Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

The Story of Old Fort Plain and the Middle Mohawk Valley
by Nelson Greene
O'Connor Brothers Publishers, Fort Plain, NY 1915

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 Canajoharie-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 despatches between Fort Plain and Cherry Valley. Here Washington stopped and remained over night on his visit to Fort Plain in 1783. Directly across the river was the Wagner farm where a ferry ran later and probably then.

Beside the Lipe family an Immediate neighbor of Fort Plain, on the Minden side of the river, was William H. Seeber, who had a store and dwelling 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 Canajoharie 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 shortly after it was amputated at Fort Herkimer. 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 Williams residence on Canal street. Several 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 1767. 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 became enamored of a Seneca girl. Abeel was captured near his home in the raid of 1780 by Brant and Cornplanter and was released by the latter. The half-breed son later visited his relatives at Fort Plain. George Crouse 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 Crouse jr. and Col. Willett, who boarded with Crouse, advised the latter to buy it. Willett did not command here after 1782. The land was to be paid for in wheat at 18 cents per skipple (three pecks). Later Col. Robert Crouse 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 Crouse 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 Canajoharie, 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; Castlne Bellinger, who was taken by the Indians to Canada when only three years old, where she afterward married and refused to return when found by her father, Frederick 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 Casler, John Casler, a baker for the army who is said to have kneaded dough with his feet; Jacob Conkling, mate of the brig Middleton; John Chisley; George Clock; Abram Copeman, a Revolutionary major; George Dievendorff, a captain; John Dievendorff, who escaped from captivity two years after he had been taken by the Indians; 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 other patriots, captured three Tories, whom Davis took to Albany; John Peter Dunckel; John Dillenbeck, a captain; George Dillenbeck, brother of the former, who in the war lost an eye from an Indian bullet and after drew a pension; Cornelius Flint; Mrs. Dr. Frame, murdered by Indians while trying to escape to Fort Nellis; Peter Flagg, a soldier at Fort Plain under Col. Willett; Henry J. Failing; John Gremps, a flfteen-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; Christian 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 Lambert, 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 Lipe; 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 shoulder; Nicholas Pace; John Roof, a soldier 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 Port Plain, had his horse shot down and, falling under it, was captured and kept in Canada during the war; Barbara Schenck, captured by the Indians 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 recognized them, later returned to their home, except the daughter, who married 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 Timmerman, who was sixteen when he was in the block-house at St. Johnsville when it was attacked by Brant; Giles Van Vost; Nicholas Van Slyke, a boatman on the Mohawk, who boasted of having killed 47 Indians, but who was finally killed by them and his body mutilated; Jacob Wagner; Jos. H. Wiles;---Wllkes, grandfather of Matthew 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 Revolution. More of these soldiers' names will be found in the Canajoharie and Palatine names on the Oriskany roster. Other Minden families are considered at greater length in the chapter 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 standing. 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. Dunlap in Cherry Valley, and married a sister of Gen. Herkimer He had been a colonel of Colonial troops under the Johnsons and with Guy Johnson 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 justice 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 ape of 93.

Peter Wagner lived on what is now the Smith farm in the town of Palatine and in sight of the Fort Plain location. His stone house was fortified 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., Christopher P. Fox and Christopher W. Fox, commanded companies the first, second and third companies of the Palatine 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 Indian. He also fought at Klock's Field, near his home.

In the Palatine district, other settlers and soldiers adjacent to Fort Plain were John Cook of Stone Arabia, who was wounded in the jaw, but escaped, at Oriskany; Johannes 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 stationed 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 Tones and finally barbarously murdered by the Indians; County Committeemen Andrew Reber, who then occupied the Nellis property near the Fort Plain railroad station; Major John Eisenlord, who was an excellent penman and secretary of the county committee, and a man of good education and considerable 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 regiment 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 surrounding territory. In the campaign of 1778 he was with the army under the immediate command of Washington and was in the battle of Monmouth. 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 to escape when he was chased by Indians, wounded in the shoulder, scalped and left to die. He revived, reached Fort Paris and eventually recovered. 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 morning 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 senior 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 Indians stole up at the time, and seeing 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 Malachi strayed away and the boat left him. After a year or more his father getting trace of him left for New England, 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 pursued 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 township, in 1770, were grist mills on the Canajoharie creek, owned by Gose Van Alstine and Col. Hendrick Frey.

The present town of St. Johnsville was settled about 1726. Most of the early settlers were Germans. Among them were families named Hellebrandt, Waters, Getman, Van Riepen, Walrath and Klock. The first settlement in the present village of St. Johnsville 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 erected In the eastern part of the town by Christian Klock. The Rev. Mr. Rosenkrantz was the first 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, 1776, lived about a mile below the village of St. Johnsville. He was a member of the Tryon County Committee of Safety, and in September, 1776, was appointed colonel of the Second (Palatine) Battalion of the Tryon county committee, which position he held till the close of the war. Capt. Christian House was an earnest patriot of the Revolution. He lived at that time near the west line of St. Johnsville 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 succeeded 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-Revolutionary settlers were families by the names of Keller, Meyers, Bellinger, Tanner, Lewis and Dievendorff.

The town of Danube, now In Herkimer 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 between 1720 and 1730). It is of considerable 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 incursion, In 1755. Here a church was 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 Mohawk chief, who fell fighting under Johnson at Lake George, is said to have passed his last years here. During the Revolution hostile Indians tried to steal the bell of the old Castle church, but forgot to secure the clapper and its clanging in the night aroused the German settlers, who sallied forth and recaptured it.

The town of Manheim, of Herkimer county, formed the extreme western end of the old Palatine district. Benton places its settlement at about 1755. Among the names of the pre-Revolutionary 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 Herkimer. Two returned and seven were killed.