USA > New York > Schoharie County > History of Schoharie County, New York : with illusustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 20
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But a short distance from Mackey's Corners, upon the farm of David Elerson, lies, in a neg- lected grave, one of Schoharie's adopted sons, who braved the hardships peculiar to the strug- gle along the border for freedom.
David Elerson was a comrade of Timothy Murphy, Richard Tufts, John Wilber and Lieu- tenant Boyd, who came to Schoharie after the battle of Monmouth, under Colonel Butler, as before stated. When he settled here the terri- tory was in the town of Broome, but by the division of 1848 it belongs to Gilboa. Some time toward the close of the patriot's life, some writer, unknown to us, published a pamphlet in which is recorded a few of the hero's exploits, said to be dictated by himself. It was entitled, "The Extraordinary Feats and Escapes of. David Elerson in the Revolutionary war." In justice to the patriot we herewith copy the arti- cle, hoping that its perusal may excite the reader to a deeper sense of the purchase price of American liberty, and present another exam- ple of true fidelity to country worthy to imitate and noble to honor.
"This veteran of the Revolution now lives in Broome, Schoharie County, on the Plattenkill,
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and is a respectful and valuable citizen, a mem- ber of the Baptist church, on which account we rely on his statements as being true. These the publisher received from his own lips, and are now for the first time offered to the public.
"Elerson is a Virginian by birth, whose exterior appearance although far advanced in years, denotes that in the prime of his youth strength nerved his arm ; and the kindling of his eye at the recital of the sanguinary tale evinced the deep hold the Revolution has still of his affec- tions; as well as that he possessed the decision of character necessary for the prompt achieve- ment of fearful deeds.
"He states that he entered in service in 1776, under Colonel Morgan, the well-known 'old Wagoner' as the British called him ; and that in 1778, he was in the Monmouth battle, in the State of New Jersey, but escaped unhurt. He was also with Lord Dunmore in his war with the Indians in Virginia, where he received a dangerous wound from a shot of the enemy, the bullet entering at the top of his right shoulder, came out at his left breast, the scar of which is dismal to look at. It happened as follows :- A body of Indians had hidden themselves behind a fallen tree which had been blown down by the winds, over which they were shooting with horrible effect among the soldiers of Dunmore. Elerson being of a daring spirit determined at the risk of his life, to oust them if possible, from this skulking place. In order to do this he dropped down upon the ground, with his rifle in his hand, and crept on his belly towards the roots of a tree, which was loaded with earth cleaving to its roots, behind which he intended to secrete himself, in order to get a shot or two through the opening of the roots at the savages shrouded by its trunk. This he effected, not- withstanding before he reached the spot, a ball, which was probably a random shot, struck him on the shoulder as already stated. A few days after the battle of Monmouth, Colonel Morgan with a detachment of two or three companies of his riflemen, followed the retreating army of General Clinton as far as Middleton, where the British had halted a short time. At this place Elerson requested of Morgan for himself and three otliers, by name Murphy, (the same who was afterwards so fatal to the Indians in old Scho-
harie,) Wilber and Tufts, liberty to follow on after them towards Sandy Hook, wliere tlie army of Clinton was supposed to be in the act of crossing over to Staten Island. The request was granted, but not without an earnest charge by Morgan to take care of themselves. They had gone but a little way on the route when they came to a deserted house and stopped to look about and reconnoiter the premises. Eler- son said to his companions that if they would remain at the house and keep a good look out, he would would go a little distance where there were some horses belonging to the British and examine them. He did so; but on his return his companions were all missing. On passing a little farther he found the road parted two ways; he took one and pursued it, hoping to overtake them, as he supposed they were gone in one of these roads, but he had taken the wrong one and missed them. In a few minutes, however, he came within sight of the operations of Clin- ton's army, and found they had effected a safe landing on Staten Island by making a bridge of boats, and that the British fleet lay before him. There was nothing remaining which they had not carried over except forty or fifty horses and a number of wagons ; but among the mass of baggage and lumber of war, he discovered a coach or phaeton, which he supposed belonged to General Clinton.
"Now it flashed across his mind that he would make a prize of this phaeton, and a pair of horses to draw it with, although he perceived it was under the protection of two sentinels. He now darted out of the road, under the cover of the thick foliage which grew along the shore, in this way secreting himself from the view of the sentinels, till within about twenty yards of them, when he shouted to them to surrender in a moment, or they were dead men, at the same time bringing his rifle to his face, ready to guide a bullet through the heart of one at least. At sight of his dreadful instrument, one of the sen- tinels let fall his gun into the water, from mere fright, as he stood exactly on the edge of the beach. On seeing this he felt assured that his gun was incapacitated to do him harm, as its charge was now wet. The other man, on see- ing what had happened, plunged into the water with his horse, but the current of the tides proved
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too strong and soon forced him to return. By this time he had taken the other sentinel into custody, and ordered him forthwith to harness a good pair of horses as was among them, to the phaeton, or he would shoot him, on which account the command went speedily into execution. Now the other sentinel made rapidly towards him, till within a short distance, then wheeled abruptly off, riding quite around the wagons, coach and all, which maneuver was supposed a mere preamble, till a convenient moment might be seized upon to shoot Elerson, as the trooper appeared to make several sly attempts to draw a pistol from a side pocket, situated in his bosom. All this time he had been warned to go quite away, or give himself up, unless he wished to be shot ; but he either did not understand, or did not fear the threats of Elerson, notwith- standing his rifle was leveled constantly at him, he continued to evince a determination to try his pistol. Our hero did not like to fire upon him, on his own account, as the report would certainly arouse the attention of the whole British army and fleet, which were in full view, and their cannon was what he dreaded. However the sentinel persisted, and when in the very act of drawing the pistol from his pocket, received the blazing bullet of Elerson through his presump- tuous heart ; he tumbled headlong to the earth, and struggled out his life on the sand. The sharp, shrill report of the rifle echoed up and down the shores of the channel and struck the ear of some artilleryman, who, ere he was aware of it, planted a cannon shot near his feet, but fortunately did not injure him. In a moment or two a flash admonished him he had better dodge, as another pelter must be on its way ; this passed over him, and struck between two wagons, and settled in the ground, as it was a sandy soil.
"By this time the vehicle was ready, when he sprang into it, and rode away, coach, prisoner and all, amid the roar of old England's blazes, which had no power to touch the intrepid Vir- ginian, whose day's work amounted to several hundred dollars. Two companies of Morgan's riflemen were now sent to the westward, as far as Albany, in which Elerson and his three com- panions, above named, were included under the command of Captain Long. From Albany they
were sent to Schoharie, where the Indians and Tories were devastating, murdering and carry- ing off, in concert, captives to Canada. Here they joined Colonel Butler of the Pennsylvania line, as rangers. The first service on which they were sent, was to take, dead or alive, a person strongly suspected of Toryism, living on the Charlotte river, by the name of Service, who was not only Torified in principle, but was an active agent of the British in aiding, victualing, and secreting the enemies of the Revolution. While prosecuting their way through the woods, when not far from the place now called Gilboa, a dole- ful region of gulfs and precipices, lying along on either side of the Schoharie creek, towards its head, they surprised, and took prisoner, a man who, on examination, was found in possession of a letter from a Captain Smith, who was a Tory, to the very man on the Charlotte, whom they had started in pursuit of, namely Service. This Smith had raised his company about Catskill and along the North River, and was then on his way to Niagara, and had sent this man forward to apprise the Tory that he must be in readiness to furnish his men with such refreshments as he could, and to aid them with provisions for the journey. They now altered their course, being determined, if possible to fall in with, and cut to pieces, this Smith and his company, enquir- ing of the prisoner what way they would proba- bly come, who from fear dare not deceive him.
"They now hastened up the stream as secretly as possible, and had come to the flats where the bridge now crosses the Schoharie, on the Patan- via road. Elerson and his fellow-riflemen were on the east side of the creek, where from a cer- tain spot, they discovered the party on the op- posite side of the flat. Elerson and his cap- tain happened to be close together, when they dropped on their knees behind a tree, the rest of the company might probably have made some noise by treading on dry brush, which it is like- ly Smith might have heard, as he came out in an open space, looking here and there, wholly exposing his person, when Captain Long and Elerson both aimed their rifles at his breast. A flash, a groan, and he weltered in his blood, a victim of that justice which watched over the fortunes of the Revolution.
"Several of the party were now wounded, the
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HISTORY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
rest fled in consternation to their houses. Thus were the machinations of a deluded set of men dissipated by the untiring vigilance of a small band of our patriotic forefathers. This work finished, Captain Long and his men changed their course for the Charlotte, in pursuance of their first in- tention, where they arrived and silently sur- rounded the house of the person sought for, gathering closer and closer, till at length two or three entered the room where he was, before they were discovered. He instantly stepped out of the door with them, when he was informed that they had orders to take him to the forts at Schoharie. He appeared somewhat alarmed, while he strenuously objected to the proposal, pleading innocence, etc., but in the meanwhile was evidently working his way along from the door to a heap of chips lying between Elerson and Murphy. The reason now appeared why he had so cautiously approached the chips, for on coming to the spot, he seized in a moment a broad-ax, which lay there, and made a desper- ate stroke at Murphy, which, however, he eluded, as the keen eye of that veteran was not asleep, but the fruitless attempt rolled back in ven- geance on its author, as a bullet from the rifle of Murphy stretched him a lifeless corpse, with the ax in his hand.
"The next year, in the month of July, Long's riflemen had orders to move under Colonel But- ler, in connection with other troops, in all amount- ing to seven hundred, to Springfield, at the head of Otsego lake, where they were to await the arrival of General Geo. Clinton and the troops expected with him, all of which, when there concentrated, were to pass down the Susquehanna, to form a junction with General Sullivan at Tioga point. The object of this arrangement was a destruc- tion of the Indian tribes on the Chemung and Genesee rivers ; who had so often been em- ployed in small parties by the policy of the Brit- ish, to distress, in a predatory manner, the in- habitants of the frontiers ; the leader of whom was generally Tayadanaga or, the Brant. Now, whilst the troops were stationed at Springfield, Elerson on a certain day, thought he would go to a place where he had observed a quantity of mustard growing around a deserted old house, a small clearing having been made at this spot a year or two before, his object being to gather a
dinner of herbs for himself and men. The place was distant from the camp about a mile, where he had been busily employed till his haversack was nearly half full. Round about this house the weeds and sprouts had grown thick and high. As he was stooping to gather the mus- tard, he thought he heard a rustling in the weeds behind him, when, looking around, he saw ten or a dozen Indians just ready to spring upon him, and take him prisoner. That they chose to take him prisoner, rather than shoot him, he inferred from their not having done it, as the most ample opportunity had been afforded. The nearness of the fort might have detered then, or they may have wanted him alive as a victim of torture. As he sprang to seize his rifle, which stood against the house, their hatchets were hurled sufficiently swift and numerous to have cut him to pieces, if they had all hit him; how- ever, he sustained no injury, except the middle finger of one hand, which was nearly cut off.
" He secured his rifle and sprang off in the opposite direction with the speed of an arrow, leaving his haversack and greens behind. There lay between him and the woods an open space of ground which was thickly covered with sprouts and weeds, having once been cleared ; through this he had to run before he could reach the woods. On coming to the edge of this open space, he found his way obstructed by a hedge fence made of fallen trees, into which he plunged, struggling and leaping to get through; at this awful moment he heard behind him a full volley of their rifles discharged at the same instant ; bullets whizzed and pattered about him, among the old timber and trees, yet he escaped unhurt. It was about eleven o'clock of the forenoon ; he now had the start of the Indians, as they had yet to load their rifles and to scale the hedge fence ; having cleared all obstacles, he plunged into the woods straight forward, not knowing whither he was running. From eleven to three he had not slackened his pace more than compelled to do by the situa- tion of the ground over which he had run, when he perceived himself headed by an Indian. He stopped and drew up his rifle to shoot him, but he had disappeared, when, before his rifle was taken from his eye, a bullet from another direction had pierced his side, which proved
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TOWN OF GILBOA.
however only a flesh wound, as it passed just above the hip joint, between the cuticle and peritoneum, coming out near the spine. He was now convinced that he was surrounded, though by an invisible enemy. Again he re- newed his flight, till coming directly to the brow of a mountain, he descended it like a chased deer, but on reaching its foot found there a small brook, which in crossing, he scooped with his hand a little water to his mouth, as his tongue was bloated and hung out from excessive heat and thirst. As he tasted the water he cast his eyes behind him, when he perceived an Indian alone, just breaking over the brow of the hill, in full spring after him; he now darted out of the brook and up a shallow bank, hiding himself behind the dark shade of a monstrous hemlock.
" Now, as a fair opportunity offered to shoot this Indian, he raised his rifle, but found it im- possible to take aim, as he shook very much from fatigue, perturbation of mind, and the anguish and bleeding of his wounds.
" But dropping flat down he rested his piece on the root of the tree, having now no doubt but the moment he touched the trigger of his unerring rifle, the enemy would finish his course. So it turned out. He fired ; the Indian reeled and fell, tumbling headlong on the side of the declivity. He now reloaded; returned the ramrod to its slide, and primed the faithful rifle, when at that instant the whole company of his pursuers burst over the hill, true to the scent ; but on coming where their expiring fellow wel- tered in his blood, a yell, horrible as shrill, tore the air, reverberating among the dense forest, in sign, as their custom is, of the presence of death. It was the death yell. He now gave up all as lost, as his pursuers were so near, but had calculated to fetch to the ground one or two more before they should seize him, but as he perceived they still lingered about their dying comrade, a thought crossed his mind that one struggle more and he might possibly escape. Again he sprang off ; but soon encountered the brook, whose dark, winding course overhung with a dense grove of low hemlock, offered a sure retreat, as also his tracks were lost in the oblivious waters. Having followed this stream some small distance he sprang into the thicket
of hemlocks, where, finding a hollow tree which was fallen down, he crept into it, where he lay secure, as the Indians pursued him no further ; being it is likely, terrified at the death of their chief runner and warrior. Sleep soon over- powered him in his dreary bed, from which he awoke not till the next morning. When he backed out of the log he found it rained, and added to this, which greatly augmented the hor- ror of his situation, he was lost. Here he re- mained two days and nights in the tree, without food or dressing for his wounds, as the weather did not clear up; and besides he feared the Indians might still be lurking about. But on the third day from that on which the Indians surprised him, the sun rose clear, when he was able to shape his course, and came out at Brown's Mills, in Cobleskill, a distance from where he had lodged in the hollow tree, of only about three miles, having run from where he was gathering herbs at least twenty-five miles, from eleven in the morning till he entered the log pursued by a band of savages, who thirsted for his blood and to make his body a subject of torture.
OFFICIAL.
SUPERVISORS.
1848-Colby Reed.
1849-Elisha Griffin.
1850-Hiram Freidenburgh. .
1851-Paige Croswell.
1852-David E. Chichester.
1853-Solomon Mackey.
1854-R. W. Ruliffson.
. 1855-John Reed.
1856- do
1857- do
1858- do
1859- do
1860-Henry Tibbetts.
1861-David E. Chichester.
1862- do
1863-Luman Reed.
1864-Washington Mackey.
1865-John I. Jackson.
1866-Washington Mackey.
1867-Luman Reed.
1868- do
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HISTORY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
1869-Luman Reed.
1870- do
1871- . do
1872- do
1873- do
1874-
do
1875-
do
1876-
do
1877-A. Hagadorn.
1878-Addison H. Bartley.
1879- do
1880-Andrew G. Baldwin.
1881-
do
1882-A. Hagadorn.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
1874-Wm. H. Baldwin.
COUNTY CLERK.
1846-Stephen Mayhan.
ASSEMBLY.
1853-Luman Reed.
1866-Benjamin E. Smith.
STATE SENATE.
1850-Sidney Tuttle. 1851- do
By an Act passed March 16, 1841, entitled "An Act to erect the town of Gilboa from Broome and Blenheim," the following bounds are given in Laws of New York, Seventy-first Session, Chap- ter XCII :-
"Sec. I. All that part of the towns of Broome and Blenheim in the County of Schoharie, that is included within the following described boundaries, shall be a town and shall be called Gilboa, beginning at the center of the Scho- harie creek, where the Manorkill empties in the same, thence along the north-westerly bounds of the town of Conesville to the extremity thereof, being the north-west corner of said town, thence easterly on the boundary line be- tween the towns of Broome and Conesville to the east line of a lot of land owned and occu- pied by James Barlow as a farm, thence north- erly on the said east line of a farm now occu- pied by Alva Hollenbeck in a straight line to
the east of Keyser's kill, commonly called Black brook, thence northerly along said Black brook and said Keyser's kill to the north line of the present town of Broome, thence easterly along and upon said north line to the division line between Broome and Blenheim, thence southerly along and upon such division line till it comes to the center of the Schoharie creek, at the eastern extremity of the boundary line be- tween lots U and V in the Blenheim Patent, thence along said boundary line westerly to the west extremity thereof, thence in a north-west- erly direction on and along the boundary line between lots H and G one hundred and fifty- one and one hundred and fifty-two, one hun- dred and thirty-five and one hundred and thirty- six, one hundred and nineteen and one hundred and twenty, one hundred and three and one hundred and four, eighty-seven and eighty-eight, seventy-one and seventy-two, fifty-five and fifty- six, in said Blenheim Patent to the east line of the town of Jefferson, thence in a south-westerly direction along said east line to the south bounds of Schoharie county, thence in a south- west direction along said south boundary to the boundary line between the towns of Blenheim and Conesville, thence in a northerly direction along said boundary line to the place of begin- ning.
"Sec. 2. The first town meeting in said town shall be held on the twentieth day of April next, at the public house now kept and occupied by Stephen Briggs, and in each year thereafter the annual town meeting in the said town of Gilboa shall be held on the third Tuesday of February until the time be changed in the manner pre- scribed by law.
"Sec. 3. Hiram Freidenburgh, James G. Mackey and Luman Reed shall preside at such first town meeting, and shall possess all powers rela- tive to the same that justices of the peace pos- sess at town meetings, and in case they or either of them shall refuse or neglect to serve, the said town meeting shall have power to sub- stitute some elector of said town for each one so refusing or neglecting to serve."
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RESIDENCE OF THOMAS COLBY, GILBOA, N. Y.
THOMAS COLBY.
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
In the early part of this century, there came from the State of New Hampshire, Nicholas Colby, who settled in the then town of Blenheim, [now Gilboa] Schoharie County, with his wife Sally or Sarah Howe. Here he reared a family of twelve children. The eldest, Eli H. Colby, married Elizabeth Mackey, and settled in the town of Roxbury, Delaware county. Eli's family consisted of eight children, the oldest of whom is Thomas Colby the subject of our pres- ent sketch. Thomas Colby was born in the town of Roxbury, Delaware county, on the 23d of March, 1833, and although he attended none but a common school, yet by perseverance he obtained a good education.
At twenty-one he was without worldly means, save the energy and push which he so assidu- ously cultivated, fired with the zeal, enterprise and thrift so prominently developed later in life, and together with the working capital of a strong arm and determined heart, he decided as he expressed it, to strike out for himself. He bought the farm of 150 acres where he now lives, and soon after added another Ico acres, all of which was in a very low state of cultiva- tion, at the time of his purchase, and would not keep over ten head of cattle. Mr. Colby has so improved it that it now keeps over sixty head, and is one of the best farms in the town of Gilboa. It is situated on the line of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad, which runs in the valley
below, but a few hundred yards off. His residence is located in plain view of the Catskill mountains which give it a pleasant and picturesque appear- ance. He also owns another farm of about 100 acres situated one mile north of his residence, which he works in connection with the home farm. His farms are devoted strictly to dairy- ing, sending milk to the New York market in the winter season and the making of butter and raising of stock during the summer. Mr. Colby's stock is the Jersey, which he thinks is superior to any other for dairy purposes. He is pre- eminently a working man himself, and is always with his hired help, some of whom have been with him for years.
In politics he is a Republican, and has been honored with several town offices. He meets his obligations promptly, is a man of few words, considers it beneath his dignity to hold argu- ment with any one, and belongs to no church. Mr. Colby has been twice married, his first wife was Julia S. Decker,by whom he was blessed with three children, all of whom died in infancy. By his second wife he has had two children, Thomas, Jr., and Emma.
Mr. Colby is a very conscientious man ; his opinions are always fearless and honest, never hesitating to denounce what he believes to be wrong, because others favor it, and never court- ing popularity at the expense of his honor.
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