, 
early  in  the  action  moved  from  the  cover  of  the  enbankment  in  order  to  com- 
municate with  Colonel  Nichols,  and  while  standing  a  moment  exposed  was 
was  struck  down  by  a  frightful  wound  in  the  shoulder.  His  gallant  young 
lieutenant,  W.  H.  Stevenson,  who  was  behind  an  enbankment  and  in  a  situation 
comparatively  secure,  saw  him  fall  and  calling  on  the  men  to  bring  in  their 
captain,  rushed  out  to  Livingston's  assistance,  accompanied  by  four  of  the  com- 
pany. Livingston  admonished  them  of  the  great  exposure  they  incurred  and 
urged  that  he  might  be  left;  but  Stevenson  persisted  in  his  generous  purpose 
and  in  a  moment  after  fell  dead  at  his  commander's  side,  a  sacrifice  to  duty 
and  friendship.  Livingston,  as  he  was  borne  from  the  field,  was  struck  by  an- 
other shot  that  terribly  lacerated  his  foot  and  leg.  He  languished  in  great  suf- 
ferring  fourteen  months  in  a  hospital  before  his  severe  wounds  permitted  a  re- 
turn to  his  home,  a  mutilated  and  disabled  soldier. 

"  The  regiment  was  not  pursued  by  the  severely  punished  enemy  and  was 
immediately  rallied  by  its  own  officers.  It  maintained  a  bold  and  defiant  at- 
titude until  most  of  its  wounded  were  borne  from  the  field.  In  that  conflict, 
scarcely  extending  over  the  space  of  half  an  hour,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighteenth,  out  of  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  engaged,  lost  one  hundred 
and  ninety-eight  privates  and  thirteen  officers  in  killed,  wounded  and  prison- 
ers. Amid  all  these  disasters  and  sacrifices  the  regiment  had  captured  and  se- 
cured two  hundred  prisoners,  a  greater  number  than  it  retained  men  fit  for 
duty.  Among  the  killed  on  this  fatal  day  was  Captain  John  S.  Stone,  of  Com- 
pany K.  Lieutenant  Stevenson  was  killed  and  Lieutenant  Edgar  A.  Wing, 
Company  E,  a  youth  of  high  promise  who  had  been  promoted  to  the  company 
only  a  few  days  before,  was  mortally  wounded,  taken  prisoner  and  died  the  • 
next  day.  Lieutenant- Colonel  Nichols  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  side  and 
hand,  from  which  his  sword  was  stricken  by  a  shot ;  and  his  clothing,  as  was 
that  of  several  other  officers,  was  riddled  by  bullets.  Adjutant  John  M. 
Carter  lost  an  arm  and  was  captured  ;  Captains  Livingston  and  Ransom  were 
severely  wounded  ;  Lieutenants  Treadway  and  Sherman  were  wounded,  and 
Captain  Dennis  Stone,  Company  A,  and  James  H.  Pierce,  Company  C,  taken 
prisoners.  The  army  on  the  same  day  fell  back  to  Bermuda  Hundred  and 
fortified  ;  but  the  stricken  and  fragmentary  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth 
were  exempted  from  .the  toil  of  entrenching. 

"  On  the  29th  of  May  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  embracing  the  One  Hundred 
and  Eighteenth,  embarked  in  transports,  and  passing  down  the  James,  ascend- 
ed the  Pamunky  and  landed  at  the  White  House.  Directly  upon  disembark- 
ing it  was  rushed  to  the  front,  and  on  the  1st  of  June  it  joined  the  army  of 
the  Potomac.  On  that  day  near  Coal  Harbor  commenced  a  battle  which  con- 
tinued until  the  3d,  and  was  one  of  the  most  severely  contested  and  sanguin- 
ary engagements  of  the  war ;  but  its  incidents  and  results  have  been  singular- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  259 

ly  veiled  from  the  public  eye.  The  Eighteenth  Corps  occupied  a  position  in 
front  of  the  Union  army.  The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  was  engaged  in 
the  bloody  scenes  of  these  conflicts,  but  not  unconnected  with  its  corps.  Its 
casualties  were  extremely  severe.  At  times  exposed  to  a  heavy  fire  in  front, 
and  enfiladed  by  a  battery  and  rifle  pits,  to  escape  annihilation  the  troops  were 
compelled  to  lie  prone  upon  the  earth,  while  a  tempest  of  minnie  balls,  shot 
and  shells,  hurtled  just  above  them.  The  dead  could  neither  be  removed  nor 
buried,  and  their  corpses  were  thrown  upon  the  breastwork,  with  a  slight  cov- 
ering of  earth  strewn  upon  them,  and  thus  their  decaying  bodies  aided  to 
form  a  bulwark  for  the  protection  of  their  living  comrades.  The  taint  from 
the  decomposing  mass  became  almost  insufferable  before  the  corps  was  with- 
drawn from  the  trenches.  The  sufferings  of  the  regiment  through  the  trying 
ordeal  of  those  eight  days  were  extreme.  It  lost  at  Coal  Harbor  seventy  men 
and  officers.  Among  the  casualties  were  Lieutenant  Michael  Reynolds,  of 
Company  A,  killed,  and  Captain  Jacob  Parmerter,  of  Company  E,  severely 
wounded  with  the  loss  of  a  leg. 

"  An  impregnable  line  in  front  arrested  all  advance  by  the  Union  army, 
but  the  enemy  was  held  in  an  equally  tenacious  and  unyielding  grasp.  The 
Eighteenth  Corps  sustained  its  exposed  position,  and  in  the  end  formed  a  cur- 
tain behind  which,  on  the  12th,  General  Grant  accomplished  his  perilous  and 
memorable  flank  movement  which  effected  the  change  of  his  base.  When 
this  bold  and  remarkable  operation  had  been  accomplished,  the  Eighteenth 
also  hastily  abandoned  its  entrenchments  and  fell  back  unopposed  to  White 
House,  and  returned  to  its  previous  field  of  duty.  On  the  15th  of  June  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  was  engaged  in  the  attack  on  Petersburg.  Here 
it  suffered  a  heavy  loss  in  the  death  of  Major  Charles  E.  Pruyn,  who  was  in 
temporary  command  of  the  regiment.  While  standing  in  an  exposed  position, 
and  in  the  act  of  surveying  the  works  he  was  preparing  to  assault,  he  was 
struck  and  horribly  mutilated  by  a  shell.  He  had  acted  as  adjutant  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  regiment,  and  its  singlar  proficiency  and  high  discipline  were 
chiefly  imputed  to  the  skill  and  assiduity  of  his  services,  sustained  by  the  field 
officers,  pre-eminently  by  the  military  attainments  and  persistent  zeal  of  Colo- 
nel Keese.  Lieutenant  Rowland  C.  Kellogg  was  also  wounded  by  the  explo- 
sion of  a  shell.  Captain  Levi  S.  Dominy  of  Company  B  succeeded  to  the 
immediate  command  of  the  regiment. 

"The  fierce  and  protracted  siege  of  Petersburg  exacted  from  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eighteenth  the  most  arduous  and  exhaustive  duties.  Night  succeed- 
ed the  day,  days  rolled  into  weeks,  and  the  weeks  formed  months,  but  their 
toils  had  no  mitigation,  while  their  endurance  and  dangers  were  perpetual. 
Now  exposed  to  the  burning  sun  and  breathing  the  arid  sand,  and  now  strug- 
ghng  in  mud  and  water ;  often  suffering  for  drink,  seldom  able  to  wash,  and 
never  changing  their  clothing  for  rest.      Constantly  shelled  and  frequently  en- 


26o  History  of  Warren  County. 

filaded  by  new  batteries ;  burrowing  in  the  earth  to  escape  projectiles,  against 
which  ordinary  entrenchments  afforded  no  protection,  the  troops  were  yet  joy- 
ous, patient,  enduring  and  full  of  hope.  Amid  all  these  exposures  and  suffer- 
ing, after  it  had  recovered  from  an  almost  universal  prostration  by  chills  and 
fever  at  Gloucester  Point,  and  altogether  moving  in  a  malarious  region,  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  was  always  vigorous  and  healthy.  The  rigor- 
ous ordeal  to  which  it  was  now  subjected  continued  with  brief  relief  until  the 
29th  of  July,  when  the  regiment  was  withdrawn  to  aid  in  the  support  of  the 
storming  column,  which  was  designed  to  assail  the  enemy's  works,  on  the  ex- 
plosion of  the  long  projected  mine.  They  witnessed  in  sadness  and  humilia- 
tion the  disastrous  failure  of  that  magnificent  experiment.  On  the  27th  of 
August,  after  a  term  of  two  months,  the  Second  Brigade  was  relieved  from  its 
arduous  trench  duties.  During  the  long  period  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
days  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  had  marched  and  toiled  and  endured, 
with  no  enjoyment  of  quiet  repose,  and  almost  incessantly  subjected  to  the 
fire  of  the  enemy. 

"  A  single  month  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  was  permitted  to  re- 
pose, after  its  prolonged  and  severe  service,  in  a  pleasant  encampment  near  the 
southern  banks  of  the  James.  In  that  interval  the  Ninety-sixth  had  been  at- 
tached to  the  Second  Brigade.  This  brigade,  by  the  proficiency  of  its  drill,  its 
exact  discipline,  and  general  efficiency,  had  become  conspicuous  and  universally 
esteemed  second  to  no  other  in  its  distinguished  corps.  On  the  27th  Septem- 
ber, every  indication  presaged  the  renewal  of  active  duty.  Rations  for  two 
days  were  ordered  prepared.  An  unusual  earnestness  and  activity  were  man- 
ifested by  the  generals  and  their  staffs.  The  next  night  the  tattoo,  suggestive 
of  repose,  had  scarcely  sounded,  when  the  brigade  was  ordered  to  move 
promptly  and  in  profound  silence,  leaving  their  tents  standing.  Previous  to 
breaking  camp,  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  and  the  Tenth  New  Hamp- 
shire had  by  a  special  order  exchanged  their  Enfield  guns  for  the  Spencer  re- 
peating rifle,  a  tremendous  weapon  in  the  hands  of  resolute  and  expert  marks- 
men. This  selection  by  the  corps  commander  was  a  distinguished  recognition 
of  the  efficiency  of  the  preferred  regiments.  At  three  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  29th,  the  division  led  by  the  second  brigade,  was  passing  over  the  James 
upon  a  pontoon  bridge,  which  had  been  completed  the  same  hour.  The  sound 
of  the  movement  was  suppressed  by  earth  or  other  substances  strewn  upon  the 
bridge.  On  reaching  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  the  One  Hundred  and  Eight- 
eenth and  Tenth  New  Hampshire  were  thrown  out  as  skirmishers  and  flank- 
ers, while  the  remainder  of  the  command  was  advanced  along  the  road  in 
column.  Soon  after  daybreak  a  brisk  fire  was  opened  by  the  enemy's  pickets 
which  fell  back  on  their  reserves,  and  the  whole  were  forced  rapidly  back 
through  a  dense  wood,  for  the  distance  of  more  than  two  miles,  when  the 
Union  column  entered  upon  open  ground.     A  strong  earth  work  was  now  re- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  261 

vealed  in  front,  and  mounted  with  heavy  guns.  This  formidable  work,  was 
Fort,  or  rather  Battery  Harrison,  and  General  Stannard  instantly  ordered  Burn- 
ham  to  take  it  by  assault.  The  Ninety-sixth  and  Eighth  Connecticut  forming 
the  storming  column  were  supported  by  the  First  and  Third  brigade  of  the 
division  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  New  York,  and  Twelfth  New 
Hampshire  as  skirmishers  on  their  flank.  The  column  rushed  impetuously 
forward,  along  the  open  space,  met  by  a  furious,  plunging  fire  from  the  enemy's 
lines.  When  it  reached,  after  this  rapid  advance  along  the  distance  of  nearly 
three-fourths  of  a  mile,  the  base  of  the  eminence  upon  which  the  works  were 
erected,  the  column  breathless  and  exhausted,  paused  in  a  position  compara- 
tively protected.  As  we  have  already  seen,  the  enemy  was  hastening  re-en- 
forcements to  the  point  of  attack,  and  the  commander  both  of  the  division  and 
brigade,  alarmed  at  the  posture  of  affairs,  sent  a  member  of  his  staff  to  order  an 
instant  assault.  Lieutenant  George  F.  Cambell,  Company  C,  One  Hundred 
and  Eighteenth,  aid  to  General  Burnham,  dashed  across  the  plains  exposed  to 
the  whole  range  of  the  enemy's  fire  and  unhurt  communicated  the  order. 
The  two  regiments  impetuously  scaled  the  hill,  mounted  the  parapet,  and  their 
gallant  color-bearers  planted  simultaneously  their  flags  upon  the  works.  The 
enemy  precipitately  abandoned  the  lines,  falling  back  to  other  works,  while 
their  own  guns  were  turned  upon  them  with  deadly  effect.  In  the  act  of  train- 
ing one  of  these  guns  upon  the  fugitives.  General  Burnham  was  mortally 
wounded  and  died  in  a  few  minutes  after. 

"While  these  events  were  in  progress  in  the  center,  the  skirmishing  support 
had  approached  the  fort,  and  used  their  rifles  in  picking  off  the  gunners  in  the 
works,  and  demoralizing  the  defense.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Nichols,  with  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth,  after  being  distinguished  '  for  cool  conduct  on 
the  skirmish  lines  in  the  general  assault,  captured  two  redoubts  on  the  right  of 
the  fort,  during  the  main  assault.  Surgeon  F.  G  Porteous,  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eighteenth,  was  officially  noticed  with  strong  recommendations  for 
bravery  and  attention  to  duties,  being  the  only  surgeon  in  the  brigade  advanc- 
ing with  his  regiment  in  the  charging  column. '  The  Second  Brigade  now 
moved  upon  two  intrenchments  in  front,  and  captured  them  successfully,  driv- 
ing the  enemy  back  upon  their  third  and  last  defense  on  this  line  of  works. 
Fort  Harrison  had  thus  been  snatched  from  the  jaws  of  the  Confederate  army, 
which  lay  in  great  force  immediately  contiguous,  and  was  too  important  a 
position  to  be  relinquished  without  a  desperate  struggle.  The  last  line  cap- 
tured by  the  Union  troops  was  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  gun-boats 
and  to  assault,  and  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  fall  back  upon  Fort  Harrison. 
The  enemy  vigorously  pursued,  and  in  this  movement  both  Colonel  Donohoe 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Nichols  were  severely  wounded.  The  night  and  the 
succeeding  morning  were  assiduously  employed  in  extending  and  strengthening 
the  works,  which  now  acquired  the  form  and  strength  of  an  enclosed  fortifica- 


262  History  of  Warren  County. 

tion.  A  second  and  third  time  the  onset  was  repeated,  and  met  in  the  same 
corageous  spirit,  and  with  similar  results.  On  the  last  assault,  those  of  the 
assailants  who  survived  the  withering  fire  of  the  Federal  troops,  threw  down 
their  arms  and  surrendered.  About  noon  the  next  day  rebel  troops  had  been 
massed  in  three  heavy  columns,  and  covered  by  two  batteries,  rushed  upon  the 
new  Federal  lines  with  heroic  impetuosity.  The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth 
and  Tenth  New  Hampshire  were  stationed  at  salient  points  in  the  works,  and 
the  fatal  power  of  their  new  weapons  was  frightfully  demonstrated  upon  the 
Confederate  ranks.  Gun-boats  were  constantly,  but  with  trifling  effect,  shell- 
ing the  Union  position.  This  formidable  assault  was  repulsed  by  musketry 
alone,  and  the  rebels  faUing  back  to  cover,  abandoned  their  numerous  dead 
and  wounded  upon  the  field.  Besides  Lieutenant-Colonel  Nichols,  Captain 
Dobie  and  Lieutenant  Treadway  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  were 
wounded. 

"  The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  moved  with  its  division  from  the 
quarters  near  Fort  Burnham  where  it  had  remained  since  the  capture  of  that 
work,  on  the  26th  of  October,  to  a  position  within  about  three  miles  of  Fort 
Richmond,  erected  on  the  former  battle-ground  of  Fair  Oaks.  The  regiment 
at  that  time  was  composed  of  two  hundred  and  five  men  for  duty  including 
supernumeraries.  At  dawn  the  succeeding  morning  it  advanced.  That  part 
of  the  regiment  embracing  more  than  half  which  was  armed  with  the  Spencer 
rifles,  was  thrown  in  front  as  skirmishers,  and  the  remainder  held  in  reserve. 
Passing  a  covert  of  woods,  the  skirmishers  entered  upon  a  cleared  field  which 
extended  to  the  fort,  a  distance  of  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile.  Over  this  space 
they  made  a  rush  upon  the  work,  in  the  face  of  a  terrible  fire,  and  succeeded 
in  approaching  it  within  about  one  hundred  yards.  The  enemy's  lines  at  this 
moment  were  only  slightly  manned,  but  the  entrenchment  was  heavy  and 
formidable,  and  wholly  unassailable  by  the  feeble  skirmishing  force.  Major 
Dominy,  an  officer  conspicuous  for  his  fighting  qualities,  commanded  the  regi- 
ment, and  at  this  time  passed  an  order  for  the  troops  to  lie  down,  seeking  any 
cover  that  presented  itself,  for  protection  against  the  irresistible  tempest  of 
shot  and  balls  that  was  hurled  upon  them.  Soon  after  they  were  directed  to 
fall  back  singly  to  an  excavation  on  a  road  in  the  rear.  The  regiment  made  no 
further  advance,  but  after  the  repulse  of  the  assaulting  column  mentioned  in 
the  notice  of  the  Ninety-sixth  Regiment,  retreated  to  its  former  encampment. 
The  losses  of  the  regiment  were  greater  in  proportion  to  its  strength  than  on 
any  previous  occasion.  The  skirmishing  party  entered  into  action  with  nine 
oflScers :  three  of  these.  Major  Dominy,  Lieutenants  McLean  and  Gibbs  re- 
turned in  safety,  but  Captain  J.  R.  Seaman,  Company  A,  was  seriously  wounded. 
Lieutenant  M.  J.  Dickinson  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  with  Lieutenants 
Saunders,  Potter,  O'Connor,  and  Bryant.  Captain  M.  V.  B.  Stetson  in  the  re- 
serve was  also  wounded  while  aiding  to  remove  Colonel  Moffitt  of  the  Ninety- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  263 

fifth  from  the  field.  When  the  regiment  reached  its  former  quarters  scarcely 
forty  men  had  gathered  to  its  standard,  but  others  returned  until  the  aggre- 
gate was  increased  to  nearly  one-half  the  number  who  had  marched  out  the 
day  preceding.  The  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  remained  in  camp  through 
the  winter,  and  on  the  march  upon  Richmond  the  ensuing  spring,  its  relics  were 
engaged  on  picket  dut)'  and  advanced  as  skirmishers,  covering  the  Third  Divi- 
sion of  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps.  It  was  the  first  organized  Federal  regiment 
that  entered  Richmond.  The  One  Hundred  and  Eigteenth  bore  the  noble  in- 
scription upon  its  national  flag :  '  Suffolk — South  Anna — Coal  Harbor — Fort 
Harrison — Bermuda — Swift  Creek — Petersburg — Fair  Oaks — Drury's  Bluff 
— Crater — Richmond. '  This  attests  its  military  glory,  but  its  high  moral 
qualities  are  still  more  illustrated  by  the  remarkable  fact,  that  not  a  single 
member  of  this  regiment  was  known  to  have  deserted  to  the  enemy.  In  more 
authoritative  language  than  I  can  use.  General  Devens,  in  recapitulating  its  ser- 
vices, pronounces  this  eulogium  upon  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  at 
Drury's  Bluff:  '  This  regiment  distinguished  itself  for  great  valor  and  perti- 
nacity, and  won  the  reputation  it  has  since  enjoyed,  of  being  one  of  the  most 
resolute  regiments  in  the  service, '  He  adds :  '  With  this  weapon  (the  Spencer 
rifle)  they  will  return  to  your  State  armed,  and  it  is  a  most  appropriate  testi- 
monial of  their  efficiency.'  "^ 

Officer's  of  the  One  Hundred  atid  Eighteenth  Regiment,  when  mustered  out 
of  the  service,  Jicne  \},th,  1865.  — Colonel,  George  F.  Nichols,  brevet  general  U. 
S.  v.;  lieutenant-colonel,  Levi  S.  Dominy,  brevet  colonel  N.  Y.  V.;  major,  John 
L.  Cunningham,  brevet  lieutenant- colonel  U.  S.  V.;  surgeon,  William  O.  Mans- 
field ;  assistant  surgeon,  J.  C.  Preston;  chaplain,  Charles  L.  Hagar;  adjutant, 
Clifford  Hubbard  ;  quartermaster,  Henry  J.  Northrup,  brevet  captain  N.  Y.  V. 

Company  A.  —  Captain,  Joseph  R.  Seaman,  brevet  major  U.  S.  V. ;  first 
lieutenant,  J.  W.  Treadway,  brevet  captain  N.  Y.  V.,  from  Company  E. 

Company  B.  —  Captain,  George  H.  Campbell,  brevet  major  N.  Y.  V:,  from 
Company  C;  first  lieutenant,  James  A.  Garrett,  brevet  captain  N.  Y.  V.,  from 
Company  A  ;  second  lieutenant,  Merril  Perry,  brevet  captain  N.  Y.  V.,  from 
Company  A. 

Company  C.  —  Captain,  C.  W.  Wells,  brevet  major  N.  Y.  V.,  from  Com- 
pany K ;  first  lieutenant,  L.  S.  Bryant ;  second  lieutenant,  N.  H.  Arnold,  from 
Company  E. 

Company  D.  —  Captain,  John  W.  Angell,  from  Company  E;  second  lieu- 
tenant, Philip  V.  N.  McLean,  from  Company  K. 

Company  E. —  Captain,  Henry  S.  Graves,  from  Company  I;  first  lieuten- 

1  Mr.  Watson  acknowledges  assistance  in  preparing  this  sketch  to  a  series  of  articles  in  the  Glens 
Falls  Republican,  to  several  officers  of  the  regiment  and  to  ofRcial  documents.  In  our  work  we  must 
give  credit  for  valuable  aid  to  Captain  Livingston,  of  Elizabethtown,  and  Colonel  J.  L.  Cunningham, 
of  Glens  Falls. 


264  History  of  Warren  County. 

ant,  George  H.  Potter,  from  Company  A ;  second  lieutenant,  William  T.  Bid- 
well,  late  hospital  steward. 

Company  F.  —  Captain,  Robert  W.  Livingstone,  brevet  major  N.  Y.  V.; 
first  lieutenant,  Daniel  O'Connor,  assistant  hospital  steward ;  second  lieuten- 
ant, Charles  A.  Grace,  from  Company  A. 

Company  G. —  First  lieutenant,  James  H.  Pitt,  from  Company  H. 

Company  H.  —  Captain,  David  F.  Dobie,  brevet  major  N.  Y.  V.;  first 
lieutenant,  F.  Saunders. 

Company  I. —  Captain,  Martin  V.  B.  Stetson,  major  N.  Y.  V.;  first  lieu- 
tenant. Nelson  J.  Gibbs,  brevet  captain  N.  Y.  V.,  from  Company  F. 

Company  K.  —  Captain,  John  Brydon,  brevet  major  N.  Y.  V.  ;  first  lieu- 
tenant, John  W.  Calkins,  from  Company  K;  second  lieutenant,  George  Vau- 
ghan,  from  Company  I. 

In  this  connection  we  deem  it  most  important  to  append  the  following 
chronological  record  of  the  movements  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth, 
as  furnishing  ready  means  of  reference,  which  has  been  kindly  transcribed  for 
us  by  Colonel  Cunningham  :  — 

September  1st,  1862,  left  Plattsburg.  3d,  in  New  York.  4th,  reached 
Baltimore.  Sth  to  12th,  at  Camp  Hall,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  near 
Elkridge,  Md.  To  October  23d,  Camp  Wool,  near  Relay  House,  Md.  Octo- 
ber 24th  to  February  12th,  1863,  camp  near  Fort  Ethan  Allen,  Virginia.  Feb- 
ruary 1 2th  to  April  20th,  Camp  Adirondack,  near  Findley  Hospital,  north  of 
the  capitol,  Washington.  April  20th  to  22d,  en  route  to  defense  of  Suffolk, 
Va.  22d  to  29th,  Camp  Nansemond,  Suffolk  defenses.  29th  to  May  ist, 
camp  near  Fort  McClellan,  Suffolk  defenses.  May  ist  to  14th,  camp  near 
Fort  Union,  Suffolk  defenses.  14th  to  June  i8th,  camp  near  Seaboard  and 
Roanoke  Railroad,  Suffolk  defenses.  While  in  this  camp  the  following  expe- 
ditions were  participated  in :  May  20th  to  26th^Blackwater  raid  and  destruc- 
tion of  railroad,  and  June  12th  to  17th  reconnaissance  toward  Petersburg,  Va. 
June  i8th,  19th,  en  route  for  Yorktown,  Va.,  by  railroad  and  transport.  19th 
to  26th,  camp  at  Yorktown.  26th,  en  route  by  transport  to  White  House,  Va. 
26th,  27th,  camp  at  White  House.  27th  to  July  1st,  beyond  Pamunky  River 
in  detachments  as  advance  pickets  on  different  roads.  July  ist  to  4th,  on  the 
march  with  General  Dix's  expedition  to  the  north  of  Richmond,  sometimes 
called  the  "Blackberry  Raid."  4th,  battle  of  South  Anna.  July  Sth  to  lOth, 
on  return  march  to  Yorktown.  loth  to  13th,  camp  at  Yorktown.  13th  to 
October  2d,  in  garrison  at  Fort  Keyes,  Gloucester  Point,  Va.  2d,  3d,  en  route 
for  Norfolk,  Va.,  by  transport.  3d,  in  Camp  Barnes,  near  Norfolk,  nth, 
Companies  E,  G,  I  and  K  ordered  to  Portsmouth,  Va.  November  6th,  Com- 
panies C  and  H  joined  the  Portsmouth  detachment,  and  A,  B,  D  and  F  went 
into  the  entrenched  camp  about  two  miles  from  Norfolk.  November  4th  to 
December  I2th,  whole  regiment  quartered  at  Portsmouth.     December  I2th  to 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  265 

January  21st,  1864,  in  camp  at  Newport  News,  Va.  21st  to  23d,  on  march 
to  Williamsburgh,  Va.  23d  to  February  6th,  in  camp  near  Fort  Magruder, 
Williamsburgh.  6th  to  9th,  on  the  expedition  against  Richmond,  via  Bot- 
tom's Bridge  and  the  Chickahominy.  9th  to  13th,  camp  near  Union  Cemetery, 
WiUiamsburgh.  13th  to  15  th,  marched  to  Newport  News,  thence  by  trans- 
port and  railroad  to  Getty's  Station,  Va.  15th  to  March  12th,  in  camp  near 
Getty's  Station.  While  here,  March  ist  to  9th,  on  expedition  to  Deep  Creek 
to  resist  raid  of  the  enemj'  and  pursuing  raiders  to  Ballyhack,  on  the  Dismal 
Swamp  Canal.  Part  of  the  time  while  here,  Companies  B,  H  and  K  were 
stationed  at  Magnolia  Station.  March  12th  to  April  19th,  camp  at  Bowers's 
Hill,  Va.,  near  Dismal  Swamp.  From  this  camp  several  expeditions  and  raids 
were  made;  the  most  important,  April  13th,  14th,  across  the  Nansemond, 
through  the  Chucatuck  country.  April  19th  to  21st,  en  route  by  transport  to 
Newport  News,  and  march  via  Big  Bethel  to  Yorktown,  Va.  21st  to  May 
4th,  in  camp  at  Yorktown.  May  4th  to  6th,  on  transport  up  the  James  River. 
May  6th,  landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred,  Va.,  and  marched  to  near  Point  of 
Rocks  on  the  Appomattox.  7th,  8th,  engaged  with  enemy  near  Richmond 
and  Petersburg  Pike  and  Railroad.  9th,  loth,  skirmishing  and  destroying 
railroad;  battle  of  Swift  Creek  on  9th.  nth,  resting  in  entrenchment  near 
Point  of  Rocks.  12th  to  14th,  fighting  and  skirmishing  along  the  Richmond 
and  Petersburg  Pike  and  in  action  at  Warebolton  Church  and  Proctor's  Creek. 
iSth,  holding  captured  works  near  Drury's  Bluff.  i6th,  battle  of  Drury's 
Bluff.  17th  to  19th,  slashing  timber,  entrenching,  skirmishing  and  meeting 
attacks  at  various  points  along  the  Bermuda  front.  29th,  30th,  on  transports 
via  James,  York  and  Pamunkey  Rivers  to  White  House,  Va.  30th  and  June 
1st,  on  march  to  Cold  Harbor.  June  1st  to  nth,  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  and 
in  trenches  and  advanced  rifle-pits  there.  12th,  marched  to  White  House. 
13th,  14th,  on  transports  back  to  Bermuda  Hundred.  iSth,  crossed  the  Ap- 
pomattox; battle  of  Petersburg  Heights ;  Major  Pruyn  killed.  15th  to  Au- 
gust 27th,  in  and  about  the  trenches  and  rifle-pits  in  the  siege  of  Petersburg, 
variously  stationed  near  corps  headquarters,  near  Beasley  House,  among  the 
pines,  near  Mortar  Battery  (called  the  "  Petersburg  Express  "),  in  ravine,  at 
the  battle  of  the  Mine,  etc.  August  27th  to  September  28th,  on  Bermuda 
front,  near  south  bank  of  the  James.  September  28th,  marched  at  night 
across  the  James  River  and  received  new  armament,  the  Spencer  repeating 
rifle.  29th,  battle  of  Chapin's  Farm  and  capture  of  Fort  Harrison  ;  brigade 
commander,  General  Burnham,  killed.  30th,  battle  of  holding  the  fort  against 
three  charges  of  the  enemy.  30th  to  October  27th,  in  vicinity  (and  in  en- 
trenchments) of  the  captured  fort,  now  called  Fort  Burnham.  October  27th, 
marched  to  Seven  Pines.  28th,  battle  of  Second  Fair  Oaks.  29th  to  Novem- 
3d,  in  vicinity  of  Fort  Burnham,  in  trenches.  November  3d,  marched  to 
Aikens's  Landing,  following  orders  which  were  revoked  there.     November  4th 


266  History  of  Warren  County. 

to  7th,  in  reserve  near  Fort  Burnham.  7th,  marched  to  Deep  Bottom  against 
expected  attack.  8th  to  April  3d,  1865,  in  camp  in  vicinity  of  the  New 
Market  Road  at  the  front.  April  3d,  entered  Richmond.  4th  to  June  14th, 
in  camp  near  Manchester,  Va.  June  14th,  down  the  James  en  route  for  home. 
17th,  in  New  York  city.  19th,  reached  Plattsburg.  June  i6th,  mustered 
out. 

The  foregoing  pages  of  military  history  embrace  the  record  of  the  services 
of  all  the  full  companies  that  went  from  Warren  county ;  but  it  falls  far  short 
of  comprehending  all  of  the  enlistments  in  the  county,  statistics  of  which,  as 
far  as  available,  will  be  found  a  little  further  on.  The  county  was  most  hon- 
orably represented  by  numerous  enlistments,  besides  those  already  noted,  in 
the  Ninety-first,  Ninety-third,  Thirtieth,  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth,  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-sixth,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-ninth  and  One  Hundred  and  Nine- 
ty-second regiments,  and  the  Second  Veteran  Cavalry,  the  Sixteenth  Heavy 
and  the  Twenty-third  Light  Artillery,  while  many  other  organizations  con- 
tained scattering  recruits  from  here.  It  is  impossible  at  this  time  to  give  even 
statistical  details  of  all  these  enlistments,  the  records  in  existence  not  being 
perfect  by  any  means,  and  the  space  at  our  disposal  being  entirely  inadequate 
in  which  to  cover  so  broad  a  ground.  The  Thirtieth  regiment,  organized  at 
Albany  to  serve  for  two  years,  was  raised  in  the  counties  of  Columbia,  Duch- 
ess, Rensselaer,  Saratoga,  Washington  and  Warren,  containing  a  considerable 
number  of  recruits  from  the  latter.  It  was  mustered  into  the  service  June  1st, 
1 86 1,  and  was  honorably  engaged  at  Gainesville,  Groveton,  South  Mountain, 
Antietam  and  Fredericksburg.  It  was  associated  with  the  Twenty-second, 
Twenty-fourth  and  Eighty-fourth  regiments,  forming  the  honorable  "  Iron 
Brigade,"  a  title  which  it  won  in  the  first  advance  upon  Fredericksburg  in  the 
spring  of  1862.  At  the  expiration  of  its  term  of  service  most  of  the  men  re- 
enlisted  for  three  years  and  were  transferred  to  the  Seventy-sixth  New  Y(5rk 
Regiment.  Dr.  Francis  L.  R.  Chapin,  now  of  Glens  Falls,  was  surgeon  of  this 
regiment. 

The  Second  Veterati  Cavalry. —  This  organization  was  recruited  largely 
from  the  "  Iron  Brigade,"  to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  some  three  hun- 
dred or  more  of  its  members  being  from  Warren  county.  The  brave  Captain 
Duncan  Cameron,  who  went  out  in  the  Twenty-second  regiment  and  lost  an 
arm,  raised  a  company  mostly  in  Glens  Falls,  and  William  H.  Arlin,  then  of 
Glens  Falls,  raised  the  greater  part  of  another  company.  The  regiment  was 
organized  at  Saratoga,  to  serve  for  three  years,  and  was  recruited  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Saratoga,  Schenectady,  Montgomery,  Clinton,  Essex,  Warren,  Albany, 
Rensselaer  and  Columbia.  It  was  mustered  into  the  service  from  August  i6th, 
to  December  30th,  1863,  and  mustered  out  November  8th,  1865.  It  went  out 
commanded  by  Colonel  Morgan  H.  Chrysler,  with  Asa  L.  Gurney,  of  Queens- 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion.  267 

bury,  as  lieutenant-colonel ;  Duncan  Cameron,  of  Glens  Falls,  as  major  ;  John 
S.  Fassett,  of  Glens  Falls,  who  was  instrumental  in  recruiting  for  the  organi- 
zation, was  also  commissioned  major,  and  both  he  and  Major  Cameron  were 
brevetted  lieutenant-colonel ;  adjutants,  Michael  A.  Stearns,  Henry  W.  Heartt, 
and  Robert  Barber,  the  latter  of  Glens  Falls.  Among  the  captains  of  this  organ- 
ization from  Warren  county  were  Smith  J.  Gurney,  of  Queensbury;  William 
H.  Arlin,  of  Glens  Falls ;  Mason  W.  Covell,  of  Queensbury  ;  and  Israel  Litno, 
of  Horicon.  Thomas  Ledwick,  Augustus  Higby,  Miles  T.  Bliven  and  Mason 
W.  Covell,  all  of  Glens  Falls,  held  commissions  as  first  lieutenant.  Thomas 
Ledwick,  Enoch  H.  Gurney,  Albert  W.  Thompson,  Harrison  P.  Kingsley, 
Henry  M.  Bailey,  W.  Scott  Whitney,  and  Albert  Case  held  commissions  as 
second  lieutenants. 

This  regiment  performed  noble  service  and  bears  an  honorable  record.  It 
made  its  first  rendezvous  after  leaving  the  State,  at  Giesborough,  Md.,  and 
thence  went  by  transport  to  New  Orleans  in  February,  1864,  to  join  Banks's 
army  of  the  Red  River,  Department  of  the  Gulf.  It  was  next  transferred  to 
Brashear  City  and  thence  to  Alexandria,  La.,  being  engaged  in  skirmishes  and 
other  active  field  service  on  the  way.  It  then  accompanied  General  Banks's 
army  to  Pleasant  Hill,  participating  in  the  engagement  at  that  point,  and  oth- 
ers at  Grande  Cour  and  Cane  River  Crossing,  the  latter  a  severe  engagement. 
The  regiment  was  then  transferred  to  Canby's  command  and  stationed  at  Mor- 
ganzia,  La.,  during  the  winter  of  1864;  its  principal  duty  was  in  quelling 
guerilla  raids  and  in  opposition  raiding  on  its  own  part.  After  the  somewhat 
noted  Mississippi  raid,  it  crossed  the  river  at  Baton  Rouge  and  proceeded  into 
Mississippi  to  distract  the  enemy  from  possible  opposition  to  Sherman's  march 
to  the  sea.  A  detachment  of  the  regiment  was  sent  out  fifty  miles  in  advance 
to  destroy  the  trestle  work  and  tear  up  the  track  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  rail- 
road. The  enemy  was  encountered  at  McLeod's  Mills,  a  short  distance  from 
the  railroad,  about  a  thousand  strong ;  the  force  was  charged,  a  number  killed 
and  several  prisoners  captured.  This  event  occurred  December  loth,  1864, 
and  the  force  was  commanded  by  Colonel  A.  L.  Gurney.  The  detachment 
numbered  two  hundred  and  fifty.  Lieutenant  Harrison  P.  Kingsley  was 
wounded,  taken  prisoner  and  afterward  died  from  his  injuries.  The  raid  was 
entirely  successful.  The  regiment  was  with  Canby  and  participated  honorably 
in  the  capture  of  Fort  Blakeley  and  Mobile.  After  these  events  it  was  ordered 
to  Talladega,  Ala.,  where  it  was  mustered  out. 

Statistics.  — The  following  valuable  and  interesting  records  were  furnished 
to  the  Bureau  of  Military  Statistics  by  Frederick  A.  Johnson,  of  Glens  Falls, 
county  correspondent  of  the  bureau,  under  date  of  January  1st,  1864:  — 

Up  to  the  date  named  Warren  county  had  furnished  one  thousand  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  men  for  the  war,  of  whom  two  hundred  and  seventy 
were  enlisted  for  two  years  and  the  remainder  for  three  years.      Of  the  latter 


268  History  of  Warren  County. 

three  hundred  and  thirty  men  enlisted  between  July  1st,  1863,  and  January 
1st,  1864.  The  regiments  into  which  these  men  entered  were  as  follows  :  — 
Twenty-second  (two  years),  from  Washington,  Warren,  Clinton,  Essex  and 
Rensselaer  counties.  Colonel  Walter  Philips,  jr.,  two  entire  companies  from 
Warren  county,  viz. :  Company  E,  Captain  George  Clendon,  jr.,  one  hundred 
and  forty  men  ;  Company  F,  Captain  A.  W.  Holden,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men. 

Seventy-seventh  Regiment,  chiefly  from  Saratoga  county,  known  as  the 
"Bemis  Heights  Regiment,"  in  companies  not  known,  twenty-five  men. 

Ninety-third  Regiment,  from  Washington,  Warren,  Essex  and  Clinton 
counties,  three  companies  from  Warren  county :  Company  A,  Captain  Orville 
L.  Colvin,  one  hundred  men  ;  Company  H,  Captain  Hiram  S.  Wilson,  one 
hundred  men ;   Lieutenant  P.  P.  Eldridge,  twenty-five  men. 

One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Regiment,  from  Clinton,  Essex,  Warren  and 
Franklin  (chiefly  from  Sixteenth  Senatorial  District).  Company  A,  Captain 
J.  H.  Norris,  one  hundred  and  ten  men.  (The  reader  has  learned  of  the  two 
other  companies  which  went  out  in  this  regiment,  but  which  do  not  appear  in 
Mr.  Johnson's  report.) 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Regiment,  raised  chiefly  in  the  Twelfth 
Senatorial  District.  Company  A,  Captain  George  B.  Warren,  fifty  men  ;  Cap- 
tain Coleman,  fifty  men. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Regiment,  Washington,  Saratoga,  Warren 
and  Hamilton  counties  (Fifteenth  Senatorial  District).  Company  K,  Captain 
F.  J.  P.  Chitty,  fifty  men.  (The  muster  rolls  and  the  enrollment  papers  fur- 
nished us  by  Colonel  Chitty  and  herein  given,  report  but  thirty- three  men.) 

One  Hundred  and  Sixty-ninth  Regiment,  chiefly  from  Twelfth  Senatorial 
District.     James  Brice  fifty  men. 

In  Independent  Cavalry,  William  H.  Orton,  fifty  men  enlisted  since  July 
1st,  1863.  For  Second  Veteran  Cavalry,  Company  A,  Captain  Duncan  Came- 
ron, one  hundred  men ;  Company  F,  Captain  J.  S.  Fassett,  one  hundred  men ; 
Company  K,  Captain  William  H.  Arlin,  one  hundred  men,  and  fifty  in  other 
companies. 

Supplementary  to  this  report,  we  find  a  statement,  evidently  made  up  with 
care,  which  gave  the  number  of  volunteers  from  ten  towns,  which  reported 
(exclusive  of  Caldwell,  which  did  not  report)  as  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
to  the  first  thirty-eight  regiments  organized  in  the  State  ;  five  hundred  and 
twenty-three  between  the  last  of  those  regiments  to  which  Warren  county 
contributed  and  the  president's  call  for  six  hundred  thousand  troops,  and  un- 
der that  call,  five  hundred  and  seventy,  making  a  total  of  one  thousand  four 
hundred  and  twenty-one  men.  The  same  statement  gives  the  amount  of 
money  raised  in  the  country  to  promote  enlistments  as  $30,082,  and  the 
amount  raised  by  individual  subscription  as  $15,575.     The  amount  of  money 


Warren  County  in  the  Rebellion. 


269 


raised  by  Warren  county  for  bounties  to  her  soldiers,  in  the  respective  years 
1 86 1,  1862,  1863  and  1864,  was  as  follows:  — 

The  distribution  of  the  above  totals   among  the  towns  of  the  county  is 
shown  in  the  following  table  :  — 


RATE. 

1862. 

RATE. 

1863. 

RATE. 

1864. 

TOTAL. 

Bolton 

Caldwell 

Chester 

Hague 

Horicon 

Johnsburgh 

Luzerne 

Queensbury 

Stony  Creek'.  _. 

Thurman 

Warrensburgh  _ . 

S  50 
53 

5° 

50  » 
100  ) 

50 
5° 

$  50.00 
106.00 

1,200.00 

225.00 

8,292.00 

500.00 
900.00 

$300 
250  I 

35°) 

300 

100  ) 
300  ( 

300 
300 

$4,500.00 

3,900.00 

800.00 

11,000.00 

130.71 

8,804.02 

5,000.00 

$644 

1,000 
400  ) 
800  i 

600  ) 
800  ) 

300  ) 
800  / 

800 
800 

$21,900.00 
18,000.00 
48,039.22 
8,293.56 
28,645.62 
28,802.00 
16,185.00 

116,360.09 

20,000.00 
21,700.00 

$26,450.00 
22,006.00 
48,839.22 
8,293.56 
28,645.62 
41,002.00 
16,540.71 

133,456-11 

25,500.00 
23,400.00 

Total 

$11,273.00 

$34- 134-73 

^327,925-49 

^373,333-22 

From  the  fori  going  pages,  imperfect  as  the  record  undoubtedly  is,  the 
reader  will  have  correctly  inferred  that  the  county  of  Warren  was  in  no  re- 
spect behind  any  other  locality  in  her  promptness  of  action,  liberality  in  the 
expenditure  of  money,  and  patriotism  in  enlistments.  As  the  various  calls  of 
the  president  for  troops  in  the  closing  years  of  the  Rebellion  were  issued,  and 
the  State  Legislature  made  it  possible  for  counties  to  pay  generous  bounties 
for  the  more  rapid  filling  of  the  different  quotas,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of 
Warren  county  held  numerous  special  meetings,  the  representatives  of  the  sev- 
eral towns  being  fully  authorized  by  their  constituents,  and  bounties  propor- 
tionate with  those  paid  in  other  localities  were  promptly  offered  and  enlist- 
ments were  made  as  required  to  fill  the  quotas.  In  the  succeeding  history  of 
the  town  of  Queensbury,  the  reader  will  find  still  further  details  of  the  action 
in  that  town  throughout  the  Rebellion,  as  given  in  Dr.  Holden's  valuable 
history. 

1  No  bounties  paid. 


270  History  of  Warren  County. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

county  buildings,  societies,  etc. 

Where  Early  Public  Business  was  Transacted — The  County  Seat  — The  First  County  Courts  — 
First  Steps  Towards  Erecting  County  Buildings  — The  First  Buildings  —  Changes  in  Court  Terms  — 
Burning  of  the  County  Buildings — [Erection  of  New  Ones  —  Attempts  to  remove  the  County  Seat  — 
Reconstruction  of  Buildings  —  The  County  Almshouse  —  Warren  County  Agricultural  Society. 

COURT-HOUSE,  Jail,  and  County  Clerk's  Office. — From  the  earliest  re- 
corded date  the  public  business  of  the  county,  the  supervisors'  meetings, 
sessions  of  courts,  accumulation  of  title  deeds  and  involuntary  congregation  of 
convicted  criminals,  have  been  respectively  transacted,  held  and  permitted  to 
take  place  in  the  village  of  Caldwell  in  the  town  of  the  same  name,  at  the  head 
of  Lake  George.  This  was  the  county  seat  when  the  old  county  of  Washing- 
ton was  divided  and  Warren  county  formed  in  1813.  An  act  passed  March 
1 2th  of  that  year  did  not  mention  the  place,  but  estabhshed  a  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  and  General  Sessions  to  meet  three  times  a  year,  the  terms  com- 
mencing as  follows:  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  September,  1813,  the  third 
Tuesday  of  January,  1814,  and  the  second  Tuesday  in  May,  1814.  These 
original  courts,  as  well  as  the  annual  meetings  of  the  supervisors,  were  held  at 
the  old  Lake  George  Coffee  House  on  the  site  of  the  present  Lake  House, 
until  1817.  On  July  7th,  1815,  a  committee  appointed  by  Governor  Tomp- 
kins to  find  a  suitable  site  for  the  erection  of  county  buildings  and  composed 
of  Salmon  Child,  Alexander  Sheldon,  and  Charles  E.  Dudley,  reported  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Having  examined  and  explored  said  county  do  agree  and  determine 
that  the  most  suitable  and  proper  place  for  said  buildings  is  in  the  town  of 
Caldwell  at  the  head  of  Lake  George,  on  a  piece  of  ground  north  of  the  Lake 
George  Coffee  House,  lying  between  the  highway  and  said  lake,  and  within 
fifteen  rods  of  a  great  white  oak  tree  standing  between  said  Coffee  House  and 
the  church." 

This  was  undoubtedly  a  description  of  the  site  of  the  present  county  build- 
ings, and  was  the  initial  step  towards  the  erection  of  the  first  buildings  for 
county  purposes.  On  the  first  of  March,  18 16,  a  law  was  passed  providing 
that  the  county  clerk's  office  was  to  be  kept  within  one-half  mile  of  the  Lake 
George  Coffee  House,  and  the  mileage  to  be  computed  from  there,  in  this  way 
attesting  that  whatever  the  progress  of  the  building  of  the  new  structures,  the 
public  business  was  still  transacted  in  said  Coffee  House.  The  court-house 
was  certainly  ready  for  use  soon  after,  for  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  for  18 17  was  held  in  the  new  court-house  It  was  not,  however, 
entirely  completed,  for  during  that  very  session  the  supervisors  passed  a  reso- 
lution that  $1,050  be  raised   "to  finish   the  court-house  and  gaol."     Notwith- 


County  Buildings,  Societies,  Etc.  271 

standing  these  effectual  measures,  .the  need  was  felt  of  a  safer  and  more  com- 
modious clerk's  office.      In  April,  18 18,  another  act  was  passed   directing  the 
supervisors  of  Warren  county  to  raise  the  sum  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
(with  five  cents  on   the  dollar  for  collector's  fees),  to  build  a  fire- proof  clerk's 
office  on  a  part  of  the  lot  occupied   by  the  court-house,  and  the  clerk  was  di- 
rected to  remove  all  the  books,  records  and  documents  to  the  new  office  as  soon  as 
it  was  completed.     The  necessary  measures  were  at  once  adopted  and  the  office 
ready  for  occupancy  in  the  following  year.     Everything  began  to  take  its  proper 
place,  and  business  became  routine  until  April  8th,  1824,  when  the  January  term 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  was  abolished,  and  two  terms 
only  appointed  to  be  held,  viz. :  commencing  respectively  on  the  third  Tues- 
day in  April  and  the  third  Tuesday  in  October  of  each  year.     This  is  evidence 
that  the  litigation  of  the  new  county  did  not  assume  the  enormous  proportions 
expected.     On  January  24th,  1827,  the  Legislature  further  changed  the  time  of 
holding  the  October  term  of  court  from  the  third  to  the  first  Tuesday  of  Octo- 
ber in  each   year.     In  1828  this  last  act  was  repealed.     In  1829  the  October 
term  was  abolished  and  the  third  Tuesday  of  each  September  constituted  the 
opening  day  of  the  succeeding  fall  terms.     This  was  evidently  the  tentative  pe- 
riod of  the  courts.     In  April,  1833,  the  April   terms  were  changed  to  the  sec- 
ond Tuesday  and  the  September  terms  to  the  second  Tuesday  of  tliat  month 
in  each  year,  and  additional  terms  established  to  commence  the  second  Tuesday 
of  February  and  the  last  Tuesday  of  June.     On  Januarj'  23d,  1838,  the  sum- 
mer terms  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  which  had 
theretofore  been  held  on  and  after  the  third  Monday  in  June,  were  changed  to 
the  third  Tuesday  in  May ;  and  on  the  27th  of  the  same  month  the  beginning 
of  the  spring  terms  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  ar.d  General  Sessions  was 
changed  from  the  second   to  the   third  Tuesday  in  April.      In  April,  1842,  the 
December  term  of  the  Circuit  Court   and   Court   of  Oyer   and   Terminer  was 
abolished  and  an  October  term  established  in  its  place.     These  perpetual  alter- 
ations of  terms  of  courts  are  undoubtedly  more  or  less  indicative  of  correspond- 
ing changes  in  the  business  of  the  county,  an  increase  of  the  terms  following  an 
increase  of  the  litigation  and  other  court  business,  and  vice  versa. 

The  county  buildings  having  been  finished  by  1819,  nothing  was  left  ex- 
cepting to  keep  them  in  repairs  until  the  exigencies  consequent  upon  the 
growth  of  the  county,  and  the  accumulation  of  business,  should  necessitate  the 
construction  of  new  and  larger  buildings  in  their  place.  Accordingly,  we  find,  in 
1835,  that  three  hundred  dollars  were  ordered  raised  to  repair  the  county  clerk's 
office,  and  John  Richards,  Thomas  Archibald  and  Timothy  Bowen,  of  Caldwell, 
were  appointed  commissioners  to  superintend  the  work.  On  the  26th  day  of 
October,  1843,  the  court-house  and  clerk's  office  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The 
loss  to  the  county  was  very  great,  although  most  of  the  records  were  saved.  In 
the  following  year  the  supervisors  appointed  Rosvvell  Judson  and  John  Tracy, 


272  _  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  Chenango  county,  and  F.  B.  Jewett,  of  Onondaga  county,  commissioners  to 
locate  the  site  for  new  buildings.  They  selected  the  old  site,  and  the  work  of 
erecting  the  buildings  was  immediately  begun,  and  completed  in  1845.  These 
structures  served  the  purpose  of  their  erection  until  1862,  when  material  alter- 
ations were  made  on  the  upper  floor  of  the  court-house.  At  a  supervisors' 
meeting  held  in  1868  a  committee  consisting  of  George  P.  Wait,  F.  B.  Hub- 
bell,  and  Alphonso  Brown  was  appointed  to  procure  plans  and  specifications  for 
the  building  of  cells,  and  otherwise  repairing,  enlarging  and  improving  the 
court-house  and  jail.  E.  Boyden  &  Son,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  who  were  then 
at  work  on  the  Fort  William  Henry  Hotel,  made  two  plans;  No.  i  providing 
for  building  an  addition  to  the  present  court-house,  in  front,  thirty  by  seventy 
feet,  and  two  stories  in  height,  and  lengthening  the  court-room  twelve  feet; 
No.  2  providing  for  building  the  same  addition  in  front,  raising  the  existing 
court-house  another  story,  and  using  a  portion  of  the  court-room  for  cells,  and 
the  rest  for  the  jailor's  family,  the  court-room  to  be  on  the  second  floor,  and 
the  front  room  on  the  first  floor  to  be  left  for  the  clerk's  office.  At  an  evening 
session  of  the  same  meeting  a  resolution  was  offered  that  the  county  treasurer 
be  authorized  to  secure  a  loan  of  the  comptroller  for  $1 1,900  for  the  purpose 
of  repairing  the  court-house,  jail  and  clerk's  office,  payments  to  be  made  in 
three  eq-ual  annual  installments,  interest  payable  annually;  that  a  committed  of 
three  be  appointed  to  build  according  to  plan  No.  2 ;  and  that  proposals  be 
advertised  for,  and  contracts  made  with  the  lowest  bidder  at  a  consideration 
not  exceeding  $12,000.  This  was  adopted,  and  Jerome  Lapham,  George  P. 
Wait,  and  F.  B.  Hubbell  were  appointed  the  building  committee.  They  were 
subsequently  restricted  to  $20,000,  and  instructed  to  find  the  cost  of  widening 
the  court-room  and  rear  building  eight  feet. 

At  this  time  an  organized  effort  was  made  to  remove  the  county  seat  from 
Caldwell  to  Glens  Falls,  and  seemed  to  contain  all  the  elements  of  success.  A 
citizens'  meeting  was  held  in  Glens  Falls,  December  28th,  1868,  at  which  Judge 
Rosekrans  offered  a  resolution  in  brief  that  Queensbury  would  furnish  a  site 
and  build  a  good  court-house,  jail  and  clerk's  office  at  a  cost  of  not  more  than 
$50,000,  as  an  inducement  to  the  removal.  It  was  adopted  and  Stephen 
Brown,  Isaac  Mott,  Jerome  Lapham  and  Aug.  Sherman  were  appointed  to 
present  the  proposition  to  the  supervisors.  Following  this  proposition  was  a 
resolution  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  to  the 
effect  that  in  the  estimation  of  the  board  the  site  should  be  changed  and  a  pe- 
tition signed  by  the  whole  board  presented  to  the  Legislature  for  an  act  author- 
izing the  change.  A  final  resolution  was  put  before  adjournment  that  no  re- 
pairs be  made  at  Caldwell.  Notwithstanding  all  this  passing  of  preliminary 
resolutions  nothing  further  was  done  towards  the  proposed  removal.  In  the 
following  year  a  resolution  was  offered  at  a  meeting  of  the  supervisors  that 
$18,000  be  raised  by  tax  to  improve  the  buildings  according  to  Boyden's  plan. 


County  Buildings,  Societies,  Etc.  273 

It  was  laid  on  the  table.  The  matter  reached  the  Legislature  in  1872,  when  an 
act  was  passed  authorizing  the  raising  of  $5,000,  payable  in  five  equal  annual 
installments,  to  "build  a  court-house,  jail  and  clerk's  office"  at  Caldwell.  It 
seems  that  nothing  came  of  this.  In  1877  the  supervisors  adopted  a  resolution 
which  proved  effectual,  viz.:  That  Thomas  Cunningham,  T.  N.  Thomas,  and 
James  C.  Eldridge  be  appointed  to  take  into  consideration  the  whole  matter  of 
enlarging,  improving  or  remodeling  the  jail,  enlarging  the  court-house,  erecting 
a  sheriff's  house,  and  a  building  for  lunatics  at  the  poor-house.  In  their  report 
this  committee  recommended  that  the  jail,  sheriff's  departments  and  court- 
house be  rebuilt,  changed  and  enlarged  as  per  the  plan  presented  ;  that  the 
additions  be  of  brick.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  reconstruction  was  $10,000, 
and  $500  for  furniture  and  $500  for  water.  Thomas  Fuller,  of  Caldwell,  was 
their  architect.  The  plan  was  changed  to  Boyden's  plan  No.  2,  and  with  this 
alteration  the  report  was  unanimously  accepted.  The  last  measure  before  the 
repairs  which  made  the  buildings  what  they  now  are,  was  a  resolution  adopted 
with  but  one  dissenting  voice,  March  7th,  1877,  providing  that  $ii,OOObe 
raised  to  rebuild  the  court-house,  etc.,  the  amount  to  be  paid  in  two  annual 
installments.  The  building  committee  was  Thomas  Cunningham,  J.  M.  Cool- 
idge  and  Jerome  N.  Hubbell.  The  contract  was  to  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder, 
the  committee  being  endowed  with  discretionary  powers.  The  work  thence- 
forward rapidly  progressed  and  by  the  following  year  the  buildings  were  com- 
pleted in  their  present  form,  with  the  exception  of  the  clerk's  office,  which  is, 
at  the  time  of  the  writing  of  this  work,  in  process  of  rebuilding  of  brick.  These 
buildings  are  now  well  adapted  to  their  various  purposes  and  a  credit  to  the 
county. 

Warren  County  Alms-house.  —  This  institution  is  located  in  the  town  of 
Warrensburgh,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Schroon  River,  the  farm  being  partly 
in  this  town  and  partly  in  the  town  of  Bolton,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
The  land  was  purchased  by  the  county  in  the  year  1826,  and  embraces  two  hun- 
dred acres,  seventy  of  which  were  purchased  of  James  Durham  at  a  cost  of 
$950,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  of  Halsey  Rogers  for  $450 ;  it  is  the  latter 
named  tract  that  is  located  in  the  town  of  Bolton.  About  forty  acres  are 
under  cultivation  at  the  present  time,  the  remainder  being  pasture  and  wood- 
land. Buildings  sufficient  for  the  limited  number  of  inmates  were  erected  di- 
rectly after  the  purchase  of  the  lands.  By  i860  the  old  county-house  was 
found  by  reason  of  its  limited  capacity  to  be  wholly  inadequate  to  meet  the 
necessities  of  the  county  poor,  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  passed  a  resolu- 
tion providing  in  its  terms  that  $2,500  be  raised  to  "build  a  plain,  substantial 
and  convenient  county-house,  at  or  near  the  old  house  on  said  farm,"  to  be 
paid  by  tax,  and  in  five  installments.  David  Aldrich,  Daniel  Stewart  and  E. 
B.  Miller  were  appointed  the  building  committee.  The  present  stone  portion 
of  the  poor-house  was  thereupon  erected  by  Peter  Bewel  at  the  cost  estimated, 

18 


2/4  History  of  Warren  County. 

viz.,  $2,500.  Before  this  addition  was  made  the  building  was  in  a  very  dilap- 
idated condition.  At  that  time  the  annual  revenue  from  the  farm  was  about 
$800,  and  the  average  number  of  inmates  was  fifty-four,  who  were  supported 
at  a  weekly  expense  of  ninety  cents  each.  This  arrangement  sufficed  for  a 
few  years,  and  in  1868  other  measures  were  deemed  necessary.  In  1868  a 
committee  was  appointed  by  the  supervisors  to  see  about  the  purchase  of  a 
farm ;  but,  although  the  committee  reported  in  favor  of  the  Jonathan  Potter 
farm  three  miles  north  of  Glens  Falls,  the  purchase  was  not  effected.  Such 
abortive  measures  not  being  calculated  to  enlarge  or  render  more  commodious 
the  then  existing  capacity  of  the  buildings,  the  demand  for  some  decisive  action 
grew  more  and  more  imperative  until  1877,  when  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  investigate  and  report  upon  the  most  feasible  way  of  answering  this  need 
and  making  a  place  for  lunatics.  The  report  read  to  the  effect  that  the  most 
practicable  method  would  be  to  remove  the  old  wood  building  (66  by  30  feet) 
and  rebuild  in  wood  on  the  same  site.  This  would  effectuate  the  object  of  ac- 
commodating more  persons  and  providing  for  lunatics.  The  estimated  cost 
was  $1,900.  Operations  were  spun  out  to  1883-84.  At  that  season  the  ad- 
dition was  completed.  The  superintendent  of  the  poor  is  Alexander  T.  Pasko. 
The  present  keeper  is  George  Bowen  (chosen  1885).  He  was  preceded  by 
Sylvester  Hays,  and  the  consecutive  predecessors  of  Hays  in  the  inverse  order 
of  their  service  have  been :  James  Fowden,  T.  N.  Thomas,   Elbridge   G.  Hall. 

Asa  Smith,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Stebbins,  James   Collins,  Aaron   Varnum. 

The  report  of  the  superintendent,  A.  T.  Pasko,  for  the  year  ending  October 
31st,  1884,  shows  that  the  house  and  out- buildings  are  in  good  repair.  The 
average  number  of  inmates  for  the  year  was  sixty-six  and  one-half,  and  the 
expense  per  week  for  each  was  about  one  dollar  and  fifty-four  cents.  He  esti- 
mated that  it  would  be  necessary  to  raise  the  sum  of  $8,500  for  the  support 
of  the  poor  for  the  year  following  his  report.  The  keeper,  Sylvester  Hays, 
reported  that  there  were  sixty-three  inmates  remaining  under  the  charge  of 
the  county,  Octocer  31st,  1884. 

Warren  County  Agricultural  Society.  —  During  the  summer  and  fall  of  the 
year  1856  the  prominent  men  of  the  county  discussed  the  feasibility  of  organ- 
izing an  agricultural  society,  and  on  the  27th  of  December  of  that  year  a 
number  of  those  most  interested  met  at  the  house  of  Charles  Rockwell,  in 
Luzerne,  and  took  preliminary  measures  toward  the  formation  of  such  a  so- 
ciety. 

Benjamin  C.  Butler,  presiding,  referred  in  his  remarks  to  the  important 
farming  interests  of  the  town  and  county,  and  the  advantages  the  proposed 
organization  would  be  to  the  inhabitants.  He  therefore  urged  its  immediate 
formation.  The  organization  was  perfected  and  during  the  meeting  it  was 
resolved,  "  that  to  make  it  a  condition  of  membership  to  said  society,  such 
members  pay  one  dollar  annually  to  the  treasurer,  to  be  expended  in  accordance 
with  the  consstitutioii  and  by-laws  of  said  society." 


County  Buildings,  Societies,  Etc.  275 

Charles  Rockwell,  the  chosen  secretary,  was  appointed  to  draft  a  constitu- 
tion, and  Benjamin  C.  Butler  to  arrange  the  order  of  business,  to  be  submitted 
at  the  next  meeting  appointed  to  be  held  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  Thursday,  Jan- 
uary 1st,  1857. 

The  first  day  of  the  year  proved  an  inauspicious  one,  and  only  a  small  num- 
ber were  in  attendance,  and  an  adjournment  was  voted  to  Monday,  January 
5th,  1857,  at  the  house  of  G.  T.  Rockwell.  At  this  meeting  the  following 
gentlemen  became  the  pioneer  members  of  the  organization  :  Benjamin  C. 
Butler,  Luzerne ;  Charles  Rockwell,  Hadley ;  William  W.  Rockwell,  Hiram  J. 
Rockwell,  George  J.  Rockwell,  Jeremy  Leavins,  Morgan  Burdick,  Orison  Craw, 
Calvin  C.  Lewis,  and  John  C.  Beach,  all  of  Luzerne. 

At  the  next  meeting,  on  January  27th,  1857,  the  following  names  were 
added  to  the  foregoing :  Reuben  Wells,  James  Lawrence,  Sylvanus  C.  Sco- 
ville,  Andrew  J.  Cheritree,  John  H.  Wagar,  William  H.  Wells,  and  Charles 
Schemerhorn. 

February  17th,  1857,  at  a  meeting  for  the  election  of  officers,  the  following 
were  chosen :  President,  Benjamin  C.  Butler ;  vice  presidents,  Wertel  W. 
Hicks,  Caldwell,  William  Hotchkiss,  Chester,  Samuel  Richards,  Warrensburgh, 
Samuel  Somerville,  Johnsburgh,  John  Clendon,  Queensbury,  William  Griffin, 
Thurman  ;  corresponding  secretary,  Rev.  C.  H.  Skillman  ;  recording  secretary, 
A.  J.  Cheritree;  treasurer,  William  H.  Wells;  directors,  Reuben  Wells,  W.  W. 
Rockwell,  Charles  Schemerhorn,  John  C.  Beach,  Orison  Dean,  George  T. 
Rockwell. 

The  organization  now  being  fully  completed,  it  remained  to  adopt  neces- 
sary measures  to  fulfil  the  purpose  of  the  institution.  It  was,  therefore,  at  a 
meeting  on  the  6th  of  April,  1858, 

Resolved,  That  the  next  annual  fair  be  located  in  that  town  which  shall  first 
raise  a  sum  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  from  fees  of  life 
members  or  in  other  ways  (not  including  the  regular  annual  dues  of  members), 
to  be  expended  at  the  discretion  of  the  executive  committee  in  preparing  and 
inclosing  the  Fair  Grounds,  or  for  such  other  purposes  as  they  may  direct. 

From  the  beginning  until  1 86 1  the  fairs  and  meetings  were  held  at  Luzerne, 
the  town  in  which  the  movement  first  assumed  definite  shape.  In  1862  an 
arrangement  was  made  with  George  Brown,  of  French  Mountain,  by  which 
grounds  near  his  "  Half-way  House  "  were  prepared  for  the  use  of  the  society, 
and  the  annual  meetings  were  thereafter  held  at  that  place  until  1868. 

As  the  farming  interests  of  the  county  developed  each  year,  and  the  society 
became  richer  and  more  numerous,  the  boundaries  at  French  Mountain  were 
found  to  be  too  narrow,  and  the  Agricultural  Society  availed  itself  of  the  offer 
of  the  "  Glens  Falls  Citizens'  Association,"  at  Glens  Falls,  of  the  use  of  their 
grounds.  Since  that  time  the  }'early  meetings  have  been  held  there.  Neces- 
sary buildings  have  been  constructed   as   occasion   required,  viz. :  the  "  Home 


276  History  of  Warren  County. 

Industrial,"  "Agricultural,"  "  Mechanics, "  and  "Floral"  Halls  among  these. 
In  the  summer  of  1883  a  grand  stand  was  built  which  will  seat  about  two 
thousand  persons. 

The  "  Glens  Falls  Park, "  as  the  grounds  are  called,  contains  twenty-eight 
acres  of  land  owned  by  a  stock  company.  The  Agricultural  Society  has  the 
use  of  the  grounds  one  week  each  year  for  fair  purposes,  the  conditions  being 
that  the  stock  company  receive  the  amount  collected  on  the  grounds  for  food 
and  drink. 

Several  thousand  dollars  have  been  expended  bj'  the  Agricultural  Society 
in  the  construction  of  buildings  and  other  improvements,  and  the  citizens  of 
Glens  Falls  have  contributed  by  subscription  about  $1,500  toward  beautifying 
and  improving  the  grounds. 

Since  the  infancy  of  the  organization  the  cash  premiums  paid  have  been 
satisfactory.  In  1857  the  amount  of  cash  premiums  was  $10.00  ;  in  1862  they 
were  increased  to  $221.50;  in  1869  to  $657,  and  in  1873  to  $1,492.50.  In 
1885  they  were  $1,008.50. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  of  the  society,  together  with  the  present 
officers,  and  one  or  two  incidental  happenings  connected  with  the  history  of 
the  society  legislation,  etc. : 

1859  to  1861  inclusive,  B.  C.  Butler,  president;  1862,  William  H.  Rock- 
well; 1863,  Quartis  Curtiss;  1864,  Abraham  Wing;  1865-66,  B.  C.  Butler; 
1867  to  1872  inclusive,  Henry  Griffing,  of  Warrensburgh ;  1873-74,  D.  S. 
Haviland,  of  Queensbury ;  1875,  Jerome  Lapham,  Queensbury.  At  the  annual 
meeting  held  on  February  2d,  of  this  year,  the  secretary,  A.  Newton  Locke, 
of  Glens  Falls,  presented  his  report  in  verse.  It  was  most  ingeniously  exe- 
cuted. 1876-77,  Jerome  Lapham,  president;  February  12th,  1878,  the  con- 
stitution was  revised  and  amended  to  meet  the  requirements  of  legislation  sub- 
sequent  to  1876;  Joseph  Haviland  was  elected  president  and  served  three 
years.      1881  to  1884  inclusive,  A.  B.  Abbott. 

On  the  20th  of  January,  1884,  in  the  parlors  of  the  Rockwell  House  at 
Glens  Falls,  the  following  officers  were  elected  for  ^the  ensuing  year :  presi- 
dent, T.  S.  Coolidge ;  first  vice-president,  W.  E.  Spier ;  second,  D.  S.  Haviland ; 
third,  Edward  Vaughn ;  fourth,  E.  W.  Goodman ;  fifth,  Lewis  W.  Hamlin  ; 
sixth,  Ed.  Harrigan;  secretary,  T.  K.  Locke;  treasurer,  H.  S.  Crittenden. 
The  present  directors  are:  C.  H.  Green  and  J.  W.  Morgan  for  1886;  W.  F. 
Bentley  and  W.  J.   Potter,  1878;  H.  R.  Leavens  and  P.  T.  Haviland,  ij 


The  County  Press.  277 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE  COUNTY  PRESS.i 

Early  Papers  —  The  First  Publication  in  the  County  —  The  Warren  Republican  and  its  Career  — 
T'a.e.  Lake  George  Watchman  —  The  Glens  Falls  Observer — The  Warren  County  Messenger  and  its 
Immediate  Descendants  —  The  Glens  Falls  Spectator— Ta&  Glens  Falls  Cazf/fe  — The  Glens  Falls 
Clarion  —  Kno<C&e.x  Republican  —  The  Rechabite  and   Temperance  Bugle  —  Glens   Falls  Free  Press  — 

The   Warrensburgh   Annual — Glens    Falls   Advertise-! The   American    Standard — The    Warren 

County  Whig  —  The  Present  Messengei — Daily  Press  —  The  Daily  Times  —  The  Morning  Star. 

WARREN  COUNTY  does  not  possess  a  long  or  exciting  newspaper  his- 
tory. The  sparse  population  of  the  county  at  large,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Glens  Falls,  the  absence  of  any  large  villages,  have  operated  against 
the  establishment  of  public  journals,  and  have  been  the  prime  cause  of  the 
premature  decay  and  death  of  many  papers  from  which  their  learned  editors 
expected  fame  and  fortune.  It  is  a  very  sterile  and  thinly  populated  district 
in  this  great  country  of  ours  where  at  least  one  man  cannot  be  found  who  be- 
lieves himself  born  to  be  a  journalist ;  and  nothing  can  ever  dispel  this  preva- 
lent belief  but  the  hard  lesson  of  experience.  Hence  the  number  of  news- 
papers that  have  been  started  in  the  county,  insignificant  as  it  may  seem  when 
compared  with  those  of  other  larger  fields,  cannot  be  counted  on  one's  fingers 
and  toes ;  and  those  that  have  survived  the  struggle  for  existence  have  been 
and  are  a  credit  to  the  county  and  to  their  editors,  and  have  wielded  a  vast  in- 
fluence in  the  communities,  and  no  little  power  in  the  politics  of  the  State. 

In  the  fall  of  18 12  John  Cunningham,  of  New  England,  accompanied  by 
Eben  Patrick,  a  journeyman,  and  Eliezer  Wheelock,  an  indented  apprentice, 
removed  from  Windsor,  Vermont,  to  Glens  Falls.  They  brought  with  them 
an  ample  supply  of  type  and  an  old-fashioned  press.  Cunningham  being 
taken  sick  on  the  way  was  obliged  to  defer  his  coming  until  the  following 
spring,  but  the  others  continued  their  journey  and  opened  a  job  office  in  a 
building  on  the  corner  of  Ridge  and  Glen  streets.  In  April,  18 13,  Cunning- 
ham came  on  with  his  family,  and  in  the  succeeding  month  issued  a  prospectus 
written  by  William  Hay.  On  Thursday,  the  i6th  of  June,  1813,  the  first 
number  of  the  first  paper  issued  in  Warren  county,  was  published  under  the 
name  of  The  Warren  Republican.  It  was  a  journal  but  little  larger  than  a 
"  common  spelling  book,"  so  folded  as  to  make  twelve  pages  to  each  number, 
and  was  nearly  half  filled  with  advertisements.  This  sheet  was  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  the  dominant  party  and  existing  administration,  and  until  the  close 
of  the  war  was  well  stocked  with  the  exciting  reports  of  domestic  and  foreign 
battles  and  coups  d'e'tats,  which  have  since  become  matters  of  history.      After 

1  Largely  prepared  from  newspaper  sketches  published  some  years  since  by  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden. 


2/8  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  publication  of  a  few  numbers  the  office  was  removed  to  the  rooms  long  af- 
terwards occupied  by  George  Vanderheyden,  where  it  was  continued  until  the 
completion  of  the  "  long  building,"  erected  in  i8 13  by  John  A.  Ferris.  The  Re- 
publican office  was  soon  after  removed  to  one  of  the  upper  rooms  of  this  build- 
ing. 

The  name  of  the  Warren  Republican  was  changed  to  that  of  the  Warren 
Patriot  in  18 15  by  Linus  J.  Reynolds,  who  had  purchased  it  from  Cunning- 
ham. The  paper  was  then  enlarged  from  its  duodecimo  size  and  double  col- 
umn to  a  demy  sheet  with  four  columns.  In  about  a  year  Reynolds  sold  back 
to  Cunningham,  who  associated  with  himself  Adonijah  Emmons.  The  office  was 
removed  to  an  upper  room  in  the  north  end  of  Emmons's  house.  Cunning- 
ham, though  a  man  of  refined  tastes  and  brilliant  parts,  was  addicted  to  in- 
temperate habits,  and  his  prosperity  was  not  commensurate  with  his  enterprise 
or  deserts.  The  paper,  therefore,  in  18 19,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Hon.  Will- 
Ham  Hay,  who  assumed  its  publication  on  the  5th  of  February.  On  the  i6th 
of  the  following  April  it  reverted  to  Cunningham.  The  journal  lingered  along 
until  the  following  year,  and  then  died. 

The  second  newspaper  published  in  the  county  was  unquestionably  the 
Lake  George  Watchman,  started  about  the  year  18 16  by  Timothy  Haskins,  of 
Salem,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  with  the  assistance  of  Oliver  Lyons,  for- 
merly of  the  Troy  Budget.  Haskins  soon  transferred  his  interest  to  Storer, 
and  Storer  to  one  Cushman,  who  conducted  the  paper  until  1820,  under  the 
name  of  The  Guardian.  At  that  time  it  was  again  sold,  and  the  name  changed 
to  the  Warren  Recorder.  It  was  ably  conducted,  but  met  with  indifferent  suc- 
cess, and  the  interest  was  soon  disposed  of  to  William  Broadwell,  who  contin- 
ued its  publication  at  Caldwell  in  1822-24.  It  was  then  removed  to  Glens 
Falls,  and  with  a  view  to  increasing  the  circulation  of  the  paper  and  extending 
its  patronage,  Broadwell  sent  post-riders  through  all  the  surrounding  country. 
The  expense  was  greater  than  the  return,  and  Broadwell  becoming  bankrupt, 
and  the  paper  went  over  to  the  majority.  In  1826  the  press  and  its  appurte- 
nances were  bought  by  Edwin  Galloway  Lindsay.  On  the  first  Monday  in  Jan- 
uary, 1827,  he  issued  the  third  newspaper  in  the  county  under  the  style  of 
The  Glens  Falls  Observer.  Lindsay  being  a  thoroughly  educated  printer,  edi- 
ted the  paper  with  extraordinary  ability  for  two  years,  when  the  publication 
ceased. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1829,  was  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Warren 
County  Messenger,  conducted  by  Abial  Smith,  who  had  formerly  been  employed 
with  Broadwell  and  Lindsay.  The  paper  had  a  good  circulation  and  support. 
In  January,  183 1,  the  name  was  changed  from  Warren  County  Messenger  to 
Warren  Messenger,  and  the  heading  enlarged.  The  publication  day  was  also 
changed  from  Thursday  to  Saturday,  and  in  the  following  year  to  Friday.  In 
1834  the  paper  changed  hands  again.     Zabina  Ellis,  who  had   commenced  his 


The  County  Press.  279 


apprenticeship  with  Adonijah  Emmons  in  the  office  of  the  Sandy  Hill  Sun,  in 
1825,  and  worked  as  "jour"  for  Abial  Smith  on  the  Messenger,  bought  the 
property,  and  changed  the  name  of  the  sheet  to  Warren  Messenger  and  Glens 
Falls  Advertiser.  In  September  of  that  year  the  office  was  removed  "  to  the 
building  heretofore  occupied  for  that  purpose,  directly  over  C.  L.  Brown's  fancy 
store,  and  a  few  doors  north  of  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel."  The  next  change  oc- 
curred in  May,  1835,  when  the  Messenger  and  Advertiser  was  discontinued, 
and  the  press  and  type  were  leased  by  H.  B.  Ten  Eyck.  The  new  proprietor 
resumed  the  publication  of  the  paper  under  the  old  name  of  the  Warren  Mes- 
senger, and  continued  at  its  head  for  two  years.  When  he  ceased  in  May, 
1837,  the  press  and  type  reverted  to  Zabina  Ellis,  who  immediately  issued  the 
first  number  of  the  Messenger' s  successor  under  the  title  of  the  Glens  Falls 
Spectator.  In  his  salutatory  which  accompanied  the  first  number  of  the  new 
paper  Mr.  Ellis  said  : — 

"  In  presenting  to  the  public  the  first  number  of  the  Glens  Falls  Spectator, 
we  feel  it  incumbent  upon  us  to  state  at  least  the  general  course  we  shall  pur- 
sue in  its  future  publication.  Our  political  views  are  in  accordance  with  those 
of  the  present  administration  [Van  Buren]  whose  measures  we  shall  support  so 
far  as  we  shall  deem  them  consistent  with  the  best  interests  of  the  community. 
A  portion  of  our  columns  will  be  devoted  to  literary,  miscellaneous,  foreign, 
domestic,  agricultural,  and  such  other  objects  as  are  calculated  to  disseminate 
general  intelligence ;  and  will  at  all  times  be  open  for  communications  upon 
such  subjects  as  may  be  of  public  interest.  We  shall  on  all  occasions  tender  a 
proper  respect  to  those  opinions  which  may  be  at  variance  with  our  own.  A 
well  conducted  periodical  has  been  long  desired  in  this  county,  and  whether 
ours  shall  merit  this  distinction  we  leave  to  the  discerning  public  to  decide. 
To  the  people  of  this  county  we  look  for  a  generous  patronage.  We  have  be- 
fore been  the  recipients  of  their  favor,  and,  we  humbly  trust,  no  omission  of 
duty  on  our  part  will  forfeit  a  continuance  of  them. " 

On  the  1 6th  of  November,  1839,  the  last  number  of  the  Glens  Falls  Spec- 
tator was  published.  In  the  same  month  the  type,  furniture  and  presses  were 
purchased  by  George  Cronkhite  and  Dr.  Bethuel  Peck,  with  a  view  to  the  pub- 
lication of  an  anti-administration  paper.  On  Wednesday,  December  3d,  1839, 
was  published  the  initial  number  of  the  Glens  Falls  Gazette.  The  new  editor 
was  Warren  Fox,  a  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Cronkhite.  The  Gazette  was  immediately 
recognized  as  the  organ  of  the  Whig  party,  at  that  time  largely  in  the  majority 
in  this  town.  The  paper  was  the  same  size  as  the  Spectator,  but,  though  more 
elaborate  as  to  its  editorial  department,  had  deteriorated  in  typographical  and 
mechanical  beauty  and  arrangement.  Meanwhile  Zabina  Ellis,  having  pur- 
chased an  entire  new  outfit  of  type,  and  new  furniture  and  cases,  and  procured 
the  use  of  the  old  Ramage  press  used  in  the  publication  of  the  Warren  Recorder, 
made  arrangements  to  start  a  competing  journal,  and  on  the  i8th  of  December, 


28o  History  of  Warren  County. 

1839,  published,  in  continuation  the  28th  No.,  30th  Vol.  of  the  Glens  Falls 
Spectator.  This  continued  to  be  the  organ  of  the  administration,  and  for  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  the  county,  two  papers  were  published  contempo- 
raneously, and  assumed  that  active  partisan  character  which  has  ever  since  dis- 
tinguished the  press  of  this  part  of  the  State.  About  this  time,  too,  sprang  up 
a  corps  of  newspaper  correspondents  that  kept  the  papers  constantly  supplied 
with  contributions  and  original  matter.  After  about  eighteen  months  of  jour- 
nalistic warfare,  the  interest  of  Mr.  Ellis  in  the  Spectator  was  purchased  by 
Winfield  Scott  Sherman,  who  formed  copartnership  relations  with  Warren  Fox, 
and  consolidated  the  two  presses  into  one  concern.  The  new  paper  was  entitled 
the  Glefis  Falls  Clarion,  and  was  ostensibly  neutral  in  politics  and  religion. 
In  December,  1841,  Hon.  A.  N.  Cheney  purchased  Fox's  interest,  and  the 
joint  editorship  thereafter  was  W.  S.  Sherwood  and  George  W.  Cheney.  In 
May,  1842,  the  irrepressible  Zabina  Ellis  bought  out  Mr.  Sherwood  and  the 
firm  name  was  Cheny  &  Ellis.  After  the  lapse  of  a  year  Ellis  retired  from 
the  firm,  and  left  Cheney  to  conduct  the  paper  alone  until  January  i,  185  i. 

Meanwhile  newspaper  enterprise  seemed  to  be  increasing.  In  September, 
1843,  two  brothers,  Marcellus  and  Thomas  J.  Strong,  practical  printers,  bought 
out  the  press  and  type  of  the  Literary  Pearl,  a  sheet  which  had  been  started 
by  Newton  M.  Curtis,  and  which  had  died  after  the  fitful  fever  of  a  short  life, 
and  issued  a  paper  under  the  name  of  the  Glens  Falls  Republican.  This  sheet, 
besides  containing  the  usual  literary  and  miscellaneous  matter  of  a  country 
paper,  ardently  espoused  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  which,  being 
then  in  the  ascendent  in  Warren  county,  gave  it  at  once  an  extended  and 
liberal  patronage.  The  circulation  soon  reached  five  hundred  greater  than  had 
previously  been  attained  by  any  paper.  During  the  year  following,  September 
23d,  1846,  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden,  the  author,  subsequently,  of  a  valuable  history 
of  the  town  of  Queensbury,  and  a  coadjuter  in  the  preparation  of  this  history, 
was  associated  with  T.  J.  Strong  in  the  pubHcation  of  the  Republican.  During 
the  political  canvass  of  1 844  the  Clarion,  which  had  claimed  to  be  a  neutral 
paper,  came  out  vigorously  for  the  Whigs.  A  campaign  sheet  called  The  Whig 
Reveille  was  published  at  the  Clarion  office,  and  another  called  The  Hickory 
Leaf  2.x.  the  office  of  the  Republican. 

But  political  newspapers  are  not  the  only  kind  which  constitute  the  history 
of  the  county.  During  the  temperance  agitation  which  began  about  1845,  the 
object  of  which  was  to  procure  the  enactment  of  a  law  restricting  the  sale  of 
intoxicating  drinks  to  specific  and  manifestly  necessary  cases,  a  small  semi- 
monthly publication  was  started  at  Glens  Falls,  devoted  to  the  principles  of  the 
agitators,  and  laboring  under  the  euphonious  title  of  The  Rechabite  and  Temper- 
ance Bugle.  The  date  of  the  first  issue  was  July  29th,  1847,  ^"d  the  names  of 
its  editors,  for  it  had  two,  were  Marcellus  and  Thomas  J.  Strong.  The  intensity 
of  the   interest  in  the  movement  may  be  inferred  from  the   circulation  (1,500) 


The  County  Press.  281 


which  this  paper  soon  attained  ;  and  the  evanescence  of  the  same  from  the  rapid 
falling  off  from  this  encouraging  number  until  the  enterprise  was  pronounced  a 
failure.  In  August,  1848,  while  its  prosperity  was  most  flattering,  the  issue 
was  made  weekly.  On  the  29th  of  November,  1849,  T.  J.  Strong  purchased 
the  entire  interest  and  led  it  through  its  feeble  career  to  the  close,  in  May,  1853. 
In  1845—46—47,  an  annual,  or  occasional  paper,  called  The  Token,  was  published 
by  the  pupils  of  the  Glens  Falls  Academy. 

Zabina  Ellis  reappears  in  January,  185  i,  as  the  purchaser  of  the  Clarion. 
InstalHng  his  brother-in-law,  William  Rogers,  in  the  editorial  department,  and 
changing  the  name  of  the  paper  to  the  Glens  Falls  Free  Press,  Ellis  conse- 
crated the  regenerated  sheet  to  the  interests  of  the  Whig  party.  At  the  end  of 
the  year  Rogers,  who  had  conducted  the  editorial  work  with  signal  ability,  was 
superseded  by  Ellis  himself.  In  1854  the  paper  wheeled  into  the  ranks  of  the 
new  Know  Nothing  party,  and  remained  its  champion  while  the  party  remained 
a  palpable  fact 

The  next  effort  at  attaining  newspaper  fame  in  Warren  county  was  made 
in  1859  by  John  A.  Bentley,  a  young  lawyer,  who  hired  the  press  and  type  of 
the  Glens  Falls  Free  Press,  and  with  Edwin  Pike  for  publisher,  issued  No.  i, 
Vol.  I,  of  a  politico-religious  paper  called  the  Free  Press.  Four  numbers  of 
this  paper  were  published,  and  Zabina  Ellis  resumed  the  management. 

The  Free  Press  establishment  burned  in  the  great  fire  of  1864.  Mr.  Ellis, 
having  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-second  Regiment  and  been  transferred  to  the 
Seventy-sixth,  he  was  not  at  the  time  of  the  fire  acting  as  its  editor.  The  pa- 
per was  never  resuscitated. 

On  January  1st,  1847,  the  Warrensburgh  Annual  was  first  published  at 
Saratoga  Springs,  under  the  editorial  management  of  William  B.  Farlin.  B.  C. 
Butler,  the  founder  of  the  Warren  County  Agricultural  Society,  was  the  lead- 
ing spirit  of  this  new  enterprise,  but  Dudley  Farlin  was  the  responsible  editor. 
It  was  short-lived. 

Returning  to  the  Republican,  we  find  that  in  May,  1853,  William  Tinsley 
and  his  two  sons,  William  T,  and  James  H.  Tinsley,  purchased  the  effects  of 
the  oflSce,  and  took  possession  in  the  following  July.  The  paper  was  then  a  six 
column  sheet,  but  in  September  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  a  column  to  a 
page,  and  a  proportionate  increase  in  length.  The  interest  of  James  H.  Tins- 
ley  was  bought  in  April,  1855,  and  the  firm  name  changed  from  William  Tins- 
ley  &  Sons  to  William  Tinsley  &  Son.  In  the  succeeding  March  the.  estab- 
lishment was  sold  out  to  Hillman  A.  Hall  and  Meredith  B.  Little  for  $1,100, 
who  continued  the  publication  under  the  firm  style  of  Hall  &  Little.  During 
the  next  two  years  the  proprietorship  passed  from  Hall  &  Little  to  Harris  & 
Hall,  Little's  interest  being  purchased  by  H.  M.  Harris.  Next  it  became  Har- 
ris &  Little,  Hall's  interest  passing  to  the  latter,  and  finally,  Mr.  Harris  became 
the  sole  editor  and   proprietor.     He   has   ever   since  retained  his  interest  and 


282  History  of  Warren  County. 

made  his  paper  one  of  the  leading  Democratic  journals  of  the  State  and  a  power 
in  the  party.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  clear  and  incisive  writer,  and  from  his  stock  of 
broad  information  on  general  matters,  gives  his  paper  an  unusually  interesting 
character. 

H.  M.  Harris,  proprietor  of  the  Republican,  was  born  in  Schenectady  on 
the  I2th  of  May,  1833.  He  began  his  apprenticeship  as  a  printer  in  the  office 
of  the  Granville  Telegraph,  a  weekly  published  at  Granville,  Washington  coun- 
ty, in  1849 ;  this  paper  was  the  especial  organ  of  the  Washington  County  Mu- 
tual Insurance  Company,  then  doing  the  largest  business  of  any  insurance 
company  in  the  world,  issuing  as  many  as  one  thousand  policies  a  week.  He 
remained  there  two  years  and  in  January,  1851,  came  to  Glens  Falls  and  fin- 
ished his  apprenticeship  on  the  Glens  Falls  Free  Press,  under  Zabina  Ellis. 
The  next  year  Mr.  Harris  proceeded  to  New  York  for  the  purpose  of  perfect- 
ing himself  in  the  art  of  job  printing,  and  assisted  in  the  publication  of  a  polit- 
ical campaign  paper  in  Brooklyn  in  the  Scott  and  Pierce  campaign.  Returning 
to  Glens  Falls  after  an  absence  of  two  j^ears,  he  became  foreman  for  Messrs. 
Hall  &  Little,  on  the  Republican,  which  he  soon  after  purchased,  as  above  nar- 
rated. Under  his  administration  of  nearly  thirty  years  the  Republican  has 
been  remarkably  successful;  it  was  enlarged  in  June,  1873,  to  its  present  hand- 
some proportions.  The  establishment  passed  through  the  great  fire  of  1864, 
and  did  not  lose  an  issue.  In  an  editorial  in  a  number  succeeding  the  fire,  Mr. 
Harris  wrote  as  follows : 

"Like  the  Messenger,  our  material,  presses,  etc.,  were  nearly  all  destroyed; 
but  the  next  day  after  the  fire  an  extra  was  issued  by  the  Republican  from  the 
Sandy  Hill  Herald  office,  and  two  or  three  numbers  succeeding  were  issued 
from  the  same  office."  The  new  material  was  at  once  purchased  and  the  paper 
re-established  as  previous  to  the  fire. 

This  was  an  era  of  ephemeral  journals.  In  1853  a  single  edition  of  3,000 
copies  of  a  paper  called  the  Glens  Falls  Advertiser  was  issued  from  the  office  of 
the  Free  Press  for  George  C.  Mott  &  Co.  It  was  an  advertising  sheet  contain- 
ing some  original  literary  and  historical  matter  and  an  exposition  of  the  busi- 
ness interests  and  resources  of  Glens  Falls.  Jackson  &  Seymour,  under  their 
firm  name,  issued  a  similar  paper  in  1854.  In  October,  1853,  the  first  num- 
ber of  a  literary  monthly  called  The  American  Standard,  was  issued  from  the 
Republican  office.  It  was  edited  by  Holdridge  &  Wait,  but  was  not  a  pecun- 
iary success,  and  died  with  the  eighth  number.  In  1855  the  Hon.  A.  N. 
Cheney  purchased  a  new  font  of  type  and  a  press  for  James  Kelley,  who  began 
the  publication  of  the  Warren  County  Whig.     The  paper  soon  collapsed. 

On  January  2d  the  following  year  the  Rev.  A.  D.  Milne,  who  for  some 
months  had  been  engaged  in  the  publication  of  a  Baptist  monthly  called  The 
Star  of  Destiny,  purchased  the  Whig  office  and  started  the  Glens  Falls  Mes- 
senger.    Mr.  Milne  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  possessed  more  than  ordinary 


The  County  Press.  283 


ability  as  an  effective  author,  preacher  and  writer.  He  wrote  a  temperance 
book  which  was  published  in  an  illustrated  edition  by  Shepard  &  Co.,  New 
York,  and  had  an  unprecedented  sale  in  this  country  and  Europe,  receiving 
high  commendation  from  the  press.  He  was  an  easy  and  vigorous  writer, 
and  started  the  Messenger  as  a  paper  "  devoted  to  subjects  of  a  moral  and  re- 
ligious character,  with  the  intention  of  having  nothing  to  do  with  politics  except 
so  far  as  they  may  have  a  direct  bearing  upon  the  destinies  of  the  great  broth- 
erhood of  man."  But  being  a  strong  temperance  and  anti-slavery  advocate, 
the  paper  in  a  few  months  naturally  drifted  into  the  support  of  the  Republi- 
can nominee  for  president,  John  C.  Fremont.  Since  that  date  the  Messenger 
has  been  an  unwavering  Republican  paper.  In  the  issue  dated  April  8th, 
1858,  Mr.  Milne,  in  a  valedictory,  stated  that  "feeble  health  has  admonished 
lis  for  some  time  that  our  labors  as  a  publisher  and  editor  must  cease,"  and  in- 
troduced L.  A.  Arnold  as  the  future  editor,  who  had  associated  with  him  Nor- 
man Cole,  to  superintend  the  mechanical  part  of  the  business.  Arnold  acted 
as  editor  and  Cole  as  publisher.  It  was  announced  Nov.  25th,  1863,  that 
Norman  Cole  had  purchased  Arnold's  interest  and  assumed  the  duties  of  both 
publisher  and  editor.  On  the  last  day  of  May,  1864,  the  paper  was  greatly 
crippled  and  its  office  completely  consumed  in  the  great  fire  which  swept  so 
disastrously  through  tbe  village.  It  immediately  sprang  from  the  ashes,  but 
did  not  emerge  from  the  dark  war  cloud,  which  at  that  time  hung  over  the 
land,  nor  did  it  appear  in  its  full  proportions  until  the  i6th  of  September, 
when  its  new  cylinder  press  arrived  and  the  arduous  work  of  publishing  and 
editing  so  large  a  country  newspaper  was  fully  resumed.  Not  an  issue  was 
lost,  however,  although  the  copies  intervening  between  the  last  of  May  and 
the  1 6th  of  September  were  of  a  smaller  cast  and  different  form.  A  copy  of 
what  was  called  the  "  Phoenix  Edition"  of  the  Messenger,  which  is  herein  print- 
ed, explains  itself,  and  illustrates  the  condition  of  the  village  after  the  fire  of 
1864  ;  the  difficulties  which  the  publishers  encountered  in  continuing  the  pub- 
lication without  the  loss  of  an  edition,  and  the  style  of  the  paper  itself  The 
copy  is  as  nearly  as  possible  a  facsimile  of  the  original.  That  issue  was  print- 
ed from  type  borrowed  of  the  Sandy  Hill  Herald  office,  on  a  little  hand  press 
saved  from  the  Messenger  office  during  the  fire,  the  work  being  done  in  the 
editor's  corn-house. 


284 


History  of  Warren  County. 


Vol.  9. 


phe:n^ix  edition. 

GLEN'S  FALLS,  N.  Y.,  FRIDAY,  JUNE  3,  1864.  No.  23. 


A  GREAT  FIRE !— One  of  the  most 
destructive  fires  that  ever  happened  in 
any  village  in  the  Northern  States,  visit- 
ed Glen's  Falls  on  Thursday  last,  May 
31st,  consuming  the  entire  business  por- 
tion of  the  village  and  sweeping  away 
the  wealth  and  accumulations  of  years. 
The  central  part  of  the  place  is  one  mass 
of  ruins.  Only  three  stores  remain.  All 
the  printing  offices  were  destroyed — we 
saved  our  little  Card  Press,  but  not 
enough  type  to  set  a  card. — The  morn- 
ing after  the  fire  we  received  the  follow- 
ing from  the  Editor  of  the  Sandy  Hill 
Herald,  to  whose  kindness  we  are  in- 
debted for  type  and  ink  to  print  this 
paper : — 

"Friend  Cole:  My  office  is  at  your 
disposal.  E.  D.  Baker." 

The  following  account  is  mainly  taken 
from  the  Republican  extra,  issued  from 
the  Herald  office : — 

About  3  o'clock  the  flames,  were  first 
seen  bursting  through  the  roof  of  the 
Glen's  Falls  Hotel  kitchen.  The  alarm 
was  instantly  given.  Engines,  Firemen 
and  Citizens  sprang  as  if  by  magic  to 
the  threatened  spot,  but  owing  to  a  high 
wind  and  scarcity  of  water  the  flames 
rapidly  spread,  in  a  few  moments  envel- 
oping the  main  portion  of  the  Hotel,  and 
from  thence  to  the  Commercial  Bank, 
Rich's  Jewelry  Store,  the  Centre  House, 
Glen's  Falls  Bank,  Weed  &  Sherman's 
store,  law  office  of  Davis  and  Harris, 
Keenan  &  Wing's  office,  Wing's  dry 
goods  store.  Ranger's  book  store.  Re- 
publican   printing    office,    Harris'    Boot 


and  Shoe  store.  Peat's  tailoring  estab- 
lishment and  the  Mansion  House. 

Above  the  Glen's  Falls  Hotel,  the  fire 
had  spread  to  Smith  &  Ambler's,  De- 
Vol's  and  Hubbard's  clothing  stores,. 
Sheldon's  drug  store,  Fonda's,  Lasher  & 
Freligh's,  Rice's  and  Cowles  &  Co.'s  dry 
goods  stores,  Sisson's  drug  store,  Mes- 
senger office.  Leavens'  store,  Goodman's- 
marble  shop,  Bolles'  book  store  and 
Colvin's  cabinet  store.  Crossing  Glen 
street  the  fire  first  attacked  Brown  & 
Byrne's  grocery  store,  and  Vanderhey- 
den's  building  with  Bassinger's  jewelry 
store  and  Clements'  restaurant,  and 
from  thence  ran  rapidly  to  Ide  &  Co.'s 
boot  and  shoe  store,  Farrington's  liquor 
store,  the  fruit  stand  of  Bevins,  Smith's 
boot  and  shoe  store,  Tearse's  grain 
store — finally  arrested  by  almost  super- 
human exertion  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Samuel  Ranger. 

On  the  west  side  of  Ridge  street,  the 
warehouse  of  Brown  &  Byrne,  Norris' 
wagon  shop,  and  two  dwelling  houses^ 
were  soon  enveloped  in  flames.  On  the 
east  side  the  fire  communicated  with  D. 
H.  Cowles  &  Co.,  Clendon's  drug  store, 
Conkey's  daguerrean  rooms,  internal 
revenue  office,  gas  office,  dentist's  office^ 
etc.,  driving  with  demoniac  fury  to  the 
Post  Office,  Ferriss'  law  office.  Seaman 
&  Richards'  candy  establishment,  Mrs. 
Brydon  &  Whiting's  millinery  store,. 
Traphagan's  harness  shop,  and  from 
thence  to  the  fine  residence  of  Mr.  Ezra 
Benedict,  attacking  at  the  same  time- 
the  dwellings  of  A.  W.  Flack  and  Mr. 
Ketchum. 


The  County  Press. 


28s 


Arrested  by  the  solid  stone  dwelling 
owned  by  Mrs.  William  Peck,  on  Ridge 
street,  the  flames  swept  down  on  both 
sides  of  Warren  st.,  destroying  in  their 
rapid  course  Vanderheyden's  brick 
building,  Kenworthy's  hardware  store, 
C.  &  D.  Peck's  grain  store  and  lumber 
yard,  DeLong  and  Co.'s  hardware  store, 
the  dweUings  of  Harmon  Peck,  Doct.  N. 
E.  Sheldon,  Mrs.  Rogers,  Methodist, 
Presbyterian  and  Universalist  churches. 
Engine  House,  Fonda's  Masonic  Block, 
in  whicli  were  Vermillia's  meat  market, 
Hine  &  Bartlett's  grocery  store,  the  Free 
Press  office,  Buswell's  gun  shop,  Senate 
Masonic  Lodge,  &c.  Onward  rushes  the 
•devouring  element  to  Baldwin's  cabinet 
shop,  the  dwellings  of  Mr.  Kellogg,  Rev. 
Mr.  Fennel  and  Abraham  Wing,  Star- 
buck  &  Sanford's  wagon  shop,  the  dwel- 
lings of  Seth  Sprague,  L.  A.  Arnold, 
Mrs.  Ray,  E.  T.  Johnson,  Alvin  Cool,  M. 
B.  Little,  J.  Johnson,  Doct.  Patterson, 
David  Roberts — destroying  everything; 
arrested  again,  the  flames  shoot  across 
three  buildings,  one  of  which  is  the  old 
Furnace,  and  alight  upon  the  dwellings 
of  Mrs.  Hawkins  and  Mrs.  Lapham, 
burning  both  to  ruins. 

Down  Glen  street,  on  the  east  side, 
commencing  at  the  chothing  store  of 
Albert  Hall,  the  sea  of  fire  hurls  its  red 
and  hissing  billows,  engulfing  the  entire 
row  to  the  open  space  half  way  down 
the  hill,  destroying  Hall's  clothing  store, 
Mrs.  Williams'  millinery  shop.  Star- 
buck's  express  office,  Ferguson's  liquor 
store,  Keeffe  &  Briggs'  store,  Bush's 
meat  market,  Kelley's  grocery,  Numan's 
large  hall,  a  new  dry  goods  store  just 
opened,  Austin's  paint  shop,  S.  Carpen- 
ter's saloon,  Staples'  meat  market,  Cros- 
sett's  vegetable  store.  Potter's  boot  and 
shoe  store,  A.  N.  Cheney's  residence,  H. 
Wing's  store,  Bennett's  building,  Wil- 
marth's  cabinet  shop.  Farmer's  Hotel, 
Mechanics'     Place,     Burdick's     planing 


mill,  Geo.  Cronkhite's  and  L.  B.  Barnes' 
dwellings,  Rappe's  dwelling  and  grocery. 

At  this  time,  about  6  o'clock  P.  M.,  the 
centre  of  the  village  for  blocks  was  one 
sea  of  Hvid  flames.  The  hurrying  to 
and  fro  of  excited  and  almost  despairing 
people,  men,  women  and  children,  the 
crackling,  seething  fire,  the  wild  at- 
tempts to  save  property,  the  hoarse 
commands  of  the  firemen,  mingled  with 
the  sound  of  falling  buildings,  formed  a 
picture  which  we  hope  never  to  look 
upon  again.  The  main  losses,  as  near 
as  can  be  estimated,  naming  each  suf- 
ferer as  far  as  it  is  possible  at  the  early 
hour  of  going  to  press,  are  as  follows  : 

Exchange  Building,  goods  and  building, 
loss  $25,000 — insured  for  $8,000. 

Charles  Rice,  store  and  goods,  $30,000 
— insured  10,000. 

Geo.  W.  Sisson,  store  and  goods,  30,- 
000 — insured  12,000. 

Messenger  office,  printing  material  and 
stock,  over  2,000 — insured  r,ooo. 

Lasher  &  Freligh,  store  and  goods,  20,- 
000 — insured  10,000. 

W.  A.  Fonda,  house,  store  and  goods, 
20,000 — insured  5,000. 

N.  E.  Sheldon,  store,  goods  and  house, 
10,000 — insured  6,000. 

Hawley's  store,  goods  and  house,  $3,- 
000 — insured  1,000. 

Mansion  House  and  the  Glen's  Falls 
Hotel,  20,000 — insured  15,000. 

M.  C.  Rich,  3,000  to  4,000-insured  1 ,000. 

Commercial  Bank,  4,000-insured  2,000. 

Rosekrans  building  and  contents,  4,000 
— no  insurance. 

Glen's  Falls  Bank  Building,  6,000 — in- 
sured 4,000. 

Ezra  Benedict,  store  and  house,  8,000 
— insured  2,000. 

Republican  office,  printing  material,  r,- 
000 — insured  800. 

H.  M.  Harris,  boot  and  shoe  store,  600 
— no  insurance. 

A.  N.  Cheney,  house  and  contents  and 
store,  8,000 — insured  6,000. 

Ira  Green,  500 — no  insurance. 

Doct.  M.  R.  Peck,  store  and  goods,  3,- 
000 — insured  2,300. 

A.  E.  Smith,  store  and  goods,  3,000 — 
insured  1,500. 

J.  K.  Farrington,  store  and  goods,  5,000 
— insured  3,000. 


286 


History  of  Warren  County. 


Geo.  Bassinger,  1,500 — insured  1,900. 
Brown  &  Byrne,  40,000 — insured  8,000. 
J.  H.  Norris,  6,000 — insured  2,000. 
W.  H.  Gayger,  2,000 — insured  1,500. 
E.  B.  Richards,  2,000 — insured  1,500. 
Miss  Mott,  1, 000 — insured  800. 
Mrs.  Martin,  1,500 — no  insurance. 
J.  T.  B.  Traphagen,  2,000 — ins.  2,000. 
A.  W.  Flack,  1,000 — no  insurance. 
Seaman  &  Richards,  1,009 — no  ins. 

D.  H.  Cowles  &  Co.,  40000 — ins.  11,000. 
Vanderheyden,  5,000 — insured  2,500 
S.  Benedict,  3,000 — insured  1,000. 

J.  L.  Kenworthy,  4,000 — insured  2,800. 
Wm.  Cronkhite,  2,000 — no  insurance. 

C.  &  D.  Peck,  20,000 — insured  3,000. 
H.  Peck  and  DeLong  &  Son,  25,000 — 

insured  6,000. 

M.  E.  Church,  5,000 — no  insurance. 
Firemen's  Hall,  2,000 — no  insurance. 

E.  H.  Rosekrans,  1,000 — no  insurance. 
Universalist  Church,  3,000 — no  ins. 
Albert  Hall,  5,000 — insured  2,000. 
John  Ferguson,  i,ooo — fully  insured. 
Keeffe  &  Briggs,  2,000 — insured  5,000. 
Mr.  Benedict,  1,000 — insured  200. 
Mrs.  Grace,  500 — no  insurance. 

J.  B.  Cool,  500 — fully  insured. 

D.  Peck,  1,000 — insured  600. 
Mr.  Staples,  2,000 — insured  1,000. 
Wm.  Crosoett,  1,500 — no  insurance. 
Bennett's  building,  4,000 — ins.  3,000. 
M.  L.  Wilmarth,  4,000 — insured  2,000. 
Farmer's  Hotel,  2,000 — insured  i,ooo. 
Mechanics'  Place,  2,000 — insured  1,000. 
Wm.  Rappe,  1,500 — insured  500. 
Masonic  Block,  20,000 — insured  7,000. 
Numan's  Hall,  3,000 — insured  1,000. 
Widow  Peck,  2,000 — no  insurance. 
Presbyterian  Church,  12,000 — ins.  5,000. 
Allen  Burdick,  5,000 — no  insurance. 
A.  J.  Fennel,  2,000 — insured  1,000. 
Abraham  Wing,  8,000 — no  insurance. 
Starbuck  &  Sanford,  2,000 — ins.  1,000. 

C.  B.  Sprague,  2,000 — insured  1,500. 
Miss  Ray,  1,500 — insured  800. 

D.  Norris,  1,500 — insured  600. 

Miss  Mary  Hunt,  2,000 — insured  1,200. 

J.  Johnson,  1,000 — no  insurance. 

M.  B.  Little,  2,200 — insured  2,000. 

Doct.  Patterson,  1,500 — insured  1,200. 

Mrs.  Hawkins,  1,000 — no  insurance. 

Mrs.  Lapham,  1,000 — no  insurance. 

The  entire  loss  will  reach  nearly  to 
one  million  dollars. 

— The  insurance  is  being  promptly 
paid  by   the    different   conipanies;    their 


agents,  arriving  here  soon  after  the  fire, 
are  rapidly  settling  claims.  The  loss  is 
as  follows : 

Home,  New  York $65,000 

Hartford,  Conn 40,000 

City,  Albany 16,500 

Dividend  Mutual,  Glen's  Falls.  22,000 

Glens  Falls  Co 3,000 

City  Hartford,  Ct 5,000 

Massasoit,  Springfield,  Mass.       5,900 
Liverpool  and  London. .  .  .       5,000 

Phoenix,  Brooklyn 2,200 

Security,  New  York 8,300 

North  American,  Hartford.  .  1,400 
The  total  loss  on  buildings  has  been 
footed  up  to  $260,000,  and  on  merchan- 
dise at  $300,000.  About  one  hundred 
and  twelve  buildings  were  burned,  in- 
cluding some  sixty  stores,  &c. 

1^^  At  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the 
citizens  of  this  village  held  this  after- 
noon a  committee  of  five  was  appointed 
to  make  equitable  distribution  among 
the  sufferers  by  the  late  disastrous  fire, 
of  such  contributions  as  have  been  and 
may  be  made  for  their  relief  That  com- 
mittee consists  of  Col.  A.  W.  Morgan, 
Jerome  Lapham,  Stephen  L.  Goodman, 
Walter  A.  Faxon  and  Enoch  H.  Rose- 
krans. A  further  committee  of  nine,  of 
which  A.  Sherman  is  chairman,  was  ap- 
pointed to  consult  with  property  owners 
in  regard  to  the  time  and  mode  of  re- 
building upon  the  burnt  district,  and 
endeavor  to -secure  a  uniform  -style  of 
building,  as  far  as  practicable,  which 
shall  be  both  substantial  and  ornamen- 
tal. 

The  citizens  of  this  place  are  very 
grateful  to  the  Firemen  of  Sandy  Hill 
and  Fort  Edward,  who  came  as  it  were 
on  the  wings  of  the  wind  to  our  assis- 
tance, and  who,  with  our  own  "  Defiance" 
and  "Cataract,"  nobly  fought  the  de- 
vouring element.  Had  it  not  been  for 
their  aid,  much  greater  would  have  been 
the  ruin. 

1^°  The  citizens  of  Troy  have  con- 
tributed and  sent  up  over  eighteen  hun- 
dred dollars  towards  relieving  the  great- 
est sufferers  by  the  fire,  with  word  that 
"  more  will-  be  sent."  The  recipients  will 
be  exceedingly  grateful  to  the  donors. 

At  the  time  the  fire  broke  out,  we  were 
printing  the  first  side  of  the  Messenger, 
which  was  all  destroyed,  with  press,  and 
nearly  everything  else  in  the  office. 


The  County  Press. 


287 


— The  Messenger  office  was  insured  for 
$1,000,  which  has  been  promptly  paid. 
There  was  a  mortgage  on  the  office  of 
$500 ;  after  paying  this  with  interest,  we 
have  left,  out  of  the  insurance,  onlv  four 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars  and 
thirty-three  cents.  Those  who  are  in- 
debted to  the  Messenger  will  see  that  we 
need  all  that  is  our  due,  and  we  trust 
they  will  promptly  respond,  that  we 
may  be  enabled  to  procure  material  for 
printing  the  Messenger  on  a  larger  sheet 
than  this.  With  our  next  issue  we  pro- 
pose to  send  bills  to  all  subscribers  in 
arrears,  and  all  others  who  feel  disposed 
to  aid  us  in  getting  a  new  press,  may 
pay  in  advance,  for  as  long  a  period  as 
they  can  afford,  and  they  will  be  credit- 
ed with  the  amount  and  the  paper  sent 
the  full  time — or  paid  in  advertising — if 
it  be  for  a  thousand  years.  Providence 
permitting.  Money  may  safely  be  sent 
by  mail. 

— Already  "shanties"  are  being  built 
along  the  streets,  and  quite  a  number  of 
our  dealers  have  resumed  business.  The 
funds  and  valuables  in  the  Banks  came 
out  all  right.  The  Commercial  Bank  is 
now  located  in  the  insurance  building,  to 
which  the  Internal  Revenue  Collector's 
office  has  also  been  removed.  The  Glen's 
Falls  Bank  is  in  the  brick  dwelling  house 
nearly  opposite  the  American  Hotel. 
The  post  office  occupies  the  place  for- 
merly known  as  Judge  Hay's  office,  on 
Park  St.  G.  W.  Sisson's  drug  store  is 
opposite  the  American  Hotel,  on  Bay  St. 
The  Messenger  office  is  now  operating 
in  a  cornhouse,  one  mile  north  of  the  old 
place,  on  the  Lake  George  road. 

I^All  property  taken  from  the  fire, 
the  owners  of  which  have  not  been 
found,  should  be  left  at  the  new  stone 
church  on  Glen  St.,  where  it  may  be 
identified. 

Our  files  of  the  Messenger  were  burned, 
and  we  will  be  thankful  for  back  num- 
bers returned  to  us. 

— Hardly  room  enough  this  week  for 
the  letter  just  received  from  the  ii8th 
Regiment. 

— Gen.  Grant  is  pounding  away  at  the 
very  doors  of  Richmond. 


SUPREME  COURT— The  Dividend 
Mutual  Insurance  Company   against 
Albert  N.  Cheney,  George  W.  Cheney 
and  Lucinda  Cheney,  his  wife. 

Notice  is  hereby  given  that  in  pursu- 
ance and  by  virtue  of  a  judgment  of  fore- 
closure and  sale  rendered  in  the  above  en- 
tilled  action  on  the  22d  day  of  April,  1863, 
the  judgment  roll  whereof  was  filed  and 
the  judgment  entered  in  the  Warren  Coun- 
ty Clerk's  office  on  the  loth  day  of  May, 
1864,  I  shall  expose  for  sale  and  sell  at 
public  auction  to  the  highest  bidder,  as  the 
law  directs,  at  the  Glen's  Falls  Hotel  in 
Glen's  Falls,  Warren  County,  New  York, 
on  the  2  5thday  of  June,  1864,  at  ten  o'clock 
A.  M.,  the  premises  and  property  described 
in  said  judgment  as  follows  : 

"  All  that  certain  piece  or  parcel  of  land 
situate,  lying  and  being  in  the  village  of 
Glen's  Falls  aforesaid  and  bounded  as  fol- 
lows, to  wit ;  Beginning  in  the  center  of  the 
Plank  Road  leading  from  Glen's  Falls  to 
Lake  George  and  at  the  southwesterly  corner 
of  Orville  Cronkhite's  land"  [now  owned  by 
the  Glen's  Falls  Insurance  Company],  "and 
running  thence  north  sixty-si.\  degrees  east 
along  said  Cronkhite's  land  eleven  chains 
and  eighty-three  links  to  James  Sisson's  land  , 
thence  south  along  said  Sisson's  land  two 
chains  and  sixty-one  links ;  thence  south 
sixty-six  degrees  west  ten  chains  and  eigh- 
teen links  to  the  centre  of  said  Plank  Road  ; 
thence  north  twenty-nine  degrees  west  along 
the  centre  of  said  Plank  Road  two  chains 
and  thirty-seven  links  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning, be  the  same  more  or  less." 

Dated  May  loth,  1864. 

D.  V.  BROWN,  Sheriff 
By  Wm.  Cosgrove,  Deputy. 
S.  Brown,  Plff's  Att'y,  Glen's  Falls,  N.  Y. 


ALVRRIED.— In  Greenwich,  May  23d,  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Abbott,  Mr.  Wesley  Allen,  of  this  village,  to 
Miss  Abbie  White,  of  Sandy  Hill. 


EXECUTORS'  NOTICE.— Notice  is 
hereby  given  to  all  persons  having 
claims  against  Benjamin  S.  Thomp- 
son, late  of  the  town  of  Chester  in  the 
County  of  Warren,  deceased,  that  they  are 
required  to  exhibite  the  same  with  the 
vouchers  thereof  to  the  subscribers,  Henry 
Thompson,  one  of  the  executors  of  the 
last  will  and  testament  of  said  deceased, 
at  his  dwelling-house  in  said  town  of 
Chester,  on  or  before  the  4th  day  of  Sep- 
tember next. 

Dated  March  3d,  1864. 

HENRY  THOMPSON, 
ISAAC  TOWSLEY, 
nnm6  Executors. 


288  History  of  Warren  County. 

During  the  following  ten  years  it  prospered  so  well  that  it  was  encouraged 
to  celebrate  the  4th  of  July,  1873,  by  still  another  enlargement  of  an  addi- 
tional column  on  each  page.  On  the  2d  of  July,  1875,  it  celebrated  the  ad- 
vent of  the  grand  water  system  of  this  village  by  first  running  its  presses  by 
hydraulic  power.  On  the  1st  day  of  February,  1882,  Mr.  Cole  associated 
with  himself  F.  A.  Bullard,  the  firm  name  being  Norman  Cole  &  Co. — a 
relation  and  style  which  still  exists.  On  the  7th  of  July,  1882,  the  Messenger 
was  again  enlarged  to  thirty- six  columns.  In  an  editorial  of  that  issue, 
after  a  succinct  retrospect,  the  purpose  of  the  paper  is  set  forth  in  the  following 
language : — 

"  We  shall  aim  to  make  the  Messenger  the  most  reliable  and  the  best  news- 
paper in  the  county,  by  constantly  guarding  its  columns  and  keeping  out  false 
reports  and  sensational  and  degrading  matter  that  floods  upon  the  press  from 
every  direction,  and  by  sifting  out  and  printing  that  which  is  good  and  true. 
We  shall  endeavor  to  so  condense  the  news  as  to  give  a  faithful  weekly  sum- 
mary of  the  important  events  of  the  world,  paying  especial  attention  to  home 
matters  and  all  that  interests  or  affects  our  town,  county,  state  or  nation."  It 
is  only  fair  to  say  that  the  purpose  of  the  publication  as  above  expressed  has 
been  faithfully  adhered  to,  and  is  the  leading  characteristic  of  the  paper  to- 
day. 

Norman  Cole,  at  present  at  the  head  of  the  firm  publishing  the  Messenger, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Queensbury  near  Glens  Falls,  June  1st,  1835.  His 
father,  Levi  Cole,  and  his  grandfather  Isaac,  were  both  blacksmiths  and  re- 
membered as  noted  for  good  honest  work.  When  Norman  was  eight  years 
old  his  father  died,  leaving  a  widow  with  fourjchildren  of  whom  Norman  was 
the  oldest.  The  limited  means  left  was  soon  absorbed,  except  the  homestead 
of  ten  or  twelve  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  had  to  labor  ■  o  his  utmost  for  the 
support  of  the  family.  Three  months  of  schooling  in  the  winter  of  each  of 
several  years  constituted  the  public  educational  advantages  of  the  boy  ;  but  he 
studied,  read  and  thought  a  good  deal  outside  of  his  school  days,  which,  with 
the  careful  and  intelligent  training  of  his  mother,  gave  him  a  solid  foundation 
of  character  as  well  as  the  basis  of  a  fair  education.  It  was  contemplated 
finally  that  Norman  should  learn  a  trade,  but  his  mother  could  not  entertain 
the  thought  of  his  leaving  home  ;  neither  did  he  incline  towards  any  of  the  va- 
rious occupations  mentioned,  until  printing  was  mentioned,  which,  as  he  now 
expresses  it,  came  to  him  like  an  inspiration,  and  he  resolved  to  learn  that  pro- 
fession. He  did  not  begin  the  attractive  handiwork  until  the  December  follow- 
ing his  twentieth  birthday,  but  he  was  armed  with  a  wonderful  determination 
to  master  it,  and  of  course  success  awaited  him.  He  has  risen  to  an  honora- 
ble position  in  the  great  field  of  journalism  and  can  look  back  upon  his  Hfe, 
as  far  as  it  has  passed,  as  one  well  spent. 

On  the  17th  of  January,  1878,  the  Warrensburgh  News  was  started  by  G. 


The  County  Press.  289 


A.  Morris  and  Son  (A.  H.  Morris).  In  January,  188 1,  the  establishment  was 
purchased  by  L.  C.  Dickinson,  who  is  present  editor  and  proprietor,  with  C. 
E.  Cole  as  assistant.  It  is  a  handsome  country  journal  of  eight  pages,  six 
columns  to  the  page  and  independent.     It  is  very  ably  conducted. 

The  thrift  and  energy  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls  is  particularly  manifested 
by  the  fact  that  although  as  yet  but  a  village,  it  possesses  two  daily  newspa- 
pers. It  is  a  sign  of  enterprise  and  prosperity,  and  of  that  spirit  which  is  the 
most  distinguishing  characteristic  of  modern  times,  especially  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  the  spirit,  become  a  habit,  with  which  a  business  or  professional 
man,  or  an  artisan  sits  down  to  his  breakfast,  paper  in  hand,  and,  learning  of 
the  movements  of  foreign  armies,  of  the  dissensions  in  the  English  House  of 
Commons  or  the  German  Reichstag;  and  of  the  measures  proposed  and 
adopted  or  rejected  by  the  Legislature  of  his  own  State  and  country,  as  well  as 
the  rumors  of  gossip  and  the  reports  of  crime  and  casualties  the  world  over, 
finds  argument  for  the  reflections  of  a  day.  The  daily  press  disseminates  in- 
telligence, while  the  weekly  press  and  more  deliberate  publications  give  utter- 
ance to  the  prophecies  which  wise  and  experienced  men  deduce  from  the  sig- 
nificant happenings  of  the  times. 

The  Glens  Falls  Daily  Times,  a  handsome,  eight-column  sheet,  was  started 
June  2 1  St,  1879.  It  was  at  the  beginning  but  a  16x10  paper,  printed  on  a 
quarto- medium   Gordon   press,  one  side  at  a  time..     The  first  proprietor  was 

A.  B.  Colvin.  On  January  ist,  1883,  John  H.  Burnham  bought  a  half  inter- 
est in  the  business  and  has  been  associated  with  Mr.  Colvin  ever  since.  The 
Glens  Falls  Weekly  Times  was  first  published  in  the  spring  of  1880,  by  Mr. 
Colvin.  The  editorial  rooms  are  situated  in  the  Times  building  in  Glen  street. 
The  paper  is  ably  edited  both  with  reference  to  its  mechanical  appearance  and 
the  editorial  expressions  of  its  proprietors.  Five  libel  suits  have  been  brought 
against  it,  none  of  which  terminated  in  a  judgment  for  the  plaintiff",  a  fact 
which  is  most  significant  as  revealing  at  once  the  fearless  aggressiveness  and 
fidelity  to  truth  and  justice  of  those  who  are  responsible  for  the  utterances 
of  the  paper. 

The  Morning  Star,  published  daily  excepting  Sundays,  was  started  on  the 
2d  day  of  April,  1883,  by  its  present  proprietors,  J.  C.  Mahoney,  T.  J.  Lord, 

B.  W.  Sprague  and  A.  L.  McMullen,  who  compose  the  Star  Publishing  Com- 
pany. In  August,  1883,  they  began  the  issue  of  their  weekly  papers.  The 
office  is  on  the  corner  of  Glen  and  Ridge  streets.  The  paper  is  a  world  of 
methodical  mechanical  arrangement  and  neatness,  and  contains  always  a  full 
and  cornplete  account  of  the  local.  State,  national  and  foreign  news  of  the  day. 
Its  editorial  expressions  are  judicious  and  impartial.  These  qualities  conspire 
to  increase  its  circulation  and  value  as  an  advertising  medium,  and  augment 
the  encouraging  prosperity  of  the  enterprise. 

19 


290  History  of  Warren  County. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS. 


Reminiscences  —  Early  Lumber  Operations  —  Incipient  Commercial  Operations  —  Tho  Canal  and 
Feeder  —  Early  Railroad  Agitation  —  The  Warren  County  Railroad  Company  —  Navigation  Projects 
—  Other  Railroad  Enterprises  —  The  Railroad  Between  Fort  Edward  and  Glens  Falls. 

THE  early  history  of  Warren  county  affords  a  striking  example  of  the  impos- 
sibility of  thickly  populating  a  region  not  easily  traversable  by  commerce 
of  some  kind  or  other.  Prior  to  the  construction  of  the  Champlain  Canal  and 
the  opening  of  the  Glens  Falls  Feeder,  and  of  course  long  prior  to  the  laying  of  a 
railroad  track  in  the  county,  the  time  and  means  and  labor  expended  in  the 
transportation  of  exports  and  imports  rendered  the  most  comfortable  life  a 
series  of  anxieties  and  hardships  which  can  scarcely  be  conceived  by  the  more 
luxurious  children  of  these  latter  days.  The  pioneers  who  immigrated  hither, 
mostly  from  New  England,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  would 
scarcely  have  been  willing  to  suffer  the  toil,  exposure  and  privation  necessa- 
rily incident  to  the  life  they  led,  had  they  not  been  allured  by  the  hope,  often 
delusive,  of  amassing  a  fortune.  This  came,  not  for  ease,  but  profit.  Otmtn 
cum  di'giiitate  was  a  motto  which  if  they  ever  heard  they  completely  ignored 
and  contemned.  Almost  without  exception  their  ambition,  the  inducement 
to  their  coming,  was  to  fell  the  splendid  forests  which  mantled  the  mountain 
and  darkened  the  depths  of  the  valleys,  and  drive  the  logs  down  the  Schroon 
and  Hudson  Rivers  to  the  mills  for  the  lumber  markets  of  Albany  and  Troy. 
The  most  prominent,  probably,  of  these  early  lumbermen  was  Abraham  Wing. 
The  excellent  water  power  at  Glens  Falls  occasioned  the  building  of  huge  saw- 
mills at  that  place,  more  especially  after  the  opening  of  the  canal  and  feeder. 
In  i860  one  mill  at  the  State  dam  had  twelve  gates  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
saws.  Days  and  often  weeks  were  consumed  in  getting  this  lumber  and  the 
other  products  of  the  county  to  their  destination,  and  in  bringing  back  the 
goods  which  necessity  compelled  the  people  to  import.  The  primitive  road 
was  a  scarcely  discernible  trail  whose  route  was  indicated  by  blazed  trees  ;  the 
primitive  bridge  was  simply  two  logs  thrown  parallel  across  a  stream,  con- 
nected by  a  roadway  of  loose  planks  ;  the  primitive  vessel  was  a  scow  ;  and  the 
primitive  railway  a  horse.  Of  course  the  lapse  of  a  few  years  witnessed  a 
material  amelioration  of  this  condition  of  things.  But  the  roads  which,  out- 
side of  the  lumber  interest,  were  the  most  important  media  of  communication 
were  indifferent  until  the  plank  road  era  between  1840  and  1850.  Before  this, 
however,  the  Champlain  Canal  had  been  opened  (1823),  an  event  which  gave 
the  lumber  business  of  the  entire  region  a  new  and  lasting  impetus. 


Internal  Improvements.  291 

The  Glens  Falls  Feeder. —  In  about  this  same  year  of  1823  the  Glens  Falls 
Feeder,  that  important  tributary  of  the  Champlain  Canal,  was  surveyed  and 
commerce  of  all  kinds  began  to  grow  more  brisk.  In  1824  the  feeder  was  dug 
through,  but  was  not  made  navigable  to  canal  boats  until  its  final  completion 
in  1832.  It  extends  a  distance  of  seven  miles  from  a  point  in  the  Champlain 
Canal  at  a  summit  level,  a  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  Fort  Edward  to  a  point 
three  miles  above  Glens  Falls,  where  there  is  a.  State  Dam  across  the  Hudson 
seven  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  high.  When  it  was  first 
built  it  was  not  wide  enough  for  boats  to  pass  except  at  the  turn  outs  dug  here 
and  there  along  the  channel.  The  opening  of  this  feeder  to  boats  is  a  most 
important  event  in  the  commercial  history  of  the  county.  Caldwell  had  there- 
tofore been  the  most  thriving  village  in  the  county,  but  the  commercial  avenues 
which  had  formerly  converged  at  that  village  were  diverted  to  Glens  Falls. 
From  that  time  to  the  present  the  lumber  business  has  been  the  most  extensive 
interest  of  the  county.     The  feeder  was  further  enlarged  about  1845.^ 

Navigation  Projects. — That  the  inhabitants  of  this  northern  region  under- 
stood the  necessity  of  opening  thoroughfares  of  commerce  between  the  natural 
avenues  afforded  by  the  lakes  and  rivers  is  manifested  by  the  organization  of 
navigation  companies  with  projects  more  or  less  chimerical.  While  the  pioneers 
of  Warren  county  were  struggling  for  existence  in  the  wilderness,  men  all  about 
them,  impelled  by  motives  of  self-interest,  were  forming  into  companies  for 
the  purpose  of  building  canals  and  dams  and  of  improving  the  navigation  of 
rivers  and  lakes.  Plans  for  improving  the  navigation  of  the  Mohawk  River 
to  the  west  were  prepared  as  early  as  1725,  though  nothing  was  done  to  this 
end  till  March  30th,  1792,  when  the  "  Western  Inland  Navigation  Company  '■ 
was  incorporated,  with  powers  to  improve  the  channel  and  build  canals  and 
locks  to  Lake  Ontario  and  Seneca  Lake.  At  the  same  time  the  "Northern 
Inland  Navigation  Company "  was  formed,  its  object  being  to  connect  the 
waters  of  the  Hudson  River  with  Lake  Champlain,  work  since  accomplished 
by  the  Champlain  Canal.  This  company  made  some  progress,  and  began 
work  to  a  limited  extent,  but  failed  for  want  of  funds  to  carry  out  its  plans. 

Railroads.  —  Subsequent  to  the  mania  for  building  canals,  when  the  fever 
had  subsided,  the  county  suffered  in  common  with  the  rest  of  the  civilized 
world  from  the  perpetual  agitation  of  schemes  for  the  construction  of  railroads. 
There  had  been,  it  is  true,  some  agitation  of  the  kind  as  early  as  1832.  On 
April  17th  of  that  year  the  "Warren  County  Railroad  Company"  was  incor- 
porated. The  proposed  route  was  to  extend  from  the  Champlain  Feeder,  at 
or  near  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  to  the  village  of  Caldwell,  with  the  privilege 
of  prolonging  the  road  to  the  town  of   Warrensburgh. 

The  commissioners  were   as   follows:     John   Baird,   Dudley   Farlin,   John 


ture. 


1  The  success  of  this  enterprise  was  due  largely  to  the  efforts  of  William  McDonald  inthe  Legisla- 


292  History  of  Warren  County. 

Osborn,  Pelatiah  Richards,  William  McDonald,  Alonzo  W.  Morgan,  Duncan 
McMartin,  Halsey  Rogers,  Robert  Gilchrist,  William  Caldwell,  Jesse  Buell, 
Peter  Smith,  Jerad  H.  Coster,  James  B.  Murray,  Russel  H.  Nevins,  and  John 
C.  Stevens.     But  this  scheme  died  a  natural  and  an  early  death. 

Several  years  previous  to  i860  a  company  called  the  Sackett's  Harbor  and 
Saratoga  Railroad  Company  projected  a  scheme  for  building  a  railroad  through 
the  county  along  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson.  The  Lake  Ontario  and  Hudson 
River  Railroad  Company  subsequently  (before  i860)  laid  out  the  road  and 
did  a  part  of  the  grading,  but  were  forced  at  last  to  abandon  the  project. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Warren  county  were  much  elated  about  1860- 
63  by  the  prospect  of  a  railroad  proposed  to  be  built  from  Saratoga  or  Glens 
Falls  northward  across  Warren  and  Essex  counties  to  Plattsburg,  and,  by  con- 
nections, to  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  agitation  of  this  enterprise,  interrupted  by 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  was  renewed  at  the  close  of  that  conflict,  and  for 
quite  a  period  its  consummation  was  confidently  predicted.  Meetings  were  held 
and  a  partial  survey  of  the  route  was  made.  The  rock  upon  which  the  enter- 
prise finally  foundered  was  the  refusal  of  those  controlling  the  great  Moriah 
iron  interests  of  Essex  county  to  co-operate  with  other  towns  in  any  proposed 
railroad,  the  line  of  which  did  not  extend  along  the  western  shores  of  the  lake. 
This  enterprise  owed  its  conception  and  incipient  progress  largely  to  T.  J. 
Durand,  who  subsequently  became  the  controlling  power  in  the  Adirondack 
Railroad  Company,  the  line  of  which  now  ends  at  North  Creek  in  this  county, 
with  a  prospeet  of  reaching  up  into  Essex  county  sometime  in  the  future.  A 
line  of  stages  formerly  ran  over  portions  of  this  proposed  route  from  Schroon 
Lake  to  Keeseville. 

The  Adirondack  Railway  Company  is  really  the  offspring  of  a  company 
formed  in  August,  i860,  under  the  name  of  the  "Adirondack  Estate  and 
Railroad  Company,"  although  a  movement  had  years  before  been  organized 
to  construct  a  road  between  Saratoga  Springs  and  Sackett's  Harbor,  and 
proved  abortive  as  before  stated.  The  Adirondack  Estate  and  Railroad  Com- 
pany controlled  and  held  under  contracts  for  the  purchase  of  800,000  acres  of 
land  in  the  northern  wilderness  of  New  York.  English  capitalists  were  here 
in  1 86 1  with  funds  to  promote  the  opening  of  this  region,  but  were  precluded 
from  consummating  their  project  by  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  Soon 
after  this  legal  proceedings  were  instituted,  by  virtue  of  which  all  the  lands 
and  other  effects  of  the  company  went  into  the  hands  of  Albert  N.  Cheney. 
Thomas  C.  Durant  then  purchased  the  entire  property  of  Mr.  Cheney,  and 
under  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  April  27th,  1863  (Chap.  236),  formed 
the  Adirondack  Railway  Company.  Under  that  law  the  new  company 
became  possessed  of  all  the  rights,  privileges  and  franchises  of  the  old  com- 
pany. The  organization  was  completed  by  the  signing  of  articles  of  associa- 
tion on  October  15th,  1863.     Amended  articles,  defining  the  present  route  of 


Internal  Improvements.  293 

the  road,  were  filed  March  ist,  1871.  The  grading  which  had  been  barely 
begun  by  the  old  company  was  then  finished,  and  the  sixty  miles  of  track  now 
used  was  at  once  laid. 

The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  as  follows :  President,  Thomas  C. 
Durant ;  secretary,  William  M.  Durant ;  general  superintendent,  C.  E.  Dur- 
kee ;  roadmaster,  Charles  R.  Eastman.  1 

The  railroad  now  composing  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Delaware  and 
Hudson  Canal  Company's  lines  was  opened  from  Fort  Edward  to  Glens  Falls 
on  the  4th  day  of  July,  1869.  It  was  arranged  to  be  built  by  Glens  Falls, 
Sandy  Hill  and  Fort  Edward.  The  cost  of  construction  was  to  be  $140,000, 
of  which  Glens  Falls  was  to  pay  $100,000,  Sandy  Hill  $25,000  and  Fort  Ed- 
ward $15,000.  The  latter  sum  was  never  paid.  The  first  president  was  John 
Keenan,  and  the  first  Board  of  Directors  Jerome  Lapham,  Jeremiah  Finch, 
Charles  Hughes  and  Orson  Richards.  The  opening  of  the  road  was  a  festive 
occasion.  A  train  of  eleven  coaches  made  eleven  trips  from  Fort  Edward  to 
Glens  Falls,  and  were  crowded  to  their  utmost  capacity  with  free  passengers, 
many  of  whom,  it  is  said,  took  their  lunches  and  road  all  day.  In  a  short 
time  after  it  was  opened  the  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad  Company  took 
it  from  the  Board  of  Directors,  whose  plans  of  running  the  road  were  frus- 
trated by  want  of  funds,  and  agreed  to  start  and  operate  it.  George  H. 
Cramer  then  became  president.  The  Rensselaer  and  Saratoga  Company  kept 
the  road  but  two  or  three  years,  and  then  leased  it  to  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son Canal  Company.  The  road  was  extended  to  Caldwell  in  188 1,  and  the 
extended  portion  opened  for  business  in  June  of  the  ensuing  year.  Fort  Ed- 
ward suffered  materially  by  the  opening  of  the  road,  while  Glens  Falls,  from 
the  same  cause,  the  diversion  of  commerce,  was  greatly  benefited. 

It  was  in  the  year  1869,  also,  that  a  great  scheme  was  inaugurated  for  the 
construction  of  a  road  from  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  to  Portland,  Me.,  to  pass  through 
Warren  county.  The  inhabitants  of  this  county  were  greatly  interested  in  the 
project.  A  railroad  conference  was  held  at  Saratoga  for  a  number  of  days, 
and  was  largely  attended  from  all  the  interested  sections.  For  want  of  vitality, 
means  and  harmony,  the  plan  was  abandoned  and  the  road  has  never  been 
built. 

iThe  information  for  the  above  sketch  was  kindly  furnished  by  George  F.   Fowler,  esq.,  of  Sara- 
toga Springs,  the  attorney  for  the  company. 


294  History  of  Warren  County. 

CHAPTER  XXn. 

THE  BENCH  AND  BAR  OF  WARREN  COUNTY.i 

TTTARREN  county  was  organized  in  1813  from  a    portion    of  Washington 
yV     county. 

The  first  Court  of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  for  the  county  was  held 
in  the  Lake  George  Coffee  House  at  Caldwell  on  the  2d  Tuesday  of  Septem- 
ber, 1 8 13.  Court  organized  as  follows:  William  Robards,  esq.,  presided  as 
first  judge  ;  Michael  Harris,  judge  ;  David  Bockes  and  Jeremiah  Russell,  esqs., 
justices  of  the  peace. 

The  following  grand  jurors  appeared  and  were  sworn,  to  wit :  — 

Halsey  Rogers,  foreman,  Dilivan  Gardner,  John  Darby,  Roger  Haviland, 
Thomas  Tilford,  John  H.  Hitchcock,  Benjamin  Wing,  jr.,  Elisha  Folger,  John 
S.  St.  John,  Benjamin  Barret,  Edward  Cornwell,  John  Lindsey,  David  Alden, 
Luther  Stebbins,  James  Ware,  Nathan  Goodman,  Obadiah  Knapp,  James  L. 
Throman,  Herman  Hoffman,  James  Archibald,  Solyman  B.  Fox,  Thomas  M. 
Wright. 

The  grand  jury  presented  to  the  court  seven  indictments,  four  for  assault 
and  battery,  one  for  assault  and  battery  with  intent  to  murder,  and  two  for 
forgery. 

Mr.  Russell  having  been  appointed  district  attorney,  acted  as  such  at  this 
court.  The  first  criminal  action  tried  in  the  county  was  The  People  vs.  John 
Harrison  for  an  assault  and  battery  upon  the  body  of  Isaac  Farr,  before  the 
following  grand  jurors :  Nehemiah  Wing,  David  Havilan,  Jonathan  Pitcher, 
Obadiah  Mead,  Frederick  Hubbell,  Nathanial  Tripp,  Orson  Mead,  O.  Taylor, 
Reuben  Smith,  Solomon  Moon,  Reuben  Green,  Isaac  Washburn. 

David  Sisson  and  Andrew  Parsons  were  sworn  as  witnesses  on  the  part  of 
the  people,  and  Isaac  Farr  was  sworn  as  a  witness  on  the  part  of  the  defend- 
ant. 

The  jury,  after  being  charged  by  Judge  Robards,  retired  and  rendered  a 
verdict  against  the  defendant  of  guilty  of  the  assault  and  battery  as  charged  in 
the  indictment. 

Whereupon,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Russell,  district  attorney,  the  Court  ordered 
"  that  the  said  John  Harris  for  the  offense  aforesaid  be  imprisoned  in  the  gaol  of 
the  county  of  Washington  in  close  confinement  far  the  space  of  two  months." 

At  this  court  a  second  indictment  against  the  same  party  for  an  assault  and 
battery  an  the  body  of  Daniel  Sisson  was  tried  and  the  defendant  found  guilty  ; 
and  this  entry  on  the  records  of  the  court  made :  "  Ordered  the  like  sentence 
as  in  the  last  preceding  caused 

1  Prepared  by  Hon.  Isaac  Mott,  of  Glens  Falls. 


The  Bench  and  Bar.  295 


The  first  Court  of  Common  Pleas  held  in  the  county  of  Warren  was  held 
at  the  Lake  George  Coffee  House  in  the  town  of  Caldwell  on  the  second  Tues- 
day of  May,  1813,  and  organized  as  follows:  — 

William  Robards,  esq.,  first  judge  ;  Kitchel  Bishop,  Michael  Harris,  esqs., 
judges;  Jeremiah  Russell,  esq.,  assistant  justice;  John  Beebe,  clerk;  William 
Peffer,  appointed  crier. 

The  following  named  persons  were  on  motion  admitted  as  attorneys  and 
counselors,  to  wit : — 

Robert  Wilkinson,  Roswell  Weston,  Asahel  Clark,  Henry  C.  Martindale, 
Lawrence  T  Vankleek,  Royal  Leavens,  William  Hay,  jr.,  Horatio  Buell  and 
Christian  Sackrider. 

The  following  orders  were  entered  : — 

"  Ordered,  That  the  rules  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  the  County 
of  Washington  as  those  adopted  the  1 2th  day  of  March,  1 808,  be,  and  they 
are  hereby  adopted  as  the  rules  of  this  court  in  all  cases  where  they  will  con- 
sistently apply. 

"  Ordered,  That  every  attorney  of  this  court  residing  without  the  county 
(except  attorneys  residing  in  Sandy  Hill  in  the  county  of  Washington),  shall 
appoint  an  agent  who  shall  be  an  attorney  of  this  court  and  who  shall  reside  at 
Queensbury  or  Caldwell,  which  appointment  shall  be  in  writing  signed  by  the 
attorney  and  filed  in  the  clerk's  office,  and  the  clerk  shall  constantly  have  the 
names  of  the  several  agents  of  the  respective  attorneys  appointing  them,  and 
the  latter  in  alphabetical  order,  entered  on  a  list  to  be  kept  in  his  office,  and 
all  notices  and  pleadings  served  on  or  delivered  to  such  agent  shall  be  good  ser- 
vice upon  the  attorney  on  record,  and  in  default  of  such  appointment  (except 
as  aforesaid),  the  opposite  attorney  may  proceed  as  in  case  when  no  attorney 
is  employed." 

Whereupon  the  court  adjourned. 

At  a  Court  of  Common  Pleas  held  at  the  Lake  George  Coffee  House  in 
the  town  of  Caldwell  on  the  2d  Tuesday  of  September,  18 13,  by  William  Ro- 
bards, first  judge;  Michael  Harris,  esq.,  judge;  Jeremiah  Russell,  David 
Boches,  esqs.,  assistant  justices. 

Archibald  Noble,  Edward  Noble,  Duncan  McEwan,  Duncan  Cameron, 
James  I.  Cameron,  John  Doig,  Thomas  Norman,  Eliza  Martha  Norman,  Rob- 
ert Simpson,  and  James  Dow  were  naturalized  and  declared  citizens  of  the 
United  States. 

The  first  civil  cause  tried  in  this  court  was  Hannah  Austin,  administratrix 
and  Samuel  Andrews,  administrator,  of  the  estate  of  Phineas  Austin,  deceased, 
vs.  James  Divine  and  John  Divine. 

Mr.  Wilkinson,  attorney  for  plaintiffs. 

Judgment  rendered  for  plaintiffs  for  $78.56  damages  and  six  cents  costs. 

Of  the  members  of  the  Warren  county  bar,  the  name  and  fame   of  Enoch 


296  History  of  Warren  County. 

H.  Rosekrans  occupies  the  most  prominent  place.  E.  H.  Rosekrans  was  born 
at  Waterford,  New  York,  October  i6th,  1808.  His  preparatory  education  was 
acquired  at  the  Lansingburgh  Academy.  He  entered  Union  College,  and  grad- 
uated in  July,  1826,  with  honors.  Studied  law  with  his  uncle.  Judge  Samuel 
S.  Huntingdon,  and  after  admission  to  the  bar,  in  1829,  he  became  and  con- 
tinued the  law  partner  of  the  latter  gentleman  for  about  two  years ;  came  to 
Glens  Falls  in  183 1,  and  was  married  to  Cynthia  Beach,  of  Saratoga  Springs, 
in  1832,  and  received  the  appointment  of  Supreme  Court  Commissioner,  and 
Master  in  Chancery  the  same  year.  In  1867  the  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Union  College;  was  elected  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1854 
and  again  in  1863,  and  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  that  position  until 
his  term  of  office  expired  in  1871.  He  sought  a  renomination  but  failed  to 
obtain  it.  His  practical  retirement  from  the  bar  soon  followed,  and  although 
frequently  consulted  on  important  matters,  he  did  not  enter  upon  any  active 
practice  in  court.  Attorneys  and  clients,  at  times,  found  occasion  to  criticise 
his  rulings  from  the  bench  as  hasty  and  arbitrary.  He  was  prompt  to  decide, 
and  expeditious  in  the  transaction  of  business ;  his  language  was  concise  and 
pointed,  and  his  written  opinions  evinced  an  extensive  knowledge  and  clear 
conception  of  the  law  seldom  surpassed  in  the  annals  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
He  died  May  1st,  1877,^  mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  private  and  professional 
friends. 

Halsey  R.  Wing  was  born  at  Sandy  Hill,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.  He 
entered  Middlebury  College,  Vermont,  and  graduated  therein  in  1832.  His 
legal  studies  were  pursued  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Samuel  Cheever.  He  served 
for  a  brief  period  as  assistant  district  attorney  of  Albany  county.  In  1835  he 
was  married  to  Harriet  N.  Walton,  of  Montpelier,  Vt.  He  came  to  Glens 
Falls  in  1841,  in  which  year  he  was  admitted  as  counselor  at  law,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  as  solicitor  in  the  United  States  Courts,  and  counselor  in  Chancery. 
In  1845  ^^  became  the  first  judge  of  the  county,  having  previously  been  elected 
to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  inspector  of  common  schools.  In  185 1 
he  entered  into  partnership  in  an  already  established  business,  the  celebrated 
Jointa  Lime  Company,  consisting  of  himself  and  Mr.  John  Keenan,  and  con- 
tinued a  member  of  the  successful  firm  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  After  en- 
tering the  Jointa  lime  firm  he  gradually  withdrew  from  the  practice  of  law  and 
did  not  again  appear  as  an  active  practicing  attorney  in  court.  Afterwards 
Mr.  Wing  became  largely  connected  with  many  other  important  and  successful 
industries  of  Glens  Falls,  and  was  always  respected  by  his  associates  for  his  un- 
compromising honesty  and  faithful  performance  of  every  duty  which  he  wjis 
called  upon  to  discharge.  A  careful,  discreet,  pains-taking,  honest  lawyer,  a 
wise  and  prudent  counselor,  a  .faithful  husband,  loving  father,  and  generous, 
trusting  friend,  he  will  be  remembered  for  his  progressive  usefulness  and  virtu- 
ous manHness  as  one  of  the  noble  characters  who  has  left  his   imprint  on   the 


Halsey  R.  Wing. 


The  Bench  and  Bar.  297 


"  sands  of  time, "  and  made  the  world  brighter  and  better  by  the  force  of  char- 
acter and  the  virtue  of  good  example. 

Orange  Ferris  was  born  at  Glens  Falls  in  1814.  His  elementary  education 
was  received  in  his  native  village.  His  collegiate  course  was  pursued  at  the 
University  of  Vermont.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  William  Hay, 
of  Glens  Falls,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840.  The  following  year  he 
was  appointed  surrogate  of  the  county,  in  which  position  he  served  for  four 
years.  In  185  i  he  was  elected  county  judge  and  surrogate,  was  re-elected  in 
185s  and  again  in  1859,  thus  serving  in  that  capacity  for  twelve  consecutive 
years.  In  1865  he  received  the  appointment  of  provost  marshal  for  the  Six- 
teenth Congressional  District,  but  declined  to  serve.  In  1866  he  was  elected 
to  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  the  succeeding  term.  In  1871  he  was  appointed 
commissioner  of  the  Court  of  Claims,  and  in  1873  was  reappointed  for  four 
years  to  the  same  position.  In  May,  1880,  he  was  appointed  second  auditor  of 
the  treasury  department,  a  position  which  he  occupied  until  removed  by  the 
Democratic  administration  of  President  Cleveland.  Whether  acting  as  judge, 
congressman,  commissioner,  or  auditor  of  the  treasury.  Judge  Ferris  has 
always  maintained  a  spotless  character  which  has  commanded  universal  respect. 
A  sound  lawyer,  an  impartial  judge,  a  faithful  executive,  sincere  friend,  and 
honest  man,  he  lives  loved  and  respected  by  his  friends  and  neighbors,  hale 
and  hearty  for  his  advanced  life,  with  many  years  of  usefulness  yet  before  him. 

Isaac  J.  Davis  was  born  at  Castleton,  Vt,  in  183 1.  His  education  was 
chiefly  acquired  at  the  common  schools.  He  came  to  Glens  Falls  in  1851  and 
commenced  reading  law  in  the  office  of  L.  H.  Baldwin.  Taught  a  district 
school  the  following  winter,  and  in  the  spring  renewed  his  legal  studies  with 
Henry  B.  Northup,  of  Sandy  Hill,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Glens  Falls  and  finished  his  studies  in  Baldwin's  office.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1853,  and  immediately  opened  an  office.  From  1854  to 
1857  he  was  a  law  partner  of  Halsey  R.  Wing.  He  was  the  Democratic  can- 
didate for  district  attorney  in  1859  and  in  1863  for  senator;  was  defeated,  al- 
though running  ahead  of  his  party  ticket  in  both  instances.  He  was  elected 
county  judge  in  1871  and  again  in  1877.  He  was  twice  married,  to  Miss  Gray, 
of  Arlington,  Vt,  in  1857,  and  to  Miss  Williams,  of  Schuylerville,  N.  Y.,  in 
1865.  The  latter  lady  survives  him.  Judge  Davis  was  emphatically  demo- 
cratic in  make  up  and  manner,  rarely  lost  an  opportunity  to  make  a  new  ac- 
quaintance, and  as  a  consequence  was  more  generally  known  through  the 
county  than  any  man  that  had  ever  lived  in  it.  As  a  friend,  counselor,  and 
peacemaker  Mr.  Davis  was  very  generally  sought,  and  whenever  an  amicable 
adjustment  was  reached  without  service  of  legal  papers,  he  invariably  rendered 
his  services  free  of  charge,  laughing  as  he  would  sometimes  remark,  "  Oh,  never 
mind;  let  it  go,  that  is  all  right."  Generous  beyond  the  capacity  of  his  purse, 
never  refusing  to  buy  a  book,  feed  a  pauper,  or  feast  a  prince,  he  became  the 


298  History  of  Warren  County. 

idol  of  the  populace,  was  cheered  in  every  assembly,  feasted  at  every  board, 
and  irresistible  at  the  hustings,  defeating  Isaac  Mott  for  the  county  judgeship 
in  1 87 1  by  seventy- three,  and  A.  J.  Cheritree  in  1877  by  four  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  majority.  He  possessed  a  clear,  sound,  legal  mind,  and  when 
pressed  into  service  was  eloquent  and  effective  with  judge  and  jury,  and  not 
unfrequently  converted  defeat  into  victory  by  his  earnestness  and  honesty  of 
purpose.  Careless  and  indifferent  by  nature  to  the  acquirement  of  this  world's 
goods,  he  could  never  learn  to  say  no,  and  was  a  prey  to  the  greed  and  selfish- 
ness of  real  and  fancied  friends.  Dilatory  and  procrastinating  in  his  practice, 
his  wealthy  clients  were  not  numerous  or  his  income  large,  and  when  death 
came,  if  poverty  is  a  passport  to  eternal  bliss,  for  kind  hearted,  good  natured 
Davis,  the  gates  stood  ajar.  Judge  Davis  died  in  1881,  respected  and  esteemed 
by  the  entire  community,  as  an  upright  judge,  honest  lawyer,  good  neighbor 
and  faithful  friend ;   peace  and  farewell. 

William  Hay  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1790. 
About  the  year  1800  Mr.  Hay  came  with  his  family  to  Glens  Falls  and  received 
only  a  limited  school  education,  from  the  scanty  opportunities  afforded  in  the 
unsettled  condition  of  the  county  in  those  early  years  of  our  history.  In  1808 
we  find  him  pursuing  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Henry  C.  Martindale. 
In  1 8 1 3  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  law  at  the  head  of  Lake  George. 
In  18 17  he  was  married  to  Miss  Paine,  of  Northumberland,  Saratoga  county. 
In  1 8 19  he  became  the  proprietor  and  publisher  of  the  Warren  Pati'iot,  the 
first  and  only  newspaper  published  at  Lake  George.  In  1822  he  removed  to 
Glens  Falls  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In  1827  he  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  from  Warren  county.  In  1837  he  removed  to  Ballston,  retaining  a 
branch  office  at  Glens  Falls.  In  1840  he  transferred  his  residence  to  Saratoga 
Springs,  where  he  continued  to  live  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a 
man  of  broad  views,  of  extensive  and  varied  information,  and  endowed  by  na- 
ture with  great  intellectual  qualifications,  which  were  always  used  for  the  im- 
provement and  advancement  of  human  thought  and  progress.  With  a  heart 
as  gentle  as  a  girl's,  he  was  a  man  among  men,  a  philosopher  among  philoso- 
phers, and  may  be  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  bright  spirits  who  adorned 
every  walk  of  life,  always  defending  the  right  fearless  of  consequences,  dying 
as  he  had  lived,  esteemed  and  venerated  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Stephen  Brown  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  came  to  Glens  Falls  in 
1852.  By  persistent  industry  and  close  attention  to  the  duties  of  his  profession 
he  soon  acquired  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  He  served  most  accept- 
ably as  county  judge  from  1863  to  1871.  The  law  firm  of  Brown  &  Sheldon, 
dissolved  a  few  years  since,  was  one  of  the  best  known  in  Northern  New  York 
during  the  several  years  of  their  copartnership.  Judge  Brown  is  yet  in  active 
practice,  deservedly  holds  a  prominent  position  before  the  bar,  and  is  always 
discreet,  able  and  eloquent. 


,-.-  >•  ^^'■■"-^.. 


%_ 


Isaac  Mott. 


The  Bench  and  Bar.  299 


Andrew  J.  Cheritree,  the  present  county  judge,  was  born  in  Greene  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  in  1830;  came  to  Warren  county  in  1854;  was  supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Luzerne  for  several  years  ;  was  appointed  provost  marshal  at  the  close 
of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion ;  served  as  school  commissioner  for  about  two 
years,  and  was  subsequently  appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue  ;  was  elect- 
ed district  attorney  in  1 87 1  without  opposition,  and  county  judge  in  1882  by 
a  large  majority.  Judge  Cheritree  has  justly  earned  a  reputation  for  integrity 
and  ability  before  the  bar  and  on  the  bench  which  points  to  a  wider  field  of 
usefulness  in  the  not  distant  future. 

Isaac  Mott.i  —  The  levity  and  brevity  of  human  life  with  its  innumerable 
train  of  fleeting  ambitions,  are  but  as  the  faint  reflection  of  a  passing  shadow, 
which  may  be  tinged  with  prismatic  beauty  and  leave  its  imprint  for  a  brief 
space  of  time  upon  the  collective  susceptibility  of  human  nature,  speaking  to 
the  senses  through  the  beautiful  in  poetry,  music  and  art.  Or,  it  may  be  the 
more  bold  and  picturesque  shadow  of  tyrannic  power  and  decorated  pomp 
marching  in  triumph  o'er  "  the  purple  flood  "  of  human  hopes  and  universal 
slaughter.  The  pyramids  which  have  endured  the  wreck  of  time  and  the 
shock  of  worlds,  are  but  ghastly  spectacles  of  the  whirling  sands  and  red 
simoon  of  the  desert,  which  have  consigned  to  oblivion  the  kingly  names  vain 
glory  designed  to  perpetuate. 

The  imperial  tyrant  of  Persia,  with  his  myriads  of  desecrating  vassals,  live 
only  in  the  hated  recollection  of  Greece's  proud,  but  melancholy  history,  which 
portrays  Xerxes  as  the  most  tyrannic  monster  before  whom  an  awed  world  ever 
bowed  in  abject  submission.  Earth,  from  pole  to  pole,  resounded  with  the 
name  and  fame  of  Alexander  who  wept  for  other  worlds  in  which  ambition 
might  revel  in  triumphal  conquest.  Caesar,  Hannibal,  Charlemagne,  Napo- 
leon, alternately  saint  and  sinner,  emblazoned  their  lurid  pathways,  and  sailed  in 
tempest  down  the  stream  of  life  amid  the  meteoric  splendor  of  marvelous 
achievements. 

"And  now,  a  single  spot 

Where  oft  they  triumphed  is  forgot." 

Passing  away  is  written  upon  the  brow  of  man  and  the  face  of  nature. 
Philosophical  reflection  and  Christian  resignation,  views  with  smiling  compla- 
cency the  brevity  of  human  ambition.  Spring  and  summer,  ere  long  give 
place  to  autumn,  when  we  that  are  now  must  take  our  destined  places  in  the 
silent  cavalcade  ever  moving  to  that  mystical  realm  where  no  wave  of  trouble 
breaks  upon  the  silent  shore  ;  where  no  echo  of  joy  or  sadness  disturbs  eternal 
repose,  or  everlasting  gladness.  Calmed  by  the  elysian  reveries  of  hope,  im- 
agination wings  its  flight  beyond  the  shining  stars  and  finds  there  written  in 
legends  of  eternal  light,  this  golden  motto,  "  'Tis  only  truly  noble  to  be  truly 
good." 


1  Contributed  to  the  chapter  by  a  friend. 


300  History  of  Warren  County. 

From  this  atmosphere  of  moral  purity,  we  may  pursue  with  pleasure  and 
profit  the  subject  of  our  present  sketch  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Moreau^ 
Saratoga  county.  New  York,  September  25th,  1818.  His  parents,  James  Mott 
and  Anstis  Merritt,  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Saratoga  county  and 
were  blessed  with  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  nine  sons  and  five  daughters. 
Isaac,  the  fifth  son,  "  worked  on  the  farm"  and  attended  the  "  district  school"' 
until  about  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  at  which  time  he  attended  the  schools  at 
Glens  Falls,  where  he  obtained  a  good  English  education  and  the  higher 
branches  of  mathematics.  In  1836,  a  young  man  just  from  school,  he  was  en- 
gaged as  civil  engineer  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  R.  R.  The  financial  crisis 
of  1837  led  to  a  suspension  of  the  work  and  the  young  engineer  was  thrown 
out  of  employment,  an  incident  which  probably  changed  the  entire  current  of 
his  life.  About  this  time  he  was  offered  a  lucrative  position  on  the  State 
works,  but  declined,  anticipating  the  continuance  of  the  work  on  the  Erie  R. 
R.  The  summer  of  1837  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  mathematics  and  trav- 
eling, and  the  following  winter  was  profitably  spent  in  teaching  school  in 
Washington  county.  In  the  spring  of  '38  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  William  Hay  at  Glens  Falls,  and  continued  his  studies  for 
several  years,  occasionally  teaching  school  in  the  winter.  Was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1844  and  commenced  at  once  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Schuy- 
lerville,  Saratoga  county.  In  1847  ^r.  Mott  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Cox,  of  Schuylerville,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  sons,  Charles  M.,  Abram  C. 
and  Edward  P.,  and  a  daughter,  Alice  E.  Charles  M.  Mott,  now  of  Dakota 
Territory,  was  one  of  the  youngest  and  brightest  ornaments  of  the  Warren 
county  bar.  Genial  of  nature,  happy  of  thought,  pleasing  in  conversation,  a 
safe  counselor  and  honest  friend ;  the  happy  possessor  of  every  quality  that 
endears,  and  every  virtue  that  ennobles,  he  is  a  valuable  acqusition  to  his  new 
home,  and  will  be  admired  and  respected  most  by  those  who  know  him  best. 
Abram-  C.  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  iron  trade,  and  is  president  of  the 
Abram  Cox  Stove  Company  of  Philadelphia.  Edward  P.  Mott  is  manager  of  a 
branch  house  of  the  latter  company  at  Chicago.  Alice  E.,  a  most  estimable 
and  talented  lady,  is  the  wife  of  Edward  E.  Hazlett,  M.D.,  an  eminent  young 
physician  now  practicing  in  Kansas. 

In  the  fall  of  1847,  Mr.  Mott,  then  but  httle  known  in  the  legal  profession,, 
moved  to  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Allen 
T.  Wilson  and  in  a  few  months  succeeded  to  the  extensive  law  practice  of  Mr. 
Wilson,  who  moved  to  California.  In  1850  Mr.  Mott  was  elected  superintend- 
ent of  public  schools  for  the  town  of  Queensbury,  a  position  which  he  most  sat- 
isfactorily discharged  for  six  successive  years.  In  1856  he  was  elected  district 
attorney  for  the  county  of  Warren  and  discharged  the  duties  of  this  position 
with  marked  ability,  tact,  wisdom,  prudence  and  economy,  which  merited  and 
won  universal  respect,  and  as  a  consequence  retained  possession  of  the  office 
for  twelve  successive  years. 


The  Bench  and  Bar.  301 


So  generally  was  the  ability,  talent  and  sterling  honesty  of  Mr.  Mott  recog- 
nized by  the  community  that  he  was  nominated  on  the  Republican  ticket  for 
the  position  of  county  judge  in  1871,  and  under  many  adverse  circumstances 
and  a  pernicious  system  of  electioneering  practiced  by  the  opposition  which 
Mr.  Mott  could  not  and  would  not  practice,  was,  after  a  most  brilliant  run,  de- 
feated by  a  small  majority.  In  1872  he  was  elected  presidential  elector  on 
the  Republican  ticket  and  voted  for  General  Grant  at  the  electoral  college  of 
that  year. 

Mr.  Mott  is  of  long-living  Quaker  stock,  and,  although  advanced  in  years, 
is  hale  and  hearty  in  body  and  mind  ;  possessing  a  fine  person,  pleasing  fea- 
tures, a  most  agreeable  manner  of  address,  and  a  peculiar  manliness  and  grace 
which  art  cannot  teach  or  method  imitate.  Honesty,  candor,  moderation,  is 
the  golden  tie  running  through  the  pearl-chain  of  his  every  day  duty. 

"These  shall  resist  the  empire  of  decay, 
When  time  is  o'er,  and  worlds  have  passed  away.'' 

Feeling  from  his  youth  that  the  fundamental  principles  of  moral  and  politi- 
cal philosophy  are  realities  of  the  grandest  and  greatest  importance,  he  never 
has  fallen  into  the  indolent  and  popular  habit  of  declaiming  about  them  as  if 
they  were  nonentities  incapable  of  being  seen  or  understood.  He  therefore 
never  hesitates  to  frankly  express  his  views  on  important  subjects  when  the 
occasion  demands  it.  Ardently  devoted  to  home  and  family  he  naturally  pre- 
fers an  atmosphere  superlatively  pure  and  calm,  to  the  more  turbulent  and 
tumultuous  channels  of  life,  where  lives  are  wrecked  and  hopes  are  blighted. 
Whole-souled  and  generous  to  a  fault,  his  theology  is  tinged  with  the  same 
characteristic  generosity.  A  believer  in  a  Supreme  overruling  power,  yet  ab- 
solutely without  "  ism  "  and  therefore  free  from  the  distorted  vision,  cramped 
views,  clouded  understanding,  illiberal  opinions,  and  restless  melancholy  so  fre- 
quently the  prey  and  pride,  the  glory  and  shame  of  the  narrow  and  contracted 
mind.      Evidently  believing  with  the  poet, 

"  If  there  is  another  world,  I'll  live  in  bliss. 
If  not.  I've  made  the  best  of  this." 

Respected  by  his  neighbors,  and  admired  by  his  friends ;  a  successful  law- 
yer, a  kind  husband  and  prudent  father.  No  sentiments  can  embellish,  no 
words  can  add  to  the  worth  and  importance  of  a  life  of  usefulness  devoted  to 
honest  and  successful  effort  for  nearly  a  half  century. 

"Toguild  refined  gold,  to  paint  the  lily, 
To  throw  a  perfume  on  the  violet. 
To  smooth  ice  or  add  another  hue 
Unto  the  rainbow,  or  with  taper  light 
To  seek  the  beauteous  eye  of  heaven  to  garnish 
Is  wasteful  and  ridiculous  excess.  " 

From  Holden's  History  of  the  Town  of  Queensbury,  to  which  we  are  largely 
indebted  for  much  of  the  information  contained  in  this  sketch,  we  find  that 
Seth  C.  Baldwin,  Hiram  Barber,  Horatio  Buell  and  William  Robards  were 
judges  of  this  county  for  terms  varying  from  three  to  eight  years. 


302  History  of  Warren  County. 

Melville  A.  Sheldon,  for  fourteen  years  a  partner  of  Judge  Brown's,  was 
born  in  Essex  county,  N.  Y.,in  1829;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852.  Came 
to  Glens  Falls  in  1868,  has  been  president  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  district 
attorney  for  three  years,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  the 
Union  Free  School.  As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Sheldon  is  conceded  to  be  without  a 
superior  in  Northern  New  York,  is  a  man  absolutely  without  hypocritical  pol- 
ish, sham  or  pretense,  a  man  eminently  worthy  of  respect  and  confidence  and 
an  honor  to  the  profession  and  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  Seemingly 
reserved  and  distant  in  manner,  yet  possessing  a  heart  kind,  generous  and 
sympathetic  as  could  bless  man. 

Emery  D.  Harris,  for  many  years  a  law  partner  of  the  late  Judge  Davis, 
was  born  in  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1837;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
i86i  ;  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  district  attorney  in  1868,  making  a 
remarkable  run  under  adverse  circumstances,  and  coming  within  thirteen  votes 
of  an  election.  Genial  and  warm  hearted  by  nature,  generous  to  a  fault,  pos- 
sessed of  a  bright,  clear,  perceptive  intellect,  widely  known  and  very  popular, 
a  good  lawyer  and  devoted  friend,  he  has  passed  quietly  away  in  the  morning 
of  his  manhood,  a  victim  of  the  fatal  malady  of  consumption,  loved  and  esteemed 
most  by  those  who  knew  him  best. 

•'  Green  be  the  turf  above  thee,  friend  of  my  better  days, 
None  knew  thee  but  to  love  thee,  or  named  thee  but  to  praise." 

In  addition  to  the  above  mentioned,  the  following  gentlemen  constitute  the 
members  of  the  Warren  county  bar  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme 
Court :  — 

A.  B.  Abbott,  Eugene  L.  Ashley,  Louis  S.  Brown,  J.  H.  Bain,  W.  M.  Cam- 
eron, Henry  A.  Howard,  W.  A.  Holman,  D.  F.  Keeffe,  H.  Prior  King,  Charles 
F.  King,  Calhoon  S.  Enches,  Charles  M.  Mott,  James  J.  Mead,  Charles  R.  Pat- 
terson, Edwin  R.  Safford,  Edward  L.  Sterns,  Frank  H.  Streeter,  Royal  L.  Davis, 
of  Glens  Falls ;  H.  P.  Gwinup,  Abram  Newcomb,  of  Luzerne  ;  Thomas  Cun- 
ningham, L.  C.  Aldrich,  of  Warrensburgh ;  Adam  Armstrong,  Charles  P. 
Coyle,  Stanly  H.  Bevins,  of  Chester;  C.  F.  Aldrich,  L.  H.  Aldrich,  of  Thur- 
man. 

Within  the  recollection  of  the  writer  many  bright  and  noble  spirits,  orna- 
ments of  the  Warren  county  bar,  and  the  pride  of  the  community  in  which 
they  lived,  have  fallen  by  the  wayside  to  appear  before  the  final  tribunal, 
where  the  costs  are  fixed  by  statute ;  where  motions  for  new  trials  will  not 
be  heard,  proceedings  stayed,  or  appeal  possible. 

In  conclusion  it  is  but  just  to  say,  that  the  Warren  county  bar  has  furnished 
its  full  quota  of  distinguished  men  to  the  legal  profession,  men  who  have  swam 
to  triumph  on  the  crest  of  fortune,  to  pass  away  down  the  receding  slope  Of 
years,  leaving  behind  them  sunny  recollections  and  noble  aspirations  with  those 
who  in  their  turn  shall  obey  the  command  of  Nature  and  pass  away. 

"Thus  the  multitude  goes  like  the  flowers  and  the  weeds; 
The  multitude  goes  to  let  others  succeed." 


The  Medical  Profession.  303 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION.! 

Early  Medical  Legislation  —  Organization  of  the  State  Society  —  The  County  .Society  —  Loss  of 
Records  —  First  Members  —  Early  Delegates  to  the  State  Society — List  of  Officers  of  the  Warren 
County  Society — Biographic  Sketches  of  Prominent  Members  of  the  Profession. 

UNFORTUNATELY  for  a  correct  and  authentic  account  of  the  Warren 
County  Medical  Society,  the  records  of  that  association  were  burned  about 
the  year  1858.  Anterior  to  that  period  we  are  indebted  chiefly  to  such  brief 
mention  as  may  be  found  in  the  transactions  of  the  State  Society  for  any  reliable 
information  concerning  it. 

By  an  enactment  of  the  New  York  Legislature,  passed  on  the  4th  of  April, 
1806,  authority  was  given  for  the  organization  of  medical  societies  for  the 
purpose,  as  therein  stated,  of  "regulating  the  practice  of  physic  and  surgery.  "^ 
In  accordance  with  this  statute  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York 
was  duly  organized  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  February,  1807.  The  county  of 
Warren  was  not  set  off  from  the  county  of  Washington,  of  which  it  formed  an 
integral  part,  until  March  12,  1813  ;  hence  it  is  manifest  there  could  not  have 
been  a  County  Medical  Society  prior  to  this  date. 

The  first  record  that  has  been  found  of  the  existence  of  a  county  society 
is  dated  February,  1 8 14,  which  states  as  follows:  "The  following  gentlemen 
presented  their  credentials  from  their  respective  county  societies  [viz.,  to  the 
State  Society]  and  were  duly  admitted  as  delegates."  Then,  among  other 
names,  follows  that  of  Dr.   Asa  Stower. 

The  society  (as  is  learned  from  the  present  record  book,  which  was  re- 
written as  well  as  possible  after  the  destruction  of  the  original  records  on  the 
2d  day  of  October,  1858)  was  formed  by  the  following  named  members  :  Asa 
'  Stower,  of  Queensbury ;  Zephaniah  Tubbs,  of  Caldwell ;  John  P.  Little,  of 
Chester  ;  Reuben  C.  Gibson,  of  Bolton  ;  Thomas  Pattison,  of  Warrensburgh  ; 
Darius  Hewitt,  of  Queensbury;  Chester  Thomas,  of  Chester;  and  Harmon 
Hoffman,  of  Warrensburgh.  The  organization  took  place  some  time  in  the 
year  18 13. 

There  afterwards,  and  previous  to  1858  (when  the  records  were  destroyed), 
joined  the  society  the  following  named  physicians  :  Martin  Jillett,  Johnsburgh; 
Truman  B.  Hicks,  Caldwell;  John  S.  St.  John,  Luzerne;   Paul  More,   Bolton; 


1  Prepared'by  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden,  of  Glens  Falls. 

2  Prior  to  this  time  a  most  remaikable  provision  for  licensure  of  candidates  existed,  by  virtue  of  an 
act  passed  March  23d,  1797,  which  authorized  "  the  chancellor,  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  or  Com- 
mon Pleas,  or  a  Master  in  Chancery,  to  license  physicians  and  surgeons  on  receiving  evidence  of  their 
having  studied  two  years,"  etc. 


304  History  of  Warren  County. 

Zerah  Cushman,  Chester ;    Nathan  Tubbs, Kelley  and   Benjamin  Dean, 

Chester;  Lemuel  Bugbee,  Bolton;  George  Andrews,  Athol ;  Fletcher  Ran- 
som,  Queensbury  ;   Nathaniel  P.    Seaver,   Bolton  ;  Wm.  Wilson,  Johnsburgh ; 

Fuller,  and   Nathan    P.  Colvin,  Bolton ;   Wm.  N.    Edgerton    and   Oliver 

Strong,  Warrensburgh ;  Alfred  Mallory,  Chester;  James  Lawrence,  Luzerne; 
Bethuel  Peck,  Glens  Falls ;  Ira  Clement,  Athol ;  Eliakim  W.  Howard,  War- 
rensburgh ;  Louis  Charette,  Bolton ;  Morgan  W.  Pritchard,  Chester ;  Hiram 
McNutt,  Warrensburgh  ;  Samuel  H.  Hooker,  Chester  ;  Austin  W.  Holden, 
Glens  Falls ;  John  B.  Burneson,  Luzerne ;  Marshall  Littlefield,  Glens  Falls ; 
James  Cromwell,  Queensbury ;  James  Ferguson,  Glens  Falls.^ 

In  addition  to  the  above  list  (which  may  be  more  or  less  incorrect)  the  rec- 
ords show  the  following  named  physicians  to  have  joined  the  society,  the 
dates  being  given  in  some  cases  :  Godfrey  R.  Martine  (then  of  Johnsburgh); 
D.  B.  Howard,  Warrensburgh ;  F.  L.  R.  Chapin,  Glens  Falls ;  M.  R.  Peck, 
Glens  Falls ;  John  T.  Parker,  Thurman ;  James  G.  Porteous,  Luzerne ;  N.  E. 
Sheldon,  Glens  Falls;  Wm.  D.  Aldrich,  1872,  Warrensburgh;  Hiram  E.  Mc- 
Nutt, 1872,  Warrensburgh;  R.  J.  Eddy,  1875,  B.  G.  Streeter,  1876,  and  Ben- 
jamin C.  Senton,  1876,  Glens  Falls;  W.  R.  Adamson,  1877,  Lake  George;  G. 
H.  Aldrich,  1878,  Stony  Creek;  W.  W.  Aldrich,  1878,  Weavertown;  F.  E. 
Aldrich,  1879;  W.  W.  McGregor,  1879,  Glens  Falls;  Fred  B.  Streeter,  1879, 
Glens  Falls;  A.  O.  Ameden,  1880,  Glens  Falls;  Jno.  C.  Wall,  1880,  01m- 
steadville,  Essex  county;  Adam  Weston,  1880,  Glens  Falls  ;  Chas.  F.  C.Wes- 
ton, 1880,  Glens  Falls;  W.  S.  Robinson,  1878,  Schroon  Lake;  S.  J.  Murray, 
1 88 1,  Glens  Falls;  J.  B.  Washburne,  1882,  Caldwell;  Edward  S.  Coyle,  1882, 
Chester;  Cassius  J.  Loggins,  1882,  Chester;  C.  A.  Foster,  1882,  Glens  Falls; 
Chas.  F.  Aldrich,  1882,  Thurman;  Chas.  S.  Barney,  1882,  Glens  Falls;  E.  J. 
Dunn,  1882,  Pottersville ;   F.  H.  Stevens,  1882,  Lake  George. 

In  the  annual  reports  of  proceedings  of  the  society  we  find  in  addition  to 
the  above  the  names  of  W.  C.  B.  Stewart,  John  Cady,  A.  Irving  Sternberg, 
and  D.  P.  Kaynor  among  those  admitted  to  membership. 

In  18 1 7  the  Warren  County  Society  was  represented  at  the  State  meet- 
ing by  Dr.  John  S.  St.  John,  then  practicing  at  Glens  Falls.  The  county  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  represented  in  the  State  Society  again  until  the  year 
1822,  and  there  was  considerable  irregularity  in  sending  delegates  until  com- 
paratively recent  years.  In  1822  the  name  of  Truman  B.  Hicks  appears  as 
delegate  ;  he  then  resided  and  practiced  in  Luzerne  and  was  for  many  years, 
subsequent  to  1820,  president  of  the  County  Society.  He  was  also  delegate  to 
the  State  meetings  in  the  years  1823,  1824,  1826,  1827,  and  was  present  in 
several  other  years,  but  not  as  a  delegate.  In  the  years  1829,  1830  and  1 83 1 
the  County  Society  was  not  represented. 

The  first  meeting  held  after  the  records   were   destroyed   was   on   January 

1  The  .spelling  of  these  names  is  as  given  in  the  record. 


A.   W.    HOLDEN,   M.  D. 


The  Medical  Profession.  305 

19th,  1859,  at  which  were  present  Doctors  Bethuel  Peck,  Alfred  Mallory,  E. 
W.  Howard,  Louis  Charette,  Hiram  McNutt,  Marshall  Littlefield,  M.  R.  Peck, 
N.  E.  Sheldon  and  James  Ferguson. 

New  by-laws  were  ordered  drawn  and  other  routine  business  transacted. 
Doctor  M.  Littlefield  was  elected  president  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  Doctor 
Charette,  vice-president ;  with  Doctor  James  Ferguson  secretary  ;  and  M.  R. 
Peck,  treasurer.  Doctor  H.  McNutt  was  appointed  delegate  to  the  State  So- 
ciety. 

Since  that  date  the  following  physicians  have  held  the  offices  of  president, 
vice-president  and  secretary  of  the  County  Society  and  delegates  to  the  State 
Society  :  — 

i860,  Louis  Charette,  president ;  Alfred  Mallory,  vice-president;  H.  Mc- 
Nutt, secretary ;  James  Ferguson,  delegate. 

1861—62,  no  record. 

1863,  H.  McNutt,  president;  James  Ferguson,  vice-president ;  L.  Charette, 
secretary. 

1864,  A.  Mallory,  president;  L.  Charette,  vice-president ;  A.  Irving  Stern- 
berg, secretary.  E.  W.  Howard  was  elected  delegate  to  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association. 

1865,  L.  Charette,  president;  James  Ferguson,  vice-president ;  E.  W.  How- 
ard, secretary;  H.  McNutt,  delegate  to  American  Association. 

1866,  A.  I.  Sternberg,  president;  H.  McNutt,  vice-president;  D.  B.  How- 
ard, secretary. 

1867,  G.  R.  Martine,  president;  F.  L.  R.  Chapin,  vice-president;  D.  B. 
Howard,  secretary  ;  M.  R.  Peck,  delegate  to  American  Association. 

1868,  F  L.  R.  Chapin,  president;  J.  G.  Porteous,  vice-president;  D.  B. 
Howard,  secretary ;  M.  R.  Peck,  delegate  to  American  Association.  Doctor 
H.  McNutt  was  sent  as  delegate  to  the  State  Society. 

1869,  M.  R.  Peck,  president;  G.  R.  Martine,  vice-president;  D.  B.  How- 
ard, secretary  ;  F.  L.  R.  Chapin,  delegate  to  American  Association. 

1870,  Alfred  Mallory,  president;  J.  G.  Porteous,  vice-president;  D.  B. 
Howard,  secretary. 

1 87 1,  J.  G.  Porteous,  president;  Louis  Charette,  vice-president;  D.  B. 
Howard,  secretary. 

1872,  Alfred  Mallory,  president;  Louis  Charette,,  vice-president ;  D.  B. 
Howard,  secretary. 

1873-74,  no  record. 

1875,  James  Ferguson,  president;  Louis  Charette,  vice-president;  D.  B. 
Howard,  secretary. 

1876,  E.  W.  Howard,  president;  G.  R.  Martine,  vice-president;  R.  J. 
Eddy,  secretary.  Doctor  Chapin  was  elected  delegate  to  the  State  Society 
and  Doctor  Louis  Charette  to  the  American  Association. 

20 


3o6  History  of  Warren  County. 

1877,  B.  G.  Streeter,  president;  William  Aldrich,  vice-president;  R.  J. 
Eddy,  secretary. 

1878,  William  D.  Aldrich,  president;  W.  R.  Adamson,  vice-president;  R. 
J.  Eddy,  secretary. 

1879,  W.  R.  Adamson,  president;  W.  W.  McGregor,  vice-president;  R.  J. 
Eddy,  secretary.  D.  B.  Howard,  delegate  to  State  Society  ;  L.  Charette,  to 
American  Association. 

1880,  R.  J.  Eddy,  president;  F.  E.  Aldrich,  vice-president;  E.  W.  Hill, 
secretary. 

1 88 1,  W.  W.  McGregor,  president;  W.  R.  Adamson,  vice-president;  F.  B. 
Streeter,  secretary ;  G.  H.  Aldrich,  delegate  to  American  Association. 

1882,  L.  Charette,  president;  F.  E.  Aldrich,  vice-president;  F.  B.  Streeter, 
secretary ;  W.  D.  Aldrich,  delegate  to  American  Association. 

1883,  D.  B.  Howard,  president; ,  vice-president;    F.  B.   Streeter, 

secretary. 

1884,  C.  S.  Barney,  president ;  F.  H.  Stevens,  vice-president;  W.  D.  Aid- 
rich,  secretary. 

The  new  by-laws  were  adopted  at  the  second  meeting,  as  was  also  a  code 
of  ethics,  the  latter  being  drawn  by  Doctors  James  Ferguson,  Hiram  McNutt 
and  A.  W.  Holden,  as  committee. 

*  In  the  year  1875  a  committee  embracing  Doctors  F.  L.  R.  Chapin,  R.  J. 
Eddy,  M.  R.  Feck,  Louis  Charette  and  D.  B.  Howard,  was  appointed  to  revise 
the  by-laws.  This  was  done,  but  no  changes  of  great  importance  were  made. 
Another  revision  was  made  in  1881. 


Herewith  we  give  in  brief  the  statistics  of  the  medical  profession  in  War- 
ren county,  so  far  as  they  could  be  ascertained  by  diligent  and  persistent  re- 
search through  town,  county,  family  and  society  records.  Old  residents  have 
been  consulted,  correspondence  instituted  with  those  far  away,  and  every  avail- 
able source  of  information  sought  out  in  order  to  make  this  chapter  creditable 
alike  to  the  subject,  to  the  individuals  memorized,  to  the  work  itself,  and  to 
the  compiler  as  well.  The  results  are  unsatisfactory.  Considering,  however, 
the  many  difficulties  in  the  way,  the  long  time  which  has  elapsed  since  many 
of  the  actors  in  this  field  of  science  have  "  passed  over  to  the  great  majority," 
it  is  not  surprising  that  so  many  of  the  pioneers  of  medical  practice  should  be 
passed  by  with  the  mere  mention  of  a  name.  This,  however,  does  not  excuse 
or  apologize  for  those  who,  still  living,  have  declined  or  neglected  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  place  themselves  fairly  and  squarely  on  the 
record,  a  chance  that  is  not  likely  to  occur  again  in  many  years.  Following 
we  give  life  sketches  of  such  individuals  of  the  profession  as  we  have  been 
able  to  procure  sufficient  data : — 


The  Medical  Profession.  307 

"Dr.  Seth  Alden,  son  of  Seth,  was  born  probably  at  Shaftsbury,  Vt,  in 
1749,  died  at  Caldwell  (head  of  Lake  George)  30th  July,  1809.  We  have  no 
account  of  his  early  life,  but  that  he  was  a  man  of  some  note  in  his  profession 
is  evident  from  the  fact  that  in  1783  he  was  requested  by  Colonel  Ethan  Allen 
to  visit  his  daughter  in  consultation  with  Doctor  Hutton,  his  family  physician,  at 
the  distance  of  some  forty  miles.  From  Shaftsbury  he  removed  to  Caldwell, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  the  time  of  his  death."  In  a  letter 
from  Judge  Hay  I  find  the  following  :  "  I  have  heard  old  James  Caldwell  speak 
of  clearing  and  laying  out  the  site  for  the  Lake  House,  Caldwell ;  the  first  occu- 
pant I  knew  was  Doctor  Alden.  Before  the  Lake  House  was  1  rected,  the  old 
hospital,  or  long  house,  had  been  used  for  a  tavern." 

He  married  first,  Priscilla  Cole,  who  died  20th  of  November,  1798,  and  second, 
Keziah  Beach  on  the  ist  of  March,  1800,  who  died  loth  October,.  18 10,  aet  5  i. 
His  two  eldest  daughters  were  married  successively  to  John  A.  Ferriss,  a  prom- 
inent merchant  and  business  man  of  this  place.  Doctor  Alden  was  of  the  fifth 
generation  in  direct  descent  from  John  Alden  of  Mayflower  memory,  and 
was  the  grandfather  of  Hon.  O.  Ferriss.  The  late  Mr.  Ralph  Stebbins,  of 
Caldwell,  informed  me  that  Doctor  Alden  removed  from  Lake  George  to  Fort 
Edward  in  1809,  and  died  the  same  year  or  the  5'ear  following. 


Asa  Stower  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  as  nearly  as  can  be  deter- 
mined in  one  of  the  western  border  towns  of  the  State.  His  early  childhood 
was  passed  at  or  near  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y.  While  yet  a  small  boy  his  father 
embraced  the  Shaker  faith  and  joined  the  society  at  that  place,  removing  his 
family  among  them.  He  soon  afterward  died  of  small-pox,  when  the  mother, 
who  still  retained  her  religious  views  (being  a  Presbyterian),  took  her  children 
and  went  back  to  live  on  their  farm,  for  which  they  were  still  considerably  in 
debt,  but,  with  the  help  of  the  boys,  after  a  few  years  finished  paying  for  their 
home. 

Asa  with  his  elder  brother  was  allowed  to  attend  the  district  school,  and 
possessing  a  laudable  ambition  with  a  studious  turn  of  mind,  acquired  a  fair 
knowledge,  not  only  of  the  rudimentary  branches  of  learning  there  taught,  but 
applying  himself  at  leisure  hours  to  the  pursuit  of  the  more  recondite  depart- 
ments of  science,  evincing  a  special  aptitude  and  taste  in  the  direction  of  bot- 
any, a  study  then  but  little  pursued  in  this  country,  and  still  in  its  infancy. 
His  inclination  in  this  direction  doubtless  determined  the  choice  of  a  profession, 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he 
steadily  prosecuted  with  such  aid  as  his  mother  in  her  straitened  circumstances 
could  afford.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  had  completed  his  studies,  and 
with  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle,  and  a  pair  of  saddle  bags  filled  with  medicine, 
the  parting  gift  of  his  mother,  he  started  out  to  seek  his  fortune.  What  led 
him  to  Queensbury  is  not  known,  but  certain  it  is  he  came  as  the  pioneer  of 


3o8  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  medical  profession  in  Warren  county,  according  to  a  statement  of  the  late 
Dr.  Bethuel  Peck,  in  the  year  1788  or  1789,  armed  with  a  judge's  certificate 
of  ability  to  practice.  He  first  made  his  home  with  William  Robards,  esq., 
who  lived  in  a  dwelling  subsequently  burned,  not  far  from  the  residence  of 
John  M.  Haviland  near  the  Ridge.  Here  he  commenced  his  life  work,  and 
here  he  remained  for  a  number  of  years,  supplying  a  circle  of  country,  thinly 
settled  but  very  sickly,  many  miles  in  extent.  Being  economical,  plain  in 
his  tastes  and  inexpensive  in  his  habits,  he  soon  acquired  a  competency.  One 
of  his  first  purchases  was  the  farm  at  the  Ridge  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Joseph  Haviland,  disposing  of  which  he  bought  the  farm  where  Anson  Staples 
now  lives,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  works  of  kindness  and 
usefulness.  In  those  early  days,  when  the  facilities  for  education  were  not  as 
plentiful  or  accessible  as  at  present,  his  offic^  was  the  resort  of  medical  students, 
who  almost  from  the  commencement  of  their  studies  were  enabled  to  pay  their 
way  and  acquire  practical  with  theoretical  knowledge  by  assisting  the  doctor 
in  his  long  and  laborious  rides.  Among  the  number  who  thus  graduated  from 
his  office  and  supplied  the  adjacent  country  in  the  years  following,  were  Dr. 
Lemuel  C.  Paine,  Dr.  Nathan  Tubbs,  Dr.  Seneca  Wing,  two  brothers  and  a 
cousin  by  the  name  of  Dean,  Dr.  Durfee  and  others  whose  names  are  forgotten 
or  not  readily  recalled  to  mind. 

In  a  communication  to  the  author  in  1870,  the  venerable  Dr.  Paine  speaks 
of  him  as  follows :  "  Dr.  Asa  Stower  was  held  in  high  repute  all  over  the 
country.  He  was  a  great  reader  and  had  a  retentive  memory,  but  I  think  he 
was  more  diffuse  than  profound  in  his  reading,  and  was  far  from  being  a  scien- 
tific man  in  his  profession.  He  was  strictly  a  physician  of  the  old  school,  but 
by  reading  and  observation  he  had  acquired  a  stock  of  medical  information 
and  experience  which  made  him  truly  a  successful  and  useful  physician.  He 
was  a  bachelor  and  a  little  singular  in  his  manners  and  habits ;  by  some  he 
would  be  deemed  a  little  odd,  at  least  not  exactly  Chesterfieldian  in  his  address 
and  manners,  especially  among  the  ladies."  He  acquired  during  his  long  prac- 
tice a  handsome  property,  owning  real  estate  in  various  parts  of  the  town.  One 
of  the  last  acts  of  his  life  was  to  order  his  accounts  against  the  poor  to  be  de- 
stroyed in  order  that  they  might  not  be  distressed  to  make  their  payments. 

Of  an  estate,  whose  final  adjustment  realized  upwards  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  not  enough  was  left,  by  the  greed  of  his  heirs  at  law,  to  pay  for  a  grave- 
stone. Among  his  old  neighbors  a  subscription  was  taken  up  sufficient  to  pay 
for  a  plain  marble  slab,  on  which  is  engraved  the  following  simple  inscription, 
a  touching  memorial  of  the  evanescent  character  of  all  earthly  things  : — 

"DR.  ASA  STOWER, 
Died  May  25,  1848, 
Aged  79  Years. 
He  lived  respected  in  society." 


The  Medical  Profession.  309 

Jared  Hitchcock,  son  of  Elijah  and  Sarah  Hitchcock,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Palmer,  Mass.,  on  the  nth  of  August,  1778.  His  elementary  and  profes- 
sional education  were  obtained  in  that  State,  where,  as  the  writer  has  been  in- 
formed, he  also  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine,  and  practiced  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  removed  to  Glens  Falls  in  the  month  of  November, 
1 8 19.  The  following  year  his  wife  was  thrown  from  a  wagon  near  the  resi- 
dence of  Truman  Hamlin,  in  the  town  of  Moreau,  and  killed.  By  her  he  had 
four  children.  He  married  for  his  second  wife  Caroline  Stickney,  who  bore 
him  six  children.  In  1821  he  removed  to  Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.,  and  from  thence 
in  1828  to  Galway,  Saratoga  county.  He  afterward  went  to  West  Troy,  and 
thence  in  1840  to  Glens  Falls,  where  he  died  March  26th,  1846.  Dr.  Hitch- 
cock was  a  man  of  considerable  erudition  and  a  good  practitioner.  He  in- 
vented a  remedy  which  attained  considerable  local  repute  and  celebrity  under 
the  name  of  Hitchcock's  pills.  He  also  left  a  medical  treatise  containing  an 
exposition  of  his  peculiar  views  as  to  theory  and  practice,  but  which  never  came 
to  print. 


Billy  J.,  son  of  Ithamar  and  Sarah  (Simonds)  Clark,  was  born  at  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  on  the  fourth  of  January,  1778. 

About  the  year  1784  his  parents  removed  to  Williamstown,  Mass.,  where, 
for  three  or  four  years,  he  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  that  public  school  founded 
by  the  munificence  of  Col.  Williams,  who  fell  in  action  at  "  the  bloody  morn- 
ing scout."  At  the  age  often  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Pownal,  Vt., 
where  his  youth,  up  to  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  was  passed  in  the  varied 
avocations  of  farm  boy,  clerk  and  bar-tender.  His  medical  studies  were  com- 
menced at  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Gibbs,  of  Pownal,  where  he 
was  soon  characterized  as  a  pains- taking,  indefatigable  student.  In  1797  he 
removed  to  Easton,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  where  his  studies  were  con- 
tinued in  the  office  of  Dr.  Lemuel  Wicker,  a  practitioner  at  that  time  of  ex- 
tensive repute  and  practice. 

Having  obtained  the  requisite  testimonials  and  passed  the  necessary  ex- 
aminations, he  obtained  a  license  from  the  county  judge  of  Washington  county 
to  practice  medicine.  He  commenced  his  life  work  in  the  town  of  Moreau, 
Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1799,  where,  for  forty  years,  he  was  the  only  phy- 
sician, and  supplied  a  radius  of  country  nearly  twenty  miles  in  extent,  follow- 
ing the  humanities  of  his  calling,  achieving  a  well  earned  reputation  for  useful- 
ness, and  that  by  the  popularly  appreciated  gauge  of  success,  a  substantial 
competency. 

Dr.  Clark's  name  will  be  famous  through  all  time  as  the  originator  of  the 
first  temperance  organization  that  ever  existed.  The  date  of  this  important 
event  was  in  the  early  part  of  April,  1808.  In  this  field  of  philanthropy  the 
doctor  was  an  ardent  and  efficient  laborer  all  his  life.      He  represented  his 


3IO  History  of  Warren  County. 

county  in  the  Assembly  in  1820,  and  was  a  member  of  the  New  York  Elec- 
toral College  in  1848.  He  died  in  this  village  on  the  20th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1866. 

Through  his  energy  and  perseverance,  a  special  act  of  legislature  was  ob- 
tained, incorporating  the  Saratoga  County  Medical  Society,  the  first  organiza- 
tion of  the  kind  in  the  State. 


Dr.  John  Perrigo,  of  Queensbury.  In  Judge  Robard's  docket,  under  the 
date  of  April  30th,  1803,  appears  a  record  of  more  than  forty  summonses  issued 
in  Dr.  Perrigo's  favor  against  parties  residing  mostly  in  Queensbury.  There 
is  but  little  authentic  information  to  be  obtained  concerning  him  at  this  late 
date.  It  is  believed  that  he  came  to  this  place  about  the  year  1 800  and  resided 
during  his  stay  here  at  a  humble  dwelling,  subsequently  known  as  the  O'Flan- 
agan  house,  the  site  of  which  is  now  registered  No.  17  Elm  street.  He  was 
then  in  the  decline  of  life,  and  of  somewhat  dissipated  habits,  and  his  brief  stay 
here  was  neither  a  professional  or  pecuniary  success.  It  has  been  stated  that 
he  was  a  brother  of  Robert  Perrigo,  of  Whipple  City,  later  known  as  Union 
Village  and  now  called  Greenwich,  of  Washington  county,  N.  Y.  Dr.  Perrigo 
at  first  settled  at  Kingsbury  street  in  Bradshaw's  patent,  in  the  adjoining  town 
of  Kingsbury.  He  was  one  of  the  three  or  four  pioneers  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession in  this  region  of  country,  and  at  one  time  bore  the  reputation  of  a  skillful 
and  successful  practitioner.  It  is  said  that  he  was  the  first  to  introduce  to  the 
attention  of  the  profession  and  public  at  large  the  prophylactic  and  curative 
properties  of  the  rattle-snake  weed  {Prenantkes  Serpentarid),  and  its  use  as  a 
prompt  and  efficient  antidote  to  the  poison  of  the  Crotahis  horridus  and  its 
cognate  species,  with  which  terrible  pests  in  that  early  period  of  our  history 
the  swamps,  morasses,  ledges,  cliffs  and  mountain  sides  of  this  region  of  the 
country  were  infested,^  and  some  of  the  islands  and  promontories  of  Lake 
George  are  to  the  present  day.     This  knowledge  was  in  all  probability  derived 

1  The  Crotahis  durissus  is  the  species  more  commonly  encountered  nowadays.  In  regard  to  this 
reptile  we  find  the  following  interesting  incident  recorded  in  Anbury's  Travels,  vol.  i,  p.  387, 
(Lieutenant  Anbury  being  an  officer  in  Burgoyne's  army)  :  — 

"  This  island  (Diamond)  as  well  as  the  one  that  is  close  to  it,  formerly  was  so  over-run  with  rattle- 
snakes that  persons  when  they  passed  the  lake  seldom  or  never  ventured  on  them. 

"  A  batteaux  in  sailing  up  it,  went  near  Diamond  Island,  and  among  other  things  it  contained  sev- 
eral hogs,  which  swam  to  the  shore  as  did  the  Canadians  who  were  rowing  it  up ;  the  latter,  in  appre- 
hension of  rattle-snakes,  climbed  up  trees  for  the  night,  and  the  next  morning  observing  a  batteaux, 
they  hailed  the  people  in  it,  who  took  them  in,  and  conveyed  them  to  Fort  George. 

"  Some  time  after,  the  man  owning  the  hogs,  being  unwilling  to  lose  them,  returned  down  the  lake 
and  with  some  comrades  ventured  a  search.  After  traversing  the  island  a  considerable  time,  they  at 
last  found  them,  but  so  prodigiously  fat  that  they  could  scarcely  move,  and,  in  the  search,  only  met 
with  one  rattle-snake,  which  greatly  surprised  them,  as  the  island  was  reported  to  abound  with  them. 
Their  wonder,  however,  was  not  of  long  duration,  for,  being  short  of  provisions,  they  killed  one  of  the 
hogs,  the  stomach  of  which  was  filled  with  rattlesnakes." 

It  may  with  truth  be  stated,  currente  calamo,  that  to  the  same  cause  may  be  attributed  the  extinction 
of  the  reptile  from  the  quarries  and  ledges,  and  rocky  cliffs  at  Glens  Falls  and  neighborhood. 


The  Medical  Profession.  3" 

from  the  Indians,  who,  in  his  day,  still  lingered  around  their  ancient  hunting 
grounds,  and  made  their  summer  camps  by  our  rivulets,  ponds,  lakes  and  hill- 
sides. 

Dr.  Perrigo   finally  removed   to   Burlington,  Vt,  where  he  died   and   was 
buried,  as  the  writer  of  this  sketch  has  been  credibly  informed. 


Dr.  Thomas  Pattison  was  born  at  Stillwater,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
24th  of  November,  1781.  He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Pattison  of  that  place, 
and  a  near  relative  of  the  Pattison  families  of  Troy  and  Fort  Miller,  N.  Y. 
His  opportunities  for  an  education  were  limited  to  the  common  schools  of  that 
day,  when  a  fair  knowledge  of  arithmetic  with  the  ability  to  read  fluently  and 
write  readily  were  considered  sufficient  for  all  practical  purposes.  His  course 
of  medical  studies  was  pursued  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Potter,  an  eminent  and  suc- 
cessful practitioner  of  that  day,  who  resided  at  Waterford,  N.  Y.  Having  ob- 
tained his  license  to  practice  from  a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  he 
removed  in  1803  to  the  town  of  Athol,  in  what  was  then  known  as  "  Thurman's 
Patent,"  and  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  boarded  in  the  house 
of  Richardson  Thurman,  whose  daughter  Elizabeth  he  married  on  the  4th  of 
February,  18 10,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Th^  following  year  he  removed  to  Warrensburgh,  and  settled  upon  the  farm  on 
Schroon  River  road  near  the  lower  borough  now  owned  and  occupied  by  John 
and  James  McGann.  Here  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  faithful  and 
industrious  discharge  of  his  professional  duties,  his  practice  extending  in  every 
direction,  over  rough  bye-ways  and  forest  paths,  through  a  sparsely  settled 
and  heavily  wooded  country  abounding  in  wild  animals  and  game,  and  not 
over-productive  in  the  comforts  and  necessities  of  life.  In  1820  he  was  ap- 
pointed county  treasurer  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  in  the  place  of  Michael 
Harris,  deceased,  and  continued  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that  office 
until  1832. 

Dr.  Pattison  possessed  the  elements  of  a  strong  character.*^  To  a  sound  judg- 
ment and  close  observation  were  added  sterling  probity,  industrious  applica- 
tion and  a  wonderful  self-reliance.  In  regard  to  practice  he  followed  in  the 
beaten  track  of  his  predecessors,  making  no  hazardous  venture ;  being  at  all 
times  a  safe,  prudent,  and  careful,  as  well  as  a  successful  practitioner.  He 
died  of  cystitis,  at  his  home,  on  the  6th  of  February,  1867. 


From  an  autobiographic  sketch  furnished  by  Dr.  Lemuel  C.  Paine  some 
years  ago,  we  condense  the  following :  — 

"  I  am  a  descendant  of  a  very  ancient  family  in  Barnstable  county,  Mass., 
and  my  line  of  descent  is  as  follows :  I  am  the  son  of  Ichabod  S.  Paine,  who 
was  the  son  of  Dr.  Ichabod  S.  Paine,  who  was  the  son  of  Joshua  Paine,  who 
was  the  son  of  Thomas  Paine,  jr.,  of  Eastham,  Mass.,  who  was  the  son  of 


312  History  of  Warren  County. 

Thomas  Paine,  sen.,  of  Eastham,  Mass.,  who  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Paine,  of 
Yarmouth,  Mass.;  the  two  latter  came  from  Kent  county,  England,  to  Plymouth 
in  New  England,  in  1621,  and  the  former  of  the  two,  of  Yarmouth,  was  the 
first  representative  from  that  town  in  the  General  Court  of  Plymouth  Colony, 
in  1639. 

"  My  grandfather.  Dr.  Ichabod  S.  Paine,  was  an  early  settler  in  Shaftsbury, 
Bennington  county,  Vt.,  and  died  there  when  only  twenty-nine  years  of  age, 
in  the  year  1765.  My  father  was  born  there  about  the  time  of  the  death  of 
his  father,  but  was  brought  up  in  the  family  of  his  uncle.  Judge  Ephraim  Paine, 
in  what  is  now  called  Amenia,  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.  My  father  on  reaching 
his  majority  married  and  settled  on  some  lands  left  by  his  father  in  Shaftsbury, 
and  I  was  born  there  November  9,  1787.  After  living  here  a  short  time,  and 
in  Orwell  and  Benson,  Rutland  county,  in  the  same  State,  he  finally  came  down 
into  'York  State,'  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  near  the  'Round  Pond,'  in 
the  vicinity  of  '  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,'  in  the  west  part  of  Westfield,  now 
Fort  Ann,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1793.     #     #     *     " 

After  several  removals  the  practical  results  of  which  were  unfortunate.  Dr. 
Paine's  father  located  soon  after  1800  in  Plattsburg,  where  he  died  of  con- 
sumption in  1807.  A  portion  of  the  previous  years  he  had  lived  in  the  town 
of  Queensbury.  After  narrating  his  experience  in  securing  a  fair  education  by 
persevering  study,  "  without  a  master,"  the  autobiography  states  that  Dr.  Paine 
paid  a  visit  to  his  uncle  and  aunt,  Eli  Pierson  and  his  wife,  at  Fort  Ann,  and 
continues : — 

"  After  some  consultation  it  was  made  up  between  uncle  and  aunt  Pierson 
and  myself  that  if  equitable  arrangements  could  be  made  I  should  com- 
mence the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Asa  Stower,  of  Queensbury,  and  com- 
mence immediately.  This  arrangement  was  easily  made,  with  some  offers  on 
his  part  for  the  future  which  were  deemed  at  the  time  highly  favorable,  but 
which  were  never  realized.  For  a  time  I  boarded  with  Mr.  Pierson  ;  then 
taught  school  awhile  on  the  Ridge ;  and  then  near  Mr.  Pierson's  in  Fort  Ann 
again,  and  so  on  during  my  studies,  sometimes  teaching  and  sometimes  living 
and  boarding  with  Dr.  Stower.  In  May,  181 1,  having  finished  the  legal  term  of 
study,  I  passed  examination  before  the  Censors  of  the  Medical  Society  of 
Washington  county  at  Cambridge.  ...  I  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr. 
Stower,  first  for  six  months  and  afterwards  for  an  indefinite  period,  which  con- 
tinued till  the  spring  of  1816;  and  afterwards  I  continued  alone  in  Queens- 
bury and  Kingsbury  till  about  the  close  of  1 8 1 7  when  I  left  that  part  of  the 
country.  Thus  it  will  be  perceived  that  in  all,  first  and  last,  my  residence  in 
the  town  of  Queensbury  and  its  vicinity  amounted  to  about  eleven  years. 

"  In  the  autumn  of  181 1  I  married  Miss  Cornelia  Osborn,  daughter  of  Da- 
vid Osborn,  of  Kingsbury,  and  commenced  house-keeping  in  the  winter 
following  in   a  part  of  Stower's  house,  on  Sandford's  Ridge,  Queensbury.     I 


The  Medical  Profession.  313 

lived  here  and  hereabouts,  a  part  of  the  time  in  Queensbury  and  a  part  of  the 
time  in  Kingsbury,  in  rather  an  unsettled  state  until  the  close  of  18 17,  when, 
as  intimated  above,  I  closed  my  business  here  and  soughtmyfortune  elsewhere. 

"  At  the  time  of  my  debut  as  a  physician,  the  physicians  in  practice  in  that 
vicinity  were  Dr.  Asa  Stower,  of  Sandford's  Ridge ;  Dr.  Israel  P.  Baldwin,  of 
Glens  Falls;   Drs.  Zina   Hitchcock   and   Russell   Clark,  of  Sandy   Hill;    Drs. 

Adolphus  Freeman  and Barnum,  of  Kingsbury ;  Drs.  Isaac  Sargent  and 

Roderic  Roe,  of  the  village  of  Fort  Ann ;  Dr.  Liberty  Branch,  of  West  Fort 
Ann;  Dr.  Joel  Tubbs,  of  Warrensburgh,  and  Dr.  Reuben  C.  Gibson,  of  Bol- 
ton." 

Here  follows  brief  sketches  of  the  physicians  named,  which  we  insert  only 
as  far  as  they  lived  in  this  county.  Of  Dr.  Asa  Stower  we  have  already  given 
a  sketch : — 

"  Of  Dr.  Israel  P.  Baldwin  (I  am.  not  sure  I  have  given  his  first  name  cor- 
rectly, but  I  believe  so)  I  knew  but  little.  I  met  with  him  often  and  I  believe 
he  was  a  reputable  practitioner  of  medicine.  I  remember  I  visited  him  in  his 
last  sickness,  which  I  think  was  consumption,  when  he  advised  me  to  get  out 
of  the  country  as  soon  as  I  could,  where  I  could  have  a  more  compact  practice 
and  better  pay.  He  said  I  was  doing  just  as  he  had  done,  riding  over  the 
mountains,  hills  and  forests  of  Luzerne  and  the  surrounding  country,  night  and 
day,  summer  and  winter,  wet  and  dry,  with  hard  fare  and  poor  pay.  This  was 
probably  an  epitome  of  the  experience  of  Dr.  Baldwin. 

"Of  Dr.  Joel  Tubbs  I  remember  but  little  more  than,  his  name,  though  I 
think  I  used  to  meet  with  him  occasionally  at  Caldwell  and  in  the  town  of 
Warrensburgh. 

"Dr.  Reuben  C.  Gibson,  the  last  in  the  list  of  names  which  occurs  to  my 
memory,  resided  for  a  time  at  what  was  then  called  Brown's  Landing  in  the  town 
of  Ballston.  Dr.  Stower  and  myself  used  occasionally  to  ride  into  that  town 
and  it  was  there  that  I  became  acquainted  with  him,  though  he  afterwards,  about 
the  time  I  left  that  county,  moved  to  Sandy  Hill  and  went  into  the  druggist 
or  some  kind  of  mercantile  business,  I  believe.  We  were  intimate  friends  and 
I  respected  him  very  much  though  I  have  little  knowledge  of  his  medical  at- 
tainments. 

"  I  cannot  say  but  Dr.  Rugg,  of  Glens  Falls,  was  in  practice  a  short  time 
before  I  left,  and  I  think  I  signed  his  diploma  as  secretary  of  Warren  County 
Medical  Society.     Dr.  Peck,  I  think,  was  licensed  afterward. 

"  In  the  professional  line  the  few  living  who  know  me,  or  knew  me,  must 
speak  for  me.  I  only  say  that  while  I  remained  I  had  as  much  practice  as  I 
could  do.  My  greatest  fault  was,  my  ambition  in  other  matters  was  greater 
than  my  means,  and  my  inexperience  led  me  into  pecuniary  embarrassments 
which  the  hard  times  for  money  in  that  county  just  after  the  close  of  the  War 
of  1 8 12,  completed  my  overthrow  and  made  it  necessary  for  me,  if  I  would  pay 


314  History  of  Warren  County. 

my  debts,  to  remove  to  another  place.  I  did  so  and  saved  myself  and  my  cred- 
itors too ;  I  have  since  been  more  fortunate.  In  politics  I  was  always  act- 
ive and  as  such  I  was  somewhat  distinguished  when  I  was  young." 

Here  follows  an  extended  account  of  the  various  political  offices  held  by 
Dr.  Paine,  which  we  need  not  reproduce ;  the  Hst  embraces  the  offices  of  clerk 
of  elections  (1809),  town  clerk  of  Queensbury  (1812),  justice  of  the  peace,  mas- 
ter in  chancery,  etc.     The  autobiography  then  concludes  as  follows  :  — 

"  In  the  spring  of  1813,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  my  father-in-law, 
David  Osborn,  I  moved  from  the  Ridge  to  his  place,  just  beyond  the  town  and 
county  line  into  Kingsbury,  and  remained  here  till  the  spring  of  181 5,  when  I 
moved  back  to  the  Ridge  again  and  remained  about  one  year  and  then  back 
to  Kingsbury  again.  I  cannot  say  with  certainty  that  the  Medical  Society  of 
the  county  of  Warren  was  organized  in  this  time,  but  I  think  it  was.  I  recol- 
lect well  of  attending  a  meeting,  I  think  about  the  beginning  of  18 16,  at  the 
Lake  George  Coffee  House.  Dr.  Stower  read  an  article  on  the  great  epidemic 
of  1813-14  at  this  meeting,  and  I  was  elected  secretary,  and  I  believe  a  censor 
of  the  society. 

"  Having  moved  back  into  Kingsbury  again,  as  above  stated,  I  was  again 
appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  a  master  in  chancery,  an  office  in  those 
days  corresponding  with  a  commissioner  of  deeds  in  later  times,  which  I  held 
till  I  moved  from  the  county  in  December,  1817. " 

Dr.  Paine  died  in  Albion,  N.  Y.,  about  the  year  1875. 


Bethuel  Peck  was  born  at  Sand  Lake,  Rensselaer-  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
i6th  of  June,  1788.  His  father,  Daniel  Peck,  who  was  originally  from  New 
Hampshire,  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  His  mother  was  Me- 
hitabel  Harvey,  of  Marlborough,  N.  H.  His  grandfather,  Ichabod  Peck,  of 
Cumberland,  R.  I.,  was  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  He 
was  wounded  in  action,  and  died  in  consequence  of  his  wounds.  His  wife  was 
Lydia  Walcott,  of  the  same  place.  His  father  and  grandfather  both  also  bore 
the  name  of  Ichabod.  The  latter  was  the  son  of  Jathniel,  the  son  of  Joseph, 
jr.,  who  was  born  in  England  and  baptized  there  August  23d,  1623,  came  over 
to  the  new  world  with  his  father  in  the  ship  Diligent,  of  Ipswich,  John  Martin 
master,  and  settled  at  Hingham,  Mass.,  in  1638,  from  which  place  they  both 
removed,  about  seven  years  later,  to  Seekonk,  now  Rehoboth,  Mass.  —  Peck 
Genealogy. 

It  is  not  known  with  certainty  what  causes  led  the  subject  of  this  sketch  to 
Glens  Falls,  but  it  is  believed  that  he  was  brought  along  by  some  of  the  return 
gangs  of  raftsmen  who,  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  here,  rafted  their 
lumber  to  market  down  the  Hudson  River.  He  at  first  found  employment  as 
a  stable  boy  at  the  old  Glens  Falls  Hotel.  Subsequently  he  secured  a  position 
as  an  office  boy  for  Dr.  Levi  Rugg,  with  whom  he  commenced  the  study  of 


The  Medical  Profession.  31S 

■medicine,  paying  his  way  with  his  own  earnings  from  a  practice  which  he  rap- 
idly picked  up  and  afterwards  retained.  He  subsequently  attended  medical 
lectures  at  the  Medical  College  of  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  from  which  institution  he  at 
a  later  period  received  his  diploma.  He  married  Jerusha  Winston,  by  whom 
he  had  one  child  that  died  in  infancy.  She  survived  him  a  few  years  and  died 
at  Chicago,  111.,  whence  her  remains  were  removed  and  deposited  by  the  side 
of  her  husband  in  the  village  cemetery.  As  will  be  seen  by  a  reference  to  the 
■civil  list,  he  was  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years  to  the  State  Senate.  He  was 
a  partner  for  a  number  of  years  with  the  late  Billy  J.  Clark  in  a  drug  and  med- 
icine establishment  on  the  site  now  covered  by  Vermillia's  market  After  his 
return  from  the  Senate  he  erected  the  brick  building  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  the  Glens  Falls  Druggist,  on  Glen  street.  Here,  in  conjunction  with 
Dr.  M.  R.  Peck,  he  carried  on  the  drug  business  for  a  number  of  years.  As  a 
medical  man  Dr.  Bethuel  Peck  was  a  close  observer  and  good  diagnostician, 
following  in  the  broad  beaten  pathway  of  the  schools,  he  was  a  safe  and  suc- 
cessful practitioner.  His  air  in  the  sick-room  was  well  calculated  to  inspire 
trust  and  confidence,  for  besides  his  genial  and  sympathetic  manner,  he  always 
■contrived  to  leave  the  impression  that  what  he  didn't  know  about  the  case  was 
hardly  worth  knowing.  He  acquired  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  the 
the  judicious  investment  of  his  resources  what  was  considered  in  those  days  a 
handsome  fortune.  He  was  for  many  years  a  leading  and  influential  politician 
of  the  place.      He  died  on  the  nth  of  July,  1862. 


Dr.  Penfield  Goodsell  came  to  the  town  of  Bolton  anterior  to  the  year  1805 
from  Connecticut.  He  had  a  wife,  and  also  a  son  named  after  himself,  but 
never  brought  them  to  Bolton  to  live.  He  was  the  first  physician  who  settled 
in  the  town  to  practice  medicine.  He  was  respectable  and  highly  esteemed, 
and  for  a  time  had  a  widely  extended  practice.  After  a  few  years  he  became 
insane  and  a  wretched,  aimless  wanderer,  up  and  down,  to  and  fro  through  the 
■earth  for  many  years.  After  the  establishment  of  the  county  poor-house  he 
was  removed  thither,  and  was  an  inmate  there  for  several  years.  At  length, 
having  been  restored  to  reason,  he  left  and  returned  to  a  former  home  in  Ver- 
mont, where  he  died. 

The  next  physician  who  settled  in  Bolton  after  Dr.  Goodsell  was  Dr. 
Reuben  C.  Gibson.  He  resided  and  practiced  there  somewhere  between  the 
years  18 13  and  1825.  In  18 14  he  was  allowed  pay  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
for  medical  services  rendered  to  paupers.  He  was  one  of  the  physicians  who 
assisted  in  organizing  the  County  Society  in  1813.  He  subsequently  went  to 
Sandy  Hill  and  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business.  In  this  he  acquired 
■some  property,  and  afterward  removed  to  Michigan,  where  he  died. 

During  the  period  indicated  in  the  two  preceding  paragraphs  a  Dr.  John 
Stanton  settled  at  Bolton  for  the  practice  of  medicine.     In  the  winter  of 


3i6  History  of  Warren  County. 

1 8 14-15  he  was  attacked  by  the  epidemic  (spotted  fever)  which  prevailed  that 
season  through  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States  "with  such  fatal  virulence,  and 
died.      His  remains  were  buried  in  Bolton. 

Dr.  Stanton  was  succeeded  by  a  Dr.  Paul  More  (or  Moore,  as  it  is  variously 
written),  who  settled  in  Bolton  about  this  time.  Of  him  but  little  is-  known, 
except  that  he  is  recorded  as  a  member  of  the  Warren  County  Medical  Society. 
In  1827  Dr.  Elisha  Moore  was  allowed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  an  account 
for  professional  services  rendered  to  prisoners  at  the  county  jail.  Could  it 
have  been  the  same  man  ? 

About  the  same  time  there  came  to  Bolton  a  Dr.  Samuel  Buckbee,  or 
Bugbee,  who  it  is  stated  was  a  man  of  superior  ability  and  attainments.  He 
is  also  recorded  as  a  member  of  the  County  Medical  Society.  He  built  up  a 
somewhat  extensive  business,  traveling  far  and  near  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. The  supervisors'  records  show  that  he  was  allowed  compensation  for 
professional  services  rendered  to  prisoners  and  paupers  in  the  years  1827,  1829, 
1830,  1831,  183s  and  1836.  In  1830  he  was  appointed  county  physician  by 
the  Board  of  Supervisors. 


At  a  very  early  date  Dr.  Herman  Hoffman  settled  in  practice  at  War- 
rensburgh.  He  represented  his  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  the  years 
1814  and  1815.  It  appears  from  a  record  at  hand  that  he  was  allowed  a  claim 
often  dollars  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Washington  county  in  1805.  He 
was  also  one  of  the-  physicians  who  assisted  in  organizing  the  County  Medical 
Society  in  1813. 


Dr.  Nathan  North,  the  only  record  of  whom  may  be  found  in  the  town 
books,  in  which  it  is  stated  that  in  February,  in  the  year  18 17,  he  made  a 
present  to  the  overseers  of  the  poor  of  Queensbury,  a  bill  amounting  to  $28.40, 
for  professional  services. 


Dr.  Zephaniah  Tubbs  resided  near  the  Baptist  Church  in  the  north  part  of 
Caldwell.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  profession  in  this  county,  and 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  County  Society  in  18 13.  His  practice,  if 
we  may  judge  from  the  records,  was  extensive  and  remunerative.  He  was 
allowed  claims  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  the  years  1824,  1825  and  1831. 
He  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Nathan  Tubbs,  who  subsequently  practiced  medicine 
in  Warrensburgh,  Chester  and  Glens  Falls.  He  finally  removed  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  died.  The  following  obituary  notice  appears  in  the  Warren 
CotC7ity  Messenger  and  Advertiser  for  Friday,  February  6th,  1835  :  — 

"DIED.  —  In  Caldwell,  on  the  29th  ult.,  Dr.  Zephaniah  Tubbs,  in  the  72d  year  of  his  age." 


Nathaniel  Edson  Sheldon  was  the  youngest  of  ten  children,  the  offspring 
of  Job  and  Joanna  C.  (Trippe)  Sheldon,  who  migrated  from  Cranston,  R.  I.,  to 


The  Medical  Profession.  317 

Barnet,  Vt,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  the  28th  of  September, 
1804.  While  in  early  youth,  Dr.  Sheldon's  father  removed  to  Delhi,  Delaware 
county,  N.  Y.  Here  he  received  the  advantages  of  a  good  common  school 
education,  and  being  baptized  and  confirmed  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  com- 
menced studying  for  orders  in  that  communion.  We  are  not  advised  as  to  the 
causes  which  led  to  a  change  of  pursuit  in  life,  but  shortly  after  we  find  him 
prosecuting  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Lang  in  the  city  of  New  York,  in 
one  of  whose  colleges  he  graduated  about  the  year  1831.  After  receiving  his 
diploma,  he  was  appointed  ward  physician  in  one  of  the  worst  and  hardest 
districts  of  the  city.  During  the  cholera  season  of  1832  he  saw  and  reported 
the  first  case  of  that  terrible  scourge  in  the  city.  His  superiors  scouted  the 
idea.  The  next  morning  seven  more  were  down  with  the  disease  and  three  dead 
bodies  in  the  building.  A  medical  commission  which  had  been  dispatched  to 
Canada  to  investigate  the  disease,  on  examination  confirmed  his  diagnosis,  and 
he  was  awarded  the  credit  due  to  his  discrimination  and  good  judgment.  At 
the  end  of  the  season  he  was  presented  with  a  massive  silver  pitcher,  v\'hich 
remains  as  an  heir-loom  in  the  family,  upon  which  is  engraved  the  following 
inscription  :  — 

"  Presented  by  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  city  of  New  York  to  N.  Edson 
Sheldon,  M.  D.,  for  professional  services  gratuitously  rendered  to  the  poor  of 
the  Second  Ward  during  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera,  A.  D.  1832." 

The  following  year  he  removed  to  Glens  Falls  and  embarked  in  practice, 
and  notwithstanding  a  sharp  and  sometimes  acrimonious  competition,  he  soon 
succeeded  in  acquiring  a  fair  proportion  of  the  patronage ;  the  population  of 
the  village  and  town  being  less  than  one-fourth  what  it  is  to-day.  For  nearly 
twenty  years,  and  until  his  voluntary  retirement  from  professional  cares,  he 
held  the  position  of  a  first-class  practitioner,  and  the  reputation  of  more  than 
ordinary  success.  Even  later  his  professional  brethren,  in  token  of  respectj 
elected  him  president  of  the  County  Medical  Society. 

While  pursuing  his  medical  studies,  a  young  English  lady,  named  Eliza- 
beth Goodwin  Olive,  stopped  for  a  few  days'  visit  at  his  preceptor's  while  on 
her  way  with  an  uncle,  a  clergyman  of  the  church  of  England,  to  Canada.  A 
romantic  attachment  sprung  up  between  them,  and  in  May,  1834,  they  were 
married.  She  died  on  the  30th  of  December,  1840.  On  the  3d  of  October 
1842,  he  was  again  married  to  Abigal  T,  daughter  of  the  late  John  A.  Ferriss, 
esq.  Soon  after,  he  engaged  in  the  drug  and  medicine  trade,  and  by  strict 
attention  and  assiduity  he  built  up  a  large  and  remunerative  business.  For  a 
large  proportion  of  his  life.  Dr.  Sheldon  was  known  as  an  active  and  influen- 
tial politician.  Originally  a  Democrat, -he  with  many  others  came  out  in  1838 
in  opposition  to  that  party,  and  for  many  years  his  office  was  the  rallying 
place  and  centre  where  politicians  arranged  the  local  affairs  of  both  the  Whig 
and  Republican  parties.      In  the  exciting  and    important  campaign  of  i860 


3i8  History  of  Warren  County. 

whose  events  culminated  in  our  late  civil  war,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  elec- 
tors of  the  Empire  State,  and  cast  his  vote  for  the  first  term  of  service  of  the 
martyred  and  lamented  Lincoln. 

In  1866  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  one  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  New  York  State  Institution  for  the  Blind  at  Batavia.  In  the  ex- 
citing campaign  of  1872  he  was  nominated  and  elected  county  treasurer,  a 
position  which  his  failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign  early  in  the  succeed- 
ing year. 

Dr.  Sheldon  was  public-spirited,  and  always  contributed  to  the  develop- 
ment and  advancement  of  the  place.  He  was  from  the  first  a  stockholder  and 
director  in  the  Glens  Falls  and  Lake  George  Plank  Road  Company,  and  for 
many  years  its  secretary.  He  was  also  for  a  long  time  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Glens  Falls  Academy.  Conspicuous,  however,  above  all  other  traits  of 
character,  was  his  sterling  honor  and  integrity.  In  the  language  of  one  wha 
knew  him  intimately  and  well,  "  He  would  not  have  done  an  unjust,  dishonest 
or  fraudulent  act  to  save  his  life."  He  died  suddenly  at  his  residence  in  Glens 
Falls,  on  the  3d  of  July,  1873. 


Dr.  Eliakim  W.  Howard,  was  born  the  2d  of  January  1808,  at  Fort  Ann, 
Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  being  the  son  of  Eliakim  and  Anna  (Williams) 
Howard,  and  received  his  preparatory  education  at  the  common  and  graded 
schools  of  that  vicinity.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  month  of 
April,  1830,  with  Dr.  Nelson  Porter  of  Fort  Ann.  In  the  winter  of  1832  he 
taught  school  at  Doe's  Corners,  and  continued  his  studies  with  Dr.  H.  Reynolds. 
Beginning  with  the  fall  of  1830,  he  attended  three  courses  of  medical  lectures 
at  the  Vermont  Medical  College  at  Castleton,  and  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion, December,  1833.  In  the  summer  of  1832,  and  the  following  winter  his 
studies  were  profitably  pursued  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Fletcher  Ransom,  a  physi- 
cian of  growing  repute,  of  Glens  Falls.  Immediately  after  graduating  he  com- 
menced practice  in  a  settlement  known  as  "  the  Oneida,"  a  hamlet  in  the  north 
part  of  Queensbury,  N.  Y.,  five  miles  north  of  Glens  Falls,  at  that  time  board- 
ing at  a  public  house  kept  by  Harvey  Low.  In  April,  1837,  he  removed  to- 
Warrensburgh.  He  resided  the  first  year  in  a  house  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Schroon  River,  on  the  road  to  the  town  of  Thurman.  The  following  year  he 
moved  to  the  upper  borough  and  lived  for  thirty  years  in  the  house  now  occu- 
pied by  Captain  F.  A.  Farlin.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  removed  to  his 
present  residence  on  the  north  side  of  the  main  street,  and  about  midway  of 
the  two  villages. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1835,  he  married  Rebecca  Brown,  of  Queens- 
bury,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters;  a  son 
and  daughter  now  living.  She  died  in  1869.  On  the  31st  of.  July,  1871,  he 
married  his  second  and  present  wife,  then  Mrs.  Adelia  {nee  Cameron)  Fenton. 


The  Medical  Profession.  319 

Dr.  Howard  for  many  years  has  had  a  laborious  and  extensive  ride  reaching 
from  Cedar  River,  in  Hamilton  county,  to  the  southern  extremity  of  Warren. 
Notwithstanding  his  advanced  years  he  is  still  hale,  active  and  vigorous,  and 
attends  to  his  professional  calls  with  the  same  alacrity,  zeal  and  interest  that 
he  did  forty  and  fifty  years  ago,  and  gives  promise  of  many  years  of  usefulness 
yet  to  come.  He  was  appointed  an  examining  surgeon  for  the  pension  office 
before  the  close  of  the  war,  and  has  acted  in  that  capacity  ever  since. 


Dr.  James  Cromwell  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
27th  of  September,  181 1.  He  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Oliver  Cromwell, 
so  famous  in  EngHsh  history  as  the  stern  puritan,  regicide  and  ruler  of  the 
English  commonwealth. 

His  early  educational  advantages  were  restricted,  with  the  exception  of  a 
single  year's  academic  instruction  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  to  the  scanty  and 
often  interrupted  opportunities  afforded  at  the  district  school  of  his  neighbor- 
hood. Nevertheless,  by  great  diligence  and  application,  he  succeeded  in  ac- 
quiring a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  ordinary  English  branches,  and  also  a 
fair  understanding  of  the  rudiments  of  Latin  and  chemistry. 

When  he  had  attained  the  age  of  eighteen  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  with  a  young,  and  subsequently  eminent,  practitioner,  then  residing 
in  his  native  place.  For  two  years  or  more  his  studies  were  thus  pursued  with 
advantage  and  satisfaction,  when  the  removal  of  his  preceptor  broke  up  his 
plans  and  barred  his  further  progress.  At  this  time,  also,  it  became  necessary 
to  seek  the  means  of  self-support  in  the  acquirement  of  a  trade.  This  was  fol- 
lowed for  four  years  and  upwards,  when  an  opportunity  was  gladly  improved 
to  resume  his  studies.  He  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  position  as  a  prescription 
clerk  in  the  city  of  New  York,  which  familiarized  him  with  the  character,  com- 
position and  properties  of  drugs  and  medicines,  and  their  recent  method  of 
combination,  preparation  and  administration.  A  position  afterward  obtained 
in  the  old  City  Hospital  during  the  year  1835  gave  him  ample  field  for  obser- 
vation and  practical  experience  in  both  surgery  and  medicine.  During  the 
terms  of  1837-38,  1838-39,  he  attended  full  courses  of  lectures  at  the  Medical 
College  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  pursuing  his  studies  meanwhile  at  the  office  of  a 
prominent  firm  of  medical  practitioners  at  Albany. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1839,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Brad- 
shaw,  of  Mechanicsville,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  a  union  which  for  a  lifetime 
has  proved  of  perfect  harmony  and  accord. 

An  eligible  opportunity  presenting  for  embarking  in  practice,  he  removed 
in  the  month  of  June  following  to  Mantua,  Portage  county,  Ohio,  where  for 
six  years  he  found  in  a  wide  and  constantly  extending  field  of  patronage,  am- 
ple employment  for  himself  and  an  assistant.  He  then  returned  to  the  east, 
and,  with  a  view  to  graduating,  attended   an-  additional  course  of  lectures  at 


320  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  Albany  Medical  College,  pursuing  his  practice  during  the  interim  at  Me- 
chanicsville,  N.  Y.  Four  years  after  receiving  his  diploma  he  removed  to  the 
settlement  known  as  "  The  Oneida,"  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town  of  Queens- 
bury,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  for  several  years.  Here  his  attention 
was  first  called  to  the  then  new  system  of  practice,  which  was  beginning  to 
find  scattering  adherents  here  and  there  throughout  the  country.  Pursuing 
his  investigations  carefully,  he  at  length  became  a  believer  in  its  efficacy,  a 
convert  to  its  law  of  cure  and  adopted  it  as  his  mode  of  practice.  He  soon 
after  (in  May,  1848)  removed  to  the  village  of  Caldwell,  at  the  head  of  Lake 
George,  so  long  and  favorably  known  to  the  traveling  public  as  an  attractive 
resort,  and  fashionable  watering-place.  Here  Dr.  Cromwell's  eminent  abilities 
and  marked  success  speedily  placed  him  in  the  possession  of  an  exclusive  and 
wide-spread  practice.  Here,  surrounded  by  influential  patrons,  and  an  ever 
increasing  circle  of  trusting  friends,  the  doctor  completed  his  life-work  and 
ended  his  days.  During  his  career  he  was  scrupulous  and  respectful  in  his  re- 
lations to  the  profession,  and  invariably  recognized  the  claims  of  suffering  hu- 
manity upon  his  ability  and  skill,  whenever  opportunity  offered.  He  associa- 
ted himself  in  the  various  organizations  of  the  faculty,  serving  as  president  of 
the  Warren  and  Washington  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  and  also 
of  the  Society  of  Northern  New  York.  He  was  also  a.  member  of  the  State 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society. 

At  the  fall  election  preceding  his  demise  he  was  elected  one  of  the  coro- 
ners of  Warren  county  by  a  gratifying  majority.  Like  most  men  of  marked 
character.  Doctor  Cromwell's  friends  were  fast,  zealous  and  warm  ;  his  enemies 
bitter  and  unforgiving.  His  death,  which  occurred  on  the  7th  of  December, 
187s,  has  proved  a  serious  loss  to  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  and  where 
he  was  held  in  universal  esteem.  The  following  testimonial  forms  a  fitting 
close  to  a  long  career  of  usefulness. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  vestry  of  St.  James's  Church,  Lake  George,  N. 
Y.,  held  at  the  rectory  on  Saturday  evening,  December  nth,  1875,  the  fol- 
lowing minute  was  unanimously  adopted  : 

Forasmuch  as  it  hath  pleased  Almighty  God,  in  his  infinite  wisdom,  to  re- 
move from  his  labors  in  the  church  militant,  our  beloved  associate  and  Senior 
Warden,  James  Cromwell,  M.  D.,  we,  the  rector,  surviving  warden  and  vestry- 
men of  St.  James's  Church,  do  hereby  express  our  high  appreciation  of  his 
faithful  services  as  warden  of  this  church  for  twenty  years  past,  since  its  or- 
ganization in  1855,  and  of  his  uniform  bearing  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  con- 
sistent churchman  and  devoted  servant  of  the  Lord.  And  we  record,  with 
sincere  feeling,  our  affectionate  remembrance  of  his  companionship,  and  of  the 
kindly  disposition  which  endeared  him  to  all,  and  secured  the  respect  of  the 
entire  community. 

And  we   further  desire  most  feelingly  to  tender  to  his  widow  and  children 


The  Medical  Profession.  321 

our  sympathy  and  sincere  condolence  in  this  the  time  of  their  sorrow,  com- 
mending them  to  Him,  the  dear  Lord,  who  comforteth  those  that  are  cast 
down. 

And  it  is  hereby  ordered  that  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  be  presented  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased,  entered  on  the  parish  record,  and  its  publication  asked 
in  the  Glens  Falls  papers.  CHARLES  H.  LANCASTER,  Rector. 

S.  R.  Archibald,  Cle7'k. 


Samuel  Jenkins,  M.  D.,  of  Queensbury.  Dr.  Jenkins  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Queensbury  on  the  19th  of  October,  1815.  He  was  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town,  and  the  family  of  which  he  was  a  conspicuous 
and  honored  member  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  respected  in  that 
portion  of  the  town  in  which  he  was  raised.  His  early  education  was  such  as 
could  be  derived  from  the  better  class  of  our  public  schools;  later  on,  his  ad- 
vantages being  of  a  superior  order,  he  graduated  at  the  Clinton  Liberal  Insti- 
tute in  1840,  and  was  for  a  considerable  period  professor  of  lauguages  at  that 
institution. 

In  1842  he  was,  after  a  course  of  preparatory  study,  ordained  a  minister  of 
the  Universalist  Church.  On  the  12th  of  September,  1843,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Almaria,  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Sarah  Anderson,  who,  with  two 
sons,  viz. :  Lyman  and  Palmer  B.,  still  survive.  The  same  year  he  was  called 
to  and  accepted  the  charge  of  the  Universalist  Church  at  New  Market,  N.  H. 
In  1844  he  commenced  the  study  of  eclectic  medicine,  under  the  tutelage  of 
Mark  Anthony  Cushing,  M.  D.,  of  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.,  and  from  the  period  of 
his  graduation  forward,  continued  the  practice  of  medicine  (except  at  Hunting- 
don, L.  I.),  in  connection  with  his  ministerial  duties. 

In  1844  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Universalist  Church  at  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  at  Lee  Center,  N.  Y.,  in  1845-46,  at  East  Medway,  Mass.,  in  1847-48, 
at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1850,  at  which  place  on  the  loth  of  February,  185  i, 
he  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Rochester  Medical  College.  For  the 
six  years  following,  namely,  until  1857,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Universalist 
Church  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  From  1857  to  i860  he  was  pastor  of  the  Uni- 
versalist Church  at  Huntingdon,  L.  I.,  and  again  in  i860  at  Schenectady. 
From  the  later  city  he  removed  to  his  birthplace  at  the  north  part  of  Queens- 
bury. where  he  remained  in  the  successful  practice  of  medicine,  supplying  an 
extended  radius  of  rich  farming  country  with  his  professional  services,  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  20th  of  December,  1873. 


Joseph  L.  Stodard  was  born  in  the  town  of  Moreau,  Saratoga  county,  N. 
Y.,  in  the  year  18 17.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  place,  the  circumstances  and  condition  of  his  parents  being  such  as 
to  preclude  the  opportunities  for  a  higher  grade  of  education.      In  youth,  how- 


322  History  of  Warren  County. 

ever,  he  foreshadowed  some  of  those  qualities  which  in  after  Hfe  contributed 
largely  to  a  career  of  usefulness.  In  character  he  was  diffident,  retiring, 
sedate,  candid  and  industrious.  But  small  portions  of  his  time,  even  in  boy- 
hood, were  passed  in  the  sports  and  pastimes,  fun  and  frolic  usually  character- 
izing that  active  and  formative  period  of  life.  Assiduous  and  attentive  to  his 
studies,  and  improving  to  the  utmost  the  scanty  opportunities,  he  laid  broad 
and  deep  the  foundations  of  future  character  and  intellectual  culture  yet  to  be 
achieved  by  his  own  personal  endeavors. 

While  yet  a  lad  of  immature  age  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of 
cabinet- making,  in  the  village  of  Palmyra,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  in  which  pur- 
suit he,  in  the  course  of  his  apprenticeship,  became  a  skilled  and  accomplished 
workman.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  was  assailed  by  a  chronic  gastric 
disease,  which,  for  a  time,  crippled  his  energies,  and  from  which  he  never 
fairly  recovered.  For  two  years  he  was  under  medical  treatment,  and  during 
this  period  commenced  the  investigation  and  study  of  topics  relating  to  med- 
ical science. 

His  health  being  partially  restored,  and  lacking  the  means  to  further  pur- 
sue his  medical  studies,  he  in  1838  removed  to  Glens  Falls  and  opened  a  cab- 
inet ware-room.  Renewed  application  to  his  trade  soon  brought  on  a  return 
of  his  disease,  and  thus  being  crippled  in  health  and  ability  to  work,  he  speedily 
became  embarrassed  in  his  pecuniary  condition  and  circumstances ;  and  soon 
his  business  venture  proved  a  failure. 

This  was  indeed  a  dark  and  gloomy  period  of  his  life.  To  add  to  his 
trials,  a  prolonged  fit  of  illness  ensued  which  greatly  prostrated  his  system  and 
sapped  the  vital  forces.     This  was  in  the  year  1847. 

During  his  convalescence  he  began  the  regular  course  of  study,  adopting 
the  Hahnemannian  system,  of  which  he  had  already  acquired  a  partial 
knowledge.  He  soon  after  embarked  in  practice,  and  notwithstanding  the  hos- 
tility and  opposition  of  the  other  school  of  medicine,  he  built  up  a  substantial 
and  paying  practice  among  an  intelligent  and  appreciative  portion  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived.  For  twelve  years  and  more  he  maintained  his  posi- 
tion, constantly  increasing  in  the  confidence  of  the  community,  until  he  was 
again  assailed  by  the  disease,  whose  insidious  approaches  gradually  sapped  the 
fountains  of  life,  and  he  died  on  the  9th  of  April,  i860. 


Marvin  Russell  Peck,  son  of  Joel  and  Hannah  (Baldwin)  Peck,  was  born  at 
Sand  Lake  (or  rather  that  portion  of  it  which  has  since  been  set  off  under  the 
name  of  Poestenkill,  in  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.),  on  the  sixteenth  of  July, 
1822.  His  early  education  was  received  at  the  common  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood where  his  father  resided,  working  on  his  father's  farm  summers,  and 
going  to  school,  as  opportunity  offered,  winters.  As  a  somewhat  character- 
istic incident,  illustrating  his  tenacity  of  purpose,  he  followed  a  teacher  (whose 


The  Medical  Profession.  323 

superior  acquirements  and  ability  rendered  his  instruction  desirable)  to  Wy- 
nantskill,  a  distance  of  six  miles,  and  during  a  winter  of  considerable  severity 
made  his  way  on  foot  morning  and  night  to  and  from  the  school  whatever  the 
weather,  and  whatever  the  traveling,  as  long  as  the  school  continued.  After 
this  he  had  the  advantage  of  a  select  school  one  season.  He  came  to  Glens 
Falls  on  the  last  day  of  the  year  1842,  literally  to  seek  his  fortune.  That  win- 
ter and  the  summer  following  he  attended  the  Glens  Falls  Academy.  In  the 
September  succeeding  he  was  taken  in  as  office  boy  and  clerk  in  the  drug  and 
medicine  business.  Here  he  acquired  the  repute  of  being  one  of  the  steadiest 
young  men  of  the  place.  Two  years  later  he  was  admitted  as  an  equal  part- 
ner in  the  same  business.  At  about  the  same  period  he  commenced  his  med- 
ical studies,  which  were  prosecuted  under  peculiar  embarrassments  and  diffi- 
culties, at  such  scanty  intervals  as  could  be  snatched  from  the  cares  and  anx- 
ieties of  business.  He  had  in  the  interval  of  student  life  the  advantage  of  a 
large  practice.  He  entered  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  the  winter  of  1848- 
49  and  graduated,  after  attending  three  courses  of  lectures,  with  greai  credit 
in  the  class  of  185  i.  After  this  he  remained  three  or  four  years  in  partnership 
with  his  uncle,  assisting  him  in  his  practice,  and  then  sold  out  to  him.  He  was 
married  on  the  9th  of  September,  1853,  to  Miss  Marcia  L.,  daughter  of  Thomas 
H.  and  Eliza  (Miller)  Bemis,  of  New  York  city.  He  settled  down  to  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  commanding  a  fair  share  of  the  public  patronage  and  es- 
teem. Two  years  later  he  bought  out  the  old  doctor,  as  his  uncle  was  often 
called,  and  resumed  the  drug  business  in  connection  with  his  practice.  Sub- 
sequent to  the  death  of  his  uncle  he  bought  of  the  executors  the  building  used 
as  his  store  and  office.  Was  burned  out  in  the  great  fire  of  1864.  Rebuilt  the 
same  year,  materially  enlarging  the  size  of  the  building.  He  closed  out  the 
drug  business  in  1869  to  Messrs.  Pettit  &  Fennel,  after  which  time  he  devoted 
his  attention  exclusively  to  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Dr.  Peck  was  a  physician  of  more  than  ordinary  acumen  and  discrimina- 
tion ;  as  a  surgeon  he  had  few,  if  any,  superiors  outside  of  the  cities.  He  per- 
formed several  capital  and  important  operations,  and  a  more  than  average 
amount  of  success  attested  his  judgment  and  skill.  He  died  on  Friday  the  4th 
day  of  April,  1884. 


Uberto  Crandell,  of  Warrensburgh,  studied  with  his  uncle  at  Scipio,  N.  Y. ; 
entered  Union  College,  sophomore  class,  and  graduated  at  the  age  of  eighteen  ; 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  William  U.  Edgerton  two  years ;  attended  one 
course  of  medical  lectures  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  died  about  1846,  as  suppo.sed 
from  blood  poisoning,  the  result  of  a  dissecting  wound. 


Buel  Goodset  Streeter  was   born    25th   July,  1832,  at   Warsaw,  Wyoming 
county,  N.  Y.      His  father's  name  was  Joab  Streeter.      His  mother's  name  was 


324  History  of  Warren  County. 

Sophia  Wheat.  His  father  was  a  Methodist  preacher.  He  was  one  of  Bishop 
PhiHp  Embury's  first  class  of  converts  in  Hampton,  Washington  county.  He 
began  preaching  when  he  was  about  twenty  years  of  age;  first  at  home  as  a  local 
preacher,  from  which  he  moved  to  the  tract  called  "  The  Holland  Purchase,  " 
about  the  year  1828,  and  filled  the  position  of  traveling  preacher  until  the  time 
of  his  death  which  occurred  in  1868,  at  Carlton,  Orleans  county,  N.  Y.,  aged 
seventy-two  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  which  occurred 
when  he  was  nine  years  old,  was  thrown  as  a  waif  upon  the  mercies  of  a  heartless 
world  —  thenceforth  destined  to  carve  out  his  own  career,  working  as  a  chore- 
boy  wherever  he  could  get  a  job  of  work  and  receiving  such  chance  advant- 
ages as  were  to  be  obtained  by  an  irregular  attendance  upon  the  public  schools 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  for  two  winters  he  became  a  teacher  him- 
self He  all  this  time  lived  in  and  about  Warsaw.  When  eighteen  years  of  age 
(1850)  he  moved  to  West  Poultney,  Vt.,  where  he  entered  the  Troy  Conference 
Academy,  where  he  remained  for  a  year,  and  at  the  same  time  commenced 
and  prosecuted  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  tutelage  of  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Miller, 
a  young  physician  of  promise  and  ability,  who  had  then  but  recently  settled 
there,  and  who  afterward  completed  his  life  work  at  Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  died  about  the  year  1873.  In  1852  he  entered  Castleton  Medical  College, 
from  whence  he  graduated  at  the  end  of  a  second  term,  4th  of  November,  1853. 
He  was  married  soon  after  to  Lizana  Hotchkiss,  daughter  of  Captain  Hiram 
Hotchkiss,  of  Hampton,  Washington  county.  He  embarked  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  Hampton,  where  he  remained  until  about  the  year  1858  when 
he  moved  to  Granville  (Bishop's  Corners),  and  resumed  the  general  practice 
of  his  profession.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  moved  by  the  same 
patriotic  impulses  which  actuated  so  many  of  the  brave  and  daring  spirits  of 
the  North,  he  tendered  his  services  and  was  commissioned  assistant  surgeon  of 
the  Ninth  N.  Y.  Cavalry,  June  2Sth,  1862.  His  command  was  attached  to 
Siegel's  celebrated  corps,  then  operating  in  front  of  the  defenses  of  Washing- 
ton, and  was  in  action  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain  and  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run.  The  ensuing  fall  Siegel's  command  was  turned  over  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  and  constituted  the  Eleventh  Corps  under  the  command  of 
General  O.  O.  Howard.  During  this  period,  preceding  Burnside's  famous 
"  mud  march,  "  the  Ninth  Cavalry  was  detached  and  incorporated  with  other 
regiments  of  that  arm  of  the  service  into  the  cavalry  corps  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  under  the  command  of  Major  General  George  Stoneman.  During 
this  period  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  occurred,  in  which  this  brigade  was  a 
participant,  acting  as  provost  guard,  the  remainder  of  the  corps  being  detached 
on  a  raid  to  the  rear  of  the  rebel  lines.  General  Stoneman  _was  superseded 
soon  afterward  by  Major  General  Alfred  Pleasanton,  under  whose  leadership 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  surgeon,  and  trans- 


/^f"** 


B.  G.  Streeter,  M.  D 


The  Medical  Profession.  325 


ferred  to  the  Fourth  N.  Y.  Cavalry  in  the  same  brigade.  On  the  9th  of  June, 
1863,  the  entire  corps  was  ordered  to  make  a  reconnaissance  in  force  across  the 
Rappahannock  from  the  vicinity  of  Stafford  C.  H.,  and  in  discharging  that  duty 
struck  the  right  flank  of  the  rebel  army  under  General  I.ee  at  Brandy  Station, 
where  a  severe  all-day  action  occurred,  resulting  in  being  driven  back  across 
the  Rappahannock,  two  heavy  skirmishes  having  taken  place  previously  at 
Beverly's  and  Kelly's  Fords.  From  opposite  Brandy  Station — the  two  armies 
moving  in  parallel  lines  down  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  a  spur  of  the  Blue 
Ridge — the  corps  was  ordered  to  make  a  reconnaissance  through  Ashby's  Gap 
to  determine  the  enemy's  strength  and  location;  here  at  Aldie  on  the  17th  the 
corps  encountered  a  division  of  Jeb  Stuart's  cavalry  and  had  a  severe  engage- 
ment in  which  the  colonel,  Louis  P.  Di  Cesnola,  was  wounded  and  taken  pris- 
oner. The  rebels  were  driven  through  and  beyond  Middleburg  on  the  Little 
Valley  Pike  where  they  remained  until  the  19th,  the  interval  being  devoted  to 
bringing  up  the  supplies  and  caring  for  the  wounded;  then  moving  forward  en- 
countered the  enemy  again  a  little  beyond  the  town  where  another  severe 
action  took  place,  resulting  in  again  driving  the  enemy.  On  the  21st  another 
encounter  took  place  at  Upperville,  which  resulted  in  the  dispersion  of  the 
enemy  in  the  direction  of  their  main  army.  During  these  various  actions, 
casualties  to  the  number  of  several  hundred  occurred  which  kept  the  medical 
force  in  general,  and  Dr.  Streeter  in  particular,  in  active  employment,  engaged 
in  amputations  and  superintending  the  removal  of  the  wounded.  Here  it  was 
definitely  ascertained  that  the  enemy  had  determined  upon  invading  the  Union 
territory,  and  the  cavalry  corps,  acting  as  an  army  of  observation,  retired  slowly 
before  the  enemy's  advance  until  the  famous  battle-field  of  Gettysburg  was 
reached,  when  the  division  of  General  Gregg,  in  which  the  Fourth  N.  Y.  Cavalry 
was  included,  was  stationed  to  guard  the  right  flank  of  the  Union  army  and 
protect  the  immense  trains  of  supplies  and  stores  in  the  rear.  After  the  defeat 
of  the  rebels  at  Gettysburg  this  division  was  dispatched  in  pursuit  of  the  re- 
treating army,  with  the  rear  guard  of  which  they  had  an  active  engagement  at 
Falling  Waters.  From  this  time  forth  Dr.  Streeter's  regiment  participated  in 
all  the  active  movements  of  the  cavalry  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
until  the  close  of  the  campaign  and  then  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Cul- 
pepper Court  House.  In  the  following  May,  1864,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
being  under  the  leadership  of  General  Grant,  and  the  command  of  the  cavalry 
having  been  transferred  to  General  Sheridan,  this  force  crossed  the  Rapidan  at 
Germania  Ford  and  participated  in  the  series  of  engagements  known  in  history 
as  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  After  the  action  of  Todd's  Tavern  (one  of  the 
series),  Dr.  Streeter  was  ordered  to  take  a  large  ambulance  train  of  wounded 
and  medical  supplies  and  establish  a  hospital  for  the  care  of  the  wounded  and 
sick  of  the  cavalry  corps,  numbering  about  2,000.  Of  this  he  had  charge  from 
two  to  three  weeks,  his  time  being  fully  occupied  in  the  cares  and   duties   de- 


326  History  of  Warren  County. 

volving  upon  so  important  a  responsibility.     At  the  end  of  this  period  the  hos- 
pital was  broken  up  and  the  sick  and  wounded  placed  on  transports   and   sent 
to  Washington,  the  doctor  being  ordered  to  rejoin  his  regiment,  which  he  found 
stationed  at  Whitehouse  Landing.     Crossing  the  James  River  with  his  regiment, 
he  remained  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  Washington  was  again  threat- 
ened by  the  invasion  of  Early  from  the  valley,  when  two  divisions  of  the  cav- 
alry  (including  the   doctor's   brigade)  were  dispatched   to   the    relief  of   the 
national   capital,  under  the  command  of  General  Sheridan,  whose  name  is  now 
a  household  word  in  every  hamlet  of  the  North.     The   enemy  speedily  retired 
up  the  valley  followed  sharply  by  Sheridan's  troopers,  and  in  a  sanguinary  en- 
gagement at  Newton,  something  like  200  men  being  wounded,  the  doctor  was 
ordered  to  remove  the  disabled  and  wounded  to  Winchester  and  thence  to 
Washington  so  soon  as  the  railroad,  which  had  been  torn  up  by  the  vicissitudes 
of  war,  was  reconstructed,  he  was  afterward  ordered  to  rejoin  his  regiment. 
In  this  attempt,  after  having  discharged  the  duty  assigned  him,  he  was  cap- 
tured by  Mosby's  guerilla  band  near  Kernstown,  four  miles  above  Winchester. 
He  was  sent  to  Richmond  and  confined  in  Libby  prison  for  twelve   days,  and 
was  finally  released  through  the  kindness  and  intervention  of  Captain  Semple, 
of  the  rebel  army  and  inspector  of  rebel  prisons,   who   had   previously,  when 
wounded  and  a  prisoner,  received  many  kindnesses  and  attentions  at  the  hands 
of  the  doctor,  and  through  his  agency  and  instrumentality  the   latter  was   re- 
leased unconditionally  and  sent  forward  to  the  Union   lines,  reaching  his  regi- 
ment at  Charleston  Heights  on  the  I2th  of  September,  1864.     Here  the  doctor 
resigned  his  commission  as  regimental  surgeon  to  accept  the  position  of  acting 
staff-surgeon  of  the  U.  S.  army,  having  a  commission  from  the  general   gov- 
ernment, and  was  at  once  assigned  to  duty  as  surgeon-in-chief  of  Powell's  Di- 
vision of  Cavalry,  in  the  cavalry  corps   of  the  Shenandoah  Valley.      On  the 
15  th  of  November  following  (1864)  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as  medical  director 
of  the  cavalry  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah;  on  the  loth  of  January 
following  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as   medical  director  of  the   Army   of  the 
Shenandoah,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  July  ist,  1865,   when  he   with 
the  army  was  mustered  out  by  general  orders,  and  he  returned  to  his  home  at 
Granville,  where  he  remained  in  practice  until   April    ist,  1867,  when   he   re- 
moved to  Glens  Falls.     He  has  been  elected  coroner  two  terms,  and  served  as 
trustee  of  School  District  No.  2  from  1872  to  1881,  when,  upon  the  consolida- 
tion of  five  of  the  village  districts  into  the  Union  Free  School  No.  i,  of  Glens 
Falls,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  board  of  directors,  and  holds  that  position   at 
the  present  time.     The  doctor  feels  justly  proud  of  his  relations  to  our  public 
schools,  and  has,  during  his  extended   term  of  service,   proved  an   energetic, 
faithful,  and  efficient  officer.     Upon  the  organization  in  January  last,    in  Glens 
Falls,  of  a  board  for  the  examination  of  pension  claimants,  he  was  appointed  a 
member  and  elected  treasurer  of  the  same,  positions  which  he  now  holds.     In 


The  Medical  Profession.  327 

his  profession,  the  doctor  has  earned  a  wide-spread  reputation  as  a  skillful  sur- 
geon and  successful  practitioner  of  medicine.  He  is  still  in  the  prime  and 
vigor  of  an  active  manhood,  and  gives  promise  of  many  coming  years  of  activity 
and  usefulness. 


Godfrey  R.  Martine,  son  of  James  J.  Martine,  of  Caldwell,  Warren  county, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  on  the  27th  day  of  April,  1837.  ^^  came 
to  Warren  county  when  a  lad  of  eight  years  and  received  his  general  education 
principally  at  the  Warrensburgh  Academy  under  different  instructors,  notably 
among  whom  was  O.  E.  Babcock,  afterwards  General  Babcock,  conspicuous 
for  his  connection  with  General  Grant.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  pursued 
his  Latin  course  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  R.  C.  Clapp,  of  Chestertown,  and 
attended  the  Normal  School  in  Albany,  receiving  a  teacher's  State  certificate. 
He  afterwards  taught  in  several  of  the  towns  of  Warren  county  and  was  for  a 
few  terms  principal  of  the  Warrensburgh  Academy.  He  then  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Vermont  for  the  study  of  his  chosen 
profession,  in  which  he  continued  until  he  graduated  in  June,  1862.  Imme- 
diately after  graduating  he  returned  to  Warren  county  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Warrensburgh,  afterward  in  Johnsburgh,  and  has  prac- 
ticed more  or  less  in  all  the  towns  of  Warren  county  and  in  all  the  adjoining 
counties.  In  1882  he  removed  to  Glens  Falls,  where  he  has  attained  an  en- 
viable position  in  his  profession. 

Dr.  Martine  was  married  on  the  9th  of  September,  1 869,  to  Mary  Woodward, 
of  Warrensburgh,  a  lady  of  well-known  attainments  and  refinement.  They 
have  one  child,  Byron  A.  Martine,  born  April  8,  1883.  Politically,  Dr.  Mar- 
tine has  been  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  in  1866  he  was  the  nominee  of  that 
party  for  county  school  commissioner.  He  represented  the  town  of  Johnsburgh 
on  the  Board  of  Supervisors  from  1866  to  1870  inclusive.  In  the  fall  of  1869 
he  was  elected  Member  of  the  Assembly.  In  these  positions  of  trust  his  ex- 
cellent natural  and  acquired  qualifications  and  unflinching  integrity  enabled 
him  to  discharge  his  duties  to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  his  constituents. 

It  may  not  be-  out  of  place  here  to  state  that  the  present  popularity  of  the 
grand  and  beautiful  Blue  Mountain  Lake  region  is  due  almost  solely  to  the  fore- 
sight and  energetic  efforts  of  Dr.  Martine.  In  the  year  1875,  when  that  section 
was  an  unknown  wilderness,  he  purchased  the  site  and  erected  the  Blue  Mountain 
Lake  House,  a  splendidly  located  hotel,  accommodating  250  guests,  inclusive  of 
ten  or  twelve  cottages  which  have  been  gradually  added  to  the  grounds.  Roads 
were  opened  and  this  famous  region  has  become  one  of,  if  not  the  most  popu- 
lar resort  in  the  great  Adirondack  wilderness.  It  is  to-day  acknowledged  by 
those  best  able  to  judge,  that  Dr.  Martine's  perseverance  and  faith  in  this  en- 
terprise were  the  means  of  saving  the  Adirondack  Railroad  from  an  early  de- 
cline. The  lasting  benefits  thus  conferred  upon  the  people  of  that  section  and 
the  public  at  large,  can  never  be  properly  estimated. 


328  •  History  of  Warren  County. 

Dr.  Martine  is  a  Fellow  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  and 
one  of  its  original  members ;  has  been  president  of  the  Warren  County  Medi- 
cal Society ;  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  to  which  he  has 
been  several  times  elected  delegate,  and  is  now  secretary  of  the  Pension  Board 
of  Examining  Surgeons,  at  Glens  Falls.  With  the  exception  of  a  short  terni 
of  volunteer  service  in  the  hospital  at  Annapohs,  Md.,  during  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  Dr.  Martine's  labors  in  the  medical  profession,  now  extending 
over  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  have  been  confined  to  Warren  county 
and  its  surroundings,  and  his  record  throughout  this  whole  section  is  that  of  a 
faithful  and  reliable  physician. 


Dr.  Fletcher  Ransom  came  to  Glens  Falls  in  the  year  1824.  His  office 
was  in  a  framed  building,  subsequently  occupied  by  Billy  J.  Clark  as  a  drug 
store,  which  stood  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Albert  Vermillia  as  a  meat- 
market.  He  was  born  in  West  Townshend,  Windham  county,  Vt,  in  the  year 
1 80 1,  and  graduated  at  the  Vermont  Medical  School  at  Castleton,  Vt,  a  short 
time  previous  to  his  removal  to  Glens  Falls.  He  married  the  daughter  of  John 
Noyce,  esq.,  of  Putney,  Vt,  who  died  about  the  year  1849  ^t  their  home  in 
Michigan.  In  1830,  according  to  the  supervisors'  record,  he  was  allowed  a 
claim  for  treating  paupers.  Dr.  Ransom  was  an  enthusiast  in  his  profession, 
and  shortly  gathered  about  him  a  number  of  young,  ardent  and  aspiring  stu- 
dents of  medicine.  In  furthering  their  purposes,  and  in  perfecting  his  own 
knowledge  of  anatomy,  it  is  stated  that  he  sent  below  for  subjects  for  dissection 
and  practiced  his  anatomical  researches,  in  company  with  his  students,  as  op- 
portunity presented.  As  this  became  gradually  known  to  the  public  it  met 
with  popular  disfavor  and  dislike.  Whether  owing  to  this  or  other  causes  is 
not  known  to  the  writer,  but  at  all  events  he  suddenly  decided  to  remove  from 
the  place,  and  in  the  spring  of  1835  he,  in  company  with  A.  T.  Prouty  and 
Colonel  Fred  Curtenius,  removed  to  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  where  it  is  understood 
he  abandoned  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  settled  down  to  a  farmer's  life 
and  all  its  peaceful,  prosperous,  and  uneventful  details,  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  took  place  on  the  2d  of  June,  1867. 


Truman  Barney  Hicks  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sunderland,  Bennington 
county,  Vt,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1785.  He  was  the  son  of  Simeon  and 
Molly  (Barney)  Hicks.  Simeon  Hicks  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion and  with  that  galaxy  of  Vermont  patriots  present  in  action  at  the  battle 
of  Bennington. 

Dr.  Hicks's  educational  advantages  were  only  such  as  could  be  obtained  in 
the  very  common  schools  of  a  border  settlement  He  attended  lectures  and 
graduated  at  the  Medical  College  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.  One  of  the  professors  of 
this  institution  was  named  Westch  Willoughby,  for  whom  he  formed  so  warm 


-/  '^/^' 


'''/l,/Jl,r-'l^7'Z£.,  ._^/f , 


J/) 


r' .-  JIlOlc  c  .'^L^  lICiM  I'.' 


The  Medical  Profession.  329 

and  durable  a  friendship  as  in  later  years  to  name  for  him  his  youngest  son. 
In  1 8 10  he  commenced  practice  at  Wilton,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.  His  first 
wife  was  a  Miss  Barbara  Hays,  of  Rutland,  Vt,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  one  daughter.  From  Wilton  he  moved  to  Hadley  in  the 
same  county,  and  later  on  to  Luzerne,  where  he  resided  for  many  years.  Here 
he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Charlotte  B.,  daughter  of  Judge  Jeremy  Rock- 
well, of  Hadley.  By  her  he  had  one  son,  already  referred  to  in  a  preceding 
paragraph.  Dr.  Hicks  was  a  man  of  unusual  ability,  good  judgment  and  fair 
attainments.  He  was  a  rugged,  manly  type  of  the  hardy  Green  Mountain 
Boys,  such  as  Ethan  Allen,  Remember  Baker,  and  Seth  Warner,  of  Revolu- 
tionary memory,  and  of  whom  his  father  was  another  kindred  spirit.  Jovial 
and  rollicking,  self-reliant,  ready  for  any  emergency,  he  had  many  fast  and 
warm  friends  and  but  few  foes.  In  his  practice  he  had  few  equals  in  this  sec- 
tion of  country.  He  was  often  called  either  in  counsel  or  for  professional  ser- 
vices for  distances  of  thirty  or  forty  miles,  and  in  his  prime  his  activity  and 
endurance  were  something  wonderful.  From  Luzerne  Dr.  Hicks  removed  to 
Caldwell  at  the  head  of  Lake  George  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  In  the  course  of  his  life  he  filled  many  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 
He  served  seven  months  in  the  American  army  in  the  last  war  with  England, 
was  commissioner  of  highways,  colonel  of  militia,  associate  judge  of  the  Warren 
County  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  coroner  in  the  year  1827,  and  member  of  As- 
sembly for  Warren  county  in  the  years  1828  and  1835.  In  1846  he  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  the  Regents  of  the  University 
of  the  State  of  New. York.  In  1847  he  was  elected  a  permanent  member  of 
the  State  Medical  Society,  in  which  body  he  had  for  many  years  represented 
the  county  of  Warren. 

He  died  at  Caldwell,  Warren  county,  N.  Y,  on  the  i6th  of  September, 
1848,  after  an  illness  of  about  two  weeks'  duration.  His  remains  were  removed 
to  the  town  of  Wilton,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  for  burial. 


Marshall  S.  Littlefield  was  born  in  the  year  1804,  in  the  town  of  Arling- 
ton, Vt.  He  was  the  son  of  Simeon  and  Lydia  Littlefield.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town.  He  studied  med- 
icine with  his  father,  who  was  also  a  physician  of  considerable  note  and  ability, 
and  had  an  extended  ride  through  the  rough  mountainous  region  which  envi- 
roned his  home.  After  passing  through  two  or  three  courses  of  lectures  at 
the  Vermont  Medical  College  at  Castleton,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  received 
his  diploma  from  that  institution  in  due  course.  He  at  first  located  at  Caven- 
dish, Vt.,  where  he  embarked  in  practice  and  remained  about  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  this  period  he  returned  to  Arlington  and  married  a  Miss  Hoyt,  and 
remained  in  practice  there  until  her  death,  which  occurred  in  something  less 
than  two  years.      In  1830  he  removed  to  the  hamlet  known  as  Pattin's  Mills  in 


33°  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  north  part  of  the  town  of  Kingsbury.  Here  he  speedily  became  popular 
and  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  During  his  sojourn  at  this 
point  he  joined  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  he  remained  a  consistent  and 
exemplary  member  to  the  day  of  his  death.  In  1838  he  removed  to  Glens 
Falls  and  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  medicine.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catharine  Buckbee,  formerly  of  Clin- 
ton, Duchess  county,  N.  Y.  He  continued  in  the  flood-tide  of  remunerative 
and  successful  practice  up  to  within  a  few  days  of  his  demise.  He  was  a  kind 
and  indulgent  husband  and  father.  Genial,  sunny,  and  self-possessed  in  the 
sick-room,  always  well  dressed,  neat,  cleanly  and  tidy  in  his  personal  appear- 
ance, his  general  air  and  manner  were  prepossessing  and  assuring  to  his  pa- 
tients and  friends,  who  looked  up  to  him  as  an  oracle.  He  died  of  typhoid 
fever,  but  notwithstanding  the  deadly  contagion  working  in  his  system  and 
slowly  sapping  the  fountains  of  life,  he  bravely  kept  at  his  professional  duties 
up  to  within  five  days  of  the  time  of  his  death,  and  retained  his  mental  facul- 
ties nearly  to  the  last.  On  his  gravestone  is  the  following  inscription :  "  Dr. 
Marshall  S.  Littlefield,  died  Nov.  20,  1863,  aged  59  years."  He  was  buried 
after  the  formula  and  ritual  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

SECRET  SOCIETIES. 

The  First  Lodge  of  Free  Masons  in  Warren  County  —  Glens  Falls  Chapter  —  Warrensburgh 
Lodge  —  Odd  Fellows  —  Horicon  Lodge  No.  305  —  Horicon  Lodge  No.  349  —  Riverside  Encamp- 
ment —  Other  Lodges. 

WARREN  county  has  been  represented  by  the  ancient  and  honorable 
Order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  since  early  in  the  century,  a  Chap- 
ter having  been  formed  in  Glens  Falls  four  years  before  Warren  county  was 
organized.  Since  that  date  lodges  have  been  instituted  elsewhere  in  the 
county,  the  following  account  of  which  has  been  kindly  furnished  for  this  work 
by  T.  S.  Ketchum,  esq.,  of  Glens  Falls :  — 

Glens  Falls  Chapter  No.  55  Royal  Arch  Masons.  —  On  the  29th  of  April, 
1809,  Ezra  Ames,  Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch 
Masons  of  the  State  of  New  York,  granted  a  dispensation  to  John  A.  Ferris, 
Israel  P.  Baldwin  and  Hanmer  Palmer  to  hold  a  Mark  Lodge  at  Queensbury. 
under  the  name  of  Felicity  Mark  Lodge.  This  body  kept  its  organization 
until  February  6th,  18*17,  when  the  same  Grand  High  Priest  recommended  to 
the  Grand  Chapter  that  a  warrant  be  issued  to  Asahel  Clark,  Charles  White 


Secret  Societies.  331 


and  Warren  F.  Hitchcock  to  hold  a  chapter  at  Glens  Falls  under  the  name  of 
Glens  Falls  Chapter  No.  55.  This  was  done  by  the  Grand  Chapter  on  the 
same  day,  and  the  charter  issued  at  that  time  now  hangs  in  the  rooms  of  the 
Chapter  at  Glens  Falls.  The  following  list  gives  the  names  of  the  different 
ones  who  held  the  office  of  High  Priest  in  the  years  indicated:  1819-20, 
Royal  Leavens ;  1821,  Charles  White  ;  1822,  Asahel  Clark  ;  1823-24,  James 
White;  1825,  James  Hay;  1826-27,  James  White ;  1828,  Henry  G.  Brown  ; 
1829,  James  White;   from  1830  to  1854,  no  record  whatever  exists. 

On  the  2ist  of  March,  1855,  John  S.  Ferry,  Grand  High  Priest,  granted  a 
dispensation  to  A.  C.  Tiffany,  Enoch  Ellis  and  Samuel  Ranger  to  re-organize 
the  Chapter  under  the  same  name,  and  numbered  154.  1856,  1857,  1858,  A. 
C.  Tiffany;  1859,  F.  J.  J.  Kerney ;  i860,  1861,  1862,  M.  R.  Peck;  1863, 
1864,  1865,  1866,  G.  T.  Lewis;  1867,  E.  R.  Lake;  1868,  Jos.  Mead;  1869, 
1870,  M.  R.  Peck;  1871,  1872,  1873,  1874,  J.  S.  Garrett;  1875  1876,  T.  S. 
Ketchum;  1877,  W.  H.  Van  Cott ;  1878,  1879,  1880,  1881,  1882,  T.  S.  Ketch- 
um;    1883-84,  C.  H.  Hitchcock;    1885,  W.  S.  Whitney. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  1861,  Dr.  M.  R.  Peck,  then  High  Priest,  secured 
the  passage  of  a  resolution  in  the  Grand  Chapter,  changing  the  number  from 
154  to  the  original  number  55. 

In  1864  the  Chapter  was  burned  out  in  the  great  conflagration  of  May 
31st,  losing  many  valuable  records  and  nearly  all  of  its  paraphernalia.  In 
1874  the  Chapter  inaugurated  a  movement  by  which  the  different  Masonic 
bodies  secured  the  lease  of  the  present  Masonic  Hall  in  Sherman  building  on 
Glen  street,  which  is  claimed  to  be  one  of  the  most  convenient,  pleasant  and 
finely  furnished  lodge  rooms  in  the  State  outside  of  the  large  cities.  This 
body  has  among  its  members  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  town  and  is 
in  a  flourishing  condition, 

Warre7isbicrgh  Lodge. — This  lodge,  known  as  Warrensburgh  Lodge  No. 
425,  was  instituted  August  27th,  1857,  with  the  following  as  charter  mem- 
bers :  — Lewis  Persons,  Pelatiah  Richards  Benjamin  P.  Burhans,  Joseph  Rus- 
sell, Asa  Crandall,  M.  Nelson  Dickinson,  John  A.  Russell,  Hiram  McNutt,  J. 
G.  McNutt. 

The  first  officers  of  the  lodge  were  as  follows :  —  Lewis  Persons,  W.  M. ; 
Hiram  McNutt,  S.  W. ;  John  A.  Russell,  J.  W.  ;  Asa  Crandall,  treasurer ;  Ed- 
gar W.  Burhans,  secretary  ;  M.  N.  Dickinson,  S.  D. ;  Alfred  Emerson,  J.  D. ; 
C.  R.  Hawley,  chaplain ;  J.  C.  Heath,  tiler. 

The  officers  for  the  year  1884-85  are  as  follows :  —  John  G.  Smith,  W.  M. ; 
Albert  H.  Thomas,  S.  W. ;  Lester  C.  Dickinson,  J.  W. ;  Alexander  T.  Pasko, 
treasurer ;  Thomas  H.  Crandall,  secretary ;  Daniel  B.  Howard,  S.  D. ;  Louis 
Weinman,  J.  D. ;  Frederick  Loveland,  Thomas  J.  Smith,  M.  of  C.  ;  Miles 
Thomas,  chaplain  ;  F.  O.  Burhans,  marshall ;  M.  N.  Dickinson,  Miles  Thomas, 
Louis  Charette,  trustees;  M.  N.  Dickinson,  N.  J.  Sharp,  O.  F.  Hammond, 
standing  committee  ;    Eleazer  Herrick,  organist ;  Alexander  Smith,  tiler. 


332  History  of  Warren  County. 

odd  fellows. 

The  first  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Warren  county  was  Horicon  Lodge  No> 
305,  which  was  instituted  July  20th,  1847,  with  George  W.  Vanderhuyden,  E. 
C.  Hall,  Walter  Geer,  jr.,  Robert  R.  Tearse,  William  R.  Locke,  Albert  Ver- 
millia,  A.  W.  Holden  and  Stewart  Brown  as  members.  The  lodge  continued 
in  successful  working  for  nearly  twenty  years,  but  suspended  during  the  late 
war. 

The  new  Horicon  Lodge  No.  349  began  work  under  dispensation  Febru- 
ary 19th,  1873,  and  its  charter  was  granted  on  the  21st  of  August  of  the  same 
year.  The  charter  members  were  Stephen  Starbuck,  M.  M.  Taft,  C.  C.  La 
Point,  Franklin  Winship,  Andrew  Lennox,  L.  T.  Bullard,  Sanford  Duel,  and 
Seymour  Hawks.  The  first  officers  were  as  follows  :  Andrew  Lennox,  N.  G.^ 
C.  C.  La  Point,  V.  G.;  Seymour  Hawks,  secretary ;  M.  Hughes,  P.  S.;  Stephen^ 
Starbuck,  treasurer. 

The  present  officers  of  the  lodge  are  as  follows :  Sanford  Martindale,  N> 
G.;  Frederick  Chambers,  V.  G.;  George  W.  Capron,  recording  secretary;  E. 
H.  Gates,  financial  secretary ;  A.  Bloats,  warden  ;  M.  G.  Crannell,  conductor  ;. 
John  Hill,  inside  guardian ;  J.  R.  Kee,  treasurer. 

Riverside  Eficampment  No.  62. —  This  encampment  was  originally  located 
at  Sandy  Hill,  but  in  1874  steps  were  taken  looking  to  its  removal  to  Glens 
Falls.  This  rrieasure  was  finally  accomplished  and  the  first  meeting  here  was. 
held  November  8th,  1875.  Since  that  date  the  encampment  has  continued  in 
a  flourishing  condition.  Following  are  the  present  officers  :  J.  P.  Wilcox,  chief 
patriarch ;  M.  J.  Crannell,  senior  warden  ;  E.  H.  Gates,  junior  warden ;  Willard 
Monroe,  high  priest ;  Frederick  Chambers,  scribe  ;  N.  L.  Nelson,  treasurer  ;  R^ 
Hopkins,  inside  sentinel. 

Lodges  have  been  instituted  within  the  past  two  years  in  Warrensburgh- 
and  Chester  which  are  in  a  flourishing  condition. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  PATENT  AND  TOWN  OF  QUEENSBURY. 

WITH  the  Stirring  events  of  a  military  character  which  were  enacted  withirr 
and  near  to  the  boundaries  of  the  present  town  of  Queensbury  down  to- 
the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  we  have  endeavored  to  make  the  reader 
familiar  in  preceding  chapters  of  this  work.  Previous  to  that  memorable, 
struggle  for  liberty,  settlement  had  progressed  on  the  original  Queensbury 
patent  to  the  proportions  of  a  considerable  community ;  but  its  peaceful  thrift 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  333 

and  progress  were  disturbed  and  interrupted  by  the  Revolution,  and  most  of 
the  settlers  were  prompted  by  prudence  to  desert  the  homes  they  had  reared, 
or  were  driven  forth  by  war's  stern  necessities.  When  they,  or  their  successors, 
returned  at  the  end  of  the  conflict,  they  found  little  but  general  desolation  and 
the  partial  re-establishment  of  Nature's  supremacy  over  the  soil ;  but  the  arts 
■of  peace  were  resumed  and  prosecuted  with  vigor  by  the  pioneers,  and  ere 
many  years  had  passed  the  foundations  of  the  present  prosperous  and  intelli- 
gent communities  were  broadly  and  deeply  laid.  It  remains  for  us  to  note  the 
progress  of  those  early  settlements,  the  public  civil  acts  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
the  later  growth  of  the  town  and  its  institutions. 

Immediately  following  the  granting  of  the  Queensbury  patent,  its  survey 
and  partition  among  the  proprietors  early  in  the  year  1763  (as  detailed  in  pre- 
vious pages),  the  infant  settlement  was  begun. ^  Abraham  Wing  and  Ichabod 
Merritt  came  in  from  Duchess  county  in  the  summer  of  the  year  named  and 
made  an  opening  in  the  wilderness.  The  first  building  erected  was  a  log 
■dwelling,  which  stood  on  the  Sandy  Hill  road  near  the  site  of  the  residence 
■occupied  in  late  years  by  Charles  Parsons.  Here  Abraham  Wing  and  his 
family  lived  for  a  time.  Mr.  Merritt  and  his  family,  it  is  believed,  temporarily 
■occupied  the  block-house  in  the  neighborhood  of  Charles  Green's  steam  saw- 
mill. The  second  house  was  built  in  1764  by  Abraham  Wing,  who  gave  up 
the  first  dwelling  to  his  son ;  this  was  also  a  log  structure  and  stood  a  few  rods 
in  rear  of  the  site  of  the  old  McDonald  mansion,  now  owned  by  Gurdon 
Conkling.  The  third  building  was  a  log  house  erected  by  Abraham  Wing,  jr., 
and  stood  on  the  site  of  Kenworthy's  crockery  and  variety  store. 

The  valuable  water  power  in  this  vicinity  very  naturally  attracted  the  early 
attention  of  the  pioneers  and  steps  were  taken  in  1764  to  improve  it.  On  the 
9th  day  of  July  in  that  year  an  agreement  was  entered  into  between  Moses 
Clement  and  Moses  Phillips,  by  which  the  latter  agreed  to  build  a  mill  for 
Clement,  working  for  "7s.  per  day,  Jos.  Taylor,  his  journeyman  at  5s.  and 
John  his  prentice  at  2s.  per  Day."  In  the  final  account  rendered  Mr.  Clement 
was  credited  by  Phillips  with  " £g.  12.  o.  for  Boarding,  Drinking,  Washing 
and  Lodging,"  with  other  items.  A  dispute  arose  over  the  contract  and  suit 
was  brought  (probably  in  Albany)  to  recover  payment  for  building  the  mill ; 
this  occurred  in  March  or  April,  1765.  The  result  of  the  action  is  not  re- 
corded, and  it  is  of  importance  only  that  it  was  probably  the  first  law-suit  aris- 
ing in  the  community. 

The  location  of  the  mill  can  only  be  conjectured,  but  is  supposed  to  have 
been  near  the  mouth  of  Cold  Brook,  at  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town,  the 

1  It  is  stated  on  tradition,  that  at  the  time  of  the  division  and  drawing  of  the  town  lots,  one  John 
Buck  drew  a  lot  now  partly  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  corporation  of  Glens  Falls,  and  when 
the  surveyor's  bill  was  presented,  being  unable  to  meet  his  assessment,  he  sold  or  offered  his  interest 
for  a  peck  of  beans.  —  Hoi.dEN's  History  of  Queensbury. 


334  History  of  Warren  County. 

power   being  supplied  by  a  wing  dam  extending  across  the  island  near  the  left 
bank  of  the  river. 

There  must  have  been  a  saw- mill  in  operation  here  previous  to  the  erection 
of  the  one  just  described.  Whether  it  was  built  by  Mr.  Wing  alone,  or  in  con- 
nection with  his  son-in-law,  Nehemiah  Merritt,  or  by  the  John  Bracket  alluded 
to,  is  not  known.  The  fact  is  amply  substantiated,  however,  by  the  following 
document  found  by  Dr.  Holden  among  the  Wing  manuscripts :  — 

"  City  and  County  ) 

>  ss 
OF  Albany,         ) 

"The  deposition  of  Simeon  Chandler  taken  upon  oath  before  me  Patt 
Smyth  Esq.,  one  of  his  Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace,  for  the  county  afore- 
said etc.  That  in  the  year  1763,  James  Bradshaw  did  in  my  hearing,  agree 
with  Mr.  Abraham  Wing,  and  Mr.  Nehemiah  Merritt,  for  as  many  planks  and 
boards  as  should  be  wanted  for  the  work  necessary  to  be  done  for  the  said 
mill  in  Kingsbury,  in  said  year  1763,  and  on  said  Wing,  and  said  Merritt  de- 
parture from  Queensbury,  said  Bradshaw  did  desire  the  above  said  Wing  and 
Merritt  would  give  orders  that  said  Chandler  should  have  what  was  then 
wanted  for  said  work  and  said  Wing  and  said  Merritt  did  send  a  token  to  John 
Bracket  to  saw  what  planks  were  wanted  for  the  work  aforesaid. 

"  The  above  is  a  true  copy  of  what  was  wrote  by  the  hands  of  Simeon 
Chandler  the  i8th  day  of  Dec,  1763. 

"  Patt  Smyth,  Justice." 

In  the  year  1765  the  interest  of  Nehemiah  Merritt  in  a  mill  here  was  trans- 
ferred by  the  document  quoted  below  to  Abraham  Wing  ;  this  mill,  it  appears, 
was  built  by  those  two  men  and  may  be  identical  with  the  one  above  described. 
Following  is  the  assignment  by  Merritt :  — 

"  Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  I  Nehemiah  Merritt,  of  Beekman's 
precinct  in  Dutchess  county,  and  province  of  New  York,  gentlemen,  for  and 
in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  five  shillings  current  money  of  New  York,  to 
me  in  hand  paid  by  Abraham  Wing,  of  Beekman's  precinct  in  Dutchess 
county  and  province  of  New  York  aforesaid,  have  and  by  these  presents  do  for 
me  and  my  heirs,  remise,  release,  and  forever  quit  claim  unto  him,  the  said 
Abraham  Wing,  his  heirs  and  assigns  in  his  peaceable  and  quiet  possession, 
now  being  all  that  one  full  and  equal  half  of  all  that  saw-mill  on  the  great  fall 
in  Queensbury  township  in  Albany  county  and  province  of  New  York  afore- 
said which  we  the  said  Merritt  and  Wing  in  joint  partnership  built  together,  as 
likewise  furnished  said  mill  with  utensils  necessary,  likewise  the  dwelling  house 
standing  a  little  northward  about  ten  rods  from  said  mill. 

"  Now  therefore,  what  is  herein  contained  and  intended  is  that  I  the  said 
Nehemiah  Merritt  for  me,  my  heirs  and  assigns  will  and  hereby  do  release  and 
forever  quit  claim  unto  him  the  said  Abraham  Wing  his  heirs  and  assigns,  the 
one  full  and  equal  half  of  all  that  mill,  dwelling  house  and   utensils  belonging 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  335 

to  said  mill,  and  furthermore  the  one  equal  half  of  the  water,  and  water  course 
to  said  mill,  as  likewise  the  equal  half  of  said  mill-dam,  raceway,  logway,  and 
all  other  privileges  advantages  and  profits  thereunto  belonging,  unto  him  the- 
said  Abraham  Wing  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever. 

"  In  witness  whereof,  I  the  said  Nehemiah  Merritt  to  this  my  release  have 
set  my  hand  and  seal  this  seventh  day  of  the  tenth  month  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand,  seven  hundred  and  sixty-five. 

"  Nehemiah  Merritt.     [Seal.] 

"  Sealed  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of 

"  Benjn.  Ferris  junr. 
"  Reed  Ferris." 

This  mill  stood,  according  to  Dr.  Holden,  near  "  the  site  of  the  old  Spencer 
tavern,  or  Glen  House,  under  the  hill." 

Early  log  dwellings  other  than  those  mentioned  were  built  at  various  points, 
among  them  being  one  at  the  Butler  Brook  on  the  plank  road ;  another  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill  near  the  present  residence  of  Duncan  McGregor,  and  still  an- 
other near  the  residence  of  Henry  Crandell. 

It  was  about  this  period  that  the  proprietors  of  Queensbury  deeded  to 
Abraham  Wing  a  section  of  thirty  acres  of  unappropriated  land  immediately 
at  the  falls,  in  consideration  of  his  having  been  to  the  trouble  and  expense  of 
building  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  for  the  accommodation  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  instrument  by  which  this  act  was  effected  is  as  follows : 

"  To  the  honorable  proprietors  and  owners  of  Queensbury  township  in  Al- 
bany county,  your  humble  petitioner  showeth  : — 

"  That  Abraham  Wing,  late  of  Dutchess  county,  now  resident  of  the  above 
said  township  have  at  a  great  cost  and  charge  built  mills  in  and  on  a  small 
tract  of  undivided  land  in  the  above  said  township  to  the  great  encouragement 
for  settling  ye  above  lands  which  is  and  must  be  an  advantage  to  the  owners. 

"  Wherefore  in  consideration  for  such- cost  and  encouragement,  I  desire  ye 
owners  of  said  lands  on  which  the  mills  stand  will  convey  the  same  to  me  as  is 
underwritten,  etc. 

"  This  indenture  made  this  seventh  day  of  March  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-six  by  and  between  we  the  subscribers 
of  the  one  part,  and  Abraham  Wing  late  of  Dutchess  county,  now  resident  in 
Queensbury  township,  Albany  county  and  province  of  New  York  of  the  other 
part  witnesseth,  that  we  the  subscribers  for  divers  good  causes  and  considera- 
tions us  hereunto  moving,  the  receipt  whereof  we  do  hereby  acknowledge,  have 
granted,  bargained,  quitclaimed  and  confirmed,  and  by  these  presents  do  grant, 
bargain,  quitclaim,  alien,  and  confirm  unto  the  said  Abraham  Wing  his  heirs  and 
assigns  forever,  all  the  right,  title,  interest,  claim  and  demand  that  we  now  have, 
ever  had,  or  ouglit  to  have  in  that  certain  tracl  or  parcel  of  undivided  land  in 
the  township  of  Queensbury  in  Albany  county  and  province  above  said   situ- 


336  History  of  Warren  County. 

ate  lying  on  the  Great  falls  by  Hudson's  river  in  the  above  township,  bounded 
to  the  east  by  lands  of  Nathaniel  Stevenson  and  William  Haviland,  to  the 
.  north  and  west  by  lands  of  Abraham  Wing,  and  to  the  south  on  Hudson's 
river,  containing  about  thirty  acres  of  land,  be  the  same  more  or  less  ;  and  also 
all  trees,  wood,  underwood,  water,  water  courses,  profits,  commodities,  advan- 
tages, hereditaments  whatsoever  to  the  said  messuage  and  undivided  land  above 
mentioned  belonging  or  in  anywise  appertaining,  and  also  the  reversion  and 
reversions  of  every  part  thereof,  and  also  all  our  estate,  right,  title,  interest, 
claim,  and  demand  whatsoever  to  him  the  said  Abraham  Wing,  his  heirs  and 
assigns  forever,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  above  granted,  bargained  and  quit- 
claimed premises  above  mentioned  and  every  part  thereof  to  the  only  proper 
use  and  behoof  of  the  said  Abraham  Wing,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  And 
we  the  subscribers  for  ourselves,  our  heirs  and  assigns  will  warrant  and  forever 
defend  from  any  claiming  from  or  under  us  by  these  presents.  In  witness 
whereof  to  these  presents  we  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names  and  affixed 
our  seals  the  day  and  year  above  written. 

"  Benjamin  Seelye,  [l.  s.] 

"  John  Akin,  [l.  s.] 

"  Reed  Ferriss,  [l.  s.] 

"  Nathaniel  Stevenson,      [l.  s.] 
"  Jacob  Haviland,  [l.  s.] 

"  William  Haviland,  [l.  s.] 

"  Sealed  and  delivered  in  thp  presence  of 
"  Reed  Ferriss, 
"  Matthew  Franklin, 
"  Gaius  Talcott, 
"  Judah  Handy, 
"Jacob  Hicks, 
"  Eliezer  Herrick." 

These  early  mills  were  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  settlers ;  they  are 
the  first  necessity  in  all  new  communities.  They  were  far  different  from  the 
mammoth  establishments  that  now  occupy  the  vicinity  ;  but  they  sufficed  to 
supply  rough  lumber  from  the  magnificent  pines  which  abounded  in  the  imme- 
diate locahty,  and  were  the  beginning  of  the  subsequent  great  lumber  interest 
in  which  the  early  inhabitants  engaged  and  which  added  largely  to  the  thrift  of 
the  town  ;  while  the  grist-mills  were  a  still  greater  accommodation  in  giving 
the  families  facilities  for  grinding  their  grains,  which  they  otherwise  would  have 
had  to  transport  long  distances. 

The  need  of  transportation  across  the  river  was  felt  at  an  early  day  and  a 
ferry  was  established  about  the  period  under  consideration,  which,  according 
to  Dr.  Holden,  extended  "  from  the  upper  rollway  across  to  the  head  of  Water 
street  descending  to  the  river  from  the  old  Folsom  house,  on  the  south  side  of 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  337 

the  falls.  The  old  road  followed  the  course  of  the  ravine  leading  from  the  ca- 
nal basin  to  Park  street.  This  ferry  was  continued  with  little  interruption  up  to 
the  close  of  the  century.  The  first  ferry  house  was  a  log  building  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  and  on  its  bank  a  few  rods  above  the  dam,  and  was  occupied 
by  one  of  the  Parks  family.  The  cellar  is  even  now  visible.  The  house  was 
burnt  during  the  Revolution.  The  second,  which  was  in  use  subsequent  to 
the  Revolution,  was  built  on  this  side  the  river  near  the  roUway." 

These  various  early  improvements  aroused  the  apprehensions  of  the  Indi- 
ans, particularly  the  Mohawks,  who  complained  and  protested  to  Sir  William 
Johnson,  then  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  for  the  northern  department. 
The  Indians  witnessed  the  encroachments  and  improvements  of  the  whites 
with  jealous  eyes ;  but  the  wise  jurisdiction  of  the  superintendent  and  their 
confidence  in  him  prevented  any  outbreak,  and  their  claims  were  subsequently 
amicably  adjusted. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  town  was  a  son  of  Ichabod  Merritt ;  this 
child  became  the  grandfather  of  Isaac  Mott,  now  living  at  Glens  Falls  and  a 
prominent  attorney  of  the  county. 

On  Tuesday,  the  6th  day  of  May,  1766,  the  first  town  meeting  was  held 
in  the  town  of  Queensbury,  when  the  following  officers  were  chosen  : — 

Abraham  Wing,  moderator;  Asaph  Putnam,  town  clerk  ;  Abraham  Wing, 
supervisor ;  Jeffre)'  Cowper,  assessor ;  Ichabod  Merritt  assessor  ;  Asaph  Put- 
nam, constable ;  Ichabod  Merritt,  collector ;  Benajah  Putnam,  pathmaster ; 
Truelove  Butler,  pound-keeper;  Abraham  Wing,  overseer  of  the  poor;  Caleb 
Powell,  overseer  of  the  poor. 

Here  were  eleven  officers  and  only  seven  men  to  fill  them ;  those  seven 
without  doubt,  constituted  the  entire  population  eligible  to  office,  and  of  the 
seven,  only  two  were  proprietors  of  land.  The  modern  scramble  for  political 
station  was  then  unknown,  and  it  was  not  much  of  a  man  who  could  not  have 
two  or  three  offices  if  he  was  ambitious  in  that  direction. 

It  now  becomes  incumbent  to  mention  with  more  or  less  detail  some  of 
the  earliest  settlers  in  the  town,  besides  Abraham  Wing,  sen.,  and  Jeffrey  Cow- 
per, who  have  been  alluded  to.  While  the  latter  was,  probably,  the  first  man 
to  locate  permanently  on  the  patent,  it  does  not  appear  that  he  was  a  person 
of  any   considerable    prominence    in    the  community.  The   three   Merritt 

brothers,  Nehemiah,  Daniel  and  Ichabod,  married  the  three  eldest  daughters 
of  Abraham  Wing,  the  pioneer.  The  first  two  never  removed  to  Queensbury, 
but  Ichabod  and  his  wife  Sarah  did,  and  his  name  appears  above  in  the  list  of 
town  officers  for  1766.  The  oldest  son  of  Ichabod  and  the  first  white  child 
born  in  the  town,  was  named  Joseph,  who  was  born  December  17th,  1766. 
From  Ichabod  Merritt  are  descended  the  numerous  families  of  Motts  and 
Carys  in  this  and  the  adjoining  town  of  Moreau.  He  held  other  offices  in  the 
town  and  is  said  to  have  erected  the  first  frame-house  in  Queensbury ;  it  was 
22 


338  History  of  Warren  County. 

situated  on  one  of  the  town  plot  sections  near  the  Half-way  Brook  and  was 
burned  during  Burgoyne's  advance,  together  with  the  mills  at  the  Falls  and 
several  other  dwellings.  In  the  early  part  of  the  Revolutionary  War  the  fam- 
ily returned  to  Duchess  county,  whence  Joseph  removed  to  the  town  of 
Moreau  where  he  died  in  1826. 

Daniel  Jones  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Queensbury  and  was  a 
brother  of  David  Jones,  whose  fame  rests  upon  his  having  been  the  betrothed 
of  the  hapless  Jane  McCrea.  The  family,  consisting  of  the  widow  and  six 
sons,  settled  in  Kingsbury,  having  removed  from  Leamington,  N.  J.  After 
Daniel  came  to  Queensbury  he  became  one  of  the  foremost  in  developing  its 
water  power  and  was  interested  in  the  first  saw- mill  and  grist-mill  built  at 
Glens  Falls  ;  they  were  located  just  above  the  bridge.  He  married  Deborah 
Wing,  sixth  child  of  Abraham  and  Anstis  (Wood)  Wing.  He  also  bought 
the  islands  in  the  river  of  the  Jessups  of  Luzerne,  which  he  afterwards  con- 
veyed to  Abraham  Wing ;  one  of  them  still  bears  the  name  of  Wing's  Island. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  he  adhered  to  the  king  and  fled  to  Canada. 
His  lands  here  that  had  not  been  previously  disposed  of  were  confiscated  and 
sold  after  the  war.  At  the  time  of  Carleton's  invasion  in  1780,  his  house  was 
burned  by  the  invaders.  His  wife  died  in  Montreal  March  28th,  1782,  in  child- 
bed, which  fact  he  communicated  to  her  father  in  a  feeling  letter.  After  the 
war  he  settled  in  Brockville,  Upper  Canada,  where  he  received  a  large  grant  of 
land  in  consideration  of  his  losses  here.  In  latter  years  the  heirs  endeavored 
to  recover  the  value  of  the  lands  from  the  State,  but  were  unsuccessful. 

Zachariah  Butler  was  in  Queensbury  previous  to  the  Revolution,  and  also 
adhered  to  the  cause  of  the  king.  He  secreted  his  effects,  burying  some  of 
them  in  the  cellar,  and  fled  to  Canada.  His  dwelling,  on  the  Bay  road,  was 
burned  by  the  invaders  under  Carleton,  and  Butler  never  returned.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  Butler  Brook,  a  small  affluent  of  Half-way  Brook,  and  consisting  of 
three  small  streams  rising  in  the  swamps  west  of  the  village,  received  its  name 
from  him.  It  was  at  the  northernmost  of  the  three  branches  that  Washington 
and  his  staff"  stopped  to  drink  while  on  their  way  to  Crown  Point  in  1783. 

Jacob  Hicks  was  a  son-in-law  of  Abraham  Wing,  having  married  Content, 
the  seventh  child  of  Mr.  Wing,  when  she  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age.  She 
was  born  the  nth  of  April,  1755.  His  name  frequently  occurs  among  the 
Wing  manuscripts  of  an  early  date.  In  a  statement  of  account  dated  Albany 
22d  May,  1773,  rendered  by  James  Dole,  merchant,  of  that  city,  for  £6?,,  i6s. 
8^d.,  as  quoted  by  Dr.  Holden,  the  latter  is  credited  by  boards,  plank,  etc., 
and  Daniel  Jones's  bond,  together  with  cash  nearly  sufficient  to  cancel  the 
same.  The  conclusion  reached  by  this  is,  that  Hicks  probably  had  the  man- 
agement of  Jones  and  Wing's  saw-mill  at  the  falls.  Among  the  Wing  papers  is 
a  receipt,  dated  7th  July,  1774,  given  by  David  Dickinson  at  Stillwater,  for 
thirty-one  shillings  in  full  of  all  demands  in  favor  of  "John  Hix,  Deseest."   In 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  339 

another  receipt  given  for  payment  of  a  bill  of  goods  sold  Jacob  Hicks,  5th 
-^ug.,  1772,  the  paper  bearing  date  7th  May,  1774,  Benjn.  Wing  is  named  as 
executor.  These  data  leave  the  inference  quite  probable  that  Hicks  died  in 
the  latter  part  of  1773,  or  the  early  part  of  1774.  Two  daughters,  Sarah  and 
Anstis,  were  the  fruit  of  this  marriage.  Both  survived  and  both  married  and 
raised  large  families. 

The  family  and  descendants  of  Abraham  Wing,  the  pioneer,  demand  much 
more  extended  reference  than  we  have  accorded  them  in  an  earlier  chapter,  in 
referring  merely  to  the  first  settlement  of  the  Queensbury  patent  in  its  chrono- 
logical order  with  contemporaneous  events.  It  is  believed  that  Mr.  Wing's 
circumstances  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life  were  considerably  straitened,  owing 
largely  to  his  losses  from  the  war.  The  following  extract  from  his  last  will, 
furnished  Dr.  Holden  by  Judge  Gibson,  of  Salem,  N.  Y.,  throws  some  light 
upon  the  extent  of  his  estate  :  — 

"  Wing,  Abraham,  of  Queensbury,  Wash.  Co.,  last  will  and  testament  dated 
'  20  day  of  9  month'  1794.  Give  to  my  wife  Anstis  the  sole  use  of  my  house 
and  farm  containing  about  342  acres  and  all  my  stock,  farming  utensils  and 
household  furniture  during  her  natural  life.  To  my  son  Benjamin  and  to  his 
heirs,  etc.,  the  above  homestead  with  stock,  etc.,  on  farm  at  death  of  my  wife, 
to  my  grandson  Russell  Lewis  at  my  and  his  G.  mother's  decease,  if  he  shall 
live  with  us  till  that  time  or  when  he  shall  be  of  age  one  yoke  of  oxen  and 
two  good  cows,  to  the  remainder  of  my  children  and  G.  children,  viz.:  Abra- 
ham Winge,  Phebe  Merritt,  Patience  Babcock,  Content  Hixon,  Mary  Lewis, 
Grd.  children,  Joseph,  Mary  and  Deborah  Merritt,  Richard  and  Mary  Jones, 
Russell  Lewis  and  Willett  Wing  all  the  rest  of  my  estate,  viz.:  50  acres  of 
land  at  the  meadow,  rear  of  first  Division  lots  No.  87,  86,  85,  37,  19,  17,  and 
half  of  10  and  4,  to  divide  among  Abraham,  Phebe,  Patience,  Content,  Mary, 
Joseph,  Mary,  Deborah,  Richard,  Mary,  Russell  and  Willett,  and  if  any  or 
either  of  Grd.  children  should  die  without  a  lawful  heir,  then  their  shares 
among  the  survivors.  Appoints  his  wife  Anstis  exx.  and  his  son  Abraham, 
and  friend  Elisha  Folger  exrs.  Witnesses :  Warren  Ferriss,  John  A.  Ferriss, 
Reed  Ferriss.  Proved  before  the  surrogate  of  Wash.  Co.,  27  May,  1795,  and 
the  same  by  Abraham  Wing,  qualified  as  exr." 

Among  the  children  of  Abraham  Wing,  sen.,  was  Abraham,  jr.,  who  was 
the  youngest  son.  He  was  born  on  the  "  29th  of  6th  month,  1757,  and  mar- 
ried Mary  McKie."  They  had  seven  children,  the  youngest  of  whom  was  born 
in  Glens  Falls  on  the  17th  of  August,  1791,  and  was  also  named  Abraham. 
The  little  settlement  was  then  known  as  Wing's  Falls.  Mr.  Wing  secured  the 
elements  of  a  sound  business  education  and  joined  the  late  Josiah  L.  Arms  in 
mercantile  business  in  the  town  of  Wilton,  Saratoga  county.  He  was  subse- 
quently associated  with  several  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Glens  Falls  in 
various  enterprises.      Upon  the  opening  of  the  northern  canal   Mr.  Wing  saw 


340  History  of  Warren  County. 

his  opportunity  and  engaged  heavily  in  the  lumber  business.  The  extensive 
pine  region  in  the  Brant  Lake  Tract  passed  to  the  possession  of  parties  in  Troy, 
who  sought  out  Mr.  Wing  to  manage  their  extensive  business.  "  To  his  sagac- 
ity and  clear-sighted  judgment,"  wrote  Dr.  Holden,  "  do  we  owe  the  present 
system  of  river-driving  and  booming  which  annually  replenishes  our  mills, 
furnishes  employment  to  a  vast  array  of  labor  and  which  has  substantially 
helped  in  building  up  our  village  to  its  present  urban  proportions."  When  he 
assumed  this  responsibility  the  lumber  business  in  this  vicinity  was  looked  upon 
as  nearly  exhausted,  and  the  water  power  here  as  nearly  worthless  ;  no  one 
thought  the  extensive  forests  to  the  far  northward  would  ever  become  tributary 
to  this  immediate  vicinity.  But  Mr.  Wing  instituted  a  new  order  of  things  and 
gave  a  vigorous  impulse  to  the  entire  lumbering  business  on  the  Hudson  River 
and  its  tributaries.  He  soon  became  a  partner  in  the  business  and  ultimately 
sole  proprietor  of  this  and  other  large  lumber  interests,  and  accumulated  a 
great  fortune.  He  was  thrice  married  ;  first,  to  Abigail  Barnard,  of  Townsend, 
Vt. ;  second  to  Angeline  B.  (Vail),  widow  of  Alexander  Robertson,  of  New 
York ;  third,  to  Mrs.  Frances  A.  Glass  {nee  Bowman).  He  had  children  only 
by  his  first  wife,  and  two  daughters  only  reached  adult  age.  He  died  in  the 
entire  respect  of  the  community  on  the  13th  of  June,  1873. 

Daniel  Wood  Wing  was  the  second  child  of  Abraham,  jr  ,  and  Pollj'  Mc- 
Kie  Wing,  and  was  born  on  the  25th  of  July,  1780,  at  the  paternal  homestead, 
the  log  dwelling  before  mentioned,  that  stood  in  rear  of  the  old  McDonald 
mansion.  In  October,  1780,"  the  year  of  the  burning,"  as  it  was  afterwards 
called  in  fireside  story,  while  he  was  still  a  tender  babe  in  his  mother's  arms, 
she  fled  at  the  approach  of  Carleton's  marauding  expedition  and  took  refuge 
in  the  friendly  recesses  of  the  big  Cedar  swamp,  that  still  borders,  with  its 
dense  undergrowth  and  tangle  of  luxuriant  vegetation,  the  eastern  boundaries 
of  the  village.  The  night  following  she  lay  concealed  near  the  spring  at  the 
foot  of  Sandy  Hill.  It  is  said  of  her  that  she  emigrated  to  this  country  when 
she  was  but  seventeen  years  of  age.  She  was  a  woman,  if  all  accounts  be  true, 
of  fine  presence  and  rare  personal  attractions ;  of  undoubted  courage  and  hero- 
ism, well  adapted  to  the  rude  times  and  rough  border  scenes  of  danger  and 
peril  in  which  she  lived.  It  is  stated  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement, 
while  living  in  the  old  log  tavern  on  the  site  of  Kenworthy's  hardware  and  va- 
riety store,  she  killed  a  large  rattlesnake  which  she  found  coiled  by  a  spring  of 
water,  still  in  existence  under  Vermillia's  market,  whither  she  had  gone  for  her 
daily  supply.  The  rocks  and  ledges  by  the  river  banks,  and  the  numerous 
swamps  and  swales  of  the  neighborhood,  afforded  shelter  and  refuge  in  those 
days  to  vast  numbers  of  rattlesnakes,  and  their  extermination  is  believed  to 
be  due  chiefly  to  the  active  agency  of  swine  running  at  large,  rather  than  any 
other  cause.  ^ 

1  HOLDEN'S  History  of  Qiieensbury,  p.  82. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         341 

The  records  show  that  in  1802  Mr.  Wing  was  keeping  a  tavern  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Glens  Falls  on  the  corner  of  Ridge  and  Warren  streets,  where  he  prob- 
ably remained  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  landlord  and  merchant.  In  1809 
he  was  in  Sandy  Hill  keeping  a  tavern  and  in  18 14  was  again  in  Queensbury. 
Not  long  after  this  date  he  removed  to  Fort  Edward  where  he  carried  on  mer- 
cantile and  lumbering  business  and  amassed  a  fortune.  He  married  first,  July 
25th,  1803,  Rhoda  Stewart,  of  Kingsbury,  and  second,  August  i8th,  1825,  Al- 
mira  Higby.      He  died  May  25th,  1856. 

Other  descendants  of  Abraham  Wing  and  the  prominent  part  taken  by 
them  in  the  building  up  of  the  town  will  be  mentioned  in  the  proper  place  a 
little  further  on. 

Phineas  Babcock  was  one  of  the  earliest  immigrants  to  this  town  and  it  is 
thought  accompanied  Abraham  Wing  when  he  made  his  first  settlement  here. 
He  married  Patience  Wing,  daughter  of  Abraham,  and  raised  a  large  family. 
He  held  most  of  the  town  offices,  and  that  of  supervisor  several  times.  He 
suffered  heavily  from  the  war  and  received  therefor  little  or  no  compensation. 
He  resided  at  one  period  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  Not  far  from  the  year  1790 
he  removed  to  St.  Albans,  Vt,  and  located  about  a  mile  west  of  the  site  of 
that  village.     There  he  erected  the  first  framed  house  in  that  vicinity. 

"  Here,"  to  quote  the  language  of  a  member  of  the  family,  "  by  the  prac- 
tice of  frugality,  and  cheered  by  the  consolations  of  religion,  he  pleasantly 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  bosom  of  his  devoted  family,  and  lite- 
rally amidst  the  fragrance  and  beauty  of  surrounding  shrubs  and  flowers 
planted  by  the  hands  of  his  affectionate  companion,  a  woman  of  elevated  aspi- 
rations, and  refined  taste  and  culture." 

He  died  about  the  year  1820.  His  wife  survived  him  about  fifteen  years. 
She  died  at  the  house  of  her  son-in-law,  Willard  Jewell,  esq.,  St.  Albans,  Vt, 
in  the  month  of  February,  1836,  aged  eighty- four  years. 

The  name  of  Truelove  Butler  appears  as  having  been  chosen  to  the  office 
of  pound-keeper  at  the  first  town  meeting  (1766).  Of  him  Dr.  Holden  says: 
"  The  only  information  the  author  has  succeeded  in  obtaining  in  regard  to  this 
personage,  is  derived  from  the  following,  which  is  a  copy  of  a  paper  contained 
in  the  Wing  manuscripts. 

"  '  Memorandum  this  Ninth  day  of  November  in  the  year  1769,  that  I  Je- 
mima Butler  widow,  formerly  wife  to  John  Butler  Deceased  formerly  both  of 
Beekman's  Precinct  in  Dutchess  County  and  Province  of  New  York  Did  Put 
and  bind  By  Indenture  our  Son  Truelove  Butler  an  Apprentice  to  Abraham 
Wing  him  faithfully  to  Serve  During  the  time  the  S''  Indentures  specifyed 
which  was  about  thirteen  years  and  that  time  Being  Expired  ye  S'^  Appren- 
tice is  free  and  We  the  Said  Butlers  Did  take  and  Receive  an  indenture  of 
Abraham  Wing,  According  to  Custom  and  form  obligating  the  Said  Wino-  to 
Preform  Sundry  Duties  and  Preformances  and  Payments  to  our  S**  Son,  at  the 


342  History  of  Warren  County. 

end  of  his  Apprentice,  which  the  S**  Abraham  Wing  has  faithfully,  honestly, 
and  Compleatly  fulfilled  payed  and  don  according  to  the  Indenture,  and  our 
Satisfaction,  and  the  Indentures  which  we  had  Being  Not  to  be  found  and  Lost, 
We  the  Subscribers  Do  By  These  Presents  Acquit,  Release  and  for  Ever  Dis- 
charge the  S*  Abraham  Wing  from  all  agreements  Promises  Covenants  and 
Payments  in  S*^  Indenture  Contained  whatsoever.  As  Witness  our  hands  the 
Day  and  Year  above  Written. 

her 

'"Jemima  x  Buttler, 

mark. 

" '  Truelove  Buttler. 
" '  Witnesses. 

'"John  Smith  Jr., 

" '  Aron  Butteler, 

"  '  Reed  Ferriss.'  " 
Andrew  Lewis  was  another  of  the  several  sons-in-law  of  the  founder  of 
Queensbury.  He  came  hither  from  New  Milford,  Conn.,  and  married  Mary 
Wing,  the  youngest  daughter  of  the  family,  sometime  previous  to  the  Revo- 
lution. He  became  a  resident  of  the  island  at  the  falls,  known  as  Wing's  Isl- 
and. He  was  twice  made  a  prisoner  during  the  Revolution,  and  taken  to  Can- 
ada. On  the  first  occasion  he  was  one  of  a  fishing  party  at  the  head  of  Lake 
George  at  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Fort  Anne  ;  on  the  second  occasion  he 
wa'fe  captured  during  Carleton's  invasion  and  remained  in  Canada  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  Descendants  of  Mr.  Lewis  still  live  in  Warren  county.  He 
held  the  office  of  constable  in  1775  and  down  to  1780. 

James  Higson  (spelled  "  Hixon  "  in  Mr.  Wing's  will)  came  to  Queensbury 
previous  to  the  Revolution.  His  name  appears  in  the  records  as  having  held 
the  office  of  assessor  for  nine  years  between  1777  and  1800.  On  the  i8th  of 
January,  1777,  he  advertised  that  he  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  act  as  the 
"  executor  to  the  estate  of  Jacob  Hix,  [Hicks]  deceased,  in  place  of  Ichabod  Mer- 
ritt."  "It  is  presumed  from  this,  and  other  circumstances"  says  Dr.  Holden, 
"  that  he  had  married  a  year  or  two  previously,  and  perhaps  longer.  Content,  the 
daughter  of  Abraham  Wing,  and  the  widow  of  said  Hicks,  who  had  died  about 
the  year  1774.  Higson  was  taken  prisoner  together  with  Andrew  Lewis,  his 
brother-in-law,  and  William  Robards,  while  hunting  strayed  cattle  or  horses 
near  the  Blind  Rock  at  the  time  of  Carleton's  raid,  in  1780.  Another  version 
of  the  affair  states  that  they  were  preparing  to  go  a  fishing  near  East  Creek, 
on  Lake  George,  one  of  the  number  being  engaged  in  chopping ;  the  noise  of 
which  attracted  the  enemy,  and  they  were  surprised  and  captured.  They  were 
all  taken  to  Canada,  and  after  running  the  gauntlet,  were  rescued  from  the 
savages,  and  confined  in  prison.  Robards  afterwards  escaped.  The  other  two 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  provided  for  to  some  extent,  and 
probably  kindly  treated  through  the  influence  of  some  of  their  kinsmen  who 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  343 


were  refugees  in  Canada  at  that  time.  After  his  return  Higson  built  upon  and 
occupied  the  land  known  as  the  Rosa  farm,  about  one  mile  north  of  the  village 
on  the  Ridge  road.  On  the  authority  of  the  late  Mr.  McDonald,  Higson's 
wife  was  an  intimate  friend  and  confidant  of  Jane  McCrea ;  they  often  ex- 
changed visits,  and  after  the  atrocious  massacre,  the  Indians  exhibited  Jen- 
ny's scalp,  with  its  long  tresses  of  golden  hair,  at  her  father's  house  near  the 
lower  freight  house,  back  of  the  McDonald  mansion.  Higson  had  three  chil- 
dren, two  daughters  and  a  son  John.  The  latter  removed  west.  From  Betsey 
the  second  child,  are  descended  the  Burnhams  of  this  village." 

William  Robards,  who  was  born  in  Canaan,  Conn.,  February  loth,  1749,  and 
married  Phebe  Fuller  in  1774,  came  to  Queensbury  before  the  Revolution  and 
probably  soon  after  his  marriage.  His  name  appears  in  the  records  in  1786 
and  from  1790  to  1794,  in  which  years  he  held  the  office  of  supervisor.  He 
purchased  a  valuable  farm  on  the  Ridge  and  was  a  large  land  owner  in  other 
parts  of  the  town.  Dr.  Holden  writes  of  him  as  follows  :  "  He  was  merchant, 
farmer,  manufacturer  and  magistrate ;  a  man  of  large  influence  and  wide  pop- 
ularity. During  the  war  he  was  twice  made  a  prisoner  and  conveyed  to  Can- 
ada. The  first  time  was  in  1777  at  the  date  of  Burgoyne's  advance,  when, 
with  his  wife's  brother,  Andrew  Fuller  and  two  of  Wing's  sons-in-law,  An- 
drew Lewis  and  James  Higson,  a  flying  party  of  Tories  and  Indians'made  them 
prisoners,  and  conveyed  them  to  Montreal,  where  they  all  had  to  run  the 
gauntlet.  Robards,  being  fleet  of  foot,  made  his  escape,  but  was  afterwards  re- 
captured. He  afterwards  succeeded  in  escaping  again  from  his  prison  house 
by  breaking  through  the  windows  and  scaling  the  wall,  and  after  terrible  expo- 
sures and  sufferings  reached  his  home.  He  was  again  made  prisoner  while 
hunting  for  stray  horses  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Blind  Rock  at  the  time  of 
Carleton's  advance  and  was  exchanged  at  the  end  of  the  war."  He  died  Au- 
gust, 9th,  1802,  and  was  buried  in  the  family  burying  ground  by  the  Round  Pond 
at  the  Oneida.i 

Asaph  Putnam  was  a  pioneer  of  Queensbury  and  must  have  immigrated 
very  soon  after  Mr.  Wing's  advent.  It  is  thought  he  was  related  by  marriage 
to  Mr.  Wing.  He' held  the  office  of  town  clerk  from  the  year  i']66-i'j'j'j  in- 
clusive, and  was,  like  most  of  the  pioneers,  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 
While  he  resided  here  he  lived  in  a  log  house  which  faced  South  street,  on  the 
estate  of  the  late  Roger  Haviland,  near  the  big  dam. 

The  preceding  personal  sketches  embrace  most  of  the  pioneers  of  Queens- 
bury who  settled  here  prior  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  as 
far  as  records  are  now  accessible.  They  came  here  and  labored  in  the  wilder- 
ness, hopeful  and  confident  of  the   future,   to   build  for   themselves  and   their 

1  What  was  known  as  "  Oneida  Village"  as  early  as  1818,  and  as  "  The  Oneida"  in  later  years,  was 
a  settlement  on  the  Ridge  road  about  five  miles  north  of  Glens  Falls.  It  derived  its  name  from  Tom 
Hammond,  a  half-breed  Oneida  Indian,  who  kept  a  store  here  prior  to  and  during  the  last  war  with 
Great  Britain. 


344  History  of  Warren  County. 

posterity  homes  which  they  believed  would  rapidly  increase  in  value  and  ad- 
vance in  attractiveness  under  the  shelter  of  the  peace  then  resting  on  the  coun- 
try.    How  these  illusions  were  disturbed  we  shall  endeavor  to  describe. 

Of  the  region  of  Queensbury  as  found  by  these  pioneers,  it  may  be  said 
that  it  presented  an  undulating  surface  of  wilderness,  which  was,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Dr.  Holden,  "  but  slightly  broken  by  the  numerous  streams  and 
ponds  within  its  circuit,  whose  volume  has  been  greatly  diminished  by  the 
clearing  up  of  the  forests  and  swamps  from  whence  they  derived  their  sup- 
plies. 

"  Three  small  clearings  at  the  three  picket  forts  previously  named  barely 
served  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  old  military  road  which  led  from  near 
the  intersection  of  Glen  and  Warren  streets,  in  an  almost  direct  line  to  the  lot 
well  known  in  the  early  part  of  the  century  as  the  Mallory  place.  The  banks 
of  the  river,  fringed  with  forest  verdure,  the  island,  the  falls,  then  appeared  in 
their  native  and  undisturbed  grandeur.  The  site  of  the  village  was  broken  by 
three  deep  gullies,  or  ravines,  stretching  for  some  distance  from,  and  running 
at  right  angles  with  the  river.  One  of  these  ravines  now  forms  the  principal 
sewer  of  the  village,  running  down  past  the  old  foundry,  and  in  that  early  day 
opening  upon  the  river  precisely  at  the  point  occupied  by  the  Glens  Falls 
Company's  grist-mill.  In  the  upper  part  of  this  ravine  John  A.  Ferriss  con- 
structed a  fish  pond  of  considerable  size,  which  in  1802  was  well  stocked  with 
trout,  and  was  then  considered  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  place.  The  sec- 
ond ravine  may  to  this  day  be  distinctly  traced,  commencing  at  Cross  street 
and  running  parallel  with  Elm,  crossing  Park  street,  reissuing  through  the  old 
Berry  estate,  and  finding  its  outlet  in  the  river  just  at  the  head  of  the  falls.  At 
a  later  period  Judge  Hay  built  a  fish  pond  in  this  ravine,  and  Mr.  Gushing 
erected  a  diminutive  water  power  in  connection  with  the  old  red  market,  on 
the  old  Spencer  place.  The  third  followed  the  course  of  Basin  street,  and  af- 
ter effecting  a  junction  with  two  small  rivulets  at  the  basin,  opened  on  the  river 
nearly  opposite  the  steam  saw-mill.  Each  of  these  ravines  were  in  those  pri- 
meval days  the  channels  of  rivulets,  which,  fed  by  springs,  and  supplied  by  the 
wash  and  drainage  of  the  adjacent  table  lands,  lent  their  constant  supply  to 
feed  the  waters  of  the  Hudson." 

With  the  exception  of  Jeffrey  Cowper,  as  previously  mentioned,  the  first 
settlers  of  Queensbury  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  or  Quakers, 
and  after  the  little  community  was  established,  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  in- 
habitants was  the  inauguration  of  religious  services  after  the  simple  forms  of 
that  faith.  These  services,  it  is  supposed,  were  first  held  in  the  humble  dwell- 
ing of  the  founder,  Abraham  Wing ;  later  the  old  log  Quaker  church  was  erect- 
ed on  the  south  side  of  Half-way  Brook,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Bay  Road. 
Following  is  a  copy  of  the  first  permit : — 

"  Minute  of  a  monthly  meeting  held  at  Nine  Partners  in  Dutchess  county 
and  Province  of  New  York  the  19th  of  the  3d  month,  1767. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  345 

"  At  this  meeting  Abraham  Wing  in  behalf  of  friends  at  Kingsbury  i  and 
Queensbury  (and  by  way  of  Oblong  preparative  meeting)  requested  liberty  to 
hold  a  meeting  for  worship  there  once  a  week,  and  its  allowed  at  present  to  be 
held  each  first  day  at  twelve  o^ clock.  And  said  Abraham  Wing  and  James 
McKenney  are  appointed  to  have  some  care  and  oversight  thereof  and  make  re- 
port to  this  Monthly  Meeting  once  in  three  months,  or  as  often  as  they  can,  how 
the  meeting  is  kept  up  and  conducted,  and  what  satisfaction  they  have  in  meet- 
ing together  in  that  GREAT,  and  necessary  duty. 

"  True  Copy, 

"  Pr.  Zebulon  Ferris,  Clerk." 

The  old  town  records  for  the  year  1767  bear  the  following  record :  — 
"  At  the  annual  town  meeting  held  in  Queensbury  on  Tuesday,  ye    5    day 
of  May,  1767,  for  the  township  of  Queensbury. 

1  voted,  Abraham  Wing,  Moderator. 

2  voted,  Asaph  Putnam,  Town  Clerk. 

3  voted,  Abraham  Wing,  Supervisor. 

4  voted,  Abraham  Wing,  and  Asaph  Putnam,  Assessors. 
5' voted,  Asaph  Putnam,  Constable. 

6  voted,  Ichabod  Merritt,  Collector. 

7  voted,  Benager  Putnam,  Pathmaster. 

8  voted,  Benjamin  Wing,  Pound-keeper. 

9  voted,  Abraham  Wing  and  Ichabod  Merritt,  Overseers  of  the  Poor. 
10  voted,  Benjamin  Wing  and  Phineas  Babcock,  Fence- viewers." 

The  town  records  of  olden  times  contain  not  alone  matters  of  importance 
to  the  historian,  but  many  entries  so  quaint  in  themselves  as  to  render  them 
worthy  of  transcription  and  preservation.  Under  date  of  May  5th,  1772,  we 
find  that  it  was  voted  that  "a  Pound  be  Built  about  10  rods  North  East  from  the 
house  of  Abraham  Wing  and  to  meet  at  the  house  of  s'd  Wing  on  monday 
the  first  day  of  June  at  Eight  o'Clock  in  the  fore  Noon  to  Build  said  pound  on 
the  penalty  of  Six  Shillings  each  man  for  non-appearance." 

Again,  in  1786,  it  appears  that  another  pound  was  needed  in  another  lo- 
cality, the  entry  concerning  which  reads :  "  Voted  that  their  shall  be  a  pound 
built  west  of  the  brig  [bridge]  over  the  half-way  brook  near  the  publick  road 
on  the  forty  acres  left  for  such  purposes  to  be  built  on  Saturday  the  third  day 
of  June  next  Ensuing,  each  man  to  pay  six  shiUings  for  his  nun  appearance  on 
said  day." 

Scarcely  less  quaint  is  the  following  entry  made  in  the  next  year:  "Voted 
that  hogs  shall  be  Free  Commoners  by  warein  a  yok   the  debth   of  the   Neck 

1  James  Bradshaw  and  other  petitioners  for  and  settlers  of  the  Kingsbury  patent,  were  residents  of 
New  Milford,  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  whence,  also,  some  of  the  patentees  and  first  settlers  of 
Queensbury  also  c&me.  In  both  of  these  towns  the  Quaker  element  was  originally  very  strong,  and 
in  the  latter  for  many  years  predominant ;  spreading  hence  to  various  parts  of  Warren  county. — HoL- 
DEN's  History  of  Qtteensbury. 


346  History  of  Warren  County. 

above  the  neck  and  half  the  depth  blow,  and  the  Cross  peace  twice  the  Length 
of  the  thickness  of  the  Neck." 

In  the  same  year  it  was  "  Voted  that  there  be  a  bounty  of  Forty  Shillings 
For  Cilling  each  wolf  killed  in  The  Town  of  Queensbury,  To  be  paid  by  the 
Town  Treasurer  if  it  be  collected  before  the  seting  of  the  assessors,  otherwise 
to  be  maid  in  a  Tax." 

The  prevailing  absence  of  fences  and  the  difficulty  of  keeping  domestic  an- 
imals sufficiently  within  control  to  even  enable  their  owners  to  recognize  his 
own  without  distinguishing  marks,  is  indicated  by  the  numerous  entries  in  the 
records  describing  "ear-marks,"  as  they  were  generally  called.  There  is  a 
quaintness  and  flavor  of  unintentioned  humor  about  some  of  these  that  is  en- 
joyable. 

In  the  year  1792  is  noted,  "  Shadrack  Hubble's  ear-mark,"  which  is  tersely 
described  as  "a  Crop  in  the  Rite  ear  and  a  hole  in  the  same."  "David 
Sealye's  ear  mark,  a  Crop  of  the  left  ear  and  two  half  pennyes  the  under  side 
of  the  same."  Other  marks  were  "  a  swallow  fork  of  the  right  ear,"  "  a 
slantin  crop  of  the  upper  side  of  the  left  ear,"  "  a  double  U  in  the  end  of  the 
left  ear,"  etc. 

The  same  absence  of  fences  mentioned  led  to  the  annual  recording  of  nu- 
merous stray  animals,  a  practice  which  came  down  to  as  late  as  1850  in  some 
parts  of  the  town.  In  1802,  according  to  the  records,  there  "came  into  the 
inclosure  of  the  subscriber  about  the  ist  of  Jan.  inst.  a  redish  brindle  Cow  with 
a  bell  on  a  white  spot  in  her  pate,  on  her  left  side  behind  her  fore  shoulder  is  a 
large  white  spot,  all  her  feet  white,  some  white  under  her  belly,  about  three  or 
four  years  old.  Wm.  Robbards." 

One  more  of  these  entries  which  occurs  in  the  year  1833:  "The  under- 
signed whose  place  of  residence  is  in  said  town  has  on  his  enclosed  lands  in  said 
town,  one  Stray  Cow,  and  the  following  is  a  description  of  the  colour  and 
marks  natural  and  artificial  of  the  said  stray,  a  Red  and  white  cow  with  a  white 
spot  in  her  fore-head  and  the  ends  of  her  horns  sawed  off,  four  years  old. 

"  Isaac  Fleweling." 

In  1770  the  enterprise  of  Abraham  Wing  prompted  him  to  the  erection  of 
better  facilities  for  sawing  lumber  and  he  entered  into  a  contract  with  Daniel 
Jones,  of  Fort  Edward  for  the  erection  of  what  they  termed  a  Dutch  saw-mill, 
with  fourteen  saws,  which  was  the  joint  property  of  the  two  men.  The  orig- 
inal contract  was  preserved  among  the  Wing  papers.  The  first  clause  of  the 
contract  was  as  follows  :  — 

"  Whereas,  the  said  Daniel  Jones  and  Abraham  Wing,  are  this  day  become 
joint  owners  and  proprietors  of  a  certain  fall  or  stream  of  water  and  a  saw 
mill  with  ten  acres,  two  quarters  and  fifteen  rods  of  ground  adjoining  the  same 
with  their  appurtenances  by  deeds  between  them  this  day  executed ;  and, 
whereas  it  is  proposed  that  the  said  Daniel  Jones  shall  erect  and  build  another 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  347 

saw  mill  little  below  the  said  saw  mill  there  already  standing,  for  the  joint  use 
and  benefit  of  them  the  said  Daniel  Jones  and  Abraham  Wing  their  executors, 
adm'rs  and  assigns." 

Other  provisions  of  the  contract  were  to  the  effect  that  the  parties  and 
their  assigns  should  "  at  all  times  hold  and  keep  or  cause  to  be  holden  and  kept 
in  good,  proper  and  sufficient  repair  the  said  two  saw  mills  with  their  sluices, 
dam  and  appurtenances  at  their  equal  and  joint  costs  and  expense."  The  par- 
ties bound  themselves  to  the  fulfillment  of  the  contract  "  in  the  penalty  of  the 
sum  of  one  thousand  pounds  lawful  money  of  New  York."  The  saw-mill  to 
be  built  was  forty-seven  feet  in  length  and  eighteen  feet  in  width.  The  con- 
tract was  witnessed  by  Chris.  Yates  and  John  Glen. 

Previous  to  the  erection  of  the  grist-mill  at  the  Falls  (a  date  which  is  not 
definitely  known),  the  settlers  were  forced  to  go  to  Stillwater  for  their  grind- 
ing ;  that  place  was  reached  partly  by  boat  and  partly  by  the  old  military  road 
which  was  constructed  ten  or  twelve  years  previously. 

The  date  of  erection  of  the  first  grist-mill  is  placed  previous  to  1771  by 
the  following  document,  also,  which  indicates  that  Samuel  Brownson  was  a 
partner  to  some  extent  in  the  business  of  Abraham  Wing:  — 

"  Queensbury  the  4th  day  of  February,  1771.  We  the  subscribers  have 
this  day  settled  all  our  accounts  on  book  excepting  the  saw  mill  and  grist  mill 
affairs  and  there  remains  due  to  Abraham  Wing  to  balance  book  account,  nine 
pounds,  fifteen  shillings  York  currency  as  witness  our  hands. 

"  Samuel  Brownson, 
"  Abraham  Wing. 

"Witness 

"  Asaph  Putnam, 

"Job  Wright." 
Samuel  Brownson,  named  above,  must  be  classed  with  the  pioneers  who 
came  to  Queensbury  prior  to  the  Revolution ;  he  held  the  office  of  fence- 
viewer  in  1769.  The  changes  in  the  town  officers  were  for  several  years  and 
down  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  but  slight ;  accessions  to  the  settlement 
were  few  and  consequently  the  same  men  had  to  be  repeatedly  chosen.  In 
1770  Job  Wright  was  elected  to  several  of  the  offices  and  Ebenezer  Fuller  was 
chosen  pound-keeper.  In  1771  Daniel  Jones,  before  mentioned,  was  made 
pound-keeper,  and  Benjamin  Hix  (or  Hicks)  was  elected  assessor.  The  next 
year  Nehemiah  Seelye  was  placed  in  this  office.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
Seelye  families  now  living  in  this  vicinity.  At  the  same  election  Ichabod  Mer- 
ritt  and  Jacob  Hicks  were  chosen  "  firemen,"  —  the  first  incident  connected 
with  the  establishment  of  a  fire  department  in  Warren  county.  Just  what  the 
duties  of  the  ofiSce  were  at  that  time,  is  not  now  known.  During  this  year 
Albany  county  was  divided.  That  portion  embracing  the  settlements  to  the 
west  and  southwest  of  Schenectady  was   set  off  and  called   Tryon  county  and 


348  History  of  Warren  County. 

Charlotte  county,  set  off  March  I2th,  1772,  embraced  the  territory  now  com- 
prised in  Washington,  Warren,  Essex  and  Clinton  counties,  and  part  of  Ben- 
nington, Rutland,  Addison,  Chittenden  and  Franklin  counties,  in  Vermont- 
This  county  was  so  named  in  honor  of  the  Princess  Charlotte  of  Mecklenburgh- 
Strelitz,  the  consort  of  King  George  the  III.  Considerable  strife  ensued  over 
the  location  of  the  county  seat,  Crown  Point,  Skenesborough  (Whitehall),  and 
Fort  Edward  contending  for  the  honor.  The  latter  place  triumphed  and  on 
the  8th  of  September,  1773,  an  ordinance  was  issued  by  the  governor  with  the 
advice  of  the  council,  "  establishing  a  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  a  Court  of 
General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  to  be  held  annually  in  the  county  of  Charlotte, 
at  the  house  of  Patrick  Smith,  Esquire,  near  Fort  Edward,  on  the  third  Tues- 
day in  the  months  of  October  and  May."  The  first  court  in  pursuance  of  this 
order  was  held  on  the  19th  of  October  of  that  year,  with  William  Duer  and 
Philip  Schuyler  as  presiding  justices. 

In  the  town  records  of  1773  we  find  the  names  of  David  Buck  and  Bene- 
dick Brown  added  to  the  civil  list,  the  former  as  constable  and  the  latter  as 
overseer  of  the  poor.  Benedick  Brown  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Brown  families 
now  living  in  the  town  and  probably  came  hither  in  1772,  settling  at  the  out- 
let of  Long  Pond,  then  often  called  French  Pond  ;  mills  were  built  at  that  point 
at  a  very  early  date.  (See  biographies  of  George  and  Daniel  V.  Brown,  here- 
in.) The  Harris  and  Brayton  families  came  to  Queensbury  about  this  time  and 
settled  near  the  southern  part  of  Fort  Anne,  then  known  as  the  Artillery 
Patent,  or  Westfield  township,  which  included  that  portion  of  the  town  of 
Queensbury  now  known  as  Harrisena  and  embracing  all  that  portion  of  the 
present  town  of  Queensbury  north  and  east  of  the  bounds  of  the  original  pat- 
ent. Zachariah  Butler's  name  appears  as  a  pathmaster  in  1774;  we  have  al- 
ready referred  to  him  and  his  career. 

The  pioneers  found  several  small  Indian  settlements  in  this  vicinity,  to  which 
a  few  families  came  during  the  summer  and  autumn  months  for  hunting  and 
fishing,  and  occasionally  in  winter  for  trapping ;  these  settlements  were  at 
Harrisena,  Dunham's  Bay  (at  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  George),  at  the 
outlet  of  the  Long  Pond,  at  the  Big  Bend  (the  sweeping  curve  of  the  Hudson 
about  three  miles  above  Glens  Falls),  and  at  the  foot  of  the  Palmerton  Mount- 
ain on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  They  still  claimed  these  localities  as  their 
hunting  grounds,  enjoyed  them  without  disturbance  and  maintained  the  most 
peaceful  relations  with  the  families  of  the  pioneers. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  first  decade  of  settlement  improvement  had  pro- 
gressed to  an  encouraging  extent ;  besides  the  mills  and  other  industries  de- 
scribed, twenty  or  more  clearings  had  been  made,  each  containing  its  humble 
log  dwelling.  Previous  to  settlement  a  frequently  followed  trail  of  the  Indians 
was  a  portage  of  less  than  a  mile  between  Fort  Edward  Creek  near  Moss  street, 
and  Wood  Creek,  leading  past  Fort  Anne,  the   remainder  of  the   route   being; 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  349 

made  by  canoe.  Within  ten  years  after  settlement  began  in  Queensbury  three 
or  four  corduroy  wilderness  roads  were  opened ;  one  leading  to  the  Ridge,  an- 
other towards  Dunham's  Bay,  one  across  by  the  outlet  from  the  upper  picket 
fort  to  Harrisena  and  thence  to  Fort  Anne  ;  the  old  military  highway  from 
Fort  Edward  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  a  cross  road  along  the  north  line  of 
the  town  plot.  There  was  also  a  bridle  path  through  the  plains  to  the  Big 
Bend,  and  the  old  well-trodden  Indian  trail  leading  along  the  east  side  of  the 
town  and  connecting  Wood  Creek  to  the  outlet  of  the  Big  Cedar  swamp. 

It  is  believed,  according  to  Dr.  Holden,  that  anterior  to  the  Revolution,  and 
certainly  at  a  very  early  period,  a  somewhat  pretentious  log  dwelling  was 
erected  on  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Ridge  and  Warren  streets,  in  Glens  Falls. 
This  structure  was  originally  occupied  by  Abraham  Wing  for  the  double  pur- 
pose of  a  store  and  an  inn,  where  the  few  adventurous  spirits  who  were  drawn 
hither  found  primitive  accommodations,  and  the  pioneers  such  goods  as  could 
then  be  had  in  the  wilderness.  Here,  says  Dr.  Holden,  "  according  to  the 
Wing  papers,  hundreds  of  pounds  worth  of  liquor  of  various  kinds  was  brought 
from  Albany,  Montreal,  and  on  one  occasion  from  Nova  Scotia.  Here  the 
Jessups,  Hugh  Munro,  Capt.  Bradshaw  and  the  neighbors  with  but  few  ex- 
ceptions, held  high  revel  and  ran  up  bar  bills  of  lusty  proportions.  And  hence 
from  the  location  of  this  tavern  the  little  settlement  soon  became  known,  in 
addition  to  its  proper  name  of  Queeensbury  Patent,  and  its  foster  name  of 
Wing's  Falls,  as  Wing's  Corners,  and  finally  The  Corners." 

The  reader  will  be  able  to  picture  in  his  mind  the  appearance  and  condition 
of  the  settlement  of  Queensbury  as  it  existed  at  the  time  that  the  country  was 
about  to  be  overwhelmed  by  the  momentous  outbreak  of  the  struggle  for 
American  liberty.  The  clearings,  burned  and  blackened,  dotted  with  stumps 
and  surrounded  with  rude  fences  ;  the  surrounding  unbroken  expanse  of  heavy 
forest,  through  which  deer,  moose,  elk,  wolves,  lynx,  panthers,  wild  cat  and 
bears  in  great  numbers  roamed ;  the  incipient  efforts  of  the  inhabitants  to  de- 
velop the  resources  of  the  locality;  the  meager  beginnings  of  mercantile  busi- 
ness; the  primitive  inns  —  all  this  was  but  a  repetition  of  the  experiences  of 
American  pioneer  settlements  made  just  before  or  soon  after  the  Revolutionary 
War.  The  settlers  all  suffered  and  enjoyed  in  similar  ways,  their  enjoyment 
lying  less  in  the  present  and  its  rude  surroundings,  than  in  the  fond  hope  of 
future  plenty  and  content. 

Cattle  and  sheep  had  been  brought  to  the  settlements  in  limited  numbers, 
contributing  to  the  food  supply  of  the  community  and  giving  an  air  of  peaceful 
civilization  to  the  clearings  in  the  forest.  The  settlers  sometimes  found  it  no 
easy  task  to  obtain  their  current  food  supply,  and  it  was  often  even  more  diffi- 
cult to  procure  sustenance  for  their  stock.  This  might  have  been  actually  im- 
possible but  for  the  two  large  beaver  meadows,  one  of  which  was  on  the  Five- 
mile  Run  (so-called  from  its  being  about  that   distance  from  the  head  of  Lake 


350  History  of  Warren  County. 

George),  which  was  on  this  account  given  the  name  of  Meadow  Run ;  and  the 
other  on  the  outlet  of  the  Big  Cedar  swamp  on  the  east  side  of  the  town ;  this 
stream  ran  through  Great  Lot  No.  3,  owned  in  early  days  by  Reed  Ferriss,  and 
came  to  be  known  as  Reed's  Meadow  Creek.  Cattle  were  also  driven  to  the 
woods  to  browse  in  winter,  thus  eking  out  the  scanty  supply  of  hay.  During 
one  winter  of  extreme  severity,  it  is  related  that  the  cattle  could  not  be  driven 
to  the  swamp  as  usual,  and  the  settlers  were  compelled  to  feed  them  with  salted 
fish,  trout  and  suckers,  which  had  been  caught  in  the  fall  and  with  which  all  the 
streams  abounded.  One  of  the  early  settlers  brought  in,  with  great  trouble,  a 
small  flock  of  sheep,  which  he  placed  in  a  log  pen  near  the  house,  for  security 
from  wolves.  During  the  night  the  ravenous  beasts  thrust  their  noses  between 
the  logs  and  succeeded  in  killing  all  but  two  of  the  flock.  Those  two  were 
killed  the  next  day,  to  save  them. 

While  the  families  we  have  mentioned  were  struggling  in  the  wilderness, 
with  peace  for  their  handmaid,  public  events  were  rapidly  approaching  the 
crisis  that  could  end  only  in  war.  The  "  Sons  of  Liberty,"  determined,  watchful 
and  alert,  were  organizmg  in  every  center  along  the  seaboard,  and  preparations 
were  made  for  the  oncoming  struggle  that  was  felt  by  the  wisest  counselors  of 
the  nation  to  be  imperative.  At  the  same  time  the  authorities  of  New  York 
and  New  Hampshire  engaged  in  the  prolonged  civil  strife  known  as  the  New 
Hampshire  grants  controversy,  which  has  been  described  ;  while  a  plan  was 
also  laid,  the  details  of  which  are  not  well  understood,  for  erecting  a  new  prov- 
ince comprising  all  of  the  Northern  New  York  and  the  New  Hampshire  grants 
(the  western  part  of  the  present  State  of  Vermont.)  Philip  Skene  ^  was  to  be 
the  governor  of  the  province,  with  the  seat  at  Whitehall.  The  plan  was  frus- 
trated by  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  two  years  later  and  the  capture  of  the 
ambitious  Skene ;  his  estates  were  confiscated  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  principal  events  of  a  military  character  in  the  long  and  bitter  struggle 
between  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies  have  been  described  in  early  chapters 
of  this  work;  with  many  of  these  the  settlers  of  Queensbury  were  intimately 
associated,  not  as  participators  in  the  strife  of  battle  to  any  great  extent,  on  ac- 
count of  their  religious  belief,  which  precluded  such  acts,  but  as  sufferers  from 

1  In  176:  Philip  Skene,  an  English  major  under  half  pay,  who  had  been  with  Amherst  in  1759,  es- 
tablished a  large  colony  near  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek.  In  the  autumn  he  accompanied  an  expedition 
against  Havana,  and  on  his  return,  in  1763,  found  the  settlement  reduced  to  fifteen  persons.  He  imme- 
diately set  about  re-establishing  the  colony,  and  in  1765  obtained  patents  for  twenty-five  thousand  acres 
of  land  lying  on  and  near  the  creek.  Here  he  built  a  stone  mansion  forty  feet  by  thirty,  and  two  stories 
and  a  half  in  height.  In  1770  he  erected  a  large  stone  building  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,  which 
was  used  for  a  military  garrison  and  depot.  He  also  built  at  this  place  a  stone  forge  of  about  the  same 
dimensions  as  his  house,  where  he  commenced  the  manufacture  of  iron.  This  was  the  first  forge 
erected  on  the  borders  of  the  lake.  Skene  owned  a  sloop,  with  which  he  kept  up  a  regular  communica- 
tion with  Canada,  and  at  his  own  expense  he  cut  a  road  through  the  wilderness  as  far  as  Salem,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  thirty  miles,  from  which  point  it  was  continued  by  others  to  Bennington.  This  road  was 
used  during  the  season  when  the  navigation  on  the  lake  was  closed  by  ice.  In  1773  Skenesborough 
contained  a  population  of  379.  —  Palmer's  History  of  Lake  Champlain,  p.  95. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         351 

the  devastation  and  destruction  that  alway  follows  in  the  track  of  war.  Early 
in  the  struggle  the  fort  at  Ticonderoga  was  captured  by  Ethan  Allen  and  his 
men,  an  event  which  was  soon  followed  by  the  seizure  of  the  partially  disman- 
tled fortification  at  the  head  of  Lake  George  (Fort  George)  by  Colonel  Romans, 
Daniel  Parke  ^  (or  Parks).  With  the  seizure  of  this  post  it  is  not  probable  that 
the  peacefully-inclined  inhabitants  of  Queensbury  were  directly  connected  ex- 
cept as  here  stated. 

The  Revolution  grew  apace.  The  "  rebels,"  as  they  were  termed  by  the 
British,  seemed  to  almost  spring  up  out  of  the  earth  on  all  sides ;  military  or- 
ganizations were  perfected  and  the  country  was  ablaze  with  preparations  for 
war.  The  territory  with  which  we  are  here  concerned  was  directly  affected  by 
this  situation  of  affairs.  The  eastern  towns  of  Charlotte  county  were  the  very 
homes  of  the  rebels  who  had  captured  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  and  it 
was  seen  at  once  that  hereabouts  must,  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  be 
enacted  some  of  the  stirring  and  bloody  scenes  anticipated  by  the  people. 
William  Duer,  a  gentlemen  of  prominence  residing  in  this  vicinity,  wrote  to  the 
Committee  of  Safety  early  in  1775,  that  certain  lawless  persons,  mostly  debtors, 
were  assembling  at  Fort  Edward  to  break  up  the  courts  of  justice.  Captain 
Edward  Motte,  then  on  his  way  from  Ticonderoga  to  Albany,  reached  there  at 
this  opportune  time,  and  by  his  presence  during  a  session  of  the  court,  pre- 
vented further  disturbance. 

The  first  colonial  assemblage  convened  in  Albany  and  organized  on  the  22d 
of  May  under  the  name  of  the  Provincial  Congress.  The  minutes  of  its  journal 
show  that  John  Williams  and  William  Marsh,  from  Charlotte  county,  appeared 
with  their  certificates  of  appointment  as  delegates. 

The  campaigns  of  1775  and  1776  comprised  a  series  of  military  events  of 
great  importance  to  the  American  cause,  with  the  details  of  which  the  reader 
has  been  made  familiar.  Notwithstanding  the  general  uprising  throughout  the 
colonies  against  the  tyranny  of  England,  there  was  still  a  strong  feeling  in  many 
sections  of  adherence  to  the  royal  cause,  both  with  individuals  and  in  the  public 

1  It  is  related  by  the  descendants  of  the  Parke  family,  that  Elijah  Parke  was  the  original  settler  in 
this  region,  locating  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  opposite  the  site  of  Glens  Falls.  Daniel  Parke  was 
a  son  of  Elijah  and  began  a  settlement  where  South  Glens  Falls  is  built  and  erected  the  first  mills  at 
that  point.     Dr.  Holden  copied  the  following  inscription  from  the  Parks  family  Bible  some  years  ago  :  — 

"  I,  S.  Parks  and  Susannah  my  wife  was  married  in  1789,  May.  I  was  24  years  old  March  5,  1789. 
I  was  born  in  the  town  of  Half-Moon  now  in  the  village  of  Waterford,  when  I  was  2  months  old  my 
father  moved  his  family  to  the  town  of  Sharon  in  the  St.  of  Connecticut.  We  lived  there  until  1773  and 
May  the  10  and  then  my  father  moved  his  family  to  what  was  then  called  Wing's  falls  and  now  called 
Glen's  falls  and  there  built  the  first  mills  that  was  ever  built  there.  And  we  suffered  a  great  deal  in 
that  struggle  for  liberty  we  lost  our  lives  and  property  and  became  poor  and  weak.         S.   PARKS." 

The  mills  mentioned  were  destroyed  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  rebuilt  after  the  close  of  that  con- 
test by  Colonel  John  (Johannes)  Glen,  who  purchased  the  estate  of  Parke  and  from  whom  the  viilao-es 
are  named.  Daniel  Parks  died  iMarch  3,  1818,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  and  was  buried  in  the 
family  lot  opposite  Sandy  Hill.  His  tombstone  bears  the  following  inscription  :  "  One  of  the  veterans 
of  the  Revolutionary  War,  he  was  the  man  who  took  the  key  from  the  British  officer  at  Lake  George 
in  1775." 


352  History  of  Warren  County. 

councils.  This  feeling  gave  birth  and  strength  to  the  bands  of  Tories  who  be- 
came, perhaps,  the  most  dreaded  enemies  of  the  colonial  armies.  It  is  also 
further  shown  by  the  passage  of  the  following  resolution  by  the  Congress :  — 

"  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Congress,  that  none  of  the  people  of 
this  colony  have  withdrawn  their  allegiance  from  His  Majesty,  or  desire  to  be- 
come independent  of  the  crown  of  Great  Britain,  or  to  change  the  ancient  form 
of  government,  under  which  this  colony  hath  grown  up  from  its  infancy  to  its 
present  state." 

This  proceeding  occurred  as  late  as  December  13th,  1775. 

The  position  and  circumstances  of  the  belligerents  in  the  region  with  which 
we  are  here  particularly  interested,  at  the  beginning  of  1776,  may  be  noted  as 
follows :  Arnold  was  before  Quebec  with  a  force  of  about  two  thousand,  not 
nearly  all  of  which  was  effective ;  the  intermediate  posts  were  all  in  possession 
of  the  Americans.  In  addition  to  the  garrisons  at  Crown  Point,  Ticonderoga 
and  Fort  George,  a  small  earthwork  was  constructed  at  Summer-house  Point 
on  the  Sacandaga  River,  where  part  of  a  regiment  of  Continentals  was  sta- 
tioned ;  this  post  was  abandoned  in  the  following  summer. 

Steps  were  now  taken  to  organize  the  county  militia,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
following  document :  — 
"  To  the  Honor' I  Members  of  the  Provincial  Congress  : 

"  Gentlemen  :  Having  received  the  Resolves  relating  to  the  Rules  and 
Orders  for  Regulating  the  Militia  in  this  Colony,  we  thought  proper  to  carry 
it  into  Execution  with  all  Convenient  Speed,  and  ordered  a  meeting  of  the 
County  Committee  Immediately. 

"  There  being  a  Contention  of  part  of  this  County  in  regard  to  Title  of 
Land  [the  New  Hampshire  grants].  And  it  was  thought  proper  by  the  Com- 
mittees on  the  Grants  to  divide  the  County  into  two  Parts,  as  they  Do  no 
Choose  to  joyn  the  other  part  of  the  County ;  which  was  agreed  to  by  the 
other  Committees ;  And  Each  part  of  the  County  to  form  One  Regiment,  and 
Recommend  their  Field  Officers  to  you,  desiring  you  will  remit  their  commis- 
sions with  all  Convenient  Speed,  so  that  the  Regiment  may  be  formed  as  soon 
as  Possible,  In  Case  any  Incursions  may  be  made  from  Canada,  as  we  are 
much  Exposed  to  that  Country. 

"  The  following   Gentlemen   we   recommend  for  Commissions,  they  being 
Friends  to  the  present  Cause  and  have  signed  the  General  Association : 
"  Dr.  John  Williams,  Colonel,  Piatt  Smith,  Esq.,  Lieut.  Col., 

"  Messrs  Nathan  Hawly  and  Mr.  John  Jones,  Adjutant, 

"  Hamilton  McColister,  Majors,       Mr.  Seth  Sherwood,  Quarter  Master. 

"  Likewise  the  names  of  the  inferior  Officers  in  each  district. 
"  District  of  White  Creek. 
"Ebenezer  Clark,  Esq.,  Captain,     Edward  Savage,  2d  Lieut., 
"Charles  Hutchinson,  1st  Lieut.,     Daniel  McClary,  Ensign. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         353 

"  Argyle  : 
"  Alex"'  Campbell,  Capt,  Peter  Gilchrist,  2d  Lieut., 

"Sam^  Paine,  1st  Lieut.,  John  McDougall,  Ensign. 

"  Scheensbtirgh  District  : 
"  Jerem''  Burroughs,  Capt,  Elisha  Tousea,  2d  Lieut, 

"  Levi  Stockwell,  1st  Lieut.,  Silas  Granger,  Ensign. 

"  Black  Creek  Disirict: 
"  Alex''  Webster,  Capt.,  George  McKnight,  2d  Lieut., 

"  John  Hamilton,  1st  Lieut,  Samuel  Crosett,  Ensign. 

"  Kingsbury  District  : 
"Asa  Richardson,  Capt,  Nehem''  Sealey,  2d  Lieut., 

"  Adiel  Sherwood,  1st  Lieut,  Samuel  Harris,  Ensign.^ 

"  Signed  by  order  of  Committee, 

"SETH  SHERWOOD,  Chairman. 
"  County  Charlotte,  Dorsett,  21st  Sept,  1775. 
"  Commissions  issued  Sept  29th,  1775. 
"In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  warrants  were  issued  on  the  29th  of  June  to^ 
"Joseph  McCracken,  Capt,  John  Barnes,  2d  Lieut., 

"  Moses  Martin,  1st  Lieut" 
On  the  25th  of  January,  1776,  at  a  general  meeting  of  the  county  commit- 
tee of  Charlotte  county  it  was  unanimously  agreed  that  Dr.  John  Williams  be 
recommended  to  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York  for  the  command  of 
the  First  Battalion  of  the  militia  of  the  county ;  Alexander  Campbell,  of  Argyle, 
for  lieutenant-colonel ;  Messrs.  Timothy  Bewell,  of  Fort  Miller,  and  Alexander 
Webster,  of  Black  Creek,  for  adjutants,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Fuller,  of  Skenes- 
borough,  quartermaster.  At  the  same  time  and  place  it  was  unanimously 
agreed  that  Dr.  John  Williams,  and  Mr.  Alexander  Campbell  should  represent 
the  county  of  Charlotte  in  ProvincialCongress  till  the  second  Tuesday  in  May 
next 

During  the  progress  of  the  campaign  of  1776  the  inhabitants  of  Queensbury 
began  to  feel  the  blows  of  the  hand  of  war ;  property  was  taken  with  all  the 
ruthlessness  that  characterizes  the  progress  of  armies,  necessary  though  it  may 
be ;  destruction  followed  the  track  of  irresponsible  bands  of  soldiery,  and  in 
various  ways  which  we  shall  indicate,  the  settlers  were  called  upon  for  sacri- 
fices which  they  were  illy  prepared  to  make,  and  for  which,  as  a  rule,  they 
could  obtain  no  redress.  From  among  the  Wing  manuscripts  Dr.  Holden  se- 
cured and  printed  in  his  valuable  work  various  statements  of  these  losses, 
which  possess  a  peculiar  and  important  interest ;  quaint  as   many  of  them  are, 

'^  Calendar  of  N.  Y.  Hist.  MSS.     Rev.  Papers,  vol.  I,  p.  148.     Sealey  and  Harris  are  supposed  to 
have  been  residents  of  Queensbury. 
'^Idein.,  p.   106. 
23 


354 


History  of  Warren  County. 


in  character,  language  and  orthography,  they  stili  tell  the  story  of  devastation 
with  simple  eloquence.     Following  are  the  earliest  of  these  documents  : 

Paper  No.  i. 

Endorsed,  "  Capt.  Lammar's  Account, 

and  account  of  things  his  company  stole.  " 
"  1776.      Stolen,  taken  and  carried  out  of  my  house,  March  nth,  by  Capt. 
Lammar's  company. 


"  One  blue  Broadcloath  Jactcoat at     2 

"  One  blue  quilted  petticoat at  — 

"One  woolen  checked  shirt at  — , 

"  One  silk  handkerchief at  — , 

"  One  pewter  basin at  — . 

"  13  Dunghill  fowls at  - 

"  One  short  stag  goad at  — . 


d. 


14.  — 

17*.  - 

5-  - 

4-  - 

18.  — , 


£  7- 


£■  S-     2.       6. 
"  Capt.   Lammar,  Dr. 

"  To  one  pleasure   slay   steel   shod,  painted   green 
outside,  red  inside,  which   he  carried   away  with   him  [ 
and  never  returned.  j  ABRAHAM  WiNG." 

Paper  No.  2. 

Containing  Capt.  Lamar's  receipt,  and  Abraham  Wing's  affidavit  in  relation 
thereto. 

"  I  hereby  certify  that  Mr.  Abraham  Wing's  slay  was  hired  for  the  use  of 
my  company  from  the  13th  of  March  to  the  first  of  April,  1776,  when  the  ice- 
breaking  up,  I  was  obliged  to  leave  her  in  the  care  of  Mr.  Belton  at  Wills- 
borough  on  Lake  Champlain.  Marien  Lamar 

"Capt.  I,  P.  B." 

"  I  do  most  solemnly  affirm  that  I  never  received  the  slay  mentioned  within, 
which  was  taken  from  me  by  Capt.  Lamar  for  the  use  of  the  army,  nor  have  I 
ever  received  any  compensation  for  the  same,  or  any  other  person  whatever  on 
my  account,  and  that  the  slay  was  worth  at  that  time  in  hard  cash,  seven 
pounds.  Abraham  Wing, 

"6th  March,  1786. 
"  Washington  ) 

County.       5 

"  This  day  the  above  signed  Abraham  Wing  appeared  before  me  and 
affirmed  to  the  truth  of  the  same.  Adiel  Sherwood,  Jus.  Pe. " 

Paper  No.  3. 

Being  a  military  order  and  receipt  for  the  delivery  of  certain  property,  on 
a  requisition. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  355 

"To  Mr.  Wyng: 

"  Sir,  Plese  deliver  that  gang  of  saws  to  the  bearer,  to  be  forwarded  to 
Chesyrs,!  and  take  his  receipt  therefor,  on  the  back  of  this  order. 

"  Fort  George,  July  ye  i8th,  1776.  Nath'l  Buell, 

"  Ast.  D.  .Qr.  Mr.  Gen'l.  " 
Endorsement. 

"July  the  8th.  Received  the  full  contents  of  the  within  order,  being  15 
saws,  with  their  stearups  on.  Eben'r  Ashumn.  " 

"  Receive  pr.  me. 

"  1776." 

The  town  records  of  Queensbury  for  the  year  1776  show  but  little  change 
in  the  officers  of  the  preceding  year.  Following  is  a  transcript  from  the 
records : — 

"  At  an.  annual  town  meeting  held  in  Queensbury  on  Tuesday  ye  2nd  day 
of  May,  1776,  for  the  township  of  Queensbury."  Then  followed  a  list  of  the 
officers  voted  in  as  here  given  :  — 

"Abraham  Wing,  Moderator  ;  Asaph  Putnam,  Town  Clerk  ;  Abraham  Wing, 
Supervisor  ;  Asaph  Putnam,  Constable  ;  Nehemiah  Sealey,  Constable  ;  Daniel 
Jones,  Constable ;  Ebenezer  Fuller,  Constable  ;  Nehemiah  Sealy  and  Benja- 
min Wing,  Assessors  ;  Abraham  Wing,  Path  Master ;  Benedict  Brown,  Path 
Master ;  Ichabod  Merritt  and  Nehemiah  Sealy,  Overseers  of  the  Poor ;  Benja- 
min Wing,  Collector ;  Abraham  Wing,  Town  Treasurer ;  Abraham  Wing, 
Keeper  of  the  Pound ;  Ichabod  Merritt,  and  Asaph  Putnam,  viewers  of  fence 
and  prisers  of  damage ;  Abraham  Wing,  Asaph  Putnam  and  Nehemiah  Sealy, 
are  appointed  to  enspect  all  persons  that  shall  hunt  the  Deer  in  Queensbury, 
for  the  year  ensuing." 

"Voted  that  any  person  that  shall  harbor  or  entertain  or  assist  any  person 
or  persons  from  any  County  to  hunt  or  kill  any  fawn,  buck  or  deer  in  Queens- 
bury, in  ye  year  ensuing  shall  Forfeit  and  pay  to  the  treasury  the  Sum  of  five 
Pounds."  2 

The  Daniel  Jones  mentioned  above   as  having  been  made  a  constable  was 

1  Cheshire's  mill  to  which  these  saws  were  removed,  it  is  supposed  was  situated  on  Fort  Edward 
Creek  in  Kingsbury.  In  a  communication  from  General  Gates  to  General  Waterbury  dated  Ticonder- 
oga,  July  15th,  1776,  he  says:  "  If  we  make  our  stand  at  the  place  proposed,  it  is  essential  that  the 
road  from  Cheshire's  to  Fort  Edward  be  immediately  repaired  and  rendered  easy  for  carriages.  *  * — 
Force's  American  Archives,  fifth  series,  vol.  i,  p.  358. 

"  You  will  also  post  three  companies  of  a  regiment,  with  a  field  officer  at  Cheshire's  mill." 

"Agreeably  to  your  directions,  I  have  ordered  Captain  Veeder  3.x\A  his  company  at  the  saw  mill  at 
Cheshire' s."—  Richard  Varick  to  General  Gates,  Albany,  Oct.  14,  1776. — Idem,  vol.  11,  p.  1037. 

Dr.  Holden  has  in  his  possession  evidence  that  Cheshire's  mill  was  situated  at  Kane's  Falls  on  what 
is  now  called  Half-way  Brook  (formerly  Scoon  Creek).  This  statement  is  in  correction  of  that  em- 
bodied in  the  first  paragrajih  of  this  note,  which  was  taken  from  Dr.  Holden's  History  of  Queetisbiiry, 
and  written  upon  the  best  information  then  obtainable  by  him. 

2  The  orthography  of  names  in  our  extracts  from  records,  ancient  documents,  etc.,  is  according  to 
the  originals,  though  known  in  many  instances  to  be  either  inaccurate  or  not  according  to  present  cus- 
tom. 


356  History  of  Warren  County. 

a  brother  of  David  Jones,  already  spoken  of  as  the  betrothed  of  the  hapless 
Jane  McCrea.  The  brothers  were,  according  to  Dr.  Holden's  History  of 
Queensbury  (p.  412-13),  mill-wrights  and  the  family  was  quite  prominent  in 
early  days  among  the  settlers  on  the  Kingsbury  patent;  their  large  posses- 
sions were  afterward  sequestrated  b)'  the  Commission  of  Forfeitures.  Their 
house  was  for  a  short  time  the  headquarters  of  Burgoyne  in  the  following 
year.  Daniel  Jones  was  a  son-in-law  of  Abraham  Wing,  who,  with  others  of 
his  family,  was  an  undoubted  patriot,  while  the  Jones  family  were  bitter  loyal- 
ists. This  is  an  example  of  the  family  disunions  and  feuds  that  were  prevalent 
in  the  great  struggle  in  many  localities.  The  family  of  Mr.  Wing,  as  well  as 
those  of  all  the  prominent  settlers  of  "  the  Corners,"  never  took  arms  on  either 
side. 

The  campaign  of  1776,  as  we  have  seen,  was  peculiarly  disastrous  to  the 
American  arms,  and  the  cause  was  but  little  better  served  during  the  succeed- 
ing year.  A  policy  of  vacillation  and  general  weakness  characterized  the 
councils  of  the  colonies,  preventing  the  degree  of  success  that  was  warranted 
by  the  capacity  of  officers  and  bravery  of  soldiers.  The  beginning  of  the  year 
found  General  Schuyler  in  charge  of  the  northern  department,  and  to  his  wise 
administration  may  be  credited  the  first  real  successes  of  the  war.  In  the 
course  of  the  campaign  the  territory  within  and  immediately  surrounding  the 
Queensbury  Patent  was  the  scene  of  many  stirring  events  and  felt  the  terrible 
effects  of  the  war  to  a  grievous  extent.  Ticonderoga  was  recaptured  by  the 
British,  Fort  Anne  was  evacuated  after  stubborn  resistance,  and  other  important 
military  operations  were  carried  on  in  various  parts  of  the  province.  Mean- 
while General  Schuyler  gathered  the  resources  of  the  country  surrounding  his 
jurisdiction.  On  the  lOth  of  July  he  announced  by  dispatch  to  General  Ten 
Broeck  that  he  had  already  saved  about  forty  pieces  of  cannon  and  fifteen  tons 
of  gunpowder  by  removing  them  from  Fort  George ;  and  a  few  days  later  he 
wrote,  "  If  the  enemy  will  permit  me  to  pass  unmolested  three  days  longer  to 
Fort  George,  I  shall  be  able  to  bring  away  all  the  stores  from  thence  and  then 
draw  off  the  few  troops  we  have  there."  Of  this  situation  of  affairs  Burgoyne 
wrote  to  Lord  George  Germaine  as  follows :  "  The  enemy  are  laboring  to  re- 
move the  magazines  from  Forts  George  and  Edward,  and  everywhere  destroy- 
ing the  roads  and  preparing  to  drive  and  burn  the   country  towards  Albany." 

Several  important  personal  incidents  in  which  residents  of  Queensbury  were 
chief  participants,  occurred  during  this  campaign,  to  which  we  must  allude. 
In  one  of  these  William  Robards  was  a  conspicuous  figure.  He  was  a  brother 
of  the  Ezekiel  Robards  ^  and  has  already  been  mentioned  herein.     Dr.  Holden 

1  The  following  paper  is  on  file  in  the  archives  of  the  State  :  "  Ezekiel  Roberts  of  Saratoga  district, 
states  that  in  August,  1776,  he  engaged  as  sergeant  in  Capt.  Baldwin's  Company  of  Rangers ;  was  taken 
prisoner  19th  May,  1777,  and  remained  until  December  (when  he  was  paroled  and  sent  home  with 
other  prisoners  by  Governor  Carleton).  In  May,  17S0,  was  informed  by  Gov.  Clinton  that  he  was  ex- 
changed and  discharged  from  his  parole.     Went  over  ,Lake  George  by  order  of  his  excellency  in  pur- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensburv.  357 

gives  the  following  account  of  his  capture  (History  of  Queensbury,  p.  421): 
"  He  with  Andrew  Fuller,  his  wife's  brother,  and  James  Higson,  an  uncom- 
promising Whig  and  son-in-law  of  Abraham  Wing,  were  captured  while  pre- 
paring to  go  fishing  on  Lake  George. 

"  They  were  carried  to  Canada  and  imprisoned.  While  in  jail  Robards 
was  visited  by  some  gentlemen,  who  wished  him  to  give  his  parole  that  he 
would  not  escape  and  they  would  give  him  the  jail  liberties.  He  refused,  say- 
ing that  his  family  needed  his  services,  and  if  there  was  any  chance  of  his  get- 
ting home  he  should  make  the  attempt.  In  consequence  of  this  declaration  he 
had  a  strict  guard  placed  over  him,  being  confined  in  a  room  with  another,  a 
British  deserter,  and  through  the  day  an  armed  sentry  was  stationed  in  the  room 
to  watch  their  movements.  The  gentlemen  who  visited  Robards  were  so  well 
pleased  with  his  spirit  and  nice  sense  of  honor,  that  they  frequently  sent  him 
wine  and  delicacies  from  their  tables.  While  the  sentry  was  out  to  his  meals, 
the  prisoners  being  in  some  way  cognizant  or  suspicious  that  a  window  was 
boarded  up  in  the  room,  amused  themselves  by  throwing  sticks  of  firewood 
against  the  walls  until  the  locality  of  the  window  was  determined,  and  it  was 
shortly  ascertained  also  that  there  was  no  intervening  bars  or  bolts  to  prevent 
their  escape.  Taking  turns  night  after  night  in  cutting  away  the  boards  cau- 
tiously and  carefully,  with  which  the  window  was  ceiled,  secreting  and  dispos- 
ing of  the  chips  and  shavings  thus  made,  they  at  length  achieved  their  purpose, 
and  one  day,  while  the  guard  was  at  dinner,  the  boarding  was  removed  and 
the  deserter  first  clambered  out.  Robards  being  lithe,  supple,  and  active, 
jumped  from  the  window,  clearing  the  stockade  which  surrounded  the  build- 
ing, and  alighted  in  one  of  the  streets  of  the  French  city  of  Montreal,  where 
they  had  been  imprisoned.  They  were  fired  at  by  the  guards  on  duty  as  they 
ran,  the  Canadians  on  the  street  cheering  and  swearing  to  encourage  the  fugi- 
tives. The  guards  had  to  go  around  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  building,  and 
open  the  gates  before  they  could  follow  in  pursuit. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  guided  by  some  sympathizing  spectators,  Robards  and 
his  companion  ran  along  through  the  suburbs,  gaining  the  city  wall,  which 
they  scaled  at  a  favoring  point,  and  made  their  escape  to  the  woods.  The  de- 
serter soon  gave  out,  grew  sick  and  tired  of  the  adventure,  and  concluded  to 
return  and  surrender  himself,  leaving  Robards  to  make  his  way  alone.  He 
traveled  by  night,  guiding  his  course  by  the  stars,  and  lay  secreted  by  day. 
At  length  he  came  to  a  place  by  the  shore  of  the  lake  where  a  rock  jutted  out 
above  the  water,  having  a  cave  or  recess  beneath.  Here  he  took  refuge  and 
rested  a  day  or  two.     During  this  interval,    he  was   suddenly  aroused   from  a 

suit  of  Sir  John  Johnson,  and  soon  after  appointed  lieutenant  in  the  State  Levies,  and  again  taken  pris- 
oner when  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Slierwood  at  Fort  Ann,  loth  Oct.,  1780;  remained  two  years 
in  confinement,  and  then  made  his  escape.  Has  a  wife  and  two  children  for  whose  support  he  was 
obliged  to  contract  debts.  Is  now  destitute  of  every  thing.  Prays  for  relief  in  a  petition  to  the  Legis- 
lature, January  20th,  1783-" 


3S8  History  of  Warren  County. 

deep  sleep  by  an  Indian  yell,  and,  apprehending^pursuit,  he  sprang  out  from 
his  place  of  concealment,  and  looking  up,  saw  an  Indian  standing  on  the  cliff 
above  him,  making  signals  to  a  companion  standing  on  a  point  of  land  in  the 
distance  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  Fortunately  the  savages  did  not  dis- 
cover him.  At  length,  after  many  nights'  wandering,  he  was  fortunate  enough 
to  come  across  a  canoe  and  a  pair  of  paddles,  which  he  unhesitatingly  ap- 
propriated, and  from  that  time  forth  his  progress  was  more  rapid  and  satisfac- 
tory. 

"  One  day  his  brother,  Ezekiel  Robards,  then  living  in  Queensbury,  pro- 
posed to  one  of  his  neighbors  to  go  up  to  Lake  George  for  the  purpose  of 
fishing,  and  also  to  take  a  sharp  look,  to  see  if  any  Tories  or  Indians  were 
about.  While  fishing  near  the  mouth  of  Van  Wormer's  Bay,  they  saw  a  small 
object  in  the  distance  on  the  lake,  which  approaching  them,  gradually  became 
more  thoroughly  defined,  and,  as  it  drewn  ear,  Ezekiel  exclaimed,  '  It's  William. 
I  know  by  his  motions.'  And  so  it  proved.  They  returned  together  without 
any  long  delay,  and,  as  they  neared  their  home,  Ezekiel  told  William  to  stay 
back  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  while  he  went  forward  and  broke  the  news  to 
his  wife.  The  latter  was  carrying  a  plate  of  butter  from  the  spring  house,  or 
out- door  cellar,  and  as  Ezekiel  approached  he  accosted  her,  saying,  '  Phebe, 
I've  got  good  news  for  you,  I've  heard  from  William.'  She  staggered  back 
with  the  shock  of  emotion  as  if  she  had  been  struck,  exclaiming,  '  If  you  have 
heard  from  him  you  have  seen  him ;'  and  sank  to  the  ground  in  a  dead  faint." 

The  Parks  narrative  is  even  more  interesting,  and  is  handed  down  in  tradi- 
tions that  are  strongly  corroborated  by  concurrent  events,  the  connection  of 
the  family  with  the  original  Glen  patent,  and  other  testimony  which  is  consid- 
ered by  most  persons  conversant  with  the  early  history  of  the  locality  as  quite 
conclusive.  The  account  was  furnished  to  Dr.  Holden  by  Daniel  E.  Parks,  of 
Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y. 

"There  was,  in  the  British  army,  a  captain  by  the  name  of  Daniel  Parks," 
says  the  narrative,  "  who  took  an  active  part  in  quelling  and  keeping  in  sub- 
jection, the  savage,  original  inhabitants  of  the  American  continent  long  before 
the  Revolution,  who  lived  and  died  in  some  one  of  the  Southern  States,  prob- 
ably in  Virginia,  and  who  had  a  son  by  the  name  of  Daniel  Parks.  The  latter 
removed  and  settled  in  Salisbury,  Conn.,  where  he  resided  till  within  a  few 
years  of  the  Revolution,  when  he  emigrated  to  Glens  Falls,  where  he  purchased 
a  tract  of  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  situated  along  the  south  bank  of  the 
Hudson's  River,  and  settled  and  built  the  first  mills  at  that  place.  About  the 
year  1777,  while  the  Revolutionary  War  was  in  progress,  and  the  country  was 
swarming  with  marauding  bands  of  savages  and  Tories,  his  house  was  attacked 
at  night  by  a  band  of  Tories,  who  demanded  the  keys  to  his  desk,  which  con- 
tained his  papers,  etc.,  which  the  old  man  refused  to  deliver  up.  Thereupon 
one  of  the  band  clinched  him,  at  which  a  scuffle  ensued,  which  resulted  in  get- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  359 

ting  the  old  man  down,  when  one  of  the  party  drew  up  and  shot  him.  He  was 
supposed  at  that  time  to  be  about  seventy-five  years  of  age,  and  died  in  de- 
fending himself  from  British  aggression. 

"  Among  the  band  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Richardson,^  who  lived  in 
that  vicinity,  and  who  had  purchased  of  the  old  man  a  piece  of  land  containing 
about  one  hundred  acres,  for  which  Parks  held  his  obligation,  and  it  is  confi- 
dently believed  that  the  murdering  wretches  were  incited  to  the  commission 
of  this  act  of  barbarism  by  a  desire  to  get  possession  of  Richardson's  obligation, 
and  thus  leave  his  land  free  from  incumbrance. 

"  Elisha  and  Isaac  Parks,  sons  of  the  old  man  above  mentioned,  resided 
with  their  father,  but  the  attack  of  the  Tories  was  so  sudden  that  they,  not 
being  near  at  hand,  were  unable  to  render  the  old  man  any  assistance,  and 
when  they  arrived  they  found  their  father  dead,  and  his  murderers  apparently 
gone.2  Elisha,  a  young  married  man,  went  to  the  door  to  make  a  reconnais- 
sance, and  while  doing  so,  held  a  light  in  his  hand,  it  being  then  dark.  This 
attracted  the  attention  of  some  of  the  Tories  who  were  lying  in  ambush,  and 
made  a  good  mark  for  their  rifles,  which  they  took  advantage  of,  and  shot  him 
through  the  bowels,  his  wife  then  standing  beside  him.  Placing  his  hand  over 
the  wound,  he  at  once  fled  down  the  river,  to  the  house  of  his  brother,  Daniel 
Parks,  who  lived  a  mile  below,  and  notified  him  of  the  presence  of  the  Tories 
and  what  had  happened.  Daniel  at  once  took  down  his  gun  and  proposed  to 
repair  to  the  scene  of  action,  but,  upon  the  entreaties  of  Elisha,  who  repre- 
sented that  he  could  not  contend  against  so  many,  and  would  only  endanger 
his  life  in  a  fool-hardy  manner,  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  stay  and  secure  his 
family.  This  was  done  by  removing  them  across  the  river  in  canoes.  Elisha 
proposed  to  remain  at  his  brother's  house,  but  Daniel  would  not  listen  to  the 
proposition.  Yielding  to  the  entreaties  of  the  latter,  he  was  conveyed  across 
the  river,  where  they  took  refuge  in  the  grist-mills^  at  Sandy. Hill,  where  he 
died  the  same  night  or  early  the  following  morning.      His  remains,  and  those 

1  All  I  know  of  Richardson,  I  learned  from  the  Parks  family.  He  was  ringleader  of  the  Tories, 
who  murdered  the  father  of  that  family.  He  had  some  claim  or  title  to  the  South  Glens  Falls  water 
power,  and  to  obtain  the  Parks  title  papers,  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  principal  purpose  of  the  ex- 
pedition. Old  Mr.  Parks  saw  through  a  window  Richardson  and  Ferguson  (a  Tory  tavern  keeper  at 
the  Bend)  looking  at  the  Parks  papers,  went  into  the  house,  and  jwas  immediately  killed  by  a  gun 
breech  blow  on  the  head. — Letter  to  Dr.  Holden  from  the  late  yiidge  Hay.  In  another  account  of  the 
affair,  it  is  stated  that  the  Tory  party  found  rest  and  refreshments  at  the  house  of  one  Ferguson,  a  Tory 
at  the  Bend.  He  had  pretended  to  be  a  Whig,  had  attended  their  meetings  and  signed  their  articles  of 
association,  and  up  to  this  time  was  supposed  to  be  a  zealous  patriot.  Sending  out  scouts  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Lake  George,  and  keeping  a  watchful  outlook  on  the  movements  of  the  Parks  family,  the  party 
lurked  around  for  a  week  or  more,  until  Ferguson,  in  the  expressive  language  of  my  informant,  "  was 
eaten  out  of  house  and  home.  " — Holden's  Queensbury,  p.  425. 

2  Ephraim  Parks,  a  brother  of  Daniel,  with  his  brother-in-law,  Lewis  Brown,  lived  in  a  double  log 
house,  situated  on  the  cliffjust  above  the  site  of  the  paper  mill.  They  were  made  prisoners,  but  Brown 
afterwards  escaped,  as  appears  in  the  narrative. — Idem 

3  Probably  a  mistake,  for  after  diligent  inquiry,  the  author  failed  to  receive  any  evidence  that  a  grist 
mill  was  built  at  Sandy  Hill  before  the  year  1795. 


360  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  his  father,  were  buried  at  Sandy  Hill,  on  the  site  now  covered  by  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Two  rude  slabs  of  stone,  which  originally  marked  the  place 
of  sepulture,  it  is  said,  were  incorporated  into  the  foundation  of  the  edifice, 
whose  fane  shades  the  resting  place  of  the  martyrs. 

"  Isaac,  the  other  son,  was  taken  prisoner  and  carried  to  Quebec,  from 
whence  he  escaped  three  times,  and  was  as  often  retaken,  and  ultimately  ex- 
changed. The  third  time  he  escaped  in  company  with  five  others,  who,  after 
they  had  traveled  through  the  wilderness  a  length  of  time  sufficient  to  exhaust 
all  of  their  provisions,  and  were  in  a  famished  condition,  it  was  proposed  to 
cast  lots  to  see  which  should  be  sacrificed  to  serve  as  food  for  the  remainder. 
A  vote  being  taken,  three  were  for,  and  three  against  the  proposition,  Isaac 
Parks  being  among  the  latter.  The  fugitives  then  separated,  those  voting  with 
Parks  going  in  one  direction,  and  the  remainder  in  another.  The  Parks  party 
was  soon  visited  by  a  dog  supposed  to  belong  to  some  Indians  scouting  near. 
This  was  killed  and  eaten,  and  they  were  afterwards  driven  to  the  extremity  ot 
roasting  and  eating  their  shoes.  They  at  length  became  so  utterly  exhausted 
that  they  were  unable  to  ascend  a  hill  without  help  from  each  other,  and  when- 
ever an  elevation  interrupted  their  progress,  they  were  able  to  surmount  it  only 
by  crawling  on  their  hands  and  knees. 

"  One  day,  while  they  were  ascending  a  hill  in  this  manner,  they  were  dis- 
covered and  retaken  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who  displayed  the  usual  terrific 
exultation  on  the  seizure  of  a  captive,  and  prepared  to  inflict  the  customary 
tortures  and  death.  In  some  way  Parks  and  his  fellow  sufferers  succeeded 
in  satisfying  their  captors  that  they  were  Tories  and  friends  escaping  from  im- 
prisonment by  the  Whigs.  Under  the  promise  of  a  guinea  each,  the  Indians 
were  induced  to  escort  them  back  to  the  Canada  border.  Crossing  the  St. 
Lawrence  River  they  were  recognized  as  escaped  prisoners  by  some  of  the 
Indians  there,  and  they  would  have  been  dispatched,  but  for  the  timely  inter- 
ference of  some  British  soldiers. 

"  We  supplement  this  narrative  with  the  following  relation  made  by  a 
grand- daughter  of  Albert  Baker,  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Sandy  Hill. 

"  At  the  time  when  the  Parkses  were  killed,  the  old  lady  and  the  rest  of  the 
women,  running  out  of  the  back  door  of  their  homes,^  escaped  down  the  river, 
and  crossing  over,  went  directly  to  Albert  Baker's  house  (near  where  Mr.  Nel- 
son Wait  now  lives),  in  the  dead  of  the  night.  The  family  were  aroused  by 
the  hysteric  sobs,  shrieks  and  moans  of  the  old  lady. 

1  ^nother  account  says,  the  women  of  the  household  at  the  first  alarm  made  for  the  woods  and 
escaped.  They  had  with  them  a  lad  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  whom  they  bundled  up  with 
clothing  to  screen  him  from  observation.  On  their  way  they  were  met  by  two  or  three  Indians,  who 
asked  them  where  they  were  going  and  what  they  were  doing  with  the  boy. 

With  great  readiness  of  mind  in  the  terrible  emergency,  one  of  them  replied,  that  the  boy  had  the 
small-pox  and  they  were  taking  him  away,  so  that  the  rest  of  the  family  should  not  catch  the  disease. 
The  Indians  immediately  dropped  further  inquiries,  and  hastened  away  from  the  supposed  danger  of 
infection,  the  entire  party  of  fugitives,  boy  included,  making  their  way  to  the  woods  and  finally  escap- 
ing to  Fort  Edward. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  361 

"  At  this  time  Major  Thomas  Bradshaw.^  son  of  James  Bradshaw,  one  of 
the  original  patentees  and  proprietors  of  the  towhship  of  Kingsbury,  had  a 
small  reserve  of  militia  posted  at  Bradshaw's  farm,  on  Wood  Creek,  since 
known  as  the  Bond  place,  between  Smith's  Basin  and  Dunham's  Basin,  on  the 
northern  canal. 

"  Of  the  neighbors  who  came  in  as  soon  as  the  news  of  the  massacre  became 
known,  none  were  found  willing  to  go  for  help,  until  Albert  Baker,  jr.,  the 
narrator's  father,  and  Rianaldo  Burden  Phillips,  two  stout,  well  grown  lads, 
hardly  appreciating  the  dangers,  volunteered  for  the  service.  When  they 
reached  the  Bradshaw  place,  they  found  no  one,  but  a  Tory  family  living  in  the 
neighborhood  directed  them  to  the  barn,  where  they  found  the  major  alone, 
his  militia  having  scattered  to  their  homes  in  the  vicinity,  and  before  he  could 
rally  them  together  the  marauders  were  so  far  away  on  their  retreat  that 
pursuit  was  useless. 

"The  alarm  reaching  Fort  Edward, 2  on  the  following  morning  a  party  was 
soon  made  up  to  start  in  pursuit  of  the  assassins.  On  the  way  they  were  joined 
by  Daniel  Parks,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Lewis  Brown,  who,  in  the  confusion 
of  his  capture,  had  managed  to  make  his  escape.  On  reaching  the  scene  of 
the  massacre,  they  only  found  the  smoking  embers  of  the  mills  and  the  old 
man's  house.  The  other  dwelling  on  the  cliff  above  the  mill  was  not  disturbed. 
It  is  stated  that  the  Indians  and  Tories  tried  to  reach  the  dwelling  of  Andrew 
Lewis,  son-in-law  of  Abraham  Wing,  who  then  lived  on  the  island,  but  were 
prevented  by  the  absence  of  any  boat. 

"  The  pursuers,  taking  the  trail,  followed  the  fugitives  with  considerable 
celerity,  hoping  to  overtake  them  before  reaching  Lake  Champlain,  where  their 
escape  would  be  facilitated  by  canoes  concealed  somewhere  along  its  shores. 
Hastening  up  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson,  crossing  the  Sacandaga  at  its  mouth, 
they  proceeded  as  far  as  Stony  Creek,  a  small  creek  in  the  town  of  that  name 
in  the  western  part  of  Warren  county.  Here  the  fleeing  party,  finding  they 
were  pursued,  took  the  bed  of  the  stream,  and  made  their  way  for  many  miles. 
The  pursuers  were  in  consequence  thrown  ofif  the  trail,  and  the  chase  was 
abandoned. 

"The  fruitless  result  of  this  expedition  was  doubtless  fortunate  for  the  few 
captives  carried  off,  who  were  threatened  with   immediate   death,  if  they  were 

1  Thomas  Bradshaw,  a  son  of  James  Bradshaw,  was  a  major  in  the  American  service  but  for  some 
reason  never  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  pension.  —  Relation  of  Mrs.  Rachel  Clary. 

Among  the  Wing  papers  was  found  the  following  memorandum,  without  date  :  — 
"The  expenses  of  the  men  of  the  guard,  amount  to  the  sum  of  two  pounds,  (;^2,oo),  for  6  eating 
and  drinking, 

"  To  Capt.  Richardson,  Thomas  Bradshaw,  Sarg't.  " 

2  Near  the  top  of  the  hill  above  Fort  Edward,  not  far  from  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Grove 
House,  there  was  a  tavern  kept  by  one  Bell,  a  Tory.  It  was  a  place  of  considerable  note,  a  favorite 
resort  of  loyalists,  where  many  a  scheme  of  rapine,  violence  and  outrage  was  concerted  and  matured. 
—  CoDimimication  of  the  late  Judge  Hay  to  Dr.  Holden. 


362  History  of  Warren  County. 

overtaken  by  the  pursuing  party.  The  effect  of  this  raid  was  to  break  up  for 
the  time  being  the  settlement  known  as  the  Parks  Mills.  Daniel  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  procured  a  team  and  removed  his  family  and  such  effects  as  could 
readily  be  transported  within  the  protection  of  the  military  force  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward, and  when  that  post  was  abandoned  he  retreated  with  the  American 
army  to  Bemus's  Heights,  where  he  participated  in  that  memorable  action, 
which  resulted  in  the  surrender  of  one  of  the  largest  and  best  appointed  British 
armies  which  had  yet  taken  the  field  against  the  rebellious  colonies.  After  the 
termination  of  the  war  he  returned  to  rebuild  the  house,  which  he  occupied 
with  his  family  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  the  lapse  and  changes  of  years 
a  large  proportion  of  the  Glen  patent  passed  into  the  hands  of  various  descend- 
ants of  Daniel  Parks. 

"  Solomon  Parks,  then  but  a  mere  stripling,  was  among  the  militia  stationed 
at  Fort  Anne  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Long  in  1777.  About  two  weeks 
prior  to  Burgoyne's  advance,  and  the  capture  of  that  post,  Solomon  with  others 
was  detailed  to  escort  the  inhabitants  of  the  region  to  a  place  of  safety.  All 
the  horses  and  oxen  of  the  neighborhood  were  seized  upon  for  that  purpose, 
and  most  of  the  women  and  children  of  the  threatened  frontier  were  removed 
to  join  their  friends  in  Duchess  county  and  the  adjacent  county  in  Connecticut. 
At  a  later  period  these  flittings  and  returns  became  so  frequent,  that  in  the 
language  of  one  octogenarian,  whose  memory  reverted  back  to  those  early 
days,  'they  had  little  to  carry  or  lose.'  But  with  all  their  losses  and  sufferings, 
their  unconquerable  energy,  perseverence  and  love  of  home  were  sufficient  to 
bring  them  back  to  their  desolated  possessions." 

Queensbury  was  afflicted  in  a  particularly  unfortunate  degree  by  bands  of 
Indians  and  Tories,  the  locality  seeming  to  be  a  sort  of  headquarters  for  the 
latter.  Dr.  Holden  makes  the  statement  that  "  there  was  probably  nowhere 
in  this  vicinitj'  a  stronger  Tory  nest  than  that  existing  across  the  West  Mount- 
ain, some  ten  miles  distant  from  Queensbury  settlement,  under  the  favor  and 
encouragement  of  the  brothers,  Ebenezer  and  Edward  Jessup."  They  had 
secured  patents  to  various  tracts  of  land  both  within  the  present  town  of  Lu- 
zerne and  also  the  Totten  and  Crossfield  purchase,  so-called.  It  is  stated  on 
the  authority  of  Butler's  Hand-book  of  the  Adirondack  Railway,  that  Totten 
and  Crossfield  were  put  forward  in  the  securing  of  this  enormous  grant,  merely 
as  a  cover  to  the  operations  of  Ebenezer  Jessup.  He  came  into  the  wilderness 
about  the  year  1770,  and  built  a  spacious  log  dwelling,  and  there  until  after  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  he  lived  in  comparatively  opulent  style  for 
those  times.  It  is  traditionally  stated  that  in  his  house  numerous  hospitable 
entertainments  were  given,  amid  the  surroundings  of  elegant  furniture  and 
costly  paintings,  where  tables  were  laden  with  splendid  settings  and  rare  linen. 
All  of  this  interior  splendor  was  plundered  and  carried  off  at  a  later  date.  Scat- 
tered through  this  region  were  many  other  prominent  Tories,  among  whom  are 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         363 

mentioned  John  Howell,  who  lived  up  the  Sacandaga  River  in  the  direction  of 
Johnstown.  Six  brothers  named  Lovelace,  descendants  of  Governor  Lovelace, 
who  resided  at  different  points  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  one  of 
whom  was,  in  one  of  the  late  years  of  the  war,  executed  as  a  spy  by  order  of 
General  Stark,  after  trial  by  drum-head  court-martial.  Another  was  Jacob 
Salisbury,  who  was  captured  in  a  cave  known  to  this  day  as  the  Tory  house. 
There  were  also  several  members  of  the  Fairchild  family  living  a  few  miles 
farther  down  the  river.  "According  to  the  tradition,  in  the  month  of  April  of 
May,  1777,  Indian  runners  came  and  notified  these  families  of  Burgoyne's  in- 
tended approach,  and  probably  with  some  suggestions  in  regard  to  their  co-op- 
eration with  certain  bands  of  Tories  gathering  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Saratoga 
district."! 

In  any  event  notice  of  their  intentions  was  received  and  a  party  of  Whigs 
started  in  pursuit.  So  hot  became  the  chase  that,  it  is  said,  one  of  the  Jessups 
(Edward,  if  either,  as  Ebenezer  was  at  this  time  in  Canada,  where  he  was  given 
a  command  in  Burgoyne's  army)  could  escape  only  by  jumping  across  the  river 
at  the  Little  Falls.  Thence  he  hurried  across  the  town  of  Queensbury  to 
Skenesborough  and  joined  Burgoyne's  army  at  Willsborough  Falls. 

In  the  course  of  Burgoyne's  campaign  of  1777,  as  we  have  incidentally  men- 
tioned, occurred  the  evacuation  of  Fort  George  and  the  removal  of  the  stores ; 
the  fort  was  destroyed  on  the  1 6th  of  July.  About  this  time  a  large  fortified 
encampment  was  established  on  the  high  ground  now  occupied  by  South  Glens 
Falls  village,  while  Colonel  John  Ashley  was  in  command  of  a  military  station 
at  the  Five-mile  Run  in  the  town  of  Queensbury. 

Previous  to  Burgoyne's  advance  it  became  known  to  the  Committee  of 
Safety  that  a  regular  system  of  communication  was  maintained  between  the 
British  leaders  at  the  North  and  South.  It  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  American  cause  that  these  dispatches  should  be  intercepted  and  the  system 
broken  up.  General  Schuyler  was,  therefore,  instructed  to  make  careful  in- 
quiry for  a  shrewd,  intelligent  and  courageous  man,  of  well-known  fidelity  to  the 
cause,  who  would  volunteer  upon  the  dangerous  duty  of  acting  as  a  double 
spy.  This  resulted  in  the  recommendation  to  him  of  Moses  Harris,  of  Duchess 
county,  a  young  man  of  education,  resources  and  great  personal  courage.  As 
the  settlement  of  that  portion  of  the  present  town  of  Queensbury  known  as 
"  Harrisena  "  was  intimately  connected  with  this  man  and  his  descendants,  it 
becomes  us  to  note  something  of  his  career.^     One  of  the   earliest  settlers  on 

1  Holden's  History  of  Queensbziry. 

2  In  a  foot  note  in  his  History  of  Queensbury,  Dr.  Holden  writes  as  follows  :  — 

Moses  Harris,  jr.,  whose  name  frequently  appears  in  the  town  records  of  Queensbury  after  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  War,  was  a  surveyor  by  profession,  and  a  large  per  centage  of  the  early  road  sur- 
veys of  the  town  were  made  by  him.  A  monument  to  his  memory  (erected  by  his  grandson,  the  late 
John  J.  Harris)  stands  in  the  rural  burial  ground  attached  to  the  Episcopal  Church  at  Harrisena,  on 
which  are  engraved  the  following  inscriptions  :  — 


364  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  Bradshaw  patent  was  Gilbert  Harris.  He  owned  what  was  famiharly  known 
as  "The  Thousand  Apple-tree  Farm,"  which  embraced  a  square  mile  of  the 
fertile  land  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  of  Kingsbury.  He  was  an  uncom- 
promising royalist  and  an  efficient  secret  agent  of  the  British  in  obtaining  and 
transmitting  intelligence  through  the  American  lines.  This  man  was  uncle  to 
Moses  Harris.  Previous  to  the  war  they  had  been  on  friendly  terms.  To  him 
Moses  proceeded  and.^  "  securing  his  confidence,  gave  him  to  understand  that  he 
had  changed  his  views,  that  he  was  tired  of  the  troubled  and  disturbed  state  of 
the  country,  and  dissatisfied  with  the  course  pursued  by  the  Whigs,  and,  believ- 
ing that  the  Rebellion  would  be  crushed  out  sooner  or  later,  he  had  about  come 
to  the  conclusion  to  join  the  British  army,  unless  some  more  congenial  employ- 
ment was  offered.  At  this  stage  of  affairs  the  notorious  Joseph  Betteys  seems 
to  have  been  consulted,  and  to  have  completed  the  negotiations  and  arrange- 
ments by  which  Harris  was  to  act  as  a  courier  in  conveying  dispatches  between 
this  point  and  Albany.  He  was  conducted  to  a  Tory  rendezvous  on  the  Half- 
way Brook,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  settlement  now  known  as  Tripoli, ^  where,  in 
an  underground  apartment,  amply  furnished  with  arms,  ammunition  and  pro- 
visions, he  was  sworn  to  secrecy  and  fidelity,  and  the  dispatches  here  concealed 
were  delivered  to  him  for  transmission  to  one  WilHam  Shepherd,  a  Tory,  who 
occupied,  by  arrangement,  an  old  tenement  on  the  Patroon's  Creek,  near  the 
old  Colonic  in  Albany,  and  who  in  turn,  was  to  forward  them  to  their  destina- 
tion for  the  British  authorities  down  the  river.  The  route  pursued  by  Harris 
took  him  at  night  to  the  house  of  Fish,  in  Easton  (the   man  who  had   recom- 

Wcst  Side. 
MOSES  HARRIS. 
Died 
Nov.  13,  1838. 
['-  ged  8g  j'ears, 
II  Mo's  and  24 
Days. 
North  Side. 
In  June,  1787,  I  moved  with  two  of  my  brothers,  William  and  Joseph  Harris,  on  to  the  John  Law- 
rence Patten,  as  you  may  see  by  the   records  in  the  Living's  office  of  the  county  at  that  age  in  1786. 
But  now  I  am  done  with  this  world  and  race,  and  none  but  God  shall  say,  where  shall  be  my  abiding 
place. 

South  Side. 
He  was  a  man  that  was  true  to  his  friends  and  his  country.  He  was  the  man  that  carried  the  pack- 
age for  General  Schuyler  and  from  General  Schuyler  to  General  Washington.  It  went,  and  without 
doubt  was  the  instrument  that  put  General  Burgoyne's  journey  to  an  end.  He  it  was  that  bought  the 
Patten  'granted  to  John  Lawrence  and  others  when  wild;  and  settled  the  same,  being  two  thousand 
acres,  to  the  benefit  of  his  children  and  grandchildren.  For  which  I  think  I  ought  to  do  something  to 
his  memory.  —  y.  J.  H. ,  Grandson. 

iFrom  Hoi.den's  Queensbury;  communicated  to  him  (1850)  by  Moses  Harris,  a  son  of  the  spy, 
and  supplemented  by  information  from  Judge  Hay. 

2  In  an  article  written  by  William  L.  Stone,  of  Sandy  Hill,  and  published  in  the  Magazine  of  Amer- 
ican History,  July  i,  1878,  a  slightly  different  version  is  given,  but  we  regard  Dr.  Holden's  as  more 
authentic. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  365 

mended  Harris  to  General  Schuyler),  who  lived  about  two  miles  from  the  river. 
Here  the  papers  were  transferred  to  Fish,  who  hastened  with  them  to  Albany, 
where  they  were  submitted  to  General  Schuyler  when  present,  and  to  his  pri- 
vate secretary  when  absent,  by  whom  they  were  carefully  opened,  examined, 
transcribed,  sealed  up  and  returned  to  Harris,  who  then  resumed  his  journey, 
and  deposited  the  papers  in  Shepherd's  hands,  receiving  at  the  same  time  his 
return  message  when  there  was  one.  Harris,  in  the  mean  time,  by  his  uncle's 
advice,  stopped  for  refreshments  at  a  tavern  in  the  city,  where  he  was  on  the 
best  of  terms  wdth  the  partisans  of  freedom. 

"  This  system  was  followed  up  for  several  weeks,  when  the  British  leaders, 
finding  their  plans  discovered  and  thwarted,  suspicion  fell  upon  Harris,  and  he 
was  arrested  at  his  uncle's  house,  taken  to  another  of  the  secret  rendezvous  of 
the  royalists,  on  an  island  in  the  big  swamp  east  of  Sandy  Hill,  where  he  was 
charged  with  his  treachery  and  his  life  threatened  ;  but  his  cool  self-possession 
never  for  a  moment  forsook  him,  and  he  succeeded  in  persuading  them  that 
they  had  done  him  a  great  injustice,  after  which  he  resumed  his  duties. 

"  On  another  occasion,  by  previous  arrangement  and  understanding  with 
General  Schuyler  for  the  purpose  of  averting  suspicion,  he  was  arrested  and 
thrown  into  jail  in  Albany,  where  he  remained  for  several  days,  whence  by 
collusion  with  the  keeper  who  had  his  private  instructions,  he  was  permitted  to 
escape,  and  went  to  Canada,  where  he  was  handsomely  rewarded  and  made 
much  of  by  the  authorities  and  renegade  Tories. 

"  On  this  occasion  he  communicated  false  and  deceptive  intelligence, 
agreed  upon  in  Albany,  and  which  was  near  bringing  him  into  trouble.  On 
his  return  from  St.  Johns  he  was  again  entrusted  with  dispatches,  which,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  sickness  of  Fish,  he  was  obliged  to  take  to  Schuyler  in  person, 
and  thence  by  his  orders  to  General  Washington.  Whether  he  was  dogged 
by  spies  or  by  reason  of  previous  suspicions.  Shepherd  attempted  to  poison 
him  for  his  defection ;  and  Jo.  Betteys,  having  entrapped  him,  he  was  obliged 
to  flee  for  his  life.  He  at  this  time  took  refuge  with  one  Dirk,  or  Diedrich 
Swart,  a  Whig  living  at  Stillwater,  a  friend  of  General  Schuyler,  who  had  re- 
quested him  to  afford  Harris  aid  and  protection  in  case  of  trouble.  To  com- 
plicate his  dangers  at  this  time,  Swart  informed  him  that  one  Jacob  Bensen,  a 
Whig,  had  threatened  to  '  put  a  ball  through  the  cussed  Tory '  under  the  sup- 
position that  he  was  a  loyalist,  and  that  he  was  lying  in  wait  for  him  for  that 
purpose  in  the  adjacent  woods.  Another  danger  almost  as  formidable  arose 
from  competition  among  the  Tories  for  the  position  of  spy  and  messenger, 
and  the  enhanced  pay  that  went  with  it,  together  with  the  consequence  and 
consideration  that  the  position  gave.  Among  the  rivals  floated  to  the  surface 
by  the  turbid  current  were  two  loyalists  named  Caleb  Closson  and  Andrew 
Rakely  living  in  Kingsbury,  and  David  Higginbottom,  who  had  been  a  ser- 
geant in  the  31st  British  regiment.     On  his  last  excursion  he  was  weakened  by 


366  History  of  Warren  County. 

a  wound  he  had  received  in  one  of  his  adventures,  and  exhausted  by  the  pain 
and  fatigue,  he  was  forced  to  halt  at  brief  intervals,  stopping  first  with  one 
Humighaus,  a  Tory  living  on  the  south  line  of  Fort  Anne,  and  next  at  the  house 
of  Peter  Freel  at  Fort  Edward.  From  here  he  proceeded  toward  Fort  Miller, 
but  on  the  way  was  pursued  by  a  scouting  party  of  Whigs,  and  compelled  to 
seek  safety  in  flight  across  the  river,  and  shelter  in  the  house  of  Noah  Payn,  a 
Whig  who  resided  opposite  to  the  block-house  at  Fort  Miller.  His  danger  was 
so  imminent  that  he  was  obliged  to  make  known  to  the  latter  his  relations  to 
General  Schuyler  and  the  American  army.  His  secret  was  faithfully  kept, 
and  Payn  afforded  him  the  needed  protection  and  rest,  and  assisted  him  on  the 
way  to  Easton,  giving  him  at  the  same  time  a  letter  of  recommendation  to 
General  Putnam,  a  former  townsman,  neighbor,  and  friend  of  Payn. 

"  After  the  battle  of  Stillwater,  and  Burgoyne's  surrender,  Harris  received 
(so  runs  the  family  tradition)  a  purse  of  one  hundred  guineas  from  General 
Schuyler  for  services,  and  after  the  close  of  the  war  a  pension  of  ninety-  six 
dollars  per  annum  was  awarded  him  bj'  the  government.  After  the  war  he 
returned  to  his  favorite  hunting  haunts  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  George,  where 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  two  thousand  acres  of  land  ^  to  which,  and  the  adjacent 
territory,  the  name  of  Harrisena  was  given,  where  the  remainder  of  his  life 
was  passed  amidst  the  tranquillity  of  peaceful  scenes,  and  where  many  of  his 
descendants  still  reside. 

"  In  a  communication  from  Gouverneur  Morris  at  Saratoga  dated  July  17th 
to  the  Council  of  Safety,  he  says :  '  I  left  Fort  Edward  with  General  Schuyler 
at  noon,  and  shall  return  thither  some  time  to-morrow  morning.  Fort  George 
was  destroyed  yesterday  afternoon,  previous  to  which  the  provisions,  stores, 
batteaux,  &c.,  were  removed,  and  this  morning  at  ten  o'clock  the  last  of  them 
passed  us  about  three  miles  to  the  northward  of  Fort  Edward,  at  which  place 
all  the  troops  from  the  lake  have  arrived,  and  these,  together  with  some  others, 
form  an  advanced  post  towards  Fort  George ;  about  twelve  hundred,  perhaps 
more,  are  somewhat  further  advanced  upon  the  road  to  Fort  Anne.  The  ene- 
my have  not  yet  made  any  motion  that  we  know  of,  nor  indeed  can  they  make 
any  of  consequence  until  they  shall  have  procured  carriages,  and  then  they 
may  find  it  rather  difficult  to  come  this  way,  if  proper  care  be  taken  to  prevent 
them  from  procuring  forage.  For  this  purpose  I  shall  give  it  as  my  opinion 
to  the  general,  whenever  he  asks  it,  to  break  up  all  the  settlements  upon  our 

1  "  Mr.  Benjamin  Harris  states  tl'at  there  were  21  corners  to  this  lot,  that  he  bought  of  Law- 
rence, Boel  and  Tuttle,  who  had  a  king's  patent,  which  was  surveyed  by  him  in  1775.  The  three 
brothers,  Moses,  Joseph  and  William,  came  to  settle  on  this  tract  in  1786.  In  the  Calendar  of  A'.  Y. 
Land  Papers  there  is  a  record  of  16  certificates  of  location  for  about  5000  acres  of  land  in  small  parels 
—  adjoining  the  other  main  tract ;  all  in  favor  of  Moses  Harris,  jr.,  occurring  from  1786  to  1789.  In 
the  same  authority,  p.  506,  there  is  a  return  of  survey  Oct.  12,  1770,  for  two  tracts  of  land  of  3000 
acres  each  within  the  bounds  of  the  Robert  Harpur  patent,  surrendered  to  the  crown,  lying  partly  in 
Queensbury  and  partly  in  Fort  Anne,  to  John  Lawrence,  Henry  Boel  and  Stephen  Tuttle." 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  367 

northern  frontier,   to  drive  off  the  cattle,  secure  or  destroy  the  forage,  etc.  ; 
and  also  to  destroy  the  saw  mills. 

"  'These  measures,  harsh  as  they  may  seem,  are,  I  am  confident,  absolutely 
necessary.  They  ought  undoubtedly  to  be  taken  with  prudence,  and  temper- 
ately carried  into  execution.  But  I  will  venture  to  say  that  if  we  lay  it  down 
as  a  maxim  never  to  contend  for  ground  but  in  the  last  necessity,  to  leave 
nothing  but  a  wilderness  to  the  enemy,  their  progress  must  be  impeded  by  ob- 
stacles which  it  is  not  in  human  nature  to  surmount ;  and  then,  unless  we  have, 
with  our  usual  good  nature,  built  posts  for  their  defense,  they  must  at  the  ap- 
proach of  winter  retire  to  the  place  from  whence  they  at  first  set  out.  The 
militia  from  the  eastward  come  in  by  degrees,  and  I  expect  we  shall  soon  be 
in  force  to  carry  on  the  petite  guerre  to  advantage,  provided  always,  Bur- 
goyne  attempts  to  annoy  us,  for  it  is  pretty  clear  that  we  cannot  get  at  him.' 

"  At  the  near  approach  of  the  enemy,  the  women  and  children  had  been 
collected  under  escort,  and  sent  forward  within  the  American  lines  to  places  of 
quiet  and  security  for  protection.  Most  of  the  residents  of  Queensbury,  who 
desired  to  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege,  took  refuge  in  Duchess  county. 
Some  few  remained  behind,  depending  for  safety  upon  their  principles  of  non- 
resistance  and  their  faith  and  reliance  in  God's  protection.  The  scene  of  this 
general  flitting,  expedited  by  the  frequent  appearance  of  small  bands  of  armed 
savages,  is  thus  graphically  portrayed  by  another ;  — 

"  'The  roads  were  filled  with  fugitives;  men  leading  little  children  by  the 
hand,  women  pressing  their  infant  offspring  to  their  bosoms,  hurrying  forward 
in  utmost  consternation  from  the  scene  of  danger.  Occasionally  passed  a  caval- 
cade, two  and  even  three  mounted  on  a  single  steed,  panting  under  its  heavy 
load ;  sometimes  carrj'ing  a  mother  and  her  child,  while  the  father  ran  breath- 
less by  the  horse's  side.  Then  came  a  procession  of  carts  dravvn  by  oxen, 
laden  with  furniture  hastily  collected ;  and  here  and  there,  mingling  with  the 
crowd  of  vehicles,  was  seen  many  a  sturdy  husbandman  followed  by  his  house- 
hold and  driving  his  domestic  animals  before  him.'  "^ 

Following  the  engagement  at  and  evacuation  of  Fort  Anne,  an  interval  of 
nearly  three  weeks  elapsed  before  Burgoyne  began  his  advance  to  Fort  Ed- 
ward. This  short  period  was  fatal  to  his  success  and  opened  the  way  for  his 
overwhelming  defeat,  as  chronicled  in  our  earlier  chapters. 

The  first  great  blow  for  freedom  was  struck  and  the  entire  country  drew  a 
breath  of  relief;  but  the  desolated  hearthstones  of  Queensbury  told  plainly  of 
the  terrors  of  the  struggle.  A  few  families  remained  here  during  all  of  this 
struggle,  and  with  the  promise  of  peace  now  held  out,  the  scattered  and  fugi- 
tive settlers  returned  to  rebuild  their  shattered  homes  and  resume  the  avoca- 
tions of  peace. 2 


1  Wilson's  Life  of  Jane  McCrea,  p.  80.      Holden's  Hi':tory  of  Queensbury,  p.  450. 

2  The  two  following  extracts  from  the  Wing  manuscripts  go  to  show  the  continued  occupancy  of  the 
settlement ;  — 


368  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  Wing  papers,  as  drawn  upon  in  Holden's  History  of  Queensbury,  show 
further  losses  by  the  war,  additional  to  those  already  detailed.  It  will  be  seen 
that  they  amount  in  the  aggregate  to  large  sums  in  value,  particularly  those 
borne  by  Mr.  Wing:  — 

No.    I. 

Affidavit  of  Abraham  Wing  relating  to  losses  incurred  during  the  retreat  of 
the  American  army  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  advance  towards  Saratoga. 
"  In  the  month  of  July,  1777,  the  under-mentioned  cattle  were  taken  from 

me  by  General  Orders  and  Converted  to  the  use  of  the  Continental  Army,  for 

which  I  have  never  received  any  compensation,  vizt :  — 

"  I  Red  Sorrel  Horse  aged  7  years  and  worth £2^,  „  00  „  o 

"  I  Large  Mare  aged  2  years  worth 20,,  oo,,0 

"  I  Mare  and  her  colt  worth 18  ,,  00  „  O 

"  I  Cow  five  years  old  worth 8  ,,  00  ,,  o 

"  2  large  fatt  Calves  worth  when  taken 3  ,,  00 ,,  O 

"  1 1  Best  Sheep  worth  two  Dollars  each 8  „  16  ,,  o 


"£83,,  i6„o 
"And  in  the  month  of  July,    1777,   my  mills  were  dismantled  of  25  Saws, 
2  Rag- Wheels,  Gudgeons,  Hoops,  Bands,   Hoggles,  Roundsills,  Hands,  Dogs, 
Barrs  &  all  other  utensills  necessary  for  two  Mills  in  Compleat  Repair,  for  none 
of  which  articles  I  liave  ever  received  any  compensation  whatever. 

"  These  Mill  Irons  were  carried  off  in  two  waggons  on  the  retreat  of  the 
Continental  army  from  Fort  George  and  were  worth  at  least  one  Hundred  and 
Twenty  Pounds. 

"  Abraham  Wing. 
"  Washington  ) 

County     5  6th  March,  1786 

"  This  Day  personally  appeared  the  above  named  Abm  Wing  and  made 
affirmation  to  the  truth  of  the  above  before  me. 

"  Adiel  Sherwood,  Jus.  Pe." 

I.   'isO'YlC^  of  a  Friejid^s  Meeting  laith  visitors  from  abroad, — Extract  from  Abraham    Wing's  Pocket 

Afemorandum. 
3d  mo.  6,  1778. 

George  Dilhvyn  from  Burlington  in  West  Jersey  accompanied  by  Edward  Hallock,  Isaac  Vail  and 
Paul  Upton  of  the  Nine  Partners  monthly  meeting,  were  here  and  had  a  meeting. 

II.   Memorandum  concerning  some  horses  left  with  Abraham   Wing. 
Lake  George  the  I2lh  Day  of  June  A  D  1778. 

Mr.  Abraham  Wing  I  Cant  have  my  Horses  carried  to  Ticonderoga  at  Present  and  If  you  will  Keep 
2  Horses  for  me  until  the  Hurry  is  over  and  then  will  send  them  up  to  Leonard  Joneses  and  Desire 
him  to  send  them  to  Ticonderoga  and  send  me  an  account  What  the  cost  is  I  will  send  you  the  money 
or  cum  this  way  &  Pay  you  If  I  may  leave  it  at  Leonard  Joneses  it  will  be  the  Handiest  for  me.  I 
shall  be  glad  to  have  them  have  good  Pasture.     This  from  yours  to  sarve. 

to  mr.  Abraham  Wing  &c  David  Welch 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury. 


369 


No.   2. 

Affirmation  of  Abraham  and  Benjamin  Wing,  concerning  grain  and  hay  con- 
verted to  the  use  of  the  Continental  Army. 
"We  do  hereby  most  solemnly  affirm  that  in  the  month  of  July,  1777,  the 
undernamed  grain  was  taken  from  us  for  the  use  of  the  Continental  Army  on 
their  retreat  from  Fort  George  for  which  we  have  Never  received  any  Com- 
pensation in  any  Manner  &  grane,  and  the  Quantity  was  apprised  by  Morgan 
Lewis  and  the  price  affixed  by  Phineas  Babcock,  Andrew  Lewis  and  James 
Higson,  viz. 

"  16  Bushels  Oats 

"18  Bushels  rye 

"  30  Bushels  of  Oats 

"  66  Bushels  of  Corn 

"36  Bushels  of  Wheat 

"    3  tons  of  hay 

"Washington  )  6th  March  1786 

County  5  This  day  personally  appeared  the  above  Signers  and 
Solemnly  affirmed  in  the  presense  of  Almighty  God  that  they  had  not  received 
any  compensation  for  the  above  articles. 

"  Adiel  Sherwood,  Juss  Peice." 
No.  3. 
Certificate  of  the  Quartermaster  General  to  the  receipt  of  grain  and  hay  for 
the  use  of  the  Continental  Army. 
"  60  Bushels  Potatoes     ) 


Valued  at  forty- three 
pounds  five  shillings 

Abraham  Wing 
Benjamin  Wing 


ig 


>Benjn  Wing 


"  80  Skipples  Wheat      V  Abm  Wing 
"  5  Tons  Hay 

"  16  Busls  Oats 

"18     Do  Rye 

"30     Do  Oats 

"  66     Do  Corn 

"36     Do  Wheat 

"    3  Tons  Hay 

"The    above   is  agreeable  to    appraisement  made  by  order    Maj'r    Gen'l 
Schuyler.  M.   LEWIS, 

"9  May  1778  D.  Q.  M.  G." 

No.  4. 

Affidavit  relating  to  the  same. 
"  We  do  hereby  solemnly  swear  that  to  the  best  of  our  knowledge  the  dif- 
ferent articles  as  certified  by  Morgan  Lewis  which  were  taken  from  Abraham 
and  Benjamin  Wing  by  the  Continental  Army  were  worth  vizt. : 

24 


370  HiSTORV  OF  Warren  County. 

"  from  Abraham  Wing  amount 

"  60  Bushels  potatoes  worth  2s.  6d.  per  Bushell £7  „  10  „  o 

"  80  Skipples  Wheat  4^.  6d.  per  Skipple 1 8  „  00  „  o 

"    5  Tons  Hay  60s.  per  Ton 15  „  00  „  o 

£^0  „  10  „  o 
"  From  Benjn  Wing. 

"  16  Bushell  Oats  worth  2s.  6d.  per  Bushell ^2  ,,  00  „  O 

"  18  Bushell  Rye  e,s.  per  Bushell 4  „  10  „  O 

"30  Bushell  Oats  2s.  6d.  per  Bushell 3  ,,  15  ,.  o 

" 66  Bushell  Corn  4?.  per  Bushell 13,,    4„0 

"  36  Bushell  Wheat  6s.  per  Bushell 10  „  16  ,,  O 

"    3  Tons  Hay  at  60s.  per  Ton 9  „  00  „  o 

"  Amount  of  the  whole  ;^43  ,,    5  ,,  O 

"Phinehas  Babcock 
"  James  Higson 
"Andrew  Lewis 
"Washington  County,  6th  March  1786. 

"  This  day  personally  appeared  before  me  the  above  signers  and  made 
Solemn  Oath  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God  the  above  estimation  was  to 
the  best  of  their  knowledge. 

"  Adiel  Sherwood,  Jus." 
No.  s. 

The  following  memorandum  of  account  fixes  the  date  of  the  foregoing. 
"  The  Public 
"  1777  To  Abraham  Wing  Dr 

"July  1 6th  To  60  Bushels  at  6s ^18  ,,  00  „  o 

"       80  Skipples  Wheat  at  1 5 j 45  ,,  00  ,,  o 

"       5  Tons  Hay  at  ;^6 30,,oo,,  o" 

No.  6. 

Affidavit  of  Andrew  Lewis, —  relating  to  loss  of  horses. 
"  I  do  hereby  most  solemnly  Swear  that  on  the  retreat  of  the  Continental 
Army  from  Fort  George,  there  was  a  black  mare  taken  from  me  by  order  of 
Major  General  Schuyler,  by  a  party  Commanded  by  Col  Morgan  Lewis,  which 
mare  was  worth  at  least  Twelve  pounds  in  Gold  or  Silver  &  -under  nine  years 
of  age.  Andrew  Lewis. 


"Washington    )        --^u  n/r      u      «o^ 
P        °  >        6th  March,  1786. 


"  This  day  personally  appeared  before  me  Andrew  Lewis  the  signer  of  the 
above  and  made  solemn  oath  to  the  truth  of  the  above. 

"Adiel  Sherwood,  Jus." 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         371 

No.  7. 
Benjamin  Wing's  affirmation  respecting  the  loss  of  cattle,  etc. 
"I  do  hereby  most  solemnly  affirm  that   in   the  Month   of  July  1777,  the 
under-named  Cattle  were  taken  from  me  by  order  of  Major  General   Schuyler 
for  the  Use  of  the  Continental  army  on  their  retreat  from  Fort  George,  vizt 

"  I  Large  Young  Horse  worth £26-0-0 

"  I  Large  Ox  worth .  . , lO-O-o 

"  I  Bull  worth 5-0-0 

"  3  Milch  Cows  worth  £y  Each 21-0-0 

"  2  Large  fatt  Heifers  worth 12-0-0 

"  3  Calves  worth 3-0-0 


"  £77-0-0 

"  which  Cattle  I  do  solemnly  affirm  were  worth  at  Least  Seventy-seven  pounds 

in  Gold  or  Silver,  when  taken  from  me,  &  for  which  I  never  have  received  any 

Compensation  myself  nor  no  other  person  on  my  account.  Benj  Wing. 

"Washington)  ,^,  t,,.  ,  „^ 
^  °  >  6th  March  1786. 
County       3 

"  This  Day  personally  appeared  before  me  the  above  signer  Benj  Wing  and 
affirmed  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God  that  the  above  act.  is  True  for  which 
he  had  received  no  Compensation.  Adiel  Sherwood,  Jus" 

No.  8. 
Phinehas  Babcock's  affidavit  concerning  losses. 
"  I  do  hereby  most  Solemnly  Swear  that  on  the  retreat  of  the  Continental 
Troops  from  Fort  George 

"  Captain  Lyman  &  a  party  of  Solders  ) 

^  ^  ^  \ £6-0—0 

took  from  me  one  Milch  Cow  value    ^ 

"  Capt  Whitcomb  &  a  party  of  Soldiers  ) 

took  from  me  10  Sheep  value  los  ) 

"  Lieut  Howard  &  a  party  of  Soldiers  " 

took  from  me  i  yoke  of  oxen  valued 

at  ;£'20  I   

"  I  Mare  3  years  old  value  10  J  

;^4I-0-0 

"Amounting  in  all  to  forty- one  pounds,  for  which  no  compensation  whatever 
has  been  made  to  me  or  any  other  person  on  my  behalf  &  I  do  further  most 
solemnly  swear  that  the  above  Cattle  were  worth  the  above  valuation  of  forty- 
one  pounds,  in  Gold  or  Silver,  when  taken  from  me  for  the  use  of  the  Conti- 
nental Army —  PhinehaS  BabcOCK. 

"Washington)      g^^  March   1786. 
County       3 
"This  Day  personally  appeared  before  me  the  above  Signer  Phinehas  Bab- 


30-0-0 


372  History  of  Warren  County. 

cock  Made  Solemn  Oath  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God  that  the  above 
Estimation  was  true  and  that  he  had  not  received  any  pay  or  Compensation 
for  any  of  them.  Adiel  Sherwood  Jus  : " 

No.  9. 
In  addition  to  the   cattle  heretofore  enumerated  were  a  number  of  milch  kine 
which  were  returned  to  the  owners  pursuant  to  the  following  order  of  Maj. 
Gen.  Schuyler. 

"  Sir :  A  number  of  Milch  Cows  have  been  brought  down  from  beyond  our 
lines  some  of  which  belong  to  Mr.  Abraham  Wyng  and  his  family  and  as  he  is 
so  situated  that  he  cannot  move  I  have  permitted  him  to  remain  and  consented 
that  he  should  take  back  eight  of  his  cows.  You  will  therefore  please  to  de- 
liver them  to  him.  "  I  am  Sir 

"  Your  Hu  Sert 

"  Ph  :  Schuyler. 
"Head  Quarters  July  26  1777 
"To  Major  Gray 
"  D  :   Commissary.  " 

No.  10. 

James  Higson's  affidavit  respecting  losses. 
"  In  the  month  of  July  1777,  the  Undermentioned  articles  were  taken  from 
me  for  the  use  of  the  Continental  Army   By  General   orders  &   delivered   to 
Brigadier  Genl.  Larned,  vizt. 

"  One  Large  Bay  Mare  value ^20—0-0 

"  One  Large  Bay  Mare  value : 1 5—0—0 

"  Two  very  Large  Milch  Cows 16-0-0 

"i    Large   Heifer 4—0-0 

"  2  Store  Calves 3-0-0 

";^S  8-0-0 

"  For  the  above  cattle  which  when  taken  were  worth  in  Specie  ^fifty-eight 
pounds  I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  never  received  any  compensation  nor  any 
person  on  my  behalf 

"  I  do  most  solemnly  Swear  that  in  the  month  of  July  1777,  a  quantity  of 
corn  as  appraised  by  Col.  Lewis  &  others  to  four  acres,  a  Quantity  of  oats  as 
appraised  by  Col.  Lewis  &  others  to  three  acres  &  Potatoes  appraised  by  the 
same  to  one  half  acre  were  taken  from  me  for  the  use  of  the  Continental  Army, 
for  none  of  which  I  have  received  any  compensation,  nor  any  person  on  my 
behalf  jAMES  HiGSON. 

"  Washington  ) 

County      3  this  day  personally  appeared  before  me  James  Higson  and 

made  oath  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God  that  the  above  act.  was  Just  and 
True. 

"Fort  Edward  6th  March,  1786.  Adiel  Sherwood  Jus.:" 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         373 

No.  II. 
Permit  from  Col.  Yates  to  Abraham  Wing,  jr.,  to  keep  a  horse. 

"Saratoga,  Nov.  17th,    1777. 
"  I  have  considered  about  your  Sons  Horse  and  give   him   Leave  to   keep 
the  Same  until  some  higher  Power  shall  order  it  otherwise.      I  also  grant  you 
Leave  to  keep  a  hunting  gun  in  your  house  and   forbid  any  one  to   take   the 
same  without  orders  from  the  general.  I  am  Sir 

"  Your  friend  &  hu  Servt. 
"  A  true  copy  Chris  Yates. 

"  To  Abraham  Wing.  " 

Fortunately  for  the  inhabitants  of  Queensbury,  the  important  mihtary  op- 
erations of  the  next  two  years  occurred  farther  to  the  southward  along  the  sea- 
board, giving  them  and  their  property,  which  had  not  already  been  taken  or 
destroyed,  a  little  immunity  from  the  effects  of  the  war.  A  small  garrison  was 
retained  at  Fort  Edward,  which  was  for  several  months  the  frontier  post  on 
the  northern  military  route. 

The  town  book  shows  the  results  of  the  usual  spring  election  in  the  follow- 
ing record : — 

"  At  an  annual  town  meeting  held  in  Queensbury  on  Tuesday  ye  5  Day  of 
May  1 778  for  the  Township  of  Queensbury  : 

"  I  voted.   Abraham  Wing,  Moderator. 

"  2  voted.   Benjamin  Wing,  Town  Clerk. 

"  3  voted.   Abraham  Wing,  Supervisor. 

"  4  voted.  James  Higson,  Constable. 

"  5  voted.  John  Graves,  Constable. 

"  6  voted.  Ebenezer  Fuller,  Phinehas  Babcock  and  Nehemiah  Sealey,  As- 
sessors. 

"  7  voted.   Ebenezer  Fuller,  Pathmaster. 

"  8  voted.   Nehemiah  Sealey  and  Benjamin  Wing,  Overseers  of  the  Poor. 

"  9  voted.   Phinehas  Babcock,  Collector. 

"  10  voted.   Abraham  Wing,  Town  treasurer. 

"II  voted.   Abraham  Wing,  Jur.,  Pound  keeper. 

"  12  voted.  Nehemiah  Sealey  and  Benjamin  Wing,  Viewers  of  fence  and 
prizers  of  Damage." 

With  the  opening  of  the  spring  campaign  of  1778  General  John  Stark  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  northern  department.  The  year  was  locally  sig- 
nalized by  bitter  strife  among  the  Tories  and  their  loyal  neighbors.  The  former 
element  had  reached  a  position  of  defiance,  maliciousness  and  cruelty,  and  it 
was  determined  to  put  them  down  at  whatever  cost.  In  June  Serenus  Parks, 
a  Tory  residing  near  the  Harris  settlement  in  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
was  arrested,  as  appears  by  the  following  letter  found  among  the  Wing 
papers : — 


374  History  of  Warren  County. 

"Stillwater,  i8th  of  June,  1778. 

"  Sir  we  have  Received  yours  of  the  i6th  Inst,  in  which  you  have  sent  us 
mr.  Parks  &  Jackson's  Crime  as  Pr.  Complaint,  we  let  you  know  that  our  Next 
meeting  will  be  at  the  house  of  James  Swarts  at  Saratoga  on  Thursday  the 
26th  Inst,  and  as  by  order  of  Convention  we  are  the  Proper  Judges  of  Persons 
of  our  own  district  in  actions  cognizable  before  a  Sub  Committee  we  therefore 
demand  that  the  Sd  Parks  &  Jackson  shall  be  forthwith  delivered  to  the  Cus- 
tody of  Ensign  Isac  Doty — who  is  hereby  authorized  to  Receive  them  in  order 
that  they  may  be  caused  to  appear  before  us  at  the  time  and  Place  above  men- 
tioned when  the  Complainants  may  have  opportunity  to  Produce  their  Evi- 
dence and  proceed  to  tryal  By  order  of  Committee, 

"  George  Palmer,  Chairman." 

It  was  in  this  season,  also,  that  Levi  Crocker  was  taken  prisoner  by  a  band 
of  Tories,  of  which  some  were  neighbors  and  supposed  friends.  Crocker  was 
at  work  in  his  field  when  taken,  and  he  received  such  abuse,  indignity  and  in- 
sult, that  he  said  to  one  of  his  captors,  "  Tom,  there  will  come  a  time  when  I 
will  make  you  bite  the  dust  for  this!"  After  some  months'  incarceration  he 
was  fortunate  enough  to  escape  from  his  prison,  and  return  to  his  home  at 
Fort  Miller  in  safety.  One  day  a  member  of  the  family  discovered  the  of- 
fending Tory,  making  his  way  across  the  lower  end  of  their  garden.  Crocker, 
who  happened  to  be  in  the  house,  was  immediately  notified  and,  taking  down 
his  gun,  which  was  always  loaded  in  those  exciting  times,  he  stepped  to  the 
door  and  deliberately  shot  him.  While  writhing  in  his  death  agony,  Crocker 
walked  to  his  side  and  reminded  him  of  his  treachery,  and  his  own  well-exe- 
cuted threat. 

"  Among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  Bradshaw  patent  was  Moses  Harris, 
father  of  the  spy  whose  exploits  have  already  been  in  part  narrated.  Like  his 
brother  Gilbert,^  the  Tory,  he  was  also  a  militia  man  at  the  time  of  the  cap- 
ture of  Port  Royal.  In  consequence  of  this  service  he  became  entitled  to 
bounty-land,  and  it  was  probably  while  endeavoring  to  locate  his  scrip,  that  he 
settled  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Kingsbury.  He  was  arrested  about  the 
time  of  the  occurrence  of  the  events  just  narrated,  at  the  house  of  his  brother 
Gilbert.  The  latter,  well  knowing  that  Moses  was  fully  cognizant  of  his  evil 
doings,  insisted  that  he  should  be  taken  into  Canada  as  a  prisoner,  even  if  he 
died  on  the  route,  he  being  not  only  advanced  in  years,  but  in  feeble  health  at 
that  time,  but  Andrew  Rakely  (or  Rikely),  who  was  in  charge  or  command  of 
the  party  of  Tories,  resolutely  opposed  the  proposition,  saying,  '  He  is  an  old 
man,  and  if  he  goes  the  exposure  and  fatigue  will  kill  him.'  To  this  Gilbert 
unfeelingly  responded,  'Let  him  die  then.'     The  matter  was  finally  compro- 

1  Old  Gil.  Harris  found  Kingsbury  an  unhealthy  neighborhood  to  live  in  after  the  war  was  ended. 
He  removed,  it  is  said,  to  Bolton,  and  died  and  was  buried  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Basin  Bay  on 
Lake  George. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  375 

mised  by  Moses  taking  an  oath  not  to  reveal  anything,  so  long  as  the  war  last- 
ed, which  would  prejudice  Gilbert's  interests  or  bring  him  into  disrepute  with 
his  Whig  neighbors.  After  the  war,  Joseph  Harris,  Moses's  son,  out  of  grati- 
tude for  this  unusual  act  of  kindness,  sent  word  to  Rakely  in  Canada,  that  if 
he  would  comedown  and  settle  on  it,  he  would  give  him  one  hundred  acres  of 
as  good  farming  land  as  this  section  of  country  afforded. 

"  About  the  same  time  a  lad  by  the  name  of  Oliver  Graham,  being  with 
a  party  of  three  or  four  others  on  their  way  from  Fort  Edward,  was  shot  at  and 
wounded  by  a  party  of  Tories  concealed  on  the  route,  of  whom  Gil  Harris  was 
one.  One  of  the  number  exclaimed  as  he  was  about  to  fire,  '  Why  that's  little 
Oliver  Graham,  don't  kill  him  ;'  to  which  Harris  savagely  replied,  "  Yes,  damn 
him  !  let's  kill  all.'  The  poor  fellow,  on  finding  himself  wounded,  jumped  from 
the  roadway  into  the  woods  on  the  opposite  side  from  which  the  gun  was 
fired,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  another  party  in  ambush,  by  whom  he  was 
taken  a  prisoner  to  Canada,  where  he  remained  a  prisoner  until  after  the  close 
of  the  war,  when  he  returned  again  to  Sandy  Hill."i 

In  short,  anarchy  reigned  supreme ;  brother  was  often  arrayed  against 
brother  and  father  against  son  ;  few  knew  who  could  be  trusted  ;  the  soldiery 
assumed  a  license^  to  which  they  were  not  entitled,  and  justice,  when  it  did 
overtake  the  enemies  of  the  country,  was  often  prompt  in  obtaining  satisfac- 
tion. The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  General  Stark  in  June  to 
the  president  of  the  New  Hampshire  Congress  is  a  vivid  and  blood- chilling 
comment  upon  the  general  condition  of  affairs  :  — 

"They  [the  people]  do  very  well  in  the  hanging  way.  They  hanged  nine 
on  the  1 6th  of  May,  on  the  5th  of  June  nine;  and  have  one  hundred  and 
twenty  in  jail,  of  which,  I  believe,  more  than  one-half  will  go  in  the  same  way. 
Murder  and  robberies  are  committed  every  day  in  this  neighborhood.  So 
you  may  judge  of  my  situation,  with  the  enemy  on  my  front,  and  the  devil  at 
my  rear." 

On  the  8th  of  June  there  were  only  twenty  men  left  at  Fort  Edward,  and 
there  is  no  mention  of  any  force  at  Fort  George  or  the  smaller  posts  between. 

The  events  of  the  year  1778,  as  far  as  relates  to  this  section,  were  closed 
by  a  Tory  raid  by  the  way  of  Lake  George  and  the  Sacandaga,  which  is  thus 
described  in  Stone's  Life  of  Brant :  — 

"  Much  has  been  said  in  the  traditions  of  Tryon  county,  and  somewhat, 
also,  in  the  courts  of  law,  in  cases  involving  titles  to  real  estate  formerly  in  the 
family  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  respecting  the  burial  of  an  iron  chest,  by  his 
son.  Sir  John,  previous  to  his  flight  to  Canada,  containing  the  most  valuable 

1  These  incidents  are  thus  related  in  Holden's  History  of  Qiuenshtry. 

2  In  a  letter  from  General  Stark  to  Colonel  Safford,  dated  at  Albany,  May  1st,  he  says  :  "  Doctor 
Smith  complains  that  the  troops  at  Fort  Edward  are  turning  out  the  inhabitants  and  destroying  the 
buildings  at  that  place.  I  should  be  glad  that  such  disorders  should  be  suppressed,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants' property  secured." 


376  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  his  own  and  his  father's  papers.  Late  in  the  autumn  of  the  present 
year,  General  Haldimand,  at  the  request  of  Sir  John,  sent  a  party  of  between 
forty  and  fifty  men  privately  to  Johnstown,  to  dig  up  and  carry  the 
chest  away.  The  expedition  was  successful ;  but  the  chest  not  being  suffi- 
ciently tight  to  prevent  the  influence  of  dampness  from  the  earth,  the 
papers  had  become  mouldy,  rotten  and  illegible  when  taken  up.  The  in- 
formation respecting  this  expedition  was  derived  in  the  spring  following,  from 
a  man  named  Helmer,  who  composed  one  of  the  party,  and  assisted  in  dis- 
interring the  chest." 

The  reader  is  already  familiar  with  the  events  of  the  year  1779,  few  of 
which  bore  important  relation  to  the  district  under  our  present  consideration. 
Skenesborough  was  burned  in  March  by  the  infamous  Joe  Betteys  and  a  party 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  Indians,  some  of  the  inhabitants  killed  and  the  re- 
mainder made  prisoners ;  Fort  Anne  was  thus  left  as  the  frontier  post  on  the 
north. 

The  town  record  book  shows  the  usual  election  for  1779,  with  no  change 
of  importance,  except  the  substitution  of  Phineas  Babcock  for  supervisor  in 
place  of  Abraham  Wing.      In  1780  the  following  record  appears  :  — 

"  At  an  annual  town  meeting  held  in  Queensbury  on  Tuesday  ye  2  Day 
of  May,  1780,  For  the  Township  of  Queensbury. 

"  Voted,  Abraham  Wing,  Moderator. 

"  Voted,  to  Return  this  to  Fort  Miller,  at  Duer's  big  house,  the  Eight  of 
this  instant  at  9  in  the  Morning. 

"Fort  Miller  ye  8  AD.  1780, — 'The  Meting  mett,  and  opened  according 
to  appointment." 

The  election  of  the  following  officers  is  then  recorded ;  Benjamin  Wing, 
town  clerk ;  Phineas  Babcock,  supervisor ;  James  Higson  and  Andrew  Lewis, 
constables ;  Ebenezer  Fuller,  James  Higson  and  Andrew  Lewis,  assessors ; 
Abraham  Wing,  pathmaster ;  Abraham  Wing  and  Benjamin  Wing,  overseers 
of  the  poor ;  Silas  Brown,  collector ;  Abraham  Wing,  town  treasurer ;  Abra- 
ham Wing,  jr.,  pound-keeper;  Pardon  Daly  and  James  Higson,  fence  viewers 
and  appraisers  of  damages. 

The  reason  for  adjourning  this  town  meeting  to  Fort  Miller  is  presumed  to 
have  been  the  fear  of  some  Tory  irruption  from  Canada  like  that  already  related, 
of  which  there  were  several  more  in  the  course  of  the  season. 

Nearly  or  quite  all  of  the  families  that  have  been  mentioned  as  settlers  in 
Queensbury,  and  others  (the  Seelyes,  the  Ferrisses,  Merritts,  Browns,  Odells, 
Braytons,  Harrises,  Parkses,  Havilands,  Griffings,  Folgers,  etc.,  who  have  been 
conspicuous  in  the  history  of  the  town),  were  from  Duchess  county.  There 
they  had  been  neighbors  and  friends  for  many  years,  and  the  trying  experi- 
ences to  which  they  were  subjected  on  the  scene  of  their  new  homes  only 
welded  closer  the  bonds  of  friendship  among  them.     Most  of  them  belonged 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         377 

to  the  religious  sect  known  as  Friends,  or  Quakers,^  and  were  on  that  account 
opposed  to  the  war ;  consequently  they  took  no  part  in  it,  and  as  year  after 
year  of  the  contest  passed  and  their  own  immediate  locality  was  threatened,  they 
at  various  times  gathered  hastily  movable  property  and  precipitately  retreated 
to  their  old  homes  in  Duchess,  to  return  again  when  the  danger  was  passed. 
These  flittings  were  so  frequent  that,  in  the  language  of  one  of  the  old  resi- 
dents, "  It  soon  got  to  be  very  easy  to  go,  for  they  had  but  little  to  move." 
But,  notwithstanding  these  hardships  and  periods  of  absence,  the  existence  of 
the  settlement  was  maintained  with  persistent  energy,  and  with  the  exception 
of  the  last  year  of  the  war,  the  inhabitants  did  not  fail  to  meet  annually  and 
elect  their  town  officers,  as  we  have  seen. 

The  following  additional  records  complete  the  statements  of  losses  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Queensbury,  as  recorded  in  the  Wing  manuscripts:  — 

No.  1.2 

"Memorandum  of  Account  of  Outlays,  Expenditures  and  losses  by  Abra- 
ham Wing : 

"  Time  expended  in  Search  of  my  Iron  which  was  con- 
sealed  by  Sargent  Williams  &  Company  June  the  20 

Day  1778  6  men  and  myself  i  Day £8  „    8  „  O 

"  2  cwt  of  Nails 60  ,,  00  ,,  o 

"To  3  journies  to  Fort  Stark  in  the  Summer  in  pursuit 

of  sd  iron 3  „  12  „  o 

"  2  days  at  Court    2  „     8„o 

"  2  large  Carpenters  Sledges  or  Mawls, 9  ,,  12  ,,  o 

"  8  ax  ,,  2  Iron  wedges 6  „     8  ,,  O 

"  Abrm  Wing." 
No.  2. 

Statement  of  losses  by  one  Jacob  Ferguson. 

"  Capt  moss  I  understand  by  Cornal  mcCray  that  you  had  wheat  from  my 
fathers  plase  with  others  ond  as  it  was  one  third  part  mine  please  to  pay  Abra- 
ham Wing  the  money  for  what  you  Had  and  you  will  oblige  your  Friend. 

"  Queensbury  the  4  of  February  1780  Jacob  FERGUSON." 

"  Capt  putnam  I  understand  by  Cornal  mcCray  that  you  had  sum  wheat 
from  my  Fathers  plase  which  wheat  was  one  third  part  mine  please  to  pay 
Abraham  Wing  for  the  Same  and  you  will  oblige  your  friend  to  sarve. 

"Queensbury  the  4  february  1780.  JACOB  FERGUSON." 

1  In  the  year  1813  the  following  named  persons  were  returned  from  Queensbury  as  Quakers,  sub- 
ject to  military  duty,  and  refused:  Solomon  Haviland,  Dihvin  Gardner,  Joseph  Haviland,  Stephen 
Brown,  Jonathan  Brown,  Henry  Brown,  Isaac  Fancher,  William  .Sisson,  Nathaniel  Sisson,  jr.,  Daniel 
Sisson,  Jonathan  Dean,  David  Dean,  Joseph  Dean,  David  Brown,  Benjamin  Lapham.  Each  of  these 
was  assessed  four  dollars  in  lieu  of  the  year's  mihtary  duty. 

2  Holden's  History  of  Queensbury. 


378  History  of  Warren  County. 

No.  3. 
Affidavit  of  Samuel   Younglove   relating    to   the   destruction   of  property  in 

Queensbury  in  1780. 
"  County  of)  Personally  before  me  Albert  Baker  one  of  the  Justices  for  said 
Washington  )  ■  County  Samuel  Younglove  of  Lawfull  age  deposeth  and  saith 
that  he  saw  James  Stinslor  take  out  of  the  house  of  Abram  Wing  in  the  year 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty  to  the  amount  of  about  one  hundred 
panes  of  glass  with  the  sashes  or  near  there  abouts  and  saw  him  have  five  saw- 
mill saws  and  sundry  other  articles  which  the  said  Stinslor  told  the  deponent 
he  had  taken  from  the  said  Wing,  and  the  deponent  further  declares  that  the 
said  Stinslor  told  him  the  deponent  that  he  had  got  to  the  amount  of  between 
forty  and  fifty  pounds  from  old  Wing,  farthermore  deponent  saith  not. 
"Sworn  before  me  this  nth  June,  1787  Saml  YouNGLOVE  " 

"  Albert  Baker  J.  Peace." 

No.  4. 
Affidavit  concerning  cattle  seized  in  1780. 
"  Washington  County  State  of  New  York  ss. 

"  Personally  appeared  before  me  John  Williams  one  of  Judges  of  the  Court 
of  Sessions  &  common  pleas  for  the  said  County  John  McCrea  of  said  County 
of  lawful  age  who  being  duly  sworn  on  the  holy  Evangelists  of  Almighty  God 
deposeth  and  saith  that  in  the  month  of  October  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty  that  the  Garrison  stationed  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward were  destitute  of  provisions  and  that  the  Commissary  then  at  that  post 
was  directed  to  get  Cattle  where  they  might  be  had  for  the  support  of  the 
Troops  by  order  of  General  Schuyler  Jonathan  Jillet  the  then  Commissary  ap- 
plyed  to  this  deponent  who  had  a  pair  of  fatt  oxen  which  he  received  and  killed 
at  the  post  that  this  deponent  applied  to  the  commissary  for  payment  who  gave 
this  deponent  a  certificate  for  said  Cattle  which  afterwards  was  destroyed  with 
the  buildings  of  this  deponent  by  the  enemy  that  he  the  said  Commissary  left 
the  parts  immediately  after  the  Campaign  ended  so  that  this  deponent  could 
not  obtain  any  relief  in  the  premises  &  has  made  application  to  the  Legislature 
of  this  State  but  did  not  receive  any  neither  has  he  at  any  time  or  in  any  man- 
ner received  any  kind  of  restitution  for  said  Cattle  and  further  he  this  deponent 
has  not  assigned  or  made  over  said  certificate  to  any  person  or  persons  what- 
ever and  that  the  certificate  which  this  deponent  received  for  said  oxen  from 
said  Commissary  was  for  fourteen  hundred  weight  of  Beef  as  near  as  this  de- 
ponent recollects  and  further  this  deponent  saith  not. 

"  S^°™  ^^f^*"^  "^^  '^'^  ]  JOHN  Williams  Jud  Curia." 
25  th  december  1790  ) 

No.  5. 
Official  certificates  in  favor  of  Abraham  Wing  and  son. 
"  No  416  I  do  hereby  acknowledge  myself  indebted  to  Abraham  Wing  in 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  379 

the  Sum  of  Two  Hundred  dollars   As  Witness  my  hand   this  1 1  Day  of  May 
1780  Morn  Lewis  D  Q  M  G  " 

"This  Certifies  that  Mr.  Abraham  Wing  hath  supplied  the  Publick  with  150 
Plank  and  50  Boards  Price  not  known  of  the  above  Boards. 

"  Jonathan  Nicklison." 
"  This  Certifies  that   Abraham  Wing  hath   Supplied  the   Public  with  Two 
tuns  of  Hay  at  One  hundred  and  Sixty  five  Dollors  pr  tun  Amounting  to  One 
Hundred   and  Thirty  two    Pounds  for  Which  Sum   this   Shall  be  a  Sufficient 

voucher  Given  under  my  hand  and  Seal of  September  1780         ;^  13  2-0 

"Chris  Yates  D  Q  M  G 
"  Fort  George  22d  march  1780" 
"  These  to  Certify 

"  That  abraham  Wing  Jun  hath  been  two  days  Imployed  in  Public  services 
at  the  garrison  at  fort  George  with  a  sleigh  and  two  Yoke  of  Oxen  one  day  and 
with  one  Span  of  Horses  the  other  Day  for  which  he  hath  Reed  no  pay. 
"To  Whom  it  may  )  pr  Wm  Moulton  Captn  Commandt." 

Concern  y 

No.  6. 

Deposition  of  James  Higson  concerning  two  oxen,  the  property  of  Benjn.  Wing 

— taken  for  the  public  service  in  1781. 
-"The  Pebhc  to  Benjn.  Wing  Dr.  isth  May  1781 

"To  Two  Oxen  Taken  from  Fort  Miller  by  Lieut.  Bagley,  by  order  of  Lt. 
Gol.  Vandike. 

"Washington  )       This  Day  personly  appeared  Before  me  James  Higson  of 
County  J  Lawfull  age  and  made  solomn  oath  in  the  presence  of  Al- 

tnighty  God,  that  he  Saw  the  above  [named  'Lt.  Bagley  Take  the  Oxen  from 
Fort  Miller  with  a  party  of  Soldiers  and  said  he  had  orders  from  Col.  Van  Dicke 
to  Do  So,  and  that  he  the  sd  Deponant  knew  the  oxen  to  be  the  property  of 
the  above  named  Benjamin  Wing.  James  Higson. 

"  Sworn  before  me  at  Fort  Edward  this  6th  Day  of  March,  1786. 

"  Adiel  Sherwood  Jus  Peace 
"  We  Do  hereby  Solemnly  Sware  that   to  the   best  of  our  knowledge   the 
Two  oxen  above  specified  which  were  taken   from  Benjn.  Wing  for  the  use  of 
the  Continental  Army,  were  worth  at  that  time  in  specie  Thirty  pounds  york 
money. 

"Phinehas  Babcock 
"  Andrew  Lewis 
"  James  Higson 
"  Washington  } 

County      5  this  Day  personly  appeared  before  me  the  above  Phis. 

Babcock,  Andrew  Lewis  and  James  Higson  and  made  oath  to  the  same 
"  Fort  Edward  6th  March  1786.  Adiel  Sherwood,  Jus  Peace 

"  6th  March  1786,  this  day  personly  appeared   before  me  Benjn  Wing  and 


38o  History  of  Warren  County. 

Most  Solemnly  affirmed  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God  that  he  had  not  re- 
ceived any  Compensation  for  the  within  mentioned  oxen. 

"  Adiel  Sherwood,  Jus.  Peace." 

It  is  presumed  that  no  part  of  these  claims  was  ever  adjusted. 

Queensbury  was  destined  to  still  further  devastation  before  the  triumph  of 
liberty  was  secured.  The  Tory  element  in  this  section  continued  to  increase  in 
numbers  and  vindictiveness,  and  the  annals  of  the  times  are  filled  with  thrill- 
ing incidents  in  which  they  and  their  loyal  neighbors  were  the  chief  partici- 
pants. The  Sacandaga  River  and  Lake  George,  with  frequent  forays  into 
Queensbury,  were  the  favorite  routes  for  the  incursions  of  the  Tory  bands.  It 
was  early  in  this  season  {1780)  that  Justus  Seelye  (according  to  the  narrative 
of  his  son  given  to  Dr.  Holden),  then  a  small  boy  and  later  a  resident  of  this 
town,  was  smuggled  into  a  neighbor's  house  at  Fort  Miller,  where  a  meeting 
of  Indians,  as  supposed,  was  held,  and  to  whose  consultations  and  proceedings 
he  thus  involuntarily  became  a  witness.  After  they  left  he  escaped  to  his  home 
and  related  the  events  and  conversation  of  the  evening.  A  party  was  imme- 
diately organized  in  pursuit,  which  overtook  and  captured  them,  when  one  of 
them  was  discovered  to  be  a  neighbor  and  a  Tory  painted  up  in  the  fitting  sem- 
blance of  a  savage.  He  with  the  rest  of  his  party,  all  Tories,  were  sent  to  Al- 
bany and  imprisoned,  tried  by  court  martial  and  hung. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  when  Captain  John  Chipman  was  in  com- 
mand at  Fort  George  and  Captain  Adiel  Sherwood  at  Fort  Anne,  both  of  these 
posts  were  captured  by  the  British  and  the  latter  named  unimportant  fortifica- 
tion burned,  the  details  of  which,  with  those  of  other  operations  and  the  san- 
guinary engagement  at  Bloody  Pond,  have  been  given  in  an  earlier  chapter. 
The  prisoners  taken  at  the  two  forts  were  conveyed  by  way  of  Lake  Leorge 
and  transferred  to  the  vessels  on  Lake  Champlain,  and  Fort  George  was  de- 
stroyed. The  detachment  of  Tories  and  Indians  that  proceeded  south  from  Fort 
Anne  hastened  on  through  Kingsbury  street,  burning  and  destroying  as  they 
went.  In  local  traditions  this  year  has  ever  since  been  termed  "  the  year  of 
the  burning." 

Of  the  incidents  bearing  a  local  interest  and  connected  with  these  events. 
Dr.  Holden  notes  the  following  in  his  work  on  Queensbury:  "Among  the 
number  comprising  this  expedition  [against  the  two  forts]  was  a  former  resi- 
dent of  Sandy  Hill  named  Adam  Wint,  who,  espousing  the  royal  cause,  went 
to  Canada  in  the  early  part  of  the  war.  He  with  another  Tory  from  the  same 
neighborhood  acted  as  guides  to  a  party  of  Indians  to  whom  was  assigned  the 
incendiary  work  of  destruction.     At  this  time  Albert  Baker,  sr.,i  was  attending 

1  The  Bakers  were  of  Scotch  or  North  EngUsh  origin.  For  political  reasons  the  original  or  pio- 
neer emigrant  of  the  name  was  obliged  to  flee  his  country,  and  seek  refuge  in  this  country,  during' 
Cromwell's  protectorate.  Albert  Baker,  jr.,  was  born  10th  November,  1765.  When  he  was  four  years 
of  age  his  father  moved  to  Sandy  Hill.  Caleb  Baker,  son  of  Albert,  was  the  first  child  born  of  white 
parents  in  the  town  of  Kingsbury.  Albert,  jr.,  was  sent  to  school  at  Glens  Falls  before  there  was  any 
school  at  Sandy  Hill.     He  boarded  at  Abraham  Wing's. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  381 

court  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county.  While  his  sons  and  hired  men  were 
at  work,  a  part  of  them  in  the  barn  and  the  rest  in  the  fields  near  by,  a  neigh- 
bor by  the  name  of  Thomas  Lyon  came  rushing  by  exclaiming,  '  Boys  what 
are  you  about  ?  Don't  you  see  that  all  Kingsbury's  ablaze  ?  You'd  better  be 
getting  out  of  this  !'  After  warning  the  family,  the  boys  hitched  up  two  yokes 
of  oxen  to  a  cart,  and  loading  it  hastily  with  what  few  things  came  readily  to 
hand  they  made  their  escape  by  the  way  of  Fort  Edward.  Even  then  the 
Tories  had  formed  their  ambuscade  by  the  road  side,  for  Gil  Harris,  who  was  one 
of  the  party,  with  others  lay  concealed  behind  a  log  on  the  route  between 
Sandy  Hill  and  Fort  Edward,  afterwards  told  Mrs.  Baker  that  he  saw  her  pass- 
ing with  a  tea-kettle  in  her  hand,  and  that  she  would  have  been  taken  a  pris- 
oner to  Canada  had  it  not  been  from  a  fear  of  being  pursued  by  the  soldiers  at 
Fort  Edward. 

"  A  portion  of  the  same  party  followed  down  the  river  on  the  west  side  as 
far  as  Stillwater,  burning  and  destroying  as  th  y  went.  The  fugitive  settlers 
from  Kingsbur}'  and  Queensbury  are  said  to  have  been  guided  on  their  retreat 
by  the  blaze  of  the  burning  buildings. 

"  A  widow  Harris,  who  kept  tavern  nearly  opposite  the  Baker  house,  had 
a  little  daughter  captured  by  the  enemy,  but  they  shortly  let  her  go  again  and 
she  returned  to  her  mother  ;  home  she  had  none,  for  it  was  burned.  There 
were  seventeen  families  living  in  Kingsbury  at  this  time.  Of  all  the  buildings 
and  betterments  everything  was  destroyed  but  two. 

"  At  this  time  Queensbury  was  abandoned  by  its  inhabitants,  its  dwellings 
and  improvements  were  again  burnt  and  destroyed  and  the  settlement  remained 
deserted  for  the  next  fifteen  months,  during  which  no  record  exists  of  town 
meetings,  nor  is  there  any  other  evidence  of  occupancy.'' 

Of  the  situation  after  the  era  of  destruction  in  Queensbury  we  have  a  vivid 
picture  in  the  Travels  in  North  America,  by  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  under 
date  of  December  30th,  1780,  wherein  he  says:  "I  had  scarcely  lost  sight  of 
Fort  Edward,  before  the  spectacle  of  devastation  presented  itself  to  my  eyes, 
and  continued  to  distress  them  as  far  as  the  place  I  stopped  at.  Peace  and  In- 
dustry had  conducted  Cultivators  amidst  the  ancient  forests  [who]  were  content 
and  happy,  before  the  period  of  this  war.  Those  who  were  in  Burgoyne's  way 
alone  Experienced  the  horrors  of  his  Expedition ;  but  on  the  last  invasion  of 
the  Savages,  the  desolation  has  spread  from  Fort  Schuyler  (or  Stanwise)  even 
to  Fort  Edward ;  I  beheld  nothing  around  me  but  the  remains  of  conflagrations  ; 
a  few  bricks,  proof  against  the  fire,  were  the  only  indication  of  ruined  houses ; 
whilst  the  fences  still  entire,  and  cleared  out  lands,  announced  that  these  de- 
plorable habitations  had  once  been  the  abode  of  riches  and  happiness.'' 

"  Among  the  prisoners  taken  at  this  time  by  a  party  of  savages  and  Tories 
accompanying  the  expedition  to  Fort  George,  were  Eben  Fuller  (brother-in- 
law   to  William  Robards,  before   mentioned)  and   his   son   Benjamin ;   Andrew 


382  History  of  Warren  County. 

Lewis,  who  was  held  a  prisoner  in  Canada  to  the  close  of  the  war,  James  Hig- 
son,  soon  afterward  liberated  through  the  intercession  of  his  brother-in-law, 
Daniel  Jones,  Moses  Harris  the  elder  and  his  son  William. 

"  The  morning  following  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  the  dwelling  where  they 
lived  was  surrounded  by  the  invading  party,  and  before  they  could  make  any 
preparations  either  for  defense  or  escape,  they  were  made  prisoners.  The  elder 
Harris  was  treated  with  uncalled  for  severity  and  harshness.  His  shoes  and 
stockings  were  taken  off,  and  he  was  loaded  with  a  heavy  pack  of  plunder,  with 
which,  after  his  house  and  out  buildings  were  burned,  he  was  compelled  to- 
travel  the  rough  road  which  led  along  the  western  banks  of  Lake  George  to  a 
point  on  Lake  Champlain  north  of  Ticonderoga,  probably  Bulwagga  Bay.^  The 
son  begged  the  privilege  of  carrying  his  father's  pack,  and  also  to  allow  the  old 
gentleman  the  use  of  his  shoes  and  stockings,  while  he  would  go  barefoot. 
Through  the  malignity  of  one  of  the  Tories,  who  had  an  old  grudge  to  revenge, 
this  request  was  denied,  and  the  old  man's  trail  might,  for  many  miles,  have 
been  traced  by  his  bloody  foot-prints.  After  reaching  Lake  Champlain  the 
party,  consisting  of  eighteen  prisoners  with  their  captors,  were  embarked  in 
boats  and  bateaux,  which  had  been  concealed  at  that  place  on  their  way  up, 
and  after  many  privations,  hardships  and  indignities,  were  finally  landed  at 
Quebec. 

"  Here  the  captives  were  ransomed  from  the  savages,  and  became  prisoners 
of  war.  For  a  period  they  were  held  in  close  confinement,  but  after  awhile  the 
rigor  of  their  discipline  was  somewhat  relaxed,  and  the  old  man  was  permitted 
to  follow  the  occupations  of  farming  and  also  of  dressing  and  tanning  deer- 
skins, with  which  he  was  familiar.  In  due  course  of  time,  he  with  other  pris- 
oners was  sent  to  Halifax  and  exchanged,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  former 
home  in  Duchess  county.  The  younger  Harris,  with  thirteen  other  prisoners, 
through  the  same  Tory  influence  that  had  made  both  his  march  and  imprison- 
ment of  unusual  rigor  and  severity,  was  placed  for  more  perfect  security  where 
they  were  guarded  by  a  patrol  of  soldiers  and  kept  at  work.  With  the  open- 
ing of  spring  a  yearning  for  freedom  possessed  the  hearts  of  the  prisoners,  and 
they  concerted  a  plan  for  escape,  which  was  afterward  matured  and  carried  into 
effect  as  follows :    A  boat  from   the  main  land   furnished  them  daily  with  pro- 

1  "  It  is  proper  to  state,''  says  Dr.  Ilolden  in  a  foot  note,  p.  485,  "  that  this  narrative  and  the  other 
Harris  traditions  were  taken  down  by  the  autlior  about  the  year  1850  from  the  relation  of  Moses  Harris, 
nephew  of  William,  the  principal  actor  in  this  life  drama,  by  whom  my  informant  had  heard  the  events 
related  many  times.  In  one  respect,  and  perhaps  without  sufficient  cause,  I  have  varied  my  account 
from  the  original  version  as  given  to  me ;  which  made  the  date  of  the  capture  of  the  Harrises  and  other 
prisoners  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  advance,  which  the  following  reminiscence  would  seem  to  confirm ; 
for  William's  son  Benjamin  informed  me  that  his  father's  name  was  afterwards  found  on  the  muster  and 
pay  rolls  in  Sherwood's  possession,  as  one  of  the  militia  drafted  for  that  emergency,  and  that  he  was 
present  in  the  fort  as  a  soldier,  and  was  made  a  prisoner  at  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  Fort  Anne.  It 
is  gratifying,  also,  to  record  his  justification  of  the  surrender;  inasmuch  as,  according  to  his  judgment, 
the  fort  was  wholly  untenable  against  any  considerable  force. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         383 

visions  and  such  necessary  supplies  as  their  condition  required.  From  these 
supplies,  they  commenced  saving  up  from  their  daily  rations  such  portions  as 
could  be  most  easily  preserved,  until  they  had  accumulated  sufficient  to  last 
them  for  three  days.  When  the  critical  moment  of  departure  arrived,  however, 
only  seven  of  the  fourteen  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  undertake  the  perilous 
journey.  The  most  the  others  would  do  was  to  take  a  solemn  oath  not  to 
make  any  disclosure  or  raise  any  alarm  which  would  lead  to  their  apprehension, 
until  the  evening  following,  when  the  sentries  were  changed,  and  the  discovery 
would  be  inevitable.  They  seized  the  boat  which  brought  their  provisions  in 
the  morning  and  made  their  escape  during  the  forenoon,  landing  upon  the 
south  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  on  the  borders  of  the  vast  wilderness  stretch- 
ing toward  the  New  England  colonies.  Harris,  being  an  excellent  woodsman, 
here  took  the  lead,  and  they  struck  boldly  into  the  wilderness,  pursuing  their 
way  southward  for  several  days  and  nights  with  but  little  rest  and  scant  re- 
freshment, husbanding  their  slender  stock  of  provisions  to  the  utmost.  These 
soon  gave  out  and  they  were  obliged  to  depend  upon  such  chance  fare  as  the 
forest  afforded.  At  length,  utterly  worn  out  with  fatigue  they  made  a  halt, 
and  to  avoid  the  intolerable  annoyance  of  the  mosquitos  and  flies,  it  was  pro- 
posed to  build  a  fire,  or  more  properly  a  smudge,  as  it  is  called  in  woodman's  par- 
lance. Harris  opposed  the  project  and  endeavored  to  dissuade  them  from  it, 
on  the  ground  that  it  would  inevitably  lead  to  their  discovery  and  recapture,  if 
they  were  pursued,  which  was  exceedingly  probable.  He  was  overruled,  how- 
ever, by  the  majority,  and  a  place  was  selected  on  a  low  marshy  spot  of  ground, 
where  the  fire  was  started  and  then  smothered  with  damp,  rotten  wood,  which 
prevented  it  from  blazing  and  made  a  dense,  heavy  smoke  which  kept  off  the 
insects.  Around  this  they  camped  for  the  night,  and  exhausted  with  the  pro- 
tracted march  and  unwonted  fatigue  the  entire  party  was  very  shortly  buried 
in  a  profound  sleep.  About  midnight  they  were  aroused  from  their  slumbers 
by  a  volley  of  musketry,  by  which  one  of  their  number  was  killed  outright,  and 
two  others  were  desperately  wounded.  Harris,  who  was  a  large,  muscular  man, 
with  limbs  powerfully  knit  together,  and  of  herculean  proportions  and  strength, 
arose  in  time  to  parry  a  blow  from  a  tomahawk,  which  was  aimed  by  a  gigantic 
savage  at  one  of  his  companions.  The  Indian  immediately  grappled  with  him, 
and  after  a  struggle  for  some  minutes  Harris  succeeded  in  throwing  him  upon 
the  now  brightly  blazing  fire,  when  putting  his  feet  upon  his  neck  he  pressed 
the  savage's  head  beneath  the  flames.  At  this  juncture,  a  near  neighbor  and 
former  friend  of  Harris  before  the  war,  a  Tory  by  the  name  of  Cyrenus  Parks, 
approached  him  with  his  musket,  clubbed,  and  ordered  him  to  release  the  sav- 
age.i     This  he  refused  to  do,  and   as   he   drew  back   to  strike  him,  Harris  ex- 


1  Cyrenus  Parks  had  a  brother  named  Joseph,  who,  after  the  war,  lived  on  liis  brother's  place,  near 
neighbor  to  William.  As  he  was  a  Whig  and  patriot  in  sentiment,  he  and  the  Harrises  were  very  ami- 
cable in  their  relations,  until  a  misunderstanding  arose  between  them  in  regard  to  some  business  trans- 
action, when  a  gradual  coolness  ensued,  which,  for  a  while,  estranged  them.     One  morning  Joseph 


384  History  of  Warren  County. 

claimed,  'You  won't  kill  an  unarmed  man  will  you,  Parks,  and  an  old  neighbor 
too  ?  "  Parks  made  no  reply,  nor  for  an  instant  wavered  in  his  fell  purpose, 
and  the  blow  descended.  Harris  warded  it  off  as  well  as  he  could  with  his  arm, 
which  was  broken  by  its  force,  the  remainder  of  the  blow  falling  upon  his  head, 
the  lock  of  the  gun  cutting  a  large  gash  through  the  scalp,  down  the  sides  of 
the  head  to  the  ear. 

"  Harris  fell  stunned  and  remained  insensible  for  many  hours.  When  he 
awoke  to  consciousness  he  found  another  gash  on  the  opposite  side  of  his  head, 
caused  by  the  blow  of  a  tomahawk,  two  wounds  upon  his  forehead  caused  by 
the  muzzle  of  a  musket,  jammed  down  with  considerable  force  with  the  intent 
of  dispatching  him,  and  a  bayonet  thrust  in  the  chest,  which  had  been  given 
to  see  if  he  was  still  alive.  All  his  companions  were  gone,  as  well  as  his  coat, 
shoes  and  knapsack,  which  he  had  taken  off  the  evening  before,  and  which  had 
served  him  as  a  pillow  during  his  fatal  sleep.  He  staggered  to  his  feet,  dressed 
his  wounds  as  well  as  he  could,  slung  his  broken  arm  through  his  neck  hand- 
kerchief, and,  maimed  and  crippled,  resumed  his  slow  and  toilsome  progress 
towards  home.  He  subsisted  upon  roots,  leaves  and  herbs,  such  as  he  could 
find  suitable  for  the  purpose  upon  his  route,  and  an  occasional  frog  dressed 
with  his  remaining  hand,  aided  by  his  teeth,  and  eaten  raw. 

"  At  length  he  came  out  on  the  bank  of  a  stream.  While  standing  upon 
the  gravelly  beach,  looking  around  for  materials  with  which  to  construct  a  raft, 
the  stream  being  deep  and  rapid,  and  he  unable  to  swim,  he  suddenly  caught 
sight  of  two  men  cautiously  reconnoitering  from  some  distance  above  him.  He 
immediately  concealed  himself  among  the  thick  bushes  and  rank  vegetation 
along  the  stream  and  crept  back  into  the  woods  to  an  old  tree  top,  which  had 
been  his  place  of  concealment  and  lodging  the  night  before.  After  waiting 
some  time,  and  reflecting  that  his  situation  could  be  made  but  little  worse  even 
by  a  return  to  captivity,  he  resolved  to  go  back  and  surrender  himself  to  the 
lurking  foe.  He  accordingly  went  back  and  again  discovered  the  two  men 
cautiously  peering  at  him  through  the  brushwood.  Stepping  boldly  out  in 
sight,  he  beckoned  them  to  approach,  when,  to  his  great  joy,  he  found  that 
they  were  two  Dutchmen  from  the  Mohawk  Valley,  comrades  of  his,  who  had 
also  escaped  on  the   night  of  the  attack.     They   dressed  his   wounds,  which 

called  upon  William,  manifesting  a  disposition  to  conciliate  and  make  friends  again.  In  great  good 
h -mor  he  related  several  anecdotes  and  border  adventures,  until  he  thought  his  listener  had  reached  a 
genial  frame  of  mind ;  when,  leading  his  way  quietly  and  gradually  to  the  subject,  he  asked  William  if 
he  would  not  be  willing  to  overlook  the  past  and  forgive  his  brother  Cyrenus,  if  thelatter  would  make 
a  suitable  acknowledgment  and  ask  his  forgiveness.  Springing  from  his  seat  in  a  tempest  of  rage,  the 
old  scout  replied  with  an  oath :  "  No,  he  tried  to  kill  me  in  cold  blood,  and  if  I  ever  get  a  chance  I'll 
shoot  him."  Joseph  still  pressed  and  argued  the  matter  until  Harris's  suspicions  were  aroused,  and  he 
exclaimed:  "Joseph,  Cyrenus  is  at  your  house,  and  if  he  wants  to  live  he  had  better  keep  out  of  my 
way." 

The  next  night  Cyrenus  made  his  escape  to  Canada.  The  popular  tradition  that  Harris  tracked  him 
to  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  shot  him  as  he  was  crossing  that  stream,  is  declared  by  the  family  to  be 
without  warrant,  and  untrue. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  385 

were  found  in  a  putrid  condition  and  swarming  with  maggots.  They  also 
adjusted  his  broken  arm,  dressing  it  with  sphnts  prepared  from  barks  of  trees 
and  bound  it  together  with  his  handkerchief  The  next  day  they  constructed 
a  raft  and  crossed  the  stream.  Fortunately,  Harris  had  a  hook  and  a  line  in 
his  pocket,  and  coming  to  a  good  sized  brook,  they  encamped  and  caught  a 
fine  string  of  trout,  which  they  cooked  and  ate,  the  first  warm  meal  they  had 
enjoyed  since  they  left  the  island. 

"Continuing  their  journey  they  came,  after  some  days'  travel,  upon  a  small 
clearing  and  log  house.  One  of  the  three  went  forward,  after  carefully  and 
cautiously  reconnoitering  to  see  that  no  enemy  was  around,  and  begged  of 
the  woman  of  the  house.  She  proved  to  be  French.  They  were  still  in 
Canada.  She  gave  the  messenger  to  understand  that  she  had  no  food  to  give, 
that  her  husband  was  away  from  home,  and  that  their  place  was  visited  al- 
most daily  by  armed  bands  of  Indians  and  Tories.  A  loaf  of  corn  bread  baked 
in  the  ashes  was,  after  some  search,  discovered  carefully  hidden  away,  which 
the  fugitive  eagerly  seized  and  carried  to  his  companions.  They  made  what 
haste  they  could  to  get  out  of  the  dangerous  locality.  After  many  more  days' 
wandering  they  came  out  upon  the  settlements  of  the  Lower  Goos,  now  Bel- 
lows Falls,  on  the  Connecticut  River.  Here  the  trio  parted,  the  two  Dutch- 
men proceeding  to  Cherry  Valley  by  way  of  Albany,  and  Harris  repaired  to 
New  Perth,  now  Salem,  in  Charlotte  county,  where  his  wounds  were  first  reg- 
ularly and  properly  dressed  by  Dr.  Williams,  then  member  of  the  Colonial 
Legislature,  and  colonel  of  militia.  His  wounds  were  a  long  time  in  healing. 
After  his  recovery  it  is  stated  that  he  served  as  a  minute  man,  or  one  of  the 
reserve  militia,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  "^ 

During  the  two  years  following  the  occurrence  of  the  events  narrated,  the 
history  of  Queensbury  remains  a  blank,  so  far  as  local  records  are  concerned. 
It  was  practically  wiped  out  of  existence  as  a  settlement.  Our  early  chapters 
have  chronicled  the  public  operations  in  this  region  which  came  down  to  the 
spring  of  1783,  when  on  the  19th  of  April  (the  day  which  completed  the  eighth 
year  of  the  war),  the  cessation  of  hostilities  and  the  triumph  of  the  colonists 
was  announced  throughout  the  country.  No  sooner  was  peace  restored  than 
the  proprietors  of  Queensbury  again  entered  upon  their  duties.  On  Tuesday, 
May  6th,  of  that  year  the  town  meeting  was  held  and  the  following  officers 
elected :  — 

Moderator  —  Abraham  Wing. 

Town  Clerk — Benjamin  Wing. 

Supervisors  —  Nehemiah  Seelye,  and  Phineas  Babcock. 

Constables  —  William  Robards,  and  David  Buck. 

Assessors  —  David  Bennett,  Wm.  Robards,  and  James  Higson. 

Pathmasters  —  Benjamin  Wing,  and  Silas  Brown. 

1  This  narrative  is  given  in  Dr.    Holden's  History  of  Queensbury,  p.  485,  etc. 
25 


386  History  of  Warren  County. 

Overseers  of  the  Poor  —  Abraham  Wing,  and  Benedick  Brown. 

Collector  —  Nehemiah  Seelye. 

Treasurer  —  Abraham  Wing. 

Fence  Viewers  —  Phineas  Babcock,  David  Bennett,  and   Jeremiah   Briggs. 

In  July  of  this  year  the  locality  was  visited  by  General  Washington  and 
a  portion  of  his  staff  (probably  on  the  19th  or  21st  of  the  month)  on  their 
way  to  inspect  the  posts  at  Lake  George,  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  On 
this  occasion  the  party  halted,  and  calling  Walter  Briggs,  who  was  at  work  in 
an  adjoining  field,  he  came  and  helped  them  to  water  from  the  upper  branch  of 
the  Butler  Brook. 

With  the  advent  of  peace  came  all  of  the  beneficent  influences  that  soon 
lifted  the  country  from  the  terrors  and  depression  of  a  long  and  destructive 
war  to  the  plane  of  prosperity  —  a  transition  that  was  nowhere  else  more  wel- 
come than  to  the  harrassed  and  distressed  inhabitants  of  the  region  with  which 
this  history  is  most  concerned. 

This  portion  of  our  work  may  be  appropriately  closed  with  the  following 
description  of  Queensbury  and  Glens  Falls,  as  they  appeared  to  the  Marquis 
de  Chastellux  at  the  end  of  the  year  1780:  — 

"  ...  On  leaving  the  valley,  and  pursuing  the  road  to  Lake  George, 
is  a  tolerable  military  position  which  was  occupied  in  the  war  before  the  last ; 
it  is  a  sort  of  entrenched  camp,  adapted  to  abatis,  guarding  the  passage  from 
the  woods,  and  commanding  the  valley.  .     .     .     Arrived  at  the  height  of   » 

the  cataract,  it  was  necessary  to  quit  our  sledges  and  walk  half  a  mile  to  the 
bank  of  the  river.  The  snow  was  fifteen  inches  deep,  which  rendered  this 
walk  rather  difficult,  and  obliged  us  to  proceed  in  Indian  file.  In  order  to 
make  a  path,  each  of  us  put  ourselves  alternately  at  the  head  of  this  little  col- 
umn, as  the  wild  geese  relieve  each  other  to  occupy  the  summit  of  the  angles 
they  form  in  their  flight.  But  had  our  march  been  still  more  difficult,  the  sight 
of  the  cataract  was  an  ample  recompense.  It  is  not  a  sheet  of  water  as  at 
Cohos,  and  at  Totohaw ;  the  river  confined,  and  interrupted  in  its  course  by 
different  rocks,  glides  through  the  midst  of  them,  and  precipitating  itself  ob- 
liquely, forms  several  cascades.  That  of  Cohos  is  more  majestic,  this,  more 
terrible  ;  the  Mohawk  River  seemed  to  fall  from  its  own  dead  weight ;  that  of 
the  Hudson  frets,  and  becomes  enraged,  it  foams,  and  forms  whirlpools,  and 
flies  like  a  serpent  making  its  escape,  still  continuing  its  menaces  by  horrible 
hissings.     .     .     .  On  their  return,  the  party  stopped  again   at   Fort   Ed- 

ward to  warm  by  the  fire  of  the  officers  who  command  the  garrison.  They 
are  five  in  number,  and  have  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers.  They  are 
stationed  in  this  desert  for  the  whole  winter." 

Mention  has  been  made  in  another  chapter  of  the  settlement  of  Jacob  Glen 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  where  he  obtained,  according  to  traditions  of 
the  Parke  family,  his  title  of  Elijah  Parke,  the  original  settler  in  that  neighbor- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  387 

hood.  After  the  Revolutionary  War  Glen  rebuilt  the  mills  destroyed  during 
the  struggle,  manufactured  lumber  and  passed  some  weeks  every  summer  at 
a  cottage  originally  built  by  one  of  the  Parke  family  and  standing  on  the  hill 
overlooking  the  present  paper-mill  site.  Here  he  lived  in  what  was  grand 
style  for  that  period.  It  was  during  one  of  these  visits,  as  related  by  Dr.  Hol- 
den,  that,  "  in  a  convivial  moment,  it  was  proposed  by  him  to  pay  the  expenses 
of  a  wine  supper  for  the  entertainment  of  a  party  of  mutual  friends  if  Mr.  Wing 
would  consent  to  transfer  his  claim  and  title  to  the  name  of  the  falls.  Whether 
the  old  Quaker  pioneer  thought  the  project  visionary  and  impracticable,  or 
whatever  motive  may  have  actuated  him,  assent  was  given,  the  symposium 
was  held,  and  the  name  of  Glens  Falls  was  inaugurated. ^ 

"  Mr.  Glen  hastened  to  Schenectady  and  ordered  some  hand-bills  printed, 
announcing  the  change  of  name.  These  were  posted  in  all  the  taverns  along 
the  highway  and  bridle  paths  from  Queensbury  to  Albany,  and  the  change  of 
name  was  effected  with  a  promptitude  that  must  have  been  bewildering  to  the 
easy-going  farmers  of  the  town  in  those  days.  The  following  letter,  written 
in  elegant  running  hand,  and  still  existing  among  the  Wing  MSS.,  is  believed 
to  determine  the  date  of  this  enterprise  t^  — 

"  '  Mr.  Glen's  compliments  to  Mr.  Wing,  and  requests  the  favor  of  him  to 
send  the  advertisement  accompanying  this  by  the  first  conveyance  to  his  friends 
at  Quaker  Hill. 

"  '  Mr.  Glen  hopes  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wing  and  the  family  are  all  well. 

"  'Glen's  Falls,  April  29th,  1788.' 

"Superscribed,  'Mr.  VVing,  Queensbury.'" 

After  the  Revobition.  —  Pioneer  settlement  had  long  been  delayed  in 
Queensbury  ;  but  when  a  permanent  peace  was  firmly  established  it  was  among 
the  first  localities  to  feel  its  effects,  as  shown  by  a  gradual  influx  of  population, 
increased  cultivation  of  lands  and  a  general  aspect  of  thrift.  A  writer  over 
the  signature  "Harlow"  stated  in  the  Warren  Messenger,  February,  183 1, 
that  "  the  first  clearing  [at  Glens  Falls]  was  limited  to  the  hill  which  rises  from 
the  falls,  and  in  the  year  1783  presented  only  a  wheat  field,  with  a  solitary 
smoke  on  its  border,  and  two  other  dwellings  in  the  vicinity  of  the  forest. 
These  houses  were  built  after  the  architecture  of  the  first  settlers,  of  a  few 
rough  logs,  placed  one  upon  another,  the  interstices  filled  with  straw  and  mix- 

1  The  name  of  the  village  has  passed  through  several  changes  of  orthography,  and  is  found  printed 
as  "  Glens,"  "  Glenns,"  in  each  instance  both  with  and  without  the  indication  of  the  possessive  case, 
and  has  finally,  in  recent  years,  settled  down  to  the  common  usage  adopted  in  this  work  —  "  Glens 
tails." 

2  "  Colonel  Johannes  Glen,  after  whom  the  village  was  named,  was  the  son  of  Jacob,  who  was  the 
son  of  Johannes,  jr.,  who  was  the  son  of  Jacob,  the  eldest  son  of  the  original  immigrant,  and  brother 
of  Captain  Johannes  Glen,  of  Schenectady.  According  to  Professor  Pearson's  record,  he  was  born  2d 
of  July,  173S,  and  baptized  in  Albany,  where  his  father  lived  and  died.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Cuyler.  He  was  quartermaster  in  the  French  and  Revolutionary  Wars,  stationed  at 
Schenectady;  in  1775  bought  lands  on  the  Hudson,  above  Fert  Edward,  of  Daniel  Parke,  which  tract 
was  afterwards  called  G/cns  Falls." 


388  History  of  Warren  County. 

ture  of  mud  and  clay.  But  in  the  year  1784  an  individual  by  the  name  of 
Haviland  [Abraham,  a  blacksmith  by  calling]  erected,  to  use  a  graphical  ex- 
pression, a  small  framed  house,  near  the  hotel  in  the  upper  part  of  the  village,^ 
which  was  soon  followed  by  that  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Royal  Leavins,^  com- 
pleted upon  the  model  of  an  old-fashioned  Massachusetts  country  house ; 
which  two  buildings  were  consequently  the  first  of  the  kind  which  graced  our 
landscape."  ^ 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1784,  the  inhabitants  of  Fort  George  were  an- 
nexed to  the  Queensbury  district  by  a  vote  of  the  inhabitants,  and  in  the  same 
year,  by  act  of  Legislature,  the  name  of  Charlotte  county  was  changed  to 
Washington  county.  The  "  inhabitants  of  Fort  George,"  as  appears  in  the 
New  York  legislative  papers,  are  embraced  in  the  following :  — 

"  The  Petition  of  Jonathan  Pitcher,  Gurdon  Chamberlin,  Wyatt  Chamber- 
lin  and  Isaac  Doty,  residing  on  a  tract  of  land  at  the  South  end  of  Lake  George 
commonly  called  Garrison  Land,  humbly  sheweth ;  That  your  Petitioners, 
some  time  since,  being  desirous  to  emigrate  from  the  Old  Settlements,  and  to 
fix  ourselves  on  the  Frontier  of  the  State,  did  obtain,  from  the  Surveyor  Genl. 
of  the  state,  leases  of  the  Lands  whereon  we  now  reside,  which  Leases  being 
only  for  the  Term  of  One  Year,  induceth  us  to  address  Your  Hon'ble  Bodj'^  on 
the  Subject.  Your  Petitioners  having  removed  our  families  to  this  place  at 
great  Expense  from  a  very  considerable  distance,  ardently  wish  to  continue  on 
the  same,  and  do  most  humbly  pray  that  our  leases  may  be  renewed  for  as 
long  a  Term  of  time  as  your  Hon'ble  Body  shall  deem  most  eligible  ;  or  that 
any  other  mode  may  be  adopted,  whereby  your  petitioners  may  be  allowed  to 
occupy  the  premises. — Lake  George,  De.  30,  1783." 

Dr.  Holden  adds  upon  this  subject :  "  Jonathan  Pitcher  then  kept  a  sort  of 
rude  tavern  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  Hugh  McAuley  was  also  another  in- 
habitant of  Lake  George  at  that  time.  Robert  Nesbit,  who  was  in  trade  there 
for  several  years,  did  not  come  until  June,    1785." 

1  Corner  of  South  and  Glen  streets. 

2  The  dwelling  lately  owned  and  occupied  by  J.  \V.  Finch. 

3 The  same  writer  continues  as  follows:  "As  early  as  1786-87  the  fruit  of  their  reflections  was 
seen,  a  small,  rudely  constructed  school-house,  now  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Flannagan.  [Now  the  site 
of  Dr.  Holden,  17  Elm  street] 

"  The  village  of  Glens  Falls  was  formerly  known  by  the  name  of  Wing's  Falls,  a  name  probably 
derived  from  Mr.  Abraham  Wing,  one  of  the  first  emigrants  to  this  place,  who  lived  in  a  log  building 
which  occupied  the  spot  of  Mr.  L.  L.  Pixley's  store 

"  Then  followed  the  dams,  the  one  above,  and  the  other  below  the  falls,  and  the  mill  seats  afforded 
by  them,  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Benjamin  Wing,  and  General  (Warren)  Ferriss.  Only  one  of 
these  dams  is  still  remaining . —  that  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  now  a  bank  of  five  feet  high,  and  about 

600  broad,  over  which  the  river  pours  its  waters  in  one  unbroken  sheet An  Indian,  for  a 

trifling  reward,  paddled  his  canoe  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice,  and  then  shot  like  lightning  into  the 
gulf  to  disappear  forever,  and  the  same  is  related  of  many  others  who  dared  tlie  fury  of  the  cataract. 

"  But  it  is  safe  to  leap  fron)  any  of  the  rocks,  at  the  southern  point  of  the  island  or  as  far  west  as 
the  bridge.  This  was  fully  attested  by  Cook,  who  jumped  three  successive  times  from  the  old  king- 
post, into  the  water  beneath  (the  gulf  at  the  foot  of  the  arch),  and  returned,  exclaiming  like  Patch, 
'There's  no  mistake.'  "  —  Holde.x's  History  of  Queensbitry,  p.  498. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  389 

James  Stevenson  came  into  the  town  in  1785,  when,  as  stated  by  members 
of  his  family,  there  were  but  eighteen  families  in  the  whole  town.  The  mills 
had  been  destroyed  during  the  war  and  the  inhabitants  were  forced  to  go  to 
Jessup's  Falls  or  Fort  Miller  for  their  grinding.  Joseph  Varney,  son  of  Josiah 
Varney  (a  pioneer  who  married  a  daughter  of  Benedick  Brown),  told  Dr.  Hol- 
den  in  1868,  that  "  Uncle  "  Silas  Brown  used  to  back  grists  over  the  mountain 
by  a  line  of  blazed  trees,  afterwards  a  bridle-path,  to  Jessup's  grist-mill,  in  what 
is  now  Luzerne,  during  and  after  the  Revolution. 

About  this  time  the  first  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  the  town  —  con- 
clusive evidence  that  the  inhabitants  felt  a  degree  of  peaceful  security  in  their 
homes  to  which  they  had  theretofore  been  strangers.  It  was  built  by  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends  on  the  south  side  of  the  Half-way  Brook,  adjoining  the  west 
side  of  the  road  leading  to  Dunham's  Bay.  The  structure  was  of  logs  and 
about  20  by  30  feet  dimensions.  It  stood  within  the  limits  of  a  small  enclosed 
parcel  of  ground,  used  even  to  the  present  day  as  a  place  of  burial.  It  has 
been  described  by  those  remembering  it,  as  a  long,  low  building,  roughly  ceiled 
on  the  inside,  divisible  by  a  movable  or  sliding  partition  into  two  parts,  and 
provided  by  rough  benches  for  seating  the  congregation.  It  had  two  entrance 
doors  and  was  lighted  by  small  windows  placed  high  up  towards  the  roof 
Here  the  first  and  second  generations  of  the  Friends  of  Queensbury  met  and 
worshiped,  and  in  the  limits  of  that  field  their  remains  repose  without  a  mon- 
ument or  mark  to  designate  their  resting  place  from  the  common  earth  by 
which  they  are  surrounded.  Here,  too,  was  kept  the  first  school  in  the  town, 
and  the  first  burial  ground  where  the  founders  of  the  town  were  laid  to  rest. 

Among  the  arrivals  about  the  year  1785  was  the  Peck  family,  of  whom 
Peter  Peck,  father  of  Reuben,  Daniel  and  Edmond,  was  the  head.  They  came 
from  Litchfield,  Conn.  According  to  the  family  tradition  they  were  two 
weeks  on  the  way,  the  boys  trudging  along  on  foot,  driving  two  yokes  of 
oxen,  with  heavy,  rude  wagons  laden  with  their  effects,  while  the  father  rode 
on  horseback.  At  that  time  there  were  only  three  dwellings  at  Glens  Falls,  a 
foot  path  to  the  Ridge  and  a  rough  wagon  road  up  Bay  street  as  far  as  the 
Quaker  Church.  Dr.  Holden  gives  the  following  details  of  the  settlement  of 
this  family:  Mr.  Peck  purchased  a  large  farm,  or  rather  tract  of  wilderness, 
stretching  from  the  Big  Cedar  Swamp  on  the  east,  to  the  road  leading  to  Dun- 
ham's Bay  on  the  west.  A  family  named  Varney  then  occupied  a  log  house 
situated  just  north  of  the  Half-way  Brook,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Bay  road. 
Peck  made  it  his  home  with  these  people  for  a  short  time,  and  was  persuaded 
by  them  to  build  his  house  at  a  point  nearly  half  way  between  the  Ridge  and 
Bay  roads,  they  representing  it,  probably  for  the  sake  of  having  nearer  neigh- 
bors, to  be  the  most  eligible  and  desirable  point  on  his  tract  for  that  purpose. 
He  accordingly  commenced  his  clearing,  dug  a  well,  but  finding  the  land  too 
low  for  a  dwelling,  abandoned  the  improvement  and  erected   a  substantial  log 


390  History  of  Warren  County. 

house  on  the  Ridge  road,  then  called  the  new  road,  on  the  site  of  the  brick 
house  now  owned  by  Mr.  Amos  Graves.  His  nearest  neighbor  north  lived  in 
a  log  house  situated  to  the  east  of  the  old  Roger  Haviland  farm  house.  The 
spot  it  occupied  is  now  part  of  an  open,  cultivated  field.  There  was  an- 
other log  dweUing  on  the  ground  now  covered  by  the  Reuben  Numan  resi- 
dence. There  was  also  one  or  two  other  log  houses  in  the  neighborhood, 
which  comprised  all  that  portion  of  the  then  existing  settlement  to  the  south 
of  what  was  subsequently  designated  as  Sanford's  Ridge.  The  road  was  then 
newly  cut  through  the  the  forest,  the  stumps  still  remaining,  with  fallen  trees, 
decayed  logs  and  rubbish  lying  across.  It  was  hardly  a  respectable  bridle 
path,  and  the  unbroken  wilderness  stretched  away  from  it  on  either  hand  for 
miles  and  miles  save  the  three  orfour  small  clearings  around  the  buildings  above 
mentioned. 

"  During  the  summer  of  1786  Peck,  accompanied  by  his  youngest  son, 
Edmund,  then  a  lad  five  or  six  years  old,  started  on  horseback  for  the  purpose 
of  assisting  to  secure  the  harvest  of  a  neighbor,  David  Ferriss,  who  lived  in  a 
small  house  on  the  side-hill  just  south  of  the  Half-way  Brook  —  on  the  east 
side  of  the  road  now  leading  to  the  Oneida.  At  nightfall  he  started  on  his 
return  with  his  little  boy  seated  before  him  on  the  horse.  The  dense  forest 
soon  shut  out  the  last  faint  light  of  day,  and  he  was  obliged  to  stumble  for- 
ward in  the  dark  as  best  he  might,  trusting  mainly  to  the  sagacity  of  his  horse 
for  keeping  in  the  road.  At  length,  in  endeavoring  to  guide  his  horse  around 
the  upturned  roots  of  a  large  fallen  tree  which  obstructed  the  way,  he  found  to 
his  consternation  that  he  had  lost  the  path.  After  spending  some  considera- 
ble time  in  a  fruitless  effort  to  regain  the  road,  groping  his  way  from  tree  to 
tree  in  the  thick  darkness,  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  a  loud  outcry 
might  arouse  the  family  he  had  just  left  and  that  some  one  would  come  to  his 
assistance  with  lanterns  or  torches.  He  accordingly  commenced  shouting  at 
thr  top  of  his  voice,  and  presently  fancied  he  heard  the  call  returned.  He 
called  again,  and  the  answer  was  repeated  more  distinctly.  The  calls  and  an- 
swers were  repeated  in  rapid  succession,  until  he  discovered  to  his  horror  that 
it  was  no  human  voice  which  responded  to  his  alarm,  but  that  of  the  dreaded 
panther.  With  an  alacrity  inspired  of  terror.  Peck  dismounted,  and  feeling 
his  way  rapidly  along,  at  length  he  came  to  a  large  tree  with  low  branching 
boughs  to  one  of  which  he  fastened  his  horse,  and  climbing  the  tree,  found  a 
refuge  for  himself  and  boy,  on  a  large  projecting  limb  Through  the  entire 
length  of  that  long  and  dreary  night,  the  panther  prowled  around  this  retreat, 
at  one  moment  threatening  an  attack  upon  the  frightened  horse,  and  at  another 
stealthily  rustling  through  leaves  of  the  adjacent  tree  tops,  awaiting  an  un- 
guarded moment  to  make  his  fearful  spring.  A  few  raps  with  a  stout  cudgel 
on  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  from  time  to  time,  served  to  deter  the  brute  from 
making  his  attack,  until  the  morning  light  made  its  most  welcome  appearance, 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury. 


391 


when  the  ferocious  monster  with  low  growls  slunk  away  towards  the  recesses 
of  the  Big  Cedar  Swamp.  As  soon  as  the  light  became  distinct  enough  to  en- 
able the  benighted  traveler  to  find  his  way,  he  descended  from  his  perch,  and 
to  his  great  satisfaction  discovered  the  road  at  no  great  distance,  and,  remount- 
ing the  horse  with  his  boy,  soon  after  reached  his  home  in  safety.  On  his 
way  he  saw  another  huge  panther  apparently  asleep  in  the  top  of  a  high  tree, 
but  on  his  return  with  a  rifle  the  animal  was  gone.  It  had  very  probably 
made  its  way  back  to  the  big  swamp,  which  for  a  long  period  afterward  afforded 
a  safe  covert  for  these  and  other  ferocious  denizens  of  the  forest." 

Before  tracing  further  the  progress  of  settlement  in  the  town,  the  following 
record  of  an  election  registry  of  1786  will  be  of  value  in  determining  who 
were  the  residents  of  the  town  at  that  time  and  entitled  to  vote  for  senators 
and  assemblymen  ;  the  registry  embraces  thirty-six-  voters,  showing  that  the 
increase  of  settlement  since  the  close  of  the  war  had  been  encouragingly 
rapid  : — 

"  Att  an  Election  held  in  Queensbury,  May  the  2  by  an  adjournment. 

1786.  Candates  for  Candates  for 

Sinnet.  Assemblymen. 


43 
<U 


Electors  Names. 

Abrom  Wing 

William  Tripp 

David  Seelye 

David  Bennett 

Thomas  Tripp . 

Elisha  Folger 

Bennedick   Brown. 

Justice   Brown 

Volentine  Brown . . 

Ebenezar  Buck 

Howgal  Brown 

Jeremiah    Briggs. . 

Silas  Brown 

James  Tripp 

Jonathan  Tripp 

James  Stevenson. . 


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392 


History  of  Warren  County. 


Josi  Varney 

Hosea   Howard 

James  Butler 

Richard  Bennet 

William   Guy 

Walter  Briggs 

John  Martin 

David    Bennet 

Edward  Fooller 

Nathaniel   Odle 

Nathaniel  Varney 

Jonathan  Hubbel 

Stephen  Lapham 

Jonathan  Pitcher 

Henry  Martin 

Benjamin  Wing 

Phinhehas  Babcock 

James  Hixen 

Stephen  Howard 

Miles    Washborn 

These  inhabitants,  or  such  of 


hem  as  had  suffe 


ed  losses   during 


the  war, 

pleaded  their  inability  to  pay  the  quit- rents  and  arrearages  on  their  lands 
which  now,  through  the  change  of  government,  lapsed  to  the  State.  To  these 
the  abatement  and  liquidation  of  all  just  indebtedness  and  future  claims  was 
awarded  on  the  number  of  acres  as  given  below,  respectively,  with  the  audi- 
tor's certificate  as  follows  : — 

"  Auditor's  office.  New  York,  loth  December,  1789.  I  do  hereby  certify 
that  I  have  receiv'd  Sundry  Certificates  signed  by  Ebenezer  Russell,  Judge 
for  Washington  county  setting  forth  that  the  following  persons  were  possessed 
of  the  number  of  acres  set  opposite  their  respective  names  in  a  Pattent  granted 
Daniel  Prindle  &  others  29th  May,  1762,  and  that  on  account  of  the  war  they 
were  oblig'd  to  quit  their  Farms  viz  : — 

ACRES. 

Lot  29,   Abraham  Wing  Junr 150 

"  29  &  32,  Nath.  Babcock,  Willlett  &  Daniel  Wing 450 

"   102,  Asa  &  Parks  Putnam 250 

"  31,  Daniel  Hull 150 

"  23  &  29,  Charles  Lewis \  . .  150 

"   7,  Ebenezer  and  Nathaniel  Fuller 250 

"  22  &  23,  Russell  Lewis 150 

"  37,  Anstice  &  Sarah  Hicks 250 


Carried  forward 1 800 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  393 

ACRES. 

Brought  forward 1 800 

'   36  &  29,  Mary  Lewis 160 

'    103,  Howgil  &  Timothy  Brown 250 

'  39,  Silas  Brown 150 

'  37,  Truelove  Butler 150 

'  77,  William  Roberts  Junr,  &  Ebenr.   Roberts 250 

'  26  &  27,  William   Roberts 116 

'  82  &  20,  35,  36,  &  40  William  Wing 90 

'  36,  Andrew    Lewis 150 

'  38,  Benedick  Brown 150 

'  23,  James  Higson 150 

'   22,  Abraham  Wing 150 

'    15,  Benjamin  &   Nehemiah  Wing 250 

'   2,  Reed   Ferriss  &   Caleb  Powel 250 


4066 
"And  I  further  certify  that  the  above  mentioned   Persons   are  thereby  dis- 
charged from  paying  all  past  and  future  Quit  Rents  for  the  Quantity   of  acres 
set  opposite   their  respective  names  amounting  in  the  whole  to  four  thousand 
and  Fifty  Six  acres  in  the  above  Pattent. 

"  Peter  S.  Curtenius,  State  Audr." 
Proceedings  identical  with  these  were  entered  into  between  the  State  audi- 
tor and   the   following  named  persons,  releasing  them  on  the  number  of  acres 
attached  to  their  names,  on  the  28th  day  of  December,  1791  : — 

PROFESSORS'  NAMES.  NO.  ACRES.  NO.  LOTS. 

Valentine  Brown 150  41 

Schuyler    Brown 100  41 

Phebe   Robberds 14S  26 

Joseph  Hepburn 150  49 

Ebenezer  Fuller  Junr 150  50 

Benjamin    Fuller 100  50 

Edward  Fuller 125  38 

Patrick  Hepburn 150  48  &  57 

Matthew  Fuller 125  33 

Justus  Brown 125  39 

John  Akin 150  84 

Albro  Akin lOO  84 

Sarah   Akin.. 150  84 

Thomas   Worth 125  51 

Barsilla  Worth 125  51 


Carried  forward 1970 


394  History  of  Warren  County. 

POSSF.SSORS'  NAMES.  NO.  ACRES.  NO.    LOTS. 

Brought  forward I970 

John  Toffy 150  44 

Hulet  Toffy 100  44 

James  Ferriss 150  57 

Nathaniel  Taber lOO  57 

William  Taber lOO  3 

Ephrahim   Woodard 150  3 

David   Ferris 100  12 

Benjamin  Collins 100  12 

Ichabod   Merritt, 150  i 

Joseph  Merritt 100  i 

James  Stephenson 125  88 

Jacob  Stephenson 150  90 

Stephen  Stephenson lOO  90 

3545 
Again  on  the  ist  of  April,  1790,  the  following  were  released   in   a   similar 
manner : — 

possessors'  names.  no  acres,     no.  lots. 

Peter  Peck 130  25  &  No.  3  Town  Plot. 

Reuben  Peck 125  30 

William  Tripp 125  11 

Jonathan  Tripp 125  11 

Jeremiah   Briggs 150  31 

Nathaniel  Varney 160  30 

80s 

An  account  in  settlement  with  the  auditor  also  appears  in  the  records, 
wherein  Reed  Ferriss  is  credited  with  eighteen  pounds  nineteen  shillings  and 
four  pence  for  the  release  of  510  acres  in  one  tract;  and  Enoch  Hoag  with 
seventeen  pounds,  three  shillings  on  250  acres. 

It  will  have  been  observed  that  among  these  names  appear  several  the  de- 
tails of  whose  settlements  have  already  been  given ;  others  will  be  noted  in 
succeeding  pages. 

Town  Formation.  —  Queensbury  is  one  of  the  original  towns  erected  by 
act  of  Legislature  on  the  7th  of  March,  1788,  and  its  boundaries  were  defined 
as  follows  :  "  All  that  part  of  the  Said  county  of  Washington,  bounded  easterly 
by  Westfield  and  Kingsbury,  and  separated  from  Westfield  by  a  line  begin- 
ning at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town  of  Kingsbury  and  running  in  the 
direction  of  Kingsbury  west  bounds  till  it  strikes  the  water  of  Lake  George  ; 
westerly  by  Fairfield,  northerly  by  Lake  George  and  a  line  running  from  the 
mouth  of  McAuley's  Creek  near  the  south  end  of  said  lake  direct  to  the  north- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  395 

east  corner  of  the  town  of  Fairfield,  and  southerly  by  the  bounds  of  the  county," 
{namely  the  Hudson  River,  which  at  this  point  runs  nearly  a  due  easterly 
course)  "  shall  be,  and  continue  a  town  by  the  name  of  Queensbury." 

The  town  then  embraced  the  territory  which  in  the  year  18 13  (according 
to  Spafford's  Gazetteer  of  New  York,  published  in  that  year)  comprised  the 
towns  of  Bolton,  Caldwell,  Chester,  Hague,  Johnsburgh,  Luzerne,  Queensbury, 
and  Thurman,  being  all  that  part  of  the  county  of  Washington  lying  west  of 
Kingsbury  and  Lake  George  ;  in  other  words,  more  than  the  entire  present 
county  of  Warren. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  of  April  6th,  1808,  changed  the  name  of  the  town 
of  Westfield  to  Fort  Ann,  and  that  of  Fairfield  to  Luzerne,  for  the  very  good 
reason  of  the  "  considerable  inconvenience  which  results  from  several  of  the 
towns  in  this  State  having  the  same  name." 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1798,  the  division  line  between  the  towns  of  West- 
field  (Fort  Ann)  and  Queensbury  was  run  out  by  the  supervisors  of  the  two 
towns,  assisted  by  Aaron  Haight,  surveyor,  and  "  that  portion  of  the  town  of 
■Queensbury  usually  called  Harrisena  "  was  annexed  and  erected  into  a  sep- 
arate road  district.  About  [the  same  time  a  strip  of  territory  one  mile  wide 
was  taken  from  the  eastern  limits  of  the  town  of  Fairfield  (Luzerne)  and  an- 
nexed to  the  western  side  of  Queensbury.  Following  are  the  present  bound- 
aries of  the  town  as  provided  by  law :  — 

"  The  town  of  Queensbury  shall  contain  all  that  part  of  said  county  bounded 
southerly  and  easterly  by  the  bounds  of  the  county;  (viz. 'by  the  middle  of 
the  said  [north]  branch  and  of  the  main  stream  of  the  said  [Hudson's]  river, 
until  it  reaches  the  southeast  corner  of  the  patent  of  Queensbury,  with  such 
variations  as  may  be  necessary  to  include  the  whole  of  every  island,  any  part 
whereof  is  nearer  to  the  north  or  east  shore  of  the  said  river  than  to  the  south 
or  west  shore  thereof,  and  to  exclude  the  whole  of  every  island,  any  part  where- 
of is  nearer  to  the  said  south  or  west  shore  than  to  the  north  or  east  shore  afore- 
said ;  and  easterly  by  the  east  bounds  of  said  patent,  and  the  same  continued 
north  to  Lake  George,')  westerly  by  Luzerne,  and  northerly  by  a  line  begin- 
ning at  the  southwest  corner  of  Caldwell  and  running  thence  easterly  and  north- 
erly along  the  bounds  of  Caldwell  to  Lake  George ;  and  then  along  the  east 
shore  of  Lake  George  to  the  bounds  of  the  county." 

Hatural  Features,  Localities,  etc.  —  The  natural  characteristics  of  the  town, 
names  of  localities,  etc.,  are  thus  clearly  described  by  Dr.  Holden :  ^  "  The 
eastern  and  northern  portions  of  the  town  are  rolling  and  hilly,  while  the  west- 
ern part  is  one  extended  sandy  plain,  originally  covered  with  a  densely  tim- 
bered pine  forest,  which  for  the  first  half  century  gave  employment  to  a  large 
per  centage  of  the  population  and  to  the  numerous  saw-mills  which  were  erected 
in  the   early  days  of  the  settlement  on   nearly  every  brook  and  rivulet  in  the 

1  History  of  Queensbury,  p.  144,  etc. 


396  History  of  Warren  County. 

town.  Since  then,  and  long  within  the  memory  of  many  living,  these  exten- 
sive pine  plains  have  been  periodically  cropped  of  the  second  growth  yellow 
pine  to  supply  the  increasing  demand  for  fuel.  Now  there  is  less  than  five 
hundred  acres  of  woodland  all  told  between  the  village  and  the  mountain,  and 
under  a  more  thorough  and  intelligent  system  of  agriculture  these  barren  sand 
plains  are  rapidly  being  reclaimed  and  becoming  the  most  remunerative  of  our 
farming  lands. 

"  The  western  part  of  the  town  is  bordered  by  the  Palmertown  Mountains, 
an  outlying  ridge  of  the  great  Adirondack  range,  whose  beginning  is  at  the 
village  of  Saratoga  Springs,  and  whose  termination  is  at  Harrington  Hill  in 
Warrensburgh.  At  the  north,  lying  partly  in  this  town  and  partly  in  the  town 
of  Caldwell,  is  the  abrupt  acclivity  known  as  French  Mountain,  some  sixteen 
hundred  feet  in  height,  whose  sharp  promontory  projects  for  several  miles  into 
the  head  waters  of  Lake  George.  On  the  northeast  the  Dresden  chain  of 
mountains  throws  out  three  considerable  elevations  called  the  Sugar  Loaf,  Deer 
Pasture,  and  Buck  Mountains,  the  last  two  of  which  slope  down  to  the  very 
verge  of  the  lake,  and  are  still  the  home  of  the  deer  and  the  rattlesnake,  with 
which  all  this  region  once  abounded. 

"  This  township,  occupying  a  plateau  on  the  great  water-shed  between  the 
Hudson  and  St.  Lawrence  Rivers,  its  numerous  streams,  brooks,  ponds,  and 
rivulets,  and  its  surface  drainage  as  well,  find  widely  diverging  outlets  ;  that 
from  the  northern  and  central  parts  of  the  town  making  its  way  to  the  Half- 
way Brook  and  thence  through  Wood  Creek  to  Lake  Champlain  and  the  St. 
Lawrence,  while  the  rivulets  and  marshes  of  Harrisena  empty  into  Lake  George, 
and  those  of  the  west,  south  and  eastern  parts  of  the  town  are  tributary  to  the 
Hudson.  It  is  noteworthy  that  the  volume  of  all  the  streams,  the  river  included, 
has  materially  diminished  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant,  while  a 
few,  by  drainage  and  exposure  to  the  sun  and  air,  have  ceased  to  exist.  The 
same  remark  holds  true  of  several  swamps  and  marshes,  which  in  the  early  days 
of  the  settlement  were  the  lairs  and  coverts  from  which  wild  beasts  issued  in 
their  predatory  attacks  upon  the  stock  of  the  pioneers.  Wild  Cat  Swamp, 
lying  upon  the  western  borders  of  the  village,  has  been  almost  entirely  re- 
claimed, while  a  large  portion  of  the  Big  Cedar  Swamp,  stretching  away  for 
two  miles  from  its  eastern  boundary,  is  now  under  successful  cultivation. 
Among  the  numerous  brooks,  ponds  and  streams,  with  which  the  surface  of 
the  town  is  diversified,  the  following  are  considered  worthy  of  mention:  Cold 
Brook,  which  for  a  small  portion  of  its  extent  forms  a  part  of  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  town  and  county,  runs  southwardly  and  empties  into  the  Hud- 
son immediately  opposite  an  island,  which  in  1772  was  deeded  by  one  of  the 
Jessups  of  Tory  memory  to  Daniel  Jones.  This  brook  and  the  flat  adjacent 
was  the  scene  of  a  terrible  massacre  during  the  F"rench  War,  which  is  elsewhere 
recorded.     Reed's  Meadow  Creek,  the  outlet  of  the  Big  Cedar  Swamp  above 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  397 

referred  to,  flows  east  and  southeasterly,  and  after  receiving  various  accessions 
in  its  somewhat  tortuous  route  it  becomes  Fort  Edward  Creek,  and  debouches 
into  the  Hudson  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  village  of  Fort  Edward.  Its 
name  is  derived  from  Reed  Ferriss,  one  of  the  early  proprietors  here,  and  one 
of  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  proprietors  to  apportion  the  undivided 
sections  of  the  township,  two  of  which  were  included  within  the  limits  of  the 
swamp.  Setting  back  from  this  outlet  was  a  beaver  dam,  marsh  and  meadow, 
where  the  first  settlers  supplied  themselves  with  hay.  The  JVTeadow  Run  de- 
rived its  name  similarly  from  a  large  beaver  meadow,  which  was  almost  the 
only  resource  of  the  inhabitants  at  the  Corners  for  the  sustenance  of  their  stock 
during  the  long  and  vigorous  winters  of  this  latitude.  In  some  of  the  military 
reports  and  narratives  it  was  called  the  Four  Mile  Run,  it  being  about  four  miles 
miles  distant  from  the  military  post  at  the  head  of  Lake  George.  This  stream 
has  its  origin  in  the  Butler  Pond,  on  a  summit  of  a  spur  of  the  Palmertown 
Mountains,  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  A  neighboring  elevation  has,  from 
the  earliest  days,  been  known  as  Hunting  Hill,  from  the  abundance  of  game 
once  gathered  there.  An  adjoining  eminence  is  the  seat  of  a  rich  vein  of  iron 
ore,  which,  three  years  since,  was  successfully  worked  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Corning  Iron  Company,  a  body  of  Albany  capitalists. 

"  The  Meadow  Run,  after  passing  through  an  expansion  of  its  waters  called 
Mud  Pond,  winds  around  the  base  of  a  series  of  knolls,  and  is  received  at  the 
head  of  Long  Pond  not  far  from  the  outlet  of  Round  Pond,  another  small  sheet 
of  water  lying  among  the  hills  a  few  rods  to  the  south.  A  canal  was  cut  by 
Dr.  Stower  from  one  of  these  ponds  to  the  other  some  years  ago,  for  lumber- 
ing purposes,  but  was  never  completed  or  put  in  operation.  There  are  two  or 
three  extensive  peat  beds  in  this  neighborhood,  one  of  which,  at  the  head  of 
an  estuary  stretching  westwardly  through  the  marsh  which  makes  back  from 
Long  Pond,  has  been  extensively  worked  during  the  past  few  years  by  the 
Albany  company  above  referred  to.  There  is  at  present  a  saw-mill  in  success- 
ful and  remunerative  operation  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Meadow  Run. 

"  Rocky  Brook,  designated  in  the  early  road  surveys  and  records  of  the 
town  as  Hampshire  Creek,  is  a  bright,  sparkling  mountain  stream,  leaping  and 
flashing  along  the  ravine  at  the  western  base  of  French  Mountain,  propelling 
two  saw-mills  on  its  route,  and  winding  along  through  meadow,  woodland  and 
marsh,  empties  into  the  Meadow  Run  about  twenty  rods  above  the  head  of 
Long  Pond.  On  the  flat  west  of  its  banks,  was  one  of  the  three  picket  posts 
referred  to  in  Governor  Colden's  proclamation,  elsewhere  quoted,  and  which 
is  designated  on  one  of  the  early  maps  as  Fort  Williams. 

"  In  the  western  part  of  the  town,  having  its  rise  in  the  mountain  ridge 
which  separates  it  from  Luzerne,  is  the  once  famous  trout  stream  variously 
known  as  the  Pitcher,  the  Ogden,  and  the  Clendon  Brook,  deriving  these  names 
from  persons  once  living  in  its  vicinit)'.      In  former  years  it  furnished  the  mo- 


398  History  of  Warren  County. 

tive  power  for  a  number  of  saw-mills,  whose  decaying  debris  encumber  its 
banks  at  varying  intervals  with  their  unsightly  accumulations.  Still  further 
west,  on  the  confines  of  the  town,  Roaring  Brook,  bounding  from  crag  and 
cliff,  pours  its  cold  and  foaming  waters  fresh  from  their  mountain  sources  into 
the  Hudson  near  the  reefs. 

"  The  waters  of  Long  Pond  are  discharged  through  the  Outlet,  a  stream 
which,  flowing  eastwardly,  effects  a  junction  with  the  Half-way  Brook  at  a  set- 
tlement called  Jenkins  or  Patten's  Mills,  near  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town. 
This  brook  supplies  the  power  for  several  saw-mills,  a  grist-mill,  a  cider-mill, 
and  a  woolen  factory. 

"The  Half-way  Brook,  which  was  noted  in  the  early  colonial  times  as  a 
halting-place  and  rendezvous  for  the  troops  and  convoys  of  supplies  in  their 
transit  between  the  great  military  posts  at  Fort  Edward  and  the  head  of  Lake 
George,  is  situated  nearly  midway  between  these  points,  and  hence  derives  its 
name.^ 

"  The  Half-way  brook  has  its  source  in  the  same  mountain  range,  and  but 
a  short  distance  west  from  the  head  waters  of  its  sister  stream,  the  Meadow 
Run.  Near  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  nearly  encircled  by  hills,  is  a  natural 
basin,  which,  a  few  years  since,  was  artificially  enlarged,  and  cleaned,  and 
a  massive  wall  of  masonry  thrown  across  its  outlet,  for  the  formation  of  a 
reservoir  to  supply  the  Glen's  Falls  Water-works,  a  public  and  much  needed 
improvement,  which  has  been  but  recently  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  eighty 
thousand  dollars.  The  surplus  and  waste  water  is  directed  back  to  its  wonted 
channel  immediately  below  the  reservoir.  Running  a  tortuous  course  south- 
eastwardly  across  the  plains,  the  Half-way  Brook  expands  into  the  Forge  Pond, 
a  small  sheet  of  water,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Glen's  Falls,  and  for 
a  long  period  the  favorite  resort  of  the  disciples  of  the  gentle  Isaac  Walton,  in 
pursuit  of  the  speckled  trout  which  once  abounded  in  this  stream.  At  this 
point,  as  far  back  as  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  eleven,  a  forge  and  trip 
hammer  shop  were  erected  by  an  enterprising  pioneer  named  Johnson.  At 
the  same  time  a  saw-mill  was  built  which  is  still  in  operation,  and  which  for 
years  supplied  the  neighborhood  and  sent  to  market  the  products  of  the 
neighboring  forests.  The  manufacture  of  iron  for  some  cause  did  not  prove 
remunerative,  and  the  enterprise,  after  languishing  a  few  years,  was  finally 
abandoned,  leaving  its  name,  however,  to  the  pond  as  a  parting  legacy,  and  a 
reminder  of  the  old  French  proverb,  that  'it  is  only  success  that  succeeds.' 
About  a  mile  below,  and  nearly  opposite  to  the  garrison  ground  already  re- 
ferred to,  is  an  enlargement  of  the  Half-way  Brook  called  Briggs's  Pond,  at  the 
foot  of  which  stands  a  dam  and  race  way,  affording  water  power.  Here  at  the 
close  of  the  last  century  stood   a  saw-mill ;  while  across  the  flat,  some  forty  or 

1  It  was  on  the  banks  of  this  famous  stream  that  were  erected  two  of  the  picketed  enclosures  about 
the  middle  of  the  last  century,  as  described  in  an  earlier  chapter. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         399 

fifty  rods  further  west,  in  a  ravine,  partly  natural,  but  enlarged  by  the  hand  of 
art,  stood  a  large  grist-mill,  carried  by  water  conducted  by  a  canal  artificially 
constructed,  and  leading  from  the  pond  above  named.  These  mills  were 
owned  and  run  by  Walter  Briggs,  and  were  resorted  to  by  the  inhabitants  and 
farmers  from  far  and  near,  at  a  period  when  there  was  no  grist-mill  at  Glens 
Falls.  The  buildings  have  long  since  been  torn  down  or  removed,  but  the 
embankments  of  the  canal,  and  the  foundations  of  the  mill  are  still  conspicu- 
ous in  the  green  meadow.  From  this  point  the  Half-way  Brook  bears  north- 
eastwardly through  a  continuation  of  swale,  marsh,  and  meadow,  creeping 
sluggishly  along  at  the  base  of  the  ridge,  and  passes  the  Kingsbury  town  line 
in  the  neighborhood  of  a  settlement  bearing  the  euphonious  name  of  Frog 
Hollow.  A  basin  among  the  hills,  half  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  settlement 
called  the  Oneida,  contains  a  circular  sheet  of  water,  a  few  acres  in  extent, 
known  as  the  Round  Pond.  Here  was  built  among  the  pines,  on  its  shore,  the 
first  Baptist  Church  of  Queensbury.  A  small  enclosure  near  by  contains  one 
of  the  oldest  burial  places  in  town. 

"  Butler's  Brook,  near  the  north  bounds  of  the  corporation  limits  of  Glen's 
Falls,  has  its  source  in  three  small  brooks,  one  of  which  receives  the  drainage 
of  the  Wild  Cat  Swamp  and  west  part  of  the  village,  the  second  crosses  the 
plank  road  at  the  old  Mallory  place,  and  the  third  has  its  source  in  a  swale  a 
little  north  of  the  Warren  county  fair  grounds.  It  was  on  this  branch,  tradi- 
tion informs  us,  that  in  the  year  seventeen  hundred  and  eighty-three,  while  on 
his  way  to  visit  and  inspect  the  fortifications  at  Lake  George,  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point,  General  Washington  and  his  staff  halted  to  slake  their  thirst,  and 
were  waited  upon  with  a  cup  and  pail  and  a  supply  of  water  from  the  brook 
by  Jeremiah  Briggs,  who  was  at  work  in  a  neighboring  field.  This  stream  de- 
rived its  name  from  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  who  lived  in  its  vicinity.  Es- 
pousing the  royal  cause,  at  or  during  the  war,  he  buried  such  of  his  effects  as 
he  could  and  fled  to  Canada.  His  house  shared  the  fate  of  most  of  the  build- 
ings in  this  vicinity  at  that  time,  being  burnt  by  the  savages  and  Tories  in  one 
of  their  numerous  eruptions.  The  Butler  Brook  after  the  confluence  of  its 
branches  winds  around  the  cemetery  grounds  and  unites  with  the  Half-way 
Brook  about  two  miles  north  of  Glens  Falls,  midway  between  the  Ridge  and 
Bay  roads. 

"  These  ponds  and  streams  during  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  were 
abundantly  stocked  with  trout,  which,  with  the  game  then  so  plentiful  in  the 
surrounding  forests,  constituted  a  large  portion  of  the  resources  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. It  was  related  to  me  by  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  town  that  in  a  win- 
ter of  uncommon  severity,  some  of  the  families  in  Harrisena  carried  through  their 
stock  of  cattle  on  a  supply  of  salted  fish,  of  which  they  had  secured  a  large 
quantity  the  preceding  season.  Until  the  erection  of  dams  and  mills  shad  ran 
up  in  the  spring  as  far  as  the  Falls,  where  they  were  caught  in  considerable 
quantities,  and  were  to  some  extent  an  article  of  commerce. 


400  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  The  original  survey  of  the  township  contemplated  the  location  of  the  vil- 
lage at  the  Half-way  Brook,  where  the  existing  clearings  and  buildings  offered 
a  strong  inducement  to  the  first  settlers  to  locate  their  houses.  Here  the  town 
plot  was  laid  out,  ranging  due  north  and  south.  The  lots  were  of  ten  acres 
each  and  forty-four  in  number,  beside  the  road  ways  four  rods  in  width,  sur- 
rounding the  whole  an  eight  rod  road  in  each  directing,  bisecting  the  plot  into 
four  equal  sections.  Four  central  lots  at  these  angles  were  reserved  for  church 
and  school  purposes  and  for  public  buildings.  Either  half  to  the  east  and  west 
was  also  divided  by  a  north  and  south  road  four  rods  in  width. 

"  It  is  needless  to  say  that  no  settlement  was  ever  established  here,  and  that 
Champlain's  tannery,  and  the  Pitcher  tavern  occupying  the  site  just  north  of 
the  Half-way  Brook,  upon  which  a  brick  house  now  stands,  are  the  nearest  ap- 
proach to  public  buildings  erected  on  the  site  of  the  projected  village,  after  the 
original  survey  by  Zaccheus  Towner  in  1762.  The  old  Pitcher  tavern  was  a 
place  of  considerable  note  in  those  days  when  every  log  hut  was  an  inn,  and 
every  framed  dwelling  a  hotel.  It  was  kept  by  Jonathan  Pitcher,  whose  name 
frequently  appears  in  the  town  records,  chiefly  in  connection  with  matters  per- 
taining to  the  excise  law,  on  two  occasions  he  being  excused  by  a  vote  of  the 
people  from  paying  his  license. 

"  Harrisena  is  a  neighborhood  at  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  derives  its 
name  from  the  original  founders  of  the  settlement.  The  region  comprising  this 
somewhat  vaguely  defined  locality  includes  some  of  the  most  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive farming  lands  in  the  county  of  Warren.  The  Harrisena  Patent  proper 
embraced  two  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  was  originally  conveyed  to  Robert 
Harpur  and  others,  but  the  grant  for  some  cause  was  surrendered  to  the  crown 
and  reissued  in  1772  to  John  Lawrence,  Henry  Boel  and  Stephen  Tuttle,  who 
relinquished  or  sold  their  title  to  Moses  Harris.  He,  with  another  brother,  set- 
tled upon  it  in  1787,  and  in  the  following  January  obtained  certificates  of  location 
of  the  same,  with  several  other  rights  or  claims,  embracing  in  all  a  territory  of 
between  three  and  four  thousand  acres.  At  about  the  same  time  Joshua  Harris 
secured  certificates  of  location  for  four  lots  of  two  hundred  acres  each  in  the 
same  vicinity.  These  lands  have  mostly  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Harris 
family  and  their  descendants  to  the  present  day.  The  first  house  erected  here 
was  a  log  tenement,  built  near  a  spring  about  ten  rods  southeast  of  the  Rufus 
Harris  place.  Joseph  Harris  was  the  first  settler,  and  moved  here  about  the 
year  1784.  The  next  was  a  framed  house  and  was  built  for  Moses  Harris  by 
John  Phettyplace.  It  stood  near  the  site  occupied  by  the  Henry  Harris  home- 
stead. This  wealthy  and  thriving  agricultural  district  has  in  the  course  of  years 
become  thickly  and  compactly  settled,  for  a  farming  region,  possessing  admi- 
rable public  schools,  two  churches,  one  of  which  has  a  settled  pastor ;  its  ail- 
ments cared  for  by  a  resident  physician ;  many  of  its  wants  provided  for  and 
supplied  by  home  mechanics ;   while  bordering  upon  the  bays  and   points  jut- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  401 

ting  in  and  out  around  the  head  of  Lake  George  are  several  pleasant  and  at- 
tractive places  of  resort,  where  travelers,  invalids,  pleasure  seekers,  business 
men,  worn  out  with  the  wearying  and  incessant  round  of  business  cares,  repair 
year  by  year  in  constantly  increasing  numbers,  for  that  rest  and  recuperation 
so  difficult  to  find  among  the  hot,  crowded  thoroughfares  of  our  fashionable  re- 
sorts and  summer  watering  places. 

"  Five  miles  to  the  north  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  on  the  road  to  Har- 
risena,  is  situated  a  small  settlement,  which,  for  upwards  of  fifty  years,  has  borne 
in  local  colloquial  phrase  the  name  of  the  Oneida.  The  attempt  has  been  made  to 
call  it  Northville  and  Middleville,  but  no  effort  to  shake  off  the  former  appel- 
lation has  been  successful.  About  the  time  of  the  last  war  with  England  this 
was  a  place  of  considerable  importance,  having  two  good  sized  and  well  pat- 
ronized inns,  three  stores  doing  a  quite  extensive  trade,  a  large  lumbering  bus- 
iness, in  connection  with  adjacent  mills,  various  mechanic  shops,  and  a  Baptist 
church  and  society.  Here  two  noted  justices  of  the  peace,  Dan  D.  Scott  and 
James  Henderson,  held  their  weekly  and  august  tribunals,  at  which  as  many 
as  one  hundred  and  seventy  summonses,  besides  criminal  processes  and  sub- 
poenas have  been  made  returnable  in  one  day.  Every  Saturday,  sometimes 
oftener,  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  people  assembled  here  to  listen  to  the  en- 
counter of  argument,  the  brilliant  collision  of  wit  and  repartee,  and  the  splen- 
did oratory  of  that  gifted  and  eloquent  array  of  legal  talent  which  then  graced 
the  bar  of  Warren  and  Washington  counties. 

"  The  first  house  at  the  Oneida  was  erected  by  Joshua  Chase  about  the  year 
1793.  The  name  was  derived  from  a  half-breed  Oneida  Indian  by  the  name 
of  Thomas  Hammond.  He,  with  his  sister  Dinah,  were  brought  up  by  Capt. 
Green,  of  Whipple  City,  now  Greenwich,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.  Some 
little  time  previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  removed  to  Queensbury,  and 
opened  a  store  of  general  merchandise  in  a  building  which  is  still  standing  on 
the  corner  opposite  and  fronting  the  old  tavern  stand  ;  and  here,  for  a  number 
of  years,  he  was  engaged  in  carrying  on  a  considerable  trade,  mixed  up  to 
some  extent  with  the  lumbering  business.  From  the  oft  repeated  expressions, 
'  Let's  go  up  to  the  Oneida's,'  '  I  bought  this  at  the  Oneida's,'  '  We  must  send 
down  to  the  Oneida's,'  was  derived  the  name  which  through  the  vicissitudes 
of  half  a  century  has  clung  like  a  burr  to  the  settlement.  Hammond  married 
Keziah,  a  sister  of  James  Reynolds,  of  Caldwell.  Pursued  by  the  red  man's 
curse,  an  unappeasable  appetite  for  the  terrible  fire-water,  he  finally  failed  in 
business,  removed  to  French  Mountain,  and  died  an  inebriate  and  outcast. 
Since  then  the  magnificent  pine  forests  which  once  stretched  their  serried  ranks 
across  plain  and  hill  side,  from  the  lake  to  the  Kingsbury  line,  have  been  cut 
down,  the  local  traffic  has  diminished,  and  the  importance  of  the  settlement 
decreased. 

"  The  Ridge,  or  Sanford's  ridge,  is  a  name  applied  to  a  thickly  settled  farm- 

2G 


402  History  of  Warren  County. 

ing  district,  stretching  a  distance  of  three  or  four  miles  along  a  crest  of  rich, 
arable  land  beginning  about  two  miles  north  of  Glens  Falls  village,  and  termi- 
nating beyond  the  town  line  on  the  east.  Toward  the  close  of  the  last  century 
this  was  a  settlement  of  greater  size  and  importance  than  the  village  at  the 
Falls.  At  that  time  there  were  two  stores,  a  tavern,  several  mechanic  shops 
and  two  physicians.  In  the  year  1800  the  Quaker  church  was  built  on  the 
corners  two  miles  north  of  the  village.  The  first  settler  at  the  Ridge  was  Elijah 
Bartow  who  plied  his  trade  as  a  blacksmith  on  what  is  known  as  the  Gould 
Sanford  farm.  He  lived  in  a  log  house  near  by.  One  of  the  first  framed 
houses  in  the  neighborhood  was  built  and  occupied  by  James  Tripp  on  the  site 
now  covered  by  the  residence  of  Joseph  Haviland.  Abraham  Tucker  about 
the  same  time  built  on  the  farm  southwest  of  the  Quaker  church.  This  neigh- 
borhood derived  its  name  from  David  Sanford,  esq.,  who,  in  1795,  removed 
from  the  town  of  New  Milford,  Conn.,  to  Queensbury  and  established  himself 
in  trade  at  this  point.  For  the  next  ten  years  he  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  the  town,  and  the  development  of  its  resources. 
He  was  frequently  chosen  to  office,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  man 
of  mark  and  consideration." 

Returning  now  to  the  subject  of  the  early  settlements  in  the  town  and  the 
incidents  and  enterprises  connected  therewith,  we  may  properly  first  make  fur- 
ther mention  of  Benedick  Brown,  who  was  one  of  the  original  settlers  and 
probably  came  into  the  town  as  early  as  1772,  as  his  name  appears  in  the  rec- 
ords as  overseer  of  the  poor  in  1773.  He  had  a  family,  the  sons  being  named 
Valentine,  George,  Justus,  Howgill,  Silas,  and  Timothy.  They  were  Quakers 
and  at  one  period  the  descendants  of  the  family  were  so  numerous  in  the  town 
that  a  settlement  between  the  outlet  of  Long  Fond  and  Glens  Falls  was  locally 
known  as  "  Brown-town."  Valentine  Brown  built  the  first  saw-mill  north  of 
Glens  Falls.  He  was  grandfather  of  George  Brown,  now  of  Lake  George 
(Caldwell).  In  this  family  was  also  Daniel  V.  Brown,  a  descendant  in  the 
fourth  generation  from  Bededick;  he  was  sheriff  in  the  county  from  1861  to 
1864,  previous  to  which  date  he  had  been  supervisor.  He  was  a  prominent 
business  man  of  Glens  Falls  and  an  active  Democratic  politician.  He  was 
drowned  on  the  steamer  J/,?/z;«7/i?  on  the  8th  of  January,  1865,  while  ori  his 
way  with  Edward  Riggs  to  South  Carolina  to  procure  volunteers  or  substitutes 
for  the  Queensbury  quota  in  the  anticipated  draft.     (See  biography  herein.) 

Reed  Ferriss,  of  Duchess  county,  was  an  early  and  intimate  friend  of 
Abraham  Wing,  the  founder  of  Queensbury,  and  purchased  a  large  tract  in  the 
original  patent.  One  of  his  lots  was  upon  the  eastern  border  of  the  town.  Mr. 
Ferriss  was  the  founder  of  Ferrissbury,  Vt.,  according  to  Dr.  Holden.  The 
outlet  of  the  Big  Cedar  Swamp  derived  its  name  from  him,  being  called  in  the 
early  survey  and  records.  Reed's  Meadow  Creek.  After  the  Revolutionary 
War  Mr.  Ferriss  came  up  the  river  every  season  to  look  after  his  interests  here 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  403 

and  in  Vermont.  His  eldest  son  was  named  Edward,  was  a  hatter,  and  re- 
moved to  Glens  Falls  about  the  year  1794,  bringing  with  him  about  $500  in 
cash.  At  that  time  this  was  quite  a  fortune,  and  he  was  offered  in  exchange 
for  it  great  lot  number  29,  of  the  original  survey,  now  embracing  the  most 
thickly  settled  and  valuable  portion  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  and  the  offer 
was  declined.  Soon  after  his  arrival  here  he  bought  the  lot  next  north  of  the 
present  Glens  Falls  Insurance  building,  on  the  rear  of  which  he  erected  a  hat 
shop,  where  he  carried  on  business  for  a  number  of  years  ;  he  also  built  other 
structures  and  gave  considerable  impetus  to  the  early  growth  of  the  place.  In 
1798  he  erected  a  tavern  on  the  site  of  the  present  dwelling  owned  by  A. 
Newton  Locke,  and  in  1802  he  began  building  the  old  Glens  Falls  Hotel  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Rockwell  House.  A  year  or  two  later  he  diverted  the 
springs  of  water  and  the  rivulet  on  the  side-hill,  now  covered  by  the  Glens 
Falls  Opera  House,  into  a  shallow  reservoir,  making  a  fish  pond  in  the  rear  of 
Albert  Vermillia's  market  building ;  this  was,  for  a  period,  one  of  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  place.  Early  in  the  century  he  erected  the  long  known  structure 
on  Warren  street,  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Dr.  Holden,  which  was  subsequently 
variously  designated  as  Ferriss's  Row,  the  Tontine,  the  Long  Row,  Hemlock 
Row,'  and  McGregor's  Row.  This  structure  was  burned  in  1856.  Mr.  Ferriss 
married  first  Parthenia,  daugher  of  Dr.  Seth  Allen,  and  second,  her  sister 
Hannah. 

John  A.  Ferriss  was  a  son  of  Edward  and  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Glens 
Falls.  He  was  the  first  postmaster  of  the  village,  was  president  of  the  village 
in  1839  and  held  other  positions  of  trust.  He  formerly  carried  on  business  on 
the  corner  of  Warren  and  Glen  streets,  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  the  Holden 
block,  and  was  recognized  throughout  the  county  as  public-spirited  and  enter- 
prising, commanding  the  respect  of  all.  He  died  in  1840.  Hon.  Orange  Fer- 
riss, of  whom  a  brief  sketch  is  given  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  legal  profes- 
sion, was  a  son  of  John  A.  Ferriss. 

David  Ferriss  was  an  early  settler  in  the  town,  but  little  is  now  known  of 
him.  According  to  Dr.  Holden,  "  while  yet  there  was  little  more  than  a  bridle 
path  from  Glens  Falls,  then  known  as  the  Corners,  to  the  Ridge,  he  settled  on 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  Isaac  Mosher  a  little  south  of  the  Half-  way  Brook 
on  the  road  to  the  Oneida,  where  he  built  him  a  log  house,  which  he  not  long 
afterwards  abandoned,  and  being  of  an  adventurous  turn,  went  west,  where,  af- 
ter various  adventures,  he  was  finally  accidentally  drowned  in  the  Mississippi, 
while  running  a  raft  of  timber  down  that  stream.  The  name  of  Widow  Ferriss 
appears  recorded  on  the  town  book  for  the  year  1792." 

Of  the  Gilchrist  families  of  Glens  Falls  and  Fort  Edward  the  same  writer 
says  that  "the  ancestor  of  the  American  branch  came  to  this  country  shortly 
prior  to  the  Revolution,  and  was  the  head  of  this  which,  among  many  Scotch 
famihes,  in  those  early  days,  took  up  tracts  of  land  in  and  about  Argyle,  He- 


404  History  of  Warren  County. 

bron  and  Fort  Edward.  The  heir  in  the  direct  line  failed  for  want  of  issue 
something  over  forty  years  ago.  During  Burgoyne's  advance  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  while  his  force  lay  encamped  at  Kingsbury  street,  the  Gilchrist  home- 
stead with  its  family  bible  and  records  was  burned  by  a  party  of  marauding 
Indians.  Other  outrages  and  atrocities  were  perpetrated  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood by  the  same  gang.  A  single  link  in  the  chain  of  evidence  necessary  to 
establish  the  proof  of  heirship  was  thus  destroyed,  and  so  the  estate  with  its 
immense  revenues  lapsed  to  the  crown,  and  Queen  Victoria  makes  it  her  sum- 
mer residence.     A  striking  instance  of  the  value  of  a  perfect  family  record." 

In  the  year  1795  David  Sanford,  son  ofZachariah  and  Rachel  Sanford,  re- 
moved to  Sanford's  Ridge,  in  this  town.  He  was  born  in  1769.  At  Sanford's 
Ridge  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  which  he  was  very  successful.  His 
name  appears  as  town  clerk  in  the  years  1802—3.  He  received  the  deed  of 
lot  No.  12  of  the  orignal  survey,  from  George  Southwick  and  Justus  Brown. 
Mr.  Sanford  married  Amy  Hartwell,  and  was  the  father  of  George  Sanford, 
who  was  born  at  Sanford's  Ridge  in  1805.  The  father  died  when  George  was 
but  seven  years  old,  but  he  assumed  at  an  early  age  the  management  of  the 
homestead  and  the  care  of  his  mother  and  several  sisters.  When  he  became 
of  age  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  Orlin  Mead,  his  brother-in-law,  in  the 
lumber  business,  while  that  traffic  was  in  its  infancy ;  the  firm  also  carried  on 
a  large  mercantile  trade  in  Glens  Falls.  He  was  an  active  politician,  held  the 
office  of  supervisor  and  represented  the  county  in  the  Legislature  in  1841.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Glens  Falls  Academy,  and  one  of  its  earliest' 
trustees ;  also  one  of  the  corporators  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  the  village, 
in  1840.  In  1850  he  removed  to  Ballston  Spa,  and  a  few  years  later  to  Syra- 
cuse, where  he  died  in  1862. 

Peter  B.  Tearse,  whose  name  appears  as  Assemblyman  from  1786  to  1789, 
then  a  resident  of  Fort  Edward,  and  who  was  town  moderator  of  Queensbury 
in  1795,  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  Revolution  ;  he  was  adjutant  while 
stationed  at  Fort  Edward  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  advance,  and  major  in  the 
regiment  of  Colonel  Marinus  Willet  in  1777.  Soon  after  the  Revolution  he 
settled  at  Fort  Edward  and  married  Polly  Hunter,  granddaughter  of  Mrs. 
McNeil,  who  owned  an  immense  landed  property  valued  even  in  those  days  at 
more  than  eighty  thousand  dollars.  In  1798  Mr.  Tearse  was  chosen  one  of 
the  town  assessors  and  also  held  other  minor  offices.  About  the  beginning  of 
the  century  he  removed  to  the  head  of  Lake  George,  and  erected  the  first 
building  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  stone  store  in  Caldwell.  Here  he 
carried  on  a  trade  in  general  merchandise.  He  also  owned  an  ashery  for  the 
manufacture  of  potash  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  near  his  store  and  on  the  bank  of 
the  lake  at  the  north  side  of  the  brook.  His  success  was  not  commensurate 
with  his  enterprise,  which  was  at  least  half  a  century  in  advance  of  the  age  in 
which  he  lived.     Attracted  by  the  newly  discovered  mineral  waters  of  Ballston, 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         405 

he  removed  thither,  where  he  soon  after  died  (in  the  year  1802),  and  where 
his  remains  now  lie  buried  in  an  unknown  and  unhonored  grave. 

John  Vernor's  name  appears  frequently  in  the  town  records  from  1795  to 
1802.  He  was  a  merchant  and  inn-keeper  at  the  head  of  Lake  George  early 
in  the  century  and  probably  before  that  date,  as  it  is  on  record  that  he  was 
chairman  of  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  from  various  towns  of  Washington 
county,  held  at  the  house  of  Colonel  Joseph  Caldwell,  of  Kingsbury,  on  the 
25th  of  February,  1793,  at  which  Dr.  Zina  Hitchcock  was  nominated  as  the 
Federal  candidate  for  the  Senate.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  commissioned 
magistrates  in  the  county,  having  been  appointed  February  24th,  1791.  He 
was  quartermaster  in  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  from  the  Saratoga  district,  of 
which  John  McCrea  was  colonel,  all  of  whose  officers  were  commissioned  Oc- 
tober 20th,  1775.  John  Vernor  died  December  1st,  1825,  at  the  age  of  eighty. 
His  son,  John,  jr.,  died  in  1822,  aged  fifty-one. 

One  of  the  leading  men  of  the  town  in  early  times  was  William  Hay,  born 
in  Cambridge,  Washington  county,  in  the  year  1790.  He  was  related  to  Col- 
onel Udney  Hay,  who  was  prominent  in  the  Revolution.  About  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century  his  father,  also  named  William,  came  to  Glens  Falls,  em- 
barked in  the  lumber  business  and  erected  a  store,  the  first  building  on  the 
corner  of  Glen  and  Warren  streets,  now  occupied  by  the  Holden  block.  For 
a  time  he  was  very  successful,  but  ultimately  met  with  reverses  and  his  prop- 
erty passed  into  the  hands  of  others.  During  these  reverses  the  san  succeeded 
in  acquiring  an  education,  and  in  1808  was  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Henry 
C.  Martindale,  in  this  village.  In  18 12-13  he  opened  a  law  office  at  the  head 
of  Lake  George.  He  raised  a  rifle  company  and  in  18 14  proceeded  to  Platts- 
burg,  but  did  not  arrive  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  battle.  In  18 19  he  became 
the  publisher  of  the  Warren  Patriot,  the  first  and  only  regular  newspaper 
ever  published  at  Lake  George.  In  1822  he  removed  to  Glens  Falls  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law.  In  1827  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly.  In  1837 
he  removed  to  Ballston  and  three  years  later  to  Saratoga  Springs,  where  he 
died  a  few  years  later.  He  held  the  office  of  district  attorney  of  Warren  county 
in  1825—27  and  was  otherwise  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  fine  literary  abilities,  broad  general  information  and  was  a  deep  stu- 
dent. 

Adonijah  Emmons  was  a  pioneer  of  the  town  and  held  the  office  of  post- 
master at  Glens  Falls  in  18 16;  he  also  practiced  law  and  was  an  active  and 
influential  politician.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Sandy  Hill  and  published  a 
partisan  paper,  the  Sandy  Hill  Stcn.  He  died  in  1843  i"  Detroit,  whither  he 
removed  his  family  in  1838.  Halmer  H.  Emmons  was  his  son — a  man  of  emi- 
nence in  the  legal  profession,  and  United  States  Circuit  judge  in  1870. 

The  name  of  William  McDonald  occupies  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  an- 
nals of  the  town.      He  was  born  in  New  Milford,  Conn.,  in  1784.      His  mother 


4o6  History  of  Warren  County. 

was  Mary,  sister  of  David  Sanford,  before  mentioned.  Mr.  McDonald  came 
to  the  town  when  he  was  eight  years  old,  but  returned  to  New  Milford  to  se- 
cure a  business  education.  He  again  came  to  Queensbury  in  1799  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  his  uncle,  David  Sanford,  as  bookkeeper  and  accountant 
and  soon  had  the  full  management  of  the  large  mercantile  business.  About 
1805  he  purchased  his  uncle's  interest  in  the  store  and  continued  trade  until 
1808,  when  he  removed  to  Waterford.  Here  he  carried  on  a  large  business 
until  1820,  when  he  returned  to  the  Ridge  and  resumed  trade  at  the  old  place. 
Three  years  later  he  disposed  of  his  stock,  removed  to  Glens  Falls  and  soon 
afterward  bought  the  old  Wing  farm ;  he  enlarged  and  rebuilt  the  unfinished 
dwelling,  making  a  spacious  mansion,  which  he  occupied  until  his  death,  Sep- 
tember nth,  1870.  Mr.  McDonald  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  as  early  as 
1802-3  ;  in  1821  he  was  nominated  for  the  Assembly  and  overcame  by  his 
personal  strength  and  popularity  the  opposition  candidate,  Asahel  Clark,  a 
man  of  great  prominence.  In  the  succeeding  session  Mr.  McDonald  was 
chiefly  instrumental  in  securing  a  survey  and  appropriation  for  the  Glens  Falls 
feeder.  He  was  elected  the  next  year,  only  seventeen  votes  being  cast  against 
him;  and  was  again  elected  in  1828.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  old 
Commercial  Bank,  vestryman  of  the  Episcopal  Church  at  its  formation,  and 
received  many  other  evidences  of  the  confidence  of  the  community.   7;"^    :^ 

Among  other  prominent  early  settlers  of  whom  our  mention  here  must  be 
brief,  was  Dr.  Seth  Alden,  of  Shaftsbury,  Vt.,  where  he  was  born  as  early  as 
1749.  He  died  at  Fort  Edward  in  1809,  or  18 10,  having  removed  there  just 
previously.  He  practiced  at  Caldwell  from  the  date  of  his  removal  from 
Shaftsbury  (now  unknown,  but  very  early)  until  he  left  for  Fort  Edward,  and 
was  eminent  in  the  profession.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  occupant  of 
the  old  Lake  House  at  Caldwell.  1 

Dr.  Asa  Stower,  of  Massachusetts,  the  pioneer  of  the  medical  profession  in 
the  country,  came  here  in  1780,  first  making  his  home  with  William  Robards 
at  the  Ridge.  He  subsequently  bought  a  farm,  lately  occupied  by  Joseph 
Haviland,  and  later  sold  it  and  purchased  the  one  now  occupied  by  Anson 
Staples,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  died  May  25  th, 
1848.1 

Two  brothers,  John  and  Robert  Moon,  emigrated  to  this  town  from  Rhode 
Island  about  1783  ;  but  little  is  known  of  the  former,  but  Robert  settled  on 
the  outlet  of  Long  Pond,  where  he  built  a  saw-mill  and  the  first  grist-mill  in 
use  in  the  town  after  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  had  three  sons,  Solomon, 
Robert  and  Benjamin,  who  hved  near  each  other  and  carried  on  the  mills  and 
farming  business  after  their  father's  death. 

Parsons  Ranger  was  here  before  the  beginning  of  the  century ;  his  son, 
Samuel  Ranger,  was  born  in  the  town  in  1796.     He  built  the  first  Presbyterian 

1  See  chapter  on  the  medical  profession. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  407 

Church  in  the  town  in  1806— 8,  the  original  subscription  paper  for  which  re- 
mains in  the  hands  of  his  descendants.  (See  history  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  original  subscription  list,  presumably  embracing  most  of  the  resi- 
dents of  the  vicinity  at  the  beginning  of  the  century.) 

Stephen  Stephenson  came  into  this  town  about  the  year  1785  and  settled 
on  the  Dunham's  Bay  road,  where  he  made  a  small  clearing  and  erected  a  log 
house.  At  that  time  there  were  only  eighteen  families  residing  in  the  whole 
town.      His  daughter  Emma  became  the  wife  of  John  Goss. 

Phineas  Austin  was  a  very  early  settler,  and  father  of  John  D.  Austin,  who 
was  born  here  in  1786.  John  Austin,  now  a  resident  of  the  town,  is  a  son  of 
John  D.  His  grandmother  died  here  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
two  years. 

Josiah  Burnham  settled  in  Moreau  in  1784,  and  subsequently  came  to  this 
town.  He  was  in  the  War  of  181 2  and  drew  a  pension  for  his  services.  He 
married  a  granddaughter  of  the  elder  Abraham  Wing.  His  son  was  Cyrus 
Burnham,  who  was  the  father  of  Glen  F.  and  Julius  R.  Burnham,  at  present 
residing  in  the  town. 

Reuben  Numan  came  to  the  town  with  his  parents  when  he  was  fourteen, 
(1792),  and  located  at.  the  Ridge.  Charles  P.  Numan,  a  farmer  in  the  town, 
is  a  son  of  Reuben. 

The  Haviland  families  have  been  identified  with  the  history  of  the  town 
from  early  years,  and  descendants  now  occupy  prominent  positions,  business 
and  otherwise,  in  the  community.  Roger  Haviland  settled  here  as  early  as 
1795,  when  he  occupied  a  house  which  stood  facing  the  south  street  at  the 
turn  of  the  road  leading  to  the  big  dam;  this  house  was  burned  about  1858. 
Roger  Haviland  afterward  removed  to  the  Ridge.  Abraham  Haviland  was  a 
resident  of  the  town,  also,  previous  to  the  beginning  of  the  century,  and  had  a 
blacksmith  shop  on  the  site  of  George  Ferguson's  store  in  Glens  Falls.  He 
had  a  son  named  John  G.  Haviland,  who  had  a  son,  John  M.  The  latter  was 
father  of  John  G.  Haviland,  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Havilands  &  Gil- 
bert. The  elder  Roger  Haviland  had  sons  named  David,  Solomon,  Joseph 
and  Roger.  A  son  of  the  latter,  also  named  Roger,  was  father  of  C.  W.  Hav- 
iland, of  the  firm  just  named.  Four  branches  of  the  family,  all  descended 
from  Roger,  the  pioneer,  are  represented  in  the  town. 

John  Vanduzen  came  to  the  town  in  1785-  Robert  Vanduzen,  now  living 
near  French  Mountain,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four  years,  with  his  son  Ransom, 
is  a  son  of  John. 

Augustin  Odell  was  the  pioneer  of  the  families  of  that  name  in  this  town. 
His  name  appears  first  in  the  town  records  in  1788. 

Other  early  settlers  were  Job  Beadlestone,  who  came  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  located  near  Harrisena.  His  daughter,  Phebe  Ann,  married 
Veniah  Harris ;   the  latter  was  a  grandson  of  Moses  Harris,  the  pioneer,  and 


4o8  History  of  Warren  County. 

son  of  Henry  Harris.  Palmer  B.  Jenkins  settled  in  the  town  before  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century,  coming  with  his  father,  Simeon.  Gamaliel  Jenkins,  of 
Harrisena,  is  a  son  of  Palmer  B.  Jonathan  Crandell  came  in  at  about  the  be- 
ginning of  the  century.  Isaac  Crandell,  the  florist  at  Glens  Falls,  is  a  grand- 
son of  Jonathan.  Col.  A.  W.  Morgan  came  to  the  town  in  1813  and  learned 
the  harness-maker's  trade  with  Judge  Henry  Spencer.  In  1835  he  purchased 
eleven  acres  of  land,  covering  the  central  part  of  the  site  of  the  village  of  Glens 
Falls,  for  $800 ;  this  he  laid  out  into  lots  and  sold,  continuing  the  real  estate 
business  until  1870.  He  laid  out  several  of  the  village  streets.  He  now  lives 
on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  Glens  Falls. 

The  names  of  many  other  early  settlers  and  prominent  men  of  this  town 
will  appear  in  succeeding  pages,  in  connection  with  the  professional,  mercan- 
tile and  manufacturing  interests  of  the  county. 

A  conspicuous  figure  among  the  early  settlers  and  one  well  remembered 
by  them  was  that  of  the  Indian  preacher  known  as  Father  Paul.  According 
to  tradition  he  was  a  pure  blooded  Mohican,  a  connection  of  the  great  Indian 
preacher,  Sampson  Occum,  and  a  pupil  of  the  Rev.  Eleazer  Wheelock.  Father 
Paul  came  to  Queensbury  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  re- 
moved to  Caldwell,  and  later  to  Bolton,  the  "  principal  theatre  of  his  ministerial 
labors."  He  had  six  children  :  James,  Phebe,  Jonathan  (called  Daunt),  Benoni, 
Henry,  and  Sampson.  The  children  were  all  a  dissipated,  worthless  set,  scof- 
fers at  religion  and  social  restraints,  "  given  over  to  reprobate  minds."  Samp- 
son Paul's  name  appears  in  Judge  Robard's  docket,  in  1802,  as  defendant  in 
a  lawsuit ;  and  Anthony  Paul  himself  is  recorded  as  defendant  in  a  suit  March 
i8th,  1805,  in  which  David  Osborn,  jr.,  merchant,  is  plaintiff.  Father  Paul 
was  duly  licensed  to  preach,  and  being  the  only  person  thus  qualified  who  had 
then  made  a  home  with  the  settlers  hereabouts,  he  was  invited  to  address  them 
on  the  Sabbaths  on  the  themes  of  religion.  He  did  so  and  they  were  edified. 
He  shared  with  them  their  joys,  he  buried  their  dead,  and  consoled  them  in 
their  afflictions,  but  the  appetite  which  had  wrought  its  evil  work  upon  his 
race  was  the  subject  of  his  indulgence  and  effected  his  ruin.  He  became  a 
confirmed  drunkard ;  he  was,  consequently,  discarded  as  a  public  teacher,  and 
departed  with  so  little  regret  to  the  neighborhood  that  no  record  is  left  of  his 
decease.  He  is  described  by  one  who  saw  him  before  his  downfall  as  being 
universally  beloved  and  deserving  it.  "  His  broad,  high-cheeked,  copper-col- 
ored face  was  spread  over  with  an  habitual  smile  of  benevolence,  and  when,  at 
times,  lit  up  with  zeal,  he  opened  his  mouth  with  words  of  kindness,  and 
showed  a  broad  row  of  beautiful  teeth,  the  whole  countenance  was  actually 
beautiful.  He  had  his  weakness  and  we  know  it ;  but  he  was  good  to  us,  and 
so  he  got  his  daily  bread  among  us  and  ministered  from  house  to  house  and 
on  the  Sabbath  in  holy  things,  etc.  etc.  At  length  Father  Paul  went  from  us, 
whether  falling  a  victim  to  his  debasing  habit,  dying  in  a  poor-house,  or  escap- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  409 

ing  in  some  dirtant  haunt  among  his  countrymen,  I  could  never  learn.  The 
general  belief  was  that  he  died  alone  ;  that  he  built  a  hut  far  down  the  lake, 
just  below  The  Narrows,  and  where  the  beetling  cliffs  of  Tongue  Mountain 
almost  shut  up  the  passage,  and  there  subsisted  by  fishing  and  hunting,  until 
a  kind  Providence  granted  him  his  release." 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  settlement  in  Queensbury  of  William  Ro- 
bards.  His  son,  William,  jr.,  was  for  a  number  of  years  early  in  the  century 
in  the  Commission  of  the  Peace  and  later  was  promoted  to  the  bench.  The 
following  list  of  marriages  performed  by  him  throws  considerable  light  upon 
the  residents  of  this  region  in  early  days.  We  give  merely  the  names  of  the 
contracting  parties,  without  the  often  quaint  accompanying  remarks  found  in 
the  docket: — 

November  19th,  i8oi,  George  Bates  and  Mary  Beadleston.  December 
30th,  1 80 1,  Reuben  Seelye  and  Cynthia  Odel,  both  of  Queensbury.      May  2d, 

1802,  Waterbury  Gray  and  Betsy  Stone,  "  Betsy  of  Queensbury  and  Gray 
of  Westchester  county."  September  5th,  1802,  John  Goss  and  Emma  Steven- 
son ;  Goss  was  from  Fort  Ann,  (Westfield.)  September  21st,  1802,  John  A. 
Ferriss  and  Hannah  Alden.  October  31st,  1802,  Jonathan  Strickland  and 
Katy  Hubbel.  November  i6th,  1802,  John  Amiden  and  Rachel  Sumner. 
January  2d,  1803,  William  D.  Harris  and  Sina  Chandler.  August  12th,  1803, 
Luke  Dalrymple  and  Susanna  Jenkins,  married  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Jenkins, 
in  Queensbury.  August  14th,  1803,  Azel  Stevens  and  Polly  Tyrrell ;  married 
at  Peter  Peck's,  Queensbury.  August  28th,  1803,  Seneca  Lapham  and  Rachel 
Allen.  September  nth,  1803,  Dexter  Whipple  and  Rebecca  Danforth,  mar- 
ried at  Joshua  Danforth's.  October  23d,  1803,  Enoch  Haskins  and  Anna  Hill, 
married  at  Anson  Comstock's,  Queensbury.  October  28th,  1803,  Joseph  Jen- 
kins and  Judah  Bailey,  "  married  at  my  house.  Free  Agents."     November  20th, 

1803,  Edmund  Peck  and  Sally  Ranger,  "  was  then  married  at  Person  Ranger's." 
November  24th,  1803,  Jeremiah  Tubbs  and  Sybil  Odel.  May  21st,  1804,  Isaac 
HoUibird  and  Charlotte  Parks.  May  25th,  1804,  Henry  Harris  and  Margaret 
Brown.  June  24th,  1804,  Benjamin  Seelye  and  Anna  Haight.  July  4th,  1805, 
Schuyler  Brown  and  Lydia  Simpson,  married  at  the  house  of  Elnathan  San- 
ford.  August  i8th,  1805,  Samuel  Sherman  and  Peggy  Thompson,  married  at 
the  house  of  Sarhuel  Thompson.  September  8th,  1805,  Joseph  Winslow  and 
Polly  Wells.  November  24th,  1805,  William  Tripp  and  Hannah  Mead.  March 
26th,  1806,  Thomas  Hammon  and  Keziah  Reynolds,  married  at  the  house  of 
Solomon  Reynolds.  May  loth,  1806,  James  Robertson  and  Martha  Van  Kleek. 
September  21st,  1806,  Amos  Irish  and  Vina  Harris:  and  Daniel  Peck  and  Tenty 
Sisson,  married  at  the  house  of  N.  Sisson.  September  12th,  1807,  Jacob  Odel, 
jr.,  and  Phebe  Brown;  and  Clark  Jenkins  and  Rebekah  Smith,  at  the  same 
time  and  place. 

It  is  probable  that   this  list  embraces  a  large   majority  of  the  marriages  in 


4IO  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  town  during  the  period  referred  to,  and  most  of  the  parties  were  among 
early  residents  of  Queensbury,  and  many  of  them  became  prominent.  William 
Robards,  jr.,  died  March  27th,  1820,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  He  is 
buried  in  the  little  enclosure  at  the  Round  Pond.  In  his  docket  is  a  record 
which  goes  to  show  that  he  looked  with  little  favor  upon  the  evil  of  intoxication. 
It  reads  as  follows  :  — 

"Washington  county.  Be  it  remembered  that  on  the  lOth  day  of  Septem- 
ber in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1805  »  #  *  -^vas  convicted  before  me  W^m. 
Robards  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  the  County  aforesaid  on 
my  view  for  being  drunk  in  the  town  of  Queensbury  in  said  county  on  the  day 
aforesaid.     Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  the  day  and  year  above  written." 

This  was  followed  by  other  entries  of  a  similar  character.  The  convic- 
tions become  of  some  importance  when  we  remember  that  they  were  adjudged 
at  a  time  when  intoxication  was  not  considered  the  exception  to  general  good 
conduct,  as  at  the  present  time. 

It  will  have  been  seen  by  the  foregoing  pages  that  with  the  opening  of  the 
century,  settlement  had  rapidly  progressed  in  this  town ;  and  before  the  end 
of  the  first  decade,  the  tide  had  turned  to  a  great  extent  from  the  fiat,  alluvial 
lands  of  the  "  Genesee  country,"  which  were  gaining  a  reputation  for  unhealthi- 
ness,  northward  along  the  old  military  road  and  the  newer  forest  pathways, 
where  not  half  a  century  before  armies  were  marching  and  countermarching, 
leaving  battle-fields  behind  them  as  mementoes  of  their  sanguinary  strife.  Glens 
Falls  was  then  a  thriving  hamlet  and  settlers  had  located  in  many  other  parts 
of  the  town,  while  the  sites  of  the  now  populous  cities  of  Syracuse,  Rochester, 
Cleveland  and  Cincinnati  were  almost  uninhabited  wastes.  The  vast  pine  for- 
ests hereabouts  offered  irresistible  attractions  to  hardy  lumbermen,  and  the 
almost  unlimited  water  power  turned  the  numerous  wheels  of  mammoth  saw- 
mills on  every  hand.^  Spaffbrd's  Gazetteer  of  New  York,  published  in  18 13, 
says  in  reference  to  Glens  Falls  at  that  time:  "On  the  north  shore  [of  the 
Hudson]  are  2  saw-mills,  the  one  a  gang  mill  with  21  saws,  a  trip  hammer,  and 
a  very  valuable  grain  mill,  with  4  running  stones  is  now  building  on  the  site  of 
the  old  one,  by  Gen.  Pettlt,  the  enterprising  proprietor  of  the  other  mills." 
And  the  same  work  further  says  upon  this  topic,  that  there  were  twenty-three 
saw-mills  in  active  operation  in  the  town  of  Queensbury  in  18 10,  six  of  which 
were  located  on  the  outlet  of  the  "  Great  Pond."  Large  quantities  of  lumber 
were  also  manufactured  at  that  date  in  Luzerne  and  Hadley,  which  was  drawn 
around  the  "  Big  Falls,"  rafted  down  to  the  Bend,  taken  out  and  drawn  over- 

1  Rev.  Dr.  Dwight  traveled  through  this  region  in  1798,  and  tlius  expressed  himself :  "Thursday, 
Oct.  4,  1 798,  we  left  Sandy  Hill,  and  rode  two  miles  and  a  half  up  the  Hudson,  to  see  the  cataract, 
called,  from  a  respectable  man  living  in  the  neighborhood,  Glen's  Falls.  .  .  Almost  immediately 
above  the  cataract  is  erected  a  dam  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height  for  the  accommodation  of  a  long  train  of 
mills  on  the  north,  and  a  small  number  on.  the  south  bank.''  In  contrast  with  this  is  what  the  same 
observer  wrote  in  181 1 :  "At  Fort  Edward,  Sandy  Hill  and  Glen's  Falls,  there  are  three  handsome 
villages,  greatly  improved  in  every  respect  since  my  last  journey  through  this  region." 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  41 1 

land  to  Fort  Edward,  where  it  was  again  made  into  rafts  and  floated  to  market ; 
all  of  this  created  an  era  of  activity  unusual  in  settlements  no  older  than  this. 

In  all  new  communities  the  principal  business  of  town  officers  is  the  laying 
out  of  roads  and  improving  those  already  opened.  Highways  are  almost  the 
first  and  prime  necessity  of  the  pioneers.  The  town  records  of  Queensbury 
for  the  first  quarter  of  a  century  after  its  existence  as  a  town  are  largely  com- 
prised of  road  statistics  —  too  voluminous  for  us  to  attempt  their  reproduction. 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  several  earliest  roads.  In  1796  we 
find  record  of  a  "  road  beginning  at  the  north  end  of  a  piece  of  land  sold  by 
James  Ferriss  to  Nehemiah  Piatt,  beginning  upon  the  town  line  between 
Kingsbury  and  Queensbury,  and  running  south,"  etc.  In  the  same  year  is 
recorded  the  opening  of  a  "road  beginning  at  the  center  of  what  is  called  the 
four  corners  by  Benjamin  Wing's  store,  and  running,"  etc.  This  was  surveyed 
by  Reuben  Beck.  Another  began  "  at  the  crotch  of  the  roads  south  of  Josiah 
Vernor's  store."  In  1806  the  road  districts  were  somewhat  altered  by  Joel 
Winship  and  Henry  Spencer,  as  commissioners,  and  a  new  district  formed. 
Three  new  roads  were  opened  in  that  year,  while  in  the  year  1802  there  were 
about  twelve  roads  laid  out;  in  1803  fifteen,  and  so  on.  In  1808  there  were 
twenty-seven  road  districts;  in  1842  thirty- nine. 

In  1813  the  first  newspaper  in  Warren  county,  always  the  accompaniment 
of  industrial  enterprise  and  vigorous  growth,  was  started  at  Glens  Falls,  as  the 
reader  has  already  learned  in  the  pages  devoted  to  the  press  of  the  county.  In 
that  year  the  county  was  organized,  and  general  prosperity  and  thrift  prevailed 
on  every  hand.  Other  industries  sprang  into  existence ;  a  cotton  factory  was 
established,  of  which  John  A.  Ferriss  and  a  Mr.  Gould,  of  Albany,  were  pro- 
prietors. Here  cotton  yarn  was  merely  spun  at  first  and  distributed  to  the 
busy  housewives,  who  wove  it  into  cloth.  With  the  war  prices  of  that  period, 
"  factory  cloth  "  commanded  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  cents  a  yard.  About 
1830  looms  were  introduced  and  cloth  was  made  for  exportation.  The  factory, 
which  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  was  burned  in  1832.  Dr.  Bethuel 
Peck  had  charge  of  this  business  for  a  number  of  years.^ 

A  distillery,  also,  was  in  operation  at  this  early  day.  It  was  run  by  a  man 
named  Pease,  who  subsequently  removed  to  Vermont,  according  to  the  mem- 
ory of  early  inhabitants.  Such  an  establishment  was  needed  in  olden  times, 
when  whisky  was  consumed  in  a  large  majority  of  families,  and  no  public 
occasion  was  considered  as  properly  conducted  without  a  supply  of  spirits. 

1  Bethuel  Peck  was  son  of  Daniel  Peck,  who  was  originally  from  New  Hampshire  and  was  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier.  Dr.  Holden  says  :  "  It  is  not  known  with  certainty  what  causes  led  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  to  Glens  Falls,  but  it  is  believed  that  he  was  brought  along  by  some  of  the  return  gangs  of 
raftsmen,  who,  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  here,  rafted  the  lumber  to  market  down  the  Hudson 
River.  He  acted  for  a  time  as  office  boy  for  Dr.  Levi  Rugg,  with  whom  he  then  continued  the  study 
of  medicine,  and  after  attending  lectures  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  he  received  his  diploma.  He  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  in  1839  for  a  term  of  four  years.  He  afterwards  erected  a  brick  building  in  Glens 
Falls,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  'the  Glens  Falls  Druggist,'  and,  associated  with  Dr.  Mr.  R.  Peck, 
carried  on  that  business  for  a  number  of  years.     He  died  July  nth,  1862." 


412  History  of  Warren  County. 

Wool-carding  and  cloth-dressing  were  carried  on  "  on  the  east  side  of  the 
north  end  of  the  bridge,"  by  Forbes  &  Gookin,  Messrs.  White  &  Winston 
being  proprietors. 

All  this  indicates  clearly  the  general  thrift  and  progress,  when  the  country- 
was  again  stirred  by  mutterings  of  war.  It  was  but  natural  that  this  region 
should  be  affected  by  the  approaching  struggle,  and  enlistments  began  in  the- 
county,  while  general  industrial  progress  and  the  advancement  of  settlement 
was  for  a  time  checked. 

A  fac  simile  of  one  number  of  the  early  newspaper  mentioned  is  in  existence. 
It  consists  of  four  pages,  each  about  four  by  seven  inches.  The  subscription 
price  was  $1.50  a  year.  In  this  number  (dated  September  23d,  1813)  is  a  call 
for  volunteers  (as  detailed  in  the  preceding  general  county  history  of  that 
period);  a  sheriff's  writ  against  the  personal  property  and  title  to  lot  19,  in 
the  town  of  Athol,  belonging  to  David  Cook  ;  the  announcement  that  the  first 
and  second  squadrons  of  cavalry  (Seventh  Regiment)  would  parade  at  Fort 
Miller  Falls  on  the  28th ;  the  marriage  notice  of  Jonathan  M'Comber,  of 
Queensbury,  and  Lydia  Newton,  of  Kingsbury,  by  Daniel  D.  Scott,  esq. ;  and 
several  advertisements.  Miss  Rice  returns  thanks  for  the  liberal  support  of 
her  school  at  Glenns  Falls  and  announces  its  removal  to  the  second  floor  of  the 
academy.  "  Terms  of  tuition,  two  dollars  per  quarter.''  Forbes  &  Gookin 
advertise  "  cotton  carding  done  at  the  cloth  factory  of  White  &  Winston,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  bridge  at  Glenns  Falls."  Avery  Benedict  advertises  his 
drug  store,  and  adds  that  "  Saratoga  and  Ballston  Mineral  Waters  are  con- 
stantly kept."  The  regular  meeting  of  the  Mechanical  Association  is  an- 
nounced to  be  "  held  at  John  Derby's  hotel ;  H.  Spencer,  2d,  secretary." 
Other  marriages  noticed  were  those  of  Joseph  S.  Winston  to  Jane  Ann  Lewis ; 
William  Tierce  to  Sally  Stewart ;  John  Velie  to  Hannah  Brown,  and  Joel  Dean 
to  Susan  Brown.  The  only  editorial  is  devoted  to  a  bitter  criticism  of  the  war- 
The  following  is  a  characteristic  extract  from  it :  — 

"  What  then  is  at  this  moment  our  real  situation  ?  At  the  end  of  two  cam- 
paigns, which  have  been  attended  with  an  expense  of  more  than  $80,000,000, 
and  of  more  than  10,000  lives;  at  the  expiration  of  two  years  of  war  —  of  a 
war  whose  avowed  object  was  the  conquest  of  the  Canadas,  of  a  Country  con- 
taining less  than  one-fourteenth  our  population,  we  find  ourselves,  through  the 
valor  of  our  generous  seamen,  in  possession  of  Lake  Erie  and  of  two  incon- 
siderable forts." 

Notwithstanding  "  war  prices''  and  the  general  effects  of  a  war  era,  local 
improvements  were  not  neglected  and  settlement  soon  regained  its  former  ac- 
tivity. The  lumbering  interest  was  developed  to  a  marvelous  business  and 
furnished  a  majority  of  those  who  became  prominent  and  wealthy  citizens 
with  the  means  for  their  material  advancement.  Mercantile  establishments 
multipHed   and   domestic   manufactures  increased  as  the  demands  of  the  town 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  413 

grew  in  extent,  and  few  localities  in  the  State  gave  better  promise  for  the  fu- 
ture. At  the  time  when  the  resoui-ces  of  the  State  were  so  materially  ad- 
vanced through  the  building  of  the  Erie  and  the  Northern,  or  Champlain, 
Canals  Glens  Falls  was  one  of  the  most  populous  and  thrifty  villages  in  north- 
■ern  New  York,  and  the  town  at  large  partook  of  the  same  prosperity.  The 
•construction  of  the  Glens  Falls  Feeder  was  a  source  of  congratulation  and  sat- 
isfaction not  only  in  this  town,  but  throughout  the  county ;  it  brought  cheap 
and  convenient  means  of  transportation  directly  to  the  doors  of  the  village  and 
gave  an  impetus  to  all  industries.  Boats  passed  through  the  feeder  in  1830; 
but  it  was  not  finished  in  its  present  dimensions  until  1832.1 

So  important  was  this  water-way  considered  that  weekly  arrivals  and  de- 
partures of  boats  were  chronicled  in  the  press,  and  there  was  a  general  feeling 
of  relief  from  the  former  restricted  commercial  situation.  Transportation 
■companies  were  formed  and  a  heavy  business  transacted  in  this  line. 

It  was  about  this  time,  also,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  county  first  had 
their  hopes  raised  by  the  project  of  building  a  railroad  from  Saratoga  Springs 
to  Glens  Falls.  It  is  quite  probable  that  this  enterprise  was  a  direct  result  of 
the  building  of  the  feeder  ;  one  successful  project  of  this  character  is  very  apt 
to  lead  to  others.  Under  date  of  January  25th,  1831,  the  following  notice 
appeared  in  the  Messenger  : — 

"  Notice  of  application  to  Legislature  to  incorporate  the  subscribers  and 
their  associates  as  a  company  to  make  a  railroad  from  Saratoga  Springs  to 
Glens  Falls  with  the  privilege  of  extending  the  same  to  the  head  of  Lake 
George  and  also  from  the  outlet  of  Lake  George  to  Lake  Champlain. 

"  John  Baird, 
"  Peter   B.  Threehouse." 

It  was  more  than  thirty-five  years  later  before  Warren  county  was  given 
railroad  communication  with  the  distant  world  ;  but  the  community  was  con- 
tinually awakened  during  that  period  with  announcements  similar  to  the  above. 
In  the  absence  of  swifter  transportation,  a  line  of  stages  was  put  on  about  this 
time  to  run  between  Glens  Falls  and  Troy.  The  stages  made  trips  on  alter- 
nate days  for  some  time. 

During  this  same  period  and,  indeed,  for  some  years  later,  wolves  and  pan- 
thers were  still  being  slain  within  the  limits  of  the  county,  if  not  in  this  town. 
The  newspapers  chronicled  in  1837  the  destruction  of  an  old  panther  and  two 

1  "  It  affords  us  much  gratification  to  announce  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  county,  that  a  canal  boat 
passed  safely  through  the  thirteen  locks  in  the  Glens  Falls  Feeder;  a  numberof  gentlemen  from  Sandy 
Hill  and  this  place  availed  themselves  of  a  passage  on  the  boat,  to  witness  a  sight  which  had  long 
been  desired  but  which  they  had  almost  relinquished  the  hope  of  beholding.  The  prospect  of  this 
■work  being  finished  cannot  fail  of  proving  a  matter  of  much  rejoicing  to  this  county,  as  a  navigable 
feeder  is  of  deep  importance  to  its  present  as  well  as  its  future  prosperity.  From  an  examination  of 
the  locks  we  confidently  expect  in  a  few  days  to  have  the  pleasure  of  announcing  an  uninterrupted  pas- 
sage from  and  to  this  place,  which,  if  finally  accomplished,  cannot  but  reflect  credit  on  Colonel  Sher- 
■wood,  under  whose  superintendence  it  has  been  effected." — Warren  County  Messenger,  Nov.  4,  1830. 


414  History  of  Warren  County. 

young  ones  in  Johnsburgh,  and  another  was  killed  on  the  shore  of  Lake  George 
in  Bolton  about  the  same  time. 

The  financial  crisis  in  1837  was  greatly  felt  in  this  region  and  many  were 
brought  from  wealth  to  penury,  through  the  weakness  of  commercial  credit  and 
general  depreciation  of  every  kind  of  security.  Prices  of  the  necessaries  of 
life  advanced  enormously;  money  was  very  scarce  and  a- period  of  financial 
distress  ensued  from  which  recovery  was  the  process  of  several  years. 

From  this  time  on  to  the  present,  the  annals  of  the  town  reflect  a  steady, 
healthful  growth  in  all  material  directions,  as  will  be  seen,  with  only  the  shad- 
ow of  the  great  Rebellion,  which  for  five  years  overwhelmed  the  entire  country. 
Of  this  momentous  struggle  we  have  given  a  general  account,  as  it  relates  to 
the  county  at  large  ;  and  fortunately,  before  it  became  impossible.  Dr.  Holden 
accumulated. most  valuable  statistics  of  the  part  taken  in  the  war  by  the  town 
of  Queensbury,  which  here  find  their  appropriate  place. 

"  With  the  tidings  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  a  call  was  made,  numerously 
signed  by  citizens  of  the  village,  irrespective  of  party,  for  a  public  meeting  at  Nu- 
man's  Hall,  a  building  which  stood  on  what  is  now  mostly  a  vacant  space,  be- 
tween Cosgrove  Music  Hall,  and  the  Glens  Falls  Opera  House.  A  large  and  en- 
thusiastic meeting,  presided  over  by  the  Hon.  Keyes  P.  Cool,  resolved  that  this 
community  should  do  its  share  and  be  fully  represented  in  the  coming  struggle. 
Two  persons,  namely,  the  writer  of  this  book^  and  Mr.  George  Clendon  received 
authorizations  from  the  adjutant- general  of  the  State  to  raise  companies  in 
response  the  first  call  of  the  president  for  volunteers.  The  ranks  were  speedily 
filled  and  the  companies  mustered  for  service  by  Colonel  H.  K.  Colvin  of  the 
Thirty-first  New  York  Militia.  They  were  joined  by  another  company  (I)  of 
stalwart  men  from  the  north  part  of  Warren  and  Essex  counties.  These  three 
companies  received  the  honors  of  an  ovation  given  them  by  the  citizens  of  the 
village,  a  purse  was  made  up  and  given  to  each  company,  and  they  were  es- 
corted to  Fort  Edward  by  the  fire  department  of  the  place.  The  same  day 
they  reached  the  military  rendezvous  at  Troy,  where  in  due  time  they  con- 
solidated, as  Companies  E  and  F,  with  other  companies  from  the  neighborhood 
and  formed  the  Twenty-second  Regiment  N.  Y.  Vols,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Walter  Phelps,  jr.,  of  Glens  Falls.  It  subsequently  formed  a  part  of 
the  famous  Iron  Brigade  of  the  First  Division,  and  First  Army  Corps.^  (See 
military  chapter  for  history  of  the  Twenty- second  Regiment.) 

"  From  that  time  forward,  scattering  recruits  from    Queensbury  were  con- 

1  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden. 

2  "  With  the  first  enlistment  of  two  years'  volunteers,  as  there  was  no  bounty,  either  local,  State 
or  general,  offered,  recruits  were  backward  in  offering  their  services,  until  guarantees  were  given  that 
in  case  of  their  death  or  disability  their  families  should  be  provided  for.  This  assurance  was  met  by 
two  subscription  papers  amounting  to  about  ten  thousand  dollars  each.  Of  this  sum  nearly  one-half 
was  collected  and  disbursed ;  the  bounty  system  then  coming  in,  dispensed  with  the  need  of  any  further 
assessments  or  collections.  " 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  415 

tinually  pouring  to  the  front,  filling  tlie  ranks  of  the  regular  army,  supplying 
deficient  quotas  from  other  sections  of  the  State  and  county  at  large. 

"  With  the  progress  of  the  war,^  and  its  prospective  continuance,  new  calls 
were  made,  new  levies  demanded.  The  question  was  no  longer  one  of  patriot- 
ism, the  claim  was  obligatory,  its  effect  compulsory;  month  by  month  new  reg- 
iments were  raised,  and  new  companies  furnished.  Nearly  an  entire  company 
of  Glens  Falls  boys  was  recruited  for  a  District  of  Columbia  regiment. 

"  The  Ninety-first,  Ninety-third,  Ninety-sixth,  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth, 
One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-third,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-ninth 
and  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-second  Regiments  were  represented  by  com- 
panies or  detachments  of  Glens  Falls  volunteers,  while  scattering  representa- 
tives might  have  been  found  in  half  the  regiments  of  the  State,  and  every 
branch  of  the  service.  After  the  boys  in  blue  began  to  return  home  from  ex- 
pired enlistments,  many  of  them  re  entered  the  army,  resolved  to  see  the  thing 
through.  In  this  way  what  was  known  as  the  veteran  regiments  were  speedily 
filled  out  and  returned  to  do  good  service  in  the  war.  In  this  way  the  Second 
New  York  Veteran  Cavalry,  and  Sixteenth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery  received 
large  accessions  from  this  vicinity. 

"The  volunteer  system  of  1 86 1  was  found  on  brief  trial  to  be  entirely  in- 
adequate to  the  exigencies  of  the  war.  It  took,  however,  a  long  time  before 
all  the  machinery  incidental  to  a  new  and  hitherto  untried  system  worked 
itself  into  thorough  and  harmonious  operation.  No  quotas  were  assigned,  and 
no  records,  coming  within  the  scope  of  this  article,  were  kept  either  by  the 
State,  or  general  government  in  that  or  the  following  years.  It  was  not  until 
March,  1863,  that  the  general  government  made  an   enrollment,  and    through 

1  "  One  of  the  early  efforts  of  the  war  was  the  issue  of  vast  volumes  of  paper  currency  which  speed- 
ily became  known  as  greenbacks.  A  counter  result  was  the  almost  immediate  withdrawal  from  cir- 
culation of  the  specie  of  the  country  even  to  the  copper  and  nickel  issue.  The  consequence  was,  a  great 
temporary  distress  for  the  want  of  small  change.  The  country  was  flooded  in  a  few  weeks  with  a  bogus 
brass  currency,  composed  of  tradesmen's  cards.  Postage  stamps  for  large  and  small  amounts  were 
temporarily  used,  and  one  enterprising  manufacturer  of  nostrums  went  so  far  as  to  enclose  them  in 
metalic  cases  bearing  the  stamped  names  of  the  remedies.  In  this  emergency,  the  corporate  authorities 
of  Glens  Falls  issued  in  the  fall  of  1862,  what  were  known  as  corporation  shinplasters,  to  the  amount 
of  $5,000,  in  denominations  of  fifty,  twenty-five,  ten  and  five  cents.  With  the  issue  of  postal  currency 
by  the  general  government,  came  a  general  law  forbidding  corporations  or  individuals  from  circulating 
such  money,  so  it  was  called  in  and  cancelled  the  following  year." 

Statement  (October  20th,  1864)  of  the  amount  of  fractional  currency  issued  and  redeemed  by  the 
village  of  Glens  Falls  and  the  expenses  incurred  in  issuing  the  same: — 

Whole  amount  of  fractional  currency  issued $S,i2g  10 

Interest  accrued  and  deposits 74  30 

$5,203  40 

Bills    redeemed $4, 703  05 

E.xpense  printing,  etc 39°  '5      S>'93  20 

Balance $    loi  20 

Leaving .  unredeemed $    326  05 


4i6  History  of  Warren  County. 

its  provost  marshal  in  each  Congressional  District  began  its  assignment  of  quotas. 
The  following  statistics  appear  on  the  files  of  the  adjutant-general's  department 
at  Albany  for  the  year  1862  : — 

Population  of  the  town  of  Queensbury 7, 146 

Number  enrolled  liable  to  military  duty 1,107 

Number  of  exempts  embraced  in  above  return 86 

Number  liable  to  draft 1,021 

Quota  of  Queensbury  under  the  calls  of  July  and  August,  1862,^    221 

Number  furnished  to  fill  quota  as  above 208 

Deficit  carried  forward 13 

"  During  that  dark  period  of  the  Rebellion  which  preceded  the  emancipa- 
tion proclamation,  Governor  Morgan  appointed  in  each  Senatorial  District  a 
committee  of  three  gentlemen,  who,  in  conjunction  with  sub-committees  desig- 
nated by  them  in  each  county,  were  known  as  the  war  committee,  whose  busi- 
ness seems  to  have  been,  without  any  specifically  defined  duties,  to  assist  in 
making  up  the  complement  of  troops  required  of  each  locality.  The  late  Hal- 
sey  R.  Wing  was  the  member  who  represented  Queensbury  on  that  committee, 
and  very  efficiently  and  patriotically  did  he  discharge  that  duty,  for,  besides 
his  time,  his  labor  and  his  money,  he  gave  his  two  sons,  Edgar  Murray  and 
George  Henry,  as  an  offering  upon  the  altar  of  his  country. 

"  There  at  length  came  a  time  in  our  history  when  money  had  to  be  raised 
to  pay  bounties,  in  order  to  save  the  trouble  and  reproach  of  a  draft.  A  special 
town  meeting  for  this  purpose  was  called  on  the  26th  of  July,  1864  (less  than 
three  months  after  the  great  fire  which  had  burned  out  the  heart  of  our  village, 
and  destroyed  upwards  of  one  million  dollars  worth  of  property)  at  which 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  were  voted  to  pay  the  volunteers.^     Bonds  were 

1 "  The  call  in  July  was  for  three  hundred  thousand  three  years'  men.  The  call  in  August  was  for 
three  hundred  thousand  nine  months'  men.  These  two  amounts  were  consolidated  in  one  assignment 
and  equalized,  so  that  an  enlistment  for  three  years  represented  and  was  equivalent  to  four  enlistments 
at  nine  months.  There  were  but  very  few  nine  months'  troops  mustered  from  this  State.  The  large 
proportion  were  three  years'  men." 

2  Of  this  amount  the  Glens  Falls  Bank  took  shares  amounting  to  $13,225,  the  Commercial  Bank 
$16,400.  The  balance  was  taken  by  private  parties,  the  Hon.  Jerome  Lapham  alone  bearing  upwards 
of  ten  thousand  dollars  of  the  amount.  The  bonds  were  so  apportioned  that  an  equal  proportion  ma- 
tured each  year  until  they  were  all  cancelled, 

"  Besides  the  amount  already  specified  other  sums  were  appropriated  during  the  same  year  as  ap- 
pears bv  the  following  resolutions  passed  at  the  annual  town  meeting : 

"'Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  $109.60  for  to  pay  expenses  in  recruiting  Capt.  Fassett's  com- 
pany. 

"  'Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  $108.87  '°  P^y  expenses  in  recruiting  Capt.  Arlin's  company. 

"  'Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  $106.42  to  pay  expenses  in  recruiting  Capt.  D.  Cameron's  com- 
pany. 

"  'Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  $109.80  to  pay  George  Coneryaud  William  Cosgrovefor  taking 
up  a  note  drawn  by  M.  W.  Coville  for  recruiting  purposes. 

"  'Resolved,    That  there  be  raised  $1,354.73  to  pay  a  note  dated  Dec.  20,  1862. 

"  '  Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  $7,015  to  pay  a  note  drawn  for  bounty  money. 

"  'Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  $1,890.12  to  pay  a  note  held  by  Jerome  Lapham. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  417 

issued  representing  this  sum,  and  twice  to  its  credit  be  it  said,  that  these  secu- 
rities were  all  quicklj'  taken  at  home,  and  have  long  since  been  canceled.  At 
the  town  meeting  referred  to,  the  following  gentlemen  were  chosen  as  a  per- 
manent war  committee  of  the  town,  whose  services,  onerous,  arduous  and  re- 
sponsible, were  continued  to  the  end  of  the  war,  viz :  Jerome  Lapham,  Halsey 
R.  Wing,  William  A.  Wait,  I.  J.  Davis,  George  Conery,  Lifelet  Harris,  F.  A. 
Johnson,  jr.,  Stephen  Brown,  R.  M.  Little. 

"  Most  of  these  gentlemen  gave  a  large  per  centage  of  their  time  to  this 
undertaking.  They  offered  bounties,  and  expended  money  to  pay  volunteers, 
sent  agents  both  north  and  south  to  procure  substitutes  and  fill  the  quotas  re- 
quired by  the  draft ;  looked  after  the  soldiers'  families  at  home,  and  superin- 
tended the  investment  and  liquidation  of  the  town  bonds. 

Statement  of  the  quotas  assigned  to   Queensbury,   Warren  Co.,  \6th  tiistrict  of  Ne-M  York,  and  the  credits 
applied  thereon,  lender  calls  for  troops. 

Credits.     Quotas. 

Quota  under  call  of  February  i,  1864 i^o 

"  "  "       March  14,  1864 62 

211 
Credits  by  new  recruits I^o 

**  ((  veteran  volunteers j., 

"  draft  of  1863 46         238 

"  "  surplus  June  30th,  1864 27 

Quota  under  call  of  July  l8th,  1864 128 

Credits  by  new  recruits _ ir^ 

*'         "  veteran  volunteer i         jcg 

"  "    surplus  on  call  of  July  l8th,  1864 30 

Quota  under  call  of  December  19th,  1864 46 

Credits  by  new  recruits - 36 

"  "  "         regular  army 3 

"draft 4  43 

Deficiency  on  call  Dec.  19th,  1864 n 

War  Dept.,  Adjt.  General's  office, 

Washington,  D.  C,  February  9th,  1874. 

(Official)  Thomas  M.  Vincent, 

Assist.  Adjutant  General. 
Adj.  Gen.'s  office, 

Albany  Feb.  12th,  1874, 

Official  copy, 

J.  B.  Stonehouse, 

Asst.  Adj.  Gen. 

"  '  Resolved,  That  there  be  levied  and  raised  $4,845  to  pay  note  in  the  Commercial  Bank  drawn  by 
citizens  for  bounty  of  $300  each. 

"  '  Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  $612.32  to  pay  note  given  to  pay  expenses  of  reception  of  22d 
Regiment.' 

"  At  a  special  town  meeting  held  December  19th,  1864,  the  following  resolutions  were  passed  : 

"  '  Resolved,  That  the  sum  of  $30,000  be  raised  by  the  town  for  the  purpose  of  paying  bounties 
into  the  military  and  naval  service  of  the  United  States. 

"  '  Resolved,  That  this  money  be  collected  in  five  equal  installments  of  $6,000  each  with  the  amount 
of  interest  unpaid  thereon. 

"  '  Resolved,  That  $2,467.76  be  raised  for  the  purpose  of  paying  bounties.'  "  27 


41 8  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  At  the  termination  of  the  war  there  remained  a  considerable  balance  in 
the  treasury,  and  chiefly  through  the  active  agency  of  the  late  Halsey  R.  Wing, 
it  was  decided  after  due  deliberation  to  appropriate  it  to  the  erection  of  a  sol- 
diers' monument.  The  subject  was  submitted  to  the  action  of  the  annual  town 
meeting  held  6th  March,  i866,  when  the  following  resolutions  were  submitted 
to  the  people  and  adopted  :  — 

"  Resolved,  That  to  commemorate  the  services  and  sacrifices  of  the  soldiers 
of  Queensbury,  who  during  the  war  of  1861—65  fell  in  battle  or  died  from 
wounds  received  or  disease  contracted  in  defense  of  the  Union  ;  and  in  mem- 
ory of  our  late  fellow  citizens  Daniel  V.  Brown  and  Edward  Riggs,  who,  while 
going  to  South  Carolina  as  agents  of  the  town  under  the  directions  of  the  town 
war  committee,  were  lost  at  sea  on  the  eighth  day  of  January,  1865,  the  sum 
of  eight  thousand  dollars  be  and  the  same  hereby  is  appropriated  by  this  town 
meeting,  towards  defraying  the  expense  of  erecting  a  suitable  monument  or 
cenotaph  in  such  appropriate  place  as  can  be  procured  in  or  near  the  village  of 
Glens  Falls. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  sum  of  five  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-four  dollars 
and  thirty-nine  cents,  military  funds,  in  the  hands  of  the  supervisor,  be  appro- 
priated toward  the  monument. 

"  Resolved,  That  Jerome  Lapham,  R.  M.  Little,  Wm.  A.  Wait,  Lifelet  Har- 
ris, Stephen  Brown,  I.  J.  Davis,  George  Conery,  H.  R  Wing,  the  members  of 
the  town  war  committee  now  residing  in  town,  and  M;  B.  Little  in  place  of  F. 
A.  Johnson,  jr.,  no  longer  a  resident  here,  be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  a 
committee  to  receive  the  said  funds  and  according  to  their  discretion  disburse 
the  same  for  the  purpose  of  this  appropriation. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Legislature  be  and  hereby  is  requested  to  legalize 
by  law  the  appropriation  made  by  the  foregoing  resolutions  and  that  a  copy  of 
them  be  transmitted  by  the  town  clerk  to  our  Member  of  Assembly,  the  Hon. 
David  Aldrich,  for  presentation  to  the  Legislature. 

"  Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  two  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  and  seventy- 
eight  cents  to  indemnify  the  loss  of  Edward  Riggs  to  be  paid  to  his  sister  Ellen 

Riggs- 

"  Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  three  hundred  and  twenty-nine  dollars  and 
five  cents  to  indemnify  Daniel  V.  Brown  for  the  loss  of  his  private  property, 
the  same  to  be  paid  to  Mrs.  D.  V.  Brown. 

"  Resolved,  That  there  be  raised  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  to 
indemnify  William  Cosgrove  for  a  gold  watch,  lost  with  D.  V.  Brown  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 

"  The  committee  above  named,  after  examining  several  designs  and  exert- 
ing careful  and  mature  deliberation  in  the  premises,  adopted  a  plan  (with  some 
alterations)  which  was  submitted  by  R.  T.  Baxter,  at  that  time  a  resident  of  the 
village,  a  dealer  in  and  manufacturer  of  marble  and  monumental  work  and  en- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         419 

tirely  familiar  with  the  business  in  all  its  details,  and  having  made  his  specifica- 
tion and  propositions,  he  was  at  length  commissioned  to  erect  the  monument. 
He  at  once  embarked  in  the  enterprise  con  amore,  traveled  far  and  wide  to  se- 
cure durable  and  suitable  stone  for  the  work,  and  employed  special  first-class 
workmen,  part  of  whom  were  hired  from  the  cities  at  great  expense,  to  execute 
its  finer  details.     The  work  was  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1867. 

"  The  foundation  or  substructure  is  fourteen  feet  square,  and  eight  feet  deep, 
built  of  massive  blocks  of  marble  from  our  own  quarries,  embedded  in  cement, 
and  whose  interstices  are  filled  with  grout  and  cement.  Upon  this  is  laid  a 
base  of  Sprucehead  granite  from  Maine.  This  is  ten  feet  square,  cornered, 
and  eighteen  inches  thick. 

"  Upon  this  rests  a  plinth  sixteen  inches  in  thickness,  eight  feet  square  and 
cornered.  This  in  turn  supports  a  moulded  plinth  whose  height  is  eighteeen 
inches  and  whose  diameter  each  way  is  six  feet  and  six  inches,  and  also  cor- 
nered, as  is  the  entire  shaft  in  all  its  pieces  and  additions  to  the  capstone.  The 
second  plinth  is  surmounted  by  a  die  five  feet  and  six  inches  square,  with  four 
raised  tablets,  one  upon  each  face.  Upon  three  of  these  are  inscribed  the  roll 
of  honored  dead.  The  remaining  face,  together  with  a  raised  wreath  of  oak 
and  laurel  on  the  die  above,  contains  the  dedicatory  inscription. 

"  On  the  corners  of  the  lower  die  are  wrought  out  in  relief  four  cannon. 
The  material  of  the  entire  monument,  above  the  granite  base,  is  Dorchester 
freestone,  fine  in  grain,  dark  brown  in  color,  obtained  at  great  cost  from  New 
Brunswick.  Upon  the  lower  die  rests  a  moulded  cap  eighteen  inches  in  thick- 
ness, and  six  feet  six  inches  square,  which  supports  the  upjaer  die  or  shaft 
proper,  one  of  whose  faces  has  already  been  described. 

"  On  the  north  and  south  aspects  of  this  die  are  niches,  containing  statues 
life  size,  cut  from  the  same  material  that  composes  the  monument,  representing 
the  one  an  officer,  the  other  a  soldier  in  the  attitude  of  reversed  arms.  Next 
follows  four  sections  of  the  shaft,  all  gradually  tapering  toward  the  top  which 
is  twenty- two  inches  in  diameter.  The  three  lower  of  these  contain  raised 
bands  with  the  names  of  battle  fields,  chiseled  in  relief 

"  On  the  corners  of  each  section  also  appears  a  star  cut  in  relief  The 
whole  is  surmounted  by  a  capstone,  cut  from  a  block  five  feet  square  and  three 
feet  thick,  representing  the  American  flag  drooping  in  graceful  folds,  upon 
which  rests  an  eagle,  in  the  art  of  springing  into  flight.  The  spread  of  the 
eagle's  wings  is  about  five  feet. 

"The  entire  monument  is  estimated  to  weigh  about  one  hundred  tons.  It 
was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  twelve  thousand  dollars,  of  which  amount 
its  unfortunate,  though  public-spirited  architect,  was  left  to  meet  and  make  up 
an  unprovided  deficit  of  about  four  thousand  dollars." 

The  monument  was  dedicated  with  suitable  and  impressive  services,  at- 
tended by  a  large  concourse  of  citizens,  on  Decoration  day,  May  30th,  1872. 


420  History  of  Warren  County. 


TOWN    OFFICERS. 

Following  is  the  list  of  moderators,  supervisors,  justices  and  town  clerks  of 
the  town  of  Queensbury  from  the  first  settlement  to  the  present  time  : — 

Moderators. — Warren  Ferris,  1793,  '97,  '98,  1803;  Augustine  Odell,  1789; 
William  Robards,  1796,  '99,  1800;  Peter  B.  Tearse,  1795;  John  Vernor, 
1801,  '02;  Job  Wright,  1770,  '01  ;  Abraham  Wing,  i766-'69,  '72-80  '83-88, 

'90-'94- 

Supervisors. — Phineas  Babcock,  1779,  '80,  '83,  '84,  '86;  Daniel  V.  Brown, 

1859;  Keyes  P.  Cool,  185s  ;  Benjamin  Cornell,  1802,  '04;  J.  M.  Coolidge, 
1876-78;  H.  Crandell,  1879;  Quartus  Curtis,  1850-52;  David  M.  Dean, 
1833,  '39-41;  Z.  I.  Delong,  1874,  '75;  George  Ferguson,  i86i-'63; 
John  A.  Ferriss,  1813,  '27-29;  David  Ferriss,  1785;  Warren  Ferriss, 
£795-97;  James  C.  Finch,  1854;  Dilwin  Gardner,  1823-25;  Charles  M. 
Gilchrist,  1869-73;  S.  L.  Goodman,^  1882, '83  ;  Bartholomew  Griffin,  1843- 
44  ;  John  J.  Harris,  1842;  Jerome  Lapham,  1857,  '58,  '64,  '65  ;  John  Mal- 
lory,  1810-12;  Alonzo  W.  Morgan,  1834,  '36,  '46,  '47,  '6Q,  '67  ;  John  Mur- 
ray, 1791  ;  Augustine  Odell,  1788,  '89;  William  Peck,  1848;  Micajah  Pettit, 
1803;  Walter  Phelps,  i860;  Alfred  Pitcher,  18 17;  William  Robards,  1786, 
'90-94;  William  Roberts,  1805-07,  '09;  Alexander  Robertson,  1853,  '68; 
George  Sanford,  1837,  '3^ ;  Nehemiah  Seelye,i  1783,  '84;  James  Sisson,  1849; 
Asa  Stower,  1798-1801, '08,  '15,  '16,  '18-22,  '26,  '30-'32,  '35;  Charles  B. 
Thompson,  1880;  Nelson  Van  Dusen,  1881-84;  James  Vaughn,  1814;  Abra- 
ham Wing,  1766-78,  '85,  'S7. 

Justices  of  tlie  Peace.  —  Morville  Baker,  1856;  Hiram  Barber,  1827-31; 
Stephen  Beadlestone,  1821,  '22  ;  Horatio  Buell,  1815,  '16;  George  W.  Cheney, 
1852-55,  '58-73  ;  Benjamin  Cornell,  1801-04;  George  Curtis,  1865;  David 
F.  Dickinson,  1817,  '18;  Isaac  E.  Dutton,  1855;  Enoch  Ellis,  1822-26;  Ju- 
diah  Ellsworth,  1856,  '57;  Adonijah  Emmons,  1816,  '17;  Calhoun  S.  Enches, 
1877-80;  Orange  Ferriss,  1838-41,  '45-48;  Warren  Ferriss,  1795-1804; 
Horace  Forbes,  1817, '18  ;  Alanson  Fox,  18 12,  '13;  Dilwin  Gardner,  18 13- 
16,  '20-23;  Amos  Green,  1819,  '20;  Walter  Geer,  jr.,  1821-26;  Bartholomew 
Griffin,  1827-34,  '37-53  ;  Joseph  N.  Gurney,  1852  ;  William  B.  Gurney,  1880- 
82,  and  at  present;  Michael  Harris,  1806-09;  Elias  Hawley,  1818, '19;  Will- 
iam Hay,  1821—24;  James  Henderson,  1815-17;  Hermon  Hoffinan,  1804-07; 
William  Hotchkiss,  1859-76;  DeWittC.  Jenkins,  1874-78;  Gamaliel  Jenkins, 
1857-62;  Lyman  Jenkins,  1864—73,  '79~82,  and  at  present;  Palmer  B.  Jen- 
kins,   1842—45;   Ransom   Jenkins,    1834-39,  '70;  Royal   Leavens,    1813— 15  ; 

1  No  lists^of  town  officers  are  contained  in  the  town  records  for  the  years  1781  and  '82.  It  is'there- 
fore  inferred  that,  in  consequence  of  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  and  the  continuance  of  the  war, 
the  inhabitants  had  fled  back  to  old  Duchess  county  for  safety  and  that  no  town  meetings  were  held  in 
these  years. 

In  the  yeirs  1783  to  1 786  two  supervisors  had  been  elected,  who  appeared  to  act  jointly  in  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  that  office. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  421 

William  McDonald,  1821  ;  John  Mallory,  1817,  '18;  Carlos  Morgan,  1861-68; 
Ira  A.  Paddock,  1825-28,  '48-51  ;  Elnathan  Parsons,  181 5,  '16;  Daniel  Peck, 
1807-13;  Eli  C.  Peirsons,  1835,  '36;  Joseph  S.  Ferine,  1848-56;  Micajah 
Pettit,  1802-05;  Nathan  A.  Philo,  1829-32;  Alfred  Pitcher,  1823-25;  Fred- 
E.  Ranger,  1874-76,  '78  to  present  time;  Asa  Ripley,  1820;  James  Ripley, 
1817-20;  William  Roberts,  1795-1809;  William  Robinson,  1851-59;  Daniel 
D.  Scott,  1812-15  ;  James  Sisson,  1848;  Samuel  G.  Skinner,  1823,  '24; 
Henry  Spencer,  1807-10,  '18-21,  '32-39;  Edward  L.  Stearns,  1881,  '82,  and 
at  present;  Robert  Stewart,  1860-79;  AsaStower,  1817, '18  ;  Samuel  S.  Tall- 
madge,  1827-31,  '36-43;  Herman  Vantassel,  1839-50;  James  Vaughn,  1811- 
14,  '17-26;  John  Vernor,  1796-1803  ;  Halsey  R.  Wing,  1844-47;  Nehemiah 
Wing,  1863. 

Town  Clerks.  —  Phineas  Babcock,  1786;  Israel  P.  Baldwin,  1813  ;  Hiram 
Barber,  1826;  Louis  Brown,  1885;  Keyes  P.  Cool,  1831;  Daniel  H.  Cowles, 
1847  ;  John  Derby,  1816  ;  George  Ferguson,  1854-60  ;  John  A.  Ferriss,  1796- 
1804;  Warren  Ferriss,  1795;  Dilwin  Gardner,  1815  ;  Daniel  B.  Ketchum, 
1861-72;  OrUn  Mead,  1834-35;  Lemuel  C.  Paine,  1812;  Elnathan  Parsons, 
1823-25;  Charles  Peck,  1848-53;  Daniel  Peck,  1805-11;  Hermon  Peck, 
1830;  William  Peck,  1836-38  ;  Micajah  Pettit,  1814;  Lewis  L.  Pixley,  1827; 
John  E.  Potter,  2d,  1873-84;  Asaph  Putnam,  1^66-^7;  Ezra  Ranger,  1832; 
David  Sanford,  1802-03;  Allen  T.  Seaman,  1833;  James  Sisson,  1841-46; 
Henry  Spencer,  1817-22;  Samuel  S.  Tallmadge,  1828-29;  James  Wells,  1839- 
40;   Benjamin  Wing,  1778-80  and  '83-94. 

MUNICIPAL  HISTORY. 

Gletis  Falls.  —  This  village  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Hudson  River  near  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of  the  county.  With  the 
early  settlement  of  this  historic  locality  the  reader  has  already  been  made 
familiar.  The  place  was  known  in  the  first  years  of  its  settlement  as  the  "  Four 
Corners,"  which  title,  so  familiar  to  hamlets  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  it 
received  from  the  corners  now  fronting  the  Rockwell  House.  It  was  given  the 
name  of  "  Glenville,"  also,  as  appears  from  early  books  of  travel  in  this  region. 
A  little  later  and  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  a  per- 
sistent attempt  was  made  to  fasten  the  name  of ,"  Pearlville, "  or  "Pearl  Vil- 
lage,"  upon  the  place;  for  what  reason  does  not  appear.  Fortunately,  the 
effeminate  and  inappropriate  title  was  diplaced  by  the  present  name. 

It  has  already  been  discovered  that  this  point  was  adapted  by  nature  for 
the  site  of  a  ponderous  business  and  manufacturing  center,  and  its  selection  by 
the  early  pioneers  as  the  site  of  a  hamletisproof  of  their  sagacity.  The  region 
immediately  surrounding  the  falls  cannot  be  excelled  for  building  purposes, 
while  the  unlimited  water  power  gave  promise  of  great  value  to  those  who 
might  avail  themselves  of  its  use.     The  manufacture  of  lumber  was  the  first  in- 


422  History  of  Warren  County. 

dustry  to  engage  the  energies  of  the  inhabitants,  and  it  has  always  been  an  in- 
dustry of  great  importance.  Before  the  War  of  i8 12  put  a  temporary  check 
upon  the  growth  of  the  village,  there  were  between  twenty  and  thirty  saw- 
mills in  operation  in  the  town,  many  of  which  were  near^Glens  Falls,  and  there 
were  thirty  buildings  constituting  the  village ;  they  were  all  wood.  Of  these 
the  principal  ones  were  "  The  Tontine, "  before  alluded  to,  the  Glens  Falls 
Hotel,  a  wooden  structure  erected  by  John  A.  Ferriss,  in  1 808-10,  and  kept 
by  John  Derby  in  1813  ;  the  New  Union  Church,  and  a  large,  unfinished  two- 
story  house  built  by  General  Warren  Ferriss  on  Park  street  (burned  in  18 18). 
The  mercantile  interests  of  the  village  when  the  first  number  of  the  Warren 
Republican  was  issued,  in  18 13,  comprised  the  drug  store  of  Daniel  Peck,  on 
the  site  occupied  in  later  years  by  his  son  Charles ;  the  general  store  of  John 
A.  Ferriss ;  and  that  of  Micajah  Pettit  in  the  same  line,  which  was  in  a  small 
wooden  structure  in  rear  of  the  old  stone  store  under  the  hill,  where  he  had 
traded  since  1793;  Roberts  &  Goodman's  store,  "under  the  hill;"  L.  I.  Van 
Kleeck's  store,  of  which  his  announcement  says  he  "  kept  an  assortment 
of  dry  goods,  groceries,  hardware,  and  crockery  in  the  building  near  the  meet- 
ing house"  (this  was  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  William  Cronkhite  &  Son); 
and  a  store  kept  by  the  firm  of  Fox  &  Little.  This  shows  that  at  that  early 
date  Glens  Falls,  or  "  Pearl  Village,  "  as  it  was  called,  was  already  the  center 
of  considerable  trade.  And  there  were  other  mercantile  establishments  in  the 
town  then  and  for  many  years  previously.  David  Sanford  kept  a  store  at 
Sanford's  Ridge  before  18 10,  which  he  subsequently  sold  out  to  John  H. 
Hitchcock;  Thomas  Hammon  had  a  store  at  the  Oneida  in  1808,  and  a  few 
years  later  William  McDonald  established  his  prosperous  mercantile  business 
at  the  Ridge,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Harris  Haviland,  and  what  was 
known  as  Osborne's  store  (1797)  .was  also  at  the  Ridge.  Robert  Wilkinson, 
William  Hay,  L.  I.  Van  Kleeck  and  Abraham  L.  Vandenburgh,  attended  to 
the  legal  business  of  the  place,  and  Dr.  Levi  Rugg  was  the  leading  physician, 
with  Dr.  Asa  Stower  in  the  north  part  of  tlie  town. 

As  we  have  already  said,  the  early  manufacturing  interests,  both  at  the 
village  and  throughout  the  town,|was  comprised  largely  of  saw- mills.  Some  of 
the  first  ones  were  that  of  Thomas  Scribner,  which  was  probably  located  on 
the  Big  Pond  Outlet,  and  as  early  as  1786;  on  the  same  stream  Phineas  Aus- 
tin had  a  mill  in  1808,  and  the  Moon  brothers,  elsewhere  mentioned,  had  both 
a  saw-mill  and  a  grist-mill  there  at  about  the  same  period  ;  the  remains  of  their 
grist-mill  were  visible  down  to  a  few  years  ago;  one  Odell,  also,  had  a  saw-mill 
before  18 10,  on  the  Outlet ;  Micajah  Pettit  had  a  saw-mill  near  his  store  on  the 
west  side  of  the  road  near  the  river  bridge,  in  1802;  these  mills  rapidly  in- 
creased in  number  until  at  the  opening  of  the  War  of  18 12  there  were  nearly 
thirty  in  the  town,  and  at  least  six  on  the  Outlet  of  Long  Pond.  Other  manu- 
factures of  the  first  decade  in  the  century  embraced  a  tannery  at  the  bridge, 


/4 


/ 


'Z^^^^^up. 


7^^^^ 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  423 

which  was  conducted  by  a  Mr.  Kimball ;  it  stood  near  the  site  of  the  present 
school-house ;  a  distillery,  operated  by  one  Pease,  who  came  here  from  Poult- 
ney,  Vt.,  which,  it  is  said,  did  a  good  business ;  he  also  kept  a  tavern  where 
the  Glen  House  afterward  stood ;  an  ashery  worked  by  David  Sanford,  at  the 
Ridge,  and  perhaps  other  minor  industries.  Abraham  Haviland  carried  on 
blacksmithing  on  the  site  of  the  George  Ferguson  store  as  early  as  I79S- 

For  the  lumber  business  and  what  other  carrying  trade  was  connected 
therewith.  Glens  Falls  was  the  outlet ;  this  fact  was  the  cause  of  the  establish- 
ment of  numerous  taverns  of  all  grades  of  importance  ;  these  old  county  inns 
have  nearly  all  disappeared  before  the  oncoming  railroads,  which  enable  the 
traveler  who  leaves  the  great  hotel  of  one  city  or  village  in  the  morning  to  take 
his  next  meal  in  a  similar  house  at  his  next  stop  ;  taverns  where  travelers  could 
obtain  rest  and  refreshment,  with  the  unfailing  accompaniment  of  ardent  spirits, 
followed  close  upon  the  heels  of  settlement  in  all  new  communities,  not  only  in 
the  young  villages  and  hamlets,  but  at  intervals  on  the  country  roads ;  and  these 
were  sufficiently  patronized  to  make  them  not  an  unprofitable  investment.  We 
find  that  John  Mallory  kept  a  tavern  in  1802  on  the  site  of  the  present  Glen 
Park  Hotel  at  the  corner  of  what  was  called  in  the  early  surveys,  "  The  New 
Road.  "  Peer's  Tavern  was  a  wayside  inn  about  two  miles  north  of  the  village 
at  an  early  day.  Jonathan  Pitcher  kept  a  tavern  in  a  log  building  at  Half- 
way Brook,  which  was  known  as  the  Pitcher  Tavern ;  and  others  were  soon 
opened  in  various  parts  of  the  town.  In  18 12  the  old  Union  Hotel  was  built 
by  Dr.  D.  McNeill ;  it  originally  consisted  of  a  story  and  a  half  lean-to  and  ad- 
joined the  Henry  Crandell  premises.  For  a  long  time  a  swing  sign  bearing 
the  legend,  "Coffee  House —  18 12,"  commemorated  the  date  of  its  erection. 
This  original  structure  was  enlarged  to  a  commodious  hotel,  in  1814,  by  Sam- 
uel G.  Skinner,  who  kept  it  for  many  years  as  a  popular  house.  John  A. 
Ferriss  then  kept  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel  (built  in  1802),  on  the  site  of  the  Rock- 
well House,  and  considerable  rivalry  existed  between  the  two  houses.  At  the 
time  Skinner  opened  his  reconstructed  house,  a  sort  of  an  "  infair  "  was  held, 
and  in  order  to  surpass  any  and  all  efforts  of  a  similar  nature  that  ever  had  been 
or  were  likely  to  be  made  in  the  future  by  the  rival  house,  Mr.  Skinner  sent  to 
Albany  for  a  professional  cook.  The  entertainment  is  said  to  have  been  a 
sumptuous  one  and  was  remembered  by  old  inhabitants  for  many  years.  This 
house  was  kept  soon  after  1834  by  Porter  S.  Chapman,  and  burned  about  the 
year  1842.  The  Glen  House  was  also  a  popular  hostelry  of  a  somewhat  later 
period  which  stood  just  north  of  the  La  Point  saloon,  under  the  hill ;  it  was 
burned  in  1867,  while  being  conducted  by  Russell  Barber.  In  1815  Marma- 
duke  Stevenson  kept  a  tavern  on  the  plank  road  two  miles  north  of  Glens 
Falls. 

The  little  hamlet  grew  apace  and  during  the  ten  years  succeeding  the  close 
of  the  War  of  18 12    took  on  the  aspects  of  a  thriving  village.    The  lumber  in- 


424  History  of  Warren  County. 

terest  was  greatly  developed,  and  minor  manufacturing  establishments  were 
founded  as  the  needs  of  the  inhabitants  demanded.  The  first  bridge  across  the 
river  at  this  point  was  built  before  1795.  In  1804  Warren  Ferriss  was  award- 
ed a  grant  by  the  Legislature  to  build  a  toll  bridge,  which  was  done.  That 
bridge  stood  until  1832-33  when  it  was  displaced  by  a  free  bridge ;  the  latter 
was  erected  by  C.  P.  and  H.  J.  Cool,  and  James  Palmeter,  under  the  supervis- 
ion of  the  commissioner  of  highways  of  the  town.  The  Warren  Messenger  of 
January  25th,  1833,  says:  "The  new  free  bridge  across  the  Hudson  atthisplace 
is  already  in  a  considerable  state  of  forwardness.  We  understand  that  the  con- 
tractors will  commence  raising  it  in  the  course  of  the  week." 

By  the  year  1823  the  town  was  divided  into  twenty  school  districts,  num- 
ber twenty  including  the  village  of  Glens  Falls.  In  that  year  a  resolution  of 
the  town  authorities  provided  for  the  raising  of  money  to  build  a  school-house 
in  Glens  Falls.  A  resolution  was  passed  as  follows  :  "  Resolved,  That  the 
site  be  near  the  burying  ground  at  the  crotch  of  the  road  leading  from  S.  G. 
Skinner's  to  Luzerne,  on  the  east  side  of  said  burying-ground."  Here  the  old 
school-house  was  erected  and  used  until  1863. 

From  numbers  of  the  Glens  Falls  Observer,  published  by  E.  Galloway 
Lindsey  in  1827—28,  a  glimpse  of  those  business  interests  whose  proprietors 
had  sufficient  faith  in  printer's  ink  to  advertise,  is  obtained.  Wing  &  Geer 
had  a  general  store  and  announced  "  seasonable  goods  which  will  be  sold  cheap 
for  cash,  lumber  or  country  produce." 

Fhilo  &  Ferguson  also  advertised  a  general  store,  "  on  the  corner  nearly 
opposite  Samuel  G.  Skinner's  coffee-house." 

Miron  Beach  informed  the  public  that  he  had  started  the  manufacture  of 
"  fancy,  Windsor  and  common  chairs,"  a  few  doors  east  of  the  Glens  Falls 
hotel;  "all  kinds  of  country  produce  taken  in  exchange."  A.  T.  Frouty 
also  carried  on  cabinet-making,  and  G.  G.  Dickinson  was  the  village  tailor. 
Hyman  °J.  Cool  advertised  cabinet-making  "  near  the  bridge  "  and  Charles 
Spencer's  card  announces  him  as  a  shoemaker.  Estabrook  &  Adams's  adver- 
tisement reads,  "  To  farmers. — Ground  Plaster  for  sale  at  our  mills  at  Glens 
Falls  at  $7.50  per  ton.  Cash  or  grain  taken  in  payment."  J.  Sisson  carried 
on  a  druggist  store,  and  Roswell  Bacon  erected  tombstones  over  the  departed. 
John  A.  Ferriss  was  prominent'among  the  advertisers,  with  a  general  stock, 
and  S.  Burt  did  watchmaking.  Such  were  the  chief  business  interests  of  the 
village  at  that  period. 

The  opening  of  the  canal  in  1823  gave  a  mighty  impetus  to  the  village  and 
caused  a  development  of  the  lumber  business  that  was  almost  marvelous  ;  while 
the  same  effects  were  produced  upon  the  villages  of  Sandy  Hill  and  Fort  Ed- 
ward, causing  them  for  a  period  to  even  outstrip  in  rapidity  of  growth  the 
village  of  Glens  Falls;  but  a  few  years  later  (1830)  the  Feeder  was  opened  to 
the  latter  village  and  inaugurated  an  era  of  growth   and  improvement   which 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         425 

has  continued  to  the  present  time.  With  the  beginning  of  navigation  in  the 
following  year(i83i)  the  Messenger  gave  the  following  exhibit  of  the  condition 
of  the  village  : — 

"  Our  village  at  this  time  contains  a  population  of  about  one  thousand  in- 
habitants. We  have  four  lawyers,  three  physicians  and  one  minister.  Among 
our  mechanics  are  to  be  found  the  shops  of  two  cabinet-makers,  five  black- 
smiths, two  hatters,  three  wagon-makers,  one  chair-maker,  four  shoemakers, 
one  book-binder,  three  tailors,  one  stone  cutter,  one  cooper,  three  saddle  and 
harness- makers,  one  painter,  five  carpenters,  three  masons  and  one  baker;  and 
also  four  milliners.  (In  the  issue  of  the  paper  for  the  following  week  the  addi- 
tion was  made  of  one  watch-maker  and  two  tinners.)  We  have  nine  mercan- 
tile stores,  two  druggists  do.,  a  post-office,  surrogate's  office,  three  inns,^  one 
cotton  factory,  one  clothier's  shop,  one  printing-office  and  book-store,  two 
grist-mills,  three  saw-mills,  one  marble  factory,  one  plaster-mill,  three  lime- 
kilns, a  medical  school,^  an  academy,  a  Methodist  and  a  Presbyterian  church. 

This  statement  gives  a  clear  idea  of  the  growth  of  the  village  down  to  that 
date ;  it  also  indicates  that  the  young  village  was  in  a  thriving  condition  and 
possessed  all  the  establishments  common  to  such  communities. 

The  decade  following  the  opening  of  the  Glens  F~alls  Feeder  was  one  of 
continued  and  increasing  prosperity  and  growth  in  the  village,  and  many  im- 
provements were  made,  chiefly  in  the  direction  of  extending  and  perfecting  the 
streets  and  supplying  facilities  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires. 

The  following  glimpse  of  the  village  industries  is  given  in  an  article  pub- 
lished in  the  Messenger  by  Dr.  Holden,  as  they  appeared  to  him  in  1836,  in 
which  year  he  made  his  acquaintance  with  the  place :  There  were  "  the  Glens 
Falls  Hotel,  kept  by  P.  D.  Threehouse ;  L.  L.  Pixley's  store,  on  the  corner 
of  Ridge  and  Warren  streets ;  D.  H.  Cowles  &  Co.'s  store ;  K.  P.  &  H.  J. 
Cool's  store ;  J.  A.  Deforest's  store,  in  the  stone  building  under  the  hill ;  H. 
B.  Ten  Eyck's  store,  books  and  stationery ;  James  Sisson,  Daniel  Peck  and 
Clark  &  Peck  (Drs.  Billy  J.  Clark  and  Bethuel  Peck,  who  had  bought  out  Dr. 
Ransom),  in  the  drug  business ;  E.  H.  Rosekrans,  Wm.  Hay,  J.  L.  Curtenius, 
counselors  and  attorneys  at  law  and  solicitors  in  chancery ;  A.  T.  Prouty,  cab- 
inet-maker ;  D.  &J.  H.  Hitchcock,  tin  and  hardware  and  general  merchan- 
dise; A.  T.  Seaman,  tailor;  Dilwin  Gardner,  boots  and  shoes;  A.  W.  Flack, 
grocery;  and  Philo  &  Ferguson,  store."     Besides  these  there  were  then  ap- 

1  These  were  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel,  then  kept  and  owned  by  P.  D.  Threehouse ;  the  Union  Hotel 
(or  Skinner's  tavern),  then  conducted  by  Edmund  B.  Richards,  and  the  Glen  House,  under  the  hill, 
kept  by  the  Widow  Ray. 

2  Of  this  school  Dr.  Holden  wrote  about  twenty  years  ago  as  follows  :  "The  medical  school  re- 
ferred to  was  kept  by  Dr.  Fletcher  Ransom,  whose  office  and  drug  store  was  in  the  building  since 
burnt,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Fonda  and  Numan's  '  Masonic  Block.'  He  had  several  stu- 
dents and  legends  of  the  dissecting  room  and  stolen  bodies  are  yet  preserved  in  the  memories  of  the 
older  inhabitants.  Dr.  Ransom  came  from  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  and  removed  to  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  He 
abandoned  the  practice  of  medicine  on  removing  to  the  west." 


426  History  of  Warren  County. 

pearing  on  the  signs  in  various  parts  of  the  village  the  names  of  Berry,  Arms, 
Lapham,  Ranger,  Gillespy,  Leavens,  Tallmadge,  Blakesly,  Coffin,  Geer,  Havi- 
land,  etc.  At  that  time  the  principal  business  of  the  place,  and  indeed  the 
larger  part  of  the  entire  village,  was  situated  on  the  principal  streets  leading 
away  to  neighboring  towns.  Glen  and  Warren  streets,  Ridge  (then  called 
Quaker  street).  Bay,  Park,  Jay,  Lime,  Canal,  Water,  South  and  West  streets ; 
so  much  of  Elm  street  as  is  embraced  between  Park  and  South  streets.  Ex- 
change street  and  so  much  of  Church  street  as  extends  from  Warren  to  Canal 
streets,  comprised  the  entire  catalogue  of  streets  at  that  time.  In  the  ensuing 
summer  John  A.  Ferris_s  opened  that  part  of  Maple  street  between  Ridge  and 
Bay  streets  ;  and  Sidney  Berry  constructed  the  culvert,  filled  up  the  ravine 
and  laid  out  and  filled  up  Berry  street.  He  also  erected  the  Female  Seminary, 
which  was  subsequently  sold  to  district  number  19,  and  used  as  a  school-house. 
The  village  evidently  suffered  to  some  extent  from  the  epidemic  of  small- 
pox, which  swept  over  the  country  in  the  year  1832,  as  well  as  on  several  later 
occasions.  In  the  year  named  vigilant  measures  were  adopted  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  community  and  the  ravages  of  the  disease  reduced  to  the  minimum. 
In  1844,  again,  a  small-pox  panic  attacked  the  people  of  the  town,  and  resolu- 
tions were  passed  ordering  vaccination  and  the  removal  of  all  infected  persons 
outside  of  the  corporation  limits.  Such  removals  were  placed  in  the  hands 
of  King  Allen. 

Five  years  later  (1849)  another  scare  is  remembered,  which  called  forth  the 
appointment  in  January  of  Drs.  B.  Peck  and  J.  L.  Stodard  to  see  that  every 
person  in  the  corporation  was  vaccinated,  to  report  cases  of  small- pox  and 
varioloid,  etc.  The  cholera  appeared  in  the  country  during  the  summer,  and 
in  June  resolutions  were  passed  to  have  the  streets  thoroughly  cleaned  and 
make  all  necessary  preparations  to  combat  the  disease.  A  Board  of  Health 
was  appointed,  consisting  of  Henry  Spencer,  Isaac  Knapp  and  David  M.  Dean. 
.  In  1861  (to  dispose  of  the  small-pox  question)  another  panic  occurred. 
Some  cases  of  a  disease  appeared  which  entirely  mystified  some  of  the  local 
medical  faculty,  and  considerable  discussion  and  antagonism  ensued.  To  settle 
the  matter  Dr.  Swinburne,  of  Albany,  was  called  to  decide  upon  the  character 
of  the  disease.  In  his  report  he  said  :  "  That  the  disease  which  is  now  depop- 
ulating the  fairest  portion  of  West  and  Canal  streets  and  causing  the  farmers 
to  go  to  Sandy  Hill  with  their  '  apple  sass '  and  potatoes,  and  the  good  deni- 
zens of  the  village  to  fight  like  cats  on  a  rainy  night,  is  pure  and  unadulterated 
small-pox,  without  the  slightest  doubt ;  that  vaccination  is  the  best  and  only 
preventive."  Prompt  and  sufficient  action  saved  the  community  from  a 
general  spread  of  the  loathsome  disease.  The  village  was  again  visited  by 
the  pestilence  in  188 1,  and  nearly  twenty  deaths  followed;  but  better  sanitary 
arrangements,  more  efficient  action  and  thorough  knowledge  of  requirements 
confined  the  disease  to  restricted  Hmits. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  427 

From  notes  printed  in  the  Messenger  in  1873,  prepared  by  the  Rev. 
Ephraim  H.  Newton,  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  industries  of  the  village 
■can  be  given,  as  they  existed  in  July,  1835.  For  example,  on  the  south  side 
■of  Washington  street,  leading  east  from  the  village,  were  Dwight  Hitchcock's 
general  store  ;  Peter  Pelkey,  shoemaker ;  Drs.  Peck  &  Clark's  drug  store ;  a 
livery  stable,  kept  by  Enoch  Ellis ;  James  Parmeter's  wagon  shop,  and  Thomas 
Ramsey's  stone-cutting  establishment.  On  what  is  now  Jay  street  (then  called 
""  The  Lane  ")  were  John  R.  Wilson's  blacksmith  shop  ;  Charles  Cleveland  in 
the  same  business;  Elnathan  Parsons's  tannery.  On  the  north  side  of  Wash- 
ington street  Lewis  L.  Pixley  kept  a  general  store ;  Felix  M.  Duffie  had  a 
barber  shop  ;  Elnathan  Parsons  a  shoe  store  and  shop ;  Sheldon  Benedict  a 
■saddlery  and  harness  shop ;  Peter  Powell  &  Company,  general  store,  drugs, 
•etc. ;  Daniel  Peck  &  Son,  druggists  and  general  stock  ;  Harmon  Peck,  stoves, 
iron  and  tinware.  On  what  was  then  Pleasant  street,  leading  north  from  the 
■center  of  the  village,  on  the  east  side  were  Pixley's  store,  already  mentioned ; 
Nehemiah  Sheldon's  tailor  shop,  and  Lewis  Numan's  general  store ;  on  the 
■west  side  were  James  Sisson's  store,  with  a  general  stock,  and  Amarillis  S. 
Lindsley's  millinery  shop.  On  the  east  side  of  River  street,  leading  south 
from  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel,  were  the  post-office,  with  Jabez  Briggs  as  post- 
master, and  his  grocery ;  A.  N.  Cheney's  grocery ;  Allen  T.  Seaman's  shop 
and  clothing  store ;  K  P.  &  H.  J.  Cool's  store  and  cabinet  shop ;  Dilwin 
"Gardner's  shoe  store,  currier  shop  and  tannery;  Henry  Spencer's  livery  and 
tavern  stables  ;  John  G.  Spencer's  grocery ;  then  there  were  the  lime  kilns, 
■quarries,  lumber  yards,  etc.,  with  De  Forest  &  Freeman's  store,  Butler  &  Put- 
nam's blacksmith  shop,  William  Williams's  woolen  factory,  Hawley  &  Arms's 
■saw-mills.  On  the  west  side  of  this  street  were  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel,  then 
kept  by  Rogers  &  Brown  ;  James  Wells's  tailor  shop,  Roswell  Bacon's  marble 
cutting  shop,  James  H.  Comstock's  hat  store,  Robert  Dixon  Barber,  book 
binder,  William  Robinson's  grocery,  Rodgers  &  Cowles's  general  store,  Calvin 
Robbins's  stone  blacksmith  shop  (then  building),  James  F.  Kelly's  grocery, 
David  Johnson's  office  and  lumber  yard,  A.  W.  Flack's  grocery,  the  Glen 
House,  Putnam  &  Prouty's  wagon  shop,  A.  J.  Everett's  blacksmith  and  forging 
•shop,  Abraham  Wing's  saw-mills,  Jonathan  Whitman's  shingle-mill,  J.  W. 
Freeman's  saw- mill,  William  Nunn's  saw-mill,  a  stone  structure  which  was 
burned  in  1835,  J.  W.  Freeman's  gypsum-mill,  Adams  &  Cronkhite's  grist- 
mill.  On  Warren  street,  west  side,  were  George  G.  Hawley's  store,  John  A. 
Ferriss's  hat  store,  J.  W.  Willson's  grocery  and  meat  market,  the  Messenger 
printing  office,  E.  Williams's  store,  Samuel  S.  Tallmadge's  store.  On  the  east 
■side  of  this  street  were  James  Sisson's  store,  William  Fowler's  shoe  store,  the 
Misses  Ranger,  milliners,  P.  S.  Chapman's  tavern. 

The  foregoing  embraces  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  business  industries  of  the 
village  at  that  date.     The  stores  and  shops  on  several  of  the  streets,  which  are 


428  History  of  Warren  County. 

now  entirely  given  up  to  traffic,    were  then  interspersed  with  dweUings.     Drs. 
Bethuel  Peck,  Billy  J.  Clark  and  N.  E.  Sheldon  looked   after  the  bodily  ills  of 
the  community,  while  the  quarrels  of  the  vicinity  were  adjusted  in  a  legal  man- 
ner by  William  Hay,  John  L.  Curtenius,  E.  H.  Rosekrans  and  Ira  A.  Paddock. 
The  lumber  and  lime  business  were  then  the  chief  industries  of  the  place. 

In  this  connection  it  will  not  be  uninteresting  to  quote  the  following  scheme 
for  the  development  and  improvement  of  Glens  Falls  which  was  evolved  by  E. 
H.  Newton :  — 

"  In  July,  183s,  I,  E.  H.  Newton,  formed  the  following  visionary  scheme 
for  the  improvement  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  viz.:  That  some  one  man  of 
capital  or  company  of  men  of  ability  and  enterprise  in  the  first  place  purchase 
all  the  lands  and  real  estate  which  Micajah  Pettit,  of  Sandy  Hill,  owns  or  holds 
in  this  village ;  also  the  Glen  House  or  tavern  stand  and  all  the  real  estate  ap- 
pertaining thereto,  in  possession  of  Henry  Spencer,  esq.,  also  the  tanyard  and 
the  lands  and  buildings  thereto  attached,  owned  by  Dilwin  Gardner,  esq.,  then 
run  a  straight  line  from  or  near  the  southwesterly  corner  of  the  said  Gardner's 
tanyard  to  Calvin  Robbins'  stone  dwelling  house,  and  throw  the  whole  of  the 
land  south  of  the  line  into  a  sidewalk,  street,  wharfs  and  lumber  yards.  Then 
commencing  on  the  corner  of  the  street  which  I  shall  now  call  Canal  street  and 
the  street  running  from  the  Hudson  River  bridge  to  Peter  Threehouse's  Glens 
Falls  Hotel,  which  I  shall  call  River  street,  and  erect  a  line  of  elegant  stores, 
shops,  offices,  etc.,  with  a  finish  of  stone- pillared  fronts,  of  three  or  more  stories 
high  and  with  cellars  running  into  the  bank  in  the  rear,  and  the  whole  founded 
upon  a  rock.  Then  under  or  near  Drs.  Peck  &  Clark's  drug  store  build  a  res- 
ervoir holding  not  less  than  1,000  hhds.  of  water,  and  let  this  water  be  conveyed 
in  aqueducts  to  this  range  of  buildings,  and  the  head  will  be  sufficient  to  carry 
it  to  every  apartment  and  the  roofs  thereof  Let  the  buildings  be  of  stone,  the 
fronts  of  the  2d  and  3d  stories  with  a  finish  of  marble-hewn,  sawn,  cut-brick. 
This  street  will  be  spacious,  the  centre  of  business  and  wealth,  accessible  to 
every  species  of  trade  and  art.  The  Glen  House  to  be  rebuilt,  finished  and 
furnished  with  splendid  accommodations  for  travelers  and  visitors  of  the  Falls  of 
the  Hudson.  This  will  prepare  the  way  to  throw  the  residue  of  the  Pettit  land 
into  the  market  at  a  great  advance.  The  scheme  is  grand  in  theory,  but  will 
be  grander  if  carried  into  effect.     So  says  EPHM.  H.  Newton." 

The  financial  crisis  of  1837—38  came  on  and  Glens  Falls  suffered  heavily,  in 
common  with  all  other  localities  ;  but  the  tide  of  progress  was  not  permanently 
staid ;  the  village  was  controlled  in  its  business  relations  by  men  of  energy  and 
ability,  whose  influence  and  determination  were  sufficient  to  inspire  the  entire 
community  with  courage. 

Incorporation.  — The  subject  of  incorporation  of  the  village  had  often  been 
discussed,  and  on  the  8th  of  December,  1838,  a  notice  of  application  to  the 
Legislature  for  the  passage  of  an  act  of  incorporation  of  the  village  of  Glens 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  429 

Falls  appeared  for  the  first  time  in  the  Glen's  Falls  Spectator.  The  act  of  in- 
corporation was  passed  in  April,  1839.  The  corporation  as  then  defined  con- 
tained a  population  of  1,270  whites,  621  of  whom  were  males  and  649  females, 
and  nineteen  colored  persons.  The  first  election  of  village  officers  was  held  on 
the  4th  of  June,  resulting  as  follows  :  — 

John  A.  Ferriss,  Calvin  Robbins,  John  W.  Willson,  George  Cronkhite  and 
James  Sisson,  trustees ;  James  Palmeter,  Dwight  Hitchcock  and  Henry  Fergu- 
son, assessors ;  William  Peck,  treasurer ;  Orange  Ferriss,  clerk ;  Hazzard 
Green,  constable,  and  Ira  Green,  collector.  S.  S.  Tallmadge  and  Orange  Fer- 
riss were  then  justices  of  the  peace  of  the  town.  At  the  initial  meeting  of  the 
board,  four  days  after  the  election,  the  trustees  chose  John  A.  Ferriss  for  pres- 
ident and  adjourned.  This  custom  of  allowing  the  trustees  to  elect  a  president 
•continued  in  vogue  until  1874;  since  then  the  people  have  voted  direct  for 
that  officer.  The  clerk  was  for  many  years  elected  by  the  people  instead  of 
being  appointed  by  the  trustees  as  at  present. 

The  village  boundaries,  as  given  in  the  act  of  incorporation,  are  as  follows  : 
""  All  that  part  of  the  town  of  Queensbury,  in  the  county  of  Warren,  contained 
within  the  following  bounds,  namely :  Beginning  at  the  north  bank  of  the  Hud- 
son River  at  low  water  mark,  under  the  center  of  the  bridge  which  crosses  said 
river  at  Glen's  Falls,  running  south  seventy-six  degrees  thirty  minutes  west, 
along  said  river  at  low  water  mark,  five  chains  and  eight  links  ;  thence  south 
forty- one  degrees  west,  along  said  river  at  low  water  mark,  eight  chains;  thence 
south  twenty-six  degrees  west,  along  said  river  at  low  water  mark,  three  chains; 
thence  west  twenty-eight  chains  and  fifty  links  to  stake  standing  on  the  west- 
erly side  of  the  Haviland  road;  thence  north  thirty  minutes  west,  seventy- six 
chains,  to  a  stake  standing  in  the  highway  in  front  of  Henry  Philo's  house,  in 
range  with  the  north  line  of  lot  number  twenty- nine  of  the  first  division  of 
lands  in  the  town  of  Queensbury ;  thence  east  a  part  of  the  way  on  the  north 
line  of  said  lot  number  twenty-nine,  eighty  chains  to  a  stake  standing  on  the 
land  of  William  McDonald ;  thence  south  thirty  minutes  east,  eighty-two 
chains  to  the  said  Hudson  River,  at  low  water  mark ;  thence  north  forty-two 
degrees  west,  along  said  river,  at  low  water  mark,  twelve  chains  ;  thence  north 
sixty-nine  degrees  west  along  said  river  at  low  water  mark,  ten  chains ;  thence 
north  eighty  degrees  west  along  said  river  at  low  water  mark,  twenty- two 
chains  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  hereafter  be  known  and  distinguished  by 
the  name  of  the  village  of  Glen's  Falls,  and  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  re- 
siding in  said  village,  are  hereby  constituted  a  body  corporate,  by  the  name  of 
the  trustees  of  the  village  of  Glen's  Falls." 

A  code  of  by-laws  and  ordinances  was  passed  upon  by  the  new  board  and 
the  village  government  was  established  on  a  firm  basis.  The  trustees  were  also 
empowered  to  act  as  excise  commissioners,  and  the  first  year  granted  one  tav- 
ern license  and  five  to  "groceries;  "   no  saloons  are  mentioned  in  the  records. ^ 

1  These  licenses  were  granted  to  Alanson  Dixon,  for  a  tavern,  and  to  John  W.  Willson,  A.  W.  Flack, 


43°  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  receipts  from  this  source  were  $30.     The  clerk  was  paid  $25  for  his  year's 
service  and  the  treasurer  $3.25. 

Simultaneously  with  the  application  to  the  Legislature  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  village,  as  before  mentioned,  a  notice  appeared  in  the  same  sheet 
that  application  would  be  made  to  the  Legislature  for  an  act  of  incorporation 
embracing  the  right  to  construct  a  toll  bridge  across  the  river  at  this  place ; 
this  notice  was  followed  in  the  same  month  by  three  others  similar  in  charac- 
ter. It  appears  that  this  project  was  looked  upon  as  one  the  franchise  for 
which  would  be  very  valuable ;  but  it  was  destined  to  fail  at  that  time,  and  in 
January,  1839,  a  notice  was  published  in  the  Spectator  to  the  effect  that  appli- 
cation would  be  made  to  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  a  meeting  of  the  board 
"  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  A.  B.  Tubbs,"  on  Wednesday,  February  20th,  to- 
levy  a  tax  upon  the  several  towns  for  the  purpose  of  "  repairing  the  present 
bridge  or  constructing  a  new  one  across  the  Hudson  River  at  this  place,  and 
to  construct  other  bridges  in  said  county  if  deemed  necessary."  This  notice 
was  signed  by  A.  W.  Morgan,  Kej^es  P.  Cool,  Walter  Geer,  jr.,  B.  J.  Clark,. 
Orlin  Mead  and  William  McDonald.i 

In  spite  of  the  depression  in  financial  affairs,  another  notice  appeared  at 
the  time  under  consideration  announcing  application  for  a  charter  of  incorpor- 
ation of  a  company  "  with  banking  powers"  to  "  improve  the  navigation  of  the 
upper  portion  of  the  Hudson  River,  either  by  canal  or  slack  water  navigation."^ 
Of  this  scheme  Dr.  Holden  afterwards  wrote :  "  This  is  memorable  for  more 
reasons  than  one.  Firstly,  because  of  the  banking  clause  and  its  insertion  at  a 
period  soon  after  the  passage  and  repeal  of  the  odious  small  bill  law.  (In  that 
connection,  the  older  residents  may  remember  the  twenty-five  cent  "  shin- 
plasters  "  issue  by  Mead  &  Sanford,  and  imitations  subsequently  thrown  into 
circulation  by  Underwood,  and  which  were  made  payable  in  White  Pine  Butts 
at  Wing's  saw-mill,  or  new  rum  at  Richard's  tavern).  Secondly,  the  presenta- 
tion of  this  petition  originated  a  commission  and  appropriation  for  one  of  the 
most  thorough  topographical  surveys  and  elaborate  reports  ever  made  in  the 
State.  Surveyors,  engineers,  chain-bearers,  axe-men  and  pack-carriers  accom- 
panied by  that  gifted  and  sad-fated  child  of  song,  Charles  Fenno  Hoffman, 
threaded  our  northern  forests,  taking  elevations  and  channeling  out  the  grim 
old  forest  in  tracks  which  can  yet  be  seen.  It  was  in  one  of  these  dim,  green 
alleys  of  the  '  forest  primeval '  where  was  to  be  the  canal  to  the  Great  Bear 
Lake,  'a  project  that  seems  to  have  been  a  pet  at  one  time.'  " 

'  The  banking  scheme  alluded  to  again  came  before  the  public  early  in  the 
year  1839,  when  the  following  appeared  in  an  editorial:  — 

lames  Morgan,  Chris.  Shaw  and   Hazzard  Green,  as  grocers.     In   1841   the  trustees  refused  to  grant 
licenses  to  grocers  to  sell  liquors  in  quantities  less  than  five  gallons. 

1  In  February,  1841,  the  county  of  Warren  was  loaned  $2,500  by  act  of  Legislature,  out  of  the 
common  school  fund,  to  build  a  bridge  over  the  Hudson  at  Glens  Falls.  A.  W.  Morgan,  Daniel  Rob- 
erts and  George  G.  Hawley,  of  Queensbury,  were  appointed  commissioners  under  the  act. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  431 

"  A  meeting  of  the  subscribers  to  the  Glens  Falls  Banking  Association  is 
to  be  held  at  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel  on  the  2d  day  of  February  next  for  the 
purpose  of  choosing  thirteen  directors  and  other  preparations  necessary  to  go 
into  operation  as  soon  as  possible.  There  is  not  a  better  location  for  a  bank 
north  of  Troy  than  this."  The  project  was  not  consummated  for  some  unde- 
fined reason,  and  Glens  Falls  was  without  a  bank  for  more  than  ten  years  after- 
wards, as  will  appear  further  on. 

While  the  newly  incorporated  village  was  enjoying  its  era  of  prosperity 
consequent  upon  the  construction  of  the  canals,  and  men  were  constantly  com- 
ing hither  who  subsequently  became  instrumental  in  adding  greatly  not  only  to 
their  own  wealth,  but  to  the  general  activity  and  growth  of  the  place,  educa- 
tional and  religious  institutions  increased  in  number  and  influence.  We  have 
already  alluded  to  the  old  academy,  built  in  1 8 14,  which  had  a  useful  career. 
A  village  library  was  founded  in  1835  which  became  a  popular  and  beneficial 
institution  for  a  number  of  years  ;  and  soon  afterward  the  Female  Seminary 
was  built  by  Sidney  Berry.  The  Spectator  of  May  19th,  1837,  contained  a 
very  eulogistic  notice  of  the  annual  examination  which  had  just  been  held. 
The  seminary  was  then  under  the  direction  of  Miss  Lucy  Harris  as  principal ; 
the  institution  passed  to  the  direction  of  Miss  Downs  and  her  sister  in  1849 
and  became  quite  prosperous.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1839  a  Lyceum 
was  organized.  The  following  expression  relative  to  this  institution  is  found 
in  the  notice  in  the  Spectator  calling  for  a  meeting  of  organization  :  "  That  a 
positive  benefit  is  the  certain  result  to  our  village  from  a  well-conducted  and 
well-sustained  Lyceum,  no  person  can  doubt ;  and  as  it  is  a  matter  of  public 
profit,  it  should  also  be  a  matter  of  sufficient  public  interest  to  elicit  a  full  house 
and  efficient  measures." 

The  principal  business  of  the  village  authorities  for  a  number  of  years  was 
the  improvement  of  streets,  making  additions  to  the  facilities  for  extinguishing 
fires  and  auditing  the  limited  number  of  accounts  against  the  corporation. 
The  first  practical  steps  toward  protecting  the  village  from  fire  were  taken  in 
the  latter  part  of  1841,  when  a  resolution  was  passed  "  that  Henry  Spencer  be 
appointed  to  procure  such  hooks  and  ladders  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  use 
of  the  village,  and  to  secure  a  permanent  place  of  deposit  for  the  same."  In 
the  next  year  measures  were  adopted  for  the  purchase  of  an  engine  and  other 
apparatus,  as  will  hereafter  appear. 

Henry  Spencer  was  president  of  the  village  for  the  year  ending  in  May, 
1843,  and  at  the  annual  meeting  for  the  election  of  officers  he  was  voted  twen- 
ty-five dollars  for  his  services  in  that  office.  This  action  established  the  prece- 
dent which  has  since  been  followed,  of  awarding  the  successive  presidents  an 
annual  salary. 

The  trustees  were  extremely  solicitous  in  early  years  for  the  good  looks  of 
the  streets  and  made  some  stringent  regulations  in  regard  to  keeping  them  free 


432  History  of  Warren  County. 

from  incumbrances.  Even  a  pair  of  hay  scales  which  D.  H.  Cowles,  a  promi- 
nent business  man,  began  erecting  in  1843  on  the  Warren  street  side  of  his 
block,  were  vetoed  as  an  incumbrance  and  contrary  to  the  village  by-laws.  He 
was,  however,  permitted  to  place  them  on  the  Ridge  street  side  of  the   block. 

Perhaps  we  shall  be  able  to  give  our  readers  a  tolerably  clear  idea  of  the 
business  interests  of  the  village  in  the  period  between  1850  and  1855,  by  again 
appealing  to  the  advertising  columns  of  the  local  newspapers.  In  a  number 
of  the  Glens  Falls  Free  Press  of  April  15th,  1854,  we  find  it  announced  that 
Cowles  &  Co.,  have  just  removed  their  stock  of  goods  to  the  store  of  A.  Sher- 
man on  Glen  street.  The  copartnership  of  Morgan  &  Lapham  was  then  just 
dissolved ;  the  firm  having  been  engaged  in  a  general  mercantile  business. 
The  new  firm  to  continue  the  business  was  composed  of  James  Morgan,  Jerome 
Lapham  and  Charles  Corliss.  George  C.  Mott  and  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden  carried 
on  the  drug  business;  Dr.  N.  E.  Sheldon  also  sold  drugs,  and  M.  C.  Rich  an- 
nounced himself  as  a  jeweler,  "  two  doors  north  of  Cronkhite  Bros.,  Glen 
street."  J.  C.  Higby  was  prepared  to  rehabilitate  gentlemen  in  fashionable 
tailoring,  ready-made  clothing  and  furnishing  goods  in  a  new  establishment 
at  the  "  north  end  of  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel,"  after  which  they  could  go  to  Car- 
los Morgan,  "  two  doors  north  of  Glens  Falls  Bank,''  or  to  Edwin  O.  Peck, 
artist  in  daguerreotype,  "one  door  west  of  M.  C.  Rich's  jewelry  store,"  and  have 
their  pictures  made.  Hermon  Peck,  on  "  Warren  street,  sign  of  the  big  pad- 
lock," and  Noble  Peck  &  Co.  (Noble  Peck  and  J.  L.  Kenworthy),  "  Sandy 
Hill  Street,  a  few  doors  north  of  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel,"  supplied  the  community 
with  hardware,  stoves,  etc.  Sheldon  Benedict  announced  his  abandonment 
of  building  to  engage  in  the  saddlery  and  harness  trade,  "  at  his  old  stand 
between  Vaughn's  and  Peck's  stores,"  and  Bennett  &  Traphagan  (C.  R.  Bennett, 
J.  T.  B.  Traphagan)  carried  on  the  same  business  at  the  "  third  door  above  Glens 
Falls  Bank."  E.  Benedict  &  Co.  (from  which  firm  William  Dunning  had  just 
withdrawn)  were  engaged  in  boot  and  shoe  trade,  which  line  was  shared  by  A. 
F.  Smith  on  Exchange  street.  The  firm  of  Cool  &  Hall  (H.  J.  Cool,  E.  C. 
Hall)  had  recently  dissolved,  and  the  sale  of  hats  and  caps  continued  by  the 
senior  member.  The  Harris  Lime  Company,  in  "  the  old  stone  store  near  the 
canal  bridge,"  offered  flour  and  groceries  generally,  and  J.  D.  Cornell  &  Co. 
were  engaged  in  the  same  line.  Among  other  business  establishments  at  that 
date  were  George  C.  Mott  &  Co.,  hats  and  caps ;  William  Peat,  fashionable 
tailor ;  James  E.  Mart  &  Co. ;  J.  S.  Ladow,  and  Hopkins  &  Dix,  machinists ; 
Cool  &  Robinson,  Nova  Scotia  and  western  plaster,  etc. ;  J.  B.  Cool  &  Bros., 
salt,  etc. ;  and  Briggs  &  Lapham,  makers  of  endless  chain  pumps. 

From  the  Warren  county  Whig  of  about  a  year  later  we  gain  additional 
information  of  other  business  establishments  in  the  village,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  brief  summary :  Fred  E.  Ranger,  bookseller,  No.  3  Merchants'  Row  ; 
John  H.   Martin,  jeweler.   No.   2    Exchange;   W.   R.   Winchell,  clothing  and 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  433 

furnishing  goods,  "  north  end  of  Carpenter's  new  hotel,  Glen  street ;  "  Drs.  B.  & 
M.  R.  Peck,  druggists ;  John  N.  Clements,  jewelry  and  musical  instruments, 
two  doors  north  of  Rich's  jewelry  store,  Glen  street ;  J.  S.  Van  Winkle,  con- 
fectioner;  James  E.  Martin  &  Co.,  general  store,  "a  few  doors  north  of  the 
Glens  Falls  Hotel ;  "  J.  C.  Johnson  &  Co.,  hardware,  wines  and  liquors,  grocer- 
ies, etc..  Glen  street;  J.  E.  &  G.  W.  Dean,  marble,  Exchange  building;  S.  W. 
Holdredge,  musical  merchandise,  "  No.  2  Cowles's  new  building,  up  stairs  ;  "  F. 
Smith  &  Co.,  "  respectfully  announced  the  opening  of  a  new  clothing  store  in 
Cowles's  new  building ;  "  Henry  Wing,  general  store  in  the  "Brick  Row;" 
Cheney,  Arms  &  Co.,  "  new  plaster-mill,  adjoining  the  grist-mill,"  (South 
Glens  Falls) ;  George  Clendon,  jr.,  manufactured  soap  and  candles,  corner  of 
Glen  and  Pine  streets ;  and  Daniel  Benedict  made  brick  one  mile  north  of 
Glens  Falls;  E.  M.  Forbes  was  insurance  agent;  J.  S.  Ferine,  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  E.  B.  Cowles,  architect  and  builder.  Wood  sawing  and  turning 
was  carried  on  at  South  Glens  Falls  by  Gardner  T.  Lewis,  and  Eastwood  & 
Carpenter  had  a  market  on  Glen  street. 

From  this  date  to  the  present  the  growth  of  Glens  Falls  has  been  steady 
and  healthful,  as  will  be  seen  in  succeeding  pages,  and  the  public  spirit  of  its 
citizens  has  kept  pace  with  it  in  the  establishment  of  all  needed  public  institu- 
tions. The  ordinances  had  already,  in  1841,  been  amended  and  considerably 
extended,  mainly  in  the  direction  of  keeping  the  streets  in  order  and  free  from 
roving  animals. 

The  building  of  the  plank  road  from  Glens  Falls  to  Caldwell  in  the  year 
1848,  was  an  improvement  of  great  utility  and  added  to  the  general  develop- 
ment of  the  place  through  more  rapid  and  easier  transportation  southward 
from  the  interior  of  the  county. 

Coming  down  to  the  end  of  the  first  decade  of  the  existence  of  the  village 
as  a  corporation,  we  find  that  there  were  then  twenty-five  streets  in  the  place, 
a  number  that  has  since  grown  in  about  thirty-five  years  to  nearly  eighty  ; 
and  the  general  business  interests  of  the  village  had  increased  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  most  hopeful. 

The  lack  of  sufficient  water  supply  for  the  village  had  been  felt  for  some 
years,  and  in  April,  1848,  a  project  was  agitated  for  bringing  a  supply  of  pure 
water  to  the  village  in  pipes.  For  this  purpose  Daniel  G.  Harris  was  given 
permission  to  lay  pipes,  with  the  stipulation  by  the  authorities  that  he  should 
leave  the  streets  in  as  good  condition  as  he  found  them.  For  adequate 
reasons  the  scheme  was  never  consummated,  and  the  old  wells  and  cisterns, 
to  which  frequent  additions  were  made,  furnished  the  only  water  supply  for 
many  years  and  until  the  inauguration  of  the  present  complete  system. 

In  1853  the  Glens  Falls  Cemetery  was  established  upon  lands  purchased 
of  Andrew  Porteous.  Patrick  Johnson  was  appointed  as  the  first  sexton,  in 
April,  1855. 

28 


434  History  of  Warren  County. 

In  1854  the  first  movement  was  made  towards  introducing  illuminating 
gas  into  the  village.  In  April  of  that  year  Messrs.  Sabbaton  &  Merrifield,  of 
Albany,  were  given  the  exclusive  privilege  for  two  years  of  laying  pipes  in 
the  streets  for  this  purpose,  provided  they  began  the  construction  of  works 
within  four  months  and  prosecuted  the  same  to  completion.  The  pipes  were 
laid  and  in  April,  1856,  the  trustees  authorized  the  erection  of  a  gas  lamp  post 
at  each  of  the  town  pumps  (where  the  fountain  and  the  soldier's  monument 
now  stand).  For  the  succeeding  three  years  these  two  lamps  supplied  all  the 
light  the  village  had;  in  1859  six  more  lamps  were  added,  and  this  number 
has  been  increased  until  now  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  lamps  of  gas  and 
naphtha  illuminate  the  streets. 

The  year  1863  saw  the  erection  of  the  brick  school-house  in  the  village. 
At  a  special  meeting  held  January  20th,  of  that  year,  the  trustees  were  directed 
to  purchase  the  old  building  and  lot  in  front,  in  district  No.  20,  for  which  pur- 
pose they  were  directed  to  raise  by  tax  $350.  They  were  also  directed  to 
purchase  of  Thomas  Kirkham  land  enough  to  make  a  lot  equal  to  the  extent 
oi  the  former  lot,  on  South  and  West  streets,  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  $200. 
George  Conery  was  directed  to  prepare  a  plan  for  a  school-house.  The  build- 
ing was  erected  of  brick,  70  by  35  feet,  costing  $1,400. 

There  is  little  of  importance  to  record  in  the  general  history  of  the  village 
from  the  period  last  considered  down  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  Glens 
Falls  then  became  the  headquarters  for  a  large  district  surrounding,  and  dur- 
ing the  years  of  the  great  struggle,  the  village  partook  of  the  military  charac- 
ter fprevailing  throughout  the  country,  while  business  activity  was  greatly 
enhanced.  In  patriotic  endeavor  to  respond  to  the  different  calls  of  the  gov- 
ernment for  men  and  means,  as  well  as  in  their  determination  that  Queensbury 
soldiers  and  their  families  should  not  needlessly  suffer,  the  inhabitants  of  Glens 
Falls  and  the  town  at  large  were  not  outdone  by  those  of  any  community  in 
the  State.  The  details  of  the  events  of  this  period  have  already  been  given  to 
the  reader. 

Before  the  close  of  the  war,  and  on  the  31st  of  May,  1864,  the  village  was 
the  scene  of  an  appalling  calamity.  A  fire  so  destructive  as  to  nearly  wipe 
out  the  business  portion  of  the  place  swept  over  the  village,  leaving  but  three 
of  the  numerous  stores  and  but  little  of  the  manufacturing  portion  of  the  village. 
The  loss  reached  about  half  a  million  dollars.  For  a  full  account  of  this  con- 
flagration, the  reader  is  referred  to  the  chapter  on  the  press  of  the  county,  where 
will  be  found  a  fac  .simile  of  the  first  issue  of  the  Messenger  after  the  fire,  in 
which  is  printed  a  detailed  account  of  the  event. 

There  were  not  wanting  among  the  inhabitants  of  Glens  Falls  those  who 
looked  upon  this  disastrous  fire  as  a  blessing  disguised  ;  such  was  the  case  even 
among  some  enterprising  men  who  were  actual  heavy  losers  in  dollars  and 
cents.     A  large  number  of  buildings  were  destroyed  which  were  anything  but 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  435 

an  ornament  to  the  place,  and  which  otherwise  would  have  stood  for  years ; 
these  were  succeeded  by  the  handsome  structures  of  the  present  day,  many 
wooden  buildings  being  displaced  by  substantial  brick  structures,  and  the  gen- 
eral appearance  and  character  of  the  business  portion  of  the  village  was  vastly 
improved.  The  leading  and  most  energetic  men  of  the  place  came  to  the  front 
and  building  after  building  arose  in  rapid  succession,  while  business  was  carried 
on  in  the  mean  time  by  the  most  ingenious  make-shifts.  In  short  the  disaster 
which,  in  a  less  enterprising  community  would  have  paralyzed  the  industries  of 
the  place,  seemed  here  only  to  fire  anew  the  energetic  people  and  general  pros- 
perity was  scarcely  interrupted. 

Within  a  few  years  after  the  close  of  the  war  railroad  agitation  began,  re- 
sulting in  the  building  of  the  road  connecting  the  village  with  Fort  Edward 
and  the  outer  world,  which  gave  an  added  impetus  to  the  growth  of  the  place  ; 
this  was  supplemented  at  a  later  date  by  the  extension  of  the  road  to  Lake 
George,  as  elsewhere  described. 

From  the  era  of  rebuilding  after  the  great  fire,  the  growth  of  Glens  Falls 
has  been  uninterrupted  to  the  present  time  ;  to-day  it  is  one  of  the  most  thrifty, 
enterprising  and  rapidly  growing  villages  in  the  State,  while  in  its  just  claims 
to  natural  and  artificial  beauty,  it  is  not  often  surpassed.  Its  population,  ex- 
clusive of  its  suburbs,  is  about  7,000,  and  with  the  natural  suburb  of  South 
Glens  Falls  (connected  with  this  village  by  the  bridge  across  the  Hudson)  and 
other  surroundings  that  may  almost  be  considered  as  belonging  to  the  place, 
the  number  of  inhabitants  approaches  ten  thousand.  The  succeeding  descrip- 
tion of  the  present  manufacturing  and  mercantile  interests  and  other  institu- 
tions will  give  the  reader  an  intelligent  idea  of  the  village  in  all  of  its  various 
aspects.  Some  of  the  men  who  have  been  most  conspicuous  in  contributing 
to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Glens  Falls  have  already  been  mentioned  in 
these  pages;  but  many  have  not,  nor  can  all  be  in  any  detail;  but  it  will  not 
be  out  of  place  to  speak  of  a  few  of  the  most  prominent.  Such  are  Augus- 
tus Sherman,  Halsey  R.  Wing,  John  Folsom,  William  McDonald  and  his  son, 
L.  G.  McDonald,  John  Keenan,  Jonathan  M.  and  Thomas  S.  Coolidge,  Dan- 
iel Peck,  Jerome  Lapham,  Rev.  R.  M.  Little,  Samuel  Pruyn,  James  and  A.  W. 
Morgan,  William  W.  Rockwell,  William  McEchron,  William  H.  Gayger,  the 
several  Haviland  families;  Fred.  A.  Johnson,  Keyes  P.  Cool,  Hon.  E.  H.  Rose- 
krans,  W.  E.  Spier,  and  a  host  of  younger  men  now  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  or  manufacturing,  and  professional  men  whose  labors  in  other  direc- 
tions have  been  no  less  potent  for  the  general  good  of  the  community. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  of  the  village  from  its  incorporation  to 
the  present  time,  embracing  the  names  of  many  men  additional  to  the  above, 
whose  energies  and  influence  have  contributed  substantially  to  the  growth  and 
welfare  of  the  place  :  — 

Ezra  Benedict,  1857;  William  Briggs,  1845,  '48;   Daniel  V.. Brown,  i86i  ; 


436  History  of  Warren  County. 

Stevens  Carpenter,  1846;  James  C.  Clark,  1853  ;  George  Conery,  1864;  Jon- 
athan M.  Coolidge,  1883  ;  Daniel  H.  Cowles,  1859;  Zopher  I.  Belong,  1863; 
James  Ferguson,  1862,  '66;  John  A.  Ferriss,  1839;  Henry  E.  Fickett,  1858; 
Stephen  L.  Goodman,  1865;  George  G.  Hawley,  1849;  Richard  W  Higby, 
1850-52;  Frederick  A.  Johnson,  jr.,  1870 ;  John  Keenan,  1871,  'y6,  'yy,  '84; 
S.  D.  Kendrick,  1880,  '81,  '85;  Jerome  Lapham,  1867,  '74;  William  Mc- 
Eachron,  1872;  Joseph  Mead,  1869;  Alonzo  W.  Morgan,  1854;  James  Palme- 
ter,  1840;  S.  A.  Parks,  1877;  Daniel  Peck,  1868;  Hiram  Roberts,  i860;  E. 
H.  Rosekrans,  1855;  James  W.  Schenck,  1856;  Melville  A.  Sheldon,  1873; 
Henry  Spencer,  1841,  '42,  '44;  William  E  Spier,  1881  ;  Samuel  S.  Tallmadge, 
1843;  Jarvis  A.  Underwood,  1878;   Abraham  Wing,  1847. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  clerks  of  the  corporation  from  its  formation  to  the 
present  time :  — 

Adam  Armstrong,  jr.,  1868;  Louis  M.  Brown,  1885;  Alvin  R.  Carpenter, 
1869;  George  W.  Cheney,  1865  ;  Isaac  J.  Davis,  1856,  '59,  '60  ;  C.  J.  Delong, 
1878-80;  A.  Hackley  Fennel,  1867;  Orange  Ferriss,  1839-42;  Emery  D. 
Harris,  1861-66;  Henry  C.  Hay,  1858;  D.  F.  Keefe,  1876;  Isaac  Mott,  1849- 
54;'j.  F.  Patterson,  1874,75;  Charles  R  Patterson,  1884;  Charles  Peck, 
1843,  '45  ;  Joseph  S.  Ferine,  1855  ;  Ira  A.  Perrin,  1843  ;  Frederic  E.  Ranger, 
1857;  E.  R.  Safford,  1881-83  ;  John  A.  Sheldon.  1870-73  ;  Allen  T.  Wilson, 
1846-48. 

The  following  list  gives  the  names  of  all  who  have  held  the  office  of  village 
trustee  and  embraces  a  large  majority  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  place  since  the 
incorporation  :  Ezra  Benedict,  1850,  '51,  '57  ;  Wm.  Briggs,  1845,  '46,  '48,  '57  ; 
Erastus  Bronson,  1840,  '41  ;  Wm.  C.  Bronson,  1843  ;  Daniel  V.  Brown,  1850- 
52,  '61,  '69;  Cyrus  Burnham,  1844;  H.  H.  Bush,  1878, '79;  James  Bus- 
well,  1853  ;  Charles  R.  Cameron,  1866,  '68,  '75.  76;  A.  R.  Carpenter,  1877, 
'78;  Stevens  Carpenter,  1846;  Albert  N.  Cheney,  1846;  James  C.  Clark, 
1848,  '53  ;  Sanford  Coffin,  1880;  Thomas  Coffin,  1845  ;  George  Conery,  1861, 
'62,  '64,  '68;  Joseph  B.  Cool,  1855  ;  Keyes  P.  Cool,  1840;  Thomos  S.  Cool- 
idge, 1870;  WiUiam  Cosgrove,  1868;  Daniel  A.  Cowles,  1863,  '59;  H.  S. 
Crittenden,  1874;  Henry  Crandell,  1874;  George  Cronkhite,  1839,  '44;  Wm. 
Cronkhite,  1858;  Enos  C.  Crosby,  1847;  David  M.  Dean,  1843,  '48;  C.  J. 
Delong,  1875  ;  Theodore  S.  Delong,  1869;  Zopher  I.  Delong,  1862,  '63,  '73  ; 
Martin  Eastwood,  1850;  Enoch  Ellis,  1842;  Henry  Ferguson,  1844,  '50- 
52;  James  Ferguson,  1858, '61, '62, '66;  John  A.  Ferriss,  1839;  Henry  E. 
Fickett,  1858;  James  C.  Finch,  1856;  Joseph  Fowler,  1879;  Stephen  L. 
Goodman,  1865;  Stephen  Goodspeed,  1842;  Enoch  Gray,  i860;  Joel  B. 
Green,  1863,  '66;  Hiram  M.  Harris,  1871, '72 ;  Ezra  Hartman.  1876, '77  ; 
George  G.  Hawley,  1849,  '54;  John  C.  Higby,  1847;  Richard  W.  Higby, 
1847,  '50,  '51,  '52  ;  S.  W.  Higgins,  1882,  '83  ;  Alfred  Hitchcock,  1858  ;  A.  F. 
Hitchcock,    1879, '80;   C.  H.  Hitchcock,  1883'  '84;  Dwight  Hitchcock,  1841, 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  437 

'42;  Dewitt  C.  Holman,  1865,  '82;  Ezekiel  Holman,  1846;  William  Hoskins, 
1864  ;  Theodore  Hotchkiss,  1870  ;  Edwin  Hubbard,  1855  ;  Frederick  A.  John- 
son, jr.,  1870;  Daniel  F.  Keefe,  1869;  John  Keenan,  1863,  '66,  '71,  '72;  John 
L.  Kenworthy,  1853  ;  Rulifif  Kipp,  1864,  'jo;  Isaac  Knapp,  1849;  Hiram 
Krum,  1863,  'tj,  '78  ;  Benjamin  F.  Lapham,  1865  ;  Henry  G.  Lapham,  1873  ; 
Jerome  Lapham,  1851,  '57,  '71,  72;  Harmon  R.  Leavins,  1869,  '71,  '72,  '79, 
'80  ;  Gardiner  T.  Lewis,  1863  ;  Meredith  B.  Little,  1865,  '71  ;  Ira  Locke,  1855  ; 
Leonard  G.  McDonald,  1857  i  William  McDonald,  1843  i  William  McEachron, 
1867,  '71,  '72  ;  A.  McMuUen,  1876,  '77;  Donald  McNeil,  1847;  Joseph  Mead, 
1867,  '69;  Alonzo  W.  Morgan,  1841,  '48,  '54,  '70;  Isaac  Mott,  1859;  Henry 
Nesbitt,  1868;  Josiah  Norris,  1849;  George  Norton,  1861,  '62,  '75;  Daniel 
Numan,  1861,  '62  ;  James  Palmeter,  1840;  Bethuel  Peck,  1843  ;  Charles  Peck, 
1848;  Daniel  Peck,  1864,  '67,  '68,  '84;  William  Peck,  1845,  '49;  Walter 
Phelps,  jr.,  1858;  Samuel  Pruyn,  1874;  Marquis  C.  Rich,  1859, '60  ;  Calvin 
Robbins,  1839;  David  Roberts,  1840, '41;  David  G.  Roberts,  1845,  '66,  '75. 
'76;  Hiram  Roberts,  1856,  '60,  '64;  Frederic  W.  Robinson,  1854;  Enoch  H. 
Rosekrans,  1855;  James  W.  Schenck,  1852,  '56 ;  Nathaniel  Shaw,  1846; 
Nehemiah  Shaw,  1847;  Melville  A.  Sheldon,  1873;  George  Shippey,  1856; 
George  W.  Sisson,  1865  ;  James  Sisson,  1838,  '44,  '45, '52,  '56;  O.  C.  Smith, 
1883, '84;  John  Somers,  1854;  Henry  Spencer,  1841,  '42, '44;  Benjamin  C. 
Starbuck,  1855  i  Samuel  S.  Tallmadge,  1843;  Archibald  C.  Tearse,  1857,  '59, 
'60,  '64,  '67;  Berry  Thompson,  1842;  George  J.  Tillotson,  1853;  William 
Wait,  1873;  James  Wells,  1840;  Martin  L.  Wilmarth,  1859, '60,  '80;  John 
W.  Wilson,  1839  ;   L.  G.  Wilson,  1882,  '83  ;   Abraham  Wing,  1847. 

Following  are  the  village  officers  for  the  year  1885  :  President,  S.  D.  Ken- 
drick  ;  trustees,  Daniel  Peck,  Daniel  Corbet,  John  B.  De  Long,  and  Merchant 
H.  Bradt ;  treasurer,  Stowell  B.  Whitney  ;  collector,  Edward  Dougherty  ;  As- 
sessor, Charles  Parsons. 

Post-offices. — The  first  post-office  was  established  at  Glens  Falls  on  the 
first  of  January,  1808.  Previous  to  that  time  the  nearest  office  was  at  Sandy 
Hill  and  the  inhabitants  at  this  place  were  compelled  to  go  there  for  mail  priv- 
ileges. The  list  of  postmasters  at  Glens  Falls  was  furnished  to  Dr.  Holden  by 
a  friend  in  Washington,  as  they  appear  below,  and  with  the  list  he  enclosed  the 
following  information  :  — 

"  In  examining  the  old  books  some  doubt  has  arisen  whether  '  Glenville  ' 
was  not  the  original  name ;  but,  as  no  change  of  name  is  found,  it  is  presumed 
that  Glens  Falls  was  established,  or  commenced  rendering  ist  January,  1808. 
Unfortunately,  the  fire  which  destroyed  the  building  in  1836  consumed  three 
of  the  oldest  books,  which  makes  it  difficult  to  trace  the  exact  date  of  many 
of  the  old  offices  ;  but  this  is  believed  to  be  correct." 

Dr.  Holden  adds  that  this  statement  is  corroborated  by  the  recol- 
lection of  several  persons,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  the  late  Abraham 


438  History  of  Warren  County. 

Wing  and  Judge  Hay.  The  first  post-office  was  established  in  a  wooden 
building,  the  first  structure  erected  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Glen  and  War- 
ren streets.  Judge  Hay,  whose  father  erected  the  building,  wrote  Dr.  Holden 
that  "at  the  time  of  Enlmons's  appointment  (1816),  James  Henderson  became 
postmaster  at  the  Oneida,  but  whether  he  was  the  first  one  appointed  there  I 
know  not.'' 

Following  are  the  successive  postmasters  at  Glens  Falls:  John  H.  Ferriss, 
1808;  Adonijah  Emmons,  1816;  Horatio  Buell,  1818;  John  A.  Ferriss,  1823  ; 
Ira  A.  Paddock,  1829;  Jabez  Briggs,  1835;  Jonathan  W.  Freeman,  1841  ; 
Henry  Philo,  1843  ;  James  Falmeter,  1845  ;  EleazerS.  Vaughn,  1848;  Stephen 
I.  Williams,  1849;  William  Peck,  1853;  Daniel  Peck,  1856;  Hiram  M.  Harris, 
i860;  John  L.  Ken  worthy,  1861  ;  Carlos  Morgan,  1863;  W.  H.  Van  Cott, 
1881  ;  H.  S.  Crittenden,  the  present  incumbent,  appointed  1885. 

Present  Attorneys.  —  In  the  preceding  pages  of  the  present  chapter,  and  in 
the  earlier  chapter  devoted  to  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  the  county,  the  reader  has 
already  become  familiar  with  the  names  and  careers  of  the  members  of  the 
legal  profession  who  have  at  various  times  engaged  in  the  counsels  and  forensic 
contests  of  Glens  Falls.  The  present  attorneys  of  the  place  are  E.  L.  Ashley, 
J.  H.  Bain,  Stephen  Brown,  L.  M.  Brown,  William  M.  Cameron,  A.  J.  Cheri- 
tree,  C.  S.  Enches,  H.  A.  Howard,  Daniel  F.  Keefe,  Charles  F.  King,  H.  P. 
King,  J.  J.  Mead,  Isaac  Mott,  Charles  R.  Patterson,  E.  R.  Safford,  M.  A. 
Sheldon,  E.  L.  Stearns  and  F.  H.  Streeter. 

The  attorney  of  longest  standing  in  the  village  is  Isaac  Mott,  who  came 
here  in  January,  1850.  He  began  the  study  of  law  in  Glens  Falls  with  Judge 
William  Hay  in  1838,  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1844,  at  Utica,  and  practiced 
in  Schuylerville  until  1849.  H!e  was  obliged,  with  others,  to  compete  with 
Stephen  Brown  several  years  later.  Mr.  Brown  was 'graduated  at  the  Ballston 
Law  School  a  short  time  before  he  opened  an  office  in  Glens  Falls.  H.  A. 
Howard  was  admitted  at  Albany  in  May,  1867,  after  passing  the  necessary 
period  of  clerkship  in  Windsor,  Vt,  and  completing  a  course  of  study  at  the 
Albany  Law  School.  Immediately  after  his  admission  to  practice  he  came  here 
and  has  practiced  with  distinguished  success  ever  since.  He  is  now  serving  the 
county  in  a  second  term  as  district  attorney.  M.  A.  Sheldon  was  admitted 
at  Lake  George  in  1852.  He  began  his  law  studies  at  the  Ballston  Law  School 
a  number  of  years  before,  and  passed  his  clerkship  in  the  office  of  Judge  A.  C. 
Hand,  of  Elizabethtown.  He  practiced  in  Ticonderoga  from  1852  to  January 
1st,  1868,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  Glens  Falls.  Judge  Andrew  J.  Cheri- 
tree  was  born  in  Greeneville,  Greene  county.  He  received  his  early  education 
in  the  Greeneville  Academy;  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Abraham  Becker,  in 
South  Worcester,  Otsego  county;  was  admitted  at  Morrisville,  Madison 
county,  in  1852  ;  came  to  Luzerne,  in  this  county,  in  1854.  From  there  he 
removed  to  Glens  Falls  in  1869.      He  is  now,  and  since  1882  has  been  county 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  439 

judge  and  surrogate  of  Warren  county,  and  for  nine  months  preceding  the 
election  in  1882,  held  the  position  under  the  appointment  of  the  governor. 
Daniel  F.  Keefe  was  admitted  at  Schenectady  in  1869,  after  taking  the  pre- 
scribed course  of  study  in  the  office  of  Davis  &  Harris,  in  Glens  Falls.  He 
commenced  practicing  here  in  the  spring  of  1870.  Edwin  R.  Safford  graduated 
at  the  Albany  Law  School  in  June,  1874.  For  the  first  five  or  six  years  he 
practiced  as  clerk  in  the  office  of  Brown  &  Sheldon,  of  this  place.  Since  leav- 
ing them  he  has  continued  his  practice  alone.  Calhoun  S.  Enches  has  prac- 
ticed here  since  his  admission  in  January,  1876.  Previously  he  had  read  with 
Armstrong  &  Keefe,  and  with  Judge  Davis.  H.  Prior  King,  after  reading  law 
at  Warrensburgh  and  with  Judge  Davis  at  Glens  Falls,  was  admitted  at  Albany 
in  January,  1878.  He  has  practiced  here  ever  since.  J.  H.  Bain  was  admitted 
in  1873  at  Iowa  City,  la.,  after  completing  a  course  of  study  in  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Iowa.  He  practiced  four  years  in  West  Liberty, 
Iowa,  and  then,  in  1878,  removed  to  Glens  Falls.  Charles  R.  Patterson  divided 
his  clerkship  between  R.  C.  Kellogg,  of  Elizabeth  town,  and  Hon.  Warren  S. 
Kelly,  of  Albany,  and  was  graduated  at  the  Albany  Law  School  in  May,  1878. 
He  then  practiced  in  Elizabethtown  until  February,  1879,  when  he  came  to 
Glens  Falls.  E.  L.  .Stearns  passed  the  examination  at  the  General  Term  of  the 
Supreme  Court  held  in  Saratoga  in  September,  1879.  He  had  previously 
studied  with  H.  A.  Howard,  of  this  place.  In  1881  he  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  and  was  re-elected  in  the  spring  of  1885.  Frank  H.  Streeter  was 
admitted  at  Albany  in  1880,  since  which  time  he  has  been  in  practice  in  Glens 
Falls.  J.  J.  Mead  read  law  in  the  office  of  Isaac  J.  Davis,  of  Glens  Falls,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  legal  department  of  Union  University,  May  25th,  1883. 
He  came  here  at  once  and  opened  an  office.  After  studying  law  with  Brown 
&  Sheldon,  and  subsequently  with  Stephen  Brown,  L.  M.  Brown  was  admitted 
at  Saratoga  in  September,  1883.  Since  his  admission  he  has  practiced  in  com- 
pany with  his  father,  under  the  firm  name  of  S.  &  L.  M.  Brown.  Charles  F. 
King  was  admitted  in  the  same  class  with  Mr.  Brown.  He  had  previously 
studied  with  Thomas  Cunningham,  of  Warrensburgh,  and  later  with  Stephen 
Brown.  He  is  now  clerk  in  the  office  of  S.  &  L.  M.  Brown.  William  M.  Cam- 
eron was  admitted  in  the  fall  of  1884  at  Saratoga.  He  passed  his  clerkship 
with  A.  Dallas  Wait,  ex-judge  of  Washington  county.  He  came  to  Glens  Falls 
in  the  spring  of  1885.  Eugene  L.  Ashley  passed  a  clerkship  with  M.  A.  Shel- 
don, of  this  place,  and  was  admitted  in  January,  1885. 

Present  Physicians.  —  The  introductory  remark  concerning  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  legal  profession  in  Glens  Falls  will  apply  in  this  division,  the  early 
physicians  having  been  properly  referred  to  in  the  previous  pages  of  this  chap- 
ter and  in  the  general  chapter  on  the  medical  fraternity.  The  physicians  at 
present  practicing  in  the  village  are :  Drs.  A.  O.  Ameden,  C.  S.  Barney,  Da- 
vid Bullard,  F.  L.  R.  Chapin,  H.  W.  Coffin,  R.  J.  Eddy,  James  Ferguson,  D. 


440  History  of  Warren  County. 

J.  Fitzgerald,  C.  A.  Foster,  W.  Garfield,  A.  W.  Holden,  Hamilton  Holliday, 
G.  W.  Little,  Godfrey  R.  Martine,  G.  W.  Nyce,  Buel  G.  Streeter  and  Fred  B. 
Streeter.  Dr.  James  Ferguson  is  a  graduate  of  the  medical  college  formerly 
situated  at  Castleton,  Vt,  which  endowed  him  with  a  degree  in  1841.  From 
then  until  1852  he  practiced  at  Schoharie,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  latter  date  re- 
moved to  Glen  Falls.  He  owned  the  Prospect  Mountain  House  at  Caldwell, 
which  was  burned  in  1880,  and  rebuilt  as  the  Ferguson  Mountain  House. 
Dr.  David  Bullard  was  graduated  at  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1849.  In 
1856  he  was  converted  to  the  principles  of  the  Homoeopathic  school.  He  prac- 
ticed in  Fulton  county  until  i860,  the  date  of  his  arrival  at  Glens  Falls.  Dr. 
F.  L.  R.  Chapin  was  graduated  from  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1851. 
He  practiced  in  Albany  until  1865  (excepting  two  years  in  which  he  was  in 
the  war)  and  from  1853  to  1861  was  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  college 
of  which  he  is  a  graduate.  In  1865  he  came  to  Glens  Falls  where  he  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present.  (See  biography  herein.)  Dr.  Buel  G.  Streeter  was  grad- 
uated at  the  Medical  College  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  in  1853,  and  located  at  Gran- 
ville, Washington  county,  N.  Y.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  Rebellion,  and 
filled  a  number  of  prominent  medical  and  surgical  positions.  After  the  war  he 
came  to  Glens  Falls.  (See  biographical  sketch  herein.)  Dr.  R.  J.  Eddy  was 
graduated  at  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Vermont  at  Burling- 
ton, in  1868.  He  first  practiced  in  Salisbury,  Vt,  then  at  Bristol  in  the  same 
State,  and  came  to  Glens  Falls  in  1872.  Dr.  A.  O.  Ameden  also  received  his 
medical  education  at  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Vermont. 
He  first  practiced  at  Patten's  Mills  in  Washington  county  about  three  years ; 
he  then  passed  over  nine  years  at  Ticonderoga.  He  came  here  in  January, 
1878.  He  is  a  native  of  Queensbury,  and  was  born  in  this  town  on  the  21st 
day  of  October,  1838.  Dr.  G.  W.  Little  received  his  degree  in  1858,  after 
completing  the  requisite  course  at  the  Albany  Medical  College.  During  this 
year  he  was  assistant  house-surgeon  of  the  Albany  City  Hospital.  He  came 
here  for  one  year.  In  1859  he  went  to  Johnsburgh,  in  this  county,  where  he 
remained  until  1865.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  Fort  Edward,  in  which  place 
he  practiced  until  the  spring  of  1881.  While  there  he  was  in  partnership  with 
Dr.  B.  F.  Cornell,  of  Moreau,  for  the  ten  years  ending  in  1877,  and  served 
three  successive  terms  as  coroner.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Glens  Falls  he 
entered  into  copartnership  with  H.  W.  Coffin,  which  lasted  until  July,  1884. 
Since  January,  1885,  Dr.  Hamilton  Holliday  has  been  with  him.  Dr.  Fred  B. 
Streeter  is  a  graduate  of  Union  College,  from  which  he  received  a  degree  in 
1876,  and  of  the  Albany  Medical  College,  which  gave  him  its  diploma  in  1879. 
He  immediately  began  to  practice  here.  Dr.  H.  W.  Coffin  was  graduated  at 
the  New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  in  1880.  He  practiced  in  New 
York  until  1882,  and  then  came  here.  As  before  stated,  he  was  in  company 
with  Dr.  Little  two  years,  but  since  July,  1884,  has  been  alone.     Dr.  Godfrey 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  441 

R.  Martine  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Vermont  in  1862,  and  practiced  until  1882  in  Johnsburgh,  Vt.  He  came 
here  in  1882,  and  in  the  following  year  associated  with  himself  Dr.  C.  A.  Fos- 
ter. (See  biography  herein.)  Dr.  C.  S.  Barney  began  to  practice  in  Glens 
Falls  immediately  after  receiving  his  degree  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  Union  University  at  Albany  in  1883.  Dr.  C.  A.  Foster  finished  his  course 
in  the  Louisville  Medical  College,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1879.  He  was  then 
house-surgeon  for  the  Louisville  City  Hospital  for  one  year.  In  1880  he  re- 
moved to  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  the  place  of  his  father's  residence,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  In  1883  he  came  to  Glens  Falls,  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  Dr.  Martine,  which  has  continued  to  the  present.  Dr.  G. 
W.  Nyce  dates  his  graduation  from  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Philadelphia  in  the  year  1857.  He  first  practiced  in  Michigan  ;  second 
in  Chicago,  where  he  was  burned  out  by  the  great  fire ;  third  in  Indiana  ; 
then  in  Kansas.  From  there  he  went  to  Greenwich,  Washington  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  thence  in  1883,  to  Glens  Falls.  Though  he  is  a  general  prac- 
titioner, his  specialty  is  in  removing  cancers,  tumors,  etc.  Dr.  W.  Garfield 
was  graduated  at  the  University  of  Vermont,  at  Burlington,  in  1874.  Until 
September,  1883,  he  practiced  at  Pawlet,  Vt.,  and  then  removed  hither.  Dr. 
D.  J.  Fitzgerald  received  his  degree  from  the  medical  department  of  Union 
University  in  March,  1884,  and  after  three  or  four  months'  practice  in  the 
Hospital  of  New  York  came  here.  Dr.  Hamilton  Holliday  was  also  admitted 
to  practice  in  March,  1884,  and  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department 
of  Union  University.  For  about  two  months  after  his  admission  he  remained 
in  the  office  of  Dr.  John  Swinburne,  of  x'Vlbany  — the  Swinburne  Medical  Dis- 
pensary. After  leaving  there  he  practiced  for  a  period  of  eight  months  in 
Gansevoort,  Saratoga  county.  He  came  to  Glens  Falls  and  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Dr.  Little  in  January,  1885.  Dr.  C.  Cote  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Montreal  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  London,  England.  He  came  to  Glens 
Falls  in  1884. 

Dental. — The  first  dentist  in  this  town  was  George  McNeil.  Another  den- 
tist who  came  here  very  early  and  remained  until  a  comparatively  recent  date 
was  James  E.  Cadwell,  who  is  unfortunate  in  that  he  has  been  pronounced  in- 
sane. George  E.  Knox  was  here  formerly,  too,  and  was  bought  out  by  James  S. 
Garrett,  who  came  here  in  i860.  Dr.  Garrett  still  practices  his  profession  here. 
He  passed  his  apprenticeship  with  Dr.  Knox.  J.  H.  Foulds  was  graduated  at 
the  Ohio  Dental  College  at  Cincinnati,  in  1881,  and  began  to  practice  in  Glens 
Falls  immediately.  W.  S.  Huntington,  after  an  experience  of  fourteen  years 
in  Watertown,  Jefferson  county,  came  here  in  November,  1882.  J.  W.  Ben- 
son began  practice  as  a  dentist  about  the  year  1858  in  Otsego  county.  He 
came  to  Glens  Falls  in  1863  and  has  continued  here  in  successful  practice 
since. 


442  History  of  Warren  County. 

Civil  Engineer. — James  W.  Reed  is  a  graduate  from  the  department  of 
civil  engineering  at  Cornell  University.  He  received  his  degree  in  June,  1883. 
He  was  employed  by  the  United  States  government  on  the  Mississippi  com- 
mission for  nearly  a  year,  and  was  afterwards  overseer  of  the  work  of  putting 
in  a  system  of  sewerage  at  Cape  May.      He  came  here  in  the  spring  of  1884. 

Present  Mercantile  Interests.  —  The  village  of  Glens  Falls  has  always  been 
by  far  the  most  important  mercantile  center  of  the  county,  but  not  until  the 
close  of  the  war  did  it  exhibit  significant  signs  of  growth  as  a  manufacturing 
locality,  excepting  in  the  one  branch  of  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  lum- 
ber products.  About  that  time,  however,  the  manufacturing  interest  received 
an  impetus  which  has  not  lost  or  lessened  its  influence  down  to  the  present 
day.  The  early  and  defunct  business  interests  have  been  already  sufficiently 
detailed  in  the  preceding  pages  of  the  town  history. 

There  are  at  present  no  fewer  than  fifty-four  mercantile  establishments  in 
the  village  —  all  apparently  prosperous.  The  oldest  estabhshment  at  present 
conducted  is  the  furniture  store  of  C.  M.  Wilmarth,  which  was  started  in  1841 
by  his  father  and  grandfather,  M.  L.  and  Leander  Wilmarth.  At  first  it  was 
only  a  miniature  chair  factory  on  Warren  street,  the  first  in  the  section.  J.  L. 
Kenworthy  (hardware  and  crockery)  established  himself  here  in  about  1842  or 
'43,  in  company  with  Noble  Peck.  The  two  remained  together  until  Peck's 
death  in  1862,  since  which  time  Mr.  Kenworthy  has  been  alone.  He  has  been 
a  resident  of  Glens  Falls  since  1831.  George  Ferguson  is  proprietor  of  a  dry 
goods  and  Yankee  notions  house  on  Glen  street.  The  business  was  started 
about  1850  by  his  father,  Henry  Ferguson.  From  1856  to  1870  George  Fer- 
guson and  his  father  conducted  the  business  together.  In  February  of  the 
latter  year  Henry  Ferguson  died,  and  his  son,  the  present  proprietor,  assumed, 
and  has  since  retained,  sole  control  of  the  establishment.  The  furniture  store 
of  BuUard  &  Loomis  was  initiated  in  i860  by  H.  Colvin,  in  Exchange  Place. 
Colvin  was  burned  out  in  1864,  and  immediately  recommenced  business  across 
the  street.  In  1875  he  took  Charles  E.  Bullard  into  partnership  with  him.  In 
1876  Henry  Swan  bought  Colvin's  interest,  and  the  firm  was  thereafter  Bullard 
&  Swan  until  1879.  Then  Mr.  Bullard  was  alone  until  the  fall  of  1882,  when 
John  R.  Loomis  acquired  an  interest,  which  he  still  retains.  The  Crandell 
Block,  which  they  occupy,  was  built  with  reference  to  their  business.  They 
occupy  about  15,000  feet  floor  room.  They  are  also  furnishing  undertakers. 
George  H.  Bassinger  opened  a  jewelry  store  on  Glen  street,  nearly  across  from 
his  present  store,  in  i860.  He  was  burned  out  in  1864,  and  immediately  re- 
opened, farther  south.  He  came  into  his  present  place  in  1872.  De  Long  & 
Sons  began  the  hardware  business  here  in  1861.  They  were  also  burned  out 
in  the  great  fire  of  1864,  after  which  they  came  to  their  present  quarters. 
The  members  of  the  firm  respectively  are  Z.  I.  De  Long,  T.  S.  De  Long  and 
J.  B.  De  Long.     M.  Snyder,  manufacturing  confectioner,  started  here  in  1862, 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  443 

■at  68  Glen  street;  moved  to  his  present  store,  22  Warren  street,  in  1879.  D. 
Peck  &  Company  conduct  a  large  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  business  at  85 
•and  87  Glen  street.  The  business  was  established  in  1864  by  D.  Peck  and  F. 
Eyrne  under  the  name  of  Peck  &  Byrne.  Mr.  Byrne  retired  in  1871,  and  Mr. 
Peck  continued  alone  until  1882,  when  his  brother,  H.  F.  Peck,  came  in  with 
him.  In  the  spring  of  1885  W.  M.  Peck,  son  of  D.  Peck,  entered  the  firm. 
These  three  gentlemen  are  now  the  proprietors.  They  supplied  forty  hotels 
with  provisions  during  the  year  1884.  They  carry  a  stock  ranging  in  value 
from  $20,000  to  $100,000.  L.  P.  Juvet,  proprietor  of  a  jewelry  store  at  No. 
■68  Glen  street,  established  himself  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  in  1865. 
He  moved  into  his  present  quarters  in  1867.  He  is  the  inventor  of  the  cele- 
brated Juvet  time  globe.  William  Cronkhite  &  Son  first  opened  their  grocery 
and  dry  goods  store  in  October,  1865.  William  Cronkhite  built  this  store 
after  the  great  fire  of  1864,  and  his  son,  H.  O.  Cronkhite,  came  in  with  him  at 
that  time.  The  senior  member  of  this  firm  came  to  Glens  Falls  as  early  as 
1853,  and  with  his  brother,  Eh  P.  Cronkhite,  opened  a  grocery  store  here.  In 
1854  his  brother  withdrew,  and  he  remained  alone  until  1865.  A.  Wurtenberg 
first  established  his  business,  dry  goods  and  carpets,  in  1867  at  No.  18  Warren 
■street.  From  there  he  subsequently  moved  to  104  Glen  street.  He  came  to 
his  present  location,  112  Glen  street,  in  March,  1883.  The  firm  name  was 
Rothschild  &  '^Wurtenberg  for  the  first  ten  years.  Crittenden  &  Cowles, 
■dealers  in  books,  wall  paper,  shades  and  stationery,  started  in  1868  at  No.  98 
-Glen  street,  and  in  1876  moved  to  96  Glen  street.  The  members  of  the  firm 
are  Horace  Crittenden  and  Benjamin  S.  Cowles,  jr.  Leggett  &  Bush,  drug- 
gists. No.  109  Glen  street,  began  business  in  Glens  Falls  in  1870.  The  indi- 
vidual members  of  the  firm  are  George  H.  Leggett  and  John  W.  Bush.  Joseph 
W.  Leggett  and  Elizabeth  H.  Leggett,  father  and  mother  to  the  senior  mem- 
■ber  of  the  firm,  were  in  the  town  of  Chester  early  in  the  century,  the  former 
reaching  there  as  early  as  1798.  He  died  there  in  1871.  His  widow  survives 
him.  S.  B.  Whitney  and  W.  W.  Rockwell  began  dealing  in  boots  and  shoes 
here  in  1871,  under  the  present  firm  name  of  S.  B.  Whitney  &  Company,  89 
■Glen  street.  D.  E.  Peek,  dealer  in  clothing,  hats,  etc.,  established  his  business 
here  in  1871.  He  bought  out  Brown  &  Hotchkiss  a  year  or  two  before  that. 
He  has  always  been  alone.  A.  White,  merchant  tailor  and  dealer  in  gents' 
furnishing  goods,  began  business  in  the  Cosgrove  Opera  House  in  1871  ;  came 
to  present  place  in  October,  1884.  F.  C.  Wilson  began  the  sale  of  green  gro- 
•ceries  on  Warren  street  in  1871.  He  came  to  his  present  location  in  1876. 
D.  W.  Sherman  started  a  furniture  here  in  1872.  In  1877  he  changed  his 
•wares  to  general  merchandise.  In  February,  1885,  his  sons,  William  A.  and 
Henry  L.  Sherman  established  partnership  relations  with  him,  the  firm  name 
now  being  D.  W.  Sherman  &  Sons.  W.  H.  Robbins  and  D.  P.  De  Long 
■established   a  dry  goods  business  in  1872  in  their  present  location,  108  Glen 


444  History  of  Warren  County. 

street.  There  has  been  no  change  of  place  or  proprietorship.  The  Vienna 
bakery  and  restaurant,  now  in  the  hands  of  Charles  T.  Sewell,  was  established 
in  1877  by  S.  &  M.  E.  McLaughlin.  In  1883  Mr.  Sewell  bought  out  S.  Mc- 
Laughlin, who  had  been  sole  proprietor  for  about  two  years.  S.  D.  Kendrick, 
proprietor  of  a  large  wholesale  and  retail  drug  store,  and  also  of  a  planing-mill, 
and  sash,  blinds  and  door  factory,  has  been  associated  at  various  times  with 
Levi  Wing,  C.  M.  Peck  and  Lyman  G.  Willson.  He  came  here  in  1873. 
Ezra  Hartman  opened  a  boot  and  shoe  store  here  in  1873,  having  bought  in  a 
half  interest  with  John  E.  Potter.  Mr.  Potter  soon  went  out,  and  the  firm  name 
became  Hartman  &  Freeman  in  about  1875.  Charles  E.  Everest  became  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Hartman  in  1876.  The  firm  style  is  now  Hartman  &  Everest. 
J.  W.  Haviland  began  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  harnesses  in  Glens  Falls  in 
1874,  having  George  Wells  for  a  junior  partner.  Mr.  Haviland  purchased 
Wells's  interest  in  1880.  In  1874  T.  C.  Stillwell  bought  an  interest  in  the  hard- 
ware business  of  W.  W.  D.  Jeffers.  In  1876  Jefifers  withdrew  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  firm  by  J.  W.  Allen.  Jefifers  had  been  in  the  business  since  1868. 
The  firm  title  is  now  Stillwell  &  Allen.  E.  M.  Silver  opened  a  clothing  store 
here  in  1874.  He  came  into  the  present  building.  No.  i  Warren  street,  in 
1880.  Isaac  Smith  has  been  the  sole  proprietor  of  an  extensive  grocery  estab- 
lishment since  May  i8th,  1875,  in  the  Cosgrove  Opera  House.  He  was  burned 
out  in  1884,  and  immediatelj'  removed  to  his  present  quarters,  99  Glen  street. 
R.  N.  Peck  was  in  the  drug  business  here  first  in  1870.  The  beginning  of  the 
present  enterprise,  however,  dates  in  1875.  Haviland  and  Ferriss  are  the  pro- 
prietors of  a  wholesale  and  retail  drugstore  which  was  first  opened  in  1876  by 
R.  F.  and  Willis  H.  Haviland.  The  latter  went  out  in  1881,  and  the  vacancy 
was  filled  by  George  M.  Ferriss.  The  firm  are  also  largely  interested  in  a 
lumber,  sash,  door  and  blind  factory,  and  in  hardware.  M.  &  J.  Cohen  opened 
their  present  clothing  store,  at  80  Glen  street,  in  1877.  George  H.  Thomas 
started  a  hardware  store  at  No  55  Glen  street  in  Glens  Falls,  in  the  year  1877. 
H.  Thomas  acquired  an  interest  in  the  business  in  1879.  After  various  re- 
movals, and  after  being  burned  out  on  April  28th,  1 884,  they  removed  into  their 
present  quarters  September  1st,  1884.  H.  Thomas  and  J.  L.  Kenworthy  both 
learned  their  trade  of  Noble  Peck.  Coolidge  &  Bentley  (F.  B.  Coolidge  and 
W.  F.  Bentley),  dealers  in  clothing,  hats,  caps,  etc.,  began  business  in  1878  on 
the  corner  of  Warren  and  Glen  streets,  and  removed  to  their  present  site  in 
1880.  Mr.  Coolidge  was  associated  with  A.  J.  Pearsall  from  1872  to  1878. 
Stephen  Bentley,  grandfather  to  W.  F.  Bentley  was  an  early  settler  in  the  town^ 
and  now  lives  about  two  miles  from  the  village.  C.  A.  Hovey  deals  exclu- 
sively in  fruits.  He  opened  a  grocery  at  No.  20  Warren  street  in  1 880.  In 
the  winter  of  1884  he  removed  to  his  present  location,  10 1  Glen  street,  and 
abandoned  the  general  grocery  business  for  his  present  stock.  O.  C.  Smith,  in 
company  with  E.  C.  Quinlan,  started   a   grocery  trade   in  1880,  at  the  present 


Henry  M.  Day. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  445 

stand  of  O.  C.  Smith,  who  has  been  sole  jiroprietor  since  the  withdrawal  of 
Mr.  Quinlan  in  October,  1884.  S.  G.  Boyd  began  dealing  in  books,  stationery, 
wall  paper  and  fancy  goods  in  about  1869  or  1870.  The  present  proprietors, 
P.  P.  Braley  and  E.  C.  Boyd,  bought  him  out,  in  March,  1880.  In  the  fire  ol 
April,  1884,  he  was  burned  out,  but  immediately  rebuilt  on  the  same  site  and 
commenced  their  occupation  of  the  new  store  in  the  following  October.  J.  Lieb- 
erman  established  a  clothing  and  "  gents'  furnishing   goods  "  business   here   in 

1880.  In  1883  L.  Sonn  acquired  a  half  interest  in  the  concern  and  the  firm 
name  became  Sonn  &  Lieberman.  M.  B.  Sweeney  &  Bro.,  groceries.  In 
1880  this  trade  was  established  by  M.  B.  Sweeney  and  Daniel  O'Leary  under 
the  firm  title  of  M.  B.  Sweeney  &  Co.  In  June,  1881,  Mr.  Sweeney  purchased 
O'Leary's  share  in  the  business  and  a  few  days  later  took  his  brother,  G.  A. 
Sweeney,  into  partnership  with  him.  The  trade  in  boots  and  shoes  now  con- 
ducted by  Long  Bros.,  was  originally  established  in  about  1879  or  1880  by 
Herrick  &  Freeman,  an  Albany  jobbing  house.  After  about  six  months  ex- 
perience there  they  sold  out  to  C.  W.  Long  who  remained  alone  until  March, 
1885.  In  that  month  he  associated  himself  with  his  brother,  D.  R.  Long.  The 
building  which  C.  W.  Long  formerly  occupied  on  the  same  site  was  destroyed 
by  the  fire  of  April  28th,  1884.  The  present  firm  of  general  merchants  known 
as  Havilands  &  Gilbert,  and  consisting  of  Charles  W.  and  John  G.  Haviland, 
and  F.  W.  Gilbert,  was  formed  in  March,  1881,  being  successors  to  Coolidge 
&  Lee  who  formerly  occupied  the  same  site.  W.  F.  Bissell  opened  a  music 
store  in  Bay  street,  in  1882.  James  E.  Thompson,  who  occupies  part  of  the 
store  of  Long  Bros,  commenced  dealing  in  jewelry  in  November,  1882.  J. 
Raub,  jr.,  has  dealt  in  dry  goods  and  fancy  goods  at  No.  74  Glen  street  since 
June,  1883.  The  drug  store  now  conducted  by  C.  L.  Doty  on  Bay  street  was 
first  opened  in  1882,  by  S.  W.  Lambie.  Mr.  Doty  bought  him  out  in  1883. 
C.  P.  Schermerhorn,  merchant  tailor  and  gents'  furnishing  goods,  has  been 
sole  proprietor  of  the  business  since  April,  1883,  when  he  established  it..  M. 
H.  Bitely  began  dealing  in  groceries  in  July,  1883,  in  the  store  still  occupied 
by  him.  George  E.  Adams,  dealer  in  hardware,  bought  out  J.  A.  Underwood 
in  February,  1883  ;  Underwood  had  had  charge  of  the  business  about  four  years 
prior  to  this  transfer.  Powers  &  Day,  grocers,  went  in  together  in  the  spring 
of  1883.  Mr.  Powers  was,  the  previous  year,  with  C.  A.  Hovey,  and  Mr. 
Day  bought  the   latter  out.     Keene  &  Hovey  established  the  business  about 

1 88 1.  The  members  of  the  present  firm  are  J.  S.  Powers  and  H.  N.  Day. 
Calvin  Day,  father  to  H.  N.  Day,  came  from  Massachusetts  to  the  town  of 
Chester  about  1845.  He  moved  to  Glens  Falls  in  1852  and  died  in  1881.  The 
The  firm  of  I.  N.  Scott  &  Son,  general  merchants,  was  formed  in  January,  1884, 
succeeding  the  firm  of  Holman,  Haviland  &  Co.  I.  N.  Scott  was  the  "  Co." 
The  business  was  first  conducted  by  Holman  &  Haviland.  Crandell  &  Mores, 
dealers  in  groceries,  bought   out  Charles  A.  Hovey,  Bay  street,  in    1884.      H. 


446  History  of  Warren  Countv. 

D.  Sanford  purchased  his  store  of  F.  A.  Mitchell  in  1884,  Mitchell's  business- 
was  then  about  a  year  old.  G.  F.  Bayle  &  Co.  (dry  goods  and  millinery)  be- 
gan business  in  March,  1884.  The  junior  member  of  the  firm  isW.  T.  Marshy 
of  Saratoga.     The   Glens  Falls  crockery  store  was  first  opened    March  31  st^ 

1884,  by  the  present  proprietor,  A.  F.  Stewart.  The  Rochester  clothing  com- 
pany alias  Henry  Schwartz  &  Co.,  began  to  deal  in  ready  made  clothing  irt 
November,  1884.  Martine,  Rice  &  Co.,  dealers  in  teas,  coffees  and  spices,  es- 
tablished their  business  in  December,  1884.  W.  H.  Rice  is  the  active  mana- 
ager  of  the  trade.  N.  S.  Cronkhite,  dealer  in  books  and  stationery,  bought 
out  I.J.  Keeler  in  1884.  Keeler  had  established  the  business  in  the  fall  of 
1883.  L.  F.  Baker,  boot  and  shoe  merchant,  bought  out  E.  A.  Stevens,  Jan- 
uary 1st,  1885.  Stevens  had  been  here  about  two  years  previous.  Willis  J.  Ken- 
drick  opened  a  store  for  the  sale  of  drugs,  chemicals,  and  medicines,  on  the 
I2th  day  of  January,  1885.     S.  A.  Barrows  came  here  from  Troy  in   April, 

1885,  and  opened  his  present  grocery  store  at  No.  57  Glen  street. 

Hotels.  —  Glens  Falls,  being  a  convenient  station  for  summer  visitors  en- 
route  for  Lake  George,  and  having'been  used  therefor  "  time  whereof  the  mem- 
ory of  man  runneth  not  to  the  contrary,"  has  always  been  more  or  less  famous- 
for  the  number  and  excellence  of  its  hotels.  The  early  taverns,  and,  indeed, 
all  those  that  are  now  dead,  have  received  sufficient  mention  a  few  pages  back, 
and  therefore  all  that  is  required  here  is  a  sketch  of  the  hotels  at  present  re- 
ceiving guests. 

The  site  on  which  the  Rockwell  House  stands  has  been  occupied  for  hotel 
purposes  since  the  opening  of  the  present  century.  In  1802  John  A.  Ferriss. 
erected  the  original  hotel  here,  and  by  the  aid  of  various  landlords,  most  prom- 
inent among  whom  is  the  well-known  Peter  D.  Threehouse,  the  Glens  Falls  Ho- 
tel became  deservedly  celebrated  among  the  traveling  public  as  a  desirable 
place  to  stay.  Threehouse  was  followed,  among  others,  by  Rogers  &  Brown, 
Richard  W.  Higby,  A.  B.  Tubbs,  and  Wait  S.  Carpenter.  In  the  fall  of  1852- 
53,  Carpenter,  last  above  named,  having  purchased  the  premises,  tore  down, 
the  old  structure  and  erected  on  its  site  a  large,  substantial  brick  building. 
Carpenter  played  well  the  part  of  "  mine  host"  until  the  great  fire  of  1864  con- 
sumed his  hotel  and  effects,  when  he  decamped.  The  ground  for  a  number  of 
years  lay  idle.  In  1869,  in  order  to  forestall  the  apprehended  occupation  of 
the  eligible  site  by  a  proposed  row  of  stores,  a  number  of  gentlemen  procured 
a  contribution  of  fifteen  thousand  four  hundred  dollars  for  the  purchase' of  the 
lot  and  the  erection  of  a  first-class  hotel.  The  purchase  being  effected,  the 
premises  were  offered  to  any  person  or  firm  who  could  assume  the  responsi- 
bility of  building  thereon  a  hotel  which  would  reflect  credit  upon  the  village. 
The  offer  was  accepted  in  the  spring  of  1 871,  by  H.  J.  and  George  H.  Rock- 
well, who  redeemed  their  undertaking  in  a  manner  of  which  they  and  their  fel- 
low-townsmen  have   reason   to   be  proud.     The  construction  of  the  building; 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  447 

occupied  all  the  interim  between  the  26th  of  March,  1871,  and  the  31st  of  Jan- 
uary, 1872.  In  October,  1871,  Mr.  C.  L.  Rockwell  took  the  place  of  George 
H.  Rockwell.  On  the  12th  of  the  ensuing  February  the  Rockwell  House  was 
opened  for  business,  and  on  the  22d  of  the  same  month  a  grand  infair  attested 
to  the  people  of  Glens  Falls,  at  once  the  singular  adaptability  of  the  new  pro- 
prietors to  the  business  they  had  undertaken,  and  their  enterprising  determina- 
tion to  employ  their  talents  most  worthily.  The  hotel  in  front  is  four  stories 
high,  with  a  Mansard  roof  and  Swiss  towers.  It  extends  one  hundred  feet  in 
length  by  forty-five  feet  in  depth.  Projecting  in  the  rear  is  an  ell  one  hundred 
and  forty  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide,  and  three  stories  high.  There  are  several 
parlors,  seventy-two  sleeping  rooms,  and  a  capacity  for  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  guests.  When  the  house  is  filled,  the  labor  of  thirty-seven  employees  is 
continually  required.  In  round  numbers,  the  cost  of  the  building  was  sixty 
thousand  dollars,  and  of  the  furniture,  purchased  in  Boston,  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  The  crockery  and  silver  ware  was  purchased  in  Albany  and  the  car- 
pets in  New  York  city.  The  iron  work  used  in  the  construction  of  the  build- 
ing was  furnished  by  the  American  Corrugated  Iron  Company,  of  Springfield, 
Mass.  The  spacious  pleasure  grounds  in  the  rear  of  the  building,  together  with 
the  complete  catalogue  of  all  the  modern  appliances,  conspire  to  make  this  pub- 
lic house  homelike  and  comfortable.  The  architect  was  M.  F  Cummings,  of 
Troy;  the  carpenters  were  Krum  &  Adams;  brick  masons,  Holman  &  Pike. 
James  Camp  laid  the  stone  work  ;  and  the  painter  and  glazier  was  S.  P.  Jack- 
man.  The  proprietors  for  the  first  six  years  were  H.  J.  &  C.  L.  Rockwell,  but 
in  1878,  upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  senior  member  of  the  co-partnership,  Mr. 
C.  L.  Rockwell,  the  present  manager,  assumed  the  control  of  the  business.  Ac- 
cording to  the  exceptionless  testimony  of  those  who  have  been  entertained  by 
Mr.  Rockwell,  there  is  not  a  better  hotel  in  the  country.  Hotel  proprietors, 
like  poets,  are  born,  not  made,  and  Mr.  Rockwell  has  not  mistaken  his  calling. 

The  site  of  the  American  House  is  also  of  considerable  antiquity  as  the 
foundation  ground  for  a  hotel.  The  old  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the 
5th  of  August,  1879,  and  the  present  structure  completed  in  the  following 
July.  George  Pardo  the  present  proprietor,  bought  out  Noble  Clark  in  No- 
vember, 1865,  and  has  remained  the  landlord  to  the  present.  Clark  had  been 
in  this  hotel  about  three  months  when  he  sold  to  Pardo. 

The  Nelson  House  Bay  street,  deriving  its  name  from  the  proprietor,  John 
S.  Nelson,  who  has  kept  the  house  since  1870,  will  accommodate  about  twenty- 
five  guests. 

McSweeney  &   Lynch   have   kept   the   Mansion  House  for  seven  or  eight 

years. 

The  remaining  hotel  is  the  F"itzgerald  House,  near  the  depot,  kept  by  Dan- 
iel Fitzgerald,  who  fitted  up  the  hotel  from  a  former  private  residence. 

Banks. — The  Glens  Falls  National  Bank  was  organized  as  a  private  bank- 


448  History  of  Warren  County. 

ing  company  in  1851,  under  the  name  of  the  Glens  Falls  Bank.  The  first  offi- 
cers and  directors  were:  B.  P.  Burhans,  president;  Abraham  Wing,  vice-pres- 
ident; Billy  J.  Clark,  Walter  Geer,  Keyes  P.  Cool,  D.  G.  Roberts,  Bethuel 
Peck,  James  Buell,  Pelatiah  Richards,  Benjamin  Ferris,  Halsey  Rogers,  Byron 
Rice,  Dan'l  H.  Cowles.  In  1865  it  was  reorganized  under  the  National 
Bank  Act,  as  the  Glens  Falls  National  Bank,  with  the  following  officers  and 
directors  :  B.  P.  Burhans,  president ;  Abraham  Wing,  vice-president ;  Pelatiah 
Richards,  Benjamin  Ferris,  Thos.  S.  Gray,  Zenas  Van  Dusen,  Alonzo  W.  Mor- 
gan, D.  G.  Roberts,  Dan'l  H.  Cowles,  J.  C.  Finch,  N.  E.  Sheldon,  Chas. 
Rice,  S.  L.  Goodman.  Prior  to  the  reorganization,  i.  e..  May  31st,  1864,  the 
corporation  suffered  in  common  with  the  greater  portion  of  the  business  pop- 
ulation of  Glens  Falls,  from  the  devastating  fire  which  then  visited  the  village. 
Business  continued,  however,  without  any  serious  interruption,  until  the  re-or- 
ganization, when,  of  course,  it  assumed  a  new  phase. 

The  first  cashier  was  E.  J.  Blacke.  In  1853  he  resigned,  and  was  succeeded 
by  John  Alden,  who  filled  the  position  creditably  until  1862,  when  he  died. 
William  A.  Wait,  who  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  thus  caused,  has  per- 
formed the  duties  incident  to  the  office  with  unremitting  diligence  and  distin- 
guished ability  to  the  present  time.  The  other  changes  in  office  are  indicated 
by  the  following  chronological  statement : — 

1867,  Jeremiah  W.  Finch  elected  vice-president,  vice  Abraham  Wing  re- 
signed on  account  of  failing  health  ;  1870,  January:  James  C.  Finch  died; 
Hon.  Halsey  R.  Wing  died;  February:  Pelatiah  Richards  died;  1873,  Abra- 
ham Wing,  late  vice-president,  died  June  13th;  Dr.  N.  Edson  Sheldon  died 
July  3d  ;i87S,  Benj.  Ferris  died  Feb.  15th  ;  June  i6th,  death  of  Hon.  Benjamin 
P.  Burhans,  president  of  the  bank  from  its  original  organization  ;  Jeremiah 
W.  Finch  elected  president,  and  Stephen  Brown,  vice-president.  The  present 
officers  and  directors  are  as  follows,  the  dates  of  the  election  of  the  respective 
directors  following  their  names  : — 

J.  W.  Finch,  president,  (elected  director  in  1866);  Stephen  Brown,  vice- 
president,  (elected  director  in  1873);  Dan'l  H.  Cowles,  (185 1);  Alonzo  W. 
Morgan,  (1856);  Zenas  Van  Duzen,  (1858);  S.  L.  Goodman,  (1863);  Henry 
Crandell,  (1870);  Joseph  Fowler,  (187 1) ;  Fred.  O.  Burhans,  (1871);  John  P. 
Bowman,  (1871);  Dan'l  J.  Finch,  (1873);  T.  S.  Coolidge,  (1873);  Dan'l  Peck, 
(1873);   William  A.  Wait,  cashier;  John  E.  Parry,  teller. 

First  National  Bank  of  Glens  Falls. — This  banking  company  was  originally 
organized  in  January,  1853,  under  the  title  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Glens 
Falls,  in  what  was  then  known  as  the  Sherwood  Building,  erected  about  1 841 
or  1842,  on  the  site  of  the  present  structure.  The  bank  purchased  it  of  W.  S. 
Sherwood  for  $2,800,  and  lost  it  in  the  great  fire  of  1864.  The  present  build- 
ing was  erected  in  the  same  year[at  a  cost  of  $18,000.  Architect,  Walter  Dick- 
son, of  Albany;  builders,  D.  C.  Holman  ;  original  capital  unchanged,  $136,400. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  449 

It  was  reorganized  as  a  national  bank  in  April,  1865.  The  officers  have  been 
as  follows :  President,  William  McDonald,  from  the  organization  ;  Augustus 
Sherman  from  November,  1858  to  December,  1884;  present  president,  Jerome 
Lapham.  Vice-presidents,  Bethuel  Peck,  from  the  organization ;  Augustus 
Sherman,  from  February,  1855  ;  Linus  B.  Barnes,  from  November,  1858;  James 
Morgan,  from  February,  1861 ;  Jerome  Lapham,  from  November,  1873  to  1884. 
Cashiers,  Isaiah  Scott,  from  organization  ;  Fred  A.  Johnson,  jr.,  from  April, 
1859;  Emmett  T.  Johnson,  from  January,  1865  to  and  including  the  present. 
The  original  board  of  directors  consisted  of:  Lewis  Hunt,  James  C.  Clark, 
William  W.  Rockwell,  Bethuel  Peck,  Keyes  P.  Cool,  James  Morgan,  Hermon 
Peck,  William  H.  Warren,  Quartus  Curtis,  Augustus  Sherman,  Erskine  G. 
Clark,  Joseph  Russell,  Willianl  McDonald.  Other  members  of  the  board  at 
various  times  are  as  follows;  Jeremy  Rockwell,  elected  September,  1853;  Wil- 
liam A.  Fonda,  February,  1854;  Isaiah  Scott,  July,  1854;  Levi  Hatch,  Feb- 
ruary, 1855;  Enos  Howland,  ditto;  Henry  Ferguson,  ditto;  Ruliff  Kipp, 
February,  1856;  Ira  Harris,  ditto;  Charles  R.  Richards,  ditto;  Daniel  Sweet, 
February,  1857  ;  U.  G.  Paris,  February,  1858  ;  Linus  B.  Barnes,  August,  1858  ; 
James  Morgan,  ditto ;  Alexander  Robertson,  January,  1859;  Henry  Crandell, 
February,  i860;  Jerome  Lapham,  ditto;  Samuel  Pruyn,  Gustavus  A.  Austin, 
Nathaniel  Barker,  Charles  Fowler,  February,  1861  ;  Lifelet  Harris,  October, 
1861  ;  William  H.  Gayger,  February,  1862  ;  Daniel  V.  Brown,  February, 
1864;  William  McEchron,  February,  1865;  Martin  Coffin,  August,  1867. 
The  present  directors  are  Jerome  Lapham,  M.  A.  Sheldon,  William  McEchron, 
A.  B.  Abbott,  Z.  I.  De  Long,  Samuel  Pruyn,  Ruliff  Kipp,  D.  W.  Sherman,  Mar- 
tin Coffin,  W.  E.  Spier,  William  H.  Gayger,  Jonathan  M.  Coolidge,  Byron  B. 
Fowler. 

Glens  Falls  Insurance  Company. — The  first  movement  toward  the  forma- 
tion of  an  insurance  company  in  Glens  Falls  was  in  1849,  when  a  number  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  the  place  united  their  abilities  and  energies  and  se- 
cured the  corporation  of  what  was  called  the  Glens  Falls  Dividend  Mutual  In- 
surance Company.  Probably  none  of  those  who  originally  moved  in  the  mat- 
ter supposed  that  they  were  laying  the  corner  stone  of  a  corporation  that 
would  ultimately  count  its  property  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars, 
and  its  business  by  millions,  and  make  Glens  Falls  a  familiar  name  throughout 
the  United  States. 

The  following  were  the  signers  of  the  original  call  for  the  purpose  of  for- 
mation :  J.  H.  Rice,  D.  G.  Harris,  E.  H.  Rosekrans,  Abraham  Wing,  Bethuel 
Peck,  Charles  Rockwell,  E.  S.  Vaughn,  A.  Sherman,  E.  H.  Hopkins,  George 
Cronkhite,  A.  N.  Cheney,  D.  McNiel,  Billy  J.  Clark,  J.  G.  Haviland,  L.  B. 
Barnes,  James  Hurley,  J.  B.  Cool,  W.  S.  Carpenter,  H.  R.  Wing,  D.  H.  Cowles, 
John  H.  Walker,  J.  J.  Ferine.  On  the  isth  day  of  February,  1850,  at  the  first 
meeting  of  the  company,  the  following  were  elected  directors:     F.  D.  Hodge- 

29 


4SO  History  of  Warren  County. 

man,  E.  H.  Rosekrans,  Thomas  Archibald,  Charles  Rockwell  Stephen  Good- 
man, Bethuel  Peck,  William  Cronkhite,  Albert  Cheney,  Pelatiah  Richards,  L. 
B.  Barnes,  Abraham  Wing,  William  H.  Wells,  Billy  J.  Clark.  Following  close 
upon  their  election  the  board  of  directors  held  a  regular  business  session  on 
the  4th  of  March,  1850,  and  chose  the  following  officers:  President,  Bethuel 
Peck ;  vice-president,  Pelatiah  Richards  ;  secretary,  R.  M.  Little ;  treasurer, 
A.  N.  Cheney;  attorney,  E.  H.  Rosekrans.  The  company  then  commenced 
the  prosecution  of  business  in  a  single  room  of  the  old  Exchange  Building,  on 
the  corner  of  Glen  and  Exchange  streets.  They  shortly  afterward  removed  to 
a  single  room  in  D.  H.  Cowles  &  Co's  building,  on  the  corner  of  Warren  and 
Ridge  streets,  which  they  occupied  until  their  final  removal  to  their  own  build- 
ing on  Glen  street.  Dr.  Holden,  in  his  excellent  history,  states  that  the  build- 
ing had  been  "  twice  enlarged  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  constantly  increas- 
ing business  which  has  accompanied  its  increase  of  years.  During  the  early 
years  of  this  company,  while  in  its  swaddling  clothes,  the  transaction  of  its 
business  was  not  necessarily  diffused  into  the  hands  of  as  extensive  a  corps  of 
assistants  as  at  present,  and  many  of  our  citizens  will  recall  the  fact  that  for 
some  years  the  secretary  (now  president)  was  '  boss  and  all  hands, '  not  only 
transacting  all  the  inside  work  but  the  outside  business  as  well.  Even  after 
the  name  of  the  Glens  Falls  Dividend  Mutual  Insurance  Company  had  become 
■well  and  favorably  known  over  a  large  extent  of  territory  as  an  honorable  and 
efficient  corporation,  the  whole  office  work  was  done  by  the  secretary  and  one 
clerk,  and  that  with  the  accommodations  and  palatial  surroundings  and  office  fur. 
niture  which  would  not  have  brought  twenty-five  dollars  in  the  market. " 

In  1864,  by  reason,  it  seems,  of  the  general  and  increasing  prejudice 
against  State  mutual  insurance  companies,  which  had  almost  universally  met 
with  disaster  through  reckless  and  unscrupulous  management,  it  was  proposed 
to  reorganize  the  Dividend  Mutual  Company  into  a  joint  stock  company. 
The  plan  was  accordingly  executed  and  the  company  started  on  its  auspicious 
career  with  a  paid  up  capital  of  $100,000,  and  as  much  more  subscribed.  So 
rapid  was  the  growth  of  the  business  that  in  1868  the  capital  was  increased  by 
actual  payment  to  $200,000.  Following  are  the  more  prominent  members  of 
the  boards  of  directors  since  the  original  formation  of  the  company :  D.  H. 
Cowles,  Hermon  Peck,  Lewis  Hunt,  Alexander  Robertson,  Joseph  Parry, 
George  Clendon,  S.  B.  Lee,  T.  S.  Gray,  O.  Cronkhite,  James  W.  Schenck, 
Alonzo  W.  Morgan,  Thomas  Potter,  Isaac  J.  Davis,  Walter  Phelps,  jr.,  John 
Alden,  D.  G.  Roberts,  F.  A.  Johnson,  jr.,  O.  Richards,  Jerome  Lapham,  B.  F. 
Bancroft,  Charles  Fowler,  Augustus  Sherman,  J.  C.  Greene,  E.  Andrews,  M.  W. 
Fish,  H.  S.  Rankin,  F.  O.  Burhans,  H.  R.  Wing,  Asahel  Wing,  James  Mor- 
gan, Isaac  G.  Parker,  R.  M.  Little,  Stephen  Brown,  Ruliff  Kipp,  Samuel  Pruyn, 
A.  J.  Pearsall,  T.  S.  Coolidge,  J.  L.  Cunningham,  Harvey  Brown,  M.  B.  Lit- 
tle, Joseph  Fowler,  E.  Alliger,  D.  C.  Holman,  Joseph  E.  King,  W.  A.  Wait, 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  451 

John  A.  Sheldon.  Since  the  formation  of  the  new  company  the  following 
have  held  the  offices  prefixed  to  their  names  in  the  order  in  which  their  names 
are  written :  Presidents :  Bethuel  Peck,  Pelatiah  Richards,  A.  W.  Morgan  and 
R.  M.  Little.  Secretaries  :  R.  M.  Little,  A.  N.  Locke  and  J.  L.  Cunningham. 
Treasurers:  A.  N.  Cheney,  F.  A.  Johnson,  jr.,  Alexander  Robertson,  Jerome 
Lapham  and  F.  A.  Johnson.  The  present  officers  are  as  follows :  president, 
R.  M.  Little ;  secretary,  J.  L.  Cunningham ;  treasurer,  F.  A.  Johnson  ;  gene- 
ral agent,  R.  A.  Little ;  board  of  directors :  Daniel  H.  Cowles,  Frederick  A. 
Johnson,  Jerome  Lapham,  Augustus  Sherman  (deceased  since  election),  Mo- 
ses W.  Fish,  Fred  O.  Burhans,  Russel  M.  Little,  Stephen  Brown,  Melville  A. 
Sheldon,  Thomas  S.  Coolidge,  Harvey  Brown,  Meredith  B.  Little,  Joseph 
Fowler,  Dewitt  C.  Holman,  Joseph  E.  King,  William  A.  Wait,  Alson  B.  Ab- 
bott, B.  F.  Bancroft,  J.  L.  Cunningham,  Orange  Ferriss.  The  Western  Depart- 
ment is  at  Chicago,  III,  J.  L.  Whitlock  being  manager.  The  total  premiums 
paid  to  the  company  since  its  organization  amount  to  $6,163,069.56;  divi- 
dends (cash)  $350,000;  losses  $3,332,087.10;  stock  owned  by  directors  per- 
sonally $72,180.  As  Dr.  Holden  justly  says,  "prudence  and  firmness  have 
ever  been  the  predominating  traits  of  this  sound  old  company ;  its  risks  have 
been  carefully  selected  and  a  powerful  resistance  always  opposed  to  fraud." 

The  foregoing  mention  of  the  business  interests  of  Glens  Falls  would  be 
scarcely  complete  if  the  establishment  of  S.  R.  Stoddard,  the  widely-known 
artist  and  publisher,  was  neglected.  Mr.  Stoddard  came  to  Glens  Falls  in  1864, 
having  then  just  attained  his  majority,  from  Troy  where  he  had  been  employed 
in  the  celebrated  car  works  of  Eaton  &  Gilbert,  as  an  ornamental  painter.  Within 
six  months  from  the  time  he  entered  that  establishment,  so  great  was  his  ar- 
tistic ambition  and  natural  genius  in  that  direction,  he  was  engaged  upon  the 
finest  work,  taking  the  place  of  a  painter  who  had  received  more  for  a  day's 
work  than  young  Stoddard  did  for  a  week.  From  the  time  of  his  advent  to 
Glens  Falls  he  followed  the  business  of  sign  and  ornamental  painting,  giving 
his  spare  hours  to  landscape  and  portrait  work.  He  learned  the  art  of  pho- 
tography, with  a  view  of  thus  securing  by  his  own  use  of  the  camera  broader 
opportunities  to  study  the  beautiful  in  nature,  his  artistic  genius  turning  natur- 
ally more  to  landscape  than  to  portrait  work.  As  his  collection  of  photo- 
graphic negatives  increased,  embracing  many  of  the  grandest  scenes  in  the 
Adirondack  regionand  about  Lakes  George  and  Champlain,  the  prints  began 
to  be  called  for  by  tourists  and  others,  and  Mr.  Stoddard  finally  gave  up  shop 
work  and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  landscape  photography,  landscape  and 
portrait  painting,  and  latterly  to  the  publication  of  books  and  maps.  His  first 
publication  was  called  Lake  George,  a  historical  and  descriptive  guide, 
which  appeared  in  1873.  This  was  soon  followed  by  Ticonderoga,  Past  and 
Present,  a  similar  work  on  that  historic  region.  In  1874  he  published  The 
Adirondacks  Illustrated,  a  work  of  value  as   a   guide  book.      Since  then   the 


452  History  of  Warren  County. 

last  named  work  and  the  Lake  George  book  have  been  revised  and  re- publish- 
ed annually,  meeting  with  a  large  sale.  These  books  are  written  in  a  pleasant, 
entertaining  vein  to  brighten  the  common  monotony  of  the  guide  books,  and 
have  been  commended  by  the  press  of  the  country.  In  1880  Mr.  Stoddard 
published  his  Map  of  the  Adirondack  Wilderness,  of  which  one  of  the  lead- 
ing journals  of  the  country  said  :  "  It  is  the  most  complete  map  of  the  Adi- 
rondack region  ever  published."  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  made  a  plane  table 
survey  of  Lake  George,  and  in  the  next  year  issued  his  map  of  Lake  George, 
of  which  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  it  was  approved  and  adopted  by  the  State 
engineer  and  surveyor  to  accompany  the  report  on  public  lands  in  1883. 

Present  Manufacturing  Interests. —  As  observed  in  another  page,  the  manu- 
facturing interests  of  this  place  have  grown  to  their  present  respectable  pro- 
portions mainly  since  the  late  war.  Something  of  an  impetus  was  given  to  the 
lumber  trade,  it  is  true,  when  the  feeder  was  first  made  a  navigable  channel  in 
1832,  but  this  was  confined  to  one  branch  of  industry,  and  had  little  or  no  ef- 
fect in  starting  up  the  other  interests  which  now  exist  here.  Glens  Falls  has, 
however,  become  not  only  a  village  of  considerable  present  importance  as  a 
manufacturing  center,  but  promises  more  richly  of  the  future  than  its  past  ever 
indicated  would  be  possible.  The  difficulties  and  obstacles  to  its  attaining  im- 
portance in  this  respect  are  transitory,  its  resources  are  various  and  well  nigh 
inexhaustible,  and  its  water  power  tremendous.  Being  the  gateway  of  the 
Lake  George  region,  it  receives  considerable  wealth  from  the  open-handed  vis- 
itors of  summer  who  stop  here  a  day  or  a  night  on  their  way  to  the  waters 
which  the  fancy  of  J.  Fenimore  Cooper  has  immortalized.  Before  the  open- 
ing of  the  railroads,  the  transportation  of  the  products  of  the  various  manu- 
factories was  greatly  facilitated  by  the  Glens  Falls  Transportation  Company, 
which  was  incorporated  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  feeder.  The  president  for 
the  first  six  years  of  its  existence  was  John  Keenan,  who  organized,  and,  it  has 
been  said,  almost  constituted  the  company.  The  capital  stock  at  first  was 
$50,000.  The  object  of  the  formation  of  the  company  was  the  more  con- 
venient and  expeditious  shipment  of  products  to  New  York.  The  company 
owned  at  first  twenty-five  canal  boats,  and  did  an  extensive  business.  In  those 
days  there  was  a  large  tanning  interest  in  the  county,  and  the  company  was 
largely  employed  in  the  transportation  of  hides  and  leather.  The  business 
naturally  suffered  something  of  a  decline  after  the  completion  of  the  railroads. 
Upon  John  Keenan's  retirement  from  the  presidency  he  was  succeeded  by  S. 
L.  Goodman,  and  the  latter  by  Thomas  Coolidge.  The  present  president  is 
Samuel  Pruyn. 

The  Lumber  Industry. — The  reader  has  already  been  given,  in  Chapter 
XVI,  a  general  description  of  this  business  as  developed  in  the  county  at  large. 
By  far  the  greater  part  of  it  centers  at  Glens  Falls  and  vicinity.  Many  of  the 
citizens  of  this  town  have  devoted  their  energies  to  the  up-building  of  the  in- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Que;ensbury.  453 

dustry  and  have  secured  ample  fortunes.  Companies  have  been  organized  em- 
bracing in  their  composition  men  of  character,  influence  and  force,  and  enor- 
mous mills  have  been  built  with  all  the  accessories  for  carrying  on  the  work  on 
a  large  scale. 

The  firm  to  which  succeeded  the  Morgan  Lumber  Company  was  organized 
in  the  fall  of  1865,  and  was  then  composed  of  James  Morgan,  A.  M.  Adsit, 
William  McEchron  and  Jonas  Ordvvay,  under  the  firm  name  of  Morgan,  Adsit  & 
Company.  They  purchased  what  were  then  known  as  the  Cheney  mills,  com- 
prising all  of  the  milling  property  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  at  Glens  Falls, 
including  a  vast  amount  of  real  estate  along  the  river,  the  limestone  and  marble 
quarries  of  that  property  and  the  dock  property  on  the  canal.  Previous  to  1865 
Messrs.  Morgan  and  McEchron  had  been  doing  business  for  several-  years,  but 
owned  no  mill  property,  hiring  their  sawing  done  at  the  Cheney  mills  ;  still 
earlier  Mr.  Morgan  was  engaged  in  lumber  operations  alone.  Mr.  Adsit  died 
in  the  spring  of  1871,  and  in  the  succeeding  fall  J.  Underwood  bought  his  in- 
terest and  the  firm  name  changed  to  James  Morgan  &  Co.  Mr.  Morgan  died 
August  1st,  1873,  and  in  the  following  January  his  interest  was  sold  to  what 
was  then  the  Albany  house,  who  had  sold  the  lumber  of  the  firm  (W.  H. 
Weaver  &  Co.)  and  William  F.  Spier,  and  the  style  was  changed  to  the  Mor- 
gan Lumber  Company ;  thus  it  has  remained.  Mr.  Underwood's  interest  was 
bought  by  the  remaining  partners  on  the  first  of  January,  1880. 

Extensive  improvements  were  inaugurated  from  the  beginning  of  the  first 
named  firm  and  continued  to  recent  times ;  the  mills  were  enlarged  and  im- 
proved until  they  were  practically  rebuilt,  and  are  now  among  the  largest  in 
the  county,  and  for  years  the  company  have  done  the  largest  business.  About 
two  hundred  and  fifty  hands  are  employed,  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and 
lime,  the  same  company  owning  and  operating  a  marble  mill.  Their  opera- 
tions include  the  manufacture  of  staves,  wood  for  burning  lime,  and  other  minor 
products.  Their  lumber  is  sold  largely  in  New  York.  The  original  cost  of  the 
mill  property  was  $200,000.  The  present  members  of  the  company  are  Will- 
iam McEchron,  Jonas  Ordway  and  William  E.  Spier,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  W. 
H.  Weaver  &  Co.,  of  Albany. 

Mills  similar  to  those  above  described  are  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river  directly  opposite  and  are  now  owned  and  operated  by  the  Glens  Falls  Co., 
comprising  J.  W.  Finch,  Samuel  Pruyn  and  D.  W.  Finch.  We  are  unable  to  give 
a  further  description  of  these  mills,  the  firm  having  declined  to  furnish  neces- 
sary information. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  river  at  the  State  dam,  a  little  above  Glens  Falls, 
are  the  mills  of  ZSnas  and  Nelson  W.  Van  Dusen,  which  are  the  largest  under 
one  roof  in  the  county  and  one  of  the  best  in  the  State.  This  mill  is  new,  hav- 
ing been  finished  within  the  past  year;  the  mills  previously  occupying  the  site 
were  taken  down  to  make  room  for  the  new  ones.     There  are  two  hundred  and 


454  History  of  Warren  County. 

fifty  saws,  and  the  property  is  estimated  to  be  worth  $250,000.  The  output 
from  these  mills  in  1884  was  150,000,000  feet,  which  was  sold  largely  in  New 
York.  A  smaller  steam  mill  was  erected  in  1880  near  by  the  one  described, 
for  working  up  the  refuse  of  the  larger  mills.  The  Van  Dusens  also  own  some 
60,000  acres  of  timber  lands  in  Warren,  Essex  and  Hamilton  counties.  These 
are  now  the  prominent  saw- mills  of  this  town  and  represent  a  vast  industry. 

Among  those  others  who  have  been  conspicuous  in  the  lumber  industry  in 
this  town  may  be  mentioned  Augustus  Sherman,  Abraham  Wing,  Jerome  Lap- 
ham,  and  others  whose  names  appear  in  connection  with  the  business  interests 
of  the  town. 

The  Lime  Business.  —  The  manufacture  of  lime  has  for  many  years  been 
only  second  in  this  town  to  the  lumber  industry.  The  quantity  now  manufac- 
tured at  Glens  Falls  is  equaled  in  no  other  place  in  the  country  except  Rock- 
land, Me.,  while  in  point  of  quality  it  stands  at  the  head.  The  rock  in  the 
quarries  here  yields  when  properly  calcined  from  ninety-five  to  ninety-eight 
per  cent,  of  the  purest  and  whitest  lime  to  be  found  on  the  continent.  The 
lime-producing  rock  is  embraced  in  an  area  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres,  beginning  at  the  head  of  the  falls  and  extending  in  a  narrow  belt  east- 
ward on  both  sides  of  the  river  for  about  half  a  mile,  the  strata  dipping  slightly 
towards  the  south  and  disappearing.  Above,  below  and  on  the  north  it 
breaks  suddenly  off,  giving  place  to  a  rock  of  entirely  different  character. 
Lime  was  first  burned  here  as  early  as  1820  by  Pownell  Shaw  simply  for  home 
consumption.  It  was  first  manufactured  for  shipment  (to  Troy)  by  Keyes  P. 
Cool,  in  1832.  The  business  was  continued  by  K.  P.  Cool  and  Sons  (J.  B., 
Hiram  M.  and  Alvin)  until  about  1861,  when  the  Jointa  Lime  Company,  organ- 
ized in  about  1858,  purchased  all  their  property,  including  their  canal  boats 
known  as  Cool's  six  day  line.  The  Jointa  Lime  Company  was  first  composed 
of  John  Keenan  and  Halsey  R.  Wing ;  but  at  this  time  Leonard  G.  DcMonald 
was  admitted  partner  and  new  purchases  of  lime  rock  were  made.  The  busi- 
ness was  continued  without  change  of  ownership  until  1871  when  the  Keenan 
and  Wing  interest  (j..  e.,  the  ^  part  of  all  real  and  personal  property  including 
bills  receivable  and  book  accounts)  was  sold  for  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  to  Leonard  G.  McDonald,  Walter  McDonald,  Joseph  Fowler, 
and  S.  L.  Goodman,  and  thus  it  continued  until  the  spring  of  1876,  when 
Leonard  G.  and  Walter  sold  out  and  a  new  firm  was  organized  composed  of 
Joseph  Fowler,  S.  L.  Goodman,  Charles  Fowler  and  T.  S.  Coolidge.  Since 
then  there  has  been  no  change. 

The  Morgan  Lime  Company  was  formed  in  1868  and  composed  of  James 
Morgan  &  Company,  Harmon  R.  Leavens  and  Thomas  S'.  Coolidge.  They 
built  two  kilns  that  season  and  two  the  next,  and  thus  they  ran  till  1876  when 
the  two-thirds  owned  by  Leavens  and  Coohdge  was  purchased  by  the  then 
Morgan   Lumber  Company,  and  later  they  built  a  fifth  kiln  and  have  so  run 


S.  L.  Goodman. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  455 

till  this  time.  Since  May  1st,  1884,  they  have  been  permitted  to  furnish  six- 
thirtieths  of  the  lime. 

The  Sherman  Lime  Company  was  formed  about  the  year  1862  and  was 
composed  of  Augutus  Sherman,  D.  W.  Sherman  and  H.  G.  Lapham.  Au- 
gustus Sherman  died  in  the  fall  of  1884,  but  his  interest  remains  in  the  estate; 
otherwise  there  has  been  no  change  in  the  company. 

The  Glens  Falls  Lime  Company  was  formed  about  the  year  1863  and  com- 
posed of  K.  P.  Cool  and  Hiram  Wilcox.  In  1865  James  C.  Clark  was  admit- 
ted to  an  interest  in  the  company.  He  died  in  1866  or  1867  and  his  interest 
was  sold  to  F.  W.  Robinson,  The  firm  continued  thus  until  1880  when  the 
business  was  purchased  by  the  Glens  Falls  and  the  Jointa  Lime  companies  and 
the  Glens  Falls  Lime  Company  was  discontinued. 

The  Glens  Falls  Company  was  formed  about  1866,  or  1867,  and  was  first 
composed  of  J.  W.  Finch,  Samuel  Pruyn  and  the  Jointa  Lime  Company. 
Soon  afterward  the  interest  of  the  Jointa  Company  was  sold  to  the  other  mem- 
bers and  D.  W.  Finch  was  admitted  ;  thus  the  firm  remains. 

In  1 88 1  the  Lime  Companies  of  Glens  Falls  purchased  the  lime  works  of 
R.  W.  Lowber,  at  Ball  Mouutain,  Washington  county,  and  still  own  them 
jointly. 

On  the  6th  day  of  April,  1871,  the  contract  then  existing  under  which  the 
Jointa  Lime  Company,  Sherman  Lime  Company  and  Glens  Falls  Lime  Com- 
pany were  governed  in  the  sales  of  lime  was  abrogated  and  a  new  and  similar 
contract  was  made  for  ten  years  from  that  date,  in  which  all  the  companies 
then  making  lime  here  were  made  parties  and  shared  in  the  lime  that  should 
be  manufactured  and  sold  in  proportion  as  they  owned  kilns,  as  follows  to-wit, 
Jointa  Lime  Company,  ten  parts ;  Sherman  Lime  Company,  six  parts ;  Glens 
Falls  Lime  Company,  four  parts ;  Morgan  Lime  Company,  four  parts ;  and 
thus  was  it  continued  not  only  the  ten  years  but  by  mutual  consent  it  has  been 
recognized  as  binding  during  the  four  years  since  its  expiration.  In  the  spring 
of  1876  the  Jointa  Lime  Company  sold  to  the  Glens  Falls  Company  three 
kilns,  and  in  the  winter  of  1880  the  Glens  Falls  Lime  Company's  kilns  and 
property  were  purchased  by  the  Glens  Falls  and  Jointa  Lime  Company,  thus 
leaving  but  four  companies  in  the  combination.  In  1884  two  kilns  were  added 
to  the  total  of  twenty-eight  and  the  addition  conceded  to  the  proportion  of  the 
Morgan  Lime  Company,  and  from  May  ist,  1884,  the  proportions  have  been 
upon  the  following  basis  :  Glens  Falls  Company,  ten  parts ;  Jointa  Lime  Com- 
pany, eight  parts ;  Sherman  Lime  Company,  six  parts ;  Morgan  Lime  Com- 
pany, six  parts. 

In  this  connection  the  following  letter  written  to  a  correspondent  by  Dr. 
A.  W.  Holden,  in  1884,  will  be  found  of  interest  and  value,  even  at  the  risk  of 
some  slight  repetition  :  — 

"  Geologically  speaking  the  Glens   Falls   marbles,  of  which  there  are  two 


45 6  History  of  Warren  County. 

strata,  the  upper  or  gray,  which  is  highly  fossiHferous,  and  averages  from  about 
two  to  four  feet  in  thickness,  and  the  lower  or  black  which  ranges  about  eleven 
feet  in  thickness  —  belong  to  the  Trenton  limestone  group,  and  in  some  places 
(at  Sandy  Hill  and  the  Big  Dam)  are  overlaid  by  the  Utica  shales,  but  not 
here  at  Glens  Falls.  There  are  two  marble  saw- mills,  one  on  either  side  of 
the  river,  their  product  forming  a  very  considerable  item  of  our  industries  and 
exports,  in  the  shape  of  huge  sawed  and  squared  blocks,  for  canal  locks,  found- 
ation walls,  etc.,  sawed  slabs  polished  for  ornamental  inside  work  for  dwellings 
and  public  buildings,  such  as  bases,  fire  jambs,  mantel-pieces,  etc.,  also  largely 
for  flooring  and  tiles. 

"  Another  product  of  the  various  quarries,  where  about  one  hundred  men 
are  employed,  is  cut  stone  for  various  architectural  purposes,  such  as  capitals, 
friezes,  pilasters,  plinths,  coping,  horse-blocks,  door- steps,  window-sills  and 
caps,  etc.,  the  entire  product  varying  according  to  commercial  demand,  from 
$100,000  to  $300,000  per  annum. 

"  In  regard  to  the  lime  industry  here,  we  have  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
thirty  kilns,  divided  between  four  companies,  which  for  purposes  of  sale  are 
consolidated  much  after  the  manner  of  a  stock  company,  of  which  each  is  ex- 
pected to  produce  and  place  in  the  hands  of  their  joint  factors  to  sell  or  put 
on  the  market  in  thirtieths  according  to  the  following  ratio,  the  numerators 
representing  the  number  of  kilns  owned  by  each  :  —  Glens  Falls  Company, 
ten-thirtieths ;  Jointa  Lime  Company,  eight-thirtieths ;  Sherman  Lime  Com- 
pany, six-thirtieths  ;   Morgan  Lime  Company,  six-thirtieths. 

The  kilns  are  all  of  the  kind  formerly  called  "patent,"  but  the  patent 
having  expired,  they  are  now  called  "  perpetual,"  because  the  fires,  so  long  as 
the  kilns  are  operated,  are  kept  going  night  and  day  ;  they  are  fed  from  the 
top  daily  (or  oftener)  and  drawn  from  the  bottom  as  often.  The  capacity  of 
the  kilns  varies  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  barrels  each. 
The  bulk  is  not  materially  changed  by  burning.  According  to  fuel  and  con- 
ditions of  temperature,  it  takes  from  sixty  to  seventy- two  hours  to  burn  the 
entire  contents  of  a  kiln.  Under  the  old  method  by  which  the  contents  of  a 
kiln  were  first  burned,  then  the  fires  extinguished  and  the  contents  drawn,  it 
took  from  six  to  ten  days.  The  average  daily  product  of  each  kiln  is  one  hun- 
dred barrels,  and  the  total  consolidated  product  600,000  barrels  per  annum. 
This  amount  fairly  represents  the  annual  proceeds  of  this  industry  for  the  last 
twenty-five  years.  Of  this  for  the  last  few  years,  over  one-half,  or  about 
300,000  barrels,  are  shipped  by  rail,  something  like  100,000  barrels  being 
shipped  by  cars  in  bulk  ;  the  remainder  being  exported  by  canal.  Of  this  over 
one-third  goes  to  the  New  England  States,  one-third  to  New  York  State  at 
large  and  the  west,  and  the  remainder  to  New  York  city ;  the  balance  to  the 
Middle  States  and  south.  The  number  of  hands  employed  is  roughly  estima- 
ted at  from  four  hundred  to  five  hundred,  varying  largely  with   the  season  of 


\,, 


^* 


J.  L.  Dix. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  457 

the  year  and  demand.  About  one  thousand  barrels  per  year  would  cover  the 
home  demand  and  sales.  About  thirty  thousand  cords  of  wood  (the  fuel 
used)  are  annually  consumed  in  this  manufacture.  This  is  principally  the 
waste  product  of  our  lumber  saw-mills,  really  little  cord  wood  being  used  and 
that  of  an  inferior  sort.  The  barrels  and  casks,  with  the  exception  of  putting 
on  the  hoops,  are  all  made  by  machinery,  the  staves  and  heading  being  also 
furnished  from  what  would  be  waste  material  from  the  saw-mills,  the  estima- 
ted cost  being  about  twenty  cents  each.  Until  about  twenty-five  years  ago  this 
industry  continued  gradually  to  increase  in  value  and  importance  from  its  first 
inception  about  seventy  years  ago. 

The  oldest  manufacturing  business  now  in  Glens  Falls  is  the  foundry  and 
machine  shop  of  J.  L.  &  S.  B.  Dix.  The  business  was  established  about  the 
year  1844  by  James  Wells.  In  1848  Hopkins  &  Dix  bought  out  Wells,  and 
continued  the  business  until  1854,  when  Henry  M.  Lewis  came  into  the  firm. 
In  about  a  year,  however,  another  change  altered  the  firm  name  to  Hopkins, 
Dix  &  Clendon.  In  1856  Hopkins  withdrew;  in  1869  Hopkins  succeeded 
Clendon ;  in  1874  S.  B.  Dix,  son  to  J.  L.  Dix,  succeeded  Knox.  J.  L.  Dix 
came  here  about  1820  with  his  father,  Samuel  Dix,  a  lumberman,  who  died  in 
1857.      (See  biographical  sketch  herein.) 

The  Glens  Falls  Paper  Company  was  incorporated  as  a  stock  company 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $24,000  in  1864.  The  president  was  Mark  A.  Gush- 
ing; the  stockholders  were  E.  H.  Rosekrans,  Albert  N.  Cheney,  Ransom  M. 
Hawkins,  John  P.  Sherwood,  Mark  A.  Gushing,  and  A.  T.  Harris,  the  last 
named  being  the  treasurer.  Thej'  built  their  first  mill  of  wood,  but  it  was 
destroyed  in  July,  1883,  by  a  fire  caused  by  the  explosion  of  a  boiler,  where- 
upon the  present  mill  was  constructed  of  brick.  Just  before  the  fire  the  com- 
pany was  re-organized  and  purchased  the  water-rights  of  the  Morgan  Lumber 
Company,  which  became  stockholders  in  the  paper  company.  The  new  mill 
cost  $185,000.  The  sole  product  of  the  factory  is  the  material  on  which  news- 
papers are  printed.  Sixty  or  seventy  men  are  employed.  The  mill  has  a 
capacity  for  making  ten  tons  of  paper  daily.  The  pulp  is  made  at  Palmer's 
Falls  and  at  Ticonderoga.     The  president  is  W.  E.  Spier. 

The  Glen  Shirt  Company  was  formed  in  1 879,  by  Joseph  Fowler  and  D. 
L.  Robertson.  The  present  factory,  which  is  operated  by  steam,  was  built  in 
1881-82.  The  annual  products  are  about  $250,000  in  value.  About  three 
hundred  hands  are  employed  in  the  shop,  while  work  is  sent  out  to  no  fewer 
than  five  hundred  more. 

A  shirt  factory  which  has  become  one  of  the  prominent  manufactories  of 
the  place,  was  started  in  May,  1876,  by  W.  E.  Spier,  and  was  known  as  the 
Glens  Falls  Collar  Company.  Two  years  later  James  L.  Libby  became  con- 
nected with  the  business  and  the  firm  name  changed  to  Libby  &  Spier;  this 
style   was   changed   January  1st,  1883,  to  James  L.  Libby  &  Co.,  the  present 


458  History  of  Warren  County. 

style,  the  firm  being  composed  of  James  L.  Libby,  Charles  A.  Libby,  Charles 
A.  Gilbert  and  Theo.  Franklin.  About  six  hundred  hands  are  employed  in 
their  extensive  building  on  Park  street,  while  about  1800  people  are  carried  on 
their  pay  roll.  The  capacity  of  the  factory  is  about  two  hundred  shirts  and 
six  hundred  dozen  collars  and  cuffs  daily.     Charles  A.  Gilbert  is  the  manager. 

The  Clark  Colored  Brick  and  Terra  Cotta  Company,  a  stock  company,  was 
formed  in  the  fall  of  1879.  It  received  its  name  fromT.  M.  Clark,  the  founder. 
The  products  of  the  company's  industry  were  pressed  brick  and  terra  cotta  and 
fancy  tiles.  The  enterprise  was  unsuccessful  and  went  into  the  hands  of  a  re- 
ceiver, but  was  re-organized  in  the  spring  of  1884  under  the  name  of  the  Glens 
Falls  Terra  Cotta  and  Brick  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $45,000.  Since  the  re- 
organization J.  M.  Coolidge  has  been  and  is  now  the  president  of  the  company, 
and  Charles  Scales,  secretary  and  superintendent.  They  manufacture  now  red 
and  buff  brick  and  tiles. 

The  Glens  Falls  Company,  a  partnership  composed  of  J.  W.  Finch,  D.  J. 
Finch  and  Samuel  Pruyn,  manufacture  lumber,  lime  and  marble.  This  is  a 
large  and  powerful  organization,  but  we  have  been  unable  to  obtain  details  of 
their  operations. 

The  Glens  Falls  Hub  and  Spoke  Company,  under  the  management  and 
proprietorship  of  S.  Williamson  and  his  son,  J.  M.  Williamson,  was  purchased 
by  them  in  1883  of  the  Jointa  Lime  Company  and  E.  R.  Bain.  The  Jointa 
Lime  Company  had  had  a  controlling  interest  in  the  business  since  its  begin- 
ning, but  had  always  been  associated  with  some  partner.  E.  R.  Bain's  interest 
was  begun  about  six  years  before  he  parted  with  it.  The  capacity  of  the  mill, 
which  is  contained  in  seven  different  buildings,  is  represented  as  follows  :  About 
twenty-five  sets  of  hubs,  seven  hundred  spokes,  fifteen  thousand  staves  and  ten 
thousand  curry-comb  handles  daily. 

D.  C.  Holman  and  D.  W.  Sherman,  own  and  conduct  a  brick-yard  and  tile- 
works  near  the  village.  H.  R.  T.  Coffin  has  also,  in  two  separate  yards,  a  brick 
yard  and  a  tile  yard. 

The  soil  in  the  vicinity  of  Glens  Falls  consists  of  limestone  strata  for  a  depth  of 
twelve  feet,  and  below  that  an  excellent  limestone  is  obtained  which  is  valua- 
ble for  building  purposes.  Up  to  1884  large  quantities  were  shipped  to  Al- 
bany. Goodman  &  Coolidge  are  and  for  years  have  been  largely  interested  in 
the  quarries  here. 

James  Palmeter  had  a  carriage-factory  many  years  ago  on  the  site  of  the 
Catholic  church,  and  was  there  for  many  years. 

Joubert  &  White  (Edward  Joubert  and  James  H.  White)  began  the  manu- 
facture of  light  carriages  at  their  present,  location  as  early  as  i860.  Light- 
work  is  a  specialty.  They  are  the  inventors  and  patentees  of  the  celebrated 
Joubert  &  White  Buckboard,  which  is  shipped  all  over  the  country.  The  firm 
employ  about  thirty  hands. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  459 

For  five  years  after  1874  Nelson  La  Salle,  in  company  with  three  others, 
tnanufactured  all  kinds  of  wagons  and  carriages  in  Glens  Falls,  under  the  name 
of  the  Union  Carriage  Works.  In  1879  La  Salle  joined  George  Ferriss  about 
two  years  in  the  same  business,  after  which  he  came  to  the  present  site  in  com- 
pany with  E.  J.  Dickinson.  In  188 1  Dickinson  withdrew,  and  La  Salle  now 
conducts  the  business  alone.     Twelve  hands  are  employed. 

William  B.  Griffin  and  Freeman  E.  Wood,  under  the  firm  name  of  Griffin 
•&  Wood,  began  to  make  carriages  in  1882,  in  the  old  shop  of  the  Morris  Broth- 
ers.    They  do  light  and  heavy  work. 

P.  W.,  E.,  M.  J.,  J.  T.,  and  R.  T.  Cashion,  under  the  name  of  Cashion 
Brothers,  commenced  light  and  heavy  work  in  carriages  in  1883.  They  em- 
ploy eleven  hands. 

Glens  Falls  Academy ^  —  This  academy  owes  its  origin  to  the  enlightened 
public  spirit  of  the  citizens  of  this  village,  who,  desiring  to  afford  their  youth 
the  opportunities  for  training  furnished  by  the  best  English  and  classical  acad- 
emies, took  measures  to  found  such  an  institution,  and  at  a  meeting  of  citizens 
held  on  the  24th  day  of  February,  1841,  the  following  named  gentlemen  were 
■elected  members  of  its  first  board  of  trustees :  William  Caldwell,  Halsey  Rog- 
ers, John  J.  Harris,  Hiram  Barber,  John  R.  Thurman,  Walter  Geer,  jr.,  Alonzo 
W.  Morgan,  Russell  M.  Little,  Elmore  Piatt,  Billy  J.  Clark,  Jonathan  W.  Free- 
man, George  Sanford,  Bethuel  Peck,  Julius  H.  Rice,  Henry  Ferguson,  Enoch 
H.  Rosekrans,  Alfred  Fisher  and  George  G.  Hawley ;  the  officers  of  the  board 
being:  president,  Billy  J.  Clark;  secretary,  Enoch  H.  Rosekrans;  treasurer, 
■George  Sanford ;  collector,  Russell  M.  Little. 

The  board  of  trustees  decided  to  erect  at  once  a  suitable  building  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  proposed  school,  and  the  following  trustees  were  ap- 
pointed a  building  committee:  Alonzo  W.  Morgan,  Walter  Geer,  jr.,  and  Jon- 
athan W.  Freeman.  The  present  academy  site  was  secured  and  the  academy 
building  was  erected  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1841.  This  building, 
■with  a  large  addition  made  in  1870,  comprises  the  structure  at  present  in  use. 

Presidents.  —  During  the  forty-four  years  of  its  existence  the  academy  has 
had  but  three  presidents,  as  follows:  Billy  J.  Clark,  1841-51;  Bethuel  Peck, 
M.  D.,  1851-63  ;   Rev.  A.  J.  Fennel,  D.  D.,  1863  to  present. 

Trustees.  —  The  institution  has  been  fortunate  in  the  men  who  have  been  its 
guardians,  many  of  the  best  citizens  of  this  and  adjoining  towns  serving  at  differ- 
ent times  as  members  of  the  board.  In  addition  to  the  gentlemen  constituting 
the  original  and  present  boards,  the  following  have  served  the  institution  as  mem- 
bers of  the  board  of  trustees  at  different  times:  Jonathan  W.  Fairbanks,  Jonathan 
Burr,  Albert  N.  Cheney,  Daniel  H.  Cowles,  Sheldon  Benedict,  Henry  Fergu- 
son, Dwight  Hitchcock,  N.  E.  Sheldon,  M.  D.,  Lewis  Hunt,  Zabina  Ellis,  J. 
R.  Thurman,  Ezra  Benedict,  William  A.   Fonda,   Halsey  R.  Wing,  Alexander 

1  Contributed  by  Prof.  D.  C.  Farr. 


460  History  of  Warren  County. 

Robertson,  Rev.  A.  J.  Fennel,  Stephen  L.  Goodman,  Daniel  V.  Brown,  Isaac 
Mott,  Jerome  Lapham,  George  Rugge,  Martin  Coffin,  Stephen  Brown,  Z.  I. 
De  Long,  William  McEchron,  Wallace  W.  Rockwell,  Austin'W.^Holden,  M.  D., 
Henry  J.  Lapham,  Frederick  A.  Johnson,  Jarvis  A.  Underwood.  The  board 
at  present  (1885)  is  constituted  as  follows:  Rev.  A.  J.  Fennel,  D.  D.,  Hon. 
Jerome  Lapham,  Jeremiah  W.  Finch,  H.  S.  Crittenden,  Hon.  F.  A.  Johnson, 
Rev.  Fenwick  Cookson,  Melville  A.  Sheldon,  William  McEchron,  A.  W.  Hol- 
den,  M.  D.,  John  L.  Cunningham,  William  A.  Wait,  and  Daniel  C.  Farr. 

Instructors. — The  trustees  have  always  endeavored  to  secure  as  teachers 
only  such  as  were  liberally  educated  and  were  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the 
object  of  the  academy  in  holding  up  a  high  standard  of  scholarship  and  culture 
as  the  end  to  be  reached  by  its  students.  Most  of  its  principals  have  been  col- 
lege graduates  and  a  number  of  them  have  been  eminent  as  educators.  The 
following  is  the  list  of  principals  who  have  served  the  institution  since  its  founda- 
tion :  Thomas  S.  Farnsworth,  Elbridge  Hosmer,  L.  R.  Satterlee,  George  Rugge,. 
William  McLaren,  sr..  Rev.  Jason  F.  Walker,  Edson  Fobes,  Warren  P."  Adams, 
Rev.  John  Babcock,  James  A.  Russell,  Alson  B.  Abbott,  Charles  W.  Hall,. 
William  A.  Holman,  James  S.  Cooley ;  and  associate  principals,  William  Mc- 
Laren, jr.,  and  Frances  A.  Tefft. 

In  this  connection  should  be   named  the  very  able  preceptress,  Miss  Dora 
.Wilson,  who  served  the  academy  with  great  acceptance  during  the  entire  period 
covered  by  the  principalship  of  the   following :   Messrs.  Russell,  Abbott,  Hall,. 
Holman  and  a  portion  of  Mr.  Cooley. 

Students.  — The  value  of  any  educational  institution  is  shown  by  the  char- 
acter of  its  students  as  exhibited  in  after  life  ;  judged  by  this  standard  Glens 
Falls  Academy  can  truly  be  considered  a  successful  institution,  since  it  car» 
number  upon  its  roll  of  students  such  names  as  Algernon  Paddock,  late  United 
States  Senator  from  Nebraska,  together  with  his  brother,  Frank  Paddock,  esq., 
an  eminent  lawyer  of  New  York  city ;  Hon.  Frederick  Johnson,  Member  of 
Congress  from  New  York  ;  the  late  Rev.  Edgar  Goodspeed,  D.  D.,  of  Chicago, 
pastor  at  the  time  of  his  death  of  the  largest  Baptist  Church  in  America,  and 
his  brother  and  successor,  Rev.  Thomas  Goodspeed ;  Hon.  Daniel  E.  Sickles, 
former  Member  of  Congress  and  major-general  in  United  States  army  ;  Lemon 
Thompson,  a  prominent  business  man  of  Albany,  a  graduate  and  trustee  of 
Union  College  ;  John  Bentley,  esq.,  a  leading  lawyer  of  Denver,  Col.,  and  for- 
mer United  States  commissioner  of  pensions  ;  Charles  Hendley,  who  has  been 
one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  last  five  presidents  ;  Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson,  D.  D., 
for  many  years  district  secretary  for  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Rocky- 
Mountain  District,  and  at  present  in  charge  of  an  educational  institution  at 
Sitka,  Alaska  Territory,  where  he  holds  an  important  position  under  the  gov- 
ernment; Herbert  S.  Underwood,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Springfield  Repub- 
lican, and  a  large  number  of  others,  who  either  in  professional  or  business  life 
have  secured  an  enviable  reputation. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         461 

Donors.  — Besides  the  liberal  donations  at  the  founding  of  the  academy  in 
1841  and  its  enlargement  in  1870,  it  has  received  substantial  gifts  from  many 
of  its  generous  friends  either  in  the  form  of  contributions  to  its  general  fund  or 
in  establishing  scholarships  or  prizes,  among  whom  are  the  late  Augustus  Sher- 
man, Hon.  Stephen  Brown,  Mrs.  Halsey  R.  Wing,  Hon.  A.  B.  Abbott,  Dr.  A. 
W.  Holden,  Daniel  J.  Finch,  Hon.  F.  A.  Johnson,  Daniel  Peck,  S.  A.  Parks, 
Samuel  Pruyn,  Joseph  Fowler,  and  B.  B.  Fowler. 

Alumni  Association.  —  Its  graduates  have  ever  manifested  a  commendable 
interest  in  the  prosperity  of  their  alma  mater,  and  in  1882  formed  an  alumni 
association  to  which  one  day  of  commencement  week  is  regularly  devoted. 
The  orations  before  this  body  have  been  in  1883  by  Rev.  F.  M.  Cookson  ;  in 
1884  by  Dr.  John  E.  Bradley,  of  Albany ;  in  1885  by  Hon.  F.  A.  Johnson. 

The  presidents  of  the  association  have  been  John  A.  Dix,  class  of  '79 ;  James 
A.  Holden,  class  of '80;   George  M.  Watkins,  class  of '81. 

Present  Condition. — Since  1878  the  academy  has  been  under  the  joint 
management  of  Daniel  C.  Farr  and  Frances  A.  Tefift;  during  this  time  there 
have  been  fifty-six  graduates.  During  the  same  period  it  has  prepared  stu- 
dents for  Williams,  Cornell,  Wells,  Vassar,  Wellesley,  and  Smith  Colleges. 
Others  of  its  graduates  are  filling  important  positions  in  the  professional  and 
business  worlds.  The  standard  of  scholarship  has  been  steadily  raised  and  it 
is  believed  that  its  course  of  study  both  as  regards  completeness  and  thorough- 
ness will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  the  very  best  academies  of  the  country. 

The  library  and  apparatus,  to  which  additions  are  constantly  being  made, 
are  intended  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  institution  in  the  varied  departments  of 
literature  and  science.  The  two  literary  societies  afford  good  opportunities  for 
literary  culture  in  addition  to  the  regular  instruction  in  those  subjects.  While 
the  institution  is  in  no  sense  sectarian,  it  aims  to  be  eminently  Christian,  and  its 
m.anagers  believe  that  sound  morality  and  practical  Christianity  are  grand  es- 
sentials in  any  course  of  training. 

The  field  from  which  its  students  are  drawn  is  increasingly  large  ;  while  it 
has  a  large  home  patronage,  a  goodly  number  of  its  students  are  from  widely 
dififerent  localities.  A  very  large  proportion  of  its  students  pursue  their  entire 
academic  course  here,  covering  from  four  to  five  years,  which  enables  them  to 
obtain  a  solid  and  symmetrical  training.  Judging  from  its  present  outlook  this 
academy  is  destined  to  a  long  and  substantial  career,  holding  a  position  among 
the  very  first  of  the  successful  academies  of  the  day. 

Young  People  s  Christian  Union  of  the  M.  E.  Church. —  This  association, 
which  promises  to  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  community,  was  organized  June 
1st,  1884.  Its  design  may  be  generally  stated  as  the  advancement  of  the 
cause  of  religion  ;  the  assistance  of  the  pastor  in  bis  work  ;  the  promotion  of 
social  and  literary  culture  among -young  people,  and  the  making  of  the  church 
a  home  to  ail  who  come.      Rev.  H.  C.  Sexton  is  president   of  the    Union,  and 


462  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  following  are  the  other  officers :  C.  B.  Thompson,  first  vice-president ; 
Miss  Margaret  McEchron,  second  vice-president ;  N.  R.  Courley,  recordings 
secretary  ;  Mrs.  C.  W.  Long,  corresponding  secretary ;  C.  F.  West,  treasurer ; 
Miss  Maggie  Sexton,  editress.  Executive  committee,  C.  W.  Haviland,  chair- 
man, Rev.  H.  C.  Sexton,  Miss  Margaret  McEchron,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Long,  Miss 
Maggie  Sexton,  Fred  H.  Bullard,  C.  B.  Thompson,  N.  R.  Gourley,  C.  F.  West, 
Sherman  Williams,  Hollis  Russell. 

The  Rockwell  Corps. —  This  military  organization,  otherwise  the  1 8th  Sep- 
arate Company,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  was  originally  organized  in  Saratoga  county 
as  the  5th  Separate  Company  of  the  loth  Brigade)  November  17th,  1876.  It 
then  embraced  no  Warren  county  members.  The  first  captain  was  Fred 
Gleesettle,  of  Saratoga  county  (South  Glens  Falls).  He  held  the  office  until 
January  17th,  1880,  when  he  resigned,  and  Dr.  J.  S.  Garrett,  of  Glens  Falls, 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  on  the  2d  of  February.  In  1881  the  original 
term  of  service  of  the  company  expired,  and  Dr.  Garrett  recruited  a  new  com- 
pany from  Warren  county,  and  the  organization  and  headquarters  were  trans- 
ferred accordingly  in  January,  1882.  The  present  officers  of  the  corps  are: 
Dr.  J.  S.  Garrett,  captain  ;  Willis  F.  Bentley,  1st  lieutenant,  commission  dated 
January  29th,  1884;  John  F. .  Morehead,  assistant  surgeon  with  rank  of  1st 
lieutenant,  February  12th,  1884;  John  H.  Leonard,  2d  lieutenant,  April  30th, 
1879.  The  membership  is  now  fifty-eight  men  and  the  organization  is  in  an 
efficient  condition. 

Public  Buildings. —  The  growth  of  the  village  in  population  and  the  in- 
crease in  the  wealth  of  the  population,  created  a  demand  for  a  public  hall  or 
place  of  popular  amusement  which  met  with  a  response  in  1 869.  Daniel  Keefe 
and  Mr.  Amer  then  erected  a  beautiful  building  and  called  it  the  Cosgrove 
Opera  House,  but  afterwards  (about  1876)  re-christened  it  the  Cosgrove  Music 
Hall.  It  retained  this  title  until  1884,  when  it  was  burned.  D.  F.  Keefe  and  D. 
C.jHolman  rebuilt  on  the  site  after  the  fire,  giving  the  new  structure  the  name  of 
the  Armory  Block.  It  is  three  stories  high,  fifty  feet  front  and  seventy- five 
deep  and  is  of  brick.  The  ground  floor  is  occupied  by  stores,  while  the  base- 
ment is  used  for  corporation  purposes.  The  second  and  third  floors  are  occu- 
pied by  the  armory  and  quarters  of  the  Rockwell  Corps,  a  billiard  parlor,  etc. 

Prior  to  the  erection  of  this  building  the  only  hall  in  the  place  was  the 
Union  Hall,  adjoining  the  site  of  the  Cosgrove  Music  Hall.-  It  was  built  soon 
after  the  great  fire  of  1864. 

The  Glens  Falls  Opera  House  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1871  by  Cof- 
fins &  Lasher,  of  this  place,  on  the  old  Daniel  Peck  estate.  Its  front  on  War- 
ren street  is  occupied  by  the  village  post-office  and  stores,  the  second  and  a 
part  of  the  third  stories  are  devoted  to  offices,  while  the  rest  of  the  third  story 
contains  two  large  halls  elegantly  furnished.  The  Opera  House  proper  extends 
back  in  the  rear,  and  has  besides  the  usual   appurtenances  of  a   hall  arranged 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  463 

for  the  reception  of  theatrical  and  operatic  troops,  all  the  conveniences  for  par- 
ties and  festivals.     It  has  a  seating  capacity  for  sixteen  hundred  persons. 

The  Fojcntahi. — The  fact  that  the  village  is  provided  with  a  handsome 
fountain  is  due  more,  perhaps,  to  Meredith  B.  Little  than  to  any  other  one  person. 
In  1872  he  circulated  a  petition  to  the  village  trustees,  to  which  he  obtained 
about  two  hundred  signatures,  asking  that  they,  in  their  capacity  of  commis- 
sioners of  the  water-works,  would  erect  a  fountain  in  the  center  of  the  village, 
at  the  expense  of  the  corporation,  or  its  taxable  property,  which  should  be  both  a 
credit  and  ornament  to  the  place.  This  was  presented  to  the  board  of  trustees, 
who  thereupon  authorized  the  said  Little  to  act  as  a  committee  to  select  and 
report  a  design.  This  was  done  in  the  winter  of  1872  and  '73,  and  the  trus- 
tees, acting  as  commissioners,  accepted  such  plans  and  estimates  and  made  an 
appropriation  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  water  bonds  to  cover  its  cost. 
In  the  mean  time  a  new  election  took  place  and  Mr.  Little  was  chosen  one  of 
the  new  board  of  trustees.  In  the  spring  of  1873  the  work  was  commenced,  and 
being  vigorously  pushed,  was  completed  about  the  time  of  the  commencement 
of  summer  travel  in  the  month  of  June  following,  Messrs.  Little  and  William 
Wait  of  the  board  of  trustees  acting  as  a  committee  of  construction.  It  is  sit- 
uated at  the  central  part  of  the  village,  near  the  intersection  of  Ridge,  Warren 
and  Glen  streets,  and  when  in  full  play,  is  a  most  conspicuous  object  of  attrac- 
tion. The  diameter  of  the  basin  is  twenty-one  feet,  the  rim  being  of  iron,  the 
bottom  of  cement.  Its  depth  is  about  three  feet.  The  base  of  the  pedestal  is 
of  Glens  Falls  marble,  two  and  a  half  feet  in  height,  octagonal,  with  three  pro- 
jecting buttresses.  The  fountain  proper,  with  ornaments,  is  about  fifteen  feet 
high  above  the  water  level.  There  are  a  number  of  jets  and  attachments,  which 
give  a  pleasing  variety  to  its  play.  The  entire  outlay  expended  in  its  con- 
struction was  nineteen  hundred  dollars.  The  cost  was  considerably  enhanced 
by  its  being  built  over  a  nest  of  five  immense  cisterns,  into  which  the  waste 
material  of  the  fountain  flows,  thus  creating  a  large  reservoir  of  water,  which 
can  be  resorted  to  in  case  of  great  emergency,  such  as  a  fire,  or  obstruction  in 
the  water-works. 

Horse  Railroad.  —  The  subject  of  a  street  horse  railroad  to  connect  Glens 
Falls  with  Fort  Edward  has  been  more  than  once  agitated.  In  December, 
1862,  the  project  was  discussed  and  measures  adopted  for  its  consummation. 
A  meeting  of  citizens  of  the  villages  directly  interested  was  held  at  Sandy  Hill, 
at  which  committees  from  each  village  were  appointed  to  further  the  object. 
The  gentlemen  selected  for  Glens  Falls  were  Augustus  Sherman,  Jerome  B. 
Lapham  and  Isaac  Mott.  A  stock  subscription  was  opened  at  the  meeting  and 
about  $5,500  subscribed  within  half  an  hour.  The  first  estimated  cost  of  the 
line  was  about  $33,000.  Consent  of  the  villages  was  obtained  to  lay  the  track, 
and  a  company  organized  with  the  following  board  of  directors  :  Z.  Van  Duzen, 
Augustus  Sherman,  Jerome  B.  Lapham,  D.  V.  Brown  and  Alex  Robertson,  of 


464  History  of  Warren  County. 

Glens  Falls;  William  Colman,  U.  G.  Paris,  Charles  Stone,  jr.,  and  O.  Richards, 
of  Sandy  Hill ;  George  Harvey,  Daniel  Underwood,  F.  D.  Hodgeman  and 
George  Bradley,  of  Fort  Edward.  The  officers  chosen  were  Daniel  Underwood, 
president ;  Jerome  B.  Lapham,  treasurer ;  Isaac   Mott,  secretary. 

Further  estimates  of  the  cost  of  the  road  reached  $45,000.  Of  this  amount 
$31,500  was  finally  subscribed,  largely  in  the  town  of  Queensbury.  This  sub- 
scription was  still  further  increased  and  everything  indicated  the  early  completion 
of  the  enterprise.  But  the  condition  of  general  financial  affairs  and  other  local 
causes,  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  project.  During  this  present  year  (1885) 
however,  the  subject  is  receiving  such  renewed  attention  as  promises  its  early 
accomplishment.^ 

Plank  Road.  — In  the  year  1847  the  Glens  Falls  and  Lake  George  Plank 
Road  Company  was  organized,  the  object  being  clearly  indicated  by  its  name. 
The  first  board  of  directors  and  its  officers  were  as  follows :  Billy  J.  Clark, 
president ;  D.  H.  Cowles,  secretary  and  treasurer ;  Abraham  Wing,  Cyrus 
Burnham,  D.  G.  Harris,  W.  S.  Carpenter,  George  Sanford,  Pelatiah  Richards, 
Thomas  S.  Gray,  and  John  R.  Thurman.  The  capital  stock  has  always  been 
$24,000.  The  road  has  been  well  maintained  and  of  great  utility.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are :  Joseph  Fowler,  president ;  A.  B.  Abbott,  vice-president ;  L. 
S.  Coolidge,  secretary  and  treasurer;  D.  H.  Cowles,  superintendent.  The 
board  of  directors  embraces  the  above  names  with  those  of  Daniel  Ferguson, 
F.  O.  Burhans,  Thomas  Cunningham,  H.  G.  Lapham  and  William  B.  Gurney. 

The  Fire  Department.  — The  Glens  Falls  Messenger  and  Advertiser  of  Fri- 
day, January  2d,  1835,  contained  the  following  brief  description  of  a  disaster 
which  gave  the  first  impulse  to  the  organization  of  a  force  to  protect  the  citi- 
zens of  this  village  from  the  ravages  of  fire  : — 

"Fire.  —  On  last  Friday  evening,  about  8  o'clock,  the  Marble  Mill,  belong- 
ing to  N.  Nunn  &  Co.,  together  with  the  machinery,  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Loss  estimated  at  $2,000."  This  fire,  no  doubt,  created  in  that  early  period 
much  excitement,  and  stimulated  the  citizens  to  some  exertion  in  the  right 
direction,  for  soon  afterward  the  following  notice  appeared  in  the  Messenger 
and  Advertiser  : — 

"Glens  Falls,  January  8th,  1835. 

"  At  a   meeting  of  the   inhabitants  of  this  village   at   Messrs.   Rogers  & 

Brown's  for  the  devising  and  adopting  of  measures  to  prevent  damage  and  loss 

by  fire,  John  A.  Ferriss  was  chosen  chairman,  and  Thomas  Cotton  secretary. 

"  On  motion,  Resolved,  That  a  vigilance  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to 

examine  the  apparatus  of  stoves  and  fire-places  of  the  whole  village,  and  to 

1  While  this  work  was  passing  through  the  press,  during  the  summer  and  autumn  |of  1885  a  street 
railway  company  was  organized  (the  subject  having  been  previously  agitated  at  various  times),  and  the 
line  opened  between  Glens  Falls  and  Fort  Edward  on  Saturday,  September  26th,  1885.  This  event 
occurred  at  so  late  a  day  that  this  mere  mention  is  all  that  can  here  be  given  of  the  enterprise. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  465 

cause  such  alteration   as   safety  may  require ;  and  that  J.  A.  Ferriss,  Henry 
Spencer,  and  Leivis  Numan,  be  said  committee. 

"  Resolved,  That  three  fire-wardens  be  appointed,  who  shall  take  command 
(in  case  of  fires),  in  the  order  following,  viz.:  Alonzo  W.  Morgan,  first;  but 
in  his  absence  Bethnel  Peck,  second ;  and  Abrain  Wing,  third  of  said  fire- 
wardens. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  convey  the  hooks  and 
ladders  when  and  where  useful  in  extinguishing  fire,  and  that  J.  L.  Ctirtenins, 
Sidney  Berry,  and  K.  P.  Cool  be  said  committee. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed,  whose  duty  it  shall  be 
in  case  of  fire  alarm,  to  provide  axes  to  be  used  at  buildings  on  fire,  and  that 
A.  T.  Prouty,  H.  J.  Cool,  and  Hermon  Peck,  be  said  committee. 

"  Resolved,  That  Dilwin  Gardner,  Henry  Spencer,  and  Walter  Geer  be  ■  a 
committee  to  take  charge  of  property  for  safety,  when  exposed  to  loss  by  fire. 

"  Resolved,  That  every  house  owner  be  earnestly  requested  to  furnish  a  lad- 
der to  ascend  his  building  in  case  of  fire. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  interest  and  safety  of  the  village  require  that  each 
householder  procure  one  or  more  fire  buckets. 

"  Resolved,  That  J.  L.  Curtenius,  A.  W.  Morgan  and  Abram  Wing  be  a  com- 
mittee to  superintend  the  making  of  a  reservoir  for  a  supply  of  water  to  extin- 
guish fires. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  pledge  ourselves  to  each  other  to  carry  the  foregoing 
resolutions  into  effect,  and  that  the  same  be  published  in  the  Warren  Mes- 
senger. John  A.  Ferris,  Chairman. 
"Thomas  Cotton,  Secretary." 

As  before  suggested,  this  little  incoherent  organization,  with  its  committee 
laboring  under  duties  prescribed  by  resolutions,  with  its  lack  of  penal  sanction 
for  neglect  of  duties,  and  with  the  willing  hearts  and  ready  hands  of  its  mem- 
bers and  "  committees,"  constituted  the  rudimentary  germ  of  a  fire  department 
of  which  Glens  Falls  is  justly  proud.  Just  how  much  active  services  they  ren- 
dered cannot  be  told,  but  the  movement  had  begun,  the  perils  of  fire  realized, 
and  the  means  of  defense  against  it  compassed.  On  the  20th  of  July,  1839, 
only  a  few  weeks  after  the  original  incorporation  of  the  village,  a  resolution 
was  adopted  by  the  "city  fathers"  that  in  addition  to  the  $150,  which  by  law 
they  were  entitled  to  raise,  the  sum  of  $200  be  taken  "  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  making  preparations  to  guard  against  fire,"  etc.  Under  date  of  October, 
1 84 1,  in  the  village  records  is  found  a  statement  that  David  Roberts  was 
ordered  to  get  two  good  pumps  for  wells,  and  Henry  Spencer  to  procure  such 
hooks,  ladders,  etc.,  as  might  be  needed.  In  November,  1841,  the  wells  were 
deepened.  Thus  we  see  that  the  people  in  those  days  were  alive  to  the  over- 
ruling necessity  of  guarding  in  every  way  against  losses  by  fire.  The  records 
are  full  of  similar  resolutions  and  enactments  precautionary  against  this  dreaded 

1  .-  30 

element. 


466  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  first  meeting  to  organize  a  company  was  held  in  the  basement  of  the 
building  now  owned  by  Judge  Rosekrans,  and  formerly  known  as  the  Brick 
Row,  and  the  following  is  the  article  of  organization  adopted  at  this  place : — 

"  The  undersigned,  citizens  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  in  the  county  of 
Warren,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  an  efficient  fire  engine  company  in  said 
village,  hereby  enlist  and  associate  ourselves  together  for  such  purpose,  and 
stipulate  and  agree,  that  we  will  conform  in  all  respects  to  such  rules,  regula- 
tions and  ordinances  as  from  time  to  time  may  be  passed  and  ordered  by  the 
board  of  trustees  of  said  village  for  the  regulation  and  government  of  such 
company. 

"  (Signed)  L.  S.  Steele,  William  Briggs,  E.  C.  Crosby,  David  Redington, 
Charles  Carpenter,  L.  C.  Hamilton,  M.  L.  Wilmarth,  George  J.  Tillotson,  D.  G. 
Roberts,  Hiram  Roberts,  J.  R.  Taylor,  Abel  Corbin,  J.  H.  Hitchcock,  George 
A.  Swain,  Merritt  Griffin,  Gardner  Corey,  Ira  Scott,  R.  R.  Tierce,  H.  Hol- 
brook." 

Of  the  nineteen  persons  who  signed  the  above  call,  only  six  are  now  living. 
Of  that  number  three  are  now  residents  of  Glens  Falls —  M.  L.  Wilmarth,  D. 
G.  Roberts,  and  Abel  Corbin.  The  other  survivors  are  located  as  follows  : 
Charles  Carpenter,  at  Newark,  N.  J.;  George  Tillotson  (brother  of  John  Til- 
lotson, of  this  village)  at  Muskegan,  Mich.;  and  L.  C.  Hamilton,  at  Argyle, 
Washington  county. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  1842,  a  village  meeting  was  called  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  funds  to  buy  an  engine,  or  engines,  and  buckets.  On  the  26th  of  the 
same  month  the  sum  of  $350  was  voted,  and  each  house  owner  requested  to 
furnish  two  good  buckets  for  use  at  fires.  Dwight  Hotchkiss  was  appointed  a 
committee  to  secure  the  purchase  of  an  engine.  On  the  26th  of  August,  1842, 
a  resolution  was  adopted  to  buy  an  engine  of  Button  &  Co.,  of  Waterford,  at 
$300,  and  two  joints  of  hose  at  seventy  cents  a  foot;  that  a  fire  company  be 
formed  with  an  initial  membership  of  twenty,  and  the  power  of  increasing  the 
number  to  thirty-two,  on  the  approval  of  the  village  trustees.  The  resolution 
further  provided  that  the  proposed  company  should  convene  for  practice  at 
least  once  a  month  for  seven  months  in  each  year. 

The  First  Fire  Company  was  organized  June  27th,  1842,  and  was  called 
"  Glen's  Falls  Fire  Company,  No.  i."  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  orig- 
inal members :  William  Briggs,  Lewis  Steele,  Henry  E.  Fickett,  L.  C.  Hamilton, 
M.  C.  Wilmarth,  D.  G.  Roberts,  E.  Fitch,  Abel  Corbin,  George  A.  Swain, 
Merritt  Griffin,  Ira  Scott,  H.  Holbrook,  Enos  C.  Crosby,  David  Redington, 
Reuben  Pike,  Charles  Carpenter,  George  J.  Tillotson,  Hiram  Roberts,  J.  R. 
Taylor,  J.  H.  Hitchcock,  H.  M.  Cool,  Gardner  Long,  R.  R.  Tearse,  Henry 
Spencer.  The  following  were  elected  as  the  first  officers  of  the  company : 
Foreman,  William  Briggs ;  first  assistant,  Lewis  S.  Steele  ;  second  assistant,  D. 
G.  Roberts ;  engineer,  E.  C.  Crosby  ;    first  hoseman,  L.  C.  Hamilton  ;  second 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  467 

hoseman,  C.  Carpenter ;  third  hoseman,  J.  H.  Hitchcock ;  axmen,  D.  Reding- 
ton,  A.  Corbin. 

The  following  persons  were  shortly  afterwards  added  to  the  list  of  original 
members  :  K.  P.  Cool,  George  G.  Hawley,  D.  V.  Brown,  L.  L.  Arms,  H.  R. 
Wing,  O.  Ferriss,  Jerome  Lapham,  C.  M.  Gilchrist,  Rufus  Boyd,  J.  H.  T.  Nor- 
ris,  Isaac  Buswell,  Alexander  Robertson,  Benjamin  C.  Starbuck,  F"rederick  A. 
Johnson,  jr.,  Daniel  Peck,  B.  F.  Lapham,  George  Norton,  W.  W.  Weed,  D.  M. 
Jenkins,  A.  N.  Locke,  S.  P.  Jackman,  O.  L.  Baldwin,  Herman  Goodman,  Isaac 
Crandell,  John  H.  Austin,  David  Norton,  Joseph  Mead,  Jacob  Daggett,  A.  M. 
H.  Pierson,  M.  B.  Little,  W.  H.  Norris,  Levi  Lord,  Eugene  E.  Norris,  Zabina 
Ellis,  J.  H.  Martin,  Daniel  H.  Cowles,  Henry  Gayger,  John  M.  Clements,  Al- 
bert T.  Harris,  William  Doty,  Albert  Hall,  A.  Welch,  G.  T.  Lewis,  William  T. 
Norris,  A.  F.  Smith,  Gideon  T.  Mead,  Marcus  C.  Rich,  Marvin  J.  Seymour, 
O.  B.  Smith,  J.  C.  Eastwood,  Henry  Knox,  Martin  Eastwood,  L.  M.  Burpee, 
Charles  Loveless,  George  Willard,  Legrand  Spooner,  Ed.  Brown,  Daniel  G. 
Norris,  2d,  M.  W.  Arnold,  M.  L.  Buswell,  Sanford  Martindale,  Joseph  Darby, 
A.  L.  Stoddard,  Orville  Adams,  James  Johnson,  A.  Spooner,  C.  H.  White,  H. 
D.  Spicer,  W.  M.  Fish,  William  A.  Wait,  T.  S.  Wait,  T.  S.  De  Long,  Oscar  S. 
Kenworthy,  Frank  James,  H.  Holcomb,  Edward  Joubert,  Levi  J.  Groom, 
James  Bullard. 

The  First  Engine  came  from  Salem,  N.  Y.,  June  29th,  1842,  but  not  work- 
ing satisfactorily  it  was  rejected  by  the  trustees  of  the  village.  July  25th  an 
engine  arrived  from  Button's  Works,  Waterford  at  a  cost  of  $400,  and  working 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all,  was  accepted  and  placed  on  duty.  It  was  a 
small,  insignificant  looking  affair,  had  brakes  on  the  ends,  the  water  being  sup- 
plied with  buckets,  but  did  good  service  on  many  occasions. 

In  a  few  years  this  machine  was  thrown  aside  and  the  engine  afterwards  in 
possession  of  "  Jerome  Lapham  No.  3  "  was  received  from  Button  &  Son,  Wa- 
terford. The  first  engine,  after  remaining  in  obscurity  for  several  years,  was 
again  brought  out,  and  a  company  of  boys  formed  to  run  with  it,  under  the 
name  of  "  Young  America  No.  3,"  and  the  old  machine  used  more  for  a  play- 
thing than  for  actual  service.  In  speaking  of  this  engine  the  Glens  Falls  7?^- 
picblican  says  in  connection  with  a  notice  of  a  fire  at  Luzerne,  December  31st, 
1873:  — 

"  While  the  fire  was  in  progress  we  learn  that  inquiries  were  made  for  the 
fire  engine  once  owned  by  the  village.  Investigation  revealed  the  fact  that  the 
pumping  power  of  the  engine  had  been  ta.ken  out  and  used  by  a  citizen  to  force 
water  to  his  residence  ;  two  of  the  wheels  did  duty  for  a  while  on  a  cannon 
carriage,  and  the  cannon  having  burst  one  day,  the  disabled  gun,  wheels  and 
all,  was  dumped  over  the  falls ;  the  other  two  wheels  served  as  running  gear 
for  a  cart,  but  the  fate  of  the  box,  brakes,  ropes,  hose-cnrt,  hose  nozzles  and 
other  appurtenances  and  attachments  of  the  defunct  machine  is  enveloped  in 
painful  mystery. 


468  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  This  engine  once  belonged  to  the  fire  department  of  this  village,  and  was 
the  first  machine  used  for  '  Old  Defiance  Engine  Company  No.  i.'  Some 
fourteen  years  ago  it  was  sold  to  Luzerne  for  $125,  and  the  citizens  of  that 
place  repaired  their  prize,  formed  a  company,  built  an  engine  house,  and  for 
nearly  four  years  kept  the  '  department '  in  good  working  condition.  Then 
one  or  two  leading  members  of  the  force  moved  away,  the  owner  of  the  land 
upon  which  stood  the  engine  house  concluded  he  would  use  the  building  for 
his  individual  benefit,  and  so  turned  the  old  engine  out  of  doors,  where  its  ven- 
erable frame  stood  exposed  to  the  blistering  summer  sun  and  the  chilling  blasts 
and  frosts  of  winter  until  the  disintegration  above  recorded  occurred  —  and 
then  came  the  end." 

The  records  show  that  on  the  28th  of  May,  1845,  ^  hook  and  ladder  com- 
pany was  formed,  to  contain  not  more  than  thirty  members,  and  to  assemble 
once  a  month  for  practice,  etc.  The  members  were :  Orange  Ferriss,  James 
C.  Clark,  L.  G.  McDonald,  D.  McNeil,  B.  F.  Shattuck,  L.  B.  Palmeter,  W. 
Geer,jr.,  John  C.  Higby,  L.  L.  Armes,  Thomas  J.  Strong,  E.  S.  Vaughn,  Charles 
Rockwell,  M.  W.  Ferine,  Abijah  Western,  Henry  Spencer,  jr.,  Marvin  R.  Peck, 
William  Rogers,  George  Champlain,  O.  Cronkhite,  H.  M.  Cool,  D.  C.  Hoyt, 
William  R.  Locke,  Sidney  T.  Rogers,  A.  C.  Geer. 

Although  the  first  above  described  company  was  the  first  organized  effort 
of  the  village  authorities,  ex-officio,  to  incorporate  a  fire  department,  the  reso- 
lutions set  forth  were  in  direct  response  to  a  movement  set  on  foot  by  private 
citizens  as  such,  in  the  preceding  June. 

The  Second  No.  i  had  side  brakes;  could  work  about  twenty- six  men,  and 
threw  two  streams.  For  several  years  this  was  the  only  machine  in  the  village 
and  was  considered  a  sacred  property. 

The  writer  is  permitted  to  make  extracts  from  a  speech  delivered  by  Mr. 
M.  L.  Wilmarth,  at  a  firemen's  supper  on  New  Year's  eve,  1861,  in  which  many 
of  the  following  facts  occur : — 

The  first  engine  house  was  a  barn  (to  use  a  Dutchman's  expression)  then 
owned  by  Mr.  Lewis  Fixley,  Bridge  street,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Leav- 
ens's  livery.  The  second  was  likewise  a  barn,  on  the  premises  of  Mrs.  D.  "V. 
Brown,  Elm  street.  The  third  was  built  expressly  for  an  engine  house,  and 
was  located  on  Warren  street,  and  now  used  by  George  Champlain  as  a  boot  and 
shoe  store.  This  building  being  entirely  too  small,  the  company  was  again 
called  upon  to  change  its  quarters  to  Exchange  street,  and  from  thence  to 
Church  street,  where  the  great  fire  of  1 864  found  it,  and  did  not  leave  it.  The 
first  uniform  consisted  of  a  painted  coat  and  patent  leather  cape  hanging  down 
over  the  neck  and  shoulders,  and  was  one  of  the  most  contemptible  things  of 
the  kind  ever  invented  by  mortal  man  for  a  fireman's  rig. 

By  the  great  fire  of  1864,  which  laid  the  greater  part  of  the  village  in  ashes, 
the  old  engine  quarters  were  destroyed.     For  a  year  afterwards  meetings  were 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  469 

held  here  and  there,  and  the   engines  were  placed  in  horse-sheds  and  store- 
houses.    In  1865  the  engine-house  on  Ridge  street  was  erected. 

The  first  foreman  was  that  estimable  citizen,  William  Briggs,  who  served 
us  four  years;  second,  D.  G.  Roberts,  one  year;  third,  Hiram  Roberts,  one 
year ;  fourth,  Lewis  C.  Hamilton,  one  year ;  fifth,  G.  T.  Lewis,  two  years  ; 
sixth,  Lyman  Gates,  one  year ;  seventh,  William  T.  Morriss,  three  years ; 
eighth,  M.  J.  Seymour,  one  year ;  ninth,  Daniel  Peck,  one  year ;  tenth,  B.  F. 
Lapham,  two  years ;  eleventh,  M.  B.  Little,  one  year ;  twelfth,  the  present  in- 
cumbent, Mr.  J.  H.  Norriss. 

The  Third  No.  i. — Finally,  in  1862,  the  new  "Defiance"  was  received 
from  Waterford  and  cost  $1350.  Built  for  a  prize  engine,  it  received  the  well- 
merited  encomiums  bestowed  upon  it.  At  a  fireman's  muster  at  Whitehall, 
August  20th,  1873,  this  company  received  the  first  prize  of  $200.  This  com- 
pany was  badly  crippled  by  the  enlistment  of  its  members  in  the  army  in 
1861.  Moreover,  the  company  was  located  in  1865  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
village,  which  had  the  effect  of  diminishing  its  numbers.  A  majority  of  the 
members  of  this  company  met  November  13th,  1874,  and  reorganized  under 
the  name  of — 

J.  L.  Cuntiingham,  Hose  Company  No.  i. — The  officers  of  this  company 
were  as  follows  :  — F'oreman,  John  H.  Leonard  ;  first  assistant,  Ed.  F.  Clark  ; 
second  assistant,  Joseph  W.  Suprennant;  secretary,  E.  T.  Spencer;  treasurer, 
Aaron  F.  Pike ;  first  pipeman,  Ransom  S.  More ;  second  pipeman,  Hiram  W. 
Norris  ;  third  pipeman,  Fred  E.  Knox  ;  fourth  pipeman,  Herbert  W.  Austin  ; 
first  hydrantman,  Charles  L.  Taft ;  second  hydrantman,  James  W.  Schermer- 
horn  ;   propertymen,  Enos  Traver,  Albert  Trew. 

A  new  hose  carriage  for  this  company  was  built  by  Button  &  Son,  of  Wa- 
terford, N.  Y.,  at  a  cost  of  $700.      It  was  received  January  20th,    1874. 

The  company's  meeting  room  in  the  South  street  engine  house  has  been 
newly  papered  and  painted.  It  is  prepared  to  purchase  new  furniture  and  a 
carpet  some  time  during  the  coming  winter.  The  organization  now  numbers 
twenty-six  members.  John  Suprennant  is  foreman  ;  J.  T.  Sprague,  first  assist- 
ant; John  Leonard,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Cataract  Engine  Company  No.  2  was  organized  October  ist,  1852,  with 
William  Briggs  as  foreman  and  L.  C.  Hamilton  as  first  assistant.  "  Cataract " 
was  sold  to  parties  in  Whitehall  in  1873.  A  couple  of  months  later  this  com- 
pany received  "  old  Defiance  "  engine  from  Company  No.  i,  and  subsequently 
the  name  was  changed  to  M.  B.  Little  Company  No.  2.  John  Feeney  was  the 
first  foreman  after  this  change  of  name,  and  John  Morris  was  first  assistant. 
In  the  early  part  of  1873  M.  B.  Little  Hose  Company  was  organized.  An- 
drew Robillard  is  the  present  foreman  of  the  Engine  Company,  and  Daniel 
McCarthy  holds  a  similar  office  in  the  Hose  Company. 

Jerome  Lapham,  Engine  Company  No.  3  was  organized  September  13th, 


470  History  of  Warren  County. 

1865,  with  Henry  Wicks  as  foreman  and  Charles  Roberts  as  first  assistant. 
After  the  introduction  of  the  water  works  in  1873,  this  company  disbanded  and 
organized  as  a  hose  company  with  the  same  name.  S.  B.  Whitney  was  the 
first  foreman  and  William  H.  Van  Cott  first  assistant. 

In  April,  1875,  the  James  McDonald  Jr.  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  was 
organized.  B.  S.  Cowles  was  the  first  foreman ;  first  and  second  assistants, 
Fred  Chitty  and  T.  S.  Barnes,  respectively ;  secretary,  Frank  G.  Hicks ;  treas- 
urer, C.  W.  Cool.  On  the  6th  of  January,  1881,  the  name  of  the  organiza- 
tion was  changed  to  D.  J.  Finch  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  i,  at  which 
time  W.  F.  Bentley  was  chosen  foreman,  and  William  Manley,  assistant.  The 
company  disbanded  on  the  20th  of  April,  1882,  and  reorganized  forthwith  with 
W.  F.  Bentley,  as  foreman  ;  Erving  Simmons  and  Charles  Clements  as  first  and 
second  assistants,  respectively.  The  "  Hook's  "  truck  and  ladders  are  stored 
in  the  South  street  engine  house. 

In  1879  a  brick  hose  tower  was  erected  in  the  rear  of  the  brick  engine 
house,  which  constitutes  a  valuable  addition  to  the  appliances  of  the  depart- 
ment. Measures  are  in  the  initial  stage  of  prosecution  to  procure  for  the  use 
of  the  department  a  new  chemical,  new  grenades,  etc.,  and  looking  toward  the 
completion  of  and  embellishment  of  all  the  contrivances  of  the  department, 
especially  for  the  extinguishment  of  fires  in  the  beginning  of  their  progress. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  chief  engineers  of  the  department  since  its  organ- 
ization, effected  in  1872:  William  McEchron,  for  one  year  ending    1873,  D. 

C.  Holman,  Henry  Nesbitt,  George  Conery,  M.  B.  Little,   George   Conery,   S. 

D.  Kendrick,  George  Cokey,  and  the  present  chief,  W.  H.  Van  Cott.  The 
present  officers  of  the  several  companies  are  as  follows  :  — 

Hook  and  Ladder :  Foreman,  Charles  H.  Clark  ;  first  assistant,  C.  E.  Perry  ; 
second  assistant,  Beecher  West;  secretary,  Charles  J.  Clements;  treasurer, 
John  E.  Parry. 

Lapham  Hose  :  Foreman,  W.  H.  Van  Cott ;  first  assistant,  George  Roberts  ; 
second  assistant,  James  Knight ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  John  Wandell. 

Cunningham  Hose :  Foreman,  William  O.  Capron ;  assistant,  William  B. 
Stevens  ;  secretary,  George  H.  Orton  ;  treasurer,  George  Thomas. 

M.  B.  Little  Engine:  Foreman,  Lewis  Robillard  ;  first  assistant,  Michael 
Murphy;  second  assistant,  Patrick  Cronin  ;  secretary,  William  Roach,  jr.; 
treasurer,  Louis  Vancelette  ;  foreman  hose,  James  Moran ;  assistant,  Daniel 
Mulcahy. 

In  1 861  M.  L.  Wilmarth  delivered  an  address  (from  which  we  have  drawn 
liberally),  in  which  he  gave  the  following  statement  of  the  capital  invested  in 
the  fire  department  at  that  date :  — 

"In  engine  house,  $1,800;  in  engine  Defiance  No.  i,  $900;  in  engine  Cat- 
aract No.  2,  $1,200;  in  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  i,  $150;  in  1,100 
feet  leading  hose,  $1,000;  cistern  in  front  Presbyterian  Church,  $250  ;  in  three 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         471 

large  wells,  $400  ;  in  five  small  wells,  $200  ;  in  articles  not  enumerated,  $100  ; 
making  the  sum  total  of  $6,000  —  a  sum  sufficient  to  purchase  and  stock  a 
small  farm." 

A  comparison  of  the  capital  invested  with  the  value  represented  by  the  de- 
partment property  to-day  would  dwarf  the  figures  in  the  above  extract  into  in- 
significance. The  water-works  alone,  although  utilized  for  various  purposes 
now,  were  built  with  a  view  to  subdue  the  fiery  element,  and  cost  about  $90,- 
000.  A  computation  of  the  amount  of  water  which  can  be  thrown  on  a  burn- 
ing building  in  a  certain  time  to-day  would  show  an  equally  ludicrous  dispar- 
ity between  what  could  be  done  in  1861  and  in  1882. 

The  fire  wardens  of  1861  were  superseded  by  the  chief  engineer  and  as- 
sistants in  1874,  when  the  new  village  charter  was  adopted.  William  McEch- 
ron  was  chosen  first  chief  of  the  department. 

Water-  Works.  —  According  to  the  natural  precepts  of  municipal  economy, 
the  water  supply  of  a  village  or  city  is  always  intimately  associated,  not  only 
with  the  daily  duties  of  the  housewife,  but  with  the  sterner  and  more  impera- 
tive demands,  in  emergencies,  of  the  fire  department.  Glens  Falls  is  not  ex- 
empt from  the  action  of  this  law.  Through  apprehension  of  possible  conflagra- 
tions it  was  that  the  water- works  were  ever  constructed,  and  through  the  action 
of  the  same  motive  power  have  the  continual  improvements  been  superadded 
until  the  systern  has  attained  almost  its  maximum  approximation  to  perfection. 
The  primitive  water- works,  of  course,  consisted  of  a  village  well,  just  as  the 
primitive  fire  department  consisted  of  the  men  and  women  of  the  entire  village, 
armed  with  buckets  and  home-made  ladders. 

The  first  indication  discovered  of  a  movement  for  the  building  up  of  a  water 
supply  system,  is  the  publication  of  an  item  in  the  Glens  Falls  Messenger  and 
Advertiser  o{ the  i6th  of  January,  1835,  which  read  as  follows:  — 

"  A  meeting  of  the  subscribers  for  making  a  '  Village  Well '  is  requested  at 
Rogers  &  Brown's  Hotel  this  evening,  to  choose  a  committee  to  superintend 
its  construction." 

On  the  nth  of  June,  1839,  at  the  second  meeting  of  the  first  trustees  of 
the  village  subsequent  to  its  assumption  of  corporate  privileges,  it  was  resolved 
to  construct  one  public  well  in  front  of  the  Glens  Falls  Hotel,  where  the  public 
fountain  now  stands,  and  one  near  Allen's  tavern.  Furthermore,  a  meeting  of 
the  taxpayers  was  held  at  the  former  hotel,  on  July  20th,  when  an  appropria- 
tion of  $200  was  voted  for  the  purpose.  From  this  time  until  i860  the  village 
authorities  increased  by  annual  resolutions,  etc.,  the  water  supply  of  the  place, 
and  prosecuted  the  construction  of  cisterns,  wells  and  culverts  with  aldermanic 
iteration.  In  1861  there  had  been  invested  in  a  cistern  "  in  front  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  $250;  in  three  large  wells,  $400;  and  in  five  small  wells, 
$200."  In  1864  the  trustees  were  empowered  to  proceed  under  the  act  of  the 
Legislature,  passed  in  1863,  to  take  steps  toward  procuring  pure  water  and  to 


4/2  History  of  Warren  County. 

petition  the  Legislature  for  an  increase  of  the  sum  devoted  to  the  construction 
of  water- works  from  $30,000  to  $60,000.  In  the  following  year  a  surveyor  was 
appointed  to  ascertain  the  practicability  of  obtaining  water  from  Half-way 
Brook,  and  $300  voted  to  make  a  similar  investigation  relating  to  Forge  Pond. 
These  ever  renewed  investigations  indicate  the  state  of  the  public  feeling  in  the 
matter  for  years  before  the  consummation  of  their  projects  was  achieved.  In 
January,  1866,  it  was  voted  to  build  nine  cisterns  and  a  reservoir  in  the  rear  of 
Cronkhite's  store,  at  a  cost  of  $2,985.00.  The  cisterns  and  the  Forge  Pond 
water-works  were  thereupon  immediately  constructed.  But  the  system  was 
not  yet  satisfactory.  During  all  these  years  the  village  had  been  rapidly  grow- 
ing in  population,  in  the  number  and  beauties  of  its  buildings,  and  in  the  ex- 
tent and  wealth  of  its  business  enterprises  and  public  institutions.  Meanwhile, 
while  the  number  of  inhabitants  was  continually  on  the  increase,  the  danger  from 
fire,  the  need  of  water  for  domestic  purposes,  and  consequently  the  demand  for 
a  modern  and  improved  water  supply  system,  were  increased  and  multiplied. 
The  call  was  too  imperative  to  be  resisted.  In  1871  H.  M.  Harris  was  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  investigate  the  Holly  Water- Works  system,  of  Peoria, 
111.,  another  committee  visited  Greenfield,  Mass.,  on  a  like  errand,  the  conclu- 
sion from  these  and  other  reports  being  that  a  supply  of  water  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  above  Glens  Falls,  with  pipes  of  proportionate  size,  would  afford 
ample  protection  against  fire. 

The  Glens  Falls  Water- Works  Company  was  incorporated  by  legislative 
sanction  May  loth,  1871,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  The  first  members  of 
the  company  were  as  follows :  Augustus  Sherman,  Enoch  H.  Rosekrans,  Will- 
iam H.  Rockwell,  Daniel  H.  Covvles,  L.  G.  McDonald,  Thomas  S.  Coolidge, 
Ruliff  Kipp,  James  Morgan,  Charles  M.  Gilchrist,  Stephen  Brown,  Daniel  Peck, 
F.  A.  Johnson,  jr.,  Stephen  L.  Goodman,  George  Conery,  Joseph  Fowler,  and 
Martin  Coffin.  The  first  meeting  of  this  corporation  was  held  in  July  following. 
Action  was  delayed  ten  days  after  the  beginning  of  that  month  to  enable  the 
citizens  to  organize  a  company,  and  subscriptions  to  the  stock  were  obtained  to 
the  amount  of  $21,500.  John  Salter  was  employed  as  engineer  at  a  stipulated 
salary  of  $400  a  month  for  all  help,  etc.  In  October,  however,  he  was  super- 
seded by  J.  P.  Coleman.  In  November  Messrs.  Keenan  and  Lapham  were 
appointed  to  purchase  land,  water  courses  and  rights.  The  work  progressed 
without  interruption,  and  in  1872  rules  for  the  government  of  the  company  and 
the  conducting  of  the  works  were  adopted.  At  the  present  time  the  village  is 
bountifully  supplied  with  pure  water,  an  ample  system  of  mains  and  hydrants, 
and  a  thoroughly  efficient  organization. 

Police.  —  At  the  time  of  the  re-incorporation  of  the  village  (1874)  it  was 
divided  into  three  poHce  districts.  Number  one  embraced  all  that  portion  west 
of  Glen  street ;  number  two,  all  of  Glen  street  above  Park,  Ridge  street  from 
Glen,  and  all  between  Ridge  and  Glen  streets ;  number  three,  all  east  of  Glen 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  473 

and  Ridge  streets.  On  the  15th  of  June,  1874,  a  special  election  was  ordered 
held  on  the  29th,  to  vote  upon  the  question  of  raising  the  sum  of  $1,800  to  pay 
a  police  force.  The  vote  was  in  the  negative  ;  and  in  the  report  of  the  board  of 
trustees  for  that  year  it  is  stated  that  "  soon  after  your  board  assumed  its  duties, 
a  police  force  was  organized  and  maintained  until  the  money  ran  out."  Upon 
the  decision  of  the  special  election,  police  duty  was  ordered  stopped  and  the 
equipments  returned  to  the  clerk.  Another  meeting  was  held  on  the  13th  of 
July,  at  which  a  resolution  was  passed  that  $500  be  raised  for  police  purposes. 
This  appears  to  have  been  a  temporary  arrangement  on  the  part  of  the  trust- 
ees. At  the  election  of  March  i6th,  1875,  it  was  voted  that  the  sum  of  $2,200 
be  raised  for  police  purposes.  An  effective  force  has  been  maintained  ever 
since  and  now  comprises  four  officers. 

French  Mountain.  —  This  hamlet  could  hardly  be  dignified  by  the  title  of 
community  prior  to  1825.  At  that  time  there  was  but  one  tavern  there,  kept 
by  Udney  Buck.  There  were  no  stores.  There  were  no  factories  of  any  kind. 
There  was  no  post-office,  and  there  were  only  two  dwelling  houses.  Of  these 
two,  one  was  occupied  by  John  Devine,  and  the  other  by  a  Mr.  Pulver.  Val- 
entine Brown,  grandfather  of  George  Brown,  was  the  eldest  of  the  five  sons  of 
Benedick  Brown.  They  located  between  Glens  Falls  and  French  Mountain. 
Valentine  Brown  built  the  first  saw-mill  in  the  county  north  of  Glens  Falls. 
They  were  Quakers.  There  are  not  now  many  descendants  of  Benedick 
Brown  in  the  county,  though  they  were  formerly  so  numerous  as  to  furnish  the 
name  Browntown  to  a  settlement  between  the  outlet  of  Glen  Lake  and  the  vil- 
lage of  Glens  Falls.  Another  early  settler  hereabouts  was  one  Eggleston,  who 
lived  before  1800  within  a  mile  west  of  the  site  of  French  Mountain  on  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  James  Hillis.  Eggleston  built  a  frame-house  of  very 
singular  construction,  having  a  chimney  in  the  center  built  of  199  loads  of 
stone,  and  containing  a  fire-place  for  each  of  the  four  rooms  on  every  floor  of 
the  house.  This  house  was  torn  down  about  1855.  Simeon  Jenkins,  another 
early  settler,  came  before  18 10  to  a  farm  east  of  French  Mountain.  He  has 
many  descendants  in  town  at  the  present  day.  Jacob  Odell  settled  in  the  first 
decade  of  the  century  on  a  place  just  east  of  French  Mountain.  Descendants 
of  his  are  also  living  in  town.  Indeed,  his  grandson,  Jacob  Odell,  now  lives 
on  the  old  homestead. 

The  tavern  kept  by  Udney  Buck  came  into  the  possession  of  David  Vaughn 
about  183 1.  George  Brown  succeeded  Vaughn  in  1846,  and  remained  a  fa- 
mous landlord  until  1884,  when,  on  his  removal  to  Caldwell,  Louis  Brown  (no 
relation),  the  present  proprietor,  became  his  successor.  The  hotel  formerly, 
in  the  days  of  stages  and  tally-hos,  did  a  great  deal  of  business.  The  old 
building  was  torn  down  about  the  time  the  new  plank  road  was  built  and  the 
present  one  erected  in  its  place.  For  seven  years  the  County  Fair  Association 
held  their  meetings  at  this  place.     (See  biography  of  George  Brown  herein). 


474  History  of  Warren  County. 

All  but  three  of  the  houses  now  standing  in  the  village  of  French  Mountain 
were  erected  by  George  Brown.  He  built  in  1857  the  store  now  occupied  by 
Merritt  Codner,  and  kept  it  himself  until  1884.  He  had  a  tin  shop  in  the  up- 
per part  of  this  building  all  the  time  he  kept  the  store,  and  in  connection  with 
his  dealing  in  general  wares  and  merchandise  kept  a  hardware  and  iron  store 
in  connection  with  it.  His  son  Valentine  Brown  did  a  considerable  business 
in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  gloi^es  in  that  building,  too.  The  tannery  of 
Pearsall,  Little  &  Hall  was  erected  by  Brown  in  1877.  This  company  pur- 
chased it  of  him  in  1882.  There  was  a  saw-mill  run  in  connection  with  it. 
This  firm  now  owns  all  the  hotel  and  factory  property  formerly  held  by  George 
Brown.  The  brush-back  factory  was  started  in  1882  by  Charles  Steinburgh, 
who  used  the  building  for  the  manufacture  of  spools.  He  was  followed  by 
Olef  Abel,  who  was  in  turn  succeeded  in  the  summer  of  1882  by  the  Messrs. 
Reed.  They  immediately  converted  the  establishment  into  a  brush-back 
factory. 

The  post-office  was  established  here  in  1852,  when  George  Brown  received 
the  appointment  as  postmaster.  He  held  the  position  until  the  winter  of  1882, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present  postmaster,  John  N.  Hall. 

CHURCHES. 

The  early  religious  influences  of  the  town  having  been  referred  to  in  pre- 
vious pages  of  this  work,  it  will  only  be  necessary  at  this  point  to  give  the  con- 
tinuous records  of  the  various  church  organizations.  For  these  we  are  again 
indebted  largely  to  Dr.  Holden's  History  of  Queensbury,  supplemented  by 
statistics  of  the  different  religious  societies  since  the  production  of  his  work. 

The  Orthodox  Friends.  —  The  society  of  Orthodox  Friends  is  said  to  have 
organized  and  erected  the  first  church  building  in  the  town,  some  time  previous 
to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been 
made.  The  primitive  meeting-house  was  of  logs  and  located  on  Bay  Road 
near  Half-way  Brook,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  present  village. 
After  a  series  of  years  the  log  meeting  house  was  abandoned  and  a  large  frame 
building  was  put  up  on  Ridge  street,  about  two  miles  north  of  the  village.  In 
this  they  conducted  worship  until  1875,  when  the  present  brick  church  was 
built  at  an  expense  of  about  $1,300. 

The  church  is  governed  by  thirteen  elders  who  serve  one  year.  No  regu- 
lar pastor  was  established  until  about  1879,  when  John  Henry  Douglass  began 
his  ministry,  which  continued  for  two  years,  when  David  Douglass  succeeded 
him,  remaining  in  charge  for  two  or  three  years.  In  November  of  1884,  Luke 
Woodard  entered  upon  the  pastorate,  and  at  present,  with  Nelson  Hill,  con- 
ducts the  regular  meetings.  The  duties  of  sexton  have  been  performed  since 
about  1877  by  S.  I.  Stone.  Among  the  present  trustees  are  P.  T.  Haviland, 
Harris  G.  Haviland,  Charles  Eddy  and  C.  R.  Mott.     Conspicuous   among  the 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  475 

■early  members  of  this  society  was  Roger  Havilanfi,  who  came  from  Durham 
county.  Of  a  large  family  none  of  the  sons  are  residents  here,  although  there 
are  other  branches  of  the  family  in  the  town.  Hannah  Haviland,  who  is  about 
eighty-five  years  of  age,  resides  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Calvin  Mason,  on 
Ridge  street.  The  Dean  family,  consisting  of  Caleb,  Isaiah  and  several  other 
brothers  were  also  pioneers  in  this  faith.  Miss  Hannah  Moser,  also,  who  is 
living  at  the  age  of  ninety-five,  has  always  resided  here.  Her  home  is  in  Ridge 
street  near  Half-way  Brook.  Jonathan  Potter  was  born  in  Granville,  Wash- 
ington  county,  in  1 8 14,  and  married  to  Mary  Ann  Haviland,  a  native  of 
<3ueensbury,  in  1842.  In  1856  he  moved  into  the  town  and  became  a  resi- 
dent. These  are  mentioned  merely  as  having  been  prominent  in  the  councils 
of  this  church  society. 

Tke  Baptist  Church.  —  Quoting  from  Dr.  Holden,  we  find  that  the  Baptists 
""  were  among  the  earlier  inhabitants  of  this  town  and  have  always  formed  a 
■considerable  element  of  its  population.  It  has  been  impossible  to  obtain  all 
the  facts  requisite  to  a  complete  record  of  their  several  organizations.  In  some 
instances  the  minutes  have  been  destroyed  by  fire ;  in  others,  they  have  been 
removed  beyond  reach,  or  lost  through  carelessness  and  indifference ;  while, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  those  who  could  have  furnished  reliable  informa- 
tion concerning  the  annals  of  this  denomination,  are  now  numbered  with  the 
•dead.  So  far  as  can  be  astertained,  the  Baptists  of  Queensbury  are,  and  have 
been  of  that  class,  distinguished  as  regular,  or  close  communion  Baptists.  By 
diligent  and  patient  research,  and  investigation,  we  are  enabled  to  present  the 
following  historic  record  concerning  them.  Until  the  year  1795,  it  is  believed 
that  no  effort  had  been  made  to  organize  a  church  within  the  limits  of  this 
town. 

"  On  the  south  side  of  the  river,  which  was  then  embraced  in  the  town  of 
Saratoga,  a  society  had  been  formed  on  the  19th  of  August,  1794,  over  which, 
according  to  existing  records,  Elder  Calvin  Hulbert  presided  as  pastor  for  a 
number  of  years.  Among  its  members  were  some  residing  at  what  is  known 
as  the  Big  Bend  of  the  Hudson  River,  four  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Glens 
Falls,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  some  of  the  number  were  residents  on  the 
•Queensbury  side  of  the  river.  At  the  eastward  a  number  of  Baptist  families 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers,  by  whom  a  society  was  organized  at  Kings- 
bury street  in  1797,  with  Elder  Ebenezer  Willoughby  as  pastor.  This  was 
connected  with  the  Vermont  Baptist  Association,  formed  at  Manchester,  Vt., 
1780;  and  which  met  at  Middletown,  Vt.,  October  4th,  1797,  as  shown  by 
■existing  printed  minutes.  At  the  northeast,  in  the  town  of  Westfield,  a  church 
had  been  built  up  as  early  as  1789,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Elder  Sherman 
Babcock.  This  is  now  designated  as  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Fort  Anne ; 
its  place  of  meeting  being  at  Comstock's  Landing.  Being  thus  surrounded  on 
three  sides,  as  it  were,  by  Baptist  influences,  it  is  nothing  surprising  that  the 


476  History  of  Warren  County. 

town  of  Queensbury  should  have  had  a  plentiful  leaven  of  that  element  among- 
its  inhabitants  at  an  early  day. 

"  From  this  small  beginning,  an  outgrowth  of  four  distinct  churches  has 
been  developed  in  process  of  time,  each  of  which  have  had  a  separate  house  of 
worship,  in  three  distinct  localities,  at  distances  of  five  or  six  miles  apart.  For 
convenience  of  reference  these  might  be  classified  as  follows,  viz.:  — 

"  1st,  The  Baptist  Church  of  the  Round  Pond. 

•'  2d,  The  First  Queensbury,  or  Oneida  Church. 

"  3d,  The  Second  Queensbury,  or  West  Mountain  Church. 

"  4th,  The  Baptist  Church  of  Glens  Falls.  " 

The  Baptist  Church  of  the  Round  Pond.  — This  church  was  one  of  the  first 
fruits  of  the  faith  in  this  section,  and  had  an  entirely  independent  existence, 
having  no  connection  during  its  organization  with  any  association.  It  was 
located  on  the  south  edge  of  the  Round  Pond,  in  a  pine  grove,  about  five 
miles  distant  from  Glens  Falls  in  a  northerly  direction.  The  structure  was  of 
logs,  and  during  the  week  did  duty  as  a  school-house,  on  Sundays  the  wor- 
shipers meeting  there  for  divine  service.  It  was  founded  by  Elder  Rufus  Bates,, 
a  native  of  Coventry,  R.  I.,  where  he  was  born  in  April,  1753.  He  established 
the  church  and  began  his  labors  about  1794;  in  1795  the  church  was  built. 
In  the  latter  year  Elder  Hezekiah  Eastman,  of  Danby,  Vt.,  made  a  tour  doing^ 
missionary  work,  and  visited  Round  Pond,  performing  the  rites  of  baptism 
while  there  upon  several  candidates.  In  1796,  the  church  society  was  for- 
mally organized.  Elders  Amasa  Brown,  of  Hartford,  and  Sylvanus  Haynes,  of 
Middletown,  Vt.,  officiating  in  the  ordination  services.  This  church  was  known 
as  "  Elder  Bates's  Church,"  and  during  his  ministry  of  thirty- four  years  he  was 
a  daily  laborer  for  his  bread,  his  yearly  salary  never  exceeding,  and  rarely 
reaching  the  sum  of  $100.  In  the  early  years  of  his  ministry  his  parish  em- 
braced Harrisena,  West  Fort  Anne,  Bolton,  Caldwell  and  Durkeetown,  the  total 
membership  of  which  counted  but  a  few  over  two  hundred  persons.  In  June>- 
1808,  his  house  was  burned  and  his  aged  father-in-law,  Abner  Goffe,  perished. 
In  this  conflagration  whatever  records  of  the  church  had  been  kept  were  con- 
sumed. In  1828,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Elder  Bates  retired  from  active 
ministerial  duties,  and  passed  his  remaining  years  among  his  people,  dying  at  the 
opening  of  the  1840  aged  eighty-six.  After  his  death,  the  church  over  which 
he  had  so  long  presided  was  bereft  of  its  counsellor  and  head,  and  began 
to  scatter,  so  that  in  a  few  years  it  ceased  its  existence. 

From  1802  until  18 16  the  Baptists  of  Durkeetown  were  considered  as 
members  of  the  Queensbury  Church,  transacting  church  affairs  within  them- 
selves as  an  auxiliary,  Elder  Bates  preaching  for  them  occasionally,  as  also  did 
Elder  Clark.  In  1832  they  organized  themselves  as  a  church,  being  the  first 
Fort  Edward  church. 

The  First  Queensbury  or  Oneida  Church  —  "  The  interest   which  built   up^ 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  477 

this  congregation  originated  in  a  series  of  meetings  held  at  Dunham's  Bay,  in 
the  years  1831  and  1832.  These  were  instituted  by  Elder  Phineas  Culver,  for 
a  long  period  pastor  of  the  Fort  Anne  and  Kingsbury  Churches,  who,  on  a  visit 
to  his  brother-in-law,  William  Lane,  found  a  few  faithful  brethren  living  around 
the  head  waters  of  Lake  George.  A  revival  ensued,  several  were  added  to  the 
church,  and  after  a  period  the  meetings  were  removed  to  the  Vaughn  school- 
house,  not  far  from  the  present  residence  of  Reuben  Seelye,  esq.  The  meet- 
ings were  continued  here,  and  in  various  adjacent  school-houses,  until  the 
house  of  worship  at  the  Oneida  was  erected.  The  church  organization  is  here 
given  from  their  own  record  book  in  the  following  language  : 

"  '  Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  13th  day  of  November,  1832,  the  follow- 
ing brethren  and  sisters  met  according  to  previous  appointment,  and  entered 
into  Church  Covenant  with  each  other,  at  the  house  of  William  Lane,  in  Queens- 
bury,  viz :  James  Fuller,  Franklin  Guilford,  Aaron  Kidder,  Isaac  Nelson,  A. 
M.  Odell,  Eli  Pettis,  Betsey  Fuller,  Samantha  Guilford,  Amanda  Kidder,  Amy 
Nelson,  Marian  Odell,  Lucy  Pettis,  William  Niles.' 

"  It  is  further  recorded  that  they  "  adopted,  as  a  brief  summary  of  their 
faith,  the  articles  of  faith  and  covenant  of  the  Kingsbury  Church,  while  they 
received  the  New  Testament  in  common  with  the  Old,  as  their  only  rule  of 
faith  and  practice.  Elders  William  Grant  and  Phineas  Culver  being  present, 
assisted  in  the  organization,  giving  them  fellowship  and  hearty  approbation,  and 
Elder  Culver  preached  the  constituting  sermon. 

"  Austin  M.  Odell  was  chosen  clerk  and  Aaron  Kidder  their  first  deacon, 
who,  with  Ansel  Winchip,  was  formally  ordained  on  the  20th  of  February, 
1834.  Having  no  regular  pastor  nor  house  of  worship  for  years,  the  organi- 
zation increased  but  slowly.  In  September,  1833,  they  united  with  the  Lake 
George  Baptist  Asociation,  which  at  that  time  held  its  17th  anniversary  at 
Hague,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.  The  association  then  reported  eleven  churches, 
seven  pastors,  and  988  members  in  their  whole  body.  While  this  new  interest, 
of  nineteen  members  only,  was  not  identical  in  organization  with  Elder  Bates's 
church,  it  was  its  successor  on  nearly  the  same  territory,  and  among  many  of 
the  same  people.  No  doubt  some  of  his  flock  came  into  the  new  church,  since 
it  is  recorded  that  Elder  Bates  and  his  wife  joined  by  letters  from  the  second 
Fort  Anne  church,  at  Welch  Hollow  at  South  Bay,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1834. 
Although  an  octogenarian  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  association  which 
met  that  year  at  Caldwell.  His  associates  were  A.  M.  Odell,  Ansel  Winchip, 
William  Niles,  andT.  Guilford. 

"  The  necessities  of  the  people  had  called  for  Baptist  preaching  about  this 
period,  and  various  ministers  had  come  into  town,  preached  and  baptized  their 
converts,  thereby  adding  them  to  their  respective  churches  in  adjacent  towns. 
Among  this  number  Elder  John  C.  Holt,  of  Moreau,  had  officiated  here,  and 
in  a  powerful   revival  of  religion  during  the  years    1832-33,  he   added   about 


478  History  of  Warren  County. 

eighty  to  his  church,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  Hved  in  this  town,  and  after- 
wards helped  to  swell  the  ranks  of  its  rising  churches.  On  the  west.  Elder 
Stephen  Call,  pastor  of  the  Luzerne  Church,  made  frequent  inroads,  and  bap- 
tized converts  into  his  church,  who  subsequently  aided  in  establishing  the  West 
or  Mountain  Church.  During  the  first  four  years  there  were  comparatively  few 
accessions  to  the  church  at  the  Oneida. 

"  In  the  fall  of  1835  there  was  reported  a  membership  of  thirty-five,  with 
Elder  John  Scofield  as  pastor,  who  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  spring  of 
1837.  During  his  pastorate  the  house  of  worship  near  the  Oneida  was  erected, 
and  although  the  humble  edifice  was  not  entirely  finished,  the  Lake  George 
Association  held  its  twentieth  anniversary  thereon  the  7th  and  8th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1836.  The  venerable  Elder  Bates,  then  eighty-four  years  of  age,  with 
Elder  Scofield,  Deacon  Ansel  Winchip,  J.  Winchip,  and  E.  Sargeant,  were  the 
delegates  on  that  occasion.  The  meeting  was  one  of  unusual  interest,  and  was 
followed  by  a  revival  in  which  twenty-five  converts  were  added  and  eighteen 
members  joined  by  letter,  thus  increasing  the  membership  to  seventy- four. 
Elder  Jeremy  H.  Dwyer  assisted  the  pastor  during  the  season  of  revival. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1838,  Marvin  Eastwood,  who.  had  been  reared  in  the  west 
part  of  the  town,  and  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Mountain  Church,  began  ta 
labor  with  this  congregation,  and  on  the  lith  of  September  following  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry.  A  revival  soon  followed  and  by  the  ensuing  spring 
fifty-five  converts  had  been  added  to  the  church,  which,  with  those  who  joined 
by  letter,  swelled  the  membership  to  127.  During  this  pastorate  the  church 
was  increased  to  its  maximum  number  of  140  members.  Elder  Eastwood  re- 
moved to  Waterford  in  1 841  and  was  succeeded  by  Elder  Simon  Fletcher  who 
had  charge  of  the  church  for  one  year.  Elder  John  Duncan,  who  had  been 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Kingsbury  street,  served  tlie  church  another  year. 

"  The  next  in  order  in  charge  of  this  church  was  Elder  O.  H.  Capron,  from 
Galway,  N.  Y.,  who  remained  three  years,  during  which  period  an  interesting; 
revival  season  was  held,  in  which  about  twenty- five  were  added  to  the  church. 
Its  total  membership  at  this  time  was  reported  at  131.  He  left  in  1846,  and 
subsequently  returned  for  another  term  of  labor  in  1851—52,  with  small  results 
in  the  way  of  church  growth." 

In  1853  he  removed  to  Hebron,  Washington  county,  and  Elder  John  H. 
Barker  became  pastor  to  the  church,  remaining  in  charge  two  years.  During 
the  interval  between  the  years  1846  and  185  i.  Elder  Ira  Bentley  officiated  for 
about  two  years,  dating  from  1859.  Since  1853  no  regular  pastor  has  been 
settled  over  the  church,  although  from  1858  until  about  1861,  occasional  ser- 
vices were  held,  which  were  conducted  by  Elders  C.  R.  Green  and  Ransom  O. 
Dyer.  During  the  years  between  1833  and  1839,  it  was  a  connection  of  the 
Lake  George  Baptist  Association  ;  after  that  date  it  became  a  part  of  the  Wash- 
ington Union. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  479 

The  Second  Queensbury,  or  West  Momitain  Church. —  "  In  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  town,  in  the  earHer  days,  were  a  small  number  of  Baptists  who 
were  probably  connected  with  the  Moreau  Church  for  a  while.  These  were 
afterwards  united  to  the  Luzerne  church  over  the  mountain,  which,  from  18 13 
to  1827,  was  attached  to  the  Saratoga  Association.  Since  that  period  the  pro- 
gress and  history  of  this  interest  can  be  traced  by  the  aid  of  the  minutes  of 
the  Washington  and  Washington  Union  Baptist  Association,  with  which  it  has 
been  connected.  In  June,  1827,  at  the  first  anniversary  of  the  association 
above  named,  the  Luzerne  church  was  represented  by  Elder  Stephen  Call  and 
Allen  Seymour,  who  reported  108  members  in  the  fellowship.  The  next  year 
it  was  designated  as  the  Baptist  Church  of  Luzerne  and  Queensbury,  and 
Elder  Call,  D.  Fairchild,  and  Henry  Moses  were  the  delegates.  How  many 
of  this  church  were  residents  of  Queensbury,  there  are  no  present  means  of 
determining.  Elder  Call  continued  his  pastorate  as  late  as  the  year  1837. 
When  the  Washington  Union  Association  was  formed  at  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  in 
June,  1835,  by  the  consolidation  of  the  Washington  and  Bottskill  bodies,  this 
church  went  into  the  new  organization,  reporting  at  that  time  thirty-four  bap- 
tisms and  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven   members. 

"The  digest  of  the  state  of  the  churches  for  1836  says  of  this  church  : 
'  They  are  inconveniently  situated,  being  separated  by  a  rugged  mountain,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  members  on  either  side  have  but  little  intercourse, 
and  they  think  of  becoming  two  separate  churches.'  In  1838  the  Luzerne 
Church  was  present  with  returns  of  only  forty-nine  members,  and  Deacon 
Moses  Randall',  who  had  been  recently  licensed,  as  their  preacher.  The  Sec- 
ond Queensbury  was  represented  in  the  association  the  same  year  by  Elder 
Charles  Williams,  Deacon  David  Barber,  Lewis  Wood,  Henry  Moses  and 
David  Williams.  They  reported  no  aggregate  membership,  but  we  find  the 
following  in  the  digest  of  that  year.  '  The  Second  Baptist  Church  in  Queens- 
bury has  been  constituted  since  our  last  session,  have  enjoyed  a  powerful  re- 
vival of  religion,  and  have  received  an  addition  of  forty  or  fifty  by  baptism. 
Have  a  Sabbath-school  and  bible-class,  and  are  in  union.  Elder  J.  H.  Dw3/er 
preaches  to  them  one-fourth  part  of  the  time.'  With  those  set  off  from  Lu- 
zerne they  must  have  numbered  about  eighty  members.  The  germ  of  this 
new  church  was  called  Elder  Williams's  Conference,  and  Elder  A.  Wait,  of  Fort 
Edward,  Norman  Fox,  residing  at  Glens  Falls,  and  supplying  the  Kingsbury 
church,  and  John  Scofield  of  the  Oneida,  preached  and  baptized  here  occasion- 
ally. Elder  Williams  was  reported  as  pastor  from  1838  to  1841,  during  which 
period  the  meeting-house  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  was  erected  and  dedi- 
cated." 1 

The  site  was  given  by  Abraham  Van  Duzen  and  the  house  was  built  by 
contributions  from  David  Burnham  and  son  and  other  Baptist  friends.     After 

1  Holden's  History  of  Qusensbiiry. 


Missing  Page 


Missing  Page 


482  History  of  Warren  County. 

who  established  The  Messenger  and  also  published  a  Baptist  periodical  during 
the  time.  In  August,  1858,  Elder  Daniel  T.  Hill,  of  Carmel,  N.  Y.,  became 
pastor  and  remained  with  the  church  one  year,  when  he  became  interested  in 
the  South  Glens  Falls  Church,  across  the  river,  and  aided  in  the  erection  of  a 
house  of  worship,  which  was  built  about  1861.  From  autumn  1859  ^  i860, 
Elder  L.  H.  Purington,  of  Rensselaerville,  filled  the  pulpit ;  but  ill-health 
obliged  him  to  resign  the  charge  and  he  removed  from  the  place.  In  October 
of  i860  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  D.  C.  Hughes,  who  was  ordained  in  No- 
vember, and  remained  with  the  church  for  two  years  and  a  half,  in  addition 
acting  as  pastor  to  the  church  at  Sandy  Hill.  In  September,  1863,  Elder  C. 
■A.  Skinner  took  charge  of  the  fold,  remaining  with  them  one  year,  during 
which  time  twenty-seven  were  baptized  by  him.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
Massachusetts.  In  October,  1864,  Elder  James  M.  Ferriss,  of  Preston  Hollow, 
N.  Y.,  began  the  pastorate  of  the  church,  remaining  four  years,  in  which  time 
the  church  membership  increased  until  it  numbered  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
four.  In  1866  the  church  building  was  repaired  and  furnished  with  cushions 
carpets  and  gas  fixtures.  The  thirty-second  anniversary  was  held  in  the 
church  in  June,  1866.  Elder  Ferriss  resigned  in  October,  1868,  and  in  No- 
vember following,  Elder  Charles  H.  Nash  was  engaged  to  supply  the  pulpit 
until  spring,  when  he  was  settled  as  pastor,  remaining  until  1879.  During  his 
ministrations,  a  debt  of  $1,400  on  the  church  was  removed.  In  1879  Elder 
H.  B.  Warring  became  the  pastor,  remaining  until  1883,  when  the  present 
pastor,  Elder  George  B.  Gow,  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  ministry  of  this 
church.  In  the  spring  of  1885  the  church  was  rebuilt  on  the  site  of  the  old 
edifice,  at  a  cost  of  about  $25,000.  The  present  membership  is  three  hundred 
and  thirty-four.  The  church  officers  are  R.  J.  Winchip  and  Noah  Washburn, 
deacons;  Benjamin  S.  Cowles,  jr.,  church  clerk;  Simeon  T.  Barber,  treasurer, 
and  Charles  B.  Ide,  Sunday-school  superintendent. 

The  Presbyterian  Church.  —  On  the  1st  day  of  October,  1876,  the  Rev.  A. 
J.  Fennel,  the  revered  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Glens  Falls, 
preached  a  sermon  embodying  a  history  of  the  church,  it  being  the  thirtieth 
anniversary  of  his  pastorate.  From  that  sermon  we  have  condensed  the  fol- 
lowing sketch :  — 

We  come  now  to  the  time  when  the  Presbyterian  element,  which  had 
come  in  with  new  settlers,  began  to  make  itself  manifest.  Except  the  Rev. 
Anthony  Paul  —  supposed  to  have  been  educated  by  President  Wheelock,  and 
duly  licensed  in  Connecticut — who  preached  around  the  shores  of  Lake 
George,  there  had  never  been  a  Presbyterian  minister  resident  in  the  county, 
and  is  presumed  that  there  had  never  been  heard,  except  from  this  Christian 
Indian,  but  few  Presbyterian  sermons.  The  Methodists  had  a  flourishing  so- 
ciety on  the  Ridge,  which  had  grown  out  of  the  preaching  of  Lorenzo  Dow; 
and  in  Johnsburgh  they  had  a  society  watched  over  by  the  local  preacher  Da- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  483 

vid  Noble.  Nearly  forty  years  had  passed  since  the  settlement  of  the  town, 
and  as  yet  we  had  here  no  name.  Moreau  already  had  a  Congregational 
Church,  with  two  houses  of  worship,  and  was  just  settling  a  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Lebbeus  Armstrong.  This  may  have  somewhat  interested  and  aroused  the 
people  here.  The  village  occupying  this  spot,  then  called  Pearl  Village,  had 
become  a  place  of  considerable  trade,  had  a  good  hotel,  mills  on  the  falls,  and 
a  somewhat  larger  number,  in  proportion  to  the  whole  population,  of  intelli- 
gent and  enterprising  citizens.  The  movement  for  a  house  of  worship  seems 
to  have  been  spontaneous  and  general,  and  there  being  as  yet  no  church 
organization,  it  took  both  the  form  and  name  of  a  Union  —  and  the  house 
thus  built  was  for  many  years  occupied  by  different  denominations.  A  sub- 
scription "to  build  a  house  of  publick  worship  in  the  Town  of  Queensbury, 
County  of  Washington,  somewhere  near  the  Four  Corners,"  was  drawn  up  on 
the  4th  of  March,  1803.  On  the  first  day  of  June  following  the  number  of 
subscribers  having  reached  thirty-eight  and  the  aggregate  amount  $974,  "a 
majority  of  the  subscribers  being  met,"  a  committee  of  seven  ^  was  appointed 
to  collect  the  sums  subscribed  and  erect  the  church.  With  this  inadequate 
amount  it  could  not  have  been  expected  that  the  house  would  soon  be  finished. 
It  was  probably  soon  raised  and  enclosed.  Three  years  afterward,  June  1st, 
1800,  the  number  of  subscribers  had  reached  eighty-one  and  the  amount 
$1292.50.  Afterward  we  find  names  increasing  the  whole  number  of  contrib- 
utors to  ninety-nine.  The  society  elected  trustees  ^  and  effected  a  legal  organ- 
ization on  the  23d  day  of  July,  1807,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Union  Church 
of  Pearl  Village,"  which  name  was  changed  to  "First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Glens  Falls"  in  1848.  A  year  following  (July  30th,  1808)  the  trustees  made 
a  contract  with  Parsons  Ranger,  who  had  been  the  builder  thus  far,  and  who 
now  associated  with  him  Lester  Stebbins  of  Lake  George,  to  complete  the 
house  of  worship  for  $750.  The  work  specified  as  then  remaining  to  be  done 
shows  that  the  whole  five  years  had  elapsed  without  the  building  reaching  a 
proper  condition  to  be  occupied.  It  was  now  completed  according  to  the  con- 
tract "within  the  space  of  five  months;"  and  within  a  few  days,  December 
1 8th,  1808,  a  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Jonas  Coe,  of  Troy,  consisting  of 
nine  members,  all  of  whom  now  sleep.  They  were  John  Folsom,  Solomon  P. 
Goodrich,  Ehzabeth  Folsom,  Ann  Goodrich,  Glorianna  Folsom,  Mary  Folsom, 
John  Moss,  jr.,  Naomi  Ranger,  Amy  Sanford.  The  pews  in  the  new  church 
were  sold  subject  to  rent ;  and  this  was  probably  the  way  by  which  the  money 
was  raised  to  pay  for  the  finishing  work. 

Undoubtedly  before  this  time    Presbyterian  or  Congregational    ministers 
must  have  occasionally  been  here  and  preached  —  Mr.  Armstrong  had  already 


1  This  committee  consisted  of  Micajah  Petit,  William  Roljaids,  Jolin  V.  W.  Huyck,  Peter  Peclc, 
John  Mallory,  Warren  Kerriss,  and  John  McGill. 

2  The  first  trustees   were  William   Robards,   Daniel   Peck,  John   Folsom,  William  Hay,  Micajah 
Petit  and  John  A.   Ferriss. 


484  History  of  Warren  County. 

been  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Moreau  for  five  years  and  at 
least  three  years  before  had  organized  the  Congregational  Church  of  Kings- 
bury —  but  with  a  single  exception  I  cannot  learn  that  any  one  had  ever  been 
employed  here  to  statedly  preach  the  Word.  The  Rev.  William  Boardman 
was  the  first  resident  minister  of  the  church.  Commencing  his  labors  in  the 
spring  of  1809  and  closing  them  in  the  fall  of  1811,  he  was  here  about  two 
years  and  a  half  It  is  not  probable  that  he  was  installed.  He  came  here 
from  Duanesburgh,  near  Schenectady,  where  he  commenced  his  ministry  in 
1803,  and  where  he  had  been  pastor  therefore  for  six  years.  He  was  a  native 
of  Williamstown,  Mass.,  and  a  graduate  of  Williams  College.  Yet  a  young 
man  only  twenty- eight  years  of  age,  scholarly,  earnest,  a  good  preacher,  very 
genial  and  kindly  in  all  social  relations,  there  is  evidence  existing  here  yet  that 
he  was  greatly  beloved,  and  that  his  departure  to  take  charge  of  a  church  in 
Newtown,  Long  Island,  was  much  regretted.  During  a  portion  and  perhaps 
all  of  the  time  that  Mr.  Boardman  preached  here,  he  also  supplied  the  church 
at  Sandy  Hill.  Indeed,  it  was  probably  during  the  time  that  he  was  here  that 
the  two  churches  became  consolidated,  forming  the  "  United  Church  of  Kings- 
bury and  Queensbury."  These  two  churches,  harmoniously  uniting  in  one, 
and  dividing  between  them  the  services  of  one  minister  as  they  did  for  about 
twenty  years,  that  together  they  might  be  able  to  support  the  Gospel  without 
missionary  help,  afford  an  example  to  many  small  churches  now  that  are  near 
each  other,  which  it  might  not  be  amiss  for  them  to  appreciate  and  practice. 
Mr.  Boardman's  salary  was  $350  in  this  village;  how  much  it  was  in  Sandy 
Hill  I  have  not  learned. 

From  the  time  of  Mr.  Boardman's  leaving,  September,  181 1,  to  the  coming 
of  Mr.  Rodgers,  in  March,  1820,  there  were  eight  years  and  a  half,  during  which, 
with  a  single  exception,  it  does  not  seem  that  the  church  enjoyed  the  stated 
services  of  any  minister.  This  exception  is  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Sears,  who  seems 
to  have  been  here  for  at  least  six  months,  embracing  the  latter  half  of  18 12. 

January  8th,  1813,  the  trustees  purchased  of  Henry  Spencer  for  $25,  "an 
acre  and  a  quarter  and  one  rod,  as  glebe  for  the  use  of  the  church."  This  be- 
came what  we  now  know  as  the  "  Old  Burial-place."  That  it  was  designed  for 
such  use  is  not  learned  from  the  deed,  but  from  the  fact  that  it  was  immediately 
put  to  this  use;  and  the  next  spring.  May  loth,  1813,  Mr.  Folsom,  who  was 
collector  and  treasurer  of  the  society,  was  authorized  to  "  contract  with  some 
one  for  fencing  the  burial-place."  Previous  to  this  time  the  village  burying- 
ground  was  on  the  bluff  now  occupied  by  the  old  stone  church.  Also,  at  the 
same  date  Mr.  Folsom  was  authorized  to  '*  purchase  a  bell  for  the  church,  pro- 
vided he  can  obtain  money  for  the  purpose."  It  is  evident  that  he  succeeded, 
for  in  his  account  as  treasurer  we  find  the  items,  "  Cash  for  bell,  $306,"  and 
"Cash  for  fetching  up  the  bell,  $3."  And  the  next  November,  1813,  Mr.  J. 
Cunningham  was  employed  to  "  ring  the  bell  three  times  a  day  for  the  use  of 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         485 

the  village,  and  Sabbath  days  for  the  use  of  the  church,  for  $40,  payable  every 
six  months."  During  the  next  few  years  we  only  get  glimpses  of  the  church 
through  the  records  of  the  session  and  the  trustees,  and  the  account  of  the  treas- 
urer. We  find  the  name  of  Dr.  Coe,  of  Troy,  as  many  as  seven  times,  nearly 
or  quite  every  time  he  administered  the  ordinances  of  the  United  Church ;  the 
name  of  Dr.  Blatchford,  of  Lansingburgh ;  of  Mr.  Furman,  Mr.  Clark,  Mr. 
Tomb,  of  Salem ;  Mr.  Hardy  (three  Sabbaths),  Mr.  Brownell,  Mr.  Griswold, 
Mr.  Armstrong,  of  Moreau.  Occurring  as  these  names  do,  scattered  along 
through  this  whole  period,  we  find  in  this  fact  evidence  of  the  weak  condition 
of  the  church,  that  it  was  not  able  to  command  stated  preaching.  It  should, 
however,  be  recorded,  as  yet  in  the  remembrance  of  some  now  living,  that  re- 
ligious services  were  maintained  much  of  this  time  by  Mr.  Folsom  and  Mr. 
Goodrich  —  Mr.  Folsom  preaching  the  Word.  There  seems  to  have  been  much 
more  than  ordinary  interest  and  life  in  the  church,  especially  at  Sandy  Hill,  in 
1 8 16-17.  At  a  communion  administered  by  Dr.  Coe,  November,  18 16,  twen- 
ty-five persons  were  admitted  to  the  church ;  and  the  next  March  thirteen  by 
Mr.  Armstrong.  And  as  though  Providence  was  preparing  the  way  for  a  pas- 
tor, and  at  the  same  time  showing  that  he  could  work  and  give  a  measure  of 
prosperity  without  one,  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  just  before  Mr.  Rodgers's 
arrival,  the  session,  which  for  almost  the  whole  time  of  the  church's  existence 
had  consisted  of  the  two  original  members,  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  six 
persons  —  John  Thomas,  Luther  Johnson,  S.  P.  Goodrich,  Samuel  Cranston, 
Daniel  Beaumont,  and  Edward  Moss  —  who  were  ordained  by  Dr.  Coe  in  the 
court-house  at  Sandy  Hill,  January  30th,  1820. 

We  come  now  to  the  first  regular  pastorate  of  the  church  —  one  extending 
over  considerable  time  and  having  a  good  degree  of  success.  Ravaud  K.  Rodg- 
ers,  a  grandson  of  one  of  the  early  and  prominent  ministers  of  New  York,  and 
a  licentiate  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  York,  was  spending  the  winter  of  1819—20 
as  a  missionary  in  the  bounds  of  what  was  then  the  Presbyteries  of  Columbia 
and  Champlain.  In  the  course  of  his  evangelistic  work  and  on  his  way  north- 
ward, he  spent  a  couple  of  Sabbaths  at  Sandy  Hill  and  Glens  Falls.  The  people 
of  the  United  Church  were  so  pleased  with  him  and  his  preaching,  that  on  his 
return  in  March  he  was  invited  to  remain  for  a  year  as  stated  supply,  in  the 
hope  that  by  that  time  they  might  be  in  a  situation  to  give  him  a  call  for  a 
permanent  settlement.  His  acceptance  of  this  invitation,  and  how  the  hope  of 
the  church  was  realized,  may  be  easily  inferred  from  the  following  minute  on 
the  fly-leaf  of  the  church  register,  in  Mr.  Rodgers's  own  fine  handwriting :  "  On 
Wednesday,  the  14th  day  of  March,  1821,  Ravaud  K.  Rodgers  was  ordained 
to  the  gospel  ministry,  and  installed  pastor  of  the  United  Church  of  Kingsbury 
and  Queensbury.  On  this  occasion  a  sermon  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Jonas 
Coe,  D.  D.,  of  Troy,  from  II.  Timothy,  4:  1,2.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Tomb,  of 
Salem,  presided  and  made  the  consecrating   prayer.     The  Rev.  Nathaniel  S. 


486  History  of  Warren  County. 

Prime,  of  Cambridge,  gave  the  charge  to  the  pastor ;  and  the  Rev.  Ethan 
Smith,  of  Hebron,  addressed  the  people."  Mr.  Rodgers's  farewell  sermon  to 
the  congregation  at  Glens  Falls,  was  on  the  eighth  anniversary  of  his  settlement, 
March  14th,  1829;  although  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation  did  not 
take  place  till  the  28th  of  April  following,  at  Pittstown.  His  entire  ministry  to 
the  church,  therefore,  it  will  be  seen  extended  through  nine  years.  The  United 
Church,  on  petition  of  the  members,  had  already  been  divided  by  the  Presby- 
tery into  two  distinct  churches,  August  27th,  1827,  to  be  known  as  "The 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Sandy  Hill,"  and  "  The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Glens 
Falls."  Mr.  Rodgers  continued  pastor  of  the  church  at  Sandy  Hill  till  Febru- 
ary, 1830,  nearly  another  year.  During  the  nine  years  of  this  ministry  to  both 
congregations  there  were  received  to  the  church  on  profession  of  faith  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-two  persons  ;  only  about  three-eighths  (seventy-three)  of  them 
however  belonged  to  the  branch  of  Glens  Falls.  During  the  year  1824  there 
was  a  very  deep  religious  interest  in  both  places.  It  is  no  doubt  to  the  com- 
munion on  the  14th  of  March,  of  this  year,  that  the  doctor  refers  in  his  Fifty  Years 
in  the  Ministry,  where  he  says :  "We  had  some  seasons  of  delightful  refreshing 
from  the  Lord.  I  can  never  forget  one  of  commanding  interest,  when  nearly 
one  hundred  persons  came  out  from  the  world  and  took  the  vows  of  God  upon 
them."  Nine  years  ago,  in  my  Historical  Sketch,  the  first  discourse  deliv- 
ered in  this  house,  I  took  occasion  to  refer  to  the  great  amount  of  discipline 
which  was  administered  in  1828.  It  astonished  me  that  a  session  should  have 
occasion  for  so  much  of  that  unpleasant  duty.  I  have  now  re-read  with  some 
care  the  records  of  the  session  for  the  last  five  of  the  nine  years  of  which  I  am 
now  speaking,  and  with  special  reference  to  this  subject.  I  find  that  in  these 
five  years  thirty-two  were  under  discipline,  several  of  them  more  than  once.  No 
doubt  so  many  coming  into  the  church  at  one  time,  borne  upon  a  current  of 
enthusiasm  which  must  soon  somewhat  abate,  and  many  of  them  not  having 
been  well  instructed  in  religious  truth  and  duty  under  an  established  ministry, 
which  they  had  not  then  long  enjoyed,  may  in  a  measure  account  for  not  a  few 
of  the  errors  into  which  they  fell  —  many  of  the  charges  against  them  seem  to 
have  been  errors  in  regard  to  duty  rather  than  immoralities  of  life.  And  it  is 
not  impossible  that  the  session,  nearly  all  of  whom,  including  the  pastor,  were 
without  experience,  may  have  entertained  such  views  of  their  proper  work  and 
office  that  they  were  led  to  a  minuteness  of  supervision  and  watchcare  over  the 
membership,  too  nearly  like  that  required  by  the  church  in  her  childhood  under 
the  old  dispensation,  and  not  exactly  in  accordance  with  the  manhood  and  lib- 
erty contemplated  under  the  Gospel.  Although  this  pastorate  is  remembered 
now  by  the  few  of  the  aged  members  yet  remaining  with  a  great  deal  of  satis- 
faction, and  on  the  whole  was  certainly  a  wise  and  successful  one,  it  is  never- 
theless too  plain  that  at  its  close  the  church  was  far  from  being  happy  or  har- 
monious. The  membership  in  this  village  when  Mr.  Rodgers  came  could  not 
have  been  much  over  thirty ;  when  he  left  it  was  about  ninety. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  487 

The  next  three  years  and  a  half,  till  the  coming  of  Mr.  Newton,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1832,  while  we  find  the  names  of  quite  a  number  of  clergymen  on  the  ses- 
sional records,  mentioned  simply  as  moderators,  there  were  but  two  who  sup- 
plied the  church  for  any  considerable  time  —  these  were  Edwin  Hall  and  Caleb 
B.  Tracy.  Each  of  these  gentlemen  preached  here  about  six  months  —  Mr. 
Hall  beginning  in  August,  1830,  and  Mr.  Tracy  the  latter  part  of  183 1.  The 
church,  which  had  become  almost  dilapidated,  was  undergoing  repairs  when 
Mr.  Hall  arrived ;  so  he  was  obliged  to  preach  for  a  time  in  the  session  house. 
The  repairs,  including  a  new  bell  in  the  place  of  the  old  one,  which  had  been 
cracked,  were  completed  on  the  1st  of  December,  and  a  protracted  meeting  of 
considerable  interest  immediately  followed.  Mr.  Hall,  a  native  I  believe  of 
Granville,  in  Washington  county,  supplied  also,  during  the  time  that  he  was 
here,  the  church  in  Sandy  Hill,  preached  occasionally  at  Fort  Edward,  and 
acted  as  a  general  missionary  throughout  Warren  county. 

A  call  was  made  out  for  Ephraim  H.  Newton  on  the  3d  day  of  September, 
1832.  His  service  commenced  immediately,  though  he  was  not  installed  till 
the  28th  of  February  following.  He  had  already  been  a  successful  pastor  and 
teacher  for  nearly  twenty  years  in  Marlborough,  Vt.,  which  was  his  native 
State.  He  was  forty-five  years  of  age,  a  man  whose  life  from  youth  had  been 
largely  devoted  to  teaching,  of  cultivated  scientific  tastes,  and  of  marked  and 
strong  character.  He  was  not  a  brilliant,  but  a  sound  and  instructive  preacher. 
He  was  the  first  minister  of  this  congregation,  except  Mr.  Tracy  for  a  few 
months,  whose  services  were  not  divided  with  Sandy  Hill.  Being  to  the  man- 
ner accustomed,  and  his  support  being  inadequate,  he  taught  a  very  excellent 
select  school  during  a  portion  of  the  time  that  he  was  here.  He  was  dismissed 
by  the  Presbytery  on  the  25th  of  August,  1836,  "in  consequence  of  the  em- 
barrassed state  of  funds  for  his  support,"  after  a  ministry  here  of  just  four 
years.  What  his  salary  was  I  have  not  ascertained.  This  ministry  had  been 
eminently  successful ;  there  had  been  added  to  the  church  sixty  persons  on 
profession,  and  a  large  number  by  certificate.  There  had  been  but  one  case 
of  discipline,  and  there  was  general  prosperity  and  concord. 

The  church  now  remained  without  a  stated  minister  for  nearly  a  year  — 
from  September  1st,  1836,  to  August  1st,  1837  —  and  yet  at  the  two  commu- 
nions which  were  observed  (April  and  July)  there  were  eleven  new  members 
admitted  on  profession  of  their  faith. 

On  the  loth  of  August,  1837,  Mr.  Scovill's  name  occurs  as  moderator  of 
the  session.  He  no  doubt  came  on  immediately  after  his  graduation  at 
Auburn,  where  he  studied  theology.  On  the  i  ith  of  September  following 
the  congregation  made  out  a  call  for  him  to  become  pastor,  at  $500  a  year;  and 
in  November  of  the  same  year  he  was  installed.  It  is  interesting  to  observe, 
as  belonging  to  the  history  of  the  Presbytery  of  Troy,  that  within  three  days 
it  ordained  and  installed  three  pastors,  adjourning  from  one  parish  to  the  other 


488  History  of  Warren  County. 

— Lewis  Kellogg  at  Whitehall,  John  F.  Scovill  at  Glens  Falls,  and  A.  Bord- 
man  Lambert  at  Salem.  Mr.  Scovill's  pastorate  here  continued  about  five 
years — he  offered  his  resignation  in  April,  1842,  and  I  conclude  was  dismissed 
by  the  Presbytery  at  Sand  Lake  on  the  28th  of  June  following.  Within  these 
five  years  there  were  fifty-three  additions  to  the  church  by  profession,  and 
fourteen  persons  were  under  discipline.  It  was  the  period  during  which  the 
contest  between  the  old  school  and  the  new  school,  between  the  old  mode  and 
the  new  measures,  waxed  hottest,  and  culminated  in  the  unhappy  division  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  For  a  time  this  particular  church  endeavored  to 
avoid  being  drawn  into  the  strife.  In  June  of  1838  and  in  February  of  '39 
the  session  declined  to  send  any  delegate  to  presbytery,  and  also  in  October, 
'39,  to  send  any  delegate  to  synod,  expressly  resolving  for  the  time  to  remain 
neutral.  How  could  the  church  or  the  session  know  what  to  do?  The  two 
former  pastors,  with  their  churches,  went  with  the  old  school,  the  pastor  they 
then  had  went  with  the  new.  And  when  in  August,  1839,  the  session  re- 
scinded their  resolution  of  neutrality,  and  sent  a  delegate  to  the  New  School 
Presbytery  at  Lansingburgh,  it  is  not  at  all  strange  that  the  strain  on  the 
church  was  so  strong  that  a  fissure  for  a  time  was  quite  observable.  We  won- 
der now  that  such  feelings  and  prejudices  should  have  existed  as  prevailed  in 
those  days ;  but  the  division  of  a  great  and  intelligent  church  into  two  oppo- 
sing bodies  is  not  a  trifling  event  to  those  who  are  immediately  separated.  We 
rejoice  now  in  the  reunion  of  the  church,  consummated  in  1870,  after  a  school- 
ing and  cooling  of  thirty-two  years,  which  brought  the  parties  to  respect  and 
trust  each  other,  and  to  come  back  and  shake  hands  where  they  had  parted, 
neither  one  making  any  confession,  neither  one  gaining  any  precedence  by  for- 
giving the  other. 

John  W.  Ray  commenced  preaching  to  this  church  in  August,  1842  — 
almost  immediately  after  his  graduation  at  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York  city,  and  almost  literally,  without  any  period  between,  joining  his 
ministry  to  that  of  his  predecessor.  His  call  from  the  congregation  to  the  pas- 
torate was  voted  on  the  31st  day  of  October,  1842,  at  $500  a  year.  When  he 
was  ordained  and  installed  is  uncertain,  but  probably  it  was  on  the  i6th  of 
November,  as  that  was  the  day  chosen  by  the  congregation,  if  it  should  be 
convenient  for  the  Presbytery.  He  offered  his  resignation  in  July,  1845,  and 
it  was  accepted  on  the  6th  of  August.  No  doubt  his  term  of  service  was  just 
three  years.  Mr.  Ray  was  young  and  ardent.  He  entered  into  his  work  with 
zeal  and  enthusiasm,  if  not  always  with  the  best  taste  and  judgment.  He 
aimed  at  immediate  effect,  and  was  successful  in  what  he  undertook.  Sixty- 
five  were  admitted  to  the  church  by  profession  during  his  ministry.  He  is 
remembered  by  many  of  the  members,  to  the  present  day,  with  interest  and 
esteem. 

From  the   ist  of  October,  1845,  ^^^  Kev.  John  Gray  was  minister  of  the 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  489 

church  for  nine  months,  to  July,  1846.  Two  years  afterward  he  was  preach- 
iug  in  Newburgh,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  that  city  he  died  in  i860. 

I  come  now  to  the  ministry ^  to  which  this  present  service  belongs.  Thirtj'^ 
years  ago  this  morning,  the  first  Sabbath  of  October,  1846,  P  preached  for  the 
first  time  in  the  house  which  then  occupied  the  spot  on  which  this  edifice  now 
stands.  I  had,  from  my  graduation  at  Auburn  three  years  before,  been 
preaching  as  stated  supply  to  the  Congregational  Church  of  East  Groton, 
Western  New  York.  Seeking  my  annual  recreation,  I  had  been  for  several 
weeks  with  friends  in  Vermont,  among  the  scenes  of  my  childhood,  and  was 
nearly  ready  to  return  to  continue  my  service  to  the  people,  whom  till  to-day 
I  remember  and  bless  as  the  people  of  my  first  love.  A  mere  accident — what 
appears  such — sometimes  changes  the  place  of  one's  home,  and  determines 
where  and  with  whom  he  shall  live  and  perform  his  life's  work.  So  it  was 
with  me.  On  the  apparently  unpremeditated  invitation  of  an  uncle,  I  rode 
with  him  to  Glens  Falls,  and  was  here  staying  with  his  friends  and  mine  over 
the  Sabbath.  This  church  was  without  a  minister;  and  as  Elder  Benedict  and 
Elder  Tallmadge  could  not  do  any  better,  they  invited  me  to  preach.  And 
here  I  have  been  preaching  ever  since. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Fennel  has  continued  in  his  pastorate  until  the  present  time 
to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  his  congregation,  and  has  merited  and  won  the 
unqualified  esteem  of  the  entire  community. 

The  Sunday-school  of  this  church  was  organized  by  the  village  school- 
master, Mr.  Solomon  P.  Goodrich,  about  the  year  18 15,  in  the  old  academy  on 

1  Mr.  Fennel  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ira,  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  June  2Ist,  1815.  The  first 
seventeen  years  of  his  life,  except  the  winter  terms  at  a  district  school,  were  spent  in  somewhat  hard 
work  upon  the  farm.  He  commenced  teaching  when  seventeen,  and  divided  that  occupation  with 
study — privately,  at  the  Poultney  Seminary,  but  mainly  at  the  Castleton  Seminary — for  the  next  eight 
years.  He  entered  the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary  in  1840,  and  graduated  in  1843  ;  was  honored 
with  A.  M.  by  Middleton  College  in  1847;  was  licensed  and  ordained  by  the  Rutland  County  Associa- 
tion ;  preached  the  first  three  years  of  his  ministry  as  stated  supply  for  the  Congregational  Church  in 
East  Groton,  Tompkins  county.  He  was  married  October  i8th,  1843,  at  Little  Falls,  to  Miss  Racillia 
A.  Hackley,  daughter  of  Hon.  Philo  M.  Hackley,  of  Herkimer.  His  call  to  the  church  in  Glens  Falls 
was  made  the  12th  of  October,  1846,  and  it  was  subscribed  by  A.  N.  Cheney,  Ira  A.  Paddock,  Stevens 
Carpenter,  Orville  Cronkhite,  A.  C.  Farlin  and  Halsey  R.  Wing,  trustees.  The  installation  did  not 
take  place  till  the  25th  of  January,  1847.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  John  Todd,  D.  D., 
of  Pittsfield,  Mass.  ;  the  charge  to  the  pastor  was  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Doolittle,  of  North  Granville, 
and  the  charge  to  the  congregation  by  the  Rev.  Lewis  Kellogg,  of  Whitehall.  Although  never  enjoy- 
ing vigorous  health,  the  thirty  years'  labor  here,  with  one  exception,  has  only  had  now  and  then  very 
slight  interruption.  The  winter  of  1850-51 — from  the  I2th  of  December  to  the  20th  of  March — was 
spent  in  the  South,  a  considerable  portion  of  it  on  the  island  of  Cuba. 

Mr.  Fenner's  salary  at  first  was  $600;  in  1853  it  was  raised  to  $800,  and  in  1867  to  $1,500.  He 
has  never  alluded  to  the  matter  of  his  salary  in  the  pulpit,  nor  has  he  ever  anywhere  asked  for  its  in- 
crease. In  accordance  with  a  promise  made  at  every  pastor's  installation,  to  continue  not  only  the 
maintenance  which  the  people  have  pledged,  but  "  whatever  else  they  may  see  needful  for  the  honor 
of  religion,  and  his  comfort  among  them,"  his  watchful  congregation  has  not  only  paid  the  salary  in 
full,  but  in  observance  of  a  New  England  custom  has  made  him  twenty-five  visits,  which,  on  the  aver- 
age, were  worth  $200  each. 

2  Rev.  A.  J.  Fennel. 


490  History  of  Warren  County. 

Ridge  street,  which  Mr.  Goodrich  occupied  for  his  school  during  the  week. 
After  some  years  it  met  in  the  session  house  on  Glen  street.  It  was  the  first 
Sunday-school  in  the  town,  and  indeed  in  the  county,  and  continued  to  be  the 
only  school  for  many  years.  It  was  in  fact  and  in  name  a  union  school,  and 
remained  so  for  more  than  forty  years.  Mr.  Elias  Hawley  succeeded  Mr. 
Goodrich,  and  was  superintendent  till  his  removal  to  Binghamton  in  1833. 
Its  first  two  superintendents  were  elders  of  the  church,  as  is  the  one  now  in 
office,  and  two  others  were  elected  to  be,  but  declined  to  serve.  John  L.  Cur- 
tenius  was  the  next  superintendent,  with  George  G.  Hawley  for  assistant.  After 
Mr.  Curtenius's  removal,  it  is  thought  that  Mr.  Fordyce  Sylvester  acted  as 
superintendent  for  a  few  months,  when  George  G.  Hawley  was  elected  prob- 
ably in  May,  1837.  Except  for  a  few  months,  during  which  Ira  A. 
Paddock  served,  Mr.  Hawley  continued  in  office,  annually  re-elected,  for 
twenty- three  years.  His  work  in  the  Sunday-school  was,  and  is,  intelligent, 
earnest  and  efficient.  Since  he  was  succeeded  in  i860  by  F.  A.  Johnson,  he 
has  much  of  the  time  been  superintendent  of  the  district  Sunday-school  of 
Queensbury,  under  appointment  of  the  Warren  County  Sunday-school  Union, 
an  organization  formed  in  1841  greatly  through  his  instrumentality.  Mr. 
Johnson  was  superintendent  between  four  and  five  years,  till  his  removal  to 
New  York.  In  May,  1865,  J.  A.  Freligh  was  chosen  and  continued  in  office 
for  six  years,  till  1871,  when  Mr.  Johnson,  having  re-established  his  residence 
here,  was  re-elected  to  superintend  the  school,  and  has  continued  in  office  to 
the  present  time.  Thus  the  school,  now  more  than  sixty  years  old,  leaving 
out  only  a  few  months,  has  been  the  whole  time  under  six  superintendents — a 
fact  to  the  credit  of  both  them  and  the  school. 

The  Sunday-school,  ever  since  its  adoption  as  a  department  of  instruction 
in  this  church,  has  enlisted  much  of  the  best  talent  of  the  membership,  and 
has  done  much  to  promote  the  intelligent  piety  of  a  large  share  of  those 
who  now  belong  to  our  communion. 

In  the  year  1848  the  "  Old  White"  Church  as  it  was  known,  was  demol- 
ished and  a  handsome  brick  edifice  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $9,000.  The 
building  committee  consisted  of  Bethuel  Feck,  Albert  N.  Cheney  and  George 
C.  Hawley.  The  dedication  services  were  held  in  March,  1850,  Mr.  Fennel 
delivering  the  dedicatory  sermon.  On  May  3 1st,  1864,  the  church  was  destroyed 
by  the  great  fire,  and  services  were  held  during  the  building  of  a  new  edifice 
in  the  Baptist  Church. 

In  1865,  the  next  church  building  was  begun  and  was  completed  in  1867. 
The  first  sermon  was  preached  by  the  pastor  on  June  i6th,  1867,  at  which  time 
the  church  was  free  from  debt  and  valued,  with  furniture,  at  $25,000.  The 
trustees  were  S.  L.  Goodman,  Henry  Crandell,  Jerome  Lapham,  A.  C.  Tearse, 
and  Daniel  Peck.  The  church  was  dedicated  June  19th,  1867,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Hickok,  the  president  of  Union  College.  An  organ  was  afterward  purchased 
at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.         491 

Trustees.  —  Elected  in  1807,  William  Robards,  John  A.  Ferriss,  Daniel 
Peck,  William  Hay,  John  Folsom,  Micajah  Pettit ;  181 1,  Uzziel  Stevens,  Wil-' 
liam  Robards,  John  Folsom,  John  Thomas,  Edmund  Peck,  William  Wing ; 
18 1 2,  John  A.  Ferriss,  Uzziel  Stevens;  1813,  John  Thomas,  John  Folsom; 
1 8 14,  Asahel  Clark,  Elnathan  Parsons;  18 15,  Stephen  Clark,  John  A.  Ferriss; 
1816,  Thomas  Colton,  John  Folsom,  John  Thomas  ;  1817,  Solomon  P.  Good- 
rich, Hezekiah  Leavens  ;    i8i8,  Elias  Hawley,  John  A.  Ferriss,  Royal  Leavens  ; 

1820,  J.  Lyman  Arms,  Solomon  P.   Goodrich,   John   Thomas,    B.    F.    Butler; 

1821,  Horatio  Buell,  Elias  Hawley;  1822,  J.  Lyman  Arms,  Solomon  P.  Good- 
rich; 1823,  John  Thomas,  Luther  Johnson,  Bogardus  Piersons,  Samuel  Cook; 
1824,  Elias  Hawley,  Alpheus  Hawley;  1825,  Solomon  P.  Goodrich,  Elnathan 
Parsons;  1826,  Bogardus  Piersons,  Roswell  Weston;  1827,  Charles  G.  Jones, 
Sidney  Berry;  1828,  Horatio  Buell,  Moody  Ames ;  1829,  Sidney  Berry,  Lewis 
Numan,  Samuel  Estabrook ;  1830,  John  L.  Curtenius,  Sheldon  Benedict,  John 
Van  Pelt;  183 1,  Lewis  Numan,  Sidney  Berry;  1832,  Moody  Ames,  Jonathan 
W.  Freeman,  Fletcher  Ransom;  1834,  Sidney  Berry,  Lewis  Numan,  Sheldon 
Benedict,  George  G.  Hawley;  1835,  Jonathan  W.  Freeman,  Alexander  Fol- 
som; 1836,  Lewis  Numan,  Sheldon  Benedict;  1837,  Sidney  Berry,  George  G. 
Hawley,  Billy  J.  Clark;    1838,  Billy  J.  Clark,  Jonathan  W.  Freeman. 

The  church  was  again  destroyed  by  fire  April  28th,  1884,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent writing  is  in  process  of  rebuilding. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  ruling  elders  and  trustees  from  the  organization  of 
the  church  to  the  present  time  :  — 

Ruling  Elders. — Elected  in  1808,  John  Folsom,  died  1839;  John  Moss, 
jr.,  dismissed,  1822.  1809,  Jonathan  Harris,  Matthew  Scott,  Joseph  Caldwell. 
1819,  Solomon  P.  Goodrich,  died  1831  ;  Samuel  Cranston,  dismissed  1832. 
1827,  Charles  G.  Jones,  dismissed  1829;   Gridley  H.  Packard,  dismissed    1830. 

1830,  Levi  Hamilton,  dismissed   1833;   Samuel  S.  Tallmadge,  dismissed  1848. 

183 1,  Sidney  Berry,  died  1839;  Elias  Hawley,  dismissed  1833.  1834,  Albert 
Blakesley.  1838,  Sheldon  Benedict,  Linus  B.  Barnes,  Miron  Osborn,  died 
1850.  1851,  Orville  Cronkhite,  John  J.  Miller,  1855,  Henry  Wing,  William 
T.  Norris.  1857;  Linus  B.  Barnes,  Orville  Cronkhite,  Sheldon  Benedict.  1870, 
Linus  B.  Barnes,  Sheldon  Benedict,  Henry  Wing,  John  J.  Miller,  William 
Hotchkiss,  Frederic  A.  Johnson,  jr.,  Joseph  Fowler.  1839,  Lewis  Numan, 
Abraham  Wing,  George  Cronkhite.  1840,  George  G.  Hawley,  Linus  B. 
Barnes.  1841,  Billy  J.  Clark,  George  Sanford.  1842,  Lewis  Numan,  George 
Cronkhite.  1843,  George  G.  Hawley,  Linus  B.  Barnes.  1844,  Halsey 
R.  Wing,  Alfred  C.  Farlin.  1845,  Stevens  Carpenter,  Albert  N.  Cheney. 
1846,  Ira  A.  Paddock,  Orville  Cronkhite.  1847,  Linus  B.  Barnes,  Thomas  J. 
Strong.  1848,  James  C.  Clark,  Benjamin  F.  Shattuck.  Number  of  trustees 
reduced  to  five.  1849,  Frederic  A.  Johnson.  1850,  Charles  Rockwell,  Linus 
B.Barnes.     1851,    George  Cronkhite,  George  G.   Hawley,   Halsey  R.  Wing. 


492  History  of  Warren  County. 

1852,  George  Cronkhite.  Frederic  A.  Johnson.  1853,  Linus  B.  Barnes.  1854, 
Halsey  R.  Wing,  George  G.  Hawley.  1855,  George  Clendon,  jr.,  Fred  A. 
Johnson,  jr.  1856,  Linus  B.  Barnes,  Fred  A.  Johnson.  1857,  Halsey  R. 
Wing,  George  G.  Hawley.  1857,  George  Clendon,  jr.  1859,  Linus  B.  Barnes, 
Fred  A.  Johnson,  jr.  i860,  Halsey  R.  Wing,  George  G.  Hawley.  1861, 
George  Clendon,  jr.  1862,  Lewis  L.  Goodman,  vice  George  Clendon,  jr.,  Li- 
nus B.  Barnes,  Fred  A.  Johnson,  jr.  1863,  Ezra  Benedict,  Archibald  C.  Tearse. 
1864,  Stephen  L.  Goodman.  1865,  Daniel  Peck  vice  Ezra  Benedict  removed 
from  the  place  ;  Henry  Crandell,  Jerome  Lapham.  1866,  A.  C.  Tearse,  Daniel 
Peck.  1867,  Stephen  L.  Goodman.  1868,  Henry  Crandell,  James  A.  Fre- 
ligh.  1869,  A.  C.  Tearse,  Thos.  S.  Coolidge.  1870,  Stephen  L.  Goodman,  ta 
present.  1871,  Henry  Crandell,  James  A.  Freligh,  Martin  Coffin,  vice  A.  C. 
Tearse,  removed  from  the  place.  1872,  Martin  Coffin,  M.  L.  Wilmarth,  Thom- 
as S.  Coolidge,  to  present. 

Present  Trustees.  —  Stephen  L.  Goodman,  Samuel  Pruyn,  Thomas  S.  Cool- 
idge, Byron  Lapham,  Daniel  H.  Delong.  Elders :  Eleazer  Goodman,  Fred- 
erick A.  Johnson,  J.  L.  Cunningham,  John  J.  Miller,  Byron  B.  Fowler,  Joseph 
Fowler,  A.  B.  Abbott.  Sunday-school  superintendent,  J.  L.  Cunningham. 
Membership,  350. 

Union  Church  of  East  Lake  George,  or  East  Lake  George  Presbyterian 
Church. —  In  1864  C.  L.  North,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  several  ladies  and 
gentlemen  who  were  spending  the  summer  in  East  Lake  George  organized  a 
Sunday-school  in  one  of  the  school-houses.  The  summer  of  1865  a  second 
school  was  organized  and  church  services  were  held,  either  in  the  open  air  or 
in  the  school-houses  of  the  neighborhood.  From  this  beginning  grew  the  de- 
sire for  a  house  of  worship,  and  Mr.  North  circulated  a  subscription  paper  for 
the  purpose  of  raising  a  sum  of  money,  the  land  being  given  by  Mr.  Mat- 
tison.  The  5th  of  November,  1867,  the  corner  stone  was  laid,  and  on  July 
1 2th,  1868  the  church  was  dedicated.  It  was  organized  under  the  Congrega- 
tional form  of  government  and  was  called  the  Union  Evangelical  Church  of 
East  Lake  George,  Rev.  W.  B.  Lee,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  officiating.  The 
church  consisted  of  forty  members  at  that  time.  A  parsonage  was  also  built 
and  Rev.  James  Lamb  became  the  pastor  Mr.  Lamb  was  followed  succes- 
sively by  Revs.  Jacob  Fehrman,  Isaac  M.  See,  Harry  Brecket  and  Sidney  M. 
Stray.  Under  Mr.  Stray's  ministry  the  organization  became  Presbyterian, 
and  on  April  25th,  1877,  was  identified  with  the  Troy  Presbytery,  and  has 
since  been  known  as  the  East  Lake  George  Presbyterian  Church.  After  the 
retirement  of  Mr  Stray,  the  church  was  served  by  the  Revs.  William  Bryant, 
John  J.  Munroe  and  John  H.  Pollock,  the  last  named  gentleman  being  the 
present  pastor.  A  school-house  has  been  added  to  the  church,  which  with  the 
church  property  is  estimated  as  worth  about  $10,000.  Each  summer  an  an- 
niversary picnic  is  held  at  which  the  neighboring  Sunday-schools  are  expected 
to  be  represented. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  493 

Bay  Road  Presbyterian  Church. —  The  Bay  Road  Presbyterian  Church  was 
organized  September  12th,  1850,  by  the  Rev.  David  W.  French,  as  the  First 
Associate  Presbyterian  Church  of  Queensbury.  The  pulpit  was  supplied  by 
the  Presbytery  of  United  Presbyterians  until  1855,  when  the  Rev.  Chauncey 
Webster  was  installed  as  pastor.  He  remained  with  the  church  for  two  years, 
when  failing  health  interrupted  his  work.  The  church  was  then  closed  and  re- 
mained so  until  1868,  when  the  Rev.  James  Lamb,  of  East  Lake  George,  be- 
gan holding  services.  The  building  was  repaired  and  a  request  made  to  the 
Troy  Presbytery  to  receive  them,  which  was  done  in  February,  1869,  and  the 
church  was  enrolled  as  the  Bay  Road  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Lamb  minis- 
tered to  them  for  a  time,  when  the  pulpit  was  supplied  successively  by  the 
Revs.  Rood,  John  H.  Parkins,  Sidney  M.  Stray,  William  Bryant,  John  J. 
Munroe  and  John  H.  Pollock,  who  will  all  be  recognized,  Mr.  Rood  excepted, 
as  the  pastors  of  East  Lake  George  Church.  The  present  church  property 
is  valued  at  about  $1,200. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  —  Methodism  was  introduced  into  Warren 
county  about  1796,  when  two  lay  preachers,  Richard  Jacobs  and  Henry  Ryan, 
explored  the  northern  portion  of  the  county,  then  known  as  Thurman's  Patent. 
Mr.  Jacobs  was  drowned  while  attempting  to  ford  the  east- branch  of  the  Hud- 
son near  the  outlet  of  Schroon  Lake,  the  same  year.  Mr.  Ryan  was  after- 
ward known  as  one  of  the  most  successful  itinerant  preachers  of  this  district. 
Quoting  from  Dr.  Holden  :  "  In  the  same  year  the  Rev.  David  Noble,  of  Ire- 
land, who  had  been  connected  with  the  John  Street  M.  E.  Church  of  New 
York,  for  some  years,  removed  into  Warren  county  and  purchased  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  at  two  and  a  half  dollars  per  acre,  upon  which  he  and  his 
sons  soon  made  a  clearing  and  built  them  up  a  log-house,  which  to  them  was 
a  dwelling,  a  school-house  and  church.  Here,  at  this  out-post  of  civilization, 
they  were  visited  from  time  to  time  by  those  men  of  God,  Elijah  Hedding, 
Martin  Rutter,  Elijah  Hibbard,  Samuel  Howe,  David  Brown,  and  others,  and, 
with  the  numerous  families  of  Nobles,  Somervilles,  and  Armstrongs  as  a  nu- 
cleus, ^a  strong  and  flourishing  church  was  built  up,  whose  influences  are  still 
manifest  to  the  present  day.  The  services  were  held  for  a  long  period  of  years 
in  private  houses,  and  afterward  in  school- houses,  being  supplied  as  long  as  he 
lived  by  the  Rev.  David  Noble,  and  afterward  by  other  leaders  who  sprang 
up  among  them.  This  was  the  extreme  wilderness  limit  of  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Ash  Grove  (since  Cambridge),  or  six  week's  circuit. 

*'  Here  as  elsewhere  in  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  world,  the  operations 
of  the  Spirit  and  the  progress  of  Divine  truth,  were  met  with  opposition,  oblo- 
quy and  reproach.  In  reference  to  this  a  writer  in  the  Troy  Conference  Mis- 
cellany states  as  follows  :  '  The  persecution  in  Thurman's  Patent  was  truly 
grievous.  Many  young  people  that  experienced  religion  were  turned  out  of 
doors  by  their  parents. 


494  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  '  Some  of  them  were  whipped  cruelly;  two  young  women  were  so  whip- 
ped by  their  father  that  the  blood  ran  down  to  their  feet,  and  he  then  turned 
them  out  of  doors,  and  they  walked  fifteen  miles  to  a  Methodist  Society.  That 
father  was  a  church  member. 

"  '  Two  younger  brothers  having  been  converted,  were  often  severely  beaten 
for  attending  Methodist  meetings.  It  astonished  me  that  the  father  of  ten 
children,  eight  of  whom  had  experienced  religion,  should  drive  six  of  them 
from  the  house,  and  whip  these  two  boys  for  no  other  crime,  in  reality,  than 
that  of  worshiping  God  with  the  Methodists.' 

"  About  this  time  the  eccentric  and  widely-known  Lorenzo  Dow  and  his 
admirer,  Timothy  Dewey,  were  sent  into  this  region  by  the  authorities  of  the 
church.  Dow  officiated  in  a  school-house  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town 
and  in  a  barn  at  the  east  of  the  Oneida.  Traditions  are  yet  extant  of  the 
power  of  his  sermons,  and  of  the  numbers  awakened  and  converted  by  his 
preaching.  Soon  after  his  coming  the  Methodist  society  was  organized  at  the 
Ridge,  a  settlement  then  containing  more  dwellings  and  inhabitants  than  the 
village  of  Glens  Falls.  As  previously  stated,  Queensbury  was  at  this  distant 
period  of  time  included  within  the  boundaries  of  what  was  then  called  Ash- 
grove  circuit,  so  nanied  from  the  locality,  which  was  first  planted  by  Philip 
Embury,  the  renowned  pioneer  of  the  faith,  previous  to  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Having  previously  organized  the  first  society  of  the  denomination  in 
New  York,  about  the  year  1770,  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Cambridge,  and 
in  that  portion  of  the  township  known  in  the  local  annals  as  Ashgrove,  within 
the  present  limits  of  the  town  of  White  Creek,  established  a  society  and  con- 
tinued as  its  pastor  until  his  death  in  1775.  From  that  time  until  1788  they 
were  supplied  by  traveling  and  lay  preachers.  During  this  year  the  Rev.  Lem- 
uel Smith  was  inducted  as  their  pastor,  and  a  chapel  was  built,  the  first  place 
of  worship  north  of  Albany  erected  by  Methodists  to  the  service  of  the  Most 
High.  This  church  was  the  center  from  which  northward  and  westward  a 
Godly  influence  radiated  to  the  extreme  confines  of  civilization.  In  1795  it 
contained  sixty  members. 

"  Soon  afterward  the  Cambridge  circuit  was  formed.  In  1799  Billy  Hib- 
bard  and  Henry  Ryan,  the  itinerants  on  this  circuit,  traveled  about  five  hun- 
dred miles  and  filled  sixty-three  appointments  every  four  weeks,  one  of  their 
stations  at  this  time  being  Sanford's  Ridge,  in  the  town  of  Queensbury.  Among 
the  first  Methodist  ministers  who  visited  Glens  Falls  were  the  Revs. 
Friend  Draper,  Daniel  Brayton,  Andrew  McKean,  Samuel  Howe  and  others, 
earnest  and  vigorous  men,  '  valiant  for  the  truth.'  Not  satisfied  with  the  al- 
ready extended  range  of  country  traversed  by  these  men.  Revs.  Tobias 
Spicer  and  Sherman  Miner  made  occasional  visits  to  this  village,  then  only  a 
hamlet,  and  held  religious  services  in  the  old  academy  building,  then  on  Ridge 
street,  on  the  site  of  Mr.  Jerome  Lapham's  residence.     The  building,  since  re- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  495 

moved,  is  now  occupied  by  Messrs.  Joubert  &  White  as  a  carriage  manufacto- 
ry, on  the  corner  of  Warren  and  Jay  streets. 

"  The  late  Dr.  Spicer  was  a  clear  thinker,  shrewd  debater,  catholic  spirited 
and  resolute.  Mr.  Miner  was  a  man  of  mild  and  lovely  spirit  and  abundant  in 
works.  Both  have  passed  to  their  reward.  The  first  Methodist  class,  a  name  by 
which  the  branch  societies  are  known  and  into  which  for  greater  activity  and 
efficiency  all  these  churches  are  divided,  was  formed  in  this  village  in  1824  by 
Rev.  John  Lovejoy,  in  the  dwelling  known  as  the  General  Pettit  place,  situated 
between  the  canal  and  the  river,  in  the  rear  of  the  old  stone  store  on  the  east 
side  of  Glen  street  and  near  the  river  bridge.  The  building  was  removed  in 
March,  1874.  The  original  number  of  the  class  was  twelve,  eleven  being 
women. 

"  From  this  early  date  to  1832  this  whole  northern  region  was  embraced 
within  the  New  York  Conference,  and  was  traversed  by  heroic  men,  zealous  for 
the  conversion  of  the  scattered  inhabitants  to  Christianity.  We  can  only  name 
the  active  and  earnest  John  Clark,  the  first  regularly  appointed  preacher  to  the 
societies  in  Sandy  Hill  and  Glens  Falls  ;  Seymour  Landon  amiable  and  popu- 
lar; Julius  Fields,  characterized  for  administrative  and  financial  ability,  under 
whose  auspices  the  first  church  edifice  (the  old  stone  building)  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  about  $1,500  in  1829,  the  land  having  been  given  by  Mr.  J.  Pettit, 
nephew  of  the  general.  This  structure  is  still  standing,  and  has  been  for  sev- 
eral years  used  by  the  Roman  Catholics.  Mr.  Fields  was  followed  by  Rev. 
Robert  Seeney  and  Coles  Carpenter,  of  precious  memory. 

"  In  1832  the  territory  now  known  as  the  Troy  Conference,  of  which  Glens 
Falls  is  nearly  the  center,  north  and  south,  was  set  off  from  the  New  York, 
both  because  of  the  numerical  increase  of  the  churches  and  for  their  better 
cultivation  by  the  ministerial  forces  within  the  territory.  The  societies  in 
Glens  Falls  and  Sandy  Hill  being  at  about  this  time  somewhat  weakened,  they 
were  attached  to  others  and  entered  into  what  for  several  years  was  known  as 
the  Fort  Anne  circuit,  to  which  three  preachers  were  sent,  and  who  alternately 
supplied  the  several  societies  with  religious  services.  This  itinerant  system  pe- 
culiar to  Methodism  was  established  by  Wesley  as,  and  history  shows,  not  less 
adapted  to  old  and  populous  countries  than  to  new  and  sparsely  settled  ones, 
continued  until  1849  —  ^  period  of  seventeen  years  —  under  such  men  of  di- 
versified talents  as  Elisha  Andrews,  assisted  by  P.  M.  Hitchcock  and  L.  Phil- 
lips, Joseph  Ayres  and  D.  P.  Harding  as  colleagues  ;  J.  B.  Houghtaling,  aided 
by  J.  W.  B.  Wood,  late  of  New  York,  Henry  Stewart  and  G.  Y.  Palmer ; 
Russell  M.  Little,  with  William  Chipp  and  Asa  Fenton  as  colleagues ;  C.  P. 
Clark,  under  whose  administration  the  parsonage  was  erected  in  1840;  A.  M. 
Osborn  (now  Rev.  Dr.  Osborn,  of  New  York),  a  clear  thinker  and  able  preach- 
er ;  James  Covel,  the  student  and  scholar ;  Seymour  Coleman,  a  war-horse, 
with  James  Quinlan  assistant ;  E.  B.  Hubbard  having  William  Amer  and  C. 
Devol,  M.  D.  (now  of  Albany),  as  colleagues. 


496  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  In  1847—48  began  a  new  era  for  the  church  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
C.  R.  Morris,  in  the  erection,  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000,  of  a  new  and  commo- 
dious brick  church  edifice  on  Warren  street,  but  which  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1864.  In  1 849  this  society  was  erected  into  a  separate  station,  having  the 
services  of  Rev.  J.  F.  Walker  as  preacher.  At  the  time  the  number  of  mem- 
bers was  166,  of  probationers  fifteen,  making  in  all  181.  The  Sunday-school 
consisted  of  ten  teachers  and  125  scholars.  Owing  to  the  eccentricities  of 
Mr.  Walker,  whose  scholarly  attainments  and  preaching  abilities  are  acknowl- 
edged, the  church  did  not  greatly  flourish.  After  his  term  of  two  years  Rev. 
J.  H.  Patterson,  M.  D.,  transferred  from  the  Vermont  Conference,  took  the 
pastorate,  from  which  time  the  society  began  to  take  on  shape  and  efficiency 
that  have  continued  more  or  less  till  the  present.  Then  followed  in  succession 
Revs.  B.  O.  Meeker,  George  C.  Wells,  Merritt  Bates,  H.  W.  Ransom,  M.  D., 
W.  A.  Meeker,  W.  J.  Heath,  each  for  the  term  of  two  years,  except  Mr. 
Wells  ;  during  which  period  of  thirteen  years  the  church,  with  slight  varia- 
tions, grew  and  prospered,  less  in  the  number  of  communicants  than  in  char- 
acter. In  1864  Rev.  J.  K.  Cheesman  was,  on  invitation,  appointed  to  the  pas- 
torate, and  by  his  energy  and  hearty  co-operation  of  his  parishioners  secured 
the  erection  of  a  church  building  in  1865  at  a  cost  of  $16,000.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Rev.  M.  B.  Mead,  under  whose  charge  the  church  reported  a 
membership  of  four  hundred.  In  1869  the  Rev.  B.  Hawley,  D.  D.,  took 
charge  of  the  church  society,  which  consisted  of  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  members,  three  Sunday-schools  and  a  library.  During  this  year  a  brick 
chapel,  costing  about  $1,600,  was  built  in  South  Glens  Falls. 

"  Among  the  pioneers  in  thfs  church  were  Elmore  Pratt  and  wife,  Hiram 
Wells  and  wife,  Joseph  Wells,  Isaac  Cole,  Linus  Bishop,  Rev.  R.  M.  Little, 
the  Swartout  family,  the  Burnhams,  Isaac  Hill,  Alexander  Robertson,  William 
McEchron,  D.  C.  Holman  and  others." — Holden.  Irregular  service  had  been 
held  for  many  years  in  private  houses,  or  school-houses  of  adjacent  settlements, 
being  conducted  by  pastors  or  people  as  circumstances  determined.  Sunday- 
schools  were  organized  and  class  meetings  held. 

"The  Rev.  J.  W.  Alderman,  who  was  the  next  pastor,  in  1872,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  where  he  was  a  licensed  exhorter  and  a  circuit  preacher.  He  was 
a  chaplain  in  the  army  during  the  civil  war.  Afterward  he  held  several  charges 
in  Ohio  and  Wisconsin,  after  which  he  removed  to  New  York,  and  was  assigned 
to  the  Glens  P'alls  Church.  In  1873  a  protracted  revival  season  added  many 
to  the  church.  As  the  membership  increased,  the  need  of  more  room  in  the 
sanctuary  was  felt  and  the  church  building  was  enlarged.  This  made  the  pur- 
chase of  more  land  necessary,  and  a  lot  was  purchased  of  H.  M.  Harris.  On 
this  lot,  which  was  on  Warren  street  west  of  the  church,  an  addition  was  built 
which  was  finished  and  open  to  the  public  February  12th,  1874.  The  cost  of 
the  improvements  was  about  $21,000,  and  the  church  property  is  estimated  at 
$45, 000. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  497 

"  From  the  M.  E.  class  of  twelve  persons  in  Glens  Falls  in  1824,  the  growth 
of  the  church  has  been  steady,  until  now  the  membership  is  large  and  the  so- 
ciety in  a  flourishing  condition. 

"  At  West  Mountain,  a  brick  church  was  completed  in  1871.  This  has 
been  in  charge  of  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Crowl  who  has  also  ministered  to  the  church 
at  the  Ridge,  which  stands  on  the  borders  of  Kingsbury.  " 

Ministers  of  M.  E.  Church  stationed  at  Glens  Falls.  —  1824,  John  Love- 
joy;  1824—25,  John  Clark;  1826-27,  Seymour  Landon ;  1828-29,  Julius 
Fields;  1830—31,  Robert  Seeney ;  1832,  Coles  Carpenter;  1833,  Elisha 
Andrews,  P.  M.  Hitchcock;  1834,  Elisha  Andrews,  Zebulon  Phillips;  1835, 
Joseph  Ayers,  Doren  P.  Harding;  1836,  J.  B.  Houghtailing,  J.  W.  B.  Wood, 
Henry  W.  Stewart ;  1837,  J.  B.  HoughtaiHng,  J.  W.  B.  Wood,  Gilbert  Y. 
Palmer;  1838,  Russell  M.  Little,  William  M.  Chipp  ;  1839,  Charles  P.  Clark, 
Asa  F.  Fenton ;  1840,  A.  M.  Osborn,  David  Osgood  ;  1841-42,  James  Covel, 
William  Amer;  1843,  Seymour  Coleman,  O.  E.  Spicer ;  1844,  Seymour  Cole- 
man, James  Quinlan ;  1845,  Elijah  B.  Hubbard,  James  Quinlan  ;  1846,  Elijah 
B.  Hubbard,  Charles  Devol ;  1847,  Christopher  R.  Morris,  William  N.  Frazer, 
H.  W.  Ransom;  1848,  C.  R.  Morris,  William  Frazer,  S.  S.  Ford;  1849-50, 
Jason  F.  Walher;  1851-52,  J.  W.  Patterson;  1853-54,  B.  O.  Meeker;  1855, 
George  C.Wells;  1856-57,  Merritt  Bates;  1858-59,  William  H.  Meeker; 
1860-61,  Halsey  W.  Ransom;  1862-63,  William  J.  Heath;  1864-65-66,  J. 
R.  Cheeseman;  1867-68,  M.  B.  Mead;  1869-70-72,  Bostwick  Hawley,  D.D.; 
1872-75,  J.  W.  Alderman,  D.D.;  1875-78,  J.  F.  Clymer ;  1878-81,  D.  W. 
Gates;    1881-84,  S.  McLaughlin;    1884,   H.  C.  Sexton. 

Official  Board.  —  President,  D.  C.  Holman,  W.  C.  Haviland,  John  W.  Bush, 
A.  J.  Pearsall,  Wm.  McEchron,  R.  A.  Little,  Jonathan  M.  Coolidge,  Hollis 
Russell. 

Stewards.  —  C.  B.  Thompson,  George  H.  Leggett,  Chas.  A.  Bullard,  C.  W. 
Long,  J.  S.  Morgan,  D.  L.  Robertson,  John  R.  Loomis,  C.  H.  Carson,  H.  Col- 
vin,  Wm.  B.  Griffin,  E.  L.  Mills,  A.  W.  Thompson. 

Class  leaders.  —  F.  Wood,  H.  Russell,  D.  B.  Ketchum,  G.  B.  Greenslet,  R. 
A.  Little,  J.  F.  Craig. 

The  Episcopal  Church. — The  services  of  this  church  were  first  held  in  the 
county  by  the  Rev.  Philander  Chase  (afterward  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Illinois), 
who  made  an  itinerating  tour  about  1796,  following  the  Hudson  River  settle- 
ments to  Queensbury,  and  then  visiting  the  more  remote  settlements  in  the 
north.  At  Thurman  (now  Warrensburgh)  an  effort  was  made  to  found  a 
church,  and  a  subscription  paper  was  circulated  among  the  inhabitants.  The 
land  was  given  for  the  purpose  and  timber  was  delivered  upon  the  premises,  but 
with  no  clergyman  to  guide  the  movement  the  effort  failed.  The  timber  re- 
mained upon  the  ground  until  unfit  for  use  and  the  site  was  finally  appropri- 
ated for  other  purposes. 

32 


498  History  of  Warren  County. 

About  the  year  1800  the  Rev.  Ammi  Rogers  made  a  journey  through  the 
vicinity,  holding  services  in  the  counties  of  Essex  and  Warren,  beside  establish- 
ing several  church  societies  in  Saratoga  county.  Later  on  the  Right  Rev. 
George  Upfold,  D.  D.,  Bishop'of  the  Diocese  of  Indiana,  at  that  time  rector  of 
the  parishes  in  the  thriving  villages  of  Waterford  and  Lansingburgh,  at  the  ear- 
nest solicitation  of  some  personal  friends,  visited  this  section  and  contributed 
to  the  establishment  of  Zion  Church,  of  Sandy  Hill,  which  had  been  organized 
a  short  time  previously  through  the  zeal  and  persevering  efforts  of  Dr.  Zina 
Hitchcock,  of  Kingsbury.  The  services  were  held  in  the  court-house,  which, 
for  a  long  period,  many  years  later,  was  still  used  for  the  same  purpose. 

Some  years  afterward  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pardee  officiated  for  a  short  time  in  the 
Beach  neighborhood  of  Kingsbury,  and  about  the  same  time  the  Rev.  Reuben 
Hubbard  came  to  Glens  Falls  with  the  intention  of  founding  a  church,  but  the 
effort  failed.  In  1840  several  families  of  the  Episcopal  faith  made  another  at- 
tempt toward  establishing  a  church,  and  the  Rev.  John  Alden  Spooner,  of  St. 
Albans,  Vt,  was  requested  to  assist  in  the  endeavor.  Their  efforts  were  suc- 
cessful, and  for  a  year  services  were  held  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  which  then  was 
the  old  stone  building.  The  original  record  was  in  the  following  terms,  as 
given  by  Dr.  Holden  :  — 

"  Act  of  Incorporation.  —  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  may  come,  we, 
whose  names  and  seals  are  hereto  affixed,  do  certify  that  in  pursuance  of  notice 
duly  given  according  to  law  for  that  purpose,  at  the  time  of  Divine  service  on 
two  Sunday  mornings  now  last  passed,  the  male  persons  of  full  age  belonging 
to  such  congregation  or  society  worshiping  in  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  in 
the  county  of  Warren  and  State  of  New  York,  to  wit,  at  the  house  of  W.  C. 
Carter,  for  the  purpose  of  incorporating  themselves  under  the  act  entitled  an 
act  to  provide  for  the  incorporation  of  religious  societies  and  acts  to  amend  the 
same.  At  which  meeting  and  by  a  majority  of  voices  the  undersigned,  John 
Alden  Spooner,  being  a  deacon  in  the  church,  was  called  to  the  chair  and  pre- 
sided, and  the  undersigned,  Keyes  P.  Cool  and  William  C.  Carter,  were  nomi- 
nated to  certify  the  proceedings  of  said  meeting  in  conjunction  with  the  chair- 
man, and  by  a  majority  of  votes  William  C.  Carter  and  N.  Edson  Sheldon  were 
elected  church  wardens  ;  and  William  McDonald,  Abraham  Wing,  Keyes  P. 
Cool,  Nehemiah  Sheldon,  Henry  Philo,  Walter  Geer,  jr.,  George  Sanford,  and 
Orange  Ferriss  were  elected  vestrymen  of  said  church.  And  Easter  Monday 
in  the  week  called  Easter  week  was,  in  like  manner  fixed  on  as  the  day.  on 
which  the  said  officers,  church  wardens  and  vestrymen  shall  annually  thereafter 
cease,  and  their  successor  in  office  be  chosen.  And  the  name  or  title  of  the 
'  Rector,  church  wardens,  and  vestrymen  of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah  in  the 
village  of  Glens  Falls,'  in  like  manner  fixed  on  and  agreed  to  as  that  by  which 
the  said  church,  congregation  or  society  shall  be  known  in  law. 

"  In  testimony  whereof,  we,  John  Alden  Spooner,  together  with  the  under- 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  499 

dersigned  Keyes  P.  Cool  and  William  C.  Carter,  have  hereunto  subscribed  our 
names  and  affixed  our  seals  this  tenth  day  of  February  in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 
one  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  forty. 

"John  Alden  Spooner,  [l.  s.] 
"  Keyes  P.  Cool,  [l.  s.] 

"  William  C.  Carter,     [l.  s.] 
"  Signed  and  sealed  in  presence  of, 

"  Orange  Ferriss, 
"Nehemiah  Shelden. 

"  On  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty,  before  me,  Hiram  Barber,  first  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  and  for  the  county  of  Warren,  personally  appeared 
Orange  Ferriss  of  Queensbury,  one  of  the  subscribing  witnesses  to  the  above 
instrument,  who  being  duly  sworn,  did  depose  and  say,  that  he  was  present  and 
saw  John  Alden  Spooner,  Keyes  P.  Cool,  and  William  C.  Carter,  whose  names 
are  affixed  to  the  foregoing  certificate,  sign  and  seal  the  same,  and  that  the  de- 
ponent, together  with  Nehemiah  Shelden,  did,  in  their  presence,  and  at  their 
request,  subscribe  the  same  as  witnesses.  HiRAM  Barber. 

"  I  certify  the  preceding  to  be  a  true  record  of  the  original  certificate  with 
the.  acknowledgment  thereof,  and  examined  and  compared  with  the  record  be- 
ing this  iith  day  of  March,  A.  D.,  1840.  Thomas  ARCHIBALD,  Clerk. 

"  State  of  New  York  > 

>  ss. 
County  Clerk's   Office.  ) 

I,  Thomas  Archibald,  clerk  of  said  county,  do  certify  that  I  have 

[l.S.J     compared  the  foregoing  copy  of  a  certificate  now  remaining  on  record 

in  this  office,  and  that  the  same  is  a  correct  transcript  of  the  record, 

and  of  the  whole  of  said  record.      In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set 

my  hand,  and  affixed  the  seal  of  the  said  county,  this  19th  day  of  May,  1857. 

"Thomas  Archibald,  Clerk." 
The  history  of  the  Episcopal  Church  is  continued  by  the  following  account 
of  the  present 

Chirch  of  the  Messiah,  Glens  Falls.  — In  August,  1840,  the  Rt.  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin T.  Onderdqnk,  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  accompanied  b)'  several  clergymen, 
visited  the  parish  for  the  purpose  of  confirmation  and  ordination.  The  services 
were  held  in  the  "old  white"  Presbyterian  Church,  where  John  Alden  Spooner 
was  ordained  to  the  priesthood,  and  fourteen  persons  were  confirmed.  The 
parish  of  St.  James,  at  Fort  Edward,  was  established,  and  Zion  Church,  at  Sandy 
Hill,  was  revived  and  reorganized,  and  with  the  church  at  Glens  Falls  given  to 
the  care  of  Rev.  Mr.  Spooner,  who  held  alternate  services  in  the  different 
parishes. 

Unpleasant  circurhstances  arose  soon  after  this  and  the  society  diminished 
in  number.     The  meetings  were  held  for  a  time  in  the  Ladies'  Seminary,  which 


500  History  of  Warren  County. 

was  afterward  the  school-house  of  district  No.  19,  the  Sunday-school  meeting 
in  the  basement  of  the  building;  after  that  being  held  in  an  old  school- house 
on  Park  street.  For  about  a  year  following,  services  were  held  in  private 
dwellings,  the  rector's  salary  being  derived  from  the  missionary  fund  and  the 
Sunday  collections.  In  1843  money  was  raised  and  a  piece  of  ground  on  Ridge 
street  purchased,  on  which  a  small  chapel  was  begun,  and  nearly  completed  in 
1844.  In  Mr.  Spooner's  report  for  that  year  he  said  :  "  By  the  blessing  of  God, 
a  church  edifice  at  Glens  Falls  is  so  nearly  completed,  that  it  has  been  occupied 
with-  comfort  most  of  the  year  past.  It  is  the  first  and  only  church  edifice  in 
Warren  county.  Its  sittings  are  free,  and  its  font,  which  is  near  the  porch 
door,  is  so  constructed  as  to  admit  of  immersing  either  children  or  adults." 

A  plan  to  establish  parochial  schools  was  perfected  about  this  time,  and  one 
was  opened  at  South  Glens  Falls,  and  another  at  Fort  Edward.  Dissensions 
in  the  diocese  at  this  time  affected  the  welfare  of  the  church,  and  the  contro- 
versies finally  resulted  in  the  suspension  of  Bishop  Onderdonk  from  the  Episco- 
pate and  ministry  in  January,  1845.  From  that  time  until  the  election  of  the 
Rt.  Rev.  Jonathan  M.  Wainright  as  provisional  bishop  of  the  diocese,  September, 
1852,  no  returns  were  made  from  the  parishes,  as  all  reports  are  required  to  be 
sent  to  the  bishop,  and  the  suspension  of  Bishop  Onderdonk  left  them  with  no 
head.  The  fire  of  1864  also  destroyed  the  church  records,  thus  leaving  the 
church  without  authentic  history. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  the  Rev.  Samuel  B.  Bostwick  and  Henry  McVickar 
were  appointed  adjunct  or  assistant  ministers  of  the  three  parishes.  Some  lit- 
tle time  previously  to  this  event  the  Rev.  Mr.  Spooner  had  removed  to  Fort 
Edward,  where,  for  two  or  three  years,  his  indefatigable  energies  found  occu- 
pation in  the  management  of  a  parish  school,  the  purchase  of  a  very  desirable 
plot  of  ground,  and  the  erection  of  a  substantial  church  edifice. 

In  pursuance  of  the  plan  already  indicated,  Mr.  Bostwick  made  his  home  at 
Sandy  Hill,  and  there  commenced  the  instruction  of  a  classical  school,  which 
was  maintained  for  a  period  of  nearly  twenty  years,  with  a  wide-spread  repute 
for  superior  excellence  and  usefulness.  The  school  previously  established  by 
Mr.  Spooner,  at  South  Glens  Falls,  passed  at  the  same  time  into  the  hands  of 
the  Rev.  Henry  McVickar.  The  services  in  the  three  parishes  were  held  alter- 
nately by  the  three  clergymen  associated  in  the  mission.  As  an  evidence  of 
their  devotion  to  the  work,  it  may  be  stated  that  this  laborious  interchange  of 
.duties  was  mainly  performed  on  foot,  and  often  at  unpropitious  seasons  and  in- 
clement weather. 

The  relations  subsi-Sting  between  the  three  parishes  continued  until  the  spring 
of  1847,  when  the  Sandy  Hill  and  Fort  Edward  churches  dissolved  their  con- 
nection with  that  of  Glens  Falls,  and  extended  a  call  to  the  Rev.  S.  B.  Bostwick 
to  become  their  pastor.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  retained  this 
charge,  with  the  unabated  respect  and  affection  of  his  people.     The  same  year 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  501 

(1847)  the  Rev.  John  A.  Spooner  is  returned  in  the  records  of  the  convention 
as  rector  of  St.  Luke's  Church,  Mechanicsville,  and  the  joint  missionary  station 
of  Glens  Falls  and  Luzerne  is  reported  as  vacant. 

Notwithstanding  this  rectorship  at  Mechanicsville,  and  his  subsequent  charge 
of  Grace  Church,  in  Albany,  Mr.  Spooner  retained  a  quasi  relation  and  charge 
over  this  virtually  vacant  parish,  until  the  month  of  September,  185  i,  when  he 
formally  tendered  his  resignation,  which  was  accepted  by  the  vestry. 

Continuing,  we  quote  as  follows  from  Dr.  Holden  :  "  On  Easter  Monday 
(i2th  April),  1852,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bostwick,  by  invitation,  officiated  at  morning 
prayers  in  the  chapel,  and,  due  notice  having  been  previously  given,  a  new 
election,  the  first  for  six  years,  was  held  for  wardens  and  vestrymen.  On  the 
18th  of  May  following  a  vestry  meeting  was  convened,  at  which  it  was  're- 
solved that  the  Rev.  William  George  Hawkins  be  engaged  as  minister  of  this 
parish  for  the  ensuing  year,'  at  a  salary  of  three  hundred  dollars  a  year,  and  a 
donation  in  addition  to  the  missionary  stipend.  When  the  connection  be- 
tween the  Rev.  Mr.  Spooner  and  this  parish  was  discontinued  he  declined  to 
surrender  the  possession  of  the  chapel  and  other  church  property  on  the  score 
of  arrearages  of  salary.  The  congregation  was  consequently  obliged  to  look 
elsewhere  for  a  place  of  worship.  This  state  of  affairs  resulted  in  hiring  for  the 
time  being  the  use  of  the  house  of  worship  belonging  to  the  Universalists,  a 
building  since  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1864,  and  which  then  stood  on  a 
plot  of  ground  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Judge  Rosekrans,  facing  Warren 
street.  Legal  proceedings  were  promptly  instituted  by  the  vestry  for  the  re- 
covery and  possession  of  the  church  property.  The  points  in  the  controversy 
were  finally  referred  to  the  Hon.  Alonzo  C.  Paige,  of  Schenectady,  and  his  de- 
cision, which  was  rendered  in  June,  1853,  and  which  was  final  as  regarded 
further  litigation,  was  substantially  in  favor  of  the  parish.  During  the  same 
season  the  old  chapel  was  repaired,  and  in  the  autumn  following,  and  until  Mr. 
Hawkins's  connection  with  the  parish  ceased,  the  services  were  continuously 
held  therein. 

"  Mr.  Hawkins  remained  in  charge  of  the  parish  until  the  first  of  December, 
1855.  During  that  period  of  time  the  chapel  was  repaired,  a  church  lot  con- 
tracted for  and  secured,  and  the  work  of  building  the  new  church  commenced. 
The  corner  stone  of  this  substantial  and  costly  structure  was  laid  on  Monday, 
the  I2th  of  June,  1854,  by  the  Right  Rev.  Jonathan  M.  Wainright,  Bishop  of 
the  Diocese,  Bishop  Otey,  of  Tennessee,  being  present  and  delivering  an  ad- 
dress on  the  occasion.  In  this  time  Mr.  Hawkins  made  two  extended  visita- 
tions to  the  larger  cities  of  the  diocese  in  solicitation  of  funds  with  which  to 
carry  forward  the  church  work.  In  this  way  several  thousand  dollars  were 
reaHzed  with  which  to  strengthen  the  slender  resources  of  the  parish.  This 
laborious  enterprise,  which  had  been  undertaken  by  Mr.  Hawkins  in  addition 
to  the  ordinary  parochial  work,  added  to  the  arduous  responsibilities  of  the 


502  History  of  Warren  County. 

school,  which  under  his  management  speedily  attained  a  magnitude  and  pros- 
perity.both  flattering  and  remunerative,  bears  cumulative  testimony  both  to 
Mr.  Hawkins's  efficiency  as  a  pastor  and  devotion  to  the  work  in  which  he  was 
engaged. 

"  About  this  time  Mr.  James  E.  Kenney,  a  resident  of  this  place,  and  com- 
municant of  the  church,  commenced  studying  for  the  ministry  with  Mr.  Haw- 
kins, being  also  associated  with  him  in  the  instruction  and  management  of  the 
school. 

"Early  in  the  fall  of  1855  Mr.  Hawkins  tendered  his  resignation,  to  take 
efiect  on  the  first  of  December  following.  The  interim  was  passed  in  negotia- 
tions which  resulted  in  the  call  of  the  Rev.  Louis  Legrand  Noble,  a  clergyman 
of  distinguished  talents  and  ability.  He  assumed  charge  of  the  parish  about 
the  first  of  January,  1856.  At  that  time  work  had  been  suspended  on  the  new 
church  building,  the  walls  having  been  carried  up  a  short  distance  only  above 
the  basement  story. 

"  Heavy  debts  had  been  incurred  in  the  prosecution  of  'this  undertaking. 
These  remained  like  an  incubus  upon  the  feeble  parish,  paralyzing  all  efforts. 
Through  Mr.  Noble's  active  personal  solicitations,  chiefly  made  in  New  York 
city,  the  greater  portion  of  these  debts  were  liquidated,  or  means  and  methods 
provided  for  their  extinguishment  during  the  short  period  of  his  incumbency. 
Trinity  Church  alone  contributed  two  thousand  dollars  at  this  time,  taking  a 
lien  upon  the  church  for  security,  with  a  view  to  insure  its  perpetuity,  and 
that  the  benefaction  should  not  be  diverted  to  other  uses. 

"  The  dilapidated  condition  of  the  old  chapel  rendered  it  imperatively 
necessary  that  it  should  be  thoroughly  overhauled  and  repaired.  A  new  roof 
was  put  on,  the  walls  papered,  the  seats  and  other  wood  work  painted,  and 
other  necessary  repairs  effected.  In  the  mean  time,  before  this  renovation 
was  completed,  the  Universalist  church  was  again  rented  for  another  year,  and 
the  services  were  conducted  therein  until  the  condition  of  the  chapel,  improved 
by  the  repairs  above  named,  was  such  that  the  congregation  was  enabled  to 
resume  devotions  there,  and  from  that  time  forward  until  the  completion  of 
the  new  church,  and  the  sale  of  the  old  one,  the  services  were  held  with  but 
slight  interruption  in  this  revered  and  time-honored  place. 

"  The  costs  of  these  repairs  was  defrayed  by  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of  the 
church,  to  whose  self-sacrificing  efforts  and  laborious  zeal  much  of  the  success 
of  the  church  enterprises  in  this  parish  have  been  due.  During  a  period  of 
about  fifteen  years,  dating  from  the  reorganization  of  the  church  in  1852,  an 
energetic  and  devoted  band  of  women,  .scarcely  a  dozen  in  number,  but  brave 
with  a  spirit  of  Christian  devotion,  earned  in  various  ways  of  hard-working  in- 
dustry a  sum  amounting  to  nearly,  if  not  quite,  five  thousand  dollars,  which, 
whenever  and  whatever  the  financial  pinch  might  be,  was  always  promptly 
available  and  forthcoming  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  pastor,  the  vestry,  or  the 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  503 

church,  whenever  a  call  was  made  or  the  occasion  demanded.  Deficiencies  in 
ministers'  salaries,  repairs  of  chapel,  delinquent  bank  notes  given  by  the  build- 
ing committee  for  work  or  material,  and  finally  a  large  amount  expended  in 
finishing  the  interior  of  the  new  church,  were  among  the  channels  of  usefulness 
to  which  this  steady  and  unfailing  stream  of  endeavor  was  applied.  A  passing 
tribute  to  the  worth  and  excellence  of  these  Christian  women  is  without  doubt 
worthy  of  commemoration  in  the  annals  of  the  church  they  helped  to  build. 
During  the  greater  proportion  of  the  period  of  Mr.  Noble's  ministrations  here, 
and  at  his  request,  the  Rev.  John  H.  Babcock,  a  minister  of  the  church,  who 
was  at  the  same  time  principal  of  the  Glen's  Falls  Academy,  was  called  by  the 
vestry  to  the  position  of  assistant  minister  of  the  parish.  In  this  capacity  he 
aided  the  rector  in  his  services,  besides  officiating  as  missionary  in  visiting  and 
conducting  worship  at  several  contiguous  points." 

Mr.  Noble  and  Mr.  Babcock  severed  their  connection  with  the  church  in 
June,  1857,  and  nearly  a  year  elapsed  before  the  parish  was  regularly  supplied. 
Mr.  Kenney  and  other  clergymen,  however,  supplied  the  pulpit  occasionally. 
In  May,  1858,  the  Rev.  Henry  H.  Bates,  of  the  diocese  of  Connecticut,  re- 
sponded to  a  call  and  remained  with  the  church  for  three  years,  during  which 
time  the  debt  was  cleared  from  the  church,  and  progress  made  in  the  building 
of  the  new  church  edifice.  June  7th,  1859,  the  Rev.  James  Kenney  was  called 
by  the  vestry  as  assistant  minister  of  the  parish,  without  salary  save  such  as 
was  derived  from  the  missionary  fund.  He  added  to  his  income  by  services  in 
the  school  already  referred  to. 

During  Mr.  Bates's  ministry  the  parish  was  associated  with  the  missionary 
station  of  St.  James's  Church,  Caldwell,  where  he  was  also  assisted  by  Mr. 
Kenney. 

In  i860  the  chapel  was  repaired,  and  but  little  progress  was  made  in  the 
new  church  building.  In  1861  the  church  at  Caldwell  associated  itself  with 
the  church  at  Warrensburgh,  severing  the  relations  with  this  parish.  In  1861 
Mr.  Bates  accepted  the  position  as  chaplain  of  the  Twenty-second  Regiment 
N.  Y.  Volunteers.  During  the  ensuing  fall  the  Rev.  Mr.  Van  Antwerp,  who 
was  a  candidate,  officiated.  Mr.  Bates  tendered  his  resignation  which  was 
considered  by  a  special  meeting  in  June,  1861.  Resolutions  of  regard  were 
adopted,  but  the  resignation  was  not  accepted.  Mr.  Bates,  feeling  that  the 
vestry  might  be  hampered  by  the  relations  continuing  between  them  while  he 
was  in  the-  field,  again  offered  his  resignation,  which  was  accepted  in  June, 
1862,  and  in  July  the  Rev.  Edwin  E.  Butler  was  called  to  the  vacancy.  He 
responded,  and  remained  until  1871,  when  he  retired  from  the  rectorship  of 
the  parish.  During  the  occasional  absences  of  Mr.  Butler  during  his  ministry 
the  Rev.  J.  A.  Russell,  a  presbyter  of  the  church,  who  was  at  the  time  princi- 
pal of  the  Glens  Falls  Academy,  officiated,  also  assisting  at  times  in  the  ser- 
vices. For  two  years  after  Mr.  Butler's  retirement  the  church  was  without  a 
pastor,  occasional  services  being  held  by  visiting  and  neighboring  clergymen. 


504  History  of  Warren  County. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Butler  the  church,  which  had  been  slowly- 
building  since  1854,  was  finished,  and  the  first  service  in  the  new  edifice  was 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  James  W.  Schenck,  one  of  the  building  committee  and 
vestry.  The  church  was  formally  consecrated  in  June,  1866,  by  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Horatio  Potter,  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  assisted  by  a  large  number  of  visiting 
and  neighboring  clergy. 

"  In  1867,  a  committee  was  appointed  at  the  diocesan  convention,  which 
reported  in  favor  of  a  division  of  the  diocese.  The  following  year  the  prelimi- 
nary steps  were  taken,  and  the  act  of  separation  finally  consummated,  by 
which  the  Diocese  of  Albany  was  erected.  It  is  greatly  hoped  that  this  act 
will  work  salutary  results  for  the  smaller  and  feebler  parishes. 

"  On  the  29th  of  May,  1869,  the  Hon.  Stephen  Brown,  in  behalf  of  the 
executors  of  the  estate  of  John  J.  Harris,  deceased,  offered  the  vestry  a  deed 
of  gift  of  a  fine  stone  chapel,  situated  near  his  late  residence  at  Harrisena,  in 
the  north  part  of  Queensbury.  This  structure  was  built  up  in  a  great  degree 
of  the  beautiful  Ottawa  limestone,  imported  by  the  founder,  specially  for  the 
purpose,  from  Canada.  Its  erection  and  completion  was  one  of  the  last  acts 
of  the  testator's  life ;  his  funeral  the  first  service  held  within  its  walls  (Sun- 
day, March  14th,  1869).  On  the  3d  of  July  following  the  gift  was  formally 
accepted  by  a  vote  of  the  vestry.  Six  days  later  the  building  was  consecrated 
by  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  several  of  the  neighboring  clergymen  being 
present  and  assisting  in  the  ceremonial.  Since  that  date  up  to  the  ist  of  July, 
1 87 1,  services  have  been  held  regularly  during  the  summer  months  on  every 
alternate  Sunday  afternoon,  in  this  little  chapel,  by  the  rector  in  charge  of  the 
church  at  Glens  Falls. 

"On  the  17th  of  July,  1869,  the  vestry  passed  a  vote  relinquishing  the 
missionary  stipend,  of  which  this  parish  had  been  nearly  a  constant  beneficiary 
from  the  beginning ;  and  in  addition  to  which,  large  appropriations  have  been 
received  from  time  to  time  from  the  Parochial  Aid  Society,  and  the  Northern 
Convocation,  for  the  maintenance  of  the  services. 

"  Thus  for  the  first  time,  during  all  these  years,  and  without  any  apprecia- 
ble increase  in  the  wealth,  resources  or  membership,  the  church  became  self- 
supporting  ;  and  though  still  feeble  and  weak,  yet  with  a  substantial  if  not  at- 
tractive church  edifice,  and  no  debt  to  hamper  or  impair  its  energies,  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  its  day  of  grace  and  prosperity  is  not  far  removed."  ^ 

The  vestry  had  been  looking  in  this  interval  for  a  suitable  minister  for  the 
church,  and  finally  extended  a  call  to  the  Rev.  Russell  A.  Olin,  of  Manlius,  N. 
Y.,  who  accepted,  and  in  the  summer  of  1873  established  himself  at  Glens 
Falls.  At  the  first  confirmation  after  his  ministry  began,  March,  1874,  twenty- 
seven  were  confirmed. 

In  1 88 1  the  Rev.  F.  M.  Cookson  assumed  charge  of  the  church  and  is  the 
present  minister. 

I  Holden's  History  of  Queensbury. 


Patent  and  Town  of  Queensbury.  505 

In  1879—80  the  church  building  was  improved  at  an  expense  of  $2,000 
The  chapel  at  Harrisena  is  in  charge  of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah.  The  pres- 
ent officers  (1885)  are:  Senior  warden,  William  A.  Wait;  junior  warden,  L.  S. 
McDonald ;  vestrymen,  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden,  Henry  Crandell,  L.  P.  Juvet,  Will 
iani  H.  Robbins,  George  H.  Barringer,  Isaac  C.  Burwell,  R.  F  Haviland,  and 
John  L.  Dix.     The  rector  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 

St  Alphonsus  s  Catholic  Church  (French).  — The  first  French  families  which 
settled  at  Glens  Falls  came  nearly  half  a  century  ago.  The  Poissons  (Fish), 
Jettes  (Stay)  and  Montees  were  of  the  number.  They  were  the  grand-parents 
of  the  heads  of  the  families  now  bearing  the  same  name  in  the  village. 

For  a  number  of  years  there  was  no  French  pastor  residing  among  them, 
but  they  were  visited  periodically  by  clergymen  from  Troy  or  Albany,  who 
held  services  in  private  houses.  It  was  only  in  the  j'ear  1853  that  a  frame 
church  was  built  on  the  corner  of  West  and  Pine  streets,  under  the  care  of 
Rev.  Father  Turcotte,  residing  in  Troy. 

The  congregation,  having  increased  sufficiently,  applied  to  the  Bishop  of 
Albany  for  a  resident  pastor  and  Father  Des  Roches  was  sent  in  July,  1855. 
He  was  succeeded  in  1866  by  Father  J.  C.  Theberge,  who  attended  the  con- 
gregation until  April,  1 870,  when  ill  health  obliged  him  to  resign  tempo- 
rarily. 

Rev.  A.  Payette,  of  Whitehall,  held  services  twice  a  month  until  the  mid- 
dle of  July,  when  Rev.  Charles  Bousquet,  who  was  an  invalid,  took  charge  of 
the  church  until  Father  Theberge  could  return  to  his  post,  which  he  did  in  Oc- 
tober, 1871.  But  death  had  marked  him  for  his  own  and  he  died  a  few  weeks 
later,  and  Rev.  F  X.  Langie  was  sent  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  the  congrega- 
tion until  February,  1872,  at  which  time  Rev.  G.  Huberdault  was  sent  as  per- 
manent pastor. 

During  the  preceding  year  the  church  had  been  enlarged  and  finished,  and 
in  1 873  a  gallery  was  added,  giving  four  hundred  and  sixty-five  sittings.  A 
large  brick  school-house  was  built  next  to  the  church,  where  the  parish  chil- 
dren can  get  a  Catholic  education. 

In  1875  Rev.  Huberdault  being  called  to  the  Troy  church,  Father  L.  N. 
St.  Onge  was  appointed  to  the  pastorate  and  is  yet  in  charge.  The  congrega- 
tion has  increased  and  numbered  1,497  persons  on  January  1st,  1885. 

The  parish  possesses  considerable  property.  They  own  besides  the  church 
property,  the  pastor's  residence,  the  brick  school,  three  stories  high,  a  two 
story  frame  building  for  meetings  of  societies,  and  a  story  and  a  half  brick  ten- 
ement house  on  a  lot  adjoining  the  church  grounds,  and  finally,  a  large  ceme- 
tery outside  the  village,  occupying  about  twelve  acres  of  land.  The  whole  of 
this  property  is  free  from  debt ;   the  last  mortgage  having  been  paid  last  year. 

The  members  of  the  church  have  decided  to  build  a  new  church  edifice  on 
the  site  occupied  by  the  old  church.     The  new  church   will  be   built   of  brick 


So6  History  of  Warren  County. 

and  will  be  made  large  enough  for  the  present  wants  of  the  congregation  and 
for  many  years  in  the  future. 

The  present  pastor,  Rev.  L.  N.  St.  Onge,  is  of  French  descent,  born  in 
Canada  near  Montreal.  His  ancestors  came  to  America  in  1699  from  France. 
They  were  known  under  the  name  of  Payen  de  Saintonge,  but  like  most  all 
French  Canadians,  they  have  abbreviated  the  name  to  St.  Onge. 

He  was  educated  in  St.  Hyacinthe,  where  he  graduated  in  1862  at  twenty 
years  of  age  (being  born  in  1842).  Having  requested  his  bishop  to  send  him 
on  to  an  Indian  Mission,  he  left  for  Oregon  in  1864  and  was  stationed  among 
the  Indians  as  soon  as  he  was  ordained.  During  the  first  years  of  his  mission- 
ary life  he  had  occasion  to  preach  to  the  Indian  tribes  of  Washington  Terri- 
tory, the  Rocky  Mountains,  Montana,  and  Idaho  Territory. 

He  perfected  himself  in  the  knowledge  of  two  of  the  principal  Indian  lan- 
guages and  learned  besides  several  dialects.  He  published  a  guide  for  the 
missionaries  in  Chinook,  and  a  catechism  and  spelling  book  in  Yakama  for  the 
use  of  the  Indian  children. 

After  being  in  the  mission  for  nearly  ten  years,  exposure  and  the  privations 
which  always  attend  the  life  of  a  missionary  who  lives  actually  in  the  lodge 
with  the  Indians,  broke  down  his  health  and  he  was  sent  east  for  treatment. 

As  he  never  recovered  enough  to  resume  the  hard  life  of  a  missionary,  he 
accepted  a  call  to  the  Glens  Falls  French  Church,  after  having  spent  a  year 
and  a  half  in  a  Montreal  hospital. 

His  brother,  the  Rev.  J.  B.  St.  Onge,  assists  him  in  the  parochial  work  and 
has  been  with  him  since   1880. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  Glens  Falls.  —  In  the  year  1 848  the  Rev. 
M.  Olivette,  who  at  that  time  resided  at  Whitehall,  purchased  a  small  stone 
building,  which  had  been  used  as  a  Methodist  Church,  for  the  sum  of  $800. 
It  was  dedicated  and  opened  for  worship  the  same  year.  Before  that  time 
there  were  a  few  Catholics  living  in  Glens  Falls  whose  spiritual  wants  were 
ministered  to  by  the  pastor  residing  in  Sandy  Hill.  The  names  of  these  pas- 
tors were  Fathers  Guerdet,  Coyle,  Doyle,  and  Kelly,  each  of  whom  in  succes- 
sion was  placed  in  charge  of  that  village  and  of  an  extensive  surrounding 
district.  The  first  resident  pastor  i^  Glens  Falls  was  the  Rev.  John  Murphy, 
whose  ministerial  duties  were  performed  from  the  year  1848  until  1865.  His 
successor  was  the  Rev.  James  McDermott,  who  is  still  the  pastor. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  1867,  the  corner  stone  of  a  new  church,  located  on 
Warren  street,  was  laid;  the  edifice  was  completed  and  dedicated  19th  Janu- 
ary, 1869.  The  church  is  in  the  Gothic  style  of  architecture ;  its  length  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty-two  feet,  width  sixty-four  feet.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  spire 
whose  height  from  the  base  is  two  hundred  feet.  The  interior  of  the  building 
is  richly  decorated  in  fresco ;  many  of  the  scenes  in  the  life  our  Redeemer  being 
represented  in  life-sized  figures.     There  are  three  beautiful  altars,  a  high  altar 


Town  of  Luzerne.  507 


.and  two  side  altars,  all  exquisitely  carved  and  gilt.  It  contains  a  large  organ 
-and  bell,  the  latter  weighing  4,500  pounds.  After  the  completion  of  the 
■church  the  present  pastor  has  also  erected  magnificent  schools  capable  of  ac- 
-commodating  1,000  children,  with  an  actual  attendance  of  700 ;  and  a  convent 
in  which  there  are  nine  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  having  charge  of  the  schools. 
There  is  also  a  beautiful  pastoral  residence  adjoining  the  church,  recently  com- 
pleted. At  a  short  distance  from  the  town  a  cemetery  containing  twenty-four 
.acres  is  located.     The  aggregate  cost  of  the  church  property  is  $200,000. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  LUZERNE. 

THE  township  of  Luzerne  lies  in  the  southern  extremity  of  the  county,  west 
of  Queensbury  and  Caldwell.  Its  western  and  southern  boundary  is 
formed  by  the  Hudson  River,  which  separates  it  from  Saratoga  county.  The 
town  of  Warrensburgh  bounds  it  on  the  north.  The  surface  is  extremely 
mountainous,  two  branches  of  the  Luzerne  Mountains  extending  through  the 
town  and  occupying  respectively  the  northern  and  southern  portions.  These 
branches  are  separated  by  the  valley  which  Hes  to  the  southwest  from  the  south- 
■ern  end  of  Lake  George,  which  is  filled  with  a  chain  of  small  lakes.  Two  small 
•streams,  rising  among  these  lakes,  find  their  way,  the  one  to  Lake  George  and 
the  other  to  the  Hudson  River.  It  is  stated  that  about  one-half  of  the  surface 
bordering  upon  the  river  is  broken  by  high  hills,  but  is  susceptible,  nevertheless, 
•of  cultivation.  The  highest  and  most  conspicuous  mountain  peak  in  the  town 
is  Potash  Kettle,  in  the  northern  part,  which  lifts  its  symmetrical  proportions 
to  an  elevation  of  about  1,735  feet  above  tide,  and  from  the  summit  of  which 
can  be  obtained  broken  glimpses  of  the  beautiful  Valley  of  the  Hudson.  The 
■soil  in  some  parts  is  pure  sand,  and  in  others  is  relieved  by  a  slight  intermix- 
ture of  loam.     Some  of  the  farms  are  quite  productive. 

"  History  has  been  enriched  somewhat  by  leaves  from  Luzerne.  It  was  on 
the  regular  Indian  trail  from  the  great  villages  of  the  Mohawks  to  the  head  of 
Lake  George.  Here  King  Hendrick  and  his  braves  encamped  when  on  their 
-way  to  join  Johnson  at  the  lake  in  1775,  and  it  was  also  the  route  taken  by 
Sir  John  Johnson  when  he  came  from  Canada  for  his  buried  treasures  at  John- 
■son  Hall. "  1 

The  town  was  taken  from  Qeeensbury  on  the  loth  of  April,  1792,  and  until 
April  6,  1 808,  was  known  as  Fairfield.     On  the  30th  of  March,  1802,  a   strip 

1  S.  R.  Stoddard's  The  Adinndacks,  p.  i8o. 


5o8  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  territory  one  mile  wide  was  set  off  to  Queensbury.  The  town  records  have- 
no  minutes  of  the  proceedings  which  were  had  in  the  year  1792,  nor  of  the 
officers  which  served  during  that  year.  The  minutes  for  1793  are,  however,, 
complete,  and  as  the  first  officers  were  probably  nearly  identical  with  those- 
for  1793,  a  list  of  the  latter  will  be  of  interest.  They  are  as  follows  :  (Elected 
at  an  annual  town  meeting  held  on  April  2d,  1793.)  Sepervisor,  Jeremiah  Rus- 
sell ;  town  clerk,  Benjamin  Cowles ;  assessors,  John  Price,  Gersham  Darlings 
Daniel  Ashley  ;  constable  and  collector,  Thomas  Horton  (with  Jeremiah  Rus- 
sell and  John  Price  as  bondsmen) ;  constable,  James  Kilborn  ;  overseers  of  the 
poor,  Gersham  Darling  and  Daniel  Ashley ;  commissioners  of  highways,  Hen- 
drick  Loop,  John  Price  and  Benjamin  Cowles ;  poundmaster,  Daniel  Mills  ;. 
pathmasters,  John  Austin,  Asa  Durham,  Philo  Dexter,  Thomas  Holdridge,. 
and  Jeremiah  Darling ;  fence  viewers,  John  Austin  and  Asa  Durham. 

The  records  of  this  and  subsequent  meetings  for  a  number  of  years  are- 
quaint  and  instructive.  Quaint  in  the  manner  of  expression,  penmanship  and 
orthography ;  and  instructive  in  that  they  reveal  the  difficulties  with  which 
these  daring  pioneers  had  to  contend,  the  novelty  of  adjusting  themselves  to- 
their  new  surroundings,  and  the  courage  and  perseverance  which  they  exhib- 
ited in  removing  or  surmounting  all  the  obstacles  which  lay  in  their  path.  In 
the  record  of  the  meeting  at  which  the  above  named  officers  were  elected,  ap- 
pear minutes  from  which  the  following  is  an  extract :  — 

"  Vote  Past  by  this  Meting  that  Hogs  may  Run  on  the  common  with  law- 
ful yokes.  " 

It  was  further  resolved  that  a  lawful  fence  must  be  four  feet  and  six  inches 
high  ;  that  there  should  be  a  pound  built  for  this  town  thirty  feet  "  squire  " 
and  seven  feet  high  ;  that  this  pound  should  be  built  "  at  the  lowest  bid,"^ 
whereupon  it  was  found  that  Russell  Durham  was  the  lowe'st  bidder,  at  thirty- 
eight  shillings.  He  was  to  build  the  pound  of  white- pine  logs,  and  to  have  it 
finished  before  the  first  of  June,  1794.  The  account  closed  with  the  following 
words  :  "  The  above  Writen  Town  officers  were  this  day  Qualified  before  Jere- 
miah Russell,  Esqr. " 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  held  in  the  spring  of  1794  it  was,  among  other 
things,  resolved :  — 

"  Vote  past  that  Hogs  may  run  from  the  first  of  may  to  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, with  yokes  the  width  of  the  neck  above  the  neck,  and  half  the  width  be- 
low and  each  side  of  the  neck." 

It  seems  that  the  pound  which  Russell  Durham  built  was  not  constructed 
according  to  specifications:  "The  report  of  the  committee  that  was  chosen  to- 
inspect  the  pound,  viz :  That  the  Pound  was  not  built  according  to  agreement 
and  that  Russell  Durham  should  return  the  money  again  to  the  town  or  build 
a  good,  sufficient  Pound." — Town  Records  of  1795.  Which  of  the  alternatives 
Russell  Durham  complied  with,  if  either,  does  not  appear. 


Town  of  Luzerne.  509 


By  reason,  probably  of  the  very  early  settlement  of  Glens  Falls,  it  is  found 
that  even  at  this  early  date  a  number  of  rude  mountain  roads  radiated  from 
that  place  to  Lake  George  and  different  parts  of  the  Hudson,  one  coming  to 
Luzerne  or  Fairfield.  The  following  item  is  from  the  records  of  1795  •  "  i5y 
a  Request  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Fairfield  by  a  Petition  sined  By 
twelve  Freeholders  Dated  April  29,  1793,  We,  the  Commitioners  of  High- 
ways of  the  Town  of  Fairfield,  Have  Viewed  the  Road  at  the  Eastward  of 
this  Town  to  Queensborough.  We  find  that  is  exceeding  Difficult  passing 
From  the  top  of  the  East  Mountain  to  Queensborough  Line.  We  therefore 
think  it  Necessary  to  turn  the  Road  from  the  first  Pitch  on  the  East  side  of  the 
Mountain  and  Running  a  North  East  Cours  to  the  first  water  and  thence  Run- 
ning a  Due  East  Course  By  Glans  saw  mill  to   Queensbury  Line.     Said  road 

Laid  By  us. 

"  John  Price. 

"  Benjamin  Cowles." 

During  this  and  the  following  years  seven  roads  were  laid  and  four  were 
altered. 

In  these  early  times  nearly  every  house  in  remote  and  pioneer  settlements 
aspired  to  the  dignity  of  a  tavern,  where  the  wayfaring  stranger  might  receive 
lodging  and  food  and  a  nameless  quantity  of  the  beverage  that  cheers  as  well 
as  intoxicates.  It  would  be  hard,  therefore,  to  designate  this  or  that  house  as 
being  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  purposes  of  an  inn  until  a  few  years  later,  when 
travelers  became  too  numerous  to  be  conveniently  accommodated  at  private 
houses.  This  early  custom  might,  even  without  the  aid  of  ulterior  evidence, 
be  inferred  from  some  of  the  records  of  the  period,  in  which  it  seems  that  nearly 
every  inhabitant  of  the  town  must  have  applied  for  an  innkeeper's  license.  In 
1797,  in  this  town,.though  the  names  are  not  numerous,  it  is  more  than  likely 
that  the  applicants  were  not  the  owners  of  establishments  which  could  be 
classed  in  the  same  category  with  Rockwell's  Hotel,  The  Wayside,  or  the  Rid- 
dell  House.  Benjamin  Cross  paid  six  shillings  and  eight  pence  (English  money) 
for  permission  to  retail  spirituous  liquors  in  his  house  during  the  months  of 
January  and  February,  1797,  and  for  the  same  privilege  for  the  ensuing  year 
he  paid  two  pounds.  Richard  Hempstraught  paid  the  first  named  sum  for  the 
same  privilege  for  the  months  of  January  and  February,  1797.  On  June  5th, 
1797,  Medad  Bostwick  paid  for  the  privilege  for  one  ,year  one  pound  and  ten 
shillings. 

In  1 801  there  were  nine  road  districts  in  town  and  two  new  roads  were  laid. 
The  work  of  laying  out  and  altering  roads  was  in  constant  progress  from  year 
to  year.     In  1802  two  were  laid  out. 

The  courts  were  more  strict  then  than  now,  perhaps  because  by  reason  of 
the  sparseness  of  population  and  the  near  approach  to  unanimity  of  sentiment 
among  the  inhabitants,  the  laws  were  more  easily  enforced.  Witness  the  fol- 
lowing records  of  convictions  and  methods  of  punishment : — 


5IO  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  Washington  county,^  Be  it  Remembered  that  on  the  Seventeenth  Day  of 
November,  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  two,  Noah 
Hatch  was   convicted   Before  me,  Mark  A.  Childs,  one  of  the  Justices  of  the 
Peace  of  said  County,  For  Taking  one  profane  oath.      Given  under  my  hand, 
and  seal  the  Day  and  year  above  said.  MARK  A.  Childs,  J.  Peace." 

A  conviction  is  likewise  recorded  against  Samuel  Washburn  and  his  wife- 
Hannah,  of  Hadley,  Saratoga  county,  for  frequenting  a  tippling  house  on  Sun- 
day, December  6th,  1802,  at  the  house  of  Richard  Hempstraught  in  Fairfield. 
A  few  years  later  at  the  annual  town  meeting  held  in  April,  18 10,  it  was- 
"  Voted,  That  there  should  be  a  pair  of  stocks  built  in  the  town  of  Luzerne, 
not  far  from  William  Johnson's  now  dwelling  house,  in  order  to  punish  disor- 
derly persons,  and  to  be  erected  by  the  poormasters,  and  on  the  expense  of 
the  money  of  the  said  Town." 

Down  to  a  comparatively  recent  date  the  mountains  and  woods  of  the  vi- 
cinity were  infested  by  sheep-killing  beasts,  such  as  wolves,  wild  cats,  and  even 
panthers.  Premiums  or  bounties  were  annually  offered  to  persons  who  should 
succeed  in  killing  "any  of  these  troublesome  brutes,  and  were  continued  down  to- 
nearly  the  middle  of  the  present  century. 

The  method  of  caring  for  the  poor  was  greatly  different  from  that  at  pres- 
ent in  vogue.  The  poor  were  not  a  county,  but  a  town  charge.  Money  was 
appropriated  from  the  funds  voted  for  the  support  of  the  poor  to  remunerate 
persons  who  had  cared  for,  or  should  care  for  one  or  more  paupers  for  a  stated 
length  of  time.  This  was  continued  until  1826,  when  the  county-house  was 
erected  and  the  system  became  what  it  is  to-day. 

Of  the  original  settlers  here  before  1800,  their  places  of  residence  and  their 
occupations,  it  is  impossible  to  say  anything.  The  records  reveal  nothing  but 
their  names,  and  the  memory  of  living  man  does  not  extend  to  a  period  so  re- 
mote in  the  past.  But  it  is  certain  the  division  of  labor  was  not  very  marked 
in  those  days.  Many  of  the  pioneers  were  at  once  inn-keepers,  blacksmiths, 
farmers,  and  merchants.  The  names  of  the  settlers  as  they  appear  on  the  records 
may,  however,  be  of  some  interest.  Some  of  them  have  already  appeared. 
Among  them  are :  Jeremiah  Russell,  Benjamin  Cowles,  Ebenezer  Sprague, 
Benjamin  Cross,  George  Loveless,  Aaron  Vandebogart,  Gilbert  Caswell,  Peter 
Mallory,  Elijah  Buttolph,  Silas  Dibble,  John  Cleveland,  Henry  Schaff,  Eliph- 
alet  Lindsley,  Isaac  Washburn,  Medad  Bostwick,  John  Vanduser,  Joel  Read, 
James  Mosher,  Thomas  Orton,  Jabesh  Gray,  Abijah  Adams,  Daniel  Ransom, 
Joseph  Stone,  Grant  Towsey,  Jonathan  Beebe,  John  Ferguson,  Elijah  Brace, 
and  Hezekiah  Weatherby. 

"  Among  its  early  settlers  was  Edward  Jessup,  after  whom  the  landing  be- 
low was  named,  and  odd  old  Ben  Barrett,  who  was  noted  for  his  practical  jokes, 
and  to  this  day,  in  that  region,  if  a    'joke  '   comes  to  light  whose   paternity  is 

■1  It  will  be  remembered  that  Warren  county  was  not  organized  until  1813. 


Town  of  Luzerne.  511 


unknown,  it  is  at  once  ascribed  to  old  Ben.  He  once  rode  a  horse  into  Rock- 
well's bar-room,  took  a  drink,  then  rode  out  again.  At  another  time  he  saw  a 
peddler  with  a  basket  of  extracts,  and  at  once  offered  to  bet  a  small  sum  that 
he  could  beat  him  across  the  bridge,  carrying  his  basket  at  the  time.  The  bet 
was  taken,  they  started,  and  Ben  fell,  breaking  many  of  the  bottles,  then  sol- 
emnly admitting  that  he  had  lost,  paid  the  bet,  and  left  the  brilliant  peddler 
calculating  how  much  he  had  made  by  the  operation.     ... 

"Mr.  Rockwell  gives  some  very  interesting  reminiscences  of  earlier  times. 
When  a  boy  he  saw  an  old  soldier  who,  in  1777,  with  others,  was  captured  by 
the  Indians  near  Lake  George,  stripped  of  their  clothing,  their  hands  tied  to 
stakes,  and  fires  built  around  them,  while  the  savages  gathered  near  to  enjoy  thg 
sport.  He  soon  managed  to  slip  his  hands  out  of  the  thongs  that  bound  them, 
sprang  through  the  flames,  seized  a  little  boy  who  appeared  to  be  the  son  of  a 
chief,  and  before  the  astonished  natives  could  help  themselves,  sprang  back 
within  the  circle  of  flames  once  more.  A  rush  was  made  to  save  the  child,  and 
in  the  confusion  the  white  man,  dashing  through  the  lines,  made  for  the  woods, 
with  the  yelling  pack  at  his  heels.  Being  a  good  runner,  he  kept  away  from 
them,  going  through  the  valley,  where  the  road  now  runs  towards  Lake  George, 
past  the  lake,  past  Rockwell's,  and  down  the  steep  bank  back  of  the  Wilcox 
House  to  a  place  just  below  the  falls,  where  he  jumped  on  a  rock  near  the  cen- 
ter of  the  river,  thence  to  the  opposite  side,  and  climbing  up  the  rocks,  gained 
the  cover  of  the  bushes  on  top  as  the  yelling  savages  appeared  on  the  other 
side.  They  then  gave  up  the  chase,  and  he  succeeded  in  reaching  his  friends 
in  safety."! 

One  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  of  the  men  still  living  who  can  give 
valuable  and  interesting  reminiscences  of  the  early  part  of  this  century  is  the 
venerable  George  T.  Rockwell,  known  more  familiarly  among  his  hosts  of 
guests  as  "  Uncle  George."  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Hadley,  Saratoga 
county,  on  the  9th  day  of  March,  1807.  His  father,  Jeremy  Rockwell,  was  a 
prominent  business  man  in  Hadley,  just  across  the  river  from  Luzerne,  and 
hence  our  present  interlocutor's  early  experiences  were  connected  almost  as  in- 
timately with  Luzerne  as  with  Hadley.  His  memory  of  persons  and  events  as 
far  back  as  181 5  is  quite  clear.  Of  the  residents  of  Luzerne  at  about  that 
time  he  gives  the  following  information :  William  Leavens,  some  of  whose 
descendants  are  now  living  at.  Glens  Falls,  was  a  prominent  man  here,  and  a 
farmer.  He  lived  on  the  River  road  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  vil- 
lage. Joel  Orton  kept  tavern  about  the  same  distance  away  on  the  road  to- 
ward Glens  Falls,  in  the  same  building  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Blackwood.  John 
Cameron,  a  Methodist  preacher,  resided  six  miles  north  of  the  village  of  Lu- 
zerne on  the  Hudson.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Rockwell  family. 
Nathan  A.  Wells,  a  lumberman,  dwelt  in  the  building  now  occupied   by  Peter 

1  The  Adirondacks,  by  S.  R.  Stoddard,  (pp.  i8o,  i8i.) 


$12  History  of  Warren  County. 

Pulver.  George  T.  Rockwell  became  his  son-in-law  on  the  I2th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1 83 1.  William  H.  Wells  and  Reuben  Wells  were  sons  of  Nathan  A. 
Wells.  Marlborough  Ball,  who  came  to  this  vicinity  soon  after  1815,  was  a 
Quaker.  He  kept  a  farm  on  what  is  called  the  Hog's  Back,  a  mountain  ridge 
in  the  south  part  of  the  town.  Descendants  from  him  reside  there  now. 
Joseph  Varney,  another  Quaker,  was  engaged  in  the  same  business  with  his 
near  neighbor  last  above  mentioned,  and  worshiped  with  equal  silence  at  the 
same  shrine.  His  brother  (?)  Nathaniel  Varney,  lived  near  him.  Another 
member  of  this  Quaker  farming  settlement  was  George  Murray.  John  S.  St. 
John,  physician,  came  here  before  1820.  He  had  an  office  just  opposite  the 
present  site  of  Rockwell's  Hotel.  Nathan  A.  Wells,  in  addition  to  his  lumber- 
ing business  proper,  owned  a  saw- mill  and  grist-mill  on  the  site  of  Burnham's 
grist-mill,  the  saw-mill  being  a  few  rods  farther  east  or  up  Wells's  Creek.  At 
about  18 1 5  Daniel  Bocker  kept  a  general  store  on  the  corner  by  the  grist-mill- 
Jeremy  Rockwell  kept  store  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  It  may  be  stated 
here  that  he.  came  from  ]5allston  to  Hadley  in  1802,  and  was  originally 
a  Connecticut  man.  In  18 15  the  whole  country  hereabouts  was  covered  with 
almost  impervious  forests  of  pine.  Settlements  were  formed  slowly  and  pain- 
fully. There  were  not  more  than  six  dwelling  houses  of  any  description  on 
either  side  of  the  river  at  the  village  of  Luzerne  or  Hadley.  Azariah  Sco- 
field  began,  about  the  year  1818,  to  keep  a  store  where  Edward  C.  Young  now 
keeps  one.  A  portion  of  the  old  building  is  still  standing.  A  man  named 
Allard  used  to  visit  the  various  families  scattered  through  this  vicinity  and 
mend  their  boots  and  shoes.  He  was  the  only  shoemaker  known  to  the  com- 
munity.    Descendants  from  him  are  now  living  in  Greenfield,  N.  Y. 

The  lumber  business  here  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  1820  was  very  ex- 
tensive. Jeremy  Rockwell,  Artemus  Aldrich,  Nathan  A.  Wells,  Samuel  and 
Benjamin  Rogers,  Abijah  Adams  and  a  man  named  Powers  were  all  quite 
largely  interested.  The  two  first  named  were  undoubtedly  the  most 
prominent  lumbermen  here.  There  were  ten  or  twelve  saw  mills  running  in 
town.  Jeremy  Rockwell  had  two  mills  on  the  falls  below  the  village.  Arte- 
mus Aldrich  had  another  near  by.  The  mill  of  Nathan  A.  Wells  has  already 
been  mentioned.  Thomas  Lee  owned  a  large  mill  about  two  miles  up  Wells's 
Creek  from  the  village.  Abijah  Adams  had  two  above  Lee.  Ware  Sherman 
owned  and  ran  one  on  Leavens's  Brook  between  two  and  three  miles  below 
the  village  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  Hudson,  and  his  son,  Au- 
gustus Sherman,  owned  one  a  few  years  later.  At  a  distance  of  about  six 
miles  up  Wells's  Creek  John  Ferguson  had  two  mills.  Very  few  logs  were  in 
those  days  floated  down  the  Hudson,  as  these  mills  just  mentioned  did  all  the 
sawing  for  home  consumption,  and  even  more — enough  to  keep  the  choppers 
at  work. 

There  was  more  or  less  of  farming  conducted  in  a  general  way,  corn,  oats, 


Town  of  Luzerne.  513 


potatoes  and  rye  being  then  as  now  the  principal  products.  In  the  north  part 
of  the  town  (on  the  north  side  of  Potash  Kettle),  Gage,  Gay,  Bartlett,  Bene- 
dict Putnam,  and  John  Stanton  all  owned  farms.  One  grist-mill,  and  one 
alone,  owned  by  Nathan  A.  Wells,  flourished  in  town  in  181 5,  and  Jeremy 
Rockwell  "  kept  up  his  end  "  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  No  tannery  as  yet 
existed.  Joel  Orton  kept  tavern  on  the  Queensbury  Road,  and  Samuel  Van 
Tassel  kept  another  about  six  miles  from  Luzerne  village  on  the  Lake  George 
Road  —  where  Joseph  Ferguson  now  lives.  There  was  no  distillery  about 
here  until  1848,  when  Jeremy  Rockwell  built  one  in  Hadley. 

The  lives  of  these  early  settlers  were  not  devoid  of  incident,  both  of  tragedy 
and  comedy.  One  of  the  former  kind  is  related  as  having  taken  place  about 
the  period  of  which  we  are  speaking.  Jeremiah  Russell,  who  lived  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town,  on  the  late  John  Cranell  place,  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  many  years.  One  Fairchild  was  charged  before  him  at  one  time  of  com- 
mitting an  unnamable  crime,  and  public  indignation  ran  so  high  against  him 
that  Russell  was  upheld  in  issuing  a  warrant  for  the  offender's  arrest  containing 
the  illegal  words,  "  to  be  taken  dead  or  alive."  Clothed  with  the  supposed 
authority  over  life,  suggested  by  this  phrase,  the  officer  went  to  Fairchild's 
residence,  near  Ira  Lindsey's  present  home,  and  seeing  Fairchild  attempting 
to  escape,  shot  him  dead.  The  officer  was  arrested,  taken  to  Albany,  tried 
and  acquitted. 

Many  are  the  stories  told  also  about  "old  Ben  Barrett,"  the  practical  joker. 
He  was  a  lumberman  and  merchant  in  the  village  of  Luzerne — was  in  partner- 
ship for  a  time  with  George  Cronkhite.  He  lived  on  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  house  of  the  widow  of  Andrew  Porteus.  It  is  related  that  one  day,  while 
on  a  spree,  Barrett  made  a  bet  of  three  dollars  with  a  fellow-lumberman  that 
the  former  could  throw  the  latter  across  the  Hudson  at  Albany.  The  wager 
was  made  with  punctilious  sobriety  of  demeanor.  After  repairing  to  the  place 
where  the  money  was  to  be  won  or  lost,  and  making  due  preparation  for  the 
effiart,  Barrett  seized  his  opponent,  held  him  out  over  the  water,  and  relinquish- 
ing a  laughably  feeble  attempt  to  throw  him,  dropped  him  into  the  river  below. 
When  the  fellow  came  up  all  dripping  and  demanded  his  money,  Barrett  made 
a  plunge  for  him,  with  the  exclamation  that  he'd  "  try  it  a  thousand  times  be- 
fore he'd  give  up  the  money,"  whereupon  the  fellow,  as  frightened  as  wet,  left 
the  vicinity  with  all  possible  speed,  while  Barrett  and  his  comrades  consumed 
the  money  in  "  drinks  for  the  crowd."  Another  anecdote  told  of  him  is  that 
when  rafting  logs  one  evening  he  and  his  fellows  came  to  a  place  on  shore 
where  a  wedding  party  were  cooking  delicacies  in  an  open  oven.  None  of  the 
party  happening  to  be  near  the  oven  at  the  time,  the  jolly  lumbermen  ran 
ashore  and  lifted  oven,  sweetmeats  and  all  on  the  raft  and  pushed  on  their  way 
down  the  river.  They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  could  hear  the  splashing 
of  oars  behind  them,  and  prudently  concluding  that  they  were  pursued,  they 
33 


514  History  of  Warren  County. 

hid  the  delicacies  in  the  raft  and  quietly  dropped  the  oven  overboard.  In  a 
few  minutes  a  man  rowed  alongside,  peered  with  most  inquisitive  scrutiny  into 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  raft,  and  finally  rowed  reluctantly  back  under 
the  impression  that  they  had  done  the  "  honest"  lumbermen  injustice  in  their 
suspicions.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  aforesaid  "  honest "  lumbermen  im- 
mediately "  fell  to  "  with  ocular  manifestations  of  appetites  which  would  make 
a  giant  anaconda  hang  his  glittering  head  with  humility. 

Among  the  other  early  settlers  was  Joseph  W.  Paddock,  a  lawyer,  who 
came  here  about  1816,  married  a  daughter  of  Nathan  A.  Wells,  lived  until 
about  1832  opposite  the  site  of  Rockwell's  Hotel,  and  then  went  West.  He 
died  in  about  1837  or  1838  at  Rondout,  N.  Y.,  of  cholera.  His  brother,  Ira 
Paddock,  came  here  several  years  after  the  advent  of  Joseph,  and  practiced 
law  with  him  for  a  number  of  years.  Before  1830  he  removed  to  Glens  Falls, 
the  place  of  his  death. 

John  S.  St.  John,  an  early  physician  already  mentioned,  lived  after  181 1 
for  some  years  on  the  site  of  Rockwell's  Vanderbilt  cottage.^ 

William  Johnson,  town  clerk  in  early  days,  lived  where  John  Gladhill  now 
does.      He  is  mentioned  in  the  town  records  as  early  as  1806. 

Another  early  physician  was  Dr.  Truman  B.  Hicks.  He  married  a  sister 
of  George  T.  Rockwell.  He  lived  for  a  time — and  died — in  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Riddell  house. 

Dr.  James  Lawrence,  whos^^  history  is  given  in  greater  detail  in  the  chap- 
ter devoted  to  the  past  of  the  medical  profession  in  Warren  county,  practiced 
here  from  about  1825  to  January,  1861.  His  son  is  the  present  postmaster  of 
Luzerne. 

John  Cornwell  was  an  early  farmer  and  lumberman.  He  came  before  1800 
and  lived  near  John  Ferguson's,  about  six  miles  north  of  the  village.  Elijah 
-+-  Buttolph  settled  before  18 10  at  Jessup's  Landing  on  the  Luzerne  side  of  the 
the  river.  Isaac  Washburn,  a  contemporary  with  Buttolph,  lived  on  his  farm 
about  a  mile  south  of  Luzerne  village  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Isaiah  Par- 
menter  "  farmed  it"  on  the  premises  which  now  constitute  the  George  T.  Rock- 
well farm.  John  Austin,  farmer,  lived  more  than  two  miles  north  of  the  village 
on  land  now  occupied  by  Joseph  Gailey.  His  grandson  now  lives  in  town. 
George  P.  Cronkhite  had  an  ashery  on  the  place  now  belonging  to  Rockwell's 
Hotel. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  century  there  was  a  flourishing  school  on  this  side 
the  river.  The  school  building  stood  right  near  the  site  of  the  present  school- 
house  in  the  village.  Daniel  Gill  taught  there  before  181 5,  and  was  followed 
by  a  Mr.  Harwood.  There  was  an  attendance  at  times  of  nearly  or  quite  a 
hundred  pupils.  There  was  formerly  but  one  district  in  the  villages  of  Hadley 
and  Luzerne,  but  about  1838  the  district  was  divided  and  a  school  established 

1  So  named  because  formerly  rented  of  Mr.  Rockwell  by  the  famous  Commodore  himself. 


Town  of  Luzerne.  515 


in  Hadley.  The  fiast  mention  of  school  matters  in  the  town  records  appears 
in  1813,  when  Willard  Leavens,  Daniel  Wagar,  John  S.  St.  John,  were  elected 
superintendents  of  school  districts,  and  Jeremiah  Russell,  Edward  Cornwell, 
John  Lindsey,  William  B.  Colson,  and  David  Bockes,  inspectors  of  schools. 
There  were  then  seven  school  districts  in  town. 

Religious  meetings  were  held  in  the  school  down  to  about  18 15.  Rev. 
Tobias  Spicer,  a  Methodist  itinerant,  preached  here  about  18 10  or  18 12.  Dur- 
ing the  War  of  18 12  intense  excitement  prevailed  at  times  in  this  remote  wil- 
derness. Drafts  were  made  here  to  fill  the  American  ranks.  Several  men 
from  here  took  an  active  part  in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg,  among  them  one 
Wells  (no  connection  of  Nathan  A.  Wells),  carried  the  last  plank  from  the 
bridge  at  that  famous  engagement. 

The  "cold  season  of  18 16"  affected  Luzerne  badly.  Rye  and  corn  went 
up  that  summer  to  two  dollars  a  bushels  and  pork  to  fifty  dollars  a  barrel. 
There  was  a  great  amount  of  suffering.  Grinding  used  to  be  done  at  the  mills 
without  undergoing  the  usual  process  of  separating  the  bran  from  the  kernel. 
Many  people  became  so  destitute  that  they  would  come  to  the  mills  from  miles 
away  and  sweep  the  beams  for  flour  dust  with  which  to  make  their  bread. 
Even  then  many  families  went  for  a  month  without  bread. 

Having  viewed  the  town  and  village  during  their  early  struggles  it  will  be 
of  some  interest  to  trace  their  growth  down  to  a  more  recent  date.  A  minute 
made  in  the  year  1835  states  that  the  village  of  Luzerne  then  had  one  grist- 
mill, three  saw-mills,  clothing  works,  two  taverns,  three  stores  and  about  thirty 
dwellings.  The  grist-mill  was  still  owned  by  Nathan  A.  Wells.  It  was  orig- 
inally built  by  David  Bockes,  already  named.  An  old  Tory  had  had  one  on 
the  same  site  in  Revolutionary  times,  but  it  became  too  hot  for  him  here  and 
he  left  without  ceremony.  Abijah  Adams  still  ran  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on 
the  Lake  George  road.  He  died  not  far  from  1840.  Jeremy  Rockwell  and 
Ben  Barrett  owned  a  double  saw-mill  in  the  village  on  the  east  end  of  the  dam. 
It  was  carried  away  by  a  freshet  in  1832  or  1833.  Nathan  A.  Wells  also  run 
a  saw-mill  at  this  time.  The  clothing  works  were  situated  just  below  the  grist- 
mill and  were  owned  by  Jeremy  Rockwell  and  Orry  Martin.  They  had  been 
here  for  a  number  years,  but  went  down  before  1840.  The  two  taverns  men- 
tioned referred  to  George  T.  Rockwell's,  which  he  built  in  1832,  and  Luke 
Fenton,  who  kept  one  where  the  Riddell  House  now  is.  Before  Mr.  Rock- 
well bought  his  hotel  premises  Luke  Fenton  run  a  similitude  of  a  tavern  there. 
He  was  there  several  years  and  was  preceded  by  Edward  Scovil,  uncle  to  P. 
C.  Scovil.  Azariah  Scoville  preceded  Edward  Scovil  as  early  as  181 5.  A 
store  was  kept  in  one  part  of  the  house.  The  three  stores  in  the  village  in  1835 
were  that  of  Daniel  Stewart  and  William  .H.  Wells,  who,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Stewart  &  Wells,  kept  a  store  just  across  from  Rockwell's  Hotel  ;  that  o 
Henry  Rockwell,  brother  to    George  T.  Rockwell,  which   was   situated  on  the 


5i6  History  of  Warren  County. 

site  of  the  store  now  kept  by  Walter  P.  Wilcox,  and  which  he  kept  from  about 
1820  or  1^25  for  many  years;  and  that  of  Barrett  &  Cronkhite  (Ben  Bar- 
rett and  George  P.  Cronkhite),  which  stood  just  north  of  the  present  Riddell 
House.  Soon  after  1830,  however,  Zina  H.  Cowles  and  William  B.  Martin- 
dale  succeeded  Barrett  &  Cronkhite.  George  W.  Ruggles  succeeded  Cowles 
in  the  partnership  in  a  few  years,  and  about  the  year  1840  Martindale  &  Rug- 
gles failed. 

John  Durham  and  Ira  St.  John  were  at  this  period  wagon- makers  on  the 
creek  in  the  village.  Jeduthan  Lake  was  then  a  farmer  in  the  south  part  of 
the  town  where  he  still  lives ;  Isaac  Barrows  was  a  neighbor  to  Lake  ;  Ebe- 
nezer  Martin  ran  a  farm  in  the  north  part  of  the  town.  These  are  only  a  few 
of  the  many  names  that  might  be  mentioned  of  this  date,  but  they  are  impor- 
tant. 

From  the  town  records  of  the  period  covering  the  year  1840  and  the  fol- 
lowing ten  years  it  is  learned  that  at  the  former  date  there  were  twenty- eight 
road  districts  in  town.  In  1843  statements  reveal  the  fact  that  there  were 
then  fourteen  school  districts,  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  pupils,  and  four 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  books  (school  property).  This  was  a  period  of  tem- 
perance agitation,  undoubtedly,  for  there  was  considerable  opposition  to  the 
granting  of  any  licenses.  In  1845  the  commissioners  of  excise  granted  tavern 
licenses  to  William  A.  Pierson  and  Stephen  Lake.  In  the  spring  of  1846J  the 
town  resolved  by  a  vote  of  133  to  37  that  no  licenses  should  be  granted.  The 
resolution  was  re-enacted  in  the  following  year.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
excise  board  on  the  31st  of  May,  1849,  the  following  applications  were  pre- 
sented :  Grocery  licenses,  T.  D.  Stewart,  and  Taft  P.  Town ;  tavern  licenses, 
Stephen  Lake,  Orlin  Pember,  Carmi  Lindsey,  and  George  T.  Rockwell.  I,  P. 
Wilcox  applied  for  a  temperance  license.  Among  the  various  resolutions 
passed  by  this  honorable  body  was  one  to  the  effect  that  no  grocery  licenses 
be  granted ;  that  three  tavern  licenses  be  granted,  viz. :  to  Stephen  Lake, 
George  T.  Rockwell,  and  Orlin  Pember ;  that  a  temperance  license  be  granted 
to  I.  P.  Wilcox,  and  that  "  no  rot-gut  be  sold  in  the  town.  " 

When  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  broke  outjthe  town  of  Luzerne  responded 
promptly  and  heartily  to  the  imperative  demand  for  men  and  money  to  pre- 
serve the  Union  from  dissolution.  The  first  item  in  the  town  records  appears 
under  date  of  November  6th,  1862,  when  the  town  auditors  allowed  to  Newton 
Aldrich  the  sum  of  $15.38  for  the  relief  of  soldiers'  families,  and  $225  for  the 
payment  of  balances  due  to  the  soldiers  themselves.  On  the  5th  of  November, 
1863,  the  sum  of  $130.71  was  allowed  to  Daniel  Stewart  for  soldiers,  and  for 
relief  to  the  families  of  soldiers;  and  Morgan  Burdick,  appointed  by  the 
auditors  a  committee  of  relief,  as  required  by  statute,  reported  that^he  had  re- 
ceived from  the  town  $25.00,  out  of  which  he  had  paid  for  the  relief  of  the 
families  of  soldiers  the  sum  of  $14.61. 


Town  of  Luzerne.  517 


On  the  6th  of  July,  1864,  the  following  document  was  presented  to  the 
town  clerk : — 

"  Call  for  Special  Town  Meeting  to  raise  Bounty  Money  to  pay  Volunteers. 
"  To  the  Town  Clerk  of  the  Town  of  Luzerne  :  — 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  citizens  of  Luzerne,  request  you  to  call  a  special 
meeting  of  said  Town,  to  vote  upon  the  question  whether  a  tax  shall  be  raised 
upon  said  Town  to  pay  bounties  to  volunteers  under  the  call  to  be  issued  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States.     Dated  July  6th,  1864. 

"  Henry  McMaster,  Orrin  Moore,  Perry  C.  Scovil,  W.  W.  Rockwell,  A. 
Hemstreet,  O.  Dean,  A.  J.  Cheritree,  Daniel  Stewart,  J.  B.  Burneson, 
George  T.  Rockwell,  George  Eddy,  George  W.  Inman.  " 

Whereupon,  William  H.  Wells,  town  clerk,  gave  notice  of  such  meeting  to 
vote  upon  the  question  as  to  whether  or  not  the  sum  of  $5,000  should  be 
raised.  The  result  was  that  out  of  141  votes  cast  upon  the  question,  89  were  in 
the  affirmative,  and  52  in  the  negative.  At  the  same-  meeting  it  was  deter- 
mined that  not  more  than  $ioo  was  expedient  to  be  voted  to  each  volunteer. 
On  the  5th  of  August  following  this  last  measure  was  rescinded,  and  the  sum 
made  $200  for  each  volunteer,  or  person  furnishing  a  volunteer.  The  aggregate 
sum,  however,  was  not  to  exceed  $5,000.  On  the  23d  of  August,  1864,  it 
was  resolved  by  a  vote  of  70  against  30  that  the  additional  sum  of  $3,000  be 
raised  to  pay  bounties.  On  September  12th  it  was  decided  to  raise  a  still  fur- 
ther sum  for  bounties,  but  the  additional  amount  is  not  named. 

Between  the  23d  of  August  and  the  5th  of  October,  1864,  bonds  were  given 
aggregating  $11,125. 

At  a  Special  Meeting  held  on  February  i  ith,  1865,  called  to  decide  whether 
or  not  sufficient  money  should  be  raised  by  tax  to  pay  volunteers  and  prevent 
a  draft  under  the  president's  call  for  300,000  men,  and  to  defray  the  expense 
of  enlisting  men  and  mustering  them  into  service,  it  was  resolved  by  a  vote  of 
74  to  31  that  the  necessary  amount  be  raised.  Subsequently  Andrew  J. 
Cheritree,  in  his  capacity  of  supervisor,  was  authorized  by  the  auditors  to  en- 
list men  with  money  which  had  been  placed  in  his  hands  to  pay  bonds  not  due, 
said  obligations  to  be  met  when  due  by  a  sale  of  town  bonds. 

Under  all  these  enactments  and  measures,  men  enlisted  freely  and  fought 
bravely.  Homes  were  deserted  and  hearts  broken,  but  the  grand  object  of 
saving  the  Union  was  accomplished. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  town  supervisors  from  the  first  annual  meeting  to  the 
yeari885:  1 793-1 800,  Jeremiah  Russell;  1 801  and  1802,  Mark  A.  Child  ;  1803, 
Willard  Leavens  ;  1804,  Jeremiah  Russell;  1 805- 1 808,  Erastus  Cross  ;  1809- 
1811,  Willard  Leavens;  1812  and  1813,  John  S.St.  John;  1814,  Wiilard 
Leavens;  1815-1817,  John  S.  St.  John  ;  1818,  Joel  Orton  ;  1819,  John  Cam- 
eron;  1820,  Willard  Leavens;  1821-1823,  John  Cameron;  1824,  Willard 
Leavens;     1825-27,  Nathan  A.  Wells  ;     1828,  Willard   Leavens;     1829-1831, 


5i8  History  of  Warren  County. 

William  H.  Wells;  1832-1836,  Reuben  Wells;  1837  and  1838,  Daniel  Stew- 
art; 1839-1841,  James  D.  Weston;  1842-1845,  George  T.  Rockwell;  1846, 
William  H.  Wells  ;  1847,  Jonas  Selleck;  1848,  Daniel  Stewart;  1849'and  1850. 
Thomas  Butler;  1851-1853,  George  T.  Rockwell;  1854,  William  H.  Wells; 
1855  and  1856,  Newton  Aldrich  ;  1857,  Thomas  Butler;  1858,  Ira  Lindsey ; 
1859,  Newton  Aldrich;  i860,  Thomas  Butler  ;  1 861,  William  H.  Wells  ;  1862- 
1869,  Andrew  J.  Cheritree ;  1870-1872,  J.  C.  Porteus ;  1873  and  1874,  H.  P. 
Gwinup ;  1875  and  1876,  Benjamin  C.Butler;  1877,  Wilson  Smead  ;  1878, 
Clark  Hall;  1879,  James  G.  Porteus;  1880  and  1881,  Andrew  Porteus;  1882, 
J.  B.  Burnison  ;    1883-1885,  John  Peart,  jr. 

The  following  are  the  present  officers-elect  of  the  town  :  [Supervisor,  John 
Peart,  jr.;  town  clerk,  James  H.  Lawrence  ;  assessor,  Eugene  D.  Howe  ;  jus- 
tices of  the  peace,  Charles  Trumbull,  William  Anderson,  H.  W.  Lindsey,  Perry 
C.  Scovil,  L.  E.  Stearns ;  commissioner  of  highways,  W.  W.  Ramsay ;  col- 
lector, John  L.  Burneson  ;  overseer  of  the  poor,  Alexander  Fisher  ;  inspectors 
of  election,  E.  K.  Thomas,  Perry  C.  Scovil ;  constables,  John  L.  Burneson, 
Thomas  H.  Taylor,  Ira  H.  Putnam,  Wallace  BuUice,  W.  C.  Howe  ;  game  con- 
stable, Fred  Rorder ;  commissioners  of  excise,  John  Batter,  one  year,  George 
W.  Beadmore,  two  years  W.  H.  Putman,  three  years. 

The  population  of  the  town  of  Luzerne  has  varied  since  1850  as  follows: 
1850,  1,300;  ;  1855,  1,286;  1860,1,328;  1865,1,136;  1870,1,174;  1875, 
1,303  ;    1880,  1,438. 

MUNICIPAL   HISTORY. 

The  village  of  Luzerne,  as  has  already  been  learned,  consisted,  in  18 10,  of 
a  saw-mill,  a  grist-mill,  and  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  dwellings.  In  1835 
there  was  a  grist-mill,  three  saw- mills,  clothing  works,  two  taverns,  three  stores, 
and  about  thirty  dwellings.  The  village  had  grown  to  reasonable  proportions. 
It  has  grown  since  then,  though  not,  perhaps,  in  the  same  proportion,  but  it 
has  acquired  a  reputation  for  healthfulness  and  salubrity  and  unrivaled  beauty, 
which  has  made  it  the  favorite  resort  of  a  large  class  of  people  from  Troy  and 
Albany,  and  New  York,  and  other  cities,  which  cannot  be  diminished  by  any 
comparison  with  other  resorts  more  loudly  advertised,  and  more  fervently  de- 
scribed by  artists  and  pleasure  seekers.  On  the  northeastern  boundary  of  the 
village,  on  a  more  elevated  plane,  and  yet  concealed  from  view  until  the  ap- 
proaching traveler  is  almost  upon  it,  lies  Lake  Luzerne,  imbedded  in  the  hills 
and  slopes  covered  with  evergreens,  like  a  gem  of  pearl  in  a  setting  of  emerald, 
and  bearing  on  its  tremulous  bosom  a  solitary  island  so  small  that  it  seems  to 
float.  On  the  other  side  of  the  village,  separating  it  from  its  sister  villagei 
Hadley,  tumbles  the  historic  Hudson  among  boulders  that  stubbornly  resist  the 
course  of  the  waters  and  often  retard  the  progress  of  the  logs  that  float  upon 
its  surface.     Out  in  every  direction  —  over  mountains  to  Glens  Falls  and  Stony 


Town  of  Luzerne.  519 


Creek,  through  mountains  to  Lake  George,  and  between  mountains  along  the 
Hudson  River,  lead  roads  that  carry  the  admiring  sight-seer  through  an  endless 
and  unrepeating  succession  of  pleasing  surprises.  Luzerne  is  peculiar.  "  It  has 
no  brother  and  is  like  no  brother,"  and  these  beauties  and  this  peculiarity  crowd 
its  excellent  hotels  each  summer  to  overflowing. 

Mr.  George  T.  Rockwell  says  that  until  perhaps  1835  the  post-office  which 
had  been  established  at  Hadley  received  mail  for  the  inhabitants  of  Luzerne. 
About  that  year  the  post-office  was  established  and  Harmon  Wells  received  the 
appointment.  He  held  the  office  for  a  number  of  years  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  brother,  Reuben  Wells,  who  remained  in  office  until  1856.  Then  John  B. 
Burneson  was  appointed.  In  1861  he  was  superseded  by  Andrew  J.  Cheritree, 
now  county  judge  of  Warren  county.  Charles  Schermerhorn  was  appointed  in 
1862,  and  performed  the  duties  incident  to  the  position  until  1866.  In  that 
year  Augustus  H.  Cross  was  empowered  to  control  the  distribution  of  mail  to 
the  good  people  of  Luzerne.  In  1871  he  gave  place  to  Thomas  Butler,  who 
remained  until  1878.  James  P.  Darling  then  took  the  position,  but  in  1882 
was  replaced  by  the  present  incumbent,  James  H.  Lawrence. 

Hotels. —  In  preceding  pages  it  has  been  stated  that  the  present  site  of 
Rockwell's  Hotel  is  the  oldest  hotel  site  in  the  village.  For  years  before  1832 
Luke  Fenton  had  kept  a  tavern  here.  In  that  year  the  venerable  proprietor, 
George  T.  Rockwell,  purchased  the  property  of  Nathan  A.  Wells,  rebuilt  the 
old  structures,  and  on  the  first  of  May  opened  his  hotel.  In  1852  he  rebuilt 
the  house  a  second  time,  and  from  that  time  has  occasionally  made  such  addi- 
tions, attractions  and  repairs  as  the  vigilance  of  the  owner  suggested  were  nec- 
<essary.  The  hotel  proper,  with  the  four  cottages  attached,  and  the  barber- 
shop and  grounds,  covers  an  area  of  about  four  acres.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
guests  can  be  comfortably  accommodated.  A  farm  of  six  hundred  acres  pro- 
vides many  of  the  substantial  and  wholesome  articles  of  food  which  load  the 
deservedly  famous  table  of  mine  host  Rockwell.  Mr.  George  T.  Rockwell 
claims,  with  a  strong  probability  of  truth,  that  he  is  the  hotel  proprietor  of 
longest  standing  of  any  in  the  United  States.  He  certainly  knows  the  busi- 
ness, and  has  taught  his  sons  the  art  with  equal  success.  His  son  and  partner, 
George  H.  Rockwell,  went  in  1866  to  Lake  George  and  assumed  the  proprie- 
torship of  the  Lake  House,  in  company  with  his  brother,  H.  J.  Rockwell.  In 
the  fall  of  1867  he  bought  out  his  father  in  Luzerpe  and  remained  here  until 
1879,  when  he  went  to  Glens  Falls  as  part  proprietor  of  the  Rockwell  House 
at  that  place.  In  1881  he  came  back  to  Luzerne  and  has  remained  here  until 
the  present.     They  set  one  of  the  finest  tables  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

The  Riddell  House,  E.  E.  Riddell  proprietor,  was  originally  built  about 
1810  by  Josiah  Fuller.  Luke  Fenton  kept  it  until  about  1825.  Mr.  Riddell's 
predecessor  was  Charles  Wilcox,  who  gave  place  to  the  present  genial  propri- 
etor in  1884.     The  house  can  accommodate  eighty  guests. 


520  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  Wayside  was  built  in  about  1869  by  B.  C.  Butler,  and  kept  by  him 
for  a  while.  The  present  proprietor,  H.  J.  Rockwell,  son  of  George  T.  Rock- 
well, opened  the  house  in  1882  for  summers  only.  He  was  formerly ^  of 
Rockwell's  Hotel,  Luzerne  ;  of  the  Rockwell  House  at  Glens  Falls ;  of  the 
Lake  House  and  Fort  William  Henry,  at  Lake  George,  and  present  proprietor 
of  the  American  House  at  Troy.  The  hotel  is  built  in  the  Swiss  style  of 
architecture.  There  are  nine  cottages  on  the  grounds.  About  two  hundred 
persons  can  be  accommodated. 

Mercantile  Interests. —  The  oldest  store  in  town  is  the  drug  store  and  phar- 
macy of  George  Y.  Miller.  Mr.  Miller  resigned  from  the  U.  S.  Navy  on  the 
7th  day  of  April,  1865,  and  on  the  lOth  of  May  opened  his  store  in  Luzerne. 
He  moved  into  his  present  store  building  in  May,  1866.  James  H.  Lawrence 
has  kept  a  general  store  here  since  1867.  He  began  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
village,  but  himself  erected  his  present  store  building  in  1875  and  immediate- 
ly occupied  it.  Mr.  Lawrence,  besides  his  experience  as  postmaster,  served  as 
town  clerk  from  1867  to  1879  and  since  1882.  E.  Dayton,  jeweler,  began 
business  here  in  1871.  He  started  on  the  corner  now  occupied  by  Morton's 
store,  and  moved  to  his  present  location  in  the  spring  of  1884.  Walter  P. 
Wilcox  started  a  grocery  here  in  the  spring  of  1873.  He  began  operations 
in  the  store  now  occupied  by  T.  C.  Stillwell,  and  moved  to  his  present  quar- 
ters in  the  spring  of  1883.  C.  W.  Wagar  first  commenced  dealing  in  general 
merchandise  here  in  1873.  He  went  out  in  a  short  time  and  W.  H.  Ives  oc- 
cupied the  building  for  a  general  store.  About  1876  he  removed  to  Glens 
Falls  and  Webster  &  Co.  opened  a  hardware  store  in  the  building.  In  1878 
M.  C.  Wagar  bought  them  out  and  placed  the  management  of  the  business  in 
the  hands  of  C.  W.  Wagar.  In  1882  the  latter  bought  out  his  brother  and 
has  since  that  time  conducted  the  business  alone.  He  now  has  both  a 
hardware  and  a  general  department.  Stephen  V.  Morton  opened  a  grocery 
and  meat-market  in  his  present  location  in  1878.  W.  T.  Garnar  started  a  dry 
goods  and  grocery  business  in  Luzerne  in  the  spring  of  1880  in  company 
with  W.  S.  Porteous.  Since  the  latter  withdrew  in  1881  Mr.  Garner  has  con- 
ducted the  business  alone.  Edward  Young  has  had  a  tin-shop  here  about 
three  years  and  a  half  He  came  into  his  present  building  in  1885.  David 
Frank,  dealer  in  dry  goods  and  ready-made  clothing,  came  here  on  July  1st, 
1882.  J.  J.  Parker,  general  merchant,  began  business  in  Luzerne  on  the  1st 
of  May,  1885. 

Lumber.  —  The  only  lumber  business  extensively  carried  on  here  at  pres- 
ent is  controlled  by  P.  H.  Pulver,  L.  E.  Wait  and  George  H.  Rockwell,  under 
the  firm  style  of  Pulver,  Wait  &  Rockwell.  They  own  tracts  of  timbered 
land  on  both  sides  of  the  river  towards  Lake  George,  aggregating  about  four 
thousand  acres.      Logs  are  floated  down  the  Hudson  to  Glens  Falls.     They 

IS.  R.  Stoddard's  Adirondacks,  p.  178. 


Town  of  Luzerne.  521 


have  peeled  as  many  as  four  thousand  cords  of  hemlock  bark  in  a  year.  The 
firm  of  Pulver,  Wait  &  Rockwell  is  of  recent  formation,  though  Pulver  & 
Wait  have  been  together  for  years. 

Leather  Business.  —  The  business  now  carried  on  under  the  title  of  The 
Garnar  Leather  Works  was  established  in  1867,  by  Raymond  &  Ely.  Thomas 
Garnar  bought  from  them  in  1869  and  conducted  the  business  without  a  part- 
ner until  1879,  when  he  associated  with  himself  J.  V.  Walsh  and  E.  M,  Gar- 
nar, and  changed  the  firm  name  to  Thomas  Garnar  &  Co.'  In  1869  the  con- 
cern employed  six  hands  and  turned  out  about  six  hundred  dozen  sheepskins 
per  month.  The  business  has  been  so  enlarged  that  at  present  forty  hands  are 
constantly  employed  and  three  thousand  dozen  sheepskins  are  prepared  per 
month.     The  goods  are  used  for  book  binding. 

Attorney.  —  The  only  practicing  attorney  at  law  in  Luzerne  is  H.  P.  Gwinup, 
who  was  admitted  in  January,  1876,  at  Albany,  after  passing  a  clerkship  with 
Judiah  Ellsworth,  late  of  Luzerne.  He  has  practiced  here  ever  since  his  ad- 
mission. 

Physicians.  —  Dr.  J.  B.  Burneson  was  graduated  at  the  medical  college  of 
Castleton,  Vt.,  in  June,  1852,  and  came  at  once  to  Luzerne.  Dr.  James  Seth 
Cooley  obtained  his  medical  education  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York,  and  received  his  diploma  in  February,  1877.  He  prac- 
ticed in  Sandy  Hill  until  1880,  when  he  came  to  Luzerne.  Before  entering 
upon  his  medical  career  he  had  unusual  experience  as  an  instructor.  Gradu- 
ated from  Williams  College  in  1869,  he  became  professor  of  ancient  languages 
at  Fort  Edward  Institute,  which  position  he  held  for  three  years.  He  was 
vice-principal  and  professor  of  the  natural  sciences  there  for  the  scholastic  years 

1872  and   1873.      He  was   also  principal   of  the   Glens  Falls   Academy  from 

1873  to  1876  inclusive. 

Churches.  — The  first  church  organization  in  the  town  of  Luzerne  was  of 
the  Methodist  denomination,  who  were  largely  predominant  at  the  time  of  the 
building  of  the  first  church  edifice  in  town.  This  edifice  is  the  old  Union  or 
Methodist  Church  still  standing,  on  the  River  road  about  three  miles  north  of  the 
village.  It  was  raised  on  the  lothofjune,  1807.  The  services  for  many  years 
were  conducted  by  various  denominations  working  together.  The  Methodists, 
however,  maintained  their  ascendency  in  numbers,  and,  consequently,  in  influ- 
ence. The  Rev.  Tobias  Spicer  and  the  Rev.  Henry  Coleman  were  about  the  first 
preachers  in  town.  In  1837  the  several  denominations,  still  united,  removed  to 
the  village  of  Luzerne  and  erected  the  house  of  worship  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent Presbyterian  Church.  In  1852  the  Methodists  became  a  distinct  and  sep- 
arate body,  and  erected  their  present  edifice.  It  was  built  by  James  Hege- 
man,  now  of  Glens  Falls,  -and  Silas  Dayton,  now  in  the  West.  Owing  to  the 
destruction  of  the  old  records  by  fire,  the  figures  showing  the  cost  of  erection, 
etc.,  cannot  be  obtained.     At  the  time  of  the  building  of  this  edifice,  the  Rev. 


522  History  of  Warren  County. 

Henry  Williams  was  in  the  pastorate;  the  Rev.  Stephen  Stiles  came  in  before 
the  edifice  was  completed.  Since  1841  the  pastors,  so  far  as  their  names  could 
be  learned,  have  been  as  follows :  Revs.  Adam  Jones  and  Solomon  H.  Foster ; 
Albert  Champlin  and  Abel  Ford;  Alanson  Richards  and  John  L.  Robertson; 
Ezra  Sayre,  Joseph  Connor,  L.  D.  Sherwood,  Henry  Williams,  Stephen  Stiles 
(1852),  Chester  Chamberlain,  C.  C.  Bedell,  P.  M.  Hitchcock,  G.  W.  S.  Porter, 
Bennett  Eaton  (1861),  E.  Morgan,  W.  H.  Tiffany,  E.  A.  Blanchard,  Joseph 
Cope,  F.  K.  Potter,  Edwin  Genge,  R.  J.  Davies  (about  1879),  J.  B.  Woodi 
1 88 1.  In  1882  came  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Searles,  the  present  pastor.  About  1864, 
during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  E.  Morgan,  the  parsonage  was  burned  and  the 
church  records  lost.  The  church  property  is  now  valued  at  $3,000  including 
the  parsonage.  The  present  membership  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-five,  with 
twenty-seven  probationers.  The  present  officers  are :  Orrin  Moore,  H.  Burn- 
ham,  M.  L.  Willard,  R.  N.  Ramsay,  Charles  Thomas  and  William  Wagar, 
trustees  ;  Orrin  Moore,  H.  Burnham,  George  Crannell,  William  Wagar,  Linus 
Wendell,  Edwin  Kerr,  James  Taylor,  Orson  Ball,  Myron  Selleck,  George  An- 
derson, and  M.  L.  Willard,  stewards. 

The  old  church  on  the  River  road  (Call  street)  is  supplied  from  the  pulpit 
of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Luzerne,  and  has  a  membership  of  about  forty. 

The  first  Sunday-school  held  in  Luzerne  was  started  in  18 17  by  Mrs.  Ann 
C.  Dunham  at  the  old  Ira  St.  John  house  that  stood  near  the  present  residence 
of  P.  C.  Scovil.  There  was  then  no  resident  minister  nor  church  edifice  here. 
In  1818  Nathan  A.  Wells  and  Josiah  Fassett  led  the  Sunday-school  in  the  old 
school-house.  Mrs.  McUmber  and  a  Miss  Jones  had  charge  of  it.  In  about 
the  year  1822  Mrs.  Henry  Coleman,  wife  of  the  Methodist  clergyman,  super- 
intended one  in  the  old  Shearer  house,  where  Mr.  Garnar  now  lives.  From 
that  time  until  1837  ^^o  record  can  be  found  throwing  any  light  on  the  history 
of  this  school.  The  first  Sunday-school  superintendent  in  the  Union  Church 
in  the  village  was  Zina  Cowles.  He  was  followed  by  Ira  St.  John,  William  H. 
Wells,  Reuben  Wells,  D.  B.  Ketchum,  James  Taylor,  Sylvanus  Scovil,  Newton 
Aldrich,  C.  R.  McEwan,  W.  H.  St.  John,  W.  S.  Taylor,  Orrin  Moore,  M.  L. 
Willard,  W.  S.  Taylor,  and  R.  N.  Ramsey,  the  present  superintendent.  The 
average  attendance  at  present  is  about  125. 

The  Rockwells  Falls  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  on  the  17th  day 
of  January,  1856,  by  a  committee  of  the  Albany  Presbytery  composed  of  Dr. 
Woodbridge,  of  Saratoga,  Rev.  Tully,  of  Ballston,  and  Rev.  Lyon,  of  Fish 
House.  The  first  elders  were  William  Scofield  and  Charles  Rockwell.  The 
first  members  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Rockwell,  Mrs.  Anna  Younglove, 
Miss  Susan  Benedict,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Scofield,  Mrs.  Catharine  Wells, 
and  Miss  Jane  Ann  Barnes.  A  few  days  afterward  the  following  were  added 
to  the  church  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Ramsey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Ramsey, 
Mr.   and  Mrs.  John  Dougherty,   Mr.  and  Mrs.   Samuel  Gayley.      Before  the 


Town  of  Luzerne.  523 


formal  organization  of  the  church  the  Rev.  Benedict,  who  came  in  1852, 

and   was  the   first   Presbyterian   clergyman    resident  at  Luzerne  ;    Rev.  

Myers,  who  came  in  1854;  and  Rev.  Charles  H.  Skillman,  who  came  in  1855, 
and  remained  five  years,  preached  to  the  Presbyterian  congregation  of  this 
place.  In  the  summer  of  i860  Rev.  J.  H.  McLean,  of  Washington  county, 
began  a  stay  here  of  four  months.  Rev.  C.  A.  Patterson  came  in  1861  and 
remained  about  a  year  as  minister.  In  February,  1862,  F.  B.  Hall  was  or- 
dained and  installed  as  pastor.  In  November,  1862,  he  entered  the  army,  and 
did  not  return  to  active  labor  here.  The  church  was  then  for  three  years  with- 
out regular  supply.  During  the  summer  of  1864,  however.  Rev.  Dr.  Duryea, 
then  of  Brooklyn,  occupied  the  pulpit.  During  this  period  of  the  church's  his- 
tory it  became  greatl)'  reduced  in  numbers  and  efficiency,  but  began  to  recover 
in  1866.  On  August  first  of  that  year  Rev.  Elihu  T.  Sanford  came  to  act  as 
stated  supply.  He  remained  one  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Walter 
Nichols.  He  in  turn  was  followed  in  May,  1868,  by  Rev.  George  Craig,  who 
remained  three  years.  In  the  summer  of  1871  Rev.  William  Durant  filled  the 
pulpit.  Rev.  Whittlesey  favored  the  church  with  frequent  pulpit  minis- 
trations during  the  following  fall  and  winter.  Rev.  Alexander  Rankin  has 
been  the  minister  here  since  1872,  and  is  at  present. 

The  building  first  used  by  this  church  as  a  house  of  worship  was  the  old 
Union  Church  erected  in  1837.  I"  about  1855  the  ground  and  edifice  became 
the  sole  property  of  the  Presbyterians,  who  reclaimed  it  from  its  dilapidated 
condition,  refitted  and  almost  remodeled  it  at  an  expense  of  about  $500,  and 
on  the  17th  of  January,  1856,  solemnly  dedicated  it  to  the  worship  of  God. 
In  1 88 1  the  question  as  to  the  feasibility  of  building  a  new  edifice  was  agi- 
tated. The  present  edifice  was  begun  March  20th,  1882,  and  by  December 
first  following  was  so  far  completed  as  to  be  fit  for  occupancy.  It  was  not 
dedicated,  however,  until  July  28th,  1883.  The  cost  of  the  building,  in  round 
numbers,  was  $10,000.  The  present  value  of  the  church  property,  including 
the  parsonage,  is  about  $13,000  —  alow  estimate.  The  membership  of  the 
church  is  now  eighty-four.  The  present  officers  are :  Elders,  Charles  Rock- 
well, who  has  been  elder  from  the  beginning,  Clark  Hall  and  J.  S.  Cooley, 
M.  D.;  trustees,  Clark  Hall,  J.  S.  Cooley,  M.  D.,  George  H.  Rockwell,  Will- 
iam Snell  and  Alexander  Fisher. 

There  has  been  a  Sunday-school  connected  with  the  church  since  the  or- 
ganization of  the  latter.  The  first  superintendent  was  Charles  Rockwell.  The 
present  superintendent  is  Dr.  J.  S.  Cooley.  The  average  attendance  of  pupils 
is  about  I  lo.i 

The  Roman  Catholic  Mission  at  Luzerne  was  formerly  attended  from  Sara- 
toga. It  was  attached  to  Warrensburgh  in  1874,  and  under  the  suspervision  of 
•the  new  pastor,  Rev.  James  A.  Kelley,  a  handsome  little   edifice  was  erected 

1  The  old  church,  built  in  1837,  is  now  used  as  a  store  by  Walter  P.  Wilcox. 


524  History  of  Warren  County. 

in  July,  1876.  The  lot  was  donated  to  the  society  by  the  late  Colonel  B.  C. 
Butler.  The  building  cost,  when  completed,  about  $2,500.  The  society  was 
liberally  aided  in  the  work  by  summer  visitors  and  non-Catholic  residents.^ 
The  number  of  adult  communicants  is  now  about  one  hundred  and  thirty. 
Since  the  erection  of  the  edifice  a  Sunday-school  has  been  organized,  and  is 
superintended  by  the  pastor. 

The  first  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Infant  Jesus,  as  it  is  titled,  was  Rev. 
James  A.  Kelley,  who  resigned  in  1881,  and  after  the  interval  of  a  year  was 
regularly  succeeded  by  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  William  O'Mahoney,  of 
Warrensburgh.2 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  THURMAN. 

THURMAN  lies  south  of  Johnsburgh  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson,  and 
north  of  Stony  Creek.  The  western  part  is  a  high,  broken,  upland  almost 
unknown  except  to  hunters.  The  eastern  part  is  a  hilly  plateau  containing 
peaks  which  rise  in  some  instances  1,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The 
surface  of  the  whole  town  is  dotted  with  numerous  small  lakes.  The  soil  is 
sandy  with  numerous  intermixtures  of  loam. 

The  old  town  of  Thurman  was  formed  on  the  loth  of  April,  1792.  Bolton 
and  Chester  were  taken  off  in  1799,  Johnsburgh  in  1805,  and  a  part  of  Cald- 
well in  1 8 10.  The  earliest  records  have  been  lost,  and  none  are  accessible  un- 
til 18 1 2,  the  last  year  before  the  old  town  was  divided  into  Atholand  Warrens- 
burgh. ^     The  officers  of  Thurman  for  that  year  were  as  follows  :  — 

Supervisor,  Duncan  Cameron  ;  town  clerk,  Thomas  Pattison  ;  justices  of 
the  peace,  John  Cameron,  James  L.  Thurman  ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Duncan 
McEwan,  Stephen  Griffing  and  Isaac  Woodward.  The  same  officers  served  in 
181 3.  In  1 8 14  Duncan  Cameron  was  supervisor  from  Athol,  Holden  Kenyon 
was  town  clerk,  and  John  Cameron,  justice- elect. 

One  of  the  oldest  living  inhabitants  of  the  town  is  D.  Aldrich,  who  has 
rendered    us    valuable    assistance   in   our  researches,  and   whose  recollection 

1  Rev.  William  O'Mahoney,  of  Wanensburgh,  is  authority  for  this  statement,  and,  indeed,  through 
his  kindness  the  whole  matter  concerning  this  church  was  obtained. 

2  We  regret  our  inability  to  insert  a  sketch  of  the  Episcopal  Church  parish  here,  but  we  visited  the 
rector  several  times,  and  received  each  time  a  promise  of  answer  to  the  questions  which  we  left  with 
him,  and  were  each  time  disappointed.  We  finally  left  our  address  with  him,  and  came  away  with  his 
promise  to  mail  us  the  sketch.     We  wrote  to  him  for  it,  but  could  get  no  answer. 

3  The  town  of  Thurman  derived  its  name  from  John  Thurman,  the  original  patentee.  See  Johns- 
burgh History. 


Town  of  Thurman.  525 


reaches  back  unmistakably  to  1820.  Speaking  of  the  condition  of  the  town 
of  Athol  at  that  time,  he  says  that  there  was  only  one  road  in  the  town  then, 
which  stretched  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  and  was  so  primitive  in 
construction  that  only  foot  and  horseback  travel  was  attempted  upon  it.  In 
many  places  it  was  positively  dangerous.  People  used  to  take  their  grain 
down  the  river  in  canoes  to  the  grist-mill  at  Luzerne,  or  the  Patent.  West  of 
this  road  the  few  inhabitants  had  erected  their  rude  log  huts,  on  the  highest  and 
dryest  land,  and  cut  out  footpaths  and  saddle-roads  to  the  Hudson.  Wagons, 
and  consequently  wagon-roads,  were  as  yet  undreamed  of.  It  was  deemed  an 
encouraging  innovation  indicative  of  bold  and  radical  genius,  when,  a  few 
months  later,  Amos  Bowen  and  Stephen  Griffing  bought  each  a  two-wheeled 
ox-cart,  and  John  McEwan,  regardless  of  his  youthful  training,  purchased  a 
one-horse  wood-spring  buggy  ! 

The  town  then  possessed  but  one  framed  school- house,  which  stood  near 
the  center  of  the  town,  about  a  mile  west  of  the  present  depot.  There  were 
two  or  three  log  school-houses  in  the  western  part  of  the  town.  The  inhabi- 
tants were  very  poor,  and  had  not  the  money  to  keep  the  school  in  operation 
more  than  two  or  three  months  in  a  year.  One  small  church  edifice  was  built 
about  this  time  by  the  Presbyterians,  near  the  present  depot.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  were  Scotch  and  Presbyterians.  Indeed,  Athol  derived 
its  name  from  the  circumstance  that  the  town  of  Athol,  Scotland,  was  the 
birth-place  of  many  of  the  early  settlers  here. 

Between  1835  and  i860  there  was  no  regular  church  in  town,  all  religious 
meetings  being  held  in  the  school-house. 

There  never  were  any  distilleries  in  town,  and  only  two  potash  factories. 
These  wdre  built  about  1820  by  David  Cameron  and  John  McEwan.  They 
were  kept  running  eight  or  ten  years,  and  then  allowed  to  run  down.  The 
market  was  at  Waterford,  N.  Y.,  to  which  place  the  proprietors  of  these  ash- 
eries  had  their  potash  hauled  and  bartered  for  household  necessaries.  It  was 
in  the  neighborhood  of  1820  that  the  first  lumbering  was  done  in  Athol.  Nor- 
man and  Alanson  Fox,  of  Chester,  began  the  business  in  Athol  and  Johns- 
burgh,  by  running  pine  logs  —  for  pine  grew  hereabouts  in  great  abundance  — 
down  the  Hudson  to  Glens  Falls.  More  or  less  lumbering  has  been  carried  on 
in  town  from  that  time  down  to  the  present  day,  the  most  prominent  lumber- 
men being  Abraham  Wing,  Walter  Geer,  Halsey  R.  Wing,  ZenusVan  Duzen, 
James  and  Jeremiah  Finch,  James  Morgan  &  Co.,  and  Henry  Crandell,  all  of 
Glens  Falls.  It  has  been  said  that  these  men  have  made  more  money  going 
over  the  ground  a  second  time  and  utilizing  the  spruce  and  hemlock  which 
followed  the  "  forest  primeval,"  than  they  did  in  felling  and  selling  the  aboriginal 
pines.  The  old  town  of  Athol  had  a  frontage  on  the  Hudson  of  about  fifteen 
miles,  as  it  comprised  the  territory  now  included  in  Thurman  and  Stony  Creek. 
The  first  permanent  settlements  were   made  from    1825   to    1830,   although   of 


526  History  of  Warren  County. 

course  the  town  had  been  thinly  inhabited  for  years.  Commencing  at  the 
south  end  of  the  town,  Mr.  Aldrich  gives  the  following  names  of  those  who 
came  here  in  this  period  :  Alexander  Murray,  John  Murray,  James  McDon- 
ald, Peter  McDonald,  Peter  WooUey,  James  Cameron,  Daniel  McMillan,  Oliver 
Ryley,  William  Cameron,  Benoni  Aldrich,  Simeon  Warren,  Daniel  Bowen, 
David  Cameron,  Stephen  Griffing,  (1st),  William  Griffing,  Nathaniel  Griffing, 
John  McMillan,  Benjamin  A.  Potter,  Stokes  Potter,  Gideon  Lanfear,  Calvin 
Baldwin.  Of  these  Gideon  Lanfear  and  Nathaniel  Griffing  are  still  alive,  and 
many  of  the  others  have  descendants  residing  in  either  Thurman  or  Stony 
Creek. 

The  first  post-office  in  Athol  was  established  not  far  from  1820  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  Duncan  McEwan,  postmaster,  and  James  Dow  to  carry  the  mail 
once  a  week  to  Glens  Falls  and  back  by  the  way  of  Luzerne.  Mr.  Aldrich 
says:  "  I  remember  well  the  old  hero  Dow,  mounted  on  horse  and  saddle-bags, 
with  a  long  tin  horn  in  his  hand,  to  sound  the  glad  tidings  to  the  inhabitants 
along  the  river  that  we  were  connected  with  the  far  off  village  of  Glens  Falls 
by  a  mail  route.  Now  we  have  a  daily  mail,  and  any  day  we  can  get  aboard 
a  public  conveyance  at  our  own  door  and  ride  around  the  world  by  the  same 
conveyance,  if  we  desire.  When  I  commenced  keeping  store  in  1836,  we  had 
not  one ;  now  we  have  half  a  dozen.  For  two  years  I  hauled  my  goods  on  a 
wagon  from  Albany,  making  the  trip  in  four  days.  Now  we  have  only  a  mile 
to  draw  our  goods.  In  1840  the  house  I  now  live  in  was  the  only  one  in  town 
which  was  painted  white;  now  you  can  count  them  by  scores.  In  1830  the 
old  town  of  Athol  used  to  have  three  days  of  election  and  polled  fewer  than 
200  votes  ;  now,  either  division,  Thurman  or  Stony  Creek,  can  poll  350." 

Athol  was  divided  into  Stony  Creek  and  the  present  Thurman  on  the  third 
day  of  November,  1852. 

The  first  officers  of  the  town  of  Thurman  ware  as  follows  :  Supervisor,  Hi- 
ram P.  Williams  ;  town  clerk,  David  A.  Green ;  assessors,  William  Johnson, 
Daniel  Bowen  ;  commissioners  of  highways,  Lorenzo  Pasco,  Charles  S.  DruU  ; 
justices  of  the  peace,  Ichabod  Aldrich,  John  Loveland  ;  inspectors  of  elections, 
A.  Burdick,  Aaron  Hall,  George  Russell ;  collector,  John  V.  Kenyon  ;  over- 
seers of  the  poor,  John  Wilsey,  James  Coyle  ;  constables,  Alanson  S.  Orritt, 
Jacob  L.  Daggett,  Daniel  Wilcox,  John  V.  Kenyon,  John  K.  Thistle. 

The  Rebellion. —  The  first  enrollment  of  men  for  the  army  in  1861  was  made 
by  George  P.  Wait,  of  Johnsburgh.  About  150  men  enlisted  and  very  few 
were  drafted.     (See  chapter  on  military  history  of  the  county.) 

Churches. —  The  oldest  church  organization  in  town  is  the  Baptist  which, 
was  formed  in  1833.  Preaching  had  been  done  here  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  first  sermon  ever  preached  in  town  was  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Parker,  by 
Rev.  Green.  Down  to  1822  occasional  sermons  were  heard  from  El- 
ders Fox,  Grant,  Faxon,  and    Mott.     In    1822  the   professed  Baptists  in  town 


Town  of  Thurman.  527 


numbered  but  twenty-nine.  At  that  time  they  were  associated  with  the  Johns- 
burgh  church  with  Elder  Blakeman  as  pastor.  In  1829  there  was  a  great  re- 
vival throughout  the  neighborhood,  and  twenty-six  were  converted  to  the  true 
faith.  Elder  Cobb  preached  in  1830.  In  October,  1833,  the  Thurman  society 
organized  a  distinct  church  and  separated  from  the  Johnsburgh  church.  The 
first  officers  were :  Eben  Johnson,  clerk,  Daniel  Pasco  and  Samuel  Barber,  dea- 
cons. In  1838,  under  the  ministry  of  Elder  Ward,  the  church  attained  a  mem- 
bership of  ninety-one.  Since  then  the  following  pastors  have  resided  here  : 
1840,  Sherman  Farnham  was  ordained  and  made  pastor;  1846,  after  a  brief 
interregnum,  Rev.  W.  S.  Bush  was  pastor  ;  there  was  no  pastor  in  1850  ;  185  i, 
Elder  Caleb  Smith  ;  1853,  Elder  G.  Harrington  ;  1858,  Elder  Joseph  Brown  ; 
1863,  after  an  interregnum  of  two  years.  Elder  William  Dickens  ;  1865,  E.  W. 
Burdick  ;  1872  built  house  of  worship  ;  1873,  Elder  Burdick,  the  present  pas- 
tor, again.  The  Methodist  church  was  erected  here  soon  after  the  Baptist  ed- 
ifice, and  immediately  after  the  organization  of  the  church,  Rev.  M.  Wynan, 
pastor.  Almyron  Cameron  is  class  leader,  and  Hiram  Truesdell,  Thomas  Need- 
ham  and  Asahel  Albro,  deacons. 

About  i860,  too,  a  Baptist  Church  was  built  in  the  west  part  of  the  town 
called  Kenyontown. 

Athol  Hotel. —  There  is  but  one  hotel  in  the  town  of  Thurman,  now  kept 
by  John  Loveland,  at  Athol.  There  was  formerly  a  tavern  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Loveland,  which  was  built  soon  after  1820,  and  first  kept  by  Guy 
Brooks.  He  was  followed  by  Elisha  Pendell ;  then  Luman  Pendell,  and  finally, 
for  about  one  year,  Alanson  Kenyon  kept  it,  when  Loveland  tore  it  down. 

The  present  hotel  was  erected  by  a  stock  company,  in  185  i,  and  first  oc- 
cupied by  Duncan  Cameron,  who  leased  it  for  five  years  at  a  total  rental  of 
$200.  In  1856  his  brother,  William  J.  Cameron,  succeeded  him,  and  was  soon 
in  turn  succeeded  by  Myron  Griffin.  In  1863  Calvin  Frost  became  proprie- 
tor. In  1864  William  J.  Cameron  again  came  into  possession,  and  with  the 
exception  of  the  year  1869-70,  when  Marvin  Parker  kept  it,  remained  until 
1875.  In  that  year  the  present  proprietor,  John  Loveland,  came,  and  re- 
mained two  years.  From  1877  to  1880  he  was  in  Caldwell,  but  he  returned 
in  1880.  The  store  which  he  runs  in  connection  with  the  hotel,  he  started  in 
the  summer  of  1884. 

Mercantile  Interests. —  The  oldest  store  now  open  in  Athol  is  that  of  David 
Aldrich,  who  first  dealt  in  merchandise  here  in  1836.  With  the  exception  of 
two  years — 1853  and  1854  —  when  he  was  at  Luzerne,  and  three  —  1870  and 
1873  —  at  Riverside,  he  has  kept  the  store  ever  since.  Mr.  Aldrich  was  born 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  his  present  home,  September  9th,  18 14. 
John  N.  Elwell  has  kept  store  most  of  the  time  since  1859.  His  present  store 
between  the  upper  and  lower  villages  has  been  in  operation  since  1880.  C. 
Y.  Kenyon  opened   his  general  store   May  1st,    1881,   a   little  way  below  his 


$28  History  of  Warren  County. 

present  place  of  business.  He  moved  in  July,  1884.  Asahel  Albro's  store 
was  first  opened  in  1882.  Albert  Covey  started  his  store  opposite  the  hotel 
in  the  fall  of  1884. 

Post-office. —  The  establishment  of  the  first  post-office  in  town,  about  1820, 
with  Duncan  McEwan  as  postmaster,  has  been  mentioned.  The  present  in- 
cumbent at  Thurman  post-office  is  Delilah  Parker,  successor  to  John  Parker, 
who  was  appointed  more  than  thirty  years  ago.  The  postmasters  at  Athol 
since  1856  have  been  Michael  Byrnes,  James  Gilpin  1862,  Abiel  Pendell  1864, 
Morgan  Kenyon  1867,  John  L.  Gilpin  1870,  and  the  present  official,  John  L. 
Frest. 

Following  is  as  complete  a  list  as  can  be  obtained  of  supervisors  from  this 
town  or  Athol:  Athol —  1813— 16,  Duncan  Cameron;  1817,  David  Cameron; 
1818-23,  Elisha  Pendell;  1824,  Henry  Allen;  1825,  Elisha  Pendell;  1826, 
Duncan  Cameron  ;  1827— 29,  Elisha  Pendell ;  1830— 33,  James  Cameron;  1834, 
'35,  Richardson  Cameron  ;  1836,  '},T,  Luman  Pendell;  1838,  '39,  Elisha  Pen- 
dell; 1840,  John  Parker;  1841,  '42,  Luman  Pendell ;  1843,  Peter  McDonald; 
1844,  James  Cameron  ;  1845,  Elisha  Pendell ;  1846,  Ebenezer  Johnson  ;  1847, 
Elisha  Pendell;  1848,  David  Aldrich ;  1849,  Simeon  Warren;  1850,  '51, 
Clayton  L.  Kenyon;  1852,  John  McMillen.  Thurman — 1853,  '54,  Hiram 
P.  Williams;  1855,  William  J.  Cameron;  1856,  Elisha  Pendell;  1857,  S^, 
Marvin  Parker;  1859,  William  J.  Cameron;  i860,  '61,  David  Aldrich;  1862, 
Elisha  Pendell;  1863,  Sandford  Johnson ;  1864,  '65,  David  Aldrich;  1866, 
James  Warren;  1867,  '68,  John  Loveland  ;  1869,  John  T.  Parker;  1870, 
Marvin  Parker;  1871,  John  L.  Loveland;  1872,  '73i  M.  W.  Bowen  ;  1874, 
'75,  David  A.  Green;  1876,  Miles  Frost;  1877,  '78,  William  H.  Kenyon; 
1879,  Fred  E.  Aldrich;  1880,  James  Warren;  1 881,  '82,  Luman  Pendell ; 
1883,  '84,  Andrew  McGee  ;    1885,  Charles  H.  Baker. 

The  present  town  officers,  elected  on  April  7th,  1885,  are  as  follows  :  Su- 
pervisor, Charles  H.  Baker ;  town  clerk,  Frederick  Kenyon ;  commissioner 
of  highways,  Warren  Harris ;  assessor,  Judson  Williams ;  justice  of  the 
peace,  H.  J.  Truesdell ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Henry  Smith,  Stokes  R.  Pot- 
ter ;  inspectors  of  election,  James  D.  Smith,  Seward  Archer ;  collector, 
William  Needham  ;  constables,  George  Taylor,  Levi  S.  Trumbell,  John  Covey, 
Judson  Farnham,  William  Needham. 

The  population  of  the  town  in  1855   was    1,259;   i^^    i860,  1,084;   •"    1865, 
1,007;  '"  '870,  1,084;  in  1875,  1,095;  in   1880,  1,174. 


Town  of  Bolton.  529 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

history  of  the  town  of  BOLTON. 

THIS  town  lies  on  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  county,  between  Hague  on 
the  north  and  Caldwell   on  the  south.     A  part  of  Lake  George   forms  its 
eastern  boundary  and  the  Schroon  River  separates  it  from  Warrensburgh  on 

the  west.     The  surface  is  occupied  principally  by  the  lofty  mountain  ridges 

a  part  of  the  Kayaderosseras  range  —  which  rest  between  Lake  George  and 
the  Schroon  River.  The  three  prominent  peaks  of  this  range  are:  Tongue 
Mountain,  on  the  peninsula  between  the  lake  and  Norwthest  Bay,  rises  to  an 
elevation  of  about  2,000  feet  above  tide ;  Pole  Hill,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town,  2,500  feet  high  ;  and  Cat  Head,  in  the  center,  from  1,500  to  1,800  feet 
above  tide  water.  The  mountains  generally  rise  abruptly  from  the  lake,  but 
toward  the  west  the  surface  assumes  the  character  of  a  high,  rolling  upland. 
High  up  among  the  hills  are  a  variety  of  lovely  lakes,  embosomed  in  the  very 
summits  of  the  mountains.  The  principal  among  these  are  Trout  Lake,  Marsh 
Pond,  and  Edgecomb  Pond.  Trout  Lake  is  1,000  feet  above  the  surface  of 
Lake  George.  The  soil,  which  is  a  light,  sandy  loam,  is  not  wholly  unpro- 
ductive, especially  along  the  lake,  where  fruits  are  successfully  cultivated.  The 
general  surface  of  the  town,  however,  is  so  stony  and  broken,  that  not  more 
than  one-half  of  it  is  susceptible  of  cultivation. 

Bolton  was  formed  from  the  old  town  of  Thurman  on  the  25th  of  March, 
1799.  It  originally  comprised,  in  addition  to  its  present  territory,  all  of  Hague, 
which  was  taken  off  in  1807,  a  part  of  Caldwell,  until  18 10,  and  a  part  of  Hor- 
icon  until  1838.  Among  the  early  settlers  who  survive  to  tell  of  the  wilderness 
days  of  yore,  is  Mrs  Arabella  Anderson,  who  was  born  in  Shelton,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1793,  and  came  herewith  her  father,  Daniel  Nims,  in  1802.  Her  hus- 
band, Allen  Anderson,  was  born  in  the  same  town  of  Shelton  in  1787.  His 
father,  David  Anderson,  and  Daniel  Nims  both  fought  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  Allen  Anderson  himself  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  was 
within  hearing  of  the  guns  that  were  fired  at  the  battle  of  Plattsburg,  being  a 
little  too  late  to  take  part  in  that  famous  engagement.  For  his  services  in  this 
war  his  widow,  Arabella  Anderson,  now  draws  a  pension.  He  died  in  1867. 
Orlando  Anderson,  son  of  Allen  and  Arabella,  now  lives  in  the  serenity  of  old 
age  with  his  widowed  mother,  and  recounts  adventures  which  would  be  dated 
antique  but  for  the  reminiscences  of  his  mother,  which  modernize  his  earliest 
memories.  He  was  born  here  on  January  7th,  1813.  When  Arabella  Nims 
came  here  in  1802,  the  inhabitants  were  fewer  even  than  they  are  at  present. 
The  mountains  and  vallej's  were  covered  with  trackless  forests.  Indians  roamed 
about  the  vicinity  in  considerable  numbers.  There  were  only  four  or  five 
34 


S30  History  of  Warren  County. 

framed  houses  in  town  —  all  the  rest  being  rudely  but  not  uncomfortably  con- 
structed of  logs.  James  Ware,  a  prominent  man  in  early  days,  one  of  the  first 
town  assessors,  and  supervisor  from  Bolton  for  the  years  1801-1803,  and  1805— 
1807,  then  lived  where  Stephen  Braley  now  dwells.  His  daughter,  Lydia 
Ware,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  town.  David  Nash  lived  on  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  Reuben  Wells.  James  Tuttle  lived  on  the  north  and  south 
road  west  of  the  village,  and  Hezekiah  Moody  lived  a  little  north  of  Mr.  Nash's, 
on  the  top  of  the  hill.  Jonathan  Coolidge,  grandfather  of  T.  S.  Coolidge,  now 
of  Glens  Falls,  settled  here  about  1805.  Jonathan  Coolidge,  2d,  father  to  T.  S. 
Coolidge,  was  born  here  soon  after.  There  was  no  church  edifice  in  town  so  early. 
As  was  customary  in  the  pioneer  days  of  all  these  towns,  religious  meetings  were 
held  in  barns  and  in  the  houses  of  neighbors.  The  first  church  in  town  was  a 
union  house,  erected  about  18 ii.  Rev.  Reuben  Armstrong  was  the  first 
preacher. 

There  was  one  school-house  in  this  vicinity  —  situated  about  three  miles 
north  of  Bolton  Landing.  After  a  few  years  (about  1804  or  1805)  a  new  one 
was  built  just  south  of  the  site  of  the  Mohican  House. 

The  primitive  and  wild  condition  of  the  country  can  scarcely  be  imagined. 
The  hills  and  woods  were  full  of  Indian  relics,  tomahawks,  knives,  pipes,  etc. 
The  mountains  were  mantled  to  their  very  summits  with  pine  forests,  which 
were  felled  so  rapidly  after  the  arrival  of  the  first  settler,  that  before  1820  they 
had  become  a  memory.  The  farming  implements  used  by  the  settlers  were 
rude  enough,  axes  and  scythes  being  just  as  they  came  from  the  hammer. 
Abel  Walker,  the  venerable  centenarian  still  living,  was  here  then  and  was  in 
the  battle  of  Plattsburg.      He  draws  a  pension  for  his  services  there. 

In  1802  there  was  no  regular  tavern  in  this  vicinity,  but  at  every  house  the 
doors  were  open  to  guests,  and  liquor  was  dispensed  with  intoxicating  liberality. 
It  was  so  pure,  however,  that  there  was  proportionately  less  drunkenness  then 
than  now.  On  the  site  of  the  Mohican  House,  Roger  Edgecomb  had  a  frme 
house,  from  an  ell  of  which  he  sold  liquor.  He  soon  enlarged  the  building 
and  converted  it  into  a  professed  tavern.  Myrtle  Hitchcock  came  in  there  in 
1807.  The  first  store  in  town  stood  on  the  point  off"  the  Mohican  House.  It 
was  built  by  Myrtle  Hitchcock  and  kept  by  Samuel  Brown.  About  where 
the  Mohican  House  dock  now  is  was  a  little  stone  dock,  and  in  the  floor  of 
this  primitive  mercantile  house  was  a  mysterious  trap  door,  opening  into  a 
cellar  wherein  were  bestowed  goods  which  had  been  smuggled  from  Canada. 
Samuel  Brown  soon  after  owned  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  potash  near 
the  Mohican  House.  Another  ashery  stood  near  the  site  of  the  Bolton  House. 
By  1815  Reuben  Smith  had  one  on  the  hill  north  of  the  "Landing,"  and 
Thomas  Wright  ran  one  on  the  site  of  "  The  Huddle."  Wright  also  owned  a 
store  and  carding- rnachine  here,  and  about  1830  started  the  only  forge  that 
was  ever  run  in  the  town.     Lumbering,   however,  was  the  principal   business 


Town  of  Bolton.  531 


here.  The  pine  logs  were  constructed  into  immense  rafts  which  were  floated 
to  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  the  material  from  these  taken  south  to  points  along 
the  Hudson.  The  woods  were  full  of  wolves,  bears,  panthers  and  deer.  The 
latter  would  follow  the  brooks  down  to  the  lake,  where  they  fell  an  easy  prey  to 
the  venison  lovers  of  those  early  days.  It  was  not  safe  to  leave  sheep  out  of 
doors  all  night.  In  1802,  to  return  to  early  settlements,  Timothy  Stow  built 
a  house  on  the  site  of  the  Bolton  House.  John  Vanderbergh  was  the  owner. 
The  Huddle  was  not  entitled  then  to  the  dignity  of  the  name  "  hamlet.  " 
About  one  and  a  half  miles  to  the  west  of  it  was  a  grist-mill,  on  the  brook  that 
flows  through  The  Huddle.  Mr.  Squires  was  the  miller.  Near  the  mill  stood 
a  small  tannery  run  by  David  Lockwood.  Near  by  lived  John  Moss,  the  first 
judge  of  Washington  county.  At  this  time  he  was  the  proprietor  and  con- 
ductor of  a  small  saw-mill  on  the  stream  last  mentioned.  One  or  two  saw-mills 
were  also  run  by  Samuel  Brown  some  distance  up  Edgecemb  Pond  1  Brook. 
There  were  several  saw-mills,  too,  at  Northwest  Bay.  Men  used  to  come 
across  the  lake  from  Easttown,  Washington  county,  to  carry  on  the  lumber  bus- 
iness. As  early  as  1820  John  J.  Harris,  of  Queensbury,  built  three  mills  there 
and  carried  on  an  extensive  business.  Harr.is  sold  to  one  Barnard,  of  Albany. 
A  short  time  before  the  war  these  mills  were  closed  because  of  the  scarcity  of 
lumber. 

Of  the  four  churches  now  in  town,  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  erected 
originally  as  a  Congregational  Church,  and  was  torn  down  abount  1845  or 
1850,  and  the  present  edifice  built  on  the  Lake  Road  nearly  two  miles  towards 
Hague  from  the  Landing.  There  have  been  no  regular  services  there  for 
several  years.  The  only  stated  pastor  they  have  had  is  the  Rev.  Eldad  Good- 
man, who  was  also  the  first  preacher  in  the  new  building.  The  Episcopalians 
have  held  summer  services  in  the  little  chapel  on  the  Lake  Road  for  ten  or 
twelve  years  past.  The  Baptist  Church  was  erected  about  1833  or  1834,  and 
the  Methodist  edifice  followed  some  eight  or  ten  years  later. 

During  the  War  of  18 12  the  brawn  and  bone  of  Bolton  left  their  homes  to 
defend  their  country ;  and  when  it  was  learned  that  Plattsburg  was  threatened, 
men  flocked  from  the  entire  region  round  about  to  Chestertown  whence  they 
moved  in  a  body  rapidly  toward  the  menaced  village.  In  due  time  news  came 
that  a  battle  had  taken  place  there  and  that  all  the  patriots  were  killed.  Mrs. 
Anderson  remembers  most  vividly  the  following  Sunday,  when  the  meeting 
house  was  filled  with  women  and  a  few  old  men.  She  remembers  their  sad 
faces,  and  their  constrained  attempts  to  cheer  each  other. 

The  cold  season  of  18 16  affected  Bolton  about  as  might  be  expected. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  suffering,  and  the  people  used  to  cross  the  lake  into 
Washington  county  to  procure  game  and  food. 

The  first  town  meeting  of  Bolton  was  appointed  to  be  held   on   the   2d   of 

1  Edgecomb  Pond  derived  its  name  from  tlie  pioneer  inn-lceeper,  Roger  Edgecomb. 


532  History  of  Warren  County. 

April,  1799,  at  the  house  of  John  Clawson,  but  "for  want  of  accommodation  " 
said  meeting  was  adjourned  to  Captain  Stow's  grist-mill.  The  following  town 
officers  were  elected :  Supervisor,  Asa  Brown ;  assessors,  Samuel  Bigelow, 
Oliver  Pettys,  James  Ware ;  commissioners  of  highways,  James  Ware,  Oliver 
Pettys,  Starbling  Waters  ;  poormasters,  Asa  Brown,  John  Clawson  ;  constable 
and  collector,  Starbling  Waters ;  constable,  Samuel  Bigelow ;  poundmasters, 
Samuel  Begelow,  Isaac  Lyman  (their  yards  pounds);  fence  viewers,  Simeon 
Fuller,  Jeduthan  Dickinson;  pathmasters,  No.  i,  John  Hall,  No.  2,  Rufus 
Roberts,  No.  3,  Henry  Babcock,  No.  4,  Benjamin  Hays,  No.  5,  Daniel  Bes- 
wick,  No.  6,  Samuel  Dickinson,  No.  7,  John  Squires,  No.  8,  Daniel  Lamb,  No. 
9,  Stanton  Brown.  On  the  lake  shore:  No.  i,  Andrew  Edmunds,  No.  2,  Sher- 
bael  Fuller,  No.  3,  James  Sturdevant,  No.  4,  James  Tuttle,  No.  5,  Eleazer 
Goodman,  No.  6,  John  McKnight,  No.  7,  Elisha  Belden. 

Among  the  resolutions  passed  by  this  august  body  was  one  to  the  effect 
that  "  swine  shall  not  run  at  large  the  ensuing  season  ;"  that  any  person  that- 
shall  receive  or  take  the  charge  of  cattle  belonging  to  people  of  other 
towns  to  run  upon  the  commons  in  this  town  shall  pay  a  fine  of  $2.50, 
and  that  cattle  driven  or  left  promiscuously  shall  be  treated  as  strays,  one- half 
of  the  money  to  go  to  the  prosecutor,  and  one-half  to  the  use  of  the  poor. 
Thirty  dollars  was  voted  to  the  support  of  the  poor.  Two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  bounty  was  offered  for  each  "  painter"  or  wolf  killed  in  the  town. 

The  proceedings  of  subsequent  annual  town  meetings  were  of  the  same 
character.  Roads  were  surveyed,  laid  out  and  altered,  and  internal  improve- 
ments were  gradually  commenced.  In  1840,  for  example,  a  committee,  con- 
sisting of  Roger  Edgecomb,  James  Ware  and  James  Wood,  was  chosen  to  look 
out  a  road  to  "  Scroon  Lake."  In  181 1  it  was  voted  "  That  the  poor  be  sold 
at  vendue  to  the  lowest  bidder."  In  1817  the  road  to  Brandt  Lake  was  sur- 
veyed. 

When  the  War  of  the  Rebellion^threatened  the  destruction  of  the  Union, 
Bolton, with  her  scant  population  did,  nevertheless,  her  duty.  It  is  a  notable 
fact  that  all  the  towns  in  Warren  county  were  remarkably  prompt  in  answer- 
ing the  president's  call  for  volunteers.  Unfortunately  the  town  records  contain 
no  minutes  of  the  action  taken  to  furnish  volunteers. 

The  present  postmaster  at  Bolton  post-office  is  J.  S.  Gates,  who  received 
his  appointment  in  1880.  His  predecessor,  George  W.  Seaman,  entered  upon 
his  duties  about  1871.  Elam  B.  Miller  preceded  Seaman  for  about  three  years. 
Before  Miller,  Stephen  Pratt,  who  was  appointed  in  1862,  officiated.  Hiram 
Philo  was  appointed  in  1857,  ^^'^  Stephen  Pratt  in  1856.  Before  that  Gilbert 
M.  Gale  held  the  office  for  a  long  time.  The  post-office  of  Bolton  Landing 
was  established  in  1882,  and  the  first  postmaster  was  Frederick  W.  Allen,  who 
still  officiates.  Its  purpose  was  to  accommodate  the  summer  guests  who  were 
grouped  in  greater  numbers  about  the  Landing  than  elsewhere. 


Town  of  Bolton.  533 


There  are  only  two  stores  at  the  Landing  and  one  at  The  Huddle.  The 
latter  is  kept  by  Gates,  Tanner  &  Co.,  consisting  of  J.  S.  Gates,  Morgan  H. 
Tanner  and  George  S.  Gates.  The  partnership  was  formed  on  April  i6th, 
1884.  Before  that  J.  S.  Gates  had  kept  store  there  for  ten  years.  The  same 
firm  began  a  like  business  at  the  Landing  at  the  same  time.  For  two  years 
preceding  April,  1884,  Sidney  W.  Mead  had  kept  store  in  the  same  building, 
and  was  himself  preceded  by  E.  E.  Riddell,  now  of  the  Riddell  House  at  Lu- 
zerne, who  was  merchant  here  three  years.  This  building  has  been  used  for  a 
store  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  fifty  years.  Stephen  Pratt  used  to  keep  store 
here,  and  about  1845  or  1850  Truxton  Pratt  was  proprietor  of  the  same  concern. 
The  other  stores  in  town  are,  that  kept  by  F.  W.  Allen  in  connection  with  the 
post-office  ;  of  A.  A.  Tanner,  who  has  had  a  store  for  over  twenty  years  about 
two  miles  north  of  the  Landing  ;  of  George  Bentley,  who  for  not  less  than  fif- 
teen years  has  run  a  store  four  miles  north  of  the  Landing;  and  John  Ormsby, 
who  has  had  a  store  for  three  years  near  the  Landing. 

The  only  manufacturing  done  in  the  town  is  done  by  the  saw-mills  owned 
respectively  by  Isaac  Streeter  and  Davin  Putney.  They  have  conducted  each 
his  business  for  ten  or  fifreen  years. 

There  are  no  practicing  attorneys  in  the  town,  and  but  one  physician  — 
Charles  Robbins,  M.  D., —  who  received  his  degree  at  the  University  Medical 
College  of  New  York  city  in  March,  1852.      He  came  to  Bolton  about  i860. 

Hotels. —  The  peculiar  thing  about  Bolton  is  its  splendid  situation  between 
mountains  and  lake.  Although  not  strictly  within  the  technical  province  of 
history,  a  passage  or  two  written  in  description  of  Bolton,  as  it  is  known  to 
the  tourist  and  summer  visitor,  will  not,  perhaps,  be  deemed  entirely  inappro- 
priate. In  order  to  be  as  brief  as  possible,  a  description  of  a  single  view  will 
be  given  as  presenting  a  good  idea  of  the  general  impression  formed  upon  the 
mind  of  the  susceptible  lover  of  nature  who  looks  from  the  same  point  of 
view.  Within  a  short  walk  northward  from  the  Mohican  House,  a  character- 
istic view  is  found,  looking  across  the  mouth  of  the  Northwest  Bay  to  the  Nar- 
rows. From  the  eminences,  or  from  the  line  marked  by  the  gentle  waves  of 
the  Horicon,  the  landscape  here  is  of  wonderful  simplicity,  breadth  and  grand- 
eur. As  an  enthusiastic  writer  said  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  it  is  seen  most 
justly  as  the  morning  sun  peeps  over  Black  Mountain  and  its  attendant  peaks. 
Looking  so<ithward  from  various  points  yet  further  on,  fine  views  of  the  head 
of  the  lake  are  obtained,  terminating  a  pleasant  stretch  of  lawn,  hill  and 
islanded  water.  It  is  while  the  eye  is  filled  with  such  scenes  as  these  modest 
hill-tops  offer,  more,  perhaps,  than  when  lost  in  the  musical  solitudes  of  the 
island  shades,  or  than  when  meandering  by  the  murmuring  shore,  that  the  soul 
becomes  conscious  of  the  subtle  nature  of  the  charms  which  make  us  cling  to 
and  even  to  dwell  forever  on  the  shores  of  Lake  George.  The  sublimity  of 
the  mountains,   the   quiet  beauty  of  [the   wooded   islands, —  neither  of  these 


534  History  of  Warren  County. 

qualities  can  alone  satisfy  the  soul  and  sense  without  a  change  or  feeling  of 
ennui.  But  the  insinuating,  blending  of  all  in  nature  that  is  sweet  to  the  sight 
and  pleasing  to  the  ear,  a  grandeur  which  does  not  terrify,  and  a  beauty  which 
does  not  clog,  is  found  on  the  bosom  and  along  the  shores  of  the  historic  and 
the  romance-inspiring  Horicon. 

Mr.  S.  R.  Stoddard,  in  his  entertaining  and  instructive  guide-book  entitled 
Lake  George,  says  (p.  TJ,  et  seq.) :  "  Strangers  are  sometimes  at  a  loss  to  lo- 
cate '  Bolton  '  properly.  To  the  guests  it  means  the  hotels.  A  little  further 
north  the  '  Huddle,'  —  where  the  post-office  is  situated  —  is  Bolton.  It  is  also 
gathering  around  the  churches  ;  and  the  shoemaker,  pegging  industriously 
away  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  fondly  imagines  that  that  will  be  the  spot 
where,  at  some  future  day,  will  gather  the  elite  of  this  highly  diffused  village. 
From  a  point  in  the  steamer's  course,  after  rounding  Recluse  Island,  is  ob- 
tained the  finest  general  view  of  Bolton  and  of  the  lake  also." 

From  the  same  source  is  obtained  the  information  best  stated  in  the  same 
order  of  detail  which  Mr.  Stoddard  himself  has  employed.  "  Bolton  Bay  "  is 
the  name  generally  applied  to  that  portion  of  the  lake  on  the  west,  between 
Recluse  and  Green  Islands. 

Belvoir  Island  is  near  Recluse  Island  on  the  west,  and  separated  from  the 
main  land  at  its  southwestern  extremity  by  a  narrow  strip  of  water.  Its  own- 
er is  Rev  G.  W.  Clowe,  of  White  Plains,  who  may  often  be  seen  swinging  the 
axe  or  piling  brush  as  energetically  as  the  most  enthusiastic  votary  of  mus- 
cular Christianity  could  desire.  Hiawatha  Island,  west  of  Clay,  and  farther 
down  in  the  bay,  is  owned  by  Dr.  Jacobi,  of  New  York.  Leontine  Island  is  a 
charming  bit  of  verdure  north  of  Hiawatha  Island.  Huddle  Bay  is  the  local 
appellation  of  the  deeper  portion  of  the  bay  reaching  south. 

Among  the  numerous  and  various  hotels  of  Bolton  the  oldest  is  the  Mo- 
hican House.  Over  thirty  years  ago  people  used  to  come  here  summers  from 
New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Before  that  the  place  had  only  a  local  or  limited 
reputation  as  a  good  point  for  hunting  and  fishing.  We  have  seen  that  Roger 
Edgecomb  kept  tavern  and  Samuel  Brown  (uncle  of  M.  O.  Brown,  how  man- 
ager of  the  Sagamore),  kept  store  on  the  site  and  grounds  of  the  present  Mo- 
hican House,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  Just  how  long  Edge- 
comb  remained  here  is  not  known.  About  1820  Thomas  Archibald  bought 
the  tavern  and  considerable  land  with  it  for  three  hundred  dollars.  Before 
1830  Truman  Lyman  purchased  it  of  Archibald  for  $600,  and  kept  the  house 
until  after  1840.  Gilbert  B.  Gale  followed  Lyman  and  remained  a  number  of 
years,  becoming  locally  famous  for  the  excellence  of  his  table.  A  writer  in 
1853  says:  "Bolton,  in  the  vocabulary  of  the  stranger,  is  nothing  neither 
more  nor  less  than  the  '  Mohican  House,'  whose  esteemed  commandant  is  Cap- 
tain Gale,  a  name  next  to  that  of  '  Sherrill,'  most  gratefully  interwoven  with 
the  carnal  history  of  Horicon.     Yes  !  the  Mohican   House  is  Bolton,  and  Bol- 


Town  of  Bolton.  535 


ton  is  the  Mohican  House  ;  even  as  Bardolph  was  his  nose,  and  his  nose  was 
Bardolph.  Great  are  both  !"  Captain  Gale  was  the  man  who  erected  the 
flagstaff  surmounted  by  the  wooden  effigy  of  an  Indian  warrior,  which  has 
ever  since  been  used  as  the  trade-mark  of  the  house.  After  Gale  came  Hiram 
H.  Wilson,  and  next  his  son  Hiram  S.  Wilson,  and  M.  O.  Brown  was  proprie- 
tor for  years  prior  to  the  time  when  Mrs.  E.  B.  Winslow  took  it  in  the  spring 
of  1883.  "  The  Mohican  House  has  two  cottages  connected  with  it,  both  be- 
ing directly  on  the  shore  of  the  lake.  The  larger  one,  only  a  few  steps  from 
the  hotel,  has  rooms  en  suite.  The  cottages  are  tastefully  furnished,  adding 
considerably  to  the  attractions  of  the  place,  and  affording  altogether  accommo- 
dations for  about  eighty  guests." 

The  next  most  ancient  house  is  the  Wells  House,  so  named  because  Dor- 
cas Wells  used  to  take  boarders  there  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  The  house 
stands  back  a  few  rods  from  the  Mohican  House,  on  the  road  that  leads  up  the 
mountain  side.  It  will  provide  for  about  forty  guests.  The  present  proprietor 
is  H.  A.  Dearstyne. 

The  Bolton  House,  at  Bolton  Landing,  just  north  of  the  Mohican  House, 
is  three  stories  high  and  is  topped  with  a  French  roof  and  two  observatories. 
A  portion  of  the  building  was  erected  in  1870.  Seven  years  later  it  was  en- 
larged to  double  its  original  size  and  remodeled,  so  that  now  it  will  conven- 
iently accommodate  125  guests.  The  first  proprietors,  Norton  &  Phillips,  ran 
the  house  for  five  years.  Hiram  Wilson  conducted  the  business  for  the  four 
succeeding  years.  Barton  &  Phelps  then  assumed  possession  and  remained 
four  years.  M.  O.  Brown  followed  them,  one  year.  In  1883  the  present  pro- 
prietor, H.  H.  'West,  entered  upon  the  performance  of  his  duties  here. 
Other  hotels  or  summer  boarding-houses  are  the  Locust  Grove  House,  about 
midway  betweeen  the  Mohican  House  and  The  Huddle,  J.  H.  Vandenburgh, 
proprietor ;  the  Lake  View  House,  just  south  of  the  Locust  Grove  House, 
capacity  for  100  guests,  R.  J.  Brown,  proprietor;  the  Vandinberg  House, 
north  of  the  Bolton  House,  capacity  for  thirty,  Jacob  Vandinberg,  proprietor. 

The  Sagamore,  the  proudest  hotel  on  the  lake,  perhaps,  excepting  the 
Fort  William  Henry,  was  first  opened  in  the  spring  of  1883.  As  Mr.  Stod- 
dard says  :  "  The  Sagamore  is  not  a  savage,  although  representing  in  its  title 
the  proudest  chieftain  of  a  vanished  tribe,  and  like  its  distinguished  prototype 
standing  a  head  and  shoulders  above  its  fellows,  but  the  new  hotel  on  Green 
Island,  at  a  point  for  years  looked  upon  as  the  hotel  site  par  excellence  of  this 
section,  now  utilized  through  the  energy  of  Philadelphia  capitalists  and  one 
of  Lake  George's  most  popular  landlords,  together  forming  a  company  pos- 
sessed not  only  of  a  knowledge  of  what  the  best  people  have  at  home,  and 
naturally  desire  at  a  hotel,  but  also  the  skill  and  experience  necessary  to  suc- 
cessfully manage  the  innumerable  details  in  the  business  of  a  great  hotel. 

"  The  hotel  building  stands  on  high  ground,  and  commands,  on  every  side, 


536  History  of  Warren  County. 

extended  views  of  the  lake  and  mountains.  It  is  built  in  the  style  popularly 
supposed  to  belong  to  the  sixteenth  century,  its  varied  porticos,  balconies  and 
gables  all  admirably  displayed  by  the  harmonious  colors  with  which  it  is 
painted.  Within  will  be  found  every  hotel  convenience  and  comfort,  including 
hydraulic  passenger  elevator,  electric  bells,  telegraph  office,  etc.  It  is  supplied 
with  an  abundance  of  pure  running  water,  brought  through  pipes  from  a 
mountain  on  the  mainland  two  miles  distant.  Many  of  the  rooms  are  arranged 
en  suite  with  outside  entrances,  and  all  rooms  are  illuminated  with  the  Edison 
electric  light.  The  interior  finish  is  in  the  best  of  taste,  the  furniture  being  of 
native  hard  woods,  polished."  ^  The  house  will  accommodate  300  guests. 
Lessee  and  proprietor,   M.  O.  Brown. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  from  Bolton  from  the  beginning  to 
the  present:  1799  and  1800,  Asa  Brown;  1801-1803,  James  Ware  ;  1804, 
Timothy  Stow  ;  1805-1807,  James  Ware;  1808,  Edward  Reese;  1809,  James 
Archibald;  18 10,  Thomas  M.Wright;  1811-1815,  Frederick  Miller ;  1816- 
1818,  Allen  Anderson;  1819,  Frederick  Miller;  1820-1826,  Allen  Anderson; 
1827  and  1828,  Thomas  McGee  ;  1829,  William  Hammond;  1830  and  1831, 
,  Allen  Anderson;  1832-1834,  Truman  Lyman;  1835,  Stephen  Pratt;  1836, 
Allen  Anderson;  1837  and  1838,  Rufus  Anderson;  1839,  Samuel  C.  Good- 
man; 1840,  Aaron  L.  Judd  ;  1841  and  1842,  Asa  C.  Winter;  1843,  Orange 
Colton  ;  1844,  Homer  Davis;  1 845,  Warren  Thomas;  1846-1849,  Luther 
Brown;  1850,  Louie  Charette  ;  185 1,  Stephen  Pratt ;  1852,  John  B.  CooHdge  ; 
1853,  Allen  Anderson;  1854,  George  B.  Reynolds;  1855-1857,  Layton 
Wells;  1858,  Jonathan  Coolidge  ;  1859,  Sidney  W.  Tuttle;  i860  and  1861, 
E.  B.  Miller;  1862,  Layton  Wells ;  1863,  E.  B.  Miller;  1864,  Jonathan  M. 
CooHdge  ;  1865,  W.  M.  Coolidge  ;  1866  and  1867,  George  W.  Seaman  ;  1868, 
T.  N.  Thomas;  1869,  George  W.  Seaman;  1870  and  1871,  E.  W.  Phillips; 
1872,  Truman  N.  Thomas;  1873-1875,  M.  O.  Brown;  1876,  H.  A.  Dear- 
styne;  1877,  Truman  N.  Thomas;  1878,  Myron  O.  Brown;  1879,  Elbridge 
Cilley;  1880,  Myron  O.  Brown;  1881,  Harvey  Robinson;  1882,  Truman  H. 
Thomas;  1883,  Elbridge  Cilley ;  1884,  Myron  O.  Brown  ;  1885,  Frederick 
Allen. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follows :  Supervisor,  Frederick  Allen  ;  town 
clerk,  George  Gates  ;  commissioner  of  highways,  H.  A.  Dearstyne ;  collector, 
Chauncey  Murch  ;  assessors,  Marvin  Truesdell,  Asa  Dickenson,  Hosea  Barber  ; 
overseers  of  the  poor,  William  J.  Griffin,  David  Putney ;  commissioners  of  ex- 
cise, Dodge  S.  Gates,  Oscar  G.  Finkle,  Edwin  Norton ;  constables,  E.  La  Gay, 
Chauncev  Murch,  Wilber  Bentley ;  sealer  of  weights  and  measures,  William 
Taylor. 

According  to  the  census  reports  since  1850  the  population  of  the  town  has 
been  as  follows :    1850,  1,147;    1855,  1,167;    i860,  1,289;    1865,  1,221;    1870, 

1.135;    1875,  1,121  ;    1880,  1,132. 

1  Stoddard's  Lake  George,  page  85-86. 


Town  of  Chester.  537 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  CHESTER. 

THE  town  of  Chester  is  situated  on  the  northern  border  of  the  county,  lat- 
erally central.  Its  eastern  and  western  boundaries  are  formed  respectively 
by  the  Schroon  and  Hudson  Rivers.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Essex 
county,  on  the  south  by  Warrensburgh.  On  the  east  lies  Horicon,  and  on 
the  west  Johnsburgh.  The  surface  is  broken  by  precipitous  mountains,  and 
covered  with  huge  boulders.  The  Kayaderosseras  Mountains  extend  through 
the  southern  part,  and  the  Schroon  Range  occupies  the  north.  The  valley  of 
Schroon  Lake  extends  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  the  Hudson  and  contains 
a  chain  of  small  lakes,  the  principal  of  which  are  Loon  Lake  and  Friends'  Lake. 
Schroon  Lake  itself  is  about  1,000  feet  above  tide,  while  the  surrounding 
hills  rise  from  500  to  800  feet  above  its  surface.  The  soil  is  everywhere  light 
and  sandy,  and  not  very  productive.  "The  Stone  Bridge  is  a  great  natural 
curiosity  and  gives  its  name  to  the  stream  passing  beneath  it.  This  stream  en- 
ters Chester  from  Essex  county,  about  thirty  rods  above  the  bridge,  where  it 
falls  over  a  rocky  ledge  into  a  natural  basin,  whence  turning  east  it  seeks  a  sub- 
terranean passage  by  two  branches,  the  north  one  passing  under  an  arch  of 
massive  granite  forty  feet  high,  and  about  eighty  feet  chord,  diminishing  in 
capacity  as  the  stream  descends  —  which  maybe  followed  156  feet  from  the 
entrance.  The  southern  and  greater  branch  has  a  passage  which  may  be  ex- 
plored with  much  difficulty,  being  in  some  places  much  confined,  in  others 
opening  into  caverns  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  diameter,  and  filled  to  a  great  depth 
with  water.  At  247  feet  from  the  entrance  the  waters  disembogue  in  one  cur- 
rent, having  united  in  the  vault,  beneath  a  precipice  fifty-four  feet  high,  which 
terminates  the  bridge.  The  arch  on  this  side  is  about  five  feet  high  and  ten 
wide.  The  creek  enters  the  river  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  below  the  out- 
let of  Schroon  Lake."^ 

The  early  history  of  Chester  is  unfortunately  involved  in  almost  impenetra- 
ble obscurity.  The  most  trustworthy  and  complete  resource  of  the  county  his- 
torian, the  town  records,  have  been  twice  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  writer  is 
therefore  forced  to  rely  solely  on  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant.  One 
of  the  oldest  inhabitants  now  living  in  town  is  Otis  Collins,  who  was  born  in 
Massachusetts  in  December,  in  1801,  and  is  therefore  eighty-four  years  of  age. 
He  was  brought  to  Chester  in  February,  1805,  by  his  father,  Joseph  Collins, 
who  settled  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  site  of  Chestertown,  on  the  place  now 
occupied  by  Mr.  Russell.  The  town  was  then  about  six  years  old,  having  been 
formed  from  Thurman  on  the  25th  of  March,  1799.  To  complete  Mr.  Collins's 
biography  —  he   married,  in  1833,  Melissa   Leavens,  a   Chester   girl,  who  was 

iThis  descripition  is  taken  from  Gordo.m's  Gazetteer,  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  A.  W.  Holden. 


538  History  of  Warren  County. 

also  born  in  Massachusetts.  Joseph  Collins  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and 
plied  this  vocation  for  a  few  years  after  he  came,  but  devoted  the  greater  part 
of  his  time,  nevertheless,  to  farming.  When  he  came,  in  1805,  new  and  rudi- 
mentary roads  had  been  opened  about  where  they  now  lie.  The  main  travel 
was  up  the  Schroon  River.  The  land  was  thickly  covered  with  maple,  spruce, 
beech,  pine,  and  some  oak  timber,  which  was  soon  after  utilized  by  the  pioneer 
lumbermen.  As  is  usual,  in  the  entire  Adirondack  region,  the  custom  was  to 
float  thejlogs  down  the  rivers  to  the  lumber  marts  below.  Norman  and  Alan- 
son  Fox,  brothers,  were  extensively  interested  in  the  lumber  trade.  At  first 
they  lived  about  a  mile  west  of  the  site  of  Chestertown,  but  in  1809  or  18 10, 
they  moved  to  the  plot  of  ground  now  covered  with  Downs's  Hotel,  and  ran  a 
tavern.  Soon  after  they  added  to  their  interests  a  store,  which  stood  where 
James  McAveigh's  store  now  is.  They  sold  the  property,  eventually,  to  Charles 
Fowler,  father  of  the  people  of  that  surname  in  Glens  Falls.  It  remained  in 
the  hands  of  Fowler  and  his  heirs  until  a  few  years  ago. 

There  were  no  distilleries  about  here  in  1805,  but  five  or  six  years  later 
Harvey  Powers  started  one  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  the  village  of 
Chestertown,  where  Demond  Gould  ^  now  lives. 

A  grist-mill  was  built  here  before  1815,  and  was  the  only  one  in  town. 
Potash  was  made  here  in  considerable  quantities.  The  Fox  brothers  had  an 
ashery  near  their  tavern  —  about  where  the  Downs's  Hotel  barns  now  stands ; 
Harvey  Powers  had  one  near  the  site  of  Mr.  Faxon's  tannery  ;  and  Seth  Fuller 
owned  one  a  little  over  a  mile  east  of  the  village.  Two  small  tanneries  were  built 
in  this  period  —  one  "  hand-tannery,"  situated  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north 
of  the  village,  and  owned  by  Simeon  Doty,  and  one  of  the  same  kind  owned 
by  one  Stearns,  which  was  afterwards  made  over  to  a  leather  factory,  since 
defunct. 

In  1805  there  were  only  two  buildings — log-houses — where  now  is  the  vil- 
lage of  Chestertown ;  one  on  the  site  of  Rising's  Hotel,  the  dwelling  place  of 
Joshua  Eaton,  and  the  other  just  east  of  the  site  of  Downs's  Hotel,  occupied  by 
Rice  Eaton.  The  only  clearings  here  were  around  these  houses.  But  within 
a  year  or  two  immigration  directed  its  current  to  the  spot,  and  before  1820  the 
wilderness  had  been  broken  and  a  thriving  settlement  had  taken  up  its  abode 
here. 

The  earliest  settlers  in  the  town  were  undoubtedly  the  Meads,  who  were  a 
numerous  family.  Titus  Mead  lived  on  the  outlet  of  Loon  Lake,  and  Jabez 
Mead  lived  near  him.  They  built  the  first,  or  about  the  first,  grist-mill  and 
saw-mill  in  town — near  their  houses.  Levi  Mead  also  had  a  grist-mill  and  saw- 
mill near  his  house  about  a  mile  and  a-half  south  of  Chestertown,  where  his 
son  Royal  Mead  now  lives.  Gideon  Mead  lived  on  a  farm  adjoining  that  of 
Joseph    Collins.      His   family   are  all   gone.     Enos  Mead  was  the  son  of  Levi 

1  Grandson  of  Willard  Gould,  an  early  resident  here. 


Town  of  Chester.  539 


Mead,  and  lived  with  him.  His  son,  also  named  Levi,  lived  on  the  farm 
after  them,  and  subsequently  enlarged  his  possessions  by  the  purchase  of  the 
•adjoining  lands.  Jonathan  and  David  Mead  lived  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town,  and  devoted  themselves  exclusively  to  farming.  Mr.  Beman,  a  farmer, 
lived  near  Loon  Lake,  and  was  a  neighbor  to  John  Haskins.  Obadiah  Knapp, 
a.  blacksmith,  lived  about  four  miles  north  of  Chestertown.  His  brother  Ben- 
jamin, a  farmer,  lived  near  him.  A  brother-in-law,  Noel  Wightman,  ran  a 
farm  in  the  same  neighborhood.  James  Starbuck  conducted  a  farm  about  one 
and  a-half  miles  east  of  the  village,  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  his  grand- 
son, Samuel  Starbuck.  He  has  kin  in  Glens  Falls  of  that  name.  D.  Pun- 
derson  and  J.  Punderson  ran  separate  farms  near  Loon  Lake.  Indeed  Loon 
Lake  and  Friends'  Lake  were  originally  the  most  thickly  settled  portions  of 
the  town. 

There  was  no  church  edifice  in  town  in  1805,  the  first  one.  Baptist,  being 
erected  about  18 10.  This  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Jehiel  Fox,  the 
founder,  he  was  here  called,  of  Chestertown.  The  Presbyterians  held  their 
meetings  in  the  old  school-house,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Methodist  par- 
sonage. Miss  Roby  Simmons  taught  there  in  1806.  It  was  then  just  built — 
in  that  year, — and  replaced  a  log  school-house  which  formerly  stood  about  a 
mile  further  north. 

The  War  of  181 2  strongly  interested  the  sympathies  of  the  settlers  here, 
and  quite  a  number  voluntarily  bore  arms  in  that  struggle.  A  few  were  drafted. 
Joseph  Collins  fought  in  that  war,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh. 

The  cold  season  of  18 16  did  not  so  seriously  affect  the  people  of  Chester  as 
as  would  naturally  be  inferred.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  succeeded  in  getting 
enough  to  eat  though  they  were  forced  to  go  to  Washington  and  Saratoga 
counties  to  get  food. 

Otis  Collins  removed  from  the  homestead  of  his  father  to  his  present  resi- 
dence in  Chestertown  in  about  1835, — soon  after  his  marriage.  It  was  then 
quite  a  village.  The  Fox  brothers  were  then  keeping  store  here,  as  also  was 
one  Lewis  Newman,  who  afterward  went  to  Glens  Falls.  There  were  two  ho- 
tels here,  the  same  that  now  hold  open  their  doors  to  guests.  Shadrach  Mead, 
son  of  Titus  Mead,  before  named,  kept  the  hotel  now  run  by  Joel  Rising.  It 
was  a  smaller  building  then.  A  man  named  Smith,  from  Bolton,  kept  the 
other.  Levi  Mead  ran  a  grist-mill  then  about  a  mile  and  a-half  south  of  the 
village,  and  Jabez  and  Titus  Mead  still  ran  the  one  two  miles  to  the  west. 

Owing  to  the  loss  of  the  town  records,  before  mentioned,  which  occurred 
in  1876  or  1877,  the  measures  adopted  by  the  town  during  the  Rebellion  can- 
not be  given  in  that  detail  which  would  be  interesting.  Special  meetings  were 
called,  and  votes  passed  which  reflect  great  credit  on  the  town,  and  reveal  the 
loyal  patriotism  which  glows  in  the  bosom  of  the  inhabitants  thereof  Gene- 
rally speaking,  however,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  town   furnished  about  three 


540  History  of  Warren  County. 

hundred  men  for  the  Union,  and  to  many  of  her  volunteers  awarded  a  bounty 
of  $800. 

In  internal  improvements  Chester  has  not  been  slack.  The  roads  which 
pass  through  its  territory  have  been  improved,  the  bridges  that  span  its 
streams  have  been  built  according  to  the  most  approved  pattern.  Especially 
is  this  true  of  the  bridge  across  the  Hudson  at  Riverside.  It  was  built  in  1872 
at  an  expense  of  $15,000,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884  the  wooden  portion  was 
rebuilt  at  an  additional  cost  of  $2,300.  The  work  was  under  the  supervision 
of  a  stock  company  of  which  the  officers  are :  Edwin  A.  Bush,  of  Adirondack, 
president;  E.  D.  Locke,  of  Pottersville,  secretary;  and  C.  H.  Faxon,  of  Ches- 
tertown,  treasurer.  The  directors  are  the  foregoing  and  C.  E.  Benedict,  of 
Pottersville,  David  Aldrich,  of  Sherman,  John  D.  Burwell  and  C.  P.  Leland  of, 
Schroon  Lake.^ 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  from  Chester,  as  far  as  they  could  be 
obtained :  — 

1813, '14,  Seba  Higley  ;  181 5-17,  Norman  Fox  ;  1818-20,  Hobby  Mead ; 
1821,  Norman  Fox;  1822,  Hobby  Mead  ;  1823,  '24,  Norman  Fox;  1825-28, 
Alanson  Fox;  1829,  Seba  Higley;  1830-34,  Hobby  Mead ;  1835, '36,  C.  J. 
Starbeck;  1837,  Hobby  Mead;  1838,  William  Hotchkiss  ;  1839,  '40,  Orrison 
Mead;  1841, '42,  Thomas  A.  Leggett ;  1843-45,  William  Hotchkiss  ;  . 
.  .  1 860,  William  Hotchkiss;  1861, '62,  R.  C.  Clapp  ;  1863, '64,  R.  P.  Fuller  ; 
1865,  J.  H.  Walker;  1866, '67,  T.  J.  Carpenter ;  1868,  Joseph  Fowler ;  1869, 
Robert  S.  Hall;  1870,  Charles  H.  Faxon;  1871,  L.  R.  Locke;  1872,  Gideon 
Towsley;  1873,  L.R.  Locke;  1874,  R.  P.  Fuller;  1875,  L.  R.  Locke;  1876, 
R.  P.  Fuller;  1877,  Robert  S.  Hall;  1878,  Joseph  A.  J.  Smith ;  1879,  Milo  D. 
Knapp ;  1880,  F.  A.  Griswold  ;  1881,  John  H.  Remington;  1882—84,  James 
A.  Skiff;    1885,  Joseph  B.  Mills. 

The  present  officers  of  Chester  are  as  follows  :  Supervisor,  Joseph  B.  Mills  ; 
town  clerk,  Oren  Birge ;  commissioner  of  highways,  John  H.  Remington ; 
assessors,  Ira  M.  Fish,  Wilkrd  Wells,  Alfred  Scott;  justices  of  the  peace,  Stan- 
ley H.  Bevins,  Martin  F.  Byrne,  John  S.  Pasko  and  Cyrus  F.  Kipp ;  excise 
commissioners,  Royal  P.  Mead,  Howard  Dunn,  Hiram  Towsley  ;  superintend- 
ents of  the  poor,  Myron  Tripp,  Hiland  Hicks ;  constables,  Courtney  C.  Collins, 
John  F.  Bryant,  Dana  Jenks,  Irwin  Smith,  Rollin  Russell ;  auditors,  Andrew 
C.  Thurston,  Frederick  A.  Whitney,  James  L.  Tripp ;  inspectors  of  election. 
District  i,  James  Potter,  Marcus  U.  Mitchell,  Charles  S.  Leggett;  District  2, 
Jesse  B.  Smith,  Charles  Hicks,  James  Mills. 

The  population  of  the  town  as  shown  by  the  census  from  1850  to  1880, 

iTo  the  south  of  the  bridge  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson,  and  completely  hidden  from  view  by 
the  trees  is  the  encampment  of  the  Riverside  Camp-meeting  Association.  There  stand  in  two  circles 
a  wheel  within  awheel  —  about  one  hundred  handsome  cottages  and  a  hotel  of  comfortable  dimen- 
sions. The  Methodists  from  this  part  of  the  country  hold  their  annual  camp-meeting  there  a  week 
every  .August,  and  have  done  so  for  the  past  twelve  or  thirteen  years. 


Town  of  Chester.  541 

has  been  as  follows :   1111850,  1,850;    1855,  1,936;    1860,2,411;    1865,2,274; 
1870,2,329;    1875,2,193;    1880,2,247. 

MUNICIPAL     HISTORY. 

Chestertozvn.  —  Of  the  two  villages  in  this  town,  Chestertown  and  Potters- 
ville,  the  former  is  of  greater  antiquity,  dating  its  origin  as  a  village  back  to 
the  period  intervening  between  the  years  1805  and  1820.  In  1835  the  place 
contained  one  Presbyterian  and  one  Baptist  Church,  one  grist-mill,  one  saw- 
mill, clothing  works,  an  academy,  two  taverns,  three  stores,  and  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dwellings.  It  is  of  late  attracting  considerable  notice  as  a 
desirable  resort  for  the  summer  months.  Two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  north- 
east lies  Loon  Lake ;  three  miles  to  the  southwest  is  Friends'  Lake  ;  four  miles 
to  the  east.  Brant  Lake,  and  one  mile  to  the  south,  Lake  Fathomless,  of  which 
Mr.  Stoddard  pithily  says  that  it  "  has  recently  bounced  into  public  notice  as 
the  haunt  of  some  monster  of  the  deep,  whose  continued  ravings  have  carried 
consternation  to  the  breasts  of  all  children,  and  who  stirred  up  the  mud  '  like 
all  git- out,'  (to  quote),  and  whether  the  shadowy  form  was  that  of  the  sport- 
ive ichthyosaurus,  the  agile  plesiosaurus,  or  the  savage  bullhead,  is  unto  this 
day  a  profound  mystery."  His  description  of  Panther  and  Spruce  Mountains 
is  so  apt  that  it  is  best  quoted  here :  "  Panther  Mountain  is  southeast  of  the 
village,  an  abrupt,  dark-wooded  hill,  from  which  a  grand  sweep  of  mountains 
and  forests  can  be  seen,  with  lakes  and  ponds,  and  the  strong  Adirondacks 
away  to  the  north  and  west.  Spruce  Mountain  is  passed  over  —  or  rather  up, 
for  the  village  is  at  nearly  the  same  elevation  —  through  a  narrow  defile,  on  the 
road  from  Lake  George,  with  a  gradual  ascent  for  some  ways  that  is  very  wild 
and  broken  in  places.  Once  it  was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  spruce, 
but  in  the  summer  of  1854  a  fire  swept  through  our  northern  forests.  For 
days  the  smoke  hung  thick  and  stifling  over  the  entire  land,  and  Spruce 
Mountain  was  stripped  of  its  glory.  In  some  places  a  thick  growth  of  poplar, 
which  seems  to  spring  spontaneously  in  place  of  heavier  timber  burnt  or  cut 
away,  is  growing  ;  in  others  the  mountain  side  is  almost  without  life,  the  white, 
bleached  stones  gleaming  among  the  blackened  trunks  of  trees  still  standing, 
or  piled  together  in  inextricable  confusion,  suggesting  the  ghastly  ruins  of  a 
dead  world." 

The  first  post-office  in  town  was  at  the  village  of  Chestertown.  It  was  not 
established  until  some  years  after  Mr.  Collins  came  in  1805.  It  was  at  first 
situated  on  the  site  of  Rising's  Hotel.  Obadiah  Mead  was  probably  the  first 
postmaster,  and  Sharach  Mead  his  successor.  Clark  Rawson,  of  Schroon  Lake, 
used  to  carry  the  mail  on  horseback  from  Sandy  Hill,  stopping  at  various  points 
along  the  route.  He  came  once  a  week.  Shadrach  Mead's  successors  are  not 
remembered  until  William  Hotchkiss,  who  served  some  time  before  1847,  ^"d 

1  The  Adirondacks,  p.  183 


542  History  of  Warren  County. 

until  1857.  John  L.  Weatherhead  then  received  the  appointment.  In  1862 
William  Scofield  secured  the  position,  but  gave  it  up  again  in  1868  to  John  L. 
Weatherhead.  In  1870  Nelson  B.  Mallery  succeeded  Weatherhead,  and  in 
June,  1873,  gave  place  to  the  present  incumbent,  Robert  S.  Hall. 

Hotels.  —  It  has  been  stated  in  former  pages  of  this  chapter  that  the  first 
tavern  in  town  stood  on  the  site  of  Downs's  Hotel  as  early  as  18 10. 

In  the  present  hotel  of  this  name  M.  H.  Downs  followed  John  L.  Weather- 
head in  1869,  the  latter  having  kept  it  a  number  of  years  before.  In  the 
spring  of  1885  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present  proprietors,  George 
Ferris  &  Son  (Charles  Ferris).  The  building  is  pleasantly  located  on  the 
highest  land  in  the  village.  It  is  three  stories  high,  and  will  provide  for  one 
hundred  and  twenty  guests. 

Rising's  Hotel  has  had  an  intermittent  career.  Hobby  Mead  first  kept  a 
tavern  there  in  the  second  quarter  of  the  century,  and  the  house  relapsed  into 
the  seclusion  of  a  private  dwelling  until  about  1881,  when  Milo  Graham  re- 
constructed it  into  a  hotel.  In  March,  1882,  Joel  W.  Rising  took  possession, 
having  just  arrived  from  Hague,  and  refitted  the  house  to  its  present  condition. 
It  will  accommodate  seventy- five  guests;  is  neatly  furnished  and  kept,  and  a 
toothsome,  wholesome  table  prepared  three  times  a  day  for  guests. 

Mercantile  Interests.  —  Robert  S.  Hall,  the  merchant  of  longest  standing- 
still  in  active  business  here,  began  his  mercantile  career  in  April,  1865,  when  he 
and  M.  D.  Knapp  bought  out  the  business  of  C.  H.  Faxon  &  Co.  (the  "  com- 
pany "  being  H.  S.  Crittenden,  now  postmater  at   Glens  Falls).     Knapp   re- 
mained with  Mr.  Hall  one  year.     E.    N.   Scofield   established   his   drug  store 
here  in  1872.   N.  B.  Mallery  had  formerly  had  a  drug  store  in  the  same  build- 
ing for  a  short  time.     W.  H.  Remington  commenced  a  clerkship  in  the  general 
store  of  his  brother,  J.  H.  Remington,  in  1875.      In    1879  he  acquired   a  half 
interest  in  the  business.     In  1880  they  sold  out  to  George   H.  McDonald   and 
M.  S.  Graham,  who  conducted  the  business  under  the  firm  style  of  McDonald  & 
Graham.  W.  H.  Remington  was  clerk  for  them  until  1882,  when  he  purchased 
the  interest  of  M.  S.  Graham,  and  the  business  was  continued  under  the  name  of 
McDonald  &  Remington.   In  the  spring  of  1883  Mr.  Remington  set  over  his  title 
to  McDonald  and  went  to  North  Creek,  where  he  bought  out  E.  O.  Jaynes  &  Co. 
He  stayed  there  but  one  year,  and  in  the  spring  of  1885  returned  to  Chester- 
town  and  bought  out  the  entire  interest  of  George   H.  McDonald.     Before  J. 
H.  Remington  began  here  in  1875,  he  had  been  clerk  for  Robert  S.  Hall.     M. 
C.  Drake  bought  in  with  Hall  in  the  spring  of  1872.     In    1873    Drake  bought 
out  Hall's  interest  and  continued  alone  until  the  spring  of   1874,    when   J.  H. 
Remington  acquired  a  one-half  interest  with  him.     The  general  mercantile  bus- 
iness   now   conducted   by  James   McAveigh  was   estabhshed   in    1877,  when 
Thomas  and  James  McAveigh  purchased   the   property   of  Benjamin   Pickens 
and  S.  G.  Brayley,  who  had  been  doing  business  for  about  seven  years  before 


Town  of  Chester.  543 


under  the  name  of  Pickens  &  Brayley,  and  had  failed.  The  firm  of  McAveigh 
Bros,  continued  until  1883,  since  which  time  James  McAveigh  has  been  the 
sole  proprietor. 

Frederick  Vetter  bought,  on  the  1st  of  September,  1881,  the  hardware 
business  of  J.  R.  Dunn  &  Co.,  who  had  been  here  about  eighteen  months  pre- 
ceeding.  The  business  was  originally  established,  in  1864,  by  Morgan  Tripp 
and  Charles  Loy,  who  continued  until  the  spring  of  1880  under  the  style  of 
Tripp  &  Loy.  Oren  Birge,  general  merchant,  succeeded  Robert  Hall  in  the 
occupancy  of  this  building  for  store  purposes  in  May,  1882.  The  building  was 
erected  by  Uri  Young,  who,  in  company  with  his  son  George,  kept  store  here 
for  not  less  than  thirty  years  prior  to  Hall's  occupancy. 

Manufacturing  Interests. — The  grist-mill  (most  properly  classed  under 
this  head),  now  owned  by  C.  H.  Faxon,  was  originally  built  here,  Mr.  Faxon 
thinks  about  1800,  by  Rev.  Jehiel  Fox.  It  was  twice  repaired  and  rebuilt  up 
to  1 84 1,  at  which  time  it  was  burned,  while  under  the  ownership  and  opera- 
tion of  Alonzo  Towsley.  In  the  following  year  it  was  built  up  again  by  John 
Ransom.  The  present  occupant  and  owner,  C.  H.  Faxon,  bought  the  prop- 
erty in  1849  of  John  Ransom.  The  mill  was  enlarged,  remodeled,  and  a  new 
foundation  put  in  in  1872.  The  mill,  which  has  three  run  of  stone  and  the 
"  appurtenances  thereto,"  can  grind  30,000  bushels  of  wheat  per  year. 

The  tannery  now  owned  by  C.  H.  Faxon  &  Son  was  built  in  1849,  t>y 
Alexander  Robertson.  C.  H.  Faxon  went  in  with  him  from  the  beginning, 
and  up  to  1856  the  business  was  conducted  by  these  two  gentlemen  and  James 
Crandall,  under  the  firm  name  of  Robertson,  Faxon  &  Co.  In  1856  Crandall 
withdrew  and  Milton  Sawyer  became  a  partner,  the  new  firm  name  being  Saw- 
yer, Faxon  &  Co.  In  i860  Mr.  Faxon  bought  out  Mr.  Robertson,  and  in 
company  with  Sawyer,  continued  until  June  loth,  1865.  Mr.  Faxon  then 
purchased  Sawyer's  interest  and  continued  alone  until  July  1st,  1882.  At  that 
time  his  son,  William  H.  Faxon,  became  associated  with  him  and  the  present 
firm  title  was  adopted.  The  capacity  of  the  tannery  may  be  placed  at  about 
24,000  to  30,000  sides  of  leather  annually.  About  fifty  hands  are  employed 
in  all.     The  bark  is  brought  chiefly  from  Essex  county. 

The  marble  works  of  J.  M.  Stone  &  Son  (J.  H.  Stone)  were  established  in 
1872  by  H.  Hanchett.  He  remained  but  a  few  months  when  the  present  firm 
succeeded  him  (1873). 

William  B.  White  began  harness-making  here  in  1874.  Charles  F.  May 
came  here  on  April  1st,  1884,  from  Fottersville,  where  he  had  made  harnesses 
for  three  preceding  years. 

Attorneys.  —  Adam  Armstrong,  jr.,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1869,  and 
undergoing  a  thorough  course  of  study  with  Judge  Stephen  Brown,  of  Glens 
Falls,  passed  a  year  of  study  in  the  Albany  Law  School  (1865).  In  1865 
he  was  unanimously  nominated  for  district  attorney,  but  declined.  He  prac- 
ticed in  Glens  Falls  until  1871,  when,  in  October,  he  removed  to  Chestertown. 


544  History  of  Warren  County. 

Charles  P.  Coyle  was  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  Albany  Uni- 
versity, and  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  in  March,  1883.  He  did  not  be- 
gin to  practice  until  April,  1875,  when  he  came  to  Chestertown,  remaining,  in 
the  mean  time,  in  the  office  of  (J.  G.  Paris,  of  Sandy  Hill.  The  first  year  of  his 
practice  here  was  in  partnership  with  Adam  Armstrong,  jr.  Mr.  Coyle  is  a 
young  man  of  vigorous  and  aggressive  intellect,  and  has  already  built  up  an 
extensive  and  increasing  practice.  Stanley  H.  Bevens  was  admitted  in*  1879, 
after  studying  the  requisite  period,  as  a  partner  of  Adam  Armstrong,  jr.  He 
began  to  practice  here  at  once.  Before  he  commenced  studying  law  he  was 
exclusively  in  the  insurance  business.     He  is  one  of  the  justices  of  the  town. 

Physicians.  —  Of  the  two  physicians  practicing  in  Chestertown,  Dr.  Alfred 
Mallery  is  the  eldest,  and  we  would  gladly  give  an  extended  sketch  of  his  long 
and  honorable  career  as  a  physician,  but  were  unable  to  obtain  from  him  the 
necessary  data.  (See  chapter  on  the  Medical  Fraternity.)  Dr.  F.  E.  Aldrich 
was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  his  profession  on  the  29th  day  of  October,  1878, 
at  the  medical  department  of  Dartmouth  College.  He  has  practiced  in  Ches- 
tertown since  October,  1879,  and  has  acquired  an  enviable  reputation,  and  an 
extensive  ride. 

Chester  Water  Works. —  This  system  had  its  origin  in  1834,  when  Jona- 
than Fish  laid  a  few  pipes  and  conducted  a  part  of  the  present  supply  to  a  few 
of  the  dwellings  here.  The  water  came  from  springs  on  the  west  side  of  Oak 
or  Panther  Mountain.  The  present  owner  and  manager,  the  enterprising  C. 
H.  Faxon,  purchased  the  springs,  fixtures  and  right  of  way  of  Fish  in  July, 
1848,  and  in  the  succeeding  autumn  he  reconstructed  the  works  and  supplied 
about  every  family  in  the  village.  In  1856  he  bought  a  spring  on  what  is 
known  as  the  Leggett  farm  (now  owned  by  John  Cunningham).  Mr.  Faxon 
didn't  bring  the  water  from  this  spring  to  the  village,  however,  until  the  fall  of 
1880.  The  two  sources  now  used  will  afford  ample  water  supply  for  Chester- 
town  for  the  next  fifty  years.  The  mountain  water  contains  valuable  mineral 
properties,  particularly  iron,  which  is  held  in  solution  to  an  extent  which  ren- 
ders the  water  wholesome  without  injuring  it  for  any  purpose.  The  water  from 
the  Cunningham  farm  contains  lime  enough  to  make  it  also  an  unmixed  bene- 
fit. In  1848  Mr.  Faxon  built  the  reservoir  in  the  rear  of  McAveigh's  store. 
About  two-thirds  of  all  the  water  used  in  the  village  comes  through  this  res- 
ervoir. Its  capacity  is  5,000  gallons.  The  reservoir  at  the  foot  of  Panther 
Mountain  has  a  capacity  for  11,000  gallons.  About  2\  miles  of  \\  inch  pipe 
are  laid.  Mr.  Faxon  intends  soon  to  enlarge  the  pipe  from  the  Leggett  or 
Cunningham  farm. 

Tlie  Chester  Academy. —  This  was  a  private  school  built  in  1845  by  Rev. 
T.  J.  Hasvvell.  In  1847  Rev.  R.  C.  Clapp  came  to  the  village  when  it  was 
nearly  as  large  as  it  is  at  present  and  took  charge  of  the  academy.  It  re- 
mained a  private  institution,  having  an  average  attendance  of  from  twenty-five 


Town  of  Chester.  545 


to  thirty  pupils.  Mr.  Clapp  remained  at  its  head  until  i860,  when  it  was  discon- 
tinued. In  1868  it  was  sold  to  George  W.  Mead,  the  present  owner,  who  en- 
larged it  and  converted  it  into  a  dwelling-house.  The  schools  in  the  town  are 
now  conducted  under  the  district  system. 

Churches  —  Concerning  the  history  of  the  older  churches  in  Chestertown 
information  is  singularly  meagre.  The  oldest  church  is  the  Baptist,  which  is 
also  the  oldest  in  the  Lake  George  Baptist  Association.  It  was  organized  in 
1796  by  the  Rev.  Jehiel  Fox,  to  whose  energy  and  watchful  administrative  ca- 
pabilities is  due  many  of  the  thriving  interests  of  Chestertown  to- da)'.  The 
earliest  records  are  gone,  but  it  was  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Jehiel  Fox 
that  the  edifice  was  erected.  It  has  been  repeatedly  remodeled.  How  long 
Mr.  Fox  remained  is  not  known.  In  1825  the  pastor  was  Rev.  C.  W.  Hodge. 
Rev.  Henry  Faxon  served  in  that  capacity  from  about  1827  to  1829.  The 
last  regular  preaching  was  done  by  Rev.  Mr.  Muller,  of  Warrensburgh.  Prior 
to  his  labors  Rev.  M.  L.  Bennett  was  pastor  for  several  years  and  was  preced- 
ed by  Rev.  A.  C,  Nichols,  who  remained  a  year.  Before  him  Rev.  A.  B.  Palm- 
etier  filled  the  pastorate  for  about  three  years.  The  present  trustees  are  D. 
R.  Gould,  Moses  Hedges,  B.  W.  Mead  ;  deacon  and  clerk,  Amasa  F.  Mead. 

The  first  Methodist  preaching  in  Chestertown  was  by  Rev.  Tobias  Spicer 
in  1807. 

The  West  Church  edifice,  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  village,  was 
erected  before  1830 ;  that  in  the  village  about  1835.  It  is  now  owned  by  the 
Catholics.  The  present  edifice  was  built  in  1867  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  The 
present  officers  are  :  Pastor,  Rev.  Joel  Hall,  who  succeeded  Rev.  L.  L.  Law- 
rence in  April,  1884;  stewards,  J.  M.  Stone,  T.  J.  Carpenter,  Lorenzo  Thurs- 
ton, Norman  Perry,  Arthur  Smith,  Philander  Baldwin,  Charles  Leggett,  W. 
W.  Emerson  and  Charles  Thurston  ;  class-leader,  T.  J.  Carpenter  ;  trustees, 
Richard  Little,  C.  J.  Noxon,  F.  C.  Gould,  Charles  Leggett.  The  present 
membership  of  the  church  is  155,  with  two  probationers.  There  are  three 
church  edifices  in  this  charge,  one  called  the  Horicon  Church,  and  the  old 
West  Church,  both  of  which  have  fallen  into  permanent  disuse,  and  the  house 
at  Chestertown.  Including  all  these  and  the  parsonage  the  church  property 
is  valued  at  $5,000.  There  are  three  Sunday-schools,  having  a  total  member- 
ship of  148,  besides  thirty- three  officers  and  teachers.  The  Sunday-school 
superintendent  at  Chestertown  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  William  Mun- 
dy,  who  still  holds  that  position. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  here  was  organized  in  1825  as  a  Dutch  Reformed 
Church,  but  was  subsequently  changed  to  the  Presbyterian  denomination.  The 
first  elders  were  Bingham  Eaton,  Benjamin  Knapp,  Ezra  B.  Smith,  Benjamin 
Eaton,  Obadiah  and  Hobby  Mead,  and  William  Hotchkiss.  There  was  no 
regular  pastor  and  no  trustees  for  many  years.  Mr.  Kitchell,  of  Bolton, 
preached   occasionally,   and    Rev.  Courtney   Smith,  of  Warrensburgh.     From 

35 


546  History  of  Warren  County. 

1847  to  1849,  and  again  from  1877  to  1882,  Rev.  R.  C.  Clapp  served  in  the 
pastorate  of  this  church.  From  1842  to  1847,  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Haswell 
preached.  Rev.  John  Newbanks  came  in  1852  and  remained  one  year.i  Rev. 
M.  C.  Bronson  served  from  1868  to  1875. 

The  first  and  present  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1833,  and  was 
thoroughly  remodeled  and  enlarged  in  1872  and  1873.  The  present  value  of 
the  church  property  is  about  $2,500.  Rev.  E.  B.  Mead  is  pastor.  The  Sun- 
day-school was  organized  about  1828,  and  for  the  first  thirty  years  of  its  ex- 
istence Ezra  B.  Smith  acted  as  superintendent.  From  1858  to  1866  Rev.  R. 
C.  Clapp  performed  the  duties  incumbent  on  that  office.  From  1866  to  1875 
the  superintendent  was  Charles  Loy,  and  was  followed  by  the  present  superin- 
tendent, Rev.  R.  C.  Clapp. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  of  Chestertown  was  formed  in  1867.  The 
first  pastor  was  the  Rev.  De  Rouch.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father  Kelly, 
who  remained  seven  years,  and  was  followed  in  'turn  by  Rev.  Father  O'Ma- 
honey,  who  served  two  years.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Father  Flood,  of 
North  Creek.  The  old  Methodist  Church  was  purchased  at  the  time  of  organ- 
ization and  converted  into  a  Catholic  house  of  worship.  The  cost  of  remodel- 
ing the  edifice  was  about  $1,000,  and  $1,500  has  been  expended  on  improve- 
ments since  that  time.  The  present  value  of  the  property  is  estimated  at  $3,- 
500. 

The  first  church  trustees  were  Patrick  McAveigh,  John  McPhillips  and 
Timothy  Murphy.  The  present  church  trustees  are  Patrick  McAveigh  and 
Timothy  Murphy.  The  membership  numbers  about  thirty  families.  A  Sun- 
day-school was  formed  six  years  ago,  Lizzie  McAveigh  and  Anna  Cohen  act- 
ing as  superintendents. 

The  Episcopal  Church  or  Mission  was  formed  here  in  1876.  The  first  rec- 
tor was  Rev.  Aubrey  Todrig,  the  second,  Rev.  C.  B.  Flagler,  and  the  third  and 
present.  Rev.  C.  J.  Whipple,  who  came  on  June  i6th,  1882.  The  first  house 
of  worship  consisted  of  the  former  dwelling  house  of  Charles  Fowler,  re-mod- 
eled, and  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  its  consecration.  The  present  edifice  was 
consecrated  in  June,  1884,  and  cost  in  erection  about  $2,500.  The  entire 
property  is  worth  about  $3,000.  A  Sunday-school  was  organized  at  the  time 
of  the  formation  of  the  mission,  the  rectors  being  the  superintendents.  At 
present,  however,  those  duties  and  the  duties  of  warden  are  preformed  by  Ralph 
Thurman.     There  are  twenty  communicants  in  the  mission. 

Pottersville.  —  This  village  derived  its  name  from  Joel  F.  Potter,  the 
first  business  man  who  started  the  movement  which  resulted  in  the  building  up 
of  the  village.  In  1839  he  built  a  store  (just  south  of  the  present  hotel),  which 
burned  in  1876,  and  has  never  been  rebuilt.  Potter  went  from  this  place  to 
Glens  Falls  years  ago.    From  there  he  removed  to  Schroon  Lake  where  he  died 

1  He  became  deranged,  and  is  now  hopelessly  insane. 


Town  of  Chester.  547 


three  or  four  years  ago.  He  left  no  descendants  in  Pottersville.  In  1835 
there  was  nothing  on  the  site  of  this  village  except  a  log  house  which  stood  on 
the  ground  now  covered  by  Daniel  Virgil's  house.  James  Danley  owned  this 
log  house.  His  grandson,  C.  F  Kipp,  now  lives  in  the  village.  The  principal 
business  in  early  times  was  lumbering.  All  the  inhabitants  were  more  or  less 
interested  in  it. 

There  never  were  any  extensive  mills  here.  One  of  the  earliest  industries 
here  was  the  old  tannery,  which  formerly  stood  about  ten  rods  north  of  the 
present  residence  of  C.  F.  Kipp  and  which  was  erected  by  Milton  Sawyer, 
during  the  infancy  of  the  village.  He  conducted  the  business  about  eight 
years,  and  was  followed  by  Fay  &  Co.,  of  Greene  county,  who  ran  the  concern 
ten  or  fifteen  years  and  then  failed.  Fraser  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  who  now 
own  the  Mill  Brook  tannery,  were  then  at  the  head  of  the  establishment  for 
about  ten  years.  Finally  C.  F  Kipp  bought  it  and  converted  it  into  a  cider- 
mill.  On  the  15th  of  October,  1882,  it  burned,  and,  according  to  Mr.  Kipp, 
the  fire  remained  in  the  tanbark  which  covered  the  ground  several  inches 
deep,  for  a  space  of  eighteen  months. 

The  hotel  was  built  in  about  1845  by  Joseph  Hotchkiss  and  Joshua  Col- 
lar. L.  H.  Jenks,  the  present  postmaster,  worked  on  this,  as  indeed,  he  has 
on  almost  every  building  in  the  village.  Hiram  Towsley  was  one  of  the  old- 
est proprietors ;  Isaac  Beebe  came  after  him,  then  Marcus  H.  Downs  came  into 
the  house,  enlarged  it,  and  kept  it  from  about  i860  to  1869.  In  the  last 
named  year  L.  R.  Locke  came  into  possession  and  remained  until  1879,  when 
his  father,  R.  L.  Locke,  the  present  proprietor,  became  his  successor.  The 
house  is  nicely  kept,  and  does  its  principal  business  in  providing  dinners  for 
guests  bound  to  and  from  the  resorts  around  Schroon  Lake  and  farther  north 
and  west. 

The  first  postmaster  here  was  Joel  F.  Potter,  who  received  the  appointment 
in  1839.  He  had  the  office  five  or  six  years,  and  then  gave  place  to  Michael 
Codman,  in  whose  name  the  office  was  conducted,  by  himself  and  his  daughter, 
Sarah  Ann  Codman,  until  i860.  James  Wallace  then  served  until  1865,  and 
was  succeeded  by  WiUiam  R.  Codman.  In  1867  William  G.  Leland  was  ap- 
pointed; Charles  Brown  then  performed  the  postal  functions  for  Pottersville  for 
a  short  time,  and  was  followed  by  Livingston  H.  Jenks,  the  politically-mori- 
bund incumbent  of  the  present  day. 

The  condition  of  the  vicinity  in  1840,  in  addition  to  what  has  already  been 
inferentially  described,  may  be  deduced  from  the  fact  that  the  State  road,  so- 
called,  which  John  Thurman  constructed,  was  then  in  good  condition.;  all  the 
other  roads  now  used  about  here  have  been  opened  since.  Among  the  early  resi- 
dents here  may  be  mentioned  C.  F.  Kipp,  L.  H.  Jenks,  Joseph  Hotchkiss,  B.  Van- 
denthuyzen,  Garrett  Vandenthuyzen,  and  Jacob  Vandenthuyzen,  three  broth- 
ers. Jacob  Vandenthuyzen  has  a  number  of  descendants  living  here  and  about 
here  now. 


548  History  of  Warren  County. 

Business  Interests. — S.  B.  Morey  has  had  a  general  store  in  Pottersville 
since  1858  or  i860.  He  began  in  the  same  building  which  he  now  occupies, 
though  he  has  enlarged  it  considerably  beyond  its  original  proportions.  J.  H. 
Griswold,  M.  D.,  began  preparing  and  dispensing  drugs  and  medicine  in  the 
village  in  i860.  He  came  to  the  present  location  in  1880.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1845,  and  has  been  a  licentiate  of  the  Warren 
County  Medical  Society  since  1876.  Silas  Daimon  has  kept  a  general  store 
here  for  about  twenty  years.  Edgar  Wilcox  established  his  hardware  and  gro- 
cery business  here  in  the  spring  of  1879.  He  has  occupied  the  buildings  he 
now  owns  since  September,  1883.  P.  M.  Griswold,  brother  to  J.  H.  Griswold, 
has  been  the  latter's  partner  and  conducted  the  dry  goods  department  since 
1880.  R.  S.  Pritchard  has  kept  a  general  store  here  since  the  fall  of  1881. 
Frank  A.  Griswold,  son  of  J.  H.  Griswold,  was  licensed  to  practice  pharmacy 
in  December,  1884,  by  the  State  Board  of  Pharmacy,  and  as  dentist  in  August, 
1879,  under  the  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  on  June  20th,  of  that  year. 

B.  S.  Phelps  has  run  the  steam  saw-mill,  planing-mill,  and  grist-mill  in  the 
south  part  of  the  village  since  1878. 

James  A.  Skiff  has  practiced  law  in  Pottersville  ten  or  twelve  years.  His 
business  is  done  chiefly  before  the  .Departments  at  Washington. 

Dr.  E.  J.  Dunn  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  New  York,  on  March  3d,  1883.  He  has  been  practicing  medicine  in 
Pottersville  for  the  past  seven  years,  after  completing  a  course  of  study  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  F.  L.  R.  Chapin,  of  Glens  Falls. 

Churches. —  The  oldest  church  in  Pottersville  is  the  Methodist,  which  was 
organized  in  18 10,  while  all  this  tract  was  as  yet  a  thinly  peopled  and  inhos- 
pitable wilderness.  Indeed,  the  community  had  been  edified  by  preaching  for 
years  before  even  that  date,  as  tradition  and  the  records  concur  in  saying  that 
the  lamented  Rev.  Richard  Jacobs  exhorted  and  preached  about  here  as  early 
as  1796.  The  first  class-leader  of  the  class  formed  in  iSiowas  Eli  Beebe.  A 
Sunday-school  was  organized  in  1835  by  T.  S.  Burnet.  The  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  1847,  and  repaired  and  beautified  in  the  interior  in  1884.  Fol- 
lowing is  the  list  of  pastors:  181 1,  Lansing  Whiting;  1812,  Gersham  Price; 
1813,  Tobias  Spicer;  1814,  Gilbert  Lyon;  1815,  Elijah  Hibbard  ;  i8i6,  Dan- 
iel Braton;  18 17,  Daniel  J.  Wright;  18 18,  Sherman  Miner;  18 19,  Daniel  Bra- 
ton;  1820,  Jacob  Hall;  1821,  C.  Silliman ;  1822  and  1823,  Phineas  Doane ; 
1824,  John  Clarke  ;  1825  and  1826,  Roswell  Kelley,  assisted  by  Joseph  Ames  ; 
1827,  Jacob  Beeman ;    1828,  Nathan  Rice  and  Alexander  Hulin. 

In  1828  the  Luzerne  and  Warren  circuits  were  divided,  leaving  a  large  cir- 
cuit on  the  north  to  be  traveled  by  two  preachers.  In  1830  and  '31  Seymour 
Coleman  and  Seth  Eyres  traveled  the  circuit;  1832,  '33,  Joseph  McCheney, 
Henry  Coleman,  and  Chester  Chamberlain  ;  1834,  Reuben  Wescott  and  James 
Cobet;    1835,  Joel  Squier  and  John  Fitch  ;    1836,  William  Richards  and  Horace 


Town  of  Johnsburgh.  549 


Campbell;  1837,  '38,  (the  circuit  was  divided  in  1837)  B.  Pomeroy ;  1839, 
Alonzo  Richards;  1840,  '41,  Ezra  Sayre,  assisted  by  William  Hull  and 
Reynolds;  1842,  '43,  I.  D.  Burnham,  assisted  by  Ira  Holmes  and  L.  S.  Mott ; 
1844,  '45.  Joseph  Connor,  and  Warren  Fox;  1846,  '47,  Chester  Lyon;  1848, 
'49,  Samuel  Hughes;  1850,  '51,  G.  H.  Townsend ;  1852,  '53,  David  Noble; 
1854,  '55,  Daniel  Rose;  1856,  '57,  A.  Stevens;  1858,  no  record  kept;  1859, 
'69,  H.  M.  Munsee;  1862,  '63,  A.  Shurtliff;  1864,  F.  F.  Hannah;  1865,  '66, 
Z.  Picket;  1867,  '68,  G.  D.  Rose;  1870,  '71,  '72,  R.  Campbell;  1873,  J.  C. 
Walker;  1874,  '75,  P.  M.  Hitchcock;  1876,  '77,  J.  W.  Coons;  1878,  '79,  E- 
Comstock;  1880,  R.  Patterson  ;  1881,  H.  S.  Allen;  1882,  '83,  Joel  Hall;  1884, 
'85,  R.  E.  Jenkins. 

The  Episcopal  Church  was  organized,  and  the  edifice  erected  soon  after  the 
construction  of  the  Methodist  house  of  worship.  No  services  are  held  here 
now. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 
HISTORV  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  JOHNSBURGH. 

JOHNSBURGH  is  the  northwestern  town  of  Warren  county,  being  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  town  of  Minerva,  in  Essex  county,  on  the  east,  across 
the  Hudson,  by  Chester,  on  the  south  by  Thurman,  and  on  the  west  by  the 
town  of  Wells,  in  Hamilton  county.  Its  surface  is  everywhere  broken  by  lofty 
and  precipitous  mountains,  composed  for  the  most  part  of  solid  rock.  The 
northern  and  central  part  is  occupied  by  the  Schroon  range  of  mountains,  and  the 
south  by  a  spur  of  the  Kayaderosseras.  Crane  Mountain,  the  highest  peak  of  the 
latter  range,  attains  an  altitude  of  3,289  feet  above  sea  level.  Its  name  is  de- 
rived from  the  circumstance  that  a  small  pond  which  nestles  in  a  concavity 
near  the  summit  of  the  mountain  is  much  frequented  by  cranes.^ 

The  greater  part  of  the  town  is  too  rough  and  stony  for  cultivation,  the 
arable  land  being  thus  confined  to  the  narrow  valleys  formed  by  the  Sacandaga 
and  other  small  streams  which  find  their  devious  ways  from  source  to  mouth. 
The  soil  is  a  sandy  and  gravelly  loam.  Kaolin,  serpentine  iron  ore,  and  a  few 
other  minerals  are  found  in  small  quantities. 

The  early  history  of  the  town  has  been  so  well  written  by  Dr.  Holden  for  the 
Warrensburgh  News,  from  matter  furnished  him  by  David  Noble,  of  Weaver- 
town,  that  we  cannot  refrain  from  drawing  largely  from  this  storehouse  in  the 
compilation  of  this  chapter. 

I  Seen  from  Warrensburgh,  eleven  miles  away,  the  mountain  presents  a  remarkable  similitude  to  the 
profile  of  tlie  human  face. 


SSo  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  town  was  taken  from  the  old  town  of  Thurman  on  the  6th  of  April, 
1805.  The  records  for  the  first  two  years  are  not  to  be  found.  The  officers  for 
1807,  however,  are  given,  as  it  gives  a  good  partial  list  of  the  early  settlers  here: 
Supervisor,  John  Richards;  assessors,  Norris  Hopkins,  Archibald  Noble,  Henry 
Allen  ;  highway  commissioners,  Joseph  Wilcox,  Edward  Noble,  Nathaniel 
Trumble ;  constable  and  collector,  Joseph  Hopper ;  constable,  Lyman  Lee  ; 
fence  viewers,  Andrus  Weaver,  William  Leach ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Rob- 
ert Armstrong,  James  Parker ;  committee  to  build  pound,  Joseph  Hopper, 
Lemuel  Humphrey,  John  Thurman ;  pathmasters.  Job  Wood,  Reynolds 
Weaver,  Joseph  Wells,  Lemuel  Harndon,  Charles  J.  Wetmore,  Edward  Noble, 
Samuel  Morehouse,  David  Kibby,  Samuel  Somerville,  Samuel  Ross,  Samuel 
Baxter,  John  Pasco,  Richard  Stratton,  Archibald  Washburn,  Archibald  Noble, 
Abiram  Galusha. 

The  old  town  of  Thurman  included  the  present  Thurman,  Bolton,  Chester, 
Warrensburgh,  Stony  Creek,  a  part  of  Caldwell  and  all  of  Johnsburgh.  It 
derived  its  name  from  John  Thurman,  the  original  patentee,  who  purchased  it 
in  about  1778.  Its  present  name  was  derived  from  his  given  name.  He  made 
the  first  clearing  in  the  twelfth  township  of  Totten  and  Crossfield's  Purchase 
on  Elm  Hill,  one  mile  southeast  of  the  site  of  Johnsburgh  Corners,  in  about  the 
year  1790.  Mr.  Noble  says  that'Mr.  Thurman  named  the  place  Elm  Hill  from 
a  large  and  beautiful  elm  tree  standing  on  a  prominent  knoll  on  this  plateau, 
and  that  for  many  years  the  territory  west  of  the  Hudson  River  and  north  of 
Athol  was  known  among  the  friends  in  England,  Ireland  and  America  as  Elm 
Hill,  and  letters  to  the  inhabitants  here  were  so  addressed.  The  nearest  post- 
office  was  Thurman,  now  Warrensburgh.  About  the  same  time,  1790,  Thur- 
man began  to  clear  land  on  Beaver  Brook,  nearly  a  mile  west  from  Elm  Hill, 
and  in  1790  or  soon  after  he  erected  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  on  the  falls  of 
of  the  brook.  Settlers  then  began  to  move  in  from  England,  Scotland,  Ire- 
land and  New  England.  They  took  up  farms  varying  in  size  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  acres.  In  1794  Thurman  built  the  first  framed  barn  in  town.  It 
extended  thirty  by  forty  feet  and  was  laid  by  Enos  Grover,  a  cooper,  by  the 
scribe,  or  "  cut  and  try  "  rule,  the  method  of  framing  buildings  in  those  days. 
This  barn,  which  has  been  resilled  once  and  reshingled  twice,  still  stands  on 
the  Elm  Hill  farm,  and  is  in  good  repair.  About  this  time  Thurman  also 
opened  a  store  and  put  up  a  distillery  to  create  a  market  for  the  large  quan- 
tities of  rye  which  the  newly-cleared  lands  produced.  In  those  days  the  grain 
was  malted  for  distillation,  hence  a  store,  malt-house  and  kiln  was  built  for  the 
purpose.  It  is  said  that  most  of  the  whisky  made  was  used  in  the  town. 
French's  Gazetteer  states  that  in  1795  Thurman  erected  a  woolen  factory,  which 
was  soon  changed  to  a  cotton  factory,  and  that  as  early  as  1797  he  erected 
his  calico  printing  works,  the  first,  it  is  believed  in  America.  Mr.  Noble  dif- 
fers from  it  in  that  he  does  not  mention  the  woolen  works,  and  dates  the  con- 


Town  of  Johnsburgh.  55' 


struction  of  the  cotton  factory  and  calico  printing  factory  between  1800  and 
1 804.  These  last  two  stood  about  thirty  rods  above  his  saw  and  grist-mill. 
As  early  as  iSoo  this  mighty  pioneer  also  erected  ash  works,  and  made  large 
quantities  of  potash,  which  at  that  time  and  for  thirty  years  after  brought  good 
prices.  Farmers  were  paid  one  shilling  a  bushel  for  ashes,  while  potash  brought 
from  $2.00  to  $3.50  per  ton. 

Thurman  had  his  cotton  factory  machinery  made  and  put  up  on  the  spot 
by  an  English  machinist  named  Joseph  Holden.  The  spinning  and  weaving 
department  was  under  the  superintendence  of  Daniel  McGinnis,  an  Irishman. 
The  calico  printing  was  done  by  James  Smalley,  an  Englishman,  of  enormous 
height,  size  and  strength.  The  stones  in  Thurman's  grist-mill  were  made  by 
Jeremiah  Harrington  from  granite  which  was  found  in  the  vicinity.  David 
Noble  well  remembers  the  old  man  and  has  often  seen  those  granite  mill- 
stones. John  Thurman,  the  founder  and  operator  of  all  these  industries,  was 
killed  at  Bolton  Landing  in  September,  1807,  by  a  vicious  bull,  and  was  buried 
on  his  own  premises,  on  ground  now  included  in  the  Methodist  cemetery  at 
Johnsburgh  Corners.  So  closely  identified  was  he  with  the  business  which  he 
conducted  that  at  his  death  they  all,  except  saw  and  grist-mills,  closed  and 
have  never  since  been  operated. 

~^  The  first  death  in  town  was  that  of  Enos  Grover,  father  of  the  cooper  be- 
fore mentioned.  It  occurred  in  about  the  year  179$.  He  was  buried  in  the 
plot  of  ground  just  above  described.  The  attendants  at  the  funeral  were  his 
family  and  four  of  Thurman's  men.  The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Calvin 
Washburn  and  Elizabeth  Waddell,  daughter  of  Robert  Waddell.  The  first 
white  child  born  in  town  was  Polly,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Julia  (Hodgson) 
Waddell.  Polly  was  married,  when  a  young  lady,  to  Bishop  Carpenter,  and 
was  the  mother  of  Jordan  Carpenter,  now  of  Chestertown.  The  first  tavern  in 
town  was  kept  by  Joseph  Hopper,  in  about  the  year  1800,  at  now  Johnsburgh 
Corners.  The  first  post-office  was  established  in  1817  or  1818  in  the  same 
neighborhood.  The  postmaster  was  Dr.  Martin  Gillett,  who  remained  in  office 
until  about  1830,  when  he  went  West,  and  was  succeeded  by  Clark  Burdick. 

The  first  settlers  prior  to  Thurman's  death  were  Robert  Maxham  and  fam- 
ily, Samuel  Hamden  and  family,  Robert  Waddell,  son  and  daughter,  Joseph 
Hopper,  first  hotel-keeper ;  Joseph  Robinson,  William  Leach,  Timothy  John- 
son, Reuben  Washburn,  Archibald  Washburn,  Samuel  Morehouse,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  and  family.  John  Pasco,  Thomas  Morehouse,  John  Ward, 
Samuel  Ross,  David  Kibber,  Philaster  Purney,  Nehemiah  Grover  and  Samuel 
Millington  were  also  all  Revolutionary  soldiers,  and  settled  here  with  their 
families.  Others  were :  John  Jones,  a  Welsh  cloth  manufacturer,  and  family  " 
Samuel  Baxter  (Welsh)  and  family,  George  Hodgson  (English)  and  family, 
John  Armstrong  (Irish)  and  family,  Adam  Armstrong  (Irish)  and  family, 
David  Noble  (Irish)  and  sons,  Archibald,  Edward,  William  and  John  ;  Thomas 


552  History  of  Warren  County. 

Somerville  (Irish)  and  sons,  John,  Samuel,  Archibald  and  Thomas  ;  John  Rich- 
ards (Welsh  surveyor).  Assemblyman  and  Member  of  Congress  from  Warren 
county,  and  supervisor  from  Johnsburgh  many  years  ;  Levi  Hitchcock  and 
family,  Jeremiah  Harrington  and  family,  Calvin  Crawford,  Ebenezer  Fish  and 
family,  Lemuel  Humphrey  and  family,  Henry  Allen  and  family,  John  B.  Gage, 
Stephen  Scripter,  Silas  Harrington,  Enos  Grover,  Enos  Grover,  jr.,  Daniel 
Stratton,  Benajah  Putnam,  Silas  'Sheffield,  John  G.  Brewer,  Andrew  Weaver 
and  family,  William  Weaver,  John  Weaver,  Jonathan  Barney,  Archibald  Wil- 
cox, Joseph,  Isaiah  and  Jacob  Wilcox,  James  Parker  and  family,  Daniel  Rob- 
ertson and  Alexander  Robertson  (Scotch),  Alexander,  Nathaniel  and  Norman 
Trumble,  Samuel  Barber,  J.  P.  ;  John  Williams,  Charles  Wilson,  Benjamin  L. 
and  Charles  C.  Thomson,  Hiram,  Elisha  and  Elijah  Ross,  Josephus  Lee,  Jere- 
miah Bennett,  Nathan  Raymond  and  family,  John  Monell  and  family,  Norris 
Hopkins  and  family,  Abiram  Galusha  (a  Revolutionary  soldier)  and  family, 
Job  Wood,  Nathaniel  Barber,  Martin  Gillett,  M.  D.,  the  first  physician  in  town. 
The  first  religious  societies  in  town  were  of  the  Baptist  and  Methodist  de- 
nominations, the  New  England  settlers  being  for  the  most  part  Baptists,  and 
the  English  and  Irish  portion  Methodists.  The  first  Baptist  preachers  who 
visited  the  town  were  Elder  Jehiel  Fox,  of  Chestertown,  and  Elder  Bateman 
At  this  time  the  Baptists  were  the  most  numerous  denomination  in  town.  Al- 
though this  people  for  the  last  seventy  years  have  had  most  of  the  time  a  pas- 
tor settled  here,  yet  they  erected  no  house  of  worship  until  within  three  years 
they  built  a  neat  little  chapel  at  North  River.  Their  present  membership  is 
less  than  it  was  forty  years  ago. 

David  Noble,  a  local  preacher,  and  father  of  the  first  Methodist  family  in 
Johnsburgh,  was  the  son  of  Archibald  Noble,  of  English  descent,  and  Eleanor 
(Jamison)  Noble,  of  Scotch  extraction,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  December,  1734. 
The  Noble  family  were  Episcopalians,  or  members  of  the  English  Church,  as  it 
was  then  styled.  When  a  young  man  David  Noble  was  converted  under  the 
preaching  of  John  Wesley,  who,  in  his  early  ministry,  often  visited  Ireland, 
and  together  with  his  sons  and  daughters  united  with  the  Methodist  societies. 
In  179s  he,  a  widower,  and  his  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  adults  and 
unmarried,  came  to  America  and  settled  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where,  with 
his  eldest  son  Archibald,  he  labored  as  a  stone  and  brick  mason.  The  family 
attended  the  old  John  street  Methodist  Church.  In  1798,  under  the  persuasive 
influence  of  John  Thurman,i  he  came  to  the  wilderness  lands  of  Thurman  Pat- 
ent, now  Johnsburgh,  and  purchased  four  hundred  acres  in  a  body — one  hun- 
dred for  each  son — and,  in  i8oo,  moved  upon  the  tract  and  began  to  clear  the 
land.      He  put  up  log  buildings  near  Beaver  Brook,  which  intersected  each  of 

1  The  story  is  told  of  Thurman  that  in  his  efforts  to  colonize  his  patent  he  was  in  the  hahit  of  ex- 
hibiting beech  nuts  to  tlie  natives  and  immigrants  in  New  York  and  observe  that  that  was  the  kind  of 
buckwheat  that  could  be  raised  on  Elm  hill.  Let  the  reader  weigh  the  probabilities  of  the  story  for 
himself. 


Town  of  Johnsburgh.  553 


the  four  parcels.  He  then  inaugurated  a  series  of  meetings  at  his  own  house 
and  at  the  mills  of  Mr.  Thurman — now  Dunn's  mills,  near  Johnsburgh  Corners. 
The  Methodist  preachers  of  Cambridge  Circuit  immediately  followed,  and 
preached  at  Mr.  Noble's  house  once  in  six  weeks.  The  first  of  these  preachers 
were  Samuel  Howe,  Martin  Rutter,  Elijah  Hedding  (afterward  a  bishop), 
David  Brown  and  Mitchell  B.  Bull.  The  members  of  the  first  Methodist  class 
in  town  were  David  Noble,  his  sons  and  daughters,  Thomas  Somerville,  a 
brother-in-law  and  an  elder  in  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Ireland,  and  his  wife  ; 
William  Leach  and  wife,  Adam  Armstrong  and  wife  (who  afterward  lived  and 
died  in  Albany),  Elizabeth  Somerville,  Elsee  Robinson,  Rachel  Hitchcock, 
Mrs.  Enos  Grover,  Mrs.  A.  Edwards,  John  Armstrong,  Rebecca  Armstrong, 
and  Dyer  Burdick,  of  Athol.  The  first  class-leaders  were  David  Noble,  Adam 
Armstrong  and  William  Leach  (an  exhorter).  From  that  time  to  the  present 
Methodist  preaching  has  continued  here  without  interruption. 

In  July,  1807,  David  Noble  went  on  horseback  to  Arlington,  Vt,  on  a  visit 
to  his  eldest  daughter,  Jane,  wife  of  Richard  Empey.  On  the  lOth  day  of  the 
month,  while  attending  a  Methodist  meeting  in  a  school-house,  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  sermon  he  delivered  an  impassioned  exhortation,  sat  down  and  died 
without  a  struggle.  He  had  attained  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  His  last 
words  were :  "  And  may  this  be  our  happy  lot  till  Heaven. "  He  was  buried 
at  Ash  Grove  Church  —  the  first  Methodist  Church  erected  north  of  New  York 
city  —  beside  the  graves  of  the  Revs.  David  Brown  and  Philip  Emburg,  in  the 
town  of  Cambridge.  In  June,  1876,  his  grandson,  David  Noble,  of  Weaver- 
town  (who  furnishes  much  of  the  information  contained  in  this  chapter),  ex- 
humed his  remains  and  re-interred  them  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Methodist 
Church  of  Johnsburgh.  He  also  removed  with  the  body  the  marble  slab  which 
marked  his  resting  place  at  Cambridge.^ 

Following  is  a  list  given  by  Mr.  Noble,  of  aged  persons  who  have  died  in 
town:  Thomas  Somerville,  died  October  13th,  1815,  aged  81  years;  Mary 
Somerville,  his  wife,  died 1825,  aged  83  years;  Elizabeth  Somer- 
ville, a  sister,  died  August  I2th,  1837,  aged  90  years;  Archibald  Noble,  died 
August  14th,  1848,  aged  78  years;  Elisha  Ross,  died  October  3d,  1865,  aged 
80  years;  Hiram  Ross,  his  brother,  died  October  9th,  1869,  aged  88  years; 
Elijah  Ross,  also  a  brother,  died  May  9th,  1870,  aged  85  years;  John  Ward 
a  Revolutionary  pensioner,  died  June  3d,  1854,  aged  loi  years;  Samnel  Som- 
erville, died  April,  1872,  aged  99  years;  Thomas  Somerville,  died  June  2d, 
1877,  aged  94  years;   Edward  Noble,  died  March  12th,  1857,  aged  84   years; 

Mahala  Richardson,  died 1883,  aged  92  years;   Margaret  Hodgson, 

died  May  23d,  1884,  aged  92  years. 

1  David  Noble,  now  of  Weavertown,  is  a  grandson  of  the  subject  of  the  above  sketch,  son  of  Archi- 
bald Noble.  He  was  born  July  nth,  l8p4,  about  three  miles  west  of  his  present  residence.  He  first 
came  to  Weavertown  in  1833,  soon  after  the  tannery  was  built.  In  1843  he  bought  a  lot  and  erected 
thereon  the  building  in  which  he  now  lives  and  does  business.     He  opened  his  store  in  the  fall  of  1844. 


554  History  of  Warren  County. 

Johnsburgh  responded  with  alacrity  to  the  demand  for  volunteers  during 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Her  foremost  men  at  once  engaged  themselves  in 
the  work  of  procuring  enlistments,  and  so  well  did  they  do  their  work,  and  so 
patriotic  were  the  sentiments  of  the  inhabitants,  that  out  of  a  population  con- 
taining perhaps  not  five  hundred  men,  one  hundred  and  fourteen  found  their 
way  to  the  battle-field. 

For  many  years  Johnsburgh  suffered  from  great  and  manifold  disadvantages. 
Being  a  northern  town  of  the  county,  and  abutting  on  the  Northern  Wilderness, 
no  commerce  and  very  little  travel  passed  through  it.  For  years  the  inhabi- 
tants carried  their  grain  and  butter  to  Glens  Falls  and  Waterford  for  sale,  in 
return  purchasing  and  bringing  home  family  suppHes,  such  as  tea,  tobacco, 
molasses,  rum  (for  the  hay  and  harvest  season),  sole  leather,  cotton  and  woolen 
clothing.  At  times  somebody  would  make  a  spasmodic  effort  at  keeping  a 
store — falsely  so-called  —  by  dealing  in  small  quantities  of  rum,  tobacco,  salt, 
etc.  In  1832-33,  the  Weavertown  Tannery  was  built  by  William  Watson  and 
James  Wasson,  of  Blandford,  Mass.  The  enterprise  stimulated  the  dormant 
energies  of  the  inhabitants,  giving  employment  to  the  men,  creating  a  market 
for  bark  and  farm  produce,  and  awakening  hopes  of  other  industries  yet  to  come. 
Several  stores  were  soon  established. 1  A  few  years  later  a  tannery  was  built 
at  The  Glen.  It  burned  not  long  a  after,  was  rebuilt,  operated  a  few  years 
and  abandoned,  having  proved  a  source  of  loss  to  everybody  interested  in  it. 
In  1852  Milton  Sawyer  and  Wheeler  Mead  built  the  tannery  at  North  Creek. 
In  1875  a  Boston  company  erected  a  tannery  on  the  Sacandaga  River  in  the 
west  part  of  the  town,  which  is  still  in  operation. ^ 

The  first  church  edifice  built  in  town  was  erected  at  Weavertown  about 
1822,  by  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  having  a  membership  of  ten  persons. 
As  the  society  were  unable  to  procure  a  pastor,  some  of  its  members  joined 
other  societies,  while  others  moved  away.  In  1835  the  Baptists  finished  the 
church,  which  had  not  yet  been  plastered,  and  occupied  it  a  few  years,  but 
finally,  for  want  of  unity  among  the  members,  it  was  abandoned,  and  recently 
torn  down.  The  next  house  of  worship  was  the  Methodist  Church  at  Johns- 
burgh Corners,  which  was  begun  in  1838  and  completed  in  1843.  It  has  been 
in  use  since  it  was  repaired  in  1879,  and  is  now  in  good  condition.  Its  value  is 
placed  at  $2,000.  The  next  edifice  —  Methodist  —  was  built  in  the  Fourteenth 
Township,  or  North  River,  in  about  1847,  at  an  expense  of  about  $1,200,  and 
is  yet  in  use.  The  fourth  is  the  Free-will  Baptist  Church  of  North  Creek, 
which  was  built  in  1853.  It  cost  about  $2,000,  and  is  still  in  use  by  that  de- 
nomination.    The  sixth  ^  was  the  Methodist  Church   built  at  North  Creek  in 

1  It  it  a  noteworthy  fact  that  Weavertown,  North  Creek  and  Creek  Center  in  Stoney  Creek,  date 
the  origin  of  their  existence  as  villages  immediately  subsequent  to  the  erection  of  the  tanneries  which 
now  keep  them  alive. 

2  The  Weavertown  Tannery  will  be  closed  in  the  fall  of  1885  because  of  the  scarcity,  and  distance 
from  headquarters,  of  bark. 

3  See  Catholic  Church  given  below. 


Town  of  Johnsburgh.  555 


1879.  It  cost  about  $2,500.  The  seventh  is  also  a  Methodist  Church,  erected 
in  Weavertown  in  1879-80,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500.  It  is  very  neat  and  commo- 
dious. Its  dimensions  are  thirty-two  by  forty-eight  feet.  The  Catholic 
Church  of  North  Creek  was  organized  in  1875,  and  the  edifice  erected  in  the 
same  year  at  an  expense  of  $2,300.  The  first  pastor  and  Sunday-school  su- 
perintendent was  Rev.  J.  A.  Kelly.  Father  Lynch  followed  him,  and  was 
followed  by  Father  Green.  Next  came  Father  O'Mahoney,  now  of  Warrens- 
burgh,  and  in  the  fall  of  1884  the  present  pastor.  Father  Flood,  was  settled  as 
pastor. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  supervisors  from  1807,  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  and  a  list,  also,  of  the  present  town  officers:  1807-17,  John 
Richards  (in  181 1  he  was  elected  unanimously) ;  1820,  '21,  John  Boyd;  1822, 
John  Richards;  1823-27,  Archibald  Noble;  1829-32,  Nicholas  Rosevelt; 
1833,  Thomas  Somerville ;  1834,  '35,  Jacob  Wilcox;  1836,  '37,  John  D.  Dunn; 
1838,  Thomas  Somerville;  1839,  David  Noble;  1840, '41,  John  Richards; 
1842,  Nicholas  Rosevelt ;  1843-46,  John  Hodgson,  2d  ;  1847-50,  John  Noble, 
2d;  185  I,  John  D.  Somerville  ;  1852,  Nicholas  Rosevelt ;  1853,  John  Hodg- 
son; 1854,  Hugh  Waddell ;  1855-57,  Samuel  Somerville,  jr.;  1858,  John 
Noble,  2d;  1859,  John  Hodgson  ;  1 860,  George  P.  Wait;  1 861,  John  Hodg- 
son;  1862-65,  Robert  Waddell;  1866,  Charles  W.  Noble  ;  i867,'68,  Godfrey 
R.  Martine;  1870,  William  Waddell ,  1 871,  '72,  Barclay  Thomas  ;  1873,  John 
Straight;  1874,  Barclay  Thomas  ;  1875-77,  James  C.  Eld  ridge  ;  1878,  '79, 
William  Waddell ;  1880, '81,  James  C.  Eldridge  ;  1882,  A.  C.  Hall;  1883, 
'84,  Charles  W.  Noble;    1885,  Taylor  J.  Eldridge. 

The  present  town  officers  are  :  supervisor,  Taylor  J.  Eldridge  ;  town  clerk, 
Archibald  R.  Noble ;  justices  of  the  peace,  Charles  W.  Noble,  William  H. 
Waldron,  Samuel  Somerville,  Thomas  Eldridge  ;  assessors,  Seymour  C.  Arm- 
strong, John  A.  Straight,  George  S.  Bennett ;  commissioner  of  highways, 
Harry  Richards  ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  William  Dillon,  Samuel  Rexford  ; 
collector,  Robert  T.  Armstrong ;  constables,  Robert  T.  Armstrong,  George 
Wells,  William  Johnston  Luther  Waldron  ;  game  constable,  Seth  T.  Thomas  ; 
inspectors  of  election,  district  No.  i.  John  T.  Somerville,  Thomas  W.  Arm- 
strong, Delbert  Pasco  ;  district  No.  2,  William  H.  Waldron,  J.  B.  Randall,  Pat- 
rick Collins. 

The  population  of  the  town  has  been  recorded  as  follows  : — 1850,  1,503  ; 
1855,  1,983;  1860,2,188;  1865,2,286;  1870,  2,599;  1875,  2,577;  1880, 
2,742. 

Municipal  History. — We  have  departed,  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  from 
the  usual  method  of  writing  town  histories,  and  have  already  included  much 
that  might  have  properly  come  under  another  head.  We  could  not  adopt  a 
different  here  without  lessening  the  value  of  the  matter  so  well  compiled  by 
Mr.  Noble,  and  edited  by   Dr.    Holden.     There  are  some  sketches,   however, 


5S6  History  of  Warjren  County. 

which  we  beUeve  we  can  use  better  than  by  inserting  them  under  the  head  of 
municipal  history. 

As  has  already  been  indicated  the  first  settlement  in  the  town  was  in  the- 
near  vicinity  of  the  site  of  Johnsburgh  Corners.  It  is  now  a  village  of  the 
same  proportions  that  it  had  gained  years  ago.  The  oldest  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  the  place  is  that  now  condncted  by  Mrs  E.  A.  Phillips,  whose  husband^ 
Henry  Phillips,  now  deceased,  started  it  in  the  stone  store  opposite  to  the  pres- 
ent location,  in  i860.  He  first  went  into  partnership  with  John  Noble.  At 
the  expiration  of  two  years  this  relation  terminated.  Mr.  Phillips  bought  the 
building  now  occupied  by  his  widow,  and  associated  himself  with  John  W. 
Armstrong.  Two  years  more  brought  a  further  change,  this  time  Albert 
Wills,  a  brother-in-law  of  Phillips,  succeeding  Armstrong.  They  dissolved  in 
1 87 1,  and  Phillips  carried  on  the  business  alone  until  his  death  in  1874,  since 
which  time  his  widow,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Phillips  has  been  her  husband's  successor. 

The  building  in  which  she  plies  her  trade  was  built  about  1830,  by  Hiram' 
Truesdell,  and  used  by  him  as  a  store.  Charles  W.  Noble  has  had  a  general- 
store  here  also  since  the  spring  of  1879.  Before  that  he  was  a  merchant  in 
Weavertown.  In  September,  1 881,  Mrs.  S.  Martine  and  E.  G.  C.  Smith,  wife- 
of  A.  W.  Smith  entered  into  partnership  and  continued  on  a  large  scale,  a 
business  theretofore  carried  on  by  Mrs.  Martine  alone.  They  bought  the  build- 
ing which  they  use  of  William  Lackey.  A.  W.  Swith  occupies  a  part  of  the 
building  for  the  purpose  of  dealing  in  hardware.  William  Lackey  &  Son 
(Edmund)  opened  a  store  on  May  ist,  1885,  having  purchased  the  stock  of 
Theodore  Barrett,  who  had  run  a  store  in  the  village  for  a  year  before. 

Johnsburgh  Corners  boasts  of  one  hotel,  which  is  said  to  be  sixty-three 
years  of  age.  Its  first  proprietor  was  John  Fuller.  His  successors  have  been 
numerous,  being  in  order  as  follows  : — Samuel   Morgan,    Dr.    G.    R.    Martine, 

now  of  Glens  Falls,  John  Loveland,  Lorenzo  Pasco,  O.  Hitchcock, Drake,. 

William  Lackey,  John  A.  Rose,  William  Eldridge,  and  the  present  proprietor, 
Luke  Martin,  who  assumed  control  May  1st,  1885.  The  house  has  a  good  rep- 
utation.    It  will  provide  for  about  twenty-guests. 

The  medical  profession  alone  is  represented  in  this  little  hamlet  by  Dr.  M.. 
C.  Gill,  who  finished  his  medical  studies  in  the  Dartmouth  Medical  College  on 
the  29th  of  June,  1882,  and  within  two  months  thereafter  displayed  his  sign  to 
the  invalid  portion  of  this  neighborhood. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  first  postmaster  here,  Dr.  Martin  Gillet, 
served  from  1 8 17  or  1818  until  about  1830.  Clark  Burdick  succeeded  him. 
In  1855  John  Noble  was  in  office,  but  how  long  he  had  held  it  is  not  positive- 
ly known.  Henry  Phillips  was  appointed  in  1862  and  retained  the  office  until 
1874.     Since  then  his  widow,  Mrs.  Eunice  A.  Phillips  has  been  postmistress. 

Weavertown  began  its  regular  growth  as  a  village  immediately  after  the- 
opening  of  the  tannery  in  1833.     There  are   now  two  hotels  and  three  stores,. 


Town  of  Johnsburgh.  557 


besides  the  tanning  interests.  The  oldest  hotel  is  that  now  kept  by  B.  Mc- 
Laughhn,  who  has  been  its  proprietor  since  i860.  His  predecessor,  Ira  Rus- 
sell, built  the  house  some  years  before  and  kept  it  until  he  took  it.  J.  M. 
Waddell  became  proprietor  of  the  other  house  in  1867,  when  he  succeeded 
Robert  Lee.  Lee  had  been  connected  with  the  house  since  about  i860.  It 
•was  erected  by  John  Eldridge  and  John  Loveland.  Prior  to  Lee's  occupancy 
it  had  been  used  as  a  tavern  and  store  together. 

David  Noble  was  a  general  merchant  in  Weavertown  from  1869  to  Janua- 
ry, 1884,  when  his  son,  Archibald  R.  Noble,  succeeded  him.  It  is  now  prin- 
■cipally  a  drug  store.  William  Waddell  and  Robert  Waddell,  brothers,  built  in 
1865  the  store  now  occupied  by  the  former.  Robert  Waddell  died  in  1878. 
The  building  which  has  been  used  by  E.  &  W.  Moston  for  mercantile  pur- 
poses since  May  1st,  1881,  had  been  before  that  closed  about  a  year.  A.  B. 
Humphrey  kept  store  there  for  two  years  before  the  suspension.  It  had  been 
used  as  a  store  for  a  number  of  years. 

There  are  no  lawyers  in  Weavertown,  and  but  two  physicians,  Dr.  W.  W. 
Aldrich,  who  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege in  1877  and  began  to  practice  hers  in  1878,  and  Dr.  C.  J.  Logans,  who 
■was  admitted  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  in  1 87 1,  and  came  to  Weavertown  from  Ches- 
tertown  in  December,  1883. 

The  first  postmaster  at  Weavertown  was  John  Hodgson,  who  was  appoint- 
ed before  1850.  In  1869  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present  official,  David 
Noble. 

North  Creek. —  This  village  owes  its  origin  to  the  introduction  of  the  tan- 
nery here  in  1852.  T.  J.  Converse,  who  came  herein  1854,  informs  the  writer 
that  at  that  time  there  was  practically  no  village  here.  There  were  a  few 
roughly-constructed  boarding-houses,  and  one  store  kept  by  Russell  Fuller  in 
the  building  now  occupied  by  Taylor  Eldridge.  There  was  no  post-office 
here,  though  very  soon  after  that  Russell  P.  Fuller  received  the  appointment.^ 
In  1857  Mr.  Converse  was  appointed;  in  i860,  Moses  Ordway ;  in  1862, 
Wheeler  Mead;  in  1863,  Lyman  West;  in  1865,  Thomas  J.  Converse  again; 
in  1870,  William  H.  Waldron  ;  and  in  1872  the  present  incumbent,  Samuel 
Richardson. 

Mr.  Converse,  in  continuation,  states  that   the   religious  meetings  in  1854 
were  held  in  the  old   school-house;  that  there  was  no  saw-mill,  nor  grist-mill 
nor  ashery,  nor  distillery  here. 

Mercantile  Interests. —  The  oldest  mercantile  establishment  at  North  Creek 
is  the  one  now  conducted  by  T.  J.  Eldridge,  who  bought  out  William  Rem- 
ington in  September,  1884.  Remington's  predecessor  was  Elihu  Janes.  James 
Wilson  was  the  second  one  in  the  store  and   the   first  was  John  Straight.     P. 


1  Mr.  Converse  states  that  lie  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  that  he  held  the  office  eleven  years.     If 
so,  the  legislative  manuals  have  been  in  error.     We  have  followed  them. 


SS8  History  of  Warren  County. 

Moynehan  established  a  general  trade  in  North  Creek  in  1877.  In  May, 
1844,  he  sold  out  to  the  present  proprietors,  M.  Crehore  &  Co.  The  B.  A. 
Martine  Pharmacy  was  first  opened  in  the  fall  of  1880  by  B.  A.  Martine. 
Since  his  death  in  1881  A.  A.  Skinner  carries  on  the  business  under  the  same 
name. 

The  North  Creek  tannery,  already  mentioned,  was  erected  in  1852  by  Mil- 
ton Sawyer  and  Wheeler  Mead.  The  partnership  between  them  terminated 
about  1865,  and  Milton  Sawyer  conducted  the  business  alone  until  1876,  when 
the  present  proprietor,  John  Reed,  took  possession.  William  H.  Healy,  of 
Boston,  had  some  connection  with  the  business  up  to  1876.  He  furnished  the 
money  with  which  to  build  the  tannery  and  afterwards  furnished  it  with  hides. 
The  tannery  has  been  built  over  twice  since  1876.  About  twenty  men  are 
now  kept  busy  in  the  building-  and  as  many  more  furnish  the  bark,  though 
they  are  not  always  in  Mr.  Reed's  employ.  The  tannery  turns  out  30,000 
sides  of  leather  per  annum. 

Hotels. —  There  are  'two  hotels  at  North  Creek  —  the  American  Hotel, 
kept  by  John  Mclnerny  since  May  ist,  1872,  when  he  came  here  from  Ches- 
tertown  and  built  it.  The  house  will  accommodate  thirty  guests ;  and  the 
Adirondack  House,  of  which  J.  J.  Lyons  has  been  proprietor  for  four  years. 
William  Waldron  was  his  successor. 

Physicians. —  J.  L.  Fuller,  M.  D.,  received  his  degree  at  Dartmouth  Medical 
College  in  1881,  and  came  to  North  Creek  in  the  summer  of  1882.  Dr.  F.  W. 
Spoor  was  graduated  in  medicine  at  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  Col- 
lege, March  iSth,  1884,  and  bought  his  brother's  practice  at  North  Creek  in 
the  same  spring. 

North  River.  —  This  is  a  small  hamlet  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  con- 
taining one  hotel,  of  which  Danforth  Eldridge  has  been  proprietor  for  nearly 
fifteen  years ;  and  two  stores,  kept  respectively  by  Mr.  Amidon  and  Samuel 
Towne. 

In  1855  Schuyler  Fuller  was  postmaster  at  North  River;  he  was  succeeded 
in  1867  by  Lincoln  M.  Root.  In  1861  Henry  W.  Wilson  was  appointed;  in 
1863,  James  M.  Ordway;  1864,  Warren  W.  Gleason  ;  and  in  1866,  Danforth 
Eldridge,  the  present  postmaster. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

history  of  the  town  of  HAGUE. 


HAGUE  is  situated  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county,  along  the  north- 
ern shore  of  Lake  George.     The  surface  is  mountainous  in  the  extreme, 
so  that  not  more  than  one-fourth  of  it  is  capable  of  cultivation.    Along  the  shore 


Town  of  Hague.  559 


of  the  lake  the  mountains  generally  descend  much  more  abruptly  to  the  edge  of 
the  water  than  in  Bolton.  They  are  parts  of  the  ridge  and  spurs  of  the  Kaya- 
derosseras  Mountains,  and  are  separated  from  each  other  by  the  narrow  valleys 
of  Trout  and  Northwest  Bay  Brooks.  In  the  northwest  part  of  the  town  lie  the 
Trumbull  Mountains,  and  a  little  to  the  south  therefrom  is  Ash  Grove  Hill  rising 
to  an  elevation  of  2,000  or  2,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  On  the  lake 
shore  in  the  extreme  northeast  corner  of  the  town  and  county  is  Rogers's  Slide, 
a  mountain  nearly  a  thousand  feet  in  height,  with  smooth  summit  and  steep 
sides.  It  is  said  to  be  singularly  rich  in  minerals,  beautiful  specimens  of  garnet 
having  been  discovered  on  its  top,  and  graphite  abounding  in  its  bosom.  The 
name  is  derived  from  the  following  historical  circumstance:  Robert  Rogers  was 
sent  in  the  winter  of  1757-58,  with  a  small  party  of  followers,  to  make  observa- 
tions at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  where  he  met  a  party  of  the  enemy, 
and  after  a  sharp  skirmish,  was  defeated.  Rogers,  pursued  by  the  savages,  di- 
rected his  eager  footsteps  to  the  summit  of  this  mountain. 

"  Arrived  at  the  brow  of  the  precipice  he  threw  his  '  luggage  '  down  the 
steep  walls,  and,  reversing  himself  on  his  snow-shoes,  made  his  way  down 
through  a  ravine,  at  the  southwest,  to  the  lake ;  thence  around  to  the  foot  of 
the  slide.  The  savages,  following  to  the  edge  of  the  mountain,  where  the  track 
of  the  snow-shoes  seemed  lost  in  the  path  made  by  a  falling  body,  expecting, 
of  course,  that  whoever  had  attempted  it  could  not  have  reached  the  bottom 
alive,  must  have  been  considerably  surprised  to  see  the  brave  major  making  off 
on  the  ice  toward  the  head  of  the  lake."  ^     They  desisted  from  further  pursuit. 

Sabbath  Day  Point  is  a  headland  projecting  into  the  lake  near  the  southern 
border.  The  soil  is  a  light,  sandy  loam,  and  where  the  surface  admits  of  culti- 
vation produces  average  crops  of  oats,  corn,  potatoes,  and  buckwheat.  Iron  ore 
has  been  found  in  some  parts  of  the  town,  but  in  quantities  too  slight  to  en- 
courage the  opening  of  mines.     Black  lead  exists  near  the  center  of  the  town. 

The  town  of  Hague  was  formed  from  Bolton,  February  28th,  1807,  and 
was  at  first  known  as  Rochester.  Its  name  was  changed  to  Hague  on  April 
6th,  1808.  A  part  of  Horicon  was  taken  off  in  1838.  Settlement  was  begun 
here  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Among  the  first  settlers  in 
town  were  Abel  Rising,  Abner  Briggs,  Elijah  Bailey,  Samuel  Cook,  Ellis  Den- 
ton, Samuel  Patchin,  John  Holman,  Isaac  and  Uriah  Balcom,  and  Uri  Waiste. 
Probably  the  most  influential  family,  as  a  whole,  in  town,  is  the  Rising  family, 
although  their  progenitor,  Abel  Rising,  jr.,  did  not  come  to  Hague  until  181 1. 
Abel  Rising,  sr.,  lived  and  died  in  Suffield,  Connecticut.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  had  five  children  by  his  first  wife,  and  one  by  his  second.  His  second 
son  was  Abel  Rising,  jr.,  who  removed  to  Hague  in  March,  181 1,  and  died  here 
in  1822.  His  wife,  formerly  Lucinda  Kent,  of  Suffield,  died  in  Hague,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1832.     They  had  seven  children.     One  of  these  seven  wasZeno,  born  in 

1  Stoddard's  Lake  George,  pp.  119,  120. 


S6o  History  of  Warren  County. 

Suffield,  in  1802,  and  came  here  with  his  parents  when  he  was  nine  years  of 
age.  He  first  married  Roxie  Balcom,  of  Hague,  who  died  in  1846.  He  after- 
ward married  Cynthia  Balcom,  who  died  in  1862.  They  had  nine  children,  of 
whom  probably  the  best  known  here  is  Joel  W.  Rising,  now  proprietor  of  Ris- 
ing's Hotel,  at  Chestertown.  The  present  supervisor  from  Hague  is  nephew 
to  Abel  Rising,  jr.,  and  son  to  Rufus  Rising.  Another  well-known  family  are 
the  Balcoms.  Isaac  Balcom  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1777.  He  married 
Sally  Green,  of  his  native  place,  and  removed,  a  little  before  the  beginning  of 
the  present  centurj',  to  a  place- about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  lake,  in 
what  is  now  Hague,  now  being  the  farm  occupied  by  Mr.  Moss.  Two  of  his 
brothers,  Uriah  and  Caleb,  came  with  him  and  settled  on  farms  almost  adjoin- 
ing. Mrs.  Hosea  Remington,  the  writer's  informant,  was  the  youngest  of  the 
thirteen  children  of  Isaac  Balcom,  all  but  four  of  whom  are  now  dead.  She 
was  born  on  the  9th  of  September,  1823.  Of  the  other  early  settlers  named, 
the  following  brief  statements  have  been  ascertained  as  true :  Elijah  Bailey 
lived  until  about  1840  or  later,  at  Sabbath  Day  Point,  with  Captain  Sam 
Patchin  (of  whom  more  will  be  said).  Uriah  Balcom  lived  about  two  miles 
south  of  Hague  post-office,  where  Miles  E.  Morehouse  now  lives.  Uri  Waiste 
lived  about  a  mile  south  of  the  village  on  Law's  Patent,  on  property  now  owned 
by  L.  Burgess.  Rufus  Rising  lived  in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  where  his  son, 
Rufus  Rising,  now  lives. 

A  lead  mine  has  been  worked  for  the  past  ten  years  about  five  miles  west 
of  Hague  village.  It  is  said  that  the  mine  was  discovered  by  Samuel  Acker- 
man  whfle  he  was  skidding  logs.  The  mine  is  owned  by  New  York  parties, 
and  superintended  by  George  Hooper,  of  Ticonderoga. 

The  richest  portion  of  the  town  in  historic  incident  is  Sabbath  Day  Point. 
On  this  sandy  point,  in  1756,  a  party  of  Provincials,  under  Generals  Putnam 
and  Rogers,  defeated  a  superior  force  of  French  and  Indians.  Here,  on  the  5  th 
of  July,  1758,  Abercrombie  employed  the  successful  ruse  of  landing  with  his 
army  of  fifteen  thousand  men,  resting  until  near  midnight,  and  then  moving 
north  —  leaving  behind  a  hundred  blazing  piles  to  delude  the  enemy  into  the 
belief  that  they  were  still  there.  In  September,  1759,  General  Amherst  landed 
with  a  force  of  twelve  thousand  men  and  passed  the  Sabbath  with  saintly 
punctilio.^ 

One  of  the  most  important  personages  who  inhabited  Sabbath  Day  Point 
in  early  times  was  Captain  Sam  Patchin.  An  anecdote  related  of  him  in  Mr. 
S.  R.  Stoddard's  excellent  descriptive  guide  book  of  Lake  George,  and  verified 
as  thoroughly  as  may  be  by  ourselves,  can  be  told  no  better  than  in  Mr.  Stod- 
dard's own  language  (p.  106  et  seq.)  : — 

"  Vicar's  Island  is  just  north  of  the  Harbor  Islands.      Here  on  its  northern 

1  Although  it  ia  generally  believed  that  this  event  gave  the  Point  its  name,  there  is  really  little 
ground  for  the  belief,  as  the  point  is  mentioned  by  that  name  in  Rogers's  Journal  ]\st\s  28th,  1758, 
the  preceding  season. 


Town  of  Hague.  561 


border  an  affecting  incident  transpired  once,  of  which  Captain  Sam  Patchin, 
who  Hved  at  Sabbath  Day  Point  at  the  time,  was  the  hero.  One  winter's  day 
he  conceived  the  idea  of  sailing  his  grist  to  Bolton  mill  on  the  ice.  So,  piling 
the  bags  of  grain  into  the  old  cutter,  with  a  pitchfork  held  firmly  in  his  hands 
for  a  rudder,  he  hoisted  sail  and  sped  away  before  a  strong  north  wind. 

"  The  ice  was  '  glare  '  and  the  cutter  sailed  well,  remarkably  well ;  but  there 
was  not  so  much  certainty  about  the  satisfactory  behavior  of  the  steering  ap- 
paratus. The  old  man,  it  is  said,  was  given  to  spiritual  things  occasionally, 
and  had,  on  this  occasion,  evidently  hoisted  in -rather  too  much  rye  in  the  liq- 
uid form  to  conduce  to  the  safe  transportation  of  that  in  the  bags.  The  craft 
insisted  on  heading  directly  for  the  island,  and  could  not  be  diverted  from  its 
course  —  it  was  of  the  kind  called  'jumper'  —  a  mettlesome  old  jumper  at 
that,  and  the  captain  had  a  great  deal  of  confidence  in  its  ability  to  do  what- 
ever it  undertook.  So  he  decided  to  jump  the  island  —  he  tried  it;  it  was 
not,  strictly  speaking,  a  success.  The  cutter  reached  the  shore  and  hesitated 
—  a  part  of  it.  Sam  was  anxious  to  get  along,  and  continued  on  ;  then  he 
got  discouraged,  and  paused  —  in  a  snow-drift. 

"  Captain  Sam  was  always  dignified,  and  on  this  occasion  it  is  said  his  man- 
ner of  resting  on  that  snow-drift  was  remarkably  impressive.  Even  the  snow 
felt  moved,  and  the  island  itself  was  touched.  He  felt  persuaded  that  he  had 
made  a  mistake  in  leaving  his  cutter,  and  attempting  the  underground  route 
for  Bolton,  so  he  came  out  and  set  his  radiant  face  homeward — not  a  Sam  of 
joy  or  a  Sam  of  thanksgiving  exactly,  but  a  Sam  abounding  in  such  language 
as  would  set  a  mule-driver  up  in  business,  or  even  do  credit  to  the  boss  can- 
vasser of  any  circus  traveling." 

The  present  owner  of  the  house  which  the  hero  of  the  above  narration  kept 
is  now,  and  for  years  past  has  been,  Samuel  Westurn. 

There  is  a  tradition,  supported  by  more  or  less  equivocal  evidence  of  the 
nature  of  records,  to  the  effect  that  one  Samuel  Adams  lived  here  as  early  as 
1765.  The  most  authentic  evidence  is  the  undeniable  fact  that,  in  1767,  a 
patent  of  five  hundred  acres  called  the  Sabbath  Day  Point  Patent,  was  granted 
to  Samuel  Adams.  It  is  said  that  the  road  from  Bolton  to  Sabbath  Day  Point 
was  built  by  him,  in  consideration  of  which  he  received  the  patent  of  five  hun- 
dred acres  of  land. 

Among  other  patents  granted  was  the  Ellice  Patent  granted  to  James  Cald- 
well, Robert  McClelland  and  Robert  Cochrane.  Its  date  was  probably  but 
little  later  than  the  one  to  Adams.  It  included  an  extensive  tract  lying  north, 
west,  and  south  of  the  site  of  Hague  village,  and  extended  into  Essex  county. 
Another  parcel,  comprising  the  site  of  Hague  village  and  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  south  thereof,  eight  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  was  granted  to  James  Cald- 
well and  entitled  the  J.  Caldwell  or  Law's  Patent.  The  George  Trimble  Pat- 
ent included  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  town  and  projected  a  little  into  Essex  county.  3G 


562  History  of  Warren  County. 

A  patent  was  granted  also  to  George  Robinson  and  others,  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  and  to  Thomas  Ford  and  others,  two  hundred  and  seven  and 
one-half  acres,  comprising  the  strip  along  the  valley  of  the  south  branch  of 
Beaver  Creek.  The  Hague  tract  was  the  most  extensive  piece,  including 
more  than  six  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  of  the  western  part 
of  the  territory  forming  the  town. 

The  town  records  of  Hague  up  to  1^22  have  unhappily  been  lost,  and  the 
writer  must  therefore  content  himself  with  a  list  of  officers  elected  in  that  year, 
and  a  survey  of  the  history  of  the  community  from  that  time  to  the  present 
The  officers  elected  in  the  spring  of  1822  were  as  follows  :  — 

Supervisor,  William  Cook  ;  town  clerk,  Thomas  Gaige ;  assessors,  Elijah 
Bailey,  jr.,  Archibald  McMurphy,  Noah  Woodard ;  constable  and  collector, 
Calvin  Barnard  ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Amisa  Burt,  John  Holman  ;  commis- 
sioners of  highways,  Nathan  Taylor,  Titus  French,  Isaac  Balcom  ;  pound- 
master,  Nathan  Taylor ;  school  commissioners,  Nathan  Taylor,  Nathaniel  Gar- 
field, jr.,  Leonard  Holman ;  inspectors  of  schools,  William  Cook,  Joseph 
Glazier,  Thomas  Gaige.  The  following  officers  were  chosen  by  the  uplifted 
hand:  Overseers  of  highways :  i,  John  Patchin ;  2,  John  Holman;  3,  Dillon 
Stevens  ;  4,  Isaac  Balcom  ;  5,  Seth  Johnson  ;  6,  William  Woodard  ;  7,  William 
R.  Cleaveland ;  8,  Phineas  W.  Reed ;  9,  Uriah  Balcom  ;  10,  Nathan  Taylor ; 
II,  Noah  Woodard;    12,  Ira  Griggs;    13,  James  Olna. 

-  These  names  undoubtedly  represent  the  best  families  extending  throughout 
the  township  at  the  date  of  the  election.  Many  of  them  had  lived  here  since 
the  opening  of  the  century,  and  many  others  lived  here  almost  until  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  War.  There  has  been,  indeed,  but  little  change,  either  of 
growth  or  decline,  in  the  population  or  business  interests  since  1820  or  1830. 
In  1835  there  was  at  Hague  village  one  grist-mill,  one  saw-mill,  one  store,  one 
tavern  and  six  or  eight  dwellings.  In  i860  there  was  probably  as  much  busi- 
ness here  as  there  ever  has  been.  Rufus  Rising,  sr.,  then  owned  a  grist-mill 
up  Quaker  Brook,  about  eighty  rods  west  of  the  store  now  owned  by  L. 
Burge,ss  ;  H.  H.  Harris  ran  the  mill  for  Mr.  Rising.  Just  above  it  was  a  saw- 
mill run  by  Charles  F.  Bevins,  and  above  that,  another,  run  by  Newton  Wil- 
cox. The  grist-mill  and  upper  saw-mill  are  now  gone,  the  latter  going  down 
in  1862,  and  the  former  being  torn  down  about  four  years  ago  by  Lyman 
Bruce.  The  other  saw- mill  was  rebuilt  about  1870,  and  is  now  owned  by  Ed- 
win C.  Rand  and  Oliver  Yaw.^ 

Although  the  population  of  the  entire  town  of  Hague  did  not  reach  the 
sum  of  seven  hundred  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  she  furnished  one 

1  The  town  of  Hague  is  more  rich  m  history  than  her  neighbor  Bolton,  and  less  rich  than  her 
northern  friend  Ty.  In  addition  to  the  "  feats  of  broil  and  battle  "  performed  at  Sabbath  Day  Point 
in  colonial  days,  may  be  related  the  burning  of  the  steamer  John  Jay  off  Friends'  Point,  just  north 
of  Hague  village,  on  July  29th,  1856.  The  captain  at  the  time  of  the  fire  was  J.  Gale,  and  the  pilot. 
Captain  E.  S.  Harris.     Six  lives  were  lost. 


Town  of  Hague.  563 


hundred  and  six  volunteers,  and  but  one  man  was  drafted.  The  town  records 
do  not  contain  any  account  of  the  public  action  taken,  but  the  people  must 
have  been  nearly  unanimous  in  order  to  furnish  so  proud  a  contingent.  The 
men  enlisted  chiefly  in  the  Ii8th  Regiment,  the  Sth  N.  Y.  Cavalry,  and  the 
23d  Independent  Battery. 

In  i860  the  lumber  business  was  "  booming,''  no  fewer  than  10,000  logs 
being  floated  on  the  lake  to  "Ty,"  and  there  sawn.  Among  the  residents  of 
Hague  most  largely  interested  were  Samuel  Ackerman  and  Stephen  Hoyt. 
Nearly  all  the  farmers  were  engaged  during  the  winter  in  chopping  logs.  Such 
unremitting  industry,  while  it  added  to  the  wealth  of  the  laborers  then,  could 
not  fail  in  speedily  clearing  the  surface  of  the  country  of  all  the  valuable  tim- 
ber. In  the  last  few  years  scarcely  any  lumbering  has  been  done,  excepting 
the  cutting  and  hauling  of  poplar  to  Ticonderoga  and  Mechanicsville,  for  the 
pulp-mills. 

There  has  probably  been  no  potash  made  here  since  1820,  though  as  late 
as  i860  the  remains  of  an  old  ashery  could  be  seen  in  the  south  part  of  the 
town,  about  three  miles  from  Hague  village.  There  has  never  been  any  tan- 
nery in  town  that  pretended  to  the  dignity  of  the  name. 

There  was  a  Union  church  here  in  i860,  which  had  probably  been  erected 
about  1835,  or  soon  after.  In  i860  the  pastor  was  a  Wesleyan  clergyman 
named  Leard.  The  building  remained  the  only  church  in  the  village  until 
1879,  when  a  division  took  place,  and  the  Wesleyan  Methodists  erected  a  sep- 
arate building.  The  pastor  of  the  new  church  is  the  Rev.  John  Quay.  The 
old  church  is  without  a  pastor,  the  last  one  being  a  Free  Will  Baptist,  named 
Lister. 

The  earliest  record  found  of  a  post-office  at  Hague  is  in  1855,  when  Alvah 
Bevins  was  postmaster.  In  the  following  year  John  B.  Jenkins  was  appointed. 
Henry  H.  Harrison  succeeded  him  in  1858.  In  i860  the  office  had  been  dis- 
continued, but  within  a  few  months  was  re-established  with  Lewis  Burgess  in 
almost  supreme  control.  At  that  time  forty  per  cent,  of  the  stipend  allowed 
to  the  office  went  to  the  mail  carrier  and  the  residue  to  the  postmaster. 

In  order  to  accommodate  the  people  of  the  town  by  affording  the  mail  car- 
rier reward  enough  to  induce  his  bringing  the  mail  twice  a  week  instead  of 
once,  Mr.  Burgess  yielded  to  him  the  sixty  per  cent,  which  was  the  postmaster's 
due,  and  worked  for  nothing  himself  He  has  been  postmaster  ever  since  his 
first  a"ppointment.  He  has  run  a  store  in  connection  with  the  office  since  1865, 
when  he  bought  out  the  business  of  Henry  Newton.  About  ten  years  before 
Lewis  Burgess  began  to  sell  goods,  Henry  Newton  purchased  the  stock  and 
good-will  of  Alvah  Bevins,  who  had  kept  a  store  here  for  years.  Calvin  Bar- 
nard was  Bevins's  predecessor,  and  one  of  the  first  store  keepers  (if  not  the  first) 
in  town. 

There  is  but  one  regular  hotel  in  town   besides   the  one   kept  by  Samuel 


S64  History  of  Warren  County. 

Westurn,  at  Sabbath  Day  Point,  namely,  the  Phoenix  Hotel,  under  the  man- 
agement of  Mr.  Gilligan.  The  site  has  been  covered  by  a  hotel  for  many  years, 
and,  indeed,  it  is  said  that  some  sort  of  inn  has  stood  there  ever  since  Hague 
has  had  a  local  habitation  and  a  name.  Nathaniel  Garfield  kept  an  inn  there 
in  the  thirties,  and  probably  earlier.  He  built  a  more  pretentious  tavern  about 
1840,  and  remained  there  for  years,  acquiring  in  the  mean  time  an  enviable 
reputation  as  "  mine  host.  "  In  a  magazine  article  published  in  1853,  T.  Addi- 
son Richards  spoke  of  him  in  the  following  language:  "Three  miles  onward 
[from  Sabbath  Day  Point]  we  make  the  little  village  of  Hague,  if  village  it  can 
be  styled.  The  visitor  will  remember  the  locality  as  Garfield's  —  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  esteemed  summer  camps.  Judge  Garfield  would  seem  to  have 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  every  deer  on  the  hill-side,  and  with  every  trout 
in  the  waters,  so  habitually  are  these  gentry  found  at  his  luxurious  table.  An 
excellent  landing  facilitates  the  approach  to  Garfield's,  and  the  steamboat 
touches  daily  up  and  down. "  His  son,  Hiland  Garfield,  was  associated  with 
him  during  the  latter  part  of  his  reign.  In  the  spring  of  i86i  they  sold  out  to 
William  A.  G.  Arthur.  While  he  was  the  owner,  in  1863,  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  William  Miller  then  secured  title  to  the  property  and  at  once  erected  the 
present  house.  He  kept  the  house  for  a  time,  and  then  leased  it  to  various 
persons,  notably  Edwin  Norton  and  Alonzo  Russell.  He  died  in  October, 
1873.  The  hotel  was  then  in  the  hands  of  Joel  W.  Rising,  now  proprietor  of 
Rising's  Hotel  at  Chestertown,  who  remained  until  1883.  Mrs.  Marilla  Miller, 
widow  of  the  deceased  proprietor  of  former  days,  and  present  owner  of  the  house, 
then  leased  it  to  Alvah  E.  Grimes.  The  new  landlord  remained  about  eighteen 
months  and  then  left,  and  Mr.  Gilligan,  in  the  fall  of  1884,  took  an  assignment 
of  the  lease,  and  now  conducts  the  business.  He  has  had  considerable  hotel 
experience  at  Fort  Ticonderoga,  and  knows  how  to  keep,  what  in  fact  he  does 
keep,  an  excellent  hotel.  The  rooms  are  neatly  furnished  and  ventilated,  and 
the  table  cannot  be  surpassed.     The  house  has  a  capacity  for  fifty  guests. 

In  the  past  few  years  other  boarding-houses  have  been  opened  for  summer 
guests,  and  are  making  Hague  a  well  known  and  much  liked  resort.  Just 
north  of  the  Phoenix  Hotel  a  few  rods  is  the  Hillside  House,  having  a  capacity 
for  thiriy-five  guests,  and  owned  and  supervised  by  John  McClanathan.  Far- 
ther north  stilll  is  the  Trout  House,  kept  by  C.  H.  Wheeler,  and  providing  for 
twenty-five.  Next  is  the  Island  Harbor  House,  which  will  accommodate 
twenty-five  guests.     The  proprietor  is  A.  C.  Clifton. 

Below  is  printed  the  names  of  the  supervisors  from  Hague,  as  far  as  they 
could  be  obtained  from  thejrecords:  1813-16,  William  Cook;  1817-19, 
Thomas  Gaige;  1820-24,  William  Cook;  1825,  Nathaniel  Garfield;  1826, 
Thomas  Gaige ;  1827,  Stephen  Pratt;  1828,  Warner  Cook;  1829,  Stephen 
Pratt;  1830,  Nathaniel  Garfield;i  831-1833,  William  Cook  ;  1834, '35,  Calvin 
Barnard;    1836,  Nathaniel  Garfield;  .1837-39,  William  Cook;  1840,  '41,  Alvah 


Town  of  Caldwell.  565 


Bevins;  1842-44,  William  Ward;  1845,  Luma  Wing;  1846,  Thomas  C.  Brown  ; 
1847,  John  J.  Patten;  1848,  Alonzo  Morris;  1849,  Martin  Ward;  1850, 
Alonzo  Morris;  1851,  John  McClanathan ;  1852,  '53,  Alvah  Bevins;  1854, 
Josiah  C.  House;  1855,  Ephraim  Ward;  1856, '57,  Samuel  Westurn ;  1858, 
Curtis  Allen;  1859-61,  H.  H.  Harrison;  1862,  Lewis  Burgess;  1863,  W.  A. 
G.  Arthur;  1864,  H.  H.  Harrison;  1865,  William  M.  Marshall;  1866,  Lewis 
Burgess;  1867,  John  McClanathan,  jr.;  1868,  C.  F.  Bevins ;  1869,  John  Mc- 
Clanathan, jr. ;  1870-72,  H.  H.  Harrison;  1873,  John  McClanathan;  1874, 
W.P.Gannon;  1875,  John  McClanathan;  1876,  Lewis  Burgess;  1877,  '78, 
John  McClanathan  ;  1879,  James  A.  Balcom  ;  1880,  '81,  John  McClanathan  ; 
1882-84,  James  A.  Balcom;    1885,  Rufus  Rising. 

At  an  annual  town  meeting  held  on  the  7th  of  April,  1885,  at  Phoenix 
Hotel,  the  following  were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year : — 

Supervisor,  Rufus  Rising;  town  clerk,  William  M.  Marshall;'-  justice  of 
the  peace,  Rufus  Rising;  justice  of  the  peace  to  fill  a  contingent  vacancy,  A. 
C.  Clifton ;  assessor,  E.  T.  Ackerman ;  commissioner  of  highways,  William 
Baldwin  ;  constable  and  collector,  Nathan  E.  Yaw ;  constables,  Nathan  E.  Yaw, 
William  Sexton,  Wilson  Ward,  Eugene  Doolittle,  James  Leach  ;  game  constable, 
William  H.  Garfield ;  inspectors  of  election,  H.  G.  Phillips,  Joseph  Leavitt, 
Albert  C.  Clifton    (appointed) ;  sealer  of  weights  and  measures,   William   C. 

Evins  ;  commissioners  of  excise,  Nathan  Holman, ,  HoUis  Spaulding; 

overseer  of  the  poor,  Silas  B.  Ackman. 

Population  since  1850  has  been  as  follows  :  1850,  717;  1855,  615  ;  i860, 
708;.  1865,  685  ;    1870,637;    1875,678;    1880,807. 


CHAPTER  XXXn. 
HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN   OF   CALDWELL. 

THIS  township  was  organized  March  2d,  18 10,  and  was  composed  of  parts 
of  Queensbury,  Bolton  and  Thurman.  It  was  named  from  General 
James  Caldwell,  an  Albany  merchant,  who,  in  1787,  became  the  patentee  of 
1,595  acres  of  land  in  this  region,  in  four  parcels,  by  grants  dated  September 
1 8th— 29th  of  that  year.  The  southern  extremity  of  Lake  George  pushes 
nearly  into  the  center  of  the  town  from  the  northeast  corner.  Caldwell  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Bolton,  on  the  east  by  Lake  George  and  Queens- 
bury,  on  the  south  by  Queensbury,  and  on  the  west  by  Luzerne  and  Warrens- 
burgh.     The  Schroon  River  barely  touches  the  northwest  corner  on  its  way  to 

llo  whom  we  are  grateful  for  valuable  assistance. 


566  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  Hudson.  From  the  lake  westward  the  surface  rises  abruptly,  rendering 
the  central  portion  of  the  town  broken  and  hilly,  the  elevation  culminating  in 
the  steep  and  sightly  Prospect  Hill,  which  rises  about  two  thousand  feet  above 
tide.  South  of  it  a  low  valley  is  spread  southwest  through  Caldwell  and  Lu- 
zerne to  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Sacandaga  River,  and 
is  undoubtedly  a  continuation  of  the  valley  which  forms  the  basin  of  Lake 
George.  The  soil  among  the  elevations  in  the  Center  is  a  sandy  loam,  and  in 
the  lowlands  a  dark,  rich  mixture  of  clay  and  sand  with  loam.  Settlement  had 
commenced  here  years  before  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  but  in  common  with 
the  other  pre-  Revolutionary  communities  of  Northern  New  York,  it  was  totally 
exterminated  during  that  fierce  struggle  between  powers  and  principalities. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  however,  the  fertility  of  some  portions  of  the 
territory,  and  the  natural  beauty  of  the  whole,  attracted  immigration,  and  set- 
tlements were  recommenced.  General  James  Caldwell,  from  whom  the  town 
was  named,  the  father  of  William  Caldwell,  who  is  well  remembered  by  the 
settled  residents  of  the  town,  used  to  pass  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  in 
the  village  of  Caldwell.^  He  built  the  stone  structure  now  used  as  the  post- 
office,  and  for  a  number  of  years  used  it  as  his  office.  He  lived  near  the  site 
of  the  Mansion  House,  which  he  built.  His  will  was  made  in  1841,  and  he 
died  a  few  years  later.  He  owned  nearly  all  the  ground  now  covered  by  the 
village  of  Caldwell,  and  the  title  to  the  greater  part  still  resides  in  his  heirs.  A 
small  portion  only  has  been  sold.  Among  the  early  settlers  was  Daniel  Shaw, 
who  located  about  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Lake  George,  on  the  place  now 
owned  by  Henry  H.  Haden  on  the  Bolton  road.  After  his  death  one  son, 
Nathaniel,  lived  on  the  farm  for  years.  Another  son  was  David  Shaw.  His 
Hneal  descendants  are  now  all  dead.  Jehoicham  Staats,  another  pioneer,  lived 
at  the  beginning  of  this  century  on  the  place  now  called  the  Price  Manor,  two 
miles  north  of  Lake  George  on  the  lake  road.  His  grandson,  John  J.  Staats, 
is  one  of  the  present  highway  commissioners  of  the  town.  A  son  of  Jehoicham, 
named  Boynton  Staats,  practices  law  in  Albany.  Eli  Pettis,  who  came  here 
as  early  as  1800,  lived  where  the  Crosby  House  now  is.  Two  of  his  great- 
grandchildren are  now  living  in  the  town.  About  the  year  18 10  a  man  named 
Carter  lived  near  the  village  of  Caldwell  in  the  house  at  present  occupied  by 
Fred  B.  Hubbell.  None  of  his  descendants  lives  here  now.  Samuel  Pike  dwelt 
in  a  house  on  the  site  of  Daniel  Ferguson's  new  residence.  He  was  a  mason 
and  helped  build  a  number  of  the  oldest  houses  in  Caldwell,  among  them  be- 
ing the  old  "  stone  store."  His  many  children  are  all  dead.  Miles  Beach  was 
an  early  cabinet-maker  here,  and  had  a  shop  where  Mr.  Gleason  now  keeps  a 
meat-market  in  the  village  of  Caldwell.  His  children,  too,  are  all  gone.  John 
Beebe  was  one  of  the   first  lawyers  in  the  town,  and   lived  in  the  house   now 

1  This  village  is  by  many  called  Lake  George,  and  that  is  the  name  of  the  post-office,  but  we  have 
preferred  to  abide  by  the  old  name  in  the  text. 


Town  of  Caldwell.  567 


occupied  by  the  county  clerk,  David  V.  Brown.  He  was  supervisor  from  1823 
to  1829  or  '30  inclusive.  He  left  three  children.  Joseph  Whitley,  another 
lawyer,  went  from  here  in  early  times  to  Black  Brook,  Clinton  county,  where 
he  remained  until  his  death.  Daniel  Nichols  was  about  the  first  blacksmith. 
He  moved  into  the  western  part  of  the  State  a  long  time  ago.  One  of  the 
most  prominent  men  in  this  whole  vicinity  was  Thomas  Archibald,  uncle  to 
S.  R.  Archibald,  who  now  resides  at  Caldwell.  He  held  the  office  of  county 
clerk  for  forty-two  years,  longer  than  any  other  person  in  the  State  has  held 
that  position.  He  died  in  Warrensburgh  without  a  family.  Samuel  Payne 
came  from  Albany,  where  he  had  been  proprietor  of  the  Northern  Hotel,  and 
built  and  ran  the  Lake  House  at  the  head  of  Lake  George.  A  small  part  of 
this  old  tavern  was  standing  in  18 10,  and  courts  held  sessions  there  before  the 
erection  of  the  court-house.  Luther  Stebbins,  farmer  and  carpenter,  immi- 
grated to  the  town  before  1825,  and  located  about  two  miles  north  of  Caldwell 
village.  Hon.  William  Hay  was  a  very  prominent  lawyer  here  before  1820. 
Nathan  Brown  lived  about  a  mile  south  of  the  village.  A  son,  Alphonso 
Brown,  now  resides  at  Caldwell.  Early  physicians  were  Drs.  Tubbs,  Bugbee, 
Hicks  and  Cromwell.  S.  R.  Archibald,  of  Caldwell  village,  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  a  considerable  of  the  foregoing  information,  was  born  in  Salem, 
Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  in  March,  1819.  Upon  the  death  of  his  mother,  in 
182 1,  he  was  taken  to  an  uncle,  James  Archibald,  who  lived  in  Bolton  and 
afterwards  in  the  northern  part  of  Caldwell  on  the  Schroon  River.  The  infant 
Archibald  was  next  placed  in  the  care  of  Asa  Wilson,  who  lived  three  miles 
north  of  the  village  of  Caldwell  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Sylvanus  Taylor. 
In  1823  he  was  brought  to  the  village  of  Caldwell,  his  uncle,  Thomas  Archi- 
bald, being  then  county  clerk,  and  was  adopted  by  Hiram  Hawley,  a  shoe- 
maker. Hawley  was  probably  the  first  shoemaker  in  the  place.  Mr.  Archibald 
remained  with  his  guardian  until  he  attained  his  majority,  and  then,  having 
learned  the  shoemaking  trade,  he  entered  into  business  for  himself  In  1841 
he  purchased  the  property  which  forms  the  site  of  his  present  home.  The  lot 
was  then  covered  with  several  old  buildings,  among  them  a  dilapidated  old 
tannery  which  David  Alden  had  built  in  the  beginning  of  the  century  and  run 
for  years.  1  Mr.  Archibald  rebuilt  this  tannery  (in  1842  and  again  in  1852), 
and  conducted  it  until  1864,  when  he  tore  it  down.  He  is  now,  and  for  thirty- 
four  consecutive  years  has  been,  a  justice  of  the  peace.    Among  the  other  early 

settlers  in  the  town  were  Benoni  Burtch, Tierce,  Andrew  Edmonds,  Reed 

Wilbur,    Obadiah  Hunt,   Thaddeus  Bradley,    Elias  Prosser,   Nathan  Burdick, 

George  Van  Deusen, Butler  and  Christopher  Potter.      General  Caldwell 

erected  the  first  iron  and  the  first  grist-mill. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  on  Tuesda}',  April  3d,  18 10,  and  the  rec- 
ords are  introduced  in  the  following  language : — 

1  Alden   died   about   1826.     No  descendants   left.     He  was  supervisor  for  nine  years   succeed- 
ing 1814. 


S68  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  Agreeable  to  a  law  that  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  new  town  in  the  County  of  Washing- 
ton, known  by  the  name  of  Caldwell,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Caldwell 
met  on  Tuesday,  the  third  day  of  April  for  the  purpose  of  holding  their  first 
annual  town  meeting  at  the  house  of  Samuel  Allen,  when  the  following  per- 
sons were  chosen  for  office  :''  James  Archibald  was  elected  supervisor;  John  B. 
Prosser,  clerk ;  assessors,  Daniel  Nichols,  Jesse  Bishop  and  William  Peffers ; 
commissioners  of  highways,  Pardon  Crandall,  Asa  Wilson,  Michael  Harris ; 
overseers  of  the  poor,  Halsey  Rogers,  John  Simpson  ;  constable  and  collector, 
Pardon  Crandall ;  constable,  Joseph  Gibbs ;  poundkeepers,  Daniel  Shaw  and 
Nathaniel  Smith.  Two  weeks  later  a  special  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Samuel  Allen,  and  the  following  persons  were  chosen  overseers  of  highways 
for  the  eight  districts  then  in  the  town  : — Samuel  Cole,  Michael  Harris,  John 
Simpson,  Gilbert  Worden,  Pardon  Crandall,  Ezra  Fuller,  Nathan  Crandall, 
Aaron  Gates.  The  early  records  are  full  of  measures  adopted  by  the  board  of 
supervisors  and  voted  upon  by  the  citizens  relative  to  the  laying  out  and  open- 
ing of  new  roads,  «■.  ^.,  in  1817  a  new  road  was  constructed  from  the  foot  of 
the  hill  south  of  Fort  William  Henry  to  the  State  road.  Other  curious  and 
interesting  facts  are  hidden  in  the  thumb-worn  and  dust  covered  volumes  in 
the  county  clerk's  office.  In  1818  a  bounty  of  twenty-five  cents  was  offered 
for  every  crow  killed  in  the  county.  In  18 19  the  town  was  divided  into  three 
school  districts,  and  district  No.  i,  according  to  a  report  of  the  commissioners, 
had  had  six  months  and  six  days  of  school;  the  sum  of  $16.90  school  money 
was  received,  and  there  was  an  attendance  of  fifty-three  children.  The  entire 
school  fund  was  $163.03.  In  1820  a  penalty  of  $1.00  was  laid  for  every  hog 
found  on  the  common  without  a  yoke.  In  1821  the  town  was  divided  into 
four  school  districts,  and  had  a  school  fund  of  $165.05.  With  the  exception 
of  one  or  two  short  roads,  all  the  roads  were  laid  out  between  1825  and  1850. 

By  virtue  of  its  situation  at  the  head  of  Lake  George,  the  village  of  Cald- 
well was  formerly  the  emporium  of  the  county,  and  indeed  of  the  whole  Lake 
George  region.  There  was  a  large  lumber  business  done.  The  water  power 
in  the  vicinity  was  not  considerable  and  consequently  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber was  not  so  great  as  the  shipment  of  logs  to  Ticonderoga.  A  few  "thun- 
der shower"  mills,  as  Mr.  Archibald  calls  them,  were  in  the  town.  The  in- 
habitants, he  further  states,  lived  largely  "  on  fish  and  strangers,"  the  locality 
being  even  in  these  early  days,  a  favorite  summer  resort.  Old  men  tell  now 
about  catching  a  barrel  of  trout  in  a  single  day.  The  business  importance  of 
the  place,  however,  was  practically  destroyed  by  the  construction  of  the  Glens 
Falls  Feeder,  which  was  surveyed  in  about  1823,  dug  through  in  1824,  and  en- 
larged and  completed  between  1828  and  1832,  at  which  latter  date  it  was  made 
navigable  for  canal  boats  and  became  a  thoroughfare  of  inland  commerce. 
The  lumber  which  had  been  shipped  down  the  lake   was  thereafter   drawn  in 


George  Brown. 


Town  of  Caldwell.  569 


wagons  to  Fort  Edward  and  Glens  Falls.  These  villages  thus  grew  as  Cald- 
well declined,  and  were  fed  by  the  nourishment  that  had  formerly  sustained  the 
importance  of  the  latter. 

Owing  to  the  destruction  of  the  town  records  by  fire  we  are  unable  to  give 
the  first  officers  of  the  town,  other  than  the  supervisor,  who  was  James  Archi- 
bald ;  it  is  probable  that  he  held  the  office  until  1813.  Since  that  date  the 
supervisors  have  been  as  follows:  Halsey  Rogers,  1813  ;  David  Alden,  1814 
to  1822  inclusive;  John  Beebe,  1823  to  1830  inclusive;  Thomas  Archibald, 
1831  to  1836  inclusive;  John  F.  Sherrill,  1837  to  1843  inclusive;  Seth  C. 
Baldwin,  1844;  Perry  G.  Hammond,  1845  !  (from  1845  to  i860  we  have  been 
unable  to  obtain  the  town  records;)  W.  W.  Hicks,  1860-61  ;  F.  B.  Hubbell, 
1862  to  1864  inclusive;  W.  H.  Moshier,  1865-66;  Fred  B.  Hubbell,  1867  to 
1869  inclusive  ;  Hiram  Wood,  1870  to  1872  inclusive  ;  E.  S.  Harris,  1873  ;  F. 
B.  Hubbell,  1874  to  1876  inclusive ;  Jerome  N.  Hubbell,  1877-78;  Elias  S. 
Harris,  1879;  Leander  Harris,  1880-81;  George  W.  Bates,  1882-83;  Elmer 
J.  West,  1884. 

The  present  officers  of  the  town  are  as  follows :  —  Supervisor,  Elmer  J. 
West ;  town  clerk,  James  H.  Carpenter ;  assessors,  Dwight  Russell,  Edwin 
White,  O.  F.  Nichols  ;  justices  of  the  peace,  Charles  E.  Hawley,  John  Van 
Dusen,  James  T.  Crandall,  Samuel  R.  Archibald  ;  collector,  Edward  D.  Smith  ; 
constables,  Ebenezer  Wilde,  George  Stanton,  C.  J.  Bates,  K.  Burlingame,  Jesse 
M.  Sexton ;  game  constable,  C.  J.  Bates  ;  overseers  of  poor,  Ebenezer  Wilde, 
Hiram  Vowers ;  auditors,  Alonzo  Brown,  C.  E.  Weatherhead,  R.  D.  Gleason  ; 
inspectors  of  election,  C.  S.  Wood,  F.  H.  Worden,  C.  M.  Smith;  excise  commis- 
sioners, John  Caldwell,  Dennis  Lyons,  Sidney  Nichols. 

Caldwell  was  a  valuable  and  willing  contributor  to  the  cause  of  the  Union 
during  the  Rebellion.  The  number  of  men  furnished  to  the  army  between 
June  1st,  1861,  and  the  president's  call  for  600,000  was  twenty-three  ;  number 
under  the  call  for  600,000  was  twenty-four  ;  making  a  total  of  forty-seven.  S. 
R.  Archibald,  of  the  village  of  Caldwell,  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the 
town  furnished  forty-seven  volunteers.  Ke  remembers  well  the  drilling  and 
discipline  to  which  they  were  subjected  in  the  streets  of  his  village  during  the 
dark  days  of  the  war. 

But  the  place  had,  years  before,  been  the  theatre  of  bloody  events,  human 
blood  had  flowed  in  rivulets,  and  men  had  gone  to  their  shallow  graves  like 
beds.  Near  the  site  of  Caldwell,  Colonel  Ephraim  Williams,  the  founder  of 
Williams  College,  had  fallen  while  defending  the  frontiers  of  his  native  State, 
and  General  Johnson  and  Baron  Dieskau  crossed  swords  "  which  smoked  with 
bloody  execution."  The  battle  of  Bloody  Pond  was  fought  on  September  8th, 
1755,  and  immediately  afterward  Johnson  built  Fort  William  Henry.  Fort 
George  was  built  four  }ears  later  by  General  Amherst.  The  former  fort  is 
covered  by  the  hotel  which  bears  its  name,  and  the  latter  is  a  heap  of  moulder- 
ing and  scarcely  distinguishable  ruins. 


S70  History  of  Warren  County. 


MUNICIPAL  history. 

The  condition  of  the  town  of  Caldwell  at  this  time  may  be  inferred  to 
some  extent  from  the  reminiscences  of  George  Brown,  proprietor  of  the  Cen- 
tral Hotel.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Queensbury,  September  3d,  18x5, 
and  remembers  distinctly  the  Lake  George  region  as  far  back  as  1830. 
The  village  of  Caldwell  was  then  as  now  the  county  seat.  An  old  tavern  where 
the  Central  Hotel  now  stands  was  kept  by  Lyman  Jenks ;  and  another  on  the 
site  of  the  Carpenter  House  was  kept  by  a  Mr.  Russell,  and  known  as  the 
Caldwell  House.  The  Lake  House,  then  about  half  its  present  size,  was  kept 
by  John  F.  Sherrill.  There  were  two  stores  in  the  village  then  ;  the  store  which 
Halsey  Rogers  built  in  18 19,  was  kept  by  Charles  Robarts.  He  had  succeeded 
Halsey  Rogers  about  1828.  The  other  store  stood  on  the  site  of  Zebee's  drug 
store,  and  was  in  the  hands  of  Hiram  Wood.  Charles  Robarts  also  ran  a  saw- 
mill on  the  first  stream  north  of  the  village,  and  a  grist-mill  was  kept  running 
near  it.  Pelatiah  Richards  owned  a  distillery  several  miles  northwest  of  the 
settlement,  near  Warrensburgh.  The  district  school  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
present  building ;  and  a  church  edifice,  probably  Union,  used  now  as  a  resi- 
dence by  Jesse  Saxton,  attested  then  the  religious  energies  of  its  builder,  Wil- 
liam Caldwell.  On  the  site  of  Fort  George  stood  JNathan  Brown's  lime  kiln. 
That  potash  was  made  in  greater  or  less  quantities  is  probable,  but  is  not  re- 
membered by  those  now  remaining  to  tell  about  it.  Sugar-making  was  carried 
on  in  a  general  way.  The  principal  business,  however,  was,  as  has  been  stated, 
lumbering.  The  land  had  not  been  extensively  cleared  and  was  teeming  with 
most  valuuble  timber.  The  only  road  of  much  importance  was  the  old  State 
road  from  Albany  to  Montreal,  occupying  the  same  bed  now  filled  by  the  plank 
road.  The  head  of  Lake  George  was  then  a  great  fishing  tract.  Many 
suckers  would  run  up  the  books  every  spring,  and  the  place  seemed  to  have  a 
greater  local  celebrity,  and  less  fame  abroad,  than  it  has  to-day.  There  was 
one  boat  running  on  the  lake,  viz.  :  a  steamboat  called  The  Mountaineer, 
commanded  by  Captain  Laribee,  and  built  about  1824,1  and  run  until  1836. 
It  was  the  second  boat  on  the  lake,  the  first  being  the  James  Caldwell,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Winans.  It  was  built  sometime  between  18 16  and  1820, 
and  was  disabled  by  lightning  and  afterwards  entirely  destroyed  by  fire  before 
she  had  long  plied  the  waters  of  Lake  George.  In  1838  the  William  Caldwell 
was  put  on  the  lake  and  ran  until  1850.  In  that  year  the  John  Jay,  com- 
manded by  Captain  J.  Gale,  superseded  her  and  ran  until  1856,  when  she  took 
fire  in  her  engine  room  off  Friends'  Point,  and  in  an  effort  to  reach  shore,  struck 
a  rock  on  Waltonian  Isle,  and  sunk.  Six  Hves  were  lost.  The  Minitekaha 
was  built  at  the  northern  end  of  the  lake  in  1857  '^"•^  •'3^ri  for  twenty  years. 
The  Horicon  displaced  her  in  1877.     There  are  now  running,  besides  the  Hor- 

1  The  matter  concerning  early  boats  is  taken  from  S.  R.  Stoddard's  Lake  George. 


Eugene  L    Seelye. 


Town  of  Caldwell.  571 


icon,  the  Ticonderoga,  the  Ganouskie,  and  Lillie  M.  Price.  The  principal 
smaller  steamers  are  the  River  Queen,  the  Julia,  the  Ed.  D.  Lewis,  and  the 
Meteor. 

Postmasters. —  The  first  postmaster  at  Caldwell  of  which  there  is  any  recol- 
lection was  William  Williams,  who  remained  in  office  until  after  1825.  He  was 
succeeded,  probably,  by  Charles  Robarts,  who  held  the  appointment  until  about 
1840,  when  Hiram  Wood  came  in.  Wood  did  not  go  out  until  about  1861, 
when  S.  R.  Archibald  succeeded  him.  The  present  postmaster,  E.  S.  Harris, 
followed  Archibald  in  1875.     The  post-office  is  Lake  George. 

Present  Business.  —  The  Central  Hotel  is  kept  by  George  Brown,  formerly 
proprietor  of  the  Half-way  House  at  French  Mountain.  He  has  been  proprie- 
tor of  the  Central  Hotel  since  February,  1884.  Before  that  his  son,  Clark  J. 
Brown,  conducted  the  business  four  years.  His  elder  son,  Benjamin  O.  Brown, 
built  the  hotel  in  the  winter  of  1875—76  and  kept  it  until  succeeded  by  Clark 
J.  Brown.  It  will  accommodate  one  hundred  guests,  and  is  open  the  year 
round. 

The  Carpenter  Hotel  has  just  been  leased  by  Messrs.  Hamilton  &  Craig, 
who  are  successors  to  Sullivan  &  Madden.  Next  before  them  J.  H.  Carpenter 
ran  the  house  for  twelve  years.  It  will  now,  after  having  been  twice  enlarged, 
accommodate  one  hundred  guests. 

The  Lake  House,  just  north  of  the  Central  House,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  is  built  on  the  oldest  hotel  site  at  the  lake.  It  is  three  hundred  feet 
long.  The  Harris  House,  south  of  it,  belongs  to  the  same  proprietor,  who 
makes  use  of  it  only  during  the  busy  season.     F.  G.  Tucker  is  the  proprietor. 

The  Fort  William  Henry  Hotel  was  rebuilt  from  an  older  hotel,  in  1868,  by 
T.  Roessle  &  Son,  who  are  also  proprietors  of  the  Arlington,  at  Washington. 
It  is  from  four  to  six  stories  in  height,  and  fronts  three  hundred  and  thirty-four 
feet  on  the  lake.  It  covers  the  site  of  the  old  Fort  William  Henry,  hence  its 
name. 

The  Prospect  Mountain  House  is  built  at  an  elevation  of  nearly  1,800  feet 
above  the  lake.  The  Mount  Ferguson  House  is  on  a  point  which  though  really 
'lower  than  the  main  mountain,  appears  from  Caldwell  to  be  higher.  W.  J. 
Ferguson,  proprietor.  Fort  George  Hotel  was  completed  and  ready  for. 
occupation  in  1874.  It  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  near  the  head,  and  has 
a  capacity  for  nearly  three  hundred  guests.     E.  L.  Seelye  is  proprietor. 

Crosbyside,  formerly  known  as  the  United  States  Hotel,  is  across  the  lake 
from  Caldwell.  It  will  accommodate  about  two  hundred  guests.  Proprietor, 
F.  G.  Crosby.  The  Carpenter  and  the  Central  Hotels  are  the  only  ones  which 
are  kept  open  winters  as  well  as  summers. 

To  S.  R.  Stoddard's  little  hand-book  entitled  Lake  George  we  are  indebted 
for  much  of  the  information  concerning  the  hotels  above-mentioned,  and  we 
<;annot  do  better  than  quote  a  few  words  from  the  same  interesting  chapter  con- 
cerning the  Indian  emcampment :  — 


572  History  of  Warren  County. 

"  '  A  remnant  of  the  once  mighty  race  of  Mohicans  still  lingers  ;  '  they  are 
given  to  lingering  ;  they  prefer  it  to  anything  else  ;  their  wigwams  are  found 
in  the  borders  of  the  forest,  just  west  of  the  entrance  to  the  Fort  William  Henry- 
grounds.  Six  or  seven  families  in  all,  from  the  home  of  the  St.  Francis  Indians^ 
in  Lower  Canada,  coming  in  the  spring  and  usually  returning  with  the  frosts ;. 
descendants  of  the  Abenakis — '  0-ben-ah-keh  —  they  will  tell  you,  and  pure 
blood  at  that." 

Mercantile. —  Dennis  Lyon,  successor  to  Charles  E.  Hawley,  keeps  a  gro- 
cery store  in  Caldwell.  E.  A.  &  C.  J.  West  have  been  running  a  general  store 
since  1883.  They  were  preceded  by  Coolidge  &  Lee,  and  they  by  Sylvester 
Lewis,  who  started  the  business.  Dr.  William  R.  Adamson  has  kept  a  drug 
store  on  Main  street  for  about  six  years.  A.  Wurtenberg  has  for  the  last  ten 
years  opened  regularly  every  season  a  dry  goods  store  in  the  village.  He  oc- 
cupies the  old  stone  store.  Julius  Tripp,  in  the  fall  of  1884,  succeeded  Adol- 
phus  Brown  in  the  hardware  business.  George  Smith  has  had  a  grocery  store 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  village  since  the  fall  of  1884. 

John  R.  Potter  and  S.  R.  Archibald  are  the  shoemakers  of  the  locality. 

Physicians.  —  Dr.  William  R.  Adamson  was  graduated  from  the  Bellevue 
Medical  College  in  1873,  and  came  to  Caldwell  in  1875.  Dr.  F.  H.  Stevens 
was  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  at  Castleton,  Vt.  (now  the  Burlington 
Medical  College),  in  1849.  ^^  practiced  first  with  his  preceptor  at  Crown 
Point.     Came  to  Caldwell  in  December,  1884. 

Churches. —  The  oldest  church  in  Caldwell  is  the  Presbyterian,  which  had  a 
predominating  influence  in  the  ecclesiastical  councils  of  the  old  Union  Church 
before  mentioned.  The  present  structure  was  built  in  1855,  and  took  the  place 
of  the  old  one.  The  pastor  at  that  time  was  the  Rev.  Eldad  Goodman,  suc- 
cessor to  Rev.  Eastman.  He  was  followed  in  1858  by  Rev.  S.  Huntington, 
who  remained  until  1 86 1,  and  was  replaced  by  the  Rev.  Eldad  Goodman.  In 
1870  Rev.  James  Lamb  was  called  and  remained  until  1884.  Then  Rev.  S. 
Huntington  came  in  until  1878.  In  that  year  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  Robert 
Barbour,  accepted  his  call.  The  church  was  organized  in  1830.  The  records 
the  first  year  or  two  were  signed  by  Amos  Savage.  In  1848  the  church  dis- 
solved, and  in  185 1  reorganized.  The  present  officers  are:  Elders,  F.  G. 
Crosby,  G.  W.  Tubbs,  G.  W.  Smith  ;  deacon,  Edwin  White ;  trustees,  A.  S. 
Harris,  M.  N.  Nichols,  G.  W.  Tubbs.  The  present  membership  is  forty-one. 
The  pastor  acts  also  as  Sunday-school  superintendent. 

St.  James  Parish  (Episcopal)  was  organized  in  1855,  and  a  franie  church 
edifice  at  once  erected.  The  clerk  at  the  first  meeting  was  Austin  W.  Holden. 
The  first  wardens  were  James  Cromwell,  M.  D.,  and  William  H.  Smith  ;  the 
first  vestrymen,  John  N.  Robinson,  Horace  Welch,  Samuel  R.  Archibald,  John 
J.  Harris,  Hiram  Wood,  Henry  M.  Norman,  F.  G.  Tucker,  and  William  Vaughn, 
The  first  rector  was  the  Rev.  Robert  Locke.      His  successors  have  been  con- 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  573 

secutively,  Revs.  Robert  F.  Crary,  John  F.  Potter,  James  A.  Upjohn,  and  the 
present  rector,  Rev.  Charles  H.  Lancaster,  who  commenced  his  labors  here  in 
March,  1874.  In  May,  1866,  the  first  frame  church  was  blown  down  by  a 
mighty  wind  and  the  present  edifice  immediately  begun  on  the  same  site.  In 
1879  the  rectory  was  built  at  a  total  cost  of  $3,183.45,  by  Thomas  Fuller,  the 
original  designer  of  the  State  capitol  at  Albany,  and  now  chief  architect  of  the 
Dominion  of  Canada.  The  present  value  of  the  church  and  lot  is  $10,000,  and 
of  the  rectory  and  lot,  $5,000.  There  are  ninety-one  communicants  in  the  par- 
ish, and  the  Sunday-school,  with  the  rector  as  superintendent,  has  forty-eight 
pupils  and  six  teachers.  The  present  officers  are :  Rector,  Rev.  Charles  H. 
Lancaster ;  wardens,  H.  H.  Hayden,  and  George  H.  Cramer ;  vestrymen,  S. 
R.  Archibald,  F.  G.  Tucker,  Le  Grand  C.  Cramer,  Walter  J.  Price,  James  Cran- 
■dall,  Kleber  Burlingame,  Galloway  C.  Morris,  and  Charles  M.  Schiefflin.  Sam- 
uel R.  Archibald  has  been  clerk  of  the  vestry  since  1869. 

In  1884  a  Methodist  Church  was  organized,  and  a  chapel  erected  in  1885. 
The  Rev.  Webster  Ingersoll  supplied  the  pulpit  for  several  months.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Potter  was  the  first  pastor.  Membership  thirty.  E.  J.  West  is  the  Sun- 
day-school superintendent. 

lVa(er- Works. —  The  first  water- works  were  built  in  Caldwell  in  1879,  but 
proved  inadequate  and  were  adandoned.  In  1883  new  works  were  built  by  a 
stock  company  on  Prospect  Mountain,  which  afford  an  abundant  supply  of  water 
for  fire  and  domestic  purposes. 

Hi//  View  Post-office. —  This  post-office  was  established  in  1877,  four  miles 
north  of  Caldwell.  E.  L.  Patrick,  M.  D.,  has  been  the  postmaster  from  the 
beginning. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  WARRENSBURGH, 

THE  town  of  Warrensburgh  lies  upon  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson  River, 
and  is  formed  of  a  long  strip  of  territory  extending  north  and  south.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Chester,  on  the  east  by  Caldwell  and  Bolton,  on 
the  south  by  Luzerne,  and  on  the  west,  upon  the  other  side  of  the  Hudson,  by 
Thurman,  Stony  Creek,  and  a  small  part  of  Saratoga  county.  The  Schroon 
River,  which  forms  the  northeast  boundary  of  the  township,  flows  southerly  for 
some  distance  and  then  turning  abruptly  from  a  southerly  to  a  westerly  course, 
divides  the  town  into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  and  flows  into  the  Hudson ;  the 
Hudson  itself,  and  the  numerous  small  tributary  streams  which  feed  these  rivers, 


574  History  of  Warren  County. 

constitute  the  principal  drainage.  Along  the  Hudson  and  Schroon  Rivers  the 
soil  is  alluvial  and  sandy,  elsewhere  it  is  stony  and  difficult  to  cultivate,  except- 
ing in  small  strips  consisting  of  a  light  loam. 

The  peninsular  portion  is  a  rolling  plateau  varying  in  altitude  from  six 
hundred  to  one  thousand  feet  above  the  river.  The  southwestern  part  is  occu- 
pied by  an  immense  mountain  mass,  containing  several  peaks  which  rise  to  an 
elevation  of  from  two  thousand  four  hundred  to  three  thousand  feet  above  tide. 
It  has  been  estimated  that  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  land  is  arable. 

Warrensburgh  was  formed  from  the  old  town  of  Thurman,  on  the  I2th 
day  of  February,  1813.  The  territory  which  it  comprises  had  been  partly  re- 
claimed from  a  savage  state  for  many  years,  though  even  in  18 13  it  might  be 
called  a  sparsely  peopled  tract.  Indeed,  as  late  as  1836,  Gorden's  Gazetteer 
describes  the  town  as  being  mountainous  and  wild,  covered  with  woods  and 
abounding  with  iron  ore.^ 

The   earliest   settler  in  the  town  was  William   Bond,  who  moved  in  1786 
on  to  a  tract  of  land  situated  about  two  miles  southwest  from  the  site  of  the 
village  of  Warrensburgh.     Bond's  Pond  was  named  from  him.      He  had  passed 
away  before  the  present  town  was  formed,  of  course,  and  the  records  have  no 
mention  of  his  name.     From  an  article  in   the  Warrensburgh  News,   under 
date  of  January  iSth,  1885,  corroborated  by  living  witnesses  whose  memories 
reach  back  nearly  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  who  are  con- 
versant with  the  traditions  of  early  days,  we  are  able  to  give  a  tolerably  good 
account  of  the  early  settlers  of  this   interesting  region.     The  immigration  of 
William  Bond  was  quickly  followed  by  the  coming  of  other  pioneers  who  for- 
sook, oftentimes,  the  more  plodding  and  less  laborious  life  of  New  England, 
for  the  rough  and  even  perilous  struggle  for  existence  in  this  unpeopled  wil- 
derness.    In  1787  Joseph  Hatch  moved  on  to  what  is  known  as  the  Duncan 
McDonald  farm,  now  owned  by  Stephen  Griffin,  2d.     In  the  same  year  Joseph 
Hutchinson,  and  Gideon  and    Stokes    Potter  came  here.     Josiah  Woodward 
moved  here  also  in   1787  from  Connecticut,  and  like  the  others,  brought  his 
family  with  him.     They  were  the  seventh  family  that  settled  in  the  section  of 
the  country  north  of  the  head  of  Lake  George.      He  lived  on  the  same  ground 
now  covered  by  the  new  house  of  John  L.   Russell.     Judge  Joseph  Wood- 
ward, still  living,  is  his  grandson,  and  the  son  of  Isaac  Woodward,  who  was 
fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  here  with  his  father  in    1787.     Aaron 
Varnum  came  here  in  1788.      In   1789  James  Pitts  built  a  tavern  on  the  site 
of  the  Warren  House,  and  in  the  same  year  Timothy  Stow  moved  on  to  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Samuel  Judd.     Pelatiah  Richards  came  in  1802.      He  was 
born  on  the  19th  day  of  February,  1786,  and  was  a  prominent  merchant   in 
the  village  of  Warrensburgh  for   many  years.      He  was  town  clerk  in  1825, 
and  supervisor  from  Warrensburgh  in  1830,  and  again  in  1838.      He  died  Feb- 
ruary nth,  1870. 

1  No  iron  has  ever  been  worked  in  the  town. 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  575 

In  1804  James  Warren  came  to  Warrensburgh.  He  was  for  years  propri- 
etor of  the  tavern  kept  by  John  Heffron,  and  also  kept  store  for  a  number  of 
years  in  the  building  now  used  for  the  same  purpose  by  James  Herrick.  He 
built  and  conducted  quite  an  extensive  potash  factory  or  "  ashery "  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Schroon  River  about  where  Mrs.  James  Fuller  now  lives.  It 
was  customary  in  those  early  days  to  hold  the  annual  elections  at  different 
points  in  the  town  for  three  consecutive  days,  it  being  practically  impossible 
to  establish  any  central  point  which  would  enable  all  the  voting  population  of 
the  town  to  cast  their  vote  and  return  home  on  the  same  day.  In  181  (  James 
Warren,  while  returning  from  an  election  held  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Nathaniel  Griffing,  of  Thurman,  was  drowned  by  the  upsetting  of  a  skiff  in  the 
West  River.  Nelson  Warren,  then  a  boy  ten  years  of  age,  was  with  his  father 
at  the  time,  and  it  is  said  that  the  excessive  fright  caused  his  hair  to  turn 
white.  Two  years  after  this  fatality  Warrensburgh  was  organized,  and  named 
after  this  prominent  man.  After  his  decease  his  personal  representatives  car- 
ried on  all  the  branches  of  his  business  for  several  years. 

Soon  after  James  Warren  arrived  here  in  1804,  Kitchel  Bishop  settled  on 
the  ground  now  covered  by  the  dwelling-house  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Howard.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  owned  all  the  land  at  present  owned  by  Mrs.  Minerva  King. 
Judge  Bishop  represented  the  county  thirteen  years  in  the  Legislature.  About 
the  year  1810  or  1812  he  established  a  small  tannery,  the  first  in  the  town. 

Another  early  settler  of  prominence  was  Dr.  McLaren,  who  must  have 
come  here  before  1790.  He  lived  and  practiced  medicine  on  the  site  of  the 
present  dwelling  house  of  Stephen  Griffin,  2d.  He  married  Susan  Thurman, 
daughter  of  Richardson  Thurman.  Richardson  Thurman  was  a  nephew  of 
John  Thurman,  the  original  patentee  of  all  this  part  of  the  county  and  the 
owner  of  nearly  all  of  what  was  known  as  Hyde  Township,  including  the 
greater  part  of  all  the  territory  now  covered  by  the  towns  of  Chester,  Warrens- 
burgh and  Thurman.  Dr.  McLaren's  wife  inherited  from  the  Thurman  family 
a  lot  of  500  acres,  called  Lot  22  of  Hyde  Township,  running  along  the  west 
side  of  the  Schroon  River  in  the  west  part  of  the  village  of  Warrensburgh. 
Dr.  McLaren  died  in  the  first  decade  of  years  in  the  present  century. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  population  along  the  rivers 
and  on  the  more  fertile  tracts  of  lands  in  the  surrounding  county  began  per- 
ceptibly to  increase.  Stephen  Griffing,  who  is  still  alive  and  of  keen  and 
accurate  memory,  gives  an  excellent  picture  of  the  natural  and  business  condi- 
tion of  the  community  as  early  as  the  period  between  1800  and  1810  or  1812. 
He  was  born  in  Duchess  county  on  the  6th  of  June,  1796,  and  came  here  in 
March,  1800,  with  his  father,  Stephen  Griffing,  sr.,  who  had  served  in  an 
official  capacity  for  five  years  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  drew  a  pension 
for  his. services.  When  he  first  came  here  he  settled  where  his  son,  Nathaniel 
Griffing,  now  hves,  and  three  miles  and  a  half  southwest  of  the  site  of  the  vil- 


576  History  of  Warren  County. 

lage  of  Warrensburgh.  He  began  at  once  to  clear  the  land  and  conduct  a  farm 
there.  At  that  time  William  Hough,  a  blacksmith,  was  living  on  the  Chester 
road,  a  mile  from  Warrensburgh.  He  went  away  soon  after  1820.  Myron 
Beach  boarded  in  the  tavern  (now  the  Warren  House),  and  kept  a  store  where 
James  Herrick  now  does.  He  afterwards  went  to  Lake  George,  where  his 
death  occurred.  He  was  a  brother  of  Mrs.  James  Warren  (Melinda  Warren), 
and  it  was  not  until  after  Mr.  Warren's  death  that  he  kept  the  store  as  his  suc- 
cessor. He  was  captain  of  a  company  of  artillery  that  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Plattsburg.  Joseph  Harrington,  a  farmer,  lived  about  a  mile  south  of  War- 
rensburgh. The  farm  was  afterwards  divided,  and  his  sons,  Israel  and  Warren, 
now  live  on  the  several  halves.  James  Lucas  occupied  a  farm  about  four  miles 
up  the  Schroon  River,  near  where  his  son  now  lives.  Jonathan  Vowers,  an- 
other farmer,  lived  near  him.  Nathan  Sheerman,  farmer  and  plow- maker, 
lived  about  four  miles  up  the  Schroon  River  from  Warrensburgh.  He  has  no 
descendants  now  living  in  town.  Abel  Matoon  ran  a  farm  about  a  mile  north 
of  Sheerman's.  David  Millington,  a  farmer  also,  lived  on  the  Hudson  River 
about  three  miles  westerly  from  the  village.  Duncan  McDonald  worked  a  farm 
near  Millington.  Daniel  Geer,  a  mechanic,  lived  four  miles  south  of  the  vil- 
lage. In  1801  Jasper  Duell  kept  a  tavern  on  the  site  of  the  Warren  House. 
He  was  predecessor  to  James  Warren.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  present  vil- 
lage (proper)  of  Warrensburgh  there  was,  in  1800,  but  one  building,  an  old 
school-house,  which  stood  near  where  Judge  Joseph  Woodward's  house  now 
stands.  Being  the  only  school  within  a  circle  of  a  number  of  miles,  it  was  well 
attended.  There  was  no  church  edifice  in  town.  As  is  usual  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  all  the  towns  in  the  State,  the  first  religious  meetings  were  held  in  the 
school-house.  A  Methodist  Church  was  organized  about  here  in  1796,  and 
the  first  pastor  was  the  Rev.  Henry  Ryan.  The  first  store  kept  in  town  was 
that  conducted  by  James  Warren  before  mentioned.  There  was  no  manufac- 
turing done  here  so  early  as  1800.  The  roads  through  and  from  Warrens- 
burgh to  Lake  George,  Chester,  Bolton  and  Thurman  were  then  quite 
traversable. 

Among  other  early  settlers  were  William  Lee  and  William  Johnson,  the 
latter  being  the  first  white  person  to  die  in  this  town. 

Coming  down  to  a  period  a  few  years  later,  we  find  it  expedient  and  inter- 
esting to  write  something  more  concerning  the  Woodward  family. 

Judge  Joseph  Woodward  was  born  on  September  20th,  1804,  in  this  town, 
about  three  miles  and  a  half  north  of  his  present  residence  on  premises  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  nephew,  William  F.  Woodward.  Judge  Wood- 
ward's father  and  grandfather  have  been  mentioned  in  preceding  pages.  On 
the  5th  day  of  March,  1828,  Joseph  Woodward  married  Julia,  daughter  of 
Lucius  Gunn,  a  clothier,  whose  works  were  just  east  of  the  present  tannery. 
She  died  in  1832,  and  in  1836  Judge  Woodward   married   Charlotte,  daughter 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  577 

of  Duncan  McDonald.  On  the  24th  of  September,  1844,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  moved  to  his  present  residence.  Judge  Woodward  has  a  keen  recollec- 
tion of  Warrensburgh  as  it  was  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  has  given  the  writer 
much  valuable  and  interesting  information.  During  the  period  between  18 10 
and  1820,  lumbering  became  quite  a  prominent  industry.  The  surface  of  this 
town  not  only,  but  of  the  whole  county,  and  the  counties  to  the  north  and 
west,  was  covered  with  forests  of  splendid  pine,  the  demand  for  which  gave  a 
great  impetus  to  the  hitherto  unaroused  activities  of  the  region.  At  this  time 
and  for  years  before  there  were  a  greater  number  of  saw-mills  in  town  than 
there  are  at  present,  though  they  were  usually  old-fashioned  and  small.  Every 
brook  large  enough  to  turn  a  wheel  was  brought  into  requisition.  Before  18 10 
Albro  Tripp  had  a  mill  on  a  small  brook  north  of  the  village.  Dudley  Farlin 
came  soon  after  the  organization  of  the  town,  and  built  the  mills  now  operated 
by  Emerson  &  Co.  He  continued  proprietor  of  them  until  1834,  when  he  sold 
out  to  Nelson  Warren.  The  logs  were  brought  to  his  mills  from  all  the  sur- 
rounding country — large  quantities  floated,  as  now,  down  the  Schroon  River. 
Up  to  nearly  1820  Dr.  McLaren  had  a  small  saw-mill  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river.  Pine  logs  were  then  worth  twenty-five  cents,  where  now  they  would 
bring  four  or  five  dollars.  In  1822  Joseph  Wood\i'ard  bought  of  James  L. 
Thurman  a  saw-mill  about  four  miles  north  of  the  village,  on  a  little  tributary 
of  the  Schroon. 

The  ample  water  power  afforded  by  the  two  large  rivers  and  their  numer- 
ous tributaries  occasioned  the  springing  up  of  a  number  of  mills  and  factories 
of  various  descriptions.  Dr.  Harmon  Hoffman  built  and  owned  a  grist-mill 
on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Burhans  Mills.  He  sold  out  to  Dudley  Farlin 
about  1 8 16,  after  an  explosion  of  powder  had  destroyed  the  store  which  he 
kept  near  the  mill.  A  short  distance  above  this  mill  were  the  ruins  of  a  former 
mill  which  had  been  abandoned.  Farlin  rebuilt  the  structure  which  is  still 
used  as  a  grist-mill  by  the  Burhans  brothers.  These  were  the  only  grist-mills 
in  town.  Potash  was  made  hereabouts  quite  extensively.  The  ashery  of 
James  Warren  has  already  been  mentioned.  Simon  Hough  ran  a  small  factory 
north  of  the  village  a  year  or  two  in  the  second  decade  of  years. 

Even  as  late  as  18 10  the  farms  were  all  small.  Josiah  Woodward's  clear- 
ing was  probably  the  largest  one  in  this  part  of  the  county,  and  it  did  not  com- 
prise an  area  of  more  than  forty  acres.  Kitchel  Bishop's  clearing  was  nearly 
as  large,  and  James  Warren's  was  about  of  equal  size  with  Bishop's. 

The  only  tannery  built  in  early  days  here  was  the  one  owned  by  Kitchel 
Bishop  about  18 10.  Its  only  successor  is  the  extensive  tannery  owned  by  the 
firm  known  as  B.  P.  Burhans  &  Son.  The  schools  of  this  period  were  a  sort 
of  a  community  school,  without  much  organization.  The  largest  one  in  town 
stood  where  the  stone  store  owned  by  Lemuel  Woodward  and  the  estate  of  A. 
G.Woodward  now  is.  In  1811-12  Samuel  Lake,  of  Chestertown,  taught 
37 


578  History  of  Warren  County. 

there.  Subsequently  Samuel  Stevens,  who  afterwards  achieved  prominence  as  a 
lawyer  in  Albany,  taught  this  school.  It  was  a  framed  building.  The  attendance 
was  usually  quite  large,  numbering  often  as  many  as  sixty  or  seventy  pupils. 

Before  1810  the  Methodists  had  erected  a  small  church  edifice  on  the  site 
of  their  present  church,  and  worshiped  there  in  goodly  numbers.  Besides  the 
Rev.  Henry  Ryan, -already  mentioned,  the  Rev.  Tobias  Spicer  was  well  known 
here,  and  indeed,  throughout  the  county.  The  Presbyterians  had  a  meeting- 
house in  the  present  town  of  Thurman,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson  River, 
and  a  Rev.  Whipple,  from  Chester,  preached  to  them.  Many  people  from 
Warrensburgh  were  prominent  members  of  this  church.  These  were  the  only 
churches  then  about  here. 

After  further  mention  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Warrensburgh,  we  will  look 
a  little  to  the  organization  of  the  town. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  men  still  living,  whose  memory  reaches 
back  nearly  seventy  years,  is  Stephen  Griffin,  2d.i  He  was  born  on  October 
1 8th,  18 12,  about  two  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Warrensburgh  on  the  bank 
of  the  Hudson  River.  His  father  was  John  Griffing.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Catharine  J.  McEwan.  John  Griffing  came  to  the  town  in  1798. 
He  ran  the  farm  summers  and  "  lumbered  it  "  winters.  He  died  in  1827  at 
the  age  of  forty-seven  years.  Stephen  Griffin,  2d,  came  from  the  old  home- 
stead in  October,  1838,  and  began  keeping  the  hotel  in  the  village  now  known 
as  the  Adirondack  House.  After  he  had  bought  this  property  he  married,  on 
a  Wednesday  of  this  October,  Maria  Coman,  of  Luzurne,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing Saturday  he  and  his  bride  began  to  keep  the  Adirondack  House.  Brad- 
ford Tubbs  had  preceded  Mr.  Griffin  as  proprietor  of  this  tavern.  The  latter 
continued  in  possession  until  1847,  when  he  leased  the  property  to  Lewis  Per- 
son. In  1874  Mr.  Griffin  was  elected  Assemblyman  from  this  district.  In 
1884  he  was  appointed  by  Comptroller  Chapin  State  agent  for  State  lands  — 
a  position  which  he  still  holds. 

Among  the  early  settlers  whom  he  remembers  are  James  L.  Thurman,  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  who  lived  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Samuel  Judd.  He  came 
from  the  town  of  Thurman  (or  Athol).  He  has  two  sons,  Samuel  and  Charles, 
and  one  daughter,  Mrs.  James  Woodward,  still  living  in  the  village  of  Warrens- 
burgh. John  McMillen  lived  on  the  road  which  leads  along  the  west  bank  of  the 
Schroon  River,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  village.  He  moved  to 
Thurman  about  1820.  He  was  a  farmer.  A  grandson,  Wallace  McMillen, 
now  resides  in  North  Creek.  Joseph  Norton,  like  nearly  all  the  others,  a 
farmer,  Hved  north  of  Spruce  Mountain,  on  the  road  to  Chester.  While  liv- 
ing here,  in  addition  to  his  farm  labors,  he  kept  an  inn,  but  about  1820  he 
moved  over  to  the  south  of  the  mountain  and  devoted   himself  exclusively  to 

1  This  name  is  spelled  differently  by  different  members  of  the  family,  sometimes  Griffing  and  a^ain 
Griffin  being  deemed  preferable. 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  579 

farming.  He  died  in  Caldwell.  Albro  Tripp,  casually  named  hereinbefore, 
was  a  farmer,  and  in  what  was  formerly  a  part  of  Warrensburgh,  on  the  Ches- 
ter road,  where  the  mile  strip  was  taken  off  and  added  to  Chester  ;  he  there- 
upon became  perforce  an  inhabitant  of  the  last  named  town.  None  of  his 
descendants  now  lives  here.  He  was  captain  of  a  company  of  milita,  and 
went  to  Plattsburg  during  the  war  of  181 2,  but  reached  there  too  late  to 
participate  in  the  famous  battle  at  that  place. 

Samuel  Stackhouse,  a  carpenter  and  joiner  and  millwright,  lived  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Schroon  River,  on  premises  now  owned  by  the  peg  com- 
pany. 

The  town  was  not  without  its  coterie  of  physicians  in  those  days.  Dr. 
Harmon  Hoffman  lived  in  the  village  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  John 
Stone  and  David  Woodward.  Although  a  practicing  physician  he  owned  a 
grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on  the  premises  now  occupied  by  A.  C.  Emerson  & 
Co.  About  1 8 16  he  and  Abraham  Wing,  who  afterwards  went  to  Queens- 
bury,  built  a  store  near  the  iron  bridge.  After  a  few  months  it  burned  and 
was  never  rebuilt.  Dr.  Hoffman  moved  to  Saratoga  about  1820  and  remained 
there  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Thomas  Pattison,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  appears  in  the  chapter  devoted 
to  the  history  of  past  physicians,  came  to  the  village  of  Thurman  in  1805  and 
boarded  with  the  family  of  Richardson  Thurman.  He  married  that  gentleman's 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  on  the  4th  day  of  February,  18 10,  and  removed  at  once 
to  the  farm  now  occupied  by  John  and  James  McGann.  He  practiced  medi- 
cine here  until  about  1850  or  1855.  He  died  February  6th,  1867.  He  has, 
now  living,  four  sons — Elias,  of  Hammondsport,  Steuben  county;  Thurman, 
of  Wellsboro,  Pa.  ;  Augustus,  of  Williamsport,  Pa.,  and  James,  of  Ballston, 
N.  Y.,  and  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Sarah  Carpenter  and  Miss  C.  E.  Pattison,  both 
residing  in  the  village  of  Warrensburgh. 

The  reader  now  has  some  idea  of  the  condition  of  the  country,  and  the 
names  and  the  occupations  of  the  residents  of  the  town  at  the  time  of  its  or- 
ganization in  1813.  He  is  therefore  prepared  to  read  with  keener  interest  an 
account  of  some  of  the  early  town  meetings,  and  of  the  quaint  and  self-ex- 
planatory resolutions  passed  thereat. 

The  first  town  meeting  of  the  town  of  Warrensburgh  was  held  on  the  4th 
day  of  April,  1813,  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Melinda  Warren. 1  The  following 
persons  were  elected  the  first  officers  of  the  town :  Supervisor,  James  L.  Thur- 
man ;  town  clerk,  Myron  Beach  ;  assessors.  Dr.  Harmon  Hoffman,  John  Mc- 
Millen  and  Joseph  Norton  ;  commissioners  of  highways,  Dr.  Thomas  Pattison,  , 
Whitman  Cole,  Albro  Tripp;  overseers  of  the  poor.  Dr.  Harmon  Hoffman 
and  Dr.  Thornas  Pattison  ;  constable  and  collector,  Samuel  Stackhouse  ;   fence 

1  It  will  be  remembered  that  for  a  number  of  years  after  the  death  of  James  Warren,  his  widow,  Me- 
linda Warren,  and  his  son  Wilson,  carried  on  the  business.  The  house  of  Mrs.  Melinda  Warren  is 
undoubtedly,  therefore,  the  present  WarrenUiouse,  kept  by  John  Heffron. 


58o  History  of  Warren  County. 

viewers,  Myron  Beach  and  Dr.  Thomas  Pattison ;  poundmaster,  Wilham 
Hough;  pathmasters  :  District  No.  i,  Myron  Beach;  No.  2,  Joseph  Harring- 
ton ;  No.  3,  Silas  Mills;  No.  4,  Dr.  Thomas  Pattison  ;  No.  5,  James  L.  Thur- 
man  ;  No.  6,  James  Lucas ;  No.  7,  Sylvester  Saturley  ;  No.  8,  Thomas  New- 
bury (lived  near  Bolton);  No.  9,  Joseph  Smith  ;  No.  10,  Nathan  Sheerman  ; 
No.  II,  Abel  Matoon  ;  No.  12,  David  McCansey  ;  No.  13,  Albro  Tripp  ;  No. 
14,  Solomon  Thurston  ;  No.  15,  Nathaniel  Norton;  No.  16,  Solomon  Mun- 
sil ;  No.  17,  Duncan  McDonald;  No.  18,  David  Millington ;  No.  19,  Alexan- 
der Robertson  ;  No.  20,  Daniel  Geer;  No.  21,  Samuel  Bennett;  No.  22,  Shad- 
rach  Newton. 

At  this  meeting  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  was  voted  for  the  support  of  the 
poor ;  ten  dollars  was  offered  as  a  bounty  for  each  wolf  killed  within  the  town 
limits  ;  and  the  meeting  was  adjourned  with  a  resolution  that  the  next  annual 
meeting  be  held  at  the  same  place.  At  the  next  meeting,  18 14,  the  wolf 
bounty  was  increased  to  fifteen  dollars,  and  a  resolution  was  passed  that  a  fine 
of  five  dollars  be  levied  upon  every  man  who  should  neglect  to  destroy  the 
Tory  weed  on  his  own  farm  and  in  the  highway  opposite  his  farm.  Among 
the  new  names  that  appear  are  Peleg  Tripp,  Isaac  Woodward,  James  Griffing, 
Royal  P.  Wheeler,  Aaron  Priest,  Jonathan  Vowers,  Henry  Lewis,  and  Philip 
Baker.  The  third  annual  meeting  was  also  held  at  Mrs.  Melinda  Warren's, 
and  for  the  first  time  the  offices  of  inspectors,  and  commissioners  of  schools 
were  created.  Seventy-five  dollars  raised  for  the  support  of  the  poor,  indi- 
cates that  the  increasing  population  did  not  necessarily  bring  to  the  town  a  pro- 
portionate increase  of  wealth.  The  wolf  bounty  was  voted  at  ten  dollars  and 
a  coon  bounty  of  twelve  and  a  half  cents  offered.  The  sum  of  ten  dollars 
was  voted  to  purchase  a  standard  of  weights  and  measures,  and  the  town  clerk 
was  directed  to  copy  all  the  resolutions  and  post  them  up  in  conspicuous 
places.  In  18 16  it  was  resolved  that  twenty-five  cents  be  paid  for  every  crow 
killed  in  the  town,  conditioned  upon  the  presentation  of  the  proper  "  certiffi- 
cut  "  from  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

In  1 8 17  the  sum  of  $200  was  voted  for  the  support  of  the  poor.  By  this 
time  the  care  of  the  poor  of  the  town  had  become  something  of  a  problem,  for 
jn  addition  to  the  increased  sum  raised  for  their  support,  James  Pattison  and 
Lucius  Green,  overseers  of  the  poor,  and  Seth  C.  Baldwin  were  appointed,  pur- 
suant to  resolution,  a  committee  to  procure  a  "  sufficient  and  proper  establish- 
ment "  for  the  employment  of  the  paupers  of  the  town.  Furthermore,  a  special 
meeting  was  held  on  the  15th  of  April,  1817,  at  which  the  sum  of  two  hun- 
dred dollars  was  raised  for  the  rehef  of  the  poor,  and  the  poormasters  were  au- 
thorized to  borrow  that  amount  on  the  credit  of  the  town,  and  with  it  to  pur- 
chase provisions  for  the  poor.  No  action  of  any  importance  was  recorded  after 
this  until  the  year  1822,  when  the  extremely  significant  and  peculiar  resolu- 
tion was  passed  that  "  a  fine  of  ten  dollars  be  inflicted  on   any  ram  running  at 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  581 

large  from  the  12th  of  September  until  the  20th  of  November."  Another  res- 
olution passed  in  1825,  reads  to  the  effect  that  "hogs,  horses  and  sheep  shant 
be  free  commoners."  In  1826  a  bounty  of  five  dollars  was  offered  for  every 
wild  cat  killed.  During  all  these  years  we  find  indications  of  improvement  in 
all  things;  roads  were  in  constant  process  of  construction,  alteration  and  repair. 
Bridges  were  built  and  rebuilt.  School-houses  were  erected,  and  there  was 
going  on  a  perpetual  readjustment  of  the  existing  conditions  to  the  changes 
wrought  by  growing  population  and  the  increasing  importance  of  business  ac- 
tivities. But  the  face  of  the  country  did  not  lose  its  original  grim  wildness  for 
years.  During  winters  the  farmers  turned  their  attention  to  lumbering  and  the 
pine  forests  that  mantled  the  earth  were  gradually  felled  and  converted  into 
lumber  or  floated  down  the  river  to  the  lumber  market  at  Glens  Falls.  Wolves, 
panthers,  lynxes  and  wild  cats  infested  the  neighborhood  down  to  a  compara- 
tively recent  date,  for  until  1846  bounties  were  annually  offered  for  the  death 
of  one  or  all  of  the  kinds  of  beasts  named.  Nevertheless,  improvements  were 
continually  going  on.  As  we  have  seen,  the  roads  to  Chester,  Thurman,  Cald- 
well, and  Bolton  were  all  here  in  a  rude  state  at  the  beginning  of  the  century. 
They  were  scarcely  traversable,  however,  except  by  persons  on  foot  or  horse- 
back, being  full  of  stumps  and  insurmountable  rocks.  The  road  to  The  Glen 
was  built  about  the  year  1825.  A  plank  road  was  built  from  Warrensburgh 
to  Chester  in  1850,  and  one  from  Warrensburgh  to  Caldwell  in  1849.  The 
leading  men  in  the  company  which  constructed  the  former  of  the  plank  roads 
were  Pelatiah  Richards  and  Joseph  Woodward,  who,  in  connection  with  B.  P. 
Burhans  and  Thomas  S.  Gray,  were  also  chiefly  instrumental  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  plank  road  to  Caldwell.  Both  these  roads  have  been  since  con- 
verted into  turnpikes. 

The  bridge  across  the  Hudson  between  the  towns  of  Warrensburgh  and 
Thurman  has  also  something  of  a  history.  On  the  20th  of  April,  1836,  the 
Legislature  appropriated  $4,000  for  the  construction  of  a  bridge  at  this  place, 
or  "between  Warrensburgh  and  Athol."  George  Pattison  and  Stephen  Grif- 
fing,  of  Warrensburgh,  and  Richard  Cameron,  of  Athol  were  appointed  com- 
missioners. This  was  the  occasion  of  the  building  of  the  old  wooden  bridge. 
On  the  4th  of  April,  1871,  $2,500  was  appropriated  by  the  Legislature  "  for 
the  relief  of  Warrensburgh  and  Thurman  towards  the  building  of  a  bridge  be- 
tween the  towns  near  the  mouth  of  the  Schroon  River."  The  construction  of 
the  present  bridge  followed  hard  upon  this  action. 

Warrensburgh,  in  common  with  the  other  towns  of  the  county,  did  well  for 
the  country  during  the  late  "  misunderstanding "  between  the  two  sections. 
As  the  general  military  history  of  the  county  is  given  in  a  former  chapter,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  do  more  here  than  point  out  a  little  the  action  of  the  town  in 
relation  to  volunteer  service.  According  to  the  records,  a  special  meeting  was 
called  April  4th,  1864,  at  the  house  of  Duncan  Griffin,  at  which  it  was   voted 


S82  History  of  Warren  County. 

unanimously  that  the  sum  of  $1,700  be  raised  immediately  for  each  volunteer. 
This  was  an  encouragement  to  the  male  inhabitants  to  fill  the  quota  under  the 
call  of  the  president  for  men.  At  another  special  meeting  held  on  August  9th, 
1864,  it  was  decided  by  a  vote  of  sixty-three  to  twelve  to  raise  $8,000  to  fill 
the  quota  under  the  president's  call  for  500,000  men.  At  the  same  meeting 
the  town  auditors  were  authorized  to  borrow  money  (exclusive  of  the  $8,000 
before  mentioned)  on  an  issue  of  bonds  for  the  purpose  of  paying  volunteers, 
and  Thomas  Cunningham,  F.  C.  Burhans,  Hiram  McNutt,  Samuel  T.  Rich- 
ards and  Henry  Herrick  were  appointed  a  committee  to  raise  the  money  on 
these  bonds.  On  the  29th  of  the  same  month,  at  another  special  meeting,  it 
was  resolved  [by  a  vote  of  149  against  nine  to  raise  $12,000  additional  to  fill 
the  quota  under  the  call  for  500,000  men,  and  the  sum  of  $800  was  voted  as  a 
bounty  for  each  volunteer.  This  was  not  of  course  all  that  the  town  did  dur- 
ing the  last  war.  It  answered  promptly  the  call  for  men  and  money,  and  a 
goodly  number  of  those  who  form  the  bulk  of  the  population  to-day  can 
remember  with  gratification  the  part  they  took  in  defense  of  the  menaced 
Union. '^ 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  from  the  date  of  its  for- 
mation to  the  present :  1 8 13,  James  L.  Thurman  ;  1814  and  1815,  Harmon 
Hoffman;  1816  and  1817,  James  L.  Thurman;  1818-20,  Dudley  FarHn ; 
1821-23,  Duucan  McDonald ;  1824,  Richardson  Thurman;  1825  and  1826, 
James  L.  Thurman ;  1827  and  1828,  Dudley  Farlin  ;  1829,  Joseph  Russell; 
1830,  Pelatiah  Richards;  1831-34,  Joseph  Russell;  1835,  John  Thurman; 
1836  and  1837,  Stephen  Griffing  ;  1838,  Pelatiah  Richards  ;  1839,  Joseph  Rus- 
sell;  1840,  Alton  Nelson  ;  1841,  Thomas  S.  Gray  ;  i842,Asa'^Crandall ;  1843, 
Abial  Burdick ;  1844,  Nelson  J.  Warren;  1845,  Joseph  Woodward;  1846, 
Nelson  J.  Warren  ;  1847,  James  R.  Berry;  1848,  Abial  Burdick;  1849,  John 
Moon;  1850,  Nelson  J.  Warren  ;  185  land  1852,  James  R.  Berry ;  1853,  Abial 
Burdick;  1854,  Myron  H.  Shaw;  1855,  John  S.  Berry;  1856,  Nelson  J.  War- 
ren ;  1857  and  1858,  Stephen  Griffin,  2d;  1859  and  i860,  Stephen  Griffing ; 
1 86 1  and  1862,  Thomas  Cunningham  ;  1863,  Duncan  Griffing;  1864  and  1865, 
Thomas  Cunningham  ;    1866  and  1867,  Abial  Burdick  ;    1868,  Charles  H.  Ho- 

1  The  town  history  should  not  be  closedSvithout  a  mention  of  the  old  block  house  of  tradition,  which 
Dr.  A.  W.  Holden,  of  Glens  Falls,  described  in  a  recent  number  of  the  Warrensburgh  JVews.  He 
says  in  effect  that  the  traveler  approaching  the  "  lower  borough,''  as  the  residents  of  Warrensburgh  in 
former  days  called  the  lower  village,  after  crossing  the  iron  bridge  which  spans  the  Scliroon  River,  will 
discover  at  about  forty  rods  distance  a  huge  boulder  whose  front  overtops  the  highway.  There  is  a 
tradition  connected  with  it.  In  1790-91,  during  the  troubles  between  the  government  and  the  Indians 
along  the  frontier,  the  old  Indian  trail  leading' from  the'Mohawk  River  past  the  base  of  Crane  Mountain 
to  the  lake  being  yet  open,  and  the  memory  of  former  raids  being  yet  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, they  gathered  from  the  surrounding  wilderness  homes  to  the  hill  at  the  rear  of  ths  big  rock, 
speedily  cleared  away  the  forest  which  hid  its  summit,^4nd  erected  from  the  logs  a  two-storied  block- 
house, with  port-holes  and  fastenings  sufficient  for  the  purposes  of  protection  against  an  ordinary  In- 
dian attack.  It  is  not  recorded  that  they  were  called  upon  to  employ  it  for  the  purpose  of  its  construc- 
tion, and  even  the  vestiges  of  its  ruins  have  beenpObliterated  for  years. 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  583 

gan  ;  1869,  Stephen  Griffin,  2d  ;  1870,  John  Mixter  ;  1 871,  Charles  M.  Os- 
born  ;  1 872-1 877,  Thomas  Cunningham;  1878,  Lewis  C.  Eldridge ;  1879, 
Stephen  Griffin,  2d;  1880,  Joel  J.  White;  1881,  Thomas  Cunningham;  1882, 
Joel  J.  White  ;  1883,  Thomas  Cunningham;  1884,  Henry  Griffing;  1885, 
Henry  Griffing. 

The  present  officers  of  the  town  (1885,)  are  as  follows  :  Supervisor,  Henry 
Griffing  ;  town  clerk,  L.  C.  Aldrich ;  justices  of  the  peace,  James  Herrick, 
elected  in  1882;  F.  R.  Osborne,  1883;  Daniel  Aldrich,  1884,  and  B.W.  Sher- 
wood, 1885;  assessors,  Sylvanus  Smith,  Jamon  H.  Harrington  and  John  H. 
Stone  ;  commissioners  of  highways,  Charles  H.  Colvin,  Albert  H.  Alden  and 
John  W.  Wills  ;  collector,  Sheridan  E.  Prosser  ;  overseer  of  the  poor,  Nathan- 
iel F.  Mathews  ;  constables,  Eugene  F.  Prosser,  Charles  W.  Taber,  Moses  R. 
Herrington,  Edgar  T.  Hayes ;  game  constable,  Fred  O.  Hammond ;  inspec- 
tors of  election,  George  W.  Matthews,  John  McElroy,  Elmer  E.  Whitman  ; 
excise  commissioners,  George  Woodward,  Daniel  Varnum,  Elijah  Pratt. 

According  to  the  various  census  reports,  the  population  of  the  town  of 
Warrensburgh  in  1850  was  1,874;  in  1855,  1,946;  in  i860.  1,704;  in  1865, 
1,585  ;   in  1870,  1,579;   in  1875,  1,660;   in  1880,  1,725. 

MUNICIPAL   HISTORY. 

In  the  preceding  pages  of  this  chapter,  much  that  has  been  deemed  of 
broad  enough  application  to  be  placed  in  the  general  history,  has  yet  a  deci- 
ded reference  to  the  early  condition  of  the  village.  Although  since  the  arrival 
in  this  vicinity  of  the  earliest  settlers,  the  population  has  centered,  by  a  natural 
law,  about  the  site  of  this  village,  yet  the  community  could  hardly  claim  title 
to  the  name  village  during  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years  of  this  century.  Gordon's 
Gazetteer'^  describes  the  place  in  1836,  as  containing  one  Methodist  and  one 
Presbyterian  church,  two  taverns,  five  stores,  a  large  tannery,  a  grist-mill,  two 
saw-mills,  carding  and  cloth- dressing  works,  and  "  about  fifty  dwellings,  mostly 
new."  Considerable  business  had  been  done  here,  however,  every  year  after 
about  18 1 5, and  many  of  the  important  industries  which  now  go  to  make  up  the 
thrift  and  prosperity  of  the  village,  date  their  origin  back  to  a  period  not  long 
posterior  to  this  time. 

The  first  post-office  here  was  kept  about  where  the  Warren  House  now 
stands.  It  was  established  about  the  year  1806,  with  Kitchell  Bishop  as  the 
first  postmaster.  He  was  succeeded  in  a  short  time  by  James  Warren.  After 
Mr.  Warren's  death,  his  son.  Nelson  J.  Warren,  succeeded  to  the  position,  and 
kept  the  office  for  a  number  of  years.  After  he  gave  up  the  office,  various 
postmasters  succeeded.  In  1856,  we  find  Frederick  A.  Farlin  in  the  office.  In 
1862,  Captain  M.  N.  Dickinson  received  the  appointment,  but  went  at  once  to 
take  a  prominent  part  in  the  Rebellion,  and  Miles  Thomas  performed  the  duties 

1  In  possession  of  Dr.  Holden. 


584  History  of  Warren  County. 

incident  to  the  position  until  1866,  when  Captain  Dickinson  returned,  and  from 
that  time  until  July,  1885,  he  served  in  that  office.  On  the  last  named  date, 
C.  E.  Cole  received  the  appointment. 

Various  causes  have  co-operated  to  make  Warrensburgh  a  thriving  village. 
The  excellent  water  power  of  the  Schroon  and  of  some  of  the  smaller  streams 
in  the  vicinity  afforded  the  more  energetic  inhabitants  the  opportunity  of  erect- 
ing mills  with  a  fair  chance  of  realizing  a  comfortable  profit  from  the  outlay. 
In  earlier  days  the  great  quantities  of  hemlock  in  the  surrounding  country  at- 
tracted hither  persons  desirous  of  establishing  a  prosperous  tanning  business. 
When  the  railroad  was  opened  nearly  twenty  years  ago  an  additional  impetus 
was  given  to  business  by  reason  of  the  increase  it  created  in  the  shipping  facil- 
ities of  the  place.  Before  the  road  was  built  all  the  exports  had  to  be  drawn 
with  teams  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles  to  Glens  Falls,  and  thence  shipped  via 
the  feeder  to  their  destination.  As  Mr.  A.  C.  Emerson  expressively  says : 
"  Many  think  that  the  road  takes  travelers  by,  but  probably  no  resident  of 
Warrensburgh  would  like  to  see  it  torn  up." 

In  addition  to  the  advantages  of  railroad  communication,  a  telephone  line 
connects  Warrensburgh  with  Thurman  station,  Saratoga  and  Glens  Falls,  and 
stage  routes  have  long  been  established  between  this  village  and  Thurman  sta- 
tion, Glens  Falls  and  Chestertown.  These  are  at  once  results  and  evidences 
of  a  continual  growth  from  an  infinitesimal  beginning.  This  growth  can  best  be 
described  by  giving  a  brief  historical  sketch  of  each  of  the  prominent  business 
establishments  and  educational  and  religious  institutions  at  present  existing. 

Hotels.  —  The  Warren  House  was  built  and  first  used  as  a  tavern  by  James 
Pitts  in  1789.  In  a  few  years  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Jasper  Duel.  In 
1804  James  Warren  purchased  it  of  Duel,  and  kept  it  until  his  death.  Al- 
though the  property  was  leased  to  various  persons,  it  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  Warren  family  until  1866,  when  it  was  sold  to  Russell  and  Chapman.  In 
three  or  four  years  Henry  Chapman  bought  out  Joseph  Russell  and  in  the 
spring  of  1878  he  sold  to  the  present  proprietor,  John  Heffron.  He  has  thor- 
oughly renovated,  remodeled  and  repaired  the  house,  and  has  made  it  a  most 
commodious  and  comfortable  resting  place  for  tourists  and  travelers  of  every 
name  and  nature.  He  sets  an  excellent  table.  The  house  can  conveniently 
accommodate  forty  guests. 

The  construction  of  the  Adirondack  House,  the  only  other  hotel  in  the  vil- 
lage, was  commenced  by  Alton  Nelson  and  John  McLaren,  but  finished  in 
1825  by  Edmund  Richards,  brother  to  Pelatiah  Richards.  He  ran  the  house 
for  a  number  of  years  and  was  followed  by  Alton  Nelson  and  the  latter  by  Jo- 
seph Woodward  who  bought  the  property.  John  McLaren  rented  it  of  Mr. 
Woodward  a  few  months,  and  was  succeeded  by  Bradford  Tubbs,  who  kept 
the  house  nearly  two  years.  Stephen  Griffin,  2d,  acquired  title  and  posses- 
sion of  the  hotel  in  1838,  and  kept  it  until  about   1847,  when  he  sold  out  to 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  585 

Lewis  Persons.  R.  C.  Smith,  the  present  proprietor,  came  into  the  house  in 
1867  as  successor  to  Lewis  Persons.  He  can  accommodate  about  forty  guests, 
and  has  the  reputation  of  keeping  a  good  house. 

Mercantile  Interests. —  The  oldest  mercantile  establishment  in  town  is  that 
of  A.  T.  Pasko  &  Son  (E.  D.  Pasko),  who  are  engaged  in  making  and  selling 
harnesses  and  the  appurtenances  thereto.  The  senior  member  of  the  firm  be- 
gan the  business  here  in  185  i,  in  the  same  building  which  he  at  present  occu- 
pies. It  is  well  to  state,  however,  that  for  two  or  three  years  before  that  he 
had  carried  on  the  business  in  a  small  way  at  his  residence.  About  the  year 
i860  he  removed  his  business  to  the  building  which  he  now  occupies  as  a 
dwelling,  and  in  1876  came  back  to  his  present  quarters.  At  that  time  his  son, 
E.  D.  Pasko,  became  his  partner,  and  since  then  the  firm  name  and  personnel 
has  remained  the  same,  A.  T.  Pasko  &  Son.  In  January,  1863,  O.  F.  Ham- 
mond started  a  general  store  in  the  building  which  he  still  occupies  as  a  drug 
store.  In  1864  he  changed  the  business  from  the  sale  of  general  merchandise 
to  the  preparation  and  sale  of  drugs  and  chemicals.  It  was  the  first  drug  store 
in  town.  Robert  Jarvis  first  kept  store  in  Warrensburgh  in  1865,  after  acting 
two  and  a  half  years  as  clerk  for  Henry  Herrick,  whom  he  bought  out.  Ih 
1866  he  sold  again  to  James  and  Halsey  Herrick.  This  store  was  where  Mr. 
Dickinson's  drug  store  now  is.  In  1867  Mr.  Jarvis  bought  out  the  old  James 
Warren  stand,  of  James  Fuller,  and  for  six  months  had  with  him  a  partner, 
Dennis  Stone.  He  then  bought  out  Stone's  interest  and  transferred  it  to  his 
brother,  Walter  Jarvis.  This  relation  subsisted  for  about  two  years,  since  the 
termination  of  which  Robert  Jarvis  has  remained  alone.  In  1 87 1  he  sold  out 
to  the  present  owner  of  that  store,  James  Herrick.  After  a  partial  suspension 
of  business  for  five  years,  Mr.  Jarvas,  in  1876,  erected  his  present  store,  and  has 
since  then  continued  there  in  the  mercantile  business.  Captain  M.  N.  Dickin- 
son, for  so  many  years  postmaster  here,  began  the  hardware  business  in  the 
building  now  used  as  the  printing  office,  in  1865,  being  the  pioneer  dealer  in 
this  description  of  goods  in  Warrensburgh.  In  1871  he  sold  out  to  John  G. 
Hunt.  ■  In  the  fall  of  1881  he  went  into  partnership  with  A.  H.  Thomas,  in  the 
store  they  now  occupy,  and  from  the  commencement  of  this  relation  they  did 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  H.  Thomas  &  Co.  They  deal  in  general 
merchandise,  clothing,  however,  being  a  specialty.  Captain  Dickinson  has  also 
had  the  agency  for  the  sale  of  the  Royal  St.  John  sewing  machine  since  1884. 
A.  H.  Thomas  began  his  mercantile  career  here  in  1868,  going  in  with  his 
father.  Miles  Thomas,  who  had  been  a  Warrensburgh  merchant  since  1854. 
The  firm  name  in  1868  became,  therefore.  Miles  Thomas  &  Son.  In  May,  1872, 
Miles  Thomas  retired,  and  his  son,  Charles  A.  Thomas,  entered  into  partnership 
with  his  brother.  He  left,  however,  in  December,  1878,  and  A.  H.  Thomas 
remained  alone  until  Captain  Dickinson  went  in  with  him,  as  above  stated. 
When  Charles  A.  Thomas  left  his  brother  in  1878,  he  immediately  started  an- 


S86  History  of  Warren  County. 

other  store  in  the  stone  building  which  he  still  occupies.      Until  January  lOth, 

1884,  he  conducted  the  business  in  company  with  M.  N.  Noxon,  but  since  then 
has  been  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  business.  In  1866  James  Herrick  first  be- 
gan to  keep  a  general  store  in  the  building  now  occupied  by  G.  W.  Dickinson 
as  a  drug  store.  In  about  two  years  he  removed  to  the  building  now  occupied 
by  E.  Osborn.  In  1871  he  went  into  his  present  store,  at  which  time  he  bought 
the  stock  of  Robert  Jarvis,  who,  as  before  stated,  had  been  a  general  merchant 
here  a  number  of  years  before.  James  Fuller,  also  named  before  as  the  prede- 
cessor of  Robert  Jarvis  in  this  building,  himself  succeeded  Nelson  J.  Warren, 
the  son  of  James  Warren,  so  that  this  house  can  probably  lay  claim  to  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  oldest  store  building  in  the  village.  E.  S.  Crandall  and 
his  father,  J.  Crandall,  entered  into  co-partnership  relations  in  1867,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Crandall  &  Son.  They  occupied  the  present  drug  store  of  G.  W. 
Dickinson  until  about  1876,  when  they  moved  into  the  building  still  occupied 
by  E.  S.  Crandall.  The  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1878.  John  G.  Hunt 
bought  out  the  hardware  store  of  Captain  M.  N.  Dickinson  in  1871.  In  1882 
he  added  the  general  mercantile  department.  The  business  now  conducted  by 
E.  Osborn  was  founded  by  his  father,  C.  W.  Osborn  in  1872.     He  died  in  March, 

1885,  since  which  time  the  present  proprietor  has  continued  the  business.  The 
building,  though  unoccupied  for  some  years  before  1872,  is  an  old  store,  being 
formerly  used  as  such  by  James  Herrick  (see  above).  Warren  Potter  estab- 
lished a  dry  goods  business  in  the  building  which  he  still  uses,  in  January,  1877. 
In  October,  1883,  Alphonso  Young  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  store,  and 
the  business  is  now  conducted  under  the  style  of  Potter  &  Young.  S.  E. 
Prosser  opened  a  miniature  general  store  at  his  residence  in  1879.  In  1883  he 
increased  his  stock  and  removed  to  his  present  location.  H.  Herrick  opened 
his  store  in  Louisville  in  1879.  He  originated  the  business  which  he  now  con- 
ducts. G.  W.  Dickinson  opened  a  drug  store  in  the  "upper  village"  in  1879, 
taking  a  one-half  interest  with  L.  C.  Charette.  In  1880  he  purchased  Charette's 
interest  He  came  to  his  present  location  in  May,  1883.  J.  W.  Wills  com- 
menced dealing  in  general  merchandise  in  August,  1881.  He  has  also  been 
wagonmaker  and  blacksmith  in  the  building  which  he  still  uses  for  the  same 
purpose,  since  i860.  D.  W.  Bean,  jeweler,  came  here  in  the  spring  of  1881, 
from  Chestertown,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  same  business  for  ten 
years  previously.  In  i88i  James  H.  Mixter  began  the  hardware  business  in 
the  same  building  now  used  for  a  like  purpose  by  his  brother,  F.  R.  Mixter. 
The  transfer  of  the  business  was  effected  in  1882.  F.  W.  Herrick  buys  and 
sells  furniture  now  in  the  same  building  in  which  he  began,  on  January  ist, 
1883,  when  he  bought  out  the  stock  of  Bullard  &  Hunt. 

Manufacturing  Interests.  — The  first  grist-mill  in  town  was  built  by  Joseph 
Hutchinson  on  the  Stow  place,  at  the  point  which  is  now  known  as  the  south 
end  of  the  Judd  bridge.     At  low  water  the  remains  of  the  old  dam  are  yet 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  587 

visible.  The  first  grist-mill  erected  on  the  site  of  that  now  known  as  the  Bur- 
hans  mill  was  built  by  Dr.  Michael  Hoffman, ^  about  the  year  1806,  and  sold 
by  him  to  Dudley  Farlin  in  18 16.  In  1824  Farlin  erected  the  present  mill,  and 
■soon  after  sold  it  to  Nelson  J.  Warren,  who  ran  it  for  a  term  of  years  and  sold 
it  to  William  B.  Farhn  on  the  4th  of  August,  1845.  In  the  following  Decem- 
ber Burhans  and  Gray  bought  it.  They  extensively  repaired  the  mill  in  the 
following  summer.  On  the  ist  of  May,  i860,  Colonel  Burhans  purchased  the 
interest  of  General  Gray.  In  August,  1862,  Colonel  Burhans  placed  in  a  run 
of  stone — making  four  in  all.  Since  his  death  the  business  has  been  con- 
ducted by  his  heirs.  The  mill  will  grind  fifteen  tons  of  produce  in  twelve 
hours. 

The  mills  now  operated  by  A.  C.  Emerson  &  Co.  were  built  about  18 18 
•or  1820  by  Dudley  Farlin,  who  remained  sole  proprietor  of  the  business  until 
about  1834.  He  then  sold  out  to  Nelson  J.  Warren,  who,  after  conducting  it 
for  a  time,  sold  his  entire  interest  to  Joseph  Russell.  The  latter  transferred  a 
■one-fourth  interest  to  Stephen  Griffin,  2d,  and  soon  after  another  one-fourth 
interest  to  Joseph  Woodward.  Then  Mr.  Griffin  purchased  a  third  part  of 
Russell.  In  1855  Joseph  Woodward  bought  of  Russell  the  remaining  fourth. 
In  the  same  year  A.  C.  Emerson,  who  is  now  the  senior  member  of  the  com- 
pany, became  grantee  of  one-half  of  Joseph  Woodward's  interest.  They  ran 
a  store  in  connection  with  the  mill.  In  1858  James  McDonald  secured  an  in- 
terest in  the  concern,  which  he  retained  until  1865.  In  the  mean  time —  1859 
— I.  S.  Woodward  purchased  the  entire  interest  of  his  uncle,  Joseph  Wood- 
ward, and  in  1865  he  and  A.  C.  Emerson  secured  title  to  McDonald's  share. 
It  should  be  stated  that  Griffin's  interest  was  distinct  and  separate  from  that 
possessed  by  the  others.  He  ran  the  mill  a  part  of  the  time  alone,  and  the 
rest  conducting  the  business  jointly  the  remainder  of  the  time.  Griffin  carried 
■on,  also,  a  separate  store.  In  1866  I.  Starbuck  &  Brothers  (George  E.  and 
Edward  S.)  bought  out  Griffin's  interest  in  the  mill  alone.  The  next  change 
in  the  complex  relations  between  the  members  of  this  ^z^a.s-2-company  consisted 
in  the  formation  of  a  partnership  between  A.  C.  Emerson  and  I.  S.  Woodward 
-of  the  one  part,  and  I.  Starbuck  &  Brothers  of  the  other  part,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Starbucks,  Emerson  &  Co.  On  the  first  of  December,  1866,  the 
Starbucks,  who  had  acquired  of  Thomas  S.  Gray  title  to  the  Horicon  tannery, 
put  it  in  the  stock,  as  they  did  also  the  Pharaoh  property,  which  consisted  of 
nearly  7,000  acres  of  land  and  included  the  lake  of  that  name.  Another 
-change  was  effected  in  1868  when  George  Harvey  and  Lewis  M.  Baker  bought 
out  the  Starbucks,  and  the  firm  name  assumed  the  form  of  Harvey,  Emerson 
■&  Co.  Harvey  purchased  Baker's  right  in  1869,  and  on  the  13th  of  February, 
1872,  Hawley,  who  by  that  time  owned  one-half  of  the  entire  property,  dis- 

1  Judge  Woodward  has  said  in  previous  pages   that  the   Harmon  Hoffman  named  in  the  town 
records  was  "  Dr."  Hoffman.     The  persons  may  be  identical. 


588  History  of  Warren  County. 

posed  of  his  interest  to  S.  W.  Johnson  and  David  M.  Woodward  (brother  to 
I.  S.  Woodward).     This  relation  still  subsists. 

The  capacity  of  these  extensive  saw- mills  may  be  stated  at  about  3,000,000 
feet  of  lumber  annually,  in  a  good  run  of  water.  It  is  a  gang-mill,  containing 
seventy  saws  and  four  gates.  A  shingle  and  lath-mill  is  connected  with  the 
saw-mill,  and  in  all  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  men  are  kept  busy.  The  logs 
come  from  a  point  above  Schroon  Lake  down  the  river,  a  distance  of  about 
forty  miles.  About  two  miles  above  the  mill  is  a  large  boom,  and  near  the 
mill  is  another,  both  of  which  have  been  in  use  ever  since  the  original  con- 
struction of  the  mill.  The  lumber,  which  is  made  from,  perhaps,  15,000 
market  logs  a  year,  is  shipped  almost  exclusively  by  the  Adirondack  Railroad. 

Until  within  a  few  months  past  this  company  have  had  what  they  call  the 
best  tannery  in  the  State  of  New  York,  situated  at  Horicon.  It  has  a  capacity 
for  tanning  30,000  hides  a  year.  The  building  is  built  largely  of  stone,  the 
stone  part  being  400  feet  in  length  by  twenty  high,  and  surmounted  by  a 
wooden  loft  reaching  ten  feet  above  the  stone.  Connected  with  it  are  ten  tene- 
ment houses  and  a  store.  The  entire  Horicon  concern  was  closed  in  1884, 
because  of  the  increasing  scarcity  of  bark.  The  Pharaoh  property,  mentioned 
a  few  lines  above,  was  sold  a  few  years  ago  for  $10,000  to  Wilhelm  Peckhart, 
of  New  York  city,  who  expresses  his  intention  of  converting  it  into  a  park. 

The  Warren  tannery  was  built  by  H.  S.  Osborn  &  Co.,  who  began  work 
on  the  3d  of  October,  183 1.  It  was  the  first  sole-leather  tannery  built  in 
Warren  county.  On  May  31st,  1832,  they  first  put  hides  in  water.  The  orig- 
inal proprietors  not  succeeding  in  the  business,  were  superseded  in  the  '^spring 
of  1834  by  H.  J.  Quackenbosh.  A  year  later  he  associated  with  himself 
Thomas  S.  Gray,  forming  the  firm  of  Quackenbosh  &  Gray.  On  the  4th  of 
May,  1836,  Benjamin  P.  Burhans  purchased  Quackenbosh's  interest  in  the  bus- 
iness, and  the  new  partners  conducted  affairs  under  the  style  of  Burhans  & 
Gray.  On  the  1st  of  April,  1854,  Fred  O.  Burhans  became  associated  with 
them  and  the  firm  style  was  changed  to  Burhans,  Gray  &  Co.  Colonel  Bur- 
hans bought  out  Gray  May  ist,  i860,  and  formed  the  firm  of  B.  P.  Burhans  & 
Son.  Since  the  death  of  Colonel  Burhans  on  the  i6th  of  July,  1875,  the  bus- 
iness has  been  conducted  by  his  heirs  under  the  same  name.  The  capacity  of 
the  tannery  is  about  3,500  sides  per  year.  From  twenty-five  to  thirty  hands 
are  employed. ^ 

The  Empire  Shirt  Company  was  formed,  and  the  business  established  in 
the  fall  of  1879,  by  L.  Weinman  and  L.  W.  Emerson.  In  1882  J.  I.  Dunn  had 
an  interest  in  the  concern,  but  in  1883  he  and  L.  W.  Emerson  sold  their  inter- 
ests—  one-half  of  the  whole  —  to  J.  A.  Emerson,  then  but  nineteen  years  of 
age.     The  building  which  they  occupy  is  the  one  erected  at  the  time  the  busi- 

1  The  facts  here  stated  concerning  the  tannery  and  grist-mill  were  obtained  through  the  kindness  of 
Henry  Griffing,  esq. 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  589 

ness  was  started.  They  manufacture  nothing  but  shirts,  but  they  make  about 
25,000  dozen  of  these  per  year,  and  employ  about  one  hundred  hands  in  the 
building. 

Wyman  Flint,  of  Bellows  Falls,  Vt,  started  the  peg  factory  still  running  in 
January,  1882.  The  buildings  were  erected  at  that  time  by  I.  J.  Brill.  The 
capacity  of  the  factory  is  indicated  by  the  statement  that  it  turns  out  about 
twenty  barrels  of  pegs  daily.  White,  yellow  and  black  birch  are  used  exclu- 
sively, and  are  drawn  from  the  forests  in  the  vicinity.  Charles  White  is  the 
foreman.  Two  sets  of  hands  are  employed,  one  numbering  fifteen  and  the 
other  about  twenty-seven  or  twenty- eight. 

The  planing-mill  and  sash  factory  of  S.  Pasco  &  Bro.  (Walter  Pasco),  was 
built  in  1 88 1  by  John  Brill  on  the  site  of  an  old  pulp- mill  and  planing  and  saw- 
mill which  were  destroyed  by  fire.  S.  Pasco  had  rented  this  property  of  Brill 
since  1875,  but  in  June,  1884,  he  and  his  brother,  Walter  Pasco,  purchased  the 
property.     The  lumber  comes  from  Whitehall  and  sometimes  from  Canada. 

The  clothing  works  of  Whitby  (R.  J.),  Emerson  (L.  W.),  and  Eldridge 
(T.  J.),  were  established  in  the  spring  of  1885,  in  a  building  owned  by  A.  C. 
Emerson  &  Co.  Their  power  is  obtained  from  the  same  dam  that  feeds  the 
mills.  Twenty-five  hands  are  kept  at  work,  and  about  sixty-five  pairs  of  pant- 
aloons can  be  made  daily. 

Warrefisburgh  News.  — The  first  issue  of  this  weekly  paper  was  dated  Jan- 
uary 17th,  1878.  The  first  owners,  publishers  and  editors  were  J.  A.  Morris  & 
Son  (A.  H.  Morris).  The  prsent  editor  and  proprietor,  L.  C.  Dickinson,  pur- 
chased it  in  January,  1881.  Since  January,  1885,  C.  E.  Cole  has  been  asso- 
ciate editor  and  has  performed  the  greater  part  of  the  labor  of  editing  the  paper 
with  unusual  ability.  The  paper,  which  is  issued  every  Thursday,  is  an  eight 
paged  sheet,  containing  six  colmns  to  the  page.  It  is  independent  in  politics, 
and  its  leading  articles  are  distinguished  at  once  for  their  dispassionate  and 
liberal  tone,  and  their  clear  elucidation  of  argument,  while  the  mechanical  ar- 
rangement of  the  paper  is  hardly  capable  of  improvement.  It  is  the  only  news- 
paper in  Warren  county  outside  of  Glens  Falls. 

The  banking  house  of  Emerson  &  Co.  was  founded  in  January,  1884,  by 
A.  C.  and  L.  W.  Emerson.     The  latter  is  cashier.     The  deposits  sum  up  about 

$50,000. 

The  Warrensburgh  Water-works,  owned  and  conducted  by  Samuel  Bates 
and  Ira  Cole  under  the  firm  name  of  Bates  &  Co.,  were  established  in  Septem- 
ber, 1884.  Their  method  is  to  lay  pipes  on  all  the  streets  of  the  village  and 
sell  the  privilege  of  using  them  to  the  various  families.  The  water  is  taken 
from  the  John  McLaren  Brook,  two  miles  south  of  the  village,  and  has  a  descent 
of  from  two  hundred  and  thirty  to  three  hundred  feet  according  to  the  location 
of  its  destination.  Hydrants  are  in  process  of  construction,  looking  to  the  for- 
mation of  a  fire  company. 


5 go  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  Warrensburgh  Academy.  —  At  present  the  district  scliool  system  pre- 
vails at  Warrensburgh,  though  the  schools  are  well  attended.  But  the  history 
of  the  village  would  not  be  complete  without  some  mention  of  the  old  War- 
rensburgh Academy,  which  has  graduated  so  many  men  who  have  since  at- 
tained prominent  positions  in  the  county  and  elsewhere.  It  was  conducted 
by  a  stock  company  which  was  incorporated  about  the  year  1857.  The  first 
trustees  were  Stephen  Griffin,  2d,  George  and  Samuel  Richards,  Dr.  H.  Mc- 
Nutt,  Dr.  E.  W.  Howard,  M.  N.  Dickinson,  Miles  Thomas,  Thomas  Cunning- 
ham, Thomas  S.  Gray,  F.  O  Burhans,  and  three  others.  In  the  fall  of  1854 
the  school  building,  which  is  still  in  use,  was  erected.  The  first  principal  was- 
the  Rev.  Robert  C.  Clapp,  of  Chestertown.  He  came,  in  fact,  before  the  in- 
corporation of  the  company,  and  before  the  second  department  had  become  a 
feature  of  the  school.  He  was  succeeded  in  1857  by  Frank  Shepherd.  The 
building  when  completed,  had  cost  about  $4,500.  There  are  now  three  de- 
partments in  the  school.  No  principal  has  been  employed  for  the  ensuing" 
year.  The  general  attendance  varies  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and 
thirty  pupils.  The  present  trustees  are  as  follows :  Miles  Thomas,  Captain  M> 
N.  Dickinson,  John  W.  Wills,  Harvey  White,  Lemuel  Woodward,  A.  C.  Em- 
erson, Dr.  E.  W.  Howard,  John  P.  Cole,  James  Herrick,  F.  O.  Burhans,  and 
Thomas  Cunningham. 

Churches.  — The  first  church  organization  formed  in  the  town  —  or  what  is- 
now  the  town  —  of  Warrensburgh  was  Methodist,  and  dates  its  origin  back  to 
Christmas,  1784,  though  it  did  not  in  reality  contain  members  residing  in  this- 
as  yet  unpeopled  region.  The  present  Methodist  Church  of  Warrensburgh, 
however,  is  the  same  organization,  being  merely  settled  in  a  different  locaity. 
The  beginnings  must  have  been  extremely  small.  No  appointments  were  made 
north  of  New  York  city,  1785,  when  "Salem  appears."  In  1790,  this  region 
was  embraced  in  the  Albany  circuit.  James  Campbell  was  then  preacher. 
Lorenzo  Dow,  also,  the  famous  local  preacher,  was  an  early  "exhorter"  here- 
abouts. From  1799  to  1810  the  vicinity  formed  a  part  of  the  Cambridge 
Circuit.  In  18 10  the  Thurman  Circuit  appears  on  the  minutes,  with  Lansford 
Whitney  in  charge.  The  circuit  then  had  one  hundred  and  seventy-sevea 
members.  In  181 1  Gershum  Seaver  had  charge,  and  18 12  Tobias  Spicer. 
At  this  period  local  preachers  came  around  once  in  four  weeks.  In  1813  Gil- 
bert Lyon  was  preacher;  in  1814,  Elijah  Hibbard ;  1815,  Daniel  Brayton  and 
Stephen  Joyce;  in  18 16,  Daniel.  I.  Wright;  18 17,  Sherman  Minor.  In  18 18 
the  name  was  changed  to  Warren  Circuit.  Daniel  Brayton  preached  then. 
Daniel  I.  Wright  came  again  in  18 19,  and  was  followed  in  1820  by  Jacob  Hall. 
The  following  preachers  were  in  charge  of  the  circuit  during  the  following- 
named  years :  1821,  Cyrus  Stillman  ;  1822,  Phineas  Owan  ;  1823,  John  Clark  ; 
1824  and  1825,  Roswell  Kelley  ;  1826,  Jacob  Beeman  and  Joseph  Fames  ;  1827, 
Nathan  Rice  and   A.  Hulin  ;     1828,   Nathan   Rice  and   Merritt   Bates;    1829, 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  591 

Seymour  Coleman  and  another;  1830,  Seymour  Coleman  and  Joseph  Ayres ; 
1 83 1,  Joseph  McCreary  and  Henry  R.  Coleman  ;  1832,  J.  R.  McCreary.  The 
list  of  preachers  from  this  time  to  1844  was  not  accessible. 

The  first  church  edifice  was  erected  about  1802  or  1803.  Judge  Kitchel 
Bishop  gave  the  land  whereon  the  building  stood, — a  tract  embracing  the 
present  plot  and  considerable  more.  Major  Richardson  Thurman  gave  fifty 
dollars  in  money,  Josiah  Woodward  and  Isaac  Woodward  contributed  the  work 
and  timber. 

In  1840  the  old  edifice  was  removed  bodily  to  the  place  now  owned  by 
Sanford  Johnson,  just  west  of  John  G.  Hunt's  hardware  store,  and  the  present 
edifice  was  built  on  the  old  site  by  Joseph  Woodward  and  his  brother,  John 
Woodward.  "  Mr.  Woodward  "  (the  records  do  not  say  which  one)  gave  $200 
in  money ;  Joseph  Woodward  paid  a  debt  of  $60 ;  and  Peter  Cameron,  Asa 
Crandell,  Josiah  Crandell,  Aaron  Phillis  and  one  other  ten  dollars  each.  The 
church  was  dedicated  by  the  Rev.  S.  Covell,  the  Rev.  William  Armer  being 
the  regular  preacher  at  the  time.  The  first  class-leaders  were  Josiah  Wood- 
ward and  Isaac  Woodward.  Among  earliest  families  were  those  of  Josiah  Wood- 
ward, Daniel  Robinson  and  Nathan  Sheerman.  The  list  of  pastors  from  the 
dedication  of  the  church  to  1871  has  not  been  found.  In  the  latter  year,  the 
Rev.  D.  Brough  was  the  regular  pastor,  and  was  succeeded  to  the  present  as 
follows:  1873-75,  Rev.  R.  Campbell;  1876-78.  Rev.  M.  M.  Curry;  1879, 
Rev.  William  A.  Groat;  1880,  Rev.  C.  J.  Mott ;  1881-83,  Rev.  Anthony 
Wolford;  1883-85,  Rev.  Webster  IngersoU ;  1885,  Rev.  W.  R.  Winans.  The 
present  officers  are  as  follows :  stewards,  J.  W.  Wills,  district  steward,  Frede- 
rick Herrick,  Lemuel  Woodward,  recording  steward,  Truman  Brown,  Edward 
Wood  ;  trustees,  J.  W.  Wills,  Miles  Thomas,  Lemuel  Woodward,  Joseph  Wood- 
ward, Robert  Jarvis,  Frederick  Herrick  and  Daniel  Aldrich. 

The  Warrensburgh  charge  includes  the  churches  at  Thurman  Hollow  and 
Potter  School-house,  making  a  territory  of  about  twelve  miles  in  diameter, 
the  total  membership  amounting  to  about  one  hundred  and  sixty-five.  The 
history  of  the  Sunday-school,  as  far  as  it  could  be  gathered,  is  nearly  covered 
with  that  of  the  Warrensburgh  Church  proper.  The  present  average  attend- 
ance is  about  fifty.      The  superintendent  is  J.  W.  Wills. 

The  next  church  organization  effected  here  was  of  the  Presbyterian  denom- 
ination, and  dates  its  beginning  in  the  year  1804.  It  was  originally  intended 
to  include  a  membership  extending  over  a  spacious  territory,  and  was  known 
as  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Warrensburgh  and  Athol.     The  first  pastor  was 

the  Rev.  Kloss.     Among  the  first   members   were  John   McDonald,  and 

Emily,  his  wife,  William  Murry,  and  Margaret,  his  wife,  Kitchell  Bishop,  and 
Anna,  his  wife,  Peter  Bratt,  and  Vrontye,  his  wife,  John  McEwan,  and  Chris- 
tiana, his  wife,  James  Cameron,  and  Christine,  his  wife,  John  McDonald,  2d, 
and  Christiana,    his  wife,   George  McDonald,   and   Jane,    his  wife,  Alexander 


592  History  of  Warren  County. 

Murry,  and  Molly,  his  wife,  John  Moon,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  John  Murry,  John 
Bratt,  Derrick  Bratt,  James  Dow,  James  McDonald,  2d,  William  Cameron  and 
Duncan  McEwan.  The  first  elders  were  John  McDonald  and  Kitchel  Bishop. 
The  first  church  edifice  was  erected  at  Thurman  at  the  time  of  organization. 
The  present  structure  was  built  between  1836  and  1840  by  Joseph  Woodward. 
Its  cost  was  about  $3,000.  It  has  undergone  the  repairs  that  a  building  of 
that  age  would  naturally  require. 

In  1805  Rev. Williams  succeeded  Mr.  Kloss  in  the  pastorate,    and  in 

1806,  the  Rev.  Jonas  Coe,  to  whom  belongs  the  credit  of  consummating  the 
formation  of  the  church,  was  pastor.  Following  is  a  list  of  pastors  who  have 
served  since  1806:  1807—12,  Rev.  Matthew  Harrison,  the  first  pastor  who  was 
duly  installed  according  to  the  rites  of  the  denomination;  18 17,  Rev.  Nathan- 
iel Prime ;  1819,  Rev.  CorneHus  Bogardus;  1826,  Rev.  Jonas  Coe;  1822, '23, 
Rev.  John  K.  Davis;  1830,  Rev.  Jonathan  Kitchell ;  1861,  '32,  Rev.  James 
W.  Farlin;  1832,  '33;  Rev.  John  K.  Davis;  1833,  Rev.  Amos  Bingham ; 
1834— 37,  Rev.  James  W.  Farlin,  who  died  in  charge;  1837—39,  Rev.  Aza- 
riah  L.  Crandall ;  1839-42,  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Haswell  (preached  once  in  two 
weeks);  1839  (with  Mr.  Haswell),  Rev.  Courtney  Smith;  1857,  Rev.  Thomas 
Riggs;  1859,  Rev.  Henry  A.  Post  (died  Nov.  12th,  1861);  1863,  Rev.  Albert 
C.  Bishop;  1870-72,  Rev.  Alexander  E.  Smith;  1876,  Rev.  William  M. 
Machette ;  1881,  Rev.  D.  O.  Irving;  1884  and  at  present.  Rev.  James  F. 
Knowles. 

The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  forty,  and  the  elders  are  as  fol- 
lows :  John  Moon,  A.  C.  Emerson,  W.  H.  Wilcox,  D.  B.  Howard,   M.  D. 

The  Sunday-school,  which  owes  its  organization  to  the  efforts  of  Mrs. 
Sarah  Farlin,  has  now  an  average  attendance  of  about  forty-five.  Henry  Wil- 
cox is  the  present  superintendent. 

The  Baptist  church  of  Warrensburgh  was  organized  on  the  26th  of  De- 
cember,- 1807,  and  was  the  result  of  the  labors  of  the  church  at  Thurman, 
which  was  organized  at  Chestertown  in  1796.  The  first  members  were:  Rich- 
ard Truesdell,  Nathaniel  Streeter,  Asa  Smitli,  Gideon  Putney  Joshua  Kellum, 
David  Smith,  Simeon  Fuller,  Asa  Twichel,  John  Skiff,  Elizabeth  Fuller,  Eda 
Smith,  Lucretia  Putney,  Desire  Burlingame,  Mercy  Griffis,  Eunice  Hough, 
DeHght  Skiff  and  Sarah  Otis,  consisting,  as  will  be  seen,  of  nine  male  and  eight 
female  members.  Rev.  Jehiel  Fox,  the  pastor  of  the  church  at  Chestertown, 
preached  here  at  the  first.  The  first  deacons  were  Asa  Smith  and  Simeon 
Fuller.  A  frame  building  owned  by  Nathaniel  Smith  and  standing  on  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  Simeon  Hall  was  fitted  up  for  a  school-house  and  meet- 
ing-house. In  about  1825  they  built  a  house  of  worship  which  they  used  until 
1877,  when  the  present  edifice,  which  was  commenced  in  1876,  was  dedica- 
ted (June  loth).  The  cost  of  the  present  building,  lot  and  fixtures  was  about 
$6,500. 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  593 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  successive  pastors  which  have  served  this 
church.  On  the  6th  of  September,  1809,  came  the  first  regular  pastor,  Rev. 
Daniel  McBride.  He  remained  until  December  8th,  18 13,  when  he  wentWest^ 
and  in  18 14,  his  successor,  Rev.  Parker  Reynolds,  began  his  labors  here.  He 
too  left  in  1815,  and  from  that  time  until  1820,  it  is  not  supposed  that  they 
had  a  settled  pastor,  but  were  supplied  by  Elders  Harris,  Swain,  Henry  Faxon 
and  Grant.  On  the  24th  of  June,  1820,  Justin  Eastwood  assumed  the  duties 
of  the  pastorate  until  his  ordination  in  June,  1821.  In  1822  there  was  a  mem- 
bership of  one  hundred  and  six  but  the  records  for  the  next  forty  years  are 
lost.  Between  1822  and  1832  two  licentiates  preached  here,  Artemus  Arnold 
in  1825  and  G.  Brooks  in  1826.  In  1836  George  B.  Wells  was  made  a  licen- 
tiate, and  in  1838  was  ordained.  Just  previous  to  1842  Rev.  Charles  Williams 
became  pastor,  and  soon  after  his  labors  began  Aaron  Gates,  jr.,  was  licensed 
to  preach.  The  membership  at  this  time  was  135.  A.  D.  Milne,  afterwards 
prominent  in  the  county,  was  licensed  to  preach  here  in  1843.  In  1844  Wil- 
liam S.  Bush  was  licentiate  and  pastor.  1846, '47,  Walker  Stilson,  licentiate.  At 
this  time  the  church  was  divided  and  four  new  churches  organized  according  to 
territorial  location.  But  the  division  did  not  prove  a  blessing  to  any  of  the 
churches,  and  on  the  Sth  of  July,  1852,  eight  of  the  old  members  dedicated 
themselves  to  the  work  of  reviving  the  old  Warrensburgh  and  Caldwell  church. 
The  first  clerk  after  the  revival  was  Truman  Chapman,  and  the  first  deacon  was 
Warren  Potter.  By  the  month  of  September,  1862,  the  reorganized  church 
had  a  membership  of  twenty-four.  The  pastor  then  was  Rev.  R.  O.  Dwyre, 
who  remained  one  year,  and  saw  the  house  of  worship  remodeled  and  built 
almost  anew.  In  1864  Revs.  E.  W.  Burdick  and  W.  Stilson  both  served  in 
the  pastorate,  and  the  membership  rose  to  lOi.  Rev.  Caleb  Smith  followed 
in  1866.  In  the  following  year  came  Rev.  W.  Stilson  again,  who  remained 
until  1868.  Then  Rev.  Stephen  Wright  followed.  From  December,  1869  to 
May,  1872,  Rev.  W.  Stilson  resumed  this  pastorate,  during  which  time  Mat- 
thew W.  Burdick  was  licensed  to  preach.  The  pastor  in  1872  and  1873  was 
Rev.  A.  B.  Palmatier.  In  December,  1873,  Charles  H.  Wyman,  a  licentiate, 
became  pastor  and  was  ordained  on  March  19th,  1874.  The  pastors  since 
187s  have  been:  1876, '77.  Rev.  Jacob  Gray;  1877-80,  Rev.  Joshua  Wood  ; 
1880-85,  Rev.  George  M.  Muller  (ordained  here  October  6th,  1880).  The 
church  is  at  present  without  pastor.     The  present  officers  are  as  follows  : — 

Deacons,  Warren  Potter,  Warren  Harrington,  Dr.  D.  E.  Spoor,  and  Charles 
B.  Hill ;  clerk  and  treasurer,  S.  W.  Johnson  ;  trustees,  Warren  Potter,  Ira  Cole, 
Charles  B.  Hill,  Israel  Harrington,  Nathan  B.  Sharp,  and  Sanford  W.  Johnson. 
The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven. 

The  Sunday-school  was  organized  some  time  before  i860.  The  superin- 
tendent is  Ira  Cole.  The  average  attendance  is  not  far  from  sixty  or  seventy 
persons. 

38 


594  History  of  Warren  County. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent,  December  ist,  1861,  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  the  Rev.  Robert  Fulton  Crary,  missionary  at  Caldwell,  read  even- 
ing prayer  in  the  Presbyterian  house  of  worship  at  Warrensburgh,  and  such 
services  were  soon  after  regularly  conducted  by  him. 

On  the  Sunday  evenings  of  the  13th,  20th,  and  27th  of  March,  1864,  by  the 
permission  of  the  Bishop  of  New  York,  a  notice  was  read  which  called  a  meet- 
ing for  the  purpose  of  incorporating  the  parish  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  Warrens- 
burgh.    The  notice  proving  defective  no  organization  was  then  effected. 

On  Wednesday  in  Whitsuntide,  May  18th,  1864,  the  corner  stone  of  the 
church  was  laid  by  the  Rev.  Robert  F.  Crary,  priest  and  missionary  in  charge 
of  the  station.  From  this  time  until  February  ist,  1865,  work  was  continued 
upon  the  building,  which,  with  the  exception  of  the  tower  and  porch,  was  com- 
pleted. On  the  fifth  Sunday  after  Epiphany,  February  Sth,  1865,  the  building 
was  opened  for  Divine  service.  On  Palm  Sunday  and  Easter  Day  in  1865,  a 
notice  was  read  calling  a  meeting  on  April  19th,  1865,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
corporation, in  pursuance  of  which  the  following  persons  assembled  in  due 
time :  Rev.  Robert  F.  Crary,  Frederick  O.  Burhans,  Duncan  Griffin,  George 
A.  Schneider,  Robert  Stewart,  Charles  Braley,  John  Hochaday,  Moses  Sutton, 
and  Henry  Griffing. 

Benjamin  P.  Burhans  and  Stephen  Griffin  were  duly  elected  wardens,  and 
Frederick  O.  Burhans,  Duncan  Griffin,  Charles  Braley,  Henry  Herrick,  Samuel 
T.  Richards,  James  Farrar,  Moses  Sutton,  and  Henry  Griffing,  vestrymen. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  the  porch  and  tower  of  the  church  edifice  were  com- 
pleted. 

On  the  ninth  Sunday  after  Trinity,  August  13th,  1865,  the  Rt.  Rev.  Horatio 
Potter,  Bishop  of  New  York,  made  his  first  visit  to  the  parish.  The  following 
is  taken  from  his  official  report:  "Aug.  13th,  9th  Sunday  after  Trinity,  even- 
ing, in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross,  Warrensburgh,  I  preached,  confirmed 
four  persons,  and  addressed  them.  This  is  a  new  and  beautiful  church  in  a 
charming  situation,  and  the  parish,  recently  organized,  is  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  R.  F.  Crary." 

A  new  pipe  organ  was  placed  in  the  church  in  May,  1866,  and  first  used  on 
Whitsunday,  May  20th,  of  that  year,  completing,  with  the  previous  cost  of  the 
church  edifice  and  ground,  an  expenditure  of  $7,792.87.  On  June  13th,  1866, 
the  Bishop  of  New  York  consecrated  the  church.  In  the  fall  of  1867,  Rev.  R. 
F.  Crary  was  appointed  to  the  rectorship  of  the  Holy  Comforter,  of  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  from  that  time  this  parish  was  left  in  charge  of  missionaries 
until  November  8th,  1869,  when  Rev.  Henry  H.  Oberly  was  appointed  by  the 
Bishop  of  Albany  rector  of  the  parish.  He  resigned  on  the  first  of  November, 
1872,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  E.  Hall,  who  remained  until  Septem- 
ber 29th,  1874.  The  present  rector.  Rev.  William  M.  Ogden,  was  appointed 
April  1st,  1875.     In  the  fall  of  1874  lands  adjoining  the  church  lot  of  one  and 


Town  of  Warrensburgh.  595 

one-half  acres  were  purchased,  and  on  July  i6th,  1885,  ground  was  broken  for 
the  erection  of  a  rectory,  parish  house  and  public  reading  room.i 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  Society  of  Warrensburgh  was  regularly  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  James  A.  Kelly,  its  first  resident  pastor,  under  the  title  of  St. 
Cecilia  in  1874.  This  was  Father  Kelly's  first  mission  after  he  was  ordained  in 
Troy  Seminary.  Before  that  time  the  Catholic  families  in  this  vicinity  were  at- 
tended at  varying  intervals  by  priests  from  Glens  Falls  and  Minerva.  The 
corner  stone  of  the  first  church  edifice  was  laid  on  the  23d  of  July,  1875,  and 
the  church,  by  virtue  of  the  zealous  efforts  of  its  young  pastor,  was  dedicated 
on  the  5th  of  September,  1877,  the  cost  of  the  building  having  been  $6,000, 
and  of  the  furniture,  $2,000,  making  a  total  expenditure  of  $8,000,  its  present 
value.  The  number  of  communicants  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  Since 
Rev.  James  Kelly  resigned,  after  building  and  paying  for  four  churches  in  dif- 
ferent towns  in  the  mission,  viz.:  At  north  Creek,  Luzerne,  Weavertown,  and 
Warrensburgh,  the  following  clergymen  have  had  charge :  Rev.  James 
Greene  attended  the  mission  from  September,  188 1,  to  November  of  the  same 
year,  and  was  transferred  to  Cleveland.  Rev.  James  Lynch  from  November 
19th,  1 88 1,  to  February  19th,  1882.  Rev.  James  Muldoon,  from  February 
19th,  to  June  20th,  1882.  Rev.  W.  O'Mahoney,  the  present  pastor,  came  July 
1st,  1882.  The  Sunday-school  attached  to  the  church  was  organized  in  1874, 
and  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  McNierney  has  conferred  confirmation  here  twice  since 
that  year.  It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  this  is  the  finest  and  largest 
church  edifice  in  the  Adirondacks,  north  of  Glens  Falls  and  Saratoga. 

Attorneys  and  Counselors. —  Thomas  Cunningham,  the  attorney  of  longest 
standing  in  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Chesterfield,  Essex  county,  in  1826. 
He  studied  law  with  Kellogg  &  Hale,  of  Elizabethtown,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  Plattsburg,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1-854.  He  has  practiced  here 
ever  since  his  admission. 

Lewis  C.  Aldrich  was  born  on  May  13th,  1852,  in  the  town  of  Thurman. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  April  9th,  1875,  at  Albany,  after  passing  a 
clerkship  with  Thomas  Cunningham  of  Warrensburgh,  which  he  commenced 
in  the  spring  of  1 87 1,  He  was  town  clerk  of  Warrensburgh  in  1874-77, 
1881-85  inclusive;  supervisor  of  Warrensburgh  in  1878,  and  clerk  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  Warren   county  in   1875,  '80,  '83  and  '84. 

When  Mr.  Cunningham  came  here  in  1854,  George  Richards  was  a  prac- 
ticing attorney  here.  He  had  always  been  here,  he  and  his  brother, 
Samuel  T.  Richards,  being  extensively  engaged  in  lumber  interests.  George 
Richards  lived  here  until  1866  or  1868.  He  is  now  is  the  custom  house  at 
Rouse-'s  Point.  About  1870  Randolph  McNutt  did  a  little  legal  practice  here. 
He  moved  away  about  1880. 


1  We  are  indebted  for  the  above  to  Mr.  Henry  Griffing,  who  kindly  sent  us  the  sketch,  which  we 
have  here  inserted  almost  verbatim. 


596  History  of  Warren  County. 

Physicians. —  Dr.  E.  W.  Howard,  longer  in  Warrensburgh  than  any  living 
physician,  was  born  January  2d,  1808,  in  Fort  Anne,  Washington  county.  He 
received  his  general  education  mainly  in  common  and  graded  schools.  He  be- 
gan his  medical  studies  in  April,  1830,  under  Dr.  Nelson  Porter,  of  Fort  Anne. 
In  the  summer  of  1832  and  the  following  winter  he  studied  in  the  office  of  Dr. 
Fletcher  ! Ransom,  of  Glens  Falls.  He  attended,  also,  three  courses  of  lectures 
at  Castleton,  Vt.,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  December,  1833. 
Thereupon  he  commenced  practicing  in  the  town  of  Queensbury,  four  miles 
north  of  Glens  Falls.  He  came  to  Warrensburgh- in  April,  1837.  From  1838 
to  the  spring  of  1867  he  lived  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Captain  F.  A. 
Farlin.     At  the  latter  date  he  removed  to  his  present  residence. 

Dr.  Louie  Charette  was  born  about  June,  1820,  at  Leech  Lake  in  Minne- 
sota, then  called  the  Northwest  Territory.  In  the  fall  of  1841  he  was  gradu- 
ated at  the  Albany  Medical  College,  and  at  once  began  to  practice  in  Bolton. 
He  came  to  Warrensburgh  in  1854. 

Dr.  Daniel  B.  Howard,  son  to  Dr.  E.  W.  Howard,  was  born  in  Warrens- 
burgh January  17th,  1841.  He  studied  medicine  with  his  father,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Albany  Medical  College  on  the  7th  of  December,  1865. 
He  has  practiced  ever  since  that  time  with  his  father. 

Dr.  W.  D.  Aldrich  was  born  in  Thurman  on  January  15th,  1851.  He  re- 
ceived his  medical  education  in  the  medical  department  of  Dartmouth  College, 
being  graduated  November  ist,  1871.  He  began  to  practice  in  Stony  Creek, 
but  moved  to  Warrensburgh  in  1878. 

Dr.  D.  E.  Spoor  was  born  in  Hartland,  Niagara  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1846. 
He  studied  medicine  in  Medina,  and  received  his  diploma  from  Hanneman 
Medical  College  in  Chicago  in  1878.  He  started  his  practice  in  Orleans 
county,  coming  from  there  to  this  county  in  September,  1881.  He  came  to 
Warrensburg  in  April,  1884. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWN  OFHORICON. 

HORICON  is  situated  on  the  northern  border  of  the  county,  east  of  Schroon 
Lake  and  Schroon  River.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Essex  county, 
on  the  east  by  Hague,  on  the  south  by  Bolton,  and  on  the  west  by  Chester- 
town.  The  two  branches  of  the  Kayaderosseras  Mountains,  separated  by  the 
valley  of  Brant  Lake,  extend  in  a  northeasterly  and  southwesterly  direction 
through  the  town  and  render  the  surface  uneven  and  precipitous  in  the  ex- 


Town  of  Horicon.  597 


treme.  In  the  north  and  east  these  ranges  rise  in  a  number  of  sharp,  rocky 
peaks,  which  attain  an  elevation  varying  from  1,600  to  2,000  feet  above  sea 
level,  but  in  the  south  and  west  they  descend  into  an  uneven  plateau.  The 
soil,  like  the  entire  county  around  it,  is  a  sandy  loam,  and  the  surface  so  thickly 
studded  with  rocks  and  boulders  as  to  render  cultivation  a  labor  of  consider- 
able difficulty.  Not  more  than  one-third  of  the  surface  is  arable,  and  there  are 
good  authorities  in  the  town  who  hold  that  not  one-tenth  part  of  the  surface  is 
really  cultivated.  The  principal  products  are  buckwheat,  corn,  oats  and  pota- 
toes. Among  the  mountains  are  a  great  many  small  lakes  lying  imbedded  in 
more  or  less  huge  and  towering  amphitheatres  of  rocky  slopes  and  precipices. 
The  largest  of  these,  Brant  Lake,  is  ten  miles  long,  and  has  for  years  been  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  hunter  and  fisherman.  But  the  most  famous  and  the 
most  beautiful  of  all  the  waters  that  indent  her  territory  is  the  lovely  Schroon. 
We  cannot  do  better  than  to  insert  here,  almost  bodily,  an  article  written  by' 
Dr.  A.  W.  Holden  for  a  recent  number  of  the  Warrensburgh  News :  — 

Conspicuous  among  the  myriad  lakelets  and  ponds  with  which  the  northern 
wilderness  abounds  is  the  Schroon.  Lying  partly  in  the  town  of  Schroon,  in 
Essex  county,  and  partly  in  Horicon,  Warren  county,  it  forms  with  its  asso- 
ciate river  a  beautiful  contrast  to  the  fringe  of  forest  bordering  on  the  great 
waste  of  woods  and  waters  known  to  the  Iroquois  by  the  term  Conchsachraga, 
"  the  great  dismal  wilderness." 

It  is  but  an  expansion  of  the  river  to  which  it  imparts  its  name,  and  lies 
embosomed  between  the  sloping  hillsides,  once  wooded  to  its  very  brink,  but 
now,  by  the  industry  of  man,  changed  to  a  civilized  aspect,  with  tilled  fields, 
pasture  lands,  and  here  and  there  an  old-time  farm-house,  or  rustic  cottage,  or 
more  pretentious  summer  hotel. 

Prior  to  the  voyages  and  discoveries  of  the  French  navigator,  Jacques  Car- 
tier,  and  only  forty-two  years  subsequent  to  the  first  voyage  of  discovery  of 
Christopher  Columbus,  all  of  the  great  peninsula,  bounded  by  Lakes  George 
and  Champlain  on  the  east,  and  the  St.  Lawrence  River  on  the  west,  was 
claimed  and  occupied  by  a  powerful  tribe  of  the  great  Odjibway  family,  known 
to  the  French  as  the  Algonquin  nation,  and  to  the  Iroquois  as  the  Adirondack 
tribe.  A  family  of  this  tribe,  according  to  tradition,  had  its  seat  on  the  shores 
of  this  beautiful  lake.  The  derivation  of  the  name  Schroon  rests  in  obscurity. 
A  mythical  correspondent,  mentioned  by  Da  Costa  in  his  Schroon  Lake  and 
the  Adirondacks,  is  credited  with  saying  "  that  a  few  years  ago  a  Sappho-like 
origin  of  the  name  was  derived  from  Scarona,  a  squaw,  who,  like  Winona  and 
many  others,  had  leaped  over  a  precipice  into  the  lake  and  was  drowned." 
Whether  from  blighted  affections  is  not  recorded.  Another  legend,  referring 
perhaps  to  the  same  maiden,  states  that  the  name  was  conferred  in  honor  of 
the  beautiful  daughter  of  a  distinguished  Algonquin  chief,  the  name  signifying 
"  the  child  of  the  mountains."     According  to  Gordon's  Gazetteer  of  the  State 


598  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  New  York  it  is  a  corruption  of  the  Indian  word  "  Skanetaghrowakna,"  "  the 
largest  lake."  An  unauthenticated  derivation  is  attributed  to  Madame  Scar- 
ron,  wife  of  the  French  poet  Scarron,  who  lived  in  the  time  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon  —  named  by  a  party  of  French  officers  who  visited  the  lake. 
"  In  an  effervescence  of  sentimental  gush  the  ceremony  of  dedication  and 
claim  of  discovery  has  been  embellished  with  formal  declarations  and  the 
breaking  of  a  bottle  of  wine  on  the  occasion.  It  might  be  worth  the  while  of 
some  antiquarian  to  drag  the  lake  in  search  of  the  bottle.  I  have  not  the  least 
doubt  but  what  success  would  attend  the  experiment  if  the  drag  was  drawn 
near  the  shore  of  the  beautiful  island,  and  so  a  long,  vexed  question  put 
to  rest." 

Whatever  the  conclusion,  it  is  certain  that  the  name  is  recorded  as  Scaron 
on  several  of  the  earlier  maps  of  this  region,  notably  Sauthier's  Chronological 
Map  of  the  Province  of  New  York,  published  in  1779  and  reprinted  in  the  first' 
volume  of  the  Documentary  History  of  New  York,  and  on  a  map  engraved  and 
published  in  1777  by  Matthew  Albert  Lottier. 

Undoubtedly  there  have  been  sporodic  settlements  in  Horicon  since  the 
earlier  years  of  the  century,  but  industry  never  was  organized  here  before  the 
formation  of  the  town,  and  as  late  as  1831,  as  will  be  seen,  the  aspect  of  the 
territory  was,  even  in  comparison  with  its  present  condition,  wild  and  appar- 
ently untenantable. 

One  of  the  most  intelligent  and  well-informed  of  the  residents  of  Horicon, 
J.  N.  Barton,  came  here  in  1831  from  Warrensburgh.  He  was  born  on  the 
7th  of  October,  1820,  on  the  mile  strip  that  was  afterward  transferred  from 
Warrensburgh  to  Chester.  When  he  first  came  to  the  territory  which  seven 
years  later  became  Horicon,  he  lived  in  the  little  farming  settlement  called 
Hayesburgh.  Among  those  who  then  lived  here  was  Bishop  Carpenter,  a 
prominent  farmer  and  lumberman,  residing  at  the  outlet  of  Schroon  Lake. 
One  of  his  sons,  Sylvester,  now  lives  in  Horicon,  and  another,  Thomas  J.  Car- 
penter, is  a  resident  of  Chestertown.  Timothy  Bennett,  another  of  the  original 
settlers,  lived  then  in  Hayesburgh.  He  has  no  descendants  now  in  Horicon. 
Howard  Waters  carried  on  a  farm  at  Hayesburgh.  Harvey  S.  Waters,  now 
living  here,  is  his  son.  Nathan  Hayes,  senior  and  junior,  were  also  farmers  at 
Hayesburgh,  four  or  five  miles  east  of  South  Horicon.  They  leave  no  descend- 
ants. Benjamin  Hayes,  sn,  —  brother  to  Nathan  Hayes,  sr.,  — and  Benjamin 
Hayes,  jr.,  were  neighbors  of  their  relatives,  and  have  descendants  here  now. 
James  Hayes,  another  son  of  Nathan  Hayes,  sr.,  moved  away  from  his  farm  in 
Hayesburgh  thirty-five  years  ago.  Another  resident  of  that  neighborhood 
was  John  Robbins,  farmer  and  laborer.  As  Mr.  Barton  figuratively  observed, 
"  he  was  a  moving  planet."  James  Frazier  and  Benjamin  Wright  were  also 
farmers  in  Hayesburgh,  and  both  have  descendants  still  living  hereabouts. 

In  1 83 1,  Mr.  Barton  says,  the  country  was  all  new.     There  were  only  two 


Town  of  Horicon.  599 


or  three  frame-houses  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Horicon.  No  tavern,  nor 
store,  nor  ashery,  nor  distillery,  nor  church  in  the  whole  town.  There  were 
three  school  districts  in  the  territory,  and  religious  meetings  were  occasionally 
held  in  one  of  the  log  school-houses,  which  were  then  wont  to  serve  the  public 
in  all  capacities. 

There  was  no  post-office  in  town  in  1831.  The  first  one  was  established 
at  Hayesburgh,  under  the  name  Horicon  about  1840,  and  Howard  Waters  had 
the  honor  of  first  distributing  the  mails.  Charles  Osborn  followed  him  until 
about  1862,  when  Alonzo  Davis  was  made  postmaster.  In  1865  Homer  Da- 
vis was  made  postmaster.  In  1867  Charles  W.  Osborn  succeeded  Davis,  and 
remained  until  1869,  when  Oren  Burge  took  the  oath  of  office.  In  April,  1882, 
the  present  postmaster,  Scott  Barton,  was  appointed  as  successor  to  Oren  Burge. 
In  the  mean  time  the  post-office  had  been  removed  from  Hayesburgh  to  South 
Horicon,  or  more  familiarly  "The  Pit,"  and  from  there  to  the  Emerson  tannery, 
and  soon  after  to  its  present  location  at  Bartonville. 

When  Mr.  Barton  came  here  in  183 1,  the  principal  business  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, besides  farming,  was  lumbering.  About  their  only  occupation  winters 
was  logging.  Glens  Falls  lumbermen  made  money  by  floating  logs  down  the 
Schroon  to  the  Hudson,  thence  direct  to  Glens  Falls.  Pine  timber  grew  here 
in  great  abundance,  but  is  now  about  all  gone.  Moses  Stickney  then  had  a 
saw-mill  at  Bartonville,  on  the  site  of  Smith  Barton's  present  mill.  All  the 
little  streams  in  town  had  one  or  more  "  mud  mills  "  as  they  were  called.  The 
practice  of  these  primitive  lumbermen  was  to  "  stock  up  "  in  winter,  and  saw 
the  timber  in  the  summer,  as  well  as  to  draw  logs  to  Ticonderoga.  Of  these 
small  mills  one  was  owned  and  run  by  John  J.  Harris  at  the  head  of  Brant 
Lake  ;  near  him  was  the  saw-mill  of  Jonathan  Griffin  ;  east  of  The  Pit  were 
two  owned  severally  by  Arnold  Young  and  Henry  Hopkins.  The  same  grist- 
mill now  operated  by  L.  D.  Waters  was  then  the  only  one  in  town,  and  was 
the  property  and  under  the  management  of  Moses  Stickney.  In  1865  J.  N. 
Barton  bought  him  out  and  ran  the  mill  until  1880,  when  Thomas  J.  Smith 
purchased  the  property.  His  grantee  and  successor  was  Smith  Barton.  L.  D. 
Waters  bought  it  in  the  spring  of  1885. 

Horicon  was  formed  from  Bolton  and  Hague  on  March  29th,  1838.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  the  list  of  first  officers  because  the  records  were  destro3'ed 
by  fire  in  1868.  In  addition  to  what  has  been  incidentally  given  of  the  pres- 
ent business  interests,  may  be  stated  the  milling,  mercantile  and  hotel  interests 
of  the  town.  It  has  been  stated  that  in  1831  Moses  Stickney  owned  the  grist- 
mill and  saw-mill  at  Bartonville.  He  built  them  both.  The  latter,  as  well  as 
the  former,  became  in  1865  the  property  of  J.  N.  Barton,  who  retained  his  title 
until  June,  1885,  when  his  son.  Smith  Barton,  bought  it,  and  now  operates  it. 
The  capacity  of  the  saw-mill  is  given  at  2,500  market  logs  a  year. 

The  store  now  at   Bartonville,  under  the   m«inagement   of  Scott  and  John 


6oo  History  of  Warren  County. 

Barton,  was  started  in  1869.  J.  Barton  had  had  for  a  partner  in  the  grist-mill 
Albert  Rand.  In  1869  they  opened  the  store.  In  1871  E.  B.  Bentley  suc- 
ceeded Albert  Rand  and  in  1874  Scott  Barton  succeeded  Bentley.  J.  N.  Bar- 
ton sold  his  interest,  in  1882,  to  John  Barton.  The  stock  which  is  owned  by  the 
managers,  Scott  and  John  Barton,  is  valued  at  about  $4,000.  The  building  is 
the  property  of  J.  N.  Barton. 

The  tavern  now  kept  in  Bartonville  by  J.  B.  Smith  was  erected  by  him  in 
1882,  and  is  the  first  and  only  hotel  in  the  place.  There  was  one  at  South 
Horicon  (The  Pit)  soon  after  1 840,  kept  first  by  F.  B.  Coolidge,  and  afterwards 
by  Walter  Pritchard.  It  stood  on  the  site  of  R.  P.  Smith's  residence,  and  was 
burned  a  short  time  before  the  war  while  under  the  management  of  Caroline, 
widow  of  Loren  Davis.  There  is  now  a  hotel  just  across  the  road  from  the 
old  one,  kept  by  Marcus  Granger,  who  bought  a  private  house  and  fitted  it  up 
for  a  tavern.  In  1880  he  kept  a  hotel  where  R.  P.  Smith  now  lives  and  moved 
from  there  to  his  present  location.  There  is  no  store  at  The  Pit  now.  Har- 
mon A.  Brace  kept  one   there  for  about  two  years  but  stopped  in   May,  1885. 

The  place  called  Starbuckville  derived  its  name  from  Isaac  Starbuck,  who 
started  a  large  tannery  there  about  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Bartonville  in 
the  vicinity  of  1845.  His  brothers,  Edward  and  George,  were  associated  with 
him  for  some  time.  They  finally  suspended  the  tannerj'  and  began  to  operate 
a  wholesale  shoe  manufactory  there.  In  1870  it  burned.  Isaac  Starbuck  is 
now  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  and  Starbuckville  is  a  name  alone. 

Mill  Brook  or  Adirondack. — This  hamlet  can  trace  its  origin  back  to  about 
1850.  In  1849,  when  Benjamin  T.  Wells,  father  of  J.  F.  and  Thomas  Wells, 
came  to  the  site  from  the  south  part  of  the  town,  the  place  was,  as  J.  F.  Wells 
says,  a  dismal  wilderness.  There  were  no  roads  nor  buildings  here.  Benja- 
min T.  Wells  erected  the  first  tannery  on  the  site  of  the  present  establishment, 
and  so  fast  did  the  community  grow  that  in  five  years  it  had  attained  almost 
its  present  proportions.  The  old  road  to  Chester  had  not  been  extended  to 
Mill  Brook  until  about  185  i.  The  road  connecting  this  place  with  Potters- 
ville  was  constructed  about  1875. 

The  tannery  now  owned  by  Eraser,  Major  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  was,  as 
above  stated,  erected  in  1849.  Benjamin  T.  Wells  was  the  mechanic  who  built 
it,  under  the  supervision  of  Joseph  Russell  and  a  Mr.  Leet.  After  numerous 
changes  it  became  before  i860  the  property  of  Thomas  Eraser  &  Brother 
(James).  The  individual  names  of  the  present  members  of  the  firm  are  James, 
George  and  William  Eraser,  and  William  K.  Major.  The  superintendent,  E. 
A.  Bush,  has  held  his  present  position  since  i86o.  In  1864  the  property  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  but  was  immediately  rebuilt.  The  tannery  has  now  a  ca- 
pacity for  producing  20,000  finished  sides  of  leather  annually. 

The  general  store  of  J.  M.  Bush  has  been  in  his  hands  since  1872,  when  he 
bought  out  Thomas  Wells,  who  had  conducted  the  business  for  some  time  be- 
fore.     Mr.  Bush  carries  about  $2,500  of  stock. 


Town  of  Horicon.  6oi 


The  Wells  House  was  erected  in  1872,  and  opened  on  the  28th  of  June  in 
that  year.  The  proprietor  now  is  and  always  has  been  Thomas  Wells.  The 
dimensions  at  first  were  three  stories  in  height,  and  sixty-five  feet  in  length  by 
thirty-five  feet  in  depth.  In  1875  Mr.  Wells  added  forty  feet  to  the  length, 
and  in  1878  erected  an  ell  extending  seventy- four  feet  to  the  east.  The  house 
with  a  cottage  built  in  1878  will  accommodate  one  hundred  and  fifty  guests, 
and  is  open  from  June  1st  to  October  1st  in  each  year.  The  two  other  cot- 
tages are  occupied  each  summer  by  Judge  John  K.  Porter  and  G.  W.  Cotterill, 
of  New  York,  who  take  their  meals  at  the  Wells  House. 

The  churches  of  Horicon  have  not  been  uniformly  blessed  with  ostensible 
prosperity.  The  first  church  in  town  was  the  Baptist  Church  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  organized  in  1831,  under  the  name  of  the  Baptist  Church  of 
Brant  Lake,  The  orignal  membership  numbered  twenty-five.  Revs.  Norman 
Fox,  of  Chestertown,  and  William  Grant,  of  Bolton,  filled  the  pupit  from  time 
to  time  for  the  first  two  years.  The  first  regular  pastor  was  Jonathan  Trum- 
bell,  a  licentiate,  who  was  ordained  in  1841.  He  preached  here  from  1840  to 
1842.  Then  occurred  a  vacancy  which  lasted  several  years,  the  name  in  the 
the  mean  time  being  changed  to  the  Horicon  Baptist  Church.  The  second 
pastor  was  the  Rev.  D.  A.  Cobb.  There  is  no  regular  pastor  of  this  church 
now.     They  have  no  house  of  worship  except  the  one  at  Mill  Brook. 

The  Methodist  Church  of  South  Horicon  was  organized  and  the  edifice 
erected  in  about  1850.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  H.  L.  Taylor,  then  of  War- 
rensburgh.     There  is  no  society  here  now. 

At  Mill  Brook,  in  1 881,  an  association  was  formed,  containing  members  of 
the  Baptists, and  Methodists  denominations,  and  non-sectarian  members.  A 
board  of  trustees  was  elected  comprising  two  Baptists,  two  Methodists  and 
two  of  neither  denomination.  The  Baptists  and  Methodists  had  each  a  sepa- 
rate organization.  Under  this  arrangement  the  present  union  edifice  was 
erected  at  an  expense  of  $1,700.  Preaching  has  always  been  done  one  Sun- 
day by  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and  on  the  following  Sunday  by  a  Methodist — 
a  member  of  some  other  denomination  preaching  also  occasionally.  The 
preaching  is  now  done  by  Rev.  I.  C.  Hill,  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  and 
Elder  Town  of  the  Methodist.  There  are  now  in  the  society  about  thirty-five 
Baptist  members,  and  the  same  number  of  Methodists,  making,  with  the  mem- 
bers from  outside,  a  membership  of  about  eighty.  The  present  trustees  are 
Riley  Nichols,  S.  B.  Carpenter,  Edgar  Hawley,  James  Floyd,  E.  A.  Bush  and 
Orange  B.  Ingraham.  Before  the  present  association  was  formed  there  had 
been  for  ten  or  twelve  years  both  a  Baptist  and  a  Methodist  church  organiza- 
tion. Meetings  were  held  in  the  school-house.  The  first  preacher  here  was 
Rev.  Spears,  a  Methodist  clergyman. 

There  is  a  regular  steamship  line  in  Schroon  Lake  which  makes  three  trips 
daily  the  whole  length  of  the  lake,  by  the  steamer  Effingham,  owned  by  Mrs. 


6o2  History  of  Warren  County. 

P.  S.  Russell,  of  Schroon  Lake  village.  Mrs.  Russell  also  owns  the  excursion 
steamer,  Gypsie.  Other  steamers  are  the  Wilhelmina,  by  Wilhelm  Pickhardt, 
and  the  Ellen  by  E.'  A.  Bush. 

The  first  post-office  established  at  Mill  Brook  dates  its  origin  sometime  be- 
tween 1850  and  185s,  when  the  name  of  the  office  was  Mill  Brook.  The  first 
postmaster  was  John  A.  Russell.  In  1856  he  was  followed  by  Edwin  A.  Bush. 
In  1865  the  office  was  discontinued,  and  remained  in  suspension  until  1872, 
when  it  was  re-established  under  the  name  of  Adirondack,  and  the  present  in- 
cumbent, J.  M.  Bush,  was  appointed  postmaster. 

The  following  is  as  nearly  complete  a  list  of  supervisors  as  in  the  absence 
of  town  records,  can  be  obtained  :  1838-40,  John  H.  Smith;  1841,  Benjamin 
T.  Wells;  1842,  John  Ransom;  1843,  Benjamin  Culver;  1844,  '45,  F.  B. 
Coolidge  ;  (not  obtained  between  1840  and  i860) ;  1 860,  Powell  Smith  ;  1861, 
Thomas  Wells ;  1862,  Joseph  A.  J.  Smith ;  1863-65,  Judson  N.  Barton  ;  1866, 
Lemuel  Stafford;  1867.  S.  B.  Carpenter;  1868,  J.  N.  Barton;  1869,  '70, 
Charles  Hill;  1871,  S.  B.  Carpenter;  1872,  Lemuel  Stafford;  1873,  C.  P. 
Hill;  1874,  George  Carpenter;  1875,  Owen  Purge;  1876,  .Walter  P.  Smith  ; 
1877,  '78,  Oren  Purge;  1879,  Judson  N.  Barton;  1880,  J.  Freeman  Wells ; 
1881,  Thomas  J.  Smith;  1882  '83,  Scott  Barton;  1884,  '85,  J.  Freeman 
Wells. 

The  present  town  officers  are  as  follows  :  supervisor,  J.  Freeman  Wells  ; 
town  clerk,  John  Barton  ;  assessors,  Lemuel  Stafford,  Edwin  R.  Smith,  A.  J. 
Barton  ;  highway  commissioner,  Austin  A.  Ross  ;  justices  of  the  peace,  Charles 
W.  Gregory,  J.  N.  Barton,  Starling  Walters,  J.  Freeman  Wells ;  overseers  of 
the  poor,  John  Streeter  and  Orange  B.  Ingraham ;  collector,  R.  E.  D.  Paige ; 
constables,  R.  E.  D.  Paige,  John  McLaughlin,  A.  J.  Huntington,  Richard  Bol- 
ton ;  game  constable,  E.  Morris  Sexton  ;  inspectors  of  election,  district  No.  i, 
Newton  Church,  George  Walters,  2d,  William  Ovens;  No.  2,  Joseph  F.  An- 
derson, Austin  A.  Ross,  George  Hawley. 

The  population  of  the  town  of  Horicon  since  1850  has  been  as  follows: 
1850,  1,152;  1855,  1,246;  i860,  1,542;  1865,  1,398;  1870,  1,500;  187s, 
i>S39;  1880,  1,633.  The  diminution  in  between  the  years  i860  and  1865  is 
due  to  the  noble  effort  put  forth  by  the  town  to  aid  in  crushing  the  Rebellion. 
It  has  been  said  that  Horicon,  in  proportion  to  her  population,  furnished  more 
men  for  the  war  than  any  other  town  in  the  State  of  New  York.  The  town 
paid  $3,500  in  bounties  in  one  year,  when  her  population  did  not  exceed  one 
thousand  five  hundred.  It  is  estimated  that  two  hundred  volunteers  went 
from  Horicon  into  the  various  regiments  made  up  in  this  county,  principally 
the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth,  Twenty-second,  Ninety-third  and  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-second.     Only  one  man  was  drafted. 


Town  of  Stony  Creek,  603 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

HISTORY  OF  THE   TOWN  OF  STONY  CREEK. 

STONY  CREEK  lies  just  south  of  Thurman,  and  is  bounded  on  the  east 
(across  the  Hudson)  by  Warrensburgh,  on  the  south  by  Saratoga  county, 
and  on  the  west  by  Hamilton  county.  It  is  even  now  nearly  all  a  wilderness. 
A  mountain  range  extends  through  the  center  of  the  town,  and  contains  some 
peaks  which  reach  an  altitude  of  two  thousand  feet.  The  valleys  of  the  East 
and  West  Stony  Creek  are  narrow  ravines  between  the  more  extensive  valleys 
of  the  Hudson  and  the  Sacandaga.     The  soil  is  a  light  sandy  loam. 

As  the  town  was  formerly  a  part  of  Athol,  and  originally  of  the  old  town 
of  Thurman,  its  earliest  history,  dating  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  century, 
and  which  is  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  very  meagre,  has  already  been  given 
in  the  history  of  Thurman. 

Stony  Creek  was  formed  by  the  division  of  Athol,  on  the  3d  of  November, 
1852.  The  condition  of  the  town  at  that  time  has  been  well  described  to  us 
by  Mr.  James  A.  Brooks,  who  removed  from  Greenfield,  Saratoga  county,  to  a 
farm  seven  miles  west  from  Creek  Center,  in  1849.^  Creek  Center  was  then 
scarcely  visible  as  a  village.  The  tannery,  which  has  made  the  place,  had  not 
yet  been  erected,  and  there  were  only  a  few  buildings  scattered  about  the  place 
in  a  somewhat  uhneighborly  manner.  There  was  but  one  post-office  in  town 
{or  what  is  now  the  town),  and  that  was  on  the  Hudson.  Of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  at  that  time  Mr.  Brooks  says  in  effect :  Alexander  McDonald  lived 
about  six  miles  up  Stony  Creek  from  Creek  Center.  His  son  James  and  John 
■sfill  live  in  town.  James  Thompson  lived  on  the  Hudson  River  near  the  pres- 
ent station  ;  Curtis  Nolton  lived  about  "  half  a  mile  "  north  of  Alexander  Mc- 
Donald's. Abram  Fry,  hke  the  rest,  a  farmer,  lived  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
•southeast  of  Creek  Center ;  Daniel  McMillen  occupied  a  log  house  on  the  old 
main  road.  Columbus  C.  Gill  lived  near  the  grist-mill,  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  the  Center.  His  sons,  Charles,  Daniel  and  Dudley,  still  reside  in  town. 
Daniel  M.  Cameron  owned  a  farm  on  the  Hudson.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Allen 
Wood,  is  now  living  here.  Joseph  Hull,  a  farmer,  too,  lived  just  west  of  the 
Center,  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Matthew  Hull.  Parley  Gray 
lived  then  where  he  does  now,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  north  of  the 
Center.  The  place  of  Mr.  Brooks's  residence  was  called  Harrisburgh,  from  the 
fact  that  three  brothers  named  Harris  came  there  some  years  before  1850  and 
built  a  saw-mill.     It  had  run  down  before  Mr.  Brooks  came. 

There  were  a  number  of  saw-mills  in  town.  Alexander  McDonald  ran  one 
near  his  house.  Campbell  &  Taylor  operated  one  up  at  Len's  Lake  on  the  Roar- 
ing Branch.      Francis  G.  Drake  soon  after  1850  became  its  proprietor.      Horace 


I  He  was  born  in  Townsend,  Mass.,  October  8th,  1814. 


6o4  History  of  Warren  County. 

L.  Hall  had  a  small  one  on  the  site  of  the  tannery.  Lyman  Kenyon  started  one 
at  Harrisburgh  in  1854,  and  ran  it  several  years.  Theodorus  Hall  owned  and 
operated  one  about  one-half  of  a  mile  southeast  of  the  Center.  John  Walsh 
had  one  nearly  two  miles  west  of  the  village,  and  Gardner  Adams  had  one 
about  five  miles  west  of  the  village.  Columbus  Gill  operated  one  near  his 
grist-mill,  though  he  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  the  latter.  D.  W. 
Cameron  now  runs  the  grist-mill.  The  only  store  in  this  part  of  Athol  was 
kept  near  the  present  station  by  James  Fuller.  Fuller  also  manufactured  the 
only  potash  made  in  the  town.  There  was  no  distillery  here.  Luke  Fenton 
kept  an  inn  on  the  Hudson.  In  185 1  or  1852  a  broom  factory  was  built 
about  two  miles  west  of  Creek  Center.  Other  inhabitants  were  Joel  Dayton, 
James  Robison,  Almon  Swears,  and  Edward  Stevens,  who  all  lived  five  or  six 
miles  west  of  the  Center ;  and  James  and  Stephen  Kathan,  brothers,  Alexan- 
der Murray  and  Reuben  H.  Kidder,  who  were  almost  the  only  ones  living 
right  at  the  Center.  The  whole  town  including  Creek  Center  was  a  dense 
forest.  Deer  roamed  fearlessly  and  in  great  numbers  through  the  woods,  and 
were  hunted  not  alone  by  man,  but  by  beasts  of  prey  which  haunted  the  forest 
and  mountain  fastnesses  in  profusion.  The  roads  had  been  opened  nearly  as 
they  are  now,  but  were  rough  and  in  places  nearly  impassable. 

The  first  officers  of  Stony  Creek  were  as  follows :  Supervisor,  James 
McDonald ;  town  clerk,  John  P.  Bowman  ;  assessors,  James  Thompson,  Harry 
Scofield ;  justices  of  the  peace,  C.  W.  Davis,  Curtis  Nolton,  Abram  Fry;  com- 
missioners of  highways.  Alexander  McDonald,  Columbus  C.  Gill ;  overseers  of 
the  poor,  David  M.  Cameron,  Joseph  Hull ;  collector,  Farley  Gray ;  inspectors 
of  election,  Silas  H.  Cameron,  William  Green,  James  Green  ;  constables.  Parley 
Gray,  Robert  McMillen,  James  Green,  Lyman  Wheeler ;  sealer  of  weights  and 
measures,  Columbus  C.  Gill.  Pathmasters:  i,  John  A.  Cameron;  2,  Moses 
Murray;  3, Theodore  Hall;  4,  Daniel  McMillen;  5,  Levi  Goodman,  2d;  6,  James 
Wheeler;  7,  Henry  Cornish;  8,  James  Kathan;  9,  John  Deen ;  10,  Parley 
Goodman;  11,  Parley  Gray;  12,  William  Glassbrooks  ;  13,  Sears  Harris;  14, 
Gardner  Adams;  15,  Harry  Scofield;  16,  Lyman  Kenyon;  17,  Abram  Baker; 
18,  Joseph  Walsh;  19,  John  Leet;  20,  Curtis  Nolton;  21,  Reuben  H.  Kidder; 
22,  Erastus  Smith;  23,  Armon  E.  Mores;  24,  Olive  Chamber;  25,  Ira 
Weaver. 

Of  the  present  business  interests  of  Stony  Creek,  the  most  important  is  the 
tannery  of  John  P.  Bowman  at  Creek  Center.  Mr.  Bowman  erected  this  tan- 
nery in  1852,  and  has  operated  it  without  cessation  ever  since.  The  tannery 
will  turn  out  40,000  sides  of  sole-leather  per  annum.  About  twenty-five  men 
are  employed  in  and  about  the  building,  besides  the  men  in  the  woods.  Mr. 
Bowman  has  6,000  or  7,000  acres  of  timbered  land  from  which  to  take  his 
bark.  He  has  done  business  with  the  firm  of  Allen,  Fields  &  Lawrence,  or  its 
predecessor,  for  thirty-three  years.     He  has  built  a  boarding-house  which  will 


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'■.eujYork. 


Town  of  Stony  Creek.  605 


provide  for  twenty-five  men,  and  houses  for  sixteen  families,  in  which  the  tan- 
nery men  and  their  famihes  reside. 

Mercantile  Interests.  —  Charles  Gill  is  proprietor  of  a  general  store  at  the 
Center  which  his  father,  Columbus  Gill,  started  in  1858.  In  1872  Charles 
Gill  acquired  an  interest  in  the  concern,  and  in  1882  bought  his  father  out. 
G.  N.  Yarrington  began  dealing  in  merchandise  at  the  Center  in  1875  ;  A.  J. 
Aldrich,  in  1884,  and  formerly  from  1867  to  1872.  W.  R.  Clayton  started 
his  drug  store  at  the  same  place  in  1882.  In  1884  M.  L.  Messenger  succeeded 
D.  M.  Dunlap,  who  had  kept  a  general  store  here  for  about  six  years  before. 

The  wooden  ware  manufactory  of  H.  L.  Hall,  in  which  are  made  peck  meas- 
ures, four-quart  measures,  barrel  covers,  etc.,  was  started  about  four  years  ago. 
Before  that  Mr.  Hall  manufactured  brush  backs  there,  and  originally  he  was  a 
wagon  maker.      He  has  been  a  manufacturer  here  for  about  twenty-five  years. 

Hotel. — The  Creek  Center  House  was  built  in  the  winter  of  1869-70,  by 
William  H.  Lewis.  After  keeping  it  a  short  time,  Lewis  rented  it  to  C.  H. 
Nims  for  two  years.  George  Kathan  kept  it  a  year  and  was  succeeded  by 
John  J.  Winslow,  who  remained  two  years.  Albert  N.  Day  kept  the  house  a 
year,  and  was  followed  one  year  by  Richard  Rhodes.  From  the  spring  of 
1877  to  the  spring  of  1879,  D.  M.  Dunlap  was  proprietor.  His  successor,  M. 
L.  Messenger,  after  keeping  it  a  year  associated  with  himself  Dudley  Gill,  who, 
however,  remained  in  the  business  but  one  year  and  withdrew.  D.  M.  Dun- 
lap, the  present  proprietor,  succeeded  Messenger  in  the  spring  of  1884.  He 
sets  a  very  good  table  and  has  neatly  kept  and  neatly  furnished  rooms  for  the 
thirty   guests  which  he  can  accommodate. 

There  are  no  attorneys  in  town,  and  but  one  physician,  who,  however,  is 
reputed  a  man  of  unusual  ability  and  skill  in  his  profession.  Dr.  G.  H.  Al- 
drich was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1877,  when  he  was'graduated 
at  the  Dartmouth  Medical  College.  He  came  to  Creek  Center  in  the  winter 
beginning  the  year  1878. 

At  Harrisburgh  Oscar  Ordway  keeps  a  hotel  and  store.  He  has  been  there 
about  a  year.  They  were  built  by  Thomas  Wakeley  in  1877.  Wakeley  also 
started  a  large  saw-mill  and  wooden-ware  factory  there  in  1877,  but  it  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  March,  1885,  and  has  not  yet  been  rebuilt. 

Churches. — There  are  five  churches  in  town,  three  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal denomination,  one  Baptist  and  one  Wesleyan  Methodist.  One  Methodist 
Church,  besides  the  Wesleyan,  is  in  Creek  Center.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Creek  Center  was  organized  about  1855.  Among  the  first  members 
were  Freeman  Holmes,  Alexander  Kennedy,  James  Kathan,  John  A.  Cam- 
eron and  Benoni  Aldrich.  The  first  regular  pastor  was  Rev.  Z.  C.  Pickett, 
who  was  succeeded  in  1856  by  H.  M.  Munsee ;  1858,  Rev.  Edward  Turner; 
i860,  Rev.  Joel  Hall;  1862,  Rev.  E.  A.  Blanchard  ;  1863,  Rev.  A.  Champ- 
lin;    1866,   Rev.  J.  Baxley ;    1868,  Rev.  R.  Washburn;    1870,  Rev.  F.  K.  Pot- 


6o6  History  of  Warren  County. 

ter;  1872,  Rev.  William  H.  Tiffany;  1873,  Rev.  J.  W.  Coons;  1875,  Rev.  D. 
C.  Hall;  1877,  L.  W.  Rhodes  and  F.  Cameron,  local  preachers,  and  Rev.  J.  S. 
Gould,  pastor;  1878,  Rev.  A.  J.  Haynor ;  1880,  Rev.  J.  C.  Walker;  1881, 
Rev.  W.  W.  Whitney  ;  1883,  Rev.  J.  W.  Coons;  1885,  Rev.  S.  W.  Snow. 
The  edifice  was  erected  about  1857.  The  present  value  of  the  church  prop- 
erty is  about  $1,200.  The  Sunday-school  was  organized  at  the  same  time  as 
the  church.  Wallace  Hemstreet  is  the  present  superintendent.  The  church 
trustees  are  E.  M.  Black,  Wallace  Hemstreet  and  James  W.  Wait. 

Post- Office. — The  first  postmaster  at  Creek  Center  was  Thomas  Apley, 
who  was  replaced  in  1863  by  Columbus  Gill.  In  1867  his  son,  Charles  Gill, 
succeeded  him,  and  still  retains  the  position. 

The  supervisors  from  Stony  Creek  have  been  as  follows:  1853,  James  Mc- 
Donald; 1854,  '55,  Thomas  Ackley;  1856,  '57,  James  Fuller ;  1858-60,  Ly- 
man T.  Fuller;  1861,  '62,  Columbus  Gill;  1863,  John  A.  Cameron;  i864,'65, 
Columbus  Gill;  1866,  '67,  David  Potter;  1868,  '69,  A.  J.  Aldrich;  1870,  '71, 
James  McDonald;  1872,  '73,  Charles  Gill;  1874,  '75.  William  D.  Aldrich; 
1876,  Wallace  Hemstreet;  1877,  Almon  Swears;  1878,  '79.  Dudley  Gill ; 
1880,  James  McDonald;  1881,  '82,  Henry  A.  Brooks;  1883,  '84,  Gilbert  H. 
Aldrich;    1885,  Dudley  Gill. 

The  present  town  officers  are  :  Supervisor,  Dudley  Gill ;  town  clerk,  James 
H.  Gray  ;i  justice  of  the  peace,  Joseph  White;  assessor,  Charles  Murray ; 
commissioner  of  highways,  Alvin  Winslow  ;  collector,  John  Glassbrooks  ;  over- 
seers of  the  poor,  Joseph  E.  Fuller,  William  E.  Baker ;  inspectors  of  election, 
James  E.  Stearns,  John  J.  Clayton,  Charles  Robinson ;  constables,  Frederick 
Corlew,  Jonathan  W.  Nolton,  Elroy  Tripp,  Titus  Codner,  Frank  Cudney ; 
game  constable,  Martin  U.  B.  Coon  ;  excise  commissioners,  Samuel  Robison, 
Wm.  H.  Walsh. 

The  population  of  Athol  in  1850  was  1,590:  of  Stony  Creek  in  1855, 
913  ;   in  i860,  960;  in  1865,  935  ;    1870,  1,127  ;    1875,  1,253  ;   in  1880,  1,253. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

CHARLES  HENRY  FAXON.— Thomas  Faxon,  ancestor  of  the  Faxon 
family  in  the  United  States,  born  in  England  about  1601,  came  to  Amer- 
ica before  1647  with  his  wife,  Joane,  and  three  children.  His  first  purchase  of 
land  was  made  May  14th,  1656,  in  Braintree,  Suffolk  county,  Mass.,  the  tract 

1  May  6th,  1885,  M.  L.  Messenger  was  appointed  Town  Clerk  vice  James  H.  Gray  resigned. 


Charles  Henry  Faxon.  6o-] 

consisting  of  about  450  acres,  which,  to  the  present  time,  after  many  divisions 
and  subdivisions,  has  continued  in  part  in  the  family  possession,  and  till  recently 
in  the  family  name.  A  portion  of  this  tract  is  still  known  as  the  "  Faxon 
Meadows."  The  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow-citizens  is  suffi- 
ciently attested  by  the  fact  that  he  was  often  appointed  to  transact  business  of 
importance  for  the  town  of  Braintree. 

When  it  became  necessary  to  secure  from  the  Indians  a  deed,  extinguishing 
their  title  to  some  of  the  land  of  the  town,  he  was  one  of  the  commissioners  for 
that  purpose.  He  was  a  representative  from  Braintree  in  1669,  and  one  of 
the  selectmen  in  1670-72.  George  L.  Faxon,  in  his  History  of  the  Faxon 
Family,  closes  his  notice  of  him  as  follows  : — 

"  If  the  record  of  Thomas  Faxon  does  not  place  him  above  a  respectable 
mediocrity  in  wealth  and  social  standing,  it  gives  him  a  life  without  reproach, 
an  ability  capable  of  success  in  worldly  affairs,  and  a  character  adapted  by  its 
worth  and  quality  to  secure  the  esteem  of  men." 

He  died  November  23d,  1680.  The  children  of  Thomas  and  Joane  Faxon 
were  Joanna,  Thomas  and  Richard.     The  latter  born  in   England  about  1630, 

married,  about  1644,  Elizabeth .     Thirteen  children  were  the  issue  of  this 

marriage,  of  whom  Josiah  was  the  fifth  and  the  eldest  son.  He  was  born  in 
Braintree,  September  8th,  1660,  married  Mehitable  (born  March  20th,  1665), 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Lydia  Adams,  of  Medfield,  Mass.  He  inherited  most 
of  his  father's  estate,  and  was  one  of  the  selectmen  in  1722.  He  died  1731  ; 
his  wife  March  ist,  1753.  They  had  eight  children  of  whom  Thomas  was  the 
second,  born  in  Braintree,  February  8th,  1692,  married  May  22d,  1716,  Ruth 
Webb.  They  had  six  children  of  whom  Thomas  was  the  fifth  and  eldest  son. 
He  was  born  in  Braintree  February  19th,  1724,  married,  August  24th,  1749, 
Joanna,  daughter  of  Abijah  and  Joanna  (Bolter)  Allen.  He  was  a  man  of 
small  stature,  being  only  five  feet  two  inches  in  height,  but  he  made  up  in 
activity  what  he  lacked  in  stature.  During  the  War  of  the  Revolution  he  was 
private  in  Captain  Joseph  Stebbins's  company  of  Colonel  David  Wells's  regi- 
ment in  an  expedition  in  the  Northern  Department,  from  September  28th  to 
October  18th,  1777  ;  and  again  his  name  appears  on  a  muster  roll  of  six- 
months'  men  for  pay,  belonging  to  the  town  of  Deerfield,  Mass.,  agreeable  to  a 
resolution  of  court  of  October  5th,  1781.  Time  of  marching  July  29th,  1780. 
Time  of  discharge  December  15th,  1780.  Born  in  Braintree,  he  afterwards 
moved  to  Pembroke,  Mass.,  then  back  to  Braintree,  in  1771  to  Leicester,  and 
soon  after  to  Deering,  where  he  died  June,  1792.  His  wife  died  in  Benning- 
ton, Vt,  June  19th,  1814.  Of  their  eleven  children,  Jacob  Allen  was  the  fourth, 
and  their  second  son.  He  was  born  in  Braintree  September  25th,  1757.  Mar- 
ried, February  4th,  1781,  Lydia,  daughter  of  Captain  Henry  and  Ruth  (Wells) 
Stiles,  of  ^Whately,  Mass.  He  was  a  mason  by  trade.  "  In  personal  appear- 
ance he   was  tall,  fine  looking,  of  dignified  and  commanding  ^presence."      He 


6o8  History  of  Warren  County. 

was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  in  his  latter  days  received  a  pension  from  the 
United  States  government.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  removed  to  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State  of  New  York,  living  first  at  New  Canaan,  Columbia  county, 
afterwards  at  Hoosick,  Rensselaer  county,  and  finally  at  Kingsbury,  Washington 
county.  He  died  May  5th,  1828  ;  his  wife  two  or  three  years  prior.  Henry 
Faxon  was  the  second  child  and  eldest  son  of  their  thirteen  children.  He  was 
born  January  1st,  1783,  in  Hoosick,  married,  March  20th,  1804,  Annis  (born 
1779  in  Bennington,  Vt.),  daughter  of  David  Dodge.  She  died  August  loth, 
1857,  in  Chester,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.  He  died  February  3d,  1829,  in  the 
same  place.  He  was  a  mason  by  trade.  After  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
Hoosick  and  thence  to  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade.  He  was 
licensed  and  ordained  to  preach  by  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Troy,  and  re- 
moved to  Chester,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1820.  In  April,  182 1,  he  became 
the  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Schroon,  where  he  remained  until  April, 
1827,  then  returned  to  Chester  and  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  that 
place  until  his  death. 

Charles  Henry  Faxon  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  five  children  of  Henry 
and  Annis  Faxon.  He  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  December  26th,  1816.  His 
education  was  received  in  the  district  schools  of  Schroon  and  Chester  and  a 
private  school  for  boys  in  the  latter  place,  taught  by  Professor  Josiah  Beebe. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Ezra  B.  Smith,  where, 
with  the  exception  of  intervals  of  attendance  at  school,  he  remained  until  he 
was  of  age.  On  reaching  his  majority,  in  1837,  he  became  a  partner  in  the 
store,  the  firm  name  being  Smith  &  Faxon.  This  copartnership  continued  for 
two  years  and  four  months.  In  1840  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Alex- 
ander Robertson,  firm  Robertson  &  Faxon,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  a 
store  of  general  merchandising,  which  business  was  conducted  by  this  firm 
until  1854,  at  which  time  Robertson  withdrew,  and  the  business  was  continued 
by  Mr.  Faxon  and  his  brother,  Walter  A.  Faxon,  firm  name  C.  H.  Faxon  & 
Bro.,  until  1861,  when  W.  A.  Faxon  withdrew  and  was  succeeded  by  Horace 
S.  Crittenden,  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  H.  Faxon  &  Co.,  and  thus  continued 
until  the  spring  of  1865,  when  they  sold  out  to  Hall  &  Knapp.  The  business 
has  been  conducted  in  the  same  building  by  different  parties  to  the  present 
time  (1885),  the  present  proprietor  being  William  H.  Remington.  In  1849 
the  firm  of  Robertson  &  Faxon  united  with  James  Crandall  in  building  the 
tannery  at  Chester,  and  tanning  was  carried  on  by  them  under  the  firm  name 
of  Robertson,  Faxon  &  Co.  from  1849  to  1856,  when  Crandall  withdrew  and 
Milton  Sawyer  became  a  partner,  under  the  firm  name  of  Sawyer,  Faxon  & 
Co.,  a  partnership  which  continued  until  i860,  when  Faxon  purchased  Robert- 
son's interest,  and  thereafter  until  1865  the  business  was  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  Sawyer  &  Faxon.  In  order  to  supply  their  tannery  with  bark  large 
tracts  of  timber  lands  were  purchased  from.-time  to  time,  amounting  in  the  ag- 


Charles  Henry  Faxon.  —  Daniel  Peck.  609 

gregate  to  about  100,000  acres.  The  manufacture  of  lumber  becomes  almost  a 
necessary  adjunct  to  the  tanning  business.  About  1850  the  firm  of  Robertson 
&  Faxon  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  Glens  Falls  Feeder,  known  as  the  "  Feeder 
Mill,"  which  was  run  by  them  until  i860,  when  a  division  was  made  between 
them,  Faxon  taking  Robertson's  interest  in  the  Chester  tannery,  and  Robertson 
Faxon's  interest  in  the  saw-mill.  Ever  since  Mr.  Faxon  became  interested  in 
the  tanning  business  he  has  at  the  same  time  been  largely  interested  in  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  lumber.  In  1865  Mr.  Faxon  purchased  from  his  part- 
ners their  interests  in  all  partnership  properties,  real  and  personal,  and  until 
1882  he  carried  on  the  entire  business  in  his  own  name.  lu  1882,  July  ist, 
his  son,  William  H.  Faxon,  was  admitted  as  a  partner  in  the  tanning  business, 
firm  C.  H.  Faxon  &  Son.  The  extent  of  the  business  may  be  gathered  from 
the  statement  that  an  average  of  400,000  pounds  of  sole  leather  per  annum  is 
produced  at  their  works. 

In  politics'Mr.  Faxon  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and  has  been  an  act- 
ive supporter  of  the  principles  of  his  party.  He  was  its  candidate  for  Member 
of  the  Assembly  in  1862  and  1863.  He  was  supervisor  of  his  town  in  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  in  1869  and  1870.  In  1850  he  was  the  contractor  for 
building  the  plank  road  from  Warrensburgh  to  Chester  and  has  been  president 
of  the  company  since  the  death  of  Charles  Fowler,  who  had  filled  the  office 
from  the  time  of  its  first  organization.  In  1848  he  built  the  water  works  of 
Chester  village,  has  owned  and  superintended  the  works  ever  since. 

Mr.  Faxon  married,  November  i8th,  1844,  Caroline  Adelia,  born  February 
4th,  1821,  in  Schroon,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Ezra  B.  and  Laura  (Barnes)  Smith. 
She  died  November  loth,  1858.  He  married,  April  25th,  i860,  Sophia  Smith, 
born  March  2d,  1829,  in  Bolton,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Howard  and  Laura  (Put- 
nam) Waters.  Children  are  William  Henry,  born  August  i8th,  1846.  Cath- 
arine Elizabeth,  born  July  6th,  1849,  J  died  August  8th,  1859.  Emma,  born 
October  17th,  1863;  died  March  i6th,  1865,  and  Alice,  born  February  25th, 
1866. 


DANIEL  PECK. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  representative  man,  and 
descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the  town.  He  is  the  son  of 
Hermon  and  Martha  (Kenworthy)  Peck,  and  was  born  in  the  village  of  Glens 
Falls  on  the  25  th  of  February,  1831.  William  Peck,  the  pioneer  of  the  family 
in  this  country,  was  born  in  London,  Eng.,  in  1601.  With  his  wife  Elizabeth, 
his  then  only  son  Jeremiah,  he  emigrated  to  this  country  in  the  ship  Hector, 
arriving  at  Boston,  26th  June,  1637,  in  the  company  of  Gov.  Eaton,  Rev.  John 
Davenport  and  others,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  New  Haven  colony, 
in  the  spring  of  1638.  He  was  a  merchant  by  occupation,  a  man  of  high 
standing  in  the  colony,  and  a  deacon  of  the  church  in  New  Haven  from  1659 
to  1694  when  he  died.      His  son,  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Peck,  was  the  first  teacher 

39 


6io  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  the  Colony  Collegiate  School  in  New  Haven,  and  afterwards  settled[minister 
at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  in  the  fall  of  l66i,  in  Elizabethotwn,  N.  J.,  in  1670,  in 
Greenwich,  Conn.,  in  1674,  and  in  Waterbury,  Conn  in  1690,  where  he  died 
in  1699  in  his  77th  year.  His  son  Samuel  settled  in  Greenwich,  Conn.,  where 
all  his  children  were  born.  His  grandson  Peter,  son  of  Peter,  one  of  nine 
sons,  was  the  pioneer  of  the  family  in  Queensbury.  He  was  the  oldest  of  six 
children,  and  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Conn.,  in  January,  1746.  The  father 
dying  in  1759,  his  mother  with  her  little  family  removed  to  New  Milford,  Conn., 
where  on  the  7th  of  December,  1768,  Peter  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Paul 
Terrill.  He  with  his  family  removed  to  Queensbury  in  1786,  settled  on  the 
Ridge  road  about  a  mile  from  "the  corners,"  where  he  remained  until  his  de- 
cease, June  17th,  18 1 3.  According  to  the  family  tradition,  the  family  were 
two  weeks  on  the  route  ;  the  boys  trudging  along  afoot,  driving  two  yokes  of 
oxen  attached  to  strong,  rude  wagons,  loaded  with  household  stuff,  while  the 
father  rode  on  horseback.  They  brought  along  with  them  a  large,  powerful 
watch  dog,  which  one  night,  soon  after  their  arrival,  was  destroyed  and  eaten 
by  wolves,  troops  of  which  then  found  their  covert  in  the  big  Cedar  Swamp. 
At  that  time  there  were  only  three  dwellings  at  Glens  Falls,  a  foot  path  to  the 
Ridge,  and  a  rude  wagon  rode  up  Bay  street  as  far  as  the  log  Quaker  Church 
by  the  Half-way  Brook.  Peter  Peck  had  three  sons,  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
New  Milford,  Conn.,  viz:  Reuben,  Daniel,  and  Edmund.  Reuben,  the  eldest, 
was  born  8th  February,  1772,  and  married  1st,  Tryphena  Bishop,  and  2d,  Jane 
Haight.  Hermon,  his  eldest  child,  was  born  19th  of  April,  1800,  andjmarried 
1st,  Nancy  Quin  in  1825;  2d,  Martha  Kenworthy  in  1830.  Seven  children 
were  the  fruit  of  this  union  of  whom  Daniel  is  the  eldest.  Hermon  died  at 
Glens  Falls,  27th  July,  1865. 

A  few  seasons  at  the  district  school,  four  terms  at  the  Glens  Falls  Academy, 
and  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen,  we  find  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  with  true 
Yankee  grit  and  perseverance,  at  work  on  a  farm,  for  small  wages  to  be  sure,  in 
Sandgate,  Vt.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  went  to  Union  Village,  where  for  six 
months  he  was  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  tin-ware.  He  returned  home, 
and  was  sent  by  his  father  to  run  and  manage  a  saw-mill  of  four  gates  on  the 
Sacandaga  River,  at  what  is  now  known  as  Conklinville,  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y. 
Here  he  remained  for  four  years,  during  which  time  he  had  accumulated  nearly 
a  thousand  dollars  by  overwork  of  the  roughest  kind.  He  th  n  returned  to 
the  paternal  roof,  and  for  a  year  or  more  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  his  fath- 
er's hardware  store.  At  the  end  of  that  period,  being  little  more  than  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  he  bought  out  his  father's  store,  enlarged  the  business,  im- 
porting a  portion  of  his  stock  from  England  directly,  and  with  characteristic 
enterprise,  built  up  a  large  and  flourishing  business.  To  this,  as  is  seen  above, 
was  added  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  a  large  post-office  in  1856,  which 
continued   for  four  years.     In    i860   Mr.  Peck  disposed  of  his  business  to  De 


Daniel  Peck.  —  John  P.  Bowman.  6ii 

Long  &  Son,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  embarked  with  his  cousin, 
Charles  Peck,  in  a  lumber,  grain  and  feed  trade  for  which  a  new  store  was 
erected  by  them.  They  were  burnt  out  in  the  great  conflagration  of  May, 
1864,  when  Daniel  alone  suffered  a  loss  of  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

In  less  than  a  week,  and  while  the  charred  ruins  were  yet  smoking,  he  had 
bought  out  his  partner,  and  established  a  street  bazar  for  the  sale  of  grain  and 
lumber.  During  the  season  he  rebuilt  the  store,  and  continued  in  the  trade  for  a 
year,  when  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  Mr.  Frank  Byrne,  to  carry  on  the 
wholesale  and  jobbing  grocery  business  on  the  north  corner  of  Glen  and  Ridge 
streets.  Bringing  to  this  enterprise  the  same  tact,  energy  and  judgment  which 
has  characterized  his  efforts  through  life,  the  undertaking  was  attended  with 
unprecedented  success.  A  new  store,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  place,  wae  erected 
and  completed  the  following  season.  Here  for  eight  years  was  conducted  the 
largest  grocery  establishment  north  of  the  cities,  the  sales  of  which  soon  reached 
half  a  million  dollars  annually.  In  1874  this  establishment  was  transferred  to 
H.  F.  Peck  (brother  of  Daniel)  and  C.  J.  De  Long,  and  Mr.  Peck  associated 
himself  with  Messrs.  Byrne,  Keenan  &  Wing  in  developing  a  lime  business  at 
Smith's  Basin,  on  the  Northern  Canal.  Two  years  later  he  sold  his  interest  in 
this  business  to  his  partners  and  returned  to  the  grocery  house  he  had  founded, 
forming,  in  the  year  1882,  with  his  brother,  H.  F.  Peck,  the  firm  of  D.  Peck  & 
Brother.  In  1885  Walter  M.  Peck,  son  of  Daniel,  was  taken  into  the  part- 
nership and  the  firm  style  is  now  D.  Peck  &  Co. 

Mr,  Peck  has  served  a  term  as  county  treasurer  ;  has  been  several  times 
elected  treasurer  of  the  corporation  of  Glens  Falls.  He  has  also  been  chosen 
trustee  of  the  village  three  or  four  times,' and  has  served  one  year  as  president 
of  the  village.  In  these  several  positions  he  has  fully  met  the  anticipations  of 
his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  a  man  of  great  public  spirit,  liberality  and  energy, 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  desirable  public  improvements  and  hence  enjoys 
the  general  respect  of  the  community. 


JOHN  P.  BOWMAN  was  born  in  the  year  1816  in  the  town  of  Clar- 
endon, Rutland  county,  Vermont.  His  grandfather  was  one  of  three  broth- 
ers who  came  to  this  country  from  England  and  settled  near  Lexington,  Mass. 
Soon  after  the  War  of  the  Revolution  he  moved  to  Vermont,  where  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  Mr.  Bowman's  father  was  John  Bow- 
man, and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Lorinda  Hart.  He  received  limited 
educational  advantages,  but  was  well  schooled  in  the  practical  ways  of  indus- 
try and  thrift.  In  the  spring  after  reaching  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  went 
to  Rutland,  where  for  four  or  five  years  he  worked  at  the  tanning  and  currying 
trade.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Hunter,  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  for 
the  purpose  of  better  learning  the  sole  leather  manufacturing  business.  He 
worked   there   for  one  season  at  eight  dollars  per  month.      He  next  found  em- 


6i2  History  of  Warren  County. 

ployment  with  Col.  B.  P.  Burhans  at  his  tannery  in  the  town  of  Saugerties, 
Ulster  county,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Bowman's  habits  of  economy  find  illustration  in 
the  circumstance  that  while  his  wages  for  the  first  year  at  Saugerties  were  only 
twelve  dollars  a  month,  at  the  year's  end  one  hundred  and  forty  dollars  were 
due  him,  he  having  drawn  but  four  dollars  during  the  whole  year.  The  ac- 
quaintance formed  here  between  his  employer  and  himself  ripened  into  a  firm 
friendship  which  continued  through  after  years  and  until  the  death  of  Col.  Bur- 
hans. 

After  remaining  about  four  years  at  Saugerties  Mr.  Bowman  went  to  War- 
rensburgh,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.  Col.  Burhans  had  formed  a  co-partnership 
with  Gen.  T.  S.  Gray  and  they  bought  a  sole  leather  tannery  in  that  town. 
Mr.  Bowman  continued  in  their  employment  at  Warrensburgh  for  some  three 
years,  when  he  moved  to  Cuttingsville,  Rutland  county,  Vt.  Here  he  carried 
on  the  business  of  upper  and  sole  leather  tanning  and  currying  and  dealing  in 
rough  calf-skins,  occupying  for  the  purpose  the  tannery  now  operated  by  Hun- 
toon  &  Son.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  boots  and 
shoes  in  addition  to  his  other  business. 

In  1 85 1  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  and  served  as 
such  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents. 

In  January,  1852,  Mr.  Bowman  having  disposed  of  his  business  in  Ver- 
mont, came  to  Stony  Creek,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  since  resided 
and  carried  on  business.  At  that  time  where  the  village  of  Creek  Center  now 
stands  there  was  a  small  tannery,  then  uncompleted,  a  saw-mill  and  three 
houses.  The  surrounding  country  was  an  almost  unbroken  forest.  Mr.  Bow- 
man saw  the  advantage  of  the  location  for  the  prosecution  of  sole  leather  man- 
ufacturing and  set  himself  with  determination  to  conquer  the  difficulties^  of  the 
situation  and  make  the  most  of  its  advantages. 

He  at  once  completed  the  tannery  and  put  it  in  operation.  Hemlock  bark 
was  plenty  and  for  years  was  delivered  at  the  tannery  for  two  dollars  and  two 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  cord.  The  nearest  accessible  railroad  point  was  Sara- 
toga Springs,  thirty  miles  distant.  All  the  hides  and  leather  were  carried  over 
this  road  by  teams.  Mr.  Bowman  pushed  on  his  business  with  the  greatest 
energy,  working  early  and  late,  and  giving  his  personal  attention  to  the  whole 
work  in  all  its  details.  The  sole  leather  from  Stony  Creek  Tannery  soon  came 
to  have  a  reputation  and  none  better  was  to  be  had  in  market.  The  require- 
ments of  the  growing  business  made  necessary  an  increase  of  faciHties.  The 
tannery  was  enlarged  and  improved  by  the  erection  of  additional  buildings  in 
1856,  1864,  and  again  in  1867.  It  now  has  a  capacity  of  forty  thousand  sides 
of  leather  per  year. 

In  1857  Mr.  Bowman  built  a  pleasant  residence,  which  he  still  occupies. 
For  years  he  has  carried  a  large  stock  of  bark  usually  from  five  to  seven  thou- 
sand cords.     When  in  full  operation  the  number  of  men  employed  in  the  tan- 


John  P.  Bowman.  613 


nery  is  about  twenty-five.  Mr.  Bowman  has  bought  extensive  tracts  of  land, 
covered  largely  with  hemlock  trees  and  now  owns  some  eight  or  ten  thousand 
acres.  He  has  cut  and  disposed  of  large  quantities  of  hemlock  and  spruce 
logs. 

In  addition  to  his  residence,  barns  and  carriage-house,  he  has  a  boarding 
house  with  accommodations  for  twenty  persons  and  houses  for  sixteen  families. 
He  has  also  a  convenient  office  building  and  a  storehouse  at  the  railroad  sta- 
tion. The  Adirondack  Railroad  now  affords  transportation  facilities,  its  station 
being  three  miles  from  the  tannery.  Much  has  been  done  in  grading  the 
grounds  around  the  buildings  and  making  such  improvements  as  add  both  to 
appearance  and  convenience.  A  noticeable  feature  of  the  premises  with  their 
surroundings  is  neatness  and  order.  Probably  no  tannery  in  the  State  excels 
this  in  clean  and  uniformly  neat  appearance. 

Mr.  Bowman  has  done  his  banking  and  general  business  at  the  village  of 
Glens  Falls,  where  he  is  widely  known  and  greatly  respected.  He  is  and  for 
years  has  been  a  director  in  the  Glens  Falls  National  Bank.  For  thirty-two 
years  he  has  done  all  his  hide  and  leather  business  with  one  house,  the  well- 
known  one  of  Field,  Converse  &  Co.,  of  Boston,  and  its  successor,  Allen,  Field 
&  Lawrence.  All  his  business  dealings  have  been  characterized  by  prompt- 
ness and  strict  integrity. 

Hard  work,  persistent  attention  to  his  own  affairs  and  uncompromising  hon- 
esty, added  to  an  intelligent  aptitude  for  business  have  made  Mr.  Bowman's 
success  in  life  well  marked  and  deserved.  His  upright,  sterling  character  com- 
mands for  him  the  entire  confidence  of  all  who  know  him.  Always  averse 
to  ostentatious  display,  he  has  accomplished  many  charitable  and  beneficent 
ends  in  a  quiet  way.  The  remains  of  his  grand-parents,  parents  and  brother, 
are  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  East  Clarendon,  Vt.  Mr.  Bowman  has  erected  a 
stately  monument  over  the  place  of  their  interment  and  made  the  spot  a  pleas- 
ant one  by  tasteful  improvements. 

In  1849  he  married  Jennie  E.  Gates,  daughter  of  Franklin  Gates,  of  War- 
ren, Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  the  youngest  of  seven  sisters.  This  marriage 
proved  a  wise  and  fortunate  one.  Mr.  Bowman  found  in  his  wife  a  companion 
who  excelled  in  every  womanly  virtue.  Possessed  of  rare  judgment  and  the 
most  estimable  traits  of  character,  she  made  the  home  over  which  she  presided 
a  model  one.  Mr.  Bowman  recognizes  that  a  large  measure  of  the  success 
that  has  come  to  him  is  due  to  the  faithful  endeavors  and  wise  counsel  of  her 
whom  he  chose  for  a  life  companion.  Her  influence  extended  beyond  the 
home  circle  and  they  are  many  who  have  been  made  better  and  happier  by 
her  example  and  kindly  assistance.  She  made  a. large  number  of  friends  and 
attached  them  to  herself  by  the  strongest  ties.  In  religious  faith  she  was  an 
Episcopalian  and  was  a  member  of  the  society  of  that  denomination  at  Glens 
Falls. 


6i4  History  of  Warren  County. 

There  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowman  two  daughters,  Addie,  who  died 
in  early  infancy,  and  Ella  H.,  who  lived  until  just  reaching  young  womanhood. 
Growing  up  as  an  only  child,  she  naturally  had  the  full  affection  of  her  parents. 
She  was  of  a  more  than  usually  sweet  and  affectionate  disposition  and  naturally 
gentle  and  refined  in  manner.  The  fondness  of  her  parents  was  reciprocated 
and  she  found  her  highest  enjoyment  in  their  company.  Altogether  this  house- 
hold was  exceptionally  happy  in  its  membership  and  surroundings.  Mr. 
Bowman's  business  kept  him  closely  at  home  and  his  domestic  tastes  rendered 
him  peculiarly  appreciative  of  his  pleasant  home  and  family.  But  these  dearest 
associations  were  destined  to  be  rudely  broken. 

In  June,  1879,  the  peace  and  joy  of  these  parents  gave  way  to  the  deepest 
grief  when  they  were  called  upon  to  bid  a  final  earthly  farewell  to  their  beloved 
daughter  Ella.  In  this  trying  hour  of  bereavement  the  Christian  encourage- 
ment and  faith  of  the  wife  and  mother  yielded  strong  support  to  the  sorrowful 
husband  and  father.  This  comfort  was  not  long  accorded  him.  After  a  few 
short  months  and  in  January,  1880,  the  death  of  his  faithful  and  devoted  wife 
left  Mr.  Bowman  alone  to  bear  what  seemed  an  insupportable  grief 

The  remains  of  wife  and  daughter  were  taken  to  Vermont  for  interment, 
and  in  the  early  summer  following  Mrs.  Bowman's  death,  Mr.  Bowman  com- 
menced at  Cuttingsville,  in  his  native  county  of  Rutland,  the  building  of  a 
magnificent  tribute  to  the  memory  of  his  loved  ones.  He  enlarged  and  beau- 
tified Laurel  Glen  Cemetery  amd  erected  there  a  stately  mausoleum.  The  struc- 
ture is  of  Vermont  granite,  the  interior  stone  being  the  finest  Rutland  marble. 
The  whole  is  characterized  by  solidity  and  elegance  which  unite  to  make  it  one 
of  the  grandest,  as  it  is  one  of  the  costliest,  tombs  in  existence. 

Near  the  tomb  is  an  extensive  green-house  built  and  equipped  in  the  most 
approved  manner  and  liberally  stocked  with  choice  and  rare  plants. 

In  plain  view  of  the  mausoleum  Mr.  Bownjan  has  erected  a  beautiful  sum- 
mer residence.  He  has  made  walks,  set  out  shade  trees  and  otherwise  embel- 
lished the  grounds  at  and  around  the  cemetery  and  his  residence.  Thousands 
of  people  from  neighboring  and  distant  States  have  visited  this  spot,  now  made 
famous  in  monumental  grandeur  by  the  munificence  of  Mr.  Bowman. 


COLONEL  BENJAMIN  PECK  BURHANS.  —  Colonel  Burhans  was  born 
near  Rensselaerville,  Albany  county,  N.JY.,  October  9th,  1798.  His  mother 
was  Clarissa  and  his  father  John  C.  Burhans,  he  being  their  eldest  child.  He 
received  an  academical  education  at  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  soon  after,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  entered  the  store  of  Whittlesey  &  Co.,  general  merchants,  in 
Greene  county,  N.  Y.  A  little  later  he  was  employed  as  clerk  with  Palen  & 
Co.,  in  the  same  county,  extensive  manufacturers  of  sole  leather.  He  soon 
became  a  partner  in  the  firm,  which  continued  until  about  the  year  183 1,  when 
the  firm  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Burhans  formed  the  firm  of  Burhans  &  Town- 
send,  at  Palenville,  Ulster  county,  N.  Y. 


Benjamin  Peck  Burhans.  615 

In  1824  he  was  married  to  Rebecca  Wickes,  whom  he  survived  many  years; 
they  had  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 

In  March,  1836,  Colonel  Burhans  disposed  of  his  property  in  Ulster  county 
and  came  to  Warrensburgh,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.  Here  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  Mr.  Quackenbush  in  the  leather  manufactory  of  Quackenbush  &  Gray, 
his  partner  being  General  Thomas  S.  Gray;  the  firm  style  was  Burhans  & 
Gray.  In  1854  he  transferred  one- third  of  his  interest  in  this  tannery  to  his 
son,  Frederick  O.  Burhans,  and  in  i860  they  took  General  Gray's  remaining 
interest  and  formed  the  firm  of  B.  P.  Burhans  &  Son,  which  continued  to  the 
time  of  the  former's  death. 

Notwithstanding  Colonel  Burhans's  aversion  for  the  official  honors  which 
make  the  chief  aspiration  of  many  men  and  the  ambition  of  many  lives,  he  has 
a  few  times  been  forced  out  of  his  persisted-in  adherence  to  a  strictly  private, 
business  life.  He  was  at  one  time  Colonel  of  the  Third  Regiment  of  Rifles  N. 
Y.  S.  M.,  in  the  days  of  its  glory  and  efficiency.  He  was  nominated  for  Mem- 
ber of  Assembly  in  1838,  and  although  defeated  with  his  party  then,  he  was 
elected  in  1842.  He  was  also  the  Democratic  nominee  for  Member  of  Con- 
gress in  1862.  He  was  a  lifelong  Democrat,  quietly  but  always  and  certainly 
acting  with  that  party.  He  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  and  for  many  years 
had  been  the  president  of  the  Glens  Falls  National  Bank. 

Strict  attention  to  his  extensive  business  —  to  a  business  of  which  he  had 
made  himself  the  master  and  with  which  he  had  from  his  youth  been  familiar — 
gave  him  an  estate  unusual  to  this  region.  He  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
in  Northern  New  York,  and  every  dollar  of  his  fortune  was  his  own  by  honor- 
able right  and  legitimate  acquisition.  No  man  has  been  made  poor  or  unhappy 
by  his  gain.  In  business  life  he  made  friends  of  all  who  had  dealings  with  him. 
Invariably  pleasant,  prompt  and  courteous,  and  especially  so  to  his  employees, 
many  of  whom  have  been  in  his  employ  for  over  thirty  years.  A  leading  fea- 
ture of  Colonel  Burhans's  character  was  his  complete  mastery  of  himself  Under 
any  and  all  circumstances  he  was  always  cool,  collected,  reasonable.  Those 
who  have  known  him  in  his  own  hospitable  home  —  met  him  socially  at  his 
own  fireside  —  have  the  largest  appreciation  of  his  large  and  generous  heart, 
his  genial  sociability,  his  undemonstrative  yet  hearty  manhood. 

He  was  public  spirited,  loved  his  adopted  village  and  contributed  to  all  de- 
sirable improvements.  The  Episcopal  "  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  "  at  War- 
rensburgh, a  beautiful  edifice  of  stone,  is  largely  indebted  to  his  generous  gifts 
for  its  erection  and  present  maintenance.  He  was  elected  senior  warden  at  the 
formation  of  the  parish  in  1864,  and  was  confirmed  at  the  consecration  of  the 
church  in  1866.  "His  works  do  follow  him,"  and  "being  dead  he  yet 
speaketh. " 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was,  as  stated,  president  of  the  Glens  Falls  Na- 
tional Bank,  a  position  he   had   filled  since  the  bank   was   founded,  in    185 1. 


6i6  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  board  of  directors  passed  a  series  of  eulogistic  resolutions,  from  which  the 
following  is  an  extract :  — 

Resolved,  That  the  whole  history  of  this  bank  has  been  intimately  identified 
with  the  prudence,  sagacity,  inflexible  integrity,  financial  abihty  and  large  bus- 
iness experience  which  its  lamented  chief  officer  has  brought  to  the  councils  of 
its  directors.  He  was  ever  ready  to  give  the  weight  of  his  influence  and  for- 
tune, if  necessary,  to  preserve  the  highest  standard  of  reputation  and  credit  for 
this  corporation,  and  his  active  watchfulness  over  its  interests  for  nearly  twenty- 
five  years  slackened  only  with  the  physical  ability  to  maintain  it.  By  personal 
endowment  and  dignity  of  manner  he  was  eminently  fitted  to  preside.  By  his 
genial  spirit,  friendly  disposition,  courtesy  and  Christian  graces  he  won  and  re- 
tained the  affectionate  regard  and  esteem  of  hosts  of  people  of  all  classes,  who 
will  long  mourn  his  departure  from  among  them. 

Colonel  Burhans  died  on  the  i6th  day  of  July,  1875  ;  his  wife  having  died 
May  i6th,  1863.  The  surviving  children  are  as  follows:  Julia,  married  Wil- 
liam B.  Isham,  of  New  York,  a  leather  dealer,  and  member  of  an  old  Ulster 
county  family.  Frederick  Osborne,  who  still  carries  on  the  business  at  War- 
rensburgh.  Sarah  Hine  Burhans,  now  living  on  the  homstead  ;  and  Charles 
Hiram,  living  in  Warrensburgh. 

Those  of  the  children  who  are  deceased  were  Mary  P.,  who  married  Gen- 
eral Samuel  T.  Richards,  and  died  in  1864.     Clarissa  Amelia,  died  in  1844. 


CAPTAIN  M.  N.  DICKINSON.— Myron  Nelson  Dickinson  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Bolton,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  14th  day  of  August, 
1829.  His  father,  John  Dickinson,  came  to  Bolton  with  his  parents  from 
Duchess  county  when  about  six  months  old,  in  February,  1800.  His  mother, 
Lucy  Winter,  was  born  in  Shutesbury,  Mass.,  August  loth,  1795,  and  came 
with  her  parents  to  Bolton  in  1802.  M.  N.  Dickinson's  grandfather,  the  pio- 
neer, was  also  named  John  Dickinson,  and  bore  arms  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
The  name  of  his  mother's  father  was  Jesse  Winter.  M.  N.  Dickinson's  boy- 
hood was  passed  in  Bolton  until  he  reached  his  twentieth  year,  his  surroundings, 
circumstances  and  school  advantages  not  differing  materially  from  that  of  other 
young  men  of  that  period.  When  twenty  years  old  he  visited  Western  New 
York,  Pennsylvania  and  finally  the  State  of  Iowa.  The  straitened  circumstances 
of  his  parents  left  him  without  anticipation  of  any  aid  from  them  in  beginning  his 
career ;  he  felt  that  he  must  depend  solely  upon  his  own  powers  and  ambition 
for  success  in  Hfe.  While  in  Allegany  county,  N.  Y.,  and  Bellefonte  and  Snow 
Shoe,  Center  county.  Pa.,  he  learned  the  millwright's  trade,  which  he  followed 
until  the  close  of  1857.  During  this  period  (in  1854)  he  returned  home  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1855  went  to  Maquoketa,  Iowa,  where  he  continued 
working  at  his  trade.  In  the  winter  of  1855-56  he  saw  the  necessity  of  a 
more  thorough  education  in  order  to  rise  above  his  humble  circumstances,  and 


M.  N.  Dickinson.  617 


accordingly,  although  then  tw.enty-six  years  of  age,  attended  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  a  full  term. 

In  the  year  1857  Mr.  Dickinson  built  the  saw-mill  at  Warrensburgh,  N.  Y., 
and  during  that  fall  and  winter  he  selected  his  home  in  that  place.  The  same 
fall  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  school  commissioner  of  Warren  county, 
being  the  first  candidate  elected  to  that  office,  his  predecessors  having  been  ap- 
pointed;  that  office  he  held  until  the  close  of  i860,  when  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business,  and  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Warrensburgh  in  the  suc- 
ceeding spring. 

Now  came  the  sounds  of  oncoming  war  from  the  misguided  South  and  Mr. 
Dickinson  was  not  the  man  to  sit  idly  at  home  when  his  country  needed  strong 
arms  for  her  defense.  Resigning  his  position  as  postmaster  in  February,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  the  11 8th  Regiment,  whose  gallant  services  are  chronicled  in 
these  pages.  His  enlistment  dated  from  July  i6th,  1862,  and  he  aided  mate- 
rially in  recruiting  Company  G,  to  the  second  lieutenancy  of  which  he  was  im- 
mediately appointed.  On  the  20th  of  January,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  first 
lieutenant  of  the  company,  and  shared  the  campaigning  of  the  regiment  until 
December  of  that  year,  when  he  was  detailed  in  the  "  department  of  negro 
affairs  south  of  the  James  River,"  with  headquarters  at  Norfolk,  Va.  He  re- 
mained on  duty  there  until  October  17th,  1864.  For  a  portion  of  this  period 
he  was  ordered  to  Bermuda  Hundreds  by  Captain  O.  Brown,  to  take  charge 
of  quartermaster's  stores  and  hospital  transportation.  He  returned  to  his  regi- 
ment October  17th,  and  on  the  25th  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Ninety- 
second  Regiment,  N.  Y.  V.,  which  participated  in  the  battle  of  Charles  City 
Road,  Va.  (near  the  Fair  Oaks  battle-field),  on  the  27th  of  October.  In  this 
engagement  he  received  a  canister  shot  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  diameter  and 
weighing  a  quarter  of  a  pound,  in  his  right  shoulder  ;  the  shot  was  subsequently 
cut  out  near  the  spine.  He  was  left  on  the  field  for  dead,  taken  prisoner  and 
confined  in  Libby  Prison  until  February  2ist,  1865,  when  he  was  paroled. 
Returning  northward  to  Annapolis,  Md.,  he  was  there  declared  exchanged  and 
returned  to  his  regiment  in  April  following.  For  gallant  and  meritorious  ser- 
vices he  was  brevetted  captain. 

The  war  ended  and  Captain  Dickinson  resigned  in  May,  1865,  and  re- 
turned home  to  engage  in  the  hardware  business  in  Warrensburgh,  the  first  es- 
tablishment in  this  line  in  the  place.  He  was  reappointed  postmaster  January 
26th,  1866,  and  retained  the  office  until  August  5th,  1885.  In  1 87 1  he  retired 
from  the  hardware  trade,  and  took  up  the  book  and  stationery  business,  which 
he  successfully  conducted  until  November,  1881,  when  he  formed  a  co-partner- 
ship with  A.  H.  Thomas,  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  H.  Thomas  &  Co.,  which 
still  continues.  Mr.  Dickinson's  life,  though  not  a  long  one,  will  be  seen  to 
have  been  a  busy  one.  He  has,  moreover,  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
politics,  for  which  field  he  possesses  excellent  natural  qualifications.    These  are 


6i8  History  of  Warren  County. 

well  understood  and  have  been  repeatedly  recognized  by  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  has  on  several  occasions  represented  the  county  in  Senatorial,  Congress- 
ional and  State  Conventions,  and  in  the  fall  of  1885  was  elected  delegate  to 
the  State  Convention  recently  held  in  Saratoga.  He  has  frequently  declined 
the  request  of  his  party  to  represent  the  county  in  the  Assembly  of  the  State 
and  other  positions  of  honor  and  trust  in  the  county.  It  need  scarcely  be  said 
that  he  is  a  Republican  at  all  times  and  in  all  places.  In  the  various  positions 
he  has  held,  as  well  as  in  his  every  day  relations,  he  has  shown  a  degree  of  abil- 
ity and  those  manly  and  straightforward  attitudes  that  have  won  him  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  He  has,  by  industry,  economy  and  abstemi- 
ous habits  acquired  a  limited  competency  and  may  look  forward  to  many  years 
of  usefulness.  He  espouses  every  project  that  has  a  tendency  to  promote  the 
best  interests  of  the  town,  giving  material  aid  when  necessary  to  success.  His 
benevolence,  though  marked, is  never  ostentatious;  while  he  dispenses  with  lib- 
eral hand  of  his  means  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  worthy  poor,  he  re- 
jects with  firmness  the  supplications  of  the  wandering  beggar.  Captain  Dick- 
inson was  married  on  the  ist  of  July,  1858,  to  Betsey  CooHdge,  of  Bolton, 
who  is  connected  with  the  prominent  Glens  Falls  families  of  that  name.  They 
have  two  living  children  —  Lester  Coolidge  Dickinson,  born  August  2Sth, 
i860,  now  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Warrensburgh  News,  and  a  graduate 
of  Union  College,  class  of  1881,  and  Grace  Cordelia  Dickinson,  born  April 
Sth,  1870. 


JOSEPH  HAVILAND,  2d.  —The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
also  named  Joseph  Haviland,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Queensbury, 
near  the  feeder  dam,  on  the  I2th  day  of  September,  1793.  He  was  married 
to  Lydia  Sisson  May  3d,  18 14.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Sisson,  who 
was  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  of  English  ancestry.  In  the  spring  of  1826 
he  purchased  his  farm  on  Sanford  Ridge,  where  he  lived  until  his  death, 
November  26th,  1875.  He  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  successful 
farmers  of  the  town,  acquired  ample  means  and  invested  largely  in  farming 
lands  near  his  home.  He  was  the  father  of  three  children,  Daniel  S.,  Joseph 
and  Lydia  Ann.  His  long  life  was  one  which  reflected  only  the  most  honor- 
able traits  of  character  and  deeds  worthy  of  an  honest  man. 

The  original  ancestors  of  the  Havilands  were  from  France,  the  name  in 
that  country  being  De  Havery.  .  The  earliest  records  are  of  three  brothers, 
who  emigrated  from  France  to  England,  having  previously  agreed  that  the 
first  one  of  the  three  who  discovered  land  from  the  vessel  should  exclaim 
"  Haviland,"  which  afterwards  became  the  family  name.  The  ancestors  of 
Joseph  Haviland,  2d,  are  traced  backward  as  follows  : — 

Roger  Haviland,  father  of  Joseph,  ist,  and  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  Haviland,  3d.     The  latter  was  born  in  1698 


t 


Joseph  Haviland. 


Joseph  Haviland,  2D.  619 


■and  died  in  1757  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  He  was  the  first  of  the  name 
to  settle  in  this  section,  and  had  four  sons,  David,  Solomon,  Joseph  and 
Roger.  They  were  all  Quakers  of  the  orthodox  faith,  and  have  been  among 
the  foremost  and  most  numerous  of  that  denomination  in  the  town  of  Queens- 
bury. 

Benjamin  Haviland,  3d,  was  born  in  1698  and  died  in  1757  at  the  age 
of  fifty-nine  years;  his  wife  was  Charlotte  Parks,  and  they  had  thirteen  chil- 
dren, seven  sons  and  six  daughters,  as  follows :  Benjamin,  Roger,  Thomas, 
Daniel,  Solomon,  Isaac,  John,  Sophia,  Charlotte,  Althea,  Sarah,  Abigail  and 
Mary. 

Benjamin  Haviland,  2d,  was  born  in  1654  and  died  in  1724,  aged  seventy 
years.      He  had  three  sons,  Benjamin  3d,  John  and  Isaac. 

Benjamin  Haviland,  1st,  was  born  in  1623,  and  emigrated  from  England  in 
1647.  His  wife,  Abigail,  gave  birth  to  five  children,  as  follows:  Benjamin  2d, 
Adam,  Abigail,  Bathia  and  John.     They  settled  in  Flushing,  Long  Island. 

Benjamin  Haviland,  father  of  Benjamin  1st,  was  a  son  of  John  Haviland, 
mayor  of  Bristol,  England,  and  married  Mary  Knightly.  His  father  was 
■Christopher  De  Haviland,  who  married  a  daughter  of  John  Mason,  esq.  His 
father  was  James  De  Haviland,  esq.,  who  married  a  daughter  of  King  Edward 
the  IV.  His  father  was  Thomas  De  Haviland,  who  was  distinguished  at  the 
recovery  of  Mount  Orgal,  Jersey. 

The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  notice  married  Hannah  Wing,  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  Wing,  who  was  a  son  of  Daniel  J.,  and  born  July  loth,  1687  ; 
he  died  in  Glens  Falls  at  an  advanced  age  ;  his  occupation  was  that  of  saddler 
.and  harnessmaker.  Daniel  Wing,  jr.,  was  son  of  Daniel  1st,  and  was  born 
November  28th,  1664;  died  in  March,  1790.  Daniel,  1st,  was  the  oldest  son 
of  John  and  Deborah  (Batchelder)  Wing,  of  Sandwich,  Mass.,  and  came  with 
Jiis  father  from  England  early  in  1600.  The  late  Abraham  Wing,  of  Glens 
Falls,  and  Daniel  Wing,  of  Fort  Edward  (father  of  Halsey  R.  Wing,  of  Glens 
Falls,  all  now  deceased),  were  sons  of  Abraham  and  grandsons  of  Abraham  1st, 
Avho  came  to  Glens  Falls  from  Duchess  county ;  the  latter  was  a  brother  of 
Edward,  father  of  Hannah,  as  above  stated.  This  shows  the  connection  of 
Joseph  Haviland's  grandmother,  and  consequently  of  himself,  with  Abraham 
Wing,  the  pioneer  of  the  Queensbury  patent. 

Joseph  Haviland,  2d,  was  born  October  25th,  1826,  on  Sanford  Ridge, 
-about  three  miles  north  from  Glens  Falls.  His  education  was  confined  to  what 
he  could  by  diligence  acquire  at  the  common  school  and  the  Glens  Falls 
Academy.  His  school  days  ended  when  he  was  about  twenty-one  years  old, 
his  last  instructor  having  been  Leroy  R.  Satterlee.  He  immediately  engaged 
in  farming,  which  has  constituted  the  greater  part  of  his  life  work.  He  was 
married  on  the  5  th  of  February,  1849,  to  Eliza  Staples,  of  Pawlet,  Vermont, 
-and  left  the  homestead  to  occupy  a  farm  about  a  mile  from  where  he  was  born. 


620  History  of  Warren  County. 

and  known  as  the  Harvey  farm.  Eliza  Staples  was  the  daughter  of  Jonathan 
and  Sylvia  Staples  (the  latter  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Rogers),  who  were  noted 
for  their  energy  and  success  as  managers  of  a  large  dairy  in  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont. Mr.  Haviland  was  on  this  farm  until  1859,  when  he  purchased  the  farm 
that  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  known  as  the  Reuben  Newman  farm  from  the 
fact  that  it  was  deeded  to  Israel  Newman,  father  of  Reuben,  in  1799.  Mr. 
Haviland's  title  came  through  Daniel  Newman,  son  of  Reuben.  As  we  have 
intimated,  the  whole  of  Mr.  Haviland's  life  has  been  given  up  to  agriculture,  in 
which  occupation  he  has  reached  the  most  unqualified  success. 

He  is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  of  land  in  three 
valuable  farms,  including  the  old  homestead  of  his  father.  He  has  made  some- 
thing of  a  specialty  of  breeding  and  raising  superior  blooded  stock,  and  is  at 
present  giving  much  of  his  attention  to  Holstein  cattle.  He  has  held  all  of 
the  offices  in  the  Warren  County  Agricultural  Society  and  was  president  for 
three  years.  In  his  daily  walk  he  has  gained  the  good  will  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow- townsmen. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haviland  have  four  children,  namely,  Willis  J.,  born  January 
1st,  1852  ;  Merritt  E.,  born  April  i  ith,  1855  ;  and  two  daughters,  twins,  Elma 
S.  and  Emma  L.,  born  April  21st,  1858.  The  latter  was  married  February 
26th,  1885,  to  J.  Corwin  Jacks,  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.  Willis  J.  Haviland  now  lives 
on  what  is  known  as  the  Sanford  farm,  on  Sanford  Ridge,  which  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settled  farms  in  the  town.  He  married  Belle  Andrews,  whose 
mother  was  Sarah  Jane  Wing,  daughter  of  Richard  Wing,  a  cousin  of  Halsey 
R.  Wing,  on  the  22d  of  February,  1876;  they  have  two  children,  J.  Bernard 
and  Wing  Harrold.  Mr.  Haviland  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the  town. 
The  second  son,  Merritt  E.,  is  a  graduate  of  Cornell  University  (June,  1877), 
studied  law  with  Brown  &  Sheldon,  and  entered  the  Columbia  Law  School  in 
September,  1878  ;  left  it  in  Maj',  1879,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  May, 
1879,  as  attorney  and  counselor.      He  is  now  in  practice  in  New  York  city. 


ABRAHAM  WING. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  of  seven 
children,  and  was  born  in  Glens  Falls  on  the  17th  of  August,  1791.  His 
mother,  Polly  McKie,  was  nearly  related  to  the  family  of  that  name  in  the 
eastern  part  of  Washington  county.  His  father,  Abram,  was  the  youngest 
son  of  Abraham  Wing,  the  pioneer,  a  sketch  of  whose  career  is  given  else- 
where. The  settlement,  which  in  the  slow  progress  of  years  has  expanded  to 
the  proportions  of  a  large  and  populous  village,  was  originally  known  by  the 
name  of  Wing's  Falls,  a  name  which  has  a  better  claim  to  our  speech  than  the 
one  it  bears. 

With  such  scant  facilities  as  the  sparsely  settled  country  then  afforded,  Mr. 
Wing  succeeded  in  acquiring  the  elements  of  a  sound  business  education, 
which  served  him  through  a  long  and  busy  life  in   the   management   of  a   vast 


Abraham  Wing. 


Abraham  Wing.  621 


and  complicated  business,  and   the  widely   extended   relations   of  a   large  and 
continually  increasing  estate. 

Among  his  first  ventures  was  a  co-partnership  with  the  late  Josiah  L.  Arms, 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Emerson's  Corners  in  the  town  of  Wilton,  Saratoga 
county.  New  York.  He  was  afterwards,  at  various  times  and  for  a  series  of 
years,  associated  in  different  business  enterprises  with  the  leading  men  of  the 
place;  such  names  as  Walter  Geer,  jr.,  George  Sanford,  William  McDonald, 
and  others  gone  before,  but  whose  thrift,  enterprise,  and  energy  have  left  their 
impress  upon  our  local  affairs  and  contributed  largely  to  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  our  village.  With  the  opening  up  of  the  Northern  Canal,  and  the 
construction  of  the  Glens  Falls  Feeder,  a  rare  opportunity  presented  for  utiliz- 
ing the  resources  of  the  neighborhood  and  county.  Mr.  Wing  had  the  forecast 
and  judgment  requisite  for  improving  the  golden  chance,  by  bringing  to  market 
the  splendid  pines  with  which  the  great  Brant  Lake  tract  abounded.  This 
rich  and  extensive  lumber  region,  previously  operated  by  the  Fox  Brothers, 
Alanson  and  Norman,  had  come  into  possession  of  parties  in  Troy,  who,  in 
casting  about  for  some  one  to  manage  the  business,  were  referred  to  Mr.  Wing 
as  the  most  suitable  and  competent  person  in  all  this  region  for  the  undertak- 
ing. To  his  sagacity  and  clear  sighted  judgment  do  we  owe  the  present  sys- 
tem of  river-driving  and  booming  which  annually  replenishes  our  mills, 
furnishes  employment  to  a  vast  array  of  labor,  and  which  has  substantially 
helped  in  building  up  our  village  to  its  present  urban  proportions.  When  he 
first  took  hold  of  the  Brant  Lake  property,  the  cry  here  was  that  the  lumber- 
ing business  was  finished. 

The  plains  of  Queensbury,  to  the  foot  of  the  West  Mountain,  had  been 
stripped  and  denuded  of  the  towering  white  and  majestic  yellow  pines  which 
once  stretched  their  massive  boles  in  rich  profusion  from  the  Pitcher  Place  to 
the  Round  Pond  of  the  Oneida.  The  magnificent  water  power  of  our  falls 
was  looked  upon  as  next  to  worthless,  and  certainly  not  warranting  the  outlay 
required  in  the  erection  of  such  costly  mills  as  now  adorn  our  waterfront.  No 
one  dreamed  that  the  forest  of  the  far  northern  wilderness  would  ever  become 
tributary  to  our  industries.  No  sooner,  however,  had  Mr.  Wing  taken  hold  of 
this  enterprise,  than  a  new  impulse  was  given  to  the  whole  lumber  business  of 
the  Hudson  River  and  its  affluents.  The  obstructions  in  the  outlet  of  Brant 
Lake  were  removed,  a  dam  and  sluice  way  were  constructed  and  a  new  field 
of  labor  was  inaugurated.  The  novel  sight  was  witnessed  of  sluicing  and 
driving  the  pine  logs  of  that  wilderness  region,  and  its  wealth  has  been  poured 
down  the  breast  of  the  majestic  Hudson,  building  up  colossal  fortunes  and  giv- 
ing impetus  and  vitality  to  a  thousand  ceaseless  industries.  From  a  trusted 
business  agent  Mr.  Wing  speedily  became  a  partner,  and  ultimately  sole  pro- 
prietor of  this  and  other  large  lumber  interests.  About  the  year  1853  he  dis- 
posed of  his  business  and  retired  from  the  more   active   pursuits  of  life.      He 


622  History  of  Warren  County. 

was  then  accounted  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  vicinity.  From  that 
period  up  to  the  date  of  his  decease  his  time  was  principally  devoted  to  the 
management  of  his  large  estate. 

Mr.  Wing  was  a  life  long  Democrat,  an  earnest  and  energetic  politician.  I» 
the  days  of  his  active  manhood  he  exerted  a  controlling  influence  in  his  party,, 
both  in  town  and  county,  and  although  no  office-seeker  himself,  those  who^ 
were,  generally  took  the  precaution  to  insure  his  kind  offices  and  powerful  in- 
fluence in  order  to  achieve  their  aims. 

Like  most  self-made  men,  Mr.  Wing's  character  had  its  rugged  sides  and 
salient  points.  He  was  a  strong,  earnest,  untiring  friend,  a  bitter,  uncompro- 
mising and  unyielding  opponent ;  opinionated,  self-reliant,  and  self-willed. 
Public  spirited  and  liberal,  every  church  in  the  village  received  his  benefaction, 
every  public  enterprise  his  handsome  contribution.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Rebellion  he  was  among  the  heaviest  subscribers  to  the  relief  fund  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  wives  and  children  of  the  soldiers,  and  contributed  all  along  in  va- 
rious ways  towards  the  raising  of  recruits  and  bounties,  in  order  that  his  na- 
tive town  might  maintain  its  credit  in  the  great  struggle  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Union.  He  was  married  three  times.  His  first  wife  was  Abigail  Barnard, 
of  Townsend,  Vt.  His  second  was  Angeline  B.  (Vail)  widow  of  Alexander 
Robertson,  of  New  York.  His  third  Mrs.  Francis  A.  Glass  {nee  Bowman). 
He  had  no  issue  except  by  his  first  wife.  Two  children  only  reached  adult 
age,  both  daughters  and  both  married.  He  was  for  years  subject  to  painful 
and  frequently  occurring  attacks  of  illness,  resisted  by  a  powerful  and  well 
preserved  constitution,  until  at  last,  like  a  strongly  rooted  oak,  exposed  to  the 
the  storms  of  years,  he  fell,  and  the  places  which  knew  him  on  earth  shall 
know  him  no  more.  He  died  at  his  own  house  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  of 
June,  1873.  His  deeds  of  generosity  and  kindness  have  embalmed  his  name 
in  the  memory  of  many  still  living,  and  in  the  hard  and  trying  winter  of  1874. 
there  are  poor,  and  destitute,  and  suffering  families,  who  will  miss  the  kind 
charities  of  Abraham  Wing. 


HALSEY  ROGERS  WING.i  — The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  oldest 
son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Rhoda  A.  (Stewart)  Wing,  and  was  born  in  a  build- 
ing occupying  a  part  of  the  site  of  the  Middleworth  House,  at  Sandy  Hill,  N. 
Y.,  then  one  of  the  most  flourishing  villages  between  Albany  and  Montreal. 
His  father  was,  at  the  date  named  and  for  some  years  subsequently,  an  inn- 
keeper in  a  building  (since  burned)  known  as  the  Eagle  Hotel.  In  18 14  he 
removed  to  the  lower  part  of  the  village  of  Fort  Edward,  where  he  resided  for  a 
number  of  years.  Here  Halsey  had  the  benefit  of  the  local  schools,  and  the  ex- 
perience acquired  bj'  rendering  such  assistance  as  he  was  able  in  the  management 
of  his  father's  business.    His  aptitude  for  study  and  persevering  application  to  his 

1  From  Dr.  Holder's  History  of  Quesnsbury,  p.  66. 


Halsey  Rogers  Wing.  623 

books,  undoubtedly  determined  the  direction  of  his  career,  and  the  choice  of  a 
profession.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent  to  the  celebrated  academy  at 
Lenox,  Mass.  After  three  years  of  a  thorough  academic  course  under  the 
supervision  of  Professor  Hotchkiss,  its  very  able  principal,  he  went  first  to  Yale, 
and  subsequently  to  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  where  he  entered  the  sophomore 
class,  graduated  in  course  and  took  his  baccalaureate  degree  on  the  15th  of 
August,  1832.  He  had  probably  already  commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  for 
his  license  shows  that  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  an  attorney  in  October, 
1834.  His  legal  studies  was  pursued  in  the  office  of  the  eminent  jurisconsult, 
the  Hon.  Samuel  Cheever.  In  the  interim  of  student  life  he  served  for  a  brief 
period  as  assistant  district  attorney  of  Albany  county. 

Soon  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  was  awarded  a  gold  medal  by  the 
Young  Men's  Association  of  Albany,  for  an  essay  of  distinguished  merit  (after- 
wards printed)  which  was  read  before  that  body.  The  follo\i'ing  are  the  in- 
scriptions copied  from  the  medal,  now  in  possession  of  the  family :  — 

Obverse.  Reverse. 

The  Huygen's  Premium,  For  the 

Awarded,  Best  Essay  on 

Nov.  1st,  1834,  the  influence  of  the 

by  Study  of  the  Physical  and 

The  Young  Men's  Matliematical  Sciences 

/issociation  for  Mutual  Improvement,  On  the  Character  of  Man 

In  the  City  of  Albany,  and  the  usefulness  and  application 

To  Halsey  R.  Wing.  of  these  sciences  to  the 

Common  purposes 
of  life. 

In  December  following  his  name  was  inscribed  upon  the  rolls  as  solicitor 
in  chancery,  and  about  the  same  time  he  removed  to  Brockport,  Monroe 
county,  where  he  opened  a  law  office,  with  E.  B.  Holmes  as  partner.  He  re- 
mained but  a  short  time  at  this  place,  but  removing  to  the  larger  and  more 
prosperous  village  of  Buffalo,  whose  coming  greatness  and  importance  were 
already  casting  shadows  before,  he  formed  a  new  partnership  with  Judge  Fred- 
erick F.  Stevens.  Here,  with  the  dawn  before  him  of  a  lucrative  practice  and 
a  widespread  popularity  among  the  laboring  classes,  we  find  him  fairly  launched 
upon  the  swift  current  of  life. 

On  the. 3 1st  of  August,  1835,  he  was  married  with  Harriet  N.,  daughter  of 
General  E.  P.  Walton,  and  sister  of  the  Hon.  E.  P.  Walton,  of  Montpelier,  Vt, 
who  has  lately  represented  that  district  for  two  consecutive  terms  in  Congress. 
Of  this  union,  it  is  not  improper  to  say  that  it  has  been  one  of  the  most  perfect 
accord  and  harmony.  The  chivalric  and  devoted  respect  with  which  he  always 
regarded  the  gentler  sex,  found  an  apotheosis  in  his  wife,  whom  he  reverenced 
and  loved  with  a  devotion  which  few  have  equaled,  and  none  excelled.  Through 
all  his  life  he  seems  to  have  made  it  a  special  study  to  spare  those  he  loved 
from  all  care,  trouble,  anxiety  or  apprehension. 

He  came  to  Glens  Falls  in  1841,  in  which  year  he  was  admitted  as  counselor 


624  History  of  Warren  County. 

at  law,  and  the  following  year,  as  solicitor  in  the  United  States  Courts  and 
counselor  in  chancery.  He  became,  from  the  first,  prominently  identified  with 
the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party,  of  which  he  has  been  a  lifelong  and  un- 
varying supporter.  In  the  fall  of  1843  he  was  appointed,  by  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors, to  the  position  of  county  superintendent  of  common  schools.  In 
1845  he  became  the  first  judge  of  the  county,  having  previously  been  elected 
to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  inspector  of  common  schools.  In  all 
these  multiplied  relations  he  invariably  fulfilled  the  trusts  and  discharged  the 
duties  belonging  to  them  with  fidelity  and  conscientious  thoroughness.  His 
legal  practice,  built  up  in  the  face  of  a  sharp  and  eager  competition,  was  always 
respectable  and  remunerative,  and  that  he  did  not  descend  to  do  the  dirty  work 
of  a  venal  bar,  will  be  no  reproach  to  his  memory  in  the  estimation  of  those 
whose  opinions  are  worth  the  having. 

In  185 1  one  of  those  rare  opportunities  presented,  which  now  and  then 
prove  the  turning  point  in  a  man's  fortunes.  He  was  offered  a  partnership  in 
an  already  established  business,  and  the  celebrated  Jointa  Lime  Company  was 
formed,  consisting  of  himself  and  Mr.  John  Keenan,  to  whose  indefatigable  in- 
dustry and  shrewd  management  this  company  is  largely  indebted  for  its  suc- 
cess. In  1852  Mr.  Abraham  Wing  sold  out  his  large  lumbering  interest,  to- 
gether with  the  saw-mill  near  the  dam  on  this  side  of  the  river  to  Halsey  R. 
Wing,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Lansing  G.  Taylor.  After  Mr.  Taylor's  death 
(which  occurred  in  1856),  and  the  settlement  of  the  estate,  Mr.  Wing  became 
sole  proprietor  of  the  lumbering  business  and  the  mills  connected  with  it.  Af- 
ter assuming  these  varied  business  cares  and  responsibilities,  Mr.  Wing  gradu- 
ally withdrew  from  the  practice  of  law,  throwing  his  legal  business  into  the 
hands  of  Isaac  J.  Davis,  esq.,  with  whom  he  formed  a  law  partnership  in  1854, 
and  who  has  since  made  his  mark  in  the  legal  world  as  a  sharp,  astute  coun- 
selor, and  a  brilliant  and  successful  advocate. 

Later  on,  Mr.  Wing  became  one  of  the  firm  known  as  The  Glen's  Falls  Com- 
pany, and  of  another  called  The  Glen's  Falls  Transportation  Company,  in  both 
of  which  large  financial  and  industrial  interests  were  represented,  and  whose 
extended  operations  have  proved  eminently  successful  and  remunerative.  He 
was  also  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Glen's  Falls  National  Bank,  and  the 
Glen's  Falls  Insurance  Company.  In  all  public  matters,  connected  with  edu- 
cation or  morality,  Mr.  Wing  was  an  earnest  and  zealous  worker.  He  was  a 
regular  attendant  upon  the  ministrations  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  acted 
as  one  of  its  trustees  at  a  moment  of  peculiar  embarrassment  and  difficulty.  He 
was  an  ardent  and  faithful  laborer  in  the  field  of  temperance,  formerly  a  worthy 
patriarch  of  the  old  Glen  Division,  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Billy  J.  Clark 
Division,  and  a  contributor  to  its  exchequer. 

Mr.  Wing  was  a  ready  promoter  and  advocate  of  the  interests  of  education, 
contributing  to  its  maintenance,  and  encouraging  its  elevation  and  advancement. 


Halsey  Rogers  Wing.  —  J.  L.  Dix.  625 

At  the  time  of  his  decease,  he  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Glens  Falls  Acad- 
emy. He  was  also  elected  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Association  at  its 
organization  and  served  it  faithfully  in  that  capacity,  until  his  term  of  office  ex- 
pired, giving  the  embryo  organization  much  of  his  valuable  time,  with  the  hope 
and  aim  of  giving  it  permanence  and  stability. 

He  always  manifested  the  greatest  respect  for  the  observance  and  ceremo- 
nials of  religion,  tenderly  regardful  of  the  feelings  of  others,  and,  although  he 
made  no  verbal  professions  of  piety,  his  was  that  broader  catholicity  of  doctrine 
and  example,  which  holds  to  the  belief  in 

"The  Gospel  of  the  Golden  Rule, 
The  New  Commandment  given  to  men. 
Thinking  the  deed,  and  not  the  creed. 
Would  help  us  in  our  utmost  need." 

With  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  Mr.  Wing  immediately  became  identi- 
fied with  the  war  movement,  earnestly  and  faithfully  laboring  to  further  the  in- 
terests of  the  Union.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  zealous  in  the  interests  of 
that  party,  but  his  devotion  to  his  whole  country  and  its  constitution  as  he  be- 
lieved it  should  be  interpreted,  cannot  be  justly  questioned. 

Mr.  Wing  was  a  public  spirited  man,  and  a  hard,  efficient  worker.  To  his 
energetic  labors  we  owe  many  of  our  public  improvements,  and  the  develop- 
ment of  our  industrial  resources,  of  which  we  have  no  further  space  to  speak. 

His  last  appearance  in  public  was  on  the  occasion  of  a  great  public  festival 
given  at  the  Cosgrove  Opera  House,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor.  He  was  em- 
phatically a  friend  to  the  friendless,  and  few  appeals  for  help  were  ever  turned 
unanswered  away. 

His  professions  were  sincere,  his  friendships  enduring,  and  in  his  possession 
was  as  kind  a  heart  and  a  soul  full  of  tender  emotion,  as  ever  animated  a  human 
being.  Surrounded  abundantly  by  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life,  and  the 
tender,  assiduous  care  of  kind  and  affectionate  friends,  he  passed  peacefully  to 
his  final  rest  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  the  26th  of  January,  1870.  His 
widow  still  survives  him. 


JL.  DIX. —  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Saratoga  county,  town  of 
,  Moreau,  September  19th,  18 16.    His  father  was  Samuel  Dix,  an  early  set- 
tler, who  came   from  Wilmington,  Vt.     His  other  children  were  Samuel  B. 
and  Harriet.     Samuel  Dix  died  in  Glens  Falls,  in  1857,  ^fter  a  long  life  of  use- 
fulness ;   his  principal  occupation  having  been  lumbering. 

J.  L.  Dix  lived  in  Moreau  until  he  was  five  years  old,  when  his  father's  fam- 
ily crossed  the  river  to  Glens  Falls.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  the  old  Ridge  Street  Academy.  In  1835,  when  he  was  nineteen 
years'  old,  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  post-ofiice  under  Jabez  Briggs's  ad- 
ministration. Here  he  continued  three  years,  and  then  acted  as  clerk  in  the 
stores  of  Mead  &  Sanford  and  Dwight  Hitchcock  for  about  six  months.      Fol- 

40 


626  History  of  Warren  County. 

lowing  this  he  spent  about  fourteen  months  in  various  occupations  in  the  States 
of  Illinois,  Missouri,  and  Ohio.  Returning  to  Glens  Falls  in  ill  health  he  re- 
mained idle  about  a  year  and  a  half,  after  which  he  engaged  with  Julius  H. 
Rice,  taking  charge  of  his  general  business  for  two  years.  He  then  formed  a 
copartnership  with  H.  A.  Hopkins,  George  Foster  and  Byron  Rice,  under  the 
style  of  Hopkins,  Dix  &  Co.,  in  the  manufacture  of  the  well-known  "  black 
marble,"  as  it  is  termed.  This  firm  continued  about  three  years  and  operated 
a  store  at  South  Glens  Falls  in  connection  with  their  manufacturing  business. 
In  1846  he  joined  Thomas  Reynolds  in  large  contracting  operations,  on  the 
plank  road,  railroads  and  canals,  at  the  same  time  continuing  the  store  with 
Mr.  Hopkins.  About  the  year  1848  this  store  was  removed  to  Glens  Falls, 
and  Dix  and  Hopkins  purchased  the  foundry  and  machine  shop  under  the  hill, 
of  James  Wells.  In  the  operation  of  this  establishment  Mr.  Dix  has  been  prom- 
inently interested  ever  since,  the  firm  at  the  present  time  being  J.  L.  &  S.  B. 
Dix,  brothers.  The  contracting  business  with  Mr.  Reynolds  was  continued 
to  1854,  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  Mr.  Dix  and  Mr.  Reynolds  have  car- 
ried on  the  marble  business.  Since  Mr.  Dix  assumed  an  interest  in  the  foun- 
dry it  has  grown  from  a  small  affair  to  very  large  proportions.  A  new  build- 
ing of  brick  was  erected  for  the  foundry  in  1855,  and  other  additions  have  been 
made,  steam  power  put  in,  etc. 

This  is  the  business  record  of  a  busy  life,  and  it  has  been  one  which  has 
.brought  with  it  an  enviable  reputation  for  industry,  energy  and  integrity,  re- 
sulting in  the  acquirement  of  a  competence  from  a  beginning  without  means. 

Mr.  Dix  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  has  never  sought  to  make  his  creed 
or  action  a  stepping-stone  to  office.  He  held  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff  in 
Moreau  for  three  years.  In  1866  he  erected  his  handsome  brick  residence 
where  he  is  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life.  He  has,  during  his  entire 
life  since  reaching  manhood,  engaged  considerably  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of 
real  estate.  He  was  married  in  1856  to  Laura  Stevens,  daughter  of  Lewis 
Stevens,  of  Moreau.  Their  children  are,  Walter  L.,  married  Julia  Whedon 
and  lives  in  Glens  Falls  ;  Anna,  wife  of  Dr.  H.  W.  Coffin,  of  Glens  Falls;  John 
A.,  and  Charles,  who  live  with  their  parents. 


FRANCIS  LE  ROY  CHAPIN,  M.  D.  —  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  son 
of  Joel  Chapin  and  Honor  Frances  Buckley,  and  was  born  in  Oxford,  Che- 
nango county,  on  the  30th  day  of  May,  1824.  His  father  was  born  in  Bain- 
bridge,  Chenango  county,  and  subsequently  followed  the  business  of  cabinet- 
making  in  Oxford  until  the  latter  years  of  his  life  and  died  at  Saratoga.  The 
grandfather  of  F.  L.  R.  Chapin  was  also  named  Joel  and  served  as  a  surgeon 
in  the  Revolutionary  army,  for  which  he  afterwards  received  a  section  of  land 
in  Bainbridge,  Chenango  county.  Later  he  became  a  Presb}'terian  minister 
of  that  place,  and  died  there. 


F.  L.  R.  CiiAPiN,  M.  D. 


Francis  Le  Roy  Chapin,  M.  D.  627 

From  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  supported  and  educated  himself  and  on 
arriving  at  a  proper  age  he  entered  the  Oxford  Academy,  then  one  of  the  fore- 
most institutions  of  learning  in  the  State.  Here  his  naturally  active  mind  en- 
abled him  to  advance  rapidly,  and  in  1845  he  graduated  fully  prepared  to  en- 
ter college.  Choosing  Union  College  for  his  further  studies,  he  entered  that 
institution  soon  after  leaving  the  academy,  in  the  junior  class.  Four  terms 
only  enabled  him  to  graduate  with  honor.  He  had  already  settled  upon  the 
medical  profession  as  the  field  for  his  life  work  and  at  once  began  his  studies 
in  the  Albany  Medical  College.  From  this  institution  he  graduated  with  his 
diploma  in  185  I.  Remaining  idle  for  a  short  time  at  Saratoga  Springs,  he 
began  practice  in  Albany,  associating  himself  for  about  a  year  with  Dr.  Robert 
Lay. 

In  1853  he  was  was  appointed  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  the  Albany 
Medical  College ;  a  high  compliment  to  the  position  he  had  attained  in  the 
esteem  of  the  faculty.  He  continued  in  successful  practice  until  the  outbreak 
of  the  war,  when  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  Thirtieth  Regiment  N.  Y. 
S.  Volunteers,  one  of  the  organizations  that  went  out  under  the  call  for  sev- 
enty-five thousand  troops  for  two  years.  This  regiment  saw  hard  service  as  a 
part  of  the  famous  "Iron  Brigade,"  and  Dr.  Chapin  remained  with  it,  sharing 
in  its  hardships  until  it  was  mustered  out  of  service.  Here  his  success  in 
practice  was  almost  wonderful  ;  for  the  first  five  months  of  the  term  there 
were  no  deaths  in  the  organization,  though  there  was  an  unusual  amount  of 
sickness,  and  there  were  but  twelve  deaths  in  the  regiment  during  its  term  of 
service  outside  of  battle,  and  seven  of  these  were  purely  accidental. 

Returning  to  Albany,  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  when  he  became  one  of 
a  number  of  volunteer  surgeons  under  a  call  sent  out  after  the  battle  of  Cold  Har- 
bor. After  a  few  months'  service  in  this  capacity  he  returned  again  to  Albany 
and  resumed  his  practice.  He  was  soon  given  charge  of  a  ward  in  the  Soldiers' 
Home  in  that  city  where  his  already  extended  practice  in  surgery  was  still 
further  contributed  to.  His  practice  continued  in  Albany  until  1866,  when  he 
removed  to  Glens  Falls  and  was  associated  one  year  with  Dr.  James  Ferguson, 
since  which  time  he  has  continued  alone. 

This  constitutes  a  mere  outline  of  Dr.  Chapin's  life  work  thus  far.  His  ex- 
cellent natural  qualifications  for  his  profession  and  his  thorough  education 
therein  have  made  him  a  successful  practitioner,  while  his  genial  social  char- 
acteristics and  sterling  goodness  of  heart  and  sound  common  sense  have  con- 
tributed to  his  general  popularity  in  the  communities  where  he  has  resided. 
He  was  elected  president  of  the  Warren  County  Medical  Society  in  the  year 
1868,  and  read  an  able  address  before  that  body.  He  was  president  in  1 87 1 
of  the  Union  Medical  Association  of  the  counties  of  Saratoga,  Washington  and 
Warren,  and  delegate  from  the  Warren  County  Society  to  the  Medical  Societ)' 
of  the  State  of  New  York,-  of  which  body  he  was  elected  a  permanent  member. 


628  History  of  Warren  County. 

He  was  president  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Albany  Medical  College  in 
1 88 1,  and  read  an  address  before  that  body. 

Dr.  Chapin  has  held  no  political  office  nor  has  he  any  ambition  in  that  di- 
rection, or  for  any  public  station,  his  chief  desire  having  been  to  win  and  merit 
the  approbation  of  his  fellow  practitioners,  and  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
his  patients.      In  this  he  has  succeeded  to  a  gratifying  degree. 

He  was  married  first,  in  1853,  to  Lurinda  Dodge,  daughter  of  Amos  Dodge, 
of  Owego.  She  died  in  185-,  and  he  was  married  to  Matilda  Rockfeller,  of 
Albany,  daughter  of  William  T.  Rockfeller,  in  July,  1863.  He  has  a  daugh- 
ter Lula,  by  his  first  wife.  A  son  by  his  second  wife  died  in  infancy.  They 
now  have  an  adopted  daughter,  Carrie  W.  Chapin,  who  lives  at  their  home. 


GEORGE  BROWN.  —  One  of  the  earliest  permanent  settlers  on  the  Queens- 
bury  pateht  was  Benedick  Brown,  who  probably  arrived  there  as  early  as 
1772,  as  his  name  appears  in  the  ancient  records  as  overseer  of  the  poor  for  1773. 
One  of  his  sons  was  Valentine  Brown,  who  had  a  son  Richard.  Valentine  settled 
at  the  outlet  of  what  is  now  called  Glen  Lake  (formerly  known  as  Valentine's 
Pond),  and  Richard  Brown  located  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  site  of 
the  Half-way  House,  which  is  on  the  road  from  Glens  Falls  to  Lake  George. 
Richard  Brown's  children  were  George  (the  eldest  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch),  Clark  J.,  Daniel  V.,  and  Stewart.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Vaughan,  of 
Washington  county,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  Rhode  Island  pioneers.  De- 
scendants of  this  family  are  very  numerous  in  Northern  New  York. 

George  Brown  was  born  on  the  paternal  homestead,  September  3d,  1815. 
His  younger  days  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  were  passed  at  home  and 
most  of  the  time  in  attendance  at  the  district  schools.  When  he  reached  the 
age  of  twelve  his  father  died.  The  family  were  very  poor  and  the  boy,  being 
the  eldest  son  found  the  burdens  of  caring  for  his  younger  brothers  and  wid- 
owed mother  upon  his  shoulders.  But  he  proved  himself  equal  to  the  task, 
and  heroically  assumed  it.  He  began  working  out  by  the  month  at  whatever 
he  found  that  would  pay  him  best,  devoting  his  earnings  to  bettering  the  situa- 
tion of  the  family.  He  continued  this  course  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, when  he  returned  to  the  family  homestead  and  assumed  the  charge  of 
the  farm.  Here  he  remained  until  the  year  1846,  when  he  found  his  proper 
vocation  in  catering  to  the  public  as  a  landlord.  He  began  first  in  a  small 
building  that  stood  opposite  the  Half-way  House,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  meanwhile  building  the  famous  old  hostelry  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
road.  From  the  day  Mr.  Brown  entered  this  hotel,  situated  as  it  was  about 
midway  on  the  long  popular  thoroughfare  from  the  outer  world  to  the  famed 
lake  and  surroundings,  he  gave  it  a  reputation  for  comfort  and  hospitality  that 
was  recognized  by  all  who  ever  had  occasion  to  enter  its  doors.  This  popu- 
larity continued  unabated  while  Mr.  Brown  remained  at  the  head  of  the  house. 


George  Brown.  •  629 


a  period  of  nearly  forty  years,  and  only  waned  after  the  building  of  the  railroad 
diminished  the  highway  travel. 

Mr.  Brown's  business  operations  were  not  confined  to  keeping  the  hotel,  for 
he  was  the  founder  of  the  hamlet  of  French  Mountain,  and  erected  nearly  all 
the  buildings.  Among  these  was  a  store  where  he  carried  on  a  general 
trade  until  his  removal  from  the  place;  this  business  was  started  in  1849. 
He  also  carried  on  a  tin- shop  in  connection  with  this  store.  He  built 
a  saw-mill  in  1852  which  he  operated  until  1876,  and  erected  a  tannery 
in  1867  and  ran  it  until  1874,  in  partnership  with  James  T.  Crandell.  He 
built  seven  or  eight  dwellings  also,  and  during  the  period  named  carried  on  the 
homestead  farm.  He  was  postmaster  at  French  Mountain  from  1850  to  1880, 
and,  in  short,  was  almost  the  proprietor  of  the  entire  settlement.  With  the 
necessary  decline  of  business  here  incident  upon  the  building  of  the  railroad, 
Mr.  Brown  sold  out  his  entire  possessions,  except  thirty  acres  or  farming  land, 
and  removed  to  Caldwell  in  March,  1884,  where  he  assumed  charge  of  the 
Central  Hotel,  which  he  had  owned  since  1880,  it  having,  between  those  two 
dates,  been  in  charge  of  his  son,  Clark  J.  Brown ;  the  latter  died  in  March, 
1884.  This  house  Mr.  Brown  has  rendered  very  popular  among  hundreds  of 
his  old  guests  and  many  new  ones. 

Mr.  Brown  has  been  a  Democrat  in  politics  until  about  ten  years  ago,  when 
he  espoused  the  principles  of  the  Greenback  organization.  He  held  the  office 
of  town  assessor  three  successive  years,  and  was  pathmaster  of  his  district  for 
twenty  successive  years.  In  1856  he  was  nominated  for  the  Assembly,  but 
defeated,  as  he  expected  to  be,  by  the  combined  vote  of  the  Republican  and 
Know  Nothing  parties.  In  1882  he  was  nominated  on  the  Greenback  ticket 
for  sheriff. 

Although  now  seventy  years  old,  Mr.  Brown  is  active  and  energetic  to  an 
astonishing  degree,  and  superintends  his  business  with  all  the  enthusiasm  and 
success  of  his  earlier  years  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
townsmen. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  1843  to  Silvia  Odell,  who  was  born  November 
22d,  1824,  and  is  descended  from  one  of  the  pioneer  families,  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Odell.  Their  children  have  been  as  follows :  Valentine,  the  eldest, 
born  March  26th,  1845  ;  died  in  February,  1875.  Sarah  Jane,  born  July  30th, 
1847  ;  is  the  wife  of  James  T.  Crandell,  of  Caldwell.  Benjamin  O.,  born  No- 
vember 26th,  1849;  died  November  nth,  1883.  Clark  J.,  born  March  23d, 
1854;  died  March  14th,  1884.  Mary  Ann,  born  January  2d,  1856;  is  the 
wife  of  A.  P.  Scovill,  of  the  town  of  Queensbury.  Kate,  born  January  25th, 
1859;  is  the  wife  of  William  D.  Buckbee,  of  Queensbury.  Stewart  D.,  born 
January  5th,  1861  ;  now  lives  with  his  parents  in  Caldwell;  married  Ida  Wor- 
den,  daughter  of  Isaac  Worden.  Virginia,  born  July  i8th,  1866;  died  No- 
vember 1 2th,  1874. 


630  History  of  Warren  County. 

MERRITT  AMES.— One  of  the  early  settlers  of  Poultney,  Vt,  was  Elijah 
Ames,  one  of  the  sons  of  whom  was  Oramel  Ames,  who  was  born  July 
22d,  1800,  and  died  June  2d,  1 870.  His  wife  was  Maria  Spaulding,  of  Mid- 
dletown,  Vt.  Their  children  were  Merritt,  the  eldest  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Eliza,  Morris,  Ellen,  Milo  and  Mary.  Oramel  Ames  was  a  farmer,  but 
also  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  and  was  a  competent  veterinary  surgeon. 

Merritt  Ames  was  born  in  Poultney,  Vt,  December  22d,  1825.  His  boy- 
hood passed  in  laudable  and  successful  efforts  to  obtain  a  good  English  educa- 
tion in  the  Vermont  common  schools,  combined  with  considerable  hard  work 
at  home  between  terms.  This  continued  until  he  reached  his  majority,  during 
which  period  he  had  lived  v/ith  his  parents  in  Poultney,  East  Dorset,  Granville 
and  Middletown,  and  acquired  a  far  better  education  than  was  common  among 
his  associates  who  enjoyed  only  similar  facilities. 

In  the  year  1846,  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  the  young  man  left 
home,  came  to  Glens  Falls  and  began  an  apprenticeship  as  a  moulder  with 
James  Wells.  Here  he  remained  two  years,  in  which  time  he  became  profi- 
cient in  his  chosen  occupation.  He  next  went  to  Fort  Edward,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  in  all  about  five  years,  separated  at  intervals  with  shorter 
periods  of  labor  in  Philadelphia,  Troy  and  Whitehall.  His  entire  period  of 
work  at  his  trade  extended  over  about  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  he  re- 
turned to  Glens  Falls  richer  in  experience  than  in  money. 

Mr.  Ames  is  a  man  not  only  of  good  natural  qualifications,  but  of  broad 
views,  extensive  reading  and  careful  thought ;  he  is  moreover  a  natural  orator 
of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  To  these  characteristics  may  undoubtedly  be 
credited  the  impulse  which  led  to  his  next  occupation.  Beginning  in  1846 
he  went  on  the  road  with  an  entertainment  embracing  at  different  periods  a 
series  of  paintings  delineating  scenes  in  the  arctic  explorations  of  Dr.  Kent 
Kane  and  those  in  Africa  by  Dr.  Livingstone,  Bible  and  astronomical  scenes, 
etc.  These  were  accompanied  by  appropriate  explanatory  and  descriptive  lec- 
tures prepared  by  Mr.  Ames  himself  This  entertainment  was  an  unqualified 
success,  its  popularity,  without  a  doubt,  arising  more  from  the  interesting  char- 
acter of  the  lectures  and  from  the  energy  and  business  abilitj'  infused  into  the 
enterprise  by  the  proprietor  than  from  any  other  feature.  This  occupation 
was  followed  for  ten  years,  during  which  period  several  States  were  traveled 
over,  reaching  as  far  west  as  Chicago,  in  the  churches  of  which  city  the  lectures 
were  last  given. 

Returning  permanently  to  Glens  Falls  in  1866  Mr.  Ames  entered  upon  an 
entirely  new  field  of  labor.  He  began  the  work  of  refining  photographer's 
residues  (silver  waste,  etc.)  and  manufacturing  nitrate  of  silver  and  chloride  of 
gold,  for  the  use  of  photographers,  dry  plat6  manufacturers  and  wholesale  drug- 
gists. Under  his  skillful  and  energetic  management  this  business  has  been 
developed  to  splendid   proportions.     The   sale   of  the  manufactured  products 


^t- 


M.  Ames. 


Merritt  Ames.  —  Leonard  Gansevoort  McDonald.         631 

and  the  refining  of  residues  has  extended  from  the  provinces  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  and  into  more  than  twenty-five  States.  Men  are  employed  on  the 
road  and  in  the  work  at  home  two  assistant  chemists  are  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tical part  of  the  business.  The  building  up  of  such  an  establishment  in  a  small 
inland  location  leads  one  to  question  how  it  has  been  accomplished.  To  this 
Mr.  Ames  replies,  "  I  have  never  sought  to  cheapen  my  products  nor  to  under- 
sell others.  My  success  is  directly  traceable  to  promptness  in  return  of  refined 
goods,  and  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  same."  So  potent  have  been  these 
principles  that  he  has  become  a  larger  refiner  of  photographers'  residues  and 
manufacturer  of  nitrate  of  silver  and  chloride  of  gold  than  any  other  single 
person,  and  he  has  been  honored  with  refining  the  waste  from  five  of  the  photo- 
graphic departments  of  the  United  States  government.  This  success  in  such 
a  work  needs  no  comment ;  it  merely  shows  what  has  been  accomplished  by 
energy,  perseverance,  and  integrity.  In  these  years  Mr.  Ames  has  gained  the 
highest  good  will  and  esteem  of  all  his  fellow  citizens. 

He  was  baptized  into  the  first  Baptist  Church  of  Middletown,  Vt,  on  the 
5th  of  March,  1843,  3'""^  has  ever  since  been  a  zealous  and  faithful  member  of 
that  sect.  His  earnest  and  consistent  church  work  and  his  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  Bible  have  given  him  much  prominence  in  the  church  as  a  teacher  and 
occasionally  as  a  preacher.  He  has  for  the  past  twelve  years  taught  an  adult 
Bible  class  in  which  are  many  leading  church  members. 

Mr.  Ames  was  married  in  1847  to  Celia  Gould,  daughter  of  George  Gould, 
of  Albany,  a  union  that  has  brought  nothing  but  peace  and  contentment  with 
it.  Their  children  are  Adelbert  M.,  born  April  26th,  1848  ;  died  in  infancy. 
Emma  M.,  born  December  29th,  1851  ;  married  W.  W.  Buckingham  and  lives 
in  Brooklyn.  Lina  V.,  married  William  E.  Baldwin,  of  Saratoga,  who  is  now 
associated  with  Mr.  Ames  in  the  chemical  works. 


LEONARD  GANSEVOORT  McDONALD  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Queensbury,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1821,  and  is  now  a  citizen  of 
Glens  Falls,  in  said  town,  and  has  one  of  the  finest  and  most  desirable  resi- 
dences in  that  place,  which  he  built  and  finished  in  1869,  and  has  occupied 
ever  since. 

He  received  a  liberal  education  in  the  common  schools  and  academies,  and 
in  1844  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  company  with  his  brother,  Will- 
iam H.,  in  which  he  continued  until  1849,  when  he  went  to  California,  and 
after  his  return  became  one  of  the  largest  manufacturers  of  the  celebrated  Glens 
Falls  lime,  in  which  business  he  continued  for  about  twenty  years,  and  its  in- 
troduction and  general  use  is  largely  due  to  his  personal  effort  and  perse- 
verance. 

He  is  one  of  the  prominent  men  in  Warren  county,  and  is  well-known 
throughout  the  State  as  one  of  the  leading  men  in  his  devotion  to,  and  earnest 


632  History  of  Warren  County. 

advocacy  by  his  writings,  and  otherwise,  of  the  financial  and  main  principles 
of  the  so-called  Greenback  party,  having  been  twice  nominated  and  placed 
upon  the  State  ticket  of  that  party. 

His  father,  William  McDonald,  came  into  this  town  from  New  Milford, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  born  in  1792,  when  but  eight  years  of  age,  and  resided 
here  about  seventy  years.  He  was  installed  a  Mason  in  1805  by  Dewitt  Clin- 
ton and  others,  and  in  1821  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  this 
State,  and  was  twice  afterwards  elected  to  the  same  position.  To  him,  and 
his  personal  effort,  more  than  to  any  other  man  in  Warren  county,  is  due  the 
success  and  prosperity  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls.  As  Governor  Dewitt 
Clinton  is  said  to  be  the  father  of  the  Erie  Canal,  equally,  if  not  more  so,  was 
William  McDonald  the  father  of  the  Glens  Falls  Feeder  Canal,  for  by  his  own 
effort,  while  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  he  procured  the  passage  of  a  bill, 
and  a  survey  was  ordered  and  made,  which  he  personally  attended  and 
assisted,  to  change  the  location  which  had  been  previously  made  for  the  build- 
ing of  the  Feeder  Canal,  from  the  river  at  Sandy  Hill  to  the  river  about  two 
miles  west  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  and  from  there  to  the  summit  level  of 
the  Champlain  Canal,  and  from  that  time  the  growth  and  future  prosperity  of 
Glens  Falls  became  firmly  established  and  assured. 

Doctor  Charles  McDonald,  the  father  of  William  McDonald,  and  the  grand- 
father of  Leonard  G.,was  a  physician  of  considerable  eminence,  who  emigrated 
from  Scotland  during  the  old  French  war,  and  as  a  surgeon  served  in  the 
American  army  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle.  After  the  war  ended  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  New  Rochelle,  Westchester  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years;  and  his  son  William 
McDonald  died  at  Glens  Falls  in  the  year  1870  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  and  a 
half  years,  leaving  eight  children,  the  oldest,  Mrs.  Jane  Maria  Clark,  wife  of 
Dr.  E.  G.  Clark,  of  Sandy  Hill;  Richard  D.,  Leonard  G.,  William  H.,  Walter, 
Mrs.  Julia  A.  Arms,  wife  of  Lewis  L.  Arms,  of  Glens  Falls  ;  Mrs.  Helen  Cool, 
wife  of  Alvin  F.  Cool,  formerly  of  Glens  Falls,  and  Edward  McDonald.      His 

mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Sanford,  daughter  of Sanford,  and  sister 

of  David  Sanford,  of  New  Milford,  Conn.,  who  came  into  this  town  in  1785, 
and  settled  on  Sanford's  Ridge,  where  he  carried  on  a  large  farming,  mercantile 
and  lumber  business. 

The  mother  of  Leonard  G.  McDonald,  before  she  was  married  to  William 
McDonald  in  1809,  was  Maria  Jane  Davis,  daughter  of  Richard  Davis,  son  of 
Harry  Davis,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Poughkeepsie  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  her  mother  (the  maternal  grandmother  of  Leonard  G.)  was 

the  daughter  of Geer,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians  while  defending  his 

home  at  the  massacre  of  Wyoming  during  the  French  and  Indian  war. 

Leonard  G.  McDonald  was  first  married  in  1854  to  Helen  Webster,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Webster,  of  Stockbridge,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  and  she  died 


'     If-'' 


D.  V.  Brown,  Sr. 


Leonard  Gansevoort  McDonald. —  Daniel  V.  Brown,  Sr.     633 

in  April,  1871,  and  in  1872  he  married  his  present  wife,  Clara  M.  Twinning, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Twinning,  of  Lenox,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  having  no 
children  by  either  wife. 

He  is  a  prominent  member  and  one  of  the  wardens  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
in  Glens  Falls,  and  for  over  twenty  years  has  regularly  attended  as  a  delegate 
the  Diocesan  Conventions  of  that  church. 

In  politics  he  was  formerly  a  Democrat,  but  for  the  past  seven  or  eight 
years,  after  much  study  and  investigation,  he  firmly  adopts  and  earnestly  ad- 
vocates the  general  and  leading  principles  of  the  Greenback  party  as  advocated 
and  maintained  by  such  men  as  Peter  Cooper,  Warwick  Martin  and  others, 
whose  lives  have  ended  in  advancing  and  maintaining  the  leading  and  financial 
principles  of  that  party  or  faction. 


DANIEL  V.  BROWN,  Sr.  —  The  reader  of  the  history  of  the  town  of 
Queensbury  in  early  days  has  learned  that  among  the  earliest  settlers  in 
what  is  now  Warren  county  was  Benedick  Brown,  whose  name  is  found  among 
the  town  officers  of  1773,  when  he  was  made  overseer  of  the  poor.  He  had  a 
son,  Valentine  Brown,  who  settled  near  the  outlet  of  what  is  now  called  Glen 
Lake  (known  for  many  years  as  Valentine's  Pond).  One  of  his  sons  was  named 
Richard,  who  located  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  site  of  the  Half-way 
House,  between  Glens  Falls  and  Lake  George.  His  children  were  George  (see 
biographical  sketch  herein),  Charles  J.,  Daniel  V.,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  and 
Stewart.  Richard  Brown's  wife  was  Sarah  Vaughan,  of  Washington  county,  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  old  Rhode  Island  families,  now  numerously  represented 
in  the  Eastern  States. 

Daniel  V.  Brown  was  born  in  the  town  of  Queensbury  on  the  29th  of  Ma)^, 
1 82 1.  His  boyhood  was  passed  at  home  and  he  was  given  such  educational 
advantages  as  then  offered  in  country  districts.  Of  these  his  active  mind  availed 
itself  to  the  utmost,  and  he  secured  a  groundwork  which,  with  his  later  study 
and  experience,  enabled  him  to  step  into  the  foremost  rank  of  business  men. 
About  1843  hs  left  his  home  and  located  permanently  in  Glens  Falls,  where  he 
engaged  extensively  in  the  forwarding  business  on  the  canals,  and  also  inter- 
ested himself  at  various  times  in  other  ventures  of  trade  or  manufacture.  His 
distinguishing  characteristics  in  his  business  career,  were  cool  and  accurate 
judgment,  capacity  to  deal  promptly  with  large  interests  and  problems,  and 
unflinching  integrity. 

Mr.  Brown  was  a  zealous  and  active  politician  of  the  Democratic  school  and 
was  honored  by  his  fellow  townsmen  with  various  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. He  was  collector  in  1848,  '49,  supervisor  in  1859,  and  sheriff  in  1861- 
64;  was  president  of  Glens  Falls  in  1861,  and  trustee  for  five  years  theretofore. 
In  these  public  offices  he  exhibited  the  same  zeal  and  fidelity  that  made  his 
private  business  successful,  and  enabled  him  to  acquire  a  competence  before  his 
early  and  lamentable  death. 


634  History  of  Warren  County. 

When  the  war  broke  out  and  the  government  was  threatened  by  traitors, 
no  person  came  forward  with  more  alacrity  than  Mr.  Brown  to  offer  whatever 
aid  lay  in  his  power.  So  it  occurred  that  when  the  president  made  his  call  for 
500,000  troops  and  there  was  some  difficulty  in  filling  the  quota  for  Queens- 
bury,  Mr.  Brown  was  selected  as  one  to  go  into  the  Southwestern  States  and 
purchase  voluntary  enlistments  to  apply  on  the  home  quota.  The  work  was, 
of  course,  well  performed,  which  led  to  his  selection  the  second  time  for  a  sim- 
ilar duty,  under  the  succeeding  call  for  300,000  men.  On  this  occasion  he  was 
associated  with  Edward  Riggs,  one  of  the  ablest  attorneys  of  the  county. 
They  left  New  York  on  Thursday,  January  8th,  1865,  by  steamer  Melville,  for 
Hilton  Head,  whence  they  expected  to  sail  for  Savannah.  They  had  with 
them  a  large  sum  of  money  belonging  to  the  town.  When  off  Staten  Island 
the  vessel  broke  some  part  of  her  machinery,  and  she  was  taken  back  to  Atlan- 
tic Dock,  Brooklyn,  whence  she  sailed  the  next  morning  at  six  o'clock.  Mr. 
Riggs  sent  back  a  brief  letter  to  his  sister,  by  the  pilot,  dated  on  Friday  morn- 
ing and  on  board  the  ship.  They  had  pleasant  weather  until  Saturday  noon, 
when  they  encountered  one  of  the  terrible  gales  of  our  southeastern  coast.  It 
was  severely  cold,  and  the  decks  and  rigging  were  soon  covered  with  ice. 
About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  it  was  found  that  a  large  hole  had  been 
stove  in  the  bow,  and  that  the  water  was  running  into  the  forward  cabin.  The 
fires  were  soon  put  out ;  and  supposing  the  ship  to  be  sinking,  one  of  the 
two  life-boats  was  immediately  filled ;  but  before  it  was  lowered  the  weight  of 
the  persons  and  the  lurching  of  the  ship  broke  off  the  railing  to  which  the  boat 
was  attached,  and  against  which  the  captain  was  at  the  time  leaning,  endeav- 
oring to  restore  order,  precipitating  all  into  the  sea,  including  the  captain  ;  and 
in  the  darkness  and  howling  of  the  winds,  nothing  was  seen  or  heard  of  them 
afterward. 

The  remainder  of  the  night,  drenched  and  shivering,  they  spent  in  bailing 
the  vessel  —  one  young  lady  for  a  time  reading  the  Bible  to  the  men  as  they 
worked.  They  burned  the  mails  and  other  combustibles  to  signal  a  schooner 
which  was  in  sight.  Sunday  morning  the  storm  abated  ;  and  about  ten  o'clock 
they  launched  the  remaining  boat,  and  putting  the  ladies  into  it  with  a  few 
others,  they  were  manning  it  with  seamen,  hoping  that  they  might  reach  the 
schooner  yet  in  sight,  and  bringing  back  an  additional  boat,  take  off  the  re- 
mainder of  the  passengers  and  crew  —  when  the  steamer  suddenly  went  down, 
capsizing  the  boat,  and  thus  leaving  all  in  the  surging  sea  together.  The  only 
persons  saved  were  a  mate,  an  engineer,  and  one  passenger,  picked  up  that  night 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  boat,  by  the  schooner  Harriet — and  a  Mr.  Boyden 
taken  from  a  piece  of  the  wreck  about  three  o'clock  on  Monday  morning,  by 
the  bark  Recfiabite.  The  mate  of  the  vessel  thinks  that  he  knew  our  friends ; 
and  that,  on  account  of  exhaustion  and  cold,  with  their  life-preservers  on,  they 
were  waiting  in  the  cabin  when  the  steamer  almost  instantly  went  down.     Thus 


Daniel  V.  Brown,  Sr.  63s 

these  men  came  to  their  death,  about  two  hundred  miles  from  New  York,  and 
about  seventy  from  the  Virginia  shore. 

This  calamity  cast  a  shade  of  sadness  over  the  entire  county,  and  the  bar 
and  the  people  generally  united  in  paying  the  tribute  of  sympathy  to  their 
memory.  A  large  meeting  was  held  on  the  8th  of  January,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Town  War  Committee,  at  which  several  of  the  leading  men  of  the  village 
spoke  of  the  virtues  of  the  deceased,  and  eulogistic  resolutions  were  passed. 
From  these  we  select  the  following  as  applying  to  Mr.  Brown  :  — 

Resolved,  That  the  fatal  event  which  cost  our  community  the  life  of  Daniel 
V.  Brown  has  inflicted  an  irreparable  loss,  not  only  on  the  beloved  ones  of  his 
pleasant  domestic  home  and  the  many  dear  friends  whom  he  has  left  behind, 
but  on  this  his  native  county,  and  especially  on  this  his  native  town. 

Resolved,  That  the  value  of  such  a  man's  example  is  beyond  calculation  : 
Beginning  his  career  as  he  did  without  any,  or  but  very  few  of  the  advantages 
of  an  early  education,  and  with  no  individual  source  of  reliance  except  his  own 
strong  arm  and  irreproachable  character,  backed  by  an  indomitable  will  and  a 
cheerful  temper,  whose  sunshine  could  never  be  shaded,  his  work-day  youth 
began  in  our  midst,  to  be  crowned  as  time  passed  on  with  an  enviable  success 
in  business,  and  with  the  highest  public  honors  and  most  responsible  public 
positions  of  our  village,  our  town  and  our  county,  —  all  the  legitimate  and  just 
rewards  of  a  life  of  industry,  probity  and  ever  of  "  good  will  "  towards  all  men. 

Upon  the  presentation  of  the  resolutions,  Isaac  Mott,  esq.,  was  among  the 
speakers,  and  referred  in  the  following  language  to  Mr.  Brown's  life  and  char- 
acteristics :  — 

"  Daniel  V.  Brown  was  emphatically  a  man  of  the  people.  I  have  known 
him  in  private,  social  and  public  life;  always  frank,  genial,  generous,  he  was 
the  friend  of  all,  and  all  were  his  friends. 

"  I  will  not  invade  the  precincts  of  private  grief  to  speak  of  his  worth  as  a 
husband  and  father ;  the  family  circle  but  too  keenly  feel  the  great  calamity 
and  irreparable  loss  which  now  overwhelms  them. 

"  In  the  social  circle  he  was  always  a  welcome  guest,  adding  much  to  the 
good  cheer  of  all  around  him.  As  a  business  man  he  was  active,  prompt,  en- 
ergetic, faithful  and  true  ;  no  one  ever  doubted  the  word  or  honesty  of  Daniel 
V.  Brown.  His  activity,  generosity  and  honorable  bearing  had  won  for  him  a 
high  position  in  business  circles.  By  the  partiality  of  the  people  he  was  often 
called  to  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  and  ever  discharged  the  duties  with 
credit  to  himself  and  fidelity  to  the  public.  He  had  barely  closed  his  term  of 
three  years  as  the  first  executive  officer  of  the  county  when  he  started  on  his 
ill-fated  mission.  In  the  discharge  of  the  requirements  of  law,  as  sheriff,  he 
was  often  called  to  perform  unpleasant  duties,  yet  they  were  always  met 
promptly  and  efficiently  —  always  mingling  with  the  severities  of  the  law  that 
kindness  and  consideration  to  the  unfortunate  which  characterizes  a  noble  and 
generous  soul." 


636  History  of  Warren  County. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  1840  to  Eliza  J.  Case,  who  still  survives  him. 
Their  children  were  Daniel  V.  Brown  (of  whom  a  sketch  succeeds  this),  Richard 
T.,  Sanford  C,  George  S.,  Alida,  Helen,  Minnie  and  Jennie.  All  of  these  are 
still  living.     Sarah  died  in  infancy. 


DANIEL  V.  BROWN.  —  Daniel  V.  Brown  is  a  son  of  the  subject  of  the 
foregoing  sketch,  and  was  born  in  Glens  Falls,  February  23d,  1844.  His 
youth  was  passed  with  his  parents,  who  gave  him  excellent  advantages  for  ac- 
quiring a  good  English  education  in  the  schools  and  academy  of  his  native 
place,  which  was  supplemented  by  a  full  course  in  Eastman's  Business  College 
at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Previous  to  his  attendance  at  this  school,  however, 
he. had  served  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper  for  Brown  &  Byrne.  Returning  from 
the  business  college  at  about  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Glens  Falls 
Transportation  Company  (1864),  a  powerful  organization  comprising  the  Jointa 
Lime  Company  and  the  Sherman  Lime  Company,  he  was  immediately  em- 
ployed as  bookkeeper,  which  position  he  occupied  one  year. 

In  the  year  following  (1865),  as  narrated  in  the  foregoing  sketch,  his  father 
was  lost  at  sea,  just  as  the  young  man  reached  his  majority.  Giving  up  his 
position  with  the  Transportation  Company,  he  engaged  in  the  coal  trade  and 
kindred  operations,  continuing  about  a  year,  and  then  taking  up  the  clothing 
trade  with  his  uncle,  Clark  J.  Brown,  in  1866.  They  carried  on  this  business 
about  four  years.  In  the  spring  of  1872,  when  the  construction  of  the  feeder 
dam  was  commenced,  just  above  Glens  Falls,  Mr.  Brown  was  employed  first  as 
foreman  and  soon  after  as  assistant  superintendent,  a  position  in  which  he  in 
reality  had  principal  control  of  the  work.  When  the  dam  was  finished  he 
entered  the  office  of  M.  B.  Little,  general  insurance  agent,  where  he  remained 
about  one  and  a  half  years. 

The  reader  has  learned  that  Daniel  V.  Brown,  sr.,  was  an  active  and  suc- 
cessful politician.  His  son  seemed  to  have  inherited  or  acquired  similar  qualifi- 
cations in  this  direction  which  have  already  enabled  him  to  take  the  front  rank 
among  the  rising  politicians  of  the  county,  in  the  Democratic  school.  His 
popularity  in  this  respect  and  his  adaptation  for  the  office  resulted  in  his  elec- 
tion to  the  office  of  county  clerk  in  1879,  which  position  he  still  retains,  dis- 
charging its  responsible  duties  with  eminent  success  and  unvarying  fidelity. 

Mr.  Brown  has  also  been  otherwise  honored  by  his  fellow-citizens  ;  he  was 
under-sheriff  under  W.  W.  Hicks  in  1870,  and  when  Mr.  Hicks  resigned,  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Hoffman  as  sheriff  for  the  unfinished  term.  He  was 
treasurer  of  the  corporation  of  Glens  Falls  two  years  (1866,  '67),  and  collector 
three  years  (1868—71)  ;  and  again  elected  in  1879. 

Personally,  Mr.  Brown  is  a  man  of  pleasant  address,  ready  speech,  active 
mind  and  unimpeachable  integrity.  His  judgment  of  men  and  grasp  of  what- 
ever task  he  assumes  is  broad  and  fair ;  qualifications  that  must  always  give 
him  prestige  and  value  in  political  counsels. 


Daniel  V.  Brown. 


Daniel  V.  Brown.  —  Eugene  L.  Seelye.  637 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  September,  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  McGinn,  of 
Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.  They  have  two  children  —  Sanford  S.,  and  Walter  D. 
Brown. 


EUGENE  L.  SEELYE. — The  family  from  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  descended  was  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  present  county  of 
Warren.  Going  back  three  generations  we  find  the  settlement  of  the  family 
of  which  David  Seelye  was  a  member,  at  what  has  always  been  known  as  "  the 
Oneida"  (the  site  of  the  present  post-office  of  Queensbury).  One  of  David 
Seelye's  sons  was  Reuben  Seelye,  whose  name  is  found  among  those  who  held 
town  offices  as  early  as  18 13.  His  children  were  Lemuel  C.  P.  Seelye,  Reu- 
ben Seelye,  and  three  daughters,  named  Emilia,  Mahala  and  Saloma.  The 
children  of  Lemuel  C.  P.  Seeley  are  Eugene  L.  (the  subject  of  this  notice), 
Fanny,  Cynthia,  Belle,  Lettie  and  L.  J.  Seelye. 

Eugene  L.  Seelye  was  born  at  his  paternal  home  on  the  2d  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1845.  He  was  given  facilities  for  securing  a  good  English  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  town  and  the  Clinton  Institute,  which  was 
supplemented  with  a  full  business  course  in  Eastman's  College  at  Poughkeep- 
sie.  Thus  fitted  for  the  business  of  life  he  left  home  at  the  age  of  eighteen  to 
accept  a  position  as  bookkeeper  and  cashier  with  F.  B  Gardner  &  Co.,  heavy 
lumber  dealers  of  Chicago.  After  one  year  of  satisfactory  work  in  their  office, 
he  was  sent  by  them  to  their  extensive  mills  and  store  in  Wisconsin,  where  for 
eight  years  he  served  them  with  mutual  satisfaction  as  financial  manager.  In 
the  mean  time  his  father,  who  had  purchased  a  tract  of  timber  land  (two  hun- 
dred acres)  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  head  of  Lake  George,  opposite  the 
village  of  Caldwell,  had  also  erected  threon  a  small  hotel,  having  removed  the 
soft  wood  timber.  At  the  end  of  his  term  of  service  in  Wisconsin,  E.  L.  See- 
lye was  offered  gratuitously  a  half  interest  in  this  land  and  improvements  if  he 
would  come  and  conduct  the  hotel.  This  proposition  was  accepted  and  one 
year  later  he  assumed  the  entire  property,  his  father  retiring.  Here  he  found 
a  business  undertaking  requiring  all  the  busmess  skill  and  energy  of  which  he 
was  master.  Assuming  charge  of  the  hotel  in  1874,  he  immediatel}' began 
making  extensions  and  improvements  which  have  not  ceased  from  year  to  year 
to  the  present  time;  until  now  the  hotel  proper,  with  its  eight  near-by  cotta- 
ges, offer  accommodations  to  about  four  hundred  guests  and  receives  every 
summer  hundreds  of  families,,  the  majority  from  New  York,  Brooklyn  and 
Philadelphia,  with  others  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  This  popular  resort, 
called  Fort  George  Hotel,  and  its  beautiful  grounds,  occupies  a  commanding 
situation  a  short  distance  up  the  hillside  from  the  lake  shore  and  with  its  sur- 
roundings forms  an  earthly  paradise.  The  eight  different  and  separated  cotta- 
ges, ranging  in  cost  from  $2,500  to  $6,000,  are  every  summer  occupied  by 
families  who  prefer  this  manner  of  living   and    take   their  meals   at  the   hotel. 


638  History  of  Warren  County. 

The  latter  building  has,  with  its  repeated  additions  and  improvements,  become 
an  imposing  and  picturesque  structure,  with  grand  piazzas  and  lofty,  commodi- 
ous rooms ;  while  the  table  is  bountifully  supplied  with  fresh  vegetables,  milk, 
etc.,  from  the  surrounding  farm.  When  it  is  considered  that  all  this  has  been 
built  up  from  almost  nothing  and  within  the  comparatively  brief  period  of  ten 
years,  it  speaks  clearer  than  words  of  the  business  tact  and  ability,  the  perse- 
vering energy  and  the  natural  qualifications  for  the  business  of  hotel-keeping, 
of  the  proprietor. 

Mr.  Seelye  was  married  in  February,  1873,  to  Josephine  Lawrence,  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Lawrence,  of  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  a  lady  who  is  in  every  way 
fitted  to  be  the  companion  of  her  husband.  Their  children  are  Lawrence 
Copeland,  born  January  3,  1874;  Bryan  Lorimer,  born  August  i,  1875; 
Cynthia  Maud,  born  October  11,  1878;  and  Mabel  Louise,  born  July  17, 
1882. 


JOHN  C.   MONTY. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  is   of  French  descent,  his 
grandfather,  Abraham  Monty,  senior,  having  been  born  in    France,  whence 
he  emigrated  and  settled  in  Clinton  county,  N.  Y.      He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
War   of  18 1 2.      His  son    Abraham   was   born  in    Clinton  county  and  married 
Harriet  Wait.     At  their  death  they  had   eleven   children,    eight  of  whom  are 
now  living. 

John  C.  Monty  was  born  in  Piattsburg,  Clinton  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1828. 
His  youth  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  was  passed  at  home  in  the  acquire- 
ment of  such  education  as  his  native  place  afforded.  Li  1 844  he  went  to  Sandy 
Hill,  where  he  was  engaged  in  various  occupations  until  1866.  At  this  date 
he  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

In  this  community  he  soon  assumed  the  front  rank  among  the  successful 
business  men  of  the  place.  He  erected,  soon  after  his  arrival,  his  present  large 
saw-mills,  a  little  below  the  village  of  Glens  Falls.  This  mill  furnishes  em- 
ployment to  about  eight}'  hands.  He  also  occupies  the  position  of  vice-presi- 
dent of  a  stone  quarrying  company  of  Sandy  Hill,  which  has  a  capital  of 
$80,000  and  employs  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  hands. 

Mr.  Monty  is  a  man  of  naturally  retiring  disposition,  never  thrusting  him- 
self forward  for  political  or  other  notoriety  ;  but  his  eminent  business  qualifi- 
cations have  led  to  his  having  been  often  selected  for  local  positions  of  trust 
and  responsibility.  His  chief  ambition  has  been  to  deserve  the  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens  as  a  successful  and  honorable  business  man.  In  this  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  a  flattering  degree. 

In  the  year  1853  Mr.  Monty  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Stowell,  of 
Schroon  Lake.  She  died  in  1869  leaving  five  children — Harriet  M.,  WiUiam 
H.,  Benjamin  F.,  Mary  E.  and  Julia  A.  In  1870  he  married  Miss  Mary  E. 
Nulty,  who  is  still  living. 


"-e.F 


J.  C.  Monty. 


Stephen  Lewis  Goodman.  639 

STEPHEN  LEWIS  GOODMAN.— Among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  War- 
ren county  was  Eleazer  Goodman,  who  came  with  his  family  from  South 
Hadley,  Mass.,  in  1799,  and  settled  about  two  miles  from  the  shore  of  Lake 
George  in  the  town  of  Bolton.  His  children  were  Eleazer,  the  eldest,  Nathan, 
Allen,  Samuel,  Origen,  Rebecca,  Holyoton  and  Eldad  W.  All  of  these  spent 
the  greater  portion  of  their  lives  in  the  county,  respected  by  their  neighbors. 
Samuel  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  born  June  25th,  1789, 
and  died  in  March,  1861,  at  his  son's  home  in  Glens  Falls,  after  a  long  life  of 
unpretending  usefulness.  His  wife  was  Mrs.  Sarah  (Boyd)  Tuttle,  of  Bolton. 
Their  children,  besides  the  subject  of  this  notice,  were  two  daughters,  Hannah 
B.  and  Sarah  Helen.  Stephen  Lewis  Goodman  was  born  in  Bolton,  June  25th 
(the  same  month  and  day  of  the  month  of  his  father's  birth),  1817.  His  boy- 
hood was  passed  at  the  parental  home  in  the  manner  common  to  American 
lads  in  that  period.  A  good  deal  of  hard  work  and  some  privation,  alternat- 
ing with  attendance  at  the  common  schools  of  the  neighborhood  until  such 
time  as  he  was  competent  to  set  out  in  life  for  himself  This  time  seemed  to 
have  arrived  in  the  year  1836,  when  the  young  man  removed  to  Chester,  in 
the  town  of  the  same  name,  Warren  county,  where  he  began  teaching  school. 
This  was  but  temporary  occupation,  however,  which  he  continued  but  one  winter, 
when,  following  the  natural  inclination  of  his  mind  for  mercantile  pursuits,  he 
entered  the  store  of  N-  &  J-  W.  Tubbs,  in  Chester,  as  clerk,  beginning  in  June, 
1838.  Remaining  here  until  May,  1839,  he  soon  after  entered  the  store  of 
Charles  Fowler  in  the  same  capacity.  It  may  be  presumed  that  this  associa- 
tion was  eminently  satisfactory,  for  in  March  of  the  following  year  he  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  his  employer,  which  continued  for  almost  twenty  years ; 
indeed,  the  business  connection  of  these  two  men  was  broken  only  by  Mr. 
Fowler's  death  in  July,  1884.  The  mercantile  business,  combined  with  large  in- 
terests in  the  lumber  trade,  was  continued  until  1859,  when  the  firm  dissolved 
partnership  and  Mr.  Goodman  removed  to  Glens  Falls.  Soon  after  this  date  he 
associated  himself  with  D.  G.  &  H.  Roberts  in  mercantile  business,  which  part- 
nership was  successfully  continued  to  November,  1862.  With  this  mercantile 
business  was  connected,  also,  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  In  the  year  1873 
Mr.  Goodman  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Jointa  Lime  Company.  Down  to 
this  date  a  business  connection  in  ownership  of  lands,  etc.,  had  been  continu- 
ously maintained  with  his  old  partner,  Mr.  Fowler,  while  after  1862  Mr.  Good- 
man pursued  the  lumber  business  by  himself  The  purchase  of  1873  included 
a  portion  of  the  stock  of  the  Glens  Falls  Transportation  Company  (a  power- 
ful organization  formed  for  canal  freighting),  which  was  the  property  of  the 
lime  companies  of  Glens  Falls.  In  1876  Mr.  Goodman,  associated  with  Mr. 
Fowler  and  Thomas  S.  Coolidge,  purchased  the  entire  property  of  the  Jointa 
Lime  Company,  thus  acquiring  the  interests  of  L.  G.  McDonald,  his  brother 
Walter,  while  Joseph  Fowler  retained  his  former  interest.     Mr.   Goodman   and 


640  History  of  Warren  County. 

Charles  Fowler  became  by  this  transaction  owners  of  a  one-fourth  interest 
each  in  this  organization,  which  is  retained  to  the  present  time,  Mr.  Fowler's 
interest  standing  in  his  estate  since  his  death.  The  entire  stock  of  the  Trans- 
portation Company  is  now  the  property  of  three  of  the  four  lime  companies 
doing  business  here,  namely,  the  Jointa  Company,  the  Sherman  Lime  Com- 
pany, and  the  Glens  Falls  Company,  which  has  acquired  the  interest  of  the 
former  Glens  Falls  Lime  Company.  With  the  exception  of  his  interest  in  these 
organizations,  Mr.  Goodman  has  not  devoted  himself  to  active  business  for  sev- 
eral years ;  he  is  now  superintendent  and  has  nearly  entire  management  of  the 
Jointa  Lime  Company's  business.  The  reputation  he  has  acquired  in  this  vi- 
cinity during  an  active  career  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  for  sterl- 
ing integrity,  excellent  business  judgment  and  foresight  and  sound  common 
sense,  has  been  fully  recognized  by  his  fellow  citizens.  Upon  the  death  of 
John  Alden,  late  of  Glens  Falls,  he  was  entrusted  with  the  management  of  his 
estate,  which  he  has  carefully  and  successfully  fulfilled  from  1862  until  quite 
recently.  He  has  also  had  the  care  of  other  smaller  estates  during  this  period. 
He  has  been  a  director  of  the  Glens  Falls  Bank  (now  the  National  Bank)  for 
about  twenty  years,  during  which  period  he  has  been  continued  by  his  asso- 
ciates as  one  of  the  examining  committee.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Glens 
Falls  Academy  for  several  years.  He  was  a  faithful  and  consistent  member  of 
the  -Presbyterian  Church  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  was  one  of  the  build- 
ing committee  for  the  erection  of  the  church  edifice  in  Glen  Falls,  and  now  on 
the  committee  for  rebuilding  the  same  on  the  site  where  the  former  one  burned. 
He  was  trustee  in  the  church  at  Chester  and  has  been  church  trustee  in  Glens 
Falls  about  twenty-four  years.  He  was  also  the  committee  for  building  the 
handsome  structure  of  the  Glens  Falls  Bank.  All  this  speaks  clearly  of  Mr. 
Goodman's  general  practical  business  ability  and  the  confidence  imposed  in 
him  by  his  fellows. 

Mr.  Goodman  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  while  he  has  always  been 
somewhat  prominent  in  the  local  counsels  of  that  party,  especially  in  all  efforts 
looking  to  the  purity  of  the  primaries  and  the  nomination  of  worthy  men, 
still  he  is  not  and  never  has  been  an  office-seeker  in  any  sense,  but  his  general 
character  has  not  been  overlooked  in  this  direction.  He  declined  nomination 
for  town  offices  before  he  left  the  town  of  Chester,  but  in  Queensbury  has 
been  induced  to  act  as  supervisor  for  two  terms  (1882— 83),  and  was  made 
president  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls  in  1865  ;  he  has  also  held  the  office  of 
loan  commissioner.  Perhaps  this  is  sufficient  to  show  that  Mr.  Goodman  is 
entitled  in  the  broadest  sense  to  be  classed  among  the  leading  men  of  Glens 
Falls,  where  he  certainly  enjoys  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been 
brought  in  contact.  He  was  married  on  the  ist  of  September,  1842,  to 
Juliette  Gould,  daughter  of  Willard  Gould,  a  respected  citizen  of  Chester. 
They  have  one  child,  a  son,  Samuel  B.  Goodman.     He  was  married  to   Jenny 


•^, 


P~r:n-CC. 


Stephen  Lewis  Goodman.  —  Stephen  Griffin,  2D.  641 

Smith,  daughter  of  Isaac  Smith,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  lives  with  his  father.  In 
Glens  Falls  in  the  fine  residence  erected  by  Mr.  Goodman  in  1860-61,  sur- 
rounded by  all  that  makes  life  desirable,  the  united  family  now  reside. 


STEPHEN  GRIFFIN,  2d.  — The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  War- 
rensburgh,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  i8th  day  of  October,  1812.  The 
first  one  of  the  name,  in  this  branch  of  the  family,  to  settle  in  this  country 
was  Jasper  Griffin.  His  third  son  was  John  Griffin,  who  was  the  father  of 
John,  jr.  The  latter  had  a  son  Stephen  (the  first),  who  was  the  grandfather  of 
Stephen,  2d.     The  father  of  the  latter  was  named  John. 

Jasper  Griffin  came  to  Southold,  L.  I.,  about  the  year  1675,  from  Wales. 
He  was  born  in  1648.  At  the  Southold  Landing  he  purchased  a  small  farm. 
His  wife's  name  was  Hannah,  and  they  were  probably  married  in  Manchester 
in  either  New  Hampshire  or  Massachusetts.  They  had  a  large  family,  four  of 
whom  were  sons,  named  Jasper,  jr.,  Robert,  John  and  Edward. 

John,  the  third  son  named,  removed,  when  of  age,  about  twenty  miles  west 
of  his  father's  residence.  He  met  his  death  from  exhaustion  succeeding  a  fall 
through  the  ice  in  the  winter  of  1741. 

John,  jr.,  his  son,  was  born  in  1710.  His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Paine,  by 
whom  he  had  thirteen  children.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  married 
the  second  time. 

Stephen,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  tenth  of  the 
thirteen  children,  and  was  born  in  1754,  in  Riverhead.  He  served  honorably 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  was  first  lieutenant.  After  the  war  he  married 
Elizabeth  Uhl,  of  Clintonville  (now  Staatsburgh),  Duchess  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
settled  there  on  a  farm;  and  there,  in  the  year  1784  was  born  John  Griffin, 
father  of  Stephen,  2d.  He  removed  to  Thurman,  Warren  county,  N.  Y., 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1800,  and  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson 
River  across  from  its  confluence  with  the  Schroon.  He  married  Catherine  J. 
McEwen  in  about  the  year  1808. 

Stephen  Griffin,  2d,  was  the  third  child  and  first  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
Griffin,  and  on  the  date  given  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  was  born  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  in  Warrensburgh,  on  the  place  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  William  J.  Raymond.  His  father  died  on  the  1st  of  June,  1828,  and  Ste- 
phen remained  with  his  mother  until  he  was  nearly  twenty-eight  years  old, 
taking  charge  of  the  farm  and  working  by  the  month  in  the  woods  after  he  was 
'  fourteen  years  old  and  bearing  a  large  share  of  the  family  burdens. 

In  October,  1838,  he  was  married  to  Maria  Coman,  of  Luzerne,- Warren 
county.  In  the  same  week  of  his  marriage  they  moved  into  the  hotel  now  kept 
by  Royal  C.  Smith.  For  about  eight  and  a  half  years  they  successfully  con- 
ducted the  house.  In  1846  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  saw-mill  and  store 
of  Russell  &  Woodward,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year  he  gave  up  the 

41 


642  History  of  Warren  County. 

hotel  business  and  devoted  his  time  and  energy  to  the  mill ;  in  acquiring  the 
mill  property  he  had  bought  the  interest  of  Joseph  Woodward,  and  continued 
several  years  in  partnership  with  Joseph  Russell.  In  1852  he  bought  out  Mr. 
Russell  and  continued  in  the  business  alone  until  1865.  He  then  sold  the  mill 
to  Isaac  Starbuck,  and  kept  the  store  until  1867. 

In  the  year  1866  Mr.  Griffin  began  lumbering  in  the  town  of  Newcomb, 
Essex  county,  where  he  continued  until  he  had  cut  the  timber  from  a  tract 
about  six  miles  square.  Selling  out  his  lands  there  he  was  enabled  to  purchase 
in  Johnsburgh,  Warren  county,  and  Wells,  Hamilton  county,  about  43,000 
acres.  In  1877  he  had  erected  a  tannery  in  the  southwest  part  of  Johnsburgh, 
known  as  the  "  Oregon  Tannery,"  and  in  1880  another  in  the  northeast  part 
of  Wells,  which  became  the  nucleus  of  a  settlement  called  Griffin,  from  his 
name.  In  1882  he  sold  his  interest  in  both  these  enterprises  to  the  Morgan 
Lumber  Company,  of  Glens  Falls,  returned  to  Warrensburgh  and  retired  from 
active  business  pursuits. 

Mr.  Griffin's  wife  died  on  the  2d  of  February,  1882.  They  have  one  child, 
a  daughter,  named  Mary  E.,  who  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Cyrus  S.  Merrill,  of 
Albany,  where  she  now  resides. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  brief  sketch  indicates  a  very  busy  life ;  it  has 
been  one  of  Mr.  Griffin's  characteristics  to  constantly  occupy  his  mind  with 
business  that  would  not  only  improve  his  own  circumstances,  but  inure  to  the 
general  benefit  of  the  community.  The  advantages  thus  gained  he  now  enjoys 
in  the  comfortable  serenity  of  his  later  life. 

Mr.  Griffin  has  never  pushed  himself  before  the  attention  of  his  fellows, 
either  politically  or  socially,  but  his  eminent  practical  business  qualifications 
and  sterling  sense  and  judgment  were  recognized  by  his  election  to  the  Assem- 
bly in  1875,  an  office  which  he  honored  and  made  his  administration  satisfy 
his  constituents.  He  has  also  held  the  office  of  supervisor  three  times,  and  in 
1884  was  appointed  State  agent  for  the  timber  lands  of  Hamilton  and  Warren 
counties,  a  position  he  still  occupies. 

Mr.  Griffin's  business  career  has  been  characterized,  not  only  by  success, 
but  by  the  sturdiest  integrity,  even  in  the  smallest  transactions.  It  follows  that 
he  gained,  years  ago,  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  had  business 
relations. 


HENRY  M.  DAY. — The  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  was  born  in  Potters- 
ville,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  1st  day  January,  1852.  His  mater- 
nal grandparents  were  Martin  and  Emily  (Day)  Vosburgh.  The  former  was 
born  near  Red  Hook,  Duchess  county,  N.  Y.,  about  1793,  and  the  latter  at 
Sandy  Hill,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.  about  1803.  They  were  married 
about  1 82 1,  and  died,  the  former  in  April,  1882,  and  the  latter  in  November, 
1879.     The  parents  of  Martin  Vosburgh  moved  from  Duchess  county  to  War- 


Henry  M.  Day.  —  Austin  Wells  Holden,  A.M.,  M.D.         643 

ren  county  and  settled  at  Pottersville  when  he  was  only  ten  months  old.  Here 
he  spent  his  life  following  the  business  of  farming.  Martin  and  Emily  Vos- 
burgh  had  eleven  children  as  follows:  John  H.,  Mary  M.,  James  E.,  William, 
Caroline,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  James  2d,  Elizabeth,  Helen,  Charles, 
Julia  and  Eunice,  four  of  whom  are  now  dead,  viz.,  James  E.,  Mary  M.,  Wil- 
liam and  Eunice. 

Henry,  our  subject,  is  the  son  of  Calvin  and  Caroline  (Vosburgh)  Day. 
The  former  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1818,  and  died  in  March,  1877.  He 
came  to  Warren  county  and  settled  at  Pottersville  in  1849,  and  married  Miss 
Vosburgh  about  1850.  They  had  five  children,  Henry  M.,  Ella,  Minnie, 
Abby  and  Amelia,  all  now  living  except  Abby;  the  mother  is  still  living  in 
Glens  Falls.  Henry,  our  subject,  lived  at  home  with  his  parents  till  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  His  educational  advantages  were  such  as  the  schools 
of  his  native  village  afforded,  and  he  attended  one  term  at  the  Fort  Edward 
Institute  and  two  terms  in  the  Glens  Falls  Academy.  Before  attaining  to  his 
majority  he  was  employed  in  the  store  of  R.  P.  Fuller  in  Pottersville  about 
two  years,  and  with  his  father  in  general  merchandizing  in  the  same  village, 
under  the  firm  name  of  C.  Day  &  Son.  In  1873  he  came  to  Glens  Falls  and 
was  engaged  by  Peck  &  Delong,  grocers,  one  year ;  he  then  engaged  with 
Hollis  Russell,  with  whom'  he  remained  as  head  salesman  seven  years ;  he 
then  was  employed  by  D.  W.  Sherman  as  buyer  and  head  salesman  in  the  dry 
goods  department  of  his  store  and  filled  that  position  for  eighteen  months. 
After  the  close  of  the  latter  engagement  he  commenced  business  for  himself 
by  purchasing  the  interest  of  C.  A.  Hovey,  of  Hovey  &  Powers,  wholesale 
and  retail  grocers.  This  firm,  Powers  &  Day,  was  continued  until  September 
3d,  1885,  when  Mr.  Day  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Powers  and  now  con- 
tinues at  the  old  stand,  No.  20  Warren  street. 

About  the  time  Mr.  Day  started  business  for  himself  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Jennie  H.,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Hodg.son)  Bibbey. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Day  was  born  in  Warrington,  England,  in  1812,  and  her 
mother  in  the  town  of  Ingleton,  England,  in  18 14.  They  were  married  in 
1848  and  moved  to  this  country  in  1859,  settling  at  Glens  Falls.  The  father 
died  November  5th,  1880,  the  mother  is  yet  living.  They  had  four  children, 
Hannah,  Leonard,  Jennie  and  Alice,  all  living  but  Alice  who  died  in  infancy. 


AUSTIN  WELLS  HOLDEN,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  was  born  on  the  16th  of  May, 
1 8 19,  in  the  town  of  White  Creek,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.  His  par- 
ents were  Jonas  and  Elizabeth  (Holden)  Holden  (cousins  gernian),  both  natives 
of  the  town  of  Barre,  Worcester  county,  Massachusetts,  and  lineal  descendants 
of  Richard  Holden,  who,  with  his  brother,  Justinian,  embarked  at  Ipswich, 
England,  in  the  ship  Francis,  for  America,  in  April,  1634,  and  settled  in 
Watertown,  Mass.  It  is  traditionally  stated  that  his  paternal  grandfather,  Ben- 
jamin, served  as  one  of  the  minute  men  at  the  action  of  Bunker  Hill. 


644  History  of  Warren  County. 

He  lost  his  mother  in  infancy.  When  but  four  years  old  he  removed  with 
his  father  to  Potsdam,  St.  Lawrence  county,  in  the  same  State,  which  in  that 
early  day  was  but  a  sparsely-settled  wilderness  region.  Here,  under  the  fos- 
tering care  of  a  kind  stepmother,  he  acquired  the  rudiments  of  an  education, 
afterward  matured  at  the  St.  Lawrence  Academy,  a  classical  institution  of 
deservedly  wide  reputation.  In  1836  his  father  again  removed,  this  time  to 
Glens  Falls,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  which,  with  brief  interruption,  has  been 
from  that  time  forward  the  abiding  place  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
same  year  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with  the  Hon.  William  Hay,  whose 
office,  at  the  foot  of  Elm  street,  is  now  used  as  a  business  office  by  the  exten- 
sive manufacturing  firm  of  Libby  &  Co.  This  pursuit  was  followed  for  some- 
thing over  a  year,  when  adverse  circumstances  compelled  him  to  resort  to 
manual  labor  for  a  maintenance.  He  entered  his  father's  shop  and  learned  the 
trade  of  cabinet- making,  which  he  followed  industriously  until  his  twenty- 
second  year.  Failing  health,  acting  upon  a  feeble  constitution,  made  it  im- 
perative that  he  should  seek  some  other  avocation.  Accordingly  he  sought 
and  obtained  employment  as  a  teacher  of  a  common  school  at  Doe's  Corners, 
Saratoga  county,  where  he  taught  two  terms  of  five  months,  and  the  following 
year  at  Fort  Edward  for  a  like  period.  The  succeeding  winter  he  secured  a 
satisfactory  engagement  at  Glens  Falls.  It  was  during  this  period  of  school 
teaching  that  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Tabor  B.  Rey- 
nolds, now  of  Saratoga  Springs.  During  all  the  preceding  years  the  doctor 
had  been  an  omniverous  reader,  snatching  the  few  spare  moments  at  morning 
or  meal  time,  he  always  had  a  book  in  readiness  to  consume  the  time,  and 
thus  his  mind  became  stored  with  gems  of  classic  literature,  the  recondite  facts 
of  science,  and  the  speculations  of  the  old  Grecian  philosophers,  as  well  as  the 
more  pleasing  and  congenial  narrations  of  ancient  and  modern  history.  Thus 
broad  and  deep  were  made  the  foundations-of  his  self-acquired  education.  In 
the  winter  of  1844  he  attended  his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the  Albany  Medi- 
cal College.  The  ensuing  autumn  he  was  appointed  county  superintendent 
of  common  schools  for  the  county  of  Warren,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for 
two  years  with  credit  and  popular  approval,  at  the  same  time  continuing  his 
medical  studies  as  opportunity  afforded.  His  term  of  office  having  expired, 
he  resumed  his  attendance  upon  medical  lectures  at  Albany  and  graduated 
with  distinction  from  that  time-honored  institution  in  January,  1848.  The  en- 
suing spring  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Warrensburgh, 
the  central  town  of  Warren  county,  where  he  remained  for  the  next  four 
years,  with  about  the  average  success  which  attends  beginners  in  practice.  On 
the  24th  of  April,  185  i,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  with  EHzabeth,  daughter  of 
the  late  Hon.  Horatio  Buell  of  Glens  Falls  and  sister  of  the  late  eminent  finan- 
cier James  Buell,  president  of  the  Importers'  and  Traders'  National  Bank  and 
of  the  United  States  Life  Insurance  Company,  both  of  New  York  city.     Of 


Austin  Wells  Holden,  A.M.,  M.D.  645 

this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  viz. :  Horatio  Buell,^  PauHne  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  in  infancy,  and  James  Austin,  only  surviving  child,  who  recently 
graduated  with  honors  from  Williams  College,  Mass. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1852,  Dr.  Holden  with  his  little  family  removed 
from  Warrensburgh  to  Glens  Falls,  taking  the  place  and  practice  of  Donald 
B.  McNiel,  M.  D.,  a  medical  practitioner  of  great  ability  and  wide  repute, 
who,  the  same  spring,  had  removed  from  Glens  Falls  to  New  York.  In  1857 
the  doctor,  through  the  advice  and  importunity  of  his  friends,  was  induced  to 
investigate  the  claims  of  homoeopathy,  and  he  accordingly  made  a  thorough 
examination  of  its  theories,  testing  the  application  of  its  doctrines  during  a 
prolonged  visit  to  several  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  and  dispensaries  of 
that  school  in  the  metropolis.  On  his  return  home,  he  finally  adopted  that 
system  of  practice,  and  ultimately  with  such  satisfactory  results  that  he  has 
never  had  reason  to  regret  the  change. 

With  the  fierce  tempest  of  wrath,  which,  upon  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  in 
1 86 1,  aroused  the  north  like  a  giant  from  its  sleep,  Dr.  Holden  was  the  first  man 
in  Warren  county,  to  tender  his  services  to  the  State.  The  offer  was  promptly 
accepted  and  he  was  authorized  to  enlist  a  company  of  volunteers  (Co.  F.), 
which,  with  another  from  the  same  place,  and  others  from  neighboring  towns, 
was  incorporated  into. the  22d  Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers.  This,  with 
three  other  early-formed  New  York  regiments,  were  consolidated  immediately 
after  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  into  the  First  Brigade  of  the  First  Division  of 
the  First  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  that  army  which,  for  three  long 
years,  was  "  a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  a  pillar  of  fire  by  night,"  in  its  hourly 
protection  and  defense  of  the  National  Capital.  This  brigade  afterwards,  by 
its  dash  and  endurance,  its  steadiness  and  bravery,  became  known  as  the  "  iron 
brigade,"  a  name  well-earned  and  merited  by  its  gallantry  in  action  and  terri- 
ble losses  in  the  sanguinary  engagements  of  the  second  Bull  Run,  South 
Mountain,  Antietam  and  Fredericksburgh. 

At  the  expressed  wish  of  many  officers  and  men  of  his  regiment.  Dr.  Hol- 

1  Horatio  Buell  Holden,  M.  D.,  eldest  child  of  Austin  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Buell)  Holden,  was  born 
at  Warrensburgh,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1852.  The  following  May  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Glens  Falls.  Here,  with  trifling  exception,  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
His  education  was  acquired  at  the  primary  schools  and  academy  of  this  place.  He  studied  medicine 
with  his  father.  In  1872  he  attended  his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the  medical  department  of  the 
Vermont  University  at  Burlington.  In  the  summer  following  his  return  home,  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  medical  assistant  of  the  Homceopathic  Dispensary  at  AUiany,  and  the  following  season 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  medical  college  of  Ihat  city.  In  the  spring  of  1873  he  re-entered 
the  medical  college  at  Burlington,  Vermont,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  at  the  following  com- 
mencement. The  same  year  he  commenced  practice  at  Mechanicsville,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.  The 
ensuing  spring  he  removed  to  Stillwater,  where  he  secured  a  fine  practice.  Failing  health  and  other 
discouragements  induced  his  return  home,  where  he  died  at  the  early  age  of  27  years.  Possessed  of 
great  natural  abilities  and  uncommonly  fine  intellectual  powers,  he  gave  early  promise  of  a  career  of 
usefulness,  which,  unhappily,  was  not  destined  to  fruition.  The  summer  of  his  days  was  cut  short  be- 
fore its  fruitage  had  escaped  the  bloom  of  its  flower. 


646  History  of  Warren  CoaNXY. 

den  was  transferred  in  August,  1862,  to  the  medical  staff  as  first  assistant  sur- 
geon, acting,  in  the  absence  of  the  surgeon,  most  of  the  time  as  chief  medical 
officer  of  the  command,  which  relation  was  maintained  with  general  satisfaction 
until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Albany  in  June,  1863,  its 
term  of  enlistment  having  expired.  Within  six  weeks  of  his  discharge,  Dr. 
Holden  received  an  appointment  as  acting  assistant  surgeon  of  the  U.  S.  army, 
in  which  capacity  he  performed  active  duty  until  Lee's  surrender,  being  sta- 
tioned consecutively  at  the  United  States  general  hospitals  at  Frederick  City 
and  Cumberland,  Md.,  and  Troy,  N.  Y.  On  finally  quitting  the  army  he  was 
honored  by  Governor  Fenton  with  the  commission  of  brevet  major  of  New 
York  volunteers  for  meritorious  service.  On  returing  home  the  doctor  re- 
sumed his  practice,  and  has  continued  in  the  active  discharge  of  its  humane  and 
beneficent  ministrations  to  the  present  time.  A  well-deserved  success  has  fol- 
lowed his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  sick  and  suffering.  In  1869  he  was  elected  a 
permanent  member  of  the  New  York  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  of 
which  body  he  has  ever  .since  been  an  active  and  influential  member,  holding 
at  different  times  its  most  important  offices,  viz. :  Censor,  vice-president,  presi- 
dent, delegate  to  the  National  Institute,  and  is  at  present,  and  has  been  for 
several  years,  its  necrologist.  In  addition  to  these  varied  labors  and  duties,  its 
volumes  of  transactions  have  been  frequently  enriched  by  his  ably -prepared 
contributions.  In  1879  he  was  elected  a  permanent  member  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Homeopathy,  and  has  been  an  acceptable  contributor  to  its  trans- 
actions. In  the  same  year  he  was  one  of  four  members  of  the  State  Society 
who  were  recommended  for  and  received  (in  due  course)  the  honorary  degree 
of  M.  D.  from  the  regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York,  an 
honor  that  only  once  before  has  been  accorded  to  Warren  county  since  its  or- 
ganization. Late  in  the  winter  of  1876—77,  at  the  instance  of  several  eminent 
physicians  of  New  York  city.  Dr.  Holden  accepted  the  appointment  of  chief 
of  staff  of  the  Homoeopathic  hospital,  Ward's  Island,  New  York,  a  position 
which  he  held  with  great  ability,  receiving  testimonials  of  satisfaction  from  the 
Commissioners  of  Charities  and  Corrections,  the  Board  of  Visiting  Physicians, 
officials,  nurses  and  attendants.  He  remained  in  the  discharge  of  these  oner- 
ous and  multiple  duties  for  nearly  two  years,  when  failing  health  compelled  his 
retirement  and  return  home  to  the  health-giving  breezes  of  Warren  county, 
once  more  to  resume  the  broken  thread  of  his  practice. 

A  life-long  Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  in  any  sense  an  extremist  or 
partisan,  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  sixty-two,  in  a  county  strongly,  over- 
whelmingly Republican,  to  the  Assembly  of  1874.  In  local  politics  he  has 
often  been  chosen  to  places  of  trust  and  responsibility.  One  of  these,  in  which 
he  takes  much  pride,  is  that  of  member  of  the  board  of  education,  to  which  he 
has  been  elected  a  second  term.  He  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  Glens  Falls  Acad- 
emy.    In  1877  he  received  as  an  honorarium  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Union 


Austin  Wells  Holden,  A.M.,  M.D.  647 

College.  In  January  last  a  medical  board  for  the  examination  of  pension 
claimants  was  created  at  Glens  Falls  by  order  of  the  commissioner  of  pensions, 
The  board  consists  of  Drs.  A.  W.  Holden,  Godfrey  R.  Martine  and  Buel  G. 
Streeter,  the  first  named  being  president,  the  second  secretary,  and  the  third 
treasurer.  The  weekly  examinations  prove  the  confidence  reposed  in  their 
judgment. 

Much  of  Dr.  Holden's  time  during  the  past  forty  years,  except  when  occu- 
pied by  professional  and  other  cares  and  duties,  has  been  devoted  to  literary 
pursuits.  His  researches  and  labors  in  the  domain  of  local  history  have  been 
fruitful  in  rescuing  from  oblivion  many  detached  facts  and  incidents  of  the  pdst 
that  in  another  generation  would  have  been  irremediably  lost.  His  chief  and 
lasting  monument,  which  will  bear  his  name  down  to  posterity,  is  a  work  en- 
titled, A  History  of  the  Town  of  Queensbury,  N.  Y.  This  was  brought  out  in 
1874  in  Munsell's  superior  typography  and  stj'le.  It  is  an  octavo  volume  of 
upwards  of  500  pages,  profusely  illustrated,  and  covers  an  important  era  and 
section  of  country  in  relation  to  American  history.  In  recognition  of  his  liter- 
ary abilities  he  has  received,  in  addition  to  the  honorary  degree  of  master  of 
arts  already  mentioned,  appointments  as  corresponding  member  of  the  Oneida 
County  Historical  Society,  the  New  York,  Wisconsin  and  Rhode  Island  His- 
torical Societies,  and  the  New  York  and  New  England  Genealogical  and  Biog- 
raphical Societies. 

Dr.  Holden  has  been  a  communicant  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
since  1841,  since  when  he  has  held  various  positions  in  its  vestry  most  of  the 
time,  from  warden  to  collector.  Besides  being  a  member  of  the  vestry  he  at 
present  holds  a  commission  as  lay-reader  from  the  bishop  of  the  diocese.  He 
and  his  family  are  noted  for  their  zeal  and  efficiency,  and  readiness  to  enter  in- 
to and  co-operate  in  every  good  work  tending  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
church,  and  the  service  of  his  Lord  and  Master. 


BRIEF    PERSONALS. 


ABBOTT,  Hon.  Alson  B.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1844, 
and  reared  in  Andover,  Mass.  Was  a  graduate  of  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover  in  1862  and 
a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College.  In  1866  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  and  read  law  with  Judge 
Brown.  He  graduated  from  the  Albany  Law  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872.  In 
1878  he  was  elected  member  of  Assembly.  Was  principal  of  the  Warrensburgh  Academy 
from  1866  to  1868,  and  principal  of  the  Glens  Falls  Academy  for  four  years.  President  of  the 
County  Agricultural  Society  for  four  years,  and  director  in  the  Glens  Falls  Insurance  Co.,  also 
director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Glens  Falls.  In  1874  Mr.  Abbott  married  Mrs.  Sarah 
Morgan  Reynolds,  daughter  of  the  late  James  Morgan  and  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  John  H. 
Reynolds.     She  has  two  children,  James  B.  Reynolds  and  Alson  M.  Abbott. 

Ackerman,  E.  T.,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  in  Hague  June  5th,  1840.  Is  a  prominent  farmer. 
His  estate  comprises  2.35  acres ;  he  is  also  an  assessor  of  the  town.  Was  married  to  Miss  Car- 
rie Irish,  daughter  of  H.  S.  Irish,  who  located  in  Hague  in  1860.  They  have  eight  children, 
Orpha  J.,  Eugene  H.,  William  W.,  Luella,  Edmund  H.,  Ettie,  Frank  and  John.  Mr.  Ackerman 
was  a  soldier  of  the  late  war,  a  member  of  the  23d  N.  Y.  Independent  Vol.  Battery.  He  en- 
listed in  1861  and  was  discharged  July  14th,  1865.  Mr.  Ackerraan's  father,  Abraham  Acker- 
man, is  one  of  the  oldest  living  natives  of  Hague.     His  wife  was  Malinda  Damon,  of  Vermont. 

Adamson,  Dr.  William  R.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  the  county  of  Durham, 
England,  in  1852.  Is  a  physician  and  surgeon,  spending  his  winters  in  New  York  and  his  sum- 
mers at  Lake  George.  In  1 873  he  graduated  from  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  and  the 
same  year  commenced  the  practice  of  his  medical  profession  at  Richmond,  Va.  In  1876  he 
settled  at  Lake  George,  where  he  continues  his  practice  during  the  summer  season.  Has  been 
president  of  the  County  Medical  Society,  and  has  crossed  the  Atlantic  several  times ;  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Emily  Jane  Jackson,  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  they  have  a  family  of  two  chil- 
dren. Dr.  Adamson's  parents  were  William  and  Martha  Adamson,  natives  of  England,  who 
settled  in  Virginia  in  1874. 

Aldrich,  William  "D.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Thurman  in  1851.  Read  medicine 
with  Dr.  McNutt.  Is  a  gi-aduate  of  Warren  Academy,  and  also  of  Dartmouth  Medical  College, 
N.  H.  He  settled  at  Stony  Creek  in  1871,  and  in  1878  removed  to  Warrensburgh,  where  he 
continues  his  profession,  having  a  large  and  increasing  circle  of  business.  Was  supervisor  two 
terms  at  Stony  Creek ;  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Cudney  of  that  place  in  1873.  Dr.  Aldrich 
was  a  son  of  Squire  Daniel  and  Catharine  Aldrich.  They  have  a  family  of  six  children.  Daniel 
has  been  a  recipient  of  most  of  the  town  offices  as  well  as  local  governmental  appointments. 
Was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  eighteen  years. 

Allen,  Frederick  W.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Corinth,  Saratoga  Co.,  in 
1850.  He  settled  in  Bolton  with  his  parents  in  1864.  Was  appointed  postmaster  in  1862,  and 
elected  supervisor  in  1885.  Has  been  collector  and  excise  commissioner  and  held  other  minor 
town  offices ;  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Helen  Finkle  and  they  have  one  child,  Hugh  A. 
Allen.     Mr.  Allen's  parents  were  Daniel  and  Anna  (Lake)  Allen. 

Anderson,  John,  Johnsburgh,  p.  o.  Weavertown,  was  born  in  Ireland  Aug.  15th,  1834,  son 
of  John  and  Jane  (O'Neil)  Anderson.  He  emigrated  to  Canada  with  his  parents  in  1836,  and 
came  to  Johnsburgh  in  1850.  Is  a  farmer  and  lumberman,  and  owns  215  acres  of  land;  was 
married  to  Katharine  McKenney,  daughter  of  James  and  Catherine  McKenney,  and  they  have 
four  children,  John,  jr.,  Jennie,  Edward  and  Katharine.     Mr.  Anderson  is  a  Democrat. 

648 


Brief  Personals.  649 


Archibald,  Samuel  R.,  Caldwell,  p..  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Salem,  Washington  Co.,  in 
1819.  While  he  was  yet  young  his  mother  died  and  he  went  with  his  two  brothers  to  Bolton 
to  live  with  James  Archibald,  and  afterwards  with  his  Uncle  Thomas.  Thomas  apprenticed 
Samuel  to  ilr.  Hiram  Hawley  to  learn  the  boot  and  shoe  trade,  where  he  remained  until  1840, 
when  he  was  of  age.  He  then  purchased  the  business,  which  he  still  holds,  giving  employment 
to  several  hands.  In  1841  he  purchased  his  present  homestead,  on  the  bank  of  Lake  George, 
and  built  his  present  fine  dwelling  in  1883.  He  also  carried  on  the  tannery  business.  He  has 
been  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the  county.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  thirty- 
four  years  in  succession,  elected  the  last  term  in  1884.  He  was  postmaster  under  Lincoln  and 
held  the  office  for  fifteen  years.  He  has  been  county  loan  commissioner  two  terms,  side  judge 
for  two  terms  and  has  held  minor  town  and  county  offices ;  was  married  in  1849  to  Miss  Cath- 
arine Nelson,  daughter  of  Lieut.  Alton  Nelson,  and  they  have  five  children,  Mary  Elizabeth, 
Charlotte,  Clara,  Thomas,  and  Robert  B.  Robert  is  telegraph  operator  at  Lake  George  and 
Lotta  is  a  music  teacher ;  married  to  George  0.  Eddy  and  resides  in  Bristol,  Rhode  Island. 

Armstrong,  James  W.,  p.  o.  Johnsburgh,  was  born  in  Johnsburgh,  Aug.  14th,  1815.  He  is 
a  farmer  and  owns  92  acres  of  land  ;  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Katharine  McMillan  in 
1846.  She  died  and  for  his  second  wife  he  married  Laura  A.  Brown  in  1849.  They  have  six 
children  living,  viz. :  Mary,  John  B.  (M.  E.  minister),  Ella  J.,  Catharine  E.,  William  J.  and 
Jabez  E.     Mr.  Armstrong  has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  48  years. 

Armstrong,  Robert,  p.  o.  Johnsburgh,  was  born  in  Ireland  March  4th,  1792.  Is  a  farmer, 
and  the  owner  of  two  farms,  one  of  200  and  the  other  of  247  acres.  Has  always  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics  and  is  at  the  age  of  9.3  hale  and  hearty.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Betsey 
(Somerville)  Armstrong,  who  emigrated  to  America  in  1807  and  settled  in  Johnsburgh.  Robert 
vras  married  in  1816  to  Rebecca  Armstrong,  and  they  have  six  children  living,  James,  Robert, 
Eleanor,  Ann,  David  and  Thomas. 

Austin,  Chas.  A.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  Co., 
April  10th,  1843.  Is  a  general  farmer  and  dairyman,  purchasing  his  present  farm  in  1872;  in 
1869  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  F.  Smith,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  five  children,  Wal- 
ter, Edgar,  Ethie,  Lewis  and  Bessie.  Mr.  Austin's  parents  were  Phineas  and  Athalinda  Austin. 
Phineas's  parents  died  when  he  was  young  and  he  was  reared  by  a  Mr.  Murray.  By  a  close 
application  to  books  he  fitted  himself  for  a  teacher.  Later  he  became  a  hotel  proprietor,  and 
still  later  purchased  a  farm  on  which  he  settled  and  died  in  1881.  His  mother,  Hannah  (Ger- 
man) Austin,  lived  to  be  102  years  old.  Mr.  Chas.  A.  Austin  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  93d  N.  Y.  Vol. 
Regiment  in  1862.  Was  discharged  for  disabihty  at  one  of  the  Philadelphia  ho.spitals.  His 
brother,  William  H.,  served  three  years,  enlisting  from  a  Western  State. 

Austin,  John  H.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Palls,  was  born  in  Queensbury.  Was  in  early 
life  a  carpenter,  and  later  a  professional  painter  and  jobber.  Was  born  in  Queensbury  Sept. 
23d,  1821,  and  married  to  Miss  Hannah  WiUard,  of  Saratoga  Co.,  in  1847.  They  have  four 
children,  Herbert  W.,  Maud  L.,  Ida  B.,  and  Je.ssie  May.  They  have  also  one  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Mary  J.,  now  married.  Herbert  W.  married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Hall,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Austin's  grandparents  were  Phineas  and  Hannah  (German)  Austin.  Hannah  lived 
to  be  102  years  old. 

Baker,  Chas.  H.,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Athol,  was  born  in  Stony  Creek  in  1855.  Is  a  farmer 
and  owns  100  acres,  only  about  twenty-five  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  He  is  now  super- 
visor of  the  town,  and  is  probably  the  3'oungest  man  who  has  ever  filled  that  office  since  the 
formation  of  the  town.  He  has  also  been  town  clerk  and  inspector  of  election;  was  married 
in  1879  to  Alma  Evarts,  a  native  of  the  same  place.  They  have  one  daughter,  Gracie.  Mr. 
Baker's  parents  were  Silas  and  Roby  (Kathan)  Baker.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  very 
young  and  his  father  was  killed  in  the  late  war.  Mrs.  Baker's  parents,  Duncan  and  Mary  (Har- 
ris) Evarts.     They  had  five  children. 

Baker,  Walter,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Thurman  in  1837.  He  is  the  owner  and 
proprietor  of  the  Baker  House,  adjoining  the  fair  grounds.  He  also  gives  attention  to  the  pro- 
fessional training  of  valuable  horses.  He  purchased  his  present  hotel  in  1884  ;  was  married  to 
Miss  AdalineHerrick  November  28th,  1875.  Mr.  Baker  was  a  son  of  William  K.  and  Mary 
(Belou)  Baker.     They  had  eight  children,  six  of  ■whom  are  now  living. 

The  Balcom  family  first  located  in  Hague  about  1796,  when  Isaac  and  Sally  (Green)  Bal- 
com  came  from  Hubbardstown,  Mass.,  and  made  a  settlement  in  West  Hague.  They  were  the 
grandparents  of  the  somewhat  numerous  family  of  Balcoms  now  living  in  the  town.  James 
A.  Balcom  is  a  grandson,  and  a  son  of  Uriah  Balcom,  who  led  the  life  of  a  sailor  until  about 
1848,  when  he  located  in  Hague.  His  son  James  A.  was  born  Aug.  21st,  1840.  He  has  been 
an  active  man  in  public  matters,  having  held  offices  of  town  clerk,  commissioner  of  highways, 
supervisor  several  terms,  and  justice  of  the  peace  for  four  3'ears ;  he  entered  the  army  Sept. 


6so  History  of  Warren  County. 

28th,  186 1,  and  served  until  1864,  a  member  of  the  23d  Independent  Vol.  Battery ;  was  married 
Nov.  28th,  1868,  to  Olive  P.,  daughter  o£  Thomas  Newton,  of  Hague,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Harvey. 

Balcom,  Stephen,  was  another  son  of  Isaac  and  Sallj'  Balcom.  Was  born  in  1802.  He 
spent  his  life  in  Hague;  married  iliss  Saloma,  daughter  of  Edward  Doolittle.  They  have  sev- 
eral children.  Myron  is  a  thrifty  farmer  of  Hague  and  married  to  Lucina  Ackerinan.  They 
have  three  children,  Lejoy,  Carrie  W.,  and  Elmer  A.  Harrison  Balcom,  who  occupies  the 
homestead,  is  the  younge.';!  son  of  Stephen  and  Saloma.  The  other  children  are  Orrin,  Evaline, 
Orpha,  Laura  and  Orrison. 

Barney,  Dr.  Chas.,  Queensbur}',  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Otsego  county  in  Feb.,  1859. 
Read  medicine  at  Albany  and  graduated  at  the  Alban}'  Medical  College  in  1883.  The  same 
j'ear  he  settled  in  Glens  Fall.-*,  where  a  fine  practice  is  in  prospect.  In  1884  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  county  medical  societj'.  Was  a  graduate  of  Hartwick  Seminary  in  1879.  Dr. 
Barney's  parents  were  Elerj'  and  Mary  (Spencer)  Barney.  They  had  three  other  children, 
William,  Fred  and  Kent. 

Barton,  Judson  N.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  is  a  native  of  Warrensburgh,  born  about  three  miles 
south  of  Bartonville,  Oct.  7th,  1820.  Has  devoted  most  of  his  business  life  to  lumbering,  farm- 
ing, and  of  late  years  merchandizing,  but  has  now  practically  retired  from  active  business;  was 
married  to  Lucretia,  daughter  of  Joseph  F.  Smith,  of  Horicon,  and  they  have  five  children  all 
living — Jane,  now  Mrs.  Austin  A.  Ross,  Scott,  John,  Julia  (now  Mrs.  Thomas  Smith),  and 
Smith,  proprietor  of  the  saw-njiU  at  Bartonville.  Mr.  Barton's  grandfather  Jonathan  came 
from  Whitingham,  Mass.,  and  with  a  brother,  Timothy,  located  in  Bolton  in  1796.  They  were 
ancestors  of  the  somewhat  liumerous  family  of  Barton  of  Horrcon  and  vicinity. 

Barton,  Scott,  was  born  i'eb.  27th,  1854.  He  is  of  the  firm  of  Barton  Bro.'*.,  merchants, 
and  also  postmaster  of  Horicon ;  was  married  Dec.  20th,  1875,  to  Miss  Laura,  daughter  of  Hon. 
R.  P.  Smith,  of  Horicon,  and  thej'  have  two  children,  Lena  and  Nellie. 

Barton,  John,  son  of  J.  N.  Barton,  was  born  Aug.  29th,  1860.  He  is  of  the  firm  of  Bar- 
ton Bros.  ;  was  married  to  Minnie,  daughter  of  Captain  L.  G.  Hall,  of  Warrensburgh,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Walter  and  Orren.  The  business  of  Barton  Bros,  was  organized  in  1872, 
by  J.  N.  Barton  &  Son.  In  1882  Scott  Barton  purchased  his  father's  interest.  Their  stock 
comprises  everything  found  in  a  first-class  general  store.  With  their  extended  and  favorable 
acquaintance  with  the  public  wants,  their  business  is  successful  and  gradually  increasing. 

Bates,  George  W.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell,  Feb.  22d,  1843.  Is 
a  carpenter  and  builder.  Has  been  collector,  town  clerk  and  supervi.«or  for  his  town ;  was 
mari-ied  in  1866  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Alston,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Bell)  Alston.  They 
have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Satie.  Mr.  Bates  was  a  son  of  Winslow  and  Sarah  (Bennett) 
Bates.  They  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter  —  viz.,  Harvey,  Christopher  J.,  Samuel,  George 
W.  and  Emily.  All  the  sons  are  practical  mechanics  and  are  among  the  leading  successful  men 
of  the  town. 

Bates,  Harvey  C,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1832.  He  learned 
thfe  general  smithing  trade  of  ilr.  G.  W.  Shay,  and  commenced  the  business  in  its  various 
branches  in  1850.  He  still  continues  it  in  connection  with  wagon  manufacturing  and  repair- 
ing ;  he  was  married  to  Miss  Celestia  Ellsworth  in  1861,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Cladia, 
born  in  1871.  Celestia  was  daughter  of  James  Ellsworth  and  Louisa  (Monroe)  Ellsworth.  Her 
grandparents,  from  Massachusetts,  settled  iu  Warren  county  about  1800.  Mr.  Bates  was  a  son 
of  Wiuslow  and  Sarah  (Bennett)  Bates,  natives  of  Warren  county.     They  had  five  children. 

Bates,  Samuel,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1839.  He  commenced 
his  early  life  as  a  carpenter  and  joiner  and  soon  became  a  contractor  and  builder.  In  1883  he 
joined  his  brother  Christopher  in  boat-building,  in  which  business  Bates  Bros,  are  extending 
their  shops.  Samuel  conceived  the  idea  of  supplying  the  village  with  fine  spring  water,  and  in 
1878  he  put  in  pipes  and  conducted  water  from  one  of  the  mountam  streams  in  pipes  of  cast 
and  wrought  iron  of  four  inch  bore,  at  a  cost  of  about  §1,200.  It  proved  so  valuable  to  the 
town  that  others  joined  him  in  the  enterprise  with  capital.  The  firm  is  Bates,  Ferguson  & 
Harris,  and  they  have  extended  the  supply  to  all  the  principal  hotels  and  residences  of  the  vil- 
lage. The  stream  is  clear  and  cold,  but  never  freezes  until  it  enters  Lake  George.  Mr  Bates 
arranged  with  the  property  owners  for  privilege  of  the  springs  and  stream  with  head  of  250 
feet.  No  one  can  doubt  that  Mr.  Bates  has  proved  himself  to  be  a  benefactor  to  his  town  ;  he 
was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Hattie  Staats,  of  Caldwell,  and  they  have  two  children,  Edith  C. 
and  Lena  R.  His  brother  Christopher  Bates  married  Sarah  Hoag,  of  Warrensburgh,  in  1865. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Emma  J.  Christopher  and  Samuel  were  sons  of  Winslow  and  Sarah 
(Beunett)  Bates. 

Bayle,  G.  F.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  son  of  Luke  and  Adaline  (Lee)  Bayle,  was  bora 


Brief  Personals.  65 1 


at  B<ald  Mountain,  Washington  county,  in  1860.  Tlie  family  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1870.  G-. 
F.  started  his  business  life  as  a  clerk  for  Messrs.  Robbins  &  DeLong  in  1872.  He  was  then 
cashier  and  book-keeper  for  B.  B.  Fowler  for  six  years,  after  which  he  was  solicitor  for  an  im- 
porting house  in  New  York  until  he  settled  in  the  dry  goods  and  millinery  trade  at  1 11  Glen 
street,  on  March  10th,  1884,  having  a  fine  attractive  store  and  a  very  inviting  stock  of  domestic 
and  fancy  goods,  linen.';,  dress  goods,  silks,  and  a  full  assortment  of  haberdashery.  Mr.  Bayle 
married  Miss  Louisa  Bienvenu  in  1882.     They  have  one  daughter,  born  Jan.  13th,  1884. 

Bean,  John  II.,  p.  o.  Warrensbursh,  was  born  in  Corinna,  Maine,  in  Nov.,  1844.  lie  is  a 
dental  surgeon  and  fitted  himself  for  his  profession  in  Boston.  In  1870  he  opened  an  office  in 
Boston,  where  he  reniamed  several  years.  In  187!)  he  removed  to  Warrensburgh.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  the  Gth  Maine  Regiment,  Co.  H,  under  Col.  Burnham.  He 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Was  taken  prisoner  and  held  ten  months  —  part  of  the 
time  in  Andersonville  prison,  and  quartered  on  the  race  course  grounds  at  Charleston  for  six 
weeks  and  then  taken  to  Florence,  S.  C.  War  married  in  1871  to  Miss  H.  J.  Bean,  of  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.     Dr.  Bean  was  a  son  of  Henry  W.  and  Eliza  A.  (Kelly)  Bean  of  Maine. 

Beatie,  John,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  December,  1859,  in  Washington  count}',  and  .settled 
in  Luzerne  in  18S2.  Is  a  general  liveryman,  farmer  and  lumberman.  Was  married  to  Miss 
Polly  Rice  in  1881,  and  they  have  a  family  of  two  children,  James  and  Lottie.  Mr.  Beatie 
was  a  son  of  James  and  Susan  (Patterson)  Beatie.  They  had  seven  children,  four  now  living. 
Mrs.  Beatie  was  daughter  of  Elder  E.  and  Lottie  (Scoville)  Rice. 

Bennett,  Ashael,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  \\'^arrensburgh  in  1816,  was  married  in 
1835  to  Miss  Sally  Dickenson,  of  Bolton,  and  they  have  three  child-en,  Edwin,  Alice  and  Paul- 
ina. Mr.  Bennett  was  a  son  of  Caleb  and  Sally  (Harrington)  Bennett,  natives  of  Rhode 
Island,  who  settled  in  AVarrensburgh  in  1797.  They  had  a  famil}'  of  five  children,  of  whom 
Ashael  is  the  only  surviving  one. 

Bennett,  Dennis,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warren  county  in  1833.  He  was  an 
early  farmer  in  1871.  Engaged  in  the  stage,  express  and  mail  busine.ss.  He  now  owns,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Palmer,  an  extensive  livery,  firm  is  Bennett  &  Palmer.  Was  married  in 
1861  to  Miss  Aina  Bennett.  Mr.  Bennett  was  a  son  of  Robert  and  Phoebe  (Merrick)  Bennett. 
The  grandfather,  James  Bennett,  with  his  family,  settled  in  Warrensburgh  about  1790. 

Bently,  Stephen  V.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Queensbury,  March  24th,  1810. 
Parents,  Richard  and  Dianah  (Vaughan)  Bently.  The  latter  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in 
1784,  came  to  Washington  county  in  1793  with  his  parents,  David  and  Hannah  Vaughan. 
Richa'd  and  Dianah  had  seventeen  children,  ten  of  whom  are  living.  Richard  was  son  of 
Joseph  and  Jane  Bently.  who  settled  before  the  Revolution.  Stephen  V.  married  Miss  Thank- 
ful S.  Austin,  of  Queensbur}',  in  1833,  who  diedAng.  21..,t,  1855,  leaving  four  children,  Charles 
N.,  George  M.,  Eliza  A.  and  Mary  J.  Charles  N.  married  Maria  Hendrix  in  1855  and  died 
August  22d,  1870,  leaving  five  children,  Wilhs  F.,  Sanford  L.,  Elroy  C,  Hattie  and  Emma  S. 
Second  wife,  Julia  Goodman,  of  Bolton ;  parents,  Oton  and  Lucy  Stephen.  Was  highway 
commissioner  three  terms,  constable,  collector  one  term,  and  a  general  farmer. 

Bentley,  Willis  F.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  county, 
in  1857.  In  1877  he  commenced  trade  in  the  merchant  and  tailoring  business,  having  in  stock 
a  fine  assortment  of  cloths  and  cassimeres  of  the  most  desirable  patterns  and  the  latest  styles. 
He  deals  largely  in  custom  and  in  readj'-made  garments,  gents'  underwear,  gloves,  hosiery, 
hats,  caps,  shirts  and  collars,  and  all  fancy  goods  for  gents'  use.  The  firm  is  Coolidge  &  Bent- 
ley,  92  Glen  street.  Glens  Falls.  Was  married  to  Minnie  Brown,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Eliza 
Brown.     ^Vere  married  in  1880,  and  have  one  child,  Elroy  W. 

Bibby,  Leonard,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  1853  in  England.  He  com- 
menced his  present  business  in  1874,  the  manufacturing  and  botthng  of  soda  and  all  light 
brinks,  and  in  1884  he  purchased  his  location  on  Maple  street  and  built  a  large  factory.  He  ad- 
mitted Mr.  Ferguson  as  partner  in  1881.  They  have  also  a  botthng  establishment  at  Riverside, 
and  their  business  gives  employment  to  fifteen  or  twenty  hands  as  well  as  that  number  of 
horse.s.  Their  location  is  No.  62,  64  and  66  Maple  street,  Bibby  &  Ferguson.  Mr.  Bibby  was 
married  to  Ellen  Kelly,  of  Glens  Falls,  in  1876,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Minnie.  Mr.  Bib- 
by's  parents  were  George  and  Mary  (Hodson)  Bibby,  natives  of  England. 

Black,  Lawrence  B.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Fairfield  county.  Conn.,  in  1820. 
He  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  Caldwell  in  1850.  Gives  his  attention  to  civil  engineering  and 
general  farming  and  lumber  producing.  He  was  assessor  for  five  terms,  highway  commissioner 
two  terms,  and  notary  public  for  many  years,  appointed  last  in  1885.  Has  had  charge  of  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey  Station,  Spruce  Mountain,  in  1878.  He  suryeyed  part  of  the  non- 
resident lands  of  the  county  in  1880.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Pember,  of  Rutland 
county,  Vt,  in  184S,  and  they  have  five  children,  James  S,,  Truman  A.,  Orlin  P.,  George  W., 


652  History  of  Warren  County. 

Charles  F.  and  one  daughter,  Mary  A.  (deceased),  and  Alonzo  T.  Black.  Alonzo  is  now  in  the 
employ  of  the  State  employed  in  the  fine  inside  paneling  of  stone,  marble  and  wood  work, 
where  he  has  been  engaged  for  nine  years.  James  B.  is  a  farmer  in  Vermont,  and  Orlin  a  large 
dairy  farmer  in  Rupert,  Vt.,  with  a  dairy  of  seventy  cows.  Mr.  Black  was  first  employed  as 
a  coast  surveyor  under  President  Van  Buren. 

Blumenauer,  Henry,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Ulster  county  in  1850  and 
settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1872.  He  apprenticed  himself  to  Mr.  Snyder  to  learn  the  confection- 
ery business.  In  1878  he  opened  a  shop  of  his  own  on  Glen  street  and  moved  in  1884  to  No. 
8  South  street,  where  he  commenced  the  general  baking  business  in  connection  with  his  confec- 
tionery trade.  He  furnishes  the  finest  of  goods  in  his  line  to  parties  as  well  as  private  fami- 
lies. In  1884  Mr.  Blumenauer  married  Miss  Fannie  AVorks,  of  Essex  county.  Mr.  Blumen- 
auer's  parents  were  Jacob  and  Rose  Blumenauer,  natives  of  Germany. 

Bolton,  Richard  and  Hannah  (Beadwell),  Horicon,  p.  o.  Brant  Lake,  were  both  natives  of 
Yorkshire,  England.  He  was  born  in  1809  and  she  in  1819.  Were  married  in  18.35,  and  emi- 
grated from  England  in  1846.  Mr.  Bolton  was  accidentally  drowned  in  the  Schroon  River, 
and  for  her  second  husband  Mrs.  Bolton  married  Thomas,  brother  of  the  deceased.  He  was 
also  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  a  soldier  of  Go.  A,  93d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry.  He  died 
in  1881  and  his  widow  now  resides  with  her  son  Thomas.  Thomas  was  born  June  6th,  1838, 
and  married  Sarah  B.,  daughter  of  Henry  Jordan,  in  1861.  They  had  five  children,  EfBe  J., 
John,  Frederick,  Thomas  J.  and  Harry.  Richard  Bolton,  son  of  Richard,  sr.,  was  born  in 
Stockton,  England,  in  1845.  Is  a  farmer  and  owns  440  acres  of  land.  Has  been  commissioner 
of  highways.  Was  married  in  1S68  to  Laura,  daughter  of  John  Waters,  of  Hague,  and  they 
have  three  children,  Ellis  V.,  Richard  and  Ella.  Valentine,  another  son  of  Richard  Bolton,  sr., 
was  born  in  Warrensburgh,  N.  Y.,  March  1st,  1849.  He  owns  a  good  farm  of  329  acres.  Was 
married  to  Rosetta,  daughter  of  Rodney  Horse,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  in  1871,  and  their  children 
are  William  Burt,  Valentine,  jr.,  Grace,  Martha  and  George.  John  Bolton,  another  son  of 
Richard,  was  a  soldier  of  the  118th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  and  died  in  the  service  at  Fort  Ethan 
Allen,  December  24th,  1862. 

Bolton,  Joseph,  son  of  Thomas  E.,  was  born  February  14th,  1856,  in  Chester.  Is  a  farmer 
and  owns  190  acres  of  land.  Was  married  to  Lovina,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Bien,  of  Vermont, 
in  1882,  and  they  have  one  child,  Cora. 

Bradley,  Thaddeus,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1812.  In  1832  he 
married  Miss  Mercy  Bennett,  and  they  have  several  children.  One  son,  Thaddeus,  enlisted  in 
1862  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Marvin  was  married  to  Miss  Leonora  Bennett  in 
1885.  Mr.  Bradley  was  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Eunice  (Shaw)  Bradley.  They  had  a  family 
of  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  dead.  Thaddeus  is  the  only  child  living.  Thaddeus's 
grandparents  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  Caldwell.  Mr.  Bradley's  wife.  Miss  Mercy 
Bennett,  was  a  daughter  of  Abel  and  Jemima  (Harrington)  Bennett.  He  was  formerly  of 
Vermont,  and  when  he  came  here  there  was  but  one  block-house  at  Lake  George,  used  as  a 
government  store-house  and  treaty  was  made  that  year  in  the  fall  of  Mr.  Harrington's  settlement. 

Braley,  Pliny  P.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  commenced  his  business  in  1879  and  is  now 
located  in  the  Opera  House  Block.  Is  a  dealer  in  books,  stationer}',  wall  paper,  wool  yarns, 
zephyrs  and  all  fancy  goods  of  that  order.  He  was  born  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  in  1854, 
son  of  Stephen  and  Philomela  Braley.  Miss  E.  C.  Boyd,  partner  of  Mr.  Braley  in  his  busi- 
ness, was  born  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  a  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Eliza  Goodman  Boyd,  who- 
settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1848. 

Brayton,  George  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  jobbing  butcher  and  farmer  ;  born  at  East 
Lake  George,  1832  ;  wife  Caroline  Beadleston,  married  in  1854,  seven  children,  two  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Parents,  Asa  W.,  and  Polly  (Phelps)  Brayton,  the  former  born  in  1805  in 
Queensbury,  the  latter  in  Washington  in  1805,  married  in  1826,  died  in  1856,  children  four  now 
living:  Silvia  J.,  Mariah,  George  W.,  and  Danford.  Grandparents,  John  and  Mary  (Harris) 
Brayton.  The  former  was  born  in  Washington  county,  and  settled  in  Queensbury  about  1790. 
Eleven  children,  six  now  hving:  Lois,  WilHam,  Asa,  Orhn,  Polly,  Diantha.  John  died  1826' 
and  Mary  died  1853. 

Brooks,  Landon  W.,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Centre,  came  to  this  town  from  Maine  when 
only  a  year  and  a  half  old,  and  has  lived  here  ever  since.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  129  acres- 
of  very  fine  land,  most  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  Has  filled  the  offices,  of  collector  and 
commissioner  of  highways  in  the  town ;  was  married  in  1874  to  Mary  E.  Glassbrook.  Their 
two  children  both  died  in  infancy. 

Brown,  Asahel  C,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbuiy,  Warren  county, 
in  1826.  He  was  a  son  of  Richard  and  Mahitabel  (Teft)  Brown.  They  had  two  children, 
Asahel  C.  and  Justus  S. ;  Asahel  was  married  in  1865  to  Hester  Brown,  of  Queensbury,  and. 


Brief  Personals.  653 


they  have  two  children  :  HoUis  R.  and  Hattie  M.  Mr.  Brown's  grandparents  were  Justus  and 
Desire  Brown.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children.  A  portion  of  their  land  is  still  in  pos- 
session of  Asahel. 

Brown,  Dolphus  J.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  G-eorge,  was  horn  at  Lake  George  in  1862.  He 
engaged  at  Lake  George  in  the  hardware  trade  until  1885,  when  he  sold  out  his  stock  and  is 
now  completing  an  extensive  general  meat  market ;  in  ]  884  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nellie 
Lewis,  daughter  of  Hamilton  Lewis,  of  Warrensburgh.  Mr.  Brown's  parents  were  Alphonso 
and  Eunice  (Mead)  Brown. 

Brown,  George,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Sept.  3d,  1815.  He 
has  been  one  of  the  prominent  and  active  business  men  of  the  county,  engaged  in  various 
branches  of  business.  He  has,  for  over  forty  years,  been  identified  in  the  hotel  business  of 
Warren  county.  Has  always  had  room  and  board  for  the  poor,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  most 
popular  landlords  of  Northern  New  York.  He  is  proprietor  of  the  Central  Hotel  at  Lake 
George;  in  18 —  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sylvia  Odell,  of  Queensbury.  They  had  eight  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  now  living :  Sarah,  Annah,  Katie  D.  and  Stewart  D.  His  grandpar- 
ents, Valentine  and  Margaret  (Haight)  Brown,  settled  in  Queensbury  before  the  Revolutionary 
AVar.  Mr.  Valentine  Brown  commenced  the  manufactory  of  sawed  lumber  and  built  the  first 
saw-mill  in  Queensbury. 

Brown,  Myron  0.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1837.  He  is  one  of 
the  founders  and  proprietors  of  the  Green  Island  Improvement  Association  on  Lake  George. 
He  is  the  lessee  of  the  Sagamore  Hotel,  embracing  75  acres,  and  liaving  ample  accommoda- 
tions for  350  guests.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  summer  resorts  in  the  United  States.  The  build- 
ing, furniture,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  conducted  is  a  credit  to  the  State.  Mr.  Brown 
has  held  the  office  of  supervisor  six  terms  at  Bolton.  He  was  an  early  merchant;  in  1862  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Wilson,  daughter  of  Captain  Wilson,  of  Sandy  Hill,  and  they 
have  two  sons :  Willard  W.  and  Frank  B.  Mr.  Brown's  father,  Luther  Brown,  was  sheriff  of 
the  county,  and  supervisor  several  terms. 

Brown,  Richard  J.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  1846  in  New  York  city,  and  settled  with  his 
parents  in  Bolton  in  1860.  By  profession  he  is  a  civil  engineer.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace 
one  term,  and  appointed  notary  public  in  1885.  In  1874  he  purchased  his  present  site  and 
erected  his  hotel  "  The  Lake  View  House,"  which  he  continued  to  improve  until  it  will  give 
ample  accommodation  to  100  guests.  In  connection  with  his  hotel  he  has  a  small  steamer  for 
the  pleasure  of  the  guests  of  his  house.  Was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Helen  J.  Allen,  of  Sara- 
toga.    His  parents  were  Richard  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Lee)  Brown.     He  was  the  only  son. 

Bullard,  Chas.  E.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Northville,  Fulton  county,  in 
1851,  and  settled  with  his  parents  in  Glens  Falls  in  1860.  Was  a  graduate  of  the  Canandaigua 
Commercial  School  in  1872.  He  then  clerked  it  for  Mr.  H.  Colvin  in  the  furniture  business  and  in 
1875  became  a  partner.  In  1876  he,  with  Mr.  Henry  Swan,  purchased  the  business  of  Colvin 
&  Co.,  forming  the  partnership  of  Bullard  &  Swan.  In  1880  he  took  the  entire  business,  which 
he  conducted  alone  until  1882,  when  he  sold  part  interest  to  John  R.  Loomis.  The  firm  is  now 
Bullard  &  Loomis,  having  a  complete  stock  of  the  most  desirable  patterns  in  the  furniture  and 
upholstery  line  in  which  they  are  extensive  dealers  as  well  as  manufacturers.  They  also  have 
a  large  undertaking  department  in  which  all  grades,  patterns  and  prices  can  be  found  at  No. 
118  and  120  Glen  St.  In  Oct.,  1879  Mr.  Bullard  married  Mary  Thomson,  of  Johnsburgh,  AVar- 
ren  county.     Have  a  little  girl  born  February  27th,  1885. 

Bullard,  David  H.,  Dr.,  Queensbury,  p.  o  Glens  Falls, was  born  in  Schuylerville,  Saratoga  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  in  1812.  He  read  medicine  at  West  Troy  and  finished  his  studies  at  the  Albany 
Medical  College  under  Drs.  March  and  Armsby  in  1849.  He  commenced  practice  in  Fulton 
county  in  1853,  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1860.  In  1838  he  married  Julia  Spier,  of  Fulton 
county.  They  had  seven  children;  Julia  E.,  Emma  A.,  Sarali  F.  and  Harriet  A.,  Charles  E., 
Frederick  H.,  and  William  R.    Dr.  Bullard's  parents  were  Alpheus  and  Hannah  (Fitch)  Bullard. 

Burdick,  Ja-s.  P.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county  in  1843,'  and 
settled  with  his  parents  in  Glens  Falls  in  1846.  His  father,  Allen  Burdick,  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber,  and  James  commenced  business  with  him  and  for  several  years  shared 
it.  Their  mill  was  destroyed  three  times  by  fire ;  Mr.  Burdick  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss 
Kate  Rugge,  daughter  of  George  Rugge,  of  Glens  Falls. 

Burgess,  Lewis,  p.  o.  Hague,  born  Aug.  14th,  1834,  is  a  native  of  Dresden,  Washington 
county  ;  he  commenced  as  a  school  teacher  and  afterwards  occupied  a  position  as  chief  clerk  for 
ten  years  at  the  Fort  William  Henry  Hotel.  In  1860  he  entered  the  merchandizing  business, 
and  from  that  date  has  been  the  postmaster  of  his  town ;  has  held  the  office  of  supervisor  of 
his  town  for  two  years  and  is  serving  his  thirteenth  year  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Of  later 
years  he  has  spent  his  winters  in  Florida,  where  he  has  heavy  real  estate  interests.     His  sue- 


6s4  History  of  Warren  County. 

cess  in  life  is  entirely  due  to  his  personal  efforts  throughout  and  prompt  business  methods ;  Mr. 
Burgess  was  married  Jan.  2d,  1862,  to  Charlotte,  daughter  of  John  McClanthan,  of  Hague. 
Mr.  Burgess's  grandfather  was  a  Hessian  soldier.  Was  pressed  into  the  British  army  and 
sent  to  America,  arriving  in  New  York  city  in  1777.  He  soon  became  convinced  of  the  worth- 
iness of  the  American  cause  and  deserted  to  the  American  army.  He  married  a  Miss  Bennett 
and  located  in  Putnam,  Washington  county,  N.  Y. 

Burhans,  Frederick  0.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Ulster  county  in  1832.  He  is  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  the  tanning  business  in  Warrensburgh,  and  is  also  a  large  land  owner  and 
capitalist;  was  married  in  1855  to  Miss  Helen  E.  Barron,  of  Le  Roy,  Genesee  county;  they 
have  but  one  child  now  living,  Charles  F. ;  Mr.  Burhans's  parents  were  Benjamin  P.  and  Re- 
becca (\Vicks)  Burhans.  They  had  six  children,  four  now  living:  Cliailes  H.,  Frederic  0., 
Julia  and  Sarah  H.  Julia  is  now  ilrs.  William  B.  Isham.  Mr.  Burhans,  senior,  early  engaged 
in  the  tanning  business;  first  in  Ulster,  then  in  Greene,  and  finally  in  Warrensburgh,  where  he 
made  a  financial  success.  He  was  an  extensive  land  owner  and  dealer  of  Northern  New  York, 
a  man  of  influence  and  integrity,  and  liberal  in  his  views  and  gifts. 

Burhans,  Miss  S.  H.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Benjamin  (Peck)  and 
Rebecca  (Wicks)  Burhans.  They  with  their  family  settled  in  Warrensburgh  in  1836.  Mrs. 
Burhans  died  in  1864,  and  Mr.  Burhans  in  1875.  They  left  a  family  of  six  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living. 

Burnham,  Cyrus  (deceased),  son  of  Josiah  and  Betse}""  Burnliam,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in 
April,  1808.  Mr.  Burnham  was  a  well  disciphned  business  man.  While  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age  his  parents  lost  by  fire  nearly  all  their  possessions,  and  from  that  time  Cyrus  de- 
veloped a  decided  taste  for  business.  At  an  early  age  he  ranked  among  the  first  business  men 
of  Warren  county.  He  became  an  extensive  lumber  dealer,  connected  with  George  G.  Haw- 
ley  in  its  manufacture  at  Glens  Falls,  and  afterwards  with  Orlin  Mead  and  George  Sanford  as 
wholesale  lumber  dealers  at  Albany,  N.  Y.  He  was  Member  of  Assembly  in  1850  and  a  di- 
I'ector  of  the  Glens  Falls  National  Bank  from  its  incorporation  until  his  decease.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1841  to  Sophia  Rice.  At  the  age  of  forty-nine  he  died  leaving  three  children,  Sophia 
R.,  Glen  F.,  Juhus  R.,  an  older  son,  Cyru.s,  died  at  an  early  age.     Post-ollice,  Glens  Falls. 

Burneson,  John  B.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1830.  Was  a 
graduate  of  Castleton  Medical  College,  Yt.,  in  1852.  Read  medicine  at  Davenport  with  Dr. 
John  Ferguson,  and  settled  in  Luzerne,  wliere  he  still  resides  in  his  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery;  was  married  in  1S54  to  Miss  Frances  Stewart,  of  Warren  county,  and  they  have  one 
son,  John  S.     Dr.  Burneson  was  a  .son  of  Andrew  and  Jane  (Granby)  Burneson. 

Bush,  John  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls  in  1850.  He  com- 
menced the  drug  business  in  Glens  Falls  in  1869,  under  the  firm  of  Leggett  &  Bush,  establish- 
ing a  wholesale  trade,  also  a  retail,  dealing  in  all  classes  of  drugs,  medicines,  paints,  glas,«,  and  a 
full  stock  of  all  the  leading  patent  medicines  of  recognized  value.  They  make  a  specialty  of 
fine  fancy  goods  at  109  Glen  street.  Mr.  Bush  was  married  to  Miss  Emilv  Derrick,  of  llensse- 
lear  county,  in  1878,  and  they  have  one  child. 

Butler,  William  H.,  Queensburj',  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Queen.^bury  in  1318;  wife,  Zadie 
Ann  Snyder,  born  in  Moreau,  Saratoga  count}',  in  1824,  married  in  1844,  children  ten :  Mary 
J.,  Mary  J.,  Emma  L.,  Augusta  C,  WiHiam  H.,  Joseph  L.,  Harley  G.,  Chai-les  A..  Walter  J.  and 
Clinton  J.  Mary  J.  married  James  Joseph  Whiting ;  Emma  L.  married  Hiram  Brown ;  Au- 
gusta C.  married  James  Viele.  Zadie  A.  was  daughter  of  George  and  Patience  (Carr)  Sny- 
der,, of  Duchess  count)',  who  settled  in  Saratoga  county  and  died  in  ^^■  arieii  county.  Parents, 
Abraham  and  Mary  (Slot)  Butler,  born  and  married  in  Duchess  county,  settled  in  Queensbury 
with  six  children.     Abraham  died  in  1868,  aged  93  ;  wife  died  in  1858,  children  two,  now  livin"-. 

Cadwell,  James  E.,  Dr.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Manlius,  Onondaga 
county,  in  1820,  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1850.  He  engaged  in  the  dental  profession,  which 
he  still  continues.  In  1882  he  retired  from  active  attention-  to  dentistry,  having  numerous  as- 
sistants, and  gave  his  attention  to  the  manufactory  of  sash,  doors,  blinds,  etc.,  he  having  pur- 
chased an  inter.-st  with  L.  G.  Wilson  &  Co.  It  is  now  run  by  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  S.  D.  Ken- 
drick.  As  a  factor}'  it  has  just  been  increased  in  capacity,  where  the  manufacture  of  all  build- 
ers' supplies  by  orders  or  contract  is  attended  to.  Mr.  Kendrick  is  also  a  dealer  in  drugs,  med- 
icines, oils,  etc.,  at  No.  51  Glen  street.  Dr.  Cadwell  was  married  to  Mrs.  {nee  Doty)  Marv  A. 
Wilson,  of  Glens  Falls,  in  1854,  and  they  have  three  daughters,  Elizabeth  E.,  Gertrude  L.'and 
Bertha.  Elizabeth  E.  mai-ried  Mr.  S.  D.  Kendrick.  of  St.  Lawrence  county,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Ethel  G.  Di'.  Cadwell  was  a  son  of  Rowland  Cadwell,  a  native  of  Springfield,  Mass. 
Besides  James  B.  he  has  eight  other  children. 

Cady,  J.  Fletcher,  Chester,  p.  o.  Pottersville,  was  born  in  Chester,  May  Gth,  1853.  He  is 
engaged  in  farming  and  the  livery  business,  has  held  the  office  of  collector  about  four  years 


Brief  Personals.  655 


deputy  sheriff  three  years,  and  was  constable  from  1875  to  1885 ;  is  much  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him  ;  was  married  to  Julia  Sherman  February  1st,  1872,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mattie. 
Mr.  Cady's  father  was  Dr.  John  W.  Cady,  a  native  of  Burlington,  Vt.  He  came  to  Chester 
when  a  youth.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Potter,  and  practiced  at  Pottersville  about  thirty 
years. 

Cameron,  Allen  C,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  was  born  in  1838  in  the  town  then 
called  Athol.  Is  a  farmer  and  expressman  in  Creek  Center.  Was  married  in  1861  to  Emily  A. 
Everts,  daughter  of  Horace  and  Orilla  (Williams)  Everts,  natives  of  this  county.  Mr.  Everts  is 
still  living,  over  seventy  years  of  age.  Mr.  Cameron's  parents  were  George  N.  and  Cynthia 
H.  (Coman)  Cameron,  natives  of  this  county,  who  died  .several  years  since. 

Carpenter,  James  H.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Vt.,  in 
1832.  In  his  early  life  he  worked  as  a  carpenter  and  builder  for  twelve  j'ears.  He  had  charge 
of  a  steamboat  on  Lake  Michigan  one  year.  In  1858  he  became  a  photographer,  and  in  1872 
he  purchased  his  present  hotel. .  It  is  one  of  the  old  popular  stands  at  Lake  George,  called  for 
many  years  the  Caldwell  House.  He  enlarged  and  called  it  the  Carpenter  House.  He  has  just 
been  enlarging  and  re-furnishing  it.  Mr.  Carpenter  married  Elizabeth  M.  Edwards  of  Essex  m 
1861.  His  grandfather,  David  Johnson,  was  a  body-guard  of  General  Washington  during  the 
Revolution.  Ho  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  English  and  held  on  board  a  vessel  off  New  York. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  in  Vermont,  where  he  died.  Mr.  Carpenter's  mother,  Julia 
Carpenter,  died  at  Glens  Falls,  leaving  three  cliiidren,  James  H,  Ira  and  Jerome. 

Carpenter,  Thomas,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  in  Chester,  June  14th,  1808.  He  is  a  miller 
by  trade,  which  trade  he  learned  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.  He  conducted  the  Horicon  grist-mill  for 
about  eighteen  years.  Was  married  to  Arsu  A.,  daughter  of  Stephen  A.  Evarts,  of  Thurman, 
Warren  county,  and  a  cousin  of  William  M.  Evarts.  They  have  one  son,  George,  now  married 
to  Carrie,  daughter  of  Hon.  R.  P.  Smith,  and  they  have  three  children,  Winheld  Scott,  Thursah, 
and  an  infant  unnamed.     Mr.  Carpenter's  parents  were  Joseph  and  Fannie  (Crandle)  Carpenter. 

Ca.shion,  Patrick  ^V.,  Queensbur}',  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  1854,  and  in  1875  he 
started  the  manufacture  of  carriages  and  sleighs  as  successor  to  Mr.  Morris.  From  that  time  to 
the  present  four  of  his  brothers  have  joined  him.  The  firm  is  now  Cashion  Bros.  In  1882  they 
built  a  large  factory,  100  feet  by  32,  and  three  stories,  and  have  now  developed  an  exten.sive 
business,  manufacturing  and  finishing  complete  from  their  several  departments  under  their  own 
supervision.  The  Cashion  Bros,  are  sons  of  Edward  and  Ann  Ca.shion,  natives  of  Ireland,  who 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1854. 

Champlin,  Lynn  0.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls  in  1856.  Jan- 
uary 1st,  1880,  he  formed  a  partnei.ship,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Champlin  &  Cameron 
commenced  dealing  in  hides,  leather  and  findings,  sheep  pelts,  calf  skin.s,  tallow  and  sheep-skin 
moccasins,  at  wholesale,  at  No.  73  Glen  street.  Glens  Falls.  The  partnership  was  dissolved  in 
April,  1^85,  and  Mr.  Champlin  continues  the  busines.s.  In  1832  he  married  Flora  Snedeker, 
of  Warren  county,  and  they  have  two  children,  Llora  G.  and  Mabel  E.  Mr.  L.  D.  Chaniplin's 
parents  were  George  and  Esther  A.  (Sisson)  Champlin.  Besides  Lynn  D.  they  have  four  chil- 
dren, Egbert,  Eliza,  Hattie  and  Helen  S. 

Charette,  Dr.  Louis,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  a  pl^ysician  and  surgeon  of  Warrensburgh,  was  a 
graduate  of  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1842.  He  settled  in  Bolton  the  same  year,  and  in 
1854  removed  to  Warrensburgh,  where  he  enjoys  an  extensive  practice  in  his  medical  profes- 
sion. Has  been  supervisor,  town  clerk,  in  Bolton,  and  coroner  in  AVarrensburgh.  Was  married 
in  1842  to  Miss  Margaret  Smith,  of  Bolton,  and  they  had  two  children,  George  B.  and  Louis  C. 
George  B.  enlisted  in  the  22d  Regiment  in  1861,  was  wounded,  and  died  September  14th,  1862, 
at  the  hospital  in  Washington.  Dr.  Charette  was  born  in  the  Northwest  Territory  at  Leach 
Lake,  now  the  State  of  Minnesota.  He  attended  the  Waterford  Academy  and  the  Medical 
College,  Dartmouth,  two  terms,  1837  and  1838.  Studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Timothy  Upham, 
of  Waterford,  N.  Y. 

Clifton,  Albert  C,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  Januaiy  28th,  1842,  and  came  to  Hague  in  1874. 
Is  proprietor  of  the  Island  Harbor  House,  which  is  one  of  the  most  quiet  and  picturesque  re- 
treats on  Lake  George.  It  was  built  in  1882  and  accommodates  thirty  guests.  Is  located  one 
mile  north  of  Hague  wharf,  and  three-fourths  mile  from  the  post-office  at  Hague.  Mr.  Clifton 
was  married  to  Augusta  L.  Severance,  of  Shoreham,  Vt.,  and  they  have  four  children,  Bernard, 
Alice,  Bessie  and  Grace. 

CoflSn,  Harvey  R.  T.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls  in  1854.  He 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  brick  in  the  old  stock  company  known  as  the  Glens  Falls  Brick 
Co.  In  1883  he  puichased  the  entire  interest  of  the  Glens  Falls  Brick  Co.,  and  the  works  are 
now  known  as  the  H.  R.  T.  Coffin  Brick  Works,  he  being  proprietor  of  the  Glens  Falls  Brick 


6s 6  History  of  Warren  County. 

Co.  It  was  first  organized  in  1849.  In  1882  he  organized  the  Jointa  Tile  and  Brick  Co.  in 
connection  with  the  Jointa  Lime  Co.,  and  in  1883  he  formed  a  company,  firm  of  Coffin,  Zim- 
mer  &  Co.  &  Alfred  Sweet,  and  established  poultry  yards  on  an  extensive  scale,  introducing  an 
incubator,  capacity  of  1,000  eggs.  His  stock  of  fowls  are  all  pure  breed  land  and  water  fowls. 
Any  one  can  order  or  send  for  circular  and  price  list.  They  also  breed  blooded  stock  and  deal 
in  dogs  of  fine  imported  stock,  hunting  and  house  pets,  p.  o.  address  Coffin  &  Zimmer,  Glens 
Falls,  'Warren  county.  He  was  married  in  1876  to  Catherine  J.  De  Long,  and  they  have  three 
children,  Theodore  D.,  Mildred  N.  and  Earl  B.  Mr.  Coffin  is  son  of  Sanford  and  Catharine 
(Wing)  Coffin. 

Coffin,  Dr.  Henry  "W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  is  the  son  of  Sanford  and  Catherine 
(Wing)  Coffin.  Was  born  in  Glens  Falls  in  1859,  and  read  medicine  with  Dr.  S.  T.  Birdsall,  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  In  1881  he  graduated  from  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College, 
where  he  piacticed  his  profession  until  1883,  when  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls.  Was  married  in 
1882  to  Anna  Dix,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  one  son,  John  Dix  Coffin.  Dr.  Coffin's  grand- 
parents were  early  settlers  in  Warren  county. 

Cole,  Chas.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  1861  Since  Jan.,  1885,  he  has  been  assistant' 
editor  of  the  'Warrensbugh  News.  He  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Amy  (Tucker)  Cole.  His  mother 
died  in  1883  leaving  five  children :  Adaline,  Ira,  Rachel,  Belle  and  Charles.  Mr.  Cole's  grand- 
parents were  Ira  and  Lydia  (Prosser)  Cole,  and  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Caldwell. 

Conkey,  George  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  son  of  John  and  Hester  Conkey,  was 
born  in  ISTew  Y'ork  city  in  1837.  Is  an  artist.  He  learned  his  profe.ssion  of  S.  A.  Holmes  and 
C.  D.  Fredericks,  of  New  Y'ork  city.  In  1861  he  came  to  Glens  Falls  to  instruct  in  his  art,  and 
there  made  the  first  photograph  in  the  county.  He  has  so  well  pleased  with  his  success  that  he 
remained,  and  now  has  one  of  the  best  galleries  in  the  county,  opposite  the  post-office  on  War- 
ren street ;  in  1860  he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Leonard,  of  Albany. 

Cook,  William,  Hague,  p.  o.  Ticonderoga,  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  agriculturists  and 
land-holders  of  'Warren  county;  was  born  Sept.  21st.,  1819 ;  was  married  to  Miss  Carohne 
Moses,  of  Ticonderoga,  and  they  have  two  children,  William  A.  and  Carrie  C.  Mr.  Cook's  par- 
ents were  William  and  Sophia  (Morse)  Cook. 

Coolidge,  Jonathan  M.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1832.  He  re- 
sided with  his  parents  at  Bolton  until  1865,  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering,  and  afterward 
settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  the  firm  of  Coolidge,  Lee  &  Co.,  doing  a  wholesale  and  retail  business 
in  dry  goods,  groceries  and  provisions ;  in  1873  T.  S.  Coolidge  retired  from  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  was  continued  until  1881  under  the  firm  name  of  Coolidge  &  Lee.  In  1879  the 
firm  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  ground  wood  pulp  at  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Coolidge 
has  been  supervisor  two  terms  in  Bolton,  and  member  of  the  town  war  committee,  supervisor 
of  Queensbury  three  terms,  president  of  the  corporation  one  term  and  director  of  the  First 
National  Bank  and  Glens  Falls  Paper  Mill  Co.  In  1884  was  elected  president  of  the  Glens  Falls 
Terra  Cotta  and  Brick  Co.     Mr.  Coolidge  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Hannah  McBchron. 

Coolidge,  Thomas  S.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Bolton,  Warren  county, 
February  8th,  1839.  Has  been  an  active  business  man  of  the  county.  In  1853  he  became  a 
clerk  in  a  country  store,  and  in  1861  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Chester.  He  sold 
out  and  went  to  Glens  Falls  in  1865  and  started  a  new  store,  firm  of  T.  S.  Coolidge  &  Co.  In 
1866  he  formed  a  company  which  still  exists  of  T.  S.  &  Jonathan  M.  Coolidge,  and  George  W. 
Lee,  firm  of  Coolidge,  Lee  &  Co.  In  1873  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  mercantile  business  to  his 
partners,  but  continued  with  them  in  some  real  estate  and  other  investments.  Since  1868  he 
has  been  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  Glens  Fall  lime,  and  since  1869  continuously  en- 
gaged in  its  sale  for  his  own  and  all  the  other  companies  located  there.  Mr.  T.  S.  Coolidge  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  present  Morgan  Lumber  Co.,  and  in  1868  he  purchased  one-fourth 
interest  in  the  Jointa  Lime  Co.,  and  is  now  agent  for  four  lime  companies  that  have  consolidated. 
He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Ball  Mountain  Co.,  and  director  of  the  Glens  Falls  National  Bank. 
Has  been  trustee  of  the  corporation,  director  of  the  Glens  Falls  Insurance  Co.  and  of  the  Terra 
Cotta  M'f'g.  Co.  In  1867  he  married  Miss  Georgiana  Palmer,  of  Saratoga,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Gertrude. 

Cooley,  James  S.,  A.M.,  M.D.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Washington  county,  in 
June,  1845,  and  fitted  for  College  at  North  Granville  Academy  and  Fort  Edward  Institute.  He 
was  graduated  from  Williams  College,  Mass.,  with  the  class  of  1869,  and  afterwards  taught  for 
four  years  at  Fort  Edward  Institute  as  professor  of  ancient  languages  and  natural  science, 
under  Rev.  Joseph  E.  King,  D.  D.,  holding  the  position  of  vice-principal  one  year.  In  1873  he 
was  chosen  principal  of  Glens  Falls  Academy,  where  he  remained  until  1876,  when  he  resigned 
and  completed  his  medical  studies  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  and  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he  received  his  diploma  in  Feb.,  1877.     He 


Brief  Personals.  657 


commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Sandy  Hill,  Washington  Co.,  but  in  June,  1880, 
removed  to  Luzerne,  where  he  is  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  good  practice  as  the  successor  of 
Dr.  James  G.  Porteous  For  nearly  three  years  he  has  held  the  office  of  coroner,  and  is  the 
present  health  officer  of  the  town,  and  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the  county.  He  was 
married  in  1872  to  Miss  M.  Reba  Clark,  of  Willsborough,  Essex  Co.,  and  has  a  family  of  two 
children :  Mary  Hope,  and  Ernest  Grenville. 

Cooper,  John,  p.  o.  Forth  Creek,  was  born  in  England  Feb.  14th,  1822,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Broughton)  Cooper.  He  came  to  America  in  1841  and  settled  in  Johnsburgh,  where  he 
has  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  owns  100  acres  of  land  ;  was  married  to  Sarah  Aldens,  of 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  two  children :  John  W.  and  George. 

Cote,  Dr.  C,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Quebec,  Canada, 
in  1855.  Is  a  graduate  of  the  Montreal  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  of  A''ictoria 
University,  Cobourg,  Ontario,  and  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
London.  Dr.  Cote  settled  at  Glens  Falls  in  1884,  No.  68  Glen  St.  Was  married  in  1880  to 
Miss  Agnes  Bonde. 

Cotton,  Orange,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1805.  Was  formerly  a  successful  farmer  and 
lumberman,  but  has  now  retired  from  business.  Has  been  a  supervisor  of  the  town  ;  was  married 
in  1839  to  Miss  Ann  Brown.  She  died  in  1881  leaving  four  children:  Calista,  Julia,  Silas,  and 
Arthur  L.  Arthur  L.  married  Miss  Amanda  Burton,  and  they  have  one  daughter.  Silas  mar- 
ried Miss  Delia  George  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Annie.  Mr.  Cotton  was  a  son  of  Luther 
and  Ann  Cotton.     They  had  but  two  children. 

Coty,  Peter,  jr.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Canada  in  1843  and  with  his  parents  settled  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  m  1855.  He  removed  to  Luzerne  in  1875,  and  is  now  the  leading  blacksmith  of 
the  town.  He  is  also  a  carriage  and  wagon  manufacturer;  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Matilda 
Gilber  of  Glens  Falls.     She  died  in  1882,  leaving  a  family  of  nine  children. 

Covel,  Henry,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Brant  Lake,  is  a  native  of  Chesterfield,  and  was  born  in  1838. 
Has  been  a  resident  of  Horicon  since  1859.  Is  a  farmer  and  owns  75  acres  of  land ;  was  mar- 
ried to  Harriet,  daughter  of  Leonard  Wood,  of  Horicon,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Ida  May. 
Mr.  Covel  was  a  soldier  of  the  118th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf'y.,  Co.  D.  Entered  in  August,  1862,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  father,  Daniel,  was  a  native  of  Keeseville,  and  was  a 
contractor  by  occupation. 

Cowle.s,  Benjamin  Sedgewick,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Saratoga  county,  Nov. 
6th,  1841,  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1864,  and  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery  trade  in  1868  ; 
wife,  Harriet  A.  Faxon,  daughter  of  Hon.  W.  A.  and  Mary  (Foster)  Faxon,  married  in  1867  ; 
one  daughter,  Mary  Cornelia,  born  in  1880.  Parents,  Benjamin  and. Cornelia  (Van  Sanford) 
Cowles,  of  Saratoga  county,  the  former  born  in  1805,  the  latter  born  in  Saratoga  county,  April 
29th,  1804,  married  in  1825,  the  latter  died  in  1862  leaving  six  children.  Grandparents,  Benja- 
min and  Rosanna  (Boardman)  Cowles;  children,  nine.  Greatgrandfather,  Nathaniel,  whose 
father,  John,  came  from  the  west  of  England  and  settled  in  Connecticut  in  1634. 

Cowles,  Daniel  H.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Hadley  (now  Corinth),  Sara- 
toga county,  January  1st,  1810.  Settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1833,  and  commenced  business 
as  a  general  merchant,  of  the  firm  of  Rogers  &  Cowles.  In  1835,  his  partner  died  and  he 
changed  the  firm  name  to  D.  H.  Cowles  &  Co.,  which  remained  until  1875  when  he  retired  from 
the  business,  but  not  from  active  life.  He  is  a  man  interested  in  all  public  enterprises  of  city 
and  county,  and  his  advice  is  sought  by  many  people. 

Crandall,  Emerson  S.,  p.  o.  Wai-rensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1846.  In  1859  he 
succeeded  his  father  in  the  mercantile  business.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace  one  term  and 
county  treasurer  two  terms;  in  1872  he  was  married  to  Mary  Mixture,  of  Warrensburgh,  and 
they  had  three  children,  Minnie  F.,  Chas.  S.  (deceased),  and  an  infant.  Mr.  Crandall  was  a  son 
of  Josiah  and  Mary  Ann  (Stead)  Crandall.  Mr.  Crandall,  senior,  settled  in  Warrensburgh  in 
1832  and  learned  the  tanning  business,  also  manufactured  boots  and  shoes.  He  continued  this 
business  until  1867,  when  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  in  which  he  has  been  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son. 

Crandall,  Harvey,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1829,  and  married 
Miss  Eveline  Hubbell,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Betsey  Hubbell.  They  have  one  son,  William 
E.  Crandall.  Mr.  Crandall  commenced  his  business  life  as  a  blacksmith  in  1860,  and  is  still 
engaged  in  that  business.  He  is  also  a  machinist  and  practical  engineer,  and  carries  on  the 
plumbing,  gas-fitting  and  heating  business.  His  son  William  E.  now  owns  and  runs  the  pleas- 
ure excursion  steamer,  D.  W.  Sherman,  and  is  also  a  practical  engineer.  Mr.  Harvey  Crandall's 
grandparents  were  from  Scotland  and  among  the  early  settlers  of  this  town.  He  has  two  chil- 
dren now  living,  Seth  W.,  who  is  father  to  Harvey,  and  Gideon. 
42 


6s8  History  of  Warren  County. 

Crandell,  Isaac,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  G-lens  Falls,  born  in  Queensbury  August  14th,  1836 ;  wife, 
Elizabeth  Newton,  daughter  of  John  and  Maria  Newton,  born  in  Kingsbury,  Washington 
county,  May  23d,  1837,  and  married  September  17th,  1861;  two  children  ;  Herbert  L.,  born 
July  7th,  1867,  and  Lillian,  born  July  31st,  1870.  Paretrts,  Peter  and  Frelove  (Cole)  Crandell, 
born  in  Warren  county,  Feb.  17th,  1803,  the  latter  born  in  1816,  married  in  1833 ;  two  sons, 
Isaac  and  John,  the  latter  born  1839,  died  August  21st,  1873,  leaving  widow  and  daughter, 
Carry.  Isaac  Crandell  has  been  engaged  in  many  different  enterprises,  first,  carpenter  and 
builder,  gun-smith,  a  photographer,  thirteen  years  a  machinist  for  fine  work.  Erected  his  pres- 
ent dwelling,  office  and  extensive  green-house.  Deals  extensively  in  plants  and  gives  his  entire 
attention  to  the  floral  business. 

Crandal,  Sela  W.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1825.  Has  been  a 
farmer  and  lumber  manufacturer.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace  and  held  several  minor  town 
and  district  offices;  was  married  to  Miss  Sally  A.  AA'ilcox,  of  Caldwell,  in  1854,  and  they  had 
tw<i  children.  Jay  and  Mary  Jane.  Mr.  Crandal  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Tucker) 
Crandal,  natives  of  the  New  England  States.  She  died  in  1839  leaving  eleven  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living:  Seneca,  Luana,  Sela  W.,  and  Mary.  Benjamin  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  man}'  years  and  filled  a  prominent  position  in  town.  One  of  his  ancestors  was  chaplain  in 
Washington's  army. 

Cunningham,  Thomas,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Essex  county  in  1826.  He 
read  law  with  Messrs.  Kellogg  &  Hale,  of  Essex  county,  and  graduated  at  Plattsburg 
in  1854.  He  then  settled  in  Warrensburgh  where  he  still  resides  following  his  old  pro- 
fession, but  devoting  a  portion  of  his  time  to  the  management  of  his  farm.  He  also  has  charge 
of  the  Lake  George  and  Warrensburgh  Plank  Road,  in  which  he  is  a  large  stock  owner.  It  is 
one  of  the  finest  roads  of  the  State.  Mr.  Cunningham  has  been  supervisor  for  fifteen  years, 
also  appointed  deputy  revenue  collector,  and  district  attorney.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  politi- 
cal and  influential  men  of  his  town ;  was  married  in  1858  to  ilary  B.  Burdick  of  Warrensburgh, 
and  they  have  a  family  of  seven  children  :  Chas.  B.,  Frank,  Fred,  Harry,  Robert,  Maude,  and 
Alice.     Chas.  B.  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  in  18S1,  and  now  a  teacher. 

Cushion,  John,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1841.  He  commenced 
as  a  hand  on  the  canal  in  1857;  is  now  engaged  in  saloon,  boarding  and  boating;  his  wife  was 
a  daughter  of  Dennis  and  Mary  (Shehan)  Linch.  Thej'  were  natives  of  County  Cork,  Ireland, 
and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1800.  He  died  in  1861,  leaving  a  family  of  five  children,  three 
sons  and  two  daughters,  who  reside  in  Glens  Falls.  Mr.  Cushion's  parents  were  Edward  and 
Bessie  (Brownlow)  Cushion.  Mrs.  Cushion  died  in  1844,  leaving  the  one  child,  John,  and 
Edward  married  for  his  second  wife  Ann  Noonan.  They  came  to  America,  settling  in  Glens 
Falls  in  1850.     They  had  six  children. 

Dalrymple,  Luther,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  in 
1820.  Is  a  son  of  Luther  and  Sally  (Hammond)  Dalrymple.  Luther  was  married  to  Huldah 
Sexton,  of  Bolton,  in  1845,  and  they  have  a  family  of  four  children :  Brigham  H.,  Mary  M. 
Erskine  L.,  Elmer  E.  Mary  is  now  Mrs.  Roj'al  Potter.  Erskine  married  Miss  Mina  Griffin, 
and  Elmer  E.  married  iliss  Julia  Wood.  Mr.  Dalrymple's  father,  Luther  Dalrymple  was  in  the 
War  of  1812.  He  settled  at  Northwest  Bay  about  1800.  Luther  has  two  brothers,  Harrison 
and  Edgar,  who  are  Morman  ministers  at  Utah. 

Davis,  Ransom,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  at  Hinesburgh,  Chittenden  county, 
Vt,  in  1814.  Is  a  general  farmer,  and  settled  in  Bolton  in  1837  on  his  present  farm  of  200 
acres;  has  been  assessor,  excise  commissioner,  and  highway  commissioner,  and  has  held  other 
minor  offices  for  his  town ;  was  married  in  1835  to  Miss  Anna  Remington,  of  Wallingford,  Vt 
They  had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  six  of  them  now  hving:  Almaria,  Diadama,  Rebecca, 
Lucina,  Alma,  and  Charley.  Alma  was  formerly  a  teacher.  They  all  reside  in  Bolton.  Mr. 
Davis  was  a  son  of  Luther  and  Susanna  (Rounds)  Davis. 

Davis,  William  Henry  Harrison,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  1839.  Has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  several  terms,  and  assessor  two  terms;  also  has  held  other  local  offices'  was 
married  in  1862  to  Miss  Editha  A.  Robinson,  and  they  have  had  four  children :  Stella,  died  1878 
aged  15,  Carson,  Benton,  and  Belva.  Mr.  Davis  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  enlisted  in  1861  in 
Co.  F.,  22d  N.  y.  Vol.  and  was  discharged  for  disability.  He  now  receives  a  merited  pension. 
Four  of  his  brothers  also  served  in  the  war.  One  brother,  A.  J.  Davi.s,  was  killed  at  the  Second 
Battle  o£  Bull  Run.     Mr.  Davis's  parents  were  Lensey  and  Esther  Davis. 

Davison,  William  H.,  p.  o.  Johnsburgh,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  June  20th,  1809,  and 
settled  with  his  mother  in  Johnsburgh,  on  the  farm  he  now  occupies,  m  1817.  Has  been  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  fifty-five  years,  and  local  preacher  forty-eight  years- 
was  twice  married;  first  in  1836  to  Nancy  Somerville,  and  they  have  three  children:  Sally  A.' 
John  F.,  and  Samuel  A.  His  first  wife  died  and  in  1845,  he  married  Christi  Ann  Russell,  and 
they  have  four  children  :  James,  Jefferson  C,  Charlie  L.,  and  Willie  L. 


Brief  Personals.  659 


Day,  Henry  M.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  bora  in  Chestei-,  Wai-ren  county,  N.  Y., 
in  1851.  His  parents  were  Calvin  and  Caroline  (Vosburgh)  Day.  Mr.  Day,  sr.,  was  a  mer- 
chant and  miller.  His  son,  Henry  M.,  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1872,  spending  several  years  as 
clerk  for  the  leading  merchants  of  that  place.  In  1882  he  purchased  an  interest  with  Mr.  John 
S.  Powers  in  the  general  grocery  and  provision  business,  wholesale  and  retail,  dealing  in  all  fancy 
goods,  fruits,  cigars,  tobacco  and  country  produce ;  he  married  Jennie  H.  Bibby  of  England.  Her 
lather,  Mr  George  Bibby,  of  England,  settled  in  Glens  Falls. 

Dearstyne,  Howard  A.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1837.  In  18G5  he  opened  a 
summer  hotel,  and  with  the  help  of  his  mother  conducted  it  in  a  successful  way.  They  contin- 
ued to  increase  its  capacity  and  now  have  ample  accommodations  for  100  guests.  The  liotel, 
called  the  Wells  House,  is  located  south  of  Bolton  Landing,  on  the  we.st  side  of  Lake  George, 
having  a  private  steamboat  dock  and  a  variety  of  small  sail-boats.  There  is  also  a  fine  livery 
attached  to  the  hotel  accommodations.  Mr.  Dearstyne  has  held  the  offices  of  town  clerk,  super- 
intendent of  the  poor,  hig'hwaj'  commissioner,  and  supervisor;  was  married  in  18C0  to  Miss 
Chloe  Underwood.  She  died  in  1875,  and  he  married  his  second  wife,  iliss  Fanny  C.  Palmeter. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Sarah.  Mr.  Dearstyne  was  a  son  of  John  and  Dorcas  (Potter)  Dear- 
styne.    They  had  a  family  of  three  children,  but  one  now  living. 

De  Long,  Daniel  P.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Conklinville,  Saratoga  county, 
in  1850.  In  1872  he  engaged  in  trade  as  a  general  dry  goods  merchant — firm  name,  Eobbins 
&  De  Long.  They  are  dealers  in  domestic  goods  of  all  kinds,  dress  goods,  cloaks,  shawls,  and 
a  full  and  inviting  line  of  fancy  goods  and  embroideries.  They  are  among  the  leading  stores  of 
Northern  Xew  York.  Nov.  18th,  1873,  Mr.  De  Long  married  Emily  P.  Tearse,  of  Grand  Rap- 
ids, Mich.     They  have  four  children :  Walter  J.,  Archy  Z.,  Robert  T.,  and  Chester  S. 

De  Long,  Theodore  S.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  PaUs,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county  in  1839. 
His  parents  were  Zopher  I.  and  Catherine  (Scott)  De  Long.  They  were  married  in  1838  and 
settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1860.  Eight  children :  Theodore  S.,  John  B.,  Cutler  J.,  Daniel  P., 
George  P.,  lone  E.,  Margaret  E.,  and  Catharine  J.  Zopher  I.  De  Long  was  an  eaily  merchant  in 
the  town  of  Day,  and  has  been  trustee  and  supervisor  for  Glens  Falls.  He  commenced  the  hard- 
ware business  in  1860;  firm  then  Dan'l  Peck,  Z.  I.  De  Long,  T.  S.  De  Long,  under  tirm  name 
of  Peck,  De  Long  &  Co.  In  1862  it  was  changed  to  De  Long  &  Son,  Z.  I.  De  Long  and  T.  S. 
De  Long,  and  later  to  De  Long  &  Sons,  John  B.  De  Long  having  been  admitted  as  partner. 
Theodore  S.  De  Long,  in  1869,  married  Miss  Caroline  A.  Roosa.  of  Sullivan  county,  and  have 
one  daughter,  Roosa.  The  firm  of  De  Long  &  Sons  are  extensive  dealers  in  all  classes  of  shelf 
hardware,  cutlery  and  carpenters'  and  builders'  material,  stoves  and  house  furnishing  goods,  94 
Glen  street. 

Dickenson,  Asa  W.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  in 
1831.  Has  held  office  of  assessor  for  seven  years,  and  was  elected' for  the  last  term  in  1884" 
was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Betsey  Griffin,  of  Bolton,  and  they  have  two  children :  Elmer  G. 
and  Victor  W.     Mr.  Dickenson  was  a  son  of  John  and  Lucy  (Winters)  Dickinson. 

Duell,  Richard,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Brant  Lake,  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Duell  family  in  Horicon  • 
he  came  from  Vermont  at  a  very  early  date  and  located  on  a  portion  of  Alphonzo  Duell's  pres- 
ent farm.  The  family  is  represented  in  Horicon  by  Alphonzo,  grandson  of  Richard  Duell.  He 
was  born  August  25th,  1832.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  50  acres  of  land.  Was  a  soldier  of  the 
Rebellion,  a  member  of  the  142d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf'y. ;  entered  in  1864  and  served  one  year;  was 
wounded  in  the  knee  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  and  is  a  pensioner.  His  wife  was  Phebe  J. 
daughter  of  Isaac  Hill,  deceased,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ella. 

Duell,  Joseph  R.,  a  member  of  the  same  family,  was  born  in  Horicon  January  13th,  1844. 
He  was  also  a  soldier  of  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  January,  1862,  in  the  93d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry; 
he  served  until  August,  1865;  was  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  Yorktown,  Williamsburg  and 
others;  was  married  to  Maria,  daughter  of  Jacob  Duell,  January  7th,  1861,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Bertie. 

Duell,  Richard  H.,  another  grandson  of  Richard,  was  born  in  Horicon  September  18th,  1814 ; 
is  a  farmer,  owner  of  65  acres  of  land  and  is  engaged  in  the  jobbing  lumber  business ;  was  mar- 
ried in  September,  1864,  to  Henrietta  Stannard,  and  they  have  six  children:  Chauncey  R., 
Herbert,  Norman  H.,  Addie  A.,  John  F.,  and  Alice  A. 

Dunlop,  James  W.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Scotland  ;  was  married  in  1857,  at  Morristown  N. 
J.,  to  Miss  Mary  Thomas,  and  in  1862  they  purohas  d  a  summer  residence  on  the  bank  of  Lake 
George.  He  died  in  1870,  leaving  four  children,  one  now  deceased.  Those  living  are :  James 
W.,  Mary,  and  Christine.     Mrs.  Dunlop's  parents  were  of  English  descent. 

Emerson,  Albert  C,  p.  o.Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Newberry,  N.  H.,  Aug.  13th,  1829. 
Removed  to  Warrensburgh  in  1837  where  he  has  since  resided.  Commenced  his  busine.ss  life 
as  a  clerk,  and  became  a  successful  merchant.     In    1855  he  entered  into  the  lumber  business 


66o  History  of  Warren  County. 

and  holds  a  large  interest  in  that  branch  of  manufacture.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  leather,  firm  A.  0.  Emerson  &  Co.  Was  married  in  1855  to  Miss  Abigail  Woodward, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Joseph  and  Juha  Woodward.  They  have  two  children,  Louie  W.  and  James 
Alfred.  In  Jan.,  1884,  Mr.  Emerson  in  company  with  his  son  Louie  W.  organized  a  banking 
house.  He  also  visited  and  invested  largely  in  the  Northwest,  Puyallup,  Washington  Terri- 
tory. 

Enches,  Calhoun  S.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls  Oct.  31,  1848. 
He  read  law  in  the  office  of  Armstrong  <fc  Keefe,  finishing  with  Judge  Davis.  Was  admitted 
to  the  bar  Jan.  14th,  1876,  and  commenced  practice  in  Glens  Fails.  Was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  one  term,  and  town  clerk  one  term;  was  married  Sept.  11th,  1877,  to  Miss  Katie E.  Bar- 
bour, of  Thurman.  Mr.  Enches's  parents  were  Gideon  S.  and  Charlotte  (Hammond)  Enches. 
Besides  the  subject  of  this,  they  had  three  other  children,  0.  Josephine,  Herbert  L.  and  Ada  I. 

Farr,  Prof.  Daniel  C,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glans  FalLs,  of  Glens  Falls  Academy,  was  born  at 
Ashby,  Middlesex  Co.  Mass.,  in  1847.  Graduated  in  1868  from  the  Lawrence  Academy,  Mass., 
also  a  graduate  of  Williams  ColUege,  class  of  1872,  settling  in  Fort  Edward  as  instructor  in  Latin 
in  the  Fort  Edward  Institute.  He  afterward  took  charge  of  the  public  schools  of  the  town  and 
in  1877  founded  what  is  known  as  the  Island  Grove  School.  In  1878  he  accepted  the  office  of 
principal  of  the  Glens  Falls  Academy,  where  he  still  remains,  the  institution  being  one  of  the 
first  in  the  State.  Prof.  Farr's  parents  were  Marshall  and  Lois  (Wheeler)  Farr,  the  former  a 
native  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  and  the  latter  of  Acton,  Mass. 

Fennell,  A.  H.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Groton,  Tompkins  Co.,  in  1837. 
In  1870  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  firm  Petit  &  Fennell.  He  relinquished  the  business 
in  1873  and  became  acting  agent  for  the  Glens  Falls  and  Lake  George  Stage  Co.,  until  the  open- 
ing of  the  R.  R.  when  he  was  appointed  general  freight  and  depot  agent  at  Lake  George ;  was 
married  in  1868  to  Eliza  Freeleigh,  of  Greene  Co.,  and  they  have  three  children,  Fred  S.,  Maud 
H.  and  Helen  F.  Mr.  Fennel's  parents  were  Rev.  Andrew  J.  and  Racillia  (Hackley)  Fennel. 
They  had  three  sons,  Andrew  H.,  George  H.,  and  Charles  H. 

Fennel,  Rev.  Andrew  J.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Rutland  Co.,  Tt.,  in 
1815.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Castleton  Seminary,  Vt,  and  also  of  the  Auburn  Theological 
Seminary  in  1843,  when  he  became  stated  supply  at  Groton,  Tompkins  Co.,  for  three  years. 
Was  called  to  Glens  Falls  in  1846  and  installed  over  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  where  he 
still  remains.  He  has  a  large  and  influential  congregation.  Smce  he  has  been  there  two  brick 
edifices  have  been  built,  both  destroyed  by  fire.  The  third  now  being  erected,  if  completed 
according  to  plans,  will  be  one  of  the  imposing  structures  of  the  State.  In  1843  he  was  married 
to  Miss  R.  Augusta  Heckley,  of  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  have  had  five  children,  three  of 
whom  are  now  liviner.     Mr.  Fennel's  parents  were  Calvin  and  Abigail  Gorham  Fennel 

Ferguson,  George,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  son  of  Henry  and  Rosana  (Harris)  Fer- 
guson, was  born  in  the  town  of  Queensbury,  July  10th,  1831.  In  185G  he  became  a  partner 
with  his  father  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  at  the  death  of  his  father  in  1869,  he  took  the 
business  and  continues  it  at  present,  it  being  the  oldest  mercantile  house  in  the  town  ;  in 
1856  he  married  Miss  Marietta  Hawley  of  Glens  Falls.  She  died  in  1868,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren, H.  Dudley,  G.  Frederick,  and  Anna  M.  In  1869,  he  married  for  his  second  wife.  Miss  Mary 
E.  Knox  of  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Elizabethtown,  Essex  Co.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Gertie 
B.  Mr.  Ferguson  was  supervisor  for  three  years  in  succession,  and  town  clerk  for  eight  years, 
excise  commissioner  for  six  years  and  treasurer  of  corporation  for  one  year.  Besides  George, 
his  parents  had  three  other  children — Ann,  Hiram  and  Henry  A.  Hiram  resides  in  Albany, 
Ann  is  Widow  Phillipps,  and  Henry  A.  resides  in  N.  Y.  city. 

Ferguson,  Dr.  James,  was  born  June'29th,  1818,  at  Kortright,  Delaware  county,  N.  T.,  his 
parents  being  John  and  Margaret  (Skellie)  Ferguson.  He  read  medicine  at  Davenport,  N.  Y., 
with  Dr.  John  Ferguson  and  in  the  town  of  Bovina,  N.  Y.,  with  Drs.  Green  and  Ferguson. 
Attended  his  first  course  of  medical  lectures  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of 
Western  New  York  at  Fairfield  and  received  his  diploma  in  June,  1841,  from  the  Academy  of 
Medicine  at  Castleton,  Vermont.  From  1841  to  1852  he  practiced  his  profession  at  North  Blen- 
heim, Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  where  on  December  27th,  1843,  he  married  Miss  Cornelia 
Hager  of  that  place,  by  whom  he  has  two  living  children,  Walter  J.  and  Margaret  E.  In  1852  he 
removed  to  Glens  Falls,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  is  still  practicing.  In  1877  Dr.  Fergusci 
purchased  Prospect  Mountain  (now  Mount  Ferguson),  situated  one  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
village  of  Caldwell.  The  house  was  remodeled  and  opened  as  a  summer'  hotel.  In  1880  this 
hotel  with  the  surrounding  forest  was  destroyed  by  a  forest  fire  caused  by  the  negligence  of  a 
neighboring  farmer.  Relying  upon  the  statements  of  ceitain  eye  witnesses  Dr.  Ferguson  sued 
Frederic  B.  Hubbell,  of  Caldwell,  for  $8,000  damages  caused  by  the  fire,  but  owing  to  clever 
legal  management  was  defeated  after  two  trials  and  various  appeals  to  higher  courts.  The  liti- 
gation was  one  of  the  most  famous  in  the  county.     The  Mountain  House  has  since  been  rebuilt 


Brief  Personals.  66i 


and  now  stands  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain  some  1,800  feet  above  the  waters  of  Lake 
George  and  commands  one  of  the  most  magnificent  views  in  America. 

Ferriss,  George  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.,  in  1836 
Was  a  graduate  of  the  Glens  Falls  Academy.  In  Jan.,  1867,  he  commenced  the  general  whole- 
sale and  retail  drug  business  in  Glens  Falls  under  the  firm  name  of  Haviland  &  Ferriss,  and 
have  continued  until  the  present  time.  They  were  successors  to  George  W.  Sisson,  who  estab- 
lished the  business  in  1860.  Their  business  has  been  largely  increased  and  in  1882  they  opened 
a  second  store  for  all  builders'  wants,  hardware,  carpenters'  tools,  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  Mr. 
Ferriss  was  clerk  for  G.  W.  Sisson  before  his  purchase.  His  parents  were  Benjamin  and  Sarah 
(Cooper)  Ferris.     Thej'  had  two  other  children  besides  George  W. 

Finch,  Daniel  J.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Kingsbury,  Washington  Co.i 
in  1834.  He  commenced  business  with  his  brother  in  Washington  Co.,  in  1854,  manufacturing 
and  shipping  lumber,  and  in  1866  they  engaged  with  Mr.  Samuel  Pruyn  in  that  business,  and 
settled  in  Glens  Falls,  where  they  still  reside,  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  and  shipping  of 
various  products,  lumber,  lime,  lath,  timber,  and  flour;  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Isabella 
Weston,  of  Davenpprt,  Iowa,  and  they  have  five  children,  Charles  M.,  Daniel  J.  jr.,  Weston, 
Isabella,  and  Henry  A.  Finch. 

Fish,  George  R.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  1834.  He  is  now  the  proprietor  of  the  Locust 
Grove  Hotel  of  Lake  George.  It  is  one  of  the  attractive  points  on  the  west  shore  of  the  lake 
for  boating  and  fishing.  The  hotel  has  ample  accommodations  for  150  guests,  with  cottages  ad- 
joining ;  Mr.  Fish  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Odell  of  Queensbury,  in  1851,  and  they  had 
two  children,  Delia  A.  and  Inez  B.,  one  only  living,  Inez  B.  Mr.  Fish  was  a  son  of  John  and 
Delia  (Shaw)  Fish.  They  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  George  R.,  John  R.,  Montgomery 
and  Ellen..    Montgomery  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war. 

Fitz  Gerald,  Dr.  David  J.,  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Kearney,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1858- 
Came  to  the  United  State  in  1864  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Fort  Edward,  Washington 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1865  after  remaining  a  short  time  in  Glens  Falls.  Dr.  Fitz  Gerald  received  his 
education  at  Fort  Edward  Union  School  and  Fort  Edward  Institute  where  he  graduated  in  1876. 
He  afterwards  taught  school  for  three  years,  studying  medicine  in  the  meantime  with  Dr.  Lin- 
endoll,  of  Fort  Edward.  Entered  Albany  Medical  College  in  1881  and  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1884.  After  spending  some  months  in  the  hospitals  at  New  York,  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in 
medical  practice.  May  1st,  1884,  he  entered  into  a  co-partnership  with  Dr.  Ferguson,  who  is 
the  oldest  practitioner  in  the  place. 

Fortune,  James,  p.  o.  Essex,  was  born  in  Northumberland,  England,  March  29th,  1803. 
He  received  a  liberal  early  education,  acquiring  some  knowledge  of  farming  pursuits.  With 
his  parents  he  came  to  America  in  1819.  He  is  a  retired  farmer ;  was  married  in  1830  to  Har- 
riett, daughter  of  Elisha  Royce.  They  had  nine  children  of  whom  six  are  living,  all  residents  of 
Western  States  but  one.  John,  the  eldest,  continues  to  reside  in  Essex.  Mr.  Fortune  con- 
tinued upon  his  farm  in  Westport  until  1860.  He  soon  after  removed  to  Essex  village  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  has  been  a  life  long  Democrat  in  politics  and  with  his  wife  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  over  55  years. 

Foster,  Dr.-  Chas.  A.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Mariinsburg,  Lewis  Co.,  in 

1845.  Was  a  graduate  of  St.  Stephen's  College,  Annondale,  in  1869.  For  two  years  he  was 
professor  of  history  and  English  literature,  a  teachei-  of  Latin  and  Greek  one  year  and  in  1879 
graduated  from  the  Lewisville  Medical  College.  He  practiced  as  house  surgeon  of  the  city  hos- 
pital for  one  year,  and  in  June,  1882,  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  his  profession.  Was  married  in 
1880  to  Miss  Catherine  R.  Wetsell  of  Glens  Falls.  Mr.  Foster  was  a  son  of  A.  and  Jane  (Sco- 
ville)  Foster.  His  grandfather  was  Aaron  Foster,  a  pioneer  of  Lewis  Co.,  who  served  in  the 
war  of  1812. 

Fowler,  Byron  B.,   Queensbury,  p.  o.   Glens  Falls,   was  born  in  Chester,   Warren   Co.,  in 

1846.  He  establi-shed  his  present  business  in  1869  under  the  firm  of  Fowler  Bros.  (Byron  B. 
and  Joseph),  deaUng  in  general  domestic  and  all  staple  and  fancy  dry  goods,  making  a  specialty 
of  fine  dress  goods,  silks,  &c.  From  that  time  to  the  present  they  have  done  a  successful  trade. 
In  1871  Mr.  Byron  B.  took  the  entire  business ;  in  1870  he  mariied  Julia  A.  Cheney  of  Glens 
Falls,  daughter  of  Albert  and  Anna  (Hunt)  Cheney.  They  have  one  son,  Albert  N.  Mr.  Fow- 
ler's parents  were  Chas.  and  Elizabeth  (Baker)  Fowler. 

Fowler,  Joseph,  of  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Chester,  Warren  Co.,  in  1840.  He  became  an 
early  merchant  and  is  now  engaged  in  diffierent  manufacturing  interests.  He  organized  the  Glens 
Falls  Shirt  Co.,  which  gives  employment  to  many,  also  the  Lime  Co.,  and  Brick  and  Tile  Co., 
has  been  supervisor  of  Chester,  and  trustee  and  president  of  the  Glens  Falls  coiporation.  In 
1865  Mr.  Fowler  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Coolidge,  daugliter  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Wright) 
Coolidge,  of  Bolton,  and  they  have  five  children.  Mr.  Fowler's  parents  were  Charles  and  Eliza 
(Baker)  Fowler. 


662  History  of  Warren  County. 

Fraser,  Dr.  Ira  &.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  although  a  resident  of  Lansingburgh,  N.  Y.,  has  for  many 
years  been  prominently  identified  with  the  growth  of  Horicon.  He  was  born  in  Horicon  in 
1811,  and  has  attained  a  national  .eputation  as  a  successful  physician  and  especially  in  the  treat- 
ment and  ultimate  effectual  cure  of  cancer.  He  acquired  his  secret  of  treating  cancers  of  the 
Seminole  Indians  in  Florida,  and  having  made  many  scientific  improvements  on  their  methods, 
which  accounts  for  his  unparalleled  success.  He  has  an  office  in  Lansingburgh,  also  a  home  in 
the  same  place  and  spends  his  summers  in  Horicon ;  has  been  three  times  married,  first,  to  Sarah 
daughter  of  Thomas  Green.  She  died  leaving  one  son,  Harvey.  His  second  wife  was  Eunice 
Webb ;  she  had  two  daughter.";,  Adilaide  and  Katie.  His  present  wife  was  Mrs.  G-aylord  of 
Oneida  Co.  Dr.  Fraser's  grandfather,  James  Fraser,  came  to  Horicon  in  1798,  from  Cherry 
Valley,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Gage,  Nathaniel,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne  in  1832 ;  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss 
Rowena  Kingsley,  of  Warren  Co.,  and  they  have  a  family  of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Mr.  Gage  was  a  son  of  Garret  and  Dorcas  (Adams)  Gage.  Besides  Nathaniel  they 
had  nine  other  children,  viz.,  Abijah,  Walter,  Warren,  Adelbert,  Priscilla,  Myron  N.,  Janet,  Bet- 
sey, and  Lela. 

Gailey,  Joseph  I.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1839,  and  settled  in  Warren  county 
with  his  parents  in  1840.  He  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the  town.  Has  been  excise 
commissioner ;  was  married  in  1863  to  Miss  Glory  Ann  Taylor,  and  they  have  four  children  : 
Willie  A.,  Martha  J.,  Ida  B.  and  Crosby  A.  Mr.  Gailey  was  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Catherine 
(Ramsey)  Gailey.  Besides  Joseph  they  had  three  other  children.  Mrs.  Gailey  was  a  daughter 
of  Elias  and  Sarah  (Mosher)  Taylor. 

Garrett,  Dr.  Jas.  S.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Ballston,  Saratoga  county, 
N.  Y.,  Sept.  19th,  1835.  He  early  fitted  himself  for  the  dental  profession.  Settled  in  Glens 
Falls  in  1860  as  a  dentist  where  he  still  remains;  in  1860  he  was  married  to  Jennie  H.  Haight, 
of  Ballston.  His  wife  died  in  1873,  leaving  one  daughter.  In  1876  Dr.  Garrett  was  married  to 
Annetta  B.  Millington,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  three  children :  Edith  G.,  Walter  L.  and 
Frank  A.  In  August,  1862,  Dr.  Garrett  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  118th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  under  Col.  Sam- 
uel T.  Richards.  Served  three  years  and  was  discharged.  He  went  out  as  first  sergeant  of  Co. 
A,  and  was  twice  promoted.  He  was  mustered  out  as  first  lieutenant  of  Co.  B,  118th  N.  Y. 
Vols.  Lieut.  Garrett  was  present  with  and  participated  in  all  of  the  actions  in  which  his  regi- 
ment was  engaged  until  after  the  capture  of  the  works  around  Petersburgh,  Va.,  in  the  fall  of 
1864,  when  by  reason  of  physical]disability  he  was  sent  to  Chesapeake  general  hospital.  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  from  there  as  convalescent  to  Camp  Parole,  Md.,  from  which  place  he  was  ordered 
for  duty  as  commander  of  provost  guard,  of  Annapolis,  Md.,  and  was  serving  as  assistant  pro- 
vost marshal  and  ordnance  officer  of  the  post  and  district  of  Annapolis,  Md.,  when  the  war 
closed  and  he  received  orders  from  the  War  Department  to  be  relieved  from  duty,  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  State  and  was  finally  mustered  out  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  August,  1865,  three 
months  after  the  muster  out  of  the  regiment,  after  which,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  dentistry  at  Glens  Falls,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  practiced.  His  parents  are 
Anson  B.  and  Julia  (Styles)  Garrett,  now  living  and  residents  of  Ballston,  N.  Y. 

Gates,  Charles,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1837.  Is  a  farmer  and 
lumberman;  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Alice  Bennett,  daughter  of  Asahel  and  Sally  (Dick- 
enson) Bennett.  Their  family  consisted  of  three  children  :  Ella  IdeUa,  Myron  J.  and  Minnie 
Maria.  Charles  has  been  assessor  and  highway  commissioner  several  terms.  His  parents  were 
Kellum  and  Rozella  (Dickenson)  Gates,  of  Caldwell.  Besides  Charles  they  had  five  other  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  stiil  living :  Henry  enlisted  in  the  96th  Regiment,  and  served  three 
years.  He  afterwards  married  Miss  Mary  Potter.  Another  daughter,  Jane  Ann  Gates,  is  now 
Mrs.  George  Hall. 

Gates,  Dodge  S.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  in  1851.  Is  a  farmer  and 
blacksmith.  Has  been  excise  commissioner  and  held  other  town  offices  ;  was  married  in  1877, 
to  Mary  B.  Fowden,  of  Johnsburgh,  and  they  have  a  family  of  two  children :  Wallace  and  John. 
Mr.  Gates  was  a  son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Streeter)  Gates. 

Gates,  Franklin,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Kingsbury,  Washington  county,  in 
Dec.  1834 ;  in  1882  he  settled  at  East  Lake  George,  at  Van  Wormer's  Bay  and  purchased  his 
farm  and  a  large  boarding  house  called  the  East  Lake  George  House.  It  has  ample  accommo- 
dation for  forty  or  fifty  guests,  and  has  various  points  of  interest  for  one  seeking  rest  and  quiet 
home  comforts,  with  good  fishing  and  mountain  scenery.  Mr.  Gates  was  married  to  Miss  Ca- 
lista  Vaughan,  daughter  of  Russell  Vaughan.  Married  in  1857  and  have  six_children:  Etta, 
Belle,  Anna,  Fannie  M.,  Alma,  Milford  R.  and  Bertha. 

Gates,  Jonathan  S.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1847.  He  is  a  prominent  merchant 
of  the  town,  in  which  business  he  embarked  in  1874,  and  formed  the  present  firm  of  Gates, 


Brief  Personals.  663 


Turner  &  Co  in  1884.  Was  appointed  postmaster  in  1880.  Was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Zil- 
pha  Reynolds,  of  Bolton,  Warren  county,  and  tliey  have  one  son,  Walter  E.  Mr.  Gates  was  a 
son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Streeter)  Gates,  of  Bolton.  They  had  seven  children,  five  now  liv- 
ing. The  names  of  brothers  and  sister  are  as  follows :  John  D.  Gates  lives  in  Warrensburgh, 
Warren  county,  N.  Y.  ;  Joseph  H.  Gates,  lives  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  N.  Y. ;  Dodge  S. 
Gates,  hves  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  N.  Y. ;  George  S.  Gates,  lives  in  Bolton,  Warren  county, 
N.  Y. ;  Lydia  D.  Beswick,  died  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.  ;  Isaac  S.  Gates,  lives  in  Bol- 
ton, Warren  county,  N.  Y. 

Gibbs,  Nelson  J.,  p.  o.  Westport,  was  born  in  Westport,  May  10th,  1840.  Is  a  dealer  in 
stoves,  etc.,  and  a  manufacturer  of  foundry  facing.  He  also  owns  a  mill  at  Wadham's  Mills. 
Mr.  Gibbs  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  Co.  F,  118th  Reg.  N.  Y.  Vols.  Was  pro- 
moted to  second  lieutenant,  then  to  first  lieutenant,  and  was  brevetted  captain  Nov.  2d,  1864, 
by  Maj.  Gen.  Butler,  for  gallant  conduct  at  the  l^attle  of  Fort  Harrison.  Was  discharged  with 
his  regiment  on  the  13th  of  June,  1865,  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  Va.,  and  has  since  resided  at 
Westport.  Mr.  Gibbs  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Theresa  A.  Clark,  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
H.  P.  Clark.  She  died  in  1877,  and  for  his  second  wife  he  married  Jennie  M.  Richards,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Sarah  Richards,  of  Westport.  Mr.  Gibbs's  parents  were  Warren  and  Abigail 
C.  (Morell)  Gibbs. 

Gilbert,  Chas.  A.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Livingstone  county,  Michigan, 
in  1848.  In  1876  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  the  employ  of  the  Glens  Falls  Shirt  Manufactory, 
as  book-keepei-.  He  remained  in  their  employ  until  1879,  when  he  became  foreman  for  W.  E. 
Spier  &  Co,  or  Libby  &  Spier.  In  Jan.,  1883,  he  became  active  partner  of  the  present  firm  of 
Jas.  L.  Libby  &  Co.,  having  their  office  at  No.  497  Broadway  New  York.  Mr.  Gilbert  is  gen- 
eral superintendent.  Was  married  to  Elizabeth  S.  Wright,  in  1878,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Irene  Wentworth.     Mr.  Gilbert's  parents  were  Norman  M.  and  Elizabeth  C.  (Wyman)  Gilbert. 

Gill,  Christopher  Columbus,  was  born  in  Castleton,  Vt.,  May  oth,  1809.  His  father  having 
moved  to  Saratoga  county  while  he  was  yet  very  young,  his  youthful  days  were  spent  in  that 
county.  In  1833  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lurany  Kathan,  of  the  town  of  Day,  Saratoga  county, 
with  whom  he  lived  nearly  fifty-one  years,  the  most  of  those  years  at  Creek  Center,  Warren 
county,  N.  Y.  They  have  had  eight  children.  John,  the  eldest  son,  a  very  promising  young 
man,  having  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  There  now  remains  only  seven.  They  are :  Lo- 
dema  Cudney,  Daniel,  Charles,  Rinda  Aldrich,  Miles,  Dudley  and  Mary.  Dudley  is  the  present 
supervisor  of  the  town.  Mary  received  a  music  teacher's  diploma  in  1883  and  is  now  teacliing. 
They  all  reside  in  the  town  with  the  exception  of  Miles,  who  is  a  practicing  physician  in  the 
town  of  Johnsburgh,  Warren  county.  Mr.  Gill  was  one  of  the  younger  members  of  a  family  of 
sixteen  children.  He  was  very  active  in  early  life,  therefore  made  a  thorough  business  man. 
He  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  town.  Built  one  of  the  first  grist  and  saw-mills  and 
worked  them  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  and  lumber  business. 
Mr.  Gill  took  a  prominent  part  in  local  afl^airs,  always  ready  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the  poor 
and  distressed,  and  many  to-day  thank  him  for  his  kindly  advice  in  time  of  affliction.  He  filled 
nearly  all  the  offices  of  the  town,  and  was  supervisor  for  many  years  in  succession.  He  was  the 
first  regular  appointed  postmaster.  Filled  the  office  until  it  became  burdensome  to  him  where- 
upon he  resigned.  His  son,  Charles,  held  the  office  from  that  time  until  a  change  came  in  the 
administration  of  our  government  in  1885,  and  then  his  son-in-law,  A.  J.  Aldrich,  was  appointed 
to  that  office.  During  the  late  war  Mr.  Gill  and  Mr.  John  McMillen  (then  of  the  same  town), 
were  engaged  procuring  recruits.  They  worked  harmoniously  together,  making  many  sacrifices 
and  in  this  manner  helped  to  preserve  the  Union.  In  1866  he  was  elected  assemblyman  of 
Warren  county,  and  was  one  of  the  committee  on  roads  and  bridges.  Like  a  majority  of  the 
prominent  men  of  the  times  he  was  a  self-made  man.  His  father  was  a  native  of  England 
and  came  to  this  country  to  do  battle  for  the  British,  but  after  witnessing  the  unreconoilable 
brutality  recorded  in  history,  where  a  British  officer  pins  the  American  officer  to  the  ground  with 
his  own  sword,  which  he  only  a  moment  ago  surrendered  to  him,  he,  together  with  a  comrade, 
deserted  the  British  forwith,  taking  an  active  part  in  favor  of  his  adopted  country.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  engaged  teaching  school  and  was  familiarly  known  as  Master  Gill  until 
his  death  in  1844.  The  subject  of  this  sketcli  completed  his  family  vault  in  1872.  In- 1882  he 
prepared  the  lumber  for  the  making  of  caskets  for  himself  and  wife  and  in  1883  he  had  them 
made.  The  same  year  he  sickened  and  on  March  29th,  1884  he  passed  peacefully  away  from 
earth  to  his  reward  in  heaven.     She  is  only  waiting  the  call  "It  is  enough,  come  up  higher." 

Goodspeed,  Gideon,  Chester,  p.  o.  North  Creek,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Jan.  27th,  1823, 
son  of  Hosea  and  Polly  Goodspeed.  Mr.  Goodspeed  has  been  a  resident  of  Warren  county  for 
over  fifty  years,  and  of  Chester  since  1876.  Is  a  farmer  and  owns  150  acres.  Was  married  to 
Mary,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Anna  Hewitt  of  Johnsburgh,  and  they  have  four  children : 
Charlie,  Wilham,  George,  and  James.     Mr.  Goodspeed  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  in 


664  History  of  Warren  County. 

the  175th  N.  Y.  V.,  Co.  D,  was  honorably  discharged  on  June  30th,  1865,  at  Savannah,  Ga.  Is 
a  EepubUcan  in  politics. 

Goodspeed,  William  E.,  Johnsburgh,  p.  o.  North  Creek,  was  born  in  Johnsburgh,  Jan.  2d, 
1837.  He  located  in  Chester  in  1857.  Is  a  farmer  and  owns  150  acres  of  land.  Was  married 
April  25th,  1561,  to  Emily,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Ellen  (Martin)  Barss.  They  had  two 
children  both  deceased.     Mr.  Goodspeed's  parents  were  Hosea  and  Mary  Goodspeed. 

Goodwin,  James  B.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Castleton,  Vt.,  1828.  Parents) 
David  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Goodwin,  natives  of  Vermont,  the  former  died  1866,  the  latter  died 
at  Glens  Falls  1871,  leaving  five  children,  two  now  living:  James  B.  and  Roland  C.  James  B. 
enlisted  in  Co.  A,  1 18th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  August  8th,  1862,  discharged  June,  1865 ;  settled  in  Glens 
Falls  1859,  and  commenced  his  present  freighting  and  e.\press  business ;  added  the  ice  business 
in  1871.  The  firm  is  now  Goodwin  &  Wilmott,  general  draymen.  Wife,  Anna  B.  Cowles,  born 
in  Corinth,  Saratoga  county,  1838,  married  Jan.  1856 ;  one  son  (adopted)  Floyd  C,  born  May 
19th,  1880.     Parents  of  wife,  Henry  E.  and  Lovina  (Cressey)  Cowles. 

Gould,  Demon  P.,  Chester,  son  of  Willard  and  Deborah  (Russell)  Gould,  was  born  in  Ches- 
ter, Warren  county,  N.  Y.  He  at  first  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  engaged  in  business  for 
himself  in  1849.  In  1879  Mr.  Gould  went  into  the  cabinet  and  undertaking  business  at  Ches- 
ter, in  which  he  is  engaged  at  present.  He  was  married  in  1849  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin R.  and  Almira  (Smith)  Knapp.  Children  one,  Minnie  S.  Mr.  Gould  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 

Granger,  Marcus  E.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  June  12th,  1845,  at  Rockford,  Ills.,  where  his 
parents,  Martin,  jr..  and  Mary  M.  (Prosser)  Granger,  lived  about  three  years.  They  were  natives 
of  Bolton,  Warren  county,  and  returned  to  Bolton,  N.  Y.,  in  1847,  and  located  on  the  Schroon 
Lake  in  Horicon  in  1874.  Marcus  is  proprietor  of  the  Horicon  House.  Was  married  March 
31st,  1867,  to  Miss  E.  Viola,  daughter  of  Piatt  Smith.  They  have  had  several  children,  viz. : 
Claud  C,  Gordon  L.,  Ethel  V.,  Mary  L.,  Reginald  M.,  Teressa  M.  and  Clinton  R. 

Graves,  Amos,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Rutland  county,  Vt,  in  1820. 
He  has  been  an  extensive  farmer,  dairyman  and  stock-grower.  He  retired  from  active  labor  in 
1868  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  where  they  now  reside.  In  1846  he  married  Miss  Mary  Rose, 
of  Maryland,  Otsego  Count}',  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Lovina,  now  married  to  Mr. 
Warren  J.  Potter,  of  Queensbury.  Mr.  Graves's  parents  were  Amos,  sr.,  and  Betsey  Rose, 
natives  of  Connecticut.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Lord  Baltimore  Graves,  of  England,  and  died 
in  Saratoga  county.  Of  their  eight  children  three  sons  are  now  living,  Horatio,  Alexander 
and  Amos. 

Gregory,  Levi,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adirondac,  was  born  May  12th,  1799,  and  located  in  Horicon, 
then  Bolton,  about  1811.  His  father  Joseph  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  Levi  was  mar- 
ried to  Irene  Hayes,  and  they  had  twelve  children,  Matilda  (now  Mrs.  Nathan  Nichols),  Lydia 
(now  Mrs.  Henry  Orton),  Nancy  (now  Mrs.  James  Alexander),  Benjamin,  Charles,  Elsie  (now 
Mrs.  Benager  Bobbins),  Jane  (now  Mrs.  Norman  Bennett),  Emory,  Allen  and  Harmon.  Matilda 
lives  in  Glens  Falls  and  Lydia  and  Nancy  now  live  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  Joseph  and 
Henry  are  deceased,  and  the  remainder  all  live  in  Horicon.  Emory  was  a  soldier  of  the  118th 
N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  served  three  years,  and  was  wounded  at  Fair  Oaks.  Allen  married  Laura, 
daughter  of  Henry  Wood,  and  they  have  six  children,  Charles,  George,  Ella  (now  Mrs.  Frank 
Hart,  of  Chester),  Walter,  Wesley  and  Warren.  Their  farm  is  130  acres.  L.  L.  Gregory  was 
born  February  10th,  1853.  He  owns  and  occupies  the  homestead  formerly  belonging  to  his 
grandfather,  to  which  he  has  added,  making  a  total  of  225  acres.  Was  married  June  30th, 
1879,  to  Susan,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Hayes,  of  Horicon. 

Griffin,  William  J.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Bolton,  February  15th,  1822- 
Was  formerly  a  carpenter  and  builder,  but  is  now  a  farmer.  Was  married  September  23d! 
1842,  to  Miss  Louisa  Norton,  of  Warren  county.  They  had  four  children,  Erastus  E.,  William 
H.,  Charles  J.  and  Thirza.  Erastus  E.  enlisted  in  September,  1864,  in  the  23d  N.  Y.  Battery, 
and  died  December  2d  of  the  same  year  of  fever  at  the  hospital.  Mr.  GrifBn,  sr.,  was  also  a 
soldier  in  the  93d  N.  Y.  Regiment,  Company  H.  Was  dismissed  for  general  disability  from 
Fortress  Monroe  hospital.  He  receives  a  pension.  Mr.  Griffin  was  a  son  of  Charles  B.  and 
Looinda  (Kinney)  Griffin.     They  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  seven  of  them  now  living. 

Griffiing.  Henry,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  v^as  born  in  Thurman,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Susan 
(Boyd)  Griffing.  They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  Stephen,  James,  Helen,  Elizabeth  and 
Henry.  Helen  is  now  Mrs.  Frederick  Osborn.  Mr.  Griffing,  sr.,  was  a  son  of  Stephen  and 
Elizabeth  (Uhl)  Griffing,  who  settled  in  Thurman  in  1800.  They  had  ten  children ;  but  three 
now  living,  viz. :  Nathaniel,  Stephen  and  Elizabeth.  Elizabeth  is  now  Mrs.  Bowens.  Stephen 
was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 


Brief  Personals.  665 


Gurney,  William  B.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  French  Mountain.  Born  in  Olaveraok,  Columbia 
county,  January  7th,  1822.  First  wife,  Ann  Robison,  of  Washington  county  ;  married  in  1849. 
Died  in  1853,  leaving  three  children,  Edgar  B.,  Mary  J.  and  Belle.  Second  wife,  Mary  Alston, 
married  in  1855  ;  children  four,  Ella,  Abbie  H.,  Elizabeth  R.,  Helen  A.  and  George  E.  William 
J.  has  been  highway  commissioner  for  twenty-one  years,  justice  of  peace  two  terms.  Parents. 
Joseph  H.  and  Abigail  H.  Gurney.  Married  in  Columbia  county.  Settled  in  Queensbury  in 
1828.     The  former  died  in  1863,  the  latter  in  1862.     Children,  four. 

Gwinup,  Hon.  Henry  P.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  at  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  in  1825.  He  settled  in 
Luzerne  in  1846,  and  for  several  years  adapted  himself  to  such  occupation  as  presented.  At 
the  same  time  he  appUed  his  leisure  time  to  his  books  and  fitted  himself  for  a  teacher.  He 
taught  several  terms,  afterward  read  law  in  the  office  of  Judiah  Elsworth,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Albany  in  1876.  In  1858  he  was  an  active  lumber  dealer,  but  in  1862  he  disposed 
of  his  interest  and  enlisted  in  Company  G.,  118th  N.  Y.  Vol.,  under  Colonel  Samuel  Richards. 
He  was  soon  promoted  to  first  sergeant  and  in  March,  1864.  to  second  lieutenant.  In  March, 
1865,  he  resigned,  from  disability.  He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace,  justice  of  sessions,  and 
supervisor,  and  in  1879  was  elected  Member  of  Assembly.  Was  married  in  1849  to  Miss  Mar- 
tha Hays.  She  died  in  1859,  leaving  two  children,  Herbert  W.  and  Alma.  For  his  second  wife 
he  married  Maria  Peer  in  1860,  and  she  has  six  children,  Willie,  Clarence,  Charles,  Edith,  Grace 
and  Le  Roy.     Mr.  Gwinup's  parents  were  Richar4  and  Sarah  (Jones)  Gwinup. 

Hack,  Roland,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Centre,  came  from  Bolton  to  this  town  about  nine- 
teen years  ago,  and  has  lived  on  his  present  farm  eleven  years.  In  connection  with  his  farm  he 
has  a  large  saw-mill,  built  eleven  years  ago  by  himself.  It  is  the  largest  one  in  the  town.  Was 
married  in  1848  to  Mariah  Bennett  of  Warrensburgh.  Of  their  nine  children  only  one  is  de- 
ceased, four  are  married,  and  the  rest  live  at  home.  All  the  children  live  in  the  town  except 
Julia,  who  resides  at  Johnsburgh. 

Haley  James,  jr.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1852.  Was  a  gradu- 
ate of  Warrensburgh  Academy,  and  in  1879  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  dealing  in  all 
the  staple  goods.  In  June,  1883,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Collins,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Henry  A.  Mr.  Haley  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  Haley.  They  were  married  in  Ireland 
and  settled  in  Warrensburgh  in  18 — .  Have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 
viz. .  Patrick,  Mary,  Maggie,  James,  jr.,  Julia  and  Annie.  Maggie  is  a  popular  teacher  of  her 
own  town  and  county. 

Hall,  Clark,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne  in  1827.  Commenced  business  as  a  farmer, 
and  purchased  a  mill  in  1853.  From  that  time  he  has  been  advancing  as  a  lumber  manufacturer, 
and  timber  contractor  and  dealer.  Has  been  supervisor  one  term,  also  commissioner  of  high- 
ways. Was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Mary  Hall,  of  Hebron,  and  they  have  a  family  of  seven 
children,  Etta,  Wilson  J.,  Ella,  Emma,  Fred,  George  and  Prank.  Etta  is  now  deceased.  Mr. 
Hall's  parents  were  Ira  and  Eleanor  (Ferguson)  Hall. 

Hall,  Warren,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne  in  1823.  Was  married  in  1847  to  Miss 
Lucinda  Spaulding,  of  Crown  Point.  They  had  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living, 
viz. :  Harvey  G.  and  Willard  W.  Mrs.  Hall  died  March  27th,  1881.  She  was  an  early  teacher 
at  Crown  Point  High  School.  Of  their  two  sons,  Harvey  G.  is  a  carpenter  at  Luzerne.  Mr. 
Hall's  parents  were  Royal  and  Rachel  (Truesdell)  Hall. 

Hammond,  Samuel,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1817.  Is  a  gen- 
eral farmer  and  lumberman.  Has  been  commissioner  of  highways  three  terms.  In  1840  he 
married  Miss  Sarah  Jane  Prosser,  of  Caldwell.  She  died  in  1851,  leaving  three  children,  Julia, 
Arthur  and  Courtney.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Hammond  married  Sally  Enohes,  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island,  in  1853.  They  had  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz. :  Ira,  Ella, 
Lida  and  Sheridon.  Lida  and  Ella  graduated  from  Warrensburgh  Academy  and  are  now  teach- 
ers.    Mr.  Hammond  is  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Esther  (Hodge)  Hammond. 

Harris,  Albert  T.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1816,  and 
settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1843.  Commenced  the  manufacturing  of  lime,  firm  of  Harris  Lime  Co., 
also  engaged  in  various  other  branches  of  industry  until  1866,  when  he  was  made  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Glens  Falls  Paper  Co.,  with  a  present  capital  of  §192,000.  He  still  holds  the 
office.  In  1840  Mr.  Harris  married  Frances  Amanda  Sherman,  of  Rhode  Island,  and  they  have 
three  children,  George  R.,  Susan  G.  and  Annie  Caroline.  Mr.  Harris's  parents  were  Daniel  G. 
and  Mary  H.  (Tillinghast)  Harris,  natives  of  Rhode  Island  and  direct  descendants  of  Thomas 
Harris,  who  settled  in  Rhode  Island  in  1637. 

Harris,  Captain  Elias  S.,  Cal<lwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Kingsbury,  Washington 
county,  in  1828.  He  commenced  his  business  life  at  about  fifteen  years  of  age  at  which  time  he  had 
the  care  of  a  pleasure  boat  on  Lake  George ;  he  was  also  employed  on  the  steamer  Wm.  Caldwell, 
the  latter  part  of  the  season  of  1844.    The  landings  were  made  with  a  yawl  or  small  boat.    He  was 


666  History  of  Warren  County. 

put  in  charge  of  the  landing  of  passengers  on  account  of  his  skill  in  handling  a  boat  on  such  occa- 
sions. In  1845,  he  became  a  pilot  on  the  steamer  John  Jay,  which  was  built  and  owned  by  his 
brother,  John  J.  Harris,  which  place  he  held  until  1856,  when  she  burned  at  Hague.  In  1857  he 
had  the  Minnehaha,  a  new  steamer  which  he  had  charge  of  for  several  years,  was  afterward  captain 
of  the  Ticonderoga  and  the  Horicon.  Mr.  Harris  has  been  supervisor  of  Caldwell  two  terms, 
justice  of  the  peace  two  terms,  was  appointed  postmaster  in  1875;  in  1860  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Fisher  and  they  have  two  children,  George  B.  and  Walter  W.  George  B.  is 
now  deputy  postmaster. 

Harris,  Veniah  W.,  p.  o.  Queensbury,  was  born  in  Warren  county  in  1815 ;  wa.s  married 
Oct.  3d,  1839,  to  Phebe  Ann  Beadleston,  and  they  have  one  son,  Frelon  G.  Harris,  born  Sept. 
6th,  1845.  Frelon  is  now  married  to  Miss  Mary  B.  Hubbell  and  they  have  three  children  — 
Edwin  W.,  Clarence  L.  and  Lee  L.  Mr.  Veniah  Harris  was  a  son  of  Henry  and  Margaret 
(Brown)  Harris.  The)'  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living,  Veniah, 
Brayton,  Mrs.  Amy  Allen  and  Mrs  Betsey  Ann  Elms. 

Hartman,  William  P.,  Luzerne,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Luzerne  in  1839  and  was  reared  on 
a  farm.  In  early  life  he  built  a  saw-mill,  and  in  1870  built  his  present  mill,  then  a  water-power 
mill,  and  in  1884  he  extended  its  capacity,  and  added  a  steam  engine  of  twenty-five  horse- 
power and  a  boiler  of  thirty-five  horse-power  for  sawing,  planing,  and  the  manufacture  of  lath, 
shingles,  etc.,  which  he  sells  at  wholesale  and  retail.  He  is  now  thinking  of  building  a  store  in 
which  he  will  deal  in  general  groceries.  Was  married  in  1860  to  Miss  Elvira  M.  Varney,  of 
Queensbury,  and  they  have  a  family  of  eight  children,  Delwin  G.  Melford  T.,  Norman  V.,  EflFa 
Jane,  Edwin,  James  B.,  Milton  and  Elwood  S.  Delvin  G.  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Mary 
Potter  of  Luzerne,     ilr.  William  Hartman  was  a  son  of  Conrad  and  Mary  Hartman. 

Haviland,  Charles  Willard,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y., 
in  1857.  In  18S0  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Streeter,  and  they  have  one  child,  Florence  L. 
Mrs.  Haviland  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Buel  G.  Streeter,  who  settled  in  this  county  in  1865  after 
the  close  of  the  war.     Mr.  Haviland's  parents  were  Roger  and  Ha-riet  E.  (Haight)  Haviland. 

Haviland,  Daniel  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Queensbury,  March 
24th,  1819,  his  father,  Joseph  Hamilton,  senior,  being  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in  War- 
ren county ;  owning  and  operating  at  one  time  upwards  of  700  acres,  his  son  Daniel  S.,  assist- 
ing in  its  management  until  the  year  1840,  when  he  married  Miss  Margaret  V.  Otis,  daughter 
of  Stephen  Otis  of  Danby,  Vt,  and  soon  after  located  at  his  present  home  on  Sanford's  Ridge 
in  the  town  of  Queensbury,  where  he  has  continued  to  pursue  his  early  calling.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  whose  present  flourishing  condition  in  their  new  loca- 
tion at  Glens  Falls,  is  largely  due  to  his  efforts  in  connection  with  a  few  others.  He  has  three 
children  living,  Harris  G.,  S.  Josephine  and  Joseph  D.  Harris  G.  married  Miss  Adelia  Winchip, 
daughter  of  Remsen  J.  Winchip  ;  S.  Josephine  married  Dr.  S.  T.  Birdsall  of  Brooklyn,  who  has 
now  located  in  Glens  Falls,  and  Joseph  D.  married  Miss  Margaretta  De  Long,  daughter  of  Z.  I. 
De  Long,  of  Glens  Falls. 

Haviland,  George  E.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren 
county,  in  1825.  Is  an  extensive  farmer  and  dairyman ;  was  married  in  1847  to  Laura  Jane 
Barker,  of  Middletown,  Vt.  They  have  four  children :  Ellen,  Ida,  Edson  and  Jay.  Ellen  is 
now  Mrs.  Byron  Jacoba,  and  Ida  is  Mrs.  Chas.  Ford.  Mr.  Haviland  is  a  son  of  David  and  An- 
na (Hoag)  Haviland.  Four  of  their  children  are  now  living :  George  E.,  Lavina,  Charlotte  and 
Sarah  A. 

Haviland,  Harris  G.,  of  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  February  12th,  1842.  Is 
a  graduate  of  the  Fort  Edward  Institute  and  also  of  Union  Springs.  Is  a  general  farmer  and 
breeder  of  blooded  cattle,  sheep,  swine  and  poultry.  He  has  the  Shropshire  sheep,  Jersey 
cattle,  and  his  swine  are  proving  the  most  valuable  in  the  known  market.  At  present  he 
is  giving  considerable  attention  to  fruit-growing ;  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Adelia  Winchip 
of  Queensbury,  and  they  have  two  children,  Walter  W.,  and  Gertie  K.  Mr.  Haviland's  parents 
were  Daniel  and  Margaret  (Otis)  Haviland. 

Haviland,  John  G.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  son  of  John  M.  and  Almira  (Thomp- 
son), was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1843.  Was  formerly  a  farmer,  but  in  1881  he,  with  C.  W. 
Haviland  and  F.  W.  Gilbert  commenced  the  general  mercantile  trade  dealing  largely  in  dry 
goods,  groceries,  provisions  and  farmers'  supphes,  as  well  as  a  class  of  goods  for  the  most  ex- 
quisite taste  of  town  or  city.  The  firm  is  "  Havilands  &  Gilbert "  No.  100  Glen  Street.  Mr. 
Haviland  still  continues  to  superintend  his  stock  and  dairy  farm  ;  was  married  in  1870  to  Har- 
riet E.  Haviland,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Roger  and  Harriet  (Heigth).  She  died  in  May  27th, 
1884,  leaving  two  children,  Bernice  G.,  and  Isabella  D. 

Haviland,  Roger  Augustus,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  War- 
ren county,  October  14th,  1844.     In  early  life  he  became  a  general  market  dealer ;  was  chief 


Brief  Personals.  66j 


■of  police  in  1876,  and  in  1882,  he  with  Mr.  Herbert  H.  Bush,  purchased  a  general  stock  of  dry 
goods,  groceries  and  provisions,  fancy  goods,  boots  and  shoes.  Their  location  is  No.  23  Glen 
street;  in  1871  he  was  married  to  Miss  Helen  M.  Madden  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  a 
iamily  of  three  children :  Bertha  E.,  Helena  Maud,  and  Anna  Elma.  Mr.  Haviland's  parents 
were  Roger  and  Harriet  (Haight)  Haviland. 

Haviland,  Roger  F.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Dec.  19th,  1838.  Is 
a.  descendant  of  Benjamin  Haviland,  who  emigrated  from  England  in  1647,  and  settled  at  Flushing, 
L.  I.  In  early  life  Roger  gave  his  attention  to  farming,  which  was  the  profession  of  his  ances- 
tors; but  in  1865,  he  embarked  in  a  mercantile  trade  at  Peekskill,  N.  Y.  In  1857,  he  sold  out 
iis  business  and  returned  to  Glens  Falls,  where  he  with  !Mr.  G.  M.  Ferris  purchased  the  drugs 
and  general  house  of  the  old  house  of  George  Sisson  under  the  firm  name  of  Haviland  &  Ferris. 
They  are  among  the  leading  drug  houses  of  New  York  State,  dealing  in  all  classes  of  drugs, 
patent  medicines,  paints,  oils,  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  In  1882  tliey  were  induced  to  add  another 
store  in  which  they  keep  a  full  assortment  of  builders'  hardware  and  carpenter  tools,  for  which 
A  wholesale  as  well  as  a  retail  department  is  found  in  their  store;  in  1860  Mr.  Haviland  mar- 
ried Mary  Jane  Lane  of  Westchester  county,  and  they  have  two  children,  Foster  L.  and  Flor- 
ence L.     Mr.  Haviland's  parents  were  Solomon  and  Lydia  (Otis)  Haviland. 

Hawley,  A.  Goodrich,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Moreau,  Sarataga  county, 
in  1833 ;  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss  Harriet  Taylor,  daughter  of  Lansing  G.  Taylor ;  t'ney 
have  two  children,  Harry  Goodrich  and  Caroline  Lizzie.  Mr.  Hawley's  parents  were  George 
O.  and  Eliza  (Goodrich)  Hawley.  They  had  three  children,  A.  G.,  George  K.,  Gertrude  E. 
Oertude  E.  is  now  Mrs.  James  McDonald,  George  B.  died  March  2d,  1882,  and  Eliza  (Goodrich) 
August  3d,  1885. 

Hawley,  Chas.  E.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell,  March  4th,  1837.  Is  a 
practical  painter  by  trade,  also  a  farmer  and  a  member  of  the  Lake  George  band.  Has  held  the 
■office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  town  clerk  and  other  offices;  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Fairman  of  West  Troy,  and  they  have  three  children,  Fred  F.,  Stuart  H.  and  Bertha  M.  Mr. 
Hawley's  parents  were  Hiram  and  Clara  (Chapman)  Hawley. 

Hayes,  Orlin  S.,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  July  14th,  1849,  and  is  a  native  of  the  town  of 
Horicon.  ^Vas  married  May  18th,  1879.  to  Stella,  daughter  of  Samuel  Ackerman,  of  Hague, 
and  they  have  three  children,  Charles,  Edith  and  Mildred.  Mr.  Hayes's  parents  were  Samuel 
and  Mahitabel  (Howe)  Hayes.  The  grandfather,  Nathan,  was  from  Rensselaer  county  and  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

Hayes,  Stephen,  p.  o.  Horicon,  is  a  native  of  Hayesburgh,  Warren  county,  where  he  was 
born  July  28th,  1831.  Is  a  farmer  and  lumberman.  Has  a  farm  of  240  acres.  Was  married 
in  August,  1853,  to  Delina,  daughter  of  Seely  Mallory,  of  Corinth,  Saratoga  county,  and  they 
iave  five  children,  Josephine  (Mrs.  A.  J.  Burgess),  Fred,  Melvin,  Alice  and  Rebecca.  Benjamin 
Hayes,  brother  of  Stephen,  was  born  in  Horicon,  March  17th,  1833.  He  located  on  his  present 
place  in  1800.  In  1883  he  rebuilt,  making  one  of  the  finest  summer  hotels  on  Brant  Lake.  It 
is  finely  located  three  miles  north  of  Horicon  post-office.  Daily  mail,  excellent  tackle,  and 
accommodations  for  twenty-five  guests.  Mr.  Benjamin  Hayes  was  married  September  3d,  1853, 
to  Miss  Elexcy,  daughter  of  William  Baker,  of  Horicon,  and  they  have  three  children,  Edison, 
Susan  (now  Airs.  L.  L.  Gregory),  and  Emma  (now  Mrs.  Albert  Griffin). 

HefFron,  John,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Ireland  Oct.  16th,  1846,  and  came  to  War- 
rensburgh  from  that  country  in  1857,  two  years  after  the  arrival  of  his  parents  at  Fort  Anne, 
Washington  county ;  was  formerly  a  farmer  and  lumberman  and  has  now  become  a  popular 
landlord.  He  is  the  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Warren  Hotel  at  Warrensburgh.  It  is  an  old 
popular  stand,  and  dates  back  in  history  over  ninety-six  years.  He  purchased  and  remodeled, 
and  generally  improved  it  in  1878,  and  is  still  adding  to  its  comfort  and  capacity  for  his  many 
^ests.  Mr.  Heffron  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Bridget  Ashe,  daughter  of  James  and  Joanna 
Ashe,  of  Thurman. 

Herrick,  Frederick  W.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1848.  He  expe- 
rienced some  vicissitudes  in  his  early  business  life,  which  only  increased  his  energy,  and  in  1883 
he  embarked  in  his  present  retail  and  wholesale  business.  He  is  an  extensive  dealer  in  all 
■classes  of  furniture,  carpets,  and  undertaking.  In  1883  he  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Reynolds, 
■of  Chester.  Mr.  Herrick  is  a  son  of  Robert  Geere  Herrick,  and  Hannah  P.  (White)  Herrick, 
natives  of  Warrensburgh. 

Hillis,  James,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  French  Mountain,  born  in  Queensbury  in  1861,  son  of  James 
and  Eliza  (Blackburn)  Hills,.married  in  Warren  county  ;  the  former  died  at  his  residence  in  1875, 
at  the  age  of  47  years ;  the  latter  died  in  the  same  year,  at  the  age  of  39  years,  leaving  five  chil- 
■dred,  two  now  living :  Sarah  and  James.  Sarah  married  John  Chapman ;  James  married  Rosa 
Titus;  children  two. 


668  History  of  Warren  County. 

Hillis,  Mrs.  Margaret,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  French  Mountain,  born  in  Ireland  in  1828,  settled 
in  Warren  county  in  1848 ;  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Margaret  (Stewart)  Lattimore,  who  were 
married  in  Ireland  and  had  five  children ;  settled  in  Queensbury  in  1850 ;  children :  Ellen  Jane, 
Margaret,  Matilda,  Mary,  and  Stewart.  Margaret  married  Mr.  William  Hillis,  born  in  Ireland' 
in  1834,  enlisted  in  1862  in  the  153d  Regiment  and  died  at  Finley  Hospital  in  1864,  leaving  two 
children  :  Mary  Jane,  and  William.     Mary  Jane  married  Robert  Chapman  in  1882 ;  one  child. 

Hitchcock,  Chas.  H.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Salem,  Washington  county, 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  4th,  1849.  He  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1879  as  the  manager  of  the  Wheeler  & 
Wilson  sewing  machine.  He  has  one  of  the  finest  offices  of  Northern  New  York,  and  a  flour- 
ishing business.  He  is  also  trustee  of  the  Glens  Falls  corporation.  In  1882  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Ella  R.  Perry,  of  Lansingburgh,  N.  Y. ;  she  died  in  October,  1883.  Mr.  Hitchcock's  parents 
were  Rev.  P.  N.,  and  Phebe  (Pierson)  Hitchcock.  Rev.  P.  N.  Hitchcock  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Troy  Conference  for  over  fifty  years.  Besides  Chas.  H.  they  had  three  other  children : 
AdeUa  M.,  Hattie  A.,  and  Frank.  Frank  enlisted  from  Saratoga  in  the  77th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Regi- 
ment, served  three  years  and  was  discharged. 

Hogle,  Valentine,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne,  December,  1819;  was  an  early  mer- 
chant ;  has  been  assessor  six  years,  justice  of  the  peace  eight  years,  and  commissioner  one  year; 
was  married  in  1840  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Moore,  of  Fort  Edward,  Washington  county ;  of  their 
ten  children,  six  are  living,  viz. :  Barney  B.,  Frances,  Hortense,  Emma  E.,  Salina  L.  and  Addie 
A.  Mr.  Hogle  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  Co.  C,  1 18th  Regiment ;  was  discharged 
in  1863  for  disability.  His  son  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  2d  N.  Y.  Cavalry,  in  1863  and  was  di.scharged 
in  1865.     Mr.  Hogle  was  a  son  of  Barney  P.  and  Sally  (Sprague)  Hogle. 

Hooper,  George  H.,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  in  Warren,  N.  H.,  March  30th,  1862.  He  is 
superintendent  of  the  Dixon  Graphite  Works  at  Hague ;  was  married  June  2d,  1885,  to  Miss 
Lena  Woodard,  daughter  of  Elijah  Woodard,  of  Ticonderoga.  Mr.  Hooper  is  a  son  of  William 
Hooper,  of  Ticonderoga.  The  mining  of  graphite  in  Hague  has  developed  into  an  important 
industry  at  Hague,  and  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Hooper  is  very  successful. 

Howard  Bliakin  W.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Fort  Anne,  Washington  county,  in 
January,  1808.  He  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Porter,  of  Fort  Anne,  and  with  ]5r.  Ransom,  of 
Glens  Palls,  and  graduated  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  iu  1833.  He  settled  in  Queensbury  in  practice 
and  in  1837  settled  in  Warrensburgh  where  he  now  resides.  In  1835  he  married  Miss  Ann 
Rebecca  Brown,  of  Queensbury  ;  she  died  in  1S60  leaving  a  family  of  two  children  :  Julia,  and 
Daniel  B.  For  his  second  wife  E.  W.  Howard  married  Mrs.  Adelia  Cameron  Fenton.  Dr. 
Howard's  son,  Dr.  Daniel  B.  Howard,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1865, 
and  became  partner  with  his  father. 

Howard,  Henry  A,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Windsor,  Windsor  county, 
Vt.,  in  1845 ;  was  a  graduate  of  the  Kimball  Union  Academy,  of  New  Hampshire,  in  1862,  and 
of  Norwich  University  in  1865 ;  he  also  graduated  from  the  Albany  Law  School,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1867 ;  the  same  year  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls  as  a  lawyer,  and  in  1879  and 
1882  he  was  elected  district  attorney.  In  1875  he  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Robbins,  daughter 
of  Samuel  E.  Robbins,  of  Boston,  and  a  descendant  of  the  Buckinghanis  of  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Howard  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  60th  Mass.  Regiment,  and  served  nearly  a  year  before  being  dis- 
charged. 

Howe,  Clark,  jr.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Saratoga  county,  in 
1831 ;  in  1851  he  settled  in  Queensbury  with  all  his  worldly  goods  in  a  handkerchief ;  he  com- 
menced the  blacksmith  trade' which  he  has  continued  to  the  present,  reared  his  family,  and  has 
a  homestead  of  85  acres.  There  is  but  one  pers'on  living  in  the  neighborhood  who  was  there  at 
the  time  of  settlement.  Mr.  Howe  has  served  as  constable,  and  was  elected  assessor  of  the 
town  in  1884.  He  is  a  general  blacksmith,  carriage  and  wagon  ironer  and  practical  horse-shoer. 
He  married  Miss  Jennett  Stanton,  of  Caldwell,  in  1856,  and  they  have  nine  children :  Delbert 
S.,  Nellie  L.,  Jennie  F.  (now  Mrs.  Edward  A.  Moore),  Elmer  C,  Willie  0.,  Mabel,  Brwin,  Byron, 
and  Thekla.  Delbert  S.  married  Miss  Minnie  Brown,  and  Nellie  L.  is  now  Mrs.  George  A. 
Moore.     Mr.  Howe's  parents  were  Clark  and  Matilda  (Swears)  Howe. 

Howe,  Melvin,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1842,  and  settled  with  his  parents  in 
Luzerne  in  1849.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  2d  N.  Y.  Vet.  Cavalry,  and  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war;  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Helen  Moore,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Laura  Moore,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Fred  M.  Howe.  Mr.  Howe's  parents  were  Charles  and  Orpha  (Goodspeed) 
Howe.     They  had  ten  children,  seven  now  living. 

Hubbell,  Frederick  B.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1822 ;  he  is 
a  farmer  and  extensive  lumber  manufacturer;  commenced  his  business  life  in  1855  by  building 
a  saw-mill  on  Mill  Brook.  He  built  several  saw-mills  and  in  1807,  he,  with  Mr.  L.  C.  Seelye, 
built  a  steam  mill  at  Lake  George,  which  was  sold  and  removed.     In  1876  he  built  his  present 


Brief  Personals.  669 


large'  steam  mill  at  Lake  George,  having  fifty  horse  power,  circle  and  gang,  lathe,  planing,  mould- 
ing and  wood  sawing,  using  the  saw-dust  for  fuel ;  in  fact  it  is  one  of  the  substantial  mills  of  the 
county,  having  dockage  on  the  lake  for  shipping  and  receiving  logs.  Mr.  Hubbell  has  been 
supervisor  of  Caldwell  for  about  fifteen  years ;  was  nominated  for  Assembly  in  1878  on  the 
Democrat  ticket;  his  wife  was  Miss  Susan  Smith,  daughter  of  John  Smith,  of  Horicon.  They 
were  married  in  1847  and  have  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz :  Diana,  Jerome  N.,  Smith,  Rich- 
ard, Walter,  Sarah  P.,  Mack  B.,  and  Florence  B.  Mr.  Hubbell's  parents  were  Frederick  and 
Betsey  (Jenkins)  Hubbell. 

Hubbell,  Frederick  S.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  April  15, 
1818;  he  is  a  farmer  and  lumber  dealer  and  owns  and  resides  on  the  homestead  of  his  parents; 
was  married  in  18.39  to  Miss  Harriet  West,  and  they  have  five  children :  Mary  Jane,  Jerome  E., 
Job,  Zillah,  and  Carolina,  all  of  whom  are  now  married.  Mi'.  Hubbell  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Han- 
nah (Prey)  Hubbell.  They  settled  in  Queensbury  in  1814  and  had  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living. 

Hubbell,  John  Pray,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1827 ;  was 
married  in  1853  to  Miss  Phoebe  Anna  Jenkins,  of  Queensbury;  she  died  July  10th,  1875,  leav- 
ing six  children :  Eugene,  Louisa,  Ira,  Hannah,  Allen,  and  Byron.  Eugene  married  Miss  Bessie 
Wood,  of  Ohio,  and  Hannah  is  Mrs.  Fred  Walker,  of  Flint,  Mich.  Mr.  Hubbell's  parents  were 
Isaac  and  Hannah  (Pray)  Hubbell,  who  settled  in  Warren  county  in  1815.  They  had  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  are  now  living,  four  in  the  town  of  Queensbury  and  three  in  Wisconsin. 

Hull,  Joseph,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Granville,  Washington  county  N. 
Y.,  in  the  year  1855;  he  rt^moved  to  Queensbury,  Warren  county,  in  1866;  is  a  farmer  and  re- 
sides on  his  parents'  homestead ;  is  also  a  dealer  in  blooded  stock  —  Ayrshire  and  Jersey  cattle 
Cotswold  and  Oxfordshiredown  sheep;  was  married  in  1882  to  Josephine  L.  Staples,  daughter 
of  Anson  R.  and  Lydia  A.  (Haviland)  Staples.  They  have  one  child,  Anson  Hull.  Mr.  Hull 
is  a  son  of  Rev.  Nelson  and  Hannali  R.  (Dillingham)  Hull.  Besides  Joseph  they  have  four 
other  children ;  the  eldest,  Otis  D.  Hull,  was  born  in  1853 ;  is  now  engaged  in  the  orange  grow- 
ing business  in  Florida ;  was  married  to  Carrie  Norton,  and  they  have  two  children  Georce  and 
Lulu  Hull.  ^ 

Hunt,  Edgar  W.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.  in 
1836;  he  settled  in  Warren  county  with  his  parents  in  1840;  is  an  active  man  of  his  town 
having  been  deputy  county  clerk  nine  years,  justice  of  the  peace  two  terms,  and  justice  of 
sessions. 

Hunt,  John  G.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  New  York  city  in  1846 ;  he  is  a  merchant 
of  Warrensburgh,  dealing  in  hardware,  stoves,  tin,  crockery,  stone  and  hollow  wares  and  a 
full  line  of  farmers'  supplies,  builders'  materials,  paints,  oils,  etc.;  he  settled  in  Warrensburgh  in 
1871  with  a  small  but  well  selected  stock  to  which  he  has  constantly  added,  and  now  has  one 
of  the  most  well  ordered  stores  of  Northern  New  York;  was  married  in  1867,  to  Miss  Kate 
W.  Williams,  of  Rahway,  N.  J.  They  have  a  family  of  five  children :  Maggie  G.,  Kate  M., 
Helen  H.,  Alice,  and  Charles  W. 

Hurd,  Chas.  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1844  •  in 
1871  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls  as  a  machinist,  and  in  1873  commenced  his  present  business  on 
Ridge  street;  is  a  jeweler  and  silversmith,  dealing  in  solid  and  plated  gold  and  silverware,  rino-s 
watches,  clocks,  and  all  fancy  goods.  In  1879,  he  purchased  his  present  store  and  dwelling  on 
Glen  street  where  he  has  largely  increased  his  stock  and  business ;  he  makes  a  specialty  of 
diamonds,  spectacles,  etc. ;  was  married  in  1869  to  Sarah  M.  Fox ;  she  died  in  1872  leaving  one 
son,  Albert.  For  his  second  wife  Mr  Hurd  married  Julia  Abbott,  of  New  Haven,  Yt.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Lena,  born  in  1881. 

Jarvis,  Robert,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  November,  1830. 
He  removed  with  his  parents  to  New  York  city  in  1832,  and  in  1844  settled  in  Thurman.  His 
parents  died  leaving  four  children.  In  1864  Robert  settled  in  Warrensburgh  and  embarked  in 
the  mercantile  trade.  He  still  prosecutes  this  business  in  its  various  branches;  was  married  to 
Miss  Julia  Kennedy,  of  Hadley,  in  1859.  They  have  a  family  of  three  children :  Robert  Gil- 
christ, Mary,  and  Myra.  Mary  married  Mr.  Chas.  Cunningham  in  1884.  Robert  G.  read  med- 
icine and  is  now  in  Albany  Medical  College.     Myra  is  a  teacher. 

Jenkins,  Gamaliel,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1824.  Is  a 
general  farmer  and  lumberman  and  owns  a  flour  and  feed  mill  which  was  originally  built  about 
100  years  ago.  Mr.  Jenkins  has  repaired  it  and  increased  its  capacity.  Has  been  justice  of  the 
peace  for  several  years.  Mr.  Jenkins's  parents  were  Palmer  B.  and  Lois  (Brayton)  Jenkins 
who  settled  in  Queensbury  in  1795.     Mr.  Jenkins,  sr.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812. 

Johnson,  Nathan  B.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  bom  in  Thurman  in  1850,  and  settled  in  War- 
rensburgh, in   1877  ;  was  married  to  Miss  Bessie  E.  Mead,  of  Johnsburgh,  in  1874,  and  they 


670  History  of  Warren  County. 

have  one  child.  Mr.  Johnson's  parents  were  Ebenezer  H.  and  Caroline  (Baldwin)  Johnson. 
They  were  married  in  1847  and  have  a  family  of  four  children:  Nathan  B.,  Ettie  M.,  William 
H.  and  Bessie.  Mr.  Johnson,  senior,  was  assessor  two  terms,  highway  commissioner  two  terms, 
and  a  farmer. 

Joiner,  Fletcher,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Mira,  Franklin  Co.,  N.  T.,  1825. 
Parents  John  W.  and  Hannah  (Bentty)  Jomer,  first  wife  Mary  Ladd,  of  Franklin,  married  in 
1852,  died  1864,  leaving  eight  children,  Mary  A.,  Frank  L.,  Fletcher  E.,  Edgar  D.,  Eliza,  Alice 
C,  Minne  B.,  and  Addie.  Second  wife  Catharine  Sailes,  of  Pine  Valley,  Chemung  Co.  Son, 
Edgar  D.,  born  1856,  partner  of  his  father,  Fletcher  Joiner  &  Son,  The  Messrs.  Joiner  came  to 
Glens  Falls  and  commenced  the  building  of  various  patterns  of  sail  and  fancy  boats.  Wife 
Alida  Truesdell,  of  Bolton,  married  in  1883,  one  child  Ethel. 

-Joslyn,  Calvin,  jr.,  Saratoga,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Lancaster,  Mass.,  in  1816 ;  wife, 
Hettie  Maria  Spicer,  born  in  1824,  married  ii^  1844,  children  five:  Eber  J.,  Ai,  Fordice,  San- 
ford,  Clara  Belle,.  Parents,  Calvin  and  Hannah  (Robbins)  Joslyn,  of  Massachusetts,  married 
and  settled  in  Hadley,  Saratoga  county,  in  1818,  the  former  died  in  1870,  the  latter  in  1860, 
children  four,  three  now  living :  Calvin,  Lorin  and  Sarah. 

Juvet,  Louis  Paul,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Chaux-de-Fonds,  Switzerland,  August 
4th,  1838.  Mr.  Juvet's  parents  were  Charles  L.  and  Augustine  Juvet,  of  Switzerland.  He 
received  the  education  to  which  all  young  Swiss  are  entitled  and  learned  the  art  of  watch-, 
making.  He  landed  in  New  York  in  1864,  on  the  very  day  which  saw  Glens  Falls,  his  destined 
home,  reduced  to  ashes.  For  the  purpose  of  mastering  the  English  language,  then  entirely  un- 
known to  him,  he  left  the  city  at  once  and  resided  for  a  few  months  in  Ballston  Spa  and  Sara- 
toga Springs.  On  the  2d  day  of  January,  1865,  he  located  in  Glens  Falls  and  commenced  busi- 
ness as  a  watchmaker  and  jeweler,  dealing  in  diamonds,  watches,  jewelry  and  a  variety  of  the 
best  quality  of  silver  ware.  In  1867  he  completed  the  first  models  of  his  famous  Time  Globe,  a 
combination  of  a  globe  and  a  clock  by  means  of  which  the  time  of  every  place  on  earth  is  de- 
termined and  which  shows  the  earth  in  its  correct  and  relative  position  to  the  sun  at  any  mo- 
ment. In  1869  he  married  Miss  Eloise  Cameron,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  lest  her  by  death  in  1871. 
In  1876,  at  the  request  of  the  Philadelphia  Exposition  committee,  two  time  globes  made  almost 
entirely  by  hand  were  produced  and  exhibited.  This  exhibit  received  the  Centennial  medal  of 
merit  and  attracted  the  attention  of  scientific  men  of  all  nations,  prominent  among  them  Gen- 
John  Eaton  U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Education,  who  ordered  one  built  at  once  for  the  U.  S.  Gov- 
ernment exhibit.  This  last  model  was  constructed  on  new  and  much  improved  plans  for  which 
new  patents  were  issued.  In  1879  the  firm  of  Juvet  &  Co.,  of  Canajoharie,  N.  Y.,  was  founded. 
It  was  and  is  now  composed  of  Mrs.  L.  P.  Juvet,  James  Arkell  (senator),  W.  J.  Arkell  (now  of 
the  Albany  Evening  Journal),  and  A.  G.  Richmond,  cashier,  of  Canajoharie.  The  purpose  of 
this  firm  was  to  manufacture  time  globes,  as  well  as  school  globes  of  all  descriptions ;  their  produc- 
tions have  since  been  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world  and  are  found  in  the  libraries  of  most  of 
our  leading  men.  In  1881  Mr.  Juvet  became  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Mount  McGregor 
Improvement  Co.,  and  with  his  associates  in  the  globe  business  became  the  nucleus  of  the  Sara- 
toga, Mount  McGregor  and  Lake  George  R.  R.  Co.,  owners  of  the  Mount  McGregor  property 
lately  made  notable  by  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Gen.  Grant. 

Keeffe,  Daniel  F.,  was  born  in  1841.  Was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Glens  Falls 
Academy.  Read  law  in  the  office  of  Davis  &  Harris,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  a  general 
term  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Schenectady  in  1869,  and  has  since  practiced  his  profession  in 
Glens  Falls.     Mr.  Keeffe  is  the  present  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Queensbury. 

Keenan,  John,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Ulster,  Ireland,  in  1811.  In  1831 
he  emigrated  with  two  of  his  sisters  to  Quebec,  and  they  went  to  Scranton  Falls,  where  a  half 
brother  resided  and  remained  for  one  year.  In  1832  John  settled  in  Kingsbury,  Washington 
county,  where  he  was  several  years  engaged  in  boating,  and  in  1838  he  went  to  Glens  Falls  and 
commenced  the  manufacturing  and  shipping  of  lime  to  the  New  York  market.  His  partner 
was  the  Hon.  Judge  Halsey  R.  Wing,  of  Keenan  &  Wing,  which  firm  continued  until  his  death. 
In  1860  Mr.  Keenan's  interest  was  sold  to  Mr.  McDonald.  Mr.  Keenan  has  been  an  active  man 
in  his  town,  president  of  the  corporation  for  several  terms,  and  prominent  in  supplying  the  town 
with  mountain  water  and  fine  sidewalks,  also  president  of  the  Glens  FaUs  and  Fort  Edward  R. 
R. ;  was  married  in  1843  to  Ann  O'Connor,  of  Kingsbury,  Washington  county,  and  they  have 
five  children  living,  viz. :  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Peck,  Angeline,  Margaret,  Henry,  and  John,  jr. 

Kendrick,  Willis  J.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Stockholm,  St.  Lawrence 
county,  in  1860.  He  first  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1879,  as  clerk  for  Messrs.  Wilson  &  Ken- 
drick. Afterward  he  spent  three  years  in  Boston  learning  the  drug  trade.  Returning  he  be- 
came partner  with  his  brother,  Mr.  S.  G.  Kendrick,  and  closing  his  interest  he  opened  one  of 
the  fine  drug  and  prescription  stores  of  the  town  in  the  Opera  House  Block  in  Jan.,  1885.  Mr. 
Kendrick's  parents  were  Jason  M.  and  Esther  (Ellis)  Kendrick. 


Brief  Personals.  671 


Kerr,  Edward,  p.  u.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne,  Sept.  17th,  1834.  He  is  a  general  farmer 
and  dairyman,  having  a  farm  of  300  acres;  was  married  Oct.  6th,  1863,  to  Miss  Isabella 
Harper,  daughter  of  Arthur  Harper,  of  Canada,  and  they  have  two  children  :  Arthur  W.  and 
Margaret  S.  Mr.  Kerr  has  been  poormaster  three  terms.  Is  a  son  of  William  and  Lovina 
(Greene)  Kerr.     They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  two  now  living. 

Kenworthy,  John  L.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Bellows  Falls,  Windham 
county,  Vt.,  Dec.  8th,  1818  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1833.  He  was  apprenticed  to  Harmon 
Peck  to  learn  the  tin  trade,  where  he  remained  for  six  years.  In  1842  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  Noble  Peck,  which  remained  unchanged  until  Mr.  Peck's  death.  Mr.  Kenworthy  then 
took  the  entire  business.  Was  burned  out  and  then  took  his  present  store  on  Warren  St.,  where 
he  still  remains.  His  stock  consists  of  all  useful  hou^e  furnishing  goods,  from  the  simplest 
kitchen  article  to  a  parlor  ornament  with  stoves,  tin  and  crockery;  he  was  married  to  Laura  L. 
Stour,  of  Glens  Falls,  in  1841,  and  they  have  four  children. 

King,  Frederick  W.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1851.  Is  a  farmer. 
Was  married,  in  1883,  to  Miss  Minerva  J.  Woodward,  daughter  of  Hon.  Joseph  and  Jane  (Judd) 
Woodward.  They  have  one  child,  Julia  E.  Mr.  King  was  a  son  of  Hesden  and  Minerva  (Rich- 
ards) King.  They  had  six  children,  George  R.,  Horace  P.,  Frederick  W.,  Hesden  P.,  Samuel  T. 
and  Ghas.  F.  George  R.  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  31st  Wiscon.^iin,  in  1862,  and  served  until  1865; 
was  a  prisoner  at  Libby  Prison.  Hesden  P.  and  Charles  F.  are  lawyers,  Samuel  T.  is  a  physi- 
cian and  George  is  postmaster  at  Wilcox,  Arizona.     Horace  is  a  merchant. 

King,  Hesden  Prior,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh,  N.  Y,,  in 
1853.  Read  law  at  Warrensburgh  and  with  Judge  Davis,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  was  admitted  at 
Albany,  Jan.  11th,  1878.  Was  clerk  of  the  Surrogate  Court.  He  also  graduated  in  civil  en- 
gineering in  1873 ;  in  1879  was  married  to  Anna  E.  Cowles,  of  Glens  Falls.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Jennie  R.  Mr.  King's  parents  were  Hesden  and  Minerva  (Richards)  King.  They  . 
had  six  sons  :  George  R.,  Horace  P.,  Frederick  W.,  Hesden  P.,  Samuel  T.,  and  Chas.  F.  George 
R.  served  three  years  during  the  late  war.  Was  a  prisoner  for  a  short  time  in  Libby  Prison. 
Samuel  T.  is  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  and  af  physician  and  surgeon  in  Brookl^'u.  Charles  F., 
also  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  is  a  lawyer. 

Kingsley,  John  S.,  Qneensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Washington  county,  in  1827 ; 
in  1851  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  M.  Harris,  Queensbury.  They  have  four  daughters  : 
Adelia,  Sarah  Louise,  Ida  and  Marilla.  Adelia  A.  niari-ied  Mr.  Daniel  Sweet,  Sarah  is  now  ilrs. 
Allen  IJrown,  Ida  is  a  teacher  in  the  Glens  Falls  Seminary,  and  Marilla  is  a  teacher  at  the  Albany 
Normal  School.  Mrs.  Kingsley  was  a  daughter  of  John  J.  and  Sarah  (Welch)  Harris.  Besides 
Margaret  they  had  six  other  children.  Mr.  John  J.  Harris  built  and  donated  the  Episcopal 
church  at  Queensbury  and  it  was  consecrated  in  1869  at  a  cost  of  $13,000.  He  was  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  county,  active  in  all  large  business  enterprises,  and  an  extensive 
lumber  dealer  and  builder. 

Kipp,  RulifF,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  at  Schaghticoke,  Rensselaer  Co.,  in 
1811,  son  of  Tunis  and  Eliza  (Van  Antwerp)  Kipp.  He  settled  at  an  early  date  at  Schaghticoke 
with  his  parents.  In  1840  he  removed  to  Queensbury  and  became  one  of  the  largest  farm- 
ers of  the  county,  owning  over  2,000  acres  of  land.  He  was  an  early  lumberman  and  dealer 
and  also  engaged  in  the  general  grecery  and  provision  trade,  from  which  he  retired  in  1865. 
He  has  been  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  for  over  thirty  years  and  also  director  of  the 
Gas  Light  Co.,  and  Glens  Falls  Insurance  Co.,  of  which  institution  he  is  a  stock  owner.  Was 
married  in  1834  to  Miss  Maria  Yates.  She  died  in  1854  leaving  four  children.  For  his  second 
wife,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Flood,  of  Queensbury,  Warren  Co. 

Kirkbride,  William  A.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  at  Rego,  Canada,  in  1849, 
and  settled  in  Essex  Co.  in  1865.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Glens  Falls  and  commenced  business 
as  a  journeyman  marble  and  granite  worker.  In  1884  he  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  William  S. 
Tuttle.  The  firm  is  now  Tuttle  &  Kirkbride,  and  they  make  a  specialty  of  all  classes  of  the 
best  cemetery  work,  hou.se  marble,  ornaments  and  mantels.  They  handle  all  of  the  fine  grades 
of  granite  and  marble,  and  are  competent  to  execute  the  finest  of  work  ;  Mr.  Kirkbride  was 
married  in  1879  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Rivers,  of  Vergennes,  Vt.,  and  they  have  two  children  Mary 
and  Mabel     Mr.  Kirkbride  was  a  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Stevens)  Kirkbride. 

Lapham,  Henry  G.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Lydia  (Langdon)  Lapham ;  was  married  to  Lydia  Sherman  in  1862.  Mr.  Lapham  is 
the  only  representative  of  a  large  family,  having  had  seven  children.  The  grandparents  were 
Stephen  and  Rachel  (Hussey)  Lapham.  They  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  nine  girls  and 
four  boys,  all  of  whom  are  dead. 

Lapham,  Hon.  Jerome,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  Co., 
in  1823.     Has  been  one  of  the  representative  men  of  his  county.     Has  been  supervisor  several 


6/2  History  of  Warren  County. 

terms  and  all  minor  town  offices.  He  was  member  of  Assembly  in  1865  and  president  of  cor- 
poration. Trustee,  and  also  president  and  director  of  County  Agricultural  Society.  Was 
chairman  of  the  county  war  committee;  was  married  in  1846  to  Hannah  Hoyt,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Helen  and  Byron.  Byron  married  Miss  Minnie  Spencer  of  G-lens  Falls  in  1870 
and  they  have  one  son.  Helen  is  now  Mrs.  C.  L.  Rockwell,  and  has  three  children.  Hon. 
Jerome  Lapham's  parents  were  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  (Healy)  Lapham.  Besides  Jerome, 
they  had  two  other  sons,  Benjamin  F.  and  Fletcher.  Fletcher  enlisted  in  the  22d  Regiment  un- 
der Col.  Phillips.  Served  three  years  and  was  discharged.  He  died  in  1883,  leaving  a  widow 
and  three  children. 

Langworthy,  Myron  B.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1847,  and  settled  in 
Bolton  in  1876.  He  is  an  extensive  farmer  and  lumber  dealer,  owning  300  acres  of  land  and 
timber ;  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss  Lorinda  Bennett,  of  Warrensburgh,  and  they  have  two 
daughters,  Bertha  J.  and  Daisey  M.  Mr.  Langworthy  was  a  son  of  Walter  and  Mary  E.  (Ben- 
net)  Langworthy.     They  had  six  children. 

La  Salle,  Nelson,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Canada  in  1828,  and  settled  in 
Glens  Falls  in  1851,  as  a  journeyman  mechanic  in  the  manufacture  of  fine  work  in  carriages.  In 
1873  he  commenced  on  his  own  account,  establishing  a  factory,  and  building  fine  light  work  in 
buggies,  and  double  carriages.  All  hand  work  of  the  best  grades.  His  smith  work,  painting 
and  polishing  are  all  done  under  his  immediate  supervision  ;  in  1850  he  married  Miss  Maria  B. 
Dean,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  they  have  four  children,  Walter  H.,  Minnie  I.  (now  Mrs.  Ed- 
win C.  Hart,  of  Wisconsin),  George  W.,  and  Fred  L.  Mr.  La  Salle's  father  was  Louis  La- 
Salle. 

Latham,  Lawton,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Washington  Co.,  in  1814, 
and  settled  with  his  parents  in  Bolton  in  1816,  moved  to  Warren.^burgh  April,  1846.  Has  been 
•  a  general  farmer  and  now  owns  574  acres.  Was  married  in  1840  to  Miss  Lucy  A.  Gould,  and 
they  have  a  family  of  five  children,  three  now  living,  John  J.,  Lawton  W.,  and  Elizabeth  M. 
Elizabeth  M.  is  new  Mrs.  Rev.  Chas.  F.  Wilcox,  John  J.  married  Miss  Emma  Greenow,  and 
Lawton  married  Miss  Abby  D.  Lewis.  They  had  one  son,  Sylvester,  who  enlisted  in  Co.  T, 
9Gth  N.  Y.  Reg.,  and  after  an  engagement  fought  at  Charles  City  Road,  Oct  27th,  1864,  no 
clear  acconnt  of  him  was  ever  heard.  Mr.  Latham's  parents  were  John  and  Polly  Latham,  na- 
tives of  the  New  England  States. 

Lawrence,  James  H.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne  in  1830.  In  Sept.,  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  D,  93d  N.  Y.  V.,  under  Col.  Butler.  Was  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war  from 
Philadelphia  hospital,  having  lost  a  leg  at  the  engagement  at  Spotsylvania  Court  House.  His 
limb  was  amputated  on  the  field.  In  May,  1862,  he  was  appointed  postmaster.  Was  town 
clerk  13  years,  and  embarked  in  the  mercantile  trade  in  1868.  In  June,  1885,  Mr.  Alexander 
Dean  became  his  partner,  firm  of  Lawrence  &  Dean ;  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss  CeUnda  Rist, 
and  they  have  a  family  of  three  children,  Edwin  H.,  James  and  Oscar.  Mr.  Lawrence's  parents 
were  Dr.  James  and  Judith  (Wells)  Lawrence. 

Lee,  George  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  Co.,  in 
1827;  commenced  his  business  life  as  clerk  for  A.  Sherman  in  1853.  He  embarked  in  the  mer- 
cantile, lumber  and  real  estate  business  at  Horicon  and  in  1866  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  com- 
pany with  the  Messrs.  Coolidge  in  the  general  merchandise,  lumber  and  real  estate  business. 
In  1881  they  retired  from  the  mercantile  bus'iness,  but  still  continue  in  the  lumber  and  real  es- 
tate trade ;  was  married  in  1857  to  Sarah  Mead,  of  Chester,  Warren  Co.,  she  died  in  1863,  leav- 
ing one  child.  Forest.  In  1884  he  married  for  his  second  wife.  Miss  Kate  Cowles,  of  Glens 
Falls.     Mr.  Lee's  parents  were  James  and  Polly  (Witherell)  Lee. 

Leggett,  Charles  S.,  Chester,  p.  o.  Chestertown  ;  was  born  in  Chester  Jan.  25tli,  1847.  Is  a 
farmer  and  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church ;  was  married  to  Jannette,  daughter  of  Elijah  and 
Mary  (Carr)  Hall,  and  they  have  four  children,  Carrie  E.,  Clarkson  H.,  Katie  F.,  and  Arthur 
G.  Mr.  Leggett's  grandfather,  Charles  Leggett,  was  a  native  of  Westchester  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
in  1795  settled  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  our  subject. 

Leggett,  George  H.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Chester,  Warren  Co.,  in 
184'J.  In  1863  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls  as  clerk  with  Mr.  Sisson  in  the  drug  store,  and  in 
1870  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  John  W.  Bush,  firm  Leggett  &  Bush,  located  at  103 
Glen  St.  In  1884  he  erected  his  new  store  at  109  Glen  St.,  where  they  are  now  located  with 
an  exten.sive  stock  of  drugs,  medicine,  paints,  oils,  and  all  desirable  patent  medicines  of  value- 
Mr.  Leggett  was  married  in  1869  to  Mary  H.  Burdick,  of  Glens  Falls.  Mr.  Leggett's  parents 
were  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Mead)  Leggett. 

Little,  Dr.  George  W.,  Queensburyj  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  in  Nov. 
1836.  Gi-aduated  from  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1858.  He  practiced  as  assistant  in  the 
Albany  hospital  and  read  medicine  with  Dr.  James  Ferguson,  of  Glens  Falls,  where  he  prac- 


Brief  Personals.  673 


ticed  until  1860.  He  then  removed  to  Johnsburgh,  and  in  18G7  he  settled  in  Fort  Edward. 
The  same  year  he  was  married  to  Miss  Helena  Dewey,  of  Kingsbury.  For  ten  years  he  was 
a  partner  of  Dr.  B.  F.  Cornell  at  Fort  Edward.  In  1881  the  doctor  built  his  present  beautiful 
residence  at  Glens  Falls,  where  he  settled  in  his  profession.  Dr.  Little's  parents  were  Rev. 
Russell  M.  and  Nancy  (Blair)  Little. 

Little,  Richard,  Chester,  son  of  Robert  and  Catherine  Little,  was  a  native  of  Ferinanagh, 
Ireland.  He  located  at  Johnsburgh  in  the  year  1848,  and  engaged  in  the  tanning  business.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Chester  aud  was  engaged  as  superintendent  or  foreman  in  the  tannery 
now  owned  by  C.  R.  Faxon,  of  Chester.  Has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Good  Templars,  also  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance  ; 
was  married  to  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Thompson.  She  died  in  136.5,  and  for  his  second 
wife  Mr.  Little  married  Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Juo.  Kanwell,  and  they  have  six  children,  Katie, 
Satie  M.,  Willie  (deceased),  Richardson,  Clara  B.,  and  Lettie. 

Little,  Rev.  Russell  M.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Middletown,  Mass.,  in 
1809,  was  licensed  in  Berkshire  in  1828,  and  united  with  the  N.  Y.  Conference  in  1829.  His 
first  charge  was  at  North  Adams,  Great  Barrington,  Stuyvesant,  Williamstown,  Ma.ss.,  St.  Al- 
bans, Burlington,  Waterbury,  Vt.,  and  at  last  to  Glens  Falls,  where  in  1838  he  resigned  on  ac- 
count of  poor  health.  He  then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  but  in  1840  'was  again  com- 
pelled to  give  up  his  work  on  account  of  his  health  and  removed  to  Easton,  Pa.  In  1842,  he 
again  returned  to  Glens  Falls  in  the  same  mercantile  trade,  connected  with  the  insurance  busi- 
ness. He  was  active  in  organizing  the  Glens  Falls  Insurance  Co.,  and  was  chosen  its  secretary 
in  which  capacity  he  remained  until  1867,  when  he  was  elected  president,  which  office  he  now 
holds.  Mr.  Little's  parents  were  Russell  and  Sarah  (Mack)  Little.  They  had  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living.  Rev.  Russell  M.  Little,  was  chosen  State  senator  in  1861, 
also  member  of  the  Chicago  Convention  in  1880,  and  U.  S.  elector  in  1876,  but  with  all  his 
pressing  business  engagements,  he  has  ever  been  ready  to  give  counsel  to  the  afflicted  as  a 
Christian  can  only  do.  Was  married  to  Nancy  Blair,  of  Cambridge,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  six 
children. 

Lockhart,  Mr.  William,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1826,  a  son 
of  Walter  and  Mary  (McKenzie)  Lockhart,  and  emigrated  with  them  for  America  in  1842. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lockhart  settled  in  Queensbury,  where  they  died,  leaving  eight  cliildren.  William 
settled  in  Caldwell,  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  George,  where  he  now  resides.  He  spent  three 
years  in  California  and  is  a  man  of  culture,  and  a  gentleman  of  rare  gifts,  a  man  of  original 
thought  and  a  happy  turn  of  mind.  In  his  early  married  life,  when  first  elected  path-master, 
his  first  thought  was  to  caution  his  excellent  companion  "  not  to  be  lifted  up  above  her  old 
friends,  as  he  might  not  win  at  his  next  election."  Mr.  Lockhart  was  married  in  July,  1852, 
to  Esther,  daughter  of  William  and  Polly  (Sanders)  Bates. 

Lockwood,  John  H.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1847.  He  com- 
menced his  early  business  life  as  a  farmer  and  lumberman,  which  business  he  still  continues. 
In  188.3  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  stage-coach,  mail  and  express  business  from  Warrens- 
burgh to  Glens  Falls.  The  firm  is  Lockwood  Bros.  Mr.  Lockwood  was  married  in  1880  to 
Miss  Diana  Hubbell,  daughter  of  Frederick  B.  and  Susan  P.  (Smith)  Hubbell.  Mr.  Lockwood  is 
a  son  of  George  and  Eliza  (Taylor)  Lockwood.  Two  of  their  three  children  are  now  living, 
John  H.  and  George  T. 

Loomis,  John  R.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Washington 
county,  in  1846.  In  1882  he  removed  from  New  York  city  to  Glens  Falls,  and  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  furniture,  undertaking  and  upholstery  business  of  Charles  E.  BuUard.  The  firm 
is  now  BuUard  &  Loomis,  118  and  120  Glen  street.  Mr.  Loomis  is  also  a  professional  account- 
ant. Was  married  in  1868  to  Sarah  Emma,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  R.  if.  Little.  They  have 
three  children,  Russell  M.,  John  R.,  jr.,  and  George  L.  Mr.  Loomis's  parents  were  Ezekiel  and 
Ann  (Rice)  Loomis. 

Loveland,  John,  Thurman,  p.  o.  Athol,  was  born  in  this  town  in  1826 ;  is  a  farmer,  merchant 
and  hotel-keeper ;  has  been  sheriff  in  his  county  for  two  terms,  and  has  i^also  held  various  local 
offices  in  his  town,  viz. :  Supervisor,  justice  of  the  peace,  commissioner  of  highways.  Was 
married  in  1850  to  Sarah  Wiltsey,  a  native  of  this  county.  They  have  two  children ;  Cordelia 
and  Eloise  Loveland. 

Lyons,  Dennis,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Maine  in  1841.  He  settled  at 
Lake  George  in  1868,  and  in  1879  embarked  in  the  grocery  and  provision  business  at  Lake 
George,  where  he  is  having  a  large  trade.  He  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Ann  (Murphy)  Lyons. 
They  had  three  children,  Dennis,  John  and  Margaret.  Margaret  is  now  Mrs.  John  Caldwell. 
The  father,  Jeremiah,  was  an  extensive  railroad  and  canal  contractor. 

43 


674  History  of  Warren  County. 

MacGregor,  Duncan,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Witton,  Saratoga  county,  in 
1808.  Wife,  Harriett  G.  Cornell,  of  Witton ;  born  in  1813,  married  in  1844,  and  died  in  1868. 
One  adopted  daughter,  Anna  L.  Sprott.  Mr.  MacGregor  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1867,  where 
he  now  resides.  Parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  (Cameron)  MacGregor,  the  latter  born  in  Scot^ 
land,  came  to  Saratoga  county  in  1775  or  '77,  the  former  came  with  her  parents  on  the  same 
ship.  They  were  married  about  1790,  settled  and  hved  in  Witton  until  their  death.  Children, 
eleven,  two  living. 

Macomber,  Albert  W.,  Chesterfield,  p.  o.  Clintonsville,  was  born  in  Chesterfield,  February 
26th,  1826.  Is  a  son  of  Wesson  and  grandson  of  John  Macomber,  known  better  as  Judge 
Macomber,  being  one  of  the  first  judges  of  Essex  county.  Is  a  fa'-mer  and  owns  300  acres  of 
land.  Was  married  to  Sarah  Beardsley,  daughter  of  I.  and  Sarah  (Day)  Beardsley,  of  Port 
Jack.son,  Clinton  county  ;  children,  five :  Eunice  B.  (now  Jlrs.  Rev.  Charles  A.  Bradford,  of 
Peru),  Adelaid  (now  Mrs.  James  Wardner,  of  Brighton,  Franklin  county),  Lillian  M.,  Edmund 
K.  and  George  N.,  a  doctor  of  Syracuse. 

Macomber,  George  N.,  M.  D.,  of  Syracuse,  was  born  in  Essex  county,  N.  Y.,  May  13th, 
1854.  His  father  being  a  farmer,  he  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  at  the  Keeseville  Academy.  His  scientific  knowledge,  for  which  he  always  had 
a  great  desire,  was  acquired  by  his  own  exertions.  Most  of  his  time  for  two  years  was  spent 
in  teaching,  to  obtain  means  to  pursue  liis  studies,  having  from  childhood  an  inherent  passion 
for  medicine.  He  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  H.  A.  Houghton,  a  very  able  physician  of  Keese- 
ville, now  of  Burton,  Mass.  After  three  years  of  study  he  entered  Pult  Medical  College,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1878.  Immediately  after  graduating  he  located 
in  Norwood,  St.  Lawrence  county,  where  he  remained  in  active  practice  for  four  years.  Not 
being  satisfied  to  remain  longer  m  so  small  a  town,  in  the  spring  of  1882  he  sold  out  to  a  young 
physician  who  was  desirous  of  purchasing  an  established  practice,  and  at  once  moved  to  Syra- 
cuse, N.  Y.  He  entered  the  office  formerly  occupied  by  the  late  Dr.  Bigelow,  110  South  Salina 
street,  and  by  his  close  application  to  business,  and  courteous  and  gentlemanly  treatment,  he 
has  not  only  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  but  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  entire  com- 
munity, and  the  respect  of  the  medical  profession,  who  recognize  in  him  a  young  man  of  very 
marked  ability.  In  the  treatment  of  chronic  diseases  he  has  been  especially  successful,  often 
being  called  in  consultation  on  difficult  cases  in  preference  to  older  practitioners. 

Mason,  Calvin,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Kingsbury,  Washington  county, 
in  1822.  Is  a  general  farmer  and  agent  for  the  Bradley  mower,  reaper  and  rake.  Was  mar- 
ried in  1848  to  Miss  Phebe  Shepard,  of  Washington  county.  She  died  in  1871,  leaving  one 
son,  Charles  E.  Mason.  In  1874  Mr.  Mason  was  again  married  to  Abbie  A.  Haviland.  Her 
parents  were  David  and  Hannah  (Anthony)  Haviland.  He  died  in  1862,  and  left  two  children, 
Abbey  and  Roger  E. 

Mason,  Thomas  Freeman,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in'Roxbury,  Litchfield  county, 
Connecticut,  January  5th,  1804,  and  settled  in  Fort  Ann,  Washington  county,  October  28th, 
1814.  Wife,  Chloe  Shattuch,  born  in  Pittford,  Vt.,  June  2d,  1806.  Married  June  14th,  1827. 
Two  children,  Harriett  M.  and  Arabella.  Arabella  married  Mr.  Dillon  P.  Smith ;  two  children, 
Charles  F.  and  Lucy  B.  Lucy  B.  married  Mr.  E.  E.  Winchell ;  have  one  daughter,  Constance 
C.  Winchell,  born  1884.     Charles  married  Miss  Emily  Knight,  January  22d,  1884. 

Mattison,  Charles,  p.  o.  Horicon,  is  one  of  the  respected  citizens  of  Horicou.  Is  a  native  of 
the  place  and  was  born  August  5th,  1845.  He  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  Has  held 
town  office  of  commissioner  of  highways.  Was  married  March  28th,  1868,  to  Perthena,  daugh- 
ter of  Abram  Whitaker,  of  Weavertown,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  nine  children,  Anjuletta,  Ann 
Melha,  Cora,  Nora,  John,  Leonard,  Nellie,  Albert  and  Louise.  Anjuletta  Mattison  was  thirteen 
years  old  when  she  died.     Mr.  Mattison's  parents  were  George  and  Emeline  (Hayes)  Mattison. 

McClanathan,  John,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  in  Hague,  November  13th,  1838.  He  is  a  farmer 
and  the  proprietor  of  the  Hillside  House  of  Hague.  It  is  a  new  house,  handsomely  located  on 
a  sightly  eminence  overlooking  Lake  George,  and  accommodates  thirty-five  guests.  Mr.  McClan- 
athan has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  five  years  and  has  been  supervisor  nine  years.  Was  mar- 
ried December  23d,  1872,  to  Martha  A.,  daughter  of  Aaron  Lyon.  Mr.  McClanathan's  grand- 
father, John,  came  from  Connecticut,  and  located  in  Hague  about  1812.  He  located  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Hague  on  111  acres  of  land  and  raised  a  family  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  one  only  is  now  living. 

McDermott,  Rev.  James,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1836,  where 
he  received  a  liberal  education.  In  1854  he  went  to  Baltimore,  where  he  completed  his  class- 
ical education,  and  on  August  22d,  1862,  he  was  ordained  at  the  Albany  cathedral  by  Bishop 
McCloskey.  August  27th,  1862,  he  was  sent  to  Glens  Falls,  where  he  has  since  labored,  and 
has  caused  the  erection  of  a  fine  church  edifice  and  large  school  buildings  and  dwelling. 


Brief  Personals.  675 


McDonald,  Leonard  G.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Warren  county  in  1821, 
son  of  William  McDonald  and  Mary  Jane  Davis.  He  was  born  in  Duchess  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
she  in  Connecticut  in  1784.  They  married  at  Schuylerville  in  1809  and  settled  in  the  village  of 
Glens  Falls  in  1818.  They  died  in  the  county,  he  September  11th,  1870,  and  she  September 
16th,  1862.  They  had  eight  children,  six  now  living,  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  Richard  S., 
Leonard  G.,  William  H.,  Walter  and  Edward,  and  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Armes.  The  father,  William, 
settled  in  Warren  county  in  1795  on  what  is  known  as  Sanford's  Ridge  in  Queensbury.  His 
father  was  Dr.  Charles  McDonald ;  was  born  and  educated  in  Scotland,  and  after  the  Revolution 
settled  at  New  Roclielle,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  Mr.  Leonard  G.  ^McDonald 
raai'ried  Miss  Clara  M.  Twining,  born  in  Sandersfield,.  Berkshire  county,  and  married  in  18; 2. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  Twining,  of  Massachusetts.  Mr.  William  McDonald  was 
member  of  Assembly  two  terms,  1822  and  1826.  He  was  one  of  the  prominent  leading  men 
of  the  State,  and  was  the  influential  man  in  locating  the  feeder  of  the  Champlain  and  Erie  canals 
at  Glens  Falls,  as  it  was  the  early  intention  to  have  it  at  Sandy  Hill.  It  is  proper  here  to  state 
that  the  great  growth  of  this  corporation  is  due  to  Mr.  William  McDonald  or  his  early  influence 
in  legislation. 

McEchron,  William,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Saratoga,  Saratoga  county, 
in  1831.  Mr.  McEchron  is  a  self-made  man,  having  by  persistent  efibrt  reached  an  enviable 
height  in  financial  success.  He  boated,  chopped  and  lumbered  from  his  childhood  until  1846, 
when  he  went  to  Argyle  and  assisted  as  errand  boy  in  a  store,  and  attended  school  at  the  acad- 
emy for  two  terms.  He  then  became  assistant  at  the  Fort  Edward  railroad  baggage  depart- 
ment. In  1851  he  entered  into  the  employ  of  a  lumbering  firm  at  Fort  Edward  (Bradly  & 
Underwood),  and  worked  for  them  thirteen  years  as  foreman  and  agent,  and  in  1864  he  took 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Lapham  in  the  firm  of  Morgan  &  Lapham,  and  the  firm  name  became  Mor- 
gan ii  McEchron.  The  firm  is  now  the  Morgan  Lumber  Co.,  and  is  one  of  the  large  lumber 
and  lime  companies  of  the  State.  Mr.  McEchron  was  married  in  1858  to  Sarah  B.  Carswell,  of 
Fort  Edward,  and  they  have  three  daughters,  Margaret,  Caroline  and  Elizabeth.  Mr.  McEch- 
ron's  parents  were  David  and  Hannah  McEchron.  David  died  in  1862,  leaving  five  children 
William,  Elizabeth,  Hannah  M.,  Cornelia  and  Ruth.  Ruth  still  resides  with  her  mother,  now 
aged  82  years. 

McGuire,  Patrick  J.,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  came  to  this  town  in  1868  and 
engaged  in  lumbering.  Has  held  several  of  the  minor  town  offices.  Was  married  in  1872  to 
Miss  Juha  Murray,  daughter  of  Alexander  Murray,  an  old  resident  of  this  town.  Mr.  ilcGuire 
settled  on  his  present  farm  about  eight  years  since.     They  have  one  child. 

McLafflin,  Bartlett,  Johnsburgh,  p.  o.  Weavertown,  was  born  in  County  Roscommon,  Ireland, 
September  27th,  1828 ;  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Kelly)  McLafflin.  He  left  Ireland  when 
three  years  of  age,  with  his  mother,  and  located  in  Quebec,  Canada.  He  came  to  Johnsburgh 
in  1850  and  in  1861  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Weavertown;  has  remained  there  ever 
since;  he  has  two  farms,  one  of  63  acres  and  the  other  of  165  acres;  was  married  in  1861  to 
Ann  J.  Little,  and  they  have  six  children  :  William,  James,  John,  Minnie,  Anna,  and  Maggie. 
Mr.  McLafflin  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

McMaster,  Charles  H.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerue  March  17th,  1849 ;  is  a  carpenter 
and  builder;  is  an  active  member  of  St.  Mary's  Episcopal  Church;  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss 
Minnie  Myers,  of  Schenectady  county;  of  their  four  children,  but  two  are  now  living.  Mr. 
McMaster  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Bovee)  McMaster. 

Mead,  James  J.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Chester,  Warren  county,  N.  Y., 
in  1859;  was  a  graduate  of  Warrensburgh  Academy  in  1880.  The  1st  of  February,  1881,  he 
entered  the  office  of  Isaac  J.  Davis  (now  deceased),  and  commenced  the  study  of  law,  where 
he  remained  until  the  spring  of  18':'2.  He  then  entered  the  law  department  of  Union  Univer- 
sity at  Albany,  graduating  from  that  department  in  May,  1883,  at  which  time  he  was  admitted 
to. the  bar  at  Binghamton  and  settled  in  his  profession  at  Glens  Falls.  The  spring  of  1885  he 
was  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  for  justice  of  the  peace,  and  defeated  by  a  majority  of 
23,  running  ahead  of  his  ticket  175.  He  married  Miss  Nellie  O'Connor  in  1883,  and  they  have 
one  child,  J.  Carlisle.  She  was  a  graduate  of  Cohir  Convent  and  of  Clonmel  Model  School  with 
full  honors  of  her  province,  Ireland.  Mr.  Mead's  parents  were  Francis  and  Lurania  (Hough- 
ton) Mead.     Besides  James  J.,  they  had  two  other  children,  Lillian  B.,  and  Orpha. 

Merrill,  Caleb,  (deceased),  Bolton,  p.  o.  North  Bolton,  was  born  in  Arlington,  Vt. ;  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Hannah  Watson,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  in  1840.  Mr.  Merrill  died  in  1868, 
leaving  four  children:  Mahala,  Eugene,  Marlow  C,  and  Alvinus.  Mrs.  Men  ill  and  her  family 
then  settled  in  Bolton.  But  two  of  her  children  are  now  living.  The  others  died  in  the  war. 
Mrs.  Merrill's  parents  were  Joseph,  and  Susan  (Clark)  Watson,  of  Rhode  Island. 

Middleworth,  Henry  V.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Hill  View,  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Washington  county. 


6/6  History  of  Warren  County. 

in  1813.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  wagon  manufacturer,  and  in  1831  he  became 
proprietor  of  a  shop.  He  afterward  dropped  his  trade  and  commenced  purchasing  land  in  Wash- 
ington county,  and  erecting  buildings.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  the  Middleworth  House  at 
Sandy  Hill,  and  several  of  the  other  prominent  buildings.  He  purchased  his  present  summer 
residence  on  Lake  George  and  is  now  erecting  a  hotel  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  George,  five 
miles  from  the  head  of  the  lake.  When  finished  it  will  accommodate  100  guests.  Mr. 
Middleworth  was  married  to  Miss  Orril  Bliss,  of  Massachusetts,  in  1838.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Ella  Josephine,  and  Warren  H. 

Miles,  W.  R.,  Stony  Greek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Jay,  Essex  county, 
in  1836,  and  came  to  Stony  Creek  in  1858.  He  was  at  that  time  engaged  in  blacksmithing,  he 
being  one  of  the  first  blacksmiths  in  the  town.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  went  to 
Springfield,  Mass.,  in  the  employ  of  the  government,  manufacturing  arms.  In  the  fall  of  1862 
he  enlisted  in  the  1st  Conn.  Heavy  Artillery  as  artificer,  and  served  until  1864,  when  he  was 
discharged  for  blindness  caused  by  sun-stroke.  He  returned  to  Stony  Creek  and  remained  until 
1871  when  he  removed  to  Albany  and  served  on  the  new  capitol  as  a  tool-maker  until  1876. 
He  then  engaged  as  a  practical  salesman  with  a  Philadelphia  and  New  York  house,  Ely  &  Wil- 
liams, and  still  remains  with  them. 

Miller,  Francis  L.,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Greek  Center,  has  lived  in  Stony  Creek  about  fourteen 
years.  He  formerly  came  from  Clinton  county,  and  was  a  farmer  until  two  years  since.  He 
is  now  a  storekeeper  and  the  owner  of  a  grist-mill;  was  married  in  1872  to  Acena  Hach,  of 
Stony  Greek ;  they  have  two  children.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  in  the 
96th  N.  y.  Regiment.     He  took  part  in  fifteen  general  engagements. 

Miller,  George  Y.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Day,  Saratoga  county,  in  1836.  He  is  a  gen- 
eral druggist  and  prescriptionist  at  Luzerne,  dealing  extensively  in  drugs,  medicines,  paints  and 
oils,  also  stationery  goods,  papers,  and  all  fancy  and  ornamental  goods.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  soldier 
in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  1864.  He  was  appointed  ensign  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  and  transferred 
from  the  Savana  to  the  Dictator.  In  September,  1864,  he  went  on  the  Juanita,  and  after  the 
explosion  of  a  two-hundred-pounder,  they  went  to  Beaufort  for  repairs.  They  Entered  an  en- 
gagement at  Fort  Fisher  on  December  24th  and  2.5th.  1864.  On  January  12th  and  13th  was 
the  second  bombardment  and  success.  The  fort  surrendered  January  15th,  at  2  P.  M.,  orders 
sent  to  cease  firing  and  the  rebels  surrendered  at  10  P.  M.  to  the  5,000  troops,  mostly  of  colored 
soldiers.  Mr.  Miller  was  married  May  31st,  1864,  to  Miss  Lillie  A.  Lindsey,  and  they  have  one 
son,  George.  Mr.  Miller  is  the  commander  of  Post  B.  C.  Butler,  No.  316,  and  grand  master  of 
the  A.  0.  U.  W.     He  was  a  son  of  David  C.  and  Martha  (Yerrington)  Miller. 

Miller,  John,  J.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1818,  and  settled  in 
Queensbury  with  his  parents  in  1830 ;  is  a  general  farmer  and  owns  300  acres  of  land ;  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Eunice  Brainard  in  1847.  She  died  in  1881,  and  for  his  second  wife  he  married 
Helen  Van  Husen,  of  Queensbury,  in  1884.  Mr.  Miller's  parents  were  Samuel  and  Sarah 
Miller,  natives  of  Ireland.  They  had  ten  children,  three  only  of  whom  are  now  living :  John 
J.,  William,  and  Susan. 

Miller,  Samuel  H.,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  June  26th,  1836,  in  Putnam,  Washington  county, 
N.  y. ;  is  a  farmer  and  owns  183  acres  of  land;  has  held  the  office  of  highway  commissioner 
five  years,  and  collector  of  taxes  four  years ;  was  married  September  16th,  1858,  to  Sarah  M. 
daughter  of  Anson  Elthorp,  of  Vermont,  and  they  have  six  children :  WOhs  J.,  Estella,  Elburta' 
Herbert  N.,  Jennie,  and  Samuel  H.,  jr.  Mr.  Miller's  parents  were  John  and  Clarissa  (Hutchin- 
son) Miller.     They  had  fourteen  children. 

Miller,  William,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Monahan,  Ireland,  in  1827 ;  is  a 
farmer  and  owns  the  farm  of  185  acres  formerly  belonging  to  his  father ;  was  married  in  1866 
to  Eliza  M.  Barker,  of  South  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  six  children :  William  S.  Lizzie  M. 
Frank  B.,  John  E.,  and  twins,  Harriet  L.,  and  Arthur  L.  Mr.  Miller  has  held  several  minor 
town  offices.  Mr.  Miller's  parents  were  William  and  Sarah  Miller,  natives  of  Ireland  who  set- 
tled in  Queensbury  in  1830. 

MilUngton,  Levy,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  one  of  the  present  old  settlers,  was  born  in  Warrens- 
burgh  in  1807 ;  is  a  general  farmer ;  has  been  school  commissioner  three  years,  and  assessor  one 
term ;  was  married  in  1845  to  Miss  Charity  Wilcox,  of  Johnsburgh ;  they  had  a  family  of  three 
daughters :  Ella,  Mary,  and  Christine.  Ella  married  Mr.  Charles  Featherson,  leaving  one  child 
Ella.  Mr.  Millington's  parents  were  David  and  Charity  (Potter)  Millington.  They  had  a  family 
of  six  children,  four  now  living. 

Mills,  William  F.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  North  Bolton,  was  born  in  Castleton,  Vt,  in  1803.  Is  a  re- 
tired farmer ;  has  been  assessor  several  terms,  and  highway  commissioner ;  was  married  to  Miss 
Clarissa  M.  Goodman,  of  Bolton,  in  1834.  They  have  seven  children:  Orlin  C,  Julia,  Marion 
Clara,  Ellen,  Mary,  and  Sarah.     Julia  has  been  a  teacher  and  the  sons  are  merchants.     Mr! 


Brief  Personals.  6TJ 


Mills's  parents  were  Stephen  and  Polly  (Cushman)  Mills.  They  had  three  children,  of  whom 
William  is  the  only  surviving  one. 

Monroe,  Dr.  A.  D.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  is  a  native  of  Smyrna,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  born 
October  I8th,  1843 ;  has  been  a  resident  physician  of  Bolton  and  Horicon  since  1867.  He  first 
studied  vrith  Dr.  Stanbro,  of  Otselic,  N.  Y.,  three  years.  He  commenced  practice  independently 
in  1866,  and  has  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  community.  He  has  an  extensive  practice  in 
Warren  and  Essex  county;  is  a  member  of  the  Central  New  York  Electic  Society  ;  in  1872  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Julia  T.,  daughter  of  Mr.  Jesse  Merrill,  of  Bolton,  and  they  have  one  son 
A.  B.  Carlton  Monroe. 

Morand,  James,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  in  born  County  Carlow,  Ireland,  in  1826. 
He  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1853 ;  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Ann  Tim- 
mens,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  they  now  reside  on  the  Ridge  Road,  having  a  pleasant  homestead 
of  six  acres.  Mr.  Morand's  parents  were  James  and  Mary  (Timmens)  Morand,  natives  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  America  in  1855  and  settled  in  New  Orleans. 

Moore,  Andrew,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  French  Mountain,  born  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  Oct., 
1822,  son  of  Archibald  and  Mary  Moore.  Andrew  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Warrens- 
burgh  in  1844,  married  Mary  Jane  Cardie,  born  in  Vermont  in  1827,  married  in  1852,  children 
three  :  John  Henry,  George  Archibald,  and  Wilhiem.  George  A.  married  Nellie  Howe,  of 
Queensbury,  one  son.  Wife  was  daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Cardie,  born  and  married  in  Ire- 
land, settled  in  Warren  county  in  1831.  Andrew  was  a  tanner  and  currier  for  twenty-four 
years.  In  1858  he  settled  on  his  farm  of  225  acres,  where  he  now  resides.  He  was  collector 
one  term  and  highway  commissioner  seven  years. 

Morehouse,  Chauncey,  Johnsburgh,  p.  o.  Chester,  was  born  in  Johnsburgh,  May  1st,  1835. 
Is  a  farmer.  Was  married  in  1863  to  Susan,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Perthuna  Smith  of  Ches- 
ter, and  they  have  two  children  :  Eva  and  Ai'thur.  Mr.  Morehouse  was  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Betsey  Morehouse,  both  natives  of  Johnsburgh.  They  had  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are 
living. 

Moorhead,  Dr.  John  F.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  New  York,  Aug.  26th,  1855. 
Graduated  from  the  Fort  Edward  Institute  in  1872.  Read  medcine  with  Professor  Polk,  of  New 
York,  and  Dr.  G.  W.  Little,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  graduated  from  the  University  Medical  College 
of  New  York,  in  1876.  From  1877  to  1883  he  served  in  Bellevue  Charity  Hospital,  New  York. 
Settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1883. 

Morgan,  Col.  A.  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  St.  Albans,  Vt.  in  1799.  He 
served  an  apprentice  in  the  harness  and  saddlery  trade  with  Judge  Spencer,  and  in  1820  com- 
menced the  harness  business  on  his  own  account.  He  continued  in  this  business  until  1835.  During 
this  time  he  had  purchased  11  acres  of  land  for  $800,  near  the  center  of  the  town.  After  that  he 
commenced  laying  out,  improving  and  selling  his  land.  He  continued  in  the  real  estate  business 
until  1870.  Was  active  in  laying  out  and  adorning  many  of  the  streets  of  Glens  Falls,  such  as 
Elm,  Park,  Maple,  Oak  and  Walnut.  In  1840  he  purchased  the  farm  of  200  acres  where  he  now 
resides.  Has  been  supervisor  several  times,  assessor,  superintendent  of  the  county  poor  and 
many  other  local  offices.  He  w£is  appointed  colonel  of  the  Northern  New  York  Regiment,  by 
Gov.  DeWitt  Clinton.  Has  served  as  canal  and  railroad  appraiser  under  State  appointment. 
Was  an  elector  in  1804  when  Lincoln  was  made  president  the  second  term.  His  father  was  a 
lawyer  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  his  brother  was  was  a  graduate  of  Williams  College. 
In  1826  Col.  Morgan  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Warren  and  they  had  four  children.  His  wife 
died  in  1870. 

Morgan,  Freeman  M.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Bolton,  Warren  county,  June  27th,  1827- 
He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  the  homestead  purchased  by  his  father  in  1816.  Was  married  to 
Electa  E.  Dickenson,  October  20th,  1850.  She  died  Jan.  21st,  1863,  and  for  his  second  wife  he 
married  Miss  Margaret  Stockton  July  23d,  1863.  She  was  born  at  Warrington,  Cheshire  county, 
England,  January  13th,  1835.  They  have  one  adopted  daughter,  Minnie  Morgan.  Mr. 
Morgan's  parents  were  Jonah  and  Sarah  (Brown)  Morgan,  They  had  a  family  of  nine  children  : 
Mahetable,  born  Sept.  9th,  1811  ;  Ephraim,  born  Oct.  1st,  1812  ;  James  born  Aug.  21st,  1814; 
Anna,  born  Dec.  16th,  1815;  Joseph  W.,  born  July  22 d,  1818;  Hannah  B.,  born  Jan.  14th, 
1820;  Mary  M.,  born  March  3d,  1822;  Jonah  S.,  born  March  3d,  1824  ;  and  Freeman  M.  Mor- 
gan, born  June  27th,  1827.     But  three  now  living,  viz. :  Mahetable,  Jonah  S.,  and  Freeman  M. 

Mosher,  Miss  Hannah  A.,  Queensbury,  Warren  county,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Sara- 
toga, Saratoga  county,  1789.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Mosher  and  Patience  Hoag.  She 
is  the  only  one  living  of  ten  children,  and  aged  ninety-six  year.q.  She  was  in  early  life  a  teacher 
in  Stephentown,  and  came  to  Queensbury  in  1830,  where  she  has  resided,  and  is  one  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  whose  life  record  will  long  be  remembered  by  all  that  know  her. 

Mundy,  William,   p.  o.  Chester,  was  born  in  Wiltshire,  England,  June  19th,   1823.     Was 


678  History  of  Warren  County. 

reared  and  educated  in-  Wiltshire  and  learned  the  tanner's  trade,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  six 
years.  He  came  to  America  in  1843,  settled  in  Hudson  and  in  1848  was  married  to  Angelina 
Reynolds.  They  have  six  children :  Fred,  William,  Robert,  Sarah,  Andrew,  and  Jessie.  Mr. 
Mundy  located  in  Chester  in  1859,  and  established  his  present  business,  building,  70  by  40  feet, 
with  a  capacity  for  turning  out  3,000  hides  per  year. 

Murray,  Alexander,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  was  born  in  Stony  Creek  in  1826.  He 
is  a  farmer,  and  has  held  some  of  the  most  important  offices  in  the  town.  Was  married  in  1850 
to  Julia  Goodenow,  and  they  had  one  daughter  (now  Mrs.  P.  J.  McGuir).  Mrs.  Murray  died  in 
1851  and  Mr.  Murray  married  her  sister,  Emily  Goodenow.  They  have  several  children.  Mr. 
Murray  was  a  son  of  Moses  Murray,  also  a  native  of  this  town,  wlao  died  about  fourteen  years 
ago. 

Murray,  Chas.  W.,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  was  born  in  Thurman  in  1852,  and  re- 
moved to  Stony  Creek  when  a  small  boy.  Has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  working  at  the 
carpenter  trade,  also  in  lumbering,  and  is  now  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  barrel 
material.  He  employs  from  five  to  eight  hands.  Was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Ida  M.  Fuller, 
daughter  of  Joseph  E.  Fuller.  They  have  two  children.  Mr.  Murray  is  assessor  this  year  and 
has  held  other  offices  for  his  town. 

Needham,  William,  Thurman,  p.  o.  Athol,  was  born  in  this  town  in  1856.  Is  a  farmer;  is 
now  constable  and  collector  for  his  town.  Was  married  in  1879  to  Elizabeth  Bennet ;  they  have 
one  son,  Orley  Needham. 

Nelson,  Homer  S.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  at  Sandy  Hill,  Washington 
county,  in  1860.  He  is  proprietor  of  the  Nelson  House  formerly  owned  by  his  father.  His  par- 
ents were  John  and  Sarah  Nelson,  formerly  proprietors  of  the  Nelson  House  and  through  the 
assistance  of  Mrs.  Nelson  the  hotel  has  become  a  financial  success,  and  to-day  is  one  of  the  pop- 
ular houses  of  the  town|;  is  strictly  on  the  temperance  plan.  Mrs.  Sarah  Nelson  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Nicholas  and  Abigail  (White)  Newton,  early  settlers  in  the  town  of  Warrensburgh.  Mr. 
Newton  was  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now 
living,  four  in  this  county. 

Nelson,  John,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1827.  Has  been 
in  the  employ  of  the  government  in  custom  house  and  mail  agent.  Is  also  a  hotel  keeper  and 
proprietor  of  the  Nelson  House  at  Troy  and  St.  Albans,  Vt.  He  was  married  to  Maria  Dupont, 
of  Rouse's  Point,  in  1863.  She  died  in  May  of  the  same  year.  Mr.  Nelson  was  a  son  of  Alton 
and  Charlotte  (McLaren)  Nelson.  Alton  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  enlisting  from  Stillwater, 
Saratoga  county. 

Newton,  Leander,  p.  o.  Hague,  son  of  Ithamer  Newton,  was  born  June  16th,  1833.  Was 
married  to  Louisa  Bevins,  and  they  have  four  children :  Andy  E.,  Nellie  A.,  Carrie  E.  and  Dema 
P.  Mr.  Newton's  grandfather,  Joel  Newton,  came  from  Hubbardstown,  Mass.,  about  1802,  and 
located  near  Lake  George. 

Nichols,  Riley,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adirondao,  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  Schroon,  and  was  born 
in  1832.  He  is  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  has  also  been  engaged  in  lumbering  for  about  forty 
years.  Was  married  to  Martha  A.  Huntley,  of  Schroon,  and  they  have  three  children  :  Eleanor 
(now  Mrs.  J.  F.  Holly),  Mary,  and  Seth,  who  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Prouty  &  Nichols, 
livery,  having  purchased  his  interest  of  Mr.  Wells,  in  1882.  Mr.  Nichols's  father  was  ^evi 
Nichols,  who  came  from  Vermont  and  lived  in  Horicon  about  three  years.  He  died  in  1875. 
Mr.  Nichols  and  his  son  own  a  farm  near  Adirondac  of  83  acres. 

Noble,  Hon.  David,  Johnsburgh,  p.  o.  Weavertown,  son  of  Archibald  and  Margaret  (Som- 
erville)  Noble,  was  born  in  Johnsburgh,  N.  Y.,  July,  1804.  Was  educated  as  a  farmer,  receiv- 
ing such  education  as  the  common  schools  afforded.  From  the  age  of  twenty  to  thirty  years  he 
taught  school  in  his  native  town  and  the  surrounding  country.  In  1833  he  took  charge  of  a 
store  connected  with  a  large  tanning  establishment  in  Johnsburgh,  and  was  book-keeper  and 
general  agent  until  May,  1843,  being  for  a  time  a  partner  in  the  mercantile  business.  In  1843 
he  purchased  20  acres  of  land  and  opened  a  store  at  Weavertown  where  he  still  resides.  Has 
held  most  of  the  offices  of  the  town,  and  commissions  up  to  captain  in  the  militia  of  the  State, 
and  has  held  many  of  the  offices  of  the  county.  From  1846  to  1848  he  was  one  of  the  side 
judges  of  Warren  county.  In  1851  and  1854  he  was  a  Member  of  the  Assembly  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  In  1869 .he  was  appointed  postmaster,  which  position  he  has  retained  to  the 
present  time.  He  was  a  Democrat  until  1859  when  he  became  a  Republican.  Is  an  active 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Was  married  Feb.  7th,  1841,  to  Miss  Jane  Gunn  (a  former  pu- 
pil), who  died  March  1st,  1884,  aged  seventy-two  years,  leaving  four  married  daughters,  one 
unmarried  daughter  and  one  son,  Archibald  R.  aged  thirty ;  Mr.  Noble,  sr.,  resides  with  his  son 
with  whom  he  is  engaged  in  the  drug  and  stationery  business. 

Norcross,  Derias,   Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  at  Fort  Edward,  Washington 


Brief  Personals.  679 


county,  in  1827.  Is  a  master  carpenter  and  builder  and  arcliitect  and  lias  built  many  of  the  ex- 
tensive buildings  in  Q-lens  Falls,  the  old  opera  house,  Presbyterian  church,  and  many  fine  dwell- 
ings and  hotels  on  Lake  George.  Is  also  a  manufacturer  of  sash,  doors,  blinds,  and  a  stair  builder, 
in  fact  a  general  contractor  and  designer  for  all  fine  work  pertaining  to  his  art.  Was  married 
to  Miss  Margaret  Van  Derwalker,  in  185.3.  She  died  in  1863  leaving  three  children:  Albert  H., 
Augusta  M.  and  Estella.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Norcross  married  Mrs.  Olive  J.  Moss.  They 
have  one  child  living,  Willard  D.  Mr.  Norcross's  parents  were  Shepherd  and  Arry  (Stearns) 
Norcross.  They  had  eight  children,  only  four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Isaac  M.,  Bethuel, 
Derias  and  Sarah,  now  Mrs.  Rufus  White. 

Numan,  Charles  P.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  county, 
in  1848;  married  Miss  Carrie  Devol  of  Schaghticoke,  in  1872.  They  have  one  child,  Herbert 
0.  Numan.  Mr.  Numan  is  a  general  farmer  and  dairyman.  Mr.  Numan  was  a  son  of  Orange 
and  Sarah  (Peck)  Numan.  Besides  Charles  P.,  they  had  one  other  son,  George  R.,  and  daugh- 
ter Delia  A. 

Nyce,  Dr.  George  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Sussex  county,  N.  J.,  in 
1835.  Is  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  University  of  Philadelphia.  Was  in  the  late  war,  enlisting 
in  the  11th  Regiment  and  serving  three  years.  He  served  in  the  hospitals  at  Columbus,  Nash- 
ville and  Louisville,  and  was  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Was  married  in  1877  to  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Waite,  of  Indiana.  They  have  two  children  living,  John  and  Bertie.  Dr.  Nyce  is 
making  a  specialty  of  the  treatment  of  cancer  and  scrofulous  diseases.  His  place  of  business  is 
17  Ray  street.  Glens  Falls. 

O'Mahoney,  Rev.  William  H.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  New  York  city  in  1832.  Was 
a  graduate  in  1875  of  the  Assumption  and  Free  Academies  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  also  of  Niagara  Col- 
lege and  Troy  Seminary,  where  he  was  ordained  in  1 879.  He  was  first  sent  to  Watertown,  N. 
Y.,  and  from  there  to  Albany  in  1881.  In  1882  he  was  put  in  charge  of  Warrensburgh,  Ches- 
tertown,  Johnsburgh  and  Luzerne.  In  1884  the  mission  was  divided  the  northern  half  being 
erected  into  a  separate  parish,  and  Lake  George  which  had  previously  been  under  the  care  of 
the  Paulist  fathers,  of  New  York,  being  added  to  Warrensburgh,  where  he  still  remains. 

Ordway,  Jones,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Stratford,  Vt.,  Jan.,  1812.  In 
1832  he  came  on  foot  from  Vermont  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  bringing  all  his  worldly  goods 
on  his  back.  He  commenced  chopping  cord- wood,  then  boating,  but  not  content  with  his  suc- 
cess in  serving  others,  he  resolved  to  establish  himself  in  business.  In  1840  he  opened  a  hotel 
at  North  River,  running  a  farm  and  lumber  business  at  the  same  time.  He  afterwards  disposed 
of  his  hotel  and  continued  his  general  lumber  business.  He,  with  Mr.  James  Morgan  as  part- 
ner, was  the  founder  of  the  well  known  Morgan  Lumber  Company  of  Glens  Falls.  They  now 
own  one-fourth  interest  in  the  Glens  Falls  Paper  Mill  Mr.  Ordway  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  gas  company  of  which  he  is  now  president.  He  is  also  a  large  real  estate  owner  in  three 
or  four  counties  as  well  as  in  Glens  Falls  corporation ;  in  1835  he  was  married  to  Miss  Clarissa 
Chambers,  of  Caldwell,  Warren  county.  They  had  two  children,  Helen  and  James.  James  is 
now  dead  and  Helen  also.  Mr.  Ordway's  parents  were  James  and  Arsenath  (Percifield)  Ord- 
way.    They  had  twelve  children,  four  now  living. 

Ordway,  Moses  T.,  Johnsburgh,  p.  o.  North  Creek,  was  born  in  Strafford,  Vt.,  Nov.  28th, 
1835.  Is  a  farmer  of  North  Creek,  and  owns  230  acres  of  land ;  married  in  Aug.  1859,  to  Jeru- 
sha,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Richardson,  and  they  have  six  children  :  Josephine,  Frede- 
rick, George,  James,  Emma  and  Arthur.     Mr.  Ordway  was  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  Ordway. 

Orcutt,  Joseph,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Washington  county,  in 
1808.  He  settled  in  Caldwell  in  1844,  and  on  his  present  homestead  in  1862.  He  gives  ac- 
commodation to  picnic  parties  on  the  bank  of  Lake  George.  He  furnishes  boat  accommoda- 
tions and  has  a  valuable  mineral  spring  which  is  of  great  benefit  to  invahds;  in  1833  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Elizabeth  Davis  of  Vermont.  She  died  in  1836  leaving  one  child,  bVanklin.  For  his 
second  wife,  Mr.  Orcutt  married  Miss  Emily  Dean  in  1838.  His  son  Franklin  married  Miss 
Harriet  Williams.  Mr.  Orcutt's  parents  were  David  and  Polly  Orcutt.  In  the  later  years  of 
their  life  they  came  to  Joseph  and  he  cared  for  them  until  their  death. 

Ormsby,  Silon  A.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  in  Poultney,  Vt.,  May  14th,  1841.  Is  a  contract- 
ing carpenter  of  Horicon  and  owns  a  farm  of  sixty-five  acres ;  was  married  to  Chloe  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Steward  Weller,  of  Horicon,  and  they  have  one  son,  Clayton  A.  Mr.  Ormsby  was  a 
soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  in  the  123d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  Co.  B.  Was  at  Chancellors- 
ville,  Atlanta,  in  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea;  was  wounded  in  the  left  shoulder;  was  dis- 
charged in  1865  and  is  a  pensioner.  His  parents  were  Lucius  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Hyde) 
Ormsby.     They  had  eleven  children. 

Osborn,  Edwin,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Horicon  in  1854.  Settled  in  Warrens- 
burgh in  1868,  and  in  1872  commenced  business  as  a  merchant,  selling  dry  goods,  groceries  and 


68o  History  of  Warren  County. 

notions.     He  was  a  son  of  Charles  W.  and  Ann  E.  (Griifin)  Osborn.     Charles  W.  was  a  mer- 
chant, and  had  two  children,  Edwin  and  Kate. 

Paige,  R.  E.  D.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  is  a  native  of  Horicon,  born  Jan.  6th,  1850.  Is  a  farmer  and 
owns  a  house  at  Barton ville;  was  married  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Abijah  Bavins,  of  Ticonderoga, 
and  they  have  two  children :  Clarence  A.  and  Clemma  A.  Mr.  Paige  was  a  soldier  of  1865,  3d 
N.  y.  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  parents  were  Cyrenus  and  Martha 
(Molntyre)  Paige,  old  residents  of  Warren  county.  They  were  married  in  1835  and  have  had 
nine  children,  five  now  living. 

Palmatier,  Rev.  A.  B,,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Brant  Lake,  was  born  in  Catskill,  Greene  county,  in 
1836.  His  parents,  Peter  and  Deborah  Palmatier,  died  when  he  was  quite  young  and  he  was 
reared  by  an  older  brother.  He  studied  in  the  Catskill  graded  schools  and  entered  the  ministry 
in  1864,  an  expounder  of  the  Baptist  faith ;  was  married  in  1874  to  Lucy  J.,  daughter  of  Dea- 
con John  Brown,  of  Johnsburg,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  three  children,  Gertrude  L.,  Herbert  A., 
and  Wayland  P.  Mr.  Palmatier  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  in  the  162d  N.  Y.  Vol. 
Infantry,  Co.  H.  Was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Mansfield  and  discharged  in  1865.  He  is  a 
pensioner.     Is  pastor  of  the  Brant  Lake  Society  and  also  of  the  church  at  Horicon. 

Palmer,  Richard,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county,  in  1808.  He  was  by 
trade  a  mill-wright  and  settled  on  his  present  farm  of  67  acres  in  1865;  was  married  in  1828 
to  Miss  Clarinda  Pratt,  of  Bolton.  She  died  in  1859,  leaving  three  children,  Mary  A.  (now 
Mrs.  L.  Potter),  Dennis  and  William,  now  practical  sawyers  at  Glens  Falls.  For  his  second 
wife,  Mr.  Palmer  married  Mrs.  Alice  (Bennett)  Lamb,  in  1865.  Mr.  Palmer  was  a  son  of  Jesse 
and  Catharine  (Hilton)  Palmer,  natives  of  Hadley,  Saratoga  county. 

Parks,  Solomon  A.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county  in  1827. 
He  commenced  his  business  life  in  a  paper  mill  at  Milton,  and  in  1853  he  became  interested  in 
the  manufeicture  of  printing  paper.  He  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1872  where  he  purchased  one- 
fourth  interest  in  the  Glens  Falls  Paper  Mill  Company.  He  was  elected  superintendent  of  the 
organization  and  still  continues  in  that  capacity.  His  son  is  now  his  assistant  and  the  company 
represent  a  capital  of  $192,000,  and  manufacture  200  tons  of  newspaper  per  month;  Mr.  Parks 
married  Miss  Harriet  A.  Hewitt,  of  Stillwater,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1852.  She  died  in 
1881,  leaving  seven  children:  Fred  H.,  George  H.,  Lee  A,.,  Julia  A.,  Ella  K.,  Harriet  B.  and 
Ruth  M.     Mr.  Parks's  parents  were  Brazilia  and  Susan  Parks. 

Pasko,  Alexander  T.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Chester,  Warren  county,  in  1820. 
He  learned  the  harness  and  saddlery  .trade,  and  settled  in  Warrensburgh  in  1849.  Is  a  dealer 
in  all  harness  and  horse  furniture,  trunks,  whips,  etc.  Was  married  in  1848  to  Cynthia  F. 
Capron,  of  Broadalbin,  Fulton  county,  and  they  have  one  sou,  Emerald  D.,  born  in  1850.  In 
1872  Emerald  married  Miss  Margery  A.  Stewart,  of  Caldwell.  Mr.  Pasko  has  been  superin- 
tendent of  the  county  poor  for  nine  years.     His  father  was  Levy  Pasko. 

Patrick,  David  E.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Hill  View,  was  born  in  Hebron,  Washington  county,  in 
1842.  He  purchased  his  present  homestead  in  1885.  Has  enjoyed  a  large  practice  for  many 
years  and  has  the  respect  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  Was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Hill  View  in  1880 ;  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Sarah  Jane  Chapman,  and  they  have  three 
children,  Eva  I.,  Mary  E.  and  John  B.  Dr.  Patrick  is  a  son  of  Dr.  E.  L.  Patrick  and  Nancy 
(Thomas)  Patrick.  They  were  married  in  1834  and  have  a  family  of  four  children,  Mary  A., 
David  E..  Nancy  J.  and  Henrietta. 

Patrick,  Dr.  E.  S.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Hill  View,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  1811.  Moved 
from  there  to  Hebron,  Washington  county.  Was  married  in  1834  to  Miss  Nancy  Thomas,  of 
Hebron,  Washington  county,  and  have  four  children  living,  Mary  Ann,  David  Edwin,  Nancy 
Jane  and  Henrietta.  Emma  died  in  infancy.  He  purchased  his  present  homestead  in  1865  in 
Caldwell,  Warren  county,  has  enjoyed  a  large  practice  for  over  forty  years,  and  has  the  respect 
of  the  community  in  which  he  has  and  now  lives.  He  was  appointed  coroner  for  a  number  of 
years.  Was  appointed  postmaster  of  Hill  View  in  1877  and  holds  that  office  yet.  Dr.  E.  L. 
Patrick  is  a  graduate  of  the  Homeopathic  Society  of  New  York.  David  E.  Patrick  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  E.  L.  Patrick  and  Nancy  (Thomas)  Patrick.  Born  in  Hebron,  Washington  county,  1842. 
Was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Sarah  Jane  Chapman,  daughter  of  John  W.  Chapman  and  Eliza 
Chapman,  of  Hartford,  Washington  county.  They  have  three  children  living.  Eva,  Eliza  and 
John  Edwin.  Delbert  died  in  infancy.  Moved  to  Caldwell,  Warren  county,  1877.  He  pur- 
chased his  present  homestead  in  1885  in  Bolton,  Warren  county.  His  occupation  has  been  a 
farmer. 

Patterson,  Charles  R.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Albany  county  in  1855. 
Read  law  in  the  office  of  W.  S.  Kelly,  of  Albany,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Albany  law  school,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1878.  In  1879  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  where  he  practices  his 
profession.     Has  been  elected  corporation  clerk  two  term-s.     His  parents  were  Rev.  R.  and 


Brief  Personals.  68  i 


Sarah  J.  (Annesly)  Patterson.  They  now  reside  in  Washington  county.  They  had  five  cliil- 
dren,  Mary  M.,  Charles  R.,  Robert  E.,  James  M.  and  William  A.  Mary  is  now  ilrs.  Joseph  E. 
Sawyer.     She  resides  in  G-lens  Falls,  also  her  brothers,  Charles  R.  and  James. 

Pearsall,  Augustus  J.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Wilton,  Saratoga  county, 
in  1830.  He  commenced  business  in  Iowa  as  a  dealer  in  grain  and  stock  and  a  general  mer- 
chant. He  remained  there  from  1855  to  1863,  when  he  sold  his  business  and  settled  in  Glens 
Falls  as  a  general  merchant.  He  retired  from  this  business  in  1878.  In  1875  he  purchased  an 
Interest  in  the  Glens  Falls  Paper  Co.,  and  was  elected  vice  president.  He  is  a  stock  owner  in 
the  Glens  Falls  Insurance  Co.,  also  a  large  stock  owner  in  the  Terra  Cotta  Brick  Co.  In  1875 
he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Lake  George  Yachting  Co.,  of  which  he  is  president.  Is  now 
one  of  the  prominent  owners  and  dealers  in  real  estate  of  Glens  Falls.  Their  yacht  is  one  of 
the  popular  excursion  boats  on  Lake  George.  Mr.  Pearsall  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Susan 
L.  Cox,  of  Schuylerville,  and  they  have  four  children,  Virgiuie  L.,  Sarah  E.,  Howard  C.  and 
Lilian  Augustus.     Mr.  Pearsall's  parents  were  A.  H.  and  Mary  (Reed)  Pearsall. 

Peart,  John,  jr.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Clinton  Co.,  in  1842.  Has  been  elected  supervisor 
three  terms,  and  has  held  several  positions  of  trust  in  corporations  and  companies.  Was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  Company  A,  21st  Regiment,  the  Griswold's  cavalry,  in  1863, 
under  Col.  W.  B.  Tibbits,  of  Troy.  He  was  wounded  in  the  leg  at  Ashb3f's  Gap  and  had  it  am- 
putated below  the  kneee.  .Was  detained  at  the  hospital  and  finally  discharged  in  1865,  and  now 
receives  a  sergeant's  pension.  Was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Juliet  C.  Havens,  of  Saratoga 
county.  She  died  in  1877,  leaving  one  son,  Harry  W.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Miss 
Julia  Guyett,  of  Luzerne,  and  they  have  one  son,  Rollin  D.  Mr.  Peart  was  sou  of  John  and 
Catharine  (Taylor)  Heart. 

Peck,  Daniel,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Palls,  was  born  in  this  corporation. .  Was  postmaster 
of  Glens  Falls  under  Buchanan  for  four  years,  county  treasurer  for  three  years,  president  of  the 
corporation  several  terms,  ■\vhich  he  now  represents.  Has  been  one  of  the  representative  men 
of  town  and  county.  In  1865  he  established  his  present  general  wholesale  and  retail  grocery 
business.  The  firm  then  was  Peck  &  Byrne,  and  in  1870  they  sold  their  business  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacturing  of  lime  and  shipping  to  the  N.  J.  Market.  In  1873  he  sold  out  his  lime 
interests  to  his  partner.  He  again  went  into  his  former  mercantile  business.  Was  married  in 
1858  to  Abby  Mayo,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Walter  M.  and  Harry  M. 

Peck,  Daniel  E.,  Queensbur)',  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls  in  1849.  In  1870 
he  succeeded  Brown  &  Hotchkiss  in  the  general  ready-made  clothing  business,  dealing  in  all 
goods  in  that  line,  hats,  caps  and  fancy  goods.  Mr.  Peck's  parents  were  Charles  and  Charlotte 
(Elnore)  Peck.     Besides  Daniel  E.  they  had  one  other  child,  Charlotte  A. 

Peck,  Reuben  N.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls,  Warren  county, 
in  1840.  In  1862  he  succeeded  his  father  in  the  drug  business,  which  was  first  established  by 
his  grandfather  about  the  year  1800,  it  being  one  of  the  old  land  marks  to  furnish  physicians  as 
well  as  patients.  In  1868  Mr.  Peck  married  Helen  M.  Littlewood,  of  Columbia  county,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Helen  Pearl  Peck.  Mr.  Peck's  parents  were  William  and  Hannah  (New- 
man) Peck. 

Perkins,  Elisha  H.,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  is  and  has  been  for  many  years  engaged 
in  cabinet-making  and  undertaking  in  the  village  of  Creek  Center,  his  being  the  only  shop  of 
the  kind  in  town.  His  business  has  rapidly  increased  during  the  past  few  years.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1858  to  Melinda  Uhde,  and  they  have  had  six  children,  five  now  living.  Mr.  Pei'kins's 
father  was  David  C.  Perkins,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town.  He  is  now  seventy-seven 
years  of  age,  and  has  lived  here  ever  since  he  was  a  mere  boy.  His  aged  mother  is  still  alive, 
aged  ninety  years. 

Phelps,  Orrin,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adirondac,  was  born  in  Windsor  county,  Vt.,  July  10th,  1809. 
He  emigrated  to  Schroon,  Essex  county,  in  1830,  where  he  lived  until  1862,  when  he  located 
in  Horicon.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  160  acres  of  land.  Was  married  to  Alvira  Woodard  m 
Vermont.  She  died  in  1858,  leaving  four  children,  Rollin  W.,  Esther,  Augusta  (now  Mrs.  L. 
Murdock),  and  Orpha  (now  deceased).  His  present  wife  was  Miss  Sarah  Wilson,  of  Clairmont, 
New  Hampshire. 

Potter,  Warren,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1821.  He  commenced  bus- 
iness as  a  sawyer  and  lumberman  at  the  age  of  seventeen  ;  at  the  age  of  38  he  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  trade  which  he  followed  for  ten  years  and  then  sold  out;  in  1878  he  again  entered 
the  dry  goods  and  general  trade,  and  October  20th,  1884,  the  firm  of  Potter  &  Young  was 
formed.  He  has  been  assessor  three  terms,  collector  three  terms,  constable  three  terms,  and 
highway  commissioner  three  terms ;  his  first  wife  was  Miss  Charlott  Scott,  whom  he  married  in 
1842;  she  died  in  1852  leaving  four  daughters:  Sarah  A.,  Elenor,  Charlott,  and  Alma.  In  1853 
he  married  his  second  wife.  Miss  Phoebe  Barton,  and  they  have  tAvo  children,  Josephine  and 
James.     The  children  of  his  first  wife  were  all  teachers  until  the  death  of  Charlott,  in  1881. 


682  History  of  Warren  County. 

Potter,  William  F.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1847.  He  is  a  farmer 
and  owns  the  homestead  formerly  belonging  to  his  grandfather,  to  which  he  has  added  until  it 
now  amounts  to  23.5  acres ;  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Wood,  of  Thurman,  and  they 
have  a  family  of  four  children  ;  Bertha,  Orley,  Ethel,  and  John.  Mr.  Potter  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Mary  (Noble)  Potter.     They  had  a  family  of  six  children,  four  now  living. 

Powers,  John  S.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Fall,  son  of  Edwin  and  Eliza  Powers,  was  born  in 
Queensbury,  Warren  county,  N.  Y".,  in  18-59.  When  but  eleven  years  old  he  commenced  his 
successful  business  life  by  working  on  the  State  dam ;  by  his  industry  and  economy  he  soon 
laid  by  a  small  sum  of  mone}'.  From  that  tirhe  until  1882  he  engaged  in  various  occupations  on 
the  river ;  in  1882  he  commenced  the  general  grocery  and  provision  trade  on  Warren  street ;  is 
a  wholesale  and  retail  dealer  in  all  domestic  and  foreign  staple  and  fancy  goods;  the  firm  name 
is  Messrs.  Powers  &  Day,  opposite  the  post-office. 

Pratt,  George,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1848.  He  occupies  his 
parents'  homestead  of  60  acres  to  which  has  been  added  230  acres  making  in  all  a  farm  of  290 
acres ;  was  married  in  1876  to  Eliza  Bennett,  daughter  of  Sullivan  Bennett  of  Chester.  They 
have  two  sons,  Dennis  and  Clarence.  Mr.  Pratt  was  a  son  of  Dennis  and  Olive  (Reynolds) 
Pratt,  natives  of  Bolton. 

Prosser,  Sheridan,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Caldwell,  in  1852 ;  is  a  boot  and  shoe 
maker  by  trade  and  is  engaged  in  the  green-house  business,  also  the  boating  business  to  accom- 
modate the  fishing  and  pleasure  seeking  people.  In  1883  he  commenced  business  as  a  grocer 
and  fruit  dealer ;  has  been  constable  and  collector  two  terms;  was  married  to  Miss  Luthera 
Latham,  of  Caldwell,  and  they  have  a  familj'  of  three  children.  Mr.  Prosser  was  a  son  of  Blias 
and  Lucretia  (Colburn)  Prosser.     They  had  a  family  of  five  children. 

Pulver,  Peter  H.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne  in  1837.  Is  a  lumberman  and  land 
dealer,  being  interested  as  partner  in  over  7.000  acres  of  farming  and  timber  land  ;  was  married 
to  Miss  Belle  M.  Batchelor,  of  Saratoga  county,  town  of  Bdinbursrh,  in  1868,  and  they  have  four 
children  :  Susan,  Harry,  Alice,  and  Walter.  Mr.  Pulver  has  been  commissioner,  sheriff,  deputy 
sheriff'  and  deputy  sherifl'  of  Saratoga  county  for  ten  years.  Is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Susan 
(Evans)  Pulver. 

Putney,  David  T.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1839.  He  commenced  the  lumber 
business  at  an  early  age  and  by  constant  application  has  become  a  successful  business  man.  Mr. 
Putney  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Maria  (Beswick)  Putney.  They  were  married  in  1838  and  have 
four  children :  David  T.,  Caleb,  Rebecca  A.,  and  Esther  A. 

Ranger,  Fred  E.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  county, 
in  1833.  He  served  in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  Company  P,  22d  Regiment,  and  served  two 
years;  went  out  lieutenant  and  was  promoted  to  captain.  In  1874,  '78,  and  '82  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace.  Graduated  from  Glens  Falls  Academy  in  1853  and  in  1854  embarked  in 
the  book  and  stationery  business  which  he  continued  for  about  twelve  years ;  in  1857  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Agnes  H.  Evens,  and  they  have  a  family  of  four  children :  Florence  E.,  Caro- 
line A.,  Gertrude  E.,  and  William  F. 

Rawlins,  John,  Chester,  son  of  Charles  and  Anna  (Nicholson)  Rawlins,  was  born  in  the 
County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  in  October,  1837,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  this  county  in  1851. 
They  located  in  Chester  township  and  Mr.  Rawlins,  sr.,  took  up  a  tract  of  100  acres  of  land  in 
the  town  of  Chester.  John  has  been  a  successful  farmer  and  business  man,  and  now  owns  500 
acres  of  land,  has  good  buildings,  and  a  portion  of  his  land  is  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  He 
has  engaged  quite  extensively  and  successfully  in  the  lumber  business;  is  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive and  a  man  of  good  business  tact.  He  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  wealthy  farmers 
in  the  county ;  has  held  the  offices  of  town  auditor  and  commissioner  of  highways ;  was  married 
in  March,  1865,  to  Emeline  C,  daughter  of  Marlin  and  Eliza  (Kipp)  Mead,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Sheridan  R.,  and  Ella  E. 

Remington,  Daniel  C,  p.o.  Chester,  was  born  October,  1857,  at  Darby,  Vt.';  learned  the  carpen- 
ter trade,  and  subsequently  carriage  manufacturing  business;  is  now  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  carriages,  wagons,  etc.,  at  Chester,  and  has  several  hands  in  his  employ ;  he  does  quite 
an  interesting  business;  was  married  December,  1869,  to  Anna  W.,  daughter  of  Harvey  S.,  and 
Caroline  Waters.  They  have  three  children :  Harvey  W.,  Lina  W.,  and  Willie.  Mr.  Reming- 
ton is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  P.,  No.  514,  Chester,  N.  Y. 

Remington,  John  H.,  p.  o.  Chester,  son  of  John  Remington  and  Maria  (Baxter)  Remington, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Chester,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1849 ;  he  is  of  English  descent ;  has 
been  engaged  for  several  years  in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  is  at  present  a  lumber  manufacturer ; 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  supervisor  in  the  spring  of  1881,  and  the  present  spring  to  the  office 
of  commissioner  of  highways ;  has  been  successful  in  his  business  pursuits ;  was  married  Octo- 


Brief  Personals.  683 


ber  25th,  1876,  to  Alice  M.  Staokpole,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Hannah  (Gilmore)  Stackpole, 
and  they  have  two  children,  George  and  Bertha  Eenjington. 

Richmond,  Joseph,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  in  Tieonderoga  July  23d,  1839 ;  has  been  a  farmer 
of  Hague  since  1861 ;  he  owns  a  fine  landed  property,  and  is  classed  among  the  best  citizens  of 
the  town ;  was  married  in  1860  to  Louisa  M.  Catlin,  of  Tieonderoga,  and  they  had  three  chil- 
dren :  Ella  A.  (now  Mrs.  John  Gale),  of  Goshen,  Freeman  J.,  of  Hague,  and  Hobert  C,  of 
Goshen,  Vt.  Mrs.  Richmond  died  and  for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Richmond  married  Sarah  J.  Hays, 
of  Horicon.     They  have  four  children :  Alfred  H.,  Almeron  J.,  Louis  A.,  and  Carrie  M. 

Ripley,  Ruben  S.,  p.  o.  Queensbury,  was  born  in  Queen.sbur}'  in  1829 ;  1851  he  wa-s  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  Helen  Phelps.  Their  three  children  are  all  dead.  Mr.  Ripley  is  a  retired  farmer,  a 
son  of  James  and  Amy  (Fuller)  Ripley.  In  1810  Mr.  James  Ripley  purchased  the  Ripley 
Point,  124  acres  on  Lake  George.  It  was  then  in  nearly  a  wild  state,  but  he  cleared  and  im- 
proved the  same,  and  in  ]  865  gave  title  to  his  son,  Ruben  S.  It  has  become  an  important  place 
lor  summer  resort,  and  boarding  houses  and  cottages  are  fast  covering  the  point. 

Rising,  Rufus,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  Aug.  17th,  1796.  Is  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hague.  His  parents  were  Abel  and  Lucinda  Rising.  Besides  Rufus 
they  had  six  other  children,  viz. :  Horace,  Abel,  Zeno,  Joel,  Lucinda  and  Arabella,  all  now  de- 
ceased. A  son  of  Zeno,  Joel  W.  Rising,  now  keeps  the  public  house  in  Chestertown,  known  as 
the  "  Rising  Hotel."  His  sister  Jane  married  H.  H.  Moses,  a  wealthy  farmer  of  Tieonderoga. 
A  daughter  of  Horace  married  a  Mr.  Harris,  and  resides  in  Queensbury.  Rufus,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  married  to  Joannah,  daughter  of  John  and  Marcy  Hayford,  of  Old  Plymouth, 
Mass.  They  had  two  children,  Rufus,  jr.  and  Arabella.  The  former  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
"Warren  county,  is  the  present  supervisor  of  the  town  and  has  held  other  local  offices.  He  has 
been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Ambrose  Clancy,  of  Chester.  She 
died  July  9th,  1876,  leaving  one  son,  Henry  R.  and  a  daughter,  Minnie  (now  Mrs.  E.  S.  Ross), 
also  a  daughter,  Ella  Bell,  now  deceased.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Rising  married  Mrs.  Henry 
Ross.  They  had  one  daughter,  Edna  M.  Mrs.  Ross  had  two  sous,  Amos  and  Eddie,  who  are 
now  married,  and  residents  of  Hague ;  also  a  daughter,  Emma,  now  Mrs.  Russell,  of  Fort  Edward. 
Joel  Rising  (deceased)  was  born  ilarch  4th,  1814.  Was  a  thrifty  farmer  and  an  active  upright  citi- 
zen. Was  married  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sail}'  (Green)  Balcom,  Dec.  5th,  1840.  Their 
children  are  as  follows :  Addie  (now  Mrs.  Silas  Ackerman),  Alice  (deceased),  Roxie  (deceased), 
Amey  A  (now  Mrs.  George  Marshall),  Byron,  Jennie  (deceased),  and  Edwin  R.  Mr.  Rising 
died  Dec.  2d,  1867. 

Robbins,  Harve}'  R.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  in  Horicon  July  18th,  1841.  He  enlisted  in 
the  United  States  Army  in  June,  1861,  in  the  22d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  Co.  F.,  in  which  he 
served  his  time,  two  years,  and  re-enlisted  in  the  2d  N.  Y.  Vet.  Cavalry  and  served  as  sergeant 
in  said  Regiment  three  3'ears ;  was  wounded  in  the  thigh  at  Fredericksburg,  April  9th,  1863, 
and  had  an  ankle  broken  at  Antietam.  He  was  honorably  discharged  in  November,  1865;  was 
married  April  12th,  1871,  to  Helen  C.  Kimball,  of  Huntington,  Vt.,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Lela  A.,  and  own  a  residence  near  Horicon  p.  o.  Benager  Robbins,  brother  of  Harvey,  was 
born  in  Horicon,  May  6th,  1819 ;  he  owns  a  farm  of  160  acres  and  is  a  trustworthy  citizen.  He 
served  his  countr}'  three  years  a  soldier  in  the  118th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  Co.  D,  and  is  a  pen- 
sioner ;  was  married  to  Elsie,  daughter  of  Levi  Gregory,  and  they  have  five  children :  Susan, 
(Mrs.  R.  Hayes),  Irene  (deceased),  Evangeline,  (Mrs.  M.  Kingsley),  Lewis,  and  Harvey. 

Robbins,  William  H.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Maysville,  Kentucky,  in 
1848  ;  in  1869  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls  as  clerk  for  Messrs.  Fowler  Bros.,  and  in  1872  formed 
his  present  firm  of  Robbins  &  De  Long.  They  are  dealers  in  general  dry  goods,  dealing  exten- 
sively in  domestic  and  imported  goods,  silks,  a^d  fancy  dress  goods ;  in  1875  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Blanche  Cool,  of  Glens  Falls,  daughter  of  H.  M.  Cool.  Mr.  Robbins's  parents  were  Wil- 
liam Hunt  and  Anna  (Scudder)  Robbins,  natives  of  New  Jersey,  and  settled  in  Kentucky  in 
1846.  They  now  reside  in  Indiana.  The  firm  of  Robbins  &  De  Long  are  located  at  108  Glen 
street,  and  are  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  Northern  New  York. 

Roberts,  David,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Washington  county  in  1820  and 
settled  with  his  parents  in  Warrensburgh  in  1821 ;  has  been  assessor  two  terms,  highway 
commissioner  three  years,  and  excise  commissioner  six  years,  and  has  held  other  town  and  dis- 
trict offices;  was  married  in  1851  to  Miss  Malinda  Duel  and  they  have  seven  children :  Jerusha, 
Asa,  Nathaniel,  Hannah,  Charles  H.,  Annetta,  and  Phebe.  Two  of  his  children  were  early 
teachers.     M.  Roberts's  parents  were  Nathaniel  and  Jerusha  (Chapin)  Roberts. 

Roberts,  George,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Palls  in  1851.  He  is  his 
father's  successor  in  the  flour  and  feed,  hay  and  grain  business;  in  February,  1880,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  J.  Hall,  of  Glen's  Falls ;  his  father  was  David  G.  Roberts,  who  settled  in  Glens 
Falls  in  1832.     He  was  a  ship  carpenter  and  builder,  and  came  here  as  superintendent  of  the 


684  History  of  Warren  Countv. 

Glens  Falls  Company,  the  stock  then  owned  in  New  York  city;  later  he  purchased  an  interest 
and  continued  the  supervision  until  1866 ;  then  formed  a  partnership  with  Fowler  &  Goodman 
in  the  lumber  business,  which  afterwards  became  Roberts  &  Goodman ;  they  became  wholesale 
and  retail  merchants  in  Glens  Falls  ;  in  1862  they  sold  out  but  continued  their  lumber  and  ship- 
ping interest  until  1866.  In  1867  Mr.  Roberts  commenced  a  lumber,  feed,  flour,  and  grain  busi- 
ness on  Ridge  street,  where  his  son  George  is  now  located,  and  the  father  is  retired. 

Robison,  Samuel,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  is  a  farmer  of  Stony  Creek,  and  owns- 
his  farm  jointly  with  his  Ijrother :  he  was  collector  of  the  town  in  1880,  and  is  now  an  excise 
commissioner;  his  duties  as  an  excise  commissioner  have  been  called  into  service  this  year  for 
the  first  time  in  eleven  years,  there  having  been  no  license  in  the  town  during  that  period;  was- 
married  in  1872  to  Polly,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Goodnow,  and  they  have  five  children. 

Rockwell,  Chas.  L.,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Luzerne  on  the  22d  day  of  March,  1849. 
His  brothers,  George  and  Hiram  Rockwell,  began  the  construction  of  the  Rockwell  House  at 
Glens  Falls,  in  1871.  Before  the  building  was  completed  Charles  Rockwell  bought  out  the  in- 
terest of  George  Rockwell,  and  in  company  with  Hiram  finished  the  house  and  in  1872  opened 
it  for  the  reception  of  guests.  In  January,  1878,  he  became  sole  manager  of  the  business.  His 
father,  George  T.  Rockwell,  is  the  venerable  and  widely  known  proprietor  of  Rockwell's- 
Hotel  in  Luzerne.  The  mother  of  Charles  L.  Rockwell  was,  before  her  marriage  with  George 
T.  Rockwell,  Miss  Eunice  Wells.  In  1870,  Charles  L.  married  Miss  Helen  Lapham,  of  Glens- 
Falls.     They  have  three  children :  Bertha  B.  George  T.,  and  Helen  Rockwell. 

Rockwell,  George  H.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne  in  1842 ;  in  1369  he  became  » 
partner  with  his  father  in  the  general  farming  business  and  his  already  extensive  hotel  or  sum- 
mer resort  In  their  hotel  they  have  ample  accommodation  for  from  150  to  175  guests,  having 
over  100  rooms.  The  house  is  pleasantly  located  on  the  Hudson  River  near  the  rapids;  was 
married  in  1869  to  Miss  Miriam  Kipp,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  two  children :  Edna  W., 
born  in  1870,  and  Bessie  R.,  born  in  1874. 

Rockwell,  Hiram  J.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Luzerne,  Warren  county,  in  1832  ;  in  1875  he, 
with  his  brother,  built  the  Rockwell  House  at  Glens  Falls ;  in  1877  he  disposed.of  his  interest  and 
became  landlord  of  the  Fort  William  Henry  House  at  Lake  George;  in  December  of  the  same- 
year,  he  purchased  the  lease  of  the  American  House,  Troy,  which  he  has  improved  and  made 
an  attractive  hotel ;  in  1883  he  leased  the  ^^'ayside  Hotel  with  nine  cottages  at  Luzerne,  having, 
ample  accommodations  for  from  175  to  200  guests.  Mr.  Rockwell  is  well  and  favorably  known 
among  the  pleasure  seekers  of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Washington,  as  well  as  the  trav- 
eling public ;  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss  Harriet  Wing,  of  Fort  Edward ;  she  died  in  1881 
leaving  two  children,  Frederick  and  Caroline  E.  Rockwell.  Mr.  Rockwell  is  a  son  of  George  T. 
and  Eunice  (Wells)  Rockwell.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Mr.  Jeremy  Rockwell,  who  was  an  early 
merchant  and  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Saratoga  Qounty ;  he  was  one  of  the  framers- 
of  the  State  constitution  in  1821. 

Ross,  Austin  A.,  proprietor  of  the  Ross  House  and  a  prominent  farmer  of  Horicon,  has  from 
early  boyhood  been  a  resident  of  Warren  count}'.  His  parents,  Lensey  and  Cordelia  (Kimball)- 
Ross,  having  emigrated  from  Chittenden  county,  Vt.,  to  Bolton  in  1845.  They  were  born  in 
Rutland  county,  he  Feb.  24th,  1813,  and  she  Oct.  17th,  1808.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,, 
brought  with  him  three  children,  Sylva  A.,  who  is  Mrs.  Morgan  Smith;  Austin  A.' and  Cassius, 
of  Horicon  ;  two  others,  Leonard  and  Orpha  A.  (Mrs.  R.  S.  Waters),  were  born  in  Bolton.  In- 
1848  he  removed  to  the  present  home  of  the  subject,  where  he  died  Sept  23d,  1863.  Mr.  Ross- 
was  married,  Feb.  21st,  1864,  to  Miss  Jane,  daughter  of  J.  N.  Barton  (see  sketch) ;  she  was  bora 
July  25th,  1847,  and  they  have  one  son  Harry,  born  Dec.  30th,  1864.  Married  Miss  Minnie, 
daughter  of  Norman  T.  and  Laura  (Hayes)  Duell,  Dec.  30th,  1883.  Mr.  Ross  was  a  soldier  of 
the  142d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf'y,  Co.  C.  Entered  the  Rebellion  in  1864  Sept.  1st,  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Fair  Oaks,  Fort  Fisher  and  minor  engagements.  He  is 
serving  his  second  term  as  comniissioner  of  highways  and  been  twice  collector  of  taxes.  He  is 
located  at  the  head  of  Brant  Lake,  where  there  is  excellent  bass  fishing  and  owns  a  boat  on  Lake- 
Pharaoh  where  there  is  abundance  of  trout  Mrs.  Ross  is  post-mistress  of  Brant  Lake  post- 
office  located  at  the  Ross  House. 

Rus.sell,  Dwight,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Minerva,  Essex  Co.,  in  1829.  He- 
is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the  town.  A  retired  farmer,  and  has  held  the  office  of  as- 
sessor twelve  years,  besides  other  loe'al  offices;  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Almira  Gleason,  of 
Luzerne.  She  died  Dec.  22d,  1865,  leaving  two  daughters,  Helen  and  Cora.  For  his  second, 
wife  he  married  Miss  Alma  Bartholomew,  of  Whitehall,  Washington  Co.,  they  were  married  in 
1868.  Mr.  Russell  was  a  son  of  Harry  and  Almira  (HoUister)  Russell.  Of  their  eight  children. 
Dwight  alone  survives. 

Schneider,  Anthony,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adirondac,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  July  23d,  1861.. 


Brief  Personals.  685 


•  Is  a  tanner  by  trade  and  foreman  of  the  Frasier  &  Mayor  tannery  at  Adirondac.  Is  also  leader 
in  the  brass  band ;  was  married  May  23d,  1885,  to  Ann,  daughter  of  E.  Roberts,  of  Horicon. 
Mr.  Schneider's  parents  were  G-eorge  A.  and  Margaret  (Hafner)  Schneider,  natives  of  Germany, 
Tvho  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Schroon,  Essex  Co. 

Sexton,  Ebeuezer  M.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  Jan.  21st,  1811,  in  the  town  of  Kingsbury, 
"Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  has  been  a  citizen  of  Warren  Co.,  for  about  60  years.  He  served 
in  the  Rebellion  a  member  of  the  118th  N.  T.  Vol.  Infantry  Co.  D,  entering  in  1862.  Was 
"wounded  in  the  left  knee,  and  received  his  discharge  July  10th,  1863,  is  a  pensioner ;  has  been 
twice  married,  first  to  Ann  Kenyon,  of  Bolton.  She  died  leaving  seven  children,  Malissa,  Ed- 
gar, Hiram,  Wildman,  Huldah,  Evaline  and  Richard.  Mr.  Sexton's  second  wife  was  Emily  A. 
Walker,  of  Bolton,  and  they  have  one  child,  Jennett. 

Sexton,  Jesse  M.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Saratoga  Co.,  in  1844.  In  1868 
lie  settled  in  the  village  of  Lake  George  and  in  1866  married  Miss  R.  W.  Bartlett,  of  Horicon. 
She  died  in  1880  leaving  six  children,  Lewis  B.,  Fred  W.,  Harry  H.,  Henry  E.,  Cloyd  J.  and 
Mable  E.;  for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Sexton  married  Jennie  M.  Prosser,  of  Warrensburgh,  in  1882. 
Without  means  or  knowledge  of  his  present  trade  he  built  his  blacksmith  shop,  and  commenced 
driving  his  first  horse  nail,  in  which  art  he  has  become  the  expert  of  his  town.  He  also  added 
plumbing  and  does  all  general  repairing.  His  institution  has  become  one  of  the  important  in- 
stitutions of  Lake  George.  Mr.  Sexton  was  in  the  late  war.  He  enlisted  in  Jan.,  1862,  in  Co. 
I,  96th  N.  y.  Vol.  under  Capt.  Charles  Burhands  of  Warrensburgh,  served  until  1865  when  he 
was  discharged  at  Troy.  Was  several  times  wounded.  Lost  one  thumb  and  at  the  battle  at  Chapin's 
Earm,  Va.,  he  had  four  balls  penetrate  his  body.  One  ball  is  still  in  his  leg.  He  draws  a  pen- 
sion of  only  four  dollars  a  month.  His  parents  were  Morris  E.,  and  Ann  (Kenyon)  Sexton,  and 
they  had  nine  children.  Morris  B.  and  Hiram  M.,  brothers  of  Jessie,  enlisted  in  the  late  war  and 
served  until  its  close. 

Shay,  George  Washington,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  Sept.  9th,  1815,  in  Charl- 
ton, Saratoga  Co.,  and  settled  in  Caldwell  in  1835.  At  that  time  he  commenced  his  trade, 
blacksmithing,  horse  shoeing  and  general  repairing,  and  still  gives  some  attention  to  the  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  his  farm ;  was  married  to  Miss  jSTanc}'"  Bennett,  of  Caldwell,  and  they 
have  four  children,  Cynthia,  Caroline,  George  A.,  and  Chas.  E.  Mr.  Shay  has  been  justice  of 
the  peace  for  twelve  years.  His  grandparents  Shay  were  natives  of  Rhode  Island.  His  grand- 
father Wheeler  kept  a  hotel  where  Saratoga  now  stands  and  was  burned  out. 

Sheldon,  Melville  A.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Essex,  Essex  Co.,  N.  Y., 
in  1829.  Read  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Hand  of  Elizabeth,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1852.  He  commenced  practicing  law  at  Ticonderoga  and  in  1868  settled  in  Glens  Falls. in  com- 
pany with  Hon.  Stephen  Brown.  In  1882  they  dissolved  and  Mr.  Sheldon  opened  his  present 
office  over  the  First  National  Bank  on  Glen  St.;  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the 
State.  In  1874  he  was  made  district  attorney  of  his  county ;  was  married  in  1863  to  Miss 
<3-lori  Anna  Arthur.     They  have  two  children,  Arthur  and  Melville  Sheldon. 

Sherman,  A.  C.  T.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Luzerne,  Warren  Co.,  Oct. 
11th,  1810,  and  married  Miss  Caroline  Call,  daughter  of  Elder  Call  of  Luzerne.  They  were 
married  in  1838  and  she  died  in  1862,  leaving  nine  children.  For  his  second  wife  he  married 
Miss  Sarah  Putnam,  of  Glens  Falls,  in  Oct.,  1865,  and  they  have  six  children.  He  was  a  son 
of  Ware  and  Anna  (Canfield)  Sherman,  who  settled  in  Luzerne  in  1807.  They  had  five  sons 
and  four  daughters,  but  two  now  living,  A.  C.  T.  and  Anna. 

Sherman,  Darwin  W.,  Queensbury,  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Luzerne,  Warren  Co..  in  1837. 
In  1856  he  commenced  the  general  mercantile  trade,  firm  of  Weed  &  Sherman  and  in 
1862,  Weed,  Sherman  &  Co.,  Jan  1st,  1881,  he  commenced  his  present  successful  business,  do- 
ing an  extensive  trade  at  62  Glen  St.  Mr.  Sherman  is  a  man  of  large  business  experience,  few 
men  of  his  age  in  the  State  having  had  the  experience  which  he  has.  Hotel,  merchandizing,  and 
lumbering  being  some  of  the  various  industries  in  which  he  has  been  engaged.  In  1858  he  was 
married  to  Marion  Robbins  of  Glens  Falls.     They  have  two  sons,  William  and  Henry. 

Shurtleff,  Darwin,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  1822.  He  has  been  assessor  one  term,  also  com- 
mLssioner ;  was  married  in  1847  to  Miss  Betsey  Brown,  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Ellis  (Smith) 
Brown.  They  have  one  daughter.  Alma,  who  is  now  married  to  Alexander  Moon,  and  they 
have  three  children.  Mr.  ShurtlefFs  parents  were  Lothrop  and  Sarah  (Fenton)  Shurtleff.  They 
had  a  family  of  seven  children,  six  now  Uving.  Charles  enlisted  in  the  late  war  and  died  at  the 
hospital  at  Washington. 

Simmons,  Thomas,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1847.  Is  a  farmer. 
Was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Frances  Brown,  of  Warrensburgh.  She  died  in  1881.  Mr.  Sim- 
mons was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war  —  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  118th  N.  Y.  Vol.,  in  August,  1862,  un- 
der Col.  Richards.     Was  wounded  and  discharged  June  loth,  1865,  and  now  receives  a  pension. 


686  History  of  Warren  County. 

His  brother  William  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  91st  Regt.  and  died  in  the  service  Feb.,  1862,  aged  16 
years.  Mr.  Simmons  was  the  son  of  James  and  Julia  (Bennett)  Simmons.  They  had  seven 
children,  but  tvro  now  living,  Thomas  and  Mary.  Mary  and  her  father  reside  with  Thomas 
on  his  farm. 

Simons,  Simeon,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Creek  Center,  having  removed  there  from  New  Hampshire  in  May,  1843.  He  hes  con- 
tinued to  reside  on  the  same  farm  since  that  time ;  was  married  to  Miss  Phoebe  Perkins  in 
1855  and  they  have  had  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  married  and  scattered  through  different 
parts  of  the  United  States. 

Simpson,  John  H.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1814.  He  is  a  successful  farmer ; 
was  married  in  1842  to  Miss  Eunice  Hall,  of  Easton,  Washington  Co.  She  died  in  1866,  leav- 
ing three  children  —  Oscar  E.,  Delia  E.,  and  Mary  A.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Simpson  mar- 
ried Ann  Smith,  of  Queensbury,  in  1871.  Mr.  Simpson's  parents  were  Peter  and  Amy  (Mills) 
Simpson. 

Slyter,  George  S.,  Caldwell  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  E.ssex  Co.  in  1863.  In  May, 
1885,  he  settled  at  Lake  George,  and  enibarked  in  the  general  furniture  upholstery,  and  under- 
taking business.  He  is  located  on  the  main  street  of  the  town.  Mr.  Slyter  was  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Rachel  (Jackson)  Slyter.     They  had  a  family  of  six  children. 

Smead,  Wilson,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Saratoga  Co.,  in  1843.  He  is,  by 
trade,  a  stone  mason.  Has  been  a  teacher.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace  four  years,  and  su- 
pervisor one  term.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  118th  N.  Y.  Vol.  in  1862  and  served  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  Was  promoted  to  sergeant  and  brevetted  to  captain  for  meritorious  conduct.  Was 
wounded  three  times  in  the  service ;  in  1873  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  D.  Howe,  and  they  have 
a  family  of  two  children,  Walter  Scott,  and  Gilford  W.  Smead.  Mr.  Smead  is  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  Warren  Co. 

Smith,  Edward  A.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  June,  1832  ;  was 
married  in  1857  to  Miss  Marret  Moore,  of  Bolton.  She  died  in  1859,  and  for  his  second  wife 
he  married  Nancy  Taj'lor,  of  Mass.,  they  have  one  daughter,  Ida.  Mr.  Smith's  parents  were 
Thomas  J.  and  Electa  (Dicldnson)  Smith.  They  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  yet  liv- 
ing, Edward  A.  and  Martha  (now  Mrs.  Lemuel  Griffin).  Third  wife  Mary  Johnson,  of  Canada. 
Died  June  27th,  1885,  age  47. 

Smith,  Frederick,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adirondac,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  Sept.  16th,  1830. 
Removed  with  his  parents,  Frederick  and  Nancy  (Middleton)  Smith,  to  Horicon  in  1870.  Was 
married  in  1873  to  Miss  Eleanor  Fleming,  of  Horicon,  and  they  have  three  children:  Lee  0., 
Tessa  V.  and  Esmond.     Mr.  Smith  is  a  farmer  and  owns  160  acres  of  land. 

Smith,  George  W.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Dorset,  Vt.,  in  1840,  and  set- 
tled in  Caldwell  in  1858.  Was  formerly  in  company  with  his  brother  as  carpenters  and  builders, 
but  in  1884  he  engaged  in  the  general  grocery  and  provision  trade.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  J.  Latham,  of  Lake  George  Oct.  17th,  1867,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Nellie  J.  Mr. 
Smith's  parents  were  Robert  B.  and  Julia  (Morgan)  Smith.  Besides  George  they  had  four  other 
children.  Charles  M.,  brother  of  George,  enlisted  in  Sept.  1864,  in  Co.  F,  N.  Y.  91st  Vols.  He 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Was  discharged  at  Washington  in  1865.  Chas.  married  Miss 
Jennie  S.  Ormsby  of  Washington  county  in  1866.  They  have  one  son,  Franklin  H.  George 
W.  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  late  war.  Enlisted  in  Co.  H,  5th  N.  Y.  Vols,  under  Col.  0.  DeFor- 
est.  Served  eighteen  months  and  was  discharged  for  disability.  He  enlisted  again  in  Sept. 
1863,  in  Co.  K,  2d  N.  Y.  Vet.  and  served  throughout  the  war. 

Smith,  Joseph  F.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  is  a  native  of  Warrensburgh.  Was  a  prominent  farmer  and 
merchant  of  Horicon.  Was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Warren,  and  they  raised  a  large  family  of 
children. 

Smith,  Edwin  R.,  was  born  in  Horicon,  July  12th,  1832.  Married  Susan,  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham Harp,  of  Horicon,  and  they  had  four  children :  Laura  (now  Mrs.  Edgar  Holley),  Alice 
formerly  Mrs.  Julius  Kimbal  (deceased),  Orville  and  Dewitt.  He  was  assessor  of  the  town  of 
Horicon  for  twelve  years. 

Smith,  Judson  B.,  son  of  Joseph  F.  and  Eliza  (Warren)  Smith,  was  born  in  Horicon,  Jan 
15th,  1850.     Is  a  successful  hotel  keeper  and  proprietor  of  Smith's  Hotel,  Horicon.     Was'  mar- 
ried July  4th,  1868,  to  Martha,  daughter  of  Oliver  Persons,  of  Bolton,  and  their  children  are 
Elizabeth  and  Cordie.     Mr.  Smith  has  been  constable  and  collector  of  taxes. 

Smith,  Oliver  M.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  at  Fort  Ann  in  1848,  and  settled 
with  his  parents  in  Glens  Falls  in  1849.  In  1873  he  settled  in  Lake  George  and  commenced  the 
building  of  fine  fancy  sail  and  row  boats.  He  is  a  skillful  workman  and  has  already  received 
many  orders  from  New  York  for  his  superior  productions.     He  has  built  a  fine  cottage  opposite 


Brief  Personals.  687 


the  Lake  House.  Was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Alston,  daughter  of  William  Alston  and  Sarah 
Bell  Alston.  Mary  Alston  was  a  granddaughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Richardson,  natives  of 
Scotland,  who  settled  in  Queensbury  in  1844.  They  died  leaving  a  family  of  four  sons  and  four 
daughters.  William  enlisted  in  the  17th  N.  Y.  Vols,  in  1861,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run. 

Smith,  Hon.  R.  P.,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  May  i7th,  1823.  Is  a  prominent  citizen  of  the 
town  and  has  been  identified  with  its  business  growth,  lumbering,  merchandizing,  etc.  Has  been 
supervisor  of  Horicon  four  terms,  supervisor  seventeen  years,  member  of  the  State  Legislature 
in  1852,  '53,  sheriff  of  the  county  three  years.  He  owns  about  4,000  acres  of  land  in  Horicon. 
Married,  Oct.  27th,  1842,  to  Mariah,  daughter  of  Howard  and  Laura  (Putnam)  Waters.  Their  chil- 
dren are :  Caroline,  now  Mrs.  Geo.  Carpenter,  Orville  C,  Thomas  J.,  Richard  P.,  jr.,  Laura  (now 
Mrs.  Scott  Barton),  Seneca  M.,  Eunice  A.  ami  Ella  M.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war, 
captain  of  Co.  D.  118th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf'y.  Went  out  in  1862  but  owing  to  disability,  resigned 
his  position.  Mv.  Smith's  grandfather,  Joseph,  en-igrated  from  Rhode  L-^land  to  Hebron,  Wash- 
ington county,  thence  to  Chester  and  died  at  the  house  of  a  son  in  Horicon.  He  raised  a  fam- 
ily of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  John  was  the  oldest  and  became  a  civil  engineer  and  farmer 
of  Horicon.  Married  Sally,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Mary  (Jeffreys)  Prichard.  They  are  the 
parents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Richard  R.  Smith,  jr.,  son  of  Hon.  R.  P.  Smith,  was  born 
Aug.  4th,  1855.  Was  married  to  Marion,  daughter  of  Isaac  Mills,  of  Potterville,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Ada  M.  and  J.  Pearl. 

Smith,  Stephen  H.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Horicon,  in  1838.  Is  a  gen- 
eral farmer,  jobbing  contractor,  and  stone  mason,  and  settled  on  his  present  homestead  in  Cald- 
well in  1844,  consisting  of  140  acres.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace  four  years,  also  collector. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  118th  Reg.  and  went  out  as  first  lieutenant.  He  was  discharged 
for  disability,  having  a  paralytic  attack  of  the  right  arm.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Mary  C.  Hub- 
bell,  whom  he  married  in  1862.  She  died  in  1865  leaving  one  son,  John  H.  In  1866  Mr.  Smith 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Loudon  Haggert,  of  Argyle,  Washington  county.  Mr.  Smith  was 
a  son  of  John  H.  and  Sarah  (Pritchard)  Smith.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  eight  now 
living. 

Smith,  Walter  P.,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adironduc,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Horicon,  May  3d  1843. 
Is  a  farmer  and  owns  135  acres  of  good  land.  Was  married  June  27th,  1865,  to  Malissa  E.. 
daughter  of  Martin  Granger,  of  Horicon,  and  they  have  six  children  living  :  Powell,  Henry  W. 
Ellen  M.,  Sophia  M.,  Minerva  and  Delena.  Mr.  Smith's  father,  Powell  Smith,  was  one  of  the 
prominent  farmers  of  the  town.  Was  born  in  Horicon  in  1818,  and  married  Minerva  Howard 
daughter  of  Howard  and  Laura  (Putnam)  Waters.     They  had  nine  children. 

Smith,  Charles  P.,  is  a  son  of  Powell  and  Minerva  Smith.  Married  Josephine,  daughter  of 
Joseph  De  Marse,  of  Plattsburg,  June  22d,  1881,  and  they  have  two  children,  Grace  D.  and  Les- 
ter C. 

Smith,  Warren  J.,  p.  o.  Queensbury,  was  born  in  Queensbury  Dec.  11th,  1841.  Was  mar- 
ried July  21st,  1877,  to  Miss  Catherine  Lockhart,  of  Queensbury.  They  have  three  children  : 
Anna  G,  born  July  16th,  1878,  Marion  G.,  born  Aug.  30th,  1879,  Agnas,  born  March  10th, 
lo85.  Mr.  Smith's  parents  were  Major  and  Anna  (Clements)  Smith,  who  settled  in  Queensbury 
about  1825. 

Snow,  Henry  E.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Wilmington,  Windham  county 
Vt,  in  1841.  In  1865  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  connected  with  the  Putnam  Stage  Co.,  has  been 
in  the  employ  of  the  Del.  &  C.  Co.  as  conductor,  and  express  messenger  for  many  years.  In 
1884  he  was  appointed  agent  for  the  National  Express  Co.,  at  Glens  Falls.  In  1862  Mr.  Snow 
married  Miss  Sophronia  B.  Willard,  of  Westminster.  They  have  one  daughter,  Gertrude.  Mr. 
Snow's  parents  were  Daniel  and  Maria  (Smith)  Snow. 

Spier,  William  E.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Northville,  Fulton  county,  N. 
Y.,  ill  1849,  and  came  to  Glens  Falls  as  a  student  attending  the  academy  in  1864.  In  1865  he 
entered  the  store  as  clerk  for  Messrs.  Lasher  &  Freeleigh,  where  he  remained  for  five  years.  He 
then  engaged  as  book-keeper  with  the  James  Morgan  Lumber  Co.  In  1871  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  lumber  business,  still  retaining  his  position  in  their  office.  In  the  fall  of  1873  the 
Glens  Falls  Morgan  Lumber  Co.  was  formed  and  Mr.  Spier  became  an  active  partner,  manufac- 
turing and  shipping  lime  and  lumber.  In  1875  he  started  a  nsw  enterprise,  the  manufacture  of 
collars  and  cuffs,  which  institution  is  now  called  the  Glens  Falls  Co. ;  in  1883  he  sold  out  his  in- 
terest in  that  business.  Mr.  Spier  is  one  representative  business  men  of  Glens  Falls.  Is  a  di- 
rector in  the  First  National  Bank  and  was  elected  president  of  the  Glens  Falls  Paper  ilill,  which 
was  organized  in  1881,  and  represents  a  capital  of  $192,000.  He  has  also  been  president  of  the 
Glens  Falls  corporation.  In  1873  Mr.  Spier  married  Miss  Ida  A.  Morgan,  of  Glens  Falls,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Lester  Morgan  Spier.  Mr.  Spier's  parents  were  William  E.  and  Harriet  Spier 
of  I'ulton  county. 


688  History  of  Warren  County. 

Spoor  Dr.  David  E.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Harland,  Niagara  county, 
in  1846.  He  fitted  himself  and  practiced  several  years  as  a  dental  surgeon.  Afterwards  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  Bishop  and  graduated  at  the  Hannemann  Chicago  Medical  College  in  1878. 
He  settled  in  Warrensburgh  in  1884  in  his  prantice  of  medicine.  Was  married  in  1868  to  Miss 
Libbie  Gamier,  of  Hartwell,  Niagara  county,  and  they  have  two  children:  Ada  L.  and, Walter 
D.     Dr.  Spoor  was  a  son  of  Garret  and  Eoxana  Spoor. 

Stafford,  Charles  B.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Caldwell  in  1845.  He  is  a 
general  farmer,  and  now  owns  a  mineral  gravel  bed,  which  he  is  working.  Its  equal  can  hardly 
be  found  in  the  country  for  various  uses.  Has  been  collector  two  terms,  also  commissioner  two 
terms.  In  1875  he  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Mead,  of  Caldwell.  They  have  one  child,  Lib- 
bie. Mr.  Stafford's  parents  were  Byron  T.  and  Mary  Ann  (Crandall)  Stafford.  They  had  two 
children,  Elizabeth  L.  and  Charles  R.  Mr.  Stafford,  sr.,  was  a  clotli-dresser,  and  on  settlement 
in  1333  rented  a  carding  and  cloth  mill  on  the  bank  of  Lake  George,  near  the  steam-mill  of  Mr. 
F.  B.  Hubbell.     This  factory  or  mill  is  fast  passing  out  of  remembrance. 

Staples,  Anson  R.,  Queerisbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Danby,  Vt.,  October  25th, 
1825,  and  settled  in  Queensbury  in  1850.  The  same  year  he  married  MissLydia  Ann  Haviland, 
and  they  have  two  children,  John  H.  and  Josephine  L.  John  H.  married  Miss  Etta  P.  Hull,  of 
St.  Lawrence  county,  and  Josephine  L.  married  Mr.  Joseph  Hull,  of  Queensbury,  Warren 
county.     Mr.  Staples  was  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Sylvia  (Rogers)  Staples,  of  Rutland  county, Vt. 

Stark,  Stephen,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county,  Jan.  30th,  1807,  and  has  been-  a 
resident  of  Hague  since  1830.  Has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Hannah,  daughter  of  Asa  Pral't. 
She  died  in  1854,  leaving  six  children,  Henry,  Jane,  Betsey,  Eunice,  Eliza,  Laura,  Irene,  Will- 
iam, Lorenzo.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Stark  married  Miss  Delight  Dunn  in  1856,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Dunn.     Second  wife's  children,  Ida  and  Hattie. 

Stearns,  Edward  L.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Granville,  Washington 
county,  N.  Y.,  in  1858.  His  parents  were  Samuel  and  Clarissa  A.  (Prentice)  Stearns,  natives 
of  Warren  county,  who  settled  in  Warren  county  in  1874.  Mr.  Stearns,  sr.,  was  an  inventor, 
millwright  and  machinist,  and  erected  several  of  the  large  wood  and  pulp-mills  of  the  East  as 
well  as  in  Wisconsin.  He  invented  and  patented  the  perfect  water  motor  for  all  light  machine- 
ry, printing  and  church  organs.  He  died  in  September,  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one,  leaving 
two  sons,  George  W.  and  Edward  L.  Edward  L.  Stearns  attended  the  Albany  law  school,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  general  term  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Saratoga  in  1879.  The 
same  year  he  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  at  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.  In  1881  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  for  four  years.  He  now  owns  the  entire  interest  of  the  water  motor 
patent. 

Stewart,  Archibald  F.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  May  2d,  1854,  in  MeadvUle, 
Pa.  Settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1880.  He  has  the  only  exclusive  crockery  house  in  the  county, 
where  a  full  and  complete  assortment  can  be  found  at  all  times.  Was  married  in  1878  to  Eliza- 
beth Johnson,  of  Meadville,  Pa.  They  have  two  children,  Louise  and  Clay.  Mr.  Stewart's 
parents  were  Archibald  and  Rebecca  (Reynolds)  Stewart.  He  died  in  1867,  leaving  a  family 
of  seven  children.     He  was  a  merchant. 

Stewart,  Horace,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  at  Union  Village,  Washington 
county,  in  1833.  He  was  in  early  life  a  merchant  of  Bolton,  also  the  postmaster  and  town 
clerk  of  that  village.  He  is  now  the  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Stewart  House.  It  is  capa- 
ble of  accommodating  about  forty  guests,  and  has  a  good  livery  attached.  Was  married  Octo- 
ber 20th,  1858,  to  Miss  Ellen  Norton,  of  Bolton,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Huldah  Norton,  and 
they  have  four  children,  Fred,  Amy,  Bessie  and  Jessie. 

Stoddard,  S.  R.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county  in  1843,  and 
came  to  Glens  Falls  in  1864.  He  at  first  engaged  in  sign  and  ornamental  painting,  but  soon 
after  gave  his  attention  to  the  painting  of  portraits  and  landscape.  He  has  published  several 
valuable  books  and  maps  of  Lake  George  and  the  Adirondack  wilderness,  which  has  become  of 
great  value  to  the  tourist.  Was  married  March  3d,  1868,  to  Helen  A.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Judith  (Mosher)  Potter.     They  have  two  sons,  Charles  H.  and  Le  Roy. 

Stone,  John  H.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  Sept.,  1834.  Was  an 
early  farmer  and  practical  sawyer.  'The  firm  of  Stone  &  Bennett  are  contract  lumber  sawyers. 
In  1855  Mr.  Stone  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Collar,  of  Pottersville,  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Stone  has  been  assessor  and  held  other  town  and  district  offices.  He  was  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Sally  (Ford)  Stone.     They  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  six  only  of  whom  survive. 

Stone,  Walter,  p.o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1841,  and  settled  in  Luzerne  in  1866. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  commenced  the  lumber  business,  and  in  1869  he  purchased  his  present 
mill  in  Luzerne,  where  he  resides.  The  mill  was  built  by  Mr.  Hall  in  1830,  but  many  improve- 
ments have  been  added,  and  Mr.  Stone  is  engaged  largely  on  contract  building.    Mr.  Stone  was 


Brief  Personals.  689 


a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  Company  E,  123d  Regiment,  under  Col.  Van  Dougal.  He 
was  discharged  in  1863  for  disability.  His  brother,  Dwight,  enlisted  at  the  same  time,  died  in 
the  service,  and  is  buried  at  Warrensburgh.  Mr.  Walter  Stone  has  been  assessor  one  term. 
Was  married  in  1860  to  Miss  Minerva  Bennett,  of  Warrensburgh.  She  died  in  November,  1861, 
leaving  one  son,  Byron.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Stone  married  Miss  Abigail  Fuller,  of  Johns- 
burgh,  and  they  have  a  family  of  three  children,  Herbert  D.,  Eben  N.  and  Bernard.  Mr.  Stone's 
parents  were  Cyrus  and  Laura  (Bennett)  Stone. 

Stronge,  Rev.  L.  N.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Quebec  in 
1842,  and  educated  at  St.  Hyacinth  College.  Graduated  in  1864,  and  was  granted  permis.sion 
to  go  among  the  Indians  as  mission  worker  in  Washington  Territory  and  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
where  he  spent  ten  years  among  the  Yakama  and  other  tribes.  He  was  stationed  oyer  twelve 
tribes  and  learned  to  converse  in  nine  languages.  He  published  several  books  in  their  tongue, 
and  his  account  of  the  country  and  tribes  is  truly  very  mteresting.  He  considers  the  field  one 
of  great  interest  to  missionaries.  In  1875  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls  as  pastor  of  the  St.  Alphonsus 
Church.  They  have  a  membership  of  1,495,  289  families  and  928  communicants.  They  as  a 
church  organized  about  1855,  under  Rev.  Father  Turcotte. 

Straight,  David,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1854.  He  set- 
tled in  this  town  in  1884,  near  the  southeastern  part,  close  to  the  town  line ;  was  married  in 
1875  to  Eliza  Ross,  of  Johnsburgh,  whose  grandfather  was  among  the  first  to  settle  in  that  town. 
Mr.  Straight's  father  was  born  in  Washington  Co.  Removed  while  young  to  Johnsburgh,  after- 
wards settled  in  Warrensburgh,  where  he  lived  for  several  years.  At  present  he  is  residing  at 
Johnsburgh. 

Streeter,  Asa,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  in  Horioon  April  13th,  1830.  Is  a  farmer  and  owns 
110  acres  of  land;  was  married  to  Miss  Freelove  Smith,  daughter  of  J.  F.  Smith,  of  Horicon, 
and  they  have  six  children.  Porter,  Elmer,  Emma  (now  Mrs.  A.  Durfee),  Minerva,  Roxie,  and 
Gertrude.  Mr.  Streeter  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  enlisted  in  the  142d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf'y 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Streeter,  was  a  native  of 
Wales  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  Was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Dix,  a  member  of  the  old 
Gov.  Dix  family,  and  after  the  Revolutionary  war  he  became  a  clergyman.  He  located  in  Bol- 
ton, now  Horicon,  in  1794,  where  he  followed  the  ministry.     They  had  seven  children. 

Streeter,  Buel  C.  Dr.,  Queensbury,  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1832. 
Graduated  from  Castleton  Me^lioal  College  in  1853,  and  located  at  Granville,  Washington  Co. 
In  1862  he  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  in  the  9th  N.  Y.  Cavalry.  In  1863  he  was  pro- 
moted to  surgeon  of  the  4th  N.  Y.  Cavalry  and  resigned  in  1864.  He  was  then  appointed  act- 
ing staff  surgeon  of  the  U.  S.  army,  and  assigned  to  duty  as  surgeon  in  chief  of  Gen.  Powers' 
Division.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  active 
practice ;  in  1853  he  was  married  to  Lavinia  Hotchkiss,  daughter  of  Captain  Hotchkiss,  of  Wash- 
ington. They  had  three  children,  Fred  B.,  Frank  H.,  and  Anna  D.  Fred  B.  is  a  graduate  of 
Union  College,  also  of  Albany  Medical  College.  Frank  H.  was  a  graduate  of  Union  College 
and  has  been  admitted  to  practice  law  at  Albany  in  1880.  Both  sons  are  now  practicing  at 
Glens  Falls.  Anna  D.  is  now  Mrs.  C.  W.  Haviland.  Dr.  Streeter's  parents  were  Jacob  and 
Sophia  (Wheat)  Streeter.     He  has  been  coroner  for  six  years. 

Swan,  Franklin,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1857.  Is  a  lumberman 
and  farmer.  Is  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Mary  (Ferry)  Swan.  Mr.  Jolin  Swan  was  an  exiensive 
lumber  dealer,  also  a  land  dealer.  They  had  ten  children,  six  sons  and  one  daughter  still  living. 
Two  sons,  James  and  William,  enlisted  and  served  in  the  last  war.  James  died  while  in  the 
service  and  William  was  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

Sweet,  Alfred,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Queensbury.  Warren  Co.,  August  13th 
1865 ;  parents  Jacob  and  Betsey  (Gage)  Sweet,  born  in  Queensbury  Feb.  12th,  1840.  Married 
Oct.  13th,  1862.  Six  children,  Lela,  Alfred,  Mary,  Deborah,  Jethuran  and  Agnes.  Grandpar- 
ents Dodge  amd  Mary  (Nelson)  Sweet.  The  former  born  in  Beekman,  Duchess  Co.,  1790,  lat- 
ter born  in  Stillwater,  Saratoga  Co.  Two  .sons,  Nelson  born  in  Saratoga  Co.  1818,  and  Jacob 
bom  July,  1827,  in  Queensbury.  Dodge  settled  in  Queensbury  in  1820,  died  Apiil  7th,  1861, 
wife  died  Oct.  24th,  1864,  the  former  was  an  early  physician  in  tlie  county,  and'  had  a  large 
practice.  Dr.  Dodge  was  son  of  Percis  Sweet,  of  Duchess  Co.,  father  Elnathan,  son  of  Jona- 
than, from  England.  Jacob  and  Nelson  Sweet  own  a  farm  of  some  200  acres,  on  which  the  son 
and  nephew  Alfred  Sweet  is  engaged  in  breeding  .Jersey  cattle.  Is  also  partner  in  the  firm  of 
H.  T.  Caffen,  Zimmer  &  Co. 

Taylor,  Robert  T.,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1858,  and  learned  the  ti-ade  of 
wagon  and  carriage  manufacturing.  In  1881  he  purchased  the  interest  of  his  employers,  Me.»;srs. 
Pettys  &  Johnson,  and  conducts  a  general  smithing  and  wagon  repair  and  manufacturing  busi- 
ness. He  is  also  in  company  with  his  father  in  the  undertaking  business ;  married  Miss  Clara  B. 
44 


690  History  of  Warren  County. 

Gates,  and  they  have  two  children  —  John  Gr.  and  Lewis  E.   Mr.  Taylor  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Mary  Taylor. 

Terrien,  Antonejr.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Chateaugay,  Franklin  Co., 
Nov.  11th,  1844,  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  April,  1869.  Was  married  to  Miss  Victoria  Com- 
melia  Robilaird  in  1869.  They  had  four  children,  Nettalie  C,  Lilian  May,  and  Eva  Josephine. 
Mr.  Terrien  worked  as  journeyman  until  1873,  when  he  commenced  his  business,  manufacturing 
horse  collars  a  specialty  for  jobbing  trade  as  well  as  to  order.  He  made  some  changes  but  re- 
turned to  Glens  Falls  in  1881  at  the  same  business.  Mr.  Terrien's  father  was  Antone  Terrien, 
sr.     His  mother  died  while  he  was  yet  an  infant. 

Thomas,  Albert  H.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  1851  at  Bolton  and  settled  at  Warrens- 
burgh  in  1854.  In  1868  he  became  his  father's  partner  in  the  general  merchandise  business.  In 
1881  he  changed  his  interest  and  joined  Mr.  Dickinson,  firm  of  A.  H.  Thomas  &  Co.,  merchants ; 
Mr.  Thomas  was  married  in  1870  to  Mary,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  Fuller.  They  have 
one  daughter.     Mr.  Thomas's  parents  were  Miles  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Brown)  Thomas. 

Thomas,  Miles,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Bolton,  Jan.  '28th,  1825.  He  was  a  farmer 
and  in  1854  he  commenced  business  as  a  merchant  at  Warrensburgh  ;  was  county  treasurer  for 
seven  years  —  from  1873  to  1880.  Was  postmaster  for  four  years.  He  retired  from  active 
business  life  in  1880.  Was  married  in  1849  to  Miss  Sarah  Brown,  of  Bolton,  and  they  had  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  one  adopted  daugther,  Albert  H.,  Charles  A.,  and  Addie.  Mr.  Thomas 
was  a  son  of  Simon  and  Elizabeth  (Baker)  Thomas.  They  had  three  children.  Miles,  Henry 
and  Ezekiel. 

Thomas,  Stephen,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1848. .  Is  a 
general  farmer  and  dairyman ;  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Emma  M.  Kenyon,  a  native  of  Sar- 
atoga Co.  They  have  two  children,  Mabel  A.,  and  Clayton  Paul.  Mr.  Thomas  was  son  of 
Paul  and  Elizabeth  (Dillingham)  Thomas.  His  great  grandfather,  Israel  Thomas,  was  a  captain 
jn  the  Revolutionary  army.  A  photograph  copy  of  his  commission  is  still  in  the  hands  of  his 
CT  reat  grandson,  Stephen. 

Thomas,  Truman  N.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1829.  He  com- 
menced life  as  a  farmer  which  business  he  has  always  followed ;  he  was  in  the  late  war,  enlist- 
ing in  1862  in  Co.  G,  118th  N.  Y.  Regiment,  under  Colonel  S.  T.  Richards;  was  promoted  to 
lieutenant,  and  resigned  in  1863  ;  he  then  connected  the  stone  mason  work  with  his  farming 
and  in  1881  was  appointed  keeper  of  the  county  house,  which  position  he  has  held  for  two 
years.  He  was  supervisor  of  his  native  town  (Bolton)  three  terms,  assessor  three  terms  (nine 
years),  and  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1882;  whs  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Esther  Herrick, 
daughter  of  Captain  William  Herrick,  of  Bolton.  Of  their  five  children,  three  are  now  living. 
His  wife  died  in  November,  1882;  was  buried  just  a  week  after  the  day  of  his  election.  Mr. 
Thomas's  parents  were  Joshua  and  MoUie  (Streeter)  Thomas.  She  was"  his  third  wife,  aud  all 
left  families,  but  two  now  living,  Ormand  and  Truman  N.,  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children. 

Thompson,  Charles  B.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Glens  Falls  in  1842,  and 
was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Sarah  Ellen  Haviland,  daughter  of  Roger  and  Harriet  (Haiglit) 
Haviland;  they  have  two  children,  Elizabeth  and  Fred.  Mr.  Charles  was  a  son  of  John  S.'and 
Annis  (Teai-se)  Thompson.  He  died  in  1884  and  left  a  widow  and  three  children  :  Chas.  B., 
Lucretia,  and  Emma.  Lucretia  married  Mr.  Jerome  Haviland,  and  Emma  married  Mr.  John 
De  Long.  The  grand  parents  were  Anson  and  Lucretia  Thompson,  from  Norwalk,  Conn. 
Charles  13.  Thompson  was  supervisor  of  Queensbury  in  1881. 

Thompson,  Lewis,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1852  ;  is  a  stock  dealer 
and  butcher;  was  married  May  I7th,  1882,  to  Phoebe  A.  Sisson,  of  Fort  Anne,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Pearl.  Mr.  Thompson's  parents  were  Benjamin  and  Eliza  (Clipper)  Thompson, 
of  Warren  county  ;  of  their  eleven  children  eight  are  now  living  :  Maria,  Laney,  Caroline,  Levvis| 
Eliza  L.,  George  H.,  Sarah,  John  C.     The  grandfather  was  an  Englishman. 

Thurston,  Richard  L.,  of  Mountclair  Terrace,  Lake  George,  was  born  in  New  York  city  in 
1858.  1881  he  .settled  in  Caldwell  on  the  east  shore  of  Lake  Georse,  and  in  1882  he  purclia.sed 
his  present  homestead  on  Lake  George,  of  Mr.  N.  Bishop,  who  commenced  the  building  in  1875. 
It  was  completed  last  year  by  Mr.  Thurston.  1'he  design  and  finish,  especially  the  fiiie^vaiieties 
of  wood  as  well  as  general  taste  displayed,  makes  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  residences  on  the 
lake.  Its  elevation  commands  a  fine  view.  Mr.  Thurston  was  married  to  Mi.^s  Josie  E.  Bum- 
stead,  of  New  York  city,  in  1881.  Mr.  Thurston's  parents  were  Joseph  and  Lotetia  Thurston, 
of  New  York  city. 

Titus,  Abraham  J.  G,  Queen.sbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Rensville,  Rensselaer 
county,  in  1827.  His  mother  died  while  he  was  yet  an  infant  and  he  was  taken  into  the  family 
of  his  grandfather,  Mr.  Abraham  Gurny,  of  Duchess  county.  Mr.  Titus  cared  for  his  grandparents 
until  their  death  and  became  owner  of  their  homestead  of  50  acres.     He  became  an  extensive 


Brief  Personals.  691 


farmer  and  lumber  dealer,  owning  over  500  acres  of  land  with  several  cottages  for  summer  re- 
sort, and  some  twenty  boats  on  Long  Lake;  in  1849  Mr.  Titus  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Jane 
Griffith,  and  they  have  four  children :    Harriet,  Eliza,  Haviland  G.,  Rosa  A.,  and  Eber. 

Tripp,  Jas.  L.,  p.  o.  Chester,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  August  12th  1816 ;  is  a  farmer ; 
settled  in  Chester  in  1846,  and  married  in  1845  to  Phoebe  A.  Palmer ;  she  died  leaving  two 
children,  Hiram  L.  and  Josephine  M.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Tripp  married  Dorathea  Mills ; 
she  was  born  February  8th,  1816;  they  have  two  sons,  Isaac  and  Thomas  B.  Mr.  Tripp's 
grandfather  was  Peleg  Tripp,  a  pioneer  of  Warrensburgh.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  Wil- 
liam Bond,  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1740.  He  came  to  Westchester  county,  N.  Y.,  1760 
and  located  in  Warrensburgh  in  1784.  He  purchased  it  tract  of  500  acres  where  the  present 
fair  grounds  now  stand,  and  later  bought  a  tract  of  land  where  Chester  village  is  now  situated. 

Tripp,  Julian  W.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Caldwell  September,  1859.  He 
embarked  in  the  hardware  trade  in  1884,  dealing  in  all  leading  articles,  shelf  hardware,  carpen- 
ters' and  builders'  wants,  and  farming  implements.  He  also  carries  a  well  assorted  stock  of 
gents'  clothing;  in  1884  Mr.  Tripp  married  Miss  Marian  B.  Stanton,  of  Caldwell.  Mr.  Tripp's 
parents  were  Henry  and  Lydia  E.  (Hale)  Tripp.  They  had  ten  children  :  George  H.,  Julian  W., 
Franklin  G.,  Mary,  Mahala,  Eleanor,  Florence,  Georgia,  Simeon  R.,  and  Frederick. 

Tucker,  Frederick  G,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Worcester,  Mass.  Is  the 
present  popular  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Lake  House,  Lake  George ;  Mr.  Tucker's  wife  was 
Miss  Julia  Sherrill,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Jno.  F.  Sherrill,  of  Lake  George.  Mr.  Sherrill  was  a 
native  of  Washington  county,  and  purchased  tlie  hotel  property  at  Lake  George  about  1840. 
The  Lake  House  is  one  of  the  oldest  hotels  and  has  long  been  a  popular  resort  for  these  seeking 
a  pleasant  location.  During  the  time  Mr.  Sherrill  conducted  the  hotel,  he  improved  and  largely 
increased  its  capacity.  He  was,  during  his  residence  in  Warren  county,  one  of  the  influential 
prominent  business  men  of  the  town.  He  represented  his  district  in  the  Assembly,  was  super- 
visor several  times,  and  held  other  prominent  positions.  The  hotel  was  erected  about  1800. 
The  present  building,  as  well  as  the  grounds,  show  the  great  growth  of  business  of  that  section. 
Lake  George  has  become  one  of  the  most  popular  summer  resorts  in  the  United  States. 

Van  Cott,  William  Henry,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Albany  in  1839.  Has 
been  a  manufacturer  of  cigars ;  settled  in  Glens  Fall  in  1868,  continuing  in  his  manufacture  and 
sale  of  cigars ;  in  1881  he  was  appointed  postmaster  under  Garfield ;  was  excise  commissioner 
three  years;  in  1860  he  married  Miss  Ellen  M.  Adams,  of  Suffield,  Conn.,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Augustus  <J.  and  Helen  L.  Mr.  Van  Cott's  parents  were  David  and  Mary  (Brewster) 
Van  Cott.  Besides  William  H.  they  had  eight  other  children :  Augu.stus  G,  Pliilip  T.,  John  H., 
William  H.,  Sarah  J.,  Caroline  E ,  Martha  J.,  and  Mary  T.  Philip  T.  died  in  1880,  aged  57 
years. 

Vandenburgh,  'Jacob,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Pulton  county  in  1822.  He 
has  been  a  successful  farmer,  and  in  1882  he  built  a  summer  boarding  house  on  the  bank  of 
Lake  George,  opposite  Green  Island  Landing.  It  has  capacity  for  35  guests.  This" hotel  is  su- 
perintended by  his  own  family,  and  supplied  with  vegetables  from  his  farm  and  garden,  and 
.cream  from  his  dairy  ;  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Van  Evera,  of  Saratoga,  in  1858,  and  they 
have  seven  children.  Mr.  Vandenburgh  was  a  son  of  Cornelius  and  Catherine  (Norton)  Van- 
denburgh, who  settled  in  Bolton  in  18'24. 

Van  Denburgh,  John,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Bolton  in  1825.  Is  a  farmer 
and  lumberman,  and  in  1869-70  he  erected  the  Bolton  Hotel,  at  Bolton  Landing ;  was  married 
in  1858  to  Miss  Editha  Shurtliff,  of  Bolton,  and  they  have  five  children :  Sarah,  Catherine 
Lewis,  William,  Frank,  Swetson  and  Orlin.  Mr.  VanDenburgh  has  been  commissioner  of  high- 
ways three  terms. 

Van  Dusen,  John  R.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1827.  He, 
with  his  brother  purchased  their  present  farm  and  rebuilt  their  fine  dwelling  in  1873.  They 
also  own  their  father's  homestead.  Mr.  Van  Dusen's  parents  were  David  and  Mary  (Robinson) 
Van  Dusen;  he  was  born  in  Queensbury,  and  she  at  Nassau,  Rens.selear  county.  Of  their  six 
children,  four  are  now  living.  They  are  Bethuel,  Dewitt,  John  and  Carrai.  David  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  war  of  1812  and  drew  a  pension  until  his  death. 

Van  Dusen,  Nelson  W.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1844;  was 
married  to  Mary  E.  Metcalf,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  in  1863,  and  have  one  son,  Alfred  E.  Mr. 
Nelson  Van  Dusen  was  Member  of  Assembly  in  1882,  sujiervisor  from  1881  to  1884,  and  has 
held  minor  town  offices.  His  parents  were  William  and  Betsey  (Ward)  Van  Dusen.  William 
died  leaving  a  family  of  four  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  living.  Nelson,  and  Sarah, 
now  Mrs.  Sarah  Kice. 

Van  Dusen,  Robert,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Queensbury,  in  1790;  first  wife 
Abigail  Cross,  born  in  17S8,  married  iu  JS16,  cluldren  eleVjen,  jiine  Jiow  living :  Hiram,  born  in 


692  History  of  Warren  County. 

1819,  Abner  in  1821,  Archibald  in  1823,  Halsey  in  1825,  Sidney  in  1833,  Ransom  in  1836, 
Chloe  in  1816,  Lydia  in  1827,  Harriet  in  1831.  Robert  was  in  the  War  of  1812,  served  as  mu- 
sician, is  now  in  his  96th  year  ;  second  wife.  Miss  Serinda  Dayton.  Parents,  John  and  Lydia 
(Slye)  Van  Dusen ;  married  in  Cambridge,  settled  in  Queensbury  in  1785,  children  nine,  Robert 
is  the  only  surviving  one.  Robert  and  wife  now  reside  with  his  son,  who  married  Mary  Ann 
Finch,  of  Johnsburg,  born  in  1838,  married  in  1873,  children  two :  Jennie  L.  and  George  W. 
Van  Dusen. 

Van  Dusen,  Warren,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Qneensbury  in  1820.  Ls  a 
farmer.  He  with  his  brothers  owns  the  farm  of  210  acres  which  has  been  in  the  family  for  97 
years.  Mr.  Van  Dusen's  parents  were  Abraham  and  Martha  (Orton)  Van  Dusen.  Besides 
Warren,  they  had  nine  other  children,  aU  of  whom  are  living  except  Lewis  who  died  in  his 
country's  service. 

Van  Dusen,  Zenas,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Queensbury  in  1809.  In 
1842  he  commenced  his  present  business,  general  lumber  manufacturing,  and  purchased  his 
present  site  on  the  Upper  Hudson  at  the  feeder  dam.  In  1884  Mr.  J.  W.  Freeman  became  his 
partner  and  the  firm  so  remained  until  Mr.  Freeman's  death.  Mr.  Freeman's  son  then  became 
the  successor  and  they  are  known  as  heavy  lumber  dealers,  shippers  and  producers.  His  wife, 
Mrs.  Ann  Van  Dusen,  died  March  8th,  1881,  aged  68  years.  She  was  Mrs.  Betsey  (Ward)  Van 
Dusen  and  was  married  in  1851.     Their  only  son  is  Zenas  Van  Dusen,  jr. 

Vermillia,  Albert,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  L.  L,  N.  Y.,  in  1824, 
and  settled  in  Warren  county  in  1842,  and  in  Glens  Falls,  in  1845.  His  occupation  is  a  general 
market  and  provision  dealer,  in  which  he  has  made  a  success  by  his  strict  application  to  busi- 
ness and  gentlemanly  manner  to  all;  in  May  1848,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Salter,  of  Glens  Falls. 
Of  their  two  children,  one  is  dead  and  the  other,  Emma,  is  Mrs.  J.  W.  Hunting.  In  1883  Mr. 
Vermillia  was  elected  assessor  of  Glens  Falls.  He  was  the  only  son  of  George  and  Maria  Ver- 
milUa,  of  New  York  city. 

Vetter,  Frederick,  p.  o.  Chester,  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Hensler)  Vetter,  was  born  in 
May,  1857  at  Chester,  Warren  county,  N.  Y.  Was  educated  at  Payne's  Business  College,  and 
graduated  in  the  fall  of  1875.  He  first  engaged  in  the  carriage  manufacturing  business  at 
Chester,  but  subsequently  sold  out  and  is  now  a  hardware  merchant.  Is  a  member  of  the  I. 
0.  0.  F.,  and  has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  for  one  year;  was  married  in  May,  1884,  to  Jen- 
nie, daughter  of  Rease  and  Eliza  Braley,  and  they  have  one 'child.  Earl  A. 

Wagar,  Charles  AV.,  p.  o.  Luzerne,  was  born  in  Schagticoke,  N.  Y.,  in  1847,  and  settled  in 
Luzerne  in  1871.  He  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  merchants  of  the  town,  dealing  in  all  classes 
of  goods  wanted  by  his  many  customers.  He  commenced  his  business  in  1873,  has  been  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  and  other  minor  offices;  was  married  in  1871  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Cross,  youngest 
daughter  of  Halsey  and  Selina  Cross,  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the  town,  also  step-daughter 
of  Morgan  Burdick,  for  twenty-four  years  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  town  o"f  Luzerne.  They 
have  one  son,  Wilbur  A.  Wagar.  Mr.  Wagar  was  a  son  of  Jonas  and  Nancy  (Cole)  Wagar. 
Of  their  four  children,  two  are  now  living,  Merritt  C.  and  Charles  W. ;  James  H.  enlisted  in 
^^Ij  served  three  years  and  was  discharged,  enlisted  again  in  1864  in  the  125th  Regiment  and 
was  wounded  in  service,  April  2d,  1865,  died  the  10th  inst;  Charles  W.  enlisted  in  the  same 
company  in  1864,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Wakley,  John,  p.  o.  Johnsburgh,  was  born  in  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  15th,  1815. 
Is  a  farmer  and  owns  160  acres ;  was  married  in  1842  to  Susan,  daughter  of  Charles  C.  and  Su- 
sanna (Harris)  Thompson.  They  had  ten  children  of  whom  six  survive:  Benjamin,  Susan, 
Nancy,  Charlie,  Edward  and  Nettie.  Mr.  Wakley's  parents  were  Joseph  and  Nancy  (LiddeU) 
Wakley.     They  settled  in  Johnsburg  in  1823  and  of  their  family  of  six  children,  four  survive. 

Ward,  Elisha,  Crown  Point,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Crown  Point,  Essex  county,  February 
20tli,  1818.  His  early  manhood  was  passed  in  farming  and  lumbering  pursuits.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-five  he  was  united  in  matrimony  to  Harriet  Stone.  They  had  six  children,  of  whom 
there  are  now  living,  Mary  E.  (now  Mrs.  Alpheus  Heustis),  Lestina  M.  (now  Mrs.  Charles  Tal- 
bot, of  North  Hudson),  and  George  M..  of  Crown  Point.  Mr.  Ward's  first  wife  died  in  ]  858, 
and  in  1861  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  TJnderliill.  Mr.  Ward  is  a  genial  and  intelligent  old  gen- 
tleman. 

Warren,  Nathaniel  D.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  born  in  Essex  county  in  1836 ;  wife, 
Ida  M.  Stevens,  daughter  of  Frederick  W.  and  Maria  Stevens,  married  in  1867  ;  parents,  Oliver 
and  Clarissa  (Robinson)  Warren,  born  in  Warien  county ;  the  former  died  in  Essex  county. 
Children  nine,  seven  now  living.  Three  brothers  served  in  the  war.  Nathaniel  enlisted  in  1861 
in  the  22d  Regiment,  served  two  yeais,  enlisted  in  the  Vet.  Cavalry  in  1863,  served  until  close 
of  war,  was  wounded,  and  now  draws  a  pen.<!ion. 

Waters,  Howard,  Horicon,  was  the  father  of  a  large  family,  many  of  whom  with  their  de- 


Brief  Personals.  693 


scendants  live  in  Horicon.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  lived  in  Bolton.  Married  Laura 
A.,  daughter  of  Parks  Putnam,  a  millwright  by  trade,  and  for  several  years  a  miller  at  Glens 
Falls.  Of  their  family  Harvey  S.  Waters,  a  respected  farmer  of  Horicon,  is  the  second.  Was 
born  in  Bolton  in  1816,  and  married  Caroline  Smith,  of  Horicon,  in  1842.  They  had  seven 
children,  Sarah  (Mrs.  Hugh  McCloskey),  Joanna  (now  Mrs.  D.  0.  Remington),  Smith  (deceased), 
Susan  (deceased),  Leoland  D.,  Frank,  Caroline  (now  Mrs.  0.  B.  Coleman,  of  Chester).  Mrs. 
Waters  died  in  188.5  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Leoland  D.  Waters,  son  of  H.  S.  Waters,  was 
born  in  Horicon  in  1852.  In  February,  1885,  he  purchased  the  Horicon  mills  of  Smith  Barton. 
Was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Vandenburgh,  of  Bolton,  in  1884.  Starling  Waters,  esq.,  a  native 
of  Horicon,  was  born  May  30th.  1825.  Is  a  farmer,  and  owns  124  acres,  comprising  a  portion 
of  the  homestead.  Has  held  the  office  of  commissioner  of  highways,  and  is  justice  of  the  peace. 
Was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Cardie,  of  Horicon,  and  their  children  are :  Stephen, 
in  Dakota,  Cora  (now  Mrs.  Garret  Smith,  of  Bolton),  and  George,  at  home. 

Waters,  George  3d,  was  born  September  20th,  1860,  and  married  Hattie,  daughter  of  J.  F. 
Pritchard,  in  1883.     They  have  one  son,  Morgan,  born  October  8th,  1884. 

Wells,  Benjamin  T.,  (deceased)  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adirondao,  was  a  native  of  Bolton,  Warren 
county.  Born  May  7th,  1810.  Was  a  farmer,  lumberman  and  contractor  by  occupation.  Was 
married  to  Thankful,  daughter  of  George  Waters,  of  Horicon,  and  they  had  a  family  of  five 
children.  Thomas  Wells,  proprietor  of  the  Wells  House  at  Adirondac,  is  the  oldest  of  his  chil- 
dren. Was  born  June  7th,  1833.  He  first  entered  into  the  hotel  business  in  1872.  His  hotel 
then  accommodated  but  fifty  guests,  but  he  has  improved  and  enlarged  it,  and  it  will  now 
accommodate  130  guests.  It  is  finely  located  on  the  east  shore  of  Sohroon  Lake,  and  he  has 
several  adjoining  cottages.  Was  married  January  1st,  1845,  to  Helen  P.  Weatherhead.  She  is 
of  Scotch  descent. 

Wells,  J.  Freeman,  son  of  Benjamin  T.  Wells,  was  born  September  10th,  1844,  in  Horicon. 
Is  a  farmer  and  owns  a  farm  of  125  acres,  comprising  the  homestead.  Is  prominently  identified 
with  the  public  affairs  of  Horicon.  Is  serving  his  second  term  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  is 
supervisor  of  his  town.  He  owns  the  finest  livery  on  SchroonLake.  March  1st,  1865,  he  mar- 
ried Helen  Jarse,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  two  children,  Benjamin  T.  and  Cora. 

Wells,  Henry,  p.  o.  Bolton,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  June  21st,  1826,  and  settled  in  Bolton  on 
his  present  homestead  in  1875.  Was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Sybil  A.  Black,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Frederick  and  Nelson.  Frederick  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Ella  Gates,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Charles  H.     Mr.  Wells  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Anna  (Dean)  Wells. 

West,  Elmer  J.,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Fort  Ann,  Washington  county,  in 
1857.  In  1877  he  settled  in  Caldwell  as  superintendent  of  a  branch  store  of  Messrs.  Coledge  & 
Lee,  and  in  1882  he  and  his  brother  purchased  an  interest,  and  as  partners  E.  J.  &  C.  A.  West 
run  the  business  as  general  merchants,  dealing  in  all  classes  of  goods  found  in  an  extensive 
country  store.  The  firm  have  just  purchased  their  present  store  and  dwelling  and  are  the  most 
extensive  dealers  in  the  town.  Elmer  is  the  present  supervisor.  Was  married  in  1882  to  Miss 
Dora  Brown,  daughter  of  Alphonso  and  Emma  (Mead)  Brown.  His  brother.  Chandler  A.  West, 
was  married  in  1874  to  Harriet  BuUard,  daughter  of  Dr.  Bullard,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have 
a  family  of  four  children. 

West,  Henry  W.,  Bolton,  p.  o.  Bolton  Landing,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  county,  in 
1847.  He  is  an  express  agent  and  hotel-keeper.  He  obtained  a  lease  of  the  Bolton  House  in 
1882,  located  at  the  Bolton  landing  on  the  bank  of  Lake  George.  It  has  capacity  for  125  guests 
and  possesses  a  fine  view  of  the  lake  and  many  islands.  It  is  considered  a  first-class  summer 
resort.  Mr.  West  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Orpha  Anderson,  of  Bolton,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Maude  and  Freddie.     Mr.  West  was  a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Lovisa  (Hubbell)  West. 

Wheeler,  John,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  in  Bolton,  June  2d,  1818.  His  father,  also  John,  was 
born  in  Connecticut  in  1778.  Was  a  farmer  and  lumberman  by  occupation,  and  a  soldier  of  the 
War  of  1812.  After  the  death  of  his  father  John  came  to  Hague  and  made  fisliing  his  occupa- 
tion until  about  1865,  when  he  opened  his  house  for  summer  boarders.  Was  married  to  Miss. 
Betsey  Roin,  daughter  of  John  Roin,  and  they  have  one  son  living,  Charles  H.,  who  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  Trout  House.  The  Trout  House  is  finely  located  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake 
George.  Has  been  recently  enlarged  and  refitted  throughout.  It  has  a  capacity  for  accommo- 
dating about  thirty  guests.  The  proprietor  being  an  experienced  fisherman,  makes  a  valuable 
guide  for  all  lovers  of  the  sport.    Was  married  to  Ella,  daughter  of  John  Walters,  Dec.  1st,  1871. 

Whipple,  James  N.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Moreau,  Saratoga  county, 
March  14th,  1852.  Was  a  farmer  in  his  early  years.  He  received  his  education  by  his  own 
energy  and  perseverance  in  the  common  schools  of  the  co\mty  and  in  the  Glens  Falls  Academy, 
where  he  afterwards  spent  two  years  as  teacher.  In  1876  he  became  principal  of  the  Elmwood 
Seminary,  which  position  he  held  until  January  1st,  188.5,  when  he  resigned  to  attend  his  office 
of  county  school  superintendent.     His  parents  were  Archibald  and  Mary  (Jackson)  Whipple, 


694  History  of  Warren  County. 

of  Saratoga  county.  Besides  James N.  they  had  four  other  childien,  Holdiidge,  Juha  M.,  Chas. 
R.  and  Wesley  W.  Holdridge  enUsted  in  Company  A,  llStli  N.  Y.  Vol.  Regiment,  served 
three  years,  and  was  discharged  with  his  regiment.  Received  shght  wounds  at  the  battle  of 
Dru-y's  Bluff.  Mr.  AVhipple.  senior,  was  a  farmer  and  timber  contractor,  having  a  river 
privilege. 

White  Chas.  C,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  at  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.,  in  1862.  He  succeeded 
his  father  as  superintendent  of  the  shoe  peg  mill.  He  is  now  a  general  superintendent  of  the 
Flint  peg  mill  which  gives  employment  tp  about  fift(;en  hands,  and  produces  about  100  bu.shels 
per  day,  mostly  shipped  to  Germany  In  1883  he  was  married  to  Miss  Cora  E.  Sutton,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  they  have  one  son,  Alfred  H.  White.  Mr.  White's  parents  were  Lysia.s  and 
Mary  (Graves)  White,  natives  of  New  Hampshire. 

White,  George  C,  p.  o.  Horicon,  a  native  of  Saratoga,  owns  and  occupies  the  finest  cottage 
on  Brant  Lake.  It  is  situated  on  a  romantic  and  finely  wooded  projection  of  land  from  the  east 
bank,  about  midway  between  the  Horicon  and  Brant  Lake  post-offices.  He  attended  school  at 
Concord,  N.  H.,  four  and  one  half  years,  and  later  at  the  Troy  Polytechnic  Institute.  He  lo- 
cated in  Horicon  in  1881  where  he  lives  in  complete  retirement. 

White,  James  Hyler,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Saratoga  county 
in  1836.  In  1856  he  commenced  his  trade  as  apprentice  in  Glens  Falls,  and  in  1864  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Mr.  Edward  Joubert.  The  firm  was  and  still  remains  Joubert  &  White, 
manufacturers  of  fine  light  and  heavy  carriages.  They  also  manufacture  a  specialty  known  as 
the  Joubert  &  White  combination  buck  board.  It  is  one  of  the  substantial  novelties  for  comfort- 
able traveling.  Their  carriages  are  all  completed  from  the  wood  to  the  poli.sh  under  their  own 
supervision,  smithing  and  painting.  Mr.  White  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  Smith,  of  Washing- 
ton county,  in  1861,  and  they  have  two  children :  Beecher  J.,  born  in  1807  and  Lottie,  born  in 
1871. 

White,  Joel  J.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1841.  He  became  the 
successor  of  his  father  in  the  blacksmith  business,  and  conducts  an  extensive  shop  and  iron  sup- 
ply store,  and  is  termed  an  expert  in  horse  shoeing,  and  carriage  and  heavy  work  completed  on 
short  order.  Was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Gilpin  in  1868,  and  they  have  two  daughters: 
Lizzie  and  Ethel.  Mr.  White  has  been  supervisor  and  held  other  minor  oflices.  Mr.  White's 
father  was  Josiah  and  his  mother  Hannah  (Potter)  White.  They  had  nine  children,  of  whom 
six  are  now  living.     They  were  very  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

Whitney,  Walter  Scott,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Essex  county,  N.  Y.,  in 
1842.  His  education  was  chiefly  obtained  in  the  county  schools.  He  afterward,  in  1865  and 
1866,  took  a  course  at  the  Albany  Commercial  College  and  in  April,  1861  he  enlisted  in  Co.  I, 
22d  N.  Y.  Regiment.  Was  discharged  after  serving  two  years.  He  then  enUsted  in  Co.  D, 
of  the  2d  N.  Y.  Vet.  Cavalry.  Was  promoted  to  sergeant-major,  then  to  lieutenant,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  settled  in  this  county  in  1869.  Was  elected 
county  clerk  for  1877,  '78  and  '79.  In  18S2  he  embarked  in  the  stock  business  in  Colorado,  but 
returned  to  Glens  Falls  in  1883  and  in  1884  purchased  an  interest  in  the  general  insurance  and 
real  estate  business  of  Mr.  Ketchum.  Firm  is  Ketchum  &  Whitney,  No.  62  Glen  St.  In  Oct., 
1871,  he  was  married  to  Lovina  Van  Tassel,  of  Glens  Falls.  They  have  two  children:  Jose- 
phine M.  and  Harry  S.     Josephine  M.  is  deceased. 

^Wills,  Joseph  W.,  Horicon,  p.  o.  Adirondac,  was  born  in  Chelson,  Jan.  27th,  1840.  Is  a  na- 
tive of  Orange  county,  N.  H.,  and  came  to  Horicon  in  1866.  Is  a  farmer  and  owns  180  acres  of 
land.  Was  married  in  1868  to  Nellie,  daughter  of  Robert  McKee,  of  Horicon,  and  they,  have  two 
children  :  Minnie  and  Cordelia.  Mr.  Wills  is  son  of  Parley  G.  Wills,  a  Vermont  farmer  and 
wagon  maker. 

Wilmarth,  Clarence  M.,  p.  o.  Glens  Palls,  born  in  1852  in  Glens  Falls,  Warren  county,  N.  Y., 
son  of  Martin  L.  Wilmarth  and  Mary  S.  Reed,  he  was  bora  in-New.  York  city  in  1821,  she  was 
born  in  Braftleboro,  Vt,  in  1830.  They  married  al  Glens  Falls  in  1847,  have  two  sons  :  George 
L.  and  Clarence  M.  Martin  L.  settled  in  Glens  Falls,  Warren  county,  in  1841,  with  his  parents, 
Leander  and  Catharine.  They  had  but  the  one  son  (Martin  L.).  Leander,  born  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, 1798  ;  died  Glens  Falls  1 848.  Catharine,  born  in  New  York  city  1801 ;  died  in  New  York 
city  1885.  Leander  and  son,  Martin  L.,  on  settlement  in  Glens  Falls  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  chairs  which  they  continued  until  the  death  of  Leander.  Martin  L.  afterwards  added 
I  a  general  line  of  furniture  to  his  business,  including  undertaking,  continuing  until  Dec,  1873, 
when  his  son,  Clarence  M.,  was  admitted  .as  partner.  The  business  was  continued  successfully 
until  Feb.,  1885,  when  Martin  L.  retired,  the  business  being  taken  by  Clarence  M.  who  now  has 
one  of  the  most  complete  stocks  in  Northern  New  York  of  choice  designs  in  woodwork  and  up- 
holstery. In  the  undertaking  business  it  would  be  sufficient  to  say  that  the  house  is  to-day  the 
oldest  in  that  branch  in  all  Northern  New  York,  supplying  any  grade  of  goods  wanted.  Clar- 
ence M.  Wilmarth  married  Miss  Kate  Finch  DeWolfe,  daughter  of  William  S.  and  Mary  De- 


Brief  Personals.  695 


Wolfe,  of  Marshall,  Mich.,  in  1874.  They  have  four  children:  James  C,  Martin  L.,  Bertha  0. 
and  Mable  B.  Clarence  M.  Wilmarth  commenced  his  business  life  as  book-keeper  in  the  Glens 
Falls  Nat.  Bank  in  1868,  where  he  remained  until  he  engaged  in  his  present  business  in  1873. 
Martin  L.  has  been  assessor  of  corporation  two  terms,  trustee  of  corporation  four  terms  and  mem- 
ber of  Board  of  Health  and  is  now  one  of  the  retired  early  business  settlers  of  the  town. 

Wilmott,  Morris  T.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1851 
He  formed  a  partnership  in  1875  with  James  B.  Goodwin  in  the  carting,  lumber  and  ice  busi- 
ness, giving  employment  to  several  hands.  Was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Lovina  Eddy,  of  Alle- 
ghany county.  They  have  one  child  :  Blanche,  born  in  1881.  Mr.  Wilmott's  parents  were  Wil- 
liam and  Louisa  Wilmott,  natives  of  England.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  ship  builder  in  England 
and  was  employed  in  that  capacity  in  Brooklyn  for  many  years  before  he  died.  Besides  Jlorris 
they  had  eight  other  children. 

Winslow,  Alvin,  Stony  Creek,  p.  o.  Creek  Center,  was  born  in  Fort  Anne,  Washington  county, 
in  1853,  and  came  to  Stony  Creek  with  his  parents  in  1865,  settling  about  a  mile  from  where  he 
now  lives.  Is  commissioner  of  highways.  Was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Martha  Hull,  and  they 
have  had  five  children. 

Winslow,  Mrs.  C,  p.  o.  Bolton,  is  the  owner  and  proprietress  of  the  Mohican  House.  It  was 
among  the  fu-st  summer  hotels  built  on  Lake  George,  and  has  always  been  a  popular  hotel.  Was 
purchased  by  Mr.  W.  Rodman  Winslow  in  1879.  The  hotel  grounds  and  property  embrace  38 
acres,  and  it  has  ample  accommodations  for  eighty  guests.  It  has  a  private  dock,  where  the 
largest  steamers,  as  well  as  the  smaller  crafts  land  regularly. 

Wood,  Benjamin,  p.  o.  Horicon,  was  born  in  Rutland  county,  Vt.,  Nov.  5th,  1840,  and  came 
to  Horicon  with  his  parents  about  1842.  He  is  now  a  thrifty  farmer.  Was  married  to  Lura, 
daughter  of  Sylvester  Ross,  July  5th,  1869,  and  they  have  three  children :  Forest,  Sylvester  and 
Joseph.  Mr.  Wood  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  a  member  of  the  22d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf'y,  Co.  I. 
He  entered  in  1861  and  served  two  years.  Was  wounded  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  in 
the  left  arm.  He  had  three  other  brothers  in  the  war.  Joseph,  who  was  in  Co.  A,  93d  N.  Y. 
Inf  y,  lost  his  life  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Wesley,  in  the  same  company  and  regiment, 
returned  at  the  close  of  the  war  and  now  resides  in  Glens  Falls.  Henry  was  in  the  ll8th  N. 
Y.  Inf'y,  sei-ved  until  the  close  of  the  war  and  now  resides  at  North  Hudson.  His  father, 
Leonard  0.  Wood  was  born  July  11th,  1806,  and  his  mother,  Betsey  (Signer)  Wood,  was  born 
July  9th,  1810.  They  were  married  July  9th,  1828.  Betsey  Wood  died  April  2d,  1857.  and 
Leonard  0.  Wood  died  August  22d,  1871. 

Wood,  Epenetus,  Caldwell,  p.  o.  Lake  George,  was  born  in  Saratoga  county,  in  1831,  and 
settled  in  Caldwell  in  1861.  He  is  a  farmer,  stock  grower,  and  lumberman;  in  1861  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Eunice  P.  Ripley,  daughter  of  John  H.  and  Sarah  (Pritchard)  Smith.  They  have 
five  children,  Chas.  S.,  Julia  S.,  Smith  H.,  William  L.,  and  Epenetus  J.  Julia  is  now  Mrs.  El- 
mer Dalrymple.     Mr.  Wood  was  a  son  of  Epenetus  H.  and  Jane  (June)  Wood. 

Woodward,  David  M.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1840.  He  is  one 
of  the  firm  of  A.  C.  Emerson  &  Co.,  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  they  having  a  mill  of  sixty 
gang  saws  on  the  Schroon  River.  He  is  also  one  of  the  firm  of  J.  S.  Woodward  &  Co.,  in  the 
tanning  business;  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Rebecca  Z.  Edwards.  They  have  one  child,  Ella 
E.    Mr.  Woodward's  parents  were  John  and  Margaret  (Summerville)  Woodward. 

Woodward,  Hon.  Joseph,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  Sept.  20th,  1804. 
Was  Member  of  Assembly  in  1872,  and  side  judge  of  county  five  years.  Was  supervisor  one 
term.  In  early  life  he  was  a  merchant  and  manufacturer  and  shipper  of  lumber.  His  sons  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  merchant  business.  Judge  Woodward,  in  company  with  Mr.  Burhans  and 
others,  owned  30,000  acres  of  timber  and  farming  land  which  they  purchased  from  Beverly  Rob- 
ertson, of  New  York,  and  sold  to  others.  At  one  time  Judge  Woodward  was  connected  in 
business  with  many  different  companies.  Has  been  four  times  married  :  First  in  1828  to  Miss 
Julia  Gunn ;  she  died  in  1832  leaving  three  children,  two  now  living.  For  his  second  wife  he 
married  Miss  Charlotte  McDonald  in  1836;  she  died  in  1847  leaving  four  children,  but  one  now 
living.  In  Dec,  1857,  he  married  Miss  Jane  Judd;  she  died  in  1859  leaving  one  daughter.  His 
fourth  wife  was  Charlotte  Kennedy,  whom  he  married  in  1861.  Four  of  his  children  are  now 
living  :  Leander,.  Abigail,  Lemuel  and  Minerva. 

Woodward,  William  F.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1847.  Is  a  gen- 
eral farmer  and  lumberman.  He  owns  the  original  homestead  of  131  acres  to  which  he  has 
added  106  acres  making  in  all  237  acres ;  was  married  in  1885  to  Mrs.  Melvina  F.  Shaw,  of 
Warrensburgh.  Mr.  Woodward's  parents  were  Francis  and  Harriet  (Beswick)  Woodward. 
Mr.  Francis  Woodward  met  his  death  by  the  attack  of  a  furious  bull. 

Woodward,  Isaac  S.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh.  Is  now  engaged 
with  his  brother  David  in  the  manufacturing  of  sole  leather.  Firm  name  I.  S.  Woodard  &  Co. 
Mr.  Woodward  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Cordelia  C.  Sentenne,  of  Warrensburg.     They 


696  History  of  Warren  County. 

have  four  children,  viz.,  Clarence  S.,  Ernest  G.,  Rolland  T.  and  Archy  J.  Mr.  Woodward  was 
son  of  Jolin  and  Margaret  (Summerville)  Woodward.  They  were  married  in  1833,  and  had 
seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz. :  Isaac  S.,  Samuel  A.,  David  M.,  Thomas 
W.,  Emma  J.,  Nancy  OrriUa  and  Ella  M.  Samuel  A.  and  David  M.  enlisted  and  served  in  the 
late  war ;  Nancy  OrriUa  is  now  Mrs.  Shepard  F.  Smith ;  Ella  M.  is  now  Mrs.  Jacob  Saylor. 
The  grandparents  of  Isaac,  were  Isaac  and  Ann  (Empy)  Woodward.  They  had  a  family  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  Joseph  is  the  only  surviving  one. 

Woodward,  Leander,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1832.  He  com- 
menced business  as  a  merchant  and  lumberman,  and  in  1863  he  retired  to  farming  which  busi- 
ness he  still  continues ;  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Susan  Brannack  of  Warrensburgh.  They 
have  three  children,  Fred,  Joseph  and  Berry.  Mrs.  Woodward  was  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Jane  (Wadsworth)  Brannack.     Mr.  Woodward  was  a  son  of  Hon.  Joseph  Woodward. 

Yaw,  Oliver,  p.  o.  Hague,  was  born  June  28th,  1818,  and  is  a  native  of  Menden,  Rutland 
county,  Vt.  Is  a  farmer  and  owns  180  acres  of  land  and  also  one-half  interest  in  the  Rand  and 
Yaw  saw-mill.  Has  lived  in  Hague  since  1851  and  is  prominently  identified  witli  public  affairs 
in  his  town.  Has  held  the  office  of  constable,  collector  of  taxes,  commissioner  of  highways, 
assessor  and  auditor  of  town  accounts,  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  year  as 
justice  of  the  peace  ;  was  married  Sept.  15th,  1840,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  Fish,  of  Fort 
Ann,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Yaw's  father  was  Oliver  Yaw,  a  farmer  of  Clarendon,  and  soldier  of  the  War 
of  1812.     His  wife  was  Sarah  Ford,  of  Middletown,  and  they  had  13  children. 


Cole,  Chas.,  p.  o.  Warrensburgh,  was  born  in  Warrensburgh  in  1861.  Since  Jan.,  1885,  he 
has  been  associate  editor  of  the  Warrensburgh  News.  He  is  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Amy  (Tuck- 
er) Cole.  His  mother  died  in  1883  leaving  five  children  :  Adeline,  Ira,  Rachel,  Belle  and  Charles. 
Mr.  Cole's  grandparents  were  Ira  and  Lydia  (Prosser)  Cole,  and  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  Caldwell.  Mr.  Cole  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Warrensburgh  late  in  July,  1885,  which 
position  he  now  occupies. 

Combs,  John,  Thurman,  p.  o.  Athol,  was  born  in  this  county  in  1829 ;  is  a  farmer ;  was  in 
the  last  war,  serving  in  the  186th  N.  Y.  Regiment.  Was  married  in  1848  to  Abigail  Bennet, 
and  have  eleven  children.  Mr.  Combs's  grandfather,  Joshua  Combs,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lution and  an  early  settler  in  this  county. 

Frost,  Calvin,  Thurman,  p.  o.  Athol,  was  born  in  this  town  in  1841  ;  is  a  farmer ;  has  been 
commissioner  of  highways  for  his  town  two  terms.  Was  married  in  1861  to  Helen  E.  Aldrich, 
and  they  have  six  children. 

Frost,  Bnos,  Thurman,  p.  o.  Athol,  was  born  in  this  town  in  1S26;  is  a  retired  farmer;  is 
excise  commissioner  for  his  town;  has  been  commissioner  of  highways  and  assessor.  He  was 
in  the  late  war,  serving  in  the  96th  N.  Y.  Regiment.  Was  married  in  1850  to  Emily  Williams 
and  they  have  one  son,  Eugene  Frost. 

Hitchcock,  Chas.  H.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Salem,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  4th, 
1849,  and  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1879,  as  manager  of  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Manufacturing  Co's. 
branch  at  this  place.  He  was  elected  a  trustee  of  the  village  corporation  in  1883  and  served  two 
years  as  such.  On  Sept.  1st,  1885,  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Geo.  R.  Harris  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  on  a  general  insurance  and  real  estate  business  together  with  the  sale  of  Wheeler 
&  Wilson  sewing  machines,  etc.  Their  office  is  the  finest  in  Northern  New  York  in  all  respects, 
and  they  do  an  extensive  business.  Mr.  Hitchcock's  parents  were  Rev,  P.  M.  Hitchcock  and 
Phebe  (Pierson)  Hitchcock.  Rev.  P.  M.  Hichcock  has  been  a  member  of  the  Troy  conference 
(M.  E.  Church)  for  over  fifty  years.  Besides  Chas.  H.  they  had  three  other  children:  AdehaM., 
Hattie  A.  and  Frank  S.  Hattie  A.  died  in  1879,  the  others  are  still  living.  Frank  enlisted  from 
Saratoga  in  the  77th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Regiment,  served  three  and  was  discharged. 

Kendrick,  Willis  J.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Falls,  was  born  in  Stockholm,  St.  Lawrence 
county  in  1860.  He  first  settled  in  Glens  Falls  in  1879  as  clerk  for  Messrs.  Wilson  &  Kendrick. 
Afterward  he  spent  three  years  in  Boston  learning  the  'drug  trade.  Returning  he  became  a 
partner  with  his  brother,  Mr.  S.  D.  Kendrick,  and  closing  his  interest  he  opened  one  of  the  fine 
drug  and  prescription  stores  of  the  town  in  the  Opera  House  Block  in  Jan.,  1885.  Mr.  Ken- 
drick's  parents  were  Jason  M.  and  Esther  (Ellis)  Kendrick. 

Rawson,  Charles  E.,  Queensbury,  p.  o.  Glens  Palls,  was  born  in  Queensbury,  Warren  county. 
Is  an  extensive  dealer  in  fruit  trees  and  shrubbery.  Was  married  in  1880  to  Delia  L.  Sweet, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Leland  R.  and  Lulu  May.  Mr.  Rawson's  parents  were  Jason  R. 
and  Bmeline  (Turner)  Rawson.  Besides  Charles  E-  they  have  four  other  children.  They  have 
all  been  teachers.  Laurinda  M.  is  now  Mrs.  Dudley  Peabody.  Francis  E.  married  George  S. 
Murray,  M.  D.,  and  they  reside  at  Crescent,  N.  Y.  Alice  L.  is  now  Mrs.  John  L.  Bond. 
A  brother  of  Charles  is  engaged  with  him  in  business.  Mr.  Rawson,  sr.,  was  an  early  clock 
manufacturer  and  dealer. 


INDEX. 


Abercrombie,  General,  86. 
Academy,  Chester,  544. 
Activity,  in  1776,  150. 
Adirondack,  derivation  of  name,  32  ; 

railroad  company,  292. 
Albany  county,  subdivision  of,  192. 
Alden,  Dr.  Seth,  307. 
Algonquins,  32. 

Allen,  Ethan,  capture  of  Ticonderoga  by,  138. 
Ames,  Merritt,  biography  of,  630. 
Amherst,  General,  no; 

expedition    of,    against    Ticonderoga, 
no  et  seq. 
Aubert,  discoveries  by,  46. 

B. 

Baldwin,  Dr.  Israel  P.,  313. 
Bancroft,  reference  to,  1 10. 
Bar,  prominent  members  of,  295. 
Beauhamois,  M.  de,  violation  of  treaties  by,  66. 
Bennington,  battle  of,  162. 
Biography  of  Ames,  Merritt,  630  ; 

Bowman,  John  P.,  611  ; 

Brown,  George,  628  ; 

Brown,  D.  V.,  636  ; 

Brown,  sen.,  D.  V.,  633  ; 

Burhans,  Colonel  B.  P.,  614  ; 

Chapin,  F.  L.,  626  ; 

Day,  H.  M.,  642  ; 

Dickinson,  Captain  M.  N.,  616 ; 

Dix,  J.  L.,  625  ; 

Faxon,  C.  H.,  606  ; 

Goodman,  S.  L.,  639; 

Griffin,  2d,  Stephen,  641 ; 

Haviland,  2d,  Joseph,  618  ; 

Holden,  A.  W.,  643. 

McDonald,  L.  G.,  631  ; 

Monty,  J.  C,  638  ; 

Peck,  Daniel,  609 ; 

Seelye,  E.  L.,  637  ; 

Wing,  Abraham,  620; 

Wing,  Halsey,  R.,  622. 


"  Bloody  morning  scout "  the,  75  et  seq. 
Bolton,  town  of,  529 ; 

boundaries  and   natural  characteristics 
of,  529 ; 

early  settlers  of,  530  ; 

hotels  in,  533  ; 

supervisors  of,  536  ; 

present  officers  of,  536. 
Bowman,  John  P.,  biography  of,  611. 
Braddock,  General  Edward,  71. 
British  plans  in  1814,  185. 
Brown,  Benedick,  402. 
Brown,  D.  V.,  biography  of,  636. 
Brown,  sen.,  D.  V.,  biography  of,  633. 
Brown,  George,  biography  of,  628. 
Brown,  Stephen,  298. 
Butler's  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain, 

reference  to,  59,  60. 
Burgoyne's  proclamation,  156; 

surrender  ot',  162. 
Burhans,  Colonel  Benjamin  P.,  biography  of, 
614. 

G. 

Cabot,  John,  discoveries  by,  46. 
Caldwell,  town  of,  565  ; 

formation,    boundaries     and     natural 
characteristics  of,  565  ; 

early  records  of  568  ; 

supervisors  of  569  ; 

present  officers  of  569  ; 

municipal  history  of,  570. 
Caldwell,  village  of,  570  ; 

post-office  (Lake  George)  of,  571  ; 

present  business  of,  571  ; 

physicians  of  572  ; 

churches  of,  572 ; 

waterworks  of,  573, 
Campaign  of  1756,  85  ; 

of  1757,  87;, 

of  1758,  96. 
Canada,  invasion  of  in  1775,  144. 
Carleton  and  Arnold's  naval  battle,  151. 
Cartier,  Jacques,  explorations  by,  46  ; 

voyages  of  47  et  seq. 

697 


698 


Index. 


Cascades,  27. 

Civil  list  of  Warren  county,  204. 

Champlain  canal,  197. 

Cham  plain,  Samuel  de,  17,  18,  32; 

sketch  of,  50 ; 

first  voyage  of,  51  ; 

second  voyage  of,  51  ; 

expedition  of,  against  the  Iroquois,  52; 

discovery  and  naming  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain  by,  52  ; 

battle  of,  with  the  Iroquois,  53  ; 

final  career  of,  56. 
Chapin,  F.  L.,  biography  of,  626. 
Chauvin,  M.,  50. 
Cheritree,  Andrew  J.,  299. 
Chester,  town  of,  537  ; 

boundaries  and  natural  characteristics 

of,  537  ; 

obscurity  of  early  history  of,  537  ; 

early  settlers  of,  538  ; 

supervisors  of,  540 ; 

present  officers  of,  540 ; 

municipal  history  of,  541. 
Chestertown,  village  of,  541  ; 

post-office  of,  541  ; 

hotels  in,  542  ; 

mercantile  interests  of,  542  ; 

manufacturing  interests  of.  543  ; 

attorneys  of,  543 ; 

physicians  of  544 ; 

waterworks  of,  544 ; 

academy  at,  544  ; 

churches  of,  545. 
Clark,  Dr.  Billy  J.,  309. 
Clark's  Onondaga,  reference  to,  36. 
Clinton,  DeWitt,  statement  of  regarding  the 

Iroquois,  37. 
Clinton,  Governor,  troops  raised  by,  70. 
Close  of  the  War  of  1812,  191. 
Cold  summer,  the,   196. 
Colonization,  private  enterprise  the  basis  of, 

49- 
Columbus,  Christopher,  46. 
Concord  and  Lexington,  137. 
Congress,  meeting  of  first,  136. 
Continental  Congress,  assembling  of,  140. 
Cooper,  Jeffiey,  121. 

Cortereal,  the  brothers,  discoveries  by,  46. 
County,  historical  beginning  of,  17; 

formation  of,  18  ; 

origin  of  name  of,  18  ; 

drainage  of,  27. 
Court-house  and  jail,  270. 
Courts,  organization  of  first,  294. 
Cromwell,  Dr.  James,  319. 

D. 

Davis,  Isaac,  J.,  297. 

Day,  H.  M.,  biography  of,  642. 

Dearborn's  invasion  of  Canada,  181. 

De  Chastes,  Aylmer,  50. 

Defense,  English  efforts  to  combine  for,  62. 


De  la  Barre,  Governor,  60. 
Dellius  grant,  the,  208  ; 

map  of,  209. 
De  Lancey,  Governor,  71. 
De  la  Roque,  Francis,  attempts  at  coloniaa- 

tion  by,  48. 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  company,  293. 
Denonville,  Marquis,  61. 
De  Runy,  Lord  de  Courcelles,  59. 
De  Tracy,  M.,  viceroy,  59. 
Dickenson,  Captain  iVI.  N.,  biography  of,  616. 
Dieskau,  Baron  de,  74; 

account  of  the  two  engagements  of,  75 
et  seq; 

defeat  of,  81. 
Discover)'  and  occupation,  European,  45. 
Dix,  J.  L.  biography  of,  625. 
Documentary  memorada  of  French  mauraud- 

ing  parties,  68. 
Dongan,  Governor,  60. 
Donnaconna,  Indian  chief.  47  ; 

treacherous  treatment  of,  48. 
Drake,  discoveries  by,  46. 
Duke  of  York,  patent  granted  to,  58. 
Dutch  success  in  treating  with  the  Indians,  59. 

E. 

Early  occupants  of  eastern  New  York,  33  ; 

settlements,  119  et  seq. 
Elliott's  exploit  at  Fort  Erie,  183. 
Emmons,  Ebenezer,  18. 
English  aggression  upon  the  colonies,  133  ; 

failure  of,  in   retaliatory  measures,  69  ; 

ignorance  of  French  encroachments,66; 

plans  to  separate  the  colonies,  154. 
European  discovery  and  occupation,  45. 
Evidences  of  early  Indian  conflicts,  33. 

IF. 

Failure  of  French  attempts  at  colonization,  49, 

Faxon,  C.  H.,  biography  of,  606. 

Ferris,  Orange,  297. 

Financial  crisis  of  1837,  198. 

Fire,  great,  of  1864,  284  et  seq. 

First  newspaper  in  Warren  county,  196; 

settlement  by  the  English,  56. 
Fort  Anne,  Burgoyne  checked  at,  160; 

George,  details  of,  118; 

final  destruction  of,  173; 
/  Niagara,  expedition  against,  i8o  ; 

William  Henry,  massacre  at,  89  etseq.; 
capture  of,  87  et  seq. 
French,  activity  of,  in  1755,  73  ! 

and  English  war,  declaration  of,  67  ; 

and  English  war,  84 ; 

and  Indian  war,  beginning  of,  59 ; 

and  Iroquois,  second  rupture  between, 
60; 

colony,  sufferings  of,  1689,  61  ; 

disregard  of  rules  of  civilized  warfare, 
69; 


Index. 


699 


French  marauding  incursions,  67  ; 

Mountain,  hamlet  of,  473  ; 

occupation  of  Champlain  forts  by,  66 ; 

power,  extinction  of,  109  et  seq. 
Frontenac,  Count  de.  64. 
Friendship  established  by  Champlain  between 
the  French  and  northern  Indians,  57. 

o-. 

"  Gates-Conway  "  cabal,  164. 
Geology,  28  ; 

primary  rock,  28  ; 

granite,  28 ; 

primitive  limestone,  serpentine,  Pots- 
dam sandstone,  calciferous  sand 
rock,  29 ; 

black  marble  or  Chazy  limestone,  Tren- 
ton limestone,  Utica  slate,  30; 

soil,  31  ; 

forests,  31. 
Glens  Falls  feeder,  291  ; 

municipal  history  of,  421  ; 

officers  of,  355  ; 

postmasters  of,  438 ; 

present  attorneys  in,  438  ; 

present  physicians  in,  439  ; 

present  mercantile  interests  of,  442 ; 

hotels  of,  446 ; 

banks  of,  447  ; 

insurance  company,  449  ; 

lumber  industry  of,  452  ; 

the  lime  business  in,  454  ; 

academy,  459; 

Young  People's  Christian  Union  of, 
461; 

the  Rockwell  Corps  of,  462  ; 

public  buildings  of,  462; 

fountain  in,  463 ; 

horse  railroad  of,  463  ; 

plank  road  of,  464; 

fire  department  of,  464  ; 

water- works  of,  471  ; 

churches,  474  et  seq. 
Glens  Falls  Messenger,  facsimile  of,  284. 
Goodman,  S.  L.,  biography  of,  639. 
Goodsell,  Dr.  Penfield,  315. 
Griffin,  2d,  Stephen,  biography  of,  641. 

SI. 

Hague,  town  of,  558  ; 

natural  characteristics  of,  559; 

Rogers's  slide  in,  559  ; 

early  patents  of,  561  ; 

first  officers  of,  562  ; 

supervisors  of,  564; 

present  officers  of,  565. 
Harris,  Emery  D.,  302. 

Harris,  Moses,  incident  concerning,  363,  382. 
Haviland,  2d,  Joseph,  biography  of,  618. 
Hay,  William,  298. 


Hendrick,  Mohawk  chief,  71. 
Hiawatha,  legend  of,  34. 
Hicks,  Dr.  Truman  B.,  328. 
Hill  View  post-office,  573. 
Hitchcock,  Dr.  Jared,  309. 
Hochelaga,  47. 
Hoffman,  Dr.  Hermon,  316. 
Holden,  A.  W.,  biography  of,  643. 
Holland's  History  of  Queenshiry,  reference 
to,  34,  70,  89,  105,  109,  III,    113,  115,  118, 
121,  123,  137,  141,  201,  208,   213,  215,  216, 
224,  225,  277,  301,  303,  333,  336,  338,  345, 
349.    355-59.  463-68,  375.  377.  382,   388, 
395,  414,  425.  474.   475.  479  et  seq.,  496, 
498,  501,  504,  597. 
Horicon,  town  of,  596; 

boundaries  and  natural  characteristics 

of,  596  ; 
early  settlers  of,  598  ; 
supervisors  of,  602  ; 
present  officers  of,  602. 
Howard,  Dr.  Eliakim,  318. 
Howe,  Lord,  death  of,  loi. 
Hudson,  Henry,  55  ; 

discoveries  by,  55  ; 
sketch  of  life  of,  56. 
Hudson  river,  desire  of  the  French  to  control, 

59- 
Hull's  surrender  of  Detroit,  179. 


Indian  occupation,  31  ; 

relation  of  nations  of  to  territory,  32  ; 

evidences  of  early  conflicts  of,  33  ; 

characteristics  of  the,  37  ; 

missionaries  to,  39  ; 

names  and  their  meaning,  41  et  seq  ; 

course  of  in  the  Revolution,  143. 
Internal  improvements,  290  et  seq. 
Iroquois,  derivation  of  the  name,  17  ; 

confederacy,  34  et  seq. 

J". 

Jenkins,  Dr.  Samuel,  321. 
Jesuits,  the,  38  ; 

missionaries,  39. 
Johnsburgh,  town  of,  549 ; 

position  and  natural  characteristics  of, 

549; 
the  old  town  of,  550  ; 
early  incidents  in,  551  ; 
supervisors  of,  555  ; 
present  officers  of,  555  ; 
municipal  history  of,  555. 
Johnson,  Sir  John,  raid  upon  Johnstown  by, 

166. 
Johnson,  Sir  William,  71  et  seq. 

Kayaderosseras  patent,  the,  217. 
Kieft,  William,  58. 


700 


Index. 


Lake  George,  25 ; 

poem  upon,  25 ; 

post-office  of,  571. 
Land  titles,  206. 
Littlefield,  Dr.  Marshall  S.,  329. 
Livy,  Baron,  settlement  by  46. 
Log  houses,  building  of,  193. 
"Long  house,  "  the,  36. 
Lossing,  historian,  reference  to,  17,  32,  36,  48, 

51,  65,  67,  136,  140,  143,  146,  179,  211. 
Loudoun,  Lord,  86. 
Louisberg,  fall  of,  100. 

Luc  la  Come  M.  de,  slaughter  by,  105  et  seq. 
Lumber  interest,  the,  197,  201  st  seq. 
Luzerne,  town  of,  507  ; 

natural  characteristics  of,  507  ; 

early  records  of,  508  ; 

early  settlers  of,  510  ; 

supervisors  of,  517; 

present  officers  of,  518. 
Luzerne,  village  of,  518  ; 

hotels  in,  519; 

mercantile  interests  of,  520  ; 

attorneys  and  physicians  of,  521  ; 

churches  in,  521. 
Lydius,  Colonel,  210. 
Lyman,  General,  73 ; 

sketch  of,  note,  74. 

McCrea,  Jane,  murder  of,  160. 
McDonald,  L.  G.,  biography  of,  631. 
Macdonough's   victory  on  Lake  Ohamplain, 

188. 
Magellan,. discoveries  by,  46. 
Mapping,  221. 

Marin,  M.,  destruction  of  Saratoga  by,  67. 
Martine,  Dr.  G.  R.,  327. 
Massachusetts,  energy  of,  72. 
Medical  profession,  303  et  seq. ; 

prominent  members  of,  306  et  seq. 
Military  plans  of  1755,  72. 
Mill  Brook,  or  Adirondack,  hamlet  of,  600. 
Missionaries  to  the  Indians,  39. 
Missionary   work,  failure   of,  among  the  In- 
dians, 39  note. 
Mohawks,  the,  34. 
Mohicans,  33. 
"  Montagners,  "  32. 
Montcalm,  Marquis  de,  86  ; 

discouragement  of,  96. 
Montgomery,  General,  145  ; 
death  of,  148. 
Montreal,  origin  of  name  of,  47  ; 

surrender  of  to  Montgomery,  145. 
Monty,  J.  C,  biography  of,  638. 
Mott,  Isaac,  299. 
Mountains,  18 ; 

five  ranges  of,  19 ; 


Mountains,  Palmerton  range  of,  19  ; 
Kayaderosseras  range  of,  20  ; 
Schroon  range  of,  21 ; 
Boquet  range  of,  21  ; 
Adirondack  range  of,  22  ; 
Ausable  range  of,  23  ; 
forests  upon,  23. 

isr. 

Names  of  patentees  of  Queensbury,  130. 

Navigation  projects,  291. 

New  Amsterdam,  capitulation  of  to  the  Eng- 
lish, 58. 

New  Hampshire  grants  controversy,   131  et 
seq. 

New  Netherland,  settlement  of  by  the  Dutch, 
56. 

New  York,  apathy  of  at  opening  of  the  Rev- 
olution, 139. 

Nicholson,  Governor,  failure  of  expedition  of, 
6s. 

Nordberg,  Captain,  application  of,  142. 

North  Creek,  village  of,  557  ; 
business  of,  558. 

Northern  department  after   Burgoyne's   sur- 
render, 165. 

o. 

Odd  Fellows,  332. 

Ogdensburgh,  repulse  of  the  British  at,  183. 

second  attack  upon,  183. 
Onondagas,  the,  34. 
Oswego,  surrender  of,  86. 

Pa;ne,  Dr.  Lemuel  C,  311. 

Parkman's  "Jesuits,  reference  to,  35. 

Parks  family,  incidents  concerning  the,  359. 

Parties,  the  peace  and  war,  178. 

Patent,  Queensbury,  text  of,  125. 

Patchin,  Captain  Sam,  561. 

Pattison,  Dr.  Thomas,  311. 

Paul,  Father,  408. 

Peace  of  Breda,  60. 

Peck,  Dr.  Bethuel,  314. 

Peck,  Daniel,  biography  of,  609. 

Peck,  Dr.  Marvin  Russell,  322. 

Perrigo,  Dr.  John,  310. 

Piatt,  Don,  25. 

Pioneer  hfe,  195. 

Political  campaigns,  200. 

Ponce  de  Leon,  discoveries  by,  46. 

Ponds,  26. 

Pont-Grev^,  navigator,  51  et  seq. 

Pottersville,  village  of,  546  ; 

business  of,  547  ; 

churches  of,  548. 
Plattsburg,  battle  of,  188  et  seq. 

movement  against  in   1814,  186  et  seq> 


Index. 


701 


Press,  the  county,  277  et  seq. 
Prindle,  Daniel,  121. 

Proclamation  of  Governor  De  Lancey  con- 
cerning lands,  120. 
Putnam,  Israel,  99  ; 

thrilling  incident  concerning,  108. 

Gl. 

Quebec,  movement  against,  116; 

fall  of,  117; 

attempt  upon    by   Arnold  and  Mont- 
gomery, 146. 
Queen  Anne's  war,  65. 
Queensbury  patent,  granting  of,  123  ; 

town  of,  332 ; 

first  settlement  of  332  ; 

first  buildings  in,  333  ; 

early  documents  concerning,  334  et  seq  ; 

first  town  meeting  in,  337  ; 

details  of  early  settlers  in,  338  et   seq.; 

"  The  Oneida,  "  343  ; 

military  events  in  during  the  Revolu- 
tion, 350 ; 

organization  of  militia  of  352  ; 

the  Wing  mannscripts  relating  to,  354 
et  seq.,  368  et  seq.,  377  et  seq. ; 

effects  of  the  campaign  of  1776  upon, 
356; 

personal  incidents  in,  357  ; 

military  incidents  of  the  campaign  of 
1778  in,  373  et  seq.  ; 

Chastellaux's   description  of  in   1780, 
386; 

condition  of  after  the  Revolution,  387  ; 

election  registry  of  in  1786,  391  ; 

liquidation  of  taxes  in,  392  ; 

town  formation  of  394  ; 

natural  features  of  395  et  seq.  ; 

early  settlers  in,  402  ; 

early  marriages  in,  409  ; 

first  newspaper  in,  41 1  ; 

first  railroad  enterprise  of,  413  ; 

part  taken  by  in  the  Rebellion,  414; 

soldiers'  monument  of  418; 

officers  of  420 ; 

Glens  Falls  in,  421. 


Ransom,  Dr.  F.,  328. 

Rebellion,  Warren  county  in  the,  223  et  seq. 
Retreat  from  Canada  under  Sullivan,  149. 
Revolution,  the  first  bloodshed  of  the,  135  ; 

close  of  1 76 ; 

from  the  to  1812,  177. 
Robards,  William,  remarkable  escape  of  357. 
Rogers,  Robert,  85  ; 

extract  from  journal  of  97. 
Rosekrans,  Enoch  H.,  296. 
Ro\al  Arch  IVIasons,  Glens  Falls  Chapter,  330. 


s. 

Sackett's  Harbor,  defense  of,  182  ; 

second  defense  of  184. 
St.  Clair,  General,  156; 

retreat  of  1 59. 
St.  Francis,  expedition  against  the  village  of 

115. 
St.  Johns,  capture  of  144. 
St.  Lawrence  river,  origin  of  name  of  47. 
Saint  Sacrament,  Lake,  derivationof  name,  63. 
Sammons,  Jacob,  miraculous  escape  of  167 

et  seq. 
Scandinavians,  colonization  by,  46. 
Schaghticokes,  the,  34. 
Schools  and  churches  in  early  days,  197. 
Schuyler,  John,  62. 
Schuyler,  Major  Peter,  62  ; 

expedition  of  against  the  French,  63  ; 

activity  of,  64. 
Secret  societies,  330  et  seq. 
Seelye,  E.  L.,  biography  of  637. 
Sheldon,  Dr.  Edson,  316. 
Sheldon,  Melville  A.,  302. 
Shirley,  Governor,  of  Massachusetts,  72. 
Skene,  Philip,  350. 

Small-pox  at  Fort  William  Henry,  96. 
Sons  of  Liberty,  the,  133. 
Stadacona,  48. 
Stark,  General,  85. 
Stamp  act,  the,  133. 
State  legislation  concerning  Warren  county, 

199. 
Stodard,  Dr.  Joseph  L.,  321. 
Stoddard,  S.  R.,  451. 
Stone  bridge,  the,  in  Chester,  537. 
Stony  Creek,  town  of  603  ; 

boundaries  and  natural  characteristics 
of  603  ; 

business  interests  of  604 ; 

churches  of  605  ; 

supervisors  and  present  officers  of  606. 
Stone,  W.  L.,  reference  to,  150,  154,  174,  175. 
Stower,  Dr.  Asa,  307. 
Streeter,  Dr.  B.  G.,  323. 
Stuyvesant,  Peter,  58. 
Sweet,  Homer  D.  L.,  18,  206. 

T. 

Tea,  duty  on,  135  ; 

destruction  of  136. 
Thacher,  Dr.  James,  journal  of  150,  155,  158. 
Thurman,  town   of  524  ; 

formation  and   natural  characteristics 
of  524 ; 

first  officers  of  526  ; 

churches  of  526  ; 

mercantile  interests,  etc.,  527  ; 

supervisors  of  528  ; 

present  officers  of  528. 
Ticonderoga,  Abercrombie's  attempt  to  cap- 
lure,  100  et  seq.  ; 


702 


Index. 


Ticonderoga,  capture  of  by  Ethan  Allen,  137  ; 

evacuation  of,  113; 

evacuation  of  by  St.  Clair,  1 57. 
Town  of  Bolton,  529  ; 

of  Caldwell,  565  ; 

of  Chester,  537 ; 

of  Hague,  558  ; 

of  Horicon,  596  ; 

of  Johnsburgh,  549 ; 

of  Luzerne,  507  ; 

of  Queensbury,  332 ; 

of  Stony  Creek,  603  ; 

of  Thurman,  524; 

of  Warrensburgh,  573. 
Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  70  ; 

of  Ghent,  191  ; 

of  Rvswick,  64 ; 

of  Utrecht,  65. 
Tubbs,  Dr  Zephaniah,  316. 

Valley  of  Lake  George,  the,  24 ; 

of  the  Schroon  branch  of  the  Hudson, 

24; 
of  the  northvvest  branch   of  the  Hud- 
son, 24. 
Van  Corlear,  Arent,  unselfish  act  of,  60. 
Vaudreuil,  86. 

Vermont  imbroglio,  the,  173. 
Verrazzani,  Jean,  explorations  by,  46. 
Volunteers,  first  measures  for  raising,  224 ; 

Twenty-second  regiment  of,  225  et  seq.; 
roster  of,  235 ; 
fatalities  in,  239 ; 
Ninety-sixth   regiment  of  241   et  seq. ; 
One  hundred  and  fifty-third   regiment 

of,  245  et  seq.  ; 
Ninety-third  regiment  of,  247  et  seq.  ; 
One  hundred  and  eighteenth  regiment 

of,  250  et  seq.  ; 
Second  veteran  cavalry  of,  266 ; 
statistics  of,  267  ; 

distribution    of    bounties     to    among 
towns,  269. 

Walker,  Sir  Hovenden,  expedition  of,  65. 


War,  formal  declaration  of  in  1756,  72  ; 

of  the  Spanish  succession,  65  ; 

of  i8i2,  declaration  of  179. 
Warren  county,  agricultural  society  of,  274;  = 

alms-house,  273  ; 

boundaries  of,  195  ; 

first  officers  of  195  ; 

first  newspaper  in,  196  ; 

civil  list  of,  204  ; 

formation  of,  193  ; 

in  the  War  of  1812,  190 ; 

medical  society,  members  of,  303  ; 
officers  of,  305. 
Warren,    General   Joseph,  county  named  in 

honor  of  18. 
Warrensburgh  Lodge  F.  and  A.  M.,  331  ; 
Warrensburgh,  town  of  573  ; 

situation  and  natural  characteristics  of, 

574; 

early  settlers  in,  574  ; 

first  officers  of,  579  ; 

supervisors  of,  582  ; 

present  officers  of,  583  ; 

municipal  history  of,  583. 
Warrensburgh,  village  of  583  ; 

hotels  of,  584 ; 

mercantile  interests  of  585  ; 

manufacturing  interests  of  586  ; 

newspaper  in,  589 ; 

water-works  of,  589  ; 

academy  at,  590 ; 

churches  in,  590 ; 

physicians  of  596. 
Washington's  plan  to  capture  Quebec,  145. 
Waterfalls.  28. 

Watson's  History  of  Essex  county,  reference 
to,  50,  53.  60,  63,  73,   74,   85.   86,  89,    loi 
no,  1 16,  157,  242,  245. 
Webb,  General,  88. 
Wild  animals,  198. 
Williams,  Colonel  Ephraim,  71  ; 

death  of  78  ; 

sketch  of  note,  79. 
Wing,  Abraham,  122,  333; 

biography  of  620; 

family,  genealogy  of  122  ; 

Halsey  R.,  296  ; 

biography  of,  622  ; 

manuscripts,  the,  354. 
Wolfe,  General,  116.