USA > New York > Montgomery County > St Johnsville > Mohawk Valley genealogy and history : [a compilation of clippings, 1942-1945] > Part 2
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Christian and Philip located on the Tribes Hill road and soon after Chris- tian's marriage to Magdalena Rees in 1800, he built a tavern for the con- venience of the teamsters who were hauling great loads of merchandise between Boston and Oswego.
These stopping places were as ne- cessary then as gas stations are now and Stoiler's tavern was often a busy and overcrowded place. Widow Dor- othy Stolier must have been a very bright and lovable oid iady for, after the little granddaughter Dorothy Brower had married and been widow- ed, she lived with her daughter Eliz- abeth Moore Boshart and fond mem- ories of the Dennes were woven into the stories which she toid to her Boshart grandchildren. In the year 1783 a new road was laid out which followed . the lane between Daniel McGregor's and the Widow Stolier's. At the end of the iane the road went straight , across the Widow's farm to the Johnstown . highway which came up to Fon Claire St. The Albany Bush people came over that road, turned onto. Montgomery, pass- ed thenjaiis kept on down the hill, crossing the breek at Peter Yost's and onywelt across the Briggs farmi
Before they, reached
road coming !: from Sammonsville;
they turned to the right and drove up the short: hill to the log church where thege early Lutherans _ wor- shipped God. This was the meeting place where the families from Phil- adeiphia Bush and Albany Bush be- came better acquainted, and no doubt. many, of the weddings recorded in the Stone Arabia, church took place in this building. An account of the burial of a prominent pioneer of the Philadelphia Bush became better ac- quainted ,and no doubt, many of the weddings recorded in the Stone Ara- bia church book took piace in this building. An account of the burial of a prominent pioneer of the. Philadel- phia Bush section, noted in the Stone Arabia records, reads as follows: "He lived in wedlock with his grief strick- en widow for twenty years and be- came the father of children. He was buried in the graveyard two miles west of Johnstown on Thursday, the 8th."
THE MOORE FAMILY
Previous to the French and Indian war, Michaei and Mary" (Hough) Moore came to America from" Ger-
many and settled in Schenectady and after the Revolution their three sons John, Frederick and Michaei" began buying land in the Butlersburg pat- ent. ""Eventually the large farm" call- ed "Dilienbeck's" was the "home" of the older son, John and three gener- ations of Moores lived there. Freder- ick married his second cousin, Doro- thy the oldest " daughter of John George Hough, and settled south of the original 'Stoller farm." About one hundred years ago a piece of land was sold in that vicinity' and the deed reads: "Beginning' a little west of a I hemlock tree at the corner .of the pig pen on the line between John F. Moor and Michael Stolier, Jr .. " wonder if we could iocate that start- ing point today ? Michael the young- est Moore son, married. Margaret, daughter of John E. and Elizabeth Rupert Coughnet and they lived on the place still known as the "Moore" farm on the "old" road laid out in 1770 "from' Gilbert 'Tice's house in Johnstown to the main thoroughfare in Caughnawaga.""It was their son, Frederick, who, married Jacob Den- nes granddaughter Dorothy and in- herited the Sammonsville farm. The Moore families were large and gave to each generation men of worth and distinction in' church, business and professional, life. In 1812 Michaei Moore, Peter Piantz and Christian. Wert were elected trustees of the Lutheran church'and in 1814, Adam Piank, a prominent Philadelphia Bush farmer was made trustee and elder. One has but to look at the 'recrds of St. Paul's church to re- alize that these families from the west and east of Johnstown compris- ed a large part of its congregation and were its chief support.
Besides the families mentioned, Al- bany Bush was the home of the Lin- genfeiters, the Vosburghs, the Put- mans, the Quilhots and others who shared the struggles, joy and sorrows of this community.
The rugged, homely virtues, the integrity of these. people and their loyalty to their church and civic ob- ligations should inspire us to more worth-while" accomplishments and better citizenship; "We cannot feel that they missed so much for, altho they knew nothing of the luxuries of the Twentieth century, their pleas- ures and real content would, without doubt, far exceed much of the present day hectic existence; and the story of the 'every day life of these pioneers of. Philadelphia Bush and Albany Bush has a full measure of adven- ture, romance and considerable reli- gion.
THE END
Among the very earliest comers to the Bush were Michael "and" Eva Heagle. Their land was in the Sacan- daga patent west of the John Moore farm which has' been known as "Dil- lenbeck's-for many years. Their'near neighbors were the Plantz, Lingen- road passed the Heagie' home but felter, and Stoiler families. No maln they made a road down to the Stoiler place where an early road' was pass- able.
If one turned at Stoiler's to the right the highway led them to Fon Claire street and north into Johns- town; if to the ieft, they could go to Caughnawaga or on past John But- ler's and to Fort Hunter. The Caugh-1 nawaga trail came up the hill from the village' of that name, kept west "Pinnacle" onto the Heagle farm. of Butler's and swung around the This "Pinnacie" was an Indian Shrine and for generations Albany Bush' children took each others hands and |, ran past the spot with bated breath. The trail soon turned toward the east and onto the road which veered north. It crossed the Tribes Hill highway and continued across the Perth road on its way to Canada.
In 1747 David. Stanley Baird, whose Revolutionary ancestor, Major William Baird had settled in . Gjen, Montgomery county, met and mar- ried Margaret, a, great granddaugh- ter of Michael and Eva Heagle and the homestead which had sheltered three generations of Heagies, became their home. With the coming of this Scotch family of Bairds we turn once more to the Dutch Van Dorns who came here about 1755. While Johan- nes Van Dorn came from, Dutchess county through to Caughnawaga an- other brother located in Glen; and af- ter the Revolution a son of Major Baird and little Cathelin Van Dorn were playmates and lovers. About. | he year 1800 they married and after ix chiidren had come into their home he family started for the far west- t that time time the state of Illinois. t took three large wagons to carry
their household belongings and two men accompanied each load. The Van Dorn love of adventure and travel led a son of the following' generation to sail down the Atlantic to Panama where the ship was stranded. But young Van Dorn just walked across the Isthmus and eventualiy sailed up the Pacific ocean to California.
THE LEFLER FAMILY
In 1754 John Martin Lefler and his wife Ann, came with John George. Hough, whose' wife, Chariotte, was Mr. Lefler's sister from Wurtemburg, Germany and settled just north of Tribes Hill where " Mr.' Lefler had large holdings in the Hanson patent.
Martin, the eight year old son of the Lefler's accompanied 'them . and during the' voyage a daughter, An- na, was born to a family named Vet- ter or Vedder. This was an early age to start a romance but twenty years later Martin and 'Anna were married, and in 1802 their daughter, Agnes, married John E. Coughnet's son 'Daniel. These early settlers had their aocial life and country frolics. The young folks met, courted and married and years later some one re- marked "Ali the Albany Bush fam- ilies are cousins." Young Martin Lef- ler served in the Revolution and his brother John, was one of eleven old men, stili living in 1838, who were Captains , in command of the oars- men on the Mohawk river Batteaux which conveved ammunition to the
Incidents in the Lives of Some Early Johnstown Settlers
By Bethune M. Grant, Jr., of the Johnstown Chapter, D. A. R ..
(Continued from. last week)
Elizabeth Carncroas, wife of this old lady's grandson Jeremiah Dorn, lived to be over one hundred years of age and wonderful stories of early Johnstown did she relate. Her hus- band's mother told her, of the life In Sir William's time and the details of his grand funeral; and all these were repeated to her grandchildren
Jeremiah dropped the "van" from the Dorn name. He was. a Revolu- tionary soldier and with his brother Michael, remained in Johnstown. Pet; er, who was in the battle of Oriskany afterward joined his brothers, John and David in Canada. The Coughnet Family
John , Eberhard Coughnet, second son of Count von Coughnet who lived in the ancestral castle at Colmar, Al- sace, Germany, was a friend of the Boshart and Yanney families there and without doubt, they planned to come together to this New World of America 'So in 1750 Heinrich Bos- hart, who was probably a brother of Jacob, landed in Philadelphia and in 1751-John Eberhard Coughnet arrived at the same Port with his wife, son, John Jr. and several younger child- ren. " He had sailed from Rotterdam on the ship "Janet" and a fellow pas. senger was Hans Georg Spraker, „.a Revolutionary ancestor of several members of the local D. A. R. chap- ter
Georg, Spraker was one of the most ardent patriots in the Valley , and those who bear the name today are highly respected and influential cit- izen's of the Palatine district. In 1758 the ship "Windsor" brought Ja- cob and Margareit Boshart to Phil- adelphia, and in the Spring of 1756 the Coughnets and the Bosharts ar- rived in / Caughnawaga. With them were two small boys, Christian and Henry Yanney, whose parents had died in 1754 in Freehold, Nw Jersey. Jacob Boshart leased about sixty acres of land in lot No. II, from John Butler and built a log house; and this farm located on the Fonda road, con- tinued to be the family home until 1928
Heinrich Boshart leased a portion of lot No. 9, two sections farther West than his brother. Henry's wife was Elizabeth Kitts"and their daughter Elizabeth married James Burk, AN prietor of Burk's Inn, now the D.A. Chapter House. This was the Burk home for twenty years.
In: 1806 we find that James Burk with Abijah Lobdell, Jesse Foot and others were elected vestrymen of the Protestant Episcopal church of Johns- public life, the militia and the Royal Navy.
town.
The, Coughnets lived in the Caugh-
nawaga section and in 1766 John E. petitioned for, citizenship papers for himself and his son John E. Jr. The elder John must have died soon after- ward for only John Jr., received his papers in 1770. " He had married Eliz- abeth Rupert of Johnstown in 1766, as recorded in the annais of the Stone Arabia church.
Shoemaker to King
Sons of all weli-to-do German fam- ilies were taught a trade and John Eberhard Coughnet was a shoemak- er. He must have been an unusually expert workman for while he lived in Germany he made shoes for George II, the German King of England, He saved ,the solid silver. shoe buckles from the King's discarded footwear and brought ; them to America with him and years later they were ham- mered into teaspoons which some of his female descendants proudiy dis- piay today. The, son, John E. Jr., was .also a. shoemaker, and. early .. in the Revolution was saved from hang, ing to make, shoes for the .. almost barefooted soldiers ; of King George III. John E. had been arrested as a spy and only his ability to make the sorely needed shoes for the British troops spared his life,
He had a daughter ,Magdalena who married: Christian, a son of the pioneer, Johannis . Wert, and their home .. was situated just West of the "Cross-roads": school house where their daughter Mary, met James Nel- iis. The graves of John E. and Eliz- abeth . (Rupert), Coughnet who. died more than a century ago are marked with their original head stones in the Colonial cemetery.
: In .1757, during the French ;and Indian war, Lieutenant Charles. Clin- ton came with his troops t guard the Western frontier near .. the German Flats and John Eberhard Gochnct ((Coughnet) joined Captain, Stephen Nottingham's : Ulster : County Volun; teers. .... The, following year' he was with Major .Bradstreet's, Battalion which wnt to Fort Frontenac: at Kingston, Ont ..... They also - marched toward | Fort William Henry where Sir. William Johnson,was so seriously injured and the Indian chief. King Hendrick met his death., They, were attacked by the enemy and forced to retreat.
( John: ,Eberhard ___ Coughnet's son, Michael married a daughter; of Philly Empie and lived in Stone Arabia; be; before the Revolution_but he went to Canada, locating,at Cornwall: He was a.„very, prominent.citizen there, and his descendants were distinguished ir
(To be continued)
Incidents in the Lives of Some Early Johnstown Settlers
By Bethune M. Grant, Jr., of the Johnstown Chapter, D. A. R.
(Continued from last week)" -
-
THE PLANTZ FAMILY ...
'A' wealthy family by the name ; of Plantz lived in the Duchy of Baden, Germany, near the Black Forest and forly in the eighteenth' century one son so displeased his father by mar- rying against his wishes that the parent tore the page containing the marriage record from the church register. A son of this union, even- tuaily `came to America but the ship upon which he had embarked was wrecked and the young man suffered so for lack of food and drink that he never had the courage to return to his native country to claim his share of an estate upon which the city of Baden-Baden now stands,
One obstacie to be overcome iater was the proving of that hated mar- riage and aithough Emperor Wiliianı I. acknowledged the claim to the es- tate to be a just one, the American descendants could accomplish very little because of the missing mar- riage record. .
. Young Piantz brought with him to America a grant of land from on the sheepskin deed was th insignia of Holiand. The property was locat- ed north of the Mohawk river and as Johannes Piantz and his wife Ma- ria Margarietta already married in 1751, according to the oid Palatine church record, had settled in Albany Bush, the claim was probably to their farm located in the Hanson pat- ent. There Johannes and Margarietta reared a large end fine family and the name of Plantz has always been identified with the best interests of their church and community. Johan- nes was a member of Col. Klock's Second Regiment of Tryon county Militia and iater enrolled with the "Associated 'Exempts." In this or- ganization were such men as Jacob Boshart, Jacob Coughnet, Jelles Fon- da, Sampson Sammons and other pa- triots whose age limited their mili- tary service.
troops. Thes men were all granted pensions in 1838. - 21
John E. Hough had only one son, married into neighboring families but there were seven daughters who and /when their father died in 1813 at the age of one hundred .. and three years, many of the younger genera- tions in Albany Bush must have call- ed him grandfather. This old man's remains lie in the beautiful cemetery at Tribes Hill on the biuff above the river which these pioneers ioved so weil.
DENNIE'S CROSSING
When we speak casually of Den- nie's Crossing on the Mayfied road,' we hardly associate it with Barent Denne who came with his family to that section in 1760 and settled north of Albany Bush near New Philadel- phia." Twenty years later he made a will giving one hundred acre farms to each of his sons, but he lived many years after that. One of his friends was Christian Yanney who lived South of Johnstown village and to ! visit each other there was a long tramp through virgin forest, over a narrow footpath from Johnstown to patent. We marvel at the distances those older men travelled and can ap- preciate the great friendship. which must have existed between . them. Another friend and neighbor was' .Samuel Woodworth who wrote the words of the "Old Oaken Bucket." 'A popular song during the Nineteenth Century.
Jacob Denne, the oldest son of Bar- ent was also a farmer of Caughna- waga and after the death of his first wife, married in 1788, Dorothy, wid- ow of Michael Stoiler. Three years later the Dennes moved to the _two- hundred acre farm which he had pur- chased and which was located a short distance west of Sammonsville.
As the Dennes grew older a little, girls, whose mother. wss - Elizabeth Denne Brower, came to live with her passed away Dorothy Brover and her s still own- lescendants. grandparents; and when the Dennes husband, Frederick M. ™ ited this fine farm whic ed and occupied by thei >ore, inher-
Incidents in the Lives of Some Early Johnstown Settlers
By Bethune M. Grant, Jr., of the Johnstown Chapter, D. A. R.
i When William Johnson came into |ler and we wonder if they could have the Mohawk valley two hundred years ago the Indian village of Kolaneka occupied the site of our Johnstown. Th eword olaneka signifies "The place where one stops to fill up his bowl with food and drink," and sit- uated, as it :was, on the Northern branch of . the Great Central Trail which swung through the Indian set- tlement like a loop, from Tribes Hill to Caughnawaga, its symbolic name and its importance as a stopping- place are easily understood.
Can we not visualize the groups of tepees scattered along the plateau above the Creek ? A primitive Indian camp where our county buildings now stand. The creek calied Canada, and also Cayadutta, came , pouring down from Bleecker mountain and as it neared the bluff by the mill known as Schriver's ' was joined by East Creek; a little .... farther.on .by ... the "Hall" creek; then hurried on its way to the mighty Mohawk at Caughna- waga. Can we not picture the super- intendent of Indian affairs in Ameri- ca for King George , II, coming, on horseback from his Mt, Johnson home
with the crooked Karaderosseras; far- ther on taking the Caughnawaon trail
been the grandparents of the Rev. Edward Wall who came two genera- tions iater to preach in the old Kings- borough church. Efficient Robert Adams moved here from Schenectady to conduct the store and trading post. His day-book has an entry on a fly- ieaf which reads-"In November 1769 I moved from the Parsonage house to my new home," which stood where the Court house park is now. Sir Wil- liam induced Zephaniah Batcheller, a Master builder of Boston Town to come here to superintend the con- struction of the jail and Court house. Apparently he enjoyed life in the new viliage for in a short time he married Rebecca, a sister of Gilbert Tice, the Tavernkeeper, and remained here. When the Revolutionary war broke out his sympathies were with the Colonists and after serving in a Try- on County regiment for a time be- came "Lieut." in the "Associated Ex- empts.' When the confiscated Tory properties were' sold in 1784 Mr. Batcheller bought the entire north side of New Sacandaga (Main) street [from William to Market for seventy pounds and the church lot occupied
over the trail that "wound in and out the entire north portion of this block.
Another of Sir William's friends,
King George II and stamped in gold Mr. Denne's farm in the Mayfield
¡than his brother. Henry's wife was jawauneu by the enemy and forced to retreat.
ed and occupied by thel lescendants
Elizabeth Kitts and their daughter Elisabeth married "James, Burk, PED is John Eberhard ___ Coughnet's";son, prietor of, Burk's Inn, now the DirA Michael married a daughter of Phillg P. Chapter House. This was the Burk home for twenty years." In 1806 we find that James Burk with Abijah Lobdell, Jesse Foot and others were elected vestrymen of the Protestant Episcopal church of Johns- town.
The Coughnets Ilved In the Caugh-
(To be continued)
Incidents in the Lives of Some Early Johnstown Settlers
By Bethune M. Grant, Jr., of the Johnstown Chapter, D. A. R.
When Willlam Johnson came into ler and we wonder if they could have the Mohawk valley two hundred years ago the Indian village of Kolaneka occupied the site of our Johnstown. Theword olaneka signifles "The place where one stops to fill up his bowl with food and drink," and sit- uated, as it was, on the Northern branch of the Great Central Trail which swung through the Indian set- tlement like a loop, from Tribes Hill to Caughnawaga, its symbollc name and its Importance as a stopping- place are easily understood.'
been the grandparent's of the Rev. Edward Wall who came two genera- tions later to preach In the old Kings- borough church. Efficient Robert Adams moved here from Schenectady to conduct the store and trading post. His day-book has an entry on a fly- leaf which reads-"In November 1769 I moved from the Parsonage house to my new home," which stood where the Court house park is now. Sir Wil- llam induced Zephaniah Batcheller, a Master builder of Boston Town to come here to superintend the con- struction of the jail and Court house. Apparently he enjoyed life in the new village for in a short time he married Rebecca, a sister of Gilbert Tice, the Tavernkeeper, and remained here. When the Revolutionary war broke out his sympathies 'were with the Colonists and after serving in a Try- on County regiment for a time, be- came "Lieut." in the "Associated Ex- empts.' When the confiscated Tory propertles were' sold in 1784 Mr. Batcheiler bought the entire north side of New Sacandaga (Main) street from William to Market for. seventy pounds and the church lot occupied the entire north portion of this block. Another of Sir William's friends, Edward Wall,' the schoolmaster, mov-
Can we not visualize the groups of tepees, scattered along the plateau above the Creek? A primitive Indian camp where our county buildings now stand. „The creek called Canada, and also Cayadutta, came ; pouring down from Bleecker mountain and as . it neared the bluff by the mill. known as Schriver's was joined by East Creek; a little .farther.on by the "Hall" creek; then hurried on its way to the mighty Mohawk at Caughna- waga. Can we not picture the super- intendent of Indian affairs in Ameri- ca for King George . II, coming on horseback from his Mt. Johnson home over the trail that wound in and out with the crooked Karaderosseras; far- ther on taking the Caughnawaga trail over to the road which led to the" vil-| ed to the German Flats and was a lage of Wigwams from' the South ? member of the Committee of Safety, was sent'to Albany and Schenectady on Important missions. Grant by Queen Anne This road was named Fon Claire, about forty years later, in honor of the French: soldier, who bullt Union Hall. > How thrilled William Johnson must have been as he looked across the creek from the Indian clearing to the opposite slope where he already had a, hunting lodge and, after he became "Sir William," built the Bar- oniai mansion, As his red-skinned friends moved farther and farther into the wooded country Sir William planned a village for the white man and eventually called it "John's Town" in honor of his son and heir. Almost as soon as , the "Hail" was habitable a small stone church was built near the western border of the "God's Acre" which we call the Co- lonial ' cemetery. The first Parson- age house stood nearer the East end of that one-acre lot and was referred to. by writers, fifty years ago, while the cellar of the house built for the 'first minister, "Way. Richard Moseley was still a hollow under the mam- moth Lombardy poplars set out by 1743. The Sacandaga patent includ- Sir William.
When the Baronet came, to Ilve at the "Hall" he was far from being the' only white resident about here. Pioneers had been coming into this section for ten years; buying or leas- ing land and putting up their log houses. They were not poor emigrants but came to America to escape the exorbitant taxes and". continuous wars of the old countries. They brought money to buy land and some of them brought their property deeds with them. 'Queen Anne had grant- ed the Kayaderrosseras patent which included Amsterdam In 1708 and gave Hendrick and John Hanson title - to two thousand acres of land extending from Tribes Hill to Caughnawaga in 1713.
* John Butler's tract called Butlers- burg and lying just south of our city line, included four thousand acres and he built his house on Switzer Hill in
ed much 'of ' Albany Bush, while Johnstown was included in the twen- ty thousand acre tract of the Kings-
The first free school in the Col- ony of New York was built and the school master, Edward Wall, came. In borough patent which was purchased 1772 he mr -ied Deborah, a daugh- from the Indians in 1753.
ter of Cap' In and Cataleyna But-
(To be continued)
1.
Empie and lived in Stone Arabia; be. before the Revolution but he went to Canada, locating. at Cornwall: He. Wad a.„very, prominent.citizen there, and his descendants were distinguished, ir public life, the militla and the Royal Navy.
BUILT OWII-
First Settlers of The Valley
The spectacle to the people in the fort was one of melancholy grandeur. Every family saw the flames and smoke of its own domicile ascending to the skies, and every farmer, the whode product of his labor for the season' dissolving into ashes." . Mr. James Dygert tells of this occur- rence as follows: "My grandmother, Mrs." Catharine Myers, was at this time time a girl of ten years and a resident of this place. Many times when I was a boy she related to me the appearance of the courageous scout when he gave the alarm. His clothing was torn to tatters, his eyes were bloodshot, his hands, feet and limbs were lacerated and bleeding from the effects of the brambles and bushes through which he had forced his headlong flight. He halted long
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