COUJSTY ORGANIZATIONS. ior

lature advising full preparation for the contest. In April following,100,000 of the nation's enrolled militia were called upon to organize-for service, the quota of New York being 13,500 men, which wereorganized in two divisions and eight brigades. The fourth brigadecomprised the loth, i i th , I2th and I3th regiments, the members ofwhich were from the Mohawk valley. This brigade was under com-mand of General Richard Dodge, then a resident of Johnstown.

The services of the militia from this locality were important incharacter, though not specially severe. One of the brigades wasstationed at Sacketts Harbor where its duty Was to guard the suppliesstored there, and as well defend that post. General Dodge made thishis headquarters September 21, 1812. The post was afterwards, May24, 1813, attacked by the British, but they were repulsed. Neverthe-less, in the fear that the supplies might fall into the hands of the enemy,they were destroyed before the repulse was effected. The thirteenthregiment was in the battle at Queenstown Heights, but the principalservice performed by it was guarding the frontier, and not only againstthe possibilities of invasion, but as well to prevent smuggling, which sooften impaired our national revenue.

CHAPTER XIV.

County Organizations — Tryon and Montgomery Counties Briefly Reviewed — TheCounty Seat Moved to Fonda—Dissatisfaction in the Northern Towns — FultonCounty Created — Montgomery County Civil List.

AS has been stated in our preceding chapters, Tryon county wascreated from the original county of Albany in 1772, and the seat

of justice was immediately located at Johnstown. The public buildings,as has been previously mentioned, were erected by Sir William John-son, the founder of the village that still bears his name, and in fact thefounder of Tryon county. After his death and during the early yearsof the revolution, Sir John Johnson, as has also been mentioned, claimedownership, as heir of his father, and denied the use of the court-house

108 HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

and jail for the confinement of tories, this use being demanded by thepatriotic committees. The government, on the other hand, claimed thatSir William had conveyed the property to two persons in trust for thepeople of Tryon county. This question, however, was finally settledby the flight of Sir John, and his entire estate was then confiscated andsold, the county buildings being thenceforth public property. Tryoncounty, as has been mentioned, received its name in honor of WilliamTryon, the governor of the province and a base tool in the royal service.He was wholly devoted to the British interests, and did everything inhis power to defeat the cause of liberty. Hence it was only naturalthat his name should be offensive to the victorious Americans, andwhen, in 1784, the affairs of the state of New York were rearranged, novoice was raised against the proposal to change Tryon to Montgomery,thus substituting in place of a detested tory the name of a patrioticmartyr.

Montgomery county included the territory of Fulton county from1784 to 1838, a period of fifty-four years. During that time the pop-ulation of its towns increased in a manifold degree, and in no regionwas that increase more rapid than in the Mohawk valley. Amsterdam,Fultonville, Canajoharie, Fort Plain and other former hamlets had, by1836, become villages of importance, and their inhabitants (particularlythe legal profession) were desirous for a change of the county seat fromold historic Johnstown to some place more convenient of access.

The arguments for the change, indeed, were well founded, Johnstownbeing several miles distant from the Mohawk river and separated by ahilly and ill-kept road, whose only public conveyance was the stage.Hence, when a strong petition of the river residents was presented tothe legislature at the session of 1836, that body could not justly refusethe prayer, and Fonda was designated the county seat, the name beingderived from that old and historic family whose descendants still dwellin the same vicinity.

The conditions of the removal were that a subscription of $4,500should be raised, and that a free gift of not less than three acres bemade to the county upon which to erect the buildings. The court-house is of brick, and cost $30,500, which amount, however, includedthe cost of the first jail.

CIVIL LIST. 109

The removal of the public buildings from Johnstown to Fonda, whileit wrought a great benefit to the majority, naturally created deep indig-nation in the northern towns, whose inhabitants resisted it in the mostintense manner, and only submitted with the hope of relief in the form-ation of a new county. The removal indeed led them to petition for adivision of old Montgomery, and a new county became a necessity tothe northern inhabitants. The legislature, in harmony with this move-ment, passed an act on April 18, 1838, creating Fulton county, Johns-town being naturally designated as the capital, and the old public build-ings were again brought into service.

Montgomery county jail originally stood south of the court-house onthe same lot, but in 1881 it was destroyed by fire. The new jail (andsheriff 's residence) was built immediately, and cost the county $40,000.In this connection it may be well to insert the following inscription inthe marble tablet over the main entrance to the court-house: " Thisbuilding was erected in the year 1836 by Lawrence Marcellus, carpen-ter, and Henry Holmes, mason, under the charge of Aaron C. Whee-lock, Henry Adams and Hcwland Fish, commissioners charged withthe erection."

We now add the Montgomery county civil list: Presidential electors,Volkert Veeder, 1792; Charles Newkirk, 1796; Matthias B. Hildreth,1804; Henry Yates, jr., 1808 ; Henry Frey Yates, 1812; Aaron Har-ing, 1816; Seth Wetmore, I82O; 1 Alexander Coffin, 1824; RufusCrane, 1828; John S, Veeder, 1832; Frederick Sammons, 1836;Henry P. Voorhees, 1840; Stephen Sanford, 1872.

Representatives in Congress.—Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, 1789—91 ;James Gordon, 1791-93 ; Silas Talbot, 1793-95 ; William Cooper, 1795-97; James Cochran, 1797-99; Jonas Platt, 1799-1801; BenjaminWalker, 1801-03; Thomas Sammons, 1803-05, 1805-07, 1809-11,1811-13; Peter Swart, 1807-09; Jacob Markell, 1813-15; DanielCady, 1815-17; John Herkimer, 1817-19; John Fay, 1819-21; Al-fred Conkling, 1821-23; John W. Cady, 1823-25; Henry Markell,1825-27; 1827-29; Benedict Arnold, 1829-31; Nathan Sottle, 1831-33; Charles McVean, 1833-35; Matthias J. Bovee, 1835-37; JohnEdwards, 1837-39; Peter J. Wagner, 1839-41 ; John Sanford, 1841-

i Did not attend; William I. Dodge appointed to fill vacancy.

110 HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

43; Charles Benton, 1843-45-47; George Petrie, 1847-49; Henry P.Alexander, 1849-51 ; Alexander H. Bull, 1851-53; Peter Rowe, 1853-55 ; Thomas R. Horton, 1855-57 ; Clarke B. Cochran, 1857-59-61 ;Chauncey Vibbard, 1861-63; James M. Marvin, 1863-65-67-69;Stephen Sanford, 1869-71 ; John M. Carroll, 1871-73 ; Henry W.Harthorn, 1873-75-77; John H. Starin, 1877-79-81; George West,1881-83, Edward Wemple, 1883-85; George West, 1885-87; JohnSanford, 1887-89-91.

Justices of the Supreme Cdurt. — Frothingham Fish, 1883 ; Martin L.Stover, 1891.

Delegates to Constitutional Convention of 1788. — John Frey, Will-iam Harper, Henry Staring, Volkert Veeder, John Winn, ChristopherP. Yates. Convention of i8oi. — Nathaniel Campbell, Jonathan Hal-lett, John Herkimer, Thomas Sammons, Peter Waggoner, jr., CalebWoodworth. Convention of 1821. — William I. Dodge, Howland Fish,Jacob Hess, Philip Rhinelander, jr., Alexander Sheldon. Conventionof 1846. — John Bowdish, John Nellis. Convention of 1867. — AlonzoC. Paige (at large), Hezekiah Baker, Judson S. Landon, Albert Pond,and Horace E. Smith, representing the fifteenth district.

State Comptroller. — Edward Wemple, 1888-90; 1890-92.State Senators. — Previous to the constitutional convention of 1821,

Montgomery county formed a part of the western district, which sentin 1777 six representatives to the state senatorial body; they wereIsaac Paris, Abraham Yates, jr., Dirck W. Ten Broek, Anthony VanSchaick, Jelles Fonda, and Rinier Mynderse. Jelles Fonda was in thesame body in 1779-80-81-88-89-90-91 ; Abraham Yates, jr., in 1778-80-81-82-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90; Jacob G. Klock in 1778-79-80-81—82-83-84—85. The senators representing the county since theconvention of 1821 have been as follows : Archibald Mclntyre, 1823-26; Duncan McMartin, 1827-30; William I. Dodge, 1831-34; JacobWilles, 1835; David Spraker, 1836-39; Bethuel Peck, 1840-42;Thomas B. Mitchell, 1843-46; Thomas Burtch, 1848-49; George H.Fox, 1850-51 ; (Fox resigned April 17, John Sanford elected to va-cancy); Simeon Snow, 1852-53; George Yost, 1854-55; Frederick P.Bellinger, 1856-57 ; George G. Scott, 1858-59 ; Isaiah Blood, 1860-61 ; John Willard,1 1862-63 ; William Clark, 1863 ; James M. Cook,

' Died In office.

CIVIL LIST. I l l

1864-65 ; Adam W. Kline, 1866-67 ; Charles Sanford, 1868-69; Isa-iah Blood, 1870-71 ; Webster Wagner,1 1872-81 ; Alexander B. Bau-cus, 1882-83 ; James Arkell, 1884-85; John Foley, 1886-87; CharlesDonaldson, 1888-89, 1890-91.

Members of Assembly2— Samuel Clyde, Zephaniah Batcheller,Michael Edic, Jacob Snell, 1777; George H. Bell, Samuel Clyde, Mi-chael Edic, Jacob Snell, Peter Wagoner, jr., 1778; G. H. Bell, AbrahamCopeland, Peter S. Dygert, Frederick Fox, Jacob Gardner, Peter Wag-oner, jr., 1779; Z. Batcheller, A. Copeman, P. S. Dygert, F. Fox, J.Gardineer, P. Wagoner, 1780; J. Gardineer, Abraham Garrison, Will-iam Harper, P. Wagoner, jr., Z. Batcheller, 1781 ; Z. Batcheller, Fred-erick Fisher, John Frey, Andrew Frick, jr., A. Garrison, William Har-per, 1782; Z. Batcheller, F. Fisher, John Frey, Andre%w Frick, jr.,1783 ; A. Copeman, F. Fox, William Harper, James Livingston, Vol-kert Veeder, Chris. P. Yates, Isaac Paris, 1784; Fox, Harper, Living-ston, Paris, Veeder, Yates, 1785 ; Abraham Arndt, John Frey, Will-iam Harper, James Livingston, V. Veeder, Abraham Van Home, 1786 ;James Cannon, J. Frey, William Harper, J Livingston, 1787 ; Arndt,Frey, Harper, John Livingston, Paris, Henry Staring, Veeder, JohnWinn, C. P. Yates, 1788 ; Arndt, Frey, Harper, Livingston, DavidMcMasters, Staring, Veeder, Winn, Yates, 1789; Arndt, Livingston,McMasters, Veeder, 1790; Arndt, Frey, Livingston, John P. Vischer(Fisher), 1791 ; Jacob Eacker, Douw Fonda, Frey, McMasters, SilasTalbot, Simeon Veeder, 1792; Eacker, McMasters, Talbot, Veeder,1793 ; Eacker, Frederick German, John McArthur, McMasters, Veeder,1794; Fonda, Getman, McMasters, Veeder, 1795 ; David Cady, Eack-er, Getman, John C. Van Epps, Peter Veeder, Simeon Veeder, 1796;Eacker, Getman, Van Epps, Peter and Simon Veeder, 1797; Getman,James Hildreth, Robert McFarlan, Archibald Mclntyre, Henry Pawl-ing, Stephen Reynolds, Jacob Snell, Phillip Van Alstyne, SimeonVeeder, Peter Voorhees, 1798; Cornelius Humphrey, Mclntyre, Snell,Veeder, Frederick Sammons, John Herkimer, 1799; Humphrey, Mcln-tyre, Snell, Veeder, Yates, Alex. Sheldon, 1800; Mclntyre, Sammons,Snell, Charles Ward, Yates, Sheldon, 1801 ; Sheldon, Daniel Walker,

1 Died January 13,1882.2 Date of election given. Session begins January ist thereafter.

112 HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

Ward, Henry Kennedy, John Roof, 1802; Sheldon, Herkimer, DavidI. Ziely, Kennedy, Mclntyre, 1803; John Seeber, Sheldon, Zieley,Mclntyre, Jonathan Hallet, 1804; Joseph Wagoner, Sheldon, Herki-mer, Mclntyre, Samuel Jackson, 1805 ; Sheldon, James Lancing, Har-manus Vedder, Lawrence Gross, William Van O'Linda, 1806; Sheldon,Gross, Henry Fonda, Peter C. Fox, Vedder, 1807; John Fay, DanielCady, John Green, Richard Van Home, David I. Zieley, 1888 ; Cady,Van Home, Green, James Allen, Zieley, 1809; Nathan Christie, VanHome, William Woodward, Nathan Kimball, Edmond G. Rawson,1810; Cady, Jacob Hacker, Daniel Hurlbut, James Mclntyre, Christie,1811 ; Josiah Bartlett, Cady, John Fay, Hurlbut, Arch. Mclntyre,Daniel McVean, Alexander Sheldon, Richard Van Home, 1812; Bart-lett, Cady, McVean, Van Home, 1813 ; Solomon Dievendorff, JohnEisenlord, Samuel A. Gilbert, Alexander St. John, John Shuler, Syl-vanus Wilcox, Andrew Zabriskie, Alvah South wick, 1814 ; Dievendorff,Eisenlord, St. John, Shuler, Southwick, 1815 ; Henry Gross, HenryFonda, Samuel Jackson, Benedict Arnold, Isaac Sears, 1816; Barent K.Vrooman, S. Jackson, Ezekiel fielding, Henry Lyker, Jacob Shaw, 1817;Jacob Hess, Aaron Haring, Duncan McMartin, jr., Robert Hall, SamuelJackson, 1818; Lawrence Gross, Henry J. Dievendorff, Jacob Hess,Henry Fonda, John L. Francisco, 1819; Howland Fish, Gross, HenryFailing, jr., David W. Candee, Arch. Mclntyre, 1820; John W. Cady,James Mclntyre, Joshua Webster, Henry Valentine, Nicholas Gross,1821 ; George D. Ferguson, Christian Klock, Alvin Harris, Joseph Spier,1822; Henry Cunningham, Francis H. Van Buren, Peter Smith, PeterC. Fox, 1823; Smith, Cunningham, Alexander St. John, Samuel Jack-son, 1824; Abraham A. Vanhorne, Augustus Dievendorff, John French,Alexander Sheldon, 1825 ; Lawrence Gross, Nathaniel Westcott, How-land Fish, 1826; David F. Sacia, Nathaniel Westcott, John Veeder,1827; Phineas Randall, Joseph Spinnard, Peter Young, 1828; HenryJ. Dievendorff, Daniel Stewart, Thomas R. Benedict, 1829; WilliamRobb, Platt Potter, Josiah C. Brown, 1830; Peter Wood, Silas Phillips,Jacob Van Arnam, 1831 ; Douw A. Fonda, William Carlisle, CorneliusMabee, 1832; David Morrell, Charles S. Grinnell, Asel Hough, 1833;Henry Adams, Ashbel Loomis, Collins Odell, 1834; Joseph Blair,Henry V. Berry, Joseph Johnson, 1835; Joseph Blair, Jacob Hess,

CIVIL LIST. 113

Richard Peek, 1836; Marcellus Weston, Abraham V. Putnam, Jere-miah Nellis, 1837; Isaac Jackson, Isaac Frost, 1838; Peter Wood,John S. Veeder, 1839; Reuben Howe, Daniel F. Nellis, 1840; Law-rence Marcellus, James Dievendorff, 1841 ; John Bowdish, John I.Zoller, 1842; Clark B. Cochrane, Morgan L. Harris, 1843 ! Peter H.Fonda, John L. Bevins, 1844; Theodoric R. Liddle, Benjamin Baird,1845 ; Gamaliel Bowdish, Andrew S. Grey, 1846; Asa Bowman, Will-iam A. Haslett, 1847; Frothingham Fish, Lewis Arville, 1848; Sam-uel H. Green, Charles Hubbs, 1849; Solomon Heath, Conrad P. Snell,1850; John I. Davis, William Clarke, 1851 ; William McClellan, Abra-ham N. Van Alstyne, 1852 ; Aaron W. Hull, Hezikiah Baker, 1853-54!John Van Derveer, Joseph Spraker, 1855 ; Mathew O. Davis, HezekiahBaker, 1856; Hezekiah Baker, 1857; Jeremiah Snell, 1858; Jay D.Bowman, 1859; Frothingham Fish, 1860; Nicholas Newkirk, 1861 ;Freeman P. Moulton, 1862; John Kellogg, 1863 ; Simeon Sammons,1864; Isaac S. Frost, 1865; Abraham Hoffman, 1866; Angell Mat-thewson, 1867; Darius B. Berry, 1868; James Shanahan, 1869; Web-ster Wagner, 1870 ; William J. Van Dusen, 1871-72 ; Martin L. Storer,1873; Martin Schenck, 1874; George M. Voorhees, 1875; EdwardWemple, 1876-77; John Warner, 1878-79; Cornelius Van Buren,1880-81 ; James R. Snell, 1882; Martin Walrath, jr., 1883; ThomasLiddle, 1884-85 ; Robert Wemple, 1886-87; W. Barlow Dunlap, 1888-90; John K. Stewart, 1889; George L. Grove, 1891.

County Judges.—Guy Johnson, 1772; Jacob Klock, 1778; JellesFonda, 1784; Frederick Fisher, 1787 ; Abraham Arndt, 1801 ; SimeonVedder, 1802; John McCarthy, 1809; Alexander Sheldon, 1815;Aaron Haring, 1819; Abraham Morrill, 1833; Phineas Randall, 1841 ;John Darrow, 1846; Samuel Belding, jr., 1847; Richard H. Cushney,1859 ; George Yost, 1863 ; James H. Cook, 1867 ; Solomon P. Heath,1871 ; Zerah S. Westbrook, 1877-83 ; Henry V. Borst, (by appointment)John D.Wendell, 1889.

Surrogates.—Christopher P. Yates, 1778; Isaac Paris, 1787; JosiahCrane, 1790; Charles Walton, 1800; James Lansing, 1801; Tobias A.Stoutenburgh, 1821; Richard H. Cushney, 1838; Giles F. VanVech-ten, 1843. Since 1846 the county judge has performed the duties ofsurrogate.

15

114 HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

District Attorneys.1—Daniel Cady, appointed February 28, 1813;Samuel S. Lush, April 6, 1813; Richard M. Livingston, February 16,1815 ; Alfred Conkling, 1818; William I. Dodge, 1821; Charles Mc-Vean, 1836; Garret L. Roof, 1841; Rowland Fish, 1843; HenryAdams, 1846; John A. Mitchell, 1847; Stephen Sammons, 1850;Peter G. Webster, 1853; Abraham Hees, 1856; James H. Cook, 1859;Henry Sacia, 1862; Daniel S. Morrell, 1865; Hezekiah Baker, 1868;John D. Wendell, 1871; Henry Dunkel, 1874; Robert B. Fish, 1880;Henry V. Boris, 1883; Charles S. Nesbitt, 1885-89.

Sheriffs.—Alexander White, 1772; John Frey, 1775; Anthony VanVeghten, 1777; Abraham Van Home, 1781; Samuel Clyde, 1785;John Winn, 1789; John Little, 1793; Josiah Crarfe, 1795 ; James Hil-dreth, 1798; Benjamin VanVleck, 1799; James Hildreth, 1801; JamesMclntyre, 1806; Jacob Snell, 1810; John Eisenlord, 1811; JacobSnell, 1813; John Eisenlord, 1815; Jonn Holland, 1817; Seth Wet-more, 1821; Charles Easton, 1825; John French, 1828; Isaac Jack-son, 1831 ; Malachi Kittle, 1834; William T. Sammons, 1837; ThomasBurns, 1840; Lyndes Jones, 1843; Edwin W. Irvin, 1846; BarneyBecker, 1849; Livingston Spraker, 1852; Abraham Hoffman, 1855;Lorenzo B. Clarke, 1868; Alexander Snell, 1861; James W. Kline,1864; David B. Hegeman, 1867; Alfred J. Wagner, 1870; James W.Kline, 1873 ; Stephen Fonda, 1876; William J. Scharff, 1879 ; Isaac A.Rosa, 1882; Jacob Snell, 1885; John D. Schuyler, 1888; ThomasLiddle, 1891.

County Clerks.—Christopher P. Yates, 1777; Daniel Paris, 1800;Henry Frey Yates, 1802; John McCarthy, 1815; Peter H. Bostwick,1821; Henry Frey Yates, 1822; George D. Ferguson, 1825; Alexan-der J. Comrie, 1828; George B. Ferguson, 1831; Alexander J.Comrie, 1837; Henry Cook, 1840; Chester S. Brumley, 1843; JohnW. Van Deveer, 1859; Darius V. Berry, 1855; James I. Brookman,1864; Abner H. Burtch, 1870; William N. Johnston, 1876; AlonzoE.Hall, 1882; George L. Davis, 1888 ; R. Simon Blood, 1891.

County Treasurers.2—John M. Caldwell, 1848; Daniel Conyne, 1851;

1 Previous to the act of. 1818 the office was called assistant attorney-general. Montgomery countywas part of the sth district.

* Previous to the constitution of 1846, county treasurers were appointed by the board of super-visors.

THE REBELLION. 115

Douw A. Fonda, 1857; Adam W. Kline, 1860; John C. Smith, 1863;James Frost, 1869; Alonzo A. De Forest, 1872; Norman S. Brumley,^75 I James K. Edward, 1878; John Finehout, 1887 ; Daniel I. Devoe,1890.

School Commissioners.—Originally this office was county superin-tendent of common schools, under an act passed April 17, 1843, butwas abolished in 1847. During the life of the office, Walter Hough,Freeman P. Moulton and Walter Cross were superintendents. Schoolcommissioners were appointed prior to 1857, and elected afterward.They have been as follows : A. W. Cox, Walter Cross, John L. Brook-man, Morris Klock, Thomas S. Ireland, Abram B. Miller, CharlesBuckingham, George F. Cox, Seeley Conover, Alonzo Gewey, HenryK. Salisbury, John H. Wienmann.

CHAPTER XV.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY DURING THE REBELLION.

AT half past four o'clock on the morning of April 12, 1861, a shotwas fired from a Confederate battery in Charleston harbor, and

struck Fort Sumter, which was held by a Federal garrison. Threedays after this outburst of treason President Lincoln issued a proclama-tion calling upon the Union states to send to the national capital seven-ty-five thousand militia for its defence. On the i6th the State MilitaryBoard of New York held a meeting, and Governor Morgan at once senta message to the secretary of war assuring him that the quota requiredof this state would be immediately mustered into service. The govern-or also at once issued orders, acting in concert with the military board,and called upon the militia for seventeen regiments of 780 men each.The result was that in a very few days the state of New York sent13,906 effective men to Washington; and it is an historical fact thatthe opportune arrival of these troops saved the government buildingsfrom attack and possible destruction.