Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 51

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374

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south of the bridge, which is now a part of the estate of Mrs. Sarah R. Townsend and is operated by Frank Chamberlain who took possession in 1892. A store is kept here by Thomas and John Cook, and a hotel by P. J. McManus.

What is known as the old Cherry Hill mansion was formerly the res- idence of Gen. Solomon Van Rensselaer. That family owned most of the lands in this immediate vicinity in early years. Mount Hope, a commanding elevation rising to the west of the Hudson, was long the property of Ezra P. Prentiss, who made many improvements on his farm and its appurtenances. Joel Rathbone was long a resident of Ken- wood, and gave it its romantic name. The village is connected with Albany by electric cars.

Hurstville, formerly called Log Tavern, is a mere hamlet two miles northwest of Albany on the Albany and New Scotland road. It was given its former name from the fact that a log tavern was kept by one of the first settlers, named Hagadorn. Later it took the name of Hurst- ville from William Hurst, who settled here in 1861. Urban Van Hart and William Gilbert were early settlers here. A hotel is kept by Will- iam Hurst; there is no other business.

Selkirk is a post- office and hamlet, and a station on the West Shore Railroad in the southeastern part of the town, and takes its name from two or three Selkirk families who settled there The post- office was opened in 1883. and a store is kept by M. E. Skinner. Many Albanians have summer residences here.

Becker's Corners is a post- office seven and a half miles from Albany on the Albany and South Bethlehem road, and takes its name from the Becker family, of which Albertus W. Becker, long the postmaster, is a member. A hotel, blacksmith shop, and toll gate with a dozen resi- dences make up the hamlet.

Cedar Hill is a post office and hamlet eight miles below Albany on the river road and three fourths of a mile from the landing. The Nicoll, Winne, Van Wie, Sill and Cooper families settled here early. The place takes its name from the cedar trees that once grew in the vicinity. Quite extensive docks have been constructed at the river, where ice is shipped in large quantities, and produce is bought and shipped. Barent Winne is engaged in this business Winne & Riker and the Kimmeys followed the same business earlier.

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Glenmont is a station and post-office on the West Shore Railroad about a mile below Albany. Considerable moulding sand is shipped from here. There are no stores or other business interests in the place.

The early school houses in this town, like those in neighboring com- munities, were built in almost every instance of logs, and the teaching, as well as the accommodations, was primitive and unsatisfactory. One of the first of the log school houses in Bethlehem was situated on the Nicolls farm, at Cedar Hill. It was in existence almost or quite at the beginning of the century, and it is a tradition that the scholars were permitted to go out of doors to witness the first passing of Fulton's steamboat up the Hudson in 1807. That was then the only school house between the Coeymans line and Albany, and the district was so large that five have since been organized from it. Among the names of early teachers of Bethlehem are found those of Wallace, McCracken, Van Huysen, Goodhue, Talmage, Davis, Bennett, Smith, Nelson, Jacob K. Marshall, Hezekiah Burhans, Daniel Haynes, and others. Bethle- hem, with Coeymans and New Scotland, now constitute the first school commissioner district of the county and contains, as it has for many years past, fourteen districts, with a school house in each. In recent years the school buildings have been greatly improved, some being built of brick, and all are comfortable and convenient.

The church organizations of Bethlehem date from the last century, the earliest one being the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, which later became the First Reformed Church, which was organized in 1793. In the next year Solomon Van Rensselaer gave this society 100 acres of land, which has been known as the parsonage farm. Christian Bork was the first pastor of whom there is record. It is not known just when the first church building was erected, and the present one has been in use many years. In 1841 a Reformed church was erected at Adamsville (or Adams Station) At that time many members of the Union Reformed Church, at Unionville, who lived at considerable dis- tance from their church, proposed the erection of a chapel at Adams- ville. Nathaniel Adams generously donated an acre of land for a church site and the chapel was erected. Preaching was maintained as a branch of the Unionville society. In 1847, forty four members of the Unionville society petitioned for the organization of a church at

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Adams Station. On January 10, 1848, the Consistory of the Union- ville society resolved to grant the request of the petitioners, to deed to the Adamsville people the church property there, and also to appoint two commissioners to report their proceedings to the Classis. The or- ganization of the new society was then perfected. Elders Leonard G. Ten Eyck, and Peter Hilton, and Deacons William H. Slingerland and Joel Van Allen, of Union church, were constituted a distinct consistory for the new church, and on February 3, 1848, they certified to the title of the organization as The Second Reformed Dutch Church in the town of Bethlehem. In March, 1848, a call was extended to Rev. John A. Lansing, who came and served the society twelve years. During his pastorate and in 1851 the parsonage was built on land adjoining the church edifice. The church itself was enlarged and improved in 1859, and again in 1879. In 1884 an addition was built for the use of the Sabbath school and social purposes.

In the year 1822 a number of churches seceeded from the Reformed Dutch Church through differences in doctrine, and organized them- selves into the Classis of Union, with the title of True Reformed Dutch Church. About 1827 a society of this organization was formed in Bethlehem. The church edifice was erected near Bethlehem Center in 1854. The first pastor was Henry Bellinger and he remained with the church fifty years. The first church officers were Peter Kimmey, Storm Vanderzee, and David Kimmey. The Classis of Union is composed of six churches, one in each of the counties of Albany, Fulton, Mont- gomery, Rensselaer, Rockland, and Schoharie.

The First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem was organized Novem- ber 3, 1835, by Rev. John H. Campbell, D D., and Rev. William P. Davis, with fifty- three members. The first pastor was Rev. William P. Davis, who was ordained in December, 1835. The first house of worship was erected in the same year ; it was enlarged and refitted in 1869 at a cost of $4,000. A parsonage belongs to the church. The property is situ - ated about one and a half miles west of Hurstville. The first elders of the society were Jonathan E. Walley, John R. Bullock, Volkert V. Bullock.

The Methodist Episcopal church at Adams Station was organized about 1830, and a house of worship was erected in 1833. Rev. Henry 63

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Williams was the first pastor. Among the early members were Helmes Hotaling, Daniel Clark, John Oliver and his wife, Benjamin Holmes and his wife, William Coughtry and his wife, James Sigsbee and a Miss Patterson. In 1850 a second church was built east of the school house ; it was taken down in 1871 by a portion of the congregation causing a division in the church. This resulted in the building of another Metho- dist church at Adamsville in 1873. The first pastor of the new organ- ization was Rev. Peter B. Harrower. When the division just referred to was made, or soon afterward, the part of the congregation that did not leave the old socicty erected a church at Slingerlands. The edifice is of brick, with Sabbath school and lecture room, and cost $9,000. The first officers of this society were David Couse, John Wademan, Robert Frasier, Hezekiah Van Buren, David Winne, John Ostrander, and William Simmons. Rev. D. B. Mckenzie was the first pastor.

The Methodist Episcopal church at South Bethlehem, is the out- growth of the first society of this faith organized in the town. In No- vember, 1823, was dedicated the first church edifice, which stood a short distance east of Becker's Corners. In 1824 the following trustees were chosen : Robert D. Carhart, president ; Isaac S. Wright, treas- urer ; Joel Squires, secretary ; John Ten Eyck, Hugh Jolly, William Cooper, Joshua Poor. Bradley H. Glick was the first preacher. In 1845 this building was taken down and the materials in part used in the erection of another church at South Bethlehem, which was dedi- cated in 1846. The first trustees of this society were Hugh Jolly, Jehoi- chim Spawn, Hercules Baddo, Charles Chapman. Cornelius Waggo- ner was secretary and treasurer, and the first pastor was Reuben H. Bloomer.

A Free chapel was erected in 1877 near Cedar Hill, which was used by Christians of any denomination.

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CHAPTER XXII.

THE TOWN OF BERNE.

The town of Berne lies upon the Helderberg Mountains on the west- ern border of the county, and is the central one of the three western towns. Along the northern part is a ridge that rises abruptly from the Foxenkill in three spurs which bear the local names of Grippy, Irish Hill, and Uhai; the first of these names has an unknown origin; the second is from the number of Scotch-Irish settlers in that vicinity, and the third signifies high garden, from the Indian language. The south- ern and western parts of the town are hilly, with rocky ravines among the highlands, in the beds of which flow small streams. The principal streams are the Foxenkill and the Switzkill; the first rises in the eastern part of the town and flows westerly, partly underground, to- wards Warner's Lake, and thence into Schoharie Creek. The Switzkill rises in Westerlo, flows northward and empties into the Foxenkill. On these streams have been built extensive saw mills and grist mills neces- sary for the community. Along the banks of the creeks the soil is very fertile ; on the hillsides is found excellent grain land, while among the mountains it is in many places light and suitable only for meagre pasturage.

The Beaverdam, so called, divided into the upper and lower, extends from the East Berne to the West Berne hamlet. The dam itself was on the Foxenkill, at a point near the residence of George Schell, and early gave its name to the Dutch church in that vicinity and to the villages along the valley.

Warner's Lake covers about one hundred acres and is situated a mile north of the hamlet of East Berne; it took its name from Johannes and Christopher Warner, who early settled on its banks and the descendants of whom still live in the vicinity. Thompson's Lake, which received its name from John and William Thompson, is about one hundred acres

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in extent and lies in the extreme northeast part of the town, extending over into the town of Knox. This lake has in recent years become quite a popular resort.

Mineral springs of considerable importance exist in Berne, two of which are mentioned in an early geological report. These are on land owned in recent years by Jacob Hochstrasser. The water is strongly sulphurous. Other springs of similar character are in the valley of the Switzkill and there is also one on the farm of Thomas J. Wood. At Riedsville is a spring.impregnated with carbonate of iron and sulphureted hydrogen.

The town of Berne was apportioned from Rensselaerville March 17, 1795, and included the territory of the town of Knox, which was set off from Berne February 28, 1822. The territory of Berne was a part of the Van Rensselaer Manor and now contains 38,942 acres of land.

In the strife between the Tories and Indians and the patriotic colo- nists, at least two stockades were built within the limits of what is now Berne; one of these was near the Petrus Weidman house in Berne vil- lage, and another on the Adam I. Deitz farm in the Switzkill valley. This town was the scene of a bloody deed during the Revolutionary war that distinguishes it in that respect from all the other towns of Albany county. Johannes Deitz, the pioneer, was an ardent patriot in the cause of independence ; his family were his wife, his son and his son's wife, with four young children, and with them was a man servant and a boy named John Brice. This family were massacred by Indians and tories in 1780. The grist mill of Jacob Weidman was then the only one at all near and was about five miles from the scene of the massacre. The Brice family, then living at Rensselaerville, sent their young son Robert to this mill with a grist; with him were several other lads on a similar errand. Evening approached before the grinding was finished and all the boys excepting young Brice decided to remain with the miller all night. The farm of Johannes Deitz was situated midway between the mill and the Brice home, and when the lad reached that point he con- cluded to remain all night and enjoy the company of his brother John. As the boy reached the gate of the lane leading to the Deitz house an Indian sprang out of his concealment, seized the horse's bridle and led the animal directly towards the house. As they passed the barn the

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lad began to realize what had taken place, for he saw the dead body of Mr. Deitz prostrate and covered with blood, while between the barn and the house lay the bodies of Mrs Deitz. the son's wife, four children and a servant girl. About fifteen Indians were busy in their work of plundering the house. Capt. William Deitz, son of Johannes, and the boy John Brice, were tied to a near-by apple tree.

Finishing their terrible work, the Indians set fire to the building and then started with their prisoners and horses along the path towards Rensselaerville. The first night they camped within a mile of the Brice residence, and on the morning of the second day continued on to Potter's Hollow, Oak Hill, Middleburgh, Breakabeen, Harpersfield, through the Susquehanna valley, and eventually reached Canada. When news of the massacre reached the Schoharie garrison, scouting parties were at once sent out and in the pursuit, when near Middle- burgh, the Indians were so closely pressed that several were wounded by the scouts and their horses and plunder were abandoned. The sufferings of the prisoners on their long journey were almost indescriba- ble. To his physical torture was added the mental horror to Captain Deitz of seeing the scalps of his family dangling before his eyes. The trials of this journey and his losses and sorrow so broke him down that he died at Niagara while in confinement. The two Brice boys returned home after an absence of three years. The bodies of the massacred family were buried in one grave by Lieut. Johan Jost Deitz, a relative, sent from the lower fort for the purpose, on the eastern side of the line wall of the Pine Grove cemetery.

Settlement was begun in this town by eight families named Weidman, Zeh, Ball, Deitz, Knieskern, Shultes, Bassler, and Hochstrasser. Jacob Weidman is believed to have been the pioneer of party ; he came from Berne, Switzerland (from which fact the town received its name), with his wife and four sons and settled here as early as 1750. The party were guided to their destination along the trail leading towards Scho- harie by an Indian. They finally reached the site of Knox village, where a difference of opinion arose as to who should be recognized as the leader ; from this incident came the name " Fechtberg," or fighting hill, applied to that locality. There is good authority for believing that this dispute led to a division of the party, some going on to Schoharie and

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the remainder settling in Berne. This presumption does not conflict with the common belief that this town was settled from Schoharie, as it is known that some of the families who located in that county returned to Berne.

Jacob Weidman took up lands on the banks of the Foxenkill, on the site of Berne village, a tract of several hundred acres. He was a practical miller and selected his location with a view to establishing saw and grist mills, which he did as soon as practicable. Weidman's Mills were known as early as 1787, and were a great convenience to the pioneers. The mill property consisted of thirty acres of land and was leased to Mr. Weidman, in 1790, for sixteen years at a rental of £7; at the end of that term it was again leased for ten years at a rental of £30. Mr. Weidman was a prominent citizen and one of the founders of the Reformed church.

Frederick Bassler, the pioneer, was from Basle, Switzerland, and was one of the Palatinates who left his country to escape religious intoler- ance. The family in this country continued to represent the high char- acter and influence that distinguished them across the ocean.

Of the other pioneers, the Deitz family settled for the most part in the valley of the Switzkill and they and their descendants were reputa- ble in the community. Hendrick Ball, the head of the family of that name, settled on the farm occupied in recent years by Stephen Ball. Hendrick Knieskern settled where Jacob Knieskern lived. The Zeh family located mostly along the Foxenkill from what is known as the Boarding House to the village of East Berne.

Matthias Shultes, the head of that line in this region, took up over 400 acres of land along the northeast side of the West Mountain on the road passing the John and Allen Shultes farm.

Jacob Hochstrasser was a man of superior intellect and energy and exercised a strong influence on the community in early days. He was the first supervisor and the first justice of the peace of his town, and owned a large tract of land where the White Sulphur Springs House stands.

Following these pioneers, whose coming heralded civilization and the peace and prosperity of later days, came other elements of citizen- ship. In 1790 three Scoth- Irish families named Hay, Young and Curran

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settled a large tract of land on Irish Hill, the beginning of a useful part of the community. The Filkins and Conger families came a little later, the latter occupying land in and near Reidsville.

After the close of the Revolutionary war the New England element came into the town with the advent of the Gallup, Whipple, Crary, Brown, and Williams families. Samuel Gallup came from Groton, Conn., in 1786 and purchased a large farm near the Whipple Cemetery in what is now the town of Knox. His son Nathaniel became one of the most conspicuous citizens of the town ; was town clerk fourteen years, a justice nineteen years, and the ancestor of numerous descend- ants who have been prominent in the community.

Malachi Whipple came from Stonington, Conn., about 1793, and passed a useful life on what was long known as the Whipple farm. This was long considered the model farm of Albany county and took several premiums at fairs. In 1825 Mr. Whipple removed to Berne village, where he purchased the grist mill property and other real estate, and together with William H. Ball and Lyman Dwight built a carding and fulling mill. Mr. Whipple held many positions of trust.

Miner Walden came from Vermont in 1797 and became a useful citi- zen of Berne. He established what was probably the first carding machine, and also carried on a mercantile business. He was many years a justice of the peace and was universally respected.

Moses Patten was from Londonderry, N. H., and came to this town In 1820. He was a graduate of Union College and had studied law. He served as town clerk, justice of the peace, supervisor, school com- missioner, and was for many years a merchant at Berne village. Being elected surrogate of the county Mr. Patten moved to Albany, where he died in 1867, after a busy life. James Patten, brother of Moses, was a graduate of Bowdoin College, studied law, and settled in Berne in 1829. He held various town offices, and with his brother formed the mercantile firm that was so long successful. Later in life he gave his attention to the management of a fine farm. He died at his home in Berne in 1886.

Col. Jesse Wood was the first of this family to settle near Berne vil- lage. He was from Long Island and very early in the century settled in the eastern part of this town, where he afterwards became a prom-

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inent citizen. He rose to the rank of colonel in the war of 1812, and held the offices of supervisor and member of assembly. In 1837 he sold his homestead and moved to a farm near the village of Berne. John M. Wood was his nephew and was adopted by him. The latter was father of Thomas J. Wood, one of the leading citizens of the town.

Jacob Settle was engaged in mercantile business in Berne from 1812 to 1864, in which he was uncommonly successful. He was prominent in public affairs, held the offices of justice, supervisor, member of as- sembly, and was for thirty five years postmaster. It was largely through his influence that the plank road was constructed through this town from Schoharie, and connected with the Albany road. He was in every way a public spirited and valuable citizen.

These pioneers and their associates laid well the foundations of the later prosperity of the town, established its industries and founded its simple government. Of the dwellings built in the early years, succeed- ing the first log houses, there are some still remaining that are worthy of mention. The house in which Thomas J. Wood now resides bears the date of 1795, with initials, P. F. The dwelling once occupied by Frederick Zeh was erected about the same time, and so was that of Nathaniel Gallup. The house formerly owned by the Widow Fairlee and now owned by the Mattice brothers, in the village of Berne, was built as a tavern in 1809, and was used as a recruiting station in the war of 1812. The largest and finest of the early residences stood on the site of the Jacob P. Warner dwelling, and was built about 1800 by Petrus Weidman ; it contained ten fire places, five rooms in the cellar and large halls.

Of the business industries of the town the store of Johannes Fischer was probably the first, and was conducted in the building occupied in recent years by Thomas J. Wood. Stephen Willes, one of the Connec- · ticut pioneers, established a store in town as early as 1800; he is re- membered as a shrewd and successful merchant, and his place of busi- ness was on the site of the Hiram Warner residence, a mile from the village of East Berne, where he built a large dwelling in the New Eng- land style; his business increased rapidly and he soon erected a store across the road. Near by was an ashery and a tannery. On the north side of the creek he established a whisky distillery, a very necessary

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institution in those times, and saddle, harness and shoe shops. In 1825 he opened a second store in the village of East Berne, to compete with Albert and Benjamin Gallup. Major Willes held several town offices and was member of the assembly.

In 1803 Dr. Almeric Hubbell, who was son-in-law of Petrus Weid- man, began conducting a store on the site of the Edward Settle resi- dence. Miner Walden, who has been mentioned, began his mercantile life in the basement of a house that is now a part of the E. V. Filkins estate. Johan Deitz kept a store on the site of the Peter Bassler resi- dence in 1812, and in 1316 took Jacob Settle into partnership ; they did a large business, and it is said that fourteen barrels of potash sold by them that year in New York netted over $600.

The first mill in town, that of Jacob Weidman, was situated near the site of the later grist mill of Francis Becker. Mr. Weidman also had a saw mill near by. Another mill was built soon after the first by Johannes and Christopher Warner, near the site of the East Berne school house, being built probably as early as 1765. About 1790 Jacob Post, one of the pioneers, erected a mill near the site of West Berne village, and Asa Culver (or Culvard) had a cloth mill at about the same time at what is now South Berne. Other factories for the carding of wool and manu- facture of cloth in early days were those of Miner Walden and William HI. Ball. Around these various early industries sprang up the hamlets and villages which became the centers of such trade as was required by the people.

Francis Becker's mill, before mentioned, is still in operation in Berne village, having been built by Malachi Whipple in 1832, and does a large grinding business. The mill of Moses A. Gallup, at East Berne, is the largest in the county outside of Albany. It was planned and built by Clark, Decker & Gardner in 1858, for Truman Lobdell ; it is five stories high, has four run of stones, an immense overshot wheel and all the appurtenances of a modern grist mill. Mr. Gallup has also a saw mill and a shingle mill.

The mill of Jacob Miner Hochstrasser is on the site originally occu- pied by a building erected previous to the beginning of the century, in which was first a carding machine, then a shoe peg factory, and later a plant for grinding and finishing axes; still later it was a furniture

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Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 51

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1374

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374