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THE TOWN OF SCHUYLERHERKIMER COUNTY, NY |
The Town of Schuyler was one of the handful of townships that, despite it's early date, we'd had difficulty getting material for. Laura Perkins contributed items relating to Schuyler's early history and several of these were prepared by Bob Petrie. Jo Dee Frasco has contributed items about Schuyler families throughout the site. Short items about your Schuyler ancestors are needed for the success of this growing section. Do you have obits or info about any of the families mentioned in the items below? Let Jo Dee or Bob know what you have!
SCHUYLER DIRECTORIES
GAZETTEER AND BUSINESS DIRECTORY OF HERKIMER COUNTY FOR 1869-70: SCHUYLER
Boyd's 1872-73 Business Directory of Schuyler - scroll to bottom of this page.
1888-1889 Herkimer County Directory: Schuyler
SCHUYLER CENSUS
1800 Census of Schuyler
1865 State Census of the Town of Schuyler
EARLY HISTORY OF SCHUYLER
Schuyler as a Factor in Herkimer County History
From the Town Records
Over The Hills
A Biography of Barns
Schuyler Meeting Houses
"Murder Most Diabolical and Atrocious"
SCHUYLER FAMILIES AND PERSONS OF NOTE
John Holdridge's Eulogy for Samuel Budlong
Alexis L. Johnson: The Grand Old Man of Schuyler
1870 Letter from Alexis L. Johnson to his Granddaughter
Schuyler Family Sketches
SCHUYLER VITAL RECORDS
Schuyler Births, Marriages, Deaths 1848
SCHUYLER CEMETERIES
2/8/11 Miller-Dutchtown Cemetery
Miller-Dutchtown Cemetery: partial reading
Some Small Family Cemeteries of Schuyler: Carder, Sterling, Ladd Farm and Tallman Farm, Harrington, Hiram Tanner, Budlong, Warren D. Baker Cemetery, Burton, and Minott Road Cemeteries
West Schuyler Cemetery
Wood Cemetery
SCHUYLER MILITARY
1890 Surviving Civil War Veterans and Widows of the Town of Schuyler
Men of Schuyler in 3 Wars
PROFILE AND HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SCHUYLER
from the Gazetteer and Business Directory of Herkimer County, N.Y. 1869-70
SCHUYLER was formed from Herkimer, April 10, 1792. Trenton was
taken off in 1797, Deerfield, Oneida County, in 1798, and a part of Newport
in1806. A part was annexed from Herkimer in1808, and re-annexed to Herkimer
in1811. It lies on the west border of the County, north of the Mohawk. Its
surface is hilly. The Hasenclever Mountains extend through the center, rising to
the height of from 1,000 to 1,200 feet above tide. A broad intervale extends
along the Mohawk, which forms the south boundary. Its streams are tributaries of
the Mohawk and generally flow through narrow ravines. These flats are annually
overflowed. The soil upon the hills is slaty and gravely. Farmers are engaged
largely in dairying.
East Schuyler, (p.v.) in the south-east part, contains
about twenty houses.
West Schuyler, (p.v.) in the south-west part of the town,
contains two churches and about twenty dwellings.
There are five churches in the town. Several places in the town are locally known
as The Bush, The Short Lots and The Windfall.
This town embraces Kast's Patent and parts of Cosby's Manor and Hasenclever's and
Walton's Patents. The first settlement was made by a small number of Germans
brought from the Kingdom of Wirtembergh, by Peter Hasenclever, about 1765. It is
said that they worked three years to pay the expense of their passage. They
settled at what is now known as East Schuyler and named the place New
Petersburgh, in honor of their patron. In1769 Hasenclever and eighteen others
obtained a grant of 18,000 acres between the Mohawk River and West Canada Creek.
As early as 1766 there was a store on Cosby's Manor. Among the early settlers
were John Wolff, who resided on the Manor, and families named Kast, Staring,
Widrig, Rymour, Lintz, Bridenbecker, Bargy, Clemens, Finster and Oyer. ____
Hasenclever had a store near where Daniel I. Bridenbecker now lives, and erected
an ashery on land now owned by Luther Staring. This ashery was probably the first
frame building in the town, and was afterwards used as a place of worship. Johan
Kast was an early settler, and tradition says that the land embraced in his
patent was obtained of the Indians for a keg of rum, and the title confirmed by
the King. This Patent, lying within the bounds of Cosby's Manor, made some of the
lots in the Manor much shorter than the remainder, and they were therefore called
"Short Lots."
In common with other towns along the Mohawk valley, Schuyler suffered from the
ravages of Tories and Indians. Their houses were burned, their crops destroyed,
some of the inhabitants killed and others taken prisoners. To protect themselves
against these incursions the settlers inclosed a piece of land with pickets ten
or twelve feet high, which they called the Fort. Several log houses were built
inside of this for the accomodation of families. This was erected where Luther
Staring now resides.
The first framed building for a school house was erected on the site of the
school house in district No. 4, and was paid for by voluntary contribution s. It
was constructed with a pulpit and used as a place of worship by the Lutherans,
who constituted the principal part of the population. John Finster built the
first saw mill. He died in 1855 at the age of 96, upon the farm which he first
purchased. His sons, Peter and Phillip, aged respectively 78 and 76 years, still
own and occupy the same farm. Thomas Wood was one of the early settlers at West
Schuyler, and died at an advanced age. A Mr. Brown built a grist mill and a
tavern there at an early day. Thomas Burch, another early settler, erected a
tannery and became wealthy. He left a large family at his death. Several families
from the New England States settled on the Short Lots about the year 1800. Among
them were families named Budlong, Ladd, Richardson and Rose. Mr. Rose was from
Connecticut and started with an ox-sled, but owing to a thaw was compelled to
finish his journey on wheels made by sawing the end from a large log. Haywood
Minot and Richard Jones were among the first settlers of the Bush. As early as
1757 there was a good carriage road on the north bank of the river, from the
crossing, where Utica now stands, to the Palatine village, German Flats. It was
upon this road that the French and Indians, under M. de Belletre, passed while on
their expedition, burning all the buildings from Kast's Patent to the Palatine
village.
Judge Henri Staring lived for many years in this town and died here. He was a
true patriot and a bold defender of the rights of the colonies. Upon the
organization of the County he was appointed First Judge of the Court of Common
Pleas. He was an honest man and administered justice according to his ideas of
right with but little regard to law as expounded by the advocates at the
Bar.
The story of the "Yankee Pass," which has had so wide a circulation
throughout the country, is related as follows by Judge Benton in his History of
Herkimer County: "One Sunday morning the Judge saw a man on horseback
coming along the highway from the west, and presuming that no one would venture
openly to violate the laws of the State, unless justified by the exception named
in the statute, he asked the man to stop, and seeing he was a stranger, inquired
of him the reasons why he was thus disregarding his duty and the requirements of
the law. The stranger, who is reported to have been a New England Yankee, did not
excuse his conduct to the Judge's satisfaction, and decling to stop over until
the next day, the latter exacted the payment of the fine of six York shillings
imposed by the statute for the infringement of this branch of it. After paying
his fine, the traveler asked the Judge to give him a certificate to that effect,
urging the necessity of it to protect him against being again called to account
by some other magistrate. The Judge had no doubt heard of dispensations and
indulgences from the lips of his parents. He thought the request reasonable, and
told the traveler to write one and he would sign it. This was done and the
stranger proceeded on his journey eastward. Some few months after this occurance,
the Judge having occasion to visit the Messrs. Kanes, merchants at Canajoharie,
on matters of business, was requested by them to pay an order of twenty-five
dollars which he had several months before drawn on them, as appeared from the
date. It is said he was much surprised by this demand made upon his purse, and at
first denied having given the order, but finding the signature to be his own
hand-writing, and making particular inquiries in respect to the presentation of
the order and the individual who brought it to the store, he came to the
conclusion that the paper presented to him for payment was no other than the one
he had signed allowing the traveler to continue his journey on Sunday after
paying his fine. It was then called the Yankee Pass, from a supposition that no
one but a native of New England had the cunning and audacity to practice so keen
and so grave a joke."
A little daughter of Judge Staring, about ten years old, was taken prisoner by
the Indians and carried away during the war, but was recovered at its
close.
The population of the town in 1865 was 1,589; its area is 24,990 acres.
The 1869 profile of Schuyler was typed by Bob Petrie. In addition to his own illustrious surname, Bob is also interested in the surnames Dodge, Countryman, Knapp, Ellison, Robbins, Devendorf, Berner, Hartman, Kane, Burton, Barber and Mosher, which all have Herkimer and Montgomery County connections.
Source: "Boyd's New York State Directory, 1872-3," business directory and gazetteer, by Andrew Boyd, Syracuse, N.Y., 1872
Schuyler, Herkimer Co.
Davidson Wesley, cheese buyer, &c
Haver Henry. boots and shoes
Watkins J. H. J. agent, cheese
West Schuyler, Herk. Co.
Budlong Ira P. speculator
Gordon Ira, hotel and country store
Robbins Dorman, country store
Stone Arabia, Mont. Co.
Cacher Georde W. hotel
Lathus A.S. hotel
Myers Leonard, blacksmith
Setterly Henry, tavern