Mohawk Valley genealogy and history : [a compilation of clippings, 1945-1946], Part 32

Author:
Publication date: 1942
Publisher: [1942-1949]
Number of Pages: 276

USA > New York > Montgomery County > St Johnsville > Mohawk Valley genealogy and history : [a compilation of clippings, 1945-1946] > Part 32

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Wanted, parentage of John S. Mc- Chesney born April 1, 1796, a black- smith of Brunswick, Rensselaer Co., who married Deborah Ann Abbott. WHEELER, BETTS

Parentage wanted of Nicholas and Mary Wheeler of Livingston Manor (now Copake), Columbia County. Their daughter Catharine born 1779, married Thomas Betts of Brunswick, Rensselaer county.

Would like to correspond on sub- ject of children of William and Ma- ria (Kilmer) Link (or Linck) of Co- pake, Columbia Co.

Paul W. Prindle,

60 Wall street, Room 1610, New York 5, N. Y. -

DATA WANTED ON MICHIGAN FAMILIES

Washtenaw county, Michigan His- torical society wants data of all kinds for its genealogical files about early county residents. Want paren- tage and ancestry of pioneers of Washtenaw families of 1850 or be- fore. Data submitted will be trans- ferred to Pioneer Card Files, con- Christian House's children, one of called Tryon County.

river in order to discover the ene- my's motions.

General Clinton was stili at the foot of Otsego Lake with ten days longer to remain. Brandt proceeded up the Unadilla river to the Mohawk where they captured a man named John House.

House became lame from marching and the Indians prepared to kill him, but Brandt ordered that he be reieas- ed on a promise of neutrality. One of General Clinton's scouts afterwards found House and the day before the departure from the lake brought him into camp. House had particulars of the -threatened invasion from Cana- da by the way of Buck Island, Fort Schuyler was to be attacked. From John House's further activities In the Revolution it would not seem that he took his oath"of neutrality serious- ly.'. '

I will not dwell here longer on John House's Revolutionary record but will pass on to a later period in his- tory and take up his further mili- tary activities. I quote:

"Council of Appointments," New York State Military Records, years 1784-1821. Page . 795, year 1805- "John House appointed Ensign, Vice John J. Fealing appointed Captain Vice Command'Helager, moved." ! + "Montgomery County 1805, Lt. Col. Andrew Gray's Regiment."

In the same publication Page 1182;

Vol 2, year 1811: "Ensign John

House appointed Lieutenant, Vice John J. Klock, resigned."

Page 1327, Vol. 2, year 1812, "Lieu- tenant John House promoted to cap- tain in Lieutenant Jacob Sneil's Reg- iment, Brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Richard Dodge."

Page 1480, Vol . . . year 1814. "Captain John House resigned and Thomas Wilbur appointed. Nine- teenth Regiment, Andrew Zabriske, Lt. Col. Vice, Jacob Snell appointed Sheriff."

Captain John House, as we must now caii him and as he has always been called down through the his- tory and tradition of the family, had a long and honorable military career during the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and as a training. offi- cer of the militia. Tradition says that he was exceptionally tall and

that when any trouble arose among to her cousin Guy Johnson, and Anna his men in training, he merely laid ! his hand upon their heads and said, "Boys, be quiet!" and the trouble stopped.

Capt. John House was born in the year 1760. In the year 1822 he vis- ited his son / Abraham at Parish, Os- wego county and at that time gave his age as sixty-two years. As to the brothers and sisters of John, we can quote the following as positive. Nicholas who married Catharine Spohn; George who married Maria Mabie; Harmonas, a Tory who. is re- ferred to on page 177, Voi. 2, "Fron- tiersmen of New York" by J. R. Simms; Lea who, married John Kel- ly of Canajoharie Castle; Catharina who married James Woodard. Cap- tain Christian House was undoubted- ly a brother as he lived near the other sons of Conrad and Conrad and Engelge are mentioned as sponsors at the birth of some of Captain

Indian Lake

1884 /. Register, 5 vols. Arr. chron. 1884-1909, no index; 1910-, indexed alph. by cchildren. ' Includes mar- riages 1884-1907 and deaths 1884- Custodian Percy Cross, town clerk, Indian Lake, N. Y. Inlet

1902. Record, 2 vols, Arr. chron. Indexed alph. by children. Includes deaths. Custodian, Emmett Roberts, town clerk, Inlet, N. Y . Lake Pleasant

1848, 1863, 1877-98,' 1906 -. Record 3 vols. Arr. chron. 1848, 1863, 1877- 98, no index; 1906-, indexed alph. by children. Includes marriages 1848, 1863, 1877-98, 1906-7, and deaths, 1848, 1863, 1877-98, 1906 -- , No expla- nation for gaps. Custodian, Charles Wickes, town clerk, Speculator, N. Y. Long Lake

(To be continued)

An Outline Sketch of

Tryon County

Reprinted from an Address by Hon. J . D. Henderson, of Herkimer, De- Ilvered before thee Herkimer Coun- ty Historical Society, February 9, 1897.

(Continued from last week) Sir William Johnson

Sir William Johnson was at that time the most influential man in the Mohawk Valley, he had already run a great career, had a brilliant mili- tary record, was the successor of a very large estate, had risen from an humble fur trader, to the position of a Baronet, was in high favor with the King, had received from the King's own hand the title to the Roy- ai Grant, a tract of over ninety thousand acres on the north side of the Mohawk river, distinguished as "The Royal Grant," because it was the only patent of iand in America which bore the signature of the King himself. Sir William's son John had been knighted in England in 1765, his two daughters by his wife Catherine were weil married, Mary to Col. Daniel Ciaus; Johnson . Hali, Sir William's residence at Johns- town, was a magnificent establish- ment where the rich of the colony visited him and held high revei. Johnson himself was a true courtier, and knew the importance of being in favor with the governor, he was undoubtedly ambitious to become the head of a great house, and perhaps to build up in America, an estate and title which might rival and be- come as important as some of, the estates and titles in the Old World. He may even have hoped that his Baronetcy might some day grow into an Earldom or Dukedom, and his

descendants rank among the high- est of England's nobility; at any rate he was active in setting up a county government at his own town of Johnstown and carving out for its support a great territory which in honor of the coming governor was

-------

May 21946

"LOCAL HISTORY"

Tryon County Formed On March 12th, 1772 the council of the colony passed, and the govern- or approved an act to divide Albany county into three counties, Albany, Charlotte and Tryon. Charlotte in- cluded the territory of what is now the state of Vermont. The easterly boundary of Tryon county was a line drawn from a point on the Mohawk river near where the present village of Hoffman's Ferry stands, running due north to its intersection with the St. Lawrence river at the mouth of the Regis river; thence up along the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario to Oswego; thence along the Oswego river, Oneida lake and Wood creek, and along the eastern line of the In- dian country to the Delaware river; thence up the west branch of the Delaware river and in a northeast- erly direction to the place of begin- ning. This covered a very large ter- ritory, and in a report to the home government made by Gov. Tryon June 11th, 1774, the governor says, "Tryon county, though thinly settled, as its extent is great has many inhabitants." From this territory has since been created the counties of Montgomery, Fulton, Hamilton, St Lawrence, Herkimer, Lewis, Jeffer- son, Oneida, Oswego, Otsego and

parts of several others.

Boom at Johnstown

All the civil officers save one were nominated by Johnson and they were his friends and henchmen. Johnstown now became the center of bustle and activity, new roads were laid out, a jail, and county court house were built; the town grew rapidly. Gov- ernor Tryon and,' his wife visited Johnson hall and were royally enter- tained by the baronet. Tryon dipped into real estate speculation in the new county, he reviewed the militia at Johnstown at Burnettsfield and at German Flatts, some fourteen hundred in all.

Death of Sir William Johnson The boom was on in the new coun- try, 'Sir William was friendly with the Indians, and ltept faith with them. The line of division between the lands of the whites and Indians had been drawn. At the great council four years before, a line which the Indians fondiy supposed was to last forever had been fixed. Johnson us- ed every possible effort upon his part to prevent encroachments of whites upon Indian lands and to maintain friendly relations between the Iro- quois an d the inhabitants of Tryon county. He lived openl ywith Molly Brandt, his Indian mistress, and she presided over his house and he pro- vided for' her children in his will, but he was nearing, the end of his career and although not yet sixty years of age he died on the 9th of July, 1774, only two years after the new county was organized. What might have been the history of Try- on county had Sir William Johnson lived, is only a matter of speculation, what was its history is the subject which concerns us now. (To be continued)

BY DONALD D. PARKER Brookings, South Dakota "LOCAL HISTORY"-HOW TO GATHER IT, WRITE IT, AND PUBLISH IT'

(Continued from last week)

III. Ploneer Settlement 1. Conditions which made the area desirable as a home.

Indians-absent or still ' present when settlement began.

Land-wooded or prairie. Transportation-difficult or rela- tively easy.

Sources of income-immediate or to 'be developed.

Markets-nearby or far away. 2, Character and composition the early settlers.

Nationality by ( birth and paren- tage mative American or immi- grants.

Home of settlers immediately pre- ceding their coming.

(1) Route followed from the old to the new home.

Motives which led to their coming. Old-homle occupations of settlers compared with the new-home activi- ties.

Special characteristics of the ear? ly settlers.

Relations between different racial or național groups; e. g., whites and Negroes; French, Germans and Bri- tish, etc.

3. Biographical sketches of out- standing pioneers.

The "founders." Their chief supporters and advis- - ers.

4. Map of the area shortly after settlement.

. Explanation of deaths and matters not readily apparent.

It is well known that certain re- gions' were only slowly opened to white settlement because of the dif- fculty of reaching them, or because of fear of the Indians, or because they were wooded instead of prairie land of the stubborn sort grudging- ly yielded perhaps five acres per year to the plow.

'Often a new settlement experlenc- ed a mushroom growth only to dwin-

dle away almost to the point of ex- tinction when the early sources of wealth were exhausted. -- Other new settlements had all the natural re- sources needed for a flourishing community, but lacked good trans- portation or nearby markets.

It is important to note whether or not the early settlers were homo- genous, whether they were native Americans or immigrants from abroad. The original home of the early settlers is important, for these pioneers tended to set the so-' cial "pattern" and make it Yankee, Southern, European or something else. Were the settlers able to follow In their new home the occupations to which they had been accustomed ? Whether they did or not may account for the degree of succes they exper- lenced. European immigrants in many cases have been unable to continue the occupations they were acquainted wth in the Old World.

Be careful not to eulogize the pi- oneers uncritically. They did not all possess outstanding characteristics. Some were the scum of the earth, fugitives from justice, ne'er-do-wells at home, misfits, "as' great' a lot of rufflans as ever escaped the gal- lows." In the main, however, the early settlers were neither good nor bad, but were mere ordinary men, women, and children, just as we are today ..

Care should be taken to distinguish rcal settlers from speculators whose influence in the early social, religious and economic life was nil, or almost so. Because the early names entered for land purchase were Amercan does not mean .that American ideas customs and practices prevailed from that time onward, for "some of these were speculators taking up numer- ous tracts for resale to settlers."

In some regions French, Spaniards or Germans predominated before the English-speaking, Americans moved An excellent book to refer to when writing this particular chapter is An Introduction of the Study of Society," by Albon W. Small and George E. Vincent. One section of the book is devoted to an anonymous com- munity (really Topeka, Kansas), and describes how the arrival ef the first "prairie schooner" started the evolution of the settlement inte a flourishing city. In. When writing about such locali- ties one should treat of these non- British groups. The French were es- pecially active in the upper Great Lakes region and in the Mssissippi Valley and its tributaries, The Span- fards were aggressive in the South- east and the Southwest. In a few re- gions there was considerable over- lapping of activity by the French and Spaniards, and in such areas both should be accounted for. In included in this chapter, It should A map, by all means, should be parts of, Pennsylvania " and the up- country of the southern seaboard, a original Indian trails, the early high- show, so far as ascertainable," the pioneer German element was predom- inant.

ways, the first settlements and home- stead sites. If it is on a scale of suf- ficient size it can show the the nat- ural ,physical features, the names of each settler on his tract and other information important for the period. (To be continued ).

To clean a pressure cooker, wasň it in hot soapy water, scour it with fine steel wool, and rinse and dry it well. Never use gritty scouring pow- der.

Story of One of the Earliest Sects in the County of Fulton

Morris Palmer, M. D.

Gloversville, N. Y.

Fulton County Historian

One of the first, Christian denomi-

This was called the Amsterdam church.

A! book published in 1827, entitled "History of Six Principles Church" by Richard Knight contains short his- tories of all the churches of this de-

of an affectionate parent towards them, as part of his children in an exposed and needy situation, felt 80 drawn to them ,and so anxious for their welfare, that he could no longer resist their cry of come and help us. although strongly attached to his church in Richmond, which, he had fed and nourished for many years -- many of whom had been enlightened and come to the knowledge of the truth under his ministry, whom he had led into the sacred ordinances

the lands of the whites and Indians had been drawn. At the great council four years before, a line which the Indians fondly supposed was to last forever had been fixed. Johnson us- ed every possible effort upon his part to prevent encroachments of whites upon Indian lands and to maintain friendly relations between the Iro- quois an d the inhabitants of Tryon county. He lived openl .ywith .Molly Brandt, his Indian mistress, and she presided over his house and he pro- (vided for' her children in his will, but he was nearing the end of his career and although not yet sixty years of age he died on the 9th of July, 1774, only two years after the new county was organized. What might have been the history of Try- on county had Sir William Johnson lived, Is only a matter of speculation, what was Its history is the subject which concerns us now. (To be continued)

pecially active in the upper Great Lakes region and in the Mssissippi Valley and Its tributaries. The Span- iards were aggressive in the South- east and the Southwest. In a few re- gions there was considerable over- lapping of activity by the French and Spaniards, and in such areas both should be accounted for. In parts of. Pennsylvania - and the up- country of the southern seaboard, a pioneer German element was predom- inant.

It is well known that certain re-

gions' were only slowly opened to white settlement because of the dif- fculty of reaching them, or because of fear of the Indians, or because they were wooded instead of prairie land of the stubborn sort grudging-

To clean a pressure cooker, wash ly yielded perhaps five acres per it in hot soapy water, scour It with year to the plow.

'Often a new settlement experienc- ed a mushroom growth only to dwin-

George E. Vincent. One section of the book is devoted to an anonymous. com- munity (really Topeka, Kansas), and

describes how the arrival of the first "prairie schooner" started the evolution of the' settiement inte a flourishing city. ,

A msp, by all means, should be Included in this chapter, It should show, so far as ascertainable, " the original Indian trails, the early high- ways, the first settiements and home- stead sites. If it is on a scale of suf- ficlent size It can show the :the mat- ural physical features, the names of each settier on his tract and other Information important for the period. (To be continued ) .

fine steel wool, and rinse and dry it well. Never use gritty scouring pow- İder.

Story of One of the Earliest Sects in the County of Fulton

Morris Palmer, M. D. ;

Gloversville, N

Fulton County Historian

' One of the first, Christian denomi- nations to establish itself within the limits of what is now. Fulton County was a sect known as the Old or Six Principle Baptist Church. 'These Christians claimed as necessary for salvation a sincere belief in and a strict observance of the six princi- ples of the doctrine of Christ as set down In the Epistie to the Hebrews, chapter six, verses one and two: Re- pentance, faith, baptism, laying on 'of hands, resurrection of the and eternal judgment.

It appears that all Baptists had admitted five of the above princi- ples as necessary for church mem- bership but as to the "laying on of hands," there was a difference of opinion. The Particular or Caivinis- tic Baptists said it was not neces- sary while the General or Arminian Baptists insisted that it was. This disagreement had come up frequent- ly in the early Baptist churches of England. With the organization Baptist churches in America, the same question appeared and aroubied the church at Providence, Rhode Is- land, with the result that a number of members in 1653 organized the Oid or Six Principle Baptist Church. They have always, claimed that they are the original church founded by Roger Williams."

The church at Providence was the mother church and as time went on, other churches were formed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. The second church was founded at Newport, R. I. . in 1656 and the third at Rich- mond, R. I. sometime before 1723. In New York state the first Six sbie defender of the faith, Elder Principle Church was in the city of Josiin, their pastor, ! and they fre- New York and was started before 1712. The second one in our state

This was called the Amsterdam church.

" A book published In 1827, entitled "History of Six Principles Church" by Richard Knight contains short his- tories of all the churches of this de- nomination and the following quota- tion from this book is the history of the Amsterdam church. It states, "This church originated in conse- quence of a number of members from the churches in the State of Rhode Island removing into that vi- cinity, mostly from Richmond church. These scattered sheep in Amsterdam, Broadalbin, etc. frequently associat- ed together, and occasionally assem- dead |bled in devotion to God. About 1796, William Allen began to improve his gifts, by dispensing the word among them to good satisfaction, and the people gathered with attention. These members were recognized as a branch of Richmond church and Mr. Allen was called by them to the work of the ministry and set apart by ordination November 6, 1798 as an

assistant elder to eider Henry' Jos- lin who was then the pastor of the Richmond church and they were con- sidered a branch of that society. Be- ing thus furnished with the admin- istration of gospel ordinances they regularly attended thereto, and pro- gressed in the ways of godiiness, and additions were made unto them. John Kenyon was ordainel a dencon in this branch October 25, 1802, and they still increased; yet being settied a great distance from their mother church and ail the sister churches in the union-although united in love and peace within the branch -- they experienced much opposition and many threats, from without. being surrounded by societies of different sentiment, which caused them great- ly to desire the assistance of that

of an affectionate parent towards them, as part of his children in an exposed and needy situation, felt so drawn to them ,and so anxious for their welfare, that he could no longer resist thelr cry of come and help us. although strongly , attached to his church in Richmond, which he had fed and nourished for many years- many of whom had been enlightened and come to the knowledge of the truth under his ministry, whom he had led into the sacred ordinances.

(To be continued)

REV. W. N. P. DAILEY

IS HONORED BY GENEALOGISTS

Rev. Dr. William Nelson Potter Dailey, who has held several pastor-

ates in Reformed churches of this area, ' including Trinity Reformed Church of Amsterdam, has been se- lected as the first honorary member of the Schenectady Genealogical So- ciety, J. W. Joyce, secretary, an-

nounced recentiy.

He has written many articles for. the Enterprise and News.

A graduate of Union College Lx the class of 1884, which has. held & reunion every year for 60 years. the Rev. Dr. Dailey is a resident of Pottersville and Orlando, F.a.

The letter which informed hina of his election as honorary member. said:

"In order to show proper recog- nition for services to the cause of genealogy and history in Schenectady- this society amended its constitution to permit the election of one honor- ary member each year.

"In view of your efforts, over more than 50 years, to assemble; and; pre- serve material of historical, per- sonai and'genealogicai interest, there. was littie doubt who the first choice would be. Your collections in the His- torical Society, eneGalogical Society and Union College libraries have been of great assistance to all of us. "We hope we are not presuming

quently and feelingly importuned too much in selecting you for this.

him to come and settle with them- was In our own county of Fuiton. and he feeling the lender emotions

Send in your queries.

MOHAWK VALLEY

GENEALOGY AND HISTORY

St. Johnsville Enterprise and News, St. Johnsville. N. Y.

THURSDAY, MAY, 9, 1946

Questions and Answers

A. department devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. No charge to regular subscribers. Any reader, whether subscriber or not, is invited to submit answers. Give dates, places and sources.

ANSWER TO YAN ANDEN, YELVERTON QUERIES, ISSUE OF MAY 2, 1946

In regard to the inquiry regarding Van Anden Yelverton, the following may be of some help ..

Anthony Yelverton came from Long Island early in the 18th cen- tury to New Paltz, N. Y. He mar- ried Abigail Gale of Long Island. Their son Gale (Gail) Yelverton mar- ried Francisca La Count, daughter of Rebecca Gonzales and Bodewine La Count (in Kingston, N. Y. Dutch Re- formed Church Records). As the

name given in the Inquiry was for 245 Winthrop street, Taunton, Mass. Frances Yelverton, I am led to be- lieve that the Frances belonged to this family. Frances Is the English KALMBACH, ZWINCK for the Spanish "Francisca." My The newly organized Zwinck-Kalm- bach Family Association of America wants to know of and correspond grandmother, Jane Elizabeth Yelver- ton ,had'a sister Frances who mar- ried a Vander Burgh. After leaving with persons named Kalmbach or Ulster county, the Yelvertons and La Zwinck (e) by night of parentage and descendants of such persons. In- formation is wanted for use in the family histories now being compiled by Mrs. Charlotte Kalmbach, Gorn- ing, 14680 Seymour, Detroit, 5, Mich. and Carl H. Zwinck, 904 Packard Ann Arbor, Mich. This information will be made available to members and others interested. Counts went to Poughkeepsie, Dutch- ess county. My great grandfather was Bowdewine La Count Yelverton. There was also a son of Gale and Francisca Yelverton named Andrew, born 1765 who may be the parent of the Frances of the inquiry. Un- doubtedly records will be found at Poughkeepsie because the La Counts and Yelvertons went to Dutchess county before the Revolution.

If the inquirer has any any addi- tional information regarding the Yel- vertons I shall be glad to hear from her.

Genealogy of La Counts and Yelver- tons

1. Moses La Count, son of' Jean La Count (Huguenot refugee settled in Harlem) married Hester De la Ma- ter. They went to Kingston, Ulster Co.

2. Their son Bowdewine La Count married Rebecca Gonzales, a daugh- ter of Manuel Gonzales-duk a Span- ish Puritan nobleman. He fled from Spain and settled at Kingston where he married'a Dutch girl whose last name was Davids.

3. Bowdewine Le Count and Re- becca had no sons. His favorite daughter Francisca . married Gale Yelverton, son of Anthony .Yelver- ton of New Paltz.

4. Gale Yelverton and Francisca had several children, among them Bowdewine La Count ' and Andrew Yelverton. Bowdewine La Count my great, great grandfather.

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Mohawk Valley genealogy and history : [a compilation of clippings, 1945-1946], Part 32

Author: Publication date: 1942 Publisher: [1942-1949] Number of Pages: 276

Author:
Publication date: 1942
Publisher: [1942-1949]
Number of Pages: 276