On April 18, 1777, the New York Provincial Convention received the following letter, dated two days previously:

“Dear Sir – Upon my arrival home , I found a letter from the chairman of the county committee, requesting the assistance of our militia to quell an insurrection of the tories in Ballstown, and upon inquiry found that the same spirit prevailed much in my regiment, to such a degree that it appears numbers have enlisted, and have taken the oath of secrecy and allegiance to the King of Great Britain, and that a regiment of royal volunteers is to be raised in the county of Albany, under the command of J. Hueston, as will appear by the enclosed; in consequence of which we have not complied with the request of the chairman.  Seventeen of the villains are now in confinement, and by the vigilance of our committee, and militia officers, hope soon to detect the whole and transmit to the Convention the proof that shall be collected.

I am, dear sir, in great haste, 

Yours, (signed) Robt. Van Rensselaer”

The Provincial Convention was the de facto Government of the Province of New York and Robert Van Rensselaer was Colonel of the 8th Regiment of the Militia of Albany County. Although trimmed and its borders optimized in 1772 with the creation of Tryon and Charlotte counties, Albany County was vast, including what are now Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties, large parts of Greene and Washington counties, and the disputed southwest corner of Vermont. The Town of Ballston at the time extended northward to the Hudson River in future Saratoga County.

In his letter, Col. Van Rensselaer, seems to have conflated two related but separate Loyalist (Tory) activities. One was the enlistment of loyalist regiments by James Hueston of Lunenberg, Albany County (now renamed Athens in Greene County). The other was a movement of about forty armed Loyalists under the leadership of brothers William and Thomas Frazer of Ballstown.

The Provincial Convention took immediate action in response to this doubly alarming intelligence (loyalists organizing and the County Militia being of doubtful allegiance). First, the terms of enlistment for the battalion of Hueston’s loyalist volunteers, together with copies of the oaths taken by them, was reviewed. Second, this information was sent to the commander of the Albany militia, requesting him to immediately convene a court martial for the trial of the offenders. Third, the committee of the county of Albany was instructed to assist the militia in apprehending suspects and collecting probative evidence.

James Hueston was apprehended, tried by court martial at Albany on June 14, 1777, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. This sentence was confirmed by the Provincial Council of Safety (sitting during the adjournment of the Convention) on June 18, 1777.  Brig. General Abraham Ten Broek was ordered to have the sentence carried out. (Whether the sentence was subsequently commuted, as was common, history seems not to divulge.)

The case of the Frazer brothers and their armed band ended rather differently. On or about May 1, 1777, they had been seen moving around in the woods and on the trails near Ballstown, but were spooked by news of the impending arrival of Patriot militia. The latter force comprised detachments from the 12th Albany County militia and Captain Coggsdel’s company of “Continental Troops,” neither apparently beset by doubtful loyalties, under the command of local officers, Lt. Colonel James Gordon and the ferociously named Captain Tyrranus Collins. They had been requested to investigate by Hezekiah Middlebrook of the Ballstown committee.

The Frazers and their men concluded that they should make a break for the safety of British Forces located at Crown Point on Lake Champlain. Using a Native American trail, the group marched north, camping near a lake in the nearby mountains which they named Lake Desolation. But they only reached Lake Luzerne before they were apprehended by the troops led by Gordon and Collins. The Frazers were tried by court martial at Albany on May 24 and May 28, 1777, were convicted of levying war against New York and sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Of the remaining 38 members of the loyalist group, only 17 were tried by court martial at Albany on May 30, 1777. Eleven of these men were from Ballstown – Thomas Verte, Joseph Shearer, Alexander McLaughlin, John Mickle, John Fairman, Archibald McNeill, John Summerville, James Grant, John Burns, Michael Connor and John McLaughlin. They were convicted but sentenced to each pay a 15-dollar fine, after which payment they would be released. But the Frazers and their men, supposedly with the help of William’s wife, were able to escape from jail at Albany before any fines were paid and subsequently decamped to the advancing forces of Burgoyne at Fort Edward.

Thus ended the “Insurrection of 1777” in the town of Ballstown, with the action in this area moving on to a much more significant turning point at the Battle of Saratoga.

My father was employed as an Administrator at the Mount McGregor Veterans Rest Camp, upon his discharge from the Army. Mom was a Registered Nurse at the Camp Infirmary. I lived on Mount McGregor from April 1946, the day I arrived in my mother’s arms, until I left for Boy Scout Camp Saratoga in July 1960. Five boys and one girl within 2 years of my age lived on Mount McGregor during that time. We were a loosely knit mostly outdoor group.

One morning, waiting for the Camp bus to take me to Kindergarten, I wandered off to the blueberry patch behind a neighbor’s cottage. Kneeling in the patch, eating the berries, a Black Racer snake slithered in front of my knees. Wide-eyed, I confirm it was at least 30 feet long taking 1 1/2 hours to pass. Upon its departure I scurried to school with a less than amused bus driver.

School was in Wilton. A two-classroom building. A basement cafeteria also served as the Kindergarten Room, Mrs. Hubinsky supervising both. Miss Hyatt’s classroom had Grades 1, 2 and 3. Mr. Gainer’s classroom had Grades 4 and 5. When our grade level was not being taught, we put our heads down on the desk, thereby enhancing our education in a previous grade or being introduced to a future grade. We enjoyed classes in PE, music and art from travelling teachers.

Home was a sizeable three-bedroom apartment in a six plex cottage across from Artist Lake. The Veterans Camp was largely self-sufficient with a sizable farm in the valley below. I have no memory of going to a grocery store. Mom would simply call the “commissary” for delivery of vegetables, beef, pork, poultry, baked goods, milk etc. Mom “canned” food for the winter. The basement had a large coal fired boiler. The coal served as encouragement for good behavior, lest a chunk take space in our Christmas Stocking. We were good kids – for the most part.

Unconstrained in our roaming through the forests and populated areas of the mountain, we hiked the rough roads and trails to Lake Bonita, Lake Anna, Sunset Rock, Northern and Grants Lookout and bushwhacked to countless other destinations. Inspired by Huckleberry Finn we lashed a log raft together on “Secret Swamp.” Daniel Boone inspired us to start a log cabin behind Lake Anna. Falling trees with our two-man crosscut saw and axes we laid the base logs and started the second row before deciding home was OK. We enjoyed Lake Bonita with its abundant blueberries. Trout were visible in the crystal-clear waters along the shores. Lake Bonita was the Camp’s water source – fishing not allowed. 

We fished in Artist Lake for Goldfish also catching by hand frogs, tadpoles, turtles, newts, red efts, snakes and bumble bees. A terrarium at home often housed pollywogs growing into frogs before release. We rode our single speed bikes throughout the hills and occasionally down to friends in Wilton, pedaling back up the mountain without a stop. The Camp had many amenities including a movie theater. Our parents brought us to films such as “White Christmas,” Randolph Scott westerns and others. We were banned from any sight of the theater building when Elizabeth Taylor’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” played. Winter was a time for ice skating on Artist Lake, sleigh rides with our Flexible Flyers down the road to Lake Bonita and snow forts. We served as altar boys in the Camp Chapel and pinsetters for the Camp Bowling Alley.

We interacted freely with the “patients” playing softball on the site of Hotel Balmoral, swimming in Artist Lake with lessons in cannon balls and diving from the patients, shuffleboard under the terrace, crafts (copper reliefs, bead and leather work) in the Occupational Therapy shop. “Raccoon Man” visited a couple of summers hand-feeding raccoons who would crawl up his panted leg, accept food with their paws, returning to the ground to eat. Sitting next to him I fed the raccoons, no sudden movements with trust by all. Frank Malzone’s (Boston Red Sox Third Baseman) father was a patient we came to know. We received autographed baseballs after his departure. I met Vets from the Spanish American War, WWI, WW2, Korean and Lebanon Conflicts. They, as my father – a Medic in Europe, never spoke of their experiences.

We visited Mrs. Gambino, caretaker at Grant’s Cottage, and frequented Grant’s Lookout. We discovered a deteriorating iron-sided bench with wood strips at the base of a huge boulder down the mountain. We knew this was where President Grant spent his quiet moments. A cherished secret, as we knew, no one else knew

Life was idyllic. The only childhood I knew – as it is for everyone, particularly of that era. Mostly unencumbered by TV (a 1950’s 12-inch B & W screen with 2 snowy channels). No social media – we listened to the radio as a family occasionally. Wilton Cub & Boy Scouts the only organized youth activity available. All boys belonged. My earliest memory of American politics was attentively listening to the inaugural address of General Eisenhower. Recognizing I did not understand a word he said, I adjourned outside to build a snow fort in my “Glickmans” snowsuit. Red & Black Wool – Head to Toe.

The Reverend Charles Preston arrived at the port of Hong Kong on May 12, 1854 after a voyage of 160 days from New York City – his final destination the city of Canton, China – where the Presbyterian Missionary Board had established a base of operation that included a school, hospital and chapel. There he would engage in his life’s work: conversion of the Chinese to Christianity.

Charles Finney Preston was born in Antwerp, NY on July 26, 1829, the first child of Dr. and Mrs. Calvin Preston. His middle name was selected as a tribute to Charles Grandison Finney, a social activist and leader of the Second Great Awakening, a religious revival based on a vision of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The Prestons moved to Galway in 1830, attracted to the village by a family connection and the potential for a thriving medical practice. They settled in the village on East St. where they built a six bedroom home and raised a large family.

In Galway, Charles’ mother groomed him for missionary service to China, a priority of the Presbyterian Church. Charles Preston studied at the Galway Academy under the guidance of the Reverend Gilbert Morgan, becoming a member of the Galway Presbyterian Church at the age of fourteen. He next attended Union College, graduating in 1850, and then Princeton Theological Seminary, where he completed a three-year course. He was commissioned missionary to China by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions in 1853 and left by sailing merchant ship, the Horatio, departing from New York for Canton in November of that year.

His plan was to preach to the Chinese in their native language was side-tracked by an assignment to teach English in the Mission School, an approach to religious conversion that he opposed on philosophical grounds. This put Charles at odds with a well-connected leader of the China Mission and ultimately led to his death. He was rescued from this educational endeavor by the outbreak of the Second Opium War, a conflict primarily between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty over the insistence of the English to freely distribute opium to the Chinese. This was in turn driven by a massive trade in-balance associated with English consumption of tea from China. Rev. Preston relocated to Macau where he developed the language skills necessary to preach in the Cantonese dialect.

At the end of the War, Rev. Preston returned to Canton where he built a chapel with his own and donated funds. There he preached for many years returning to the United States only once, leaving a son to be educated in Windham, Connecticut schools. He would never see him again.

After 23 years of missionary service his health began to decline, probably due to chronic dysentery. His doctor recommended return to the United States, but Rev. Preston’s plea for transfer on medical grounds was turned down due to “insufficient funds in the Mission treasury,” or equally likely in retribution for his advocacy of preaching in the native language. In a desperate attempt to save his life his doctor sent him to Hong Kong to recover. He died six days later at the home of a missionary with his wife and six children at his side. He was buried in the Happy Valley cemetery in Hong Kong; an obelisk monument provided by his three brothers marks the grave with the inscription “I am only resting.”

His wife and family returned to America where Charles’ brothers William and Platt, wealthy mill owners in Waitsburg, Washington, came to their rescue.

A tribute to Rev. Preston in the Union College Archives concludes with: “He learned the Chinese language as few foreigners learn it. He became the most effective preacher among our missionaries and filled Canton with his Gospel.”

Alan Maddaus is the author of The Prestons of East Street – the Story of an 19th Century American Family, available at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and other outlets. He can be reached at admaddaus@aol.com

On May 11, 1921, Saratoga County District Attorney Charles Andrus stood before Justice Henry Borst at the courthouse in Ballston Spa for the start of a criminal trial. It must have been a strange feeling that day for Andrus because unlike countless other times before the court, this time the District Attorney was seated at the defendant’s table. He had been indicted on charges of neglect of duty, bribery, and corruption. His trial would be extraordinary on many levels.

To begin with, Andrus was being prosecuted by Special Deputy Attorney General Wyman Bascom, appointed by Governor Alfred Smith. Bascom was assisted by former New York State Senator and longtime republican power broker in Saratoga, Edgar T. Brackett. Brackett had once been the attorney for the “Prince of the Gamblers,” Richard Canfield. He was now firmly in the anti- gambling camp and a bitter political enemy of Andrus.

Andrus was defended by attorney William Fallon. Known as “The Great Mouthpiece,” Fallon specialized in obtaining acquittals for his clients (usually through bribing jurors) and was the attorney for the notorious gangster Arnold Rothstein.

Among the witnesses against Andrus were low-level gamblers and associates of Arnold Rothstein, Cornelius Fellows and Benny Russell who both were partners of Rothstein in the gambling at the Arrowhead Inn near Saratoga Lake.

Fellows and Russell, along with a local man named Jules Formel and a New York City gambler named John Ward were partners in a gambling venture with Rachel Brown at 210 South Broadway in Saratoga Springs in July 1919. After spending the summer of 1919 gambling in Saratoga Springs, Rachel Brown headed over to Chicago and got mixed up in the notorious “Black Sox” Scandal in which several Rothstein associates, including Brown, were indicted for trying to fix the World Series.

On July 27, 1919, the game at 210 South Broadway had been raided by police. The following afternoon, Rachel Brown and his friends made a trip to the police station and stole the evidence from one of the jail cells with the help of police sergeant Edward Carroll. Three weeks later, police raided another game on Circular Street and seized back some of the evidence that had been stolen from them. Within six months, Sergeant Carroll was promoted to Chief of Police. All this prompted Governor Smith to appoint Bascom and his investigation led to the charges against Andrus who was apparently mixed up with the gamblers at 210 South Broadway.

During the trial of District Attorney Andrus, John Ward testified that he, Formel, and Russell had met with Andrus in the spring of 1919 and had received approval from the District Attorney to open up. He further stated that Andrus had been paid over $2500 in protection money for the gambling at 210 South Broadway during the summer of 1919 before the raids put an end to the operation.

Wyman Bascom attempted to introduce a ledger into evidence that showed the payoff for one night’s gambling at 210 South Broadway. Ward did not need the paper to explain the payoff system. The top line showed that twenty-five percent of the night’s take was to be given to “The Boss.” The remaining split of the profits was; thirty-three percent each to himself and Formel, fifteen percent to Rachel Brown, twelve percent to Russell and seven percent to Fellows.

Other witnesses testified that Andrus was upset that Formel had made $3800 in payoffs but still owed $4000 and therefore had orchestrated the raids in 1919 and that Brown once held up $4300 and yelled “This is for the District Attorney!” in a crowded gambling den. Andrus had negotiated a settlement between Russell and Formel when Russell backed out of the plan, and open gambling had been allowed by the District Attorney in no less than fifteen places throughout the city, including one practically next door to Andrus’ office on Broadway.

Andrus never took the stand to deny the specific allegations and his lawyers never bothered to deny them either. Rather, the defense merely claimed that it was the job of the police to make arrests, not the District Attorney, and that the whole investigation was politically motivated.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the jury returned the verdict on May 17, 1921. By a vote of 11-1, NOT GUILTY!

In response to the good news, some of Andrus’ supporters rioted in celebration. Racing up and down Broadway, pulling fire alarms, vandalizing the porches of citizens who supported the prosecution, and lighting a fire on the front lawn of Senator Brackett while breaking out the windows of his home. In true Saratoga fashion, seven months after his acquittal, Charles Andrus was re-elected to the office of District Attorney for Saratoga County.

In 1976, as the nation prepared to celebrate its 200th birthday, my parents, Joan and W. Donald Carola of Mechanicville, were already a year into the hunt for records of an elusive ancestor: Sanbun Ford, a founder of the town of Milton.

Trips to local court houses and towns in New England resulted in a Ford family genealogy story, dating back to 1637, that they presented to my mother’s father, Joseph Ford, a retired paper mill electrician from Mechanicville. In 1976, he was invited to Milton’s Founders Day celebration where he and other descendants of the town’s early settlers were welcomed as guests of honor.

Through my parents’ long-ago sleuthing and my own research, our family has learned much more about Sanbun Ford. He was born on April 23, 1762 in Wallingford, CT, the fifth-generation Ford descended from Timothy Ford, an Englishman who arrived in New England circa 1637.

On Dec. 4, 1779, Sanbun enlisted as a private in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, known as Sheldon’s Horse for its commander, Col. Elisha Sheldon. There are indications that he joined the Patriot cause to replace a sick older brother. Sanbun would serve five-and-half years with the unit. Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester’s “History of Saratoga County, New York” has a paragraph describing Sanbun as having served from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, but I’m still working on verifying details of his service.

Sylvester’s book also mentions that Sanbun once captured a “cowboy” by making him place his finger into the barrel of Sanbun’s pistol. Cowboy was the name given to Loyalists who attacked residents and stole livestock and personal possessions in Westchester County, which during the Revolutionary War was the scene of vicious partisan fighting.

We know from Sanbun’s military pension papers, dated June 1837, that he captured a notorious cowboy named Jesse Mills, who was among the 450 Westchester Loyalists sent on two ships to Saint John, New Brunswick in Canada after the war.

A roster of Sanbun’s regiment compiled by Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge shows that he was 5 feet, 3 inches tall with light complexion, gray eyes and brown hair. Like many American veterans of the war, Sanbun was given land by Congress for his service. In 1790, he and his wife, Ada, and their first child, Simeon, settled in Hillsdale in Columbia County, NY.

Two years later, they moved to Milton in Saratoga County. Together, Sanbun and Ada raised nine children, four boys and five girls. At least two sons would fight in the War of 1812. The daughters would go on to marry men with last names Hall, Shepard, McLean, Irish and Lewis.

Grandsons of Sanbun and Ada would fight in the Civil War. Their names can be found on the Civil War monument located at Low and Front streets in the village of Ballston Spa. There is a street named after the Fords, many of whom are buried in the Village Cemetery in Ballston Spa. Later generations of Fords branched out to Mechanicville and Green Island. Others ended up in western New York.

Various documents note that Sanbun settled at Spiers Corners, now West Milton, and later ran a public house near the Rosehill farm of Judge John Thompson where aging fellow Patriots came to dine and reminisce about their wartime service. During the War of 1812, after U.S. victories, Sanbun and the Rev. Elder Langworthy would fire off a cannon they had purchased in Albany.

By 1820, Sanbun was destitute and penniless, living off his Revolutionary War pension and the generosity of fellow members of the local Baptist church. Employed to ring the church bell, he eventually had to give up that duty due to poor eyesight. A religious man, Sanbun called his Bible his side-arm.

Sanbun died at 84 years old on Oct. 20, 1846, a year-and-a-half after his beloved wife Ada. Before he died, he asked that an American flag, his Bible and Continental Army papers be buried with him.

Sanbun was buried in an unmarked grave in the Village Cemetery. A chance meeting with cemetery caretaker Rich Fox led me to the location of the Ford plots. I then went to work acquiring a veteran’s grave marker from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The marker was placed on Sanbun’s grave just prior to July 4, 2017. Every Fourth of July, I place two American flags on his final resting place as a tribute to a Patriot once forgotten, now remembered.

Don Carola is a local history buff who was born and raised in Mechanicville. He retired from the state after 33 years from NYSITS as Manager of Information Technology.  Don is a volunteer firefighter for Hillcrest Fire Department. He is also a member of Rev War reenactor unit 2nd Continental Light Dragoons “Sheldon’s Horse” out of Connecticut. Don can be reached at doncarola@nycap.rr.com 

Egbert Ludovicus Viele died on April 22, 1902 at the age of 77 in New York City after an eventful life that began in Waterford, New York. He was born in 1825, son of Kathlyne Schuyler (Knickerboacker) and State Senator John L. Viele. The title of his newspaper obituary notice “Veteran of Two Wars and Indian Campaigns Passes Away” did little justice to his varied career, nor his personal foibles.

Egbert attended Albany Academy and on July 1, 1847, graduated from West Point and was appointed 2nd Lt. of the infantry and served in the Mexican War. From there he was sent to Laredo Texas, became the Military Governor and conducted successful campaigns against the Indians on the western frontier. By October 1850 he was promoted to 1st Lt. but in 1853 he  resigned from the military.                                                         

Viele moved to New York City and became the State Engineer for New Jersey, 1854 – 1856. In 1856 he was appointed engineer-in-chief of Central Park and in 1860 redesigned both Central Park and Prospect Park. When the Civil War began he rejoined the military on the Union Side. He became engineering officer of the Seventh Regiment, and was commissioned Brigadier General of Volunteers August 17, 1861                   

General Viele marched to Washington, forcing the cross of the Potomac River, leading the first troops to reach the capital by that route. He commanded brigades during the Union assaults on the Confederate forces along the southeast coast, first at Port Royal in November 1861, and then the victorious attack on Fort Pulaski on the Savannah River the following April. He participated in the capture of Norfolk, Va., and was named Military Governor of that area later in 1862.

He resigned from the service on October 20,1863 to again follow his career in civil engineering. Moving back to New York City he composed the “Viele Map”, a survey of the original streams and coastline superimposed on the streets of Manhattan, still in use today. 1866 he became a Companion of the New York Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. In 1867, he worked as chief engineer on the Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Rochester Railroad.

From 1883 to 1884 Viele was the commissioner of parks for New York City. He was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-ninth Congress (1885 – 1887) but was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1886 to the Fiftieth Congress. Egbert resumed his former business pursuits and engaged in literary work.

Viele died from a “sudden attack of indigestion and heart disease” at the age of 77 in New York. He and his second wife, Juliette Dana, are entombed in a pyramid-shaped mausoleum, guarded by a pair of sphinxes, in the Post Cemetery at West Point, New York. Egbert had a buzzer installed in his coffin wired to the house of the Superintendent of West Point to provide rescue if he had accidentally been buried alive.

His father owned mills in Cohoes. Although undocumented, one can assume he must have returned to Waterford to visit family over the years.

Russ Vandervoort in the Waterford Town Historian and leader of the Waterford Canal and Towpath Society and can be reached at russvandervoort@gmail.com   

On April 15, 1842, Henry A. Vrooman, a forty-one-year-old farmer living in West Charlton passed away in his home near the intersection of what is now Eastern Avenue and Sacandaga Road.. He was laid to rest in the nearby West Glenville Cemetery. Only eight months earlier he had married forty-year-old Eliza McClelland, a widow with two children from nearby Blue Corners on the western edge of the Town of Charlton. It was a roller-coaster eight months.

Only a few months after their marriage, Henry’s new bride packed her belongings in a sleigh and left just before their first Christmas together. Henry started telling friends that he did not want her to return. However, calling it just a family visit, Eliza was back after only a month. 

During the winter, Henry became ill. Dr. David Low, the attending physician, informed him  that his case was “perfectly hopeless” and that he should make arrangements for the disposition of his property. The day before he died, Henry Vrooman asked his brother-in-law, attorney John Brotherson, to take down his will where he gave everything to his wife Eliza. Others present that day was his cousin Cornelius V. D. Wendell, Eliza’s friend Mary Mott, and Henry’s brother John.

After the will was placed in the hands of the Surrogate Court, Henry’s brother requested an investigation to prove its validity. Though present when his brother had spoken his will, John had been sick and in bed on the other side of the room, unable to hear his brother’s whispered words. 

Two months after Henry died this proceeding was held in Surrogate Court , with those who had witnessed the signing of the will and other interested parties attending and giving testimony. They were all to offer different perspectives on the short marriage of Henry and Eliza.

The first to testify was Henry’s cousin, Cornelius V. D. Wendell. After being sworn in, Cornelius said that he was present when Henry Vrooman made known his desires about the distribution of his property and “made his mark,” to sign the document.

The next to give testimony was Mary Mott, Eliza’s friend and neighbor of her father. Before her marriage to Henry, Eliza had lived with Mary and her husband. Mary gave a woman’s perspective in her words of support for her friend:

Know there were some difficulties between the deceased and his wife but what they were I can’t tell anything about. Deceased told me that his brother John W. caused a great deal of difficulty between himself & his wife. He went so far as to say that there never would have been any difficulty between himself & wife if it had not been for his brother. He told me that his brother said that he did not like it that he should get married. He told me once that his brother had behaved so badly to him that he did not intend he should ever have a cent of his property.

When it was John Brotherson’s turn he stated that when the will was made, Henry was asked if his brother should be called to sign as a witness to his will. His response was a (negative) shake of his head. When the will was read back to him, he said that it was as he wished it, and then he smiled.

Peter Saunders next offered the first testimony concerning the break in the relationship between Henry and Eliza. Saunders and Henry Moore had visited the Vrooman farm in early 1842 to purchase property that Henry and his brother owned in Glenville. When asked about having Eliza sign the deed, Henry then said she had left him and that she would never be back “as long as I have strength to keep her out.” He also stated that she was extravagant and would have more company than he could afford. Sanders also testified that Henry stated that she had abused him when he undertook to correct her children.

John Anderson was another neighbor who testified about Henry’s relationship with his brother John. Anderson was a close friend of Henry’s brother and had once been asked by him to help “settle a difficulty” between him and his brother after Henry and Eliza had married. Anderson also heard Henry say that his wife had gone away and that he “never wanted to see her in the house again, she or none of her tribe.”

But Elizabeth Odell, the daughter of Philip Brotherson’s second wife Alice told a different story. She recalled that it was Christmas week in 1841 that Eliza moved back to Blue Corners. Once Eliza had returned to Henry, Elizabeth visited and was told by Henry that he and Eliza “live as happily as two birds together.”

Next, Alletta, daughter of Philip Brotherson and his second wife Alice told of Eliza’s care of Henry during the final months of his life. During her visits to their home, she saw Eliza “nurse him, procure his victuals for him & take care of him as well as any baby.” Mary Mott in her testimony supported this claim, even telling that after the funeral John had said that he thought Eliza must be “very much fatigued as she had been very faithful & kind to my brother & had nursed him and taken good care of him during his sickness.”

The hearing ended with Henry’s will being admitted to probate and filed. Apparently, the judge sided with those that testified that the couple’s marriage had conformed to the old adage that “All is well that ends well.”

The source of material and illustration for this article is Saratoga County Wills, Volume 12, pages 425 through 449

Dave Waite has had a lifelong interest in New York State and Adirondack history. His research has been published by historical organizations across upstate New York. His most recent article “With Energy and Success, Thorp & Sprague’s Mohawk Valley Stage Line,” is featured in the Winter 2021 New York Archives Magazine. David’s email is davewaitefinearts@gmail.com              

On April 3, 1935, wrecking crews began the demolition of buildings and rides that comprised an amusement park in Rexford.  Few can remember when Clifton Park had its own amusement park.  It was located on the Mohawk River in Rexford near the Alplaus border from 1906 to 1933.  Stanley “Spud” Bartow (1916-2009) of Rexford remembered the “House of Glass” filled with mirrors.  As a kid in the 1920s, he would watch the adults try and find their way out.  He would chuckle when he thought about it. 

The secret he said was to keep your eyes on the floor and not look into the mirrors.  He also remembered the rotating barrel that you would try and walk through from one end to another.  The kids managed this quite successfully, but adults again had difficulty, and were thrown from side to side in their attempt to pass through the barrel as it continued to rotate.

Of course, Spud had the early edge on the amusement park rides.  Before the park was opened to the public in the spring, neighborhood kids were employed by the park to clean, test and prepare the rides.  Spud and some of his friends would ride the bumper cars until the metal ceiling was cleaned off by the long rods on the cars that made electrical contact with the metal ceiling.  They would clean the mirrors in the “House of Glass,” and polish the horses on the carousel.  It was truly a fun time for the youth of Rexford.  They were able to enjoy the rides at no charge.

Edgar Shopmyer (1914-2003) of Vischer Ferry Road recalled the first time he rode the “Blue Streak,” the amusement park’s huge roller coaster.  He told of the long slow ride to the top of the coaster, and then as he rounded the crest and faced the steep incline, his heart was in his throat.  No turning back now! And woosh! Before he knew it the ride was over.  This roller coaster was the second one at the park.  The first one, known as the “Whirlwind,” was removed in about 1925 to make way for the larger, more thrilling “Blue Streak.”

The park, first known as Luna Park, after the famous amusement park in Coney Island, opened in 1906.  It was developed in conjunction with the beginning of the trolley line from Schenectady.  The Grandview Hotel, built in 1901 by New York City brewer Jacob Ruppert was the focal point.  The park had several different names throughout its life.  After Fred Dolle acquired the park in 1911, the name was changed to Dolle’s Park.  In 1916 the park came under new management as Palisades Park, and later as Rexford Park.  It closed after the 1933 season, partially due to the shortage of extra spending money caused by the Great Depression, and the rise of the automobile that took people to other destinations.  The park survived two more years as a picnic area for socials and clambakes.

Amusement parks all over the United States were being established in the early 1900s to give city folks a reason to ride the trolley line.  The electric trolley from Schenectady crossed the Mohawk River just west of the present Route 146 bridge (the stone piers of the trolley bridge are still visible).  The bridge was 1,800 feet long and set on 10 piers.  It was considered to be the longest trolley bridge in the world.  It only cost a nickel to ride from Schenectady.  Special park trolleys, called the “Twilight Trolley” were emblazoned with colored lights, a star on the back and a horseshoe on front.

The airplane ride would swing people out over the Mohawk River.  There was also a Whip, Ferris Wheel, a “Razzle Dazzle” (ocean wave machine), and a ride that plunged down a chute into a pool of water.  Other attractions included a Roller Skating Rink, Casino for dancing, Shooting Gallery, Penny Arcade, Bandstand, Ice Cream Parlor, motor launches on the river, a hotel with a bar, fortune tellers and carnival concessions.  Special events at the park would consist of balloon ascensions, fire works, bands, boxing, wrestling, high divers, acrobats, and vaudeville acts.  One popular feature was “Amazing Oliver” and his dog.  They dove together from a high tower into a tub of water.

On July 4, 1907 the crowds at Luna Park were estimated to total between 10,000 and 12,000 people.  A newspaper advertisement for August 4, 1906 advertised Wheelock’s U. S. Carlisle Indian Band at Luna Park, as well as Prof. Bush’s Perilous Ascension in two mammoth balloons.  It indicated that Luna Park was “Schenectady’s Big Pleasure Resort,” and that “Everybody is Going to Luna Now – Follow the Crowd.”  Admission was ten cents, children were free.

In 1935, after the amusement park closed, the owner of the property, the Cyrus W. Rexford estate, decided to raze the existing buildings to avoid paying heavy state, county, and town taxes on unprofitable property.  The land was to be sold for summer camps.  On April 3, 1935, John Millington’s wrecking crews began demolition of the buildings and roller coaster trusses.  The other rides had been sold earlier to surviving amusement parks. The trolleys continued to use the steel bridge at Rexford until they were pulled off the line on December 7, 1941.  The bridge was dismantled in 1942 when steel was necessary to make weapons for World War II.

Today, all that remains of the Rexford Amusement Park are the concrete footings for the roller coaster and other park buildings hidden in overgrown woods.  Some of the large trees that grew throughout the life of the park are still there. Postcard views, photographs and memories tell us of summers long ago when people flocked to Rexford on the electric trolley to enjoy a day of fun, the “Great Escape” of the 1920s.  If the park had only survived!

John Scherer is the Clifton Park Town Historian and also Senior Historian Emeritus at the New York State Museum. He holds a master’s degree in museum studies and American Folk Life from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. John can be reached at jlscherer@aol.com

April Fool’s Day, April 1, 1782, Joe Bettys was hanged. It was, as was the custom, a public spectacle, not in Ballston but in Albany where the notorious traitor had been taken for his trial and sentencing.  As he got to the top of the scaffolding to meet his maker and a noose was tied around his neck, he jumped—yes, he jumped to his death, ensuring that he would break his neck and ensuring that HE killed himself. No one else killed him. A fitting ending to a sad story.

Today, on Route 50 about a mile north of the Lakehill Road and Route 50 intersection, sits an old stone house, one that dates back into the 1700’s.  It is a striking house today, with its cement walls and a very short upper story.  But it was even more striking back in the 1700’s– and not for its looks.

Living in that house, which also doubled as a local tavern, was the Bettys family.  The father and husband of the household was a Loyalist, supporting the British side in the Great Revolutionary War against England.  Son Joe, however, was on the opposite side: he was a rebel.  One can only imagine the arguments that must have occurred between father and son.

Finally, Joe decided to take some action for his preferred side. He left home and joined the Rebel forces. He traveled into northern New York, joined up with the later-to-be infamous Benedict Arnold in the Lake Champlain area and fought with incredible bravery and skill. In one military engagement, he fought while every one of the rebel commissioned officers had been killed or wounded; then took charge himself and continued to fight on.

Because of all he had done in numerous battles, he felt he should be commended for his service and given an advancement in rank. Angered that he was not, he deserted the rebel forces, went to Canada and joined the British side. He then started carrying spy messages behind the lines from one side to the other.

Yes, for many of the same reasons that Arnold later became a traitor, so did Ballston’s Joe Bettys. And, for many years, he delivered much information to the British side until finally he got caught.  He was sentenced to die but, because of his aged parents and Commander-in-Chief George Washington’s compassion, he was pardoned for his crimes and was told to cease all previous treasonous activities.

After that, he truly seemed to take delight in harassing those who had previously helped him! He continued his treasonous activities all over the area. A few years later, he was seen lurking in the woods in present-day Clifton Park and, when questioned, he quickly threw a paper in a fire—a paper which turned out to be more secret information he was trying to deliver. He was taken to Albany, tried, convicted, and hanged.

One can only imagine the horror of his family and their reaction to what their family member had done. Because of that, the town of Ballston in conjunction with the Pomeroy Foundation, erected a marker in Hillside Cemetery in Burnt Hills to the memory of Joe Betty’s family. The marker is inscribed: “Bettys Family. Joseph died 1804 and Abigail died 1791.  Local innkeepers and unfortunate parents of Joseph, convicted traitor and spy who was hung in 1782.”

Rick Reynolds has been the Ballston Town Historian since 2004. He is a retired social studies teacher at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Middle School and is the author of the book “From Wilderness to Community: The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District. Rick can be reached at rreynolds@townofballstonny.org

In 1791, the newly formed Saratoga County Board of Supervisors met for the first time at Mead’s Tavern in Stillwater. It was common for elected officials or committees to meet at a public house before the building of a dedicated government facility. However, within the next few years it was decided that a courthouse building and jail should be erected, and the Town of Ballston was chosen as a central location. Captain Edward A. Watrous donated a site on his farm for the courthouse on Middleline Road and construction began in 1795. Court was first held there in the spring of 1796. A small hamlet grew up around this area which became known as “Courthouse Hill” complete with taverns, hotels and law offices. The county seat seemed to be firmly cemented at that location, but that all changed in 1816.

Fire broke out in the courthouse in the middle of the night on March 23. Two prisoners, Fones Cole of Northampton (held on a forgery charge) and Peter Drapoo (a horse thief) used a candle they purchased from the jailor (reportedly for playing cards) to set fire to their cell and escape. Two other prisoners also escaped during the fire but a fifth prisoner, George Billings, was chained to the floor and perished in the flames.

Before the smoke cleared several towns clamored to gain control of the county seat including Waterford, Malta and Galway but two front runners quickly emerged.  Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa pitted themselves against each other to win the prize.

Ballston Spa (sometimes called Ballston Springs) was well known because of its mineral springs which were supposed to contain healing qualities. The powerful, land-rich Nicholas Low established the village, which was located on land he was granted through the Kayaderosseras Patent. Noting the influx of health-seeking travelers, Low built a monstrous hotel, the San Souci, carved out lots and laid streets in his flourishing village.

By the early 1800s Saratoga Springs was also an up-and-coming village built around attracting visitors to their mineral springs and was starting to overtake Ballston Spa in popularity. Since both of these villages were vying to attract visitors as well as expand their political influence they were in a desperate fight to convince the New York State Legislature to choose them as the new seat of government for Saratoga County. Each village put together a group of prominent citizens who tried to show the legislature that they were the best location.

When the Ballston Spa committee heard rumors about what the Saratoga Springs committee was proposing, they retaliated. In a letter written by Thomas Palmer to Nicholas Low on October 31 1816 he advised:

“As the time approaches when the Legislature will fix the site of the courthouse and gaol in this county and every exertion made by our opponents to defeat us. We are desirous that nothing should be left undone that can have a bearing in our favor or counteract the efforts of our enemies to defeat us. It is suggested that one argument intended to be urged by our opponents is that a lot will be given the County at Saratoga Springs for the courthouse and gaol. Should that be the case we must be prepared for them. Will you be pleased to write to …our committee assuring them that a lot will be given the county at the village of Ballston Spa for the courthouse and gaol…”

Nicholas Low heeded the advice of Palmer and did just that, using his influence to tip the committee in favor of Ballston Spa as the County seat. On March 14 1817, after a long debate, the New York State Legislature passed a law stating that the seat of Saratoga County would be located in Ballston Spa.

Following through on his promise, on July 5th, 1817 Low filed a deed with the County Clerk giving the Supervisors of Saratoga County a lot on High Street for the purpose of building a courthouse and jail. Construction commenced later that year and was finally ready to hold court by 1819. The style of the building was essentially the same as the original building on Courthouse Hill, though they built this one out of brick. This two-story building served as the county courthouse until a new one was erected on the same spot in 1889. In 1968, the courthouse moved across the street to its present location.

Ballston Spa has proven itself as a well suited, central location for our county seat over the past two centuries. History leads a winding path and who knows, were it not for a fateful candle and two scheming jailbirds, the county seat may still have been at Courthouse Hill today!

Lauren Roberts is the Saratoga County Historian. She is co-host of the WAMC podcast A New York Minute in History, along with NYS Historian Devin Lander. Roberts co-produced the recently released documentary Harnessing Nature: Building the Great Sacandaga, which chronicles the creation of the Sacandaga Reservoir. You can reach Lauren at lroberts@saratogacountyny.gov