USA > New York > Albany County > Cohoes > The history of Cohoes, New York, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 3
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22
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1767.
John Lansing's,1 on the west side of the highway, a short distance south of the manor line. This was destroyed a number of years ago, and the house at present occupied by Egbert W. Lansing erected nearly on its site.
Frederick Clute's." Outside of the manor, and a few rods north of the Lansing house, on the brow of the hill. This was a log house. A frame house was afterwards built by Gerret Clute, son of the above, on the bank of the river, a short distance above the Falls, where traces of it are still discernible. It was destroyed during the progress of the Cohoes Company's improvements in 1832 or thereabouts.
Frans Lansing's, Dow Fonda's and Wm. Liverse's. These were located at different points some distance west of the river, and nearly on the line of the present western boundary of the city.
Van Schaick's House," on Van Schaick Island. This
Jacob and Philip. Richard occupied the farm known as the Gerret Witbeck farm ; and John built the small yellow house yet standing on Saratoga street, opposite the brewery. Richard had four sons: Garret, Charles, William and Stephen, of whom one (Charles) is now living in Clifton Park. Albert had four cons : Charles, Henry, Jacob and Abraham. The name is given above as it appears on the patroon's books. It is now spelled Hemstreet.
John (or Johannes) J. Lansing was born in 1719, and died in 1813. He had ten children, one of whom, Andrew (born 1760, died 1835), succeeded him in possession of the farm. Andrew had four sons: Jolin, Jacob, Evert and Abram, the latter of whom (born 1790, died 1867), was a well known citizen. Two of his sons, Egbert W .. and John V. S. Lansing, are now living in Cohoes, the former occupying the old farmn.
2 Frederick Clute was the son of Walraven or Waldron Clute, who bought the farm from Daniel Van Olinda. His grandfather, also named Frederick Chute, came from Kingston about 1703, and settled at Niskayuna, where be bought land of Johannes Clute.
Frederick the younger was born 1624, and married Maria De Ridder, Nov., 1754. His oldest son, Gerret Clute, was born Feb. 29. 1761, and occupied the farm until the early part of the present century. Gerret Clute had ten children, as follows : Maria, wife of Richard Hemstreet, Getty, wife of John Heinstreet, Anna, wife of James O-trander, William, Kate, Matthew, Rachel. Henrietta, wife of John Johnson, Charles, and --. The oldest son William, was the father of ex-Justice Harvey Clute now of this city.
3 Sybrant, the second son. of Capt. Goosen Getritse Van Schaick, was born 1653. and died about 1685. He had four children, of whom the third, Anthony, was born in 16e1, and lived in Albany, being by trade a glazier. Ilis second son, Wessel, was
1
E
RESIDENCE OF W. L. ADAM'S ESQ. VAN SCHAICK ID. Army Headquarters ITTY
24
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1767.
house, which is the best preserved of the old buildings now in the city, was erected in 1762, and has since been altered but little. The only change in the front of the house is a new porch which was built by Mr. Adams a year or two ago. The old windows, with their heavy sashes and dimin. utive panes, and the old fashioned divided door with its massive brass knocker and ponderous iron bar still remain. The bricks of which the house was built were made on the island, with the exception of a few of peculiar curved shape, which form a sort of ridge or coping extending around the body of the house about four feet from the ground - those having been brought from Holland. The wooden house now standing a few rods south of the old mansion was built certainly over a century ago, and perhaps before the brick building.
The homestead of Gerret Lansing,' on the farm just north of Frederick Clute's, though not marked on this map, was in existence at the time. It was located near the site of the red brick house ( built by Rutger Lansing, son of Gerret, in 1790), which yet stands near the Cohoes Company's dam.
The boundaries between the different farms do not appear to have been definitely fixed by the patroon, nor were leases for them regularly drawn until towards the close of the last century. This may be accounted for on the ground that as the Van Rensselaers were desirous of encouraging the set- tlement of their domain, no rents were at first exacted, and owing to the vast extent of the manor, farmers were allowed to settle in different parts of it and ocenpy the land for many years before arrangements were made for the regular collection of tithes.
The maps of the original farms in this neighborhood, as
born in 1712. He had five children. His second son, John Gerrit-e, was born Oct. 23, 1713. In 1805, he had a house and store on the west side of Broadway, Albany He died on Van Schaick's Island, July 7, 1898. Hi- youngest son. Henry, died at Lansingburgh, Oct. 7, 129, aged 33 years. The la-t member of the Van Schaicks to occupy the island wa- the first husband of Mrs. Wm. L. Adams.
1 Gerret Rutger Lansing was the son of Rutger. After his death the farm came Itno the possession of his son, Isaac D. F. Laneing, born 1790, dled Nov. 12, 1874.
25
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1774.
surveyed under direction of the patroon, are preserved in the Van Rensselaer office. A map showing the relation of the farm boundaries to the streets, as at present laid out, would be of interest, but the preparation of one which would be suitable for publication with this sketch has not seemed feasible. The following description of the outlines of the principal farms, with references to streets and localities which are now familiar, giving the names of their occupants as recorded in the patroon's books, and a sketch of the sub- sequent disposition of the property, will, it is hoped, be sufficient to give a general idea of the way in which the land was divided.
Commencing at the lower part of the settlement, the first farm was one which formed part of the tract disposed of by the patroon to Col. Schuyler, and was known in later years as the Jacob H. Lansing farm. It extended on the south to a line which is now the southern limit of the city (near Cedar Grove) and had for part of its boundary the Soult Kill (Salt Brook). Its northern limit was a line running nearly parallel with the brook which flows east- ward through the ravine south of the residence of Samuel Bilbrough on Main street, and is carried under Saratoga street a short distance below its junetion with Main street. This land, the farm house on which, occupied by Henry Lansing, has been before mentioned, had been sold by Kil- lian Van Rensselaer to Col. Philip Schuyler, May 10, 1708, and was held by him until 1731, when it was sold to HIen- drick Lansing. On January 15th, 1774, "the fourteenth year of the reign of our sovereign King George the Third" it was sold by " Hendrick Lansing, mason or bricklayer of the Boght, county of Albany and province of New York unto Jacob HI. Lansing, yeoman, for the consideration of four hundred pounds, lawful money." In his possession it remained until 1822, when it was sold to R. P. Hart, and has been since disposed of in lots to various parties, though some yet remains in the hands of the Hart estate.
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26
HISTORY OF COHOES. 1794.
Next was the Jacob D. Fonda farm, bounded on the south by the Lansing farm above described and having for its northern limit a line which commenced at the river and ran northwest, passing the south end of the brewery (on Sara- toga street below Newark) reaching Columbia street near where it is crossed by the Central rail road and extending along the old line of that street to a point near the cemetery. The house on this farm was that which was occupied by Cornelis Ouderkirk in 1767. The land, comprising 1362 acres, was leased to Jacob D. Fonda, Dec. 16th, 1794, for the consideration of " fifteen bushels wheat, four hens and one day's service."
Early in the present century it was bought by Abraham G. Lansing, who built about 1820, as a country residence, the house afterwards occupied by Wm. N. Chadwick and at present by Samuel Bilbrough. A large part of the farm afterward came into possession of Messrs. Bayard Clark and Wn. N. Chadwick, by whom it was sold to Gould & Tracy, who disposed of it to various parties. A number of lots in the western part of the city, beyond the Central rail road, have remained until within a few years in possession of the Lansing heirs.
Above the Fonda farm was that of Charles Heamstreet, the northern boundary of which was very irregular. A portion of it ran nearly parallel with White street as at present laid out ; commencing at a point on Mohawk street in rear of the school house now built on the corner of White and Mohawk streets, it ran westward until it reached Sargent street, near the site of Bogue's block. This was the boundary of the middle portion of the farm. On both sides, however, it extended much further to the north. On the right, com- mencing at White street, the line ran up Mohawk street almost to Oneida, when it turned to the northeast, strik- ing the river a few rods west of the present rail road bridge.
1 These farms were granted from the patroon on perpetual leases.
27
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1794.
On the other (western side) the line, commencing at Sargent street, ran north until it reached a point near Lock 14, and then ran west about to the location of the bridge over the Central rail road, at Johnston avenue. This farm, which originally comprised 2054 acres, was leased to Charles Heamstreet, April 15, 1793, for the annual rent of "twenty- seven bushels of wheat, four fat fowls and a day's service with carriage and horses."
It was sold in part in 1822, for $8,500 to R. P. Hart, with whom Ebenezer Wiswall, Philip Schuyler and Jno. P. Cushman afterward held a joint interest, and by them was disposed of to various parties. One section, embracing the land near White street, was for some time in possession of Hugh White.
North of the Heamstreet farm was one comprising seventy- three acres which was leased in January, 1794, to Gerrit Witbeck, concerning whose residence nothing has been ascertained. The annual rental was "three bushels and three pecks of wheat, four fat fowls, and one day's service with carriage and horses." The boundary of this farm ran about northeast along by the present Eric Canal, until it reached a point near Harmony Mill No. 2, when it turned to the east and followed the Diepe gat, or Diepe-gat Kil, 1 which emptied into the river a short distance below Harmony Mill No. 3. The lease of this farm was assigned to Lucas G. Witbeck, in 1801: It soon afterward came into the possession of the Heamstreet family and was assigned to Derek Heamstreet, in 1802. The farm was occupied for a number of years by Richard Heamstreet, whose house was situated on Mohawk street between Oneida and Factory streets, on the site now occupied by
1 This Diepe gat or deep cut which has since been so completely filled in and covered that all traces of it have been obliterated, was a rocky gorge, so dark and chy that it was the terror of the children of the neighborhood. The brook writh flowed through it was called by them Spook kil and the bridge which crossed it became known among the farmers as the Spook's bridge.
28
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1813.
the south part of Witbeck's block.' It was sold by the sheriff to Ebenezer Wiswall, Oct. 2, 1819, and was pur- chased from him by Canvass White, March 17, 1824, from whose hands it passed into the possession of the Cohoes Company.
The next farm was that of Andrew Lansing, comprising 211 acres, which was leased to him March 24th, 1813, at an annual rent of eighteen bushels of wheat, with the usual consideration of fowls and service. It was bounded on the north by the manor line, or present Boght road, and on the south by the lines of the Witbeck and Heamstreet farms. A large portion of this farm, comprising much of the land now occupied by the Harmony Company, was sold to the Cohoes Company by Mr. Lansing in 1831 ; and other parts of it are still in possession of the family The eastern boundary of this farm was the old road, which ran nearly the same as the present Mohawk street. The strip between the road and the river, extending from the Diepe gut to the Falls, remained in possession of the patroon, until it was sold to the Cohoes Company in 1836.2
The eastern limits of these five farms, with the exception in the case of Andrew Lansing's just mentioned, was the river. Their western boundaries were irregular and as they extended in most cases beyond the limits which now mark the thickly settled portions of the city, need not be particu- larly described. Taking the Gerret Witbeck lot as part of the Heamstreet farm (as it was in effect for many years), it may be said that all the farms extended at least as far west as the present Cohoes Cemetery, while those of Andrew
! This building was destroyed by fire February 13, 1858, having been for some time nnoccupied.
2 It is said that this strip was offered. in the early part of the century, to Evert Lansing, and his brother, if they would pay the back rent upon it, but as they de- clined to do so it was kept by the Van Rensselaers and on the formation of the Cohoe- Company, was transferred by Stephen Van Rensselaer, as part payment for bis stock.
29
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1740.
Lansing and Jacob Fonda were still deeper. The farms lying to the west of those above described, were, according to the patroon's maps, as follows : West of Andrew Lan- sing were the farms of Peter and Henry Fero, and Peter Lieverse ; west of Charles Heamstreet and Jacob D. Fonda was the farm of Douw A. Fonda ; and west of Jacob II. Lansing was a farm occupied at different times by branches of the Lansing and Fonda families. The Lieverse and Fonda farm houses have been before mentioned.
But little is to be said concerning the lands outside of the manor, which are now within the city limits, as they have been occupied as farm lands until within a few years. The . Clute farm, lately known as Mrs. Miller's, situated just above the manor line and extending on the west to the present Erie Canal, remained for the greater part in possession of the family until some years ago. A portion of it in the southwest corner was, however, leased to the Van Der Mark family early in the present century, and other parts near the river were afterward sold to the Cohoes Company.
Nearly all of the Lansing farm, just north of Clute's, still remains the property of the heirs of I. D. F. Lansing, although part has been sold to the Cohoes Company.
Van Schaick's Island, comprising about 320 acres, re- mained the property of the family until it came into the possession of Wm. L. Adams, the present owner, about forty years since.
These farms of course furnished the principal employment of their occupants, but some of the inhabitants were also engaged, in a small way, in other business. The Lansing family, as early as 1740, were the owners of a saw mill, located a short distance north of the present site of the Cohoes Straw Board Mill, near the Cohoes Company's dam. A grist mill. was afterwards built, just south of the saw mill, and the two establishments were run in partner -hip by Gerret and Rutger Lansing for many years. On
,
30
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1794.
the Clute farm a grist mill was also erected, which was located a short distance above the Falls. The establishment of a mill of some sort, evidently contemplated when the deed of the farm was drawn, may have transpired soon after the sale, but there is no record of its existence until the time of Gerret Clute, who remained for some time the proprietor. Another grist mill, which was afterwards converted into a carding mill, was located on the Heam- street farm, on the flats just opposite Simmons's Island. It was originally conducted by Charles Heamstreet and afterwards by his son Albert.1 The power for each of these mills was furnished by means of a wing dam extending some yards into the river, that of the Heamstreet mill being built out to a large rock in the channel which is still a prominent feature of that locality.
It will be seen that the early inhabitants of Cohoes were in comfortable circumstances. All were possessed of large and productive farms on which substantial and comfortable houses had been erected, and some in addition had their mills, which were probably well patronized by their neighbors of the Boght and other parts of Watervliet.
They were fair types of the thrifty and prosperous Dutch farmers who were the early settlers of this portion of the state, and the features of their social life were similar to those which existed throughout this neighborhood and have been often described. Among the customs which prevailed here as in other Dutch settlements was slave-holding, and from the extent of the negro burial places of which traces remain on the Heamstreet, Lansing and other farms, it is evident that each family possessed quite a number.
The following document from among the papers of the Clute family will be of interest in this connection :
" Know all men by these presents that I, Isaac J. Fonda
1 The lease of the mill privilege was granted by the patroon to Charles Heam- street Dec. 29, 1794, at an annual rental of $12.30.
31
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1793.
of the Bought in the town of Watervleet County of Albany and State of New York for and in consideration of the sum of twenty pounds of lawful Money of the State afore- mentioned to me in hand paid by Gerret Clute of said place County and state above mentioned at or before the sealing and delivery of these presents the Receipt Whereof I the said Isaac J. Fonda do hereby acknowledge have granted bargained and sold and by these presents do grant bargain and sell unto the said Gerret Clute his Executors, Adminis- trators and Asigns a Negro Boy Named Ben or Benjamin to have and to hold the said Negro Boy to the said Gerret Clute His executors administrators forever and I the said Isaac J. Fonda for myself my heirs executors and Administrators and Assigns against the said Isaac J. Fonda, my Heirs Executors and Administrators and against all and every other person and persons whatsoever shall and will warrant and forever defend by these presents the said Negro I the said Isaac J. Fonda have put the said Gerret Clute in full possession of at the sealing and delivery of these presents. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this day of June in the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three.
"N. B. The date of the month and the word three at the bottom or in the last line of the presents were interlined and altered before the sealing and delivery of the said presents.
"Present at the sealing and delivery Bought June Re- ceived of Mr. Gerrit Clute twenty pounds, In full for a Negro bought by the said Gerrit Clute, received by me." 1
It is probable that until the revolution there was but little interruption to the quiet monotony of the life in this farming hamlet. The neighboring settlements being diffi- cult of access, communication with them was limited to market days, and the inhabitants, busied from day to day with the duties of their farms or mills, were little affected by the course of events in the outside world. With the outbreak of war, however, this peaceful routine was dis- turbed. A number of men from this vicinity joined the
" The number of slaves in Watervliet, in 1810, was 128. All slaves in the state Were emancipated in 1827. .
32
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1784.
companies which were raised in adjoining towns,1 and this, together with the proximity of the place to the scene of many of the important events of the war, must have caused the inhabitants to regard the progress of the struggle with the deepest interest. The main road to the north, on this side of the river, passed over the islands at the mouth of the Mohawk, since the sprouts could be forded more easily than the main stream, and traces of it still remain on Adams's Island. Over this road many of the troops marched during the campaigns in this vicinity. The islands were occupied from July to October, 1777, by a force of from 4,000 to 6,000 men, stationed there by Gen. Gates, after the retreat of his army from the neighborhood of Lake Champlain. The men remained there during the operations near Saratoga and Stillwater, for the purpose of covering the rear of the American army and securing a position to fall back upon in case Burgoyne should compel a retreat. It is said that the Van Schaick house was used for the headquarters of the officers during the occupation. Fortifications were erected on Haver Island, remains of which are still visible.
In 1784, the first church in the vicinity was established. The Reformed Dutch church of the Boght, said to have been the first north of Albany, was organized by the Classis of Albany, on the petition of forty-two members of the Dutch church of that city, presented February 22. The original church building, which stood on the road running north and south at the present western limits of the city, was doubtless erected some time before the organization of the church. The first elders were David Fero and Isaac Fonda, and the first deacons were Abraham D. Fonda and Gerret I. Lansing. The first pastor called was the Rev. John Demarest who began his ministry in 1790, taking charge of the Boght church in connection with that at Nis-
1 Among them were Gerret Clute, and members of the Lansing and Fonda fami- lies, but no complete list of their names can be obtained.
33
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1795.
kayuna. He preached in Dutch, and all the records of the church during his ministry were kept in that language. The membership of the church in 1791 was 121. Rutger Lan- sing became one of the deacons in 1789, and Gerret R. Lansing was a deacon in 1794. This church was for many years the only one attended by the inhabitants of Cohoes, and had an important part in the early history of the place.1
In 1795 the first bridge across the Mohawk at Cohoes was erected. The increase in the number of inhabitants in the Half Moon and this vicinity had made the necessity of a bridge at this point for some time apparent, and as early as January, 1771, the following resolution in regard to it was passed by the common council of Albany :
1 The following sketch of its history since 1800, which, together with the above facts, has been kindly furnished by the present pastor, will be of interest.
Mr. Demarest closed his ministry in 1803.
In 1805, the Rev. Dr. J. Bassett was called who remained until 1811.
In the beginning of his ministry a subscription was circulated for the purchase and erection of a stove in the church. The stove was placed upon an elevated platform in order that it might heat the church more effectually. In the ministry of Dr. Bassett the services and the church records began to be in the English lan- guage.
In 1807, a new church building was erected.
Rev. Robert Bronk became pastor in 1814. He ministered also to the church of Washington and Gibbonsville, now the South Reformed church of West Troy. Mr. Bronk resigned his charges in 1823.
In 1824, Rev. John B. Steele, of Waterford, became pastor and continued until 1833.
Rev. Cornelius Bogardus was pastor from 1833 to 1838.
Rev. William Pitcher became pastor in 1840. During his ministry, it was pro- posed to build a new church, and after much discussion with reference to the site, the present church was erected on the parsonage ground in 1847. At this time twenty-two members left the church and were organized as the Church of Rensse- laer. and another church edifice was built at Van Vranken's Corners.
Mr. Pitcher left in 1854, and Rev. John Dubois was called who remained until 1859. Rev. John W. Major was pastor from 1860 to 1864.
In 1864, the church of the Boght united with the church of Rensselaer and called Rev. II. A. Raymond as pastor. He remained until 1871.
. The present pastor, Rev. George I. Taylor, began his ministry Jan. 1st, 1574. The Invent members of consistory are, Elders : Gerardus Clute, Douw Lansing, Jacob Van Denberg. Deacons: Jesse Fonda, Benjamin Reamer, Win. Lambert.
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34
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1795.
" Resolved, That it is the unanimous opinion of this Board that it is practicable to be done, and that considering the inconveniences the inhabitants and travelers are under at certain seasons of the year, we conceive that it will be of great use to have a bridge about that place and well worthy the Legislaters consideration. Ordered, that the Clerk of this Board enclose a Copy of this Resolution in a letter to the Members for the County of Albany. We the Mayor, Aldermen and Comonalty of the city of Albany do certify and declare that we conceive that the erecting of a Bridge below the Cahos will greatly tend for the benefit and con- veniency of the publick & will in particular encourage the Settlements to the Northward of the said Bridge."
The bridge was first opened for travel July 24, 1795. It was 900 feet long, twenty-four feet wide, fifteen feet above the bed of the river and rested on thirteen stone piers. Its cost was $12,000. It was located several hundred feet west of the site of the rail road bridge, the Cohoes end being a short dis- tance north of the present termination of Remsen street. An excavation in the rock, yet visible, marks the place where it rested upon the Waterford side. The gate house, which was on this side of the river, was for many years tended by Jacob Winnie, a blacksmith. The bridge was one of the best then existing in this part of the country, and was frequently mentioned in books of travel.
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