History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents, Part 49

Author: Beers, F.W., & co., New York, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: New York : F.W. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 664

USA > New York > Fulton County > History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents > Part 49
USA > New York > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents > Part 49

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 wound which Colonel Sammons received was one of a painful nature. and sixteen days elapsed before it was properly dressed. This took place in New York, whither he had been brought on his way home. He was welcomed at the Fonda station by a large attendance of friends, who, with a band of music, escorted him to his residence. The case rapidly improved under the affectionate care of the home circle, and though the New York surgeon feared the worst result, the colonel recovered in a man- ner that exceeded the best hopes of his friends. He lost no time in re- turning to the field. His regiment had been ordered to join the army of the James, and he took command while the siege of Petersburgh was in operation. Soon after his return the explosion of Burnside's mine oc- curred, and also the battle of Cemetery Hill, in which the colonel and his regiment bore a prominent part. He was again wounded, being shot through the body, but fortunately, the bullet did not prove fatal. He was carried with other sufferers to Fort Monroe, and when sufficiently able he returned home to once more receive the ministrations of domestic affec- tion. Unable to resume field duty, but being sufficiently recovered to at- tend to public business, he was elected to represent Montgomery county in the State Legislature. To meet this demand for his services he resigned his commission in the army. The gallant 115th still continued in the field and fought a number of severe battles, in which it suffered heavy loss, but won brilliant renown. It was mustered out of service at Raleigh, June 17, 1865, that day being the eightieth anniversary of the hattle of Bunker Hill. More than a month before this took place the following address was prepared and sent to the colonel, and as an expression of military gratitude, it is worthy of publication.

"CAMP 115 N. Y. V., RALEIGH, N. C., May 5, 1865.

" The enlisted men of the 115th Regiment, N. Y. V., to Colonel Simeon Sammons, their late commander :

" Your address of January 6th, 1865, to this command having been receis - ed, and read by us with gratitude and pleasure for your kind remembrance of us, and manifest interest in our welfare, we embrace the present as a favorable opportunity for expressing to you our sincere thanks for the solicitude with which you have ever watched over our interests. In you we recognise our champion and deliverer from the cloud that overhung our early history, and to your unceasing efforts we owe much of our present prosperity. In the camp, by your zealous and persevering labors you de- veloped the latent talent of the regiment and brought it to a high standard of military efficiency, so necessary on the field of battle ; and when called upon to meet the foe, you proved yourself a worthy leader, whom we were willing to follow, proud to own, and were honored in belonging to your command, and in after engagements to maintain the honor of " Col. Sam- mons's Regiment," was our highest ambition. You will ever be held dear in the hearts of your men, as a commander, a leader and a friend. With many kind wishes for your future welfare and happiness, we will bid you adieu for the present, hoping soon to meet you in our own native State, our mission, for which you and we have fought and bled, accomplished.

" Very truly your friends, " THE ENLISTED MEN OF THE 115th N. Y. \ "

Col. Sammons's record after the close of the war has been briefly given in the foregoing pages. To this it may be said in our closing paragraph, that since retiring from public life he has made agriculture his chief pur- suit. His homestead is on the farm which grandfather, Sampson Sam- mons, settled more than a century ago. It is a place of much beauty, and here the Colonel is glad to welcome his friends at any time, but especially those who shared with him the dangers of the field while serving under the stars and stripes.

-- :

...

Res. of ISAAC M. DAVIS, FONDA Montgomery Co.

4,5

Res. of HON. JAMES SHANAHAN, TRIBES HILL Montgomery Co. N. Y.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

JAMES SHANAHAN.

The subject of this sketch was born on the 6th of February, 1829, in Ireland. When he was eight years of age, his parents emigrated to America and settled at Onondaga Hill, Onondaga county, N. Y. In 1844 they emigrated to Michigan and settled in the vicinity of Ann Arbor. Young Shanahan remained on the farm for two years, when he started to carve out his career. * He left home with a few shillings in his pocket, and began work in learning the trade of a stone cutter. This completed, he assisted his oldest brother, who was an extensive contractor, in the build- ing of lock 50 on the Erie Canal and locks 9 and to on the Oswego Canal. After the completion of this work, he went to Lanesborough and was en- ployed in the construction of the Sterucco viaduct on the Erie Railroad After this, he formed a co-partnership with his brother and two others, and built the masonry of the first sixteen miles of the Central Railroad between Syracuse and Rochester. This was completed in 1852. In the following year, he and his brother built the masonry on the Oswego Railroad. In 1854 he was engaged in building locks on the Sault St. Marie Canal. In the following year he came to Tribes Hill, N. Y., and assisted in the con- struction of the combined locks at Waterford. In 1859 he was selected by the Dorchester Freestone Company to examine their quarry property in New Brunswick, with a view of reporting its resources. Under his sug- gestion a new quarry was opened in the following year, the company was reorganized, and it was decided to give full charge to Mr Shanahan. The result was highly satisfactory. for during that year fifty-four hundred tons of stone were shipped from the quarries, some of which went into the famous dry goods store of H. B. Claflin, in New York city. The net profit to the company that year was $8,000, this being the first year that the company did not assess itself to pay deficiencies. In 1861 Mr. Shanahan was compelled to remain at home, and the deficiency to the company was upwards of $6,000. His return was demanded, and in 1862-3 he had charge, and came away only when 37 per cent discount for money com- pelled the stoppage of the work

---

MRS. JAMES SHANAHAN.

In 1864-5-6 he was engaged in the construction of the New York Con- tral elevator and the first, or, as it is now called, " the old bridge" across the Hudson at Albany. After the completion of these he went to work . in the Cohoes dam, a structure 1,400 feet long, which he completed in one season.

In 1868-9-70 Mr. Shanahan was superintendent of Section No. 3 of 1 . Erie Canal. In the fall of 1868 he was the Democratic nominee for at !:: ber of Assembly for Montgomery county, and was beaten by 104 major for his competitor. The following year he was renominated and chee: by a majority of 612. He served upon the canal committee, the commit" on public printing, and the sub-committee ot the whole Serving at a ur . when corruption in office was the rule, he came out at office with pu y! upon a character that has been uniformly good throughout a well-spent !.

In 1870 he obtained the contract for furnishing the stone tor the De. bridge across the Hudson at Albany, and in eighteen months 1;, 500 ou! . yards of cut stone were furnished from his Tribes Hiil quarrie. After this work was completed, he set to work on the heavy retaining walls to the west approach of the old bridge at Albany. During the time that the new double tracks for the Central Railroad were being constructed, he Mant 1! masonry between Fort Plain and Fink's Bridge, as also that between Schenectady and Albany, including the stone for the Schenectady Ind _. During the last few years he has budt all the masonry for the e ish ". division of the Central road.

In February, 1828, he was appointed, without his solicitation, Is ass. ant superintendent of public works, having the charge of the cash ma !! vision of the State canals.

In October, 1854, he married the only daughter of James and Ellen Maloy, of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He immediately came to Tribes Hill. where he has since resided. He is the father of eight children, all of whom are living.

148

THE HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

THE VISSCHER FAMILY.

BY WASHINGTON FROTHINGHAM.

Those who traverse the beautiful valley of the Mohawk cannot but notice that noble mansion which crowns its north slope near the Danos- cara creek, three miles east of Fonda. The situation is picturesque, but nature has been highly improved by art. The spacious outhouses indicate agricultural pursuits, while the residence, by its elegance of architecture and also the tasteful arrangement of grounds, suggests the combined union of wealth and culture. Such is the Visscher mansion, which is now occu- pied by Mr. Alfred De Graff, who represents the fifth generation in direct line of succession. The building is of great strength. It has stood nearly eighty years, but has been recently reconstructed and enlarged' and hence its beauty is due in no small degree to the improvements made by the pres- ent proprietor. Looking back on the history of this time-honored mansion, we learn that the ancestors of the family were among that better class of emigrants who, in so many instances, marked the settlement of the valley. They came from Hoorne Holland , the date of their arrival being 1649, and their new home being Albany, then known either as Beaver Dam or Fort Orange. Here Harman Frederick Visscher was born August 24, 1701. Thirty-eight years afterwards he married Catherina Brower, whose father, William Brower, was a prominent citizen of Schenectady, and after eleven years of married life in Albany he sought a new home in the valley of the Mohawk. In this he was, no doubt, influenced by the example of Henry Hanson, likewise an Albanian, who had there obtained an extensive patent. He purchased a thousand acres of the latter, the price being {Soo, and the deed, which is dated January 31, 1750, is among the earliest on record. Harman Frederick Visscher passed twenty-two years in this frontier life, and his death occurred while the colonial troubles were threat- ening an open rupture. His age was seventy-three, and his was the first grave in the family plot in the rear of the mansion. Four sons and three daughters survived him and shared his valuable estate. The eldest son, Frederick, was born in Albany, February 22, 1741, being precisely nine years younger than Washington. He was also nine years old when he removed with his father into the wilderness, and the Revolution found him a stout-hearted young man, who had just entered his thirty-fourth year. Such was Col. Frederick Visscher when he was called to decide between crown and country. In promptly espousing the cause of liberty he was joined by his brothers John and Harman, and thus a strong cen- tral point was established.

It is not to be forgotten that local influences were powerfully arrayed against such a policy. His next neighbor on the west was Col. Butler, while only three miles east dwelt Sir John Johnson, in the stone mansion built by his father. Guy Johnson and Col. Claus Sir William's son-in-law were also near at hand, and hence the decision made by the Visschers severed them from old friends, and involved not only present danger but also the possible confis- cation of their paternal estate. The critical point occurred at a meeting held at Tribes Hill, where the colonists as was then customary were ad- dressed by men of wealth and influence. One of the speakers was Col. Butler, whose position as justice under the crown, as well as his vast estate, gave him powerful sway over the community. Having every inducement to sustain the royal cause, he labored strenuously to enlist popular senti- ment in its favor. Col. Butler had on this occasion a large and important audience, numbering at least three hundred of the solid men of the fren- tier, all of whom were anxious for a peaceful solution of the difficulties. His address had great effect, and he followed it by proposing an immediate test of loyalty. "The audience," says Simms, "was ranged in a line, and Butler then called on all who were determined to adhere to the crown to move a few pares forward, while such as might favor rebellion should remain behind." The result was, that but one man stood for liberty, that

man being Frederick Visscher. Others, however, who had been tempo- rarily influenced by the orator, afterward changed their views, and some of these became ardent patriots. The Tribes Hill meeting was followed by an incessant struggle between the tory faction, on the one hand, and the patriots on the other, for supremacy in the courts and other elements of influence. Not only hot words but deeds of violence occurred, until Sir John Johnson determined on military interference, especially to prevent the colonists from militia training and other preparation for conflict Frederick Visscher had already received a colonel's commission from the Continental Congress, with power to select his staff, and make other arrangements for service. In this regiment his brothers held each an im- portant office, John being one of its captains, while Harman was adjutant. The roll soon contained six hundred names, which in that day was a powerful force, and which Sir John's hostility was unable to disband.

Another important step was the committee of safety, in which Colonel Visscher represented the Mohawk district. The latter abounded in hostile elements, and this rendered his supervision a difficult and dangerous duty. A very trying feature in the latter was the disposition of families which claimed to be neutral and yet were objects of suspicion. At the same time, the enormous estates which reverted to the public by confisca- tion required judicious attention. To this was added the still greater danger threatened by the large and well equipped army which Sir John Johnson had then under his command. The latter had fortified the Hall at Johnstown , which he held until May, 1776, when the general uprising compelled him to retreat to Canada. It was feared, however, that he might suddenly return and fall on the colonists with fire and sword. These fear- increased until their fulfillment seemed inevitable ; the next scene in history being the two-fold invasion which marked the campaign of 1777 St. Leger threatened the country from the west, while Burgoyne moved down the Hudson with the finest army this State had ever beheld. The former intended to ravage the valley of the Mohawk, and expected to join Burgoyne at Albany, and thus hold the mastery of navigation. It was the most critical hour the cause of liberty had ever witnessed. Every pattiut was summoned to duty, and the call for sacrifice was not in vain. An ex- pedition for the relief of Fort Stanwix was organized under command of General Herkimer, of which Colonel Visscher's regiment formed an im- portant body. The colonel was then in his thirty-sixth year, and had borne his share in the hard experience of frontier life, but a scene was now to open before him of whose horrors he could have formed no previous con- ception. On the 6th of August, 1777, Herkimer's army was ambushed at Oriskany, and amid the savage yell of the Indian and the volleys of an unseen foe, the terrific battle was begun. Its result is told in history, and it need hardly be mentioned here that the bloody sacrifice of that day saved the Mohawk valley from general slaughter and conflagration Colonel Visscher's men were in charge of the baggage, a post of special danger, since it was plunder rather than blood that attracted the foc. A fierce assault took place, and some of his men fell back under the murder. ous and unexpected fire. Stone, the historian, when referring to thi- famous action says : " Perhaps no body of men were as ready and any- ious to do their duty as were the patriotic members of Colonel Viss. chet's regiment." He adds: " It is scarcely to be wondered at, that when they saw themselves cut off, flanked and fired upon by an unseen for, at. companied by the most hideous yells, they were panic -stricken and hence failed to wheel into line."

After the surrender of Burgoyne the Mohawk valley had less to fear from foreign foes than from those sheltered in its own population- the professed nestrals who so often harbored British spies. At this time

· 1 :

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Colonel Visscher was, according to Simms, appointed commissioner for disposing of confiscated property in Tryon county. Some time afterward August 6, 1779 , he was elected member of the "State convention for appreciating currency, restraining extortion, regulating prices and similar duties." The following spring 1780) proved to be the most eventful ever known in the history of the Mohawk valley. Sir John Johnson had been bitterly disappointed in his expectation in regard to St. Leger. He had, indeed, hoped that the success of the latter would have enabled him to re- visit the baronial hall and hang his trophies on its walls; and now, to ob- tain a revengeful satisfaction, he planned that murderous raid which filled the Mohawk valley with horror and left a wide track of desolation. His malignity was well known, and the fears it had excited were eventually more than realized. The entire frontier was ravaged, and the Visscher family was a prominent object of bloody revenge. The blow was struck in the most sudden manner. Shortly after midnight, on the morning of the 22d of May, the Visscher mansion was assailed by a combined force of the Tory and Indian foe. The inmates consisted of the colonel, his mother, his sisters, his two brothers and the servants, who were subjected to the bloody violence of more than a hundred enemies. The scene which follows was one too deeply imbued with horror to be attempted in this brief recital. The sisters fled, seeking concealment in the gorge of the Danoscara creek, while the mother, feeble with age and crippled by disease, was unable to move. The three brothers, John, Harman and the colonel, engaged in hand to hand combat in defence of their home and mother, but were overpowered. The two first were murdered and scalped, and the latter was also as was thought among the slain. He was scalped and left for dead, after which the house was pillaged and then fired-the enemy departing amid the blaze. The colonel revived, and recovered sufficient strength not only to escape the flames. but also to drag away the bloody corpses of his brothers. His mother had survived the savage blow, and he was able to carry her to a place of safety. These statements in- dicate a degree of nerve which almost seems incredible, but they are among the facts of history. Colonel Visscher afterward found shelter among his friends in Schenectady. His murdered brothers were buried in one grave near their father in the family cemetery, and Colonel Visscher was the sole male survivor of the line. He recovered his health and im- mediately resumed active service.

The raid in which this bloody scene occurred extended all through the frontier. At Caughnawaga Douw Fonda was one of the victims. His house was burned and he, though nearly four-score, was murdered and scalped. Sampson Sammons's house and property were also destroyed and his sons taken prisoners, as has been mentioned in our sketch of that family. It may be appropriately added here that Jacob Sammons, who was one of the prisoners, saw the scalps of the Visschers among the trophies in the pos- session of the enemy. This he mentions in his record of those horrors whose memory still lingers amid the beauty of the Mohawk valley. This record has been in the Sammons family for many years, but the following extract is the first that has ever been put in print. "I was brought," says the narrative, "to a fort called Chamblay and never had a chance of making my escape as I was always tied with a cord. The first night I was with them I saw the Indians dress the three scalps of Colonel Visscher and

brothers. They put them in a small hoop and dried them before the fire and painted the flesh red. The enemy told us they had burnt Colonel Visscher in the fire of his own house, but to my joy, when I returned from Canada I found him alive in Schenectady, bearing his wound where the scalp was taken off." Jacob Sammons's narrative is written in a clear hand and is a document of thrilling nature. His special interest in Colonel Vi ... cher arose from the fact that they had both served at Oriskany and were united by the strong friendship of the camp. To return to Colonel Vis- cher-he was immediately promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and in the reorganization of the judiciary was appointed first judge of the Montgomery county Court of Common Pleas, an office which he held dur- ing the remainder of his life. Io June, 1782, when Washington made a tour through this portion of the country, an elegant entertainment was given him in Schenectady, on which occasion he placed Colonel Visscher at hty right hand in honor of distinguished services. This was a recognition et that high respect generally accorded one who had thus suffered in the pa- triot canse. Colonel Visscher bore till the last the broad scar left on his head by the scalping knife, and oo public occasions this was covered by a silver plate made for the purpose. A lady who is still living, and who was brought up in Johnstown, being a daughter of General Dodge of that place. often saw Colonel Visscher as a guest at her father's honse, and well remem- bers the silver head-piece which so peculiarly distinguished him from all others.

Colonel Visscher was married on the 22d of May, 1768, (being then twenty-seven,' to Gazena De Graff, of Schenectady. The early years of his married life were passed amid the troublous scenes of civil war, but his latter days were peaceful. He lived to see the thirty-third year of independence, and died June 9th, 1809. He was then sixty - nine, and his widow survived him six years. The funeral took place at the family mansion, which had been rebuilt after the war in a very spa- cious and solid manner. A large attendance was present, and, amid a general expression of honor, the old soldier was laid to rest by the side of his father and murdered brothers. in the family cemetery which overlook, that valley he so deeply loved and so gallantly defended. Col. Visscher left four sons and two daughters. One of the latter became Mrs. Jacob S. Glen, who settled in the town of that name and made it her home for life. The other became Mrs. William Prime, of Herkimer, who died at that place in her eighty-sixth year. The sons were severally named Jessie. Frederick Herman, William Brower and Daniel. The first of these settled on his portion of the paternal estate, and built a dwelling which some years ago was destroyed by fire. His two sons are still living; Frederick being a resident of New York, while Rev. Simon G. Visscher is a promi- nent citizen of Rome. Both of these gentlemen attended the centennial of Oriskany, and had a position among the representatives of those who bore arms in that famous battle. Frederick Herman Visscher, son of the Colonel, became owner of the paternal mansion and its adjacent farm. He married Deborah Conyne, and their only child was Gazena Catherine. who was early left an orphan, her mother dying when she was but six months old, while her father survived but a year longer. This orphan lived to become the wife of Judge De Graff, and became a highly valued member of society.

THE HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

THE DE GRAFF FAMILY.

BY WASHINGTON FROTHINGHAM.

The word " graff " or "grave " signifies in the original an office of much importance, and hence we have the term "landgrave " or "wildgrave," the latter being the keeper of the royal forest. The expression occurs in Bur- ger's poem, "The Wild Huntsman," which Scott has so admirably trans- lated-

"The wildgrave winds his bugle horn, To horse, to horse, halloo, halloo; His fiery courser snuffs the morn, His thronging serfs their lord pursue."

Such having been the position of the family in the fatherland, it need hardly be said that it has been fully maintained by its American descend- ants. The De Graffs were among the early settlers of Schenectady, and Isaac De Graff comes prominently before the public during that crisis which tried men's souls. He was born November 16, 1756, and served in the army of the Revolution, holding the rank of major.

During this service he made the acquaintance of !a Fayette, who was theu ou Washington's staff, and who administered to him the oath prescribed by Congress. After the termination of hostilities, he was appointed first judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Schenectady county, which office he held during a large part of his life. He reached his 88th year, having the use of his faculties until his death, which occurred December 21, 1844 It may be added here, as a matter of connecting interest, that the Governor of the Dutch West India island of St. Eustatius, whose name was De Graft, was the first foreign official to salute the American flag, an act which the British government made a matter of complaint. Isaac De Graff had two sons, the oldest of whom ( John 1. De Graff during the war of 1812 displayed a patriotic spirit equal to that of his father. This occurred at an emergency when our government was destitute of both funds and credit. The latter had been paralyzed by the capture and destruction of Washington by the British, and at this critical time Commodore McDonough was preparing his fleet for the defence of Lake Champlain. At this hour of need, John I. De Graff advanced the necessary funds, and three weeks after the destruc- tion of Washington, the British fleet on the lake was defeated. Commo- dore McDonough acknowledged his obligations in a letter specially written, soon after the victory. John 1. De Graff represented his district during two terms in Congress, and was honored by President Van Buren with the offer of a seat in his cabinet as Secretary of the Treasury, which he dec lined, owing to the pressure of private business. He was one of the projectors of the Mohawk & Hudson railroad, the first passenger road built on this conti- nent, and was prominent in other features of public service. The second son, Jesse D. De Graff, was born in Schenectady on the 8th of January, 1801. He graduated at Union College, and studied law with the Inte Alonzo C. Paige, after which he removed to Albany and established himself in the profession with marked success. He was also appointed judge of Common Pleas by the council of appointment. On the toth of August, 1830, he married Miss Gazena Catherine Visscher, the only child of Fredere k Herman Visse her, whose name has been previously mentioned Their union was of

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.

History of Montgomery and Fulton counties, N.Y. : with illustrations and portraits of old pioneers and prominent residents, Part 49

Author: Beers, F.W., & co., New York, pub Publication date: 1878 Publisher: New York : F.W. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 664

Author: Beers, F.W., & co., New York, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: New York : F.W. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 664