NEWSLETTER Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
The Cornell Farm; A Bridge to the Past
Cornell farm, 1960s The Cornell farm, which is one of the oldest farms in Pittstown, provides us with a direct link to the past. Only two families have owned the farm since the early 1800s. The farm is also significant because of the many historic buildings on the property and the fact that the Cornells have maintained a diversified agricultural business since purchasing the farm over 75 years ago. Located on Lower Pine Valley Road, the farm is currently operated by David and Allen Cornell and Allen’s son, Dale. With two houses on the farm, Allen and his wife, Edna (Durkee), live in the “east house” along with their son, Dale, while David and his wife, Linda (Pandell), live in the “west house”. The farm is comprised of a number of lots which have been bought and sold over the years. But currently the Cornells own about 141 acres. There are a large number of buildings, many of them with historic significance, clustered around the east house. In 2012, the Cornell farm was deemed worthy of being accepted onto the National Register of Historic Places because it represented an intact example of an historic agricultural property in Renssealer County. Historic consultant, Jessie Ravage, commissioned by the Pittstown Historical Society (PHS), completed the application for the Cornell farm to be listed on the National Register based on site visits, research and interviews. The information below is drawn principally from the application which was submitted to NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The entire document is available in its entirety upon request from the PHS. List of all the buildings on the farm compiled by Ravage “There are two houses (the eastern one built ca.1820-40 and remodeled, ca.1900, and the western one built ca.1860); a smoke house (ca.1820-40); a tool barn/grain house (ca.1820-40, also called the wagon house); a small barn adjacent to the western house (ca.1900); a blacksmith’s shop (also called the shop building, built ca.1850); a pig house (ca.1880-1900), now used as a calf barn; an oat house (ca.1880- 1900); a large hen house (ca.1950); and hay sheds, corn cribs, and three small hen houses dating to the mid-1900s. A later corn crib, a saw mill, a sap house, and two two-bay car garages are non- contributing structures. In addition, there is a saw mill built in 1994, replacing an earlier saw mill.” (continued on page 2) Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
(continued from Page 1)
The Cornell east house built circa 1820-1840 has undergone a number of changes over the years. A wing was added in the early 1900s in order to convert it into a two family house.
Cornell east house, 1889 Cornell east house, 1908
Cornell east house, 2012, by Jessie Ravage Cornell west house, 2012, by Connie Kheel
The first saw mill built on the Cornell farm was steam powered, 1911
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(continued from Page 2) The tool barn/grain house has been identified as a Dutch barn because of its unique timber framing. Built circa 1820-1840, it has entrances on two different levels. Multiple vertical posts positioned close together are typical of the construction of small Dutch barns. This type of framing can be seen in the photo below of the interior of the tool barn/grain house.
Allen Cornell standing in front of the upper level of the Inside the “Dutch barn”, 2011, by Connie Kheel “Dutch barn”, 2000, by Connie Kheel
Ravage traced the ownership of the Cornell farm back to 1807, when various developers of large tracts owned the land. Ravage wrote, “The earliest known documentation of ownership of the Cornell farmstead is the 1807 Kiersted map of Sawyer’s Third Tract in the Pittstown Patent, which depicts the distribution of lots within the tract to the patentees. Lots 121 and 122 were assigned to William Smith, one of five proprietors in the Third Tract. The others were Goldsborough Banyer, who served as secretary for of the Province of New York in the 1760s; Abraham Jacob Lansing founder of Lansingburgh; Alexander Colden, son of Cadwallader Colden, a lieutenant governor and governor of the province; and Edward Wells, of whom little is known. Provincial appointees and members of the merchant class were common in the lists of patentees. They were directly involved in the process of opening new lands for development, and many amassed fortunes via land speculation. As large landholders, they emulated the British aristocracy by leasing their lands, and the rents they collected formed significant portions of their incomes. William Smith was Chief Justice of the province from 1763 to 1783 and a loyalist. When the British evacuated New York in 1783, he sailed for England, and eventually returned to Canada as a justice there. It appears that he may have forfeited some or all of his lands in the province during the Revolution, when New York State passed the ‘Act for the Forfeiture and Sale of the Estates of Persons who Have Adhered to the Enemies of this State’ in 1779. Under this law, loyalists were stripped of property, which was sold to raise funds to fight the British.” Iram Manchester (1796-1871), however, was the earliest known owner of the property who lived on the farm. Iram (son of David and Elizabeth Pine Manchester) purchased the farm in 1828 and subsequently moved there with his second wife Angeline Lawton.
1850 Agricultural production of the Cornell farm provided by Ravage “The 1850 federal census provides the first detailed record of Iram’s 150-acre farm valued at $6,000. This figure is above middling in Pittstown, probably based in part on its having 120 acres improved—field, pasture, and meadow—and only 30 acres unimproved. The latter was used as wood lot. He [Iram Manchester] raised a variety of field crops typical of the region and of this period of diversified agriculture. These included 300 bushels of corn, 125 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of potatoes, and 47 bushels of buckwheat. He also cut 35 tons of hay. These figures reveal a profitable, well-managed, and established farm. He was surely aided in his (continued on Page 4)
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(continued from Page 3) effort by implements valued at $200, a fairly high figure in Pittstown at the time, and two teams of horses. The four oldest boys [Iram’s sons] probably provided much of the farm’s labor, although Jeremiah, age 13, also still attended school. Iram kept four milk cows, which produced the unusually large amount of 500 pounds of butter and 100 pounds of cheese (at the time, most dairy cows produced an average of 100 pounds of butter or cheese) and six additional cattle, 20 sheep, and pigs. Some of his crops would have supported the livestock and fed his family, but some would also have been sold to buy things the farm did not produce. Similarly, some of the meat butchered was also a commodity to be sold. Like a number of Pittstown farmers of the period, Iram sheared wool and grew flax as a cash crop for both its fiber and its seed. Since his farm was a stone’s throw from the Brownell flax mill farther up Lower Pine Valley Rd, the 1,000 pounds of flax stems he cut were probably processed there. Several mills along the Hoosick River bought linen fiber for making twine and other products. The Manchester women produced $10 worth of ‘homemade manufactures’ and so may have used much of the 60 pounds of wool.”
Iram and Angeline Manchester had ten children. But, as Ravage noted, “in a pattern typical of the period, all Iram’s children—except for one daughter had moved farther west, to Bradford, Pennsylvania; Chautauqua County, New York; Illinois, and, eventually, Kansas.” One of the younger children, Jeremiah (1837-1921), had moved to Illinois, but by 1864 returned to Pittstown, subsequently taking over the farm after Iram died in 1871. Widowed Angeline, who died 10 years later, was living with Jeremiah and his wife, Mary Cross Manchester, and their two sons, Duane, and Lynn. In 1875, Jeremiah recorded $25 in eggs—a significant amount in that period. He had $400 in implements, a figure higher than many of his neighbors, which suggested good management. In addition to Jeremiah’s family, a hired hand lived on the farm. In April 1915, Jeremiah and Mary sold the farm for $3,000 to their daughter-in-law, Mercie (Haviland) Manchester (1872-1969), wife of their elder son Duane (1865-1939),. Duane and Mercie Manchester raised two children, John and Clara. Duane, who was a schoolteacher, was not very interested in farming. Neither of his children went into the farming business. John moved to Troy and worked in the ice cream business. Clara moved with her husband, Earl Sherman, to a farm on Nickmush road. Eight years later, in 1940, Mercie sold the property to Ira H. Cornell (1910- 1992), son of Walter and Minnie Fisk Cornell. Ira had grown up next door. When he purchased the farm, it was in disrepair, and the largest barns had burned down after being struck by lightning down. Ira decided to start raising chickens. According to Ravage, “The egg business has provided the Cornell family with its greatest and steadiest revenue stream for more than seventy years… His [Ira’s] original three one-room, shed-roofed hen houses built on skids are still used as brooder houses…The farm gained electricity in 1936, just before it changed hands, which helped to augment sunlight to encourage frequent laying. The Cornells added grain storage buildings, including corn cribs for making chicken feed during the 1950s and 1960s to make more and more of their own feed…The eggs are graded and candled in the basement of the house using the equipment (continued on Page 12) Agnes and Ira Cornell, 1941 Page 4
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"Prisoners taken at Bennington Battle, August 16, 1777" painted in 1938 by Leroy Williams, courtesy of the Bennington Museum
Local Loyalists By Maren Stein Questions about Pittstown British supporters in the Revolutionary war, Loyalists, have been knocking at my door for a while now. What’s the story with Tory Hill Road? Where did Robert Leake, second-in-command of the Loyalists at the battle of Bennington, live? What went on locally after the so- called “turning point”, the Battle of Saratoga? (Theodore Corbett in his book, “No Turning Point”, details the continuing conflict in the area.) Someone literally knocked on my door a few years ago. Robert Clarke and his wife, Anne Rector, came to Pittstown looking for his roots. The ancestral land was found to be on and/or near the Auclair farm, near Cushman Road. They located several burials in the Old Cooksboro Cemetery. I noticed, recently, that the name, Robert Clarke, is on a muster list for the Loyalists at the Battle of Bennington. The visit is described in the Pittstown Historical Society Newsletter, Issue XXI, Spring, 2012. If you Google “Yates family murder, Pittstown, NY”, you will find the account of the tragedy written by Chris Kelly, Schaghticoke Town Historian. The Loyalist father, driven by who knows what demons and pressures, killed his whole family. The first thing to realize about Pittstown in the Revolutionary War is that there was no Pittstown until 1788, well after the war. This was Albany County. There was once a District of Pittstown and once a District of Schaghticoke which included today’s Pittstown. This means, for one thing, that it is difficult to be sure whether someone from that period lived in today’s Pittstown. The second thing is that there were multiple religious, ethnic, political, regional, and class groups. These divisions, including clashes with French Canadians and their Native American allies, had created a climate of conflict. The Revolutionary War sympathies were clearly interwoven with those. And, in fact, there were many Loyalists in New York State. Estimates range between 40 and 60% of the population. Very important, number three, in these stories is the development among the revolutionaries of committees such as the Albany Committee of Correspondence. It became a group which tried to insure militia service, contribution to the struggle, and loyalty to the cause of independence. They were to guard against “Incursions of the Internal Enemies”. The context for looking at support for the British in the Revolutionary War in this area includes a list of the people who lived and who migrated here. They differed in their support for the Revolution. First were the Mohicans. While many Native American tribes, particularly to the north, fought for the British, the Mohicans supported the American rebels. The Dutch, the settlers of New Amsterdam, were the earliest Europeans in this area. Most lived in today’s Albany, called by the Dutch, Fort Orange. Outlying areas began to be settled, including one in Schaghticoke and one in Hoosick. The Dutch were divided in their support in the Revolutionary War, with the wealthy community leaders being staunch rebels. (continued on Page 6) Page 5 Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
(continued from Page 5) A group called the Palatine Germans came later, in the early 1700s. They had fled war-torn Europe and had been transported by the English government to the American colonies. Many ended up in Rensselaer County and founded an important church, the Gilead Lutheran Church in Brunswick. The first church was closer to Pittstown than the present church, at the corner of Route 7 and Mickel Hill Road. Many of the Palatines supported the British cause, maybe because of the British aid to them. The minister at the church, Samuel Schwerdfiger, was a leader in the support for the British. Reverend Schwerdfeder, led many parishioners to the Loyalist cause and then led others to Canada. See his congregation’s 1787 petition for land below. One author, Horst Dresler, took a muster list of Loyalists at the Battle of Bennington and checked it against the church membership list. He found that one third of the muster list names were the same as names on the church membership list. Many of the names on the muster list are the same as those of people who live in today’s Pittstown. After the war, in 1787, Minister Schwerdfiger applied to the Canadian government for land for himself and a large group of parishioners. They were denied, but did end up moving to Canada. The next group of settlers were New Englanders, overflowing from the first-settled New England states. They sought land in this area, and, according to some, viewed the Mohicans, the Dutch and the Palatines as unworthy competitors for the land. In addition, a large area of land on the eastern New York border was in dispute between New York and New Hampshire. Land was granted and/or sold more than once, adding to the climate of conflict. New England was the birthplace of the Revolution and the incoming New Englanders supported it. We have scant information on the lives of the local Loyalists, with a few exceptions. We know most about the Ruiter brothers, Johannes and Heinrich. Their descendants had a manuscript about their lives prepared that was published in 1974. In 2007, Farmers and Honest Men, by Horst Dresler, was published. A copy of that book will be at the Rensselaer County Historical Society within the next few months. A third book, Loyalism in the Hoosick Valley, by Bernard C. Young was published in 2008. The Ruiter brothers are first seen in Rensselaer County on a 1767 map of the area where the Hoosick turns east and the Little Hoosick goes south. Johannes’ house is listed on the map and we know that Heinrich leased land near there from Daniel Bratt. Heinrich subsequently bought land in today’s Pittstown, on the “Sankanisick” Creek. That is probably what we call the “Sunkauissia” Creek, beginning in southeastern Pittstown, and is near where Robert Leake, second-in-command of the Loyalist forces at the Battle of Bennington, probably lived. Frances Pfister, the Loyalist commander who died at the Battle of Bennington, lived just east of that spot in Hoosick, where the Hoosac School is located today. Page 6
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The Ruiters brothers' families had taken the typical Palatine path from working in camps used to produce tar, pitch, turpentine, and hemp for the British to establishing farms further north. The boys were probably born in today’s Albany and moved as adults to today’s Rensselaer County. Heinrich married Rebecca Doth or Staats and Johannes married Elizabeth Best. In July, 1776, local Loyalists were permitted by the British to raise Loyalist troops to “restore peace in the colonies”. At the time, individuals recruited soldiers to serve under them. Around the same time, a Committee of Safety, allied with the Revolutionary cause, was formed. Daniel Bratt, Heinrich’s former landlord, sought Bonds of Allegiance to the revolutionaries’ cause. He sought one from Heinrich, who fled, and according to one account “skulked” in the woods for three months. The Loyalists knew that Burgoyne’s forces were starting south, seeking to split the colonies, and the brothers left to join Burgoyne’s forces. The Loyalists also fought at the Battle of Bennington, and following their defeat there, left for Canada going north along the east side of Lake Champlain. The Loyalist soldiers, who fought and then fled, left their wives and children behind on the farms. The families’ lives were further complicated by the unsettled atmosphere with trouble from the rebels and efforts to aid other Loyalists. In 1780, all Loyalist families were evicted from the state. Eventually Loyalist property was sold to benefit the new governments. A new era began for the Loyalists in Canada. The Ruiters eventually became part of the King's Rangers, and both participated in several military units and activities. They were also part of the settlement of the area near Missiquoi Bay, getting land grants and setting up the government. When Heinrich, now Henry, refused to move further west as ordered by the government, he traveled to Vermont and, his first wife having died, married Katherine Friot. He continued his efforts to obtain land in Canada for many years. Henry served as Justice of Peace and as commissioner and was active in the War of 1812. There is another story, partly in Pittstown, that deserves at least one book. A spy for the British and his family were successful in spying throughout the war. At one point, as the spy was being conveyed through Pittstown to prison in Bennington, he was “rescued” by the “notorious Loyalist,” Matthew Howard, of Pittstown. This brief account is referenced in “Brunswick, A Pictorial History”. We hope to have more about this story in a future newsletter. Author’s Note: Does anyone know anything about the notorious Matthew Howard or did his notoriety fade with the passing years? And what went on on Tory Hill Road?
500 Wreaths Honoring Veterans By Joe Ferrannini My project started in 2011 after working on the gravestones of dozens of Civil War veterans in the Sand Lake Union Cemetery. The idea came from a national effort called Wreaths Across America that places a Christmas wreath on the graves of veterans mainly in National Cemeteries. But what about the "forgotten" civil war veterans in local cemeteries? 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, and the Town of Sand Lake was preparing for its bicentennial in 2012. It was an appropriate time to begin a project to honor the memory of the Civil War veterans buried in the town. I started with 100 wreaths decorated with simple red white and blue bows and placed them on those known graves in five cemeteries in Sand lake. Every year since, I've expanded the project in cemeteries that I have worked in. This year, I placed more than 500 wreaths in cemeteries in three counties. Page 7
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Ann Eliza Bleecker (1752-1783): Life in the Early Pittstown-Schaghticoke District (Part 7)
By Walter Auclair
At the beginning of 1777, all was well in the Bleecker household in the 'edenic' wilds of Tomhanick, with the exception of frequent calls to military duty for John Bleecker. The Revolutionary War had begun in earnest, leading to increased animosity in the Pittstown-Schaghticoke area between conservative English loyalists and patriots. Ann Eliza admired the natural beauty around her, which often inspired her poetically, as in the poem she wrote:
An Evening Prospect
From yon grove the woodcock rises There the honeysuckle blooming, Mark her progress by her notes, Reddens the capricious wave, High in the air her wings she poises, Richer sweets---the air perfuming, Then like lightning down to the shoots. Spicy Ceylon never gave.
Now the whip-o-well beginning, Cast your eyes beyond this meadow, Clam'rous on a pointed rail, Painted by a hand divine, Drowns the more melodious singing And observe the ample shadow Of the cat-bird, thrush, and quail. Of that solemn ridge of pine.
It was a loving, lively home. It included Ann's two young daughters, Margaretta, nearly 5, and one year old Arabella; her supportive mother, also an avid reader; and half-sister Susan Ten Eyck, ten years her junior and close confidante. Also included were Merkee, an elderly male slave much loved by the family, and two young female slaves who tended to household chores. The Bleeckers frequently entertained and occasionally housed military colleagues of John’s. They often went to Albany for social events, usually with fellow military families. Ann also had local friends, including both loyalists and patriots. Daughter Margaretta, 16 years later, described this period as “the most perfect tranquility”. By summer of 1777, all this changed. English General John Burgoyne began his march from Canada with a massive army, including Indian allies, proceeding with little opposition to Fort Ticonderoga, which the British easily captured. They then prepared to attack Saratoga. The horrifying incident of a young woman, Jane McCrae, killed and scalped by Indians near Fort Edward. The situation was exacerbated by no punishment of the murderers by Burgoyne, who had to preserve his alliance with his Indian allies. There were also continual reports from the military, which Ann would be privy to, of frequent deadly attacks by Indians allied with the British in the Mohawk Valley west of Albany. As a result of this fear of Indian brutality, both patriot and loyalist militants would dress in Indian clothing for nightly attacks on each other, reminiscent of the Boston Tea Party participants a few “The Death of Jane McCrea” years earlier. (continued on page 11) by John Vanderlyn, 1804 Page 8
PPPITTSTOWN HHHISTORICAL SSSOCIETY LECTURE SERIES, SPRINGSPRINGSPRING,SPRING, 20, 201201116666
SCHEDULE All lectures will be preceded by a brief meeting of the Pittstown Historical Society Meetings are free and open to the public Refreshments will be served following each lecture
For further information about the meetings contact: Connie Kheel (518)686-7514 or Email: [email protected] ______
March 17: Ice Harvesting History Historian Tom Ragosta will give a power point presentation of the lost history and development of ice harvesting. He will detail the process for the harvesting, storing and delivery of ice. Tools of the trade will also be on display. Ragosta is currently the President of the Watervliet Historical Society, Curator of the Watervliet Museum and Watervliet City Historian. The meeting will be held at the new Town Offices in Tomhannock at 7:30 PM
April 21: Grandma Moses: Painter and Grandma Grandma Moses was a world renowned primitive painter. But locally, she was also known as a “sparkling little lady who worked hard, had a quick mind, and loved her family”. Historian Ken Gottry, who is married to one of Grandma Moses' great granddaughters, will share stories and photos about her. Gottry has published several books and articles on local history. The meeting will be held at the new Town Offices in Tomhannock at 7:30 PM
May 19: The Wilson Homestead in Hebron, NY Local historian Sally Brillon will give a slide presentation on the Wilson Homestead. She will show photos of the 8 year long rehabilitation of the house (built in1786) which she and her husband undertook. She will also talk about the Wilson diaries which span 40 years. Brillon currently operates a used & antiquarian bookshop in the barn at the Wilson Homestead. The meeting will be held at the new Town Offices in Tomhannock at 7:30 PM
June 16: Sustenance and Style: 17th century Dining Customs of the Dutch in New Netherland Heide Hill will discuss the global trade networks of the Dutch and the blending of food cultures. She will also talk about dining instruments (tables, chairs, floors, and decorative arts) as evidenced in 17th century genre paintings and archaeological sites. Hill has been the historic site manager of Crailo and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Sites for over ten years. The meeting will be held at the new Town Offices in Tomhannock at 7:30 PM
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Pittstown Resource Books & CDs (Available for purchase from the Pittstown Historical Society)
New: An Abridged History of Justice of the Peace and Merchant, Simeon the Tomhannock Methodist Button’s Account Book and Ledger Episcopal Church 1845 – 2015 CD of the Justice of the peace records of Simeon Published by the Pittstown Button, 1792-1810 Historical Society, 2015 Account book of early Pittstown merchant Simeon Soft back booklet includes text, photos and CD of the Button, 1794-1831 history of the church, history of Methodism in Pittstown, Fragmented business records of Simeon's son, Limon nomination for listing on the National Register, and copy (Lyman), 1829-55 of the church’s records book (1845-2015) Index of names by Dr. Ronald Bachman $25 (Includes shipping and handling) $20 (Includes shipping and handling)
New: Pittstown Union Society, Pittstown Baptist Church Records, 1787 – 1924 1819 – 1878 CD of the transcription by Glenn Rouse of two CD of the records book of the volumes of original records of the Pittstown Baptist Pittstown Union Society Church (Original records juxtaposed to the Original records and transcription) transcription and index of History of the Shafsbury Baptist Association, names by Sara Yetto Wright, 1853 $20 (Includes shipping and handling) The Two Covells, Brown, 1839 Minutes of the Shaftsbury Baptist Association, 1786 Pittstown Through the Years – 1819 Hard back picture book, compiled and edited by Lemuel Covell documents Cheap Jordans Evelyn Bornt, Beryl Harrington and Ellen L. Wiley $25 (Includes shipping and handling) Published by the Pittstown Historical Society, 1989 $35 (Includes shipping and handling) Peril in the Powder Mills and Gunpowder & Its Men A Fine Commanding Presence; The Life and Two books that focus on significant events at the Legacy of Maj. Michael S. Vandercook (1774 – Valley Falls powder mills, 1852) of Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York by David McMahon & Anne Kelly Lane Soft back book by Ronald D. Bachman Infinity Publishing, 2004 Privately published, 2010 To order: Tel. 610-941-9999 or at $25 (Includes shipping and handling) www.buybooksontheweb.com
Pittstown Town Records, 1783 – 1798 Note cards of historic Pittstown CD of Pittstown’s earliest town records Box of note cards includes 12 cards and envelopes Original records and transcription and index of (two cards of each of six charming images) names by Sara Yetto $17 (Includes shipping and handling) Record of Town Officers, 1783 – 1798 Record of Roads, 1783 – 1799 Record of Marks and Brands, 1784 - 1824
Fence Line Disputes and Fines, 1845 – 1873 Pittstown Town Clerk L. J. Welling Comments, April 8, 1922 $20 (Includes shipping and handling)
Pittstown Town Records, 1799 – 1893 For orders, please contact us at: CD of Pittstown’s historic town records, which http://pittstown.us/historical_society/ include appointments of town officers, laws, and merchandise.htm other town business or call Connie at 518-686-7514 Original records and transcription and index of names by Sara Yetto (To avoid shipping charges, orders may also be $20 (Includes shipping and handling) picked up at the Pittstown town hall)
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(continued from page 8) In early August, rumors spread that General Burgoyne was heading to Albany directly through the Tomhanick area. John was in Albany arranging for housing, having taken with him his mother-in-law and Susan, who would continue south to Red Hook. Panic set in when word suddenly spread that “Burgoyne's troops were just two miles away from Tomhanick, burning and murdering all before them”. Ann immediately decided to flee, taking her two children and a young slave girl with her. Margaretta, years later, described graphically the trauma of the event: “Terrified beyond description she rose from the table, and taking Arabella on her arm, and her other daughter (about 4 years old) by the hand, she set off on foot, with a young mulatto girl, leaving the house and furniture to the mercy of the approaching savages. The roads were crowded with carriages loaded with women and children, but none could afford her assistance – distress was depictured on every countenance, and tears of heartfelt anguish moistened every cheek. They passed on – no one spoke to another – and no sound but the dismal creaking of burdened wheels and the trampling of horses interrupted the mournful silence. After a tedious walk of four or five miles, she obtained a seat for the children upon one of the wagons, and she walked on to Stony Arabia [see Note below; Lansingburgh Academy, now a branch of the Troy Public Library, would have been a central location of Stone Arabia], where she expected to find many friends; but she was deceived – no door was open to her, whose house by many of them had made use of as a home – she wandered from house to house, and at length obtained a place in the garret of a rich old acquaintance, where a couple of blankets, stretched upon some boards, were offered her as a bed; she, however, sat up all night and wept, and the next morning Mr. Bleecker coming from Albany, met with them and returned to that city, from whence they set off with several other families by water. At twelve miles below Albany little Arabella was taken so ill that they were obliged to go on shore, where she died.” Years later, in a letter to her brother, Samuel Van Wyck, Ann wrote: “...we got a passage in a sloop with sister Swits and family; twelve miles below Albany my Abella died of a dysentery; we went ashore, had one of my mahogany dining-tables cut up to make her coffin, and buried the little angel on the bank... when we came to Red Hook, found my dear mamma wasted to a shadow: she mourned over the ruins of her family, and carried me to Uncle H------'s, who received us very reluctantly. Soon after my dear mother died, and I returned to Albany, where, in a few days, I saw poor sister Caty [Mrs. Swits] expire.” This took place over a five month period at the end of 1777. And yet the Bleeckers returned to Tomhanick, where Ann Eliza said “we lived sometime blest in domestic tranquility, though under perpetual alarms from the savages.”
Note: Often towns would be renamed when their ethnic population changed. Stone Arabia was first called “Tascamcatik” by local Native Americans. Then in the early 1700s, the name was changed to “Stone Arabia” by Dutch settlers. Around 1710, a number of the settlers moved to Montgomery County where they also named a town “Stone Arabia”. In 1771, Abraham Jacob Lansing divided his land into lots to found a village. It became known among the Dutch as Niew Stadt, or New City among English- speaking people. Simeon Button of Pittstown, in his ledgers from 1792, called it New City, to differentiate it from Albany. In time the name Lansingburgh became the official name of the town.
Bibliography Berleth, Richard, 2009. Bloody Mohawk: The French and Indian War and American Revolution on New York's Frontier. Black Dome, Delmar, New York. Bleecker, Ann Eliza and Margaretta V. Gaugeres, 1793. The posthumous Works in Prose and Verse of Ann Eliza Bleecker; To Which is added A Collection of Essays, Prose, and Poetical By Margaretta V. Faugeres. Reprinted by Kessinger Publishing's Rare Reprints. Montana. Deloria, Philip J., 1998. Playing Indian. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut. Grant, Anne MacVicar, 1846. Memoirs of an American Lady. Nabu Public Domain Reprint. Harris, Sharon M., 2005. Executing Race: Early American Women's Narratives of Race, Society, and the Law. Ohio State University Press. Columbus Humphreys, Mary Gay, 1897. Catherine Schuyler. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Logusz, Michael O., 2009. With Musket and Tomahawk: The Saratoga Campaign and the Wilderness War of 1777. Casemate,Pennsylvania. Rittner, Don, 1999. Images of America. Lansingburgh. Arcadia Press, Chicago, Illinois. Warren, Mercy Otis, 1805. History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution ; interspersed with Biographical, Political and Moral Observations. In Two Volumes. Edited and annotated by Lester H. Cohen, 1989. Liberty Fund, Indianapolis, Indiana.
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(continued from Page 4) Ira bought when he first started out.” Ira and his wife, Agnes (Baker), had two sons – Allen and David. In 1973, Ira deeded the farm to them.
Ira Cornell (left) and his son, David (right), Edna & Allen Cornell, 2011, by Connie Kheel 1990, by Connie Kheel
The Cornells are still involved in a wide variety of agricultural initiatives. In addition to continuing with their egg operation, they raise a variety of crops and hay for their beef operation of about 50 cows. They also run a small sawmill for their own use. Allen’s son, Dale, has been building up the maple business and has also started a truck garden business. He maintains a booth at the Troy Waterfront Farmer’s Market and the Schenectady Green Market, and he is planning on opening a stand in Boyntonville.
Dale Cornell’s farm stand, 2015
The Cornells have great respect for and interest in the past. Their knowledge of historic agricultural practices, for example, is extensive. Not only do they still own old farm machinery considered relics by most farmers today, they actually use it! In order to keep the history of agriculture alive, the Cornells periodically work their fields with the old equipment, making certain alterations so that it can be powered by a tractor.
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PPPITTSTOWN HHHISTORICAL SSSOCIETY NNNEWSLETTER Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
Harvesting Oats the “Old Fashioned Way”
David and Allen Cornell operating a grain drill purchased in the 1940s. It was originally horse drawn, 2014
Ira Cornell and his brother, Charles, operating a binder for harvesting oats c. 1960. Unlike other farmers in the area, the Cornells still planted oats at that time to feed both their cows and chickens.
Shocks of oats cut by the binder on the Cornell farm
(right) In 1998, the Cornells demonstrated the use of their threshing machine, which they adapted to be powered by a tractor. The steel thresher was made in the 1930s, the last model before combines started to be used.
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PPPITTSTOWN HHHISTORICAL SSSOCIETY NNNEWSLETTER Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
Harvesting Corn the “Old Fashioned Way”
Allen Cornell working on the corn harvester used to Corn husker (separating ears from the fodder), 1998 make shocks of corn, 1998
Ira and David Cornell operating a corn sheller, 1960 Shocks of corn, 1960s Note: All photographs taken on the Cornell farm were provided by the Cornell family, unless noted otherwise
The Story of a Flat Iron As noted in our previous newsletter, Eleanor Hill has generously donated numerous items to the Pittstown Historical Society. With her donations, she generally has included relevant notes about the gifts. What she wrote about this flat iron, once owned by her paternal grandmother, was especially informative. “This is one of several shapes and weights of flat irons used by Emma Turner Lee, who by necessity, in addition to the usual country household chores (that included milking the cow, shingling the roof etc.) was also a laundress for the Cluett/Ide families of Troy. The laundry was sent from Troy to Boyntonville via the stagecoach. My father, Merrill Thomas Lee, and his dog “Rover”, met the stage and accepted the laundry basket. He and the dog, with a cart load of milk cans hauled water from the creek for the laundry process. When the laundry was finished including the ironing, the laundry basket of clean items was returned to Troy via the stagecoach.”
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PPPITTSTOWN HHHISTORICAL SSSOCIETY NNNEWSLETTER Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
Raising Flax in Pittstown
By Timothy Holt, PhD candidate, Antioch University New England
Driving out of Lansingburgh on Northern Drive up to Oakwood, there is a small road on the left named Oil Mill Hill Rd that will take you around the west end of the Troy Water Treatment Plant and then to route 40, becoming Brickyard Rd about halfway through. At some point in my childhood I learned the name “oil mill hill,” which I associated with motor oil. This created the impression in my mind of a dark hill rising up at the north end of Lansingburgh. This childhood impression remained unexamined and unquestioned until a local historian informed me that the “oil” in “Oil Mill Hill” is actually linseed oil. It is always a mild shock to realize a long held assumption is not only wrong, but really didn't make sense to begin with. However, in this case it also had the effect of revealing the existence of a story hidden by a modern association with a very old word. The story in this case, is the brief period in which flax was a major crop in a number of the towns of both Rensselaer and Washington Counties. The peak period for flax was approximately 1840 to 1870, with the greatest production around 1855. This estimate is based on census data, reports of the Rensselaer County Agricultural Society included in the Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society, and business directories of Rensselaer County. The reports of the Rensselaer County Agricultural Society include discussion of the annual agricultural fair held in Lansingburgh that would eventually come down to the present as the Schaghticoke Fair. Prior to the fair, “viewing committees” would tour a selection of farms in various towns and write up a description to be presented to the society at the fair. In 1842, the report from Pittstown noted in regard to a field of flax on the farm of Daniel Fish on the south side of the Hoosick River that, “the cultivation of which much attention is paid in the above town.” It also notes that the manner of raising flax was to plant it on ground previously planted to corn or potatoes at about 1 ½ bushels per acre in order to produce a double crop of seed and lint. The 1843 report from Pittstown, discusses the farms of Peter Storer, Nathan Brownell of Rees Hollow, and Jacob Y. Kipp all of which raised flax (1). The New York census' of 1845, 1855, and 1865 list the number of acres planted in flax in Pittstown as 696, 921, and 724 respectively. In these same years, the amount of flax lint produced was 87,744, 266,120, and 81,612 lbs. This amounted to 31, 40 and 40% of the flax raised in Rensselaer County for those years. In the neighboring town of Hoosick, the same years saw 251, 954, and 761 acres planted to flax. Producing 61,652, 266,050, and 60,536 lbs of lint, which amounted to 22, 40, and 31% of the flax fiber produced in the county. Based on these numbers, Pittstown and Hoosick were clearly the center of flax production in Rensselaer County. One possible reason these towns raised flax to this extent may be their proximity to rivers. In this case, the Hoosick and Little Hoosick. In nearby Schaghticoke, the Joy Linen mill was built in 1809 producing heavy duck canvas. Eventually this mill became the Cable Flax Mill which continued well into the 20th century. In neighboring Washington County, flax was also an important crop. In fact, the flax from Rensselaer and Washington Counties was known at the time as, “North River Flax.” North River Flax was well regarded and mention of it can be found in the transcripts of several U.S. Congressional Hearings discussing tariffs on imported flax and the future of the flax industry in the U.S.(2) It is also mentioned in, Flax Culture, by Edmund A. Whitman written in 1888. In it he describes Rensselaer County as, “the seat of the linen industry in the country.”(3) Washington County also has access to the Hoosick River as well as the Battenkill River. In the town of Greenwich, on the Battenkill, the Dunbarton Mill produced linen thread well into the 20th century. These rivers also seem to have had some influence on which towns produced the most flax. In Rensselaer County most of the flax produced came from towns bordering the Hoosick and Little Hoosick Rivers. Combining the numbers for the towns of Schaghticoke, Pittstown, Hoosick, Petersburg, and Berlin, the combined amounts of acreage amount to 81, 96, and 79% of the acres planted to flax in Rensselaer County during the three census years. The amount of flax produced in these towns amounts to 86, 96, and 88% of the flax produced in the county. In this case, there is at least a (continued on Page 16) Page 15
PPPITTSTOWN HHHISTORICAL SSSOCIETY NNNEWSLETTER Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
(continued from page 15) correlation with flax production and proximity to rivers, however Washington County indicates there must be other factors. Although the greatest flax production is in the towns bordering the Hoosick and Battenkill Rivers in the early census years, by 1865 the percent of flax produced in them drops. Combining the towns of White Creek, Cambridge, Jackson, Easton, and Greenwich, flax production amounted to 89, 67, and 51% of the flax produced in Washington County. Although the percent of total production is always more than half, it declines over the twenty year period indicating that flax production spread out to towns away from rivers. Although water power for processing was undoubtedly important, which towns and counties produced flax is likely determined by a number of factors. Additional evidence of the extent of flax agriculture comes from the Gazetteer and Business Directory: of Rensselaer County, N.Y. and the Rensselaer County Business Directory for the years 1870- 71. The information in the Rensselaer County Business Directory is more extensive than the Gazetteer, however the Gazetteer notes for Pittstown that, “Flax is extensively cultivated and manufacturing is carried on to some extent.” For the town of Hoosick it states that, “Flax is extensively cultivated and considerable attention is also paid to manufactures.”(4) From the county business directory we see that there was a considerable number of individually owned flax mills. Pittstown stands out in this regard with 15 individuals, 13 flax mills and two manufacturers of flax. By comparison, Hoosick lists 9 individuals with 8 flax mills and one flax dealer. In almost every case, these people were farmer-mill owner/operators. The names of flax mill owners, harvest data, and the prominence of Pittstown in the approximately thirty year era of flax are just the tip of the iceberg of the flax story that was brought to my attention when I learned that the oil in “oil mill hill” was actually from crushed flax seeds. The larger story actually began in Europe many hundreds of years ago before cotton began to dominate due to the advances in mechanization brought on by the industrial revolution. As the old linen industry of Europe struggled to compete with a previously non-existent competitor, parts of that struggle would play out in the newly formed United States of America. During the time period discussed in this article, flax in America was already becoming more about linseed oil than linen. During the Civil War this trend was temporarily slowed due to the loss of cotton from the southern states, only to be renewed at the wars conclusion. As with many trends, what we see locally is just our little part of the story. Please see the 1870 Table of Flax Mills and Businesses in Pittstown on the following page. Footnotes: (1) New York State Agricultural Society, Transactions of the New-York State Agricultural Society for the Year 1842 (Albany, NY: The Society, 1842); New York State Agricultural Society, Transactions of the New-York State Agricultural Society for the Year 1843 (Albany, NY: The Society, 1843). (2)U.S. Congress, United States Congressional Serial Set (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1891); U.S. Congress House Committee on Ways and Means, Tariff Hearings Before the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives: 1908-1909 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1909). (3)Edmund A. Whitman, Flax Culture: An Outline of the History and Present Condition of the Flax Industry in the United States and a Consideration of the Influence Exerted on It by Legislation (Rand Avery Co., 1888). (4)Hamilton Child, Gazetteer and Business Directory: Of Rensselaer County, N. Y. , For 1870-71 (Syracuse, NY, 1870). References: Child, Hamilton. Gazetteer and Business Directory: Of Rensselaer County, N. Y. , For 1870-71. Syracuse, NY, 1870. NY Secretary of State. Census for the State of New York for 1845. Albany, NY, 1846. T.B.D. Rensselaer County Business Directory 1870-71. Troy, NY, 1870. New York State Agricultural Society. Transactions of the New-York State Agricultural Society for the Year 1842. Albany, NY: The Society, 1842. ———. Transactions of the New-York State Agricultural Society for the Year 1843. Albany, NY: The Society, 1843. Superintendent of the Census. Census for the State of New York for 1855. Albany, NY, 1857. ———. Census for the State of New York for 1856. Albany, NY, 1867. U.S. Congress House Committee on Ways and Means. Tariff Hearings Before the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives: 1908-1909. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1909. U.S. Congress. United States Congressional Serial Set. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1891. Whitman, Edmund A. Flax Culture: An Outline of the History and Present Condition of the Flax Industry in the United States and a Consideration of the Influence Exerted on It by Legislation. Rand Avery Co., 1888. Page 16
PPPITTSTOWN HHHISTORICAL SSSOCIETY NNNEWSLETTER Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
1870 Flax Mills & Businesses in the Town of Pittstown PROPRIETOR LOCATION BUSINESS Akin, Edward Johnsonville flax mill and farmer (200 ac.) File, Hiram Raymertown grist, saw, flax, & cider mills, farmer (46 ac.) Johnson, George Pittstown flax mill Kautz, George Pittstown flax, saw, & grist mills, farmer (150 ac.) Lape, Thomas & Sproat, Valley Falls Lape & Sproat - manufacturers of flax yarns, threads and Henry twines, both farmers - Lape (500 ac.), Sproat (75 ac.) May, Chas. Tomhannock flax mill McChesney, Nelson Pittstown flax mill, farmer (200 ac.) Newcomb, Nahum Johnsonville flax & saw mill, farmer (163 ac.) Ray, Peter P. Tomhannock flax manufacturer, farmer (220 ac.) Reed, Leo V. Tomhannock grist, saw, & flax mills, general dealer in groceries, boots & shoes, farmer (200 ac.) Rifenburgh, Norman B. Pittstown flax & saw mill, farmer (80 ac.) Snyder, Christopher Tomhannock saw & flax mills, farmer (280 ac.) Twogood, Chas. & John Raymertown saw & flax mill, both farmers – Chas. (142 ac.), John (150 ac.) Van Wert, Willam N. Pittstown flax and saw mills, farmer (13 ac.)
Join the Pittstown Historical Society Visit us at: pittstown.us Make checks payable to: Pittstown Historical Society, Pittstown Historical Society P.O. Box 252, Valley Falls, NY 12185 Board of Trustees The Pittstown Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt not-for-profit organization, dedicated to collecting, documenting, and preserving local history. Officers Contributions are deductible to the full extent of the law. President, Maren Stein 663-5230 $______Annual Dues (please check one)
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PPPITTSTOWN HHHISTORICAL SSSOCIETY NNNEWSLETTER Issue XXIX Spring, 2016
1824 Gazetteer of the State of NY by HG Spofford Pittstown, a Post-Township in the N. part of Rensselaer County, 15 miles NE. of Troy, bounded N. by Schaghticoke and Washington Co., E. by Hoosac, S. by Grafton and Brunswick, W. by Lansingburgh and Schaghticoke. Its area is about 35,500 acres, and it is one of the original towns, erected in 1788, then within the County of Albany. The first settlements commenced about 1750. The surface is somewhat uneven, though arable, with but few exceptions, and the soil good – The timber was oak, maple, beech, ash, chesnut, white pine, &c. the land in general, held in fee, though there are a few durable lease titles, and the inhabitants manufacture a large proportion, (say three fourths) of their clothing. The roads are good. Pittstown has 3 Post- Offices; Pittstown in the southern part, and Tomhanoc on the northern turnpike, 10 miles from Lansingburgh. The principal articles for market are wheat, pork, beef and lumber of various kinds. The merino is here introduced, and a spirit of improvement prevails among the farmers. There are one Dutch Reformed, one Quaker, one Baptist, and one Methodist meeting-houses, and 15 school-houses. The little Village called Pittstown, has about 20 houses and one church: that of Tomhanoc 25; both pleasantly situated in fertile vales of considerable extent, the latter on Tomhanoc creek. Hoosac river runs along the N. line of this Town. The northern turnpike, from Lansingburgh to Wells, in Vermont, by Salem, leads through this Town, and is decidedly one of the best roads in the state, and as pleasant as any. Hoosac Creek, or river, as it is commonly called, runs W. on the N. boundary of the Town, and there are some small mill-streams. The range of hills noticed under Brunswick and Lansingburgh, extends across this Town, and probably to Hoosac Falls. Population, 3,772; 775 farmers, 198 mechanics, 8 traders; 14 foreigners; 30 free blacks, 31 slaves; taxable property, $695,472: fifteen schools, 9 months in 12; 740 electors, 30,838 acres improved land, 4,447 cattle, 1,140 horses, 9,623 sheep: 36,227 yeards of cloth: 9 grist mills, 23 saw mills, 4 fulling mills, 4 carding machines, 3 cotton and woolen factories, 1 distillery, 1 ashery. Prospect Hill P.O., in this town, established in July, 1823, is on the northern turnpike, 17 miles from Troy, 3 quarters of a mile from a busy little Village on the Hoosac river, where there are 5 or 6 mills, and factories.
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