Herkimer County NY History, genealogy, Americana

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The Herkimer County chapter in Mather & Brockett's Geographical History of the State of New York (1848). Herkimer County's treatment, which includes a map, is -- and five pages -- slightly longer than average for an upstate county in this work. Short as it is, it's still an important part of the historical record. We also include the section of this book about land grants and patents in New York State. 5++ pages, in PDF format, download now for $2.75.

The Herkimer County chapter from French's Gazetteer of the State of New York (1860). Here is a look at Herkimer County a bit over a decade after Mather & Brockett's treatment of the subject. The localities mentioned in boldface in this chapter are: Columbia, Columbia Center, Cedarville, South Columbia, Danube, Newville, Indian Castle, Fairfield, Middleville, Frankfort, New Graefenberg, Howards Bush, German Flats, Mohawk, Ilion, Fort Herkimer, Dennisons Corners, Pains Hollow, Herkimer, Eatonville, Litchfield, Jerusalem, Cedar Lake, Little Falls, Jacksonburgh, Bethel, Paines Hollow, Manheim, Brocketts Bridge, Inghams Mills, East Creek, Manheim Center, Newport, Norway, Graysville, Ohio, Ohio City, Russia, Gravesville, Poland, Cold Brook, Booth, Prospect, Salisbury, Salisbury Center, Diamond Hill, Devereaux, Whitesburgh, Schuyler, East Schuyler, West Schuyler, Stark, Starkville, Van Hornesville, Smiths Corners, Warren, Jordanville, Pages Corners, Little Lakes, Crains Corners, Wilmurt, Winfield, East Winfield, West Winfield, and North Winfield. 11+ pages, in PDF format. Download now for $3.00.

Little Falls – A Historical Sketch -- By Hon. Thomas D. Ferguson (1911) -- Herkimer County Historical Society, Papers from Volume IV. This particular paper – a speech that dealt with the history of Little Falls – is a favorite of ours because it is a fine example of local history as practiced a century ago. While we today may take issue with the lack of sourcing of facts in such addresses, we are grateful that the material was collected and preserved for our use today. Standards of scholarship have changed in the intervening years – you will immediately note the absence of footnotes – but the amateur historians back then had the advantage of, first, being chronologically closer to their subjects, and second, often having sources available to them that are no longer available today. 15+ pages, in PDF format. Download now for $3.25.

Native Americans: Herkimer County Historical Society. Papers from Volume IV. 1. History of Early Jesuit Missions in the Mohawk Valley, by the Rev. James H. Halpin (1905) 2. The Iroquois Indian, by Dr. J. D. Fitch (1907). The source was a collection of papers and addresses read before the Herkimer County Historical Society – volume 4 of these papers – with these two addressing the native American population of upstate New York, concentrating on the Mohawk Valley. Historical societies of that era often took seriously their role researching local history and making it permanently available via collections of papers such as this one. 19+ pages, in PDF format. Download now for $3.25

Andrustown – A Page from Herkimer County’s Past, by Dr. Grace M. Norris. (1911) Herkimer County Historical Society Papers, Volume IV. This paper, a speech that dealt with the demise of the tiny community of Andrustown in a massacre during the Revolutionary War, is still useful today. This community, which escaped the massacres that afflicted this area during the French and Indian War due to its remoteness, was not so fortunate this time. Interestingly, nothing except for two or three historical markers remains of Andrustown today. 15+ pages, in PDF format, download now for $3.00.

The Professional and Public Service of the Deceased Members of the Bar of the Village of Herkimer, NY, by Hon. Charles Bell (1914). The source was a collection of papers and addresses read before the Herkimer County Historical Society – volume 4 of these papers. The deceased attorneys profiled in the paper are as follows: Gaylord Griswold, Sanford Clark, Matthias B. Tallmadge, Michael Hoffman, Simeon Ford, Lauren Ford, William D. Ford, Aaron Hackley, Jr., Charles Gray, James B. Hunt, John C. Underwood, Ezra Graves, Charles A. Burton, Volney Owen, Clinton A. Moon, Maurice Fikes, Jacob H. Weber, Amos H. Prescott, Samuel Earl, Josiah A. Steele, Robert Earl, George W. Smith, Sidney A. Smith, George M. Wirt, John Dryden Henderson, Edward A. Brown, Abram B. Steele, and Robert E. Steele. Generally the capsule biographies focus on the professional achievements of these men (yes, despite the first names of Lauren and Volney, usually considered female names today, all those profiled are men) rather than on biographical details. 12+ pages, in PDF format. Download now for $2.25.

Marking General Herkimer’s Route to Oriskany, by Charlotte A. Pitcher (1912), The colonists’ victory at the Battle of Oriskany is viewed today as one of the pivotal battles of the American Revolution. More than a century after that battle, a number of hereditary, patriotic, and civit organizations in the Utica/Oriskany area embarked on a project to mark the route taken by General Herkimer and his troops to that engagement with a series of monuments. While sketching out the actual route of the march in more detail than one usually finds in accounts of the battle, the article also describes the efforts of the sponsoring organizations to appropriately mark it and the celebrations that accompanied the unveiling of the markers. 10+ pages, in PDF format. Download now for $2.00.

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Herkimer County, NY History