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THE MOHAWK VALLEY

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THE NE¥/ YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY.

ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILOEN FOU-Jiin lOfst).

Mabie House, Rotterdam, N. Y.

The oldest house in the Mohawk Valley.

Built in 1680.

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The Mohawk Valley

Its Lege7tds a7td Its History

W. Max Reid

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY

J. Arthur Maney

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W. MAX REID

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CHRISTINE

WHO HAS GIVEN THE SYMPATHY AND ASSISTANCE

IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS VOLUME

THAT ONLY A LOVING DAUGHTER CAN OFFER

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

PREFACE

THE Mohawk Valley, with its stirring scenes connected
with the French and Indian wars and the War of the
Revolution, has been sadly neglected by historians
and writers of fiction. Yet within its borders have
been enacted tragic events and heroic endeavors that helped
materially in crowning with victory the efforts and sacrifices
of the patriots of the Revolution.

There is no section of pleasant valley-land, of lake-and for-
est-dotted wilderness, of rushing streams and cultivated fields,
east of the Mississippi, that surpasses in its wealth of scenery
this bit of the Empire State. It is natural that such a land
should be rich in romance both legendary and historical.
From Schenectady to Rome, every town has its romantic
story of the early wars; every bit of woodland has its wealth
of prehistoric legend. The book, after all, is only a written
record of oft-told tales. But such tales hitherto were widely
scattered. Some are familiar to every American boy who has
read TJic Last of the Mohicans and its companion stories ; some
may be heard from the lips of gray-haired citizens of many
villages, who retell the tales their grandfathers told them of
frontier fights and Indian massacres; and the musty archives
of every Valley town have their own story of war and sacrifice
and the strugg'ies of early border life.

This work deals with the period embraced between the
years 1609 and 1780. Many characters of national interest
figure prominently in the book, and its illustrations have been

vi Preface

carefully selected so that the reader may not only read of, but
see, the more notable landmarks that remain.

In compiling this work I have become indebted to many
individuals and many publications for information received,
and take this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge assistance
from the following-named persons and documents:

Augustus C. Buell, W. M, Beauchamp, A. N. Ruttenber,
John Fiske, Prof. E. N. Horsford, Gen. John S. Clark, Gil-
bert Wemple, A. R. Grider, Hon. Stephen Sanford, Cyrus B.
Chase, Washington Frothingham, Rev. W. E. Griffis, W. L.
Stone's Life of Sir William Johnson, Beers's History of Mont-
gomery, B. J. 'Lossxngs Field-Book of the Reiwlntion, Colonial
History of Nezv York, Documentary History of Neiv York,
Francis Parkman, Gen. James Grant Wilson, Prof. Jonathan
Pearson's Sche?iectady Patent ; J. Wynne, S. J. ; David Hutchi-
son, Library of Congress; Reuben Gold Thwaites' Jesuit Re-
lations; Victor Hugo Paltsits, Lenox Library; New York
State Library, F. W. Halsey, and a large number of friends
that want of space will not permit me to enumerate.

W. Max Reid.

Amsterdam, N. Y.

Oct. 21, igoio

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

1_The Mythical City of Norumbega

II — The Mohawks

Ill — Journal of Arent Van Curler

IV— ScHONOWE or Schenectady .

V— Immigration and Settlement of the
Palatines

PAGE
I

77
84

VI — Queen Anne's Chapel . . ...

Vll— Count Frontenac and the Mohawk

Valley 98

VIII— Sir William Johnson 113

IX— Guy Park and Fort Johnson . . .123

X— In the Old Town of Amsterdam . . . i55

XI— The Last Battle between the Mohawks
AND Mohicans. The Famous Butler
Mansion 181

XII — Johnstown, New York 193

XIII— Some Accounts of the Notorious Butler

Family 211

XIV — Legend of Mrs. Ross 240

XV — The Joseph Brant of Romance and of Fact 259

vii

viii Contents

CHAPTER ' PAGE

XVI — Incidents Relating to the Early His-
tory OF Amsterdam and the Mohawk
Valley 275

XVII — Canagera, One of the Mohawks' Castles 298

XVIII— Early Industries . . . . . 321

XIX — Old Indian Names and Sites— The Legend

of Little Falls 344

XX— Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida . 376

XXI— Oriskany 411

IL LUSTRA TIONS.

Mabic House, Rotterdam, N. Y. . Fro7itispiece

The Oldest House in the Mohawk Valley. Built in 1680.

The Pi'imitive Mohaiuk Valley ...
The Rocky Walls of the Canajoharie .
On the Road, Cranesvzlle, N. Y. ( Ad-ri-iL-che )
A Valley By-Road and the Yajitapiitchaberg
Kinaquarone ( Hoffuians ) ....
Old St. Geojges Church, Schenectady, I'JSg
Interior of Old St. George s, Schenectady, ly^g
The Old Glen-Sanders Honse, Scotia, lyij .
Door in the Glen-Sanders House .
The De Graaf House, Beukendaal
The Arent Bradt House, Woestyne, lyjd
The fan Mabie House, Rotterdam, 1680
On the Old Mohawk Turnpike
The Old Queen Anne Parsonage, Fort Hunter, I'/iz
Queen Anjtes Mohawk Commtmion Plate, I'/iz
Falls on the South Chuctanunda .
The fuchtanunda, Amsterdam
Sir William fohnson, Bart., I'/i^-iyy^

Page

5^ ^

63
67

75
79
89
95

JOI

105
115

Illustrations

Page

A Windozv in the Old Church at German Flats . iig

An Attic Corner, Glen-Sanders House, Schenec-
tady ........ 12^

The Attic Window, Old Fort Johnson . . . i2g
An Old Colonial Mansion, Guy Park, Amsterdam,

17^3 135

Old Fort Johnson, Mount Johnson, Akin, i'J42 . /^j

A Fireplace of the Olden Time, Old Van Alstyne

House, Canajoharie, 1750 .... i/j.y

Map of Schenectady in i6g^ . . . . 757

Winter on the Eves-Kil Road, Cranesville . . i^y

Interior of Old Croot Mill, Cranesville . . 161

The Doorway of Old St. Marys . . .' . 7^55

C^Lrious Windozv, Old Ehle House, Nelliston,

iyS2 ........ 7^9

On the Chuctanunda, West Galway . . . lyj

Old St. Mary' s. Blue Corners .... I'/'j

Sunset in the Mohawks Land, Tribes Hill . . i8j

The Butler House on Szuitzer Hill, 1743 . . 18'/

Caitghnawaga Chitrch, Fonda, lydj-iSdS . . igi
The Old Stojie Fort at Johnson Hall, Johnstow7z,

17^3 ■ ' ■ 195

Johnson Hall, Johnstown, 1763 .... igg

St. Johris Chttrch and Grave of Sir William

Johnso7i, Johnstown, N'. Y. ... 20 j

Illustrations

The Old Johnstown Jail, i'j'/2

The Court House, Johnstown, i'/'/2

Along the Mohawk ....

The Drumm House, Johnstown, lySj .

The Black-Horse Tavern, Younglove Homestead,
Johnstown, lyS — .....

Joseph Brant ( Thayeridanegea ) .

Church at German Flats . . . .

Interior of Old Dittch Church at German Flats

The Old Van Alstyne Tlouse, Fort Renssalaer
Canajoharze, ly^o

The Old Academy, formerly a Stage House,
" Globe Hotel ^^ Ainsterdam, N. Y.

The Old Sto7ie Kitchen at IVemfs

The Ancient Burial-Ground at Wemfs

The Road through Wolf Hollow .

The Road to Galway ( Hagaman s )

An Old Deserted Home, West Galway

Tekakwitha Spring, Fonda .

The Falls of the Canajoharie

Adrintha Falls, Cranesville

Moss Rock at the Foot of the Rapids, Little

The Ragged Rocks at Little Falls

On the Tow-Path, Little Falls

called

Falls

Page
20'/

215
223

237
253

260

263

26g

277

285

301
-307

317
323
331

347

35^

357
361

365
369

Xll

Illustrations

Page

The Old Aqueduct, Little Falls .... j/j

The Old Trey House, Palatine, ryjg . . . J/p

The Peter Ehle House, Nellistou, //J^ . . 38 j

Branfs Church at Indian Castle, lySj . . jSy

The Home of General Herkimer, Danube . . jgi

The Old Scotia Bridge ...... jpj

The Oj^iskany Monument ..... ^ij

Oriskany Battle-field, East Side of Ravine . . 421

The Oriskany Battle-field, with Remains of Old

Wood- Road in the Foreground . . . 42'/

The Old Pulpit in the Church at German Flats . ^jj

The Oriskany Battle-field ..... ^jp

Guard Lock — Site of Queejt Anne's Chapel . 441

The Mohawk Valley

Chapter I
The Mythical City of Norumbega

IT may seem strange to readers of a book that purports to
be a history of the Mohawk Valley, that the author
should go so wide afield as to connect it with a mysteri-
ous country a thousand miles away and whose exact
locality is unknown to this day. Undoubtedly the mythical
city of Norumbega, together with the equally mythical North-
west Passage to India, was an incentive to early navigators, to
visit the shores of the New World and to explore its eastern
coast. Mystery and the marvellous is even now, at the be-
ginning of the twentieth century, attractive to the majority of
mankind, but how much more so in the sixteenth century,
with the imagination quickened by the discoveries of the
Spaniards under Cortez and Pizarro and the wonderful treas-
ures secured in Mexico and Peru.

That the northeast coast of America was visited by Bre-
ton (1504) and Basque fishermen, in search of fish for the Cath-
olic countries of Europe, before the discovery and naming of
the St. Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534-5, i'^ a
matter of history, and that they should have made temporary
homes on the shores near their fishing grounds seems natural,
and that, in some cases, it became necessary to protect their

2 The Mohawk Valley

camps by rude forts, more or less strong, seems reasonable.
We are therefore inclined to believe that there may be some
truth in the traditionary French (Breton) fort, said to have been
located on an island near Albany, many years before the voy-
ages of Henry Hudson.

The land, river, and city of Norumbega seems to have
been known to nearly all of the early navigators of the Atlan-
tic, and the incentive for many a quest by Verrazano in 1524,
Alleforce under Roberval in 1543, Thevet in 1556, and
Champlain in 1603-14.

And is it a wonder, when such a story as the following
was told and believed :

An Englishman had left a record of having seen a city bearing
the name of Norumbega, and the city was three-quarters of a mile
long.

This man, David Ingram, a sailor, had been set on shore by Sir
John Hawkins in 1568, at Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico, with
some hundred and twenty others in stress for food. He had wan-
dered all the way across the country, visiting many large Indian
towns, and coming at length, in 1569, to the banks of the Norum-
bega. He sailed from the harbor of St. Mary's (one of the earlier
names for Boston Bay) a few hours distant from the Norumbega he
visited, and ultimately got back to England, where he again met and
was kindly received by Sir John Hawkins. He told a story that
surpasses belief. He had seen monarchs borne on golden chairs,
and houses with pillars of crystal and silver. He had visited the
dwelling of an Indian chief where he saw a quart of pearls; and
afterwards increased it to a peck of pearls. He was brought in
audience before Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the kinsman of Sir Walter
Raleigh. Thevet who had been at Norumbega, on the banks of
what he pronounced " one of the most beautiful rivers in all the
world," was present and confirmed Ingram in part.'

Whittier, in his poem " Norumbega," makes the weary

' From monograph by Prof. E. N. Horsford, who claimed to have found the site
of Norumbega City, on the banks of the Charles River at Weston, near Boston, and
that the Charles was the Norumbega River.

The Mythical City of Norumbega 3

Christian Knight who is dying in his fruitless search for the
mythical city, "at shut of day," see a vision like a pipe dream.
" I see, he said, " the domes and spires of Norumbega
town" — "What sounds are these but chants and holy
hymns " — " It is a chapel bell that fills the air with its low
tones " — " The Christ be praised — He sits for me a blessed
cross in sight" — " I fain would look before I die on Norum-
bega's walls."

Pierre Biard, Lescarbot, and other Jesuits, repeatedly
speak of Norumbega as being on the Pentegoet or Penobscot
River. In fact. La Saussaye, when he sailed from Port Royal
(now Annapolis, Nova Scotia), intended to establish the settle-
ment of St. Sauveur on the Norumbega or Penobscot, at the
place now known as Bangor, Maine, but finally settled on
Mount Desert Island.

Champlain sailed up the Penobscot in his search for the city
of Norumbega, and his map of 1613 shows the name of Nor-
umbega on the Penobscot in the vicinity of Bangor.

The map of Ortelius, 1570, and Solis's map of 1598. shows
the country of the Montagnes Indians east of Norumbega.
(The country of the Montagnes was between Three Rivers
and the Saguenay, in the province of Quebec.) If these maps
are correct, it would make the Penobscot the Norumbega
River.

John Fiske, in his very excellent book called The Dutch
and Quaker Colonics of America, by very ingenious reason-
ing, and with the help of Maiollo's map of Verrazano's discov-
eries, 1527, Gastaldi's map of 1550, and Mercator's Duisburg
map of 1569, claims that the Hudson was the Norumbega, and
that Manhattan Island was the site of the city and that it was
located on the border of the collect or pond now marked by
the gloomy prison called the Tombs. He suggests that the
name may be a corruption of Anormee Berge, which he says

4 The Mohawk Valley

means Grand Scarp in sixteenth-century French, and was ap-
plied to the Hudson River by Verrazzano, who describes it as
a very broad river running between small steep hills, evidently
referring to the Palisades. Fiske says: " What better epithet
than Grand Scarp could be applied to those majestic cliffs. It
is clear that for a quarter of a century or more after the voyage
of Verrazzano (1524) the Hudson River was visited by French
fur traders, and that they had block-houses on Manhattan Is-
land and at Albany." This was at least a half-century before
the voyage of Henry Hudson and the renaming of the Hud-
son River.

If the Hudson River was the Norumbega, and if a city
three-quarters of a mile long, with domes and spires and pil-
lars of crystal and silver existed, it must have been known to
the Aborigines of the Mohawk Valley, but, so far, we have
been unable to find any traditionary evidence of the mythical
city having been located within the bounds of New York
State.

We do not expect, however, to find evidence among the
Mohawks, because they are known to have been located at
Hochelaga (Montreal) in 1535, and the lower Mohawk Valley
was then occupied by tribes of the Algonquin nation, probably
the Mohicans, the Abinakas, or the Andastes.

Chapter II

The Mohawks

THE earh'est record of the Mohawk Indians, whose ab-
original name, as given by the Jesuit priest, Jean
Brebeuf, was Agnierrhonons, contracted to Agniers,
" the people of the flint," later called Mahaqua by
the Algonquins, Maquas by the Dutch, and Mohawk by the
English, is derived from Jacques Cartier's account of his voy-
age up the St. Lawrence to Hochelaga (Montreal), in 1535.

From their traditions, they were driven out of Canada by
the Algonquins, probably during the latter part of the six-
teenth century, because the large village that Cartier visited
in 1535 was deserted and destroyed when Champlain visited
this spot in 1608.

It is probable that they made their way direct to the Mo-
hawk Valley, but, being numerically weak, chose for new
homes secluded spots deep in the forest, four or five miles
from the Mohawk River, to build their palisaded castles, one
of which, but recently discovered, I visited in the month of
July, 1899. ^^ ^^^^^ season of the year we find men all over
the country attacked with a desire for a little relaxation from
business or the regular routine of life, and a longing to flee
from urban surroundings and spend a season in the fields and
forests away from the abode of men, and, with gun and line,
provide their daily food. We are apt to call it sport, but is it
not, rather, the " old Adam " that is asserting itself, an in-
mate longing to return to the primitive condition of man and

6 The Mohawk Valley

battle awhile with nature for our own sustenance ? It is true
that we like to take some of the luxuries of life with us when
we go into the forests, but the greatest pleasure of it all is the
freedom from care and the feeling that we are providing for
our wants with our own hands and by our own exertions. Our
thoughts are apt to revert to the time when the hardy pioneer
was obliged to live as we are living, with the addition of a
great deal of hard work and suffering thrown in. And then
we think perhaps of the aborigines. Their mode of life and
apparent freedom from cares has a charm for us for the time
being, and we imagine we would like to adopt their customs
and be forever free from the requirements of society and the
fear of protested notes and overdue bills payable, and the un-
certainty of bills receivable. But this longing lasts only a short
season, and education asserts itself and we are glad to get back
to the old treadmill, thankful if we can but bring with us re-
newed health and strength for our battle with " the world, the
flesh, and the devil."

Our sojourn in the northern forests, however, lacks one
element of the life of the Aborigines; and that is the constant
watchfulness against savage enemies and the necessity of
selecting for a home some secluded spot which nature and
their rude art could make into a fortress.

I have in mind such a spot which has lately been discov-
ered by accident after having been abandoned for three or four
centuries. In the year 1892, George W. Chapin, a woodman
residing between Fonda and Johnstown, returning to his home
from the latter place through a lonely wood on the bank of
the Cayudutta Creek, observed a hole in the ground that had
lately been made by a woodchuck. Examining the earth
thrown out by the nimble feet of the rodent, he observed a
.fragment of pottery, which, upon examination, was found to
be a piece of decorated earthenware of Indian manufacture.

a
>

THE NEVv YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY,

AStOR, I .

:ve. I

The Mohawks 9

The discovery having been communicated to the late A. G.
Richmond, W. M. Beauchamp of the New York State Mu-
seum, and others, excavations were made which estabhshed
the fact that the site of an ancient Indian fort, hitherto not
known or suspected, had been discovered. Many interesting
articles of Indian manufacture have been unearthed, some of
which have been illustrated by W. M. Beauchamp in the New
York State Museum Bulletins, and the spot described by
Robert M. Hartley in the Popiilar Science Nezvs, June, 1S96,

Within a few weeks I made three visits to this interesting
spot with various friends, and must confess that it has a great
charm to me; but although the articles brought away were
numerous, they were of small value when compared v/ith those
secured by earlier visitors. I wish to thank Mr. Charles Gar-
diner of Johnstown for his explicit instructions how to find
the place. He said: " Get off at the station of Sammons-
ville ; walk up the track about a quarter of a mile, or until you
come to an old stump field; pass through the stump field and
the woods adjoining, until you come to a ravine; cross the
ravine, and there you are."

My first visit was made with Myron "VV. Reid for a com-
panion, but when we arrived at the stump field, he was so
charmed by the liquid, jingling notes of numerous bobolinks,
that he deserted me for the time being and left me to pursue my
quest alone. Thanks to Mr. Gardiner's instructions, the place
was found without any trouble. Subsequent visits were made,
and each time resulted in interesting discoveries. (I wish to
say, however, that previous investigators, undoubtedly were
just as succcessful or perhaps more so than I was.)

The site of this ancient Indian fort is located on a high,
broad point of land, between two ravines, which grow deeper
as they approach the bed of the Cayudutta Creek, that flows
by its western boundary. Both ravines run in a southerly

lo The Mohawk Valley

direction and through the easterly ravine flows a small perma-
nent stream. The approach to the high ground of the Indian
village from the Cayudutta Creek seems to have been through
the latter ravine, which becomes a narrow, slaty gorge as it
approaches the flats of the Cayudutta Valley, and owing to
the dense growth of small trees and underbrush the entrance
is not easily seen from the creek below. The gorge itself is
quite picturesque, and its present condition suggests a possible
method of defence used by the Indians, large trees having
been felled and thrown into the bed of the creek, forming a
rude breastwork. Even in the present condition of the huge
rotten trunks they present an obstacle not easily overcome by
the investigator. As you enter the gorge from below, you
encounter a series of slaty ledges, over whose moss-covered
surface the stream trickles slowly, making a series of slimy
steps extending upward for twenty or thirty feet, or to the
level of the higher ground of the forest. On the west side of
the gorge these slaty steps have been worn smooth and
rounded by countless footsteps, up to a point about ten feet
from the entrance, where a trail is seen ascending the side of
the hill to the plateau above. As the trail or path approaches
the top, it is worn in some places from four to six inches deep
along the edge of the hill, showing that the place had been
occupied for a considerable space of time by a numerous
population.

The plateau itself extends north to a considerable distance
and is well covered with trees of large size and the rotten
trunks of many monarchs of the forest. The place suggests
seclusion, and its stillness is almost oppressive. The only evi-
dence of life observable was the scurry of a solitar)^ partridge
chick and the dismal croak of a. paier faviilias crow, evidently
solicitous for the safety of his little family in the top of one of
the tall pines. Take it all in all, I would not recommend it

The Mohawks ii

as a very desirable place for a Sunday-school picnic. This
spot has undoubtedly been visited by a number of " diggers,"
as is seen by the upturned black earth, plentifully sprinkled
with small fragments of fresh-water clam-shells and occasional
bits of pottery.

It is evident that this spot was once an Indian forti-
fication, as the line of the palisade is seen stretching across the
plateau from ravine to ravine. Although I was unable to
secure many relics of intrinsic value, my search was quite suc-
cessful and resulted in unearthing a stone axe, a broken stone
pestle, a few bone tools, and flint implements, together with
forty fragments of as many decorated vessels of Indian pot-
tery. One of the most interesting articles that have been un-
earthed is a brass or copper bead, about six inches long. This
was found by Mr. A. G. Richmond a few years ago, and is
valued from the fact that it enables archaeologists to fix the
probable date of the occupation of this secluded spot by the
Indians. As this is the only article found there that would
indicate that the occupants had ever come in contact with
white men, it must have been occupied previous to 1609, and
subsequent to the discovery of the river St. Lawrence, in I535«
Many archaeologists are of the opinion that the Iroquois were
the people whom Jacques Cartier met at Hochelaga (Montreal)
and Stadacone (Quebec) on the occasion of his ascent of the
St. Lawrence in 1535, and they advance the theory that they
were driven out of Canada between that time and 1609, when
Champlain found a new people at Stadacone (Quebec) and
Hochelaga (Montreal) entirely deserted.

W. M. Beauchamp, in a recent communication, says:
"1 should date the Mohawk Fort (Cayudutta) a little be-
fore 1600, and think they had these long brass beads from
the French, they are much alike and unquestionably Euro-
pean. We are to remember, however, that the Iroquois had

12 The Mohawk Valley

villages as far down as Quebec in 1535, and seem to have
often visited the mouth of the river where vessels often
touched."

Parkman says: " In the vocabulary of the language ap-
pended to the journal of Cartier's second voyage, Canada is
set down as a word for town or village. It bears the same
meaning in the Mohawk tongue." " The language of Stada-
cone, or Quebec, when Cartier visited it, was apparently a
dialect of the Iroquois." You will probably remember that
Cartier's first voyage was made in 1534, at which time he struck
the mainland at Gaspe, opposite the island of Anticosta, and
that he kidnapped two young Indians. These young savages
returned with him in 1535, acting as interpreters, and are said
to have been a part of a war party from Hochelaga, speaking
a different language from the Indians of Gaspe, at which place
they were found by Cartier. There was also a tradition
among the Agnies (Mohawks) that their ancestors were once
settled in Quebec, and relics found at Montreal correspond
with articles found in Iroquois burial-places in western New
York. Therefore we think it is safe to assume that the
Cayudutta fort was probably one of the earliest settlements of
the Iroquois (Mohawks) in the valley of the Mohawk and a
place of great historic interest from the prehistoric character
of the relics found there.

Parkman, in his Pioneers of France in the Nezu World, says:

When America was first made known to Europe, the part assumed
by France on the borders of that new world was peculiar, and is
little recognized. While the Spaniard roamed sea and land, burning
for achievement, red-hot with bigotry and avarice, and while Eng-
land, with soberer steps and a less dazzling result, followed in the
path of discovery and gold hunting, it was from France that those
barbarous shores first learned to serve the ends of peaceful commer-
cial industry.

A French writer, however, advances a more ambitious

The Mohawks 13

claim. In the year 1488, four years before the first voyage of
Columbus, America, he maintains, was found by a French-
man. Cousin, a navigator of Dieppe, being at sea off the
African coast, was forced westward, it is said, by winds and
currents, to within sight of an unknown shore, where he pres-
ently descried the mouth of a great river. On board his ship
was one Pinzon, whose conduct became so mutinous that, on
his return to Dieppe, he made complaint to the magistracy,
who thereupon dismissed the offender from the maritime ser-
vice of the town. Pinzon went to Spain, became known to
Columbus, told him of his discovery, and joined him on his
voyage in 1492,

In the year 1535 Jacques Cartier, a Frenchman, sailed from
the ancient town of St. Malo, France, and entered the bay of
St. Lawrence, as Cartier named it, in August or September of
the same year. Having with him the two Indian lads cap-
tured in his former visit to these shores, he found them of
great assistance in communicating with the natives. They are
supposed to have spoken the Mohawk dialect. It is said that
the Indian name for the St. Lawrence River was Hochelaga,
and that the present site of Quebec was called Stadacona,
whose king's name was Donnacona. Cartier says that the
country below Stadacona (Quebec) was called Saguenay, and
that above, Hochelaga. At Stadacona, Cartier was told of a
large Indian town, many days' journey above, which was
called Hochelaga, and had given the name to the river and
country also. Passing up the river with a small galleon and
two open boats and about fifty sailors, on the 2d of October,
1535, they reached the mysterious Hochelaga. Their landing
was made just below the present quays of Montreal, and
thronging the shores were a thousand or more Indians await-
ing the strangers. The next morning they were conducted to
the Indians' town, lying under the shadow of the mountain

14 The Mohawk Valley

which Cartier named Mont Royal — Montreal; "hence the
name of the busy city which now holds the site of the vanished
Hochelaga. "

A later writer, Lescarbot, insists that the country on both
sides of the St. Lawrence, from Hochelaga to its mouth, was
called Canada. The derivation of the name Canada is un-
doubtedly Indian, and not Spanish, and it is a singular fact that
in the vocabulary of the language of Hochelaga appended to the
journal of Cartier's second voyage, Canada is set down as mean-
ing town or village, and that it bears the same meaning in the
Mohawk, and both languages are dialects of the Iroquois.

Quoting still from Parkman's notes: " That the Indians of
Hochelaga belonged to the Huron-Iroquois family of tribes is
evident from the afifinities of their language and from the con-
struction of their houses and defensive works. This was
identical with the construction universal, or nearly so, among
the Huron-Iroquois tribes." It is said that in i860 a quantity
of Indian remains were dug up at Montreal that evidently be-
longed to the Iroquois and not to the Algonquin type. There
is said to be a tradition among the Agniers (Mohawks), one of
the five nations of the Iroquois, that their ancestors were once
settled at Quebec. A tradition recorded by Colden in his his-
tory of the Five Nations (Iroquois), that they were formerly
settled near Montreal, is of interest. The tradition declares
that they were driven thence by ihe Adirondacks, which was
the distinctive name of the tribes of the Algonquins located in
Canada.

It is said that when Champlain, in 1603, passed up the St.
Lawrence, sixty-eight years after Cartier's visit, " Hochelaga
and its savage population had vanished, and in their place were
a few wandering Algonquins of different tongues and lineage."

Champlain, in 1609, met them again on the shores of Lake
Champlain, called by the natives Iroquois Lake. Champlain's

THE ROCKY WAIXS OF THE CANAJOHAKIE

.?\3BI-3'

The Mohawks 17

account of the meeting is so interesting that I will transcribe
it in his own words:

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 twenty-ninth of the month (July, 1609),
about ten o'clock at night, at a point off a cape which juts into the
lake on the west side. They and we began to shout, each seizing
his arms. We withdrew towards 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 some-
times got in war, and others of stone, and fortified themselves
securely.

Our party, likewise, kept their canoes arranged, the one along-
side 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, which consisted of twenty-four canoes and sixty savages,
to know if their enemies wished to fight, who answered they desired
nothing else; but that just then there was not much light, and that
we must wait for day to distinguish each other, and 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 infinitude of insults and other taunts
such as the little courage they had; how powerless their resistance
against our arms, and that when day would break they should ex-
perience this to their ruin. Ours, likewise, did not fail in repartee,
telling them they should witness the effect of arms they had never
seen before, and a multitude of speeches as is usual at a siege of a
town. After the one and the other had sung, danced, and parlia-
mented enough, day broke. My three companions and I were
always concealed for fear the enemy should see us preparing our
arms as best we could, being, however, separated, each in one of
the canoes belonging to the savage Montagnaes.

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 robust appearance, who were coming
slowly towards us, with a gravity and assurance which greatly pleased
me, led on by three chiefs. Ours were marching in similar order, and

1 8 The Mohawk Valley

told us that those who bore three lofty plumes were the chiefs, and
that there were but three, and they were to be recognized by those
plumes, which were considerable larger than those of their com-
panions, and that I must do all I could to kill them. I promised to
do what I could, and that I was sorry they could not clearly under-
stand me, so as to give them the order and plan of attacking their
enemies, 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 toward their enemies, who stood firm, and had not yet perceived
my companions, who went into the bush with some savages. Ours
commenced calling me in a loud voice, and making way for me
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 to
the ground by this shot and 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 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 with cotton thread and wood; this frightened
them very much. Whilst I was reloading, one of my companions
in the bush fired a shot which so astonished them anew, seeing their
chiefs slain, they lost courage, took to flight and abandoned the
field and 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 prisoners. The rest
carried off the wounded. Fifteen or sixteen of ours were wounded
by arrows; they were promptly cured.

After having gained the victory, they amused themselves plunder-
ing Indian corn and meal from the enemy; also their arms which
they threw away in order to run better. And having feasted, danced
and sung, we returned three hours afterward with the prisoners.

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

Chapter III

Journal of Arent Van Curler

CONNECTED with the early history of the colony or
province of New York, the names of three men
stand out bold and clear for their honesty, energy,
and kindly treatment of the Iroquois Indians,
namely :

Arent Van Curler, from 1634 to the time of his death by
the overturning of a boat during a storm on Lake Champlain
in 1667, and who was held in such high esteem by the Mo-
hawks that they used his name when addressing the governors
of New York and called them " Brother Corlear," a fitting
tribute to him whom they called " good friend."

Peter Schuyler and Sir William Johnson were the two other
men referred to. Peter Schuyler seems to have gained the
good will of the Indians to the extent that they called him
" Quiddar," which was as near as they could pronounce the
word Peter, as the labials /, b, in, are not to be found in their
language. He was the first mayor of Albany, and afterward
acting governor of New York for a short period. Like Van
Curler, he had unbounded influence over the Indians, by whom
he was greatly admired.

Sir William Johnson, of our own section of the Mohawk
Valley, seems to have succeeded Van Curler and Schuyler in
the affections of the Mohawks, and from 1738 until the time
of his death at Johnstown, in 1774, used his power to the
benefit of the colonists of the Mohawk Valley, and to the

20 The Mohawk Valley

defeat of the Canadian French and Indians. But at this time

it is of Van Curler that we would speak. Professor Pearson

says :

The acknowledged leader of the little colony at Schenectady, in
1662, was Arent Van Curler. He came over in 1630, as superin-
tendent of the Colonic Rensselaerswyck, and continued in office
until 1646, besides acting as colonial secretary. In 1643 he mar-
ried Antonia Slaagboom, widow of Jonas Bronk, and soon after
settled on the " Flatts " above Fort Orange [Albany]. Here he
remained until the spring of 1662, when he took up his residence at
Schenectady, where he remained directing and furthering the
interests of the settlers until his unfortunate death.

While yet living in Albany, in 1642, he heard that a Jesuit
priest named Isaac Jogues was being shamefully treated by
the Mohawks and threatened Avith death, and on a mission of
mercy he penetrated the Mohawk country to the first Castle,
and succeeded in saving the life of Father Jogues for the time
being, but could not procure the release of the prisoner.
Father Jogues afterward escaped and returned to France,
where he remained until 1643, when he returned to Canada,
and in 1646 to the Mohawk country, to meet a shameful death
by the hands of the Indians, at Os-se-ru-e-non, October 18,
1646.

It was after Van Curler returned from his mission of
mercy, in 1642, that he wrote to Killian Van Rensselaer,
the Patroon, in Amsterdam, Holland, that " a half day's
journey from the Colonic, on the Mohawk River, there
lies the most beautiful land that the eye of man ever be-
held." It was on this land that in 1662 he settled the
colony of Schenectady. It has been thought that his journey
of 1642 was his first advent into the Mohawk's country; but
recent events have brought to light a diary of a journey he
made through this locality as early as 1634, and it ante-
dates all other records of the Mohawk Valley, between

Journal of Arent Van Curler 21

Schenectady and Oneida. In the Independent of October 3,
1895, we find the following: ,^

CORLEAR AND HIS JOURNEY OF 1634. 1/ 6v ^ <„0/^

A Great Discovery in New York History. 0 •

The Oldest Record of the Dutch Period. jjr<^^ '

A Notable Visit to the Mohawk Indians. Q ,^ y-

By General Tames Grant Wilson. '•^'^ /O ^//iy*"*^^

The original journal of an expedition to the country of Mohawks
and Sennekens [this should read Oneidas], made in 1634-35,57 Arent
Van Curler — or Corlear, according to the pronunciation of the name
in English — is now before the writer. It consists of thirty-two well-
preserved pages of foolscap, which have lain perdu in a Dutch
garret for two hundred and sixty years. It is of great historical
value, antedating as it does any existing document relating to the
history of New Netherland, and coming from the pen of one of the
leading actors in the early annals of the colony.

[The miles spoken of in this journal are Dutch miles, and
were equal to about three English miles.]

This diary records that Van Curler, with two other white
men and five Maquaase Indians, as guides, left Fort Orange
December 1 1, 1634,

travelling mostly northwest about eight miles, and arrived at half-
past twelve in the evening, at a hunter's little cabin, where we slept
for the night, near the stream that runs into their [Mohawks'] land,
and of the name of Vyoge (?). The land is most full of oak trees,
and the flat land is abundant. The stream runs into their land
near their [Mohawks'] Castle, but cannot be navigated up stream,
on account of the heavv current.

Dec. 12. — At three o'clock, before daylight, we proceeded
again, and the savages that went with us would have left us there
secretly, if I had not perceived that their dogs had eaten our bread
and cheese. So we had to be contented with dry bread on which
to travel; and after going for an hour we came to the branch
{Mohawk River] that runs into our river, and passed the Maquas
villages, where the ice drifted very fast, Jeronimus crossed first.

22 The Mohawk Valley

with one savage in a canoe made of the bark of trees, because there
was only room for two; after that Willem and I went over; and it
was so dark that we could not see each other if we did not come
close together. It was not without danger.

When all of us had crossed we went another mile and a half and
came to a hunter's cabin, which we entered to eat some venison, and
hastened further, and after another half mile we saw some Indians
approaching, and as soon as they saw us they ran off and threw their
sacks and bags away, and fled down a valley behind the underwood,
so that we could not see them. We looked at their goods and bags,
but took only a piece of bread. It was baked with beans, and we
ate it. We went further, and mostly along the aforesaid kil [Mo-
hawk River] that ran swiftly. In this kil there are a good many
islands, and on the sides upward of 500 or 600 morgens of flat land.
Yes, I think even more. And after we had been marching about
eleven miles we arrived at one o'clock in the evening, half a mile
from the first Castle, at a little house. We found only Indian
women inside. We should have gone further, but I could hardly
move my feet because of the rough road, so we slept there. It was
very cold, with northerly wind.

Dec. 13th. — In the morning we went together to the Castle over
the ice that during the night had frozen on the kil, and, after going
half a mile, we arrived in their first Castle, which is built on a high
mountain [hill]. There stood but thirty-six houses, in rows like
streets, so that we could pass nicely. The houses are made and
covered with bark of trees, and mostly are flat at the top. Some
are one hundred, ninety, or eighty paces long, and twenty-two and
twenty-three feet high. There were some inside doors of hewn
boards, furnished with iron hinges. In some houses we saw different
kinds of iron chains, harrow irons, iron hoops, nails — all probably
stolen somewhere. Most of the people were out hunting deer and
bear. The houses were full of corn that they lay in store, and we
saw maize; yes, in some of the houses, more than three hundred
bushels.

They make barrels and canoes of the bark of trees, and sew with
bark as well. We had a good many pumpkins cooked and baked,
that they called anansira. None of the chiefs were at home, but
the principal chief is named Adriochten. He lived a quarter of a
mile from the fort in a small house, because a good many savages in
this Castle died of smallpox. I sent him a message to come and see

Journal of Arent Van Curler 23

us, which he promptly did; he came and bid me welcome, and said
that he wanted us very much to come with him. We should have
done so, but when already on the way another chief called us and
so we went to the Castle again.

This one had a big fire lighted, and a fat turkey cooked, which
we ate. He gave us two bearskins to sleep upon, and presented me
with three beaver skins. In the evening William Tomassen, whose
legs were swollen from the march, had a few cuts made with a knife
therein, and after that had them rubbed with bear's grease. We
slept in this house, ate heartily of pumpkins, bear's meat and veni-
son, so that we were not hungry; but were treated as well as they
could possibly do. We hope that all will succeed well.

They stayed at this castle three days, or until December
i6th, when they resumed their journey.

Dec. i6th.— After midday, a famous hunter came here, named
Sickarus, who wanted very much that we should go with him to his
Castle. He offered to carry our goods, and to let us sleep and
remain in his house as long as we liked; and because he was offering
us so much I gave him a knife and two awls as a present, and to the
chief in whose house we had been, I piesented a knife and a pair of
scissors; and then we took our departure from this Castle, named
Onekagoncka, and after going another half mile over the ice, we
saw a village with only six houses, of the name Canowarode; but
we did not enter it, because it was not worth while; and after
another half mile we passed again a village where twelve houses
stood. It was named Senatsycrosy. Like the others, it was not
worth while entering, and after another mile, or mile and a half, we
passed by great stretches of flat land and came into this Castle,
Medashet, about two o'clock in the evening. I did not see much
beside a good many graves. This Castle is named Canagere. It is
built on a hill without any palisades or any defense. We found only
seven men at home, beside a party of old women and children.
The chiefs of tins Castle, named Tonnosatton and Tamwerot, were
hunting, so we slept in the house of Sickarus, as he had promised
us; and we counted in his house one hundred pieces of salable
beaver skins that he captured with his own dogs.

Van Curler continued his journey to the Sinneken (Onei-
das) where he arrived on December 30th, and remained with

24 The Mohawk Valley

the Indians until the 12th of January, 1635, when he took his
departure for Fort Orange, following the same route he had
travelled in his outward journey, and arrived at Onekagoncka,
the first castle, at sunset, January 19th.

January 20th in the morning, before daylight, Jeronimus sold
his coat for four beaver skins. We departed at one hour before
daylight, and after marching by guess two miles, the savages pointed
to a high mountain [hill] where their Castle stood nine years before.
They had been driven out by the Mahicans [Mohicans] and after a
time they did not want to live there.

On January 21st the party reached Fort Orange. This
ends the journal. At this time I wish to speak of his journey
of December nth, 12th, 13th, 14th, and i6th, or of that por-
tion of the journey that brought him in the vicinity of the
present city of Amsterdam. It is conceded by good authority
that the stream he crossed, which was named " Vyoge "
(probably Oioghi, which was the Indian name for river), was
the Mohawk River and that he crossed to the north side of the
Mohawk (the kil that ran so swiftly) on December 12th, west
of Schenectady. On the morning of December 13th he re-
crossed to the south side, over the ice, and after going a half
mile arrived at the castle of Onekagoncka, which was situated
on a high hill, and whose chief's name was Adriochten.

It was this name, Adriochten, that suggested the possi-
bility of Onekagoncka having been located a short distance
below Amsterdam, instead of at Auriesville as suggested by
some of the historians of the valley.

In Pearson's ScJicncctady Patent we find record of a deed of
land given by the Mohawks, December 16, 1686, to Hendrick
Cuyler, of Albany, which is described as " a piece of land
situate mostly on the north side of the Mohawk, Adriutha or
Adriuche, above Schenectady, beginning on the north side of
the river from a white oak tree that is marked with a wolf

>hK

U'l^VlO LIBRAE'''

ASTOf

Journal of Arent Van Curler 27

standing on the west side of a creek (Lewis), to a beech tree,
also marked with a wolf, standing on the east side of a small kill
or creek (Eva's Kill), and tJiencc over the river on the south
side from a great black oak tree, which is also marked with
a wolf, together with all the small islands, or banks that lie
within said limits, to an old oak tree marked with a t)ear,
wolf and turtle (the arms of the three clans of the Mohawks)."
The property described as on the north side is the old Groot
place, now in possession of Francis Morris, and that on the
south side is part of the settlement now called Kline.

Having in mind the similarity of the names Adriochten and
Adriuche, or Adriutha, I made strict inquiry among the old
settlers in the vicinity of Kline, and found traditions of Indian
occupation, and also found that arrowheads and hatchets had
been found in the fields and woods. Also a well authenti-
cated account of Indian remains, together with a pipe and
other articles having been unearthed in this locality, between
the canal and the railroad, during the construction of the
West Shore Railroad.

Inquiring of Mr. Oliver S. Kline, whose ancestors have
lived in that vicinity for about a century, he informed me that
on an elevation of land on the homestead farm, about one
hundred and fifty feet above the river, and in a field that was
covered with woods in his boyhood, had been a clearing of
about three or four acres, and in this clearing were several
holes about four feet deep and perhaps about three feet wide
and six feet long. (These holes were undoubtedly corn pits,
and were used by the Indians as storehouses for their grain in
winter.) Between this clearing and the edge of the hill that
slopes to the flats below on the river side were to be found
crystals of flint, attached to much rock, that appeared above
the surface of the sod in many places, also chips of flint in the
earth near the rocks. With this valuable information I visited

28 The Mohawk Valley

this field, of about twenty acres, and found a place, which,
with my limited knowledge of Indian sites, seemed to have
been an ideal place for an Indian stronghold.

The plateau, which 1 have said had an elevation of about
one hundred and fifty feet, was protected on the west and
south by a deep ravine whose steep banks were not very
easy to ascend, and the bed of a creek that at some seasons
of the year and during heavy rainstorms becomes a short-
lived torrent. Two ever-flowing springs are located in this
ravine and one on the slope towards the river, and an ex-
tensive fiat and islands. About a mile west of this point
is the Cowilligan Creek, which runs into the Mohawk River.

Gen. John S. Clark informs me that the word Canowaroda
probably signifies place of canoes from Canowha, canoes, and
that the Indians were in the habit of placing their canoes at
some nearby creek for safe-keeping.

Being in possession of this information, and assuming that
Canowaroda — one-half Dutch mile from Onekagoncka — was
located at Cowilligan Creek, I proceeded to search for further
information in regard to Onekagoncka. From the fact that
Van Curler, on December I2th, speaks of travelling eleven
(Dutch) miles, which would be thirty-three English miles, I
assume that he meant that he had travelled eleven Dutch or
thirty-three English miles from Fort Orange (Albany). As
the average rate for his whole journey of twelve days' travel
was about ten English miles, he could not in one day travel
thirty-three English miles over that part of his journey that
he describes as being the most difficult. As the distance
from Albany to Amsterdam by railroad is thirty-three miles,
and to Kline about thirty miles, it seems to me that we
should look for the ancient site of Onekagoncka on the south
side of the Mohawk River and on a hill near Kline.

A journey to the State Library, and an examination of the

Journal of Arent Van Curler 29

Vanderdonk map, reveals the fact that Vanderdonk located
Carenay, an Indian village of his time (1656) on the bank of
the Mohawk River, and directly north of a small lake or pond.

(" Vanderdonk resided at Fort Orange from 1641 to 1646,
The material for this map was of about the period of 1635,
and may have been the map of Lacrock (Lacrois) who accom-
panied Van Curler." — Gen. J. S. Clark.)

On the Amsterdam section of the topographical map of the
State of New York, we find the pond at Mariaville to lie directly
south of Kline, and the only lake or pond in that section of the
country. Most historians concede that the Carenay of the
Vanderdonk map, 1656, and Onekagoncka of Van Curler's jour-
nal, 1834-35, are only different names for the same castle site.

[" Previous to 1642 the village had been removed to near
Schoharie Creek, and became the Osseruenon, of Isaac Jogues,
1642, and where he suffered death in 1646. The sites of In-
dian villages were changed frequently, seldom remaining more
than ten years in the same place, and frequently not more
than six." — J. S. Clark.]

Van Curler did not enter Canowaroda, but after going an-
other half-mile he passed a village named Senatsycrosy, with-
out entering. And after another mile, or mile and a half, they
passed by great stretches of flat land, and came to a castle
which he calls Wetdashet ; and immediately after he says:
This Castle is named Canagere." " In this Castle are 16
houses 50, 60, 70, or 80 paces long."

December 20th we took our departure from the second Castle,
and after marching a mile — came to a stream that we had to pass.
This stream ran very fast, besides big flakes of ice came drifting.
We were wet up to above our waists.

This would seem to be a very good description of the mouth
of the Schoharie Creek, and that the site of Canagere must
he looked for two or three English miles east of said creek.

30 The Mohawk Valley

After passing the creek they travelled about a half-mile
(Dutch) and came to the third castle, named Sohanidisse, on
the top of a very high hill. This would seem to be the Scha-
natissa of Vanderdonk.

I do not feel competent, from my limited knowledge of
the Indian villages, formerly located in the western part of the
county of Montgomery, to follow Van Curler in his journey
west of this immediate locality, and therefore will confine my
researches to this vicinity, and wait for the acceptance or re-
jection of these conclusions by others who are interested in
Indian history.

On the return journey of Van Curler and party, when they
had travelled by guess (?) two miles, his guide pointed to a
high mountain (?) where their castle stood nine years before,
or in 1625, when they were driven out by the Mohicans. They
were undoubtedly travelling on the south side of the river
where the high hills to the south could not be seen until they
were in the vicinity of Pattersonville, where the high country
called Yantaputchaberg may be seen to the southeast. As the
range is very long, and of nearly uniform height, he would be
imparting very indefinite information. The hill at Kinaqua-
rone on the north, however, and the high hill to the east of it,
are said to be rich in Indian relics, the highest point of the
eastern hill in particular; and as it is situated about five Eng-
lish miles east of the supposed site of Onekagoncka, Carenay,
etc., it is very probably the site of the ancient village de-
stroyed by the Mohicans.

General J. S. Clark, in a letter dated Sept. 5, 1898, saysr
" There is no doubt whatever as to the site described by you ; it
is certainly the Carenay of the earliest maps, and the Onekagon-
cka of Van Curler. Carenay was indicated directly north of a
small lake or pond, and there is no other than Maria Pond or
Featherstonhaugh Lake anywhere in that neighborhood."

35
<

-1
<

Til,

Journal of Arent Van Curler

1 1

A theory of Van Curler's journey is as follows: Van Curler
called the first castle of the Mohawks Onekagoncka, in 1634-
35. In 1642 he again visited the Jirst castle on a mission of
mercy to rescue Jogues from death. He does not make
mention of any change in the site which was near extensive flat
lands and fertile islands. The Mohicans had been driven to
Connecticut, and as the Mohawks were always the aggressors
when at war with the French and Indians, they at least had no
great fear of an attack from them at the eastern end of the
Iroquois Confederacy. In addition to the above, they were
near, and in communication with, the traders at Fort Orange.

In 1642 and 1643 Isaac Jogues was a captive at the castle,
which he names Osseruenon ; and again in 1646, when, as he
says, he was led naked to Gandawague, the place of his for-
mer captivity. He also says that the name of the place was
changed from Osseruenon to Oneongoure, evidently showing
that the names of the Indian castles changed frequently, and
not the sites. On the Vanderdonk map of 1656, made from
data obtained from Van Curler, " with whom he resided from
1641 to 1646," is an Indian castle called Carenay, located di-
rectly north of a pond (Mariaville Pond), and near the Mohawk
River, which corresponds with the recently discovered site of
Onekagoncka at Kline, or Adriuche. If Vanderdonk obtained
his information of the Indian sites from Van Curler in 1656, it
is evident that the first castle was then located at Kline and
was known by the following names at the periods mentioned :

Onekagoncka, 1634-35, Van Curler.

Onekagoncke, 1642, Van Curler.

Osseruenon, 1642, Jogues.

Oneougoure, 1646, Jogues.

Carenay, 1656, Vanderdonk.

. Adriuche, 1686, Hendric Cuyler.

Kline, 1898, W. M. R.
3

34 The Mohawk Valley

In 1666 two expeditions of French and Indians visited the
Mohawk country, in February and in September, In Sep-
tember, 1666, they destroyed all three of the Mohawk castles,
together with their stores of provisions. It was probably at
this tim.e that the Mohawks moved to the fiats at Fort Hunter
and Auriesville, and beyond, as they had good reasons for
changing their location, Vanderdonk says: "The Indian
villages changed their location quite frequently; but their
castles or fortified places were occupied a longtime," or until
the}' were destroyed by fire or by an enemy. But it is quite
evident from the foregoing list that the names of the castles
were frequently changed, and from this circumstance a confu-
sion of location of sites has probably arisen.

Parkman, in speaking of Labatie's account of the murder
of Isaac Jogues, says: " He (Labatie) was the interpreter at
Fort Orange, and being near the scene of the murder, took
pains to learn the facts." This v/ould indicate that Osseuru-
non in 1646 was not far from Fort Orange.

It is generally conceded that the words Gandawaga, Caha-
niaga, and Kanyea-geh are the same, and that their definition
is not " At the rapids," but " The people of the flint." Why
" of the flint ?" • ■■;

I am aware that the above theory does not conform to pre-
conceived ideas of Indian sites that have always, more or less,
been mere conjecture, built around some vague statements
that in some cases admit of different interpretation; but it is
the theory of a student in Indian history, after a careful re-
search of available material, and without being hampered by
the haze of preconceived theories.

The Indian history of the Mohawk Valley is very interest-
ing; but the section between Fort Hunter and Hoffmans has
received scant consideration from local historians, whose atten-
tion has been directed to their immediate locality, and theories

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Journal of Arent Van Curler n

built up from the later occupation of the valley, which did not
extend below Fort Hunter to any great extent.

It will be noticed that Van Curler gives two names to the
second Castle, located one Dutch mile east of a large stream,
" where the flakes of ice drifted fast " (Schoharie Creek).
Wetdashet and Canagere, going to confirm the fact that the
names of the castles were frequently changed.

In locating castle sites, one thing should be taken into
consideration, and that is that the Mohawks were, in a meas-
ure, an agricultural people, as they raised corn, beans, pump-
kins, and tobacco in such quantities that they stored it for
winter use. The fertile flats of the Mohawk are not evenly
distributed along the river. The bottom lands are quite wide,
all the way from Schenectady, on both sides of the river, par-
ticularly so on the south side. At Adriuche, or Cranesville,
are fertile flats and large islands, and again at Fort Hunter,
Auriesville, Fonda, and so on. The river from Cranesville
to Schenectady was the home of a large body of Mohawks,
owing to the fertile flats situated along the river bottom, and
from the fact that navigation practically ended there, and the
" carry " over the trail to Albany began. Probably the reader
is aware that the French and Indians always spoke of being in
the Mohawk country when they arrived at the upper or south-
ern end of Lake Champlain and Lake George. Saratoga Lake
and vicinity were frequently visited by Mohawk hunting and
fishing parties, and all Indian trails from the north, of early
date, seem to lead to points between Hoffmans and Albany.
Taking all these things into consideration, I am inclined to
think that prehistoric sites of Indian castles should be sought
for between Sandsea or Zandige Creek, and the Schoharie
River,

Van Curler's journal seems to indicate that one Dutch mile
east from Schoharie River the second Castle of the Mohawks

3S The Mohawk Valley

was situated. Some very interesting prehistoric remains and
embankments and evidences of Indian occupation have been
found on the flats and hills at the Wemple place, near Fort
Hunter.

One of the earliest and most tragic events that is recorded,
of the advent of the Jesuit priests in the Mohawk Valley,
occurred in this locality, the massacre of Jogues and Goupil.

In all the early expeditions of France and Spain to the
coast of America, the priest seems to have been a very neces-
sary part of the equipment. Some of them were from the order
of the Franciscans or Recolects, and, later, from the Society of
Jesus, or Jesuits, as the disciples of St. Ignatius Loyola are
called. They were found with Cortez in Mexico, Ponce de
Leon, Menendes, Narvaez, and the Frenchman, Jean Ribault,
in Florida, and Hernando de Soto on the Mississippi. Also
with Jacques Cartier when he discovered the river St. Law-
rence, in 1535, at which time he visited the Indian villages
Stadacone, afterward the site of Quebec, and Hochelaga,
named by Cartier Mont Royal, from the mountain in the rear
of the Indian village, and now known as Montreal. At an
early period in the history of Montreal it was also called Ville
Marie. They came again with Champlain in 1603, also in 1609.
But among the first of the long lines of French Jesuits who
made the conversion of the Indians their life-work, were
Fathers Baird and Masse, in 1610, who were joined in 1613 by
Father Quentin and Brother du Thet, and in 1625 by Charles
Lalemant and Jean de Brebeuf.

In this age we look with wonder upon the records of the
Jesuits of that period and marvel at the zeal and self-sacrific-
ing spirit of those pioneers of the Roman Catholic Church in
America. Parkman, in speaking of the Jesuits of Canada,
says: " No religious order has ever united in itself so much to
be admired and so much to be detested." " A fervor more

Journal of Arent Van Curler 39

intense, a self-abnegation more complete, a self-devotion more
constant and enduring, will scarcely find its record on the
page of human history." " In all the copious records of this
period, not a line gives occasion to suspect that one of this
loyal band flinched or hesitated." The fate of Jean de
Brebeuf will illustrate the perils with which they were beset,
the ferocity of the Mohawk warriors, and their hatred of the
French and the " black-robed " Jesuits.

With your permission I will quote from Parkrnan's Jesuits
in NortJi America, to illustrate the fate of many of these de-
voted priests. Brebeuf and Lalemant were captured by the
Mohawks at the final destruction of the Huron nation on the
shores of Lake Huron in 1649. Parkman says:

On the sixteenth of March (1649) — the day when the two priests
were captured — Brebeuf was led apart, and bound to a stake. He
seemed more concerned for his captive converts than for himself,
and addressed them in a loud voice, exhorting them to suffer
patiently, and promising heaven as their reward. The Iroquois,
incensed, scorched him from head to foot, to silence him; where-
upon, in the tone of a master, he threatened them with everlasting
flames for persecuting the worshippers of God. As he continued to
speak with voice and countenance unchanged, they cut away his
lower lip and thrust a red-hot iron down his throat. He still held
his tall muscular form erect and defiant, with no sign or sound of
pain; and they tried another means to overcome him. They led
out Lalemant, that Brebeuf might see him tortured. They had
tied strips of bark, smeared with pitch, about his naked limbs.
When he saw the condition of Brebeuf he could not hide his agita-
tion, and threw himself at the feet of his Superior, upon which the
Iroquois seized him, made him fast to a stake and set fire to the
bark that enveloped him. As the flame rose, he threw his arms
upward with a shriek of supplication to heaven. Next they hung
around Brebeuf 's neck a collar made of hatchets heated red-hot;
but the indomitable priest stood like a rock. A kettle was slung,
and the water boiled and poured slowly on the heads of the two
missionaries. " We baptize you," they cried, " that you may be
happy in heaven, for nobody can be saved without a good baptism."

40 The Mohawk Valley

Brebeuf would not flinch, and in rage, they cut strips of flesh from
liis limbs and devoured them before Js eyes. Others called out to
him, " you told us that the more one suffers on earth, the happier
he is in heaven." After a r cession of other revolting tortures,
they scalped him; when, see.xjg hi'n iy dead, they laid open his

breast and came in a crowd to dr. r. the blood of so valiant an
enemy, thinking to imbibe with it some portion of his courage. A
chief then tore out his heart and devc >.red it.

Thus died Jean de Brebeuf, the founder of the Huron mis-
sion, its truest hero, and its greatest martyr. It is said that
he was a noble specimen of manh )d, being of great size and
strength, and with noble features, better fitted to be a knight
than a priest.

As Brebeuf was a martyr of the Huron mission, so Isaac
Jogues may be called the martyr of the mission to the Mo-
hawks. On the bank of the Mohawk, at the little hamlet of
Auriesville, the society of which he was a member has erected
a shrine, as a tribute to the memory of that noble, self-sacrific-
ing priest. In this age we may smile at his belief, and at some
of his methods ; but we cannot help admiring him for his strict
obedience to the dictates of his conscience, and his humility
and heroism in the discharge of his duties.

It is said that he was born at Orleans, of a worthy family,
January lo, 1607, and at an early age entered the college of
the Jesuits, at his native place, and at the time he was or-
dained priest, in 1636, he was an exceedingly well-educated
man. He accompanied a fleet that sailed for Canada in April,
1636, arrived at Quebec in July of the same year, and was
almost immediately assigned to one of the missions in the
country of the Hurons, being one of the companions of Father
Brebeuf, spoken of above. For five years he labored among
those savages, suffering all manner of hardships and privations
among the Hurons, Tobacco Indians, Ottawas, and Chippe-
was (Ojibwas) of northern Canada. Returning to the Huron

Journal of Arent Van Curler 41

country, from Quebec, in 1642, he was captured by a war
party of Agniers. The Agn' rs, or Mohawks, were located
near the Dutch post of Renszelaerwyck (the Albany of the
present time). They were "ed for leir deadly hatred of the
French and the apostles of i- Catholic faith, and were contin-
ually at war with the Hurons and Algonquins of Canada. In
parties of from ten to a hu: dred, they would leave their vil-
lages on the Mohawk and descend Lake Champlain and the
river Richelieu to lay in ambush on the banks of the St. Law-
rence and attack passing b ats, follow the trails of travellers
or hunters, or break upon unguarded camps at midnight, and
often in large parties attack the palisaded villages of their en-
emies. The account of the capture of Father Jogues, Rene
Goupil, and Couture, is taken from the Relations of the Jesuits:

In the early morning of the second of August, 1642, twelve
Huron canoes were moving slowly along the northern shore of the
expansion of the St. Lawrence, known as Lake St. Peter, west of
Three Rivers. There were on board about forty persons, including
four Frenchmen. Jogues sat in one of the leading canoes. His
oval face and the delicate mold of features indicated a modest,
thoughtful, refined nature. He was constitutionally timid, with a
sensitive conscience and great religious susceptibilities. He was
a finished scholar, and might have gained a literary reputation; but
he had chosen another career, and one for which he seemed but
little fitted.

Physically, however, he was well matched with his work; for
though his frame was light, he was so active that none of the Indians
could surpass him in running. In stature he was the opposite to
the majestic Brebeuf.

With him were two young men, Rene Goupil and Guillaume
Couture — donnes of the mission — that is to say, laymen, who, with-
out pay, had attached themselves to the services of the Jesuits.
Goupil was formerly a Jesuit novitiate at Paris, but while in Quebec
had been an attendant at the hospital. His surgical skill was of
great help to Jogues in case of sickness among the savages. Cout-
ure was also a man of intelligence and vigor.

42 The Mohawk Valley

The twelve canoes had reached the western end of Lake
St. Peter, when from the forests on the bank was heard the
dreaded war cry of the Mohawks, mingled with the reports of
guns and the whistling of bullets, and several Iroquois canoes,
filled with warriors, bore down upon Jogues and his com-
panions. The Hurons were seized with a shameful panic, and
leaving canoes, baggage, and weapons, fled into the woods,
but not soon enough to prevent many being either killed or
captured. Jogues and Couture sprang into the bulrushes, and
could have escaped; but seeing Goupil in the clutches of the
Mohawks, they came out of their hiding-place and gave them-
selves up to their astonished victors, rather than desert a
friend.

As Couture advanced, five Iroquois sprang forward to meet him,
and one of them snapped his gun at his breast, but missed fire. In
his confusion and excitement, Couture fired his own piece and laid
the savage, who was a chief, dead. The remaining four sprang
upon him, tore off his clothing, beat him with clubs and with their
fists, and finally tore out his fingernails with their teeth, gnawing his
fingers with the fury of famished dogs, and thrust a sword through
the offending hand that had fired the shot. Jogues broke away from
his guards, and rushed to the assistance of his friend. He was
dragged away and beaten with war-clubs until he was senseless.
Goupil was also subjected to the same treatment and his hands and
those of Jogues were badly lacerated by the teeth of the savages.

The Iroquois started at last, ascending the Richelieu and
entered Lake Champlain. On the eighth day they ascertained
that about two hundred Iroquois (Mohawks) were encamped
on an island in the lake, about one day's distance away.
Reaching the island, the captives were forced to run the
gauntlet, and were tortured in various ways.

Jogues, the last of the line, fell drenched in blood and half
dead, but was forced to resume the journey the next morning,
and on the loth of August reached Lake George, four days'

Journal of Arent Van Curler 43

march from the first Mohawk Castle. The hardships of this
march were rendered even more intense by the want of food.
The nth of August they crossed the upper Hudson, which
they called Oiogue (the river), and on August 15th reached
the end of their journey.

In a letter to the Provincial of the Jesuits, at Paris, Jogues
says:

On the eve of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, about 3
o'clock, we reached the bank of the second river (Mohawk), about
three-quarters of a mile from their village called Os-se-ru-e-non.
Both banks were filled with Iroquois, who received us with clubs,
fists and stones. When satisfied with their cruelty, which we thus
received by the river side, they crossed the river and led us to their
village on the top of the hill. At its entrance we met the youth of
all that district awaiting us in line on each side of the road, all
armed with clubs,

and through this double row of savages the captives were led,
single file, Couture in front; because he had killed a chief,
after him some Huron captives, then Goupii, then the remain-
ing Hurons, and at last Jogues. Some of the prisoners were
killed, but the three Frenchmen managed to drag themselves
through that line of torture, and were all placed on a high
platform m the middle of the village. They were kept on this
platform for three days, and were then led in triumph to the
second castle, and afterward the third, suffering at each a repe-
tition of the former cruelties. Jogues and Goupii were after-
ward led back to the first castle, where they expected to be
burned at the stake. Couture, according to custom, had been
adopted into one of the families and taken to the farthest
town, named Ti-o-non-to-guen.

About this time the Dutch of Rensselaerwyck, which was
not forty miles from this town, having heard of the capture
and torture of several Frenchmen, desired to interpose and

44 The Mohawk Valley

obtain their deliverance. On September 17th, Arendt Van
Corlear, commandant of the fort, Jean Labatie, his interpreter,
and Jacob Jansen of Amsterdam, went as ambassadors to the
town of An-da-ga-ron, the second castle, and although they
made flattering offers and a promise of two hundred dollars,
they were unable to obtain the release of the prisoners.'

One day, after they had been in the hands of the Mohawks
about six weeks, Goupil attempted to make the sign of the
cross on some children, but was warned that if he did any-
thing of the kind he would be killed. Shortly after, Goupil, in
placing his cap on the head of a child, attempted to make the
sign of the cross on its forehead. The grandfather of the child
detected him, and as Goupil left the cabin said to one of his
nephews, a young buck just ready for the war-path: " Go kill
that dog of a Frenchman; the Hollanders tell us the sign he
has made is not good." The young brave was only too glad
of the order, and watched to catch Goupil outside of the pali-
sade when he would be at liberty to kill him.

Shortly after, as the two captives were returning from, the
forest, saying their rosary, they met two Mohawks near the
gate. One of them raised a tomahawk and struck it into
the head of Goupil, who fell on his face. Jogues fell on his
knees and uncovering his head awaited the same fate, but the
Indians told him he had nothing to fear, for he belonged to an-
other family." The body of Rene Goupil was dragged through
the village by the children to a ravine at a considerable dis-
tance, where they flung it in. The next day Jogues instituted
a search for the body in the ravine, at the bottom of which
ran a torrent. Here Jogues, with the help of an old Indian,
his master, found it stripped naked and gnawed by dogs. He

' Relations of the Jesuits state that one of the men was on horseback — probably
Van Corlear.

^ The Mohawks were in the habit of giving their prisoners to different famihes.

Journal of Arent Van Curler 45

drag-ged it into the water and covered it with stones to hide it
and save it from further mutilation, intending to return the
following day and bury it. He was not able to return until two
days after, when he found the stream a rolling, turbulent
flood, from a recent storm, and the body nowhere to be seen.
I quote his words from the Relatious, in a letter to the
Provincial :

I returned to the spot, I ascended the mount at the foot of which
the torrent ran. I descended again and searched the woods on the
opposite bank; my search was useless. In spite of the water, which
came up to my waist, for it had rained all night, and in spite of the
cold (as it was the first of October), I sounded with my feet and with
my staff, to see if the current had not carried the corpse further
along. The Indians, who are liars by nature, told me it had been
carried down by the current to the river near by, which was untrue. "

They also told him that they had dragged it to the river
three-quarters of a mile away, " which I did not know," be-
cause no such river existed; they lied to him. It was some
young Indians and not the torrent that had borne the body
away. In the spring, when the snows were melting in the
woods, he was told by some Mohawk children that the body
was in the ravine in a lonely spot lower down the stream.
There he found the scattered bones and hid them in the earth,
hoping that a time would come when he could give them
Christian burial.

Jogues remained with the Mohawks at Os-se-ru-e-non until
July, 1643, when he went to a fishing-place on the Hudson
about twenty miles below Fort Orange. Having learned of
prisoners having been burned to death at Os-se-ru-e-non, dur-
ing his absence, his conscience smote him because he had not
been on hand to baptize them, and he urged the Indians to al-
low him to return. Reaching Rensselaerwyck, he was advised
by Megapolensis, the Dutch clergyman at that post, and

46 The Mohawk Valley

others not to return to the Mohawk Castle, as he would surely
be killed. Taking their advice, and with their help, he
secretly went aboard a vessel bound for Manhattan (New
York), and from there was assisted to a passage on a ship
bound for France. In 1644 he returned to Canada.

In 1645 a treaty of peace was confirmed between the Iro-
quois and the French and Algonquins after some reverses to
the Iroquois on Lake Champlain, which treaty was broken by
the western tribes. The Mohawks were becoming uneasy and
it was felt by the governor, General Chevalier de Montmagny,
that it would be policy to send an envoy of higher rank than
Couture, the former ambassador, to win over the turbulent
Mohawks.

Jogues was chosen for the task; also to found a new mis-
sion, which was named " The Mission of the Martyrs."
Jogues for the past two years had been at Montreal, and as
soon as he received his orders started for Three Rivers, which
he left on May i6th with Mr. Bourdon and four Mohawk de-
puties and two Algonquins as guides. Their route to the Mo-
hawk country was up the St. Lawrence to the river Richelieu,
and Lake Champlain and Lake George. It was on this jour-
ney that, having reached Lake George on the eve of Corpus
Christi, he named it Lac St. Sacrament, which name it pre-
served until 1757, when Sir William Johnson christened it Lake
George in honor of King George II.

From Lake George, being short of food, they crossed over
to Fish Creek, '' where the Indians catch a small fish like her-
ring." (Jogues) Borrowing canoes, June 4th, of the Iroquois,
they descended the Hudson to Fort Orange. After two days'
rest they continued their journey, and reached the first Mo-
hawk town on the evening of June 7th, about one day's travel.
He says: " We reached the first castle on the evening of June
7th. Its name had been changed from Os-se-ru-e-non to On-

Journal of Arent Van Curler 47

e-ou-gou-re." Crowds came from the neighboring Indian vil-
lages to gaze on the abused slave, who now came among them
as an ambassador of power. A semblance of peace was
patched up, but the old hatred of the French still burned sul-
lenly, making the prospect of the future very ominous.

Hardly had the business of the embassy been finished be-
fore the Mohawks (probably the Wolves), urged them to de-
part for fear some of the western tribes, who were already
preparing for a predatory raid to the St. Lawrence, would lie
in ambush and kill their Algonquin guides, if not the French-
men themselves. Upon his departure, Jogues left a small
chest containing his scanty outfit and a few religious articles,
expecting to return soon to the valley and establish the " Mis-
sion of the Martyrs " among the savage Mohawks.

On the 24th of August he again set out for his dangefous
post among the Iroquois (Mohawks). His only companions
were a young Frenchman named Lalande, and three or four
Hurons. On the way they met some Indians, who warned
them not to continue their journey, as a change of feeling had
taken place in the Mohawk towns and they would surely be
killed if they persisted in going there. The Hurons, becoming
alarmed, refused to go any farther, but Jogues and his young
companion, Lalande, would not turn back.

The reported change had taken place owing to the super-
stitious ignorance of the Indians. The small box left by
Jogues seemed mvsterious to them and thev imafjined it to
contain some secret charm. At this time a contagious disease
was raging among them, and many of the Mohawks were dy-
ing; besides, the caterpillars had destroyed nearly the whole
harvest, and this they ascribed to the little box and the sor-
ceries of the Jesuits. The trunk was thrown into the river un-
opened, and they were ready to wreak vengeance on the
supposed author of all their woes. A war party on the march

48 The Mohawk Valley

to Fort Richelieu came upon Father Jogues and Lalande two
days' march from their village, and in fury fell upon them,
stripped them of their clothes, beat them, and in triumph led
them to the first castle. Jogues says: " I was led naked to
Gandawague, the place of my former captivity." This place
was variously called by Jogues, Os-se-ru-e-non, On-e-ou-gou-re,
and Gan-da-wa-gue. Here they cut thin strips of flesh from the
back and arm.s of Jogues, the crowd shouting, " You shall die
to-morrow." Of the three great clans of the Mohawks, the Bear,
the Tortoise, and the Wolf, the Bear chiefs were clamorous
for his death, but the Wolves especially were more friendly to
the captive. However, the Bears prevailed. Francis Parkman
describes his death as follows:

In the evening — it was the eighteenth of October — Jogues,
smarting from his wounds and bruises, was sitting in one of the
lodges, when an Indian entered and asked him to a feast. To
refuse would have been an offense. He arose and followed the
savage, who led him to the lodge of a bear chief. Jogues bent his
head to enter, when another Indian, standing concealed within, at
the side of the doorway, struck at him with a hatchet. An Iroquois,
called by the French Le Berger, who seems to have followed in order
to defend him, bravely held out his arm to ward off the blow, but
the hatchet cut through it and sank into the missionary's brain.
He fell at the feet of his murderer, who finished his work by hack-
ing off his head. Lalande was left in suspense all night, and in the
morning was killed in a similar manner. The bodies of the two
Frenchmen were then thrown into the Mohawk, and their heads
displayed on the points of the palisade which enclosed the town.

Thus died Isaac Jogues, one of the purest examples of
Roman Catholic virtue which this western continent has seen,
Le Berger, who tried to save the priest's life, had at one time
been taken prisoner and kindly treated by the French. He
showed his gratitude by his unsuccessful attempts to defend
the life of the French Jesuit.

Chapter IV
Schonowe or Schenectady

THE Mohawk River practically ends at Cohoes, al-
though its juncture with the Hudson, through its
various deltas, is made at Cohoes, Waterford, and
West Troy. The Mohawk Valley of the tourist,
however, begins at Schenectady and ends at Rome, N. Y.

It is supposed that Henry Hudson ascended the Hudson
as far as the mouth of the Mohawk in the small boats of the
Half Moon, and that the falls prevented further exploration in
that direction. The Cohoes Falls at that period must have
appeared grand and beautiful. At that point the Mohawk is
more than one hundred yards wide and perfectly rock-ribbed
on both sides. The fall is nearly seventy feet perpendicular,
in addition to the turbulent rapids below.

Before entering the Hudson the river is divided into four
mouths by three rocky islands, Peobles, Van Schaicks, and
Green Islands, and in those early days formed a scene both
beautiful and picturesque.

The earliest maps of the valley, made previous to the set-
tlement of Schenectady in 1661-69, shows an Indian village
at a bend in the Mohawk, about half-way between Schenec-
tady and the Hudson River, called Nsarcane (Niskayuna),
while Schenectady is designated by the word Schoo, and also
by the term Flack-landt ; the word Schoo being undoubtedly
a contraction of the word Schonowe, " the gate."

In Professor Pearson's very excellent article on the orighi

50 The Mohawk Valley

of the word Schenectady we find that it was probably derived
from the Indian word Schonowe or S'Gaun-ho-ha, meaning
door or gate, and was first appHed to the Indian village for-
merly on the site of Albany, meaning the door or gate to the
long house (Iroquois) or the Mohawk country. Afterwards it
was applied to Schenectady as the Schonowe, or gate. Later,
as the Indians retired westward before the advance of the
white man, the same name was given to Tiononderoga (Fort
Hunter) as being the gate or door to their country, and from
it we have undoubtedly the name of Schoharie, being the real
door or gate to the Mohawk country.

This name, " Schonowe," becomes poetical when we re-
flect upon a broader, grander application of the term, the
Gate." - ■ •

The Hudson and Mohawk valleys taken together are the
avenue to the great West, although the early settlers did not
realize it.

First the Indian trail and canoes, then the bateaux and the
stage-coach, and then, after long years of waiting, the Erie
Canal, reaching from tidewater to the Great Lakes. Then the
primitive railroad from Albany to Schenectady, Schenectady to
Utica, and then on to Buffalo, Chicago, and so on and on un-
til now the iron rails passing through our beautiful valley reach
from ocean to ocean.

And now we hear of the building of a ship canal in the
bed of the Mohawk, and of ocean steamers and possibly ves-
sels of war passing through the Mohawk Valley to the Great
Lakes, in the near future.

In the fifteenth century it was the desire of navigators of
the then known world to reach India by sailing west, and it
was with this object in view that the expeditions of Christo-
pher Columbus, John and Sebastian Cabot, and others were
fitted out. After the discovery of America, even up to the

OLD ST. GEORGES CHURCH, SCHENECTADY, I759

1 '''-^^ ^'t:w

"^"^■ST/UW^S.

Schonowe or Schenectady . 53

voyage of Henry Hudson, the desire of navigators was to dis-
cover the " northwest passage to India."

When Henry Hudson entered the bay of New York and
sailed up the broad river that bears his name, with its tide, he
fondly hoped that he had at last found the " northwest pas-
sage," little dreaming that a great continent three thousand
miles wide lay between him and the Pacific Ocean.

The Indians, with their limited knowledge, call the Mo-
hawk Valley " Schonowe," the Gate. They little knew how
truly it was named.

Henry Hudson was right, however. With its two great
railways, its Erie Canal, and the promise of a second Suez,
with its millions of tons of merchandise, and myriads of tour-
ists streaming across the continent to meet the steamers of the
Pacific to Asia, the Mohawk Valley may well be called the
northwest passage," the Gate to India.

Every history of Schenectady begins with a quotation from
the letter of Arent Van Curler to the Patroon, Killian Van
Rensselaer, when, in 1642, he returned from his unsuccessful
journey to Osseruenon to rescue P'ather Jogues: " dat
Schoonste landt " that the eye of man ever beheld.

Then we read of Van Curler's efforts to organize a small
colony, and of the purchase of the " great flats " from the Mo-
hawks in 1661, and its settlement in 1662, also of their troubles
with the authorities at Fort Orange, who declined to survey
their lands or to give them the right to trade with the Indi-
ans, and the final adjustment of the dif^culty in 1664.

W^e find that the settlement was successful from the begin-
ning, and that in 1670 additional land was purchased from the
Mohawks, making the township up and down the river, six-
teen miles long, and eight miles wide, the western limit being
the Kinaquarone, or Towereune hill at Hoffmans.

The land west of the " great flats" was divided into five

54 The Mohawk Valley

flats, or farms, on the south side of the river, and eight flats on
the north side, reaching up to and adjoining the present
townships of Amsterdam and Florida.

It is quite interesting to read the names of the original
owners, as the names of their descendants may be found in
nearly every town in the Mohawk Valley.
South side of the river:

First flat: Jaques Cor. Van Slyke.

Second flat: Jacobus Peek and Isaac De Trieux,

Third flat : Simon Mabie, Abraham N. Bratt.

Fourth flat: Pieter Vrooman.

Cowillegen, or Willow Flat: Pieter Van O'Linda, Chas.
Williamse Van Coppernol.

Flats on the north side :
, Claus Graven Hoek — Claus Andrise DeGraff.
. Maalwyck — Benjamin Roberts.

Second flat: Petier Cornelis Viele.

Third flat: Jan Janse Joncker.

Fourth flat: Lewis Cobes and Johannes Kleyn.

Fifth, or Wolfe Flat: Jasaias Swart.

Sixth flat: Philip Philipse De Moer.

Seventh flat: Carel Hanson Toll, Reyer Schermerhorn.

The hardy first settlers saw perilous times from the very
beginning, and must have been endowed with an abundance
of Dutch grit and persistency to withstand and overcome the
dangers and vicissitudes of the early years of their struggle for
existence. For more than half a century the frontier town of
the great West, and surrounded by the most warlike and ag-
gressive of the aborigines of America, who were continually
at war with their savage kindred and the French of Canada,
this little band of frontiersmen lived in continual alarm, from
their dusky neighbors and their neighbor's foes. Protected
by a stockade of posts, built after the manner of the castles of

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Schonowe or Schenectady 57

the Mohawks, which we would think inadequate protection
against the wild beasts of the forests, they lived and thrived,
and in time made firm friends of the fierce Mohawks, and
thereby raised a human barrier against the white and red sav-
ages of New France.

We can imagine the consternation of these " Dutch Boers "
(as Governor Courcelle called them) when one morning in Feb-
ruary, 1666, a few Mohawk warriors appeared at the gate of
their little palisaded village with the heads of four Frenchmen,
and the information that an army of six hundred men, on
snowshoes, was at their gates. This alarming news was sent
in haste to Albany, and " the next day three of the principal
inhabitants were sent to the commander of the troops, Gover-
nor Courcelle, to inquire of his intention to bring a body of
armed men into the dominions of his Majesty of Great Britain
without acquainting the Governor of these parts with his
designs."

Governor Courcelle replied that he had come to seek and
destroy his enemies, the Mohawks, without the intention of
visiting the plantations, and that, indeed, this was the first that
he had heard that the English were rulers instead of the Dutch.

This expedition seems to have been the most foolhardy and
abortive of the many raids of the French in the Mohawk
Valley.

Having suffered from recent incursions of the Mohawks,
Governor Courcelle and M. de Tracey organized an expedition
of retaliation, consisting of six hundred French and Canadian
soldiers, and began their march to the Mohawks' country in
mid-winter. Their route was through the Lake Champlain
Valley, over the frozen lake, and with snow on the ground
four feet deep. The soldiers were all provided with snow-
shoes and the provisions were loaded on light sleds, drawn by
dogs. The soldiers suffered greatly from cold, and through a

58 The Mohawk Valley

mistake of the guides found themselves, on February 9th,
within two miles of Schenectady instead of the Mohawk
castles. A party of Mohawk warriors appearing, Courcelle
despatched sixty of his best fusileers after them. These
soldiers were drawn into an ambush and eleven killed, a large
number wounded, and the balance forced to retreat to the
main body.

Although the Canadian Governor did not dare allow his
soldiers inside of the stockade of the poor village, or, as he
said, " within the smell of a chimney corner," he did not hesi-
tate to ask that care be given to his wounded, half-starved
soldiers, and that he be supplied with provisions for pay.

Th^ next day seven wounded Frenchmen were taken to
the village, and after their wounds were carefully dressed,
were sent on to Albany; while the " Dutch Boers " carried to
their camps provisions, such as they had, and were well paid
for them.

The French, being refreshed and having a supply of pro-
visions, put on a bold front and marched away in the direction
of the Mohawk castles; but when well out of sight of the vil-
lage, " with faces about and great silence and diligence re-
turned towards Canada."

In October of the same year Governor Courcelle and
Tracey, with twelve hundred soldiers, again visited the Mo-
hawks' country, and destroyed their castles and their crops,
but did not succeed in killing any of the Indians, who, with
their families had fled to the wooded hills.

The Frontenac expedition of 1690, which resulted in the
burning of Schenectady, February 9th, of that year, was
organized at Montreal for the purpose of attacking Fort
Orange, and consisted of two hundred and ten men,
eighty of whom were Caughnawaga, or Praying Indians, un-
der Kryn, a noted Mohawk convert to the Catholic religion.

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Schonowe or Schenectady 6i

As in the expedition of Courcelle, just twenty-four years be-
fore, they sufTered severely from cold and lack of provisions.
After having marched five or six days, the Indians demanded
of the French their intentions, and were told by the comman-
ders, Sieurs La Moyne and De Mantet, that they were going
to attack Fort Orange. Kryn, having in mind the disaster of
the last year, inquired, " Since when have you become so des-
perate ? " It was finally decided, however, to take the route
leading to Corlear, or Schenectady, instead of Fort Orange,

After a further journey of seventeen days they arrived
within two leagues of Corlear at four o'clock P.M., and were
harangued by the great Mohawk chief. Shortly after, four
squaws were discovered in a wigwam, who gave the necessary
information for the attack on the town. At eleven o'clock
that night they came within sight of the place and resolved to
defer the assault until two o'clock in the morning, but the ex-
cessive cold admitted of no further delay.

The French account says:

The town of Corlear forms a sort of oblong, with only two gates
— one opposite the road we had taken, the other leading to Orange,
six leagues distant. Messieurs de Sainte Helene and de Mantet
were to enter the first, which the squaws pointed out, and which in
fact was found wide open. Messieurs d' Iberville and de Montesson
took the left with another detachment in order to make themselves
masters of that leading to Orange. But they could not discover it,
and returned to join the remainder of the party. A profound
silence was observed until the two commanders, who separated at
their entrance of the town for the purpose of encircling it, had met
at the other extremity.

Within the stockade were about fifty houses, and a small
fort or block house with a garrison of ten or twelve men, while
the total population is supposed to have been about two hun-
dred. Weary with the festivities of the early evening, the vil-
lagers were slumbering peacefully, unconscious of danger.

62 The Mohawk Valley

Suddenly, and seemingly from every point, on earth and sky,
arose the fearful war cry of the savages, mingled with the ex-
plosion of firearms, the hoarse shouts of command in a strange
language, the crash of timber and the agonizing cries of
women and children under the fatal blows of tomahawk and
knife. Soon the fitful flames cast a lurid glow on the snow-
covered streets, already stained with scarlet splashes and the
dark still forms of the unfortunate Hollanders, while the howl-
ing, painted warriors dashed hither and thither, plying blazing
torch and reeking scalping knife with the zeal of the fanatic
and the barbarity of the savage.

It is said every house was destroyed but four or five; sixty
men, women, and children were killed, about the same number
of old men, women, and children spared, thirty men and boys
taken prisoners, while many hid themselves in the forests, or
fled through the snow to Fort Orange.

Adam Vrooman, one of the villagers, saw his wife shot and
his child brained against the door-post, but he fought so des-
perately that his assailants promised him his life and liberty if
he would surrender. His son and negro servant were carried
away captives.

In the morning a small party crossed the river to the house
of Glen. It was loopholed and palisaded, and Captain Glen
was prepared to defend it. The French told him they owed
him a debt for kindness shown to French prisoners in the
hands of the Mohawks, and that no harm should come to him
or his kindred. Even two or three houses inside the palisade
were saved from the flames because he requested it.

The alarm having been given at Orange, fifty young men,
under Peter Schuyler, proposed to follow the French in their
retreat. Reinforced by a troop of Mohawk warriors, they fol-
lowed them nearly to Montreal, when they fell upon the rear-
guard, killing and capturing fifteen or more.

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Schonovve or Schenectady 65

After a period of heartrending grief and depression, with
true Dutch grit, the pioneers set to work to rebuild their
ruined village; and with the help of their neighbors at Orange,
and the friendly Mohawks, they again assumed the title of
the frontier town of the West, and became the port of entry
and departure of produce and supplies by the bateaux and
canoes of the Inland Lock and Navigation Company, until the
building of the Erie Canal.

In 1819 occurred the " great lire," by which disaster the vil-
lage— then a city — was again nearly wiped out of existence.
The whole west end and business portion was destroyed, in
all one hundred and sixty-nine houses. There was little, or
no insurance, and it was a long time before Schenectady re-
covered from the effects of the great fire.

It is said that Arent Van Curler, when in 1642 he returned
from an errand of mercy in behalf of some French prisoners in
the hands of the Mohawks at Osseruenon, wrote that he had
seen " the most beautiful land the eye of man ever beheld."
Just one hundred and six years later this " beautiful land "
was the scene of a typical Indian fight.

Travellers on the New York Central going east, if they sit
on the left-hand side of the coach, probably have seen one of
the oldest houses in the Mohawk Valley and the scene of the
Beukendaal massacre without being conscious of it. About
midway between Hoffman's Ferry and Schenectady and about
forty rods from the railroad, with nothing to intercept the
sight except a thin fringe of trees in front of the building,
stands the Toll mansion. In the spring and autumn its dull
yellow color shows plainly through the trees which in summer
time nearly hide the dwelling from view. Vv''e have nothing
to do with this dwelling except to use it as a landmark to
point out the humble historic building at the east of it and
known as the DeGraaf house.

66 The Mohawk Valley

Near the railroad at this point is a substantial brick coun-
try schoolhouse, to the west of which is the road that leads
past the DeGraaf house and the hollow to the right of the
road in which the fight took place.

It ought not to be called a massacre, as it was a square
stand-up fight with the whites as the attacking party, who on
that account suffered more severely than the savages.

The following account published in the Schenectady Demo-
crat and Reflector, April 22, 1836, was gathered from tradi-
tions then floating about among the aged people at that date.

In the beginning of the month of July, 1747, Mr. Daniel Toll
and his favorite servant, Ryckert, and Dirck Van Vorst went in
search of some stray horses at Beukendaal, a locality about three
miles from Schenectady. They soon heard what they supposed was
the trampling of horses; but the sound they mistook for that made
by horses' hoofs on the clayey ground proceeded from the quoits
which the Indians were playing.

Mr. Toll discovered his danger too late and fell pierced by bul-
lets of the French savages, for such they were. Ryckert, more for-
tunate, took to his heels and fled. He reached Schenectady in
safety and told the dreadful news of the death of his master, and
the presence of the enemy.

In less than an hour about sixty volunteers were on the march to
Beukendaal. The greater part of these were young men, and such
was their zeal that they would not wait until the proper authorities
had called out the militia. Without discipline or experience and
even without a leader they hastened to the Indian camps.

Those in advance of the main body before they reached the en-
emy were attracted by a singular sight. They saw a man resem-
bling Mr. Toll sitting near a fence in an adjoining field and a crow
flying up and down before him. On coming nearer they discov-
ered it to be the corpse of Mr. Toll with a crow attached to it by a
string.

This proved to be a stratagem of the Indians to decoy their ad-
versaries. The Schenectadians fell, alas! too easily into the snare
laid for them, and were in a few moments surrounded by the In-
dians, who had been lying in ambush. Thus taken by surprise they

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lost many of their number and some were taken prisoners before
they could make good their retreat.

They, however, succeeded in reaching the house of Mr. DeGraaf
in the neighborhood, which had been for some time deserted.
But while retreating they continued to fire upon the enemy. On
reaching the DeGraaf house they entered, bolted the doors and as-
cended to the second floor. Here they tore off the boards near the
eaves and through the opening thus made fired with success at the
savages and succeeded in keeping them at bay. In the meantime
Dirck Van Vorst, who had been left in charge of two young Indians,
effected his escape.

The two youngsters were anxious to see the fight and secured
their prisoner by tying him to a tree and left him alone. He suc-
ceeded in getting his knife from his pocket and cutting the cord
with which he was bound. On the approach of the Schenectady
militia under Col. Jacob Glen the party in Mr. DeGraaf's house
were relieved from their perilous situation and the enemy took up
their line of march for Canada, probably along the Sacandaga trail.

In this engagement twenty whites were killed and thirteen or
fourteen taken prisoners and a number wounded. The bodies of
Nicholas A. DeGraaf and Jacob Glen, Jr., were found lying in
close contact with their savage antagonists, with whom they had
wrestled in deadly strife.

The corpses were taken to Schenectady the evening of the
massacre and deposited in a large barn of Abraham Mabee,
being the identical one now standing on the premises (1883)
of Mrs. Benjamin in Church Street.

The above account is interesting because it shows what
perils the settlers had to undergo before they could establish a
peaceful home for their families.

The DeGraaf house, as seen from the cars, does not appear
any different from many unpainted weather-worn houses to be
seen by driving a few miles on any of the country roads that
lead from the city except, perhaps, that the roof is higher and
more pointed than those erected at a later date.

In 1706 a new fort was erected near the site of the old fort.

JO The Mohawk Valley

and called the Queen's Fort, and from that time until the com-
mencement of the Revolution was garrisoned by British
troops.

From a Paris document we find the following description
of Schenectady in 1757;

Chenectedi, or Corlar, situated on the bank of the Mohawk
River, is a village of about three hundred houses. It is surrounded
by upright pickets, flanked from distance to distance. Entering
the village by the gate on the Fort Hunter side, there is a fort to the
right which forms a species of citadel in the interior of the village it-
self. It is a square flanked with four bastions, or demi-bastions, and
is constructed half of masonry and half of timbers, piled one over
the other above the masonry. It is capable of holding two hundred
men. There are some pieces of cannon as a battery on the ram-
parts. It is not encircled by a ditch. The entrance is through a
large swing gate, raised like a draw-bridge. By penetrating the
village in attacking it at another point, the fire from the fort can be
avoided. The greatest portion of the inhabitants of Chenectedi are
Dutch.

The presence of English soldiers probably suggested the
occasional holding of the services of the Church of England
for the English-speaking residents, as the Rev. Thomas Bar-
clay, an English clergyman and missionary to the Mohawks from
1708-1712, says in 1710: " There is a convenient and well-
built church at Schenectady, which they freely give me the
use of." (The second building of the Dutch Church.)

The natural increase of the English population as the
years rolled by, called for a church of their own, but the com-
paratively small number of English-speaking people, and the
lack of means, delayed this for years, although the foundation
was begun as early as 1759. It was not completed, however,
until about 1767, and named St. George's Episcopal Church.
It is said that the Presbyterians subscribed to its erection
with the understanding that it should be used in common by

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both denominations. Sir William Johnson is known to have
contributed liberally, and also obtained subscriptions from his
friends — at one time sixty-one pounds and ten shillings from
the Governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

This old stone church is still standing near the site of the
Queen's Fort, beautiful and picturesque in its time-worn stone
walls and quaint interior decorations.

Eight miles above the city of Schenectady, on the south
side of the Mohawk River and situated on the easterly half of
what was termed the third flat in the original division of land
under the Schenectady patent, is seen to-day an old brick
house known as the Bradt house, erected in 1736.

This house was built of brick, front and sides, and wood
in the rear. In 1883 it presented the forlorn appearance of a
vacant dwelling with its rotten roof, toppling chimneys, and
broken windows, but to-day it presents a scene of rural beauty
with its dormer windows and frame additions and general reno-
vation, with the aid of paint and putty, together with its set-
ting of foliage and flowers. I do not know that it is noted for
anything but its antiquity.

On the same flat, about a mile to the west of the eastern
border of the little but old village of Rotterdam, is another
dwelling, called the Mabie house, which holds itself remark-
ably strait and prim in spite of its age.

It is situated on a bluff on the edge of the Mohawk and at
the concave side of a bend commanding a view of the river for
a considerable distance in either direction. It is built of stone,
with steep roof, which gives it the appearance of being one
story on its sides and two stories and attic on its gable front.

It still retains its windows with small panes of glass, the
heavy exposed timbers in the lower story, and its outside
doors in two parts.

It is supposed to have been erected about 1680, making it

74 The Mohawk Valley

the oldest house in the valley. On its south side, but de-
tached from the main building, is a structure built of brick,
also bearing the impress of antiquity.

From its large brick ovens and appearance of general utility
it is probable that it was used as a kitchen and servants'
quarters.

Professor Pearson says: " In view of the fact that a brick
or stone wing across the end would connect the detached
building and afford increased space with all modern conveni-
ences and yet preserve unaltered this old ' hofstede ' to the
Mabie family, and a time-honored landmark in the Mohawk
Valley, its destruction would be regretted."

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Chapter V
Immigration and Settlement of the Palatines

MONG the earliest settlers of the Mohawk Valley,
after the Dutch Boers, were their kindred from the
Palatinate. We call them kindred because they also
received the name of Mohawk Dutch and assisted in

the construction of that almost untranslatable language called
" Mohawk Dutch," a mixture of German, Dutch, and Mo-
hawk, making a dialect that when found in public documents
proves a puzzle to philologists.

The Story of the Palatines, by the Rev. Sanford H. Cobb,
dedicated " To the Children of the Palatines, my Old Parish-
ioners in the High Dutch Churches of Schoharie and Sauger-
ties," is very interesting. While following the records of
history strictly, he attempts to correct many impressions that
have prevailed in regard to the social status of the immigration
to the banks of the Hudson, in 1710. He protests against the
term," poor Palatines," and quotes Mrs. Lamb's disparaging
remarks by the side of Macaulay's description of the people.
Mrs. Lamb says:

These earlier German settlers were mostly hewers of wood and
drawers of water, differing materially from the class of Germans
who have since come among us, and bearing about the same rela-
tion to the English, Dutch, and French settlers of their time, as the
Chinese of to-day bear to the American population on the Pacific
coast.

Macaulay justly describes the same people as follows:

78 The Mohawk Valley

" Honest, laborious men, who had once been thriving bur-
gers of Manheim and Heidelberg, or who had cultivated the
vine on the banks of the Neckar and the Rhine, their in-
genuity and their diligence could not fail to enrich any land
which should afford them an asylum." They rather resembled
the Huguenots, as they were driven from their homes by the
armies of France, who laid waste their lands and destroyed
their cities, and the persecutions of their own Palatine princes,
who were alternately Calvinists, Lutherans, or Romanists.
They came to this country for freedom to worship God, and
the Calvinists and the Reformed built their churches side by
side on the Hudson and on the Schoharie and Mohawk. The
exodus of the Palatines bears some resemblance to the exodus
of the children of Israel, from the fact that it seems to have
been a movement of nearly the whole people. Some went to
Holland, others to north Germany; but the larger number
found their way to England, and thronged the streets of Lon-
don to that extent that they were lodged in warehouses and
barns, and in some instances buildings were erected, while on
the Surrey side of the Thames one thousand tents were
pitched, and the generous and charitably disposed people were
taxed to the utmost to provide subsistence for this destitute
army of immigrants. It became evident to Queen Anne and
her advisers that something must be done to find employment
or new homes for the wanderers. About five thousand were ab-
sorbed in various employments within the kingdom, while
nearly four thousand were sent over to Ireland, and about
ninety-two families, or in the neighborhood of six hundred
persons, were sent to the Carolinas in charge of a Swiss gentle-
man named Christopher de Graffenreid, a native of Berne,
who named the settlement Newberne.

While the Palatines were yet in London there came to
England an important delegation from the province of New

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York, consisting of Peter Schuyler, then Mayor of Albany,
and Colonel Nicholson, one of Her Majesty's officers in
America, and five Mohawk sachems. Their mission was to
urge the need of more generous measures on the part of the
home government for the defence of the province against the
French and their allied Indians.

The arrival of the sachems, in their barbaric costume, oc-
casioned great observation throughout the kingdom. Crowds
followed them in the streets, and small pictures of them were
widely sold." The court was in mourning for the Prince of
Denmark, and the Indians were dressed in black underclothes,
but a scarlet ingrain cloth mantle was thrown over all other
garments.

The English and the Indians alike were delighted with the exhi-
bitions. The guards were reviewed for their entertainment, and
they were taken to see plays in the theatres. They were given an
audience by the queen, to whom they presented belts of wampum,
and represented that not only the English, but the friendly Indians
needed a more efficient defence against the French. The reduction
of Canada would be of great weight to their free hunting.

It is said that in the walks of the Indian chiefs about the
outskirts of London, they became interested in the homeless
and houseless Palatines, and one of them voluntarily presented
Queen Anne a tract of his land on the Schoharie, for the use
and benefit of the distressed Germans. This was in 1709.
The next year a colony of three thousand Palatines under the
charge of Governor Robert Hunter, as " servants of the
crown," sailed for the port of New York and settled on land
provided for them near the Livingston manor, and on the op-
posite side of the Hudson at Saugerties.

On this land, and under the direction of Governor Hunter,
they attempted the production of turpentine, resin, or pitch,
which proved a failure. Becoming dissatisfied with their lot,

^2 The Mohawk Valley

which was only a h'ttle less than slavery, they petitioned to be
allowed to go to the promised land of " Schorie," which the
Indians and Queen Anne had given them. Permission being
refused, they rebelled and about fifty families migrated to the
valley of " Schorie," as they called it, in the fall of 1712. In
March, 1713, " the remainder of the people (treated by Gov-
ernor Hunter as Pharaoh treated the Israelites) proceeded on
their journey, and by God's assistance joined their friends and
countrymen in the promised land of ' Schorie.' "

They had hardly got settled in the several settlements, be-
fore they found themselves again in trouble, with the " Gen-
tlemen of Albany," and various other persons, who claimed
the land by earlier grants from the Mohawks. Adam Vroo-
man, the surviving hero of the massacre of Schenectady, was
one of the settlers who came into conflict with the Palatines,
also Lewis Morris, Jr., and Andries Coeymans. There is also
an account of their treatment of Sheriff Adams, who at-
tempted to serve papers on some of the Germans without a
posse.

The first attempt brought on a riot, in which the stalwart Palatine
women took an active and leading part. Led by Magdalena Zeh,
the women attacked the sheriff, knocked him down and beat him;
then they dragged him through the nastiest puddles of their barn-
yards, and putting him on a rail, rode him skimmington through the
settlements for seven miles or more, and finally left him with two
broken ribs, on a bridge well out on the road to Albany.

These continual conflicts made life a burden to the Pala-
tines in their promised " Schorie," and at last, despairing of
receiving justice from the authorities at Albany, a large num-
ber of them, in 1722, accepted offers from Pennsylvania to lo-
cate in that province. Probably about three hundred remained
in the Schoharie Valley, some having already settled along
the Mohawk, west of Schoharie River.

Immigration and Settlement of Palatines S^

I have before me a list of some of the Palatines located
along the Mohawk and Schoharie rivers, and among them
find names belonging to the most respected families, who are
doubtless descendants of those sturdy Germans:

Becker, Kneiskern, Conrad, Schneli (Snell), Nelles (Nellis),
Young, Houck, Angell, Snyder, Wagner, Neff, Newkirk,
Klein, Cline, Kline, Planck, Bronck, Timmerrnan, and a host
of others.

Chapter VI
Queen Ann's Chapel

THE delegation spoken of on page 8i was in England
in the year 1708. At an audience given them by
Queen Anne, among other requests, they prayed
that Her Majesty should build them a fort and erect
a church at their castle at the junction of the Schoharie and
Mohawk rivers, called Tiononderoga. This she promised to
do, and when Governor Robert Hunter arrived in New York
in 1710 he carried with him instructions to build forts and
chapels for the Mohawks and Onondagas. These orders
were carried out as far as the Mohawks were concerned and
the fort named Fort Hunter, but the Onondaga Chapel was
never built.

The contract for the construction of the fort was taken
October 11, 171 1, by Garret Symonce, Barant and Hendrick
Vrooman, Jan^ Wemp, and Arent Van Patten, all of Sche-
nectady.

The walls were formed of logs, well pinned together,
twelve feet high, the enclosure being one hundred and fifty
feet square. Surrounded by the palisades of the fort and
in the centre of the enclosure stood the historic edifice
known as Queen Ann's Chapel. It was erected by the
builders of the fort, being, in fact, part of their contract.
It was built of limestone, was twenty-four feet square, and
had a belfry.

Queen Anne's Chapel 85

The ruins of the fort were torn down at the beginning of
the Revolution, and the chapel surrounded by heavy pali-
sades, block-houses being built at each corner, on which can-
non were mounted.

It is said that soon after the erection of Queen Anne's
Chapel the Dutch built a log " meeting-house " near what was
afterwards know as Snook's Corners, but all trace of the build-
ing long ago disappeared. The first missionaries to the Mo-
hawks of whom we can find any account, who, under the
auspices of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts, connected with the Church of England, sent out
to teach the Indians, were the Rev. Mr. Talbot, in 1702, fol-
lowed shortly afterwards by the Rev. Thoroughgood Moore, in
1704. It is said that the Rev. Mr. Moore was driven away from
Tiononderoga by the Indian traders and went to New Bruns-
wick, Connecticut. He was so scandalized at the conduct of
Governor Cornby and the Lieutenant-Governor that he re-
fused to allow the Lieutenant-Governor to approach the table
of the Lord's Supper, for which act he was arrested and im-
prisoned in jail. He succeeded in escaping and took passage
in a vessel sailing for England. As the vessel never reached
its destination, it is supposed to have foundered in mid-ocean
and all on board lost.

The Rev. Thomas Barclay, chaplain of Fort Orange, in the
city of Albany, was then called. He labored among the Mo-
hawks from 1708 to 1 71 2, and was, in 1712, succeeded by the
Rev. William Andrews. The parsonage or manse was built in
1712. The next record we find regarding Queen Anne's Chapel,
is the purchase or grant from the Crown of a tract of land con-
taining three hundred acres. I'his was called the Barclay tract
and was granted to the Rev. Henry Barclay, November 27,1741,
presumably for the benefit of Queen Anne's Chapel, and was
afterwards known as Queen Anne's Chapel, " glebe," the term

86 The Mohawk Valley

glebe being used to denote lands belonging to, or yielding
revenue to a parish church, an ecclesiastical benefice.

The records say that the Rev. Mr. Andrews was no more
successful than his predecessors, and in 1719 abandoned his
mission. The most cordial relations existed between the
ministers of the Reformed Dutch Church, who also sent mis-
sionaries from Albany to the Mohawk Indians, and the Epis-
copal Church in their Indian mission work. After the Rev. Mr.
Andrews abandoned his mission, the Church of England had
no resident missionary among the Mohawks until the Rev.
Henry Barclay came in 1735, being appointed catechist to the
Indians at Fort Hunter. His stay with them was made very
uncomfortable by the French war and the attitude of his
neighbors. He had no interpreter and but poor support, and
his life was frequently in danger. In 1745 he was obliged to
leave Fort Hunter and in 1746 was appointed rector of Trinity
Church, New York, where he died. The Rev. John Ogilvie
was Dr. Barclay's successor. He commenced his work in
March, 1749, and succeeded Dr. Barclay also at Trinity Church,
New York, after the latter's death in 1764. Queen Anne's
Chapel seems to have been a stepping-stone to the rectorship
of Trinity Church.

Sir William Johnson and the Rev. Mr. Inglis, of New
York, obtained from the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in the year 1770, the Rev. John Stuart, as missionary
for service at Queen Anne's Chapel and vicinity.

The Rev. John Stuart was a man of gigantic size and strength
— over six feet high — called by the Mohawks " the little gen-
tleman." He preached his first sermon at Indian Castle on
Christmas Day, 1770. He had a congregation at the chapel
of two hundred persons and upwards. In 1774 he was able to
read the liturgy and the several offices of baptism, marriages,
etc., to his flock in the lansuacre of the Mohawks.

Queen Anne's Chapel 87

This practically is the end of our knowledge of Queen
Anne's Chapel as a church. When we hear from it again it
will be as a ruin.

Right here it may be well to give a description of the same,
as a church. We already know that it was built of limestone,
was twenty-four feet square, and had a belfry. It also had a
bell which was afterward placed in an institution of learning
at Johnstown and did good service for a number of years until
the building and the bell were destroyed by fire a few years
ago.

The entrance to the chapel was in the north side. The
pulpit stood at the west and was provided with a sounding-
board. There was also a reading-desk. Directly opposite the
pulpit were two pews with elevated floors, one of which, with
a wooden canopy, in later times was Sir William Johnson's;
the other was for the minister's family. The rest of the con-
gregation had movable benches for seats. The chapel had a
veritable organ, the very Christopher Columbus of its kind, in
all probability the first instrument of music of such dignity in
all the wilderness west of Albany. It was over fifty years
earlier than the erection of the Episcopal church at Johnstown,
which had an organ brought from England, of very respectable
size and great sweetness of tone, which continued in use up to
the destruction of the church by fire in 1836. Queen Anne
sent as furniture for the chapel:

A communion table-cloth.

Two damask napkins.

A carpet for the communion table.

An altar cloth.

A small tasselled cushion for the pulpit.

One Holland surplice.

A small cushion for the desk.

One large Bible.

S8 The Mohawk Valley

Two common prayer books.

One common prayer book for the clerk.

A book of homilies. .

One large silver salver. ' :

Two large silver flagons.

One silver dish. . .

One silver chalice.

Four paintings of Her Majesty's arms on canvas, one for
the chapel and three for the different Mohawk castles.

Twelve large octavo Bibles bound for use of the chapels
among the Mohawks and Onondagas.

Two painted tables containing the Lord's Prayer, Creed,
and Ten Commandments, " at more than twenty guineas
expense."

A candelabrum, with nine sockets, arranged in the form of
a triangle, an emblem of the Trinity, and a cross, both of
brass, were in the parsonage many years, but, regarded as use-
less, were, in our late civil war, melted and sold for old metal.

In 1877 the manse was still standing and in a fair state of
preservation, though parts of the woodwork showed signs of de-
cay. At the present time it has the appearance of a very dura-
ble stone building with main entrance to the south. It is two
stories high and about twenty-five by thirty-five feet in size.
The walls are thick, making the recesses of the quaint old
windows very deep, the glass being six by eight and the sash
in one piece. The glass for the windows and the bricks for
the single large chimney were brought from Holland. On the
east end of the building and over the cellar arch the characters
" 1712 " are still legible.

In 1888 the late owner, Mr. DeWitt Devendorf, repaired
the old parsonage and tore down the old chimney and very
thoughtfully presented about fifty of the old Dutch brick to
St. Ann's Church, Amsterdam, N. Y. , the lineal descendant

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Queen Anne's Chapel 91

of Queen Anne's Chapel and the principal recipient of the
funds derived from the sale of the old glebe farms.

On June 8, 1790, Rev. Mr. Ellison preached at Fort Hunter.
He says: " The church is in a wretched condition, the pulpit,
reading-desk, and two of the pews only being left, the win-
dows being destroyed, the floor demolished, and the walls
cracked."

Except on a few occasions by the Rev. Mr. Dempster, the
chapel had not been used for a number of years, when it was
demolished about the year 1820, to give place to the Erie
Canal. The roof was burned off to get its stone walls, the
stone being used in constructing guard-locks for the canal
near its site. It is said that at the beginning of the Revolu-
tion the silver service, curtains, fringes, gold lace, and other
fixtures of the chapel were put in a hogshead by the Mohawks
and buried on the side of the hill south of the Boyd Hudson
Place near Auriesville, N. Y. At the close of the war, when
found by sounding with irons rods, it was discovered that the
silver service had been removed and the cask reburied, but by
whom or when it was never known. Most of the articles re-
maining were so damaged by moisture as to be unfit for use.

The question is often asked why was not the old canal con-
structed in the same straight line that the new canal follows in
passing through Fort Hunter ? At the time the old canal was
built, about 1820, there was a bridge across the Schoharie just
above the chapel, and the channel was diverted from a straight
line, passed through the site of the chapel, and the building
destroyed in order to make use of the bridge in towing the
boats across the stream at this point, as it was deemed more
economical to destroy this historic landmark than go to the
expense of building a new bridge.

Commenting upon this act at the present time we call it
vandalism, but you must remember that in those days there

92 The Mohawk Valley-

were no churchmen in that locality, and that its roof had been
a " refuge from the storm " for the sheep and cattle that were
pastured on the land near by. For years the voice of prayer
and thanksgiving had been hushed, and instead of the solemn
notes of the deep-toned organ within walls that had echoed
alike to the song of praise and the war cry of the Mohawks,
naught was heard but the lowing of cattle and the plaintive call
of the sheep for its young. We condemn this act of vandalism,
but are we in our day any more careful to preserve the old land-
marks around which cling so many sweet and tender memories.

With the assistance of Trinity Church, New York, an Epis-
copal church was erected in 1835 at Port Jackson, (the
present fifth ward of Amsterdam, N. Y.), and maintained with
the assistance of funds derived from the sale of Queen Anne
Chapel glebe farms. This church was named St. Ann.

The church of Port Jackson seems to have had a hard
struggle for existence, probably on account of its locality.
During the rectorship of Rev. A. N. Littlejohn (the lately
deceased Bishop of Long Island) the edifice was sold and
steps taken to erect a stone building on Division Street,
Amsterdam, N. Y,

The building of this little stone church marked an era in
church building in Amsterdam, which previous to its erection
were of the plain, unpretentious style of the fore part of the
nineteenth century. Even in its unfinished state, no one
could look at its gray walls and Gothic arches without seeing
its possibilities for beauty when completed. The building of
185 1 was of Gothic style, the nave only being constructed.
A wide aisle in the centre led up to the narrow chancel in the
north end. The chancel rail enclosed the altar-table with a
modest reredos behind it and the reading-desk on the west side
of it. Outside of the rail, and a little in advance from it on the
east side, stood a small octagonal elevated pulpit. In the rear.

Queen Anne's Chapel 93

or south end, of the church and over the vestibule, the choir
was located. The first organ, purchased in 1841, was
bought in New York City, was second hand, and the name
of the maker has been forgotten. A new organ was purchased
in 1874 of Johnson and Co., Westfield, Mass., for $1500.
This organ is still in use in the new church.

The present edifice was repaired and enlarged in 1888 to
accommodate a largely increased congregation. The interior
is spacious, the whole depth being about one hundred and
thirty feet, and width sixty-five feet, with nave, north and
south aisles, and choir. It is lighted with numerous windows
painted to represent scenes in the life of Christ and emblems
of Christianity. All, or nearly all, of the windows are in me-
moriam and are beautifully executed.

Approaching the church from the east the eye rests on the
green, well-kept lawn, with here and there a tall maple or elm
springing from its surface in pleasing irregularity. Through
their branches we catch a glimpse of the little stone church
and tower, which partially hides from view the main body of
the edifice. Then we see a portion of the stone pillars of a
Grecian porch with its iron railings and gateway. A few
steps more and the panorama is complete and the whole south
front of the church is in view. The gray walls of the older
portion when compared to the completed church is " as moon-
light unto sunlight and as water unto wine."

The dull red of the superstructure, the rough ashler of the
gray stone walls peeping through the dense foliage of the Jap-
anese ivy, the green carpet of the lawn, dotted here and there
with trees of venerable age, whose branches " half conceal yet
half reveal " the grandeur of the completed edifice, make a
picture that no artist can ever reproduce.

As the visitor enters the church at the western or main en-
trance, the heavy oaken doors and bare stone walls of the

94 The Mohawk Valley

vestibule impress one with the idea of solidity, and the view of
the interior after passing the swinging baize doors, is in a de-
gree a surprise. The low aisles on each side with slender
pillars, and the lofty nave with its graceful arches, with colors
of gray and brown, and blue and brilliant tints of the beautiful
windows, give a feeling of rest to the beholder; and as the eye
wanders and is finally held by the graceful choir, a little som-
bre perhaps, in the distance, relieved somewhat by the glitter
of lecturn and pulpit, its churchliness impresses one, and the
thought of the visitor might well be, " truly this is the house
of God."

From Oronhyatekha, the Supreme Chief Ranger of the
Foresters of Canada and descendant from the Mohawks of
Tiononderoga, and from Rev. R. Ashton, the present incum-
bent of the Mohawk Church at Brantford, Ontario, Canada, I
have received the following information :

It appears that the communion service that Queen Anne
sent to the Mohawks Vv'as buried on their old reservation at
Fort- Hunter during the Revolution, and remained there some
years or until the Mohawks became settled in the reservation
near Brantford (1785), and on the Bay of Ouinte; then a party
was sent back, resurrected the plate, and brought it back to
Canada. For a period of twenty-two years prior to July,
1897, the plate was safely kept by Mrs. J. M. Hill, the grand-
daughter of the celebrated chief, Capt. Joseph Brant, whose
mother was the original custodian, having kept it from the
time of its arrival in Canada till her death.

Of course the custodian Avas required to take the com-
munion plate to the church on comimunion days.

Later the Mohawks were presented with a communion set,
after which the Queen Anne plate was only used on state
occasions.

In 1785 some of the Mohawks settled at the Bay of Quinte

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Queen Anne's Chapel 97

and the larger body on Grand River, Brantford. The Rev.
John Stuart, D.D., who had been their missionary at Fort
Hunter and fled to Canada with the Indians and Tories, was
appointed to the charge of both bands, and a church was built
at both places by King George III. The plate was then
divided ; it consisted of seven pieces, two flagons, two chal-
ices, two patens, and one alms basin.

To the Grand River band was given the alms basin and one
each of the other pieces, also a large Bible.

The Indians at the Bay of Quinte have a flagon, paten,
and chalice in the hands of Mrs. John Hill, at Deseronto,
Canada. The chalice at Grand River is much bent, the other
pieces are in good order, as is also the Bible. Each piece of
plate is inscribed: " The Gift of Her Majesty Ann, by the
Grace of God, of Great Britain, ffrance and Ireland and Her
Plantations in North America, Queen, to Her Indian Chappel
of the Mohawks." The Bible, printed in 1701, is in good con-
dition and bears on the cover, " For Her Majesty's Church of
the Mohawks, 1712."

This plate has a value aside from its intrinsic value, as ex-
plained by Rev. R. Ashton :

You are probably aware that all pure silver plate manufactured
in England is stamped by the Government, which stamp is called
the " hall mark," which indicates that the article is of standard sil-
ver or standard gold. From March, 1696, to June, 1720, Britannia
and the lion's head erased, were substituted for leopard's head
crowned and the lion passant on silver, which both before and
since have been in use as the " hall mark." All silver bearing the
former mark (and it is plainly seen on every piece of the Mohawk
and Onondaga silver), is greatly prized, and is termed Queen Anne
silver.

Chapter VII

Count Frontenac and the Mohawk Valley

COUNT DE FRONTENAC, who was twice Governor
of Canada, is so closely connected with the history
of the Mohawk Valley by his warlike expeditions
against the Iroquois and the massacre of the inhabi-
tants of Schenectady, that we cannot write the history of the
valley without frequent mention of his name.

He was born in France in 1620, and in early manhood
served in the French army and distinguished himself in a war
against the Turks. In 1648 he married Anne de LaGrange
Trianon against her father's wishes. She was a favorite com-
panion of Mademoiselle de Montpensier, Princess of Orleans,
and was one of the beauties of the Court of Louis XV. The
happiness of the newly wedded pair was of short duration, as
love, on her part at least, soon changed to aversion, and after
the birth of a son, the countess left her husband, to follow the
fortunes of Mademoiselle de Montpensier.

In 1672 Count de Frontenac received the appointment of
Governor of all New France. ~

It is said that he accepted the appointment to deliver him-
self from the imperious temper of his wife and afford him some
means of living. Another story is that he had found favor in
the eyes of Madame de Montespan, one of the favorites of
Louis XIV., and the jealous King appointed him Governor of
New France to get him away from Madame.

Frontenac's administration was vigorous and satisfactory,

Count Frontenac and the Mohawk Valley 99

but coming in contact with the Jesuits was recalled in 1681,
and a new Governor, named La Fevre de la Barre, appointed
in his place.

The affairs of New France soon going from bad to worse
under the new administration of LaBarre, he was also recalled,
and Marquis de Denonville assumed the vacant office. The new
Governor soon found himself involved in a war with the Iro-
quois of such magnitude that the colony of New France was
brought to the brink of ruin. He, also, was recalled, and
Frontenac again made Governor. It is said that his wife used
her influence in having him appointed the second time, in
order to get him out of the country. This was in 1689.
Frontenac entered into the campaign of 1690 with vigor, and
sent three war parties of French and Indians against the Eng-
lish, one against Albany, which was diverted, and resulted in
the massacre of Schenectady, one against the border settle-
ments of New Hampshire, and the third to those of Maine,
all of which were successful in murdering defenceless men,
women, and children.

In 1696 Frontenac organized the famous expedition against
the Onondagas and Oneidas, for the purpose of exterminating
them, and thereby conquering the Iroquois. On the 4th of
July of that year he left Montreal at the head of about twenty-
two hundred men, about one-third of whom were Canadian
Indians. The result of that expedition is well known to his-
tory, and may be called a failure in more ways than one.

It is said that the destruction of the Indian villages was
secondary to the real object of this expedition.

It may be stated here that Frontenac, when he arrived at

the Onondaga villages, found nothing but burned and deserted

ruins and the Indians' standing crops. These he destroyed

and took up his march home again. It is said that the Count

was so infirm that he was carried most of the way on a litter.
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loo The Mohawk Valley

Tradition says that in one of the periodical raids of the
Mohawks on their foes, the Algonquins, during the absence
of Frontenac in France, they secured a number of prisoners,
among whom was a beautiful half-breed girl that Frontenac
had a paternal interest in, and who had received the rudiments
of education by his efforts.

Every effort had been made in vain during occasional ces-
sations of hostilities between the French and the Mohawks to
recover this child. But beyond the report of a wandering
Jesuit, that he had seen a Christian captive living contentedly
as the wife of a young Mohawk chief, he had not been able to
hear from his nut-brown daughter. The real object of the
expedition of 1696 was to recover this child, whom he had
learned to love.

We v/ill now trace this child from her home in Canada to
her new home on the banks of the Mohawk River.

The usual route of war parties between Canada and the
Mohawk and Hudson valleys was by the way of Lake Cham-
plain as far as Ballston, where the trail divided, one striking
the Mohawk at Schenectady, another through Glenville to
Lewis Creek at Adriuche, and another through Galway and
down the Juchtanunda Creek.

It is probable that the latter route was taken by the party
of Mohawks with the half-breed daughter of Count Frontenac,
as one of the captives. At that time she was about sixteen
years old, of medium height, well developed, and just budding
into womanhood ; her black hair and eyes, her erect form and firm
step, while on the march, were indicative of her Huron mother
and forest training, while the clear complexion, with its dusky
hue, and the large, half-closed eyes and dignity of carriage,
proclaimed the sin of her father. While encamped near the
division of the trail at Ballston the warriors were joined by an
Indian hunting party well laden with the spoils of the chase.

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Count Frontenac and the Mohawk Valley 103

The leader of the hunting party, Achawi, a young Indian
already noted in his tribe for his courage and skill in battle
and his wisdom in council, was a model of savage beauty. His
tall, well-proportioned form and well-poised head, his long
black hair flowing from under a band of eagle feathers, his
piercing black eyes and noble features unadorned with the war
paint that marred the faces of his companions, were enhanced
by the picturesque costume he wore. Over the short leggings
which left his shapely limbs bare half-way above the knee,
hung a heavy beaded skirt of buckskin, while depending from
the left shoulder, and passing under the right arm, leaving the
upper part of the breast bare, was a short robe of otter. Out-
side the robe on his right side hung a highly ornamented bow
and quiver of arrows, and his feet were covered with beaded
moccasins. His name, Achawi (settler of disputes), would
indicate that he was a man of more than ordinary ability in
the councils of his tribe at Tiononderoga (Fort Hunter).

As soon as the identity of the newcomers was established,
the party assumed the usual stoical indifference of Indians, al-
though their advent, well ladened with fresh venison, was wel-
come to the weary and hungry warriors and their captives.

Oneta and her female companions were seated near the
fire, their forms well covered with blankets, and did not at-
tract the attention of Achawi, but out from the folds that
covered her head, Oneta gazed with increasing interest on the
form of this young warrior, who, compared with her war-
stained and painted captors, with their belts decorated with
the scalps of her slain friends, seemed like a creature from
another world. On the following morning the young maiden
-was early awake, and hastened to the stream to wash away the
stains of travel and pay additional care to the details of her
simple toilet. Returning slowly through the forest, her eyes
radiant and her cheeks glowing from her ablution, she became

I04 The Mohawk Valley

aware of the approach of the young warrior. No wonder this
untutored son of the forest gazed entranced at the vision that
so unexpectedly appeared before him. Her beautiful form,
but scantily covered by the simple robe worn by the denizens
of the forest, was revealed in all its beauty of outline; her
long black hair, bound with a band of silver across her forehead,
and the tresses brought forward, half concealed yet half re-
vealed the beauty of her naked arm and shoulder. Hastily
drawing her blanket around her she returned his gaze of ad-
miration with a smile that disclosed her pearly teeth and her
delight at the accidental meeting. It was a case of love at
first sight and after a few words in the Huron language they
returned together to the camp, and found preparation being
made for immediate departure for the Mohawk River, where
they arrived in a drizzling rain at nightfall and at once found
shelter along the shore " under the hanging rocks of the
Juchtanunda. Some of the party, however, were soon sent
forward to procure boats to convey the captive women to
Tiononderoga.

In the morning, the canoes having arrived, Achawi was
placed in charge of one of the canoes containing the women,
one of whom was Oneta, and improved his opportunity by
making love to the stranger. Arriving at Tiononderoga it was
decided that the canoe of Achawi should continue to Kan-
yeageh and that Oneta should be placed in the family of the
aunt of Kateri Tekakwitha, who was formerly a Huron
captive.

Although Oneta pined for her home on the St. Lawrence,
the presence of the Jesuit Father De Lamberville and the
frequent visits of Achawi made her life on the Mohawk more
bearable than if she had been left entirely to the mercy of the
fretful aunt of Tekakwitha.

Although Indian maids had occupied Achawi's lodge for a

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Count Frontenac and the Mohawk Valley 107

limited period in experimental marriages, which was made law-
ful by custom, he had never met a maiden before that he was
willing to take as his wife. It was not long therefore before he
gained the consent of Oneta and, with the blessing of Father
De Lamberville, and according to the simple rites of his tribe,
he took her to his lodge at Tiononderoga.

The repeated attempts made by the Count to regain his
daughter kept them in constant fear that he would at last suc-
ceed, and it was on this account that Achawi removed his lodge
to a secluded glen near the Juchtanunda, within the limits of
the present city of Amsterdam. This precaution was well
taken, for in 1693 Count Frontenac sent an expedition against
the Mohawks, destroyed their three castles or villages, and
three hundred men, women, and children were taken pris-
oners, hoping that among them he might find his lost daugh-
ter. This expedition was pursued by General Schuyler and a
party of Mohawks, and narrowly escaped destruction. The
fleeing Frenchmen reached the Hudson, where, to their dis-
may, they found the ice breaking up and drifting down the
stream. Happily for them a large sheet of it became wedged
at a turn of the river forming a temporary bridge, over which
they crossed in safety.

Among the border scouts and traders that were scattered
along the valley of the Mohawk was a renegade Fleming by
the name of Hanyost. In early youth he had deserted from
the French ranks in Flanders, came to New France, after-
ward made his way down to the Dutch settlements on the
Hudson, and later became domiciled among the Mohawks,
and adopted the life of a hunter. Up to this time he had been
faithful to the interests of the Dutch settlers and the Mo-
hawks, and was aware of the presence in the valley of Count
Frontenac's half-caste daughter, and of the efforts of the count
to recover her.

io8 The Mohawk Valley

Previous to the expedition of the French against the Onon-
dagas, Hanyost had a difficulty with an Indian trapper which
had been referred for arbitration to the young Mohawk chief,
Achawi (settler of disputes) and had felt aggrieved at the
award that had been given against him. The scorn with which
the young chief met his charge of unfairness stung him to the
soul, but fearing the strong arm of the young savage he had
nursed his revenge in secret.

Hearing of the presence of Frontenac on the shores of Lake
Ontario he deserted his friends and offered his services to the
count as guide, at the same time informing him of the where-
abouts of his daughter and her husband.

Achawi, ignorant of the hostile force that had entered his
country, was off with his party at a summer camp near Kon-
nediega, or Trenton Falls. Hanyost having informed the com-
mander of the French forces that by surprising this party he
would be able to recover his long-lost daughter, Frontenac at
once detached a small but efficient force from the main body
of the army to strike the blow. It is said that a dozen mus-
keteers, with twenty-five pikemen led by Baron de Baken-
court and Chevalier de Grais, the former having the chief
command, were sent upon this duty, with Hanyost to guide
them to the village of Achawi.

Just before dawn of the second day, the party found
themselves in the neighborhood of the Indian village, and at
once made preparations for an attack while yet the savages
were wrapped in repose.

The baron, after carefully examining the hilly passes, de-
termined to head the attack, while Chevalier de Grais, with
Hanyost to mark out his prey, should pounce upon the chief-
tain's wife. The followers were warned not to injure the
female captives, but to give no quarter to their defenders.

The inhabitants of the fated village, secure in their isolated

Count Frontenac and the Mohawk Valley 109

situation, had neglected all precautions against surprise, and
were aroused from slumber with the whizzing of hand gre-
nades, which set fire to the main row of frail wigwams which
formed the little street, and kindled the dry mats stretched
over them into instant flames. And then, as the startled
warriors leaped, all naked and unarmed from the blazing lodges,
they found themselves surrounded by the French pikemen.
Waiting only for a volley from the musketeers, the soldiers
rushed upon the wretched savages, slaughtering them. Many
there were, however, who, with Achawi at their head, acquit-
ted themselves like warriors. Snatching their weapons from
the flames, they sprang upon the pikemen vv^ith irresistible
fury. Their heavy war-clubs beat down and splintered the
fragile spears of the Frenchmen, while their corselets rang with
the blows of tomahawk and knife.

De Grais, in the meantime, watched the shrieking forms of
the females, expecting each moment to see the pale features
of the Christian captive. The Mohawks began now to wage a
more successful resistance, and just when the fight was raging
hottest he saw a tall warrior disengage himself from the
melee and dash upon and brain, with his tomahawk, a French-
man who had also separated himself from his party. The
quick eye of De Grais caught a glimpse of a lithe female form,
with an infant in her arms, in pursuit of whom the luckless
Frenchman met his death by the strong arm of Achawi. It
was the wife of Achawi fleeing to the hills for safety, De
Grais raised his pistol to fire at the chieftain, when the track
of the flying girl brought her directly in his line of sight, and
he held his fire.

Achawi, in the meantime, had been cut off from his people
by the soldiers, who closed in upon the space which his terri-
ble arm had a moment before kept open. Seeing the hopeless-
ness of his position, he made a dash at his foes with his

no The Mohawk Valley

war-club, fairly cleaving a path to his fleeing wife, and with
arms outstretched to protect her from the dropping shots of the
enemy, he bounded after her, and before De Grais and Han-
yost, with seven others fairly got in pursuit, Achawi, who still
kept behind his wife, was far in advance of the pursuing party.
Her forest training had made Oneta fleet of foot, and hearing
the cheering voice of her loved warrior behind her, she urged
her flight over crag and fell, and soon reached the head of a
rocky pass which it would take some moments for any but an
American forester to climb. Lifting his wife to the ledge
above, he placed her infant in her arms, and bade her speed
her way to the cavern among the hills. Achawi looked a mo-
ment after her retreating form, and then coolly swung himself
to the ledge which commanded the pass. His tomahawk and
war-club had been lost in the strife, but he still carried at his
back his bow and quiver. There were but three arrows in the
quiver, and the Mohawk was determined to have the life of an
enemy in exchange for each of them.

Placing himself behind a rock that partly concealed his
form, he strung his bow, and fitting an arrow to the string, he
aimed at the foremost soldier that was climbing the crags be-
low. With the swiftness of a bullet the arrow took its flight
and buried itself in the throat of its victim, who fell, dislodg-
ing two of his comrades in his fall, and temporarily checking
pursuit. Achawi, waiting until the soldiers were again ad-
vancing, sent another arrow in their midst, with almost the
same result. Fitting his last arrow to the string, he raised his
bow, but before he could fire, a shot from the gun of Hanyost
struck his thumb, disabling it. Again fleeing, he took a
different direction from that taken by his wife, hoping to draw
the soldiers in pursuit of himself until she should reach a place
of safety. After a while he observed that three of the soldiers
were following him, while De Grais, Hanyost, and one of the

Count Frontenac and the Mohawk Valley 1 1 1

pikemen were taking a direct route to the cavern, with Han-
yost in the lead, who was undoubtedly aware of the situation
of this hidden rendezvous, and rightly guessed the ruse of
Achawi.

The young Mohawk at once saw the object of Hanyost,
and quick as thought took a few steps within the thicket to
still mislead his pursuers, bounded across a mountain torrent,
leaving his footmarks in its banks, and then turned shortly on
a rock beyond, re-crossed the stream, and concealed himself
behind a fallen tree, until his pursurers had passed by on the
false trail. A rocky hillock now only divided him from the
point to which he had directed his wife by another route, and
to which Hanyost and his party were urging their way.
Springing from crag to crag, the hunted warrior at last planted
his foot on the roots of a blasted oak, that shot its limbs above
the cavern, just as his wife, with her babe clasped to her
bosom, sank exhausted within the shadows of the cavern.
Looking down, he saw De Grais and his followers making a
laborious ascent of the crags below, with Hanyost in advance,
and De Grais and the mustketeer close behind. The scout,
who had evidently caught sight of the exhausted female at
the mouth of the cavern, gave an exultant cry.

God help thee, bold archer! the game of life is nearly up;
thy quiver is empty. In his agony at the thought of his wife,
he raised his bow and became aware that the forgotten arrow
was clasped in his bleeding fingers. Although his stiffened
thumb forbade its use, Achawi fitted the remaining arrow to
the string, prepared to take the life of one more of his enemies
if possible. Bracing his knee upon the flinty rock, while the
muscles of his body swelled as if all of its energies were em-
bodied in this supreme effort, he drew the arrow back with his
two fingers, without the use of his bleeding thumb, and aimed
at the treacherous scout. The twanging bowstring dismissed

112 The Mohawk Valley

his last arrow straight to the heart of Hanj'ost. The dying
wretch clutched the sword chain of De Grais, and the two
went rolling down the glen together; and De Grais was not
unwilling to abandon the pursuit when the musketeer, hasten-
ing to his assistance, had disengaged him, bruised and
bloody, from the rigid embrace of the corpse.

Achawi, descending from his cavern, collected the rem-
nants of his band and wreaked terrible vengeance upon the
murderers, most of whom they cut off before they could join
the main body of the French army.

Count Frontenac returned to Canada and died in 1698, and
the existence of his half-caste daughter was soon forgotten.

Chapter VIII
Sir William Johnson

IN examining the early records of history, particularly the
colonial and documentary history of New York, I was
impressed with the fact that Sir William Johnson filled
a very large place in the history of the colony between
1740 and the time of his death in 1774.

We are apt to connect Sir William's life with Johnstown,
N. Y., and forget that although he founded and practically
created the village that was named for him, he lived there
only eleven years, during which time he was occupied in
building up the village, erecting churches, court-house, jail,
and his own spacious mansion.

But in fact twenty-four years of his manhood were passed
in this valley, and for twenty of those years he lived in the old
stone mansion sometimes called Mount Johnson, and now
called Fort Johnson, within a mile of the city of Amsterdam.

It was probably here that his wife, Catherine Weisenberg,
died, but the date is not known. It was from a Mr. Phillips
who lived opposite Cranesville, that he purchased the Ger-
man girl who afterward became his wife and the mother of his
legitimate children. Sir William came to the valley in 1738,
and soon after purchased the German girl Catherine for a
housekeeper. They were probably married by the Rev. Dr.
Henry Barclay, then the rec : in charge of Queen Anne's
Chapel at Fort Hunter i 1742 his son, John Johnson, was
born, probably in W ush, as Sir Peter Warren's estate

113

114 I The Mohawk Valley

of fourteen thousand acres in the present town of Florida was
then called.

It was in Fort Johnson, built in 1743, that Molly Brant
presided as mistress and it was here that most of the confer-
ences with the Iroquois were held and here Sir William
gained influence over them on account of his kind and strictly
honorable treatment of those warlike tribes. It was here that
he was made superintendent of the Indians and, in 1746, in-
vested by the Mohawks with the rank of a chief of that nation.
In Indian costume he shortly after led the tribe to a council
at Albany.

It was at this house in 1755 that he held a council with the
Iroquois which resulted in about two hundred and fifty of
their warriors following him to victory over the French at the
battle of Lake George.

It was from this mansion that most of the letters on col-
onial affairs were written by Sir William to His Majesty King
George II. and to the governor of the colony and the lords of
the board of trade.

Here also were born his two daughters, Nancy and Mary.

Whatever may be said of Sir William's private life, no one
can read those letters without being impressed with the honesty
of purpose of the writer.

While frauds were being practised on the Indians by the
land-grabbing officials at Albany and elsewhere, Johnson, was
firm in his desire that the Iroquois should not be cheated but
should be dealt with justly. And while fraudulent grants, like
the seven hundred thousand acres Kayaderosseras grant, were
obtained with ease, he would not claim or occupy any land
that was not justly granted to him by his friends the Indians.

We remember Sir William Johnson as a loyalist, and as a
friend of the savages who a little later spread terror through-
out the Mohawk Valley. But we must not forget that Sir

><«»«

SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON, BART., 1715-177^.

Sir William Johnson 117

William Johnson died in 1774, and that it was Sir John John-
son and Col. Guy Johnson and the Butlers who were respon-
sible for many of the savage acts of the Indians in the
Mohawk Valley and vicinity, and that it was Col. Guy John,
son, the founder of Guy Park, who alienated the Six Nations
from the colonists.

In reading the acts of Sir William and becoming ac-
quainted with his character as it shows forth in his letters, I
do not hesitate to say that if he had lived and sided with the
colonists, his name would have been written on the pages of
history side by side with that of George Washington and other
heroes of the Revolution.

In Frothingham's history of Montgomery County is found
the following paragraph :

Had Sir William lived it is confidently believed he would have
espoused the cause of the colonies against the mother country, in
which event one of the most magnificent estates in the country
would have been confirmed to him, but his successors, and particu-
larly his son John, allied themselves to the British, and as a result
the estate was confiscated and sold for the public benefit.

Sir John Johnson, who occupied Fort Johnson after Sir
William moved to Johnson Hall, Johnstown, in 1763, was a
man of different character from his father. He and his
brothers-in-law, Guy Johnson and Daniel Claus, were crea-
tures of the King, having no sentiment in common with the
people. " He was a bloodthirsty and relentless enemy, com-
bining the worst elements of toryism with the inhuman meth-
ods of war only resorted to by savages."

Simms says: " He was not the amiable-tempered, social,
and companionable man his father was and hence was not the
welcome guest in all society that his father had been."

In early life, while living at Fort Johnson, he wooed, won,
but did not wed Miss Clara Putnam, a very pretty girl of good

ii8 The Mohawk Valley

family at Tribes Hill, by whom he had two children, a son
and a daughter. Miss Putnam was keeping house for him at
the old Fort Johnson mansion when he married Miss Mary
Watts, of New York City, on June 29, 1773, but before his re-
turn from New York Miss Putnam and her children were sent
into the town of Florida. The son, when he grew up, was
nicely established by his father in some kind of business in
Canada, and the daughter, who was said to have been a tall,
beautiful girl, and at one time quite a belle in the valley, mar-
ried a James Van Home, by whom she had one or more chil-
dren. She had dark hair and dark eyes, was brunette in
complexion, and was graceful in her carriage. Only a few
years after her marriage, while visiting friends at Tribes Hill,
she ate too freely of fruit, became sick, and died suddenly,
universally lamented.

Late in life Sir John Johnson (he was sixty-seven years
old) sent word to Miss Clara Putnam to come to Canada at a
certain time (which was chosen in the absence of his wife), and
he would give her some property. She went in the summer
of 1809. He at that time gave her $1200 in money and pur-
chased a house and lot for her in Schenectady. She died about
the year 1840.

In Griffis's Life of Sir William JoJinson we find the follow-
ing account of " the brown Lady Johnson,"

After the death of his wife, Catherine, Sir William lived
with various mistresses, as tradition avers, but after a year or
two of such life, dismissed them for a permanent housekeeper —
Molly Brant, the sister of Joseph Brant, the noted Indian chief.

According to the local traditions of the valley, Johnson
first met the pretty squaw when about sixteen years old at a
militia muster at or near Fort Johnson. In jest, she asked an
officer to let her ride behind him. He assented, returning
fun for fun. To his surprise she leaped like a wild cat upon

,: r-'

A WINDOW IN THE OLD CHURCH AT GERMAN FLATTS

119

THE '.'■ i-^V-/ I'OKK

PUBLIC LIBRARY,

astor, .'^s.;o:- amo

Sir William Johnson 121

the space behind the saddle, holding on tightly, with hair fly-
ing and garments flapping, while the excited horse dashed
over the parade ground. The crowd enjoyed the sight, but
the most interested spectator was Sir William, who, admiring
her spirit, resolved to make her his paramour.

From this time Molly Brant, the handsome squaw, was
Johnson's companion, Molly Brant was undoubtedly a
woman of ability, and with her Johnson lived happily. She
presided over Fort Johnson and later Johnson Hall at Johns-
town, and became the mother of a large brood of his natural
children, and as " the brown Lady Johnson " she was always
treated with respect by the white guests and visitors.

While Molly Brant presided over the mansion, and her
dusky children attended the manor school, the daughters of
Johnson and Catherine Weisenberg, Nancy and Mary, were
trained under the care of a governess, who made them ac-
quainted with the social graces of London and the standard

literature of England.'

Nancy, his first daughter, married a son of a German Pala-
tine and a noted Indian fighter named Daniel Claus, in July,
1762. Mary married her cousin, Guy, a nephew of Sir Wil-
liam, and later Colonel Guy Johnson, in 1763.

The mansion now known as Guy Park in the western part
of the city of Amsterdam was built for Colonel Guy and his
wife by Sir William in 1766, and was occupied by them until
their removal to Canada during the Revolution.

' These two daughters, who were left by their dying mother to the care of a
friend, were educated almost in solitude. They were carefully instructed in
religious duties, and in various kinds of needlework, but were themselves kept
entirely from society. At the age of sixteen they had never seen a lady, except
their mother and her friend (who was the widow of an English officer), or a gen-
tleman except Sir William, who visited their room daily. Their dress was not
conformed to the fashions, but always consisted of wrappers of finest chintz over
green silk petticoats. Their hair, which was long and beautiful, was tied with a
simple band of ribbon. After their marriage they soon acquired the habits of
society, and made excellent wives. — LossiNG.

122 The Mohawk Valley

A mansion not quite as pretentious was built for Colonel
Claus and wife about a mile east of Fort Johnson. It was
located opposite the present Boulevard Hotel. The house
was burned down subsequently, but the ruins of the founda-
tion and the old brick oven were to be seen up to within a few
years. Subsequently a tavern was erected on the same lot and
on part of the old foundation, and was known as the Charley
Chase Hotel. All trace of this old building is entirely
obliterated.

Since writing the above, accident has thrown in my way
some new material in reference to the family of Sir William
Johnson. The facts were transmitted to me by one of the
descendants, a man of undoubted ability and probity of char-
acter, and they furnish a missing link between Catherine Weis-
enberg and Molly Brant. It seems that Molly Brant had a
predecessor in the affections of Sir William, in the grand-
daughter or grand-niece of King Hendrick. She bore to Sir
William two daughters, and died in childbirth with a third, in
1753. This woman took the English name of Caroline, and
her daughters were named Charlotte and Caroline. Charlotte
Johnson married Henry Randall, a subaltern in the King's
Royal Provincial Regiment, about two years before the war of
the Revolution. When the war came on he resigned from
the King's service and entered Schuyler's Regiment of Militia.
He afterwards joined Clinton's Regiment of Continentals, and
was killed at Monmouth Court House. Charlotte accom-
panied her husband to Albany, turning her back forever on
her kith and kin. She had two children, one named Charlotte
Randall, who married George King. They had a daughter,
Charlotte King, who was the grandmother of my informant.
The other daughter of Sir William Johnson by Molly Brant's
predecessor, named Caroline, is said to have married Walter N.
Butler, who was killed at West Canada Creek in 1781.

Chapter IX

Guy Park and Fort Johnson

SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON, when he built Guy Park
mansion for his nephew, Guy Johnson, and his wife,
Mary, the second daughter of Sir William, set apart
a mile square of his large tract of land to be connected
therewith. The easterly line of this farm formerly extended
to the sand hole on West Main Street and the westerly line
to the creek that runs into the river near Steadwell Avenue
in the cit)^ of Amsterdam. He also gave to his daughter
Nancy, the wife of Colonel Daniel Claus, a similar tract of
land, extending from said creek west, until it met the mile
square of the Fort Johnson farm at Dove Creek, which runs
from a ravine through Jacob Lepper's farm, near the brick
schoolhouse on the turnpike at Fort Johnson.

It is of this ravine that I wish to speak at this time. The
mouth of this gorge has, in the course of many years, been
widened by the stream spoken of (which at times becomes a
furious torrent), leaving a fertile flat of a number of acres, pro-
tected from the storms and cold winds by the hills and forests
which almost surround it; but being open to the south, it re-
ceives the benefit of the light and heat of the sun, tempered
somewhat by cool breezes which blow from the upper ravine
in the rear. The hills on the west are at an elevation of about
two hundred feet above the Mohawk River, being on the five-
hundred-feet level. North of the flat the creek winds through
these wooded hills with many an abrupt turn.

123

124 The Mohawk Valley

. Crossing the creek to the western bank, in a recent visit to
this place, we ascended to the highest point of the hills on the
west, with " painful steps and slow," and were well repaid
for our labor. We found ourselves on a comparatively level
plateau, except that at the outer edge of one side is a higher
ridge extending north and south, while from the outer edge of
this ridge is a very steep declivity to the creek far down below.
This ridge has long been known as an Indian burying-ground,
on account of the mounds that were scattered over its surface.

But instead of mounds we found excavations, and from the
nature of the holes we were somewhat in doubt whether to
call them graves or cornpits. By cutting into the side of one
of the excavations (which was about three feet deep and
straight down) we laid bare a strata of discolored earth, mixed
with bits of charcoal. The plateau is surrounded by steep de-
clivities except at one point, where it connects with the
cleared farm land to the west. From the ridge spoken of,
there are three separate " hogsbacks " lunning to the west,
north, and northeast, and extending to the creek, which
makes a sharp turn to the west at this point. Although these
ridges are found on nearly every ancient Indian site, with a
trail leading from the top of a hill to a ravine below, it is hard
to believe that the acclivity of their trails could be more inac-
cessible than those spoken of above. The ridges are from ten
to twenty feet high, and about two feet broad on top, but are so
steep that great danger would attend any attempt to descend
from above without flexible shoes or bare feet and a very
steady head.

Our guide, Mr. Jacob Lepper, informed us that he had
been familiar with this spot from boyhood, and that the
mounds were plainly discernible the last time he visited this
spot, about six years ago. The numerous excavations that we
found would seem to indicate that an extended examination

AN ATTIC CORNER, GLEN-SANDERS HOUSE, SCHENECTADY

125

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Guy Park and Fort Johnson 127

had been made, but by whom, or with what results, I have
been unable to ascertain. The cultivated plateau to the west
comprises the farms of John and Spencer Sweet. Many relics
have been found on these farms, particularly in a field north
of the farm buildings.

Mr. John Sweet exhibited to me quite a number of pre-
historic relics which were the remnants of an extensive collec-
tion gathered by his father in the early years of his life, one
of which was a half of a gorget, or banner stone, as the cere-
monial stones are called. The fragment was about four inches
long and two inches wide, of highly polished variegated stone,
and when whole must have resembled a butterfly with its wings
spread, a hole one-half inch in diameter extending lengthwise
through that part which would represent the body of the
insect. Numerous arrow-points, drills, and spears of flint
were also in the collection.

Returning through the wood from the ridge, we passed to
a lower level, which has the appearance of having been partly
cleared, and were shown a partially walled-up excavation
about fifteen feet square, evidently the cellar of a primitive
log cabin of some early hunter or pioneer. Near by, in a ra-
vine, is an excellent spring, which probably furnished water to
this lone resident of the forest.

It is known that large numbers of Indians of the Six Na-
tions frequently visited Sir William Johnson at Fort Johnson,
many of whom undoubtedly found rude shelter on the flats
and in the woods around his mansion, but it must be remem-
bered that the savage visitors, at that period, had been
familiar with firearms and metal tools for more than a century,
and the finding of rude flint implements in this locality would
seem to indicate a previous occupation. The surroundings are
of the character usually chosen by the Mohawks for their vil-
lages and hunting-grounds, namely, streams, springs, wooded

128 The Mohawk Valley

hills, and extensive flats for their rude husbandry. The only
ford across the Mohawk for miles east or west in close prox-
imity to the valley of the Kayaderos Creek, together with the
extensive flat lands in this vicinity and fertile islands in mid-
stream, would also seem to point to this locality as a place of
probable occupation by the early Mohawks, although it may
or may not have been a palisaded castle.

All the land from Steadwell Avenue for six miles along the
Mohawk west and for a mile and a half north was comprised
in what was called the Wilson and Abeel patent. This
patent was one of the earliest transfers of land in the town of
Amsterdam, being dated February 22, 1706. This property
came into the hands of William Johnson soon after he estab-
lished " Johnson settlement " (afterwards Warrensbush) on
the south bank of the Mohawk, about one-half mile below the
river bridge at Amsterdam, in 1738.

It would seem from a letter to his uncle and patron, Sir
Peter Warren, dated May 10, 1739, that his purchase was
made previous to that date, and that it displeased Sir Peter,
who feared he would remove there and neglect the store at
the settlement.

Johnson wrote to him that he had no design of removing
to his new purchase, having made it, he said, for the purpose
of securing a valuable water-power, on which he proposed
erecting a grist mill. In less than three years, however,
Johnson erected the Fort Johnson mansion and removed his
family to it.

The first covering to the roof of Fort Johnson was prob-
ably of shingles, as Johnson did not order the lead covering,
which was purchased in London, until the year 1749. When-
ever I look at that old stone building, my thoughts revert to
the time when, as a young man of twenty-four years, he
selected this spot to build himself a home, and I wonder, for

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Guy Park and Fort Johnson 131

whom did he build it ? Was it for Catherine, his housekeeper,
or maid-of-all-work, to whom, at this period, he was not
married, or was it for a home for the young girl he loved in
the little Irish town which was his birthplace ?

In the early years of his manhood he had fallen in love
with a pretty Irish girl. History is silent about her name or
family. We are merely told that " at the age of twenty-two
he fell in love with a young girl whom his parents would not
permit him to marry." Sir Peter Warren, his uncle, hearing
of his experience, offered him the position of agent of his re-
cently acquired estate on the Mohawk River, comprising what
is now known as the town of Florida. Perhaps this offer
came when he was depressed at the thought of never being
able to marry the girl of his choice, and in a fit of despon-
dency he accepted it as an opportunity to bury himself in the
wilds of the New World, and perhaps make for himself a name
and a fortune. He is described as being a tall, robust young
man, full of animal life and spirits, manly and commanding
in his deportment. Arriving at the port of New York, in
1738, he immediately found his way to the valley of the Mo-
hawk, and the same year erected a storehouse and dwelling on
his uncle's estate, near the present residence of Walter Major,
east of the river bridge in the city of Amsterdam. It was to
this dwelling that he brought Catherine Weisenberg, whom he
had purchased of his neighbor, Lewis Phillips, for sixteen
pounds. It is said that at some period before her death he
married her, but no record of their marriage has ever been
found, although he speaks of her in his will as my beloved
wife Catherine.

The old building at Fort Johnson stands to-day, a monu-
ment to the pluck, energy, and ambition of young William
Johnson, and will undoubtedly remain as such after his
wooden baronial mansion at Johnstown has crumbled to dust.

132 The Mohawk Valley

Very few historians have given any extended account of his
early life at Warrensbush ; in fact, very little is known, except
what can be gathered from a few letters from his uncle. Sir
Peter Warren. That he erected a storehouse at Warrensbush
and engaged in trade with the Indians and white settlers, is
well known, and that he also had charge of the estate, and oc-
cupied himself in selling lots or farms, and in the arduous
labor of clearing the land of the forests, are matters of record.
From a letters dated Boston, November 20, 1738, from Sir
Peter to William Johnson, we learn that in addition to form-
ing settlements for his uncle, he was also clearing land for
himself. The letter advises him that, " the smaller the farms,
the more land that will be sold, and the better the improve-
ment will be. I hope you will plant an orchard in the
spring." " As you have great help now, you will girdle many
trees." In a note in W. L. Stone's Life of SirWilliam jfohn-
soji, the method of gridling trees is described :

The operation consists in making a deep circular cut around the
trunk of large trees, which draws off the sap and causes the trees
to die in the course of a couple of years. The trunks and limbs
becoming dry, are readily subject to the action of fire, and the
foresters are thereby often relieved of much heavy labor, while by
the absence of foliage, the earth has already been partially warmed
by the sun, and is in respect of decaying roots, rendered much
easier of cultivation.

One of the sources of revenue of the colonist was potash,
obtained by burning forest trees that were cut down to clear
the land, and leaching the wood ashes. An average of two
tons to the acre was obtained. A market for the potash was
found in Europe, at a fair price. J

Both W. L. Stone and W. S. Griffis made statements in 1

regard to William Johnson at this period of his life which are
not correct. Stone merely quotes from a statement made by

Guy Park and Fort Johnson 133

the late Thomas Sammons, but does not endorse it. Sam-
mons's statement, which Griffis repeats, was that " young
Johnson was wont to ride to mill on horseback to Caughna-
waea, distant from Warrensbush fifteen miles." Griffis
writes of this period: " That his [Johnson's] eye was keenly
open to every new advantage or possibility of progress was
seen in his buying, as early as 1739, after one year's residence
in the valley, a lot of land across the Mohawk [the Fort
Johnson property] on which ran a stream of water, the Chuc-
tanunda Creek [?],with abundance of potential mill power. To
ride horseback with bags fifteen miles to Caughnawaga [?]
every time meal was needed, was too much loss of time."
The facts are these : Lewis Groot's mill at Cranesville was only
two miles from Warrensbush, and was established in 1730.
Caughnawaga was only ten miles away, instead of fifteen, and
did not have a grist mill until after 175 1, which was the date
that Dowe Fonda moved from Schenectady to the place after-
wards known as Dutch Caughnawaga. As Johnson erected his
grist mill at Fort Johnson in 1744, and Groot's mill, built in
1730, the only grist mill west of the Schenectady patent, was
only two miles away, it is plain that Griffis's statements are
somewhat mixed.

The settlement on the Kayaderos Creek was formerly
called Mount Johnson, but when the place was threatened by
the French, in 1755, it was fortified, and in 1756 named Fort
Johnson, During the last few years the place has been called
Akin. While we can appreciate the desire of a family to per-
petuate its name, we cannot help a feeling of regret that this
old, historic spot, from which Sir William Johnson ruled the
savage Iroquois, does not continue to bear the name which he
gave it, and by which it was known for a century and a half.

It was on these flats that William Johnson first met Molly
Brant (whose home was at the Canajoharie Castle). W. L.

134 The Mohawk Valley

Stone gives the date of this meeting as 1746, Griffis, 1759.
The former date is nearer correct. Stone assumes that Cath-
erine was dead at that date, because she was not mentioned
in a letter written by Mr. James Wilson, of Albany, dated
November 26, 1745, inviting William Johnson to make his
home at his (Wilson's) mother's house, until all fears of
French invasion were dispelled. Stone says: " The entire
silence of this letter in regard to Mrs. Johnson, and the ap-
propriation of only a single room for his occupancy, induces
the supposition that she must have died previous to the time
when it was written. Still this is merely conjectural, and, to
say the truth, but little can be ascertained respecting Mr-
Johnson's domestic relations for several years of this portion
of his life.

An examination of the records at the Montgomery County-
clerk's ofifice at Fonda, in order to ascertain what disposition
was made of the lands of Sir John Johnson, Colonel Guy
Johnson, and Daniel Claus, reveals the following facts : First,
that the Guy Park mile square was formerly the Hoofe patent,
granted to Henry Hoofe December 12, 1727, and the Daniel
Claus property and the Fort Johnson mile square were parts
of the Wilson and Abeel patent, granted to Ebenezer Wilson
and John Abeel, the father of the celebrated half-breed Corn-
planter who was on General Washington's staff during the
Revolution. This patent was granted February 22, 1706, but
it is thought that the patentees did not settle on it. The
records show that it was subsequently included in the Kings-
land or Royal Grant to Sir William Johnson.

We are unable to find the name of the purchaser of the
Fort Johnson property from the commissioners of forfeiture,
but we find that in 1800 the property belonged to Jacob C.
Cuyler and John C. Cuyler, who sold to Jeremiah Schuyler
on February 22, 18 17. Schuyler conveyed to John J. Van

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PUBLIC LQRAR^^.

ASTOR, lENOX AND

Guy Park and Fort Johnson 137

Schaick, January 8, 1820; Van Schaick to George Maxwell,
December 14, 1824; Maxwell to George Smith, January 26,
1826. George Smith died intestate August 26, 1828; the
property was then divided into nine parcels and all sold be-
tween 1836 and 1844.

The Fort Johnson mansion and the land adjoining was pur-
chased by Dr. Oliver Davidson, and subsequently sold to
Almarin Young, who afterwards sold it to the present owner,
Ethan Akin.

The Daniel Claus property, which embraced about eight
hundred acres, was sold by the commissioner of forfeiture to
James Caldwell, October 16, 1786.

Guy Park was conveyed by the commissioners to John
Taylor and James Caldwell, who conveyed to Daniel Miles,
July 6, 1 790; Miles conveyed to Sarah and James McGorck
in 1800 ; McGorck to John V. Henry in 1805 ; John V. Henry
to Henry Bayard; Bayard to James Stewart in 1845 or 46.

After the flight of the Johnsons and previous to the act of
attainder and confiscation in 1779, the Fort Johnson mansion
was occupied by Albert H. Vedder, the Daniel Claus residence
by Col. John Harper, and Guy Park by Henry Kennedy.

Guy Park was built in 1766 and was originally constructed
of wood. It is said that this building was burned by being
struck by lightning and was replaced with the present stone
structure or, rather, the main part of it. In general appearance
and construction it was similar to the mansion at Fort John-
son, being well built with irregular blocks of limestone and the
usual substantial walls, having the deep recessed windows that
are so often seen in Colonial buildings. The roof was four
square and must have had the same appearance as the former
roof of Queen Anne's parsonage at Fort Hunter. The ap-
pearance of the front and rear of the house was similar, both
having a long, wide piazza. A wide hall ran through the

138 The Mohawk Valley

centre of the house, broad, winding stairs leading to the broad
hall of the floor above. The rooms were spacious and well
finished, with panelled wainscoting, and must have impressed
the beholder in those primitive days with the thought of
grandeur. We may try as much as we can to imagine that it
was constructed on the same general plan as Fort Johnson,
still there was something about its proportions that must have
made it more pleasing to the eye than that sombre building.

Mr. James Stewart must have been a man of taste, and
had a proper conception of the fitness of things when he made
the necessary changes in the building after purchasing it.
While retaining the old building he made such changes and
additions to it that to-day it is one of the most attractive and
I might say the only colonial mansion in the Mohawk Valley.
There are a few other old buildings, but none of them impresses
one at once with both age and beauty as this one does.
Surrounded as it is by green fields and stately elms, and with a
background of the Mohawk with its wooded islands and the
hills w.ith their evergreen slopes, one would almost expect to
see the birchen canoe of the painted Mohawk gliding by, or
hear the war cry of the Algonquin in the woods in the rear,
were it not for the rattle and roar and rumble of the Empire
State express, while the West Shore on the opposite bank
adds to the uproar with shrieks that would make the red man
green with envy.

J. R. Simms, in Frontiersmen, speaks of a visit to this
building and of a conversation with Henry Bayard in 1846,
who was then the owner and occupant. " After the revolu-
tion it was for years a public house known as a stage house.
The front room on the east side of the hall was the bar room.
While occupied as an inn the house was literally surrounded
by sheds — a custom of the times — to accommodate the large
wagons then transporting merchandise and produce."

Guy Park and Fort Johnson 139

The building is said to have been built by mechanics from
Europe, probably by Samuel Fuller, the architect of Johnson
Hall, Johnstown.

Tradition says that in one of the rooms at Guy Park a
ghost resembling the then deceased wife of Guy Johnson oc-
casionally appeared, to the great annoyance of the credulous
Kennedy family. Even in the daytime they were more than
once alarmed. About this time a German, a stranger to the
family, called there and seemed very much interested in the
ghost story and expressed a willingness to pass the night in
the " spook room," asking if the spook resembled Guy John-
son's wife. Being told that it did and receiving permission to
occupy the room at night he retired early, saying that he was
well armed. Before daylight a commotion was heard in the
haunted room followed by the report of a pistol.

The family thus aroused procured a light and upon enter-
ing the room found the stranger up and dressed. He de-
clared he had seen or heard the ghost and had discharged his
pistol at it. He concluded that he would not go to bed
again, ordered his horse and left before daylight, saying on
his departure that the family would not again be annoyed by
that ghost, and it never was.

The mystery of the ghost has been thus explained. Many
valuable articles were undoubtedly left behind by the Tories
in their hurried flight to Canada, who expected to soon return
and recover them, but when they found the prospect of return
cut off they attempted to obtain them through the mystery
of superstition. An attempt was made by a female agent,
who was thought to be the ghost of Guy Johnson's wife, to
obtain possession of family treasures by taking advantage of
the credulity of the occupants of the building, but she not
succeeding a male agent was employed with greater success.
Through Mrs. James Stewart, in 1^79, Mr. Simms, in company

I40 The Mohawk Valley

with Geo. S. Devendorf, obtained a key to this mystery.
On the west side of the hall were two rooms. In the corner
room on its west side was a fireplace of the large old-
fashioned kind, and on each side of it the room was wains-
coted in panels from floor to ceiling. The space over the
mantel was also covered with carved panelling. In this ceiling,
on each side of the fireplace, were small closets several inches
deep and several feet long with a door which closed with a
secret spring. In one or both of these, it is supposed, were
placed some valuable papers and jewelry, of which the
stranger was undoubtedly aware, and was also familiar with
the secret spring. Having once gained access to the room and
obtaining possession of the treasures he departed, and having
no more use for the ghost it departed also.

When Mr. James Stewart remodelled that part of the
house the chimney was removed and with it the ceiling,
not only disclosing but forever destroying those little secret
chambers.

The floors of this building are all of pitch pine and the
house for the period was exceedingly well constructed. It is
said that at a subsequent period a quantity of leaden window
weights were found buried in the orchard west of the house^
probably put there to prevent the Whigs from using them
to mould into bullets.

Mary Johnson, daughter of Sir William, married Lieut.
Guy Johnson in the spring of 1763. He was born in Ireland,
was a nephew of the baronet and came to live with him early
in life. He was long associated with Sir William as his dep-
uty; and was made commissioner of the Indians at Sir Wil-
liam's death in 1774. He, too, went to Canada prior to the
flight of Sir John and his retainers. He died in London
March 5, 1788, whither he had gone in straitened circum-
stances to petition for relief, in lieu of his forfeited estates in

Guy Park and Fort Johnson 141

Tryon County. His wife is said to have died in Canada a
short time after she went there.

An item in the will of Sir William Johnson defines the wes-
tern boundary of the original Guy Park mile square and the
eastern and western boundary of Colonel Claus's estate. He
bequeaths to " Daniel Claus the tract of land where he now
lives, viz., from Dove Kill to the creek which lies about four
hundred yards to the northward (westward) of the now dwel-
ling-place of Colonel Guy Johnson." (The Guy Park man-
sion.) About eight hundred acres.

The creek called Dove Kill crosses the turnpike near the
residence of Obediah Wilde at Fort Johnson, the other creek
spoken of (which had been erroneously called Dove Creek)
runs near the dwelling-place of the late Abram Marcellus on
the Boulevard.

The Fort Johnson tract was originally a mile square and
was conveyed as such by the successive owners until after
1836, when it was divided by the heirs of George Smith into
nine parcels and sold between 1836 and 1844.

At present about twenty acres of land and the stone man-
sion is all that is left of the Fort Johnson mile square.

It is said that when the stone mansion was built in 1743 it
was called Mount Johnson, at which time a grist mill was
erected. A portion of the walls of this mill has in late years
been incorporated in a part of the Morris mills in the rear of
the Fort Johnson building. Harold Frederic's description (in
his book In the Vallej) of the place in 1757, after it was for-
tified, is undoubtedly correct. He makes his hero say: " It
could not be seen from the intervening hills, but so important
was the fact of its presence to me that I never looked east-
ward without seeming to behold its gray stone walls with their
windows and loopholes, its stockade of logs, its two little
houses on either side, its barracks for the guard upon the ridge

142 The Mohawk Valley

back of the grist mill, and its accustomed groups of grinning
black slaves, all eyeballs and white teeth, of saturnine Indians
in blankets, and of bold-faced traders," to say nothing of
squaws and children.

There were always plenty of squaws and children at the
fort in war time, as Sir William often took care of the families
of the warriors when they were on the war path.

Did you ever hear of an Indian working ? Can you im-
agine an Indian making mortar or carrying a hod or perhaps
digging a trench ?

An article in one of the daily papers, however, a few days
ago, said that Poles and Indians were employed to pick the
cranberry crop in Wisconsin. The Indians move their tepees
and families, and were liked better as laborers than the Poles,
because they took whatever pay was given them without
grumbling, but would not begin work before nine o'clock and
would quit at four, no matter how pressing the work was, and
would pay no attention to the orders of the overseers.

Fort Johnson has its ghost story also, although in this case
its color was black instead of white, and is now supposed to
have been one of Sir John Johnson's slaves, who probably re-
turned to obtain valuables that had been left behind at the
flight of the household.

Mr, Almarin T. Young, who was born at Fort Johnson in
1852, says that the northwest room in the rear of the house
upstairs was always called the " spook room," and as a child
he never went inside of it.

The interior and exterior are practically the same as when
vacated by Sir John Johnson. Of course its stockade of logs
that formerly surrounded the building and the two little forts
in front were destroyed years ago, probably soon after the last
French War, but the house presents the same appearance that
it did when erected. The covering of the roof has been re-

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PUBLIC LIBKARYJ

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Guy Park and Fort Johnson 145

placed by one of substantial slate, but the old timbers and the
high peak and dormer windows with their small panes of glass
have been retained. The size of the building is forty feet deep
by sixty feet front and rear, two stories high, with lofty attic.

A broad hall extends from front to rear, with large rooms
on each side, which, together with the hall, are ceiled with pan-
elled wainscoting. The stairs, with their slim balusters and
diminutive hand rail of mahogany, would detract somewhat
from the spacious hall and the grand room on the west, if we
did not know that they were only another evidence of the
colonial period.

We can easily imagine such a building being presided over
by a Dutch matron of colonial days, with snowy cap and ker-
chief, but the thought of Molly Brant and her dusky brood
and a crowd of her slovenly relatives scattered through these
grand rooms seems somewhat out of place.

One Sunday morning in December, when the sky was
dropping huge flakes of snow, which vanished as they fell on
the wet, muddy streets of the city, but emphasized the bright
green of the belated spears of grass among which they lodged,
I accepted the kind invitation of Mr. Theron Akin to visit the
old Fort Johnson mansion left vacant by the family of his
father, Mr. Ethan Akin, in its annual flitting to more con-
genial quarters in New York City.

On such an errand it would have been more in keeping,
perhaps, if we had trudged along on foot or horseback, rather
than to have taken passage in an electric car of the nineteenth
century. Being a very stormy Sunday the little hamlet was
quiet, and no human being was visible except ourselves when
we passed the gate and up under the bare branches of the aged
trees in the grove in front of the house, the gray walls of
which frowned upon us as though they were aware of their
antiquity.

146 The Mohawk Valley

Approaching the front of the house we paused a moment
to gaze on the slab of brown stone in front of the main en-
trance, the edges of which had been dressed by a carver's
chisel into an ovolo moulding, giving the slab the appearance
of having been prepared for the top of a small tomb or sarco-
phagus such as are frequently seen in old cemeteries. For
whom beside Catherine Weisenburg would Sir William have
prepared this stone ? The man who discovers her grave (which
is supposed to be somewhere near the west side of the build-
ing) would deserve and receive the praise of the antiquarians
of the Mohawk Valley.

We enter the house from the rear or north side, and
pass at once into a broad hall which extends from front to
rear. We have heard no sound since alighting from the car,
except our own voices, the swish of the waters of the Kaya-
deros swelled to a torrent, the soughing of the trees, and
the dismal drip, drip, drip of the storm without. The closed
shutters, the dreary appearance of a house unoccupied, and
the antique appearance of the surroundings carry me back a
century and a quarter to the flight of the household of Sir
John Johnson, and, as I become more accustomed to the dim
light, I almost expect to see a scarlet coat with gilt lace and
the blanket or moccasin of an Indian, hurriedly left behind.

This hall is grand in its proportions, being thirty-five feet
long, fifteen feet wide, and perhaps ten feet high, with pan-
elled walls and broad oaken stairway with plain mahogany bal-
luster and rail leading to the lofty attic above.

The large room on the west side of the hall, with its lofty
panelled walls and broad, deep windows, seems to have been,
and undoubtedly was, a room built for Sir William's use, his
reception-room.

And I almost expected to see him seated at his desk in the
centre, with implements of war and the chase adorning the

-fW.

Guy Park and Fort Johnson 149

walls, giving audience to the rude soldiers and savages of
those primitive days. Opposite this room is another room of
nearly the same dimensions, but having the appearance of be-
ing designed for a parlor or drawing-room. Back of these
rooms are two long, narrow rooms whose dimensions seem to
have been sacrificed to swell the size of the grand rooms in
front.

The rooms and hall on the second floor correspond with
those below except that the panelling is confined to one end
of the room and forms closets on each side of the wide and
deep chimney, and seems to suggest some secret recess or
closets the same as were found in the Guy Park mansion. In
the southeast room is found a quaint addition to the fire-
place— a primitive cast-iron heating apparatus which is prac-
tically an open iron fireplace, and bears on its face these
words :

Ross and Bird's Hibernian Furnace, 1783.

The two long and narrow rooms in the rear are dreary with
their bare, white, plaster walls and low, dark wainscoting of
cherry birch. The windows are broad and deep, the sash with
small panes of glass, and covered with inside shutters of
cherry birch. One of these rooms, the northwest, is the
haunted room spoken of before, but what particular antics the
ghosts perform I have been unable to ascertain.

I found the lofty attic very interesting indeed. Its large
size and massive timbers, its two rows of dormer windows
and lofty peak, its floor made of broad boards (from twelve to
fifteen inches wide), the rough, hand-made wrought nails, the
bare chimneys of small Holland brick, and the " lookout "
window at the very peak, made a fitting sujDerstructure to the
quaint rooms below.

150 The Mohawk Valley

The roof was formerly covered with sheet lead, which wfH
account for the heavy timber used in its construction. This
lead, together with the window weights, was used for bullets
during the Revolution. The lead covering of the roof was re-
placed with shingles, but the window weights were never re-
placed. Subsequently the shingles were replaced by the
substantial slate roof of the present day.

From the attic we descended to the cellar. When the
building was constructed about one-third of the cellar was
used as a kitchen and separated from it by a thick stone wall,
making a room of about twenty by thirty feet. On the east
side was a massive brick oven and fireplace, used for cooking.
The floor of the kitchen was covered with stone slabs and the
room was lighted by the door and two small windows about
twenty inches high. The four large chimneys are supported
by arches about five feet high, four feet wide, and four feet
deep. These arches or vaults were closed by massive wooden
doors and used for various purposes. At some time, probably
when the house was constructed, a narrow room about thirty
feet long and fifteen feet wide was cut off from the main cellar
and very likely used as a dining-room for the servants. The
descent into the cellar was made by a steep, winding stair,
and probably was not used very often, as the kitchen was en-
tered from the outside.

I have often wondered why tradition did not point to some
tragedy connected with this old building, but recently I have
found one of murder with all its horrors. It comes to me from
two sources, both agreeing on the main points.

Sometime near the beginning of the present century a
building used as a store stood where Mr. Shepard's residence
stands now, on the corner east of the creek, about opposite
Fort Johnson.

This building was afterwards removed to Amsterdam vil-

Map of Schenectady in 1695.— Rev. John Miller.

( Original in B'ifist Muvum. I

Explanation.

8 The block house designed for
! I P>!ocJc house*. ^" church

2 '. Rivets r«n«ing beside y' Fort. ^^^- ^^^^^^ jj^^ ^herr.

:5.5. Indians Wigwam.. 9-9. \^^,^_ .

4. Kbg s^afF. ^^ ^ barn.

5. Cenuy »>ox. ' yhe treble stockadoe*.

'> -I'Y 'ft- . ,, ,4*. The Fort Gates.

7 ,7.7. Sues for h<^. iz.ii-

151

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Guy Park and Fort Johnson 153

lage and erected on a lot east of the sand hole on West Main
Street. It was a low, one-and-a-half-story house, with square,
white pillars in front, the main part of the house being
painted an impossible shade of heliotrope.

Tradition says that a poor, worthless fellow, somewhat
under the influence of liquor, went into the store one night
and got into a quarrel with the storekeeper, who, in a fit of
anger, struck the fellow on the head with a poker. The fellow
staggered out of the store into the darkness of the night.

A friend of the storekeeper who was present when the blow
was struck said to him : " That was a terrible blow you struck
that fellow; you had better go out and see what has become
of him."

He did so, and found him a short distance away, dead.
With the assistance of his friend the body was carried to Fort
Johnson, his residence, placed in the cellar and in a cask of
whiskey until the ice in the river broke up, when it was rolled
to the river and sent floating on its way to the sea.

The other version is as follows:

The drunken fellow, whose name is said to have been Joe
Burke, instead of being struck with a poker, struck the store-
keeper and fled, pursued by the angry merchant with a gun,
who saw the fellow enter Fort Johnson and pass up the stairs
toward the attic. Just as Burke reached the attic stairs the
merchant fired and killed him, his blood spattering the stair-
casing. The body was removed to the cellar and buried under
one of the vaults, which was probably used for storing spiritu-
ous liquors. The matter was hushed up and is only known
now by tradition.

Leaving this gruesome tale with you to receive or reject,
I will tell another story which has the element of comedy in
it instead of tragedy. It is said that a daughter of Dr.
Oliver Davidson, at one time an owner and occupant of Fort

154 The Mohawk Valley ,

Johnson, wrote the following poem, which many persons who
read this may remember to have heard in their youth :

SALE OF OLD BACHELORS.

I dreamed a dream in the midst of my slumbers,
And as fast as I dreamed it was coined into numbers;
My thoughts ran along in such beautiful metre
I 'm sure I ne'er saw any poetry sweeter.
It seemed that a law had been recently made,
That a tax on old bachelors' pates should be laid.
And in order to make them all willing to marry
The tax was as large as they could well carry.

The bachelors grumbled and said, " 'T was no use, ^ • " - ^
'T was horrid injustice and cruel abuse."

And declared that to save their own heart's blood from spilling
Of such a vile tax they would ne'er pay a shilling.

But the rulers determined their scheme to pursue,
So they set the old bachelors up at vendue.
A crier was sent through the town to and fro
To rattle his bell and his trumpet to blow,
And to call out aloud as he went on his way
" Ho! forty old bachelors sold here to-day! "

And presently all the old maids of the town,

Each one in her very best bonnet and gown,

From thirty to sixty, fair, ruddy, and pale,

Of every description, all flocked to the sale.

The auctioneer then at his labor began

And cried out aloud, as he held up a man,

" How much for a bachelor! Who wants to buy ? "

In a twinkle each maiden responded, "I! I! "

In short, at a highly extravagant price

The bachelors were all sold off in a trice.

And forty old maidens, some younger, some older,

Each lugged an old bachelor home on her shoulder.

Chapter X

In the Old Town of Amsterdam

IN order to ascertain the names of the first purchasers of
land in the city and town of Amsterdam I have found it
necessary to go back to the township of Schenectady and
its first patent. This patent granted sixteen miles (on
both sides of the river above and below the present city) of
the Great Flats or Mohawk Flats as the lowlands were then
called. These flats, being cleared and free from timber and of
very rich soil, were all ready for the plough and eagerly sought
for by the settlers. At the time of the first settlement the
land immediately surrounding the stockade was divided into
house lots and bouwlands, which were apportioned to each
of the fourteen settlers. Later the hindmost lands were
taken up as farms, and about i68o and subsequent to that
date the great flats were disposed of to others who wished to
locate near the settlement. Gradually the settlers crept up
along the river until they reached the limit of the Schenectady
patent. At this extreme limit on the north side we found
the twenty acres granted Geraldus Cambefort or Comfort
April 22, 1703. Only twenty acres of flat land was conveyed
by this grant, but it was generally understood that the settler
could take as much woodland in the rear as he cared to ap-
propriate. Next came the lands of Philip Groot at Cranes-
ville, formerly called Claas Gravenshoek, or, by the natives,
Adriucha. This included all the flats and islands between
Lewis Creek and Eva's-kill about one mile, and as far north as
he should choose to take.

155

156 The Mohawk Valley

This patent was issued by Governor Dongan in 1687 to
Hendrick Cuyler for flatlands and uplands at " Claas Graven-
shoek. " After Cuyler's death, Ann Cuyler, his widow, and
John, his eldest son, sold the same to Carel Hanson Toll for
;i^i8o ($360 in those days).

Philip Groot bought this land in 171 5 of Toll and was suc-
ceeded by his son Lewis. It remained in the Groot family
until within a few years. It is now in possession of Francis
Morris.

Lewis Groot, about 1798, in his testimony before the com-
mission appointed to settle the dispute between the proprie-
tors of the Schenectady and Kayaderosseras Patents, said that
Comfort's patent extended west to the creek on which Groot's
mill stood (Lewis Creek). Comfort was living as late as 1720.

Lord Cornbury, governor of the province, in 1703 granted
Comfortor Cambefort, a patent for twenty acres of land and
the " hindermost woodland," as the land back of the flat
was then called.

In 1707 Comfort conveyed this land to Carel Hanson Toll,
who conveyed it to his son-in-law, Johannes Van Eps. It is
said that at this time Toll owned all of the flats on the north
side of the Mohawk west of Schenectady and east of Philip
Groot's place, Adriucha.

On the south side of the river the same method was pur-
sued until we came to the Willegen Vlachte (Willow Flats).

Pieter Danielse Van O'Linda's name is found on the petition
for the Schenectady charter in 1663, and is one of the few who
wrote his own name. Cornelius Antonisse Van Slyke, alias
Broer Cornelius, is said to have married a Mohawk Indian
woman, by whom he had several children, — three sons, Jacques,
Marten, and Cornelius, and two daughters, Hilletie and Lea.
He died in 1676. Jacques received grants from the Indians as
his right from his mother, the Mohawk woman. Pieter Van

L5<^^*5!!^>»>r^C<^tVEflkk<\ i^ '

WINTER ON THE EVAS-KILL ROAD, CRANESVILLE

157

\ ^^t'

In the Old Town of Amsterdam 159

Olinda, spoken of above, married Hilletie Cornelise Van
Slyke, the Mohawk half-breed, through whom he received
valuable grants of land, among which was half of the Willow
Flats below Port Jackson, which was occupied by their descen-
dants until within a few years. This land was east of and ad-
joining the old Phillips place at the two locks about opposite
Cranesville. He died in 171 5, leaving the Willows to Jacob
Van Olinda, who married Eva, daughter of Claus DeGraaf.
Hilletie, though born and brought up among the Mohawks
near Canajoharie, (Indian Castle) was soon separated from
them and received the rudiments of a Christian education in
Albany and Schenectady. She made an excellent use of her
advantages, and is spoken of as an estimable woman. Her
story is very interesting.

She was born of a Christian father (Van Slyke) and an Indian
mother of the Mohawk tribes. Her mother remained in the country
and lived among the Mohawks, and she lived with her the same as
Indians live together. Her mother would never listen to anything
about Christians, as it was against her heart from an inward un-
founded hate. As Hilletie sometimes went among the whites to
trade, some of the Christians took a fancy to the girl, discovering
more resemblance to the Christians than the Indians, and wished to
take her and bring her up, but her mother would not let her go.
The little daughter had no disposition to go at first, but she felt a
great inclination and love in her heart to those who spoke to her
about Christ and the Christian religion. Her mother observed it
and grew to hate her and finally drove her from her forest home.
She went to those who had solicited her to come so long. She had
a particular desire to learn to read and finally made her profession
and was baptized.

Philip Phillipse de Moer married Elizabeth, daughter of
Harmon Ganzevoort, of Albany, about 1685, and soon after
took up his residence in the township of Schenectady. He
owned or leased a portion of the sixth flat on the north side of
the river next east of the Comfort Flat. In 1689 he ex-
changed with Claus Willemse Van CoppernoU for the west

i6o The Mohawk Valley

half of the Willegen Vlaghte, lying on the south side of the
river about one mile above Philip Groot's farm, which lay on
the north side. This was the other half of the Willow Flats
occupied by Pieter Van Olinda.

It is said of Philip Phillipse that when the news of the mas-
sacre of Schenectady reached the settlers along the river, he
fled with his family to the woods and lay concealed until the
French and Indians, fearing retaliation from the aroused
Dutchmen and their friends, the Mohawks, fled to Canada,
with the settlers in hot pursuit.

With Phillips during this season of horrors was his baby
boy, Lewis, who, when a man and engaged as a farmer and
Indian trader, sold Catherine Weisenburg to Wm. Johnson.
The true story as handed down in the traditions of the Phil-
lips family is interesting, even though stripped of the usual
embellishment of the stories of J. R. Simms.

It is said that about 1738, during one of Lewis Phillips's
periodical visits to New York for the purpose of replenishing
his supplies, he met among other emigrants who had lately
arrived by the slow-sailing vessels of those early days, a young
German girl, who importuned him to purchase her for service
in the usual manner, by paying the captain of the vessel for
her passage, which in this instance amounted to sixteen
pounds. After considering the matter some time, he con-
cluded to pay the sixteen pounds required and take the girl
home with him.

This he did, and upon arrival she was duly installed as
servant for this little family on the frontier. This servant girl
was Catherine Weisenburg, who in a short time attracted the
attention of William Johnson. It seems that Johnson was
willing to pay the amount that Phillips had paid for her, six-
teen pounds, and Phillips was willing that he should, and " he
got the gal."

INTERIOR OF OLD GROOT MILL, CRANESVILLE

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In the Old Town of Amsterdam 163

Mr, John Hubbs, a respected farmer in the town of
Florida, whose ancestors bought the farm he now occupies of
Wilh'am Johnson, being part of the Sir Peter Warren estate,
tells the following story about Sir William and his propensity
for practical joking. One day while yet he was living at Fort
Johnson, an Irishman, presuming on the fact of being of the
same nationality, applied to him for a job. They were stand-
ing under the trees in the yard at Fort Johnson, through
which ran the Kayaderos Creek. " What kind of a job
do you want ? " asked Sir William. " What can you do ? "
" Anything, sur," said the Celt. Sir William looked at him a
moment with a twinkle in his eye, and then said, pointing to
the rippling stream at their feet, " Do you see that creek ? "
" Yes, sur." " Well, I want you to follow that stream up
through the forest until you come to an Indian fishing. If
you find that he has caught any fish, bring them to me."
" All right, sur," said the Irishman, and straightway started
up the creek through the forest. After following the stream
for some distance he came in sight of an Indian fishing in a
little pool in the Hell Hollow ravine, with a good-sized string
of fish by his side.

Obeying the order of Sir William the Irishman approached
the Indian, picked up the fish, and started to return. As soon
as the red man recovered from his surprise he sprang to his feet
and seized the string of speckled beauties also. Then came
a war of words that neither could understand, which finally led
to blows and a rough and tumble fight, which resulted in the
Irishman being badly beaten and the Indian marching home
with the fish.

It is said that he concluded to look elsewhere for employ-
ment.

It would seem that Adam Vrooman, who made such a
strong defence of his house at the burning of Schenectady, and

1 64 The Mohawk Valley-

is said to be an ancestor of the late Mrs. Isaac Morris, the
mother of Abram Vrooman, John F. and Charles H. C. Mor-
ris, of this city, and Isaac Morris, of Johnstown, was granted
land on both sides of the Mohawk River at this place, as
follows:

Whereas, Rode ye Maquaase (Mohawk), sachem for divers con-
siderations, hath about three years agoe (1685) granted him (Adam
Vrooman) two flats or plains upon both sides of ye Maquaase river
above Hendrick Cuylers' land (Claas Graven hoek-— Cranesville)
containing eleven morgens \vh: said land doth lie near ye stone
house [Juchtanunda] so called by ye Indians, as ye go to the
Maquaase country and forty acres of woodland adjoining them.

The erant is further described as

being on both sides of the Mohawk river west of Claas Graven hoek
(as Cranesville was then called) on the south side ten morgens (20
acres) opposite a place called by Indians Juchtanunda (?) that is ye
stone house being a hollow rock on ye river bank where ye Indians
generally lie under when they travill to and from their country. The
other pieces on the north side of the river, one a little higher than
ye said hollow rock or stone house att a place called by ye natives
Syejodenawadde (?) and so eastward down the river so as to compre-
hend twelve morgens (24 acres). The other just above the marked
tree of Hendrick Cuyler (the owner of Claas Graven hoek) one
moro;en and three or four little islands.

'O^

In trying to locate the grant of the Mohawk Indian Rode,
to Adam Vrooman, I have taken the trouble to examine the
banks of the Mohawk from Claas Graven hoek up to Fort
Johnson, and the only place where cliffs or overhanging rocks
are to be found is at a point by the N. Y. C. R. R. freight
house, and from the Chuctanunda Creek up to the Atlas mill.
Back of the old Bronson mansion and the site of W. U. Chase's
blacksmith shop are to be found the only shelving rocks, and
also large masses of rock that have fallen from the cliff above,
indicating that at some previous period this point has been a

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THE DOORWAY OF OLD ST. MARY S

165

In the Old Town of Amsterdam 167

" juchtanunda," a stone house or hollow or overhanging
rock " where ye Indians generally lie under when they travill
to and from their country."

Now, in regard to the flats spoken of in this grant, an ex-
amination of the south side of the river discloses the fact that
the first flat west of Willow Flats is the ground now occupied
by the fifth ward ; the only islands not otherwise accounted for
are the four or five small " Bronson Islands " and the twelve
morgens (twenty-four acres) must have been the Bronson
Flats in the western part of the city of Amsterdam, together
with forty acres of woodland, and undoubtedly covered the
site of the village of Amsterdam.

This leads to another thought.

We have been taught that the meaning of Chuctanunda was
" twin sisters " and that it was applied to the north and south
Chuctanunda because they entered the Mohawk nearly oppo-
site each other. It is also said to mean stone-in-the-water.

Assuming that the definition of Juchtanunda (stone
houses, hollow rocks, or overhanging cliffs) is correct (and
from my authority I do not question it), it gives a different
significance to the name Chuctanunda as applied to our
creeks. That word is the name of the creek only secondarily,
as, the creeks near the Juchtanunda, the Juchtanunda creeks;
the resting-place or stone houses being paramount in the
minds of the Indians and the creeks of secondary importance
except as connected with their Juchtanunda, the only over-
hanging rocks on the Mohawk this side of Fort Hunter, until
you reach the conglomerate cliffs near Hoffman's Ferry.

The discovery of the old Vrooman grant is valuable in two
ways. It establishes a fact that has not been recorded in local
history, which is, that land was taken up in what is now the
city of Amsterdam in the seventeenth century, and brings to
light an important rendezvous of the Indians that had not

1 68 The Mohawk Valley

been suspected; that is, the Juchtanunda (Chuctanunda). It
establishes' the fact that our two creeks have never been
named by the Indians other than to call the creeks near the
Juchtanunda the creeks of the Juchtanunda, although the
name applied by the white man, the Twin Sisters, is truly
beautiful and appropriate.

If you will take the trouble to go down to the bank of the
Mohawk under the culvert west of Bridge Street and walk
along under the overhanging rocks to the west, you will be
convinced of the appropriateness of the term "Juchtanunda,"
or stone house.

About one hundred feet from the culvert you will come to
a mass of rock that is familiar to every boy who has played on
the river bank for the last half-century. It seems to have been
originally a piece of rock perhaps twenty feet square, which,
from its texture, must have been the upper course or ledge of
the cliff on which formerly stood the Welcome U. Chase black-
smith shop and the first Masonic lodge in Amsterdam, This
immense rock is broken in five pieces and remains where
it fell years ago. About two hundred feet farther up the
stream is the cliff on which stands the old Bronson mansion,
the upper ledge of which projects so far that twenty men
could lie under its shadow and be protected from the weather.
This stone house is divided into two parts, the farthermost
part being hid from sight by a projecting rock. Passing this
rock you find a spacious open room, in the centre of which,
from under twenty feet of solid rock, runs a bubbling spring
of water. Under these rocks, for ages, the storm-tossed sav-
age found shelter from the tempest, or a temporary home on
his fishing or warlike expeditions. Later it undoubtedly
sheltered the white and red boatmen overtaken by night with
their cargoes of merchandise or produce from the farms.

Abram Vrooman Morris, spoken of above, may well be

CUKIuUS \V1M)U\\', ULU KHLE HOUbE, .NhLLiblON, I752

169

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In the Old Town of Amsterdam 171

called a self-made man, and his life is closely woven with the
rise and progress of the city of Amsterdam. He never was a
poor boy, in comparison to the waif described in one of John
B, Gough's stories, who, when asked what kind of food he
liked best, replied, " A raw turnip, or a potato with a heart in
it, because it is more fillin' and stays in the stomach longer " ;
still, he had his own struggles, and learned early to take care
of himself, and by his pluck and energy secured a competence
in early manhood. He likes to tell of his life as a clerk for
William Reid, who kept a general store formerly situated on the
land at the southeast corner of Main and Bridge Streets. In
those early days a country store was expected to keep every-
thing, from a paper of pins to a barrel of flour, and from a box
of pills to a barrel of whiskey. As Mr. Reid's store was no
different from every country store, a barrel of whiskey,
a cask of wine, and a keg of brandy were always in evidence
in the rear of the store. Storekeepers were allowed to sell
spirits by measure, but not by the glass.

One day a worthless bummer sport came in and asked for
a quart of whiskey, at the same time producing a bottle to put
it in. The proprietor filled the same with whiskey, and
handed it to the w. b. s., who placed it in his pocket, saying
he would " pay for it to-morrow " ; but on Mr. Reid's refus-
ing to trust him, he took another bottle, like the first, out of
his pocket, filled with water, which the proprietor, supposing
it to be the bottle he had just filled, took and emptied into
the barrel of whiskey, while the w. b. s. went off with his
bottle of whiskey without paying for it. Query : Was anyone
a loser in the transaction ? An attempt to work the same
scheme a few days later, resulted in the discovery of the game,
and a rapid exit of the schemer.

Isaac Morris, the father of Abram Vrooman Morris, for-
merly kept quite an extensive shoe factory, for that period.

1 72

The Mohawk Valley

situated on the old Baptist Church lot, on Market Street, em-
ploying as many as twelve workmen. This building was sub-
sequently removed to a vacant lot on Spring Street, and was
known as the " Sandy Maginess house," which was afterward
torn down to make room for the Dersch Block, next to the
Pythian Temple. Mrs. Isaac Morris's maiden name was Jane
Vrooman. Like Van Corlear and Wemple, the name of Vroo-
man is prominent in the history of the Mohawk Valley ; but it
is only to-day, with the aid of Pearson's Schenectady Patent
and Simms's Frontiersmen of Neiv York, together with valu-
able information from Abram Vrooman Morris, that I feel
able to trace the lineage of the Vrooman family back to Hol-
land.

It is recorded that in the early part of the seventeenth cen-
tury three brothers named Pieter, Jacob, and Hendrick Meese
Vrooman came to New Netherland from Holland. Pieter
and Jacob settled in Albany and left no male descendants.
Hendrick, after living at Kinderhook and Steene Raby (Lan-
singburg), removed to Schenectady in 1677. At the Massacre
of Schenectady, February 9, 1690, Hendrick and his son
Bartholomew and his two negro slaves were killed and
burned, leaving two sons, Adam and Jan, to inherit his estate.
Adam was born in Holland in 1649, and in 1670 bound him-
self for two years to Cornelius Van den Bergh, of Albany
County, to learn the millwright's trade. In 1683 he built a
mill on the Sand-kil, east of Schenectady, where the
Brandywine mill now stands. In 1690, when Schenectady was
destroyed, he saved his life by his bravery in defending his
house, although his first wife, Engeltje, with her infant child,
was killed, and his two sons, Wouter and Barent, were carried
away to Canada. He married three times, his second wife be-
ing the widow of Jacques Cornelius Van Slyke, and the third,
Greitje Takelse Hemstraat. He had nine sons and four

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In the Old Town of Amsterdam 1 75

daughters. He seems to have been a large land owner, for
besides numerous lots in Schenectady he was granted a patent
for six hundred acres of land in Schoharie, in 1714, which was
occupied by his son Pieter and his descendants. On March
30, 1726, he obtained a new Indian title for fourteen hundred
acres of flats knows as Vrooman's Land, in the Schoharie
Valley.

On a previous page I stated that in 1688 he was granted an
Indian title for land comprising the present fifth ward of Am-
sterdam, and the Bronson Flats and woodlands in this vicinity.
It would seem as though Pieter was the only one of his sons
who followed his father to the Schoharie, some of them living
in Albany, others in Schenectady, Pieter died in 1771, leav-
ing twelve children, one of whom was Abraham Vrooman,
who persisted in writing his name Abram, He was the father
of Mrs, Isaac Morris, Sr,, and the grandfather of Abram
Vrooman Morris, who is his namesake,

J. R. Simms writes at considerable length of the ravages
of the Indians in what is known in history as the Massacre of
Schoharie, in August, 1780, He says in one place:

Th'e invaders, consisting of 73 Indians, almost naked, and five
tories — Benj. Beacraft, Frederick Sager, Walter Allet, one Thomp-
son, and a mulatto, commanded by Capt. Brant, approached Vroo-
man's land, in the vicinity of the upper fort, about 10 o'clock in the
mornincr. They entered the valley on the west side of the river,
above Onistagrawa, in three places; one party coming down from
the mountain near the late residence of Charles Watson; another
near the Jacob Haines place, then the residence of Capt. Tunis
Vrooman; and the third near the dwelling of the late Harmanus
Vrooman, at that time the residence of Col. Peter Vrooman, who
chanced to be with his family in the middle fort. Capt. Hager
being absent, the command of the upper fort devolved on Capt.
Tunis Vrooman. Capt. Vrooman, on the morning in question,
having returned home to secure some wheat, and Lieut. Ephraim
Vrooman, to whom the command next belonged having gone to his

176 The Mohawk Valley

farm soon after Capt. Vrooman left, he left Lieut. Harper with less
than a dozen men, to defend the post. Mrs. Ephraim Vrooman
also returned to her home to do her washing.

It is said that on that morning Capt. Tunis Vrooman and
his sons drew two loads of wheat to the barracks. The grain
had not all been pitched from the Avagon when he beheld ap-
proaching a party of hostile savages. He descended from the
barrack, not far from which he was tomahawked and scalped,
and had his throat cut by a Schoharie Indian named John,
who stood upon his shoulders while tearing off his scalp. His
wife, while washing in the farmhouse, was surprised and
stricken down. After the first blow from the tomahawk she
remained erect, but a second blow laid her dead at the feet of
the Indian, who scalped her, and three of the oldest boys,
with the blacks, were made captives. His son, Peter, would
probably have escaped had not one of the blacks made known
his place of concealment. Trying to escape, he was pursued
by the tory Beacraft, who caught him, and, placing his legs be-
tween his own, bent his head back and cut his throat, after
which he scalped him and hung his body across a fence.

Above I have told of Lieutenant Ephraim Vrooman
and his wife leaving the fort early in the morning for
their farmhouse. An Indian called Seth's Henry led a
party of the enemy to this dwelling. On hearing the alarm
Vrooman ran to the house, caught up his infant child, and
fled into a cornfield, followed by his wife leading her little
daughter. He seated himself against the trunk of a large
apple-tree, with his wife concealed a few rods from him in the
thrifty corn. His family would no doubt have remained un-
discovered, had not Mrs. Vrooman become alarmed, and
risen up with a cry, in low Dutch, " Ephraim, Ephraim,
where are you ? Have you got the child ? " Instantly, almost,
a bullet from Seth's Henry's rifle pierced her body, and as she

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In the Old Town of Amsterdam 179

lay on the ground he tomahawked and scalped her, and the
tory Beacraft killed her little daughter with a stone and drew
off her scalp. It is said that when the body of Mrs. Vrooman
was found, it was evident that she had partially revived and
tried to staunch the flow of blood from her breast, first with
her cap, afterwards with earth, having dug quite a hole in the
ground. Adam A. Vrooman fled from the Indians to the
upper fort, keeping the enemy at bay with his pistol, when
they came too near him. On his arrival at the fort he was
asked how he escaped, when he answered, " I pulled foot."
After that, to the day of his death, he was called " Pull Foot
Vrooman." His wife was made a prisoner. Simon Vrooman,
his' wife and three-year-old son, were taken prisoners also.

Abraham or Abram Vrooman, the grandfather of Abram
V. Morris, had a narrow escape from death or capture. Be-
ing in Vrooman's land with a wagon, on which was a hay rack,
he drove down through the valley and picked up several citi-
zens. At Judge Swart's he shouted to Mrs. Swart, " Cornelia,
jump into my wagon, the Indians are upon us." She ran to
the house, snatched her infant child from its cradle, and
reached the wagon with her husband just as the Indians ap-
peared at the dwelling. Vrooman, who had a powerful team,
did not stop to open the gates, but drove the horses directly
against and over them, and was fortunate enough to outstrip
the red savages, and escape to the middle fort.

At the time Seth's Henry killed Mrs. Ephraim Vrooman,
another powerful Indian, who was directed by her call to her
husband's place of concealment, approached him and thrust a
spear at his body, which he parried, and the infant in his arms
smiled. Another pass was made and parried, and the child
again smiled. At the third blow of the spear, which was also
warded off, the little innocent laughed aloud at the supposed
sport, which awakened the sympathy of the savage, and he

i8o The Mohawk Valley

made Vrooman a prisoner, also his sons and German workmen.
John Vrooman, his wife, and five children were also captured.

The destroyers of Vrooman's land proceeded in the after-
noon about fifteen miles and encamped for the night. The
scalps of the slain were stretched upon hoops and dried in the
presence of the relative prisoners. After travelling about six
miles Brant, who was in charge, permitted the wife of John
Vrooman, with her infant and one taken from Ephraim, to
return to the settlement. Col. Peter Vrooman, by his en-
ergetic defense of the middle fort, saved it from capture by
Sir John Johnson and his savages.

Of course, Simms has many tales to tell of other families of
Schoharie, who suffered death or capture by the savages; but
my purpose at this time is to follow the fortunes of the de-
scendants of Adam and Peter Vrooman, and to trace the line-
age of the mother of Abram V. Morris; as follows:

Hendrick Meese Vrooman.

Adam Vrooman.

Peter Vrooman.

Abram or Abraham Vrooman.

Jane Vrooman, the wife of Isaac Morris, Sr.

Isaac Morris's children were as follows:

Lewis, Abram V., Margaret, Tunis, Charles H. C, John
F., James Stewart, and Isaac Morris, Jr.

Chapter XI

The Last Battle between the Mohawks and Mohicans.
The Famous Butler Mansion

IN 1669, when no white man was seen along the shores of
the Mohawk, except a few adventurous Dutch and Eng-
Hsh traders, French coureurs-de-bois, and an occasional
Jesuit priest, a large body of Mohican warriors passed
through this valley en route to surprise and destroy their nat-
ural foes, the Mohawks, and their palisaded village Kanyea-
geh, which was situated on the Sand Flat Hill west of Fonda.
Three days after, this body of warriors returned, repulsed, and
practically defeated, as they had expended their ammunition,
consumed their food, and failed to destroy the Indian strong-
hold, although defended by a very small body of Mohawks.
Within twenty-four hours this small body of defenders, rein-
forced by friends from the upper Mohawk castles, passed down
the river in hot pursuit of their enemies, the Mohicans.

At Hoffman's Ferry they found them entrenched on the
hill west of the present ferry, now called Towereune or
Kinaquarione. This hill formerly extended to the river, end-
ing in a "juchtanunda" at the water's edge and formed a strong
natural barrier, which could not well be scaled. Quietly the
pursuing warriors ascended this range, in the vicinity of what
is known as Swart's Hill, fiercely and unexpectedly assailed
the Mohicans in the rear and drove them into their entrench-
ments, which they stubbornly held until darkness put an end

to the fight.

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1 82 The Mohawk Valley

At the first streak of dawn on the following day the Mo-
hawks again attacked their foes so fiercely that they drove
them from their entrenchments and into the river, where the
remnant of the tribe escaped in boats and by swimming. This
engagement is spoken of as the last great battle between the
Mohawks and the Mohicans. It is said that the latter tribe
left their hunting-grounds on the Hudson River and migrated
to Connecticut, from which place they did not return for more
than half a century.

The hill was called Towereune or Ki-na-qua-ri-o-ne,
which is generally understood to mean " The place of the last
great battle." I am indebted to Mrs. Harriet Maxwell Con-
verse for the following definition of words similar to the words
written above, received from an intelligent aged Mohawk
woman and an Abeniki woman, who speaks the Mohican.^

The definitions are very interesting, as they all bear on the
same subject :

Ke-na-kwa-di-one — We are going to kill them.

Ke-na-kwa-di-io-he-ne — I was going to kill them.

Ka-qua-ri-on-ne — Why did you not kill me, too, with my
people ?

Ki-na-qua-ri-o-ne — We killed the bear, or a place of death.

The old Mohawk woman says that the word, correctly
spelled, may mean a place of capture, or a hill where they
killed their enemy. The other spellings of the above are
thought by the Abeniki woman to be of Mohican origin.

The definition of Towereune is given as follows, and, you
will notice, refers to the same subject :

Ta-no-we-do-ne — We wanted to kill them.

Ka-na-ron-que — Those I loved best have gone (been
killed).

Tow-ire-en-ne — Place where Indians (or the enemy) were
killed.

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The Famous Butler Mansion 185

In 1689 and 1693 the French and Canadian Indians passed
up the valley and raided and destroyed the Mohawk castle at
Tiononderoga (Fort Hunter) and the castles above, returning
to Canada by the trail along the Juchtanunda Creek. In 1738
Sir William Johnson settled in Warrensbush on the south
side of the Mohawk, about half a mile below the mouth of the
Juchtanunda Creek, or, as Philip Schuyler reported in his
survey of the Mohawk in 1792, " one-half mile below the
creek on which Vedder's grist mill stands."

As early as 1742 Johnson had succeeded in winning the
confidence and affection of the Indians of the Six Nations,
which finally led to his appointment as Indian Commissioner,
and repeated conferences with the Indian tribes were held at
Mount Johnson. During the old French War troops were re-
peatedly seen passing to and fro between Albany and Mount
Johnson, sometimes on the south side, but generally on the
north side, of the Mohawk, War parties of Indians were
frequently organized by Mr. Johnson to harass the French set-
tlements in Canada. In June, 1779, fifteen hundred soldiers
under General James Clinton passed up the Mohawk, in two
hundred and ten bateaux, being part of General Sullivan's ex-
pedition against the Senecas.

From 1755 to 1765 repeated conferences were held with
the Indians at Fort Johnson, as it was then called. As early
as 1746 we find the name of John Butler connected with Sir
W. Johnson and frequently a member of the board of com-
missioners, sometimes as an interpreter.

Necessarily we find many objects of interest scattered
through this section of the Mohawk Valley, notably Queen
Anne's Chapel, Fort Johnson, Guy Park, and other old build-
ings.

Recently an old building has been brought to my notice that
has never received the attention that it deserves.

1 86 The Mohawk Valley

I refer to the old Butler house on Switzer Hill. The 17th
of June was an ideal day for a drive in the country, being
bright with sunlight and the air balmy with a western breeze,
so gentle that it might well be termed a zephyr. Our road led
us through Tribes Hill, whose original appellation was Trips
Hill and not Tripes Hill, as erroneously stated. The name
may be found on the Tryon map of 1779, ^^^ refers to the
original grant of that section, the northwest corner of which
joins the northeast corner of the Butler grant. The Butler
grant was conveyed December i, 1735, to Walter Butler and
three others. Passing by the many pleasant places in Tribes
Hill, among which are the Striker and Shanahan places and
the pleasant home of Dr. Suits, we reach the Young home-
stead. Turning north at the latter place our road winds over
hill and dale and along the banks of the Danascara Creek until
we come to the elegant home, and farm buildings of Mr. H.
T. E. Brower. From this point the road takes a westerly
direction with the Danascara ever in sight, past pleasant farm
houses and farms that present a thrifty appearance. About
thirty rods south of the junction of the Tribes Hill road with
a road leading from Fonda to Johnstown stands the old Butler
house, the former home of Capt. Walter Butler, Senior, and
later of his son, Col. John, of Wyoming notoriety, and grand-
son, Lieut. Walter Butler, Junior, who is remembered in con-
nection with the Cherry Valley massacre. Located a short
distance from the main road, it is approached by a driveway^
between rows of locust hedges, to a wide, well-kept lawn on
the west side of the house. At first sight the house presents
rather an incongruous appearance by its mingling of the new
with the old. but as we look closer we see that, while the old
does not add to the attractiveness of the new building, the
new emphasizes the antiquity of the old by contrast. In the
centre of the lawn is an old well with a modern pump, which

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has been substituted for the old weather-beaten well-box and
sweep from which formerly depended a traditional old moss-
covered oaken bucket. On the south edge of the lawn stands
a large locust tree whose abbreviated dead branches extend in
every direction. Near this tree a grape-vine grows, whose an-
aconda-like trunk has reached and enfolded this tree with its
snaky coils. But it does not, like its reptilian counterpart,
convey poisonous death in its embrace, but beautiful life, in its
bright green leaves and tendrils and promises of luscious fruit.

To the south of the locust is the fruit garden, filled with
the thrifty fruit trees indigenous to our cold climate, and a
suggestion of the south in the numerous fruitful peach-trees,
clustered in the bright sunlight. Here and there we see the
syringa, the rose, and the Joseph coat, with their green foliage
almost hidden by the luxuriance of the brilliant flowers that
cover their branches. And back of all this wealth of color
stands the gray, wooden walls of the old house, fairly gro-
tesque in its want of beauty of outline, and the poverty of its
ornamentation.

But these thoughts all vanished as we entered the house
and were greeted by the mistress, Miss Margaret Wilson, and
were at ease at once, from the cordiality of her reception.

The house was built in 1743 by Walter Butler, senior, the
father of Col. John Butler, about the same time that Sir Wm.
Johnson erected Fort Johnson, and from the known intimacy
between the two families must have been the scene of many a
revelry among those high livers.

A "lean-to" has been built on the west side of the house,
extending the already long angle of the old roof and at the same
time preserving the west side of the original building from the
ravages of time and the elements. This shows that the or-
iginal clapboards were each about twelve inches wide, planed
by hand and with beaded edges. Between the upright timbers.

iQo The Mohawk Valley

inside of the clapboards, were placed adobe or sun-baked
brick of the usual length and about one and one-half inches
thick. These brick were evidently laid in clay, instead of
mortar, and finished on the inside with whitewash. In later
years this rude finish was covered with lath and plaster.

The ceiling of the first story shows the heavy oak timbers
exposed, and between them is seen the wooden ceiling, which
also constitutes the floor of the second story. The house it-
self is about thirty by forty feet with the front to the east.
The main floor was formerly divided by a wide hall in the
centre with two rooms on each side and a stairway at the end
of the hall. We were shown a trap door in the lower floor and
another, directly over it, in the second floor, and evidences of
an enclosure that connected the two, making a secret passage-
way from the second story to the cellar. The main timbers
of the lower floor are very strong, being made of white oak
trees about fifteen inches in diameter and thirty feet long,
roughly hewn. The stone foundation is of the most primitive
character, and looks as if the stones had been gathered from
the fields or wherever they could be easily loosened with a
bar. In fact, the old house made me think that it was erected in
the same manner that King Solomon's temple was built, —
that is, without the sound of axe, hammer, or other metal
tools — except perhaps an axe. My attention was called to
the outside doors, which all opened outward. In the bottom
of each door was evidence of an opening, the shape of a half-
moon, which was formerly closed with tarred tow or felt. It
was explained that where a house was haunted this opening
was made for the ghost to retire if it wanted to. But if it
went out, for a few minutes, it could not get back on account
of the tar.

" I know not what the truth may be,
I say the tale as 't was said to me. "

The Famous Butler Mansion

191

This property has been in the hands of the Wilson family
for nearly seventy years, having been bought in 1830 by
Henry Wilson, the father of
the present owners, Mr.
Henry Wilson and Miss Mar-
garet Wilson.

They deserve great credit
for having preserved this old
building from destruction and
decay.

Leaving the old Butler
house, we were told that there
was a very pretty view of the
valley at the junction of roads
above, but we were not pre-
pared for the exquisite view
that burst upon the sight as we
turned the bend of the road.

Imagine if you will, standing upon a hill about two hundred
feet high, " green and of mild declivity," and the valley below
abbreviated by a range of rugged hills that, bending to the
south, end a few miles to the west at the river bank in the
" Nose." A heavy rainfall of a number of days had cleared
the air and foliage of all impurities, a gentle breeze had dissi-
pated all mist and fog and even the purple haze of the distant
mountain, leaving all nature bright and fresh and green. Be-
fore and below us were the manifold shades of green, of which
nature is so lavish in those " rare days in June." In the
centre of this emerald field lay the Mohawk, that by a bend
in the river above and the dense foliage of trees before us
seemed to have no beginning or ending, but spread out before
us like a small lake whose surface was free from ripple or riff
and shone like burnished silver in the bright midday sun.

CAUGHNAWAGA CHURCH, FONDA,
I763-1868

192 The Mohawk Valley

Around this liquid mirror extended a fringe of low bushes,
whose darker shade of green made beautiful contrast to the
bright shades of the fields of grain beyond. A little to the
north of this lake a short section of the New York Central
Railroad stretches out in geometrical precision looking like a
gridiron of huge dimensions. Along its side at short intervals
rise blue spirals of smoke, which change to a bluish-white
cloud as they mingle and float away against the dark green of
the trees that cover the hill slopes, while on the sides of the
southern hills dwellings of red and white, each with its little
cluster of trees or shrubbery, mark the abodes of men.

Nearly in the centre of this picture and from out a cluster
of oak and maple and elms emerges the dome of the old court
house, and from its summit springs a tall staff with Old Glory
floating lazily against its side, giving a charming bit of color
to this picture of emerald hues. Suddenly, and seemingly
from out a cluster of trees at the base of the hill, there comes
a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, supplemented by
shriek and roar and rumble, and a form completely enveloped
in its own black smoke, appears and disappears along the iron
rails below, leaving a trail of smoke to mark its flight like the
]Dath of a shrieking shell from a monster gun. And over all
this beauty the golden sunlight and the celestial blue of the
heavens flecked here and there with clouds of fleecy white and
sombre gray.

Chapter XII
Johnstown, New York

TRAVELLERS on the New York Central Railroad
probably are familiar with a small village called
Fonda, situated on the Mohawk River about forty-
miles from Albany, at the mouth of the Cayadutta
Creek. If their destination is Johnstown, they will change
cars at this place and take passage on the F. J. & G, R. R.,
or an electric car.

If you stroll up the main street of Fonda a few rods west
of the station you will come to a stream flowing from the
north and bearing an Indian name — Cayadutta. A century
and a half ago the banks of this stream were in all their primi-
tive beauty and wildness, and in earlier times had been chosen
by the Agniers (Mohawks) for the sites of two of their vil-
lages, one on the high ground forming its western bank and
bearing the name of Ca-hani-aga, the other about three miles
to the north, lately discovered and yet unnamed. If you
wander still farther up this creek you will find a succession of
rapids now marked with mill sites, and in a bowl-shaped val-
ley, four miles from the Mohawk River, a flourishing village
named, in 1770, Johnstown.

This section was originally included in the Kingsborough
Patent, as it was called, granted to Arent Stevens and others,
June 23, 1753, and comprised twenty thousand acres of land.
This land came into possession of Sir William Johnson, but at

what date I have been unable to find any record. Probably

193

194 The Mohawk Valley

he was one of the " others " mentioned in the patent, as we
known that he had leased or sold land to over a hundred
families who had settled in that locality before he built John-
son Hall in 1763.

Previous to the granting of the Kingsborough patent, Wil-
liam Johnson was in possession of a few thousand acres along
the north bank of the Mohawk west of Amsterdam, but the
notorious Kayaderosseras patent shut him off on the east and
the Butler and Caughnawaga patents on the west and north,
obliging him to take up lands north of them in order to secure
a large tract. The Kingsland grant of land was given to Sir
William by the Crown after he was made Baronet and subse-
quent to the battle of Lake George in 1755. Among those to
whom he leased land with the supposed purpose of establish-
ing a baronial estate, were Dr. William Adams, Gilbert Tice,
innkeeper ; Peter Young, miller; William Phillips, wagon-
maker; James Davis, hatter ; Peter Yost, tanner ; Adrian Van
Sickler, Major John Little, and Zephaniah Bachelor. He
named the placed Johnstown, built a court-house, jail, church,
taverns, and numerous dwellings for his tenants.

It would seem as though his baronial mansion, as Johnson
Hall is sometimes called, must have been considered a tem-
porary structure, being constructed of wood (although after
nearly a century and a half it is in an excellent state of pre-
servation), because his other and older home, Fort Johnson,
and the home of his daughter, Guy Park, both on the Mo-
hawk, are well built of stone, with interiors much better fin-
ished than Johnson Hall.

The 25th of March, 1898, was a typical spring day, although
the weather was not such as we are in the habit of having in
the Mohawk Valley in that windy month. However, it was
pleasant enough to induce me to take a trip to Johnson Hall,
Johnstown. Perhaps I was in a mood to dream of the past

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and on that account the route to the old historic village
seemed to be void of all modern improvements, and I was be-
ing transported through forests and lonely settlements.

In passing Guy Park I saw the rough stone walls of the
original building surrounded by forests and rude instruments
of husbandry. Fort Johnson impressed me with its antiquity
without any stretch of imagination. A short distance above,
the mind recalled the palisaded Fort Hunter, with the stone
walls of Queen Anne's chapel in its centre, and I could see
the group of dirty Indians crowding its wall and accepting a
religion they knew nothing and cared nothing about. Look-
ing- across the Schoharie and over the hills to the west, I see
the form of Father Jogues, with his long, black robe, tied
around the waist with a rope, and his rosary hanging at his
side, shrinking from warrior and squaw as though expecting
some new cruelty or indignity. A little farther to the west on
the north side I see the new village of Ka-nyea-geh (Caugh-
nawaga), with its defensive palisades swarming with warriors
defending their homes against hundreds of savage Mohicans,
with the great Massachusetts Sachem, Chickatabutt, at their
head. And in the midst of the Mohawks I see the form of
Tekakwitha and the Jesuit Father De Lamberville.

Leaving Fonda I am recalled to the nineteenth century by
asking a trainman if our train passed the old Indian site of
Ka-nyea-geh and he answered that he had never heard of it. I
put the same question to the conductor and he said he did
not know.

Upon arriving at Johnstown I stepped up to a man with a
badge on his cap and said: " Can you tell me what road to
take to get to Johnson Hall ?" " Johnson Hall ?" he re-
plied, " I never heard of it." "I mean," said I, " the old
family mansion of Sir William Johnson, the place where he
formerly lived." "Oh," said he, "you mean Sir William John-

198 The Mohawk Valley

son's Hotel ? It is right — " but I was around the corner in-
terviewing some one else by that time, and did not hear what
direction to take to reach the Sir William Johnson Hotel.

After receiving some intelligent instruction from a man in
a blue uniform I started on my quest for Johnson Hall, which
is situated about one mile northwest of the railroad depot. A
bridge spans the Cayadutta Creek a short distance from the
railroad, the waters of which were running red as if in com-
memoration of the blood of patriots shed by Sir John John-
son, Brant, and Butler in their frequent raids on the settle-
ments in the valley of the Mohawk.

Passing by the numerous handsome cottages that line both
sides of the street, I approached a fork in the road, and on a
tree observed a board, which, at a distance, I supposed to con-
tain the necessary direction to reach Johnson Hall. Ap-
proaching nearer, the information I received was this: " STove
wooD $1.75 Per corD."

Not obtaining the information desired, I took the road to
the right, and soon saw the building in the distance.

Although the sun was shining brightly, and the atmos-
phere gave evidence that spring was here, the bare trees and
dreary aspect of fields, made gray with the frosts of winter,
and the occasional patches of dirty white snow on the hill
slopes, reminded me of the " winter of our discontent," from
which we were just emerging.

In the distance to the right the Cayadutta winds its slow
length along, to turn the wheels in the distant village, and
near its left bank, partly hidden by stately oaks and maples,
with lilac and evergreen trees scattered here and there, stands
the historic mansion, Johnson Hall, modernized by cupola,
bay windows, ornamental porch, and roof of variegated slate.

I must confess to a feeling of disappointment, although the
view from the standpoint of the nineteenth century is very

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Johnstown, New York 201

pretty. Passing up a broad walk, about two hundred feet
long from the entrance to this small park, lined with large
maples, we reach the building. It is true that each maple has
been pierced with a patent spile, from which, drop by drop,
the colorless sap is flowing into small tin pails, but when I
raise my eyes and see the old stone fort to the left and back
of the building, I recall the object of my errand, and realize
that I am at one of the homes of Sir William Johnson.

The house and adjoining land belong to Mrs. John E.
Wells, and the occupants are very courteous to strangers who
call to see the house. The present main entrance was form-
erly the rear of the house, and faces nearly southeast. En-
tering, I am ushered at once into a broad hall that extends the
full depth of the house, at the end of which is a broad stair-
way with spacious landings that leads to a similar large hall
above. To the left of the hall as you enter is a large room
about eighteen by thirty-eight feet, with an ornamental wood
cornice extending around the room, the sidewalls having
panelled wainscoting about four feet high. The hall is about
fifteen feet wide and thirty-eight feet deep, and to the right
are two rooms about eighteen feet square, whose ceilings are
also adorned with handsome wood cornice. Above, the space
is divided into four rooms and a wide hall to correspond to the
hall below. All of these rooms are finished with panelled
wainscoting and shallow windows without weights. One of
the rooms in the second story is pointed out as the council-
room of Sir William, and another as the place where St. Pat-
rick Masonic Lodge was organized and its meetings held for a
number of years. The basement is said to have been used as
a stable, but is now fitted up with kitchen, dining-room, etc.

The building is two stories high, and built of wood, the
clapboards being so arranged as to represent blocks of stone.
At present the interior has the appearance of a house of the

202 The Mohawk Valley

present day, with its panelled work grained to represent oak,
and the handsome belongings of a well-to-do family of refined
taste, but it would take quite a stretch of imagination to people
it again with Molly Brant and her half-caste children and her
brother, Joseph Brant, in full war-paint and feathers, passing
down from the council-room above, were it not for the de-
facement of the mahogany banister and rail at every step
taken by the chief down the stairs that he was never again to
ascend. Whether it was done in anger or not, we do not
know, but the marks left by the hatchet seem to have been
the work of a mischievous boy, rather than a savage. Outside,
and a little in advance of the original front, stands one of
the two small forts that formerly stood on each side of the
building.

It is said that the two forts were connected with the base-
ment of the building by an underground passage, all evidence
of which has been destroyed, except the opening from the
basement, which has been closed with masonry. Johnstown
may well feel proud of Johnson Hall, St. John's Church, the
court-house, and jail, and the associations connected with Sir
William Johnson, but the old stone buildings erected by him
on the banks of the Mohawk, twenty years earlier. Fort John-
son and Guy Park, bear an impress of antiquity that the later
buildings do not possess.

St. John's Episcopal Church is the third edifice of that
name built in the village. It is said that the first church edifice
was erected in 1760, and was located on the ground now
known as the old colonial graveyard on Green Street, the spot
being marked by a cross erected October 15, 1897, to indicate
the location of the first church, at which time appropriate ser-
vices were held at St. John's Church and at the old graveyard.
This undoubtedly is the spot where the early missionaries
officiated, dividing their time between Queen Anne's Chapel

ST. John's church and grave of sir william johnson, johnstown, n. v.

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Johnstown, New York 205

at Fort Hunter and the old church at Johnstown. The next
church building was probably erected in 1771 or 1772. It oc-
cupied part of the lot on which the present church now stands,
with its side to Market Street, and with front facing north-
ward. In erecting this church Sir William gave a two-acre lot
on which it stood and also a glebe of forty acres on the south-
east side of the village.' The fight for this glebe, between the
Episcopalians and the Presbyterians, after the war, is very in-
teresting reading, but we have not space to record it at the
present time.

It seems that Sir William had never legally conveyed the
title to the property, which after his death reverted to his son,
Sir John Johnson, and after the confiscation of the estate, the
Presbyterians occupied both church and glebe. The Episco-
palians obtained possession of the church years after, but the
Presbyterian's claim to the glebe was confirmed by the legis-
lature. St. John's Church was destroyed by fire in 1836.
Under the chancel was found the tomb of Sir William, In
rebuilding, the church's location on the lot was changed, the
front facing the east. This change left the tomb outside the
walls of the church, and its location was lost, until discovered in
1862 by the Rev. Mr. Kellogg, than rector of St. John'^. The
vault was found in good condition except that a few bricks of
the roof had fallen. A plain gold ring bearing the date of
June, 1739-16 was found in the vault, also the bullet which Sir
William received in the battle of Lake George. The ring is
supposed to have belonged to Catherine Weisenburg, his wife,
and worn by him after her death. Portions of the skeleton
remaining were sealed in a granite sarcophagus, and restored
to the tomb with appropriate ceremonies conducted by Right
Rev. Bishop Potter, of the State of New York, June 7, 1862.
The grave may yet be seen in front of St. John's south of the
entrance.

2o6 The Mohawk Valley

On a subsequent visit to this ancient village, many other
places of interest were pointed out to the writer, including the
court-house on North William Street, and the jail on the corner
of South Perry and Montgomery Streets, both built by Sir
William Johnson in 1772. The court-house, although nearly
one hundred and thirty years old, is still well preserved and
attractive in appearance. The brick of which it is constructed
was brought from England, and transferred to a sloop at New
York for voyage up the Hudson to Albany. From thence
tliey were carried by wagons to Johnstown. In the octagonal
tower which surmounts the court-house is a substitute for a bell
in the shape of a triangle made from a large iron bar, which is
struck with a hammer by the caretaker whenever the court is
called together.

The jail is of stone, with walls four feet thick, and is located
on a slight eminence sloping gently to the south, north, and
west. On the lawn are cannon and pyramids of shot and
shell, leaving the spectator a little in doubt of the character
of the old, well-kept building, flanked by modern structures
for the sheriff's offices. The jail was begun at the same time
with the court-house, the legislature appropriating sixteen
Jiundred pounds for their completion in 1774. Of the jail it is
said :

Under the date of October 26, 1775, the Tryon County Revolu-
tionary Committee inquired of Sir John Johnson whether he pre-
tended a prerogative to the courthouse and jail, " and would hinder
or interrupt the committee to make use of the same public houses to
our want and service in the common cause." Sir John in reply
claimed the buildings as his property until he had been refunded
^jTyoo which Sir William had advanced toward their construction.
The Committee at the same time respecting the claim, fitted up a
private house as a prison, and sent some convicts to Albany and
Hartford for safe keeping. Congress, however, was informed that
Sir William had conveyed the buildings to the county, and the jail

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Johnstown, New York 209

was used as a fort by the patriots during the Revolution, being
fortified with palisades and block houses.

Of the early taverns of Johnstown the most noted were
the Gilbert Tice's Inn, formerly on William Street, the Black
Horse Tavern, on the corner of William and Montgomery
Streets, now known as the Younglove Homestead, and Union
Hall, at the junction of East Main and East State Streets, or,
as it was called in earlier years, in the angle of the Tribes Hill
and Fondasbush roads. They were frontier inns and were at
times scenes of lawlessness and brawls between hunters and
trappers, and the Indians and half-breeds, who frequented
them to exchange their stock of furs and drink deep in the
proceeds. Shortly after the war, Gilbert Tice's Inn on Wil-
liam Street was kept by a Frenchman named Jean Baptiste de
Fonclaire, who was a very popular landlord, notwithstanding
his excitability. It was in this building that Nick Stoner met
the murderer of his father, the story of which meeting is told
by J. R. Simms and others:

One day after the war a party of six or seven Canadian Indians
who had come to the little settlement to exchange furs for fire-water,
were gathered in and about the kitchen and barroom awaiting the
meal that was being prepared for them by the landlord's family.
In the kitchen were three Indians drinking from bottles of whiskey
that were on the table standing near the huge open fireplace where
the meal was being cooked. On the hearth was a large platter of
fried pork swimming in hot gravy, and dishes of vegetables ready
for the meal. Major Stoner, in search of a friend, entered the
kitchen, and being slightly under the influence of liquor he soon
became involved in a quarrel with one of the half-drunken Red
Skins. Major Stoner's father having been killed and scalped by an
Indian, the sight of a dusky savage was always enough to arouse
murderous passion in his breast, and he instantly grappled the Indian
and threw him on the table which overturned and landed his an-
tagonist on the floor amid the debris of broken bottles, crockery,
and part of the prepared feast. Springing to his feet while the

2IO The Mohawk Valley

room resounded with war cries and oaths of the combatants, the
Indian leaped over the table and grappled Stoner again. But as in
the former tackle the white man proved the most skilful and the
Indian was soon at the mercy of his wiry, maddened antagonist, who
in attempting to throw him into the open fireplace only succeeded in
landing his half-naked body in the great trencher of sizzling fat,
burning his back in a fearful manner.

While the fracas in the kitchen was going on, a stalwart half-
naked warrior, aroused by hearing the name of Nick Stoner re-
peated, was dancing or rather shuffling around the barroom flourish-
ing a scalping-knife on the handle of which were numerous notches,
and boasting in a monotonous tone of the bloody deeds recorded on
the handle. Nine marks indicated the number of scalps of white
men killed during the war.

Nick Stoner in a frenzy of rage left the kitchen after throwing
the Indian into the fire, passed through a hall on his way into the
front part of the inn, and almost stumbled over an Indian called
Capt. John, lying there in a beastly state of intoxication. Noticing
an earring in the man's ear, he placed one foot on the man's neck
and grasping the jewel tore the flesh apart and dropped the jewel on
the floor. Unconscious of the injury done him the Indian turned
over with a grunt, and Stoner passed into the barroom, just in time
to see the painted red devil flourishing his scalping-knife with yells
and gesticulations, and hear him say, as he pointed to a notch
deeper than the others, " and this is the scalp of old Stoner."
Crazed with liquor and stung to madness by the thought of being in
the presence of his father's murderer, he sprang to the fireplace,
seized an old-fashioned wrought andiron, and with the exclama-
tion, " You red devil, you will never scalp another one," he hurled
it,' red-hot as it was, at the head of the Indian, striking him squarely
on the neck and laying him apparently lifeless on the floor, while
his own hand was burned to a blister with the top of the andiron.
At once bedlam seemed let loose and fears were entertained of
other serious consequences, but the friends of Stoner succeeded in
getting him to leave the house, while others induced the savages to
leave town bearing their burned comrades with them.

Chapter XIII

Some Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family

Shakespeare says:

The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.

Perhaps there is no name in American history that is more
abhorred throughout the length and breadth of the Mohaw^k
Valley than the name of Butler, through the evil deeds of Col.
John Butler and Lieut. Walter N. Butler, father and son.
Colonel John for his connection with the massacre of Wyom-
ing, and Lieutenant Walter as the leader of the Cherry Valley
massacre. And still their evil deeds were apparently confined
to about four years of their life. In history, nothing is spoken
of but the evil they have done, and their early lives are
wrapped in comparative obscurity. We do not know when
they were born, and the histories of the Revolution do not
mention their ancestors.

On account of a recent visit to the old Butler place on
Switzer Hill I have become interested in the subject, and have
taken the time and trouble to gather together facts about this
family that appear in different documents relating to the early
history of the Mohawk Valley and the province of New York.
Lossing's Cyclopedia merely states that John Butler was born in
Connecticut, and died at Niagara in 1796, and makes no men-
tion of the date of his birth or the name of his father. Among
the colonial documents, however, we find the name of a Wal-

211

212 The Mohawk Valley

ter Butler, who was appointed lieutenant August i6, 1726, by
Governor Burnett of New York. He was probably connected
with the family of the Irish dukes of Ormond and Arran, who
were patrons of the Burnett family. On May 6, 1728, Lieut.
Walter Butler was assigned to Capt. Holland's company at
Albany.

In 1733 the Crown granted to Walter Butler and forty-
two others a tract of land near the Schoharie Creek, running
south to Schoharie, and then following the line of Schenectady
County to the Mohawk River. In 1735 fourteen thousand
acres of this land extending from Fort Hunter along the Mo-
hawk to Phillip's lock, came into the possession of Sir Peter
Warren, the uncle of Sir William Johnson.

On December 31, 1735, the Crown also granted Walter
Butler and three others a tract of land in the towns of Johns-
town and Mohawk, comprising four thousand acres. On the
Tryon map of 1779 ^^^^ grant is shown as lying between Trips
(Tribes) Hill and Johnstown, This seems to connect Walter
Butler, senior, with the Butler place near Switzer Hill.

(Bear in mind that this Walter Butler was the grandfather
of Walter N. Butler, of the Cherry Valley massacre notoriety.)

In 1733 he was a witness to a deed at Fort Hunter. In
1747 Sir William Johnson sent Lieut. Walter Butler on a mis-
sion to Crown Point. A little later Captain Walter Butler
(having been promoted) was sent to Oswego with his son,
John, as interpreter. Between 1756 and 1765 Captain John
Butler was frequently in attendance at conferences of the In-
dians and Sir William Johnson at Fort Johnson, sometimes
as one of the interpreters. We know that Captain John But-
ler was afterward made a colonel, and his son, Walter, a lieu-
tenant of the British troops. In 1743 Walter Butler, Sr.,
erected a frame house on his grant on Switzer Hill, which
afterwards became the home of his son. Colonel John, and

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 213

grandson, Lieut. Walter N. Butler, and was confiscated when
Colonel John fled to Canada, during the war of the Revolu-
tion, with Sir John Johnson and his tories.

The Rev. Gideon Hawley, in his journey to Broome
County, in 1753, records that Lieutenant (John) Butler was in
charge of a sergeant and a few privates at Fort Hunter, where
he resided with his family. Some time previous to 1753 he is
said to have been one of the Connecticut colony that located
in the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. This, I think, is a
mistake, as he is known to have been located in the Mohawk
Valley at the time of the local troubles between the colony
from Connecticut and the Pennsylvanians.

It is recorded that " the valley (Wyoming) was purchased
of the Six Nations in 1754, by an association formed in Con-
necticut, and called the Connecticut Susquehanna Company;
but no perm.anent settlement was attempted till 1762. The
next year the settlers were dispersed by the Indians." In
1769 a body of forty Connecticut pioneers was sent thither by
the Susquehanna Company, but found themselves forestalled
by some Pennsylvanians, the Six Nations having in the pre-
ceding year again sold the territory to the proprietaries of
Pennsylvania, and for the next six years Wyoming was the
scene of numerous conflicts between settlers from the two col-
onies, both of which under their charters, as well as by pur-
chase, claimed possession of the soil. This contest was at
its height at the time of the Revolution, and undoubtedly was
one of the causes that led to the attack and massacre of the
settlers of the Wyoming Valley, July 3, 1778, or at least for
some of the atrocities that were committed by former neigh-
bors and acquaintances.

That Major John Butler was in command of the Rangers
and Indians at Wyoming is a well-authenticated fact, as we
have it from his own report to Lieutenant-Colonel Bolton,

214 The Mohawk Valley

dated July 8, 1778. He says, " In this action were taken
two hundred and twenty-seven scalps, and only five prisoners."
This report alone is enough to brand him as an incarnate fiend.
No doubt the Senecas were responsible for most of the atroci-
ties, but Butler knew what to expect from his savage allies,
and made no attempt to restrain them. The Senecas were in
command of a noted chief, Gi-on-gwah-tuh, and a half-breed
called Queen Esther, probably a daughter of Catherine Mon-
tour. She is said to have killed fourteen of the inhabitants of
the valley with her own hand.

It is said that sixteen of the prisoners were arranged in a
circle around a large stone, and held there by a large number
of Indians. This little party had been assigned to Queen
Esther. Striking up a chant, she passed from one victim to
the next, and with a death-maul dashed out the brains of
fourteen of her victims. Two escaped, by making a sudden
dash through the lines, and fled to the woods and finally es-
caped in safety. Catherine Montour, the elder, is an interest-
ing character in Indian history. According to tradition, and
her own story, her father was a governor of Canada, probably
Frontenac, and her mother a Huron woman. Until about ten
years of age she had been carefully reared and educated.
During the war between the Six Nations and the French and
Hurons, she was captured and adopted by the Senecas.

Lord Cornbury, in a letter to the Lords of the Board of
Trade (in London) August 20, 1708, says:

There is come to Albany one Montour, who is a son of a French
gentleman who came about forty years ago to settle in Canada. He
had to do with an Indian woman, by whom he had a son and two
daughters. The man I mention is the son. He had lived all along
like an Indian. Sometime ago the elder Montour had left the
French, and had lived among the far Indians (Senecas), and it is
chiefly by his means that I have prevailed with those far nations to
come to Albany.

Sb^<!ir»^ '■ iiiT^^"iiriiih-a'iiitbiri

THE COURT-HOUSE, JOHNSTOWN, I772

2I"5

AoTO.S, LeNOX ANO

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 217

In 1694 Mr. Montour was wounded by two Mohawk Indians
near Fort La Motte. A letter dated Quebec, Nov. 14, 1706,
and written by M. de Vandreuil, says: " He was devoted to
the English, and in their pay; lived with the Senecas. " He
was killed by Lieut. Sieur de Joncaire, by order of M. de
Vandreuil.

Captain Andrew Montour, the son spoken of above, acted
as an interpreter for the Indian Commissioners in 1756; also
sang Indian war-songs before Sir William Johnson at Fort
Johnson, and presented scalps to Sir William at Johnson
Hall in 1764. There is also a record of Mrs. Montour as an
interpreter in 171 1, at Albany. Stone, in his life of Sir Wil-
liam Johnson, speaks of Mrs. Montour, and describes her as
she appeared at a council of the Indian Commissioners and
delegates from the Six Nations, at Lancaster, Pa., in 1744:

Although so young when made a prisoner, she had nevertheless
preserved her language; and being in youth and middle age very
handsome and of good address, she had been greatly caressed by
the gentlewomen of Philadelphia during her occasional visits to that
city with her people on business. Indeed she was always held in
great esteem by the white people, invited to their houses, and enter-
tained with marked civility.

It is pretty hard to believe that the woman described above
should in her old age have become a fiend incarnate. It is
said of her, after the battle of Wyoming: " Catherine Mon-
tour, who might well be termed a fury, acted a conspicuous
part in this tragedy. She followed in the train of the victori-
ous army, ransacking the heap of slain, and with her arms
covered with gore, barbarously murdered the wounded, who
in vain supplicated for their lives " (Campbell).

Among the Indians that were driven out of the Seneca
country by General Sullivan was Catherine Montour. This

2i8 The Mohawk Valley

creature was treated with considerable attention by some of
the British officers. It is said that she had two sons, who
were leaders of bands at the massacre of Wyoming, which fact
consequently imparted additional consequence to her. One
of Catherine Montour's sons took a Mr. Cannon prisoner at
Cherry Valley. He was an aged man and had been severely
wounded by a musket ball. On their arrival in the Indian
country, Catherine addressed her son in English in the pres-
ence of Mr. Cannon, saying:

Why did you bring that old man a prisoner ? Why did
you not kill him when you took him prisoner ? " (I am in-
debted to William Campbell's Annals of Tryon County for the
above incident).

A John Montour is found among Lieutenant Walter N.
Butler's forces, after the massacre of Cherry Valley, in com-
mand of a party of Senecas, and Rowland Montour defeated
Colonel Cairns near Catawisse, during General Sullivan's raid,
and was wounded in the arm and died a week later. These
men were probably sons or grandsons of Catherine Montour.

In E. Cruikshank's Butler s Rangers, published at Fort
Erie in 1893, we find the following account of the Butler
family : .

Lieut. Walter Butler, a young Irish subaltern, claiming descent
from the illustrious family of Ormonde, came with his regiment to
America in the early part of the 18th century, from which he was
exchanged into one of the independent companies formed for ser-
vice in the colonies, and afterward incorporated as the Royal Ameri-
cans or 60th. In the course of his service he made himself useful to
Sir William Johnson, who in return exerted himself for the advance-
ment of the Butler family. . . . He had two sons: John, the
eldest, was born at New London, Conn., in 1725, and educated in
the same province,

and Walter, junior, who was killed at Crown Point, on Sep-
tember 8, 1755, at the same time that Parrel Wade, Johnson's

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 219

brother-in-law, and the celebrated Mohawk chief, Hendrick,
were killed.

Walter Butler, Sr., died in 1760, at the age of ninety, hav-
ing been a lieutenant in the British army for seventy years.
Lieutenant Walter, the brother of Colonel John Butler, who
is spoken of as having been killed at Crown Point in 1755, was
undoubtedly a son-in-law of Jan Wemp (Wemple) of Fort
Hunter, who died in 1749, as in his will he bequeaths a por-
tion of his estate to " my daughter, Maria Butler, wife of
Lieutenant Walter Butler, Jr."

Cruikshank, speaking again of Captain John Butler, says:

He went in 1760 with General Amherst to Montreal, as second in
command of the Indians. During Pontiac's war he was actively
employed in the difficult task of restraining the Six Nations from
joining the hostile Indians. Owing to his intimate knowledge of
several Indian languages, he was constantly employed by Sir Wil-
liam Johnson, up to the hour of his death, as interpreter at the most
important councils. He then resided at his fine estate at Butlers-
burg (Switzer Hill), near Caughnawaga, and was one of the judges
of the county court, and lieutenant-colonel of Guy Johnson's militia.
Sir William Johnson had nominated him an executor of his will ;
but from some unknown cause he had incurred the pronounced dis-
like, if not the positive enmity of Sir John Johnson. Besides his
wife, his family consisted of Walter N., the eldest son, lately ad-
mitted to the bar, " a youth of spirit, sense, and ability " ; Thomas,
still under twenty, two younger sons, and a daughter.

It may be said that Colonel John Butler appears to have
been a close friend of Sir William Johnson, and associated
with him in many of the political and military schemes of those
early days. In 1772 the first court of general quarter sessions
was held at Johnstown^ and the judges were Guy Johnson,
John Butler, and Peter Conyne. After the death of Sir Wil-
liam Johnson, on July 11, 1774, John Butler and his son Wal-
ter N., are said to have been in close official and social relations

2 20 The Mohawk Valley

with Sir John Johnson, and the elder Butler is spoken of as
being a wealthy and influential resident of Tryon county. Of
Walter N. Butler, we know that he was about the age of Sir
John Johnson and that he was his playmate in boyhood, and
the comrade and friend of his manhood. The only description
we have seen of Walter N. Butler is found in Harold Frederic's
charming book, /;/ tJie Valley. In this book his descriptions
have been so true to history that it is safe to assume that his
researches have enabled him to give a pretty correct account
of Walter N. Butler's person and character. He speaks of
him at the age of twenty-three, and says:

He was a handsome youth, with features cut as in a cameo, and
pale-brown, smooth skin, and large, deep eyes; he was not tall, but
formed with perfect delicacy. He dressed, too, with remarkable
taste, contriving always to appear the gentleman, yet not out of
place in the wilderness. He wore his own black hair, carelessly
tied or flowing, and with no thought of powder.

He speaks of him as being " of a solemn and meditative
nature, and filled to his nostrils with pride about his ancestors,
the Dukes of Ormonde." He was, however, of excitable nat-
ure, and his being a constant companion of the Johnsons in their
dissipations, undoubtedly changed his nature somewhat during
the next trying six years. He studied law, and is spoken of as
a pretty able young lawyer. Both father and son were at the
siege of Fort Schuyler in 1777, with Colonel St. Leger, Sir
John Johnson, and Joseph Brant, as we read of Colonel John
Butler and two others entering the fort under a white flag with
a bombastic demand for its surrender, which was indignantly
refused by the commanding of^cer. Colonel Gansevoort. We
also read of Colonel John Butler at the battle of Oriskany,
where he caused the Royal Greens to turn their coats in order
to deceive Herkimer's men, by pretending that they were

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 221

friends from the fort. The ruse was discovered, and the
Royal Greens were put to rout. After the battle of Oriskany,
Lieutenant Walter secretly came to the house of one Shoe-
maker, near Fort Clayton, on a secret mission from Sir John
Johnson, and together with Han Yost Schuyler and others,
were captured at Shoemaker's house, tried by order of General
Benedict Arnold, and condemned to death as a spy. Owing
to the solicitation of some of the American officers, the sen-
tence of death was remitted, and Walter N. Butler was sent
to Albany and placed in prison. Feigning sickness, and
through the clemency of Lafayette, he was removed to a pri-
vate house from which he managed, with the help of friends,
to escape, and returned to the British army burning with indig-
nation at what he termed the outrage of having his sacred
person confined in a rebel prison.

He made his way direct to Niagara, and requested and op-
tained command of a detachment of his father's rangers,
called the Butler Rangers, with permission to employ the
force of Indians under Captain Joseph Brant.

On his way from Niagara, Butler met Brant, who was dis-
pleased at the idea of being assigned to a subordinate station
under a man he disliked. However, he finally turned back
with his force of five hundred Lidians. This expedition cul-
minated in the massacre of Cherry Valley, November 1 1, 1778,
with all of its heartrending atrocities, undertaken by Walter
N. Butler in a spirit of revenge on innocent men, women,
and children, I0 wipe out the disgrace (?) of having been con-
fined in prison as a spy. Campbell says that: " Thirty-two
inhabitants, principally women and children, were killed, and
sixteen Continental soldiers, and all of the houses, barns, and
outbuildings were burned, many of the barns being filled with
hay and grain."

Campbell also says:

2 22 The Mohawk Valley

Whatever may have been the motives or the conduct of Brant
and his Indians, it will not wipe away the stain from the character
of Walter N. Butler. The nio;ht previous to the massacre, some of
his rangers who were acquainted in Cherry Valley, requested per-
mission to go secretly into the settlement and apprise his and their
friends of their approach, that they might escape the fury of the
Indians. This he peremptorily refused, saying that there were so
many families connected that the one would inform the others and all
would escape. He thus sacrificed his friends for the sake of punish-
ing his enemies.

After this massacre, Walter N. Butler returned to Niagara
with his forces and prisoners. On July 31, 1779, General Sul-
livan's expedition against the Senecas was organized, which
succeeded in driving the main body of Indians to Fort Niag-
ara and Canada. During his raid he destroyed the crops and
buildings of the Senecas, and, with the help of the friendly
Oneidas, did not fail to kill and scalp many of the Indian men,
women, and children, for which acts he has been severely
condemned.

In May, 1780, Sir John Johnson and the Butlers made their
first raid through the Mohawk Valley proper, killing and
plundering in every direction, and finally returned to Canada
without being molested.

In the autumn of 1781 another raid of Indians and Tories
under Major Ross and Walter N. Butler met with a different re-
ception. They first appeared at Currytown, near Canajoharie,
October 24th of that year, and passed rapidly on to the vicinity
of Fort Hunter and Warrensbush, killing and capturing all
that they met; then crossed the river and directed their
course to Johnstown, with Colonel Willett and 416 men in hot
pursuit. In the vicinity of Johnson Hall, Willett overtook the
enemy and at once prepared for battle, notwithstanding the
fact that Major Ross's force was greatly superior in numbers.
(In a recent visit to Johnstown the battlefield was pointed out

^UBUC LIBRARY

ASTOS, LENOX 4:VD

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 225

to me by Mr. Edward Wells, a son of Eleazer Wells, and a
brother of the late John S. Wells, whose family now own and
occupy Johnson Hall. The chief object of our late visit to
Johnstown was for the purpose of visiting the old battlefield.)
William Campbell, in his Annals of Tryon County, published
in 1831, says:

Major Ross and Walter Butler's force was encamped on the
elevated ground a little north of Johnson Hall. The edifice, erected
by Sir William Johnson, and in which he resided at the time of his
death, is situated about one mile distant from the courthouse in
the centre of the village, and upon ground descending gradually
from the northwest to the south and southeast. The village plot
descends to the north, thus forming a small valley between the Hall
and the village. To a person in the village Johnson Hall appears
to be situated on a lawn, beyond which no prospect opens to the
sight. When arrived at the Hall, he perceives in an easterly direc-
tion the range of Mayfield hills or mountains, while to the south are
seen Anthony's Nose, on the Mohawk, beyond that Charleston, and
still further on, the hills between Canajoharie and Cherry Valley;
and at a distance of between thirty to forty miles, the blue, cloud-
like mountains leading to the Catskills and Delaware.

Colonel Willett with his inferior force was compelled to re-
sort to strategy in attacking. Accordingly, he detached one
hundred men under Colonel Harper to gain the rear of the en-
emy by a circuitous march around the hill to the west and
north of the Hall and fall upon them in the rear, while Colonel
Willett attacked them in front. A short distance above the
Hall, Colonel Willett was met by Ross with all his force, and
his men gave way at the first fire and retreated. Willett en-
deavored to rally them at the Hall, but failed. At the stone
church (old St. John's) in the village he at last induced them
to make a stand, and being joined by two hundred militia who
had just arrived, again advanced to the attack. The detach-
ment under Colonel Harper, having gained the rear, opened a

2 26 The Mohawk Valley

vigorous fire on the enemy, and obstinately maintained an un-
equal contest, which gave Willett time to form his men anew
and again attack the enemy in front.

At nightfall, after a severe struggle. Major Ross's force, over-
come and harassed on all sides, fled in confusion to the woods,
not halting to encamp until they had gone several miles. In
this engagement the Americans lost about forty; the enemy
about the same number killed and fifty taken prisoners.

Major Ross retreated up the north side of the Mohawk,
marching all night, after the battle. In the morning he was
pursued by Colonel Willett, but was not overtaken. It was in
this retreat that Walter N. Butler was killed. He was pur-
sued by a small party of Oneida Indians. When he arrived
at West Canada Creek, about fifteen miles above Herkimer,
he swam his horse across the stream, and then, turning
around, defied his pursuers, who were on the opposite side.
An Oneida Indian immediately discharged his rifle and
wounded him, and he fell. Throwing down his rifle and
blanket, the Indian plunged into the creek and swam across.
As soon as he gained the opposite bank, he raised his toma-
hawk, and with a yell sprang like a tiger upon his fallen foe.
Butler supplicated, though in vain, for mercy; the Oneida,
with uplifted axe, shouted in his broken English, " Sherry
Valley! Remember Sherry Valley?" and then buried it in
his brains. He tore the scalp from his victim still quivering
in the agonies of death, and when the remainder of the Onei-
das joined him, the spirit of Walter N. Butler had gone. The
body was left unburied where he fell. The place where he
crossed is called Butler's Ford to this day.

The following story is told by Dawson in his Battles of the
United States. It occurred in Sullivan's expedition against
the Senecas. Lieutenant Boyd and Sergeant Parker were
taken prisoners by the Indians:

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 227

Knowing the certainty of his fate unless immediate relief was
afforded, Lieut. Boyd asked for Joseph Brant, who commanded the
Indians who had captured him. On being taken before Brant he
gave the Masonic sign of distress and claimed from him the protec-
tion of " a brother," and was assured by the chief that he should
suffer no harm. The prisoners were conducted to Little Beards-
town, and Boyd was well treated; but during a short absence of
Joseph Brant, Col. John Butler — the infamous Tory chief — called
on the prisoners for information respecting the American army.
Declining to answer, they were threatened with torture, but still
lefused; and with fiend-like cruelty — such as none but Butler and
his kind could invent, and none but savages execute — the threat
was enforced, and Boyd and Parker fell, martyrs in the cause of
their country.

The remains of these brave soldiers were found two days after-
ward by their comrades and buried at Little Beardstown.

In August, 1842, their bodies were disinterred and buried
with appropriate ceremonies in Mount Hope Cemetery, near
Rochester, N. Y.

When I began this record with a quotation from Shakes-
peare, I expected to be able to prove its truth by showing that
although the evil these men did lives after their death, there
must have been some inherent goodness in their lives that was
overshadowed by their acts and " buried with their bones."
But I have searched in vain for a single kindly act or generous
impulse of Captain Butler and his infamous son, Walter N,
When their acts are compared with those of Joseph Brant,
their deeds are the deeds of savages, and Brant's the acts of a
noble, generous man.

The Butlers appear to have been not only arrogant and
supercilious in a high degree, but barbarous, treacherous, re-
vengeful, ferocious, merciless, brutal, diabolically wicked and
cruel; with the spirit of fiends they committed cruelties
worthy of the dungeons of the Inquisition. No wonder
their lives are not attractive to historians. In a statement

228 The Mohawk Valley

addressed to the New York Legislature, December 20, 1780, I
find an account of some of the work done by the quartette
consisting of Sir John Johnson, Joseph Brant, Colonel John
Butler, and his son, Lieutenant Walter N. Butler:

It is estimated that seven hundred buildings had been burned in
Tryon County; six hundred and thirteen persons had deserted to
the enemy; three hundred and fifty-four families had abandoned
their dwellings; one hundred and ninety-seven lives had been lost;
one hundred and twenty-one persons had been carried into cap-
tivity; and twelve thousand farms lay uncultivated by reason of
the enemy. .

Truly those were the times that tried men's souls.
Robert Campbell says of the Butlers:

Col. John Butler had some good traits of character and in his
calm moments would regret the ravages committed by the Indians
and Tories, but Walter N. Butler was distinguished from youth for
his severe, acrimonious disposition. After the massacre at Cherry
Valley, he went to Quebec, but General Haldiman, governor of
Canada, gave out that he did not wish to see him.

When Col. John Butler went to Canada he left his wife and
children in Montgomery County. The committee of safety refused
permission for them to join him. Walter N. Butler wrote to the
committee proposing an exchange of Mrs. Campbell and her child-
ren (who had been taken prisoners at Cherry Valley) for his mother
and brother. This exchange was finally agreed to and the family
were reunited at Niagara.

A Canadian, E. Cruikshank, in a book called Butler s
Rangers, has given a short history of the Johnsons and the
raids of Butler's Rangers, from the English or Canadian
standpoint. Of course he assumes that Sir William, if he had
lived and taken part in the stirring scenes of the Revolution,
would have been loyal to King George, and that his influence
would have made Tories of a large number of the residents of
the Mohawk Valley, who were afterward bitter opponents to
his unpopular son. Sir John Johnson.

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 229

It is quite interesting to note his reasons and cause for the
Revolution, in the province of New York. Some of them no
doubt will be new to many of my readers. He says:

The power of the Loyalist (Tory) party was probably greater in
New York than in any other province, but their leaders lacked the
courage needful to turn it to the best advantage. The wealthy
merchants, the proprietors of the great feudal manors, the adherents
to the Church of England, the Dutch farmers and the recent German
immigrants were generally disposed to be loyal or absolutely neutral.
In the city of New York, two-thirds of the property was owned by
Loyalists, and outside there was scarcely a symptom of disaffection.
But there was a small party of violent revolutionists prepared to go
to any length, and they dangled before the eyes of many discon-
tented, lawless men almost irresistible temptations to join them.
There was an enormous quantity of land held by a few active
Loyalists which might be parcelled out among their followers; there
was, too, a debt of eight or nine millions of pounds due to British
merchants which might be repudiated. There was, besides, illimit-
able liberty to gratify their passions and do whatever seemed right
in their own eyes."-

Rather a sordid view to take of the causes that produced
the birth of our glorious Republic. Nothing said about the
injustice and oppression of rulers, nothing about love of coun-
try and the desire for political and religious freedom and
hatred of monarchical governirient which had been simmering
and boiling in the hearts of the provincials ever since the mur-
der of the martyred Lieutenant-Governor Jacob Leisler, who
was executed in New York City on May i6, 1691.

After speaking of the apathy of the people in New York,
and the fact that " the inhabitants of Tryon County were, to
all appearance, among the most loyal and contented," he says:

The great proprietors and wealthy families here were Loyalists
(Tories) to a man. Besides the Johnson family, the Bradts, Freys,
Hares, Herkimers, Thompsons and Youngs, John Butler, Joseph

230 The Mohawk Valley.

Dease, Robert Lotridge, Hendrick Nelles, Peter Ten Broeck, Alex-
ander White, and many others, imperilled handsome estates, which
in the end were confiscated. Large tracts of land were owned by ab-
sentee Loyalists, such as the Cosbys, Delanceys, De Payslers, Wal-
tons, and Gov. Tryon himself, and these eventually shared the same
fate.

Despite the influence of all these men the spirit of discon-
tent continued to make headway.

Sir William Johnson's latest project for improving his estates and
peopling the country (in r773, one year before his death), which
was being vigorously carried out by his son Sir John, filled the
minds of many of the original settlers with vague suspicions and
alarm. For the most part they were descendants of sturdy Palatines
that had suffered the extremity of ill for conscience' sake, and to
whom the very name of Papist was abominable. For once Sir
William failed to fathom the intensity of their religious prejudice.
Though born in Ireland and bearing an Anglicised name, he traced
his descent in the direct line from the Mac Ian branch of the Mac-
Donalds of Glencoe. A feeling of kinship prompted him to enter
into a correspondence which led to the immigration in 1773 of the
MacDonalds of Auchallader, Collachie, Leek, and Scottus in Glen-
garry, with many of their relatives and dependants, forming a body
of more than 600 persons.

They were all Roman Catholics. A few of the leaders purchased
land; the remainder were established as tenants on the Johnson
estates, and were supplied by Sir John with food, cattle, and agri-
cultural implements valued by him at ^2000 during the next two
years. To the peaceful German farmers around them they seemed
a rude, fierce, quarrelsome race, constantly wearing dirk and broad-
sword, and much given over to superstition and idolatrous practices.
Accordingly, when Sir John Johnson fortified the hall at Johnstown
and surrounded himself with a body of Highland Roman Catholics
for its defence, they could not have appealed to the inhabitants in a
more effective way. They had already learned to dislike the High-
landers, and they detested their religion.

On January 20, 1776, Sir John and about three hundred of
his Scotch Highlanders surrendered their arms to General

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 231

Schuyler, aud were dismissed with assurance of protection
while they remained peaceable. In May, 1776, they and their
dependants fled to Canada with Sir John and settled on lands
in what is known as the county of Glengarry in the province
of Ontario, named after their home in Scotland. Although
some of these Highlanders returned to the Mohav/k Valley
with Sir John Johnson's Rangers under Captain John Mac-
Donald and participated in the battle of Oriskany and the
raids on Cherry Valley, Wyoming, and the skirmish at Johns-
town, it is probable that none of them or their descendants
ever remained in the Mohawk Valley.

In 1737, the year before Sir William Johnson made his ad-
vent in the Mohawk Valley, it was proposed to people the
upper Mohawk Valley with Scotch Highlanders. Captain
Campbell, a Highland chief, came over to view the land
offered, which, to the amount of thirty thousand acres, it is
said, Governor Clark promised to grant free of charge, except
the cost of survey and the King's quit-rent. Satisfied with
the land and the assurances given him. Captain Campbell
transported, at his own expense, from Scotland more than four
hundred adults with their children; but on their arrival they
were prevented by the intrigues of interested officers from
settling on the tract indicated, and after suffering many hard-
ships settled in and about Saratoga, becoming the pioneers in
that locality as the Palatines were on the Mohawk. On No-
vember 17, 1745, France and England being at war, this
Scotch settlement was surprised by over six hundred French
and Indians and completely destroyed, almost the whole popu-
lation being killed or carried into captivity. It is said that
thirty families were massacred.

The settlement of Saratoga mentioned above was not
located on the site of the Saratoga of the present day, but was
situated on the bank of the Hudson near the mouth of Fish

2 32 The Mohawk Valley

Creek, the outlet of Saratoga Lake. The surrender of Bur-
goyne also took place on the plains near this old village in
1777. This post was established about 1689, while it is said
that the present village had for its first settler Derick Scow-
ton, who built the first log cabin in 1773.

The medicinal properties of the " High Rock" spring are
said to have been known to the Iroquois at the period of
Jacques Cartier's visit to the St. Lawrence in 1535. It is
believed that Sir William Johnson was the first white man to
visit this spring, being carried there by the Mohawks on a
litter in 1767. It is said that the name Saratoga (Mohawk
Sa-rag-ho-go) signifies the "place of herrings," " which form-
erly passed up the Hudson and Fish Creek into Saratoga
Lake." This I hardly think is true, as it is said that herrings
do not run up rivers the same as the shad and other fish, and
that they are always found in salt water.

About the period of the Revolution many Scots camejtp
the^valley of the Mohawk and settled on land north of the
present city of Amsterdam in the towns of Galway, Perth,
Broadalbin (Breadalbane), and Johnstown. Many who settled
in Perth came from Breadalbane and gave that name to their
new home.

It seems " the irony of fate " that the descendants of the
three principal actors in one of the most tragic events in the
history of Scotland should choose the valley of the Mohawk
for their future home, — the MacDonalds of Glencoe, the
Campbells of Argyle, the clansmen of the Earl of Breadal-
bane, and, in later years, a descendant of Sir John Dalrymple,
the Earl of Stairs, in the person of Mrs. Edward Reid, the
godmother of the writer. The following story of the massacre
of Glencoe is taken from Macaulay's History of England dixxd
the Tales of a Grandfather by Sir Walter Scott:

In the year 1690 all of Scotland had submitted to the rule of

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 233

King William and Queen Mary except a few of the warlike clans of
the Highlands, among whom were the Camerons, Macleans, Mac-
Gregors, and MacDonalds. The duty of subjugating the above
Highlanders was intrusted to the Earl of Stairs and the Earl of
Breadalbane and an order was issued requiring the clans to submit
to King William and Queen Mary, and offering pardon to every rebel
who on or before the thiriy-first of December, 1691, should swear
to live peacefully under the government of their majesties. It was
proclaimed that all who should hold out after that day would be
treated as enemies and traitors. The Highlanders became alarmed
and most of the chiefs and clansmen came forward and gave the
pledge demanded.

In the mouth of a ravine situated not far from the southern shore
of Lochleven, an arm of the sea which separates Argyleshire from
Inverness-shire, dwelt the MacDonalds of Glencoe, whose chief was
known as Maclan of the MacDonalds, one of the fiercest and most
rebellious chiefs of the mountains. Near his house were two or
three small hamlets inhabited by his tribe, the whole population not
exceeding two hundred adults. In the neighborhood of the villages
was some copsewood and a little pasture land while the hills and
crags were bleak and barren. To the north towered the peak of
Ben Nevis, and somewhat farther to the east flowed the Cona, on
whose bank in the third century was born the poet Ossian. In the
Gaelic tongue, Glencoe signifies the Glen of Weeping. Mists and
storms brood over it through the greater part of the finest summer
and even in the brightest sunshine the impression is sad and awful.
The path lies along a stream which issues from the most sullen and
gloomy of mountain pools. Huge precipices of naked stone frown
on both sides. Even in July streaks of snow are often seen in the
rifts near the summits. All along the sides of the crags, heaps of ruin
mark the headlong paths of the torrents. Mile after mile the only
sound that indicates life is the faint cry of a bird of prey from some
stormbeaten pinnacle of rock. All the science and industry of a
peaceful age can extract nothing valuable from that wilderness; but
in an age of violence and rapine, the wilderness itself was valued
on account of the shelter it afforded to the plunderer and his plunder.
Nothing could be more natural than that the clan to which this
rugged desert belonged should have been noted for predatory
habits. Successive governments had tried to punish this wild race,
but to no purpose, as a small force could be easily resisted or

234 The Mohawk Valley

eluded by men familiar with every cavern and every outlet of the
natural fortress in which they had been born and bred. It is said
that the people of Glencoe would probably have been less trouble-
some neighbors if they had lived among their own kindred. They
were Papists and separated from every other branch of their family
and almost surrounded by hostile tribes and were impelled by
enmity as well as want to live at the expense of the Campbells and
Breadalbanes.

When the thirty-first of December arrived, the MacDonalds of
Glencoe had not come in, but on that day Maclan and his principal
vassals offered to take the oaths, but could find no person competent
to administer them. In great distress he set out over the mountain
to Inverary, but owing to snow-storms and the natural obstructions
of the route he was not able to present himself before the sherift' of
Inverary until the sixth of January, 1692. After considerable hesi-
tation on the part of the sheriff, because the prescribed time had
elapsed, he at last agreed to administer the oath, and issued a
certificate which was transmitted to the council at Edinburgh. It
is charged that King William was not informed that Maclan had
taken the oath, and that the papers were suppressed by Argyle,
Stair, and Breadalbane for the purpose of destroying their enemy.
The king was induced to sign the following order to the commander
of the forces in Scotland: "As for Maclan and his tribe, if they can
well be distinguished from the other Highlanders, it will be proper,
for the vindication of public justice, to extirpate that set of thieves."

The extirpation planned by the Earl of Stair was of a dif-
ferent kind from that intended by the King. Stair's design
was to " butcher the whole race of thieves, the whole damn-
able race." The pass of Rannach must be secured. The
Laird of Weems must be told that if he harbors outlaws, he
does so at his peril. Breadalbane promised to cut off the re-
treat on one side, MacCallum More on another. In due time
a strong detachment was placed in command of Lieutenant-
Colonel Hamilton, and it was determined that the Glencoe men
should perish, not by military execution, but by the most per-
fidious and dastardly form of assassination.

On the 1st of February 120 men of Argyle's regiment,

Accounts of the Notorious Butler Family 235

commanded by Captain Campbell, marched to Glencoe.
Campbell was one of the few men who were likely to be
trusted by the MacDonalds, as his niece was married to Alex-
ander, the second son of Maclan. At the sight of the red-
coats, John, the eldest son of the chief, advanced to meet
them with twenty clansmen, and asked what the visit meant,
and was told that the soldiers came as friends, and wanted
nothing but quarters. They were kindly received, and were
lodged under the thatched roofs of the little community.
Provisions were liberally supplied ; there was no want of beef;
nor was payment demanded.

During twelve days the soldiers lived familiarly with the
people of the glen, waiting for the time agreed upon when
Colonel Hamilton, Breadalbane, and others would have
secured all the passes and cut off all chance of escape. The
officers spent much of their time with old Maclan and his
family, and the long evenings were cheerfully spent with the
help of some packs of cards and a little French brandy. Cap-
tain Campbell appeared to be warmly attached to his niece
and her husband, and came every day to their house to take
his morning draught, and all the while observed all of the
avenues of escape from the glen, and reported the result to
Colonel Hamilton.

Hamilton fixed five o'clock in the morning of the 13th of
February for the deed, as he hoped to arrive at Glencoe before
that time with four hundred men and have stopped all avenues
of escape for the doomed chief and his clansmen. But at five
precisely Captain Campbell was to fall on and slay every Mac-
Donald under seventy.

The night was rough and Hamilton was not able to reach
the pass on time, and while they were contending with wind
and snow Campbell was supping and playing cards with those
he meant to butcher before daybreak. In fact, he and

236 The Mohawk Valley

Lieutenant Lindsay had engaged themselves to dine with the
old chief on the morrovv'.

It was five in the morning. Hamilton and his men were still
some miles off and the avenues which they were to secure were open,
but the orders which Campbell had received were precise, and he
began to execute them at the little village where he himself quartered.

His host and nine other MacDonalds were dragged out of their
beds, bound hand and foot, and murdered. A boy twelve years old
clung round the Captain's legs, and begged hard for his life, but a
ruffian named Drummond shot the child dead. At another house
a Highlander was- up early that morning and was sitting with eight
of his family round the fire, when a volley of musketry laid him and
seven of his companions dead or dying on the floor. His brother,
who alone escaped unhurt, called to Sergeant Barbour, who com-
manded the slayers, and asked as a favor to be allowed to die in the
open air. " Well," said the sergeant, " I will do you the favor for
the sake of your meat which I have eaten." The nx)untaineer,
bold, athletic, and favored by the darkness, came forth, rushed on
the soldiers who were levelling their pieces at him, flung his plaid
over their faces and was gone in a moment.

Meanwhile Lindsay had knocked at the door of the old chief and
had asked admission in friendly language. The door was opened.
Maclan, while putting on his clothes, and calling to his servants to
bring refreshments for his visitors, was shot through the head. Two
of his attendants were slain with him. His wife was already up and
dressed in such finery as the princesses of the rude Highland glens
were accustomed to wear. The assassin pulled off her clothes and
trinkets and tore her rings from her fingers with his teeth. She died
on the following day.

Campbell and his men committed the error of dispatching their
hosts with firearms instead of using cold steel. The peal and flash
of gun after gun from three different parts of the valley gave notice
at once that murder was doing. The sons of the old chief escaped,
and from fifty cottages the half-naked men, women, and children
fled under cover of the darkness to caverns in the glen, and when
Hamilton arrived in broad daylight the work of destruction, as he
said, had not been half performed. Thirty-two corpses lay wallow-
ing m blood on the snow before the doors; one or two women and
the tiny hand of an infant, lopped off, were seen among the heaps

a
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(r^T.lCUBRAKY/

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Accounts of the Notorious Butler Eamily 239

of slain. One aged MacDonald, over seventy, was found alive,
probably too infirm to fly. Hamilton murdered the old man in cold
blood. The hamlets were burned and the troops departed driving
away with them over a thousand head of cattle. How many old
men and delicate women and children perished in the snow of the
mountains on that fearful night can never be known; probably as
many as were slain by the assassins.

When the troops had retired, the MacDonalds crept out of the
caverns of Glencoe, ventured back to the spots where their rude
dwellings had been, and performed some rude rites of sepulture for
their murdered kinsmen.

Was it fate or retribution that brought about four hundred
of the kinsmen of these murderers to the valley of the Mo-
hawk a half a century later ? The settlement at Saratoga was
composed of clansmen of the Campbells, and in 1745 met with
precisely the same fate from the Canadian Indians that they
had inflicted upon the MacDonalds of Glencoe in 1692.

Chapter XIV
Legend of Mrs. Ross

A PARALLEL to the romance of the early h'fe of Sir
William Johnson is found in that of a young soldier
who died at Johnstown during the Revolution,
although it had a different ending. In one of the
suburbs of London, in 1779, lived a young soldier of poor but
honest parents, by the name of Charles Ross, who had fallen
in love with a beautiful young woman, presumably of rich but
honest parents, who objected to the attentions of the young
man to their daughter. As usual in such cases, opposition
fanned the flames of affection and made their love for each
other more fervent.

About this time the regiment to which the young man be-
longed was hurriedly ordered to Canada to assist the English
troops in the campaign in New York State ; but young Captain
Ross found an opportunity to visit his lady-love before sailing,
at which tearful interview they uttered vows of mutual and
eternal fidelity to each other with a promise that if he could
not come to her, she would come to him, and together make
a new home in the New World.

The persecution of her family, who desired her marriage to
an elderly man of their choice, brought matters to a climax
sooner than expected by either of the lovers, and made it
necessary for immediate action on the part of the young girl
in order to escape being forced into the obnoxious marriage.
She dissembled as best she could in order to gain time to carry

240

Legend of Mrs. Ross 241

out a scheme to join her lover in America. A typical English
girl, robust and resolute, with ample funds for necessary ac-
cessories, she purchased an outfit of men's garments, cut off
her beautiful auburn hair, and secured a passage on a mer-
chant vessel sailing for the port of Quebec, under the name of
Frank Reade, her own name being Frances. Her father was
a surgeon of repute with large practice. When yet a child
she had evinced great interest in matters pertaining to her
father's profession, and as she grew older was frequently his
companion in delicate surgical operations as an assistant ; in
fact, she was frequently called upon to render the assistance
that the trained nurses of the present day so intelligently
perform.

Fate was kind to her, in so much that she was able to elude
the vigilance of her parents, embark on the ship without arous-
ing suspicion, and in due time she found herself in mid-ocean
and a victim of mal-de-mer in its most distressing form. The
ship's crew consisted of the usual complement of rough and
profane sailors, and a kind-hearted captain with his young
wife; the girl being the only passenger. During her attack of
sea-sickness the captain and his wife were assiduous in their at-
tentions to their young passenger, and it did not take many
days for the wife to detect the sex of their patient, and to
confide her discovery to her husband. When the paroxysms of
the disease had been allayed and the patient was convalescent,
she was told of the discovery the wife had made and assured
by the captain and his wife that if she would confide in them
her confidence would not be betrayed. Her story was soon
told, and the remainder of the long voyage with its storms and
its calms was passed in comparative comfort, with the sym-
pathy and friendship of the captain and his kind-hearted wife.

Landing at Quebec, Frank, in company with the captain,

called on the commandant of the citadel in order to ascertain

242 The Mohawk Valley

where the regiment to which Captain Ross was attached was
located, and was informed that it was stationed at Montreal,
had been engaged in active service, and had lost many of its
men in battle and through sickness. Her anxiety for informa-
tion about Captain Ross nearly betrayed her secret, but the
presence of the captain of the ship and his ready wit saved
her from suspicion, and found a way whereby she was able to
take passage on a sloop to Montreal, ostensibly to join the
regiment there as a recruit. This voyage in the slow saiUng
vessel was more tedious to the young woman than the long
voyage across the Atlantic, and she was heartily glad when it
was over.

Arriving at the island of Montreal, she ascertained that
Captain Ross and his company had been detailed to join the
rangers under Major Ross and Lieutenant Walter N. Butler
at Oswego, preparatory to raiding the villages of the Mohawk
Valley, the objective point being Johnstown, N. Y., the re-
cent home of the family of Sir John Johnson. The detach-
ment had left Montreal but a few days before by the way of
the upper St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Somewhat
disheartened but not discouraged, the young girl determined
to follow the detachment if she could procure a guide and
means of transportation.

After due inquiry and with the assistance of the officer of
the post, a Mohawk brave, familiar with the Mohawk Valley,
was found, who advised going by the Lake Champlain route
instead of Oswego. Procuring a Canadian woodsman's suit of
clothes, consisting of a fringed buckskin coat, belted at the
waist, skin trousers and leggings and a stout pair of moccasins,
a skin cap, and hunting-knife in her belt, she was now more
effectually disguised than while wearing the tight-fitting
civilian suit she had discarded, and which had brought into
prominence the shapely limbs of the wearer, but which were

Legend of Mrs. Ross 243

not at all conspicuous in the frontiersman garb she bad chosen.
After a delay of about a week, a suitable birch-bark canoe was
secured and stocked with provisions for the long and lonely
journey to the Mohawks' country.

The first day of the journey was occupied in floating down
the rapid current of the St. Lawrence to the mouth of the
Richelieu River, the outlet of Lake Champlain and Lake
George. Turning into the river the labor of the journey be-
gan, as every foot of the route had to be won by the stroke of
the paddle. For the first few days Frank could give the In-
dian but very little assistance in using the paddle, but by per-
sistent effort she was finally able to master the stroke and
contribute her share toward the propulsion of their frail vessel.
Two weeks were occupied in ascending the two lakes, and by
the time they reached the head of Lake George, she was very
glad to leave the canoe for the more arduous labor of packing
their provisions over the trail through the forest to Johnstown,
sixty miles away. Their packs were not very heavy as their
provisions were nearly exhausted in their voyage up the lakes.
Without any unnecessary delay the canoe was hidden on the
border of the lake, the packs adjusted, and after a momentary
glance at the sun and the surrounding mountains, the Mohawk
plunged into the interminable forest and the last stage of their
journey began. An hour brought them to the upper Hudson,
which they forded at the Great Falls (Palmer's Falls) without
difficulty. They were now in the enemy's country, which
made it necessary to proceed with caution in order to avoid
discovery from provincials and wandering bands of Oneidas,
as their appearance would have attracted critical attention
from any person whom they might meet.

The young brave's well-knit form was clad in a well-worn
pair of deerskin trousers, fringed and discolored, which were
belted and supported by a wide strip of buckskin placed

244 The Mohawk Valley

diagonally across the chest and back and over the right shoul-
der, leaving the balance of the upper part of the body bare.
On his feet and half way to the knee were a pair of moccasins,
laced with strings of deerskin; his head bare except a mass of
jet black hair falling to his shoulders and half covering his
face. In his hand was a musket and in his belt a small axe
and hunting-knife, while his pack was held to his back by a
string of rawhide. Following in his footsteps strode Frank,
whose erect form and elastic step were but another evidence of
the strength and vigor that shone from her dark blue eyes and
flushed cheeks. The constant exposure to the weather during
her journey of three thousand miles had browned her skin and
hardened the muscles of her face and form, but did not pre-
vent the flush of health shining through the dusky skin or dim
the bright eyes. Her garments were weather-stained and her
hair tangled and frowzy from neglect, but her general appear-
ance was that of a hardy boy of eighteen or twenty years.
Around her waist but under her buckskin coat was a broad
belt filled with the open sesame of many people's hearts —
gold.

The trail led over and around the foothills of the Adiron-
dacks, which are dignified with the name of mountains by the
tourists of to-day, and led them through towering forests and
tangled underbrush, sometimes treading with noiseless steps
over beds of the needles of pine and tamarack, or toiling over
masses of rotten trunk and spear-like branches ; sometimes
plunging into dark and damp ravines and sinking ankle-deep
into the soggy mould ; again climbing jagged rocks and almost
perpendicular cliffs to some barren eminence with naught but
the sky above and the October foliage of the forest below,
with its boundless wealth of color, extending in every direc-
tion until it was lost in the haze of the distant horizon. Far
away to the west is seen the dim outline of the Mayfield

Lesiend of Mrs. Ross 245

Mountains, which the Mohawk points out as the goal to which
they are toiling, and in the freshness of her vigor she urges
him on until nature rebels and she pleads for rest. A camp is
made, their simple meal prepared, and she sinks to sleep amid
the perfume of the evergreen boughs that constitute her bed,
dreaming again of the loved form and the enfolding arms of
her absent soldier. Awake with the dawn with muscles tired
and stiff, she urges the Mohawk in his preparation for the day's
trail. This day they leave the mountains behind them and
find the trail well beaten and over comparatively level country,
but the night finds her worn and weary and the morning with-
out energy. The succeeding days of her journey are unevent-
ful, and at the close of October 24th they camp on a stream
which the Mohawk tells her flows through the little village
they are seeking.

Throwing herself on the green turf while the Mohawk pre-
pares their evening meal, supplemented with some speckled
beauties from the stream, she gives herself up to reverie and
longing for her lover captain. Arousing herself she becomes
aware that the Indian is gazing fixedly at her, and as her eyes
meet he says in a low, even voice, " Is the captain the white
maiden's brother or lover ? " With pale face and startled
eyes she asks him what he means. " The maiden need not
fear," says the Mohawk; " her secret has been hidden in the
breast of Onatassa many days, even since she killed the snake
that lay in her path at the island camp on the Horicon, when
she poised the stone over her shoulder before she crushed the
reptile, and at night when she murmured the name of her
lover in her sleep. "

Why did you not tell me you had discovered my secret ? "
demanded Frank. " Onatassa's eyes were open, but his lips
were closed," sentiently replied the Indian; " the maiden did
not want to be known, and the paleface was still a lad to him."

246 The Mohawk Valley

That night Frank could not sleep, but tossed restlessly on her
bed of evergreens until dawn, when her weary eyes closed and
tired nature demanded relaxation and repose.

The sun was well up toward the zenith when she awoke
startled and bewildered to find herself alone. After her morn-
ing ablutions in the stream she prepared food for her morning
meal and waited impatiently for the return of Onatassa. An
hour, two hours passed before his active form was seen coming
swiftly through the forest. While she slept he had been re-
connoitring in the vicinity of Johnstown, three miles away,
and reported a battle in progress between the American forces
under Colonel Willett and the British under Major Ross, and
that the American forces had been repulsed. Hurriedly re-
suming their packs the twain swiftly approached the battle-
field, the girl eager and anxious as she drew near the end of
her three-thousand-mile journey. Soon they were able to
hear the roar of musketry, which, as they paused to listen,
seemed to come nearer and nearer to them, and at last the
forms of green-coated soldiers were seen apparently in retreat.
Hastily withdrawing into a convenient gorge, a place of con-
cealment was found for the maiden, and Onatassa advanced in
the direction of the firing, which was apparently growing less
and less in a westerly direction.

As told in the last chapter, in the account of the battle at
Johnstown, the American forces under Colonel Willett were
repulsed in their first attack and retreated to St. John's
Church in the centre of the village. Receiving reinforce-
ments, Colonel Willett rearranged his forces and again ad-
vanced to the attack, and after a stubborn resistance the
British troops were completely routed and dispersed through
the forest to the west in the direction of East Canada Creek.

Captain Charles Ross sought in vain to stem the tide of
battle, and his company, being the last to give way, formed the

Legend of Mrs. Ross 247

rear-guard of the army, which was more or less annoyed by
small bands of Oneidas. While passing through a dense
thicket he was struck in the chest by an arrow. Grasping the
shaft, it became detached from the barbed flint, but with that
one spasmodic action he fell unconscious to the ground. The
retreating army hurried on, crossed West Canada Creek, where
Lieutenant Walter N. Butler was killed by the Oneida, and
in due time reached Oswego, leaving their dead and dying
scattered through the forest.

Having ascertained part of the above facts, but knowing
nothing of the fate of Captain Ross, Onatassa returned to the
gorge and imparted the information he had received to the
maiden, advising that as the forest in the vicinity was being
searched by the Americans in order to render succor to the
wounded, it would be well to remain concealed until the fol-
lowing morning, and then by a wide detour to the north to
follow the trail of the retreating army. Making the young
girl as comfortable as possible in her retreat, he again disap-
peared in the forest, urged on by the desire of Frank to know
the fate of Captain Charles. After twilight the Indian re-
turned and reported that the captain was with his command
at the crossing of Garoga Creek, but had disappeared before
reaching the Guyohara (East Canada Creek).

" How long will it take to reach the Garoga?" asked
Frank. " Six hours," replied the Mohawk. Strapping her
blanket to her back, but discarding all else, the girl grasped
the stout staff that had been her support over the trail from
Lake George; she pointed to the moon near the zenith, and
said to Onatassa: " Lead on while yet there is light." Mo-
tionless, he gazed at that pale, anxious face, glanced at the
moon over his head, picked up his rifle, and silently strode out
of the ravine with the young girl following close in his foot-
steps. Striking the well-defined trail that led to the village of

248 The Mohawk Valley

Johnstown, they soon left the gloom of the forest and skirted
along the cleared lands north of Johnson Hall, and after about
an hour's travel struck the trail of the British forces, made wide
and distinct through the underbrush by the frantic efforts of
four hundred soldiers eager to escape from the vengeance of
the conquering Americans. Near dawn they reached the
Garoga Creek, which was crossed without difficulty. About
two hundred paces from the creek the Mohawk called Frank's
attention to the fact that the trail narrowed to about twenty
feet in width, showing that the troops were marching in a sem-
blance of order, which made it much easier for the searchers to
scan every foot of the trail. A little farther on, a spot of
bright color was dimly seen at the side of the road, which upon
examination proved to be the dead body of a British soldier
wearing the uniform of the 9th Regiment, and undoubtedly
one of Captain Ross's command. The grewsome sight was
repellent to the womanly nature of poor Frank, and she passed
hurriedly on, only to be startled by a snapping, snarling howl
in the forest in front of them. Calling to herself that forti-
tude which had been her support throughout all this weary
journey, she examined every foot of the trail, eager yet fear-
ful of finding that which she sought.

At the howl of the wolf Onatassa shifted his rifle and
passed quickly ahead to a point where the underbrush formed
an almost impenetrable thicket. With a nervous spasm of
fear, Frank clung close in his footsteps, dreading to be left
alone even for a moment, her night's weary journey remind-
ing her that she was sfill a womanly woman despite the strange
garb that she wore.

With a warning motion of his hand, Onatassa raised his
rifle to his shoulder. Standing directly behind him, Frank
was able to glance along the barrel of the rifle into the blazing
eyes of a huge gray wolf that stood with one foot raised, as

Leofend of Mrs. Ross 249

■"&

though startled by the footsteps of the yet unseen Mohawk.
The sharp crack of the rifle was heard, and with a convulsive
movement, but without a sound, the beast dropped dead
where he stood. As Onatassa pushed his way through the
thicket with the hunter's instinct to gaze on his prey, Frank
became conscious of a low moan at her left. Her nerves now
strung to the highest tension, she turned to flee to the open
trail, but the cowardly impulse was instantly banished, and
she advanced through the thicket in the direction of the
sound, only to again shrink from the apparently dead form of
another British soldier. As she gazed, a convulsive move-
ment of the man, probably partially aroused from stupor by
the sharp crack of the rifle, gave evidence that life was not ex-
tinct. The gray light of dawn and the gloom of the forest
barely revealed the form and the bright color of the garments
of the soldier. Crying, " Onatassa," she hastened forward and
temoved the tall grass that partially covered the body, and
disclosed the pale face of Captain Ross. Almost paralyzed
with conflicting emotions, she uttered a low moan as she sank
to the ground and pressed her cheek to that of the wounded
officer. Instantly she raised herself to her knees with her hand
stained with blood from the wound in his chest, and directed
the Mohawk to prepare a litter for the removal of the captain.
Two saplings were cut the proper length, and while the
Mohawk was binding them together with crosspieces, Frank
cut small branches of cedar as a covering to the litter and
spread her blanket in such a way that it could be wrapped
around the wounded man. Placing the litter on the ground,
the captain was gently rolled on his right side, the litter placed
close to his body, and then as gently rolled to the left and on
to the rude bed. Quickly lifting the same it was borne out of
the thicket and into the sunlight of the early morning. While
Onatassa brought water from the brook, the girl bared the

250 The Mohawk Valley

chest of the captain and disclosed a flint arrowhead still im-
bedded in an inflamed wound. Directing the Indian to bathe
his face, Frank took from a pouch that hung from her side a
small flask of brandy and a flat case containing a surgeon's
emergency outfit, which she had procured while in Montreal.
Forcing a small quantity of the brandy between the half-open
lips, she watched the bared throat, and was grateful to see a
convulsive movement that indicated an effort made to swallow
the same. More brandy followed, and the pulse began to
quicken. Opening the case and selecting a needle and silk,
she bade the Indian gently remove the arrow point. A little
blood followed, which was quickly washed away, and the wound
bathed with diluted brandy. Glancing at the Mohawk she ob-
served him looking intently at the arrow point, and as he
caught her gaze he uttered the word " poison! " Without a
moment's hesitation she applied her lips to the wound and
drew the blood therefrom. This operation she repeated a
number of times, until the blood ceased to flow. Again bath-
ing the wound, she deftly sewed the lips together and made
further attempts to revive her patient. His pulse grew
stronger, a little color returned to the lips, and respiration re-
turned, but he still remained unconscious. " Is there a house
near at hand ? " she asked of the Mohawk, who stood near,
immovably watching her efforts. " A hundred paces to the
east is the log cabin of the father of Onatassa, who is in
Canada." " Let us go there quickly," said Frank, at the
same time taking one end of the litter.

The captain was heavy and the road uneven, but they soon
reached the cabin and placed the rude bed on the floor. With
the aid of more boughs, a couple of bearskins found in the
cabin, and a blanket, a comfortable bed was made, the cap-
tain's coat and heavy military boots removed, and the patient
placed thereon.

Legend of Mrs. Ross 251

Under the patient and intelligent care of the young girl the
captain slowly improved, and before a week had passed he re-
gained consciousness, but failed to recognize his nurse in her
strange attire. The rifle of the Mohawk provided venison,
the brook fish, and a trip to the village of Johnstown other
necessities for the household, and the kindness of neighbor-
ing settlers, assistance and products of the dairy.

When the captain had so far recovered as to be able to pass
part of the day in the bright sunshine outside the cabin, the
Mohawk signified his intention of returning to Canada; but
before he departed, Frank requested him to remain in the
cabin two days longer while she went to the village to transact
some business which she said could not be put off any longer.
After giving specific directions to Onatassa for the care of the
patient, she departed on her long tramp to Johnstown.

The cabin of Onatassa was situated on the bank of the
Garoga, on an oblong point of land formed by two ravines
meeting, and was selected by his father because of a tradition
that this point was the location of one of the earliest palisaded
villages of the Agniers (Mohawks) when they were driven from
their old home on the island of Montreal by the Hurons and
Algonquins, just previous to 1600. No evidence was to be
seen, however, except a few holes that marked the line of the
stockade and a few mounds of black earth in which clam-shells
and broken pottery were found. From this point the trail had
become a wagon road, leading through the forest; the low
swampy spots made passable for the rude vehicles by logs laid
close together, forming what was known as corduroy road, the
road sometimes making a wide detour in order to reach ford-
ing-places across the streams.

The morning that Frank left the cabin of Onatassa was
bright and clear, with a suspicion of the Indian summer in the
air. Attired in her woodsman's suit, the Mohawk's rifle

252 The Mohawk Valley

resting on her shoulder, for protection from wild beasts which
were occasionally seen in the forests, she at once adopted the
long, swinging stride that she had learned from the Indian in
their long tramp through the wilderness. In perfect health
and vigor, and with the thought of her errand uppermost in
her mind, she made the journey to the village of Johnstown
in safety, and put up at the tavern that had been kept by Gil-
bert Tice, on William Street. In a former visit to the village
during the illness of Captain Ross, she left an order with the
village seamstress for some woman's underclothes, but not be-
ing able to procure outer garments that pleased her, she had
purchased a full buckskin suit, finely embroidered, that had
formerly belonged to a Mohawk maiden of about her height.
Heretofore she had been able to conceal her identity from the
captain, but the announced departure of Onatassa for Canada,
, and her maidenly modesty, urged her to at once carry out a
scheme to which she had given a great deal of thought,
which was, to resume the garments of her sex and be married
to her lover, that she might have the right to remain with him,
and care for him after the departure of the Mohawk.

After partaking of food at the tavern, she repaired to the
home of Rev. John Urquhart, missionary to the chapel at
Fort Hunter and St. John's Church, Johnstown. To him and
his wife she told her story, and also requested their assistance
in the necessary preparations for the marriage ceremony,
which she desired to have take place the next day, immediately
on her return to the cabin. Arrangements were also made with
the landlord for rooms at the tavern until such time as suitable
quarters could be procured elsewhere.

The clergyman and his young wife entered heartily into the
scheme, and the girl returned to the tavern with the under-
standing that she was to return to the cabin early the follow-
ing morning, and that the clergyman and his wife and the

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Legend of Mrs. Ross 255

daughter of the landlord should follow about two hours later,
in order that she could have time to make the necessary ar-
rangements before their arrival.

The next morning's dawn found Frank busy attiring
herself, as far as possible, in garments to which she had been a
stranger for many weeks. Making a bundle of those she could
not at present wear, she again dressed herself in her woods-
man's suit, and, after a hearty breakfast, procured a convey-
ance, and in due time arrived at the cabin. After the usual
morning greetings and a few minutes' care of her patient, she
repaired to her apartment, which was one corner of the one
large room, divided by a curtain made of blankets. Donning
a silk blouse, belted at the waist, with lace at the neck and
sleeves, the short buckskin skirt of the Indian costume, dark
stockings, and a pair of English walking boots, she stood trem-
bling and blushing. Her short auburn hair, wavy and rebel-
lious, clustering around her forehead, her dark blue eyes,
brilliant and tender at the thought of the coming meeting,
knowing that in face and form she was a beautiful woman, she
still delayed drawing the curtain that should disclose to her
lover the woman he adored.

The captain had arisen from his rude chair for the purpose
of going out into the bright sunshine. As he turned his back
on the curtained room Frank parted the blankets and took a
step forward, at the same time uttering in low, tender tones,
surcharged with the longings of a heart filled with the re-
pressed love of many weeks, "Charlie, love!" Turning
quickly at the sound, he beheld a vision of beauty endowed
with " nature's charms in most superb profusion " standing
with outstretched arms. A bewildered expression passed over
his face, and he raised his hand to his forehead as though he
would clear the mist from his brain, but a well-remembered
motion of the upraised arm and the love light in her dear

256 The Mohawk Valley

eyes were not to be mistaken, and he clasped her in his arms
and spoke the word she had so long waited for, " Sweetheart ! "
Murmuring between his kisses and caresses, " Oh, my love, my
darling, my sweetheart," she led him to his chair and kneeled
by his side, while in answer to his eager questions she told the
story of her long journey and her search for him in the wilder-
ness. The sudden darkening of the doorway attracting their
attention, they looked up to behold the tall form of Onatassa,
whose dark eyes gave no gleam of surprise or emotion. " The
white maiden's friends are coming," he said, and then im-
mediately retired. And then Frank, or rather Frances, as we
will now call her, with blushes told the captain of her journey
to Johnstown, and the preparations she had made for their
immediate marriage and removal to the village, that she might
be with him always and care for him as his wife. She told
him of the little cottage already furnished that had been
hastily vacated by a family of Tories who had fled to Canada
with Sir John Johnson, which only awaited his inspection to
be secured as their future home.

By this time the clerical party had approached the cabin,
were greeted by the inmates, and as comfortably disposed of
as the limited accommodations of the cabin would permit.
After some very light refreshments, the bride being already
attired, no time was lost in the final preparations for the mar-
riage ceremony. In front of the cabin, which faced the east,
the forest had been cleared, leaving a turf-covered space of
gentle declivity to the creek below. Outside of the weather-
stained log house Onatassa was busy toasting venison steak for
their midday meal before a wood fire built under the shadow
of a giant pine. Back of the house were tethered the horses
that had conveyed the party from the village, while the scat-
tered trees and the distant forests were brilliant with the
bright livery of autumn.

Legend of Mrs. Ross 257

On the green sward was placed the captain's rude chair in
the morning sunHght. Onatassa was called from his duties,
and the minister's wife, acting as master of ceremonies, pro-
ceeded to arrange the bridal party. The captain, still weak
from his wound and the extraordinary excitement of the
morning, was assisted to his chair, Frances kneeling at his side
half facing him; to the right of the captain stood the stalwart,
half-naked form of the Mohawk, hastily decorated with paint
and feathers for the occasion, as best man, and to the left the
daughter of the landlord; in front the clergyman in cassock
and cap, with the ritual of the Church of England in his hand.

With solemn voice the words were spoken that made them
man and wife, and with feelings of mingled joy and anxiety
they prepared to leave the rude woodland home of Onatassa.
A simple meal was prepared for the party, and the captain
gently assisted into one of the wagons. The parting of
Frances and the captain with the Mohawk was not without
emotion, the girl lingering to the last to express her gratitude
for his care and consideration for her in their long journey
through the wilderness and his kindness and assiduity during
the trying season of the captain's illness. The expressions of
gratitude seemed more acceptable to Onatassa than the num-
erous gold pieces that the girl placed in his hand.

Already prepared for his return to Canada, he accompanied
the party to the crossing of the creek, at which point their
path divided. The Mohawk came to the side of the wagon as
it halted at the trail, and, addressing the maiden, said: " The
paleface maiden is happy to-day. May sunshine always
brighten her life. The memory of her bright eyes will
illumine the path of Onatassa in his journey through the
forests." Abruptly turning, he swiftly passed along the trail
without a backward look, out of sight and out of their life.

Their journey to Johnstown was without incident, and the

258 The Mohawk Valley

following Sunday found them happily located in their new
home, where we will leave them.

The following extract is taken from a London paper^
printed in 1785, and dated Hammersmith, England:

Died, at Hammersmith, Mrs. Ross, celebrated for her beauty
and her constancy. Having met with opposition in her engagement
with Captain Charles Ross, she followed him, in men's clothes, to
America, where, after such a research and fatigue as scarce any of
her sex could have undergone, she found him in the woods, lying
for dead after a skirmish with the Indians, and with a poisoned
wound. Having previously studied surgery in England, she, with
an ardor and vigilance which only such a passion could inspire,
saved his life by sucking his wound. During this time she had re-
mained unsuspected by him until his recovery, when, as soon as she
found a clergyman to join him and her forever, she appeared as
herself, the priest accompanying her. They lived for a space of
four years in a fondness almost ideal to the present age of corrup-
tion, and that could only be interrupted by her declining health in
consequence of the poison not being expelled which she had imbibed
from his wound. The knowledge he had of it, and piercing regret
at having been the occasion, affecting him still more sensibly, he
died of a broken heart at Johnstown, N. Y. She lived to return
and obtain forgiveness of her family, and died in consequence of
her grief and affection, at the age of twenty-six.

Chapter XV
The Joseph Brant of Romance and of Fact

THE late A. G. Richmond, of Canajoharie, who was
curator of the New York State Museum at the time
of his death, was very much interested in the early-
history of the Indians of the Mohawk Valley, and
had been able to make a very complete and valuable collection
of Indian relics. He acknowledged that it was his hobby, and
his private correspondence was embellished with a small vig-
nette, representing an old woman with a pointed hat, riding
on a broom stick, with the legend, "We all have our
hobby."

From the frequent recurrence of the name of Sir William
Johnson in these pages, you will undoubtedly infer that he is
my hobby. But he is not, except incidentally; for the hobby
that I claim or acknowledge is the early history of the Mohawk
Valley and the location of early Indian villages east of Scho-
harie River. However, as my avowed object is to place on
record all available history of this section of New York, the
prominent individuals who were connected with its early his-
tory must necessarily often be brought forward.

Perhaps there is no name that is as often spoken of in con-
nection with Sir William Johnson and his family as the name
of Brant, Joseph Brant. During the Revolution, from 1775
to 1780, Brant and his Senecas was a name which paled the
cheek and made mothers convulsively clasp their helpless in-
fants, and caused many a strong man's muscles to grow rigid

259

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The Mohawk Valley

and grasp, with anxious look, the trusty rifle or the ever-
present hunting knife in his belt.

In Benson J. Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution we find
the following account of this noted Indian warrior, and as
other records seem to agree with it, it has been accepted as,
in the main, correct:

Joseph Brant (Thay-en-da-ne-gea) was a Mohawk of pure blood.
His father was a chief of the Onondaga nation, and had three sons

in the army with Sir William
Johnson, under the great Mo-
hawk chief, King Hendrick,
in the battle of Lake George,
ii^ ^755- Joseph, his young-
est son, whose Indian name,
Thayendanegea, signifies "a
bundle of sticks," or, in other
words," strength," was born on
the bank of the Ohio, in 1742,
whither his family had gone on
a hunting trip. His mother re-
turned to Can-a-jor-hee (In-
dian Castle) with two children,
Mary or Molly, and Thayen-
danegea. His father, Te-ho-
wagh-wen-ga-ragh-kwin, a chief
of the Wolf clan of the Mohawk,
seems to have died in the Ohio
country. His mother, after
her return, married an Indian called Car-ri-bo-go (news carrier)
whom the whites named Barnet; which by contraction became Barnt
and finally Brant. Thayendanegea was called Joseph, and was
known as Brant's Joseph or Joseph Brant.

Sir William Johnson sent young Brant to the school of Dr.
Wheelock, of Lebanon, Connecticut, and after he was well educated
for those days, employed him as secretary and as agent in public
affairs. He was employed as missionary interpreter from 1762 to
1765, and exerted himself for the religious instruction of his tribe.

Lossing's explanation of the manner in which Thayenda-

JOSEPH BRANT (THAYENDANEGEA)

The Joseph Brant of Romance and of Fact 261

negea got the name of Brant is quite ingenious and may be
true, but the name " Brandt, a Mohawk Indian," appears in a
conference held in Albany, in August, 1700, in connection
with King Hendrick, and again in an Indian deed, also in con-
nection with King Hendrick, dated July 10, 1714, which con-
veys land that was formerly the site of the old Indian village
of Caughnawaga.

When the Revolution broke out Joseph Brant attached
himself to the British cause, left the Mohawk Valley, went to
Canada, and in 1776 went to England, where his education
and his business and social connection with Sir William John-
son gave him free access to the nobility. In 1786 he again
visited England. It is said that at a social function given in
his honor, he attended in all his gorgeous savage apparel, and
was the centre of attraction. During the evening he was ap-
proached by the Turkish ambassador, in company with some
ladies. The Turk, thinking him a savage, took hold of some
portion of his apparel to examine it, when Brant turned upon
him in anger, at the same time uttering a hideous war-whoop,
which so frightened the Turk that he fled precipitately, while
many of the company ran f<?om the room in consternation.
The Earl of Warwick caused Romney, the eminent painter,
to make a portrait of him which is said to have been an excel-
lent likeness.

In 1755, at the age of thirteen, he was with the Mohawks
under King Hendrick (then a very old man) at the battle of
Lake George, in the fatal ambush at Bloody Pond. He con-
fessed to feeling so frightened at the first discharge that he
clung to a tree for support, hardly able to grasp his gun. But
this feeling soon changed, and he was able to continue the
fight bravely and with calmness. We next hear of him at the
battle of Cedar Rapids, in 1776, where a party of British regu-
lars and Canadians under Foster, and five hundred Indians

262 The Mohawk Valley

under the command of Brant attacked a small fortress de-
fended by 390 Americans under Colonel Bedell, who, with but
a small show of resistance, surrendered as soon as Captain
Foster arrived. Meanwhile a party of 140 men under Major
Henry Sherburne was sent by Arnold to reinforce the garrison.
These were ambushed, and after a brave fight of an hour and
a half they surrendered. Infuriated by the obstinate resist-
ance of the Americans, the Indians butchered about twenty of
their number. It is said that Brant tried to restrain the In-
dians in their fury, but was unable to do so, although he was
able to save the life of Captain Mclnstry after preparations
had been made to torture him by fire.

In May, 1777, it is recorded in CampbeWs A 7ina/s 0/ Trj'OJi
County, that Brant and his warriors made an attempt to cut off
Cherry Valley. They approached from the east side and recon-
noitered the settlement from a lofty hill. He was astonished
to find a fortification and quite a large and well-armed garri-
son drilling on the esplanade in front of Judge Campbell's
house. Considering it inexpedient to attack a well-armed
garrison he withdrew and the little village was saved from de-
struction at that time. Brant had been deceived, however, in
regard to the effectiveness of the garrison, as the well-armed
soldiers that he supposed he saw from the high hills were the
boys of the village drilling withwooden guns and swords. But
it is said that on their retreat they ambushed two of^cers, one
of whom, Lieutenant Wormwood, was killed, and the other
captured. Brant rushed from his concealment and scalped the
lieutenant with his own hands.

In the same year Brant was at Fort Schuyler in command
of a party of Senecas, and also took part in the ambush and
battle at Oriskany. Previous to this he and his warriors joined
Sir John Johnson and Colonel John Butler, who had collected
a large body of Tories at Oswego preparatory to a descent on

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The Joseph Brant of Romance and of Fact 265

the Mohawk and Schoharie settlements. There Guy Johnson
summoned a grand council of the Six Nations. There was a
pretty full attendance at the council, but a large portion of
the sachems adhered faithfully to a covenant of neutrality
made with General Schuyler at German Flats in the spring of
-1777. .

The commissioner represented to the Indians that the soldiers
of the king were as numerous as the leaves of the forest, that the
rum of the king was as abundant as the waters of Lake Ontario,
and that if the Indians would become his allies during the war they
should never want goods or money. Tawdry articles, such as
scarlet cloths, beads and trinkets were displayed and presented to
the Indians, which pleased them greatly, and they concluded an
alliance by binding themselves to take up the hatchet against the
patriots and continue their warfare until they were subdued. To
each man was then presented a brass kettle, a suit of clothes, a gun,
a tomahawk and scalping knife, a piece of gold, a quantity of
ammunition, and a promise of a bounty on every scalp he should
bring in.

Brant was thenceforth the acknowledged head of the Six
Nations, and soon after commenced his terrible career in the
midst of the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys. Sir John John-
son, Guy Johnson, Colonel John Butler, and other Tory
commissioners bought the savages, placed in their hands in-
struments of death, bargained for the scalps of the patriots
and inaugurated deeds of horror which culminated in the mas-
sacres of Wyoming, Cherry Valley, Schoharie, and points on
the Mohawk River extending from Indian Castle to Warrens-
bush and the isolated farms lying north and south of the river.

The Oneidas fought with the patriots. The Indians of
the lower Mohawk castle were not particularly active against
the patriots, but the Onondagas, Cayugas, and particularly the
Senecas, committed many an act of horror and earned their
bounty of eight dollars for each scalp.

266 The Mohawk Valley

We hear again of Brant in 1778, when, with three hundred
Tories and one hundred and fifty Indians, he overran the
settlements of German Flats, when dwellings and barns
were burned, grain destroyed, and stock captured. Neither
scalps nor prisoners were secured, as the settlers took refuge in
Forts Dayton and Herkimer, " and the old stone church of
German Flats, which had been built under the auspices and by
the liberal contributions of Sir William Johnson." It was
during the spring of this year that Brant destroyed Springfield
at the head of Otsego Lake. It is said that every house was
burned except one into which the women and children were
gathered and kept unharmed. Lossing says: " The absence
of Tories in that expedition, and the freedom to act as he
pleased on the part of Brant, may account for this act of
humanity." The story of Cherry Valley and Wyoming has
been told in previous chapters. Brant was with Walter
N. Butler at Cherry Valley, but has been wrongfully accused
of atrocities at Wyoming, as the Senecas at the massacre were
under a chief called Gi-en-gwa-tah, and Captain Brant was
many miles away.

Brant and his Senecas were at the battle of Co-ne-wa-wah
(now Elmira) between General Sullivan's army and Tories and
Indians under command of Sir John Johnson. The patriots
were victorious. The record says: " Brant, perceiving that
all was lost, raised the loud retreating cry, ' Oonah! Oonah ! '
and savages and Tories, in great confusion, abandoned their
works and f^ed across the river, pursued by the victors." This
battle is known as the battle of Chemung. It is said that the
victors killed and scalped eight of the Indians in the pursuit.
In April, 1780, Brant and his Indians and Sir John Johnson
and the Tories, destroyed Harpersfield and settlements in
Schoharie. It was during this year that Little Falls, Canajo-
harie, and Fort Plain were destroyed. At the battle of

The Joseph Brant of Romance and of Fact 267

Klocks Field, during the raid of the Mohawk Valley in Octo-
ber, 1780, the patriots were victorious. Brant was wounded
in the heel, but escaped.

Johnson fled toward Onondaga Lake, where his boats had
been concealed.

When Gen. Van Rensselaer heard of the concealment of the
boats at that point, he dispatched a messenger to Captain Vrooman,
then in command at Fort Schuyler, ordering him to go with a strong
detachment and destroy them. Vrooman instantly obeyed. One
of his men feigned sickness at Oneida, and was left behind. He
was there when Johnson arrived, and informed him of Vrooman's
expedition. Brant and a body of Indians hastened forward, came
upon Vrooman and his party while at dinner, and captured the
whole of them without firing a gun. Johnson had no further im-
pediments in his way and easily escaped to Canada by way of
Oswego, taking with him Captain Vrooman and his party prisoners,
but leaving behind him a great number of his own men, and Tryon
county enjoyed comparative repose through the remainder of the
autumn and part of the winter.

In January, 1781, Brant was again on the war-path in the
vicinity of Fort Schuyler. The slender barrier of the Oneida
nation had been broken the previous year by driving that
people upon the white settlements, and the warriors from
Niagara had an unimpeded way to the Mohawk Valley. They
were separated into small parties, annoying the settlements
and occasionally capturing supplies. Some of these pene-
trated as far as Schenectady, probably to engage the Oneidas,
who were located there at that time. In September of this
year Brant was in the region now the State of Ohio, also in
Kentucky, and, together with McKee and a party of Rangers,
advanced on Boone's Fort and ambushed a party of horsemen,
most of whom were killed or captured. This probably ac-
counts for the fact that no mention is made of Brant's being
present in the last raid through the Mohawk Valley, and final
dispersion of the Rangers at the battle of Johnstown,

268 The Mohawk Valley

Here I would like to introduce an account of the raid of
Ross and Walter N. Butler in October, 1781, taken from an
English report. Governor Haldiman at that time organized a
second expedition to destroy the remaining settlements in the
Mohawk Valley. Sir John Johnson was sent by the way of
Crown Point in order to strike the valley from the east.
Major Ross was to advance from Niagara by the way of
Oswego.

A violent gale prevented the detachments from Niagara from
reaching Oswego until Oct. 9 (1781). On the 17th Major Ross left
his boats with a guard, in a creek falling into Lake Oneida, and
marched toward Otsego Lake. During the march several prisoners
were brought in from whom it was learned that Sir John Johnson
had appeared at Crown Point, but that their own movements were
as yet undiscovered. On the 23d they passed through Cherry Valley,
and on the evening of the following day reached Currytown. Owing
to the roundabout way they had taken their appearance was as un-
expected as though they had sprung from the earth. As they
hurried toward the Mohawk they took a few prisoners, who stated
that there were a. thousand men assembled at Schenectady, five
hundred at Schoharie, and that Col. Willett was at Canajoharie
with four hundred more. Duanesburg or Warrensbush (their
objective point), lying centrally between these two garrisons, was
deemed perfectly safe from attack. Major Ross perceived that he
had no time to lose, as in a few hours his presence would be known
at all these places. And although his men were already fatigued
by eight days of steady marching in very bad weather, and much of
the time ankle deep in mud, he marched all night through incessant
rain and over fourteen miles of the worst possible roads. His men
struggled gallantly to keep together, and not more than a dozen fell
behind, worn out by fatigue, and were abandoned to the tender
mercies of the enemy. At three o'clock on the morning of the 25th
they forded the Schoharie, within gunshot of Fort Hunter, and two
hours later halted near Warrensbush (fifth ward, Amsterdam),
where they were allowed to rest on their arms until daybreak.
The rangers and Indians were detailed to destroy the settlement,
which, was seven (?) miles in length, while the remainder of the
troops moved along the main road to support them. They found

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The Joseph Brant of Romance and of Fact 271

the place totally deserted, for the inhabitants had fled during the
night. By ten o'clock they had advanced within twelve miles of
Schenectady, and every building in sight was in flames, including
three mills and a large public magazine.

Ross then wheeled about and marched swiftly up the Mohawk,
which he forded with much difficulty, as the river was swollen by
the rain. A small party sallied from Fort Johnson to dispute their
passage, but the officer in command was killed at the first fire and
his men dispersed. The militia began to gather behind him, and
Ross determined to retreat directly through the woods instead of
attempting to return to his boats at Oneida Lake. Marching through
the woods to Johnstown he halted in the fields near Johnson Hall.

There Colonel Willett found him and gave battle, which
resulted in driving Ross and his Rangers and Indians into the
forest, as told in the account of the battle of Johnstown in a
previous chapter.

Although most of the raids in which Brant participated
were in the Mohawk Valley and the West, there is an account
of one as far east and south as Minisink, in Orange County,
N. Y. The story is only a repetition of many of the horrors
that were perpetrated by the Indians and Tories during the
Revolution. It was in 1779, and this border settlement had
been left unprotected by the withdrawal of Count Pulaski and
his cavalry, who had been ordered to South Carolina. During
the night, Brant, at the head of sixty Indians and twenty-
seven Tories, stole on the little town and fired several dwell-
ings. A small stockade fort, a mill, and twelve houses and
barns were burned, and a number of persons killed and taken
prisoners. The next day there was a gathering of many vol-
unteers, and soon 159 hardy men were clamoring to be led
against the enemy. Colonel Tusten, who knew the prowess
of Brant, opposed marching against a large body of the enemy
with so small a force. But the debate was cut short by Major
Meeker mounting his horse, flourishing his sword, and shout-
ing: " Let the brave men follow me; the cowards may stay

272 The Mohawk Valley

behind." These words aroused the assembly, and the line of
march was immediately formed. There was the oft-repeated
ambush, the fierce fight at close quarters, the exhaustion of
ammunition, massacre, and only thirty of the brave men re-
turned to tell the tale.

It is said that during the battle Major Wood made a Ma-
sonic sign, by accident, which Brant, being a Free Mason,
recognized and heeded, and his life was spared and he was
kindly treated, until the Mohawk chief perceived he was not
a Mason. After that Brant treated him with contempt,
although he was afterward released and joined the fraternity
by whose instrumentality his life was saved.

Many tales are told of Brant's savage cruelty, and he is
often spoken of as a monster; but in almost every instance
of horrible, bloodthirsty Indian atrocity the red men were
accompanied by armed Tories, who assisted them in massa-
cres, while Brant made every effort to restrain their savage
instincts.

From early boyhood he was a companion of the whites,
and in his early manhood was an assistant of Sir William
Johnson. By birth he was a savage, but by education a white
man. It is hard to believe that a man who had been cared for
by Sir William as though he had been his own son, and wha
had learned from him the virtues of generosity and concilia-
tion, a man who had been placed in contact with the eminent
white men of that period in business matters, one who was a
friend of Dominies Stuart, Urquhart, and Kirkland, and as-
sisted them in the translation of portions of the Gospel and
Prayer Book into Mohawk, and exerted himself in many ways
for the spiritual welfare of his people, could degenerate into
the savage that early historians have pictured him. The Scot-
tish poet, Thomas Campbell, makes the Oneida say, in Ger-
trude of Wyoming :

The Joseph Brant of Romance and of F^ct 273

This is no time to fill the joyous cup;

The mammoth comes — the foe — the monster Brant,

With all his howling, desolating band.

Scorning to wield the hatchet for his bribe,
'Gainst Brant himself I went to battle forth, —
Accursed Brant.

Brant was not at Wyoming, but many miles distant, and
although Campbell wrote to Brant's son John a letter of
apology and regret, his poems are still published with that
damning falsehood.

The bribe came from the British through Sir John and Guy
Johnson, in the bounty of eight dollars for every scalp, and
was the incentive for the murder of many helpless men,
women, and children that Brant was powerless to prevent.

The battle of Minisink was not a massacre but the exter-
mination of a body of brave, stubborn colonists, who chose to
die rather than surrender, although Brant offered good treat-
ment if they would lay down their arms, but warned them of
the fierceness of the thirst for blood that actuated his warriors.

After the peace of 1783 he visited England, and on return-
ing to America devoted himself to the social and religious im-
provement of the Mohawks, who were settled at Grand River,
Brant County, Canada, and on the Bay of Quinte.

To Brant was intrusted the care of the silver communion
set given to the Mohawks by Queen Anne in 1712 for use
in Queen Anne's Chapel at Fort Hunter. Since that time
its care has been transmitted to successive members of his
family. In 1898 I met the great-granddaughter of Joseph
Brant in company with about forty members of the Iroquois,
who were in Albany to deposit some valuable wampum
belts in the New York State Museum. Her name was
Mrs. John Loft, and the babe at her breast was the great-
great-grandson of Joseph Brant. Brant held a colonel's

2 74 The Mohawk Valley

commission in the English army, but he is generally known as
Captain Brant. He died at his residence at the head of Lake
Ontario, November 24, 1807, at the age of sixty-five years.

As the name of Fort Schuyler appears frequently in these
pages, it may be of interest to state where it was situated. I
will begin by saying that there were two Fort Schuylers in
western and one in northern New York. During the last
French war, as it was called, a number of forts were built
along the Mohawk Valley between 1755 and 1758. In 1758 a
fort was constructed where the city of Utica now stands, and
named Fort Schuyler, for General Peter Schuyler.

Previous to 1710 a fort was erected on the site of Fort
Ann, and named Fort Peter Schuyler, which was destroyed at
that date by Colonel Schuyler, as it was thought worthless
unless garrisoned.

The Fort Schuyler at Utica had been allowed to decay,
and in 1777 was only a fortress in ruins.

At the same date that the Utica fort was built (1758) a fort
was erected at Rome, N. Y., and named Fort Stanwix. In
1776 it was repaired and named Fort Schuyler, in honor of
General Philip Schuyler, of Revolutionary fame.

In 1781 this fort, noted for its connection with the battle
of Oriskany, was destroyed by fire and flood, and never rebuilt.

Chapter XVI

Incidents Relating to the Early History of Amsterdam
and the Mohawk Valley

IN 1609 Henry Hudson, an Englishman, discovered the
East and North rivers, the latter of which he ascended
in his boat to Aurania, now Albany, and soon after sold
his right privately to the Dutch West India Company.
In 1614 the States-General of Holland erected a fort at Albany
and called it Fort Orange. In 1663-64 the colony was sub-
dued by the English, and became known as the colony of New
York. Albany was incorporated as a city in 1686. Albany
County at that time comprised all of the land north as far as
Canada and all of the lands west.

At this time the present State of New York was possessed
by the Iroquois and Canada by the Algonquins, the rivals of
the Six Nations. Up to the burning of Schenectady in 1690
that village was the frontier settlement in the west, its neigh-
bors being Fort Orange on the east, fifteen miles away, and
Tiononderoga, a Mohawk Indian village, on the west, now
Fort Hunter.

About 1710 Ihe German Palatines and some Holland Dutch
from Schenectady settled along the Mohawk River, but located
in every instance except one on the south side. This excep-
tion was one Geraldus Camfort, who secured a small grant of
twenty acres in what is now the town of Amsterdam, on April
22, 1703.

On November 2, 1708, the notorious Kayaderosseras Patent

275

276 The Mohawk Valley

was given to Naning Heermanse and twelve others, conveying
about 700,000 acres which included all of the land in the
present town of Amsterdam east of Guy Park through
Perth, Broadalbin, and part of what is now Saratoga County.
This grant was evidently fraudulent, as the Mohawks were
told that they were only granting enough land for one or two
farms, whereas it embraced land five times greater than that
of Manhattan Island. As soon as this great fraud was dis-
covered by the Indians they protested against it and resisted
every attempt to settle on it. The patentees, as soon
as they discovered how furious the Indians were at the
deceit that would deprive them of such a large tract of their
hunting-grounds, desisted from all attempts to settle or sell
any of this tract for a great number of years, hoping that in
time the Indians would be driven from the valley and leave
them in possession of their ill-gotten wealth.

During Sir William Johnson's residence at Fort Johnson he
espoused the cause of the Indians in their desire to have this
patent annulled. After a number of years he succeeded in
having this grant reduced to about 23,000 acres, which
embraced the land in what is now known as the town of Am-
sterdam, east of Guy Park, and the town of Perth. Un-
doubtedly the contest over this patent and the attendant
hostility of the Mohawks retarded settlements in Amsterdam
for more than half a century, and the fact that Sir William
could not procure lands near his estate at Fort Johnson on ac-
count of the Kayaderosseras grant was probably the reason
that he concluded to build the town of Johnstown on lands he
owned in that vicinity, instead of in the valley.

In 1788 all of the land in Montgomery County north of the
Mohawk River was called Caughnawaga. Previous to that
time this district and the land on the south side was called
Mohawk. In 1793 this town was divided into the towns of

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Early History of Amsterdam ^ 279

Caughnawaga, or Fonda, Amsterdam, Broadalbin, Mayfield,
and Johnstown. In 1810 old Montgomery County was the
largest county in the State, its area being at that time 1,767,-
680 acres.

Up to 1772, what is now Montgomery County was part of
Albany County. In 1691 there were but nine counties in the
State, and Albany included all north of Ulster and Dutchess.
An attempt was made to divide this county in 1769, but failed.
A second petition was sent to the Assembly by Sir William
Johnson in 1772, and a new county was formed called Tryon
County, which embraced all of the State west of a line running
due north of the Delaware River through and along the eastern
limits of the present counties of Montgomery, Fulton, and
Hamilton to the Canadian line. It was named Tryon from
the governor of the colony, and Johnstown was designated as
the county seat on May 10, 1772.

Governor Tryon was so devoted to the British interests
that his name became obnoxious to the patriots of the valley,
and in 1784 the name jof the colony was changed from Tryon
to Montgomery County, and comprised lands of the present
counties of Fulton and Montgomery.

In 1838 this county was again subdivided into two counties
and named Montgomery and Fulton, Montgomery County be-
ing named from the patriot. General Richard Montgomery,
who was killed in the attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775.
He had acquired possession of Chambly, St. Johns, and Mon-
treal, thereby becoming master of the greater part of Canada.

On August 29, 1735, Charles Williams and others were
granted a patent for a tract of land in the town of Florida
containing about 14,000 acres, which was soon after sold to
Sir Peter Warren of New York, the uncle of Sir William
Johnson. This tract of land extended from the Mabie Patent,
at the mouth of the Schoharie or Tiononderogra Creek about

28o The Mohawk Valley

six or seven miles along the bank of said creek to a point
about midway between Mill Point and Burtonsville, thence
from that point in a straight line about eight miles long to a
point on the Mohawk River below Phillips's Lock, about oppo-
site Cranesville, and was triangular in shape. It was on this
tract of land that William Johnson was located when he came
to this country in 1738, at the age of twenty-three years.
William Johnson was born in Warrentown, county of Downs,
Ireland, in the year 171 5. It is said that he fell in love with
a young lady in Ireland, but was prevented from marrying her
by her friends. About this time his uncle, Sir Peter Warren,
made him a proposition to come to America and look after his
landed estate, an offer he gladly accepted. He located at
what was called Warrensbush, on the easterly border of the
estate and the Mohawk River. He erected a small dwelling
and store at a point on the Morris or John Blood farm, about
midway between the brick mansion and the house of Walter
M. Major, and about one mile from Alexander and Hamilton
Phillips, brothers who had located at what is now called Phil-
lips's Lock somewhat earlier. As early as 1716, one Philip
Groat, a member of one of the Dutch families that had settled
at Rotterdam, made a purchase of land near Cranesville, and
was probably the first white man that settled on the north side
of the Mohawk, in the town of Amsterdam. From that date
until after the Revolution we do not find the names of any
others who settled in this vicinity, except the Sir William John-
son settlements at or near Fort Johnson — probably on account
of the troubles over the Kayaderosseras grant. The grant to
Philip Groat conveyed all of the lands between the creeks
(about one mile) and as far north from the Mohawk as he
might desire. This embraced the present site of Cranesville.

The settler saw perilous times from the very beginning. It
is recorded that Philip Groat when removing hither was

Early History of Amsterdam ^ 281

drowned in the Mohawk near Schenectady by breaking
through the ice. He was in a sleigh accompanied by a woman,
who was also drowned. His widow and three sons, Simon,
Jacob, and Lewis, the latter being only four years old, with
several domestics, made the intended settlement. They were
the pioneers of Amsterdam, and were sturdy, courageous peo-
ple, as evinced by the stories that are told of these early days
that tried men's souls and bodies. In 1730 the Groat Brothers
erected a grist mill at what is now Cranesville, said to have
been the first mill of the kind erected on the north side of the
Mohawk, and for a time served the settlement at German
Flats, fifty miles away. The first bolting cloth was put in by
John Burns, a German, in 1772.
J. R. Sirnms says:

In the summer of 1755, two hundred troops clad in rich High-
land tartans passed on their way to Fort Johnson, six miles above.
Groat, observing a gate across the road had been left open by the
troops, went after sundown to shut it. When returning it began to
rain, and for temporary shelter he stepped under a large oak tree.
While there three Indians, a father and sons, approached him. He
took them to be Mohawks, and extending a hand to the oldest,
greeted him in a friendly manner. The hand was received and
firmly held by the Indian, who claimed Groat as a prisoner. Find-
ing them in earnest, and seeing them all armed with rifles, he sur-
rendered.

The Indians belonged to the Owenagunga tribe. They took
him to their settlement in Canada, where he was forced to run
the gauntlet. He was soon after sold to a French Canadian
named Louis de Snow, with whom he remained as a servant
until the declaration of war between Great Britain and France,
when he was claimed as a British prisoner, and for six months
imprisoned in St. Francis's Way, near Montreal. He was
finally liberated and returned home after an absence of four
years and four months.

282 ' The Mohawk Valley

The manner in which the town and city of Amsterdam was
named is not generally understood, or rather in speaking of
the occurrence we are apt to get dates mixed.

We will have to rely upon tradition for the naming of the
town, as there are no records of that event.

Tradition says that shortly after Joseph Hagaman settled
at the place now called Hagam.an in 1787, having made some
improvements on his homestead, he began the erection of a
sawmill. At that time (1788) all of the country north of the
Mohawk was called the district of Caughnawaga. The scat-
tered settlers had assembled for the purpose of raising the
frame of Mr. Hagaman's sawmill. This must have been a
great event to the settlers of this district, and undoubtedly
the occasion called forth all the able-bodied men for miles
around. Those who may have attended the " raising" of a
frame for a large building forty or fifty years ago will remem-
ber the immense beams and posts and girders which were first
pinned together with wooden pins and then placed in position
for " raising." They will also remember that it was always ex-
pected that the owner or contractor should furnish refresh-
ments,— sometimes sandwiches, often crackers and cheese, but
always whiskey or rum.

This was undoubtedly a notable gathering, brought there
for a notable purpose: the erection of a sawmill, which was
almost as necessary to the early settler as a grist mill. The
one to furnish bread, and the other the material for construct-
ing the dwellings of those hardy pioneers. Undoubtedly the
neighbors came from all points of the compass, either on foot
or horseback or in the primitive vehicles of those early days,
no coach, landau, cabriolet, coupe, or hansom in the proces-
sion, however. I can imagine that Captain Emmanuel DeGrafi
was there, and, perhaps. Lieutenant Peter Groot, proud of the
wound he received at the battle of Oriskany. Also George

Early History of Amsterdam 283

Shuler, Peter Van Wormer, and some of the Putnams and
Hansons from Tribes Hill, Fred Lepper, Wm. Kline, and
some of the Svvarts, Adam Sixbury, Nicholas, Isaac, Jere-
miah, and Frederick DeGraff, and a number of Scotchmen
from Perth and Gal way. Perhaps some of the lads and lassies
accompanied their elders to see the fun. No doubt the ques-
tion of the division of the large district of Caughnawaga had
been under discussion for some time, and the division lines
practically decided upon. Naturally the question of a name
for the new town that was to be, would be a proper subject for
discussion, and when the name of Amsterdam was suggested
and an informal vote taken, it was unanimously agreed upon.

Upon the organization of the town at the final division of
Caughnawaga, in 1793, the wishes of the residents were re-
spected, and the new town was named Amsterdam. The vil-
lage at the mouth of the Chuctanunda was called Veddersburg
until April 5, 1808, when at a town meeting, said to have
been held in the house of James Allen, now a farmhouse
owned by Stephen Sanford, being part of the Hurricana farm,
the question of changing the name of the village from Vedders-
burg to Amstersdam was submitted to a vote, which resulted
in a tie. " James Allen, being president of the meeting, had
a casting vote, and out of modest courtesy to the Dutch ele-
ment, decided upon the name Amsterdam."

Most of the histories of Amsterdam place the date of this
town meeting in 1804, but from the records of the town clerk
of the town of Amsterdam, it would seem that the correct
date is that given above. There is no record of the vote
spoken of above having been taken, however. The first town
meeting of the town of Amsterdam, after the division of the
old town of Caughnawaga, was held at the house of Isaac
Vedder, on the first Tuesday in April, 1794, at which time
the following town officers were elected :

284 The Mohawk Valley

Daniel Miles, supervisor; John P. Allin, clerk; James
Allin, Joseph Hagaman, Emmanuel DeGraff, assessors;
James Allin, Emmanuel De Graff, overseers of the poor ;
James Allin, Henry Kennedy, Emmanuel DeGraff, commis-
sioners of highways; Nicholas Hagaman, Adam Nave (prob-
ably Neff), constables; Albert H. Vedder, Myndert Wimple,
James Allin, fence viewers; John Groot, poundmaster; James
Allin, place of meeting for 1795, and a long list of overseers
of highways.

Building roads seems to have been their principal work, as
it is the only business that is recorded in the books of the
town clerk.

Among the list of taxpayers in 1794 were: Jeremiah De-
Graff, Frederick DeGraff, Isaac DeGraff, John DeGraff, John
DeGraff, junior, Emmanuel DeGraff.

On the tax-roll for 1794 we find that the assessment of Jacob
Schuyler was £412; Daniel Miles, ;^429; Albert H. Vedder,
^320; William Kline, ^383; James Allin, ^266; Frederick
DeGraff, £260; John L. Groot, ^220; Ahasuarus Marselis,
^211; Geo. Shuler, ^217; Chris. Peek, ^252; Nicholas Brat,
;^207; Ezra Thayer, iJ"2ii,

At the town meeting held at the house of Captain John P.
Allin, on March i, 1803, it was resolved that the town meet-
ing for 1804 should be held at the house of Gabriel Manny at
Manny's Corners. At that time the place of meeting for 1805
was changed back to the house of James Allin, where it had
been held since the organization of the town in 1794. At the
annual meeting in 1808 it was resolved that the next town
meeting be held at the meeting house in Veddersburg. And
it is probable that the vote changing the name to Amsterdam
was also taken at that time (1808), as the record of i 809 says:
The annual town meeting was held in the meeting house in
the village of Amsterdam." After that date up to 1812,

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Early History of Amsterdam 287

which is. as far as the record extends, the annual election was
held at the house of Joseph Oosterhoadt on Main Street,
where the store occupied by Isaac Adler now stands.

I have not been able to locate the house of Isaac Vedder,
spoken of as being the place of the first election of officers for
the town of Amsterdam. The only Vedder houses that I have
been able to find is one that was occupied by Volkert Vedder
as laid down on the old map of 1807, and stood where the
residence of Mrs. W. K. Greene now stands, and the old
Harmonus Vedder house that formerly stood on the site of
the present residence of Mr. Lauren Kellogg.

The latter Vedder house was known as the Cornelius Mil-
ler house, which now stands on the west side of William
Street, where it was moved about twenty years ago.

On a map made in 1807, ^^e find two Vedder houses. One
occupied by Harmon Vedder, standing where the dwelling
house of Lauren Kellogg now stands, which I have mentioned
before. Residents of Amsterdam will remember this house as
the old Cornelius Miller house, which was, within a few years,
removed to the west side of William Street, and is now known
as No. 12. The other house was, in 1807, owned and occu-
pied by Volkert Vedder, and stood where the residence of
Mrs. W. K. Greene now stands. This house now stands on
the north side of Greene Street, and is known as Nos. 7 and
9, and belongs to the heirs of the late Mrs. James Bell. In
one of these houses, probably the Cor. Miller house, the first
election in the town of Amsterdam was held. The election
for 1795 was held at the house of James Allen.

At what time previous to the above date the Allen house
was built we are unable to state, probably not many years. It
was in existence, however, in 1793. It was evidently built for
a public house, and kept as such for a good many years.
James Allen conveyed it to his son-in-law, William Davis.

288 The Mohawk Valley

Davis conveyed it to Alfred Birch, who occupied it until 185 1,
when he conveyed to Alex. Scott, who conveyed to John
Chalmers, who conveyed to Stephen Sanford, who now owns it.

Another old house is the Gabriel Manny, junior, house, on
East Main street, about one-quarter of a mile from Elk Street.
For a number of years this house was occupied by a Mrs.
Ellsworth and subsequently by George Ross.

It was formerly one of the numerous stage houses that
were so frequently seen along the Mohawk turnpike, from
1795 to 1840. There were two Gabriel Mannys, the senior
living at Manny's Corners and the junior on the Mohawk
turnpike.

Mr. Stephen Sanford is fortunate in being the owner of
two of the oldest houses in Amsterdam, — the old James Allen
house on the Hurricana farm and the Thomas house on the
Round View farm.

The Thomas house was probably erected by Henry
Thomas in 1797, as Mr. Sanford is in possession of a brick
taken from one of the chimneys bearing that date.

This house and the Allen house are in excellent condition,
and considering their " run of a century " and over, present a
very sturdy appearance, owing to the heavy timbers used in
their construction.

The Thomas, or, as it is sometimes called, the Reid house,
at Round View, often attracts the attention of passers-by
because it does not seem to be on a line with anything, unless
it might be with the north and south pole.

This is accounted for by the fact that the old public road
ran along what is now the rear of the house, which was for-
merly the front, as can plainly be seen by examining the rear
door to the main hall. This door and casing is quite orna-
mental, and, with its quaint side lights, reveals the antiquity
of the building.

Early History of Amsterdam 289

In those days there was no roadway on the south bank of
the creek by Green Hill Cemetery.

Persons who are in the habit of passing Round View have
noticed a triangular piece of land leading from near the barn
and coming to a point at a stone wall on lands of Samuel
Clizbe. The north fence of this lot was the north side of the
old road which ran between the barn and the house, through
the meadow and across the present road, and, with a sharp
turn, back into the field and through the centre of the half-
moon woods and across the flats now covered by the waters
of Kellogg dam, passed the old stone oil mill and entered the
grounds of the present Green Hill Cemetery, by what is now
the upper entrance opposite the old yellow house on the bank
of the creek, thence, following an easy grade up over the hill,
the road came out at the present main carriage entrance to the
cemetery, and so on down Church Street.

This road was ordered straightened as it is at present, and the
width ordered four rods wide, December 14, 1809, the highway
commissioners being David Shepard, Samuel Jones, and Duncan
Stewart. It is thought that the dug-way between Sanford's
dam and the Green Hill Cemetery was constructed a little later.

The house at Round View farm was built in 1797 by
Henry Thomas, and known as Henry Thomas's store, who
probably conyeyed the same in 1798 to William Thomas, who
conveyed it to William Helling, January 14, 1806; Helling con-
veyed to William Reid, February 3, 1824; William Reid con-
veyed to Edward Reid in 1841 ; Edward Reid conveyed to Jane
Dingman, who conveyed to William K. Greene, Greene to
Richard Pierce, Pierce to R. H. Johnson, Johnson to Stephen
Sanford, the present owner.

While it was in possession of Mrs. Dingman it was re-
modelled by changing the stairs in the main hall and by
changing the front of the house to the south.

290 The Mohawk Valley

Below this house on the south side of the road next below
the Jay Reid farmhouse is a building which I am inclined to
believe was erected before 1794, and was the residence of
Elisha Arnold, the father of Benedict Arnold and father-in-law
of William Reid, both well-known business men between 1806
and 1850.

William Reid was born at Speddock, in the parish of Holy,
wood, and county of Dumfries, Scotland, November 12, 1779,
Sailed from Greenock, June i, 1802, and arrived in the port
of New York August 8th of the same year, and came im-
mediately to Amsterdam, by sloop to Albany, on foot to
Schenectady, and by bateau up the Mohawk River. He soon
opened a school " on the rocks " at Rockton, where he taught
for four years. In 1806 he married the daughter of Elisha
Arnold, and a little later, in connection with his brother-in-
law, Benedict Arnold, kept a general store on Main Street.

Contemporary with the above-named persons, at 1806, we
find the names of Osias Bronson, the grandfather of James
Bronson, who moved here in 1802, Timothy Downs, Daniel
Miles, TuUuck, E. E. DeGraff, Barnes, Vedder, DeForest,
Blade, Roseboom, Waters, Thomas, and Esmond, Matthew
Bovee, and others.
^/" The house now known as the Voorhees mansion was built

by Garret Roseboom the latter part of the last century, and
was one of the numerous stage or road houses scattered along
the Mohawk turnpike in the early part of the last century.
This quaint old buildii'kg, both in its exterior and interior,
bears the impress of antiquity. I lately called upon the two
surviving members of the family, Messrs. Stephen and George
Voorhees, and was most cordially received by those hale and
hearty good fellows.

At first I felt like sympathizing with " Steve " in his
nearly lifelong affliction, but when I noticed how ready the

Early History of Amsterdam 291

younger brother was to use his eyes for the comfort and pleas-
ure of the other, I was conscious that at home, at least, he did
not feel the loss of his sight as when abroad.

This old building, with its exterior of severe simplicity,
is a landmark that cannot fail to attract the attention of
passers-by.

Architecturally, it cannot be called beautiful, but there are
very few of our old residents who would care to have it marred
by an attempt to modernize the structure. I think it was
James G. Blaine who said that he did not like those changes
that make an old building Queen Anne in front and Mary Ann
behind.

Approaching the place from Market Street, we first see the
substantial stone wall and iron gate that is so familiar to all
the young boys and the old boys of the last century. How
many of the old boys that have grown up in our city can
say that they have never played on the top of this wall and
under the shade of those venerable maples ? Many, of both
sexes have pleasant memories of it as a trysting-place in the
moonlight in days gone by. I think it is remembered equally
with " the old pine tree at the end of the walk " on East
Main Street, which stood where the parsonage of St. Mary's
now stands.

The front of the mansion is practically the same as when
built, the only change noticeable is in the wing at the east
end, where the tall pillars which formerly reached to the roof
and formed a high, narrow portico have been replaced by a
two-story piazza. The house as seen from the street, with its
plain white walls and antique doors and windows, would never
be mistaken for a modern structure. The severely plain front
door with its old-fashioned iron door-knocker representing the
hooded head of an Egyptian princess, the latticed storm-door
of the wing, the stone flagging branching from the gate to

292 The Mohawk Valley

reach the two doors, are the same as when I first saw them in
my childhood, but I miss the four plain white pillars in front
of the wing that succumbed to the hand of time, and were re-
placed by the structure spoken of above.

As we pass the front door we enter at once into a wide,
long hall with broad stairs at the end, with the usual slim
balusters and hand-rail of polished mahogany grown dark with
age. The room on the west side was formerly used as a par-
lor, and the woodwork of the doors and casing and the mantle
over the deep fireplace show the ornamental moulding and
carving that we so often find in houses built a century ago.

On the east side of the hall is a large square room lighted
by two windows in front. This room was the hotel office
and barroom when the house was used as a road house in the
early part of the last century and called the Roseboom House.
Scattered among the modern pieces of furniture in this room
are several pieces of dark mahogany or rosewood that are
unique in their well-preserved antiquity.
I / On the walls are two well-executed oil paintings of interest,
one of which represents a very pretty woman of perhaps
twenty-five years in the short waist and scant skirt in vogue
in those early days. This is Mrs. Betsy Voorhees, the wife of
Dr. Samuel Voorhees. The other painting is a portrait of an
older woman, and is a very well-executed likeness of Mrs.
Reynolds, whose maiden name was Bartlett, and the mother
of Mrs. Samuel Voorhees and Marcus T. Reynolds. The little
cap that adorns the head is beautiful in its quaint simplicity.

The Voorhees family, which includes the Amsterdam and
the Florida branches, are descendants of Steven Coerte Van
Voorhees, born in 1600 at Hees, Holland, and came to this
country " from before " the village in April, 1660, and settled
at Flatlands, L. I.

The meaning in English of the Holland name Van Voor-

Early History of Amsterdam 293

hees, is " from before the Hees "; " Van " meaning " from,"
" Voor " meaning " before " or in front of, and Hees being
a small village about five miles from Ruinen, Holland, which
contained in 1600 nine houses and about fifty inhabitants.

Dr. Samuel Voorhees was a man of great individuality,
and is remembered as a man of ability in his profession. His
appearance in his later years was such as to attract atten-
tion. A spare man of medium height and a slight bend for-
ward when walking, snow-white hair and whiskers, which he
wore in long fringe around the edge of the jaw, his short,
quick steps, and the ever-present cane was a familiar sight on
Main Street for a great many years. He died November i, Y
1870. This brief account of the Voorhees family would not
be complete if I failed to mention another member of the
family — Mrs. Betsey Voorhees. She was a sister of the well-
known lawyer, Marcus T. Reynolds, and was a woman of
great intelligence and marked force of character, who kept in
advance of all the projects of reform advocated by her co-
workers, Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Mrs.
Bloomer. She died February 8, 1858.

^^r. Stephen R. Voorhees informs me that John V. Henry,
at one time a prominent man in the village of Amsterdam,
and also owner of Guy Park in 1805, was brother-in-law of
Commodore Charles Wilkes of the American navy. John V.
Henry had a son who was named for the commodore and
called Wilkes Henry. He was a schoolmate of Stephen Voor-
hees in the old red schoolhouse that formerly stood where the
East Main Street brick schoolhouse now stands, and which
was burned in the great fire of the summer of 1856.

Wilkes Henry when a young man went on a voyage
with his uncle, the commodore, in the exploring expedition
of 1838-42, at which time they visited the Feejee Islands.
Young Henry asked leave to go ashore with a boat Icrew.

294 The Mohawk Valley

Permission being granted, they rowed for the shore, disap-
peared, and were never heard from again. It was always sup-
posed that they were captured by the savages and roasted and
eaten.

It is said, however, that in later years the Feejees preferred
the flesh of a nic<* plump female savage to a white man, as
they found the flesh of a white man insipid, and having the
flavor of tobacco.

This reminds me of the questions of a young irrepressible
who had been told a story of a missionary having been eaten
by a cannibal. " Papa," he says, " will the missionary go to
heaven ? " " Yes," said the father. After a pause the boy
says, " Pa, will the cannibal go to heaven ? " " No, of course
not," says the father. " Pa," says the boy, " how can the
missionary go to heaven if the cannibal don't ? "

In the year 1826 General Lafayette passed through Port
Jackson on the Erie canal on his way to the western portion of
the State. It was not known that he was on the packet until it
was near at hand, consequently no organized reception was
made in his honor. However, about fifty of the residents
hurried over in time to see him, but were so overawed at his
presence that no one made an effort to speak to him. Among
those who were present was Mrs. Samuel Voorhees, who trans-
mitted to him a pair of fine worsted stockings knitted by her-
self of one hundred stitches to the needle. Afterwards Mrs.
Voorhees received a letter from Lafayette acknowledging their
receipt and expressing thanks for the gift. To-day this letter
is one of the most valued possessions of the Voorhees family.
The}^ are also in possession of six mahogany chairs formerly
the property of Sir W. Johnson.

Ozias Brownson (Bronson) came to Amsterdam in 1802,
and later became a tenant on a farm belonging to Dr. Samuel
Voorhees. who at that time lived in Amsterdam. Somewhat

Early History of Amsterdam 295

later George W. J. Bronson, the son of Ozias, married a
daughter of Garret Roseboom, the builder of the Voorhees
mansion. Anthony Roseboom, a brother of Mrs. George
Bronson, was born in this house, and is still living in Fulton-
ville at the age of ninety-five years.

Mr. George Bronson and his bride went to housekeeping
in the " old yellow Voorhees house," which formerly stood
on the north side of Main Street, near the site of the Yund
block.

Ozias Brownson subsequently bought a farm west of the
villacfe and built a farmhouse, which was afterwards burned to
the ground. Our people have known this place as the Forbes
farm, which is now owned by St. Mary's Church and used as
a cemetery.

In 1796, a bridge having been built across the Schoharie,
a turnpike was opened from Canajoharie to Albany on the
south side of the Mohawk River and, with its extensions, called
the Great Western Turnpike.

In order to accommodate the tide of emigration up the
Mohawk Valley (the " gate " to the west) efforts were made
to improve the thoroughfares, especially from Schenectady to
Utica, and on April 4, 1800, a charter for the construction of
the Mohawk Turnpike was granted. In 1802 or 1803 Seth
Wetmore and Levi Norton came from Litchfield, Conn., and
interested themselves in the turnpike enterprise. They, with
Ozias Brownson, Hewitt Hill, and three others, formed the
first board of directors.

The turnpike was not constructed so much for stages as
for transporting the immense quantities of merchandise and
produce to and fro from Albany to Utica and Oswego and
subsequently to Buffalo and the great West. The wagons
used were ponderous vehicles drawn by four and sometimes
six and eight horses, and must have resembled the " prairie

296 The Mohawk Valley

schooners " of the West, with their canvas covers. To accom-
modate this great traffic, houses were built along the turnpike,
and those already built were utilized for road houses, as they
were called, for the accommodation of man and beast. These
were equipped with a bar, a few beds, and large sheds.

The farmers in those days would drive their own teams and
take along provisions for themselves and their horses, and by
paying a sixpence for a bed and buying a quart of whiskey
would find a place under the shed for their teams.

The stages were large Concord coaches, swung on leather
thoroughbraces, Vv^ith room for six passengers inside and as
many more outside, with six or eight horses and a change
of teams at every important stage house, and, as the road
improved in later years, it is said to have been a stirring
sight to see the experienced driver arrive at a hotel, with
horses on a gallop, his long whip cracking over their heads,
while his helper blew his horn with a toot, toot, toot, which
was a signal for all the idle men and boys to gather to see the
stage come in, which was the supreme event of the day. The
following extract from Mr. Thurlow Weed's autobiography
gives an interesting account of a stage journey on the Mo-
hawk turnpike in 1824. After speaking of his journey from
Rochester, he says :

Nothing of special interest until we reach Sprakers, a well-known
town that neither stages nor vehicles of any description were ever
known to pass.

Of Mr. Spraker, senior, innumerable anecdotes were told. He
was a man without education, but possessed strong good sense, con-
siderable conversational powers and much natural humor. Most of
the stories told about him are so Joe-Millerish that I will repeat but
one of them. On one occasion he had a misunderstanding with a
neighbor, which provoked both to say hard things of one another.
Mr. Spraker having received a verbal hot shot from his antagonist,
reflected a few moments, and replied, " Ferguson, dare vas worse

Early History of Amsterdam ^ 297

men in hell dan you," adding after a pause, with a growl, "but dey

vas chained."

At Canajoharie a tall handsome man, with graceful manners, is

added to our list of passengers. This is Hon. Alfred Conklin, who,

in 1820, was elected to Congress from this district. In passing

Conynes hotel, the fate of a young lady, " who loved not wisely but

too well," with an exciting trial for breach of promise, etc., would

be related. Still farther east we stopped at Failing's tavern to
water.

Going some miles farther east, we came in sight of a building on
the west side of the Mohawk River, and near its brink, the peculiar
architecture of which attracts attention. This was formerly Charles
Kane's store, or rather the store of the Kane Brothers, five of whom
were distinguished merchants of the forepart of the present century.
Here Com. Charles Morris, who, in 1812, distinguished himself on
board the United States frigate Constitution (he was Lieut. Morris
at that time, and was wounded in the engagement), in her engage-
ment with the British frigate Guerriere, passed his boyhood.

The next points of attraction were of much historic interest. Sir
William and Guy Johnson built spacious and showy mansions a few
miles west of the village of Amsterdam, long before the revolution,
in passing which interesting anecdotes relating to the English
baronet's connection with the Indians were remembered. A few
miles west of Sir William Johnson's, old stagers would look for an
addition to our number of passengers in the person of Daniel Cady,
a very eminent lawyer, who resided at Johnstown, and for more
than fifty years was constantly passing to and from Albany. At
Amsterdam, Marcus T. Reynolds, then a rising young lawyer of
that village, often took seat in the stage, and was a most com-
panionable traveller.

Simms speaks of the following tavern-keepers along the
Mohawk River: On Tribes Hill, Kline, Putman, Wilson; Guy
Park, James McGorck; Amsterdam, Col. William Shuler;
Cranesville, Crane; below, Lewis Groat, Swart, and others.

Chapter XVII
Canagera, One of the Mohawks' Castles

I HAVE before me a letter from the director of the Bureau
of American Ethnology, at Washington, in which he sug-
gests that a paper on some recent discovery of an Indian
castle site near the city of Amsterdam be prepared and
sent to the Auicrican Anthropologist for publication, and then
he says: " You will see by the enclosed list of publications
that this bureau has published very little in regard to the
tribes of your State." It does seem strange that there has
not been more written about the Mohawk Indians. Located
as they were when Champlain invaded the Mohawks' country,
in 1609, between Oneida Lake and Fort Orange, they, with
the assistance of other tribes of the Iroquois, stood as a bul-
wark between the savage Indians and Frenchmen of Canada,
and the struggling settlements to the east and south, up to the
period of the ending of the French war, in 1763.

Undoubtedly the assistance the Mohawks gave the earlier
settlers of the Mohawk Valley, and their inveterate hatred of
the Algonquins in retaliation for the defeat they suffered by
Champlain's help in 1609, saved the Mohawk River from be-
ing the southern boundary line of Canada. Nearly all the his-
tory of the valley dates from the time Van Curler and his little
band of hardy pioneers settled at Schenectady in 1662.

One of the most noteworthy of those sturdy Dutchmen,
next to Van Curler (or Van Corlear), was Jan Barentse Wemp,
who arrived in this country and located in Beverwyck, in 1643

29S

Canagera, One of the Mohawks' Castles 299

or 1645. The record says that he married twice and had six
children. The suffix, sf, to the name of Barent, indicates
that he was the son of a Barent Wemp (Wemple). Three
of his children were sons, whose names were Myndert, the
eldest, and Barent, who was born in 1656, and married Folkje,
daughter of Symon Volkertse Veeder, and had ten children.
He was appointed captain of a company of foot by Lieutenant-
Governor Leisler, in 1690. He had a son, Jan Barentse
Wemp. The name of the third son I have not been able to
ascertain.

Jan Barentse Wemp, the elder, was one of the original
fourteen pioneers who settled in Schenectady in 1662. It is
said that Governor Stuyvesant granted the first patent of land
(an island at Schenectady) in 1662, to Jan Barentse Wemp and
Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck, a half-breed. This island was
sometimes called Wemp's Island, and is now known as Van
Slyck's Island. Jan's name is connected very closely with the
early history of Schenectady, and his descendants may be
found among many of the prominent families of the whole
Mohawk Valley.

Myndert, the eldest son of Jan Barentse Wemp, had a son,
Johannes, also called Jan, or John, who, in 171 1, lived in the
" Mohawk's country, on the Mohawk River." On the nth
day of October of that year, Governor Hunter made a con-
tract with John Wemp, Garret Symonce, Barent Vroman,
Hendrick Vroman, and Arent Van Patten, of Schenectady, to
build the fortification called Fort Hunter, at the mouth of the
Schoharie River, and Queen Anne's Chapel, which was situ-
ated inside the palisade or fort. This fort and chapel were
completed in 1712.

Jan Wemp, as he was called by his Dutch neighbors,
owned part of the fourth flat of the Schenectady patent, which
was located at Pattersonville. On December 16, 1737, he

300 The Mohawk Valley

obtained a patent of 450 acres of land in the town of Florida
located east of Queen Anne's Chapel glebe, and adjoining
the same on the west, and the Babbington patent of 1717,
on the east. He died October 14, 1749. He married, first,
Catalina, daughter of Reyer Schermerhorn, June 15, 1700,
and second, Ariaantje, daughter of Isaac Swits, October 6,
1709, and had twelve children; six sons and six daughters,
A few extracts from his will may be found interesting. He
divided his estate as follows:

To my sons Isaac and Ephraim, the westerly part of the flats on
the south side of the Mohawk River, where I now live, in the
Mohawks' country; to John, Jr., the easterly part of my flats; to my
daughter, Maria Butler, wife of Lieutenant Walter Butler, Jr., two
morgans of land, etc., and to my daughter Rebecca, wife of Pieter
Conyn, two morgens of land, etc.

This Walter Butler was an uncle of Walter N. Butler of
Cherry Valley massacre notoriety, and was killed at the battle
of Lake George, September 8, 1755.

Who has not experienced a desire for a stroll in the country
during the bright and beautiful October weather so common
in this latitude ? It seems to come with added force on some
bright Sunday morning, and one longs to breathe the fresh air
of the fields and the odors of the forest, and perhaps " look
through nature up to nature's God."

One Sunday morning I yielded to such a desire, and with
a comrade boarded the trolley for Fort Johnson, and being
rowed across the river by a " lone fisherman," we were soon
on our tramp into the Mohawks' country. Our road lay along
the canal, with its steam propellers belching forth dense black
smoke and pushing and pulling two, four, or five heavily laden
canal boats; on our left was the West Shore Railroad, with
its long trains of rattling, rumbling cars, and screeching, his-
sing locomotives, while to the right, across the Mohawk, could

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Canagera, One of the Mohawks' Castles 305

be seen and heard endless trains of freight and passengers,
passing east and west.

The road we were travelling was probably the Indian trail
followed by Jan Wemp (Wemple) and his companions, en
route for the Tiononderoga, to construct Queen Anne's
Chapel and Fort Hunter. Leaving the massive masonry of
the " two locks," which are long enough to admit two canal
boats at one time, we pass the pleasant home of the Mac-
Gregors, and in due time arrive at the home of Mrs. Cornelius
Wemple and Emiory and Gilbert Wemple, sons of Cornelius
and grandsons of Ephraim, spoken of above as having in-
herited the westerly half of the flats of Jan or John Wemp,
which name is now changed to Wemple. We can imagine
Jan and his companions, resting at the Indian spring by the
wayside and drinking of its cooling water, and perhaps at that
early date casting his eye over the flats with a desire for pos-
session. The Wemple homestead of the present day is a com-
modious edifice of modern construction, situated near the
highway a little to the west of the Indian cold spring. About
one hundred feet from the house formerly stood the old
Wemp place, as it was called, the home of Jan Wemp, the
great-grandfather of the present owners of the farm. When
the Erie Canal was constructed, in 1820, it passed through the
front yard of the old house, even taking away the front steps,
leaving the house so near the canal that you could step from
the front door into the water. As I remember the old house,
it was quite a pretentious two-story edifice, flanked with two
stone houses one story high and about twelve feet square, one of
which was used as a kitchen, as was the custom with well-to-do
families in theearly part of theeighteenth century. The wallsof
the old kitchen are yet standing, but the roof has, of course, fal-
len with decay and been replaced with a temporary superstruc-
ture that looks sadly out of place on its time-worn stone walls.

304 The Mohawk Valley

Our mission to the Wemple place was to find, if possible,
the site of an old Indian castle called by Van Curler, in the
diary of his journey to the Mohawks' country, Canagera, situ-
ated about one Dutch mile east of a large stream (Schoharie
River). At this place, which is about two English miles from
Schoharie River, we found abundant evidence of Indian oc-
cupation. The cold spring by the roadside and another on
the hill were walled up years before the advent of Jan Wemp
by previous occupants of the land, — the Mohawks. Back of
the house is an old Indian ford, the only one for miles east or
west over the Mohawk River, Mr. Gilbert Wemple pointed
out an old Indian trail through the primitive forest, leading to
Auriesville, and probably to the vicinity of Minaville.

Being asked if he had ever seen any embankment or evi-
dence of the remains of an Indian fortification, he pointed to
a path which he said led to a singular embankment, or ridge,
which tradition said had been there before the advent of his
ancestors. Following the path indicated, through the woods,
I came to a field that had formerly been a forest of immense
trees, but which had been almost entirely destroyed by a tor-
nado that swept through the valley a few years ago. This
field has been cleared, except of numerous huge upturned
trunks, and is now almost completely covered with berry
bushes. To the south of this field stands the primitive forest,
on whose northern edge, on a bit of high ground, is a clearing.
Extending across the north side of the clearing is a grass-cov-
ered embankment, about one hundred feet long, four feet wide
at its base, and perhaps two or three feet high. At the east
end of this embankment, and near the angle formed by a
similar ridge leading to the south, is an opening about four
feet wide or about the width of a gate or entrance. The east-
erly ridge is of the same size and structure, and extends about
one hundred and fifty feet, to another angle, where it meets a

Canagera, One of the Mohawks' Castlqs 305

well-defined but irregular ridge around the edge of a swamp,
to the place of beginning. On the west side of the clearing
we found a rudely walled-up spring or well, filled with the
rubbish of the forest. At various places on tne top of the
eastern and southern ridge, or embankment, large trees are
growing, two of which are immense pines, estimated to be
over 150 years old, showing the great antiquity of this singu-
lar work of the Indians. The size of the enclosure is about
100 feet by 150, and there is plainly visible an embankment
of about 350 feet in length.

To the west of this clearing is a swamp, which could be
drained to a near-by ravine by a cut about twenty feet long
and two feet deep. On the north and east is a well-defined
broad ditch, outside the embankment, leading to the swamp
on the south. It is surely a very curious structure, and is of
great interest, as there is evidence of Indian occupation on the
hill and on the flats below.

After a thorough examination of the clearing and adjoining
grounds, we returned to the Wemple residence, and there met
Mr. Emory Wemple and our friend Ha-rison Chase, of Am-
sterdam, whose present wife is a sister of the owners of the
Wemple farm, and were cordially received, told many an in-
teresting tale, and shown many objects of interest. A curi-
ous stone slab, on a slight elevation, at a turn in the road near
the large barn, was pointed out. A wide, deep indentation,
evidently worn by the action of waters, ran across the width
of the slab, and in the centre was a smooth circular depression
having the appearance of a primitive mortar, such as was used
by the early Indians in grinding their corn with a stone pestle.
A spot near the house was said to have been a burial-place of
the Indians, and a well-authenticated account of the finding
of the bones of an aborigine who had been buried in an erect
position was given.

3o6 The Mohawk Valley

The following day we again visited the clearing on the hill,
in company with Messrs. T. B. Van Derveer and Dewitt A.
Devendorf, and were confirmed in our opinion that the clear-
ing contains the remains of an Indian fortification; but
whether prehistoric or not, it is hard to tell. One of the party
who was eager to explore an excavation in the clearing, de-
scended into it and pulled down a pile of stone in his investi-
gation. His hurried exit soon after was explained by the fact
that he had put his hand upon a large snake. With a stick
we removed a flat stone and exposed his snakeship, coiled for
a strike. If it had been anything but a snake, we might have
thought it a thing of beauty; but it would take a wonderful
expansion of imagination to find beaut\^ in a reptile. The
coils of its parti-colored body were gracefully placed, and its
flat head and about a foot of slimy length, was drawn back in
graceful curves, with its small bead-like eyes watching for its
enemy. However, no thought of compassion or admiration
could prevent poising a stone for its destruction, nor was it an
impulse of cruelty that dashed the stone to its lair. But we
did not crush his snakeship, as we had hoped to; he swiftly
glided, with an indescribable undulatory motion, without ap-
parent effort, to a place of safety in the opposite bank. We
were sorry we did not " bruise its head," as it was the proper
thing to do, according to the Scriptures.

This little incident of the snake seemed to add gloom to
the solitude of the forest, and we picked our way through a
treacherous swamp and were glad to get on firmer ground
again. Crossing a deep ravine, which afforded an outlet to
the waters of the swamp above, we turned aside from our path
to see the ancient burial-ground of the Wemple family, and
were surprised at its populous appearance. It could hardly be
called a graveyard, as it was situated in a vast field that gentlv
slopes towards the setting sun. We counted over a hundred

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Canagera, One of the Mohawks' Castles 309

mounds in this ancient Godsacre, under the shade of a single
criant oak. The singrle marble slab in commemoration of the
death of Ephraim Wemple, in 1838, seemed out of place
among the rude slabs of limestone, without date or inscription,
that marked the last resting-place of the hardy pioneers, the
descendants of Jan Barentse Wemple. Each mound was well
defined and free from weeds or briers. Small slabs of gray
limestone indicated the head and foot of each grave, making
it apparent that a large number of children of various ages had
been buried there. Mounds of greater length also marked the
last resting-place of numerous adults.

About one hundred and sixty years ago, perhaps, the
ground was opened to receive the remains of the first occupant
of this primitive graveyard in the forest. Imagination pic-
tures the scene. Up this gentle slope and under the shadow
)f towering pines, oaks, and maples, winds the funeral proces-
sion from the homestead on the bank of the Mohawk, the
rude, unvarnished cofinn borne by kindly neighbors, who have
followed the trail from a distance to show, by their presence,
their sympathy for the bereaved family. We can imagine an
absence of bright colors in the funeral train, but no sable
robes. Perhaps the Rev. Henry Barclay, their nearest neigh-
bor, from Queen Anne's Chapel, stands at the head of the open
grave, while at a respectful distance, a group of half-naked
Indians gaze stoically at the strange scene. How unmeaning
to the savages, but how full of hope to the sorrowing friends,
are the words of the minister as the clods fall on the coffin :
I heard a voice from heaven saying, write, from henceforth
blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. Even so saith the
spirit, for they rest from their labors."

A few days later we again visited the clearing spoken of
above, in company with the late A. G. Richmond of Cana-
joharie and W. J. Kline, T. B. Van Derveer, and Professor

lo The Mohawk Valley

Maney of Amsterdam, and were again puzzled over this
strange embankment, A superficial investigation of the earth
in the clearing did not reveal the hoped-for evidence of pre-
historic relics, except some gray earth that had the appear-
ance of ashes, which under the glass revealed the presence of
tiny bits of charcoal. This was found about eighteen inches
below the bottom of an old rott'^n stump, and was evidently
of great age. A more extended investigation may reveal the
evidence required.

The embankment on the hill does not prove or disprove
the location of the site of Canagera, for it is said by Van Cur-
ler that this castle was without palisades. It may be of later
construction, or it may antedate the Iroquois nation, and be-
long to the mound builders, as it bears resemblance to their
curious earthworks, found in Ohio and other Western States.

I would like to add that the older residents of Fort Hunter
speak of the clearing on the hill as " Yaunney's Garden,"
from the fact that a man by the name of Yaunney cultivated
this spot about forty or fifty years ago. This may account for
the absence of the hoped-for Indian relics, as the cultivation
of the soil would naturally obliterate evidence of Indian oc-
cupation, in the shape of ashes, charcoal, burned stone, and
so forth.

In 1897, while gathering material for the history of Queen
Anne's Chapel at Fort Hunter, I had occasion to visit that
place to locate the chapel, which was destroyed in 1820 by
the building of the Erie Canal. I succeeded in doing so to
my entire satisfaction, but was confronted with substantial
evidence of the existence of the remains of a palisade at a
greater distance from the chapel than a number of authentic
documents had placed it, and looked upon it as a mystery that
was hard to solve.

Reference has been made at difTerent times and by different

Fort Hunter ^ 3^^

authors to the fact that Sir William Johnson, previous to the
Revolution, had repaired the fort and mounted it with cannon.
We know that it was garrisoned by a detachment of British
soldiers.

A short time ago, while looking over some old letters of
Sir William Johnson's I came across the following, taken from
a letter written to Governor DeLancey, and dated Mount
Johnson, June 6, 1755:

I returned last night from the Conhogohery Indian Castle, having
first been at the Mohawk Castle. At Both setilements I have fixt
on places to build thern forts. At the hither (PAohawk) castle I
propose it to be nearly on a line with Fort Hunter, to take in the
church (chapel) as a Bastion, and to have a communication Palisades
between the two Forts, which will be of small Expense, and in case
of an Attack may be of great service by mutually assisting each
other, and if drove to the necessity of quitting the one, they may
still maintain the other.

Another letter is dated Mount Johnson, June 16, 1755:
" I have last night, with much difficulty, agreed with three
men to build the two Forts at the Mohawk Castle."

That the two forts were built is shown from a speech by
the Indian Abraham, before Sir William in 1758. I find it in
the appendix of the second volume of W. L. Stone's Li/e of
Sir William Johnson.

Fort Johnson, Jan. 13, 1758. At a meeting of some of the
Mohawk chiefs of the lower town. Present, Sir William Johnson,
Bart., Lieut. Claus, Dep. Sec'y, Geo. Croghan, Esq., Captain
Thomas Butler; Mr. Arent Stevens, Captain Montour, interpreters;
Abraham, speaker.

Brother Warra. — We come here to lay our case before you which,
as it seems at present, is very precarious; listen Brother, and we
will relate you our unlucky accident which happened in our town
yesterday evening.

One of our young men who has been these many weeks past from
home, returning yesterday, found that since his leaving home another

312 The Mohawk Valley

party of men were posted in the garrison. In order, therefore, to
pay a visit to the commanding officer, and bid him welcome to his
garrison (not knowing that the sentries were ordered to stop any
Indian from entering the fort) he came up to the gate, and to his
great surprise, as (juite uncustomary heretofore, was repulsed by the
sentry, and after offering a second time to go in, was pushed to the
ground with the butt of the gun. Upon which, seeing himself thus
unfriendly used, he returned to his house, and going along one of
the block houses, they emptied . . . upon him, and shrew him
with snowballs; standing a little after, under the door of his house,
he saw two soldiers coming towards the Indian town, and consider-
ing his ill-treatment a little before, went to the gate of the Indian
Fort, and attempted to stop the soldiers; giving them to understand
that as they would not let them enter their fort, he was unwilling
they should come among the Indians; but he was soon pushed back;
and one of the soldiers took up a piece of wood, and knocked him
to the ground with it, leaving four wounds in his head. Upon
which a French prisoner tried to take up the wounded man but was
prevented by the soldiers, and obliged to run for his life to a white
man's house just by there, and they followed him and would have
given him some cuts, had he not pushed the door after him and
kept the door shut.

Some of our young men, seeing all this, immediately ran to meet
us (as we were not yet come home from the meeting at your house)
and finding us at John Wemp's, where we stopped a little, told us
that there was fighting and quarrelling among the soldiers and In-
dians; we hastened home, and driving up towards my stable, in
order to take my horses out of the sleigh, and put them up, in the
first place found four soldiers in the stable, and upon asking them
what they were doing there, and desiring them to leave the stable
that I might put up my horses, they immediately struck me with
their fists, on which I got hold of him that struck me first, and
brought him to the ground, holding him some time, to prevent his
striking me again, when the rest got hold of me, tossed me about,
and had like to choke me; tore my wampum and silver medal from
my neck, which they have either kept or thrown away, as I cannot
find it in the place where we struggled. During the time of this two
other Indians, hearing the noise, came to see what was the matter,
when the soldiers were calling for help to the fort, as I found after-
wards by a number of soldiers coming with drawn cutlasses, and

Fort Hunter . 3'

pursued the two young Indians, who were unarmed, and one of
them ran to his house, and by a strong door, which he pushed after
him, saved himself, although many cuts were made into the door to
split it. The other Indian ran likewise to his house, but he had not
time to shut the door when the soldiers rushed into the house, fell
to cutting him and gave him three wounds in his body, two in his
head, and a stab in his breast, which proves very dangerous. His
sister, being in the house at the same time, cried out " murder,"
when one of the soldiers struck at her and cut her in two places
under her arm; and having a blanket about her saved her from
being killed. At last an officer, a sergeant, came from the fort to
prevent their doing more mischief, but the soldiers were in such a
rage that he was obliged to draw his sword among them and actually
cut one of them in the arm; which. Brother, we mention to you for
this reason that upon inquiring into the affair, we may not be charged
with having wounded him; for we assure you, we had no weapons
in our hands during the whole fray, nor intended at all to quarrel.

Yesterday morning, also, when two of our women wanted to cross
the river in a canoe that belongs to us, and being ready to push from
shore, they were pulled out of the canoe by the hair of their heads,
by two of the soldiers, and the canoe taken from them. And not
long ago an old woman, wife of one of the sachems, coming along
the road with a load of v/ood on her back, was attacked by the
soldiers, who wanted to ravish her, but defending herself with her
axe, she prevented their design.

This, Brother, is now the true state of our complaint. [Gives
string of Wampum.]

This affair occurred just at the time Sir William was ex-
pecting a large meeting of delegates of the Confederacy, and
occasioned him a great deal of annoyance. However, he
espoused the cause of the Mohawks, and caused the obnoxious
garrison to be replaced by soldiers that were acquainted with
the Indians.

In the history of St. Ann's Church and Queen Anne's
Chapel, published by the writer in 1897, is a photo-engraving
of the site of the chapel, which was situated inside the
original Fort Hunter. The photograph was taken from the

314 The Mohawk Valley

bridge over the guard lock looking east. On the west side of
the bridge are the gates that admit the waters of the Scho-
harie into the feeders, which in turn empty into the main canal
about one half-mile away.

The figure on the left in the photo is looking across the
canal towards the site of the chapel.

From the above account there seems to be conclusive evi-
dence of the existence of two forts at Fort Hunter at that
time.

From careful measurement we feel positive that the centre
of the old stone building was about twenty feet from the east
end of the right-hand stone wall, and between the two apple-
trees whose tops appear in the foreground.

In 1869, during a flood, the roadway on the west bank of
the creek was washed away, and a large portion of its waters
found exit across the flat lands into the canal some distance
from the roadway. When the water subsided it was found
that much soil had been washed away, exposing two lines of
palisades. One line extended along the line of the road on
which the old rug mill stands, and a few feet north of the
fence on its northern border. The other line was at an angle
of about forty-five degrees to the first line, with a well-marked
opening, with stakes on each side, presumably leading to the
other line of palisades, about one hundred feet south.

The theory that suggests itself is, that the angular palisade
belonged to the British fort, while the straight line was the
stockade of the Indian fort or village, the opening spoken of
being the palisaded connection between the two forts
spoken of in Sir William Johnson's letters. The stakes of
both palisades were about ten inches in diameter, an inner
row covering the spaces between the outer row of stakes, the
fortification being what was called double stockaded.

Although thirty years have elapsed since the flood that

Wolf Hollow ^ 315

exposed the palisade spoken of, a trench dug from the fence
on the south side of the lot might again bring to light evidence
of this old Indian palisade. If the owner of the lot, the Rev.
J. H. Enders, would undertake this work and lay bare some
portion of the old stockade, he would be able to add an inter-
esting chapter to the early history of the Mohawk Valley.

Among the persons now living who saw the remains of
old Tiononderoga (Fort Hunter) in 1869, are James Voorhees,
Amsterdam; John Graff, Fort Hunter; and Dr. Henry Dev-
endorf, Mill Point.

It is usual, when one drives out in the country for pleasure,
to select a day that promises to be fair and pleasant, and for
that reason we are apt to see hills and valleys under the same
aspects, barring the changes of seasons. I took a drive a few
days ago, however, when the sky was overcast and the rumble
of distant thunder was heard in the west.

Our journey led us down the river road to the Swart's hill
road, and, as we climbed that hill in the usual laborious man-
ner, the rain-drops were falling thick and fast from the black
thunder-clouds overhead. We were well protected from the
shower, however, and rather enjoyed being out in the down-
pour, although our faithful horse soon put on the appearance
that is attributed to a drowned rat.

As we reached the top of that dreadful hill the view of the
valley was strange and grand. Safe and snug in our buggy
as a bug in a rug, we saw the river and hills under such a new
aspect that we hardly recognized our surroundings. From the
height from which we gazed we looked down on the Mohawk,
made gray by the dashing drops of rain, while the higher
Florida hills, that had been concealed from view below by the
lower range along the bank of the river, spread out before us
on an inclined plane, stretching upward until they disappeared
in the storm-clouds that formed a gray fringe along their

3i6 The Mohawk Valley

summit, as they scurried along dropping their moisture in gray
sheets on field and forest.

Looking down the river, we could see the Towereune, and
Yantapuchaberg, gray and misty in the distance, and the
river, narrowed by the bend at Hoffman's Ferry, winding its
way along the base of those high hills that reminded one of
old Donderberg and Cro'nest at the entrance to the Highlands
of the Hudson. The falling rain and the blackness of the
clouds almost obliterated colors from the landscape that a
moment before had been brilliant with shades of green and
yellow and brown.

Our destination was Glenville, a pretty little village charm-
ingly situated on a level plateau, surrounded by high hills, and
reminds one of a hugh bowl on a mountain top. The view of
this elevated valley, as you approach it from West Charlton, is
a surprise and is very pleasing indeed. As we turned our coufse
towards the river at Hoffman's the thunder clouds were still
muttering in the east, but the sun shone brightly overhead.

Our course lay through " Wolf Hollow," one of the
wildest and most charming drives in the valley of the Mohawk.

As we entered the hollow the sun brightened the roadway
somewhat, but the gloom of the forests on each side was at
times almost impenetrable.

This hollow, or ravine, or canon, is a narrow gorge between
two of the highest hills between Glenville and Hoffman's, and
is barely wide enough for a single roadway and the narrow
creek that ripples or roars along its side in calm or in storm.
The hills on each side rise to the height of three or four hun-
dred feet, with a fringe of towering pines along their summits,
and in some places just escape being termed precipitous. At
one place on the western bank the earth has fallen away leav-
ing a precipice perhaps a hundred feet high of thin ledges of
slate from top to bottom. As we look up the side of the hill,

THE KOAD THROUGH WOLF HOLLOW

317

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TIC 3F.W ;-.-;;,,■;')

Wolf Hollow 3 '9

the forest would be most impenetrable were it not for a thin
line of gray sky that appears through the trees at the summit.

At one point a rivulet is trickling down at our feet, and,
as we look up, we see in the slaty bed of its almost perpen-
dicular course a large volume of water that has been carried to
it along the water courses above by the recent storm, and, as
we gaze, we see it leap over the slaty ledges in myriads of tiny
cascades until it dashes at our feet and goes murmuring along
to the river below. About a mile from the entrance of the
gorge, the ravine widens out a few feet and at the base of a
cliff is seen, through the gloom, a large hole in its side, whose
impenetrable blackness makes one shiver. This is said to be
the entrance to a coal mine that was opened many years ago
by some visionary person who expected to make a fortune
from the venture. It extended some little distance into the
eastern bank, and coal was found, but in quantities that would
not pay the expense of mining. The mine is said to be filled
with water.

Of late years the road through the ravine has been im-
proved and is in fair condition, in fact much better through-
out than Market Street hill. In the two-mile drive through
it we did not hear the howl of wolf, or see man, woman, or
child until near the exit two grizzled fishermen startled us
by rising abruptly in the underbrush. They were collecting
** scrabblers " for bait.

At the southern end of the gorge a singular rock forma-
tion has been uncovered in digging away the slate to repair
the road. Above a mass of thin scales of slate is a course of
gray sandstone about three feet thick in a segment of a circle
inclining at an angle of forty-five degrees, and above, another
thick course of slaty scales, making an interesting sight to the
geologist. As we emerge from the ravine we find that we are
still high above the river, a glimpse of which we catch through

320 The Mohawk Valley

the trees that are scattered here and there in pleasing irregu-
larity. In a large field to the right stands an immense chest-
nut tree, whose trunk is so large that two men could not span
its girth. The long, narrow, pointed, drooping leaves of its
very dark green foliage and the clusters of lighter green
prickly burrs that hide the toothsome nuts are a very pleasing
sight and give promise of a bountiful harvest. Wolf Hollow
has as many moods as our hills and vales, and a traveller
should see it in the brightness of noonday and also at twilight
in order to appreciate its beauties and its terrors.

Chapter XVIII
Early Industries

IN the year 1802 the Rev. John Taylor, while on a mission
through the Mohawk Valley, made in his journal the
following entry about Amsterdam, which was formerly
part of the ancient town of Caughnawaga: " Near the
centre of this town (Amsterdam) the Ouctanunda Creek
empties into the Mohawk — a very fertile and useful stream.
On this stream and in this town there stand 4 grist mills, 2 oil
mills, one iron forge and 3 saw mills."

On an old map, dated 1807, is shown an oil mill, situated
near the mouth of the creek and near the present site of the
Pioneer Knitting Mill. This seems conclusive evidence that
an oil mill was in operation at an early date, although our
oldest residents confess that they have no knowledge of
such an industry at that period. Where the other was
situated it is impossible to say at the present time, unless it
may have been in operation on the Juchtanunda Creek, and
ante-dated the primitive mill of Supplina Kellogg, one of the
early settlers at West Galway, who founded a linseed oil mill
at that place in 1824, where he carried on the business in a
small way until 1848.

Those who are familiar with the road from Hagaman to
West Galway will remember that after passing Conner's grist
mill they come to a long stretch of sandy road, and the road
beyond becomes narrow and rugged on account of the dense

growth of underbrush that lines each side of the wagon track.

321

322 The Mohawk Valley

Emerging from the bushes, the road forms a junction with
another, running north and south, either branch of which, if
followed, will lead to West Galway village.

In front and distant about a hundred yards from the junc-
tion is visible an ancient dam across the Juchtanunda and a
number of buildings, some of which have all the appearances
of antiquity. To the left of the lane that leads to the old
buildings are two cottages pleasantly situated, one of which
is the home of Robert Calderwood and family. The writer
feels under obligations to Mr. Calderwood for courtesies ex-
tended and interesting information given.

The old buildings mentioned above are all that remains of
an active business centre, located here three-quarters of a
century ago.

The dam, although the water is allowed to run through a
large opening on the south, is in a rem.arkable state of pres-
ervation, considering the manner of its construction.

The wings of the dam are embankments about two hun-
dred feet long to the north and to the south, but the pour, or
dam proper, is about fifty feet wide, and constructed by laying
heavy logs the full width of the stream, upon which were
placed other logs about five feet apart and laid at right angles
with the foundation. Then another row of long, heavy logs
and a row of smaller ones at right angle and so on until the
desired height was reached. Leading from the dam on the
north side is a square, open flume, showing signs of age and
usage. Some years previous this square flume replaced a
round tube that had worn and rotted away. The old round
flume carried the water that furnished the power to turn the
water wheel that operated the machinery that ground the seed
that made the oil in the pioneer oil mill of Supplina Kellogg,
which was located below the dam on the north side of the
stream. The building is still standing, although dismantled

THE ROAD TO GALWAY (HAGAMAN'S)

M:-^.

323

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Early Industries ,^ 325

of all the machinery used for the manufacture of Unseed oil,
and though the exterior of the structure shows evident signs
of age the interior displays immense beams and girders that
seem to bid defiance to time and decay.

I was informed that part of this old building was formerly
located below the Beaver Dam Creek about a mile below a grist
mill belonging to Robert Campbell, whose residence is still
standing near the northwest corner of the roads mentioned
above. Two of the millstones of this grist mill may be seen in a
field opposite the Campbell residence near the junction of roads.

The back part of the Kellogg mill was used as a fulling
mill, where the farmers brought cloth, woven by their wives
and daughters, to be fulled and dressed. In the upper story,
bins were arranged in order to keep each customer's cloth
separate, and the fields adjoining were fitted with apparatus
for drying the same. Back of this building and disconnected
from it was a sawmill.

On the opposite side of the creek was a tannery, where
hides were made into leather by the old-fashioned tedious
process that took twelve months to complete. The building
has been destroyed, but the old vats are still pointed out, in
which may yet be seen portions of the wooden frames. To
the west of the tannery was a fair-sized building, still stand-
ing, and formerly used as a shoe shop.

The oil, fulling, and saw mills were conducted by Supplina
Kellogg, and the tannery and shoe shop by George Dunning.

Across the fields to the souths but on the main road, still
stands the long, low farm buildings of Mr. Kellogg and the
birthplace of his sons, John and Lauren, who succeeded their
father in the linseed-oil business, and subsequently established
the same in the village of Amsterdam, in an old stone building
which was formerly a distillery conducted by Benedict
Arnold and others.

326 The Mohawk Valley

Opposite the residence of Supplina Kellogg was the home
of George Dunning, and it is mentioned that between the two
families such cordial relations existed that they might almost
be called one household.

The method of making oil in those days was crude in the
extreme, but the principle of manufacture was practically the
same as now; that is, the crushing of the seed and pressing
the product to extract the oil.

This primitive mill had but one set of stones and one press.
The crushing process was accomplished by two circular stones,
shaped like grist mill stones, attached to an axle, like cart
wheels, and connected to a vertical shaft, which in turning gave
two motions to the stones, that of their own axis and the axis
of the upright shaft, and revolving on a stone bed on which
the seed was placed. This process was continued until the
seed became a paste, when it was tempered with heat and
water, placed in bags and subjected to great pressure by hand
in order to extract the oil, which was then conducted to the
rude cellar beneath and placed in barrels. The capacity of
this rude mill was about one barrel a day, which was disposed
of to neighboring farmers and the near-by village. It is said
that a large proportion of the oil manufactured was consumed
by the veteran painter of those days, Gardner Clark, the grand-
father of William G. Clark, of Amsterdam.

The residuum, called oil cake, was allowed to accumulate
until such time as a market could be found for it in some
neighboring city, when it was hauled to Amsterdam and
shipped to its destination by canal.

Almost the first building erected by the early pioneers
after building their rude log huts was a sawmill to prepare
their timber for dwellings, then the grist mill to grind their
grain, and afterward a fulling mill for the dressing of cloth,
woven on their rude looms at home.

Early Industries ^ 327

The definition of fulling or milling is as follows: the
operation of removing greasy matters from woollen goods and
of giving to them a more compact texture by causing the
fibres to entangle themselves more closely together, as in
the process of felting. Fulling mills are a very ancient in-
vention.

After the death of Supplina Kellogg and the removal of the
plant to Amsterdam, his sons, John and Lauren, increased
the capacity by larger sets of stone. The increased product
of the mill made it necessary to buy seed in larger quantities
than our farmers could furnish, although they were encouraged
by Messrs. Kellogg to plant increased acreage by loaning
them seed for that purpose. At that time Boston was the
centre of importation of India seed and from that city the
firm bought most of their supplies.

When the firm decided to engage in the manufacture of
oil in Amsterdam, in 1851, they purchased of the estate of
Benedict Arnold the mill property they now occupy.

Some years earlier Mr. Arnold purchased of Tunis I. Van
Derveer this mill site and water-power and erected a stone
building sixteen feet high for a distillery, and transferred the
apparatus from his old distillery building, which formerly stood
where the Y. M. C. A. building now stands. When Messrs.
Kellogg bought the property, the still had not been in operation
for a number of years, and the dam was in need of repairs.

Mr. John Kellogg informs me that in making the needed
alterations evidence was found in the bottom of the dam that
a primitive oil mill had been located on the banks of the
creek at this point at some early period in the history of the
village. Probably this was one of the two oil mills spoken of
by the Rev. John Taylor in 1802.

Messrs. Kellogg at once added two stories to the old dis-
tillery building, repaired the dam, and otherwise improved the

28 The Mohawk Valley

property. They increased the capacity of the old mill to four
sets of stone for grinding the seed and the necessary presses
for extracting the oil. These presses were run by hand and
the work was very laborious. Gradually the business in-
creased, requiring additional machinery and more adequate
means for extracting the oil and additional buildings for
storage of raw material (which they imported direct from
India) and manufactured product. The dam was enlarged,
and the water-power thereby increased fourfold. Upon the
death of Lauren Kellogg, Mr. James A. Miller was admitted
to the firm. As the years rolled around, other changes were"
made in the firm by admission or withdrawal, until now the
firm consists of John Kellogg and his two sons, George and
Lauren, under the firm name of Kelloggs & Miller.

In order to accommodate the constantly increasing busi-
ness of the firm, a branch railroad was built in 1879, connect-
ing with the New York Central Railroad and owned by a
private corporation, consisting of members of the above firm.

The same year the branch was opened a very serious acci-
dent occurred on this branch, whereby Mr. George Kellogg
lost his left arm by falling from a train of freight cars in
motion. Previous to this the younger son, Lauren, nearly
lost his life by the accidental discharge of a gun while hunting
on the banks of the Galway reservoir. In both cases their
vigorous strength and indomitable will snatched them from
the jaws of death and restored them to health.

Fifty years ago the capacity of the small mill on the banks
of the Juchtanunda at West Galway was one barrel of oil a
day or 10,000 gallons a year. To-day the yearly output is:
linseed oil, 1,700,000 gallons; oil cake, 15,000 tons; and the
consumption of flaxseed about 750,000 bushels.

Practically, Amsterdam is a city of the nineteenth century,
and beyond a few primitive sawmills and grist mills all of the

Early Industries v 329

industries that have made it a city have been inaugurated,
extended, and multiplied within the nineteenth century.

The very first year of the new century or the very last
year of the old (1900) was the centennial of the erection of
the first church building in the village of Amsterdam (Ved-
dersburg).

Among the many and varied industries that have been the
potent element that has developed a primitive hamlet of a
half-dozen families to a thriving city of 20,000 inhabitants, is
the carpet industry. I speak particularly of this industry as
it seems to have been woven into the early life of the city
more than any other, from the fact that the persons who have
done more than any others to establish the two great indus-
tries of Amsterdam — the manufacture of carpets and the
manufacture of knit goods — were formerly partners in a small
carpet factory standing on the site of the present buildings
of the Greene Knitting Co.

The history of the carpet industry of Amsterdam reads
like a fairy tale; with its small beginning and struggle for
existence, and its present immense plant and the affluence of
its proprietors.

Sometime about 1836, William K. Greene, Senior, met with
reverses in business in Connecticut, his former home, but at
once set about retrieving his fortune; his son, William K.
Greene, securing a situation in a silk mill at Poughkeepsie
as bookkeeper. Thinking that there was a good opening for
business in the village, he advised his father to come there
and open a boarding-house. Poughkeepsie was then quite a
manufacturing town, and, besides fulling mills, woollen fac-
tories, an oil mill and a large number of grain mills, there
were fifty looms in families for the manufacture of cloth for
common clothing. In 1810 there was only one hotel and
about 3000 inhabitants in the village. W. K. Greene, Senior,

30 The Mohawk Valley

went to Poughkeepsie and opened a boarding-house, as ad-
vised by his son.

Among his boarders was a man by the name of Douglass,
an experienced dyer, whose father was a manufacturer of
ingrain carpets in Scotland.

A great deal of his conversation was about carpets and
carpet manufacture, and he soon interested Mr. Greene and his
son to the extent that they began to think seriously of start,
ing a factory in a small way.

One day, while talking with Mr. Douglass about carpets,
being undecided where to locate, Mr. Greene picked up a
copy of the Neiv York Hci-ald, and noticed an advertisement
of an old satinet mill and dwelling at Hagaman's Mills, offered
for rent for one hundred dollars a year.

They at once secured the buildings, purchased six hand
looms and the necessary apparatus complete and loaded them
on a sloop en route for Albany.

Thus by accident or by fate the carpet industry was
brought to the Mohawk Valley. This was in the month of
December, but before the vessel reached Albany a severe spell
of cold weather closed the river and they found their plant
fast in the ice fifty miles from their destination. Nothing
daunted, however, they caused their looms to be loaded on
sleighs and in that primitive fashion, after a journey of fifty
miles, arrived safely at Hagaman.

With the Greenes came Douglass, William Perkins, and
William Wright, son-in-law of Mr. Perkins, experienced
weavers, but, like all of the others except Douglass, knowing
little about the manufacture of carpets.

After a few years of varied success at Hagaman, the firm
was induced by the advice of Mr. John Sanford and others to
move their plant to Amsterdam village and establish them-
selves in a long, low, yellow building, formerly the mill site

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Early Industries ^ 333

of the sawmill of Albert H. Vedder, the founder of Vedders-
burg, and now occupied by the immense factory of the Greene
Knitting Company, After the change in the location of this
primitive carpet factory, John Sanford became associated with
the Greenes in the manufacture of carpets, and continued a
member of the firm for some time.

The old yellow mill was burned in 1849. How well I re-
member that cold, windy, midwinter night I It being my first
experience of a fire of magnitude is probably the reason that
the occasion has made such a lasting impression on my
memory. Even the weird, undulatory clang of the old Bap-
tist Church bell, as its sound, borne upon the wind, reached the
ear, from the frantic efforts of some person unused to the
method of ringing the alarm, seemed to cry " Fire! fire!!
fire!!!" which sound was soon changed to the harsh, mean-
ingless sound of a broken bell, as the bell had indeed been
broken by the frantic efforts of the ringer to arouse the sleep-
ers. As we reached the foot of the hill the sight that met my
inexperienced eyes was grand and fearful. Truly it was a
light set upon a hill that could not be hid. The tongues of
flame borne to and fro by the wind, the myriads of sparks
vanishing in the blackness of the heavens, the sombre ever-
greens on Cornell's Hill fitfully lighted by the roaring flames,
the creak, creak of the fire engine toiling up the hill through
the ruddy whiteness of the snow-covered street, the hoarse
shouts and oaths of the firemen, the cries of " Fire! fire!! "
gave a nervous chill to the looker-on that was not all at-
tributable to the intensely cold night.

The building was totally destroyed. Shortly afterwards
Mr. Sanford sold the land and mill site to W. K. Greene (whose
heirs are in possession of the property at the present day), and,
in company with his son, Stephen Sanford, fitted up an old
stone mill at the head of Church Street for a carpet factory.

334 The Mohawk Valley

Jehi ,1 Dean also erected a weave room on Livingston
Street where a box factory now stands, and W. K. Greene,
Sr., also engaged in the manufacture of carpets in a small way
on the opposite side of said street.

The building on the north side of the street was afterwards
bought by Mr. Stephen Sanford, and subsequently destroyed
by fire, and the building on the south side was purchased by
John M. Clark and moved to the corner of Livingston and
Chuctanunda Streets and used as a carpenter shop. This
building was subsequently burned and rebuilt of brick, and
after numerous changes is now known as Morris Mill No. 3.

In 1853 the old stone mill, as it was then called, was de-
stroyed by fire but was immediately rebuilt, only one story
high, but covering about three times as much ground.

Mr. Stephen Sanford entered the carpet manufactory in
1844, and in 1848 formed a copartnership with his father, Mr.
John Sanford. After the destruction of the old stone mill,
Mr. Stephen Sanford purchased his father's interest, which
was little else than the ruins of the burned mill. He imme-
diately set to work rebuilding and enlarging the factory, which
year by year has increased in magnitude under his personal
supervision.

As the business prospered, new buildings were erected for
the manufacture of different materials that enter into the
manufacture of the various kinds of carpets produced in these
mills, and for the storage of raw material.

At present this immense plant comprises thirty-six build-
ings, whose floor space amounts to six hundred and sixty-
three thousand square feet, or about fifteen acres.

When we think that this immense floor space is covered
with machinery, engines, boilers, looms, and shafting, to-
gether with stock and manufactured product of the mills, and
that the daily product of the mill would carpet the road from

Early Industries ^ 335

Amsterdam to Johnstown, or more than five million^r^.rds in
a year, with a pay-roll of over $1,000,000 in twelve months,
we may begin to conceive its magnitude and to feel additional
respect for the man and mind that has created and controls it.

I think it is safe to say that during the last half-century at
least forty thousand persons have earned a living and in some
cases a competency in this mill. Some have grown gray
inside its walls; others have built factories of their own, and
have shown their business ability by making a success of
their undertaking.

A long list could be made of men holding prominent places
in the business interest of our city who served apprenticeship
in the Sanford carpet factory. Among them are W. B. Smith,
James T. Sugden, William McCleary, the late John Howgate,
Almon Filkins, Samuel Wallin, John Crouse, and a host of
others, including John Lorrimer of Philadelphia.

I micfht ofo on and give statistics of the business of this
mill, — of the millions that have been paid to employees
during the last fifty years, of the thousands of miles of carpets
that have been manufactured and the thousands of employees
who thus earn their daily bread, and of the capital that is re-
quired to conduct this immense business; but this has so often
been written by other pens than mine that I shall refrain
from statements whose figures, in the language of the old
Scotchman, would only " begumble the senses and confound
the imagination," and would be revealing matters of a per-
sonal character to which the public can claim no right,
although the proprietors might not have any desire to with-
hold them.

The success of this great business is a matter of pride to
the citizens of Amsterdam, from the fact that not alone has
the city been benefited by its success, but private individuals
and organizations of all kinds have received benefit, by its

36 The Mohawk Valley

enabling the proprietors to gratify the natural impulse of their
generous hearts " with hands open as day to melting charity."

Of course there have been seasons of depression in this
business, seasons that come in the life of most business men,
when profits are light or none at all, seasons when losses are
heavy and money hard to get. But although there have been
times when money had to be hired at as large a rate of interest
per month as it can be secured for now per year, the pro-
prietors' paper has always been paid at maturity.

If I should be asked why this firm, which is composed of
Hon. Stephen Sanford and his son, Hon. John Sanford, has
succeeded while others have failed, I should say that it is
because the senior member is possessed of seemingly opposite
characteristics, — cautiousness and boldness; cautious not to
enter upon any method of action until he is sure he is right,
and then to execute the same with boldness and energy.

Up to 1854 the product of this mill was ingrain and three-
ply carpets manufactured on hand looms, and as the business
increased it gave employment to a large number of experienced
weavers. Previous to 1849 ^'^ ^^^ frame building stood on
Main Street just west of the present site of the Farmers'
National Bank, and was used as the post-office and law ofifice
of Joseph French, who was also postmaster. Mr. John San-
ford bought the post-office building and had it carefully torn
down and re-erected as a loom shop next to his buildings on
Church Street. This building was used as a hand-loom shop
for a great number of years, even after the large mill build-
ings had been filled with power looms for the manufacture of
Brussels carpets. In fact, this old building was retained and
hand looms used for a long time, more for the purpose of
finding employment for a number of old and experienced
weavers who had been in his employ for a number of years
than for any pecuniary benefit to be derived therefrom. This

Early Industries ^ ZZ7

old landmark was torn down a few years ago to make room for
the large Axminster mill that now covers its site.

The history of the carpet industry would not be complete
if mention were not made of the carpet factory of Shuttle-
worth Brothers. About 1872 or 1873, Mr. James Wade, an
Englishman of good family connections in Bradford, England,
was brought to Amsterdam by Mr. Stephen Sanford to do
some special work in his mills. He was a man of education,
of fine personal appearance, and gentlemanly address, and
soon won the confidence of some of the business men of that
place. With James Wade came Joseph Coats, Elijah Smith
and John Simpson, all experienced workers in the carpet
business.

A short time after coming to Amsterdam, Mr. Wade, in
company with Charles De Wolfe, William H. Arnold, and
Stephen H. Kline, organized a stock company for the manu-
facture of carpets, and succeeded to the extent that a building
was erected on the bank of the Mohawk River at the foot of
Vrooman Avenue. The factory was stocked with looms and
other machinery, but owing to dissensions among the stock-
holders or want of capital, it was not run as a stock company,
and soon passed into the hands of Stephen H. Kline and
William H. Arnold, under the firm name of Kline & Arnold.
This firm conducted the business a few years, making Brussels
carpets, which from various reasons did not prove a success,
and the mill was closed. Subsequently the looms and machin-
ery were sold by parties interested in New York, and the
building stood empty awhile, or until it was purchased by the
Shuttleworth Brothers.

In 1875 Mr. William Shuttleworth, the father of the

Shuttleworth Brothers," came from England to Glenham,

N. Y., to start a carpet factory for A. T. Stewart & Co., and

was made superintendent of the same, his sons, some of whom

3^ The Mohawk Valley

had grown to man's estate, being engaged in different depart-
ments of the mill.

After the death of William Shuttleworth in 1878, his sons
bought, of New York parties, the carpet-mill building on the
bank of the Mohawk at Amsterdam, and, returning to Eng-
land, advantageously secured fifteen looms for the manufacture
of body Brussels carpet. The firm at that time consisted of
James, John, and Walter Shuttleworth, who, together with
Herbert, a younger brother, constituted a quartet in which
was comprised knowledge, ability, and skill to operate every
department of the factory.

The family connections are quite extended, and many of
them may be found among the skilled workers in different
departments of the mill and are among the most estimable
residents of the city.

The firm now consists of James, John, and Walter
Shuttleworth. The younger brother, Herbert, has lately
established a dye-house on a large scale in the western part
of the city.

After the burning of the carpet factory on Market Street
hill, W. K. Greene, Senior, had a small factory for the manu-
facture of carpets in a building on the Juchtanunda Creek in
the rear of what is now called the Sanford fiats. He afterwards
moved the plant to the upper story of a frame building situ-
ated on the south side of Livingston Street, the lower story
being occupied by William Connell for the manufacture of

rugs.

About 1850, William K. Greene, Jr., erected a brick mill
on the site of the old yellow mill, and in company with Davis
W. Shuler conducted a carpet mill, for a short time, when
the partnership was dissolved. W. K. Greene, Junior, secured
the Harris property, erected a building and moved the carpet
machinerv into it, and conducted this business until 1861,

Early Industries ^ 339

when he disposed of the stock and machinery to Stephen San-
ford. In 1857 he formed a partnership with John McDonald,
for the manufacture of knit goods in the brick building which
is now the centre of the immense plant of the Greene Knitting
Co. This partnership was dissolved in a year or two, and Mr.
Greene conducted both mills alone until 1861, when, having
disposed of the carpet business to Mr, Stephen Sanford, he
turned his whole attention to his hosiery business. The war
of the rebellion having commenced, a great demand for knit
goods sprung up, the factory was run to its full capacity, with
great profit, and soon it was necessary to enlarge the plant.
Building after building was erected, as the business increased,
until the whole of the present large mill was completed. Mr.
Greene did not live to see it, however, as his health failed, and
he went to Europe in 1869, together with his wife and Miss
Bennett, in hopes that he might derive some benefit from a
change of climate and freedom from business cares.

The change, however, did not have the desired effect, and
he gradually grew worse, and while sojourning at Rome, died
Jan. 22, 1870.

The body was placed on board a sailing vessel, and arrived
at his home during the spring of 1870, his family having pre-
viously arrived by steamer.

During the absence of Mr. William K. Greene in Europe
the business, under the firm name of William K. Greene &
Son, was conducted by the junior member of the firm, Mr.
Elijah P. Greene. After the death of Mr. William K. Greene,
and the return from Europe of his youngest son, Henry E.
Greene, the style of the firm was changed to W. K. Greene's
Sons, and so conducted until the death of Elijah P. Greene,
when it was changed to W. K. Greene's Son & Co., and con-
tinued under that name until the death of Henry E. Greene,
when the present firm, The Greene Knitting Co. was organized.

340 The Mohawk Valley

During the administration of Elijah P. and Henry E.
Greene, the business was enlarged and many improvements
made. W. K. Greene has not only the honor of being the
first manufacturer of knit goods in Amsterdam, but the
founder of what has grown to be one of the largest hosiery
mills in the city.

It is about forty-four years since William K. Greene and
John McDonald inaugurated the knit-goods industry in Am-
sterdam, with what was called a three-set mill. At present
there are twenty-three knitting mills, with about two hundred
sets of machinery and an annual output of about 12,000,000
pieces.

In 1850 William Connell, who had been employed as an
overseer in the old yellow mill, secured an old building on
Spring Street in the rear of the building now known as No. 12
and started the m.anufacture of tufted rugs, with four looms.
He subsequently moved to the lower story of the frame build-
ing on Livingston Street spoken of before, increasing his
plant to twelve looms. Somewhat later he removed to the
old post-office building on Church Street, the property of Mr.
Sanford. Still later the looms were purchased by Mr. Stephen
Sanford and used for weaving ingrain carpets.

I remember well the Livingston Street mill, as I had occa-
sion to pass it quite frequently in those days. Nearly all the
hands that were employed were boys from twelve to twenty
years old, and they always seemed to have a good time at their
work, and some of them were always ready to play with the
passers-by.

The names of some of the boys will be recognized as well-
known residents of Amsterdam. Among others were Samuel
Ward, Hiram Simmons, Fountain Ward, Edward Fosmire,
Frank Fosmire, Dennis Garrigan, James Faulds, Walter
McCowatt, David McCowatt, Daniel Mutimer, Walter

Early Industries 34 1

Mitchell, Tunis Peck, John Nevins, James McNally, James
Mailor, Wm. Mailor, and " Puffy " Clark.

" Puffy " was a little barefooted Irish lad, generally clad
in a cotton shirt, and a pair of trousers with one suspender.
He was a bright little fellow, and was very much interested in
the prize fight between Tom Hyerand Yankee Sullivan, which
was fought about that time, and was ever ready to stand up
before any boy of his size to show his knowledge of the
" noble" art of self-defence. Quite a friendship sprung up
between " Puffy " and myself, something of the Tom Sawyer
and Huckleberry Finn kind. I remember that I admired him
and was proud of his friendship, and envied him his accomplish-
ments, which, in addition to his willingness to fight, with or
without provocation, consisted of the art of swearing like a
trooper, and chewing tobacco like a sailor, although only
fourteen years old. What became of " Puffy " in after-years
I do not know, but I have always remembered his little pale
face and ready fi'st.

A desire to emulate " Puffy's " virtues and to be more
worthy of his notice, led me to try and learn to chew tobacco.
My father was quite a smoker, and kept his tobacco in his
office on a high shelf out of my reach, but I was frequently
sent to the store for a fresh supply. Having decided to learn
to chew, I boldly went to the store one day and bought a
paper of tobacco and had it charged to my father. I remem-
ber that the tobacco was inclosed in the dull blue paper used
in those days, with the words " Ben Payn's Smoking To-
bacco " and two crossed pipes printed thereon.

In the rear of the store was a pile of lumber, back of which
I went and put some tobacco in my mouth, hid the paper
under the boards, and chewed my quid like a little man.

It was not long before I felt that I did not like the weed as
well as I thought I would, and was glad to throw away the

342 The Mohawk Valley

nasty stuff. By the time I arrived at home I was pale and
dizzy, and soon attracted the attention of my mother. Those
who have had a similar experience will appreciate the various
degrees of misery through which I passed, and the anxiety of
my mother over the strange symptoms that successively pre-
sented themselves. The throes of the stomach were aug-
mented by the stings of conscience, when I thought of the
whole wretched business, and I was willing to vow that I
would never look at a bit of tobacco again as long as I lived.

Thus ended my attempt to become a tobacco chewer, and
not even " Puffy " Clark was told of my failure. It was many
long years before I again touched tobacco in any form.

William Connell is remembered as a scholarly man, a great
reader and a profound thinker. He married Miss Nancy
Merrill, a sister of the late Mrs. Tunis I. Van Derveer. After
selling out his rug business he opened a small store on the
north side of Main Street, near the creek. This store became
the resort of many of the intellectual residents of the village,
and was often the scene of many spirited debates. He died
in 1866 at the age of fifty-nine.

In 1886, John Howgate, William McCleary, Samuel Wal-
lin and David Grouse, former employees in the Sanford &
Sons' carpet factory, formed a copartnership for the manufac-
ture of rugs, securing a building on the east side of Bridge
Street in Port Jackson. During the same year the building
was destroyed by fire.

Securing a building at Rockton which had formerly been
occupied as a shoddy mill, they moved what was left of their
plant, and were soon in order for business, with twenty-five
hand looms for weaving rugs.

From that time to the present, the enterprise seems to
have been a continued success. During 1897 it was found
necessary to erect another large three-story brick building

Early Industries 343

some distance from the others. This building is fitted with
power looms which are run by electricity, transmitted by
cable from a large dynamo situated in one of the older
buildings. This method of transmitting power on a large
scale is new in Amsterdam, and is interesting in the perfect
success of the enterprise.

It will probably surprise most of my readers to know
that at present the factory is fitted with 185 looms, employs
three hundred and twenty hands, and manufactures 3000 rugs
per week, or an annual output of over 150,000 rugs, valued
at about three-quarters of a million dollars.

Chapter XIX
Old Indian Names and Sites — The Legend of

Little Falls

THERE is more or less speculation about the origin of
the word Caughnawaga, the popular impression being
that it was the name of a tribe of Indians that were
located near the present site of Fonda. This cannot
be, as there never was a tribe of Indians of that name, but it
may have been a corruption of two words, Gandawague, the
name of an Indian village of the time of Isaac Jogues, and
probably located near Kline, and Ca-han-i-a-ga, the distinctive
name of the Mohawks. (Of course you are aware that the
word " Mohawk " is not Indian at all, because there were no
labials — b, p, in — in the Mohawk language; but it is un-
doubtedly what was called " Mohawk Dutch.")

There is another definition of the word Caughnawaga,
which seems to me to be the correct one. Between 1667 and
1669, the French Jesuit Fathers Pierron, Bruyas, and Fremin
were successful in converting a number of the Iroquois to
Christianity. Father J. Wynne of the order, of Jesuits of
New York City in a recent letter says: " You will notice that
it was the policy of the fathers to withdraw the Christian In-
dians from the Indians still unconverted, all along the valley,
from the lower Mohawk castle as far as the Onondaga."

The " Praying Indians," as they were called, were located
near the Lachine Rapids on the St. Lawrence and the village
named La Prairie by the French and Caughnawaga (" at the

344

Old Indian Names and Sites 345

Rapids") by the Indians; and although the settlement was
composed of Indians from the Canadian tribes and the tribes of
the Iroquois Confederacy, among whom was the great Mohawk
chief, Krin, they were always called Caughnawagas, or Praying
Indians. At the burning of Schenectady there were sixteen
Algonquins, and one hundred and fourteen Frenchmen, and
eighty Caughnawagas or Praying Indians,, led by Krin, the Mo-
hawk chief. It will be seen that although the name may mean
and probably does mean "at the Rapids," it does not refer to
rapids in the Mohawk, but to the site on the St, Lawrence at
the Lachine Rapids. The Dutch named their early settlement
near Fonda Caughnawaga, thereby transferring a word that be-
longed to the St. Lawrence River to the Mohawk Valley. The
Dutch settlement was located at the eastern end of the present
site of the village of Fonda, the old Caughnawaga church
erected in 1763 and demolished in 1868 probably being the
centre of the old settlement. Investigations by archaeologists
of the Mohawk Valley have brought to light the site of an In-
dian village, which is also called Caughnawaga or Gan-da-wa-
gua, situated on the sand flats west of the village of Fonda.
A desire to see the old Indian site was the object of a recent
visit to Fonda by the writer.

Inquiry of many persons young and old failed to elicit the
desired information as to its locality, and an accidental meet-
ing with the Rev. Washington Frothingham seemed providen-
tial, as he possessed the requisite knowledge of its location and
kindly imparted the same. Following his direction I visited
the sand flat where it is said to have been situated. Ac-
customed to flats of the Mohawk Valley which lay along the
river and are frequently covered with water in spring and
during heavy rainstorms, I was somewhat surprised to find
the sand flats on what is called the four-hundred-feet plateau.
I enjoyed the tramp to this elevated plateau, and was charmed

34^ The Mohawk Valley

with its level, fertile fields and its fringe of forest trees that
partially obstructs the view to the east and to the north, while
to the west and south the landscape reminded me of the
words of Byron's Dream — " A gentle hill green and of mild
declivity, the last as it were the cape of a long ridge of such,
save that there was no sea to lave its base, but a most living
landscape, and the wave of woods and fields of grain, and the
abodes of men scattered at intervals, and wreathing smoke
arising from such rustic roofs " — and in the distance the glis-
tering, shimmering Mohawk.

Although unsuccessful in my search for the exact location
of the site of the ancient village, I felt well repaid for my
walk, notwithstanding the dusty road and excessive heat that
brought my blood nearly to the boiling-point. At a subse-
quent date, having informed myself of the exact site, from a
map drawn by the Rev. C. A. Walworth, and published in
Miss Walworth's Lily of the Mokaivks, I continued my search
in company with Prof. J. A. Maney.

Starting from the railroad depot our attention was attracted
to the old Fonda Hotel, its facade of Ionic columns suggesting
the idea of a Grecian temple. It is quite an ambitious struc-
ture, and must have presented a very impressive appearance
at the time of its construction, in 1835, from its isolation and
the poverty of its surroundings. A suggestion of the same
style of architecture is also seen in the old court-house, south
of the New York Central Railroad.

Our route to Caughnawaga and Tekakwitha spring led us
up Main Street to the Cayadutta Creek, which we followed
along its eastern bank until we came to a white bridge span-
ning the creek. The bridge seems to have been constructed
for private use as the road leading from it ended in a farm-
yard. As we were nearing our destination and desiring more
definite information, we accosted a sturdy young man we met

TEKAKWITHA SPRING, FUNDA

347

>^8rOf<, LP^ov ...j^ I

T".PE,'^ ro.,.

^P-M;

Old Indian Names and Sites \ 349

as follows: " Excuse me, sir, do you reside near here ?"
" Yes, sir." " Have you lived here long ? " " About seven
or eight years." " Do you know where the site of the old
Indian village, Caughnawaga, is located ? " " No, sir, I
never heard of it." " Did you ever hear of a spring near
here called Tekakwitha spring ? " " No, sir." The Professor
smiled as we passed on, remarking that we were having our
usual success. In the farmyard we met a man whose slow
step, bent form, and gray hair seemed to indicate a septua-
genarian. After the usual preliminary greeting I inquired:

Have you lived here long ? " " Over sixty years." " Did
you ever hear of a spring called Tekakwitha spring ? "

No." " Do you know where the site of the old Indian vil-
lage, Caughnawaga, is ? " " That is down that way," pointing
to the east, " but they say that there are some Indian graves
up on the sand flats." " Can you tell us where ? " " Up on
the top of the hill, but I don't know just where."

The Professor again smiled and we again passed on, re-
marking that we would have to trust to the map. Rain-drops
were beginning to fall, but not daunted in the least we fol-
lowed the track of the F. J. & G. R, R. along the high ground
on the west for about a quarter of a mile, until we came to a
point where the Sand Flat Hill recedes from the railroad in the
form of a half-circle, forming a level swampy field partly
covered with brush and berry bushes. Following an indistinct
path through this tangled mass, which led us in an erratic
manner up and down the slope and through the swamp, we
came at last to a wooded ravine at the head of the circle.
A barbed wire fence was safely passed and we found ourselves
in a small grove, and, about half-way up the hill, came upon
Tekakwitha spring. With a great expansion of imagination
we pictured the young Indian maiden in the scanty dress of
Indian childhood, picking her way down the steep woodland

350 The Mohawk Valley

path from the plateau above, with a rude earthen jar to be filled
at the spring below. Perhaps other children of both sexes were
following her, while at the spring crouches a painted warrior
drinking in a primitive way of its cool water. Near by stands
a dirty, unkempt squaw, cooling her feet in the stream that
ripples down the hillside on its way to the Cayadutta Creek,
while all around, the earth has been trodden bare by the
coming and going of many feet from the village on the flat
above, and broken branches and dead leaves choke the mur-
mur of the waters.

To-day the stream is marked by the impress of the hoofs
of the kine of the valley below, and scattered about are broken
pieces of decaying fence boards, an old tin pail, a bit of red
tile, and two narrow planks doing duty as a bridge near the
spring. The spring itself issues from under the roots of a
white birch tree, whose leafy branches bend over the spring
as if to guard it from the rays of the sun. The gnarled and
tangled roots of the parent tree remind one of the ten-
tacles of a huge octopus, as they stretch out over and into
the black depths of the spring itself. Nature, with the aid of
art, would make this little vale a beautiful spot. The Profes-
sor, who took a snapshot of the spring and its surroundings,
and who has a reputation of producing gems of beauty from
the most incongruous elements, succeeded in making a very
fine photograph of this secluded spot.

We were nearing the end of our search for the Indian vil-
lage, and climbing the steep path out of the ravine, we
reached the sand flat and the field wherein the site of Caughna-
waga is said to be. Diligent search failed to find any evidence
of the old village, as the woodman's axe and the ploughshare
have long ago obliterated all trace of palisade and Indian
sepulture. Previous search and examination, together with
the finding of evidences of Indian occupation, have estab-

THE FALLS OF THE CANAJOHARIE

351

f :;:

OTf 'k - r.-

Old Indian Names and Sites y 353

lished the fact, however, that this spot was the site of old
Caughnawaga.

Kateri Tekakwitha was an Indian maiden born at Ganda-
waga (Caughnawaga) in 1656, Her mother was a Huron
captive and her father a Mohawk chief. At an early age she
embraced Christianity, and in 1675 was baptized by the Jesuit
Father de Lamberville. Shortly after, she fled to Canada to
escape the persecution of the Mohawks, on account of her
religion. Her route is said to have been along the Chucta-
nunda Creek at Amsterdam, and her destination Caughnawaga,
at the Lachine Rapids, on the St. Lawrence River, where she
arrived in the autumn of 1677. She died April 17, 1680, at
the age of twenty-four.

In Miss Walworth's Lily of the Mohaivks, the story of her
life is told.

A few months ago I was riding in a drawing-room car on
the New York Central Railroad through the Mohawk Valley.
In the same car was a small party of gentlemen and ladies,
and it was apparent from their conversation and personal ap-
pearance that they were well-to-do, educated people, from
one of our Western States, making their first trip through the
valley of the Mohawk. It was very interesting to note their
enthusiasm over the rocks and hills, after a lifelong residence
on the flat lands of their Western prairies, as they would call
their companions' attention to a picturesque group of rocks or
the wooded slope of some slight elevation. Unconsciously
my eyes would follow the direction of their gaze, and would
become aware of charming bits of scenery that through
familiarity with the banks of the Mohawk I had passed many
times without comprehension.

From being interested in their evident enjoyment of the
scenes they were so swiftly passing through, I became in-
terested in the scenery itself, and discovered many beauties

»3

354 The Mohawk Valley

in the valley of my lifelong home that I had overlooked or
had become so familiar with that they were, in a measure,
rocks, and hills, and streamlets, and nothing more. Since
that day I have looked upon the scenery of the valley with
the eye of an enthusiast, and have found beauty in every
bend of the river and in every ripple of its riffs and shallows.

Here and there throughout the valley numerous tributaries
flow into the river, some of them being large, permanent
streams, others mere rivulets, magnified into torrents at every
considerable rainstorm.

In many of the ravines or gorges through which these
smaller streams flow are hidden charming bits of scenery,
some of which might be dignified by the word " sublime." I
have in mind the ravine through which Lewis Creek runs,
which I visited with Charles Newman of Cranesville. As
before stated, this creek is the eastern boundary of the land
which was purchased by Lewis Groot in 171 5 (who was one
of the first purchasers of land in the town of Amsterdam),
and named Adriutha, and known as Cranesville.
- There are many objects of interest in this ravine, one of
which is a very large spring that is situated at the base of the
hill about three hundred feet from the turnpike.
-■ The volume of water issuing from this spring was sufificient
to furnish the requisite power for the primitive mill erected by
Groot in 1730, on the site of the old building now known as
Swart's mill. At the present time there are the ruins of two old
mill-dams between the mill and the spring, the woodwork of
the structure having decayed and almost entirely disappeared.
The dam nearest the spring is the smaller of the two and
seems to have received the water from the spring alone. The
sides and front of the dam are earth embankments, but the
face or pour is reinforced by a dry wall of flat stones. This
stone front is further reinforced by stone buttresses on each

Old Indian Names and Sites 355

side in the shape of a quarter-circle, while in the face of the
front wall is a square opening or gate with rotten wood facings,
evidently used to discharge the water into the lower dam.
The lower dam is constructed of earth and stone, in the same
manner as the upper one, but without the stone buttresses,
the two together being capable of storing quite a respectable
quantity of water. The gray, or rather almost black, stone
walls are moss-grown and in various other ways give evidence
of their age, which is " nigh onto " one hundred and seventy
years.

The spring itself will warrant more than a passing notice.
Care was taken ages ago to wall it up on three sides, making
an enclosure about six feet square, in the center of which the
water boils as though forced from below, in a quantity that
would fill an eight- or ten-inch pipe, and from the situation of
the dams it would appear as though the water from the creek,
Avhich is some distance away, was excluded from the dams.
Probably because the flow of water in the stream was small
except in storms, when it became a torrent.

Penetrating the ravine a little farther, over a rugged path,
we find that Lewis Creek is made up of two streams, one from
the east and another from a northerly direction, the acclivity
of the banks of both ravines being almost insurmountable.
Entering the bed of the stream which flows from the northerly
direction we become aware of an obstacle in our path that it
will be impossible to overcome, which is the sheer precipice,
of perhaps fifty feet in height, of Adriutha Falls. I would
say that this name, Adriutha, is applied to the falls probably
for the first time, as it is usually spoken of by the homely
name of Buttermilk Falls, although the application is not
evident.

All this locality between Lewis Creek and Eva's-kill was
called Adirutha or Adriuche, and this name is mentioned in the

35^ The Mohawk Valley

transfer of this parcel of land, and flats and woodland directly
opposite at Kline, the supposed site of On-e-ka-gonc-ka, to
Hendrick Cuyler in 1686. I would therefore ask the public
to accept the name " Adriutha Falls," for this picturesque
feature of nature in this wild gorge, instead of the wholly in-
appropriate name " Buttermilk Falls " ; also to apply it to the
large spring in the glen, " Adriutha Spring." I have been
told that in the spring, and in rainstorms, the falls are a
beautiful sight ; but for the greater part of the year no water
falls over this precipice.

Reaching the top of the cliff from another direction we
find that about fifty feet from the brink is another fall, about
ten feet high, that cannot be seen from the bed of the creek
below. Water is running over this cascade, but disappears
before it reaches the brink of the precipice. The ascent to
the top of the banks of the ravine is somewhat tiresome, but
if the climber enjoys the picturesque features of nature he will
be well paid for his labor. About one hundred feet below
the precipice, at one side of the gorge, is a very large boulder
which geologists will probably say was deposited where it now
rests during the glacial period. Over this boulder and on
the cliffs that constitute the rocky bank of the stream, honey-
suckles are growing, the profusion of the many-pointed purple
flowers adding a charming bit of color to the gray rocks that
seem to be incapable of affording the requisite nourishment to
this hardy climber.

The branch of the stream from the east is broken by many
cascades, and the banks of the ravine are quite abrupt, but at
one point a steep ridge or spur, sometimes called a " hog's
back," is seen, with a well-worn path from creek to summit.
The acclivity would be very difficult if it were not for trees
and saplings to assist the climber along its narrow ridge. My
principle object in visiting this ravine was to find, if possible.

ADRIUTHA FALLS, CRANESVILLE

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Old Indian Names and Sites .359

some evidence of Indian occupation, I had been told by-
some of the residents on the top of Svvart's Hill that there
were a number of holes or depressions in the ground along the
ravine that were objects of interest on account of the mys-
tery surrounding them, and their evident ancient origin. It
had been suggested that they had probably been used as corn
pits by the aborigines. A thorough search along the eastern
bank failed to reveal them, but ashes and charcoal were found
five or six inches under the earth on the eastern brink of the
ravine at the point where the path or trail on the " hog's
back " reached its summit.

Unexpectedly, I found the holes near the Adriutha Falls,
on the western bank, but in such numbers that they could
hardly have been used as corn-pits. Instead of four for five
holes, I found fifteen near the western slope of the ravine, in
an irregular regularity that would indicate that they had been
dug for a purpose, but for what object I was unable to decide.
A thorough examination of a few of these holes may solve the
problem.

It may be thought that I am spending a good deal of time
in investigations that cannot possibly bring any fee or reward
from a financial point of view. That is probably true; but
there is a matter of great historical interest connected with
the location of a large Indian village that undoubtedly existed
on the banks of the Mohawk River between Amsterdam and
Schenectady. The early history of the Mohawks is shrouded
in mystery. Even the exact location of their castles at the
time of the discovery of the Hudson River (in 1609) is still a
matter of conjecture. Before the discovery of Van Curler's
journal of 1634, all or nearly all of the researches of archaeo-
logists were directed to points above Schoharie River, and
theories were built up to prove that as early as 1642 the first
Mohawk castle was located on the west bank of the Schoharie.

6o The Mohawk Valley

The only knowledge we have of that early period is obtained
from the Relations of the Jesuits, the statement of some of the
Hollanders at Fort Orange, and, in 1666. the account of De
Courcelle and De Tracy's expedition to the Mohawk country,
at which time they destroyed the four forts or castles of the
Mohawks, and in all these accounts I can find nothing to con-
tradict the theory that the first castle was located between the
city of Amsterdam and the village of Pattersonville. That
many of the Mohawks frequented the north bank of the Mo-
hawk in that locality, is shown by the numerous relics that
are found along the flats and first range of hills north of the
river.

The location of an Indian site is the object of our search,
and the residents of the valley will assist materially by re-
porting their " finds," or any embankments or holes of ancient
origin they may have discovered in their immediate vicinity.
The finding of flint or stone implements, ancient pottery,
fresh-water clam-shells, burnt stone, ashes, and charcoal at a
little distance under ground, has often led to the discovery
of the ancient site of an Indian village. What I mean by
ancient, is a village that existed previously to 1609, or perhaps
as late as 1666.

In all the early maps of the Mohawks' country, Vander-
donk's of 1655, Visscher's of 1656, or the Jesuit map of 1665,
although the three or four Mohawk castles are depicted
thereon, the Schoharie, which might well be called a river
where it enters the Mohawk, is not shown on any of them.
If it was located between Fort Orange and the castles or
Indian villages, it ought to have been known to the map-
makers, especially as the little Mariaville pond is shown on
two of these maps. Therefore we are inclined to look for
three of the Mohawk castles of the above date below Schoharie
River.

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Glacial Period in the Valley 3^3

I have no intention of posing as a scientist, but a recent
visit to the picturesque little city of Little Falls, with its vast
jumble of ragged rocks and high, water-worn cliffs, turned my
attention to the probable cause of the natural phenomena so
plainly visible at the rocky city of the upper Mohawk.

As early as 1840 Prof. Louis Agassiz, the noted naturalist,
advanced the theory that the northern part of North
America during the glacial period, was covered with an
ice-cap which reached as far south as the fortieth parallel of
latitude, and north to the utmost limit of the earth. This
included all of New York State to the Atlantic Ocean. The
time of this period no man knows, or will ever know; but it
was eons upon eons ago. The movement of the glacier,
whose great weight and impetus were irresistible, was toward
the sea, and in its journey it carved out valleys and converted
jagged rocks into polished boulders, which were in some cases
carried hundreds of miles and deposited in valleys and on
mountain tops. >

In the vicinity of the Adirondacks and the White Moun-
tains this glacier was more than a mile high, while in British
America its estimated thickness was about two miles. This
immense body of ice increased gradually from age to age,
from north to south, and as gradually disappeared from south
to north. The valley of the Mohawk was probably formed
by part of this great stream of ice denuding the hillsides and
disrupting mountains.

As the ice-cap receded from the sea, it left the valley of the
Hudson bare, which became the means by which its melting
body was conveyed to the Atlantic Ocean. Gradually the
valley of the Mohawk was uncovered, and the ice receded to
the vicinity of Lake Ontario, while yet the ice barrier blocked
the St. Lawrence Valley, forcing the Lake Ontario depression
to fill and the waters to extend in every direction except the

364 The Mohawk Valley

north, until it found relief at Rome, New York, and the
Mohawk Valley became the only outlet to the sea of the
great Lake Iroquois, or Ontario, and Lake Spencer, as
the enlarged basin of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and
Erie combined has been called. Some of the water found
its way to the Mississippi Valley at Chicago; but the greater
part flowed through the Mohawk Valley, This continued
until the St. Lawrence Valley was relieved of the glacier
(which continued to waste slowly at both ends), and the
waters of the great lakes found their natural outlet to the sea
by the St. Lawrence, and the Mohawk Valley was relieved of
this vast accumulation of waters. The above theory has been
gathered from a monograph on Lake Agassiz, by Warren
Upham, and published by the director of the United States
Geological Survey in vol. xxv.

On the beautiful Sunday afternoon and evening that I
wandered about the rockbound city of Little Falls, I tried to
imagine this wild spot as it appeared to the phlegmatic Pala-
tine settlers at Manheim, Danube, and the German Flats in
1722. At that date the rapids and their adjoining shores
were in all their primitive grandeur, unadorned or marred by
the works of man. Undoubtedly the water-power early at-
tracted to their border the saw and grist mills, whose dams
probably were an unwelcome barrier to the daring warriors
who trusted their lives to the birchen canoe in shooting the
rapids. In every direction would have been seen rocks and
running water, and rocky hills crowned with the primeval
forests. For nearly a mile extended the cascades between
perpendicular cliffs from two to four hundred feet high, while
at the foot of the rapids the stream was deflected by Moss
Island or Moss Rock to pass through a rocky channel about
forty feet wide to the placid stream beyond. On the south
side of the river the perpendicular face of a cliff one hundred

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The Legend of Little Falls ^ 367

feet high, called Lovers' Leap, threw its dark shadow on the
turbulent stream, while to the west, for nearly a mile, the
bare, perpendicular, rocky face of a hill four hundred feet
high, rose sheer from the shore of the rapids. A story is told
of a young Indian maiden and her dusky lover, who, being
pursued by a hostile band of Indians, sprang from this cliff,
clasped in each other's arms,- preferring death to separation.
This occurrence gave to the locality the name spoken of above,
but judging from the numbers of Jacks and Jills who now
congregate on this elevated spot on summer evenings, it might
well be renamed " Lovers' Retreat."

In 1848 Benson J. Lossing passed down the Mohawk Val-
ley, stopping at points of interest in search of material for his
Field Book of the Revolution. His description of Little Falls
is very interesting. Among other things he describes a
cavern on one of the cliffs which at that period overhung the
New York Central Railroad at a point nearly opposite the
Lover's Leap." He says:

The rugged shores present many incontestable evidences of
abrasion by the violent action of water, thirty to sixty feet above
the present level of the river. Many of them are circular, perpen-
dicular cavities in the hard rocks, which are composed chieflv of
gneiss, granite, and horn blende.

On the western (northern) shore of the river a few yards from the
railroad and about thirty feet above its bed is a large circulai cavity
with an opening about ten feet wide facing the river, and over its
entrance a massive lintel which appears as if hewn and placed there
by the hands of man. Within this cavity, which is open at the top,
are smaller ones on its concave side. Indian legends invest these
cavities with romantic interest. One of them I will repeat, in brief,
as it was told to me, for it is identified witli the spot described.

Long years ago» when the river was broader and the falls were
more lofty, a feud arose between two young chiefs of two of the
clans of the Mohawk tribe, the Wolf and Tortoise. A maiden of
the Bear Clan was the cause of the feud, as maidens often are. She

368 The Mohawk Valley

was loved by both of the young chiefs, and for a time she so
coquetted that each thought himself beloved by her in return. (As
maidens often do.) Her father was a stern old warrior, and loved
his child tenderly. Both chiefs had fought the Mingoes and
Mohegans by his side, and the bravery of each entitled him to the
hand of the maiden. Her affections were at length stirred by the
more earnest importunities of the Wolf, and she promised to be-
come his bride. This decision reached the ears of the Tortoise,
and the embers of jealousy which disturbed both while unaccepted
suitors, burst into a flame of ungenerous revenge in the bosom of
the disappointed lover. He determined to possess the coveted
treasure before the Wolf should take her to his wigwam. With well-
dissembled acquiescence in her choice, and expressions of warm
friendship for herself and her alhanced, he allayed all suspicions,
and the maiden rambled with him in the moonlight upon the banks
of the river when her affianced was away, unconscious of danger.
The day approached for the maiden to go to the wigwam of her
lord. The Tortoise was with her alone in a secluded nook upon
the bank of the river. His light canoe was near, and he proposed
a voyage to a beautiful little island in the stream, where the fire-flies
sparkled and the whippoorwill whispered its evening serenade.
They launched, but instead of paddling for the island, the Tortoise
turned his prow toward the cataract. Like an arrow they sped
down the swift current, while the young chief, with vigorous arm,
paddled for the northern shore. Skilful as with the bow and
hatchet, he steered his canoe to the mouth of the cavern described,
as then upon the water's brink, seized the affrighted maiden, and
leaped ashore, at the same moment securing his canoe by a strong
green withe. The cave was dry, a soft bed of skins of beasts was
spread, and abundance of provisions were there stored. At the top
of the cave, far above the maiden's reach, an opening revealed a
passage through the fissures of the rocks above. It was known only
to the Tortoise; and there he kept the maiden many months, until
her affianced gave her up as lost to him forever. At length, while
hunting on the southern hills in flowery May, the Wolf saw the
canoe at the cavern. It solved the question in his mind. The
evening was clear, and the full moon shone brightly. He waited
.until midnight, when, with an arm as strong and skill as accurate as
Jhis rival's, he steered his canoe to the mouth of this cavern, which
iwas lighted up by the moon. By its light he saw the perfidious

ON THE TOW-PATH, LITTLE FALLS

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The Legend of Little Falls 371

Tortoise sleeping in the arms of an unwilling bride. The Wolf
smote the Tortoise, but the wound was slight. The awakened
warrior, unable to grasp his hatchet, bounded through the opening
at the top of the cavern, and closed it with a heavy stone. The
lovers embraced in momentary joy. It was brief, for a fearful doom
seemed to await them. The Tortoise would return with power,
and they had to make choice of death by the hatchet of the rival
chief or by the waters of the cataract. The latter was their choice,
and in affectionate embrace they sat in their canoe and made the
fearful leap. The frail vessel struck propitiously upon the boiling
waters, and, unharmed, passed over the gulf below. Down the
broad stream they glided, and far away, upon the margin of the
lower lake they lived and loved for two generations, and saw their
children's children go out to battle and the chase. In the long line
of their descent, tradition avers, came Brant, the Mohawk sachem,
the strong Wolf of his nation.

Since the above was written (in 1848) the New York Cen-
tral Railroad has been widened at this point, by cutting away
the face of the northern cliff, and the Dolgeville Railroad now
climbs along an incline, also cut from this cliff, and has un-
doubtedly destroyed the cavern spoken of above. However^
about five hundred feet from the viaduct that carries the last-
named railroad across a deep ravine at the eastern end of the
city, is to be seen what seems to be the back of this cavern,
recessed about two feet from the present face of the cliff, and
surmounted by a slab or lintel perhaps fifteen feet long and
three feet thick, reminding one of an entrance to some rock
temple of India, as described by travellers. On the tops of
both the northern and southern hills are found many pot-holes
of varying size and depth, plainly indicating that the immense
prehistoric streams that flowed through the Mohawk Valley
from Lakes Iroquois and Spencer must, at some period, have
passed over the highest hills at that point. That there was
a very high fall in existence where the foot of the rapids
now is, seems to be indicated by the disrupted rocks in that

37^ The Mohawk Valley

vicinity, and the great depth of water at that point, which is
said to be a hundred feet or more.

A very interesting rock is seen near the lower iron bridge,
and about one hundred feet from the river bank, and perhaps
thirty feet above the present level of the stream. The rock
stands about fifteen feet above the surrounding earth and is in
the shape of a horseshoe whose outer diameter is about fifty
feet, inner diameter about twenty feet, and the width of
the horseshoe about fifteen feet, with the opening to the west,
or up the stream. The inner surface of this horseshoe or
broken circle, which is bowl-shape, is perpendicular and
marked with segments of a circle all around the inside, plainly
showing the rotary motion of water and debris, as it was
poured in immense volume from high falls above it. At the
eastern end of the inner circle is a pot-hole five feet deep and
about two feet in diameter. This hole has been worn through
the side near the bottom, indicating the manner in which this
immense bowl was formed. I have no doubt that the removal
of the accumulation of earth and water from the bottom of
this bowl would uncover a cavity of remarkable interest.

But Little Falls is historic as well as prehistoric. Across
the river, below the State dam which feeds the Erie Canal,
are the remains of a well-constructed shallow aqueduct of
seventy feet span, which was formerly used for floating canal
boats from the canal to a large basin which was situated on
the north side of the Mohawk, back of the present station of
the New York Central Railroad. This aqueduct is no longer
used, one of the arches having been destroyed.

In a previous chapter mention is made of the early mode
of navigating the Mohawk River and the canal at Little Falls,
and from Rome to Wood Creek, and so on through Oneida
Lake and Oswego River to Lake Ontario, with two short
portages in Oswego River.

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The Legend of Little Falls ^ 375

To improve the waterway to the West, the Inland Lock
Navigation Company, in 1795, constructed a canal about two
miles long, from below the rapids to the deep water above the
falls. This canal was cut through the rock on the north bank
of the river, and with the aid of five locks bateaux were raised
42 feet and launched into the smooth water above the falls.
A small portion is still to be seen in the western part of the
city, also the stonework of the two upper guard-locks or
gates. The canal seems to have been cut through solid
rock, was about ten feet wide, and ten feet deep at the upper
lock. The width of the old canal indicates the maximum
width of the bateaux used by the early navigators.

Chapter XX

Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida

THE Indian name for Canajoharie seems to have been
spelled Can-a-jor-ha, and was originally applied to a
singular hole in the creek that enters the Mohawk
River at that place. The Indian interpretation is
said to be " the pot that washes itself," the water seemingly
boiling as it flows from this singular hole in the bed of the
creek. The name was also applied to the stream itself and to
lands south of the Mohawk in its vicinity, and in after years to
the village that grew up at its mouth after the Revolution.
Historians, however, have of late years confused readers by
confounding the Indian town of Canajorha with the Canajo-
harie of the present day.

AH of the south side of the Mohawk, from the Nose or spur
of the Mayfield Mountains which crosses the river near Spra-
kers, to the highlands at Little Falls, was known as the land
of the Can-a-jor-has, and when the Canajoharie Castle is
spoken of, it means the Indian settlement in the town of
Danube in Herkimer County, and now known as Indian
Castle, which was the home of Brant and Hendrick and the
place where Sir William Johnson assisted in building a church
which is called by writers, " the church at Canajoharie."

The first name we find applied to the present village of
Canajoharie is Scramling, from a tavern kept by Henry Scram-
ling, situated on the river " opposite the Freys," as an early
chronicler records it.

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Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida zil

Smith and Wells make the following entry in a journal:
" 13th May, 1769 — At Scramlin's we turned off from the river,
pursuing a S. W. course for Cherry Valley." — " The carriers
tell us that they were paid 30 shillings a load for carrying from
Scramlin's to Otsego Lake."

The creek itself is a thing of picturesque beauty, with its
high cliffs and a cascade where the water falls from forty to
fifty feet.

Opposite Canajoharie is Palatine Bridge, a station on the
New York Central Railroad. In a history of Montgomery
County we find the following:

The earliest settlement in this town, and probably the first west
of Schenectady on the north side of the Mohawk, was made by Hein-
rich Frey, a native of Zurich, Switzerland, who, in 1688, left that
city for America, bringing with him an open letter from the mayor
addressed " To whom it may concern." Upon his arrival in New
York in 1689, he received from Gov. Dongan a " location ticket "
for 100 acres of land on the Schoharie creek, but the Mohawk Val-
ley having more attractions for him, he soon removed thither, and
settled just west of the present village of Palatine Bridge, where he
erected a log cabin on a knoll near a fine spring. Here he laid
claim to a tract of 300 acres of land, his only title to it, aside from
possession, being, probably, obtained from the Indians. This land
was subsequently included in the patent issued to Van Slyck, from
whom Frey procured a permanent title. The old homestead has
always remained in possession of the family and is now the property
of S. L. Frey, Esq., who represents the sixth generation. The log
cabin was occupied until 1739, when a substantial stone dwelling
was erected.

This building can be seen a few rods west of the village.
It has a row of port-holes on all sides, and during the French
wars was stockaded and occupied by several companies of
troops. The photograph of this ancient dwelling is repre-
sented on page 379. A picture is also given of a curious

2,7^ The Mohawk Valley

old window in the Ehle house (i 752-1900) at Nelliston, N. Y.
The house may also be seen from the car windows on the
right-hand side going west between the Frey house and St.
Johnsville.

For many years travellers have viewed the valley of the
Mohawk from the north side of the river, passing under the
shadow of hills that tower above them, while their eyes have
become so familiar with the southern shore that they cease to
be impressed by its beauty. The West Shore Railroad,
therefore, gives to the traveller the valley under a new aspect
and opens vistas that he hardly recognizes.

One morning in the latter part of May I boarded the West
Shore milk train, en route for Indian Castle. A thick haze
somewhat obscured the sun, and the air was still and warm.
As the sun climbed toward the zenith feathery shadows were
fitfully seen as we sped along the valley, while the sun itself,
surrounded by a hazy halo and thin, fleecy clouds, looked
more like the full moon of a summer night than the brilliant,
blazing orb of day. The hills and valleys were partly ob-
scured by a light blue vapor, which revealed the gray of the
rocks but toned the bright green of forests and fields to olive
tints. As we near the Nose, or rather Noses, just east of
Sprakers, the river makes a sharp bend from north to south,
which, as we sped along, opened a charming vista of the Mo-
hawk, and permitted us to see a long distance up the river be-
tween the high hills of the Noses, which a moment before
seemed to obstruct our passage.

On both the north and south sides of the river the hills
rise perpendicularly to a great height, showing a great mass of
rock with clinging vines and shrubs and crowned w^ith pine,
cedar, and hemlock, whose dark foliage is mingled with the
lighter green of oak and maple. At some distance from the
point where we enter the pass, the northern ridge falls away

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Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 381

into a wide ravine, or short valley, running to the north back
of the county farm.

Among the rocks of this ravine has been established an
industry which, though it is said to be a monopoly, we do not
care to have transferred to our city. I can pledge you my
word that the Board of Trade will have nothing to do with it.
In that ravine lives a man who retails oil at two dollars an
ounce. His harvest begins in the warm days of spring, when
the snow is disappearing, but is of comparatively short dura-
tion. At that season he dons his rubber boots and incases
his legs in lengths of stove pipe, arms himself with a stout
club and invades the haunts of the rattlesnakes that infest that
locality. You can judge of the number slain by the fact that
during the year 1899 he sold one hundred and fifty dollars'
worth of rattlesnake oil at two dollars an ounce.

The hill on the south side of the river is sometimes called
the " Little " Nose, but to one that gazes at its rocky eleva-
tion of 740 feet, from its base, the name seems to be misplaced.
Near its top, a little distance to the south, is the egg-shaped
opening of " Mitchell's cave," a cavern very interestingly de-
scribed by Percy N. Van Epps, in a publication called TJie
Museum. The entrance is made by a perpendicular drop, by
means of a rope, of about 16 feet, to an opening 11 by 30 feet
and 13 feet deep. From this point, by incline plane and per-
pendicular descent, Van Epps, Van Home, Hartley, and others
penetrated to the depth of 280 feet without finding any very
large rooms or extensive horizontal galleries. The cave or
cavern has the appearance of having been formed by a huge
cleft in the mountain, and the exploration is made not with-
out danger, and with considerable discomfort.

The name Anthony's Nose is applied to similar high hills
in two other places in New York State, one on Lake George,
near " Rogers's Slide," and the other in the highlands on the

82 The Mohawk Valley

Hudson. You will probably recall Washington Irving's story
in his Knickcrbockc7' History of Neiv York, of the incident
which caused the last-named hill to be called " Anthony's
Nose."

Peter Stuyvesant and his trumpeter, Antony Van Corlear,
are sailing up the Hudson on a voyage of discovery. Early
one morning, while their sloop is passing the highlands,
Van Corlear is lounging on deck. The sun, rising over a high
hill, lights up the large red nose of Antony. Glancing from
his nose, the ray of sunlight strikes the water and kills a stur-
geon. Whereupon Governor Stuyvesant proclaims that the
hill shall be called " Anthony's Nose."

Passing by the rocky hills and extensive flats of the Mo-
hawk, and many a lone fisherman, and glimpses of the old
stone houses known as the Frey and Ehle houses, on the op-
posite shore, with due milk-train speed we at last reached Indian
Castle. We missed the usual crowd at the station, because there
are not enough people in the hamlet to make a crowd. The
object of our journey being to visit the former home of the
Indian warrior, Joseph Brant, and a church built by Sir Wil-
liam Johnson in 1763, we turned our steps toward the only spire
that was visible. It being near our usual dinner hour, we ac-
costed a lady, as we crossed the bridge that spans the Con-o-
wa-da-ga, or Castle, Creek, and asked if there was a hotel or
store in the place where we could procure some food. She
kindly informed us that there were none, but volunteered the
information that there was a canal grocery about three-quar-
ters of a mile away that had a license (?). Further inquiry
elicited the information that we could procure the key to the
church of Mr. Willis Green, who lives in a large white farm-
house, with extensive conservatories adjoining, situated near
the church edifice. This locality is interesting because it was
the last home of the Canajorhees, and the upper castle of the

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Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 385

Mohawks during Sir William Johnson's residence in the
valley.

I feel somewhat timid in writing about the Canajorha
Castle after S. L. Frey of Palatine has given it his considera-
tion for so many years, and has written so much about it. But
I purpose writing from my standpoint of investigation, trust-
ing that if I am wrong he will correct me. As Indian Castle
is situated in Herkimer County, I also feel as though I was
encroaching upon territory belonging to historians of the ad-
joining county, and may differ somewhat from their conclusions.

In Miss Walworth's TekakzvitJia is a map of ancient Indian
villages, drawn by General John S. Clark, of Auburn, who
was accompanied by Mr. S. L. Frey when sites of the villages
were located. Although all other villages are represented as
having changed their location frequently between 1642 and
1700, the Canajorhees seem (according to this map) to have
been permanently located about two miles north of Palatine
Bridge, and that they were never located at the village now
known as Canajoharie.

We will have to accept the conclusions of Messrs. Clark
and Frey, as I know of no better authority than they on this
subject. The same uncertainty about the Canajorhees seems
apparent after 1700, until they were settled at Indian Castle
on the Con-o-wa-da-ga Creek. We know that they were there
in 1755, when Sir William Johnson built a fort for them and
named it Fort Hendrick, and that a block-house was there
previous to that date, but I have not been able to ascertain
the time of their removal to that locality. I have in my pos-
session, however, a copy of an old deed which may throw a
little light on the subject. It is a deed from the Indians to
Jan Wemp of Fort Hunter, and describes the large island still
in possession of his descendants. The western end of this
island is opposite Fort Hunter. It reads as follows:

386 The Mohawk Valley

"... possession and demand of in and to all that
great island lying and being in the county of Albany, in
the Maquas river most opposite to tJie Indian castle at Cana-
joliary, together with as much land on the main on ye south-
west side of said river as said island is in length, ' ' etc. , etc. The
above deed was dated 1720. My attention was called to it by
the late R. A. Grider. The phrase "most opposite to the
Indian castle at Canajohary," would seem to indicate that it
was located either to the east or to the west of the great
island at Fort Hunter.

East of the island, on the north side of the Mohawk River,
on the high hill between Fort Johnson Creek and Dove Creek,
many evidences of Indian occupation have been found, and
may have been the site of the Canajohary Castle in 1720. Sir
William bought this property in 1739, and probably between
the two dates, 1720 and 1739, the Canajorhees located at In-
dian Castle. In another deed to Jan Wemp, dated 1728, for
lands in the same locality, occurs this sentence: " Know that
for sundry good causes and lawful considerations in moving,
but more especially for the love and affection we bear to our
loving friends, Jan Wemp and Cornelis Van Slyck," etc., etc.
This would seem to indicate a removal of the Indians to some
other locality and may have been the time that the Canajor-
hees moved from the north to the south side of the river, or it
may refer to the removal of an Indian village from the lands
purchased by Jan Wemp on the mainland. Evidence of an
Indian village is still seen on the hills about lOOO feet south
of the Wemple residence.

Indian Castle of to-day presents few evidences of former
Indian occupation except a few sunken graves in a cedar
thicket at the western edge of the precipitous hill on which
stands the old church. Mr. Willis Green, whose house stands
within the line of the old stockade, pointed out a well still in

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Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 389

use, which was said to have been in the centre of the fortifi-
cation, while back of his house is still to be seen the outline of
the foundation of the house of Joseph Brant and King Hen-
drick. A hill on the opposite side of the creek is probably
the site of the old block-house spoken of in the following let-
ter from Sir William Johnson to Governor DeLancy:

Mount Johnson, June 6, 1755.

Sir: — I returned last night from the Conhogohery Castle, having
first been at the Mohock Castle. At both settlements I have fixt on
Places to build them Forts. At Cohogohery I propose it on the
Flat Land out of Gun-Shot from the Hill where the Old Block
houses now stand, out of which upon the Point of the said Hill I
propose to erect a good Block House. On the rear of the intended
Fort, there is a clear, improved Vale run of more than half a mile,
on the left Flank it will be assisted by the said Block house on the
point of the Hill, a fire between which and the Fort will clear the
open land on that side; the land is all clear and cultivated in
the Front. On the right side there are a few Bushes and small
Wood to clear, when all will be open on that side for more than half
a mile. One of the Bastions to serve for a church, etc., etc.
I am
Sir
With the Utmost Respect
Your Honours
Most Obedient &

Most Humble Serv't,

Wm. Johnson,

Gov'r Delancy.

Procuring the key of the old church from its hiding-place
in the horseshed, I explored the old edifice, but did not find
much of interest, as the interior has been modernized, except
the windows, which still retain their small panes of glass.
The entrance, which was formerly on the west side, has been
changed to the north. I was told of an old bell in the steeple
which is fractured and useless, on account of rough usage at

390 The Mohawk Valley

the time of the Indian exodus to Canada during the Revolu-
tion. The Canajorhees attempted to take the bell with them,
but when the whites became aware of it thev pursued and
overtook the canoes on the Mohawk River. It is said that in
order to save the bell from capture it was thrown into the
river. It was afterward recovered by the whites and replaced
in the belfry from which it had been taken, but in a damaged
condition.

About two miles west of the village, still in a good state of
preservation, is the old brick residence of General Herkimer,
erected in 1764. ■ •

The first bridge across the Mohawk at Amsterdam was
erected in 182 1.

This bridge was to consist of two spans, with abutments
on each side of the river, and a pier in the centre. It is quite
evident that the engineer who planned its construction would
never have been engaged to erect the Brooklyn Bridge, as a
portion of the Amsterdam Bridge fell of its own weight before
its completion, and the plan was changed and the bridge con-
structed with two piers instead of one. The foundation of the
old pier in the centre can yet be seen during the summer,
when the water is clear. This bridge was carried away by a
flood in 1839, ^^^ another bridge that was immediately
erected met a similar fate in 1842. The third stood firm until
1865, when the northern span was carried away during the
spring flood of that year.

In the early part of the spring of 1865 heavy rains had
cleared the Mohawk of ice, and continuing for a number of
days filled the river until it seemed as though the banks could
hold no more. In fact, it overflowed into the Erie Canal and
filled some of the levels east of Auriesville.

At that time a new lattice bridge was being built across the
river at Fonda, the heavy lattice timbers being in place. The

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Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 393

banks of the canal above having been washed away, two large
canal boats passed into the river and, floating down, struck and
wrecked the uncompleted structure.

The morning this occurred was bright and beautiful with
the sunlight of early spring, and many people were on the Am-
sterdam Bridge and the banks of the river, watching the
unprecedented flood, which reached within three feet of the
bridge, a covered structure of heavy, latticed timbers, that had
withstood the wear and tear and storms of years. The water
surging by was forced in huge volumes up the piers, and fell
from their sides in muddy brown cascades, and seethed and
boiled as it lashed the sides of the blocks of stones, as though
it were angry that its course should be checked by such a
seemingly frail impediment. Inside of the structure on beams
and lattice was the dust of thirty years' accumulation. About
ten o'clock a telegram was received that the bridge above had
been wrecked, and, with two canal boats, was floating down
the river. The great danger to the Amsterdam Bridge was
instantly recognized, and the merchants locked their stores
and hastened to the river side to watch for the first appearance
of the impending danger.

Soon, in the distance, could be seen a black object, which,
as it drew nearer, was recognized as a large canal boat with
cabins at each end and covered deck between, and about a
thousand feet behind, a large section of the wrecked bridge
with its new timbers glistening in the sunlight. On came the
boat, with the speed of a race-horse, sitting high in the furious
current, and it was seen at once that it could not pass under
the bridge.

When it was about five hundred feet away it was floating
broadside with the current, but as it drew nearer the bow
swung around, and, amid the stillness of the breathless multi-
tude, struck the north span of the bridge about thirty feet

394 The Mohawk Valley

from the pier nearly head on, with a blow that made the old
timbers bend like a bow. The recoil seemed to force the boat
back; the current catching the stern landed it on the pier
in its centre, and was immediately forced up the pier by the
force of the current, until the whole huge boat was nearly out
of the water. There it hung, balanced across the pier, with
every joint creaking, for about twenty seconds, when the bow
settled to the north, and wuth deliberate majesty plunged its
whole length into the stream and out of sight, came up below
the bridge, shaking the water from its deck like a huge levia-
than, and passed on down the river. The shout that arose
from the multitude was almost immediately checked at the
sight that met the eye as it again turned westward. There, a
short distance up the river, was the span of the bridge, float-
ing slower, but with resistless force, with the broken ends of
the lattice sticking out in front like the prongs of a grappling
iron. On, on it came, straight for the injured span, which it
grappled to its wounded side, and amid the creaking and
groaning of timbers torn asunder was engulfed by the
wrecked span. Without any seeming diminution of speed,
with its victim close locked in its embrace, it floated down the
river and was stranded on the flats below. The wreck was
hardly out of sight before the second span of the Fonda
Bridge came down on the south side of the river, with a rock-
ing motion that carried it nearly out of sight, and as it dipped
in the water just as it reached the bridge, it passed under
without doing any damage save tearing off a few boards as it
came up again below. ; ■ -, • -

With their accustomed energy the village trustees took
measures to establish communication with their neighbors on
the south side, and in due time an iron span was constructed
which did good service until 1876, when another disaster oc-
curred of a more serious nature.

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Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 397

During the winter of 1876, from causes for which nature
alone was responsible, an immense ice-gorge was formed in the
shallow riff near the Atlas mill. This began early in the
winter, and by spring had grown to such formidable propor-
tions that it seemed as though nothing but the heat of the sun
would ever remove it. During the month of February, how-
ever, a season of warm rains melted the snow and filled the
streams to their utmost capacity and culminated on the even-
ing of February 15th with more rain and a strong westerly
wind.

Soon the ice below the bridge began to heave and groan,
with ever and anon a report like a pistol shot, giving warning
that the ice was breaking up under great pressure, and it was
at once feared that the bridge was in great danger. Persons
hurrying to their homes across the bridge through the dark-
ness reported that the planks that constituted the floor of the
bridge were raised in front and behind them as they swiftly
sped from the impending danger.

In those days we had no electric lights, and the gloom
along the river bank was almost impenetrable to persons
standing near the bridge.

It was a fearful night. The roar and swish of the
Chuctanunda in the distance, the mournful hum overhead,
as the wind whistled through the wires and the iron
bars of the bridge, the dismal rain-drops, the thick, misty
blackness of the night, the cracking of the ice, and the
fearful gorge with its overshadowing horrors in the dis-
tance, were enough to make a person shiver with nervous
terror.

About ten o'clock at night the belated spectators were
aware of the movement of the ice, and at once tried in vain
to pierce the impenetrable darkness that brooded over the
gorge in the distance.

39^ The Mohawk Valley

Soon an unwonted sound, like the grinding, crashing and
rending of an irresistible body in motion, was heard.

Closer came the sound, and peering with straining eyes
into the gloom, we saw for an instant, before fleeing to a
place of safety, the shadowy whiteness of a moving wall
towering above our heads, and heard the sound of falling
bricks and timbers from buildings wrecked along the bank.
As we ran, we turned and saw the wall approach the bridge,
strike it, and bear it along in front of it, with no more ap-
parent effort than if it had been composed of cardboard, and
pass on, leaving behind the dismantled piers and the flood
of water that was already overspreading the banks of the
river, and the total v/reck of the substantial stone and brick
building of Charles Spalt, near the bridge. If this was a fear-
ful night, the morning brought a despondent day to those
who had suffered from the flood, from wrecked buildings, and
the loss of the life of a child as the parents were trying to
escape from their threatened dwelling.

The frame dwellings on the north bank of the Mohawk, in
the rear of Charles Spalt's shop, had been moved from their
foundations by the gorge, and were immediately surrounded
by water. In one of these was George Laimbier, an elderly
man, confined to his bed with illness. He was removed to a
place of safety with difficulty. Mr. Needham occupied
another dwelling, and attempted to make his way through
the water with his three children clasped in his arms. One of
them slipped from his grasp into the water, and in the dark-
ness and confusion was drowned.

Three other children were discovered by their cries to be
clinging to a bush in the water. It is remembered that John
F. Morris, attracted by the cries of distress, dashed into the
water at the risk of his life, and one by one brought them in
safety to dry land.

Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 399

FLORIDA.

The town of Florida, is in the form of a triangle, with
its base, so to speak, on the Mohawk River and its apex
at the junction of Schenectady and Schoharie Counties, a
little southwest of Miller's Corners. This land was formerly
part of the grant of eighty-six thousand acres to Walter Butler
and forty-two others in 1733, and afterward the fourteen thou-
sand acres of Sir Peter Warren's estate, and the grants to
Edward and Phillis Harrison, Anne Wilmot, Maynard and
Elizabeth Guerin, Henry Crosby and William Crosby, Jr., the
last-named grants extending along the borders of Schenectady
County, from Schoharie Creek to the Mohawk River.

At that date (1735), all of the country in this section of
the colony of New York was called Albany County, and the
country west of Schenectady township was spoken of as the
Maquaase country, or the country of the Mohawks.

In 1788 the country north of the Mohawk River was
known as the town of Caughnawaga, and south of the river as
the town of Mohawk.

Florida was formed from the town or district of Mohawk,
March 12, 1793, and its first town meeting was held in April,
1794, at the house of Ezra Murray.

The triangular section of land spoken of was named Florida.
It is not recorded who gave it that name, or why that beauti-
ful Spanish word was selected. July 23, 1898, is the date of
one of the many pleasant drives which the writer has enjoyed
on the Florida Hills. Our road led past the Serviss &
DeGraff mill in Mudge Hollow, which stands on the site of
the first sawmill erected at that place, and owned by one
Andrew Frank. About the beginning of the century there
were two grist-mills and a tannery located at this place. The
mills were owned by a Rowland and Mudge and McDonald.

400 The Mohawk Valley

and the tannery by Bethuel Dean, the grandfather of Luther
L. and James Dean, and the other children of John, Daniel,
and Henry Dean. Bethuel Dean's name is found in the
early records of Amsterdam, then living near Cranesville.
Later he bought a farm on Yankee Hill, which passed to his
son, John, and was occupied by him at the time of his
death.

A letter from Oliver DeLancy to Sir William Johnson,
October 26, 1765, says: " I have directed Mr. John R. Bleeker
to survey Sir Peter's (Warren) Patents at ' Chuctanunda ' and
lay them out in lots of one hundred acres each. He seems to
apprehend some interruption from the Indians, In such case
I beg you will prevent their giving any trouble."

It would seem from the above that the land now known as
Florida, or at least that portion of it near the mouth of the
South Chuctanunda Creek, was designated by the owners of
the patent as Chuctanunda, while that to the east was called
Warrensburg, or Johnson's Settlement, and that Indian
families were located near the creek, and probably cultivated
the flats on which the fifth ward of Amsterdam is located.

Turning to the left after passing the site of the old mills,
our road led us over the first range of hills on the south bank
of the Mohawk, which gave us a glimpse of the valley to the
north and east. Coming to the old red-brick house of John
Van Derveer, we are reminded that we are in the vicinity of
the homes of the earliest settlers, and a little further on we
pass farms that bear names of the pioneers of Florida, — Row-
lands, Hubbs, Herrick, Thayer, Luke, Staley, Billington,
Stewart, Van Slyke, Schuyler, Ferguson, McKinney, Ernest,
Schuler, McClumpha, and a host of others, — and on the top of
a high hill, midway between the homes of Charles Ferguson
and Fletcher Ernest, we stop our weary horse to gaze on the
scene before us, and are more at a loss than ever to under-

Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 401

stand why this beautiful country was named Florida. It is
said that the name was given to the peninsula by the Span-
iards, in allusion to the aspect of the country, the name
signifying florid or flowery. It is also said that Ponce de
Leon, who was in search of the fountain of life, touched the
mainland rich with flowers on Easter Sunday, March 12, 15 12
(Easter was called by the Spaniards, Pasqual Flores — the Feast
of Flowers), and christened the country Florida.

In the grand view before me I can see no flowers nor palm-
trees, no live oak and cypress covered with moss and mistletoe,
no stately magnolia or ambitious mangrove or cocoanut. The
orange, the myrtle, the jessamine, the cork-tree are not in
sight. In place of plantations of wide-leaf bananas, we see
the tall stalks of corn and the flowering potato. No swamps
and stagnant rivers, with lazy alligators and gigantic turtles
basking in the sun, no birds of brilliant plumage and scream-
ing, discordant notes, or lazy, ne'er-do-well negro boys and
olive brown maids playing in the sand. No, this is not the
Florida of Ponce de Leon, Narvaez, and De Soto, but it has a
beauty of its own that is more attractive to the hardy North-
erner. As I gaze from the vantage-point of the high ground
south of Minaville, there is in view to the west the ever-
green slope of Bean Hill, the highest point of land in
Montgomery County, with its cultivated sides bright with
meadow and forest, shielded from the western sun by its own
vast height. To the east is the State road, opened in 18 12,
to avoid the high hill on which we stand, and to make it
easier to transport the heavy cannon and ordnance stores to
the forts on the Western frontier.

In front of us and all around us are fields of grain and
meadows of clover and timothy that have already bowed their
heads to the reaper and mower, leaving great patches of ivory-
tinted stubble, and making a portion of the landscape look
26

402 The Mohawk Valley

like a section of a huge crazy quilt. Here and there are great
fields, dotted with innumerable tiny hillocks of darker hue,
each little hillock disappearing as the well-laden hay wagon
passes near and adds to its load. In the distance these tower-
ing, rounded loads remind one of huge elephants, or, perhaps,
a mastodon wandering aimlessly over the vast fields. Wheat,
oats, and barley are still nodding their heads, waiting for the
reaper, but the sheaves of rye that dot hill and plain remind
us that harvest is at hand. All along the road we pass
orchards of apple-trees and clusters of minor fruits, houses
and fences in good repair, and no deserted homes.

The hill on which we rest might well be called historic
ground, as we stand in the centre of a mile square, settled by
one of the first pioneers of the town of Florida,

Some time near the year 1765, one Deboise bought of
Edward and Phillis Harrison six hundred and forty acres,
which was part of two thousand acres known as the Harrison
patent of 1735.

Dr. John Delamater says: " Lawrence Schuler sailed from
Wurtumberg for New York in 1755 in company with his
father and two brothers, one whose name was George; the
younger, whose name is not remembered, died in New York.
Lawrence and his brother George removed to Catskill where
Lawrence married a woman by the name of Overbaug, who
had five children by a previous husband, and whose maiden
name was Sarah Deboise of French descent, and sister of the
late Col. Benjamin Deboise, of Schoharie County, N. Y. " It
was through this wife that he probably came into possession of
the Deboise mile square, and by whom he had three sons:
Jacob, born at Catskill in 1765; Solomon, born at Catskill in
1768; John, born in 1769, probably in Florida.

Lawrence Schuler was born in Germany in 1736, and died
February 14, 181 3, aged seventy-seven years. A brother of

Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 403

Lawrence came to this country about the same time and
settled on the north side of the Mohawk. I have not been
able to learn his name, but, as a record on a tombstone in the
family plot of the Schulers reads, " Jacob Schuler, Died 1807,
Aged 75 Years," the supposition is that he was an older
brother, and probably the ancestor of the Schulers who
settled near Manny's Church, Lawrence had three sons,
namely, John, Solomon, and Jacob. John Schuler had five
sons, namely, D. Cady, Remsen, Daniel, Cholot, and Jacob.
Solomon Schuler had four sons, William Solomon, Duane,
John, and Jacob. Up to this time I have only been able to
ascertain the genealogy of two of the sons of Lawrence
Schuler, senior, as follows:

u
z

Jacob

-i

Solomon

lohn

'Wm. Solomon
Duane
John
Jacob

'D. Cady

Daniel

-{ Remsen

Cholot

Jacob

Davis W.
James
Darius
Theo. Hale
William
Eliza
Lydia
^ Martha

j Freeman
I Henry V.

■l^ Darwin A.

j William S.
I Davis

j Davis
I San ford

It is said that when the sons of Lawrence came to man's
estate, he divided his mile square of land, reserving two farms
for himself, giving the farm lately occupied by Henry V.
Schuler to his eldest son, John, and the farm adjoining, on
the road to Minaville, to his son Solomon one each to the
east to his sons Lawrence and Jacob, and reserving the
balance, being two parts of the whole, for the homestead
farm. The old homestead formerly stood in the field back of
the present farmhouse of Fletcher Ernest, and the homestead

404 The Mohawk Valley

farm comprised the two farms now owned by Charles Fergu-
son and Fletcher Ernest.

Only one of these farms remains in the family, and that is
the farm given to John, which has descended as follows:
From John to Daniel, to Henry V., to Darwin A., the
present owner, son of Cholot.

Solomon Schuler's farm has been transferred as follows:
Solomon Schuler to Rufus Herrick, Rufus Herrick to Davis
Herrick, Davis Herrick to Charles W. McClumpha, Charles W.
McClumpha to George McClumpha, his son, the present owner.

On a hill we stopped to rest. In front of us, and about
midway between the house of Charles Ferguson and Fletcher
Ernest, and directly in front of our resting-place, is the site of
the first church in Minaville, and one of the first in the town
of Florida. It stood in the centre of the churchyard, which
was also the first cemetery in that section of the country.
Off to the east may be seen the square tower and white
building known as the Scotch Church, while in front of us,
about a mile away, but hidden from sight by a woods, is
situated the successor of the old church on the hill. From
Beers's History I take the following :

Lawrence Schuler was a man distinguished for good sense, tem-
pered by a spirit of piety and benevolence, and diffusing an influ-
ence of goodness and liberality through his family circle as well as
in the neighborhood. The first Reformed Dutch church in the
town was erected on his lands, as was also the neighborhood school
house. He contributed towards the erection and support of both.

To this church the Rev. Thomas Romeyn, of Caughriawaga, was
called to minister in 1784, and he served acceptably some years.
This church continued in use until 1808, when another was erected
at the " Street," one mile west, and only occasionally was service
held in the old church thereafter, and until the frame was sold and
removed from its site. The burial ground around it had become
populous, and it now contains many ancient headstones with quaint
inscriptions.

Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 405

At the present time this cemetery seems to have gone the
way of all old graveyards, and is suffering from neglect to such
an extent that a passer-by would hardly know that the simple
wire fence that surrounds it encloses the ashes of the founders
of Florida. The dense mass of rose and briar bushes and
weeds of thrifty growth have produced a thicket around and
over the sunken graves almost as impenetrable as the chapar-
ral of the flowery peninsular on the Gulf of Mexico. In fact,
I was able to decipher but a very few of the inscriptions on
the tombstones. It seems a pity that this old graveyard,
probably the oldest in Florida, around which hover so many
sad and tender memories, should not receive enough attention
from the proper authorities to render these old tombstones
legible. The wisdom of setting aside a fund for the perpetual
care of cemeteries is apparent when we reflect on the condition
of this old graveyard.

It is said that at the beginning of the last century
Cranesville, Amsterdam (Veddersburg), and Minaville were
about the same size, with odds in favor of Minaville. Very
early in the settlement of the last-named place, some wag
fastened upon it the name of Yankee Street, which was after-
ward contracted to " The street," by which name it was known
for many years. At that time Port Jackson was without a
name, except Chuctanunda, and contained but two or three
houses, while below, to the east, was Warrensburg, where con-
siderable business was transacted. In the latter part of the
eighteenth century Yankee Street was the centre or capital of
Florida, where the pioneer farmers went to get their supplies.
From Beers's History we make the following extract :

Minaville, nearest the geographical center of the town, received
its name in 1818, replacing the not very distinctive title "the
street," or its less elegant form " Yankee street," by which it was
long known. It was early and for many years quite a center of

4o6 The Mohawk Valley

country trade. It is prettily situated in a wide, verdant bowl whose
southern rim is the Shellstone and Bean Hill ranges, and its
northern horizon a lower line of ridges, forming a woody fringe.
Through it flows the winding Chuctanunda. The quiet air of thrift
and comfort that rests upon the place is not unattractive, and one
could find here a pleasant home if seeking seclusion, the world for-
getting and by the world forgot.

Two churches, stores, a hotel, schoolhouse, cheese factory,
and several shops are comprised in the village.

The Reformed church, the successor of the " old church
on the hill," was built in 1808, and the Methodist Church in
1835- No wonder the stores were well patronized, when we
read the names of tlie farmers who traded there, some as early
as 1785; David Cady, Nathan Stanton, Ezra Murray, Law-
rence Schuler, Daniel Schuler, Philip and Peer Frederick,
William and Peter Young, George and Jacob Staley, John Van
Derveer, Peter and Jacob Houck, Elisha Cady, George, Peter,
and Christian Serviss, Rooleiffe Covenhoven, Asa Waterman,
John Quackenboss, Ephraim Brockway, Lewis Phillip, Philip
Doty, Cornelius Phillip, William Phillip and Cornelius Phillip,
the second, and a host of others.

But why was the place called Minaville ? We are told that
it was named in 1818 by George Smith, who occupies a
prominent place in the social and political annals of the town,
and who was a courteous and successful merchant. He married
two daughters of Judge David Cady, and built a residence
which, at the time of its erection, was regarded as the finest in
the county. He subsequently purchased and improved Fort
Johnson, and dwelt there until his death.

He was the grandfather of George Smith Devendorf, of
Amsterdam, and Dr. Charles A. Devendorf, of Detroit, Mich.

It is said that he named the hamlet after General Mina, a
Spaniard. Why ? There were two Spanish generals of that

Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 407

name. Gen. Francis Mina, a Spanish guerilla, harassed
the French troops under Napoleon in Spain, and accom-
panied by his nephew, Xavier, was captured by the French
during the Peninsular War, and detained in Vincennes
four years. He afterward went to England and became in-
terested in the cause of the Mexican patriots in their struggle
for independence. After receiving some aid in England, he
sailed for America in 1816. In the United States he received
sympathy and substantial aid and about two hundred Amer-
ican volunteers. At Galveston he was reinforced by one
hundred more Americans, and in April, 1817, he landed in
Mexico with five hundred men and marched direct to the
capital, cutting his way through such bodies of Spaniards as
he met.

He was successful in a number of engagements, but was at
length surprised at night, captured, and put to death in front
of the Fortress of Remedias, October 27, 1817.

This was the man for whom Minaville was named, not be-
cause he was a Spaniard, but because he was a brave man and
the leader of American Volunteers fighting for the inde-
pendence of an alien nation, and then, as in our recent war in
Cuba, against the tyrannical Spaniards.

In speaking of the descendants of Lawrence Schuler, I have
only been able to follow the male line of his family. I have
been told that Dr. John Delamater, uncle of Mrs. Davis
Schuler, made an attempt to make a genealogical record of
the Schuler family. He succeeded very well with the male
line, but the record of the female line, with all the marriages
and intermarriages, he gave up as a hopeless task, and he
having failed, I feel that I am excusable for not undertaking it.

Dr. John Delamater was born and reared in the town of
Florida, and became a physician of eminence. For many
years he was an able professor in his calling, at Fairfield and

4o8 The Mohawk Valley

at Cleveland, Ohio. He died there, a " beloved physician,"
for his amiable disposition, gentle manners, and goodness of
heart.

On the highest point of the first range of the Florida hills,
which the French invaders in 1693 called mountains, is a
tract of land formerly part of the Peter Warren grant, which
is now known as the Van Derveer farm. After the war of
Revolution, between 1790 and 1791, John Van Derveer, a
native of New Jersey, but of Holland descent, settled on this
land, then in its pristine ruggedness. Imagine if you can the
view that met his eye and perhaps influenced his selection of
a home for his family in the Mohawk Valley over a century
ago. Coming as he did from the sandy flats of New Jersey,
the sight must have seemed grand and beautiful. Immedi-
ately in front of him were the primitive forests, whose tops of
various shades of green and brown rolled in undulating waves
as they conformed to the receding slopes of hills that
stretched away on either side of the Mohawk River.

Westward, hid from view by hills and forests, lay Fort
Hunter, whose palisades enclosed the ruined chapel of Queen
Anne; nearer, on the north side, stood Fort Johnson and Guy
Park, both lately vacated by their fugitive owners.

A line of gray between the river and the green bank above
marked the Juchtanunda of the Mohawk, the rock "shelter
along the shore of the Indians. '

Following the bank of the river a little farther eastward,
the northern Chuctanunda pours its foaming, turbulent tide
into the river which, in the distance, washes the base of the
cliff of pictured rocks. Still gazing toward the east he sees in
the dim distance the Kinaquarione or Towereune of the
Indians.

Canajoharie — The Hills of Florida 409

The stream itself is an avenue of commerce, and the
laden bateaux of the boatman may be seen gliding along
by means of pole and paddle. Along the north bank are
trains of heavy canvass-covered wagons making tedious haste,
with four, six, and perhaps ten horses, and, perhaps, a well-
filled Concord coach and files of Continental soldiers.

If he allows his gaze to span the valley, his eye rests on
another range of hills of equal height with his own, and per-
haps even then he covets the land which after three decades
became the property of a member of his family.

John Van Derveer and his wife Katherine Conover lived
in Florida over half a century, and, with their sons and daugh-
ters, became a family of wealth and influence.

By marriage the family may be traced to the descendants
of nearly all the oldest and most prominent families of the
present towns of Florida and Amsterdam.

One of his ancestors, Cornelius Janse Van Derveer (Cor-
nelius, son of John from the ferry), emigrated in the ship Otter
in 1659 from Alkmaer in North Holland to New Amsterdam
(now New York). He settled in Flatbush, Long Island,
where he was magistrate in 1678-80. There he married
Teyntje (Catherine), daughter of Yilles (Giles) de Mandeville.
Her father came from Gelderland in Holland to New Amster-
dam in 1659, being one of the Huguenots who were so
numerous among the early immigrants and who by their
knowledge of textile industries formed so valuable an addition
to the early settlements in this country. Cornelius Van Der-
veer and Teyntje his wife had numerous children, among
them Dominicus, who had several children, one of them being
Tunis, who was the first of the family to settle in New Jersey
and was the grandfather of John, spoken of above, and his
brothers Garrett and Hendrick, all of whom located in the
Mohawk Valley about 1790.

4IO The Mohawk Valley

The New Jersey family must have been exceedingly
wealthy for those early days of our country, as it is said that
John Van Derveer, the subject of this sketch, brought with
him to his Florida farm eighty thousand dollars in cash.

The land was purchased of one John Watts, a relative of
the wife of Sir John Johnson.

John Van Derveer had eight children, five sons and three
daughters. Of the sons, Garrett was born in 1799, and in-
herited the homestead farms now occupied by his descendants.
John, at middle age, moved to Schenectady, where he died a
few years ago. Cornelius came to the village of Amsterdam,
and later in life was killed by a premature blast in the eastern
part of the village, leaving a wife and three children, — J.
Watts Van Derveer, at one time clerk of the county, Emily,
who married D. P. Corey, and Helena, who married Harvey
Kennedy of New York. ''•.

Jennie, the eldest child, married Joseph Stanton, and for
her second husband, John Sherburne.

Catharine became the wife of Peter I. Enders.

Of the daughters, Sarah, married a Serviss, and for her
second husband, James Greenman.

Henry Van Derveer married a Miss Conover. He died
young, and his wife and son soon followed him.

The possession of so large a sum of money as eighty
thousand dollars made it very easy for John Van Derveer,
Sr. to acquire land in his vicinity, and in 1822 he secured
of Nicholas Vedder a portion of the large tract of land known
as the Tunis I. Van Derveer estate, being located on the first
range of hills north of the Mohawk River, opposite to
the homestead farm. This land was immediately occupied
by his son, Tunis I. Van Derveer, who continued to add to the
first purchase as opportunities presented themselves,

Chapter XXI

Oriskany

IN the month of August, 1777, occurred two of the most
important battles of the Revolution, the results of
which were finally seen in the surrender at Saratoga
of General Burgoyne to General Gates and the vic-
torious Americans, when the campaign, begun with the bom-
bastic proclamation of the British General, who signed his
name, " John Burgoyne, Esquire, Lieutenant-General of His
Majesty's forces in America, Colonel of the Queen's Regiment
of Light Dragoons, Governor of Fort William in North Britain,
one of the Commons of Great Britain in Parliament, and com-
manding an army and fleet on an expedition from Canada,
etc., etc.," ended in the complete and humiliating defeat of
that windy gentleman. " I have," says the proclamation,
" but to give stretch to the Indian forces under my direction,
and they amount to thousands, to overtake the hardened
enemies of Great Britain and America. I consider them the
same where ever they may lurk." The battles I speak of are
those of Bennington and Oriskany. It was at the battle of
Bennington that he received the first check to his victorious
march to Albany through the Champlain Valley, and at
Oriskany and Fort Schuyler, the turning back of the attend-
ant expedition to Albany by the way of the Mohawk Valley.
The plan of the Campaign of Burgoyne was arranged in
London and provided for a force of four thousand British
troops and three thousand German, to which were added some

411

412 The Mohawk Valley

Canadians and a body of Indians. An auxiliary force under
Colonel St. Leger was to leave Montreal for Oswego simul-
taneous with Burgoyne's expedition through the Champlain
Valley, and there join a body of Tories under Sir John
Johnson and Indians under Brant, who were to clear the
Mohawk Valley and join Burgoyne and General Howe (who
was to proceed up the Hudson) at Albany.

In 1758, at the head of boat navigation on the Mohawk
River, where the village of Rome now stands, was erected
a fort for the protection of the settlers against the French
and Indians during the last French War, This was named
Fort Stanwix; although strongly built it was found to
be untenable at the beginning of the Revolution, and in
1776 a new fort was built and named Fort Schuyler in
honor of General Philip Schuyler. (This name seems to
have been a favorite one for fortifications. In 1709 a fort was
erected on the Hudson near Schuylerville, and a little later a
rude fort was built on the present site of Utica, both of which
were named for Peter Schuyler. The earlier one was destroyed
by its builders, and the later, decayed through neglect.)
Previous to this, a rude stockade fort stood on this site and was
called Fort Williams from its commandant, a Captain Williams.
It is spoken of as being well built, having four pieces of
cannon and garrisoned with one hundred and fifty men. It
was destroyed by General Webb in 1756 after the fall of
Oswego. Four miles away on Wood Creek at the western
end of the carrying-place between said creek and the Mohawk
River, was another fort named Fort Bull. March 27, 1756, this
was attacked by a party of French and Indians under Monsieur
de Lery, the defenders of the fort were massacred, and the
fort was blown up and burned. It is said that this fort was
rebuilt about two miles from the present city of Rome and is
probably the Fort Bute of the Tryon map of 1779. The siege

f ■

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THE OKISKANY MONUMENT

413

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Oriskany 415

of Fort Schuyler and the attendant battle at Oriskany form
a theme of never-ending interest to the dwellers of the
Mohawk Valley, many of whose ancestors were active partici-
pants in that gruesome engagement. In April, 1777, Colonel
Peter Gansevoort, of the New York line, was appointed to
the command of Fort Schuyler, and when he reached the post
he found the works in an unfinished state and " not only in-
defensible but untenable." On the 29th of May, Colonel
Marinus Willett was directed to join the garrison at Fort
Schuyler with his regiment, and, with the active assistance of
that officer, Colonel Gansevoort proceeded to put the fort into
as defensible state as the circumstances would permit without
knowing the character or strength of the enemy they were
destined to oppose. The garrison consisted of 950 men, and
although they had a plentiful supply of ammunition for small
arms, they had only about four hundred rounds for the can-
non. In June, information was received from a spy, a
friendly Oneida half-breed sachem named Thomas Spencer,
that a body of troops consisting of seven hundred Indians
under command of Joseph Brant and four hundred regulars
and six hundred Tories under Sir John Johnson and Colonel
John Butler, the whole force under command of Colonel St.
Leger, were to rendezvous at Oswego and from thence pro-
ceed to the Mohawk Valley with Fort Schuyler as their
objective point. This information instead of arousing the
phlegmatic Germans of the upper valley to prompt and effi-
cient action, seemed to paralyze them with fear. The timid
became backward in preparing for the field, while the wavering
became Loyalists, or at the best passive Whigs. To counter-
act this effect General Herkimer issued a stirring proclamation
informing the inhabitants of the gathering of the enemy's
forces at Oswego and calling upon all between the ages of
sixteen and sixty to hold themselves in readiness to repair to

4i6 The Mohawk Valley

the field, while the invalids and those over sixty years of age
were directed to arm themselves for the defence of the women
and children, and for the protection of their homes. The dis-
affected were also ordered to be arrested and disarmed. The
appeal was not without its effect, and the militia and the
people, stimulated by the near approach of danger, moved
with a degree of alacrity which contrasted strongly with their
former apathy.

On the 3d of August, Colonel St. Leger arrived before the
fort with his whole force of blatant Tories and howling sav-
ages, and a pompous demand was sent to Colonel Gansevoort
which dealt liberally in threats of vengeance to those who
refused to recognize the King and submit to his authority.
No notice being paid the demand, hostilities commenced on
the morning of the 4th of August. St. Leger at this juncture
sent a despatch to General Burgoyne expressing his assurance
that Fort Schuyler would be in his possession directly, and
the hope that they would meet as victors at Albany.

An interesting episode, is connected with this siege which
I think is not generally known. On the 14th of June, 1777,
Congress ordained that the flag of the thirteen United States
should be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and that the
union be thirteen white stars on a blue field. In August,
1777, Fort Schuyler was without a flag when the enemy ap-
peared, but their pride and ingenuity were equal to the occa-
sion. The white stripes were made from strips cut from
shirts, the red from bits of scarlet cloth, and the blue ground
for the stars, from a cloak belonging to Captain Abraham
Swartout, of Dutchess County. This is thought to have been
the first flag of the regulation stars and stripes that was raised
above a fort in the United States.

The arrival of St. Leger at Fort Schuyler soon became
known throughout the Mohawk Valley, and General Herki-

Oriskany 417

mer summoned the inhabitants in accordance with his pro-
clamation. They nobly responded; not only the militia, but
the gentlemen of the. county and members of the Committee
of Safety hastened to Fort Dayton, now Herkimer, and on
the 5th day of August, when the Indians invested Fort
Schuyler and by their hideous yells attempted to intimidate
the garrison, Herkimer was at Whitestown, eight miles from
the fort, with eight hundred undisciplined but brave and
enthusiastic troops eager to face the enemy, having crossed to
the south side of the Mohawk at old Fort Schuyler (Utica).

While the party remained at that place General Herkimer
sent Adam Helmer and two trusty men to apprise Colonel
Gansevoort of his approach and concert measures of co-opera-
tion. Three successive discharges of cannon were to announce
the arrival of the couriers, which he knew could be plainly
heard at the encampment. Having experienced considerable
difficulty in approaching the fort, Adam. Helmer did not suc-
ceed in entering until ten o'clock on the morning of the 6th.
The signal guns were immediately fired, and, as the message
of General Herkimer intimated his intention to force a pass-
age to the fort, a sortie was immediately arranged for the
purpose of diverting the attention of the enemy.

On the 4th, when Herkimer and his troops left Fort Day-
ton, Thomas Spencer, the faithful Oneida, was with him.
Noticing the impetuosity of the men and the total disregard
to all order of marching, without reconnoitering or throwing
out flanking parties, he insisted upon these precautionary
measures being adopted, in which he was joined by General
Herkimer and some of the older of^cers. The junior officers
ridiculed the idea and General Herkimer, contrary to his own
judgment, did not enforce the order.

On the morning of the 6th, a renewal of these scenes took
place in Herkimer's camp. With the same caution which the

41 8 The Mohawk Valley

General had previously manifested, he desired to remain
where he was until some evidence was received that a move-
ment from the fort had been made. The new-born zeal of his
junior officers revolted at the idea, and angry words ensued, in
which the brave but cautious old man was denounced by
Colonels Cox and Paris as a coward and a Tory. This bitter
taunt sank deep into his heart, but he answered calmly, " I
am placed over you as a father and guardian, and I will not
lead you into difficulties from which I may not be able to
extricate you," There was a brief interchange of further hot
words between the General, Colonel Bellinger, and John Frey
on one side, and the mutinous colonels and men on the other,
while the old man stood defiant, with chin raised and dark
blazing eyes. The confusion became unbearable and the
shouts of " Lead on! Lead on!" from the crowd more
vehement. Suddenly Herkimer sprang upon a log, too much
incensed to control himself and cried, " If you will have it so,
the blood be upon your heads." Waving his sword, he
shouted in a voice all the eight hundred could hear, " Vor-
warts!" Instantly, with exultant cheers, the men rushed for
their arms, officers their horses, and the teamsters the baggage
train, everyone eager to reach the enemy without regard to
their order of going. Through the efforts of the General the
four regiments were brought into a semblance of order, with
Colonel Visscher and the Caughnawaga company in the rear
as guard of the ammunition and supply wagons, and so,
marching swiftly and without scouts, at nine in the morning
they started forth.

Information of the approach of General Herkimer having
reached Colonel St. Leger on the evening of the 5th, and the
latter preferring to receive him in the field rather than in his
camp, detached eighty men of Sir John Johnson's Royal Greens,
under Major Watts, Sir John's brother-in-law, and the entire

Oriskany 419

body of Indians under Joseph Brant, the whole under com-
mand of Sir John Johnson, to intercept his approach. It ap-
pears that the influence of Brant prevailed, and that it was
determined to draw the Americans into an ambuscade. For
this purpose, with a sagacity which does even that remarkable
man great credit, a position was selected which was admirably
adapted for his purpose about two miles west from Oriskany
and six from Whitesboro. At this place were two short ravines
running from south to north both opening to the north and
separated by a level plateau of perhaps ten acres about fifty
feet above the bottom of the ravines. This plateau gradually
narrowed to a rounded point as the ravines opened out and
gradually merged into the swampy flats that stretch north to
the Mohawk River three-quarters of a mile away. The
westernmost ravine was the rendezvous of the British troops,
who were stationed along its upper eastern edge, effectually
concealed by its fringe of low trees and bushes. The Indians
rapidly took their positions around the south, north, and
eastern edge of the easterly ravine, nearly enclosing it except
where the rude road of logs (constructed earlier in the year by
Colonel Gansevoort for easier carriage of cannon and supplies
for Fort Schuyler, six miles away) ran down and over the
swampy bottom of the fatal ravine. All around were trees
and low bushes and the attendant rotting logs and tree trunks,
while tangled masses of dead branches and underbrush bor-
dered each side of the rough road that stretched out east and
west until lost in the gloom of the forest, while the swampy
flats, dimly seen through the mouth of the ravine, were
covered with tall swamp grass and the long, flat leaves of cat-
tail and calamus, with here and there a scrub pine or willow,
making a treacherous concealment for the naked savages.
Occasionally a group of pond lilies and other aquatic flowers
added color and beauty to the diversified landscape.

420 The Mohawk Valley

Meanwhile General Herkimer had moved on from the
mouth of Oriskany Creek entirely unconscious of the ambus-
cade two miles away. Their route lay along the firm lowlands
for about a mile, the road gradually bearing to the south and
up the low forest-covered hills that led to the fatal ravine.
The morning was dark, sultry, and lowering, and the mutter-
ing of distant thunder was in the air, unheeded or unnoticed
by the troops whose minds were intent upon reaching the fort.

The Canajoharie regiment, with General Herkimer and
Colonels Cox and Paris in the van, was the first to reach the
eastern edge of the slope down which the corduroy road ran
to the marshy bottom of the ravine.

The general and the colonels spoken of above seem to
have been at the head of the troops down this rough road,
followed in a joyous and rollicking manner by three regiments
and the baggage train. The van had nearly reached the top
of the western slope and the balance of the troops were
huddled together at the narrow crossing, and the baggage
train was waiting for an opportunity to cross. Colonel Viss-
cher with the Caughnawaga company was yet on the top of
the hill waiting for the bridge or ford to become cleared
before descending. Those on the other side were looking
back to see the wagon making its way down the hill. Colonel
Cox was giving an order to those below when the report of a
rifle was heard and Colonel Cox fell headlong upon the neck
of his horse, which turned and at a mad gallop dashed down
the slope and into the startled crowd at the ford. Instantly,
as though the rifle shot had been a signal for action, swarms
of red devils dashed upon the Visscher company, firing and
yelling as if in hellish delight, separating them from the
troops below, and fairly overwhelming them with superior
numbers, at the same time completing the cordon that was
drawn around the doomed Americans in the valley below,

,••■;.■'♦,' - ■

j^'

;fJ't^^

■kSwS

NO. I. — ORISKANY BATTLE-FIELD, EAST SIDK OF RAVINE.
Herkimer's troops were massed at the Log Road through the swamp. Swamp in the

forearound.

421

Oriskany • ^ 423

while from every tree and bush rang out the report of rifle and
the war-cry of the Indians.

Then ensued a scene of direst confusion, as the troops at
the crossing realized that they were completely surrounded by
hordes of naked, painted, savage devils, with apparently no
avenue of escape. At the first discharge many had been killed
while others, wounded, had fallen into the slimy marsh either
to be drowned or to receive the death stroke by hatchet or
knife from the foe who became bold at the evidently helpless
situation of the soldiers.

To return a moment to Colonel Visscher and part of the
Caughnawaga company who had become separated from the
main body of troops. Finding themselves assailed on three
sides the company rapidly retreated, firing as they went, be-
hind tree and bush in true backwoodsmen fashion, drawing
the Indians after them, who were intent upon their death or
capture and neglecting for the time being their duty on the
hilltop in their frenzied pursuit.

General Herkimer, although taken by surprise, seems to
have risen equal to the occasion. Urging his horse down the
hill slope, with energetic efforts he succeeded in pulling the
troops who had already crossed up to the level plateau where
they were met by the fire of Sir John Johnson's Rangers in
front, along the top of the second ravine, and the fire of the
Indians concealed on both flanks. Noticing that the fire from
along the eastern slope of the ravine was thin and somewhat
irregular, he ordered Colonel Bellinger and the soldiers who
had not yet crossed the causeway to retake the hill. Dashing
through the hail of lead on both flanks the stalwart Palatine
Germans stormed the hillside firing to kill as they went and
then meeting their antagonists with the swinging blows of
clubbed muskets. Regaining the hilltop, they formed them-
selves into circular squads, leaving the bottom of the fatal

424 The Mohawk Valley

ravine to the dead and dying, and the occasional prowling
painted savage with ready knife searching for scalps and
plunder.

It was at the time that Herkimer had succeeded in getting
the regiment in some sort of order on the plateau that he
received the bullet through his leg which at the same time
killed his horse. He was taken up and carried up the slope
to the plateau and placed upon his saddle at the foot of a
large beech tree, where, having lighted his pipe he sat and
continued to order the battle with the utmost firmness and
composure until the enemy retreated. For three-quarters of
an hour the contest continued with fury on both sides. At
that time the enemy began to concentrate his forces and by
slow degrees to close upon the Americans from all points of
the circle. Noticing this movement the Americans on the
plateau formed themselves into circles and their resistance
from that moment became more efTective. To counteract it,
the lire of the Tories was discontinued and the enemy charged
with the bayonet; and then more than ever before the contest
became a death struggle, hand to hand and foot to foot.
Never did brave men stand a charge with more dauntless
courage, and the enemy made no impression.

At this moment a blinding flash followed by a crashing
peal of heaven's artillery burst upon the ears of the combat-
ants. Attent upon the battle, the approach of the thunder
storm had been unnoticed until it burst upon them with in-
conceivable fury. The roaring wind, the swaying of the tree
tops, and the sudden downpour of rain arrested the work
of death and drove both Indians and whites to seek shelter
under trees and bushes. For nearly an hour rain fell in
torrents; but even the vivid lightning, the furious wind, the
rolling thunder, and the crashing of falling trees, did not pre-
vent the Americans from making preparations to renew the

Oriskany 425

deadly struggle. The wounded bound up their wounds, every
musket was carefully loaded and protected from the rain, each
soldier refreshed himself with water and food, and waited
impatiently for the cessation of the storm.

General Herkimer had formed the Americans farther up
the plateau towards the south and had succeeded in with-
drawing the troops under Colonel Bellinger and Captain Jacob
Gardinier from the east side of the ravine. Formed into a
circle, each man protected by tree or log, they were ordered
to adopt a new mode of bush-fighting to counteract the opera-
tions of the Indians, who, as soon as they saw a gun dis-
charged from behind a tree rushed upon and tomahawked the
marksman before he had time to reload. To prevent this.
General Herkimer ordered two men to take each tree, one to
fire at a time and the other to reserve his fire for the Indian
who might seek their scalps.

In imagination I can see the bluff, rugged old man, whose
tawny Saxon hair veils the silver-gray locks that would be a
fitting crown for his years of life. His angular form and
hardened muscles indicate laborious toil and exposure, while
the slow, automatic movements of his limbs are those acquired
by following the plough or picking his way over broken farm-
land. On his bronzed, careworn face is a look of pain, but his
firm, eager eyes scan every movement of his beleaguered
troops and the red-skinned enemy. His commands are given
sharp and short, like the quick blue puffs of smoke from his
short black clay pipe.

It is pleasant to note that, however rebellious his impetu-
ous men appeared on the march, his orders are now obeyed
with the utmost confidence in the judgment and loyalty of
their much-abused leader.

His buff-faced blue coat and vest, are disordered and
blood-stained, and his wounded leg nearly bare, bound with

426 The Mohawk Valley

a red silk handkerchief, while his neck and breast are uncovered
to the hot, sultry air.

The storm at length passed over, and amidst one of the
most intensely hot days the battle was renewed with increas-
ing fury. The new position of the Americans, and the new
system of bush-fighting, however, soon produced their legiti-
mate results, and the Indians suffered severely, so much so,
indeed, that they began to show signs of uneasiness, and
Major Watts moved forward a second detachment of Royal
Greens, which had been sent out by Colonel St. Leger, to sup-
port them. These men were Tories, many or nearly all of
them from Tryon County and former neighbors of the men
they were marching against, and as they advanced so near as
to afford mutual recognition, the contest became if possible
more terrible than before. Mutual revenge and hate raged in
their bosoms. The Americans fired upon them as they ad-
vanced, and then springing from their covers attacked them
with bayonets and clubbed muskets, or in some cases with
knife or bare hands, throttling and stabbing each other, and
sometimes dying in each other's embrace. It was at this
time that the signal guns were heard from the fort, — an evi-
dence to the Americans of the sortie asked for by General
Herkimer — and anxious to close the engagement Colonel
Butler executed a stratagem that nearly accomplished that
object. He so changed the dress of a detachment of Royal
Greens that they resem.bled Americans, using the hats of the
dead patriots for the purpose. These men were made to ap-
proach from the direction of the fort and were at first mis-
taken for reinforcements from the garrison. Directly in their
path was Captain Jacob Gardinier and some of his Caughna-
waga men. The burly captain, his only weapons his knife
and short spear, was fighting with a group of Tories and
Indians, while around him lay four of the enemy slain by his

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Oriskany 429

hand. His experienced eye discovered the real character of
the approaching masquerade and ordering his men to fire upon
them and rushing upon them himself, followed by some of his
men, upwards of thirty of the Tories were slain and the
remainder fled in disorder The Indians perceiving with
what order the Americans opposed the enemy, tired and sulky
after six hours furious fighting, raised the retreating cry of
"Oonah' Oonah ! " and fled in every direction, while the
Tories, perceiving that their allies had deserted them, also
retreated, leaving the Tryon County militia and volunteers
masters of the field.

After the action General Herkimer was taken to his own
house, which is still standing, about three miles east of Little
Falls on the south bank of the Mohawk River, where his leg
was amputated nine days after the battle. It is said to have
been done in the most unskilful manner, the leg having been
cut off square, without allowing flesh enough below the bone
to form the proper flaps to cover the wound, whereby the flow
of blood was with difificulty stanched. Colonel Willet called
to see him soon after the operation and found him sitting up
in his bed, as cheerful as usual, smoking his pipe. Hemorrhage
ensued and toward evening the General became convinced
that his end was near. He called for his Bible and read com-
posedly in the presence of his family and others the thirty-
eighth psalm, applying the penitential confessions to his own
case. His voice gradually grew weaker, the book slipped from
his nerveless fingers, and sinking back on his pillow General
Herkimer, a Christian hero, died.

A description of the Mohawk Valley in 1757 is found in
the documentary history of New York.

The writer starts from Chouegen (Oswego) and follows the
Oswego and Oneida rivers to Oneida Lake thence through the
lake to Wood Creek which he ascends to Fort Bull and

430 The Mohawk Valley

thence across the carrying-place to Fort Williams (Rome) on
the Mohawk River. Sailing, or rather, poling, down the river
he reaches Fort Kouari (Fort Herkimer) on the right or south
bank of the river. This fort is thus described :

It is a large three story stone building with port holes at each
story and likewise in the basement for cross firing. There are some
small pieces above. The house is covered with plank and shingles.
It is built as a store and depot for Cheouegn (Oswego). It is sur-
rounded by a ditch at a distance of about thirty feet. This ditch is
six feet deep and seven feet wide. The crown of the ditch is
planted with palisades in an oblique form, behind these there is a
parapet of earth so as to be able to fire over the palisades. The
four angles of this parapet which is at the back of the ditch, form
as it were four little bastions that reciprocally flank each other.
On the west side is a house apart from the large one. It backs
against the parapet of the palisades, and serves as a barrack and
guard house. There are two doors to the large building, the one
on the north is a small swing door. The large door of the house
is on the south side. Opposite this fort is a small cultivated island
which can be reached at low water by fording.

From Fort Kouari to Fort Canajoharie (Indian Castle) is
four leagues. The inhabitants of this country are Palatines or
Germans, Fort Canajoharie is situated on the south side of
the Mohawk River, It is a square of four bastions of upright
pickets joined with lintels. They are fifteen feet high, about
one foot square, with port holes inserted from distance to dis-
tance, with a stage all round to fire from. The fort is one
hundred paces on each side. It is not surrounded by a ditch.
There are some small pieces of cannon at each of its bastions
and a house at each curtain to serve as a store and barrack.
Five or six families of Mohawk Indians reside outside the fort.
(This fort was built in 1756 by Sir William Johnson. Pre-
vious to that time there was a block house situated on a hill
on the opposite side of the creek. Indian Castle was the
home of Joseph Brant and King Hendrick, and Molly Brant

Oriskany 431

after Sir William Johnson's death until the flight of the
Mohawks to Canada. It is said that Molly Brant furnished
her brother with valuable information in regard to General
Herkimer's movements previous to the battle of Oriskany.

The distance from the above fort to Fort Hunter is about
twelve leagues. About one hundred houses at a greater or
less distance are found within this length of road. There are
some situated about half a league in the interior. The in-
habitants of this section compose a militia company of one
hundred men. Fort Hunter is situated on the border of the
Mohawk River and is of the same form as that of Canajoharie,
with the exception that it is twice as large. There is a
church or temple in the middle of the fort (Queen Anne's
Chapel).

From Fort Hunter to Chenectadi, or Corlear, is seven
leagues, and twenty or thirty houses are found within this
distance. The inhabitants of this section are Dutch. They
form a company with some others on the left bank, about one
hundred strong.

Chenectadi or Corlear is situated on the bank of the river
and is a village of about three hundred houses.

From Chenectadi to Orange (Albany) is estimated to be
six or seven leagues. This is all that relates to the right or
south bank of the Mohawk.

Beginning again at Fort Williams, Rome, the record
describes the country along the left or north bank of the
Mohawk: Leaving Fort Williams, the village of the Palatines
is estimated to be twelve leagues. (All the country between
Little Falls and Rome, on both sides of the Mohawk, was
known as the German Flats and was the home of most of the
Palatines that moved from Schoharie Valley in 1722. The
Palatine village was known as " German Flats," and was
situated about a half-mile above Fort Kouari on the opposite

432 The Mohawk Valley

bank, now known as Herkimer, During the Revolution a fort
was built at Herkimer and called Fort Dayton.)

In 1757 the Palatine village, which consisted of thirty
houses, was destroyed and burnt by a detachment of about
three hundred Indians and Frenchmen under M. de Bellestre.
The inhabitants of this village formed a company of one hun-
dred men bearing arms. Total population about three hundred
men, women, and children, one hundred and two of whom
were made prisoners, and the remainder fled to Fort Kouari,
except a few who were killed while fording the river.

From Palatine village to the Little Falls, still continuing
on the left bank of the Mohawk, is estimated about three
leagues. In this distance, there are but eight houses, which
have been abandoned. The portage at Little Falls is a quar-
ter of a league and is passed with carts.

From the portage to Colonel Johnson's mansion is twelve
leagues. In the whole of this distance the soil is good.
About five hundred houses are erected at a distance one from
the other. The greater number of those on the bank of the
river are built of stone. Those at a greater distance from the
river in the interior are about half a league off; they are
the new settlements and are built of wood.

(Two of these old stone buildings are still to be seen from
New York Central trains north of the track, the Ehle house,
east of Fort Plain, built in 1752, and the Frey house, west of
Palatine Bridge, built in 1739.)

There is not a fort in the whole distance of twelve leagues.
There is but one house, built of stone, that is somewhat forti-
fied and surrounded with pickets (the Frey house). The
inhabitants are Germans, They form four companies of one
hundred men each.

Colonel Johnson's mansion is situate on the border of the
left bank of the Mohawk River; it is three stories high (two

THE OLD PULPIT IN THE CHURCH AT GERMAN FLATS.

433

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Oriskany ^ 435

stories and attic), built of stone with port-holes and a parapet,
and flanked with four bastions on which are some small guns.
In the same yard on both sides of the mansion, there are two
small houses; that on the right of the entrance is a store, and
that on the left is designed for workmen, negroes, and other
domestics. The yard gate is a heavy swing gate well ironed ;
it is on the Mohawk River side; from this gate to the river
there is about two hundred paces of level ground. (It is said
that the buildings were enclosed in a stockade during the
French war.) A small rivulet coming from the north empties
itself into the Mohawk about two hundred paces below the
enclosure of the yard. (The Kayaderos Creek, said to
have given the name to the famous patent.) On this stream
there is a mill about fifty paces distant from the house, below
is the miller's house, and on the other side of the creek one
hundred paces from the mill is a barn in which fodder and
cattle are kept. One hundred and fifty paces from Colonel
Johnson's mansion at the north side, on the left (east) bank
of the little creek, is a little hill on which is a small house with
port-holes where is ordinarily kept a guard of honor of some
twenty men, which serves also as an advance post.

From Colonel Johnson's house to Chenectadi is counted as
seven leagues. The road is good, all sorts of vehicles pass
over it. About twenty houses are found from point to point
on this road.

The Mohawk River can be forded during summer a league
and a quarter west of Chenectadi. Opposite Chenectadi the
traverse is usually by a ferry-boat and bateaux.

Going from Chenectadi to the mouth of the Mohawk River
where it discharges into the Orange (Hudson), there is a
Great Fall (Cohoes), which prevents the passage of bateaux, so
that everything on the river going from Chenectadi to Orange
(Albany) passes over the highroad that leads there direct.

436 The Mohawk Valley

In the whole country of the river Corlear (Mohawk) there were
nine companies of militia under command of Colonel Johnson;
eight only remain, that of the village of the Palatines being no longer
in existence, the greater portion having been defeated by M. de
Bellestre's detachment.

Colonel Johnson assembles these companies when he has news
of any expedition which may concern the Mohawk River.

In the latter part of April, 1757, on receiving intelligence by the
savages that there was a strong detachment ascending the river St.
Lawrence and entering Lake Ontario, he assembled these companies
and went to the village of the Palatines where he was joined by
another body of twelve hundred men sent him by the commandant
of Orange; this formed in all a force of two thousand men. He
intrenched himself at the head of the Palatine village where he
remained in camp fifteen days, and did not retire until he received
intelligence that the French detachment seen on the St. Lawrence
River, had passed by ^nd taken the route to Belle Riviere (Ohio).

In 1900, a century and a half after the above record was
made, in company with Prof. J. A. Maney, I traversed the
same section of the Mohawk, not by bateaux and rude carts,
but by railroad, in true nineteenth-century style. The objec-
tive point was Rome, in search of data in relation to the
battle of Oriskany and the siege of Fort Schuyler. We
did not succeed in finding any evidence of the fort, in fact, we
had some difficulty in finding any one that had ever heard
of it. We were finally, however, directed to its site, in
the centre of ^he city and near the border of the Mohawk
River. Nothing remains to mark the spot of that heroic re-
sistance of a handful of sturdy pioneers who by their valor
turned back to Canada the hordes of savages and Tories
under St. Leger, Sir John Johnson, Butler, and Joseph Brant,
and thereby assisted materially in defeating the plans of Gen-
eral Burgoyne, and thus led to the surrender of the British
troops at Saratoga.

A glance at the map of New York State will show that the

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Oriskany 439

Mohawk River rises just over the border of Lewis County in
the town of Lewis and under the shadow of Mohawk Hill.
Although flowing in a southerly direction until it reaches the
vicinity of Rome, like many a mountain stream with its
numerous curves it seems to flow in the direction of every
point of the compass. West of Rome is a small stream run-
ning parallel with the Mohawk called Wood Creek, distant
from the said river about two miles. The slight elevation of
land between, however, is sufficient to turn the waters of
Wood Creek and Oneida Lake and through Oswego River to
Lake Ontario, and thence to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The
Mohawk bending to the east finally reaches the Atlantic
Ocean through the Hudson River and New York Bay,

There were two routes for the Indians in their birchen
canoes to the Mohawk Valley, one by the way of Lake
Champlain and Lake George, and the other up the St. Law-
rence and around the east coast of Lake Ontario to Oswego
River, thence up the river and Oneida Lake to the mouth of one
of its small tributaries. Wood Creek, thence up Wood Creek
to a point two miles from the present site of the city of Rome
where the canoes were carried across the divide to the
Mohawk River, and thence down to the Hudson.

When the Dutch established themselves in the lower Mo-
hawk Valley, hunters and traders, the courrciir dc bois of the
Dutch, used the Mohawk River and the Indian canoe to pen-
etrate to the home of the Iroquois in quest of game and furs.

As the valley became settled by venturesome resident
traders, supplies were transported to them in canoes or flat-
boats which on their return brought peltries, potash, and the
produce of their limited acres.

Niagara or Onjagara, as it was called by the Iroquois, early
became an important trading post with the farther Indians
both to the English and French, and the establishment of a

440 The Mohawk Valley

post at Irondequet, and the building of a fort at Chouegen
(Oswego) in 1725 called for improvements in the mode of
navigating the Mohawk. Flat-boats called bateaux were
constructed, and propelled by paddles, poles, and sail. But it
was not until 1792 that the Inland Lock and Navigation Com-
pany made any decided improvements in the river bed and
carrying-places. At that time the channel was deepened,
canals dug at Little Falls, and across the carry between Wood
Creek and the Mohawk River. I have often thought that
this work was probably the incentive to Governor Clinton to
build his " big ditch " a quarter of a century later.

After this long digression, we will continue our journey
from Rome, eastward.

From the very start we found difficulty in tracing the
channel of the river from the windows of the car. For
forty-five miles the river runs its tortuous, erratic course,
marked by its borders of low willows and occasional majestic
elms, through the German Flats, or, until it reaches the
vicinity of Herkimer. We were impressed with the uniform
width of its channel, which has the appearance of the Erie
Canal before it was enlarged. In fact its channel through the
German Flats seems to retain evidence of work done by the
Inland Lock and Navigation Company. For a number of
miles we have been steaming along the south bank of the river,
but a short distance east of Utica we cross to the north side
and so continue on to our journey's end. (This is probably
the place where Herkimer crossed the Mohawk with his troops
en route for Fort Schuyler.)

A little earlier in the day we had left the New York
Central at Oriskany, en route to the battle-field and the scene
of the fatal ambuscade. A hurried departure from Rome
obliged us to leave the table at the Stanwix before dinner was
served, and although our ruffled tempers were somewhat

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Oriskany 443

smoothed by the hurried eating of a sandwich hurriedly made,
we still felt the need of victuals and drink. Although this
quiet little village with its famous battle-field along its borders
could not supply us with all that we desired, we however suc-
ceeded at last in securing a vehicle for our two miles' ride
over the hills to the fatal ravine, and, with the sheriff of
Oneida as our guide and factotum, and with the rattle of
wagon spokes that kept time to the beat of the horses' hoofs,
followed nearly the same route as Herkimer and his impetu-
ous soldiers. The weather was all that could be desired, but
the landscape view was not very inspiring as we were at
least a mile away from the range of low hills that mark the
north boundary of the valley and the only evidence of the
Mohawk River was a line of low bushes about three-quarters
of a mile away, while apparently limitless miles of flat land
seemed to stretch away east and west.

But it was the ravine that was the object of our pilgrim-
age. As we neared the spot, the tall granite monument,
eighty feet high, erected by the Oneida County Historical
Society in 1876, met our sight and marked the spot we were
in search of. A few minutes more and the ravine, the adja-
cent hills, and the fatal morass were before us.

At present the ravine is spanned by a causeway over which
passes the main road from Utica to Rome. A narrow arch of
stone under the causeway forms a passage for the small creek
that produces the morass and swampy flats to the north. A
narrow ditch now confines the stream and makes comparatively
dry the spot at the bottom of the ravine where the corduroy
road formerly crossed, although the western slope half-way to
the top, still gives evidence of the marshy character of the soil.

Accompanying this sketch are photographs of this historic

spot, which I trust will enable the reader to comprehend the

locality of the battle-field. View No. i shows the eastern hill

444 The Mohawk Valley

and slope to the rivulet below, which is seen at the lower
rieht-hand corner. On each side of the rivulet is still seen
portions of the old log road, which marks the spot where the
slaughter of the American troops was the greatest, as they
were massed near the only crossing that led through the morass.
See also view No. 2. At the time of the attack all of
the troops except Colonel Visscher's Caughnawaga regiment
were in the hollow and climbing the western slope, shown in
view No. 3. The baggage wagons were yet toiling down the
eastern slope and Visscher's men were massed where the farm
buildings are seen at the top of the hill. Both hills were covered
with tall pines, oaks, and maples while the bottom of this little
valley was covered with low trees, bushes, and swamp grass.

At the present time these hills and the surrounding country
are entirely cleared of the forest, and cultivated land is seen
in every direction. Even the field where the great struggle
and subsequent victory took place is now occupied by a
thrifty potato patch.

On the eastern plateau is the Battle Monument and in the
centre of the photograph, on the horizon line is a black mark
that looks like a crooked ten-penny nail. This is a picture
of the writer, marking the spot where formerly stood the tree
under which the wounded General sat directing the battle.
No. 4 is a closer view of the monument, and one of the group
at its base is pointing out the fatal ravine to a party of visitors
who were born and brought up at the old village of Whites-
town, six miles away, but were ignorant of the circumstances
of the battle or the points of interest that surrounded us.
This is not at all singular, but is only another evidence of the
all-absorbing spirit of the twentieth century, — the living for
the present and the temporal care for the future, and the will-
ingness to leave the past to aged dreamers whose only
pleasures, alas, may be the dreams of earlier days.

INDEX

Abeel, John, 134

Abenakas, 4, 182

Abraham, Indian, 311 ; Speech of, 312

Academy, Old, 285

Achawi, 103, 107-111

Adams, Sheriff, 82

Adams, Dr. William, 194

Adirondacks, 14

Adler, Isaac, 287

Adriochten, 22, 24, 26

Adriuche, 24, 27, 33, 37, lOO, 155, 156

Adriutha, 24, 27, 354

Adriutha Falls, 355, 356, 358, 359

Agassiz, Prof. Louis, 363

Agnierrhonons, 5

Agniers, Agnierrhonons, 5, 14, 41, 193

Akin, 133

Akin, Ethan, 137, 145

Akin, Theron, 145

Albany, 2, 4, 19, 20, 24, 28, 37, 50. 58,

82, 85-87, 99, 114, 122, 134, 159,

172, 185, 193, 416
Algonquins, 4, 5, 14, 41, 46, 47, 100,

13S, 275
Alleforce, 2

Allen, James, 283, 284, 287, 28S
Allen, John P., 284
Allet, Walter, 175
Amsterdam, Holland, 20
Amsterdam, N. Y., 24, 28, 29, 54, 92,

107, 113, 123, 128, 131, 150, 154,

167, 175, 194, 268, 275, 276, 279,

280, 282-284, 305, 310, 321, 328-330,

359, 390, 400, 405
Anansira, 22
Andagaron, 44
Andastes, 4

Andrews, Rev. William, 85, 86
Annapolis, 3
Anormee Berge, 3
Anthony's Nose, 225, 378, 381
Anticosta Island, 12
Aquaduct at Little Falls, 374
Arnold, Gen. Benedict, 221, 290, 325,

327

Arnold, Elisha, 290

Arnold, William IL, 337

Ashton, Rev. R., 94, 97

Auriesville, 24, 34, 37, 40, 49, 304, 390

Babbington Patent, 300

Bachelor, Zephaniah 194

Bachelors, " Sale of Old," 154

Ballestre, M. de, 432

I>alston, 100

P>arclay, Rev. Henry, 113, 309

Barclay, Rev. Thomas, 70, 85, 86

Barre, La Fevre de, 99

Battle, Cham plain's, 17

Battle Monument, 442

Bay of Quinte, 94, 97, 273

Bayard, Henry. 137, 138

Beacraft, Benj., 175, 176, 179

Bean Hill, 401

ISeauchamp, Rev. W. 3M., 9, ir

Beaver Dam Creek, 325

Beers's History of Montgomery County,

405
Bell, Mrs. James,
Belle Riviere, 436
Bellinger, Col. Peter, 418, 423, 425
Beukendaal, 65, 66
Biard, Pierre, 3, 38
Birch, Alfred, 288
Black Horse Tavern, 209, 254
Blaine, James G., 291
Bleeker, John R., 400
Blood Farm, 280
Bloody Pond, 261
Bolton, Lieut. -Colonel, 213
Bovee, Matthew, 290
Boyd, Lieut., 226, 227
Boulevard Hotel, 122
Bradt House, 72, 73
Bradt, Nicholas, 284
Brakencourt, Baron de, 108
Brant, Capt. Joseph, 94, iiS, 175, 180,

198, 202, 220, 221, 227, 228, 259,

260, 273, 376, 382, 389, 412, 415,

419. 430, 436

445

446

Index

Brant Church, 3S8

Brant, Molly, 114, I18, 121, 122, 133,

145, 202, 430, 431
Brantford, 94, 97
Bratt (Bradt), Abraham N., 54
Breadalbane, Earl of, 232
Brebeuf, Jean de, 38-40
Breton fishermen, i
Breton fort, 2
Broadalbin (Breadalbane), 232, 276,

279
Brockway, Ephraim, 406 :

Bronk, Jonas, 20
Bronson Flats, 167, 175
Bronson, George W. J., 295
Bronson, Osias, 290, 294, 295
Brower, H. T. E., 1S6
Bruyas, Jacques, 344
Bull, Fort, 412

Burial-ground at Wemples, 306
Burgoyne, Gen. John, 411, 412, 416,

436
Burke, Joe, 153
Burnett, Governor, 212
Burtonville, 280
Bute, Fort, 412
Butler, John, 185, 186, 189, 198, 211-

214, 219, 220, 227, 228, 262, 415,

426, 436
Butler mansion, 181, 1S6, 188, igi, 211
Butler, Maria, 219, 300
Butler Patent, 194
Butler, Thomas, 31 1
Butler, Lieut. Walter, Jr., 186, 1S9,

296, 300
Butler, Walter N., 122, 211-213. 2rS-

222, 225, 226, 228, 266, 268, 300
Butler, Walter, Sr., 186, 189, 212,218,

219
Butler's Ford, 226
Buttermilk Falls, 355, 356

Cady, Daniel, 297, 406

Cady, Judge David, 406

Cady, Elisha, 406

Cahaniaga, 3,^, 193, 344

Caldwell, James, 137

Camberfort, Geraldus, 155, 156, 159,

275
Campbell, Robert, 325
Campbell, Thomas, 272, 273
Campbell, William, 218, 221, 225
Campbells of Argyle, 232
Canada, 14, 20, 46
Canagera, 23, 29, 37, 298, 304, 310
Canajoharie, 222, 225, 259, 266, 352,

376, 386

Canajoharie Castle, 133, 159

Canajoharie, Fort, 430, 431

Canajoharie Regiment, 420

Canajorha, 376, 382, 385

Canajorhees, 382, 385, 390

Canoaroda, 23, 28, 29

Canowha, 28

Carenay, 29, 30, 33

Carriboga, 260

Cartier, Jacques, I, 5, 11-14, 38, 232

Caughnawaga, 133, 194, 276, 279, 282,

283, 321,' 345. 346, 349, 353, 399,

404, 418
Caughnawaga Church, 191, 345
Caughnawaga Company, 420, 423, 426
Caughnawaga Indians, 58, 345
Cayudutta Camp, 6, 9-1 r
Cayudutta Creek, 6, 9, 10
Chalmers, John, 288
Champlain, Samuel, 2, 5, 11, 14, 38
Chapel Furniture, 87
Chapin, Geo. W., 6
Chase, Charles, 122
Chase, Harrison, 305
Chase, W. U., 164, 168
Chenectadi, 431, 435
Cherry Valley Massacre, 1S6, 211, 218,

221, 222, 225, 228, 231, 265, 300,.

377
Chickatabutt, 197
Chippewas, 40

Chouegen (Oswego), 429, 440
Church, St. John's, 202
Church at German Flats,
Clark, Gardner, 326
Clark, John M., 334
Clark, Gen. John S., 28-30, 385
Clark, " Puffy," 341, 342
Clark, William G., 326
Claus, Col. Daniel, 117, 121-123, 134,

137, 141, 311, 344 ■
Claus, Graven Noek, 54, 155, 156, 164.
Clinton, Gen. James, 185
Clizbe, Samuel, 289
Coats, Joseph, 337
Cobb, Rev. Sanford H., 77
Coeyman, Andries, 82
Cohoes, 49, 435
Colden, 14
Coles, Lewis, 54

Columbus, Christopher, 13, 50, 87
Conewawah, 266
Conhogohery Castle, 311
Conklin, Hon. Alfred, 297
Connell, William, 338, 340, 342
Conover, Catherine, 409
Converse, Harriet Maxwell, 182
Conyne, Peter, 219, 300
Corey, D. P., 410

Index

447

Corlear, 21, 61, 70, 431

Cornbury, Lord, 156, 214

Cornby, Gov., 85

Cornelius, Broer, 156

Cornplanters, 134

Cortez, Ferdinand, i, 38

Covenhoven, Rooleiffe, 406

Cox, Col. Ebenezer, 41S, 420

Courcelle, Gov., 57, 58, 61, 360

Cousin, 13

Couture, William, 41-43, 46

Cowilligan Creek, 2S, 54

Crane, 297

Cranesville, 37, 113, 133, 156, 157, 159-

164, 280, 281, 354, 400, 405
Creek, Cayudutta, 193, 198, 346, 350
Creek, Chuctanunda, 133, 164, 167,

283, 353. 397, 400, 408
Creek, Con-o-wa-da-ga, 382, 385
Creek, Cowilligan, 28
Creek, Danascara, 186
Creek, Dove, 123, 141, 386
Creek, Eva's Kill, 27, 155, 355
Creek, Fish, 46
Creek, Juchtanunda, 321
Creek, Kayaderos, 128, 133
Creek, Lewis, 27, 100, 155, 354, 355
Creek, Sandsea, 37
Creek, Schoharie, 29, 37, 82-84, 212
Creek, West Canada. 122, 226
Creek, Wood, 372, 412, 439, 440
Creek, Zandige, 37
Croghan, Geo., 311
Crosby, Henry, 399
Crosby, William, 399
Crouse, David, 342
Cruikshank, E., 218, 219, 228
Currytovvn, 222, 26S
Cuyler, Ann, 156

Cuyler, Hendrick, 24, 156, 164, 356
Cuyler, Jacob C, 134
Cuyler, John C, 134

Dalrymple, Sir John, 232

Danube, 364, 376

Davidson, Dr. Oliver, 137, 155

Davies, James, 194

Davis, William, 287

Dawson, Henry B., 226

Dayton Fort, 266, 432

Dean, Bethuel, 400

Dean, Daniel, 400

Dean, James, 400

Dean, Jehiel, 334

Dean, John, 400

Dean, Luther L., 400

Deboise, Col. Benjamin, 402

Deboise, Sarah, 402

De Graff, Claus Andries, 54

De Graff, Emmanuel, Capt., 282, 284

De Graff, Emmanuel E., 290

De Graff, Frederick, 283, 284

De Graff House, 65-67, 69

De Graff, Isaac, 283, 284

De Graff, Jeremiah, 283, 284

De Graff, John, 284

De Graff, John, Jr., 2S4

De Graff, Nicholas, 283

De Graff, Nicholas A., 69

De Graffenreid, Christopher, 78

Delamater, Dr. John, 402, 407

Delancy, Gov. James, 311, 3S9

Delancy, Oliver, 400

De Mantet, 61

De Moer, Philip Philipse, 54

Dempster, Rev. Mr., 91

Denonville, Marquis, 99

Deseronto, 97

De Trieux, Isaac, 54

Devendorf, Charles A., 406

Devendorf, Dewitt A., 88, 306

Devendorf, George S., 140, 406

Devendorf, Dr. Henry, 315

De Wolfe, Charles, 337

Dingman, Jane, 2S9

Dongan, Governor, 156

Donnacona, 13

Doty, Philip, 406

Douglass, Mr., 330

Downs, Timothy, 290

Drumm House, 237

Dunning, George, 325, 326

Dutch Boers, 57, 58, 77

Du Thet, Father, 38

Ehle House, 382, 384, 432

Ellison, Rev. Mr., 91

Enders, Rev. Jacob Henry, 315

Enders, Peter I., 410

Ernest, Fletcher, 400, 403, 404

Esther, Queen, 214

Falls, South Chuctanunda, I02
Faulds, Jaines, 340
Feejee Islands, 293
Ferguson, Charles, 400, 404
Filkins, Almon, 335
Fish Creek, 232
Fiske, John, 3, 4
Flack-Landt, 49

Florida, N. Y., 54, 118, 131, 163, 279,
300, 376, 399, 400, 401, 404, 405, 407

448

Index

Florida Hills, 400, 40S
Fonclaire, Jean Baptist de, 20g
Fonda, 6, 37, 134, 1S6, 193, 197, 279,

344. 345. 390
Fonda Dowe, 123
Fondasbush, 209
Fosiiiire, Edward, 346
Fosmire, Frank, 340
Frederic, Harold 14T, 220
Frederick, Peer, 406
Frederick, Philip, 406
Fremin, Father Jacques, 344
French, Joseph, 336
Fray, Heinrich, 377
Frey House, 37S, 3S0, 382, 432
Frey, S. L., 377, 3S5 _
Frontenac, Gov. Louis de Buade, 58,

9S-100, 107, 108, 112
Frothingham, Washington, 117, 345
Fuller, Samuel, 139

Galway, 100, 232, 283, 321, 322, 324, 328

Gandawaga, 33, 34, 48, 344, 345, 353

Gansevoort, Col. Peter, 415-417,419

Ganzevoort, Harmon, 159

Gardiner, Charles, 9

Gardinier, Capt. Jacob, 425, 426

Garrigan, Denis, 340

Gaspe, 12

Gastaldi map, 3

Gates, Gen. Horatio, 411

German Flats, 265, 266, 269, 2S1, 431,

438; window at, iig, 364
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 2
Gi-on-gwah-tuh, 214
Glacier Action at Little Falls, 363
Glen, Captain, 62
Glen House, 63
Glen, Col. Jacob, 69
Glen, Jacob, Jr., 69
Glencoe Massacre, 232-239
Glengarry, Canada, 230
Glenville, loo, 316
Glen-Sanders House, 126
Gough, John B., 171
Goupil, Rene, 38, 41-44
Grais, Chevalier de, loS-iio, 112
Grand River, 97, 273
Grand Scarp, 4
Great Falls, Cohoes, 435
Great Fire, 65
Green Island, 49
Green, Willis, 382, 386
Greene, Elijah P., 339, 3^0
Greene, Henry E., 379, 340
Greene, Mrs. W. K., 287

Greene, William K., Junior, 2S9, 329,

33S. 340^
Greene, William K., Senior, 329, 333,

338
Greenman, James, 410
Grider, Rufus A., 386
Griftis, VV. S., 118, 132-134
(iroot, Jacob, 281
Groot, John, 284
Groot, Lewis, 27, 133, 156, 160, 281,

297. 354
Groot, Lieut. Peter, 282
Groot, Philip, 155, 156, 160, 280
Groot, Simon, 281
Groot Mill, 162
Guerin, Elizabeth, 399
Guerin, Maynard, 399
Guy Park, 117, 121, 123, 134, 136, 137,

139, 141, 149, 185, 194, 197. 202,

276, 408

Hagaman, 282, 321, 330
Hagaman, Joseph, 282, 284
Hagaman, Nicholas, 284
Hager, Captain, 175
Haines, Jacob, 175
Haldiman, Governor, 228, 268
Half- Moon, 49

Hamstraat, Grietje Takelse, 172
Hanyost, 107, loS, 110-112
Harper, Lieut., 176
Harper, Col. John, 137, 225
Harrison, Edward, 399, 402
Harrison, Phillis, 399, 402
Hartley, Robt. M., 9, 381
Hawkins, Sir John, 2
Hawley, Rev. Gideon, 213
Heermanse, Naning, 276
Helene, De Sainte, 61
Helmer, Adam, 417
Hell Hollow, 163
Helling, William, 2S9
Hendrick, Chief, 219, 376
Hendrick, Fort, 385
Hendrick, King. 122, 260, 261, 389,430
Henry, John V., 137, 293
Henry, Wilkes, 293
Herkimer, 432, 440, 443
Herkimer, Fort, 266
Herkimer, Gen. Nicholas, 220, 390, 392,
415-418, 420, 423, 424, 426, 428, 429,

431
Hibernian Furnace, 149
Highlanders, Scotch, 230
Hill, Mrs. J. M., 94, 97
Hochelaga," 4, 5, 11-14, 38
Hoffmans, 34, 37. 53, 65, 167, 181, 316

Index

449

Holland, Captain, 212

Hoofe's (Henrv) Patent

Horsford, Prof. E. X., 2

Houck, Jacob, 406

Houck, Peter, 406

Howe, General, 412

Howgate, John, 335, 342

Hubbs, John, 163

Hudson, Boyd, 91

Hudson, llenr}', 2, 4, 49, 53, 275

Hudson River, 4, 49, 50, 81, 100, 107,
1S2

Hunter, Fort, 33, 34, 37, 38, 50, 70,
84, 86, 91, 94, 97, 103, 113, 137, 167,
185, 197, 205, 212, 213, 222, 26S, 273,
275, 299, 303, 310, 311, 314, 3S5,
408, 431

Hunter, Gov. Robert, 81, 82, 84, 299

Huron-Iroquois, 14, 40-42, 47

Huron, Lake, 39

Hyer, Tom, 341

Iberville, de, 61

Indian Castle, 159, 376, 378, 382, 385,

3S6, 430
Indian Ford, 304
Indian Fortification, 11
Inglis, Rev. Mr., 86
Ingram, David, 2
Inland Lock and Navigation Co., 65,

375. 440
Irondequet, 440
Iroquois, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 39, 42, 43,

46-48, 50, 98, 99, 114, 133, 232, 275,

345

Janson, Jacob, 44

Jeronimus, 21, 24

Jesuit Relations, 360

Jesuits, 99

Jogues, Isaac, 20, 29, 33, 34, 38, 40-48,

53, 197, 344
Johnson, " brown Lady," 118, 121
Johnson, Caroline, 122
Johnson, Charlotte, 122
Johnson, Col. Guy, 117, I3i, 123, 134,

139-141, 219, 265, 273
Johnson, Fort, II3, 114, 117, iiS, 121-

123, 127-129, 131, 133, 134, 137, 13S,

141-143, 145, 150, 153, 154, 163, 164,

185, 189, 194, 202, 212, 217, 276,
280, 281, 300, 408, 419, 423

Johnson Hall, 117, 121, 139, 194, 197,

19S, 200, 202, 217, 222, 225
Johnson, Sir John, 113, 117, 118, 134,
29

142, 146, iSo, 198, 205, 206, 213,
220, 222, 228, 262, 268, 273, 412,

415, 436

Johnson, Mary, 114, 121, 123

Johnson, Mount, 113, 133, 141, 185, 311

Johnson, Nancy, 114, 121

Johnson, R. Hall, 289

Johnson, Sir William, 19, 46, 73, 86,
87, 113, 114, 116-118, 121, 123, 127,
12S, 131-134, 140-142, 146, 160,
162, 185, 189, 193, 194, 197, 200,

202, 205, 206, 212, 217-219, 225, 228,
230, 232, 240, 259, 260, 266, 272,
276, 279, 280, 294, 310, 314, 376,
382, 385, 389, 400, 430, 431

Johnson, Sir William, Hotel, 198
Johnson's Royal Greens, 41S, 426
Johnson's Settlement (Warrensbush),

128, 400
Johnstown, 6, 9, 19, 113, 117, 121, 131,

139, 186, 193, 194, 197, 202, 209,

212, 222, 225, 231, 232, 240, 271,

279
Johnstown court-house, 216
Johnstown jail, 208
Joncaire, Lieutenant Sieur de, 217
Joncker. Jan Janse, 54
Jones, Samuel, 289
Juchtanunda, 100, 104, 105. 107, 164,^

167, 181, 185

Kane, Charles, 297
Kanyeageh, 104, 191, 197
Kayaderos, 128, 146, 163
Kayaderosseras, 114, 156, 194, 275,

280, 435
Kellogg, George, 328
Kellogg, John, 325, 327
Kellogg, Lauren, 287
Kellogg, Lauren, Sr., 325, 327, 32S
Kellogg, Rev. Mr., 205
Kellogg, Supplina, 321, 322, 325-327
Kennedy, Harvey, 410
Kennedy, Henry, 137, 284
Kinac[uarione, 30, 53, iSi, 182, 408
Kinderhook, 172
Kingsborough Patent, 193, 194
Kingsland Grant, 134, 194
Kirkland, Rev. Samuel, 272
Kleyn, Johannes, 54
Kline, 27-29, 33, 344, 356
Kline, Oliver S., 27
Kline, Stejihen H., 337
Kline, William, 283, 284
Kline, William J., 309
Kouri, Fort, 430-432
Krin, Kryn, the great Mohawk, 58, 61,

345

450

Index

Labatie, Jean, 34, 44

Lachine Rapids, 345, 353

Lacrock (Lacrois), 29

Lafayette, Marquis de, 221, 293

Laimbier, George, 39S

Lake Agassiz, 364

Lake Champlain, 14, iS, 19, 37, 41, 42,

46, 57, 100, 437
Lake Erie, 364
Lake Featherstonehaugh, 30
Lake Gem-ge, 37, 42, 46, 114, 194, 205,

260, 300, 381, 439
Lake Huron, 39, 364
Lake Iroquois, 14
Lake Michigan, 364
Lake Oneida, 372, 429, 439
?. Lake Ontario, 108, 363, 364, 372, 436,

439
Lake Otsego, 377
Lake Saint Peter, 41, 42
Lake Saint Sacrament, 46
Lake Saratoga, 37, 232
Lake S])encer, '364, 371
Lake Superior, 364
Lalande, 47, 48
Lalemant, Charles, 38, 39
Lamberville, Father de, 104, 107, 197,

353
La Moyne, 61
Lansingburg, 172
La Prairie, 344
La Saussaye, 3
Lel^anon, Conn., 260
Le Berger, 48

Legend of Mrs. Charles Ross, 240-258
Leisler, Lieut. -Gov. Jacob, 229, 299
Lepper, Fred, 283
Lepper, Jacob, 123, 124
Leroy, Monsieur de, 412
Lescarbot, 3, 14
Lilly of the Mohawks, 346, 353
Little Falls, 266, 362-364, 366, 370,

372, 374, 376, 431. 432, 440
Little, Major John, 194
Littlejohn, Rt'. Rev. A. N., 92
Loft, Mrs. John, 273
Lorrimer, John, 335
Lossing, Benj. J., 121, 211, 260, 266

367
Lovers' Leap, 367
Loyalists, 229, 230

Maalwyck, 54
Mabee, Abraham, 69
Mabie, Jan, house, 73, 75

Mabie Patent, 279

Mabie, Simon, 54

Mahaqua (Maquaas), 5, 21

Mailer, James, 341

Mailor, William, 341

Maiollo Map, 3

Major, Walter M., 2S0

Mandeville, Catherine, 409

Maney, Prof. John Arthur, 310, 346,

436
Manhattan, 46
Manheim, 364
Manny, Gabriel, 284, 288
Manny's Corners, 284, 2S8
Marcellus, Abram, 141
Mariaville pond, 29, 30, 33, 360
Marselis, Ahasuarus, 284
Mary's (Saint), Church, 177
Massacre of Glencoe, 233-239
Masse, Ennemond, 38
Maxwell, George, 137
Mayfield, 279
Medashet, 23
Megapolensis, 45
Menendes, 38

Mercator's Duisburg map, 3
Miles, Daniel, 137, 284, 290
Miller, Cornelius, 287
Miller, James A., 328
Miller's Corners, 399
Mina, Gen. Francis, 405
Minaville, 304, 401, 403, 405, 406
Minisink, 271, 273
Mission of the Martyrs, 47
Mitchell, Walter, 340
Mitchell's Cave, 3S1
Moer, Philip Philipse de, 159
Mohawks, 5, 12, 14, 19-21, 24, 34, 40,

44-47, 94, 100, 107, 109, 114, 127,

128, 159, 181, 182, 193, 212
Mohawk Castle, 34, 46, 311
Mohawk Flats, 155
Mohawk Hill, 439
Mohawk Valley, i, 4, 5, 19, 20, 34, 38,

49, 50, 98, 100, 13S, 146, 1S5, 194,

211, 222
Mohicans, 4, 24, 30, 35, iSi, 1S2, 197
Montagues Indians, 3, 17
Montespan, Madame, 98
Montesson, De, 61
Montgomery, 117, 279
Montmagny, General Chevalier de, 46
Montour, Andrew, 217
Montour, Catherine, 214, 217, 218,
Montour, John, 21S
Montour, Mr., 217, 311
Montour, Rowland, 218
Montpensier, Mdlle., 98
Montreal, 4, 5, 11-14, 38, 46, 58, 99

Index

451

Moore, Rev. Thoroughgood, S5
Morris, Abram V., 1O4, 16S, 171, 172,

175. 179- iSo, 2S0
Morris, Commodore Charles, 297
Morris, Charles II. C, 164, 180
Morris, Francis, 27, 156
Morris, Isaac, 171, 180
Morris, Mrs. Isaac, 164, 172, 175
Morris, Isaac, Jr., 164, 180
Morris, James Stewart, iSo
Morris, John F., 164, iSo, 39S
Morris, Lewis, iSo
Morris, Lewis, Jr., 82
Morris, Margaret, 180
Morris, Tunis, iSo
Moss Island, 362, 364
McCleary, William, 335, 342
McCowatt, David, 340
McCowatt, Walter R., 340
MacDonald, Captain, 231
MacDonald, John, 339, 340
MacDonalds of Glencoe, 232
McGorck, James, 137, 297
McGorck, Sarah, 137
MacGregors, 303
McNally, James, 341

Narvaes, 38

Nave (Neff), Adam, 2S4

Nelliston, 37S

Netherlands, New, 21

Nevins, John, 341

Newberne, 78

Newman, Charles, 354

Niagara, 221, 222, 26S, 439

Nicholson, Colonel Francis, Si, 84

Niskayuna, 49

Norton, Levi, 295

Norumbega, i, 2, 34

Nsarcane, 49

Ogilvie, Rev. John, 86

Oioghi, 24, 43

Old stone kitchen at Wemples, 308

Oneida, N. Y., 21

Oneidas, 21, 23, 79

Onekagoncka, 23, 24, 2S-30, 33, 356

Oneougoure, 33, 47, 48

Onistagrawa, 175

Onjagara, 439

Onondaga Chapel, 84

Onondaga silver, 97

Onondagas. 99, 108, 344

Oosterhoadt, Joseph, 287

Orange, Fort, 20, 21, 23, 28. 29, 33, 34.

45, 46, 53, 5S, 61, 62, 65, 85, 298,
360, 431, 435

Oriskany, 220, 231, 265, 274, 282, 41 1,

415, 420, 431, 435, 440
Oriskanv battle-field. View No. i, 422
Oriskanv battle-field. View No. 2, 427
Oriskany battle-held. View No. 3, 437
Oriskany monument, 414
Ormonde, Dukes of, 220
Oronhyatekha, 94
Ortelius map, 3
Os-se-ru-e-non, 20, 29, 33, 34, 43, 45,

46. 4S, 53, 65
Oswego, 412, 415, 426, 429
Ottawas, 40
Ouctanunda Creek, 321

Palatine Bridge, 377, 3S5

Palatines, 77, §2, 83, 231, 275, 364,

431, 432, 435
Paris, Colonel Isaac, 418, 420
Parker, Sergeant, 226, 227
Parkman, Francis, 12, 14, 34, 33, 39
Pattersonville, 30, 299, 360
Peck, Tunis, 340
Peek, Chris., 284
Peek, Jacobus, 54
Penobscot River, 3
Pentegoet, 3
Peobles Island, 49
Perkins, William, 330
Perth, 232, 276, 283
Phillips, Alexander, 28Q
Phillips, Cornelius, 406
Phillips, Hamilton, 280
Phillips, Lewis, 131, 406
Phillips's Lock, 2S0
Phillips, William, 194, 406
Phillipse, Philip, 160
Pierce, Richard, 2S9
Pierron, Father Francis de, 344
Pierson, Professor Jonathan, 20, 24,

49, 74
Pinson, 13
Pizarro, i

Plain, Fort, 266, 432
Ponce de Leon, 38
Port Jackson, 92, 159, 405
Port Royal, 3

Potter, Rt. Rev. Bishop, 205
Praying Indians, 58, 344, 345
Pulaski, Count, 271
Putnam, Clara, 117, 118

Quackenboss, John, 46
Quebec, 11, 12, 14, 38

452

Index

Queen Anne, 8l, 82, 84

(li-ieen Anne's Chapel, S4-87, 91, 92,
113, 185, 197, 202, 273, 299, 300,
303, 309. 310, 314, 408, 431

Queen Anne's communion service, 94,

96, 97
Queen Anne's parsonage, 89, 137
Queen's Fort, 70, 73
Quentin, Father, 38
Quiddar, 19
Quinte, Bay of, 94, 97, 273

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 2
Randall, Charlotte, 122
Randall, Henry, 122
Rattlesnakes, 3S2
Reid, Edward, 289
Reid, Mrs. Edward, 232

'd, Myron W., 9
Reid, William, 171, 289, 290
Rensselaerswyck, 20, 41, 43, 45
Reynolds, Marcus T., 292, 293, 297
Ribault, Jean, 38
Richelieu, Fort, 48
Richelieu River, 41, 42, 46
Richmond, A. G., 9, II, 259, 309
Roberts, Benj., 54
Roberval, 2
Rocton, 342

Rode, the Mohawk chief, 164
Roger's Slide, 38 1
Rome, N. Y., 49, 372, 412, 431, 436,

439, 440. 443
Romeyn, Rev. Thomas, 404
Roseboom, Anthony, 295
Roseboom, Garret, 290, 295
Ross, Capt. Charles, 240
Ross, Mrs. Charles, legend of, 240-258
Ross, George, 288
Ross, Major, 222, 225, 226, 26S
Rotterdam, 73, 280
Royal grant, 134

Sacandaga trail, 69

Sager, Frederick, 175

Sammons, Thos., 133

Sammonsville, 9

Sand Flat, 181, 349

Sanford, John, 330, 333, 334, 336

Sanford, Stephen, 2S3, 288, 289, 333,

334, 336, 337, 339, 340
Saratoga, 231, 417, 436
Saugerties, 77, 81
Schanatissa, 30
Schenectady, 20, 21, 24, 37, 49, 50, 53,

58, 61, 65, 66, 69, 70, 73, 82, 84, 98-
100, 118, 133, 155, 156, 159, 160,
163, 172, 175, 212, 275, 281, 299,

345, 359, 410
Schenectady map, 152
Schenectady Patent, 24, 172
Schermerhorn, Reyer, 54, 300
Schoharie, 50, 77, 81, 82, 91, 175, 180,

197, 212, 265, 279, 295, 304, 359,

360, 431
Schoo, 49
Schorie, 82
Schorowe, 50, 53
Schuler family, 403
Schuler, George, 283, 284
Schuler, Lawrence, 402, 404, 406, 407
Schuyler, Fort, 220, 262, 267, 274, 411,

412, 414, 416, 417, 419, 436, 440
Schuyler, Han Yost, 221
Schuyler, Jeremiah, 134
Schuyler, Peter, 19, 62, 81, 84, 107,

274, 412
Schuyler. Philip, 185, 265, 274, 412
Schuylerville, 412
Scotch Highlander, 230
Scotia Bridge, 395
Scott, Alexander, 288
Scowton, Derick, 232
Scramlmg, 376, 377
Scramling, Henry, 376
Senatsycrosy, 23, 29
Sennekens, 21, 23
Serviss, Christian, 406
Serviss, George, 406
Serviss, Peter, 406
Seths, Henry, 176, 179, 180
S'Gaun-ho-ha, 50
Shepard, David, 289
Sherburne, John, 410
Shuler, William S., 297
Shuttleworth, Herbert, 338
Shuttleworth, James, 338
Shuttleworth, John, 338
Shuttleworth, Walter, 338
Shuttleworth, William, 338
Sickarus, 23
Simms, Jeptha R., 13S, 139, 160, 172,

175, 269
Simmons, Hiram, 340
Simpson, John, 337
Six'bury, Adam, 2S3
Six Nations, 117, 127
Slaagboom, 20
Smith, Geo., 137, 146
Smith, Elijah, 337
Smith e^ Wells, 377
Smith, William B., 335
Sohanidisse, 30
Solis map, 3

Index

453

Soto, Hernando de, 38

Spalt, Charles, 398

Spencer, Thomas, 415, 417

Sprakers, 378

St. Ann's Church, 88, 92, 313

St. Cleorge's Church, 70

St. Ignatius Loyola, 38

St. John's Church, 202, 204, 205

St. Johnsville, 378

St. Leger, Col. Barry, 412, 415, 416,

418, 426, 436
St. Lawrence River, i, 5, 11, 13, 14,

38, 41, 46, 47, 104, 345, 363, 436
St. Mary's, Charlton, 176
St. Patrick's Lodge, 200
St. Sauveur, 3
Stadacona, 11-13, 38
Stairs, Earl of, 232
Staley, George, 406
Staley, Jacob, 406
Stanton, Joseph, 410
Stanton, Nathan, 406
Stanwix, Fort, 274, 412
Sleene, Raby, 172 ■
Stevens, Arent, 193, 311
Stewart, Duncan, 289
Stewart, James, 137-140
Stone, W. L., 132, 134, 217, 311
Stoner, Nicholas, 209, 210
Stuart, Rev. John, 86, 97, 277
Stuyvesant, Gov. Peter, 299, 382
Sugden, James T., 335
Sullivan, Gen, John, 1S5, 217. 218,

222, 226, 266
Sullivan, Yankee, 34
Swart, Jasaias, 54
Swart, Judge, 179
Swartout, Capt. Abraham, 416
Sweet, John, 127
Sweet, Spencer, 127
Swits, Isaac, 300
Switzer Hill, 186, 211, 212, 219
Sye-jo-den-a-wadde, 164
Synionce, Garret, 84, 219

Talbot, Rev. Mr., 85

Tampico, 2

Tamwarot, 23

Taylor, Rev. John, 137, 321, 327

Tekakwitha, Kateri, 104, 197, 355

Tekakwitha Spring, 346, 348, 349, 353

Thayendanegea, 260

Thayer, Ezra, 284

Thomas, Henry, 288, 289

Thomas, William, 2S9

Three Rivers, 41, 46

Tice, Gilbert, 194-209

Tiononderoga, 50, 84, 103, 104, 107,

185,275, 279, 303, 315
Ti-o-non-to-guen, 43
Tobacco Nations, 40
Toll, Carl Hanson, 54, 156
Toll, Daniel, 66
Tomassen, William, 23
Tonnosatton, 23
Towereune, 53, 181, 182, 408
Tracy, M. de, 57, 58, 360
Trenton Falls, 108
Trianon, Anne de la Grange, 98
Tribes Hill, iiS, 186, 209, 212, 283
Trinity Church, 86, 92
Troy, 49

Tryon County, 206, 228, 229, 279
Tryon, Gov., 279
Tryon map, 186, 212
Tullock, 290
Tusten, Colonel, 271

Union Hall, 209
Upham, Warren, 364
Urquhart, Rev. John, 273
Utica, 412, 417, 443

Van Alstyne House, 278

Van Coppernol, Chas. Williamse, 54,

159
Van Corlear, Anthony, 382
Van Curler, Arent, 19, 20, 21, 23, 28,

29. 30, 33, 37, 44, 53, 65, 298, 304,

310, 359^
Van Curler's Journal, 19
Van den Bergh, Cornelius, 172
Vanderdonk map, 29, 30, 33, 360
Van Derveer, Catherine, 410
Van Derveer, Cornelius Janse, 409
Van Derveer, Domiuicus, 409
Van Derveer, Emily, 410
Van Derveer, Garret, 409
Van Derveer, Helena, 410
Van Derveer, Hendrick, 409
Van Derveer, Henry, 410
Van Derveer, Jane, 410
Van Derveer, John, 400, 406, 408-410
Van Derveer, J. Watts, 410
Van Derveer, Sarah, 410
Van Derveer, Theodore B., 306, 309
Van Derveer, Tunis, 409
Van Derveer, Tunis I., 327, 410
Vandreuil, M. de, 217
Van Epps, Johannes, 156
Van Epps, Percy N., 381
Van Home, C. F., 381
Van Home, James, 118

454

Index

Van Olinda, Jacob, 159

Van Olinda, Pieter, 54, 156, 159,

160
Van Patten, Arent, 84, 299
Van Rensselaer, General, 267
Van Rensselaer, Killian, 20, 53
Van Schaicks Island, 49
Van Schaicks, John J., 137
Van Slyke, Cornelius Antonisse, 156
Van Slyke, Hilletie, 156, 169
Van Slyke, Jacques Cornelius, 54, 156,

172, 299, 3S6
Van Slyke Lea, 156
Van Slyke, Martin, 156
Van Vorst, Dirck, 66, 69
Vanwormer, Peter, 2S2
Vedder, Albert H., 137, 284, 333
Vedder Grist Mill, 1S5
Vedder, Harmon, 287
Vedder, Isaac, 2S3, 287
Vedder, Nicholas, 410
Vedder, Volkert, 287
Veddersburg, 2S3, 284, 333, 405
Verrazano, 2

Viele, Petier Cornelius, 54
Visscher, Colonel John, 41 8, 420, 423,

444
Visscher's map, 360
Voorhees, Elizabeth, 292-294
Voorhees, George M., 290
Voorhees, James, 315
Voorhees, Dr. Samuel, 292-294
Voorhees, Stephen, 290, 293
Vrooman, Abram, 175, 179, 180
Vrooman, Adam, 62, 82, 163, 164, 172,

179, 180
Vrooman, Barant. 84, 172, 299
Vrooman, Lieut. Ephraim, 175, 176
Vrooman, Mrs. Ephraim, 176, 179
Vrooman, Harmanus, 175
Vrooman, Hendrick, 84, 2gg
Vrooman, Hendrick Meese, 172, iSo
Vrooman, Jacob, 172
Vrooman, Jan, 172
Vrooman, Jane, 172, 180
Vrooman, John, 180
Vrooman, Pieter, 54, 172, 175, 180
Vrooman, Simon, 179
Vrooman, Captain Tunis, 175, 176
Vrooman, Wouter, 172
Vyoge (Oioghi), 2t, 24

Wade, Farrel, 218

Wade, James, 337

Wallin, Samuel, 340

Walworth, Rev. C. A., map, 346

Walworth, Ellen H., 385

Ward, Fountain, 340

Ward, Samuel, 340

Warren, Sir Peter, 113, 128, 131, 132,

162, 212, 279, 280, 399, 400
Warrensbush, X13, 12S, 132, 1S5, 222,

265, 268, 400. 405
Warrentown, Ireland, 2S0
Warwick, Earl of, 261
Washington, George, 117, 134
Waterford, 49
Waterman, Asa, 406
Watson, Chas., 175
Watts, Mary, 118
Watts, Mayor, 418, 426
Watts, John, 410
Webb, General, 412
Weed, Thurlow, 296
Weisenburg, Catherine, 113, 118, 121,

122, 131, 134, 146, 160, 205
Wells, Edward, 225
Wells, Eleazer, 225
Wells, Airs. John E., 200
Wemp (Wemple), Jan, 219, 385, 386
Wemple, Barent, 299
Wemple, Cornelius, Mrs., 303
Wemple, Emory, 303, 305
Wemple, Ephraim, 300, 303
Wemple, Gilbert, 303, 304
Wemple, Isaac, 300
Wemple, Jan, 84, 299, 303, 404
Wemple, Jan Barentse, 298, 299, 309
Wemple, John, Jr., 300
Wemple, Myndert, 284, 299
Wetdashet, 29, 37
Wheelock, Dr., 260
Whittier, John G., 2
Wilde, Obediah, 141
Willegen, Vlachte, 156, 160
Willet, Col. Marinus, 222, 225, 226,

26S, 271, 415, 428
Williams, Chas., 279
Williams. Fort, 430, 431
Willow Flat, 156, 159, 160, 167
Wilmot, Anne, 399
Wilson and Abeel Patent, 128, 134
Wilson, Ebenezer, 134
Wilson, Henry, 191
Wilson, James, 134
Wilson, Gen. James Grant, 21
Wilson, Miss Margaret, 189, 191
Wolf Hollow, 315, 318
Wood Creek, 429, 439, 440
Wood, Mayor, 272
Wormwood, Lieut., 262
Wright, William, 330
Wynne, Father J., 344
Wyoming, 211, 213, 217, 2i8, 231, 265,

273

Index

455

Yankee Hill, 400
Yankee Sullivan, 34
Yankee Street, 405
Yantaputchaberg, 30
Yaunney's garden, 310
Yost Peter, 194

Young, Almarin, 137
Young, Almarin T., 142
Young, Peter, 194, 406
Young, William, 406
Younglove Homestead, 209

Zeh, Magdalena, 82

BOOKS FOR THE COUNTRY

AMONG THE MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES

By JUI.IA P. BAtT.ARD. Illustrated. 8\ I1.50.

"The book, which is handsomely illustrated, is designed for young- readers, relating
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BIRD STUDIES

An accouut of the Land Birds of Eastern North America. By WiLWAM
E. D. Scott. With 166 illustrations from original photographs. Quarto,
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wards of thirty years, and few persons have a more intimate acquaintance than he with bird
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ful."— London Speaker.

WILD FLOWERS OF THE NORTHEASTERN STATES

Drawn and carefully described from life, without undue use of scientific
nomenclature, by EnEN MiLLER and MARGARET C. WhiTing. With 308
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8°, ne^, fo.oo.

"The authors of this excellent work offer it, not in competition with scientific botanies,
but with the hope that by their drawings and descriptions they may make it easy to become
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of the flowers, the drawings alone furnish all that is necessary. . . . The descriptions are
as good of their kind as the drawings are of theirs." — .V. }'. Times.

THE 5HRUBS OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA

By Charles S. Newhai,!,. Fully illustrated. 8°, $1.75.

" This volume is beautifully printed on beautiful tiaper, and has a list of 116 illustrations
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gathered within the covers of such a volume.'' — Baltimore Farmer.

THE VINES OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA

By Charles vS. Newhall. Fully illustrated. 8°, 1^1.75.

"The work is that of the true scientist, artistically presented in a popular form to an
appreciative class of readers." — The Chtcrchman.

THE TREES OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA

By Charles S. Newhall. With illustrations made from tracings of the
leaves of the varioi:s trees. 8°, 1^1.75.

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THE LEAF COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK AND HERBARIUM

An aid in the preservation and in the classification of specimen leaves of
the trees of Northeastern America. By Charles S. Newhall. Illustrated.
8°, |2.oo.

" The idea of the book is so good and so simple as to recommend itself at a glance to
everybody who cares to know our trees or to make for any purpose a collection of their leaves. ' '
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BOOKS FOR THE COUNTRY

NATURE STUDIES IN BERKSHIRE

By John Coi,e;man Adams. With i6 illustrations iu photogravure from

original photographs by Arthur ScoTT. Photogravure edition. 8°, gilt top,

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book are very fine indeed. . . . The style of the narrative is clear and unaflected, and the
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Notes and Suggestions on Lawns and Lawn-Planting, Laying out and Ar-
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ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS

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"Mr. Davis writes with authority upon his chosen theme. . . . The book is full of
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THE WONDERS OF PLANT LIFE

By Mrs. S. B. HerRICK. Fully illustrated. 16°, I1.50.

The only thing aimed at is to give the more important types in a popular
■way, avoiding technicalities where ordinary language could be substituted, and,
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" .\ dainty volume . . . opens up a whole world of fascination . . . full of infor-
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OUR INSECT FRIENDS AND FOES

How to Collect, Preserve and Study Them. By Bei^eE S. Cragin. With.

over 250 illustrations. 8°, $1.75-

" Although primarily intended for boys and girls, it can hardly fail to enlist the aid of
the older members of the family ; and for the amateur collector of all ages who has all the
requisite enthusiasm but lacks a practical knowledge of the art of preserving specimens, it
should receive a warm welcome." — A'. Y. Commercial Advertiser.

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, 27 & 29 West 23d St., New York

Historic Towns of the Southern States

Edited by Lyman P. Powell. With introduction by
W. P. Trent. With about 175 illustrations. Large

8°, gilt top /;// ^3 00

Contents : Baltimore, By St. George L. Sioussat ; Annapolis
and Frederick, by Sara Andrew Shafer ; Washington, l)y F. A.
Vanderlip ; Richmond, by William Wirt Henry ; Williamsburor^
by Lyon G. Tyler; Wilmington, N. C, by J- B. Cheshire;
Charlestown, by Yates Snowden ; Savannah, by Pleasant A.
Stoval ; St. Augustine, by G. R. Fairbanks ; Mobile, by Peter
J. Hamilton ; Montgomery, by George Petrie ; New Orleans,
by Grace King ; Vicksburg, by H. F. Simrall ; Knoxville, by
Joshua W. Caldwell ; Nashville, by Gates P. Thrustoii ; Louis-
ville, by Lucieii V. Rule ; Little Rock, by George B. Rose.

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perfect, the seventeen writers have done their work with such historical acciracy
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ages."— yournal oy Education.

Historic Towns of the Western States

Edited by Lyman P. Powell. With introduction by
R. G. Thwaites. With 218 illustrations. Large 8°,
gilt top. (By mail $3.25) . . . net %t, 00

Contents : Detroit, by Silas Farmer ; Chicago, by Hon. Lyman
T. Gage ; St. Louis, by F. iM. Crunden ; Monterey, by Harold
Balce ; San Francisco, by Edwin Markham; Portland, by Rev.
Thomas L. Cole ; Madison, by Prof. R. G. Thwaites ; Kansas
City, by Charles S. Gleed ; Cleveland, by President Charles F.
Thwing ; Cincinnati, by Hon. M. E. Ailes ; Marietta, by Muriel
C. Dyar ; Des Moines, by Dr. F. I. Herriot ; Indianapolis, by
Hon. Perry S. Heath ; Denver, by J. C. Dana ; Omaha, by Dr.
Victor Rosewater ; Los Angeles, by Florence E. Winslow ; Salt
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Paul, by Hon. Chailes B. Elliott ; Santa Fe, by Dr. F. W.
1 lodge ; Vincennes, by \V. II. Smith.

Q. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, New York and London

^mmcnw Historic Toxuns

^^i^iVVVV ^

Historic Towns of New England

Edited by Lyman P. Powell. With introduction by

George P. Morris. With i6i ilhistrations. Large

8°, gilt top . . . . . net %^ oo

Contents : Portland, by Samuel T. Pickard ; Rutland, by

Edwin D. Mead ; Salem, by George D. Latimer ; Boston, by

Thomas Wentworth Higginson ; Cambridge, by Samuel A. Eliot ;

Concord, by Frank A. Sanborn ; Plymouth, by Ellen Watson ;

Cape Cod Towns, by Katharine Lee Bates ; Deerfield, by

George Sheldon ; Newport, by Susan Coolidge ; Providence, by

"William B. Weeden ; Hartford, by Mary K. Talcott ; New

Haven, by Frederick Hull Cogswell.

"These monographs hive perminent literary and historical value. They
are from the pens of authors who ar^ saturated with their themes, and do not
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" The authors of the Boston papers have succeeded in presenting a wonderfully
interesting account in which none of the more important events have been
omitted. . ._ . the quaint Cape Cod towns that have clung tenaciously to
their old-fashioned ways are described with a characteristic vividness by Miss
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Historic Towns of the Middle States

Edited by Lyman P. Powell. With introduction by
Dr. Albert Shaw. With 135 illustrations. Large

8°, gilt top net $3 00

Contents : Albany, by W. W. Battershall ; Saratoga, by
Ellen H. Walworth ; Schenectady, by Judson S. Landon ; New-
burgh, by Adelaide Skeel ; Tarrytown, by H. W. Mabie ; Brook-
lyn, by Harrington Putnam ; New York, by J. B. Gilder ; Buffalo,
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delphia, by Talcott Williams; Princeton, by W. M. Sloane ;
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" Mr. Powell's contributors hive prepared a most interesting collection of
pipars on important landmarks of the Middle States. The writers enter into the
history of their respective towns with much elaborateness." — N. Y. Tribune.

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, New York and London

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