Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 257

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 257

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The Methodist Episcopal Society of West Glen- ville was organized in 1822 by Rev. Roswell Kelley, pastor, with seventy members. The first house of worship was erected in 1823, and the present house in 1848. The church is built of brick, and valued at $2,500, and will seat two hundred and fifty persons. This society was con- nected with the village of Charlton until 1877, when it was connected with a flourishing society at East Glenville, with a separate pastor. The present membership of the charge is one hundred and twenty-four. Its successive pastors have been Reverends T. Dodgson, C. Pomeroy, R. Kelley, John Fassett, W. Little, D. Poor, H. Williams, George C. Wells, L. D. Sherwood, W. T. Heard, H. Williams, John Thompson, J. S. Hart, J. F. Cope, W. F. Tiffany, R. Washburn, J. B. Wood, R. Patterson, S. S. Ford, William Earle, J. H. Coleman, D. T. Elliot ; and since 1877 --- Sut- ton, F. R. Sherwood, Joel Martin, J. P. Crane, W. W. Whitney, and the present pastor, Rev. H. S. Allen. This church a year ago procured two acres for a burial ground.

EAST GLENVILLE.

East Glenville contains a neat Methodist Episco- pal Church that has been lately rebuilt and refur- nished, with a burial ground attached, and a flourish- ing society and Sabbath-school, and a Lodge of Good Templars.

The Town House is half a mile south of the Methodist Church. It was formerly a hotel, but at present has no license. A grocery store is kept in one part of it. This is all there is of the place.

High Mills is in the northeast part of the town. It is a small place, containing a grist-mill and saw- mill, a blacksmith shop, wagon shop, and a few other small shops. The town lately built at this place, across the Aalplaat Creek, a fine iron bridge in place of the old wooden structure that formerly existed here.

SCOTIA.

The village of Scotia lies between the Mohawk and Sanders Lake, about half a mile from Sche- nectady. Reeseville was a suburb of Scotia of seven hundred and twenty-eight houses, and was named after a wealthy gentleman by the name of Reese who moved into that neighborhood. The two places have since grown together, and are now

188

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF SCHENECTADY.

known only as Scotia. Scotia, the ancient name of Scotland, was the name given by its first settler. This tract commences at a point nearly opposite the eastern extremity of the city, and extends west- erly along the north side of the Mohawk about two miles. The first patent conveying it was granted November 3, 1665, by Governor Richard Niccols to Sanders Lendertse Glen (Anglice, Alex- ander Lindsay Glen). Mr. Glen was an immediate descendant of the Earl of Crawford and Lindsey, whose family had been on the peerage roll up to 1399. Mr. Glen took to wife Catharine McDon- ald, the daughter of a Highland chieftain. He left Scotland in the year 1645, to avoid persecution in consequence of the stand he had taken in refer- ence to certain religious disputes which then agitated the country. He sided with the unfor- tunate Charles the First, who vainly strove to intro- duce the English liturgy into Scotland. Mr. Glen first emigrated to Holland, and engaged in mercan- tile pursuits for a number of years. He finally came to New York, in company with a number of Dutch families. There and in Albany and in Sche- nectady he resided for several years. Some time previous to 1690 he moved to Scotia. The coun- try seat of Mr. Glen is still owned by his descend- ants, the Sanders family. Although it bears the advanced age of one hundred and seventy-two years, it bids fair to outlive many of the flimsy structures which characterize the American archi- tecture of the present century. The iron figures showing the date of its erection (1713) are still to be seen. During the French wars it was rendered defensible. At the foot of a small hillock a few yards east of the mansion, tradition points to the spot where the Mohawks occasionally performed their sacrifices.

As is elsewhere related, Captain Daniel Toll, during the French and Indian war, was the first victim of the Beukendaal massacre.

Scotia contains about ninety dwellings, two stores, one hotel, without license, two blacksmith shops, shoe store, wagon-maker's shop, and a few other places of business. It has a large district school-house, two churches, fire department, and a lodge of Good Templars.

The Sanders House in this village is one of its principal attractions. It is built a few feet to the north of where the first house stood, that was spared from destruction by the French and Indians in the terrible destruction and massacre at Schenectady in 1690, on account of favors shown previously by Mr. Glen to the French and Indians in a time of their suffering. The present stone house was bailt in 1713, and is still owned and occupied by the Sanders family. The present occupant is Charles P. Sanders, of the seventh generation, with a large household of Sanderses. Their present farm consists of 1,000 acres, Ico acres of which is used for market garden. One hundred cows are kept on the farm, besides a large quantity of other stock. Thirty acres are used for berries. The yield of these rich alluvial flats, thoroughly worked as these are, is astonishing. Mr. Sanders has one acre that yielded this year 1, 300 bushels of carrots, Mr.

Sanders has three milk wagons and four vegetable wagons for delivery daily to Schenectady, and ships a large quantity of vegetables to New York.

In 1873 a fire department was organized by vol- untary subscriptions, two cisterns were built, one hand engine was purchased, with 400 feet of hose and cart. In 1877 this fire company was duly in- corporated by the Legislature of the State, and pro- visions made for its support, at an annual expense not to exceed $250, to be levied and collected upon the school district as usual school taxes are.

The organization of this company was the out- come of a series of incendiary fires, which will long be remembered by those who were residents of the village during the winter of 1873-74. For all winter long, every resident in turn was fully armed and determined to mete out justice on the spot to the incendiary. From four to ten persons patrolled the streets each night from dark to daylight, at times through snow knee-deep and in blinding storms, around every house, barn and outbuilding in the place. In two years' time, within a radius of less than one mile, four dwellings in which fam- ilies were living, one vacant house, two stores, one broom shop, two blacksmith shops, one rope-walk about 400 feet long, one straw barn, one large broom-corn dry-house, three large barns, together with other small outbuildings-all of these, with their contents, furniture, horses, cows, hogs, fowls, etc., were entirely destroyed, excepting one store and dwelling, from which a portion of the contents were saved. Several other buildings were set on fire, and the fire was extinguisbed with small dam- age. The largest of these fires, and the most ex- citing, was on the night of November Ist and morning of the 2d, 1873, when the large rope-walk and fifteen other buildings were on fire at the same time. Since the organization of the fire company the loss by fire has been very small.

The only bridges of note are across the Mohawk, of which two are toll road bridges, and four rail- road bridges, all built of iron, of the latest style and best construction. The road bridge from Scotia to Schenectady deserves special mention. At this crossing was the first ferry over the Mohawk from Schenectady to Scotia. The first bridge was built in about 1807, and was in two immense spans with but one pier, which was in the center of the river. (This pier still remains, and is the center pier of the present bridge. ) This first bridge when about completed, before a team had crossed it, fell of its own weight into the river.

A second structure was built in 1809, with two additional piers. Burr, the justly celebrated archi- tect, planned and superintended the construction of it. In 1821 this bridge was reconstructed, having passed into the hands of the President, Directors, etc., of the Mohawk Bridge Co., by an Act of the State Legislature; the cost was $49,000, divided into §5 shares. Four additional piers were added, and a cover was made over the entire length. By these additions the appearance was very irregular, and the new piers steadily settled and leaned, so that the bridge became as zig-zag as a rail fence,

189

THE TOWNSHIP OF GLENVILLE.

and its crazy appearance to those who passed through it in its last days, will not soon be for- gotten. Yet so firmly was this wooden structure put together, that the process .of taking it down was a task of great difficulty.

Over this bridge the Saratoga Railroad to Albany first crossed in 1832, and continued until 1835, when the Albany and Utica Railroad was built, and united with the Saratoga and built a double- track bridge half a mile below.

The Saratoga Railroad Company, when they first built their road across the Scotia bridge, in consideration of land furnished them by Mr. Sanders on the Scotia side for depot, freight- houses and repair shops, etc., bound themselves to stop trains there twice a day forever, and to do all their repairing there. The railroad company soon after, with more forethought, bought Mr. Sanders' claim against them for the sum of $1, 500, and, as before stated, united with the Utica Rail- road in 1835, and built a double-track bridge half a mile below this.

By a special act of the State Legislature in 1874, the town of Glenville came into possession of the old covered bridge and took it down, and built the present superb structure, an iron bridge of nine spans, and now permits the inhabitants of Glen- ville to pass over it free, charging toll to all others. This bridge was constructed by the Remington Manufacturing Company, Ilion, N. Y., at a cost of $61,000. C. P. Sanders, President ; I. H. Toll, T. C. ; Committee : S. Hallenbeck, I. W. Pangburn, S. V. R. Ford, M. C. Dyer ; and C. Hilton, engineer.

The Utica and Albany Railroad, to obtain their charter, were required to build a dyke, for a high- way, from the Scotia bridge to the Sanders' resi- dence, a distance of half a mile, across the low flats that overflow yearly, and to keep it in repair. This dyke is fifteen feet high above the flats. When the Utica Railroad became a part of the New York Central, to obtain their charter they were obliged to take this dyke and keep it in repair. The Central is now trying to throw its maintenance upon the town. Fifteen years ago, Rev. F. F. Wilson secured sufficient funds, by voluntary sub- scription, to build a plank walk along this dyke, and in 1874 it was replaced by a stone flag walk through money obtained in the same manner.

There is an iron toll bridge three miles down the river, connecting Glenville with Niskayuna.

The New York Central crosses from Schenectady over a four-track bridge into Glenville, and runs nine miles through the town along the Mohawk westward.

The Boston and Hoosac Tunnel Railroad, built in 1883, runs three and one-half miles in this town, and crosses on an iron bridge into Rotterdam, there connecting with the West Shore road at Rot- terdam Junction. It is a single track, although its charter and bridges provide for a double track.

The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company runs three and one-half miles in the town, passing out of Schenectady on a double-track iron bridge of their own, having left the Central's bridge,

The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company have also lately built another iron bridge across the Mohawk, one and a half miles below the city, for a side track.

CHURCHES.

The Second Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Glenville, at Scotia, was organized November 21, 1818. At its organization it was called the North Branch of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Schenectady, from the fact that its first members who resided on this side of the Mohawk were for- merly connected with the Dutch Church in Sche- nectady. This name was retained till the year 1834, when the present one was adopted. The organ- ization of this church was largely due to the efforts of the Rev. Andrew Yates, D. D., a professor in Union College, who for several years did mission- ary work among the people then settled here. The names of the first consistory of this church, were: Cornelius De Graff, John Haverly, John Van Pat- ten and Aaron Van Antwerp, elders ; Alexander Van Epps, Cornelius Viele, Simon Van Patten and Aaron R. Schermerhorn, deacons. The church edifice, built of brick, was completed and dedicated July 14, 1822. There was no settled pastor until the year 1826, it being supplied by Revs. Yates and Proudfit, of Union College. The following is the list of its pastors and the length of their pas- torates: Rev. James Murphy, eight years ; Rev. Hermon B. Stryker, three years; Rev. A. J. Stuits, four years ; Rev. A. B. Crocker, six years ; Rev. N. D. Williamson, four years ; Rev. Elbert Slingerland, three years ; Rev. Philip Berry, eighteen months ; Rev. F. F. Wilson, six years ; Rev. A. A. Bookstaver, about two years ; Rev. A. Johnston, four years ; Rev. H. Van Derwart, six years. The present pastor is Rev. D. K. Van Doren. He took charge of the church May 1, 1883. The first parsonage for the use of the min- ister was purchased October, 1829, of Barent Cra- mer. It was located in the village of Scotia, and cost three hundred dollars. The present parsonage is situated upon the church lot, and occupies the most beautiful and sightly location in this region. It was built in the year 1870, and belongs to the Ladies' Society connected with the church. This society was organized in the year 1850, and was incorporated in 1870.

In the rear and on either side of the church is the cemetery, including about an acre of ground, which was laid out in lots and inclosed by a stone wall in the year 1849. This stone wall was the work of John Chamberlain and John Sanders. The burial place prior to the year 1849 was along the highway that leads from the church to Scotia.

The interior of the church edifice has twice been repaired; the first during the pastorate of Rev. F. F. Wilson, when the high pulpit, that stood on pil- lars, and the old-fashioned square pews were re- moved; and again during the pastorate of Rev. H. Van Derwart, when a thorough internal renovation and remodeling took place at a cost of over $3, 000. It is a gem in its present internal arrangement. The present consistory are: W. T. L. Sanders, William Rector, John Lansing and John Houck, Elders;

190

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF SCHENECTADY.

and Joseph Cornell, Peleg Thomas, Anthony Stalker, John McMichael, Deacons. The present membership of the church is one hundred and sixty-one. The Superintendent of the Sabbath- school is Hon. W. T. L. Sanders, who has occu- pied that important position for twenty-five years.

The Scotia Baptist Church of Glenville was organized July 1, 1840, with a membership of sixty-seven, which has increased to one hundred. The value of church property is $9,000.

The pastors have been: S. McCollum, 1840 to 1842; H. J. Moshier, 1842 to 1843; Will- iam Bowen, 1849 to 1850; Almon Virgil, 1851 to 1852; Rev. Mr. Green, 1853 to death; J. H. Kent, ordained January, 1855, to May, 1857; J. W. Jones, 1856 to 1861; T. S. Rud- gers, 1862 to 1864; Simeon Knapp, ordained February, 1865 to death, May 15, 1867; C. L. Van Allen, 1867 to 1871; H. W. Webber, 1871 to 1873; J. R. Merriman, 1873 to 1876; T. H. Judson, 1877 (six months); T. G. Lamb, 1877 to 1878; Edward Conover, 1879 to 1883. The pastorate is now vacant.

The church for about twenty years has had a burial ground of four acres. These facts are fur- nished by W. G. Caw, Esq., clerk.

SCHOOLS.

There are eighteen districts and school-houses, of which fourteen are in the town and four are joint districts connecting with adjoining towns. School buildings are generally good. Scotia has a fine two- story brick structure, with two departments, employ- ing two first-class teachers. Mr. Wemple is principal. It has 105 scholars. Whole number of scholars in the town between the ages of five and twenty-one years, 780. The pay of teachers is from one to two dollars per day.

THE TOLL FAMILY.

Anterior to the arrival in America of Karel Haen- sen Toll, nothing definite of the direct lineage is recorded. The name, however, is not unknown in foreign history.

In old records the name is variously written as Toll, Tol, Van Toll, Van Tholl, and Tollins ..

Henrich Toll, surnamed " the Valiant," com- manded the Dutch ship in which he bore the order for the surrender of the New Netherlands to the English, June 7, 1674.

Karel Haensen Toll was born in Norway about 1650. He was a mariner, and while on a cruise was captured off the coast of Central America and imprisoned in the fortress of Puerto Bello. He es- caped, swam to a vessel, and reached New York probably in 1680. He soon came to Albany, and there married Tyobert Binckhout. In 1684 they removed to Schenectady and bought part of the seventh flat. In 1694 he was a member of the Dutch Church. He bought many parcels of land, some of them quite extensive, and once owned what is now the Court House lot in Schenectady. In 1715 he was elected to the first Assembly con- vened after the accession of George I, and served

until 1726. He died at his home at Maalwyck on March, 1737. Much of the property of Karel Toll is still in the possession of his descendants. Maal- wyck is retained by the heirs of his son Simon, and those of his son Daniel occupy Beukendaal.

Captain Daniel Toll, born July, 1691, married Grietje, daughter of Samuel Bratt, September 8, 1717. Seven children were born, three of whom were living when he made his will in 1747. His wife died in 1743. He was the first victim of the Beukendaal massacre. [An account of this mas- sacre will be found in connection with the French and Indian Wars.]

Johannes Toll, son of Daniel, was born August 13, 1719, and married Eva Van Petten December 23, 1742. He died December 21, 1746, leaving a wife and one child.

Carel Haensen Toll, son of Johannes, born February 1745, married Elizabeth, daughter of Philip Ryley, January 10, 1767. He inherited the Beukendaal estate. He also purchased other lands. Tunis Vrooman, John Winne and others now own part of these lands. He died at the homestead August 26, 1832, and Elizabeth also died there Octo- ber 25, 1839. They had seven children, five daugh- ters, all of whom made desirable marriages, and two sons, Johannes and Philip Ryley. Philip R. Toll married the daughter of Judge Isaac De Graff, of Schenectady. He served in the war of 1812 under General Wade Hampton. In 1834 he removed to Michigan, where he subsequently died.

Johannes Toll (John C.) was born September 13, 1780. He graduated from Union College in 1799, and subsequently entered the ministry of the Reformed Dutch Church. He lost his health in 1821, and removed to his farm, where he died Octo- ber 21, 1849. His wife survived him until October 9, 1859. They had three sons and one daughter.

Philip Ryley Toll was born February 9, 1811, at Canajoharie, N. Y., and married Maria De Graff, of Amsterdam, N. Y., September 13, 1842. He died at the homestead April 7, 1883. He left a widow and one son and two daughters, the eldest being married to Mr. E. D. Hill, of Albany, N. Y., September 13, 1882.

The Toll homestead, now called Locust Vale, is at present managed by Frank R. Toll. It is situ- ated on the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, four miles northwest from Schenectady, and contains 180

acres. The residence, farm buildings and soil make it one of the finest homes in the section. The resi- dence is surrounded by thrifty orchards. Upon the premises are Toll's Vinegar Works, where during the last year 10,000 bushels of apples were made into cider.

Miss Maria Antoinette Toll kindly furnished a detailed history of the Toll family. We regret that lack of space forbids our publishing it in full- only a part appears above. Miss Toll is a daughter of the late Philip R. Toll, Esq., Glenville, of the Beukendaal (Beech Valley) Farm. She is a fine artist, having studied under Mr. Palmer, of Albany, and has lately opened a studio in Schenectady that is attracting much attention,

191

THE TOWNSHIP OF GLENVILLE.

n 112

Restor

WILLIAM RECTOR was born in Glenville (then the fourth ward of the city of Schenectady) Decem- ber 4, 1856, a son of Zachariah and Maria (Moore) Rector, natives of Schodac, Rensselaer County. His education was limited to the course of instruc- tion then afforded by the common schools of his native town. He was obliged to work to earn a living for himself, and also to aid his father's family, from the time he was a mere lad. May 12, 1834, he married Miss Susan Haverley, of Glen- ville. His mother died December 24, 1841, and his father November 15, 1845, when he inherited the latter's farm. In December, 1847, he pur- chased his present homestead, and moved thereon in March, 1848, from the family homestead, a mile north, where he has since lived. Mr. and Mrs. Rector have been spared through a long period of married life. They have had three chil- dren, two of whom, Christian Rector and Mrs. J. T. Wyatt, are living.

Mr. Rector has been a life-long Democrat, and has taken a creditable interest in public affairs. The concerns of his town have commanded his at-

tention to a considerable degree, and he has served his townsmen as Assessor, Commissioner of High- ways, and for twenty-seven years as one of the Trustees of the Town Fund. He, as has his family, has long been connected with the Dutch Reformed Church of Scotia, to the interests of which he has ever been a willing and liberal contributor.

BROOM CORN.

The first broom corn planted in the Mohawk Valley was about fifty years ago.

Isaac Toll, father of Charles B. Toll, present proprietor of the Maalwyck Farm, one and one- half miles west from Schenectady, was one of the first to engage in its production. George Can- field, of New Jersey, came to Glenville about 1840. He invented the hand-planter, the horse-planter, and greatly improved the broom-winder.

Mr. Charles H. Toll was one of the largest cultivators and consumers of broom corn in the world. He planted 100 acres, and converted into brooms the products of 1,000 acres yearly. AIr. Toll invented a machine for winding brooms

192

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF SCHENECTADY.

by steam, one for sewing them, and also one for inclosing bunches of brooms in manilla sacks. His sales here have been 47,000 dozen brooms annually, 20,000 dozen of which he manufactured.

Since 1877 the broom-corn interest has declined in Glenville. The competition of western lands is the cause. Parties from Glenville have gone to different parts of the country and given instruc- tions in the business. Glenville farmers have lately engaged quite extensively in the milk busi- ness, supplying the people of Schenectady, and

now only a few small broom factories remain in the town. [In connection with the history of the industries of Schenectady, a more general account of broom corn appears. ]

We take pleasure in making mention of the fol- lowing well-known citizens, who, by their guaran- teed support, have helped to insure the publication of this valuable work : J. G. Lansing, P. A. Liv- ingston, C. W. Marcellus, Joseph K. Passage, Wm. Rector, Charles P. Sanders, Jr., F. R. Toll, James Van Vorst and J. D. Van Epps.

HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF NISKAYUNA.

By Rev. E. E. TAYLOR.

INTRODUCTION.

THE name of this town is said to be derived from

the term Nis-ti-go-oo-ne, or Co-nis-ti-glo-no, by which it is known on the old maps. The name signifies extensive corn flats. The term was also applied to portions of Watervliet and Half- moon, and the first ward of Schenectady. Upon the advent of the whites, this place was occupied by a tribe of Indians known as the Conistigione.

Niskayuna was formed from Watervliet, Albany County, March 7, 1809, with a population of 681; and a part of Schenectady was annexed in 1853. Niskayuna contains 10,471 acres. It lies on the Mohawk in the east part of the County. Its sur- face is mostly upland, terminating in steep bluffs upon the river valley. The intervales are very rich and productive. A strip of land, about a mile wide, extending back from the summits of the bluffs, has a hard clay soil, and a considerable portion of it is swampy and unfit for cultivation; further south the soil is sandy. Population of the town in 1880 was 990.

The following are the names, which tradition has preserved, of a few of the chiefs of the Connesti- giune band, who inhabited this section of country : Ron-warrigh-wok-go-wa, signifying in English the great fault-finder or grumbler; Ka-na-da-rokh- go-wa, signifying a great eater; Ro-ya-na, a chief; As-sa ve-go, big knife; A-voon-ta-go-wa, big tree. Of these, the first made the greatest objections to alienating their lands to the whites, and in every deed was careful to have a covenant inserted, by which the rights of hunting and fishing were pre- served to them. It was a common saying of his that "after the whites have taken possession of our lands, they will make kaut-sore (literally 'spoon food' or soup) of our bodies." Yet he was on the most friendly terms with the whites, and was never backward in extending to them his powerful influence and personal aid during their expeditions against the Canadians during the

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 257

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