USA > New York > Montgomery County > St Johnsville > Mohawk Valley genealogy and history : [a compilation of clippings, 1942-1945] > Part 4
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The first model of a sewing ma- chine ever made was constructed by Isaac Singer in a workshop In Port Byron, N. Y.
TASTIER, FINER, BETTER
; No wonder millions prefer and in- [the farmstead until shortly after the sist upon Utica Club Pilsner Lager year 1800 when the large stone house and XXX Cream Ale .- Adv.
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St. Johnsville Enterprise and News, St. Johnsville, N. Y.
TRACING YOUR FAMILY TREE
By a Staff Reporter
Study any old family papers, diar- fes or account books that they might have. These documents may give clues to the information you are seeking.
Study old Bibles that your rela- tives may have. Notice the date of publication to see if the written re- cords were entered as the births and deaths occurred or if the records
evidence that the records are rella- ble. Be sure to write down the name of the owner of the Bible if it Is not your own.
Visit a library, if near you, with a genealogical collection. Tell the li- brarian in charge of the collection your particular problem. Because of her knowledge of her own collection and other sources she may be able to start you out without much loss of time.
Look for a printed genealogy of
the family you are interested in. Don't be discouraged if your library does not have your particular gen- ealogy on hand. Genealogies are al- most always Issued in' small editions and therefore usually difficult to find.
Do not accept statements and da- ta in printed genealogles uncritically. Peruse the volume closely and study its makeup to determine the reliabil- ity of the author!
Consult genealogical indexes: "In- dex to American Genealogies and to
Ask your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and old friends | GenealogIcal Material' Contained In for all the information they have .on All Works such as Town Histories, County Historles, Local Historles, the line you are Interested in. Keep a note book of their statements and Historical Society Publications, Bl- dates so that you will always have a written record.
ographles, Historical Periodicals and Kindred Works" or also known as "Munsell's · GenealogIcal Index,": 4th ed. Albany, 1895. 5th ed. Albany, 1900. Supplement 1900-08, Albany, 1908.
1 "Munsell's Genealogical Index," South Norwalk, Conn. 1933.
"Bibliographia genealogica amer- icana: An Alphabetical Index to American Genealogies and Pedigrees Contained in State, County, and were written all at one time. If the Town Historles, Printed Genealogies, entries appear to have been written and Kindred Work," by Daniel S. at various times, that is fairly good Durrle, Albany, 1868.
Same, 2nd edition, Albany, 1878. Same, 3rd ed. Albany, 1886. . (Supple- ment 1888.)
"The Grafton Index of Books and Magazine Articles on History, Gen- ealogy and Biography Printed in the United States on American subjects during the year 1909," New York 1910.
Index to Genealogical Periodicals, New Haven, 1932. Kept up to date annually in the American Genealog- ist.
"American and English Genealo- gies in the Library of Congress,"' Washington, D. C., 1919. (Contains cross references.)
"Catalogue of American Genealo- gles in the Library of the Long Is- land Historical Society," published by Long Island Historical Society of Brooklyn, N. Y., 1935. Lists more than 8,000 books concerned with genealogy.
(First of a series)
TRACING YOUR FAMILY TREE By a Staff Reporter
TOWN RECORDS
'The town or township clerk can us- ually show you where land records, tax lists, transactions of the town and town accounts may be found.
Remember that although town re- cords are public property you must be careful in your relationships with the. clerk, because he can make it dif -; ficult for you if he takes, a dislike to you.
. If possible, and you have the time, search' the records yourself and note the volume and the page number.
: Vital records were poorly kept be- fore . 1850 and many times you-will .not find any record, even up to 1900. So don't conclude that because you are unable to find any record of the individuals you are looking for that they were not borin In that partic- ular town. Few states had laws be- fore 1850 compelling registration of vital statistics.
In New York State the State De- partment of Health, Albany, has re- cords of births, marriages and deaths since 1895. For older state census records, write or call at the State Library, Albany.
""In Rhode Island write the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, State Office ... Building,
births, marriages and deaths since 1835.
In Vermont write the Secretary of. State, Montpeller, for all births, marriages and deaths and cemetery inscriptions recorded in town re- cords. They were copied and sent to Montpelier.
In. New Hampshire write the De- partment of Vital Statistics, State House, Concord. Some of their re- cords go way back because their town records have been copled and placed on file.
In Malne write the Department of Vital Statistics, Bureau of Health, Augusta, where they have births, marriages fand deaths since 1892 with some records before 1892.
Several states furnish free copies of vital records but charge a fee for certifled copies for legal use and use in establishing lineages for member- ships in patriote soceties. Other state' charge a fee for any kind of copy.
Also look for mortgage records and tax lists. The tax lists contain the names of all the taxpayers in the town and a cropping up of a name of a disappearance from the tax list may mean purchase of property or
In Massachusetts write the Bu- reau of Vital Statistics, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston. They sale and removal from the vicinity. have births, marrlages and deaths
Be as specific as possible In writ- since '1850 with incomplete records Ing to town clerks because they do since 1841-49.'
not care to spend much time on questions vaguely phrased with mea- ger Information to guide them.
Providence, for (Second of a Series)
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Mohawk Valley Genealogy and History
MAY 13, 1943
Supplement to the ENTERPRISE AND NEWS, ST. JOHNSVILLE, N. Y.
THE OLD BUTLER HOUSE
. by Arch D. Anderson, In the "Walls Tell a Story" Series, January 23, 1943, WGY
There are Individuals, and even families, who instinctively shy away from any display of leadership. This tralt Is seen not only in everyday activities, but in such highly impor -- tant matters as the selection of a site for their home, or the construc- tion of the home itself.
It Is easy to imagine that such an inborn' desire to avoid the limelight came into play when the Butiers of Butlerbury built their home two cen- turies ago, In the year 1742, on Swit- zer Hill, a little north of the present village of Fonda. Instead of build- ing a home on the main highway along the Mohawk, they chose a most secluded spot one-half mile back from the river; and instead of erect- ing a pretentious home, in the style appropriate to the gentry of that day, they contented themselves with a house both modest and inconspicu- ous.
Never Attained Prominence ;
We may note' further that altho the Butier family acquired 5,000 acres 4 In the rich Mohawk valley, thus be- coming one of the great landholders prominence. Sir William Johnson, who came into the valley years after the Butlers had settied there, easily eclipsed them in influence and impor- tance. But while the Butiers as a family were not outstanding, we shall see that two of their number did be- come notorious. *
* *
Walter Butler, who came to Ameri- ca from Ireland in 1711, settled orig- inally in New London, Connecticut, where he was married and where at least two sons, John and Thomas, were born. Many years later, as a Captain in the British Army, he be- came a resident of the Mohawk Val -. ley, having been sent there to com- mand Fort Hunter. It was he who built the house on Switzer Hill, a half mile from the village of Caugh- nawauga, known to later generations as Fonda, and there his family joined him In the bleak month of November, 1742.
House Stili Standing
The Butier home, now one of the oldest frame houses standing in New , York State, has survived the decay of age and the more deadly enemy, fire, to which most of its contempor- aries succumbed down the years.
The house in itself is not now and never was imposing, being what was commonly known as a story-and-a- half house. The upper half-story contains the sleeping rooms, with the Inevitable sloping ceilings that con- stantiy threaten the unwary with bruised heads and ruffled tempers. At each end there is a chimney for the fire places, although stoves have long since replaced those ancient and In- efficient heating devices. The inter- ior of the old house has been so
changed by its former owners that we can no longer be sure how it ap- peared In the time of the Butlers: the beamed ceilings probably are original and the interior still retains that characteristic sometimes found in old houses, of seeming more roomy than the exterior would suggest.
The seclusion that the Butlers pre- ferred for themselves has been pre- served to the present day. Even now, the house is not directly on the high- way leading over Switzer Hill from Fonda to Johnstown, but must be lane. The section of the dwelling facing toward the modern highway and now used as the front entrance was originally the rear entrance, while the original front section, fac- ing the valley of the Mohawk, per- mits a fine view extending for many miles over the historic countryside.
Even in Colonlal days this must have been considered a lonesome place to leave the wife and children while the man of the house went as far away as Oswego, on missions for the government.
Butier Married In 1750
It was about 1750 that Walter But- ler's son John married Catherine their home in the frame house at Butlerbury. No one knows with cer- tainty how many children came of this marriage, but there is record of at least one daughter and two sons, Walter and William Johnson Butler.
The younger Walter Butler, born in that secluded house, was destined to play a notorious role in American history and yet to have much of his life veiled in obscurity. We do not know exactly when he was born, nor can anyone say where he was bur- led. A personal description of the man is to be found only in the pages of fiction. An imaginative portrait drawn by Harold Frederick In his book, "In'the Valley," and copied more or less by Chambers, Edmonds, Swiggett and others, endows Walter Butler with more glamour than has yet come out of Hollywood. -
*
Here, in the words of a character .In Frederick's novel, is the glowing description: "He was about my own age and oh! such a handsome youth with features cut as in a cameo, and a pale, brown smooth skin and large eyes that look upon me still some- times in dreams with ineffable mel- ancholy. He was somewhat beneath my stature but formed with perfect delicacy. Walter Butier was most perfectiy built a living picture of grace. He dressed with remarkable taste, contriving always to appear the gentieman, yet not out of place in the wilderness. He wore his own black hair carlessly tied or flowing with no thought of powder."
So ends the quotation from "In the Valley," and to my mind that Is" a description which no modern publici- ty agent could hope to beat!
Had Envious Disposition
But it is far more likely that Wal- ter Butler was a man of envious dis- position and given to fancied Injuries and slights. It can be supposed that a particular object of his envy was the stone mansion of the Johnsons at Fort Johnson, and later Johnson Hall 'House is Secluded " ... at Johnstown, both but a few miles away from the backroads home' of the Butlers. Walter probably felt that his father was a subordinate deputy of Sir William Johnson; and brooding over this injustice, he probably felt so sorry for himself that he easily approached through a side road and . came to hate the world at large.
Became a Lawyer
As he grew up, Walter's ambition was revealed in an inclination for an education, and in all probability it was Sir William Johnson himself who, arranged for the boy to enter the law office of Peter Sylvester in Albany. Sylvester, as we know, was the Baronet's friend and lawyer, and he it was who drew up Sir William's last will and testament.
by the fact that his mother and his brothers and sisters were taken to Albany as hostages, where they were held for a long time while he strove furiously to obtain their release by exchange.
Following the Battle of Oriskany, when nearly every family in the Mo- hawk Valley lost some of its mem- bers and feeling was running high against the British, Walter Butier was led by this madness or by reck- less bad judgment to go down . the valley urging the citizens to cease fighting the King. For this he was arrested at Shoemaker's and under the laws of war, since he wore no un- iform, he was condemned to death as a spy. Later, when the sentence of death was raised and he was mere- ly sent to Albany as a prisoner of war, he felt himself again the victim of injustice. Treated by his jallers without concern for his feelings, the fact that he was lucky' not to have been hanged did nothing to lessen his bitterness. Afterward he escaped and
The Walter Butler House, Switzer
Hill, Near Fonda, N. Y. Built 1743.
Walter Butier may have possessed talents that would have made him a successful lawyer, but he seems to have given little time to the practice of his profession. The only known documents bearing on his legal work are one which he drew up to secure the freedom of a man named Wimple held in debtor's prison, and one other addressed to Bryan Lofferty, secre- tary to Sir William Johnson, with regard to organizing a kind of Bar Association in Tryon County.
With the beginning of the Revolu- tionary War it was quite natural for the Butlers to remain loyal to the King and to the Johnsons. Their in- terest as large land holders was with the British cause, while John and Thomas Butier had long been active In the King's service. As for the Johnsons, the Butlers were tied to the Baronet and his family by many close associations.
Family Made Hostages 1
Of all the Butlers, Walter was probably the greatest Tory, and the outbreak of war at last afforded him an opportunity to express. the pent- up emotions of many bitter years. His insane hatred was further kindled
then his intense hatred found vent in the Massacre at Cherry Valley, which was carried out with such fe- rocity that even the Indians under cruel Joseph Brant were outclassed, and this Indian chief tried unsuccess- fully to save the people of Cherry Valley from the savage fury of Wal- ter Butier.
Howard Swiggett In his "War Out of Niagara," and to a lesser degree Dr. Clark in his "Bloody Mohawk! have tried to whitewash Walter But- ler, but they have been unable to. hide the character and crimes of a diseased mind-the mind of a young man born on an unknown date in the modest frame house at Butierbury and buried In an unknown grave af- ter his death on West Canada Creek.',
Butier Devoted to His Mother . Mystery gives rise to Romance- and since this young man was cer- tainly a mysterious figure, he may perhaps. have been romantic as well. Still there seems to be no authentic facts to support the legends of his ardent attention to women nor even, the clalms advanced by some authors that he was married. One , fact of (Continued on page.4)
1
by Arch D. Anderson
in the region, it never attained real Pollock, and the young couple set up
BUTLER HOUSE
(Continued from page 1)
which there Is no doubt and one that Is to his credit Is that he was devoted to his mother. He fought valiantly to have her freed from cus- tody as a hostage and he never gave up that fight until she was released.
Father Was Not an Extremist
' John Butler, father of the notorious Walter, was apparently more of the plodding type, extremely loyal to his friends and vengeful towards his en- emles, although with little of the vl- cious hatred that drove his son to insane reprisals. During Sir William Johnson's life, John Butler was sel- dom for any lengthy period at home at Butlerbury, but instead was con- stantly on his various missions among the Indians as Sir William's representative. That he did his work falthfully and well was shown when as a mark of appreciation Sir Wii- llam Johnson decided to 'make him Judge. He apparently was a man of few words according to some of his brief reports to Sir William, and this characteristic we see In his last terse letter written at Butlerbury. The communication, addressed to Jeiles Fonda, who conducted a store at Caughnawaga, read as follows: "Please send me two gallons of new rum per bearer, and you will oblige. Sincerely yours .- John Butler."
Wyoming Massacre
His his son Walter, John Butler is charged with a crime in the pages of history. That was the Wyoming Mas- sacre. But while we must condemn John Butler for his act of treacher- ous cruelty, it fell far short of the ferocity that devastated Cherry Val- ley at the hand of his son.
John Butler served the Tory cause during the Revolution more or less in the Mohawk Valley; but before the end of the war he had established a settlement in Canada, opposite Fort Niagara. In this settlement, now known as Niagara on the Lake, is located the "Butler Burying Ground," the resting place of succeeding mem- bers of the Butler family. Here is found the grave of another Walter Butler, who became a Major General in the Canadian Forces and who was the first Superintendent of the Wel- land Canal.
This talk, owing to the' limited time at my disposal, has dealt main- ly with the environment of Butler- · bury and the influence exerted by the unpretentious frame house on its lonely hill. The oid walls that still stand where Captain Walter Butler ralsed them, could tell many another tale of the misgulded but sturdy fighting men who chose the losing side in the great Revolutionary con- fllct.
Product of Class Differences
The Butlers, like most of the gen- try In the Mohawk Valley, were loyal to the King, because the class dis- tinctions of those days between Irish, Scotch and English on the one hand, and Holland Dutch and Palatine Ger- mans on the other, aroused natural hostility. It was this class disinc- tlon more than any differences of opinion about King George the Third that led to the terrible destruction to life and property in the Mohawk village. -
HOLLAND'S GIFT TO
THE WORLD
In considering the influence of the Holland · Dutch to civilization, it is well to remember these facts among many others that might be cited- that sclentiflc medicine and rational therapeutics had their origin" in Hol- land; the first optical instruments came from the Dutch; the best math- matlcians, the most intelligent phil- osophers, as well the boldest and most . original thinkers came out of the land of the dykes. From the Netherlands came that new agricui- ture that has done so much for our social life, our horticulture and flor- Iculture. Europe got Its first and best lessons in navigation from the Dutch. The western world learned Its finances from the Hollander ex- cept that the Dutch system embod- ied commercial honor, a point of bus- Iness integrity that most nations find It exceedingly difficult to pursue. The Netherlands were sponsoers of free trade and international law, or
the rights of nations which was founded by Holland under the leader- ship of Hugo Grotlus (1583-1845.) After a century of struggle for civil and religious freedom in the old world the first settlers of this coun- try, who began to migrate here as early as 1609, a decade before the Pilgrims came, brought this freedom to America, and it is to them that we owe the principles of the separation of church and state, and eventually, . the freedom of the people. e
Free schools for all, including ne- groes and Indians, supported by tax- ation, were begun as early as 1628.
Was Tribes Hill the Location of Ogsadaga?
.... (By WAYNE ARNOLD) ....
The Mohawk Valley by Nelson
Greene, the Bloody Mohawk by T Wood Clarke, The Old Mohawk Turn- pike Book and several other historic folders of the Mohawk Valley defi- nitely state that the Mohawks occu- pled a site on Tribes Hill from 1693 to 1700 following their disastrous de- feat by the French and Indians un- der Frontenac in February, 1693. All of the above call the site Ogsadaga.
* * *
Early in February of 1693 a puni- tive expedition of French and Indians under Frontenac' descend upon the Mohawk Valley and destroyed the three castles of the Mohawks. . On February 25th, just thirteen days af- ter the burning of their last castle, the Mohawks met with Governor Fletcher at Albany. At the meeting Governor Fletcher ordered' Schuyler to provide a place for the Mohawks to live and to provide them with .food.
* * * Lathers and Eheehan and Fenton all state that the Mohawks lived on Tribes Hill for the balance of the winter. That the Mohawks remained there for the next six or seven years, can be easily disproved by any one who cares to search early documents relating to the Colonial History of New York State.
First Proof
The first proof that the Mohawks didn't live at Ogsadaga on Tribes Hill from 1693 to 1700 may be found in Major Dirck Wessels journal of his trip to the Onondaga in August, 1693, just six months following the
The above journals and reports de- finitely disprove that the three clans French and Indian raid of February . of the Mohawks ever lived seven 1693. On August 6th Major Dirck Wessel came to the first Castle of the Mohaques. The following day, August 7th, he passed.the second Castle and came to the third Castle. He spent the day of August 8th at the third Castle. His journal alone disproves that the three clans of the Mohawks were living at Ogsadaga or Tribes Hill during the late summer or early fall of 1693.
Major Schuyler's Journal
The next proof may be found in Major Peter Schuyler's journal of his intended trip to the Onondaga in January of 1694, eleven months after the French and Indian raid. On Janu- ary 5th he came to the Praying Ma- quase Castle called Tiondoroge. Jan- uary 6th he went from the first to the last Castle where he remained until the 9th. On January 9th he went from the "Last Castle of Mo- hogs to ye Old Castle called Tionon- doge which ye French burned last spring and stayed there the night."
Our next reference is found in a journal of Wessel concerning another of his trips to the Onondaga. On Au-' gust 28, 1698 he went from Sche- nectady to the second Castle, then on to the third Castle.
Arnout Cornelisse Viele Arnout Cornelisse Viele's journal of his trip to the Onondaga during April of 1699, states that he arrived
to "furthermost Castle of the Mo- hogs." Schuyler and Bleeker were along on the same trip, and their journal states that they arrived "to uppermost Castle" on April 24, 1699.
In April of 1700, Livingston and Hanse, visited both Maques Castles and their villages, stopping at the last Castle. The last village was call- ed Dekanoge.
Hansen and Van Brugh
Hansen and Van Brugh in Septem- ber of 1700 came to first Castle Og- sadaga arriving there on the 15th. (This Is the only mention of Ogsa- daga that I have been able to find among the early documents.) On the 16th they arrived at the second Cas- tle Canaedsishore. On the 17th they came to the village of Decanohoge. Evidently the Mohawks had only two Castles at this time.
In 1701 we find Johannes Bleeker and David Schuyler noting in their journal, that they "came to Protes- tant Maquase Indian Castle" on June 3rd. On June 4th "came to furthest Castle of Maquase."
The following reports and journals are all after the time when the Mo- hawks are reported to have lived at Tribes Hill or Ogsadaga.
Col. Schuyler came to the first Castle on May 2, 1711. "Gott to Cano- joharrie the second Castle" on May 3rd.
Hend. Hansen in September of 1713 came to Fort Hunter, and then "came to Canadsiohare."
Journals Disprove Claims
years (1693-1700) at Tribes Hill in a village called Ogsadaga. They do prove beyond a question of doubt that the Mohawks early in 1693, or dur- ing the summer at least, established themselves in three Castles according to their clan divisions and maintained the three Castles until some time about 1699-1700 when there appeared to be only two Castles remaining along the Mohawk river and occupied by the Mohawks.
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THE ENTERPRISE AND NEWS
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List of Settlers In 2 Columbia Co. Towns in 1795
From a map of the Towns of Ger- mantown and Clermont in the Coun- ty of Columbia, compiled from actual surveys in January, 1795. John Wig- ram. Copied by David Vaughan 1850.
Ancram .... in Livingston which is in large capital letters was proba- bly the county seat of the three towns at that time.
The map is 17 by 24 and the names are scattered all over but I have been as careful as I could not to miss any.
The following are the names of the settlers at that time:
B. J. Service.
.
TOWN OF LIVINGSTON
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