Gazetteer and business directory of Schoharie County, N.Y. for 1872-3, Part 13

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1872
Publisher: Syracuse : Printed at the Journal office
Number of Pages: 252


USA > New York > Schoharie County > Gazetteer and business directory of Schoharie County, N.Y. for 1872-3 > Part 13


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A battle occurred near Lake Utsyantha, on the border of this town, between a party of Rangers under Captain Hager, with a company of eastern troops under Captain Hale, on one


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side, and a party of Tories and Indians under Brant. Owing to the cowardly conduct of Captain Hale, the enemy were allowed to escape. The raid of the enemy was made at this time, Nov. 1781, partly for the purpose of carrying to Canada the family of Captain Adam Crysler, a notorious Tory, whose family had remained near the Upper Fort until this time. They had doubtless hoped that the rebellion would be put down and that they would still have the privilege of living in peace under the reign of King George. The night previous to the battle, the Americans encamped without building a fire, not deeming it prudent to do so, while so near an enemy of whose numbers they were ignorant. They suffered consider- ably from the cold during the night, and the next day, Johan Jost Dietz and Peter Vrooman were left at the place of en- campment, in charge of a keg of rum and a quantity of pro- visions, to await the return of the troops. The rum was faith- fully guarded, by taking a large quantity of it into their own stomachs.


Mrs. Polly Dyer, now aged 91 years, moved into this town in 1803. Mrs. Reuben Merchant came in from Watertown, Conn., in 1802.


The Methodist Church of West Jefferson was organized in 1800 with about a dozen members. The first pastors were Zenas Covel and Daniel Ireland, circuit preachers. The first house of worship was erected in 1817. It was warmed by means of a potash kettle, inverted and elevated a little by ma- sonry, and having an aperture in the top for a stovepipe. The present house of worship was erected in 1850. it will seat 300, and its present value is $2,000. The present membership is 80, and the pastor is Rev. Wm. D. Fero.


The Methodist Church of Jefferson village was organized in 1819 with thirteen members. Arnold Scofield and N. Rice were the first pastors. The first house of worship was erected in 1844 ; the present house in 1869, at a cost of $3,500 and with a seating capacity of 300. The present value of the church property is $6,000; the number of members is 125, and the pastor is Rev. Wm. D. Fero.


The Westkill Methodist Church was organized about the year 1816 with eight or ten members. Rev. Arnold Scofield was the first pastor ; their house of worship was erected in 1854; it will seat 250 and is valued at $1,500. The present membership is 31, and the pastor is Rev. G. Woodworth.


The Morseville Methodist Church was organized about 1832 by Rev. Harvey Brown, the first pastor. A house of worship was


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erected in 1834, capable of seating 300 and costing $1,100. The present membership is 75, and the pastor is Rev. G. Wood- worth.


The First Presbyterian Church of Jefferson was organized June 28, 1809, by Rev .Stephen Fenn, Wm. Buel and Wm. Salisbury, with about 20 members. Rev. W. Salisbury was the pastor. The first house of worship was burned in 1834, and the present house was erected in 1836 at a cost of about $4,000 and having a seating capacity of about 240. The present membership is 65, and the value of the church property is about $6,000.


The population of the town in 1870 was 1,713, and its area 23,110 acres.


The number of school districts is 16, employing 11 male and 16 female teachers. The number of children of school age is 494; the number attending school, 431; the average attend- ance, 200; the value of school houses and sites, $4,680; the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending September 30, 1871, was $2,992.58.


MIDDLEBURGH was formed from Schoharie, March 1797, as Middletown. The name was changed in 1801. A part was re-annexed to Schoharie, March 26, 1798. Fulton was taken off in 1828, and parts were annexed to Broome in 1849. It is the central town on the east border of the County. The surface is a hilly upland, divided into two ridges by the valley of Schoharie Creek, which extends north and south through the town. The highest summits are from 600 to 800 feet above the valley. A hill opposite Middleburgh village was called by the Indians On-can-ge-na, meaning "Mountain of Snakes." A mountain just above Middleburgh, on the west side, was called O-nis-ta-gra-wa ; the one next west was called To-wok-nou-ra, or " Spring Hill," and one south-east of Middleburgh, Mo-he-gou- ter. Schoharie Creek receives Little Schoharie Creek from the east, and Linekill from the west. The hills bordering upon the streams are generally steep and sometimes precipitous. The soil is a clayey loam upon the hills and a sandy loam in the valleys. Hops and broom-corn are extensively cultivated.


Middleburgh, (p. v.) situated on the east bank of the Scho- harie Creek, about a mile south of the center of the town, contains five churches, viz., Methodist, Reformed, Lutheran, Episcopal and True Dutch; three hotels, a carpenter and builder establishment, a wagon shop, two blacksmith shops, two foundries, a saw mill, a tannery, a number of stores, groceries, mechanic shops, &c., and about 800 inhabitants. It is the terminus of the Middleburgh & Schoharie Railroad, connecting with the Albany & Susquehanna at Central Bridge.


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Mill Valley is about three-fourths of a mile west of Middle- burgh, and contains a tannery, a broom factory and about a dozen dwellings.


The Mill Valley Sole Leather Tannery at this place, owned by Loring, Andrews & Co., turns out about 15,000 sides of leather annually and gives employment to about a dozen men.


The Schoharie Mills are located two and a half miles north of the village and contain five runs of stones for flour and feed, and have a grinding capacity of 800 bushels per day. A saw mill and plaster mill adjoining, belong to the same proprietor, James W. Davis.


The Custom Mill of Miller Borst is about a mile north of the village, and contains four runs of stones for flour and feed, and a capacity for grinding 400 bushels per day.


The Paper Mill of J. M. Scribner was established in 1849 and contains three 250 pound engines, and one 54 inch cylinder ma- chine, and manufactures about 1,800 pounds of straw wrapping paper a day. It is located about a mile north of Middleburgh village.


Hunters Land, (p. v.) situated in the south-east part of the town, on Hunters Land Creek, five miles from Middleburgh, contains a Methodist church, a public hall, a school, a grist and flouring mill, a saw mill, four stores, four blacksmith shops, a wagon shop, a cabinet shop, a cooper shop and about 200 inhabitants.


The Young People's Moral Association of Huntersland, organ- ized June 3, 1872, has for its object the advancement of the cause of temperance, and intellectual and moral improvement. The society is in a prosperous condition and has about sixty members.


Lodge No. 963, I. O. of G. T., was organized March 20, 1870, aud has a membership of about 52.


The Hunters Land Flouring Mill, of David Dings, has four runs of stones with a capacity for grinding about one thousand bushels per day. The motive power is water, having a fall of 35 feet and a wheel 28 feet in diameter.


The first settlements were made by Palatines in 1711. Weis- ers Dorf, one of the first established in the County, was located on a part of the present site of the village of Middleburgh. It contained about forty dwellings, small rude huts, built of logs and earth, and covered with bark or grass. Hartman's Dorf was


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also in this town, about two miles north of Weiser's. Hart- man's Dorf was the largest of the seven villages in this County founded by the Palatines. It is said to have contained sixty- five dwellings, similar in construction to those of Weiser's Dorf. The first horse owned by the settlers was purchased at Schenec- tady by nine residents of this dorf. From Simm's "History of Schoharie," we quote the following account of a foot race, which doubtless created as great an interest as a horse race does in these days :


"In the summer of 1713 or '14 a Stump was given by the In- dians to their German neighbors at Weiser's Dorf, to run a foot race, offering to stake on the issue, a lot of dressed deer-skins against some article the Germans possessed, possibly their old mare. The challenge was accepted, and a son of Conrad Weiser was selected, to run against a little dark Indian called the most agile on foot of all the tribe. On a beautiful day the parties assembled at Weiser's Dorf to witness the race. The race-course was above the village, and on either side the Germans and In- dians took stations to encourage their favorites. About individual bets on the occasion I have nothing to say. The couple started a distance of half a mile or more from the goal, at a given signal, and onward they dashed with the fleetness of antelopes, amid the shouts and huzzas of the spectators. The race was to terminate just beyond the most southern dwelling of Weiser's Dorf. They ran with nearly equal speed until their arrival at the dwelling mentioned, sometimes fortune inclining to the white, and sometimes to the red skin; when an unex- pected event decided the contest in favor of the German. They had to run very close to the building, and Weiser, being on the outside as they approached it side by side, sprang with all his might against his competitor. The sudden impetus forced the Indian against the building, and he rebounded and fell half dead upon the ground. Weiser then easily won the race, amid the loud triumphant shouts of his countrymen."


Though the Indians were greatly enraged at first, they were appeased on Weiser's expressing himself very sorry that it hap- pened, and declaring that it was unavoidable.


It was at Weiser's Dorf that the people assembled under command of Madeline Zeh and administered summary punish- ment upon the Sheriff Adams for daring to enforce the law against the inhabitants of that village, as stated in the County history. Finding they could not enjoy their lands rent free, Weiser and some of his neighbors removed to Pennsylvania.


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This town comprises parts of Schoharie Patent, Lawyer's and Zimmer's 1st Allotment, together with the patents of Thomas Eckerson, Becker & Eckerson, Thomas and Cornelius Eckerson, Clark, Depeyster, Vrooman, John Butler, Bouck, Lawrence Lawyer, Nicholas Mattice and the Vlaie Patent.


The Vrooman family were remarkable for their strength. There were four brothers, sons of Peter Vrooman, named Cornelius, Samuel, Peter and Isaac. They erected the first saw mill in the County, on the Little Schoharie. It is said that two of them could carry a good sized log on the carriage. At a hill called the Long Berg, on the Albany road, Cornelius Vrooman was accustomed to carry one or two bags of wheat on his shoulders, to favor his horse, when going to Albany with a load of wheat. Samuel Vrooman is said to have carried at one time twelve skipples of wheat and a harrow with iron teeth, from his father's house to the field, a short distance off. A challenge of speed and strength between the inhabitants of the Mohawk and Schoharie Valleys took place at Schoharie. A sleigh was placed on bare ground, and with twelve heavy men in it, Cornelius Vrooman, by the end of the tongue, drew it one and a half feet. Cornelius Fonda, the Mohawk bully, attempted in vain to start it. Adam Crysler ran a foot race with a man named Doxstader, from the Mohawk Valley, and easily won the race.


At the beginning of the French war, a treaty with the Indians was held in the present town of Middleburgh. It was numerously attended. Queter, an Oquago chief, who spoke in the interest of the French, alluding to their union, laid an iron wedge upon a fallen tree saying, " We are like that, strong and cannot be broken." Mrs. Josias Swart is said to have acted as interpreter upon the occasion. Taking a guinea from her pocket, she placed it upon the wedge, saying, " We are like that, which is equally strong and can outlive your symbol ; for if both be buried in the ground, the rust will destroy yours, while ours will come out as strong and bright as ever," It is supposed that Sir William Johnson was present on this occa- sion, as there were chiefs assembled from several different tribes. After the conquest of Canada, a jubilee was held on the same ground, at which a barrel of rum was drank. A bonfire was also built by piling pine knots around a dry tree. On this occasion Judge Brown was present and wrestled with a young Indian whom he threw. His cries on getting up, brought his mother into the arena, who struck Brown on the head with a pine knot, knocking him down and nearly taking his life.


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This was a prominent point during the Revolution, the Mid- dle Fort being erected near the present site of the village. The siege by Sir John Johnson is described in the general history of the County. Most of the riflemen whose headquarters were at the forts in this County, were employed as scouts, some of them being out most of the time. They were called Rangers and their duties were both fatiguing and hazardous. A scout was sent out from the Middle Fort and returned the evening before the attack of Sir John Johnson, having been absent thirteen days, visiting during their absence, Punchkill, Cherry Valley, Sharon, Unadilla, Susquehanna, Delhi, Minisink and Cairo. At the close of the war, prosperity returned to this valley, and the arts of peace have had full sway.


The following advertisement appeared in The True American in 1811. As a sample of hotel advertising in "ye olden time," it is worth preserving :


" MIDDLEBURGH, May 8th, 1811.


"NOTICE.


" The virtuous citizens of the Town of Middleburgh, and others whose business may call them from labor, or travel, to Rest and Refreshment; are hereby respectfully informed that the subscriber, in behalf of his son WILLIAM A. WATKINS has opened a


PUBLIC INN,


in this village, for the accommodation of such, who wish for a peaceful re- treat. The patronage of gentlemen of this description is ardently solicit- ed; and every endeavor shall be used to obtain the good will of that class of citizens whose distinguishing characteristic is justice, honor and probity.


" By their humble servant, "J. WATKINS. 1


" Bound to the Port of Vernon's Virtuous tip,


Pray lend me a hand to launch my gallant ship.


"N. B .- Tayloring and Mantua making neatly executed at the above stand."


In another advertisement, Peter A. Becker, of Middleburgh, gives notice that " on account of considerable difficulty having occurred in legal and other transactions, in consequence of his being of the same name with Peter A. Becker, senior; he will in future be known and distingushed as Peter A. L. Becker."


The Reformed Church of Middleburgh was organized in 1732 by Rev. George M. Weiss, and the first house of worship was erected in 1837. This house was burned during the Revolu- tion, and the present house was erected in 1786. The house will seat 350, and the value of the church property is $10,000. The membership is 140, and the pastor is Rev. Sanford W. Roe.


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The Methodist Church was organized in 1822 by Rev. John Wate, with nine members. The first pastor was Rev. Henry Earnes. Their house of worship was erected in 1833 ; it will seat 300 and cost originally about $1,000. The present mem- bership is 125, and the pastor is Rev. James B. Wood. The present value of church property is about $3,000. They pro- pose to build a church worth $15,000, soon.


The Methodist Church of Hunters Land was organized by Rev. Henry Stead and Rev. D. Ensign. The first house of worship was erected in 1827, at a cost of $500. The present house was erected in 1863 at a cost of $2,500, and its present value is estimated at $4,000. It will seat about 400. The present membership is 70, and the pastor is Rev. James B. Wood.


St. Mark's Church (Evangelical Lutheran) was organized May 17,. 1824, by Dr. G. A. Lintner, of Schoharie, with about 50 members. The first house of worship was dedicated Oct. 30, 1824. It was burned April 1, 1855, and rebuilt the next year. After extensive repairs and improvements, the present house was re-dedicated Oct. 5, 1870. It will seat about 400 and is valued at $15,000. This Church is an off-shoot of the one at Schoharie, with which it was formerly connected. The pres- ent membership is 102, and the pastor is Rev. C. F. Sprecher.


The population of the town in 1870 was 3,171, and its area, 25,850 acres.


The number of school districts is 14, employing 26 teachers. The number of children of school age is 1,018; the average attendance, 315; the amount expended for teachers' wages dur- ing the year ending September 30, 1871, was $3,513.90; other expenses, $376.91.


RICHMONDVILLE was formed from Cobleskill, April 11, 1845. It lies upon the west border of the County, near the center. The surface is a hilly upland, separated into two distinct parts by the valley of the Cobleskill, which ex- tends east and west through near the center. The highest summits are from 500 to 700 feet above the valley. The soil is a clayey loam for the most part. Hops are extensively cultivated.


Richmondville, (p. v.) situated on the Albany and Susque- hanna Railroad, near the center of the town, contains three churches, three hotels, about half a dozen stores, a paper mill for making straw wrapping paper, a foundry and machine shop, a wool carding and cloth dressing mill, a saw mill, two grist mills, various mechanic shops and about 700 inhabitants.


H


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The village also contains a union school and a printing office from which is issued the Schoharie County Democrat.


Warnerville, (p. v.) in the east part of the town, contains two churches, three stores, two hotels, a wagon shop, two black- smith shops, a tannery, two shoemakers, a grist mill, several other shops, a seminary and about 450 inhabitants.


West Richmondville (p. o.) is a hamlet, containing a church, a store and a blacksmith shop.


The Paper Mill of Westover & Foster, at Richmondville, is run by a 55 horse power engine, employs 14 hands and manu- factures about 400 tons of paper annually. .‹


The first settlement was made before the Revolution, by George Warner and his sons Nicholas, George and Daniel, from Schoharie. George Mann, John and Henry Shafer, Andrew Michael, Elijah Hadsell, John Lick and John Dingman, settled soon after the Revolution. The first school was taught by a man named Skinsky. The first inn was kept by Bohall. The first store was kept by George Skillmans. The first saw mill was erected by a company of settlers, and the first grist mill by David Lawyer, on the Cobleskill.


The town is comprised in the Skinner and portions of the Franklin, John F. Bouck and B. Glazier's Patents. Bouck's Patent of 3,600 acres was granted March 19, 1754, and Gla- zier's of 3,000 acres, July 28, 1772.


The Methodist Church at Richmondville was organized in 1820 by John Bangs, the first pastor, with 20 members. The first house of worship was erected in 1836; the present house in 1866. It will seat 700 and cost $4,000. The pastor is Rev. M. P. Bell; the number of members is 80, and the value of church property is $6,500. A flourishing sunday school is connected with the Church, under the superintendence of Peter Lansing.


The Methodist Church at Warnerville was organized in 1840 by Rev. A. E. Danolds. Their house of worship was erected in 1848 at a cost of $1,000 and with a seating capacity of 200. The present pastor is Rev. M. P. Bell; the number of members is 35 ; and the value of church property is $2,000.


The Methodist Church at West Richmondville erected a house of worship in 1865. It will seat 150 and cost $2,600. The pres- ent membership is 80, and the pastor is Rev. Martin Bell.


The Lutheran Church at Richmondville was organized in 1830 by John Selmser, the first pastor, with ten members. The first house of worship was erected in 1833; the present house in 1857. It will seat 600 and cost $3,500. The present member-


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ship is 195, and the value of church property is $5,000. A flourishing sabbath school is connected with this Church, under the superintendency of James Harroway.


The Christian Church at Warnerville was organized in 1846 by John Spoor and John Ross. John Cook was the first pastor, and the number of members at its organization was 11. The first house of worship was erected in 1846 and repaired in 1870. It will seat 300 and is valued at $3,000 .. The number of members is 130, and the pastor is Rev. Allen Hayward.


The Baptist Church at Richmondville was organized in 1838 with 26 members. The present house of worship was erected in 1843 ; it will seat 250. The present membership is 47; the value of the church property is $3,000, and the pastor is Rev. D. Corwin.


The population of the town in 1870 was 2,307, and its area 19,683 acres.


The number of school districts in the town is 12, employing 12 male and 14 female teachers. The number of children of school age is 772; the number attending school, 771; the average attendance, 320; the value of school houses and sites is $9,405 ; and the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending September 30,1871, was $4,642.05.


SCHOHARIE was formed as a district, March 24, 1772, and as a town, March 7, 1788. Sharon, Cobleskill, Middle- burgh and Blenheim, were taken off in 1797, and Esperance and Wright in 1846. A part of Middleburgh was re-annexed in 1798, and a part of Esperance in 1850. It lies in the north- east part of the County, its north-east corner bordering on Schenectady County. The surface is a hilly upland, broken by the deep valleys of the streams. The declivities of the hills are generally gradual slopes, and their summits are from 400 to 500 feet above the valleys. The Albany & Susquehanna R. R., upon the north line of the town, is 550 feet above tide. Schoharie Creek flows north through near the center, receiving Fox Creek from the east, and Cobleskill from the west. In the limestone region in this town are numerous caverns. Ball's Cave, or Gebhard's Cave, is about four miles east of the Court House and was first explored in 1831. It descends about one hundred feet below the surface. A stream of water, with small cascades, flows through it, that must be crossed by a boat. When first explored it abounded in stalactites. Nehtaway's Cave, two miles south-east of the Court House, was explored in 1836 by John Gebhard and John Bonny. It was found in- ferior in size and interest to Gebhard's. A few fine specimens


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of colored rhombohedral spar were found in it. The soil upon the hills is a clayey loam, and in the valleys a gravelly loam and alluvium. Hops and broom corn are extensively cultivated.


Schoharie, (p. v.) the County Seat, is pleasantly situated in the valley of Schoharie Creek, a little south of the center of the town. It contains besides the County buildings, four churches, viz., Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist and Zion Methodist ; an academy, a bank, two newspaper offices, three ho- tels, a hub and spoke factory, a carriage factory, a number of stores and mechanic shops of various kinds, and about 1500 inhabitants. It is connected with the A. & S. R. R. at Central Bridge by the Schoharie Valley R. R., and with Middleburgh also by railroad. The principal street is well shaded by trees and bordered by good flagstone walks. There are several fine business blocks and two large hotels which present fronts and internal arrangements which would be creditable to a much larger town. Waterbury & Sons have a brick yard, making half a million bricks annually and located a mile north-east of the Court House.


The Schoharie Academy, located in this village, was incorpora- ted by the Legislature, April 28, 1837, and by the Regents, Feb. 5. 1839. The course of study is extensive, affording young ladies and gentlemen all the facilities of a first-class academy. The apparatus and library are sufficient for the necessities of the students. Under its present management it bids fair to return to its former standing among the institutions of the State.


Central Bridge, (p. v.) in the north part of the town, near the junction of the Schoharie Creek and Cobleskill, is a station on the A. & S. R. R. and the junction of the Schoharie Valley R. R. The old village of Central Bridge, on the south side of the Cobleskill, about half a mile from the station, contains two churches, a hotel, a store, a harness shop, a blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, two grist mills, two saw mills, a machine shop and about twenty houses. At the station the buildings are nearly all new, and quite a number in process of construction, and consist of two hotels,five stores, several mechanic shops of various kinds, and about twenty dwellings.


The Lutheran Cemetery is located on high grounds near the village of Schoharie and commands a fine view of the surround- ing scenery. There are some fine monuments, and portions of the ground indicate good taste in its arrangement. The old parsonage of the Lutheran Church is still standing upon the ground.




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