USA > New York > Schoharie County > A brief sketch of the first settlement of the county of Schoharie, by the Germans : being an answer to a circular letter addressed to the author by "The historical and philosophical society of the state of New York", > Part 2
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The great evil they saw was this: Here I cannot pass by without exposing the mighty stupidity and black ignorance of my German brethern, in order to do justice to the truth. Queen Anne supposed that her Germans by this time, might be handsomely settled, sent her agent by the name of Nicholas Bayard, a man who had lost one eye, with full power to give a deed to every man of whatsoever land he did possess, provided he made known his boundries. Mr. Bayard was the grandfather of Stephen M. Bayard, now living in Albany or Schenectady, with whom I have conversed; and he did yet remember of this transaction.
Mr. Bayard came to Schoharie, put up at the house of Hansyerry Smidt, from whence he issued his order that every householder should bring in the boundaries of his possession, and receive his deed. But the poor ignorant souls, struck like with thunder, supposed it to be a trick to get themselves and children under that hateful yoke of tyrannic land holders, to be again enslaved forever, and had now for some
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years tasted perfect liberty, resolved to kill the agent and die free.
On the next morning they arose all like one man -surrounded the house of Smith, some weaponed with guns, some with pitchforks-women with hoes, and others with clubs, demanding Mr. Bayard alive or dead. On refusal, fired sixty balls through the roof of the house, which was all the amunition they had. Mr. Bayard was well armed with pistols, sometimes fired back, but did no execution. Night came on, and they left the house. Mr. Bayard left the house, and in dark of the of night, traveled 20 miles to Schenectady. From thence he again sent a message, that if any man should appear, and acknowledge him to be the King's agent, with the gift of one ear of corn, he so doing should have a free deed of all his possession. Mr. Bayard waited for some time, but not one did appear.
Mr. Bayard, no doubt, felt crusty, as he could do nothing with those fools; went to Albany and sold the whole to seven partners. I will name such as I remember, to-wit : Rut Van Dam, Lewis Morris, Myndert Schuyler, Peter Vanburg Livingston, and three others, who afterwards went by the name of the Seven Partners of Schoharie.
Schoharie now soon found out that there was a new hand at the bellows. They were soon called
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upon to take leases and to pay rent, or to pur- chase. They refused all. The seven partners seeing they could gain nothing, thought about trying the law; sent their sheriff, by the name of Adams, to apprehend the most principal men and ringleaders of the whole, to bring them to terms of justice. But when the sheriff began to med- dle with the first man, a mob of women rose, of which Magdalene Zee was captain. He was knocked down and dragged through every mud- pool in the street; then hung on a rail and carried four miles, thrown down on a bridge, where the captain took a stake out of the fence and struck him in the side, that she broke two of his ribs and lost one eye; then she threw water in his face, let him lie and went off.
Poor Adams, bruised and wounded as he was, had no other way left, but to help himself as well as he was able; made himself up and made for Albany. On the third day arrived at the Vene- bergh, and from thence he was fetched with a wagon to Albany. Thus ended this affray. I have myself seen this very Adams, and have the relation from his own mouth, together with the confirmation of several of the old Schoharie peo- ple.
After this circumstance, the Schoharie people got very shy to go to Albany-made the practice
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to send their wives for salt, or not to enter Al- bany but on Sundays, and then out again. This the seven partners well observed, held themselves quiet, till after a while got them tame, so that they supposed all was now again at rest, when at a time, a pretty good drove happened to come down after salt. The seven partners had their sheriff and posse ready, took every one of them, and clapped them to jail. The most notorious were put in the dungeon, among whom was young Conrad Wiser.
This news like lighting went through all Scho- harie, and alarmed them to the highest degrec; and in their rage resolved to delegate old Mr. Conradt Wiser to England, to obtain redress for their grievances, and to have amends made for their frequent and several abuses, also praying the King for future safe protection. Young Con- radt Wiser soon got tired of his dungeon, re- solved to agree to take a lease and pay rent; so did all the rest that were in jail. But before they were permitted to leave their confinement, they were compelled to witness, swear and sign the whole of their conduct and transaction in the cause of Adams and Bayard. This done, they were permitted to depart. home in peace, bewail- ing their misery as they went, whilst the seven partners carefully, and with all convenient speed
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made the whole business known to King and Parliament.
Old Conradt Wiser now arrived at England with his petition, and went to lay it before the King and Parliament, in order to solicit the de- sired redress. But oh ! how was he there mor- tified, when he found the King and Parliament fully informed, from Bayard's mission down to the cruel and unlawful dealing with the King's officer, the High Sheriff, Mr. Adams. The con- sequence was, that the Germans of Schoharie were looked upon as a pack of monstrous out- laws, denying the King's legal authority, and ought to be treated as such; and old Mr. Wiser was clapped into the Tower, where he had to re- main one whole year before he got out with per- mission to return to America again.
But for being murderously disappointed and fully beat at last, got so embittered against the seven partners, that many, together with Wiser, concluded to leave Schoharie, in order to get rid of their troublesome company at once forever.
Conradt Wiser after his return, soon persuaded a great many to leave Schoharie and seek an asy- lum under the great Wm. Penn. They marched from Schoharie, a southwest direction, for the Susquehannah, with an Indian guide, together with their cattle and families, where they arrived in a five day's journey, at a place called Cook-
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house. There they made canoes, so navigated their families down by water; their cattle followed by land all along the shore until they arrived in Pennsylvania, at a place called Tolpelrahen. There they all settled on a large brook called in the German Muehlback; in the English, Milbrook, where some of their descendants dwell unto this day. Here I must remark a curious instance, namely, twelve of their horses run away, and in eighteen months after ten of them arrived in good health and strength in Schoharie, a distance no less than 300 miles.
By this time the people had learned to buy their land of the seven partners peaceably; but began to get a little wiser; next made Indian pur- chases and took Indian deeds for large tracts, then went to the Governor and Council to obtain their letters patent. The Governor and Council who understood themselves, very well too, were not apt to grant any patents before they had se- cured a good slice to themselves, or some of their friends.
At or about the year 1759, Sir William John- son became the King's Jack, or agent, with full powers, not to permit an Indian purchase to be legal unless it was made in his presence and with his approbation, who would always take care not to befool himself, commonly made himself sure
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of the first cut; and if you could not make him your friend, the Indians would sell you no land at all.
From this time, wild land laid out in lots, would sell from four to twenty shillings an acre, according to quality or convenience of roads or nearness of settlement. Until the year 1786, it got up to five dollars an acre, and by 1817 it will command on an average from ten dollars up to twenty-five. This must be understood of the up- land only; whereas the flats or lowlands of Queen Anne, first mentioned, will sell on an average from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dol- lars.
Now I must take notice of the great Schoharie creek, which springs out of a swamp south of Schoharie, back in the Blue Mountains, and runs most northerly, until it empties in the Mohawk river at Fort Hunter, about eighty or ninety It miles from the place where it first begins. contains the most and best flats and intervals in this state, perhaps the great Genesee river might be excepted. Here are flats unbroken, of four- teen hundred acres of low land. It is generally speaking, a grain country, more so than a grass country.
I shall now take notice of some of the waters feeding the Schoharie creek, in order to mention
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of waters, mines and minerals; as also of the pros- pects I have heard of, together with the products I have seen.
And first, I shall begin in the south with Red creek, running from east to west, through a place called Batavia, I suppose now a town of some name or other, in the county of Greene, on which, it was supposed about sixty years ago, that there was a gold mine in a rock, consequently a small insignificent company of old country men under- took to dig; and as they were a blasting, they came on run of water dridling from the rock and dried by the sun; appeared to be the best Spanish green. Now a division came between them; some were for following the water, and others for blast- ing deeper. The consequence was that the party for following the water broke off. The other par- ty kept the work until they got through the rock, where they found nothing but low land soil; there it ended, and last French war begun. This relation I have personally of one of the workmen.
Next I shall take notice of Plattekill, just be- low what was called Diees Manner, now in the town of Bristol, where there is an inexhaustible quarry of stone for grindstone, and hundreds are made there now equal to any imported.
Thirdly. I shall mention Minekill and Mine patent, so called because the Indians would some-
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times bring silver ore from there. However, they would never discover the very spot where they got it, as also because copper ore was there found, for that reason a patent of 5,000 acres was taken to cover this ground. Samples of this copper ore may be seen at the court house, with Judge Bouck at this day.
On the west side of the Schoharie creek, near- ly opposite the court house, at the beginning of the Revolutionary war, a mine was open by one Mr. Stout,a chemister, of Hessian Castle, under the superintendence of the Provincial Congress, in order to make brimstone; who made 1,700 weight in a winter. He also made what they call En- glish salt, out of a kind of black slate, which he found there in abundance. Some say that he made a great many of our old sort of coppers; but for this I have no proof.
From hence proceeds a rocky and ledgy coun- try, for several miles backwards, and ends in and about the town of Warren, in Herkimer county; all in a distance from twelve to twenty miles, south of the Mohawk river. The stones are chiefly lime, fire stone and a kind of a silvery black slate.
In the town of Carlisle, ten miles west from the Schoharie creek, wherein I now reside, and have
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lived these forty-five years, are brimstone waters. The spring may be smelt for miles distant. The great brimstone spring in the town of Sharon, and brimstone hill in Cherry Valley, are remark- able for this. In this town are also found sam- ples of plaster of Paris, and there are also discov- ered signs of sea coal. It is also said that some of our bear swamps contain as good marl and turf as any in Ireland.
Schoharie creek cannot afford any profitable water navigation, but affords many good places for water machinery, and is very scant of fish.
I have now gone as far as I understood the circular letter, and shall now dismiss the subject, well knowing it merits no great praise. If any be bettered, and if any be benefited by my imfor- mation, it shall suffice. Finally, I have my re- ward, and let it go for what it will fetch.
Postscript .- With this request, that if ever anv should come to print, that some better hand should put in a better dress, as to grammar and phrase- ology. As to the facts herein contained, they are plain in my memory and knowledge Once more finally, I have taken no time to make cor- rections.
I am with much esteem, Dear Sir, your most obedient humble servant.
(Signed,) JOHN M. BROWN,
To MR. DE WITT CLINTON.
Carlisle, County of Schoharie, March 10, 1816.
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NOTES.
May 18th. Since the above was finished, it is almost reduced to certainty that there is and must be, an inexhaustible bed of stone coal in this town, in the place called New Rhinebeck, where there is a very remarkable high and round hill separate from all strings of hills and can be seen over all our mountains, and by the Indians called Owelus Sowlus. The meaning I do not understand.
If any particulars of some heads should be desired, I shall have no objection to give the ex- planation that I am capable of, being alive and well. I shall continue now to relate the reason of some old occurrences and names of the county of Schoharie. It must then be remarked that the Germans, when settling, settled all in towns, which in their language was called a Dorff, and is no more but a compact farmers' settlement, distinguished from a village, which they call a Flekken, in distinction from an incorporated city which they call a Stadt.
Now these towns were all named after their several list men, as they were by them called, to wit: Conradt Wiser, Hartman Wintekker, Johanes Geo. Smidt, Wm. Fox, Enas Garlack and John Henrich Kerterskern. These list men were each of them furnished with a list of a
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certain number of men, women and children, and were, in a manner, their commissioners from the Queen in order to draw provision from her royal stores. These commissioners or rather list men, continue to draw provisions, each for their certain number, whilst they encamped and winter- ed in ground huts at East and West Camp; and continued so till in the Spring, when they arrived at Albany. But after they went to Scho- harie, I did not learn that they ever drew any more; if they did it was probably no more than what they could carry on their backs to Scho- harie.
As it is very natural to suppose, that these men, women and children would keep nigh to their list men, with those in particular, to whose list they did in particular belong, and settle with them in a city form, so that they might be the better ready to assist each other against the unruly temper of their Indian neighbors, who had now after agreement and settlement with Queen Anne, surrendered two of their castles to the Germans and removed to a third, about a mile above little Schoharie creek, to the West side of the great Schoharie creek on a great flat, over which Adam Vroman afterwards took a patent for six hundred acres, vested by certain unmoveable boundaries; and when it was afterwards surveyed by the King's surveyor it
1740035
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proved to contain 1,400 acres of full the best lowland in all Schoharie. Here they now settled all together; the whole Karigh Ondonte tribe. Their chiefs, that remained in my time, were Seth, Hansyerry, Joseph Hanelie and Aggy Awner, together with their squaws of the direct line of Karigh Ondonte, namely: Hisiquet, Wawly and Catoline, who always pretended to have the exclusive title of the soil, in the very best of this tract they settled; and King George, I suppose, caused a Picquet Fort and some barracks to be built therein, which was done by one young Johanes Becker, for the sum of eight pounds. Here they gave names to three particular hills, namely: Onisto Graw, Conegena and Mohe- gan, by which they continue to be named this day.
Conradt Wiser, so often named, settled about two miles lower down than this Indian settle- ment, within a hundred rods of the stamp block or boundary thereafter mentioned (or as the Indians called it, the high water mark, though it was never believed by white men that the Indians had seen water there until the year 1784 and 1785, when they witnessed the flood, which had risen four or five feet above the monument of the stump block), together with all those belong. ing to his list. Here now they built a farmer's town after the manner of a city, all in streets.
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This now was the very place where the abuse of Sheriff Adams aforesaid, first begun, and was called Wisersdorp, now in the town of Middle- burgh.
At or about two miles lower down to North, Hartman Wintekker and his company settled and built their town in the same fashion. And I have heard the old people say that this town consisted of sixty-five houses. Here were the first apple trees planted to an orchard in Scho- harie by Hans Wilhelm Kemmer, and this was called Hartman's Dorff. Next down was Brun- nendorff, in the English, the town of Springs or Springtown, settled chiefly by the men that be- longed to Johans Yerry Smidt's list. Here is now the court and meeting house and a village by the name of Somerville in the town of Schoharie.
Then adjoining Hansyerry Smith, settled to- gether with the remainder of the people remain- ing of his list. He had the best house in the town, which was thatched with straw, and at the time the mob rose against Mr. Bavard, whereof particular mention has been made before. Here is nothing more to observe, but on the lowland was an Indian village and burying ground of which I never saw anything worthy of remark. This was called Schmit's Dorff.
Next did William Fox settle together with the
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men of his list. Here a creek comes down from the town of Berne and runs West till it here falls in the Schoharie creek, and takes his name Foxenkill, and is a stream on which a good deal of business is done by water; together called Foxendorff.
Then next did Elias Garlock settle together with the men of his list. Here was an Indian castle, though on the West side of the Schoharie creek, in which Lambert Sternbergh raised the first wheat that was ever raised in Schoharie. The mighty increase as mentioned before, will be doubtful perhaps, to every reader; yet my in - formers were many and of the most credible characters in Schoharie; and here it was called Gerbach's Dorff.
And lastly, did John Peter Kniskern settle to- gether with the men of his list; and he is the on- ly one of all the list men whose off spring re -- mained in his town to this day. And this was called Kniskern's Dorff. Opposite to this town, Cobleskill creek falls in the great Schoharie creek, so called after the name of a certain man who cleared a spot at the outlet under pretence of building a mill thereon, but never was brought to pass; but by the Indians was called Ostgavaw- ge. Up this creek are found veins of brimstone ore running through the rocks in the bottom of the creek. Further up lies the town called by
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the same name. This creek first springs in the highest ground in the town of Wooster, between Schoharie and the Susquehanna. At this same place, where the Scenevers creek before made mention of,springs and runs to the south west and empties into the Susquehannah river.
This Cobleskill creek in the town of the same name is fed by another stream or creek, spring- ing at East Hill in the town of Cherry Valley, and runs the whole length through the town of New Dorlach, formerly so called from the name of the place the first four settlers came from in Wertenberg, Germany, who settled there in the last French war. Their names were Earnast Fitz, Michael Merkele, Christopher Merkele and Sebastian Frantz, who came from Germany in the year 1752; but is altered by a law of this state to the name of Sharon. This creek is by us called West creek, but by the Indians was called Anuntodawse. The stream is very useful to the town and a good deal of business now done thereon. These towns are also very productive, vet somewhat more frosty than Schoharie. In this last town toward the northeast corner, is a strong spring of brimstone waters, so that it may be smelt at miles distant.
Towards the north of Cobleskill and east of Sharon is the town of Carlisle, in which I now
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live, first called New Rhinebeck after the name of the place one of the first settlers came from. Here is a noted skeel or hill, by the Indians called Owevus Sownes,a name known by all the western Indian nations, and is by us supposed to contain stone coal. This town contains also Turf and Marl swamps together with samples of plasters.
INDIAN WARS.
None occurred in my time. One relation I shall, however, simply mention; and that is of the last battle between the Mohegan and Mo- hawk nations, namely: They were a fighting which nation of them should have the king, or rather, which nation should have the preference as will more fully appear by the relation, to wit: -Both nations had collected all their strength and met for a deciding battle at or near Wanton Island in Hudson river, immediately opposite to East Camp, where they fought a pitched battle for a whole day. The Mohawks, finding the Mohegans rather too tough for them, thought on a stratagem before night; so took a sudden flight and went up the river till they came to an Island to which they could wade; and when they were on, they kindled a great number of fires; cut brushes and laid them all around their fires cov- ering them with their blankets. The Mohegans in fresh pursuit, after seeing these fires, conclud- ed to give them a night attack; and after mid-
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night, waded over also and with the greatest care and silence, beset their fires; and at a certain sig- nal given poured all the contents of their artil- lery into the blankets and brushes around the fires. They perceiving very little motion of this effect, concluded they had killed every Mohawk around the fires; then run up with tomahawks and scalping knives in hand accompanied with there Indian yells, fell a cutting and slashing on the blankets and bushes. The Mohawks all this time lay flat on the ground, a small distance from their fires; then arose and threw all their murder- ing contents in upon the Mohegans, killed the most of them and took all the rest prisoners, with whom they concluded a treaty. This bat- tle and the treaty forever subjected the Mohe- gans to the Mohawks, and the Mohawks got the king of their nation whose name was Henry. This Indian king lived to a great age; and if my mem- ory be correct, he lost his life in DeDemus Mag- inness battle at Lake George in the French war. IIe was on the British side when the French at- tempted to take Fort George of Sir William Johnson.
The articles of this treaty were this: That the Mohawks should have the king and that the Mohegans should not have the honour of men by wearing breeches, and that the oldest Mohe-
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gans should reverence the Mohawks, from the oldest down to the first born baby, by calling it aunt or uncle. Of this article I am myself full positive, as having seen the operations in a good manner thereof.
MANUFACTORIES.
In the year 1765, or thereabouts, the first piece for fulling was made in Schoharie by George Conrad Richtmeyer and carried to Esopus on horseback to John Dubois' fulling mill to be fulled. Then many began to follow his example, till after the revolutionary war, fulling mills were erected on the Mohawk river. But at this time we have manufactories in the county, full as much as we want.
SCHOOLS.
Common schools have been, and are still. great- ly neglected; though by the description of schools I have given in the first page they are very much improved, so that by this time it is owing more to parents in the bad or evil bringing up of their children than in the want of schools, on which I shall give comment.
SEASONS.
This year, 1816, was the most uncommon sea- son for cold, and even snow on the 6th of June. Ice froze in almost every month of the year; wheat, peas and oats, however, done very well;
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corn totally cut off, and buckwheat very slim. The year 1756, was the same year when Oswego was taken from the French from the English, and came up the nighest to this year I ever saw. However, corn was saved that year and we had five very fruitful seasons following. The years 1784 and '85 were the most remarkable for over- flowings.
GRAIN.
Schoharie in general is more a grain than a grass country. It is, however, in a great meas- ure declined. The pea bug had made its appear- ance, as I have been told, eighty or ninety years ago but did depart again. About nineteen years ago they made us another visit, and troubled us for several years, so that we despaired of raising peas; but now seem entirely to have left us and we raise them again about as good as ever. The Hessian fly or insect, also has been here, but nev . er done a general damage, and now for two years have done us no damage at all.
FOOTPATHS, HIGHWAYS AND TURN- PIKES.
In the year 1712, there were no other roads to Schoharie but five Indian footpaths, the first be- ginning at Catskill leading up that stream to a large swamp or flye, where it springs about seven miles southeast from the stamp block or bound- ary monument of Queen Anne's patent before
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