Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

The Mohawk Valley and the American Revolution
Published by the State of New York
Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor
Parks and Recreation
Alexander Aldrich, Commissioner
Historic Trust, Louis C. Jones, Chairman
Albany, NY 1972

Sir William Johnson

<- Sir William Johnson (1715-1774), an original portrait attributed to Matthew Pratt and painted in 1772 or 1773 that New York State acquired in 1956. It now hangs in JOHNSON HALL.

By far the largest landowner and also the most influential individual in Mohawk Valley history was William Johnson. A native of Ireland, Johnson became a trader, a military leader, a promoter of settlement and an agent of the colonial government with the Indians. His successes in Indian relations resulted from his interest in the Iroquois, and he won their confidence by adopting their ways when among them. Johnson often wore Indian clothing and presented policies of the British crown by speaking with the Indians in their own tongue.

He had come to the Mohawk Valley as a young man to manage his uncle's estate, but he soon acquired land of his own. In 1749, he built a fieldstone house he called Fort Johnson, his residence for 14 years and the site of numerous Indian conferences. Johnson conferred regularly with the Iroquois, and he also met the representatives of tribes from New England and the Midwest. His negotiations with the Iroquois nations kept them on the side of the British during the French and Indian War, and the alliance continued during the War for Independence.

Johnson's interests and policies, however, were not limited to the Mohawk Valley. In 1755, he turned back the French campaign on Lake George (the name Johnson gave to that picturesque body of water). As a reward for this victory, he received an English Baronetcy and the privilege of being addressed as "Sir William" In the same year, the British government named him Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northern Department. He also commanded the capture of Fort Niagara, a stronghold and trading center the French had established at the entrance of the Niagara River into Lake Ontario; later he took part in the final defeat of the French at Montreal.

As a result of Sir William's real estate transactions, he acquired more than 200,000 acres, most of them located in the Mohawk Valley, but some were in the area around Otsego Lake. Johnson's interest in populating his land holdings led him to encourage Irish and Scottish Highlanders to migrate to the New World to settle in the community he was developing in the outer portion of the Valley. The center for these activities, in the settlement that became Johnstown, was a baronial complex consisting of mills, shops, smithy and other structures, with Johnson Hall, he new residence, as the nucleus. Completed in 1763, this imposing dwelling built of wood, but to resemble stone, was designed in the Georgian style of architecture. Flanking it were two sturdy stone buildings that served many purposes, such as for a store, a storehouse, an office and, to protect the estate in case of attack, as blockhouses.

Grider made this sketch of JOHNSON HALL in 1886, showing it as it appeared before it was landscaped. Grider's views of Mohawk and Schoharie Valley scenes filled nine volumes of scrapbooks. In addition to pictures of buildings and objects, he traced documents and copied private records of area families prepared in a style known as "Fraktur." Grider died in 1900. The New York State Library acquired his collection in 1941 and has made available these views. ->

Johnson also negotiated the Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768) to pacify frontier Indians by preventing settlers from advancing on to their lands. He supported Indian school, had a prayer book translated into the Mohawk language, and paid (459 pounds) for the construction of and Indian Chapel south of the river near the Upper Castle of the Mohawks. When Tryon County was created in 1772, encompassing all of colonial New York west and southwest of Schenectady, Johnson erected a courthouse in Johnstown (Tryon County) was renamed Montgomery in 1784 in honor of General Richard Montgomery). Now the Fulton County Courthouse, it is both the oldest and the only colonial courthouse in New York.

<- Rufus Grider sketched FORT JOHNSON in 1886. The Montgomery County Historical Society now owns the site.

On a hot July day in 1774, Sir William stood in the sun, haranguing a body of Indians who had come to Johnson Hall seeking his advice. Shortly after, he collapsed and died, aged 59. Johnson was buried in the churchyard of the Johnstown church, St. John's, which he had sponsored, and his grave remains there next to the present church edifice.

The American artist Edward Lamson Henry (1841-1919) painted this lively view of "Sir William Johnson presenting medals to the Indian chiefs of the Six Nations at Johnstown, NY, 1772." Henry, who considered this work his "very finest painting", was known for the accuracy of his research and historical details, but the structure on the left had burned 35 years before this 1903 painting. (Knox Gelatin Company) ->

Johnson's only male heir, his son John, enjoyed a position of rank and honor and resided in Fort Johnson. After the death of his father, John inherited his father's title and, as second Baronet and lord of the estate, moved into Johnson Hall. When his sister Mary married Guy Johnson the couple received as a wedding gift, Guy Park, located in present day Amsterdam. Their original frame dwelling was struck by lightning in the summer of 1773 and was replaced by a solid, square stone house. Colonel Guy Johnson, Sir William's nephew, succeeded his father-in-law as Superintendent of Indian Affairs. He used Guy Park as headquarters for negotiating with the Indians to insure their continued loyalty.

Mohawk Valley in The Revolution