Barton

Burials in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery at Schoharie, New York

About one mile north of the Court House at Schoharie, New York, stands a substantial stone building erected and used as a church before the Revolution. In October 1780. Sir. John Johnson, the Indian Chief Brant, with a large force of soldiers, Tories and Indians visited the Schoharie Valley, murdered one hundred of the inhabitants, destroyed their houses and barns and 100,000 bushels of grain. The invaders attacked the Fort which had been constructed about the church, but it was defended with such vigor they withdrew. A cannon ball fired by the enemy pierced the roof of the church and […]

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

Flood Dangers at St. Helena New York

Livingston County

As the years went by, the valley folk had to depend more and more on farming, as the mills were silent, the timber mostly cleared away. Many moved away and the earlier settlers dropped out, one by one. Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel K. Barton moved to Castile, followed by the Johnson family, and then the John W. Piper family. The river had done great damage to the Johnson farm. The Castilian of May 25, 1894, published this item: “It is getting to be quite common to have a flood during the months of May and June, and this year we

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St. Helena’s Church Life

Livingston County

Weekdays, the St. Helena schoolhouse was used for teaching three R’s—Readin’, ’Ritin’ and ’Rithmetic. On the Sabbath day, it became a church house, where a fourth R, Religion, was taught. St. Helena was a charge of the Methodist Protestant Church at Brooks Grove, a hamlet four miles up the eastern hill. The Grove was named for General Micah Brooks, of Gardeau Reservation fame, who settled there in 1832. The Methodist Protestant Church movement started in 1830 and a society by that name was organized at Brooks Grove in 1840. The church was built there in 1844-45 and Rev. Short was

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St. Helena’s Patriotic Life

Livingston County

St. Helena’s young men responded quickly when their country called for volunteers during the Civil War, 1861-65. Among them were: Charles Buckley, Eugene Buckley, Milton Burnap, Emerson Crowley, George Crowley, Franklin Eddy, George Green, James Green, Fitch Merithew, Hiram Merithew, Philander Merithew, Chauncey Orsburn, Albert Piper, George Piper, Henry Piper, John Piper, Myron Powell, Hugh Skillin, Sherman Streeter, George Westbrook and Emmett Wood. Many of those boys drilled on fields near Portage High Bridge. There were such large numbers of volunteers that the hastily built barracks could not house all of them. It is said that old buildings, used for

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Homes and Places of Business in St. Helena

Livingston County

West of the store building in St. Helena was the home of Henry Dixon, head miller for Mr. Parshall for many years. Next, west of Mr. Dixon’s one-half acre lot, was a cross street running south from Main Street past the farm home of Mr. Parshall. This was the street called “Maiden Lane.” On this street at one time were six or seven houses, At the west corner of Maiden Lane and Main Street, J. D. Tallman owned and conducted a hotel business for accommodation of both man and beast. This property was later owned by Mr. Foote. South of

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Early Settlers of St. Helena, New York

Livingston County

In 1826, Mr. and Mrs. Parker Nichols emigrated from Vermont and settled in St. Helena, where on September 25, 1827, a daughter, Fanny, was born to them. She could remember seeing Mary Jemison at St. Helena. An abundance of timber and water power for their mills drew the early settlers to the valley. During the early 1800’s, an English surveyor, Stewart by name, laid out the plan for the village. Divided into three sections, residential, business, and manufacturing, the little town began to grow. In 1832, Asa Willey Gifford purchased land there. Asa was born in Vermont in 1798, son

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Burials in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery at Schoharie, New York

Flood Dangers at St. Helena New York

St. Helena’s Church Life

St. Helena’s Patriotic Life

Homes and Places of Business in St. Helena

Early Settlers of St. Helena, New York

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