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 VI.
Population of Tryon in 1757 and 1776 Ft. Johnson-The Highways.

The white settlers of the five districts of Tryon county were generally the Dutch, who had gradually extended their settlements westward from Schenectady and occupied the eastern part of the county, and the Germans from the Palatinate on the Rhine, who had located farther west. These were the general limits of the settlers but the two nationalities had considerably Intermingled and intermarried prior to the Revolution, forming an element largely known as "Mohawk Dutch." In the whole valley at the Revolutionary period the writer ventures the opinion that, of this Teutonic population, two-thirds were Palatine Germans and one-third were of Holland Dutch blood. These people were not disposed to submit, to new-fledged aristocrats who assumed a high and mighty style in dealing with the Tryon yeomanry. This element, while it Included many Tories, was the backbone of the Whig party in the valley. Before the building- of Fort Plain In 1776 they had largely sided with the American cause and had taken decided steps for its furtherance.

There was a considerable number of Irish and Scotch in the county, some, as at Johnstown, being Tories while others, as at the Cherry Valley settlement, were ardent patriots for the most part. On the eve of the Revolution and at the time of the inauguration of Fort Plain as an American outpost, the white population of the entire county was estimated at 10,000 and the militia available for the patriot cause at about 2,500 men. The Indian population along the Mohawk may have approximated 1,000 or even less.

At this period the only settlement in the valley which could be dignified by the name of town was Schenectady, where the first river settlement had been made by the Dutch in 1663. There was a considerable village at Johnstown and a Dutch hamlet at Caughnawaga. At Cherry Valley there was a settlement mostly of Scotch, and at Fort Herkimer and the Palatine village, at West Canada creek, hamlets of Palatine Germans. At Fort Hunter and at Sand Hill were probably the beginnings of settlements. Johnstown was assuming importance, as it was made the county seat of Tryon when it was set off from Albany county in 1772, and it was also the seat of the powerful Johnson party.

Everything tended against concentration of settlers in towns. Almost the entire population, with the exception of a few traders and mechanics, was engaged in farming and clearing the land. The Mohawk, in the early days being the highway of commerce, tended to keep the population near it and the farms as a rule extended back from the flats on to the slopes. This brought the dwellings along the river into fairly close proximity and, if we trust a French account of 1757, we will find at that early day a surprising number of houses noted along the Mohawk from East Creek to Schenectady, a distance of about 50 miles.

This old record gives a good idea of the Canajoharie and Palatine districts in the mid-eighteenth century. It mentions that the road was "good for all sorts of carriages" from Fort Kouari, later Fort Herkimer, about opposite the mouth of West Canada creek, in the town of German Flats, to Fort Cannatchocari, which was at the upper Mohawk castle, in the present town of Danube. This was a stockade 15 feet high and 100 paces square. The account continues as follows: "From Fort Cannatchocari to Fort Hunter is about 12 leagues; the road is pretty good, carriages pass over it; it continues along the banks of the Mohawk river. About a hundred houses, at greater or less distance from one another we found within this length of road. There are some situated also about half a league in the interior. The inhabitants of this section are Germans who compose a company of about 100 men.

"Fort Hunter is situated on the borders of the Mohawk river and is of the same form as that of Cannatchocari, with the exception that it is twice as large. There is likewise a house at each curtain. The cannon at each bastion are from 7 to 9 pounders. The pickets of this fort are higher than those of Cannatchocari. There is a church or temple in the middle of the fort; in the Interior of the fort are also some thirty cabins of Mohawk Indians, which is the most considerable village. This fort like that of Cannatchocari has no ditch; there's only a large swing door at the entrance.

"Leaving Fort Hunter, a creek [Schoharie] is passed at the mouth of which that fort is located. It can be forded and crossed in batteaux In summer, and on the ice in winter. There are some houses outside under the protection of the fort, in which the country people seek shelter when they fear or learn that an Indian or French war party is In the Held.

"From Fort Hunter to Chenectadi or Corlar is seven leagues. The public carriage way continues along the right [south] bank of the Mohawk river. About 20 to 30 houses are found within this distance separated the one from the other from about a quarter to halt a league. The inhabitants of this section are Dutch. They form a company, with some other inhabitants on the left bank of the Mohawk river, about 600 [?] men strong."

This account puts Fort Hunter on the wrong side of the Schoharie, an error of the French narrator.

Possibly the "600 men" referred to the militia of the town of Schenectady and its surrounding farming territory.

The above gives an idea of the population then on the south side of the river. Beginning again at the west at East Canada creek, the writer gives a similar account of the north side of the Mohawk from East Canada creek to Schenectady.

"After fording Canada creek, we continue along the left [north] bank of the Mohawk river and high road, which is passable for carts, for twelve leagues, to Col. Johnson's mansion [at Fort Johnson]. In the whole of the distance the soil is very good. About five hundred houses are erected at a distance one from the other. The greatest number of those on the bank of the river are built of stone, and those at a greater distance in the Interior are about half a league oft; they are new settlements, built of wood.

"There is not a fort in the whole of this distance of 12 leagues. There is but one farmer's house, built of stone, that is somewhat fortified and surrounded with pickets. It is situate on the banks of the river, three leagues from where [East] Canada creek empties into the Mohawk river. The Inhabitants of this country are Germans. They form four companies of 100 men each.

"Col. Johnson's mansion is situated on the borders of the left [north] bank of the Mohawk. It is three stories high, built of stone, with portholes and a parapet and flanked with four bastions, on which are some small guns. In the same yard, on both sides of the mansion, there are two small houses. That on the right of the entrance is a store and that on the left is designed for workmen, negroes and other domestics. The yard gate is a heavy swing gate, well ironed; it is on the Mohawk river side; from this gate to the river there is about 200 paces of level ground. The high road passes there, A small rivulet, coming from the north, empties into the Mohawk river, about 200 paces below the enclosure of the yard. On this stream there is a mill about 50 paces distant from the house; below the mill is the miller's house where grain and flour are stored, and on the other side of the creek, 100 paces from the mill, is a barn in which cattle and fodder are kept. One hundred and fifty paces from Col. Johnson's mansion, at the north side, on the left bank of the little creek, is a little hill on which is a small house with portholes, where ordinarily is kept a guard of honour of some twenty men which serves also as an advanced post. "From Col. Johnson's house to Chenectadi is counted seven leagues; the road is good, all sorts of vehicles pass over it. About twenty houses are found from point to point on this road * * * In the whole country of the Mohawk river there are nine companies of militia under Col. Johnson; eight only remain, that of the village of Palatines [at Herkimer] being no longer in existence, the greater part having been defeated by M. de Belletre's detachment. Col. Johnson assembles these companies when he has news of any expedition which may concern the Mohawk river."

Here we have a good description of the location of the settlers in a considerable portion of the Mohawk valley in 1757. With the exception of more houses and buildings and a largely increased population, conditions were probably similar in 1776. In addition it must be realized that from East Creek, on both sides of the river westward to German Flats and beyond there was a large number of dwellings and a considerable settlement of Palatine Germans. The account gives us a fair idea of what had been accomplished In the way of erecting large farmhouses, their necessary buildings, mills, and the opening up of plantations on a considerable scale in the instance of Johnson's place at Fort Johnson. Similar establishments were present, on a somewhat smaller plan, along the river and some of the dwellings were undoubtedly as large and in a way as comfortable as those of today. As a well known instance that of Gen. Herkimer can be cited, which was built in 1764. From this account, the population was practically composed of German and Dutch farmers. In the Canajoharie district there were probably, at this early date, more than 75 houses and in the Palatine district more than 400 dwellings. Together the two districts contained probably over 500 men liable to militia service and possibly a population of 2,500, it the French account is correct in its figures. The number of the dwellings and of the population had very largely increased by 1776, to what extent it is difficult to estimate, but it is not improbable that it had almost doubled. The highways will tie seen to be fair in their condition, at least in some parts, and much better than would be casually supposed, and in general civilized society in the valley was at no low stage.