Back to Herkimer/Montgomery Counties GenWeb"In 1718 a Palatine delegation was sent to London to present their grievances and Governor Hunter did what he could to oppose them. He died while in England in 1720 and the new governor William Burnet, arrived in the Province of New York. The Palatines appealed to him for land in the Mohawk Valley and provincial surveyors were sent to survey land in the upper Mohawk Valley."
"In 1722, land on both sides of the Mohawk River was purchased from the Indians by the Palatines who were granted a license to purchase by Governor Burnet. The land extended westward from Little Falls to Frankfort and consisted of 9,186 acres. Palatines began moving into the area in 1723, the deed being issued in April, 1725, known as the Burnetsfield Patent. Ninety-two persons were named in the patent, each receiving 100 acres with an annual quit-rent of two shillings and sixpence. This was on the condition that each grantee cultivated at least three acres of every fifty acres within three years. Jeptha Simms believed that many of these families were from the third immigration of Palatines who arrived from Holland in 1722. Among the names that will later appear in Fairfield history are Petre, Helmer, and Kast. Also in this group was Johan Jost Erghemar, father of General Nicholas Herkimer." (From: Jane Dieffenbacher's "This Green and Pleasant Land", pp.13-14. )
Numbers following names refer to the lot numbers within the section described.
On the North Side of the River
In Present Village of Herkimer
West of Present Village of Herkimer
On South Side of the River
A Short List of Recommended Reading:
Barker, William, Early Families of Herkimer County, New York: Descendants of the Burnetsfield Patentees, 1986 (Available for sale from the Herkimer County Historical Society)
The Palatines of New York State, published by the Palatine Society of the United Evengelical Lutheran Church of New York and New England, Inc., 1953 (Out of Print)
Simms, Jeptha R., The Frontiersmen of New York, Albany, NY: George C. Riggs, Publisher, 1882 (Out of Print)
List of Patentees contributed by Michael Burnett, Coordinator, Ontario County NYGenWeb Page.