Frontiersmen of New York, Moving of the Palatines

Volume I, Page 162

Schoharie Germans remove to the Mohawk valley. -At the time of the stampede of the Palatines from Schoharie to Pennsylvania, a large body of them removed to the Mohawk valley -probably at different times, for the distance was not verygreat, but the greater part of 100 families are believed to have made the exodus in 1723. I have already hinted that Hartman Windecker probably settled in the northwesterly part of Minden, and he was, no doubt, accompanied thither by a score or more of his former neighbors and acquaintances, believing that not a few of the present residents of Dutchtown and Mindenville should trace their ancestry to that source, and among them we would name the Keysers, Hawns, Sanderses, Diefendorfs, Moyers, Houses, Timmermans, Zimmermans, Klocks, Countrymans, Millers and Zollers. Tradition says that John Christian Garlock, the founder of Garlock's dorf, removed thither, and it is believed into that part of Palatine known as Stone Arabia. On the 19th of October, 1723, a tract of land 12,700 acres, lying mostly in this town-known as the Stone Arabia patent-was granted to the following twenty-seven individuals, who had secured an Indian title, viz.: John Christian Garlock, John Lawyer, Andreas Feink, Hendrick Frey, Warner Digart, Bartholomew Rickard, Johannes Schnele, Jacob Schnele, Johannes Cromse, Johannes Ensign, William Vorks, Marden Dellinbeck, Adam Ensign, Theobold Garlock, Sufferinus Digart, William Copernall, Hans Deterick Cassalman, John Jost Schnele, Christian Feink, Simon Erchart, Marden Seibart, Elias Garlock, Johannes Ingolt, William Nelles, Andries Peiper, Lodowick Cassalman and Gerhart Schaffer.

Of those patentees the names of Lawyer and Ingold have always been known as Schoharie names, until about the year 1836, when the latter one became extinct there. They, no doubt, remained in Schoharie, only becoming interested purchasers. Hendrick Frey had gone upon these lands over 20 years before, and, no doubt, became interested in the purchase to secure a good title. Since in an equal interest in those lands each individual would be entitled to 470 acres, it is reasonable to conclude that a greater number than those named were interested in the purchase. Many of the patentees named settled in and around Stone Arabia, and half their names-though differently spelled-are now either in or contiguous to the town. The natural inference is, that these settlers went upon the lands as early as the spring of 1723. The tradition in their families is, that the Foxes and Wagners went upon the Garoga creek among the earliest removals thitherward from Schoharie, the former family erecting on that stream one of the first saw-mills as far west ; and as accessions were made from the " old country " from time to time, it is difficult to determine just what other names in the towns of Minden and Palatine came into the State prior to 1720 ; but we may conclude that some of the following old Palatine names were among them, or came soon after, viz.: Wormuth, Cox, Paris, Saltsman, Shults, Bander, Sitts, Eacker, Suits, Eisenlord, Lipe, Elile, and Wick.

I have before me a map of an early survey of the Stone Arabia patent, which is without date, containing the names of 31 proprietors. Among them, and not on the list of patentees, are those of Johannes Keyser, Andreas Finck, Jr., Nicholas Diskard, Adam and Christian Empie, Wilhelmus Kasselman, Dierick Loucks, Johannes Mynders, William Brower, Karell Eerhart, Adam Empie, Warner Teygart, Johannes Miller, Jacob Sybers, George Houss, Better Soetts (Suits), Johs. Schouthey, Tilleman Van Soherlyand (Sutherland), Hendrick Six, William Nellis, Nicholas Stensell.

A Legal Decision.-Tradition has preserved but little respecting the Palatines, who went to the Mohawk river settlements, but here is an anecdote of one of them too good to be lost. Elias Garlock is said to have been the only acting justice of the peace among them at Schoharie. The name of the constable who aided him in administering the laws, has been lost. Only one important decision of this sage, is known to the author. His summons was usually delivered to the constable viva voce, and thus by him to the transgressor of the law. If the justice wished to bring a culprit before him, he gave his jack-knife to the constable, who carried it to the accused, and required him at the appointed time to appear with it before the justice. What it meant he well understood. If two were to be summoned at the same time, to the second he gave the tobacco-box of the justice, and as that usually contained a supply of the deleterious narcotic, the consequences of a failure to return it in person to the justice, in due time, were dangerous in the extreme. The decision of Justice Garlock alluded to, terminated so happily for those most interested, that I give it to the reader. A complaint having been entered before him, the knife was issued, and the parties assembled forthwith. The plaintiff told his story, which appeared simple and true. The defendant, with more zeal and eloquence, plead his cause-probably quoting some previous decisions of his honor-and made out, as the latter thought, an equally good case. After giving the parties a patient hearing, the justice gave the following very important decision : " Der blandiff and derfendur bote hash reght, zo I dezides ; an pe dunder, der koonshtopple moosh bay de kosht."

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