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342 HERKIMER COUNTY.
The first settlements were made upon the river intervales above Little Falls, about 1722, by a
.colony of Palatinates. Accessions were made to their number from time to time, and up to the
close of the Revolution they constituted almost the sole inhabitants of the co. During the French
War of 1756, this colony was twice invaded, and numbers of the people were killed or carried
away prisoners.1 During the Revolution also it was repeatedly invaded; the buildings and crops
were destroyed; and at last the inhabitants were obliged to abandon their homes and seek protec¬
tion in the lower part of the valley. The German Flats were invaded by a body of 300 tories and
152 Indians, under Brant, in Sept. 1778. This party burned 63 dwellings, 57 barns, 3 gristmills,
2 sawmills, and killed or took off 235 horses, 229 horned cattle, 269 sheep, and 93 oxen. Only 2
persons lost their lives; and the forts were not attacked. A party of militia pursued them on
their retreat, but without effecting any thing. Andrustown, in Warren, was burned in July
of.the same year. A stockade fort was built at the German Flats, and another at Danube, a short
time previous to the commencement of the French War. In 1776 another fort was built at Her¬
kimer, n, of the Mohawk; and strong blockhouses were erected in several other parts of the co.2
This co. shared in the loss of men at the battle of Oriskany. Gen. Arnold came as far as Ger¬
man Flats in the summer of 1777, on his way to relieve Fort Schuyler; and from this place was
sent the tory Han Yost Schuyler, to spread alarm among the savages in St. Leger’s camp and
hasten the abandonment of the siege.
After the war the settlements rapidly spread, and within 15 years over 10,000 persons from New
England and the eastern cos. of the State located in the central and s. portions of the co. From
that time its progress has been gradual and continually prosperous.
COliUMBIA3—was formed, from Warren, June 8, 1812. It lies on the s. border of the co.,
w. of the center. Its surface is rolling and moderately hilly, with an av.erage elevation of 500 to
600 ft. above the Mohr wk. The streams are small brooks, a portion of them flowing n. to' the
Mohawk and the remainder flowing s. to the Unadilla. The soil is a clayey loam and generally
fertile. Columbia Center (Columbiap.o.) contains 98 inhabitants; Cedarvtlle, (p.v.,)
on the line of Litchfield, 2 churches, a tannery, and 145 inhabitants. South Columbia, in
the s. e. part, is a p. o. The first settlement was commenced before the Revolution, by families
from the Mohawk ;* but their improvements were abandoned during tlie war. The first religious
services (Ref. Prot. D.) were held at an early period. Abram Rosegrantz was the first preacher.5
I>AWUHE4—was formed from Minden, (Montgomery co.,) April 7, 1817. Stark was taken
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Tracts.
McNeil’s Patent*......................
Moose River Tract*...................
Nobleborough Patent*...............
Petrie’s Purchase ..............
Remsenburgh Patent*...............
Royal Grant..............................
Schuyler’s Patent ..........
Snell & Zimmerman’s Patent......
Staley’s Patent, 1st and 2d Tract.
“ ’ “ 3d Tract.
Totten & C) ossfield’s Purchase*...
Van Driessen, John’s, Patent......
Van Driessen, Petrus’, Patent.....
Van Horne’s Patent*.................
Vaughan’s Patent.....................
Vrooman’s Patents* (3)..............
Walton’s Patent........................
Watson’s East Tract* ...........
Young’s Patent*....................... |
Patentees.
John McNeil and 3 others....................
Anson Blake ...............................
Arthur Noble.....................................
Philip Livingston and 2 others..............
Henry Remsen and 3 others.................
Sir Wm. Johnson, (after 1755)...............
Abraham Lynsen and 21 others............
Jacob Zimmerman and J. J. Schnell.....
Rudolph Staley and 17 others...............
Coenradt and Fred. Frank and 4 others.
Zephaniah Platt.................................
John Van Driessen.............................
Petrus Van Driessen...........................
Abraham Van Horne and 3 others........
John Vaughan and 7 others.................
Isaac Vrooman.. .........................
Wm. Walton, jr., and 11 others.............
Part of Macomb’s Purchase..................
Theobald Young and 10 others.............. |
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Date. |
Acres. |
|
1761 |
4,000 |
|
1847 . |
13,080 |
|
1787 |
40,960 |
|
1747 |
6,000 |
|
1787 |
48,000 |
|
1755 |
43,000 |
|
1755 |
3,600 |
|
1755 |
34,000 |
|
1765 |
5,000 |
|
178fi |
25,200 |
|
1786 |
428 |
|
1737 |
1,000 |
|
1731 * |
8,000 |
|
1770 |
8,000 |
|
1786, ’90 |
14,193 |
|
1768 |
12,000 |
|
1792 |
|
|
1752 |
14.000 |
|
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may thus overlap. For a full statement of titles, see Benton's
Herkimer, pp. 200; 475.
4 Among the early settlers were Conrad Orendorf, Conrad
Frank, Conrad Fulmer, Frederick Christian, Timothy Frank,
Nicholas Lighthall, Joseph Moyer, and Henry, Frank. The
settlement was named “Coonrodston” at an early day.—Benton's
Herkimer, p. 390.
Philip Ausman taught the first school, (German,)in 1795, and'
Joel Phelps an English school, in 1796. The first store was
kept hy David W. Golden and Benj. Mix, in 1796. The first
gristmill was built in 1791-92, by Andrew Miller and Geo. Bell,
at Millers Mills.
5 There are 2 churches in town; Ref. Prot. D. and F. W
Bap.
6 Named from the river Danube. |
1
Those marked with a star extend into neighboring cos. Some
tracts reverted to the State by attainder, or conviction for ad¬
hering to the enemy in the Revolution; and subsequent grants
f See page 344.
2
Fort Herkimer was built in the French War, and Fort
Dayton just before the Revolution. The former stood around
the present stone church and other buildings in German Flats,
and the latter a few rods from the site of the present court¬
house, in Herkimer Village. At the time of the Revolution
there were but about 70 dwellings near these forts, but there'
was a large population for the number of dwellings in the
country around.
3
of Henderson’s Patent, and all of the patent to Coenradt Frank
4
und others, except 7 lots on the e.
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