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 53
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TOWN OF ESPERANCE.
small. A few rods below, where John Hoag now resides, was a spacious inn kept for many years, by Walter Sloan, but it was long since closed, and the old house presents a picture of rural prosperity and contentment under the care of its present owner, such as the general outlook of public houses never guaranteed.
The First Baptist Church in the County was organized here in 1810, and an edifice built the year . following. It stood upon the hill east of the village, and the "Cornish residue."
The society was organized by the veteran, E. Herrick, and was divided through some doctri- nal point, that created the "New School" about the year 1841. The seceders erected the present edifice in 1842. The old church society dwin- dled to a name only, and the church was sold to the Methodists in 1868, who removed it to its present location.
There was, until within the period of twenty years, a few rods north of the village, upon the lands of Hiram Brand and once occupied by Sylvester Phelps, an immense stone heap.
From that pile, the tract of land granted to John Bowen and others in 1770 was named the "Stone heap patent." The stones had been accumulated for a long series of years, by the accession of single stones thrown upon the pile by each passing Indian. Its dimensions were, four rods long, nearly two wide and about ten feet in height, in its original form, consisting of sınall flat stones, which must have been many thousands in number. This pile beside giving the name to "Bowen's patent," also marked an angle in the original division line between Al- bany and old Tryon county. Rev. Gideon Hawley, a missionary among the Mohawks, Oneidas and Aquagos, traveled the path.that lead by the heap, in 1753, in company with another missionary, Mr. Woodbridge and an Indian guide. They started from General Will- iam Johnson's residence on the Mohawk, to visit Schoharie, and in an account of the journey he says :----
" We came to a resting place and breathed our horses, and slaked thirst at the stream, when we perceived our Indian looking for a stone, which having found, he cast to a heap,
which for ages has been accumulating by pas- sengers like him, who was our guide. We en- quired why he observed that rite. His answer was that his father practiced it and enjoined it on him."
The gentleman also mentions in the same narrative :-
" I have observed in every part of the country and among every tribe of Indians, and among those where I now am, in a particular manner, such heaps of stones or sticks collected on the like occasion as the above. The largest heap I ever observed is that large collection of small stones on the mountain between Stockbridge and Great Barrington. We have a sacrifice rock, as it is termed, between Plymouth and Sandwich, to which stones and sticks are always cast by Indians who pass it. This custom or rite is an acknowledgement of an invisible being ; we may style him the Unknown God, whom this people worship.
" This heap is their altar ; the stone that is collected is the oblation of the traveler, which if offered with good mind may be as acceptable as a consecrated animal."
It has been conjectured that this stone heap marked the grave of a warrior, but we think otherwise, from the fact that the Indians who frequented this section had particular burial grounds, and when a chief or warrior died, or was slain, they carried the remains to those grounds, unless it was a great distance from them. It was not an uncommon occurrence for the Mohawks and Oneidas to carry their dead from Schoharie to their homes. An aged person of veracity related to us an instance that was told to him by his father, who was a witness to the occurrence, and which undoubtedly was but one of many hundred. An Oneida died at Schoharie in one of the fall months, and his body was wrapped in blankets and placed in a tall hemlock tree, beyond the reach of wild animals. When winter came and a crust was formed upon the snow, the body was taken down and bound upon a sled, and drawn to Oneida. We are of the opinion that if an Indian was slain at this spot and was so highly honored by his race as to receive such marks of honor and remembrance as this pile exhibited,
332
HISTORY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
they would certainly take the pains to carry and place him by the side of the "ashes of his fathers."
We are led to concur in the missionary's idea as he states farther on. "These stone heaps are erected to a local deity." His long intercourse with the race, learning their customs and habits so well gives weight to his opinion.
The "stone heap " patent was surveyed and divided into lots in 1792, and embraced a por- tion of Esperance, Carlisle and Charleston, Montgomery county.
Passing down the old Indian path, which is now a well beaten road, we come to the old grist-mill that has rumbled for over fifty years. In its early days it was the only mill in the town. Spencer Foster, an Englishman by birth, built a steam mill a few rods below and carried on a large custom business for many years, but not proving a very profitable investment it was taken down and we see a spacious barn stands in its stead.
Passing on, we soon come to the Schoharie stream, and if we had stood here the day the first tree was felled by the Brown boys in 1786, and looked over the flats to the south, we might have seen large farms divided into meadow, plow, and pasture fields-spacious barns and houses reared over the ashes of former ones that had fallen by the torch of a savage foe, in a fierce war against a nation that plead for liberty and independence.
There stood a settlement made in 1729, and known as Kneiskern's Dorf. The whole of the original settlement is not in the town of Esper- ance, but the greater part was, and we will refer to the whole here. By the second chapter of this work we find that
John Peter Kneiskern, -
Godfrit Kneiskern, Lambert Sternberg, Philip Berg, Hendrick Houck, Hendrick Strubach, Johannes Merkle,
were the first settlers. John Peter Kneiskern was the head man of the colony as at the Camps, and was the business man. He settled
upon the farm now owned by William Shout, who is a descendant of the family, and the only one left in the neighborhood. The ancient papers relating to the settlement are in his pos- session in perfect order, beside the family Bible and old clock, to which Mr. Shout clings with pride and as sacred relics of his grandsires. The old clock reaching nearly to the ceiling, still keeps time for this, the fifth generation, as it did for the first, and is still
"Ticking the moments as they swiftly fly, And whispering to all-Eternity."
During the war it was secreted beneath limbs and leaves in the woods east of the house, and remained unmolested. Mr. Shout's mother was a grand-daughter of Kneiskern, and Mrs. Shout is a descendant of the original Houck family that settled by the side of Kneiskern, where Jacob Houck now resides. Thus we see that the old families are united by stronger ties than those of neighbors. We find that a firm, brotherly feeling existed between the first set- tlers, that is without a parallel at the present time. They all purchased together, as one, and not until several years passed did they make a division of their property and lands, and when they did, we find they drew an article of agreement, that " If any one should lose any part of their lands by law or otherwise, the rest should make it up to him or her." Such acts of true Christian charity towards the unfortu- nate can only be found in the honest simplicity of our German fathers and mothers.
Johannes Merkle settled farther down the valley upon the farm now owned, in part, by Henry Dunberg. There are but few of this family left bearing the name in this immediate vicinity, but farther down the creek distant rel- atives reside, whose ancestors settled there sev- eral years after the settlement was here made.
Henry Strubach settled upon the farm long owned by the late Adam P. Vrooman. The old house stood east of Vrooman's barn but has long since vanished. Christian his son, re- sided here through the Revolution and held a commission as Captain. He was a daring sol- dier and the Indians and Tories employed vari- ous means to capture him, but his sagacity foiled their plans. He was at the " lower
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TOWN OF ESPERANCE.
fort " when Johnson and Brant made the at- tack and in company with the Schoharic militia the day following, in harrassing the rear. When the first company of the Fifteenth Regiment was formed, Strubach was chosen First Lieuten - ant and George Mann Captain, but upon Mann's proving to be infected with disloyalty, Strubach was promoted to Captain. Several brothers lived near each other upon the lands their father purchased but all have gone to their long homes without leaving a single heir to per- petuate the name. They lived to extreme ages and died suddenly without sickness, as did their children. Henry Strubach built a grist-mill, the frame of which still stands (or a part of it) and is distinguished as the "old mill" now owned by Abram Becker.
Philip Berg settled lower down the creek upon the west side, where Alexander Larkin's house now stands and reared two sons, Philip and Abram. The latter remained upon the old place and became a very wealthy man for his day, and was succeeded in the possession of it by his son David Berg, who disposed of the property to Herman Gardner in 1842, after it had been in the possession of the family for the period of one hundred and thirteen years. It was the best property in the valley but it has been cut up in various ways and nothing is left of its primitive appearance.
About the year 1760, Abram Berg purchased of a small band of Indians that had an encamp- ment upon the "Cripple bush," a tract of land lying upon the side hill, between that stream and the Cobleskill, in part occupied by Peter VanZant, John Brayman and the heirs of the late Peter I. Enders. The consideration was one barrel of cider and a fat two year old steer and the privilege of drinking and eating the same and holding a "pow wow" beneath a white oak tree, still standing not far from the Berg mansion. After the "pow wow" they left the country and never returned, and Abram ever after held peaceful possession of the pur- chase. The old family together with the origi- nal Strubach's lie here upon the farm, in a neg- lected spot covered with briers and brambles, as also the remains of the brave Captain Stru- bach.
Philip Berg son of Philip settled upon the farm now owned by William Hallenbeck and was familiarly called "Lipps Barrack " it being the German of Philip Berg. His old house stood to the west of the Hallenbeck barn, some distance in the field and had an entry or "stoop," (as formerly called,) in front. Nearly all of the first settlers' dwellings had a lintel at- tached in front, that resembled the piazza of the present day enclosed. A double door invar- iably was used, the upper of which was seldom closed, but the lower always, except upon the ingress and egress of the family. This Berg building was erected immediately after the Rev- olution. Mrs. Berg with other women and two or three babies, during the war were upon the flat north of the present Central Bridge pulling flax, when a band of Indians came along the bank of the stream without observing them. They hid in the bushes and being fearful lest their babies would make a noise and betray them, they put their handkerchiefs in their mouths and nearly strangled them before the Indians passed. It was afterwards ascertained that they were watching an opportunity of cap- turing Captain Strubach while on his way to and from the fort, and that they had a fruitless watch of two weeks.
· The Captain's eyes were also open and while they could not see him, he daily saw their move- ments. Thus it was, in those times, danger was lurking near when they least expected it, and wherever they were, they were compelled to be upon the watch each moment, and as they lay upon their beds at night to rest, they knew not but the morning might find them tortured prisoners or mangled corpses.
Godfrit Kneiskern settled upon the late Peter I. Ender's farm. What relation he was to John Peter cannot be told, nor what became of his descendants. Perhaps a son settled at Beaver Dam, as we find a family there after 1754, from whom came the Kneiskerns of Carlisle, and those along the Cobleskill west of this place. They were related to John Peter, but in what degree we cannot learn.
John Peter's family were true patriots during the Revolution, while those already mentioned were well tinctured with disloyalty, with the ex-
1
334
HISTORY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
ception of two members, William and Jacob, the former being the one taken prisoner at Moak's Hollow, and afterwards settled near Seward Valley.
Lambert Sternbergh settled the farthest south of the seven families, upon the farm now owned in part by William Landrum. He became one of the fifteen purchasers of " Dorlach Patent" and upon the division of the lots those lands now occupied by his descendants in the town of Seward became his. In 1768 we find Lambert dead and his son Jacob acting in his stead. Hendrick Houck, as we stated, settled by the side of Kneiskern, and the property still is held by the family. The family has always been a prominent one of the town in an official, agri- cultural and business point of view.
Bartram Entis came to this settlement in 1731 or 1732, and purchased lands of Hen- drick Houck, that lay outside of the " Dorf pur- chase." At the same time Harmonus Sidrick also came and purchased one thousand acres down the creek.
Where those two men came from we cannot learn, but conjecture they came directly from Germany in the third Palatine immigration that settled mostly east of Canada creek, upon the Mohawk. As the descendants of Entis are quite numerous, we will here state that the name was changed in after years to Entres, and subse- quently to Enders, as written at the present time. Bartram had two sons, Peter and John, from whom sprang the present families in this valley. We are not positive, but think there were other sons, who settled upon the Mohawk. Peter was a soldier in the Revolution and lost his building by the torch of Johnson, in 1780. His grandsons Jacob P., and Peter I., were large agriculturists and wealthy men, and the fathers of the present families that bear the name in and around the old " Dorf."
Jacob P. occupied the old homestead and met an untimely death in crossing the stream. The current being strong, he was carried by it to a watery grave, and was followed in the posses- sion of the property by his son John, who was a true type of a just and exemplary man. He was instantly killed in the spring of 1880, by a runaway team, Peter I., lived to a ripe
old age and died after a lingering illness in the same year. The Sidrick family name has also been changed and is now written Sidney.
Jolın Peter Kneiskern built the first grist-mill at this place and in the town. It was a small affair, however, to merely crack the grain, and stood upon the little rivulet that runs from the high ground south of Mr. Shout's residence. The mill stood until the year 1780. Jacob Ko- bell, a resident of Weiser's dorf has the honor of building the first mill upon the Cobleskill Creek, at this place, which we doubt belongs to him. Judge Brown wrote his “ Brief Sketch of the First Settlement of Schoharie" in 1817, which was published in 1823, while he was in the full possession of his mental faculties, and of the affair he says, "so called after the name of a certain man who cleared a spot at the outlet, under pretence of building a mill thereon, but was never brought to pass." Author Simms visited the Judge in 1837, when he had arrived at the age of ninety-two, and upon his questioning him in regard to the niill he "thought he had been to mill there." The mill which Brown had visited, unquestionably was the Kneiskern mill to which we have alluded.
There is no doubt but Kobell or some one else, intended to build a mill here, as a small "runner" was found upon the bank of the creek many years ago by the late Samuel Smith, and which is now to be seen beneath a post in Charles Rich's cow-shed, but no other evi- dence is shown that a mill was here. The Kneiskern mill was burned by Johnson and Brant in 1780, as were all other buildings of the dorf, and upon the close of the war the Strubach (more recently pronounced Strubrack) family built one nearly upon the ground of the present old mill, and at a later date the Houcks built one upon the Schoharie creek nearly opposite of the family mansion, but owing to the caving of the banks, it was taken down. In regard to the name of the Cobleskill mill we will refer the reader to that chapter.
The stone or "runner" found upon the bank was perhaps brought from some of the mills at Schoharie or Weiser's, that had been discarded for larger ones. It is a common sand-stone, and does not show much use. During the Revolution
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TOWN OF ESPERANCE.
the settlers of this "dorf" were loyal to the Colonial cause and met with severe losses by the torch. When the invasion of Johnson occurred, a few of the families were at the Lower Fort, but the most of them fled to the hills upon each side of the creek. The Enders, Sidney and the Merkles built a small hut upon the rise of ground to the east, which was out of the regular path of the foe, and to it they resorted, when danger was near and too short notice given to reach the fort. For the protection and better con- venience of these settlers, a small block-house was built in the year 1782, near the residence of George Taylor, to which they removed as long as the war lasted. Being destitute of houses at that time and not being able to re- build, or run the chances of losing again, they all made the block-house their home. The most valuable of their effects were secreted in the woods, and when Johnson came down the valley, the people were better prepared than those above, having a timely warning of his ap- proach.
After Johnson had laid the valley in ashes, he crossed the creek with his force at the upper end of the island below the old ferry and en- camped for the night between the "valley ceme- tery" and the creek to the west. The day's laurels must have weighed heavily upon the "Christian faith's defender's" agent, and the en- lightened chieftain Brant. Their proceedings throughout the day failed to show, either mili- tary skill or commendable bravery, but on the contrary, inability and cowardice, and. proved them to be a sneaking band of cutthroats and fit companions of incarnate fiends. The next day they followed the Indian path to the Mohawk to seek other fields for plunder and murder, with the awakened militia of the Schoharie valley at their rear, to punish them for their cowardly acts.
The town at present is without manufactures except local milling and has but three hotels, where at one time could be counted ten within the distance of six miles.
The town is beautifully located, asfrom near- ly every point the whole can be seen and pre- sents a very even and well cultivated appear- ance.
It was formed through the efforts of Judge Wright, then State senator from Schoharie, in February, 1846, and on the 19th of May follow- ing, the first town meeting was held, and the following officers elected :-
Supervisor-John S. Brown. Justices-George Taylor and Wm, B. Abell. Clerk-Stephen Teeple. Collector-George Crocker.
Superintendant of Schools-Lorenzo I. Leonard, M. D.
Assessors-George A. Smith, David Berg. Constables-Nathaniel Eggleston and Henry Merkle.
John S. Brown now resides in Duanesburgh, and is a son of the first settler of Sloansville, John Brown. He was elected sheriff of the County in 1842, at the time the " Anti-rent" war created so much excitement in several counties of the State.
While blood was drawn in other localities we are pleased to state the vigilance of General Brown in procuring a well-armed force saved the County the disgrace of a rebellion, as will be seen by consulting Chapter IV. The Anti's weapon, tar and feathers, was but very sparingly used in this county, although sheriff Brown and deputyTobias Bouck, barely escaped a luxuriant coat.
This town has been represented in the As- sembly four times since its organization.
Hon. Lewis Rockwell in 1851. Hon. John Lovett in 1856. Hon. Joseph Buckbee in 1861. Hon. William S. Clark in 1867-1868.
Mr. Rockwell was a native of the town. Mr. Lovett was born in Vermont, and was for many years a tin and hardware dealer at Esperance. He was a man of sterling worth; but in the bloom of manhood he fell a victim to the slow, but sure disease, consumption, lamented by all who knew him. Mr. Buckbee, familiarly known as Uncle Joe, has been a resident of the place for many years, as well as the active citizen, ever looking to the comfort of others, and es- pecially the welfare of the place. Mr. Clark was born in Carlisle, and early fitted himself for the bar, and settled at Sloansville, as the
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HISTORY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
first one of the profession, and what is very singular, the only one in the town at the present time, that but a few years since contained several.
When the Southern Rebellion shook our country to its center, this town proved itself loyal, by furnishing both men and money. The records of the town are, as we find in most sister towns, unable to give accurate statistics of the number and amount.
SUPERVISORS. The supervisors of the town have been :-
1846-John S. Brown.
1847-Charles Knox.
1848-Lewis Rockwell.
1849-Lewis Rockwell.
1850-Spencer Foster.
1851-John E. Mann,
1852-John E. Mann.
1853-Horace D. Phelps.
1854-Horace D. Phelps.
1855-John Lovett.
1856-Storrs Messenger.
1857-Storrs Messenger.
1858-James B. McMaster.
1859-James B, McMaster,
1860-J. M. Donaldson. 1861-J. M. Donaldson.
1862-Jehiel Larkin.
1863-Jehiel Larkin.
1864-Jesse A. Tubbs.
1865-Cornelius O. Dorn. 1866-Alexander Larkin.
1867-Alexander Larkin.
1868-James Van Vechten. 1869-James Van Vechten. 1870-James H. Crandall. 1871-James H. Crandall.
1872-James Van Vechten. 1873-James Van Vechten. 1874-Jehiel Larkin.
1875-James Van Vechten.
1876-James Van Vechten. 1877-James Van Vechten. 1878-James Van Vechten. 1879-James Van Vechten. 1880-M. W. Stevens.
1881-M. W. Stevens. 1882-M. W. Stevens.
STATISTICS.
When the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad was built, the town gave bonds to the amount of thirty thousand dollars, to aid in its con- struction. By the report of the supervisor upon the first day of November, 1878, there was yet remaining unpaid,
Principal. . $18,000
Interest on the same 1,288
Total yet due .. $19,288
The town consists of 11,360 acres of land. The assessed valuation of real estate is $502,670; and of personal property, $157,424 ; number of names on the tax list, 422.
The first Baptist church in the County was built in Sloansville, in 1811. The organization was effected some time previous, by Rev. E. Herrick. The building stood upon the turn- pike, east of the residence of Mr. Harvey Cor- nish, and was purchased by the Methodists and removed to its present site in 1852. The pres- ent Baptist church was erected in 1842, it being of the " New School" order, while the original one was of the " Old."
The most prominent men of the town besides those already mentioned, were, and are,
Charles Hemstead,
William Wood,
Henry Mandle, . William Simpson,
A. Billings, Alfred Isham,
John Duell,
Dr. Rowland,
James McMaster,
H. Shurburn,
J. O. Root,
M. W. Stevens,
Jerome Dwelly,
S. Teeple,
David Enders,
Daniel Gallup,
Jesse Tubbs, Erastus Williams.
In 1832 the Schoharie Free Press was re- moved from Schoharie to Esperance village,
LITTLE
the name have to Furnace Beste el Shlvicand Montgomery ( Reporter
Deas edited by Duucan McD nall. whose · fe as a daughter of Hor tio Gate Spafford, ke author of "Spaffords Gazetteer." Mrs. Donald wasa fluent writer, and added much .it, to the columns of the paper. Th
fees " Anti- Masonic,' and the copy before
October, 1832, has the following nomin
made by that party, at the head of its
For President-William West.
For Vice-President-Amos Ellmaker For Governor -- Francis Granger. For Elector-John Gebhard.
The editorial says : -
"W'e entertain strong hopes that Sonoharie about to bake off th voke of the regency wad Masonic coalition au take the place she
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.
.
pur
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and so ti , 1
Levyer & Lime
also takes in a.
w . and north
the "Stone heap pent - north an I west of h and
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
JON. WILLIAM S. CLARK.
/
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Mr. Clark's grandp ... Wo were born in Duchess county, set Ce mar, Alba y county, during the year ;3. His piternal grandfather being und- lure the priva. Hors of pioneer He. " & the age of thirty- Iwo. His maternal ur HE iner, Reuben Stan In, was among us n Ny their vigor and Lordihood, conti mhach to clear up il wilderness in Cecymise in the days when Nomes were never . 4 ce of the redations of malware, from the Way war pacedmy the Revelatio : He for some years a hoverw in the Baptist Murch and was regularly ordined By thet omination: Ib 1793, Continuing to proh Ne wa disqualified by age. Mr. (.rk'
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