Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 177

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452

USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations > Part 177

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Berne is also the central western town of the county, and was a part of the Manor of Rensselaer- wyck. It was formed from Rensselaerville on March 17, 1795, and Knox was detached from it in the year 1822.

The town is bounded on the north by Knox, on the east by New Scotland, on the south by Rensse- laerville and Westerlo, and on the west by Scho- harie County.

Its area originally was 64,447 acres; its present area is 38,942 acres.

II .- ITS NATURAL FEATURES.

Along the northern part of the town is a ridge rising abruptly from the bed of the Foxenkill. This ridge, being divided by nature, takes the names of Grippy (origin unknown), Irish Hill, from the Scotch-Irish settlers who first located there, and the Uhai (high garden), from a spot upon its summit cultivated by the Indians, and which may still be pointed out. The altitude of these distinct spurs is said to be about two hundred feet, and the

town itself from nine to twelve hundred feet above tide-water.

These mountains belong to the Silurian division, but here and there Devonian rocks are found. More than a dozen distinct species of fossils or petrifactions and minerals are found among these hills, such as the fine and coarse grit sandstone, hone-slate, with some sulphates of iron, magnesia, alumina, snowy gypsum, calcareous spar, etc.

In front of the house of Mr. Williams, on the right hand side of the road, in the Village of Knox (according to an early geological report of Prof. Eaton), is the best locality for ammonites, pecti- nites, turbinites and terebratulites.

As our history overlaps the town of Knox before its organization, we may mention the Berne cavern as containing encrinites, favosites and anthoce- pholites.

Along the bed of the Foxenkill may be found corallinites.

The south and west parts of the town are hilly. The hills are separated by rocky ravines, through which flow small streams of water. One such ravine, termed the "Gulf," is a natural curiosity. It affords a passage way for a single wagon, along which the tops of the mountains rise many hundreds of feet.

The principal streams of the town are the Foxen- kill and the Switzkill. The Foxenkill rises in the northeastern part of the town, in Thompson's Lake, and flows in a southwesterly direction, part'y underground, toward Warner's Lake, and then in the same course through Berne, West Berne, and so on to the Schoharie Creek. Its fall during the en- tire length is several hundreds of feet, so that it is impetuous and rapid.

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THE TOWNSHIP OF BERNE.

The Switzkill rises in Rensselaerville and flows almost northward, emptying into the Foxenkill at what is termed the "Old Water."

These streams are of sufficient importance to the town in furnishing the power necessary to drive the extensive saw and grist-mills, which have been erected over them, from the earliest times to the present.

The soil along the banks of these streams is very fertile, and affords excellent pasture. On the hill- sides and mountain tops the soil is to a great extent valuable for all kinds of grain and farm produce; in many places, however, it is very light and is used only for pasture for sheep.

In an early agricultural report, the soils on the following farms are especially noted : Gideon Taber's, Andrew Brown's, Nathaniel Gallup's, Almerin Hubbell's and Wheeler Denison's. What has always been known as the Beaverdam is a valley which was divided between upper and lower, extending from Warner's Mills at East Berne to Post's Mills at West Berne. The dam proper was at a point on the creek near the residence of Peter Schell, and was of such a character as to give the name to the Dutch church which was then near by, and also to the villages along the valley line.

Warner's Lake, situated one mile north of the village of East Berne, is a small body of water covering an area of one hundred acres. It took its name from Johannes and Christopher Warner, who settled on its banks before the organization of the town, and whose descendants still continue to occupy the land around it. It takes its rise in a spring on the farm of Christopher Warner and is also fed from Thompson's Lake. The water is very clear and stocked with different kinds of fish. On the east side is a beautiful growth of young trees, which has been extensively patronized by picnic and camping parties.

Thompson's Lake, named from John and Wil- liam Thompson, lies in the northeast part of the town, and is partly in the town of Knox. It has an area of one hundred and ten acres.

A rocky ledge on the southern boundary is cov- ered with a growth of trees and is used as a camp- ing and picnic ground.

This lake has recently attracted to it many boarders from Albany and other places. Ten years ago there was but a single dilapidated struc- ture on its western shore, which could neither be sold nor rented.

William J. Hart was the first to sce and take hold of the project of keeping boarders, and has now a

large house on a spot which commands a view of the entire lake, and is called the Lake View House. The success of the enterprise was such that there are now three boarding-houses well filled during the summer.

This geological formation generally contains mineral springs. Within the limits of the town there are several powder or sulphur springs.

Two of these are upon the land of Jacob Hoch- strasser, are named in an early geological report as of considerable importance, and give name and character to the large boarding-house erected near them in 1880. Their capacity is daily five hun- dred and three hundred gallons.

Upon the farm of Thomas J. Wood is another spring of the same character, and there is still another upon the farm of John Miner Deitz, in the valley of the Switzkill.

On the land of Alfred Hungerford, at Reidsville, is a spring impregnated with carbonate of iron and a little sulphuretted hydrogen. Its water is as clear as crystal, while its character is strongly marked. It is worthy of inspection as being the only one of this nature known to exist in the town.

III .- ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT.

There were but about eight families who origi- nally settled this town. These were the Weidmans, Zehs, Balls, Deitzes, Knieskems, Shultes, Basslers and Hochstrassers. Jacob Weidman was one of the pioneer settlers and is supposed to have been the leader of the party. He came from the city of Berne, Switzerland, with his wife and four sons, and located in the town as early as 1750.

He is acknowledged as having had the honor of giving the name to the town, which may have been accorded him from his priority of settlement, or his extensive ownership of land, or the particular influence which he exerted upon his neighbors.

The route taken by the party was along the line of an Indian foot-path leading in the direction of Schoharie. An Indian familiar with the country was chosen as their guide.

Their furniture, provisions, tools, etc., were car- ried upon their backs. Foot-sore and weary, and camping here and there along the way, they at length reached a spot, now the site of the village of Knox.

While encamped here a dispute arose, the cause of which is supposed to be as to who should be the recognized leader. But, be that as it may, the quarrel was of such importance as to give to the spot the name of " Fechtberg," or fighting hill.

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HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

An earlier historian, in mentioning this fact, states that the dispute was settled, and that the party kept on their course to Schoharie.

The writer, however, believes that this dispute caused such a division in the party as to separate it, the one part going to Schoharie, and the other remaining in the town of Berne. This is confirmed by certain dates found upon the rough head-stones in the Pine Grove Cemetery at Berne, which has ever since been recognized as a burial plot. The date upon one of these is 1700, another 1720, and still another bears the date of 1728.

Nor does this militate against the common opinion that the town was settled from Schoharie, since parts of the same families were afterward in- duced to return.

Jacob Weidman took up the land on the banks of the Foxenkill, on the site of the village of Berne, a tract covering many hundreds of acres, and reach- ing in width from the village of Berne to the road running northward, near the boarding-house of Jacob Hochstrasser.

He had been by occupation a miller in his native city of Berne, in Switzerland. He located himself at a point on the Foxenkill where he thought a mill could be best planted, and here established, as soon as circumstances permitted, the first grist-mill and saw-mill in the town. These mills were known as early as 1787 as Weidman's Mills.

The mill property itself consisted of thirty acres of land. It was leased in 1790 to Jacob Weidman for sixteen years, at a rental of £7. At the ex- piration of this term it was again leased for ten years, at a rental of £30.

Jacob Weidman was also one of the founders of the Reformed Church in the town, having brought with him from the heart of Switzerland the exalted faith of his fathers. His name appears on the rec- ords as an elder as early as 1763.

Frederick Bassler, another of the pioneer settlers, came from Basle, Switzerland, about the year 1750. He was among the Palatinates who sought to escape religious oppression in Germany and to ob- tain religious freedom in a new country. The family were highly influential, and gave name and character to the land from whence they came. These traits he brought with him and handed them down to his descendants.

The Deitzes became component parts of the town in its beginnings, and settled for the most part the valley of the Switzkill.

Hendrick Ball, the head of that family line, took up the farm now occupied by Stephen Ball.

Hendrick Knieskem occupied the land now owned by Jacob Knieskem.

The Zeh family, for the most part, settled the land along the Foxenkill from what is known as the Boarding-house to the village of East Berne.

Matthias Shultes, the head of all the Shultes throughout this section, took up over four hundred acres of land along the northeast side of the West Mountain, sloping gradually to the road that passes the farms of John and Allen Shultes.

Jacob Hochstrasser, as one of the pioneer settlers, exerted a no small influence in the early history of the organization of the town. He was a man of intellect and possessed great executive ability. He was one of the committee to petition the Legislature to set off the town from that of Rensselaerville and the chairman of the committee to draft the town laws.

When the town was organized he was its first supervisor and first justice of the peace. He owned a large tract of land where the White Sulphur Spring House now stands. He was a fit represen- tative of the manly elements of that early society.

In 1790 three Scotch-Irish families came into the town from New Scotland and settled a large tract of land upon the Irish Hill. These were the Hays, Youngs and Currans.

Soon after this came the Filkins and Congers, the former locating on what is known as Filkins Hill, the latter occupying the land in and around Reidsville.

Other influences than these came into the town to settle and strengthen it.

New England sent a number of representative families. Among these were the Gallups, Whipples, Crarys, Browns and Williams.

Samuel Gallup and his son came from Groton, Conn., in 1786, and bought a large farm in the neighborhood of the Whipple cemetery, now in the town of Knox.

His son Nathaniel became one of the strongest forces in the town. For fourteen years he was town clerk, and wielded a skillful pen. The rec- ords show that he was a man of no ordinary ability. He was also a justice of the peace for at least nine- teen years. His numerous descendants own and occupy many farms in the neighborhood of East Berne.

Malachi Whipple, another representative man, came from Stonington, Conn., to this town about the year 1793, and bought what has ever since been known as the Whipple farm.

This farm in 1820 took the premium as the model farm in Albany County. This premium was

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THE TOWNSHIP OF BERNE.

two solid silver pitchers and five silver cups, which are still in the possession of the family. He after- ward received premiums on sheep, on wool and on cloth. In 1825 he removed to the village of Berne ; bought the grist-mill property, and built the pres- ent mill. The valuable property of E. V. Filkins, the widow Fairlees, and that of the widow Davis, were included in this purchase.

He also, with William H. Ball and Lyman Dwight, built a carding and fulling mill. In his day he was recognized as a leader, and chosen to those positions which required special wisdom and prudence in their management.

Miner Walden, another worthy citizen of the town, came from Vermont in 1797. He estab- lished the first carding machine where wool and cloth were carded and dressed. In connection with this business he also carried on a store, and did an extensive trade.

He was a man who left a marked influence upon the town, which is felt even to this day far beyond the circle of his descendants. For many years he was a justice of the peace, and occupied the then prominent position of chorister in the Reformed Church.

Another worthy citizen who figured prominently in the early history of this town was Moses Patten, of an honored New England family. He came from Londonderry, New Hampshire, in 1820. He had previously graduated from Union College, and had studied law.

From the first, certain qualifications were recog- nized which made him a leader where the quali- ties of leadership were of supreme importance.

He served as town clerk, justice of the peace, commissioner and inspector of common schools, and also as supervisor, and filled these positions with honor to himself and with great credit to the town.

For many years he was engaged in the mercan- tile business in the village of Berne. The character of the firm was such, that it monopolized a great portion of the trade throughout the town.

On receiving the appointment of Surrogate of the County, Mr. Patten removed to the City of Albany, where, after a useful and busy life, he died in 1867.

His brother James, elsewhere mentioned, and a younger brother, Samuel, were important factors in the development of the town.

Besides the influences just mentioned in con- nection with the settlement and growth of the town, it might be well to give a single sample of the native-born talent.

One of the most influential men, and a native of the town, was Jacob Settle. He was what may be termed a " full man."

His judgment was clear on all matters of busi- ness, and this was coupled with great firmness and conscientiousness. He was the arbiter chosen in many a contest, and his decision was regarded as final.

From 1812 to 1864 he was engaged in the mer- cantile business, and by industry and prudence he built up a trade that was second to none in the town.

He represented the town in the Assembly, in the Board of Supervisors, and served as justice of the peace and as town clerk.

He was also for thirty-five years postmaster, for several years a commissioner and inspector of common schools.

He was appointed by Gov. De Witt Clinton, May 7, 1818, Cornet of the Fifth Regiment of Cavalry of the State of New York, and in 1821 was commissioned its Captain. Again, in 1824, he was appointed Major of the 31st Regiment of Cavalry, and in 1825 was raised to the position of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Through his instrumentality a plank road was run from Schohaire, through the town, to connect with one running to Albany. This road ran par- allel with the Foxenkill, and was of vast impor- tance in grading and shortening the old Beaverdam road.

In 1833, through the failure of the ax factory of Daniel Simmons, Mr. Settle was seriously involved and besieged by anxious creditors. In this emer- gency he was assisted to his feet by Mr. Thomas W. Olcott, of Albany, and also by the firm in New York with which he did business.

At the end of a few years he was able, not only to meet his indebtedness, but to accumulate a hand- some property.

In church and state he was a power, and his death was sincerely mourned by all.

EARLY BUILDINGS.

These were log structures. Isaac Wilsey, the oldest native resident of the town, born in 1796, describes the house in which he was born as built of peeled elm logs. The roof consisted of long poles, overlaid with elm bark tied down to them. There was but one room below and a loft above. The floors were made of heavy pine timber, cigh- teen inches wide, and the door was a double one, with a latch-string upon the outside. The building

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HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

was used, some time after it was vacated, as a shop, in which home-spun cloth was made.

Heremembers to have seen many of these build- ings in his early days, similarly constructed.

These houses, however, were soon replaced by others more modern in style. The house in which Thomas J. Wood, the Supervisor of the town, lives has upon its corner stone the initials P. F. and the date 1795.

The house on the farm of Frederick Zeh and the house of Nathaniel Gallup were built about 1795.

The house of the widow Fairlee, in the village of Berne, was built for a tavern in 1809. It was used as a recruiting station during the war of 1812.

The dwelling of Petrus Weidman, the miller, one of the oldest known residences in the town, was upon the site of the house of the widow of Edward Settle.

The largest and most complete house stood upon the site of Jacob P. Warner's dwelling. It was built about the year 1800 by Petrus Weidman. It had great halls, double doors and ten fire-places. There were five rooms in the cellar, which was oc- cupied by the negro slaves.

EARLY STORES.

In the early history of the town there were but few stores, and these were located on the main roads. There were no centers of trade in villages.

The staple articles for sale were rum, molasses and tobacco. What are now called dry goods were then home-spun. There was no muslin, nor calico, nor fancy articles needed, and no tea and coffee were drank.

Sugar was all made from the sap of the hard maple, which was very abundant. The manu- facture of this sugar was a distinct business, in which every family was engaged, whether they owned property or not. Buckets and troughs were made from the butts of large trees.

The store of Johannes Fisher was the first one known to have been established in the town. It was in the same building now owned and occupied by Thomas J Wood. The first wagon known was used by the proprietor of this store, in which to transport his goods from Albany. It was two- wheeled.

Stephen Willes (known as Major Willes), from Connecticut, established a store in the town as, early as 1800. He is described as a large, portly man, and very shrewd in the management of his business. He located on the site of Hiram Warner's resi- dence, a mile from what is now the village of East

Berne, and built a large New England house, with a large chimney in the center and three fire- places.

His business increased so rapidly that he soon built a store on the opposite side of the road.

Besides the store, and on the left hand side of the bridge, was a potash factory, and on the right hand side a tannery. On the north side of the creek he established a whisky still and a saddle and harness and boot and shoe manufactory. He ex- changed for ashes, for bark for tanning purposes and for rye, the goods which he constantly kept on hand and which the necessities of the people de- manded.

In 1825 he established a second store in the village of East Berne, in order to ward off opposi- tion in trade on the part of Albert and Benjamin Gallup.

He was one of the town builders, and occupied many posts of usefulness within the gift of the people, such as Member of Assembly, Supervisor, etc. Dr. Almerin Hubbell, son-in law to Peter Weidman, went into the business of store-keeping in 1803, on the site of the residence of Mrs. Ed- ward Settle.

In 1811 Miner Walden, from Vermont, began life as a store-keeper in the basement of the house owned and occupied by E. V. Filkins, Esq.

Johan Jost Deitz, known as Col. Deitz, kept store on the site of Peter Bassler's residence in 1812. In 1816 he took as partner Jacob Settle. Their business was extensive. Fourteen barrels of potash sold by them this year in New York netted them six hundred and sixteen dollars and ninety- eight cents.

MILLS AND FACTORIES.

The earliest mill established was that of Jacob Weidman in 1750. It was located about fifteen or twenty feet from the site of the grist-mill of Francis Becker. A saw-mill built by Jacob Weidman was also erected near the same spot.

Soon after this another mill was built back of the school-house, at East Berne, by Johannes and Christopher Warner. This mill must have been built as early as 1765, since the Warners were among the pioneer settlers of the town.

About the year 1790 Jacob Post established a mill near the site of the village of West Berne. The grist was, in early times, carried to the mill in a bag, thrown over the back of a horse, behind the rider. Asa Culvard, or Culver, about the same time, erected a clothing mill in what is now South

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THE TOWNSHIP OF BERNE.

Berne. Several mills for the carding of wool and manufacture of cloth were established ; notable among these were the mills of Miner Walden and William H. Ball.

These mills all became centers for the villages which afterward sprang up around them. Here dwellings were planted and stores and shops erected.

The mills at the present time are : Francis Becker's mill, built by Malachi Whipple in 1832. It contains three run of stone and all the necessary appliances.

It has a Herkley wheel of forty-two horse-power, and a thirty-two feet fall of water. Twenty-seven thousand bushels of grain is the yearly average of business done.

MOSES A. M. GALLUP'S MILL.

This is the most complete mill in the county outside of the city of Albany. If space would permit, a description of this mill might be noted.

The present mill was planned and erected in 1858 by Clark, Decker & Gardner.

Luman Lobdell was then the proprietor, and he spared neither labor nor money to make it in every way complete.

The building is five stories high, has four run of fine French burr stones, and an overshot wheel twenty-two feet in diameter.

Every bag of grain can be carried to any floor in the building by the power and emptied to any stone, thus relieving the person of all lifting. The supply of water is constant.

The mill property consists of ninety-three acres, which, together with the buildings upon it, is valued at from sixteen to eighteen thousand dol- lars. The annual amount of grain passing through this mill is thirty thousand bushels.

Mr. Gallup has also a saw-mill which cuts annually fifteen thousand feet of timber, and he is about to introduce into it a machine by which five thousand shingles can be made in a single day.

JACOB MINER HOCHSTRASSER'S MILL.

This building has a history identical with that of the town. It was the first carding machine ; a factory for making shoe pegs ; afterward the place where axes were ground, polished and painted ; a manufactory for all kinds of furniture ; and for a time it was the Methodist meeting house.

As a grist-mill it has been run for three years. It has a twenty-five horse steam power, which, together with the water, makes forty liorse-power. It has two run of stone, and grinds annually

twenty thousand bushels of grain, which is a yearly business of one thousand dollars.

ELIAS ZEH'S MILL, SOUTH BERNE.

This mill was built in the year 1855, and again rebuilt by its present proprietor in 1884.

It rests upon the site of the clothing mill of Asa Culvard built in 1790. It is run by water supplied from a pond, and grinds yearly twenty thousand bushels of grain. The mill property consists of one hundred acres of land.

WATSON CHESEBRO'S SAW-MILL.

This building was first used as a foundry by Henry Engle. It was afterward fitted up as a tannery. John Rossiter, Jacob D. Settle and Oscar Tyler carried on this business in it for a number of years. It was also a place for the manufacture of furniture of various kinds.

As a saw-mill it has cut three hundred thousand feet of timber in a single year. The amount of business now done yearly is estimated at one thousand dollars.

AX FACTORY OF DANIEL SIMMONS.

This was the most extensive business ever con- ducted in this town. It was the first ax factory in the United States, and perhaps in the world, in which axes were made from cast steel.

Daniel Simmons came to Berne from the town of Bethlehem about the year 1821 as a journey- man blacksmith, and began business in the shop of Henry Engle, midway between the Lutheran Church and the house of John D. White.

Having previously learned the art of ax-making from his uncle, who had become moderately well off in the business, he continued to hammer out, on his anvil, a few axes a day during hours of leisure otherwise unemployed.

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Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 177

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1452

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452