USA > New York > Montgomery County > St Johnsville > Mohawk Valley genealogy and history : [a compilation of clippings, 1942-1945] > Part 1
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 01876 7613
GC 974.7 EN824MO, V. 1
MOHAWK VALLEY
GENEALOGY AND HISTORY St. Johnsville Enterprise and News, St. Johnsville, N.Y.
Miscellaneous 1942-1945.
Siniological Sources - Mohawk Valley Columbia Co-1795- settlers in Town of Germantown, Clermont
Uttry-1720 - freeholders sansleer " Business Directory : Montgomery + Fulton Counties: 1869-70 State of residente -1767- Renesolariswycle + Albany censur Montgomery Co.
3
DISCREPANCIES THAT ARE ONLY APPARENT By E. M. Marken !
In coming over long pedigrees one sometimes comes across a blank line By Donald A. Keefer or a number with no name after It. One of the most remarkable men This does not necessarily mean that from the pages of Schenectady's Re- someone made a mistake or left a volutionary history was Nicholas G. name but. It is because some fam-Veeder. He has the honor of being illes grow faster than others. In the last surviving soldier of the Am- trople cllmes there' may be flveerlean Recolution In New York State. generations In each hundred years He dled April 7, 1862, aged 100 years. while the average is only three; but His grave is located In the cemetery in our own zones there is much dlf- of the Reformed church at Scotla, ference. Some wives have children N. Y.
Nicholas G. Veeder was born on llies no one ever marrles until they Christmas day, 1761, and according are 25. .
to his own account fought in nearly
Suppose after a long line of de- every battle of this locality in the scent the family divides Into two War of the Revolution, He was born branches-as did the author's. Some- in Reesville, thell. ttle hamlet that body traces the complete connection stood exactly at the Intersection of until way down the line one Smith the Sacandaga road and Mohawk av- marrles another Smith-(Brown-enue in the present village of Scotla. which nobody did In my case yet The military career of Nicholas G. In the end we have something like Veeder Is a long one and of which he this: John (18' Smith Ilves near was justly proud. Toward the end of Willlam (18) . Brown; both descend- the year 1777 Nicholas G. Veeder en- ing in the 18th generation from King rolled under Captaln Jesse Van Slyck, Never Was, IX of Smithland.
Second Albany County Militia .In The Smiths are a sturdy race, slow July, 1778 he became a scout at but sure, the Browns more volatile, Ballston and Galway and in No- love faster and breed faster. John's vember, 1779 he did garrison duty at grandson is born the same year as Fort Paris. In August, 1780 he William's grandson. The chart would marched with a detachment against read:
1. John (18) Smith born 1800.
2. Frank (19) Smith born 1830.
'13, Peter (20) Smith born 1860.
1. William (18) Brown born 1800. 2. George (19) Brown born 1820. 3. Banj. (20) Brown born 1840. 4. Charles (21) Brown born 1860.
4. Henry (21) Smith born 1890 nectady. He also went out on many married 5 Sarah (22) 1860.
Brown born alarms In pursuit of Tories and per- formed various guard and garrison duties. He was pensioner under the So Michael Brown Smith would be Act of June 7, 1832 ..
Michael Brown Smith born 1910.
in the (22nd) generation on hls fath-
After the war he lived in a build- er's side but In the (23rd) on his Ing known as the "Old Fort,", situ- mother's side. The genealogist would ated In the present village of Scotla, have to record him as (23) and leave a hundred feet north of the Uley a blank line . on his fther's side or road and about one hundred feet west place. a number, In this case (22), of Halcyon street. This so-called Old with no name . after It. Fort which never was a fort but probably was a block house built at the time of the French-Indlan War (1745-1755.) Nicholas Veeder Ilved with his son, Abraham in a house that stood on the property of the Old" Fort and after his death Abraham Veeder took up hls residence In the old structure. He gradually trans- formed It into a museum in which visitors, for a small handout could view muskets, uniforms and other relics of the war for independence. Abraham Veeder was killed by a rall- road train in 1891 and that same year the historic old structure was taken down.
The name of Tryon County cre- ated in 1772, was changed to Mont- gomery on April 2nd, 1784. It then included all the territory west of Albany County to the line of the lands of the Six Nations running north and south through present Oneida county. For a few years after 1784, Montgomery county also in- cluded all of New York State west to the Pennsylvanla line.
Herkimer county was formed from Montgomery county in 1791. Oneida county was created in 1798, Schenec-i tady county in 1808 and Fulton in 1836.
The South Shore Road, now Route! '5S was originally the Mohawk Val- ley's chief east-west highway. It ex- tended from Schenectady. to present Rome.
Last Soldier of The Revolution
NEW BOOKS
MAGNA CHARTA by John S. Wurts of Hedgefield, Germantown, Pa. 1944. Brookfield Publishing Co. Phila., Pa. $5.00.
This second book on the Magna Charta continues-the pedigrees of the barons or the sureties of that grat document.
Names of living descendants who may clalm descent from the 17 bar- -on's are listed under each baron. Lines of a number of persons now living are traced back to the barons.
There are also chapters on "The Crusades," Bible genealogies and a short discussion of double dating and regnal years, and an index.
The ancestry of Winston Church- ill is recited back to Robert de Vere, a surety for Magna Charta and for Douglas MacArthur back to Richard de Clare, surety for Magna Charta
As an example of the pedigrees, Douglas MacArthur's ancestry listed as follows:
is
1. Richard de Clare, a Surety for Magna Charta, page 58.
2. Gilbert de Clare, also a Surety, page 61, marrled Isabella Marshall. 3. Richard de Clare, born 1222, dled 1262, married Maud, daughter of John de Lacle, the Surety.
4. Gilbert de Clare, page 68, born 1243, died 1295, married Joan of Acre, daughter of King Edward I. 5. Allanore Clare, married In 1337 to her first husband, Hugh Despen- cer.
6. Elizabeth Despencer, Chapter 40, became the wife of Maurice de Berkeley, Chapter 51.
7. Jams "the Just," 6th Lord
Isabel, Berkeley, married 1423-4
daughter of Thomas de Mowbray.
8. Mauirce de Berkeley, "the Law- ier" died 1506, married Isabel, the daughter of Philip Mead, mayor of Bristol.
9. Anne Berkeley became the wife of William Dennys.
10. Isabel Dennys married to John, son of Richard de Berkeley of Up- Į ton 'Saint Leonard, Co. Gloucester. · 11. Elizabeth Berkeley, wife of Henry, 'son of Richard Lygon.
12. Elizabeth (Isabel) Lygon mar- ried to Edward, son of William Bas- sett of Uley, Co. Gloucester.
13. Jane Bassett died about 1631, married to Dr. John Deighton of St. Nicholas, Co. Gloucester.
14. Frances Deighton, born In Eng- land in 1611, died at Taunton, Mass., | in 1706, married to Richard Wil- liams, "the Father of Taunton, Mass.," born in England In 1606.
15. Elizabeth Williams, born 1647, died 1724, married to John Bird, born in Dorcester, Mass., 1641, died
1732.
16. Hannah Bird, born 1677, died 1748, married to John Dean who) was born at Taunton, Mass., in 1674 and dled in 1724.7
17. Anna Dean, dled: 1762, mar- rled to Jonathan Barney, born at Swansea, Mass., '1703, died 1785.
18. John Barney, born at Taunton, 1740, dled 1807, married Jemima Shaw who died in 1825, aged 82.
19. Sarah 'Barney, born at Taun- ton 1771; dled , at Chicopee Falls, Mass., 1867, married 1792 to Benja- mln .Belcher, born at Easton, Mass., 1765, dled 1833, son of Gregory Bel -.. cher, a soldier of the French and In- dian Wars.
20. Benjamin Barney Belcher, born 1 at Taunton 1794, died at Chicopee- Falls, 1859 married Olive about 1817.
21. Aurella Belcher died 1864, mar- ried about 1844 to Arthur MacArthur born at Glasgow, Scotland, 26 Janu- ary 1815, dled at Atlantic City, New. Jersey 24 August 1896; Assoclate Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia from 1870 to 1888; (son of Arthur MacArthur, Sr. and his wife Sarah MacArthur) both of his grandfathers being named John MacArthur.
22. Lieut. Gen. Arthur MacArthur,. born at Chicopee Falls 2 June 1845, dled at Milwaukee, Wisconsin 5 Sep- tember 1912, married, 19 May 1875 Mary Pinckney Hardy, daughter of Thomas Asbury Hardy of Norfolk, Va.
23. Gen. Douglas MacArthur born at Little Rock, Arkansas 26 January 1880, married 30 April 1937 Jean Marie, born 28 December 1898, daughter of Edward C. Faircloth of an old Tennessee family and had, Ar- thur MacArthur, born in 1938 In the Philippines.
The Hoosac School at Hoosick, N. Y. is widely known for its annual Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival, modeled on English pageantry. . Mt. Vernon is one of the few New York State cities that began as a planned community.
YOU'LL BE SURPRISED
At the flavorful zest and sparkling taste of each glassful of foaming Utica Club Pilsner Lager or' XXX Cream Ale. They're the Ale and Beer millions prefer .- Adv.
Enterprise & News
An ABC Newspaper St. JOHNSVILLE, N. Y.
S. K. IVERSON PUBLISHER
Entered at the st. Johnsville Post- office, St. Johnsville, N. Y as second ciass matter. Published every Thurs. 1
SUBSCRIPTION P.ATES
Montgomery, Fulton and Herkimer Counties One Year $2.50 All othert $3 except Canada $4. Six Months $2.00
One can see plctures of Nicholas and Abraham Veeder and the Scotia Fort at the Schenectady County His- torical Society. One old photograph shows the veteran, taken on his hun- dredth birthday at the door of the Fort, showing him holding the fam- ous Liberty flag.
This famous old flag is our coun- try's most priceless relic, now pre- served in the rooms of our Histori- cal Society. It seems that Veeder for a time had possession of this ban- ner before it became the possession of Charles P. Sanders who turned it, over to the Historical Society. The flag belonged to the pre-Revolution- ary organization. The Sons of Liberty whose headquarters were on the cor- ner of Liberty and Ferry streets In Schenectady.
a party of the enemy under the famous Joseph Brant, after the de- struction of Canajoharle. In Octo-, ber of the same year he went to Ballston when It was attacked by the enemy. In October, 1781, he 'marched to Johnstown and on his re- turn guarded some prisoners to Sche -!
at 16 years of age; in other fam-
Genealogical World
First Settlers of The Valley
By Mrs. Mary S. Warren (Continued from last week)
To this unbroken wilderness, whose soiltude had seldom been penetrated
The July issue of the NEW YORK by the white man-save,; perhaps, by GENEALOGICAL and BIOGRAPH-a lonely missionary or, possibly, by RECORD contains a list of buriais some enterprising trapper- came Its in the Dutch > Church, New York first Caucasian inhabitants.
(continued from previous issue), an The. sturdy Palatines were in re- article on Capt. " David Godfrey ality driven thither by persecution for opinion's sake-just as the hardy (1732-1813) ,of Orange county, N. Y. pilgrims were forced to seek refuge and some of His Descendants and a in New England for a like cause one continued list of persons married in hundred years before.
the Trinity Church York City.
Parish, New :It is a touching record which telis how' these unhappy people journeyed
In the list of manuscripts donated to this solitary region which was to in this issue we noted a manuscrip
be. their home. With stout hearts, given by Capt.'F. L. Oliver on the pushing through thickly matted un- ancestry of. Elizabeth Clark) Minei ancestry of Elizabeth (Clark) Mine ers, N. Y. with maternai ancestry
derbrush, they made their way along the bank of the Mohawk river. The women, not less sturdy than the The April issue contained ah ar men, carried heavy burdens on their ticle on the Eisenhower Family
it backs and heads, : sheltering at the America. According to the authors same time helpless Infants in their Ross Keelye Cook, 173 Renshaw av arms, while beside them, clinging to enue, East Orange, N. J., and Mrs. their skirts, young children stumbled
along the rough way. What few
bf isolating the origins of the family Lancaster county Pa. were par
plied upon ciumsy bateaux which had been rudely hollowed out of trunks ticularly difficult because of lack of of trees. These the men iaboriouly early, vital records and splitting uf poled against the current of the riv- of the county. The name, ( which is
er and dragged over the portages.
translated as Thus they plodded on with patience
Tron Hammer", or "Iron Hitter."
that was little less than · sublime,
halting when night overtook them to
NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SO- CIETY QUARTERLY in the June issue in reporting on the Unpublish- of warmth and to frighten away the
camp by the river side, where they kept burning for the double purpose dian war, when the settlers were in
Historical Records Survey Inventor- wild animals which at that time in- ies says that approximately 1,800 fested the valley. At daybreak they Historical Records Survey publica- gathered up their few possessions ther fortify it by a palisade of logs.
tions, including the Survey of Fed-
and resumei their fatiguing march.
.eral Archives inventories; were is- This was at last accomplished, and
sued between 1936 and 1943. A list footsore, and weary, they reached the of these publications, except for a
few inadvertent omissions, Is contain-
place which was to yield them home and sustenance.
The task before them was enough
search Projects Reports; Checklist to make the stoutest heart quail. of Historical Records Survey. Publl- There was no shelter for the helpless cations, Research and Records | Bib- Hiography No. 7, revised April, 1943
group of women and children save the blue canopy of heaven-at least (Washington, D. C., 1943). Although not until rude sbodes of logs could the Historical Records. Survey did | be constructed. It took time to ac- complish this as the trees had first to be felled and their trunks squared before even the walls of th dwell- Ings could be raised. This accom- plished there were still roofs lack. ing. In order to obtain straw for thatching the grain must needs be planted, grown; harvested and thresh- ed. Thus these people were practi- cally without shelter for several ; It was through overcoming such almost unsurmountable obstacles that the beginnings of the first settle- ment of this now thickly populated valley were made. We of the present day realize but dimly what our fore- fathers had to conquer when they came to plant their homes in this then almost unexplored region. At ali events, "they builded'better than they knew," and the present gener- ation is enjoying the results of their self-sacrifice and labor.
In the same issue Major Hallock Porter Long gives, data on EMI- GRANTS TO THE AMERICAN COLONIES SURNAMED SNELL AND SCHNELL. Among the 18 .Snell emigrants he mentions Jacob Schnell of Sneil, one of the Palatine refugees, settled by Queen Anne in New York in 1710. Major Pollock's paragraph concerning him was
as follows: "He is recorded at Living- ston Manor, Queensbury, Albany, New Queensbury and Stone Arabia and probably died at Schoharie after 1735. He married Elizabeth -- who was living in 1717 and they had the following children: Jehan Jost (mar- ried Maria Caty Krafft), Johannes (married Anna Elizab. Landgrast) and probably Frederick (married Ann Maria-N), Maria C. (marrled Herman+Sidnlg), Elizabeth (married, Klas Koppernoll), and Nicholas (married 1 Margaret Dygert and 2 Magdalene Herkimer). Descendants are traced along the Mohawk Valley to Western N. Y., the North Central States and farther west, generally speiling the name "Sneil." (See Lists of Palatines in London Record Of- fice, Conrad Weiser and Ulrich Sim- mendinger; Albany records; Stone Arabia iand records; Schoharie Church' records.)"
Lt. Ben F. Dixon, USN, second vice-president of the society, has contributed to The Enterprise and News.
Send In your queries.
little company of ninety two people. The terms of the purchase were most favorable to the colonists, being sim- ply an annual qult-rent of two shil- lings and sixpence and a guarantee that within three years six out of every one hundred acres of land should be brought under cultivation.
From this time on it was used as a fort and was resorted to by the in- habitants of the surrounding coun- try as a place of refuge and defense It is described as a three story stone house with port holes at each story This building, although of such pre- cious historical interest, was unhap- pily sacrificed to accommodate eith- er the construction or later enlarge- ment of the Erie canai. This was an unnecessary piere of vandalism, as the survey might have been made without disturbing this interesting and sacred landmark. But with un accountable indifference the state au thorities allowed its demolition, quiet ing the protests which were raised against the act by promising to pre serve the remembrance of the spo by marking It with a suitable monu ment. Seventy years have roiled by and the unmarked site of so many hallowed historical memories bears silent witness to the unfulfilled piedge. Would'it not be eminently fitting for the Herkimer County His- torical Society to engage itself in the work of rescuing this spot from the obilvlon into which It has been al- iowed to fall, by marking with an appropriate memorial this piace fraught with historicai memories ?- 80 one of which Is of extreme interest, although nct generally known. It was here before this for that the first liberty pole ever raised in this state was placed-only to be pulled down by British authority. In. recog- nition, then, of the importance of its part in two dark and blordy strug- gles, let a visible sign soon be placed
on this ground wmen snau bear wit- ness that this generation, at least, realizes what great service was here. rendered to our defenceless ances- tors who had the courage to plant their homes in the face of enormous dangers on this distant and un. protected frontier.
The lots were surveyed in narrow strips leading back on either side of the river to the wooded hliis be- yond. To each person was alloted thirty acres of the rich ailuviai iands near the river; together with sev- enty acres of the upiands. On the north side of the river gath- ered another little band of Palatines who selected , for their settiemeent the site where the present village of Herkimer stands .This place was first called Stone Ridge, . then Palatine Dorf, and finslly Burnetsfield, in The era of hope which now dawn- ed, upon thege brave souls was the beginning of many years of undis- turbed peace and constantly increas- ing prosperity. honor of Governor Burnet. It was also at a later date called German? Flatts, and it was the intentlon' of those having the matter in charge, The nucleus of this first settle- inent of the Mohawk Valley was on when the names of the new towns were handed to the legislature that it should continue "German Flatts," the south side of the river at the li but owing to some confusion it was called Herkimer, and the - opposite side of the river was given the name of German Flatts
. The dominating spirit among the Burnetsfieid familles was Johann Jost Petri, who was a natural leader by right of abllity and education. His wife was a woman of culture and refinement. Lot No. 8 was assigned to him and was the one on which: now stands the paper mill. There is today an old well in .Herkimer that was dug over one hundred and sixty- five years ago. This furnished water not only for the Petri family but sup- plied it to the fort through two wars. It was located just north of the present court house.
There was, at that early day, no regular settlement where Ilion now stands, although at iong Intervals there were scattered, lonely Isolated dwellings. The lands at this point were parcelled off to persons by the names of Rickert, Schmidt, Speir, Reele and Weber. In the Burnets- field patent appears the name of Volz (Folts) and to this patentee was as- signed lot No. 3 which designated a parcel of land which now lles in East Frankfort. It was left, therefore, to the Volz family to live in the most remote and . unprotected location within the Burnetsfield grant. It Is an interesting fact that this land has been occupied by descendants of this family from that time (1723) to the present day.
What is now known as the Spencer farm, at the west side of the Mo- hawk, was the land which fell to the, share of Rudolph Schumacher. This particular locality has a history which is Interesting because it was through a little ravine just west of the Spencer house, that Brant con- ducted his murderous band of Tories and Indians when he came to attack the unprotected settlers on the south side of the river west of Fort Herki-
mer, that locality now occupied by. the villages of Mohawk and Ilion. The houses were at a considerable dis- tance from each other, but such time- ly warning was given the people they were able to reach Fort Herkimer in safety. They saved themselves, but their crops, their cattle, and their buildings 'were ieft to the mercy of their foes. These disappointed of their prey; sated their thirst for ven- geance by applying the torch to hous- es, barns, and, stacks of hay and grain. The cattle were driven away by the Indians. William L. Stone, in speaking of this event, says: "Just as the day was breaking in the east, the fires were kindled, and the whole section of the valley was speedily il- luminated by the flames. of houses and barns, and all eise combustible." (To be continued)
point now known as Fort Herki- mer. Here gathered a sturdy group of brave pioneers, at whose head stood Johann Herkimer, from whose patriot son our county has inherited its honored name.
In the division of the land that portlon known In the original patent as lot 36 fell to the share of Johann Jost Herkimer who was to be the leading spirit of this particular ham- let. This lot was just east of where the venerable oid stone church now stands. A few years later, after his prosperity had become assured, Her- kimer built a substantial stone [house west of the church, the precise location of which was directly oppo- site the sinail island in the Mohawk river now called Herkimer Isiand. At the beginning of the French and In-
constant danger from marauding sav- ages, it was deemed prudent to pro- tect it by earthworks, and to fur-
Germanic, is freely
Claire Robison Shirk, 2505 N. Sec
ana street, Harrisburg, Pa., the task
heavier articies they possessed were
MAX E. HOYT, archivist, for the
ed in the WPA. Bibliography of Re-
not cover the archives of every town, county church in the country he ad- visos readers to check with the local state depository or with the Nation al Archives, Washington, D. C. t find out whether an inventory ha been published or where unpublished manuscript may be consulted. In quiries should be addressed to Mr. Clyde S. Edwards of the Government Publications Department, Library of Congress.
. The Paiatincs reached the Mohawk Valiey in the spring of 1723, but the patent of the lands was not Issued until two years after, April 30, 1725. This was called the Burnetsfield pat- ent, and it included lands on both sides of the Mohawk river. It set apart one hundred acres to each per- son-man, woman, and child-of the
JAGLES WERE PIONEERS
sent
THE STOLLE RFAMILY .
"Long before the Revolution Mich- aei, and Dorothy (Klyne) Stoller came from Holland and settled on the four hundred acre farm which they had purchased in the Hanson patent. They wanted to buy even more iand but they'feared that King George III might take it away from them them. Their home was just below the Hea- gles and a busy place it was, for they were thrifty and prosperous.
Michael 'Stoiler's name was in an early tax iist before the Revolution but in 1783 Dorothy was a widow with six children to care for; the youngest boy Christian, being them only five years old. We picture the widow Dorothy, with flashing black ayes, energetic, competent and cour- geous, managing the large farm, making plans for future homes for Her sons and training her daughters in housewifely arts." One of these daughters married Peter Piantz who was born in 1765 and she was refer- red to by later generations as "Old Aunt' Charlotte." Her baptism was recorded in the Caughnawaga church in 1769." Her' sister, Magdalena who was four years younger, married Bal- tus,"a' son of Michael and Eva Heagle who lived"on the nearby farm. After Widow Dorothy married Dr. Denne and moved to Sammonsville, her son Michael remained on the home piace and two of his grandsons now living, Mr. Adam Stoller of Johnstown and Prof. James Stolier of Galway, a for- mer teacher in Union college, were born on the farm which Michael and Dorothy came to early in their mar- ried iife.
The son, Philip died in 1816 and his wife, who was Elizabeth Rees, must have' passed away earlier than that. Their two older daughters were mar- ried in 1817,, Catherine marrying John I. Moore on February 20th, and Dorothy becoming the wife of John J. Brower on March 15th. The sons Jacob and Michael and the younger giris grew up in the homes of their uncles, Michael and Christian. Both Michael and Philip have descendants whose success in business and pro- fessional careers indicates that the the characteristic energy and thrift of the first Stoiiers are stili family traits. *
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