hif Story of Old Foct Plain and tHe Middle Moha^w! Valley Cliiss Fii-'i r.()(.k_ lA ^ l. ( r K I'ljESK.vn-n BY (u>-'fM THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN AND THE MIDDLE MOHAWK VALLEY (WITH FIVE MAPS) A Review of Mohawk Valley history from 1609 to the time of the writing of this book (1912-1914,) treating par- ticularly of the central region comprised in the present Counties of Herkimer, Montgomery and Fulton. Especial attention is given to western Montgomery County and the region within a twenty mile radius of the Revolu- tionary fortification of old Fort Plain, including the Canajoharie and Palatine districts of then Tryon County Written, Compiled, and Edited by NELSON GREENE O'CONNOR BROTHERS :: :: :: PUBLISHERS FORT PLAIN, NEW YORK 1915 C^3 THIS BOOK IS 1)E1»U"ATKI). IN AKPKCTIOiWTF HEMEMBKANCK, TO MY GRANDMOTHER EMILY HERKIMER GREENE. BORN IN THE ' EARLY YEARS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY HER LONG LIFE COVERED MUCH OF THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MOHAWK VALLEY FROM WILDERNESS TO CIVILIZATION VND HER STORIES OF THE EARLY DAYS PROMI'TED THE INTEREST WHICH EVENTUALLY LED THE WRITER TO THE I'llEPARATION OF THIS VOLUME. Copyright 1015 By NELSON GREENE Mohawk, cvor-flowiriK. Mohawk, ovor-flowint;— ciirvinjr broadly, hiH-born, nKnintain-bounfl. moa flow-edged ; its vaUoy the nalion's roadway, the nation's boatway— linking east to west, oeeaus to lakes; scurried by trains, by motor cars, tlioiisands daily speeding along its banks, hill en- comjiassed. Mohawk, ever-flowing— rivi'r of the lirsl days. In the evening shadows, in (he night shadows. Ilie spirit lurk of the savage days; the lean red man ]i\ishing his live canoe o"er the rippling dark waters— on the nearby pine hill his b.irk cabin, on (lie flats his waving cornfleld ; vagn<'ly gray seen through the river \inuk trees, the settler's stone house; from the flatland's edge (he forest rising, all encom- liassing: the fisherm.-in's skiff silendy drifting past silhouetted giant elms; whisper of night wind in the great treetops ; weird glow light of rising full, yellow moon. Mohawk, ever-flowing— river of days of darkness, of battle, of death, of suffering ; in the evening darkness, in the night darkness the spirit lurk of red days of blood ; shot, zip of tomahawk, wail of crushed infant, death gasp of hero niother; the sturdy old farmer in bloody death clinch with the lithe, wriggling red man; scarlet midnight gleam of burn- ing liom'estead. Mohawk, ever-flowing— great river of old. In the hilltop twilight, dim spirit figure- mighty, towering— the nation-maker, mounted, from a high pathway wisely viewing future vistas. Mohawk, ever-flowing- river of the nation. Here the building of the nation— wisely, foolishly, stronglv, recklessly, blusteringly, bravely— bridges, turnpikes, prairie schooners svending westward, canals, boats, railways, rattling engines, endless car-trains, flying trol- lies, speeding motor cars ; hamlets, towns, cities, bare brick factories belching black smoke. Mohaw'k, ever-flowing— river of the present. Comes a birdman flying the twilight heavens eastward ; to him the earthdusk ov^r-shadowing dull silver endless snake shapes of river, of canal : man-piloted great air bird flying, curving, settling on green bill meadow. :SIohawk. ever-flowing— river of our day. The steam car, electric car, flying past wide, dusly cities— standing brick bare in the summer sun— teeming with life— aimless, well- directed— streets, buildings, men. children, women, beauty, various clothes, strange hats, cars, carts, trucks, vehicles, hurrying, hither, thither, hustle, bustle— aimless, w-ell-directed. Mohawk, ever-flowing— river of now— from rushing railroad car, from flying motor car the speeding traveler, seeing villiige houses twinkling white amid green leaves, church spires rising amid the trees: school bells ringing, children running: on the village park the ball players, running, batting, catching; the great red barn standing upon a knoll amid wide, yellow grain fields ; horses galloping the pasture from rushing train ; cattle— black and white spots upon the distant meadow. Mohawk, ever-flowing eastward— river no more : wide, full, waterway winding past great locks, great bridges, floating great boats— but still the same mysterious lines of flowing high hills, the same bordering green meadows. Mohawk, ever-flowing — spirit of old, symbol of today, mysterious with suggestions of days lo come. Mohawk, ever-flowing. TABLE OF CONTENTS NOTE. — It is siisgpsted tbat the render of this book follow this order in reading this work : First: Read the Fifteen School Dates (p. 322) in the Mohawk Valley Chronologies in the appendix. Second: Read the Mohawk Valley Chronology (p. 307). which starts the appendi.'c. Third : Read the main body of the book. Fourth : At the conclusion of each chapter turn to the appendi.x and read therein the matter relative to the chapter in the main l)ody of the book, which the reader has just completed. The appendix additions carry the main body chapter heads, to which the ap- l)endix matter properly belongs and to which they will be added in any future editions of this work. This book can be read in connection witli Lossing's "Empire State'" or (for a shorter Work I lli-ndrick's "Itrief (School) History of the Empire State." Paoe 1 .\TR()DTU'TU)X ix FIRST SERIES 1609-1783 CIL\P. I.— The Mohawks and Iroquois— A Dutch .lonrney through the Canajoharie District in 1634— Local Indian Villages and Trails 1 CHAP. II.— 1609-1772 — Indians — Mohawk Valley Discovery — Settlement — Sir William Johnson 3 CHAP. III.— 1774 — .Johnson Hall— Sir William Johnson, Sir John Johnson, Joseph and Molly Brant 10 CHAP. IV.— Minden from 1720-1738— Sir George Clarke, Governor of the Province of New York, Establishes a Forest Home at Fort Plain — 1750, the Reformed Church and First Store Established — 1755, a Minden Tragedy of the French War 14 CHAP, v.— 1772— Tryon County and the Canajoharie and Palatine Districts 16 CIIAl'. VI. — Population of Tryon in 1757 and 1776 — Ft. Johnson — The Highways IS CHAP. VII.— 1772— Tryon County People— Farming, Religious and Social Life— Sports and Pastimes of the Days Before the Revolution 21 CHAP. VIII.— 1774 to 1777— Growth of the .\merican Liberty Movement— Tryon County Committee of Safety and Militia .' ". 27 CHAP. IX.— 1776— The Building of Fort Plain— Other Forts Near Here 32 CHAP. X.— 1776— Adjacent Settlers and Buildings— Some Thrilling Incidents 35"^ CHAP. XL— 1777— Oriskany— Willetfs Trip— Arnold's March— Enemy Flees 40 CH.\P. XII. — 1777 — A Contemporary Account of the Battle at Oriskany — Lossing on Willett's Journejf to Schuyler for Aid — The Oriskany Roster ." 48 CHAP. XIII. — 1777 — Personal Experiences at Oriskany — Indian and Tory Barbarities 54 CHAP. XIV. — 1778 — Indian Council at Johnstown, March 9 — Manheim. Caroga, Spring- tield, Andrustowu. (ierman Flats Raid.s — Cherry \'alley Massacre T 64 CHAP. XV.— 1779 — Gen. Clinton at Canajoharie — Guard on Otsquago Creek — Sullivan and Clinton Defeat Johnson and Brant 70 CHAI'. XVI.— 1780— May 21, Johnson's Johnstown Raid— .\ugust 2, Brant's Minden Raid 74 CHAP. XVII.— 1780, August 2— Incidents and Tragedies and Details of Brant's Minden Raid 77 CHAP. XVIIL— 1780— Johnson's Schoharie and Mohawk Invasion— Oct. 19, Battles of Stone Arabia and St. Johnsville — N'an Rensselaer's Inefliciency — Enemy Escapes — V Fort Plain Named Fort Rensselaer— Fort Plain Blockhouse Built— Fort Willett Begun 89 CHAP. XIX.— 1781— June, Col. Willett Appointed Commander of Mohawk Valley Posts. Makes Fort Plain His Headquarters— Dreadful Tryon County Conditions— July 9. Currytown Raid— July 10, American Victory at Sharon— Fort' Schuyler Abandoned 98 CHAP. XX.— 1781— Oct. 24, Ross and Butler's Tory and Indian Raid in Moutgomerv and Fulton Counties— Oct. 25, American Victory at Johnstown— Willett's I'ursuit, Killing of Walter Butler and Defeat of the Enemy at West Canada Creek— Rejoic- ing in the Mohawk Valley— Johnstown, the County Scat, at the Time of the Hall Battle, 1781 105 CHAP. XXI.— 1782— Last of the War in (ho Valley- Reliuilding and Repopulation— Tory and Indian Raid at l<'ort Herkimer— Tories— Gen. Washington at Schenectady \ 114 CHAP. XXII.— 1783— February 9, Col. WilletCs .Vttemjit to Capture Fort Oswego— Privations of the .\merican Troops on the Return Trip 117 CHAP. XXIII.— 1783— April 17, Messenger From (ien. Washington Reaches Fort Plain (Jiving News of End of Hostilities— April 18, Captain Thompson's Journey to Oswego With a Flag of Truce US vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Pave CHAP. XXIV.— 1783— Julv, Washington'.s Tour of Mohawk Valley and Visit to Otsego I^ake— His Lettors ronforniug Trii)— Stops at I'alatino. Fort Plain. Chorry Valley and Canaiobarie- Col. Clyde— Final IJccords of Fort Plain or Fort Rensselaer- Last Revolutionary Indian Murder in Canajoliarie District 123 CHAP. XXV.— 1775-1783- Review of Moliawk Valley Events- Tryon County Militia Records — Territory Covered in These Sketches 130 SECOND SERIES 1784-1838 CHAP. I.— 1784-1838— Mohawk Valley After the Revolution— Constructive Period— Mont- gomery County and its Divisions— Towns and Their Changes 136 CHAP. II.— 1784-1838— People and Life in the Mohawk Valley— Dress— The Revolutionary Houses— The Mohawk Dutch— English P.ecomes the Popular Tongue— Rev. Taylor's .Tourney in 1802— Valley Sports— Douhleday's Invention of Paseball— Last of the Mohawks in the Vallev— The Iroquois Population in 1890 and the Mohawks in Canada 1''2 CHAP. III.— 1689-1825- Western Montgomery County and the Palatine and Canajoharie Districts Townships- Life, Trade. Schools, Development 154 CHAP. IV.— The Five Revolutionary Churches of Western Montgomery County— Other Revolutionary Churches in Montgomery and Fulton Counties and in Danube and Manheim— Hon. Francis Granger's Account of the Old Caughnawaga Dutch Church ■• 'BS CHAP, v.— The Mohawk River and Watershed— History and Topography 171 CHAP VI.— 1609-1795— Tra the and Travel on the Mohawk River- Canoes, Dugouts, Skiffs. Batteaux— Carries at Little Falls :ind Wood Creek— 179:i. Inland Lock Navigation Co— 1795, Canals and Locks at Little Falls, (ierman Flats and Romf>— Schenectady and Durham P.oats and River Packets— 1821-1825, Mohawk Part of Erie Canal System — 1825. Erie Canal Supersedes River as Valley Waterway — Christian Schultz's 1807 Mohawk River Journey 178 CHAP VII.— 1609-191,3— Mohawk Valley Transportation— Indian Trails— Horse and Cart Roads Highways (1700-1800)— Turnpikes and Mohawk Turnpike (1800-1840) — Country Roads ' (1840-1885)— Bicycle Routes (1885-1900)— Automobile Roads (1900- 1913)_-VVeed's 1824 Stage Coach .Journey on the Mohawk Turniuke 185 CII\P VIII —1793-1913— First Bridges in Middle Mohawk Valley and Montgomery County— Celebration at Opening of Fort Plain Bridge, July 4, 1806— Fort Plain Free Bridge, 1858 ■> l'*^ CII\P IX.— 1812— The Militia Svstem— Trainings— War With England— The Mohawk Valley Militia '•9' CHAI*. X.— 1817-1825— Construction of Erie Canal— (Clinton's Triumphal Trip— Fort Plain's Celebration 200 CHAP. XL— 1831-1836— First Valley Railroads— The Mohawk and Hudson (1831), Utica and Schenectady (1836), New York Central (1853), New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (1869), Fonda, Johnstown and (Jloversville (1870), West Shore Railroad (1883)— First Freight Business- Trolley Lines 209 CIIAP XII —1836, Fonda Made County Seat of Montgomery County— New Court House Built at Fonda- Dissatisfaction in Northern Montgomery— 1838, Fulton County Created From Northern Montgomery County 215 THIRD SERIES 1838-1913 ,>[IVI' I —1838-1913— Montgomery County, Topography, Population and History— Farm Statistics and Amsterdam Industrial Statistics— Fulton County, Herkimer County and Mohawk Valley Statistics 219 CHAP II —1848— Trip of Benson J. Lossing From Currytown to Sharon Springs, to Cherry Valley, to Fort Plain— Revolutionary Scenes and People Then Living 231 CII\P III —1861-1865— Montgomery and Fulton County Men in the Civil War— 115th. 153d and Other Regiments and Companies With Montgomery and Fulton County Representation— 1912, 115th and 153d Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Mustering in at Fonda 234 CHAP IV— 1892, Barge Canal Recommendation of State Engineer Martin Schenck— 1900 Report of tiie (ireene Canal Commission. Barge Canal Survey— 1903, Passage of $101000 000 Barge Canal Act— 1905— Work Begun on Erie Canal Section— Locks Widened to 45 Feet— Features of the Mohavi^k River Canalization 250 Cn\P V — 1911, August 14-25, Atwood's 1,266-Mile Plight From St. Louis to New York- Flics 95 Miles From Svracuse to N(>lliston, August 22 and Stays Overnight at Fort Plain— Flies 66 Miles From Nellislon to Castleton, August 23, With a Stop In Glen for Repairs— "Following the ISIohawk" 262 CHAP VI —Geological Review of the Middle Mohawk Valley by Ahram Devendorf— Lake Albany Covering the Old Mohawk Country of Canajoharie, From Little Falls to the Noses— The Glacial I'eriod— Surface Indications 265 CHAP. VIL— Western Montgomery County Schools— Supt. Alter's 1912 Report 271 CIIAP VIII.— Deforestation and Reforesia tion— Denundation in Western Montgomery County— Arlior r)ay— Adirondack and National Forest Preserves— The Forests and the Water Supply 273 CHAP. IX.— 1894-1914— Western Montgomery County Hydro-Electric Development on East and Caroga Creeks 277 CHAP. X.— 1825-1913— Western Montgomery County and the Five Towushii)s of Miuden, Canajoharie, Root, Palatine and St. Johusville 281 TABLE OF CONTENTS vii Page CHAP. XI.— 1825-1913— Western Montgomery County— The Town of St. .lohnsville and St. .Tohnsville Village 284 CHAP. XII.— 1825-1913— Western Montgomery County- The Town of Palatine 286 CHAP. XIII.— 1S25-1913— Western Montgomery County— The Town of Root 287 CHAP. XIV.— 1825-1913— Western Montgomery County— The Town of Canajoharie and Canajoharie Village 290 CHAP. XV.— 1825-1913— Western Montgomery County— Fort Plain Village and Minden Township 293 APPENDIX Mohawk Valley Chronology 307 Western Montgomery County Da tes 317 Mohawk Valley Military Statistics ; 318 Fifteen Dates for School Use 322 Chronology of Mohawk Valley Pre-Revolutionary Houses and Churches ...: 324 Chronology of Sir William .Johnson 326 Mohawk S'alley Travelers' Chronology 327 Mohawk Valley Manufacturing Chronology — Sketches of Principal Industries and of Cheese Dairying 328 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS— SERIES I. CHAP. I. — The Mohawks and Six Nations — The Iroquoian Trihes of North America — The Iroquois Legend of Hiawatha 341 CHAP. II.— The Six Mohawk Valley Counties and the Mohawk Valley Considered as a Historical and Geographical Unit — Dutch Settlement and Influence in the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys— Importance of the Hudson Valley, Geographical, Commer- cial, Industrial, Agricultural, Social 350 1661— Dutch Settlement of Schenectady 355 The Mohawks a Bar to Early While Settlement Along the Mohawk 356 1709— Trip of Four Mohawk Chiefs to England 356 1760— Mrs. Grant's Mohawk River Trip 357 1760— Gen. Amherst's Expedition 358 CHAP. III.— Sir William Johnson, an Appreciation 359 CHAP. V 360 CHAP. VIII.— 1764— The General Herkimer House— A 1913 Description 360 1777 — Account of the Ilerkimer-Brant Conference at ITnadilla hy Joseph Wagner, a Palatine Militiaman 361 Christopher P. Yates— A Biographical Sketch 362 C HAP. IX , 362 CHAP. XI.— 1777— The Battle of Oriskany Descrihed by Miller and Seeber, Soldier Par- ticipants 362 1777— Capt. McDonald's Tory and Indian Invasion of Schoharie — Flockey Battle 364 CHAP. XIII 365 CHAP. XIV.— 1778— Battle of Cobleskill 365 Additional Facts Concerning Helmer's Heroic Run of 1778 365 CHAP. XV.— 1779— Gen. Clinton's Route From Canajoharie to Otsego Lake 365 CHAP. XVII 366 CHAP. XVIII.— 1780— Johnson's Raid and Battles of Stone Arabia and Johnstown De- scribed bv Thomas Sammons. an American Volunteer-Participant 366 CHAP. XIX.— Monuments to and Portraits of Colonel Willett 371 CHAP. XX.— 1781— Lieut. Wallace's Story of the Battle of Johnstown 372 CHAP. XXI 373 CHAP. XXV.— Part I'layed by the Women. Children and Youth in Mohawk Valley History 373 SERIES II. CHAP. I.— 1784— First Permanent Settlement of Oneida County— New England Immi- gration 377 CHAP. VI.— Elkanah Watson's Mohawk River Trips of 1788 and 1791— His Views on and Efforts for Improved Mohawk River Navigation 377 CHAP. VII.— 1800 (about)— The Mohawk and Albany Pikes— Toll Gates 381 CHAP. XL— 1914— Mohawk Valley Railroads— Railroad Development 382 SERIES III. CHAP. I.— Mohawk Valley Governors, Yates, 1823-5; Bouck, 1843-5; Seymour, 1853-5. 1863-5— Vice President Sherman, 1908-12 '. 382 CHAP. IV. — Prospective Barge Canal Commerce 383 CHAP, v.— 1914— Aeroplanes 387 Incorrect Historical Illustrations 388 The Marking of the Site of Old Fort I'lain — Valley Historical Societies and Their Accomplishnn^nts — Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls 388 Yankee Doodle and the Yankee Doodle Boys 389 Value of the Study of Local History by I >r. Sherman Williams .* .390 2200 Population of Hudson Valley — Ultimate Mohawk N'alley Populations 392 Scenic Features of the Mohawk Valley 393 Notes 393 Corrections- Series 1 397 Correct ion.s— Series II 398 A Final Word 399 viii TABLE OF CONTEXTS ADDITIONAL CORRECTIONS. In the Introduction, on page xiv, thirty-fifth line read "white winter slumber" for "while winter slumber." In the Appendix, p. 351, fifth line from the bottom, first column, read "history of coun- tries" for "history of counties." In the Appendix on p. 354, the statement is made that "At Pouj;hkeepsie in 1786, the New York State Assembly ratified the United States Constitution, making the ninth state to take such action and thus putting it into effect." This is an error. It was in 1788 that the State Assembly met at Poughkeepsie to consider the adoption of the National Consti- tution framed at Annapolis in 1786. While in session news was received that New Hamp- shire had ratified the Constitution. It was the ninth state so to do and its action put the national government into effect. It was then up to New York to ratify or secede from the United States. A majority of the state legislators were against ratifying and it was only the great efforts of Alexander Hamilton that secured New York's approval by the close vote of 30 to 27. See Lossing's "Empire State," Chapter 23. In the Appendix, page 377, first column, seventh line from the top, read "New York State Revolutionary troops" for "New York State Revolutionary militia." In the Appendix, page 382, second column, fifth line from the top, read "250 loaded coal cars" instead of "250 loaded freight cars." In the Appendix, page 396, second column, fifth lino from tlie bottom, read "Statue of Baron Steuben" instead of "Statute of Baron Steuben." In the acknowledgment of assistance rendered the editor of this work by living (1914) writers on the Mohawk valley and otliers, the name of Mrs. A. T. Smith of Fultonville, N. y., is omitted. On page 230 appears an extract from one of Mrs. Smith's writings, "A Ramble, Visit to a Colonial House." An earnest effort has been made to correct the errors which have crept into this work during its preparation. These mistakes will be eliminated iu any future editions of this book. W 1 (T) represents proposed Black-River Barge-Canal improv/emenit- rep/«,senfcs proposed Seneca-Lake = Oiimun^-River Baipe Canal improvemenh Irepresen+s proposed Clens-Falls feeder Bar^e-Canal innproi/ement represents proposed NewfownCreeK-Flushinj-Rj^ BageCanal imprcvem«nl- (5)rcprsservt-s proposed FiushinjBa^^rJamaicaSa^ Bage-Canal improuemcnt- NEW YORK STATE RIVERS. Here are seen the principal rivers and river systems of New York State, ineliulin^ also those of northeastern New Jersey, which empty into the mouth of tJie Hudson. The j;reiit- est river systems in the order of their importance to New York State are the Hudson, the Oswego, the St. Lawrence (including Lake ("hamplainK the Genesee, the Susquehanna, the Delaware, the Black, and the Allegheny. The borders of New York State are not here shown and it will interest the student (of any age) to supply them. New York contains two of the three principal drainage systems of the United States— these three are the Atlantic, the Oulf of Mexico and the Pacific systems. The Allegheny river, traversing a portion of southwestern New York State, represents the Gulf drainage system, while all the other streams lie within the Atlantic system. New York State takes its form from the Dutch and English occupation of the Hudson valley and the Iroquois occupancy of the Os- wego valley and western New York. New York State, generally speaking, is bordered by Lake Erie and the Niagara river on the west. Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence on the north, Lake Champlain and the watershed of the Hudson on the east and portions of the watersheds of the Allegheny, Sus(]uehanna and Delaware rivers on the south. Attention is called to the remarkable Hudson (including the Mohawk) and Oswego river systems, which form such a large part of the New York Slate Rargi> Canal. The canalized i)ortions of these rivers are represenled by dots alongside llieir chaniu'ls. Note the c.-uial signs which indicate propos(>d future unions of streams and tlieir canalization. See ("hajiter Y., Series II., P. 171, "The Mohawk River and Waterslied ;" also Chapter VI., Third Series, "Geological Review of the Middle Mohawk Valley." /\D/R,ONOACK • fe ^ >». O) ►^ «■ . 5 3 ? ;?; is Qj'S^p e => r-. o ce o C _S i ^-^ [V] Cot*. . ^ c: J" k- -l.r> (/-. Q a; P-. ? Ho. i*^a i. a o isfl-;; « iod « ^-^ ®£ 1£| O " ^ S ■" . O S fl C . : 5 •- jah-i O c O >< ;_ - ^■^^^ 5os c « ai s*"- a i'K J3H cw =; =^ KEy r o M.y. ciTy CD M-^NHATTANJ BoftOuciH ©BRONX BOf^OUqH ® RICHMOND BOROUGH CSTATEM ISLAND) ©QUEENS BOROUCifl is J- o HJ fl a-^"^ o ^ '; S-5 -sag's -^ISg^ir-g ? « en::; « s £"2 >>„-=j= -t? o£ b g oil's fcl^-a !I5? o S'' '"" - K-SO goo 8 g*^ 2.1^-2 o %:i ■^ o e F ■». s H- a u I? 5- 5 c ^ c "^ o "^ ■-- ® S.'S ''-^2o9^.i,a &>■•■" ^ ^ J<, o .= o f2 (- =."^ s= % 2^^' p.:.s '>55- s^;^"? t ia ^ - '■ a S r- a d « o S f '^•- § c.^"" ^. aa^-* te>-,00|S-2C-Oo-^Scoa^.jH;ao_, = 5 ori=ii-^ 0-- o o B Q)_a r; -^ >,^ K ,^ tl ^, c o ''. ■? i£ o ; = S 'S c m ^"5 S rt 2 ■icJ&St; a2oF_c-Bc-^iu5-^c:.„ 3 o si^ I ^% ^=:=g ^° -'^ ;^ « "-3 INTRODUCTION In 1776 an American fort was erected, in the district of Canajoharie of Tryon county, at the then mouth of the Otsquago creek, on a bluff in the Sand Hill section of the present village of Fort Plain. Legend has it that there was some sort of fortification before that date and this is not improbable as here was the beginning of the Otsego trail through the Otsquago valley and the site in question is one naturally suited for defense. The fort built in the year of the Independence declaration was a regular army post and continued as such until Washington's vsit in 1783, and for some years after. It is with this forti- fication that the story deals and with lands adjoining, of which it v/as a natural center. Artificial boundaries of territory are often confusing and somewhat ridicu- lous. The Mohawk forms a natural division between the north and south side sections about Fort Plain and it is fitting that these two neighborhoods should be treated as separate localities. Aside from supposed convenience to the citi- zens at election times and to facilitate town government, there is no reason whatever why we should try in our minds to conceive the township of Canajo- harie as set off in any way from the town of Minden. Walk back on the hills toward Seebers Lane; look off to the east and you will see the stream of the Mohawk separating you from the fertile hills of beautiful Palatine. But where you stand (if it is on the high hill about a mile southeast of Fort Plain village) you will see no line or natural boundary cutting off the farms of Minden from those of Canajoharie. So, in treating of the land, people or events of the valley, it is more vitally important to consider the sections naturally set apart than those which consist solely of imaginary lines drawn upon maps. In the following chapters, the story of old Fort Plain will be found to be interwoven with that of the old Canajoharie and Palatine districts of Tryon county. The acute mind of S'r William Johnson, in his division of the districts of Tryon, merely drew on his map the natural boundaries which ran through the county. This middle region of the Mohawk valley is set off from the upper part to the west of Little Falls by the range which cuts squarely across the Mohawk, known by the name of Fall Hill. To the east a similar barrier exists in the picturesque hill formations wh?ch rise from the Mohawk flats on each side, known as The Noses. The Mohawk here breaks through a high ridge which separates this mid section from the eastern part of the valley. Johnson fit- tingly named this region north of the river, Palatine, and that to the south Canajoharie, and these formed the Palatine and Canajoharie districts of Troyn county. The name Canajoharie had probably been applied to its section X INTRODUCTION from early Indian times. Five districts were set off and the other three were Mohawk, on both sides of the river from the line of Schenectady county west to the Noses, and from Fall Hill west, Kingsland to the north of the Mohawk and German Flats to the south. The districts north of the river were supposed to run to the Canadian line, while those to the south embraced territory to the northern boundary of Pennsylvania. However, most of the population was gathered along the Mohawk river and its tr'butary, the Schohar'e, and the history of Tryon county is in reality that of the Mohawk valley; which is another in- stance where actual natural territory and boundaries must be considered rather than the dot and dash divisions of the maps. These two districts mentioned extend along the Mohawk for a distance of about twenty miles. The townships of Montgomery county that form part of old Canajoharie and Palatine are Minden, Canajoharie, part of Root (to the west of the Big Nose), Palatine and St. Johnsville. This publication deals with these five towns, as well as the older districts, and, as Fort Plain is approximately at their geographical center, it is fitting that the title of this narrative should be "The Story of Old Fort Plain." So the object of this work is to tell the tale of the Mohawk country between the Noses and Fall Hill and to relate as well all that can be gathered of importance with reference to the chief and central Revo- lutionary fortification of the territory in question, which was known as Fort Plain. It is interesting to realize that we have a prior authority, for the considera- tion of local history from this point, in that eminent New York state historian, Benson J. Lossing, particularly adapted to his task by being a descendant of the first Holland settlers. In his wonderfully interesting "Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution," he says: "At Fort Plain I was joined by my traveling com- panions * * * and made it my headquarters for three days, while visiting places of interest in the vicinity. It being a central point in the hostile move- ments in Tryon county, from the time of the flight of St. Leger from before Fort Stanwix until the close of the war, we will plant our telescope of observa- tion here for a time, and view the most important occurrences within this par- ticular sweep of its speculum." To do exactly this and, in addition, to continue our view of life and events from the Revolutionary time to the present, is the mission of "The Story of Old Fort Plain." The need has been felt of a continuous narrative of the fort and the condi- tions existing in its surrounding territory. The former chronicles of events and life about here were largely obscure and what could be obtained was imbedded in a mass of other material in local history. Fort Plain was next to Forts Dayton and Herkimer, the most advanced New York frontier post, during the last years of the war and seems to have been the most important. From here Willett is- sued on his heroic marches to victorious battles; here was the headquarters of the chief officers concerned in the Klock's field battle; here and within cannon shot occurred some of the most tragic and thrilling incidents of the Revolution in Tryon county. From here was heard Brown's brave stand at Stone Arabia, and from here was seen the glare from Currytown's burning farm-houses. Here was heard the rattle of the rifles of the victorious Americans on Klock's Field. This fort housed the settlers fleeing from the tomahawk and torch of the Indian and Tory. It was once, by Fort Plain's women, successfully defended by a femi- nine ruse. It remained a tower of patriot strength during the whole contest and finally at its close housed the great commander — Washington himself. Here INTRODUCTION xi came Gansevoort, Gov. Clinton, Col. Dayton, Gen. Clinton, the despised Van Rensselaer, probably Gen. Arnold, as well as many members of the committee of safety and of the county militia. Here commanded the mighty Willett and the sterling warrior Clyde. Through the dreadful, bloody struggle, which decimated the population and almost destroyed a thriving farming section, Fort Plain stood a tower of strength to keep alive in a great territory the soul of American liberty and the spirit of American civilization and culture. This it did and, when the horrors of the conflict were past and its dead buried, some back of the church near by, the batteaux again floated on the river at its feet, within its sight blackened ruins were replaced by houses and barns and the plowman was once more seen tilling the neglected flelds on the distant slopes. Civilization resumed its work in the valley and the task of old Fort Plain was done. But its story still remains for those who wish to learn it. The placing of the fortification was evidently largely a matter of geography. Its hill was capable of defense on all sides and was commanded by no higher ground which could be used as a base of attack at that time. It could be pro- vided with its necessary water from a good spring directly under its walls. It had a view of the country for miles in all directions. The road from Fort Stanwix to Schenectady ran along the foot of the hill. It, of course, was of easy access from the river at its base and commanded this highway of freight traffic, and a ferry was here then as at a later date. Its location at the be- ginning of the Otsego trail or carry, as mentioned, probably influenced its site and here then the Otsquago flowed into the Mohawk. Boys who swam in the river before the beginning of the Barge canal remember "the low," as they called it and this shallow in the river, then about opposite the knitting mills, was un- doubtedly the remains of the rift which always existed in the Mohawk below the outlets of contributory streams. The mouth of the Garoga valley, penetrating a great extent of the country to the north, lay about two miles away and at that point the old Indian trail from Canada, by way of Lake George, joined the Mo- hawk river trails. Furthermore Fort Plain was located in the midst of the Palatine settlements of which Fort Herkimer and Fort Dayton defended the western and Fort Hunter the eastern end. Everything made this the natural site of what was later an important frontier post and the base of several mili- tary operations vitally affecting the settlers of the Mohawk valley. Here at Sand Hill, was a Reformed church, a river ferry, one or two traders and prob- ably a tiny hamlet at the time of the erection of this defense. Of course the fear of invasion of the state by British forces and Indian allies, from Canada through the Mohawk valley, was the prime reason for the renovation of Forts Stanwix and Herkimer and the building of Fort Dayton diagonally opposite, at the present site of Herkimer, and of Fort Plain in the center of the Canajoharie district in the year of the Declaration of Independence. The time dealt with lends added interest to a sketch of its people, places and events on account of its remoteness. Although we are separated from it by only about a century and a half of time (since the date of the erection of Fort Plain), the vital changes of that period have given American life an absolutely different phase. Up to the building of the Erie canal the details of human existence had been the same, practically, for centuries. Today we live in a different world from our American forebears of 1776. xii INTRODUCTION The main part of these sketches is founded upon "Beer's Illustrated History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties, 1878," Lossing's "Field Book of the Revo- lution" and Simms's "Frontiersmen of New York." Large parts of these works have been used bodily. Other authorities whose material has been made use of are Lossing's "Empire State," Benton's "History of Herkimer County" and the "Documentary History of New York." While no claim is made for especial originality in its preparation, a great mass of material has been arranged in proper chronological sequence, wh'ch, the writer believes, is the first instance of its having been done in relation to the Revolutionary history of Fort Plain and the region about it. In order to make a continuous narrative, dealing with the men of this territory, the Oriskany campaign is included. It is presumed about half of the provincials concerned in this movement came from these two districts and the history of the men themselves of old Canajoharie and old Pala- tine is fully as vital as the study of events and places. An endeavor has been made to give a picture of different periods and, to this end, much detail has been necessary. The history of the middle Mohawk valley can, for convenience, be divided into four sections. The first is from its discovery about 1616, to the formation of Tryon county in 1772. This is the time of Indian life and of white settlement. The second period is from 1772 to 1783, embracing the Revolutionary war. The third is from 1783 to the division of Montgomery county into Fulton and Montgomery counties in 1838, covering the years of highway improvement, bridge building, canal digging, railroad construction and early town development. The fourth is from 1838 to the present day, and it is hoped that teachers and parents will, in future years, carry on this story for the young reader up to the time in which he or she reads this book. Many people have the idea that local history means, almost entirely, the events transpiring about here during the Revolution. That such an impression is erroneous is shown by the fact that, in this work, the recital of events here- abouts, during the War of Independence^ occupies only about one -third of the space. Conditions have been so varied and so many elements have entered into the story of this valley of the northland that there is much to scan beside the tragedies, conflicts and life of the first war with England. Our chron-cle is not alone local but touches at every point the development of our national life, and this is particularly true because the valley has always been, from the earliest times, one of the great highways of traffic, trade and travel between east and west. No section of our country affords more glowing historical pictures than the Mohawk country. Here are found all the elements that go to the making of the story of man from the stone age to the present era of a complicated civilization. The French priests and the Dutch traders discovered here red savages, who were living under conditions similar to those of prehistoric man in Europe. Of the latter we have only the most fragmentary knowledge, but, of the'r equivalent brethren in America, we know as much as we do of our own frontier ancestors. In the earliest days in the valley, of which we have historical knowledge, we find much of the Mohawk Indian life centered in the old Canajoharie district. This lends to the study of the most warlike tribe of the powerful Iroquois republic an added and poignant local interest. INTRODUCTION xiii The story of this great and beautiful valley of the Mohawk is soon told in brief. While it has been ages in the making, the reader can close his eyes and, in less time than it takes in the telling, its varied and colorful pictures sweep before his mental vision. Centuries, probably, after the great glacial ice sheet started ebbing toward the north, it turned the waters of some of the Great Lakes down through the valley to the Hudson sea inlet, making our river a great rushing torrent, large in volume and magnificent to the view. Before the mighty stream dwindled to its present course, back, through the great forest covering the old glacial bed and along the river, came slinking red human beings close, in brain and body, to the beasts they slew for food and cloth'ng. Here, in the ages before the dread ice came slowly and irresistibly from the dead and frozen north, perhaps had been men not unlike them, living wild lives in the wilderness among the stranger wild animals of that distant day. Gradually these savages, of the period after the great ice sheet, grew in the ruder arts of civilization; while, outside of their immediate bands, their lust for human blood and love of cruel spectacles probably increased. Then came red warriors from the north down upon the homes of these valley barbarians and began a bloody war of extermination. Suddenly from the forests, these ver- milion-faced, befeathered, naked savages rush out and with club and arrow, with stone axe and knife, they murder the startled people of the Mohawk villages. A hideous spectacle ensues — men, women and children are stabbed, struck down, brained and scalped, only a few escaping to later burn and agonize for the bestial enjoyment of the red raiders. To save themselves, the Mohawks, with their brethren of the other four tribes, join in the great league of the Iro- quois family. They drive back their foes, inflicting equally murderous and in- human punishment, and become the virtual rulers of the red men of the entire eastern country. Years after this, but upon a long ago day, a Mohawk stood in front of his village on a slope overlooking the bright and winding stream. Bronzed and naked to his breech cloth and deerskin leggins, with knife in belt and bow in hand, his sharp eyes scanned the summer scene. At his feet lay the flatlands of the yalley, green with the promising crop of Indian corn. Gently back from these open spaces sloped the giant hills clad in a glorious forest unbroken to the summits of the fartherest ridges. In the distance a herd of deer stepped lightly to the river edge and drank, and far on high an eagle soared in the milky blue sky. A pleasing sight — a view of primeval nature undisturbed. En- tered, upon this quiet scene, a man in a canoe. Around a willow-bordered bend ■ in the placid river he came paddling down stream and the red man saw that he was clad in strange garments and that he was white — a sight which filled him with superstitious amazement — which meant the end of his race in the valley. This was the first of the French priests whose mission of religion brought them among the valley Iroquois. As the river and its banks move quickly by, to this silent, serious white man, so the scene changes rapidly after his advent. The Dutch traders, in still stranger clothes, bring guns and rum to exchange with the Indians for their splendid wilderness furs. After them follow red-coated soldiers and traders of another race — the English. Then come, toiling painfully, up the banks of the xiv INTRODUCTION river, sturdy, patient men of a brother blood — the Germans. The Mohawks begin to lose their lands and we soon find them, few in numbers, confined to two vil- lages, one at the Schoharie creek and the other in the western Canajoharie district. To them the white men seem to come in swarms. They fell the trees and clear and till the land while the smoke from the burning prostrate forest giants clouds the sky. White women, little children, and strange new animals follow these woodsmen, who build yet larger houses of stone, who make wagon paths through the woods and who bring their flatboats, up and down the river, laden with grain, furs and many kinds of goods. These valley Europeans eat, drink, play, dance, love, sing, breed, work and die, like people the world over. Then, as now, spring comes to the Mohawk, flooding the white and grey valley with sudden warmth, making every tiny rivulet a rushing torrent and fill- ing the river with its yearly flood of brown turbid water and rushing ice. The rough clearings are plowed and planted and heavy crops soon cover the fertile soil. Forest, field, hillside — all are green, green in every shade; green every- where is the valley, except the winding river reflecting the whitish blue sky. Then the harvest time dots the verdant landscape with fields of brown and yellow and through flatland and meadow resounds the swish of scythe and cradle. Autumn colors the woods with a riot of scarlet, yellows and browns and the open spaces and the river margin sparkle with the azure and sheen of aster, golden rod, wild sunflower. Corn shocks rustle and nod and yellow pumpkins glow like giant oranges amidst the stubble. Now is the beauty of the vale of the Mo- hawk at its best, while the air is filled with subtle haze and the glorious autumn landscape drowses in the noontide of a perfect Indian summer. Mohawk and white hunter bring home deer and wild turkey; the small boy scours the woods for hickory and butter nut. In the branches chatters the thrifty squirrel as the quiet air is startled by the crack and boom of rifle and gun. In the cabins and stone houses, wives and daughters bake and brew for autumn feasts and merrymakings. At night the great harvest moon, full-orbed, hangs in the sky flooding, with its greenish yellow light, a landscape of mystery, through which gleams the winding ribbon river — a scene inspiring that pensive seriousness which seems to possess the valley, even in its gayest autumn or tenderest springtime phases. And now down again comes the soft mantle of snow and the great hills and vales are once more wrapped in their while winter slumber. And so, for years, runs along the life of the pioneer beside the Mohawk. But after a time these white men of different nations begin to differ among themselves and fall to quarreling violently. The velvet and red-coated turn upon the men of homespun and buckskin; war to the death breaks out, whUe the valley reeks with horrid slaughter. The embittered Indians join the red coats, glad of a foe on whom to wreak vengeance for their stolen hunting grounds. As is usual the payment for this dread struggle of the Revolution is made in the lives of tender children and loving women as well as in those of enraged men. What had once been strong men of Tryon county lie rotting, to the number of two hundred on the field of Oriskany. Here particularly are shown all those revolting horrors of war which, when generally and constantly realized, will eliminate such bloody struggles from the life of civilized peoples — war which is no more essential to the development INTEODUCTION xv of nations than Indian barbarities are requisite to the cultivation of intrepid manhood. But the naked Indian, the velvet and the red coat are driven back. Sadly, the men of homespun and buckskin drop their guns, bury their dead, rebuild their burned and plundered homes and turn again to the task of tilling their neglected fields. Such is nature that, in ten year's time, the Mohawk skirts a country again smiling with plentiful harvests, and through the trees along its banks show solid houses and barns filled with corn and wheat and all the bountiful products of a fertile soil. Then men tire of the hardships of boating on the river and dig themselves a canal in which to float still larger freight craft, and great is the rejoicing when it is done. Bridges are built across the Mohawk and soon, close along its edge, the engine of steam on iron tracks goes rushing by, before the gaze of the astonished farmer and his affrighted family. Villages with smoking factories dot the twin courses of the Mohawk and the Erie, broad cultivated fields have replaced the giant forest which live only in a few scattered woods. And here is the valley of our day, from whence, at the trumpet's blare which proclaimed a nation's peril, thousands of our men fare forth to fight and die on southern fields. Here is the valley of four hundred thousand people, where were but ten thousand when St. Leger came down upon Fort Schuyler; our valley which has always been a great highway, by land and water, since the day of the Indian trails and the river flatboat — great and growing greater with its railroads over which hundreds of trains speed daily; its highways traversed by countless auto- mobiles; its barge canal, soon to carry a large share of the country's east and west commerce: our valley, with its schools, societies, clubs, churches, theaters, fairs, factories, stores, bustling villages, great cities, tiny hamlets, fertile farms — with its restless, discontented human population, sharing in the trouble and perplexity of the nation's industrial and political problems — but yet withal our northland valley of old, shorn of its noble forest but with the same everlasting hills rising in slope on slope, from the winding river to noble heights along the horizon. This in brief, is the story of the Mohawk. And what of the future — who knows what it may be, before the great green forest of yore again comes back over these rolling hills, yes and before that day when the dread cold encompasses it all once more — perhaps forever. NELSON GREENE. Fort Plain, New York, September 15, 1912. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN (FIRST SERIES 1616-1783) CHAPTER I. The Mohawks and Iroquois — A Dutch Journey Through the Canajoharie District in 1634 — Local Indian Vil- lages and Trails. It is no part of this narrative to deal at lengtli with the Indian inhal)itants of the valley, who ceased to be people of this territory at the building of the Port Plain fortification. The reader is referred to works dealing with the Mohawks and the Iroquois. That the aboriginal inhabitants of the Mohawk valley were a peculiar combination of shrewdness, semi-civilJzation, child- ishness and the blackest savagery, goes without saying. They cultivated the native vegetables on the river flats and some of the native fruits on near- by slopes. They made maple sugar, raised tobacco and trapped and fished, and handed on to the first white set- tlers their knowledge of the native soil and its products. The Mohawks wore skins for clothing and made cab- ins of saplings and bark, which were of considerable size at times. A stock- ade surrounded their villages. With them is concerned a legend of Hia- watha. The members of the original five nations, in the order of their dis- tribution from east to west, were Mo- hawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. These were joined by the Tuscaroras in 1714, and the Iro- quois, after that year, were known as the Six Nations. As the Mohawks were the most warlike tribe the war chief of the Iroquois was selected from the ranks of these valley savages. At the time of the Dutch occupation, the total Iroquois population is esti- mated at 13,000, and must then have been considerably greater than a cen- tury later. Seventeenth century ac- counts would indicate at least double the number of Mohawks living along the river, compared with eighteenth century figures obtainable. Sir Wil- liam Johnson, at one time, gives the available fighting strength of the Mo- hawks as 150 warriors, which seems a very low figure. However the tribe could not have much exceeded six hundred people, as their castle at Fort Hunter (in the eighteenth century) is described as their largest village, and only contained 30 huts. The Great Hendrick and Joseph Brant are the leading figures of the Mohawks in the century preceding the Revolution. Both were residents of the old Cana- joharie district which we are consid- ering. The famous Seneca chief Corn- planter comes into our story and he had local interest as being the son of John Abeel, a Fort Plain trader. All of these are considered at greater length later. Mr. John Fea of Amsterdam is the author of a very interesting article on "Indian Trails of the Mohawk Val- ley," which was published in the Fort Plain Standard in December, 1908. From this publication are taken the extracts which follow. The trip of the Dutch explorers, which Mr. Fea nar- rated, is of great local interest because it covers so much of the old Canajo- harie district along the Mohawk and describes in detail the Indian villages of that tribe, of which a great part seems to have been located in the dis- trict mentioned. Mr. Fea's paper says that this was "an expedition to the Mohawk and THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Seneca Indians' coulitry undertaken by three Dutchmen with five Mohawk Indians as guides in 1634-5. To us their journey through our own part of the Mohawk valley ought to be es- pecially interesting, as they proceed from one Indian village to another. This journal is the earliest written description of the Mohawk valley. *=!:** rphe motive of the expedi- tion from Fort Orange, as stated in the journal, was to investigate the movements of the French traders, who were holding out greater induce- ments than the Dutch were giving, thereby persuading the Mohawks to go and trade their rich furs in Canada. They left P'ort Orange on Dec. 11, 1634. During a journey of two days' time they covered idVz English miles. This brought them up the Mohawk valley on the north s'de of the river to Yosts, near the 'Nose,' at a little house in which they lodged over night. This Indian house, according to this jour- nal, was one-half mile from the first castle, which was built on a high hill, where they found 36 houses in rows like a street. The name of the castle was Onekagonka. The evidence of this village can be found on the bank of Wasontah creek on the Vrooman farm near the 'Nose.' After three days so- journ at Onekagonka they continued westward over the ice on the river a Dutch half mile [a Dutch mile equal- ling two and one-fourth English miles] past a village of nine houses, named Canowarode. This is the pres- ent county house site [on the north side of the Mohawk] and the buildings are all on the Indian village site. They went another Dutch half mile and passed a village of 12 houses, named Senatsycrosy. They had then arrived at Sprakers. They continued past Sprakers one Dutch mile and came to the second castle with 12 houses built on a hill. This castle was named Can- agere. The expedition remained at Canagere three days. They received a supply of stores from Fort Orange. Among the stuff was ham, beer, salt, tobacco for the savages and a bottle of brandy. Three Indian women came from the Senecas peddling fish. They had salmon, dried and fresh, also a good quantity of green tobacco to sell. "Here the party employed an Indian to act as guide to the Senecas. As a retainer for his services they gave h'm half a yard of cloth, two axes, two knives, two pairs of awls and a pair of shoes. On this day, Dec. 19, [1634] there was a great rainfall. This cas- tle Canagere was on the Horatio Nel- lis farm. Dec. 20 they departed from the second castle and marched a Dutch mile to a stream they had to cross. The water ran swiftly. Big cakes of ice came drifting along; the rainfall of the previous day loosened the ice and they were in great danger if they lost their footing. Here then we be- hold Canajoharie creek. "After going another Dutch half mile they arrived at the third castle, named Sochanidisse. It had 32 houses and was on a very high hill. It was on the projecting point of land in the Happy Hollow district west of Canajo- harie on the Brown farm. They re- mained over night at this castle. The journal makes mention of plenty of flat land in the vicinity. They ex- changed here one awl for a beaver skin. "Dec. 21 they started very early in the morning for the fourth castle. After marching one-half Dutch mile they came to a village with only nine houses, named Osquage. The chief's name was Ognoho, 'the wolf.' This was at Prospect hill, near Fort Plain. They saw a big stream that their guide did not dare cross as the water had risen from the heavy rainfall, so they postponed their journey until the next day. The stream we recognize is the raging Otsquago. The next day they waded through the stream and, after going one-half Dutch mile, came to a village of 14 houses, named Ca- woge. This was on the Lipe farm west of Fort Plain [at the site of the Revolutionary post]. After going an- other Dutch mile they arrived at the fourth and last castle of the Mo- hawks, named Tenotoge. This was the largest village in the valley at that period. There were 55 houses, some 100 paces long. Here is men- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN tioned a very definite landmark on the trail. 'The Kill (river), we spoke about before, runs past here, and the course is mostly north by west and south by east.' So reads the journal. "Tenotoge was on the Sponable and Moyer farms, two miles northwest of Fort Plain. Accompanied by Andrew H. Moyer, I counted 69 deep and well defined corn pits on adjoining land, then owned by Adam Failing. The whole site covered about ten acres of ground. Abundant evidence of pali- sades was found by the Moyer family when they broke up the ground. This large and important Indian castle has never been mentioned in New York state aboriginal records. "At St. Johnsville the river course is due east. It then commences to curve southerly and from Palatine Church its course is almost due south to Fort Plain, a distance of three miles. On the elevated ground west of the river, nearly opposite Palatine Church, was located the great Mo- hawk castle, Tenotoge. From this ele- vation they saw the Mohawk river course north and south as we may see it today. At this point the old Ca- nadian trail was intersected at the river. From here they [the Dutch ex- plorers] departed over the wilderness trail westward, passing the south edge of the Timmerman farm at Dutch- town, and what was known by the pio- neers of Dutchdorf as the old Indian trail to the Senecas." This important castle of the Mo- hawks must have been the largest vil- lage, inhabited by human beings, in this section of the present state of New York; and it was located cen- trally within the limits of the present town of Minden. Its site was doubt- less infiuenced by the junction of the Canadian trail with the river trail at the Caroga ford. "The whole Mohawk valley at an early period was interlaced with In- dian trails. The main ones from the Hudson river passed along both sides of the Mohawk. From the head of Lake George two trails led to the Mo- hawk river. The first led southwest- ward through a valley between Potash and Bucktail mountains in Warren county to the ford at Luzerne on the Hudson river below the mouth of the Sacandaga, thence along the Sacan- daga to the Vlaie at Northampton. On leaving the Vlaie the trail took a westward direction along the south side of Mayfield creek to Kings- borough, thence down the Cayadutta to Johnstown, continuing its course on the west side of the Cayadutta to the present village of Sammonsville. From this place the trail took a circuitous course over Klipse hill, thence through Stone Arabia to the ford at the mouth of Caroga creek. This was the prin- cipal route from the west into Can- ada via Lake George and was a favor- ite route traversed by the Oneidas, and as such possibly gives reason why, in 1751, William Johnson secured from the Indians, for 'himself and others,' the Kingsborough tract of land, and later taking up his residence on the great Indian trail that passed through it." CHAPTER 11. 1616-1772— Indians— Mohawk Valley Discovery — Settlement — Sir William Johnson. The Mohawks were the most eastern of the Five Nations. They claimed a region extending from Albany, on the Hudson, westerly to the headwaters of the Susquehanna and Delaware, and thence northerly to the St. Lawrence river and embracing all the land be- tween this river and Lake Champlain. Their actual northern limits were not definitely fixed, but they appear to have claimed as hunting grounds, all the lands between the St. Lawrence and St. Johns river. This was a sub- ject of continual dispute between them and other tribes. Canada was settled by the French in 1608. In 1609 Cham- plain and his party of Canadian In- dians defeated a band of Iroquois (probably Mohawks), in battle, in the present town of Ticonderoga between Lake George and Crown Point. In 1615 Champlain and ten other French- men joined the Hurons and Adiron- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN dacks in an expedition against the Five Nations. The Iroquois signally defeated this force, in the Onondaga country. Champlam was wounded twice and the invaders fled back to Canada. The first white man to ex- plore this region was probably a Canadian Franciscian priest, LaCarnon, who entered this field as missionary in 1616 and was undoubtedly the first white man to behold the upper reaches of this famous river and its beautiful valley. In 1609 Dutch saUors from the Half Moon passed the mouth of the Mohawk and the Dutch may have then penetrated its lower valley a short distance. Jesuits, who in the interests of trade, as well as re- ligion, went alone and unarmed, suc- ceeded the Francisians in 1633. Three of these Jesuits suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Mohawks. The captivity and fate of Jogues exemplify the persistence of the Jesuits and the heroism with which they met death. In 1642 he and and a number of others were captured by Iroquois on the St. T^awrence. They came into the hands of the Mohawks near Lake George and were compelled to run the gauntlet. On reaching the villages of the Mo- hawks, Jogues was made to run the gauntlet twice more for their amuse- ment, agonizing a white man being then a novelty to the savages. During his captivity he was frequently tor- tured with the most heartless cruelty. His fingers and toes were removed joint by joint and his body and limbs mutilated with burning sticks and hot irons. He suffered in this way for 15 months, when, through the influence of the Dutch, he was released and re- turned to France. He came back to the Mohawk in 1646 to prosecute his missionary work. The savages did not take kindly to him or his teachings and he was put to death by the most excruciating tortures, the Indians of course, being masters of the knowl- edge of every conceivable pain and agony which could be inflicted on the human body. The site of this martyr- dom was at the Mohawk village of Caughnawaga, where Fonda now stands. The Jesuits kept up their missionary work on these same sav- ages and finally, in 1670, converted them and induced them to move to Canada. In 1659, the Mohawks, suffering from their conflicts with the French and from the crippling of their warriors by the sale of liquor to them by the Dutch, sent a delegation to Albany asking that the sale of spirits be suppressed among them and for aid against their enemies. A council concerning these matters was held between the Dutch and Mohawks at Caughnawaga in 1659, which was the first ever held in the Mohawk country. The governor of Canada, in 1666, tried to destroy the Mohawks, but only succeeded in burning their villages, as the warriors took to the woods. Troubles between the Mohicans and Mohawks followed, without much advantage to either. The Iroquois, including the Mohawks, were thoroughly won over to the En- glish side by Gov. Dongan in 1684. In 1690 the French and Indians descended on Schenectady and Ijurned that town; 60 people were killed and 27 captured, a few of the survivors escaping through the deep snow to Albany. In 1693 Count Frontenac captured the lower and middle Mohawk castles without much trouble, but had a hard fight at the upper castle; 300 Mohawks were taken prisoners. The people of Schenectady failed to warn their In- dian neighbors, which greatly incensed them. Schuyler, with the Albany mi- litia, pursued this French party and retook 50 Mohawk captives. For the last half century of the tribal exist- ence of the Mohawks in the valley, they had but two castles, one called Canajoharie, situated at the present Indian Castle, in the town of Danube, Herkimer county, and the other, called Dyiondarogon, on the lower or east bank of the Schoharie creek at its junction with the Mohawk. The first white valley settlement was by the Dutch in 1663 at Schenectady, under the Dutch rule of the colony. The next west of Schenectady was that of Heinrich Frey at Palatine Bridge in 1688. Their country, de- vastated by war, in 1708, a large body THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN of German immigrants, from the Pal- atinate on tlie Rliine, landed in New York and were settled on the Hudson, where their treatment by the province is open to great criticism. In 1711 their number was said to be 1,761, but they had no idea of remaining in their deplorable condition. In the expedi- tion of Col. Nicholson for the reduc- tion of Canada in 1711, 300 Palatines enlisted to escape their condition of almost servitude. In 1711 some of them moved to the Schoharie valley and some are supposed to have settled in Palatine about that date. They are said to have threaded on foot an in- tricate Indian trail, bearing upon their backs their worldly possessions, con- sisting of "a few rude tools, a scanty supply of provisions, a meagre ward- robe, and a small number of rusty fire- arms." In 1723 numbers of the Pala- tines emigrated to Pennsylvania, others moved up and settled in the districts of Canajoharie and Palatine and along the Mohawk, and by 1725 there were settlements of these Ger- mans extending up the river from the "Noses" to German Flats, the east- ern part of the valley being settled by Dutch farmers. October 19, 1723, the Stone Arabia patent was granted to 27 Palatines, who, with their families, numbered 127 persons. The tract conveyed by this deed contained 12,700 acres. The names of these pioneer settlers of the district which was later to become Palatine were: Digert, Schell, Cremse, Garlack, Dillinbeck, Emiger, Vocks, Lawyer, Peink, Frey, Diegert, Copper- noil, Peiper, Seibert, Casselman, Fink, Ingolt, Erchart, Nelse. The story of the Mohawk valley from 1738 to 1772, the date of the for- mation of Tryon county, is largely the biography of that picturesque figure, Sir William Johnson. In order that the reader may better understand the subsequent history of the Can- ajohar'e and Palatine districts, the following account is given of Sir Wil- liam's life, taken from Beers' history: "Sir William Johnson was born at Warrentown in the county of Down, Ireland, in 1715. In 173S, at the age of 23, he was sent into the Mohawk valley to superintend a large estate, the title to which had been acquired by his uncle. Sir Peter Warren, a Brit- ish admiral. This tract containing some 15,000 acres, lay along the south bank of the Mohawk near the mouth of Schoharie creek, and mostly within the present town of Florida. It was called, from its proprietor, Warrens- bush. Here Johnson came to promote his uncle's interests by the sale of small farms and his own interests by acquiring and cultivating land for him- seif, and their joint interests by keep- ing a store in which they were part- ners. In 1743 he became connected with the fur trade at Oswego and de- rived a great revenue from this and other dealings with the Indians. Hav- ing early resolved to remain in the Mohawk valley, he applied himself ear- nestly to the study of the character and language of the natives. By freely mingling with them and adopting their habits when it suited his interests, he soon gained their good will and con- fidence, and gradually acquired an as- cendancy over them never possessed bj- any other European. A few years after Johnson's arrival on the Mohawk he purchased a tract of land on the north side of the river. In 1744 he built a gristmill on a small stream flowing into the Mohawk from the north, about three miles west of the present city of Amsterdam. He also erected a stone mansion at this place for his own residence, calling it Fort Johnson. [This fine old building still stands and bears its own name, which it has also given to the town about it and the ra'lroad station there.] John- son also bought, from time to time, great tracts of land north of the Mo- hawk, and at some distance from it, mostly within thepresent limit of Ful- ton county. He subsequently became possessed, by gift from the Indians which was confirmed by the Crown, of the great tract of land in what is now Herkimer county, known as the Royal Grant. "The Mohawk river early became the great thoroughfare toward Lake Ontario for the Colonists in prosecut- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN ing their trade with the Indians. Gov. Burnet realized the importance of con- trolling the lake for the purpose of commerce and resistance to the en- croachments of the French and ac- cordingly established in 1722 a trading post and in 1727 a fort at Oswego. The French met this measure by the con- struction of defenses at Niagara, to intercept the trade from the upper lakes. This movement was ineffectu- ally opposed by the Iroquois, who, to obtain assistance from the English, gave a deed of their territory to the King of England, who was to protect them in the possession of it. To de- fend the frontier, which was exposed to invasions by the French, especially after their erection of the fortification of Crown Point, settlements were pro- posed and Capt. Campbell, a Highland chief, came over in 1737 to view the lands offered, which were 30,000 acres. Four hundred Scotch adults came over and many of them settled in and about Saratoga, becoming the pioneers of that section, as the Palatines were of the upper half of the Mohawk. This settlement was surprised by French and Indians in 1745 who burned all the buildings and killed or captured almost the whole population, 30 fami- lies being massacred. The village of Hoosic was similarly destroyed, and consternation prevailed in the outlying settlements, many of the people fleeing to Albany. The Six Nations wavered in their attachment to the English. At this juncture, Sir William Johnson was entrusted with the sole manage- ment of the Iroquois. [He succeeded Col. Schuyler of Albany, the former Indian commissioner.] It is his ser- vices in this most important and deli- cate position, wherein he stood for a large part of his life as the mediator between two races, whose position and aims made them almost inevitably hostile, that constitutes his strongest claim to lasting and favorable remem- brance. His knowledge of the lan- guage, customs and manners of the Indians, and the complete confidence which they always reposed in him, qualified him for this position. A high officer of his government, he was also in 1746 formally invested by the Mo- hawks with the rank of a chief in that nation, to whom he was afterward known as Warraghegagey. In Indian costume he shortly after led the tribe to a council at Albany. He was ap- pointed a colonel in the British ser- vice about this time, and by his di- rection of the Colonial troops and the Iroquois warriors, the frontier settle- ments were to a great extent saved from devastation by the French and their Indian allies, the settlements to the north of Albany, being an unhappy exception, while occasional murders and scalpings occurred even along the Mohawk. Johnson's influence with the Indians was increased by his having a Mohawk woman, Molly Brant, a sister of the famous Chief Joseph Brant, liv- ing with him as his wife the latter part of his life. "Peace nominally existed between France and England from 1748 to 1756, but hostilities between their American colonies broke out as early as 1754. In the following year, 1755, Col. Johnson was appointed a major general and led the expedition against Crown Point which resulted in the distastrous de- feat of the French near Lake George. At the same time with his military promotion he was reappointed super- intendent of Indian affairs, having re- signed that office in 1750, on account of the neglect of the government to pay some of his claims. On resuming the superintendency. General Johnson held a council with the Iroquois at his house. Fort Johnson, which resulted in about 250 of their warriors following him to Lake George. The victory there gained was the only one in a generally disastrous year, and General John- son's services were rewarded by a bar- onetcy and the sum of £5,000 voted by Parliament. He was also thereafter paid £600 annually as the salary of his office over the Indians. "In the spring of 1756 measures were taken for fortifying the portages be- tween Schenectady and Oswego, by way of the Mohawk, Wood creek, One- ida lake and the Oswego river, with a view to keeping open communication between Albany and the fort at Os- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN wego. The latter was in danger of be- ing taken by the French. Tardily moved the provincial authorities and it was but a few days before Oswego was invested that Gen. Webb was sent with a regiment to reinforce the garri- son and Sir William Johnson, with two battalions of militia and a body of In- dians, shortly followed. Before Webb reached Oneida lake, he was inform- ed that the besieged post had surren- dered, and he promptly turned about and fled down the Mohawk to German Flats, where he met Johnson's force. The fort at Oswego was demolished by the French, greatly to the satisfaction of most of the Iroquois, who had al- ways regarded it with alarm, and who now made treaties with the victors; and the Mohawk valley, exposed to the enemy was ranged by scalping parties of Canadian savages. "The Mohawks, through the influ- ence of Sir William Johnson, remained faithful to the English. The Baronet, with a view to counteract the impres- sion made upon the Six Nations by the French successes, summoned them to meet him in council at Fort John- son, in June, 1756. Previous to their assembling a circumstance occurred which rendered negotiations at once necessary and less hopeful. A party of Mohawks, while loitering around Fort Hunter, became involved in a quarrel with some soldiers of the gar- rison, resulting in sofne of the Indians being severely wounded. The Mo- hawk tribe felt extremely revengeful, but Johnson succeeded in pacifying them and winning over the Oneidas and Tuscaroras to the English inter- est. In the beginning of August, 1756, Sir William Johnson led a party of In- dian warriors and militia to the relief of Fort William Henry at the head of Lake George, which was besieged by Montcalm; but on reaching Fort Ed- ward his progress was arrested by the cowardice of Gen. Webb, who was there in command, and who used his superior authority to leave the besieg- ed fortress to its fate, which was a speedy surrender. The provincials, thoroughly disgusted by the disasters incurred through incompetency and cowardice of their English officers, now deserted in great numbers, and the In- dians followed suit. "Soon after the capture of Fort Wil- liam Henry, rumors gained circulation that a large force of French and In- dians was preparing to invade the set- tlements along the Mohawk. The Pal- atines who had settled on the Burnets- field Patent, were evidently most ex- posed, and feeling but poorly protect- ed by what fortifications there were among them, they were several times during the autumn on the point of de- serting their dwellings and removing to the settlements further down the river which were better defended. The rumors seeming to prove groundless, they became careless and finally neg- lected all precautions against an at- tack. Meanwhile an expedition of about 300 Canadian, French and In- dians, under command of one Belletre, came down from Canada by way of the Black river, and at 3 o'clock in the morning of Nov, 12, 1756, the Palatine village, at the present site of Herki- mer, was surrounded. This settlement contained 60 dwellings and 4 block- houses and the inhabitants were aroused by the horrid warwhoop, which was the signal of attack. The invaders rushed upon the blockhouses and were met with an active fire of musketry. The little garrison soon seemed to become panic stricken, both by the overwhelming numbers and the bloodcurdling yells of the savages and the active fighting of the French. The mayor of the village, who was in com- mand, opened the door of one block- house and called for quarter. The gar- risons of the other blockhouses follow- ed his example. These feeble defences, with all the other buildings in the set- tlement, were fired and the inhabi- tants, in attempting to escape were tomahawked and scalped. About 40 of the Germans were thus massacred, and more than 100 persons, men, women and children, were carried into cap- tivity by the marauders as they retired laden with booty. This they did not do, until they had destroj'^ed a great amount of grain and provisions, and as Belletre reported, slaughtered 3,000 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN cattle, as many sheep, and 1,500 horses [figures now generally supposed to be exaggerated beyond any semblance of truth.] "Although the marauders hastily withdrew the entire valley was thrown into panic. Many of the inhabitants of the other Mohawk settlements hasten- ed to send their goods to Albany and Schenectady with the intention of fol- lowing them, and for a time the upper towns were threatened with entire de- sertion. The Palatine settlement at Fort Herkimer, near the one whose destruction has been related, was sim- ilarly visited in April, 1758. Lieut. Herkimer was here in command. The militia, under Sir William Johnson, rendezvoused at Canajoharie, but the enemy withdrew and did not after ap- pear in force in this quarter. About this time Johnson, with 300 Indian warriors, chiefly Mohawks, joined Abercrombie's expedition against Crown Point, where the English were disastrously repulsed. Fear again reigned in the Mohawk valley but the French did not follow up their advan- tage in this quarter. "In spite of this disaster, the suc- cesses of the English, elsewhere in 1758, made so favorable an impression on the Six Nations, that Sir William Johnson was enabled to bring nearly 1,000 warriors to join Gen. Prideaux's expedition against Niagara in the fol- lowing summer, which the Baronet conducted to a successful issue after Prideaux's death by the accidental ex- plosion of a shell. Sir William in 1760, led 1,300 Iroquois warriors in Gen. Amherst's expedition against Montreal which extinguished the French power in America." Sir William removed in 1763 to Johnstown where he built himself a residence and buildings on his great estate. Here grew up the county seat of the new and great county of Tryon, formed in 1772, and here he died, as elsewhere described, in 1774. Sir Wil- liam Johnson was perhaps the most remarkable man of the many who fig- ure in the record of Tryon county. Nothing in the state's history is more interesting than this spot of civiliza- tion in a vast, savage wilderness, pre- sided over by an Irish gentleman who was at once a benevolent dictator and a virtual regent over a territory larger than some famous kingdoms of his- tory, and over a white people strug- gling toward civilization and the red men who were trying to keep their wild domains for their hunting grounds. The well known story of how John- son became possessed of the Royal Grant deserves a place here. Sir Wil- liam Johnson obtained over 60,000 acres of choice land, now lying chiefly in Herkimer county, north of the Mo- hawk, in the following manner: The Mohawk sachem, Hendrick, being at the baronet's house, saw a richly em- broidered coat and coveted it. The next morning he said to Sir William: "Brother, me dream last night." "Indeed, what did my red brother dream" asked Johnson. "Me dream that coat be mine." "It is yours," said the shrewd Irish baronet. Not long afterward Sir William vis- ited the chief, and he too, had a dream. "Brother, I dreamed last night," said Jolinson, "What did my pale-faced brother dream?" asked Hendrick. "I dreamed that this tract of land was mine," describing a square bound- ed on the south by the Mohawk, on the east by Canada creek, and north and west by objects equally well known. Hendrick was astounded. He saw the enormity of the request, but was not to be outdone in generosity. He sat thoughtfully for a moment and then said, "Brother, the land is yours, but you must not dream again." The title was confirmed by the Brit- ish government and the tract was called the Royal Grant. King Hendrick (also called the Great Hendrick) occupied, in the early eighteenth century, a position in the Mohawk tribe, similar to that held by Brant at the time of the Revolution. Hendrick was born about 1680 and generally lived at the upper Mohawk THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN castle (in Danube), being thus a resi- dent of the old Canajoharie district. He stood high in the estimation of Sir William Johnson and was one of the most active and sagacious sachems of his time. Hendrick, with a large body of Iroquois, accompanied Johnson on his Lake George expedition and was killed in the action (Sept. 8, 1755) which resulted in a victory against the French and Indians under Baron Dieskau. Prior to this battle, Johnson determined to send out a small party to meet Dieskau's advance and the opinion of Hendrick was asked. He shrewdly said: "If they are to fight they are too few; if they are to be killed they are too many." His objec- tion to the proposition to separate them into three divisions was quite as sensibly and laconically expressed. Taking three sticks and putting them together, he remarked, "Put them to- gether and you can't break them. Take them one by one and you can break them easily." Johnson was guided by the opinion of Hendrick and a force of 1,200 men in one body under Col. Wil- liams was sent out to meet the French and Indians. Before commencing their march, Hendrick mounted a gun-car- riage and harangued his warriors in a strain of eloquence which had a pow- erful effect upon them. He was then over 70 years old. His head was cov- ered with long white locks and every warrior loved him with the deepest veneration. Lieut.-Col. Pomeroy, who was present and heard this Indian ora- tion, said that, although he did not understand a word of the language, such was the animation of Hendrick, the fire of his eye, the force of his ges- tures, the strength of his emphasis, the apparent propriety of the inflec- tions of his voice, and the natural ap- pearance of his whole manner, that he himself was more deeply affected by this speech than with any other he had ever heard. In the battle which followed, resulting in the rout of the Canadian force, Hendrick was killed, Baron Dieskau was mortally wounded and Johnson was wounded in the thigh. Lossing speaks of Gen John- son's conduct in this campaign as "careless and apathetic." Hendrick visited England and had his portrait painted in a full court dress which was presented to him by the king. This Mohawk sachem is one of the greatest characters in the history of the re- markable tribe of savage residents of this valley. In 1754, commissioners from the different colonies met at Al- bany to consider plans for a general colonial alliance, and to this confer- ence the Six Nations were invited. This Albany council was the initial step in the formation of the United States of America. Hendrick attended and delivered a telling speech in ref- erence to the inefficient military pol- icy of the British governors. This ad- dress shows the frankness and com- mon sense of the old warrior and is reported as follows: "Brethren, we have not as yet con- firmed the peace with them. (Mean- ing the French-Indian allies.) 'Tis your fault, brethren, we are not strengthened by conquest, for we should have gone and taken Crown Point, but you hindered us. We had concluded to go and take it, but were told it was too late, that the ice would not bear us. Instead of this you burn- ed your own fort at Sarraghtogee [near old Fort Hardy] and ran away from it, which was a shame and scan- dal to you. Look about your country and see; you have no fortifications about you — no, not even to this city. 'Tis but one step from Canada hither, and the French maj^ easily come and turn you out of doors. Brethren, you were desirous we should open our minds and our hearts to you; look at the French, they are men — they are fortifying everywhere; but, we are ashamed to say it, you are like women, bare and open, without any fortifica- tions." 10 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN CHAPTER III. 1774 — Johnson Hall— Sir William, Sir John, Joseph and Molly Brant. While Johnstown was not in the districts of either Canajoharie or Pal- atine, but was located in the Mohawk district, still it was the county seat and thus of importance to all of Tryon. The influence of the John- son party was so strong before the Revolution and they formed such a large element of the Tory invaders of the valley that a glance at the Johnson Hall of pre-Revolutionary times is in order. This was the real seat of government in Tryon county. From the following standard accounts may readily be gained the secret of Sir William Johnson's tremendous popularity with the Indians and with all classes of the settlers. Prior to the Revolution Johnson Hall was the center of the political and social life of the county and for the people of its five districts of Mohawk, Canajoharie, Palatine, German Plats and Kingsland. Beer's History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties (1878) gives the fol- lowing account of Johnson Hall and the life about it prior to the death of Sir William Johnson in 1774: "After a res- idence of 24 years in the eastern part of the present county of Montgomery [at Fort Johnson], during which he had gained an immense estate by the profits of trade 'and the generosity of his Indian neighbors and had won a baronetcy by his successful campaign against the French and their Indian allies in 1755, Sir William removed to a stately mansion finished by him in the spring of 1763. The motive as- signed for the baronet's removal to this neighborhood is the promotion of settlements on his large domains here- abouts, on which he had already set- tled over one hundred families, gen- erally leasing but sometimes selling the land. Among those to whom he leased, with the supposed purpose of establishing a baronial estate for his descendants, were Dr. William Adams; Gilbert Tice, innkeeper; Peter Young, miller; William Phillips, wagon- maker; James Davis, hatter; Peter Yost, tanner; Adrian Van Sickler, Maj. John Little and Zephaniah Bachelor. "Johnson Hall, as Sir William John- son named his new residence, at Johnstown, was at that time one of the finest mansions in the state out- side of New York city. During its eleven years occupancy, like his for- mer home on the Mohawk, it was a place of frequent resort for his Indian friends for grave councils and for less serious affairs. Here at the Hall, Johnson had the Indians hold annu- ally a tournament of their national games. Concerning this, Gov. Sey- mour wrote: 'It was from this spot that the agents went forth to treat with the Indians of the west, and keep the chain of friendship bright. Here came the scouts from the forests and lakes of the north to tell of any dan- gerous movements of the enemy. Here were written the reports to the Crown, which were to shape the policy of na- tions; and to this place were sent the orders that called upon the settlers and savages to go out upon the war path.' Among the more illustrious guests of Colonial times, who divided with the Iroquois braves, the hospitali- ties of Johnson Hall were: Lady O'Brian, daughter of the Earl of II- chester; Lord Gordon, whom Sir John Johnson accompanied to England, where he was knighted; Sir Henry Moore, governor of New York; Gov. Franklin of New Jersey, and other Co- lonial dignitaries. [Johnson Hall is still (1912) standing at Johnstown and is a most interesting place of resort for those who care for matters con- cerning Colonial New York and its life.] It is a wooden building sixty feet in length by forty In width, and two stories high, facing southeast- wardly across lands sloping to the ad- joining creek, on the higher ground beyond which the city stands. A spacious hall, fifteen feet wide crossed it in the center, into which on each floor opened large and lofty rooms wainscotted. with pine panels and heavy carved work. At either end of THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 11 the northwestern wall, a little apart from the house stood a square stone structure, loopholed, to serve as a blockhouse for the defense of the Hall. They were part of the fortifications, including a stockade, thrown up around the Hall in 1763, in apprehen- sion of an attack by the vestern tribes under Pontiac. "Whatever time Sir W'lliam's official duties left him, was actively employed in the improvement of his estate and the condition of agriculture in the set- tlement. We find him obtaining su- perior seed oats from Saybrook, Conn., scions for grafting from Philadelphia, fruit trees from New London and choice seed from England. He de- lighted in horticulture and had a fa- mous garden and nursery to the south of the Hall. He was the first to in- troduce sheep and blooded horses In the Mohawk valley. Fairs were held under his supervision at Johnstown, the baronet paying the premiums. His own farming was done by ten or fif- teen slaves under an overseer named Flood. They and their families lived in cabins built for them across Caya- dutta creek from the Hall. They dressed very much like the Indians, but wore coats made from blankets on the place. Sir William's legal af- fairs were conducted by a lawyer- secretary named Lefferty, who was the county surrogate at the time of John- son's death. A family physician nam- ed Daly was retained by the baronet, serving also as his social companion in numerous pleasure excursions. A butler, a gardener, a tailor and a black- smith were among the emploj'es at the Hall, across the road from which the last two had shops. "Sir William took a constant and lively interest in the welfare of his tenants, not only extending his bounty to their material needs, but providing for their spiritual and intellectual wants. One of his devices for their entertainment was the institution of 'sport days' at the Hall, at which the yeomanry of the neighborhood com- peted in the field sports of England, especially boxing and footracing. In the latter the contestants sometimes ran with their feet in bags [the mod- ern sack race] and more amusement was furnished by horse races in which the riders faced backward; by the chase of the greased pig and the climbing of the greased pole; and by the efforts, of another class of com- petitors, to make the wryest face and sing the worst song, the winner being rewarded with a bearskin jacket and a few pounds of tobacco. A bladder of Scotch snuff was awarded to the greatest scold in a contest between two old women. "Johnson died July 11, 1774, aged 59 years. He had long been liable to at- tacks of dysentery. In combating his disease he had, in 1767, visited and drunk of the spring, now famous as the High Rock of Saratoga. He is be- lieved to have been the first white man to visit this spring, whose medi- cal virtues had been reported to him by the Mohawks, a band of whom ac- companied him to the spot, bearing him part of the way through the wil- derness on a litter. His cure was only partial but even that becoming known, was the foundation of the popularity of the Saratoga springs. At the time of Sir William's death, the Indians were exasperated over the outrages committed upon them by the Ohio frontiersmen, including the butchery of the famous Logan's kindred. The Iroquois had come with an indignant complaint to Johnson Hall. On the day the baronet died, he addressed them for over two hours under a burn- ing sun. Immediately after he was taken with an acute attack of his mal- ady and shortly died. Johnson had prophesied that he would never live to take part in the struggle which all saw was then impending. "The baronet's funeral took place on the Wednesday following his death and the pall bearers included Gov. Franklin of New Jersey and the judges of the New York supreme court. Among the cortege of 2,000 people who followed the remains to their burial, under the chancel of the stone church 12 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN which Sir William had erected in the village, were the 600 Indians who had gathered at the Hall. These, on the next day, performed their ceremony of condolence before the friends of the deceased, presenting symbolic belts of wampum with an appropriate ad- dress." Lossing in his "Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution," says of Johnson and Johnson's Hall: "Here Sir Wil- liam lived in all the eleg.ance and com- parative power of a English baron of the Middle Ages. ******* « * * * # jjig jjall was his castle and around it, beyond the wings a heavy stone breastwork, about twelve feet high, was thrown up. Invested with the power and influence of an Indian agent of his government in its transactions with the Confederated Six Nations, possessed of a fine person and dignity of manners, and a certain style of oratory that pleased the In- dians, he acquired an ascendancy over the tribes never before held by a white man. When in 1760, General Amherst embarked at Oswego on his expedi- tion to Canada, Sir William Johnson brought to him at that place, 1,000 In- dian warriors of the Six Nations, which was the largest number that had ever been seen in arms at one time in the cause of England. He made confidants of many of the chiefs, and to them was in the habit of giving a diploma testifying to their good con- duct. His house was the resort of the sachems of the Six Nations for coun- sel and for trade, and there the pres- ents, sent out by his government, were annually distributed to the Indians. On these occasions he amusad himself and gratified his guests by fetes and games, many of which were highly ludicrous. Young Indians and squaws were often seen running foot races or wrestling for trinkets, and feats of astonishing agility were frequently performed by the Indians of both sexes. ***** Sir William had two wives, although they were not made so until they had lived long with the baronet. Simms says that his first wife was a young German girl, who according to the custom of the times, had been sold to a man named Phil- lips living in the Mohawk valley, to pay her passage money to the captain of the emigrant ship in which she came to this country. She was a hand- some girl and attracted considerable attention. A neighbor of Sir William, who had heard him express a deter- mination never to marry, asked him why he did not get the pretty German girl for a housekeeper. He replied "I will." Not long afterward the neigh- bor called at Phillips's and inquired where the 'High Dutch' girl was. Phillips replied, 'Johnson, that tammed Irishman came tother day and offered me five pounds for her, threatening to horsewhip me and steal her if I would not sell her. I thought five pounds petter than a flogging and took it, and he's got the gal.' She was the mother of Sir John Johnson and two daugh- ters, who became the wives respec- tively of Guy Johnson and Daniel Claus. These two girls, who were left by their dying mother to the care of a friend, were educated almost in solitude. That friend was the widow of an officer who was killed in battle, and, retiring from the world, devoted her whole time to the care of these children. They were carefully in- structed in religious duties, and in various kinds of needlework, but were theinselves kept entirely from society. At the age of sixteen, they had never seen a lady, except their mother and her friend, or a gentleman, except Sir William, who visited their room daily. Their dress was not conformed to the fashions, but always consisted of wrappers of finest chintz over green silk petticoats. Their hair, which was long and beautiful, was tied behind with a simple band of ribbon. After their marriage they soon acquired the habits of society, and made excellent wives. When she [the German wife] was on her deathbed Sir William was married to her in order to legitimate her children. After her death, her place was supplied by Molly Brant, sister of the Mohawk sachem, by whom he had several children. To- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 13 ward the close of his life, Sir William married her in order to legitimate her children also^ and her descendants are now some of the most respected peo- ple in upper Canada. Sir William's first interview and acquaintance with her * * * have considerable ro- mance. She was a very sprightly and beautiful girl, about sixteen, when he first saw her at a militia muster. One of the field officers, riding upon a fine horse came near her and, by way of banter, she asked permission to mount behind. Not supposing she could per- form the exploit, he said she might. At the word, she leaped upon the crup- per with the agility of a gazelle. The horse sprang off at full speed, and clinging to the officer, her blanket fly- ing and her dark hair streaming in the wind, she flew about the parade ground as swift as an arrow. The baronet, who was a witness of the spectacle, admiring the spirit of the young squaw and becoming enamored of her person, took her home as his wife. According to Indian customs, this act made her really his wife, and in all her relations of wife and mother she was very exemplary." Joseph Brant was the strongest sup- porter of the Tory cause among the Iro- quois. He was a full-booded Mohawk. His father was a chief of the Onon- daga nation and had three sons in the army with Sir William Johnson, under King Hendrick, in the battle at Lake George in 1755. Joseph Brant, his youngest son, whose Indian name was Thayendanegea, which signified a bundle of sticks or, in other words, strength, was born on the banks of the Ohio in 1742, whither his parents immigrated from the Mohawk valley. His mother returned to Canajoharie [district] with Mary or Molly and Thayendanegea or Joseph. His father Tehowaghwengaraghkwin, a chief of the Wolf tribe of the Mohawks, seems to have died in the Ohio country. Jo- seph's mother, after her return, mar- ried an Indian named Carrabigo (news-carrier), whom the whites named Barnet; but by way of contrac- tion, he was called Bardt and finally, Brant. Thayendanegea became known as Brant's Joseph or Joseph Brant. Sir William Johnson sent the young Mohawk to the school of Dr. Whee- lock of Lebanon Crank (now Colum- bia), Connecticut, and, after he was well educated, employed him as secre- tary and as agent in public affairs. He was employed as missionary in- terpreter from 1762 to 1765 and exert- ed himself for the religious instruction of the tribe. When the Revolution broke out, he attached himself to the British cause, and in 1775 left the Mo- hawk valley, went to Canada and fin- ally to England, where his education, and his business and social connec- tion with Sir William Johnson, gave him free access to the nobility. The Earl of Warwick commissioned Rom- ney, the eminent painter, to make a portrait of him for his collection, and from this celebrated painting most of the pictures of Branthave been repro- duced. Throughout the Revolution, at the head of the Indian forces, he was engaged in warfare chiefly upon the border settlements of New York and Pennsylvania, in connection with the Johnsons and Butlers. He held a colonel's commission from the King but he is generally called Captain Brant. After the peace in 1783, Brant again visited England, and on return- ing to America, devoted himself to the social and religious improvement of the Mohawks who were settled upon the Grand River in upper Canada up- on lands procured for them by Brant from Haldimand, governor of the province. This territory embraced six miles on both sides of the river from its mouth to its source. He translated the Gospel of St. Mark into the Mo- hawk language, and in many ways his efforts, for the uplifting of his people, were successful. He died at his resi- dence at the head of Lake Ontario, Nov. 24, 1807, aged 65. Sir John Johnson was the son of Sir William Johnson by his German wife. He was born in 1742 and succeeded to his father's title and estate in 1774, 14 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN He was unsocial and without any of his father's brilliant cleverness. Soon after the close of the war, Sir John went to England and on returning in 1785, settled in Canada. He was ap- pointed superintendent and inspector general of Indian affairs in North America and for several years he was a member of the Canadian legislative council. To compensate him for the loss of his Tryon county property through confiscation, the British gov- ernment made him several grants of land. He died at the house of his daughter, Mrs. Bowes, in Montreal, in 1830, aged 88 years. His son, Adam Gordon Johnson, succeeded him in his title. to Col. Butler to say that he was far more humane than his son Walter. He died in Canada about 1800. John Butler was one of the leading Tories of Tryon county during the war of the Revolution. Before the war he was in close official connection with Sir William Johnson and, after his death, with his son and nephew. Sir John and Guy Johnson. When he fled with the Johnsons to Canada, his fam- ily were left behind and were subse- quently exchanged for the wife and children of Colonel Samuel Campbell of Cherry Valley. He was active in the predatory warfare that so long distressed Tryon county, and com- manded the 1,100 Tories and Indians who perpetrated the infamous Wyom- ing massacre in 1778. He was of the Tory and Indian force that fought Sul- livan and Clinton in the Indian country in 1779. He accompanied Sir John Johnson in his Schoharie and Mohawk valley raid of 1780 which ended so disastrously for them at Klock's Field. After the war he went to Canada. His property upon the Mohawk was con- fiscated, but he was made an Indian agent, succeeding Guy Johnson at a salary of $2,000 per year and was granted a pension, as a military offi- cer, of $1,000 more. Like his son, Wal- ter, he was detested for his cruelties by the more honorable English officers and, after the massacre at Wyoming, Sir Frederic Haldimand, then Gover- nor of Canada, sent word that he did not wish to see him. It is but justice CHAPTER IV. Minden from 1720-1738 — Sir George Clarke, Governor of the Province of New York, Establishes a Forest Home at Fort Plain — 1750, the Re- formed Church and First Store Es- tablished — 1755, a Minden Tragedy of the French War. The years immediately succeeding 1720, when German settlers first locat- ed along the Mohawk in the Canajo- harie district, was a time of land clearing, building, and rude agricul- ture — ^^a period similar to that exper- ienced in the first few decades after settlement in all parts of the valley. The land was cleared, rude farming was carried on and log and stone houses and barns were built. The first event of importance trans- piring, in the Canajoharie district, was the advent of the Colonial governor of the state. Sir George Clarke, who, about 1738, built a summer lodge, on the first rise of ground from the flats almost in the center of the present village of Fort Plain. At this time the Mohawk country was still practically an unknown for- est wilderness, with the exception of the district immediately along the river, which was already cleared in spots and which was then being rap- idly opened up and settled. This Clarke place was a house of two stories, with a hall passing through the center and large square rooms on either side. The second floor was reached by a broad stairway, with white oak bannisters and easy steps of the same material. The house had a frontage of nearly forty feet and its walls were built of a slaty stone taken from the bed of the neighboring Ots- QLiago. The steps to the front door were of slate also, but a limestone step used at one of its doors still serves its purpose. The Gov. Clarke house was, for its time, a structure of THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 15 considerable pretens'on. It is said to have been erected by Clarke so as to remove two sons of "fast proclivities" from their New York city associa- tions. For a few years the Clarke family resided here in a commanding position, employing a force of slaves about the house and its plantation. At the river's bank, the governor had a good landing for his bateaux and pleasure boats. Clarke brought to his forest home several goats, then a nov- elty in the region, and, at one time, several of them strayed away and were lost. They were finally found on the high ground several miles southwest of Fort Plain, and this spot was afterward called Ge'ssenberg — goat hill. The Clarke family evidently did not stay at their Mohawk valley home any great length of time and about 1742 they abandoned the place, which was probably never anything more than a summer hunting and fish- ing lodge. The house then acquired the reputation of being haunted and was allowed to stand empty and de- cay. In 1807, Dr. Joshua Webster and Jonathan Stickney, who had come into the country shortly before from New England, built a tannery across the creek from the material in this old Colonial mansion. About 1750 George Crouse settled next north to the Clarke property and built a log house which was burned by Brant in 1780. Isaac Paris later be- came possessed of the Gov. Clarke place, and he sold it to George Crouse jr. The residence, occupied for many years by the late A. J. Wagner, was built on the cellar of the Clarke man- sion by Col. Robert Crouse. Sir George Clarke was acting gov- ernor of New York state from 1736 to 1743. He was at that time reckoned an adventurer by many and was in constant conflict with the Colonial state assembly. It was during his weak administration (in 1741), and at the time he was a resident of the Canajoharie district, that the famous "negro plot" excited New York city. The baronet had an underground in- terest in the Corry patent granted in 1737. This consisted of 25,400 acres in the present towns of Root, Glen and Charleston in Montgomery county and in Schoharie county. It is not improbable that Sir George built his Fort Plain hunting lodge to enable him to secretly look after his "property," as it was being surveyed and laid out in plots and farms for rental at this very time. He Could not have an open interest in the patent as the English law for- bade a Colonial governor being inter- ested in grants of land made by the government. Governor Clarke return- ed to England in 1745 with a big fortune "mysteriously gathered," as one of his historians puts it. On his way over he was captured by a French cruiser, but was soon released. He died in Cheshire, England, in 1763, aged 84 years. His Montgomery and Schoharie property was left to his two sons, George and Edward, for whom it is said the Fort Plain house was built and who had remained in New York after their father left the coun- try. George died childless in Eng- land and Edward died in 1744, leaving one son, George Hyde Clarke, who succeeded to the property. Corry sold his share of the patent, but it was confiscated by the state during the Revolution, on account of the Toryism of the owners. George Hyde Clarke remained in New York during the war, and, siding with the patriots, was confirmed in the large landed posses- sions of his father. The property de- scended from father to son, each suc- ceeding owner bearing the name of George Clarke. The dissensions, in- cendiarism and legal warfare, incident to the breaking up of this great estate, occurred within comparatively recent years. In 1750 the Reformed church of Canajoharie was established at Sand Hill (later Fort Plain) and about the same time William Seeber opened his store and became Minden's first trader. The settlement and development of the Minden section of the Canajoharie district, into a fertile agricultural sec- tion, was going forward rapidly at this 16 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN period and that mentioned in the fore- going part of this chapter. During the French and Indian war the districts of Palatine and Can- ajoharie had suffered but little, although here and there scalping parties of Indians had cut down unfortunate settlers. One of these incidents, of particularly tragic character, occurred near Fort Plain in the westerly part of the town of Min- den. About 1755, the year of the be- ginning of hostilities, John Markell, who married Anna Timmerman, daughter of a pioneer settler of St. Johnsville, settled in the western part of the town. Markell and his wife left home one day, she carrying an in- fant in her arms. They had not gone far when they saw a party of a dozen hostile Indian warriors ap- proaching in the very path they were traveling and only a few rods dis- tant. Markell, knowing escape was impossible, exclaimed: "Anna, unser zeit ist aus!" (Anna, our time is up.) The next instant he fell, a bullet pass- ing through his body into that of his wife. They both fell to the ground, the child dropping from the woman's arms, and she lay upon her face, feigning death. Markell was at once tomahawked and scalped. One Indian said about the woman, "Better knock her on the head." Another replied, "No, squaw's dead now!" and reach- ing down he drew his knife around her crown, placed his knees against her shoulders, seized her scalp with his teeth and, in an instant, it was torn from her head. One of the party snatched the crying infant from the ground by one of its legs and dashed its brains out against a tree. The savages did not stop to strip the vic- tims and Mrs. Markell was left on the ground supposedly dead. She revived and managed to get to a neighbor's house, where she was cared for and recovered. She later married Chris- tian Getman of Ephratah, where she died in 1821 at the age of 85 years, making her about 21 at the time of her frightful experience. Such were the perils that, at times, surrounded the settlers of the New York border, and which, twenty years later, threatened the people even under the walls of Fort Plain. CHAPTER V. 1772 — Tryon County and the Canajo- harie and Palatine Districts. German or Dutch settlers had come into the present town of Minden about the year 1720 and shortly after that date the influx of settlers, prin- cipally Palatinate Germans, was prob- ably quite rapid. The Indian settle- ments in 1776 were mainly confined to the lower Mohawk castle at Fort Hun- ter and to the upper one at what is now Indian Castle in the western end of the then Canajoharie district. Much of the confusion, attending the names of localities in reading local history, can be avoided by a knowl- edge of the boundaries of the five dis- tricts of Tryon county, which was formed in 1772, from the county of Albany. Most of its inhabitants then were settled along the Mohawk river and in the Schoharie valley but these five districts had a tremendous extent. The eastern border of Tryon county, named after the governor of that day, ran from the Pennsylvania border due north from the Delaware river through what is now Schoharie county and along the eastern limits of the present counties of Montgomery,. Fulton and Hamilton to the Canadian border and embraced the entire state west of this line. Instead of townships it was di- vided into five large districts. The most eastern of these was called Mohawk and consisted of a strip of the state between the east line of the county already mentioned and a paral- lel line crossing the Mohawk river at the "Noses." The Palatine district ex- tended indefinitely northward from the river between the "Noses" on the east and on the west a north ^nd south line crossing the river at Little Falls. With the same breadth on the opposite side of the river the Cana- joharie district extended south to the Pennsylvania line. North' of the Mo- hawk and west of the Palatine dis- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 17 trict as far as settlements extended was the Kingsland district, while south of the river extending westward, from Little Falls to Fort Stanwix and south- erly to the Pennsylvania line, was the German Flats district. These divis- ions were made March 24, 1772, and were suggested by Sir William John- son. The name of the Palatine dis- trict was at first Stone Arabia, but was changed to Palatine a year after this division. All these names except Kingsland, are retained in townships in the counties of Herkimer and Mont- gomery, comprising minute areas com- pared with their original size. The district of Palatine took its name from the German settlers from the Palatinate while that of Canajo- harie was derived from the name of the famous creek. This stream's name comes from the huge pothole located almost at the beginning of the pic- turesque gorge leading to the falls. The title, Canajoharie, according to Brant, means, in Mohawk dialect, "the pot which washes itself." From the foregoing it will be seen that the af- fairs of Fort Plain are more imme- diately concerned with the districts of Canajoharie and Palatine, of the county of Tryon. Also that the Revo- lutionary name Canajoharie, applies to a large district, extending over 20 miles along the river, and not to the present comparatively small township of that name. A reference to Canajo- harie of that time might mean any point in the present towns of Root, Canajoharie, Minden or Danube, or the districts back of these from the river. So when Washington speaks of going to Canajoharie he means the military post in that district located at Fort Plain. Fort Canajoharie in 1757 was located in Danube and the upper Mohawk village near the same place was called the Canajoharie Castle. Herkimer's residence was in the Cana- joharie district near its western end and he represented that district in the Tryon county committee of safety and was also the colonel of the dis- trict's militia as well as brigadier gen- eral of that of the entire county. A realization of the extent and boun- daries of the district of Canajoharie of the Revolution will aid in acquiring accurate knowledge of the history of that time. The first January Tuesday the voters in each district were to elect a super- visor, two assessors and one collector of taxes. Four judges, six assistant judges, a number of justices of the peace, a clerk and a coroner were ap- pointed by Governor Tryon, all but the clerk being Sir William Johnson's nominees. The first court of general quarter sessions was held at Johns- town, the county seat, on September 8, 1772. The bench consisted of Guy Johnson, John Butler and Peter Conyne, judges; John Johnson, Daniel Claus, John Wells and Jelles Fonda, assistant judges; John Collins, Joseph Chew, Adam Loucks, John Frey, Peter Ten Broeck and Young, justices. It will be seen that Sir William John- son was practically dictator of the new county as the majority of the above officers were his Tory henchmen. Sir William Johnson was also major gen- eral commanding all the militia north of the highlands of the Hudson. He took great pride in his militia and their soldierly appearance. Governor Tryon in his tour of the Mohawk val- ley in 1772 reviewed three regiments of Tryon county militia at Johnstown, Burnetsfield and German Flats, re- spectively, numbering in all 1400 men. This military training of the Mohawk valley men was undoubtedly of great value to them in the following conflict. It was almost entirely the influence of Sir William Johnson which made Tryon county a region unfavorable to the cause of independence. He had created a county seat at Johnstown and a powerful following about him. As Indian commissioner and general of all the militia he was supreme as a director of affairs. Johnson had prac- tically absolute power over the Iro- quois and an almost equally strong in- fluence over a large portion of the white population. His domains in the Mohawk valley included the 66,000 acres, mostly in what is now Her- kimer county and which in 1760 were given him by the Mohawks, in the pos- 18 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN session of which he was confirmed by the crown and which led to its being called the Royal Grant. Aside from this his landed estate was large and his henchmen and numerous tenantry added to his political strength, which was increased still further by his great personal popularity with all classes. By the Indians, not only of the Six Nations, buc also of the west- ern tribes, which had fallen within the circle of his influence, the baronet was regarded with the greatest veneration in spite of his unassuming sociability and his familiar manners incident to a border life. This tremendous influ- ence over these Indian warriors was on his death in July, 1774, transferred to his son. Sir John Johnson, who suc- ceeded to his position as major general of the militia, to his title and most of his estate, and also to his son-in-law, Col. Guy Johnson, who became super- intendent of Indian affairs. The John- sons had the added support of Molly Brant, a Mohawk, who had been Sir William Johnson's housekeeper and who, with her brother, Joseph Brant, had great influence with their tribe. Joseph Brant had been in the service of the elder Johnson and upon his dpath became secretary to Guy John- son. Thus a great, though diminished, Tory influence still emanated from Johnson Hall. Its proprietor was in close official and political relations with Col. John Butler, a wealthy and influential resident of the county, and his son Walter, whose names are in- famous on account of their brutal and bloody deeds during the Revolution. The Johnson family, together with other gentlemen of Tory inclinations, owned large estates in the neighbor- hood and so far controlled a belt of the Mohawk valley as to largely pre- vent the circulation of intelligence un- favorable to England. Unlike Sir William Johnson, his successors at Johnson Hall were very unpopular with the farming popula- tion, which was composed in the main of the Dutch and Palatines. The first election in the county oc- curred pursuant to writs issued Nov. 25, 1772. Colonel Guy Johnson and Hendrick Frey were chosen to repre- sent the county in the state assembly, where they took their seats Jan. 11, 1773. The men of the Johnson party and others aforementioned will be found deeply concerned in later military op- erations around Fort Plain. William Tryon was a native of Ire- land and an officer in the British ser- vice. He married Miss Wake, a rela- tive of the Earl of Hillsborough, sec- retary for the colonies. Thus con- nected, he was a favorite of govern- ment, and was appointed lieutenant- governor of North Carolina in 1765, later becoming governor. In 1771 he was called to fill the same office in New York. The history of his admin- istration in North Caroline is a record of extortion, folly and crime. During his administration in New York the Revolution broke out and he was the last royal governor of the state, though nominally succeeded in office by Gen. Robertson, when he returned to Eng- land. His property in North Carolina and New York was confiscated. CHAPTER VI. Population of Tryon in 1757 and 1776 Ft. Johnson — The Highways. The white settlers of the five dis- tricts of Tryon county were generally the Dutch, who had gradually extend- ed their settlements westward from Schenectady and occupied the eastern part of the county, and the Germans from the Palatinate on the Rhine, who had located farther west. These were the general limits of the settlers but the two nationalities had considerably intermingled and intermarried prior to the Revolution, forming an element largely known as "Mohawk Dutch." In the whole valley at the Revolution- ary period the writer ventures the opinion that, of this Teutonic popula- tion, two-thirds were Palatine Ger- mans and one-third were of Holland Dutch blood. These people were not disposed to submit to new-fiedged aristocrats who assumed a high and THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 19 mighty style in dealing with the Tryon yeomanry. This element, while it in- cluded many Tories, was the back- bone of the Whig party in the valley. Before the building of Fort Plain in 1776 they had largely sided with the American cause and had taken decided steps for its furtherance. There was a considerable number of Irish and Scotch in the county, some, as at Johnstown, being Tories while others, as at the Cherry Valley settle- ment, were ardent patriots for the most part. On the eve of the Revolu- tion and at the time of the inaugura- tion of Fort Plain as an American out- post, the white population of the entire county was estimated at 10,000 and the militia available for the patriot cause at about 2,500 men. The Indian population along the Mohawk may have approximated 1,000 or even less. At this period the only settlement in the valley which could be dignified by the name of town was Schenectady, where the first river settlement had been made by the Dutch in 1663. There was a considerable village at Johnstown and a Dutch hamlet at Caughnawaga. At Cherry Valley there was a settlement mostly of Scotch, and at Fort Herkimer and the Palat'ne village, at West Canada creek, hamlets of Palatine Germans. At Fort Hunter and at Sand Hill were probably the beginnings of settle- ments. Johnstown was assuming im- portance, as it was made the county seat of Tryon when it was set off from Albany county in 1772, and it was also the seat of the powerful Johnson party. Everything tended against concen- tration of settlers in towns. Almost the entire population, with the excep- tion of a few traders and mechanics, was engaged in farming and clear- ing the land. The Mohawk, in the early days being the highway of commerce, tended to keep the popu- lation near it and the farms as a rule extended back from the fiats on to the slopes. This brought the dwellings along the river into fairly close prox- imity and, if we trust a French ac- count of 1757, we will find at that early day a surprising number of houses noted along the Mohawk from East Creek to Schenectady, a distance of about 50 miles. This old record gives a good idea of the Canajoharie and Palatine districts in the mid-eighteenth century. It inentions that the road was "'good for all sorts of carriages" from Fort Kouari, later Fort Herki- mer, about opposite the mouth of West Canada creek, in the town of German Flats, to Fort Cannatchocari, which was at the upper Mohawk cas- tle, in the present town of Danube. This- was a stockade 15 feet high and 100 paces square. The account con- tinues as follows: "From Fort Can- natchocari to Fort Hunter is about 12 leagues; the road is pretty good, car- riages pass over it; it continues along the banks of the Mohawk river. About a hundred houses, at greater or less distance from one another we found within this length of road. There are some situated also about half a league in the interior. The inhabi- tants of this section are Germans who compose a company of about 100 men. "Fort Hunter is situated on the bor- ders of the Mohawk river and is of the same form as that of Cannatcho- cari, with the exception that it is twice as large. There is likewise a house at each curtain. The cannon at each bastion are from 7 to 9 pounders. The pickets of this fort are higher than those of Cannatchocari. There is a church or temple in the middle of the fort; in the interior of the fort are also some thirty cabins of Mohawk Indians, which is the most consider- able village. This fort like that of Cannatchocari has no ditch; there's only a large swing door at the en- trance. "Leaving Fort Hunter, a creek [Schoharie] is passed at the mouth of which that fort is located. It can be forded and crossed in batteaux in summer, and on the ice in winter. There are some houses outside under the protection of the fort, in which the country people seek shelter when they fear or learn that an Indian or French war party is in the field. "From Fort Hunter to Chenectadi 20 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN or Corlar is seven leagues. The pub- lic carriage way continues along the right [south] bank of the Mohawk river. About 20 to 30 houses are found within this distance separated the one from the other from about a quarter to half a league. The inhab- itants of this section are Dutch. They form a company, with some other in- habitants on the left bank of the Mo- hawk river, about 600 [?] men strong." This account puts Fort Hunter on the wrong side of the Schoharie, an error of the French narrator. Possibly the "600 men" referred to the milit'a of the town of Schenectady and its surrounding farming territory. The above gives an idea of the pop- ulation then on the south side of the river. Beginning again at the west at East Canada creek, the writer gives a similar account of the north side of the Mohawk from East Canada creek to Schenectady. "After fording Canada creek, we continue along the left [north] bank of the Mohawk river and high road, which is passable for carts, for twelve leagues, to Col. Johnson's mansion [at Fort Johnson]. In the whole of the distance the soil is very good. About five hundred houses are erected at a distance one from the other. The greatest number of those on the bank of the river are built of stone, and those at a greater distance in the in- terior are about half a league off; they are new settlements, built of wood. "There is not a fort in the whole of this distance of 12 leagues. There is but one farmer's house, built of stone, that is somewhat fortified and sur- rounded with pickets. It is situate on the banks of the river, three leagues from where [East] Canada creek empties into the Mohawk river. The inhabitants of this country are Ger- mans. They form four companies of 100 men each. "Col. Johnson's mansion is situated on the borders of the left [north] bank of the Mohawk. It is three stories high, built of stone, with port- holes and a parapet and flanked with four bastions, on which are some small guns. In the same yard, on both sides of the mansion, there are two small houses. That on the right of the entrance is a store and that on the left is designed for workmen, negroes and other domestics. The yard gate is a heavy swing gate, well ironed; it is on the Mohawk river side; from this gate to the river there is about 200 paces of level ground. The high road passes there. A small rivulet, coming from the north, empties into the Mo- hawk river, about 200 paces below the enclosure of the yard. On this stream there is a mill about 50 paces distant from the house; below the mill is the miller's house where grain and flour are stored, and on the other side of the creek, 100 paces from the mill, is a barn in which cattle and fodder are kept. One hundred and fifty paces from Col. Johnson's mansion, at the north side, on the left bank of the little creek, is a little hill on which is a small house with portholes, where or- dinarily is kept a guard of honour of some twenty men which serves also as an advanced post. "From Col. Johnson's house to Chenectadi is counted seven leagues; the road is good, all sorts of vehicles pass over it. About twenty houses are found from point to point on this road * * * In the whole country of the Mohawk river there are nine com- panies of militia under Col. Johnson; eight only remain, that of the village of Palatines [at Herkimer] being no longer in existence, the greater part having been defeated by M. de Belle- tre's detachment. Col. Johnson assem- bles these companies when he has news of any expedition which may concern the Mohawk river." Here we have a good description of the location of the settlers in a con.siderabi-^ portion of the Mohawk valley in 1757. With the exception of more houses and buildings and a largely increased population, con- ditions were probably ."Jimilar in 1776. In addition it must be realized that from East Creek, on both sides of the river westward to German Flats and beyond there was a large number of dwellings and a considerable settle- ment of Palatine Germans, The ac- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 21 count gives us a fair idea of what had been accomplished in the way of erecting large farmhouses, their neces- sary buildings, mills, and the opening up of plantations on a considerable sca'e in the instance of Johnson's place at Fort Johnson. Similar establish- niei'ts were present, on a somewhat smaller plan, along the river and some of the dwellings were undoubtedly as large and in a way as comfortable as those of today. As a well known in- stance that of Gen. Herkimer can be cited, which was built in 1764. From this account, the population was prac- tically composed of German and Dutch farmers. In the Canajoharie district there were probably, at this early date, more than 75 houses and in the Pala- tine district more than 400 dwellings. Together the two districts contained probably over 500 men liable to militia service and possibly a population of 2,500, if the French account is correct in its figures. The number of the dwellings and of the population had very largely increased by 1776, to what extent it is difficult to estimate, but it is not improbable that it had almost doubled. The highways will be seen to be fair in their condition, at least in some parts, and much better than would be casually supposed, and in general civilized society in the valley was at no low stage. CHAPTER VII. 1772 — Tryon County People — Farming, Religious and Social Life — Sports and Pastimes of the Days Before the Revolution. There is a large element of popula- tion in the valley today which is de- scended from what we call the "Mo- hawk Dutch," for want of a better name. It has strong virtues and like all other strains of humanity certain deficiencies. Both were noted by early writers. However it is difficult to imagine a population better suited to stand the brunt of those early hard- ships and struggles. They made ideal frontiersmen, as a rule good soldiers and founders of American institutions and liberty in government, strong in their political and religious ideals. If they are, at that early date, criticised in their farming methods or for the number of the "tippling houses" they supported, the hardships of turning a great forest country into a civilized farming section must be borne in mind. They produced public leaders of integrity with high, unselfish ideals and the quality of their minds, as shown in their acts and writings, prov- ed them men in every sense of the word. Necessarily of bodily strength and vigor, the average of their mascu- linity and equipment for true men's work was of a standard to be envied by the male population of today. They showed some inclination toward learn- ing which writers say, at the Revolu- tion, had resulted in the establishment of schools in many of their valley settlements. Both Palatines and Dutch had suf- fered untold hardships for their re- ligion. In defense of their Reformed faith in their European homes they had been murdered, robbed and per- secuted to the utmost limit. The pres- ence of the Palatines in their Mohawk valley homes was largely due to these facts. Under such circumstances they took their religion seriously. Mostly of the Calvinistic belief they estab- lished Reformed churches and some of the Lutheran faith in the valley shortly after their settlement. At the birth of Fort Plain, in the Canajoharie and Palatine districts, there were Re- formed churches at Fort Plain (1750), at St. Johnsville (1756) and at Stone Arabia (1711). Lutheran churches were at Stone Arabia (established be- tween 1711 and 1732) and at Caroga Creek, now Palatine Church (in 1770). Near the Canajoharie castle (now Indian Castle) a church, largely for the use of the Indians, had been erected under the auspices of Sir Wil- liam Johnson. The dominies of that day were frequently men of strong character and fit leaders of the spirit- ual and intellectual life of their par- ishioners. The labors of those of the Reformed faith have resulted in mak- ing the Mohawk valley one of the strongest districts of that church. The 22 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN life of the Reformed church of Sand Hill (now of Fort Plain) is closely bound up with that of the fort built close to it and it was just out of gun- shot of the post that it was burned during the Tory and Indian raid in 1780. Preaching in these churches was in either the German or Dutch lan- guage or in both at intervals. After the Revolution English was introduc- ed and, in some churches, preaching was in all three languages until En- glish supplanted the others in the early nineteenth century. That early farming methods in the Mohawk valley were open to crit'cism is shown by the following letter to the English Society for the Promotion of the Arts by Sir William Johnson, dated Johnson Hall, Feb. 27, 1765. The letter in part follows: "The state of Agriculture in this country is very low, and in short like- ly to remain so to the great Detriment of the Province, which might other- wise draw many resources from so extensive and valuable a Country, but the turn of the old settlers here is not much calculated for improvement, con- tent with the meer necessaries of Life, they dont chuse to purchase its superfluities at the expence of Labour, neither will they hazard the smallest matter for the most reasonable pros- pect of gain, and this principle will probably subsist as long as that of their equality, which is at present at such a pitch that the conduct of one neighbor can but little influence that of another. "Wheat which in my opinion must shortly prove a drug, is in fact what they principally concern themselves about and they are not easily to be convinced that the Culture of other articles will tend more to their ad- vantage. If a few of the Machines made use of for the breaking of hemp was distributed a mongst those who have Land proper for the purpose it might give rise to the culture of it — or if one only properly constructed was sent as a model, it might Stir up a spirit of Industry amongst them, but Seed is greatly wanted, & Cannot be procured in these parts, and the Ger- mains (who are most Industrious peo- ple here) are in general in too low circumstances to concern themselves in anything attended with the smallest Expence, their Plantations being as yet in their infancy, & with regard to the old Settlers amongst the Germans who live farther to the Westward, they have generally adopted the Senti- ments of the rest of the inhabitants. The country Likewise labours under the disadvantage of narrow, and (in many places) bad roads, which would be still worse did I not take care that the in- habitants laboured to repair them ac- cording to law. The ill Condition of Public roads is a Great obstruction to husbandry; the high wages of labour- ing men, and the great number of tep- ling houses are likewise articles which very much want Regulation. These disagreeable circumstances must for some time retard the Progress of hus- bandry. I could heartily wish I had more leisure to attend to these neces- sary articles of improvements to pro- mote which my Influence and Exam- ple should not be wanting. I have formerly had pease very well split at my mills, and I shall set the same for- ward amongst the people as far as I can. I have Likewise sent for Collec- tions of many Seeds, and useful grasses which I shall Encourage them to raise, and from the great wants of stock, even for home use, & Con- sumption, I am doing all I can to turn the inhabitants to raising these nec- essary articles, for the purchase of which, a good deal of Cash has hither to been annually carried into the N. England Collonies. "Before I set the Examples, no far- mer on the Mohock River ever raised so much as a single Load of Hay, at present some raise above one Hun- dred, the like was the case in regard to sheep, to which they were intire strangers until I introduced them, & I have the Satisfaction to see them at present possess many other articles, the result of my former Labors for promoting their welfare and interests. My own tenants amounting to about 100 Families are not as yet in circum- stances to do much, they were settled THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 23 at great Expence and hazard during the heat of [French] War, and it was principally (I mav venture to affirm, solely) owing to their residence & mine, that the rest of the inhabitanti did not all abandon their settlements at that Distressful Period; But tho' my Tennants are considerablv in my Debt, I shall yet give them ah the as- sistance I can for encouraging any useful Branches of Husbandry, which I shall contribute to promote thro'out the rest of the Country to the utmost of my power, and Communicate to you any material article which may occur upon that 'Subject.' " At the period of this letter and in the following decade a few grist and saw mills and similar industries were springing up in the valley where there was convenient water power. This letter gives us a vivid portrayal of one of New York's most interesting and sterling provincial characters, as well as the farming conditions in the Tryon county of that time and in its Canajo- harie and Palatine districts. Pioneer life was as hard as human life could well be. It required the strongest types of manhood, woman- hood and even childhood to clear and cultivate this great wooded wilderness. First went up the log house cabins and barns to be followed later by those of stone and sawn lumber. After the sturdy woodman felled the trees they were burned of their limbs and leaves and the ground was left strewn with their blackened trunks. To pile these together, when dry enough, so that another firing would consume them was the dirty job of "logging up." It was largely done by "bees," to which the frontiersmen rallied in numbers adequate to the heavy work to be done. Severe as that was, an after- noon at it left the young men with vim enough for a wrestling match, af- ter they had rested long enough to devour the generous supper with which the housewife feasted them. The grain grown on the fields thus laboriously cleared was threshed with the flail or by driving horses over it and winnowed by dropping it through a natural draft of air instead of the artificial draft of the fanning mill. When ready for market it was mostly drawn to Albany, some three days be- ing required for the journey. Rude lumber wagons or ox carts, or wood shod sleighs were the common vehi- cles for all occasions. Much of the grain also went down the river by bat- teaux to Schenectady. A variety of work then went on in- doors as well as out, which long ago ceased generally to be done in private houses. Every good mother taught her daughters a broad range of domes- tic duties, from washing dishes and log cabin floors to weaving and mak- ing up flne linen. The home was the factory as well and in it took place the making from flax and wool of the fabrics which the household needed. The houses resounded with the hum of the spinning wheel and loom and other machinery which the housewives used to make the family garments. The entire family were proud to appear in this goodly homespun even at church. Itinerant shoemakers made tours of the farmhovises, working at each place as long as the family footgear demand- ed, this being known as "whipping the cat." Common brogans were worn for the most part by the settlers. Many of the vegetables cultivated by their Mohawk Indian predecessors were adopted by their German and Dutch successors. Without tea or coffee, they made a drink of dried peas and sweetened it with maple sugar, the procuring of which they learned from the red man. In regard to Christmas time in the valley the missionary Kirkland wrote as follows in his diary in 1789: "The manner in wch. ye ppl. in yse parts keep Xmas day in commemor'g of the Birth of ye Saviour, as ya pre- tend is very affect'g and strik'g. They generally assemble for read'g pray- ers, or Divine service — but after, they eat drink and make merry. They al- low of no work or servile labour on ye day and ye following — their servants are free — but drinking, swearing, fight- ing and frolic'g are not only allowed, but seem to be essential to ye joy of ye day." 24 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN The most common beverages drunk by the men of Revolutionary times were "flip" and "kill devil." "Flip" was made of beer brewed from malt and hops, to which was added sugar and liquor — the whole heated with a hot iron. "Kill devil" was made like flip, except that cider was substituted for beer. The price of each was one York shilling for a quart mug. Half a mug usually served two persons. Freemasonry had a foothold in the valley prior to the Revolution and Sir William Johnson and Col. Nicholas Herkimer were both members of the Johnstown lodge. Also as showing the wilderness state of the country, it is said that wolves were so common in Dutchtown in the town of Minden that sheep had to be folded nights as late as 1773. All the wild animals of the present Adirondack wilderness were numerous about the Mohawk settle- ments in their earliest daj's. Schools were located in many of the Tryon county settlements at the beginning of the Revolution. The first pedagogue in Dutchtown was John Pickard. As showing the early set- tlers' superstitions regarding sanita- tion and medical practise it may here be related that after Fort Willett was built he kept school in a hut within the palisade. Toward the close of the war he sickened and died of some dis- ease prevalent in the fort at that time. A lad named Owen, living in the Henry Sanders family, caught a live ,skunk, which was set at liberty in the fort and "the disease was stayed." After the war, a Hessian named Glazier, who came into the state under Bur- goyne, kept the Dutchtown school in- structing in both German and English. Such instruction was probably mostly confined to the three Rs. School pun- ishments were extremely severe and whipping a scholars' hands with a ruler until they bled was no unusual means of correction. One Palatine boy is said to have been so whipped in school on eighteen different occasions. That a Tryon county woman could handle a gun is shown by an anecdote of the wife of the brave Captain Gar- diner, of Oriskany fame, who lived near Fultonville: "His wife, like many of her sex on the frontier, on an emer- gency, could use firearms. On some occasion, when her husband was away from home in the service of his country, she saw from her house a flock of pigeons alighting upon the fence and ground not far off. She re- solved to give them a salute and, has- tily loaded an old musket, forgetting to draw out the ramrod. She left the house cautiously, gained a position within close gunshot, aimed at the pigeons on the fence, and blazed away. To her own surprise, and that of sev- eral of her family, who, from the win- dow saw her fire, seven of the birds sitting upon a rail, were spitted on the ramrod in which condition they were taken to the house." As befitted frontiersmen, their sports were rough and violent. They includ- ed rifle contests, wrestling, foot racing and horse racing. Horse races, on tracks and on the river ice, were great- ly in vogue in the latter half of the eighteenth century, excepting the war period. The Low Dutch of the east- ern end of the valley were famed for horse racing and even for running their horses from the foot of every hill two-thirds of the way up. Often between Schenectady and Albany were several farm wagons or sleighs trying titles for leadership at the hazard of a serious collision. Of this class of citi- zens at Schenectady was the well-to- do burgher Charick Van de Bogert, an old gentleman of worthy but eccentric character. He had a fine sleigh on the back of which was painted in Dutch the words, "Not to lend today but tomorrow." He had a span of horses named Cowper and Crown, which he raced successfully and which responded intelligently to his whip sig- nals for the start and finish of a brush on the road. In his last illness, his affection for his team, induced the family to have the horses brought to his window where he patted them and bade them good-bye. He then turned to a close friend who was with him and asked him to drive the bier to the burial plot behind his beloved team, instead of having male bearers for THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 25 the distance as was the valley custom. Van de Bogert requested his friend to touch the horses with his gad after a certain manner at a set point in the road and to again touch them in a different fashion at a farther point. Shortly after this the old gentleman expired and his funeral arrangements were ordered according to his wish. The friend who drove the hearse obey- ed the deceased's wishes as to the whip signals. The well-trained team responded and the worthy Dutchman made his final earthly ride behind his weil-loved span at the racing clip in which he delighted. There were favorite race-courses in the valley, near Rotterdam, at Fort Hunter, at Conyne's tavern on the north river side a few miles further up. At Sand Flats, at Caughnawaga or Fonda was one of the most frequent- ed. In the Canajoharie-Palatine dis- tricts there were race courses at Seeb- ers Lane, on the flats at Canajoharie and at George Wagner's flats in Pala- tine. Every fall at Herkimer, horse racing was held on the flats at that place and it is not improbable that an- nual meetings such as these were the nuclei of the later county fairs. Such events were also common in the Scho- harie valley. There was much drink- ing and gambling at all these races and the crowds assembled like those seen at county fairs. There is every evidence that the men of those days had mighty athletes among them who were developed by the hard life of the day, instead of by modern training methods. Besides the foregoing sports and the usual crude field sports such as jumping, hurling the stone, etc., fighting bouts for purses were not uncommon. A few years before the death of Sir William Johnson, he had in his em- ploy a fellow countryman named Mc- Carthy, who was reputed the best pugilist in the Mohawk valley. The baronet offered to pit him against anyone. Major Jelles Fonda, tired of hearing this challenge, unearthed a mighty Dutchman named John Van Loan, in the Schoharie valley and made a journey of some fifty miles to secure him. Van Loan agreed to en- ter the ring for a ten-pound note. A big crowd assembled at Caughnawaga to see the contest. There was much betting, particularly on McCarthy. Van Loan appeared in a shirt and tight-fitting breeches of dressed deer- skin. McCarthy tried hard but the Schoharie fighter was too strong and agile and eventually soundly whipped Sir William's pet, who had to be car- ried from the ring. This was probably one of many pugilistic and wrestling contests witnessed by crowds of set- tlers. Brutal they were but they were the physical expression of sport among men of iron and should not be judged by the tender standards of a delicate and soft age. It will, of course, be understood that fishing, trapping and hunting, formed a large part of the vocations of the earliest settlers, who also availed themselves largely of the skins of game for clothing and other purposes, deerskin or buckskin forming a large part of this attire, particularly for sport or work in the woods. Autumn husking bees and country dances were recreations of the river side folks and it is easy to see that here was no Puritan community but one which enjoyed the good things of life, after periods of strenuous toil. Barns and dwellings were raised by "bees" in which the neighborhood par- ticipated. Sports, dancing and solid and liquid refreshments followed in profusion. The final feast seemed an indispensable part of all social and most religious observances. As the Dutch were such a consider- able portion of the valley population, particularly in the eastern end and were scattered largely through the re- mainder some idea of their charac- teristics may be gained from Mrs. Grant's word pictures of life, in Al- bany in the middle of the eighteenth century, included in her "Memoirs of an American Lady." These things would apply to the Low Dutch of the town of Schenectady or, with a rural setting, to those in other parts of the valley and we must remember that the Dutch influence and customs 26 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN were very strong in every part of the state in those days, including Tryon county. Mrs. Grant says that the houses were very neat within and without and were of stone or brick. The streets were broad and lined with shade trees. Each house had its garden and before each door a tree was planted and shaded the stoops or porches, which were fur- nished with spacious seats on which domestic groups were seated on sum- mer evenings. Each family had a cow, fed in a common pasture at the end of the town. At evening the herd returned altogether of their own ac- cord, with their tinkling bells hung at their necks, along the wide and grassy street, to their wonted sheltering trees, to be milked at their master's doors. On pleasant evenings the stoops were filled with groups of old and young of both sexes discussing grave questions or gayly chatting and singing together. The mischievous gossip was unknown for intercourse was so free and friendship so real that there was no place for such a creature, and politicians seldom disturbed these social gatherings. A peculiar social custom arranged the young people in congenial companies, composed of equal numbers, of both sexes, quite small children being admitted, and the association continued until ma- turity. The result was a perfect knowledge of each other and happy and suitable marriages resulted. The summer amusements of the young were simple, the principal one being picnics, often held upon the pretty islands near Albany or in "the bush." These were days of pure enjoyment for everybody was unrestrained by con- ventionalities. In winter the frozen Hudson would be alive with merry skaters of both sexes. Small evening parties were frequent and were gen- erally the sequel of quilting parties. The young men sometimes enjoyed convivial parties at taverns but ha- bitual drunkenness was extremely rare. Slavery was common in the valley and some plantations had a score or more slaves. The. price of labor was so enormously high, because of the sparse population, that the importa- tion of negroes had become a prime in- dustrial necessity and they were then very numerous in the province of New York. Mrs. Grant speaks of slavery in Albany and her remarks are perti- nent to the valley as well. She says: "African slavery was seen at Albany and vicinity in its mildest form. It was softened by gentleness and mutual attachments. It appeared patriarchial and a real blessing to the negroes. Master and slave stood in the relation of friends. Immoralities were rare. There was no hatred engendered by neglect, cruelty and injustice; and such excitements as the 'Negro Plots' of 1712 and 1741 in New York city were impossible. Industry and frugality ranked among the cardinal virtues of the people." These seem to have been negro slave conditions in this section up to 1827, when slavery was finally abolish- ed in New York. The slaves were allowed much liberty and had their full share of celebrations and jollifications such as Christmas and New Year. Many were freed by their owners, for good service or other reasons and in all the local records we find few inci- dents of cruelty or abuse on the part of the white man to the black. There is an instance of a slave woman born in the Herkimer family at Dan- ube who lived for years in Little Falls and was looked after and finally buried by the Herkimer grandchildren of her early master. A number of conditions tended to mold public thought into a Revolu- tionary form. There were discourage- ments to settlement and some of the English governors had been avaricious, bigoted and tyrannical. The lavish grants of much of the best land to their favorites and tools were special hind- rances to the rapid increase of popu- lation. The holders of large estates rated their lands so high that poorer persons could neither buy or lease farms. It is not the province of this ac- count to treat in detail of the grants of land in Tryon county. Suffice to THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 27 say that these transactions frequently seemed to be honey-combed with ev- ery form of corruption known to Co- lonial adventurers and crooks. Such methods were well exemplified in the Corry patent which, tradition has it, was secured in part by Gov. Clarke for himself, although it was against the Colonial law for a governor to ac- quire land by free grant. This is the well known property which was the iscene of so much miserable trouble, arson and crime during the years of its last proprietorship under a George Clarke. These grants angered both Indians and settlers and tended, among many other things, to make the true American of the day distrust and hate his state government and mother country. For the most part the Dutch and Palatine grantees seem to have settled upon and improved for their own use the lands given them. Benson J. Lossing's "Empire State," says: "In the state of New York the Dutch language was so generally used in some of the counties that sheriffs found it difficult to procure persons sufficiently acquainted with the En- glish tongue to serve as jurors in the courts. Among the wealthiest people considerable luxury in table, dress and furniture was exhibited, yet there was an aspect of homely comfort through society. Both sexes, of all except the highest classes, were neglectful of in- tellectual cultivation. The schools were of a low order. 'The instructors want instruction,' wrote a contempor- ary. The English language where it was spoken was much corrupted. The placid good humor of the Dutch seem- ed to largely pervade the province, in- cluding men and women, and there seemed to have prevailed an uncom- mon degree of virtue and domestic fe- licity. The population is reported as industrious, hospitable, as a rule sober, and intent upon money-making. "The people generally were religious. The principal church organizations were the Dutch Reformed, the Luth- eran, English Episcopal and the Pres- byterian. This was due to the racial elements of the state's settlers which were Dutch, German, English, Scotch, Irish and Huguenot French, and these elements penetrated to some extent into practically all the counties of the province, incl'iding Tryon. There was much freedom of thought and action among the people that fostered a spirit of independence. They were not bound hand and foot by rigid re- ligious and political creeds, as were the people of New England, but were thoroughly imbued with the toleration inherited from the first Dutch settlers, and theological disputes were seldom indulged in." Here and there were men of acute intelligence and fine minds who possessed initiative and the power of expressing themselves simply, clearly and forcibly. These were the leaders who were to be in the van in the im- pending struggle. All the foregoing pictures to us the Mohawk valley people, their lands, customs, manners and play at the period just antedating the war for in- dependence and the building of Fort Plain. This account is considered worthy of its length in portraying the men and women who were to be ac- tors in and around this frontier out- post, for after all the human element is more important than the dead walls of the old fort and both played their part on this stage of war and peace. CHAPTER VIII. 1774 to 1777 — Growth of the American Liberty Movement — Tryon County Committee of Safety and Militia. At the opening of the Revolution the Mohawk valley had enjoyed 20 years of peace and consequent development and prosperity. Its people had al- most forgotten the horrors of the French and Indian depredations dur- ing the last contest between England and France which resulted in the lat- ter's loss of Canada. In 1774, the strong American senti- ment for independence took form in Tryon county at a meeting held in the Palatine district which warmly ap- proved the calling of a Continental 28 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN congress for mutual consultation of the colonies upon their grievances against England. A set of resolutions was drawn up setting forth the Am- erican cause and correspondence was opened with the patriots of New York city. The Johnson party early in 1775 published a set of resolutions ap- proving English acts and went about securing signatures, which excited the indignation of the majority of the Tryon county population who were Whigs. Most of the Tryon county of- ficials signed the Johnson petition. The Whigs held meetings and the first one, of three hundred patriots, assem- bled at Caughnawaga to raise a lib- erty pole. This was broken up by an armed party of Tories headed by Sir John Johnson. Young Jacob Sammons interrupted a fiery speech of Col. Guy Johnson and was severely beaten by the Tories. Further patriotic meet- ings were held and at the second held at the house of Adam Loucks in Pala- tine, a committee to correspond with those of other districts was formed, this being the beginning of the Tryon County Committee of Safety. John- son now armed further his fortifica- tions at the Hall and organized and equipped his Tory Scotch highlanders. In view of these affairs the Palatine committee addressed a letter to the Albany committee setting forth the situation in the county and asking that the shipment of ammunition into it from Albany be supervised so that the Tories could not further arm themselves. Evidences soon appeared that Johnson was endeavoring to se- cure the support of the Six Nations. His personal army now amounted to 500 men and he had cut off free com- munication between Albany and the upper valley settlements. The Pala- tine committee. May 21, protested against Johnson's course and the Ger- man Flats and Kingsland districts were invited to cooperate with them. May 24, 1775, the committees of all the districts but Mohawk met at the house of William Seeber in Canajo- harie (at Fort Plain) and adopted res- olutions of united action between the districts. Delegates were sent to Al- bany and Schenectady to confer with those committees. This was the first meeting of the Tryon County Com- mittee of Safety and was held close to the site of the later fortification. May 25, the Tryon county and Albany committees held a council with the Mohawks at Guy Park without appar- ent results. On May 29, again at the house of William Seeber, near Fort Plain, a resolution was passed prohib- iting all trade with persons who had not signed the article of association and slaves were not to be allowed off their master's premises without a per- mit. Any person disobeying these in- structions was to be considered an enemy of the patriot cause. The first full meeting of the county committee was held in the western part of the Canajoharie district, June 2, 1775, at the house of Warner Tygert a neighbor and relative of General Herkimer. The names of the committee at that meeting follow: Canajoharie District — Nicholas Her- kimer, Ebenezer Cox, William Seeber, John Moore, Samuel Campbell, Samuel Clyde, Thomas Henry, John Pickard. Kingsland and German Flats Dis- tricts — Edward Wall, William Petry, John Petry, Marcus Petry, Augustinus Hess, Frederick Ahrendorf, George Wents, Michael E. Ittig, Frederick Fox, George Herkimer, Duncan Mc- Dougall, Frederick Hilmer, John Franck. Mohawk District — John Marlett, John Bliven, Abraham Van Horn, Adam Fonda Frederick Fisher, Samp- son Sammons, William Schuyler, Vol- kert Veeder, James McMaster, Daniel Lane. Palatine District — Isaac Paris, John Frey, Christopher P. Yates, Andrew Fink jr., Andrew Reeber, Peter Wag- goner, Daniel McDougall, Jacob Klock, George Ecker jr., Harmanus Van Slyck, Christopher W. Fox and An- thony Van Vechten. Of the members from the Canajo- harie district, Herkimer and Cox lived in the present town of Danube, Seeber and Pickard in Minden, Henry in Har- persfleld and Campbell and Clyde in Cherry Valley. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 29 Christopher P. Yates was chosen chairman of the county committee and Edward Wall and Nicholas Herkimer were selected to deliver a letter of pro- test to Col. Guy Johnson against his Tory stand. Col. Johnson returned a politic but non-committal letter to this deputation. He appointed a coun- cil at German Flats but did not hold it but went on to Fort Stanwix, tak- ing with him his family,- a number of dependents and a great body of Mo- hawk Indians, who left their valley homes never to return except in war parties and against their old neighbors. On June 11, 1775, the committee chose Christopher P. Yates and John Marlett as delegates to the provincial congress. This meeting was held at the house of Gose Van Alstine (now known as Fort Rensselaer in the vil- lage of Canajoharie). Rev. Mr. Kirk- land arranged a council of the One- idas and Tuscaroras with the commit- tee and Albany delegates at German Flats, June 28, 1775, which largely re- sulted in the friendly attitude of the Oneidas and Tuscaroras during the war. July 3 the committee granted the petition of certain settlers for permis- sion to form themselves into militia companies. The Tory mayor of Al- bany, who was fleeing west, was stopped by Capt. George Herkimer and the rangers and his batteau was searched but nothing contraband was found. By this time Guy Johnson and his party had pushed on to Ontario, far beyond the reach of angry pa- triots, and wrote back a hostile letter in reply to a pacific one sent him by the provincial congress. From Os- wego Johnson went to Montreal ac- companied by many warriors of the Six Nations. The Tryon county settlers feared that he would soon col- lect an army, and cooperating with John Johnson, sweep the valley of the patriots. The committee now assumed the civic and military functions of the county and began to have trouble with John Johnson over its assump- tion of the sheriff's duties and use of the jail and also over the formation of patriot companies in the vicinity of the hall. Congress ordered Gen. Schuyler to capture the military stores at Johnson Hall and disarm and dis- perse the Johnson Tory party. Jan. 18, 1776, Schuyler and his force met Col. Herkimer and the Tryon county militia at Caughnawaga. On the 19th at Johnstown, Sir John Johnson de- livered up his war supplies and his 300 Scotch highlanders were disarmed. Col. Herkimer remained and brought in 100 Tories, who were disarmed. John- son continuing his work for the Tory cause, in May, 1776, Col. Dayton was sent to capture him. Johnson escaped to Canada with many of his followers, striking into the northern wilderness as the Continentals were entering Johnstown, and leaving in such haste that he buried his plate and valuables. Lady Johnson was removed to Albany where she was held as hostage for her husband's actions. Johnson took a commission as colonel under the Brit- ish and organized two battalions, from the Tories who followed him, which were called the Royal Greens. These Tryon county Tories surpassed the Indians in their barbaric acts on subsequent raids into the Mohawk valley and in their depredations around Fort Plain. A large part of the Tory population soon left Tryon coun- ty for Canada. Sir John's estate and that of some sixty other Tories, were confiscated by the patriot govern- ment. The Whigs were now formed into companies by the different dis- trict committees. Aug. 22, 1776, the following were named, by a majority of votes, as field officers for the differ- ent districts: Canajoharie, 1st Battalion — 1st Col., Nicholas Herkimer; Lieut.-Col., Eben- ezer Cox; major, Robert Wells; adju- tant, Samuel Clyde. Palatine, 2nd Battalion — Col., Jacob Klock; Lieut.-Col., Peter Waggoner; major, Harmanus Van Slyck; adju- tant, Anthony Van Vechten. Mohawk, 3rd Battalion — Col., Fred- erick Fisher; Lieut.-Col., Adam Fonda; major, John Bliven; adjutant, Robt. Yates. Kingsland and German Flats, 4th Battalion — Col., Han Yost Herkimer; 30 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Lieut.-Col., Peter Bellinger; major, Han Yost Shoemaker; adjutant, Jno. Demooth. At the same time Nicholas Herki- mer was appointed "Chief Colonel Commander of the County of Tryon." Following his unsuccessful attempt to arrest Johnson, Col. Dayton was com- missioned by Gen. Schuyler, in com- mand of the northern army at Albany, to strengthen the valley defenses. Forts Dayton and Plain were erected, all of which work was under Col. Dayton's supervision. He also repaired and strengthened Fort Stanwix (later Schuyler) and Fort Herkimer. Four weeks after the Tryon county militia organization was effected, a battalion of "Minute men" (scouts or rangers) was formed with George Her- kimer, brother of Nicholas, as its colonel and Samuel Campbell as its lieutenant-colonel. In the spring of 1777 Brant, with a : large party of Indians, came down from Canada to Unadilla. Gen. Schuyler ordered Col. Herkimer to confer with Brant, as the two latter had been on friendly terms prior to the Revolution. Herkimer and 450 Tryon county militia and regular troops accordingly proceeded to Una- dilla and met Brant, who had 500 well armed warriors under him. Two con- ferences between the two command- ers were ineffectual, a conflict was narrowly avoided ' and the American militia returned to the Mohawk. state of Vermont. The menibers rep- resenting Tryon were: William Har- per, Isaac Paris, Mr. Vedder, John Morse, Benjamin Newkirk. In 1777 occurred the establishment and organization of an independent state government (succeeding the Pro- vincial Congress) and the framing of a constitution for the government of the commonwealth. The new "Con- vention of Representatives of the State of New York" met in White Plains in July and representatives were present from the then fourteen counties of the state — namely. New York, Richmond, Kings, Queens, Suf- folk, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange^ Ulster, Albany, Tryon, Charlotte, Cum- berland and Gloucester. The last two counties formed a part of the present Gen. Philip Schuyler, who disarmed Johnson and his followers at Johns- town in 1776, was connected with many of the military movements in this locality through being the com- mander of the American army of the north during the early part of the war with headquarters at Albany. He was born in Albany, 1733, and came of a Dutch family which had been promi- nently connected with the affairs of the city and the colony from its ear- liest days. Schuyler joined the British Colonial forces during the French war and became a major. Two days after the battle of Bunker Hill, congress made him a major-general and placed him in command of the northern de- partment. In the expedition against Canada, Schuyler commanded that by way of Lake Champlain. He was com- pelled, owing to ill health, to relin- quish his command to Montgomery after taking Isle au Noix, on Sorel river. The failure of the Canadian expedi- tion excited much hostility to Schuy- ler and insinuations were made against his loyalty. This became so offensive that he sent congress his resignation which that body declined to accept in the autumn of 1776. In April, 1777, Schuyler demanded a court of inquiry, which approved his man- agement. During this time he had continued in command at Albany and his influence with the Indians is said to have been of great value to the Am- erican cause. Gen. Schuyler sent aid, in August, 1777, to Fort Schuyler, un- der Arnold, in response to the plea of Col. Willett. This was opposed by his generals in council, but his wise and prompt action saved the fort, the val- ley and perhaps the nation. Schuyler resisted Burgoyne's advance but was superseded by Gates at the mouth of the Mohawk, where he had taken up a fortified position in September, 1777. Thus he was robbed of the fruits of the victory at Saratoga. 1778-81 he was a member of congress and in 1789 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 31 and 1797 went to the United States senate from New York. In the New York senate he contributed largely to the code of laws adopted by the state and was an active promoter of the canal system. The Inland Lock Navi- gation Co. was incorporated in 1792, for the improvement of Mohawk river traffic, and Gen. Philip Schuyler was elected its president. One of his daughters married Alexander Hamil- ton. Schuyler died in Albany in 1804, aged 70. He is considered one of the leading figures of New York's Revo- lutionary period. contents, half robbers and half insur- gents, who harassed the English in Ireland at the time of the massacre in 1640, were the first to whom the epi- thet was applied. It was also applied to the court party as a term of re- proach." Lossing gives the following origin of the terms. Whig and Tory: "They were copied by us from the political vocabulary of Great Britain and were first used here to distinguish the op- posing parties in the Revolution about 1770. The term originated during the reign of Charles II., or about that time. Bishop Burnet, in his History gives the following explanation: 'The southwest counties of Scotland have seldom corn [grain] enough to serve them round the year; and the north- ern parts, producing more than they need, those in the west come in the summer to buy at Leith the stores that come from the north; and from a word 'whiggam,' used in driving their horses, all that drove were called 'whigga- mores' and shorter, 'whigs.' Now in that year after the news tame down of Duke Hamilton's defeat, the ministers animated their people to rise and march to Edinburg, and then came up marching at the head of other parishes, with unheard of fury, praying and preaching all the way as they came. The Marquis of Argyle and his party came and headed them, they being about six thousand. This was called the Whiggamores' inroad, and ever after that all that opposed the courts came, in contempt, to be called Whigg; and from Scotland the word was brought into England, where it is now one of our unhappy terms of dis- tinction. Subsequently, all whose party bias was democratic were called Whigs. The origin of the word Tory is not so well attested. The Irish mal- The following is a brief resume of events and their dates preceding and contributory to the Revolution and also of the principal events of the war from 1775 to the summer of 1777, when hostilities began in the Mohawk val- ley. It is prepared with especial ref- erence to the history of New York state. Albany convention (of delegates from eight colonies), 1754. New York congress of 1765, called to protest against the Stamp Act of 1765; for- mation of the Sons of Liberty in New York city and conflict between them and British troops, Jan. 18, 1770, re- sulting in bloodshed (Appleton's En- cyclopedia says "this irregular fight- ing was the real beginning of the Revolutionary war."); Boston mas- sacre, 1770; Boston tea party, Dec. 16, 1773; organization of "Mohawks" in New York in 1773 and repetition of "Boston tea party" in New York har- bor, April, 1774; Continental congress in Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1773 (in real- ity an assemblage of the patriot com- mittees from the different colonies), sitting also during 1774; battle of Lex- ington, April 19, 1775; American cap- ture of Ticonderoga, May 10, 1775; second Continental congress, May 10, 1775; battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775; Washington made commander- in-chief of the American army, June 15, 1775; American defeat under Mont- gomery at Quebec, Dec. 31, 1775; dec- laration of independence, July 4, 1776; evacuation of Boston by British, Mar. 17, 1776; American defeat on Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776; American de- feats of Fort Washington, Manhattan, and Fort Lee, New Jersey, in fall of 1776, and retreat across New Jersey; American victory at Trenton, Dec. 26, 1776; American victory of Princeton, Jan. 3, 1777; Adoption of state consti- tution at Kingston (Esopus) April 21, 32 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 1777, the legislators having removed there from White Plains on account of the nearness of the British force, oc- cupying New York city; Burgoyne's British army assembled at Cumberland Point, Lake Champlain, June, 1777, and captured Crown Point, June 30, 1777; St. Leger's British army assembles at Oswego for invasion of Mohawk valley and junction with Burgoyne at Albany, July, 1777; George Clinton sworn in as governor of New York, July 31, 1777. CHAPTER IX. 1776 — The Building of Fort Plain — Other Forts Near Here. At the close of the French war there were, in the valley, army fortifications at Fort Stanwix (now Rome, erected 1758), at Fort Herkimer (1756) and at Fort Hunter (1711), besides other fortified places such as Fort John- son. Early in 1776 Col. Elias Dayton was sent to repair Fort Stanwix and he probably had supervision over the repairs to Fort Herkimer and the erec- tion of Fort Plain and Fort Dayton at Herkimer, which bears his name. The site of Fort Plain, on the rise just west of the present cemetery, at the extreme western end of the vil- lage limits, has already been noted. Simms says it was constructed mainly by farmers. Its form was an irregular quadrangle with earth and log bas- tions or block houses and embrasures at opposite corners a strong block house within in the center and also barracks. Cannon in the block-houses could command the fort on all sides. It enclosed from a third to a half acre of ground but when settlers began to be Hilled and burned out, the surviv- ors came here in such numbers that the space was found too small for the public needs. Three or four com- fortable huts were accordingly made along the verge of the hill. The ad- jacent spring furnished water and sup- plies were probably stored in the cen- ter block-house. There were two large apple trees within the fort in- closure. Its entrance was on the south-easterly side toward a road leading up to the ravine on that side to it. Lossing says it had block- houses in each corner; Simms says they were in opposite corners of the quadrangle. The plateau on which it stood is of penninsular form and, across the neck or isthmus, a breastwork was thrown up. The fort extended along the south- eastern brow of this hill and the block- house was about one hundred yards northwest on the edge of the northern slope of the hill. There is a tradition that nearby settlers aided in the erec- tion of this defense. The boss car- penter, John Dederick, was allowed to name the fort. It is stated that he named it Fort Plain on account of its plain or fine view of open country and because from here operations of an enemy could be so plainly detected. It is said to have been not so named be- cause the fortification was situated on a diminutive plain, as it was. There is a possibility that it might have been named thus because, from this height looking over the trees which lined the near-by Otsquago, an unbroken view of the treeless flats, stretching four miles away to Canajo- harie, was obtained. This was in strong contrast to the densely wooded slopes and heights stretching away to entire circle of the horizon around the fort. The outlook at that day must have been superb with the big woods cleared in spots only near the river and the heights covered by the great trees of the virgin forest. The Met- ropolitan Museum in New York houses a painting by Wyant called "The Mo- hawk Valley." It is a considerable canvas, showing the river before the coming of the white man and is im- pressive in its wooded hills and its treeless flat lands with the Mohawk winding through them. It suggests strongly what might have been the view at one time from Fort Plain. However we will accept the Simms statement that the fort received its name on account of the fine, open, plain or unobstructed view. An acquaintance with the other reg- ular military posts of the time seems to show that of them all it was the best located for defense. Fort Plain THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 33 was the first Revolutionary fortifica- tion and the most important within the Canajoharie-Palatine districts. Fort Canajoharie at Danube was a stockade erected during the French war to protect the Mohawlvs but did not figure in the conflict for independ- ence. Who commanded first at Fort Plain is not known and it probably was not regularly garrisoned until 1777. It formed a key for communication with and protection of the Schoharie, Cherry Valley and Unadilla settle- ments and was the chief protection of the Canajoharie and Palatine districts. About 1780-1 it became the head- quarters of the officer commanding this and the several military posts in this vicinity. Col. Marinus Willett was its commander for several seasons and he is believed to have been here con- stantly about 1781-2. He occupied the eastern one of the huts situated on the side hill below the pickets a rod or two from the spring. Col. Clyde was in command here in 178-3. The block- house, which will be noted later, was built to still further strengthen the defenses here in the fall of 1780 and the spring of 1781, and was merely a part of the fortifications here and not a separate post. Fort Plain must have been considered of formidable strength for it never was attacked di- rectly by the considerable forces of the enemy who operated in this sec- tion at different times. The land on which the post stood was part of the Lipe farm. Five smaller fortifications were in the vicinity of Fort Plain. Commenc- ing westerly Fort Windecker, Fort Willett, Fort Plank and Fort Clyde were only two or three miles apart, the first three being nearly on a north and south line, curving easterly to em- brace the last fort named, and being in something like a half circle around Fort Plain on its western side. Dur- ing the latter part of the war this line of forts, with the regular army post toward the center, made this section one of the best defended on the Tryon county frontier, and one historian says enabled the surviving to furnish most of the bread for the district. Fort Paris, at Stone Arabia, was the fifth fortification immediately about the central defense of Fort Plain. Fort Windecker, built in 1777, was a palisaded small enclosure surround- ing the dwelling of Johannes Win- decker. It was nearly eight miles west of north, from the latter upon the river road. It had the usual signal gun and probably contained a small block-house. This place, like similar posts, had at least one sentinel on duty at night, who was posted usually out- side the pickets at this place. Fort Willett was a palisaded in- closure on the highest ground in the Dutchtown section and was situated over four miles from Fort Plain on land now owned by William Zimmer- man. This stockade was completed in the spring of 1781 and had ample room for huts for a,ll the adjacent families. It had the block-house cor- ners and an alarm gun. As it was iso- lated from any dwelling, it had a good- sized oven, the ruins of which re- mained for many years. The timber for its pickets was cut on adjoining farms and was drawn together by the owners of them. Like other palisades, the pickets were the trunks of straight trees of different kinds, of about a foot thickness through the, butt, and cut long enough to be sunk three or four feet in the ground and to rise above it about a dozen or more. On the com- pletion of this defense, Col. Willett rode out with a squad of his men from Fort Plain to see it. He was much pleased with the condition of things and said "You have a nice little fort here; what do you call it?" "It has no name yet; wont you give it one?" was the answer. Col. Willett replied, "Well, this is one of the nicest little forts on the frontier, and you may call it after me, if you please." A cheer went up at this, so the name of Willett became connected with the town in which he lived and fought for several years. The old south shore turnpike running through the Green- bush section of Fort Plain village is named Willett street after this very capable Revolutionary commander. At 34 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the end of the war each family who had contributed picltets for the build- ing of Fort Willett drew home their share and the fortification was demol- ished in the same manner as the many others when their use for purposes of defense had ceased. Port Plank was established in 1776 and was situated two and a half miles west of Fort Plain and one and a quar- ter miles in a direct line southerly from the Mohawk. Here then lived Frederick Plank, a whig, whose house was palisaded in a square enclosure with block-house corners. From its nearness to the settlements at Dutch- town and Geissenberg it served as a safe retreat for a score or two of fam- ilies. Capt. Joseph House, a militia officer living with Plank, usually com- manded in the absence of field officers. More or less troops were kept at this station through the war. Fort Clyde was established in 1777 to protect the Freysbush settlers. It bore the name of Col. Samuel Clyde of Cherry Valley, who doubtless superin- tended its construction. This was not a palisaded dwelling but a fort by it- self, like that at Fort Plain and Fort Willett. It was an enclosure large enough to hold huts for the accommo- dation of refugees and a strong block- house in the center. A signal gun was mounted as at all such posts. It was about three miles south of Fort Plain and topped a sightly knoll on what was the old Gen. George H. Nellis farm. It is believed Col. Clyde exer- cised a sort of paternal supervision over this fort, where part of a com- pany of rangers or drafted militia was stationed. In the Palatine district similarly adjacent to Fort Plain stood Fort Paris. It was three or four miles to the northeast of Fort Plain and stood upon the summit of ground half a mile to the north of the Stone Arabia churches. It was a palisade enclosing strong block-houses and was of a size to accommodate a garrison of 200 or 300 men. The fort was commenced in December, 1776, and completed in the spring' of 1777. This was an important post and was usually manned by a company or two of rangers. Col. Klock and Lieut.-Col. Wagner had much to do with its im- mediate command. In the fall and winter of 1779 it became the head- quarters of Col. Frederick Visscher, who commanded this and its adjacent military posts, including Fort Plain. This headquarters was changed to Fort Plain in 1780-1, probably with the advent of Col. Willett to command the American forces in the valley. Fort Paris was named after Col. Isaac Paris. The post was ordered built by the Tryon County Committee of Safety, Dec. 19, 1776, and was largely erected by Capt. Christian Getman's company of rangers "under the sole direction and command of Isaac Paris, Esq.," to quote the language of the committee. It was located on what is now the Shull farm and was built of solid hewn timber and was two stories high with the upper story projecting over the lower on all sides. After it was taken down, early in the nineteenth century, its timbers were used in building structures now in existence in that section. Besides these more important posts around Fort Plain there were numer- ous stockaded dwellings called forts generally named from the families who owned them. A small stockaded stone dwelling named Fort Keyser was lo- cated about a mile south of Stone Arabia. In the present village of Canajoharie on the east side of the creek stood the stockaded stone dwelling of Philip Van Alstine. A mile or two south- west of this on the Mapletown road and a mile from the creek stood Fort Ehle. Lieut. Cornelius Van Evera and Ensign John Van Evera were on duty in and around this fort. In the eastern part of the town of St. Johnsville stood "Fort House," named after its builder, although it was the home of Christian Klock. The house of Jacob Zimmerman was also stockaded. Both of these stockades repulsed repeated attacks of the enemy. Fort Hill, which was situated on an eminence in the western part of the town of St. Johnsville, was erected THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 35 during the French war. It was re- paired and used during the Revolution. Thus before a blow had been struck, the settlers of Tryon county had real- ized the gravity of the situation and were prepared for defense. After his unsuccessful attempt to arrest Sir John Johnson in May, in the summer of 1776, Col. Dayton was sent by Gen. Schuyler to look after the defenses in the Mohawk valley. He started the reconstruction of Fort Stanwix (Schuyler), which work was not entirely completed when invested by the enemy in the following year. Col. Dayton is supposed to have had official supervision of the renovation of Fort Herkimer and of the construc- tion of Fort Dayton, which bears his name, at the site of Herkimer. It is reasonable to suppose that he super- vised the erection of Fort Plain at the same time. Elias Dayton was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, in 1735. He joined the Colonial army during the French and Indian war. He was a member of the corps called "Jersey Blues," raised in 1759 by Edward Hart, the father of John Hart, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independ- ence. With that corps Dayton fought under Wolfe at Quebec. He was one of the Committee of Safety at Eliza- bethtown at the beginning of the Rev- olution. In February, 1778, congress appointed him colonel of a New Jer- sey regiment, and in 1782 he was pro- moted to the rank of brigadier-gen- eral. He was in several of the prin- cipal battles of the Revolution and had three horses shot under him — one at Germantown, one at Springfield and one at Crosswick Bridge. He was the first president of the Society of the Cincinnati of New Jersey, and, during the life of Washington, enjoyed the warm personal friendship of the na- tional leader. He died at Elizabeth- town in 1807, aged 72 years. "stood on the farm long owned by Ralph Manning, about half a mile east of north from the present Middle- burgh railroad station." It was built by soldiers and citizens, the farmers drawing the material together and the soldiers doing a great part of the building. The Upper Fort was situ- ated five miles west of south from the Middle Fort. It was begun in the fall of 1777 and completed the following summer. The Lower Fort, situated six miles north of the Middle Fort. The stone church, still standing one mile north of the court house, was enclosed within the palisades of this fortification. Three forts were erected in the Schoharie valley in the fall of 1777, the central being the first one built. It was known during the Revolution as the Middle Fort 'and, Simms sayS, CHAPTER X. 1776 — Adjacent Settlers and Buildings — Some Thrilling Incidents. The following deals with some of the buildings and families immediately around Fort Plain and in the Canajo- harie-Palatine districts during the Revolutionary period, 1775-1783. Across the river from the fort was the dwelling and farm of Peter W. Wormuth, whose son Matthew was shot down in 1778 while carrying de- spatches between Fort Plain and Cherry Valley. Here Washington stopped and remained over night on his visit to Fort Plain in 1783. Di- rectly across the river was the Wag- ner farm where a ferry ran later and probably then. Beside the Lipe family an imme- diate neighbor of Fort Plain, on the Minden side of the river, was William H. Seeber, who had a store and dwell- ing on the late Adam Lipe place. His store was opened about 1750 and he traded here during the French war. He was a member of the Tryon County Committee of Safety of the Canajo- harie district and a major of militia in the battalion from the same district. He was wounded at Oriskany and died 126 days after at his home. Two of his sons were with him in this battle. One, Audolph, was killed on the field and the other, Capt. Jacob W. Seeber, fell with a wounded leg and died short- ly after it was amputated at Fort Her- 36 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN kimer. The land on which Fort Plain was built was owned by Johannes Lipe, who had a dwelling and barns next to it. A neighbor of considerable size and importance at the time was the first Reformed Dutch church of Canajoharie, situated at Sand Hill, about a third of a mile north of the fort, and a little distance above the Abeel place on the Dutchtown road. This was a wooden building and stood on a sightly place on the westerly side of the road at what is now the old Sand Hill cemetery. At the time of its burning by Brant, Dominie Gros was its pastor, and from that time to the close of the war he preached in a barn on the Lipe farm in the ravine through which the road ran from the river up to Fort Plain. This barn was removed to make way for another in 1859. Another old dwelling a few yards below it gave way in 1875 to a brick dwelling. One of the ancient wooden structures standing on the left side almost at the beginning of the Dutchtown road is said to be the old parsonage. These buildings, with several others were so near the fort that they were never molested. One of these was the Young house which was superseded by the former Wil- liams residence on Canal street. Sev- eral of these old Sand Hill wooden structures have been destroyed by fire in comparatively recent years. Other adjoining property was that of John Abeel, a Dutch trader of Albany, who came into this part of the Canajoharie district in 1757. He was the father of the Seneca chief, Cornplanter, as mentioned elsewhere, and was engaged in the fur trade among the Six Nations when he be- came enamored of a Seneca girl. Abeel was captured near his home in the raid of 1780 by Brant and Corn- planter and was released by the lat- ter. The half-breed son later visited his relatives at Fort Plain. George Grouse built a log house to the south of the fort and between it and the Governor Clarke place. This cabin was burned by Brant in 1780. The Clarke wilderness home is mentioned at length in an early chapter. The Clarke property came into the possession of Isaac Paris jr., who built a large store upon it in 1786 (now the Bleecker house). Paris built this store after the Revolution but he must have owned the Clarke property as early as 1782 as he sold part of it to George Grouse jr. and Col. Willett, who boarded with Grouse, advised the latter to buy it. Willett did not com- mand here after 1782. The land was to be paid for in wheat at 18 cents per skipple (three pecks). Later Col. Robert Grouse built a house on the cellar of the Clarke mansion and this was later the residence now standing of the late A. J. Wagner. The Grouse farm, on which so much of Fort Plain was built, was probably the original Clarke property. Among the soldiers and people of the country surrounding Fort Plain in the districts of Palatine and Canajo- harie, who had experiences in the war we summarize the following from Beer's History: "John Brookman was carried captive to Canada by the Indians and made to run the gauntlet; Castine Bellinger, who was taken by the Indians to Canada when only three years old, where she afterward married and refused to re- turn when found by her father, Fred- erick Bellinger; Christian, Jacob and Peter Bellinger, who were captured by the Indians, the last two tomahawked and scalped and Christian held for three years as a slave; Nicholas eas- ier, John easier, a baker for the army who is said to have kneaded dough with his feet; Jacob Conkling, mate of the brig Middleton; John Chisley; Geoxge Cjock; Abram Copeman, a Revolutionary major; George Dieven- dorff, a captain; John Dievendorff, who escaped from captivity two years after he had been taken by the In- dians; Henry Dievendorff, who was shot at Oriskany by an Indian who was immediately killed by William Cox; Jacob Dievendorff, a captain, who passed safely through the war; George Davis, who was in the battles with Burgoyne and at one time with two THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 37 other patriots, captured three Tories, whom Davis took to Albany; John Peter Dunckel; John Dlllenbeck, a captain; George Dillenbeck, brother of the former, who in the war lost an eye from an Indian bul- let and after drew a pension; Cor- nelius Flint; Mrs. Dr. Frame, mur- dered by Indians while trying to es- cape to Fort Nellis; Peter Flagg, a soldier at Fort Plain under Col. Wil- lett; Henry J. Failing; John Gremps, a fifteen-year-old patriot soldier who was killed at Oriskany; Peter Gremps, who put out a fire kindled by Indians in his house, with a barrel of swill, during the Stone Arabia raid; Chris- tian Hufnail; Peter H. House; Samuel Howe; Rudolph Keller, who was taken to Canada by the Indians and died of consumption when he returned within six months; Peter Lambert, a spy; John L,ambert,_who was captured by "the Indians when twelve years old and on his return two years after was known only to his mother by a scar on his arm, and could not eat regular food but would go into the woods and cook for himself, Indian fashion; Adam Lipe, wounded during the war; John Llpe; George Lambert, a butcher in the army; Moses Lowell, soldier; Francis Lighthall; Isaac Miller, who was taken by the Indians, scalped and left for dead but revived, reached friends and recovered; John Miller, a soldier and one of the pursuers of Brant; Jacob Matthews; Solomon, John Henry, Jacob and Henry Moyer, soldiers, the last wounded in the shoul- der; Nicholas Pace; John Roof, a sol- dier at Oriskany; John Roof, another of the same name, a soldier at the Johnstown battle; Henry and Peter Sitts, the latter of whom, while riding with Wormuth from Cherry Valley to Fort Plain, had his horse shot down and, falling under it, was captured and kept in Canada during the war; Bar- bara Schenck, captured by the In- dians while pulling flax and taken thinly dressed and barefoot to Canada with her baby and a girl of eleven, were cared for by a Tory who recog- nized them, later returned to their home, except the daughter, who mar- ried and went to New England; Henry Sanders, whose head was scratched by a bullet at Oriskany; Peter and John Snyder; Henry Seeber, a paymaster in the army; Henry Tim- merman, who was sixteen when he was in the block-house at St. Johns- ville when it was attacked by Brant; Giles Van Vost; Nicholas Van Slyke, a boatman on the Mohawk, who boast- ed of having killed 47 Indians, but who was finally killed by them and his body mutilated; Jacob Wagner; Jos. H. Wiles; Wilkes, grandfather of Mat- thew Wilkes, a scout; M. Wormuth, who was shot dead when Sitts was taken; Henry Waffle; G. Walrath, who was captured by the Indians but killed his guard and escaped into a swamp, where he covered himself with mud and eluded search; Jacob Walrath, George Yoneker, Adam, John and Nancy Yordon, the latter of whom was taken a prisoner to Canada and there married; Christian Young and Henry Galler, who was killed in the war." It is impossible to give the names of all who participated in the Rev- olution. More of these soldiers' names will be found in the Canajoharie and Palatine names on the Oriskany ros- ter. Other Minden families are con- sidered at greater length in the chap- ter on Brant's Minden raid of 1780. In the Palatine district, among other neighbors of Fort Plain, was the patriot Major John Frey and his Tory brother, Hendrick Frey, both sons of Heinrich Frey jr., who was possibly the first white child born in the wilderness west of Schenectady. Henrich Frey sr., in 1689, had settled on 300 acres of land, at the now town of Palatine Bridge, where he built a log cabin. This was succeeded in 1739 by a stone dwelling which is often called Fort Frey, and is still stand- ing. It had a row of portholes on all sides and was stockaded during the French war and occupied by several companies of soldiers. Col. Hendrick Frey, being the oldest son, inherited his father's landed estate which had grown to be of large size. He was educated at the school of Rev. Mr. 38 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Dunlap in Cherry Valley, and married a sister of Gen. Herkimer. He had been a colonel of Colonial troops un- der the Johnsons and with Guy John- son had been the first to represent Tryon county in the assembly. After some delay Col. Hendrick Frey went over to the cause of England. Major John Frey was born in 1740 and later educated also at Cherry Valley. He married a niece of Gen. Herkimer. At the age of sixteen he joined Bradstreet's expedition, to take Fort Niagara from the French, with the rank of lieutenant. He was a jus- tice of Tryon county, a member of the Committee of Safety and in 1776 its chairman. He was the first sheriff of Tryon county elected by the people. At Oriskany, Maj. Frey was wounded in the arm and taken a prisoner to Canada. It is said that he was in danger of being killed by his own brother, a Tory, after the battle. He held important offices and died at the age of 93. Peter Wagner lived on what is now the Smith farm in the town of Pala- tine and in sight of the Fort Plain location. His stone house was forti- fied and called Fort Wagner during the war. He was a member of the Committee of Safety and lieutenant- colonel in the Palatine battalion at Oriskany. Captains William Fox jr., Christo- pher P. Fox and Christopher W. Fox, commanded companies the first, sec- ond and third companies of the Pala- tine battalion. Their home was near Palatine Church. They fought at Oriskany and Christopher P. Fox was killed there. Peter Fox of near Palatine Church, was at Oriskany where he shot an In- dian. He also fought at Klock's Field, near his home. In the Palatine district, other set- tlers and soldiers adjacent to Fort Plain were John Cook of Stone Arabia, who was wounded in the jaw, but escaped, at Oriskany; Jo- hannes Schnell of Palatine, who lost all his sons at Oriskany; Philip Nellis of Palatine, who was wounded in the shoulder at Oriskany; Conrad Kilts of Palatine, who fought at Oriskany, Johnstown and Stone Arabia, and was at Col. Brown's side when he fell; George Spraker of Sprakers, who with his four sons fought in the Revolution, and the tavern built on his place was famous as the Spraker tavern; John Wohlgemuth of Palatine, a soldier sta- tioned for a time at Fort Plain; John Marcellus of Palatine, a minute man, who was stationed for a time at Fort Paris; Peter Loucks, first lieutenant of the third company of the Palatine battalion; Adam Loucks of Stone Arabia, at whose house was held meetings of the Committee of Safety; Isaac Paris, a member of the county committee, of Stone Arabia, who fought as a colonel under Herkimer at Oriskany and who was stripped, kicked and clubbed by the Tories and finally barbarously murdered by the Indians; County Committeemen An- drew Reber, who then occupied the Nellis property near the Fort Plain railroad station; Major John Eisen- lord, who was an excellent penman and secretary of the county committee, and a man of good education and con- siderable wealth and who was killed at Oriskany. Andrew Fink of Palatine was a member of the Committee of Safety. He joined the Second New York regi- ment under Col. Goove Van Schaick, in 1775, and was a first lieutenant in the company commanded by Capt. Christopher P. Yates. He was later promoted to a captaincy and in 1781 became a major and served under Col. Willett at Fort Plain and in the sur- rounding territory. In the campaign of 1778 he was with the army under the immediate command of Washing- ton and was in the battle of Mon- mouth. He fought at Johnstown under Willett in 1781. George Ecker jr., a member of the Committee of Safety, lived about a mile north of Palatine Bridge. Captain Andrew Dillenbeck of Stone Arabia was the hero of a fight at Oriskany which resulted in his death. Jacob I. Snell of Palatine fought under Col. Brown at Stone Arabia. After that officer fell, Snell attempted i^ THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAINi. 39 to escape when he was chased by In- dians, wounded in the shoulder, scalp- ed and left to die. He revived, reach- ed Fort Paris and eventually recov- ered. His oldest brother was killed in the battle. Malachi Bauder was a soldier at Fort Paris and there kept his family for safety. One August Sunday morn- ing he went to his home to examine the premises, taking along two of his sons, Malachi and Leonard, aged ten and twelve years. After going about the place for some time Malachi sen- ior became drowsy and lay down in his orchard under the trees and went to sleep, the two boys meantime playing about the house. A small party of In- dians stole up at the time, and see- ing the boys, captured them and took them to Canada. After a time they were exchanged and shipped for home, with other prisoners, by way of Lake Champlain. At a landing Mala- chi strayed away and the boat left him. After a year or more his father getting trace of him left for New Eng- land, found his son and brought him back. Dr. George Vache was without doubt, the first physician in Palatine. During the Revolution he was in the army. On one occasion he was pur- sued by Indians and, with his horse, swam the Mohawk three times in one night, each time being warned by a little dog which closely followed him. Dr. Younglove was a surgeon and was with Herkimer's army at Oriskany and was captured. His thrilling story is related elsewhere. In the present Canajoharie town- ship, in 1770, were grist mills on the Canajoharie creek, owned by Gose Van Alstine and Col. Hendrick Frey. The present town of St. JohnsviHe was settled about 1725. Most of the early settlers were Germans. Among them were families named Helle- brandt, Waters, Getman, Van Riepen, Walrath and Klock. The first settle- ment in the present village of St. JohnsviHe was made in 1776 by Jacob Zimmerman, who built the first grist mill in the town soon after. As early as 1756 a Reformed church was erect- ed in the eastern part of the town by Christian Klock.- The Rev. Mr. Rosen- krantz was the fiirst preacher and Rev. John Henry Disland, the second. Christopher Nellis kept a tavern in 1783 and a store in 1801. Capt. Jacob Klock, at whose house the Committee of Safety met, June 16, 1775, lived about a mile below the village of St. JohnsviHe. He was a member of the Tryon County Committee of Safety, and in September, 1775, was appointed colonel of the Second (Palatine) Bat- talion of the Tryon county committee, which position he held till the close of the war. Capt. Christian House was an earnest patriot of the Revolu- tion. He lived at that time near the west line of St. JohnsviHe township. He converted his house into a fort and stockaded it at his own expense. He served the American cause faithfully during the war and died soon after. Capt. House was buried in an old burial plot, still in existence near the former site of Fort House, where lie the ashes of many a gallant soldier of the Revolution. Near where the East Creek depot now stands, Andrew Helmbold was surprised by Indians while plowing. He was slain, but suc- ceeded in killing two of the savages with a paddle which he carried on his plow. The town of Root was formerly in part a portion of the old Canajoharie district. Some of its pre-Revolution- ary settlers were families by the names of Keller, Meyers, Bellinger, Tanner, Lewis and Dievendorff. The town of Danube, now in Herki- mer county, formed the extreme western part of the Revolutionary Canajoharie district and was probably settled at about the same period as the rest of the district (some time be- tween 1720 and 1730). It is of con- siderable interest as it contains the residence of Gen. Herkimer and the monument to him in the adjoining family plot. Danube also was the seat of the upper Canajoharie Mohawk castle. Here a fort was built by Sir William Johnson to protect the friendly Mohawks, from French in- cursion, in 1755. Here a church was 40 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN also built by Sir William Johnson, under the supervision it is said, of Samuel Clyde of Cherry Valley, about 1760. Joseph Brant, in his younger years, was a resident of the Mohawk Castle and an intimate acquaintance sprang up between him and Herkimer when they were young men. Old King Hendrick, the celebrated Mo- hawk chief, who fell fighting under Johnson at Lake George, is said to have passed his last years here. Dur- ing the Revolution hostile Indians tried to steal the bell of the old Castle church, but forgot to secure the clap- per and its clanging in the night aroused the German settlers, who sal- lied forth and recaptured it. The town of Manheim, of Herkimer county, formed the extreme western end of the old Palatine district. Ben- ton places its settlement at about 1755. Among the names of the pre-Revolu- tionary settlers are Timmerman, Schnell, Reimensnyder, Boyer, Keyser, Van Slyke, Newman, Shaver, Klacks, Adle, Garter. There were nine men of the Schnell or Snell family who went into the Oriskany battle under Her- kimer. Two returned and seven were killed. CHAPTER XI. 1777 — Oriskany — Willett's Trip — Ar- nold's March — Enemy Flees. In the summer of 1777 the intended invasion of the Mohawk valley by St. Leger was seasonably announced to the Tryon county authorities by Thomas Spencer, an Oneida half-breed sachem, who had learned of it in Canada on a spying expedition. He reported that there were 700 Indians and 400 British regulars at Oswego, who were to be later joined by 600 Tories, for the invasion of the valley to effect a junction with Burgoyne at Albany. For a time th's startling news seemed to throw the Tryon county Whigs into a panic and many wavered in their Continental allegi- ance. The valley Tories remaining took on new heart and activity. The militia rangers constantly scouted the frontier and the farmers went armed at their work. Letters of John Jay and General Schuyler at this time sternly criticise the Tryon county Whigs for their panic-stricken condi- tion and lack of self-reliance. Schuy- ler wrote that he had sent Col. Van Schaick's and Col. Wesson's regiments into Tryon county and says further: "But if I may be allowed to judge of the temper of Gen. Herkimer and the committee of Tryon county, from * their letters to me, nothing would sat- isfy them unless I march the whole army into that quarter. With defer- ence to the better judgment of the Council of Safety, I cannot by any means think it prudent to bring on an open rupture with the savages at the present time. The inhabitants of Tryon county are already too much inclined to lay down the'r arms and take whatever terms the enemy may be pleased to afford them. Half the militia from this (Tryon) county and the neighboring state of Massachu- setts we have been under the neces- sity of dismissing; but the whole should go." In the light of the truly heroic part the Mohawk valley men played in the conflicts which followed, the opinion must prevail that Gen. Schuyler did not read aright the temper of these militia men. A few days prior to the date of this letter written from Fort Edward, July 18, 1777. the county com- mittee had been called upon to rein- force Fort Stanwix, or Port Schuyler, as later called. Of the 200 militia or- dered to muster and garrison this post, only a part responded. They had also ordered two companies of regular troops, stationed at different points in the county under their direction, to go to Fort Schuyler. These regulars made various excuses, among them that their duties as scouts unfitted them for garrison work, but they reluct- antly complied. Realizing that Tryon county must depend practically on its own men to resist th's invasion. Gen. Herkimer, on July 17, 1777, issued a proclamation announcing that 2,000 "Christians and savages" had assem- bled at Oswego for a descent upon the Mohawk valley, and warning the en- THE STOEY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 41 tire population to be ready at a mo- ment's notice to take the field in fight- ing order, the men from 16 to 60 for active service and the aged and infirm to defend the women and children at points where they might gather for safety. Those who did not voluntarily muster for service when called upon were to be brought along by force. At this time many valley men were fight- ing in other American armies. The Oneida chief, Thomas Spencer, warned the committee, on July 30, that the enemy would be upon Fort Schuyler in a few days. On Aug. 2, Lieut.-Col. Mellon, of Col. Wesson's regiment, arrived at the fort with two batteaux of provisions and ammuni- tion and a reinforcement of 200 men, both sorely needed. As the last load of supplies was hurried into the stock- ade, the vanguard of St. Leger's army broke from the surrounding forest. St. Leger came down on Fort Schuyler from Oswego by way of Oneida lake and Wood creek, boating his supplies in flat boats through those waterways. His progress was con- siderably delayed in Wood creek by the tactics of the Americans, who had felled trees across that stream. This delay in the British advance was of vital value to Gansevoort's force at Fort Schuyler. This advance party of the enemy was commanded by Lieut. Bird and Joseph Brant. Col. Gansevoort com- manding the fort had 750 men with six weeks provisions and plenty of small arm ammunition, but not many cartridges for the cannon, there being only about nine per day for six weeks. The garrison had no flag when the enemy appeared, but a curious patch- work, conforming to the recent con- gressional regulations, soon waved over the fort. Shirts were cut up to form the white stripes, the red was supplied by pieces of scarlet cloth and the . ground for the stars was made from a blue cloak. This is said to have been the earliest use of the stars and stripes in regular siege and bat- tle. On Aug. 3, St. Leger arrived in front of the fort with his entire force and demanded its surrender, sending in a pompous manifesto at the same time, both matters being treated with derision by Gansevoort and his men. Active hostilities at once began, sev- eral soldiers in the fort being killed by the enemy's gun fire on the first and second days. At the news of St. Leger's invest- ment of Fort Schuyler, Gen. Herkimer summoned the militia to action. Not only the militia, but most of the mem- bers of the county committee took the field. The patriots concentrated at Fort Dayton to the number of ovef 800. This Tryon militia was composed al- most entirely of farmers, some in uni- form and others in homespun and buckskin. Molly Brant, then. at the Canajoharie Castle, warned St. Leger of Herkimer's intended advance. The non-combat- ants, women, children, aged and in- firm, were gathered in the valley forts during this movement. Forts Dayton, Herkimer, Plain, Paris, Johnstown, Hunter and the smaller posts held their quota of these defenseless ones. A few able-bodied men were probably assigned to each fort, in ad- dition to the boys, old men and infirm, who were expected to aid in the de- fense. These posts were also the ren- dezvous of the militia of the neighbor- hood for the march to German Flats. At Fort Dayton was a garrison con- sisting of part of Col. Wesson's Mas- sachusetts regiment, but Herkimer left them there and set out on his march, starting on August 4. The patriot Tryon county regiment followed the road on the north side of the river, passing through the clearings, which became more and more infrequent, and plunging into the dense forests. On account of the great number of wagons which were being convoyed, the little army was strung out for a distance of two miles or more. Most of these oxcarts were loaded with supplies and pro- visions for Fort Schuyler. The pro- gress of these wagons along the nar- row trail was difficult and the advance of the American militia was neces- sarily slow. The first night's camp was made west of Staring creek, about twelve miles from Fort Dayton. 42 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN On the morning of August 5, Her- kimer and his men pushed on west- ward until they came to the ford op- posite old Fort Schuyler, where they crossed to the south bank. The Am- erican force might have continued on the north side, but this would have necessitated the transportation of all the ox-carts across the river at Fort Schuyler, in the face of the enemy, and the Tryon county general judged this too hazardous a proceeding. This ford was at the present site of Utica. Her- kimer's camp on that night (August 5) extended between the Oriskany creek and Sauquoit creek, upward of two miles through the forest. It was guarded on the west by Oriskany bluff and on the east by the Mohawk river. Three scouts were sent forward to inform Col. Gansevoort of the approach of Herkimer's force. The discharge of three cannon at the fort was to be the signal of their arrival there and for Herkimer to advance upon the enemy while Gansevoort made a sortie against their camp. The scouts sent to Gansevoort by Herkimer were Hel- mer, Demuth and an unknown. With the wisdom of an old frontier fighter, it was Herkimer's intention to stop at this point on the morning of August 6 and do some reconnoitering, while awaiting the expected signals. St. Leger, aware of the patriot ad- vance, had sent a detachment of In- dians under Brant and Tories under Col. Butler and Major Watts to meet them. Herkimer's subordinates were anxious to advance before the ex- pected signal from the fort and on the morning of August 6, became practic- ally mutinous. His officers attacked him violently for the delay and Cols. Cox and Paris denounced him as a coward and a Tory. Calmly the gen- eral told them that he considered him- self charged with the care as well as the leadership of his men and did not wish to place them in a perilous po- sition from which it would be im- possible to extricate them; he added that those who were boasting loudest of their courage, would be first to run in the face of the enemy, and satisfied the clamor of his officious subordinates by giving the order "Vorwaert." With great shouting the undisciplined mi- litia grasped their arms and rushed forward. Doubtless Gen. Herkimer realized that his officers and men, or a considerable part of them, would have gone on without him, and hence he gave the order to advance. The line of march soon led into a curving ravine with a marshy bottom, traversed by a causeway of logs and earth. Along this road the patriots were rushing hastily forward when the advance guard was shot down and the forest rang with Indian yells. The enemy cut off the baggage train and the rear battalion of Col. Visscher, which was pushed back in a disor- derly retreat, although Capt. Gardi- nier's company and some others of Visscher's men succeeded in pushing forward and joining the American main body. They were pursued and badly punished by the Indians. The 600 men left in the ravine were thrown into confusion and for a time seemed likely to be annihilated, as the slaughter was terrific. Al- though undisciplined and insubordi- nate, they were not panicstricken and soon were fighting back effectively against an enemy of more than double their number. Early in the action Gen. Herkimer was severely wounded by a bullet which shattered one of his legs just below the knee and killed his horse. Directing h's saddle to be placed against a tree, and having his wounds bound as well as possible, he lit his pipe, supported himself by his saddle and calmly directed the battle. After an hour of fighting with the foe closing gradually in upon them, Captain Seeber, without orders, threw the remnant of his men into a circle, the better to repel the attacks of the enemy. This example was followed by other sections of Herkimer's little army, whose defense from then be- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 43 came so effective that it was thought necessary for a part of the Royal Greens and Butler's Rangers to make a bayonet charge. Thus old valley neighbors fought each other in this deadly hand-to-hand combat, when a heavy thunderstorm broke upon the fighters in the little ravine. The Tories drew off and there was a lull in the conflict. Herkimer's men took advantage of this to concentrate upon an advantageous piece of ground. Another piece of tactics now adopted was to place two men behind a single tree to fire alternately, thus protect- ing each other from the savages, who, when a marksman was alone, rushed upon him and tomahawked him as soon as he had fired and before he could reload. Meanwhile the Indians, good for nothing at the point of the bayonet and being severely punished were wavering. The signal gun from the fort now sounded gratefully upon the ears of the grimly-fighting farmers. Col. Wil- lett was assaulting St. Leger's camp. Here Brant tried an Indian trick of sending a company of Johnson's Greens disguised with American hats toward the patriots. Capt. Jacob Gardinier of Visscher's regiment, was the first to detect the stratagem. To Lieut. Jacob Sammons, who thought them friends, said Gardinier: "Not so; don't you see them green coats?" They were hailed by Captain Gardi- nier, just at which moment one of his own men, seeing a friend, as he sup- posed, approaching, sprang forward and offered his hand, which was grasped and he was drawn into the advancing corps a prisoner. The American struggled to free himself and Gardinier, jumping into the melee, killed the Tory captor with the blow of a spontoon. Instantly the captain was set upon by several of the enemy, one of whom he slew, and wounded another. Three of the foe now grap- pled with Gardinier and hurled him to the ground and held him there while one of the "Greens" pinioned his thigh to the ground with a bayonet. Another attempted to thrust a bayonet into his chest, but he caught it and jerked its owner down upon his body where he held him as a protection, until Adam Miller, one of his own men, came to his rescue and, with his clubbed musket, brained one of the assailants who was holding down the fighting captain. The other two now turned upon Miller, when Gardinier, partly rising", snatched up his spear and killed one of them, who proved to be Captain McDonald of Johnson's Greens, who is believed to have been the invader of the Schoharie settle- ments a short time before. In one of these terrible hand-to-hand fights. Captain Watts was fearfully wounded and taken prisoner, and Captains Hare and Wilson of Johnson's Greens were killed. The enemy being thus unmasked, a bloody fight at close quarters ensued. Bayonets, clubbed guns, swords, pis- tols, tomahawks, war clubs, spears and knives were used with murderous ef- fect. In this fierce melee the valley farmers had the advantage and killed and beat back their enemies, until the Indians sounded their call of retreat, "Oonah, oonah," and slunk back into the forest. Thus deserted, the Tories fled, leaving the field in the possession of the Tryon county militia, whom a miracle had saved from extermination. During the six hours of conflict nearly 200 Americans had been killed. The wooded glen was littered with hun- dreds of wounded, dead and dying of both forces. The loss of the enemy was about 200, including 100 Indians. The enemy precipitately retired from the field and left the provincials master of it at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The decimated battalions were, by their surviving commanders as far as practicable, hastily reorgan- ized. The wounded, having been 44 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN placed upon rude litters, the troops took up their mournful retrograde march, and encamped that night on the site of old Fort Schuyler (now Utica), eight miles from the battle- field. From this point, Gen. Herki- mer and Capt. Jacob Seeber and pos- sibly one or two others of the wounded, were taken down the river in a boat to Fort Herkimer. At this place, Capt. Seeber was left with a broken leg, which was amputated and he bled to death. Gen. Herkimer was taken to his home below Little Falls — probably in a boat to the head of the rapid — and died there ten days later. It is stated that Lieut.-Col. Campbell and Major Clyde brought off the shattered troops. Colonel Willett, on the way down the valley to obtain relief from Gen. Schuyler for the fort bearing his name, wrote a letter concerning the siege by St. Leger and Willett's sortie. It was published in the Connecticut Courant, August 27, 1777, and is in part as follows: "On Saturday evening, Aug. 2d, five battoes arrived with stores for the garrison. About the same time, we discovered a number of fires, a little better than a mile from the northwest of the fort. The stores were all got safe in, and the troops which were a guard to the batteaux marched up. [This was part of a Massachusetts regiment under Lieut. Col. Mellon from Fort Dayton.] The Captain of the bateaux and a few of his men, de- laying their time about the boats, were fired on by a party of Indians, which killed one man and wounded two, the Captain himself was taken prisoner. "Next morning the enemy appeared in the edge of the woods about a mile below the fort, where they took post, in order to invest it upon that quarter and to cut off the communication with the country from whence they sent in a flag, who told us of their great power, strength and determination, in such a manner as gave us reason to suppose they were not possessed of strength to take the fort. Our answer was, our determination to support it. "All day on Monday, we were much annoyed by a sharp fire of musketry from the Indians and German riflemen as our men were obliged to be exposed on the works, killed one man and wounded seven. The day after, the firing was not so heavy, and our men were under better cover; all the dam- age was one man killed by a rifle ball. This evening [Tuesday, Aug. 5], in- dicated something in contemplation by the enemy. The Indians were uncom- monly noisy, they made most horrid yellings great part of the evening in the woods, hardly a mile from the fort. A few cannon shot were flred among them. [The batteaux guard, which brought into Fort Schuyler, the five boatloads of supplies were part of Col. Wesson's Massachusetts regiment from Fort Dayton, under command of Lieut. Col. Mellon. The German riflemen, referred to, composed a company of St. Leger's very mixed force of British valley Tories, Indians and these Germans.] "Wednesday morning there was an unusual silence. We discovered some of the enemy marching along the edge of the woods downwards. About 11 o'clock three men got into the fort, who brought a letter from Gen. Her- kimer of the Tryon County militia, advising us that he was at Eriska [Oriskany], eight miles off, with a part of his militia and purposed to force his way to the fort for our relief. In order to render him what service we could, it was agreed that I should make a sally from the fort with 250 men, consisting of one-half Ganse- voort's and one-half Massachusetts ditto, and one field piece — an iron three pounder. "The men were instantly paraded and I ordered the following disposi- tion to be made. [Here follows the ar- rangement of his troops and plan of march.] Nothing could be more for- tunate than this enterprise. We to- tally routed two of the enemy's en- campments, destroyed all the provi- sions that were in them, brought off upwards of 50 brass kettles and more than 100 blankets, [two articles which were much needed.] With a quantity THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 45 of muskets, tomahawks, spears, am- munition, clothing, deersliins, a variety of Indian affairs and Ave colors — the whole of which, on our return to the fort, were displayed on our flag- staff under the Continental flag. The In- dians took chiefly to the woods, the rest of the troops then at the posts, to the river. The number of men lost by the enemy is uncertain, six lay dead in their encampment, two of which were Indians; several scattered about in the woods; but their greatest loss appear- ed to be in crossing the river, and no inconsiderable number upon the oppo- site shore. I was happy in preventing the men from scalping even the In- dians, being desirous, if possible, to teach Indians humanity; but the men were much better employed, and kept in excellent order. We were out so long that a number of British regulars, accompanied by what Indians, etc., could be rallied, had marched down to a thicket on the other side of the river, about 50 yards from the road we were to cross on our return. Near this place I had ordered the field piece. The ambush was not quite formed when we discovered them, and gave them a well-directed fire. Here, es- pecially, Maj. Bedlow with his field piece, did considerable execution. Here, also, the enemy were annoyed by a fire of several cannon from the fort, as they marched round to form the ambuscade. The enemy's fire was very wild, and although we were much exposed, did no execution at all. We brought in four prisoners, three of whom were wounded. * * * From these prisoners we received the first accounts of Gen. Herkimer's militia being ambuscaded on their march, and of the severe battle they had with them about two hours before, which gave us reason to think they had, for the present, given up their design of marching to the fort. I should not do justice to the officers and soldiers who were with me on this enterprise, if I was not, in most positive terms, to as- sure their countrymen that they, in general, behaved with the greatest gallantry on this occasion; and, next to the very kind and signal interposi- tion of Divine Providence, which was powerfully manifested in their favor, it was undoubtedly owing to that noble intrepidity which discovered itself in this attack, and struck the enemy with such a panic as disenabled them from taking pains to direct their fire, that we had not one man killed or wounded. The officers, in general, be- haved so well that it is hardly right to mention the names of any particular ones for their singular valor. But, so remarkably intrepid was Capt. Van Benscoten [he commanded the ad- vance guard of 30 men] and so rapid was his attack, that it demands from me this testimony of his extraordinary spirit." Among the effects taken from the enemy's camp were several bundles of papers and letters, which had been taken from Gen. Herkimer's baggage wagons a few hours before, not yet opened, one of which was for Col. Willett. There were also papers of Sir John Johnson, St. Leger and other of- ficers of the enemy's camp, some of which were of service. Willett writes further: "That evening (August 8) it was agreed by the field officers that I should undertake with Lieut. Stock- well — who is a good woodsman — to endeavor to get down into the coun- try and procure such force as would extirpate the miscreant band. After a severe march, of about 50 miles, through the wilderness, we in safety arrived at this place" (supposed to mean Fort Dayton, but as Fort Plain is 50 miles from Fort Schuyler, it may be that this letter was written from the local fort). This was a heroic and hazardous enterprise and resulted in bringing up Arnold's force. From the daj^ of Oriskany until the enemy reached Oswego on their re- treat a number of American prisoners were barbarously beaten and murder- ed by Tories and Indians. Col. Paris of Palatine and Robert Grouse of Min- den were among these. Some of these victims were eaten by the Indians. A letter of Col. Glaus shows the de- sire of the Tryon 'county Tories to murder and pilfer the homes of their old neighbors after the battle: "Sir 46 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLA/iV John Johnson proposed (while siege of Fort Schuyler was still being prose- cuted) to march down the country with about 200 men, and I intended joining him with a sufficient body of Indians, but the Brigadier (St. Leger) said he could not spare the men, and disapproved of it. The inhabitants in general were ready (as we afterward learned) to submit and come in. A flag was sent to invite the inhabitants to submit and be forgiven, and assur- ance given to prevent the Indians from being outrageous; but the com- manding officers of the German Flats (Fort Dayton) hearing of it seized the flag, consisting of Ensign Butler of the Eighth Regiment, ten soldiers and three Indians, and took them up as spies. A few days after. Gen. Arnold, coming with some cannon and a rein- forcement, made the inhabitants re- turn to their obedience." Simms says Claus's opinion that the Tryon county settlers were ready to submit was a delusion. St. Leger now made new demands for surrender on Gansevoort, who was ignorant of the result of the effort of Herkimer's men, but who replied that he would defend the fort to the last extremity. Siege operations were re- newed with increasing vigor but the British artillery was too light to be ef- fective. It was feared the garrison might be starved into a surrender if not relieved, and accordingly on the night of the 10th of August, Col. Wil- lett and Maj. Stockwell set out to pass the enemy's lines and rally the sup- port of the county militia with whom Willett was deservedly popular. Reaching Stillwater after a most perilous journey, Col. Willett induced Gen. Schuyler to send Gen. Arnold with a Massachusetts regiment of 800 men for the relief of Fort Schuyler. The force set out the next day, ac- companied by Col. Willett, and reached Fort Dayton where it waited for the militia to assemble, which they did in considerable numbers, considering their recent losses at Oriskany. St. Leger issued manifestos to the people of Tryon county signed by Sir John Johnson and Cols. Butler and Claus, in which he hoped by threats of Indian barbarities to induce Col. Gan- sevoort to surrender. In trying to circulate this document down the val- ley, Walter Butler was arrested by Wesson near Fort Dayton, tried as a spy before Gen. Arnold, and con- victed but was saved from death by the intercession of American of- ficers who knew him. Butler was sent to Albany and imprisoned. Gen. Arnold issued a stirring proclamation calculated to neutralize the effect of the Tory manifesto in the valley. The address issued by Arnold at Fort Dayton, to counteract the Tory proclamation, was well calculated to awe the timid and give courage to the wavering Whigs. The prestige of his name gave great weight to it. He prefaced it with a flourish of his title and position as follows: "By the Hon- orable Benedict Arnold, Esq., general and commander-in-chief of the army of the United States of America on the Mohawk River." He denounced a certain Barry St. Leger "a leader of a banditti of rob- bers, murderers and traitors, composed of savages of America and more sav- age Britons," and denounced him as a seducer of the ignorant and unthink- ing from the cause of freedom, and as threatening ruin and destruction to the people. He then offered a free pardon to all who had joined him or upheld him, "whether savages, Ger- mans, Americans or Britons " provided they laid down their arms and made oath of allegiance to the United States within three days. But if they per- sisted in their "wicked courses" and "were determined to draw on them- selves the just vengeance of Heaven and their exasperated country, they must expect no mercy from either." St. Leger ran forward his trenches to within 150 yards of the fort, but the accurate firing of the garrison pre- vented a nearer approach. His weak artillery had little effect. The defend- ers, utterly ignorant of any relief ap- proaching, began to be apprehensive and some suggested surrender. Ganse- voort stoutly maintained he would de- fend the fort to the last extremity and THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 47 would then try to cut his way out at night. This proved unnecessary as, on the 22d of August, to the surprise and mystification of the fort's defenders, the enemy suddenly broke camp and vanished. This was the result of the cele- brated ruse adopted by Arnold who had captured an eccentric Tory sup- posed to be half-witted, in company with Butler. His name was Han Yost Schuyler and his sentence of death was remitted if he should carry out Arnold's instructions. Schuyler's brother was retained as hostage for his behavior. Bullets were fired through Schuyler's coat and he was sent on his mission, while arrange- ments were made with an Oneida In- dian to reach St. Leger at the same time. Both arrived at short intervals and told an extravagant story of the force on the way to raise the siege. When questioned closely as to the numbers of the provincials marching up the valley the tale-bearers merely pointed to the leaves on the trees. The effect of this story upon the Tory force and particularly upon the Indians can be imagined after the losses they had suffered. The retreat, to Oneida lake and Oswego, was begun at once and, disgusted by the conduct of the campaign, the Indians stripped, robbed and even murdered their late allies. Schuyler next day deserted from the retreating enemy, and re- turned to Fort Schuyler where he told his story and was received with lively demonstrations of joy. Gansevoort sent a party after the flying enemy, which returned with a number of pris- oners, a large quantity of spoil, and St. Leger's desk and private papers. General Arnold sent out from Fort Dayton to Fort Schuyler, after Schuy- ler's departure, a force of 900 soldiers. At the Oriskany battleground they were compelled to make a wide de- tour on account of the terrible stench from the battlefield. Many gruesome sights came to the soldiers' notice, mention of which is added later. Bur- ials of the bodies had been contem- plated but could not be carried out, as the officers feared for the health of the soldiers. At Fort Schuyler, Ar- nold's arrival was greeted with a mili- tary salute and great cheering and demonstrations on the part of the gar- rison. In all probability, had the enemy not run, they would have been soundly beaten by Arnold's and Ganse- voort's men, cut up and disheartened as the British force was by their en- counter with Herkimer and his Mo- hawk valley men at Oriskany. Ar- nold's force undoubtedly contained several hundred of the Tryon county militia who had fought on that fa- mous field two weeks before. Gen. Arnold and his regiment shortly there- after turned back and marched down the valley to Cohoes where he joined the American army gathered to oppose Burgoyne at the mouth of the Mo- hawk. His intrepid valor and immense aid, in the subsequent battles of Still- water, which wiped out the British army, are well known. Whether the action of Herkimer and his men at Oriskany is regarded as an actual defeat, a drawn battle or a practical victory, nevertheless the suc- cessful defense of Fort Schuyler was one of the causes which contributed to Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga. It is to be doubted whether the St. Leger force would have been intimidated so easily had not they suffered severely at the hands of the Tryon county mil- itia. In all the word story of armed conflict there is no more desperate or heroic flght recorded than that in the wooded glen of Oriskany. In the valley homes was great mourning For such a small popu- lation, the losses were almost overwhelming. In some families the male members were almost or even entirely wiped out in some instances. It was many a long weary year before the sorrow and suffering caused by the sacrifices at Oriskany had been forgotten in the valley of the Mohawk. In closing the Oriskany campaign the following letter from the chair- man of the committee to the Albany committee, written three days after the battle, will be found of interest: 48 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN German Flats Committee Chamber. August 9, 1777. Gentlemen: Just arrived Capt. De- muth and John Adam Helmer, the bearer hereof, with an account that they arrived with some difficulty at Fort Schuyler, the 6th of the month, being sent there by Gen. Herkimer. Before he set out for the field of bat- tle, he requested some assistance from the fort in order to make an effort to facilitate our march on the fort. Two hundred and six men were granted. They made a sally, encountered the enemy, killed many, destroyed the tents of the enemy and came off vic- torious to the fort. The commander (of the fort) desired them to acquaint us, and his superiors, that he is want- ing assistance, and thinks to stand out so long that timely assistance could come to his relief. Concerning the battle: On our side, all accounts agreed, that a number of the enemy is killed; the flower of our militia either killed or wounded, ex- cept 150, who stood the field and forced the enemy to retreat; the wounded were brought off by those brave men; the dead they left on the field for want of proper support. We will not take upon us to tell of the behavior of the rear. So far as we know, they took to flight the first firing. Gen. Herkimer is wounded; Col. Cox seemingly killed, and a great many officers are among the slain. We are surrounded by Tories, a party of 100 of whom are now on their march through the woods. We refer you for further in- formation to the bearer. Major W^atts of the enemy is killed. Joseph Brant, William Johnson, several Tories and a number of Indians. Gentlemen, we pray you will send us succor. By the death of most part of our committee officers, the field of- ficers and General being wounded, ev- erything is out of order; the people entirely dispirited; our county as Eso- pus unrepresented, so that we can not hope to stand it any longer without your aid; we will not mention the shocking aspect our fields do show. Faithful to our country, we remain Your sorrowful brethren. The few members of this committee. Peter J. Dygert, Chairman. To the Chairman of the Committee of All)any. Dygert was in error as to the death of Brant and also as to the march of the 100 Tories. Probably many ru- mors were rife in the valley immedi- ately after Oriskany. William Johnson was a half-breed Mohawk and a reputed son of Sir Wil- liam Johnson. CHAPTER XII. 1777 — A Contemporary Account of the Battle at Oriskany — Lossing on Wil- lett's Journey to Schuyler for Aid — The Oriskany Roster. A contemporary account of the Oris- kany battle is appended. This was published in the Pennsylvania Even- ing Post, Aug. 19 and 21, 1777, and is reprinted from that very interesting volume, "Diary of the American Revo- lution:" "Aug. 7: — Yesterday, about nine o'clock, an engagement ensued be- tween a part of the militia of Tryon county, under the command of Gen- eral Herkimer, and a party of sav- ages, Tories and regulars, a short distance from Fort Stanwix [Fort Schuyler]. It lasted till three o'clock in the afternoon, when the British thought proper to retire, leaving Gen- eral Herkimer master of the field. Un-. luckily, however, the General and some valuable officers got wounded or killed in the beginning.. But this did in nowise intimidate the ardor of the men, and the general, although he had two wounds, did not leave the field till the action was over. He seated himself on a log, with his sword drawn, animating his men. "About one o'clock. Colonel Ganse- voort having received information of General Herkimer's march, sent out Lieutenant-Colonel W^illett, with two hundred men, to attack an encamp- ment of the British, and thereby facil- itate General Herkimer's march. In this the colonel succeeded, for after an engagement of an hour he had com- pletely routed the enemy and taken one captain and four privates. The baggage taken was very considerable, such as money, bear skins, officers' baggage and camp equipage; one of the soldiers had for his share a scar- let coat, trimmed with gold lace to the full, and three laced hats. When Colonel Willett returned to the fort, he discovered two hundred regulars In full march to attack him. He im- mediately ordered his men to prepare for battle, and, having a field piece with him, Captain Savage so directed THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 49 its fire as to play in concert witli one out of the fort; these, with a brisk fire from his small arms, soon made these heroes scamper off with great loss. Colonel Willett then marched with his booty into the fort, having Hot a single man killed or wounded. "General St. Leger, who commands the enemy's force in that quarter, soon after sent in a flag to demand the delivery of the fort, offering that the garrison should march out with their baggage, and not be molested by the savages; that, if this was not com- plied with, he would not answer for the conduct of the Indians, if the gar- rison fell into their hands; that Gen- eral Burgoyne was in possession of Albany. Colonel Gansevoort, after animadverting on the barbarity and disgraceful conduct of the British officers, in suffering women and chil- dren to be butchered as they had done, informed the flag that he was resolved to defend the fort to the last, and that he would never give it up so long as there was a man left to de- fend it." Lossing's "Field Book of the Revo- lution" says of the heroic expedi- tion of Willett and Stockwell to get aid for Fort Schuyler: "Meanwhile the people in the Mo- hawk valley were in the greatest con- sternation. St. Leger had arrived from Oswego and was besieging Fort Schuyler, while the Tories and Indians were spreading death and desolation on every hand. Colonel Gansevoort, with a handful of men, was closely shut up in the fort. General Herki- mer, with the brave militia of Tryon county, had been defeated at Oriskany, and the people below hourly expected the flood of destroyers to pour down upon them. It was a fearful emer- gency. Without aid all would be lost. Brave hearts were ready for bold deeds. * * * * * Colonel Wil- lett volunteered to be the messenger, and on a very stormy night, when shower after shower came down furi- ously, he and Lieutenant Stockwell left the fort, by the sally port, at ten o'clock, each armed with a spear, and crept upon their hands and knees along a inprass to the river. They ' crossed it upon a log and were soon beyond the line of drowsy sentinels. It was very dark, their pathway was in a thick and tangled wood, and they soon lost their way. The barking of a dog apprised them of their proximity to an Indian camp, and for hours they stood still, fearing to advance or re- treat. The clouds broke away toward dawn and the morning star in the east, like the light of hope, revealed to them their desired course. They then pushed on in a zig zag way, and, like the Indians, sometimes traversed the bed of a stream to foil pursuers that might be upon their trail. They reached German Flatts in safety and, mounting fleet horses, hurried down the valley to the headquarters of Gen- eral Schuyler who had already heard of the defeat of Herkimer and was devising means for the succor of the garrison at Fort Schuyler. "The American army of the north, then at Stillwater, was in wretched condition and in no shape to offer battle to the advancing forces under Burgoyne. Its commander, Schuyler, ordered a retreat to the Mohawk, and it was during this movement, while the Americans were retiring slowly down the Hudson, that Willett and Stockwell came, asking aid, to the headquarters at Stillwater. "Not a moment was to be lost. The subjugation of the whole valley would inevitably follo\V the surrender of Fort Schuyler and, the victors gaining strength, would fall like an avalanche upon Albany, or, by junction, swell the approaching army of Burgoyne. The prudent foresight and far-reach- ing humanity of General Schuyler at once dictated his course. He called a council and proposed sending a de- tachment immediately to the relief of Fort Schuyler. His officers opposed him with the plea that his whole force was not then sufficient to stay the oncoming of Burgoyne. The clearer judgment of Schuyler made him per- sist in his opinion, and he earnestly sought them to agree with him. While pacing the floor in anxious solicitude, 50 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN he overheard the half-whispered re- mark, 'He means to weaken the army.' Wheeling suddenly toward the slanderer and those around him, and unconsciously biting into several pieces a pipe he was smoking, he in- dignantly exclaimed, 'Gentlemen, I shall take the responsibility upon my- self; where is the brigadier that will take command of the relief? I shall beat up for volunteers tomorrow.' The brave and impulsive Arnold, ever ready for deeds of daring, at once stepped forward and offered his ser- vices. The next morning the drum beat and eight hundred stalwart men were enrolled for the service before meridian. Fort Schuyler was saved and the forces of St. Leger were scat- tered to the winds." Subsequently Schuyler retreated to the Mohawk and fortified Van Schaick's and Haver's island at the mouth of that stream where it empties into the Hudson. Schuyler ordered the grain in his own fields at Saratoga to be burned, in his retreat, to prevent the enemy reaping it. The following is taken from Lossing: "That seemed to tbe the most eligi- ble point [the islands at the Mohawk's mouth] at which to make a stand in defense of Albany against the ap- proaches of the enemy from the north and from the west. At that time there were no bridges across the Hudson or the Mohawk, and both streams were too deep to be fordable except in seasons of extreme drought. There was a ferry across the Mohawk, five miles above the falls (defended by the left wing under Gen. Arnold), and another across the Hudson at Half Moon Point or Waterford. The 'sprouts' of the Mohawk, between the islands, were usually fordable; and as Burgoyne would not, of course, cross the Hudson or attempt the ferry upon the Mohawk, where a few resolute men could successfully oppose him, his path was of necessity directly across the mouth of the river. Forti- fications were accordingly thrown up on the islands and upon the mainland, faint traces of which are still visible." Aug. 6, 1777, occurred the battle of Oriskany. On Aug. 22, St. Leger and his force fled from before Fort Schuy- ler. Aug. 16, the New Hampshire militia, under Stark, beat the enemy at Bennington. Gen. Schuyler's army of the north began to be greatly re- inforced about this time when Gen. Gates superseded him. On Sep. 19 oc- curred the first battle of Stillwater, which was a virtual defeat for the British. On Oct. 7, 1777, Burgoyne was decisively beaten and started to fall back. Oct. 17, the British army sur- rendered to the American force. Over 2,000 of the 6,000 captives were Ger- man mercenaries. Burgoyne's surrender is said to have been somewhat hastened by an Am- erican cannon ball which crossed his l>reakfast table during a council of the British officers. Benedict Arnold was born in Nor- wich, Conn., in 1740, a descendant of Benedict Arnold, one of Rhode Island's early governors. From 1763 to 1767 he kept a drug and book store in New Haven. At the outbreak of the Revo- lution he was in command of a volun- teer company of that city and marched to Cambridge with it. He was in many of the stirring events of the war, up to his treason in 1780. Among his greatest services were his gallant leadership at Saratoga and his clever conduct of the relief of Fort Schuy- ler. He held commands in the British army during the latter part of the war and at its end v.'ent to Eng- land. From 1786 to 1793 he was in business at St. Johns, N. B., where he was so dishonest in his dealings that he was hung in effigy by a mob. He died in London in 1804, aged 63 years. Col. Peter Gansevoort, the intrepid commander of Fort Schuyler, was a Revolutionary patriot and soldier of the highest type and he de- serves a niche in the hall of fame dedicated to the heroes of the Revolu- tion. Gansevoort was born in Albany, July 17, 1749. He accompanied Mont- gomery into Canada in 1775, with the rank of major, and the next year he was appointed a colonel in the New THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 51 York line, which commission he held when he defended Fort Schuyler against St. Leger. For his gallant de- fense of that post he received the thanks of congress, and in 1781 was promoted to the rank of brigadier- general by the state of New York. After the war he was for many years a military agent. He held several of- fices of trust and "was always esteem- ed for his bravery and judgment as a soldier and for his fidelity, Intelligence, and probity as a citizen." He died July 2, 1812, aged 62 years. Of the 800 or more who consti- tuted the patriot army at Oriskany only the following soldiers are record- ed. Some of these are known also to have come from certain Tryon county sections, and wherever this is verified, it is given. The word, Mohawk, refers to the present town of Montgomery county. The letter K appended stands for killed; W for wounded; P for prisoner. Following is the "Oris- kany roster:" Abram, Arndt, Minden Alter, Jacob, Minden Ayer, Frederick, Schuyler Bellinger, Col. Peter, German Flats Bellinger, Lieut. Col. Frederick, German Flats Bell, Capt. Geo. Henry, Fall Hill Bell, Joseph, Fall Hill Bell, Nicholas, Fall Hill Bigbread, Capt. John, Palatine Bauder, Melchert, Palatine Boyer, John, Remesnyderbush Bowman, Capt. Jacob, Canajoharie Blauvelt, Maj. (supposed mur- dered), Mohawk Bellinger, Adam Bliven, Maj. John, Florida, Mo- hawk committee Bellinger, John Billington, Samuel, Palatine Com- mittee of Safety Billington, , Palatine Bargy, Peter, Frankfort Cox, Col. Ebenezer, Danube, Cana- joharie committee Campbell, Lieut. Col. Samuel, Cherry Valley, Canajoharie com- mittee Clyde, Maj. Samuel, Cherry Valley, Canajoharie committee Copeman, Capt. Abram, Canajo- harie Covenhoven (now Conover), Isaac, Glen Casler, Jacob, Minden easier, John, Minden Casler, Adam, Minden K. K. K. W. K. P. K. K. K. W. K. W. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. P. W. K. W. W. K. W. W. W. K. Clock, John L, St. Johnsville Cook, John, Palatine Coppernoll, Richard, Minden Cox, William, Minden Crouse, Robert, Minden Crouse, George, Minden Clemens, Jacob, Schuyler Conover, Peter Cunningham, Andrew, Amsterdam Collier, Jacob, Florida Campbell, Lieut. Robert, Cherry Valley Dievendorf, Capt. Henry. Minden Dillenbeck, Capt. Andrew, Palatine Davis, Capt. John James, Mohawk Davis, Martinus, Mohawk Dievendorf, John, Minden Dunckel, Francis, Freysbush Dygert, Peter, Palatine Dunckel, Hon. (John) Peter, Minden Dunckel, Hon. Garret, Minden Dunckel, Hon. Nicholas, Minden Davis. Benjamin, Mohawk Dockstader, John, German Flats Davy, Capt. Thomas, Springfield Dygert, John, Palatine Committee of Safety Dygert, Capt. William, German Flats Demuth, Capt. Marx, Deerfield DeGraff, Nicholas, Amsterdam Degraff, Capt. Immanuel, Am- sterdam Dygert, Peter S., German Flats Dygert, George, German Flats Dorn, Peter, Johnstown Eisenlord, Maj. John, Palatine (secretary county committee) Empie, Jacob, Palatine Ehle, William, Palatine Ehle, Peter Eysler, John, Remesnyderbush & P. Frey, Maj. John, Palatine, Palatine committee Fox, Capt. Christopher P., Palatine Fox, Capt. Christopher W., Pala- tine, Palatine committee Fox, Peter, Palatine Fox, William, Palatine Fox, Charles, Palatine Fox, Christopher, Palatine Polts, Conrad, Herkimer Failing, Jacob, Canajoharie Failing, Henry, Canajoharie Failing, Henry N., Canajoharie Fralick. Valentine, Palatine Fonda, Jelles, Mohawk Fonda, Adam, Mohawk, Mohawk committee Frank, Adam Gardinier, Capt. Jacob, Glen Gardinier, Lieut. Samuel, Glen Grant, Lieut. Petrus, Amsterdam Geortner, Peter, Minden Geortner, George, Canajoharie Gray, Nicholas, Palatine Gray, Lieut. Samuel, Herkimer Graves, Capt. , Gremps, John (15 years old), Palatine Gros, Capt. Lawrence, Minden. 52 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN w. K. K. K. K. K. K. P. K. K. K. W. K. K. Gray, Silas, Florida Groot, Lieut. Petrus, Amsterdam Harter, Henry, German Flats Herkimer, Gen. Nicholas, Danube, member Canajoharie committee Herkimer, Capt. George, Fort Herkimer, member German Flats committee Helmer, Capt. Frederick, German Flats, German Flats committee Helmer, John Adam, German Flats [Sent to fort by Gen. Herkimer] House, Lieut. John Joseph, Minden Hunt, Lieut. Abel (supposed), Florida Huffnail, Christian Hawn, Conrad, Herkimer Hiller, , Fairfield [shot from a tree-top] Huyck, John, Palatine Hand, Marcus, Florida Hall, William, Glen Hill, Nicholas Klock, Jacob I., Palatine Klepsaddle, Maj. Enos, German Flats Kilts, Conrad, Palatine Kilts, Peter, Palatine Keller, Andrew, Palatine Keller, Jacob, Palatine Keller, Solomon, Palatine Klock, John, St. Johnsville Klock, Col. Jacob G., St. Johnsville, member Palatine committee Klepsaddle, Jacob, German Flats Loucks, Lieut. Peter, Palatine Lintner, George, Minden Lighthall, , Palatine Longshore, Solomon, Canajoharie Louns, Henry, Canajoharie Lighthall, Francis, Ephratah Louis, Col., a St. Regis Indian with Oneidas. [He held a Lieuten- ant's commission, and was usu- ally called Colonel.] Moyer, Jacob, Fairlield [found with his throat cut.] Miller, Adam, Glen Miller, Jelles, Minden Miller, John P., Minden Miller, Henry, Minden Murray, David, Florida McMaster, Lieut. David, Florida Markell, Jacol), Springfield Merckley, William, Palatine Myers, JacoVj, German Flats Myers, Joseph, Herkimer Mowers, Conrad, supposed Danube Mowers, Mowers, , brothers Nellis, Philip, Palatine Nellis, Christian, Palatine Nellis, John D., Palatine Nestell, Peter, Palatine Newkirk, John, Florida Newkirk, Garret, son of John, Florida Paris, Hon. Isaac (murdered). Palatine Committee of Safety Paris, Peter, son of Isaac, Palatine Petry, Dr. William, Fort Herkimer Committee of Safety K. K. K. K. K. W. K. W. K. W. W. K. K. W. K. K. K. K. K. W. K. K. Pettingill, , Mohawk Petry, Lieut. Dederick Marcus, Ger- man Flats, German Flats com- mittee Petry, John Marks, German Flats Pettingall, -, town of Mohawk Putman, Ensign Richard, Johns- town Putman, Martinus, Johnstown Phillips, Cornelius, Florida Price, Adam, Canajoharie Pickard, Nicholas, (Canajoharie Petry, John, Herkimer, German Flats committee Petry, Joseph, Herkimer Petry, Lieut. Han Yost, Herkimer Pritchard, Nicholas, Minden Quackenlnish, Lieut. Abm. D., Glen Rechtor, Capt. Nicholas, Ephratah Radnour, Jacob, ]\Iinden Rother, John, Minden Raysnor, George, Minden Roof, Johannes, Fort Stanwix; af- terwards captain of exempts at Canajoharie Roof, John, a son (Col. of militia after the war) Rasbach, Marx, Kingsland Ritter, , Fairfield. Suffrenus Casselman, a tory, boasted of having cut Ritter's throat. Sammons, Sampson, Mohawk Committee of Safety Sammons, Jacob, Mohawk Shoemaker, Rudolph, Canajoharie Scholl, Ensign John Yost, Ephratah Sitts, Peter, Palatine Sharrar, Christian, Herkimer Sharrar, , a school teacher, Remesnyderbush Staring, Hendrick, Schuyler Shoemaker, Thomas, Herkimer Siebert, Rudolph Shults, George, Stone Arabia Shaull, Henry, Herkimer Shimmel, , Herkimer Sanders, Henry, Minden Shafer, William Seeber, Major William H., Minden, Canajoharie district committee Seeber, Capt. Jacob, Minden Seeber, Suffrenus, Canajoharie Seeber, Audolph, sons of William S., Minden Seeber, James, Canajoharie Seeber, Henry, Canajoharie Seeber, Lieut. John, Canajoharie Spencer, Henry (interpreter), an Oneida Schell, Christian, Schellsbush Smith, George, Palatine Smith, Henry, Swarts, Lieut. Jeremiah, Mohawk Sillenbeck, John G. Shults, John, Palatine Shults, George, Stone Arabia Simimer, Peter Stowitts, Philip G. P., Root Snell, Joseph, Snellsbush (now Manheim) Snell, Jacol), Snellsl)ush Snell, Frederick, Snellsbush THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 53 K. K. K. K. P. W. W. W. K. K. K. W. P. W. K. K. K. P. P. P. W. Snell, Suffrenus, Snellsbush Snell. Peter, Snellsbush Snell, George, Snellsbush Snell, John, Stone Arabia Snell, John, Jun., a fifer, Stone Arabia Snell, Jacob, a committee man, Stone Arabia Sponable, John, Palatine Thum, Adam. St. Johnsville Thompson, Henry, Glen Timmerman, Jacob, St. Johnsville Tlmmerman, Lieut. Henry, St. Johnsville Timmerman, Conrad, St. Johns- ville Visscher, Capt. John, Mohawk Visscher, Col. Frederick, Mohawk, Mohawk committee "Van Alstyne, Martin C, Canajo- harie Van Deusen, George, Canajoharie Vedder, Henry Vols, Conrad, German Flats Vols, Lieut. Jacob, German Flats Van Slyke, Maj. Harmanus, Palatine, Palatine committee Van Slyke, Nicholas, a flfer. Palatine Van Horne, Cornelius, Florida Van Horne, Henry, Florida Van Slyke, , Canajoharie Van Antwerp, John, Glen Wagner, Lieut. Col. Peter, Palatine, Palatine committee Wormuth, , Palatine Wagner, Lieut. Peter, Palatine Wagner. George, Palatine Wagner, John. Palatine (sons of Lieut. Col. Peter Wagner) Wagner, Jacob, Minden Wagner, John, Canajoharie Walrath, Garret, Minden Walter, George, Palatine Westerman, Peter, Minden Wohle\'er, John, Fort Herkimer Wohlever, Richard, Fort Herkimer Wohlever, Peter Fort Herkimer Wohlever, Abram, Fort Herkimer Walrath, Lieut. Henry, Herkimer Weaver, Jacob, German Flats Weaver, Peter James, German Flats Widrick, Michael, Schuyler Wrenkle, Lawrence. Fort Herkimer Walrath, Jacob. Palatine Walrath, Henry, Herkimer Yates, Capt. Robert, supposed Root Yerdon, Nicholas, supposed Minden Younglove, Moses, surgeon. Stone Arabia Yoirker, Jacob. Oppenheim Zimmerman. Henry, St. Johnsville This list of names indicates that Herkimer's regiment was composed three-quarters of German farmers. With some Dutch from the eastern part of the county, while the balance of one-quarter consisted of men with Scotch, Irish, English, Welsh, Swiss and names of indeterminate national- ity. The foregoing roster contains 256 names, the largest list yet published and gives the identity of a little less than one-third of the Tryon militia of Oriskany. Further research would probably add more men to this record. The homes of 225 of the 256 are given. Of these 225, the Palatine district fur- nished 71 and the Canajoharie 66 — 137 combined. This great proportion of the regiment from this midsection of the valley may be due largely to the fact that more effort has been made to identify the men of Oriskany here- abouts, particularly by Simms. Of the five western Montgomery towns, Pala- tine furnishes to this list 55, Minden 35, Canajoharie 21, St. Johnsville 8, Root 2, a total of 119. At least 20 of the patriots were members of the Tryon County Committee of Safety. The loss of the American force at Oriskany is variously stated by writers of the period. One account gives it as 160 killed and another as 160 killed and wounded. Whatever it was it was large for the force engaged, and the loss of the enemy at Orisk- any and during Willett's sortie was fully as great as that of the pro- vincials. Assuming the patriot force, which set out from Fort Dayton for Orisk- any, to have nuinbered 850 men, the roster here published comprises about two -sevenths of this valley regiment. This list, out of 256 names, has 63 killed, 24 wounded and 11 prisoners. The same proportion carried out would make the Oriskany losses 224 killed, 84 wounded and 37 prisoners. This probably is not accurate as to deaths, as more names of killed soldiers were probably remembered and recorded and put on the roster than . of the wounded, prisoners or unharmed. The proportion of wounded and prisoners may be assumed to be correct so that the opinion may be risked that the American losses were about 160 killed, 80 wounded and 40 prisoners, a total patriot loss of 280. As 40 Senecas were killed, on the British side, it may 54 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN be assumed that, aside from the pris- oners, the enemy's loss was as great and possibly greater, and this would indicate a total casualty list of 2,800 engaged at Oriskany and Willett's sortie of 500 killed and wounded. This is merely ventured as an opinion, and the true or full ex- tent of the terrible losses at Oriskany (said to have been the bloodiest battle of the Revolution) on both sides will probably never be known. Certainly scores of dead were left by the provincials on the field and similarly, on the enemy's side, scores were buried by the Indians and Tories or were left lying in the forest where the battle was fought. Scores of wounded were carried down the valley by the patriots and back to the British and savage camps by the enemy. The patriot wounded were frequently slaughtered where they lay, many of the Americans being found, with their throats cut where they fell, by their comrades after the savage foe retreated. Here, as in many other Revolutionary conflicts, the Indians acted like bloodthirsty, cowardly wild beasts and, in many instances, their Tory comrades outdid them in deeds of bloody bestiality. The brave men, who went to this wood of death with Herkimer, came from the confines of the present counties of Montgomery, Fulton, Herkimer, Oneida and Otsego, all from the Mohawk valley with the exception of the men from the Cherry Valley and Springfield settlements. After the battle of Oriskany a song, commemorative of the event was composed, and for a long time sung in the Mohawk valley, of which the fol- lowing is a stanza: "Brave Herkimer, our General's dead. And Colonel Cox is slain; And many more and valiant men, We ne'er shall see again." CHAPTER XIII. 1777 — Personal Experiences at Oris- kany — Indian and Tory Barbarities. Having had a general review of the Oriskany campaign, a few of the ex- periences and particulars of the pa- triot actors in that affair may be in order, particularly as they relate to the Palatine and Canajoharie men. Regarding details of the Oriskany confiict, Simms publishes the follow- ing experiences of those engaged: "It is only in the minor events at- tending a battle, that the reader is made to realize its fullness and see its horrors, and that the reader may see this deadly conflict * * * some of its interesting scenes are here de- picted. "At the beginning of the Revolution, there dwelt in Fort Plain, two broth- ers named George and Robert Crouse. The former was a man of family, and his sons. Col. Robert and Deacon Henry Crouse, are well remembered in this community, where four sons of the latter still reside, [at the time Simms wrote these incidents.] Rob- ert was a bachelor. Those brothers were remarkably large and well form- ed men, and would have served a sculptor as a model for a giant race. Robert was the tallest and came to be called a seven-footer, and is believ- ed to have stood full six and a half feet in his boots, and well propor- tioned. His great strength became proverbial, and two anecdotes have been preserved in the memory of our venerable friend, William H. Seeber, going to prove it. In January, 1776, on the occasion of Gen. Schuyler's as- sembling troops at Caughnawaga, now Fonda, to arrest Sir John Johnson, the Tryon county militia were ordered thither by Gen. Tenbroeck of Albany, to whose brigade they then belonged. Nicholas Herkimer, then the senior colonel of Tryon county troops, as- sembled them as directed. The Tryon county militia became a separate bri- gade in September, 1776, with Col. Herkimer as its acting general, and he was, as stated elsewhere, later com- missioned its brigadier general. While there the brigade was paraded on the ice in the river, and Robert Crouse was designated to bear the flag in sa- luting the generals. He waved it so easily and gracefully with one hand, when hardly another man present could have handled it with both hands, THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 00 that not only the generals, but the entire assemblage was excited to ad- miration, and a significant murmur of applause was echoed from the hills hemming in the valley. Gen. Schuy- ler said to the officers near him, 'That man ought to have a commission,' and one is said to have been tendered him, which he declined. This incident probably accounts for the fact that Lieut. Sammons placed him among the ^-officers killed at Oriskany. Henry Walrath, the strongest man by repu- tation in the Palatine settlements, came from Stone Arabia in the winter of 1775 and 1776, bringing a friend with him, as he told Robert Grouse, expressly to see which was the stronger man of the two. Said Grouse, 'Well, you go home and put 50 skipples of wheat on your sleigh, and I will put 50 skipples with it, and the strongest one shall have the 100 skip- ples' — 75 bushels. The Stone Arabia bully never put in an appearance, which left Grouse the acknowledged champion. Robert Grouse was made a prisoner at Oriskany, and, as his friends afterward learned, by fellow prisoners who knew him, was most inhumanly murdered. Agreeable to the affidavit of Dr. Moses Younglove, who was also a prisoner from that battlefield, the Indians killed some of the prisoners at their own pleasure, and to his knowledge they tortured to death at least half a dozen. Of this number was Robert Grouse, who was the selected victim at one of their hell- ish orgies, as the late William Grouse, a nephew, learned subsequently by other prisoners who knew him. His remarkable stature possibly gave them a new idea of derisive torture, for, with their knives, they began by amputating his legs at the knee joints, and when accomplished they held him up on those bleeding limbs— derisively told him he was then as tall as those around him — and bade him walk. As his life was fast ebbing they sought other modes of torture. At length dis- patching him they tore off and se- cured for market his reeking scalp. Whether they ate any of his flesh is unknown, but it is not improbable they did as numbers of the Indians engaged in this contest had feasted on prisoners in earlier wars. Thus ig- nobly fell, not only the largest but one of the best men in the Mohawk valley." Sam Grouse, a giant Fort Plainer, who died about 1890, probably inherit- ed his enormous frame from these Revolutionary ancestors. Captain Jacob Gardinier: — after being literally riddled with bullets and bayonets, crept into a cavity at the roots of a tree and, by the aid of his waiter, a German lad, who loaded his gun for him, his hand having been lacerated by a bayonet, he continued the fight shooting from that position an Indian who was dodging about to get a shot at an American officer. Of this brave militia captain, said the Rev. Johan Daniel Gros of Fort Plain, in a work published after the war on "Moral Philosophy:" "Let it stand re- corded, among other patriotic deeds of that little army of militia, that a Jacob Gardinier, with a few of his men, vanquished a whole platoon, kill- ing the captain, after he had held him for a long time by his collar as a shield against the balls and bayonets of the whole platoon. This brave mil- itia captain is still alive and was cured of thirteen wounds." George Walter, at Oriskany, was struck down with a severe bullet wound. Faint from loss of blood, he crept to a spring and slaked his thirst and revived. While watching the fight, an Indian lurking near discov- ered him and, running up, gave him a blow on the head with his tomahawk, and in another moment had torn oft his reeking scalp. When found by his friends, some of his wounds were fly- blown, but he recovered and lived until 1831, dying at a ripe old age. It is said that Walter, in telling of his ex- perience, remarked: "Dat Indian tot I vash det, but I knows petter all de time; but I tot I would say nodding so as he would go off." Gaptain Ghristopher W. Fox: — In the Palatine batallion of militia, there were three captains by the name of Fox, viz: Captain William Fox jr., 56 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Capt. Christopher P. Fox and Captain Christopher W. Fox. Probably they were all in the Oriskany battle and the last two named were quite surely there. Christopher W. was severely wounded in the right arm, which was partially dressed on the ground, where he remained with his men; and, discovering an Indian crawling from behind a tree in the direction of the enemy's encampment, grasping his sword in his left hand he said to some of his men: "You keep an eye on me for safety and I will kill an Indian." As he approached the savage, a mutual recognition took place. The Indian was a half-breed called William John- son, and was a reputed son of his namesake, Sir William Johnson. He was down with a broken leg and begged for his life because he was wounded. "Ah," said the dauntless captain, directing the prostrate war- rior to his crippled arm, "I am wound- ed too, and one of us must die." In an instant, with his left hand, he thrust the keen-edged sword through the In- dian's body. This Captain Fox was wounded in the following fashion: He and a hostile Indian, under the cover of trees a few rods distant were, for some time, watching in a vain en- deavor to get some advantage of each other; and, thinking to draw the In- dian's shot, and win the game, Fox extended his hat upon his hand be- side a tree to attract the savage's at- tention. The ruse succeeded and the Indian supposing the hat contained a head, fired on the target; but unfor- tunately Fox had a long arm and had extended it so far that the ball struck it and, dropping the hat, the hand fell limp at his side. The Indian, seeing the hat fall, no doubt supposed he had killed his man, but considered the hazard of securing a scalp too great to approach his victim. It was com- mon practise to thrust out a hat on one's ramrod or a stick to draw an antagonist's charge, when fighting in the Indian fashion, but so reckless an act as that of this captain's seemed to merit the punishment. Fox became a major and resided after the war at Palatine Church. The following has a direct bearing on the above: "Reed., Williger, Oct. 16, 1779, of Christopher Fox, Esq., eight dollars in full for curing his arm of a wound re- ceived in the Oriskanj^ fight, £ 3. 4. 0. "Moses Younglove." Abram Quackenboss: — The last syl- lable of this name is written boss, but pronounced bush. One of the earliest Low Dutch families to locate in the present town of Glen was that of Quackenbush, as the name is now written. One of Quackenbush's boy- hood playmates, near the lower Mo- hawk castle at Fort Hunter, was an Indian called Bronkahorse, who was about his own age. Quackenbush was a lieutenant under the brave Capt. Gardinier. Among the followers of the Johnsons to Canada was his In- dian friend, who also tried to get the white Whig to go with him, assuring him that he would have the same office in the royal army. Their next meet- ing was in the dodging, tree-to-tree fight at Oriskany. The lieutenant heard himself addressed in a familiar voice, which he recognized as that of his early Indian friend, now posted be- hind a tree within gunshot of the one which covered his own person. "Sur- render yourself my prisoner and you shall be treated kindly," shouted the Mohawk brave, "but if you do not you will never get away from here alive — we intend to kill all who are not made prisoners!" The success of the enemy at the beginning of the contest made them bold and defiant. "Never will I become a prisoner," shouted back Quackenboss. Both were expert rifle- men and now watched their chance. Bronkahorse fired first and planted a bullet in the tree scarcely an inch from his adversary's head, but he had lost his best chance, as the lieutenant sprang to a new position from which his adversary's tree would not shield him, and in the next instant the In- dian dropped with a bullet through his heart. The Seebers: — Major William See- ber, who lived next to Fort Plain and was then nearly 60 years old, was mortally wounded in the battle, where his son Audolph was slain and Capt. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 57 Jacob H. fell with a broken thigh. Jacob cut staddles and attempted to withe them about his broken leg to enable him to escape, but could not stand upon it, and gave up, expecting to be slain. Henry Failing, an ac- quaintance, came to him and offered to remove him to greater safety, but Seeber declined, telling his friend to load his gun, take the remainder of his cartridges and leave him to his fate. He was afterward removed and died at Fort Herkimer. Failing was also severely wounded, but removed and re- covered. Garret Walrath, a soldier in the Cana.loharie batallion, was at Oris- kany and is said to have never feared flesh or the devil. In one of the ter- rible encounters in the early part of the engagement, he was made prisoner and pinioned and told to keep close behind an Indian, who claimed all his attention. He often purposely ran against his captor, whining and com- plaining that his arms were so tightly drawn back. * * * At this period not only the Indians but the whites, especially those accustomed to hunt- ing, carried a sharp, well-pointed knife in a belt. Walrath * * * * cautiously grasped the handle of his knife and, watching his opportunity, in one of his stumbles over the heels of his captor, he adroitly plunged his knife into his body, and in the next instant he was a disembowled and dead Indian. The liberated captive, with his bloodj' knife in hand, cau- tiously sought his way back, and in an hour or two was welcomed by his surviving companions, who soon saw him armed again with a gun. Col. Henry Diefendorf was a brave militia captain from the present town of Minden, where his descendants still reside. In the discharge of his duties, he was shot through the lungs, during the latter part of the engagement. Near him when he fell were William Cox, Henry Sanders and probably others of his company. He begged for water, and Sanders stamped a hole in the marshy soil and, as the water set- tled in it, he took off his shoe and in it gave the dying man a drink. See- ing by the smoke from whence the shot came that struck down his cap- tain, Cox said: "Damn my soul, but I'll have a life for that one!" He ran to the tree before the foe could poss- ibly reload his gun, where he found a large Indian down with a broken leg. As Cox leveled his rifle, the warrior threw up his hand and shouted: "You- ker! you-ker!" which his adversary supposed was a cry for quarter. "I'll give you you-ker" said Cox as he sent a bullet through the Indian's head. He rejoined his comrades a few minutes later with the savage's gun. Henry Thompson was a helper to the doughty Capt. Gardinier, who lived and had a blacksmith shop near the present village of Fultonville. Into Oriskany he followed his brave em- ployer and, after the battle had raged for hours, he approached Gardinier and said he was hungry. "Fight away," shouted the captain. "I can't without eating," said the soldier. "Then get you a piece and eat," was the reply. He did so and sitting upon the body of a dead soldier, he ate with a real zest, while the bullets whistled about his head. His lunch finished, he arose and was again seen with re- newed energy where peril was the most imminent. Sir John Johnson married a daugh- ter of John Watts of New York city and her brother, Stephen Watts, join- ed Johnson when he went to Canada. He was a British captain at Oriskany and, in making a deperate charge he was wounded and made a prisoner. As the Americans could not be encum- bered with their wounded foes, he was left to his fate — and not despatched and scalped as were all wounded Am- ericans found by the enemy. Being discovered by Henry N. Failing, a pri- vate soldier [from the present town of Minden] in the Canajoharie district batallion, he kindly carried him to a little stream of water that hi; might there slake his thirst and die more easily. To his thanks for the soldier's kindness he added the gift of his watch. Two days after, Capt. Watts was dis- covered by some straggling Indians looking for plunder, was taken to the 58 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN enemy's camp, properly' cared for ;\nO finally recovered. Among the tragic incidents of Oris- kany was one which happened at a tree afterward called "the bayonet tree." One of Herkimer's men was held up, dead or alive, and pinned to a tree several feet from the ground with a bayonet driven into thy tree several inches. Here tho body re- mained until it fell to the ground from decomposition. This bayonet was Id have been seen in the tree for more than a quarter of a century and until the tree had grown so as to bury most of the blade. Henry Thompson was not the only one of the patriots to satisfy his hun- ger during the battle. Adam Frank also opened his knapsack and sat down and made a hearty but hasty meal, after which he was heard to exclaim in German, "Jezt drauf auf die kerls!" — "Now we'll give it to them!" Captain Andrew Dillenbeck of Stone Arabia, was the hero of r fight which resulted in his death. Tories of John- son's Greens attempted to take him prisoner and, on Dillenbeck's saying he would not be taken alive, siezed his gun. Captain Dillenbeck wrenched it away and felled his enemy with the butt. He shot a second one dead, thrust a third through the body with his bayonet and then fell dead from a, Tory shot. Dr. Younglove, surgeon in the Tryon county brigade, was taken prisoner at Oriskany and, after his return to his Palatine home, made the following af- fidavit: "Moses Younglove, surgeon of Gen. Herkimer's brigade of militia, depos- eth and saith, that being in the battle of said militia on the 6th of August last, toward the close of the battle, he surrendered himself a prisoner to a Savage, who immediately gave him up to a sergeant of Sir John Johnson's regiment; soon after which a lieuten- ant in the Indian department, came up in company with several Tories, when said Mr. Grinnis, by name, drew his tomahawk at this deponent and with a deal of persuasion was kindly pre- vailed on to spare his life. He then plundered him of his watch, buckles, spurs, etc., and other Tories, following his example, stripped him almost naked, with a great many threats, while they were stripping and mas- sacreing prisoners on every side. That this deponent was brought before Mr. Butler Sen. (Col. John), who demand- ed of him what he was fighting for? to which deponent answered: 'He fought for the liberty that God and nature gave him, and to defend him- self and dearest connexions from the massacre of the savages.' To which Butler replied: 'You are a damned impudent rebel!' and so saying imme- diately turned to the savages, encour- aging them to kill him, and if they did not, the deponent and the other per- sons should be hanged on the gallows then preparing. That several prison- ers were then taken forward to the enemy's headquarters with frequent scenes of horror and massacre, in which Tories were active as well as savages; and in particular one Davis, formerly known in Tryon county, on the Mohawk river. That Lieut. Sin- gleton of Sir John Johnson's regiment, being wounded, entreated the savages to kill the prisoners, which they ac- cordingly did, as nigh as this deponent can judge, about six or seven. That Isaac Paris was also taken the same road without receiving from them any remarkable insult, except stripping, until some Tories came up who kicked and abused him, after which the sav- ages, thinking him a notable offender, murdered him barbarously. That those of the prisoners, who were delivered up to the provost guards, were ordered not to use any violence in protecting the prisoners from the savages, who came up every day with knives, feeling the prisoners to know which were fat- test. That they dragged one of the prisoners out of the guard with the most lamentable cries, tortured him for a long time, and this deponent was informed, by both Tories and Indians, that they ate him, as appears they did another on an island in Lake Ontario [Buck's Island] by bones found there nearly picked, just after they had crossed the lake with the prisoners. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 59 That the prisoners who were not de- livered up were murdered, in consid- erable numbers, from day to day around the camp, some of them so nigh that their shrieks were heard. That Capt. Martin of the bateaux men, was delivered to the Indians at Os- wego, on pretence of his having kept back some useful intelligence. That this deponent, during his imprison- ment, and his fellows were kept al- most starved for provisions, and what they drew were of the worst kind, such as spoiled flour, biscuit full of mag- gots, and mouldy, and no soap allow- ed or other method of keeping clean, and were insulted, struck, etc., without mercy by the guards, without any provocation given. That this depon- ent was informed by several sergeants orderly on St. Leger that twenty dol- lars were offered in general orders for every American scalp. "Moses Younglove." "John Barclay, Chairman of Albany Committee." Lieut. Peter Groat and Andrew Cun- ningham, a neighbor, were captured at Oriskany and murdered at Wood creek, slices of their thighs being roasted and feasted upon by the sav- ages with zest and mirth. Peter Ehle, a fellow prisoner, saw his comrades killed. There were a few Oneidas with the provincials in this battle, among whom was the Indian interpreter, Spencer, who was killed. The Indians of the enemy suffered severely, being put forward early in the fight. The Sen- ecas alone lost over 60 in killed and wounded, while the Mohawks and other tribes suffered severely. The fire of the patriots was fully as deadly against the Tories, their captains, Mc- Donough, Wilson and Hare, lying dead on the field, with scores of men in Tory uniforms scattered around them. The great loss of the Indians has been made a pretext by English writers to justify the cruelties inflicted by them on their prisoners. Says the "Life of Mary Jemison" (the white woman), page 88: "Previous to the battle of Fort Stanwix, the British sent for the Indians (Senecas) to come and see them whip the rebels; and at the same time stated that they did not wish to have them fight, but wanted to have them just sit down, smoke their pipes and look on. Our Indians went to a man, but contrary to their expecta- tions, instead of smoking and looking on, they were obliged to fight for their lives and, in the end, were completely beaten, with a great loss in killed and wounded. Our Indians alone had 36 killed and a great number wounded. Our town (Little Beard's Town) ex- hibited a scene of real sorrow and dis- tress, when our warriors returned and recounted their misfortunes, and stat- ed the real loss they had sustained in the engagement. The rhourning was excessive, and was expressed by the most doleful yells, shrieks and bowl- ings, and by inimitable gesticulations." Here is an incident of the defense of Fort Schuyler, of a time jtrobably after the Oriskany battle, from Judge Pom- eroy Jones's "Annals of Oneida County": — "A sentinel, posted on the northwest bastion of the fort, was shot with a rifle while walking his stated rounds in the gray of the morning; the next morning the second met the same fate, on the same post; the crack of the rifle was heard but from whence it came, none could conjecture, and the alarm being given, no enemy could be discovered. Of course, on the third night this station was dreaded as be- ing certain death and the soldier to whose lot it fell, quailed and hung back; but, to the surprise of the whole guard, a comrade offered to take his place and was accepted. Towards morning, the substitute sentinel drove a stake into the ground at the spot where his predecessors had been shot, on which he placed his hat and watch coat and with the help of a cord and a well stuffed knapsack, he soon had a A^ery good apology for a portly sol- dier, who stood to the life at 'support arms,' with his trusty shining musket. Having thus posted his 'man of straw,' he quietly sat down behind the para- pet closely watching through an em- brassure for coming events. At early dawn, the well known report of the 60 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN same rifle was heard, and the column of smoke ascending from the thick top of a black oak tree some 30 or 40 rods distant, showed the whereabouts of the marksman. The sergeant of the guard was soon on the spot and the commandant notified that the perch of the sharpshooter had been discovered. A four pounder was quickly loaded with canister and grape, and the sound of this morning gun boomed over the hill and dale in the distance, immediatelj' succeeded by a shout from the garrison, as they beheld one of Britain's red allies tum- bling head foremost from the tree top. On examining the counterfeit senti- nel, the holes through the various folds of the knapsack were more than circumstantial evidence that the aim was most sure, and that, had the owner stood in its place, he would have followed to his account those who had preceded him there. It Is hardly nec- essary to add that the sentinels on the northwest bastion were not afterwards molested." It was hoped, by surviving friends in the valley below, that the troops ad- vancing under Gen. Arnold to raise the siege of Fort Schuyler would be able to perform the melancholy task of burying the remains of our fallen soldiery at Oriskany. But, as over two weeks of excessively warm weather had transpired — it being then the 23d or 24th of August — decompo- sition had so rapidly taken place that the stench was intolerable, making it necessary for the health of the troops to give the field as wide a berth as possible.. So said James Williamson, who was a soldier under Arnold and who was on duty at Fort Stanwix. As the relieving American army force un- der Gen. Arnold approached Oriskany, evidences of its bloody onslaught greeted them. Here are some things which were noticed by Nicholas Stoner, a young musician in Col. Liv- ingston's regiment, and copied from Simms's "Trappers:" Near the mouth of the Oriskany creek a gun was found standing against a tree with a pair of boots hanging on it, while in the creek near, in a state bordering on putrefac- tion, lay their supposed owner. In the grass, a little way from the shore, lay a well dressed man without hat or coat, who, it was supposed, had made his way there to obtain drink. A black silk handkerchief encircled his head. John Clark, a sergeant, loosened it but its hair adhered to it on its removal, and he left it. He, however, took from his feet a pair of silver shoe buckles. His legs were so swollen that a pair of deerskin breeches were rent from top to bottom. On their way nine dead bodies lay across the road, dis- posed in regular order, as was imag- ined by the Indians after their death. The stench was so great that the Am- ericans could not discharge the last debt due their heroic countrymen, and their bones were soon after bleaching on the ground. A little farther on an Indian was seen hanging to the limb of a tree. He was suspended by the traces of a harness, but by whom was unknown. Such were some of the scenes, a mile or two away, but, where the carnage had been greatest, they had to make as wide a circuit as pos- sible. Not an American killed in that battle was ever buried. Scalping was done to some extent by the American troops, but was not prompted by the hope of reward, as in the case of the Indians and Tories. "Scalps for the Canadian market" proved a source of revenue to the In- dians, who took them to Montreal and redeenied them for cash, receiving payment for those of men, women and children alike. Lossing gives the fol- lowing account of this diabolical prac- tise: "The methods used by the Indians in scalping is probably not generally known. I was told by Mr. Dievendorff [who was scalped as a boy in Dox- tader's Currytown 1781 raid and sur- vived to an old age] that the scalping knife was a weapon, not unlike in ap- pearance the bowie knife of the pres- ent day. The victim was usually stunned or killed by a blow from a tomahawk. Sometimes only a portion of the scalp (as was the case with Mr. Dievendorff) was taken from the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN CI crown and the back part of the head, but more frequently the whole scalp was removed. With the dexterity of a surgeon, the Indian placed the point of his knife at the roots of the hair on the forehead and made a circular incision around the head. If the hair was short, he would raise a lappet of the skin, take hold with his teeth, and tear it instantly from the skull. If long, such as the hair of females, he would twist it around his hand, and, by a sudden jerk, bare the skull. The scalps were then tanned with the hair on, and often marked in such a man- ner that the owners could tell when and where they were severally obtain- ed, and whether they belonged to men or women. When Major Rogers, in 1759, destroyed the chief village of the St. Francis Indians, he found there a vast quantity of scalps, many of them comically painted with heiroglyphics. They were all stretched on small hoops." A remarkable phase of this unspeakable practise, is that a large number of the valley people who were scalped, recovered and lived to an old age. This was due to the hurried way in which many of the Indian attacks were made, so that the victims were stunned and not killed. Col. John Butler had charge of the traffic in scalps with the Indians, dur- ing the Oriskany campaign, and prob- ably later. Simms says "the usual bounty, after a time, was $8 for all, except those of officers and commit- teemen, which commanded from $10 to $20." That there was such a traffic in scalps has been denied by English writers but the fact seems substanti- ated by abundant evidence. Undoubtedly the leading patriot in the valley at that time was Nicholas Herkimer, a resident of the Canajo- harie district and in command of the Tryon county militia and of the forces at Oriskany. His father, Johan Jost Herkimer, had emigrated from the Palatinate about 1720 and settled on the Burnetsfield patent. At Fort Her- kimer he established a trading place and later built a strong stone house which was stockaded and became the fort, bearing his name. Johan Jost Herkimer, legend says, was a man of mighty strength among a population of men of muscle. He knew the En- glish and Indian languages, as well as his nati\Ts German, and acted as inter- preter between the English and In- dians. He was concerned in the erec- tion of Fort Stanwix and became a man of considerable property and died in 1775 at Fort Herkimer. His son, Nicholas, settled east of Fall Hill in the Canajoharie district and built there a substantial brick residence, in 1764, which is now standing. While at Fort Herkimer, Herkimer commanded that post during the two attacks of the French war, he then being a lieuten- ant of militia. His commission for this rank is now in the possession of a collateral descendant in San Fran- cisco, while his brigadier-general's commission, from the New York pro- vincial congress, hangs on the walls of a Fort Plain house. He was a mem- ber of the Tryon County Committee of Safety from Canajoharie district and colonel of the militia of that dis- trict, and colonel-in-chief of the coun- ty. In 1776 he was made a briga- dier-general. He is described by one who saw him as a large, square built Dutchman and, con- trary to many accounts which rep- resent him as an old man at the time of the battle, family figures give his age at 49, and family tradition has it that he was then a sturdy, vigorous man, all of which is borne out by Oriskany events. Herkimer was a close friend of Brant and probably of other Mohawks, and was possibly the most influential Whig figure of the time in Tryon county. He served as chairman pro tem of the committee of safety and some of its papers and let- ters extant are signed by him. He seems to have been a man of sound sense, wise counsel and quick and ef- fective action. His prestige was dimmed by the Tory action of his brother, Han Yost Herkimer, who was a militia colonel but ran away to Can- ada. Of his other brothers, only Capt. George Herkimer, an ardent Whig and scout officer, was with him at Oris- 62 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN kany, although other brothers were patriots with the exception of Han Yost. Undoubtedly Herkimer's strong Whig attitude and military ability had great effect in upholding the cause of independence in the county, ' particu- larly among the "Mohawk Dutch." His first wife was a sister of Peter S. Tygert and his second wife a daughter of the same. He left no children. Gen. Herkimer left an estate of 1,900 acres of land and willed his brother, George Herkimer, 500 acres and his homestead, where the latter was living in 1783, when Gen. Washington made his tour through the valley when he stopped here. The general in his will signed his name Nicholas "Herckheimer," although he varied it at other times. Herkimer's wound was not mortal but unskilful amputation of his wounded leg caused his death. It is said that the leg was sawed off short without tying the blood vessels up and the sturdy patriot slowly bled to death. When the leg was amputated two neighborhood boys buried it in the garden, and shortly after the General said to one of them: "I guess you boys will have to take that leg up and bury it with me, for I am going to follow it." The am- putation was done by a young French surgeon with Arnold's expedition up the valley against the advice of the General's doctor. Dr. Petrie. Col. Wil- lett called to see Herkimer soon after the operation and found him sitting up in bed and smoking his pipe. His strength failed toward night and, call- ing his family to his chamber, he read composedly the 38th psalm, closed the book, sank back upon his pillow and expired. The last three stanzas of this Psalm read as follows: They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I fol- low the thing that good is. Forsake me not, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation. Christopher P. Yates, who was a man of fine intellect and an efficient patriot, said of Herkimer: "I claim not for the General that he was versed in Latin or Greek, or in the philosophy of the German schools; but I claim for him, that no German immigrant was better read in the history of the Pro- testant reformation, and in the phil- osophy of the Bible than Gen. Her- kimer." Johan Jost Herkimer, the first of the family in the valley, left thirteen children — five sons and eight daugh- ters, which gives an idea of the size of the valley families of the day. The marriages of the children of Jo- han Jost Herkimer gives an idea of the ratio of the Teutonic ele- ments in the western Mohawk valley in the eighteenth century. Of these known marriages nine are with people of German ancestry, three with people of Holland blood and one (that of Hendrick Frey) with a person of Swiss descent. Jurgh, Johan Jost, Madalana and Catharina Herkimer (or Erghemar) were patentees named in the Burnets- field grant of 1725. Johan Jost was doubtless the progenitor of the family in America. Just who the others were, in relationship to him, is not definitely known. They are supposed to have come over in the Palatine immigra- tion of 1722 and in this patent 100 acres was allotted to each of them on the south side of the river in the neighborhood that subsequently be- came known as Fort Herkimer. There is a tradition that Johan Jost carried a child and some of his chattels on his back from Schenectady to German Flatts. A family legend gives the story that on the first Herkimer's ar- rival at his future wilderness home, he asked permission, of his Indian neighbors, to build a cabin. They at first refused him, to Herkimer's great chagrin. At this time, these savages were busy trying to carry a dugout they had recently completed to the Mohawk. On account of its weight they were having diflficulty in moving the canoe and asked the pioneer to help them. Motioning all the Mo- hawks to get on one end of the heavy boat, the stalwart German lifted the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 63 other end alone, and in this way the dugout was carried to the neighboring river. Astounded at the white man's great strength, the Indians at once gave Herkimer permission to build a cabin and cultivate the land. Located amid a beautiful landscape, with the flatlands stretching away to the river and lofty Fall Hill in the background, the home of General Her- kimer, in Danube, is a fine example of the Colonial Mohawk valley houses. Built of brick and finely finished, it is a monument to the solidity of charac- ter of the valley's early Teutonic set- tlers. It, in connection with the mon- ument and the Herkimer family burial plot, has been, a number of times, the scene of patriotic gatherings. Here is located the first of the markers, which were put in position in the summer of 1912, to show the route of the valley militia in its march to the field of Oriskany. Capt. George Herkimer succeeded to the ownership of the house and its farm and, on his death, it passed to his son, Hon. John Herki- mer, who occupied it until about 1815, when it passed out of the Herkimer family. Lossing, in 1848, writing of this place, says: "After breakfast I rode down to Danube, to visit the resi- dence of General Herkimer while liv- ing and the old Castle church, near the dwelling place of Brant in the Rev- olution. It was a pleasant ride along the tow path between the canal and river. Herkimer's residence is about two and a half miles below Little Falls, near the canal, and in full view of the traveler upon the railroad, half a mile distant. It is a substantial brick edi- fice, was erected in 1764, and was a splendid mansion for the time and place. It is now owned by Daniel Con- ner, a farmer, who is 'modernizing' it, when I was there, by building a long, fashionable piazza in front, in place of the [former] small old porch, or stoop. He was also 'improving' some of the rooms within. The one in which Gen- eral Herkimer died (on the right of the front entrance), and also the one, on the opposite side of the passage, are left precisely as they were when the general occupied the house; and Mr. Conner has the good taste and patriot- ism to preserve them so. These rooms are handsomely wainscoated with white pine, wrought into neat mold- ings and panels, and the casements of the deep windows are of the same ma- terial and in the same style. Mr. Con- ner has carefully preserved the great lock of the front door of the 'castle'— for castle it really was in strength and appointments against Indian assaults. It is sixteen inches long and ten wide. Close to the house is a subterranean room, built of heavy masonry and arched, which the general used as a magazine for stores, belonging to the Tryon County militia. It is still used^ as a storeroom but with more pacific intentions. The family burying ground is upon a knoll a few rods southeast of the mansion, and there rest the re- mains of the gallant soldier, as seclud- ed and forgotten as if they were of 'common mold.' Seventy years ago the Continental Congress, grateful for his services, resolved to erect a monument to his memory of the value of five hundred dollars; but the stone that may yet be reared is still in the quarry, and the patriot inscription to declare its intent and the soldier's worth is not yet conceived. Until 1847 no stone identified his grave. Then a plain marble slab was set up with the name of the hero upon it; and when I visited it (1848), it was overgrown with weeds and brambles. It was erected by his grandnephew, Warren Herkimer." In 1895, under the aus- pices of the Oneida Historical society, an imposing stone shaft was here erected to the memory of Herkimer, bearing the inscription "Vorwaert" (forward), his command to the militia, which started the march of the impa- tient men to the field of Oriskany. A statue of Gen. Nicholas Herkimer was erected in the park at Herkimer in 1907 on the occasion of the cele- bration of the centennial of that vil- lage. It is an excellently modeled figure, cast in bronze, and represents the Oriskany leader, wounded and seated upon his saddle, pipe in hand, while he directs the battle. The ac- tion of the statue, pointing the way to 64 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN victory, is vigorous and inspiring. Tlie sculptor was Burr C. Miller of Paris, and the work is the gift to Herkimer of Warner Miller, former United States Senator from the state of New York, a resident of that town and father of the sculptor. CHAPTER XIV. 1778 — Indian Council at Johnstown, March 9 — Manheim, Caroga, Spring- field, Andrustown, German Flats Raids — Cherry Valley Massacre. Early in 1778 the alarming news came to the valley that the western Indian tribes were to unite with the Mohawks. Cayugas, Onondagas and Senecas in a war upon the frontier, instigated by the Johnsons, Claus and Butler. Congress thereupon ordered a council held with the Six Nations at Johnstown in February and ap- pointed Gen. Schuyler and Volkert P. Douw to conduct it together with a commissioner named James Duane, appointed by Governor Clinton. The Indians showed little interest in the conference and delayed coming until March 9. There were then pres- ent more than seven hundred of them, mostly friendly Oneidas and Tuscar- oras and hostile Onondagas, with a few Mohawks, three or four Cayugas and not one of the Senecas, whose warriors outnumbered those of all the other Iroquois. Instead of attending the council the Senecas sent a message expressing surprise that they were asked to come while the American "tomahawks were sticking in their heads, their wounds bleeding and their eyes streaming with tears for the loss of their friends," meaning at the bat- tle of Oriskany, which shows the ex- tent of the damage the patriots in- flicted on that fateful day. The Oneidas and Tuscaroras ex- pressed their allegiance to the United States and predicted the extinction of the hostile tribes. The rest of the In- dians had little to say, excepting an Onondaga chief who hypocritically la- mented the course of his tribe, laying it to the young and headstrong war- riors. Nothing was effected by the conference, except the satisfactory ex- pression of allegiance on the part of the Oneidas and Tuscaroras. The commissioners closed the council by warning the hostile Iroquois to look to their behavior as the American cause was just or a terrible venge- ance would overtake them. The Mar- quis de Lafayette, who was tempor- arily in command of the northern de- partment was at the Johnstown coun- cil and considerably improved the frontier defences by ordering forts Iniilt at Cherry Valley and in the One- ida country, the three Schoharie forts garrisoned and armed and other bor- der fortifications strengthened. Learn- ing among other Tory activities. Col. Guy Carlton, nephew of the governor of Canada, was on a spying tour in the neighborhood, efforts were made for his capture, Lafayette himself offering a reward of fifty guineas for his ar- rest. Irruptions of scalping parties of Ca- nadian Indians and Tories began in the Mohawk valley about 1778 and continued up to 1783, when a peace treaty was signed. It is impossible to tell of each of these because they were so numerous, and records of all have not been preserved. One of the first, in the settlement of Manheim, oc- curred on April 3, 1778, under com- mand of Captain Crawford, two weeks after the sacking of Fairfield, Herki- mer county. About 50 Indians and Tories raided the Mohawk valley in the settlement of Manheim, near Little Falls. Among the Tories were L. Casselman, Countryman and Bowers, who had gone to join the British forces in Canada from the lower Mo- hawk. The marauders captured the miller, John Garter and his boy John and Joseph Newman and Bartholomew Pickert, who happened to be at the mill. At Windecker's place, James Van Slyck, his son-in-law, was sick in bed and, for a wonder, was unharmed by the savages. The prisoners made here and in the vicinity were John House, Forbush, John Windecker, a boy of 13; Ganet Van Slyck. another boy; John Cypher, Helmer, Jacob THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 65 Uher, George Attle. The two latter were rangers on a scout from Fort Snyder. Garter's mill was burned, but no other dwellings were destroyed and no one was killed. Four Whigs were captured in Salisbury, Herkimer coun- ty. The march to Canada was made through the snow and great hardships were suffered. Windecker's Indian captor proved very kind and carried him across several rapid streams on his back. Windecker said afterward, concerning their scarcity of food, that "An Indian would eat anything except crow." This raid was one of the ear- liest of the war and was not marked by the bloody ferocity which charac- terized the later ones. The following, concerning the inva- sion of Ephratah in the Palatine dis- trict, in April, 1778, is 'abridged from Simms's "Frontiersmen of New York," Vol. II., pp. 146-151: In 1773, 20 or more German families settled along Garoga creek in the pres- ent town of Ephratah and some at the present site of Kringsbush. These Germans were part of a shipload of immigrants, mostly from the district of Nassau near Frankfort-on-the- Main, which landed at Baltimore in 1773. Many of them settled in the Mohawk valley. The immigration from Germany, and even from Hol- land, into New York state was prac- tically continuous from the time of first settlement up to the Revolution. On this voyage very rough weather was encountered on the Atlantic, the masts went by the board and the ship nearly foundered. The settlement of Ephratah was so called after a place of that name in Germany. Prominent among these set- tlers was Nicholas Rechtor, whose father, Johannes Rechtor, carne from Hesse in Germany and settled at Nis- kautau, six miles below Albany. These early Ephratah families all built log houses, except Rechtor, who put up a frame house and barn. Simms says this house was still standing (in 1882), "just back of a public house in Caroga, so called after the creek passing through it — the orig- inal name still attaching to the settlement." Rechtor was located about three miles west of the stone grist mill Sir William Johnson had built for the use of that region which was then known as Tilleborough. Within a radius of five or six miles from Nicholas Rechtor's house the fol- lowing were located: Jacob Appley, Jacob Frey, John Hurtz, Conrad Hart, John Smith, Henry Smith, John Cool, Jacob Deusler, Leonard Kretzer, Henry Hynce, Flander, Phye, John Spank- aV)le (now Sponable), John Winkle. Among the settlers in the Krings- bush section were Matthias Smith, Leonard Helmer, Joseph Davis and his brother-in-law, John Kring, after whom the settlement was named. In 1775, a small company of militia was organized among these settlers along the Caroga. The officers were Nicholas Rechtor, Captain; John Wil- liams, George Smith, lieutenants; John Sholl, ensign. This company was in the Oriskany battle where Capt. Rech- tor was thrown from and stepped on by his horse, disabling him. About four in the afternoon of April 30, 1778, about 20 Indians and Tories invaded the Ephratah settlement. Most of the farmers were making maple sugar. Rechtor was drilling 20 men of his militia company about a mile from his home. Six of the enemy made their first appearance at the Harts' home and killed Conrad Hart, the father, and took captive his son Wilhelmus, a youth of 16. They plun- dered and burned Hart's building and from thence went to Jacob Appley's, where they destroyed all property. A daughter of Hart had, in the mean- time escaped, at the time of the first attack, and ran to where the militia company was drilling. Instead of Rechtor and his men attacking the enemy in force they split up and ran singly or in small companies of three or four toward their homes. Jacob Appley, Daniel Hart and Peter Shyke went with Capt. Rechtor to his home. The enemy had already reached Rechtor's. Here the savages, both Tory and Indian, found considerable plunder as the captain was well pro- 66 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN vided with the worldly goods for that time and locality. They were some time in packing up and Mrs. Rechtor, ol)jecting to the wholesale looting of her household, was struggling with a big Indian over a long-handled frying pan. The Americans came up on the run and fired at the Indian. The shot struck the pan handle, glanced down and wounded the woman in the ankle. A general melee took place. Appley shot an Indian and was himself shot down. Shyke was severely wounded and Captain Rechtor was hit in the right arm. Helmus Hart came up with his hands bound, he having been tied to a tree when the Hart house was at- tacked. The Americans released his hands and he joined in the fight, which soon ended in the enemy running away. At this time few of the settlers had been killed as they were in the sugar l)ush distant from their dwellings. Rechtor gathered all of his family (of seven children) that he could find and set out for Fort Paris, which he reach- ed at midnight. The two youngest girls and the youngest boy could not be found in the bush, as they evi- dently feared Indians and would not venture forth even in reply to the calls of their parents. Appley was so se- verely wounded that he had to be left and, at his request, was propped up against the oven with a gun in his hand. Rechtor's little four-year-old boy Henry now came home and got himself some bread and milk and be- gan eating it. Ju§t then the savages came back. Appley shot and killed one and was himself killed and scalp- ed and loft with a bayonet sticking through his heart. The little boy Henry was killed and scalped and thrown into the creek. Here the dead little body was found next day, one hand still clutching the spoon with which he had been eating. The en- emy's stay was short as they were gone when, shortly after, the two youngest Rechtor girls came out of the bush. Seeing Appley's dead body they ran in fright to their neighbor Hart's house. This they found burned and Hart dead and mangled and, so in great fright, they ran back into the bush where they stayed all night. In the morning they found neighbors and were taken to Fort Paris, where they rejoined their family. After leaving Rechtor's the enemy captured Peter Loucks, whom they took to Canada. A company of Am- erican soldiers, from Fort Paris, start- ed in pursuit the next morning. May 1, 1778. Theyhad Henry Flathead, a ■■friendly" Indian, for a guide. Coming upon the enemy's campfire this Indian gave a yell, probably to warn his red brethren. When the company came up meat was still cooking in the fire, but the enemy had vanished and could not be found. At the time of the Ephratah inva- sion, two Indians of the raiding party shot and killed a girl named Rickard, as she was flriving home cows near Fort Klock in the east end of the pres- ent town of St. Johnsville. Hearing the shot, George Klock came running out with his gun and as the Indians made for the girl's body to scalp it, he fired and they made for the woods and disappeared. Going north this pair of savages made John Smith a prisoner at Kringsbush and took him to Canada. He was a son of Matthias Smith, a veteran of Oriskany. After the Ephratah raid most of the Whig families abandoned their homes, which were left standing by the Tories to afford themselves shelter on subse- quent raids. Rechtor removed to his old homo below Albany until after the war, when most of the surviving Ephratah settlers came back to their lands there. The raid along the Car- oga was one of the first in the Mohawk valley attended with bloodshed. On the day of the Ephratah raid a party of Senecas ravaged a portion of the Schoharie valley. Joseph Brant and his warriors gath- ered at Oghkwaga early in 1778. This place is now Windsor, in Broome county. Brant appeared at Unadilla in the spring of 1778 and Capt. McKean was sent by the people of Cherry Valley with a small force to reconnoitre the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 67 Indian position. McKean injudiciously wrote Brant a letter violently de- nouncing him and asking- him to come to Cherry Valley, with the taunting remark that there he would be chang- ed from a "brant" to a "goose." Brant was enraged by this letter and answer- ed it later with the Cherry Valley massacre. Brant's first hostile movement of consequence, after his return to Oghk- waga in the spring of 1778, was to fall upon the little settlement at Spring- field, at the head of Otsego lake. This was in the month of May and every house was burned but one, into which the women and children were collect- ed and kept unharmed. Several men were captured and much plunder was taken but no one was murdered, prob- ably because of no Tories being pres- ent. At this same time, in May, 1778, Brant started out to destroy the Cherry Valley settlement. While reconnoitering the village from a distant hill he saw a company of boys drilling on the open space in front of the fort. He mistook these young patriots for soldiers and, thinking this post was strongly garrisoned, he deferred his attack until a later time. Drawing off his warriors he re- paired to the deep glen northwest of the village to see if he could inter- cept any travellers along the road to the Mohawk and so pick up any in- formation. Lieut. Matthew Wormuth, with a companion, started from Cher- ry Valley that evening to Fort Plain. The same day he had left Fort Plain to tell the Cherry Valley people that the militia would come up the next day, as Brant was known to be in the neighborhood. While Wormuth and Sitz, his companion, were riding along the edge of this glen, on their return to Fort Plain, Brant's warriors fired upon them, mortally wounding Wormuth and capturing Sitz. Lieutenant Wor- muth was of Col. Klock's Palatine battalion, and that officer came up the next day with the valley militia, but Brant had fled and all that could be done was to take back Wormuth's body to Fort Plain, and thence to his father's home across the river in Pala- tine. Wormuth had been a personal friend of Brant, who expressed regret at the young officer's death. In July Brant destroyed the little settlement of Andrustown, six miles southeast of German Flats, killing its inhabitants and driving away its live stock. In the summer of 1778, Brant's long stay at Unadilla, without striking a blow on some of the exposed points of the frontier, excited suspicion among the inhabitants of the valley that he might be planning an attack on them, and a scouting party of four men was accordingly sent out to watch his movements. These rangers fell in with tlie enemy and three were killed. The fourth, John Adam Helmer, the famous scout, escaped and returned to German Flatts at sundown and gave the alarm that Brant and a large force would be upon the settlements in a short time. At nightfall the enemy, numbering about 300 Tories and 150 Indians, came to the outskirts of the settlements and stopped near the house of Brant's Tory friend. Shoe- maker. Here the force remained until early morning. The settlers fled to Forts Dayton and Herkimer, taking with them their most precious belong- ings. Brant and his red and white warriors devastated the country in the vicinity of these forts, early the next day, and the whole valley thereabouts was illuminated with the light of burn- ing houses, barns and crops. Only two or three persons were killed in this foray, but 63 dwellings, 57 barns, three grist-mills and two saw-mills were burned, and 235 horses, 269 sheep, 229 cattle and 93 oxen were taken and driven off by Brant and his raiders. This happened about Sept. 1, 1778. No scalps or prisoners w'ere taken and the enemy ventured no at- tack on the forts. In September, Col. Klock wrote to Gov. Clinton that 150 families were left destitute and homeless in the val- ley by the many Indian raids of 1778 up to that month. 68 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Walter Butler had obtained a trans- fer from the Albany jail to a friendly Tory's house by feigning sickness. He intoxicated his guard and escaped. In November, 1778, he, together with Brant, fell upon the Cherry Valley settlement with a force of seven hun- dred Tories and Indians and killed 32 people and 16 soldiers of the garrison, looted the place, burned all the build- nigs and took captive most of the sur- vivors. The women and children were allowed to return, with the exception of three women and their children, one of the women being murdered a day or two after the massacre. At the time of the Cherry Valley massacre Lieut. Col. James Gordon of the Saratoga militia, is supposed to have been in command at Fort Plain and ordered Col. Klock's regiment and the company under Capt. Van Den- bergh at Fort Plank to march to re- lief of Cherry Valley, where they ar- rived two hours after the enemy had gone. Some survivors from the af- flicted district fled to Fort Plain for safety and many of them remained in its vicinity for the balance of the war. Lossing gives an account of the Cherry Valley massacre, which we here abridge: Colonel Ichabod Alden of Massa- chusetts, was in command of the fort and 250 men. On the 8th of Novem- ber, he had received a dispatch from Fort Schuyler saying his fort was about to be attacked, but treated it with unconcern and refused to allow the alarmed inhabitants to move into the fort or even leave their property there. However, Col. Alden sent out scouting parties. One of these, which went toward the Susquehanna, built a fire, went to sleep, and awoke prison- ers of Brant and Butler. From them all necessary information was extort- ed. The next day the raiders camped on a lofty hill covered with ever- greens, about a mile southwest of the village and overlooking the whole set- tlement. From that observatory they could see almost every house in the village. From the prisoners they learned that the officers were quarter- ed out of the fort and that Col. Alden and Lieut. Col. Stacia were at the house of Robert Wells, recently a judge of the county and formerly an inti- mate friend of Sir William Johnson and Col. John Butler. Early in the morning of Nov. 10, 1778, the enemy marched slowly toward the village. Snow had fallen during the night and the morning was dark and misty. A halt was made to examine the mus- kets, although the Indians, crazy for blood, could hardly be restrained. A settler on horseback, going toward the village, was shot, but, being only slightly wounded, galloped on and gave the alarm. The savages rushed in on the settlement. Wells's house was at- tacked and the whole family murdered together with Col. Alden, who escaped from a window but was struck down and scalped. The families of Mr. Dun- lap, the venerable minister, and that of Mr. Mitchell were next almost wiped out, Little Aaron, a Mohawk chief, saving Mr. Dunlap and his daughter; 32 people, .nostly women and children, and 16 soldiers were killed. The whole settlement was plundered and burned. The prisoners numbered nearly 40, and included the wife and children of Col. Campbell, who was then absent. They were marched down the valley that night, in a storm of sleet, and were huddled together promiscuously, some of them half naked and without shelter. The enemy, finding the women and chil- dren cumbersome, sent them all back the next day, except Mrs. Campbell and her children and her aged mother and a Mrs. Moore, who were kept as hostages for the kind treatment and ultimate exchange for the Tory family of Col. John Butler. Young Butler was the head and front of all the cruelty at Cherry Valley that day. He com- manded the expedition and saw un- moved the murder of Mr. Wells, his father's friend, whom Brant hastened to save but arrived too late. Butler would not allow his rangers to even warn their friends in the settlement of approaching danger. While Brant was collecting his troops at Oghkwaga the previous year, 1777, the strong stone mansion of THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 69 Samuel Campbell (colonel of the Can- ajoharie militia battalion) was forti- fied to be used as a place of retreat for the women and children in the event of attack. An embankment of earth and logs was thrown up around it, and included two barns. Small block-houses were erected within the enclosure. This was the only fort in Cherry Valley at this time. Mrs. Can- non, the mother of Mrs. Campbell, who was captured, was very old. On the retreat of the marauders, she was an encumbrance and a savage slew her with a tomahawk by the side of her daughter. Mrs. Campbell carried an eighteen-months old baby and was driven with inhuman haste before her captors, while they menaced her life with uplifted hatchets. Arriving among the Senecas, she was kindly treated and installed a member of one of the families. They allowed her to do as she pleased and her deportment was such that she seemed to engage the real affections of the people. Per- ceiving she wore caps, one was pre- sented to her, considerably spotted with blood, which she recognized as belonging to her friend, Jane Wells. She and her children, from whom she was separated in the Indian country, were afterward exchanged for the wife and family of Colonel John Butler, then in the custody of the Committee of Safety at Albany. There are many well-authenticated instances on rec- ord of the humanity of Brant, exer- cised particularly toward women and children. He was a magnanimous victor and never took the life of a for- mer friend or acquaintance. He loved a hero because of his heroism, al- though he might be his enemy, and was never known to take advantage of a conquered soldier. The challenge of Capt. McKean to Brant has been mentioned. After the Cherry Valley massacre, he inquired of one of the prisoners for Capt. McKean, who with his family, had left the settlement. Said Brant: "He sent me a chal- lenge. I came to accept it. He is a fine soldier thus to retreat." The cap- tured man replied: "Captain McKean would not turn his back upon an en- emy when there was any probability of success." Brant said: "I know it. He is a brave man and I would have given more to take him than any other man in Cherry Valley; but I would not have hurt a hair of his head." Walter Butler ordered a woman and child to be slain in bed at Cherry Valley, when Brant interposed saying, "What, kill a woman and child! That child it not an enemy to the King nor a friend to congress. Long before he will be big enough to do any mischief, the dispute will be settled." When in 1780, Sir John Johnson and Brant led their raiding army through the Schoharie and Mohawk valleys, Brant's human- ity was again displayed. On their way to Fort Hunter an infant was car- ried off. The frantic mother followed them as far as the fort but could get no tidings of her child. On the morn- ing after the departure of the invad- ers, and while Gen. Van Rensselaer's officers were at breakfast, a young In- dian came bounding into the room, bearing the infant in his arms and a letter from Captain Brant, addressed to "the commander of the rebel army." The letter was as follows: "Sir — I send you by one of my runners, the child which he will deliver, that you may know that, whatever others may do, I do not make war upon women and children. I am sorry to say that I have those engaged with me who are more savage than the savages them- selves." He named the Butlers and others of the Tory leaders. Brant hated the cowardly white Tory fiend, Butler, and objected strongly to serv- ing under him in the Cherry Valley expedition. The Wells family were close friends of Col. John Butler, father of Walter Butler, and the mur- der of this family by Butler's raiders was particularly brutal. Mr. Wells was tomahawked by a Tory while kneeling in prayer. Jane Wells, his sister, who was a beautiful and ac- complished woman, attempted to hide in a woodpile. An Indian caught her. He wiped his bloody scalping knife and sheathed it deliberately in view of the terrified woman. Then he leis- urely took his tomahawk from his gir- 70 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN die and at this moment, a Tory, who had been a servant in the family, sprang forward and attempted to in- terfere but the savage thrust him aside and buried his hatchet in his victim's head. It is said that Colonel Butler, professedly grieved at the beastly murderous conduct of his son at Cherry Valley, remarked concerning the Wells family: "I would have gone miles on my knees to save that family, and why my son did not do it, God only knows." Late in the fall of 1778, at the re- quest of Sir John Johnson, the Ca- nadian Governor-General Haldimand, sent fifty men to recover his and his father's papers which had been buried in an iron chest on the premises at Johnson Hall. They recovered the papers which were found to be prac- tically worthless from dampness. A Tory, named Helmer, was captured. The Saratoga and Oriskany cam- paigns have been summarized in the Oriskany chapter. The national events from the fall of 1777 through 1778 are summarized as follows: 1777, Oct. 4, American defeat at Germantown; winter 1777-8, American army in win- ter quarters at Valley Forge, Pa.; 1778, February, French recognize Am- erican independence and become allies of the colonies; 1778, June, British evacuate Philadelphia and indecisive battle of Monmouth follows; 1778, July, Wyoming, Pa., massacre of set- tlers by British and Indians under Col. Butler; 1778, Dec, Savannah, Ga., cap- tured by British. CHAPTER XV. 1779 — Gen. Clinton at Canajoharie — Road Built to Otsego Lake — Guard on Otsquago Creek — Sullivan and Clinton Defeat Johnson and Brant. To chastise the hostile Iroquois, Col. Van Schaick was sent from Fort Schuyler to make a descent on the Onondagas on April 18, 1779. The In- dians fled and their three villages were burned. The Onondagas retaliated by a descent into the Schoharie valley where ten militiamen were killed. In the spring of 1779 it was resolved to send a large American expedition into the Indian country to severely chastise the savages so as to discour- age them from renewing their rav- ages. Gen. Sullivan was placed in chief command of the expedition, the plan of which was a combined move- ment in two divisions; one, from Pennsylvania under Sullivan, to ascend the Susquehanna, and the other from the north through the Mohawk valley to Otsego lake and the headwaters of the Susquehanna, under Gen. James Clinton. The campaign had been carefully worked out by Washington and experienced men called in coun- cil. Gen. Clinton's forces assembled at Schenectady and his supplies and military stores were' sent up the Mo- hawk on batteaux to Canajoharie. These same boats were later trans- ported to Otsego lake and vised on his trip down the Susquehanna. Clinton had a force of 1600 men and made his Mohawk rendezvous in the present village of Canajoharie, which must then have been a scene of great activity as well as the river upon which ordnance and supplies were brought in bateaux. In Canajoharie Clinton boarded with Johannes Roof, a pioneer settler of land at Fort Stan- wix, which he abandoned on the ap- proach of St. Leger and came to Cana- joharie, there opening a tavern. While Clinton was preparing for his overland journey at Canajoharie, the Otsquago road to Otsego lake from Fort Plain was guarded by two com- panies of infantry and one of artillery, with Fort Plain as their base. John Fea, in his article on the "In- dian Trails of the Mohawk Valley," says: "Upon the return of the Onon- daga expedition, Clinton deployed two companies of infantry and one of ar- tillery on the Otsquago road, west of Fort Plain. One of the companies was stationed at Camp Creek, near the present village of Starkville, at the confluence of the creek and the Ots- quago. From this place the Indian trail from the Mohawk to Wa-ont-ha went southwestward. Lieutenant Van Home, of Colonel Fisher's regiment, THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 71 was in charge of the work of defense at this point, as it was expected that Brant would make a sortie from the west by the way of this trail, to harass the movement of Clinton's wagon train. During the stay at Camp Creek a corduroy road was made along the Otsciuago creek on ground where the present village of Van Hornesville is located. The old roadway to Spring- field at that time, went over the steep incline east of Van Hornesville. Clinton's troops made a new road over the 'pumpkin hook' district of about two miles in length to accommodate the carriage of his artillery. At the same time he was hewing a roadway through an unbroken forest from See- ber's Lane, southwest of Canajoharie creek, to the head of Otsego lake, a distance of about twenty miles. Over this road they transported 220 heavy batteaux and provisions for three months. June 17, 1779, he commenced the arduous task. He reached Spring- field with all his luggage, June 30. At this place Clinton was joined by the troops that had been deployed at Ots- quago." Eight horse wagons and ox- carts are said to have been used on this hard overland carry. Clinton's united force soon reached the head of Otsego lake where thoy launched their bateaux and flo-Ated nine miles down its placid waters to its outlet at Cooperstown. Tt is said that there was not then a single house standing at that site. The passage down the lake was made on a lovely summer's day, and every-' thing connected with it was so novel and picturesque that the scene was truly enchanting. On arriving at the foot of the lake, the troops landed and remained several weeks, until it was sufficiently raised by a dam construct- ed at the outlet, to float the fleet of 208 boats. When a sufficient head of water was thus obtained the boats were properly arranged along the out- let and filled with troops, stores and cannon. Then the dam was torn away and the flotilla passed down into the Susquehanna (a word signifying in Indian "crooked river"). It is said that, preparatory to opening the out- let of the lake, a dam made by beav- ers, on one of the large inlets, was or- dered destroyed. This was done but it was repaired by the little animals the next night. It had to be more thoroughly destroyed and a guard placed there all night to prevent its being rebuilt. While the army was quartered there two deserters were tried and one shot. The younger, a boy, was pardoned but the other, who had previously deserted from the Brit- ish to the Americans and then desert- ed them, was shot. Said Clinton: "He is neither good for king or country — let him be shot." The flood from the opening of Clinton's dam destroyed the Indian's cornfields along the river banks, who, being ignorant of the cause of their loss, were astonished and alarmed. Gen. Clinton's force formed a junc- ture with Sullivan's at Tioga on Aug. 22, and the united force moved up the Tioga and Chemung, destroying the Indians' growing crops. The force of 4600 Americans met the Tories and Indians under Johnson and Brant near the present city of Elmira on Aug. 29. A fierce battle ensued and was for long doubtful. The patriots' artillery under Proctor finally routed the enemy. The invaders rested that night and next day made a vigorous pursuit. The entire Indian country was rav- aged and destroyed in a most thor- ough fashion. In revenge the savages retaliated upon the frontier settle- ments whenever opportunity offered. While Clinton was waiting at Cana- joharie for his troops and supplies to asseinble, and also for the construc- tion and delivery of bateaux, two Tories were there hung and a deserter shot. The Tory spies were Lieut, Henry Hare and Sergt. Newbery, both of Col. Butler's regiment. They were tried by a general court martial as spies and sentenced to be hanged, "which was done accordingly at Cana- joharie, to the great satisfaction of all the inhabitants of that place who were friends of their country, as they were known to be very active in almost all the murders that were committed on 72 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the frontiers. They were inhabitants of Tryon county, had each a wife and several children, who came to see them and beg their lives." The foregoing quoted words are those of Gen. Clin- ton himself in a letter to his wife. At the time of the execution, Gen. Clinton rode up to Fort Plain and spent an hour or two with Dominie Gros, to avoid the importunity of the spies' friends who begged for their lives, and especially was this the case with Mrs. Hare. Hare and Newbury had left the Seneca country with 63 Indians and 2 white men, who divided them into three parties. One was to attack Schoharie, another party was to de- scend on Cherry Valley and the Mo- hawk river and the third party was to skulk about Fort Schuyler and the upper part of the Mohawk to take pris- oners or scalps. Both had lived in the town of Glen and were captured there. A fifteen-year-old boy, named Francis Putman, captured Hare, who was de- layed in his return to Canada by a sprained ankle. A party of Whigs under Lieut. Newkirk arrested New- bury that night. It is said "they were enabled to find his house in the woods by following a tame deer which fled to it." The executions in Canajoharie took place on Academy hill. While Hare was in custody, at the request of Gen. Clinton, Johannes Roof asked the Tory if he did not kill Caty Steers at Fort Stanwix in 1777. "For you were seen with your hands in her hair," said Roof. Hare confessed that he had killed and scalped her. Gen. James Clinton was born in Ul- ster county, New York, August 9, 1736. At the age of 20 (1756), he was a cap- tain under Bradstreet in the attack on Fort Frontenac. In 1763 he com- manded four companies in Ulster and Orange as protection against Indians. He, with his brother, George Clinton (governor of New York during the Revolution), early espoused the pa- triot cause. He was a colonel in 1775 and went with Montgomery to Can- ada. In 1776 he was a brigadier gen- eral and was in command, under Gov. Clinton, at Forts Montgomery and Clinton when they fell into the hands of the enemy in 1777. He escaped and conjointly with Sullivan led the ex- pedition against the Indians in 1779. During the remainder of the war he was connected with the Northern De- partment of the Army, having head- quarters at Albany. He retired to his estate at Newburgh, after peace was declared, and died there in 1812, aged 75. He was the father of Dewitt Clinton, the eminent governor of New York and "father of the Canal system." The state legislature on Oct. 23, 1779, levied a tax of $2,500,000, of which Tryon county's quota was $81,- 766. The quota of the Canajoharie district was $16,728. April 6, 1780, an- other state tax of $5,000,000 was au- thorized of which $120,000 was as- signed to Tryon. The quota of the Canajoharie district was $28,000. Pay- ment of these two taxes, levied inside of six months, must have been a con- siderable hardship to the valley set- tlers at this time. Colonel Visscher was in command at Fort Paris in Stone Arabia in Novem- ber, 1779, having command of this sec- tion. While Visscher was on a visit to Fort Plank, a detachment of soldiers, from Col. Stephen J. Schuyler's regi- ment, located at Fort Paris, mutinied, knocked down the guards and started to desert. One of them was shot down and presumably the rest escaped. Capt. Jelles Fonda, in temporary com- mand there, was courtmartialed and honorably acquitted. In December, at a conference. Colonels Visscher and Klock and Lieut. Col. Wagner dis- persed a number of three months mi- litia men, on account of the lateness of the season and the improbability of immediate invasions. This was done with the sanction of Gen. Ten Broeck and some of the garrisons were broken up for a time. July 9, 1779, three Vols (now Folts) brothers and the wives of two of them, and a Mrs. Catherine Dorenberger, who had been a Hilts, went berry- picking up the West Canada creek, THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 73 near Fort Dayton. A party of a dozen Indians and Tories discovered them. Two of the brothers and their wives escaped to the fort, although one of the women was wounded. Mrs. Dor- enberger was overtaken and stabbed to death with a spear by her own brother, named Hilts, who was one of the guerilla party. He also tore off the scalp from her dead body. Joseph Vols was separated from the rest, but leveled his gun and fired at a party of nine who were pursuing him in a nar- row path. He was so close that three Indians fell, two killed instantly and one mortally wounded. His gun was loaded with 21 buckshot. This is said to have been the best shot fired in Tryon county during the war. One Indian, in the race which followed, got up and wounded Vols with his toma- hawk, but the Whig knocked his as- sailant down, stunned him with a blow of his gun and escaped, although wounded by several shots. Troops, hearing the firing, came up and the white and red savages fled. Conrad Vols, one of the brothers, was wound- ed at Oriskany two years before. The national events of 1779 are here- with summarized: 1778-9, Col. Clarke conquers middle west from English by victories at Kaskaskia and Vincennes; 1779, July 15, Americans under Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne capture Stony Point on the Hudson; 1779, Aug. 29, Sullivan's and Clinton's patriot army defeat Indian and British force in bat- tle of Chemung (at Elmira), Indian country subsequently devastated; 1779, September, Paul Jones, on American ship, Bon Homme Richard, defeats two British men-of-war; 1779, October, French and American attack on Sa- vannah repulsed. The lot of the soldier was not all one of warfare. In the midst of ever-pres- ent dangers, he took his holiday and his natural and robust pleasures with a carefree heart. An instance from Simms details a merrymaking of Rev- olutionary times: "In the fall of 1779, there was a corn-husking at the resi- dence of John Eikler in Philadelphia Bush. His house was some six miles east of Johnstown, and where John Frank formerly kept a tavern. Capt. John Littel permitted ten or a dozen young men of his company to go from the Johnstown fort to the husking, of which number was my [Simms's] in- formant, Jacob Shew. They went on foot from the fort to Eikler's. A lot of buxom maidens, corresponding in number, were already assembled from the scattered settlement on their ar- rival. As the night was a rainy one the corn was taken into the house to husk. "In the protracted struggle for po- litical freedom, many a lovely girl had to toil in the field to raise sustenance for herself and feebler friends, when the strong arms, on which they had before leaned, were wielding the sword or musket far away. As the husking progressed not a few red ears were found, imposing a penalty on the finder, and lucky indeed was the Son of Mars who canceled such forfeit, as he was brought in contact with the cherry lips of a blushing lass, who, al- though she may have said aloud the young rebel ought to be ashamed, se- cretly blessed the inventor of husk- ings. A part of the corn was risked and hung up under the roof on a lin- tel, which, to add variety to the enter- tainment, broke down under its ac- cumulated weight, and came near en- trapping one of the guests. After the corn was all husked and the eatables and drinkables — pumpkin pies and cider — were disposed of, the party had glorious times. But why specify at this late day the details of ancient sayings and doings? Suffice it to add, the rain came down in torrents, so as to prevent the guests from returning home; and after the midnight hilarity had stolen out through the crannies of the log dwelling, the guests — but how dispose of so many without beds? The husks were leveled down, and each took a soldier's lodge upon them; for the girls — heaven bless their memory — were the artless and true maidens of the times." 74 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN CHAPTER XVI. 1780 — May 21, Johnson's Johnstown Raid — August 2, Brant's Minden Raid. After Sullivan's campaign the val- ley had comparative repose for a time. So far the lower Mohawk section had suffered little. Its men had gone forth to fight for the common defense and their numbers had been reduced by death and capture. They had re- ceived an influx of population from the defenseless people driven in from above, which, however, was no added protection. May 21, 1780, Sir John Johnson en- tered Johnstown near midnight at the head of 500 Indians, Tories and Brit- ish. He had crossed the country from Crown Point to the Sacandaga, a point from which an invasion was least ex- pected, and stolen upon the settlement so quietly that the patriots were first warned of the enemy's presence by the beginning of the work of murder and destruction in their midst. The resi- dent Tories, being in the secret and assisting the raiders, were exempt from injury. Johnson separated his men into two parties, one going through Johnstown and down the Cayadutta to the Mohawk, there to join the other division, which was to take a more easterly route to Tribes Hill. They were then to unite and rav- age up the valley. The whole course of Sir John's eastern raiders was mur- derous and disgraceful. They mur- dered and scalped a Mr. Lodwick Put- man and son, dragged Putman's son- in-law, Amasa Stevens, out of his house and killed him in the most bru- tal manner and then went on to the house of Gerret Putman, a stanch Whig, who had been marked as a vic- tim but who had removed lately and rented his house to two Tory English- men. Ignorant of this the Tories and Indians broke into the house and mur- dered and scalped the two inmates be- fore they had a chance to explain their situation. Henrj' Hansen was next murdered and his sons carried off pris- oners. They next came to the house of Col. Visscher, whom Simms says was a brave man in spite of the un- fortunate panic retreat of his force at Oriskany. His two brothers were with him and they made a brave stand, fighting valiantly up the stairway and into their chamber, where they were stricken down and scalped and the house set on fire. Visscher was toma- hawked, scalped and left for dead, but revived and lived many years. The western division led by Sir John him- self, went through Johnstown undis- covered by the Whig garrison of the fort which had formerly been the jail. This force captured Sampson Sam- mons and his three sons and, uniting with the eastern force, proceeded up the valley, burning every building not belonging to a Tory. The alarm, how- ever, was getting abroad and the peo- ple had some chance to escape to the neighboring forts. Returning after a few miles foray to Caughnawaga they burned every building but the church and parsonage. Here in the morning an old man named Douw Fonda had been murdered. He was one of nine aged men, four over eighty, who were brutally killed and scalped on this raid. Sir John returned to Johnstown and recovered his buried plate and valuables and about twenty slaves. The plate and valuables filled two bar- rels. Toward night the militia began to gather under Col. John Harper and Johnson decided to get away, heading for the Sacandaga. The militia were in too small numbers to attack him but followed him several miles. Col. Van Schaick came up with 800 men in pursuit but too late to engage the guerillas. While halting, on the day after leav- ing Johnstown, the elder Mr. Sammons (Sampson Sammons) requested a per- sonal interview with Sir John John- son, which was granted. He asked to be released, but the baronet hestitated. The old man then recurred to former times, when he and Sir John were friends and neighbors. Said he: "See what you have done, Sir John. You have taken myself and my sons pris- oners, burned my dwelling to ashes, and left my family with no covering but the heavens above, and no pros- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 75 pect but desolation around them. Did we treat you in this manner when you were in the power of the Tryon Coun- ty Committee? Do you remember when we were consulted by General Schuy- ler, and you agreed to surrender your arms? Do you then remember that you then agreed to remain neutral, and that, upon that condition, General Schuyler left you at liberty on your parole? Those conditions you violat- ed. You went off to Canada, enrolled yourself in the service of the king, raised a regiment of the disaffected who abandoned their country with you, and you have now returned to wage a cruel war against us, by burn- ing our dwellings and robbing us of our property. I was your friend in the Committee of Safety, and exerted myself to save your person from in- jury. And how am I requited? Your Indians have murdered and scalped old Mr. Fonda, at the age of eighty years, a man who, I have heard your father say, was like a father to him when he settled in Johnstown and Kingsbor- ough. You cannot succeed, Sir John, in such a warfare, and you will never enjoy your property more." The baro- net made no reply but the old gentle- man was set at liberty. Soon after this murderous raid of Sir John Johnson, Gen. Clinton or- dered Col. Gansevoort to repair with his regiment to Fort Plain, to take charge of a large quantity of stores destined for Fort Schuyler and con- voy the batteaux containing them to their destination. This caution was necessary to save the supplies from capture by the Indians. Most of the local militia accompanied Gansevoort's command. Brant was again on the warpath, watching for a favorable moment to spring upon the unprotected inhabi- tants, and supplied the Tories with in- formation of movements in the settle- ments. He was early aware of the de- parture of troops for Fort Schuyler and, when they had gathered at Fort Plain and started on their march of protection for the supplies going by river, on August 2, 1780, made a de- scent on the Canajoharie district with a force of about 500 Indians and Tories, chiefly the former. There were sev- eral stockades in the neighborhoods desolated by the savages (for the Tories seem to have equaled the red men in their barbarity). Chief among them, however, was the principal for- tification of Fort Plain. Here the gar- rison was insufficient, without help from the militia, to give battle to Brant's force and, as has been stated, the local troops were absent with Gansevoort's force. Brant evidently approached the Mohawk from the west by way of the Otsquago valley and his raiders in bands thoroughly devasted the Freysbush and Dutchtown roads. The approach of the Indians was announced by a woman firing the sig- nal shot from a Fort Plain cannon. The people were then busy with their harvesting, and all who were fortunate enough to escape fled to the fort, leav- ing their property to be destroyed. The firing of one signal shot indicated that the people were to flee to the nearest stockade, while two or three in quick succession ordered the set- tlers to seek safety by hiding in the bush or woods and told that the enemy was between them and the fort. Fifty- three dwellings were burned with their barns and buildings, 16 people were murdered and 50 or 60 captured. The Indians, knowing its weakness, rush- ed up within gunshot of Fort Plain, after ravaging the Dutchtown and Freysbush districts. Seeber's, Abeel's and other houses were burned and then the savages fired the Reformed Dutch church. The spire was adorned with a brass ball and the Indians, be- lieving it to be gold, watched eagerly for it to fall. When at last it dropped, with the burning of the spire, they all sprang forward to seize the prize. This red hot ball of brass was respon- sible for many a blistered red man's hand. To make a show of force at Fort Plain, some of the women who had fled there, put on men's hats and carried poles, showing themselves just sufficiently above the stockade to give the savages the impression of militia- men. This ruse was evidently success- 76 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN ful for, had Brant known how feebly the fort was defended he would prob- ably have rushed this stockade, burn- ed it and massacred its inmates. The columns of smoke rising from the burning buildings were seen at Johnstown and were the first intima- tion of this latest incursion. The far- mers left their harvest fields and joined Col. Wemple, marching up the river with the Schenectady and Al- bany militia, but they were not in time to check the work of destruction or cut off the retreat of the maraud- ers. Colonel Wemple, who was thought to be more prudent than val- orous on this occasion, only reached the desolated region in time to see the smoking ruins and rest securely in Fort Plain that night. The next morn- ing some buildings, which had escaped the torch the day before were discov- ered to be on fire. Col. Wemple, on being notified of the fact, said that, if any volunteers were disposed to look into the matter, they might do so. Whereupon Major Bantlin, with some of the Tryon county militia, set out for the scene of the fire. It proved to have been set by a party of Brant's raiders who, as soon as discovered, fled to rejoin the main body. In a day one of the fairest portions of the val- ley had been desolated. The small forts which were demolished were not garrisoned and had been constructed by the people themselves. The inhabi- tants of the desolated region had pro- tested against helping the government to keep open communication with Port Schuyler, when there was con- stant need for the protection of their own district. The withdrawal of its militia and the consequent terrible result justified their worst apprehen- sions. This raid which culminated around Fort Plain was one of the most de- structive made during the war. Brant had with him Cornplanter and other distinguished chiefs. Col. Samuel Clyde sent Gov. George Clinton an ac- count of this affair, evidently written from Fort Plain, as follows: Canajoharie, Aug. 6. 1780. Sir — I here send you an account of the fate of our district: On the 2d day of this inst. Joseph Brant, at the head of four or five hun- dred Indians and Tories, broke in upon the settlements, and laid the best part of the district in ashes, and killed 16 of the inhabitants that we have found, took between 50 and 60 prisoners — mostly women and children — 12 of whom they sent back. They have killed or drove away with them, up- wards of 300 head of cattle and horses; have burned 53 dweMing hou.?es, be- sides some outhouses, and as many barns; one very elegant church, and one grist mill, and two small forts that the women fled out of. They have burned all the inhabitants' w-eapons and implements for husbandry, so that they are left in a miserable condition. They have nothing left to support themselves but what grain they have growing, and that they cannot get saved for want of tools to work with and very few to be got here. This affair happened at a very un- fortunate hour, when all the militia of the county were called up to Fort Schuyler — Stanwix — to guard nine bat- teaux — half laden. It was said the enemy intended to take them on their passage to Fort Schuyler. There was scarce a man left that was able to go. It seems that everything conspired for our destruction in this quarter; one whole district almost destroyed and the best regiment of militia in the county rendered unable to help them- selves or the public. This I refer you to Gen. Rensselaer for the truth of. Brant, with subtle savagery, had thrown out a hint that he intended to take or destroy the supply flotilla on its way up the river. It was during this invasion that the Indians took the trader John Abeel, living at Fort Plain, and he was afterward liberated and sent back to his ruined home by his son Cornplanter, the Seneca chief- tain. Parties of Indians at this time also made minor raids around Fort Herkimer and Fort Dayton, in the Schoharie valley and other sections. Gyantwachia or Cornplanter, the Seneca chief, was associated with Brant in this Minden raid. He was a son of John Abeel, the Indian trader of Fort Plain, and the daughter of a Seneca chief. Although a half breed he was the leading man of his nation for a period of almost sixty years. At the close of the Revolution, he was not only ready to bury the hatchet but to take sides in all future troubles THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 77 with the Americans. He became the firm friend of Washington and was perhaps the only Indian war chief, in our borders, whose friendship for tlie .United States was unshaken in tlie In- dian difficulties existing from 1791 to 1794. In 1797 Cornplanter paid a visit to Washington at Philadelphia. He fixed his permanent residence on the Alleghany river in Pennsylvania, where he subsequently lived and died and where his descendants still reside. In 1802 Cornplanter paid a visit to Presi- dent Jefferson. In the war of 1812 with England, the Seneca chief, then al- most 70 years old, offered to lead 200 warriors with the American troops against the English. He was not al- lowed to do so but some of his nation were with the Americans in the war and rendered efficient service as scouts. His son, George Abeel, held a major's commission and led these red American soldiers. Cornplanter was about five feet, ten inches in height and a chief of fine bearing. He is said to have been a fine orator in the In- dian way and, to further the interests of his people, made effective speeches before Washington and before the gov- ernor of Pennsylvania. The latter state gave him, in 1789, 1,300 acres of land and the national government paid him $250 yearly, in appreciation of his services rendered the country by keep- ing his own people in friendship with the United States. In 1S66 the legis- lature of Pennsylvania erected a mon- ument to Cornplanter at Jennesadaga, his village in Warren county in that state, and also published a pamphlet regarding his life and works. The inscription on the monument reads: "Giantwahia, the Cornplanter. "John O'Bail [Abeel], alias Corn- planter, died at Cornplanter town, February 18, 1836, aged about 100 years. "Chief of the Seneca tribe, and prin- cipal chief of the Six Nations from the period of the Revolutionary war to the time of his death. Distinguished for talents, courage, eloquence sobriety, and love of his tribe and race, to whose welfare he devoted his time, his ener- gies and his means during a long and eventful life." Simms says the age given on this monument is wrong and that Corn- planter was born about 1746 and was about 90 years old at the time of his death. His visit to Fort Plain in 1810 is treated of in a later chapter. CHAPTER XVII. 1780, August 2 — Incidents and Trage- dies and Details of Brant's Minden Raid. The Canajoharie district raid of Au- gust 2, 1780, by Indians and Tories under Brant, was made from the direc- tion of the Susqehanna valley through the Otsquago valley and thoroughly ravaged the Dutchtown and Preystaush districts, culminating about Fort Plain. For that period, the portion of the Canajoharie district comprised in the town of Minden was thickly settled and the people fled to and crowded the forts which were so fee- bly defended on account of the with- drawal of the militia to convoy stores to Fort Schuyler. The maintenance of this latter exposed post, and the con- sequent splitting up of the defensive strength of Tryon county among so many forts, was doubtless the reason that so many terrible raids of the enemy devastated the valley, the hos- tile force escaping before the scat- tered garrisons and militia could unite for common defense. In the Minden raid the raiders broke up into small bands, the more thor- oughly to murder loot and burn. From Simms's account, it appears that the enemy remained in this section during August 2 and that night and the next day dispersed in small par- ties, probably toward the Susqehanna for the most part. This was done to evade pursuit by the militia then marching to Fort Plain and shows how difficult is was for the patriot Tryon county military authorities to check these forays and brings into prominence Willett's effective work in the following year, at the time of the two raids which ended in the American 78 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN victories of Sharon Springs and Johns- town. The Minden raid, in point of loss of life, prisoners taken and property de- stroyed takes rank as the most de- structive which took place along the Mohawk during the Revolution. At German Flats, in September, 1778, 116 houses and barns were burned, but there was no loss of life with the ex- ception of three rangers who were killed while scouting for Brant's force. It was due to the long heroic run of the noted scout Helmer to German Flats and his warning to the farmers that there was no further casualties. About the same number of barns and dwellings were burned in the Minden raid of 1780, but in addition 16 people were killed and 60 captured. The loss of stock and implements was a most serious one as it prevented the har- vesting of crops and the Canajoharie district was one of the most fertile sections of the valley and was de- pended upon frequently for bread and foodstuffs by neighboring communi- ties. Its defense of four forts had pre- viously prevented its sacking, but its forts were useless without sufficient men and these were absent on the march to Fort Stanwix to convoy a comparatively trifling amount of stores. In this chapter are narrated some of the personal experiences, tragedies and details of this hostile foray in Minden township. They show, as nothing else can, what these raids meant to the suffering valley people, just as the experiences of the patriot fighters at Oriskany display the hor- rors of Revolutionary warfare along the old New York frontier. They also give further information about the families about Fort Plain at that time and furnish some insight into the farm life of the period. They are summar- ized or copied from Simms's "Fron- tiersmen of New York." John Rother, at this time, owned a grist mill and had a farm in the Gels- enberg neighborhood. Daniel Olen- dorf was his miller. Rother owned a big dog which barked and gave warn- ing of the approaching Indians, on Au- gust 2. Rother seized his gun and ran for Fort Plank, more than a mile away, followed by his niece. His wife hid in a flax field. As the Indians ap- proached the house the dog set upon them furiously and they stopped to shoot him, the reports arousing sev- eral settlers and warning them of dan- ger. The savages plundered and burn- ed the dwellings, the first they fired in that neighborhood. Rother and his niece were chased by one Indian. Not being able to keep up with her uncle, the girl kept falling behind and the Indian gaining. The panic-stricken girl shouted "Uncle, the Indian." Rother stopped and pointed his gun at the Indian who would stop or fall back. This was repeated a dozen times until the two fugitives reached the fort. Rother was afraid to fire for had he missed, both would have been tomahawked and scalped. His wife was not discovered by the savages and also escaped. Joseph Myers lived four miles south- west of Fort Plain. On the day of the raid, he had gone to Fort Plank to make cartridges, leaving his wife and three children, aged three, five and seven years, at home. Evan, the only girl, was five. Myers had lost a limb and wore a wooden leg. The family lived a mile from the Rothers, before mentioned, and Mrs. Rother was known as the "Doctress," as she dis- pensed home-made German herb rem- edies. Mrs. Myers sent the two oldest children to get some salve for the youngest child's head. The oldest brother said he would carry the youngest on his back to the Rothers, let the "Doctress" apply the salve, and then carry him back. Evan was al- lowed to accompany them. When nearly half-way they heard a gun fired and seeing Indians around Roth- er's house, started to run home. The savages saw them and several chased them, one of them pinning the two lit- tle boys to the ground with a bayo- net as they were running pick-a-back. Evan later thought she was not scalp- ed as she did not cry. She was picked up in the arms of an Indian and the savages went to the Myers. Mrs. My- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 79 ers, hearing the gun shot at Rother's, hid and saved her life. The buildings were plundered and burned. Evan was taken to Canada with other pris- oners and, on account of her tender age, was borne on the back of an In- dian most of the long, tiresome jour- ney. On their arrival at the Indian village an Indian took the girl in his arms and whipped her. The little flve-year-old was then put on a horse led by an Indian, to run the gauntlet. She was knocked off by blows several times and put on again and was con- siderably hurt but did rot dare cry. She was then given an Indian dress and her cheeks painted. She quickly forgot her German tongue during her life with the Indians, who found such a small white child so much trouble that they finally delivered her at Mon- treal for a bounty. Here she soon forgot her Indian and learned to speak English. She was long in Canada be- fore it was learned whose child she was as she had forgotten her own name. Peter Olendorf, who was cap- tured in the same raid, readily guessed her parentage when she said her father had a wooden leg and lived not far from a fort. Mrs. Bartlett Pick- ard, with a nursing child, was cap- tured in the vicinity of Myers, and later liberated by Brant and sent home. In order to take her home, Mrs. Pickard claimed Evan was her child but the Indians were not fooled and the pretence was of no use. Mrs. Pickard arrived at Fort Plain, three days after her capture, almost fa- mished and then Mrs. Myers first learned the fate of her daughter. Mrs. Pletts, made a prisoner on the same day in Freysbush, brought Evan back with her, on her liberation from Can- ada, taking a motherly care of her for which, it is unnecessary to say, her parents were ever after grateful. David Olendorf was at work with his wife in his barn. He was pitching wheat from his wagon and his wife was mowing it away, a duty that often devolved on women during the war. When he, before the muzzle of a gun, was ordered down from the wagon, she was not in sight and, upon being asked, Olendorf said there was no one else there. A suspicious savage said, "If any one else is in the barn call them out as we are going to burn it." True to their word they did burn it and, after it was set on fire, the wo- man was called down from the loft. The savages also burned and plun- dered the house. With other prison- ers, the Olendorfs were started on the long journey to Canada, suffering se- vere privations on the way. Soon after their journey started the Indians ask- ed Olendorf if he could run pretty well and he said "Yes." Thereupon they told him, if he could beat their best Indian runner, he would be set at liberty and this contest the white man easily won. He soon found out why his fleetness of foot had been thus tested, for he was securely bound every night during the rest of the journey. During the dreary march he incurred the displeasure of an Indian, who threw his tomahawk at Olendorf, the blade sticking in a tree behind which the white man sprang. An old savage saved his life. On reaching Canada Olendorf and his wife were separated and he was imprisoned. He then decided to enlist in the British service and desert to his countrymen at the earliest opportunity. While on his way to the New York frontier set- tlements, with a raiding party under Sir John Johnson, two prisoners were brought in. Olendorf, who was then a sergeant, overheard the men talk in German and he proposed to them for all three to escape. It became his of- ficial duty to post sentinels that night which favored his design and after stationing the most distant one he took occasion on his return to lop sev- eral twigs that he might pass the outer watchman unobserved. Secur- ing provisions, he conducted the two men outside the camp at midnight. Observing great caution, part of the time crawling on their hands and knees, the three found the broken boughs and passed all the sentinels in safety. "Now if you know the way to the settlements, lead on for we have not a moment to lose," said Olendorf. One of the captives became pilot and 80 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN in a few days the trio reached Fort Plain in safety, where they were joy- ously received by their friends, whom they forewarned of the enemy's ap- proach. Mrs. Olendorf, then with child, fear- ed longer to remain in an Indian fam- ily to which she had been taken and, watching her opportunity when the family were all drunk, to which condi- tion she had contributed as far as possible by freely passing the liquor, she fled for refuge to the residence of an English officer for protection. The family were at first afraid to conceal her, fearing the revenge of the sav- ages. Her condition excited their pity and they concealed her in a closet, where the Indians failed to find her on their search. On the birth of her little son, two English gentlemen acted as sponsors, from whom she had a cer- tificate of its birth. She was finally taken to Halifax, exchanged with other prisoners, and finally reached Fort Plain over a year after her capture. The boy born in captivity, Daniel Olendorf jr., became an inn keeper in Cooperstown and his brother Peter was an inn keeper at Fort Plain. Dan- iel Olendorf senior was one of the scouting party which shot Walter But- ler the next year at West Canada creek. Baltus Sitts, of the Geisenberg set- tlement, was at work in the fields with his wife and so escaped unseen, but his buildings were burned and plund- ered. Mary Sitts, nine years old, and her grandfather were captured. So- phia Sitts, a five-year-old, was taken by an Indian squaw in the apple or- chard. After carrying the little pris- oner on her back some distance, the squaw found it too hard and, setting the child on the ground, pointed to the house and told her to go back. The grandfather was taken to Fallhill where he was liberated at the interces- sion of the squaw named, who had doubtless received at some time some kindness or favor from the Sitts fam- ily. Mary Sitts was taken to Canada, adopted into an Indian family and ever after remained there. A few years later her father went after her and found her, in everything but color, a veritable squaw. No persuasion could induce her to return and she later be- came the wife of an Indian, at whose death she married a white man and remained in Canada. According to Simms, Sophia Sitts was living near Hallsville in 1882, be- ing then at the age of 107 years. Simms says she then distinctly re- membered her own and her sister's capture and says she was then five, placing her birth Oct. 6, 1774. This would make her the person living to the oldest known age in the history of the valley. In February, 1883, Mrs. Sitts was still living, being then 108 years old. There is no record of her death, to the writer's knowledge, but she probably passed away soon after. Few women are said to have done so much hard work in their lifetime as this centenarian and for many years she was considered one of the best binders ever seen in a wheat field. Sophia Sitts had three husbands, Wil- liam Livingston, Joseph Pooler and Jacob Wagner. Another similar case to that of Mary Sitts is that of Christina Bettinger, taken prisoner near Hallsville. Her father, Martin, was with the militia on the expedition to Fort Schuyler and her mother was taken prisoner, with six children, but was liberated after the party had gone a short distance. Among all the demoniac savagery, which loved to murder and torture human beings of the tenderest years and of tottering age and all the per- iods between, Brant's periods of clem- ency and humanity stand out pecul- iarly. He evidently protected his for- mer friends as much as possible and he decried the fiendish savagerj' of Walter Butler and his like. There were other Indians somewhat like him. Christina Bettinger, 7 years old, was not at the house but was captured by another party and taken to Canada. She was not exchanged at the end of the war, and a few years later her father found her. He found her living among squaws and practically one of them. She was identified by the scar of a dog bite on her arm. She was THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 81 given a small cake, baked and sent her by her mother, which touched her sen- sibility even to tears. She refused to return home and is believed to have married an Indian and, uncouth and uncivilized as she was, remained in her isolated wilderness adopted home. A family of Ecklers, residing near Bet- tingers, were also captured. Three brothers, John, Sebastian and Matthias Shaul, then resided at Van Hornesville and were all captured and taken to Canada. Frederick Bronner, living nearby, secreted himself under an untanned cowhide, and so escaped capture. The women and children here were allowed to return home by Brant, shortly after. Jacob Bronner, George Snouts and Peter Casselman were captured by the enemy near Fort Plank. After the raid nine settlers without coffins were buried at this post. The following is copied verbatim from Simms, as probably represent- ative of family border experiences: George Lintner was among the pio- neer residents of that part of the Can- ajoharie settlements known as Geis- enberg in the present town of Min- den, four miles from Fort Plain. On the 2d day of August, Lintner went early in the day to Fort Plank, a mile or two distant, to perform some duty. At the end of only a few hours he learned from the signal guns of the neighboring forts, as also from the constant discharge of firearms, which he believed in the hands of the enemy, that the invaders of the territory were numerous and would doubtless find every habitation in the district. The arrival of Rother and his niece and probably other fugitives at this post, told him of the possible fate of his own family, but he dared not proceed thither alone and Fort Plank was too feebly garrisoned to afford a sallying party. His family consisted of a wife and five children, their ages ranging at about 15, 11, 8 and 6 years and an infant of a few months; and being now unable to afford them needed as- sistance caused him many an anxious thought and fearful foreboding. The names of these children in which their ages stand were, Albert, Elizabeth, John and Abram. During the fore- noon, Mrs. Lintner and her children had heard the frequent discharge of guns in the neighborhood but did not suspect it proceeded from the enemy until noon, when they had seated themselves at the dinner table. The mother then began to feel disquieted and said: "My children we are eating our dmner here and the Indians might come and murder us before we are aware of it." As she said this she arose from the table and opened the door; and instantly she saw a sight that almost curdled the blood in her veins. Scarcely a mile distant she saw a thick cloud of smoke, and at once recognized it as coming from the roof of Rother's grist mill, while in* the next moment she heard the dis- charge of several guns which the en- emy had fired into a flock of sheep near the mill. Such omens could not be misconstrued, and snatching her infant child she fled from the house, followed by the other children, down a steep bank into the woods just be- yond. Scarcely had they gained this covert when the Indians entered the house and found the table ready for dinner; and, not finding the family in the house, they fired into and then searched the bushes through which the family had passed a few minutes be- fore. Their firing told the fugitives they had not fled one moment too soon. Dispatching the dinner so opportunely provided for them, they plundered and set fire to the house, and only remain- ing long enough to be sure it would burn, they left it to pay a similar visit to some other dwelling. After Mrs. Lintner had found a favorable place of concealment she discovered that Abram, her six-year-old boy, had be- come separated from the party, and although she felt a mother's anxiety for his safety, she dared not make a search for him. The lad found his way back to the house well on fire, ev- idently soon after the Indians left it and had sufficient presence of mind to pvUl the cradle out of doors. He re- mained about there all the afternoon and as night came on he dragged the cradle into a pig sty, still standing on the premises, in which he slept that night, too young to apprehend danger. The three oldest children, two boys and a girl, wended their way late in the day to Fort Clyde, which they reached in safety. Mrs. Lintner, with her infant child, remained that night under a hollow tree not far from her late home. A fainily dog was with her and several times in the evening its bark was answered by another which she supposed belonged to the enemy and which she feared might be- tray her hiding place. After a night of fearful solicitude, she made her way in safety to Fort Clyde, to find the children who had gained it the even- ing before. On the morning after he left his home of cheerful contentment, Lintner, having heard no alarm guns, ventured, as early as he dared to go, to learn the fate of his family. Find- ing his dwelling down, he approached 82 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIxN its site with fearful apprehension, but, after careful examination of the de- bris in which he could find no charred remains, he became satisfied that the family had not been murdered in the house; and while still searching- the premises, if possible to learn their fate, he discovered his little boy in an adjoining field following some cattle, evidently not knowing what else to do. He asked h'm where his mother •and the other children were, when he began to cry, being unable to give any account of them except that they ran into the bushes back of the house! The father, having become satisfied that if the remainder of the family were not prisoners on the road to Canada, they might have reached Fort Clyde. Taking the hand of his little boy, thither he directed his steps; where to their great joy, the family were again united; when Mrs. Lintner, in Ger- man, expressed her gratitude as fol- lows: "Obwhol wir nun Alles verboren haben ausser den Kleidern die wir auf den Liebe tragen, so fuhl ich mich doch reicher als jezmor in meinen Leben!" ("Now, although, we have lost everything but the clothes we have on, I feel richer than I ever did before in all my life!") Within a short distance of Fort Ehle (a mile or more south of Cana- joharie) Brant's raiders surprised and killed Adam Eights and took captive to Canada, Nathan Foster and Conrad Fritcher. John Abeel was born in Albany about 1724. He was an Indian trader among the Senecas where he met the "beautiful daughter of a Seneca chief" and by her had a son who became the celebrated Cornplanter. He was forc- ed by Sir William Johnson to give up his business among the Iroquois be- cause his traffic in rum produced so much drunkenness and misery among them. In or shortly after 1756 he settled at the beginning of the Dutch- town road in the Sand Hill section and built himself a stone house. His grandson, Jacob Abeel, built here the present substantial brick house about 1860. John Abeel settled upon lands secured by patent to Rutger Bleecker, Nicholas Bleecker, James Delancey and John HaskoU, in 1729. They se- cured 4,300 acres in a body along the Mohawk on each side of the Otsquago and extending up the creek several miles. In 1759 John Abeel married Mary Knouts. At the time of the Min- den raid, Abeel was captured by the Indians. He was taken on the flats, between the house and the river. The family were preparing dinner and the table was set with food upon it, when an alarm gun at Fort Plain caused the women and children to run to that nearby shelter. Arriving at the Abeel house and finding a good dinner be- fore them, the savages sat down and finished it. Some of the Indians i)rought out food and sat upon a wagon, which stood before the door to eat it. Henry Seeber, who was in the fort and had a good gun, took a shot at them although they were almost out of range. There Avas a commo- tion among them immediately and they scattered at once. Some of them fired the dwelling before leaving. As bloody rags were found about later it was evident that Seeber's bullet found a mark. It is believed that Cornplanter did not know of his father's captivity under several hours, when some war parties came together not very distant from the river. He had not been a prisoner long when he asked in the Indian tongue: "What do you mean to do with me?" This led at once to the inquiry as to his name and where he learned the Indian language. These things becoming known, among the savages, it was not long before Abeel was confronted by a chief of com- manding figure and manner, who ad- dressed him: "You, I understand, are John Abeel, once a trader among the Senecas. You are my father. My name is John Abeel, or Gy-ant-wa- chia, the Cornplanter. I am a warrior and have taken many scalps. You are now my prisoner but you are safe from all harm. Go with me to my home in the Seneca country and you shall be kindly cared for. My strong arm shall provide you with corn and venison. But if you prefer to go back among your pale-faced friends, you shall be allowed to do so, and I will send an es- cort of trusty Senecas to conduct you back to Fort Plain." The chief's father chose to return, and early in the even- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 83 ing a party of Senecas left him near the fort. At the close of the war Abeel erected another house on the site of his burned dwelling. The trader had shown signs of insanity even prior to the war, and after that time, in one of his spells of insane anger, shot one of his negro slaves through the head, killing him. Neighbors went to ar- rest him but he seated himself in his door with his rifle and threatened to shoot the first one who attempted his arrest. At the first opportunity he was taken in charge but was not put on trial for the murder, as his unbalanc- ed condition was so marked. As there were no asylums in those days, he was chained to the floor in a room of his own house. Abeel had periodical fits of being very ugly and troublesome and, on such occasions, he would clank his chain and continue a kind of Indian war dance nearly all night. He was handed his food through a small hole with a slide door cut in the wall. As he advanced in years and became en- feebled he was allowed to wander about his farm, and on one of his ram- bles, he was gored to death by a bull. His death was recorded by Rev. D. C. A. Pick of the Reformed Dutch church of Canajoharie (now Fort Plain), as follows: "John Abeel, gestorben den 1 December, 1794, alt 70; beerdigt den ejusd mensis annl alt in Michael." — John Abeel died 1 December, 1794, bur- ied the 3, same week, same month and year; aged in the day of St. Mich- ael 70 years. One of the numerous small bands, into which Brant divided his force to make destruction more complete, vis- ited the home of John Knouts in Freysbush. The site of the Knouts dwelling may still be seen in the apple orchard on the premises formerly owned by Josiah Roof. Here are also the graves of Mrs. Knouts and her children, slain by the Indians. Knouts was made here a prisoner and mur- dered on the way north after the sav- ages left the settlement. When the Indians entered the house, Mrs. Knouts was busy outside it and hearing the outcries of her children inside, she ran up just in time to see one of them tomahawked. While begging for her other children's lives, she was struck down and scalped with the other two children. Henry, a boy of eight or ten, was taken from the house, pre- sumably by a Tory neighbor, around the corner and told to run for his life. This he did but was seen by an In- dian, struck with a tomahawk, scalped and left for dead. On the day follow- ing a party went from Fort Clyde to bury these victims, when they found this little boy still alive and able to tell of the tragedy of the day before. He was an intelligent child and said he was running to get back of the barn and so into the woods. He said: "I should have escaped but an Indian met me between the house and the barn, who knocked me on the head with his hatchet and pulled out my hair," mean- ing that he had been scalped, of the details of which operation he was evi- dently ignorant. This brave little Knouts boy was taken to Fort Clyde and carefully treated and, after his wounds had nearly healed, he took cold and died. The mother was found ly- ing in the dooryard with the three children murdered with her in her arms. Thus Indians sometimes disposed of their slain, before firing a dwelling, as supposed to strike the greater ter- ror to living witnesses of their hellish cruelty. Her scalp was hanging on a stake, where the Indians had left it, evidently having forgotten it in their great haste to surprise other families. There is a tradition that the Indian who slew her took from her hand a ring having on it a Masonic emblem, discovering which he said: "Had I known the squaw had on such a ring, I would not have harmed her." It is needless to say the buildings on the Knouts place were burned and thus an entire family and their home were wiped out by almost incredible sav- agery. John Abeel, the Indian trader mentioned elsewhere, had married a Knouts girl, who was probably a rela- tive of this family. In the general destruction of the 84 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Dutchtown settlements in Minden, to the surprise of everyone, the house of George Countryman remained un- harmed, since it was well known that there was not a more staunch Whig in the neighborhood. The circumstance remained a mystery until the close of the war. He had a brother who had followed the Butlers and Johnsons to Canada, who was with the Minden marauders. He was a married man and, supposing his wife was at his brother's house, induced the raiders to spare it. After the war this brother in Canada wrote George Countryman that had be known at the time that his own wife was not in it, he would have seen that smoke with the rest. The house of Johannes Lipe, very near Fort Plain, was saved from plunder and fire by the courage and presence of mind of his wife. She had been busy all the evening carrying her most valuable articles from her house to a place of concealment in the ra- vine nearby. The last time she re- turned she met two prowling Indians at the gate. She was familiar with their language and, without any ap- parent alarm, enquired of them if they knew anything of her two brothers who were among the Tories who liad fled to Canada. Fortunately the sav- ages had seen them at Oswegatchie and, supposing her to be a Tory like- wise, they walked off and the house was spared. The families of Freysbush who were accustomed to seek safety in Fort Clyde were Nellis, Yerdon, Garlock, Radnour, Dunckel, Wormuth, Miller, Lintner, Walrath, Lewis, Wolfe, Fail- ing, Schreiber, Ehle, Knouts, Wester- man, Brookman, Young, Yates and a few others. From the Knouts house the savages went to the home of Johan Steffanis Schreiber, who discovered them approaching and made his es- cape. They made prisoners of his wife and two or three small children and led them into captivity, a fact record- ed on a family powder horn, which is now owned by the state. Nancy Yerdon was married to George Pletts and lived on a farm owned in 1882 by Philip Failing. She had given birth to twins a few months previous, one of whom had died, and had sev- eral other children. The family were living at Nancy's father's house, that of John Caspar Yerdon. On the day of the raid she went to the vicinity of a spring at some distance to dig pota- toes for dinner, leaving her nursing child in a cradle in the house. While at work an Indian made her a pris- oner and hurried her away to where other captives were being rounded up. The Yerdon house, for some reason, was not approached. After several small war parties were assembled, with their captives, a shower came up and the party took refuge behind a hay- stack. Here the savages conferred and decided to kill their prisoners if they had to abandon them. Mrs. Pletts, as the weather was warm, was clad only in an undergarment and a skirt, not even having on the accustomed short gown of that period, and thus scantily clad was compelled to travel all the way to Canada. The in- fant left in the cradle was named Elizabeth and grew up and married Henry Hurdick, who was a jockey on the local race-tracks of that day. Maria Strobeck, a "sprightly girl just entering her teens," was also captured with her father at a clearing where they had gone to get some ashes near the Failing farm in the vicinity of Mrs. Pletts, and went with the party as the latter did to Canada. On their way to Canada, Mrs. Pletts and the Strobeck girl, toward whom the former acted as a foster mother, were scantily fed. On her return, Mrs. Pletts told her friends that on their long, weary journey they came to a brook in which they caught several small fish which they ate raw, and, although they were wriggling in their mouths, they proved a luxury. On arriving in the Canadian country, they were taken into separ- ate Indian families; and, finding many unclean dishes, Mrs. Pletts, who was a tidy woman, voluntarily scoured them clean and kept them so. This act very much pleased the Indians, who treated her afterward with marked kindness. She felt it still her duty to keep a parental eye on Miss Strobeck. Find- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 85 ing her romping with the young In- dians, the married woman tried to per- suade her to leave them, but "she was so happy with them she would give no heed to the counsel of Mrs. Pletts. In- deed she became so infatuated with the novelty of Indian life that she could not be persuaded to be included in the exchange of prisoners and did not return with Mrs. Pletts when she might. Some six or eight years after the war, her father journeyed to Can- ada and found her, but she could not be prevailed upon to return home with him; and it was supposed she subse- quently took an Indian husband and remained there." While among the In- dians, Mrs. Pletts was given a sewing needle, which she boasted of using for years after her return and which she prized very highly. Among the pris- oners who came back from Canada were Mrs. Pletts and John Peter Dunc- kel. Years later, when they were well along in years and were then widow and widower, they concluded to unite their fortunes, and came on foot to Dominie Gros, who then lived in Freys- bush. And so they were married and none of the ten grown-up children of the couple by former marriages, ob- jected or ever considered this uncon- ventional marriage of the old folks as a runaway match. It was an agree- able pastime for the young to hear this old couple relate stories of the war, their own perils included. Mrs. Dyonisius Miller was made a prisoner in the Freysbush settlement. She had with her a small nursing child. She was placed on a horse, which was led by an Indian to Can- ada. Although the savages generally came down in large bodies, they usu- ally returned in small parties; and prisoners taken near together often journeyed with different captives, some of them not meeting again until their return. As the party of which Mrs. Miller was one became straitened for food, she had but little nourishment for her infant child and, as it cried from weariness and hunger, an In- dian more than once came back, hatchet in hand to kill it, but pressing it to her breast, she would not afford him the desired opportunity. Indians dislike intensely the sound of a crying child. To save her darling, Mrs. Mil- ler kept almost constantly nursing it or attempting to, until her breast be- came so sore as to cause her great agony. But she saved the life of the infant girl and brought it back safely to her old home, when released. This child, when grown to womanhood, married William Dygert. Henry Nellis lived near Fort Clyde, upon whose land, the post was erected, with his son, George H. Nellis. The latter became a general of militia and man of considerable prominence at a later day. On the day of the raid they both fled to the fort pursued by a party of Indians. At a shot the son caught his foot in some obstruction and fell, his father thinking him killed. The younger man jumped up and both got inside the stockade in safety. A bullet hole through the son's hat show- ed that the fall had saved his life.. Adam Garlock was riding his horse, when the beast scented the Indians, as horses frequently did in those days. Garlock, thus warned, saw a party of Indians approaching, wheeled his horse about and galloped in safety to Fort Clyde amid a storin of bullets. "This circumstance is said to have aided him in procuring a $40 pension, of which bounty he felt quite proud." At this invasion of the enemy Eliza- beth Garlock was scalped and left for dead on the river road above Fort Plain. She supposed the deed was done by a Tory named Countryman, who had been a former neighbor. He was painted as an Indian. Tories were often called "blue-eyed Indians." Eliz- abeth Garlock recovered and later married Nicholas Phillips and died at Vernon, N. Y., at the age of 80 years. John, son of Thomas Casler, who was an early settler of Freysbush, was captured. On the way to Canada, the prisoners were bound to trees nights and one night the carelessness of the Indians set the leaves on fire. As the flames neared Casler, he called to the savages to release him. A Tory, in the raiding party, named Bernard Frey, who knew the prisoner well, said to 86 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the Indians, "Let the damned rebel burn up." The red men, however, were more humane and saved Casler. A night or two later Casler escaped and, rightly supposing the savages would search for him on the back track, he ran back a short distance and hid to one side of the route. Here he remain- ed while his foes pursued him back and until their return. Then in safety he returned to the ashes of his home. Casler always said, in after life, that he would shoot Bernard Frey on sight, such was the feeling engendered among next-door neighbors around Fort Plain by this murderous warfare. Casler entertained no love for the In- dians and, during a subsequent deer hunting trip, killed a red man on a Schoharie mountain. Warner Dygert was murdered on his farm at the west end of the Canajo- harie district. He was a brother-in- law of Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, and kept a tavern at Fall Hill. Dygert, with his son Suffrenas, started out to make a corn crib, carrying a gun as was the universal custom in those days. His movements were watched by four Indians. He set down his gun and, with his tinder box and flint, lit his pipe. Just then he was shot down and scalped. The little boy was taken to Canada, finally returning in the same party with Mrs. Pletts and Mr. Dunckel, before mentioned and other captives from the Canajoharie district. The younger Dygert finally removed to Canada. Jacob Nellis of Dutchtown was jour- neying to Indian Castle on the day of the raid. He was shot down opposite East Canada crfeek. His father, who was called the oldest man of the name, saved himself by a ruse. As the In- dians approached the house, the old man shouted at the top of his voice: "Here they are boys! March up! March up!" and the savages fled, fear- ing the house was fortified. A German doctor and his wife, named Frank, were killed in Dutchtown. Frederick Countryman was stabbed with a spear nineteen times and killed. Brant expressed regret at this and coming up and seeing the corpse made the typical Indian remark: "It is as it is, but if it had not been, it should not happen." An old man named House was captured and killed because the savages thought him too old to bother with on the Ca- nadian march. A girl named Martha House was captured thinly clad and taken to Canada, reaching there after the long, hard -journey in an almost naked condition. Her Indian captor treated her kindly. On her return she married a man named Staley, who had also been a Canadian captive. Regarding Brant, during this raid the following comes from an early writer. Rev. Dr. Lintner, born in the locality and who knew the people and circumstances: "He [Brant] occa- sionally exhibited traits of humanity which were redeeming qualities of his character. On the evening of the day when the Canajoharie settlement was destroyed by the Indians, some 12 or 15 women were brought in as prison- ers. Brant saw their distress and his heart was touched with compassion. While the Indians were regaling themselves over their plunder — danc- ing and yelling around their camp fires, Brant approached the little group of terror-stricken prisoners and said: 'Follow me!' They expected to be led to instant death but he conducted them through the darkness of the dreadful night to a place in the woods some distance from the Indian camp, where he ordered them to sit down and keep still until the next day, when the sun should have reached a mark which he made on a tree, and then they might return home. He then left them. The next morning, a little before break of day, he came again and made an- other mark higher on the tree and told them they must not set out till the sun had reached that mark; for some of his Indians were still back, and if they met them they would be killed. They remained according to his directions and then they safely re- turned to the settlement." The Rev. Mr. Lintner said in a historical ad- dress: "Much of the bitter feeling which existed in this country against the mother country, after the Revolu- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN tion, was engendered by that inhuman policy which instigated the savages to make war upon us with the tomahawk and scalping knife. The bounty of- fered for scalps was horrible. It stim- ulated the savages to acts of barbar- ity and was revolting to the moral feelings and social sympathies of all civilized peoples." There is at least one personal ex- perience related of a soldier who prob- ably accompanied Gansevoort's troops to Fort Schuyler, which expedition re- sulted in the Canajoharie district raid. In the spring of 1780 Jacob Shew went for one of "a class," as then termed, in Capt. Garret Putman's company, for the term of nine months, part of which time he was on duty at Fort Plank. The ranger service often called troops from one post to another. Shew was one of a guard of about a dozen men sent with a drove of cattle from Fort Plain to Fort Schuyler. While en- camped near the village of Mohawk they were fired upon in the dark and several Americans were wounded. The fire was promptly returned and there was no reply from the enemy. Shew was also one of a guard sent up the Mohawk with several boats loaded with provisions and military stores. These boats, at that time, were usu- ally laden at Schenectady and came to Fort Plain, where an armed guard was detailed to escort them up the valley. The troops went along the shore and at the rapids had to assist in getting the boats along, which were laid up nights, the boatmen encamping on the shore with the guard. The tactics of these British and In- dian raids was to destroy the supplies of Tryon county patriots and crumple back the frontier. During the whole war no deadlier blow, in this direction, was struck than that who.se force cen- tered in Minden around Fort Plain. Fort Plain must have been a scene of tragedy enough to wring the stout- est heart. It was manned by a tiny garrison which feared, at any time, its utter annihilation and filled with men, women and children, all of whom had lost their homes and many of whom mourned part or all of their families as dead or captured. Their grief was not mitigated by resentment toward the stupid act of the officials who had left unguarded one of the richest gran- aries of the opulent valley, to insure the safety of a few boat loads of pro- visions and supplies. What was true of Fort Plain was also true of the other posts of the Canajoharie district. Forts Win- decker. Plank and Clyde. Fort Wil- lett was not then constructed. They were all crowded with the survivors of their neighborhoods. The Cana- joharie district was thickly settled- for that time and that portion of it com- prised within the present town of Minden was particularly so, with its fertile Freysbush and Dutchtown sec- tions. It was owing to the very com- plete chain of fortifications hereabouts that the greater part of the popula- tion escaped massacre. The people of Palatine also gathered in Fort Paris and Fort Kyser, and all up and down the valley, the population, left unde- fended by the absence of their mili- tary force, fled to neighboring forts. The fortified and palisaded farmhouses inust almost have been crowded by a panic-stricken population and it was only these few well-defended places that escaped destruction. Simms gives an account of the forti- fied houses of this section which are here suminarized as follows: In Canajoharie township: Fort Ehle; A"an Alstine house (now called, for some unknown reason, Fort Rennse- laer) ; Fort Failing. In Palatine: Fort Frey, Fort Wag- ner, Fort Fox. In St. Johnsville: Fort Hess, Fort Klock, Fort Nellis, Fort Timmerman, Fort House (a little below East Creek). Simms gives no similar list of the Minden fortified houses. William Irving Walter of St. Johns- ville, in a letter to the Fort Plain Standard under date of December 19, 1912, says of the Minden raid: "The raiders, after their work of massacre and rapine, camped at a ra- 88 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN vine a little to the west of Starkville, still known locally as Camp Creek, where they intended to rest a few days and recruit for their long trip on the return." Brant's stay here was short- ened by the approach of the militia, but at least part of his force was in the Minden vicinity two or three days. This shows the retreat of the Tory and Indian force to have been back up the Otsquago valley to the headwaters of the Susquehanna and from thence into the Iroquois country. Simms says that Fort Plain became the headquarters of the neighboring valley forts in 1780. Whether it was such at the time of the Minden raid is not known. Here a military escort took charge of the convoys of sup- plies brought up the valley on flat- boats, as before stated. This would necessitate a garrison larger than at the ordinary post and the American valley commander would naturally se- lect the post, with the largest garri- son and a central location, as his head- quarters. Fort Plain was the most centrally located post in the valley and it was also the point where the guard for the boats was located, so that it is probable it was the head- quarters on August 2, 1780. Mrs. W. W. Crannell, an Albany writer, in her "Grandmother's Child- hood Tales," gives a picture which might well pass and may well be that of a Minden family during the night of the raid of August 2, 1780. This ac- count also gives a picture of a Mo- hawk valley farm house in the early nineteenth century and the whole is here included: Seventeen miles from my own home in the county of Herkimer, was situ- ated the old home in which my mother was born. With the exception of Santa Claus, there was nothing looked forward to so eagerly, or from which we anticipated so much pleasure as the semi-annual visit to this old home- stead. After we left the main road, we drove along a private road or lane, that made its way from one main road to another; a sort of short cut of two or three miles, through the lands of several farmers whose houses were built, as the farmhouses of that period were wont to be, in the center of the farm. When we reached the door- yard, we unbarred the gate and drove through a flock of hissing geese and quacking ducks, up to the back or porch door. The noise of the geese would call grandmother to the door, and her bright, cherry face, crowned with its wealth of snowy, white hair, would appear at the upper half of the door, which was flung open while her trembling fingers were unfastening the lower half. How well I remember the old house, with its porch or "stoop," through which we passed into the "living room." The red beams overhead were filled with pegs, upon which were hung braided ears of corn, stumps of dried apples, or other home- ly articles which had not been put in winter quarters yet. And then the fire-place — such corn and potatoes as we roasted in its ashes. How often we sat before its cheerful blaze and drank sweet cider and ate apples, while we listened to our elders' tales, until Mor- pheus wooed us to his embrace. And what fun it was to climb into bed. First to pull the curtains back, and then throw down the blue and white spread, the flannel and the linen sheets, all homespun. If it was cold, the warming pan was placed between the sheets, and then, getting upon a chair, we stept upon the chest near the bed, and with the aid of mother and a "one, two, three," in we went, down, down, down into the soft warm feather beds. Did we ever sleep such a sleep as that in after years? But I digress; this is not what I set out to relate. When mother and aunts were out visiting the neighbors then grandmother (Nancy Keller), taking knitting, would sit down before the flre and talk of her girlhood. "Those were hard and dreadful times," she would say. "Some of them I do not remember, as I was a baby when they transpired, but my mother (Moyer) told me that often she would wake up in the mkldle of tlie night arid the sound of a horn, and a man's voice crying out 'To arms! to arms!' Father would run for his musket, and mother would take me in her arms and, with my two brothers clinging to her dress, start for her shelter in the woods. All the farmers had some place of safety for their families to run to in case of an alarm. Ours was a hollow place in the woods between some trees. It was just big enough for us to lie down in, and the boughs and underbrush at the sides had been arranged to hide it from the savage eye. One night we had gained the place in safety, our way to the woods being lighted by fires from burning hay-stacks and buildings. I had been ill and I moaned and cried, while my brothers lay down as close to mother's side as possible. All at once we heard THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 89 soft foot falls on the leafy ground; then an Indian passed quickly with a lighted torch, then another and an- other; how many was never known for we could see them so plainly through the boughs placed over us, that we closed our eyes in fear and scarcely breathed. Yes 'we,' for I ceased crying and nestled close on mother's breast. How long did we lie there? We never knew. Measured by what we endured it was ages before we heard father's voice calling, 'All right, come out,' and what must moth- er have suffered? Every gun shot might be the death call of her hus- band; every footfall and quick passing shadow, be death personified for her. And when the footfall ceased near her hiding place and the shadow re- mained stationary, when one cry of the baby in her arms or the children at her side were messengers of instant and horrible death; when at last the shadow started and the feet gave a headlong bound, and a fearful whoop rang out upon the stillness about her; what wonderful control of her nerves she must have had, not to betray her l^resence by the least movement, and how well we learned, even to the baby to sustain a rigid silence." CHAPTER XVni. 1780 — Johnson's Schoharie and Mo- hawk Invasion — Oct. 19, Battles of Stone Arabia and St. Johnsville — Van Rensselaer's Inefficiency — Enemy Es- capes — Fort Plain Named Fort Rens- selaei — Fort Plain Blockhouse Built — Fort Willett Begun. In the fall of 1780, an invading force under Sir John Johnson, Joseph Brant and the Seneca chief Cornplanter, rav- aged the Schoharie and Mohawk val- leys. The battles of Stone Arabia and St. Johnsville were fought and the enemy escaped, after a defeat at the latter place. They would have been crushed or captured by a pursuing American force had it not been for the complete inefficiency of the militia commander, Gen. Robert Van Rens- selaer. Practically every town of Montgomery county was concerned in this campaign, either being the scene of ravages by Johnson or the march of and battles of the patriot force. The object of this Tory and Indian raid, like all others, was to destroy completely the houses, barns and crops of all the Whigs along the Schoharie and Mohawk. By destroying or plun- dering the country of all supplies the enemy hoped to weaken the resistance of the frontier. This raid was particu- larly destructive to the Schoharie coun- try. It followed, within three months, Brant's terrible Minden foray of Au- gust 2, 1780. Thus did blow after blow fall upon the suffering but valiant peo- ple of the Mohawk. At Unadilla, Brant and Cornplanter, with their Indians, joined Johnson and his force, which consisted of three companies of the Royal Greens, one company of German Yagers, 200 of Butler's rangers, a company of Brit- ish regulars and a party of Indians. The total force must have approximat- ed 800 men or more. Sir John and his army came from Montreal, by way of Oswego, bringing with them two small mortars and a brass three-pounder, mounted on legs instead of wheels and so called a "grasshopper." This artil- lery was mounted on pack horses. The plan of the raiders was, upon reaching the Schoharie, to pass the upper, of the three small forts on that stream, by night and unobserved; to destroy the settlements between there and the Middle Fort and attack the latter in the morning. This plan was carried out October 16, the homes of all but Tories being burned. The Mid- dle Fort was bombarded without ef- fect and the enemy then moved down the Schoharie to Fort Hunter, making a feeble attack on the Lower Fort by the way. All buildings and hay stacks belong- ing to Whigs were burned and their cattle and horses appropriated. One hundred thousand bushels of grain were thus destroyed and (says Beers) nearly 100 settlers were murdered. The Whigs were so roused over the destruction of their property that, af- ter the enemy disappeared, they fired the buildings and crops of their Tory neighbors, which had been spared, and the ruin along the Schoharie was thus complete. Ravaging the Schoharie valley, Johnson and Brant's Tory and Indian force moved north, down the Scho- harie creek, and entered that part of 90 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN its course which flows through Mont- gomery county. Johnson buried one mortar he had been using and his shells in a little "Vlaie" (natural meadow) in the town of Charleston. In 1857 some of these shells were plow- ed up. The Schoharie militia, under Col. Vrooman, followed Johnson's course toward the Mohawk, during which march the enemy took several prisoners and continued the looting and burning of houses and barns. Johnson and Brant gave Fort Hunter a wide berth, passing that fortification at a distance of half a mile. Here a Tory named Schremling, was scalped and killed (his political leanings not being known) and a number of women and children of the Schremling, Young and Martin families were captured. An Indian and Tory detachment crossed the Mohawk to plunder and ravage the north side, while the main body continued westward through the town of Glen, on the south side high- way, to a point, in the town of Root, a little east of the Nose, known on the Erie canal as the Willow Basin, and there encamped for the night. Nearly all the buildings, on both sides, along the Mohawk were burned and plunder- ed from Fort Hunter to the Nose. On this march British regulars guarded the prisoners to prevent the Indians from murdering them. A little cap- tive girl of ten years, Magdalena Mar- fin, was taken up by Walter Butler and rode in front of him on his horse. The evening being very bitter, Butler let the little maid put her cold hands in his fur-lined pockets and thus they journeyed to the camping ground. One of the raiders asked Butler what he was going to do with the pretty girl. "Make a wife of her," was his quick reply. This small Revolutionary captive became the wife of Matthias Becker and the mother of ten children. She died in Fort Plain, at the home of her son-in-law, William A. Haslett, in 1862, in her 93d year. So closely are we unknowingly linked with the past that there may be those who read this page who personally knew this old lady, who, as a little girl, rode with Butler and warmed her hands in his pockets on a chillj^ October night over a century and a quarter ago. And such a strange and wayward thing is the nature of man that we look with wonder at the picture of this Tory murderer of women and little ones cuddling a small rebel child to keep her from the cold. The next morning at the Nose, learn- ing that a force of Albany and Sche- nectady militia were coming after him, Johnson allowed Mrs. Martin and her children to return home, with the ex- ception of her 14-year-old son. News of the raid had reached Al- bany and the Schenectady and Albany militia quickly assembled and pro- ceeded with great speed up the Mo- hawk to attack Johnson's men. Gen. Robert Van Rensselaer of Claverack, commanded the pursuit and he was ac- companied l)y Gov. Clinton. On the evening of the 18th they encamped in the present town of Florida. From there Van Rennselaer sent word to Col. Brown at Fort Paris and to Fort Plain (probably directed to Col. John Harper). Brown was ordered to at- tack the enemy in the front the next morning, while Van Rensselaer's army fell on their rear. On September 11, 1780, according to a state report, Col. Brown, at Fort Paris, had 276 men under him, and Col. John Harper (supposedly at Fort Plain then) commanded 146, and there were but 455 men to guard the fron- tier in the Canajoharie-Palatine dis- tricts. These troops were then under the command of Brigadier-General Robert Van Rensselaer. When Brown attacked Johnson at Stone Arabia he had but 200 American militiamen with him and it is probable the balance of the patriot force (then located at three posts) in this neighborhood were left to guard the forts or were on duty elsewhere. The Fort Plain soldiers joined Van Rensselaer's force as later noted. The valley people, warned of the enemy's approach, gathered in the local forts for safety and there were few or no casualities among them, after Johnson left Fort Hunter on his march westward. On the morning of October 19, 1780, THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN m Johnson's army crossed the Mohawk at Keator's rift (near Sprakers) and headed for Stone Arabia, leaving a guard of 40 men at the ford. At al- most the same time Col. Brown parad- ed his men, to the number of 150 or 200, and sallied forth from Fort Paris to meet the enemy. The American commander, mounted on a small black horse, marched straight for the ap- proaching foe. He passed Fort Keyser, where he was joined by a few militiamen, and met Johnson's army in an open field about two miles east by north of Palatine Bridge. Capt. Casselman advised Col. Brown, con- sidering the overwhelming force and protected position of the enemy, to keep the Americans covered by a fence. Without his usual caution, Brown ordered an advance into the open, where his men were subjected to a heavy fire. The militia returned the fire, fought gallantly and stood their ground, although many of their num- ber were being killed and wounded. Seeing he was being outflanked by the Indians, at about ten in the morning, Col. Brown ordered a retreat, at which time he was struck down by a musket ball through the heart. The pursuit of the enemy made it impossible for his men to bear off their commander's body and it was scalped and stripped of everything except a ruffled shirt. Thirty Americans were killed and the remainder fled, some north into the forest and some south toward the Mo- hawk and Van Rensselaer's army. Two of the Stone Arabia men took refuge in Judge Jacob Backer's house and put up a defense until the Indians fired the building, after which the sav- ages stood around and laughed at the shrieks of their burning victims. The enemy's loss was probably less than that of the Americans on this field. The British regulars passed Fort Keyser without firing a shot. Capt. John Zielie. with six militiamen and two aged farmers, were at the port- holes, with muskets cocked and hats filled with cartridges at their sides, but held their fire for fear of an at- tack which would mean annihilation. When the enemy were out of sight four of the militiamen from this post set out for the field of battle, found Col. Brown's body and bore it back in their arms to Fort Keyser. The Tories, British and Indians after this ravaged, plundered and burned all through the Stone Arabia district, among other buildings, burning both the Reformed and Lutheran churches. Few, if any of the inhabitants were killed or captured as all had taken refuge in the forts or in the woods. After the burning and plundering, Johnson collected his men by bugle calls and the blowing of tin horns and pursued his way westward toward the Mohawk. On the morning of the 19th, Gen. "Van Rensselaer started his pursuit, from his Florida campground, at moonrise. He reached Fort Hunter before daybreak and was there joined by the Schoharie militia. Van Rens- selaer came up to Keator's rift, shortly after Johnson had crossed. It was probably here that his force was joined by Col. Harper, Capt. McKean with 80 men (probably from Fort Plain) and a large body of Oneida In- dians under their principal chief, Louis Atayataroughta, who had been commissioned a lieutenant-colonel by congress. Col. Harper, probably then in command at Fort Plain (as S. L. Frey locates him there in September), was in chief command of the Oneidas. Van Rensselaer's army was now dou- ble that of Johnson's. Here the Am- erican commander halted, perhaps de- terred from crossing the ford by the small rear guard of the enemy which was stationed on the opposite bank. The firing at the Stone Arabia field, two miles distant, was plainly heard and here came fugitives fleeing from the defeated force, bringing news of the rout and of the killing of Col. Brown. One of Brown's men, a militia officer named Van Allen, promptly re- ported to Gen. Van Rensselaer, with an account of the action, and asked the latter if he was not going to cross the river and engage the enemy. The general replied that he did not know the fording place well enough. He was told that the ford was easy and Van 92 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Allen offered to act as pilot. There- upon Capt. McKean's company and the Oneidas crossed the river. Instead of supporting this advance party, in his promised cooperation with Col. Brown's men, it then being near noontime, Gen. Van Rensselaer now accompanied Col. Dubois to Fort Plain to dine with Gov. Clinton. Gen. Van Rensselaer, after leaving Keator's Rift, ordered the company of Lieut. Driscoll and his artillery to Fort Plain, possibly anticipating an attack by Johnson in that quarter. He tried the ford opposite Fort Frey but found it impassable and ordered his men to cross at Walrath's ferry at Fort Plain. They, however, made the passage of the Mohawk at Ehle's rift, near what was later Ver Planck's and is now called Nellis's island. They stopped at the house of Adam Coun- tryman on the Canajoharie side and here turned into the road which led to the ford, which existed in the river prior to the barge canal operations. This was later the Ver Planck and still later the Nellis farm. Here the American troops began the passage of the Mohawk while their general was wasting valuable time in a lengthy dinner at "Fort Plain or Rensselaer." At Fort Plain, it is said. Col. Harper denounced Van Rensselaer for his incompetency and appar- ent cowardice and other officers joined in with Harper, while the Oneida chief called him a Tory to his face. About four o'clock Van Rens- selaer rode back, through the present village of Fort Plain, to his men, who were as bitter against him as his of- ficers were. Here he found that the remainder of his army had crossed the Mohawk at Ehle's rift (just below Fort Plain), in the extreme western end of the town of Canajoharie, on a rude bridge built upon wagons driven into the river. At length Van Rens- selaer was stung into something like activity and, late in the afternoon, the pursuit was rapidly resumed (from the present village of Nelliston) up the north shore turnpike through the town of Palatine. Sir John Johnson, seeing that he could not avoid an attack, threw up slight breastworks and arranged his forces in order of battle. This posi- tion was in the town of St. Johnsville, about one and one-half miles east of the eastern village limits of the vil- lage of St. Johnsville. The Tories and Butler's rangers occupied a small plain, partly protected by a bend in the river, while Brant with his In- dians, concealed in a thicket on a slight elevation farther north, were supported by a detachment of German Yagers. It was near evening when the Americans came up and the battle commenced. Van Rensselaer's extreme right was commanded by Col. Dubois, and then came the Oneidas and the left was led by Col. Cuyler. As the Amer- icans approached the Indians in am- bush shouted the war-whoop. The Oneidas responded and rushed upon their Iroquois brethren, followed by McKean's men; the latter supported by Col. Dubois, whose wing of the battle was too extended to match the ene- my's disposition of forces. Brant's savage band resisted for a time the impetuovis charge, but finally broke and fled toward a ford, about two miles up the river. Brant was wounded in the heel but got away. Several were killed and wounded on both sides and the enemy everywhere gave way in great disorder and fled westward. It was now becoming so dark that the American officers feared their men would shoot each other and the gen- eral firing was discontinued, although the Oneidas, Capt. McKean's and Col. Clyde's men pursued and harassed the flying enemy, capturing one of their field pieces and some prisoners. John- son's men, utterly exhausted from their prior marching and exertions, camped on a meadow, at a point on the river near the ford. Here he spiked and subsequently abandoned his can- non. At this time the Americans could have driven the enemy into the river and have captured or destroyed them. All accounts agree that the patriot troops were eager to get at the enemy but their spirit was of no avail owing to the weakness of their commanding officer. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 93 Col. Dubois took a position above Johnson on the north side of the river to prevent the enemy's escape. Col. Harper's men and the Oneidas crossed to the opposite side and camped on the Minden shore, opposite Johnson's bivouac. Gen. Van Rensselaer or- dered an attack at moonrise, giving orders that it was to begin under his personal supervision. He then exe- cuted the remarkable manoeuvre of falling back with the main body down the river three miles, where he went into camp for the night. Johnson's entire force^ as subsequently shown, could have been easily captured at any time, as it was on the point of surrendering. Van Rensselaer failed, of course, to attack and, at moonrise, Johnson crossed the ford and escaped to the westward with his entire force, abandoning his cannon and 40 or 50 horses captured in the Schoharie val- ley, which were subsequently recov- ered by their owners. The next morn- ing one of the enemy was killed and nine captured by seven men and a boy from Fort Windecker, some of them surrendering voluntarily on account of fatigue. Gen. Van Rensselaer sent a mes- sage to Fort Schuyler for a force to proceed from that point to Onondaga lake to destroy Johnson's boats. Capt. Vrooman set out with 50 men, all of whom were captured by Johnson, through the treachery of one of Vroo- man's party. The Oneidas and a body of the militia moved up the river after the retreating enemy, expecting Van Rensselaer to follow as he promised. Coming next morning upon the still burning camp fires of the enemy, the pursuing party halted, the Oneida chief fearing an ambuscade and refusing to proceed until the main body came up under Van Rensselaer. After fol- lowing leisurely forward as far as Fort Herkimer, the Continental com- mander abandoned his weak pursuit and sent a messenger recalling the ad- vance force. The American army turned about face and marched back down the Mo- hawk. The garrisons returned to their posts and the militia to what shelters they had made or could make for themselves and their families, within the zones of protection afforded by these fortifications. The Schenectady and Albany militia continued on down the valley to their homes under the leadership of their thoroughly discred- ited commander. This American army was one of the largest yet concentrated in the valley and probably was only equalled in numbers by that of Clinton which had encamped at Canajoharie the year be- fore. The force that took the field on both sides at Klock's Field was the largest which arrayed itself for battle on any one Revolutionary field in the Mohawk country. About the same numbers were here engaged as at Oriskany (2,500), but at the action of St. Johnsville the clash took place on one battleground while Oriskany con- sisted of two fights several miles apart — the bloody struggle in the ravine and Willett's destructive sail;- from Fort Schuyler. Van Rensselaer's army had accomplished practically nothing and, moreover, had sat supinely by while Brown's heroic band was being scat- tered by the enemy. And all this lost opportunity and disgraceful record was due to the incapacity or cowardice of a general totally unfitted for mili- tary command. It was left for Willett, a year later, to show how effectively the valley Americans, when properly led, could beat off the Canadian in- vaders. Time after time, up to the day of the Stone Arabia battle, the local patriot soldiers had attempted to grap- ple with their savage white and red invaders, only to see them slip away on each occasion, unharmed and un- punished. Now, after the enemy had been cornered at Klock's Field and could have been easily destroyed or captured, they had been practically given their liberty by Van Rensselaer. The valley militia had flocked to the American standard, eager to strike a fatal blow at their hated foes. The patriot population and soldiers of the Mohawk must have been indeed dis- heartened, discouraged and disgusted 94 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN at this fiasco of a campaign, wliicii initially had promised complete Amer- ican success. Van Rensselaer's conduct was the worst display of inefficiency or cow- ardice seen in the valley, and perhaps anywhere, during the Revolution. An opportunity was lost of crushing com- pletely the raiders and probably pre- venting future bloodshed and loss in the valley. Van Rensselaer was sub- sequently courtmartialed at Albany for his conduct but was acquitted, largely on account of his wealth and social position, it is said. There was much scurrilous intrigue, dissension, bickering and petty jeal- ousy among certain cliques of so-call- ed patriots. The real American Revo- lutionary fighters were compelled to combat these vicious forces from within as well as the enemy. The ac- quittal of Van Rensselaer is an evi- dence that all Americans were not act- uated by high-minded patriotism and strict justice, during the war of inde- pendence. Had the Continental Revolutionary forces been composed exclusively of men like Washington and Willett the conflict would have ended within a year or two in complete American suc- cess. Not only did such patriots have to fight the early battles with raw, undisciplined and frequently unreli- able troops, but they had to constant- ly combat an insidious Tory influence among the people and the effect of such inefficiency as that exemplified in Van Rensselaer and men of his ilk. At this time, and until its discon- tinuance as an army post, the Minden fort was known both as Fort Plain and Fort Rensselaer, the latter being its official title, conferred upon it prob- ably by Van Rensselaer himself; Fort Plain evidently being its popular name and the one which survived until a later date. This is treated in a sub- sequent chapter. In S. L. Frey's article on Fort Rens- selaer (Fort Plain) published in the (Fort Plain) Mohawk Valley Register of March 6, 1912, he says: "Gen. Van Rensselaer * * * was appointed to the command of some of the posts in this section in the summer of 1780, — F'ort Paris, Fort Plank, Fort Plain and others. His headquarters were at Fort Plain. In the fall of that year he wrote to Gov. Clinton from Fort Plain, dat- ing his letter 'Fort Rensselaer, Sept. 4, 1780.' This is the first time the name appears." Van Rensselaer evidently gave his name to his headquarters post on his arrival there in the summer of 1780, which may have been in August after the Minden raid. At the time of the Stone Arabia battle. Col. John Harper was in command of Fort Plain (under Gen. Van Rensselaer, of course). In the court martial of Gen. Van Rensselaer the designation "Fort Plane or Rensselaer" is frequently used in the testimony of the witnesses. In this evidence appears the names of the following as having been engaged in the valley military operations of the time of the Stone Arabia battle: Col. Dubois, Col. Harper, Major Lewis R. Morris, Col. Samuel Clyde (who com- manded a company of Tryon county militia), Lieut. Driscoll and Col. Lewis, in whose quarters at "Fort Plane or Rensselaer," the commanding general went to dine. The number of Oneidas engaged in the foregoing military operations is given as 200 warriors by one author- ity and 80 by another, the smaller figure probably being nearer the truth. During part, at least, of the war this tribe lived in, about and under the protection of Fort Hunter, their own country being too exposed to invasion. The Oneidas were generally loyal to the American cause and did good ser- vice for the patriots on several oc- casions — notably the campaign treated in this chapter, at Oriskany and at West Canada creek. As previously stated Col. John Harper was in com- mand of these Indians, taking rank over their native chief. After the Stone Arabia battle, some 25 or 30 Americans were buried in an open trench near Fort Paris. The sit- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 95 uation is believed to liave been a few rods southeast of the present school- house. John Klock drew the bodies of Brown's men thither on a sled al- though there was no snow on the ground. They were buried side by side in the clothes in which they fell. Some others who were slain were in- terred elsewhere. Col. Brown was buried in the grave- yard near the Stone Arabia churches. Most of the Americans killed on this field were New England men, although local militiamen were also engaged. The loss of the enemy probably did not exceed half of the 40 or 45 pa- triots supposed to have been slain. On the anniversary of Col. John Brown's death in 1836, a monument was erect- ed over his grave by his son, Henry Brown, of Berkshire, Mass., bearing the following inscription: "In mem- ory of Col. John Brown, who was killed in battle on the 19th day of October, 1780, at Palatine, in the county of Montgomery. Age 36." This event was made a great occasion and was largely attended, veterans of the Stone Arabia battle being present. It is men- tioned in a later chapter dealing with its period in Palatine. It is reported that the Schoharie mi- litia, engaged in this campaign, were short of knapsacks and carried their bread on poles, piercing each loaf and then spitting it on the sticks. After the Klock's Field battle some of McKean's volunteers came upon Fort Windecker, where nine of the enemy had been taken. On one of them being asked how he came there, his answer was a sharp commentary on the criminal inaction of General Van Rensselaer. The man, who was a valley Tory, said: "Last night, after the battle, we crossed the river; it was dark; we heard the words, 'lay down your arms,' and some of us did so. We were taken, nine of us, and march- ed into this little fort by seven mi- litiamen. We formed the rear of three hundred of Johnson's Greens, who were running promiscuously through and over one another. I thought Gen- eral Van Rensselaer's whole army was upon us. Why did you not take us prisoners yesterday, after Sir John ran off with the Indians and left us? We wanted to surrender." Col. John Brown was born in San- dersfield, Mass., in 1744. He was grad- uated at Yale college in 1771 and studied law. He commenced practise at Caughnawaga (Fonda) and was appointed King's attorney. He soon went to Pittsfleld, Mass., where he be- came active in the patriot cause and in 1775 went to Canada on a mission to try to get the people there to join the American cause. He was elected to congress in 1775 but joined Allen and Arnold's expedition against Ticon- deroga. He was at Fort Chambly and Quebec. In 1776 he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel. In 1777 he com- manded the expedition against Ticon- deroga and soon after left the service on account of his detestation of Ar- nold. Three years before the latter became a traitor Brown published a hand bill in which he denounced Ar- nold as a traitor and concluded: "Money is this man's god, and to get enough of it he would sacrifice his country." This was published in Al- bany in the winter of 1776-7, while Arnold was quartered there. Arnold was greatly excited over it and called Brown a scoundrel and threatened to kick him on sight. Brown heard of this and the next day, by invitation, went to dinner to which Arnold also came. The latter was standing with his back to the fire when Brown en- tered the door, and they met face to face. Brown said: "I understand, sir, that you have said you would kick me; I now present myself to give you an opportunity to put your threat into ex- ecution." Arnold made no reply. Brown then said: "Sir, you are a dirty scoundrel." Arnold was silent and Brown left the room, after apologizing to the gentlemen present for his in- trusion. Col. Brown, after he left the army, was occasionally in the Massa- chusetts service. In the fall of 1780, with many of the Berkshire militia, he marched up the Mohawk river, his 96 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN force to be used for defense as re- quired. Brown is said to have been a man of medium height, of fine military bearing and with dark eyes. He gen- erally wore spectacles. His courage was proverbial among his men and in the Stone Arabia action seems to have run into recklessness, although, sol- dier that he was, he probably figured on holding the enemy at any cost until Van Rensselaer's large force could come up and, falling on the rear, crush them completely, which could have been readily accomplished by a skilful and determined commander. Col. Brown was immensely popular with his troops — with the militiamen from the valley as well as with the soldiers he commanded who were from his own state of Massachusetts. Governor George Clinton visited Fort Plain on at least two known occasions. The first was during the Klock's Field operations and the second was when he accompanied Washington through the Mohawk valley in 1783. Clinton was a brother of Gen. James Clinton and an uncle of Dewitt Clinton, later the famous "canal Governor." He was born in Ulster county in 1739. In 1768 he was elected to the Colonial legisla- ture, and was a member of the Con- tinental congress in 1775. He was ap- pointed a brigadier in the United States army in 1776, and during the whole war was active in military af- fairs in New York. In April, 1777, he was elected governor and continued so for eighteen years. He was president of the convention assembled at Pough- keepsie to consider the federal con- stitution in 1788. He was again chosen governor of the state in 1801, and in 1804. Afterward he was elected vice president of the United States and continued in that office until his death in Washington in 1812, aged 73 years. In the fall of 1780 and the spring of 1781 the fortification of Fort Plain was strengthened by the erection of a strong blockhouse. It was situated about a hundred yards from the fort, commanding the steep northern side of the plateau on which both block- house and fort stood. The construc- tion was of pine timber, 8x14 inches square, dovetailed at the ends, and Thomas Morrel of Schenectady, father of Judge Abram Morrel of Johnstown, superintended its erection. It was oc- tagonal in shape and three stories in height, the second projecting five feet over the first, and the third five feet over the second, with portholes for cannon on the first floor, and for mus- ketry on all its surfaces; with holes in projecting floors for small arms, so as to fire down upon a closely approach- ing foe. The first story is said to have been 30 feet in diameter, the second 40 and the third 50, making it look top heavy for a gale of wind. It mounted several cannon for signal guns and defense — one of which was a twelve-pounder — on the first floor. It stood upon a gentle elevation of sev- eral feet. This defense was not pali- saded, but a ditch or dry moat several feet deep extended around it. The land upon which both defenses stood was owned by Johannes Lipe during the Revolution. It is said it was built under the supervision of a French engineer employed by Col. Ganse- voort. The latter, by order of Gen. Clinton, had repaired to Fort Plain to take charge of a quantity of stores destined for Fort Schuyler, just prior to Brant's Minden raid of August 2, as we have seen. It was probably at this time its erection was planned. Ram- parts of logs were thrown up around the defenses at the time of the block- house erection. Some little time after this, doubts were expressed as to its being cannon-ball proof. A trial was made with a six-pounder placed at a proper distance. Its ball passed en- tirely through the blockhouse, crossed a broad ravine and buried itself in a hill on which the old parsonage stood, an eighth of a mile distant. This proved the inefliiciency of the building, and its strength was increased by lin- ing it with heavy planks. In order to form a protection against hot shot for the magazine, the garrison sta- tioned there in 1782 commenced throw- ing up a bank of earth around the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 97 block-house. Rumors of peace and quiet that then prevailed in the val- ley, caused the work to cease. A rep- resentation of this blockhouse consti- tutes the seal of the village of Fort Plain. It was as much a part of the defensive works of Fort Plain as the stockaded fort and was of a more picturesque appearance and so was chosen for use on the seal, chosen for the seal. A slight eleva- tion marks its site at the present day 1913). Fort Willett was begun in the fall of 1780 and finished in the spring of 1781. There are extant few records of the garrisons which tenanted Fort Plain, for ten years or more, and also those of its adjoining posts. Some have been preserved by Simms and the gist of a few are here given: In the summer of 1780, Captain Put- man's company of rangers from Fort Plain started for Fort Herkimer. They stopped for the night at Fort Win- decker and Cobus M.abec of Fairfield, was put on picket duty for the night outside the post. About midnight the guard saw a savage stealing up be- hind a rail fence. He deftly slipped his hat and coat over a stump and dropped down behind a nearby log and waited. The Indian came very near and at a short distance fired at the dummy man, drew his tomahawk and rushed up. But before he could sink it in the stump, Mabee shot him dead. The garrison, half dressed, rushed to arms and found their comrade had bagged a remarkably large Indian. As showing the crudity of the times, it is said the corpse lay unburied near the fort for some time and was made the butt of Indian play by the boys of Fort Windecker. In the summer of 1780 the enemy was reported to be in the vicinity of Otsego lake and Capt. Putman led his company of rangers from Fort Plain to the lake, accompanied by a company of militia under Maj. Coapman, a Jer- seyman. The route was from Fort Plain to Cherry Valley and from there to Otsego lake. Finding no signs of an enemy a return march was made to Cherry Valley and from there to the Mohawk. On the way back an argu- ment arose as to relative physical su- periority of the rangers or scouts and the militia. To prove which was the better set of men, a race was proposed to Garlock's tavern on Bowman (Cana- joharie) creek. Major Coapman and Captain Putman were both heavy men and did not last long in the race of five or six miles, which soon started be- tween the two rival companies. Put- man's scouts were victorious and three of them, John Eikler, Jacob Shew and Isaac Quackenboss (a "lean man") dis- tanced the militiamen and reached Garlock's pretty well played out. The soldiers were strung along the high- way for miles in this run. "After the men had all assembled at the tavern, taken refreshments and the bill had been footed by Major Coapman, the pai'ty returned leisurely and in order to Fort Plain." It is a significant com- ment on the hardihood of the Revolu- tionary soldiers that they should find excitement in a five-mile run over a rough highway carrying their guns and packs. Under date of April 3, 1780, Col. Visscher writes to Col. Goshen Van Schaick to order "some rum and am- munition for my regiment of militia [then stationed mostly in the Mo- hawk valley posts from Fort Johnson westward], being very necessary as the men are dally scouting." A story is told of Fort Klock, in the present town of St. Johnsville, and near where the battle between Brant and Johnson's forces and Van Rens- selaer's troops was fought. It prob- ably relates to the time of this action although no date is given. A grand- father of Peter Crouse was one of the garrison of Fort Klock. Seeing a party of mounted English troopers passing, the militiaman remarked that he thought he could "hit one of those fel- lows on horseback." Taking careful aim he shot a British officer out of his saddle, and his frightened horse ran directly up to Fort Klock, where Crouse secured him. A number of 08 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN camp trappings were fastened to the sad(Jle, among which was a brass ket- tle. These articles became famous heirlooms in the Grouse family. Elias Krepp, an old bachelor, was the miller of the grist mill erected by Sir William Johnson, in the then Tille- borough at the now village of Ephra- tah. In 1780 a party of raiders burned the mill and took Krepp to Canada. After the war he returned and, with George Getman, went to the ruined mill and, from its walls, removed sev- eral hundred dollars in gold and silver which he had there hidden for safety. The Sacandaga blockhouse (built 1779) was located two miles southeast of Mayfield and was a refuge for the few scattered families of the neigh- borhood and to defend Johnstown from surprise by way of the Sacan- daga, a favorite route to the Mohawk for Canadian invaders. Its garrison being withdrawn, it was attacked by seven Indians in April, 1780, and suc- cessfully defended by one man, Wood- worth, who, though slightly wounded, fought them off and put out fires they kindled. The savages fled to the forest and were followed by Woodworth and six militiamen on snowshoes a day or two later. The Americans came up with the savages and killed five of the party, returning with their packs and guns. The chief national events of the year 1780 are summarized as follows: 1780, May 12, capture of Charleston, S. C, by British; 1780, August 16, American army under Gates defeated at Cam- den, S. C; 1780, Sept. 23, capture of Major Andre of the British army by three Continental soldiers, Paulding, Williams and Van Wart, and subse- quent disclosure of Arnold's treason, following his flight from his post at West Point on the Hudson. CHAPTER XIX. 1781— June, Col. Willett, Appointed Commander of Mohawk Valley Posts, Makes Fort Plain His Headquarters — Dreadful Tryon County Conditions — July 9, Currytown Raid — July 10, American Victory at Sharon — Fort Schuyler Abandoned. Of the conditions in the Mohawk country at the opening of 1781, Beer's History of Montgomery County has the following: "Gloomy indeed was the prospect at this time in the Mohawk valley. Deso- lation and destitution were on every side. Of an abundant harvest almost nothing remained. The Cherry Valley, Harpersfield, and all other settlements toward the headwaters of the Susque- hanna, had been entirely deserted for localities of greater safety. Some idea of the lamentable condition of other communities in Tryon county may be obtained from a statement addressed to the legislature, December 20, 1780, by the supervisors of the county. In that document it was estimated that 700 buildings had been burned in the county; 613 persons had deserted to the enemy; 354 families had abandon- ed their dwellings; 197 lives had been lost; 121 persons had been carried into captivity, and hundreds of farms lay uncultivated by reason of the enemy. "Nor were the terrible sufferings in- dicated by these statistics, mitigated by a brighter prospect. Before the winter was past, Brant was again hovering about with predatory bands to destroy what little property re- mained. Since the Oneidas had been driven from their country, the path of the enemy into the valley was ilmost unobstructed. It was with difTiculty that supplies could be conveyed to Forts Plain and Dayton without being captured, and transportation to Fort Schuyler was of course far more haz- ardous. The militia had been greatly diminished and the people dispirited by repeated invasions, and the de- struction of their property; and yet what information could be obtained indicated that another incursion THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 99 might be looked for to sweep perhaps the whole extent of the valley, con- temporaneously with a movement from the north toward Albany. Port Schuyler was so much injured by flood and fire in the spring of 1781, that it was abandoned, the garrison retiring to the lower posts; and all the upper part of the valley was left open to the savages. [The Fort Schuyler troops went to Forts Dayton, Herki- mer and Fort Plain.] "Gov. Clinton was greatly pained by the gloomy outlook and knowing that Col. Willett was exceedingly popular in the valley, earnestly solicited his services in this quarter. Willett had just been appointed to the command of one of the two new regiments form- ed by the consolidation of the rem- nants of five New York regiments, and it was with reluctance that he left the main army for so difficult and harassing an undertaking as the de- fense of the Mohawk region. The spirit of the people, at this time lower than at any other during the long struggle, began to revive when Col. Willett appeared among them. It was in June that he repaired to Tryon county to take charge of the militia levies and state troops that he might be able to collect. In the letter to Gov. Clinton making known the weakness of his command. Col. Willett said: 'I con- fess myself not a little disappointed in having such a trifling force for such extensive business as I have on my hands; and also that nothing is done to enable me to avail myself of the militia. The prospect of a suffering county hurts me. Upon my own ac- count I am not uneasy. Everything I can do shall be done, and more cannot be looked for. If it is, the reflection that I have done my duty must fix my own tranquility.' " Willett made his headquarters at Fort Plain, which con- tinued to be the valley headquarters during the rest of the war. He had not been long at Fort Plain before his soldierly qualities and great ability as a commander were brought into play. Willett came to his valley headquar- ters in June and, in a month's time. occurred the first raid he had to com- bat — that led by Dockstader. The following is largely written from Simms's account of the Currytown in- vasion and Sharon Springs battle: 1781, July 9, 500 Indians and Tories entered the town of Root on one of the raids that devastated Montgomery county the latter years of the war. Their commander was Capt. John Dockstader, a Tory who had gone from the Mohawk country to Canada. The settlement of Currytown (named after William Corry, the patentee of the lands thereabout) was the first objective of these marauders. Here a small block-house had been erected, near the dwelling of Henry Lewis, and surrounded with a palisade. At about ten in the morning the enemy entered the settlement. Jacob Dievendorf, a pioneer settler, was at work in the field with his two sons, Frederick and Jacob and a negro boy named Jacobus Blood. The last two were captured and Frederick, a boy of 14, ran toward the fort but was overtaken, toma- hawked and scalped. Mrs. Dieven- dorf, in spite of being a fleshy woman, made for the fort with several girl children and half a dozen slaves and reached it in safety, on the way break- ing down a fence by her weight in climbing over. Peter Bellinger, a brother of Mrs. Dievendorf, was plow- ing and hearing the alarm, unhitched a plow horse and, mounting it, rode for the Mohawk and escaped although pursued by several Indians. Rudolf Keller and his wife happened to be at the fort, when the enemy appeared; Keller, Henry Lewis and Conrad En- ders being the only men in the block- house at that time. Frederick Lewis and Henry Lewis jr. were the first to reach the fort after the invaders' ap- pearance. Frederick Lewis fired three successive guns to warn the settlers of danger and several, taking the warn- ing, escaped safely to the forest. Philip Bellinger thus escaped but was severely wounded and died with friends shortly after. Rudolf Keller's oldest son, seeing the enemy approach, ran home and hurried the rest of the family to the woods, the Indians en- 100 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN tering the Keller house just as the fugitives disappeared into the forest. Jacob Tanner and his family were among the last to reach the block- house. On seeing the Indians coming, Tanner fled from his house, with his gun in one hand and a small child in his other arm, followed by his wife with an infant in her arms and several children running by her side holding onto her skirts. Several redmen with uplifted tomahawks chased the Tan- ner family toward the fort. Finding that they could not overtake them, one of the Indians fired at Tanner, the ball passing just over the child's head he carried and entering a picket of the fort. The defenders fired several shots at the savages and the fleeing family entered the block-house safely. The Indians plundered and burned all the buildings in the settlement, a dozen or more, except the house of David Lewis. Lewis was a Tory and, although his house was set on Are,, an Indian chief, with whom he was ac- quainted, gave him permission to put it out when they were gone. Jacob Moyer and his father, who were cut- ting timber in the woods not far from Yates, were found dead and scalped, one at each end of the log. They were killed by the party who pursued Peter Bellinger. The lad, Frederick Dievendorf, after lying insensible for several hours, re- covered and crawled toward the fort. He was seen by his uncle, Keller, who went out to meet him. As he ap- proached, the lad, whose clothes were dyed in his own blood, still bewildered, raised his hands imploringly and be- sought his uncle not to kill him. Kel- ler took him up in his arms and car- ried him to the fort. His wounds were properly dressed and he recovered, but was killed several years after by a falling tree. Jacob Dievendorf senior, fled before the Indians, on their ap- proach and, in his flight, ran past a prisoner named James Butterfleld, and at a little distance farther on hid him- self under a fallen tree. His pur- suers enquired of Butterfleld what di- rection he had taken. "That way," said the prisoner, pointing in a different di- rection. Although several Indians passed by the fallen tree Dievendorf remained undiscovered. An old man named Putman, cap- tured at this time, was too infirm to keep up with the enemy and was killed and scalped not far from his home. The Currytown captives taken along by the enemy were Jacob Diev- endorf jr., the negro Jacob, Christian and Andrew Bellinger, sons of Fred- erick Bellinger, and a little girl named Miller, ten or twelve years old. Chris- tian Bellinger had been in the nine month [militia] service. He was cap- tpred on going to get a span of horses, at which time he heard an alarm gun fired at Fort Plain. The horses were hobbled together and the Indians, with a bark rope, had tied the hobble to a tree in a favorable place to capture the one who came for them, who chanced to be young Bellinger. His brother (Andrew) was taken so young and kept so long — to the end of the war — and was so pleased with Indian life, that Christian had to go a third time to get him to return with him. Michael Stowitts (son of Philip G. P. Stowitts, who was killed on the patriot side in the Oriskany battle) was made a pris- oner on the Stowitts farm, and is cred- ited with having given the invaders an exaggerated account of the strength defending the fort, which possibly pre- vented its capture; but it is well known that even small defenses were avoided by the enemy, who did not like exposure to certain death. On the morning of the same day of the Currytown raid (1781, July 9) Col. Willett sent out, from Fort Plain, Capt. Lawrence Gros with a scouting party of 40 men. Their mission had the double object of scouting for the enemy and provisions. Knowing that the set- tlements of New Dorlach and New Rhinebeck were inhabited mostly by Tories and that he might get a few beeves there, Gros led his men in that direction. Near the former home of one Baxter, he struck the trail of the enemy and estimated their number from their footprints at 500 men at least. Gros sent two scouts to follow the enemy and then marched his THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 101 squad to Bowman's (Canajoharie) creek to await their report. The scouts came upon the enemy's camp of the night before after going about a mile. A few Indians were seen cook- ing food at the fires — making prepar- ations, as the Americans supposed, for the return of their comrades who had gone to destroy Currytown. The two rangers returned quickly to Gros and reported their find, and the captain dispatched John Young and another man, both mounted, on a gallop to Fort Plain to inform Col. Willett. The com- mandant sent a messenger to Lieut. Col. Vedder, at Fort Paris, with or- ders to collect all troops possible, at his post and elsewhere, and to make a rapid march to the enemy's camp. Col. Willett detailed all the garrison of Fort Plain he could, with safety de- tach from that post, for the field. In addition he collected what militia he could from the neighborhood and set out. Passing Fort Clyde in Freys- hush, Willett drafted into his ranks what men could there be spared and about midnight he joined Capt. Gros at Bowman's creek. The American force numbered 260 men, many of whom were militia. Col. Willett's battalion set out and, at daybreak, reached the enemy's camp, which was in a cedar swamp on the north side of the west- ern turnpike, near the center of the present town of Sharon and about two miles east of Sharon Springs. This camp was on the highest ground of the swamp, only a few rods from the turnpike. On the south side of the road, a ridge of land may be seen and still south of that a small valley. By a roundabout march, Willett reached this little dale and there drew up his force in a half-circle formation. The men were instructed to take trees or fallen logs and not to leave them and to reserve their fire until they had a fair shot. The enemy was double the number of the patriot force and stratagem was resorted to by the Fort Plain com- mandant. He sent several men over the ridge to show themselvesi fire upon the raiders and then flee, draw- ing the foe toward the American ranks. This ruse completely suc- ceeded and the entire Tory and Indian band snatched up their weapons and chased the American skirmishers who fled toward Willett's ambuscade, Fred- erick Bellinger being overtaken and killed. The enemy was greeted with a deadly fire from the hidden soldiers and a fierce tree to tree fight began which lasted for two hours until the Tories and Indians, badly punished, broke and fied. John Strobeck, who was a private in Captain Gros's com- pany and in the hottest part of the fight, said afterwards that "the In- dians got tired of us and made off." Strobeck was wounded in the hip. During the battle, from a bass- wood stump, several shots were fired with telling effect at the patriots. William H. Seeber rested his rifle on the shoulder of Henry Failing and gave the hollow stump a centre shot, after which fire from that quarter ceased. About this time, it is said, the enemy were recovering from their first panic, learning they so greatly outnumbered the Continental force. A story is told that Col. Willett, seeing the foe gaining confidence shouted in a loud voice, "My men, stand your ground and I'll bring up the levies and we'll surround the damned ras- cals!" The enemy hearing this, and expecting to be captured or slain by an increased American body, turned and ran. In the pursuit Seeber and Failing reached the stump the former had hit and found it was hollow. See- ing a pool of blood on the ground. Col. Willett observed: "One that stood behind that stump will never get back to Canada." The enemy, in their retreat, were hotly pursued by the Americans, led by Col. Willett in person and so com- plete was the defeat of the raiders that Willett's men captured most of their camp equipage and plunder ob- tained the day before in the Curry- town raid. Most of the cattle and horses the raiders had taken found their way back to that settlement. Col. Willett continued the pursuit but a short distance, fearing that he might himself fall into a snare similar to 102 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the one he had so successfullj'^ set for the enemy. The American force re- turned victorious to Fort Plain, imme- diately after the battle, bearing with them their wounded. Their loss of live killed and about the same number wounded was small and due to their protected position and the surprise they sprang on their foe. The Indians, in their retreat from Sharon, crossed the west creek in New Dorlach (near the former Col. Rice residence) and made for the Susque- hanna. The loss of the enemy was very severe — about 50 killed and wounded — and Dockstader is said to have returned to Canada (after one other engagement) with his force "greatly reduced." Two of the enemy carried a wounded comrade, on a blanket between two poles, all the way to the Genesee valley, where he died. Five of AVillett's men were killed, including Capt. McKean, a brave and efficient officer. He was taken to Van Alstine's fortified house at Canajo- harie, which was on the then road from New Dorlach to Fort Plain, and died there the following day, after which he was buried in "soldier's ground" at Fort Plain; which was probably the burial plot about one hundred yards west of that post, re- mains of which are still to be seen. On the completion of the blockhouse, McKean's body was reburied on the brink of the hill in front of this fortification with military honors. Among the wounded was a son of Capt. McKean, who was shot in the mouth. Jacob Radnour received a bullet in his right thigh which he carried to his grave. Like that Sir William Johnson got at Lake George, it gradually settled several inches and made him very lame. Hon. Garrett Dunckel was woimded in the head, "a ball passing in at the right eye and coming out back of the ear." Nicho- las Yerdon was wounded in the right wrist, which caused the hand to shrivel and become useless. Adam Strobeck's wound in the hip has been mentioned. All three of the latter came from Freysbush and Radnour, Dunckel and Yerdon were in the Oriskany battle. where Radnour and Yerdon were wounded. All these wounded were borne on litters back to Fort Plain and all recovered. Finding their force defeated and having to abandon their prisoners in the tiight, the Indians guarding them tomahawked and scalped all except the Bellinger boys and Butterfield. The killed at this time included a German named Carl Herwagen, who had been captured by the enemy on their return from Currytown to their camp the previous evening. After the battle was over Lieut.- Col. Veeder arrived from Fort Paris with a company of 100 men, mostly from Stone Arabia. He buried the Americans killed in battle and fortu- nately found and interred the priso- ners who were murdered and scalped near the enemy's former camp. The Dievendorf boy, who had been scalped, was found alive half buried among the dead leaves, with which he had covered himself to keep off mosquitoes and flies from his bloody head. One of Veeder's men, thinking him a wounded Indian, on account of his gory face, leveled his gun to shoot but it was knocked up by a fellow soldier, and the Currytown boy's life was spared for almost four-score years more. Young Dievendorf and the little Mil- ler girl, also found alive, were tenderly taken back to Fort Plain, but the lat- ter died on the way. Doctor Faught, a German physician of Stone Arabia, tended the wounds of both Jacob Dievendorf and his brother Frederick Dievendorf and both recovered. Jacob Dievendorf's scalped head was five years in healing. He became one of the wealthiest farmers of Montgomery county and died Oct. 8, 1859, over seventy-eight years after his terrible experience of being scalped and left for dead by his red captors on the bloody field of Sharon. The battle of Sharon was fought, al- most entirely, by men froin the pres- ent limits of the town of Minden — the Fort Plain garrison, with additions from that of Fort Clyde, and the Min- den militia. Some of the soldiers doubt- less came from Forts AVillett, Win- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 103 decker and Plank. The Fort Paris company, as seen, did not get up in time to flght. The list of the Ameri- cans wounded at Sharon would indi- cate that the greater part of Willett's battalion were local men. Probably the men of the Mohawk formed a large percentage of the valley garrisons of that time. There was then little for the men of the Mohawk to do but to guard and flght and, between times, to till the fields which were not too ex- posed to the enemy's ravages. A con- siderable population must have clus- tered in and about the principal forts for protection. Col. Marinus Willett, who made his headquarters at Fort Plain for the last three years of the war and who was connected with so many of the valley military operations and almost all the patriot successes in the valley, de- serves mention here. He was a sol- dier of the highest qualifications, great courage and daring, a clever and fear- less woodsman and an intrepid fighter in the open field. His quick, powerful, decisive blows, such as at Johnstown and Sharon Springs, conspired to end the raids from Canada which had de- vastated the valley. Marinus Willett was born in Jamaica, Long Island, in 1740, the youngest of six sons of Ed- ward Willett, a Queens county farmer. In 1758 he joined the army, under Abercrombie, as a lieutenant in Col. Delaney's regiment. Exposure in the wilderness caused a sickness which confined him in Fort Stanwix until the end of the campaign. Willett early joined the Whigs, in the contest against British aggression. When the British troops in New York were or- dered to Boston, after the skirmish at Lexington in 1775, they attempted to carry off a large quantity of spare arms in addition to their own. Willett resolved to prevent it and, although opposed by the mayor and other Whigs, he captured the baggage wagons containing the weapons, etc., and took them back to the city. These arms were afterwards used by the first regiment raised by the state of New York. He was appointed second cap- tain of a company in McDougal's regi- ment and accompanied Montgomery's futile expedition against Quebec. He commanded St. John's until 1776. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel in 1777 and commanded Fort Constitu- tion on the Hudson. In May he was ordered to Fort Stanwix, recently named Fort Schuyler, where he did such signal service. He was left in command of that fort where he re- mained until 1778, when he joined the army under Washington and fought with him at Monmouth. He accom- panied Sullivan in his campaign against the Indians in 1779. Col. Wil- lett was actively engaged in the Mo- hawk valley in 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783. So he spent at least four or five years in military service in the Mohawk val- ley. Washington sent him to treat with the Creek Indians in Florida in 1792 and the same year he was ap- pointed a brigadier-general in the army which was intended to act against the northwestern Indians. He declined this appointment, being op- posed to the expedition. Col. Willett was for some time sheriff and in 1807 was elected Mayor of New York city. He was president of the electoral col- lege in 1824 and died in New York August 23, 1830, in the 91st year of his age. A portrait of Col. Willett hangs, among those of other former mayors, in the City Hall in New York and shows a face of much intelligence, power and forceful initiative. Marinus Willett was one of the men of iron who made the American republic pos- sible. There are few natural leaders and he was one. Simms says Willett was a "large man." He was a direct descendant of Thomas Willett, who was a man of great ability and influ- ence in the early years of New York province, and who was the first mayor of New York city after the Dutch rule, being appointed by Gov. Nicolls in 1665. Col. Marinus Willett had a natural son by a Fort Plain woman. This son he cared for and educated and later, when the son was a grown man, he returned to his birthplace and lived here and hereabouts for several years. 104 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN The following, concerning Willett, is taken from "New York in the Revo- lution:" "Captain, Major, Lieutenant-Colonel, Colonel and Acting Brigadier Marinus Willett was a gallant officer. He held many commands and his promotion was rapid. In 1775-6 he was captain in Col. Alexander McDougal's regi- ment, 1st N. y. Line. On April 27, 1776, the Provincial Congress recommended him to the Continental Congress for major of the same regiment. In No- vember of the same year he was rec- ommended for lieutenant-colonel of the 3d Line [regiment] and in July, 1780, he was made lieutenant-colonel commandant of the 5th regiment of the line. In 1781 as lieutenant-colonel he commanded a regiment of levies [men drafted into military service] and in 1782 was made full colonel of still another regiment of levies. After the death of General Nicholas Herki- mer, Colonel Willett commanded the Tryon County militia as acting briga- dier-general." The regiment of levies, which Willett commanded in 1781 and which engaged in the Sharon and Johnstown battles, is mentioned in a later chapter dealing briefly with the Tryon county troops. It numbered 1008 soldiers, was largely composed of Mohawk river men, and probably form- ed all or part of the valley garrisons of the time when Fort Plain was the military headquarters of this section. At German Hats. 1781, were several encounters. One of them was mark- ed by great bravery on the part of Captain Solomon Woodworth and a small party of rangers which he orga- nized. He marched from Fort Dayton to the Royal Grant for the purpose of observation. On the way he fell into an Indian ambush. One of the most desperate and bloody skirmishes of the war hereabouts then ensued. Woodworth and a large number of his scouts were slain. This was the same Woodworth who so valiantly defended the Sacandaga blockhouse, as told in a previous chapter. His company as- sembled at Fort Plain only a few days previous to the fatal action, which took place at Fairfield. Some of his men were recruited from soldiers of the Fort Plain garrison whose time was soon to expire. In this year also occurred the heroic defense by Christian Schell of his blockhouse home about five miles north of Herkimer village. Sixty Tories and Indians under Donald Mc- Donald, a Tory formerly of Johnstown, attacked the place, most of the people fleeing to P'ort Dayton. Schell had eight sons and two of them were cap- tured in the fields while the old man ran safely home and with his other six sons and Mrs. Schell nade a successful defense. They captured McDonald wounded. The enemy drew off having 11 killed and 15 wounded. Schell and one of his boys were killed by Indians in his fields a little later. Early in May, 1781, high water from the Mohawk destroyed a quantity of stores in Fort Schuyler. On May 12 this post was partially destroyed by fire. The soldiers were playing ball a little distance away and pretty much everything was burned except the pal- isade and the bombproof, which was saved by throwing dirt on it. This fire has been said to have been of incen- diary origin having been started by a soldier of secret Tory sentiments. Samuel Pettit, who was then one of the garrison, in his old age, told Simms that the fire originated from charcoal used to repair arms in the armory. The post was abandoned and the troops marched down the Forts Day- ton and Herkimer, which became now the most advanced posts on this fron- tier. Some of the Fort Schuyler gar- rison are said to have been removed to Fort Plain. After the abandonment of Fort Schuyler the principal Mohawk valley posts of Tryon county were, in their order from west to east, as fol- lows: Fort Dayton (at present Her- kimer), Fort Herkimer (at present German Flats), Fort Plain, Fort Paris (at Stone Arabia), Fort Johnstown, Fort Hunter. Fort Plain's central po- sition probably influenced its selection as the valley American army head- quarters. THE STORY OV OLD FORT PLAIN 105 Simms says that, in the spring of 1781, Col. Livingston, with his regi- ment of New York troops marched up the Mohawk valley to Fort Plain. No mention is made of further disposition of the troops, however. Possibly, these may have been part of "the reinforce- ments lately ordered northward" re- ferred to by Gen. Washington in his letter of June 5, 1781, to Gov. Clinton. Washington advocated the concentra- tion of these troops "on the Hudson and Mohawk rivers." In the summer of 1781 Col. Willett went with a scouting party from Fort Plain to Fort Herkimer and on his re- turn stopped at the Herkimer house. Here then lived Capt. George Herki- mer, brother of the deceased General, who had succeeded to the Fall Hill estate. At this time a small body of Indians was seen in the woods above the house and Mrs. Herkimer went to the front door and stepped up on a seat on the stoop and, with her arm around the northwest post, she blew an alarm for her husband who with several slaves was hoeing corn on the flats near the river. . Col. Willett came to the door and seeing the woman's exposed position shouted, "Woman, for God's sake, come in or you'll be shot!" He seized hold of Mrs. Herki- mer's dress and pulled her inside the house and almost the instant she stepped from the seat to the floor a rifle ball entered the post — instead of her head — leaving a hole long visible. It is presumed that Willett's men quickly drove off the enemy as Cap- tain Herkimer was not harmed. In July, 1781, a party of 12 Indians made a foray in the Palatine district and captured five persons, on the Shults farm two miles north of the Stone Arabia churches. Three sons of John Shults — Henry, William and John junior, a lad named Felder Wolfe and a negro slave called Joseph went to a field to mow, carrying their guns and stacking them on the edge of the field, skirted on one side by thick woods. From this cover the Indians sprang out, secured the firearms, cap- tured the harvesters and took them all prisoners to Canada. Upon the mowers not returning, people from the farm went to the field and found their scythes, but the guns were missing. These were the only evidences that the harvesters had been made priso- ners. They remained in Canada until the end of the war. CHAPTER XX. 1781— Oct. 24, Ross and Butler's Tory and Indian Raid in Montgomery and Fulton Counties — Oct. 25, American Victory at Johnstown — Willett's Pur- suit, Killing of Walter Butler and Defeat of the Enemy at West Can- ada Creek — Rejoicing in the Mohawk Valley — Johnstown, the County Seat, at the Time of the Hall Battle, 1781. Small guerilla parties continued to lurk around the frontier settlements during the remainder of the summer and early autumn of 1781. The vigi- lance of Col. Willett's scouts prevented their doing any great damage. The Tories, however, had lost none of their animosity against their former neigh- bors in the Mohawk valley, and in the late autumn of this year again took the field. In October, 1781, occurred the last great raid, which took place during the war in the limits of western Mont- gomery or within present Montgom- ery and Fulton counties. The invad- ers were so severely punished by the valley troops under Willett, that it had a deterrent effect upon their fur- ther enterprises of this kind, at least in the neighborhood of Willett's head- quarters at Fort Plain. This last local foray was commanded by Major Ross and Walter Butler and consisted of 700 Tories and Indians and British, regulars. Ross was after- ward in command of the British fort at Oswego, when Capt. Thompson came from Fort Plain bearing to the enemy news of an armistice between England and the United States. Of this interesting journey, mention is made in a following chapter. Oct. 24, 1781, the enemy broke in upon the Mo- hawk settlements from the direction of 106 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the Susquehanna, at Currytown, where they had so ravaged the country a few months earlier. They burned no buildings as they did not wish their presence yet known to the neighboring militia. That same morning a scout- ing party went from Fort Plain to- wards Sharon Springs, there separat- ing, all of them returning to their post except Jacob Tanner and Frederick Ottman, who set out for Currytown where Tanner wished to visit his family. Near Argusville they came in touch with the enemy, who were ap- proaching the Mohawk by the south- west route. The two American scouts ran down Flat creek and, throwing away their guns and knapsacks, es- caped and spread the alarm. At the Putman place (Willow Basin, in the town of Root below the Nose), they came upon a funeral party attending services over the remains of Frederick Putman, who had been killed by the enemy while hunting martin up Yates- ville creek. Thus warned, the party broke up and its members fled for safety and to warn others. The enemy in force, to the number of 700, went from Argusville to Curry- town, plundering houses on their way but avoiding the little fort at that place. From Currytown they made for the Mohawk and there came upon and captured the two scouts. Tanner and Ottman, Rudolf Keller and his wife, Michael Stowitts and Jacob Myers, all returning from the Putman funeral, and later took John Lewis near the river. Mrs. Keller was left near Yatesville (now Randall) by the intercession of a Tory nephew. Half a dozen other women just previously taken were also left here, among them Mrs. Adam Fine and a girl named Moyer. The invaders after this did not encumber themselves with any more women prisoners on this raid. Myers was an old man and, on the forced and terrible march which fol- lowed the Tory defeat at Johnstown, he could not keep up with the party and was killed and scalped. Leaving the Yatesville neighbor- hood. Major Ross led his party on the south side down the Mohawk, taking the new road recently laid over Stone Ridge, into the present town of Glen. On the ridge, they came at twilight to the Wood home, and took there John Wood captive. Here Joseph Printup, a lieutenant of militia, was at his son's (William L Printup) house, as were also Jacob Frank, John Loucks and John Van Alstyne, neighbors. Printup had been cleaning his gun and, as he reloaded it, said: "Now I'm ready for the Indians." Almost at the same in- stant the advance party was seen ap- proaching the house. Frank and Loucks ran for the woods, Loucks be- ing shot down and scalped and Frank escaping. Printup fired on the ad- vance party. An Indian put his gun to the patriot's breast, but a Tory friend of Printup's, with the Indians, struck the gun down and the Whig lieutenant was hit in the thigh. The Tory interfered and saved Printup's life and then he was made a pris- oner. Several times, during the fol- lowing march the lieutenant was saved from the Indians' tomahawks by his friend of the enemy. Printup suf- fered agonies on the w.ay but finally got to Johnstown, where an old Scotch woman, Mrs. Van Sickler (probably the wife of Johnstown's first black- smith and also Sir William's), inter- ceded for him and he was left at her house. From here he returned to Stone Ridge and was finally cured of his wounds. At the time of his cap- ture Van Alstyne was also made pris- oner and he helped Printup along the road. According to the Indian cus- tom, had he not been able to keep up, he would have been at once scalped and killed. Jacob, a brother of the former Van Alstyne, was taken shortly after as was Evert Van Epps. John C, a son of Charles Van Epps, spread the alarm on horseback down the river, and the inhabitants fled to safety in the woods. At Auriesville Printup told John Van Alstyne to escape if he could and the latter promptly ran for liberty up the ravine. The enemy con- tinued on to Yankee Hill, in the town of Florida, fording the Schoharie at its mouth. Captain Snook sent Con- THE STORY OF OLD FORT i'LAIN 107 rad Stein to warn the settlers here- abouts, who mostly escaped. On the morning of October 25, 1781, the invading party broke camp, forded the Mohawk, entered the town of Am- sterdam and headed for Johnstown, small parties of Indians meanwhile raiding the country in every direc- tion. Houses were burned belonging to farmers by the name of Wart, Henry Rury, Captain Snook, John Stein, Samuel Pettingill, William De- Line, Patrick Connelly, George Young and several others in the neighbor- hood. A man named Bowman was killed and scalped. The raiders crossed the Mohawk near Stanton's Island, below Amster- dam. Here they burned the houses of Timothy Hunt and Nathan Skeels, Soon after the Tory main body went over the ford a Whig named Ben Yates, came up on the south bank and saw an Indian on the opposite shore. "Discovering Yates and, doubting his ability to harm him, he turned 'round and slapped his buttocks in defiance. In the next instant, a bullet, from the rifle of Ben. struck the Indian, and the former had only to ford the river to get an extra gun and some plunder made in the neighborhood." That same morning Capt. Littel led a scouting party from the Johnstown fort to learn the enemy's whereabouts. Five miles east of Johnstown they came upon Ross's advance party. Here Lieut. Saulkill, of the scouts, was killed and the" rest of the party fled and later were in the ensuing battle. At Johnstown, Hugh McMonts and David and William Scarborough were killed by the raiders. As soon as the news reached Col. Willett at Fort Plain, he started to the rescue with what men he could hastily collect. Marching through the night he reached Fort Hunter the next morning (October 25, 1781), but the enemy had already crossed the river and directed their course toward Johnstown, plundering and burning right and left. Willett's force lost some time in fording the Mohawk which was not easily passable at this point, but this accomplished, the pur- suit was vigorously prosecuted and the enemy were overtaken at Johns- town. Col. Willett had but 416 men, and his inferiority of force compelled a resort to strategy in attacking. Ac- cordingly Col. Rowley, of Massachu- setts, was detached with about 60 of his men and some of the Tryon County militia to gain the rear of the enemy by a circuitous march and fall upon them, while Col. Willett attacked them in front. The invaders were met by Col. Willett near Johnson Hall and the battle immediately began. It was for a time hotly contested, but at length the patriot militia, under Wil- lett, suddenly gave way and fled pre- cipitately, before their commander could induce them to make a stand. The enemy would have won an easy and complete victory had not Col. Rowley at this moment, attacked vigor- ously upon their rear and obstinately maintained an unequal contest. This gave Col. Willett time to rally his men, who again pressed forward. At night- fall, after a severe struggle, the enemy overcome and harassed on all sides, fled in confusion to the woods, not halting to encamp until they had gone several miles. In the engagement the Americans lost about 40; the enemy had about the same number killed and 50 taken prisoners. This American victorj' was won on the nothwest lim- its of the present city of Johnstown and near Johnson Hall, where a monu- ment marks the field. A young patriot, named William Scarborough, was among the garrison at the Johnstown fort at the time of this action, left it with another sol- dier named Crosset, to join Willett's force. They fell in with the enemy on the way, and Crosset, after shooting one or two of the latter, was himself killed. Scarborough was surrounded and captured by a company of High- landers under Capt. McDonald, for- merly living near Johnstown. Scar- borough and the Scotch officer had been neighbors before the war and had got into a political wrangle, which resulted in a fight and the beating of the Highland chief. Henceforward he 108 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN cherished a bitter hatred toward his adversary, and finding him now in his power, ordered him shot at once. His men refusing the murderous office, Mc- Donald took it upon himself, and cut the prisoner to pieces with his sword. Capt. Andrew Fink of Palatine, was also in the Johnstown battle. During the action near the Hall, the British took from the Americans a field-piece, which Col. Willett was anxious to re- cover. He sent Capt. Fink with a party of volunteers, to reconnoitre the enemy and if possible, get the lost cannon. Three of the volunteers were Christian and Mynder Fink, brothers of the captain, and George Stansell. While observing the movements of the enemy from the covert of a fallen tree, Stansell was shot down beside his brave leader with a bullet through his lungs, and was borne from the woods by Han Yost Fink. Strength- ening his body of volunteers, Capt. Fink again entered the forest. The cannon was soon after recaptured and, it being near night and the enemy having fled, Willett drew off his men and quartered them in the old Episco- pal church at Johnstown, gaining en- trance by breaking a window. The day after the battle. Col. Wil- lett ordered Capt. Littel to send a "scout" (scouting party as then called) from Fort Johnstown to follow the enemy, discover its direction and 'to report the same. Captain Littel had been slightly wounded in the Hall bat- tle but took with him William Laird and Jacob Shew and set out after the enemy. (Shew was on service in many of the neighborhood posts. Fort Plain included, and is responsible for much of the information Simms used re- garding local events). The enemy camped the first night near Bennett's Corners, four miles from the Hall, and the following day, striking the Caroga valley, went up that stream and went into camp for the night (Oct. 26, 1781) half a mile beyond the outlet of Caroga lakes. The next day Littel's scouting party came up and warmed themselves at Ross's deserted camp fires. After further observing the enemy's trail Littel became satisfied that they would go to Canada by way of Buck's Isl- and. His party lodged in the woods, near Ross's last camp, and re- turned to Fort Johnsown next day, from whence Peter Yost was sent on horse, with messages to Col. Willett at Fort Dayton, to which post he had advanced. Ross's party meanwhile was head- ing for West Canada creek. The re- treating Tories and Indians struck the most easterly of the Jerseyfield roads (leading to Mount's clearing), followed it several miles and encamped for the night on what has since been called Butler's Ridge, in the town of Norway (Herkimer county), half a mile from Black creek. Early the next morning (Oct. 26, 1781) Willett started his pursuit. He halted at Stone Arabia, and sent for- ward a detachment of troops to make forced marches to Oneida lake, where he was informed the enemy had left their boats, for the purpose of de- stroying them. In the meanwhile he pushed forward with the main force to German Flats, where he learned the advance party had returned without accomplishing their errand. From his scouts of the Johnstown fort party, he also learned that the enemy had taken a northerly course to and along the West Canada creek. With about 400 of his best men, he started in pur- suit in the face of a driving snow storm. The route of the pursuing band of Americans was as follows: From Fort Dayton up West Canada creek, cross- ing it about a mile above Fort Dayton, going up its eastern side to Middle- ville, from there up the Moltner Ijrook to the Jerseyfield road leading to Little Falls; striking the Jersey- field road northeast of present Fair- field village, following it up and camp- ing at night a mile or two from the enemy's position. Willett's camp was in a thick woods on the Royal Grant. He sent out a scouting party under Jacob Sammons, to discover the enemy. Sammons found them a mile or so above and, after reconnoitering their position, re- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 109 turned and reported to Col. Willett that the enemy were well armed with bayonets. The American officer gave up the plan of a night attack upon them and continued his pursuit early the next morning (Oct. 28, 1781), but the enemy were as quick on foot as he. In the afternoon he came up with a lagging party of Indians, and a short but sharp skirmish ensued. Some of the Indians were killed, some taken prisoners and others escaped. Willett kept vjpon the enemy's trail along the creek, and to- ward evening came up with the main body at a place called Jerseyfleld, on the northeastern side of West Canada creek. A running fight ensued, the In- dians became terrified, and retreated across the stream at a ford, where Walter Butler, their leader, tried to rally them. In this action it is said 25 of the enemy were killed and a number wounded. A brisk fire was kept vip across the creek by both parties for some time. Butler, who had dismoun- ed, left cover and took some water out of the creek with a tin cup. He was in the act of drinking it when he was seen by two of the American pursuing party — Anthony, an Indian, and Daniel Olendorf, a man from the present town of Minden. They both fired at once at Butler, who fell wounded in the head. The savage then threw off his blanket, put his rifle on it and ran across the stream to where Butler lay in great pain, supporting his head on his hand. Seeing the Indian brandishing his tomahawk, the Tory raised his other hand saying, "Spare me — give me quarters!" "Me give you Sherry Val- ley quarters" replied the red man and struck Butler dead with his weapon, burying it in his head. Just as the Tory captain fell, Col. Willett came up on the opposite side of the creek. Olen- dorf told him where Butler lay and the American commander together with Andrew Gray of Stone Arabia and John Brower, forded the stream and came upon the scene just as Anthony was about to take his dead victim's scalp. Col. Lewis, the Oneida chief with the American party here came up also and Anthony asked permission to scalp the fallen Tory. The red officer asked Willett if he should permit it. Col. Willett replied: "He belongs to your party. Col. Lewis," whereupon the chief gave a nod of assent and the reeking scalp was torn off the quiver- ing body of the man v/ho had incited his savages to inflict death and the same bloody mutilation on the bodies of scores of men, women and children. Anthony stripped Butler and re- turned across the creek to Olendorf. Here the savage put on the red regi- mentals and strutted about saying: "I be British ofser." "You a fool," remarked Olendorf and told the In- dian that if he was seen in Butler's uniform he would be instantly shot by mistake. The savage thereupon hur- riedly shed his victim's clothes. Butler's body was left where it fell, and the place was afterwards called Butler's Ford. The pursuit was kept up until evening, when Willett, completely successful by entirely rout- ing and dispersing the enemy, stopped and started on his return march. The sufferings of the retreating force of beaten Tories and Indians, on their way to Canada, must have been many and acute. The weather was cold and, in their hasty flight, many of them had cast away their blankets to make progress more speedy. The loss of the Americans in this pursuit was only one man; that of the enemy is not known. It must have been very heavy. Colonel Willett, in his de- spatch to Governor Clinton observed, "The fields of Johnstown, the brooks and rivers, the hills and mountains, the deep and gloomy marshes through which they had to pass, they alone can tell; and perhaps the officers who de- tached them on the expedition." On account of the inclement weather and the lack of provisions, Willett and his force returned to Fort Dayton, after abandoning the chase of the badly beaten enemy. Here the people had gathered together and prepared a feast for the victorious American sol- diers and their able commander. And the occasion was also one of great re- joicing over the death of Butler, from 110 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN whom the people of Tryon county had suffered so much. The news of the Johnstown and West Canada creek victories and the death of Butler was spread through the valley at about the same time as the tidings of the surrender of the British army under Cornwallis at Yorktown. That great event did not give any more joy to the people along the Mohawk than the welcome assur- ance that the fiend Butler had been wiped out in the vigorous pursuit by Willett and his fighting men. Wil- lett's return to his headquarters at Fort Plain must have been in the na- ture of a triumphal march and he probably was there heartily greeted by the much tried people of the Canajo- harie and Palatine districts. The battle of Johnstown was fought by the garrisons of the Fort Plain headquarters and its adjacent posts, by what local militia could be quickly gathered, and probably some men from Fort Hunter and Fort Johnson and with the aid of the Johnstown garrison. The picked force Willett took up West Canada creek doubtless included some of the scouts or militia posted at Fort Herkimer and Fort Dayton. So this campaign takes on a particular local interest as, although the battle of Johnstown and the skir- mish at West Canada creek were fought outside of the Canajoharie and Palatine districts, the great majority of the forces there engaged were from the Fort Plain valley headquarters and the posts within a five-mile radius of it. This, as has been before mentioned is true of the Sharon Springs battle as well. So, like the greater action of Oriskany, these Revolutionary Tryon county conflicts are of much local in- terest because so large a proportion of the American soldiers engaged came from the Canajoharie and Palatine districts of which Fort Plain was the center, even though the scenes of bat- tles were outside of them. Three of the late Revolutionary ac- tions — Stone Arabia, St. Johnsville and Sharon Springs, occurred within the Canajoharie and Palatine districts and the two former within the present lim- its of the towns of Palatine and St. Johnsville. The battle of Johnstown has been stated to have been the last action of the Revolution on record and fittingly terminated in an American victory. The Mohawk Valley Democrat (Fonda), in its issue of Feb. 27, 1913, printed a statement of Philip Graff, a Mohawk valley soldier who took part in the West Canada creek skirmish and was present at the death of Wal- ter Butler. This document has been in the possession of the Sammons family for over a century. Graff's ac- count differs somewhat from Olen- dorf's, but both are probably true, the confusion of the battle preventing both from seeing all its incidents indi- vidually. The Graff statement follows in its original form: "In October 1781, I was Inlisted in the state troops for four months and was then stationed at fort Herkimer in a company of Capt. Peter Van Ran- selaer and Leut. John Spencer. Some time in November after Col. Willett had a battle with Major Ross at Johnstown he arrived at Fort Herki- mer. Our company then was ordered to join with Col. Willett's men and with them we crossed the river from the south to the north side the next morning; we were marched to the north through the Royal Grants and encamped in the woods, made fire; some snow had fell that day. The next morning by daybreak we marched on to the enemy about one and came with the rear of the enemy, took some prisoners and Lieut. John Rj'keman, several of their horses with blankets and provisions and packs on — we then pursued the enemy on to Jersey Field and in coming down a hill to the creek, we received a very strong fire from the enemy who had [crossed] the west Canada creek, which was returned from Willett's men with spirit. The enemy on the west side of the creek and Willett's men on the east side. One of the Oneida Indians having got near the creek saw Major Butler look from behind a tree to Willett's men at the east, took aim at THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 111 him and shot him through his hat and upper part of his head. Butler fell, the enemy run, the Indian run through the rest of the Indians and [an] ad- vance immediately followed when In- dian who shot Butler arrived first having noticed particular where But- ler fell; he was tottering up and down in great agony, partly setting, looking the Indian in the face when the In- dian shot him about through the eye brow and eye and immediately took ■his scalp off. The Oneida Indians then mostly got up and give tremendous yell and war hoop, immediately striped Butler of all his close, left him naked laying on his face. The Indian walked forward (the rest followed) with the scalp in his hand; came to the guard called out, 'I have Butler's scalp,' struck it against a tree, 'take the blood' [evidently addressing] Lieut. Rykeman who was in the guard, [and] struck it at his face [saying] 'Butler's scalp, you Bogen.' Rykeman drew his head back and avoided the stroke. I saw two [of] his sergeants and little farther saw another of the enemy shot through the body. Butler was killed about 11 o'clock. We pur- sued the enemy until evening and re- turned the morning, past Butler again in the position we left him the day before. I believe he never was buried." Some incidents of the West Canada creek pursuit follow: Soon after crossing West Canada creek, some of Willett's men found a little five-year-old girl beneath a fal- len tree, crying piteously. She had been made a prisoner and left by the Indians in their flight. The militia- men comforted her and took her back to her valley home. The weather at this time was very severe and the suf- ferings of the enemy and their prison- ers were intense. A militiaman named Lodowick Moyer, who was in the American pur- suit, said that "ice was forming in the creeks and, in crossing them, the sol- diers took off their pantaloons (note the 'pantaloons') and thought the ice would cut their legs off." They were gone four days on two days rations. He said "the enemy left a wounded Tory behind after the West Canada creek skirmish, who had been wounded at the Hall battle. Col. Willett sent him back down the creek on a horse, with someone to care for him. He died on the way and was buried under a fallen tree. Col. Willett was as kind as he was brave." Simms says: "The prisoners cap- tured by Major Ross and party suf- fered much on their way to Canada from the cold, being 17 days journey- ing to the Genesee valley, during which time they were compelled to live almost entirely on a stinted allowance of horse-flesh. Some of the prisoners wintered in the Genesee valley and were taken to Niagara the following March. Keller, one of the Currytown prisoners, on arriving at Niagara was sold, and one Countryman, a native of the Mohawk valley and then an officer in the British service was his pur- chaser." He was sent successively to Rebel Island (near Montreal), to Hal- ifax, Nova Scotia, and finally to Bos- ton, "where he was exchanged and left to foot it home without money, as were many [liberated] prisoners during the war. They were however, welcomed to the table of every patriot on whom they chanced to call and suffered but little by hunger. Keller reached his family near Fort Plain, whither they had removed in his absence, Dec. 24, 1782. Van Epps, a fellow prisoner, reached his home [in Glen] about 18 months after his capture and the rest of the prisoners, taken that fall [1781], returned when he did or at subsequent periods, as they were confined in dif- ferent places." Johnstown, the scene of the forego- ing battle, was begun by Sir William Johnson in 1760. At the time of the battle of Johnstown, in 1781, it con- sisted, besides Johnson Hall, of a court house and jail (both erected in 1772), a stone Episcopal church (built in 1771), a few taverns and stores and a small number of dwellings, some of which had been built by Sir William. After Sir John Johnson's flight to Can- 112 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN ada in 1776, the patriot committee had the stone jail converted into a fort, further strengthening it with a pali- sade and block-house. The Johnstown fort, Fort Johnson, Fort Hunter, Fort Paris, Fort Plain, Fort Clyde, Fort Plank, Fort Willett and Fort Win- decker were the chief fortifications in the present limits of Montgomery and Fulton counties during the Revolu- tion. With the addition of Forts Day- ton and Herkimer (in present Herki- mer county) and Fort Schuyler (aban- doned in 1781, and in present Oneida county) they formed the defenses of the valley and this part of the Revolutionary New York frontier. Six of these nine Fulton and Montgomery army posts were within the limits of the present Minden and Palatine townships. On June 26, 1872, at Johnstown, was held the centennial celebration of the erection of the court house and the jail which was the Johnstown fort of the Revolution. Gov. Horatio Seymour was the chief speaker. A portion of his address follows: The edifice and its objects were in strange contrast with the aspect of the country. It was pushing the forms and rules of English jurisprudence far into the territorities of the Indian tribes and it was one of the first steps taken in that march of civilization which has now forced its way across the continent. There is a historic in- terest attached to all the classes of men who met at that time [the laying of the corner stone of the court house in 1772]. There was the German from the Palatinate, who had been driven from his home by the invasion of the French and who had been sent to this country by the Ministry of Queen Anne; the Hollander, who could look with pride upon the struggles of his country against the powers of Spain and in defense of civil and religious liberty; the stern Iroquois warriors, the conquerors of one-half the original territories of our Union, who looked upon the ceremonies in their quiet, watchful way. There was also a band of Catholic Scotch Highlanders, who had been driven away from their na- tive hills by the harsh policy of the British government, which sought by such rigor to force the rule of law upon the wild clansmen. There were to be seen Brant and Butler and others, whose names, to this day, recall in this valley scenes of cruelty, rapine and bloodshed. The presence of Sir William Johnson, with an attendance of British otticers and soldiers gave dignity and brilliancy to the event, while over all, asserting the power of the Crown, waved the broad folds of the British fiag. The aspects of those who then met at this place not only made a clear picture of the state of our country, but it came at a point of time in our history of intense interest. All, in the mingled crowd of soldiers, settlers and savages, felt that the fu- ture was dark and dangerous. They had fought side by side in the deep forests against the French and Indian allies; now they did not know how soon they would meet as foes in deadly conflict. In the fall of 1781, Conrad Edick was captured by a party of seven maraud- ing Indians in the neighborhood of Fort Plank, in the present town of Minden. They hurried off into the wilderness and at nightfall stopped at an abandoned log house to stay there for the night. The party made a fire, as the weather was cold, and ate a scanty supper. After this the savages sat about on the cabin floor and dis- cussed the poor success of their ex- pedition, lamenting the lack of spoil and prisoners they had secured. They determined to hold a pow wow in the morning, kill and scalp their prisoner and return to the vicinity of the Mo- hawk to secure more plunder and prisoners if possible. Edick, unbe- known to them, understood the Mo- hawk dialect, and was harrowed to thus learn his fate. When the Indians lay down to sleep, their prisoner was placed between two of the red men and tied to them by cords passing over his breast and thighs. Sleep was out of the question for the agonized white man, as he lay trying to figure out some plan of escape. His restless hands felt about the debris on the floor and came in contact with a bit of glass, to his great joy. Assuring him- self that his savage bedfellows slept soundly, he found he could reach his bindings with his hands and cautiously severed those which were fastened to his chest and then the ones about his legs. He knew the Indians had left a large watch dog on guard outside the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 113 door and he had also noticed, on his captive journey the preceding day, a large hollow log in the woods nearby. From the door he made a break for the forest and the dog at once chased him barking loudly. Before Bdick reached cover 100 yards away, the In- dians woke, grasped their rifles and pursued. As he neared the edge of the woods they fired at the fleeing prisoner but Edick luckily stumbled and the volley went over his head. Jumping up he ran among the trees until he found the hollow log and crawled inside. The Mohawks and their dog made a search for their es- caped captive but the animal proved poor on the scent and did not discover Edick's hiding place. The savages sat down on the very log in which the white man was concealed and dis- cussed their prisoner's escape. They decided he had climbed a tree or that "the devil" had spirited him away. As it was nearing morning the party re- solved to eat and follow their plan of the night before to return and plunder along the Mohawk. One Indian went to a neighboring field and shot a sheep which they dressed. Then the savages built a fire against the same log in which Edick was hidden and proceeded to cook their mutton. The white man suffered tortures from the heat and smoke and stuffed parts of his cloth- ing and some leaves into the crannies of the log to keep the fire out. He controlled his tortures of mind and body and desire to cough on account of the smoke, knowing he would be instantly killed if discovered. When the cooking was finished, his miseries gradually subsided with the dying fire. The savages, after their breakfast, left one of their number on guard to keep a lookout for their lost prisoner and started on their new foray. Often dur- ing the morning the Indian sentinel sat or stood on Edick's log. Not hear- ing the savage's movements for some time, the white man ventured to creep out of his hiding place. Not seeing the savage, Edick ran for his life and eventually reached Fort Plank in safety. Conrad Edick, after this terri- ble experience, lived to a ripe old age, dying at Frankfort, N. Y., 1846, aged about 80 years, which would make him under 20 at the time of the above exciting affair. Ittig was the original German for the name Edick. In the latter part of October, 1781, four patriots were captured in the Sharon neighborhood by Indian ma- rauders. Christian Myndert aban- doned his home there in the fall of 1781, on account of the several Indian forays in that neighborhood. He re- turned with Lieut. Jacob Borst of Co- bleskill. Sergeant William Kneiskern and Jacob Kerker, all armed, to fix his buildings for the winter. After the work the party went to the house, built a fire and warmed themselves, setting their guns in a corner of the room. Six Indians, commanded by a valley Tory named Walrath, broke into the room, seized the guns and captured the entire party, carrying them off to Canada. They were sub- jected to such cruelties in the Indian country that Borst died at Niagara. Following are the principal national occurrences of the year 1781 summar- ized: 1781, Jan. 17, Americans under Morgan destroy British force at Cow- pens, S. C; 1781, March 1, Articles of Confederation (adopted 1777) between the thirteen states finally go into ef- fect; 1781, March 15, indecisive battle at Guilford Court House, S. C, be- tween British under Tarleton and Am- ericans under Greene; 1781, April 25, defeat of Greene's army at Hobkirk Hill, near Camden, S. C; 1781, Sept. 6, Benedict Arnold, in command of a British force, burns and plunders New London, Conn., while his associate of- ficer, Col. Eyre, takes Fort Griswold and massacres half the garrison after the surrender; 1781, Sept. 8, battle at Eutaw Springs, S. C, with advantage with the Americans; 1781, Oct. 19, sur- render of the British army, under Cornwallis, to Washington at York- town, Va. 114 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN CHAPTER XXI. 1782— Last of the War in the Valley- Rebuilding and Repopulation — Tory and Indian Raid at Fort Herkimei — Tories — Gen. Washington at Sche- nectady. The following chapter deals with the year 1782 and 1783 as relating to the Canajoharie and Palatine districts and Tryon, later Montgomery county. As there were no hostilities to speak of in those years in this immediate section, the valley began to rapidly build up again. Families returned to their burned homes. The whole sec- tion had been razed of dwellings by the raiding parties of the enemy but houses and barns were now reared and, with rumors of peace in the air, the valley was rapidly repopu- lated in these two years. When Wash- ington came to Fort Plain in 1783 much of the marks of war along the Mohawk had vanished. In 1782, and even in 1183, small scalping parties of Indians committed occasional murders and depredations and in 1782 the Herki- mer settlements were destructively visited but the Canajoharie and Pala- tine districts were comparatively free of further hostilities, except in a small way. This was largely due to the efficient protection afforded by Col. Willett and his garrisons. In February, 1782, the Tryon county court of general session indicted 41 persons for their Tory proclivities, on the charge of "aiding, abetting, feed- ing and comforting the enemy." Molly Brant was one of those indicted. In February, 1781, this court indicted 104 Tryon county Tories on this charge. In October, 1781, 16 more were so charged. Among the 163 persons indicted many bore the names of Mo- hawk valley German and Dutch pio- neer families. Simms says, "Indeed we may say that thus very many of the German families of New York be- came represented in Canada, and are so to this day." The Tories were not allowed to re- turn without vigorous protests. Peter Young of the town of Florida, living at Young's lake (a small pond near Schoharie creek) was an ardent patriot. He married a Serviss girl, whose family were Tories. At the close of hostilities two of Young's brothers-in-law made Mrs. Young a visit. Young came in on them and or- dered them back to Canada at the point of a musket and they promptly took up their return journey. Christopher P. Yates wrote a letter to Col. H. Frey dated Freyburg, March 22, 1782. He said among other things: "We have already had three different inroads from the enemy. The last was at Bowman's kill, [Canajoharie creek] from whence they took three children of McFee's family." 1782, July 26 and 27, occurred Capt. Crysler's last Tory invasion of the Schoharie country at Foxescreek and in the CobleskilU valley, which was the final incursion in that quarter. One of the last Indian murders of the Revolution, within the present limits of Fulton and Montgomery county was that of Henry Stoner of Fonda's Bush, later Broadalbin, in 1782. He was an old patriot and was struck down and tomahawked in his fields. His son, Nick Stoner, the fa- mous trapper, attacked the Indian murderer of his father with an andiron in a Johnstown tavern after the war. Strange to say young Stoner was im- prisoned for this affray in which he laid out several savages, but was shortly after released from the Johns- town jail. In July, 1782, all the buildings on the south side of the Mohawk in the Ger- man Flats section, except Fort Herki- mer and the Johan Jost Herkimer house, were destroyed by a force of 600 Tories and Indians. The night before the mill at Little Falls had been burn- ed by the raiders. One map was killed in attempting to escape to Fort Her- kimer and another was caught, tor- tured and killed near that post, the Indians hoping his cries would draw a party from the fort and so weaken it that they could make a successful attack. The garrison's hot fire kept off the enemy. Two soldiers in the fort were hit and killed and a number of the invaders are presumed to have THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 115 been killed and wounded. The valley of the Mohawk was not again visited by any serious raid during the re- mainder of the war. The conflict had not entirely ceased in other quarters but there was a general subsiding of hostilities here. Toward the close of 1782, the British commander-in-chief directed that no more Indian expedi- tions be sent out, and those on foot were called in. jC5f^//" •^ The following account shows the re- sourcefulness and reckless daring of one, at least, of the Tories of the val- ley: Among the Mohawk- valley refu- gees in Canada was John Helmer, a son of Phiirj) Helmer, who lived at Fonda's Bush. Having returned to that settlement he was arrested and imprisoned at Johnstown. The sen- tinel at the jail one day allowed Hel- mer to take his gun in hand to look at' it, as the prisoner expressed admira- tion for it. Helmer, with the weapon, intimidated the guard and escaped again to Canada. With charcteristic recklessness, he returned later to re- cruit British soldiers among his Tory neighbors and was again captured and jailed at Johnstown. Fortunately for the venturesome Tory, a sister of his had a lover among the garrison sta- tioned at the jail, which was then also a fort; and he not only released Hel- mer but with another soldier set out with him for Canada. The two desert- ers were shot dead by a pursuing party and Helmer, although severely wound- ed by a bayonet thrust, escaped to the woods. Later he was found half dead and was returned to the jail for the third time. His wound, having healed, he again escaped and reached Canada after almost incredible sufferings. Here he remained and made his home after the war. Among the Tory fight- ers seem to have been many of reck- less valor, although their most typi- cal leader, Walter Butler, died the death of a coward after a record un- equalled for bloody and inhuman crimes, showing that a craven heart and a murderous hjind go together. The spirit animating the Tory fighters seems to have been absolutely different from that of the Americans. Believing that the cause of the king was just, they resorted to every diabolical de- vice to murder and intimidate the Whig population of the valley. The more violent their crimes, however, the harder did the provincials stand their ground. Many of the Tories were more savage than the Indians, as Brant affirms and their murderous cruelty toward the women and chil- dren, as well as men, who were for- merly their neighbors, almost surpass belief. They seem to have been as ready with the scalping knife as the Indians and were constantly inciting their savage allies to the utmost bar- barities. In contrast to this attitude, that of the Whig population of the valley was marked. Much as the Tory soldiers were hated, their women and children who were left behind were not injured or maltreated in a single known instance, and the Tory prison- ers taken were treated with the utmost justice. The intense hatred of Eng- land, which prevailed in the valley after the Revolution, was due as much to Tory barbarities as to the murders and tortures perpetrated by the Indians. American justice com- bined with American brawn, won in this horrible struggle against white and red savagery, but the bitter pas- sions engendered by this civil war along the Mohawk endured for years afterward. It was the Tory methods of warfare, particularly as shown on the frontier of New York, that so thoroughly em- bittered American sentiment against England, a feeling that existed in vary- ing degree for the greater part of a century after the close of the Revolu- tion. Warfare, based upon the murder of women and children and the de- struction and looting of property can never stand high in the eyes of civil- ized people. Tory and Indian mur- ders, barbarities and scalpings com- bined with the Revolutionary use of hired foreign troops, such as the Hes- sians, were the causes which tended to divide the two great branches of the 116 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN English speaking peoples during the greater part of the nineteenth century. It is probable that the actions of many of the Tryon county Tories, dur- ing the war for liberty, were actuated by the thought of gain. In case the British cause had triumphed the patriots' lands would doubtless have been confiscated and given to the Tories in proportion to their Revolu- tionary "services." This would be rendered easier by the wholesale mur- der of the "rebel" population and it was probably such a policy that in- duced the fiendish methods of the Tory invaders and their Indian allies. There is abundant evidence that the valley Tories were promised the "rebels' " lands if they would fight for King George. Sir John Johnson was particularly lavish with these prom- ises to his followers from the Mohawk valley. It is said that two Tryon county Tories, then serving under Sir John, began an argument as to which should have the rich lands of Lieut.- Col. Wagner in Palatine. It ended in a rough and tumble fight which laid the two warriors up for several days. It is a fitting place here to refer to the difficulty experienced in the fore- going Revolutionary chapters in nam- ing, as a whole, the forces invading the valley. They are generally spoken of as the "enemy" or the "raiders" or some such term, for the simple rea- son that they cannot be referred to as "English" or "British," because they were composed of such vary elements, were composed of such verying elements. British, Tories, Indians and Germans composed the army under St. Leger and under Sir John Johnson at Stone Arabia and St. Johnsville and in almost every other case of battle and in- vasion. The Americans looked upon the British use of Indians in the con- flict as a brutal, uncivilized proceed- ing and England's further employment of Hessian troops was a still further cause of the just hatred of our coun- tryman against Britain. True, Amer- ica had many friends in England but the ruling party countenanced the savagery referred to and brought about a deplorable state of affairs in the after relations of the two coun- tries. Philip Helmer had had a love affair with a maiden of the Pal- after district. Johannes Bellinger, a Whig, lived just above Fort Hess, in the town of St. Johnsville, and had six daughters, with one of whom the lively Tory, Philip Helmer, was enam- ored. He was of course forbidden the Bellinger place and consequently form- ed a plot to kidnap his sweetheart, Peggy by name. Taking a party of Indians he set out for Bellinger's but, evidently fearing the savages would do harm to the family, he gave the alarm at Fort Hess and a party of volunteers set out to ambuscade the red men. On their approach, one of the militia be- came excited and shouted: "Boys, here they are," and the Indians turned and fled, one of their number being shot down and killed. It is said that this double-turncoat, Helmer, married Peggy Bellinger after the war. Another account says that Tories and Indians of the guerilla party in- tended carrying off the Bellinger girls as concubines for themselves, leaving Helmer entirely out of the deal. Learning of this he turned informer as related. The reunions of valley families with members who had been captured dur- ing the Revolution, furnish countless dramatic incidents. One of these has a homely smack of early farm life. Leonard Paneter was captured in the present town of St. Johnsville, when he was but eight years old, and taken to Canada. On his release from cap- tivity a year later he was sent to Schenectady with others who had been taken in the valley and who were now exchanged and free to return to their Mohawk homes. Young Paneter's father sent an older son down to Sche- nectady to bring the boy back. Here he found a number of lads drawn up in line waiting for parents or relatives to identify them. The boys did not at once know eaph other but Leonard upon seeing the horse that carried his THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 117 brother, remembered it at once, and the brothers were soon reunited and happily on their way, probably both riding the old nag homeward. In the summer of 1782, Gen. Wash- ington was at Albany and was invited to visit Schenectady by its citizens. He accepted and rode there from Al- bany in a carriage with Gen. Schuy- ler on June 30, 1782. Washington walked with his hat under his arm in a long procession which served as his escort a considerable distance. A pub- lic dinner was given the commander- in-chief at the tavern kept by Abra- ham Clinch, who was a drummer boy under Braddock. Being acquainted with the adventures and sufferings of Col. Visscher, who then lived in Sche- nectady, Washington expressed sur- prise that the noted Tryon county mi- litia officer had not been invited, and sent a messenger for him. Visscher was a man of spirit, but somewhat re- tiring. He was found in his barn do- ing some work, which he left with re- luctance. Presenting himself to Washington the latter gave him mark- ed attention and seated Visscher next himself at the dinner. A number of Tryon militia officers were there pres- ent. Visscher, it will be remembered, was in chief command of the neigh- boring posts, with headquarters at Fort Paris in Stone Arabia, in 1779, and later was scalped by Indians but recovered, as previously related. He also commanded the unfortunate rear guard at Oriskany but was himself a man of utmost bravery. During this Schenectady visit, it is related, Washington was walking about the streets of that city with a citizen named Banker, a blacksmith. An old negro passing took off his hat and bowed respectfully to the general, a salutation which Washington po- litely returned. His Schenectady com- panion expressed surprise, saying that slaves were not thus noticed in the valley. Washington replied: "I cannot be less civil than a poor negro." Washington on this Schenectady jour- ney also visited Saratoga Springs and vicinity. CHAPTER XXII. 1783— February 9, Col. Willett's At- tempt to Capture Fort Oswego — Pri- vations of the American Troops on the Return Trip. One of the last military enterprises (and possibly the very final one) on which Colonel Willett set out from Fort Plain was the attempt to capture the important British fortification of Oswego in February, 1783. This, as per Washington's report to congress, was an expedition in which a force of 500 Americans were engaged under Willett. They were troops of the New York line and part of a Rhode Island regiment and were all probably then stationed at the valley posts of which Fort Plain was the headquarters, and it was doubtless here that the plan- ning and final preparations, for the Oswego expedition, were made. Of this little known enterprise, one of the last of the Revolution, Simms has the following: "Said Moses Nelson, an American prisoner there [at Oswego] in the spring of 1782, when the enemy set about rebuilding Fort Oswego, three officers, Capt. Nellis, Lieut. James Hare, and Ensign Robert Nellis, a son of the captain and all of the forester service had charge of the Indians there employed. [These Tory Nellises may have been of the Palatine Nellis fam- ily.] Nelson and two other lads, also prisoners, accompanied this party which was conveyed in a sloop, as waiters. About 100 persons were em- ployed in building this fortress, which occupied most of the season. The win- ter following. Nelson remained at this fort and was in it when Col. Willett advanced with a body of troops, Feb- ruary 9, 1783, with the intention of taking it by surprise. The enterprise is said to have been abortive in con- sequence of Col. Willett's guide, who was an Oneida Indian, having lost his way in the night when within a few miles of the fort. The men were illy provided for their return — certain vic- tory having been anticipated — and their sufferings weie, in consequence, very severe. This enterprise was un- 118 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN dertaken agreeable to the orders of Gen. Washington. "Col. AVillett, possil)ly, may not have known, as well as Washington did, that Fort Oswego had been so strongly fitted up the preceding year and con- sequently the difRculties he had to en- counter before its capture. Be that as it may, the probability is, that had the attack been made, the impossibility of scaling the walls would have frus- trated the design, with the loss of many brave men. The fort was sur- rounded by a deep moat, in which were planted many sharp pickets. From the lower part of the walls projected down and outward another row of heavy pickets. A drawbridge enabled the in- mates to pass out and in, which was drawn up and secured to the wall every night. The corners [of the fort] were built out so that mounted can- non commanded the trenches. Two of Willett's men, badly frozen, entered the fort in the morning, surrendering themselves prisoners, from whom the garrison learned the object of the en- terprise. The ladders prepared by Willett to scale the walls were left on his return, and a party of British sol- diers went and brought them in. Said the American prisoner Nelson, 'The longest of them, when placed against the walls inside the pickets, reached only about two-thirds of the way to the top.' The post was strongly gar- risoned and it was the opinion of Nel- son that the accident or treachery which misled the troops was most providential, tending to save Col. Wil- lett from defeat and most of his men from certain death." John Roof of Canajoharie, who was a private in this ill-fated expedition, told Simms that so certain was Willett of success that insufficient provision? were taken along for the journej^ out and back to the valley. There were several dogs with the American troops at the start and these were killed on the out trip, as their barking, it was feared, would betray the expedition to the enemy. On the wintry trip back the suffering and famished soldiers were glad to dig these animals out of the snow and eat them. The return of the Americans to the valley forts must have been a trip of great privation. Gen. Washington reported the fail- ure of Willett's attempt on Oswego to the President of Congress, February 25, 1783, as follows: "Sir — I am sorry to acquaint yonr Excellency — for the information of Congress — that a project which I had formed for attacking the enemy's fort at Oswego — as soon as the sleighing .should be good, and the ice of the Oneida lake should have acquired suf- ficient thickness to admit the passage of a detachment — has miscarried. The report of Col. Willett, to whom T had entrusted the command of the party, consisting of a part of the Rhode Island regiment and the State troops of New York — in all about 500 men — will assign reasons for the disappoint- ment." Washington further said that, al- though the expedition had failed, "I am certain nothing depending upon Col. Willett, to give efficiency to it, was wanting." CHAPTER XXIII. 1783 — April 17, Messenger From Gen. Washington Reaches Fort Plain Giv- ing News of End of Hostilities — April 18, Captain Thompson's Jour- ney to Oswego With a Flag of Truce. In April, 1783, Captain Alexander Thompson made a journey from "Fcrt Rennselaer" (Fort Plain) to the British post of Oswego to announce the for- mal cessation of hostilities between England and the United States of America. He kept a record of his trip and this journal was given to Simms by Rev. Dr. Denis Wortman, long a pastor of the Reformed church at Fort Plain. It is headed, "Journal of a tour from the American Garrison at Fort Rennselaer in Canajoharie on the Mo- hawk river, to the British Garrison oi Oswego, as a Flagg, to announce a cessation of hostilities on the frontiers of New York, commenced, Friday, April 18, 1783." This journal recounts a wilderness journey made within a year of a cen- tury and a half after the trip of the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 119 Dutch traders through the Canajo- harie district, narrated in the first chapter. Traveling conditions along the route seem to have been similar even at this later date. It also details a tour over a historic route of traffic of which the Mohawk was an impor- tant part, and a great highway so vital to the Canajoharie and Palatine dis- trict people. The details narrated give vividly, moreover, a characteristic pic- ture of wilderness travel anjl life at that day. Thus, aside from its in- terest in relation to the news of peace in the Mohawk valley and its revela- tion of the importance of old Fort Plain, it is given due place here. This diary belonged (in 1880) to Mrs. Thomas Buckley of Brooklyn, a granddaughter of its Revolutionary author. We have seen that the name of Fort Plain had been changed to Fort Rensselaer, in honor of Gen. Van Rensselaer, who had proved so lacking during the Stone Arabia and Klock's Field battles. This name it retained officially to the end of the war. Simms has summarized Captain Thompson's record as follows: "On the first of January of this year (1783), Capt. Thompson, as his jour- nal shows, was appointed to the ar- tillery command of several posts of the Mohawk valley, which he names as follows: Fort Rensselaer, Fort Plank, Fort Herkimer and Fort Dayton. Fort Rensselaer — another name for Fort Plain — being, as he says, the head- quarters for the river forts, he thought proper to have his own quarters near those of the commanding officer [Col. Willett], so as to furnish from his own company detachments as required. "On the 17th of April — only a little over two months after Col. Willett's attempt to surprise Fort Oswego — an express arrived at Fort Plain, from Washington's headquarters, to have an officer sent from thence with a flag to Oswego to announce to that garrison (from whence many of the Indian depredators came) a general cessation of hostilities, and an impending peace. "Major Andrew Fink, then in com- mand at Fort Plain [under Col. Wil- lett], committed this important and hazardous mission to Capt. Thompson. His companions were to be four, a bombardier of his own company, a sergeant of Willett's militia, and a Stockbridge Indian, and his guide and interpreter were to join him at Fort Herkimer. All things were to be ready for an early start on the morning of the 18th, but, when the nature of his mission became known along the val- ley, many, having lost friends whose fate was unknown, desired a chance to send letters by the flagbearer; and the start was thus delayed until 11 o'clock, at which hour numerous packets and letters were collected to be sent to friends in Canada. To some inquirers he said on his return, his mission proved to be one of joy, to others one of sadness; as the veil of mysteries had not be«;n lifted. "A flag of truce having been made by securing a white cloth to the head of a spontoon [a short spear much used on this frontier] to be borne by the sergeant, he left the fort with the flag man ?n front of him and the ar- tilleryman and the Indian in his rear. He started with a pack horse which he discreetly left at Fort Herkimer. The no^/elty of his mission drew a great crowd together and he was ac- companied several miles by a caval- cade of nfficers, soldiers and citizens. He went up the river road on the south side of the Mohawk and spoke of passing Fort Windecker (near Min- denville), and the Canajoharie or Up- per Mohawk castle (now Danube, where the Mohawks' church still stands), arriving at Mr. Schuyler's house at the foot of Fall Hill about 3 p. m., where he and his party were presented an excellent dinner. Leav- ing Schuyler's at 4 o'clock he passed over P''all Hill and arrived at Fort Herkimer at sunset. At this garrison, Capt. Thompson found David Schuy- ler, a brother of the man he had dined with, who became his guide and inter- preter. Eight days' rations were put into knapsacks, and one short musket was concealed in a blanket, with which to kill game, if by any means their provisions failed. On Saturday morn- ing, April 19, in a snow storm, this 120 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN party of five set out on their wilder- ness journey, still on the south side of the Mohawk. They met several hunt- ing parties and made their first halt opposite 'Thompson's place, above New Germantown,' now in the town of Schuyler. A few miles above they fell in with a party of ten families of In- dians on a hunting excursion and learned how forest children lived. Here his men, instructed by their In- dian companion, soon erected a wig- wam foi" the night in the following manner: Two stakes, with crotches at the upper end, were set upright about ten feet apart, upon which they placed a pole. Then they covered the sides with bark resting the top against the pole with the bottom on the ground, so as to leave a space about twelve feet wide. The gables were also covered with bark; a fire was made in the middle of the structure, and a small hole left in the top for the smoke to pass out, and when some hemlock boughs had been cut for their beds, the wigwam was completed. Such a structure the Indians would construct in an incredibly short space of time, where bark was handily ob- tained. In such rude huts, many a hunter or weary traveler has found a good night's rest. "The next morning the journey was resumed on the Fort Stanwix road, and at 10 o'clock he passed the ruins of Old Fort Schuyler of the French war (now Utica). On Capt. Thompson's arrival at the 'Seekaquate' creek (Sad- aquada or Saquoit creek), which en- ters the Mohawk at Whitestown, he found the bridge gone. Soon after passing this stream, he said he as- cended 'Ariska (Oriskany) Hill,' which he observed 'was usually allowed to be the highest piece of ground from Schenectada to Fort Stanwix.' Says the journal: 'I went over the ground where Gen. Herkimer fought Sir John Johnson; this is allowed to be one of the most desperate engagements that has ever been fought by the mi- litia. I saw a vast number of human skulls and bones scattered through the woods.' This was nearly five and a half years after the battle. He halt- ed to view the ruins of Fort Stanwix [Fort Schuyler] and those of St. Le- ger's works while besieging the fort and, passing along the site of Fort Bull, on Wood crtek, at the end of a mile and a half, he encamped for the night, erecting the usual Indian wig- wam. The night was one of terror, as the howling of wolves and other ani- mals prevented much sleep, but, keep- ing up their fires, tbe beasts were kept at bay. "Monday morning, on arriving at Canada creek, a tributary of Wood creek, two trees were felled to bridge the streain. A mile and a half below he left the creek and ascended Pine Ridge, where he discovered in his path a human footprint made by a shoe, which indicated a white wearer. On arriving at Fish creek, he halted to fish but with poor success. He had purposed to cross the creek and pur- sue his way to Oswego on the north side of Oneida lake, striking Oswego river near the falls, but, learning from his Indian (who had recently been on a scout to the Three Rivers) that he had seen three flat-bottomed boats with oars, and as the ice had recently left the lakes and thinking they might still be there, he changed his course for Wood creek, and striking it at a well-known place, called 'The Scow,' he sent the Indian and sergeant to search for the boats and to return the same evening. The three remaining at 'The Scow' were soon searching for material for a cabin, but neither bark nor hemlock could be found and, as it was fast growing dark, they col- lected what logs and wood tHey could to keep up a good fire which was started. At eight o'clock it began to rain terribly and in two or three hours the fire was put out. As the boat seekers did not come back that night it became one of great anxiety and discontent. "The men returned after daylight and reported a serviceable boat with- out oars, which they had launched and towed round the edge of the lake and left at the royal block house, known as Fort Royal, at the mouth of Wood creek. No tim6 was lost in reaching THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 121 the boat, which was found to leak badly. They caulked it as best they could with an old rope. From a board oars were soon made, a, pole raised and blankets substituted for a sail with bark halliards. Having everything aboard, they moved into Oneida lake (20 miles long) with a favorable but light wind. It was deemed prudent to run across the lake to Nine Mile Point, on the north shore, but before reaching it two men were kept constantly bail- ing. The boat was again repaired and put afloat, sailing from point to point. As night approached the crew landed half way down the lake, where they improvised a cabin with a good fire to dry their clothes. The night was pleasant but the howling of wild beasts again terrific. "On Wednesday, the 23d [of April], a beautiful day, the party were early on the move, and, from the middle of the lake, Capt. Thompson said he could see both ends of it, and enjoyed one of the most beautiful views imaginable. There were several islands on the wes- tern side of the lake covered with lofty timber, while back of the Oneida cas- tles the elevated ground made a very beautiful prospect. After about eight miles sail, he heard a gun^ evidently fired by an enemy, but, to avoid ob- servation, he sailed along the shore until he was opposite 'Six Mile Islands,' as the two largest islands in the lake, lying side by side, are called. He went ashore, where a fire was kindled and a good dinner enjoyed; after which he again dropped down the lake, passed Fort Brewerton, and entered the Oneida river. Here he found a rapid current in his favor and the river, the most serpentine of any stream he had ever been on, abound- ing at that season with immense num- bers of wild fowl, especially of ducks of many varieties. He saw many flocks of geese, but he would not allow the old musket to be fired, lest a lurk- ing scout might be attracted to his position. He continued his course down the river, sometimes on the On- ondaga side, and at others on the Os- wego side. "About two miles from Three Rivers (nearly 20 miles from Oneida lake), he discovered a party of Indians, in three canoes, coming up the river near the same shore. On seeing his boat, they gave a yell and paddled to the opposite shore; they landed, drew their canoes out of the water, ascended the bank and took to trees [not having presum- ably made out the flag of truce]. When the flag was opposite, they hailed in Indian and in English, which last was answered. When assured that the captain had a flag of truce, the Cana- dians asked him to come ashore. Four Indians then came out from behind trees and beckoned him to land. He did so and was conducted into the woods. His men also landed and the Indians drew his boat well on shore. He was brought into the presence of two white men and an old Indian, who were seated on the ground. One of them told Capt. Thompson his name was Hare, a lieutenant of Butler's rangers, and that he had just started on an enterprise to the neighborhood of Fort Plain. Thompson assured the lieutenant that all hostilities had ceased on the warpath, and that his mission was to convey such intelli- gence to the commanding officer at Os- wego. When assured that all Ameri- can scouts had been called in, after several consultations, the war party (consisting of one other white man and eight Indians — all being painted alike) concluded to take Thompson to the fort, saying, if the measure proved a finesse, they had him sure. He was conducted back to his boat, to the great relief of his friends who were exer- cised by thoughts of treachery, and, with a canoe on each side of the boat and one behind it, the flotilla passed down the river, Lieutenant Hare tak- ing a seat with Captain Thompson in his boat. The party glided down past the Three Rivers [the junction of the Oneida and Seneca rivers with the Os- wego], about three miles below which they landed and encamped for the night, constructing two cabins, one of which Lieut. Hare, Capt. Thompson and two Indians occupied, the remain- der of both parties using the other. 122 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN "Early Thursday morning, Lieut Hare sent one of his canoes to Oswego to inform the commander of the ap- proaching flag, and, soon after sun- rise, they all embarked down the rap- ids which increased as they approach- ed the falls [of the Oswego]. On ar- riving there they drew the boats around the carrying place, and safely passing the rifts below, they stopped within a mile of Lake Ontario where they were hailed by a sentinel on shore to await orders from the commandant of the fort [Major Ross]." Thompson was conducted blindfolded into the fort, hearing the drawbridge over the trench let down, the chains of which made a remarkable clatter- ing. In the fort his blindfold was re- moved and he delivered his message to Major Ross, who received him very courteously, the latter inviting him to sit down to a dinner of cold ham, fowl, wine, etc., while the major looked over the papers. Major Ross had, within a fortnight, received orders from Gov. Haldimand of Canada to strengthen his fortifications for American inva- sion and was greatly surprised at the news Thompson had brought. How- ever, Ross pledged his honor that all his scouts would be at once called in and ordered the sloop Caldwell (mounting 14 guns) to Fort Niagara to spread the news of the armistice. The curtains, which had been put up at the windows looking out on Lake Ontario, were now drawn and Major Ross asked his guest to look out and see the Caldwell departing on her errand of peace. The view from the window opening out upon the wide sunlit wat- ers of the lake was a delightful one. Ross regretted that he could not con- duct the American captain about the British works. The matter of Ameri- can prisoners in Canada was brought up and Major Ross said information about them would be forthcoming as soon as possible, in the meantime re- ceiving a list of those made in Tryon county cHiring the war, and the mes- sages Thompson brought. Ross said it was impossible for any officer to con- trol the savages when on excursions and lie really believed many cruel depredations had been committed by them on the frontiers which were known only to the Indians. He had exerted himself to prevent the murder- ing of prisoners and said "but the ut- most effort could not prevent them from taking the scalps of the killed." The major said that he was very happy that such an unnatural war was ended, adding however that war created the "soldier's harvest." Ross was much upset to learn that the entire state of New York, including Oswego and Fort Niagara, were to be ceded to the United States in the treaty of peace then under consideration. Captain Thompson was introduced to a number of British officers and treated with great courtesy, having however a verbal tilt with Capt. Crawford of Johnson's Greens (who invaded the Mohawk valley in 1778). Says the journal: "This per- son comes under that despicable char- acter of a loyal subject. He appeared to be really ignorant of the cause he fought for, and had the wickedness to observe that he had made more money in the British service in the war than he would have made in the American service in 100 years." Cap- tain Thompson replied that "Ameri- can officers fought for principle, not money." Major Ross wished to send Thomp- son back up the Oswego river and through Oneida lake to Wood creek in his own barge, but the American cap- tain said he desired to return, by land on the west side of the Oswego to see the country, and politely refused the courteous offer. The Indians at Os- wego iiad heard a rumor that "all their lands were to be taken from them and that they were to be driven to where the sun went down." They had threat- ened the life of the American messen- ger and were in an ugly mood. Capt. Thompson was given a list of the val- ley American prisoners then in Can- ada that evening. The patriot cap- tain, for his own and his comrades' safety, deemed it best to depart at once and thanking Major Ross for his cour- teous treatment, he was again blind- folded and led outside the fort down THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 123 to his companions at the river edge at 11 o'clock on Sunday evening, April 27. He took back with him a 14-year- old American boy who had been cap- tured near Fort Stanwix. Here the journal ends. Major Ross had prom- ised to send a detachment of British troops back with the American party over the most dangerous part of their journey and it is probable he did so. The patriots, retracing their former steps, arrived at Fort Plain once more, having completed satisfactorily their important mission. After Capt. Thompson's return, Fort Plain must have been the Mecca of people from all over the Mohawk val- ley who came to learn of friends or relatives captive in Canada. Thus from Fort Plain was spread the first news of approaching peace through the valley and to the British foe on the borders of New York state. CHAPTER XXIV. 1783 — July, Washington's Tour of Mo- hawk Valley and Visit to Otsego Lake — His Letters Concerning Trip — Stops at Palatine, Fort Plain, Cherry Valley and Canajoharie — Col. Clyde — Final Records of Fort Plain or Fort Rensselaer — Last Revolu- tionary Indian Murder in Canajo- harie District. In the spring of 1783, an order for the cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and the United States was published in the camp of the lat- ter, but an army organization was kept up until fall. As the initiatory step to his contemplated tour of ob- servation in central New York, Gen. Washington wrote to Gen. Philip Schuyler, from his Newburgh head- quarters, July 15, 1783, as follows: "Dear Sir: — I have always enter- tained a great desire to see the north- ern part of this State, before I return- ed Southward. The present irksome interval, while we are waiting for the definite treaty, affords an opportunity of gratifying this inclination. I have therefore concerted with Geo. Clinton to make a tour to reconnoitre those places, where the most remarkable posts were established, and the ground which became famous by being the theatre of action in 1777. On our re- turn from thence, we propose to pass across the Mohawk river, in order to have a view of that tract of country, which is so much celebrated for the fertility of its soil and the beauty of its situation. We shall set out by water on Friday the 18th, if nothing shall intervene to prevent our journey. "Mr. Dimler, assistant quartermas- ter-general, who will have the honor of delivering this letter, precedes us to make arrangements, and particularly to have some light boats provided and transported to Lake George, that we may not be delayed upon our arrival there. "I pray you, my dear sir, to be so good as to advise Mr. Dimler in what manner to proceed in this business, to excuse the trouble I am about to give you, and to be persuaded that your kind information and discretion to the bearer will greatly increase the obliga- tions with which I have the honor to be, etc."— Sparks Life, 8, 425. On July 16, Washington wrote the president of congress as to his intend- ed trip. He returned to his headquar- ters at Newburgh, August 5, 1783, and on the following day, August 6, wrote to the congressional president a brief record of his journey. After speaking of his return, which was by water from Albany to Newburgh, he says: "My tour, having been extended as far northward as Crown Point, and westward to Fort Schuyler [Stanwix] and its district, and my movements having been pretty rapid, my horses, which are not yet arrived, will be so much fatigued that they will need some days to recruit, etc." In another letter, of the same date, he refers fur- ther to his tour in these words: "I was the more particularly induced by two considerations to make the tour, which in my letter of the 16th ultimo, I informed Congress I had in contem- plation, and from which I returned last evening. The one was the inclina- tion to see the northern and western posts of the State, with those places which have been the theatre of im- 124 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN portant military transactions; the other a desire to facilitate, as far as in my power, the operations which will be necessary for occupying the posts which are ceded by the treaty of peace, as soon as they shall be evacuated by the British troops." He had his eye upon Detroit as a point to be looked after and wanted some of the well- affected citizens of that place to pre- serve the fortifications and buildings there "until such time as a garrison could be sent with provisions and stores sufficient to take and hold pos- session of them. The propriety of this measure "has appeared in a more forci- ble point of light, since I have been up the Mohawk river, and taken a view of the situation of things in that quar- ter. * * * I engaged at Fort Rens- selaer [Fort Plain] a gentleman whose name is Cassaty, formerly a resident of Detroit and who is well recommend- ed, to proceed without loss of time, find out the disposition of the inhabi- tants and make every previous in- quiry which might be necessary for the information of the Baron on his ar- rival, that he should be able to make such final arrangements, as the cir- cumstances might appear to justify. This seemed to be the best alternative on failure of furnishing a garrison of our troops, which, for many reasons, would be infinitely the most eligible mode, if the season and your means would possibly admit. I have at the same time endeavored to take the best preparatory steps in my power for supplying the garrisons on the western waters by the iirovision contract. I can only form my magazine at Fort Her- kimer on the German Flats, which is 32 miles by land and almost 50 by water from the carrying place between the Mohawk river and Wood creek. The route by the former is impractic- able, in its present state, for carriages and the other extremely difficult for bateaux, as the river is much obstruct- ed with fallen and floating trees, from the long disuse of the navigation. That nothing, however, which depends upon me might be left undone, I have di- rected 10 months provisions for 500 men to be laid up at Fort Herkimer, and have ordered Col. Willett, an ac- tive officer commanding the troops of the state [evidently meaning state troops in this locality], to repair the roads, remove the obstructions in the river, and, as far as can be effected by the labors of the soldiers, build houses for the reception of the provisions and stores at the carrying place [Fort Schuyler] in order that the whole may be in perfect readiness to move for- ward, so soon as the arrangement shall be made with Gen. Haldemand [gov- ernor general of Canada.]" October 12, 1783, Washington wrote to the Chevalier Chastelleux, as fol- lows: "I have lately made a tour through the Lakes George and Cham- plain as far as Crown Point. Thence returning to Schenectady, I proceeded up the Mohawk river to Fort Schuy- ler and crossed over to Wood creek, which empties into the Oneida lake, and affords the water communication with Ontario. I then traversed the country to the eastern branch of the Susquehanna, and viewed the Lake Otsego, and the portage between that lake and the Mohawk river at Canajo- harie. Prompted by these actual ob- servations, I could not help taking a more extensive view of the vast inland navigation of these United States, from maps and the information of others, and could not but be struck by the immense extent and importance of it, and with the goodness of Provi- dence, which has dealt its favors to us with so profuse a hand. Would to God we may have wisdom enough to improve them. I shall not rest con- tented till I have explored the western country, and traversed those lines or a great portion of them, which have given bounds to a new empire. But when it may, if it ever shall happen, I dare not say, as my first attention must be given to the deranged situa- tion of my private concerns, which are not a little injured by almost nine years absence and a total disregard of them, etc., etc." Simms publishes the following ac- count of Washington's visit to Fort Plain, during his trip through this sec- tion: THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 125 "The reader will observe by Wash- ington's correspondence that he made the northern trip by water to Crown Point, but from Schenectady to Fort Stanwix [Schuyler], or rather its site, on horseback. The tour of inspection, as shadowed in his letters, is devoid of all incident, and whether or not he halted at Fort Plain on his way up is uncertain; but as he speaks last of going to Otsego lake, it is presumed he made no halt at the river forts going up, nor is there any account of his vis- iting Johnstown in his tour, but it is reasonable to conclude that he did. He did not mention Fort Plain, but it is well known that he was there, giving it another name [Fort Rensselaer]. Arriving in this vicinity [on July 30, 1783], said the late Cor- nelius Mabie, who was thus in- formed by his mother, he tarried over night with Peter Wormuth, in Pala- tine on the late Reuben Lipe farm, the former having had an only son killed, as elsewhere shown, near Cherry Val- ley. It was no doubt known to many that he had passed up the valley, who were on the quivive to see him on his return, and good tradition says that, in the morning, many people had as- sembled at Wormuth's to see world's model man, and to satisfy their curi- osity, he walked back and forth in front of the house, which fronted to- ward the river. This old stone dwell- ing in ruins, was totally demolished about the year 1865. "We have seen that Washington found Col. Willett in command at Fort Herkimer [then together with Fort Dayton, the most advanced frontier posts in the state], at which time Col. Clyde was in command of Fort Plain. Just how many attended his Excellency through the Mo- hawk valley, is not satisfactor- ily known. His correspondence only names Gov. George Clinton. Campbell in his 'Annals' says he was accompan- ied by Gov. Clinton, Gen. Hand and many other officers of the New York line. The officers making the escort were no doubt attended by their aids and servants. Whether any other of- ficer remained with Washington at Wormuth's over night is unknown. It is presumed, however, the house being small and the fort only a mile off, that his attendants all went thither, cross- ing at Walrath's Ferry, opposite the fort, some of whom returned in the morning to escort the Commander-in- Chief over the river. [July 31, 1783] A pretty incident awaited his arrival on the eminence near the fort. Beside the road Rev. Mrs. Gros had paraded a bevy of small boys to make their obeisance (her nephew, Lawrence Gros, from whom this fact was derived, being one of the number). At a signal, they took off and swung their hats, huzzaed a welcome and made their best bow to Washington, when the illustrious guest gracefully lifted his chapeau and re- turned their respectful salutation with a cheerful 'Good morning, boys!' Im- mediately after, he rode up to the fort where he received a military salute from the garrison. "I suppose Washington to have been welcomed within the large blockhouse, and on introducing the guest to its commandant. Gov. Clinton took occa- sion to say to him: 'Gen. Washing- ton, this is Col. Clyde, a true Whig and a brave officer who has made great sacrifices for his country.' The Gen- eral answered warmly, 'Then, sir, you should remember him in your appoint- ments.' From this hint, Gov. Clinton afterward appointed him sheriff of Montgomery county. Gen. Washing- ton dined with Col. Clyde, after which, escorted by Maj. Thornton, they proceeded to Cherry Valley, where they became the guests over night, of Col. Campbell, who had re- turned not long before and erected a log house. Burnt out as the Campbells had been, their accommodations were limited for so many people, but they were all soldiers and had often been on short allowance of 'bed and board' and could rough it if necessary. Be- sides, it is possible other families had returned to discover their hospitality for the night. They found themselves very agreeably entertained, however. Mrs. Campbell and her children had been prisoners in Canada. In the 126 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN morning, Gov. Clinton, seeing several of her boys, told Mrs. Campbell, 'They would make good soldiers in time.' She replied she 'hoped their services would never be thus needed.' Said Washington, 'I hope so too, madam, for I have seen enough of war.' One of those boys, the late Judge James S. Campbell, was captured so young and kept so long among the Indians that he could only speak their language when exchanged. After breakfast the party were early in the saddle to visit the outlet of Otsego lake, and see where Gen. James Clinton dammed the lake, just above its outlet, to float his boats down the Susquehanna, to join in Sullivan's expedition. The party returned the same evening to Fort Plain, via the portage road opened by Clinton to Springfield from Canajo- harie, and the next day, as believed, they dropped down the valley." On reaching Canajoharie, August 1, 1783, Washington and his company were received by Col. Clyde, who had ridden down from Fort Plain in the morning to receive the commander's party on its return from Otsego lake. After the destruction of Cherry Valley in 1778, Clyde removed his family to the neighborhood of Schenectady, where they remained until the close of hostilities. One account says that, at this time (August, 1783) they had re- moved to the Van Alstine stone house, in the present village of Canajoharie. Here, it is said, Washington and his party were the guests of Col. and Mrs. Clyde at dinner on August 1, 1783. Part or all of the distinguished party probably returned to spend the night at Fort Plain, where there were ac- commodations. Undoubtedly crowds of valley peo- ple gathered at points where Wash- ington stopped on his trip. A consider- able assemblage of patriots must have been present at Fort Plain on this eventful long ago midsummer day. There had been no severe raids in the Canajoharie and Palatine districts in two years. The much tried people were rebuilding their homes, those who had removed to safer localities were returning to their abandoned farms, and, with the assurance of peace, new settlers were already coming in. Mr. S. L. Frey gives the following list of names of persons who probably accompanied General Washington into the Mohawk valley in 1783: Gov. George Clinton, Gen. Hand, Mr. Dimler (assistant quartermaster). Col. David Humphries, Hodijah Baylies, Wm. S. Smith, Jonathan Trumbull jr.. Tench Tilghman, Richard Varick (recording secretary), Benjamin Walker, Richard K. Mead, David Cobb, and many of- ficers of the New York line. We see, from the foregoing letters of Washington, that at Fort Plain [Fort Rensselaer] the commandant of the army of the United States engaged "a gentleman whose name is Cassaty" (a sketch of whom appears later) as his personal emissary to Detroit to ob- serve the conditions at that important post on the lakes, preparatory to its American occupation. So that it be- comes evident that two messengers at Washington's orders, left Fort Plain in 1783 on momentous errands for the British lake posts of Oswego and Detroit. Col. Samuel Clyde, then in command at Fort Plain, was born in Windham, Rockingham county. New Hampshire, April 11. 1732, his mother's name being Esther Rankin. He worked on his father's farm until 20, when he went to Cape Breton and labored as a ship carpenter, from whence he went to Halifax and worked on a dock for the English navy. In 1757 he came to New Hampshire and raised a company of batteaux men and rangers, of which he was appointed captain, by Gen. James Abercromby, said company being under Lieut. Col. John Bradstreet. This commission was dated at Albany, May 25, 1758. He marched his company to Albany and to Lake George where he fought in the battle of Ticonderoga, when Gen. Howe was slain and the British defeated. Clyde was after- ward at the capture of Fort Frontenac, and, returning from the campaign to Schenectady, in 1761, he there married Catherine Wasson, a niece of Mat- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 127 thew Thornton, a signer of the Declar- ation of Independence. Judge Ham- mond, who knew Mrs. Clyde, wrote of lier in 1852 as follows: "Mrs. Clyde was a woman of uncommon talents, both natural and acquired, and of great fortitude. She read much and kept up with the literature of the day. Her style in conversing was peculiarly ele- gant, and at the same time easy and unaffected. Her manner was digni- fied and attractive. Her conversation with young men during the Revolu- tionary war, tended greatly to raise their drooping spirits, and confirm their resolution to stand by their country to the last." Not a few noble women of the frontiers thus made their influence felt in the hour of need. In 1762 Clyde settled at Cherry Val- ley and while here he was employed, about 1770, by Sir William Johnson to build the church for the use of the Indians at the upper Mohawk castle in the present town of Danube. At the beginning of the country's trouble with England, a company of volunteers was raised in Cherry Valley and New Town Martin for home protection, of which Samuel Clyde was commissioned its captain by the 40 men he was to command, and John Campbell, jr., was chosen lieu- tenant and James Cannon ensign. Among the names of the volunteers voting for these officers appears that of James Campbell, afterwards colonel. Capt. Clyde's commission was dated July 13, 1775. Oct. 28, 1775, the state provincial congress commissioned him as a captain and adjutant of the first (Canajoharie) regiment of Tryon coun- ty militia. Sept. 5, 1776, he was com- missioned second major of the first (Canajoharie) regiment commanded by Col. Cox. After the battle of Oriskany and death of Gen. Herkimer, many of the officers of the brigade wanted Major Clyde to consent to accept the office of Brigadier-General, whose appointment they would solicit. To this he would not accede, as other officers in the brigade outranked him and he would not countenance an act that would originate jealousies, however well mer- ited the honors might be. It has ever surprised the student that Gen. Herki- mer's place remained unfilled during the war. That the eye of the army was fixed upon Major Clyde for this honor- able promotion is not surprising when we come to know that of all men in that bloody ravine, no one better knew his duty or acquitted himself more valiantly than he. He was in the thickest of the fight, and in a hand to hand encounter was knocked down by an enemy with the breech of a gun, while in another he shot an officer whose musket he brought from the field to become an heirloom in his family. Besides Gen. Herkimer slain, and Brigade Inspector Major John Frey a prisoner, he is believed to have been the only man at Oriskany who ranked as high as a captain in the French war, which doubtless had something to do with the confidence reposed in him. After Cherry Valley was destroyed in 1778, Col. Clyde removed with his family to the neighborhood of the Mo- hawk where he lived six or seven years, at least part of the time in the Van Alstine house in the present vil- lage of Canajoharie. June 25, 1778, Major Clyde was ap- pointed lieutenant-colonel of the Cana- joharie regiment, James Campbell then being colonel. His commission as such passed the secretary's ofRce with the signature of Gov. George Clinton, March 17, 1781. That Clyde was acting colonel of this regiment long before the date of his commission as lieutenant- colonel, there is positive evidence. The acting colonels of the Tryon county militia in May, 1780, so recognized by the government at Albany, were Cols. Klock, Visscher, Clyde and Bellinger. Col. Clyde seems to have been on duty every summer in the bounds of his regiment until the close of the war. As colonel of the Canajoharie district regiment, he would naturally have been, as he was, on duty at its princi- pal fortification,, Fort Plain, during Washington's visit in 1783. On the organization of the state government in 1777, he was a member of the legis- lature. March 8, 1785, true to Wash- 128 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN ington's pertinent suggestion at Fort Plain, he was commissioned as sheriff of Montgomery county by Gov. Clin- ton, which office he discharged with conscientious fidelity. It is said he frequently swam his horse across the Mohawk at flood tide at Canajoharie in order to attend court at Johnstown. Simms says: "After the destruc- tion, in 1778, of Cherry Valley, Col. Campbell made his home at Niska- yuna and is not remembered to have taken any part in military affairs [in this vicinity] after that date." It is doubtless true that, although he held a lieutenant-colonel's commission, Samuel Clyde was recognized by the Albany military authorities and the Tryon county militia as colonel of the Canajoharie regiment, which Clyde says was "the best regiment of militia in the county." Col. Clyde was the leading figure in militia affairs in the district of Canajoharie during the years 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782 and 1783. He died in Cooperstown Nov. 30, 1790, aged 58 years. The Cassaty whom Washington "en- gaged at Fort Rensselaer" as his emis- sary to Detroit was Colonel Thomas Cassaty. He married Nancy, a daugh- ter of Peter Wormuth and a sister of Lieut. Matthew Wormuth, who was shot by Brant near Cherry Valley in 1778. Cassaty was living near or at his father-in-law's when Washington stopped there (in Palatine near Fort Plain) during his valley tour of 1783. This probably readily led to his en- gagement in the service mentioned. Colonel Cassaty as a boy and young man was stationed at the British post of Detroit, where his father, James Cassaty, was a captain in the English service. At the outbreak of the Revo- lution the two Cassatys, both Ameri- can born, sided with the colonists. The commandant of Detroit denounced Capt. James Cassaty and in the alter- cation young Thomas Cassaty, then a youth of seventeen, shot down the British officer. He then fled into the Michigan woods and escaped. He lived with the Indians and there is one report which says he was the father of the noted chief, Tecumseh. Toward the end of the war he appeared in the Mohawk valley. Colonel Cassaty died at Oriskany Falls, Oneida county, 1831, aged about 80 years, leaving two sons and five daughters. After the Detroit affraj% Capt. James Cassaty was con- fined in a Canadian dungeon for three years. It will be noted that Washington speaks of Fort Plain as "Fort Rensse- laer," this being the name it bore in the last four years of the Revolution — it being named for the Gen. Van Rensselaer, whose conduct was so du- bious when there at the operations of 1780, ending at Klock's Field. As previously shown, at the court martial of Gen. Van Rensselaer in Al- bany for dereliction in the campaign of 1780, witnesses referred constantly to "Fort Rensselaer or Fort Plain" or vice versa. Dr. Hough published some years ago, an account of the Klock's Field cam- paign and the subsequent court martial of Gen. Van Rensselaer, showing that the latter officer writing from Fort Plain — a name which had been estab- lished for years — dated his papers at "Fort Rensselaer;" anxious, as it would seem, to have this principal fort take his own name. It is believed that never before that time it had ever been called by any other name than Fort Plain. About three years later Gen- eral Washington was here and dated his correspondence from "Fort Rensse- laer," and others probably did so, un- aware that the name of the fort had been changed. The following docu- ment, from the papers of the late Wil- liam H. Seeber, shows how the vanity of the inefficient soldier had tempor- arily affected the name Fort Plain: "By virtue of the appointment of his Excellency, George Clinton, Esq., Gov- ernor of the State of New York, etc., etc. "We do hereby, in pursuance of an act entitled an act to amend an act, en- titled an act to accommodate the in- habitants of the frontier, with habita- tions and other purposes therein men- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 129 tioned, passed the 22d of March, 1781 — Grant unto William Seeber, Peter Adams, George Garlock and Henry Smith, license and liberty to cut and remove wood or timber from the lands of John Laile (or Lail), George Kraus, John Fatterle, John Plaikert, Wellem (William) Fenck, George Ekar, John Walrath and Henry Walrath, lying contiguous to Fort Plain, being a place of defense, for fuel, fencing and timber for the use of the first above mentioned persons. "Given under our hands at Canajo- harie. this 8th day of November, 1782. Christian Nellis, M. Willett, Commissioners." This instrument was drawn up in the handwriting of Squire Nellis and taken to Col. Willett to sign. In the hand- writing of the latter and with the ink of his signature, Willett crossed off the word "Plain" and interlined the name "Rensselaer." Simms says: "It seems surprising that Col. Willett, who so disapproved of changing the name of Fort Stanwix, should have connived at changing the name of Fort Plain; and it can only be accounted for by pre- suming that he was thereby courting the influence of wealth and position." The foregoing quotation does not co- incide with Willett's sturdy character, and it seems entirely probable that Van Rensselaer had succeeded in hav- ing his name adopted, at least for the time, as the official designation of Fort Plain. The foregoing chapter is taken en- tirely from Simms's "Frontiersmen of New York," with some few additions. S. L. Frey says, in his interesting paper on "Fort Rensselaer," (published in the Mohawk Valley Register, March 6, 1912): "In 1786, Capt. B. Hudson was in command of the place, taking care of the stores and other government prop- erty. As this is the last time that 'Fort Rensselaer' is mentioned as far as I can find, I give a copy of an old receipt: Fort Rancelaiir, Aug. 22d, 1786. State of New York, Dr. To John Lipe, Senior. For Timber Building the Blockhouse, for fire wood, Fancing & Possession of the Place by the Troops of the United States Under the Command of Colonel Willet one hundred & fifty Pounds, being the amount of my Damage. his John X Lipe. mark Witness Present B. Hudson. From this it will be seen that Jo- hannes Lipe had not been paid for his timber, used in the blockhouse six years before. Following this receipt is a note by Rufus Grider, the former antiquarian of Canajoharie: "Copy of a paper found and obtained on the Lipe Farm, where Fort Plain and Fort Rensselair was located. The present owners are the descendants of the Lipe who owned it during and after the Revolution; the ownership has not gone out of the family. R. A. Grider. June 17, 1894." Mr. Frey continues: "We thus have a continuous mention of 'Fort Rens- selair,' as another name for Fort Plain, from Sept. 4, 1780, to Aug. 22, 1786. It would be well if the old Revolutionary families in the vicinity would examine any paper they may have relating to that period; possibly we might find that 'Fort Rensselair' is mentioned after 1786." Thus we are able to trace the history of the Fort Plain fortifications through a period of ten years of important ser- vice. Although the fort and block- house probably stood for some years after 1786, reference to Fort Plain, after that date, implies the Sand Hill settlement (which took its name from the fort) and the later village which thus became known during the con- struction of the Erie canal. The name has thus been in existence for a period of almost 140 years. How long Fort Plain or Fort Rensselaer continued to exist as an army post after 1786 is not now known. The accounts to follow deal with western Montgomery county and with the settlement adjacent to Fort Plain, 130 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN known as Sand Hill and Fort Plain and a continuation of the record of life and events, in the old Canajoharie and Palatine districts, until about 1825, when the old settlement ceased to be important and the new canal town which sprang up adopted the honored name of Fort Plain. For con- venience the end of the second series of sketches is put at 1838, the date of the severance of Montgomery and Fulton counties. Washington's visit to Fort Plain properly marks the end of the first series of chapters of the story of old Fort Plain. The last victims of savage marau- ders near Fort Plain were Frederick Young and a man named House, of the town of Minden. They were in a field when a small party of Indians shot them both down. Young was not killed and when an Indian stooped over to scalp him, the victim seized the knife, the blade nearly severing his fingers. Both were scalped but Young was found alive and taken to Fort Plank, where he died before night. The two Minden men were shot within sight of the fort but the Indians got away before the patriot militia could assemble to engage them. This event happened in 1783, eight days after the inhabitants had news that peace had been ratified, and it is probable that the savages had not heard of this. One of the first murder trials in the Johnstown jail after the war was that of John Adam Hartmann, a Revolu- tionary veteran, for killing an Indian in 1783. They met at a tavern in the present town of Herkimer, and the savage excited Hartmann's abhorrence by boasting of murders and scalpings performed by him during the war, and particularly by showing him a tobacco pouch made froni the skin of the hand and part of the arm of a white child with the finger nails remaining at- tached. Hartmann said nothing at the time and the two left the tavern on their journey together, traveling a road which led through a dense forest. Here the savage's body was found a year later. Hartmann was acquitted for lack of evidence. He had been a ranger at Fort Dayton. On a foray, in which he killed an Indian, at almost the same instant, he was shot and wounded by a Tory. Hartmann was a famous frontiersman and had many adventures. He was a fine type of the intrepid soldiers in the tried and true militia of Tryon county. Following are the i^rincipal events of 1783 summarized: The treaty of peace with Great Britain, acknowledg- ing the independence of the United States of America was signed in Paris, Sept. 3, 1783; 1783, Nov. 25, "Evacua- tion Day," British left New York and an American force under Gen. Wash- ington and Gov. Clinton entered New York city, shortly after which Wash- ington bade farewell to his officers at Fraunce's Tavern in that city and left for Mount Vernon, Md., his journey through New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland being a triumphial tour; 1783, Dec. 23, Washington resigned his command of the American army to congress at Annapolis, Md. CHAPTER XXV. 1775-1783— Review of Mohawk Valley Events — Tryon County Militia Rec- ords — Territory Covered in These Sketches. With this chapter are concluded the first two periods of the history of the middle Mohawk valley — that of settlement and that of the war of the Revolution. At almost every point this story touches that of the nation. Just as Walt Whitman sings of man as representative of the race and the race as the single man multiplied, so, in this history of the Mohawk coun- try, we see the growing nation and in viewing the land of America we get a diminished yet clear prospect of our own valley. Thus while following the current of local life and events we are borne along as well on the great stream of national life. In the foregoing chapters, mention has been made of the connection of the men of the Mohawk country with the decisive event of the Revolution — THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 131 the success of the Americans in the 1777 campaign against Burgoyne and St. Leger. A further instance of the vital interlocliing of our story with that greater one of the United States, is evidenced in that thrilling first en- counter of the Iroquois with the French power, represented by Cham- plain and his Canadian savages. The shots fired by the Frenchman into the ranks of the red men of the Five Na- tions gave us these United States, for it made the Iroquois enemies of the French power forever. They formed a bulwark against the encroachment of the Gallic dominion and may, at that early date, have prevented France from conquering the greater part of the thirteen colonies. Thus it is that the shot of an arquebus, on the shore of a lonely lake, or the death struggle of a few hundred farmers in a forest fight, may settle the destinies of a na- tion. A further instance of past condi- tions affecting the present is evidenced in the state of New York, the boun- daries of which were largely deter- mined by the Dutch settlements along the Hudson and the territory occupied by the Five Nations. It has also been stated that the successful example of the Iroquois confederacy had a con- siderable influence in formation of the United States of America. The Revolutionary record of Tryon county, besides detailing the defense against British invasion of the New York frontier, is concerned with two great national military movements of the war^the vital defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga (to which the successful defense of Fort Schuyler contributed) and the Sullivan and Clinton invasion of the Indian country, in connection with which occurred the march of the New York detachment of the Ameri- can army along the Mohawk to Cana- joharie, the rendezvous there, the cut- ting of a road through the wilderness to Otsego lake and the subsequent unique march thither of Clinton's force, convoying the river flatboats with their supplies, loaded on eight- horse wagons and oxcarts. This cam- paign was one of the most noteworthy of the war and the Mohawk valley side of it seems to have never received the full and proper presentation that it merits. The Tryon county infantry and mi- litia, as has been shown, had been in- strumental in the American success of the Saratoga campaign. Creasy calls this one of the fifteen decisive battles of the world (up to 1855) and mentions the British checks at Fort Stanwix (Schuyler) and at Bennington as strongly influencing the final defeat of Burgoyne and the British army. Of this historically great battle Lord Mahon wrote: "Even of those great conflicts, in which hundreds of thousands have been engaged and tens of thousands have fallen, none has been more fruit- ful of results than this surrender * * at Saratoga." The victory at Stillwater was de- cisive not only in ensuring American independence but it eventually brought about American predominance over the western hemisphere. To this great world result the men of the Mohawk contributed, at Oriskany and Fort Schuyler, as much as if they had fought on the field of Stillwater itself, where some of them were also en- gaged. The record of the Mohawk country garrisons and the militia of Tryon county is one of the best of the Amer- ican soldiery of the Revolution. Wher- ever the Tryon county men met the enemy on anything like equal footing they had beaten them. Under good leaders like Willett they had proved the best of rangers and line of battle men. The feats of scouts like Helmer and Demuth are fit subjects for song and legend, and the deeds of the Am- erican man behind the gun, on the fields of Tryon county, make stories which will hold the interest of Mo- hawk valley folk for centuries to come. It would be interesting if the com- position of the different Tryon county garrisons, throughout the Revolution, could be known. Future research may show them, and it may be here men- tioned that the history of the Mohawk valley during the war for independ- ence should be made the subject of a ]32 THE STORY OF OLD PORT PLAIN comprehensive work, treating the mat- ter in complete form. It furnishes as interesting material as that of any region of similar extent within the limits of the original thirteen colonies. Occasional glimpses have been caught, in the foregoing chapters of the garrisons and the commanders of the army posts of present western Montgomery county — Fort Plain, Fort Paris, Fort Windecker, Fort Willett, Fort Plank, Fort Clyde. We know from the frequent recurrence of the names of families then resident along the Mohawk, in the accounts of the Revolutionary movements of the Tryon county American forces, that- the patriot army in the Mohawk country was always largely composed of local men. They are frequently spoken of as militia but their years of service made them as efficient as regulars, and they were such in every sense espec- ially during the latter years of the war. We have records of Tryon county men who were engaged in many of the military movements hereabouts during the Revolution. There were undoubt- edly scores who fought at Oriskany who took part in all of the later con- flicts. This was especially true of the Palatine and Canajoharie district men, as their territory was the scene of most of the important events after Oriskany. We have one record of a Canajoharie district man who took part in the first and last Revolutionary military move- ments in the Mohawk valley. This was John Roof jr., who fought at Oriskany in 1777 and went with Wil- lett on the expedition to Fort Oswego in 1783. He was probably in military service, in the intervening years and there were scores like him. At the end of hostilities, about 1782, these Tryon county soldiers entered upon the reclamation of their farm lands and the rebuilding of their homes as vigorously as they had opposed the motley savages employed by England to ravage their country during the six years from 1777 to 1782. That the valley Revolutionary sol- diers of Tryon county were men of the greatest physical hardihood is plainly evident. Proof of this is seen in the many instances of their long marches over rough ground and, at the end of these "hikes," frequently the infantry went into battle. In 17S0, Van Rens- selaer's army, from the neighborhood of Albany, marched to Keator's rift at Sprakers, a distance of over fifty miles, and at the close of their second day in Montgomery county, after marching over ten miles more, went into action at Klock's Field. On this day, from the time they left their camping ground in the town of Florida, they covered thirty miles and fought a battle as well. On the evening of the day of the appearance of Ross and Butler and their raiders (Oct. 24, 1781), Colonel Willett and his four hundred fighters, from Fort Plain and the neighboring posts, marched through the night to Fort Hunter (a distance of twenty miles), reaching there the next morn- ing, October 25. After a strenuous time crossing the Mohawk, the Ameri- cans made a further journey of nine or ten miles, when they went into action and won the victory of Johnstown. They had tramped thirty miles and won a hard victory in a night and a day. After a day's rest, the troops continued the pursuit of the beaten enemy to Jerseyfield on West Canada creek, where they killed Butler and many of his band and scattered Ross's force completely. On their return to Fort Dayton, they had covered over 60 miles of ground under winter condi- tions, suffering great hardships, and had performed this feat in four days on two days rations. The Fort Plain soldiers in this campaign, covered 150 miles from their start until the time they returned to their barracks. The great physical vigor of the men of the Mohawk country is also shown in the amusing incident of the footrace .between a company of scouts and a company of infantry, on the Freysbush road, while on the march back to Fort Plain. It is to be regretted that con- ditions which produced such men of iron in the valley could not have con- tinued to give us men of equal vigor. Besides this evidence of the gener- ally fine physical condition of the val- ley Americans, the previous chapters THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 133 have given abundant proof of the in- dividual military valor and physical prowess of men like Herkimer, Clyde, Dillenbeck, Willett, Stockwell, Gardi- nier, Helmer, Demuth, Grouse, Vols, Woodworth, and a host of others. Some years ago the state of New York published part of its Revolu- tionary records in a volume entitled "New York in the Revolution." This is a roster of the regular troops and militia raised in New York during the war of independence and includes the Tryon county militia. Many of the names are misspelled but this roll of the local militia forms a record of the families settled in the country of the Mohawks at the time of the Revo- lution. Regarding the Tryon county list. State Historian James A. Holden, says: "I am doubtful as to how many of the men served in more than one regiment or capacity. The names are apt to be doubled, as the terms of en- rollment were very lax and a man might be on more than one regiment roll at a time, as I am informed. How- ever the number given is approximate and can be so stated in your work." In the publication referred to the en- rolled men's names are given. No date is attached to any of the lists. Below is summarized the numbers of each organization together with its officers, from the county of Tryon: Tryon County Brigade of Militia: First Regiment (Canajoharie dis- trict). Officers: Colonel, Samuel Campbell; colonel, Ebenezer Cox (killed at OriskanjO ; lieutenant-col- onel, Samuel Clyde; major, Abraham Copeman; major, Peter S. Dygert; ad- jutant, Jacob Seeber; quartermaster, John Pickard; surgeon, Adam Frank; surgeon, David Younglove. Summary: Staff, 9; line, 38; men, 552; total, 599. Col. Clyde was acting colonel after 1778. Second Regiment (Palatine district). Officers: Colonel, Jacob Klock; lieu- tenant-colonel, Peter Wagner; major. Christian William Fox; major, Chris- topher Fox; adjutant, Samuel Gray; adjutant, Andrew Irvin; quartermas- ter, Jacob Eacker; surgeon, Johann Georg Vach. Summary: Staff, 8; line, 43; men, 615; total, 666. Third Regiment (Mohawk district). Officers: Colonel, Frederick Visscher (Fisher); lieutenant-colonel, Volkert Veeder; major, John Bluen (Bliven?); major, John Nukerk; adjutant, Peter Conyn; adjutant, John G. Lansing jr.; adjutant, Gideon Marlatt; quarter- master, Abraham Van Horn; quarter- master, Simon Veeder; surgeon, John George Folke (Vach?); surgeon, Wil- liam Petry. Summary: Staff, 12; line, 62; men, 651; total, 725. Fourth Regiment (German Flats and Kingsland). Officers: Colonel, Peter Bellinger; adjutant, George Demuth; quartermaster, Peter Bellinger. Sum- mary: Staff, 3; line, 20; men, 415; total, 438. The foregoing list of staff officers for this fourth regiment is, of course, incomplete. Fifth Regiment (Schoharie valley?). There is no list of men given. John Harper was colonel. Battalion (company?) Minute Men. Officers: Colonel, Samuel Campbell; captain, Francis Utt; lieutenant, Adam Lipe; lieutenant, Jacob Matthias; en- sign, William Suber (Seeber?). Sum- mary: Staff, 1; line, 4; men, 60; total, 65. Col. Campbell removed to Niska- yuna, below Schenectady, in 1779 and had no share in Tryon county military matters after that date. Battalion Rangers (Scouts), First Company: Captain, John Winn; lieu- tenant, Lawrence Gros; lieutenant, Peter Schremling. Second company: Captain, Christian Getman; lieuten- ant, James Billington; lieutenant. Jacob Sammans (Sammons?). Third company: Captain, John Kasselman; lieutenant, John Empie; ensign, George Gittman (Getman). Summary: Of- ficers. 9; men, 155; total, 164. Associated "exempts." Captain, Jelles Fonda; lieutenant, Zephaniah Batchellor; lieutenant, Abraham Gar- rason; ensign, Samson Sammon (Sampson Sammons); ensign, Lawrance. Summary: Line, 5; men, 159; total, 164. These were invalids or men beyond the age of military ser- vice (then about 60 years) who were organized for defense, while the ac- 134 THE STORY OP^ OLD FORT PLAIN tive men were absent on military duty. They could be called upon in case of great emergency. The total of the Tryon county mi- litia foots up 2,830 men. This does not include the fifth regiment which evidently came from the Schoharie valley and of which there are no records in "New York in the Revolu- tion." This is not a chronicle of the Schoharie valley (a separate region), but only of the land of the Mohawk or the central Mohawk river section, and the Schoharie valley is only treat- ed where it passes through present Montgomery county or where it affects this story. In 1781 Colonel Willett was in com- mand of a regiment of "levies" at Fort Plain as aforementioned. These were men drafted into service, and included many men from the settlers along the Mohawk. A list of these levies is given in "New York in the Revolu- tion," which is here summarized as follows: Officers: Colonel, Marinus Willett; lieutenant colonel, John Mc- Kinstry; major, Andrew Fink (major of brigade) ; major, Lyman Hitchcock (muster master) ; major, Josiah Throop; major, Elias Van Bunscho- ten; adjutant, Jelles A. Fonda; adju- tant, Pliny Moore; quartermaster, John Fondey (Fonda) ; quartermaster, Matthew Trotter; quartermaster, Ja- cob Winney; paymaster, Abraham Ten Eyck; surgeon, Calvin Delano; surgeon. William Petry; surgeon's mate, George Faugh; surgeon's mate, Moses Willard; chaplain, John Daniel Gros (pastor of the Canajoharle dis- trict Reformed Dutch church at Fort Plain). Summary: Staff, 17; line, 75; men, 916; total, 1,008. These men were probably distributed among the principal valley posts and acted in conjunction with the Tryon county militia. This regiment may have done duty in the valley a large part of the last three years of the war. On page 68 of "New York in the Revolu- tion" is recorded a regiment of "levies" of which Col. John Harper was commandant. On page 77 is given another of which Col. Lewis Du- bois was in command. The Revolu- tionary records are frequently frag- mentary and incomplete and, as be- fore stated, there is no date given with each roll so that it is impossible to tell at just what period of the war the different bodies listed were engaged. It may be that they include all the men enrolled in each militia organiza- tion throughout the war, or even all the men liable for military duty in each district. In consideration of all the Revolu- tionary history in the chapters fore- going it must be remembered that the events recorded all occurred in the great county of Tryon, of which Johns- town was the civip center and Fort Plain the military headquarters, dur- ing the last four years of the war — 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783. It will be noted that all the Mo- hawk valley military actions, with the exception of Oriskany and West Can- ada creek, occurred within a fifteen- mile radius of Fort Plain, and this is the region especially considered in all the chapters of this work, comprising as it did the Mohawk river sections of the Canajoharie and Palatine dis- tricts of Tryon, later Montgomery county. This history, als3, in full detail, covers the middle valley country oc- cupied by the Mohawks, during the greater part of the historical period and in which their settlements were located exclusively during the last century of their valley tribal exist- ence. Here much Indian life was cen- tered, all of which is of great interest to the student of Indian lore and which would fill a considerable volume. At Indian Hill, on a branch of the Ots- quago south of Fort Plain, are found some of the earliest Indian remains in eastern New York. This interesting spot is considered in a later chapter on the town of Minden. The Mohawk valley, from the Schoharie river to Fall Hill, seems to have been the home of the Mohawks from the earliest histor- ical times. However, the seats of their castles and villages were frequently changed within this territory. The river section lietween Fall Hill and the Noses has been called Canajoharie by THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 135 the Mohawks, evidently from the ear- liest times. Their later chief villages, as shown in the foregoing chapters, were at Fort Hunter and Indian Castle. This river country occupied by the Mohawks is here treated in detail historically as well as the Canajoharie and Palatine districts. So that "The Story of Old Fort Plain," is, in truth, a history of old Tryon and Montgomery countJ^ of the country of the Mohawk Iroquois (from the time of its discovery) which is also the middle Mohawk valley, of the Canajoharie and Palatine dis- tricts and the five western towns of present Montgomery county, as well as the "Story of Old Fort Plain." It is all of these because the stories of them are so interwoven that it is bet- ter to here present the whole fabric to the view of the reader than it is to tear it apart and attempt to show the different threads separately. In a general way, also, the history of the valley, within a radius of fifty miles of Fort Plain, is treated during the first three periods of its history (from 1616 to 1838). This enables the reader to gain a clearer idea of the life and events of the smaller area aforementioned, which is considered in great detail and from every view- point. The foregoing chapters offer an op- portunity of close acquaintance with many actively connected with the thrilling events of the Revolution and with the life of the times. It is prob- able that mention has been made in this work, of the majority of families or heads of families in the Canajo- harie and Palatine districts. The be- ginnings of human things are extra-' ordnarily interesting to human beings and, in the chapters dealing with the first three periods of the history of the country of the Mohawks, we see the individuals themselves, who make up the locaJ communities and live again with them their lives of peace or war on the hills and in the vales of this fair northland country. The growing population makes it impossible to consider individuals, in this local record, after the end of the third period of Montgomery history (1838) and, after that date, the valley hereabouts is treated historically and in a general way without reference to people individually, except where the mention of names is absolutely nec- essary to the continuity of the story. The succeeding chapters cover the third and fourth periods of the history of the country of the Mohawks, in its relation to the old Canajoharie and Palatine districts, whose river sec- tions are now largely comprised with- in the present limits of the five west- ern towns of Montgomery county. Here we see a similar linking to- gether of local with national history in the matter of the valley's highways and waterways. The Mohawk route to the west, by its natural formation, was and is probably the most important in the eastern states. It was largely through it that the tide of westward emigration flowed and through it east traded with the west from the earliest times. Its highways and great rail- roads follow the old Indian trails and the Barge canal, in its eastern sec- tion, covers largely the exact route frnm the Hudson to the Great Lakes, followed by the Indian canoe and the Mohawk flatboat. The Erie and the subsequent railroads, made the na- tion, the state, the metropolis and the valley great, populous and rich in material things, as it is today. On the completion of the Erie canal, the trade and traffic it brought, to and through New York, raised it from a secondary to a first position among the states and its metropolis quickly became the largest city in the western hemisphere. Rich in material things our valley is indeed today, according to modern ideas, albeit it is poorer far in its natural resources than it was when the Dutch made their first settlements in its eastern part two centuries and a half ago. Tt is for the men of today and of the future to conserve the natural wealth remaining and to bring back, as much as possible, that which has been lost and wasted — particularly the health-giving and soil-preserving forest. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN (SECOND SERIES 1784-1838) CHAPTER I. 1784-1838— Mohawk Valley After the Revolution — Constructive Period — Montgomery County and its Divis- ions — Towns and Their Changes. The Revolutionary struggle had well-nigh destroyed the one-time prosperous farming community along the Mohawk and in its adjacent terri- tory. This section had been more harried, by the enemy and their red allies, than any other part of the thir- teen colonies. Raid after raid had swept down from Canada over the fair valley, burning, plundering, and mur- dering. Stoutly had the sturdy peo- ple fought back their dreadful foe. The savage enemy had been again and again beaten back from the Mohawk, but the bloody contest had left the population greatly depleted and the farm land in ruin and rapidly going back to the wilderness from which it had been wrestejd. Those of faint heart and of Tory leanings had fled the country and the patriot families who were left were often sadly broken. Numbers of defenseless women and little children had been struck down by the savage tomahawk and the bones of the men of Tryon county whitened the fields where battle and skirmish had been bitterly fought. The bravery of the women, and even the children, of the patriot families, amid the bloody scenes of the Revolu- tion, had been remarkable in the ex- treme. Terrific as had been the mur- derous destruction, along the Mo- hawk, yet a wonderful rejuvenesence and rapid growth were to follow. The years ensuing were ones of great development of the farmlands, in- crease of population and steps, for the furtherance of transportation and commerce, which were eventually to make the Mohawk valley one of the greatest arteries of trade and traffic in the entire world. Toward the close of the war. Col. Willett sent to Gen. Washington a lengthy statement of the condition of affairs in Tryon county, from which it appears that, whereas at the opening of the struggle the enrolled militia of the county numbered not less than 2,500, there were then not more than 800 men liable to bear arms, and not more than 1,200 who could be taxed or assessed for the raising of men for the public service. To account for so large a reduction of the Tryon people, it was estimated that, of the number by which the population had been de- creased, one-third had been killed or made prisoners; one-third had gone over to the enemy; and one-third for the time being, had abandoned the country. Beers's history says: "The suffering of the unfortunate inhabitants of the Mohawk valley were the measure of delight, wdth which they had hailed the return of peace. The dispersed population returned to the blackened ruins of their former habitations, rebuilt their houses and again brought their farms under cul- tivation. With astounding audacity, the Tories now began to sneak back again and claim peace and property among those whom they had impover- ished and bereaved. It was not to be expected that this would be tolerated. The outraged feelings of the commun- ity found the following expression at a meeting of the principal Inhabi- tants of the Mohawk district, May 9, 1783: "Taking into consideration the pe- culiar circumstances of this county relating to its situation, and the num- THE 8T0RY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 137 bers that joined the enemy from among us, whose brutal barbarities in their frequent visits to their old neigh- bors arc too shocking to humanity to relate: "They have murdered the peaceful husbandmen, and his lovely boys about him unarmed and defenceless in the field. They have, with ma- licious pleasure, butchered the aged and infirm; they have wantonly sported with the lives of helpless women and children, numbers they have scalped alive, shut them up in their houses and burnt them to death. Several children, by the vigilance of their friends, have been snatched from flaming buildings; and though tomahawked and scalped, are still liv- ing among us; they have made more than 300 widows and above 2,000 or- phans in this county; they have killed thousands of cattle and horses that rotted in the field; they have burnt more than two million bushels of grain, many hundreds of buildings, and vast stores of forage; and now these merciless fiends are creeping in among us again to claini the privilege of fellow-citizens, and demand a res- titution of their forfeited estates; but can they leave their infernal tempers liehind them and be safe or peaceable neighbors? Or can the disconsolate widow and the bereaved mother recon- cile her tender feelings to a free and cheerful neighborhood with those who so inhumanly made her such? Im- possible! It is contrary to nature, the first principle of which is self-preser- vation. It is contrary to the law of nations, especially that nation which for numberless reasons, we should be thought to pattern after. ***** It is contrary to the eternal rule of reason and rectitude. If Britain em- ployed them, let Britain pay them. We will not; therefore, 'Resolved, unani- mously, that all those who ha\'e gone off to the enemy or have been ban- ished by any law of this state, or those, who we shall find, tarried as spies or tools of the enemy, and en- couraged and harbored those who went away, shall not live in this district on any pretence whatever; and as for those who have washed their faces from Indian paint and their hands from the innocent blood of our dear ones, and have returned, either openly or covertly, we hereby warn them to leave this district before the 20th of June next, or they may expect to feel the just resentment of an injured and determined people. " 'We likewise, unanimously desire our brethren in the other districts in the county to join with us to instruct our representatives not to consent to the repealing any laws made for the safety of the state against treason, or confiscation of traitors' estates, or to passing any new acts for the return or restitution of Tories.' " 'By order of the meeting. " 'Josiah Thorp, Chairman.' " Notwithstanding these sentiments of the Whigs, numbers of Tories did return and settle among their old neighbors. The Mohawk lands, which were considerable before the war, were confiscated and the tribe were granted homes in Canada, as has been stated in the sketch of Brant. During the revolution, the English governor, in honor of whom Tryon county was named, rendered the title odious by a series of infamous acts in the service of the Crown, and the New York legislature, on the 2d of April, 1784, voted that the county should be called Montgomery, in honor of Gen. Richard Montgomery, who fell in the attack on Quebec, early in the war. At the beginning of the Revolution, the population of the county was estimated at 10,000. At the close of the war it had probably been reduced to almost one-third of that number, but so inviting were the fertile lands of the county, that in three years after the return of peace (1786) it had a population of 15,000. Doubtless many of these were people who had deserted their valley homes at the beginning of hostilities and who now returned to settle again among their patriot neighbors who had borne the brunt of the struggle, and who had so nobly furthered the cause of Am- erican rule. By 1800 the population of present Montgomery county can safely be estimated at 10,000, almost entirely settled on the farms. The boundaries of the several coun- ties in the state were more minutely defined, March 7, 1788, and Montgom- ery was declared to contain all that part of the state bounded east by the counties of Ulster, Albany, Washing- ton and Clinton and south by the state of Pennsylvania. What had been dis- tricts in Tryon county were, with the exception of Old England, made towns in Montgomery county, the Mohawk district forming two towns, Caugh- nawaga north of the river and Mo- 138 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN hawk south of it. The Palatine and Canajoharie districts were organized as towns, retaining those names. Thus after an existence of sixteen years, principally during the Revolutionary period, the old Tryon districts experi- enced their first change. The presence of the warlike Mo- hawks and their use as allies on the frontier, had saved the valley savages their lands until about the year 1700. Notice has been made of the Dutch, German and British immigration after that date into the Mohawk valley. With the virtual breaking down of the Iroquois confederacy on account of the Revolution, their wide lands were thrown open for settlement .and, after 1783, another and greater tide of im- migration set in along the Mohawk. The war had made people of other states and of other sections of New York familiar with Tryon county. Sullivan and Clinton's campaign, in the Iroquois country, had particularly revealed the fertility of the western part of the state, and a tide of emi- gration thither set in at the close of the war, mostly by way of the Mohawk valley. The river had been the first artery of transportation and traffic. Now it began to be rivaled by turn- pike travel. Later water travel was to resume first place after the dig- ging of the Erie canal, afterward to be again superseded by land traffic when the railroads began to develop. All of these were to make eventually the Mohawk valley the great road and waterway it is today. Immigration to western New York led to the formation from Montgom- ery, Jan. 27, 1789, of Ontario county, which originally included all of the state west of a line running due north from the "82nd milestone" on the Pennsylvania boundary, through Sen- eca lake to Sodus Bay on Lake On- tario. This was the fiist great change in the borders of Tryon or Montgomery county (which had been of larger area than several present-day states) since its formation seventeen >ears before. Other divisions were to come rapidly. In 1791 the county of Montgomery was still further reduced by the for- mation of Tioga, Otsego and Herki- mer. The latter joined Montgomery county on the north as well as the west, the present east and west line, between Fulton and Hamilton, con- tinued westward, being part of their common boundary, and another part of it a line running north and south from Little Falls, and intersecting the former "at a place called Jersey- fields." Of the region thus taken from Montgomery county on the north, the present territory of Hamilton was re- stored in 1797, only to be set apart under its present name, Feb. 12, 1816. April 7, 1817, the western boundary of Montgomery was moved eastward from the meridian of Little Falls to East Canada creek, and a line run- ning south from its mouth, where it still remains. This divided the terri- tory of the old Canajoharie and Pala- tine districts between two counties, after this region had formed part of Tryon or Montgomery county for a period of forty-five years, which was undoubtedly that of its greatest growth as well as covering the thril- ling Revolutionary period. It also, for the first time, made an unnatural and artificial demarcation of the Canajo- harie region, known as such north and south of the Mohawk since the dawn of history. The line between Montgomery and Schenectady has always been part of the boundary of the former, having originally separated it from Albany county. The formation of Otsego county, Feb. 16, 1791, established the line which now separates it and Schoharie from Montgomery. The latter took its northern boundary and entire present outline on the formation of Fulton county in 1838, which will be consid- ered later. Thus the present Mont- gomery is the small remainder of a once large territory and bears that region's original name. It also con- tains the greater part of the territory immediately along the river, of three of the five districts which originally composed Tryon and Montgomery county. These three districts were Canajoharie, Palatine and Mohawk, and are all names of present-day THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 139 townships of our county, which were portions of the original districts. It is in the lands along the Mohawk river, contained in these old districts, where the principal part of the popu- lation was gathered at the close of the Revolutionary war. The three towns of Montgomery which formed part of the Canajoharie district were set apart on the follow- ing dates: Minden 1798, Root 1823 (formed partly from the old Mohawk and old Canajoharie districts). Cana- joharie, part of the original district of that name set apart in 1772. The town of Palatine is the remaining portion of the original Tryon county district of that name. The town of St. Johns- trict, was set apart on the formation of Pulton county in 1838. In 1793 Caughnawaga was divided into Johns- town, Mayfleld, Broadalbin and Am- sterdam, and Mohawk into Charles- ton and Florida, their dividing line being Schoharie creek. In 1797 Salis- bury, now in Herkimer county, was taken from Palatine and in 1798 part of Canajoharie went to form Minden. An eighteenth century writer gives us a good view of the valley during the decade after the Revolution in a "De- scription of the Country Between Al- bany and Niagara in 1792," from Volume II. of the "Documentary His- tory of New York." It follows ver- batim. "I am just returned from Niagara, about 560 miles west of Boston. I went first to Albany, from thence to Schenectady, about Sixteen miles; this has been a very considerable place of trade but is now falling to decay: It was supported by the Indian traders; but this business is so arrested by traders far in the country, that very little of it reached so far down: it stands upon the Mohawk river, about 9 miles above the Falls, called Cohoes; but this I take to be the Indian name for Falls. Its chief business is to re- ceive the merchandise from Albany and put it into batteaux to go up the river and forward to Albany Such pro- duce of the back country as is sent to market. After leaving Schenectada, I travelled over a most beautiful coun- try of eighty miles to Fort Schuyler, where I forded the Mohawk. This ex- tent was the scene of British and Sav- age cruelty during the late war, and they did not cease, while anything re- mained to destroy. What a contrast now! — every house and barn rebuilt, the pastures crowded with Cattle, Sheep, etc., and the lap of Ceres full. Most of the land on each Side of the Mohawk river, is a rich flat highly cul- tivated with every species of grain, the land on each side rising in agree- able Slopes; this, added to the view of a fine river passing through the whole, gives the beholder the most pleasing sensations imaginable. I next passed through Whitestown. It would appear to you, my friend, on hearing the re- lation of events in the western coun- try, that the whole was fable; and if you were placed in Whitestown or Clinton, ten miles from Fort Schuyler, and see the progress of improvement, you would believe it enchanted ground. You would there view an ex- tensive well built town, surrounded by highly cultivated fields, which Spot in the year 1783 was the 'haunt of tribes' and the hiding place of wolves, now a flourishing happy Situation, contain- ing about Six thousand people — Clin- ton stands a little South of Whites- town and is a very large, thriving town." This writer also says that "after passing Clinton there are no inhabi- tants upon the road until you reach Oneida, an Indian town, the first of the Six Nations; it contains about Five hundred and fifty inhabitants; here I slept and found the natives very friendly." He also writes, "The Indians are settled on all the reserva- tions made by this State, and are to be met with at every settlement of whites, in quest of rum." On Dec. 2, 1784, a council was held at Fort Schuyler between the Six Na- tions and American representati\'es. Gov. Clinton, Gen. Lafayette and other distinguished men were present. Brant was displeased with the Iro- quois situation, their lands having 140 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN been ceded to the United States by the treaty of peace. Red Jacket was for war with the new nation while Corn- planter was for peace. Under certain conditions, the Six Nations were al- lowed to retain a portion of their old lands, with the exception of the Mo- hawks who had permanently settled themselves in Canada. After the multitude of whites and Indians had enjoyed a great feast (due to the wise forethought of Gov. Clinton), a foot race took place, in which each of the Six Nations was represented by one competitor. Gov. Clinton hung up a buckskin bag, containing $250, on a flag staff at the starting point on the bank of the Mohawk. This was a race of over two miles and was won, amid great excitement by a mere lad of the Oneida tribe, named Paul, who ran the great champion of the Mo- hawks off his feet and distanced the rest of his competitors. Gov. Clinton presented little Paul the prize and heartily congratulated him. Thus ended the last council of the Six Na- tions in the Mohawk valley, exactly a century and a quarter after the first held at Caughnawaga between the Iro- quois and the Dutch in 1659. Following is a short sketch of the Revolutionary patriot for whom this county was named: Richard Mont- gomery was born in the north of Ire- land in 1737. He entered the British army at the age of 20 and was with Wolfe at the storming of Quebec. Al- though he returned, after the French war, he had formed a liking for Am- erica and, in 1772, came back and made his home at Rhinebeck on the Hud- son, where he married a daughter of Robert B. Livingston. He sided with the patriots at the outbreak of the Revolution and in 1775 was second in command to Schuyler in the expedition against Canada. The illness of Schuy- ler caused the chief command to de- •volve upon Montgomery and in the capture of St. John's, Chambley and Montreal and his attack en Quebec, he exhibited great judgment and military skill. He was commissioned a major general before he reached Quebec. In that campaign he had every difficulty to contend with — undisciplined and mutinous troops, scarcity of provisions and ammunition, want of heavy artil- lery, lack of clothing, the rigor of winter and desertions of whole com- panies. Yet he pressed onward and in all probability, had his life been spared, would have entered Quebec in triumph. In the heroic attack of the Americans on this stronghold, Dec. 31, 1775 (during a heavy snowstorm), Montgomery was killed and his force defeated. Congress voted Montgomery a monument, by an act passed Jan. 25, 1776, and it was erected on the Broad- way side of St. Paul's church in New York. It bears the following inscrip- tion: "This monument is erected by order of Congress, 25th of January, 1776, to transmit to posterity a grate- ful remembrance of the patriot con- duct, enterprise and perseverence of Major-General Richard Montgomery, who, after a series of successes amid the most discouraging difficulties, fell in the attack on Quebec, 31st Decem- ber, 1775, aged 37 years." In 1818 his remains were brought from Quebec and buried under this memorial. General Montgomery left no chil- dren, but his widow survived him more than half a century. A day or two before he left his home at Rhinebeck for the Canadian campaign, the gen- eral was walking on the lawn in the rear of his brother-in-law's mansion with its owner. As they came near the house, Montgomery stuck a willow twig in the ground and said, "Peter let that grow to remember me by." ILiOssing says it did grow and that when he visited ^he spot (in 1848) it was a willow with a trunk at least ten feet in circumference. The following is a summary of the principal Mohawk valley events of the period covered in this chapter (from 1784 to 1838), prepared with especial reference to the Canajoharie and Pal- atine districts and the five western towns of Montgomery county: 1784, last council of the Iroquois in the valley (with Gov. Clinton at Fort THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 141 Stanwix); 1789, first cutting up of Montgomery to form Ontario county in 1789; 1790, legislative appropriation of £100 to erect a bridge at East Creek, opening up a period of bridge building in the valley; 1792, incorpor- ation of Inland Lock and Navigation Co. to improve the Mohawk; 1794, Johnstown academy formed; 1795, Union college, Schenectady, incorpor- ated, formerly Union academy, 1785; 1798, Schenectady incorporated as a city; 1800, charter granted for con- struction of Mohawk turnpike from Schenectady to Utica; 1808, first sur- vey for Erie canal; May and Septem- ber, 1812, Mohawk valley regiments garrison Sacketts Harbor and take part in repulse of British there in 1813; July 4, 1817, beginning of Erie canal work at Rome, N. Y. ; 1819, busi- ness part of Schenectady burned; 1819, first canal boat launched at Rome to run between Rome and Utica; 1821, navigation on the Erie between Rome and Little Falls, canal boats using the river from there to Schen- ectady; 1823, canal open to Spraker's Basin on the east end; Oct. 26, 1825, start of Clinton's triumphal tour on the completed Erie canal from Buffalo to Albany and from thence, by the Hudson, to New York; 1827, slavery finally abolished in New York state; 1831, building of the Albany and Sche- nectady railroad; 1836, completion of the Utica and Schenectady railroad; 1836, removal of the Montgomery county court house from Johnstown to Fonda (Caughnawaga) ; 1838, separa- tion of Fulton from Montgomery county. The chief national events of the for- mative period between 1784 and about 1840, which has been treated some- what locally in the foregoing chapter are as follows: 1787, September, Constitution of the United States framed by state del- egates at Philadelphia; 1788, July 26, New York state ratifies Constitution, being the ninth state so to do and putting it into effect; 1789, April 6, Washington inaugurated first presi- dent in New York city (then national capital), John Adams, vice president; 1790, Philadelphia becomes national capitol until 1800; 1792, Washington re-elected president, John Adams, vice president; 1795, invention of the cot- ton gin by Eli Whitney of Savannah, Ga. ; 1796, John Adams elected second president, Thomas Jefferson, vice president; 1799, Dec. 14, Washington's death; 1800, Washington city becomes national capital; Thomas Jefferson elected third president, Aaron Burr, vice president; 1803, cession of French Louisiana territory (1,171,931 square miles) to United States for $15,000,000; 1804, Thomas Jefferson re-elected president, George Clinton (former gov- ernor of New York) vice president; 1807, Clermont, first steamer, runs from New York to Albany; 1808, James Madison elected fourth president, George Clinton re-elected vice presi- dent; 1812, James Madison re-elected president, Elbridge Gerry, vice presi- dent; 1812, June 18, second war (of 1812) declared by congress against England; 1813, British repulsed from in front of Sackett's Harbor, N. Y. ; 1813, Harrison defeats British force and Indian force under Tecumseh; 1813, Sept. 10, Perry's American fleet captures British squadron on Lake Erie; 1814, July 25, battle of Lundy's Lane in Canada on the Niagara fron- tier; 1814, August, British army burns the Capitol and White House at Wash- ington; 1814, September, McDonough's American fleet destroys British fleet on Lake Champlain at Plattsburgh, N. Y., and American force checks British army there preventing inva- sion of New York; 1814, Dec. 24, peace of Ghent signed; 1815, Jan. 8, defeat of British by Jackson's army before New Orleans, La.; 1816, first tariff, with protection as its aim, enacted; 1819, first ocean steamer, "Savannah," crosses Atlantic from Savannah to Liverpool, England, in twenty-two days; 1820, first struggle between slave and free states over the Missouri Compromise act; 1823, "Monroe doc- trine" first propounded by President Monroe in his annual message to con- gress; 1824, John Quincy Adams elect- 142 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN ed sixth president, John C. Calhoun, vice president; 1827, first U. S. railway from Quincy, Mass., quarries to tide- water (built to transport granite used in construction of Bunker Hill monu- ment); 1828, Andrew Jackson elected seventh president, John C. Calhoun re-elected vice president; 1831, Cyrus McCormick operates first successful mowing machine at Steele's Tavern, Va. ; 1832, South Carolina passes Act of Nullification of national (high) pro- tective tariff of 1832; 1832, Andrew Jackson re-elected president, Martin Van Buren elected vice president; 1832, first American sewing machine made by Walter Hunt of New York city; 1830-5, first threshing machine made at Fly Creek, N. Y., not perfect- ed there until 1840; 1836, Martin Van Buren elected eighth president, Rich- ard M. Johnson, vice president; 1836, first model of telegraph instrument made by Samuel F. B. Morse of New York city; 1837-1842, years of finan- cial depression; 1839, first photo- graphs from life made by J. W. Draper of New York city; 1840, invention of baseball by Abner (afterward General) Doubleday, a schoolboy at Coopers- town, N. Y. CHAPTER II. 1784-1838— People and Life in the Mohawk Valley — Dress — The Revo- lutionary Houses — The Mohawk Dutch — English Becomes the Popu- lar Tongue — Rev. Taylor's Journey in 1802 — Valley Sports — Doubleday's Invention of Baseball — Last of the Mohawks in the Valley — The Iroquois Population in 1890 and the Mohawks in Canada. The history of the Mohawk valley from 1784 to 1838 is one of great de- velopment and progress. Immigration poured into and through the valley, and consequently steps were taken for the bettering of transportation facili- ties, in the improvement of Mohawk river navigation and of the highways and in the building of bridges. The clearing of the land made the forest recede far back from the river except in scattered woods, and, toward the end of this important period, the val- ley began to assume its present day aspect. Settlements were made far- ther and farther away from the Mo- hawk and rough highways to them were opened up. Logging was an im- portant industry. Towns began to spring up along the course of the river or to develop from the hamlets and little villages already there located. Manufacturing began and factories were established. Schools and churches were built everywhere. Newspapers were started and the whole complicated fabric of modern civilization was woven from the crude materials of a frontier civilization. Human life in the valley changed from its early strong simplicity to that of today, with its advantages and dis- advantages. Albany was the metrop- olis for Central New York, while Schenectady was the most important town in the valley until the close of this period when Utica outstripped it. The cities and villages of the present were, almost without exception, in ex- istence at the end of this time. Johnstown continued the county seat during this half century. Toward the close of this chapter of the valley his- tory came the epochal events of the construction of the Erie canal and the railroad, the latter of which may be said to end this historical period and usher in that of today. The steam engine had been perfect- ed in England early in the eighteenth century but it was not in general use in the Mohawk valley until the nine- teenth century. Water power was generally utilized for manufacturing purposes and this is the reason of the early growth of factory towns like Little Falls and Amsterdam, which used the power of the Mohawk and the Chuctanunda. Almost every stream, with sufl^cient fall and volume of water, had its power utilized. The principal water courses in western Montgomery county, used for milling and manufacturing purposes were Zimmerman's creek in St. Johnsville, Caroga and Knayderack (Schenck's Hollow) in Palatine, Yatesville (Ran- dall) and Plat Creek (Sprakers) in THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 143 Root, Canajoharie in Canajoharie and the Otsquago in Minden. This period also marlced the passing of slavery in the Mohawk valley, it being finally abolished in the state of New York in 1827. This would have ordinarily occasioned disturbance in valley labor conditions as some far- mers had had a score of black slaves. The emancipation had probably been discounted and many slaves had been previously voluntarily freed by their masters. It is remarkable, con- sidering the evidently large number of slaves here a century ago, that the colored population of the valley is no larger today than it is. The time was also one in which the apprentice system flourished and or- phan children, and others, were fre- quently bound out as apprentices until they attained their majority, being virtually under the control of their guardians (except in cases where the legal ties were dissolved by law) un- til the minors attained their majority. In a general way this was a period of great evolution, in which was fin- ally produced the valley as we know it today. The life of the people of the Mohawk country is here considered, with reference to their dress (a mat- ter of undoubted importance historic- ally) their home and daily liie, their character and changing language and their pastimes and sports. When his- tory is truly written we shall all see the people's life of the past days pic- tured as well as the movements of the chief actors in the great and changing drama. The river traffic, highway and canal building, and other items of the life of this period, are dealt with in later chapters. These include churches, militia, war of 1812, bridges, railroad building and other valley features of the years from 1784 to 1838. The period from 1784 to about 1800, which is partly considered in this chapter, was one of great transition in the dress of the people. Its most dis- tinguishing mark in that respect was the adoption, for general use of trous- ers or pantaloons, which supplanted the "small clothes" dress of men about the beginning of the nineteenth cen- tury. Mrp. John Adams, wife of the later president who was then minister to England, commented, in 1784, in one of her interesting letters, on the fact that dress and fashion seemed less regarded in London than in the American cities. True, to the major- ity of Tryon county people, fashionable dress was of little concern as this was a frontier and farming country, but rich apparel was no stranger to them, having been seen at civil and military functions in Johnstown and other val- ley points and at Schenectady and Al- bany. The advent of Washington's staff in his tour of the valley and stops at Fort Plain and Fort Herkimer in 1783 must have been a brilliant spectacle, which undoubtedly brought out all the good clothes in Tryon county. Gen. Washington was most punctilious and careful in matters of dress, his atti- tude, in his own words, being that "or- derly and handsome dress was impera- tive for men in office and authority, that they and the nation should stand well in the eyes of other peoples, that they should impress the simpler of their own folk." Robert W. Chambers, the well- known novelist, is a resident of Ful- ton county, living at Broadalbin in what was the Mohawk district of Tryon. His novel "Cardigan" deals, in its early pages, with life at Johnson Hall. It suggests that, at the military and civic functions at the Tryon county seat, the dignitaries, officials, officers and their ladies there assem- bled must have rivalled the rainbow in the kaleidoscopic brilliancy of their rich attire. In 1780 when John Han- cock was inaugurated governor of Massachusetts he wore a scarlet velvet suit which is still preserved in the Boston State House. His dress "on an important occasion when he de- sired to make an impression and yet not to appear over-carefully dressed," was thus described by a contempo- rary: "He wore a red velvet cap with- in which was one of fine linen, the last turned up two or three inches over the 144 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN lower edge of the velvet. He also wore a blue damask gown, lined with vel- vet, a white stock, a white satin em- broidered waistcoat, black satin small- clothes, white silk stockings and red morocco slippers." Many of the por- traits and descriptions in Mrs. Earle's "Two Centuries of Costume in Amer- ica" bring vividly before us the life of the time and its American people. Tasteful and beautiful are many of the gowns of the tine ladies of the time, some of whom are radiantly lovely themselves. The men pictured therein show frequently strong well-modeled features of an American type which today is found only occasionally. Readers interested in this and the colonial period should study Mrs. Alice Morse Earle's "Home Life in Colonial Days," which gives a vivid insight into the life of both times. Cleanliness was a not uncommon virtue of the Americans of that day. Dr. Younglove was the Palatine phys- ician who was a surgeon with Herki- mer's regiment. As we have seen he was captured by the British at Oris- kany and taken to Canada. One of his chief complaints, during his early cap- tivity, was as to the lack of soap and other means of keeping clean. English tra.velers of the time commented on the general neatness and cleanliness of American women, which would sug- gest a not similar condition existing in Europe. These same foreigners of the time found grounds for criticism in the riot of extravagance of dress and living which pervaded the "up- per" classes of Society in the American cities. The Count de Rochembeau as- serted that the wives of American merchants and bankers were clad to the top of the French fashions and another French critic deplored it as a great misfortune that, in republics, women should sacrifice so much time to "trifles." Franklin warned his countrymen against this wave of reck- less expenditure and Washington, who in his younger years was most care- ful about his rich and correct dress, later wore, as an example, home-rear- ed and native made cloth. His wife was attired in domestic products, and we find her knitting and netting, weaving cloth at home, using up old materials. In the few growing villages along the Mohawk and among a compara- tively small number of well-to-do families in Tryon county this passion for rich attire probably existed, but the Mohawk valley Dutchman and his household needed none of Franklin's warnings against extravagance. While a few families of means and luxurious tastes affected the rich fash- ions of the day, the mass of the val- ley people dressed simply, as farmer folk generally do the world over. The short working skirt for women prob- ably persisted and the change from breeches to trousers but little affected the Mohawk farmer, for the buckskin leggings of the frontier were nothing but a form of trousers and nether gar- ments reaching below the knee had always been worn by workingmen and farm laborers, and by gentlemen for rough and ready wear. For farm la- borers, these were frequently of coarse tow and were called "tongs," "skilts," overalls, pantaloons or trousers. One writer, speaking of farm workers and their "pants" of a period prior to the Revolution, says: "They wore checked shirts and a sort of brown trousers known as skilts. These were short, reaching just below the knee and very large, being a full half yard broad at the bottom; and, without braces or gallows, were kept up by the hips, sailor fashion." Mrs. Earle says: "It is plain that these skilts or tongs were the universal wear of farmers in hot weather. Tight breeches were ill adapted for farm work." Trousers, or pantaloons, were evi- dently also the country dress or rough and ready wear of eighteenth century gentlemen. Young Major Andre was re- puted one of the dandies of the British army in America but, at the time of his capture (perhaps in the disguise of a patriot country merchant) he wore "a round hat, crimson coat (such as was worn by English and American gen- tlemen) with pantaloons and vest of buff nankeen," and riding boots. Pres- ident John Adams also makes mention THE STORY OF OLD FOET PLAIN 145 of his wearing "trousers" about his farm. It is also probable •that trous- ers or pantaloons were worn by sol- diers during the Revolution, at least by the Continental militiamen. Dur- ing the pursuit of Ross and Butler up West Canada creek in October, 1781 (as stated in a previous chapter), it is said the American soldiers took off their "pantaloons" to ford the icy creeks. This is on the authority of one of their number. The word "panta- loons," however, as used here may refer to either breeches or trousers. Women's costume in 1784 varied from the plain, simple, somewhat full skirted dress of the housewife .to the thousand frivolities of the fashionablle society of the American cities. Vel- vets, silks, and laces in every variety of brilliant color were used by both men and women. About 1800 came the change to the simpler dress for men of today, although for full dress oc- casions knee breeches continued to be worn by some men until about 1830, and a few old gentlemen clung to this fashion of their youth even after that period. Visitors to New York city, who are interested in the life of the people at the period covered by this chapter, will llnd the Governor's room in the City Hall a most interesting place. Here are portraits of many state notables from the early days of the colony until the middle of the nineteenth century, affording a vivid insight into the life and changes of those times. Three of Fort Plain's distinguished visitors are present — Washington, Governor Clin- tcn and President Van Buren. Horatio Seymour of Utica and Joseph C. Yates of Schenectady, Mohawk valley gov- ernors, are also here, as is Bouck, the Schoharie governor. Washington and Clinton are depicted in buff and blue continental regimentals, perhaps of the very style they wore during their Mohawk valley trip and Fort Plain visit of 1783. Most interesting is the study of the changing costume of these dignitaries. Colonial and Revolution- ary military dress was frequently a resplendent affair and so continued to be until after the war of 1812. Mor- gan Lewis, who was governor of the state 1804-7, is shown here, in a por- trait of 1808, in a uniform of yellow and black with a maroon sash, Wel- lington boots, highla^ decorated long sabre, and white gloves. He has a military coat of black velvet, edged with gold braid and lined with crimson satin. Governor Joseph C. Yates is repre- sented in a superb fuU-length portrait painted by the New York artist, John Vanderlyn, in 1827. He is depicted in black full dress, with knee breeches, black stockings and pumps. Governor Yates was a member of the well- known Yates family of Schenectady and Yates county is named for him. He was born in 1768 and died in 1837, and was a founder of Union college, first mayor of Schenectady in 1798, and governor 1823-5. Governor Dewitt Clinton was also painted in 1827 in the same style cos- tume with the addition of a black cioak with a red lining. Both Yates and Clinton, although past middleage, make a brave showing in this attire and it seems incredible that men of taste and fashion should have dropped such a dignified and stately full dress for that which Martin Van Buren wears in a portrait dated 1830. Here we have the dress suit of the nineteenth cen- tury with a few differences of cut and the funny pantaloons which make mal- formations of Van Buren's legs com- pared with the underpinrting of Yates and Clinton. And so went out the knee breeches and entered the era of the stove-pipe hat. Students of such things say man's dress both reflects the spirit of the times and also in- fluences it. Truly it seems to have in- deed done so and particularly at the end of this post-Revolutionary period of fifty j-ears. While the costume of 1913 may not be as resplendent as that of 1784, it has features of comfort lacking at the earlier time. In Am- erica the wearing of underclothes is now well-nigh universal and these garments were unknown, except in winter, in Revolutionary days. Un- derwear manufacture is a feature of Mohawk valley industry. 146 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Valley homes and life after the war are vividly pictured in the following from "Beer's History (1878)." This was written of the town of Florida, but applies equally to the other Montgom- ery county towns as well: "With the opening of the nineteenth century we seem to come a long step toward the present. It seems a great milestone in history, dividing a fading past from the fresher present. The long, doubtful struggle with England had resulted in a dearly bought, dear- ly prized peace, with its beautiful vic- tories. Local tradition has not yet lost the memory of the suffering that fol- lowed the infamous raid of Butler and Brant through this neighborhood in 1780; and still treasures tales of hair- breadth escapes of families that found darksome homes in the cellars of their burned dwellings, of the fearful hush- ing of children, lest their voices should betray the places of concealment, of the hiding of plate and valuables, tea kettles freighted with spoons being hid in such haste as to defy future un- earthing. * * But at last 'the land had rest.' The red man, once sover- eign lord, had disappeared; the power- ful Johnson family was exiled, its homes sequestered and in other hands. Sturdy toil and earnest labor won their due return and thrift and competency were everywhere attested by hospit- able homes and well stored barns. Al- bany was the main market for the products, wheat forming the most con- siderable item. School houses and churches now dotted the landscape, and busy grist and saw mills perched on many streams. The Dutch [and German] language was much spoken, but many Connecticut and New Eng- land settlers never acquired it, and theirs [eventually] became the com- mon tongue. "Not alone have the 'blazed' or marked trees and saplings, which in- dicated the lines of roads or farm boundaries, long since decayed, but 'block house' and log cabin have also disappeared, and it may be doubted if five specimens of these early homes can now be found within the bounds of Florida. Yet still there live those who can remember the old-fashioned houses. Says Mr. David Cady: "We have seen the type and warm- ed ourselves at the great hospitable fireplace, with crane, pothooks and trammels, occupying nearly the side of the room; while outer doors were so opposed that a horse might draw in the huge log by one entrance, leaving by the other. Strange, too, to our childish ej'es, were the curious chim- nies of tree limbs encrusted with mor- tar. The wide fireplace was universal; the huge brick oven indispensable. Stoves were not, though an occasional Franklin was possessed. The turkey was oft cooked suspended before the crackling fire; the corn baked in the low coal-covered bake kettle, the po- tatoes roasted beneath the ashes, and apples upon a ledge of bricks; nuts and cider were in store in every house. As refinement progressed and wealth advanced, from the fireside wall ex- tended a square cornice, perhaps six feet deep by ten feet wide, from which depended a brave valance of gay printed chintz or snowy linen, per- chance decked with mazy net work and tassled fringe, wrought by the cunning hand of the mistress or her daughter. These too have we seen. Possibly the household thrift of the last [eighteenth] century was not greater than that of the present time, but its field of exertion was vastly different. The hum of the great and the buzz of the little spinning wheel were heard in every home. By the great wheels the fleecy rolls of wool, often hand carded, were turned into the firm yarns that by the motions of deft fingers grew into warm stockings and mittens, or by the stout and clumsy loom became gay coverlet of scarlet, or blue and, white, or the graver 'press cloth' for garb of women and children, or the butternut or brown or black homespun of men's wear. The little wheel mainly drew from twirling distaff the thread that should make the 'fine, twined linen,' the glory and pride of mistress or maid, who could show her handiwork in piles of sheets, tablecloths and gar- ments. Upon these, too, was often THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 147 lavished garniture of curious needle- work, hemstitch, and herringbone and lacestitch. Plaid linseys and linen wear were, too, fields for taste to dis- port in, while the patient and careful toil must not go unchronicled that from the wrecks of old and worn out clothes produced wondrous resurrec- tion in the 'hit-or-miss' or striped rag carpet, an accessory of so much com- fort, so great endurance, and often so great beauty. "Horseback was the most common style of traveling. The well-sweep or bubbling spring supplied the clear, cold water. Such was the then, we know the now. In modes of life, in dress and equipage, in social and po- litical habits, in locomotion, in com- forts, in commerce, one needs not to draw the contrast; more wide or striking it scarce could be." Mr. Cady has most pleasingly de- scribed the old log cabin homes, but we must remember that much that he details of them was also true of the stone and brick houses which were built up along the Mohawk, almost from the first advent of the white set- tlers. The century or more following the initial settlements was marked by the erection of strong, well-made houses and barns, which might well be adapted for present day construction. When stone was easily obtainable, as in the Palatine and parts of the Cana- joharie districts, fine, solid, comfort- able farm dwellings were built which seem to reflect the simple, solid, hon- est character of the Mohawk valley men of German and Dutch ancestry of the time. While the "Mohawk Dutchman" has been criticised, justly or unjustly, for penury, lack of enter- prise and progressiveness and other failings, he seems to have possessed the sterling virtues of horse sense, jus- tice, honesty, toleration, self restraint and, greatest of all, pertinacity. All these qualities are so well exemplified in the greatest American of the time — Washington — of a different blood. These same traits seem to reflect themselves in the structures built by the men of the Mohawk from 1784 to 1838. There are many examples lin- ing the river's course on both high- ways and in the villages. The Frey house (1800) in Palatine Bridge is an example of the stone construction, while the Groff house (typical of that fine old Schenectady Dutch style) and the public library (1835) on Willett street, Fort Plain, are examples re- spectively of brick and wood building of the period under consideration. The old Paris store or "Bleecker house," in Fort Plain, is another interesting specimen of early valley building. The reason the middle and upper Mohawk valley have so few pre-Revolutionary buildings is that these were destroyed in the raids from 1778 to 1782. These same human qualities enumer- ated have continued to make the "Mo- hawk Dutch" such an important part of the valley's population, probably the largest element even at this day. It has been authoritatively stated that the Teutonic is the largest single racial factor in our country. It has never been exploited like the Puritan strain has in history and literature but it is none the less important on that account. Wherever the Teutonic race settled it did its work well as did other peoples of America. Of its origi- nal locations, the Dutch settlements of New Jersey and the Hudson and Mo- hawk valleys and the German settle- ments of Pennsylvania and the Hud- son, Mohawk and Schoharie valleys are of prime historical importance. As has been previously mentioned, these two elements (the Dutch and the Ger- man) were much intermingled and al- ways have been. At the beginning of the Revolution, it may be roughly estimated, that, in the entire valley, one-half the popula- tion was of German blood, one-quar- ter of Holland descent (including pop- ulous Schenectady county) and one- quarter of other racial elements, or in other words, three-quarters "Mohawk Dutch." This supposition is borne out somewhat by the "Oriskany roster" and similar records of the time. After the Revolution, with growing immigra- tion, the Teutonic element somewhat decreased, but the majority of the 148 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN families of a great part of the valley possess some strain of this sterling blood. And the spirit of toleration and restraint inherited from these early Teutonic settlers is a valued heritage of the valley people of today. Possibly the Holland Dutch element was greater than in the foregoing estimate. There is no means of accurately telling, but the guess may stand for Tryon county alone. There were then present other equally sterling racial elements, nota- bly Irish, Scotch, Welsh and English, but these were not of such numerical strength as the Teutonic in the for- mative period of the valley and did not consequently affect the course of life and events to the same extent as did the latter, so generally predomi- nant in the early years. Today the British element (inclusive of the four peoples mentioned) is present in much greater proportion than in colonial and Revolutionary times. However in the towns of Montgomery county, aside from the city of Amsterdam, the opin- ion is worth venturing that the old "Mohawk Dutch" stock still consti- tutes a majority of the population. This is particularly true of the country sections and of the five western towns. In the list of premium winner.s at the Fort Plain street fair of 1912, two- thirds of the names published were of this typical valley, original Teu- tonic stock. The foregoing racial dis- course will have served its purpose if it indicates that we must consider New York, New Jersey and Pennsyl- vania history (and that of other great regions where non-British elements largely located) in an entirely differ- ent light from that of the Puritan set- tlements of New England or the cava- lier's Virginia and Maryland. These latter (especially New England) seem to have been historically exploited to the slighting of other equally import- ant colonial centers of life. This coun- try is not a second England, or even an enlarged New England, but a new nation, made up of many elements, although dominated by one great co- hesive national idea, and largely dif- fering in racial ancestry in different areas. Historically these race and na- tional elements must be duly consid- ered to give a clear understanding of certain periods, but we are today all Americans — and Americans alone — re- gardless of the original stock from which we sprang. The period under consideration marked the passing of German in the western and Dutch in the eastern val- ley as the predominant tongues. The change was gradual. Dominies, who, at the close of the war preached, in the churches, several sermons in Ger- man Or Dutch (or both) to one in English, after 1800 were discoursing more in the latter than in the former tongues. German and Dutch were still spoken in 1838 but then English had long been the popular language. The old "Mohawk Dutch" still lingers as a subsidiary speech to a limited extent. For the most part the men of this period (from 1784 to 1838) led lives of hard work in the open air, and were consequently sturdy. Factory life was a negligible quantity, even toward the end of this time, and the town popu- lation was small in comparison with the people who were on the farms. Agricultural conditions and work gradually improved and approached the more advanced methods of the present, although doubtless not spec- ialized as now. In most sections, the farming population, at the end of this period, was larger than it is at the present time (1913). The country was what might be called a nat- ural country and human life was consequently natural and not lived under such artificial conditions as now. The great health-giving and soil-pre- serving forest still occupied consider- able stretches of country and fur- nished hunting and fishing for the male population. There were farms, forests and watercourses and no huge cities, with their big factories and in- door life, to tend toward the deterior- ation of the valley's people. With none of the present-day ag- ricultural machinery, such as the reaper and thresher, the men of that day were compelled to do themselves THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 149 the hard work of the farms and also of the towns. Consequently they had sturdy bodies, and so did the women and their children, as well — and no people can have a better asset. The women were probably generally good housewives, who gave their d.iughters thorough training in the work of the household, and who took the same pride in a well-kept house as their husbands did in a well-managed, pro- ductive farm. Aimles.s discontent seems to have been markedly absent and the women of th^ time were evi- dently lacking in sexless prudery and priggishness. The natural ardors of youth seem not to have been then considered evidences of depravity, and early marriages and large families were the rule. There was no need of sending the little child, of that day, to kindergarten for pretty nearly every farm and town house was a kinder- garten in itself. It is said that never, in any nation's history, has there been such a record of population Increase as in the American states from their settlement up to the time of the great invasion of foreign immigrants about 1840, when this natural national growth began to slacken and approach the present (1913) stationary position among the purely American element of the population (let us say among families who settled here prior to 1840). If this trend should unfortu- nately continue the Revolutionary American stock is bound to die out or become at most a negligible national quantity. It is not to be inferred from the foregoing that 1784 or 1838 is superior to 1913 as a period of human life. In comfort, sanitation, kindliness and toleration we are ahead of the earlier time. Both times have something that each lack by themselves. During the time of this chapter, the tavern continued, as before and during the Revolution, a center of social and political life. Here were held dances, banquets, meetings and elections. "Trainings" of the militia and horse races brought out the people as at present county fairs. An agricultural association was formed in Johnstown and county fairs were held there about the middle of this period. The work and government of the valley, after the conflict for independ- ence, were in the hands of the patriot Revolutionary warriors. They assum- ed the direction of county affairs, without change — the form of govern- ment of old Tryon being much like that of the Montgomery county which it became. Later the sons and grand- sons of Revolutionary sires took up their share of work and politics and at the close of this after-war period (in 1838) there must have been but com- paratively few of the men of '76 left. Rev. John Taylor's journal of 1802, written during his journey up the Mo- hawk valley, gives us a sketch of the people and country hereabouts at that interesting time, also an insight into the crude farming methods then pre- vailing. Parts of his diary relating to this section are as follows: "July 23, 1802— Tripes (alias Tribes) Hill, in the town of Amsterdam, coun- ty of Montgomery. * * * This place appears to be a perfect Babel as to language. But very few of the peo- ple, I believe, would be able to pro- nounce Shibboleth. The articulation, even of New England people, is injur- ed by their being intermingled with the Dutch, Irish and Scotch. The character of the Dutch people, even on first acquaintance, appears to be that of kindness and justice. As to re- ligion, they know but little about it, and are extremely superstitious. They are influenced very much by dreams and apparitions. The most intelligent of them seem to be under the influ- ence of fear from that cause. The High Dutch have some sing'ular cus- toms with regard to their dead. When a person dies, nothihg will influence ye connections, nor any other person, unless essentially necessary, to touch the body. When the funeral is ap- pointed, none attend but such as are invited. When the corpse is placed in the street a tune is sung by a choir of persons appointed for the purpose — and continue singing until they arrive at the grave; and after the body is 150 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN deposited, they have some remarks made, return to ye house and in gen- eral get drunk. 12 men are bearers — or carriers — and they have no relief. No will is opened or debt paid until six weeks from ye time of death. "27th — Left Amsterdam and traveled 5 miles to Johnstown — a very pleasant village — containing one Dutch pres- byterian chh and an Episcopalian. The village is tolerably well built. It is a county town — lies about 4 miles from the River and contains about 600 in- habitants. In this town there is a jail, court house and academy. About %ths of a mile from the center of the town we find the buildings erected by Sir William Johnson." Mr. Taylor also continues as follows: "Johnstown, west of Amsterdam on the Mohawk — extent [the town] 11 by 8 miles. It contains one Scotch Pres- byterian congregation, who have an elegant meeting house, Simon Hosack Pastor of the Chh, a Gent, of learning and piety, educated at Edinluirgh. This is a very respectable congrega- tion. The town contains an Episco- pal congregation, who have an elegant stone church with organs. John Ur- quhart, curate. Congregation not numerous. There is also in this town one reformed Dutch chh. Mr. Van Horn, an excellent character, pastor. A respectable congregation. Further there is one large Presbyterian congre- gation — vacant — the people [of this congregation] principally from New England. "Palatine, west of Johnstown and Mayfleld; extent 15 by 12 miles [then depleted in size from 1772]. A place called Stone Arabia is in this town and contains one Lutheran Chh and one Dutch reformed Chh. Mr. Lubauch is minister of the latter and Mr. Crotz of the former. Four miles west of Stone Arabia, in the same town of Palatine, is a reformed Lutheran Chh to whom Mr. Crotz preaches part of the time. "After leaving this town [Johns- town] I passed about ten miles in a heavy timbered country with but few inhabitants. The soil, however, ap- pears in general to be excellent. The country is a little more uneven than it is back in Amsterdam. After trav- eling ten miles In a tolerable road, I came to Stonearabe (or Robby as the Dutch pronounce it). This is a par- ish of Palatine and is composed prin- cipally of High Dutch or Germans. Passing on 4 miles, came upon the river in another parish of Palatine, a snug little village with a handsome stone Chh [Palatine Church]. Hav- ing traveled a number of miles back of the river, I find that there is a great similarity in the soil, but some difference in the Umber. From Johns- town to Stone Arabia, the timber is beech and maple, with some hemlocks. In Stone Arabia the timber is walnut and butternut. The fields of wheat are numerous and the crop in general is excellent. In everything but wheat the husbandry appears to be bad. The land for Indian corn, it is evident from appearance is not properly plowed — they plow very shallow. Neither is the corn tended — it is in general full of weeds and grass and looks miser- ably. Rie is large. Flax does not ap- pear to be good. Whether this is ow- ing to the season or the soil, I know not. Pease appear to flourish — so do oats; but the soil, I believe, is too hard and clayey for potatoes — they look very sickly. I perceive as yet, but one great defect in the morals of the peo- ple — they are too much addicted to drink. The back part of Montgomery [now Fulton] county consists of some pine plains; but in general the lumber is beach and maple. A good grass and wheat country." Like many after war times, the close of the Revolution ushered in an era of recklessness and license. Gambling, extravagance, horse-racing, drunkenness and dueling were forms of its evidence. The duel was a recog- nized and tolerated method for the settlement of private grievances at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Roseboom-Kane affair at Cana- joharie is treated in a later chapter relative to that town. Another duel caused great public excitement in New York city and state in the first year of the nineteenth century. The prin- THE 8T0KY OP OLD FORT PLAIN 151 cipals were Philil) Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamilton, and George J. Eacker, who had come to New York from his home in the town of Palatine a few years before. The latter was the son of Judge Eacker of Palatine and a nephew of General Herkimer. Eacker studied law, was admitted to the bar and became associated in a law firm with Brockholst Livingston, after his arrival in the city. He was a friend and admirer of Aaron Burr and a Jeffersonian in politics. Party feeling ran very high and Backer be- came eml)roiled with the Federalists of which party Alexander Hamilton was a national and state leader. In 1801 Eacker delivered the Fourth of July oration in New York city, and seems to have thereby incurred the enmity of the Hamiltons and their party. Nov. 20, 1801, Eacker and his fiancee (a Miss Livingston) occupied a box at the John St. theatre, and he was there insulted l)y Philip Hamilton (then in his twentieth year), son of Alexander Hamilton, and by young Hamilton's friend Price. The talk be- tween them, in Eacker presence, ran somewhat as follows: "How did you like Eacker's sour krout oration on the Fourth of July?" The answer placed it in a very low scale. "What will you give for a printed copy of it?" "About a sixpence" was the reply. "Don't you think the Mohawk Dutch- man is a greater man than Washing- ton?" "Yes, far greater," ate, etc. Eacker resented this abuse and a duel with Price followed at noon, Sunday, November 22, at Powle's Hook. Four shots were exchanged between the principals without result, when the seconds intervened. A second duel with young Hamilton took place the following day, Monday, November 23, at three in the afternoon at the same place, in which Eacker shot Hamilton through the body at the first fire and the unfortunate young man died the next day. It is a curious commentary upon the position dueling occupied, in the estimation of men of the time, that Alexander Hamilton held no griev- ance against the slayer of his son, and Joseph Herkimer of Little Falls, observed to a friend that he "never witnessed more especial compliments or respectful greetings pass between lawyers than did between Gen. Hamil- ton and Eacker after his son's death." Eacker died in 1803 of consumption and Alexander Hamilton was himself killed in a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804. George J. Eacker was a promi- nent militiaman and volunteer fire- man of New York city at the time of his early death. Among the valley sports, after as before the Revolution, the chief seem to have been horse racing, foot racing and ball. We have the following somewhat amusing anecdote concerning the meddling of the clergy with the sports of the people. At a race on the Sand Flats at Fonda, the German minister of Stone Arabia thought it his duty to protest against race track gamb- ling, which was the cause of much in- iquity, so he rode there in his chaise with that intent. Arriving at the grounds he had barely commenced his protest against the evils of the race course, when a wag, who knew the parson's horse had been in a former similar race, rode up saying: "Do- minie, you have a fine horse there" and, touching both horses smartly with his whip, shouted "Go!" and both animals and drivers started off toward the minister's home at a racing clip. Several voices were heard shouting, "Go it, dominie, we'll bet on your horse." Before the reverend gentle- man could pull up his nag both horses had sped a long way and the Stone Arabia clergyman, realizing the force of his remarks had been unavoidably broken, kept on to his home and was never again seen at a race course. Trivial as certain of these accounts and anecdotes may appear they give us an insight and understanding of the people's character and daily life in the early days of the valley, which no citation of mere events and figures, however correct, can picture. They bring up visions like looking on a camera obscura, filled with the moving 152 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN figures and backed by the unfamiliar scenes of a day long passed. Here is appended a hand bill of races in Palatine forty years after the Revolutionary period. However the character of the pre-RevoIutionary races was, without doubt, similar and it will give us an idea of what was the major sport and recreation of our val- ley ancestors: "Second Day's Purse, $50 — "To be given to the jockey rider, running two mile heats, winning two heats out of three; free for any horse, mare or gelding in the United States. "The third day a new SADDLE and BRIDLE, to be given to the jockey rider running one mile heats, winning two heats out of three; free for any three-year-old colt in the United States. "Likewise on the last day, a BEA- VER HAT, worth $10, to be given to the jockey footman running round the course in the shortest time. To start at four o'clock, p. m., on the last day's running. "On the first Tuesday in November next, races will commence on the flats of George Waggoner in Palatine. The purses as alcove, except the hat. "October 4, 1S19. "A SPORTSMAN." The foot race did not take place as a Palatine contestant was sick, and a purse of $30 was made up for a quar- ter-mile foot race. William Moyer, a tailor, and John K. DieU represented the town of Canajoharie and one Wag- goner and an imknown man were the champions of Palatine. The tap of a drum started them, as was usual then, and DieU won the sprint by six feet. The time was 58 seconds, which was very fast considering the track and the fact that there were no spiked shoes in those days. In 1824 a footrace took place in the village of Canajoharie for a purse of $1,000, the runners being David Spraker of Palatine and Joseph White of Cherry Valley. The distance of ten rods was marked off on Montgomery street and the contestants were started by David P. Sacia. Spraker won the prize and the race by three feet. This race was a topic of general conversa- tion for a half century afterward. Games of ball had been popular sport with the soldiers of the Revo- lution. We read that the garrison was playing l)all when Fort Schuyler took fire. This was probably then as later the game of "town ball." There were four bases in that game, but, instead of touching the runner to put him out, the rule required that he must be hit with a thrown ball. There were no basemen. This game survives, in the rules of our national sport, in that a l>aserunner who is hit by a batted ball is out. The modern game of baseball was invented by a schoolboy of the old Canajoharie district, Abner Doubleday, who originated it at Green's school in Cooperstown, during the Harrison presidential campaign of 1840. This is so near to the time dealt with in this chapter that it is given place here, particularly as Cooperstown was for years so closely connected with Fort Plain, the latter village being its out- let to the Mohawk valley, by way of the Otsquago, all the towns along which route made Fort Plain their trade center, particularly before the days of the railroads. In 1840, a great crowd had gathered at Cooperstown for a picnic and po- litical meeting, during the excitement of this famous campaign. Of course the boys of the neighborhood of the school mentioned were present in large numbers. Young Doubleday (who later liecame a U. S. army general) hau been working for some time on a game, based on "town ball," for the boys to play at the picnic. American boys of that time were vastly interested in all games requiring agility, quick thinking and athletic prowess and Doubleday's game took hold like wild- fire. The New York Evening World, in June, 1908, had the following re- garding this truly historic event: "Young Doubleday was also fond of town ball, but he saw the opportunity to make the game more scientific and for several nights he worked on a new set of rules and a diagram of the field. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 153 "When the boys assembled that af- ternoon Doubleday gathered them around and explained as well as he could, the points of the new game. He decided that there must be four bases ninety feet apart, and the boys imme- diately began to refer to the game as 'baseball.' The name stuck. "The rules made by Gen. Doubleday specified that the ball should be made of rubber and yarn and covered with leather. It must weigh about five ounces and must not be more than nine inches in circumference. The weight of the ball and the size of the hand were taken into consideration in determining these measurements. The bat was to be of round wood, and to be used with both hands. In town ball the bat was frequently used with one hand. "The next thing for the inventor was to determine the distance between the bases. After several experiments it was found that a man would have to hustle to run 42 [walking] paces or about 90 feet before a ball of those dimensions could be returned after having been driven to the outfield. Thus it was that 90 feet was fixed as the distance between the bases. A proof of Doubleday's wonderful judg- ment is the fact that, to this cay, the ball is 'five ounces, 9 inch' and the dis- tance between the bases is 90 feet. The underlying principles of baseball have not been changed one iota since 1840. "The batters immediately began to study means by which they could drive the ball so as to easily make the 90 feet. But there were two sides to that proposition and the fielders learned to handle the ball faster so as t^ affect the batsmen. The American boy is naturally inventive and for 70 years he has worked, both at the bat and in the field, to overcome the problem which was created by Doubleday's measurements. That constant effort has made baseball the great national pastime of America." All American boys shou'd take pride in the fact that the leading athletic game of North America was invented and virtually perfected by a Coopers- town schoolboy. The Mohawk valley has produced a number of ballplayers of exceptional ability. A St. Johnsville man is today (1913) with the New York National League team as an out- fielder and a Palatine (Nelliston) na- tive is manager of the Brooklyn Na- tional League team, after a long and successful career as shortstop with three championship league teams — New York, Brooklyn and Chicago. This player, W. F. Dahlen. started his career on the famous old Institute (C. L. I.) school team of Fort Plain. General Abner Doubleday was born at Ballston Springs, Saratoga county, June 26, 1819; graduated at West Point in 1842. He became a captain of the U. S. army in 1855 and was one of the garrison of Fort Sumter in 1861. He was made a brigadier-general of volunteers Feb., 1862, and a major general in Nov., 1862. Doubleday was in the battles of Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsvllle and at Gettysburg commanded the First Corps in the first day's battle after the death of Gen. Reynolds. He was breveted a major-general of the U. S. army and became colonel of in- fantry in 1867; retired 1873; died 1893. Gen. Doubleday published "Reminis- cences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie" (1876), and "Chancellorsvllle and Get- tysburg" (1882). The historical time covered in this chapter witnessed the complete dis- appearance of the Mohawk Iroquois from his old valley hunting grounds. At the close of the Revolution a few friendly or neutral Mohawks and a small number of individuals of other tribes remained along the river. There was a violent but natural prejudice against all Indians, on the part of the white population, which caused many of these natives to move to Canada or other friendlj' neighborhoods. By 1840, it is probable that the last of these remaining valley savages had died out. As has Iieen previously noted the majority of the Mohawks left the valley with the Johnson family, at the 154 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN beginning of Revolutionary hostilities, and settled in Canada, on the Grand river. Here they were granted lands and many of them have become pros- perous farmers. The Mohawks and Oneidas have increased greatly in number and prospered while other Iroquois tribes have diminished. According to the U. S. census of 1890 the total Iroquois population of North America was 45,000, a large proportion of the Indian inhabitants. This included, besides the Six Na- tions, the Cherokees who numbered 28,000 and is the largest tribe of Iro- quois blood, numbering twice as many individuals as the New York state Iro- quois or the Six Nations. The Wyan- dots, also of the same American In- dian stock, numbered 689. In the cen- sus of 1890, the Mohawk population includes those of that tribe living at Caughnawaga and Lake of Two Moun- tain, Quebec, and at Grand River, On- tario, and the Mohawk, Oneida and Huron mixed-bloods living at St. Regis, and those living on other reser- vations. The great majority are, of course, resident in Canada. In 1890 the numbers of the Six Nations were as follows: Mohawks, 6,656; Oneidas, 3,129; Senecas, 3,055; Cayugas, 1,301; Onondagas, 890; Tuskaroras, 733. To- tal, 15,664. This is about what the New York state Iroquois population was at the time of the Dutch settle- ment. From a small tribe the Mo- hawks have risen to the greatest in numbers, while the Senecas, once the first, and numbering as many as the other five tribes combined, have shrunk so that they now are third in rank in population. The success of the Mohawks on their Canadian lands would suggest that the Indian, under proper conditions, can make a place for himself in civilized society. CHAPTER HI. 1689-1825 — Western Montgomery Coun- ty and the Palatine and Canajoharie Districts Townships — Life, Trade, Schools, Development. This is the first of two chapters dealing with Western Montgomery county and treats of the period from settlement in 1689 to 1825, but princi- pally of the time from 1784 to 1825. The second chapter, in the third series, gives the record from 1825 to 1913. The succeeding descriptions are in- tended to portray the state and growth of trade, traffic and commerce in the five west end towns of Montgomery county from their settlement until about the building of the Erie canal. The history of these towns is divided into four periods: of settlement, 1689- 1774; Revolution, 1774-1783; agricul- tural and highway and river traffic de- velopment, 1784-1825; development of commerce, manufacturing and towns, 1825-1913. The beginnings of things are always interesting and will be found particularly so in these in- stances. Names and personalities are treated which, in later accounts, must be disregarded on account of the great growth of the population. While, prior to the advent of the Erie canal, we can deal with individuals, in our later accounts the people must be treated in classes or as a whole. The 10,000 people in the Mohawk valley and that of its tributary Schoharie, at the time of the formation of Tryon county in 1772, have grown to between four hundred thousand and a half mil- lion of human beings. In the five west end towns of Montgomery where, in 1772, there were probably two or three thousand white people there are to- day approximately eighteen tliousand. Dutchtown and Freysbush were the first Minden sections settled and here schools were first established by the German settlers. There was some in- struction given also at the Reformed Dutch church at Sand Hill. The cere- monies at this house of worship in honor of the memory of Washington in Dec, 1799, is treated in a separate chapter which describes this church as one of the five Revolutionary churches of Western Montgomery county. The church and the tavern were the centers of social life in the eighteenth century in the valley. The militia trainings, the part the men of the Mohawk played in the war of 1812, the improvement of and traffic on the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 155 Mohawk, highway development and the inn life along the Mohawk turn- pike, the construction of the canal and the railroad, the change of busi- ness center from Sand Hill to Pros- pect Hill, and other features of the life of this period, in Minden, Western Montgomery county and the Mohawk valley, are all given space in succeed- ing chapters. The greater part of the following is from Beer's History of Montgomery and Fulton counties: Small stores were established in the different Mohawk valley German set- tlements soon after they were planted. They contained small stocks of such goods as their white neighbors must, of necessity, have and certain kinds which their trafflc with the Indians called for; the latter consisting of firearms, knives, hatchets, ammuni- tion, trinkets, brass and copper ket- tles, scarlet cloth, rum and tobacco. These, with a few other articles, were bartered for furs to great advantage, at least, of the early white storekeep- ers, who were German or Dutch for the most part. The first store, in the town of Min- den, was established near the Sand Hill church by William Seeber, a Ger- man, at the place where for years (the late) Adam Lipe resided. His store was opened about 1750 and he traded here during the French war. As we have seen he died here of a wound received at Oriskany, over four months after that battle in which his two sons were also killed. John Abeel settled at Fort Plain about the middle of the eighteenth century, shortly after Seeber opened his store. He probably traded here also, to what extent is not knovi^n. As the father of Cornplanter, the Seneca chief, his story is told in a former chapter. A few of the tr9.ding places were general stores on a considerable scale and such a one must have been that of Isaac Paris jr., during the short time he traded at Fort Plain. The size of his store shows that he did a large business for the eighteenth cen- tury. Isaac Paris jr. seems to have follow- ed Seeber, having erected his store in 1786, this being what is now known as the Bleecker house. Here he re- sided and traded several years, dying at an early age. Conrad Gansevoort came from Schenectady in 1790. He married Elizabeth, a daughter of John Roseboom, who also moved up from Schenectady and settled below Cana- joharie. Gansevoort built a dwelling with a store in it on a knoll at the foot of Sand Hill, on the farm where the late Seeber Lipe lived. This house is still standing, just this side of the Little Woods creek, on the extreme western edge of Fort Plain. It has been converted into a double dwelling. Shortly before 1810 Gansevoort retired from business and returned to Sche- nectady. He had been a successful merchant and was a man much re- spected in the township. The elevated road across the flats from the river ferry met the south shore highway just in front of Gansevoort's store and about the year 1800 and shortly before old Fort Plain or Sand Hill must have been a lively little hamlet. Three Oothout brothers, Garret, Jonas and Volkert, came from Sche- nectady about the advent of Conrad Gansevoort. They erected a large two story building, some fifty feet long, for a store with a dwelling in its easterly end. It stood on the river road, just west of the Sand Hill set- tlement, about one and a quarter miles west of the present center of Fort Plain. "Of the Oothout firm, it is re- membered that Garret, the oldest and who was a bachelor, was blind, but re- markably shrewd with a sense of feeling so keen that he could readily distin- guish silver coins, so that no one could pass a ten-cent piece on him for a shilling or a plstareen for the quarter of a dollar." For a number of years, Gansevoort and the Oothouts had quite a large trade, the latter firm wholesaling to some extent. Both of these firms purchased considerable wheat, as no doubt their neighbor Paris did while in trade, which they sent to Albany, by way of Schenec- tady, on the river in their own boats. 156 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Abram Oothout was a younger brother and with his wife, Gazena DeGraff, settled on a farm adjoining the store. In the dwelling, known later as the Pollock house, his daughter Margaret was born in 1811. She later became the second wife of Peter J. Wagner. Robert McFarlan appears to have been the next merchant to come to old Fort Plain, having removed here in 1798 from Paulet, Vt. He was "a remarkably smart business man," and established his store on the opposite side of the road from the church. He married a daughter of Major Hause, of the neighborhood, "which proved a stroke of good policy, since he not only got a good wife but also the trade of her host of relatives and friends. He also ran an ashery near Hallsville in connection with his Sand Hill store. McFarlan at once became active in the affairs of the section, fill- ing the positions of justice of the peace and colonel of the militia." He is said to "have been not only a fine looking but a very efficient officer. One of the few remaining gravestones in the old Sand Hill cemetery is one bearing the inscription 'In memory of Robert McFarlan, Esq., who departed this life July 14, 1813, in the 49th year of his age.' " In 1806 a bridge was erected across the Mohawk river at the "island," near old Fort Plain, superseding the ferry which was located just below. This was an important event for this locality and was duly celebrated. This structure, together with the one built at Canajoharie in 1803, were at that time the only bridges over the river between Schenectady and Little Falls. The matter of bridges is treated later. About the year 1808, when Conrad Gansevoort returned to Schenectady, Henry N. Bleecker, a young man from Albany, who had long been his clerk, succeeded him in his business. At the end of a few years he returned and went to Canajoharie and there mar- ried Betsej', a daughter of Philip R. Frey and granddaughter of Col. Hen- drick Frey. She "is said to have been the prettiest of three fine looking sis- ters." Here Bleecker settled and died at an early age on the Frey farm. David Lipe and Rufus Firman suc- ceeded Bleecker and are supposed to have been the last merchants to oc- cupy the Gansevoort store. A year or two after the death of Mc- Farlan, John A. Lipe and Abraham Dievendorff began to trade in the Mc- Farlan building. They soon separated and Henry Dievendorff joined his brother Abraham in trade at this store. Lipe fitted up a store on the same side of the street but closer to the church, which his son, Conrad Lipe, occupied until the year 1819, when he died, his father continuing the business for some time after. A postoffice was es- tablished at Sand Hill in 1816, with Conrad Lipe as postmaster, and as, at that time, there were three or four merchants located there, the only church in Canajoharie or Minden near the river, and a bridge across the Mo- hawk, the settlement must have been a place of considerable life for the period. About 1820, the Dievendorff brothers erected a store near the Erie canal which was then being constructed, hoping to be benefited by the canal trade. This building stood near the premises, formerly occupied by Wil- liam Clark on Upper Canal street. It was a long, yellow two-story building, the upper floor being used for a public hall. Preaching was held in this room and it was also the scene of dances and other social occasions. One of these was the marriage of the Peter J. Wagner aforementioned to Mar- garet Oothout in 1823. In connection with their business, the Dievendorffs ran a distillery. They failed and were succeeded by David Dievendorff, a son of Henry, who had long been a clerk for his father and uncle. He also failed. About 1828, as the business part of the you^ig village was de- stined to be lower down, the Dieven- dorff block was removed to the site of the present brick stores occupied by H. E. Shinaman and Lipe & Pardee. John R. Dygert and John Roth suc- ceeded the Dievendorff Bros, in the Sand Hill section and after a little THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 157 time Solomon H. Moyer bought out Roth. A few years later Dygert & Moyer removed to a store erected by Dygert at the canal bridge, where Wood, Clark & Co. were in business for so many years and which is now occupied by William Linney. Many of the Sand Hill or old Fort Plain buildings have been destroyed by Are or demolished within the last quarter century (prior to 1913). Before 1805 it is said there were few buildings on the site of the pres- ent village of Fort Plain. It must be remembered that several of the build- ings aforementioned, including the fort and blockhouse, were within the present limits of the village at its western end. Isaac Soule kept a tav- ern here as early as 1804. In 1805 Jo- seph Wagner settled ©n a farm, occu- pying a large part of the site of pres- ent Fort Plain, and in 1806 he put up a small public house which was kept as such until 1850. It then became a residence and is still standing and owned by Andrew Dunn. In 1807 Dr. Joshua Webster and Jonathan Stick- ney, settlers who came here from New England, built a tannery on the east side of the old Otsquago creek chan- nel. This was constructed from the material in the old Governor Clarke mansion which had long been aban- doned and had the reputation of being a "haunted house." John C. Lipe op- ened a store in Soule's tavern in 1808, there also being a tailor shop in the building. Dr. Webster was the first physician, having come here in 1797 from Scarboro, Maine. Peter J. Wag- ner was the first lawyer and he also represented old Montgomery county in congress. Before and shortly after the completion of the Erie canal many busi- ness houses were established in Fort Plain and when the village was in- corporated in 1832 practically the en- tire business of old Fort Plain or Sand Hill had removed to the present center. The first hatter in the present village was William A. Haslet, who estab- lished a store in 1826. Harvey E. Wil- liams opened the first hardware store in 1827. S. N. S. Gant established the Fort Plain Watch Tower, the first newspaper, in 1828. This became, by various changes The Mohawk Valley Register. Numerous other professional and business men established them- selves in Fort Plain in the five years after the completion of the Erie canal in 1825. John Warner came into Freysbush as a successful Yankee schoolmaster, and, about 1810, he opened a store. In 1825 he built the store (now occupied by the Co-operative store), which was the second store devoted to dry goods in Fort Plain. Henry P. Voorhees had built the first in 1824 on the bank of the creek. This building formed the back part of what was for a long period the Lipe and Mereness crock- ery establishments. In those days be- fore aqueducts were in use on the canal, the creek water was dammed back, and, on a bridge over the Ots- quago, the canal horses drew the boats across the creek. This set back the water up the channel of the stream and canal boats then unloaded mer- chandise and grain on the docks (re- mains of which may be seen) at the back of the Main street stores. Robert Hall moved from Washing- ton county about 1800 and followed the trade of a pack peddler through the Mohawk valley. He settled about 1810 at the site of Hallsville, which bears his name. He, with two men named John White and Cooper, built a store and tavern. Later Hall bought out his partners and continued the business alone. He had an extensive business, at one time having four stores run- ning in the county, besides a brew- ery, an ashery and distillery, and he also owned a grist mill in Herkimer county. General trainings were fre- quently held at his place and elections were held at the tavern. Hall served in the war of 1812 as captain and was stationed at Sackett's Harbor during the war. During the early part of 1800 bands of Mohawk Indians frequently camped at this place. Robert Hall was a member of the state legislature and was interested in the establishment of the Fort Plain National bank. Whipping posts and stocks were not only to be seen in nearly every town 158 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN in New England at the beginning of the nineteenth century, but also in all the older settlements of New York. They were designed to punish petty thefts, for which from ten to fifty lashes were inflicted, according to the magnitude of the crime and its attend- ant circumstances. They were prob- alily in use at Amsterdam, Caughna- waga, Stone Arabia and Herkimer and they are known to have been located at Johnstown, Fort Hunter, Freysbush and old Fort Plain or Sand Hill. The Freysbush post stood on the site of the cheese factory. One of the last punishments of that kind in this sec- tion was meted out to Jacob Cramer at the Freysbush post. John Rice, a constable of the then town of Canajo- harie, gave the culprit thirty-nine lashes on his bare back for stealing a wash of clothes. This custom of pun- ishment has long been obsolete, but there seemed to have been times when immediate penalty for petty offenses, inflicted in this way, saved a bill of expense if it did not actually lessen crime. In 1810 the Seneca chief Cornplanter, son of John Abeel of Sand Hill, paid a visit to his relatives at Fort Plain and to the scenes of the murderous Indian raid in which he had been engaged with Brant some thirty years before. Simms gives the following account of this event: "The Hon. Peter J. Wagner, a grand- son on the mother's side of John Abeel, well remembers a visit of Corn- planter to his relatives at Fort Plain. He places the visit in the fall of about 1810. The noted chieftain then came here, in his native dress of feather and plume, on his way to Albany, attended by several other Indian chiefs. The party was first entertained at the house of Joseph Wagner, the father of informant, whose wife was a half- sister of the distinguished chief, who received at her hands that kind and courteous attention which his reputa- tion justly entitled him to expect. The distinguished guests also found the fatted calf prepared for them at Nich- olas Dygert's; his wife being a sister of Mrs. Wagner [and a half-sister of the Seneca chief]. Indeed, they were made to feel equally at home at Jacob Abeel's, at the homestead — his father, John Abeel having then been dead more than a dozen years. His widow was living with her son and exerted herself to make her home one of com- fort and hospitality for the red men. These guests were here several days, and Cornplanter was so handsomely treated by his kinsfolk, that he must have carried home a grateful recollec- tion of his visit. He was then judged nearly six feet high and well propor- tioned. He appeared in attire and or- nament as the representative man of his nation, and well did he sustain the role of his national reputation. Many people in this vicinity then saw the celebrated Cornplanter, who never gave his white relatives cause to blush for any known act of his life, and his visit has ever been treasured as a bright spot in the memory of his friends." The following relates to life, trade and the general early development of the townships of Canajoharie: Johannes Roof had kept a tavern at Fort Stanwix and, when that post was threatened by St. Leger in 1777, he moved down the Mohawk to Canajo- harie where he also conducted a public house during the Revolution and for some years thereafter. When the army under Clinton rendezvoused here, pre- paratory to crossing to Otsego lake. Gen. James Clinton boarded with Roof. The accommodations of the tavern were rather meagre, but ale, spirits, sauerkraut, Dutch cheese, bread and maple sugar generally abounded. A more modern tavern was later erected in front of the stone inn. It was called the "Stage House" and had a coach and four horses painted on its front. It was kept in 1826 by Reuben Peake and later by Elisha Kane Roof. The stages ran to Cherry Valley and originally had two horses. In 1844, four-horse stages, carrying mail and passengers, began running to Cherry Valley and Cooperstown, leaving the Eldridge house daily. This line was kept up for THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 159 about twenty years. Washington is said to have stopped at Roof's house in 1783. It was of stone rubble work 22x38 feet and a story and a half high, with gable end to the public square. This building was bought of Henry Schremling by John (Johannes) Roof. Martin Roof, a brother of Johannes, was a druggist at an early day in Can- ajoharie and one of its first postmas- ters, also an acting justice of the peace. It is said that the Roofs were so prom- inent here that at one time the early settlement was called Roof's village. They kept tavern here until after 1795. When Roof came here in 1777 it is said there were not more than half a dozen houses on the site of Canajoharie vil- lage. Henry Schremling conducted a grist mill near the site of Arkell & Smiths' dam, in the latter part of the eigh- teenth century. The first grist mill on Canajoharie creek was erected by Gose Van Alstine about 1760. It was a wooden building and stood on the east bank of the stream about 30 rods from the end of the gorge leading to the falls. From here, near the original "Canajoharie," or the big pothole in the creek's bed, the water is said to have been conveyed to it in a race course. About 1815 the mill burned down and Mrs. Isaac Flint, who, among the ig- norant, weak-minded and supersti- tious, was considered a witch, was ac- cused of setting it on fire. Learning that she was in danger of l)eing ar- rested, she hung herself. Nathaniel Conkling, an uncle of Senator Roscoe Conkling, was the coroner who called the inquest. Instead of the poor vic- tim of superstition it is probable that a relative of the mill owners was the culprit. The old stone miller's dwell- ing which adjoined the mill was after occupied as Lieber's cooper shop for the manufacture of flour barrels, and was also burned in 1828. In 1817, a short distance below this site, a stone mill was erected by Goert- ner and Lieber. At this place they also had a sawmill, distillery, fulling mill and carding machine. For some time a large business was done here, in- cluding much of the milling for the towns of Palatine, Root and Charles- ton as well as Canajoharie. In 1838 these mills were burned and never re- built. Henry Lieber and his brother, John, on coming to America at the be- ginning of the nineteenth century were sold into servitude to pay their pass- age from Germany — a custom long in vogue and of which many immigrant people without means availed them- selves. Henry Lieber, on becoming his own master, first learned the weaver's trade, and then became a pack peddler. He next had a small store in Freys- l)ush, then one in Newville and then became established in trade at Cana- joharie, just before the advent of the canal. The second grist mill on Canajoharie creek was built about 1770, by Col. Hendrick Frey, from whom Freysbush took its name and who was a noted Tory during the Revolution. This place was known as the Upper Mill and was forty or fifty rods from the Van Alstine mill. It stood at the base of the high land on the west side of the stream near the mouth of the gorge. Col. Frey was an extensive landholder and, in disposing of farms in Freysbush, he stipulated that the buyers should have their milling done at his mill. Near it was his stone dwelling, where he lived during the war. Henry Frey Cox inherited this property, in 1812 from his grandfather, Col. Frey, and with it about 750 acres of land mostly heavily timbered. Much of this timber John A. Ehle, who erected a store house, sawmill and dry dock below Canajoharie village, on the canal at its completion, sawed up and took to tidewater in boats of his own construction; thus, for several years, giving employment to a large number of men.. The Upper Mill property be- came the property in 1828 of Harvey St. John and Nicholas Van Alstine and for several years they manufactured flour for the New York market, work- ing up most of the wheat raised in this and several adjoining towns. The property passed through a good many hands until 1849 when the mill was burned down and never rebuilt, and 160 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the stone house was burned only eight days after the mill. The first trader after the war, in the present town of Canajoharie, was Wil- liam Beekman, who located near Van Alstine's ferry, a mile east of (present) Canajoharie village in 1788. In a few years he moved to Sharon and became the pioneer merchant of that town. On the organization of Schoharie county in 1795 he was appointed the first judge of the common pleas bench, which position he held for nearly forty years. He was succeeded in his busi- ness at Canajoharie by Barent Rose- boom & Brothers, John and Abraham. Philip Van Alstine later became sole partner with Barent Roseboom, the firm occupying a store on the east side of Canajoharie creek, and within the present village limits, which then con- tained scarcely a dozen houses. The Kane brothers, seven in num- ber, came into Canajoharie very soon after the advent of Beekman, probably al)out 1790, and at first established themselves in business in the old stone dwelling of Philip Van Alstine, which was erected about 1750 and later be- came known as Port Rensselaer, it is still standing and tradition has it that Washington was here on his valley trip in 1783. The firm was known as John Kane & Brothers, but whether a'l of them were interested is not known. They were a family of smart young men and soon made their store the leading one in this section, so that, for a time, much of the trade of the Her- kimer county settlements centered here. These brothers were John, Elias, Charles, Elisha, Oliver, James and Archibald. Before long they built a stone dwelling with an arched roof at Martin Van Alstine's ferrv', a mile east of Canajoharie. This ferry had been in operation some time before the Rev- olution. At this place James and Ar- chibald Kane continued to trade until about 1805. Probably no business firm in the valley ever before became so widely known. In 1799 their purchases of potash and wheat amounted to $120,000. On leaving Canajoharie these famous brothers separated widely, John going to New York, Elias and James to Albany, Elisha to Phila- delphia, Oliver to Rhode Island, Charles to Glens Falls and Archibald to Hayti, where he married a sister of the black ruler of the country and where he afterward shortly died. The Kane dwelling came to be called the "round top," as it had a hip in its roof, which was covered with sheet lead. A little canal which led from the Kane store to the river was long visible. The war of the Revolution, as all wars do, inaugurated a dissolute per- iod of drinking, gambling and horse- racing, which lasted for years and was at its height at the time of the Kanes. Their house became the rendezvous for card players and a quarrel over stakes occurred on one occasion, resulting in a duel, April 18, 1801, in the small pine grove on the hill west of the Kane house. Barent Roseboom wounded Archibald Kane in the right arm. Dr. Webster of Fort Plain was Kane's sur- geon and charged him 10s — $1.25 — for each of his half-dozen visits but one for which the charge was 8s. The doc- tor lived four miles from his patient and the moderateness of his charges is said to have been characteristic of the man. About 1805 Henry Nazro had a store in the present limits of Canajoharie village. In a few years he was suc- ceeded by Abram Wemple, a good bus- iness man and a captain of a com- pany of militia cavalry. He is reputed to have been a "tall, handsome, and resolute officer, and died, greatly la- mented, about 1815." His father was with him in business in "the yellow building" vacated by Barent Roseboom. Joseph Failing succeeded as store- keeper in this place, when Wemple moved his business across the creek, in a new store which he built. Usher joined Failing and in 1817 one of the numerous fires, which afflicted Cana- joharie in the nineteenth century, wiped out the old Roseboom store in which they were doing business. Fail- ing also kept a tavern here. The Abram Wemple store was occupied in 1826 by the somewhat eccentric Dick Bortle. Here at his opening he fixed up a lot of bottles with colored liquids THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 161 to make a notable liquor show and here he kept a saloon. "He drew an easy fiddle bow, spun an inimitable yarn, and could gracefully entertain any guest from a beggar to a prince." James B. Alton, came from Ames and kept a store and public house but failed before the Erie canal was com- pleted. In 1821 Herman I. Ehle began business and in 1824 erected his store on the canal. Henry Lieber establish- ed himself here about 1822 and, in con- nection with his mills did a consider- able business. He built several canal boats for his own traffic and one, the "Prince Orange," was the first of the class called lake boats constructed in this part of the state. It was built in 1826 and was launched at the site of the brick brewery and malt house built by Lieber in 1827. This building went in the great fire of 1877. One of the industries of this period, removed to Canajoharie from Palatine Bridge, was a furnace for plow and other cast- ings, the firm being Gibson, Johnson & Ehle. Herman I. Ehle, with whom the historian J. R. Simms, later of Fort Plain, was for two years a clerk and afterward a partner, was for a num- ber of years known as one of the best dry goods dealers in Central New York. John Taylor moved to Canajoharie, as a partner of Ehle in 1827. Edward H. Winans was in business in the village then. The above comprises what is known of the business life of Cana- joharie village at about the eventful and trade booming period of the con- struction of the Erie canal. Canajoharie's first physician was Dr. Jonathan Eights, who removed to Al- bany before 1820. To represent the legal profession, the village had in its earliest days Roger Dougherty and Alfred Conkling, father of Senator Roscoe Conkling, and a little later, Nicholas Van Alstine, a native of the locality. The first school in the present town of Canajoharie, stood on Seebers Lane, a mile and a half southwest of Cana- joharie village, and the district was styled "No. 1, in and for the town of Canajoharie" when the common school system was adopted. About 1797 a grist mill, a sawmill and a wheelwright's shop were set in operation at Ames in the town of Can- ajoharie. A pottery and nail factory followed. Russell and Mills were the first merchants of Ames, beginning business about 1800. Jacob Ehle and James Knox, his brother-in-law, settled at Mapletown, in Canajoharie township, in 1791, paying $2,621/^ per acre for their lands. Mr. Ehle built his house on the old Indian trail from Canajoharie to New Dor- lach (Sharon Springs) and, in clear- ing his lands he left all the promising hard maple trees. This "sugar bush" gave the settlement its name. Marshville, in the town of Canajo- harie, was the site of a sawmill built at an early day by one of the Seeber family. Stephen and Henry Garlock later operated this property. At this place one Joe Carley did the horse and ox shoeing for a large circle of the country, being near the main route to Cherry Valley. Carley flourished after the war of 1812, during the "shinplas- ter" period. Some sheep were stolen from a farmer named Goertner and the thief was traced to a nearby dwelling, where bones and horns were found under a floor. Shortly after manu- script shinplasters appeared purport- ing to be issued by "The Muttonville Bank, Joe Carley, President" and "pay- able in good merchantable mutton." Hence came the name "Muttonville," by which the little hamlet is some- times called. The following gives an idea of how matters stood with the smaller far- mers and poorer classes of this sec- tion at about the year 1800. Beer's History tells of an interview with Mrs. Bryars of Ames, whose family were early settlers of that place. "In her mother's time, the neighbors would live for six weeks in succession with- out bread, subsisting upon potatoes, butter and salt. Barns were so scarce that grain had to be hauled many miles to be threshed; hence farmers put off the job until they had finished sowing their winter grain, living with- out breadstuffs rather than lose the time necessary for threshing. Mrs. 162 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Bryars was married in petticoat and short gown and Mr. Bryars in linen pantaloons [and it is presumed a coat and shirt] ; neither wore shoes or stockings. Philip Button of Ames, says that his grandfather, Jonah Phelps, cleared the place where But- ton lives and that he used to carry his grist on his back two and a half miles to Sharon Springs. He made his first payment ($10) on his place by burning potash. Mr. Button's great- grandfather, Benjamin Button, was for five years a soldier in the American army of the Revolution. Being grant- ed a furlough of three days he walked seventy miles between sunrise and sunset to his home. He remained there one day and walked back to his regiment the next." The town of Root is today a beau- tiful and fertile agricultural section. Business and trade have always taken second place to the important work of farming. Its business development occurred mostly at and after the build- ing of the Erie canal which is the limit of the period of trade growth we are considering. Before the canal period, John Mc- Kernon had established a store in Currytown. He retired from this bus- iness and about 1820 was engaged in the work of building a bridge across the Mohawk in this town at the point now known as Randall. A mill was built before this date on Yatesville creek (the Wasontha). About a mile below Rural Grove, oc- curs what is known as Vrooman's Falls, a perpendicular cataract of about twenty-five feet, which, when the stream is in full flow, is a most attractive spectacle. Here stood Vroo- man's grist mill and his name has been perpetuated in the natural water power that turned his mill wheel. The building was carried off bodily by a flood in 1813 and dashed to pieces against a large elm. Only the half of the town of Root, west of the Big Nose, was in the old Canajoharie district, but the whole town is included in the accounts in these sketches. Palatine is the oldest section settled by whites in old Tryon county. Hen- drick Frey located in the wilderness at now Palatine Bridge in 1689, as before stated and here came the Palatine im- migrants at some time about 1711 or 1712. Minden seems to have been set- tled in the Dutchtown and Freysbush sections a few years after, in 1720, and St. Johnsville about that time or a lew years later. Canajoharie, Dan- ube, Root and Manheim were then colonized by Germans and a few Dutch within a comparatively short time. Prior to the Revolution, there were storekeepers or traders as they were called in the Palatine settle- ments. The latter town has always been a strictly agricultural commun- ity. Fox's mills on the Caroga were burned in the Stone Arabia raid of 1780. Major Schuyler rebuilt mills on this stream about 1784. Major Jellis Fonda had a mill on the Canagara creek, near the present county home (the old Schenck place). About 1800, on the improvement of the Mohawk (north shore) turnpike, many taverns sprang up in Palatine, along this route, which formed a considerable indus- try. The first postoffice in the town was established at Palatine Church in 1813. It is said that, during the war of 1812, when a person wished to send a letter to a valley friend or relative with the American army at Sackett's Harbor, he left it at any hotel on the turnpike. The landlord would then hand it to any teamster going that way, "who would carry it as far as he went on the road, and then pass it to another of his craft and in that way it would [possibly] eventually reach its destination." The first brewery in Palatine was erected about 1800 by a German named Moyer. It was situated about a mile north of Stone Arabia and was in operation only a few years. In regard to the schools of Pala- tine, Beer's History says: "Until after the close of the Revolutionary war German was the prevailing lan- guage and, probably without an excep- tion, the schools prior to that date were taught in the German tongue. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 163 Soon after the restoration of peace, people from New England began to settle here, followed immediately by the innovation of the 'Yankee school- master.' Among the early teachers of English schools in the town were John Martin and men named Crookenburg and Mackey. The former [Martin] taught in the vicinity of Oswegatchie about 1795 and a building was subse- quently erected for his school. It was linished with living apartments in one end and a school room in the other. He was succeeded by his son in the early nineteenth century. Mackey taught about 1795 near Stone Arabia and Crookenburg kept school near Palatine Church." The first school commissioners and inspectors of schools were elected, in accordance with a new act of the leg- islature in April, 1813. They were Abraham Sternburgh, Henry J. Frey and John Quilhart, commissioners; and John J. Nellis, John I. Cook, Rich- ard Young, Jost A. Snell and Har- manus Van Slyck, inspectors. The town was first divided into school dis- tricts — eleven in number, Dec. 7, 1814, by David T. Zielley, Andrew Gray and Chauncey Hutchinson, school commis- sioners. In the spring of 1815, a redi- vision was made, creating in all seven- teen districts. It will be remembered that at that time (and until the forma- tion of Fulton from Montgomery county in 1838) Palatine embraced the present town of Ephratah. There are now twelve well-apportioned districts, a few of which are fractional, and eleven schoolhouses within its limits. A union academy, the first within the present boundaries of Montgom- ery county, was established at Stone Arabia and incorporated by the Re- gents of the University, March 31, 1795, as "The Union Academy of Palatine." The only records obtainable relating to this institution, are in connection with the Reformed church of that place. At a meeting of the consistory, held January 24, 1795, composed of Rev. D. Christian Peck, pastor; Henry Loucks and Christian Fink, elders and John Snell and Dietrich Coppernoll, deacons, it was "resolved that the five acres of church land of the Reformed Dutch church of Stone Arabia, which are not given to the present minister as a part of his salary, shall be given and presented to the use and benefit of the Union Academy to be erected at Stone Arabia." On the 14th of No- vember, 1795, the board of trustees, through their president, Charles New- kirk, asked and obtained permission from the consistory of the Reformed church to occupy their school house (which appears to have been a part of the parsonage which had been used for school purposes), for one year for the use of the academy. John Nifher was probably its first principal and its teacher of English. The academy building was a two-story frame structure, erected by subscrip- tion and completed in 1799. Its site was immediately opposite the Reform- ed church. Fire destroyed it about 1807 and it was never rebuilt. Directly after the Revolution, prob- ably in the summer of the years be- tween 1784 and 1786, Molly Brant, with two of her grown up children, came down from Canada to recover prop- erty willed them in Philadelphia Bush. One of the children was George John- son, who was of a dark complexion and the other was the wife of Dr. Carr, late a surgeon in the British army. They all visited Major Philip Schuyler at Palatine Church, where he was erecting mills on Caroga creek. Fox's mills there having been burned by the enemy. Mills were rebuilt on the op- posite side of the creek. Maj. Schuy- ler was one of the commissioners ap- pointed to look after such claims as those of Molly Brant and her children. The heirs were too young to forfeit their inheritance and recovered pay for lands now in Mayfleld and Perth. While at Schuyler's, the party con- versed in the Mohawk dialect, except Dr. Carr. Mrs. Schuyler, when night came on, was quite perplexed to know how to dispose of her guests, as the carpenters and millwrights were oc- cupying all of her beds. Molly Brant set her at ease by assuring her that they would care for themselves and spreading their blankets on the floor, 164 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN they camped down in true Indian style, to Mrs. Schuyler's great relief. In 1784, Moses Van Camp worked for Garret Walrath, who had a black- smith shop in Palatine about half a mile westward from the Fort Plain depot and near the ferry of that day. While trying to drive away some Indians, who were stealing Walrath's potatoes, one of the savages threatened Van Camp with a knife whereupon the blacksmith killed him with a hammer. The Palatine man narrowly escaped a tomohawk hurled at him, by a brother of his victim, at Fort Stanwix a year or two later. In 1836 a monument was erected over the grave of Col. Brown in Stone Arabia by his son, Henry Brown of Berkshire, Mass., and on the 19th day of October, 1836, a meeting was held at the burial place in honor of the event and of the patriot's memory. A large assemblage was present and in- cluded some veterans of the Stone Arabia action. A sermon was preach- ed by Rev. Abraham Van Home of Caughnawaga, and a patriotic address was delivered by Gerrit Roof of Cana- joharie (a grandson of Johannes Roof, the Revolutionary patriot). In a por- tion of his speech Roof addressed the veterans as follows: "I see before me a little remnant of those intrepid spirits who fought in the memorable engagement of October 19, 1780. Fifty-six years ago this day you battled with greatly superior num- bers, consisting of British regulars, loyalists and savages. Venerable pa- triots, we bid you welcome this day! In the name of your country, we thank you for the important services you rendered in the dark hours of her tribulation. Be assured they will be held in grateful remembrance while the Mohawk shall continue to wind its course through yonder rich and fertile valley. They will be the theme of praise long after the marble, erected this day to the memory of your brave commander, shall have crumbled to dust. Fifty-six years ago, this day, these hills re.sounded with the din of arms and the roar of musketry. Look yonder! The field — the field is before us — the field on which the heroic Brown poured out his life's blood in defense of his country. You fought by his side. You saw him as he fell, covered with wounds and with face to the foe. * * * His was that bravery that quailed not before tyranny, and that feared not death. His was the patriotism that nerves the arm of the warrior, battling for the liberties of his country, and leads him on to the performance of deeds of glory." The town of St. Johnsville was set- tled about 1725. It was part of Pala- tine until 1808 and its early history, both as to events and commerce, is largely that of the older town. The first settlement at the village of St. Johnsville was made in 1776 by Jacob Zimmerman, who built the first grist mill in the town soon after. George Klock built another in 1801. David Quackenbush erected the third grist mill in 1804. This became later the Thumb iron foundry and the saw and planing mill of Thumb & Flanders. In 1825 James Averill built a stone grist mill and distillery. Christopher Nellis kept a tavern at St. Johnsville in 1783 and a store in 1801. The foregoing are the industries that the writer has knowledge of which were located at St. Johnsville prior to the completion of the Erie canal in 1825. Henry Hayes taught a German school at an early day and Lot Ryan, an Irishman, taught the first English school in 1792. Danul^e and Manheim were included in Western Montgomery county up to 1817. They were and are agricultural towns. The development of Dolgeville came at a period later than that herein described. In 1817 the eastern boun- dary of Herkimer county was moved from Fall Hill to East Creek and the old Canajoharie and Palatine districts towns were divided between two coun- ties. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 165 CHAPTER IV. The Five Revolutionary Churches of Western Montgomery County — Other Revolutionary Churches in Mont- gomery and Fulton Counties and in Danube and Manheim. The first Reformed Dutch church of Canajoharie (now the Reformed church of Fort Plain) was erected in 1750 on Sand Hill, a little above the Abeel place, on the Dutchtown road. The Germans who, about 1720, settled the town of Minden, at first located principally in the Dutchtown section. The road through that section led down to the river at Sand Hill where there was a ferry. The road across the flats (raised several feet to make it passable in times of flood), to this crossing- of the Mohawk, is still plainly visible. At this central point would be a natural gathering place of the people and here the German frontiers- men erected the first known house of worship in the Canajoharie district. Of this church. Rev. A. Rosencrantz was the pastor for the first eight j'ears. This building was of wood and stood in a sightly spot on the westerly side of the Dutchtown road, in front of the burial ground still to be seen (1913), surrounded by its dying grove of ancient pine trees. As previously told the church was burned in the In- dian raid of 1780, after which services were held in a barn that stood on the old William Lipe farm in a ravine, through which the road ran from the river ferry up the hill to the gate of old Fort Plain. This old barn was torn down and a new one erected on its site in 1859. An old dwelling standing below it was over a century old when it was demolished in 1875 to give place to the present one of brick. These buildings, with several others, were so near the fort that the enemy never ventured to injure them. An- other one so protected was an old house which was torn down by Har- vey E. Williams when he built the present large brick dwelling on upper Canal street about 1870. A new church edifice, erected on the site of the old one at the close of the war, was also constructed of wood, and was a large and well proportioned building, with a small half-round pul- pit having a short uncushioned bench for its seat that would accommodate only one sitter; while over the domi- nie's head was a dangerous looking sounding board. The church had a gallery on three sides and was topped by a steeple without a bell. It was built by contract by Peter March for £1,000 ($2,500 at that time). A light- ning rod on the building having be- come broken, it was struck during a storm and considerable damage was done. General Washington died Dec. 14, 1799, and his death was solemnly ol)served at this church, as at many others throughout the land. As a number of days was then necessary to spread the news of important events throughout the land, the funeral cere- monies did not take place until the latter part of December, 1799. The weather was cold, but there was little snow on the ground and the gathering of people was immense. The church was beautifully decorated with ever- greens and crepe and was literally packed with an interested audience. The Rev. Isaac Labaugh officiated and his discourse was afterward published. Led in a procession was a caparisoned horse with holsters upon the saddle, to which was also attached a pair of boots, indicating the loss of a soldier. This was the custom at the funeral of an officer, or cavalryman. Where the procession formed is not known but probalily at the tavern of Nicholas Dygert, then located next beyond the Christian Bellinger place, westward of the church. This was perhaps the most important and imposing observ- ance of Washington's death witnessed in the Mohawk valley, and not a few were there assembled who saw the national leader on his visit to Fort Plain in the summer of 1783, sixteen years before, when his excursion ex- tended to Fort Schuyler and up the Otsquago valley to Cherry Valley and from thence to the foot of Otsego lake at the present site of Cooperstown. 166 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Following the first pastor of the first Reformed Dutch church of Cana- joharie, Rev. A. Rosencrantz, came Rev. Ludwig Luppe, Rev. Kennipe, Rev. J. L. Broeflle, Dr. John Daniel Gros (1776 (?)-1788), Rev. A. Christian Diedrich Peck (1788 to 1796), Dr. John Daniel Gros (1796 to 1800), Rev. Isaac Labaugh (from 1800 to 1803 pastor of the Reformed churches of Fort Plain, Stone Arabia and Sharon), Rev. J. I. Wack (1803 to 1816). Dominie Kennipe was mercilessly beaten one day, as he was riding along the river, by his fel- low traveler, a hard man named Die!. "The minister would not prosecute but appealed to God, and, strange to say, both men died on the same night." Doininie Peck is described as "a portly man, an amateur equestrian, who left behind him the reputation of an un- surpassed orator." Great congrega- tions thronged to hear him. Dr. Gros was "a man of considerable learning who had been professor of moral phil- osophy in Columbia college," New York city. Dominie Wack was an army chaplain in the war of 1812 and "a man of commanding personal ap- pearance." The Reformed church at Sand Hill ceased to exist when the church society moved to its present site in Fort Plain and erected a church in 1834. This event practically marks the end of Sand Hill or old Fort Plain, the new canal town of that name tak- ing up its story. The Reformed church of Stone Ara- bia was the oldest church west of Schenectady, having been formed by Rev. John Jacob Ehle in 1711. Ehle was Reformed minister for this section and his services were conducted in German. A log church was first erect- ed about 1711 on the lot now occupied by the Lutheran church. In 1733 the joint Lutheran and Reformed societies erected a frame church where the Re- formed house of worship now is lo- cated. A disagreement arose as to the denomination of the new church and the Lutherans withdrew to the log church. Dominie Ehle was followed by Rev. Johannes Schuyler (1743-1751), Rev. Armilo Wernig (1751-1758), Rev. Abraham Rosencrantz (1759-1769). Rev. Mr. Rosencrantz at first preached only at Schoharie and Stone Arabia, but later had charge also of the Re- formed churches of Canajoharie (at Fort Plain), St. Johnsville and Ger- man Flatts, supervising, in that way, the religious instruction of almost the entire western Mohawk valley popula- tion of the Reformed faith. His salary at Stone Arabia was £70 annually, paid promptly as the receipts show, and from all the churches his salary must have been considerable for that time. He came to this country from Germany when a young man and mar- ried a sister of General Herkimer. He later settled at German Flats, w-here he died in 1794 and was buried under the Reformed church there. From 1769 to 1787 Stone Arabia church seems to have been without a pastor, al- though supplied occasionally by Do- minie Gross of the Fort Plain church and by Dominie Rosenkrantz. The Stone Arabia Dutch Reformed church as well as that of the Lutherans was burned by the Tory and Indian force under Johnson and Brant, Oct. 19, 1780. After the Revolution a frame building was erected. In 1788 Rev. D. C. A. Peck was called and a new stone church was built at a cost of $3,378, which was considered at that time the best church building west of Schenec- tady. It is today the best and most interesting example of the eighteenth century Mohawk valley church archi- terture in this section. Philip Schuy- ler was the master mechanic. The workmen were boarded near by, the women of the church taking turns cooking for them. The Rev. Mr. Peck preached here in the German language only but kept the records in English. In 1797 he was called to German Flats and went from there to New York, where he fell dead in the street in 1802. In 1799 the adjoining parsonage was built and Rev. Isaac Labaugh of Kinderhook became pastor in connec- tion with the Fort Plain church. It is significant of the trend of those times and also of the racial strains in the old Palatine district at this period that the consistorial minutes show THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 167 Dominie Labaugh was to preach in three different languages as follows: "He shall preach two sermons in the German languages, then one in En- glish, then two again in German, then one in Low Dutch." In 1S03 this order was changed to two sermons in En- glish instead of one, which is also sig- nificant of the growth of the English language and its attendant institu- tions and customs in this midsection of the Mohawk valley. Rev. J. J. Wack preached here in German and English from 1804 to 182S, also minis- tering to the Fort Plain church at the same time. His salary was $200 from each church, $1 for each marriage or funeral, and 50 cents for each infant baptism. Rev. Isaac Ketcham (1830- 1836) and Rev. B. B. Westfall (1838- 1844) were succeeding pastors. Under the latter the church was repaired and a new bell procured. This church at its formation in 1711 was the only one in a district where eight Reformed churches are now. The Stone Arabia Lutheran church dates from the separation of the united Reformed and Lutheran societies in 1733. Rev. William Christian Buck- meyer came here from Loonenburg on the Hudson and was the first pastor. Succeeding him were Rev. Peter Nich- olas Sommer (1743), Rev. Frederick Rees (1751), Rev. Theopilus England (1763), Rev. Frederick Reis (1773), Rev. Philip Grotz (1780). It was dur- ing Dominie Grotz's labors, in 1792, that the present frame Lutheran church was built at Stone Arabia. Rev. Peter Wilhelm Domier came here from Germany and was pastor from 1811 to 1826, when he returned to his native country. All these pastors had preached in German and the first dominie to have services in the En- glish language, as well, was Rev. John D. Lawyer, who was here from 1827 to 1838. Sir William Johnson, in a charac- teristic letter dated April 4, 1771, to the Rev. Dr. Auchmutty, writes as follows: "I desired our friend, Mr. Inglis [the Rev. Theopilus England, pastor of the Lutheran church of Stone Arabia from 1763 to 1773] to mention a Circumstance concerning Religion here that I think you ought to know. The Lutheran minister at Stoneraby has lately in a voluntary Manner with- out any previous Arguments to induce him thereto desired to take orders in the Church of England, and what is much more Strange, It is the desire of his Congregation that he should do so. The great difficulty is That, they will be without a Minister during his ab- sence, and that it will be attended with an expence which from their great Occonomy, they do not chuse to In- curr, Especially as they have some Charitable Establishments amongst themselves that are chargeable. If * * * * it Could be Carried through without making much noise. It would add the Majority of Inhabitants of a very fine Settlement to the Church, and as they are Foreigners must strengthen their allegiance to the Gov't." Dr. Auchmutty replied from New York favorably to the change of denomination but whether from the "great Occonomy" of the church for- bidding them to send their minister to England for ordination, or for some other reason, nothing seems to have come of the proposal. The "Palatine Evangelical Lutheran Church" edifice, at Palatine Church, is the oldest church building now stand- ing within the limits of Montgomery and Fulton counties. It was also the first church structure in the Palatine or Canajoharie districts to be fittingly built of a permanent material such as the stone of which it is constructed. Others were mostly of clapboards at that time. It was erected in 1770 of stone by the generous donations of a few individuals. Peter Wagner and Andrew Reber contributed £100 each. Johannes Hess and six Nellises, name- ly, William jr., Andrew, Johannes, Henry, Christian and David each gave £60, while the building of the spire, which seems to have been an after consideration, was paid for by the Nellis family exclusively. This church, unlike most others in the valley, was not destroyed by the British raiders of 168 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the Revolution, for the reason, it is supposed of the Tory proclivities of one or more of the Nellis family. It remained as originally built for a cen- tury, when it was remodeled and re- paired at a cost of $4,000 and in the fall of 1870, on its one hundredth an- niversary, a large celebration and fair was held, at which Gov. Seymour de- livered an appropriate address. Many later celebrations have been held here and the church has been restored. In its early history, this society seems never to have had any independent church organization but was supplied by ministers from other churches, principally the Lutheran church of Stone Arabia. ton Berne, Switzerland, and was ap- pointed by the 'high German authori- ties of Palatine district, Canajoharie Castle' to the church, July 13, 1788." As early as 1756 a Reformed church was erected in the eastern part of the town of St. Johnsville by Christian Klock. The Rev. Mr. Rosenkrantz was the first preacher and John Henry Disland the second. This structure was torn down in 1818 and a church was erected in the present village. This was replaced in the latter nine- teenth century by the present substan- tial brick church edifice. Mason's History says of St. John's Reformed church of St. Johnsville: "The name St. Johnsville was un- questionably derived from St. John's Reformed church, erected in 1770 and moved to the village in 1804 * * * The Reformed church of St. Johnsville is one of the oldest religious societies in the Mohawk valley, its history dat- ing back to the middle of the eigh- teenth century. The present hand- some brick edifice was built in 1881. * * * The church received the name of 'St. John's Dutch Reformed' during the latter part of the eighteenth cen- tury, and reliable records indicate that the church title suggested a name for the village. This fact has been sub- stantiated in a great degree by Rev. P. Furbeck, who devoted a great deal of attention to the subject. The Rev. Abram Rosenkrantz, who first minis- tered to the Dutch Reformed church, was a historic character, as was also his successor, Rev. John Henry Dyslin. The latter was born in Burgdorf, Can- It is only the province of this sketch to treat of the churches which were in existence in the five west end towns of Montgomery at the time of the for- mation of the Canajoharie and Pala- tine districts of Tryon county in 1772. Their story is continued until about the end of the story of Old Fort Plain, which may be put at 1834, when the Reformed church of Fort Plain with- drew from its old home in the Sand Hill section and erected a new church at its present P^ort Plain site. These details throw light on the life of the people, during this changeful period, at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century. Shortly after this time, church socie- ties of other denominations were form- ed in great numbers in the five towns under consideration. In 1794 a Free Will Baptist church society was formed several miles west of Ames, in the township of Canajo- harie, and in 1796 it was removed to that settlement. This was the first known religious organization in that town. Its present church at Ames was built in 1832. So far as known there was no church in the present village of Canajoharie, prior to the Revolution, the first house of worship, in that settlement, being a union church which was built in 1818. Rev. George B. Miller, a Luth- eran, was the first settled preacher. He had many difficulties to contend with, among them being that of having to be his own chorister. In this mu- sical capacity he had to compete with the bugles played on the line and packet boats in the summer of 1826, the first year of through canaling. The canal had been dug so near the church as to leave barely room for the tow path. These instruments were even sounded before the open windows in prayer time and it was not until an appeal was made to the state authori- ties that this nuisance was broken up. Mr. Miller was pastor for nine years THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 169 and later died at Hartwick seminary, of which he was long principal. Be- fore the erection of this union church, the people in the present township of Canajoharie probably attended the Stone Arabia or Fort Plain churches. After the organization of the Reform- ed church in 1827 other church socie- ties soon were formed in the village of Canajoharie In the town of Root a Dutch Re- formed church was organized at Cur- rytown about 1790 and a church was liuilt and dedicated in 1809, which was remodeled in 1849 and the spire re- built. This was the first church so- ciety in Root and the only one in ex-s istence before 1800. Mention has been made of the Indian Castle (Danube) church, _ erected by Sir William Johnson in the western part of the Canajoharie district about 1760, largely for the use of the Mo- hawks then residing there. It is said that Samuel Clyde, later colonel of the Canajoharie battalion or regi- ment of militia, superintended its con- struction. Lossing writes of the church at In- dian Castle, which with the Herkimer house, constitute an interesting pair of pre-Revolutionary objects of the town of Danube and of the old Cana- joharie district. "The Castle church, as it is called — the middle one of the three constructed under the auspices of Sir William Johnson — is still stand- ing (1848), two and a half miles below the Herkimer mansion. It is a wooden building, and was originally so paint- ed as to resemble stone. Its present steeple is not ancient, but the form is not unlike that of the original. Here the pious Kirkland often preached the Gospel to the heathen, and here Brant and his companions received lessons of heavenly wisdom. The church stood upon land that belonged to the sachem, and the house of Brant, where Christian missionaries were often en- tertained before he took up the war hatchet, stood about seventy-five rods northward of the church. Bricks and stones of the foundation are still to be seen in an apple orchard north of the road, and the locality was well de- fined, when I visited it, by rank weeds, nowhere else in the field so luxuriant." Previous mention has been made of the stealing of the bell of the "Castle church" by hostile Indians during the Revolution. The savages probably in- tended to take this souvenir of their old house of worship to install in a new Indian church in Canada. The marauders forgot to secure the clap- per and its clanging roused the Ger- man patriots of the neighborhood, who sallied forth and recovered the bell and returned it to its place. The "old yellow church" is situated in the western part of Manheim about three miles northerly from Little Falls at what was formerly known as Rem- ensneider's Bush, almost on the line between the" town of Little Falls and Manheim, where there was a consid- erable settlement at the time of the Revolution. Here was a mill and a block house and this was the scene of the raid in April, 1778. At this church are buried 35 Revolutionary patriot soldiers. Before the war of independence a Reformed Dutch church was organized in Manheim and a building erected. The Manheim Reformed church was burned during the Revolution ^nd re- built soon after. This building re- mained standing until 1850 w^hen the present new frame edifice took its place. Rev. Caleb Alexander, who made a tour of the valley in 1801, wrote: "Between Fairfield and Little Falls is a Dutch settlement called Manheim, rich farms, a meeting house and a minister." This is the only Revolutionary church society in the town of Manheim. Aside from the five Revolutionary churches of western Montgomery mentioned in the foregoing, the other sectarian buildings or societies of that time, within the present limits of Montgomery and Fulton counties, are noted as follows: Queen Anne's Chapel at Fort Hunter was erected about 1710, the year before the build- ing of the fort. Beer's (1878) History 170 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN says: "The liberality of Queen Anne caused the erection and endowment of a chapel and manse. The manse is still standing in sturdy strength. It is a two-story stone building, about 25 by 35 feet, and is, perhaps, the oldest structure in the Mohawk valley, west of Schenectadj' [county line]. * * * This chapel contained a veritable or- gan, the very Christopher Columbus of its kind, in all probability the first in- strument of music of such dignity in the wilderness west of Albany. Queen Anne in 1712 sent as furniture for the chapel a number of silver dishes and a quantity of church furnishings and supplies (including bibles) for this chapel and for missionary use among the Mohawks and Onondagas. This chapel was destroyed by the building of the Erie canal." At the time of the building of Queen Anne's chapel the Dutch Reformed and Episcopal de- nominations supported missions or missionaries among the Iroquois tribes. A mile east of Minaville in the town of Florida (in which Fort Hunter is also situated) a Reformed church was erected before 1784. The Caughnawaga Reformed Dutch church was built in 1763 at the eastern end of Caughnawaga (Fonda) in the present town of Mohawk. It was a stone structure and served the people of its neighborhood until 1842 when its congregation removed to worship in a church nearer the railroad sta- tion. In 1868 this noted building was torn down. An English church (which became the present St. John's Episcopal) was built of stone in Johnstown in 1771, by Johnson, and is mentioned in pre- ceding chapters. In 1836 this struc- ture was burned and in 1837 a new church was erected. Sir William Johnson gave his Lutheran and Pres- byterian neighbors glebes of 50 acres each and their church societies, at least, were in existence prior to the Revolution. These are the only Revo- lutionary church societies of Fulton coxmty. existence in western Montgomery county, before or during the Revolu- tion: Three Reformed churches at Stone Arabia, Fort Plain, St. Johns- ville; two Lutheran churches at Stone Arabia and Palatine Church. In the Canajoharie and Palatine districts were seven churches — four Reformed churches at Stone Arabia, Fort Plain, St. Johnsville and Manheim; two Lutheran churches at Stone Arabia and Palatine Church and one Episco- pal or Union church at Indian Castle, Danube. In Montgomery county were eight Revolutionary churches — five Re- formed churches at Stone Arabia, Fort Plain, St. Johnsville, Caughnawaga (Fonda) and Minaville; two Lutheran churches at Stone Arabia and Palatine Church and one Episcopal church at Fort Hunter. In Fulton county were three Revolutionary church societies- Episcopal, Lutheran and Presbyterian. In Fulton and Montgomery counties (or old Montgomery county prior to 1838) were eleven church societies at the end of the Revolution. All of these are in existence, with the exception of the Episcopal church at Fort Hunter, which was destroyed by the building of the Erie canal, as previously stated. The foregoing shows the following five churches or church societies in Hon. Francis Granger, postmaster- general under Gen. W. H. Harrison, has left an account of a Sunday at the old Caughnawaga Reformed Dutch church, which deserves a place here as illuminating the life of the times. A condensation of his narrative follows: " * * * Loads of the worshippers were coming in from the country. As fast as the women alighted from the sheepskin-bottomed chairs which formed the seats in the wagons, the men, after providing for their teams, repaired to a neighboring bar-room. Gravely, as befitted the day, each or- dered a drink. Having drained his glass, the thirsty Christian thrust his hand deep in his pocket and drew forth a long, narrow leather wallet, with a string w-oven in the neck, rolled up around the coin which it contained. Taking the purse by the bottom and emptying the cash into his left hand he selected a sixpence and laying it THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 171 before the landlord, poured back the remainder into the depths of the wal- let, folded it carefully up, restored it to his pocket, and returned to the church. Thither Mr. Granger also be- took himself. An officious usher took him in charge, and, shutting him up in one of the high-partitioned box pews, which occupied most of the floor, left him to pursue his meditations. The most noticeable feature of the odd in- terior of the building was the pulpit, which was a little five-sided coop, perched aloft on a slender support, reached by the narrowest of stairways, and canopied by a sounding board that completely roofed it over. On the wall, on either side of the pulpit, hung a pole several feet in length, suspend- ed by an iron hoop or ring, from which also depended a little bag with a bell at the bottom. In due time the clergy- man entered, and, mounting the slen- der stairway, seated himself in his little domain, which barely contained him. From his fresh and rubicund face, it would almost seem that his parishioners were countenanced by him in their matter of their Sunday morning dram. Here, thought the vis- itor, observant of his glowing features, was a light of the church set in a Dutch candlestick and covered with an umbrella, to prevent any untimely ex- tinguishment. The congregation en- tered heartily into the singing, and Mr. Granger thought it might be good worship, though sad music. At the proper stage, the ushers, taking down the scoop nets from beside the pulpit went fishing expertly among the wor- shipers for a collection, tinkling the little bells appended, as if to warn them to be ready with their change. There was need of notice, for getting at the coin was the same deliberate operation as at the tavern. There was the diving for the purse, the unrolling and emptying of the contents; but the observer noted that the burgher's eye scanned his palm for a penny instead of a sixpence. When they had gone the round of the house, the collectors took their turn at the performance, seeming to hear the Head of the Church saying, as of old 'Bring me a penny.' The dominie had got well into his ser- mon, in a commonplace way, before he saw Mr. Granger. Then, at the sight of a well-dressed and intelligent stranger in the house, he perceptibly roused himself, and became really elo- quent. At the close of the service he had an interview with the visitor, who assured him, in all sincerity, that he was never more interested in a sermon in his life." CHAPTER V. The Mohawk River and Watershed — History and Topography This is the first of five chapters deal- ing with the Mohawk river, its valley and watershed and with water traffic on the Mohawk through its valley. This chapter treats of the Mohawk, its geological history, its topography and geography. The following chapter deals with early traffic on the Mo- hawk, including the years from 1609 to 1825. Subsequent ones will treat of the Erie canal 1825-1913, the Barge canal, and of the geology of the cen- tral Mohawk river section, particularly that between Fall Hill and the Noses. This latter is from the pen of Abram Devendorf and forms chapter VII. of the third series of these papers. At- tention is called to the accompanying map which gives a birds-eye view of the Mohawk watershed, the names of all except the first and second class tributaries being omitted for the sake of clearness. The Mohawk valley forms a most important region of the Hudson river watershed. As it is the site of the eastern section of the Barge canal, the water supply of the Mohawk water- shed is a subject of the greatest im- portance. The valley of the Mohawk breaks through the Atlantic states mountain system and forms a natural road and waterway between tidewater and the Great Lakes. Its position in this respect is unique and makes it a link in a great chain of land and water communication, running from the sea far into the middle and northwestern portions of North America. The Mo- 172 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN THE MOHAWK RIVER, ITS VALLEY AND WATERSHED. THE NAMES OF ITS FIRST AND SECOND CLASS AFFLUENTS ARE GIVEN TO AID THE READER IN LOCATING THE DIFFERENT STREAMS AND REGIONS OF THE WATERSHED. hawk river basin takes natural im- portance as the seat of the life of the Mohawk tribe of the great Iroquois confederacy; as a place, in the seven- teenth and eighteenth centuries, of interesting settlement by Dutch, Ger- inan and British; as the scene of vital and terrible Revolutionary warfare, and as a region of highway, water- way, railroad, industrial, town and agricultural development. All these are treated in separate chapters of this work. The Mohawk river rises in the south- ern part of Lewis county and flows about 135 miles to its junction with the Hudson at Troy. Its course is in a generally easterly direction. The stream has two tributaries of the first class — the West Canada and Schoharie creeks. The West Canada rises in the Adirondacks in Herkimer and Hamil- ton counties and has a course of about sixty miles to its junction with the Mohawk at Herkimer. The Schoharie rises in Greene county, among the Catskills, about seventy miles or more to the south of its confluence with the Mohawk at Fort Hunter. It was through this valley, from the Hudson, that the first Palatines came to Pala- tine on the Mohawk, settling the Scho- harie valley on the way. The Scho- harie- valley is a beautiful and im- portant region of the Mohawk valley, whose history, however, is only con- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 173 sidered very generally in this publica- tion. The Oriskany, entering the Mohawk at Oriskany, the East Canada creek entering at East Creek station and the Caroga (also written Garoga) joining its parent stream at Palatine Church, may be considered second class tribu- taries. The Oriskany rises in Madi- son county and the East and Caroga creeks have their headwaters on the edge of the Adirondack region, — the East creek in Herkimer, Hamilton and in the Canada lakes of Fulton county and the Caroga in the lake region of Pulton county formed by headwaters of East creek just mentioned and its own headwaters — the Caroga lakes. Peck's Pond and minor ponds. A rough classification of the Mo- hawk's third class tributaries com- prise the following: Nine Mile creek, Saquoit, Nowadaga, Otsquago, Cana- joharie, Flat creek, Cayadutta, North Chuctanunda, South Chuctanunda, Alplauskill. The greater part of these important tributaries, both of the first and second class, enter the Mohawk in Montgomery county. In the central section of the Mo- hawk basin, which is considered particularly in these chapters, the southern rim of the watershed lies much nearer to the river than the northern. In the valley country from I lion to Fultonville, the southern rim lies about fifteen miles or less from the river while the northern is from two to three times that distance from the Mohawk. The Adirondack region covers a large part of the northern edge of the watershed. The head- waters of the Schoharie lie in the Cats- kill country. The Mohawk watershed was, three hundred years ago, part of the great eastern forest, and two- thirds of it has been denuded by the European colonists. Much of the farm lands are fertile — some of them very fertile. The Oneida lake watershed lies to the west of the Mohawk headwaters and the Black river valley to the north. The Oneida lake waters continue the Mohawk waterway westward to Lakes Ontario and Erie and the Black river forms a water and highway to north- ern New York and the St. Lawrence. The Mohawk's "parent" valley — the Hudson — borders the northeastern and eastern sides while the Susquehanna bounds the southwestern limit of the Mohawk basin. The Delaware head- waters lie close to those of the Scho- harie. The foregoing gives a gen- eral view of the Mohawk and its watershed. The following matter covers the subject in greater detail. The story of the Mohawk river is the history of civilization in America. Its chronicle is of interest to a great region of territory of North America, as it is the chief link between the Great Lakes and the ocean_ Together with Oneida lake and the Oswego river, it connects the tidewaters of the Hudson with the great inland seas. These latter today carry an enormous commerce which should find a great part of its outlet through the Barge canal, which follows the Mohawk river in its eastern course. With progress in canalization it may be that a canal will eventually join the Great Lakes, by way of the Lake of the Woods to Lakes Winnipeg and Winnipegosis in Canada. This would make a territory immediately contributory to these great waterways of an area equal to about one-third of the United States, and a much greater region would in- directly contribute to its commerce. It would extend from New York city up the Hudson, through the Mohawk river, Oneida lake and Oswego river to Lake Ontario, to Lake Erie, through Lakes Huron and Superior to the out- let of Rainy Lake, through that lake and the river of the same name into the Lake of the Woods, in Canada, and thence into Whitemouth river, into Winnipeg river, into Lake Winni- peg (tapping the Red River of the North running down into theDakotas), into Lake Manitoba, into Lake Winni- pegosis and there joining the great Saskatchewan river, and, by way of Lake Winnipeg, reaching many more waterways of the Canadian northwest, which drain practically that entire great granary of North America. This waterway would reach, from the sea 174 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN into the interior, four thousand miles and has long been projected. The present Great Lakes — Barge canal — Mohawk river — Hudson waterway has a length of about fifteen hundred miles or more, and taps a great part of industrial America. This route would be impossible without the break, in the Eastern States mountain sys- tem, through which the Mohawk flows from a point very close to the water- shed of Lake Ontario to sea level at Troy. Thus the history and develop- ment of this important link in this inland waterway is of interest to peo- ple along the whole route, as, without the Mohawk, this line of transporta- tion would be non-existent. The Laurentian hills of Quebec pro- vince and the Adirondack region com- prise some of the oldest land surfaces of the world. Of the latter the Mo- hawk valley now forms the greater part of the southern border, the hills north of the river in Montgomery county being the first foothills of the Adirondack mountains. When the Adirondack region rose from the ocean, the southern shore was approximately along the northern border of Fulton county and many of the streams now flowing from the north into the Mo- hawk were rushing mountain torrents which fell from those barren heights into the sea at the shore line men- tioned. Some of these were probably the West and East Canada and the Caroga creeks and some others men- tioned later. The Mohawk valley was then under the ocean and its rise and emergence from the waters of the sea came at a later date. After this emergence but before the "birth" of the Mohawk, this region was part of the slope from the Adi- rondack mountains to the sea, which then flowed along the southern bor- ders of New York during the carboni- ferous era. Some of the then streams of this drainage slope are supposed to have been the West Canada creek, East Canada creek, Garoga, Cayadutta, North Chuctanunda and Sacandaga. The Mohawk river dates its geologi- cal history from the end of the coal period, when occurred the elevation of the Appalachian range of mountains. This uplift (according to S. L. Frey, in his interesting "Story of Our River") extended through New York state and included Ohio, Indiana, Illi- nois and Wisconsin and, in conse- quence, the Great Lakes were formed, with their drainage outlet probably by way of the Illinois river at that time. The Cherry Valley hills were part of this uplift and in this way the Mohawk valley was made between that range of low mountains of which they are a part and the Adirondack highlands. Mr Frey says: "At the time of the disturbance [raising of the Appala- chian range] there had been two im- portant uplifts running north and south at right angles to the Cherry Valley hills. These are called by geologists 'the uplifts of the Mohawk,' one at the Noses and the other at Little Falls. When, therefore, the water could no longer flow south, on account of the hills, or east, on ac- count of the uplifts, it gathered until the basins filled, when all to the east of Litt'.e Falls discharged over the top of the uplift at the Noses, and all, to the west of the barrier [Fall Hill] at Little Falls ran west and emptied into the Great Lakes basin. Thus was the Mohawk river formed, a part of it running east and a part west. This condition, probably prevailed for a very long period, the river wearing its way into the soft and fissile shale." Here we see the eastern of these early "lakes of the Mohawk," covering a large part of what the Mohawks termed Canajoharie and which was later the Canajoharie and Palatine districts, with which we are dealing in this narrative. As the ages rolled by, the lowering of the temperature in North America (attributed to a variety of causes) produced the glacial period^ during which this part of the continent was covered by an ice sheet (5,000 feet thick in places) as far south as cen- tral New Jersey. The glacier, in its southern march, reached the Mohawk valley and the river, which then ran in a deep channel. Says Mr. Frey: THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 175 "The ice filled this deep depression, and, turning eastward, followed the course of the river, grinding and grooving and tearing the rocks at the sides and bottom. Of course the up- lift at Little Falls was greatly lowered; but it was at the uplift at the Noses that there seems to have been the hardest struggle, and the most enor- mous amount of grinding and erosion. The glacier seems to have been held back by the peculiar configuration of the hills, at a point just west of Sprakers Basin. The result was the scooping out of a deep trough in the rock, beginning at Gros's rift. This grew deeper as it goes east, the sides of the excavation slope up to the banks and cliffs on each side, and the rock is now buried under deposits of soil and sand, of gravel, boulders and hardpan. The village of Canajoharie (that is the business part of it) stands on a deposit of this character fifty feet in depth. As we go eastward the ex- cavation in the rock grows deeper and deeper and the steep hills seem to sur- round a great basin and to close the valley. * * * -pj^g ^gg Qf jgg lasted long, but it came to an end at last. As the climate grew warm again the ice melted and great floods poured out at the foot of the glacier and, held by the high ridge at the south and by the ice wall at the north, gathered into great lakes. The most northern one, which has been called Lake Agas- siz, was where the Red River of the North is and was 600 miles long. The other, called Lake Iroquois, occupied the Great Lakes basin. It is probable that the former discharged into the latter and the outlet, as long as the glacier blocked the St. Lawrence, was by way of the Mohawk valley [to the Hudson valley and the ocean], al- though there may have been one or two other outlets toward the south- west. But the most of it ran east to the Hudson and was our river on an immense scale. [Here we have the original Great Lakes to the sea water- way through the Mohawk valley.] * * * This great flow of water fin- ished the work of the glacier, made the rounded hills that we see; and the worn, rocky cliffs, finished the cutting of a channel through the uplifts at Little Falls and the Noses, and made an easy grade for canals and rail- roads and boulevards." With the con- tinual gradual recession of the ice sheet to the north, the waters of the Great Lakes made their outlet to the sea through the St. Lawrence river. The Mohawk then drained only its own watershed and shrank to its pres- ent course. When the forest was here it probably carried a larger volume of water than at present, with its water- shed largely denuded. The total area of the actual Mohawk valley watershed is 3,485 square miles, which is roughly 8 per cent or about one-fourteenth of the state's area. This Mohawk drainage territory is comprised in the following counties with a very rough estimate of the number of acres in each drained by the Mohawk and its tributaries: Lewis, 20,000; Oneida, 500,000; Madi- son, 5,000; Herkimer, 500,000; Hamil- ton, 150,000; Montgomery 250,000; Ot- sego, 5,000; Fulton, 225,000; Schoharie, 400,000; Delaware, 5,000; Greene (headwaters of Schoharie river), 150,- 000; Albany, 30,000; Saratoga, 30,000. This makes thirteen of the state's sixty-one counties, some part of which forms a portion of the Mohawk water- shed. Of these thirteen counties, Montgomery is the only one whose ter- ritory is entirely within the limits of the Mohawk river drainage system. The western part of Oneida county is drained by the Oneida lake water- shed, while the extreme southern sec- tion belongs to the Susquehanna val- ley, and the extreme northeastern lies in the Black river watershed. The upper portion of Herkimer county (in the Adirondack forest section) is drained by the Black river, and the extreme south lies in the Susquehanna valley. The eastern part of Fulton county belongs to the upper Hudson system, being watered by the Sacan- daga and its tributaries. The south- ern part of Schenectady county drains into the Hudson and a small portion of western Schoharie county is in the Susciuehanna valley. 176 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN The Mohawk drains a country of high rolling hills, rising into mountains on several of its divides from other adjoining basins. In the central Mo- hawk region, which is the one under consideration in this work, the edges of the watershed rise to summits of over 2,500 feet on the north and south margins. The divide which separates the Big Sprite (branch of the East creek) and the headwaters of the Caroga from the .Sacandaga valley, has summits of the following elevations: In the town of Bleecker, Fulton county, Pigeon Mt. 2,700, Pinnacle 2,514, Shaker Mt. 2,500; in the town of Caroga, Ful- ton county, adjoining Canada lakes, Pine Mt. 2,200, Camelhump 2,278 and 2,265, Sheeley Mt. 2,120; in the town of Stratford, Fulton county, West Rooster Hill, 2,240. Hills of from five to over eight hundred feet elevation rise from the Mohawk flats themselves. In western Montgomery county, the high- est of these is Getman Hill (sea eleva- tion, 1,140 feet and 838 feet above the Mohawk). This summit is almost in the point where the town lines of St. Johnsville, Ephratah and Oppenheim join and is part of the ridge 1hat oc- cupies the northern horizon as seen from old and new Fort Plain. Prob- ably the highest hill rising directly from the Mohawk river flats is Yan- tapuchaberg, on the south side of the river between Amsterdam and Sche- nectady. This mountain has a sea elevation of 1,385 feet and rises about 1,150 feet above the Mohawk. Old Yantapuchaberg is one of the most beautiful hills in the Mohawk valley, or anywhere else, with its wooded slopes rising to a forest crested sum- mit. It is an object of the traveler's interest on the Central railroad op- posite. Summits, equal in height to those in the Fulton county lake region rise in the Cherry Valley. hills on the central southern rim of the water- shed. The Mohawk river bed falls from a sea elevation of 420 feet at Rome to 184 feet at Crescent in Saratoga county. From there the river drops, by Cohoes falls and rapids, to sea level at Troy. In Montgomery county the river elevations vary from 302 feet at St. Johnsville and Fort Plain to 255 feet at Amsterdam. The Mohawk, for over sixty years prior to 1913 was paralleled by canals the greater part of its length. Black River canal follows the course of the east upper head branch of the Mohawk and the main stream from near Boonville to Rome, a dis- tance of over tw-enty miles, and from Rome to Cohoes the Erie canal follows the river for over 100 miles. The Barge canal largely follows the Mo- hawk's course from Rome to Cohoes. It must be remembered that the name Mohawk valley applies to the entire watershed of this important river — to the headwaters of the Scho- harie in the Catskills and the lake sources of the West Canada, East Canada and Caroga creeks in the Adirondacks just as much as to the Mohawk itself, along which main stream, the greater part of the popu- lation of the Mohawk basin is located and where the major items of human life and activity have had their scene and enactment. The lakes of the Mohawk basin are confined to the north central rim of the watershed and to the headwaters of the West Canada, East Canada and Caroga creeks. The majority of these lakes and ponds lie in northern Fulton county and include the Canada and Caroga lakes and Peck's pond and its tributary lakes or ponds. Two small lakes or ponds, one at the headwaters of Oriskany creek and the other at the source of the South Chuctanunda are the only ponds of a size worthy of mention on the south side of the Mo- hawk watershed. Honnedaga Lake, one of the headwater lakes of the West Canada, is the largest and Can- ada, Caroga, Peck and Jerseyfield lakes are of the second class and about the same area. According to the maps, Honnedaga lake is about four miles long and a mile wide. Canada lake is about two miles long and a half mile wide. The Barge canal reser- voirs, Hinckley and Delta, are the largest lakes in the Mohawk watershed although they are, of course, artificial. TPIE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 177 Under the heading "A brief topogra- phy of the Mohawk valley," Simms writes as follows: "The Mohawk river rises in Lewis county, about 20 miles to the northward of Rome, [near a place called Mohawk Hill] arriving at which place it takes an easterly course, and, at a distance of about 135 miles from its source, enters the Hudson between Troy and Waterford. Its source is near Black river, which, running northwesterly, empties into Lake Ontario. Wood creek also rises northwesterly from Rome and, at a point two miles distant from the bend of the Mohawk, [the old carrying place between Wood creek and the Mohawk] it finds a westerly course into Oneida lake, which discharges into Oswego river and runs into Lake Ontario at Oswego. The Mohawk has two prom- inent cascades to interrupt its navi- gation — the Cohoes Falls, not far from its mouth with 70 feet fall, requiring six deep locks on the Erie canal to overcome the ascent, and the Little Falls [also called Canajoharie Falls in the early days], so called as compared with the Cohoes, having a fall of 42 feet, the canal descending 40 feet in a single mile by five locks, averaging about eight feet lift. The mountain barrier at this point through which the water furrowed its way in the long ago, affords some of the most ro- mantic scenery in Central New York. The river in its course through One- ida, Herkimer, Montgomery and Sche- nectady counties, passes through some of the richest bottom lands or river flats to be found in any country. "For nearly two centuries the Mo- hawk was navigated above Schenec- tady by small water craft, mostly bat- teaux, [flatboats] around which danced the red man's canoe; but it was al- ways interrupted by the Little Falls, some 58 miles above, which necessi- tated a carrying place of a mile; and, at a later period, when the waters of Wood creek and Oneida lake were utilized, a carrying place of two miles was established between that creek and the Mohawk, so that boats from Schenectady went to Oswego and back, at first to convey Indian goods and military stores. For the benefit of young readers I may say that, at carrying places, both cargo and boat had to be taken from the water and conveyed around the obstruction by land — usually by teams and extra hands, quite constantly employed — -of course, to be relaunched and reloaded to pursue its onward course. "After the Revolution which had familiarized the whole country with the rich lands of western New York, from which the Indians had mostly been driven by their sympathy with Britain, many citizens from New Eng- land — not a few of whom had been sol- diers — removed thither, especially to Ontario county. * * * Some of these settlers moved up the Mohawk valley with ox-teams and covered wagor.s, while others journeyed in boats from Schenectady, their cattle being driven along the river roads. Parties by water were often composed of several families, to aid each other at the carry- ing places, as also to guard against any and every danger. The valley soon became a thoroughfare for thous- ands passing through it, and the travel has gone on increasing, with improved facilities, until millions by rail are now speeding along, where thousands sought their way by river craft and private conveyances or, a little later, by canal craft and stages. The world, at times, now seems hurrying to and fro through the valley. "The Mohawk valley is not only wonderfully beautified but its fertility is greatly increased by the numerous tributaries, large and small, entering the river upon both shores, which af- ford advantageous mill-sites for hun- dreds of mills and manufactories, em- ploying the labor of many thousands of operatives." Regarding Wood creek, which was formerly connected by a canal with the Mohawk at Rome, Spafford wrote in 1824, as follows: "Wood creek of the Oneida lake, long so famous for its navigation, on which millions of prop- erty have been wafted and large armies^a little stream over which a man may almost step — deserves notice 178 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN for its historic importance in days of yore, the rather as it now is lost sight of and will soon be forgotten, merged in the glories of the Erie canal." Simms gives a list of the tributaries of the Mohawk of which the following are the principal, with the points at which they enter the river. Com- mencing at Rome, on the south side of the Mohawk, descending the valley are the following: Oriskany at Oriskany; Saquoit, near Whitesboro; Furnace creek at Frankfort; Steele's creek at Ilion; Nowadaga (also called Inchu- nando, Conowadaga) at Indian Castle; Otsquago at Fort Plain; Canajoharie at Canajoharie; Plattekill or Flat creek at Sprakers; Wasontha (Yates- ville) at Randall; Oghrackie or Aries- kill at Auriesville; Schoharie river at Fort Hunter; Tuechtanonda, or Little Chuctanunda or South Chuctanunda at Amsterdam (south side) ; Cowilla, opposite Cranesville; Zantzee, near Hoffman's Ferry; Plotterkill, a little distance below; Bennekill, just above Schenectady; Donker's Kill between Schenectady and the mouth of the Mohawk. Beginning on the north side and go- ing down the river from Rome are the following tributary streams: No. 6, Mile creek, two and a half miles from Rome; No. 9 Mile creek, seven miles from Rome; Rasceloth or Sterling creek in the town of Schuyler; Teugh- taghnarow or West Canada creek, be- low Herkimer; Ciohana or East Can- ada creek at East Creek (called also Gayohara) ; Crum Creek; Fox's creek, [or Timmermans creek] at Upper St. Johnsville; Zimmerman's creek at St. Johnsville; Mother creek, between St. Johnsville and Palatine Church; Car- oga at Palatine Church; Kanagara [or Knayderack] at the county home [Schenck's]; Cayadutta at Fonda; Dadanoscara at DeGraff's; Kayaderos- seros at Fort Johnson; Chuctanunda, or North Chuctanunda, at Amsterdam; Eva's Kill at Cranesville; Lewis Kill and Vertkill, above Schenectady; Al- plauskill and Anthonykill, between Schenectady and Troy. The foregoing treats of the geologi- cal history and topography of the Mo- hawk and its valley. The following chapter tells of early navigation on the river, which formed such an important feature of life along the Mohawk dur- ing the two centuries from 1609 to 1825. CHAPTER VI. 1609-1795 — Traffic and Travel on the Mohawk River — Canoes, Dugouts, Skiffs, Batteaux — Carries at Little Falls and Wood Creek— 1792, Inland Lock Navigation Co. — 1795, Canals and Locks at Little Fails, German Flats and Rome — Schenectady and Durham Boats and River Packets — 1821-1825, Mohawk Part of Eriie Canal System — 1825, Erie Canal Su- persedes River as Valley Waterway. This is the second chapter dealing with the Mohawk river. It is also the first chapter dealing with transporta- tion and commerce along that stream, either by land or water. This chapter, concerning Mohawk river traffic from 1609 to 1825, is to be followed by others treating of bridges, turnpikes, Erie canal, railroads. Barge canal, etc., making in all seven or eight sketches on this subject. Even Atwood's aero- plane journey over the course of the Mohawk might fittingly be included in this chronicle of three centuries of traffic and travel through the valley. Persons interested in this subject sep- arately can follow the story in the chapters aforementioned as they are published in their chronological order, just as the same procedure may be carried out in the consideration of the chapters dealing with the Mohawk river, as suggested in the last chap- ter. Agriculture, manufacturing and transportation are said to form a tri- angle comprising the business life of a country or region. The following opens up the interesting subject of transportation in the Mohawk valley during three centuries. The first settlers of New York in the Hudson valley adopted water trans- portation as the forests were gener- ally impassable, except over the In- dian trails. Travel by water or on foot were the first methods used in THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 179 the Mohawk valley. The history of transportation along the Moha,wk may be epitomized in the following meth- ods of freight and passenger carriage: Man carriage, canoe, dugout, skiff, flatboat, raft, skates, snowshoes, sad- dle-horse, pack-horse, oxcart, sled, chaise, coach, sulky, wagon, covered big (Conestoga) wagon, stage coach, large river boat, buggy, canal boat, canal packet boat, railroad coach, rail- road freight car, steam tug, horse car, steam launch, steam yacht, bicycle, electric trolley car, automobile, motor bus, motor truck, motor cycle, motor boat, motor tug, aeroplane, canal barge. Mohawk river traffic may be briefly summarized as follows: The Mohawk Indians, living on the river shores and frequently changing their habitations from the south to the north side and back again, used bark canoes and dug- outs to traverse the river. These were, doubtless also used by the first white explorers and traders. After Schenec- tady was settled, in the lower Mo- hawk valley in 1661, probably the fiat- bottomed "scow skiff," propelled by oars, made its appearance. From this was evolved the larger fiat or fiatboat or batteau, propelled by oars, poles and sails. These boats were in use by traders, settlers and soldiers to carry goods, farm produce and war material until after the Revolution. They car- ried from one to two tons, their size being determined by the fact that they had to make two land carries on the river trip. The Inland Lock Naviga- tion Co. was formed in 1792 and the ))uilding of locks and canals, at Little Falls, German Flats and Rome in 1795 made larger boats possible. The Dur- ham and Schenectady boats of ten tons burden, made their appearance, poles and sails being the propelling forces employed by the Mohawk sail- ors of a century ago. The smaller batteaux also continued in use. From 1795 to 1825 the river was a lively line of traffic, even passenger packets be- ing in use. From 1821-1825 the Mo- hawk was utilized as a part of the Erie canal system and when the canal had been dug from Rome to Little Falls, the canal boats entered the river at the latter place and continued their journey to Schenectady on the Mo- hawk. Later when the canal was fin- ished from Rome to Sprakers boats left the canal near the Noses and con- tinued on by the river to their desti- nation at Schenectady. In 1826 Erie navigation began and the Mohawk ceased to be used as a trade route. Many of the river boatmen and some of their craft, however, continued their work on the new canal, which eclipsed the river until these latter days of the Barge canal. From the days of the Mohawk canoes and dugouts and those of the first Indian traders, the river was the artery of trade between the east and the far west. From Albany to Schen- ectady was a portage and also around the Cohoes falls. From these points the boats called batteaux or fiatboats soon came into use by the white set- tlers and traders. The river was fol- lowed to Little Falls where there was another carry by land around the rapids, although these were sometimes shot by venturesome boatmen on the down trip when the river was swollen. At Wood creek was a third carry from the Mohawk. Canals were built at Little Falls and Wood Creek in 1795. Before this at Little Falls sleds and wagons were used to carry the batteaux around the portage. These batteaux were flat-bottomed scows of sufficient dimensions to carry several tons and were propelled by setting poles which were kept for sale at convenient points along the river. With backs to the prow the batteaux men thrust the poles to the river's bed and, bearing hard upon them and walking aft, laboriously pushed the boat against the current. A sort of harmony of movement was secured by the captains by the cries, "Bowsmen up!" and "Second men up!" Steering was done with a tiller oar. Such was the mode of transporting merchandise and Indian commodities to and from the west for nearly two centuries; and such, too, the method of transport- 180 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN ing munitions of war during the Rev- olution. Much of the material used in building defens'='s like Fort Plain was brought up this way and convoying batteaux flotilla containing war sup- plies was frequently part of the duties of the militia and regulars located here and in surrounding districts. Revolu- tionary captains in the batteaux ser- vice were in 1832 made entitled to the same pensions as captains in the Con- tinental army. Small batteaux, known in those times as three-handed and four-handed boats, were in early use on the Mohawk. They were so called because three or four men were required to propel and care for them. Passing the carry at Little Falls in early days, the boats proceeded to Fort Stanwix where the carry was made to Wood creek, whence they floated into and through Oneida lake and the Oswego river to Oswego where they entered Lake Ontario. From Oswego to Niagara, then a place of much importance, merchandise was transported in the same boats or aboard sloops. This was the water route to the west until the completion of the Erie canal in 1825. The earliest boatmen were troubled by the Indians who look toll for the navigation of the river and who were particularly threatening and rapac- ious at the Wood creek carry. The rifts in the river offered a serious menace to this form of transportation and wrecks and drownings were not infrequent. On the down trip the flood times were welcomed as over- coming this trouble and this must have been a favorite time for making the journey east. On the up trip over the rifts the polemen were assisted by men on shore with ropes. Rude sails were also used during favoring winds and sails, oars and poles were the three methods of propelling the white man's boats on the Mohawk for two centuries. It was not until 1800 that the turn- pikes were improved sufficiently to compete with the Mohawk in matters of transportation, and the river, at the Revolutionary period, was the main artery of traffic and remained so for some time. Schenectady then was a lively river port and important town to the Mohawk valley people. The first rift or rapids, above Sche- nectady, was met with, at a distance of six miles, and was called Six Flats Rift. Proceeding west in order came Fort Hunter rift, Caughnawaga rift at Fultonville, Keator's rift at Sprakers, the greatest in the river, having a fall of ten feet in a few rods; Brandy wine rift at Canajoharie, short but rapid; Ehle's rift, near Fort Plain; Kneis- kern's rift, a small rapid near the up- per Indian Castle and a little above the river dam; the Little Falls, so called in contradistinction to the great Falls at Cohoes; Wolf's rift, five miles above the falls. At Fort Plain, a bend in the river opposite the house of Peter Ehle from whom the rift took its name was known as Ehle's crank; and opposite the residence of Nicholas Gros, a little below, another turn in the river was called Gros's crank. At the Little Falls, a descent of 40 feet in half a mile, boats could not be forced up the current and it became a carrying place for them and merchan- dise, which were transported around the rapids, usually on the north shore, at first on sleds and later on wagons with small wide rimmed wheels. The water craft were then re- launched and reloaded and proceeded on their western journey. On such oc- casions, one of the party usually stay- ed with the goods deposited above while the team returned for the boat. The difficulties of forcing the boats over the rifts of the Mohawk increased with their size. As many as twenty men, pulling with ropes on the bank and pushing with poles on the boat, were sometimes unable to propel a single boat over Keator's rift. Black slaves, owned by settlers near the rapids, were frequently employed in this occupation. An early traveler writes as follows of this waterway: "The Oniada Lake, situated near the head of the River Oswego, receives the waters of Wood Creek, which takes its rise not far from the Mohawk River. These two THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 181 lie so adjacent to each other that a junction is effected by sluices at Fort Stanwix. * * * * j^ere [Little Falls] the roaring rapids interrupted all nav- igation, empty boats not even being able to pass over them. The early portage, of one mile here in sleds over the swampy ground, has been describ- ed as it was in 1756, when enterprising Teutons residing here transferred all boats in sleds over marshy ground which 'would admit of no wheel car- riage.' * * * Later on, about 1790, we find that the Germans' sleds were out of use and that boats were trans- ferred on wheeled vehicles appropri- ately fashioned to carry them without damage to their hulls. No great boats could be transferred by such means; this fact had a tendency to limit the carrying capacity of Mohawk batteaus to about one and a half tons." Johan Jost Herkimer, father of Nicholas Her- kimer, was a pioneer in this carrying business at "The Falls" and here laid the foundation of a considerable for- tune. Washington mentions the advantages of the Mohawk valley waterway and after the Revolution efforts were made to improve it and many plans were put forward, some bearing a rude re- semblance to the present barge canal dams. To this end the Inland Lock Navigation company was incorporated March 30, 1792, Gen. Philip Schuyler being elected its president. Locks and canals were built at Little Falls, at -Wolfs Rift at German Flats, and at Rome, connecting with Wood Creek. These canals were constructed about 1795, prior to which time there were carries at Little Falls and Wood Creek. These river locks and canals continued in use until 1825, the year of the open- ing of the Erie canal. After the river improvements were made the Durham boat was substituted for the unwieldly batteaux. The Dur- ham boat was of ten or fifteen tons capacity and had sharpened bows. Cleats were along the sides to give the polemen's feet better purchase and a small caboose was the crew's store- house and the cooking was done on shore, where fuel was plenty. It is related that one of these boats left Utica in the morning and reached Schenectady on the evening of the same day, which was considered a record trip. The expense of transpor- tation from Albany to Schenectady was 16 cents per 100 pounds. From Schenectady to Utica, 75 cents and from Utica to Oswego $1.25, making a through rate of $2.16 per 100 pounds. This would give $43.20 per ton as the freight rate between Schenectady and Oswego, less than 200 miles. In 1913 the rate per ton by lake boats from Buffalo to Duluth, about 700 miles, was 39 cents. The river improvements and cost of transportation made the enterprise un- profitable and the company sold out to the state in 1820. With the build- ing of the Erie canal the traffic boat- men disappeared from the Mohawk. It is probable that at Fort Plain was a landing for batteaux, during the life- time of the post, and afterward for the larger boats. Possibly the Otsquago was here deep where it traversed the level flatland for a half mile and bat- teaux may have been able to pene- trate its still waters up to the Clarke house and Paris store. Along the river road, near some of the rapids, were public houses, a good share of whose custom came from the boatmen. As near these' runs as pos- sible, boats often tied up for the night and here a lot of old Mohawk sailors had jolly times. Jost Spraker's tav- ern, at Keator's rift, was one of those. Another riverman's favorite tavern was the old Isaac Weatherby house at Brandywine rift, situated a mile below Palatine Bridge, and below the junc- tion of the Oswegatchie and the river roads. Accidents, drownings and wrecks were many. Two which occurred near Fort Plain, shortlj^ before the Erie was opened, are described by Simms as follows: "Ezra Copley in 1823 ran a Durham boat on a rock in Ehle's rift, below the Fort Plain bridge. It was loaded with wheat in bulk, was stove and filled with water. The wheat was taken to Ehle's barn and dried, the boat was repaired, reloaded and went 182 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN on its destination. One of the best of this class of craft, known as the 'Butterfly,' was descending the river, swollen by floods, when the steersman lost control of it and it struck broad- side on one of the stone piers of the Canajoharie bridge and broke near the centre. The contents of the boat lit- erally filled the river for some distance and three hands were drowned. The body of one, named Clark, was recov- ered twelve miles below at Pulton- ville. The steersman retained his hold on the long tiller (some 20 feet long) and reached shore about a quarter mile below the bridge. Most of the flour on the boat was saved along the river. The owner of the craft, a man named Meyers, had the boat's frag- ments taken to Schenectady and re- built. After this it was taken through the newly completed Erie canal to Cayuga lake. Here, while making a trip loaded with gypsum, it sank and its owner was drowned. Thus ended the unfortunate 'Butterfly,' one of the last of the freight craft that sailed the Mohawk." Many of the river boats probably found early use on the Erie canal, after 1825. In the last few years (1821-1825) of canal construc- tion the Mohawk was used in connec- tion with the completed portions of the Erie canal for the transportation of canal boats from the west to Sche- nectady and vice versa, notably from Little Falls and later from Sprakers, to Schenectady. Several large rowboats, constructed especially to carry twenty passengers each, from Utica to Schenectady, and tastefully curtained, were in use on the Mohawk at about 1800. They were called river packets. Christian Schultz, who journeyed on the river in 1807, spoke of there be- ing three kinds of boats on the Mo- hawk — the Schenectady boats being preferred, which carried about ten tons when the river would permit. He said they usually progressed 18 to 25 miles per day up the stream by sails and poles. These boats, modeled much like the Long Island round-bottomed skiffs, were 40 to 50 feet in length and were steered by a large swing oar of the same length. When the wind favored they set a square sail and a top sail. He was informed that one "galley," the "Mohawk Register," had gone at the rate of six miles an hour against the stream and he adds: "During this time, believe me, nothing could be more charming than sailing on the Mohawk." They did not often have a favorable wind and the curves in the river rendered the course of a boat irregular and the use of sails pre- carious, on which account their chief dependence was upon their pike poles, which it required much experience to use to advantage. Of the poles and the manner of using them on the river boats, Mr. Schultz gives the following account: "These poles are from 18 to 22 feet in length, having a sharp pointed iron with a socket weighing 10 to 12 pounds affixed to the lower end; the upper has a large knob called a button mounted upon it, so that the poleman may press upon it with his whole weight without endangering his person. This manner of impelling the boat forward is extremely laborious, and none but those who have been some time ac- customed to it, can manage these poles with any kind of advantage. Within the boat on each side is fixed a plank running fore and aft with a number of cleats nailed upon it, for the purpose of giving the poleman sure footing and hard poling. The men, after set- ting the poles against the rock, bank or bottom of the river, declining their heads very low, place the upper end or button against the back part of their shoulder, then falling on their hands and toes creep the whole length of the gang boards and send the boat forward at considerable speed. The first sight of four men on each side of the boat, creeping along on their hands and toes, apparently transfixed by a huge pole, is no small curiosity; nor was it until I perceived their per- severance for 200 or 300 yards, that I became satisfied they were not play- ing some pranks. "From the general practise of this method, as likewise from my own trials and observations, I am convinced that THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 183 they have fallen upon the most pow- erful way possible to exert their bod- ily strength for the purpose required. The position, however, was so ex- tremely awkward to me, that I doubt whether the description I have given will adequately describe the proced- ure. I have met with another kind of boat on the river, which is called a dorm or dorem; how it is spelled I know not. [This was the Durham boat and the third boat to which he alludes was the batteau, propelled by oars.] The only difference I could ob- serve in this [the Durham] from the former one, is that it is built sharp on both ends, and generally much larger and stouter. They likewise have flats [scows] similar to those seen on the Susquehanna, but much lighter built and larger. On all these they occa- sionally carry the sails before men- tioned. "The Mohawk is by no means dan- gerous to ascend, on account of the slowness of the boat's progress; but as it is full of rocks, stones and shal- lows, there is some risk of staving the boat and, at this season [probably midsummer], is so low as to require the boat to be dragged over many places. The channel, in some in- stances, is not more than eight feet in width [the boats were long and nar- row], which will barely permit a boat to pass by rubbing on both sides. This is sometimes caused by natural or ac- cidental obstructions of rocks in the channel, but oftener by artificial means. This, which at first view would appear to be an inconvenience, is pro- duced by two lines or ridges of stone, generally constructed on sandy, grav- elly or stony shallows, in such manner as to form an acute angle where they meet, the extremities of which widen as they extend up the river, while at the lower end there is just space enough left to admit the passage of a boat. The water being thus collected at the widest part of these ridges, and continually pent up within narrower limits as it descends, causes a rise at the passage; so that where th« depth was no more than eight inches before, a contrivance of this kind will raise it to twelve; and strange as it may appear, a boat drawing fifteen inches will pass through it with safety and ease. The cause is simply this: The boat, being somewhat below the pas- sage, its resistance to the current is such as to cause a swell of four or five inches more, which affords it an easy passage over the shoal." The reader must remember that at this time, the waters of the Erie then having their channel in the Mohawk, the river was of considerable more volume than it was after the building of the canal. This writer says that the Mohawk might be considered 100 yards in width with extremely fertile banks. He speaks of passing through eight locks at Little Falls, whereas two of these were at Wolf's rift, several miles above. He said the Mohawk afforded very poor fishing, since at the end of nine days he had only caught a "poor cat fish, no longer than a herring." He visited Utica, which then had 160 houses, and Whitestown. Of Rome he says: "Rome * * * is near the head of the Mohawk. The entrance into this village is through a handsome canal about a mile in length. It is here that the Mohawk is made to contribute a part of its stream towards filling Wood creek, which of itself is so low in dry seasons as to be totally insufficient to float a boat Math- out the • aid of the Mohawk. Rome, formerly known as Fort Stanwix, is delightfully situated in an elevated and level country commanding an exten- sive view for miles around. This vil- lage consists of about 80 houses, but it seems quite destitute of every kind of trade, and rather upon the decline. The only spirit which I perceived stirring among them wa^ that of money digging, and the old fort be- trayed evident signs of the prevalence of this mania, as it had literally been turned inside out for the purpose of discovering concealed treasures." In descending Wood creek he passed through a range of five canal locks. He spoke of the rate of toll as being too high. He said the toll, in passing the eight locks at Little Falls, was 184 THP] STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN $2.25 per ton of merchandise, and the toll on the boat was from $1.50 to $2.62% each boat. The toll was at a still higher rate to pass through the Wood creek locks, being $3.00 per ton on the goods and from $1.50 to $3.50 on the boats. In 1807, at the time of Mr. Schultz's trip up the Mohawk, he passed the fol- lowing towns to which is added a rough estimate of their population at that time: Schenectady, several thou- sand; Amsterdam, 150; Caughnawaga (Fonda), 200; Canajoharie, 200; Fort Plain, 200; Little Falls, 300; Herki- mer, 300; Utica, 1,200; Whitestown; Rome, 500. Johnstown, only three miles from the Mohawk, had prob- ably 600 and was the third town in importance in the valley. Montgom- ery county, in 1807 and up to 1817, ex- tended westward from the Schenec- tady county line to Fall Hill. Schen- ectady was the most important town in the state west of Albany in 1807. The Rev. Mr. Taylor, previously al- luded to, gives an interesting account of the Little Falls locks and the Little Falls country itself in 1802: "Passing on from Manheim, we found the moun- tains drawing to a point upon two sides of the river. When we come to the river there is only a narrow pass for about three-fourths of a mile be- tween the river and the foot of the rocks. When we come to the Falls the scene which it presents is sublime. We now enter Herkimer county — a small village of the town of Herkimer, called Little Falls, by which the canals pass, which were constructed in [17]95. The length of the canal is three- fourths of a mile. There are six locks. The appearance of the falls is sub- lime. The village is built upon a ledge of rocks. It promises fair to be a place of business as to trade, as all produce of the Royal grants will nat- urally be brought here to be shipped. They have a new and beautiful meet- ing house, standing about 40 rods back on the hill, built in the form of an oc- tagon. I am now, July 27 [1802], about 30 rods from fall mountain on the south. Between this and the moun- tain is the Mohawk, and a bridge over it, in length about 16 rods. Between this and the bridge is the canal. On the right about 40 rods are the falls, or one bar of the falls in full view. The falls extend about three-fourths of a mile. Upon the whole, the place is the most romantic of any I ever saw; and the objects are such as to excite sublime ideas in a reflecting mind. From the appearance of the rocks, and fragments of rocks where the town is built, it is, I think, dem- onstratably evident that the waters of the Mohawk, in passing over the fall, were 80 or 90 feet higher, in some early period, than they are now. The rocks, even a hundred feet perpendic- ular above the present high water mark, are worn in the same manner as those over which the river passes. The rocks are not only worn b5^ the descent of the water, but in the flat rocks are many round holes, worn by the whirl- ing of stones — some even 5 feet and 20 inches over. If these effects were pro- duced by the water, as I have no doubt they were, then it follows as a neces- sary consequence, that the flats above and all the lowlands for a consider- able extent of the country, were cov- ered with water, and that here was a lake — but the water, having lowered, its bed, laid the lands above dry." In regard to the foregoing specu- lations of the Rev. John Taylor the following from the Fort Plain Stand- ard of August 1, 1912, is of interest: "The Mohawk valley, -and especially that section of it at Little Falls, is a classic example among geographers. Not only is the Little Falls gorge the only low pass over the Appalachian Highlands between Canada and Ala- bama through which easy access is made from the Atlantic to the West, but is is also an extremely interest- ing place in itself. The Mohawk river at one time had its source at Little Falls while a westward flowing stream ran from that point to where now is I^ake Ontario. During the glacial per- iod the gorge was partly scooped out by ice, then for a time, while the St. Lawrence river was obstructed by ice, the Great Lakes had their outlet through the Mohawk valley instead of TPIE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 185 the St. Lawrence and Little Falls ri- valled Niagara. Today the evidences of the work of ice and water, and also of far more ancient earthquake and volcanic action, are to be seen in un- usual clearness at the Little Falls gorge." This item was anent the visit to Little Falls of leading geographers of the world in 1912. The batteaux and boats of the Mo- hawk were the natural predecessors of the Erie packets and canal boats, the Central freight car, coach and Pull- man and the 3,000 ton barge. To the Mohawk and the utilization of its stream for transportation, is due much of the subsequent development of the communities along its banks and of New York state in general. CHAPTER VII. 1609-1913— Mohawk Valley Transpor- tation — Indian Trails — Horse and Cart Roads, Highways (1700-1800) — Turnpikes and Mohawk Turnpike (1800-1840) —County Roads (1840- 1885)— Bicycle Routes (1885-1900) — Automobile Roads (1900-1913) — Weed's 1824 Stage Coach Journey on the Mohawk Turnpike. This chapter, dealing with the Mo- hawk valley highways, is the second one describing transportation in the Mohawk valley. The first, published just before this one, covered traffic on the Mohawk river. Others follow treating of bridges, the Erie canal, railroads and the Barge canal. The highways are the most important and basic element in the matter of trans- portation, and their history and the life on the Mohawk thoroughfares are therefore of prime interest to all the valley inhabitants. The early highways and rude roads of our valley generally followed the Indian trails. These trails were good, though only two or three feet wide and "in many places, the savages kept the woods clear from underbrush by burning over large tracts." All streams had to be forded, except where the few ferries were, and these fords often determined the location of roads. Trees were felled across nar- row streams to make footbridges and the colonial governments frequently ordered these made. "When new paths were cut through the forests, the set- tlers 'blazed' the trees, that is they chopped a piece of bark off tree after tree, standing on the side of the way. Thus the 'blazes' stood out clear and white in the dark shadows of the for- ests, like welcome guide-posts, show- ing the traveler his way." The Indian trails covered eastern New York and connected the various Iroquois villages with each other or led to hunting and fishing grounds (like the Otsquago and Caroga trails) or into or towards these grounds and the countries of the enemies of the Mohawks and their brother tribes — such as the trail which ran from Can- ada to the Sacandaga and through Johnstown, Stone Arabia and Palatine to the ford at the mouth of the Caroga, there connecting with the Otsquago trail. The explorers, soldiers, traders and "wood-runners" used these Indian trails and the first white settlers util- ized them as roads as a matter of course, because, like the buffalo trails of the great west, they connected the most iinportant points and water- courses and lakes by the shortest and easiest routes. These western buf- falo trails were also Indian trails and are now trunk line railroads. So the trails naturally became the first valley highways and most of the more im- portant of these today are the Indian trails, enlarged, improved, straight- ened and graded. Of those of western Montgomery county are the north and south shore Mohawk turnpikes, the old Caroga road leading to the Caroga, Canada and other lakes of northern Fulton county and into the Adiron- dack country, the Canadian trail aforementioned leading from Lake George through Johnstown and Stone Arabia to the mouth of the Caroga, and the Otsquago valley road begin- ning at the other side of the Caroga ford and running to Otsego lake, the headwaters of the Susquehanna and into the Iroquois country. Over the old Indian valley trails 186 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN or on the river came the first Dutch explorers and traders with their Iro- quois guides and helpers and the early French explorers and priests with their Algonquin aids and guides. Fol- lowing them came the Dutch, German and British settlers carrying their goods on their backs, on packhorses or in oxcarts or horsecarts — many of their fellow pioneers toiling painfully up against the current of the river in flatboats to their new homes in the Mohawk wilderness. Still later with the settlement and clearing of farms, these hardy men widened and cleared the trails and blazed new ones over which they transported farm and for- est produce in their rude wooden sleds and carts. Probably the first valley cartroad was the one between Albany and Schenectady after the settlement of Schenectady in 1661. Prior to 1800, and even later, these farm carts and wooden sleds were made on the farm. Just as all food and raw materials (such as hemp, flax, wool, etc.) were grown by the hus- bandman on his own lands, so was everything he and his family used made there. This necessitated an endless round of toil on the farm, from sunrise until after sunset all the year round excepting part of Sundays, but it made the farmer self-supporting, self-sufficient and independent of the world outside his own personal do- main. Each farm "was a kingdom unto itself. Every homestead had its car- penter's room or bench, just as it had its soap kettle, cheese room and smoke house (and occasional ice house), and all tools, implements, vehicles and rude farm machinery were made on the farm by the farmer himself. The nearest blacksmith shop supplied the necessary ironwork. Later the valley trails, or the cart- roads they were turned into, were used by the American and British troops and their baggage trains during the Revolution. Following their grad- ual improvement and the great immi- gration and traffic following the war for independence came the turnpikes, coincident with the building of bridges. Probably by 1800 the majority of our Mohawk valley highway system had been constructed, but it had for its basis the old Indian trails of the Mo- hawks. None of these improvements such as highways and bridges came of themselves but were the result of the strenuous work of the early valley men. After 1783, it was found necessary to improve transportation facilities in the Mohawk valley to accommodate its population and the tide of emigration pouring through it to the west. Roads were improved, bridges constructed and taverns built or remodeled from farmhouses on the lines of travel. New towns and counties were also formed as told in prior chapters. In April, 1790, the state legisla- ture voted "£100 for the purpose of erecting a bridge across the East Can- ada creek, not exceeding three miles from the mouth thereof, upon the road from the Mohawk river to the Royal Grant." In 1793 commissioners were appointed by the legislature with di- rections to build "a bridge over the East Canada creek, nearly opposite Canajoharie Castle, on the public road leading from Tribes Hill to the Little Falls." About 1790 stages made weekly trips in the valley and daily trips after the completion of the Mohawk turn- pike. The completion of the Scho- harie bridge at Fort Hunter and the construction of the Great Western turnpike from Albany westward marked the year 1798. This route connected with the Mohawk at Cana- joharie by stages which ran from Roof's tavern where the Hotel Wag- ner stands. The most important of all the valley roads are north and south shore turn- pikes which traverse the shores of the Mohawk for a distance of about ninety miles between Schenectady and Rome. In future days these will be splendid highways and are today most import- ant roads, the north shore or Mohawk turnpike ])eing one of the historic roads of North America and an im- portant part of the trunk highway be- tween New York and Buffalo, largely paralleling the Central railroad sys- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 187 tern, trolley systems and the Barge canal. Chapter V. of this work gives a French account of these two river highways in 1756, covering the dis- tance mentioned from Rome to Sche- nectady. Prior to 1800 the south shore road seems to have been the more import- ant but since that time the north shore or Mohawk turnpike has been the major one. Over the Mohawk turnpike vast quantities of crops, raw material and merchandise were trans- ported in the half century comprised in the latter years of the eighteenth and early part of the nineteenth cen- turies. It has figured as a Mohawk Indian trail (until 1700), cart and horse path (1700-1750), wagon and stage road (1750-1836), freight wagon turnpike (1800-1840), bicycle and au- tomobile touring route (1890-1913) and has a future, among other things, as a freight and passenger motor car line. It is paralleled (1913) through- out by the New York Central railroad and by trolley lines from Rome to Cohoes, with the exception of a gap between Little Falls and Fonda, which doubtless will be connected ere long. The Mohawk turnpike shares, with the Mohawk river and the early Erie canal the glory of having been one of the valley travel routes by way of which hundreds of thousands of the ancestors of the present day westerners made their way to new homes, prior to the build- ing of the railroads and even for a number of years thereafter. The building of bridges over the East and West Canada creeks in 1793 made the north shore road the favorite valley route, and the next forward step was the improvement of this Mo- hawk turnpike from Schenectady to Utica. The charter for its construction was granted April 4, 1800. Seth Wetmore, Levi Norton, Ozias Bronson, Hewitt Hills and three others were the first board of directors. This road was also called the Albany turn- pike. The Mohawk turnpike connected at Schenectady with the Mohawk and Hudson turnpike to Albany, the two forming a continuous trade route over one hundred miles in length from Al- bany and the Hudson valley to Rome and thence to the Great Lakes and western New York and the Great West. "The charter of the Utica and Sche- nectady Railroad company, granted in 1833, required it, before beginning transportation, to purchase the rights of the Mohawk Turnpike Co. and to assume the responsibilities of the lat- ter. One of these responsibilities was that of keeping the turnpike in re- pair. It was provided however that the railroad company might abandon the turnpike, giving notice to the com- missioners of highways, and after such notice it should be kept in order in the same manner as other highways. The railroad company for a time took toll on the turnpike and kept it in repair, but subsequently removed the gates and became responsible for the main- tenance of only a part of the old high- way." With the opening of the Erie canal in 1825, traffic on the Mohawk turn- pike began to diminish as the freight wagons could not compete with the canal boats during the summer months. Probably they had a consid- erable use for a number of years, on the north turnpike in winter and on other Mohawk valley roads, to the north and south, all the year round. The stages continued to largely carry the valley passenger traffic, sharing it with the Erie canal packets in the summer months until after the build- ing of the Utica and Schenectady rail- road in 1836. This railroad, like any other railroad, was and is merely a highway with an 'iron bed carrying, by mechanical motive power, greatly enlarged editions of the turnpike stages and freight wagons. Stages continued in use on other Mohawk valley roads until the present day. The legislature in 1802 authorized the opening of certain roads in the state, and in pursuance of this act, the highway called the State road, leading from Johnstown in a north- western direction to the Black River country, was opened. It was subse- 188 THE STORY OF OLD P^ORT I'LAIN quently much used while that part of the country was being settled by emi- grants from the east. The improvement of the road, lead- ing from Schenectady to Utica along the south side of the Mohawk was deemed expedient, and commissioners were appointed in 1806 to direct the work, their instructions being to strighten the existing road and open it to a width of fifty feet. The towns through which it passed were required to repair and maintain it if their pop- ulation was not too small. The following from Simms's "Fron- tiersmen of New York," gives a good picture of the Mohawk turnpike and life thereon during the early nine- teenth century: "While the Mohawk was literally filled with boats of different kinds — for nearly every family living upon its banks had some kind of one — and Schenectady was a live town for re- ceiving and dispatching freight on and off them — large wagons were used in competition with them in the trans- portation of merchandise and produce to and from western New York. The produce — -wheat, whiskey and potash- came to Albany, from whence mer- chandise was returned. These wagons, covered with canvas, and drawn bj^ three to eight horses, were seen in numbers on the western and Mohawk turnpikes. The leaders usually had a little bell fastened upon the headstall. Mr. Alonzo Crosbj^ long superintend- ent of the eastern part of the western turnpike, counted up to 50 or more taverns between Albany and Cherry Valley, in the distance of 52 miles. Palatine Church, a hamlet at that time of some importance on the Mohawk turnpike, was 61 miles from Albany, the inns in that distance also averag- ing one to every mile. Indeed, inn- keepers were neighbors on those roads for a hundred miles to the westward of Albany. At this period tavern keeping was a lucrative business, es- pecially for the houses prepared with inclosed sheds and good stabling. "The horses before these wagons, which, at times, had a hundred or more bushels of wheat on, never trav- eled out of a walk. At the period of their use, brakes were unknown in de- scending hills, but a heavy iron shoe was used on the six-inch tire, which could be thrown from the wheel at the foot of a hill by a spring managed by the foot of the driver. The teamsters usually went on foot, whip in hand, and their constant travel had worn a good foot-path along each side of the road, near the fence, a hundred miles from Albany. The horses were seldom stabled nights, but had an oilcloth covering and were fed from a box or trough carried along and attached to the pole, which could not fall to the ground. The rear of the wagon was ornamented with a tar bucket and a water pail. The wagons were painted blue or slate color, and the covering remained white. A small box was se- cured upon one side or end of the wagon, containing a hammer, wrench, currycomb, etc. Those wagons paid no toll as they filled the ruts made by farm wagons. Some of the teams were driven by a single line on the forward nigh horse, and occasionally a postil- lion was seen on the nigh wheel horse; but those large Pennsylvania horses were so well trained as to be dexter- ously managed with a long leathern whip. When it was heavy traveling, those monster wagons progressed but a few miles in a day, soinetimes being two weeks in going from Albany to Geneva, Canandaigua or Rochester. Freight or merchandise west was, at first, one dollar a hundred from Albany to Utica. Although there were so many taverns on the road, still so numerous were the teams that, at times, one of a party in company was mounted and sent forward before night to secure ac- commodations with a good wagon- yard inclosure. "From two to ten of these large wagons were sometimes seen in com- pany, some of them carrying from three to four tons. The horses were usually fat. Some carried a jack- screw for raising an axle to take off a wheel; but this was seldom done, as a hole for pouring in tar or grease was made for the purpose. In ascending hills, the wagon was blocked at inter- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 189 vals with a stone, carried by the team- ster behind it. After those mammoth wagons were supplanted by the Erie canal, several of them might have been seen about the old Loucks tav- ern, [in Albany] as also at Paul Clark's inn in the southwest part of Albany, where some of them rotted down. "On the Mohawk turnpike, as re- membered by Andrew A. Fink, George Wagner and others, were the following inn-keepers from Herkimer (80 miles from Albany) descending the valley. They may not be named in the order in which they stood: John Rasback, John Potter, Heacock; across West Canada creek, Nathaniel Etheridge, Upham, James Artcher, a teamster married one of his daughters. This inn had a peculiar sign. On one side was painted a gentleman richly clad and elegantly mounted on horseback with this motto, 'I am going to law.' On the reverse side was a very dilapi- dated man on a horse, the very pic- ture of poverty, saying, 'I have been to law.' [Continuing the list] John McCombs, Warner Dygert; at Little Falls, John Sheldon, Carr, Harris, Major Morgan; below the Falls, A. A. Fink. From Fink's to East Creek is five miles, and in that distance were 13 dwellings, 12 of which were taverns occupied as follows: Bau- der; William Smith, his sign had on it an Indian chief; John Petrie, Henry Shults, James Van Valkenburgh, Law- rence Timmerman, John Wagner, Owens, Nathan Christie, Esq., David Richtmyer, Frederick Getman, James ^-^ and Luther Pardee ;v below East Creek, John Stauring, Van Dresser, James Billington, John Bancker, Michael U. Bauder, Yates, Jacob Failing, a favor- ite place for large wagons; Zimmer- man, Joseph Klock, Christian Klock, Daniel C. Nellis, John C. Nellis, Brown, Gen. Peter C. Fox, at Palatine Church; George Fox, John C. Lipe, George Wagner, Charles Walrath, Harris, Weaver, Richard Bortle, Nich- olas Gros, Samuel Fenner, an old sea captain who spun his skipper's yarns to customers; Jacob Hees, who also had a boat and lumber landing at Pal- atine Bridge; Josiah Shepard, a stage house; Weatherby, Jost Spraker, John DeWandelaer, now Schenck's place near the Nose; Frederick Dockstader, kept many large wagons; Connelly, Fred Dockstader, 2d, who had a run of double teams; Gen. Henry Fonda at now village of Fonda; Giles Fonda, Pride, Hardenburgh, Conyne, Lepper; in Tribes Hill, Kline, Putman, Wil- son; Guy Park, a favorable place for large wagons, kept at one time by McGerk; Col. William Shuler at Am- sterdam; below were Crane of Cranes- ville, Lewis Groat, Swart and others on this part of the route not remem- bered. At Schenectady are recalled. Tucker, Jacob Wagner, Shields, while the names of two others are forgotten, — one of them had a house in Frog Alley, which was burned by the slack- ing of lime. Between Schenectady and Albany were, Havely, Brooks, Vielie. The Half-way house was a stage house and kept by Leavitt Kingsbury, which became noted for its delicious coffee. "In the period of wagon transport when hay was $20 a ton, innkeepers had one dollar a span for keeping horses over night; and when hay was $10 a ton they had 50 cents a span, or one shilling a pound for hay. In spring and fall it was a common sight to see ten or fifteen horses drawing a single wagon from its fastness in the mud. The first load of hemp from the west, said Fink, was a five horse load from Wadsworth's fiats in the Genesee valley. "Some of the teamsters were at dif- ferent times on both (the Mohawk and the western) turnpikes. Freight from Albany to Buffalo was at first $5 per hundred weight, but competition at one time brought it down to $1.25. The teamsters on these turnpikes were as jovial and accommodating set of men. as ever engaged in any vocation, sel- dom having any feuds or lasting diffi- culties. Said Mr. Fink, in 1805-6 when Oneida and adjoining counties were receiving many of their pioneer set- tlers, New England people came pros- pecting on horseback, with well-filled saddle-bags and portmanteaus, and he often had 30 or 40 in a single night to 190 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN entertain at his house below Little Falls." This was the day of the stage coach also and the Mohawk turnpike presented a spectacle of life and bustle as it shared with the Mohawk river the traffic of the valley. This was par- ticularly so during the years from 1800 to the building of the Erie canal in 1825. The earliest authentic town rec- ord of Palatine, now in existence, is that of a meeting of the commission- ers of excise, held May 3, 1803, for the purpose of granting licenses to inn- keepers. The number thus licensed will give an idea of the teaming and travel through the Palatine district, before the days of railroads or canals or even the completion of the Mohawk turnpike. The commissioners of ex- cise were Jacob Ecker, Henry Beek- man and Peter C. Fox who swore to an oath, before Justice of the Peace John Zielley, that "we will not on any ac- count or pretense whatever, grant any license to any person within the said town of Palatine, for the purpose of keeping an inn or tavern, except when it shall appear to us to be absolutely necessary for the benefit of travelers." Jost Spraker, Henry Cook, Andrew J. Dillenbeck, John F. Empie, Peter W. Nellis and 47 others (51 in all) were granted licenses. The sum paid by each was from $5 to $6.50, according to location, amounting in the aggre- gate for that year to $258.50. The Mohawk turnpike was the scene of much military activity during the years of 1812, 1813 and 1814, caused by the movement of New York troops going to defense of the frontier (in the second war with Great Britain) and their return at the close of hostil- ities. It shared this military traffic with the Mohawk river. After the railroad trains on the Utica and Schenectady road (forerun- ner of the New York Central), started running up and down the valley, the Mohawk turnpike ceased to be a line of bustling activity and important traffic route, being used only for local and farm wagon freightage. On the valley roads about 1880 appeared riders on the high bicj'cle and a few- years later the serviceable "safety" came into use and a veritable "bicycle craze" was inaugurated which lasted until about 1900, after which time the cheap and useful "wheel" took its rightful place as a ineans of trans- port. After 1895 appeared the "bi- cycle's son" — the automobile, and the future of our highways lies largely in their use as automobile freight and passenger roads — this use probably always to be supplemented by the farm horse and wagon. Coeval with the appearance of the bicycle and au- tomobile came the trolley car, whose lines parallel the valley roads in many places and which will undoubtedly form a traffic system, together with the railroads, the Barge canal and good highways, that will give well- nigh perfect transportation facilities to the Mohawk valley. The proper building of lasting highways is now one of the most important features of traffic in the Mohawk region as well as in New York state. Today we see regular lings of motor buses carrying passengers and motor trucks carrying freight running between different points in the valley. This is borne out by the following paragraph from the Fort Plain Standard of June 19, 1913: "The Fort Plain and Cooperstown Transportation Co. will start a pas- senger, freight and express business between this village and Cooperstown July 1. Motor busses will be utilized." This is doubly interesting as it was only a few months previous to this that the Cooperstown -Fort Plain stage route was abandoned after a duration of probably a century or more over this historic route to the Susquehanna valley. The interest in automobiles and the automobile interests were largely re- sponsible ^'or the good roads move- ment out the motor car has been its own enem5' in that the suction of the rubber tiros- de.stroys the surface of what were once coni-idered fine roads. Better materials will doubtless be found adapted to automobiles and all other vehicles, but in the meantime much money has been wasted. Writ- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 191 ing on this subject S. L. Frey has said: "The automobile road between Albany and Buffalo runs through Montgom- ery county for thirty miles. It has for a foundation the solid strata of the Silurian rocks and the stone bed of the old Mohawk turnpike. It passes through a country of granite bould- ers, gneiss, sandstone, limestone, all kinds of ledges, cliffs and quarries, and yet .$20,000 [cost] a mile. And the grade some two feet to the mile with no hills!" The north shore turnpike is about forty miles long through Montgomery. Mr. Prey's article suggests that the Mohawk valley, with its abundance of stone supply, is an ideal region for the construction of ideal roads. Doubt- less they will come in time. At pres- ent (1913) the automobile traffic is enormous, particularly in summer. An average of a -car every two min- utes has been noted, during a period of several hours over the old Mohawk turnpike and the cars come from every part of the country. The New York Times of July 20, 1913, published a description of the automobile route from New York to Canada by way of the Hudson and Mohawk valleys. The Itinerary in part, is here given, thus describing the Mohawk turnpike from Schenec- tady to Rome in 1913. This is one of the most important highways of the United States today just as it was one of the most noteworthy stage and freight wagon lines a century previous: "Prom Albany, owing to the poor condition of the direct route, it is ad- visable to go by way of Loudonville and Latham's Corners, then over the Troy-Schenectady State road to Sche- nectady, whence good macadam leads through the beautiful Mohawk valley, passing Scotia, Hoffmans, Amsterdam, Port Johnson, Tribes Hill and Fonda. The road is under construction from Fonda to Palatine Bridge, and a de- tour is advisable over a good but nar- row country road on the south side of the river. A good State road is fol- lowed from Palatine Bridge through Nelliston, St. Johnsville, Little Falls, Herkimer and Mohawk, and thence through Ilion, Schuyler and Deerfield to Utica. The scenery through the Mohawk valley leaves little to be de- sired. "On the other side of Utica the route leads through Rome, Camden, Williamstown, Richland, Mansville and Adams to Watertown. This route of- fers better road conditions than that through Boonville and Copenhagen." The route continues from Watertown to Ogdensburg and across the St. Law- rence river to Canada. The New York Sun, in July, 1913, published an automobile itinerary from New York to Cooperstown. It describes the route and road condi- tions of the north shore Mohawk turn- pike, from Schenectady to Nelliston and the Otsquago valley road from Fort Plain to Otsego lake, in 1913, and may be interesting to future readers. It is here reprinted as follows: "Leav- ing Albany the run is over a rough macadam and then poor dirt to Schen- ectady. Excellent macadam is then followed through Fonda. A pictur- esque alternate from Schenectady to Amsterdam is that via Mariaville. Al- though a little longer than the first route, the scenery is enjoyable and the roads are of good macadam. Between Fonda and Palatine Bridge the going is not of the best. Construction work is going on, but the road is passable, although very heavy in wet weather. A continuous panorama of beautiful views on this drive will more than recompense one for the discomforting road conditions. From Palatine Bridge [through Nelliston and Fort Plain] the roads are of good macadam and brick to about one mile before reach- ing Starkville, where a fairly good dirt road is encountered and followed through Van Hornesville to Spring- field Centre. To Cooperstown from Springfield Centre good roads are found. First a dirt road is followed which offers good going in dry weather. The balance to Cooperstown is macadam with some badly worn stretches. The run down the west side of Otsego lake is replete with excellent scenery, affording splendid views of the lake." 192 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN This Fort Plain-Springfield-Coop- erstown road is a liistoric one, devel- oping from a Mohawk trail, Revolu- tionary road, stage and freight traffic route to the automobile highway of today. Mention has been made of the unique geographical position of the Mohawk valley in its being the only natural break through the Applachian range to the west in the Middle Atlan- tic states. The Otsquago valley occu- pies a similar position in the southern central Mohawk basin, as it is a natural break and easy grade leading from the Mohawk river to the Susque- hanna watershed. The following from the Beers his- tory of Montgomery county was writ- ten by Thurlow Weed, for many years a power in Whig and Republican poli- tics in New York state and editor of the Albany Journal. It was evidently written in 1870 and recounts the inci- dents of a stage coach trip on the Mo- hawk turnpike in 1824, a year before the completion of the Erie canal and in the heyday of Mohawk valley coach- ing days. Although Mr. Weed, writ- ing almost a half-century after his trip, makes many errors in the loca- tion of stage houses, etc., yet his nar- rative gives a suggestive picture of stage coach and freight-wagon days along the Mohawk in the early years of the nineteenth century. Mr. Weed's and other writings of the period, show that, while Conestoga was the true name of the great freight wagons and the stout breed of horses which drew them, yet they were generally known in the valley and in New York state as Pennsylvania wagons and horses. The part of the sketch of travel on the Mohawk turnpike by Thurlow Weed, printed herewith, covers that historic highway from Fall Hill through Mont- gomery county. His narrative deals entirely with the year 1824, except where he says "Judge Conkling is now (1870) the oldest surviving New York member of congress from this dis- trict." This Judge Conkling 6f Cana- joharie, was the father of U. S. Sena- tor Roscoe Conkling, who became as much of an influence in the machin- ery of New York state politics as Thurlow Weed himself had been. The proper location of the points mentioned by Mr. Weed in his jour- ney, in their order from west to east, are as follows, according to Simms: East Creek, Couch's stage house; St. Johnsville, Failing's tavern; between Canajoharie and Sprakers (south side of river), Kane's store; Sprakers, Spraker's stage house; near Tribes Hill, Conyne's tavern; Fort Johnson, at Fort Johnson. Of these, Mr. Weed correctly located only Couch's tavern and Fort Johnson. His account follows : "From Little Falls we come after an hour's ride to a hill by the bank of the river, which, several years before. Gen. Scott was descending in a stage when the driver discovered at a sharp turn near the bottom of the hill a Pennsylvania wagon winding its way up diagonally. The driver saw but one escape from a disastrous collision, and that to most persons would have appeared even more dangerous than the collision. The driver however, having no time for reflection, instantly guided his team over the precipice and into the river, from which the horses, passengers, coach and driver, were safely extricated. The passengers, following Gen. Scott's example, made the driver a handsome present as a reward for his courage and sagacity. "We dine at East Canada Creek, where the stage house, kept by Mr. Couch, was always to be relied on for excellent ham and eggs and fresh brook trout. Nothing of especial in- terest until we reach Spraker's, a well known tavern that neither stages nor vehicles of any description were ever known to pass. Of Mr. Spraker, senior, innumerable anecdotes were told. He was a man without education, but possessed strong good sense, consider- able conversational powers, and much natural humor. Most of the stories told about him are so Joe-Millerish that I will repeat but one of them. On one occasion, he had a inisunderstand- ing with a neighbor, which provoked both to say hard things of each other. Mr. Spraker having received a verbal hot shot from his antagonist, reflected THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 193 a few moments and replied, 'Ferguson, dare are worse men in hell dan you;" adding after a pause, 'but they are chained.' ********* "At Canajoharie a , tall handsome man with graceful manners, is added to our list of passengers. This is the Hon. Alfred Conkling, who in 1820 was elected to congress from this district, and who has just been appointed judge of the United States District Court, for the Northern District of New York, by Mr. Adams. Judge Conkling is now (in 1870) the oldest surviving New York member of congress. In passing Conyne's hotel, near the Nose, the fate of a young lady who 'loved not wisely but too well,' with an exciting trial for breach of promise, etc., would be related. Still further east we stop at Failing's tavern to water. Though but an ordinary tavern in the summer season, all travelers cherish a pleasant remembrance of its winter fare; for leaving a cold stage with chilled limbs, if not frozen ears, you were sure to find in Failing's bar and dining- rooms 'rousing fires;' and the remem- brance of the light lively 'hot and hot' buckwheat cakes, and the unimpeach- able sausages, would renew the appe- tite even if you had just risen from a hearty meal. "Going some miles further east we come in sight of a building on the west side of the Mohawk river, and near its brink, the peculiar architec- ture of which attracts attention. This was formerly Charles Kane's store, or rather the store of the brothers Kane, five of whom were distinguished mer- chants in the early years of the pres- ent century. They were all gentlemen of education, commanding in person, accomplished and refined in manners and associations. * * * Here Com- modore Charles Morris, one of the most gallant of our naval officers, who in 1812 distinguished himself on board the United States Frigate 'Constitu- tion' in her engagement with the Brit- ish frigate 'Guerriere' passed his boy- hood. In 1841, when I visited him on board of the United States seventy- four gun ship 'Franklin,' lying off An- napolis, he informed me that among his earliest recollections, was the launching and sailing of miniature ships on the Mohawk river. On the opposite side of the river, in the town of Florida, is the residence of Dr. Alexander Sheldon, for twelve years a member of the legislature from Mont- gomery county, serving six years as speaker of the house of assembly. The last year Dr. S. was in the legislature, one of his sons, Milton Sheldon, was also a member from Monroe county. Another son. Smith Sheldon, who was educated for a dry goods merchant, drifted some years ago to the city of New York, and is now the head of the extensive publishing house of Sheldon & Co., Broadway. "The next points of attraction were of much historical interest. Sir Wil- liam and Guy Johnson built spacious and showy mansions a few miles west of the village of Amsterdam, long be- fore the Revolution, in passing which, interesting anecdotes relating to the English Baronet's connection with the Indians were remembered. - A few miles west of Sir William Johnson's, old stagers would look for an addition to our number of passengers in the person of Daniel Cady, a very eminent lawyer, who resided at Johnstown, and for more than fifty years was con- stantly passing to and 'from Albany. At Amsterdam, Marcus T. Reynolds, then a rising lawyer of that village, often took his seat in the stage, and was a most companionable traveler." Mr. Simms, commenting on this sketch, indorses the author's refer- ence to circumstances "which com- pelled the male passengers at times to get out into the mud, and with rails appropriated from the nearest fence, to pry the wheels up so that the horses could start anew. Two miles an hour was not unfrequently, in the spring and fall, good speed at certain locali- ties." Correcting Mr. Weed's errors, as to locality, Mr. Simms says: "Conyne's hotel was three miles east of Fonda (he says near the Nose; if so there may have been two keepers of the same name), and * * * Failing's tavern was at St. Johnsville, and some 194 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN twelve miles to the westward of the Nose, and more than twenty miles to the westward of Conyne's. At Pala- tine Bridge was one of the most noted stage houses in the valley. It was built and first kept by Shepherd, and afterwards by the late Joshua Reed, and was as widely and favorably known as any other public house within fifty miles of it." For a clear and comprehensive de- scription of old turnpike days, travel and vehicles, the reader is advised to consult Alice Morse Earle's "Home Life in Colonial Days." CHAPTER VIII. 1793-1913— First Bridges in Middle Mohawk Valley and Montgomery County — Celebration at Opening of Fort Plain Bridge, July 4, 1806 — Fort Plain Free Bridge, 1858. This is the third chapter on Mohawk valley transportation. The two prior ones were on river and turnpike traf- fic. Those to follow relate to Erie canal, railroads and Barge canal and Atwood's aeroplane flight. The increase of population in Tryon, now Montgomery county, following the Revolutionary war, and the increase in traffic along the Mohawk necessi- tated improvements in river naviga- tion and in the highways, as has been noted in preceding chapters. Great numbers of new settlers were journey- ing through the valley to points in the middle west, aside from those who were coming into the Mohawk valley and into western and northern New York to permanently locate. The fords and ferries on the Mohawk and its contributory creeks had been the only and difficult means of cross- ing these streams, during the eigh- teenth century which was the per- iod of first settlement and devel- opment. The greatly increased traffic necessitated the construction of bridges and the building of these was one of the marked features of the life along the Mohawk at the beginning of the nineteenth century. A list of the important bridges and the dates of their construction in the eastern part of the Mohawk valley follows: East (Canada) creek, 1793; Scho- harie creek at Fort Hunter, 1798; Schoharie creek at Mill Point, 1800; Little Falls (prior to), 1802; across the Mohawk at Canajoharie, 1803; Fort Plain (Sand Hill), 1806; Schenectady, 1810; Fonda (Caughna- waga), 1811; Amsterdam, 1823; Yosts, 1825 (carried away by ice shortly after); Fort Hunter, 1852; St. Johns- ville, 1852. These cross-overs were all wooden structures and these picturesque bridges have all been replaced by those of modern iron construction. The last of the old-timers to go was that at St. Johnsville, and many of them had formerly been undermined and carried away by ice during the Mohawk spring freshets. Each had its toll-keeper and the quaint list of tolls, in well-painted characters, which stood at the west side of the East Creek bridge was long of interest to later-day travelers. The first important structure span- ning a stream within the present lim- its of Montgomery and Fulton coun- ties was the bridge at East (Canada) creek. In April, 1790, the state legis- lature voted "one hundred pounds for the purpose of erecting a bridge across the East Canada creek, not exceeding three miles from the mouth thereof, upon the road from the Mohawk river to the Royal Grant." In 1793, com- missioners were appointed by the leg- islature to build "a bridge over the East Canada creek, nearly opposite Canajoharie Castle, on the public road leading from Tribes Hill to the Little Falls," also over West Canada creek. In 1798 a very important bridge was built on the south shore turnpike over the Schoharie creek at Fort Hunter. The improvement of the Mohawk (north shore) turnpike from Schenec- tady to Utica, about 1800, necessitated the erection of other structures across streams, which had formerly been forded by travelers. The first bridge across the Mohawk was probably the one at Little Falls noted by Rev. John Taylor in his diary THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 195 of his valley tour of 1802. This was six- teen rods long, and it is mentioned in a former chapter of this work on Mo- hawk river traffic. The second bridge over the Mohawk river in the valley seems to have been the one erected at Canajoharie in 1803, by Theodore Burr of Jefferson county. This was popularly called a bow bridge and consisted of a single arch 330 feet long. It fell in 1807 with a crash that was heard for miles. In 1808 a second bridge was built which was carried away in the spring freshet of 1822. David I. Zielley, a Palatine farmer, built a third bridge which "went out" with the ice in 1833, and Simms says "its destruction was a most splendid sight from Canajoharie, as the writer well remembers." A new bridge was built by August, 1833, which remained in use in part up to recent years. The Canajoharie bridge was rebuilt in 1913. The third bridge to be completed and used across the Mohawk was that built at the lower end of "the Island," which lies in the Mohawk at the northern limits of Fort Plain. This structure consisted of two bridges with several rods of the roadway of the island intervening between them — the shorter one on the western shore and the longer one on the eastern side of the island. The Mohawk here runs north and south and the main channel was on the east side of the island. The Minden exit was near the store of James Oothout, the early Minden tradesman. This was officially called the "Montgomery bridge," but came to be called in the neighborhood, "Oot- hout's bridge." The commissioners for its erection were James Beardsley of East Creek, Col. Charles Newkirk and Col. Peter Wagner of Palatine Church, for the east side, and Messrs. Oothout, Gansevoort, Dygert, Arndt and Keller for the west side. Beards- ley, himself a millwright, was its con- tractor and Philip Washburn, who had worked under Burr, who built the Canajoharie bridge, was boss carpen- ter under Beardsley. These twin bridges, like many such early struc- tures were of wood, not covered and rested upon wooden piers or supports. The toll house was upon the Fort Plain side of the river. The timber for the "north bridge" (as generally called) came mostly from the Wag- ner farm, while that for the "south" bridge came from Snellsbush. Al- though the river runs north and south from Palatine Church to Canajoharie, the river sides are generally called north and south sides as in the rest of the valley where the course of the Mohawk is generally east and west. After the Canajoharie bridge fell in 1807 it was the only bridge across the Mohawk in the present county until the new one at Canajoharie was built. James Beardsley of East Creek was one of the Fort Plain bridge commis- sioners because at that date (1806 and until 1817) Montgomery county ran west to Fall Hill. Simms says that the completion of Fort Plain bridge "was celebrated with no little pomp on the 4th of July, 1806, and took place on the north [east] bank of the river not far from the bridge. Gen. Peter C. Fox, in full uniform and mounted upon a splendid gray horse, was grand marshal on the occasion, and had at his command a company of artillery with a cannon, and Capt. Peter Young's well-mounted cavalry. The latter company is said to have trotted across the bridge to test its strength, and a severe one that would naturally be. Besides several yoke of oxen were driven over it to obtain a still further proof of its com- pleteness, while a cannon blazed away at one end of it. Some one delivered an oration on this occasion. A dinner was served at the public house of the elder George Wagner to the multi- tude, who looked upon the completion of this enterprise as a marked event — and, indeed, such it was, for the ser- vices of ferrymen who had pulled at the rope for years, a little below, were now at an end and the delay and dan- ger of crossing by ferriage w'as obvi- ated. "Methinks I can now see the table on w^hich this dinner was served, groaning under the burden of good 196 THE STOEY OF OLD FORT PLAIN eatables; its head adorned with a good sized pig roasted wliole — a sight yet common fifty years ago, but now seldom seen at the festive board. This Wagner place is the present [1882] homestead [how burned] of the old innkeeper's grandson, Chauncey Wag- ner. This remarkable bridge celebra- tion was kept up three successive days, the parties dancing each night at the Wagner tavern, where Washburn and his hands boarded. "When this bridge was erected, nearly .all there was of Fort Plain — which took its name from the [former] military post nearby — was in the vi- cinity of this bridge. True, Isaac Paris had a few years before been trading at the now Bleecker residence in the present village, and Casper Lipe had another store for a time near the creek bridge; but besides the Oothout store, Conrad Gansevoort had one half a mile below at Abeel's; while on the hill near the meeting house, Robert McFarlan was then trading — besides there were several mechanics within the same distance, all of whom are said to have done a prosperous busi- ness. * * * The ice took off the northern or principal structure of the Island Bridge in April, 1825, after it had served the public for nineteen years." At that time a growing, lively little village was on the present site of Fort Plain and had entirelj' usurped in im- portance the old Sand Hill section. Consequently the next bridge was built at the present river bridge site and was opened for carriages, January 1, 1829. This was a sub- stantial covered bridge, like many similar structures in the valley at that day. The bridge stock of the Island Bridge company had not been a pro- fitable investment and stock in the new bridge company was not greatly sought after. This bridge went out in the spring "high water" of 1842 and lodged on Ver Planck's (now Nellis) island and on the Gros flats. A new bridge was built in the summer of 1842 and lasted until the spring of 1887, when the ice broke down the abutments, during the spring flood and carried the bridge away. The present iron structure which replaced it is said to be the longest single span iron bridge of its type in Central New York. A free bridge, across the Mohawk at Fort Plain was projected in 1857 and work on an iron bridge, to stand just north of the present one, was begun in the same summer. Before the ma- sonry was completed the work was stopped by an injunction, which de- layed its completion until the sum- mer of 1858 when the bridge was open- ed absolutely free to the public and the covered bridge company thereby ceas- ed taking toll. Litigation over the two bridges between the two com- panies finally resulted in the free bridge people obtaining possession of the old bridge at a serious loss to the stockholders interested in the latter. The iron bridge was finally disposed of and the proceeds used to raise and put into condition the covered bridge which continued to be free to the pub- lic. The late William Aplin says that, about the middle of the nineteenth century, the farmers of this neighbor- hood used to utilize a large door in the bridge for the purpose of dumping the manure from their farms into the Mo- hawk! Thus have farmers and farm- ing methods changed between that time and this. Says Simms: "The Fort Plain free bridge movement had a direct ten- dency to make nearly all the other bridges on the river free bridges; the time having arrived when the enter- prise of the country demanded the measure. In 1859 an act was passed to erect a free bridge at Canajoharie or compel the sale of the old one — to l)e made free — which result followed." In 1825, it has been previously noted a bridge across the Mohawk was erected between Yosts, at the western end of the town of Mohawk and Ran- dall, in the eastern end of the town of Root. This was shortly after swept away by ice. In 1852 a bridge was built across the Mohawk at St. Johns- ville, on the site of the present struc- ture, thus completing the three bridges THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 197 which span the river in western Montgomery countJ^ , A feature of bridge building on the Mohawlv is today (1913) the bridges erected by the state in connection with the Barge canal locks. These may be utilized by the towns, on which they abut, constructing proper approaches. In western Montgomery county these locks and bridges are at Fort Plain; Canajoharie and Yosts (Randall). The Amsterdam bridge was rebuilt in 1913. It is difficult today to realize the im- Ijortance of the erection of the first bridges to the valley people. It :neant greater trade and intercourse among themselves and with the outside world and the construction of an important bridge was invariably followed by an increased population center at one or both ends of the structure. Commun- ities like Fort Plain and Canajoharie, which have been deprived of their bridges, can thoroughly realize the im- portance of such viaducts of traffic and transportation and the necessity for the permanence of their construc- tion and efficiency of their upkeep. Good roads and good bridges go to- gether as prime essentials for civilized agricultural regions. CHAPTER IX. 1812 — The Militia System — Trainings — . War With England — The Mohawk Valley Militia. After the Revolutionary war was crow'ned by peace, the men of America kept up their military training and the militia system arose, under which mar- tial exercise was regularly practised. The officers and men supplied them- selves with their necessary military arms and outfit, and this system con- tinued for over a half century after the close of the war for independence. Beers's History says: "This militia consisted of all the able-bodied white male population, between 18 and 45. State officers, clergymen and school teachers were exempt from such duty. Students in colleges and academies, employes on coasting vessels, and in certain factories, and members of fire companies were also exempt, except in case of insurrection or invasion. Per- sons (like Quakers) whose only bar to military service was religious scru- ples could purchase exemption for a set sum paid annually. The major- general, brigade-inspector and chief of the staff department, except the ad- jutant and commissary generals, were appointed by the Governor. Colonels were chosen by the captains and sub- alterns of the regiments, and these latter by the written ballots of their respective regiments and separate battalions. The commanding officers of regiments or battalions appointed their staff officers. Every non-com- missioned officer and private was obliged to equip and uniform himself, and perform military duty for 15 years from enrollment, after which he was exempt except in case of in- surrection or invasion. A non-com- missioned officer could get excused from duty in seven years, by fur- nishing himself with certain speci- fied equipment, other than those required by law. It was the duty of the commanding officer of each company to enroll all military sub- jects within the limits of his juris- diction, and they must equip them- selves within six imonths after being notified. "On the first September Monday of each year, every company of the mi- litia was obliged to assemble within its geographical limits for training. One day in each year, between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15, at a place designated by the commander of the brigade, the regiment was directed to assemble for general training. All the officers of each regiment or battalion were re- quired to rendezvous two days in suc- cession, in June, July or August, for drill under the brigade inspector. A colonel also appointed a day for the commissioned officers and musicians of his regiment to meet for drill, the day after the last mentioned gathering being generally selected. Each mi- litiaman was personally notified of an approaching muster by a non-com- missioned officer bearing a warrant from the commandant of his company; 198 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN or he might be summoned without a warrant by a commissioned officer, either by visit or letter. A failure to appear, or to bring the necessary equipment, resulted in a court-mar- tial and a fine, unless a good excuse could be given. Delinquents who could not pay were imprisoned in the county jail. When a draft was order- ed for public service it was made by lot in each company, which was or- dered out on parade for that purpose." "General training" was a great holi- day for everybody in the neighbor- hood where it was held. The militia- men and their wives and families (and particularly the small boys) together with the "exempts" turned out and made an enjoyable and festive day of it. The place of meeting and the ex- tent of the parade grounds were desig- nated by the commanding officer. The sale of liquor on the ground could only be carried on by the consent of the same official, but total abstinence sel- dom seems to have been the rule on this eventful day. The flats near Fort Plain were favorite places for "general training." The first company of cavalry or- ganized in this part of the Mohawk valley took in a large district of coun- try and was raised and commanded by Capt. Hudson (a merchant of Indian Castle, and probably the Capt. B. Hudson, who commanded Fort Plain in 1786) early in the nineteenth cen- tury. Peter Young of Fort Plain, be- came its second captain, and he was succeeded by Capt. Wemple (of Cana- joharie). At his death Jacob Eacker of Palatine, became captain, and on his resignation Nicholas N. Van Al- stine commanded. As he was not the unanimous choice of the company, which was then a large one, his se- lection led to a division into two com- panies, that on the north side of the Mohawk being commanded by Barent Getman. In 1836, the major general of the second division of militia was an Amsterdam man bearing the singular name of Benedict Arnold. Aaron C. Whitlock of Ephratah was brigadier- general in the same division. At the time of the War of 1812, the state of New York, along the Canadian frontier, was largely a wilderness and transportation thence was slow and laborious. The slightly improved Mo- hawk river was the only route, except the valley highways, for the westward conveyance of cannon. This heavy or- dinance was loaded on Durham boats and so sent up the river. April 10, 1812, congress authorized a draft of 100,000 men from the militia of the country to prosecute the war with England; 13,500 of these were as- signed as the quota of New York. A few days later the detached militia of the state was arranged in two divis- ions and eight brigades. The fourth brigade comprised the 10th, 11th and 13th regiments in the Mohawk valley and was under the command of Gen. Richard Dodge of Johnstown, a vet- eran of the Revolution (and a brother- in-law of Washington Irving). These troops went to the front and returned largely by the north and south shore turnpikes. Says Beers: "The embargo act was extensively violated and much illicit trade carried on along the Canadian frontier, smugglers sometimes being protected by anned forces from the Canadian side. To break up this state of things and protect the military stores collected at the outposts, a reg- iment of valley militia, under Col. Christopher P. Bellinger, was stationed in May, 1812, at Sackett's Harbor and other points in Northern New York. These on the declaration of war in the following month (June, 1812) were re- inforced by a draft on the militia not yet called into service. The Mont- gomery county militia responded promptly to the calls for troops to de- fend the frontier, and were noted for their valor and patriotic zeal, sub- mitting without complaint to the var- ious privations incident to the march and camp. A detachment of them un- der Gen. Dodge arrived at Sackett's Harbor, Sept. 21, 1812, and the gen- eral took command at the post. Dur- ing the two succeeding years, the mi- litia and volunteers from the Mohawk valley were on duty all along the fron- tier. When the term of service of any THE STORY OF OLD PORT PLAIN VJ\) company or regiment expired it was succeeded by another. Many of the garrison of Sackett's Harbor, when it was attacked by the British, May 24, 1813, were from this section. That place was an important depot of mili- tary stores, a large amount of which was destroyed by the garrison, in fear of its falling into the hands of the British, who, however, were finally re- pulsed. "The house in the town of Florida, later owned by Waterman Sweet, was kept as a hotel by one Van Derveer, during the war of ]812, and was a place of drafting militia into the ser- vice. "At Canajoharie, a recruiting ren- dezvous was opened by Lieut. Al- phonso Wetmore and Ensign Robert Morris of the Thirteenth regiment, both residents of Ames, who raised two companies which were ordered to the Niagara frontier in time to take part in the first events of importance in that quarter. The Thirteenth suf- fered severely at the battle of Queens- town Heights, Ensign Morris and Lieut. Valleau being among the killed and five other officers severely wound- ed. After that engagement operations Avere for some time confined to bom- bardment across the Niagara river from the fortifications at [Fort] Ni- agara and Black Rock [now part of Buffalo]. At the latter point Lieut. Wetmore lost his right arm by a can- non shot. He was subsequently pro- moted to' the offices of major and di- vision paymaster." At the time of the publication of Beers's History in 1878, a goodly num- ber of the Montgomery and Fulton veterans of 1812 still survived. They are therein mentioned as follows: Moses Winn, Minden, in his 88th year (his father was a captain in the Revo- lution and sheriff of the county after the war) ; George Bauder, Palatine, in his 92d j^ear; John Walrath, Minden, nearly 82; William H. Seeber, Minden, about 86; Peter G. Dunckel, Minden, about 84; Henry Nellis, Palatine, about 84; John Casler, Minden, nearly 86; Abram Moyer, Minden, about 84; Cornelius Clement Flint, Minden. about 84; Benjamin Getman, Ephratah, 86; Henry Lasher, Palatine, 88; Pytha- goras Wetmore, Canajoharie, 80; John Eigabroadt, St. Johnsville, about 82. In the eastern part may be mentioned: J. Lout, Mohawk; David Ressiguie, 94; Amasa Shippee, Capt. Reuben Willard, Northampton. It is only a few years ago (from the date of this writing, 1912) that the great public funeral occurred in New York of Hiram Cronk, the last survivor of the War of 1812, and a resident of the Mo- hawk valley throughout his life, his death occurring near Utica. At the time of the war of 1812, it should be remembered that Montgomery and Fulton were one county — Montgomery. Its western limit was a line running north and south from Fall Hill. One of the leading figures in the 1812 militia of the old Canajoharie dis- trict was Major John Herkimer, son of Capt. George Herkimer and nephew of General Nicholas Herkimer. At that time the river section of the district was divided into the towns of Min- den and Canajoharie, and Major Her- kimer was a resident of that western portion of Minden which later, in 1817, became Danube, when it was in- cluded in Herkimer county. He occu- pied the Herkimer homestead until 1817. John Herkimer represented Montgomery county in 1799 in the state assembly. March 13, 1813, he was commissioned a major in Col. Mill's New York volunteer regiment. Major Herkimer was in the battle at Sack- ett's Harbor, when Col. Mills was kill- ed. Herkimer was a leading anti- Clintonian and was a member of con- gress in 1822, where he voted for John Quincy Adams in the electoral college deadlock which threw the election into congress. He was a Herkimer county judge and was generally known as Judge Herkimer. 200 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN CHAPTER X. 1817-1825 — Construction of Erie Canal — Clinton's Triumphal Trip — Fort Plain's Celebration. This chapter on the Erie canal is the fourth chapter describing transporta- tion in the Mohawlv valley. Former ones dealt with Mohawk river traffic, valley highways and bridges. Those following the present one treating of the Erie canal concern railroad build- ing, the Barge canal and the first aero- plane flight by Atwood, in all seven chapters on Mohawk valley traffic con- ditions. The Erie canal is supplied with water from the Mohawk river and thus is closely connected with that stream.. This is therefore the fourth chapter relative to the Mo- hawk. The first described the Mo- hawk river and its valley, the second considered Mohawk river traffic, the third treated of river and other bridges, the present and fourth covers the Erie canal and the fifth will be on the Barge canal and the sixth will con- sider the geology of the middle Mo- hawk valley. Canal construction in the United States in the early nineteenth century was part of that great movement for the improvement of transportation which followed the war for independ- ence and began almost immediately at the conclusion of peace in 1783. As a general rule, turnpike and bridge building inaugurated this movement, followed by canal and railroad con- struction in the second and third de- cades of the nineteenth century. The first American canal of importance was the Lehigh, completed in 1821, rimning 108 miles from Coalport, Pa., to Easton, Pa. The second was the Champlain canal, completed in 1822, and running 81 miles from Whitehall, N. Y., to Watervliet, N. Y. In dis- cussing the Erie canal we consider one of the most important trade routes and canals of the world. The construction of Erie canal from 1817 to 1825 gave the greatest impetus to the development of population, trade and commerce in the Mohawk valley that it has ever experienced. Certain towns and villages owe their location and growth almost entirely to "Clin- ton's ditch" and are therefore Canal towns. In Montgomery county. Fort Plain, Canajoharie and Fultonville be- long .to this class. In the heyday of canaling these were among the most important canal towns on the Erie be- tween Utica and Schenectady. Fort Plain was then as at present (1913) the largest town in the 40-mile strip l>etween l..ittle Falls and Amsterdam, and Canajoharie, with its dry dock and l)oat building works, was equally im- portant. The project of a continuous water- way from the Hudson to the Great Lakes had been agitated ever since the days of the earliest settlement of New York state and the Mohawk river-Wood creek-Oneida lake-Oswego river route is the parent of the Erie canal and was in use as the water route (with the carrj^ at Wood creek) from the Hudson to Lake Ontario for two centuries before the completion of the Erie canal. Washington, on his tour of the valley in 1783, was greatly impressed by the water comiUiunica- tions of the regions, as is shown in a prior chapter. The incorporation of the Inland Lock Navigation Co. in 1792 was the first step toward canalizing this Mo- hawk river to the lakes route, which had previously been traversed exclu- sively by canoes, dugouts and flat- boats. This company was not suc- cessful as has been shown and sold out to the state in 1820. Mrs. Earle, in her work, "Home Life in Colonial Days," states that the Hud- son-to-the-Great Lakes canal project was proposed in the New York pro- vincial assembly as early as 1768. While the Erie canal was doubtless the outcome of the public-spirited ef- forts of a number of the state's most progressive and far-seeing citizens, it is true that particular credit for the inauguration of the enterprise is due a few moving spirits. The "Live Wire," a publication issued 1)y the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, devoted its is- sue of August, 1913, to the Barge canal wit'n incidental allusion to its tup: story of old fort plain 201 predecessor, the Erie. It stated that the Erie canal was generally called the "Grand Canal" during its period of construction. • The periodical men- tioned gives great credit for New York state taking up the construction of the waterway to Jesse Hawley. a resident of Ontario county. On Jan. 14, 1807, he published an article in the Pitts- burgh "Commonwealth" urging the building of the Albany to Buffalo canal, under the signature "Hercules." He was at that time temporarily living in Pittsburgh. The "Live Wire" says that prior to this time no one had printed a word or spoken a word in public in favor of this measure. On Hawley's return to his previous home in Ontario county, New York, he pub- lished a series of fourteen articles in the "Ontario Messenger" (also known as the "Genesee Messenger"), a news- paper issued at Canandaigua. These papers constituted a complete exposi- tion of the whole subject, setting forth the advantages of the work, describing the canals of Europe, comparing the Erie canal scheine with them and es- timating the cost — which estimate closely approximated the actual ex- pense of the canal afterward built. It is interesting to note that the initial measure taking up the subject of the public work, was introduced into the state assembly by Judge Forman, from the then great county of Ontario, where Hawley resided and where his views were published. At Schenectady in 1803, Gouverneur Morris suggested to Simeon DeWitt, state surveyor, a project for conveying the water of Lake Erie direct to the Hudson, by means of a canal so con- structed as to preserve a continuous fall to the high lands bordering on the river, which should be surmounted by the use of locks. The surveyor-gen- eral, in common with most of those to whom the scheme was mentioned, regarded the project as visionary. He so represented it to James Geddes, a surveyor of Onondaga county. Geddes, on reflection, decided it practical. The proposition was first brought before the legislature by Joshua Forman, member from Onondaga, Feb. 4, 1808. A committee was appointed to inves- tigate the subject and reported in favor of an examination of the route (both from Oneida lake to Lake Ontario and from Lake Erie eastward to the Hud- son). This was made by the afore- mentioned James Geddes, who made a favorable report to the committee. A further survey was made in 1810 and the cost of the canal estimated at $5,000,000. The length of the canal was estimated at 350 miles and the cost of transportation at $6 per ton. Appeals for help from the national government having failed, the canal commissioners were, by the legisla- ture, authorized to obtain a loan of $5,000,000, and procure the right of way. Further progress was prevented by the War of 1812, but toward the close of 1815 the project was revised. In spite of much opposition, the efforts of the canal champions both in and out of the legislature (especially Dewitt Clinton), procured the passage of an act Apr. 17, 1816, providing for the appointment of commissioners to take up the work. The following formed this board: Dewitt Clinton, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Samuel Young, Jo- seph Elliott and Myron Holies. Clin- ton was president. The plan of a con- tinuous slope from Lake Erie, first proposed, was abandoned by the com- mission, and that of following the un- dulations of the surface adopted. Five millions was again estimated as the full cost of construction. April 15, 1817, an act prepared by Clinton was passed, in the face of great opposi- tion, authorizing the commencement of the actual work. The canal project had always been considered by many a ruinous experiment and "lamenta- tions were frequently heard on the miseries of an overtaxed people and their posterity." Says Beers: "The canal was divided into three sections, from Albany to Rome, Rome to the Seneca river, and thence to Lake Erie. Charles C. Broadhead was engineer in charge of the eastern di- vision, Benjamin Wright of the middle division and James Geddes of the western. The canal was planned to be 202 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 40 feet wide at the surface, 28 at the bottom and the depth of water to be four feet. The locks were 90 feet long and 12 wide in the clear. The com- missioners were authorized to borrow, on the credit of the State, sums not exceeding $400,000 in any one year. Nearly $50,000 had been spent in ex- ploration and surveys on the work be- fore ground was broken." These fig- ures seem insignificantly petty com- pared with the vast sums that have since been frequently wasted on so- called public improvements. Ground was broken at Rome, July 4, 1817, in the presence of DeWitt Clin- ton, the canal's greatest champion, who was then governor of New York and the canal commissioners. John Richardson held the plow in opening the first furrow. "It was more than two years before any part of the line was ready for use. On the 22d of Oc- tober, 1819, the first boat was launched at Rome to run to Utica for passenger use. It was called the 'Chief Engi- neer;' was 61 feet long, seven and one- half feet wide; had two cabins, each 14 feet long, with a flat deck between them, and was drawn by one horse. The next day [Oct. 23, 1819], the com- missioners and some of the most prominent citizens of Utica embarked there for the return trip to Rome and set off with a band playing, bells ring- ing, cannon thundering and thousands of spectators cheering from the banks. "On the 21st of July, 1820, tolls were first levied, the rates being fixed by the commissioners; the amovmt re- ceived that year [in the short stretch then in use] was over $5,000, taken by six collectors. The canal was used between Rome and Little Falls in the autumn of 1821, the contractor at the latter point availing himself of the unprofitable labors of the Inland Lock Navigation Co. (previously referred to) ; and the portion east to the Hud- son was under contract. Meanwhile the river floated the canal boats from Little Falls to Schenectady. The Mo- hawk valley, below the former point, was thoroughly explored under the su- pervision of Benjamin Wright, chief engineer, and the intended direct line. from Schenectady to the Hudson river near Albany, was abandoned in favor of the course of the Mohawk river [from Schenectady to Cohoes]. The accuracy of the engineering work on the line was considered wonderful, in view of the fact that the engineers, Wright and Geddes, had had no pre- vious experience of the kind, having been only land surveyors before their employment on this great work. "In the spring of 1823, the canal was open uninterruptedly from Sprakers [thus including most of the line through the five western towns of Montgomery county] to the western part of the state and in September following [Sept., 1823] the St. Johns- ville feeder was completed. The spot at the 'Nose,' however, was still un- finished, and, at that point, merchan- dise was transferred to river boats past the unfinished section. "In the latter stages of the great work unexpectedly rapid progress was made, its success being now assured, and on the 26th of October, 1825, the finishing touch had been given and the canal was thrown open to navi- gation throughout, by the admission of water from Lake Erie at Black Rock [Buffalo]. The length of the canal was 363 miles, and its initial cost $7,143,780.86. Its completion was celebrated with unbounded joy which found expression in extraordinary civic and military ceremonies, and all the festivities that a proud and happy commonwealth could invent. "On the morning of Oct. 26 [1825], the first flotilla of boats, bound fo** New York from Lake Erie, entered the canal at Buffalo carrying the Governor and Canal Commissioners [in the packet, 'Seneca Chief']. Their de- parture was the signal for the firing of the first of a large number of can- non stationed within hearing distance of each other along the whole line of the canal and the Hudson river and at Sandy Hook, by which the momen- tous news of the opening of through travel at Buffalo was announced at the Hook in an hour and twenty min- utes. One of the signal guns stationed at Sprakers Basin was fired by the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 203 Revolutionary veteran Goshen Van Alstine [living on Canajoharie creek during the war]. The official voyagers were everywhere greeted with enthus- iastic demonstrations." In New York harbor Clinton poured water, carried from Lake Erie, into the waters of the Atlantic commem- orating thereby the joining of the two bodies by way of the Erie canal, and the great voyage was over. Sketches of canal scenery were stamped upon earthenware and various implements in commemoration of the great achievement. Albany was reached Nov. 2, 1825, where a great celebration took place. The gubernatorial party arrived at New York, Nov. 4, where was held a great public demonstration in celebration of the event: The trip from Buffalo to Albany had occupied seven days. "As at first constructed, the canal passed through instead of over the streams which it had to cross, espec- ially in the Mohawk valley, their waters being raised to its level as near as possible by means of dams. This gave a surplus of water in certain lo- calities, and afforded some fine milling privileges. One of this sort was fur- nished below Canajoharie creek, where John A. Ehle built a sawmill to avail himself of it. To carry the water through a stream of any size required, upon both shores of the latter, guard locks with gates, which could be closed during freshets. Considerable diffi- culty was frequently experienced at such places by a long string of boats accumulating on each side of the stream where, at times, they were de- layed for several days, during which their crews came to be on familiar and not always friendly terms. Such de- lays were sometimes caused by a freshet in the creek injuring the dam. The passage of the first boat across a creek, on the subsidence of high water, was a marked event, sometimes draw- ing a large crowd of people together to witness it. The first thing was to get the boat within the guard lock and close the gate behind it. Then with a strong team, sometimes dou- bled, the feat was undertaken [the horses traveling over on a towing bridge over the dam]. The greatest difficulty was experienced at Scho- harie creek, that being so large; and on the parting of a towline midway of the stream, in several instances, boats were borne by an aggravated current over the dam and into the river, occa- sionally with loss of life. In such cases the boats had to go to Schenectady before they could get back into the canal. The passenger packet boats had the precedence in passing locks, and it was readily conceded at creek crossings in freshet times." Such crossings were located on the Ots- quago at Fort Plain, on the Canajo- harie at Canajoharie, on Flat creek at Sprakers, and on Yatesville creek at Yatesville (now Randall). At the outset the canal was the fashionable avenue of western travel, as well as a highway of commerce. The packets were elegantly furnished, set excellent tables and far outstripped the freight boats in speed, by their comparative lightness and their three- horse teams. The canal accordingly furnished the natural route of Lafay- ette in his grand tour of this part of the country in 1825. At the crossing at Schoharie creek, Lafayette's packet was delayed and it was there boarded by Thomas Sammons who was engaged in boating on the Erie canal. When Marquis de Lafayettte was on a mili- tary errand at Johnstown, during the Revolution, he was there entertained by Jacob Sammons, a brother of Thomas, who had leased Johnson Hall from the Committee of Sequestration. Here Thomas Sammons had repeatedly met the French nobleman. In his cabin the Marquis greeted Sammons most cordially, asking after his Johnstown host (who had died since that time). The eminent Frenchman held the boat until his interview was ended, when Sammons and his son (who told this anecdote) stepped ashore both proud and happy over their courteous reception. Lafayette's packet was decorated with streamers and evergreens, even the harness of the horses bristling with flags. At all stops, locks and crossings, he was 204 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN greeted by cheering crowds and we may well assume that such were pres- ent at the locks and creek crossings of western Montgomery county afore- mentioned. The canal early became taxed be- yond its capacity, and its enlargement became a necessity. By legislative act of May, 1835, the canal commissioners were authorized to make its enlarge- ment and to construct double locks as fast as they deemed advisable. Under this act the enlargement was begun and carried on, with more or less ac- tivity, for a quarter of a century be- fore it was completed throughout. In this reconstruction the canal was car- ried over the cross streams by aque- ducts. It was reduced in length to 350 miles, and increased in breadth to 70 feet at the surface and 52% feet at the bottom, while the depth of water was increased from four feet to seven feet. The cost of this enlargement was over $30,000,000. In 1896 and 1897, under an appropriation of $9,000,000, further enlargement was made. The water depth was increased (at least in part) to nine feet, and locks accommodating two boats were installed. From being the main central New York artery of freight traffic, commerce on the canal has dwindled to a small figure. Where formerly the docks of the canal towns were scenes of bustling activity they are now deserted. Such a state of affairs is due to the inability of the canal boats of 250 tons to suc- cessfully compete with the constantly increasing carrying capacity of the railroads. The railroads soon put the canal packets out of business but there are yet those who remember well this convenient, picturesque and pleasant (if somewhat slow) method of travel prior to the middle of the nineteenth century. Attention is called to Loss- ing's mention, in a later chapter of his trip by packet boat on the canal from Fort Plain to Fultonville in 1848. The Erie canal, particularly in its earlier years, was a favorite route of travel by emigrants going to the west. Down to 1866, the construction, en- largement and improvement of the Erie and Champlain canals (the latter requiring but a small part of the whole amount) had cost no less than $46,- 018.234; the repairs and maintenance had cost $12,900,333, making a total expense of $58,918,567. On the other hand, the receipts for tolls on the Erie and Champlain canals had then amounted to $81,057,168, leaving a bal- ance in favor of these canals of $22,- 138,601. The cost of other canals reduced the direct profit on the canal system of the state to a trifle, although the indirect profits have been enor- mous. Future readers will ask, "What was the motive power and manner of boat- ing on the old Erie canal?" The boats were at first drawn by one horse or mule. As they increased in size two or three horses or mules were used on one boat. The canal craft also went in pairs, threes and fours, sometimes two being lashed together and one or two others being in tow. These tows fre erings, for social intercourse, politics and sports — such as horse racing, a track being there located. Caughna- waga still exists as the eastern end of Fonda. Says Beers: "The projectors of the village of Fonda conceived that the prospects of their enterprise would be brightened by making the embryo city the capital of Montgomery county. A petition for the removal of the county buildings was accordingly pre- sented to the legislature in 1836. The immediate vicinity of the Mohawk was by this time so thickly inhabited that the old county seat was not central to the population of the county, and it was left comparatively out of the world by the construction of the Utica and Schenectady railroad. The peti- tion made a persuasive showing, on a statistical basis, of what proportion of the inhabitants would be accommo- dated by the proposed change; and an act authorizing the erection of a court house and jail at Fonda was passed during the session in which it was presented. The commissioners ap- pointed to locate the buildings and superintend construction were Aaron C. Wheelock, Henry Adams and How- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 217 land Fish. The act required them to raise and pay into the treasury of the county $4,500, as a preliminary step, and procure a site of at least three acres for the new county buildings. The comptroller was authorized, on receiving a bond from the county treasurer, to loan the county the sum required [for the erection of the build- ings] from the common school fund, to be repaid at any time, or times (within five years), that the supervis- ors might decide upon. Under these arrangements, the court house and jail were built in 1836. The removal of the county seat from Johnstown was naturally very unsatisfactory to the northern portion of the county, and resulted in the division of Montgom- ery two years later." The old court house still stands and is a building possessed of a simple and pleasing exterior, in a somewhat classic style of architecture. A new court house has been erected in a locality removed from the noise of the Central trains which pass immediately in front of the older building. It is interesting to note in the foregoing that the change to Fonda and the building of the origi- nal Central railroad are coincident in point of time — 1836. In 1836, Montgomery county (then including Fulton) contained 585,000 acres of land; the value of its real es- tate was $3,753,506 and the personal estate $647,899. The county taxes were $19,289.66 and the town taxes $13,023.00. There were then four academies in the county, located at Amsterdam, Kingsborough, Johnstown and Cana- joharie. The county contained 8 woolen factories, 13 iron works, 5 paper mills. 62 tanneries, 8 breweries, 274 saw mills. 74 grist mills, 31 fulling mills, 29 carding machines, 4 oil mills. The following newspapers were is- sued: The Johnstown Herald, The Montgomery Republican, at Johns- town; The Northern Banner, at Broadalbin; The Intelligencer and Mohawk Advertiser, at Amsterdam; The Montgomery Argus, at Canajo- harie; The Fort Plain Journal, at Fort Plain; The Garland (semi-monthly) and the Christian Palladium (semi-, monthly), at Union Mills. The following are some of the of- ficials of Montgomery (including Ful- ton) county, in 1836, before its divi- sion: Elijah Wilcox, collector of canal tolls at Fultonville; John Livermore, one of the canal superintendents of repairs; David Spraker of Canajo- harie, one of the four senators from this, the fourth, district, embracing Saratoga, Washington, St. Lawrence and Montgomery counties; Henry V. Berry of Caughnawaga (Fonda), Jo- seph Blair of Mills' Corners, Jacob Johnson of Minaville, members of as- sembly; Abraham Morrell, David Spraker, masters and examiners in chancery; Abram Morrell, first judge of the court of common pleas; Samuel A. Gilbert, John Hand, Henry J. Diev- endorff, David F. Sacia, judges of the court of common pleas; Michael Ket- tle, Johnstown, sheriff; Tobias A. Stoutenburgh, Johnstown, surrogate; Charles McVean, Johnstown, district attornej^ Joseph Farmer, Johnstown, county treasurer; Matthias Bovee, Amsterdam, member of congress. Ben- edict Arnold of Amsterdam, was major general of the second division of cav- alry and Aaron C. Whitlock of Ephra- tah, brigadier general in the same di- vision of this branch of the state mi- litia. In the county there were 40 lawyers, 44 physicians and 28 clergymen, not including the Methodists (for some reason not enumerated in the list from which this is taken). Since this division of 1838, the pres- ent ten towns of Montgomery have retained boundaries given them then, • with the exception of the subtraction of the Freysbush district from Cana- joharie and its addition to Minden in 1849. This county dismemberment made the towns of Amsterdam, Mo- hawk and St. Johnsville very narrow in width from north to south, in some places their northern boundaries be- ing within two miles of the river and even a trifle less. The southside town- ships were, of course, in nowise af- fected. At this important period there were, 218 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN in the county four villages — Johns- town, incorporated 1808; Canajoharie, incorporated 1829; Amsterdam, incor- porated 1830; Fort Plain, incorporated 1832. The population of Johnstown was (1836) 1200 to 1500 and of Fort Plain about 400. No data exists on the population of the other two. Johnstown had 600 in 1802 and in 1844 had 250 dwellings. In 1804 Amster- dam had 100, abovit equally divided between Dutch and other elements, and in 1813 it had 150. Its growth thereafter was very rapid, outstrip- ping the other villages in a few de- cades. Gloversville had a dozen houses in 1830. It was incorporated in 1851. Fultonville was incorporated in 1848; Fonda, in 1850 (probable population, 400); St. Johnsville, 1857 (with a pop- ulation of 720). In 1836 the population of Montgom- ery county was almost entirely rural, as will be seen from the figures of vil- lage population then. Most of its peo- ple were located on the farms, and en- gaged in agriculture. So much for the noble old county of Montgomery, which had had an event- ful existence with Fulton as part of it for two-thirds of a century. From the Montgomerj^ county of 1784, em- bracing half the state, it finally as- sumed territorial borders which make it one of the smallest in area of New York's 62 counties. Mr. Frothingham, who wrote the foregoing concerning Fonda, is the well-known clergyman and writer of Fonda, now (1913) 92 years of age. He was a boy of four when flatboats, on the Mohawk, and huge freight wagons, on the Mohawk turnpike, still carried the bulk of the through freight through the valley, prior to the open- ing of the Erie canal in the fall of 1825. He was a ^'outh of fifteen when the first railroad train ran in the val- ley and was a young man of seventeen when Fulton was sundered from Montgomery county. Mr. Frothing- ham has seen most of the changes which have taken place, in customs, life and transportation in this section from the early pioneer days. He edited Mason's History of Montgom- ery County, published in 1892, and has written much concerning valley his- torical matters. Fulton county was named from Rob- ert Fulton, whose success in promot- ing steam navigation was at that time (1838) still fresh in the public mem- ory. Robert Fulton was born at Little Britain, Lancaster county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1765. He became a minia- ture and portrait painter and practised his art in Philadelphia, New York and London. In England he turned his at- tention to inventing, producing sev- eral mechanical contrivances. At this time he became interested in canal navigation and improvement. Later in Paris he brought out a submarine torpedo boat, which was rejected for use by the French, British and United States governments. In 1803 Fulton built a steamboat on the Seine in Paris. In 1807 he launched the steam- boat Clermont on the Hudson in New York, which made a successful trip to Albany, and which may be said to have solved the problem of steam nav- igation. Fulton built many steam- boats, ferryboats, etc., and in 1814 con- structed the U. S. steamer, "Demolo- gos" (later called Fulton the First), which was the first war steamer built. Robert Fulton died in New York in 1815, aged 50 years. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN (THIRD SERIES 1838-1913) CHAPTER I. 1838-1913 — Montgomery County, To- pography, Population and History — Farm Statistics and Amsterdam In- dustrial Statistics — Fulton County, Herkimer County and Mohawk Val- ley Statistics. The following or third series of chapters treats of Montgomery county and the middle Mohawk valley during the years from 1838 (the date of separ- ation of Fulton from Montgomery county) until the present day (1913): Montgomery county of today con- sists of the ten townships of Amster- dam, Mohawk, Palatine, St. Johnsville, Minden, Canajoharie, Root, Glen, Charleston, Florida. The towns along the north side of the- Mohawk river from east to west are Amsterdam, Mohawk, Palatine, St. Johnsville, while the south shore towns from east to west are Florida, Glen, Root, Cana- joharie, Minden. The town of Charleston is the only one in the county which does not abut on the river as it lies directly south of the town of Glen. Glen and Charleston lie on the west shore of the Schoharie creek while Florida is on the east side, these three towns being the ones in Montgomery along which this pictur- esque stream flows, finally emptying into the Mohawk at Fort Hunter be- tween the towns of Florida and Glen. The Schoharie is the chief tributary of the Mohawk. The important creeks in the county flowing into the Mohawk are, on the north shore beginning at the west: East Canada, at East Creek; Crum creek, one-half mile east of East Creek; Timmerman, at Upper St. Johnsville; Zimmerman's, at St. Johns- ville; Caroga, at Palatine Church; Knauderack, flowing through Schenck's Hollow, past the county home; Caya- dutta, at Fonda; Danoscara, at Tribes Hill; Kayaderosseras, at Fort John- son; Chuctanunda, at Amsterdam; Bvaskill, at Cranesville. From west to east, on the south shore, are the Otsquago, at Fort Plain; Canajoharie, at Canajoharie; Flat creek, at Sprakers; Yatesville creek, at Randall; Allston, at Stone Ridge; Auries, or Ochraqua, at Auries- ville; Schoharie, at Fort Hunter; South Chuctanunda, at Amsterdam (south side); Cowilla, opposite Cranes- ville. Persons interested in Montgom- ery, its life and history would do well to procure a map of the county. The boundaries of Montgomery county are north, Fulton; east, Sara- toga and Schenectady; south, Schenec- tady, Schoharie, Otsego; west, Herki- mer. In reference to its geology the fol- lowing is briefly summarized from Mason's: Gneiss is found in patches, its principal locality being near the Nose on the river. Resting upon it are heavy masses of calciferous sand- stone, mostly on the north side and trending northward into Fulton coun- ty. Next above the sandstone are the Black River and Trenton limestone, not important as surface rocks but furnishing valuable quarries of build- ing stone. Hudson river group slates and shales extend along the south side of the county and are found in a few places north of the river. Drift and boulders abound. A deep, rich, vege- table mould forms the soil of the alluvial plains or "flats" along the river. On the uplands is mostly a highly productive, sandy and gravelly 220 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN loam. The land is generally adapted to agriculture and especially dairying, which forms a leading feature of Montgomery farm activities. Traces of coal, lead and silver are found in Montgomery county rocks. The country is one of rolling hills for the most part, although in some parts, back from the river, it is only gently undulating. Much of it is broken and somewhat precipitous in parts, particularly along the banks of the streams. The picturesque Cana- joharie creek gorge is a miniature can- yon with walls 100 feet high in places. There is much natural beauty through- out the county, which is to be ex- pected of a county 33 miles long and lying along the Mohawk, famed as traversing a most picturesque valley. There are beautiful falls on the Can- ajoharie, a mile south of the village of that name and on Flat creek, a mile south of Sprakers. There are sulphur springs in almost every township. The views from some of the hilltops are always extensive and often inspir- ing. From some heights foothills may be seen which lie at the edge of the great Adirondack forest, which also, at one time, covered Montgomery county extensively, with the exception of the vlaies or natural meadows. The following are the elevations of the highest points of land, above sea level •as given on the map issued by S. Con- over of Amsterdam: Minden, at Salt Springville, 986; Canajoharie, at Mapletown, 1213; Root, two miles southeast of Lykers, 1310; Glen, two miles south of Glen village, 1200; Charleston, Oak Ridge, near Oak Ridge settlement, 1446; Florida, two miles southwest of Minaville, 1203; Amsterdam, in the east central part, 700; Mohawk, Van Deusen Hill, 1029; Palatine, Rickard's Hill in north part, 1029; St. Johnsville, Getman hill on the north line in the east end, 1140. Oak Ridge, 1446 feet, in Charleston, is the highest point on the south side and also in Montgomery county. It is 11 miles from the Mohawk. Getman Hill, 1140 feet, in St. Johnsville township, is the highest northside point and is less than three miles from the river. Sub- tracting the, river bed sea elevations (302 feet at Fort Plain, 278 feet at Fonda and 267 feet at Amsterdam), will give the height of the hills above the Mohawk. The best and most char- acteristic valley views are to be ob- tained on the hills, back from the Mo- hawk river. The area of Montgomery county is about 385 square miles and the soil is in general fertile, that on the "flats" being a particularly rich loam. The 43d parallel of north latitude cuts di- rectly through the center of St. Johns- ville and the county lies between the 74th and 75th degree meridians west- ward from Greenwich, England, and 2 and 3 degrees east of Washington. It is bounded on the north by Fulton, on the east by Saratoga and Schenec- tady, on the south by Schoharie and Otsego and on the west by Herkimer county. It is 33 miles long and 15 miles wide at the point of the great- est breadth at Randall. Yosts is al- most exactly in its center lengthways. Aside from the ten towns, it con- tains the city of Amsterdam and the villages of Hagaman and Fort Johnson in Amsterdam town and the villages of Fonda in Mohawk town, Palatine Bridge and Nelliston in Palatine town, St. Johnsville in St. Johnsville town. Fort Plain in Minden town, Canajo- harie in Canajoharie town, Fultonville in Glen town. It also has the follow- ing unincorporated places or neighbor- hood centers: In Minden: — Mindenville, Minden, Hallsville, Brookmans Corners, Salt Springville, Freysbush. In Canajoharie: — Sprout Brook, Van Deusenville, Buel, Marshville, Ames, Waterville, Mapletown. In Root: — Sprakers, Randall, Flat Creek, Browns Hollow, Lykers, Cur- rytown, Rural Grove, Stone Ridge. In Glen: — Glen, Auriesville, Mill Point. In Charleston: — Charleston Four Corners, Charleston, Oak Ridge, Cary- town, Burtonsville. In Florida: — Fort Hunter, Minaville, Miller Corners, Scotch Bush, Scotch Church. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 221 In Amsterdam: — Cranesville, Manny- Corners. In Mohawk: — Tribes Hill, Berry ville, Yosts. In Palatine: — McKinley, Stone Ara- bia Four Corners, Stone Arabia, Tliree Points, Wagners Hollow, Palatine Church. In St. Johnsville: — Upper St. Johns- ville. The following regards the civil gov- ernment of Montgomery, the same as that of other New York counties. It forms, of course, part of a state sena- torial and part of a national congres- sional district, their boundaries vary- ing at different times. It is an as- sembly district and is represented by one assemblyman at Albany. The strictly county officers, with their terms of office in years, are: Sheriff, 3; county judge, 6; surrogate, 6; county clerk, 3; treasurer, 3; district attorney, 3; four coroners, 4; superin- tendent of poor, 3; two district school commissioners (one for five west towns and one for five east towns, exclusive of the city of Amsterdam), 3. A county highway superintendent, two commis- sioners of elections and a sealer of weights and measures are appointed by the board of supervisors. For lists of Montgomery county officers see Beer's History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties (1878) and Mason's History of Montgomery County (1892). The town officers are with their terms of office in years: Supervisor, 2; town clerk, 2; four justices of peace, 4; three assessors, 4; one or three highway superintendents, 2; overseer of poor, 2; collector, 2; three auditors, 2; not more than five constables, 2; a board of health composed of the town board and a health officer (appointed). The usual village officers are presi- dent, board of trustees, boards of sewer and water commissioners, clerk, treas- urer, collector, police officers and street commissioner. The history of Montgomery county from 1838, the date of separation of Fulton and Montgomery counties, covers the Civil war period and is one of agricultural development and change, of the great increase and de- velopment of the villages and the county's city, Amsterdam, and the re- markable growth of manufacturing in- dustries in all the population centers of importance. Hops, which were long raised in the southern section of the Montgomery, are but little cultivated on account of the lack of reliability as to crop and because of the competition of the Pacific slope. The same is true of broom corn which was so long a prin- cipal crop on the river flatlands and which stimulated the building of broom factories in almost all the river towns. The county has also largely become a dairying section instead of one where general crops (and wheat largely) were raised 75 years ago. There is but little lumbering done as the available timber is largely gone and areas must be replanted to pro- tect the soil and the flow of the water- courses. Fruit growing is of increas- ing importance and much fine poultry is raised both for market and for breeding. Hay, oats and corn are the three most important crops. A large and interesting volume could be made of the present industries of old Montgomery (including present Fulton) county. To the north of us in Fulton there is lumbering and Glov- ersville (with Johnstown) is the glove manufacturing center of the United States. Amsterdam has carpet works of great size and capacity and "Am- sterdam rugs" are sold everywhere in enormous quantities. The same is true of many other county manufactures. Barkley's Geography of Montgomery County, published in 1892, gives the following as the natural and manu- factured products of Montgomery, to which additions have been made to bring the list up to date. Agricultural: — Cattle, horses, sheep, swine, wool, hides, lumber, butter, cheese, wheat, corn, oats, hay, rye, buckwheat, potatoes, flax, hops, beans, apples, pears, plums, grapes, honey, alfalfa, eggs, poultry, vegetables and garden truck. Mineral: — -Limestone, clay and sand. Lead ore in small quantities has been found on the banks of Flat creek in 222 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Root, and gold, copper, zinc and lead had been obtained in non-payable amounts from the banks of East Can- ada creek in the town of St. Johnsville. Limestone is found in abundance in the towns or Amsterdam, Florida, Mo- hawk, Root, Canajoharie, Palatine and St. Johnsville. It was largely used for building in the earlier days and made handsome houses. The manufactures of 1913 by towns are as follows: Amsterdam town and city: — Carpets, rugs, knit goods, brooms, springs, lin- seed oil, boilers, paper boxes, silk, beer, malt, waterwheels, caskets, paper, cigars, clothing, soda water, bricks, wooden building material (sash, doors, blinds, etc.), lumber. Canajoharie: — Paper bags, food pro- ducts, beer, flour, feed, cider, wagons. Charleston: — Wagons, sleighs, flour, feed, cotton yarn, lumber, cider, wine. Florida: — Brooms, wagons, sleighs, cultivators, wine. Glen: — Silk goods, poultry coops, brooms, stoves, lumber, cider, water- wheels, castings, flour, feed. Minden: — Knit goods, paper boxes, furniture, broom machinery, flour, feed, cider, pickles, hose bands, wag- ons, silk goods, toy wagons, cabinets, corn buskers, milk products, broom- bands, cigars. Mohawk: — Knit goods, paper, wag- ons, soda water, flour, feed, tile, cider. Palatine:— Condensed milk, candy, milk products, straw board, vinegar, cider. Root: — Wagons, lumber, cider. St. Johnsville: — Agricultural ma- chinery, threshing machines, pianos, piano actions, fifth wheels, wagons, sleighs, knit goods, condensed milk, carriage forgings, cider, flour, feed, lumber, bricks, piano players. The chief events in the history of Montgomery county of the period be- ing considered are: 1838, division of Montgomery and Fulton counties; en- largement of the Erie canal, begun in 1835; formation of Montgomery County Agricultural society, 1844; Civil war and enlistment of Montgomery county men, 1861-5; completion Fonda, Johns- town and Gloversville railroad, 1870; West Shore railroad completed, 1883; Amsterdam becomes a city, 1885; elec- tric road connects Schenectady, Am- sterdam, Fonda, Johnstown and Glov- ersville, 1905; commencement of Barge canal work, 1905; electric power plant established at Ephratah, using waters of Pecks Pond and Garoga lakes and transmission line run to Fort Plain, 1911; 1911, Atwood's aeroplane flight through the Mohawk valley on his St. Louis to New York air trip. He landed at Nelliston and remained over night at Fort Plain. An agricultural fair was held in old Montgomery county at Johnstown, as early as Oct. 12, 1819, by a society or- ganized in that year. Fairs have been held in most of the years succeeding this date. In 1865, the Fulton County Agricultural society bought 18 acres near Johnstown for a permanent fair- ground. In recent years the fair has been discontinued and the grounds sold for building lots. The growth of agricultural societies, as relating to Montgomery, finds a fitting place here. There are two of these in the county, the Montgomery County Agricultural society, holding annual fall exhibitions and races at Fonda on its fair grounds, and the Fort Plain Street Fair association (mentioned elsewhere) holding an an- nual September fair on the brick pave- ments of Fort Plain. In 1793 the Society for the Promo- tion of Agriculture, Arts and Manu- factures was established, and in 1801 this body, for convenience of action, divided the state into agricultural dis- tricts, each consisting of a county. A secretary was appointed in each dis- trict, whose duties were to convene the members of the society within the county, learn the state of agriculture and manufactures therein and report to the president of the society. Shortly after this time, premiums were offered for the best specimens of home made cloth, and were awarded partly by the general authority of the society and partly by county judges appointed by it. By an act of legislature, in 1819, for the improvement of agriculture, a board of officers was created and an THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 223 appropriation made for two years, which was to be distributed among the different counties of the state for the advancement of agriculture and domestic manufactures, on the condi- tion that the counties themselves sub- scribed an equal sum, but this was carried out but little by the counties and no permanent result came of it. The present State Agricultural society was formed in 1832. No state appro- priation was made for it until 1841, when measures were taken for raising funds and holding annual fairs. In the spring of 1841, $40,000 was appropri- ated, partly to the state society and partly for division among the counties in proportion to their representation in the assembly. It was under this act that the Mont- gomery County Agricultural society was organized. Pursuant to a notice by the county clerk, a meeting was held Sept. 20, 1844, at the Fonda court house. The committee on nominations reported the following, which were adopted: President, Tunis I. Van De- veer; vice-presidents, Joshua Reed, Peter H. Fonda; secretary, John Frey; treasurer, John Nellis; board of direc- tors, Amsterdam, Benedict Arnold; Charleston, Robert Baird; Canajoharie, Jeremiah Gardner; Florida, Lawrence Servoss; Glen, Richard Hudson; Min- den, Barney Becker; Mohawk, Lyndes Jones; Palatine, William Snell; Root, George Spraker; St. Johnsville, John Y. Edwards. A committee was ap- pointed to draft a constitution and re- port it at a subsequent meeting, which all desirous to promote the interests of agriculture, manufactures and rural arts, were earnestly invited to attend. Oct. 13, 1844, the organization was completed and arrangements made for the first fair which was held at the court house, Nov. 11, 12, 1844. The re- ceipts came to $471,50 and the expenses $462. The fair was held at the court house for the three following years (1844, 1845, 1846), the annual receipts averaging about $250. In 1847 the fair was held in Canajoharie. The next four were held at the court house in Fonda, the tenth (in 1853) at Fort Plain, in St. Johnsville in 1854 and at Canajoharie in 1855. Since then it has been held annually at Fonda, that place having been fixed upon as . the permanent locality in 1863. In 1860 the constitution and by-laws were adopted, the officers to be a president, two vice-presidents, a secretary and a treasurer, an executive committee of three, a board of directors consisting of three members from each town of the county. All of the officials' terms were one year. Membership for one year was put at 50 cents and persons could become life members on pay- ment of $10. The annual meeting is held on the evening of the first day of the fair and officers are then elected to become active the following New Year. In 1863 the society purchased its present grounds in Fonda, a field of 13 acres, formerly belonging to the Van Home family. The fair of 1864 was held on these new grounds and proved the most successful up to that date, the receipts being over $2,000 — double those of any previous year. In 1872 further buildings were put up and other improvements effected. In 1876, the grandstand was built, and, as it was centennial year, an unusually at- tractive show was made in all depart- ments and a great variety of sports and races took place. The receipts were $3,800. A street carnival feature has since been added to the "Fonda fair." There are many other agricul- tural societies in the county, formed for social or business purposes. Montgomery county, like every other section of the country, suffered terribly from the Civil war. Its men responded in numbers to the call to arms and hundreds lie buried on southern battle- fields or in the burial grounds of their home neighborhoods. A dreadful sor- row filled the valley and houses were numbeiiess where a father, husband or son had gone to the front never to re- turn alive. The completion of the Fonda, Johns- town and Gloversville railroad in 1870 was a county event of importance. In 1875 it was extended to Northville. The construction of the West Shore railroad (completed 1883) proved a great stimulus to Montgomery towns 224 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN on the south shore. It has stations at Amsterdam, Fort Hunter, Auriesville, Fultonville, Randall, Sprakers, Cana- joharie, Fort Plain, Mindenville. For a time there was great competition be- tween the two roads and the new West Shore (so named from running on the west side of the Hudson) made business very lively. The competition resulted in a cut rate of one cent a mile which prevailed for awhile through the valley. The West Shore finally failed and was absorbed by the New York Central and is now used principally as a freight route. The following newspapers are pub- lished in Montgomery county: Am- sterdam Recorder, Amsterdam Sentinel, Mohawk Valley (Fonda) Democrat, Montgomery County Republican (Ful- tonville), Canajoharie Radii, Canajo- harie Courier, Hay Trade Journal (Canajoharie), Fort Plain Standard, Mohawk Valley Register (Fort Plain), Fort Plain Free Press, St. Johnsville News, St. Johnsville Enterprise. The following newspapers are pub- lished in Fulton county: Gloversville Herald, Gloversville Leader, Johns- town Democrat. The Mohawk valley has been the scene of considerable change in its population, although not to the same extent as other parts of the United States of America. The rural popula- tion of Montgomery and parts of Ful- ton is probably largely identical with that of a century ago and it is prob- able that much of this farm population is no greater in certain localities than in 1812, and in some sections even less. It is in the cities and towns that the greatest population changes have oc- curred and these largely coincide with the conglomerate urban people of the rest of the United States. In the val- ley, however, there is generally a sub- stratum of the original white popula- tion in the cities and larger villages. With the exception of the city of Am- sterdam the county of Montgomery has a population throughout very similar to that here present in the early part of the nineteenth century or before the division of Montgomery and Fulton counties in 1838. This is largely due to the fact that there has been no great incentive to immigration into the county since then, with the excep- tion of the industrial opportunities of- fered by the east end city. It is prob- able that certain early elements which came into the valley after the Revolu- tion have largely decreased — such as the New England, which we read of so largely at that time and whose rest- lessness (its greatest weakness) in- duced these Yankees to again take up a western hegira. The early men of this region not only largely developed it but have themselves scattered all over the country and Mohawk valley names may now be found from the Mo- hawk river to San Francisco bay. New York city had, for a number of years, a Montgomery County society, which numbered 200 members and held an- nual dinners. The valley has witnessed and partic- ipated in that great urban growth and development which was a leading characteristic of national life in the nineteenth century. This has not only brought in un-American peoples but has, by its indoor life and sedentary work, markedly depreciated the vigor of the original Mohawk valley stock. Recent years in Montgomery county have been marked principally by the great development of manufactures, highway improvements, electric trolley road building, utilization and trans- mission of electric power, free rural mail delivery, city and village improve- ment, and the construction of the Barge canal which is to replace the Erie. It has been a peaceful time, broken only by the Spanish war of 1898 which called to the service a few men of Montgomery. In a general way, it is the industrial development, the solu- tion of social and economic problems, the improvement of rural communica- tion, the development of rural life and the improvement in agriculture which immediately concern the people of Montgomery county. The towns along the Mohawk, in- cluding those in Montgomery county, are so situated that it is probable they will experience a gradual but sure THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 225 growth into cities, some of consider- able size. Their location on the Barge canal and two lines of railroad is the main cause of this development, com- bined with their situation in a rich agricultural territory with foodstuffs raised at their very doors and serving as markets for the farming country for miles around. The gradual growth of these Mohawk river centers has been largely composed of the original pop- ulation and without a great access of an undesirable foreign element. There have been exceptions to this rule, but it is to be hoped that such conditions will prevail, thereby avoiding many of the evils which have followed the un- desirable and rapid growth of cities in other sections of the country. The development of Schenectady, from the quiet Dutch town of 1880, with a popu- lation of less than 15,000, to the great manufacturing center of 1910 with 72,000 people, has been the one marked exception to the gradual growth of the other river towns. In a lesser way the building up of Amsterdam in the same period, is also noteworthy. Its population of 31,267 in 1910 made it the third city, in point of size in the Mo- hawk valley and was more than half of the Montgomery county population of 57,567. Amsterdam's growth is en- tirely responsible for the increase of the county's population in recent years and it is probable that the rest of Montgomery's population has de- creased in the past fifty years. With the growing demand for foodstuffs and their increasing price, a growth in the agricultural population can be looked for, particularly in sections so favorably situated as to markets and transportation as the townships im- mediately adjacent to the Mohawk river. So that with growing towns and demand for agricultural products, com- bined with the good land available, it is reasonable to suppose the already large Mohawk valley population will be much greater in the years to come — a population which may easily com- prise a million people in time. This is, of course, provided that the water sup- ply of the valley is conserved by refor- estation, dams, etc. No section can grow beyond its water supply. The rainfall of the Mohawk basin has been steadily decreasing for a century. The area of Montgomery county is 254,720 acres. That of Fulton county is 330,240 acres. The area of old Mont- gomery county, which included these divisions prior to 1838, was 584,960 acres. Root is the largest town of Montgomery county and St. Johnsville is the smallest. With the figures at hand it is impossible to give the area of each township. Root, Florida and Minden are the three largest towns. However the size of townships or counties means little as they are only imaginary divisions. The census department at Washing- ton has kindly furnished figures for this work relative to the population of Montgomery county. In 1790 the pop- ulation of Montgomery was 18,261. In 1850 (after the detachment of Ftilton county) the population was 31,992; 1860, 30,866; 1870, 34,457; 1880, 38,315; 1890, 45,699; 1900, 47,488; 1910, 57,567. The 1910 population by towns is as follows: Amsterdam, including Am- sterdam city, 34,341; Canajoharie, 3,- 889; Charleston, 900; Florida, 1,904; Glen, 2,002; Minden, 4,645; Mohawk, 2,488; Palatine, 2,517; Root, 1,512; St. Johnsville, 3,369. The populations of the villages and city are as follows: Amsterdam city, 31,267; Fort Plain, 2,762; St. Johnsville, 2,536; Canajoharie, 2,273; Fonda, 1,100; Hagaman, 875; Fultonville, 812; Nel- liston, 737; Fort Johnson (incorporated 1909, formerly Akin), 600; Palatine Bridge, 392. The incorporation of the villages of Montgomery county took place as fol- lows: Canajoharie, 1829; Amsterdam, 1830; Fort Plain, 1832; Fultonville, 1848; Fonda, 1850; St. Johnsville, 1857. Since the latter date the villages of Hagaman, Palatine Bridge, Nelliston and Fort Johnson have been incor- porated. There are several population centers in the county which include two or more incorporated or unincorporated places. With the bes* census figures and estimates at hand the total popu- 226 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN lation of these centers, which virtually form single communities, are as fol- lows: Amsterdam - Hagaman - Fort Johnson-Rockton, 33,792; Fort Hunter- Tribes Hill, 1,000; Fonda-Fultonville, 1,912; Canajoharie-Palatine Bridge, 2,665; Fort Plain-Nelliston, 3,499 The variation of population in the different townships is shown in the following figures. From a study of these it is shown that the rural popu- lation has steadily declined since 1850 while the towns have increased. While the decline of the number of people in the agricultural sections seems to be still going on, it is not probable that it will long continue. On the other hand an increase of the farming popu- lation may be looked for in the future. The town populations by censuses fol- low: Amsterdam, 1850, 4,128; 1880, 11,170; 1910 (including Amsterdam city, ex- cept the south side fifth ward in the town of Florida, formerly Port Jack- son), 31,962. Canajoharie, 1850, 4,097; 1880, 4,294; 1910, 3,889. Charleston, 1850, 2,216; 1880, 1,334; 1910, 900. Florida, 1850, 3,571; 1880, 3,249; 1910, (including former Port Jackson village, or Amsterdam city fifth ward), 4,283. Glen, 1850, 3,043; 1880, 2,622; 1910, 2,002. Minden, 1850, 4,623; 1880, 5,100; 1910, 4,645. Mohawk, 1850, 3,095; 1880, 2,943; 1910, 2,488. Palatine, 1850, 2,856; 1880, 2,786; 1910, 2,517. Root, 1850, 2,736; 1880, 2,275; 1910, 1,512. St. Johnsville, 1850, 1,627; 1880, 2,002; 1910, 3,369. According to the foregoing every town in the county has lost in popula- tion, from 1850 to 1910, except Amster- dam and St. Johnsville. The census of 1910 places the popu- lation of Montgomery county at 57,567 and that of Fulton county at 44,534. The combined population of Fulton and Montgomery counties is 102,091. The total number of farms in the two counties is 4,221, with a total agricul- tural production valued at $6,707,681 in 1909. The combined value of goods manufactured in Montgomery and Fulton counties in 1909 is roughly es- timated at $50,000,000. For this work it is impossible to ob- tain figures of manufactures, as relat- ing to New York state, by counties so details regarding such production is lacking for Montgomery and Fulton counties. The number of all farms in Montgomery county in 1910 was 2,189 as against 2,407 in 1900. In Fulton county there were 1,932 farms in 1910 and 2,234 in 1900. The following interesting informa- tion regarding the condition of agri- culture in Montgomery county is fur- nished by the census of 1910: Population (1910), 57,567; population in 1900, 47,488. Number of all farms, 2,189; number of all farms in 1900, 2,407. Color and nativity of farmers — Na- tive white, 1,883; foreign-born white, 306. Number of farms, classified by size — Under 3 acres, 17; 3 to 9 acres, 148; 10 to 19 acres, 126; 20 to 49 acres, 191; 50 to 99 acres, 514; 100 to 174 acres, 888; 175 to 259 acres, 249; 260 to 499 acres, 52; 500 to 999 acres, 3; 1,000 acres and over, 1. Land and farm area — Approximate land area, 254,720 acres; land in farms, 234,041 acres; land in farms in 1900, 236,934 acres; improved land in farms, 195,262 acres; improved land in farms in 1900, 202,394 acres; woodland in farms, 25,002 acres; other unimproved land in farms, 13,777 acres; per cent of land area in farms, 91.9; per cent of farm land improved, 83.4; average acres per farm, 106.9; average improv- ed acres per farm, 89.2. Value of farm property — All farm propertj% $15,460,547; all farm property in 1900, $12,929,081; per cent increase, 1900-1910, 19.6; land, $6,303,804; land in 1900, $5,941,600; buildings, $5,517,979; buildings in 1900, $4,608,840; imple- ments and machinery, $1,120,835; im- plements, etc., in 1900, $769,990; do- mestic animals, poultry and bees, $2,- 517,929; domestic animals, etc., in 1900, $1,608,651. Per cent of value of all property in — Land, 40.8; buildings, 35.7; imple- ments and machinery, 7.2; domestic animals, poultry and bees, 16.3. Average values — All property per farm, $7,063; land and buildings per farm, $5,401; land per acre, $26.93; land per acre in 1900, $25.08. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 227 Domestic animals (farms and ranges) — Farms reporting domestic animals, 2,099; value of domestic ani- maiS, $2,399,736. Cattle — Total number, 36,537; dairy COWS, 22,804; other cows, 1,640; year- ling heifers, 3,629; calves, 6,725; year- ling steers and bulls 1,134; other steers and bulls, 605; value, $1,234,434. Horses — Total number, 7,639; ma- ture horses, 7,221; yearling colts, 327; spring colts, 91; value, $1,065,093. Mules — Total number, 5; mature mules, 4; yearling colts, 1; value, $655. Swine — Total number, 9,098; mature hogs, 4,944; spring pigs, 4,154; value, $74,709. Sheep — Total number, 3,902; rams, ewes and wethers, 2,108; spring lambs, 1,794; value, $24,746. Goats — Number, 21; value, $99. Poultry and Bees — Number of poul- try of all kinds, 143,302; value, $102,- 959; number of colonies of bees, 3,615; value, $15,234. Number, acreage and value of farms classified by tenure, color and nativity of farmers and mortgage debt by coun- ties: April 15, 1910: Farms operated by owners— Number of farms, 1,446; number of farms in 1900, 1,550; per cent of all farms, 66.1; per cent of all farms in 1900, 64.4; land in farms, 139,760 acres; improved land in farms, 115,923 acres; value of land and buildings, $7,117,522. Degree of ownership: Farms consisting of own- ed land only, 1,341; farms consisting of owned and hired land, 105. Color and nativity of owners: Native white, 1,- 226; foreign-born white, 220. Farms operated by tenants — Number of farms, 719; number of farms in 1900, 819; per cent of all farms, 32.8; per cent of all farms in 1900, 34.0; land in farms, 89,673 acres; improved land in farms, 75,378 acres; value of land and buildings, $4,347,361. Form of ten- ancy: Share tenants, 458; share-cash tenants, 12; cash tenants, 241; tenure not specified, 8. Color and nativity of tenants: Native white, 635; foreign- born white, 84. Farms operated by managers — Num- ber of farms, 24; number of farms in 1900, 38; land in farms. 4,608 acres; improved land in farms, 3,961 acres; value of land and buildings, $356,900. Mortgage debt reports — B^or all farms operated by owners: Number free from mortgage debt, 849; number with mortgage debt, 588; number with no mortgage report, 9. For farms consisting of owned land only: Num- ber reporting debt and amount, 506; value of their land and buildings, $2,- 268,987; amount of mortgage debt, $878,719; per cent of value of land and buildings, 38.7. I^ive stock products (1909) — Dairy products: Dairy cows on farms re- porting dairy products, 22,128; dairy cows on farms reporting milk produc- ed, 19,314; milk produced, 11,123,057 gallons; milk sold, 10,288,208 gallons; cream sold, 3,377 gallons; butter fat sold, 449,839 pounds; butter produced, 236,592 pounds; butter sold, 155,301 pounds; cheese produced, 950 pounds; cheese sold, 900 pounds; value of dairy products, excluding home use of milk and cream, $1,299,769; receipts from sale of dairy products, $1,277,634. Poultry products: Number of poultry raised, 159,955; number of poultry sold, 64,106; eggs produced, 916,984 dozens; eggs sold, 651,515 dozens; value of poultry and eggs produced, $315,758; receipts from sale of poultry and eggs, $199,250. Honey and wax: Honey produced, 123,366 pounds; wax produced, 1,478 pounds; value of honey and wax produced, $13,759. Wool, mohair and goat hair: Wool, number fleeces shorn, 1,685; mohair and goat hair, number fleeces shorn, 8; value of wool and mohair produced, $3,185. Domestic animals sold or slaughter- ed (1909) — Calves, number sold or slaughtered, 16,515; other cattle, num- ber sold or slaughtered, 4,442; number horses, mules and asses and burros sold, 352; number swine sold or slaughtered, 1,582; receipts from sale of animals, $265,270; value of animals slaughtered, $156,419. Value of all crops and principal classes thereof and acreage and pro- duction of principal crops, 1909: Value of all crops, $2,673,527; cer- eals, $756,512; other grains and seeds, $3,078; hay and forage, $1,433,171; veg- etables, $204,201; fruits and nuts, $101,- 027; all other crops, $175,538. Selected crops — Cereals: Total, 42,- 071 acres; 1,282,282 bushels. Corn, 10,- 003 acres; 398,357 bushels. Oats, 25,- 507 acres; 726,120 bushels. Wheat, 312 acres; 7,893 bushels. Barley, 284 acres; 7,233 bushels. Buckwheat, 5,470 acres; 133,434 bushels. Rye, 486 acres; 8,967 bushels. Other grains: Dry peas, 21 acres; 422 bushels. Dry edi- ble beans, 103 acres; 875 bushels. Hay and forage, 86,409 acres; 130,173 tons. All tame or cultivated grasses, 82,109 acres; 94,?777 tons. Timothy alone, 23,867 acres; 26,937 tons. Timothy and clover, mixed. 51,322 acres; 58,529 tons. Clover alone, 5,411 acres; 6,951 tons. Alfalfa, 201 acres; 490 tons. Millet or Hungarian grass, 289 acres; 572 tons. Other tame or cultivated grasses, 1.019 acres; 1,298 tons. Wild, salt or prairie grasses, 10 acres; 10 tons. Grains cut green, 92 acres; 131 tons. Coarse forage, 4,198 acres; 35,- 253 tons. Root forage, 2 tons. Special crops: Potatoes, 2,007 acres; 193.644 bushels. All other vegetables, 1,021 acres. Hops, 209 acres; 148,329 pounds. Number maple trees, 9,470; 228 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN maple sugar made, 294 pounds; maple syrup made, 2,941 gallons. Fruits and Nuts — Orchard fruits: Total number trees, 97,906; 140,105 bushels. Apples, 77,804 trees; 131,264 bushels. Peaches and nectarines, 309 trees; 226 bushels. Pears, 5,159 trees; 2,742 bushels. Piums and prunes, 9,001 trees; 4,411 bushels. Cherries, 5,561 trees; 1,447 bushels. Quinces, 37 trees; 4 bushels. Grapes 8,612 vines; 81,787 pounds. Small fruits: Total, 89 acres; 117,489 quarts. Strawberries, 21 acres; 45,515 quarts. Raspberries and loganberries, 38 acres; 45,454 quarts. Nuts, 2,700 trees; 42,530 pounds. Selected farm expenses and receipts, 1909: Labor: Farms reporting, 1,659; cash expended, $372,973; rent and board furnished, .$153,487. Fertilizer: Farms reporting, 868; amount expended, $32,- 960. Feed: Farms reporting, 1,378; amount expended, $184,083. Receipts from sale of feedable crops, $411,442. Number and value of domestic ani- mals not on farms April 15, 1910: Inclosures reporting domestic ani- mals, 1,182; value of domestic animals, $387,155. Cattle: Total number, 210; value, $8,999; number of dairy cows, 154. Horses: Total number, 2,103; value, $371,169; number of mature horses, 2,089. Mules and asses and burros: Total number, 19; value, $4,- 420; number of mature mules, 18. Swine: Total number, 241; value, $2,409. Sheep and goats: Total num- ber, 19; value, $158. The total value of all the products of Montgomery county farms, includ- ing dairy, poultry, eggs, honey and wax, wool, domestic animals sold and slaughtered, and all crops (exclusive of lumber) was $4,727,687 in 1909. While the census statistics of manu- factures for the counties of New York state are not available, those for its cities of over 10,000 population are given. Of the class of (41) cities, be- tween ten and fifty thousand inhabi- tants, Amsterdam leads in the number of its people engaged in industry — 10,776. It has 97 industrial establish- ments and produced $22,449,000 worth of manufactures in 1909 against $10,- 643,000 in 1899, or an increase of over 100 per cent in ten years. It is probable that the t.tal manu- factures of Montgomery county exceed $28,000,000 annually. The following figures are given rela- tive to Fulton county's agricultural in- terests. They will form an interesting table in comparison with the first one published relative to Montgomery, whose farming statistics are given in full. It has been the aim, in this work, to still consider Fulton and Montgom- ery counties (old Montgomery county) as one civil section. The Fulton county farming figures follow: Population, 44,534; population in 1900, 42,842. Number of all farms, 1,932; number of all farms in 1900, 2,234. Color and nativity of farmers: Na- tive white, 1,795; foreign-born white, 134; negro and other non-white, 3. Number of farms, classified by size: Under 3 acres, 12; 3 to 9 acres, 101; 10 to 19 acres, 122; 20 to 49 acres, 305; 50 to 99 acres, 514; 100 to 174 acres, 628; 175 to 259 acres, 179; 260 to 499 acres, 60; 500 to 999 acres, 3; 1,000 acres and over, 8. Land and farm area^Approximate land area, 330,240 acres; land in farms, 205,845 acres; land in farms in 1900, 208.687 acres; improved land in farms, 98,781 acres; improved land in farms in 1900, 115,213 acres; woodland in farms, 69,219 acres; other unimproved land in farms, 37,845 acres; per cent of land area in farms, 62.3; per cent of farm land improved, 48.0; average acres per farm, 106.5; average im- proved acres per farm, 51.1. Value of farm property — All farm property, $6,808,265; all farm -property in 1900, $5,834,750; per cent increase, 1900-1910, 16.7; land, $2,659,010; land in 1900, $2,603,800; buildings, $2,549,- 545; buildings in 1900, $2,066,850; im- plements and machinery $465,742; im- plements, etc., in 1900, $331,420; do- mestic animals, poultry and bees, $1,- 133,968; domestic animals, etc., in 1900, $832,680. Per cent of value of all property in — Land, 39.1; buildings, 37.4; imple- ments and machinery, 6.8; domestic animals, poultry and bees, 16.7. Average values — All property per farm. $3,524; land and buildings per farm, $2,696; land per acre, $12.92; land per acre in 1900, $12.48. Domestic animals (farms and ranges) — Farms reporting domestic animals. 1,741; value of domestic ani- mals, $1,079,357. Cattle — Total number, 16,096; dairy cows, 9,835; other cows. 990; yearling heifers, 1608; calves, 2,896; yearling steers and bulls, 385; other steers and bulls, 382; value $486,396. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 229 Horses — Total number. 4,064; ma- ture horses, 3,851; yearling colts, 198; spring colts, 15; value, $543,860. Mules — Total number, 8; mature mules, 7; yearling colts, 1; value, $1,735. Asses and burros — Number, 2; value, $425. Swine — Total number, 4,344; ma- ture hogs, 2,519; spring pigs, 1.825; value, $38,471. Sheep — Total number, 2,027; rams, ewes and wethers. 1,290; spring lambs, 737; value, $8,413. Goats — Number, 15; value, $57. Poultry and Bees: Number of poul- try of all kinds, 67,193; vakie, $49,239; number of colonies of bees. 1,265; value, $5,372. Fulton county's farms produced in 1909, products of the following value: Dairy products, $437,818; poultry and eggs, $150,387; honey and wax, $3,169; wool and mohair, $1,542; domestic ani- mals sold, $96,404; domestic animals slaughtered, $89,873; all crops, $1,200,- 801. Total value of Fulton county farm production for 1909 (exclusive of lumber), $1,979,994. Fulton county has the city of Glov- ersville (first incorporated as a village in 1851), with a population (1910) of 20,642, and the city of Johnstown (first incorporated as a village in 1808). with a population (1910) of 10,447. They are so closely joined that they may justly be considered one population center of over 31,000. Northville (pop- ulation,- 1,130) and Mayfleld (popula- tion, 509) are the two other incorpor- ated places of Fulton county. Gloversville has 6,604 persons en- gaged in industry (mostly glovemak- ing), 187 establishments, with products of a value, for 1909, of $14,171,000, a great increase over 1899 when ap- proximately $9,000,000 of manufactures were produced. Johnstown has 3,009 persons engaged in industry (largely glovemaking), 138 establishments and a manufactured product, for 1909, of $6,574,000 against approximately $5,- 000,000 in 1899. Johnstown and Glov- ersville together, produced $20,745,000 worth of goods in 1909. which included practically all the manufactures of Fulton county. Population, 56,356. Number of farms, 1910, 3,092. Number of farms, 1900, 3,227. Native white farmers, 2,769. Foreign born farmers, 322. Land area, 933,760 acres, farm lands (acres), 371,969. Improved farm lands, 258,595. Farm woodland, 76,385. Other unimproved farm land, 36,989. Value of domestic animals, $3,631,- 865. Cattle, 64,914. Dairy cows, 40,423. Horses. 8,213. Swine, 9,754. Sheep, 2,957. Poultry, 134,528. Colonies of bees, 2,179. Value of dairy products, $2,199,633. Value of poultry and eggs, $290,047. Value of honey and wax, $8,976. Value of cut of wool and mohair, $2,825. Re- ceipts from sale of animals, $467,399. Value of animals slaughtered. $176,655. Value of all crops produced, $2,847,042. Total 1909 farm production of Herki- mer county (lumber excluded), $5,992,- 577. Herkimer county is the leading dairy county of the Mohawk valley in pro- portion to its improved farm acreage, although Oneida county with an acre- age of 800,000 and 6,929 farms, leads in total value of all dairy and other farm products, and is therefore the first (in 1910) agricultural county of the six Mohawk valley counties. Herkimer county has one city. Little Falls (incorporated 1895), with a pop- ulation of 12,273. It has 4,211 persons engaged in industry in 55 establish- ments and in 1909 produced $8,460,000 worth of manufactures. Herkimer county has the important sister villages of Herkimer, Mohawk, Ilion and Frankfort (virtually one community, with a population of about 20,000) and the lively village of Dolgeville, in the town of Manheim on East creek. The total manufacturing product value yearly for Herkimer county may ex- ceed $25,000,000. Following is a brief resume of 1909 agricultural statistics for Herkimer county: Let us turn from the dry bones of these statistics to a charming view of the farming country of Montgomery and the valley of the Mohawk. It is from the pen of Mrs. A. D. Smith and formed part of a sketch published in the Fultonville Republican, Dec. 5, 1912, entitled "A Ramble — Visit to a Colonial House." The building de- 230 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN scribed is the frame house erected in 1743 by John Butler, father of the no- torious Walter Butler of Revolutionary infamy, located about a mile north- east of Fonda. The prelude to the sketch mentioned is here reproduced: "On one of the recent Indian sum- mer days we chanced to walk over Switzer hill, turning our glances back- ward now and then to take in the re- markable panorama to the south — the distant hills, bathed in azure, the broad meadows, the populous settlements, the cattle grazing, the husbandman bend- ing over his plow, the historic Mo- hawk moving, in its sinuous pathway, on toward the ocean, the mystical au- tumn light over the rare scene. Close at one side was the ravine with bab- bling brook; the great pines to our right, sighing and moaning, making music all the day. Charmed with the beauties of the sc6ne, in our heart we uttered a silent prayer and thereby were refreshed from within as well as from without. We saw on every hand preparations for the winter season, the golden risks of corn, the barrels of ruddy apples, great piles of cabbages, golden pumpkins, casks of sweet cider, fresh from the mill, flocks of chickens, broods of turkeys ready to be sacri- ficed for the national feast. And we said, fortunate the man who lives much in the open, close to nature, breathes the pure air and works with the mystical forces of the earth with God as an ally. The farmer learns a powerful lesson in faith and strength." According to the United States cen- sus of J910, the six Mohawk valley counties comprise an area of 2,861,440 acres divided as follows: Oneida, 800,000; Herkimer, 933,760; Montgom- ery, 254,720; Fulton, 330,240; Schenec- tady, 131,840; Schoharie, 410,880. It is estimated that this area of the Mo- hawk valley counties was divided in 1910, about as follows: Improved farm land, 1,350,000 acres; unimproved farm land, 260,000 acres; town sites, 100,- 000 acres; waste land or land occupied by industries, railroads, etc., outside towns, 100,000 acres; forest and farm woodland, 1,050,000 acres. In these six counties were 18,457 farms, on which there were 14,034 operating owners, the remainder being leased. There was a marked decrease in farms in all these six Mohawk counties from 1900 to 1910, and there was a similar decrease in acreage of improved farm land in all the six counties except Oneida. In the six counties combined the improved farm land acreage decreased from 1,515,745 acres in 1900 to 1,351,461 acres in 1910, showing that much land is reverting to widerness. Most of the farm lands are fertile — the Mo- hawk flats being reputed to be among the richest lands of the world. Dairy- ing is the leading agricultural indus- try. Hops are grown to a lessening extent in the southern watershed and poultry, fruits and market gardening are increasingly important farm fea- tures of the valley. The six Mohawk valley counties have the following population: One- ida, 154,157; Herkimer, 56,356; Mont- gomery, 57,567; Fulton, 44,534; Schen- ectady, 88,235; Schoharie, 23,855. To- tal, 424,704 (census, 1910). That of New York state (1910), was 9,113,614, so that the population of the Mohawk watershed counties was, in 1910, .0467 of that of the state or a little less than one-twentieth. The towns are located almost ex- clusively on the Mohawk river; 310,- 000 of the 425,000 population of the watershed being so located in centers of 1,000 and over; in centers of from 250 to 1,000, 35.000; farm population, 80,000. A large part of this population is descended from the pre-Revolution- ary Dutch, German and British set- tlers of the Mohawk basin. At the beginning of the Revolution the popu- lation of the Mohawk valley was about 20,000 whites and 1,000 or more Iro- quois. Seventeen towns, of over 1,000 pop- ulation, line the Mohawk, from its 30uce to its outlet into the Hudson. On its tributary streams are seven more, making twenty-four in the Mohawk watershed. From the source of the Mohawk to Rome (a distance of twenty miles), the largest town is THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 231 West Leyden with 600 population. According to the census of 1910, the population of the towns mentioned, from Rome eastward, was as follows: Rome, 20,497; Oriskany, 1,200; Water- ville on Oriskany creek, 1,410; Clinton, on Oriskany creek, 1,236, Whitesboro, 2,375; New Hartford, 1,195, and New York Mills, on Saquoit creek, 2,600; Utica, 74,419; Frankfort, 3,303; Ilion, 6,588; Mohawk, 2,079; Herkimer, 7,520; Little Falls, 12,273; Dolgeville, on East Canada creek, 2,685; St. Johnsville, 2,536; Fort Plain, 2,762; Canajoharie, 2,273; Fonda, 1,100; on the Cayadutta, Johnstown, 10,447; Glov^rsville, 20,642; on the Schoharie, Cobleskill, 2,086; Middleburg, 1,114; Amsterdam, 31,267; Scotia, 2.957; Schenectady, 72,826; Co- hoes, 24,709. A great variety of manu- factures is produced in these centers, most of which are strictly manufac- turing towns, although all are more or less, centers of trade for their tributary agriculture districts. Manufacturing was generally begun in the valley population centers from 50 to 100 years ago. Their industries comprise a great range of goods, some of which have long been made in the valley and are identified with its growth. The knit goods industry is the leading one. Some of the other Mohawk valley manufactures are white goods, arms, typewriters, woodwork, house and office furniture, dairy ma- chinery and goods, agricultural ma- chinery, piano actions, paper bags, broom machinery and articles, food products, milk products, gloves, car- pets and rugs, locomotives, electrical machinery and manufactured goods, paints, oils, varnishes, wagons, flour, feed, lumber, paper. CHAPTER II. 1848 — Trip of Benson J. Lossing from Currytown to Sharon Springs, to Cherry Valley, to Fort Plain — Revo- lutionary Scenes and People Then Living. Benson J. Lossing has the following account of a trip in 1848 around about Fort Plain, published in his "Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution" (1850), in which he covers thoroughly the Revolutionary news, happenings and personages of the Mohawk valley. Much of this volume was gathered while the author was visiting around and in Fort Plain, which he made his headquarters for gathering data. The condensed Revolutionary biographies in this work were largely compiled or taken from the Field Book. It covers a journey from Currytown to Cherry Valley, by way of Sharon Springs, and from Cherry Valley to Fort Plain. After referring to the Currytown raid and massacre of 1781, Lossing says that after Lieut. McKean was buried near the Fort Plain blockhouse, it was af- terward called Fort McKean in his honor. Referring to the massacre by the Indians of the prisoners taken at Currytown, he says: "At the time of the attack the In- dians had placed most of their pris- oners on the horses which they had stolen from Currytown and each was well guarded. When they were about to retreat before Willett, fearing the recapture of the prisoners and the con- sequent loss of scalps, the savages be- gan to murder and scalp them. Young Dievendorff (my informant) leaped from his horse and, running toward the swamp, was pursued, knocked down by a blow of a tomahawk upon his shoulder, scalped and left for dead. Willett did not bury his slain but a de- tachment of militia, under Col. Veeder, who repaired to the field after the bat- tle, entombed them, and fortunately discovered and proceeded to bury the bodies of the prisoners who were mur- dered and scalped near the camp. Young Dievendorff, who was stunned and insensible, was seen struggling among the leaves and his bloody face being mistaken for that of an Indian, one of the soldiers leveled his musket to shoot him. A fellow soldier, per- ceiving his mistake, knocked up his piece and saved the lad's life. He was taken to Fort Plain, and, being placed under the care of Dr. Faught, a Ger- man physician of Stone Arabia, was restored to health. It was five years, however, before his head was perfectly healed ; and when I saw him (August, 232 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 1848), it had the tender appearance and feeling of a wound recently healed. He is still living- (1849) and, in the midst of the settlement of Currytown, which soon arose from its ashes, and is a liv- ing monument of savage cruelty and the sufferings of the martyrs for American liberty. "Toward evening we left Currytown for Cherry Valley, by way of Sharon Springs. The road lay through a beau- tiful though very hilly country. From the summits of some of the eminences which we passed the views were truly magnificent. Looking down into Can- ajoharie valley, from the top of its eastern slope, it appeared like a vast enameled basin, having its concavity garnished with pictures of rolling in- tervales, broad cultivated fields, green groves, bright streams, villages and neat farm houses in abundance; and its distant rim on its northern verge seemed beautifully embossed with wooded hills, rising one above another in profuse outlines far away beyond the Mohawk. We reached the Springs toward sunset, passing the Pavilion on the way. The Pavilion is a very large hotel, situated upon one of the loftiest summits in the neighborhood, and commanding a magnificent view of the country. It was erected in 1836 by a New York company and is filled with invalids and other visitors during the summer. The springs are in a broad ravine, and along the margin of a hill, and near them the little village of Sharon has grown up. Our stay was brief — just long enough to have a lost shoe replaced by another upon our horse, and to visit the famous foun- tains — for, having none of the 'ills which flesh is heir to' of sufficient malignity to require the infliction of sulphereted or chalybeate dravights, we were glad to escape to the hills and vales less suggestive of Tophet and the Valley of Hinnom. How any but invalids, who find the waters less nau- seous than the allopathic doses of the shops, and, consequently are happier than at home, can spend a 'season' there, within smelling distance of the gaseous fountains, and call the so- journ 'pleasure,' is a question that can only be solved by Fashion, the shrewd alchemist, in whose alembic common miseries are transmuted into conven- tional happiness. The sulphereted hy- drogen does not infect the Pavilion, I believe, and a summer residence there secures enjoyment of pure air and de- lightful drives and walks in the midst of a lovely hill country. "It was quite dark when we reached Cherry Valley, eight miles west of Sharon Springs. Cherry Valley de- rived its name from the following cir- cumstance: Mr. Dunlap, [the vener- able pastor whose family suffered at the time of the massacre of 1778], en- gaged in writing some letters, inquired of Mr. Lindesay [the original proprie- tor of the soil] where he should date them, who proposed the name of a town in Scotland. Mr. Dunlop, point- ing to the fine wild cherry trees and to the valley, replied 'Let us give our place an appropriate name and call it Cherry Valley,' which was readily agreed to. This village lies imbosomed within lofty hills, open only on the southwest, in the direction of the Sus- quehanna, and, as we approached it along the margin of the mountain on its eastern border, the lights sparkling below us like stars reflected from a lake, gave us the first indication of its presence. In the course of the even- ing we called upon the Honorable James Campbell, who at the time of the destruction of the settlement in 1778, was a child six years of age. He is the son of Col. Samuel Campbell, al- ready mentioned [colonel of the Can- ajoharie district battalion at Oriskany] and father of the Honorable William W. Campbell of New York city, the author of the 'Annals of Tryon Coun- ty,' so frequently cited. With his mother and family, he was carried into captivity. He has a clear recollection of events in the Indian country while he was a captive, his arrival and stay at Niagara, his subsequent sojourn in Canada, and the final reunion of the family after an absence and separa- tion of two years. The children of Mrs. Campbell were all restored to her at Niagara, except this one. In June, 1780, she was sent to Montreal, and THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 233 there she was joined by her missing boy. He had been with a tribe of the Mohawks and had forgotten his own language, but remembered his mother and expressed his joy at seeing her, in the Indian tongue. Honorable Wil- - liam Campbell, late surveyor general of New York, was her son. She lived until 1836, being then 93 years of age. She was the last survivor of the Revo- lutionary women in the region of the headwaters of the Susquehanna. The residence of Hon. James S. Campbell, a handsome modern structure, is upon the site of the old family inansion, which was stockaded and used as a fort at the time of the invasion. The doors and window shutters were made bullet proof, and the two barns, that were included within the ramparts, were strengthened. The present pleas- ant dwelling is upon the northern verge of the town, on the road leading from Cherry Valley to the Mohawk [at Fort Pla'"n]. "In a former chapter we have noticed that Brant's first hostile movement af- ter his return from Canada and estab- lishment of his headquarters at Oghk- wana [in 1778] was an attempt to cut off the settlement of Cherry Valley, or at least to make captive the members of the active Committee of Correspon- dence. It was a sunny morning, to- ward the close of May [1778] when Brant and his warriors cautiously moved up to the brow of a lofty hill on the east side of the town to recon- noitre the settlement at their feet. He was astonished and chagrined on seeing a fortification, where he sup- posed all was weak and defenceless, and greater was his disappointment when quite a large and well-armed garrison appeared upon the esplanade in front of Col. Campbell's house. These soldiers were not as formidable as the sachem supposed, for they were only half grown boys, who, full of the martial spirit of the times, had formed themselves into companies, and, armed with wooden guns and swords, had regular drills each day. It was such display on the morning in question that attraded Brant's attention. His vision being somewhat obstructed by the trees and shrubs in which he was concealed, he mistook the boys for full grown soldiers and, considering an at- tack dangerous, moved his party to a hiding place at the foot of the Teka- harawa' Falls, in a deep ravine north of the village, near the road leading to the Mohawk. The Tekaharawa is the western branch of Canajoharie or Bowman's Creek, which falls into the Mohawk at Canajoharie, opposite Pal- atine. In that deep, rocky glen, 'where the whole scene was shadowy and dark even at mid-day,' his warriors were concealed, while Brant and two or three followers hid themselves in am- bush behind a large rock by the road- side, for the purpose of obtaining such information as might fall in his way. "On the morning of the day, Liieut. Wormuth, a promising young officer of Palatine, had been sent from Fort Plain to Cherry Valley with the infor- mation, for the committee at the latter place, that a military force might be expected there the next day. His no- ble bearing and rich velvet dress at- tracted a great deal of attention at the village; and, when toward evening, he started to return accompanied by Peter Sitz, the bearer of some dis- patches, the people in admiration looked after him until he disappeared beyond the hill. On leaving he cast down his portmanteau, saying, 'I shall be back for it in the morning.' But he never returned. As the two patriots galloped along the margin of the Tek- aharawa Glen, they were hailed, but, instead of answering, they put spurs to their horses. The warriors in ambvish arose and fired a volley upon them. The lieutenant fell and Brant, rushing out from his concealment, scalped him with his own hands. Sitz was cap- tured and his dispatches fell into the hands of Brant. Fortunately they were double, and Sitz had the pres- ence of mind to destroy the genuine and deliver the fictitious to the sa- chem. Deceived by these dispatches concerning the strength of Cherry Valley, Brant withdrew to Cobleskill and thence to Oghkawaga, and the set- 234 THE STORY OF- OLD FORT PLAIN tlement was saved from destruction at that time. Its subsequent fate is re- corded in a previous chapter. "Judge Campbell kindly offered to accompany us in the morning' to 'Brant's rock.' This rock which is about four feet high, lies in a field on the left of the road leading from Cherry Valley to the Mohawk, about a mile and a half north of the residence of Judge Campbell. It is a fossiliferous mass, composed chiefly of shells. Be- hind this rock, the body of Lieut. Wor- muth, lifeless and the head scalped, was found by the villagers, who heard the firing on the previous evening. Judge Campbell pointed out the stump of a large tree by the roadside, as the place where Lieutenant Wormuth fell. The tree was pierced by many bul- lets, and Judge Campbell had extracted several of them when a boy. "Having engaged to be back at Fort Plain in time next day to catch the cars for Albany at 2 o'clock, and the distance from the 'rock' being twelve miles over a rough and hilly road, an early start was necessary, for I wished to make a sketch of the village and valley, as also of the rock. "At early dawn, the light not being sufficient to perceive the outline of distant objects, I stood upon the high ridge north of the vil- lage, which divides the headwaters of the eastern branch of the Susque- hanna from the tributaries of the Mo- hawk. As the pale light in the east grew ruddy, a magnificent panorama was revealed on every side. As the stars faded away, trees and fields, and hills and the quiet village arose from the gloom. The sun's first rays burst over the eastern hills into the valley, lighting it up with sudden splendor, while the swelling chorus of birds and the hum of insects broke the stillness; and the perfumes of flowers arose from the dewy grass like sweet incense. "On the north the valley of the Cana- joharie stretches away to the Mohawk twelve miles distant, whose course was the mountain toward the Susquehanna marked by a white line of mist that skirted the more remote hills; and on the south Cherry Valley extends down proper, and formed the easy warpath to the settlement at its head from Oghkwaga and Unadilla. From the bosom of the ridge whereon I stood, spring the headwaters of the eastern branch of Susquehanna and those of Canajoharie. I had finished the sketch here given [in the Field Book] before the sun was fairly above the treetops and, while the mist yet hovered over the Tekaharawa we were at Brant's rock, within the sound of the tiny cas- cades. There we parted from Judge Campbell and hastened on toward Fort Plain, where we arrived in time to breakfast and to take the morning train for Albany." CHAPTER III. 1861-1865 — Montgomery and Fulton County Men in the Civil War— 115th, 153d and Other Regiments and Companies With Montgomery and Fulton County Representation — 1912, 115th and 153d Celebrate 50th Anni- versary of Mustering in at Fonda. The part the men ot Montgomery and Fulton counties played in the great and lamentable war of the re- bellion was one of honor and the rec- ord of those men who went to the front from the valley deserves a full and complete narrative which the present work will not allow. It is to be" hoped that the soldiers of '61-'65 of Montgomery and Fulton will some day have their story told at length in a suitable publication. Their deeds de- serve such a narrative and it should be written now while the veterans of that terrible struggle are still with us and can supply that personal note in such a story which is so essential to such a tale. Included in this suggested record should be noble work the union women of America performed in the service of their country during the Rebellion. The women of Montgomery and Fulton counties were well to the forefront in this regard, not only making supplies and clothing for the union soldiers and hospital supplies, but serving, at the front and elsewhere, as nurses, ex- posed to danger and disease. The part THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 235 these noble women played should be included in every comprehensive chronicle of the Civil war. From Montgomery and Fulton coun- ties 1930 men are known to have gone into the Union armies. These are the soldiers whose names are given in the works mentioned. There were prob- ably others from these counties who engaged in the service of their coun- try but of whose county address no record was made. It is probable that the quota of the two counties was fully 2,000 fighters in the federal forces — ■ undoubtedly the figure was greatly in excess of this. Montgomery county was represented in twenty Civil war organizations. Montgomery and Ful- ton counties furnished over fifty men to each of nine regiments. For a somewhat detailed account of Montgomery and Fulton Civil war his- tory the reader is referred to Beers's History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties (1878), under the headings "Montgomery County in the Civil War —History of the 115th New York Vol- unteer Infantry;" History of Mont- gomery County, Chap. XXV; and "Fulton County's Record in the War for the Union, History of the 153d New York Volunteers," History of Fulton County, Chap. Ill; also to "History of Montgomery County" (Mason, 1892) edited by Washington Frothingham, under the heading "Montgomery County during the Re- bellion" (Chap. XV.). Beers's History gives the known names of the Civil war soldiers who went to the front from the two counties and their home addresses when known. Mason's has a similar list. The Civil war history of Montgom- ery is very closely associated with that of Fulton county. Two regiments of New York volunteer Infantry were largely raised in these two counties — the 115th and 153d. In the 115th, 583 men came from the two counties com- bined and, in the 153d. 598 soldiers rep- resented Montgomery and Fulton counties. Following is a list of the Civil war organizations in which these two divisions (comprising old Mont- gomery county) were principally rep- resented, together with the number of men from each and their combined totals for the two counties: 115th N. Y. Vols., Montgomery, 421; Fulton, 162. Total, 583. 153d N. Y. Vols., Montgomery, 329; Fulton, 269. Total, 598. 13th Regiment Artillery, Montgom- ery, 33; Fulton, 71. Total, 104. 16th Regiment Artillery, Montgom- ery, 36; Fulton, 8. Total, 44. 2d Regular Cavalry, Montgomery, 6; Fulton, 31. Total, 37. Other Civil war military organiza- tions receiving recruits from Mont- goinery were as follows, together with the number of men enlisted from the county: Co. K, 1st Artillery ("Fort Plain Battery"), 65; Co. E, 43d in- fantry, 69; Cos. B and D, 32d regiment, 130. Commands other than the above to which Fulton contributed, with the number of recruits from that county, follow: 77th Infantry, 101; Co. I, 10th Cavalry, 92; 97th N. Y. volunteers, 53; Co. D, 93d regiment, 51. The known men enlisted in all union Civil war commands from Montgomery county came from the towns of Mont- gomery county in the following pro- portion: Amsterdam, 115; Canajo- harie, 93; Charleston, 34; Florida, 66; Glen, 101; Minden, 103; Mohawk, 122; Palatine, 75; Root, 42; St. Johnsville, 72. This list gives the addresses of only 810 of the 1,095 men known to have gone to the Civil war from Mont- gomery county. Hence it does not pretend to show the total number from each town. Of the 810 soldiers whose town ad- dresses are given in Beers's (1878) and Mason's (1892) histories, as coming from Montgomery county, 365 came from the five western towns and 445 from the five eastern towns. This is in no way an attempt to give an esti- mate of the number of union soldiers of Fulton and Montgomery* counties and only recapitulates the figures given in Beers's and Mason's histories. The staff ofl^cers of the 115th regi- ment were as follows: Colonel, Sim- eon Sammons, Mohawk; Lieut. Col., E. I. Walrath, Syracuse; Lieut. Col., Geo. 236 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN S. Batcheller, Saratoga; N. J. John- son, Ballston (commanded regiment in May, 1864); major, Patrick H. Cowan, Saratoga; surgeon, C. McFarland; surgeon, R. E. Sutton, Saratoga; as- sistant surgeon, Samuel "W. Peters; 2d assistant surgeon, Hiram W. In- gerson, Fonda; adjutant, Thomas R. Horton, Fultonville; quartermaster, Martin McMartin, Johnstown; chap- lain, S. W. Clemens; captains, Co. A, Garret Van Deveer, Fonda; Co. B, John P. Kneesl^ern, Minden; Co. D, Sidney D. Lingenfelter, Amsterdam; Co. E, William H. Shaw, Mayfield; Co. I, Ezra E. Walrath, Syracuse; Co. K, William Smith, Amsterdam. The staff officers of the 153d New York volunteer regiment were as follows (no addresses are given in Beers's) : Colonel, Duncan Mc- Martin, resigned April 25, 1863; colonel, Edwin P. Davis, muster- ed out with regiment, Oct. 2, 1865; Lieut. Col., Thomas A. Armstrong, re- signed, Feb. 18, 1863; Lieut. Col., W. H. Printup, resigned TSTov. 17, 1863; Lieut. Col., Alexander Stram, discharg- ed Jan. 4, 1865; major, Edwin P. Davis, promoted to colonel Mar. 26, 1863; major, Alexander Strain, promoted to Lieut. Col., Dec. 1, 1863; major, Stephen Sammons, resigned Au,g. 27, 1864; major, George H. McLaughlin, promoted to Lieut. Col., Jan. 26, 1865; major, C. P. Putnam, died. Sa- vannah, Ga., Sept. 9, 1865; adjutant, Stephen Sammons, promoted to major Dec. 2, 1863; adjutant, Abram V. Davis, mustered out with regiment Oct. 2, 1865; quartermaster, D. C. Livingston, resigned Aug. 22, 1863; quartermaster, John D. Blanchard, mustered out with regiment; surgeon, H. S. Hendee, re- signed Feb. 8, 1864; assistant surgeon. J. L. Alexander, resigned Aug. 19, 1863; assistant surgeon, N. L. Snow, pro- moted to surgeon Apr. 14, 1864; assist- ant surgeon, J. Sweeney, mustered out with regiment; chaplain, J. Henry Enders, mustered out with regiment; captains: Co. A, David Spaulding, Johnstown; Co. B, Robert R. Mere- dith, Mohawk; Co. C, W. H. Printup; Co. D, J. J. Buchanan; Co. E, Jacob C. Klock, Fonda; Co. F, Isaac S. Van Woerts, Fonda; Co. G, George H. Mc- Laughlin, Fonda. Company K, 1st Artillery. Enrolled at Fort Plain. Officers: Captain, Lorenzo Crounse; 1st lieutenant, S. Walter Stocking; 2d lieutenant, Angell Matthewson; 1st sergeant, George W. Fox; quartermaster sergeant, William J. Canfield; sergeant, Mosher Marion; 1st corporal, Phelps Conover; 3d cor- poral, Aden G. Voorhees; 4th corporal, Gottlieb Ludwig; 6th corpora^ William E. Smith; 7th corporal, Horatio Fox; 8th corporal, Henry Tabor; bugler, George W. Beardsley; artificer, Clark Burtiss; wagoner, Martin Sitts. Company E, 43d Infantry. Enrolled at Canajoharie: Captain, Jacob Wil- son; 1st lieutenant, Hiram A. Wins- low; 2d sergeant, Thomas Avery; 3d sergeant, Frank Shurburt; 4th ser- geant, J. W. Hagadorn; 5th sergeant, Jackson Davis; 1st corporal, John D. Dain; 2d corporal, William F. Ward; 3d corporal., Cornelius Van Alstyne; 5th corporal, Christopher Richards; 6th corporal, Martin O'Brien; music- ians, Charles Marcy, William Flint. Officers Co. F, 97th Regiment, N. Y. Vols.: Captain, Stephen G. Hutchin- son, Lassellsville; 1st lieutenant, E. Gray Spencer, Brocketts Bridge; cor- poral, Olaf Peterson, Lassellsville; corporal, Augustus Johnson, Brocketts Bridge; corporal, Wallace McLaugh- lin, Lassellsville; corporal. Henry Fical, Lassellsville; corporal, William B. Judd, Brocketts Bridge; musician, Henry P. Butler, Lassellsville; mu- sician, George F. Dempster, Lassells- ville. Co. I, 10th Cavalry, was recruited principally from Mayfield and Broad- alibin, in Fulton Co. David Getman, Mayfield, was captain and Stephen Dennie was 1st lieutenant and Charles H. Hill, 2d lieutenant. Co. K, 77th N. Y. Infantry, was re- cruited almost exclusively from Glov- ersville. Captain, Nathan S. Babcock; 1st lieutenant, John W. McGregor; 2d lieutenant. Philander A. Cobb. Co. D, 93d Regiment Infantry was recruited Largely from Northampton, Fulton county. Captain, George M. Voorhees; 1st lieutenant, Henry P. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 237 Smith; 2d lieutenant, Philemon B. Marvin, all of Northampton. A goodly proportion of Co. P, 2d Regiment Cavalry, came from May- field, Fulton county. Captain, W. H. Shaw; 1st lieutenant, D. Getman; 2d lieutenant, J. L. Haines, all of May- field. The following, from Beers's (1878) History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties,, gives a sketch of the 115th New York Volunteer Regiment: 583 men from Pulton and Montgomery county were enrolled in the 115th: In writing the history of the 115th N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, we record the acts of a noble body of men, whose deeds are already written in blood and inscribed high up in the roll of Fame. This regiment was raised in tlie coun- ties of Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton and Hamilton, and mustered into the United States service on the 26th day of August, 1862, by Capt. Edgerton, U. S. A., at Fonda, the place of rendez- vous of the regiment. With ten hundred and forty en- listed men, the regiment broke camp at Fonda on the 29th day of August, 1862, and was forwarded to the seat of war as soon as possible, arriving .at Sandy Hook, Md., on the Baltimore and Ohio R.R., on the 1st of Sept., where the regiment was furnished with arms, but very little ammunition. It then moved to Harper's Ferry, Va., where it was assigned to guard duty along the Shenandoah Valley R.R., with headquarters at Charlestown, Va. The regiment performed guard duty faithfully, until a few days before the surrender of Harper's Perry, when it and others were ordered to concen- trate at that place. On the way to the Ferry James English, a member of Co. D, was wounded in the hand, by the accidental discharge of a musket, necessitating amputation at the wrist; he was the first man wounded in the regiment. On arriving at, or near Harper's Perry, the regiment was en- camped on Bolivar Heights, in the rear of the vilJage. From this point it performed picket duty, and while so engaged, John Hubbard, of Co. A, was wounded by a guerilla. On the 12th, Companies E and A were ordered to report to Col. Tom Ford, in command of Maryland Heights, and upon doing so, were ordered to proceed up the Potomac, to the old "John Brown" school-house, and form a skirmish line from the river as far up the moun- tain as possible, the left resting on the river. Early the next morning the two companies were ordered back to Ford's headquarters, and from there to Elk Ridge, at the Lookout, on the highest peak of the mountain. Here for the first time members of the 115th regi- ment met the enemy in deadly combat. After several hours fighting, and hold- ing their .position, the two companies were ordered to evacuate the place, and report to Gen. Miles' headquarters, which they did very reluctantly, and not until they had received the third order. Company E had one man wounded. About this time Company K moved up, and in a few minutes its captain was carried to the rear, having been wounded in the thigh by a minie- ball. Upon nearing the foot of the mountain, at what was known as Maryland Heights, Companies E and A met the remainder of the regiment, who congratulated them upon their safe return. The regiment returned to camp on Bolivar Heights. The troops Avere kept moving to and fro until the morn- ing of the 15th, when General Miles made one of the most cowardly and disgraceful surrenders recorded in the annals of American histoi-y. Eleven thousand men, armed and equipped in the best style, with plenty of ammuni- tion, holding one of the most defensi- ble positions in the United States, were ignoininioualy surrendered, instead of aiding to surround Lee's, Longstreet's, Hill's and Jackson's corps where there was no possilile way of escape. Thus the Union army was reduced, and eleven thousand as good fighting men as ever shouldered a musket were doomed to bear the taunts of their enemies, at home and abroad, as "Har- per's Ferry cowards." But every regi- ment that was obliged to participate in that farce, and whose honor was sold by the commanding otticer, has, upon bloody fields, won bright laurels, and vindicated its soldierly character. By the good graces of the rebel gen- erals who had the captured army as an "elephant on their hands," the pris- oners were paroled the next day, and allowed to depart in peace, which they did with sorrowing hearts. The regiment returned to Annapolis, Mai'yland, and thence went to Chi- cago, where it went into camp on the Cook county fair ground, which was called "Camp Tyler," after the general in command of the troops around the city. During the stay of the 115th in Chicago its duties were about the same as those of troops in garrison, but the men were allowed rather more liber- ties than regular soldiers on duty. While at Chicago, the weather being very bad most of the time, and the men not on fatigue duty enough to give them healthy exercise, malarial fever caused the death of quite a num- ber. 238 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN About the 20th of November, 1862, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Washington. The capital was reached about the 23d, and at the same time the soldiers of the 115th were ex- changed and marched over to Arling- ton Heiglits. There they were suppos- ed to go into winter Quarters, but by the time quarters were built the regi- ment was ordered out again, and kept in motion between Arlington, Fairfax, Hunter's creek, Alexandria and York- town, where it embarked on the steamer "Matanzas," January 23d, 1863, and arrived at Hilton Head, S. C, Department of the South, about the 26th of January. Here the regiment was divided into detachments for post, camp and out- post duty. Companies E and D were detailed to garrison Battery Mitchell, an outpost on Scull creek. Company B was stationed at Saybrook, and other companies at different points on and around Hilton Head Island, until the 28th of May, when the different detachments were relieved and the regiment was again a unit at Hilton Head. On the 2d of June, Companies E and B were, by order of General Chatrteld, detailed for special field duty, and went with other troops up May river, S. C, and burned the town of Bluffton. About the 27th of June the regiment was moved to the city of Beaufort, S. C, some twelve miles up Beaufort river, where it went into camp. After remaining here a while and suffering severely from malaria, incident to the dull routine life of the camp, the regiment was again divided into detachments and sent to do out- post and picket duty on Beaufort, Port Royal and other islands adjacent to them. On the 20th of December the regi- ment embarked on transports for the old camp at Hilton Head, where it was attached to Gen. T. Seymour's "ill- starred" Florida expedition. The force left Hilton Head on the 5th of Feb- ruary, 1864, reached Jacksonville on the evening of the 7th, and occupied the city without opposition. During the night of the 8th the expedition reached Camp Finnegan, about twelve miles from Jacksonville, capturing a battery of six guns, a quantity of small arms, etc., and a large amount of provisions, upon which the boys feasted until next day, when, with well filled haversacks, they moved toward Tallahassee, reaching and occupying Baldwin without opposition, and reaching Barber's Plantation during the night. The next day the troops advanced to Sanderson's Station, where they bvirned the railroad depot filled with corn, and several resin and turpentine manufactories, and tore up considerable railroad track, burning ties and other property belonging to the rebels. By order of Gen. Seymour, the army fell back to Barber's Plan- tation and remained there until the 19th. During this time the 115th, a part of the 4th Massachusetts cavalry and a section of the 3d R. I. F.ying Artillery were ordered to proceed to Callahan, a station on the Fernandipa and Cedar Keys railroad, and capture whatever they might find, which was one pony, seven bushels of sweet potatoes, and one or two Florida hogs, of the kind that need to have knots tied in their tails to prevent their getting through cracks. Returning to camp, weary, footsore and hungry, the boys of the 115th were allowed to rest about one day, when the whole command broke camp eariy on the morning of the 20th, for the disastrous Held of Olustee, known by the rebels as Ocean Pond. Upon arriving on the field the order of battle was formed, with the 115th on the extreme right of the infantry line, and the troops ordered to move forward, which they did with a steadi- ness that showed the 15,000 rebels that they had work to do. Upon arriving on a rise of ground between where the line was formed and the rebel position, the advancing force received a mur- derous fire, at which the colored troops on the extreme left broke very badly. The white troops upon the left began to double up on the 115th, bvit order was soon restored. About this time the rebels made a charge upon the Union right, which wns repulsed by the 115th, who sent the enemy back over their works with heavy loss. The combat continued to rage with fury until the supply of ammunition on both sides gave out, and. night coming on. both parties were willing to call it a drawn battle; but Gen. Seymour, by ordering a retreat, gave the rebels to understand that he abandoned the con- test. Upon this occasion Gen. Sey- mour took occasion to publicly compli- ment the 115th, giving it the honor and praise of saving his little army frora total' annihilation, and naming it the "Iron-hearted Regiment." The regi- ment lost over one-half its number in killed, wounded and missing. Col. Sammons was wounded in the foot at the commencement of the battle. Capt. Vanderveer was mortally wounded, and died in a few days. Lieuts. Tomp- kins and Shaffer were killed, besides many of the best non-commissioned officers and men. On leaving Olustee the expedition retraced its steps toward Jacksonville, where the 115th did picket and camp duty until February 9th, when the force embarked on transports for Pa- latka, Fla., about one hundred miles up the St. John's river from Jackson- ville. Here the troops rested, and nothing of interest transpired. On the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 239 14th of April they again embarlved on transports for Hilton Head, S. C, mak- ing a few hours' stop at Jacksonville, and arriving at their destination on the evening of the 16th. On the 18th the regiment sailed for Gloucester Point, Va., reaching that place on the 21st, and was attached to the 10th army corps. On May 4th it was attached to the Armj' of the James, under Gen. B. F. Butler. The army moved up the James river to Bermuda Hundred, and on the 7th of May the 115th partici- pated and suffered severely in the ill- fated battle of Chesterlield Heights, Va., losing about eighty in killed, wounded and missing. From this time to the 16th of May the regiment was marching, fighting, picketing, etc. On the morning of that day the disastrous battle of Drury's Bluff was fought, and the 11 5th regiment again brought into requisition under the immediate su- pervision of Gen. Adelbert Ames, who complimented it for its bravery and skilful movements, which saved But- ler's army from total rout. On the 17th the regiment went into camp at Hatcher's Run. From this tiirte it was on picket duty all the time to the 28th, when it marched to City Point, and embarked on board the steamer "De Molay," for White House, Va., landing there on the 31st, at 4 p. m. The 115th took up the line of march for Cold Harbor, Va., reaching that place June 1st, at 3.30 p. m., and im- mediately, with the rest of the brigade, charged the enemy's works, this regi- ment capturing two hundred and fifty men with their arms and equipments. Here the regiment was again compli- mented for bravery by Gen. Devens. From that time to the 12th, the regi- ment was under a continuous Hre day and night. During the night of the 12th it marched for White House Landing, which place was reached at 6 a. m., of the 13th. Next day the regi- ment embarked for City Point, landed at Powhattan, on the James, and marched the rest of the way. On the 23d it moved up in front of Peters- burgh, Va. From this time the regi- ment was in the trenches before Pet- ersburgh, to July 29th, when Gen. Tur- ner's division, to which the 115th was attached, moved to the left, to assist Burnside's ninth corps in the explosion of the mine, and charge upon the enemy's works. This occurred at 5 o'clock, on the morning of the 30th of July. Here, again, the 115th displayed its courage and cool bravery by stand- ing as a wall of fire between the ad- vancing Rebels, and the partially de- moralized 9th corps, and was again complimented by both Gens. Burnside and Turner. From Pefersburgh the regiment marched to near City Point, and then to Bermuda Hundred, losing several men by sun stroke, as the weather was extremely hot, and the roads dry and dusty. Up to this time the regiment had been under lire for thirty-seven days, and needed rest, which was had at Hatch's farm, until, on the evening of the 13th of August, the regiment broke camp and marched to Deep Bot- tom, on the north side of the James river, which was reached at 7 o'clock a. m., on the 14th. That day and the next were occupied in marching and countermarching. On the 16th the enemy were found strongly posted at Charles City Court House, where fight- ing began at once and continued until the evening of the 18th, when the 115th was deployed and covered the retreat of the Union forces. In this affair the regiment lost eighty-four killed, wounded and missing. On the 20th it returned to the old camp at Bermuda, with only one hun- dred and twenty men fit for duty. Comparative rest was the happy lot of the decimated regiment until the 28th, when it marched to Petersburgh again and occupied the trenches in front of that city. The regiment had a little rest, doing only trench and camp duty until the 28th of September, when it broke camp and marched to the north side of the James. On the 29th the 115th participated in the capture of two redoubts on Chaffin's farm, known by some as Spring Hill. Here the losses of the regiment were very se- vere, among the dead being the loved and lamented Capt. W. H. McKit- trick, of Co. C. During this engage- ment in charges, countercharges, vic- tories and repulses, the enemy lost three times the number that the 115th did. From this time to October 27th, the regiment was doing picket duty most of the time. On that day a reconnois- sance was made in force on the Dar- bytown road, in front of Richmond, the 115th taking a prominent part in charging the rebel works, and losing quite heavily. Among the number killed was Sergeant Ide of Company F, the idol of his comrades. Returning to camp, the regiment had five days com- parative rest. On the 8th of December, the 115th embarked on the propeller "Haze." and participated in the abor- tive attempt to capture Fort Fisher, N. C. In the afternoon of December 30th, the regiment debarked at Jones' Landing, on the James river, Va., and just after dark was again in the old camp on Chafln's farm. On January 4th, 1865, the JlSth again embarked on board the propellor "De Molay," on its second expedition against the keystone of the confeder- acy. The who'e force was under com- mand of Gen. Alfred H. Terry. The troops landed at Flay Pond battery, a short distance north of Fort Fisher, on 240 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the 13th at 9 a. m. The 115th lost but two or three men in landing. At 3 p. m. of the 15th, the grand charge was made upon the fort, the 115th bearing a noble part in its capture, and being again complimented l>y General Terry, also by Gen. Ames, who knew some- thing of its fighting ^qualities while in the army of the Janies. The loss to the regiment was about 70, and among the killed was Lieut. S. S. Olney, of Co. F, whose loss to the regiment and company could not be made good. At about 8 o'clock, on the morning of the 16th, one of the magazines of the fort exploded, killing and wounding more of this regiment than the fighting of the day before. From this time to the surrender of Johnson's rebel army, the 115th was continually employed in fighting, marching, picket and guard duty, until it reached Raleigh, N. C, where it was assigned to "safe guard" duty in the city, from April 23d to June 17th, when it was mustered out of service. On the 19th, the regiment left Raleigh for Al- bany, N. Y., where it was paid off by Paymaster jC. F. Davis on the 6th of July, 1865, there being something less than two hundred of the original mem- bers. Upon leaving the U. S. service, the men quietly returned to their homes and former vocations, and to- day the old 115th N. Y. Volunteer In- fantry is represented in nearly every state in the Union, and almo.st every calling in life. However humble or ex- alted they may now be, if you speak of the camp, the Ijivouac, the fatigue, the march, the picket, the fight, and the camp fires of years gone by, their eyes will kindle, and at the fireside they fight their battles o'er and o'er, until one could almost hear the roar of musketry, and the bursting of shells. But we must stop, for we can add nothing to the laurels already wreath- ed around the brow of one of the best of our country's defenders, the 115th Regiment, New York Volunteer In- fantry. It only remains to add the following list of battles which were participated in by the regiment, or a part of it: Maryland Heights, Sept. 13, 1862. Bolivar Heights, Va.,-Sept. 15, 1862. West Point, Va., Jan. 8, 1863. Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 7, 1864. Camp Finegan, Fla., Feb. 8, 1864. Baldwin, Fla.. Feb. 9, 1864. Sanderson, Fla., Feb. 11, 1864. Callahan Station, Fla., Feb. 14, 1864. Olustee, Fla., Feb. 20, 1864. Palatka, Fla., March 10, 1864. Bermuda Hundred, Va., May 5, 1864. Chesterfie'd Heights, Va., May 7, 1864. Old Church, Va., May 9, 1864. Weir Bottom Church, Va., May 12, 1864. Drury's Bluff, Va., May 14, 1864. Proctor's Creek and Port Walthall, Va.. May 16, 1864. Cold Harbor, Va., June 1, 1864. Chickahominy, Va., June, 1864. Petersburg!!, Va., June 23, 1864. Burnside Mine, Va., July 30, 1864. Deep Bottom, Va., Aug. 16-18. 1864. Fort Gilmer, Va., Sept. 29, 1864. Darbytown Read, Va., Oct. 27, 1864. Fort Fisher, N. C, Dec. 25, 1864. Fort Fisher, N. C, Jan. 15, 1865. Fort Anderson, N. C, Feb. 19, 1865. Sugar Loaf Battery, N. C, Feb. 20, 1865. Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 22, 1865. The 115th brought out of the war six flags, which Col. Sammons, in behalf of the regiment, presented to the state. The national ensign, a gift of the ladies of the XV^th Senatorial district, Aug. 20, 1862, showed service, the staff and three- fifths of the flag being gone. The regimental lianner, presented by the state authorities while the regi- ment was at Fonda, of silk, with eagle and shield in the center, the national motto in a scroll beneath, and thirty- four stars in the field above, liearing the inscription "115th N. Y. Vo\ Regi- ment Infantry," came out rent in the center and torn from side to side. A second and similar regimental banner survived in better condition, and with it was a new national flag inscribed with the names of the regiment's bat- tles; also two guidons of bunting. These flags were turned over to the adjutant general. They are represent- ed by Lieut. Col. N. J. Johnson, and are carried by Sergt. James English, who lost an arm While supporting them in the field. Beers's History has the following regarding the 153d New York Volun- teers. 598 Montgomery and Fulton county men were enlisted in the 153d, the largest number from these twin counties in any Civil war organization: The 153d Regt. N. Y. State Vols, was raised in 1862 under the second call of President Lincoln, for 300,000 men. Seven of its companies were from the counties of Fulton, Montgomery and Saratoga, the other three from Clin- ton, Essex and Warren. The regi- ment was mustered into service at Fonda, Oct. 18th, 1862, and left for Virginia the same day. On arriving at Washington, Oct. 22d, it was at once ordered to Alexandria, Va., and- there encamped. While here the regiment attained a high degree of discipline through the efficient attention of Col. McMartin and his officers. The men, however, suffered considerably from t.vphoid pneumonia, measles and small- pox. Col. McMartin was at length com- pelled to resign through an accident THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 241 and failing hea'tli. By his generous and impartial conduct he had won the hearts of his officers and men, and they bade him adieu with deep regret. Col. Armstrong also resigned, and Maj. E. P. Davis was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment. At that time Alexandria was a vast depot of military stores. Its fortiflca- tions were considei'ed of but little avail if the enemy should make a sud- den dash upon the town under cover of night. The troops were often aroused from their slumbers and form- ed in line of battle, across the different roads leading to the city, remaining under arms till dawn, to repel any at- tack. For fourteen consecutive nights this regiment lay behind temporary barriers of quartermasters' wagons, in the open air, expecting the enemy. On the 20th of July, 1863, the regi- ment was ordered to Capital Hill bar- racks, Washington. Its duty here was guarding the depot of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, examining travel- ers' passes, patrolling the city, con- voying troops to the front, and pris- oners to Point Lookout, and guarding Contraband Camp, Centra! Guard- house, Carroll and Old Capital Prisons. Surgeon Hendee and Quartermaster Livingston resigned while here, and Dr. Snow, 1st assistant, became sur- geon. On the 20th of February, 1864, the regiment embarked on the steamer Mississippi for New Orleans, where it arrived February 28th, landing at Al- giers, opposite that city, and occupying the Belleville Iron Works. Thence it proceeded by rail, March 3d, to Brashaer, 80 miles distant. Crossing Grand Lake at Bashaer, the troops marched up the beautiful valley of the bayou Teche. On the 5th, they ar- rived at Franklin, and reporting to Gen. Franklin, were assigned to the 1st brigade, 1st division. 19th army corps. On the 15th they were again on the move toward Alexandria, on the Red river, arriving there March 24th, where they found Gen. Banks awaiting them. On their way thither Joseph Hawkins, of Co. K, died of exhaustion. On the 28th of March they left Alex- andria for Shreveport, 170 miles dis- tant, which was in possession of the enemy. Gen. Lee led the cavalry di- vision, the 13th corps followed, then the 1st division of the 19th corps, next the 13th and 19th corps trains with ten days rations. The 1st brigade of the 19th army corps, to which the regiment was assigned, was commanded by Gen. Dwight, and consisted of the 29th, 114th, 116th and 153d N. Y. regiments. The country now supplied the entire army with beef, vast numbers of cattle being secured daily. After a march of 36 miles the army came to Pleasant Hill, and halted for the train to come up. On .the 8th of April, the 153d regi- ment was detailed to guard the divi- sion train, and consequently, in rear of the armj'. On that day the cavalry and 13th corps, being in advance, were met by the enemy at Sabine Cross Roads, and being overpowered by su- perior numbers, fell back in confu- sion. Gen. Emery, apprised of the dis- aster in front, drew up his (1st) divi- sion at Pleasant Grove, three miles below Sabine Cross Roads. The rebels, pressing" the retreating forces, at length charged upon Emery with great impetuosity. For an hour and a half he gallantly resisted their repeated on- sets, until darkness put an end to the conflict. The LTnion troops continued on the battlefield until midnight, when they were ordered back to Pleasant Hill, this regiment covering their re- treat. The next morning the enemy, having discovered their retreat, fol- lowed them to Pleasant Hill. Our troops took position to resist the on- set. At length the enemy drove in their skirmish line and made an at- tack in force on their left. Five times they charged on the 1st brigade, and were as often driven back. This was the first battle in which this regiment had taken part. In his report of it, Col. Davis says: "My men behaved nobly, and I attach much credit to the noble manner in which my line officers acted. Lieut. Col. Strain. Maj. Sam- mons and Adjut. Davis rendered me valuable assistance in keeping my line together and maintaining my position." For three hours the conflict raged, when, night coming on, the work of death ended. Our troops lay on their arms in line of battle all night, but the enemy, taking advantage of the darkness, had removed. On account of the scarcity of water and rations the army began to retreat, April 10, to- ward Grand Ecore, a small town on a bluff of the Red river. This place was reached the following day. Gen. Dwight now became chief of staff to Gen. Banks, and Col. Beal, of the 29th Maine, was assigned to the 1st brigade. April 23d the army left Grand Ecore. As it moved out the town was fired. This was said to be the work of a rebel, and done to ap- prise the enemy of the army's depart- ure. After a forced march of 40 miles, the force went into camp, at mid- night, near Cloutierville, but at 4 o'clock the next morning was again on the way to Cane River Crossing. This place was in possession of the rebel general Bee, with 4.000 men, who were fortifying Monet's Bluff, which com- mands it. At this point the situation of the army was indeed critical. The enemy was closely pursuing them in the rear; Gen. Bee, strongly fortified, 242 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN was in front; Cane river on the right, and a dense swamp and forest on the left. The 1st brigade was thrown for- ward into a wood, which the enemy began to shell; as they rtred too high, however, they did but litt:e injury. At length our forces made a simultaneous attack. The enemy replied with great vigor to our batteries, but Birge car- ried the Bluff and forced them to re- treat. Our troops now being ordered to cross the river, the 2d Vet. Cavalry, the llGth and 153d pressed forward and were among the first to occupy the heights. The Union troops continued their re- treat toward Alexandria, the base of supplies, which place they reached on the 25th of April, and encamped near our gunboats and transports. Here they remained until the 13th of May, when they again took up their march, now toward the Mississippi, the tleet leaving at the same time. As the troops left Alexandria a fire broke out in such a way as to make it impossible to prevent a general conflagration. There was some skirmishing by the troops on this march, and once they met the enemy in force. It was on this route that the Battle of Mansura occurred, but it was fought principally with artillery on the Union side. On the 17th of May the army reach- ed the Atchafalas'a river near Sims- port, where the transports were found awaiting it. The river, 600 feet wide at this point, was bridged with 19 transports fastened together, and on the 19th the troops and trains passed over. On the 22d they reached Mar- ganzia Bend on the Mississippi. Here the 153d suffered much through sick- ness and death. On the 1st of July the 153d and 114th regiments took the steamer Crescent for New Orleans, where they arrived on the 2d, and the following day moved down the river under sealed orders. They soon learn- ed they were destined for Fortress Monroe. Arriving there, they were at once ordered to report in Washing- ton, which they reached July 11th, 1864. The 153d took position in the rifle pits beyond Fort Saratoga. At this time Gen. Ear'y was foraging in Maryland, menacing Washington, and causing our troops considerable un- easiness. This regiment, with the 6th and 19th corps, under command of Gen. Wright, were at length sent, with other troops, in pursuit of Early. After moving from place to place for several days, they at length settled temporarily at Harper's Ferry, August 5th. On the 7th of August Gen. Sheridan was placed in command of the "Middle De- partment," composed of the late de- partments of West Virginia, Wash- ington and Susquehanna. On the 10th of August, 1864, the army began its march up the Shenandoah Valley, passing from town to town, and occa- sionally making short stops. While camping at Charlestown, Cadman, of Company A, and Charles Thornton, of Company H, of the 153d regiment, while making some purchases for the mess at a farm house near by, were captured by guerillas. In the melee the latter was killed; the former was taken to Richmond and confined in Libby Prison. Both were highly es- teemed. Leaving Charlestown, the army returned to Harper's Ferry, camping on the ground twice before occupied. On the 28th of August the force was ordered up the valley. Again marching or countermarcliing, skir- mishing with or pursuing the enemy, or Ijeing pursued by him, was the order of the day. It soon became apparent, however, that the army was about to make a determined advance. On the ISth of September all surplus baggage was sent to the rear, and early the fol- lowing morning the force was in mo- tion. Early held the west side of the Ope- quan creek. Sheridan was in his front and on his right. The cavalry had driven the enemy and cleared the pas- sage of the Opequan. This was now forded by the infantry, who advanced along the turnpike through a deep ra- vine about a mile in length. Early had hoped to prevent their entering this I'avine, luit in tliis he failed. It now remained for him to seize the upper openin,g and prevent our troops from forming in line of battle; or, failing in this, he hoped after the Union troops had formed to mass his whole strength against them, and by holding the gorge to cut off their retreat. The battle of Opequan creek or Winchester, was fought to gain pos- session of this ravine, the key to Win- chester. At ten o'clock a. m., the 6th corps left the ravine, and filing to the left, advanced on the open plain in two lines of battle, the lirst of which carried one of the enemy's rifle pits. The 19th corps closely followed the 6th, Gen. Grover's division joining them on the right. Dwight's division, to which the 153d belonged, was sent as Grover's support. While their bri- gade was forming, it received repeat- ed volleys from the enemy, who were behind and protected by a ledge of rocks. The burden of the conflict in the early part of the day came upon the 19th corps and Rickett's division of the 6th corps, who for hours held the approaches to the ravine — while the 8th corps was swinging around the enemy's flank — Early, in the mean- time, having massed his forces against them. At 3 o'clock, the cavalry, with the 8th corps, charged the enemy's left flank. The entire army now advanced. The wood in which the enemy had con- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 243 centrated was quickly carried, and the foe fled from it in great haste, leaving behind their guns and accoutrements. Tlie retreat soon became a disastrous rout. The enemy fled through Win- chester in confusion. Col. Davis, of this regiment, was in command of the 1st brigade. In the hottest of the tight, he was at the front cheering his troops. At one time he seized one of the regimental color standards, and bearing it aloft, pressed forward, in- spiring his men with new enthusiasm. The victory was complete. It was believed that the 19th corps suffered most severely in this battle, having lost 1940 in killed and wounded. Capts. DeWandelaer and Jacob C. Klock, of this regiment, were found in the house of a rebel Congressman. Capt. Klock was severely wounded. He was, how- ever, enabled to return to his home in St. Johnsville, where, after being pro- moted major, he died, Oct. 4, 1864. Post Klock, No. 70, G. A. R., of Fort Plain, N. Y., was named in honor of this gallant officer. After the battle of Opequan creek or Winchester, the enemy were pursued 8 miles south, to Fisher's Hill, where they were found strongly fortified between two moun- tain ranges. From this stronghold they were completely routed on the 22d, giving Sheridan possession of Fisher's Hill, the most formidable nat- ural barrier in the valley. Following up this victory, the Union forces pur- sued the enemy" night and day, har- assing and driving them through Woodstock, Mt. Jackson, Mt. Crau- ford and Staunton to Waynesborough, destroying flouring mills and vast quantities of grain. While in the valley 22 of the men were captured by Moseby. Seven of them he decided to hang, because Cus- ter had executed seven of his guerillas at Fort Royal. The number having been selected by lot, it was ordered that they be put to death half a mile west of Berryville. Four of the con- demned escaped, yet not until they had been severely wounded; the other three were hanged. One of these was a member of the 153d. On the 30th of September, the troops started down the valley, and on the 10th of October crossed Cedar creek and encamped. October 18th the 1st and part of the 2d division proceeded on a reconnoisance, nearly as far as Strasburg. They found the rebels en- camped here, and also discovered that the enemy were again strongly en- trenched at Fisher's Hill. On the 15th Sheridan made a flying visit to Washington, leaving Gen. Wright, of the 6th corps, in command. Early, aware of Sheridan's absence, and having been reinforced by Long- street's corps, attacked our army in force at daybreak on the 19th. The 8th corps was surprised and driven back in confusion.' The 6th and 19th corps were soon ordered to retire from the position. The enemy captured our guns and turned them upon our sol- diers, who checked this onset and then fell back. Sheridan, returning from Washington and learning of the dis- aster hastened to his army, which had retreated several miles. He at once formed a line of battle, and as he dash- ed along the ranks, said: "Never mind, boys, we'll whip them yet." The air was rent with responsive cheers from his men. At one o'clock the pickets of the 19th corps were vigor- ously attacked and driven in by the enemy. Our line now pressed for- ward on a double quick and soon re- ceived a severe fire, but continued steadily to advance, when the enemy opened fire upon the right flank, the line swinging to the right to meet it. It was soon found that the rebels were retreating to the left, when the line was immediately turned in that direc- tion, and the enemy were driven in confusion from behind a temporary breastwork. Their retreat now be- came a rout, and was followed up by our troops, until they retook the breastworks from which they had been driven in the morning, the 153d regi- ment being among the first to occupy the works. Following the pursuit al- most to Sti'asburg, the Union forces encamped, and on the 21st returned to their old quarters near Cedar creek. Col. Davis, of the 153d, was made Brig- adier General by brevet for his brav- ery at this battle. On the 9th of November, the army left Cedar creek and encamped near Newtown. Here the troops remained until December 29th, when they broke camp and marched to Stevenson's depot, the terminus of the Harper's Ferry and Winchester railroads; here they began to erect winter quarters near the depot in a grove of oak and black walnut. On the 23d of March, 1865, this regiment was sent across to Snicker's gap, but returned the follow- ing day without adventure. At mid- night, April 9th, the booming of can- non announced the surrender of Lee. April 11th the regiment moved to Sum- mit Point, and on the 20th they left this place by cars for Washington. While passing Harper's Ferry, Fink, of Company C, was killed. On the fol- lowing day this regiment encamped near Fort Stevens, at Washington, and took part in the grand review of veter- ans at that place, April 23d and 24th. On the 6th of June, 1865, the 153d embarked on the steamer Oriental, for Savannah, Georgia, where it arrived on the 13th. Colonel — now Brig.-Gen- eral by brevet — Davis was in command of the city, which this regiment now guarded. Dr. A. L. Snow was here 244 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN promoted Brigade- Surgeon, and was afterward assigned the position of health officer of the district and city of Savannah. Major Charles P. Putnam died here, after a severe but brief illness. This brave officer had been with the regi- ment from the lirst. On the 9tli his remains were borne by his comrades to the beautiful Laurel Grove cemetery. They w^ere brought north at the time of the return of the regiment, and in- terred in the cemetery at Fultonville, near his former home. Adjutant A. V. Davis was now promoted to the rank of major, an honor richly merited. On the 5th of October, this regi- ment took the steamer "Emilie" for the north by the way of Hilton Head, which place was reached the same day. On the 7th the 153d -left by the steamer "McLellan" for New York, ar- riving there on the 10th of October, and on the 11th took the "Mary Ben- ton" for Albany. Here a large num- ber of the sick were taken to the "Ira Harris" hospital. Of them twelve or fourteen died, several at Albany, the others after reaching their homes. On the 16th of October, 1865, the men were mustered out of the service and paid off. The two guidons of the regiment, of white silk, with "153" in the centre, were presented by Mrs. Joseph Strain, at Albany, and carried through the campaign in the southwest. The regi- mental banner is of blue silk, bearing the arms and motto of the United States and the legend "153d N. Y. Vol. Regiment Infantry." Beers has the following reference to the 97th Regiment New Y''ork Volun- teers. 53 Fulton county men were en- rolled in the 97th: The 97th Regiment New York Vol- unteers, was organized in Booneville, N. Y., under command of Col. Chas. Wheelock, and was mustered into the service February 18th, 1862. The regi- ment left Booneville for Washington March 12th, but remained in Albany for one week, and only arrived in New York March 18th, where the troops received the Enfield rifled musket. The 97th arrived in Washington March 20th. In May the regiment was as- signed to Gen. Duryee's brigade. Gen. Rickett's division, and was under Gen. McDowell's command during the ad- vance in the Shenandoah Valley, in June, 1862. The regiment was in ten battles and suffered great loss, being reduced to less than 100 effective men before the close of the war. During the months of September and October, 1863, it re- ceived a large number of conscripts. The regiment was attached to the 2d l)rigade, 2d division, 1st army corps, in December, 1863. It took part in the following engagements: Cedar Moun- tain, August 9, 1862; Rappahanock Station, August 23," 1862; Thorough- fare Gap, August 28, 1862; second Bull Run, August 30, 1862; Chantilla. Sep- tember 1, 1862; South Mountain, Md., September 14, 1862; Antietam, Md., September 17, 1862; first Fredericks- burg, December 13, 1862; Chancellors- ville, Va., May 1, 1863; Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. The following is a list of engage- ments participated in by Co. I, 10th N. Y. Cavalry, which was recruited main- ly from Mayfield and Broadalbin, Ful- ton county. 92 Fulton county men were enrolled in this organization: Louisa Court House, Va., May 4, 1863; Brandy Station, Va., June 9, 1863; Aldie, Va., June 17, 1863; Middle- burg, June 19, 1863; Upperville, Va., June 20, 1863; Gettysburg, Pa., July 2 and 3, 1863; Shepherdstown, Va., July 16, 1863; Sulphur Springs, Va., October 12, 1863; Little Auburn and Brestoe Station, October 14, 1863; Mill Run, Va., November 24, 1863; The Wilder- ness, Va., May 5, 6, 7 and 8, 1864; Ground Squirrel Church, Va., May 11, 1864; Defences of Richmond, Va., May 12, 1864; Hanover Town, Va., May 28, 1864; Cold Harbor, Va., June 1, 1864; Trav Station. Va., June 11, 1864; White House Landing, Va., June 22, 1864; St. Mary's Church, Va., June 24, 1864; Gravel Church Hill, Va., July 28, 1864; Lee's Mills, Va., July 30, 1864; Deep Bottom, Va., August 14 and 15, 1864; Fisher's Hill, Va., August 18, 1864; Weldon Rail Rqad, Va., August 21, 1864; Ream's Station, Va., August 23, 1864; Vaughn Road, Va., Septem- ber 30 and October 1, 1864; South Side Rail Road, Va., October 27, 1864; Des- pritanna Station, Va., November 18, 1864; Stony Creek. Va., December 1, 1864; Belfield Station. Va., December 9, 1864; Janett's Station, Va., Decem- ber 10, 1864; Dinwiddle Court House, Va., March 31, 1865; grand cavalry charge. Sailor's Creek, Va., April 6, 1865; Jettersville, Va., April 5, 1865; Fannville, Va., April 7, 1865; Appo- mattox Station, Va., April 9, 1865. Co. K, First Light Artillery, was known as the "Fort Plain Battery" because it was recruited at Fort Plain in the fall of '61. It was mustered in at Albany, Nov. 20, 1861. Its service began at Washington and in May, 1862, at Har- pers Ferry it joined the Second bri- gade, Siegel's division. It was with the Twelfth corps after June 26, 1862, THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 245 until May 12, 1S63, when it was trans- ferred to the reserve artillery where it remained until March, 1864. It was later connected with the Twenty-sec- ond corps in the defense of Washing- ton. Battery K was mustered out at Elmira, N. Y., June 20, 1865. It then being under command of Capt. Stock- ing. Mason's History says, "the ser- vice of the First was light artillery and by batteries in the Army of the Potomac, also in the Army of Virginia, of the Cumberland, and of Georgia, and was of such a detached character that the official record of battles of the Fort Plain Battery cannot be separated from those of other batteries of the regiment." Capt. Lorenzo Crounse, who coinmanded Co. K when it was mustered in, later became governor of Nebraska. Most of the men of this organization came from Fort Plain and the adjoining country, and the company numbered 65 men on muster- ing in. 1S62; Fredericksburg, Dec. 11-15, 1862; Franklin's Crossing, April 29 and May 2, 1863; Marine's Heights and Salem Church, May 3-4, 1863. The Thirty-second regiment was re- cruited under one of the first calls for troops. It was organized in New York city and was mustered into service, for two years, May 31, 1861. On the expiration of this term, the three-year m,ten were transferred to the 121st New York. Company B was recruited at Canajoharie and Company D at Am- sterdam, but the names of these vol- unteers are missing, but they are esti- mated as numbering about 130 men. This regiment served for several weeks at Washington and Alexandria, after being mustered in. It was then attached to the Army of the Potomac until it was mustered out June 9, 1863. Following is a summary of the battles of the Thirty-second: Fair- fax Court House, July 17, 1861; Black- burn's Ford, July 20, 1861; Bull Run, July 21, 1861; Munson's Hill, Aug. 25i. and Sept. 28, 1861; Anandale, Dec. 2, 1861; West Point, Va., May 7, 1862; Seven Days' battles, June 25-July 2, 1862; Gaines' Mill, June 27, 1862; Gar- nett's and Golding's farms, June 28, 1862; Glendale, June 30, 1862; Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862; Crampton Pass, Sept. 14, 1862; Antietam, Sept. 17, The Forty-third New York was or- ganized and mustered into service at Albany in September, 1861, for three years service. It was known variously as the "Albany and Yates Rifles" and "Vinton Rifles." It saw hard service and bore an honorable part in the campaigns of the Army of the Poto- mac. Co. E of this regiment was re- cruited at Canajoharie, that company numbering 70 volunteers, at the time of mustering in. The 43d served at and near Washington until Oct. 15, when it became part of Hancock's bri- gade. Smith's division, Army of the Potomac. Maj% 1862, it was made part of the first brigade, second divis- ion, sixth corps, and later was in the "Light Brigade" at Chancellorsville. It later formed part of the third bri- gade, second division, sixth corps, un- der command of Col. Charles A. Milli- kin. being mustered out of service at Washington, June 27, 1865. Its list of battles follows: Vienna and Flint Hill, Feb. 22, 1862; Siege of Yorktown, April 5 and May 4, 1862; Lee's Mills, April 16 and 28, 1862; Williamsburg, May 5, 1862; Seven days' battle, June 25 to July 2, 1862; Garnett's Farm, June 27, 1862; Garnett's and Golding's Farms, June 28, 1862; Savage Station, June 29, 1862; White Oak Swamp Bridge, June 30. 1862; Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862; Sugar Loaf Mountain, Sept. 10-11, 1862; Crampton Pass, Sept. 14, 1862; Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, Dec. 11-15, 1862; Marye's Heights and Salem church. May 3-4, 1863; Deep Run Crossing, June 5, 1863; Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863; Fairfield, Pa., July 5, 1863; Antietam and Marsh Run, July 7, 1863; near Lietersburg, July 10, 1863; Funkstown, July 11-13, 1863; Williamsport, July 14, 1863; Auburn, Oct. 13, 1863; Rappahannock Station, Nov. 7, 1863; Mine Run Campaign, Nov. 26 and Dec. 2, 1863; Wilderness, May 5-7. 1864; Spottsylvania Court House, May 8-21, 1864; Piney Branch 246 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Church, May 8, 1864; Landron's Farm, May 10, 1864; the Salient, May 12, 1864; North Anna, May 22-26, 1864; Tolopotomy, May 27-31, 1864; Cold Harbor, June 1-12, 1864; before Pet- ersburg, June 18, July 9 and Decem- ber, 1864, and April 2, 1865; Assault of Petersburg, June 18-19, 1864; Wel- don railroad, June 21-23, 1864; Fort Stevens, July 12-13, 1864; Charles- town, Aug. 21, 1864; Opequan Creek, Sept. 13, 1864; Opequan, Sept. 19, 1864; Fisher's Hill, Sept. 22, 1864; Cedar Creek, Oct. 19, 1864; Peters- burg Works, March 22, 1865; Appo- mattox campaign, March 28 and April 9, 1865; Fall of Petersburg, April 2, 1865; Sailor's Creek, April 6, 1865; Appomatox Court House, April 9, 1865. The Thirteenth Heavy Artillery had 33 Montgomery county and 71 Fulton county men in its ranks or 104 in all. It was mustered in by companies the latter part of 1863 and early part of 1864. The official record of the battles of the Thirteenth is as follows: Before Petersburg and Richmond, May 5 and 31, 1864; before Peterburg, June 15, 1864; assault on Petersburg, June 15 and 17, 1864; Swift Creek, Oct. 7, 1864; Day's Point, Nov. 14, 1864; Fort Fisher, Dec. 25, 1864, Jan. 15, 1865; fall of Petersburg, April 2, 1865. In the Sixteenth Heavy Artillery were 36 men from Montgomery and 8 from Fulton, a total of 44. The Mont- gomery men came from the towns of Minden, St. Johnsville and Canajo- harie and were enrolled in Companies F and H. The Sixteenth was mustered in at Elmira and left the state in de- tachments, the local companies going in January, 1864. The regiment was recruited in New York city by Col. Joseph J. Morrison, its commanding officer. The regiment served as heavy artillery and infantry at Fortress Mon- roe, Yorktown and Gloucester Point, later being divided and sent on de- tached service. It was mustered out at Washington, Aug. 31, 1865. On Monday and Tuesday, August 26 and 27, 1912, was held the fiftieth an- niversary and the thirty-first annual reunion of the 115th and 153d New York Volunteer Regiments at Fonda, N. Y. This historic occasion, for the counties of Montgomery and Fulton, is reported as follows in the Mohawk Valley Democrat, Fonda, August 29, 1912: Fifty years ago today Fonda sent forth the first fully organized regiment from this congressional district to de- fend the flag of our Union, to main- tain our country as one undivided whole, and to uphold the constitution of the founders of bur government which declares that before the law all men are free and equal. The outbreak of the Civil war found the political situation in Montgomery county to be much the same as in otiier sections of the state, and while at times there were murmurings and dissatisfaction, they were not of such character as to cause general alarm. During the course of the war Mont- gomery county furnished men for twenty different regiments, although in several of them the representation was quite small. In May, 1S61, the 32d was accepted and of the several companies B was recruited at Cana- joharie and D at Amsterdam. The 42d regiment was despatched in Sep- tember, 1861, and Canajoharie furnish- ed the greater portion of Co. E. This was one of the hardest fighting regi- ments in tlie Army of the Potomac. The lloth contained more Montgom- ery county recruits than any to which the county contriliuted and was raised at a time when the government was in great need of volunteers during the trying summer of 1862. Companies A, B, D, G, H, I and K contained men from this county, forming almost half of the entire regiment. The regiment was mustered into service at Fonda on August 26, 1862, by Captain Edgerton of the regular army and broke camp on August 29, 1862. The 153d regiment was recruited soon afterward, seven of its companies being from this and Fulton counties, the Montgomery county men being mostl.v in companies B, C and E. It also was mustered into service at Fonda, which took place on October 14, 1862. The regimental organizations of these two commands have for the past thirty years held annual reunions in various iilaces . in this congressional district, but they have always held them at separate times and in differ- ent localities. This year being the fiftieth anniver- sary of their departure for the seat of war it was agreed to hold a joint re- union here, the place that they were THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 247 mustered into the service. It was very fitting that Fonda should be selected for their semi-centennial and the peo- ple here have shown their apprecia- tion of the honor by the splendid reception accorded them. Veterans have been looking forward to this for a year and some of them traveled long distances to participate in the event. Several came from Iowa and Comrade M. B. Foote of Hastings, Neb., was in California when he received his no- tice and started at once across the continent, arriving here Monday morn- ing. Others came from Wisconsin and Ohio. The festivities commenced on Mon- day evening, when an association camp fire was held by Co. C of the 115th regiment, but was broadened by invitation to include not only the 115th and 153d regiments, but 'also the pub- lic. This was held in the old court house hall, which was artistically draped with the national colors. At the back of the rostrum were hung the portraits of Col. Simeon Sammons and Garret Van Derveer, captain of Co. A, both of the 115th; also that of Colonel Edwin P. Davis of the 153d regiment. In the northwest corner a tent was stretched and beside it was an old camp kettle and a stack of arms. Comrade James E. Reid of Boston presided over the meeting. Most interesting exercises were held here, including experiences given by comrades. The hall wa's packed with people, at least 500 being present, and many were turned away as it was impos- sible for them to gain admittance. On Tuesday the general reunion of the two regiments occurred. The meet- ing at 9 a. m. was called to order by A. H. Mills, chairman of the citizens' committee. The Rev. Washington Frothingham made the opening prayer. The address of welcome was delivered by Harry Y. MacNeil, president of the village, who extended the veterans a most hearty and cordial greeting. This was responded to by Comrade James E. Reid for the 115th and by Comrade C. B. Clute for the 153d. After this the two regiments separated and held their organization meetings in execu- tive session. At one o'clock the two regiments formed into line and preceded by the veteran drum corps marched to the Reformed church, where the members of the D. A. R. served a bountiful and delicious dinner. After refreshments the visitors were conveyed in autos to the grave of Col. Sammons. about a mile north of the village, where he lies burled on the an- cestral family farm which he owned during his lifetime and has been in the family for several generations and is still occupied by them. At the time of the Revolution it was occupied by Sampson Sammons and his sons, who were sturdy and uncompromising pa- triots, the father being a member of tile Committee of Safety, a most hon- orable and at the same time dangerous office to hold. This spot is only a short distance from the old camp ground where the two regiments were muster- ed into service. It was called Camp Mohawk. One of the most interesting features of the celebration was the stirring old time music furnished by the veteran drum corps, which included all the familiar airs of fifty years ago. Adam Yovmg of Fonda was one of the snare drummers. The others were all from this county and were 70 years or more of age. During the, afternoon while the St. Johnsville band was giving a concert in the park the drum corps flFed the waits with the inspiring martial music of war times. About 350 people partook of the re- freshments and all pronounced them most delicious. The veterans have gone to their sev- eral homes, but it is doubtful if age will ever dim the recollection of their semi-centennial at Fonda in 1912. Exactly 100 members of the 115th Regiment answered to roll call at this their fiftieth anniversary and thirty- first reunion. Forty-two of the 153d answered to roll call at Fonda, 142 veterans being present for both regi- ments out of the llSl that are known to have gone to the front from Mont- gomery and Fulton counties. Since the foregoing chapter was written (in which reference was made to the lack of published experiences of Civil war soldiers from the Mohawk valley) two valley newspapers have started interesting publications re- garding personal descriptions and im- pressions of local veterans written by them on the field during the Rebellion. The Mohawk Valley Register is at present (October, 1913) republishing letters from the field, written fifty years ago by Lieut. Angell Matthew- son of Co. K, First Light Artillery (known as the Fort Plain Battery), to the Register, of which he was then one of the editors and proprietors. These are very interesting and particularly so to readers of western Montgomery county, many of whom are relatives or friends of the local members of this famous military organization. Mr. Matthewson died in 1913. The Herkimer Citizen has been 248 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN printing, for eight months (since Jan- uary, 1913) letters and diaries, written by members of the 34th New York. This was a Herkimer county regi- ment, five of its companies having been recruited from that county. It was mustered in June 15, 1861, and mustered out June 30, 1863. The 34th. was in fierce fighting during McClel- lan's advance on and retreat from Richmond in the summer of '62 and particularly distinguished itself in a famous charge at Fair Oaks which is said to have won the battle for the federal forces. On June 17, 1863, the regiment was given a great ovation on its return to Herkimer county at Lit- tle Falls. It had three colonels, Ladue, Suiter and Laflin. Col. Suiter was in command during the fighting before Richmond in which the regiment lost very heavily, and Col. Laflin was in command of the regiment at the time of its famovis reception by the citizens of Little Falls. At this time the staff oflicers were: Colonel, Byron Laflin; lieutenant-colonel, John Beverly; ma- jor, Wells Sponable; adjutant, John Kirk; quartermaster, Nathan Easter- brooks; surgeon, S. F. Manley; assist- ant surgeon, J. Hurley Miller; chap- lain, S. Franklin Schoonmaker. The letters and journals of the Her- kimer county boys in this famous body, which the Citizen has published, form most absorbing reading and give a graphic picture of the soldier's life from the private's point of view. This is particularly true of Private W. J. McLean, who wrote a diary of his life and the army's movements, battles and retreats, in the campaign of the Army of the Potomac during 1862, be- fore Richmond. Both these Civil war publications (those of the Register and the Citizen) deserve permanent preservation as they give an insight into the miseries of war and the life of the soldier, such as the regular his- tories absolutely fail of providing. Sept. 17, 1913, at Herkimer, during appropriate public exercises, the col- ors of the 34th Regiment were pre- sented to the Herkimer Historical so- ciety by James Suiter, life president of the 34th Regiment association and son of Ccl. Suiter. They had been pre- served for nearly fifty years by Major Wells Sponable of the 34th, who turn- ed them over to Mr. Suiter shortly be- fore his death in 1911. A reunion of the 34th was held at Herkimer on the same date (Sept. 17, 1913) and over thirt.v veterans of the organization were present, this year being the fif- tieth anniversary of the mustering out of the regiment. Among the old sol- diers, who answered the roll call, were several whose letters and diaries, writ- ten on the field when young men half a century ago, have made such en- tertaining reading in the Herkimer Citizen for the past few months. Mr. McLean, the author of the diary men- tioned was one of these. This reunion was held on the fifty-first anniversary of the battle of Antietam, Md., in which the 34th bore a gallant part in the re- pulse of the Confederates from Union soil. This was the bloodiest single day's fighting of the Civil war and the 34th lost heavily. Other regiments in which Herkimer , county was repre- sented were the 81st, 97th and 121st. In July, 1913, was held the fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Gettys- burg on the field of action, which is said to have defeated the Confederacy. Fifty thousand veterans attended this historic event, a number of them going from the Mohawk valley. A great many of old boys in grey took part in this reunion, which is said to have marked the absolute and final reunion of the north and south. A similar anniversary was held at Chick- amauga in September, 1913 (in what was once rebel territory), largely par- ticipated in V,)y blue and gray veterans who fought on that bloody battle- ground. Colonel Angell Matthewson was born in Pulaski, Oswego county. New York, June 8, 1837, and received his educa- tion in the academy of that town. When only 15 years of age he com- menced working at the printer's trade in the office of the Pulaski Democrat. At 21 he was foreman of the job department of the Daily Pal- ladium in Oswego, and a year later was THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 249 city editor of the same paper. In 1859 he became associated with the Morn- ing Herald office of Utica, N. Y., and went shortly after to Fort Plain, N. Y., where he became proprietor of the Mohawk Valley Register. In 1861 he enlisted in the Union army and raised a company in his home town in New York, of which he became second lieu- tenant. Lorenzo Crounse, afterwards governor of Nebraska, was captain of the same company. This company rendezvoused at Elmira, in Septem- ber, 1861, where it was attached to the First New York Light Artillery, as Battery K of that regiment. May 18, 1861, Lieutenant Matthewson was ap- pointed post adjutant at Camp Berry,' Washington, I). C. May 30, 1862, at Bolivar Heights, near Harper's Ferry, with a single piece of artillery, he routed the enemy's sharp shooters, and engaged a four-gun battery for half an hour, handling his gun with such judgment and skill that the only damage sus- tained was the disabling of one of the wheels of the gun carriage by a solid shot from the enemy, while the enemy's loss, as reported by Major Gardner of the Fifth New York Cav- alry, was seven killed and upwards of 50 wounded. For his services on this occasion, he was appointed ordinance officer on the staff of Major-General FVanz Sigel, June 7, 1862, and after- wards served in the same capacity on the staffs of Generals Cooper and Au- gur. November, 1862, he was promoted to first lieutenant and assigned to duty with Battery D of his regiment. May 23, 1863, he was appointed adju- tant of his regiment and May 25 was appointed acting assistant adjutant- general of the Artillery Brigade, First Corps, Army of the Potomac, which position he held one year. July 1, 1864, he was promoted to captain of his company for meritorious service at North Anna River, Va., May 22, 1864, where he was shot through the thigh with a minnie ball, while in com- mand of Battery D and fighting almost a forlorn hope. He was in service un- til the end of the war, three years and nine months, and was mustered out at Elmira, N. Y., June 17, 1865. He was engaged in the following battles: Harper's Ferry, Cedar Mountain, Rap- pahannock Station, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna River, Siege of Petersburg, Wel- don Railroad, Hatcher's Run and Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. After the close of the war Colonel Matthewson returned to Fort Plain, where he continued to engage in the newspaper business and also pur- chased the Canajoharie Radii, which he conducted for a number of years. In 1868 he was nominated and elected on the Democratic ticket to the lower house of the New York legislature from Montgomery county and served in that capacity for two years. At the close of his service in the legisla- ture he determined to go west and disposed of his newspaper interests in New York. When he reached Kansas City he was offered the position of city editor of the Kansas City Journal, but from friends in New York he had heard of the founding of a new town by the name of Parsons, and deter- mined to go to the place in the up- building of which he subsequently be- came such a powerful factor. When Colonel Matthewson was east in 1912, he visited the old Gettysburg battlefield, where he had served so brilliantly as a captain in the Union army, and walked over the field with a guide, an old veteran of the battle, and came to a spot where the guide said: "Here is where a battery of Union artillery was posted to shell the Confederate ranks. They were firing too high and their shells went wild, doing absolutely no good whatever. A Confederate battery was turned on them, however, and commenced to wreak havoc among the Union forces stationed here. About that time a young captain in the Union army came up, relieved the officer in charge of the battery, telling him his aim was poor, ordered the direction of the guns low- ered and with telling and accurate aim silenced within a few minutes the Con- federate battery which was doing so much damage to our forces." 250 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN "Do you know who that captain was?" asked Colonel Matthewson. The guide replied that he did not. "I was the man," modestly admitted the Colonel. And the monument that marks the battlefield contains the name of Angell Matthewson in commemoration of his valiant service to the Union cause at that great battle. Colonel Matthewson died at his home in Parsons, Kansas, Jan. 15, 1913, after a long, useful and success- ful career both as soldier and citizen. Col. Simeon Sammons, colonel of the 115th New York regiment during the Civil war, was born in the town of Mohawk in 1811. He was the son of Hon. Thomas Sammons, who was a Revolutionary soldier and patriot and who collected the celebrated "Sam- mons papers," frequently referred to and some of which are reprinted in this work. Thomas Sammons was for two terms a member of congress. Sampson Sammons was the grand- father of Col. Sammons and had charge of Johnson Hall, under the Tryon County Committee, during the Revolution. Col. Sammons was edu- cated at Johnstown Academy and later held a commission in the militia. He was chosen colonel of the 115th, Au- gust, 1862, and was twice wounded during his service. After the war Col. Sammons was elected to the New York assembly for one term and also filled the offlce of harbor master of the port of New York. He died in 1881, aged 70 years. CHAPTER IV. 1892, Barge Canal Recommendation of State Engineer Martin Schenck — 1900, Report of the Greene Canal Commission, Barge Canal Survey — 1903, Passage of $101,000,000 Barge Canal Act — 1905, Work Begun on Champlain Canal Section — Locks Widened to 45 Feet — Features of the Mohawk River Canalization. I ha\e lately made a tour through the Lakes Genrge and Champ'ain as far as Crown Point. Thence returning to Schenectady, I proceeded up the Mohawk river to Fort Schuyler and crossed over to Wood creek, which empties into the Oneida lake, and af- fords the water communication with Ontario. I then traversed the country to the eastern branch of the Susque- hanna, and viewed the Lake Otsego, and the portage between that lake and the Mohawk river at Canajoharie. Prompted l)y these actual observa- tions, I could not help taking a more extensive view of the vast inland navi- gation of these United States, from maps and the information of others, and could not hut be struck by the immense extent and importance of it, and with the goodness of Providence, which has dealt its favors to us with so profuse a hand. Would to God we may have wisdom enough to improve them. — From a letter to Count Chas- telleaux written by General Washing- ton, after his journey up the Mohawk river in 1783. (See Chapter XXIV, First Series.) This present chapter describes the New York state Barge canal, now (1913) nearing completion, and is the sixth chapter treating of transporta- tion in the Mohawk valley. Prior ones have covered Mohawk river trafHc, highways, bridges, Erie canal and rail- road building. The seventh and last sketch regarding valley transportation methods will be the one describing the first aeroplane flight over the course of the Mohawk. This is also the fifth chapter in the series which considers the Mohawk river in its various fea- tures. This series has comprised the following subjects: Mohawk river and valley, Mohawk river traffic, river and other bridges, Erie canal, Barge canal. The Barge canal is the most import- ant engineering work in all the world's history, not in the working difficulties encountered (which may be at their utmost in the Panama canal) but in the population concerned, in volume of available trade, and in future possi- bilities, in which the Barge canal promises to far surpass any water- way or land trade route now or ever in existence, not excepting the Panama or the Suez canals. The greatest won- der connected with the whole work of the Barge canal is not its immense importance to half the hundred million people of North America but the fact that it has been practically completed at this time (1913) with hardly a sin- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 251 gle proper exposition of the importance of the work for the enlightenment of the people of the United States, with the single exception of the very inter- esting exploitation of the matter in the "Live Wire" of August 1, 1913, published by the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, from which verbatim ex- tracts are made in this chapter. There are millions of people in the United States who have never heard of the Barge canal, whereas the Panama en- terprise is known practically to the entire population. More people of this country, and of the entire region of North America, will receive greater benefits from the Barge canal than from the waterway which bisects the Isthmus of Panama. This paramount importance of the Barge canal to all the people of the middle west, the northwest and the eastern states and Atlantic seaboard, can be proven by reference to the ton- nage figures of the Sault Ste. Marie canal (between Lakes Superior and Huron) and that of the Suez canal. In 1910, the "Soo" passed a tonnage of 36 million while the Suez reported 23 mil- lion tons. Much of the Great Lakes traffic must find its outlet by way of the Barge canal and there is every in- dication that its tonnage figures will equal and proba'bly greatly surpass those of the Sault Ste. Marie. If Elkanah Watson was the "father" of the o'.d improved Mohawk waterway of 1796 and Jesse Hawley was the "father" of the Erie canal of 1825, be- cause their writings and activities were the first powerful means of fur- thering these projects, then the honor of being the "parent" of the Barge canal belongs to a Mohawk valley man and a native of Montgomery county — Martin Schenck. He is entitled to this distinction for the same reason as Watson and Hawley are entitled to theirs. His was the first public and definite proposal for a canal of the Barge canal type, made in his report of 1892, when Mr. Schenck was state engineer and surveyor. Martin Schenck was born at the old Schenck place near the mouth of Knauderack creek, which runs through Schenck's Hollow, just west of the north side "Nose" in the town of Palatine. In this place it is well to state that Watson and Hawley were but two of many men who had advocated a lakes- to-the-sea waterway (by way of the Mohawk valley) from the earliest days of the co'-ony. They take their distinc- tion from the fact that they were the first to put their plans before the pub- lic in a practical, concrete form, just as Martin Schenck was the first to ad- vocate publicly a Barge canal of a def- inite type, allied to the present un- dertaking. Hawley, Geddes and For- man were all instrumental in the in- itial advancement of the Erie (or Grand) canal project, probably in the order named. Clinton did not take hold until the plan had already assum- ed a definite form, but his political power was one of the main causes for the act authorizing the canal work, and he, to a certain extent, deserves the title of the "father of the Erie canal." The whole question of the originator of the canal idea has been threshed out for a century. The fact of the matter is that there have been hundreds of influential New York state men who have aided the cause of state waterways from the days of the Inland Lock Navigation company. No one man is entitled to the sole credit of an idea so long in the minds of many men, but the canal projectors mentioned have well-earned distinc- tion on account of their public labors mentioned. The Barge Canal Bulletin, under date of August, 1909, carried an ar- ticle on "The Evolution of the Barge Canal," which described the efforts of the friends of the canals in behalf of the improvement and efficiency of the state waterways, from the completion of the Erie in 1825 to the successful culmination of* their efforts in securing the legislative enactment of the Barge canal acts. The essay mentioned con- tains the following: "The first official presentation, of what is practically and distinctively the form of the present thousand-ton Barge canal, seems to have been con- 252 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN tained in the annual report for 1892, of State Engineer and Surveyor Martin Schenck, who said: 'The practical canal of the future, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson river, ought to be one capable of bearing barges, 250 feet in length by 25 feet breadth of beam, of a draft not to exceed 10 feet, and of such a height that the great majority of bridges, that should span the canal, might be fixed structures instead of drawbridges. With the proposed canal (which could be built for a reasonable sum), bearing barges towed in fleets, each boat carrying 50,000 bushels of wheat, New York would be enabled to hold her commercial supremacy against all comers for many years to come.' " While Mr. Schenck's plan was not immediately adopted yet it probably blazed the way for the Barge canal, the initial legislative measures for the con- struction of which were adopted eleven years later in 1903. The legislature, of the same year in which Mr. Schenck wrote his "Barge canal message," pro- vided for a constitutional convention, which, among its other duties was to consider amendments relative to canal improvement. The constitutional con- vention met in 1894 and among its amendments was one providing that the canals might be improved in such manner as the legislature should pro- vide by law. This was carried at the election of 1894, and was generally considered as a public mandate to the legislature to undertake the im- provement of the New York state canals. The amendment became oper- ative Jan. 1, 1895, and the legislature of that year passed an act authorizing the deepening of the Erie and Oswego canals to 9 feet and the Champlain canal to 7 feet. The project was a failure, the appropriation of nine mil- lion dollars being insufficient for the work and charges of graft and swindl- ing were rife at the time. On March 8, 1899, Gov. Roosevelt ap- pointed a committee of citizens, headed by Gen. Francis V. Greene, who were to consider the whole state canal ques- tion and report on the same. The "Barge Canal Bulletin" says: "The date of this appointment marks the real beginning of the Barge canal en- terprise as we know it today." Earlj"^ in 1900 this committee reported, after a thorough study of the entire prob- lem. They emphatically recommended that the canals should not be aban- doned (a policy which was advocated by many citizens of the time) but pro- posed the enlargement of the Erie, Champlain and Oswego canals — the Erie to a size suitable for 1,000-ton barges and the Champlain and Oswego to a 9 foot depth — practically the same recommendations that Mr. Schenck had made eight years before. This would allow of the use of boats on the Erie 150 feet long, 25 wide, drawing 10 feet of water. The locks were to be 310 feet long by 28 feet wide, with 11 feet of water on the sills. The route followed closely the line of the present Barge canal con- struction. Upon the submission of this report the legislature appropriated $200,000 for Barge canal surveys and estimates. Data had been gathered shortly before, over much of the pro- posed route, by the U. S. Deep Water- way Survey and this was available and hastened the preliminary work. The report of the survey was submitted to the legislature, March 15, 1901. Con- flicting interests deferred legislative action until 1903, when a bill appro- priating $82,000,000 was introduced, providing for the improvement of the Erie canal, Oswego canal and the Champlain canal. The estimate of cost was later raised to $100,592,993 and the bill as revised was submitted to the people at the election of 1903 and was carried. This law, with its subsequent amendments, came to be known as the $101,000,000 Barge canal act of 1903, and under its provisions the Barge canal is now under construc- tion. Says the Barge Canal Bulletin: "In brief, the act provided for the issuance of eighteen-year bonds for canal improvement to the amount of not exceeding $101,000,000, not more than $10,000,000 to be issued within two years after passage of the act. A general annual tax of twelve-thous- andths of a mill was authorized for each million of dollars in bonds out- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 253 standing in any fiscal year. The State Engineer and the Superintendent of Public Works were directed to be- gin improvements to the canals upon the basis of a channel 75 feet in width on the bottom, 12 feet of water and at least 1,128 square feet of water cross-section, except at aqueducts and through cities and villages, where the width might be reduced and the cross- section of water modified as deemed necessary by the State Engineer, with the approval of the Canal Board. In rivers and lakes the channel was to have a minimum bottom width of 200 feet, a minimum depth of 12 feet and at least 2,400 square feet of water cross-section. The locks were to be 328 feet long by 28 feet wide in the clear, and with 11 feet of water on the miter-sills. "Routes to be followed and details of construction were fixed. In general the route of the Erie was by way of the Hudson river from Troy to Water- ford; thence by a new channel to the Mohawk above Cohoes falls, and up the canalized Mohawk to Rome, with a few diversions to the existing canal; thence down the valley of Wood creek, across Oneida lake, down Oneida river to Three River Point and up Seneca river to the mouth of Crusoe creek; thence by a new route to the existing canal at Clyde, whence the line of the existing canal was to be followed gen- erally to the Niagara river at Tona- wanda, and by this river and Black Rock harbor to Lake Erie. All work was to be by contract and provisions for the condemnation of necessary lands and for the sale of abandoned portions of the canal were made. An Advisory Board of five expert civil engineers and a Special Deputy State Engineer were authorized. The criti- cisms of the various commissions, that were appointed to consider canal af- fairs after the 1895 improvement, were heeded in part by vesting most of the responsibility for the work in the State Engineer, giving him authority over the preparation of plans and the su- pervision of construction, including both engineering and inspection." It will be noted that the foregoing route utilizes the natural waterways of the Mohawk and Oswego river valleys (joined by the Wood creek line) over two-thirds of the route. The Mohawk river section comprises a third of the Erie route of the Barge canal system. "Since the passage of the act of 1903, a score or more amendatory pro- visions have been made, many of which refer to its financing or to mat- ters of administrative detail. One only have we space to speak of here — the widening of the locks in 1905 to 45 feet. This could be done without greatly increasing the cost, and would permit the passage of lake boats carry- ing 2,600 tons. The advantages of this great increase in carrying capacity of barges of forty-three feet beam over those of twenty-seven feet, the fact that Canadian canals now possess locks forty-five feet in width by four- teen feet depth on miter-sills, and the further fact that more than three- fourths of the entire Barge canal route is through canalized natural water- ways of sufficient width to enable boats of this beam to pass each other, were cogent reasons why this change was made. "It would be obvious that in an un- dertaking of this character and mag-: nitude, a vast amount of preliminary work in the way of surveys, borings, soundings, studies, plans and maps would be required. This preliminary work was soon under way, but it was not until April, 1905, that actual con- struction was begun, upon the Cham- plain division, quietly and without any of the ceremonies usual to such an oc- casion." This, in brief is the history of the inception of the Barge canal idea, its consideration and public adoption and the commencement of work. It may be briefiy summarized as follows: 1892, State Engineer and Surveyor Martin Schenck's annual message and report advocating a Barge canal; 1899, March 9, Gov. Roosevelt appoints canal inves- tigating committee; 1900, canal com- mittee reports and recommends canal enlargement; 1900, New York legisla- ture appropriates $200,000 for prelimi- nary surveys; 1901, March 15, report 254 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN of canal survey made to legislature; 1903, $101,000,000 Barge canal act of 1903, providing for the Barge canal improvement of the Erie, Oswego and Champlain canals; 1905, beginning of Barge canal work on the Champlain division. The state engineers, in charge of this work since its com- mencement, have been 1903-1904, Ed- ward A. Bond; 1905-1907, Henry A. Van Alstyne; 1908, Frederick Skene; 1909-1910, Frank M. Williams; 1911- 1914, John A. Bensel. The Barge canal through New York state largely supplants and parallels the present Erie. Through the valley it follows largely the course of the Mohawk and the old trade route from Albany to Oswego and the great lakes. In the section especially covered in this historical narrative and within the limits of Montgomery county, locks on the canal are located as follows: Amsterdam, Fonda, Yosts, Canajo- harie, Fort Plain, St. Johnsville, Little Falls. Terminal docks are projected at Amsterdam, Fonda, Canajoharie, Fort Plain, St. Johnsville, Little Falls. All the towns along the Barge canal become ports of both the Atlantic ocean and the Great Lakes. This was true only in a smaller degree of the "canal towns" of the Erie. It is fitting that the Mohawk valley, the first white settlers of which were natives of Hol- land — the great canal county — should be occupied by a section of the world's greatest canal. The following is here reprinted from a pamphlet entitled "The New York State Barge Canal" by State Engineer J. A. Bensel, published in 1912. Some of these facts were included in the chapter on the Erie canal but it is nevertheless printed here complete as follows: To understand the canal enlarge- ment which New York state is now en- gaged in, a brief glance at the history of canal-building in the state is need- ed. The first work of interior water- way improvement was performed by two private companies, chartered in 1792. By the end of the eighteenth century they had completed most of their works. About 1808 agitation fk)r state-built canals was begun. In 1817 the work of construction was com- menced, the main branch being com- pleted in 1825. Within the next de- cade several lateral canals were buiit. This period was closely fol- lowed by the first enlargement of three of the chief canals — a work protracted through many years and not com- pleted till 1862. Then folowed some two decades of little activity, during the latter part of which several of the lateral branches were aljandoned. In 1884 the period of later improvements was begun by a series of lock-length- enings, which continued for about ten years. Ihe .ast decade and a half has witnessed the undertakings of two en- largements, the latter of which is the work now in progress — the Barge canal. During the history of its canals New York state has opened 1,050 miles of navigable waterways including a hun- dred miles of interior lake navigation. In addition there are nearly 500 miles of lake and river navigation along the Canadian and Vermont borders, and 150 miles on the Hudson river. Some 350 miles of these canals have been oflicially abandoned, while about 50 miles more have fa'len into disuse. The work of improvement now going on, known as Barge canal construc- tion, consists of the enlargement of four of the ex'sting canals, large por- tions of the channels, however, being, relocated. On one of these canals this is the second enlargement since its original building, on two this is the third enlargement, while on the other branch it is the fourth. The four canals being improved are: (1) The Erie, or main canal, which stretches across the state from east to west, joining the Hudson river and Lake Erie; (2) the Champlain, which runs northerly from the eastern ter- minus of the Erie and enters the head of Lake Champlain; (3) the Oswego, which starts north, midway on the line of the Erie, and reaches Lake Ontario; (4) the Cayuga and Seneca, which leaves the Erie a little to the west of the Oswego junction and extends south, first to Cayuga lake and then to Seneca lake. The original Erie canal was begun in 1817 and finished in 1825. It had a bottom width of 28 feet, a width at water-surface of 40 feet and 4 feet depth of water. The first enlargement was made between 1836 and 1862. At that time the sec- tion of Waterway was 70 feet at water- line, 52% or 56 feet at bottom, ac- cording to slope of sides, and 7 feet deep. The second enlargement was begun in 1896, when a depth of 9 feet was attempted, but this work was completed only at disconnected local- ities. The original Champlain canal, be- gun in 1817 and finished in 1823, had widths of 26 and 40 feet, respectively, THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 255 at bottom and water-surface, and 4 feet depth. In 1860 widths of 35 and 50 feet, respectively, at bottom and water-line, and a depth of 5 feet were authorized. In 1870 increased widths of 44 and 58 feet, respectively, and a depth of 7 feet were ordered by the legislature. This improvement how- ever, was not completed. The en- largement of 1896-8 called for a depth of 7 feet, but this work also was not completed. The original Oswego canal, whicli was begun in 1825 and finished in 1828, had the same dimensions as the original Champlain, namely, 26 and 40 by 4 feet. The first enlargement was started in 1852 and completed in 1862, and gave a channel of the same size as the Erie at that time — 521/2 and 70 by 7 feet. The second enlargement, that of 1896-8, was also similar to that of the Erie, a depth of 9 feet being at- tempted, but the work was never wholly completed. The original prism of the Cayuga and Seneca canal, which was con- structed between 1826 and 1828, was the same in size as the Erie, 28 and 40 by 4 feet. The first enlargement, accomplished from 1854 to 1862, was also similar to that of the Erie — 521/^ and 70 by 7 feet. This branch did not share with the other three in the en- largemeht of 1896-8. The dimensions of the present en- largement, or Barge canal improve- ment, are the same for all four branches of the system. Briefly it may be stated that the law requires a channel at least 75 feet wide at the bottom and having 12 feet of water. In rivers and lakes the width is 200 feet, and 72 per cent of the length of the whole system is in river or lake channel. The locks are 328 feet long between gates, 45 feet wide, and have 12 feet of water over the sills. These few pages cannot give any detailed account of route or of struc- tures. The description might be ex- tended indefinitely, for there is much of interest to be found throughout the 440 miles of construction and the 350 miles of intervening lakes or adjoin- ing rivers. In general it may be stated that the Barge canal project is largely a river canalization scheme. Previous state canals have been chiefly independent, or artificial channe's, built in several instances on cross-country locations. Now, however, the route returns to the natural watercourses. The bed or the valley of the Mohawk is utilized from the Hudson to the old portage near Rome. Then Wood creek, Oneida lake, and Oneida, Seneca and Clyde rivers are used, carrying the channel to the western part of the state, where the streams run north and the align- ment of the old channel is retained for the new canal. The other branches of the Barge canal occupy natural streams throughout most of their lengths. Ihe accompanying statistical tabu- lation gives some of the leading facts concerning the Barge canal: (As certain plans are still under consideration, the following figures are subject to change. All canals are meant, unless otherwise specified.) Erie branch, length of canal, not in- cluding Hudson and Niagara river termini, 323.2 miles. Erie branch, number of locks, 35. Oneida lake, not included in above mileage, no improve- ment needed, about 19 miles. Spurs to Erie branch (Syracuse and Roch- ester harbors), 10.26 miles. Cham- plain branch, length of canal, 61.5 miles. Champlain branch, number of locks, 11. Oswego branch, canal, 22.8 miles. Oswego branch, number of locks, 7. Cayuga and Seneca branch, length of canal (including spurs at heads of lakes), approximate, 27.3 miles. Cayuga and Seneca branch, number of locks, 4. Cayuga and Sen- eca lakes, portions needing nb im- provement and not included in above mileage, 65 miles. Width of channel, land line, earth section, bottom, mini- mum, 75 feet. Width of channel, land line, earth section, water-surface, 123 to 171 feet. Width of channel, land line, rock section, bottom, minimum, 94 feet. Width of channel, river line, bottom, generally, 200 feet. Depth of channel, land line and minimum river line, 12 feet. Locks, length between gates, 328 feet. Locks, available length, 310 feet. Locks, width of chamber, 45 feet. Locks, depth of water on sills, 12 feet. Dams, new, 28. Dams, old, with new crests, 6. Dams, o.d, used without change, 5. Bridges, 199. Boats, capacity, utilizing full lock width, about 3,000 tons. Boats, capacity, built for two to pass in most restricted channel and for two, trav- eling tandem, to be locked at one lock- age, about 1,500 tons. Authorization, of work (Erie, Champlain and Oswego canals), chapter 147, laws of 1903. Au- thorization of work (Cayuga and Sen- eca canal), chapter 391, laws of 1909. Appropriation (Erie, Champlain and Oswego canals), $101,000,000. Appro- priation (Cayuga and Seneca canal), $7,000,000. Construction work begun (Champlain canal), April 24, 1905. (I^onstruction work begun (Erie canal), June 7, 1905. Excavation, preliminary (1903) estimate, not including work for dams, liridges, highway, railway, and stream changes and other small items (Erie, Champlain and Oswego canals), 132,225,800 cubic yards. Ex- cavation contract plans (Erie, Cham- plain and Oswego canals), approxi- mate, 105,000,000 cubic yards. Exca- vation, contract plans (Cayuga and 256 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Seneca canal), approximate, 9,100,000 cubic yards. Concrete, preliminary (1903) estimate (Erie, Champlain and Oswego cana.s), 3,243,100 cubic yards. Concrete, contract plans (Erie, Cham- plain and Oswego canals), approxi- mate, 2,600,000 cubic yards. Concrete, contract plans (Cayuga and Seneca canal), approximate, 150,000 cubic yards. In the summer of 1913, a party com- posed of representatives of the Buf- falo Chamber of Commerce made a tour of the Barge canal in company with State Engineer John A. Bensel and some of his official staff. The rec- ord of this very interesting trip was embodied in the August (1913) issue of the "Live Wire," a periodical put out by the Buffalo institution mentioned. The number was profusely illustrated with views of the canal. This publication is particularly interesting considering the remarkable fact that this great engineering work — the Barge canal — has received but trifling publicity from the papers of the state during its construction. The great lake me- tropolis of Western New York appre- ciates the tremendous advantages that will accrue to it from the canal and its men of business showed their fore- sight and intelligence in making the trip referred ta Not only Buffalo but the whole east and even the world at large must feel the trade, business and commercial impetus of the Barge canal. But New York state is bound to be the greatest gainer by this pub- lic work, which is justly entitled to the name of "the Grand Canal" — a title the people along the Erie canal gave to that waterway during its period of construction. State Engineer John A. Bensel, in a recent article on this subject, points out that about 71 per cent of the ter- ritory of the state lies within 50 miles of the Barge canal, that three-quar- ters of the population of the state live within two miles of the new waterway, and that the Barge canal goes through the most thickly-populated section in the United States. The "Live Wire" gives the following interesting comparisons between the Barge canal and the Panama canal: Barge canal — 540 miles long; total lockage lift, 1,050 feet; dams, 39; locks, 57 lift, 2 guard and 9 smaller locks; number of structures, between 350 and 400; cost, $127,800,000; built by state with a population of 9,000,000; excavation, estimated total, 114,100,000 cubic yards; concrete, estimated total, 2,750,000 cubic yards; excavation to January 1, 1913, 78,428,286 cubic yards; work begun, April 24, 1905. Panama canal — 50 miles long; total lockage lift, 170 feet; dams, 4; locks, 6 pairs; number of structures, 12 locks, 1 spillway and 4 dams; cost, $375,000,000; built by United States with a population of 90,000,000; exca- vation, estimated total, 203,710,000 cu- bic yards; concrete, estimated total, 5,000,000 cubic yards; excavation to January 1, 1913, 188,280,312 cubic yards; work begun by Americans, May 4, 1904. "Buffalo Live Wire" of August, 1913, covered the whole subject of the Barge canal, describing the central line from Buffalo to Waterford on the Hudson, the Cayuga and Seneca branch, the great reservoirs, the Oswego branch and the Champlain section. After dealing with this great work westward of Rome, the Barge canal work in the Mohawk valley was treated — cover- ing the ground from Rome to the Hud- son. Much of this concerns the terri- tory covered in these chapters — the middle Mohawk valley. One of the Gargantuan tasks of the Barge canal work was the relocating of the New York Central railroad systems through Rome. The tracks and ap- purtenances were literally picked up and carried a distance of three miles and replaced, the to'tal expense in- volved being about $1,000,000. In the doing of this work the New York Cen- tral built three new bridges and raised high, new embankments for its new line. In the publication referred to the Delta and Hinckley reservoirs are de- scribed as follows: The total length of the Delta dam is 1,100 feet, the length of the spillway being 300 feet. The maximum height of masonry above rock is 100 feet, and the approximate height of overfall THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 257 (pool to crest) 70 feet. The masonry material used in this dam totaled 90,- 000 cubic yards. The contract price for the entire work, including altera- tions was $940,840. Details of con- struction included canal relocation for nearly two miles; a flight of lift locks three lifts of 20.6 feet each; one lift lock with a lift of 12.1 feet, and a re- inforced concrete aqueduct, trunk, about 208 feet long. Other figures generating new ideas concerning the bigness of the Delta •dam include statements to the effect that the area of watershed served by this dam totals 137 square miles. The capacity of the reservoirs at crest level is 2,750,000,000 cubic feet. The maxi- mum depth at crest level is 70 feet, while the average depth at crest level is 23 feet. In the construction of this dam the village of Delta was wiped out and 295 buildings were removed; ten miles of highways were submerg- ed and seven locks and one aqueduct were destroyed. The maximum flood at the Delta dam is more than 8,000,- 000 cubic feet per second, while the maximum regulated flood is 2,600 cubic feet per second. The Hinckley dam, like the Delta dam, is located in Oneida county, a few miles distant from Trenton Falls. It is much larger than the Delta dam and its construction gives to the state a lake nine miles in length or one- third again as big as the one at Delta. [The Delta dam is on the upper Mo- hawk river, about five miles north of Rome. The Hinckley reservoir at Hinckley, .on the West Canada creek, about twenty-five miles north of Her- kimer. Other reservoirs of this type are contemplated in the Mohawk val- ley — -probably on the Schoharie or East Canada creeks. The Hinckley reser- voir is located both in Oneida and Herkimer counties.] In quantity of material used in the construction of these two tremendous dams there are surprisingly large fig- ures, as indicated above. Take the masonry material alone. It totals up- wards of 200,000 cubic yards, which if loaded into ordinary dump wagons, would present a picture something like this: By the time the first team reached either the Delta or Hinckley dams, the last wagon would be just starting out of Charleston, South Caro- lina. Or, if the procession were start- ing from the west, the last wagon would be at Springfield, Illinois, when the first wagon was dumped. The following from the Buffalo "Live Wire," of August, 1913, gives a good description of the Barge canal work along the Mohawk river from Albany to Utica: One does not have to be an engineer. an architect, nor yet a builder to ap- preciate the many striking features of this portion of the canal work. It is fraught with romance at almost every point. It is tinged with history all along the valley of the Mohawk. The old and the new intermingle, and there is always something to study accord- ing to the manner in which one's mind inclines. Considering merely the work itself, four striking features of engineering accomplishments stand out promi- nently from the mass of detail in- volved in the building of this section of the canal. These features include lock and dam construction, the prin- ciple of movable dams, the canalizing of the Mohawk river, and land cuts. Starting at the Hudson river end of the section, the first piece of lock and dam construction encountered is the lift from the Hudson river level to the level of the Mohawk, a distance of 184 feet, or 14 feet more than the entire lift in the entire Panama canal. This 184 -foot lift is overcome by a series of five locks which replace 16 small locks, that are required to make the same lift on the old canal. A great saving in time of lockage has been made here, for it will be possible for barges to go through the new locks in about one hour and 35 minutes, as against 8 hours required to lift through the 16 old locks. At the entrance to the Mohawk river (or land line level) two immense dams have been constructed. The first of these is known as the Crescent dam and the second as the Vischer's Ferry dam. The Crescent dam is the more impressive of the two and, as its name implies, is constructed in the form of a half-circle intersected on one end by a large island. The dam is complete except for five openings, which still remain to be closed and which cannot be finished until pending litigation in which the state is involved with toll bridge companies is settled, or until the legislature enacts proposed laws which will make it possible to complete this work. In the meantime an injunction stops further proceed- ings. Some idea of the size of Crescent dam may be obtained when it is stated that the total length of the structure is 1,922 feet, with a radius of 700 feet. The height of crest above top of apron is 39 feet. The width on the base is 42 feet and one-half inch. The width on top is 11 feet, five inches. The rise of the pool is about 27 feet, and the width of the apron 40 feet. The total amount of concrete used in the construction of the dam was 54,360 cubic yards, and the contract price for the work was $466,438.78. The dam forms a lake which varies in depth from 15 to 45 feet, and has a width of from one-half 258 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN miie to two miles, extending as far up stream as Vischer's Ferry dam, about 10 and one-half miles distant. A tine power house has been built at this dam which furnishes electric power for the five locks known as the Waterford Flight, the most distant of these locks being fully two miles from the dam. One gets some idea here of the immensity of the floods along the Mohawk river. Last spring, despite the fact that the flood waters were able to discharge through the five big openings left in the dam, the space proved insufficient and the flood poured over the top of the dam struc- ture. The Vischer's Ferry dam forms a lake varying in depth from 12 to 36 feet, and having a varying width of from one-half to one and a quarter miles. The lake is about 11 miles long. This dam is complete and in operation and as soon as the openings left in the Crescent dam can be completed it will be possible to use the new Barge canal from Schenectady to the Hudson river. The contract price for the Vischer's Ferry dam was $518,149.65. The total length of the dam is nearly 2,000 feet. The width of the base is about 40 and one-half feet, and the width on top nearly 11 and one-half feet. The height of the crest above top of apron is 36 feet, and the total width of the apron is 38 feet. A total of 57,750 cubic yards of concrete was used in this dam. The construction of the locks and dam at Vischer's Ferry and Crescent was very difficult due to the floods and because of the need to maintain navi- gation on the present Erie canal. From Schenectady westward there are eight movable dams which are of a type of construction that forms var- ious pools to Little Falls. These mov- able dams are raised out of the river in winter and leave the stream in its natural state, so that the dam does not interfere in any way with the floods. One of the largest of these dams may be seen at Amsterdam. It is 750 feet long and consists of three spans, each of them 250 feet long. This structure alone cost $800,000. Pictures are printed in the August, 1913, (Buffalo) "Live Wire" of the movable dams and bridges at Amster- dam and Fort Plain. The Fort Plain bridge has two spans of 250 feet each, being 500 feet in length. This was the first dam and bridge of its type com- pleted in the valley. The eight mov- able dams and locks in the river west- ward from Schenectady to Little Falls (a distance of about 60 miles) are at the following locations: Rotterdam Junction, Cranesviile, Amsterdam, Tribes Hill, Yosts (Randall), Canajo- harie, Fort Plain, St. Johnsville. Some of the most impressi\e work along the entire canal system may be seen at Little Falls. The cut made here is a veritable monster of rock ex- cavation, the rock being igneous in character and unusually hard. This excavation, however, does not repre- sent the principal difficulty in the work here encountered. The problem rather hinges on the fact that the West Shore and New York Central railroads, the canal itself and the Mohawk river ail come together at this point in a narrow gorge, the situation being fur- ther complicated by the presence of mills and other industrial piants in the gorge. Two old locks now being op- erated here will simply be covered with water and wont even be pulled out, because when the waters are let in there will be ample depth over them. The new water level will be 20 feet above that of the present Erie canal water surface. The highest lift lock ever constructed In the world has been built at Little Falls. It has a total lift of 42 and one-half feet, which is exactly one- fourth of the entire lift of the entire Panama canal. The total cost of the work at Little Falls, including lock construction, was $950,000. Having mastered marshes and quick- sand and built the prism of the canal across gorges and along lines highly elevated above the surrounding coun- try, the problem confronting State Engineer John A. Bensel at Scotia, N. Y., seemed simple at first. It appeared to be a mere detail, although a large one, of the general task of canalizing the Mohawk river, and on the surface apparently all that was called for was the construction of a lock and dam. When test pits were sunk, it revealed an entirely different state of affairs, for it was found necessary to sink caissons in order that the underflow of water in the river might be cut off. This work, which is always dangerous, was rendered more so by the fact that some of the caissons had to be sunk 82 feet below the surface of the river. A short time before the chamber mem- bers inspected the work, two men lost their lives in one of the caissons. The construction work involved in the building of the eight movable locks and dams built incidental to the canalizing of the Mohawk included foundations of varied character, some on rock., others in hardpan and lighter material, making it necessary, where the lighter material was encountered, to enclose the entire structure with sheet piling. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 259 THE SIX MOHAWK VALLEY COUNTIES. Taken from the map issued by the State Engineer and Surveyor's oflSce, showing the present (1913) waterways of the Mohawk valley, the Barge, Erie and Black River canals. The Barge canal follows largely the channel of the Mohawk river eastward from Rome to Waterford, over 100 miles. The heavy line represents the Barge canal. The cities at or near the month of the Mohawk are shown. The upper part of Herkimer county is not represented, because its great length would prevent the map coming with- in the compass of this plate. It will be noted that the Mohawk river flows through a considerable part of Saratoga and Albany counties. The source of the Mohawk is shown north of and outside the Oneida county line in Lewis county. A study of the map will show that only comparatively small parts of the six Mohawk valley counties lie outside the Mo- hawk valley watershed. At Rocky Rift Feeder, Crescent and Herkimer, three guard gates have been built in order to confine the floods in the Mohawk river. These gates are the highest on the entire Barge canal system, their height being 24 feet. Sometimes the building of a lock in- volves other tasks of considerable magnitude. This was the case at Sterling Creek, where it was necessary to build a railroad bridge of very heavy type for the main line of the New York Central incidental to the work of building the lock. In the canalizing of the Mohawk river from Crescent dam to Schenec- tady, a very small amount of excava- tion was required, inasmuch as the two large dams forming the two lakes already referred to gave sufficient depth for -navigation. In the canaliz- ing work various kinds of material were encountered, such as fine sand, hardpan and rock. Where the rock was encountered it was very difficult to carry on the work, due to the nu- merous floods for which the Mohawk river is noted. In various places along the river, at this season of the year, one sees the river bed exposed, the bottom being rock worn smooth by the rush of waters, and it does not require a. vivid imagination to picture the spring floods tearing along the unobstructed bed of the stream on such a bottom and sweeping every- thing before it. The fine sand also presented serious problems because it was always nec- essary to maintain channels, an ex- ceedingly difficult task in soil of such character. However, all these diffi- culties have Ijeen overcome and the entire canalizing work is under con- tract and will be completed in order to turn navigation through the new Barge canal in 1915. The excavation at this time [1913] has been finished from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, a distance of 10 miles. The excavation has also been com- _ pleted from about half way between Tribes Hill and Fonda to Canajoharie, about 15 miles in all. From Fort Plain to about one and one-half miles west of St. Johnsville, excavation has also been completed. From St. Johnsville to Sterling Creek the excavating is 260 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN about 90 per cent finished, and from Sterling Creels to Utica the canal prism has been completed. Taking into consideration that no excavating will be necessary above the two large dams, the canalizing of the Mohawk river is about 80 per cent fin- ished in length. From the Hudson river to the Mo- hawk at Waterford, the canal prism is constructed in a new location. This stretch includes the five locks known as the Waterford Flight, aiready re- ferred to as a lift which, in itself, is 14 feet higher than the total lift of the entire Panama canal. This exception- ally high lift was necessary in order that the canal might pass around Co- hoes falls and the dam at Cohoes. In the vicinity of the Rocky Rift Feeder, another line will be necessary for the purpose of overcoming the slope in the Mohawk river and the Rocky Rift Feeder dam, which stores water for the maintenance of the present canal. At Little Falls the new construction follows the same lines as those of the old canal. This is a land line con- structed for the purpose of passing around the falls at Little Falls. From Herkimer east another land line is provided for, the object being to overcome the slope in the Mohawk river. This is an exceptionally diffi- cult piece of work in view of the fact that navigation must be maintained in the old canal. From Sterling Creek west, the work is similar as from Herkimer east, and for the same reason — namely, that the slope in the Mohawk river must be overcome. In the vicinity of Little Falls, con- tracts still remain to be let for the making of connections with the Mo- hawk river above and below Little Falls. The reasons for not placing this work under contract at this time are that this will have to be the last piece of construction work between Little Falls and the Hudson river, the old canal being destroyed just east of Little Falls lock and the water sur- faces at this location will be materi- ally changed. All of the main structures between Waterford and Utica have been com- pleted with the exception of the lock and dam at Scotia, where the work is progressing in a very satisfactory manner. It is expected that all the Barge canal work on this portion of the sys- tem will be advanced to such a stage that navigation will be turned through the new canal in May, 1915. The state engineer's report for 1913 contains the following: "The Barge Canal Terminal Law provides that the section of the present [1913 Erie] canal system, from Rome to Mohawk, shall be maintained as a part of the Barge canal terminal system, but no provis- ion is made for funds to construct the necessary junction locks at Rome and Mohawk." The report contains a map showing the portions of the old Erie canal cut off from the present Barge canal. The report continues: "It is evident that the question as to what disposition shall be made of those por- tions of the canals so cut off should be one for the consideration of the present [1913] legislature." The re- port shows that there is a constitu- tional provision prohibiting the sale of canal lands but they have nevertheless been sold by the state, in the past, after they have been abandoned for canal purposes. The state engineer suggests proper legislation to dispose of abandoned canals and canal lands, which do not enter into the present and projected enlarged canal system of the state, and also an enactment to provide for the locks aforementioned at Rome and Mohawk. In case of these locks, being constructed a stretch of the old Erie canal, about 25 miles long, will remain in use and this will probably be all that will be left of the Mohawk river section of the old Erie canal. The disposition of the rest of the canal bed and adjacent lands in the Mohawk valley is a present day [1913] suj3ject of speculation. By chapter 190 of the laws of 1911, the state engineer was directed to make a survey for the ultimate pur- pose of improving the Black river for navigation between the state dam at Carthage and Sacketts Harbor on Lake Ontario. A full description of this route is in the 1913 report afore- mentioned. A summary of the cost of this waterway construction is $16,300,- 000, for a canal having prism and locks of the same size as the Barge canal improvement. It is not impossible that the Black river and canal may be similarly canalized in the future and that picturesque and once important old trade route will come into its own once more, after years of disuse. This would form an important link in the THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 261 future great waterways of the state and would connect with the Barge canal at Rome. The carrying capacity of the Barge canal may be clearly appreciated when the fact is considered that one 1,500 ton barge will carry a load equal to that of the average 50-car freight train of the present day (1913). A 3,000 ton barge, or two 1,500 ton barges running tandem, have a cargo ton- nage equal to that of a 100 freight car train. It is probable that the rail- roads have approached their extreme capacity as freight carriers, as regards the load per train under present con- ditions. Therefore it seems that the Mohawk waterway has a great future as a carrier of slow freight. It would be indeed interesting to know just what the situation will be a century hence with regard to the rival abili- ties of the railroads and the Barge canal as freight carriers. The writer believes the carrying capacity of the Barge canal may be still further in- creased, if conditions demand it. To provide a depth of water, which may be necessary for present and future waterway, needs that the greatest care should be taken of the water supply of the Mohawk watershed; reforesting barren wastes where possible to pro- vide woods to hold the water in the soil and also in the provision of a more than ample reservoir system. The Barge canal dredges have in many sections covered the Mohawk's banks high with spoil from the river bottom. It is suggested here that this ugly condition be done away with and the river banks strengthened by the planting of shrubbery and trees along the entire river course. The disfig- urement of a stream, as world-noted for its beauty as the Mohawk, is not to be taken lightly and the state should endeavor to retain as much of its at- tractiveness as possible. Formerly the shores were lined with beautiful trees and the replanting of them will renew the river's charm as much as possible and strengthen the banks against the wash of the current. It seems appropriate that the Mo- hawk should be the location of one of the world's greatest canals, inasmuch as the eastern end of its valley was settled by people from Holland, the country which may be fittingly termed the "mother of canals." Of the Mo- hawk valley section of the Barge canal, western Montgomery county forms al- most the center. In 1912 and 1913 inquiries, as to the safety of the Hinckley Barge canal reservoir, were made of the office of the State Engineer and Surveyor. The villages of Poland, Newport, Middle- ville and Herkimer all lie in the West Canada creek valley, in which is lo- cated the Hinckley reservoir. These four villages all joined in a request for information as to the safety of the Hinckley dam in 1913. A special re- port was made by State Engineer Ben- sel on the subject, which showed un- usual precautions for the safety of this structure had been taken, which should guard it against any damage from even the greatest floods. The subject suggests that an inspection of all stor- age reservoirs on the Mohawk and its tributaries should be made annually by the proper parties. Some opposition to the Barge canal has been offered Iiy people who hoped to see a ship canal supplant the Erie. It seems to be the consensus of expert opinion that such a waterway is im- practicable. However conditions change and it is not improbable that the Barge canal will prove to be a step toward a greater waterway, perhaps a century hence, which will connect the Hudson with the Great Lakes by way of the Mohawk river, Oneida lake and river and the Oswego river to Lake Ontario and thence to Lake Erie and westward by means of a canal around Niagara Falls. The carrying capacity of l)oth railroads and Barge canal will probal)ly soon lie overtaxed by the east and west freight traffic. At last the people of New York state are taking an advanced and en- lightened position in regard to the great transportation advantages of their natural waterways and their present development brings out strongly the keen insight and knowl- edge of the possibilities of inland 262 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN waterway traffic displayed by Wash- ington" in the extract from his letter which heads this chapter and which was written anent his visit to the Mo- hawk river section of the present Barge canal. Martin Schenck, who, as state en- gineer in his report of 1892, first pub- licly proposed the Barge canal, was born on the Schenck farm at Schenck's Hollow, in the town of Palatine, near the Nose, where the Montgomery county home is now located. The first Schenck (Peter) came to Long Island, in New York state, in 1650, from Hol- land. A descendant, Ralph Schenck, moved to Johnstown during the Revo- lution. He was an active patriot and soldier, serving at Monmouth and Cowpens, among other fields, and held the rank of lieutenant. His son Wil- liam bought the Jelles Fonda place from John DeWandelaer at the mouth of the Kanagara or Knauderack, which later became known as Schenck's and Schenck's Hollow. Major Jelles Fonda had here a store and a mill and a fine brick house (said to have been one of the best in the valley), all of which property was burned by John- son in his first raid of 1780. William Schenck here had a grist mill, saw mill, fulling mill, plaster mill, cider mill, blacksmith shop and cooper shop in the early nineteenth century, making it a place of considerable importance. Here, about or before 1830, he built a fine brick house, which is now the main building of the Montgomery county home, the farm having been ac- quired by the county about 1900. The Schenck place is one of the most noted of the historic farms and dwellings along the Mohawk, being a large, well kept place, situated amidst beautiful surroundings. It, however, has the unenviable reputation of being located on the banks of a stream, which is one of the few haunts of rattlesnakes in the valley. Benjamin Schenck, son of William Schenck, was the father of Martin Schenck, who was born at the Schenck place in 1848. He studied civil engi- neering at Union college and became engaged in railroad and general engi- neering and contracting work. In 1874 he was elected to the assembly from Montgomery county. He was later an engineer employed in West Shore rail- road construction and in 1883 became connected with the canal department. In 1892 Martin Schenck was elected state engineer and surveyor and served as such until 1894. CHAPTER V. 1911, August 14-25, Atwood's 1,266- Mile Flight From St. Louis to New York — Flies 95 Miles From Syracuse to Nelliston, August 22 and Stays Overnight at Fort Plain — Flies 66 Miles From Nelliston to Castleton, August 23, With a Stop in Glen for Repairs — "Following the Mohawk." This chapter, relative to the first aeroplane flight through the Mohawk valley, is the seventh and last chapter treating of valley transportation. The others have covered early Mohawk river traffic, bridges, turnpike travel, Erie canal, railroads and Barge canal. In 1911 Harry N. Atwood made a flight by aeroplane from St. Louis to New York, a distance by air of 1,266 miles. It was an epoch-making event in the history of aviation and . formed a fitting chapter in the long record of travel and trans- portation along the Mohawk, for At- wood followed our river in his air journey through this part of the state. Birds of passage follow the same route from lakes to coast and in the summer of 1912 the writer saw three gulls fly- ing westward over the river from the porch of the Haymarket club front- ing the river and north of Fort Plain. This is a sight which has been noted frequently and it was fitting that the first bird man who flew over Central New York should follow the same air path. The St. Louis-New York flight up to date (1913) remains one of the most noteworthy accomplishments of aviation the world over. Atwood had flown from Boston to Washington, June 30-July, 1911, and this was,, up to that time, the longest cross country air journey made in the western hem- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 263 isphere, eclipsing Curtiss's great flight down the Hudson from Albany to New York, the previous year. 1910. Harry N. Atwood left St. Louis August 14, 1911, and reached Chicago, 283 miles away in 6 hours and 32 min- utes, the same day. He made Buffalo, August 19, and his flight through New York state with the distances and the places he reached each day are as fol- lows: August 20, Buffalo to Lyons, 104 miles; August 21, Lyons to Belle Isle (near Syracuse), 40 miles; August 22, Belle Isle to Fort Plain, 95 miles; Au- gust 23, Fort Plain to Castleton (on the Hudson), 66 miles; August 24, Castleton to Nyack, 109 miles; August 25, Nyack to New York, 28 miles. Dur- ation of flight, 12 days. Net flying time 28 hrs., 53 min. Average speed 43.9 miles per hr. Air distance covered, 1,266 miles. The following is from the Fort Plain Standard of August 24, 1911: With the ease, grace and confidence of a huge eagle, from out of the west- ern sky Tuesday evening came young Atwood, the St. Louis-to-New York aviator, and it was the good fortune of Nelliston and Fort Plain to get for nothing that for which many cities paid big money — the presence of the foremost bird-man of them all so far as long flights in a short time is con- cerned. The sight afforded as At- wood came within the vision of the thousands watching intently for him — at first little more than a speck sur- rounded by a whirl — was one that will never be forgotten by those who wit- nessed it. Steadily drawing nearer and nearer, for a time coming as straight as the proverbial gun-barrel, and then suddenly shifting to his right, but only for a brief period, the bold but cautious aviator seemed to be searching for a safe place to land. Suddenly resuming his course, some- what south of east, he dashed over the mill portion of Fort Plain and over the Mohawk river, spied the vacant lot in the rear of the E. I. Nellis home- stead, Nelliston. and aUghted like a graceful, high-flying bird desirous of spending the night in seclusion and in comfort. All this happened from shortly be- fore 7 o'clock Tuesday evening, Aug. 22, 1911 (screw the date to your mind), when Atwood was first discovered by the thousands watching and wait- ing for him, until exactly 7 o'clock, when he alighted safe and sound at the point mentioned. And it was cer- tainly a novel, thrilling, never-to-be- forgotten sight to behold man and ma- chine come from out of the sky — a phenomenon — and a few moments later, through landing, shift himself into a mere human being exciting won- derment by the aid of mere man's cleverness. With a wild rush many of the thousands who had long waited for Atwood, expecting only to see him pass over Fort Plain, hastened to the scene of the landing, and the shouts of people, mingled with the noise of automobi'es. motorcycles, clatter of hoofs and rumbling of wagons, quickly caused that which was apparently chaos and pandemonium. The surging, seething mob soon sur- rounded man and machine, and he, coolest of the wild assemblage, made every effort (and with success) to save his biplane from damage. At- wood begged, expostulated and warned and was quickly aided in his efforts by men who realized the all but help- less predicament in which the aviator, far from police protection, found him- self through the intense enthusiasm of the admiring but rash, thoughtless thousands. But all's well that ends well, for despite the eagerness of the crowd, no damage was caused to the biplane. After assuring himself that the ma- chine was safe and in good hands, Atwood was brought to Hotel Greeley by autoist Harold Gray, and from the time the car left the Nellis aviation field until the wash-room of said ho- tel was reached, Atwood was cheered, shouted at and greeted with yells of admiration and encouragement from lusty thousands. And then (prosaic mortal that he is) he ate a hearty supper heartily! And all the time peo- ple, and then more people, were ar- riving in front of Hotel Greeley, and the big crowd included the Old band, and the J. J. Witter Fife, Drum and Bugle corps. Noise'? That isn't quite the word, but it will suflice. When the cause of it all felt suf- ficiently rested and refreshed, he was escorted from the Greeley grill room to Canal street by Postmaster Scott and was cheered, cheered and then cheered, and then introduced to the crowd, after which came a modest, well-put, brief expression of thanks for the cordial greeting. And then the Old band turned 'oose "Come Josephine iri My Flying Machine." Rather pat, that Old band, eh? When he could break away without causing displeasure, Atwood, with others, returned to the Nellis lot. lo- cated the biplane carefully for the night, and then came back to Hotel Greeley, where the aviator retired about midnight, after leaving a call for 5.30. 264 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Atwood came from Little Falls to Fort Plain, 16 miles, in 18 minutes. The daring aviator was in constant demand for interviews, via the tele- phone, and to the Albany Knicker- bocker Press he said: "I arrived in Fort Plain at 7 o'clock this evening from Amboy, which place I left at 5 o'clock. For the last five miles of the flight I was watching for a decent landing place, and Fort Plain looked good to me. I have been used better by the people here than at any place on the flight." When Atwood landed the first person his eyes encountered was a boy, to whom he put this: "Where the devil am I?" "In the Nellis pasture," came the startling response from the startled lad. Just the least bit indefinite, that, to a stranger dropping out of the clouds after flying nearly 100 miles. Cheerfully responding to the first knock on his door yesterday morning, Atwood, after breakfasting, was again taken to the Nellis lot by Harold Gray, and after carefully ascertaining that all was well, made a get-away at 7.25, the journey being preceded by two circles, made high in the air, that add- ed to his reputation for cleverness and generosity and astounded the hundreds of awed spectators, who all but breathlessly stared after the daring aviator till staring was useless — he was out of sight, but not out of mind! Atwood arrived at his Wednesday morning destination, Castleton. 70 miles from here, at 9.15. Slow going, which is explained by the following from last night's Amsterdam Recorder: "Members of Minch's band, bound for the Sunday school picnic at Charles- ton Four Corners, had the p'easure of meeting Atwood while on their way south. The aviator was obliged to land in consequence of a leaking gas- oline tank and alighted easily, on the Jay Blood farm, in the town of Glen, about a mile northeast of Glen village. He used a shoestring in making re- pairs. The stop, which necessitated a de'ay of about 20 minutes, was wit- nessed V)y the bandmen, who, it may be remarked, also stopped that length of time. Bandmaster Conrad Minch and his associates hastened to the field to greet the daring birdman and lend such assistance as they could, and many of the residents of the neighbor- hood also gathered about the ma- chine, which came down in a small gulley. When repairs had been made the Amsterdam musicians all of whom had shaken hands with Atwood, as- sisted with wil'ing hands to move the biplane to a more elevated position, from which the aviator speedily rose and after circling about in gratitude for the assistance given him, resumed his flight eastward. Atwood said that there had been a leakage of gasoline from the time he passed Palatine Bridge and declared that his mechanic should not have permitted his com- mencing the flight with the machine in the condition it was. Atwood told those with whom he conversed that because of the haze he had floated away from the Mohawk valley and asked how far he was from the river. When told that it was about two miles away Atwood responded, "Well, that isn't far. I will soon get back to it.' " "The Making of an Aviator" was the title of a very interesting paper con- tributed to the Saturday Evening Post (Dec. 7, 1912) by Harry N. At- wood. In it, under the subheading of "Following the Mohawk" he described his journey, in the air largely over the valley, from Syracuse to Fort Plain, although he does not mention the place or Nelliston by name. This sketch forms one of the most interesting documents of flying yet published and the Mohawk valley part is here re- printed: "The great future of the aeroplane — its coming necessity to mankind and its marvelous possibilities — was im- pressed upon my mind most strongly one night when I was making a leg of my flight between the cities of St. Louis and New York. Owing to the inclemency of the weather I had been obliged to remain upon the ground until late in the afternoon. I was lo- cated in a little valley in the hills just outside the suburbs of Syracuse. In accordance with my customary sched- ule I desired to cover at least a hun- dred miles more toward my destination. At sunset the disturbing wind elements suddenly died out and I immediately prepared for flight. Ten minutes later and the smoke of the city of Syracuse was fast becoming a speck in the western horizon. "I shall never forget that beautiful evening. The Mohawk river lay be- neath me; but, as it wound in and out between the hills, I would leave its course for a few minutes at a time and pick it up again at another point. Twilight set in and the valley and the river became very indistinct. The THE STORY OF OLD FORT PliAIX 2(55 tops of the hills and the mountains, however, stood out clearly in the wan- ing light. "One by one I could make out the lights of the farmhouses, thousands of feet beneath me in the valley; and they seemed to increase in number in exactly the same manner as the stars above me increased in number. "Finally the Mohawk became shrouded in darkness, and it was only when passing over a lighted village or town that I was able to distinguish anything. I felt as if I were in a dream. "I gazed into the dark depths and wondered what sensation the mortals down there were experiencing as I roared over their communities! I did not experience any inability to keep my equilibrium, but I did experience a peculiar sense of giddiness, which was probab'y due to the unusual surround- ings. Mile after mile I flew, high over the valley, marveling at the wonders of the situation and forgetting that sooner or later I should be obliged to make a landing. This realization came to me very forcibly when I dis- covered that it was almost impossible to make out even the tops of the mountains. Then I selected the first hill I came to and began circling round it in long spirals, gradually coming to it closer and closer. Finally discovering an opening among the trees, I dropped into it safely. [At Nel- liston, opposite Fort Plain.] "It seems to me that this experi- ence alone demonstrates very clearly the possibilities and the adaptability of aviation to almost every type of mankind. The only feature about it that can be criticised or questioned is the fact that it is accompanied by con- siderable danger; but it will not take long for human ingenuity to eliminate this one and only obstacle." CHAPTER VI. Geological Review of the Middle Mo- hawk Valley by Abram Devendorf — Lake Albany Covering the Old Mo- hawk Country of Canajoharie, From Little Falls to the Noses — The Gla- cial Period — Surface Indications. In a foregoing chapter some mention has been made of the topography and geological history of the Mohawk river and its valley. The following- chapter on the geology of the middle valley deals with the subject in detail and much of the interesting surface in- dications of past glacial and water ac- tion. It covers especially the old Mo- ha\vk region of Canajoharie (later the Palatine and Canajoharie districts), the lower levels of which were at one time covered by the waters of "Lake Albany." This chapter has been kindly written for this w-ork by Abram Dev- endorf of the town of Minden, for- merly postmaster of Fort Plain and an authority on the geology of the valley. The reader is referred to any good text book for the geological terms used and a proper understanding of the dif- ferent rock strata. The Mohawk river flows through one of the most ancient valleys on this planet. It was once a mighty stream which conveyed the waters of the Great Lakes into the ocean at some point near Schenectady. The ocean then extended up the Hudson valley north and probably included Lakes George and Champlain. Between Schenectady and Albany is a delta deposited there by the waters of the Mohawk. The finer material was car- ried along and formed the clay beds at Albany and farther south. During pre-glacial times this river was a chain of lakes with outlets at Jthe Noses near Sprakers and at Little Falls. This valley divides the eastern part of A^ew York state into two dissimilar sections, viz: The Adirondacks on the north and a dissected plateau on the south. During the pre-Cambrian period the rock formations of the Adi- rondacks were deposited by the sea on a /loor of o'.der rocks the nature of which have never been determined unless we infer that they were similar to the dikes and intrusions found at 266 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN Little Falls and at several places in the Adirondack region. The rocks in the Adirondacks are the oldest sedimentary rocks on the earth's surface, indicating that this region, including the Mohawk valley, was below sea level at different times and it is mere conjecture from what source this material came to cover the old floor which may have been in a semi-fluid state except that the entire state and the country beyond was cov- ered by the waters of a shoreless ocean with currents that carried the sedi- ment possibly from many directions and deposited this material on the original foundation. A similar condition existed in the Mohawk valley except volcanic activity was not as severe as it was farther north, and if the structure of the orig- inal floor could be ascertained it would lie found that it is not as crystalline as it is in the northern part of the state. The length of tiine required for such a deposition has never been de- ciphered; it is evident however that it involved a prodigious length of time. The Mohawk valley was simply the border land of the Adirondacks and too remote from the heart of that region, where igneous action was greatest, to receive but a slight effect from this \'olcanic activity. At some later date there was a gen- eral upheaval not only of the Adiron- dacks but also of the Mohawk valley until these two sections became a dry land area and remained so for many ages. During this time the broken surface from the upheaval, was worn down by the erosive agencies and the sediment carried by the Mohawk river down to the sea. Igneous activity in the northern part of the state con- tinued during this period forming As- sures and great dike openings which were filled with lava from the reser- voirs of molten matter underneath. The elevation of the Adirondacks must have been several hundred feet, if not two to three thousand feet, above sea level. The long protracted erosion wore down the mountains and hills to mere stumps leaving a low altitude. While the last finishing touches of ero- sion were given to the Adirondack region the sea began to encroach on this area from the north and continued until the Mohawk valley was again under water. The first deposit from this subsidence formed the Potsdam sandstone in the northern part of the state and is entirely lacking in this county except one or two fringes along the Fulton county I'order which bear a resemblance to that found in St. Law- rence county. The inference is that the ocean had not yet enveloped this entire area but was gradually en- croaching over a'l the Adirondacks and the Mohawk valley. The Potsdam sandstone, a valuable building stone quarried largely in St. Lawrence county, is composed of coarse sand and gravel deposited in shallow water in which strong currents operated to remove the mud. During the Potsdam period Montgomer.v county was above sea level, but subsidence continued until this county was again under water. For some reason now the char- acter of the deposit changes. Instead of a pure sandstone like the Potsdam, the formation is a dolomite or calcif- erous sandrock or, as it is now called, Beekmantown limestone. This rock is a peculiar formation not like ordi- nary open sea deposits but more like an inland sea deposit, the nature of which is not exactly understood. It is the first sedimentary deposit on the old land surface in the Mohawk valley. This formation contains but few fos- sils. Animal and plant life existed only in meager quantities. The lower lay- ers are nearly barren of fossils but the upper layers are fucoidal and some- what changed in structure and char- acter indicating a transition to an- other period and a formation entirely different in composition — a lime stone, highly fossiliferous and marine in na- ture and known as the Trenton. Of this series the Lowville or birdseye is a very valuable quarry stone, thick bedded and abounding in calcite filled tubes, which adds to the looks of the stone when dressed. The Trenton beds were deposits from clear water and from an open sea which probably existed south and east THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 267 of this continent. Some of the beds of this series were deposited in shal- low water and abound in shells. Toward the close of the Trenton fine muds began to be washed into the pre- viously clear sea producing a series of alternating limestone and shale bands and later continuously giving rise to the fine muds of the Utica formation. This was followed by a change of life. New species appear and the old be- come extinct. This change however, was gradual and required an immense length of time. What currents brought this muddy water into the clear sea which existed during Trenton times is an unsettled question, but it probably came from the ocean that covered this continent to the westward and south- ward. Following this period of Utica slate formation came a movement of dis- turbance and uplift of the region of the Adirondacks and the Mohawk val- ley as far west as Rome, but the re- mainder of the state remained sub- • merged and continued so until the last layer of the Helderberg was deposited. Then the sea receded westward and the Helderberg mountains arose from the sea. It is probable that during this upheaval the faults at Little Falls, East Creek, St. Johnsville, the Noses and at Hoffmans were formed. The uplift at Little Falls at that time was several hundred feet and at the Noses not so much. The escarpment at either of these places was sufficient to dam the waters of the Mohawk and form the Utica and Albany lakes. This time probably is coincident with the upheaval of the Taconic range of Massachusetts and a period of great earthquakes which shook the valley and distorted the rocks in every di- rection. The Chazy limestone which overlies the Calciferous or Beekmantown in the Champlain valley is entirely ab- sent in the Mohawk valley. Its absence may be accounted for from the fact that there was an uplift of this region at the close of the Calciferous period and the beginning of the Trenton. This uplift was only slight but suffic- ient to stop deposition in the valley. Then su))sidence began and continued without interruption during the Tren- ton and Utica periods. The only exposure of the pre-Cam- brian rocks is at the Noses. It is a x'ariety of syenite called quartzose gneiss and is the bed rock on which was laid the Calciferous sandrock in- stead of the Potsdam sandstone which underlies the Calciferous in other lo- calities. On the south side of the river a short distance below Sprakers is a fine exposure of the Calciferous con- taining layers of dolomite, calcite and drusy cavities. The upper strata have plenty of fucoidal cavities filled with calcite similar to the lower beds of the Trenton. From the time of the last deposit of the Utica shales to the glacial period involves an immense length of time and during this time great changes were taking place. The Helderberg series were deposited, also the Onon- daga, Hamilton, Portage and Chemung groups — strata that measure several thousand feet in thickness and which required millions of years to deposit. When the Helderbergs emerged from the sea and the waters of the ocean were thrown back the agitation in the valley must have been immense. At this period the Mohawk valley, the northern and eastern part of the state must have been elevated several hun- dred feet higher than it is now as the Hudson river channel extended at least 50 miles farther south and the whole state must have been a barren waste, except what was covered by water. But previous to this period, or during the time the Utica slate was deposited, some geologists claim that a continent existed, occupying the area of the north Atlantic, from which the muds came to make the deposit of the Utica and Hudson river shales. No land ani- mals existed until centuries after and the same is true of plant life except the growth of lichens and mosses which began to cover the barren rocks. The glacial period dates back many thousand years. Some geologists say at least 50,000 years and others think a longer period elapsed. How long this condition persisted, how many 268 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN times the ice came and went over the immediate region we do not know. There is no way to get at the time even approximately. The gorge of the Niagara river and the gorge on the Mississippi river at St. Antony's Flails furnish data for an approximate esti- mate, but the length of time that the northern part of this continent was covered by ice and snow is very uncer- tain, except that it must have been centuries. This ice sheet, that moved in a southeast direction, must ha\e been a mile in thickness and in its movement, which was very slow, it filled valleys, scooped out lakes and tore down mountains. The first glacial sheet that covered this state as far south as the southern tier of counties and which plowed out the Finger lakes of the western part of the state and Otsego lake and changed the water courses of many streams, came from the I^abrador district. It is probable as this ice sheet moved over the Adi- rondacks into the valley that it di- vided at Little Falls. Part of it mov- ing west and the remainder came down the Mohawk valley to the Hudson river. From the moraines strung along Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in Ohio and the terraces formed by Lake Warren, which covered the northwest, and Lake Iroquois, which extended some 30 or 40 miles farther east and south than the present Lake Ontario, would indicate that there were three glacial periods or at least three reces- sions. The Wisconsin glacier, which covered the Great Lakes, extended far over the western part of the state. Previous to this time a river drained the area now occupied by Lake Erie and extended along the south shore of the present Lake Ontario, either after or before the tilting of this continent which sent the waters of these lakes into the Mississippi river by way of Chicago. Geologists say that in about 3,000 years the same condition will again exist and the waters of all the lakes above the Falls iijstead of flow- ing down the St. Lawrence valley will find their way into the Mississippi val- ley, and the great cataract at Niagara will no longer exist. Before the g'acial period the rock barrier at Little Falls was the divide between Hudson and St. Lawrence waters and later this barrier formed a lake which extended probably as far west as Rome. The West Canada creek and other side streams filled this depression with detritus carried down from the north and south, forming a delta which blocked the river for miles above the barrier at Little Fal's. About four miles south of Little Falls is a low pass that leads froin the valley to Newville and down the Now- adaga creek to Indian Castle which may have been the ancient course of the river previous to the glacial per- iod. The upheaval of the rock bar- rier occurred after the Utica slate de- posit, due to a fault that extends far north but disappears a short distance south of the river in the town of Dan- ube. This rock barrier must have been 600 feet high, at least high enough to hold back the waters of the Mohawk, which found an outlet by way of New- ville. During glacial times the ice wore away the softer rocks down to the crystallines and the river assumed its ancient channel. The Labrador sheet of ice c'osed the St. Lawrence river and held back the waters of the Great Lakes and ex- tended nearly to the southern boun- daries of this state and over all of New England, and after the ice, in its last northerly retreat, uncovered the Mohawk valley but still lay across the St. LaAvrence, the drainage of the Great Lakes passed to the sea by way of the Mohawk, the eastern end of the lake in the Ontario basin being at Rome. The present river is but an in- significant stream compared to the mighty river that carried the waters of the Great Lakes to the sea through the Mohawk valley. The depth of water in this stream estimated from the terraces lining the valley was from 25 to 30 feet above the present flood plain. It is probable that during this epoch the cold was not continuous. That there were intervals of warmth that caused the glacier to recede and after- ward advance again is evident from THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 269 the different lines of deposit left by the recession. The length of time that the glacial sheet covered New York state, or existed within the area of the United States, is entirely prob- lematical. At least several thousand years elapsed before the climate be- came normal as at the present time. What caused this climatic change is an open question and the different theories advanced by geologists and astronomers hardly account for such a phenomenal climate. Some astrono- mers claim that in the course of time the same condition will recur. The polar axis describes a circle in the heavens in about 25,800 years and at the present time the North Pole points within one and one-half degrees to the Polar stai*. In about 12,500 years the polar axis will point to the constellation Lyra, and 2,000 years later to the star Alpha in the handle of the dipper (Ursa Major). Some claim that this change in the earth's axis may produce a change of climate owing to the procession of the equi- noxes which is caused by the change in the polar axis of the earth. The elevation theory advanced by some geologists seems more plausible as there are plenty of evidences that this continent was several thousand feet higher than it is at present. The Cretaceous sea which covered the west- ern and southwestern states and ex- tended eastward to the Appalachian range was the last important or exten- sive body of water that covered this continent and, at the close of this per- iod, this continent became elevated to such a height as to produce a frigid climate. The Mississippi valley was simply a depression through which the waters of what are now the Great Lakes flowed to the southern sea. During this period of elevation the Mississippi river wore out a channel 1,000 to 1,500 feet deep, which since has been filled by silt and debris brought down by the river. This an- cient channel, which was at one time a canon, extends some 40 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Another theory is that the Gulf stream, which originates in the equa- torial regions, may have taken a dif- ferent course. It is known that The Japan current in the Pacific, as it swings southward from the Aleutian Islands along the coast of America, modifies the climate of Washington and Oregon, and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream temper the climate of England, which fs north of the 51st parallel and nearly on a line with Lab- rador. If, by some seismic disturb- ance, the Isthmus of Darien should sink below sea level and the Gulf Stream as it swings around through the Carribean sea and enters the Gulf of Mexico should instead pass into the Pacific ocean, England would be as cold as Labrador and New York state nearly as cold, and it is probable that the inland states would be as arid as the plains east of the Rocky moun- tains. It is the moisture of the Gulf Stream which is carried far inland by the south and east winds which gives the middle states a moist climate. The ancient terraces are still to be seen along the valley. Two are quite distinct and the traces of the third are found at some places. In Fort Plain, the Institute hill and Prospect hill un- doubtedly were parts of the upper ter- race, and West street is about on the same horizon of the second terrace. At Mindenville the third or lower ter- race is plainly visible. These terraces show the different levels of the Albany lake which extended from the escarp- ment at the Noses to the uplift at Lit- tle Falls, and the different levels of the Mohawk river during the time that it was carrying the waters of Lake Iroquois to the sea. The glacier, as it came from the Ad- irondacks and swung around into the valley at Little Falls, carried with it the loose material torn from the arch- ean rocks of the north and the softer shales and limestones lying nearer the valley and deposited this glacial drift along the river and as far south, in this vicinity, as the southern part of this county. The softer rocks as the Utica slate, Trenton and Calciferous were ground up by the ice sheet and were left as a mantle covering the land, making the different soils which 270 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN were afterwards modified by other agencies. The glacier that moved down the valley and across it left all along drumlins and lateral moraines. Some of these moraines were altered by water. The ttner material was car- ried along and deposited as clay and sand beds. Going south of this county we find a different class of boulders which indicates another stream of ice different from that which went down the valley and left a different soil in the southern part of Canajoharie, Root and Glen. Fort Hill, one mile west of St. Johns- ville, is a deposit of altered drift carried there by the East Canada creek and the river. There are layers in this deposit where the gravel and sand are cemented together in a solid mass from the acids and carbonates carried down from the crystalline rocks and limestones. The drumlin, or possibly a moraine, along the state road between the two villages is of the same origin. A great deal of this ma- terial brought down by the East Can- ada creek was deposited on the south side of the river. The finer sediment was carried along farther east and formed the sand and clay beds of Min- denville and St. Johnsville. The streams that empty into the Mo- hawk river on the south side of the river are not as glaciated as those coming from the north. Garoga creek is lined by lateral moraines. This stream during glacial time was several times larger than it is as present and during the long period that has elapsed since it was filled with ice it has worn a very deep channel and carried this erosive material down to the river to help build up islands and fill the river channel. There is no doubt that the clay and silt beds along the West Shore railroad and the clay beds of Institute hill (Fort Plain) were depos- ited there by the Garoga creek. Prospect hill (Fort Plain) is a very interesting formation. It has a bold front on two sides and is a remnant of a much larger deposit which filled or at least covered the plain on which Fort Plain is located. Its outward appear- ance looks like a delta, a fluvile de- posit by the Otsquago creek and the Mohawk river. But it is not, neither is it a drift deposit from the glacier that came down the valley from the north, as its composition is alluvium with some sand and small stones from nearby formations mixed with the crystallines from the north. It is probable that during this time, the glacier coming down the Otsquago val- ley made this deposit while the valley was covered with ice. This drumlin or terminal moraine extends but a short distance down the vallej'. Outside Fort Plain, on the Starkville road and on the Green farm, is a ter- minal moraine lodged there by the ice but which has been altered some- what from the different courses that the stream has taken during the cen- turies since the glacial period. The Otsquago valley was once filled by ice and water as far south as Starkville. The terraces along the line indicate the height of water at that time and are quite distinct all along. In and along the creek and in the stone walls along the Starkville road can be found boulders of different sizes, from the crystalline rocks of the Adirondacks, carried across the river and deposited there as the ice melted. We find Gab- bros, Diorites, Syenites and Anortisites torn loose from the quarries in the north and carried across the river probably over the ice. In the creek, near the Van Slyke saw mill, is a large syenite boulder worn round and smooth from the long distance which it trav- eled. Its home undoubtedly was near Lassellsville, where we find the same formation from whence it was torn and, in its travels, it was ground to its present dimensions. The terraces along the Otsquago valley show the height of water of the Albany lake. It is not so many cen- turies ago that this lake disappeared. It is probable that the early Aborigines knew of it and according to a tradition which has been handed down one day the Great Spirit became angry and swept across the lake and tore away the barrier at the Nose to appease his wrath. After the ice lobe had melted in this valley the waters of the Great THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 271 Lakes continued to flow through the valley, as the St. Lawrence was still ice bound and continued so for a great many years. It was during this time that the gorge below Sprakers was worn through, and also the barrier at Little Falls was worn through. The glacial drift strung along the valley and the deposits which partially filled the Albany and Utica lakes formed an abrasive material and was more effec- tive to wear away these barriers than the glacial ice. The flood plain of the present Mo- hawk river is at least 15 feet above the old river bed which has been filled in by the debris brought down by the river and its tributaries. The Mohawk flats is a deposit by the river in times of floods of alluvium very rich in vege- table humus, which has made these flats famous for the growth of cereals and grass. The depth of this deposit varies from 6 to 10 feet in thickness and required centuries to form. At the close of the glacial period and diiring the early part of the Pleisto- cene period, a lai'ge part of this conti- nent was depressed 1,500 or 2,000 feet and, in emerging, remained for a long period at 400 or 500 feet below its pres- ent level. All those parts, therefore, which have now an elevation of less than that amount, were beneath the waters of the ocean. The glacier left a mantle over the land of fine material, interspersed with boulders, which was modified by other agencies into the" present soil. During this long period rivers and smaller streams had been operating to carry the sediment and other material from the hills down to the valleys, and had dug out deep channels by the abrasive materials carried along by the rapid currents. Partly in the village of Canajoharie, is a deep canon worn through the drift and the Utica slate by the waters of Bowman's (Canajoharie) creek, which came from a lake of water that cov- ered the flat lands in the valley from Ames westward and which received the drainage from the Sharon and Cherry Valley hills. Near Marshville, along the state road, is a licustrine de- posit of clay deposited there bj' the still waters of a pleistocene lake which emptied into Bowman's (Cana- joharie) creek. Finally, it was during this period that the huge animals, like the masta- don and a species of elephant, existed and roamed over the northern part of the United States, from the Hudson valley to the Rocky mountains. Ac- cording to tradition, the Indians saw living mastodons, which is undoubt- edly true. The climate was supposably the same as today, on the general av- erage. It is probable however, that the polar current, which has a westerly tendency into the Gulf of St. Law- rence, may have chilled the waters that covered parts of New England and Canada. On the other hand, it is probable that the Gulf Stream flowed over the lower parts of the southern states, which would have a tendency to counteract the cold from the polar current. The changes of that period were similar to the changes which we observe today and which will continue in the future. The process of elevation and depression is very slow and it will require thousands of years to make a noticeable change in the general fea- tures of the Mohawk valley. Abram Devendorf. Fort Plain, April 24, 1913. CHAPTER VII. Western Montgomery County Schools — Supt. Alter's 1912 Report. The school districts in western Montgomery are divided among the towns as follows: St. Johnsville, 4; Canajoharie, 12; Minden, 17; Palatine, 11; Root, 13. Superintendent N. B. Alter of this district, has kindly fur- nished this work with the following abstract of his 1912 report: The District Superintendent of Schools for the first district of Mont- gomery county has comijleted making the abstracts from the trustees' re- ports for that district. Following is a I'eport of the school conditions in that district. The figures include all of the schools. There are fifty-seven school districts in this supervisory district and the schools are housed in fifty-eight l)uild- ings — the village of St. Johnsville hav- ing two buildings. Forty-eight of these 272 THE STOKY OF OLD FORT PLAIN buildings are frame buildings, live are brick and live are stone. All of the buildings are of the old type except eleven. Ihe total \alue of the school house sites was placed at $14,030. 'ihere are only ten districts that own sites vv'hich are as large as they should be. Ihe value of the scliool buildings and furniture is Hxed at $145, 339. The apparatus is valued at $4,781 and the libraries at $12,267. All other prop- erty, including text books ovined by the school, is valued at $2,210. There are 15,892 volumes in the school li- braries, 991 being added last year. One hundred and eight teachers were required to look after the educational interests of the children. 1 hey held the following credentials: One State certihcate, three College Graduate cer- tilicates, two College Graduate Lim- ited certificates, live College Profes- sional certificates, five College Profes- sional Limited, twenty-eight Nornial diplomas, twenty-two Teachers' Train- ing Class certilicates and forty-four Commissioner's certificates. There was also one temporary certificate for part of the year. District number 2 in the town of Minden, in addition to maintaining a home school, also con- tracted with the village of St. Johns- ville for a part of the pupils in that district. There were seventeen men teachers and ninety-live women teach- ers employed in the schools during the year. The law specifies that the schools shall be in session at least thirty-two weeks. Nineteen out of the hfty-seven schools were satisfied with the mini- mum requirement. However, the av- erage term for the district was 175 days. Another provision of the law is that a census of all of the children between the ages of 5 and IS must be taken during the last week in August. Ac- cording to figures submitted by the trustees there were 2,558 children of school age in the supervisory district the first of September, 1911. The reg- istration figures, which are absolutely correct, show that there were 2,640 children in attendance during the year. In addition to this there were 59 reg- istered who were over IS. Of course, some of those registered might have been registered in other districts dur- ing the year. The fact remains, never- theless, that the census was not taken in many of the districts. The average daily attendance was 1,942, for pupils between 5 and 18 and 43 for pupils over 18. The District superintendent made 263 official visits to the teachers under his supervision; 103 trees were planted on the school grounds; 72 school rec- ord certificates were issued. Eight ar- rests were made in connection with the Compulsory Education law. One was committed to a truant school. All of the schools carried a balance over to the last school year of $5,348.01. Twehe tliousand, six hundred and fifty dollars was recei\ed from the state for teachers' wages, $667.51 tor libraries and apparatus, $1,522.53 for tuition of academic pupils and $813.46 academic fund for quota and attendance; $89.26 w as deducted from the teachers' wages for the teachers' retirement fund; $514.16 was received from individual pupils for tuition and $55,866.09 was raised Ijy tax; $3,608.01 was received from all other sources. The \illage of Canajoharie had the highest tax rate — $12 per thousand of \aluation. While district number 2, town of Minden, had the lowest, $2.73. We might add that this district does not own the site where the school house stands. Wages were i)aid to teachers as fol- lows: Principals received $7,750; men teachers, $4,835; women teachers, $42,- 479.82. Other expenses were as follows: Li- braries, $1,002; text tiooks, $102.34; ap- paratus, $330.59; furniture, $501.92; repair, insurance, etc., $3,745.40; bond- ed indebtedness, principal, $2,000; in- terest, $777.20. Only two districts now have outstanding bonds. Two thous- and, four hundred and ninet.\--eight dollars and eighty cents was spent for janitors' wages; fuel, light., etc., cost $5,171.66; stationery and supplies, $636.99; attendance officers for three schools, $155. The towns pay the at- tendance officers for the common school districts. Some of the Union Free schools have their janitors act as at- tendance officer and have reported the cost in with the janitors' wages. In- cidental expenses claimed $2,598.34. A balance of $6,659.55 remains. Only two districts have libraries of 50 volumes or less; 14 between 50 and 100 volumes; 25 with 100 to 200 vol- umes; 11 have from 200 to 500 volumes; one has between 500 and 1,000 volumes and four have over 1,000 volumes in their school libraries. Every district has a school library. The average school term in the dis- trict was 175 days. There was an av- erage of 26 pupils to a teacher. There was an average daily attendance per teacher of 18. The per cent of daily attendance based on total enrollment was 69.5 per cent. The cost per pupil based on the average daily attendance was $37.50. The average weekly sal- ary per teacher (this takes in the prin- cipals, some of whom receive as high as $40 per week) was $14.19. The av- erage yearly salary was $509.86. The lowest salary paid was $304. It is a commonlj' accepted fact that the country boy and girl longs for the time when the country may be left be- hind and the joys of the city be real- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 273 ized. Why? There must be a lack of attraction to draw the best that is produced in the country cityward. Country life must be made more at- tractive. The hard-headed farmer must realize that tlie place to start creating this attractiveness is in the country school. More money must be spent for country schools and this money must be spent in a better way. It is time for the people in the country to stop grumbling about taxes and get to work and place their school build- ings in such shape that they will com- pare favorably with their own homes. Think of storing coal and wood in the front hall of a home! Country folk do not even criticise storing fuel in the front hall of a school building. There are no high school tax rates in Mont- gomery county! The District Superintendent asked a trustee to repair a leaking roof — he has a child in the school. He put it off until after his fall work was finished. It seems to me that it must be uncom- fortal)le to say the least, to have to sit in a school room that is apt to drip water upon the student. The District Superintendent has asked every trustee in his district to buy slate blackboards for the schools. One finally agreed to paint the old boards at a cost of four dollars when eight dollars would have bought a per- manent board. In justice to the pro- gressive trustees of the first district, it may be added that twelve out of forty-seven not having slate boards have recently put in slate. There are more to follow. Think of the farmer boys and girls who are sent away from home for bet- ter school advantages! It shows that the farmer is at last coming to his own. Often regret for the good old school of thirty or forty years ago is heard — from fifty to a hundred pupils to the teacher. Three or four real bright ones in the lot — ten per cent of the whole getting what the whole are now getting. People wish today to com- pare the work of this little three or four with the entire school population today. Well they may do so for the whole now compare most favorably with that little three or four. If there is any dispute about it, the matter can easily be proven by a comparison with the finished product of the "old school." But this is not what we wish. Schools today are good. They do, how- ever, educate the boy and girl away from the farm. The gospel of paint, Ijlants and pictures must be preached. CHAPTER VIII. Deforestation and Reforestation — De- nudation in Western Montgomery County — Arbor Day — Adirondack and National Forest Preserves — The For- ests and the Water Supply. In no part of the Mohawk watershed has the denudation of the original for- esct been more complete than in Mont- gomery county. There is left none of the virgin forest as the last piece of the ancient woods was destroyed with- in the past decade. Only a few scat- tered patches of woods remain and even they are being made way with. In view of the pitiful remains of the once great wood of the Mohawk valley, it seems incredible that this region was once entirely covered l)y a mag- nificent forest and that its trees fur- nished giant masts for the greatest sailing vessels and massive timbers for construction and building purposes. For the sake of the land, the rainfall and the welfare of the inhabitants scientific reforestation must be prac- tised. It is hoped that nature study, which is being largely taught Ameri- can children today, will aid in the fu- ture, in an intelligent understanding of the subject of forests. Our forefathers, whom we praise so highly, seem to have been utterly deficient in fore- sight. Much of the land they cleared so recklessly is useful only for wood growing and its intelligent reforesta- tion would have ensured many a far- mer a sure, continuous and growing income today with the increasing price of all useful woods. The case of the trees is so plain that it hardly seems worth arguing. Foreign lands from which the forests have been removed have often become worthless. Trees enrich the earth with their leaves, their roots, forming a network in the ground, hold the water, prevent floods and consequent soil erosion. Forest regions are blessed with rain just as desert wastes repel the water clouds. The constant tem- perature of trees (54 degrees) tends toward an equable temperature, win- ter and summer. The continual cir- 274 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN culation of water from roots to leaves and from leaves into the air tends to make the earth healthful and properly drained and , fills the air with the moisture necessary to produce rain. Without a proper water supply man cannot exist and it has been truly said that the population of a given area depends more upon the rainfall of that section than any other item. This rainfall is essential, in this neighbor- hood, for power purposes as the in- creasing cost of fuel will force the utilization of every stream available. It is also needed to give a sufficient depth of water in the Barge canal. The rainfall of Central New York has been steadily decreasing lor a century, doubtless due to continued deforesta- tion. Trees purify the air and their healthful properties are' recognized by the sick who seek to return to normal conditions by living in the woods. All waste places should be planted to forests. Some trees, such as the valu- able cedar, will grow where nothing else will. All country roads should be tree planted on both sides, also side hills and all availabe places. Waste and unused land in villages and towns should be forested, including spaces about schools. We have seen how at- tractive a spot can be made by the planting of trees and shrubs in the example of the New York Central sta- tion at Fort Plain. Every home should be made (with native trees, shrubs and flowers) at least as attractive as a railroad station. As a Mohawk valley writer has truly said: "Learn about our grand native trees and teach your children about the land, its trees and their uses, and your posterity will long live to enjoy the naturally beautiful land you have adopted." The New York Bo- tanical Gardens, Bronx Borough, New York city, publishes a work (price 25 cents) on "Native Trees of the Hudson Valley." The Mohawk valley forms a section of the Hudson valley and the greater part of these are found in our watershed. This is one of the most instructive and cheapest works on our native trees and is quite fully illus- trated with examples of the chief vari- eties. "Trees Every Child Should Know" (50 cents) is part of a nature library published by Doubleday, Page & Co. and is an interesting book for old and young. A list of the principal native trees of the Mohawk valley has been compiled, from "Native Trees of the Hudson Valley" and from the tree exhibits at the New York Museum of Natural History, as follows: Pine, spruce, hemlock, fir, cedar, ar- bor vitae, poplar, willow, basswood (or linden), oak, elm, plane (also called sycamore, buttonwood, buttonball), maple, ash, birch, Ijeech, hickory, but- ternut, crabapple, plum, wild cherry, choke cherry, hornbeam (ironwood), hackberry (or sugarberry), service- berry, witchhazel, sassafras, sour gum, sweet viburnum, thorn, sumac. Many of these trees have a number of varie- ties. Some trees which are quite com- mon, such as the horsechestnut, are not native, but imported. In sections distant from the Mo- hawk considerable land is reverting to wilderness, due to the abandonment of farmlands. This abandoned land, how- ever, generally runs to scrub growth instead of to forest, as it would if properly tree planted. In a few waste places, in western Montgomery coun- ty, young native trees have replanted themselves and are reoccupying the land. They are pleasant sights. Not only have we seen the disap- pearance of the virgin forest of the Mohawk but we have also been wit- nesses of the passing away of much of the beautiful verdure which made the Mohawk river such a picturesque stream a quarter of a century and more ago. The Barge canal is com- pleting this destruction and it is up to the state to replant where they have destroyed, not only for the sake of beauty but to protect the canalized- river banks from the current. With the introduction of electric lights in the villages of western Montgomery county, much of the foliage of the trees in the streets has been mutilated to allow the electric lights to illumi- nate the surrounding grounds. Our village trees have suffered more from THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 275 unintelligent trimming in the past twenty years than in their whole life previous. Some of our village trees have grown to magnificent proportions (particularly our elms) and it is hoped that they will be spared both trim- ming and destruction. Shade trees ac- tually need no trimming whatever. The most beautiful specimens are those which have been untouched, as witness the Prospect hill (Fort Plain) giant elm and the occasional meadow elm, oak, maple, beech or pine which has grown to stately and pleasing pro- portions, untouched by the hand of man. In regard to the subject, the follow- ing, from the bulletin of the Tree Planting association, will be found of interest: How few realize as they pass a tree on the street that, although si- lent and tlxed in its position, it is more intimately related to our* lives than any living object. It is only by grace of that tree that we "live and move and have our being" on this earth. Destroy it and its kind and human life would he impossible on this planet. Science teaches that the food of the tree is the poisonous carbon dioxide which we exhale at every breath, and that the vitalizing element of the air we inhale is the life-giving oxygen which the tree through its leaves sup- plies abundantly. As we enter the shade of a tree in full leafage, on a hot summer day, we feel a thrill of energy which quickens our footsteps, expands our chests, brightens our thoughts, and gives a new impulse to all our vital processes. What has happened? We have thrown out of our lungs the de- pressing dioxide and replaced it with the exhilarating oxygen from the nearby tree. If we cross one of our avenues on a hot day when the temperature is 130 degrees F. and pass into the shade of a tree we are refreshed by the cool air. What makes the change? Not the shade alone, but chiefly because we are in the presence of a body that has a fixed temperature of 54 de- gree F., or 76 degrees F. cooler than the street. If on a cold winter's day we pass from a temperature of the street, at zero, into a group of trees, we are surprised at the warmth. This is not only due to the shelter they afford, but more largely to the warmth of the tree, which at 54 de- grees E. is 54 degrees F. warmer than the street. These facts suggest that if our streets were well supplied with vig- orous trees we should have much cooler summers and warmer winters, as the temperature of the tree never varies from 54 degrees F. in summer's heat or winter's cold. The tree has the power of absorb- ing and thus removing from the air the malarial emanations from the street, and from putrifying waste matter, so abundant in cities. In this respect they are the scavangers of the air and protect people from a large number of what are known liy sanitarians as "filth diseases." The older physicians record the fact that as the forests were removed new and fatal fevers, hitherto unknown, appeared. Transpiration is another function of a tree which contributes greatly to man's comfort and health. This act consists in absorbing large quan- tities of water from the earth and emitting it as by spraying, into the surrounding air, by its leaves. This is a very cooling process and tends powerfully to reduce excessive tem- perature in the vicinity of the tree. The amount of water thus thrown into the air by a single tree varies with the weather, increasing as the temperature rises and diminishing as it falls. The value of a single tree in thus modifying temperature was strikingly shown by the late Prof. Pierce of Har- vard college, who made a mathemati- cal study of the foliage of the famous "Washington Elm." The tree was then very old and decayed, but he found that it bore a crop of 7,000,000 leaves, exposing a surface of 200,000 square feet, or about five acres of foliage. Now, as one acre of grass emits into the air 6,400 ciuarts of water in 24 hours, it follows that this old tree sprayed into the surrounding air 32,- 000 quarts, or 8 000 gallons, or upward of 260 barrels of water every day. Concrete examples are necessary in order to impress upon people certain truths. The general public's familiar- ity with Bible lands may help to show forcibly, by the reading of the follow- ing extract, the value of forests to all lands — to the Mohawk valley as well as to Palestine. The following is from the Christian Herald: One of the most remarkable illustra- tions in all history of the ill effects of the disappearance of forests may be <_>bserved in Palestine. In the days when Joshua conquered the promised land Palestine was a wonderfully fer- tile country, -a land flowing with milk and honey. The Lebanon mountains were heavily wooded, and a large pop- ulation was siipi)orted in comfort. 276 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN The general devastation of the for- ests brought aljout, however, a grad- ual deterioration of the country. The hills of Galilee, which had long served as pasture lands for large herds of cattle and sheep, are now sterile. The Jordan has become an insignificant stream, and several smaller rivers are now completely dried up throughout the greater part of the year. Some few valleys in which fertile earth washed down from the hills has been deposited have retained their old fertility. The land today supports only one-sixth the population of the time of Solomon. New York state has taken the most advanced position as to forestry of any of the United States. Its Adirondack state park, established by the act of 1892, will contain 2,800,000 acres when completed and embraces the northern part of Herkimer county, all of Ham- ilton and parts of St. Lawrence, Frank- lin, -Essex and Warren counties, an area equal to that of Connecticut. This contains the highest peaks of the Adirondacks, including the highest peak, Mt. Marcy. The region is filled with 1,200 lakes and is drained by twenty large rivers. It is well stock- ed with tish and game. A considerable part of the northern Mohawk valley watershed lies in the Adirondack Park, as the headwaters of the West Canada and East Canada creeks are in this public domain. East Canada creek, as we all know, forms the western border of the town of St. Johnsville in western Montgomery county. Both those streams furnish abundant water power and it is reas- suring to know that their water flow is largely protected by their sources being within the Adirondack Park. They also furnish a great volume of water to the Barge canal and hence their water supply is of the greatest importance to New York state. New York also has the Interstate Park, as the west bank of the lower Hudson, and other forest lands. Arbor Day was originally advocated by the Nebraska State Board of Agri- culture in 1874, the second Wednesday in April being suggested as a school holiday, trees to be planted on that day and appropriate school exercises to be held. This school observance of this day has been adopted by about forty states, New York among them. In 1912, the school children of western Montgomery county planted 103 trees on their school grounds. Arbor Day was established by New York state about twenty-five years ago and if the proportion of three planting has been kept up during that time then over 2,000 trees have been set out by our school children, a record of which they may be proud. Our social and patriotic societies might well aid the cause of forestry. Our women's organizations could do much toward the care, protection and planting of village and countryside trees. Also our fishing and sporting clubs should foster the woods on which their sports and pleasure depend and they should aim to protect the woods as well as the game and to plant new woods wherever possible. The busi- ness men should, by acts and public sentiment, aid the protection of our watercourses and the forests of their basins. On the woodlands of streams used for power purposes depends the constant supply of that power by the conservation of the water. On this conservation depends the electric light, heat and power furnished by these power developments, which will form such a feature of communities in the future, when coal and oil have be- come exhausted in supply. This is true of the West Canada and Caroga creeks which have been electrically developed and should also apply to the valleys of all the larger streams of western Montgomery which will be utilized electrically in time. There is at least one instance of the practical application of scientific for- estry in the Mohawk valley. The local officials of Dolgeville are interesting themselves in a project to apply prin- ciples of scientific forestry to the clas- sification and cultivation of trees in Schuyler Ingham Park, the beautiful 100-acre tract of wooded hillside that was given to the village by Mr. Ingham. The proposition is to form a park improvement society and ascer- tain the best methods of tree culture, so that a practical demonstration may be had of what can be done along this line. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 277 CHAPTER IX. 1894-1914 — Western Montgomery Coun- ty Hydro-Electric Development on East and Caroga Creeks. Few sections of New York of such comparatively small area (about 125,- 000 acres) have seen such important hydro-electric development within or on its borders as western Montgomery county. In the twenty years, from 1894 to 1914, has been witnessed the erection of dams and power plants on East creek and Caroga creek. With the increasing cost of fuel other streams may be electrically developed and it is not improbable that the Ots- quago, Canajoharie, Flat Creek, Yates- ville, Zimmerman, Timmerman, Crum creek and even other western Mont- gomery county streams may be utilized for electrical power purposes. Just as it is now (1914) prophesied that the old time sailing vessels will soon again be carrying the slow freight of the seas, so is the manufacturer again turning to our first motive power — water; and both for the same reason — the increasing cost of coal and oil with no prospect of relief. For the same reason waterways, such as the Barge canal, will be the heavy and slow freight carriers of the future. For hydro-electric development pur- poses and to protect our waterways, we must conserve our forests and woods about the headwaters of the streams utilized. This shows how the subject of forestry has become import- ant at it interlocks with so much of our industrial and commercial life. At Ephratah 5,400 H. P. is devel- oped, at East Creek, 2,000 H. P., at Ingham's Mills, 8,000 H. P. and at Dolgeville 2,500 H. P., in all 17,900 H. P. generated by East and Caroga creeks, with ijossilulities of still fur- ther increase. This electric power is claimed to be as cheap as any furnished in the east- ern states and eventually is bound to make the villages of western Mont- gomery county industrial centers of importance. The towns in western Montgomery county, which are par- ticularly interested in this electrical generation are St. Johnsville, Fort Plain-Nelliston and Canajoharie-Pala- tine Bridge, while the villages or ham- lets in western Fulton county inter- ested in the development or use of tlys power are Dolgeville (7 miles from the Mohawk); Ingham's Mills, in the town of Manheim and Oppenheim (4 miles from the Mohawk) ; Caroga, in the town of Ephratah (9V^ miles from the Mohawk); Ephratah, in the town of Ephratah (6 miles from the Mo- hawk). The foregoing are all airline distances. The first conservation of water power on a considerable scale in Montgomery or Fulton counties seems to have been accomplished by Am- sterdam manufacturers. In 1848 a dam was built across the Chuctanunda above the Forest paper mill. In 1855 the Galway reservoir covering 450 acres (at Galway, Saratoga county, northeast of Amsterdam), was built. This was enlarged in 1865 and 1875 to an area of stored water of 1,000 acres. This water system has been largely responsible for the industrial import- ance of Amsterdam. The following was written during the summer of 1913 by William Irving Walter of St. Johnsville with regard to hydro-electric development of East creek: "A gradual development of the elec- trical energy from the powers supplied by the falls at East Creek and its pro- gress in eliminating steam as a motive power in St. Johnsville. vicinity and, in fact, throughout the Mohawk valley is just beginning to attract a small por- tion of the attention that such a fea- ture in the never-ceasing industrial revolution deserves. The announce- ment that the Lion Manufacturing Co., the pioneer in the knitting industry in St. Johnsville, has just completed the installation of electricity instead of steam in all its departments excepting for heating purposes, and that the same work is now going forward in the piano action factory of F. Engel- hardt & Sons 'S an epoch in the local industrial development. "This leaves steam as a motive power only in the Union Mills (Royal Gem 278 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN knitting mills) and the Clark Machine Co.'s works with the possibility that these exceptions may at no distant day be eliminated. This attracts public at- tention to the great development of the forces which for years ran to waste unheeded at our doors, from the days when the Mohawk, sole lord of the val- ley, passed the cataract with indifferent eyes. 'As the brown bear blind and dull to the grand and beautiful." It was in 1894, during one of the most severe depressions the country has ever known, that Guy R. Beardsley be- gan the revival of East Creek as a fac- tor in business conditions of the Mo- hawk valley. We say revival, for at the beginn'ng of the nineteenth cen- tury East Creek bid fair to become one of the leading centers of the state. John Beardslee (born in Sharon, Conn., November, 1759.. died at East Creek October 3, 1825), who came to the Mo- hawk valley in 1787, as a builder and a millwright, left his impress upon this part of central New York. The con- struction by the authorities of Mont- gomery county of the old covered bridge at East Creek, brought h'm to East Creek where he purchased a large tract of land and erected saw and grist mills and a carding mill half a mile north of the turnpike. These were operated in 1794. These were followed by stores, hotels, a distillery, nail factory, brewery, etc., until about 1800 "Beardslee's city' as it was col- loquially termed had few if any su- periors west of Schenectady. The opening of the turnpike road giving access to western New York and turn- ing immigration that way, and the fact that only the ruder sorts of man- ufacturing establishments were called for in the social and industrial condi- tions then existing, operated against the permanence of the East Creek set- tlement, and the construction and com- pletion of the Erie canal (1817-25) completed its ruin. The settlement dwindled until finally the Jerome hotel, the last survivor of the old East Creek went out of existence about the time Mr. Beardslee began the revival of East Creek as an industrial factor. Causes not to be discussed here post- poned the conversion of the valley into a great manufacturing hive until the years succeeding the Civil war and al- most simultaneously with the revival of business which succeeded the de- pression of 1893-7, the East Creek Electric works passed from hope to reality, March, 1898. Within a decade and a half the electricity developed by the East Creek Electric Light and Power Co. has liecome a prime factor in the industrial, economic and social life of St. Johnsville, Fort Plain, Canajo- harie and Sharon Springs. It operates the Fonda, Johnsown and Gloversville railroad and also, in conjunction with the Utica electric works, from Amster- dam to Rome with the connecting point at that marvelous fabric of en- gineering and electrical skill at Ing- hams Mills. "The Union Knitting Co. (Wesley Allter & Son) was the first estab- li.shment in St. Johnsville to dis- card steam for electricity and with the present system of separate motors do- ing away with so much shafting and belting and the consequent waste of power. In the piano works the amount of power required is such that a sep- arate sub-station for those extensive works is now in course of construc- tion. "The Royal (now Royal Gem) knit- ting mill founded in 1898 by J. H. Reaney and O. W. Fox in the building now occupied by the extensive music roll business of F. Engelhardt & Sons, was equipped from the beginning with electrical motive power, but when in December, 1901, the business was re- moved to the present Royal Gem Mill on New street, it had so outgrown the electrical development of East creek falls that steam power was installed. Since that time the Union Mills man- agement has begun the installat'on of electric energy in some departments with the probability of increasing its use. Mr. Beardslee found it necessary for the utilization of the falls to in- crease h's riparian holdings and fin- ally his successors, the East Creek Electric Light and Power Co. controll- ed both banks of the East Canada creek until the immediate vicinity of THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 279 Dolgeville is reached, the height of the Inghams Mills dam having been regu- lated by the tail race of the Dolgeville plant of the Utica Gas and Electric Co., thus placing the whole power de- rived from this stream under the con- trol of managements which work in unison for the development of the forces which for uncounted ages ran to waste. "The East Creek falls are al)out three-quarters of a mile in length, de- scending in that distance one hundred and eighty feet, the descent beginning at the Snell farm. Six of the descents deserve the name of cataract. The scenery has not been marred but rather improved by the erection of the elec- trical works, for "Dance of waters, and mill of grinding, both have beauty and both are useful." The fall of water utilized by the dam here is 120 feet, which drives two turbines each of 1,000 horse power, both connected with gen- erators, one of 450 and the other of 500 K. W. power with turbine gover- nors and exciters duplicated with the exception of step-up transformer. The surplus of the power generated here is transferred when needed to the lines of the Utica Gas and Electric Co. at a point between Dolgeville and Little Falls. "The East Creek Electric Light and Power Co. came into being in 1902. In 1893 when Mr. Beardslee decided upon this undertaking which has grown far beyond his anticipation, he applied to the authorities of Little Falls for a franchise for the purpose of supplying the city with electric light and power. Although the people of Little Falls were very insistent at that time in their demands for a city charter they were too conservative to seize this op- portunity and Mr. Beardslee turned his attention to the lower valley. In 1895 the firm of Roth & Engelhardt (whose successful establishment of the piano action industry at St. Johnsville dur- ing a period of phenomenal business depression was attracting considerable attention and placing themselves and the village of their location among the influences to be considered in the bus- iness world) added a lighting plant to their St. Johnsville piano works. This Mr. Beardslee purchased of Roth & Engelhardt in 1898. "The dam at Dolgeville was con- structed by Alfred Dolge in 1897, and an electric plant installed, which ulti- mately passed into the hands of the Utica Gas and Electric Co. This plant generates about 2,500 H. P. "Mr. Beardslee, who initiated the East Creek improvement, has for some years taken little or no part in its manage- ment but has devoted himself to his private interests and especially to his dairy, composed of thoroughbred blooded stock. He suffered severe losses in the winter of 1907 by the burning of li:'s barn and destruction of his dairy, but he was not disheartened and set himself to work repairing his losses with the indefatigable energy which deserved and achieved success. His father, Augustus Beardslee, son of John Beardslee, was a well known character in his day. He was born at East Creek August 13, 1801, died there March 15, 1873. An alumnus of Pair- Held sem'nary and Union college he was admitted to the bar and tilled the positions of judge of the court of com- mon pleas and, member of assembly. Outside of these his studies and his private business occupied his time, and, thoroughly conservative, he felt no inclination to become a pioneer in the work of industrial development which may be said to have only begun in his declining years. In politics he was a Democrat of the old school and attended a national convention at Charleston, S. C, in April, 1860, as a member of the Mozart hall delegation. The failure of this movement left him out of touch with political conditions and he took no pains to adapt himself to the new situation and issues evolv- ed by the Civil war, but passed his latter years as one of the surviving Democrats of the Jacksonian school. "The present chapter in_ the history of the East Creek electrical develop- ment opened with the construction of the Inghams Mills dam and power plant. Of the thousands that pass every day up and down the Mohawk valley, few realize what a work of art. 280 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN science and utility exists a few miles up the wild-appearing gorge which they pass with hardly a glance as the Twentieth Century or the Empire State trains fly by. In fact, the ap- proach to the twin plants of the East Creek Electric Light and Power Co. is more in keeping with our ideas of the scenes of Scott's novels and poems of the Scottish Highlands than of Central New York. Inghams Mills, like many of the country hamlets, had its rise and decadence. The grist mill now disused was constructed in 1802 by Col. William Feeter and in the last years of its operation was the oldest grist m^ll in Herkimer county. The village became a busy place for years but as steam became the accredited agent of propulsion it slowly lost its position until 1909, when the electric plant was begun, to be completed in 1912. The dam, one of the show places of the valley, is 123 feet in height, 87 feet thick at the bottom, 12 feet at the top and 605 feet in length, setting back the water three miles, to the village of Dolgeville. The brick building con- taining the power plant, is one of the most complete of its kind. Two tur- bines each connected with a generator of 4,000 H. P., 8,000 in all, generate the mysterious element of which we know so little, but fear and dread so much. The plant at Inghams Mills is dupli- cated throughout more completely than that at East Creek. A breakage or other accident to one turbine or generator would cause no inconveni- ence to patrons of the system, the parts of the machinery being inter- changeable. The use of induction mo- tors is another great improvement over the former system but is one of those things, which while the results are ap- l)reciated by the general public, in- volves technicalities which are not easily understood by those who have not been initiated into the mysteries of electrical science. One plant being known as a 25 cycle plant with 3,000 alternations per minute, the other a 60 cycle plant with 7,200 alternations per m'nute, it became necessary to have some point where what is termed a change of frequency can take place. This is provided at the su))-station in Manheim, where connection is made with the line of the Utica company. "We will close by calling attention to the work at present being done to in- sure a larger and more regular supply of water. The Durey Lumber Co. is now engaged under a contract with the East Creek Electric Light and Power Co. in constructing storage dams at the outlet of Irving pond. Pine lake and Nine Corners lake in the near Adirondacks for the purpose of secur- ing a uniform supply of water power. The subject of erecting an additional storage dam between East Creek and Inghams Mills has also been mooted. The work is l)eing done under the su- pervsion of Viele, I>lackwell & Buck, engineers and builders of New York city, who also constructed the Inghams Mills dam. a piece of workmanship which owing to its secluded situation is visited by comparatively few peo- ple, but which is worthy of much more attention from the public than it has received." E. W. Tuttle. formerly of Fort Plain, furnished the following concerning the electric development of the water power of Peck Pond and East and West Caroga lakes and Caroga creek by the Mohawk Hydro- Electric com- pany, whose two main lines run to Fort Plain and to Gloversville-Johnstown. The Fort Plain line was opened in 1912. Recent developments in electrical transmission of power have exerted a marked inlluence on the manufactur- ing activities of the Mohawk valley. An example in point is found in Fort Plain, N. Y., where, with the comple- tion of the direct transmission line of the Mohawk Hydro-Electric company, in February, 1912, a new phase of in- dustrial possibilities was entered upon. A feature of special interest in con- nection with this hydro-electric devel- opment is its storage system, which utilizes natural sources of supply in .«iich a manner as to be practically in- dependent of rainfall variation. This enables the company to deliver a reli- able, uninterrupted primary power throughout the year at the lowest rate known in the Eastern states. The reserxoir system of the develop- ment consists of three considerable natural lakes and an artificial reser- voir. The lakes are: Peck's, with an area of 1,500 acres, which is owned by THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 281. the company; and East and West Car- oga, with a combined area of 700 acres, from which the company has the right to draw 4i/^ feet of water. 1 he level of Peck's lake has been raised 24 feet by a dam 900 feet long and 36 feet high, of arch and buttress construc- tion. The water from both of these bodies is conveyed to the main reser- voir, a distance of 12 miles, through tlie natural channel of Caroga creek. This main reseivoir, located at Garoga village, about two miles from the power station, has an area of 50 acres. It is formed by a concrete arch and buttress forebay dam 720 feet long, 58 feet high and having a spillway 260 feet in length. A surface pipe line or tunnel con- ducts the water from the forebay pond to the power station, a distance of 11,430 feet. This tunnel is of varied construction, to meet the pressure re- quirements of its several sections. From the dam the first 400 feet is a concrete conduit; the next section, 8,7(0 feet in length, is a 72-inch wood stave pipe, enlarging into a 1,460-foot section of 96-inch pipe of the same construction; and the terminal sec- tion, 1,010 feet long, is a 96-inch steel pipe. Excessive surges or water-ham- mer In the pipe have been guarded against by a surge tower of reinforced concrete 55 feet high and 25 feet in diameter, situated on the brow of the hill from which the pipe finally de- scends to the turbines. The effectual head developed is 285 feet, with a loss of approximately 10 feet in pipe line, with 3 units full load. 1 he power station is of concrete foundation and rubble masonry walls, designed for four generating units, of which three have been installed. The hydraulic equipment consists of three l.SOO H. P. Smith-Francis turbines of the horizontal single runner type, oper- ating at 720 revolutions per minute. The electrical equipment of each imit is a 3 phase, 60 cycle, 2,300 volt gener- ator of 1,250 K. V. A. capacity. The current from the generators is deliv- ered to two banks of three transform- ers (and one spare), of 500 K. V. A. each, which step it up from 2,300 to 23,000 volts. The out-going lines are equipped with electrolytic lightning arresters. There are two transmission lines known as the Gloversville- Johnstown and the Fort Plain lines. The former is a 10-mile, 23,000 volt line, transmit- fng power to the Fulton County Gas «^"' Electric company, which corpora- tion, purchasing in bulk, serves the cities of Gloversville and Johnstown and adjacent communities. The latter is a 7-mile. 23,000 volt line, direct to the suli-station at Fort Plain. The tran.«mission towei's arc of twd types — 4 -legged and "A" frames. They are designed for two 3-phase circuits on the nrst named line and one circuit on the Fort Plain line — the latter con- sisting of three No. 1 hard drawn solid copper wires. 'i he suii-station at Fort Plain is of hollow tile and brick construction and has complete equipment for stepping down from 23,000 to 2,300 volts, to- gether with approved protective de- v ices and measuring instruments. During the first eighteen months of its operation the plant has carried the entire load of the cities of Johnstown and Gloversville, serving a population of over 36,000 people continuously 24 hours a day, with but one interruption of six minutes. This operating period includes the summer months of 1911 and 1912 which were seasons of un- usual dryness. In spite of these se- vere conditions the storage at Peck's lake has had a draught of only three feet made on it at the end of the pres- ent summer season, leaving a reserve of over a billion cubic feet of stored water. The electric legulation on the company's power circuit has been re- markablj' good, the management of the Fulton county compan.N''s system stat- ing that both as to reliability and reg- ulation the serv'ce is far superior to that which they had been able to ob- tain from their own steam plant. The complete plant was designed by Barclay. Parsons & Klapp, New York city. Work was started in May. 1910. The Gloversville-Johnstown load was taken on in P^'ebruary, 1911, and the Fort Plain service inaugurated in Feb- ruary, 1912. CHAPTER X. 1825-1913 — Western Montgomery Coun- ty and the Five Townships of Min- den, Canajonarie, Root, Palatine and St. Johnsville. This is the second chapter relating to western Montgomery county and its five towns of Minden, Canajoharie, Root, Palatine and St. Johnsville. The first treated of the period in this ter- ritory from 1689, the date of settle- ment of Palatine by Hendrick Frey, to 1825 — the year of the completion of the Erie canal, and covered details local to these towns not contained in the more general historical chapters. This chapter deals with the later period during the years from 1825 to 1913. Among the wonderfully varied coun- try of land water and mountains con- tained within New York state that of the Mohawk valley holds a justly famed 282 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN position. From the days of the earliest settlers our river and its watershed were celebrated throughout the thir- teen colonies and in Canada. The Canadian Indians with Chaniplain sang to him praises of this then pri- meval region. The old Canajoharie and Palatine districts and its river sections contained in western Mont- gomery county, hold much that is beautiful and typical of the Mohawk valley. This territory formed a large part of the old Indian country of Canajoharie and later of the civil divisions of the Canajoharie and Pala- tine districts of Tryon county. To- gether with the added towns of Dan- ube and Manheim of Herkimer county it comprised the entire river section of those districts. Western Montgomery county is a country of high, rolling hills and fer- tile flats. Much of its farm lands are rich, some are today (191.3) much "run out." It is a noted farming section and famous dairying region, growing hay, oats, corn, fruit and poultry. On the south side hops were once raised generally, now only slightly. From its surface the forest, which originally overspread this river region, as well as the greater part of the eastern United States, has been al- most completely denuded. It should be the work of the valley men of today and the future to bring back to that land, which is poorly suited for agri- culture but adapted to forest growth, those great woods and trees of old, which enrich the land, store up pure water and induce rains, and which give life and health to the people. These same valley men should bring, from the small remnants of these woods, the trees, shrubs and flowers which are typical of this old region of the earth, and surround their homes with these native growths, making places of beauty where now are frequently bar- ren, naked grounds. The Mohawk, in western Montgom- ery county, runs a course from north- west to southeast, from Palatine Church to below Canajoharie — a dis- tance of seven miles out of the seven- teen miles of river which wind through the five western towns. This course, which varies from the general eastern direction of the Mohawk, was noted by the Dutch travelers and ex- plorers whose journey here in 1634 is mentioned in Chapter I of this work. The Mohawk of fifty years ago was a river of much 'beauty, with tree-lined banks, faintly suggesting that won- derful stream of the seventeenth cen- tury running between forest covered hills. Until the Barge canal opera- tions it retained much of this attrac- tiveness in parts. Most of the beau- tiful views obtainable, in the region we are considering, are to be seen from the highlands directly bordering the river. Such a low elevation (of iOO feet above the river) as Prospect Hill in Fort Plain, gives charming vistas while the outlook westward from the west side of the Big Nose, at an elevation of 600 feet, gives a view of the valley which is magnifi- cent. Several of the Mohawk's most im- portant tributaries enter the river in western Montgomery county. Two of these, the East and Caroga creeks run down through their hill-bordered val- leys from the lakeland of Fulton county and enter their parent stream at East Creek and Palatine Church, re- spectively. Both produce abundant water power. On the south shore, the Otsquago, entering the Mohawk at Fort Plain, the Canajoharie at Cana- joharie, Flat creek at Sprakers, and i'atesville or Wasontha, at Randall, are tributaries of the river of the sec- ond class. Much of the most beautiful scenery in this section is contained along the valleys of these streams. The small falls and rapids above East Creek station on East creek are of considerable beauty. On Flat creek, a mile or more south of Sprakers, is a considerable fall of water, but most attractive of all the landscape features of western Mont- gomery county is the Canajoharie Falls at the upper end of the famed Canajoharie gorge which begins at the Canajoharie of yore and the Canajo- harie of today — the old otone "pot" in THE STOKY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 288 the creek's bed which lies on the southern limits of the village itself. Situated in the middle of this fertile river farming country are three cen- ters of population which today are modern, progressive, well-kept Amer- ican villages of the best type and of which their citizens may well be proud. These are St. Johnsville, Fort Plain (including Nelliston) and Canajoharie (including Palatine Bridge). All these three places are market towns for the surrounding country and much manu- facturing is done in them all, many of the products being famous the country over. All are excellent places of resi- dence, not as yet (1913) being overrun with a foreign population, alien in every way to the thoroughly American population of western Montgomery county. It is to be hoped that this condition will continue in spite of that urban growth which is sure to come. The villages mentioned are typical of other small towns and even of the cities of the Mohawk valley. As the town giving its title to this work, Fort Plain has been selected as the village whose story is detailed from 1825 to 1913, but the same social, agricultural, labor and manufacturing details no- ticed are largely true of St. Johnsville and Canajoharie and of the country- side also, so that in reading the story of Fort Plain and the town of Minden, we scan that of western Montgomery county and its villages as well. Although imaginary lines of geographical demarcation are of but little real value, it may interest the reader to know that western Mont- gomery contains about 125,000 acres (about half the area of the county) and is about the size of Schenectady county. Its combined population is about 16,000. In western Montgomery county are located three of the historic churches and several of the pre-RevoIutionary houses of the Mohawk valley. The population of western Mont- gomery county in 1840 was 16,378 and in 1850, 15,939 divided as follows: Minden, 4,623; Canajoharie, 4,097; Root, 2,736; Palatine, 2,856; St. Johns- ville, 1,627. The populations of Min- den and St. Johnsville only have in- creased from 1850 to 1910 and this has been due entirely to the growth of the villages of St. Johnsville and Fort Plain. The incorporated places of Fort Plain and Canajoharie (then the only ones in western Montgomery) did not have their population given sep- arately in the census of 1850. The census of 1880 was the first in which the population of all the villages of the west end of Montgomery county were returned. The census figures of 1880 by towns follow: Minden, 5,100; Canajoharie, 4,294; Root, 2,275; Pala- tine, 2,786; St. Johnsville, 2,002. To- tal population of the five western towns of Montgomery county (1880), 16,457. Population of the villages: Fort Plain, 2,443; Canajoharie, 2,013; St. Johnsville, 1,072; Nelliston, 558; Palatine Bridge, 332. The 1910 population of the five west- ern towns of Montgomery county — Minden, Canajoharie, Root, Palatine, St. Johnsville — was 15,932, divided among the townships as follows: Minden, 4,645; Canajoharie, 3,888; Root, 1,512; Palatine, 2,517; St. Johns- ville, 3,369. The population of the five villages was as follows: Fort Plain, 2,762; St. Johnsville, 2,536; Canajo- harie, 2,273; Nelliston, 737, Palatine Bridge, 392. While there are five incorporated villages in western Montgomery there are but three centers of urban popula- tion, viz: Fort Plain-Nelliston, com- bined population 1910. 3,499; Canajo- harie-Palatine Bridge, 2,665; St. Johnsville, 2,536. The growth of St. Johnsville has been very considerable in the past decade and if continued it will become the largest population center in western Montgomery county before the passage of many years. Although a union of the villages of Fort Plain and Nelliston and of Cana- joharie and Palatine Bridge is not now contemplated, nor even desired by the inhabitants of the smaller places, it probably will eventually come to pass. The total population of the five west end villages in 1910 was 8,700. Outside of these incorporated places are proba- bly 1,000 people whose living is not de- 284 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN rived from the land. This would give a farming population of 6,200 and a non-farming population of 9,700. Over half the agricultural population of Montgomery county is located in the western half, as the people engaged in the cultivation of the soil, in Mont- gomery county, probably do not ex- ceed 11,000 in number. The producing farm population of the five western towns of Minden, Canajoharie, Root, Palatine and St. Johnsville, is about half what it was in 1850, while the non-food-producing public has more than doubled. This condition, which is common to the entire country, is responsible for the high and increas- ing cost of food stuffs, and this cotfidi- tion will not be bettered except by a great increase in the number of food producers. The foregoing chapters of this work have detailed the history of western Montgomery and the Mohawk valley from the time of the earliest Dutch explorers and its Mohawk Iroquois in- habitants. We have seen the events of settlement by Dutch, British and Germans and how the location of Hendrick Frey in 1689 in Palatine was the first in the limits of old Tryon county and the first in the valley west of the Schenectady county line. In western Montgomery county was the forest home of Sir George Clarke, one of the British colonial governors. The stirring Revolutionary events of this section have been detailed and the great part its inhabitants played in the defense of this frontier. Later we have had the Mohawk river commerce described and that of the turnpikes and the building of the canal, railroad and Barge canal. The part the men of the middle Mohawk valley played in the wars of 1812 and 1861-5 has been told with much particularity. The fol- lowing will describe this section of re- cent years and at the present time (1913). CHAPTER XI. 1825-1913 — Western Montgomery Coun- ty — The Town of St. Johnsviile and St. Johnsville Village. The town of St. Johnsville is the most westerly, with the town of Min- den, in Montgomery and is bounded on the north by Fulton county (town of Oppenheim and a small part of the town of Ephratah), on the east by Pal- atine, on the south by the Mohawk river and the town of Minden, and on the west by Herkimer county. Its sur- face consists of broad flats along the Mohawk, with broken uplands rising to the north to a height of over 1,000 feet sea elevation and over 700 feet above the river. The principal streams, all of which flow in a southerly direc- tion and empty into the Mohawk, are East Canada, Crum, Fox, Zimmer- man, Timmerman and Mother creek. Mason's History (1892) says: East Canada creek is noted for a succession of falls and rapids, descending 75 feet in a distance of 80 rods, this being a mile from its mouth. The soil of the town is a fine quality of gravelly loain, and that portion lying near the river is adapted to grain and hay, while farther north the land is well suited to grazing. Discovery has been made of three distinct mineral veins, on or near East Canada creek, which are distin- guished as the lower, middle and up- per mines. The first mentioned con- sists largely of lead, With a trace of gold, the second is a mixture of cop- per, .lead and zinc, and the last men- tioned is mostly copper. [None of these have ev^er been really worked.] St. Johnsville was formed from the town of Oppenheim [now in Fulton county] at the time Montgomery coun- ty was divided [into Montgomery and Fulton counties], April 18, 1838. In area it is the smallest town in the county. A large portion of it was for- merly comprised in the Harrison pa- tent of 12,000 acres, dated Match 18, 1722. The town is divided into four school districts. The town is supposed to have been settled at about 1725 or before. It was part of the Palatine district and its THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 285 history is largely that of Palatine which was settled about 1712, by Pal- atine Germans. These with a few Dutch comprised the settlers prior to the Revolution. Mention has been made in the former chapter on wes- tern Montgomery county [1689-1825] of the settlements, industries and schools here prior to 1825. St. Johns- ville formed part of the town of Pala- tine from 1772 to 1808, when the town of Oppenheim, then in Montgomery county, was set off. In 1838 the town of St. Johnsville, Montgomery county, was formed as previously stated. The first town meeting of the new town was held May 1, 1838, at the house of Cristopher Klock, one mile east of the later village of St. Johnsville. The number of votes polled was 271. Dur- ing the civil war St. Johnsville fur- nished a large number of federal sol- diers, considering its small area. The village of St. Johnsville is sit- uated on Zimmermans creek about in the center of the town and dates its first settlement from 1775 when David and Conrad Zimmerman located there and built a grist mill on the stream. George Klock built a grist mill in 1801 and David Quackenbush another in 1804. In 1825 James Averill built here a stone grist mill and distillery. These buildings were twice destroyed by fire and as often rebuilt and eventually became a paper-mill, making straw board. St. Johnsville village was long known as "Timmerinan's," a name de- rived from its first settlers, the names Timmerman and Zimmerman being etiuivalent. The name of the village and town was taken from St. John's Reformed church, as mentioned in a foregoing chapter on the five Revolutionary churches of western Montgomery coun- ty, of which St. John's was one. This church was formed prior to 1756 and a church erected in 1770 below the village. In 1804 this was removed to its present location. In 1881 the pres- ent St. John's Reformed church of brick was erected. It has been stated that the name of the town and village was adopted in honor of Alexander St. John, who was a pioneer of what is now Northampton, Fulton county, and who was a well- known engineer and surveyor of his time. On April 4, 1811, the New York legislature passed an act authorizing John Mclntyre of Broadalbin, Alexan- der St. John of Northampton, and Wm. Newton of Mayfield, to lay out a new turnpike road "from the house of Henry Gross in Johnstown to the house of John C. Nellis, in the town of Oppenheim," terminating in the Mohawk turnpike near the present vil- lage of St. Johnsville. St. John did the surveying and largely superintended the construction of the turnpike. He was at "Timmerman's" a great part of the time and when a postofRce was es- tablished there it is said to have been named in his honor, St. Johnsville. It may be that the historic old Reformed church and the capable and popular surveyor both contributed to the adop- tion of the name, but the subject will probably continue to be a matter of dispute. The construction of the Erie canal in 1825 and the Utica and Schenectady railroad in 1836, boomed the little vil- lage and in 1857 the population had grown to 720. On Aug. 1, 1857, the place was incorporated. Besides St. John's Reformed church the following religious societies have been organized in the village: Grace Christian church, organized in 1874; Union church, erected in 1849 by Luth- erans and Methodists and a few other denominations no longer in exist- ence; Methodist Episcopal church, built in 1879; St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church, built 1889; Episcopal. The following newspapers have been published in St. Johnsville, with the dates of their establishment: Inter- ior New Yorker, 1875; Weekly Por- trait, St. Johnsville Times, St. Johns- ville Herald, St. Johnsville Herald- Times; St. Johnsvile Leader, 1886; St. Johnsville News, 1891; St. Johnsville Enterprise, 1897. The First National bank of St. Johnsville was organized in 1864 with a capital of .$50,000. The Board of- Trade of St. Johnsville was organized 1S92. Exceptionali.N- good educational 286 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN facilities are afforded by the St. Johns- ville High and Grammar school. St. Johnsville has a fine public li- brary housed in its own building. Like Fort Plain and Canajoharie, its sister villages, it has many social, fraternal, religious and patriotic societies. St, Johnsville Lodge, No. 611, F. and A. M., was organized in 1866. The manufactures of the village are (1913) player pianos and piano actions (manufacture began 1889), agricultural implements, condensed milk, carriage hardware, knit goods, carriages, wagons, sleighs, paper, straw board, sash and blinds, cigars, iron castings. The manufacture of knit goods began in 1892. The following is from the Industrial Directory of 1912, issued by the New York State Department of Labor: St. Johnsville (Montgomery county), incorporated as a village in 1857; esti- mated population in 1913, 2,735. St. Johnsville is situated in the valley of the Mohawk river on the New York Central railroad [the station of South St. Johnsville is on the south side of the Mohawk on the West Shore rail- road and the Erie canal]. The princi- pal manufactures are knit goods and pianos [player pianos and piano ac- tions]. The village is the trading and shipping center for a rich dairy farm- ing section. There is building sand in St. Johnsville. The village has sewers, electric lighting service and municipal water works. With 990 operatives in an estimated (1913) population of 2,735, St. Johns- ville is an unusual valley industrial center, on account of the large pro- portion of manufacturing employes to the total population — over one-third. It is the leading industrial town of western Montgomery county. Its fac- tories (1914) generally employ electric power derived from the power stations at East Creek and Inghams Mills. See the chapter on Western Montgomery county hydro-electric development, in which its relation to the manufactories of St. Johnsville is detailed by William Irving Walter, the well-known writer on historical and general subjects, of St. Johnsville. The growth of St. Johnsville, due to its flourishing industries, has been very rapid since 1890 and the village has all improvements such as sewers, electric lights and water supply. It boasts the first modern opera house built in western Montgomery county. The Mohawk turnpike is excellently paved through the village with brick and a variety of experimental road building materials further west. The only hamlet in the town is that of Upper St. Johnsville, about one and a half miles west of the village proper, of which it will doubtless eventually form a part. .The population of St. Johnsville townsh-p was in 1850, 1,627; 1880, 2 002; 1910, 3,369. The population of St. Johnsville vil- lage was 720 in 1857, 1,376 in 1870, 1,072 in 1880, 1,263 in 1890, 1,873 in 1900 and 2,536 in 1910. CHAPTER XII. 1825-1913 — Western Montgomery Coun- ty — The Town of Palatine. Says Mason's History (1892): The present town of Palatine lies north of the Mohawk, and directly east of St. Johnsville. It is bounded on the north by Fulton county [town of Ephratah] and on the east by the town of Mo- hawk [and on the south by the Mo- hawk river and the towns of Minden, Canajoharie and part of Root]. The surface of the town is mostly an up- land [200 to 700 feet above the valley], broken by deep, narrow ravines and descending irregularly toward the river. Garoga [or Caroga] creek, a beautiful mill stream, which rises in the Garoga lake [and Peck's Pond] flows in a southwesterly direction through the western part of the town and empties into the Mohawk at Pala- tine Church. Mill creek, a tributary of the Garoga; Smith creek, at the Smith farm; Nelliston creek, at Nelliston; Flat creek, on the Gros farm; Salts- man creek, below Palatine Bridge; the Kanagara, emptying into the Mohawk a short distance below Sprakers [at the County Home], are the principal water courses of the town. The soil consists in a great measure of dark, clayey loam, containing more or less gravel, and is highly fertile when prop- erly cultivated. It is especially adapt- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 287 ed to grazing and, in the manufacture of cheese, Palatine is one of the lead- ing dairy townships. The story of the town of Palatine has been brought in previous chapters down to 1825. It is exclusively an ag- ricultural town, its two villages of Nelliston and Palatine Bridge, being in reality residence sections respec- tively of Fort Plain and Canajoharie, without industries of any size. The Palatine district, on the formation of Tryon county in 1772, was called the "Stone Arabia district." On March 8, 1773, the name was changed to "Pala- tine district." Salisbury, Herkimer county, was the first town set off from Palatine in 1797. Stratford (Fulton county) was formed from it in 1805; Oppenheim (embracing also the pres- ent town of St. Johnsville) in 1808; Ephratah in 1827, but a portion of the latter was re-annexed upon the di- vision of the county in 1838. "The territory of Palatine," says Mason's History, "originally comprised three historic land grants, the first be- ing the Van Slyck patent of 6,000 acres, granted 1716. It lay along the north bank of the Mohawk, extending west from the Nose and a mile or more above Palatine Bridge, also including the 'Frey place.' Next was the Har- rison patent, containing 12,000 acres, and including nearly all of what is now St. Johnsville. This was bought from the Indians in 1722 by Francis Harri- son and others. The third was the Stone Arabia patent of 1723, compris- ing 12,700 acres, and granted mostly to 27 Palatines and Hendrick Frey, who were already settled on the land." The oldest structure in Palatine is Fort Frey, a stone house built in 1739, and located in the present village of Pala- tine Bridge. Mention has been made of the three Revolutionary churches of Palatine, the Reformed church of Stone Arabia and the Lutheran churches of Stone Arabia and Palatine Church. Aside from these is Salem Church of the Evangelical Association of America, later called "the German church," first organized in 1835 and incorporated in 1877, the present edifice being erected in 1871, and the Methodist church of Nelliston, built about 1890. Palatine is divided into eleven school districts. It comprises, besides the in- corporated villages of Nelliston and Palatine Bridge, the hamlets of Pala- tine Church, Wagners Hollow, Stone Arabia and McKinley (formerly Os- wegatchie). The villages of Nelliston and Palatine Bridge are advantage- ously located. They have residential, educational and social advantages which should ensure a future consid- erable growth. Both have factory and home sites in abundance. Palatine Bridge is (1914) putting in a village sewage system. The population of Palatine was 2,856 in 1850, 2,786 in 1880, 2,517 in 1910. The population of Palatine Bridge was 493 in 1870, 332 in 1880, 392 in 1910. The population of Nelliston was 558 in 1880, 737 in 1910. CHAPTER XIII. 1825-1913 — Western Montgomery Coun- ty — The Tovyn of Root. Mason's History (1892) says: "Root is the central town of the county on the south of the Mohawk. It is bound- ed on the east by Glen and Charleston; on the south by Schoharie county and on the west by Canajoharie. The sur- face of this town presents a variety of natural features surpassing in ex- tent and grandeur any other portion of the county, in fact it is doubtful if any other equal area in the Mohawk valley contains so many interesting works of nature. The geologist and naturalist here find subjects for thought and discussion, while the ad- mirer of beautiful scenery is charmed with the prospect from the heights in the northern and central portions of the town. The majestic hills, that rise abruptly from the Mohawk to a height of 630 feet, form the northern crest of an undulating upland, the soil of which varies from a dark colored loam and clay bottom, near the eastern border, to a gravelly loam in the center, and more or less clay and light soil in the western portion of the town. A fine quality of building stone crops out on 288 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN some of these summits, but, owing to the steep hills and heavy grades, these quarries have seldom been worked. An abundance of black slate is found near the center of the town. Agriculture is the principal interest and, although hay is the chief crop, oats, barley, corn and buckwheat are raised in abund- ance. In the vicinity of Currytown, hops are grown with much success. The adaptability of the soil to grazing was recognized by the farmers at an early day, and thus we find extensive dairies and cheese factories scattered throughout the town." The two principal streams in Root are Yatesville and Flat creeks. The former [Yatesville] enters the town on its eastern border from Charleston and flows in a northerly direction, emptying into the Mohawk at Randall, formerly Yatesville. This stream was called by the Indians Wasontha. A beautiful cascade is to be seen about one mile north of Rural Grove, where this stream falls twenty or twenty-flve feet, affording a scene of picturesque attraction. Flat Creek, which takes its name from the shallowness of a portion of its stream, enters the ex- treme southern part of the town and flows in an irregular northerly direc- tion, making a circuitous detour into Canajoharie and emptying into the Mohawk at Sprakers. A large portion of the course of this stream is com- posed of natural features differing from those to which it owes its name. For a number of miles it flows through an inclining stratum of gravel and slate, its banks forming steep and rugged ravines, and at a point a mile above Sprakers there is a fall of sixty- five feet. At several points along its course, prospecting parties have suc- cessfully brought to the surface min- eral ore containing fifty per cent of lead and fifteen per cent of silver, as shown by the assay of the state geol- ogist, and this led to the formation of the Canajoharie Mining Co. [but the veins have never been worked]. Be- sides these there are two other small streams in the town of Root — Big Nose creek, just east of the Big Nose, and Allston creek in the eastern part of the town, emptying into the Mohawk in the town of Glen. Facing the river, on the northern border of Root, about two miles east of Sprakers, is a bold promontory, which is mentioned in connection with a similar spur on the opposite or north side of the Mohawk as "the Noses." These lower uplifts of the Mohawk have been noted at length in connec- tion with the history and geography of the Mohawk valley and of the geology of the middle Mohawk valley. The scenery and landscape on and about the Noses and their aspect from the river and the broad flatlands above and below them, constitutes one of the most picturesque features of the Mo- hawk valley. The editor of this work would suggest "the Noses" and their adjoining country and the Canajoharie falls as the two most attractive land- scape items in western Montgomery county. The southern nose is known as "the Big Nose." On it is located Mitchell's cave, a seeming fault in the rock, enlarged by water action and which has been descended to its bot- tom for several hundred feet. It drops at a sharp angle toward the Mohawk river. Its exploration is attended with considerable danger and should only be undertaken by a party of men with ropes, lanterns, etc. There is a simi- lar hole north of Little Falls known as Hinman's Hole. The Big Nose has also Ijeen called "Anthony's Nose." Root is the largest town of Mont- gomery county. The eastern half was formerly in the Mohawk district of Tryon county while the half west of the Big Nose was in the Canajoharie district. It was formed from Canajo- harie and. Charleston in 1823 and named in honor of Erastus Root of Delaware county, a political leader of that time. Its territory embraces parts of nine different land grants as fol- lows: Burnet patent, 1726, 775 acres, in Randall village; Provost patent, 1726, 8,000 acres, lying west of Randall; Roseboom patent, 1726, 1,500 acres, in- cluding the hill known as "Anthony's Nose" and extending southeast within a mile of Currytown; Kennedy patent, 775 acres, granted 1727, and including THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 289 stone Ridge; Bagley and Williams patent, 4,000 acres, granted 1837, in the south part of Root, extending into southeastern Canajoharie; Corry's pat- ent, 25,400 acres, granted 1737, em- bracing parts of Charleston, Glen and Root; Winne's patent, 4 000 acres, in- cluding Flat Creek village, granted 1741; Gros patent (title secured by John Daniel Gros, pastor of the Cana- joharie Reformed Dutch church at Fort Plain) embracing parts of Root and Canajoharie, title granted 1786. The first permanent white settler known who located in Root was Jacob Dievendorf, who settled at Currytown. The first town meeting and election of officers was held shortly after the or- ganization of the town in January, 1823. In 1825 the population of the town was 2,806. In 1910 it was 1,512. The first schools in Root were German schools but the first school of which we have any record was an English school taught by one Glaycher near the Noses in 1784. There are now fourteen school districts in Root. Rural Grove is the largest and most important center in Root, and is locat- ed on Yatesville creek, about five miles south of the Mohawk. It is said to date its settlement from 1828, when Abram H. Vanderveer and Henry Stowitts erected a dwelling and large tannery on the site of the residence of the late John Bowdish. The cluster of houses which grew up around the tannery was named Unionville by Stowitts and later was called Leather- ville. The present name of Rural Grove was suggested by a beautiful grove of elms on the west border of the little village and residents began using this name in 1850 and it was adopted by the postofRce department in 1872. The Currytown postofflce was removed to Rural Grove in 1832. The place has about 250 population, stores and a grist mill and cheese factory. The Rural Grove Methodist church was built in 1845, but a Methodist so- ciety had existed long before that date. The Christian church was organized in 1854 and a church built which was enlarged in 1874. Sprakers is an attractive hamlet on the Mohawk at the mouth of Flat creek and on the south side of the Erie canal. It is a station on the West Shore road and connected by ferry with the Central railroad station of Sprakers opposite on the north shore. It was named for Jost Spraker, a pioneer of the well known valley family of that name. George Spraker, son of Jost Spraker, built a tavern here which was kept for years, until it burned down. Daniel Spraker built the first store in 1822 and until the canal was completed was engaged in the business of trans- ferring freight between the unfinished sections. Another store was started by Joseph Spencer, who sold out to John L. Bevins, who built the fine stone store still standing and occupied as a place of business, on the south bank of the canal, by S. W. and Oscar Cohen (1913). Sprakers was for a long time a supply place for the canal trade. A postoffice was established here early in the nineteenth century. The Reformed church of Sprakers was erected in 1858 on the site of a much older church building. Sprakers has a hotel, creamery and several stores and a population of about 200. Currytown is the oldest settlement in the town of Root, and here a store was established about 1800 by John McKernan, who subsequently built a bridge across the Mohawk at Randall which was carried away by high water in 1820 or shortly after. At Curry- town was established the first postof- fice in the town of Root, the mail be- ing brought by a post-rider. This was removed to Rural Grove in 1832 but one was again established in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Curry- town is today a strictly residential liamlet of prosperous farmers. The Reformed church of Currytown is the oldest religious organization in Root, having been organized in 1790 and a church built in 1809. It was remodeled in 1849 and was rebuilt in 1883. Randall is a postoflice and village in the northeastern part of the town, on the Erie canal, West Shore railroad and Mohawk river and at the mouth of Yatesville creek. It was originally called Yatesville, which name was 290 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN changed to Randall when the postof- fice was established in 1863. A Chris- tian church was formed about 1850 at Randall and a church was built in 1885.. The bridge connecting Randall and Yosts on the north shore was swept away, as mentioned previously, in 1820, shortly after its erection. Pop- ulation about 150. Flat Creek is located on the stream of that name four miles south of the Mohawk. Considerable business was transacted here at one time and then the place had two hotels or taverns. A postoffice was established here in the latter part of the nineteenth cen- tury. A cheese factory and saw and feed mill are here located. A Baptist church was built in 1860, but later the society disbanded. The True Dutch Reformed church of Flat Creek was built in 1885. Bundy's Corners, Lyker's Corners and Brown's Hollow are the names of hamlets of Root consisting each of a few houses. At Brown's Hollow, Henry Lyker erected a grist mill at an early day, which later was bought by John Brown, who increased the water power by tunneling 1,000 feet through the hill. The mill was burned but sub- sequently rebuilt. A distillery, linseed oil mill, carding machine and fulling mill were at one time in operation at Brown's Hollow l)ut have discontinued operation. Population Root township: 1850, 2,736; 1880, 2,275; 1910, 1,512. CHAPTER XIV. 1825-1913 — Western Montgomery Coun- ty — The Town of Canajoharie and Canajoharie Village. The town of Canajoharie lies on the south side of the Mohawk. It is bounded on the north by the river and the town of Palatine; on the east by the town of Root; on the south by Schoharie county and on the west by Minden. Its surface consists of undu- lating uplands rising from the Mohawk to heights of almost 1,000 feet in the southern part of the town. Its terri- tory lies almost entirely in the water- shed of Canajoharie creek, which en- ters the southwestern part of the town and flows almost directly east to the little hamlet of Waterville, when it turns north and flows in a zig-zag course to its outlet into the Mohawk at Canajoharie village. About one and a half miles from its mouth occur the picturesque Canajoharie falls, with a perpendicular drop of about forty feet to the deep pool at its base. Here begins the Canajoharie gorge of slate and stone walls, over a hundred feet in height in places, hemming in the stream on both sides and forming a miniature canyon of great beauty about three-quarters of a mile or more in length. It ends at the southwestern outskirts of Canajoharie village, about three-quarters of a mile from the junction of the creek with the Mohawk river. At the end of the gorge is lo- cated the original "Canajoharie" or "pot which washes itself." This is a hole in the solid rock of the creek bed about twenty feet wide and ten feet or more in depth although the depth is probably much greater in the rock. This is a gigantic pot hole, probably worn by the action of small stones at some time when the course of the stream facilitated their grinding ac- tion. Happy Hollow Brook, about one mile north of Canajoharie village, is the only other stream outside of a few rivulets, in the township. The soil of the town is a gravelly loam, derived from the disintegration of the underlying slate, in some places intermixed with clay. It is easily and profitably cultivated and Canajoharie has been noted, from its earliest settle- ment, for its rich and valuable farms. When the first German and Dutch set- tlers of the town of Canajoharie came here about 1720 they found the Mo- hawks cultivating the flatlands, par- ticular the island located in the river just below Fort Plain and the island a mile and a half below the creek. Here corn, beans, squashes and tobacco were growing. Canajoharie is the remaining por- tion of the old Tryon county district of that name, designated at the time of the setting off of Tryon county March 24, 1772. Cherry Valley town was THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 291 formed from it in 1791; Minden in 1798; a part of Root in 1823; and a part (the Freysbush district) was taken from it and added to Minden in 1849. The prinicpal land grants in the present town of Canajoharie were the Canajoharie tract of 12,450 acres dated 1723; the Bradt patent of 3,200 acres granted in 1733; Bagley's patent of 4,000 acres in 1737; two Golden pat- ents and the Cosby, Dick, Lyne and Morris patents of 2,000 acres each. The following relates to the centers of population in Canajoharie township: The history of Canajoharie village from about 1777 to 1825 is contained in the first chapter dealing with west- ern Montgomery county. The village was incorporated April 30, 1829, and since that time it has had a slow but sure growth and has never gone back in population. It suffered extensive losses by severe fires in 1840, 1849 and 1877, in each instance a large part of the business section being burned. The construction of the West Shore rail- road in 1883 somewhat injured the lower and business part of the town. The Canajoharie Local train runs west to Syracuse and return over the West Shore railroad. The old stone school, known as dis- trict No. 8, was built in 1850. In 1893 the present fine stone school house was built, housing grammar, high school and training school depart- ments. It is one of the finest exam- ples of school architecture in the county and a leading feature of those substantial stone structures which make Canajoharie such a well-built, solid and substantial looking town. The Canajoharie Water Works Co. was organized in 1852 and the village supplied by water taken from springs by gravity, to which were later added rams for fire purposes. In 1876 this system was extended and the supply was added to from larger springs. In 1881 the Cold Spring Water Co., a competing corporation, put in new works. In 1888 the older company sold out and in 1889 the Canajoharie Consolidated Water Co. was organized, receiving the property and franchises of both companies. The catch basin was located on Canajoharie creek, three-fourths of a mile from the vil- lage center, the pond one-half mile and the reservoir one-quarter mile. The present village water supply sys- tem was inaugurated in 1912. A union church was erected in 1818 and the Erie canal was built so close to it as to seriously interfere with services here. The Reformed church of Canajoharie (village) was organ- ized in 1827 and a stone church was erected in 1842, which later was occu- pied by the Methodist society when the present handsome stone church was built in the latter part of the nine- teenth century. St. Mark's Lutheran church was formed in 1839 and soon purchased the old Union church near the canal. The present attractive vine- covered church was built in 1870. St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran church was organized in 1835. The present stone church dates from 1871. In 1852 the Church of the Good Shep- herd, Protestant Episcopal, was form- ed. Its present handsome stone church was erected in 1873. The Methodist Episcopal church socety had its birth on the opposite side of the river in Palatine where it built a church in 1828. It occupied the first Reformed church in 1841. In 1863 it was rebuilt and enlarged. St. Peter and St. Paul's Roman Catholic church was built in 1862. The village has the beautifully situ- ated Canajoharie Falls cemetery and a public library. Hamilton lodge. No. 79, F. and A. M., received its charter in 1806, being at that time number ten in the list of state lodges. The first master was Dr. Joshua Webster. A number of other fraternal and social organizations are located in town. Among these is the Fort Rensselaer club, located in the old stone Van Alstine house (built 1750). At the public square is the monument commemorating Gen. Clin- ton's army's presence at Canajoharie in 1779, placed there by the local D. A. R. Canajoharie's first newspaper was the Telegraph, started in 1825. Other 292 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN papers have been: Canajoharie Sen- tinel, 1827; Canajoharie Republican. 1827; Montgomery Argus, 1831; Cana- joharie Investigator, 1833; Canajoharie Radii, 1837; Mohawk Valley Gazette, 1847; Montgomery Union, 1850; Cana- joharie Courier, 1879; Hay Trade Journal, 1892. The Radii, Courier and Hay Trade Journal are prosperous papers today. The National Spraker bank was es- tablished as the Spraker bank in 1853. It was reorganized and incorporated under the national banking act of 1865. Its capital is $100,000. The Can- ajoharie National bank was. first or- ganized as a state bank in 1855 and became a national bank in 1865, with a capital of $100,000, which has been increased to $125,000. The manufacture of and printing of paper and cotton sacks and bags was started in 1859 and the firm (Arkell & Smiths) is today one of Canajoharie's leading industries. The output is many millions of sacks annually and 126 hands were employed in 1912. The manufacture of food-stuffs by the Beech-Nut Packing Co. began, about 1890. The firm was then known as the Imperial Packing Co. and start- ed business curing "Beech-Nut" hams and bacon. This has developed into one of the model pure food factories of the world, with an enormous and constantly increasing output. The employes are generally natives of Can- ajoharie and the industry is one in which Canajoharie justly takes the greatest pride. Its perfect T^actories are in sight from the Central railroad and Canajoharie has justly been term- ed "Beech-Nut Town." The output of this concern averages $3,000,000 yearly and 380 hands were employed in 1912. Aside from these two leading indus- tries there were 7 small factories in 1912 employing 23 hands. The total number of operatives in Canajoharie's manufactories in 1912 was 529. Pala- tine Bridge has one factory with 9 employes, so that there are 538 people employed in manufacturing in Cana- joharie-Palatine Bridge. Canajoharie village consists of a lower portion on the flats from which streets rise to hills of a consider- able height, affording fine \alley views. On the Seeber Lane road, a mile north- west from the town, is a U. S. Gov- ernment geodetic survey "station, at a sea elevation of 800 feet, or 500 feet above the Mohawk. From here may be obtained a fine panoramic valley view to the southeast, as well as one of the Cherry Valley hills to the west. Canajoharie is a center of a steady trade with the farming country around about it including much of Montgom- ery and Schoharie county to the south and southwest of it. Together with Palatine Bridge, its sister village di- rectly across on the north bank of the Mohawk, it forms an ideal residence community with all the features of trade, social, educational, industrial and agricultural life which go to make up a progressive twentieth century American village. It may justly be said that all these qualities are shared by the three sister villages of western Montgomery county — Canajoharie, Fort Plain and St. Johnsville, all of similar character, size and population. They all should experience a growth of population, industries, wealth and business and an educational and social development. Their situation and the sterling character of their inhabitants ensures these things for the future. The 1912 Industrial Directory of the New York State Department of Labor contains the following regarding Cana- joharie: Canajoharie (Montgomery county), incorporated a village in 1829; esti- mated population in 1913, 2,325. Cana- joharie is situated in the valley of the Mohawk river on the Erie canal and the West Shore railroad. The village of Palatine Bridge, on the New York Central railroad, is industrially and commercially an integral part of Can- ajoharie, a bridge over the Barge canal, which here follows the course of the Mohawk river, connects the vil- lages. The princiijal industries are the manufacture of paper and cotton bags and the packing of food products. Canajoharie is surrounded by a rich farming section devoted to general ag- riculture [dairying and hay raising in particular]. Population of Canajoharie village, 1870, 1,822; 1890, 2,089; 1910, 2.273. 1910, Canajoharie - Palatine Bridge, 2,665. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 293 Population Canajoharie township: 1850, 4,097; 1880, 4,294; 1910, 3,889. The village life of these three west- ern Montgomery county centers, dur- ing the past century, is described in the chapter devoted to Minden town- ship and Fort Plain, the central one of the three villages. IJuel is a hamlet in the southern part of the town of Canajoharie, the first settlement here having been made by John Bowman about 1760. He pur- chased a large tract of land near the headwaters of Canajoharie creek and, for over half a century thereafter (and during the Revolution), the stream, the settlement of Buel and a large part of the southern part of Can- ajoharie township were all known as "Bowman's Creek." In 1830 a postof- fice was established at Buel. In 1823 the Central Asylum for the instruction of the deaf and dumb was established at Buel. In 1836 it was united with a similar institution in New York city. Buel took its name from Jesse Buel, at one time prominent in state agricul- tural circles. Sprout Brook is a small hamlet and postofhce on the Canajoharie creek in the extreme southwestern part of the town. The history of its settlement is largely that of Buel and the Bowman's Creek section. Ames, in the Canajoharie valley, two miles east of Buel, was named in honor of Fisher Ames. It is said that the first settler near here was named Taylor. In 1796, the Free Will Bap- tist church of Ames was located here, it having been organized, in 1794, a few miles to the west. Most of the early settlers of Ames were New Eng- landers, instead of being Germans as in most of the neighboring settlements, particularly in the immediate vicinity of the Mohawk river. Its population is estimated at about 200. The early history of Mapletown has been mentioned in a previous chapter. It takes its naniQ from the numerous sugar maples left standing ])y the pio- neers. It is on the old Indian trail from Canajoharie to New Dorlach and about four miles from Canajoharie Early in the nineteenth century a small Dutch Reformed church was built here. The little hamlet of Marshville is on the Canajoharie creek near the center of the town. Here in early days was a large saw mill owned by one of the Seeber family. How the place receiv- ed the nickname of "Muttonville" is told in the first chapter on western Montgomery county. Population of Marshville, about 100. Van Deusenville lies near Sprout Brook and Waterville, another little hamlet between Ames and Mapletown. The first school within present Can- ajoharie town was in Seebers Lane, on the north line of the Goertner farm, a mile and a half southwest of Canajo- harie village. When the common school system was adopted this be- came district- No. 1 of Canajoharie. The town is divided (1913) into four- teen school districts. CHAPTER XV. 1825-1913— Western Montgomery Coun- ty — Fort Plain Village and Minden Township. The history of the town of Minden, from the time of the construction of the Erie canal to the date of the com- Ijiling of these articles, is largely its development in relation to agriculture and the part its men played in the great war of the rebellion. The story of the village of Fort Plain, for a similar period, is typical of the development of Mohawk valley towns during the nineteenth century. It has also been the growth of the canal and market town of 1830 into the manufacturing village and farming community center of the twentieth century. At the completion of the great Barge canal work, it will un- doubtedly regain its place as an "in- land port," which it held before the de- cline of traffic on the Erie canal, due to railroad competition. Fort Plain was incorporated as a village in 1832. Like Canajoharie, Fort Plain is a "canal town" — that is, its early growth was largely the result of the great impetus to trade and commerce in the valley due to the construction of 294 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the Erie canal. The founding and de- velopment of industries, except on a small scale, came later. Through all the changes of the nineteenth cen- tury, it has remained a trading center for an important agricultural and dairying section. Situated at the mouth of the Otsquago valley and practically (by road) at the outlet of the Caroga valley, it has formed a cen- ter of trade for those two extensive natural thoroughfares and their ad- jacent country. With the present rapid improvement of the highways, its advantageous location will continue to be of marked aid to the trade center- ing about the town, and its projected Barge canal terminal will give it a position of prominence in the traffic of that great waterway. The Caroga valley road, a mile and a half north of Nelliston, leads north up the Caroga valley into the lakeland of northern Fulton county. The Otsquago valley roads, south into the Susquehanna val- ley, lead to Richfield Springs, Spring- field Centre, Cooperstown, Cherry Val- ley and other points. Fort Plain originally was a hamlet of a few houses, a hotel, store and mill, which grew up at the foot of Prospect Hill and along the south shore turnpike (now W'illett street) and the Otsquago creek, which then ran along the flats to the foot of Fort Hill (or the eminence on which the fortification of Fort Plain stood), a half mile north of the business center of present Fort Plain. As we have seen, during the building of the Erie, the business concerns at Sand Hill, on the northern end of the present village, moved to the present lousiness site. Fort Plain, as a hamlet, dates from about the liuilding of the Canajoharie Reformed Dutch church on Sand Hill in 1750, when the nucleus of a little settlement was established here at the river ferry and the beginning of the Dutchtown road. P.oth Sand Hill and the Prospect Hill hamlets formed parts of the present Fort Plain village lim- its — about a square mile of territory. Fort Plain and Nelliston form what is virtually one town as before stated. They are separated by the Mohawk river, Nelliston being on the north shore and Fort Plain on the south. Nelliston dates its growth from about 1850. The original river bridge con- necting the present villages was built in 1829. The first Mohawk river bridge at Fort Plain was built across the Island in 1806. Nelliston is a beautiful residential section and is more adapted to the site of future residential growth of the two villages than Fort Plain it- self. For articles relative to Fort Plain in connection with the building of bridges, highways, canals and rail- roads, turn to the separate chapters on these subjects. Fort Plain lies partly on the flats and partly on the high ground rising to Prospect Hill on the east and to Institute and Cemetery Hill and Fort Hill on the west and north. It also ex- tends up the Otsquago valley nearly a mile. Nelliston lies on a tableland on a small hill rising directly from the river. Trade and business houses rapidly sprang up in Fort Plain, both before and immediately after the Erie was completed in 1825, and for a number of years it shared in the commerce of what was then a great water route of passenger and freight traffic. For years the Fort Plain canal docks were lively and busy places and continued as such up to about 1880, when the competi- tion of the railroads began to be ser- iously felt. Since about that time the canal traffic has been rapidly falling off until now it is but a small fraction of its former volume and the same docks are practically deserted by canal men. Reference should be made to the chapter on the Erie canal for an idea of this phase of life in Fort Plain in the first half of the nineteenth cen- tury. At this period and until the time railroads entered the country to the south of us. Fort Plain as a market and canal town and later a railroad town as well, drew a great amount of trade to itself from "what is now Ot- sego county. Teams loaded with mer- chandise arrived from and departed for towns and settlements as far south as Oneonta and even beyond. Its po- THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 295 sition at the outlet of this country, by way of the Otsquago valley, gave it a lively trade and these facts and its place as a station on the canal and railroad contributed to build up a solid business section much larger and more important than in most towns of its size. Indeed, in the days when the village only had half its present (1913) popu- lation, the business section was prac- tically of its present area and import- ance. A man who lived in Minden in the 40s, made Fort Plain a visit in 1911 and to a query, by the writer, as to how the town looked to him, in comparison with the Fort Plain of his boyhood, he replied: "Oh, about the same." This is true of the business section but the manufacturing and residential portions have enlarged and changed to a marked extent from the town of the quoted man's j^outhful days. The size of stocks, completeness and enterprise of the stores of Fort Plain have been a matter of valley knowledge and local pride for almost a century. Some of Fort Plain's merchants of the early and middle nineteenth cen- tury did an enormous business, con- sidering the size of the village. Stocks were then carried which made Fort Plain the best shopping center be- tween Schenectady and Utica. It was in those days that Fort Plain's business center was developed, a business sec- tion which presents a more metropoli- tan and citylike appearance than any town between Schenectady and Utica, not excepting Little Falls and Am- sterdam, which are many times the size of Fort Plain. We talk of modern business methods but they are no- wise superior to those of the early nineteenth century merchants. From the beginning Fort Plain was an important market town. Manufac- turing on any scale did not appear until the establishment of the Fort Plain Spring and Axle Works in 1870. These are said to have been the larg- est works of their kind in the country and are mentioned later. With the decline of agriculture hereabouts its importance as a market center dimin- ished and its country trade was split up somewhat with other towns. The building of railroads in the Susque- hanna valley attracted to southern railroad centers the trade which largely came north through the Ots- quago valley to Fort Plain, as its nat- ural outlet, prior to 1870. The Utica and Schenectady railroad was completed in 1836 and the growing town of Fort Plain became a lively place on the new road. The original small station was later used as a hay barn and stood just to the south of the river bridge, on the Nelliston side, un- til about 1890. August 1, 1836, the day of the opening of the road, was a great event for Fort Plain as well as the rest of the Mohawk valley towns and crowds gathered to watch the first train pass. The new Central station and grounds is one of the model ones along the line and was built of stone in 1902. The first newspaper in Fort Plain was the Fort Plain Watch Tower, established in 1827 or 1828. After many changes this became the Mohawk Valley Register in 1854. The Fort Plain Standard was established in 1876 and the Fort Plain Free Press in 1883. Other publications have been issued from time to time, the village at one time having a little-needed daily paper. The Clionian Argus, later the Clionian, was a monthly publica- tion issued for over fifteen years (1883- 1890) by one of the literary societies of Clinton Liberal Institute. The Regis- ter is (1913) Montgomery county's old- est newspaper. As has been stated, from the canal completion in 1825 until the Civil war period is the Fort Plain era of the de- velopment of business and transporta- tion. This time was one of building and general village growth. Many large and imposing brick dwellings were erected, which today, with their generally attractive grounds, give an air of solidity and permanence to the village as a whole. This period was also one of broader social life in many ways, compared with today, and the homes were more generally the attrac- tive scenes of social gatherings, often of considerable size. Later house con- 296 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN striiction, as a rule, has been of smaller dwelling's of frame and these have been built in very closely toward the center of the town. A public school was already located in the village when incorporated in 1S32. The old wooden building, a veritable Hretrap, was replaced in 1879 by the present brick structure, which has since been enlarged. In 1893 this was made into the Fort Plain High school, with a primary and grammar school department. A school conducted in the "Lockville" section was united with the main one at that time. A new site and building for the Fort Plain High school is now (1914) under considera- tion. The Fort Plain Hank was organized Dec. 25, 1838. The National Fort Plain Bank was the name after a reorgani- zation in 1864. The Farmers and Me- chanics Bank, a state institution, was inaugurated 18S7. The Fort Plain Seminary and Col- legiate Institute was erected in 1853, by a stock company with a capital of $32,000 and chartered by the regents of the university, Oct. 20 of that year. The first scholastic year of the insti- tution began Nov. 7, 1853, with 513 students. lu 1879 this large brick structure was remodeled into a still larger building of five stories and oc- cupied by Clinton Liberal Institute, which removed here from Clinton. This was a school under the patronage of the Universalist denomination and continued to fill an important educa- tional mission until it was unfortu- nately destroyed by lire in 1900. In- struction was given in academical, col- lege preparatory and commercial courses and there was an important and largely attended line arts depart- ment which schooled in music, elocu- tion, and drawing and painting. In its latter years a military department was added and plans were on foot to make it exclusively a boys' military school when it was destroyed. It occu- pied a beautiful site of about ten acres on high ground and had, beside the main building, a gymnasium, a large armory and athletic Held. Crowds came to witness the held sports and the baseball and football matches in which this preparatory school fre- (luently competed successfully with college teams. "C. L. I." was a center of culture for all the people of the middle Mohawk valley and its destruc- tion was a great educational loss to not only Fort Plain, but a great area of country about it. Its park-like site was known first as "Seminary Hill" and later as "Institute Hill." An effort v.as made to have it converted into a public park and site for the High school, but this unfortunately failed of a majority in a village election held in 1909. Over 200 students were in at- tendance at C. L. I. during some years. The town of Minden, including Fort Plain, bore its full share of the terri- ble 'cost, in lives and treasure, of the War of the Rebellion. Minden as a whole furnished 518 men at an ex- l)ense, beside the county bounty, of $1 .■)4,14:'.. This is according to Beer's 1S7S lli.slor.N-. The Grand Army of the Republic is (1913) represented in Fort Plain by Klock Post, G. A. R., named after Capt. Klock of St. Johnsville. See the chapter on Montgomery county in the Civil war. The construction of the West Shore railroad in 1883 made Fort Plain a station on the new line, which has lately been denominated South Fort Plain to differentiate it from the New York Central station and to avoid con- fusion among shippers. The comple- tion of the West Shore railroad in 1883 was marked by a disastrous wreck on that road at Diefendorf Hill to the north of Fort Plain. Two passenger trains, scheduled to pass each other at the Fort Plain station at noon, col- lided through some misunderstanding of orders. Several lives were lost and tile wreck was most spectacular, one of the engines being shoved upright into an almost perpendicular position. What was to have been a day of cele- bration was changed into one of gloom at Fort Plain. The wreck was viewed by large crowds of people. Shortly before the completion of the West Shore, occurred a riot of Italian laborers and several of them were wounded b.\' townspeople who broke up THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 297 the KJithcring in front of the Zoller house, which they besieged, as in it was hidden the contractor who owed them their wages. The day was one of great excitement for Fort Plain. AI)out 1870 the Fort Plain Spring and Axle Works was established in Fort Plain, the business having been originally located in Springfield Cen- tre. This was a large industry, em- ploying a considerable force of men, many of them mechanics of the high- est class earning high wages. This plant was the first important village manufacturing concern and its re- moval to Chicago Heights in 1894 was a distinct loss to the village for sev- eral years. Two important silk mills were located in Fort Plain in a period between about 1880 and 1884. The largest, located on Willett street, was burned in 1884 and this was an event temporarily disastrous to the town. One of the largest Canal street firms doing business had its grain elevator and mill burned in a spectacular fire in 1883. After this date the canal bus- iness fell off rapidly. At present in the village of Fort Plain are industries devoted to the manufacture of fur- niture, knit goods, silk, toy wagons, paper boxes, broombands, lithographed tin, corn buskers, hose liands, can openers, pickles, caliinet and bookcase work, condensed milk and many minor industries. The 1912 Industrial Directory of the State of New York issued by the De- partment of Labor gives the following manufacturing statistics relative to Fort Plain: Fort Plain (Montgomery county), in- corporated as a village in ]8.'52; esti- mated population in 191.3, 2,857. Fort Plain is situated on the Mohawk river, the Erie [Barge] canal, and the West Shore railroad. The village of Nellis- ton, on the opposite [north] side of the river on the New York Central rail- road, is a part of Fort Plain industri- ally. The principal manufactures are knit goods and furniture. The village is an important trading center for the surrounding country, which is devoted to dairy farming and general agricul- ture. Huilding stone is found in the vicinit.\' of the village; there is consid- eralile undeveloiied WMter power with- in ten miles. [There is also the elec- tric power derived from the power sta- tion (jf the Mohawk Hydro-Electric Co. li.y direct transmission line from Efihratah, six miles distant.] Fort Plain has a s(!wer system, municipal water works and electric lighting [and power] service. Twenty-two manufactories with 737 employes. Those employing over 10 hands arc, Bailey Knitting Mills, knit goods, 441; A. & C A. Hix, furniture, 86; Duffy Silk Co., silk throwing, 52; Fort Plain Knitting Co., knit goods, 46; Empire State Metal Wheel Co., children's wagons, 21; Century Cabi- net Co., l>ookcases, 16; Borden Con- densed Milk Co., condensed milk (in Nelliston), 15; J. M. Yordon, paper boxes, 11. 14 small factories, 49. The principal industries are knit goods with 487 employes and furniture with 102 employes. Fort Plain has gas and electric light. It also has electric power fur- nished by the Mohawk Hydro-Elec- tric Co. The concern has rights to the use of the water in the Caroga lakes and is one of the few water power companies that has a dependable water supply, particularly during the summer months. The introduction of this power into Fort Plain in 1912 un- doubtedly means much to the future industrial growth of this town, as it is claimed that power can be developed here as cheaply as anywhere in the east. The Mohawk Hydro-Electric company gave the free use of electric- ity to the merchants of Fort Plain during the street fair of 1912, which resulted in a brilliant electric display in the village streets, quite unique among' the towns of the valley. See the chapter on western Montgomery coun- ty hydro-electric power development. In 1884 a Woman's Literary society was organized in Fort Plain with a membership of about forty. Shortly after this organization was effected it was decided that the efforts of its members should be directed toward the establishment of a public library. With this idea in view a "book recep- tion" has held at the home of one of its members, and a number of books and some contril)utions of money were received. It was resolved to work un- der the name of the Women's I^ibrary Association of Fort Plain and the con- stantly growing collection of books was housed at a number of places, un- 298 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN til 1909 when the children of the late James H. Williams, in conjunction with Miss Sadie J. Williams, all of Brook- lyn, gave the use of the house at the corner of River and Willett streets to the Fort Plain Public Library, which had been incorporated under that name. This was presented as a me- morial to one of Fort Plain's first mer- chants, Harvey E. Williams, and his son, James H. Williams, who was born here. The library was also willed $1,000 by the late John Winning and $2,000 by the late Homer N. Lock- wood. Aside from these library gifts, the Catherine Nellis Memorial chapel and a drinking fountain presented by the late Charles Tanner, are the only public benefactions to the people of Fort Plain within the writer's knowl- edge. Fort Plain has many fraternal, so- cial and church organizations. The Old Fort Plain band has been a high- class musical organization for a half century, and at one time the town had two bands. The volunteer fire de- partment has generally maintained a high degree of efficiency. The Fort Plain club was originally organized as an athletic and social club of young men in 1891. It took in business men as members the same year and became a business men's social organization. The merchants and manufacturers of the town are organized under the title of the Associated Business Interests of Fort Plain. Fort Plain Lodge. IsTo. 433, F. and A. M.. was organized June 17, 1858. A railroad, from Fort Plain to Rich- field Springs and Cooperstown, has been agitated ever since an initial meeting of townspeople, to further that object, in 1828. In 1894 work was actually begun, a right of way having been obtained. Much of the road bed was constructed but the contractors failed and the project fell through. In the fall of 1898 a number of Main street merchants got up, on the spur of the moment, a display of farm fruits and produce on the sidewalks in front of their stores, and this was the nucleus of the Fort Plain street fair, famed throughout Central New York. Great crowds come by horse and auto- mobile conveyances and by trains from up and down the valley to this Sep- tember carnival. Excellent displays of fruit, farm produce, field crops and poultry are held under canvas covered booths on the brick pavement of Canal and Main streets. As many as 50,000 visitors are estimated to have attended the fair, during the week in which it is held, and 15,000 are said to have been present on a single day. The manage- ment is vested with the Fort Plain Street Fair association and the neces- sary funds are raised by private sub- scriptions. Free attractions are an- nually offered and the crowds, while full of the fair and carnival spirit and addicted to much noise, are invariably orderly and arrests and petty crimes are almost unknown. In the years from 1880 to 1910, Fort Plain established water, electric light and sewage systems. The water sys- tem was originally owned by a private company, with reservoir in Freys- bush. The village instituted its own plant in 1895, with reservoir in Pala- tine, a mile northeast of the town. Its water is taken from North creek, a branch of the Caroga. In 1903 parts of Canal and Main streets were paved with brick and since that time the main thoroughfares have been so paved. About 1885 occurred the de- velopment of Prospect Hill as a resi- dential section. In 1911, Atwood, the aviator, made his epoch-making trip by aeroplane from St. Louis to New York. He land- ed in a field on the E. I. Nellis farm in Nelliston. This was his only over- night stop in the Mohawk valley which he used as his route from Syra- cuse to Castleton on the Hudson. He landed near Glen village. Montgomery county, on the day following his stop in Nelliston. The history of Nelliston it might be here remarked, is practic- ally coincident with that of Fort Plain, since about 1850 when Nelliston began to grow into the pleasant and attrac- tive town it now is. The date of At- wood's landing at Nelliston was Aug. THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 299 22, 1911. Atvvood slept that night in Fort Plain, where he was accorded, as he said, the best reception of his wiiole journey. In 1911 the Fritclier opera house was burned and the Fort Plain theatre was' erected in the same year. A U. S. Government building, housing the postoffice and costing, with site. .|65,- 000, is provided for and will soon be erected. The following gives the known fig- ures of the population of Fort Plain: 1825, 200; 1832, 400; 1860, 1,592; 1870, 1,797; 1880, 2,443; 1890, 2 864; 1900, 2,444; 1910, 2,762. Fort Plain and Nel- liston, combined, population figures: 1880, 3,001; 1890, 3,585; 1900. 3,078; 1910, 3,499. Fort Plain and Nelliston are virtually one community, on oppo- site sides of the Mohawk. The following are the population fig- ures for the tpw'h of Minden: 1850, 4,623; 1860, 4,412; 1870. 4,600; 1S80, 5100; 1890, 5,198; 1900, 4,541; 1910, 4,645. The Reformed society moved from Sand Hill to Fort Plain and built a church in 1834 on its present site. This burned and in 1835 a structure, long known as "the brick church," was built which was repaired in 1872. While these were building, the congre- gation used the church at Sand Hill, but upon the completion of the brick one the old structure to the west of the village, was demolished. The ec- clesiastical relations of this church are with the classis of Montgomery and through it with the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America. In 1887 a new and architecturally import- ant brick church was built by the Reformed society and an adjoining frame dwelling was purchased and be- came the parsonage. The first Methodist class in Fort Plain was formed, June 24, 1832. In early times the Methodist services were occasionally held in the Sand Hill church, but more frequently in the second story of a building that stood near the Clark place on Upper Canal street. When this building was moved to a spot near the present Shin- aman drug store, the Methodists con- tinued its use as a meeting place. Then for several years before 1842 services were held in what was at that time the district school house, which occupied the site of the present one. The first Methodist church was dedicated Feb. 20, 1845. In 1854 it was enlarged and re-dedicated. In 1879, a large new brick structure was erected on the old site. A Methodist church (of frame construction) was built in Nelliston in 1895. The first Universalist society of Minden was organized April 6, 1833, and the first church was dedicated Dec. 25, 1833. It was remodeled in 1855 and 1874. In 1896 the old frame structure was torn down and a large, brick church was erected on the site. The (German) Lutheran church so- ciety held its first meetings in 1842 in private houses. The first church building was built in 1853. The pres- ent brick structure was completed in 1874. A Baptist society was formed in 1891 and a brick church was built in 1892. A Catholic frame church was erected in 1887. An Episcopal church was erected on Prospect Hill in 1887 and in 1899 was removed to the corner of Lydius and Washington streets. Fordsbush or Minden, in the south- west corner of the town of Minden, has two churches, Lutheran and Uni- versalist. The Universalist was or- ganized in 1838 and the church was enlarged and rebuilt in 1874. The Freysbush Lutheran church was organized in 1834. In 1841 a house of worship was built, and a large team shed adjoining in 1845. A parsonage and barn were erected in 1868. Meth- odist services have been held in Freys- bush since 1812, but the place did not become an independent pastoral charge until 1847. The church building of the society is the second occupied by them, its predecessor having been the first Methodist church built in the town of Minden. The association managing the ceme- tery of Fort Plain was organized March 4, 1864. It occupies, on the heights in the northwest corner of the village territory, a large and beautiful 300 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN location. The view of the valley ob- tained from it is very fine and this park-like burial place is one of the most important in Central New York. The stone Catherine Nellis Memorial chapel, of much beauty and architec- tural merit, is the gift of Mrs. H. H. Benedict of New York, in memory of her mother, and was erected in 1907. Minden today is a prosperous dairy- ing and farming section and it is famed for the beauty of its rolling hills and wooded valleys. Fort Plain has many advantages, and some disadvan- tages of location. In Prospect hill, it has a sightly viewpoint, the equal of which is not possessed by any valley town excepting Little Falls. The vis- tas opened up to a spectator on this hill are wide and exceedingly pleasing in their variety 'of river, canal, fertile fields and distant wooded hills. It is a valley section and a village with a situation and a setting, which offers unusual opportunities for the factory, for the dwellers in the town or on the fertile farms round about it. Prospect Hill is a valley eminence and a little hill of the world — a place of today and of yesterday; though but of comparatively low elevation it has the breath of the far uplands and the clear upper summits of the Mohawk valley. Along its margins yet remain a few vestiges of the ancient forest, which covered this viewpoint and stretched away in every direction to the summits of the distant high hills in the days of the Mohawks. Here are oaks, elms., a few pines, and other of our noble native trees. To the south- ward Prospect Hill rises to a noble height of two hundred feet above the river. This portion of this upland was the Tarahjohrees, or "the hill of health" of the Mohawks, and its sum- mit would be easily accessible, from the wooded little valley and brook (which lies just south of the southern limits of the village of Fort Plain and enters the Mohawk at the upper end of Nellis island) were it not for many barbed-wire fences intervening. From Prospect Hill one can easily imagine the valley as it was — perhaps as it will be — and view it as it is. Its aloofness suggests pictures of the past while its close proximity to village, railroads and canal, gives an intimate insight into the valley and village life of to- day. Its triangular bluff point, abut- ting on Otsquago creek should be- come a village park, to prevent its use for other purposes. Mason's 1892 History of Montgomery County published the following on the town of Minden: "This is the south- west corner town of the county and lies on the ."outh bank of the Mohawk. Its boundaries are formed by the Mo- hawk on the north. Cannjobarie on tho east, Otsego county on the south and Herkimer county on the west. "'lie surface of Minden consists chiefly of an undulating upland with steep de- clivities bordering on the streams. Otsquago creek [which rises almost twenty miles away in Otsego county] flows in a northeasterly direction, re- ceiving the waters of the Otsquene creek (its principal tributary) about the center of the town, and emptying into the Mohawk ;.t Fort Plain. Ots- quago is derived from the Mohawk word 'Oxsquago,' signifying 'under the bridge.' The other streams of the town are of minor importance. The branches of the Otsquago radiate largely through the greater part of the town." There are besides, eight small Virooks run- ning into the Mohawk to the north of Fort Plain. The largest of these is the picturesque one which flows through Oak Hill and alongside the Dutchtown road for a distance of four miles. One of the most interesting little brooks of Minden is the Little Woods creek, which flows through a pretty little val- ley along the northern side of the pla- teau on which stood old Fort Plain. This rivulet forms the northern limit of the village limits of Fort Plain. Just to the south of the village limits lies another little brook running from Prospect Hill into the Mohawk, and the 2V^ square miles of Fort Plain's territory lie, generally speaking, be- tween these two little streams. The greatest length of Minden from, north- east to southwest, is ten miles, and its THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 301 greatest breadth, along the river is eight miles. "The soil throughout the greater part of the town is a fine quality of gravelly and clayey loam, and is well adapted to grazing. In dairy products, Minden has always been in advance of the neighboring towns, and the cultivation of hops has also been an important feature in agricultural pursuit [but has now ceased to be.]" Minden is said to be the largest pro- ducer of dairy products of the five towns of the famous dairying section of western Montgomery county. Like the balance of western Montgomery county, hay, oats and corn are the principal crops. The Fort Plain Milk Co. controls (1914) a number of dairies and the milk from 3,000 cows. "Much interest is added to the his- tory of Minden by the fact that it con- tains the remains of one of those an- cient fortifications, which are not un- common in central and western New York, but are rare in the eastern part of the state. They indicate that the country was inhabited long prior to the advent of the [Iroquois] Indians, and, with the exception of similar remains recently discovered in Ephratah, are the farthest east thus far discovered even by the geologist. They are situ- ated four miles south of Fort Plain on a promontory ["Indian Hill" on the Otsquene, a half mile from its junction with the Otsquago], 100 feet above the stream, the declivities being almost precipitous. Across the promontory, at its narrowest part, is a curved line of breastworks, 240 feet in length, en- closing an area of about seven acres. A gigantic pine, six feet in diameter, stands upon the embankment, giving added proof that the work must have been of great antiquity." The facts here given concerning this prehistoric Indian site are credited to "Smith- sonian Contributors," Vol. 2, article 6. Indian Hill is a most interesting place, well worthy a visit, and evidenc- ing markedly the picturesque beauty of the Otsquago valley. Many Indian re- mains (pottery, arrowheads, etc.) have been here uncovered. Minden has the following hamlets within its borders: Mindenville, Min- den, Hallsville, Brookmans Corners, Salt Springville (part in Minden and part in Otsego county), and Freys- bush. Its elevation above the sea ranges from about 300 feet, at the Mo- hawk at Fort Plain, to 986 feet at Salt Springville. Between the sites of Fort Windecker and Fort Willett the land is 894 feet elevation. Oak Hill has an elevation above the Mohawk of 500 feet and Prospect Hill of over 100 feet. A furlong or more below the. village limits curious spurs or small, sharp "noses" abut on the flatlands. One of these is over 200 feet above the river and the Erie canal is almost at its feet. A magnificent view up and down the valley for a distance of twelve miles or more is here obtained and this is probably the highest ground so close to the river between Fall Hill and the Noses. A point on the Seebers Lane road, a mile south of the village on the Canajoharie-Minden line, has an elevation of 500 feet or more above the Mohawk and a sea level elevation of over 800 feet. This is probably the highest land near the village. From all these sightly points magnificent views may be obtained. They are the principal elevations of the eastern end of the town lying along the river, from which they may be readily seen. However, the beauty of Minden scenery is* not alone in these lofty lookouts but also along the Otsquago, in the woodlands, and on the upland meadows where graze the peculiarly marked and belted Holstein-Frisian cattle, making curious spots of black and white on a, background of attrac- tive landscape. The numerous farms, with their buildings, may generally be objects of pride to the people of Minden. Miss Margaret B. Stewart is the au- thor of the following paper on "The Founding of Fort Plain:" "Long before Fort Plain [the present village] was even thought of and be- fore the Erie canal was dreamt of, there were but few residents who owned the soil on which Fort Plain now stands. The mercantile, postof- 302 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN fice and other business was transacted at Sand Hill. 'Pingster Day' was a great holiday for the slaves. They had a peculiar dance they called 'To-to' dance, which always met at Wagner's tavern, and as [this part of] Fort Plain had no name, it was commonly known as 'To-to-ville' and next as Wagnersville [probably from the tav- ern]. Just as soon as the project of the canal became a fact, the ground for a village was surveyed and staked out, a map drawn, and, before the canal was finished, the sale of lots began and immediately buildings were erect- ed, ready for business on the canal. At this period there were no churches, no halls, and all the ground from Mo- hawk and Canal streets up to the Grouse bluff was vacant, up as far as Abeel's along the canal [with the ex- ception of a few buildings as noted in previous chapters]. "Religion and politics ran high for those were stormy days. As I said before, there were no churches then, and the Methodists, Dutch Reformed and Universalists held their meetings in the schoolhouse, which stood on its present site. First one would occupy it, then the other, and the other. The doctrine of the Universalists was new to Fort Plain, and the orthodox opened fire on them and threw hot shell into their camp, and the Universalists fired back. Each tried to hold the fort and a fierce discussion in the schoolhouse, in the streets, stores and shops was kept up, which entirely divided the community — a kind of cat and dog re- ligion. The Methodists brought out their heaviest gun — Elder Knapp, one of the most popular and redhot revi- valists in the state. He hurled the Universalists into hell, without giving them time to pull off their boots. The Dutch Reformed brought on their big gun, Ketcham of Stone Arabia, who helped kindle hell's fire and get it boil- ing. Then the Universalists got Dr. Skinner, of Utica, with a cartload of ice and put out the fire. So it went and the people took sides and the schoolhouse was too small.- The result was that the Universalists built their church and the Dutch Reformed built their church — a frame building — on the site where the brick building now stands. The churches were built and finished at the same time and were to be dedicated the same day. "The night before dedication, the Dutch Reformed church Ijurned down, but money was raised and a brick church was erected on the same spot. Next came up the subject of incorpor- ating the village, and in 1831 there was no opi)osition, except in the name. Some wanted the village named Fort Plank and others Fort Plain. Finally Fort Plain was agreed upon and on the 25th of April, 1832, the village was in- corporated." Fort Plain was the home of George W. Elliott and Jeptha R. Simms, both known through their literary labors. Jeptha R. Simms was born in Can- terbury, Conn., Dec. 31, 1807. His father, Capt. Joseph Simms, removed to Plainfield, N. Y., in 1824. Beginning 1826, J. R. Simms was a clerk in Cana- joharie, for three years, going from there to New York city. In the fall of 1832 he returned to Canajoharie and went into business with Herman I. Ehle, a former employer. After a clerkship for a time in Schoharie, Mr. Simms set about collecting the scat- tered materials for his "History of Schoharie County and Borders Wars of New York," published in 1845. In 1846 he published a Revolutionary tale entitled the "American Spy" and, in 1850, the "Trappers of New York." In 1882 was issued his "Frontiersmen of New York," in two volumes, dealing with Mohawk valley history, princi- pally of the Revolution, and particu- larly with that of the neighborhood immediately adjacent to Fort Plain. It is largely owing to his labors that so much of local record has been pre- served. Mr. Simms died in Fort Plain in 1883, aged 76 years. Simms lived in Fultonville for a number of years and while there pub- lished his "Border Wars" in 1845; and also erected a very handsome resi- dence built of cobblestones, every one of which he gathered in the vicinity and for the outside course he sized THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 303 them through a hole in a board to have them uniform. This dwelling, still in fine condition, is in possession of Starin Industrial and Benevolent asso- ciation and called Cobblestone Hall. George W. Elliott was a resident of Fort Plain in the sixties and married Mary Bowen, daughter of Solomon Bowen, who for years conducted Mont- gomery Hall (later the Lipe House), which was remodeled into the present building of the Farmers and Mechan- ics Bank. Elliott was editor of the (Fort Plain) "Mohawk Valley Regis- ter" for a time and wrote much pleas- ing poetry. His best known produc- tion is "Bonny Eloise, the Belle of the Mohawk Vale," which has become the song of the valley. It is said he com- posed the words to this popular mel- ody while on a railroad journey from New York to Fort Plain, addressing his song to his sweetheart, Mary Bowen (with a. change of name). The .work bears copyright date of 1858 and J. R. Thomas was the composer of the plaintively sweet melody to which Mr. Elliott's words are sung. The lyric follows: Bonny Eloise. Oh, sweet is the vale where the Mo- hawk gently glides On its clear winding way to the sea, And dearer than all storied streams on earth besides Is this bright rolling river to me. (Chorus) But sweeter, dearer, yes dearer far than these, Who charms where others all fail. Is blue-eyed, bonny, bonny Eloise, The belle of the Mohawk vale. Oh, sweet are the scenes of my boy- hood's sunny years. That bespangle the gay valley o'er. And dear are the friends seen through memory's fond tears That have lived in the blest days of yore. (Chorus) Oh, sweet are the moments when dreaming I roam Thro' my loved haunts now mossy and grey. And dearer than all is my childhood's hallowed home. That is crumbling now slowly away. (Chorus) Lossing wrote, in 1848, concerning Fort Plain and its surrounding coun- try, as follows, in his "Pictorial Field Book of the American Revolution:" "Fort Plain (at the junction of the Otsquago creek and the Mohawk) one of the numerous comely children brought forth and fostered by^the pro- lific commerce of the Erie canal, is near the site of the fortification of that name erected in the Revolution. ****** "At Fort Plain I was joined by my traveling companions, * * * and made it my headquarters for three days, while visiting places of interest in the vicinity. It being a central point in the hostile movements in Tryon county, from the time of the flight of St. Leger from before Fort Stanwix until the close of the war, we will plant our telescope of observation here for a time, and view the most important occurrences within this par- ticular sweep of its speculum. * * * "Who that has passed along the Valley of the Mohawk, near the close of a day in summer, has not been deeply impressed with the singular beauty of the scene? Or who, that has traversed the uplands, that skirt this fruitful garden, and stretch away to other valleys, and mingle with the loftier hills or fertile intervals within the borders of ancient Tryon county, is not filled with wonder while contem- plating the changes that have been wrought there within a life-span? When the terrible drama, which we have been considering, was performed almost the whole country was covered with a primeval forest. Clearings were frequent along the Mohawk river and cultivation was assiduous in producing the blessings of abundance and gen- eral prosperity; but the southern por- tions of Herkimer and Montgomery, * * * [much of] Schoharie and all of Otsego, down to the remote settle- ments of Unadilla, were a wilderness except where a few thriving settle- ments were growing upon the water courses. The traveler as he views the 'field joined to field' in the Mohawk valley, all covered with waving grain, green pastures, or bending fruit 304 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN trees, inclosing, in their arms of plenty, elegant mansions; or watches the vast stream of inland commerce that rolls by upon the Erie Canal; or the villages of people that almost hourly sweep along its margin after the vapor steed; or rides over the adjacent hill country, north and south, enlivened by villages and rich in cultivation, can hardly realize the fact that here, seventy years ago, the wild Indian was joint possessor of the soil with the hardy settlers, and that the light of civiliza- tion was as scattered and feeble, and for a while as evanescent and fleeting, in these broad solitudes, as is the sparkle of a firefly on a summer even- ing. Yet such is the wonderful truth; and as I passed down the canal, at the close of the day, from Fort Plain to Fultonville, surrounded with the ac- tivity, opulence and beauty of the Mo- hawk valley, I could not, while con- trasting this peacefulness and progress with the discord and social inertia of other lands, repress the feelings of the Pharisee." On the streets of Fort Plain, those who look aloft see, silhouetted against the sky, a giant elm on the crest of Prospect Hill — a presiding spirit of the hill and of the village — a land- mark known to all who dwell or have dwelt within its range. Under its great branches one may view for miles the quiet valley and the Mohawk winding northward. Truly it is a spirit of the hill, the town and the valley for it has been a silent witness of all the many changes of animal and plant life along the Mohawk from the day when the dusky Iroquois sped in his bark canoe upon the rippling waters till that eventful evening when a bird man came flying high over the gloom- ing hills from the far westward. For this noble tree must have graced this spot from the day when the very first white settler made his forest home within sight of "Tahraghjorees, 'the hill of health,' " well beloved of the Mohawks. Here came the first Dutch traders, of whom we have a record, to the Iroquois village of Osquago and here they were well received by its chieftain, Ognoho, "the wolf." The big tree of Tahraghjorees has been a witness of the coming of the Dutch, German and British; it has seen the destruction of that immense forest, of which it was once a unit, and with it the passing of the Mohawks who dwelt upon its hill. Now from this great elm have been visible many sights of interest to all our people. Let these visions arise once more in fleeting succession: Here come the first white men toil- ing with poles to push their laden flatboats up stream to their future woodland homes; some driving their cattle and carts along the river trails. Many of these same pioneers, with their women and children, later flee eastward, for the French and Indians have burned the village at German Flatts and murdered its people. Long lines of soldiers stream up and down the turnpike at the foot of the , hill, going to and returning from battles with the Canadian French and Indians. Here come ten thousand sol- diers — militia and regulars — marching slowly up the valley; drums beat, trumpets sound, arms and red coats glitter in the sunlight; on the river the batteaux slowly creep westward bearing army supplies and munitions. It is General Amherst's great army on its way to capture Montreal and Can- ada from the French. On a hill to the west sturdy Ger- mans are building the blockhouses and stockade of old Fort Plain. Up the valley march the patriot far- mers on their way to the gory field of Oriskany; back come the straggling survivors, carrying their wounded comrades in litters and on river boats. The green summer landscape is spotted with the fire and smoke of burning buildings, while Brant and his merciless savages are raiding over the Minden hills; distant tiny figures are fleeing toward the fort; bands of naked, yelling brutes are in chase, striking down bloodily those they catch. Here comes a great column of Am- erican soldiers; Van Rensselaer is THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN 305 riding at their head; they beg him to lead on to Stone Arabia where stnoke is rising from the fires set by John- son's raiders; the listless general, un- heeding, rides on to the fort to fill his stomach to the full; his men cursing cross the river at the island and chase the foe up the river; the red and white savages escape in the night. A rider gallops furiously along the turnpike, plunges through the creek and up to the fort; drums beat and a battalion of fighting men come swarming like bees from out a hive; there they go rapidly tramping by to the field of Johnstown; at their head rides the big, powerful figure of Mar- inus Willett. Washington and Clinton, with their escort of Continental officers, ride out from old Port Plain over the trail to Otsego lake. Now come the settlers' caravans, the "prairie schooners," rolling to the dis- tant west over the valley highways; great flat-wheeled freight wagons crawl slowly eastward and westward. The first mail stagecoach comes rat- tling cheerily up the southern turn- pike. Its arrival is a lively event to the valley folk. People go to the tav- ern to see if the stage has brought them letters or newspapers. Men are tearing down the fort on the distant hillside; farmers are draw- ing away its timbers and palisades. Up the river, at the Island, the sturdy valley men are making the first bridge in sight across the Mohawk. River boats, heavily laden with arms and supplies, move laboriously up the Mohawk. Columns of the men of 1812 march to the westward to defend the New York frontier from British in- vasion; many sons of the valley are in the ranks. Myriads of tiny figures are dig- ging a great ditch parallel with the river, in which to float greater freight and passenger boats; they are chang- ing the channel of the Otsquago at the foot of the hill; streets are being laid out, dwellings and stores are going up on the flatlands, where before were but a few scattered houses; the noise of building is heard all the day long. A railroad has been built on the east or "north" bank of the Mohawk; crowds of people gather at the Fort Plain station to watch the first trains go by, crowded with cheering travel- ers; all make this a great holiday. Men are stringing wires on poles along the railroad; to the incredulous watchers they say men will signal and talk through the tiny metal wire. Drums are beating in the valley be- low; crowds are watching the "boys in blue" marching to entrain for south- ern battlefields where northern brother will clash with southern brother; ere long the black hearse wends its way up the hillside to the white, monu- ment-dotted cemetery, bearing one killed in this dread war; sorrowing women, children and men follow to the soldier's grave, where on Decoration day waves a tiny flag of red, white and blue. Brick factories arise on the river flats. Another railroad is being made along the south or "west" bank of the river; here and there are clusters of shanties, housing the brawny, swarthy men who do the necessary vigorous labor. The first automobile whirls through the village streets; it becomes one of the many nine-day wonders the val- ley people have seen. Men raise a great dam and lock of cement across the Mohawk, filling the stream to its bank tops; where, in the old days the Indian canoe danced on the dark waters and the laden bat- teaux slowly floated, great barges will glide from lakes to ocean and from ocean to lakes. Out of the summer evening sky to the north a great bird shape comes sailing and drops on a Palatine mea- dow. People run madly to greet its man pilot. From the northern hills comes a line of great wires, strung on iron pillars, running across the fields and through the opposite village to Fort Plain, bringing the electric power generated by the waters of the Caroga — power which, in the future, will supplant coal, which will heat and light and furnish 306 THE STORY OF OLD FORT PLAIN the energy to turn the humming fac- tory wheels of the town. On the hills is in evidence much of the agricultural detail of these broad rolling farmlands, stretching miles away to the far horizon — the roads, fields, crops, woods, farmhouses, barns and herds — the living moving dots of people and animals seeming no larger than the tiny ants scurrying about in the grass at our feet. The loaded hay- wagon moves slowly toward the big barn on the distant hilltop; the milk wagon rattles along the road with its load bound for the village creamery or condensed milk factory; countless au- tomobiles glide swiftly along the turn- pikes; the farm boy and his dog drive homeward the black and white cattle at nightfall; the evening sun casts it orange radiance on the eastern hills — here and there a farmhouse window glows like a point of living fire. Down in the valley are all the signs of busy village life; the dawn breaks over the Palatine hills through the gray river mist; a few people walk about in the streets; smoke rises from the chimneys in the houses where breakfast is cooking; factory' whistles blow; workers are going to their tasks; a storekeeper unlocks his store door and waits upon the farmer who has just driven into town; the schoolbell rings; children troop to their daily lessons, singly and in little groups; tiny dark figures, motor cars, dot the brick pavements; farm wagons cross the river bridge and come rapidly down the Otsquago road; trains whis- tle, they rush l)y, east and west, some stopping at the stations; school is out and the happy youngsters skip to play or dawdle homewards; a solitary canal boat floats into sight on the Erie; a tug is unloading goods on the once busy docks; workers come from their toil; lights are lit and crowds are astir along the bright thoroughfares; a black mass of peoplis gathers at the street corner and the sound of a band playing comes softly to the hilltop — it is "Bonnie Eloise" the musicians are playing; black night comes on; the moon rises and illumines the twin pale strips of river and canal; lights blot out in the house and the town, the people, the countryside go to sleep; the night wind softly stirs the branches of the great tree. It is Sunday; the village church bells ring clangingly, ponderously; a knell for the past, brave notes for the now and the days to come; couples of young people climb the hill, clad in their best; the father, the mother and the children slowly walk to the sum- mit; they refresh themselves with a view of the broad stretches of the val- ley and the winding river. Many human animals have seen this changing panorama in the years gone by; most have lived, some happily and some unhappily, and have gone to their long rest on the distant hilltop. The big elm, too, saw all that makes up the human story of old Fort Plain and of the winding valley; its great branches still stand against the sky; its message— "I have seen it all, I shall see much that is to come." APPENDIX MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY The following list of dates forms a chronology of the Mohawk valley and its six counties of Oneida, Herkimer, Montgomery, Fulton, Schoharie and Schenectady. The editor of this work has found it impossilile to secure dates of secondary importance, which will explain their absence to those who think they should have been included. All the dates of the main events of im- portance in the history of the Mohawk valley are here included: , 1524 — John de Verezzano, Italian navigator, enters harbor of New York; possibly first discoverer of territory of New York. 1540 — French fur traders build trad- ing post on Castle Island, in Hudson, near Albany; destroyed by freshet same year and abandoned. 1604 — Canada's first permanent white settlement made at Port Royal, Nova Scotia, by the French. 1608 — Champlain settles Quebec. 1609 — Champlain and Canadian In- dians defeat Mohawks on west shore of Lake Champlain, near Ticonderoga, making Mohawks lasting enemies of the French. 1609 — Sailors from the Dutch ship, Half Moon, pass the mouth of the Mohawk. 1614 — Dutch trading post established at Castle Island, near Albany. 1614 — Probable first visit of white men (two Dutch traders) who came up the Mohawk and went south to Ot- sego, probably by way of the Otsquago. 1615 — Champlain's expedition against the Iroquois defeated in the Onondaga country. 1616 — First French-Canadian priests enter Mohawk valley on missionary work. 1621 — Dutch West India Company formed, taking possession of New Netherlands. 1624 — First permanent settlement of Albany; Fort Orange built; New Am- sterdam (New York) settled perma- nently same year. 1626 — New Netherlands (embracing New York and New Jersey) made a province or county of Holland. 1634^Three Dutch traders from Fort Orange journey on the south side of Mohawk river through western Mont- gomery county. They visited eight Mohawk villages from the Big Nose to opposite Caroga creek, seven on the south and one on the north side of the Mohawk river. 1646 — Jogues, French Jesuit priest, put to death by Mohawks. Shrine at Auriesville, Montgomery county, marks this event. 1658 — Four settlers said to have been located at Schenectady — Van Slyck, Lindsay, Qlen and Teller. Place said to have been occupied by white men at and before 1642. 1659 — Council at Caughnawaga be- tween Dutch and Mohawks; first held .in the valley. 1661 — Schenectady settled by Dutch; historically regarded as the first white settlement in Mohawk valley, although Schenectady was settled by white men before this date. 1664 — New Netherlands captured by the English. Name changed to New York. New Amsterdam renamed New York and Fort Orange renamed Al- bany. 1666 — French and Indians destroy Mohawk villages; Mohawks escape. 1669, August 18 — Mohawks defeat Mohicans in battle at Towereune, near Hoffmans, Schenectady county, ensur- ing Mohawk control of valley. 308 APPENDIX 1670 (about) — Jan Mabie stone house built at Rotterdam, Schenectady coun- ty; oldest existing structure in Mo- hawk valley. 1673 — Dutch retake New York state from the English. 1674 — Dutch turn over New York again to the English. 1682 — Reformed Dutch church of Schenectady built; later demolished. 1689 — Mohawks and Iroquois raid Canada and Montreal. 1689 — Hendrick Frey and family set- tle at Palatine Bridge. 1689-1697— First French-British war in America, known as King William's war. 1690 — Schenectady burned and peo- ple massacred by French and Indians; neighborhood repopulated soon after. 1692 — French-Indian war party at- tacked and burned Oneida castle. The Onondagas, fearing attack, burned their villages and retreated to the wilderness. 1693 — French -Indian-Canadian expe- dition, under Count Frontenac, attacks, captures and burns the three Mohawk castles; hard fight at upper castle; 300 Mohawks made prisoners; Albany mi- litia, under Col. Peter Schuyler, pur- sued and retook 50 captives. 1698 — White population of Mohawk valley estimated at 300, mostly in Schenectady county. 1700 — Vrooman house (brick) Sche- nectady city, built. 1700— Schenectady fort rebuilt. It was originally destroyed in the massa- cre of 1690. It was later rebuilt and strengthened in 1735 and in 1780. 1701-1713 — Second French-British war in America, known as Queen Anne's war. 1709 — Four Mohawk chiefs, of whom King Hendrick was one, accompany Col. Peter Schuyler of Albany to Eng- land; received by Queen Anne; object of trip to ally Iroquois closely to Eng- land. 1710 — Three Mohawk chiefs and Schuyler return from England to Al- bany; one chief dies on trip; council at Albany at which Iroquois renew al- legiance to England. 1711— Fort Hunter built. 1712 — Queen Anne's (Episcopal) chapel built at Fort Hunter for re- ligious instruction of Indians; stone parsonage built and still standing; chapel destroyed in building Erie canal, 1817-1825. 1713 — Glen Sanders house, Scotia, Schenectady county, built; oldest large house standing in the valley. 1713 (about) — First settlement by Palatine Germans at Stone Arabia and on Schoharie creek. 1713 (about) — First church of logs, built at Stone Arabia — Stone Arabia Reformed Dutch church. 1714 — Tuscaroras, driven by whites out of Carolinas, settle among Iro- quois, who become Six Nations after this date. 1723, Oct. 19— Stone Arabia patent of 12,700 acres granted to 27 heads of families, nearly all Palatine Germans. 1725 — Burnetsfield patent granting land to Palatine German settlers, from Little Falls to Frankfort; this year found the Mohawk valley settled along the river by Germans from the Noses westward to Frankfort; also the Scho- harie valley settled by Germans and Dutch; eastern end of Mohawk valley settled by Holland Dutch. 1730^Major Glen house, Scotia, Schenectady county, built. 1735 — Governor Yates brick house, Schenectady city, built. 1738 — William Johnson settles in Florida, Montgomery county, and builds Fort Johnson (first house of three). 1738-42 — Sir George Clarke, governor of province of New York, builds a stone house on site of Fort Plain and lives there parts of four years. 1739— Fort Frey (stone) built at Pal- atine Bridge; oldest house in Palatine. 1742 — Fort Johnson (stone house) built, town of Amsterdam, Montgom- ery county. This was first named Mount Johnson and later called Fort Johnson, when fortified; this has made considerable confusion between John- son's first two houses. 1743 — Butler frame house, Mohawk town, Montgomery county, built. 1743-1748 — Third French-British war MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 309 in America, I^nown as King George's war. 1745 — William Johnson appointed justice of peace of Albany county and colonel of Albany county militia; sets about organizing Mohawk valley mi- litia; appointed commissioner of In- dian affairs for New York province. 1746, August 4 — Party sent by Col. William Johnson against French and Indians, ambushed at Chambly. 1748— Battle of Beukendaal, Schen- ectady county, between valley militia and Canadian Indians; militia ambus- caded, defeated; 30 killed, 13 cap- tured. 1750 — Van Alstine stone house built on Canajoharie creek (probably oldest in town of Canajoharie). 1750 — Colonel William Johnson made one of governor's council. 1754 — Commissioners from the colo- nies attend a Colonial conference at Albany, to discuss colonial defense against French; said to be the first step in the formation of the United States; Col. Wm. Johnson and King Hendrick and delegation of Iroquois attend; King Hendrick makes famous speech. 1754-1763 — Fourth French-British war in America, known as the Seven Years war. Offlcially it lasted from 1756-1763 — but in America it began in 1754 and ended in 1760. 1755 — Fort Canajoharie built at pres- ent Indian Castle (Herkimer county) to protect Mohawks at Canajoharie castle. 1755 — Major-General William John- son in command of British-American army defeats French in Battle of Lake George; 250 Mohawk warriors in force; King Hendrick, Mohawk chief killed. Johnson made a baronet and reap- pointed Indian superintendent. 1756 — Fort Klock (stone house) built in town of St. Johnsville, Montgomery county. 1756 — Fort Herkimer erected. Fort Herkimer (Herkimer county) stone Reformed Dutch church completed; oldest church standing in Mohawk valley and probably second oldest in state (Sleepy Hollow church antedat- ing it). 1756 — Gen. Webb with British regi- ment and supplies passes up Mohawk valley to reinforce Fort Oswego; French capture fort; Webb returns; Johnson with militia and Indians re- turns. 1756, August — Gen. Johnson leads militia and Indian party to join Gen. Webb's relief expedition for Fort Wil- liam Henry, on Lake George; expedi- tion fails; Fort William Henry is cap- tured by French. 1756, Nov. 12 — French and Indians destroy Palatine village at present Herkimer, and massacre inhabitants. 1758 — French and Indian attack at Fort Herkimer (Herkimer county) re- pulsed. 1758 — April— Col. William Johnson calls together the Mohawk valley mi- litia at Canajoharie (Fort Plain) to repel invasion of French and Indians at Fort Herkimer. Enemy fled. The valley militia were with their com- mander (later Sir William Johnson) in many of his military expeditions in the French-Indian war, 1754-1763. 1758, July 8— Sir William Johnson and 400 Iroquois warriors join Gen. Abercrombre's English army at Ti- conderoga where the army of 7,000 British and 9,000 provincial troops were totally defeated. 1758— Fort Stanwix (Rome) built. 1759, Jan. 18 — Conference of Mohawk and Seneca chiefs with Sir William Johnson at Canajoharie Castle. In April, at same place, Iroquois pledge their assistance to Johnson's expedi- tion against Fort Niagara; 700 war- riors later follow Johnson to victory at this place. 1759 — British-American army under Sir William Johnson captures French Fort Niagara; 700 Iroquois warriors and body of militia with Johnson. 1759 — St. George's Episcopal church, Schenectady, built. 1759 — Johnstown founded by Sir William Johnson. 1760, June 12 — Gen. Amherst's Brit- ish American army of 10.000 (6,000 provincials, 4 000 regulars) leaves Schenectady and passes up valley en route to Montreal, which it captures, ending French power in America; 310 APPENDIX army's supplies and munitions go north on Mohawk river. Sir William Johnson later joins expedition with 1,300 Iroquois warriors in his force. Amherst's army largest ever in Mo- hawk valley. 1760 — First white settlement in One- ida county by Johannes Roof. Settle- ment abandoned in 1777. Johannes Roof jr., first white child born in One- ida county, born this year. 1763 — Caughnawaga (Fonda), Mont- gomery county, Reformed Dutch parsonage built. Church erected 1763; pulled down in 1868. 1763 — Johnson Hall, Johnstown, Ful- ton county, built; Sir William Johnson removes from Fort Johnson (first call- ed Mount Johnson), to Johnson Hall, now owned by New York state. 1764 — Herkimer (brick) house built by (General) Nicholas Herkimer at Danube, Herkimer county; now owned by state. 1765 — Campbell house, Schenectady city, built. 1766 — Guy Park, stone house, Am- sterdam, Montgomery county, built by Sir William Johnson for his nephew, Guy Johnson. 1768 — Council between Sir W^illiam Johnson, British colonial authorities and Iroquois at Fort Stanwix in which Six Nations relinquish large part of their lands to British Crown. 1769 — Indian Castle, Herkimer coun- ty, frame church built, largely for Mo- hawk Indians' instruction. 1770 — Palatine Evangelical Lutheran (present stone) church built. 1772 — Schoharie Reformed Dutch church built at Schoharie Court House; used as Revolutionary Ameri- can post — known as the Lower Fort. 1772 — Formation of Tryon county and the districts of Mohawk, Canajo- harie, Palatine, German Flats and Kingsland. Canajoharie, on south side, and Palatine, on north side, ex- tended from the Noses to Little Falls. Johnstown made county seat; jail and court house built. Population of whole Mohawk valley estimated at about 15,000; Tryon county, over 10,000. 1774 — First patriotic meeting in Tryon county, held in Palatine. 1774 — Sir William Johnson dies at Johnstown; was major-general of New York militia and Indian superintendent for all British American colonies; son, Sir John Johnson succeeds to his es- tate of 173,000 acres. 1775-1783 — American Revolution of the thirteen British-American colo- ' nies; independence declared. 1775 — Formation of Palatine Com- mittee of Safety at home of Adam Loucks in Palatine (first committee of safety in Tryon county). 1775, May 24 — First meeting of Tryon County Committee of Safety held at William Seeber's in Canajo- harie district at later Fort Plain. 1775, June 11 — Tryon County Com- mittee of Safety at Gose Van Al- stine's house, in Canajoharie, appoints Christopher P. Yates and John Marlatt as delegates to New York Provincial Congress. 1775 — Col. Guy Johnson and large body of Mohawk Indians and Tories leave the valley for Canada. 1775 — Liberty pole erected by Fort Herkimer patriots; later cut down by Tory Sheriff White. 1776, Jan. 18 — Gen. Schuyler and force meets Col. Herkimer and the Tryon County militia at Caughnawaga; review held there on the ice on Mo- hawk river. 1776. Jan. 19 — Gen. Schuyler's and Col. Herkimer's American forces dis- arm Johnson and 400 Tories at Johns- town. 1776 — Fort Plain and Fort Plank (town of Minden) built; Fort Dayton built; I'ort Herkimer, Fort Stanwix (renamed Fort Schuyler), Fort Hunter repaired and rebuilt; Johnstown jail made Fort Johnstown. 1776 — Sir John Johnson and Tory followers escape from Johnstown to Canada, as Col. Dayton's American party enters town to capture them. 1776, August 22 — Tryon county bri- gade of American militia organized. Nicholas Herkimer made chief colonel. 1777 — Fort Paris, in Palatine, Fort Clyde (in Freysbush district of Min- den), Fort Windecker in Minden, built; three Schoharie valley forts — upper, middle and lower — constructed; Upper IMOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 311 Fort near Brakabeen; Middle Fort near Middleburg; Lower Fort at Scho- harie. 1777, May — Gen. Nicholas Herkimer and the TryoYi County Militia go from Fort Plain to Cherry Valley to Otsego lake to hold conference with Joseph Brant and his Indian army at Una- dilla, with the idea of winning the In- dians to the American cause or mak- ing them neutral. The conference is ineffectual and battle is narrowly avoided. 1777, August 2 — Fort Schuyler (gar- risoned by 750 Americans under Col. Peter Gansevoort) invested by British- Tory-Indian army under General St. Leger (1,600 men). 1777, August 4 — Tryon county mi- litia, commanded by Brig.-Gen. Nicho- las Herkimer, starts march from Fort Dayton to relieve Fort Schuyler.* 1777, August 6 — American national flag — the stars and stripes — first flown in battle over Fort Schuyler. 1777, August 6— Battle of Oriskany between Tryon county American mi- litia and St. Leger's British army; Willetfs sortie; drawn battle; 200 British-Tories-Indians killed or wound- ed; 200 Americans killed or wounded; General Herkimer mortally wounded; Tryon county militia retreats to Fort Herkimer; bloodiest and hardest fought Revolutionary battle. 1777, August 8— Col. Willett and Lieut. Stockwell start from Fort Schuyler for Gen. Schuyler's head- quarters at Stillwater, on the Hudson, to secure relief force for Fort Schuyler. 1777, August 12 — Col. John Harper rides from Schoharie to Albany to se- cure aid to repel McDonald's Tory and Indian invasion of Schoharie valley. 1777, August 13 — Col. John Harper, with 28 regular American cavalrymen and body of Schoharie militia repulse and drive off Capt. McDonald's 150 In- dians and Tories at Vroomans; known as "Flockey Battle." 1777, August 16 — General Herkimer dies at his home, Danube, Herkimer county, of wounds received at Oris- kany. 1777, August 22 — St. Leger's British force flees from Fort Schuyler on ap- proach of Gen. Arnold's American army. 1778, February — Council between New York state commissioners and Iroquois Indians at Johnstown. Onei- das and Tuscaroras renew allegiance; other four tribes, represented by a few Mohawks and Onondagas. remain hos- tile. 1778 — Brant and enemy destroy An- druston, south of German Flatts, Her- kimer county. 1778, March — Invasion of Fairfield, Herkimer countj', by party of Tories and Indians. 1778 April — Indian and Tory raid of Manheim, Herkimer county. 1778, May 1 — Company of American soldiers from Fort Paris, Stone Ara- bia, go in pursuit of party of 20 In- dians and Tories who raided Ephratah, the day before, April 30, 1778. Raiders escape. 1778, May 30— Battle of Cobleskill; 300 Indians and Tories under Brant ambuscade 50 American regulars and militia, defeat and almost annihilate them. 1778, May — Springfield, Otsego coun- ty, raided by Brant's invaders. 1778, May — Lieut. Matthew Wor- muth shot by Brant and Indians in Takaharawa Glen, near Cherry Valley. Col. Klock and the Palatine battalion go to Cherry Valley but Brant's party flees. 1778, Sept. 1 — Brant and enemy raid German Flats. Helmer, American scout's heroic run, saves settlers; set- tlements destroyed. 1778, Nov. 10 — Massacre at Cherry Valley by party of enemy under Wal- ter Butler and Brant. Col. Klock and the Palatine batallion of the Tryon county militia march to the relief of Cherry Valley, but the enemy escapes. 1779, April 18 — American expedition, under Col. Van Schaick, sent from Fort Schuyler against Onondaga villages; Onondagas fled and Americans burned their villages. 1779 — Gen. Clinton's American army of 1,500 men, enroute to join Gen. Sul- livan's army invading the Iroquois country, reach Canajoharie from Sche- nectady, the supplies, etc., coming by 312 APPENDIX river batteaux. June 17 Clinton be- gan moving his troops and supplies and batteaux (by wagon) to Otsego lake, which he reached June 30. At Canajoharie two Tory spies were hanged. Clinton used the regular roads from Canajoharie to Otsego, building only short stretches of new road. Sullivan and Clinton's Ameri- can army defeated enemy at Elmira, Aug. 29, and afterward ravaged the Iroquois country. 1780 — Fort Plain blockhouse built. 1780, May 21 — Sir John Johnson, commanding 500 Indians and Tories, raids from Johnstown to the Mohawk and up the valley to western Mont- gomery county. Buildings burned and patriots murdered. 1780, Aug. 2 — Minden raid by In- dians and Tories under Joseph Brant. Col. Wemple and militia march to Fort Plain but enemy escapes. 1780, Sept. 1 (about)— Fort Plain made headquarters of Mohawk valley forts. 1780, Oct. 16 — Johnson and raiders enter Schoharie valley and commence great raid of Schoharie and Mohawk valleys. Feeble attacks made on Mid- dle and Lower Schoharie forts. 1780, Oct. 19 — Col. John Brown and American force of 135 defeated at Stone Arabia by Sir John Johnson's raiders. Brown killed. Palatine raid- ed and buildings burned. 1780, Oct. 19— Skirmish at Klock's Field, St. Johnsville town, fought by Gen. Van Rensselaer's American army and Johnson's invaders. Johnson's force retreats and escapes. 1781— Fort Willett, in Dutchtown section of Minden, built. 1781, June — Col. Marinus Willett ap- pointed commander of Mohawk valley military with headquarters at Fort Plain. 1781, July 2— Capt. Solomon Wood- worth's company of rangers ambus- caded at Fairfield, Herkimer county, by Indians and but few escape; 50 Americans, 80 Indians in Fairfield bat- tle; Woodworth and 37 of his men killed; bloodiest Revolutionary en- counter in Mohawk valley. 1781, July 9— Raid at Currytown by 500 Tories and Indians under Capt. Dockstader, a valley Tory. 1781, July 10 — Battle of Sharon Springs. Col. Willett and 260 men start from Fort Plain, pursue the enemy and defeat them at Sharon Springs. 1781, Oct. 24 — Raid by enemy under Ross and Butler, through town of Root to Mohawk river, south to Amsterdam and northwest to Johnstown. Col. Willett starts from Fort Plain in pur- suit with 400 men. 1781, Oct. 25 — Battle of Johnstown; American victory. 1781, Oct. 29— Battle of West Can- ada creek; American victory; Butler killed. 1781 — Christian Schell, his wife and six sons make heroic defense of his blockhouse home (five iniles north of Fort Dayton), repulsing 60 Tories and Indians; killing 11, wounding 15, in- cluding enemy's captain, McDonald, mortally wounded and captured. 1782 — Washington visited Schenec- tady. 1782, July— Fort Herkimer neighbor- hood raided by enemy; repulsed from fort; last large raid of the war; set- tlements destroyed. 1783, Feb. 9— Col. Willett's attempt to capture Fort Oswego fails. 1783, April 17 — News of cessation of hostilities reaches Fort Plain from Washington's headquarters at New- burgh. April 18, Capt. Thompson and four companions start on journey with the peace news to British post of Fort Oswego. 1783 — Population of Tryon county, about 4,000. 1783, July 30— Gen. Washington and staff reach Fort Plain on return from valley trip westward to site of Fort Schuyler. Washington stops over night at house of Peter Wormuth in Palatine. July 31, .Washington and staff dine at Fort Plain and journey to Cherry Valley. Aug. 1, Washington's party visits Otsego lake and returns to Canajoharie, dining with Col. Clyde in Van Alstine house and remaining here over night. Aug. 2, Washington's party continues east on their return down the Mohawk valley to the Hud- MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 313 son and thence to American army headquarters at Newburgh. 1783 — Fort Herkimer made military depot for far western American posts. 1784 — James Duane of New York and Duanesburgh, Schenectady county, first mayor of New York city after the British evacuation. 1784 — First permanent white settle- ment of Oneida county; Whitestown, Oneida county, settled; era of immi- gration into valley, especially western end, largely from New England. 1784 — Council at Fort Schuyler (Rome), Oneida county, between New York authorities and Six Nations; treaty made; great foot race concludes council. 1785— Oneidas and Tuscaroras, in council at Fort Herkimer, cede all ter- ritory between Chenango and Unadilla rivers to New York state. 1786 — Three houses on site of Utica; owned by Demuth, Christian and Cun- ningham. 1786 — Population Tryon county about 15 000; of the entire Mohawk valley, approximately, 20,000. 1787 — Stone Arabia Reformed (pres- ent stone) church built. 1787 — Dutch Reformed church of Middleburgh, Schoharie county, built. Former church burned in raid of 17S0. 1788 — Council between New York state authorities and Iroquois Indians at Fort Schuyler (Rome), Oneida county. Indian title to New York state lands extinguished and territory opened for settlennent. 1790 (about) — Bridge built at Little Falls, probably first bridge built over the Mohawk. 1790 — Mail stages begin running from Albany to Schenectady to Johns- town to Canajoharie. 1791 — Herkimer county formed. 1792 — Stone Arabia Lutheran (pres- ent frame) church built at Stone Ara- bia, Montgomery county. 1792 — Inland Lock & Navigation Co. formed. 1793 — Bridges over East and West Canada creeks built and north side turnpike opened to Utica. 1795 — First newspaper in the Mo- hawk valley established at Whites- town. The Utica Herald-Dispatch is a descendant of this paper. 1795 — Union college, Schenectady, founded. 1795 — Schoharie county formed. 1796 — "The Mohawk Mercury," first newspaper established in Schenectady. 1796 — Mohawk river navigation im- proved by Inland Lock Navigation Co., with locks and canals at Little Falls, Wolf's Rift, Rome, Wood Creek. 1797 — Mohawk and Hudson turnpike, from Albany to Schenectady, begun. 1798 — Schenectady made a city. 1798 — Oneida county formed. 1798 — Fort Hunter, Montgomery county, bridge built over Schoharie creek; Great Western turnpike built. 1800 (about) — Manufacture of cheese for outside markets begun in Mohawk valley. Dairj^ing became a large val- ley industry about 1825. Cheese mak- ing for market purposes was intro- duced into the Mohawk valley by New England immigrants into Herkimer county. 1800 — Improvement of Mohawk (north shore) turnpike begun. 1800 — Population of present six Mo- hawk valley counties, 72,522, including 1,352 slaves. 1803 — First Canajoharie bridge over Mohawk river built. 1803 — Fairfield academy founded at Fairfield, Herkimer county. Medical school later added; academy discon- tinued in 1903. 1806 — First Fort Plain bridge over Mohawk river built, at "the Island." 1807 — Woolen factory established at Frankfort. 1809 — James Burr and Tallmadge Ed- wards start business of dressing leather and making leather mittens in Kingsboro (now Gloversville), Fulton county; this was the beginning of the leather and glove industry of Fulton county. Credit for inception of this industry has been given to others also. 1809 — Schenectady county formed from Albany county. 1812 — Hamilton college founded at Clinton, Oneida county; successsor to Indian school founded by Kirkland. 1812-14 — Mohawk valley militia take part in second war with England. 314 APPENDIX 1812-1814 — Great numbers of Ameri- can troops pass west (to defend New York-Canadian frontier) and return over Mohawk turnpike. Large amount of American army stores and arms pass west over Mohawk turnpike and on Mohawk river. 1816 — Gloversville known as "Stump City." 1817 — Herkimer county line moved east from Little Falls to a line running north and south from East Creek. Town of Danube, Herkimer county, cut off from Minden; town of Manheim cut off from Oppenheim town, including present St. Johnsville town. 1819 — Business part of Schenectady burned. 1820 — Manufacture of plows begun at Utica. 1823— Erie canal (begun 1817) com- pleted eastward to Sprakers. 1823-5— Joseph C. Yates of Schenec- tady elected governor of New York. 1825, Oct. 26— Erie canal officially completed and Gov. Clinton starts east from Buffalo on the packet Seneca Chief, on his triumphal canal tour to New York. 1825 — Era of manufacturing and town building begins in Mohawk val- ley following completion of Erie canal. 1830 — Harry Burrell of Salisbury, Herkimer county, mak^s first ship- ment of cheese to England (10,000 pounds). 1831 — Eliphalet Remington jr. opens forge for manufacture of gun l)arrels and firearms at Ilion, Herkimer coun- ty; he had previously made same from 1816 on his father's farm at Steele's Creek, Herkimer county. 1831 — Egbert Egberts invents a frame for knit goods manufacture, op- erated by power, at Albany, N. Y. Timothy Bailey aids in invention. Re- moved to Cohoes in 1832. 1831 — Mohawk and Hudson (Albany to Schenectady) railroad opened; first steam passenger train trip in America. 1832 — Utica made a city. 1832 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Cohoes by Egberts & Bailey; probably the inception of the knit goods business of the country; the Mohawk valley now (1914) being the center of American knit goods manu- facture. 1833 — Incorporation of Herkimer Manufacturing and Hydraulic Co. (capital $100,000) to erect a dam across West Canada creek to produce water power. 1835 — Enlargement of Erie canal be- gun. 1836 — Chenango canal, Utica to Binghamton, built; later abandoned. 1836 — Manufacture of axes and other edge tools begun in Cohoes. 1836 — Manufacture of ready-made clothing begun at Utica. 1836 — Manufacture of cotton cloth (white goods) introduced at Cohoes by Peter Harmony, a Spaniard, who founded the Harmony Mills Co. In building the foundation of additional Mill No. 3, of this industry, in 1866, skeleton of a mastodon was unearthed at the bottom of a great "pot hole," 60 feet deep. This mastodon is now mounted and on exhibition in Geologi- cal Hall, Albany, N. Y. 1836, August 1 — Opening of Schenec- tady and Utica (later part of N. Y. C. & H. R.) railroad. 1836 — Montgomery county court house removed from Johnstown to Fonda. 1836, Oct. 19— Dedication of a mon- ument to Col. John Brown at Stone Arabia Reformed Dutch church burial ground; largely attended, some veter- ans of the Stone Arabia battle, in which Brown was killed, being present. 1838 — Separation of Montgomery and Fulton counties and town of St. Johns- ville set off from town of Oppenheim, now in Fulton county. 1840 — Baseball invented by (later General) Abner C. Doubleday at Coop- erstown, Otsego county; not in Mo- hawk valley, but near it. Fort Plain, Montgomery county, was Coopers- town's trade and road outlet to the Mohawk valley, in 1840. 1840 — Manufacture of ingrain car- pets begun at Hagaman's Mills by Wait, Green & Co.; later J. Sanford & Son of Amsterdam. 1842 — Manufacture of woolen goods begun at Little Falls. MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 315 1843 — Stages discontinued on the Mohawk turnpike. 1843-1845— William C. Bouck (Demo- crat) of Schoharie county, governor of New York. 1S44 — Match making business estab- lished at Frankfort. 1845 — First through line of steam canal boats started from Buffalo to New York. 1845 — First college course in civil engineering instituted at Union col- lege, Schenectady. 1845 (about) — Manufacture of yarn begun at Little Falls. 1845 — Manufacture of railroad steam locomotives begun at Schenectady. 1846 — First kid glove factory of Johnstown established. 1846-1848— War with Mexico. 1847 — Manufacture of worsteds be- gun at Utica. 1848 — Manufacture of linseed oil be- gun at Amsterdam. 1848 — Manufacture of cotton cloth (white goods) begun at Utica; now (1914) largest center of this industry in New York state. 1848 — Power dam across North Chuc- tanunda creek built at Amsterdain. This water power subsequently greatly developed in 1855, 1865 and 1875. 1849 — Black River canal built con- necting at Rome, Oneida county, with Erie. 1850 — Population of Mohawk valley, 193,575 (mostly agricultural). 1853 — Fort Plain Seminary founded. 1853 — New York Central railroad formed. 1853-1855 — Horatio Seymour (Dem- ocrat) of Utica, Oneida county, gover- nor of New York. 1854 — Utica and Black River railroad opened to Boonville; extended to Car- thage in 1870; now branch of New York Central and Hudson River rail- road. 1855 (about) — First telegraph line constructed through Mohawk valley, from Albany to Utica, by New York Central railroad. 1857 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Amsterdam. 1858 — Webster Wagner of Palatine Bridge completes the sleeping car. 1858, Sept. 1 — Sleeping cars, invented by Webster Wagner of Palatine Bridge, Montgomery county, begin running on the New York Central rail- road. 1859 — Manufacture of paper and cot- ton bags begun at Canajoharie. 1859 — Elevated passenger car roof, with side ventilators, invented by Webster Wagner of Palatine Bridge, Montgomery county. 1861-5 — Civil war, in which many men from the Mohawk valley took part. (See Mohawk valley military sta- tistics.) 1861-5 — Great numbers of Union troops and stores moved over New York Central railroad. Great quantity of Union army stores moved east on Erie canal. 1861-5 — Remington arms works at Ilion (with branch at Utica) produces great quantity of arms for Union armies; as does the Watervliet arsenal, at the mouth of the Mohawk. 1863 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Utica. 1863 — Manufacture of knit goods ma- chinery on a large scale begun in Cohoes. 1863-1865 — Horatio Seymour (Demo- crat) of Utica, Oneida county, governor of New York; one of the strongest Union "war governors." 1865 — Remington breech-loading rifle perfected at Ilion prior to this date. 1865 — ^Albany to Binghamton rail- road, through Schoharie valley, built. Branches to Cherry Valley and Sharon Springs built, 1870. This road was leased to the Delaware and Hudson in 1871. 1866 — "Athens branch" railroad, Schenectady to Athens, built. 1867 — Schoharie valley railroad built. 1867 — Wagner palace car invented by Webster Wagner of Palatine Bridge, Montgomery county; Wagner Palace Car Co. and Pullman Palace Car Co. consolidated about 1890. 1867 — Utica, Clinton and Bingham- ton railroad opened from Utica to Hamilton. 1868 — Blood's broom factory estab- lished at Amsterdam; first large tiroom factory of that city. 1868 — Middleburg and Schoharie railroad built. 316 APPENDIX 1868 — Horatio Seymour, of Utica, Oneida county, Democrat, defeated for presidency by Gen. U. S. Grant, Re- publican; Grant 214 electoral votes; Seymour 80 electoral votes. 1869 — New York Central and Hud- son River Railroad incorporated, em- bracing railroad lines from New York to Buffalo. 1869 — Cohoes made a city. 1870 — Rome made a city. 1870 — Completion of Fonda, Johns- town and Gloversville railroad; exten- sion of same to Northville in 1875; branch runs to Broadalbin, Fulton county. All of this railroad is in Ful- ton county, except the two miles from Fonda to Sammonsville, close to the Fulton-Montgomery line. 1870 — Utica, Chenango and Susque- hanna railroad, from Utica to Water- ville and Richfield, completed. 1872 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Herkimer. 1872 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Little Falls. 1875 — Alfred Dolge locates at Dolge- ville and begins manufacture of felt goods, etc. 1873 — Manufacture of present Rem- ington typewriter begun at Ilion by Remington Arms Co., in connection with James Densmore, the inventor. 1873 — "Schenectady and Duanesburg railroad" completed. 1877 — Centennial celebration of the battle of Oriskany at Oriskany, Oneida county; battle monument erected here later. 1878 — Manufacture of brass begun at Rome, Oneida county. 1880 (about) — First (high) bicycles used in Mohawk valley. 1880 (about) — Electric lights, tele- phones and phonographs first intro- duced into Mohawk valley. 1881 — Manufacture of dairy prepar- ations begun at Little Falls. 1883 — West Shore railroad completed west to Syracuse. 1883— West Shore railroad shops es- tablished at Frankfort; later removed to Depew, with exception of the foundry. 1885 — Mohawk and Malone railroad opened from Herkimer north to Ma- lone; now branch of the N. Y. C. and H. R. R. 1885 — Amsterdam made a city. 1885 (about) — Safety bicycles first used in Mohawk valley. 1885 (about) — Period of electric trolley car line construction began in Mohawk valley. Until 1914 lines were built running up the river from Schenectady to Amsterdam, Johnstown, Gloversville and Fonda and from Little Falls to Rome. Trolley lines connect (1914) Utica with Clinton and with Syracuse and Buffalo. A trolley line runs south from Herkimer to Richfield Springs and Oneonta with branch to Coopers- town. Also east and north from Sche- nectady to Albany and Troy and Sara- toga Springs. 1886 — Manufacture of desks and typewriter cabinets begun at Herki- mer. 1887 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Fort Plain. 1887 — Manufacture of copper begun at Rome, Oneida county. 1888 — General Electric Co. moves to Schenectady. 1888 (about) —Building of Little Falls and Dolgeville railroad. 1890 — Gloversville made a city. 1890 (about) — Manufacture of food stuffs begun at Canajoharie. 1892 — Report of Martin Schenck, state engineer and surveyor, advocat- ing a Barge canal. Hon. Martin Schenck was a native of Palatine, Montgomery county. 1892 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at St. Johnsville. 1895 — Johnstown made a city. 1895 — Little Falls made a city. 1895 (about) — Automobiles first used in Mohawk valley. 1895 — First college course in electri- cal engineering instituted at Union college, Schenectady. 1896 — Monument erected over grave of General Nicholas Herkimer at Dan- ube, Herkimer county. 1898 — Electrical development of East Creek water power at East Creek (2,000 H. P. generated). Later devel- opment at Dolgeville (1897) and Ing- hams Mills (1912). 1898 — Spanish-American war; some MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 817 valley men enlisted in American army. 1905 — Work begun on Erie division of the Barge canal. 1907 — Unveiling of statue of General Herkimer at Herkimer; Burr Miller, sculptor; Warner Miller, donor; occa- sion, Herkimer village's centennial. 1908— William H. Taft of Cincinnati, Ohio, elected president and James S. Sherman of Utica (Oneida county), New York, elected vice president of the United States on the Republican national ticket. 1909 — 18,457 farms in six Mohawk valley counties, producing $30,000,000 annually, exclusive of lumber. 1910 — Population of six Mohawk val- ley counties 424,704. That of New York state, 9,113,614. That of the United States, 91,972,266. 1911^Centennial celebration of Lit- tle Falls as a village. 1911 — Mohawk Hydro-Electric com- pany completes dams and plants at Pecks Pond, Caroga and Ephratah; line run to Johnstown-Gloversville; line run to Fort Plain in 1912. 1911 — Harry N. Atwood alights at Nelliston, after flight of 95 miles from near Syracuse, en route by aeroplane from St. Louis to New York. 1912— Wm. H. Taft of Cincinnati, Ohio, and James S. Sherman of Utica (Oneida county). New York, renomi- nated for president and vice president on the Republican national ticket. James S. Sherman died in October, 1912, before the election. Wilson, Dem., elected; Taft, Rep., and Roose- velt, Prog., defeated. 1912 — 1,321 factories with 88,271 op- eratives in six Mohawk valley coun- ties, producing goods valued at about $200,000,000 annually. Chief manufac- tures: Knit goods, electrical appar- atus, leather gloves, white goods, rugs and carpets. 1912 — Route of Gen. Herkimer, from Danube to Oriskany, marked by bronze tablets, under the auspices of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion. 1912 — Dam and plant for hydro- electric power development, built at Inghams Mills on East creek, in town of Manheim, Herkimer county. 1914 — General Herkimer house in Danube, Herkimer county, purchased by state and placed under the care of the Daughters of the American Revo- lution and the German-American Al- liance. 1914 — Second war with Mexico. Vera Cruz occupied but no official declara- tion of war as yet (April 28, 1914) and none of the valley militia as yet called out for service. WESTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY DATES. The following dates have an especial reference to Western Montgomery county: 1750 — Reformed Dutch church (frame) of Canajoharie built at Sand Hill, later Fort Plain. 1756 — Reformed Dutch church built in town of St. Johnsville. 1790 — Dutch Reformed church or- ganized at Currytown, being the first church body in the town of Root. 1794 — Free Will Baptist church or- ganized, west of Ames, being the first known church organization in Canajo- harie town. 1795, March 31 — Union academy of Palatine (at Stone Arabia) incorpor- ated by the State Regents. Building built in 1799, burned in 1807 and never rebuilt. 1798 — Town of Minden formed from Canajoharie. 1799 — Funeral services in honor of General Washington held at the Re- formed Dutch church at Sand Hill (Fort Plain). 1804 — St. John's Reformed Dutch church moves from its original loca- tion, east of St. Johnsville, to that vil- lage. 1808 — Town of Oppenheim (includ- ing present St. Johnsville town) set off from Palatine. 1810 — Cornplanter, with Indian suite, visits relatives at Fort Plain, where Cornplanter raided with Brant's party in 1780. 1818— Union church built at Canajo- harie village, the first there erected. 1823 — Town of Root formed. 1825, Oct. 26— Celel)ration of comple- 318 APPENDIX tion of Erie canal. Dinner and ball in celebration at Fort Plain. Oct. 31, Governor Clinton and partj- on packet, Seneca Chief, pass east on their trium- phal tour of Erie. 1825 — First newspaper in western Montgomery county, the "Telegraph," established at Canajoharie. 1827 — First existing newspaper in western Montgomery county, the Fort Plain Watch Tower, established — now known as the Mohawk Valley Register (oldest paper in Montgomery county in 1914). 1829 — Canajoharie village incorpor- ated. 1829 — First Fort Plain bridge at present site built over Mohawk river. 1832 — Fort Plain village incorpor- ated. 1834 — Reformed Dutch church at Sand Hill removed to Fort Plain, end- ing Sand Hill as a hamlet. 1849 — Freysbush district taken from town of Canajoharie and added to Minden, making last change in terri- tory of five western Montgomery towns. 1852 — First St. Johnsville bridge across Mohawk river built. 1857 — St. Johnsville village incor- porated. 1865 — Furniture manufacturing l)e- gun at Fort Plain. 1867 — Palatine Bridge village incor- porated. 1870 — Manufacture of springs and axles begun at Fort Plain. Factory removed to Chicago Heights, 111., in 1894. Factory came from Springfield to Fort Plain. 1878 — Nelliston village incorporated. 1879 — Clinton Liberal Institute re- moved to Fort Plain, supplanting the Fort Plain Seminary on Seminary Hill; C. L. I. burned 1900. 1880 (about) — Manufacture of silk begun at Fort Plain. 1889 — Manufacture of player pianos and piano actions begun at St. Johns- ville. 1898— First Fort Plain street fair held. 1900— Clinton Liberal Institute de- stroyed by fire; armory and gymnas- ium uninjured. Institute not rebuilt. MOHAWK VALLEY MILITARY STATISTICS. The following Mohawk valley mili- tary statistics include not only mili- tary operations along the Mohawk, but those in which valley men were en- gaged elsewhere: Early French- Indian Hostilities — 1609-1689. 1609 — Champlain and Canadian In- dians defeat Mohawks on west shore of Lake Champlain, near Ticonderoga; two Mohawk chiefs killed; action makes Iroquois enemies of French and friends of Dutch and English. 1666 — The Mohawk villages burned l)y French-Indian Canadian expedi- tion; Mohawks escape into the woods. Indian Wars. 1669, August 9— Battle of Tower- eune, near Hoffmans, Schenectady county, in which Mohawks defeat Mo- hicans and gain mastery of valley. King William's War— 1689-1697. 1689 — Mohawks raid Montreal. 1690 — Schenectady burned by French and Indians; population massacred or captured. 1692 — French-Indian war party burns Oneida castle; Onondagos burn their ^'illag■es and escape to woods. 1693 — French-Indian-Canadian expe- dition, under Count Frontenac, attacks, captures and burns the three Mohawk castles; hard fight at upper castle; 300 Mohawks made prisoners; Albany mi- litia, under Col. Peter Schuyler, pur- sued and retook 50 captives. King George's War— 1743-1748. 1746, August 4 — Party sent by Col. William Johnson against French and Indians ambushed at Chambly. 1748 — Battle of Beukendaal, Glenville town, Schenectady county, in which valley American militia were ambus- caded by Canadian Indians and Amer- ican force almost destroyed. Beuken- daal means, in Dutch, Beechdale. Seven Ye(ars War — 1754-1760. During the Seven Years War (which is also called the French and Indian War), large bodies of British-Ameri- can troops passed up and down the MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 319 valley, the Mohawk river being largely used for the transportation of their supplies and munitions. 1755 — British-American army under Major-Gen. William Johnson defeats French at Lake George — Mohawks and militia with Johnson. 1756 — Attack by French and Indians at German Flats (Herkimer), settle- ment destroyed and inhabitants cap- tured or massacred. 1756 — Gen. Webb with British regi- ment and supplies passes up Mohawk valley to reinforce Fort Oswego; French capture fort; Webb returns; Johnson with militia and Indians re- turns. 1756, August — Gen. Johnson leads party of Indians and militia to join Gen. Webb's expedition for relief of Fort William Henry, at the head of Lake George; expedition fails through Webb's incapacity and Fort William Henry is captured by French. 1758, April — Gen. William Johnson calls together the Mohawk valley mi- litia at Fort Canajoharie (present In- dian Castle) to repel invasion of French and Indians at Fort Herkimer. Enemy repulsed from Fort Herkimer by garrison and flees back to Canada. 1758, July 9— Johnson and 400 Iro- quois warriors at disastrous defeat by French of Gen. Abercombie's British- American army before Fort Ticon- deroga. 1758 — Repulse of French and Indians from Fort Herkimer. 1758^British-American army under Sir William Johnson captures French Fort Niagara; 1,000 Iroquois warriors and body of militia with Johnson. 1760 — Gen. Amherst's British-Amer- ican army of 10,000 passes up Mohawk to conquest of Montreal. Johnson with 1,300 Iroquois join army later. Revolution— 1775- 1783. Only the main military events and movements of the Revolution are here given : 1777, August 6— Battle of Oriskany at Oriskany, Oneida county, between Tryon County Militia, commanded by General Herkimer, and British-Tory- Indian army commanded by General St. Leger; drawn battle, both armies retire from field; aim of Americans to relieve Fort Schuyler unsuccessful. 1777, August 6— Sortie by Willett's command from Fort Schuyler (now Rome, Oneida county) against St. Lager's camp; American success; stars and stripes first flown here in battle. 1777, August 13— Battle of Flockey, Vroomans, Schoharie county, where American regulars and Schoharie mi- litia under Col. Harper drive off invad- ing force of enemy under Capt. Mc- Donald; American success. 1778, May 30— Battle of Cobleskill, Schoharie county; ambuscade of 50 Americans by Brant and 300 Indians; American defeat. 1778, Nov. 10— Cherry Valley mas- sacre. Place attacked by enemy un- der Butler and Brant. 1778, Sept. 1— German Flatts raided by enemy under Brant. 1779, June 19 — Gen. Clinton and Am- erican army of 1,500 start overland march from Canajoharie to Otsego lake to join Gen. Sullivan's army at Tioga, August 22; defeat enemy at present Elmira, August 29; Indian country later devastated. 1780, May 21 — Johnson and enemy raid Johnstown and Caughnawaga neighborhoods. American force pur- sues; Johnson escapes. 1780, August 2 — Brant and enemy raid in Minden about Fort Plain; mi- litia gathers; enemy escapes. 1780, Oct. 16 — Johnson and enemy pass Upper Fort on the Schoharie and begin raid of Schoharie and Mohawk valleys, ending with action at Klock's Field, Oct. 19. 1780, Oct. 19— Battle of Stone Arabia, Palatine town, Montgomery county; defeat of American force of 140 men under Col. Brown by Johnson's raid- ers, numbering about 800. 1780, Oct. 19— Battle of Klock's Field or Battle of St. Johnsville (Montgom- ery county). Virtually a skirmish be- tween Van Rensselaer's American mi- litia (numbering 1,500) and Johnson's raiders (numbering 800) ; American success; enemy flees and escapes. 1781, July 2 — Battle of Fairfield, 320 APPENDIX Herkimer county. Capt. Woodworth's company of 50 American rangers, am- buscaded by 80 Indians and patriot force nearly destroyed — killed or cap- tured; American defeat — 38 killed out of 50; bloodiest valley Revolutionary action. 1781, July 9 — Currytown, Montgom- ery county, raided by enemy under Dockstader. 1781, July 10 — Battle of Sharon Springs, Schoharie county, between 250 American militia under Col. Willett and 500 of enemy under Capt. Dock- stader; American success; enemy driven off. 1781, Oct. 24 — Enemy under Ross and Butler begin I'aid of Montgomery and Fulton counties, ending with battle of Butler's Ford, West Canada creek, Oct. 29. 1781, Oct. 25 — Battle of Johnstown, Fulton county, between 400 Americans under Col. Willett and Maj. Rowley and 700 British-Tory-Indian raiders under Ross and Butler; American suc- cess; enemy driven off. 1781, Oct. 29 — Battle of Butler's Ford, West Canada creek, Herkimer county, between 400 American pursu- ing force under Col. Willett and 700 of enemy under Ross and Butler, retreat- ing from Johnstown; American vic- tory; enemy driven off and Butler killed. 1782, July — Enemy raids Fort Her- kimer district; repulsed from fort. 1783, Feb. 9 — American force under Col. Willett, fails on expedition to sur- prise British Fort Oswego; guides lost; expedition discovered; Americans re- turn to Mohawk river. War of 1812-1814. Following is a record of the passing and arrival of American troops at Utica during the second war with England, known as the War of 1812. It will serve to show how the Mohawk valley was used as a military road just as the Mohawk river was used as a military waterway for the transporta- tion of arms, munitions and supplies for the American armies on the New York frontier: 1812, August, Flying Artillery (130 men) from Lancaster, Pa.; September, 800 drafted men under Gen. Dodge of Johnstown; Sept. 20, Fifth U. S. regi- ment; Sept. 22, 2 companies light ar- tillery; Sept. 30, 90 sailors bound for Sackett's Harbor; Oct. 5, 150 sailors, 150 wagons, on their way to Buffalo; Oct. 6, 130 U. S. soldiers, 20 wagons; Oct. 10, 130 U. S. marines; Oct. 13, parties of marines; Oct. 14, "Republi- can Greens" (190 men); Oct. 23, 23d U. S. regiment (300 men) from Albany; 130 Held artillery. 1813, April 6, 150 light horse reach Utica from Sackett's Harbor, which they have been compelled to leave on account of lack of provisions, and on April 13, 150 more light horse reach Utica, probably for the same reason; April 15, 200 light artillery moving west; April 24-25, 500 soldiers, 100 sailors for Sackett's Harbor; 500 horse and foot for Buffalo; May 12, 2d U. S. regiment on way to front; May 15 and IG, 900 Massachusetts soldiers on way to front; May 23, 600, 21st U. S. for west; May 26, 750 U. S. soldiers for west; June 15, 14th U. S. (300 men) and a rifle company for the front; June 16, 49th English regiment, pris- oners of war, pass down the valley; June (latter part), numbers of sol- diers and sailors en route to defense of Sackett's Harbor; July 10, 3d and 25th U. S. (270 men) ; Aug. 9, 100 Canadian and British prisoners on their way down the valley under guard; sum- mer and autumn, constant passing east and west of American soldiers, sailors and militia; Oct. 15, 2 companies Wal- leville's English regiment (captured on lake transports) went east as prison- ers under guard; Oct. 31, 800 U. S. regulars from Fort George, going west; Nov. 23, Com. Oliver Hazard Perry (hero of Lake Erie naval battle) given great public dinner at Utica, and passes down Mohawk in a batteaux, everywhere given a great reception. The 10th, 11th and 13th (Mohawk valley militia) regiments of the Fourth brigade of New York were engaged in this war on the St. Lawrence and Ni- agara frontiers. See Chapter IX., Series II., on the War of 1812. MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 321 Mexican War— 1846-1848. No valley military organizations took part in this conflict. Two regi- ments from New York are reported to have been engaged; they were regular army regiments. Civil War— 1861-1865. 1861-1865 — The following is a record of the Civil war military organizations in which the Union soldiers of the six valley counties were enrolled. It is compiled from county histories. Dur- ing the Civil war, thousands of troops went to the front over the New York Central railroad and great quantities of supplies went forward to the Union armies over the Erie canal and on the railroad. Oneida county: The principal Civil war organizations recruited from this county were: 14th infantry; 26th in- fantry; 81st infantry (350 men); 97th (from Oneida, Lewis, Herkimer and Fulton); 117th infantry; 146th infan- try. Oneida county had representa- tion also in 50th (engineers), 53d, 57th, 61st, 68th, 71st, 75th, 76th, 78th, 81st, 93d, 101st infantry regiments, 3d, 8th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 20th, 22d, 24th cav- alry; the Oneida cavalry, 1st mounted rifles, 1st, 2d, 3d, 13th, 14th, 16th ar- tillery. Herkimer county: The principal Civil war organizations largely re- cruited from this county were 34th in- fantry, known as "the Herkimer coun- ty regiment," five companies coming from this county. 97th infantry. Cos. C, D, E, F and I were largely of Her- kimer county men. 121st infantry, from Herkimer and Otsego counties. 152d regiment from Otsego and Her- kimer counties (360 men from Herki- mer). 16th artillery (over 100 men). Other organizations in which Herki- mer men were represented were 14th infantry, 26th infantry, 1st light ar- tillery (Battery A), 2d light artillery (Battery K), 2d rifles. 18th N. Y. cav- alry. Montgomery county: The principal Civil war organizations in which Mont- gomery county was represented are the following: 115th infantry, 421 men; 153d infantry, 329 men; 32d infantry (Cos. B and D), 130 men; 43d infantry (Co. E), 69 men; 1st artillery (Co. K), 65 men; 16th artillery, 36 men; 13th artillery, 33 men. Fulton county: The principal Civil war organizations in which Fulton county was represented are the fol- lowing: 153d infantry, 269 men; 115th infantry, 162 men; 77th infantry, 101 men; 10th cavalry (Co. I), 92 men; 13th artillery, 71 men; 97th infantry, 53 men; 93d infantry (Co. D), 51 men; 2d cavalry, 31 men. Schoharie county: The principal Civil war organizations from Scho- harie county were 134th regiment, N. Y. S. v., recruited from Schoharie and Schenectady counties. This might fit- tingly be called "the Schoharie county regiment," as it contained about 800 men from Schoharie. Co. I, 76th N. Y. S. v., had about 80 Schoharie county men and several hundred other Scho- harie men were enlisted in many other organizations. Schenectady county: The principal Civil war organizations in which Schenectady county was represented are: 30th infantry, 44 men; 77th in- fantry, 50 men; 43d infantry, 31 men; 2d cavalry, 110 men; 69th infantry, 55 men; 18th infantry, 141 men; 134th in- fantry, about 380 men; 91st infantry, 156 men; 13th cavalry, 58 men; 25th cavalry, 1st rifles, 13th artillery, 177th infantry, 192d infantry. Spanish-American War — 1898. Several military organizations and a number of Mohawk valley men were enlisted in the American army. Second War With Mexico. 1914 — Second war with Mexico. Vera Cruz occupied but no official declara- tion of war as yet (April 28, 1914) and none of the valley militia as yet called out for service. 322 APPENDIX FIFTEEN DATES FOR SCHOOL USE Following are fifteen Mohawk val- ley principal dates, suggested for school use. They form a brief and easily understood historj' of the Mo- hawk valley. They cover the six Mo- hawk valley counties of Oneida, Her- kimer, Montgomery, Fulton, Schoharie and Schenectady and are suitable for use in any of the schools of these counties. It is here suggested that stu- dents learn first the main date, and later the sul)sidiary matter. 1661 — Schenectady settled by Dutch; burned by French and Indian war party in 1690 and its people killed or captured; rebuilt shortly after. 1713 — Mohawk and Schoharie valleys settled by Palatine Germans. 1753-1760— Seven Years War. Mo- hawk Indians and valley militia take part in victories of British-American armies (under Sir William Johnson) at Lake George and Niagara; also in other military movements. Burnets- field (present Herkimer) burned and its people generally massacred or captured in 1756. French and Indian attack on Fort Herkimer repulsed in 1758. Large bodies of British and American troops passed up and down the valley; munitions and sup- plies going on the river. In 1760, Gen. Amherst's British-American army of 10,000 men went north, by way of the Mohawk valley, and cap- tured Montreal from the French, which ended the war. Quebec was taken from the French by the En- glish under Wolfe in 1759. The peo- ple of the Mohawk valley were in al- most constant danger of massacre, from 1661 to 1760, by French and Indian scalping parties. 1775-1783— Revolutionary War. Chief battles in the Mohawk valley were Oriskany, 1777 (drawn battle) ; Stone Arabia, 1780 (American de- feat) ; Klock's Field or St. Johnsville, 1781 (American victory); Sharon Springs, 1781 (American victory) ; Johnstown, 1781 (American vic- tory) ; West Canada Creek or Butlers Ford, 1781 (American victory). There were many skir- mishes, raids and massacres in the Mohawk valley during these years. The valley American troops made a generallly successful defense of the valley but the country and its people suffered from invasion more than in any other part of the thirteen colo- nies; Mohawks left valley, with the Johnsons, and went to Canada in 1775, where they enlisted and fought barbarously, under the Brit- ish flag, against their old American valley neighbors, as did also most of the valley Tories. 1777, August 6 — Battle of Oriskany be- tween the Tryon County American militia (800 men) and St. Leger's British - Tory - Indian army (1,600 men) ; drawn battle and the hardest fought action of the Revolution; successful American sortie from Fort Schuyler, over which stars and stripes were first flown in battle on this day. 1783 — Washington makes a tour of the Mohawk valley; he visited Schenec- tady in 1782. 1784 — Oneida county permanently set- tled at Whitestown; a large immi- gration began in this year into and through the Mohawk valley from New England and other American colonies. Utica and Rome were permanently settled about 1785. 1796 — ■ Mohawk river navigation im- proved by locks and canals at Little Falls, Wolf's Rift, Rome and Wood Creek; this work was done bj^ the Inland Lock and Navigation Co.; formed in 1792. 1800 — Mohawk (north shore) turnpike begun from Schenectady to Utica; period of the stage coach and great freight wagons. A turnpike then ran from Albany to Buffalo, now used largely as an automobile road. 1812-1814— Second War with England; 10th, 11th and 13th (Mohawk valley) militia regiments engage in defense of New York frontier. Large bodies of troops pass up and down Mohawk turnpikes; army supplies and muni- tions go west on river boats and on turnpike wagons. 1817-1825— Construction of Erie canal from Buffalo to Albany; length of MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 323 canal, 387 miles; 72 locks; 7 feet deep; 70 feet surface width; length of Erie canal through Mohawk val- ley (Cohoes to Rome) about 110 miles. An era of town building, manufacturing and dairy production for outside markets began in the valley, following the construction of the Erie canal. From 1862 until al^andonment of Erie for Barge canal boats 98x17 1/2x6 and of 240 tons were in use. 1831 — -Mohawk and Hudson railroad (17 miles long), from Albany to Schenectady completed. This was the first steam passenger railroad in America. The Utica to Schenectady railroad was completed August 1, 1836, and both roads became parts of the New York Central and Hudson River railroad in 1869. West Shore railroad was completed 1883, and is now part of N. Y. C. & H. R. R.R. 1861-5— Civil War or War of the Rebellion, during which thousands of Mohawk valley men enlisted in the Union armies; many thousands of Union troops passed over the New York Central railroad and enormous quantities of army supplies and mu- nitions passed east over the railroad and the Erie canal. Remington Arms factories at Ilion and Utica produced great amount of arms for the Union army, as also did the Watervliet arsenal. 1905 — Construction of Erie branch of the New York State Barge canal be- gun. Erie branch is 323 miles long with 35 locks, and utilizes the chan- nel of the Mohawk river from Rome to Waterford, about 110 miles. Great reservoirs for Barge canal water storage purposes have been con- structed at Delta, Oneida county, and at Hinckley, the latter being in Oneida and Herkimer counties, and also being the largest body of water (nine miles long) in the Mohawk valley. Barge canal types of boats are not (1914) definitely decided upon. They may be of from 3,000 tons downward, the idea being for one motor engine or power boat to draw about 3,000 tons through the locks without breaking up the boats. Boats of 1,500 tons to run tandem or of about 800 tons to run in quadrup- lets (one to be a power boat) are probable types. 1911 — Aeroplane flight of Atwood through the Mohawk valley, en route from St. Louis to New York, 1,266 miles. Atwood flew from near Syra- cuse to Nelliston, Montgomery coun- ty, 95 miles, August 22, 1911, spend- ing the night at Fort Plain, across the Mohawk; he flew from Nelliston to Castleton, on the Hudson, 05 miles, August 23, with a short stop for re- pairs, in the morning, near Glen, Montgomery county. Statistical Summary (for school use; also see map; the figures are from the 1910 U. S. census). The six Mohawk valley counties: Oneida; county seat, Utica. Herkimer; county seat, Herkimer. Montgomery; county seat, Fonda. Fulton; county seat, Johnstown. Schoharie; county seat, Schoharie. Schenectady; county seat, Schenec- tady. Area six Mohawk valley counties (in round numbers), 2,860,000 acres, di- vided as follows: Oneida, 800,000; Herkimer, 934,000; Montgomery, 355,- 000; Fulton, 330,000; Schoharie, 410,- 000; Schenectady, 132,000. Population, six Mohawk valley coun- ties, census of 1910 (in round num- bers), 425,000, divided as follows: One- ida, 154,000; Herkimer, 56,000; Mont- gomery, 58,000; Pulton, 45,000; Scho- harie, 24,000; Schenectady, 88,000. Largest cities, census of 1910 (in round numbers), Utica, 74,000; Sche- nectady, 73,000. Other cities in order, Amsterdam, Gloversville, Rome, Little Falls, Johnstown. Cohoes, near the mouth of the Mohawk, is a city of the valley, but is not in one of the six Mo- hawk valley counties, being located in Albany county. Number of farms in six Mohawk valley counties (in round numbers), 18,000, raising $30,000,000 worth of pro- ducts yearly. Number of factories in six Mohawk valley counties (in round numbers), 1,300, with 88,000 employes, producing 324 APPENDIX about $200,000,000 worth of goods yearly. Principal manufactures: Knit goods, electrical apparatus, leather gloves, white goods, rugs and carpets. CHRONOLOGY OF MOHAWK VAL- LEY PRE - REVOLUTIONARY HOUSES AND CHURCHES. Following is a list of the principal pre-Revolutionary houses and churches of the Mohawk valley, with approxi- mate date of erection. Many of the best houses along the Mohawk were destroyed by the Indian and Tory raids from 1777-1782. Where a house is called a fort it means it was strongly built to resist attack or was palisaded. None of these "forts," or fortified houses, were actual army posts. This does not include all the pre- Revolutionary houses standing in the Mohawk valley; there are a number of others; but the following are generally recognized as the most important and typical of their time. Schenectady county, with Albany and Saratoga counties, embraces about 30 miles of the lower Mohawk valley. During the Revolution this section did not suffer from Tory and Indian raids, as did the other five Mohawk valley counties, and consequently more an- cient structures there remain. For some of these pre-Revolutionary houses no dates are known or available to the editor of this work and consequentlj' none are given. All however, were constructed prior to the close of the Revolutionary war. The editor of this work desires to express his indebted- ness to Miss Marion Abbott of Fonda, author of a most interesting and en- tertaining essay on "The Remaining Revolutionary Residences of the Mo- hawk Valley." This essay was award- ed the prize offered to students of the Fonda High school by Caughnawaga chapter, D. A. R., of that village, and was published in the Fonda Democrat. The following gives a list of 33 pre- Revolutionary Mohawk valley houses. As before stated there are others, some of which, however, are difficult to au- thenticate. There are two or three small structures at Sand Hill, Fort Plain, which possibly antedate the Revolution. One is a small frame building now used as a barn, standing near the beginning of the Dutchtown road, and which is said to have been the parsonage of the old "Canajoharie (now Fort Plain) Reformed Dutch church." Probably research could in- crease the number of pre-Revolution- ary Mohawk valley residences to 50 or more. The following 33 are the best known of these interesting seventeenth and eighteenth century valley resi- dences: 1670 — Jan Mabie stone house, Rotter- dam, Schenectady county. This is the oldest existing building in the Mohawk valley. 168G is also given as the date of its erection. 1680 (about) — Vrooman brick house, Schenectady city. 1700 (or before) — ^ Van Guysling house, Rotterdam, Schenectady county; also said to have been built in 1664. 1711 — Johannes Peek house, Schen- ectady county. 1712 — Fort Hunter, Montgomery county. Queen Anne (Episcopal) par- sonage of stone; chapel was destroyed in building Erie canal 1817-1825. 1713 — Glen Sanders house, Scotia, Schenectady county. This is the old- est large house standing in the valley; still (1914) in Sanders family. 1720 (about)— Toll (brick) house, Glenville town, Schenectady county. 1730 — Abraham Glen house, Scotia, Schenectady county. 1735 — Governor Yates brick house, Schenectady city. 1736 — Arent Bradt house, Rotterdam, Schenectady county. 1739 — Fort Frey (stone house). Pala- tine Bridge, Montgomery county (still in Frey family). 1742 — Fort Johnson (stone), Mont- gomery county; built by Sir William Johnson and originally called Mount Johnson; Johnson's second house; home of Montgomery County Histori- cal society. Johnson lived here from 1742 until 1763 when he removed to Johnson Hall. 1743 — Butler (frame) house, Mohawk town, Montgomery county. MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 325 1750 — Wagner stone house, Palatine town, Montgomery county; forms part of house now standing. 1750 (about) — Van Alstine stone house, Canajoharie, Montgomery county. Washington was probably here in 1783. This house is sometimes erron- eously called Fort Rensselaer. 1752 — Ehle (stone) house, Nelliston, Montgomery county; house now (1914) in ruins. 1756 — Fort Klock (stone house), St. Johnsville town, Montgomery county; also called Fort House, from its builder. 1762 — Van Schaick (brick) house, Van Schaick Island, Cohoes city, Al- bany county. This house v as Ameri- can Revolutionary headquarters for a time during the Saratoga campaign of 1777, when the American Army of the North had fallen back to the mouth of the Mohawk. 1763 — Drumm house, Johnstown city. 1763 — ^Johnson Hall (frame), Johns- town, Fulton county; built by Sir Wm. Johnson; his third house. Owned by New York state. Johnson lived here from 1763 until his death, in 1774. 1764 — Herkimer (brick) house, Dan- ube, Herkimer county; built by (later General) Nicholas Herkimer; owned by New York state. 1765 — Campbell house, Schenectady city. 1766 — Guy Park (stone), Amsterdam, Montgomery county; built by Sir Wm. Johnson for his nephew, Guy Johnson; owned by city of Amsterdam. 1767 (before) — I^ansing house, Co- hoes city; altered from original form. 1767 (before) — Derek Hemstreet house, Cohoes city; altered from origi- nal form. Schermerhorn house, Schenectady county; still in Schermerhorn family (1914). Voorhees house, Amsterdam, Mont- gomery county; built by Garret Rose- boom and used as a tavern during old Mohawk turnpike days. Bergen house, Sand Flats, Mohawk township, Montgomery county; altered from original form. DeGraff (frame) house, Glenville town, Schenectady county; now (1914) in ruins. Cochran house, Palatine town, Mont- gomery county; home of Dr. John Cochran, surgeon general of the Am- erican Revolutionary army. General William North house, Duanesburgh town, Schenectady coun- ty; Gen. North was an aide of Baron Steuben in the Continental American army and a son-in-law of Judge Duane. Judge James Duane house, Duanes- burgh town, Schenectady county; also called Featherstonhough house. Judge Duane was a great Revolutionary Am- erican jurist and, in 1784, first mayor of New York city after the British evacuation. There are but five existing pre-Rev- olutionary churches in the Mohawk valley and four of these are of stone construction, which speaks well for the early valley men. Many houses of worship were destroyed by the enemy during the war for independence, 1777- 1782. The churches built before the Revolution and now standing are: 1756 — Fort Herkimer Reformed (Dutch) stone church, Fort Herkimer, Herkimer county. 1759 — St. George's (Episcopal) stone church, Schenectady city. 1769 — Indian Castle (frame) Union church; at Indian Castle, Danube town, Herkimer county. 1770 — Palatine Lutheran stone church, Palatine town, Montgomery county. 1772 — Schoharie Reformed (Dutch) stone church, Schoharie, Schoharie county. The Fort Herkimer church is not only the oldest in the valley but is probably the second oldest in the state, being antedated only by the Sleepy Hollow stone church, near Tarrytown, on the Hudson, made famous by Ir- ving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Fort Herkimer church was included in the stockade of Fort Herkimer. The Indian Castle church was erect- ed by order of Sir William Johnson, colonial superintendent of Indian af- fairs, to furnish religious instruction to the Mohawks there resident at the 326 APPENDIX upper or Canajoharie Castle. John- son's faith was the Episcopalian but he gave support and financial aid to every church erected in the Mohawk valley during his time. The Indian Castle church was built by Col. Samuel Clyde of Cherry Valley, under John- son's orders. The Schoharie church formed part of the Lower Fort, on the Schoharie creek, during the Revolution. It is greatly to be regretted that the most interesting church structure ever raised in the Mohawk valley — Queen Anne's chapel at Fort Hunter, Mont- 'gomery county, should have been de- stroyed during the building of the Erie canal. Architects and builders would do well to study these old pre-Revolu- tionary buildings, as well as those erected in the half century following the close of the Revolution, with a view to the modern adoption of their best features for valley structures of today. All the good Mohawk valley traditions, whether of building or of other phases of human life, are worthy of preserva- tion. 1715-1774— CHRONOLOGY OF WIL- LIAM JOHNSON. The following is a chronology of the principal events in the life of Sir Wil- liam Johnson relative to the Mohawk valley and its inhabitants. 1715 — -William Johnson born in County Down, Ireland. 1738 — William Johnson settled in Florida town, Montgomery county, and built his first house (of three) which he named Fort Johnson. Johnson came to the Mohawk valley to manage the landed estate of his uncle. Admiral Warren. 1742 — William Johnson builds stone house, mill and store at present Fort Johnson, Amsterdam town, Montgom- ery county. This house was named first Mount Johnson. After it was for- tified some ten years later it Ijecame known at Fort Johnson, which name it now bears. The similarity of name in Johnson's first two houses has been the cause of considerable confusion. Ref- erences -in this work to Fort Johnson mean the present Fort Johnson, town of Amsterdam. 1745 — Johnson appointed justice of the peace of Albany county and colonel of Albany county militia; organized Mohawk valley militia. 1746 — Johnson appointed commis- sioner of Indian affairs for New York province. 1746 — Johnson made a chief of the Mohawk tribe under the name of War- raghegagey. 1750 — Johnson resigns position of su- perintendent of New York province In- dian affairs. 1750 — Col. Wm. Johnson made a member of the governor's council of the province of New York. 1754 — Col. Johnson and party of Iro- (luois, including King Hendrick, attend colonial conference at Albany, held to discuss means of common defense, by the American-British colonies, against France. 1755 — -Fort Canajoharie, at Indian Castle, Herkimer county, ))uilt for pro- tection of Mohawks, under supervision of Col. Johnson. 1755 — Johnson tendered an ovation and public reception in New York city, for his victory at Lake George. 1755 — Major-General Johnson, in command of British-American army, defeats French in Battle of Lake George; 250 Mohawks in Johnson's army; King Hendrick, Mohawk sa- chem, killed; Johnson was made a bar- onet and made colonial Indian superin- tendent and voted £5,000 by the En- glish parliament, for this victory. Johnson was wounded in the thigh in this battle. 1758 — Gen. Johnson with militia and Indians starts for support of Gen. Webb's British-American expedition to reinforce Fort Oswego. Webb turns back. Fort Oswego falls and Johnson's party returns. 1756, August — Gen. Johnson leads In- dians and militia to assist Gen. Webb's party for relief of Fort William Henry, at the head of Lake George; expedi- tion fails through Webb's incapacity and Fort William Henry is captured by French. MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 327 1758, April — Fort Herkimer attaclved; Johnson calls out valley militia, but enemy escapes. 1758, July 8 — Johnson and 400 Iro- quois warriors join Gen. Abercrombie's British-American army at Ticonderoga, where it is disastrously defeated by French. 1759 — Gen. Johnson succeeds to coin- mand of British-American army before Fort Niagara, after Gen. Prideaux is killed, and takes that French fort; 700 Iroquois in Johnson's force. 1759 — Johnson founds Johnstown, Fulton county. 1760 — Gen. Johnson joins Gen. Am- herst's British-American army which captures Montreal; 1,300 Iroquois war- riors in Johnson's expedition. 1760 — British Crown grants to John- son the "Royal Grant" of 69,000 acres in Herkimer county, north of the Mo- hawk; previously deeded to him by the Mohawks. 1760 (about) — Johnson builds a suin- mer residence, called Castle Cumber- land, in Broadalbin town, Fulton coun- ty; also a fishing lodge on the Sacan- daga in the town of Northampton, Ful- ton county. 1763 — Johnson completes Johnson Hall at Johnstown, Fulton county, and removes thence from Fort Johnson. 1764 — Johnson holds a grand Indian council at Fort Niagara. From 1763-S Johnson was continually occupied with affairs relative to the Pontiac Indian insurrection in the west. In 1763, Johnson Hall was fortified. 1766 — Johnson supervises erection of St. George's Episcopal church at Sche- nectady. The same year he fitted up a Masonic lodge room, for the use of the fraternity at Johnson Hall. 1768 — Council between Sir William Johnson, Indian colonial superintend- ent, together with British colonial au- thorities, and Iroquois at Fort Stanwix (now Rome), in which Six Nations re- linquish large part of their lands to British Crown. 1771 — Johnson builds St. John's (Episcopal) church at Johnstown; school established here Ijy Johnson about this time. 1772 — Tryon county formed, through the influence of Johnson, and Johns- town made county seat. 1772 — Gov. Tryon reviews three regi- ments of Mohawk valley militia (num- bering 1,400 men), under command of Gen. Johnson at Johnstown, Burnets- field (present Herkimer) and German Flats. 1774, July 11— Sir William Johnson dies at Johnstown, during Indian coun- cil. Funeral attended by 2,000 people, including many colonial officials and Indian chiefs. Sir John Johnson suc- ceeds to his estate, including 173,000 acres of land. 1634-1911— MOHAWK VALLEY TRAVELERS' CHRONOLOGY. This work contains accounts of twelve journeys through the Mohawk valley or over the Mohawk river, and this is a more complete list of these historic accounts than is contained in any work on the Mohawk valley, so far as the editor of this work knows. These interesting accounts throw a personal and vivid light on the history of this locality and they are as follows: 1634 (Series I., Chapter I) — Account of Dutch explorers, particularly of the valley from the Noses to a point oppo- site Caroga creek. 1757 (Series I., Chapter VI.) — French account of the Mohawk valley, north and south shore roads, from Fort Can- ajoharie (Indian Castle) to Schenec- tady. 1760 (appendix) — ^Account of Mrs. Grant of Laggan (author of the Me- moirs of an American Lady) of Mo- hawk river voyage from Schenectady to Wood creek, and thence to Oswego, with stop at Fort Canajoharie (Indian Castle). 1783 (Series I., Chapter XVIII.) — Capt. Thompson's journey from Fort Plain to Fort Oswego, bearing news of cessation of Revolutionary war hos- tilities. 1788 (appendix) — First Mohawk val- ley trip of Elkanah Watson, Schenec- tady to Fort Schuyler (Rome). 1791 (appendix) — Second Mohawk valley trip of Elkanah Watson and companions, Albany to Oneida lake. 328 APPENDIX Oswego river, Onondaga lake, Cayuga and Seneca lakes, resulting in the for- mation of the Inland Lock and Navi- gation Co. and improvement of Mo- hawk river in 1796. 1792 (Series I., Chapter I.) — Account of traveler's trip through the Mohawk valley in 1792, from Schenectady to Oneida Castle. 1802 (Series II., Chapter I.)— Account of Rev. John Taylor's valley trip from Tribes Hill to Little Falls. See also account of Little Falls in Series II., Chapter VI., by Rev. Mr. Taylor. 1807 (Series II., Chapter VI.)— Chris- tian Schultz's trip by packet l)atteau up the Mohawk river to Wood creek. 1825 (Series II., Chapter VII.)— Thur- low Weed's stagecoach journey over the Mohawk turnpike. 1848 (Series III., Chapter II.)— Trip of Lossing, the historian, from Curry- town to Sharon Springs to Cherry Valley to Fort Plain; also reference to Erie canal packet boat trip from Fort Plain to Fultonville in Series III., Chapter XV. 1911 (Series III., Chapter V.)— Aero- plane flight of Atwood from Syracuse to Nelliston and from Nelliston to Cas- tleton, on his St. Louis to New York air journey. The Mohawk river por- tion of the trip is described in a sketch by Atwood entitled "Following the Mo- hawk." MOHAWK VALLEY MANUFACTUR- ING CHRONOLOGY — SKETCHES OF PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIES AND OF CHEESE DAIRYING. Following is a chronology of Mo- hawk valley manufacturing, inclusive of the manufacture of dairy products. This does not cover all the industries of the six Mohawk valley counties Imt it does include the principal industries, in which the great majority of the wage-earners of the valley are engag- ed. This chronology gives at a glance the beginnings and development of the leading manufactures. 1800 (about) — Manufacture of cheese for outside markets begun in Mohawk valley. Dairying became a large val- ley industry about 1825. Cheese mak- ing for market purposes was intro- duced into the Mohawk valley by New England immigrants into the Mohawk valley, principally in Herkimer county. 1807 — Manufacture of woolen cloth began at Frankfort. 1809— James Burr and Tallmadge Ed- wards start business of dressing leather and making leather mittens in Kingsboro (now Gloversville), Fulton county; this was the beginning of the leather and glove industry of Fulton county. 1820 — Manufacture of plows begun at Utica. 1830— Harry Bucrell of Salisbury, Herkimer county, makes first ship- ment of cheese to England (10,000 pounds). 1831 — Eliphalet Remington jr. opens forge for manufacture of gun barrels and firearms at Ilion, Herkimer coun- ty. He had previously made same from 1816 on his father's farm at Steele's Creek, Herkimer county. 1831 — Egbert Egberts invents a frame for knit goods manufacture, op- erated by power, at Albany, N. Y. Timothy Bailey aids in invention. Re- moved to Cohoes in 1832. 1832 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Cohoes by Egberts & Bailey; probably the inception of the knit goods business of the country; the Mohawk valley now (1914) being the center of American knit goods manu- facture. 1836 — Manufacture of axes and other edge tools begun in Cohoes. 1836 — Manufacture of ready-made clothing begun at Utica. 1836 — Manufacture of cotton cloth (white goods) introduced at Cohoes by Peter Harmony, a Spaniard, who founded the Harmony Mills Co. 1840 — Manufacture of ingrain car- l)ets begun at Hagaman's Mills by Wait, Green & Co.; later J. Sanford & Son of Amsterdam. 1842 — Manufacture of woolen goods begun at Little Falls. 1845 (about) — Manufacture of yarn begun at Little Falls. 1845 — Manufacture of railroad steam locomotives begun at Schenectady. MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 329 1846 — First kid glove factory of Johnstown established. 1847 — Manufacture of worsteds be- gun at Utica. 1848 — Manufacture of linseed oil be- gun at Amsterdam. 1848 — Manufacture of cotton cloth (white goods) begun at Utica; now (1914) largest center of this industry in New York state. 1857 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Amsterdam. 1859 — Manufacture of cotton and paper bags begun at Canajoharie. 1863 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Utica. 1863 — Manufacture of knit goods ma- chinery on a large scale begun in Cohoes. 1865 — Manufacture of furniture be- gun at Fort Plain. 1868 — Blood's broom factory estab- lished at Amsterdam ; first large broom factory of that city. 1872 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Herkimer. 1872 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Little Falls. 1875 — Alfred Dolge locates at Dolge- ville and begins manufacture of felt goods, etc. 1878 — Manufacture of brass begun at Rome, Oneida county. 1886 — Manufacture of desks and typewriter cabinets begun at Herki- mer. 1887 — Manufacture of copper begun at Rome, Oneida county. 1887 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at Fort Plain. 1888 — General Electric Co. moves to Schenectady. 1889 — Manufacture of player pianos and piano actions begun at St. Johns- ville. 1890 (about) — Manufacture and packing of foodstuffs begun at Cana- joharie. 1892 — Manufacture of knit goods be- gun at St. Johnsville. We have seen, in this review of events, the development of agriculture and manufactories in the valley. From a line of general crops raised on the farm we have witnessed a gradual change to dairying and haying with corn, oats, hops and barley as subsid- iary crops. Also there has been a gradual increase in poultry, fruit-rais- ing and market gardening. The rais- ing of broom corn and hops, once im- portant crops, have practically ceased except in Schoharie county, where hops are yet raised. In 1909, in the six Mohawk valley counties, there were 18,457 farms, with about 1,350,000 acres of improved farm land, raising over $30,000,000 of pro- ducts, exclusive of lumber. Manufacturing in the Mohawk val- ley was generally introduced by New England men, who settled in the val- ley, after the close of the Revolution. Men of "Mohawk Dutch" descent also soon joined in this industrial move- ment, after it was brought well under way by the valley "Yankees." Following the completion of the Erie canal came a boom in town building and the gradual growth of manufactures, which, however, had their greatest de- velopment in the valley after the Civil war. Today we see Utica a great knit goods and white goods manufacturing center, Rome a large producer of brass and copper goods, Frankfort of tools, Ilion the state's largest manufacturing center of typewriters and firearms, at Herkimer a great desk and furniture industry. Little Falls, St. Johnsville, Fort Plain, Amsterdam and Cohoes, centers for knit goods manufactviring, Dolgeville, New York's leading felt producing town, at Gloversville and Johnstown 80 per cent of the country's leather glove industry, Amsterdam the second carpet and rug manufacturing center in New York and the first broom-making city, and Schenectady the largest producer of electrical ap- paratus in the world, and the first New York city in the manufacture of loco- motives. Those cited are only the lead- ing industries of each town and there are other important and interesting industries, such as the making of player pianos at St. Johnsville. the manufacture of bags and the packing of food stuffs at Canajoharie, and a hundred other kinds of important in- dustries located within the confines of 330 APPENDIX the six Mohawk valley counties — aside from Schoharie, which is almost en- tirely an agricultural section, possess- ing but few manufacturing establish- ments. It was about the middle of the nine- teenth century and particularly at the close of the Civil war that the Mohawk valley changed from an agricultural to a manufacturing district — now one of the most important in the United States. In the Mohawk valley, at Palatine Bridge, was developed the sleeping and palace car and the elevated car roof; at Newport, the Yale lock and, at Ilion, the modern typewriter, while Cohoes was the birthplace of the knit goods industry. Herkimer county was also the birthplace of American cheese making for market. Today at Schen- ectady the laboratories of the General Electric Company are continually pro- ducing new electrical devices. A study of local manufacturing and agricultural interests is advised for public school pupils, in connection with the study of valley history. They should be considered in connection with their birth, growth and present importance. In 1912 in the six Mohawk valley counties there were 1,321 factories, em- ploying 88,271 operatives, producing goods of an estimated value of $200,- 000,000 annually. For detailed New York state manu- facturing information consult the New York State Department of Labor In- dustrial Directory. The following sketches of the prin- cipal manufacturing industries of the Mohawk valley, properly belong in the section of this work devoted to "Addi- tions." However, as the manufactur- ing chronology belongs under the Mo- hawk Valley Chronology it has been thought best to publish both the man- ufacturing chronology and the histori- cal and descriptive sketches of Mo- hawk valley manufactures in this place. The industries of the valley are varied, unique and important, and, be- sides those mentioned, there are here represented many of the manufactures of the United States. The leading in- dustries are agriculture, knit goods, electrical machinery, leather gloves and leather, white goods, rugs and car- pets and wood working. Industries of the six Mohawk valley counties which employ over 1,000 hands are here described. Two others — broom making and felt manufactur- ing — which employ nearly 1,000 hands and which soon will probably exceed that number, are also included. The leading industries are here described in their chronological order, beginning with cheese dairying, which was the first to develop and which the editor of this work considers as much manufac- turing as any other industry. 1785-1914 — Cheese dairying and gen- eral dairying in Herkimer county and the Mohawk valley. The following account comprises a history (from 1785 to 1914) and de- scription of cheese-making and dairy- ing in Herkimer county and the Mo- hawk valley. It may be remembered that the same conditions, etc., apply to the valley adjacent to Herkimer, ex- cept in the earliest years of cheese- making, particularly to Montgomery and Oneida counties, as well as Herki- mer. It is a fine line which divides some agricultural from industrial work or manufacturing. It is difficult to un- derstand why cheese-making or butter making is not as much a manufactur- ing enterprise as the making of loco- motives, a rug or an undershirt. Also why cheese-making should be consid- ered an agricultural pursuit and the manufacture of condensed milk a man- ufacturing enterprise is a question. From Hardin's History of Herkimer County (1893), Chapter VII., on "His- tory of Cheese Dairying in Herkimer County," taken from a chapter written (in 1878) by X. A. Willard. The fol- lowing contains almost the entire paper: The rock, which underlies a large share of the lands in the towns north of the Mohawk, is the Utica slate. It is of a dark color, of a soft or flaky nature, is found cropping out in nu- imrous places, and, when exposed to the atmosphere and frosts, readily falls MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 331 to pieces and is mingled with the soil. Tlie rock contains consideralile organic matter (according to Emmons, more than ten parts in one liundred), is charged with sulphur and contains lime, and, when near the surface, forms a soil rich in fertilizing ele- ments and not easily exhaustible. In- stances can be pointed out where fields of this black slate have been plowed and cultivated for more than twenty years in succession without the appli- cation of manures and yielding' good returns each year; and there are pas- tures and meadows that have lain in grass for thirty or forty years and which are still yielding abundant crops. In the towns south of the Mohawk river, the Utica slate is found only to a limited extent, the Frankfort slate, limestone and Marcellus shales being the characteristic underlying rocks. It is the modifying influence which these rocks are supposed to exert on the grasses and the comijaratively large surface over which they extend, together with the abundant supply of never-failing streams and springs of pure water, that render Herkimer county peculiarly adapted to grazing, giving a richness and flavor to her cheese product not easily obtained in less favored localities. The fall of rain and snow during the year is consideral)ly more here than in many other parts of the state, and this is supposed to act favorably on the grasses and in the preservation of meadows. The grasses usually grown and considered most productive are timothy, June or Kentucky blue grass, red top and orchard grass, with the clovers, red and white. These grow on the sward and are well adapted to the soil and climate. White clover arid June grass are indigenous and are deemed of great value for pasturage. * * * At first and for many years after dairying had become established, farmers raised their own stock by se- lecting calves from their best cows, and in this way the milking stock was greatly improved. The early settlers along the Mohawk came mostly from Germany and Holland and they brought with them and reared here what was known as the "Dutch cow." She was medium in size, black and white, often red and white, very hardy, a good feeder and of deep milking habit. The early dairymen got their best cows from this breed. * * * ^g the price of cheese advanced, the prac- tise of filling up the herds, with stock driven from other counties, often from remote localities, obtained; and, al- though this means of keeping good the herd was more or less deprecated by farmers as unsatisfactory, still the practise grew and liecame pretty gen- eral. [In the thirty -six years — from 1878 to 1914 — since the writing of this article there has been an almost com- plete reversion to the Dutch cow of the first settlers — the Holstein-Frisian breed, which is in general use by the progressive dairymen of the Mohawk valley. Short-Horn Durhams, Devons, Ayrshires and Jerseys were introduced between 1830 and 1900, but they have been generally discarded now (1914) for the "Dutch cow."] Herkimer county may justly claim the honor of giving l)irth to cheese dairying as a specialty in America. It was from Herkimer county that the business began to spread to the ad- joining counties, and from thence to the different states and to Canada. In many instances, Herkimer county dairymen, removing to distant locali- ties, were the first to plant the busi- ness in their new homes; while in many instances, cheese-dairying was commenced by drawing upon Herkimer for cheese makers to manage the dairies. Often too., parties were sent into the county to obtain a knowledge of cheese making, and, returning home, carried the art into new districts. Thus for many years Herkimer was the great center from which the new districts drew the necessary information and skill for prosecuting the business of cheese dairying with profit and suc- cess. Cheese was made in small quantities in the county as early as 1800. In 1785 a number of persons, emigrating from New England, settled in the town of Fairfield [Herkimer county]; among them may be named Cornelius Chat- field, Benjamin Bowen, Nathan Arnold, John Bucklin, Daniel Fenner, Nathan Smith, the Eatons, Neelys, Peter and William Brown and others. Some of these families, coming from Cheshire, Mass.. brought with them a practical knowledge of the method by which cheese was made in a small way in Cheshire. But notable among these families were Nathan Arnold, Daniel Fenner and the Browns, who settled in the southern part of the town of Fair- field and near each other. Arnold's wife was a cheese maker, and he is the first, it is believed, who began cheese dairying in the county. Except along the Mohawk nearly the whole county was then a dense forest. Brant, the famous Mohawk chief, and his bloody warriors, had been gone several years but traces of their pilla.ge and murders were fresh among the early settlers in the valley and along the river. * * * From ISOO to 1826 cheese-dairying had become pretty general in Herki- mer countv but the herds were mostly small. As early as 1812-181 G the larg- est herds, numbering about forty each, were those belongin.g to ^^'illiam Fer- ris, Samuel Carpenter, Nathan Salis- Viury and Isaac Smith in the northern 332 APPENDIX part of the county, and they were re- garded as extraordinary for their size. About 1S26 the business began to be estaljlished in adjoining counties, in single dairies here and there, and gen- erally by persons emigrating from lierkimer county. The implements and appurtenances of the dairy were then very rude. The milking was done in open yards and milking barns were un- known. The milk was curded in wooden tubs, the curd cut with a long wooden knife and broken with the hands. The cheeses were pressed in log presses standing exposed to the weather. The cheeses were generally thin and small. They were held through the season and, in the fall, when ready for market, were packed in rough casks made for the purpose and shipped to different localities for home consumption. Prices in those days were low, ranging from 4 cents to 6 cents per pound. * * * In 1826, Harry Burrell of Salisbury, Herkimer county, then a young man full of enterprise and courage, having learned something of the sly methods of Ferris and Nesbith [of Massachu- setts, then the leading valley buyers of cheese] resolved to enter the field as their competitor. He pushed his oper- ations with great vigor and bought a large share of the cheese at a price above that figured by the Massachu- setts firm. He afterwards became the chief dealer in dairy goods in Central New York, often purchasing the entire product of cheese made in the United States. Mr. Burrell was the first to open a cheese trade with England, commenc- ing shipping as a venture in 1S30 or 1832, at the suggestion of Erastus Corning of Albany. The first shipment was about 10,000 pounds. He was the first also to send cheese to Philadel- phia [first shipping there in 1828. Mr. P.urrell's business, on his death, was carried on 1)y his sons D. H. P.urrell and E. S. Burrell of Little Falls, Avhich place was the home of Harry Burrell during the last twenty years of his life]. From 1836 to 1860 several Herkimer county merchants had entered the field as cheese buyers, the most notable of whom were Samuel Perry of New- port, V. S. Kenyon of Middleville, A. H. Buel of Fairfield, Perry &: Sweezy of Newport, Benjamin Silliman of Salis- Tiury, I^orenzo Carryl of Salisliury, Frederick I\'es, James H. Ives, Roger Bamber of Stark, Simeon Osburne of Herkimer and several others. Cheese during this time was usually bought on long credits, the dealers going through the coimtry and purchasing the entire lot of cheese made or to be made during the season, advancing a small part of the money and agreeing to pay the balance on the first of Jan- uary following. Failures would occur from time to time and the farmers sell- ing to these unfortunate speculators not unfrequently lost the bulk of their labor for the season. Up to 1840 the dairymen of Herkimer had made but little improvement in farm I)uildings or in appliances for the dairy. I>ands were comparatively cheap and it was no unusual thing for men with little or no means to buy farms and paj'^ for them by dairying. About this time or a little earlier the smaller farms of the coimty began to l:ie absorlied by well-to-do dairymen and the plan of renting farms on what is known as the "two-fifths" system began to be adopted. * * • In 1840 farmers had liecome so pros- perous from dairying that they began to pay more attention to the care and management of stock. They not only looked more closely to the comfort of the herds, but "milking barns" for their own convenience and comfort began to be pretty generally su):)stituted for the open yard in milking. About this time also the first dairy steamer for making cheese was brought out by G. Farmer of Herki- mer. It consisted of a boiler for the generation of steam, attached to a stove or furnac(\ with a pipe for con- ve>'ing steam from the boiler to the milk vat, on the same principle as the milk vats now in use. A branch of the steam pipe was con- nected with a tub for heating water for washing utensils used in the dairy. This apparatus of course was a crude affair compared with the modern, highly-improved cheese vat and steam boiler, but it was the first invention of the kind and led to grand results in labor-saving appliances in the dairy. In about ten years after Farmer's in- vention, which was extensively intro- duced into Herkimer and other coun- ties, William G. Young of Cedarville brought out the steel curd-knife, which was a great improvement over the wire and tin cutters that Truman Cole of Fairfield had invented and had got into general use. The log presses were also fast going out of use — their place be- ing supplied liy the Kendall press. The Ta.vlor and 05'sten presses, both in- vented by Herkimer county men, were further improvements brought out be- tween 1850 and 1860. From 1850 to 1860 dairying began to assume formidalile proportions. Prices had gradually risen from 5 to 7 cents, from 7 cents to 9 cents, and the busi- ness was considered more prosperous than any other farm industry. During this period the farmers of Herkimer county had generally acquired wealth or a su))stantial competence, and this was shown in the improved buildings and premises. In 1857 Jesse Williams of Rome, MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 333 Oneida county (a dairyman who had learned clieese-making in Herkimer) conceived the idea of the factory sys- tem, but it did not begin to attract much attention until 1S60, when plans were inaugurated for testing the sys- tem in Herkimer. The first factories were erected by Avery & Ives of Salis- bury and by Mr. Shell of Russia. The system did not spread so rapidly at first in Herkimer, as it has in some new sections, because cheese-making was lietter understood by the mass of the farmers here than elsewhere; and the cheese of Herkimer having a high reputation in many of the large dairies, the dairymen were at first a little doubtful as to the success of the fac- tories. They, however, soon wheeled into line, and now the last state cen- sus gives the number of factories in Herkimer county, in 1874, at 8S, aggre- gating a capital of $235,070, and paying out annually in wages the sum of $48,- 181. The number of cows in the coun- ty, whose milk was sent to the fac- tories that year, was 32,372 and in 1875, 34,070; the number of patrons was 1,303. [In 18C1] * * * Dairymen and dealers began to meet at I.,ittle Falls on certain days of the week, for the pur- pose of making transactions in cheese. There was a large number of home dealers, some of them acting as agents for New York, Philadelphia and Balti- more houses, while others were seek- ing transactions on their own account. The fact that so many dairymen had lost money the previous year and the desire, on their part to sell for cash or short credits helped to start "Sales day" or a public market at Little Falls. Dairymen commenced in the Spring to bring small parcels of cheese into town on Mondays, offering it for sale to resi- dent dealers and transactions were readily made, * * * and "market days," for the sale of dairy products at Little Falls, were inaugurated. At first two days in the week, Mondays and Wednesdays, were agreed upon, and the plan worked well and was satis- factory to all concerned. Soon dealers from New York and other cities began to visit the market, making such se- lections as they desired, while the dairymen, selling for cash and meet- ing with buyers who were ready to compete for their goods, were so pleas- ed with the arrangement that they did not care to dispose of their cheese in any other way. * * * In 1864 the first weekly reports of the Little Falls market, then and now [1878] the largest interior dairy mar- ket in the world, began to be made by the writer in the Utica Morning Her- ald. Previous to 1864, farmers relied on city quotations which were believed to be in the merchants' favor. Indeed so sharp was the competition at Little Falls that the prices paid at this mar- ket every week were not infrequently above New York quotations, and dairymen from other sections sought eagerly for these reports before selling. The factories also were sending their salesmen on the market; not only from Herkimer but from the adjoining coun- ties, the "sales day" now toeing on Mon- day only of each week. From 1864 to 1870, the Little Falls cheese market had acquired so high a reputation that it was considered the center of the trade in America, and its weekly transactions had a controlling inlluence in estab- lishing prices on the seaboard. Re- ports of the market at its close, were telegraphed, not only to parties en- gaged in the trade in our leading cities, but to the great cheese centers of Liv- erpool and London. During this time, besides a great number of farm-dairy- men attending the market weekly, salesmen from 300 factories have some- times been present while the regular list of factories doing business in tlie market numbered about 200. The quantity of cheese annually sold on the market has been estimated at 25,000,- 000 to 30,000.000 pounds, but the actual shipment of dairy produce from the county was considerably less, as the factories after selling their goods by sample, shipped them at the railroad depots nearest the factory. The "export" quantity (other than sold for local use) of cheese sent out from Herkimer county in 1864 was 16,- 767,999 pounds, and, of butter, 492,673 pounds. In 1869 it was 15,570,487 pounds of cheese and 204,634 pounds of butter. Up to 1871 the butter market at Little Falls had been held in the open street, but, early in January of that year, steps were taken to organize a Dairy Board of Trade for the State, with headquarters at Little Falls, that being the chief and only dairy market in the interior of the country. In February, 1871, the New York State Dairymen's Association and Board of Trade was organized at Lit- tle Falls, at a public meeting there, this being the first dairymen's lioard of trade organized on the continent. Similar associations shortly followed at Utica, N. Y., and Elgin, 111., and in other sections. Shortly after the or- ganization of the Little Falls Dairy- men's Association and Board of Trade, the citizens of Little Falls fitted up a board of trade room. In 1878 nearly all the factory made cheese of Herki- mer county went to England. Butter making has never been ex- tensively practised as a specialty in Herkimer county, although consider- able quantities of butter are made in the spring and fall in connection with cheese manufacture. The usual plan. 334 APPENDIX in these seasons, when milk is deliv- ered at the factories, is to allow far- mers to skim one day's milk or the night mess of milk and then deliver the skimmed milk. In farm dairies the milk is set for a longer or a shorter period, and the skimmed milk made into cheese. But this practise obtains for the most part only in spring and fall, while some of the factories will not allow any skimming, believing that a high reputation can only be main- tained by manufacturing at all times nothing but "full-milk cheese." A few creameries have from time to time been operated in the county. Commenting on the above [1878] ar- ticle Hardin's [1892] History of Herki- mer County, says: Since the foregoing paper was writ- ten but few changes have taken place in cheese-dairying in Herkimer coun- ty. The annual production of dairy products shows slight fluctuations from year to year, but has neither ma- terially increased or decreased. The changes which have occurred have been mostly along the line of advanced methods of manufacture. The intro- duction of improved machinery into cheese and butter factories and of bet- ter blood into dairy herds. The ma- chine recently [1892] invented by Dr. Babcock of the Wisconsin Experiment Station, Madison, Wis., for testing milk to determine the quantity of but- ter fats, is now in use in some cream- eries and factories, while the separa- tor is quite extensively employed in the manufacture of butter. Dairymen are giving more attention to means for increasing the capacity of their herds both with regard to pro- duction and quality of milk. The in- troduction of full-blooded males of the Holstein-Frisian [Dutch cow], Jersey and Guernsey breeds, for the accom- plishment of this end, is consequently receiving consideraljle attention, which, with the better care and man- agement, is gradually improving the average of the dairy cows of the county. The silo too, is beginning to command attention from the most pro- gressive dairy farmers, a dozen or more being in successful operation in different localities in the county. A movement is also being made in the direction of winter dairying, which bids fair to add new impetus to this already important and prosperous in- dustry. In 1892 Herkimer county sold for "export" (other than home use), 206,- 058 boxes of cheese, at an average of 60 lbs. per box, or a total for the year of 12,363,483 lbs., at an average price of .0915 cents per lb. The total value of this was $1,131,258, which, with the addition of $87,404 worth of dairy cheese, made a grand total for Herkimer county, in 1892, of $1,218,662. Prices from 1890 to 1892 ranged from 6%c to lie per pound. There have been considerable gen- eral changes in the conditions of Mo- hawk valley dairying from the year when the foregoing was written (in 1878 and 1893) until the present (1914). In the last twenty years there seems to have been a tendency away from cheese-making — toward the production and shipping of milk and cream to cities and toward the manufacture of milk into products such as butter and condensed milk. There seems also to be a tendency among farmers toward combination in dairy production, a natural sign of the present times (1914). Since 1893 the Dutch or Holstein- Frisian cow has resumed its old-time supremacy along the Mohawk, it lieing the animal favored by local dairymen. Also since 1893 Utica has vied with Little Falls as an interior first-hand market for cheese, and for a number of years the volume of cheese business transacted in Utica exceeded that of Little Falls. In 1913, however, Little Falls did a larger business than Utica, regaining once more its paramount po- sition as the leading eastern cheese market. The Fort Plain market, Feb. 22, 1914, quoted I6I/2 cents as the price paid producers of cheese for their product, while 22 cents was quoted as the retail price. In cities and points remote from dairy sections, the retail price of "American cheese" is greater (1914). Pasteurized milk sold in New York in 1914 for 10 cents per quart bottle, while the prediction was made, by those in a position to know, that it would not be many years before the metropolitan retail price per quart bot- tle would be 15 cents. Notwithstand- ing this increase in price paid to far- mers, creameries and cheese factories for milk and milk products, it is said that the dairy herds of New York state are decreasing in size and that far- mers are going into other lines of ag- ricultural production. It was stated that in 1913 the dairy herds of the MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 335 state decreased 30,000 cows. This con- dition is certainly peculiar. The re- quirements of the State Board of Ag- riculture may have affected the situa- tion. All dairy farms and premises nowadays must be perfectly sanitary, or, rather, they are supposed to be. Rigid cattle inspection is practised and frequently farmers lose a considerable part of their herds because their cat- tle become infected by tuberculosis and are killed by state orders. It may be that in the future a general applica- tion of the laws of sanitation to farms will make sickly cows a rarity and the farmer, adapting himself to new con- ditions, will make a fair profit at the business of dairying, for its products are bound to increase in value. Many farmers find profit in the business in this year — 1914. In 1912, in the six Mohawk valley counties, there were condensed milk factories located at Deansboro and Holland Patent, Oneida county; New- port, Herkimer county; St. Johnsville, Nelliston and Fultonville, Montgomery county. The Mohawk valley furnishes a large part of the New York city milk supply, as well as a large part of its cheese and butter. There are (1914) manufactures of dairy machinery (165 employes) and of butter color and dairy preparations (21 employes) at Little Falls. A tendency toward organization among valley dairymen has become marked in recent years and there are many town and county dairymen's associations in ex- istence. Very recently (April, 1914) a movement has been started toward a comprehensive association of the dairy producers of the three principal valley dairy counties of Oneida, Herkimer and Montgomery, as the following clip- ping will show: Herkimer Citizen, April 7, 1914: Tuesday, in Herkimer, there was a meeting held of those interested in the formation of a Dairymen's League for this vicinity. The meeting was infor- mal and was for the purpose of talk- ing over the matter. It is proposed to have the organization take in the milk producers from Fort Plain to Holland Patent. A committee of sellers can act for the entire district. The follow- ing milk stations were represented at the meeting: Fort Plain, Little Falls, Middleville, Newport, Holland Patent, Prospect, Remsen, Trenton, Graves- ville, Indian Castle, Poland, Cedar- ville and Inghams Mills. That great good is expected as a re- sult of the organization is shown by a comparison of the prices in this [Her- kimer] section with those that prevail- ed at Holland Patent, where a Dairy- men's League has been formed and is in operation. The average for the Bor- den prices in this section is $1.20 for the six months. At Trenton it is UA7V2, at Holland Patent $1.55i/^ and at Gravesville $1.54 1-6. 1805-1S09— Fulton county's glove and leather industry first started. Beers's "History of Montgomery and Fulton Counties" (1878) on page 175, gives a history of the origin of the glove and leather dressing business in Ful- ton count j^ It is in part as follows: The business started first, as such, in Kingsboro (now on the northern limits of Gloversville) in 1809. That village and the surrounding country was orig- inally settled by people from New Eng- land, many of whom were skilled in the manufacture of tin. They were of gen- uine Yankee stock, cute and indus- trious and unlike their Dutch neigh- bors along the Mohawk, took more naturally to manufacture and to trade than to farming. Hence they were ac- customed to manufacture tin, load a horse with it and, leading the beast up the Mohawk and "Chenango country," as it was then called, would exchange the tinware for wheat, also for any other products which they needed or could readily sell. The deer skins, one of which they generally bought for a medium sized tin basin, were sometimes rather a burden, for they were not used for much else than jackets and breeches, l)eing prized more particularly for the latter purpose, because of their lasting qualities — no small consideration in those days of comparative poverty, economy and hard work. The inhabitants had learned to tan the skins for clothing, according to the Indian process, using the brain of the deer itself, when convenient, but at this time often sul)stituting the brains of hogs for that purpose. It is said that the brains of a deer will tan the hide, containing as it does the same elements as the "soda ash" fat liquor in use at the present day. ***** About 1809 Tallmadge Edwards, for- merly a leather-dresser in England, * * * moved from Massachusetts to Jolinstown. In that year James Burr * * * * hired Edwards to come to 336 APPENDIX Kingsboro and teach them his art of dressing leather. Mr. Burr, in 1S09, made up a few pairs of mittens whicii he took up the Mohawk and bartered off. In the following year he made a considerable number and sold at least part of them l)y the dozen, the lirst transaction of the kind. He subse- quently made material improvements in the process of dressing skins, the most noticealjle of which was the in- vention of the "bucktail," for which he received a patent. The apparatus is still in use, l)ut the invention, like many others, proved rather a loss than otherwise to the inventor. At this time, and much later, no gloves were manufactuied, but only rough heavy mittens, which were need- ed to protect the hands of farmers and woodmen in cold and heavy labor. Even the leather which was produced up to a quite recent date [prior to 1878] was unfit for the manufacture of gloves, ))eing too stiff and heavy. As lately as about * * * [1850], it is said, gloves were seldom cut, except an occasional pair, taken from the thinnest and most pliable parts of the skins. Gloves were originally cut, it is said, by laying a pasteboard pattern on the leather and following it with the shears. But very indifferent progress could be made in that way with the elastic leather now in use, and this fact shows the difference in quality quite distinctly. E. P. Newten started, in 1859, the first general machine works in Fulton county for the manufacture of glo\'e and mitten cutting machines. The goods made in earlier days, how- ever uncouth, furnished a good means of disposing of surplus deer skins, which, instead of being a drug on the market, were eagerly sought for, and when made up, were returned, with the next parcel of tinware, to l)e rebar- tered to parties from whom the skins had been o))tained, besides l^eing put upon the market for sale to any who wished to purchase. Elisha Judson, it is said, carried east, about 1825, the first load of gloves ever driven into Boston. The trip took six weeks. In justice to others it may be said that the inception of Fulton county's glove business has been ascribed to others than those above mentioned. William C. Mills, in 1805, and Ezekiel Case (a former Cincinnati citizen) in 180C, are said to have started leather dressing and glove making operations. However it is certain that some time, during the j'ears from 1805 to 1809, the leather dressing and glove making bus- iness f)f Fulton county began the start of its remarkable later growth. In 1912 over 7,000 persons were em- ployed in the glove industry and leather dressing business of Fulton county, and Johnstown and Glovers- ville did 80 per cent of the glove mak- ing of the United States. Johnstown and Gloversville are today (1914) the first towns in New York state in the manufacture of leather gloves and the dressing and preparation of leather. The latest invention in this industry is that of washable leather. 1831 — Eliphalet Remington estab- lishes an arms factory at Ilion. 1873 — ■ Typewriter construction begun in Remington works at Ilion. In 1831, Eliphalet Remington jr. started a forge, at Ilion, Herkimer county, for the manufacture of gun barrels and firearms. He had pre- viously had a small forge on his father's farm at Steele's Creek, Her- kimer county. The business developed rapidly and during the years, 1861-5, furnished a large amount of arms to the Union armies, from the Reming- ton factory at Ilion and a branch fac- tory in Utica. About this time the Remington breech-loading gun was completed. In 1873, James Densmore, the inventor of the typewriter, came to Ilion and interested the Remingtons in his invention and shortly after the manufacture of typewriters began here, an industry which has developed into one of the largest in the valley. In 1912, in the Remington type- writer works, 2,851 hands were em- ployed and in the Remington arms works, 1,127 people were employed. Over 300 hands are employed in a fire- arm factory in Utica, making about 1,500 people engaged in the manufac- ture of arms in the Mohawk valley. 1832 — Cohoes knitting industry es- tablished. The father of the knitting business in this country was Egbert Egberts. While living in Albany in 1831, he be- came interested in the making of knit goods. Here he made his primary ex- periments in the construction of a knitting frame to be operated by power. Timothy Bailey, a practical mechanic, became associated with Eg- berts in this work of experimentation. Bailey built a wooden frame, which, MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 337 when turned by hand, accomplished, in a small way, what Egberts desired. A knitting machine had already been in- vented. One was bought in Philadel- phia by Bailey and brought to Albany, and his contrivance was applied, so as to produce knit goods by turning a crank. In 1832 Egberts and Bailey re- moved to Cohoes. The new machine was arranged to run by water power. Soon eight of these machines were constructed by Timothy Bailey and set in motion. The next step was to com- mence carding and spinning, thus pre- paring their own yarn. In this way the foundation was laid for the ex- tensive knit goods business, which is an industry of the greatest importance in the Mohawk valley, and . in the United States as well. For some time the new invention was kept a secret. The doors were fastened by spring locks. Even Gen. George S. Bradford, who ran the mill by contract, was compelled to make an agreement that he would not enter the knitting room. Timothy Bailey, and a. foreman who worked with him, were the only ones who understood the ma- chines. In 1853 there were three knitting mills in Cohoes, employing 750 hands and producing 45,000 dozen goods an- nually. In 18S3 there were 25 knitting mills in Cohoes, with 177 sets of cards, 595 knitting cylinders and 4,140 oper- ators. $1,000,000 was estimated to have been paid out annuallj^ about this period, to employes in the Cohoes knit goods business. In 1863 the man- ufacture of knitting machinery was begun on a considerable scale at Cohoes, the birthplace of the knitting industry, which is now (1914) one of the two mammoth industries of the valley — knit goods and the making of electrical machinery. In 1912, 17,000 persons were employed in the knit goods industry in the Mohawk valley. There were factories in nineteen valley towns, with Utica, Amsterdam, Cohoes and Little Falls, the principal points of production in the order named. 1836 — Cohoes, Harmony Mills (for the manufacture of white goods) es- tablished. Peter Harmony, a Spaniard, was the founder of these mills and from him they have taken their name. Asso- ciated with him were many local pub- lic-spirited men and capitalists (largely of Dutch ancestry). The company bought a tract of land about a quarter of a mile south of the Cohoes falls, and in 1837 erected a brick building, 165 feet long, 50 feet wide and four stories high, which com- plete with water-wheels, flumes, etc., cost $72,000. Three brick blocks were built at the same time, just west of the mill and divided into tenements for the use of the operatives. The mill was equipped with the best cotton ma- chinery then in use, and the manufac- ture of cotton cloth [or white goods] liegan under the most favorable cir- cumstances. Bad management or some other cause handicapped the project from the start and, in the thirteen years, from 1837 to 1850, the only year which showed a profit was the single year of 1838. In 1850, under compulsory sale, the property was purchased by Gar- ner & Co. of New York, and Alfred Wild of Kinderhook. The annual pro- duct of the mill at that time was 1,500,- 000 yards of print cloth; 700 bales of cotton were consumed, and 250 hands employed, a large number for that period in the valley. Under new management, the Har- mony mills prospered wonderfully and in 1883 they were the largest and most complete cotton manufacturing estab- lishment in the United States. New mills of the company, or acquired by it were built in 1844, 1846, 1849, 1853, 1857, 1867, 1872. The north wing of the "Mastodon" or No. 3 mill, was built in 1866-7. In excavating for the foun- dation at the north end, a large pot hole was found in the bed of what had once been a stream of water. The pot hole was very deep, filled with peat, and at its bottom, 60 feet below the surface of the street, was found the almost perfect skeleton of a mastadon mammoth of a former age. The bones were carefully removed and presented to the state. They are now mounted and on exhibition in Geological Hall in Albany. 338 APPENDIX In 1912, 5,650 employes were at work in the white goods factories of the Mohawk valley, distributed as follows: Utica, 2,750; New York Mills, 1,800; Cohoes, 600; Capron, 250; New Hart- ford, 150; Little Falls, 100. Utica is the center of this industry for New York state. 1840 — Amsterdam Carpet industry. In 1840, Wait, Greene & Co. of Haga- mans began the manufacture of car- pets. In 1842 William K. Greene withdrew from the firm of Wait, Greene & Co. of Hagamans Mills and came to Amster- dam where he started a carpet factory in a small factory where now stands the Greene Knitting Co. works. A few years later John Sanford acquired an interest in the business, which then re- moved to the old Harris mill further up the stream. Later Mr. Greene re- tired from the business and the firm thereafter became known as J. San- ford & Son. In 1853 the senior mem- ber retired and Stephen Sanford be- came sole proprietor. Later on the firm became S. Sanford & Sons and the Sanfords soon built up one of the largest carpet manufactories in the country. Several other carpet making establishments followed. In 1912, in Amsterdam, 4,100 persons were employed in the manufacture of carpets and rugs. 1845 — The Schenectady Locomotive Works. About 1845 Schenectady became in- terested in the manufacture of loco- motives. Some enterprising citizens, among them Hon. Daniel D. Campbell, Simon C. Groot and others, conceived the idea of here erecting locomotive works. Associated with the incorpor- ators was John Ellis, "one of the shrewdest, ablest, hardheaded, Scotch- men and skilful mechanics the state has ever known." The Norris brothers of Philadelphia, about as eminent loco- motive builders as lived in the land, came to take control of the little plant. The Norrises started well, but for some reason, made a bad failure in the end. The stockholders took charge in 1850. A disagreement occurred, in fact grew chronic among the shareholders. Ellis (the original practical man of the company) had the strength of his con- victions and, when disputes arose, would not give way. He was the only real mechanic of the outfit and be- lieved he understood his business. The stockholders endeavored to get rid of him but with true Scottish tenacity he stuck to the works. Walter j\Ic- Queen was associated with Ellis, and McQueen was a grand mechanic, un- derstanding every phase of the busi- ness. The McQueen engine soon be- came known all over the United States. One of them, purchased by the government, rolled into Fairfax Court House, one fine afternoon in the fall of 1862, when the 134th was lying there drilling for the awful experi- ence they were to undergo. The Sche- nectady men recognized an old friend, and, swarming about it, patted it like a horse and would have hugged it if they could. The genius of McQueen and the business ability of Ellis were building up an immense plant, soon to rival the Baldwins of Philadelphia and the Rogers of Paterson. Yates's Schenectady County (1902) says: "Today the plant is one of the largest in the world, its workmanship unsurpassed and, in recent trials, out- stripping every locomotive on earth. '999' of the Empire State Express, was the admiration of every sightseer at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago [in 1893]. Yet '999' is an everyday en- gine now besides the monster of the type of 2207 [and of still later types]." In 1912 in Schenectady, 3,300 em- ployes were engaged in the manufac- ture of locomotives; in Rome 250 were employed in this industry, a total for the valley of 3,550 employes in locomo- tive manufacturing. 1874— Dolgeville felt manufacturing established. In 1874, Alfred Dolge, a young Ger- man who was engaged in the import- ing of piano material in New York, and who also had started the domestic manufacture of piano felt in Brook- lyn, came up to Dolgeville, prospecting MOHAWK VALLEY CHRONOLOGY 339 for spruce wood, which is used in the manufacture of piano sounding boards. He purchased the tannery property and, in April, 1875, began his manu- facturing operations, which later de- veloped into the largest of their kind in the United States and included (1893) felt mills, felt shoe factories, factories for piano cases, piano sounding boards, piano hammers and lumber yards. In 1875 Dolgeville's population numbered 325. Alfred Dolge subsequently failed and removed to California, where he founded another Dolgeville. His in- dustries in Dolgeville (Herkimer and Pulton counties) have been continued in other hands and the felt industry is now the largest of its kind in New York state. In 1912, in Dolgeville, 713 persons were engaged in the manufacture of felt, and in Oriskany, 120, making a total for the felt industry of the valley of 833 employes. 1878— Rome brass industry. 1887— Rome copper industry. In 1878 the manufacture of brass be- gan at Rome and in 1887 the manu- facture of copper began there. These are among the largest of the valley in- dustries. In 1912, in the Rome brass works, 1.800 employes were engaged; in Rome copper works, there were 600 hands employed. 1888— The General Electric Company comes to Schenectady. In 1888 there came a corporation to Schenectady which was destined to make it one of the chief manufacturing and electrical centers of the world. The Jones Car Works of Green Island had come to Schenectady (in 1872) and had established a plant on the present site of the General Electric Company. It failed (in 1884) and went into the hands of a receiver. Under the direc- tion of the court, its real estate was offered for sale. Hon. John A. De- Remer, the receiver, obtained an order from the court for the sale of the prop- erty for $45,000. The attention of the Edison Machine Works of Georck street, New York city, was attracted to it and negotiations were entered into. The company, then by no means a large corporation, examined the sit- uation and were struck by its advan- tages. Its directors discovered that they could not get in New York what they needed. Here then were railroad and canal connections, with all points of the compass at the door of their shops, and opportunities for experi- mental work along the bank of the canal were unequalled anywhere. But they would give but $37,000 for the whole outfit. The citizens took hold of the matter and private and personal subscription soon made up the $45,000. The original industry grew, daily in- creasing its output enormously and bringing work and workmen to the town. A connection was formed with Thompson and Houston, with immense plants in Lynn, Mass., and Orange, N. J. The works doubled in size and bus- iness. Like in all factory towns a great number of cheap saloons sprang up on Kruesi avenue, leading to the General Electric Works. The General Electric Company established its own restaur- ant in its works and desired to close up this street of saloons, besides which the company needed the land for the enlargement of its own works. In 1899 the citizens of Schenectady raised $30,000 by subscription, the street was purchased and given to the General Electric Company, the gift guarded only by the promise that if the plant removed from Schenectady, the property was to revert to the sub- scribers to the fund. The corporation soon showed its appreciation of this generosity of the people by a subscrip- tion of $15,000 to the local public li- brary and by many later public bene- factions. In 1897, the General Electric Com- pany did a business of $11,170,319; in 1901, of $27,969,541. 60 per cent of this business was done at Schenectady. In 1901, the employes of the company at Schenectady numbered 7,651, with a pay roll of $100,000 per week. In 1912, in the General Electric Co.'s works at Schenectady, 17,000 persons were employed. The works are con- stantly enlarging and form one of the 340 APPENDIX world's great industries. They liave made Sciienectady from a quiet village of 1880 into a great city in 1914. The woodworking establishments of Herkimer, including desks, house and office furniture, and wood trim, em- ployed 1,202 hands in 1912. The wood manufactures of the Mo- hawk valley, including the above and other branches, constitute one of the largest industries of the six valley counties. About 2,500 persons were engaged in the wood manufactures in these counties (1912), principally in Herkimer, Oneida and Montgomery, in the order named. Herkimer was the center of this industry and Herkimer county employed nearly four-fifths of the operatives in valley wood manu- factures, principally at Herkimer, Lit- tle Falls and Ilion. Metal manufactures and iron found- ing employed several thousand people in the Mohawk valley in 1912, in many widely varying industries, including the making of metal beds and heating apparatus, at Utica and Rome. sons in the six Mohawk valley coun- ties, 1,600 of whom were operatives in Utica industries of this character. Silk manufactures and silk throwing and winding employed, in 1912, over 1,500 persons in the six Mohawk valley counties. The packing of food products, in- cluding canned goods, employed over 1,500 operatives, in the six Mohawk valley counties in 1912. Over 1,100 of these were hands employed in factories in Oneida county, over 300 in Canajo- harie, Montgomery county, and the balance in several small factories else- where. Clothing, millinery, etc., manufac- tures, in 1912, employed over 1,700 per- Broom factories, in 1912, in the six Mohawk vallej' counties, employed over 900 operatives. Broom corn grow- ing was at one time an important fea- ture of valley agriculture, but has been entirely discontinued for about twenty years. Broom making machinery and broom appliances are also made in the valley. Amsterdam was the center of Mohawk valley broom making, over 800 hands being there employed in 1912. APPENDIX ADDITIONS, NOTES, CORRECTIONS The editor of this work regrets that the greater part of the matter in this Appendix could not be contained in the main body of this boolt; a number of causes prevented its insertion there. This Appendix contains some of the most interesting matter concerning the history of our valley. In any future edition of this work the following pages will be put in their proper place in the main body of this book. The following series and chapter headings relate to similar ones in the major portion of the work. That is the Appendix chap- ter numbers indicate the chapter to which its matter properly belongs in the main body of the book. The editor of this work suggests the main chap- ters be read first and that the reader then turn to the Appendix and read the added matter relative to each chapter herein contained. SERIES I. CHAPTER I. The Mohawks and Six Nations — The Iroquoian Tribes of North America — The Iroquois Legend of Hiiawatha. With the continued publication of this work, in weekly newspaper form, it has grown from a study dealing with a section of the middle Mohawk val- ley into a general historical review of life along the Mohawk river. It is therefore deemed best by the editor to add the following general sketch of the Mohawk Indians and of the Five Na- tions or later Six Nations (also called the Iroquois confederacy), of which the Mohawks were a part. The Five Nations formed themselves only a part (although the most powerful) of a great family of Indian tribes which is called the Iroquoian. The life, cus- toms, wars and legends of the Five Nations were common to all the five tribes, including of course the Mo- hawks. Therefore the life and story of the Mohawk tribe forms most interest- ing reading to the valley people of the present. However, it is a most volumi- nous subject, and the reader is referred to works dealing especially with the Iroquois. In these pages the story of the Mohawks is interwoven with that of the white peoples of the valley. The following general sketch and the great legend of the Iroquois, Hiawatha, is given in the following pages and will be found of interest. The Delawares have a legend that their remote ancestors and those of the Iroquois originally formed one tribe long ages ago, which, through the cen- turies, gradually worked their way from westward of the Rocky moun- tains to east of the Alleghanics, the two peoples eventually separating into two nations. The Mohawk valley and the six Mo- hawk valley counties formed the home of two of the tribes of the Iroquois league — the Mohawks in the eastern half and the Oneidas mostly in Oneida county. The Mohawks (also formerly written Mohocs) are commonly regarded by historians as among the most power- ful and intelligent of our savage abori- gines; of good stature and athletic frames, naturally warlike and brave, they possessed in large measure all the qualities making up the savage's high- est type of man. Simms says the word Mohawk comes from an Indian word meaning "muskrat" and the river was so called because of the numerous muskrats which lived in its banks. In 342 APPENDIX the eighteenth century the country of the Mohawks extended from the mouth of their river westward to about the present location of Franl