Caroline Clyde Holt Holly: Pioneer in the Fight for Women's Rights

A reader recently contacted me and told me a little about a descendant of Samuel Clyde and Catherine Wasson Clyde about whom I've written extensively. I have not followed the genealogy of all of the couples children so I was surprised to find out about their amazing great-granddaughter; Caroline Clyde Holt. Here is what I know about Caroline.

Caroline was born on 1 July 1856 in Manhattan, New York. [1] Her father was William W. Holt, son of Catherine Clyde and Lester Holt of Cherry Valley, New York. Caroline was raised in Stamford Connecticut. In the 1880 census  she was age 23.  Her father, an attorney, did not appear to work. In the 1860 census he had a real estate value of $3000 and a personal estate of $48,000. He has no occupation in 1860,1870 or 1880, either he'd already made a lot of money or being an Attorney was not considered work. (Sorry Lawyer joke)

In 1881 Caroline, who went by "Carrie" married Charles Fredrick Holly, also an attorney. They were living in New York in 1885 when their daughter Emily Ethel was baptized in a church for the Deaf. 

The family moved to Colorado by 1889. Charles was significantly older than her. He was born in 1819 and was a Colorado Territorial Supreme Court Justice in 1865. He also served during the civil war. 

In 1893 Colorado voted to enfranchise women, women could not only vote but run for office. Caroline, who is said to have studied law under her husband, took was active in the Women's Suffrage Movement. She ran for public office, first as a member of the School Board and then in 1895, along with two other women, for the State Legislature. All three were elected. 

Carrie Holly was the first female to introduce a bill into legislature. Her desire to fight for women extended to the right to consent. At the time, the legal age of consent for women was 16. Carrie's bill, which passed, raised it to 18. [2]

Caroline Clyde Holly is still honored in Colorado as a pioneer of Women's Rights. I think her grandmother Catherine Wasson Clyde would have been very proud of her achievements. 

Sources:

[1]"New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W71-9XR : 11 February 2018), Caroline C. Holt, 01 Jul 1856; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference Birth Reg 1856-1857 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,421,411.

[2] https://www.southerncoloradoterritorialdaughters.org/genealogy-and-history/carrie-c-holly

*Charles Fredrick Holleys death: The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General; Record Group Number: 92; Series Number: M1845

Thornton, Wasson and Clyde Families in the Mohawk Valley, New York during the American Revolution

In 1753, my ancestor William Thornton, born 1713 in Ireland, left his New Hampshire home and headed about 125 miles west to Schenectady, in the Mohawk Valley of  New York. Today it's a scenic three hour drive, then it was an arduous journey that might have taken weeks. Little did William know that in less than 25 years this remote, fertile valley would be the site of some of the bloodiest fighting of the American Revolution. The combatants were English Loyalist, Native Americans, American Patriots of Dutch, English and Scots-Irish descent.

Traveling with William was his wife Dorcas Little Thornton and their children; William, Matthew, James, Mary, and Thomas, all under the age of 10. More children would be born in their new home. Also making the trek to the Mohawk Valley was Thomas Little, father of Dorcas, and William's sister, Agnes Thornton Wasson, and her husband, John Wasson Sr. and  their children; Catherine Wasson Clyde wife of Samuel Clyde, John Wasson Jr. who married Dorothy Little, Thomas Wasson, Thornton Wasson and George Wasson. These families were intimately bound to each other through the bonds of marriage. In fact, William Thornton's son John, born in 1753 in Schenectady, married Anne Clyde, daughter of Catherine and Samuel Clyde. She was born in 1764.

So, why did they go and what was life like in the Mohawk Valley? And how did they survive living in one of the most dangerous places to be during the American Revolution? Let's start with some background on the area.

The Dutch

Arriving in 1661, the Dutch were the first European people to permanently settle in the Mohawk River Valley. You only have to look at a map of the area to see the Dutch influence. Towns such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, revel their Dutch origins in their names. The Dutch, of course, established Dutch Reform Churches in their new settlements. After the French and Indian Wars, English and Scots-Irish settlers began to move into the fertile valley to establish farms. These groups intermarried, forming new bonds. During the American Revolution many men of Dutch descent fought for the American cause.  [ 1 ] 

The Natives

The Mohawk Valley takes it's name from it's original inhabitants, the Mohawk Indians. The Mohawk was one of five Iroquois tribes that inhabited a vast area of New York and Canada. One Native American in particular played a key role in the response of the people of the Mohawk Valley to the American Revolution. That man was Joseph Brant, a member of the Mohawk tribe whose Indian name was Thayendanega. He was born in March of 1743 in Ohio, during a hunting trip. He was raised at Canajoharie on the Mohawk River in New York. His father was not a chief, but was a member of some standing in his tribe. [2]

Sir William Johnston, Superintendent of the Northern Indians, made Joseph a protegee of sorts. Joseph's sister Molly was Johnston's mistress, whom he married after the death of his wife Catherine in 1759. Sir William recommended him to the Moor Charity School for Indians, at which he studied Western history among other subjects. The school is now known as Dartmouth College, in Lebanon, Connecticut.  After completing his education he went to work for Sir William and was his assistant during the French and Indian Wars. [3]

Joseph married and settled on a farm in Canajoharie. He converted to Christianity and became a member of the Anglican church. He translated parts of the bible into his own language. Brant was also a Freemason. When the war came, he was a Loyalist. [4]

In 1776 Joseph Brant was chosen as Principal Chief of the Confederacy of the Six Nations and a Captain in the British Army. He would wage bloody brutal war on his rebellious friends and neighbors, and was responsible for the destruction of their property and the death of hundreds. [5]

The English

The major players for the Loyalist side of the American Revolution were the Johnsons and the Butlers. Sir William Johnson, who so influenced the life of Joseph Brant, was succeeded in his lands by his son, Sir John Johnson and his position as Superintendent by his son in law, Colonel Guy Johnson, upon his death in 1774. John Johnson lived at Fort Johnson, his father founded Johnstown. Guy Johnson was a nephew of William's and he married his first cousin Mary, William's daughter. [6] Guy and Mary lived in a mansion called Guy Park in the city of Amsterdam.

The Butler family, like the Johnsons, were wealthy and held positions of power in the Mohawk Valley. John Butler and his son Walter were loyalist who formed their own militia company; Butlers Rangers. Walter Butler was among the most hated of the loyalist, following the massacre at Cherry Valley, for which he was blamed. [7]

The Thorntons

The Thornton's left New Hampshire and settled in the fertile river valley near the town of Schenectady in a place called Curries Bush. There is no town there now, only a road called the Curry Bush Road, but it was near modern day Princetown. Thomas Little and his family also settled near Princetown. The records are thin for this era so there is not much in the way of documentation for them. But we do know a few things about the family.

In his bible, James Thornton, son of William and Dorcas wrote that his mother died in Curry Bush in 1763. James who recorded her death in his bible was nineteen at the time, William's  youngest was John, age ten. [8] Dorcas is said to have buried on her father's father, which eventually came into the hands of the Wasson Family, through the marriage of Dorcas's sister Dorothy to  John Wasson. [9]

As the older boys grew to manhood they began to take on the duties of adult life, including military duties. In 1767 the local militia was headed by Captain Daniel Campbell. On his muster roll dated 12 May 1767 are the names William Little, Thomas Little Jr., William Thorenton, James Thornton, and Matthew Thornton. Also on the list, but I think misspelled, is John Wasson Sr. and his son Thomas Wasson. [10] I have two questions concerning the list. The first is why was William's surname spelled differently and second was William the 54 year old father or the 22 year old son?

Matthew was the first of the boys to get married. On 30 March 1768 he married Mary Crawford. [11] James married Antje Schermerhorn in the Dutch Reform church on 19 February 1769. [12] Both couples had a daughter born in June of 1770 and both girls were called Dorcas. [13]

This is confirmed by a land deed in which William sold land in New Hampshire, the deed places him in Curries Bush in 1771.

The Wassons

William's sister Agnes married John Wasson. Like William they immigrated with their family to Schenectady, leaving Chester, NH in about 1753. John Wasson found work in Schenectady as a butcher. Eventually he too moved to Curries Bush.

His only daughter married Samuel Clyde, also from New Hampshire, they moved to Cherry Valley in 1761.  The remainder of the children, all boys, stuck close to home, now Curries Bush.

Sources:

[b] William Maxwell Reid, The Mohawk Valley, it's legends and it's history, (New York, NY : GP Putman and Sons, 1902).

[1] Jonathan Pearson, Contributions for the genealogies of the descendants of the first settlers of the patent and city of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1976).

[2] George L. Marshall Jr. "Chief Joseph Brant: Mohawk, Loyalist and Freemason," Varsity Tutors (https://www.varsitytutors.com : accessed 5 November 2016).

[3] Richard Berleth, Bloody Mohawk,

[4] Ibid.

[5] Reid, The Mohawk Valley.

[6] Berleth, Bloody Mohawk

[7] Ibid.

[8] James Thornton's Bible

[9] Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed ), memorial page for Dorcas Little Thornton (1725-1763), Find A Grave Memorial no. 95382890, citing Wasson Family Cemetery, ; this is a private cemetery on the old farm owned by Thomas Little. Many Wasson's are said to be buried there, but the headstones are degraded and cannot be read.

[10] New York State Historian, New York Colonial Muster Rolls, 1664-1775, Vol 2, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000) 824.

[11] Thornton book

[12] Ibid

[13] Ibid

[h]

[i] "U.S. Dutch Reformed Church in Selected States, 1639-1989," database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 Novemeber 2016) citing Schenectady Baptisms, Vol. 2, Book 42, entry for Dorcas Thoornton.

Colonel Samuel Campbell 1738-1824 Londonderry, NH to Cherry Valley, NY

In a recent blog post I wrote about finding sources in hidden places, the archives. I continue to find more such sources, from indirect angles of inquiry. While researching Samuel Clyde of Cherry Valley, I took a look at his contemporary, neighbor and fellow soldier; Colonel Samuel Campbell. I was able to locate the archives of his family in the New York Historical Society Museum and Library. The archive contains many items, including deeds, debts, indentures, notes, and bills of sale. It is entirely possible that within this archive there might be a reference to the Clyde family. 

Here is what I found out about Colonel Samuel Campbell and his connection to Samuel Clyde and my Thornton family. 

Irish ancestry

Like my Thornton ancestors, it appears that the Campbell Family came to Boston from the North of Ireland, part of the Scots-Irish migration. The Campbells are believed to have come from Ballymoney in the Bann Valley, near Londonderry. The Thorntons, possibly from the Foyle Valley in County Tyrone, left in 1718, settled first in Maine, Worcester, Pelham and then Londonderry. Some of the Thornton children eventually settled in Schenectady, NY and then Cherry Valley by 1761.

James Campbell, b. 1690, arrived in Boston in 1728 with his wife and five children. He removed to Londonderry by 1738 and finally settled in Cherry Valley in 1741. [1] He married (1) Jane Humphrey and (2) Sarah Simpson Thompson, 1694-1773 in 1734. He died in Cherry Valley in 1770.

Cherry Valley

Cherry Valley was patented in 1738 by three men of Albany;  Lendert Gansevoort, Jacob Roseboom and  Sybrant Yan Schaick. Their associate was Scot-Irishman John Lindsey who moved with his family to settle in the beautiful valley in 1739. [2] Lindsey enticed the Reverend Samuel Dunlop, alumnus of Trinity College, Dublin, to settle and minister to the town. He was responsible for the bringing families from Londonderry, including John Campbell. The families departed by boat and sailed from the New Hampshire port around Cape Cod and Long Island before heading up the Hudson River. I imagine they transferred to the Mohawk River and sailed inland into the Mohawk Valley. The valley remained sparsely inhabited, the majority of the settlers were of Scots-Irish descent. Originally called Lindsey's Bush, Reverend Dunlop renamed it Cherry Valley. 

James Campbell Family [3][4]
1. Esther

2. John b. 1716 m. Eleanor Ramsey in Cherry Valley d. 1810
3. Jane m. Williams Dunlop related to Samuel Dunlop  d. Cherry Valley
4. William

5. James b. 1728 m. Mary McCollum d. Unknown

6 . Elizabeth b. 1730 Boston  m. William Dickson, died in the Cherry Valley Massacre 11 November 1778.
_______
7. Robert b. 20 August 1735 m. 1765 Margaret Shannon,  d. Battle or Oriskany August 6, 1777

8. Samuel b. 25 April 1738 m. Jane Cannon 1768 d. 12 September 1824

Samuel Campbell

Samuel and his brothers grew to manhood in a turbulent age. He served in the militia during the French and Indian Wars and put what he learned as a young soldier to good use during the American Revolution.  Samuel married Jane Cannon in 1768, she died 23 Feb. 1836 at the great old age of 93.

Samuel was commissioned in 1772 as a 2nd Lt. in the militia. He was a member of the Tryon County Committee of Safety, He fought in the battle of Oriskany in which his brother Robert was killed. He eventually reached the rank of Colonel. During the Cherry Valley Massacre on 11 November 1778 his wife and children were taken captive and carried away to Canada. He would not see them for two years. 

After the war Samuel served in the New York Legislature until his death. His son James attended Union College in Schenectady and became a noted lawyer and Judge. 

Cherry Valley Massacre

On the morning of 11 November 1778 a combined force of Tories and Native American warriors under the leadership of Walter Butler and Joseph Brant attacked the unsuspecting town of Cherry Valley. The results were devastating. Many of the inhabitants were slaughtered including Samuel's sister Elizabeth Dickson along with several of her children. The lucky, like Jane Campbell and her children were taken captive. Jane's father tried to protect the family as Samuel was away, but to no avail. Surprisingly the Native warriors let the old man live unharmed, but took his wife captive. When she was deemed to feeble to make the trek north, she was killed, her body left where it fell. 

Because of his position in the militia, Jane and her children were consider valuable. In a cruel move, Jane was sent to an Indian village in far western New York, her children went straight to Canada. She lived for almost a year with a Seneca family before being brought to Fort Niagara and reunited with her children. They were eventually traded in exchange for the family of a loyalist, John Butler, father of Walter Butler. [5]

In her absence the settlement was burnt to the ground, any attempt to rebuild met with the torch as successive waves of Tory raiders swept through the valley. She may have been released, but she could not go home. After the massacre Samuel made his home in Niskayuna, outside of Schenectady. Following the declaration of peace, the inhabitants of Cherry Valley returned to rebuild their homes and their lives. In 1783, on a tour of the Mohawk, General George Washington stopped in Cherry Valley, her family relates that she met both General Washington and Governor George Clinton. [6]

Family of Samuel and Jane Campbell

Eleanor b. 1770  m. Samuel Dickson

William b, 1768 m. Sabrina Crafts, d. 1844

James S. b. 1772 m. Sarah Elderkin 1799, d. 1870.

Matthew b. 1775 m. Deborah Putnam d. 1845

Robert b. 1781  a lawyer in Cooperstown, said to be the youngest son, married Rachel Pomeroy 1897 d. 1844

Sources:

[1] New York Historical Society Museum and Library, "Guide to the Campbell-Mumford Papers, 1719-1980 (Bulk 1793-1892) MS 98", Biographical Note for the Campbell Family, (http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/nyhs/campbellmumford/dscref12.html : accessed 29 December 2018). 

[2] Henry U. Swinnerton, “The Story of Cherry Valley,” Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association, vol. 7, 1907, pp. 74–93, ( JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42889875 : accessed 29 December 2018).

[3] Pickett, Angelo Campbell,  First Four Generations: The First James Campbell of Cherry Valley, New York And Some of His Descendants. (Riverside, Calif., 1942).

[4] CAMPBELL, COLIN D. "They Beckoned and We Came: The Settlement of Cherry Valley." New York History 79, no. 3 (1998): 215-32. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23182499.

[5] https://www.americanrevolution.org/women/women53.php 

[6] Greene, N. (1925). History of the Mohawk Valley, gateway to the West, 1614-1925: covering the six counties of Schenectady, Schoharie, Montgomery, Fulton, Herkimer, and Oneida. Chicago: S.J. Clarke.

Read about Samuel and Jane Campbell in my new book: BLOOD IN THE VALLEY, out now on Amazon.com.

Nicholas Herkimer (1728-1777) : Hero of The Battle of Oriskany

Nicholas Herkimer, son of a Palatinate immigrant and tragic hero of the Battle of Oriskany, is regarded as a noble figure in the pantheon of heroes of the American Revolution. His family had an intriguing relationship with the Colony of New York that displays the best and worst of the early American dream. In 1709 the first contingent of Palatinates settled along the Hudson River, the plan failed and they up stakes and moved to the Schoharie Valley where they bought land from the Native Americans. They did not secure patents for the land from the Colonial Government and a group of unscrupulous land speculators scooped up the land and required the Palatinate settlers, some 170 or so families, to pay rent on land they believed they owned. The injustice of this move convinced many of the settlers to remove to the colony of Pennsylvania. The remainder of the settlers moved further west and settled on a land patent known as Burnett's Field. Herkimer's father, Johan Yost Hercheimer, obtained lot #36. 

Johan Yost Hercheimer

Johan was an industrious man who made the most of what had been a bad situation. The family tradition claims Johan walked from Schenectady to German Flatts with his wife, Catherine Petrie, infant son Nicholas and 50 lbs of wheat.  The year, 1722. Johan built a house for his growing family and a flourishing business. He transported goods for the local Natives, the military and merchants and traders. By 1756 he built a large stone mansion at Fort Herkimer and by 1760 he deeded his son Nicholas 500 acres of land upon which he built his home.  Johan Yost died in 1775.

Personal Life

Herkimer's beautiful mansion near Little Falls

Not much is known about Herkimer's personal life. He married twice; his first wife was Lany Dygert. After her death he married her niece Myra Dygert. He had no surviving children.

Military
Nicholas Herkimer first served in the militia during the French and Indians Wars. He was given the rank of Lieutenant and helped defend the town of German Flatts when it was attacked in 1756. In the run up to American Revolution, Nicholas, a rich, important man, was head of the Tryon County Committee of Safety. He held the rank of General and was put in charge of the entire Tryon County militia. 

In late July of 1777 Herkimer led a party of county leaders to meet Unadilla with Mohawk leader and Tory Joseph Brant. Joseph had been friends with Herkimer and the others who hoped to sway him back to their side. It was not to be.

In August of the militia was call up to escort a supply train to the besieged Fort Stanwix. Encircling the fort was a force of British Regulars under Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger and Native forces. Herkimer marched with 800 men straight into an ambush led by Joseph Brant near Oriskany Creek.  The fighting raged for several hours, only stopping for a thunderstorm. It is said friend battled friend as Tory and Patriot neighbors clashed. In fact, Johan Yost Herkimer, younger brother of Nicholas, fought at Oriskany alongside Joseph Brant and other Loyalists.

The Battle of Oriskany was one of the bloodiest of the American Revolution. Percentage wise more Patriots died in this battle than any other.

Nicholas Herkimer's bedroom

During the battle a musket ball torn through Herkimer's lower leg. Propped up against a tree, he continued to direct the battle. At battles end, both sides withdrew, leaving the dead where they lay. They transported Herkimer to his home near Little Falls. The wound festered and the brigade surgeon made the fatal decision to amputation the limb. Unfortunately, he did not ligate all the blood vessels and the General bleed to death.

Herkimer died on the 16th of August, 10 days after the battle of Oriskany. He left behind a young wife but no children.

Read my novel, BLOOD IN THE VALLEY, which include the Battle of Oriskany and the death of the heroic General Herkimer.

Scots-Irish Settlers of Cherry Valley, New York

Researching the families of Cherry Valley at the time of the Cherry Valley Massacre (11 November 1778) reveals a tight-knit community with close ties to the 1718 Scots-Irish Migration. Sixty years after the initial migration from Ireland these families still migrated together to new settlements. There appears to have been a trickle if not a steady stream of new immigrants from Ireland to add to their number.  Their intermarriage is mind-boggling and trying to untangle their connections is tricky, thanks to their proclivity of using the same names over and over again. Here are some of the Scots-Irish of Cherry Valley and their connection to each other. 



The Clyde-Wasson Family

Of special interest to me are Samuel Clyde and his wife Catherine Wasson. Catherine was the daughter of Agnes Thornton and (John) Wasson. Agnes, the daughter of James and Catherine Thornton was a 1718 immigrant. Agnes and John Wasson and her brother, William Thornton, along with their families, left New Hampshire about 1753, for Schenectady in the Colony of New York. At the onset of the American Revolution, William Thornton, brother of Matthew Thornton (a signer of the Declaration of Independence) returned to New Hampshire. Catherine Wasson married Samuel Clyde in 1761 and moved from Schenectady to Cherry Valley. Samuel Clyde, son of Daniel and Ester Rankin Clyde of Windham, New Hampshire. Ester and Daniel were married in 1726 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, a Scots-Irish town. Her mother is said to be Agnes Dunlop Rankin, born in County Antrim, Ireland.

Reverend Samuel Dunlop

The patent, for what was to become Cherry Valley, was originally given to a group of Dutch land speculators from Albany. Their agent was a Scotsman named John Lindsey who moved to the valley as its first white inhabitant in 1739. Lindsey convinced Samuel Dunlop, a minister trained at Trinity College, Dublin to move to the Valley and set up a church. In 1741 Dunlop recruited Scots-Irish families from Londonderry to relocate to the remote valley. The surnames of the original settlers were Campbell, Dickson, Gault, and Ramsey. 

Samuel married Elizabeth Gaunt. There is a story that he knew her in Ireland and promised to return within seven years and marry her, he returned just as time was running out and she was preparing to marry another. I don't know if it's true, but it makes for a good story. Mary Dunlop, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth married Robert Wells, son of John Wells. Eleanor Dunlop married a son of their neighbor, James Wilson the surveyor of the patent.

Other men who accompanied Samuel Dunlop to Cherry Valley were Elizabeth's brother William Gault and her nephew William Dickson. 

James Campbell

It is probable that James Campbell was a member of the party that came from the north of Ireland to Boston, Mass. in 1718 and which settled at Londonderry, N. H., the following year. In the spring of 1741, James Campbell, David Ramsey, Patrick Davidson and four other families, totaling about 30 persons, removed from Londonderry, N. H., going by water from Portsmouth, NH to Albany NY, and thence overland to Cherry Valley under the guidance of Rev. Samuel Dunlop.

Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of James and his first wife Jane Humphrey, married William Dickson. John Campbell married Eleanor Ramsey, Jane married William Dunlop, James married William McCollom whose father leased land from James Campbell.

John Wells

John Lindsey did not find Cherry Valley to his liking, and he soon sold his patent to John Wells, a man of means. John was the appointed the first Justice of the Peace for the district and County Judge and was a close associate of Sir William Johnson. His son Robert Wells inherited his farm. Very little is known about the Wells family and their ancestry. The family, save one, was wiped out during the Cherry Valley Massacre in 1778. The only survivor was an eight-year-old boy, who as one might guess knew little about his grandparents and from where they hailed.

William Dickson

William arrived in Cherry Valley along with Samuel Dunlop and his wife Elizabeth. His father, who was one of the original settlers, was John Dickson, married to Elizabeth Gault's sister. William married Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of James Campbell. They had eight children. Elizabeth Dickson was killed and scalped during the Cherry Valley Massacre. 

Other Scots-Irish Settlers

William McClelland- immigrated around 1768, he left the Valley after the 1778 massacre and was part of Butler's Rangers. The British Government reimbursed him after the war for his losses.

Matthew Cannon and Eleanor McKinney immigrated from the north of Ireland and settled in Middlefield to the south of Cherry Valley. Their daughter Jane Cannon married Samuel Campbell. Eleanor Cannon was killed in the 1778 massacre.

Sources:

CAMPBELL, COLIN D. "They Beckoned and We Came: The Settlement of Cherry Valley." New York History 79, no. 3 (1998): 215-32. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23182499.

Read my book; BLOOD IN THE VALLEY a story of Catherine Wasson Clyde and Colonel Samuel Clyde of Cherry Valley. 

Mary 'Molly' Brant; Hero and Villain of the American Revolution

Molly Brant and her brother Joseph were important characters in the Mohawk Valley of New York before and during the American Revolution. Today most Americans don't recognize their names, but in Canada they are remembered as heroes. Here is a little bit about her fascinating life.

parents

Mary's parent were christian Mohawks living in the Upper Castle, Canajoharie, on the south bank of the Mohawk River. The Native American towns were heavily fortified and the English referred to them as 'Castles.' Her birth year is estimated at 1736, her mother's name was Margaret Sahetagearat Onagsakearat. Her father's name cannot be confirmed but it is possible that she shared a father with her younger brother, Joseph. His father is known to have been Peter Tehowaghwengaraghkwin. The place of her birth is also unknown but has been speculated to have been in Canajoharie. At birth, Mary's Native name was Gonwatsijayenni, which means 'someone lends her a flower.' Later in life she went by Dagonwadonti, 'she against whom rival forces contend'. [1]As the Mohawk are a matrilineal society, children belong to their mother's clan, in this case Mary and Joseph were part of the Wolf Clan.

Peter died in the 1740's leaving Margaret destitute. She had a brief marriage at the end of the 1740's to a War Chief by the name of Lykus, but he was killed in May of 1750 in a raid. In September 1753 Margaret married the man who would lend Mary and Joseph their surname; Brant Kanagaradunka. Brant was a Mohawk sachem from the Turtle Clan, and he was wealthy. [2] Some sources claim that Margaret married Nickus Brant, the son of Brant Kanagaradunka. [3] Barbara Graymont says the stepfather was named Carrihogo, News-Carrier, known to the whites as Bernard, Barnet or Brant. [4] Most source seem to agree that Brant Kanagaradunka was Mary's stepfather. [5]

According to author Peggy Dymond Leavey, Brant built a large house for Margaret in Canajoharie, complete with glass windows and middle-class European furniture. [6] From this point on, Molly and Joseph had a foot in two worlds, their native culture and that of the New York Colony. Her step father and stepbrother Nickus, who one author described as a 'Chief.' had frequent interaction with William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, a frequent visitor to Canajoharie. His Native name was Warraghiyageh, "he who does much business'. [7]

middle years

In 1759, 23 year old Molly began a relationship with the much older Sir William Johnson. He his wife, Catherine, had died. It is rumored he married her on her deathbed to legitimize his children by her. There is no proof of an English marriage between William and Molly, but it is possible they had a traditional Mohawk ceremony. In any case she moved into his home, Fort Johnson, and took the running of his household. She was sometime's referred to as the 'Brown Mrs. Johnson'.

Molly gave birth to at least eight children. Sir William eventually built a larger house to show off his status and accommodate his large, and growing family. [8] Together they entertained the leaders of both the Iroquois Confederacy the English Colonies, political, military as well as businessmen. Her home was open to any and all and she and Sir William entertained constantly. In 1763 they moved into the larger, grander Johnson Hall. John Johnson, Sir Williams legitimate son and heir took over Fort Johnson. 

Sir William passed away in 1774. In a way, his death symbolized the death knell of English rule in America.  Already the seeds of revolution were germinating in the thirteen colonies. Molly relinquished control of Johnson's estate to his eldest son and heir, Sir John Johnson and moved with her children to Canajoharie.

american revolution

The American Revolution brought an end to the thousand year old Iroquois Confederacy, splintering the tribes. The Mohawks choose the side of the King. From her home in Canajoharie, Molly kept an eye on the rebel movements. In October 1777 she gave warning to the British of the approach of an American force resulting in the Battle of Oriskany. A band of Oneida's, burnt her house to the ground in retribution. She fled for the safety of the Cayugas, eventually making her way to Fort Niagara. [9]

Molly supported the efforts of her brother Joseph, who lead a group of white Tories and Mohawks. She eventually landed at Carleton Island for the duration of the war, trying to broker peace between unhappy Mohawks and the English.

After the war she was awarded a pension from the crown and settled in Kingston, Ontario, on the mainland. Today, Carleton Island is part of the United States. Five of her daughters married Canadians. She had one son who survived, George, who worked for the Indian Department.

rip

Molly lived in Kingston for the rest of her life. She died in 1796. Sir William's heir attempted to reclaim their lost American property, to no avail.

Blood in the Valley

Blood in the Valley is my next book, in its final editing stages, it should be available Spring 2019. Molly and her brother feature in this novel set before and during the American Revolution. UPDATE: It has been released! Get it now on Amazon.

Sources:

[1] Peggy Dymond Leavey, Molly Brant: Mohawk Loyalist and Diplomat, (Toronto: Dundurn, 2015).

[2] Isabel Thompson Kelsay, Joseph Brant, 1743-1807, Man of Two Worlds, Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press.

[3] Marshall, George L, Jr., Chief Joseph Brant: Mohawk, Loyalist, and Freemason: http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/1998/brant.html

[4] Barbara Graymont, “THAYENDANEGEA,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed December 13 2018.

[5] James Taylor Carson, "Molly Brant, From Clan Mother to Loyalist Chief," Sifters: Native American Women's Lives, 

[6] Peggy Dymond Leavey, Molly Brant: Mohawk Loyalist and Diplomat, (Toronto: Dundurn, 2015).

[7] Leavey, Molly Brant.

[8] The Editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Mary Brant", Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Brant : accessed 13 December 2018).

[9] Carson, Molly Brant.

1718 Scots-Irish Migration: From Londonderry, Ireland to Boston, Massachusetts

If you are interested in early colonial American history then you know of the phenomenon called the Puritan Great Migration which began in 1630 and lasted for 15-20 years. But less than one hundred years later there was a second smaller migration from the North of Ireland that has been labeled the 1718 Migration. The people who made up this migratory group were Scots-Irish or Ulster-Scots as they are called in Ireland today. This year (2018) marked the 300th anniversary of their voyage to America. This fascinating phase in the peopling of America is understudied and deserves more attention. There is a great facebook page dedicated to the 1718 Migration which I have found very helpful. There is also a familytreedna project trying to connect descendants of those immigrants to their ancestral origins in Ireland and Scotland. Long time blogger Heather Wilkinson Rojo has profiles on many of the early Londonderry (Nutfield) on her blog a must read.

I've only recently become interested in this integral piece of my family history, hopefully you'll catch the bug as well. 

Scottish Origins

The Scots-Irish/Ulster Scots, as their name implies, have their origins in Scotland. A large number of Scottish immigrants arrived in the Northern counties of Ireland during the plantation schemes, from 1607 until 1697. The plantations were limited to the counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Donegal, Cavan, Fermanagh and Derry. The purpose of the scheme, organized and fully supported by the Crown, was to fill the North of Ireland with loyal subjects. Most those who left the mainland were from Scotland but there were also English immigrants from the north of England. Scotland was only happy to rid itself of the marauding lowland border inhabitants, know as reivers.

Unsettled Times

By the late 1690s many of the Scots-Irish settlers were unhappy with life in Ireland. Most were excluded  from many aspects of government and civic duties. They were being hampered in their religious life as well. Many had leases that were about to expire and faced significantly higher rents, a process known as rack-renting. The economy was weak and the British controlled export prices, the export of woolen and linen items was hampered by the Irish parliament.The Woolens Act prohibited the exportation of Irish wool and cloth to anywhere except England and Wales. To top it all off the weather lead to crop failures. A five year drought from 1714 to 1719 led to crop failures. This affected both the food supply but also the supply of flax for linen production.

Massachusetts

 A letter, drafted in Ireland and signed by eight Presbyterian ministers and 319 men was sent to Governor Shute. The letter was a request to settle in the Colony. The letter was sent with Reverend Boyd, however the immigrants did not wait for a reply. The Reverend James McGregor organized about 120 families from Antrim and Londonderry and set sail from Derry and Belfast for America. They arrived in four or five ships between August and September of 1718.

Massachusetts was still a Puritan stronghold in 1718. But, they had a slight problem, the Native population continued to threatened their borders. The immigrants were not overwhelmingly welcomed and were dispatched immediately to distant settlements in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, where they could act as a barrier between Indian territory and the settled areas of Massachusetts of which Maine was still a part. The ship the Robert sailed for Casco Bay in Maine, its passengers forced to winter aboard the ship.

My Ancestors
My 1718 Migration ancestors were the Thornton family who are said to be from the Strabane Valley of County Tyrone. We know that James Thornton said his father William was born in Tyrone County. William was born in 1713, son of James Thornton. There is a manuscript in the New York archives, which I have not read, which says the Thorntons were in Londonderry, Ireland during the seige, but little else. Many people believe that the Thorntons originated in Yorkshire, England, which would preclude them from being Scottish.

The Thornton Family arrived in Boston, probably on the ship the McCallum. They were part of the group who headed to Maine, first to Merrymeeting Bay and then closer to Bunswick. James had a homestead in Brunswick, Maine on the Rossmore Road. This home was consequentially burned by Natives in June of 1722. The family was forced to flee. I believe they found refuge in Marblehead.

There is a baptismal record for Hannah and Sarah Thornton in Marblehead in 1726. There is no further record of James and Catherine Thornton in Marblehead, so I believe that this is a record of their known daughter Hannah and unknown daughter Sarah.

James, along with other Marblehead Scots-Irish removed to Worcester, Massachusetts in the late 1720s. James bought and sold land, was listed in the meeting house seating records along with his two sons William, my ancestor, and Matthew, the signer of the Declaration of Independence. Worcester was not as welcoming to the Scots-Irish as they had hoped, and after some years, James and others purchased land for their own town of Lisburn/Pelham. James ended his years in the Scots-Irish stronghold of Derry.

Sources:

Bolton, C. Knowles. (1910). Scotch Irish pioneers in Ulster and America. Boston: Bacon and Brown.

Parker, E. L. 1785-1850. (1851). The history of Londonderry, comprising the towns of Derry and Londonderry, N. H.. Boston: Perkins and Whipple.

Dickson, R. J. (1966). Ulster emigration to colonial America, 1718-1775. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Lunney, Linde. "The 1718 Migration." North Irish Roots 22, no. 1 (2011): 18-25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23056676.

Nutfield Genealogy

 The Ulster Scots Society of America

The 1718 Migration

1718 PDF