USA > New York > Forts and firesides of the Mohawk country, New York : the stories and pictures of landmarks of the pre-Revolutionary War period throughout the Mohawk valley and the surrounding country side, including some historic and genealogical mention during the post-war period > Part 8
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"the place of Broer Cornelis and the Great Flats together contain about
140 morgens according to the survey."
Broer Cornelis must have made it a point to cultivate the friendship of the Indians along both the Hudson and the Mohawk for in 1640 he is mentioned as living part of the time on a tract of land given him by the Mohawks at the site of their old village at Cohoes Falls. In 1646 Director Kieft of the Manhattans gave him a patent for land at Catskill in recognition of his services as peacemaker with the Indians and also for his influence in obtaining the release of some white men, held captive by them. In 1650 he was chosen to go with Arent Van Curler on an important mission into the "Maquas Country."
In addition to his other activities, Broer Cornelis found time to do considerable trading among the Indians from whom he earned his nickname "Broer" or "Brother," having married a part Indian woman (probably prior to his grant of land at Cohoes) and having been adopted into her tribe. His wife was Otstoch the daughter of an Indian squaw whose husband was a French trader named Hartell who came from the French settlements to the northward, about 1620. Little is known of Hartell and not much more of Otstoch, except that she was called a "Princess" and died on the great Island known as Van Slyck's Island. Tradition says she was a savage beauty and at her death was buried under an old willow tree at the eastern point of the Island, opposite the foot of Washington Avenue. The date of her death has not come down to us but Broer Cornelis died in 1676, after having spent much of his later life at Canajoharie among the Indians.
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FORTS AND FIRESIDES OF THE MOHAWK COUNTRY
Two sons survived Broer Cornelis, named Cornelis and Jacques. Perhaps Cornelis died early, for history has little to do with him. A third son, Marten, preceded his father in death. Van Slyck's Island, the same on which his mother was buried, was a gift to Marten from the Indians and was patented to Jacques, his brother, by Governor Stuyvesant in 1662, the year Marten died.
Jacques was born at the Indian village in Canajoharie in 1640 and like his father, became one of the original proprietors of Schenectady. He died about 1690, and during the most of the fifty years allotted him, was very active in the affairs of the settlement and in his trading business. He married Grietje, a daughter of Harmen Janse Ryckman of Albany by whom he had three sons and six daughters, all of whom were living in 1697. Following Jacques' death, Grietje married her brother-in-law, Adam Vrooman, whose wife had been among those slain in the massacre. . Jacques was probably the first licensed "tapster" in the village, the privilege to tap at that time being granted by the Governor. The site of
this tavern was at Washington Avenue and Cucumber Alley. The latter was a lane which led down to Van Styck's rope ferry where he crossed to his island to tend his crops. This "tapping" was a lucrative business and many desired the right to sell liquor, through the early years and but few were granted it. In 1671, Cornelis Cornelise Viele secured a license to tap because ---
"ye said Aques (Jacques) hath not sufficient accommodacon for strangers wch ye said Cornelys Corneluseen Velien doth promise to be well provided of"
He set up his "ordinary" on the south corner of State Street and Mill Lane, next to the church which then stood there. These two were the only "tapsters" in the village until after the death of Arent Van Curler, when out of consideration for Juffrau Van Curler over the loss of her husband by drowning, and the loss of her house and barns by fire, she was allowed to tap.
Broer Cornelis, the original settler, had two daughters, Hilletie and Lea (h), full sisters of Jacques, both of whom inherited the compelling beauty of their mother, Otstoch, the Indian Princess, and both married Dutchmen. Jasper Danckaerts, who made a trip to Rensselaerwyck in 1680, left a journal in which he describes his trip up the Hudson from New York to Albany. While there he stayed with Robert Sanders for a day or two, during which time Sanders took him about, showing him the "Great Falls" at Cohoes and other places of interest such as the Great Flats. Concerning his visit to Schenectady, Danckaerts says they ---
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THE VAN SLYCK HOUSE
"left Albany about 8 oclock for Schoenechtandeel-a place lying about 24 miles west, or northwest of Albany toward the country of the Mohawks. We rode over a fine sandy cart road through the woods of nothing but beautiful ever- greens or fir trees but a light and barren soil."
They reached Schenectady about noon and went to a friend of Robert Sanders. From there Danckaerts speaks of going with Adam Vrooman to see
"the flats which are exceedingly rich land."
The next day, Danckaerts' companion being sick, he went again with Sanders to se Adam Vrooman, and while there
"a certain Indian woman or half breed came with a little boy, her child, who was dumb or whose tongue had grown fast. It was about 4 years old. She had heard we were there and had come to ask whether we could do something to cure it. . . . Her name was Illetie."
From the long narrative which follows it is evident Danckaerts became interested in her at once. Indeed he says
"observing in her that (which) pleased me I asked her to . . . tell her story."
Hilletie (Illetie) Van Slyck tells them at length how she became interested in the Christians and their religion but was dissuaded by her mother who disliked them. Finally there came an open break between them and she left her mother, with whom she was living at the time in the Mohawk Country (Canajoharie), and went to live with a woman in Albany, who taught her to read and write. Later she was baptized. About this time she was employed to assist Domine Lydius in interpreting the Gospel to the Indians. She afterward married Pieter Danielse Van Olinda and lived on the East half of the Willow Flats west of Rotterdam. Her sister, Leah, married Claas Willemse Van Coppernol and lived on the West half. More has been said of Leah in connection with her second husband, Johnathan Stevens.
The land west of the Great Flats was granted to the early settlers by. the Mohawks, and consisted of 5 parts. The first of these was granted to Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck in 1684 and described as
"situated between two creeks, one called Stone Creek to the eastward, the other
'Platte Creek' to the westward, come to him in right of his Mother, who was a Mohawk woman."
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FORTS AND FIRESIDES OF THE MOHAWK COUNTRY
which is in part still owned by the family, and on which stands this house of Harmon Van Slyck.
Captain Harmanus Van Slyck was the eldest son of Jacques. He married Jannetje, a daughter of Adam Vrooman, in 1704 and died in 1733. From his father, Jacques, he inherited a part of the First Flat. Part of his military service was as a scout with the Mohawks in their war against the French and northern Indians, and as Captain of "the 2nd Foot Company of Schenectady" (of 56 men) recruited in the town. His Lieutenants (in 1715) were Hendrick Vrooman and Jacob Glen and among the privates were the Brouwers, deGraeffs, Meebies, "ficktoor pootman" (Victor Putman) Schermerhorn, Stevens, Swart and others who survived the massacre. Capt. Harmanus had twelve children among whom his property was divided.
Cornelius, another son of Jacques, baptized in 1711, married a Clara Bratt of Albany and also lived on a part of the First Flat. From this marriage sprang a large family of children.
The following are mentioned on the roster of the Schenectady Regiment at the time of the Revolution:
Jesse Van Slyck, Cap't., Cornelius A., Cornelius P., Harmanus and Harmanus N. Van Slyke who were privates. Both Cornelius A. and Cornelius P., served on the Committee of Safety.
The census of 1790 shows the following heads of families of this name at Schenectady :-
Adam, 3 males, 1 female and 1 slave Adrian, 5 males, 2 females and ? slaves Anthony, 2 males, 1 female and ? slaves Cornelius A, 2 males, 3 females and 5 slaves Hermanus, 2 males, 2 females and 8 slaves Hermanus, 6 males, 3 females and 1 slave Jesse 5 males, 4 females and ? slaves
The house which stands on the farm today is not pre-Revolutionary though it is probable the massively framed barn with its steeply pitched roof and low hung eaves but recently demolished was that old. To the southeast of the house on the slope of the meadow is a family cemetery. The burials are all following 1800, unless there be some whose markers are destroyed.
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John J. Vrooman-19:37
Mabie Home Rotterdam Junction
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THE MABIE HOUSE
The Mabie House
N 1670 Daniel Janse Van Antwerp bought the land on which this old house stands. It was known as the third flat, and is about a mile east of the town of Rotterdam. Van Antwerp, or "Van Antwerpen," as it was then spelled, was born in Holland in 1635 and about 25 years later located at Beverwyck (Albany). He was a trader, well liked by the Indians, and a man of some ability and prominence. A few years following his arrival in Schenectady, he was one of the five justices of the Village and later became one of the supervisors. His village lot and home was at the northeast corner of Church and Union Streets and is described as:
"containing in length on the east side where it butts to the Lott of Ground now belonging to Jellis Van Vorst two hundred foot and on the South Side by the Highway one hundred foot and on the west Side Like wise by the High (way) and on the North side abutting the Lott now in possession of John Peterson Mabee."
He occupied the lot prior to 1671 at which time he was given a patent. In 1715 he granted it to the Dutch Church for:
"good causes and consideration him there unto moving."
In 1680 Gov. Dongan granted him a Patent covering his farm land and in 1706 he sold the west half to Jan Pieterse Mebie. The date of his death is uncertain. He made his will in 1744 and was survived by five sons and three daughters all of whom had issue and from whom the family name has spread throughout the land.
Jan Pieterse Mebie came to Schenectady about 1684 and married Anna Pieterse, daughter of Pieter Jacobse Borsboom. His town lot adjoined that of Van Antwerpen on the north and here he lived prior to 1690 when the town was burned. He died in 1725 leaving three sons and five daughters.
This old house at Rotterdam is beyond a doubt the finest example of its type in the Valley. It is the oldest house west of the Hudson Valley and while its exact age is difficult to determine one would judge from remaining records that it was built by Mebie after he bought from Van Antwerp (in 1706) the land on which it stands. The deed to this land refers to Van Antwerp's own
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FORTS AND FIRESIDES OF THE MOHAWK COUNTRY
house and locates the land he is selling to Mebie as lying west of it. Therefore it would seem that the Van Antwerp name used in connection with this house is erroneous.
The walls of the old house are of stone, laid up carefully and without mortar, the outside being merely "painted" up and the inside plastered, to the height of one story. The steepness of the roof however, provides head room for a second story and even an attic above. The west gable end is clapboarded, but the east gable end is built entirely of stone. The heavy and wide boards (indeed they should be called "planks") forming the floor of the second story have been smoothly planed and rest on massive beams as seen from below. The house faces the east and consists of two rooms on each floor with a chimney on the ground floor, this being exclusive of a recent addition on the north or River side. The fireplaces are quaint in their simplicity and are bordered by a primitive wood facing. An enclosed stairway as steep as a ladder leads to the attic story.
Adjoining the house at its southwest corner at a distance of perhaps fifteen feet is a rectangular building said to have been built as a dwelling for the slaves owned by the Mebies. There is a basement with a fireplace in this building. The ground floor is one large room with another similar one above, reached by a narrow enclosed stairway. There is some evidence that the two buildings were connected by an underground passage.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this old stone house is its excessively steep and unbroken roof line, further accentuated by the moderate width of the building and by the two small dormer windows which pierce the great expanse of roof.
The census of 1790 shows the following heads of families living at Schenectady bearing the two old Dutch names which are associated with this and the adjoining farm :-
Males over 16 yrs; Under 16; 2
Females;
Slaves. 0
Garrit Van Antwerp
1
3
Simon Van Antwerp
2
2
5
?
Abraham Van Antwerp
2
...
2
2
Aaron Mabie
2
2
4
1
John Mabie
2
2
7
Hester Mabie
1
1
7
?
The military records reveal at least six men by the name of Van Antwerp who were enrolled during the Revolution and at least twelve by the name of Mabie. There seems to have been a branch of the Mabie family established at an early date near Cornwall then in Ulster County, which is not included in these records.
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John J. Vrooman-1939
Nicholas Swart House Hoffman's Ferry
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شامـ
SWART HOME
Swart Home
EUNIS CORNELISSE SWART signed the original petition for land at Schenectady in 1663 by his mark, being one of five of the fourteen petitioners so to sign. He was one of two sons of Gerrit Swart born in 1607 who came to New Netherlands in 1652. His home lot was at the northeast corner of Church and State Streets where about a century later Daniel Campbell built his house, a present-day landmark. His wife was Elizabeth Van der Linde.
In addition to his home lot, he was assigned Lot 10 on the "Great Flats" for his farm. This lay west of the land now enclosed within the grounds of the General Electric Company. He died at his home in the village in 1686 leaving three sons and two daughters.
Cornelius, the eldest son moved to Ulster County and sold his father's home lot, except for a piece off the north end fronting Church Street which passed to his brother, Esaias.
This Esaias was the immediate ancestor of most of the Swarts of the Mohawk Valley. He married Eva, a daughter of Teunis Van Woert of Albany, and surviving them were three sons and one daughter. These children were :---
Teunis, the oldest son, who married Christina, a daughter of Adam Vrooman in 1710. Teunis settled in the Schoharie Valley.
Wouter, a second son married Elizabeth, daughter of Jeremi Thickstone who lived on the south side of the Mohawk near Hoffman's Ferry.
Esaias, another son, born Feb. 27th, 1704 married Elizabeth, daughter of Arent Vedder on Dec. 13th, 1731, and settled on the north side of the Valley on the 6th flat just east of Hoffman's Ferry receiving a patent for the land from the Trustees of Schenectady on Aug. 15th, 1713. These patents all carried with them an obligation called "quit rent" which in this case amounted to £6-19-6. In addition to his arable land he was also granted 60 acres of wood land. He still maintained a home in the Village, it being a part of his father's lot on Church Street.
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FORTS AND FIRESIDES OF THE MOHAWK COUNTRY
The west line of this 6th flat is the small kill or creek called the Verfkill just west of the highway bridge over the New York Central tracks. An historical marker on the south edge of the road identifies it. On the flat, or farm, at the north of the road stands the house pictured. It was built about 1792 by Nicholas Swart.
The census of 1790 shows the following heads of families living North of the River, which was used as a dividing line to set the village of Schenectady apart :---
Jacob Swart 2 males over 16; 3 males under 16; 4 females; 0 slaves Nicholas Swart 2 males over 16; 2 males under 16; 5 females; 1 slave Thunis Swart 3 males over 16; 5 males under 16; 2 females; 0 slaves
Teunis lived east of the Nicholas Swart house, on the River bank. His was a brick house. No doubt it was the one in which he kept a tavern, for on Apr. 19th, 1777 he was appointed to receive a "Luysense to Keep A Public House or Teveron." The house was fortified and garrisoned during the war. It was taken down about 1873. Captain Teunis left an enviable reputation for loyal and efficient military service. He died prior to 1832.
Along the State Highway about a half mile west of the underpass west from Scotia, a marker was set by the State to commemorate the blockhouse. It reads :----
"Tinker Hill" "Site of blockhouse near river bank, built by Capt. Teunis Swart. Stockaded and armed with field piece in War of Revolution."
This Teunis was a son of the Teunis Swart who married Christina Vrooman. Adam Vrooman secured some very large grants of Schoharie Valley land from the Indians, which were subsequently recognized and a patent issued for them. This land lay well up the Valley above Middleburg, and Adam himself went to live on it taking with him his son Peter and Teunis Swart, his son-in-law. This was the birthplace of Captain Teunis, his grandson.
The "field" piece referred to on the State marker later became a contested possession of the younger men in the neighboring villages of Scotia, Glenville and
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John J. Frooman-1939
The Tap Room. Nicholas Swart House
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SWART HOME
Charlton. They used it in their Fourth of July celebrations which at the time were vociferous holidays. The cannon was always loaded as heavily as possible to produce the greatest amount of noise. One of these charges was more than the old piece could withstand and it lost a part of its muzzle. But what remained was used as though nothing had happened. Finally, in the possession of the Glenville group, it was again loaded to the limit and the charge heavily tamped. This time it burst into a thousand pieces, but fortunately no one was hurt. Until recent years an old elm tree carried a scar caused by one of the flying fragments.
Nicholas had a military record as did three others of this name, James, Jonas and Jacobus. James and Jonas seem to have left the neighborhood or to have died prior to 1790, for their names do not appear in the Federal Census of that date. Nicholas, who owned the house pictured, died in 1825.
Amsterdam Guy Park
John J. Vrooman-1941
1
4. al amanda derianie abien alindito otima formativo.
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Page 89
GUY PARK
Guy Park
F COLONEL GUY JOHNSON were to return today to live again in his old home, he would have little enough to complain about in the care bestowed upon it during the century and a half since that May morning in 1775, when, with his entire family, plus the servants and some 500 retainers, he fled to Canada.
Following the departure of the Guy Johnson family, the estate was confiscated as enemy property and sold. It passed through several hands during a part of which time it was used as a tavern. And a busy one it was, with its surrounding stalls and wagon sheds, crowded with teamsters and all manner of conveyances, for those were the days of the stagecoach and emigrant wagons bound for Western New York, the land of promise to thousands of settlers.
James Stuart bought the property in 1845 and with a proper sense of fitness and appreciation he repaired and restored the old building, adding in perfect harmony, the two wings which seem to the casual visitor to constitute, with the central section, a unified whole. About 1905 the State of New York bought the property for canal purposes and turned the residence over to the Amsterdam chapter of the D. A. R. who have it in charge and use it as a headquarters and maintain there a public museum.
While it is true the house remains- has even been added to - the grounds which once widely bounded it have been nibbled away until nothing more than a well-kept lawn separates its front door from the thundering passage of express trains and ten-ton trucks. At the back, on the bank of the Mohawk, where once Colonel Guy Johnson moored his fishing skiff to the wharf beside his summerhouse, is the Barge Canal. Great tows of barges led by a smoking tug, or perhaps a sleek black tanker, are gently raised or lowered to another river level by the turning of a few levers at the lock.
Guy Johnson was born in Warrenstown, Ireland, in 1740, the son of John, a brother of Sir William Johnson. When a lad of 16 he came to America and seven years later had married his cousin, Mary, or "Polly" as she was nicknamed, a daughter of Sir William Johnson and Catherine Weisenberg. Sir William gave them a tract of land a mile-square and built in the center of it their first house
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FORTS AND FIRESIDES OF THE MOHAWK COUNTRY
which was of frame construction. This building was struck by lightning and burned but was immediately replaced by the present stone structure, after plans by Samuel Fuller of Schenectady.
Originally it had a four square roof, similar to the original roof of Queen Anne's Parsonage and was in many respects like Fort Johnson, in its interior arrangements. This was altered when the wings were added. There remains the wide central hall at the side of which a simple but effective staircase leads to another spacious hall above. The rooms were mostly panelled and richly draped. There were beautiful carpets, silver, and massive mahogany furniture in Guy Johnson's day. It was the social center of this section of the Valley for ten years before the war.
Adjoining Colonel Guy's property lay that of another son-in-law of Sir William's, Colonel Daniel Claus who married Nancy, sometimes called Anne, the full sister of "Polly" Johnson. Neither stick nor stone of their house remains. Sir William gave them likewise, a tract of land a mile square. which completely filled the gap between Guy Park and Fort Johnson. The Claus home stood near the junction of Guy Park Avenue with the highway, at the western City limits. It burned nearly a century ago. The Claus family, like all the Johnson connections fled to Canada and their estate was confiscated and sold to a James Caldwell in 1786. Col. Claus fought through the War with headquarters a good part of the time at Montreal, Canada, the adopted home of many Valley Tories. The Colonel died at King's Castle, Cardiff, and was buried in the Cardiff Churchyard in November, 1787. His wife, Nancy, followed him in death in 1798. Her last resting place is in the old Butler cemetery on the Butler farm adjacent to Niagara-on-the-Lake where lies old Colonel John Butler (for years her father's trusted emissary) and many of the Colonel's family connections.
At Sir William's death in 1774, Colonel Guy succeeded him as Deputy of Indian Affairs and Guy Park became the scene of innumerable Indian pow wows as had been the case at Fort Johnson and Johnson Hall during the days of Sir William. But not for long. Public sentiment ran counter to the Johnson viewpoint and Colonel Guy was forced to leave. Uncertain as to his future and unable to carry away his belongings, he left valuable papers and jewelry in a hidden closet in a bedroom on the second floor. These he never recovered during the war. But afterward, during the time the house was in use as a tavern, several unsuccessful attempts were made by a female agent sent by the Colonel to remove the treasure. Each time the room was occupied and when the agent tried in the night to enter the room its occupant would be awakened and arouse the
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GUY PARK
landlord with the story of the "ghost" he had seen and describe it as the ghost of "Polly" Johnson. One day there came a stranger to the tavern and requested to be allowed to sleep in that room, saying he would put an end to the ghost if it appeared to him. . His request was granted. During the night the house was awakened with a pistol shot. When the landlord reached the room he found the
man dressed and about to leave, not willing to wait until daybreak. As he left he told the landlord he felt sure the ghost would never appear again and it never did for beyond a doubt the stranger took with him whatever it was that attracted "ghosts."
En route to Canada, Colonel Johnson's first stopping place was Fort Stanwix, where he held a conference with his Indian allies. In his company were Colonel John Butler; the Colonel's son, Walter; Joseph Brant (whom Colonel Guy had named as his Secretary) and most of the Mohawk Indians. Following the pow-wow they continued on to Oswego which was an abandoned post at the time. Here they received stores and supplies for the remainder of their journey but were forced to remain as the Colonel's wife "Polly" became ill. Adequate care was not in reach and she died. Colonel Guy with his wife's remains continued his tragic journey to Montreal while the Butlers went to Niagara with the remainder of the force.
The following ycar Colonel Guy left for England but was back in New York in 1777, where for a time he had an interest and a part in the management of the Royal Theatre on John Street. He even acted in one of Coleman's plays.
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