Chapter 6 - Dutch, British & Palatines
The Palatines
The Roman Connection
Fifty years before the birth of Christ the Roman Empire defeated the
Gauls. To govern and control these Celtic peoples, Rome established a stronghold
in the strategic river and hill country of the Rhine River Valley in what
is now southwest Germany. The official who governed in the Emperor's name
was called the "Palatine". This so-governed region was called
a "Palatinate" and the people living there were called Palatinates. (Later
shortened to Palatines)
Roman and German emperors governed here for hundreds
of years, so the populace was a mixture of Celtic, Germanic and Roman peoples
--- descendants of warrior races.
After the fall of Rome and subsequent demise of
regional emperors, the Rhine Valley and surrounding countryside was ruthlessly
governed by a number of warlords who built mountain-top fortresses (castles)
to protect their armies and fortunes. While these armed camps fought for
control of the area, the farmers, craftsmen and tradesmen living in the
countryside created farms, orchards, vineyards and towns in the valley
and surrounding hills.
As power was consolidated and fiefdoms grew larger
and better governed, Palatinate emerged from the darkness and constant
warfare of the Middle Ages. Cities like Mainz, Worms, Oppenheim, Mannheim
and Heidelberg became centers of commerce, government, religion and education
.....and the valleys and hillsides produced some of the finest crops in
Europe.
The French Connection
The location of this prosperous region, between a powerful and ruthless
King Louis XIV of France, and a weak organization of German principalities,
made it ripe for invasion and plunder in the 1600s and again in the early
1700s, and set the stage for an exodus of Palatines to Holland and England,
and eventually to America.
By 1708 French armies had burned and pillaged Palatine
homes, crops, fruit trees, churches, libraries, villages and cities. Even
the renowned University of Heidelberg and the sacred tombs of the German
Emperors at the city of Worms were destroyed. Thousands of inhabitants
were driven from their homes and left to face the elements without food
or shelter. Many died, many became beggars on the streets of Europe.
The winter of 1708-09 was the worst on record, destroying
the fruit trees and vineyards that had escaped destruction by the French
army. For many Palatines all hope for a future in their homeland was lost.
Around that same time representatives from the American colonies, most
notably Pennsylvania, had traveled throughout the region promoting immigration
to America, stressing the availability of rich farmlands and religious
freedom.
Palatines left their homeland in great numbers,
many of them traveling for almost a month in open boats down the Rhine
River to seek sanctuary in Holland and transport to England. At first Queen
Ann's England welcomed the Palatines, at least the Protestant Palatines.
Because of English law at that time, Catholic Palatines were returned to
Europe unless they changed their religion or enlisted in the British army.
England's welcome, even for the predominantly Lutheran and Reformed Protestants,
wore thin as the population of Palatines grew into the thousands, straining
the government treasury and relations with the local populous.
The New York Connection
Although Palatines had immigrated to America soon after the exodus
from their homeland, and a few families had settled in the Newburgh area,
their major migration to New York was around 1710. England agreed to foot
the bill for their passage and other expenses if they agreed (in writing)
to develop a much needed naval stores industry in New York, the primary
products being pine pitch, tar, rosin and masts for sailing ships. Palatine
communities were established for that purpose on both sides of the Hudson
River near present day Saugerties and Germantown.
At that time frequent incursions by the French and
their Indian allies were threatening the New York frontier and the English
control of the fur trade, so both the British Cabinet and New York authorities
welcomed the Palatines to bolster the defense of the frontier. The Palatines,
eager to fight for their new homeland and against their old nemesis, the
French, volunteered to join the British and Iroquois to attack French Canada
in 1711. Although this campaign failed, the Palatines demonstrated their
desire to fight the French to both the British and Iroquois.
The white pines of New York did not produce pitch
and tar as expected, so the Naval stores project failed. To make matters
worse, local officials had "redirected" funds Parliament appropriated for
the project and to settle the Palatines. The Palatines were left to fend
for themselves.
While some Palatines remained in the Hudson Valley,
200 families moved lock, stock and barrel to the upper Schoharie Valley
where they purchased land from the Mohawks. A few years after this migration
they were told to re-purchase their holdings from the "rightful" British
owners or move on. (Many of them re-purchased their holdings and remained
in the valley.) Appeals to the Crown were unsuccessful because Queen
Ann had died and the new Cabinet had little interest in helping the Palatines.
However, a new governor was very interested in protecting
the New York frontier, especially in the Mohawk Valley. In the early 1720s
Governor William Burnet allowed the Palatines to purchase land from the
Mohawks at Stone Arabia and on the flatlands near the mouth of West Canada
Creek. This purchase, titled the Burnetsfield Patent in honor of
the governor, consisting of 91,386 acres (including 200 acres of church
land)) on both sides of the Mohawk from present day Little Falls to Frankfort,
was purchased July 1722. The Title Deed, which included 92 names, was issued
in April 1725. Many of the family names on that original deed are still
familiar in the Herkimer area today, including Staring, Helmer, Harter,
Foltz, Shoemaker, Bellinger, Herkimer, Weber, Casler, Petrie and
Fulmore.
In addition to the families that moved from other
areas of New York, a boatload of Palatines arrived in New York from Europe
in the fall of 1722 and settled at Burnetsfield the following spring.
The Palatines on the north side of the Mohawk, like
their European ancestors, built their homes in a village and farmed the
fields nearby. Most of their buildings were constructed of hewn timber
and roofed with bark or thatch. Palatine Village was on the west bank of
the West Canada. In the 1720s the Palatines built a small church
where the Reformed Church now stands at the Four Corners in downtown Herkimer.
Most of the village was located north of the church, with farmlands running
from the edge of the village to the banks of the two rivers. There were
also homes and farmsteads on the south side of the Mohawk opposite the
mouth of West Canada Creek.
The combination of lime-rich alluvial soils washed
from West Canada Valley and the Palatines thousand-year farming heritage
created one of the most productive farming communities in America. In addition
to a variety of field crops including wheat and peas, the Palatines raised
respectable flocks of sheep, plus cattle and horses. In a very short time
they produced much more than they could use. Excess produce was sold
or traded to the Indians and other Europeans, or shipped to Europe. Two
decades after their arrival, the German Flatts Palatines were a wealthy
community.
While they traded with British to the East and occasionally
assisted in military campaigns, they had little social interaction with
their neighbors. Within their communities they spoke their own language,
conducting religious services and teaching in German. Their relations with
the Mohawks and Oneidas were excellent. Unlike the Dutch and British they
seldom married Indians, although they converted a number of them to their
Christian faith.
Discovery: While researching this chapter, I discovered that the Palatines that settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s were called "Pennsylvania Dutch" by the British to distinguish them from the Dutch that settled New York in the 1600s. My grandfather came to Central New York from Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. I had always been told my ancestry was Dutch and that my ancestors had come from Amsterdam, Holland. I learned that many of the Palatines embarked from Amsterdam and there were Keeslers (also spelled Geasler, Gieseler, Keasler and Kesler) among them. Considering the fact that there is a "Keesler Corners" south of the Mohawk River, just over the Herkimer County line, in Montgomery County, some of my relatives may have settled in this area. Perhaps my ancestry is Palatine not Dutch.
(Originally published in Kuyahoora-Discovering West Canada Valley - 1999)
Discovery: Exploring Palatine Country
October 19, 2001, 50 degrees, Sunny
This
was a spur of the moment discovery trip. Gert and I left the house at 8:30
a.m. and headed east down the Mohawk Valley to visit and photograph some
of the Palatine churches and buildings that were constructed in the 1700s.
Our first stop was the 1770 Palatine Church
next to Caroga Creek, southeast of St. Johnsville on Route 5.
Many years ago there were mills and a small village located here. Today
all that remains are a few homes, barns, a crumbling cement arch bridge
and the beautiful limestone church. It was difficult to photograph the
church because of its closeness to other buildings, power lines and poles.
This is the most "visible" Palatine Church in the Mohawk Valley because
of its location along Route 5, just east of St. Johnsville.
At the village of Palatine Bridge, we followed
Route 10 north to the hamlet of Stone Arabia, the location of one of the
first Palatine settlements in the Mohawk Valley. Here I photographed the
Stone
Arabia Stone Church that was built in 1788. Nearby was a sign noting
the Battle of Stone Arabia.
We returned to Route 5 and followed it east, past
The Noses and on to Fonda where we crossed the Mohawk River to Fultonville.
After a late breakfast at the village's Trucking Complex, we followed Route
30Asouth, through the hills separating the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys.
The fall colors along this hill-country road were spectacular, as was the
view when we dropped down into Schoharie Valley.
Schoharie
We followed 30A to Route 30 and continued up the valley towards the
villages of Schoharie and Middleburgh., the section of the valley
settled by the Palatines who left the Hudson Valley in the early 1700s.
Just outside the village of Schoharie we stopped
to visit the Old Stone Fort Museum. Here we met Gar Weber, an Interpreter
for the museum, who provided a brief history of Schoharie Valley and the
role the fort played in the Revolutionary War. The artifacts displayed
at the Fort and other buildings on the property were fascinating, and included
large displays of Indian relics, Revolutionary War weapons, and buildings
and barns going back to the original Palatine settlements. After taking
dozens of photographs of the Fort and other buildings, I returned to the
Fort to buy a couple of books about the history of the area. I was disappointed
to discover there was no brochure available about the Fort and Museum,
however, a web site provided the following information:
"The
Old Stone Fort Museum complex celebrates and preserves the rich, historic
legacy of New York's beautiful Schoharie Valley. Buildings include an early
1700's home, 1780's Dutch barn, 1830's law office and 1890's one-room school
as well as the 1772 stone church that was fortified, and attacked
by British forces in 1780."
After following Route 30 to Middleburgh, where we
noticed that some signs included the "h" and some ended in "g", we returned
to Schoharie to visit the Palatine House. Here we met Curator, Angela
De Groff. I was immediately impressed with Angela's knowledge and special
feelings for the history of the area and this historic building. While
Gert sat outside in the warm sun chatting with Angela's friend who was
wrapping bars of homemade soap, I was given a tour of the "ice-cold" house,
including a demonstration of how a loom really works. In addition to Angela's
weaving skills, I was impressed with the construction of the home and its
three fireplaces. One of them was "jamless" fireplace, which is essentially
a fire on a rock slab next to a rock wall . . . with the chimney starting
at the ceiling. This fireplace was used for cooking only. The others, including
the one in the basement, could be used for cooking and to heat the house.
From Angela, the House brochure and a web site I learned the following:
The 1743 Palatine House is the oldest existing
building in Schoharie County. This medieval, German-style building was
built by the Palatine Colonists for their minister, Peter Nicholas Sommers,
who came to Schoharie from Hamburg, Germany in 1743. It was one of the
few frame buildings spared during the Revolutionary War when the rest of
the village was burned to the ground.
In 1971, with the aid of the Presbyterian Church
and a matching grant from the New York State Historic Trust, SCHA restored
the 1743 Palatine House and created a "Living Museum". From May to
October, visitors can experience colonial life and times by taking guided
tours of the house, grounds and adjacent cemetery, where Peter Nicholas
Sommers and his wife are buried. Through continued research, assistance
from the New York State Council on the Arts and donations of 18th century
articles from local residents, the 1743 Palatine House preserves an important
part of our colonial past.
From the Palatine House we made a beeline for the
Parrott House where we enjoyed a late lunch. The food and service were
every bit as good as it was when I ate there some 20 years ago.
We returned to the Mohawk River via Route 30 to
Amsterdam where we got on the Thruway. We were home in time to watch the
six o'clock news.
Incidentally, the Old Stone Fort Museum and Palatine
House are open to the public from the beginning of May to the end of October.
Both charge a fee for visits and tours.
For more information about the Old Stone Fort Museum and Schoharie County: http://www.SchoharieHistory.net/
For more information about the Palatine House: http://www.midtel.net/~scha/palatinehouse.htm
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk
Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Saint Johnsville, select New York, press
GO!
Click
on margin arrows to follow our progress down the Mohawk Valley and into
the upper Schoharie Valley.
