History of Edmeston, New York/1770s

The history of Edmeston, New York: 1770 through 1779
1770.
Captain William Edmeston, a veteran of the French and Indian wars, who was rewarded for his services in the 48th Regiment with a grant of some 5,000 acres under the terms of a royal proclamation of 1763. Edmeston and his brother, Lieutenant Robert Edmeston, who received a similar grant, first tried to locate in the disputed region of the New Hampshire Grants (the present state of [[w:Vermont|Vermont), but in 1770 wisely chose to establish their claims east of the [[w:Unadilla River|Unadilla River]] and west of [[w:George Croghan|George Croghan's]] Otsego patent, in what is now the town of Edmeston, Otsego County. The negotiations were carried out by one [[w:Percifer Carr|Persafor Carr]], a former [[w:Sergean|sergeant]] in the Edmestons' regiment, who subsequently became their agent for the Mount Edmeston tracts when the brothers returned to [[W:England|England]]. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References#James H. Pickering|"James H. Pickering"]]
In the northwest "[corner of Otsego County]", on a patent granted to a British officer named [[w:William Edmeston|William Edmeston]] in the township now bearing his name, Edmeston's agent, Sergeant [[w:Percifer Carr|Parsefor Carr]], managed a small settlement that had taken root as early as 1770. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References#Lyman H. Butterfield|"Lyman H. Butterfield"]]
[[w:1773|1773]].
In 1773, William Edmeston himself finally returned to America to supervise and develop personally his promising holdings west of [[w:Otsego Lake|Lake Otsego]]. But with the outbreak of the [[w:American Revolution|Revolution]], Edmeston, now a [[w:Kingdom of Great Bitain|British]] [[w:major|major]], quite naturally attracted the attention and suspicions of the patriotic element in [[w:Tryon County|Tryon County]]; and it was not long before he found himself placed on his best behavior as a parolee in either [[w:Kingston, New York|Kingston]] or [[w:Albany, New York|Albany]] (the accounts differ on this point). With Major Edmeston under the watchful eye of the Americans, the management of Mount Edmeston again fell to Carr, a known Loyalist who was strongly suspected by the patriot committees at [[w:German Flatts, New York|German Flats]] and [[w:Cherry Valley, New York|Cherry Valley]] of selling provisions to the notorious [[w:Joseph Brant|Joseph Brant]]. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References#James H. Pickering|"James H. Pickering"]]
[[w:1776|1776]].
But the [[w:American Revolution|Revolution]] came along to ruin things. [[w:William Edmeston|Edmeston]], as [[w:colonel:colonel]] of the [[w:British Army|British Army]], was viewed with suspicion and kept in [[w:Albany, New York|Albany]] and [[w:Kingston, New York|Kingston]]. Carr was known to be a [[w:loyalist|loyalist]] and to sell provisions to [[w:Joseph Brant|Joseph Brandt]] ["Brant"], so that the patriots at [[w:German Flatts, New York|German Flats]] and [[w:Cherry Valley, New York|Cherry Valley]] kept close tabs on him. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References|"Mary E. Cunningham"]]
[[w:1777|1777]].
Upon the eastern shore of the Unadilla, opposite a portion of Brookfield, lay the Edmeston Estate. This was a large tract of land ceded to Col. Edmeston, a British officer in the French war of 1763. ["The grant for this tract was obtained by Robert and William Edmeston, in 1770"] About 1770, Col. Edmeston sent Percifer Carr, a faithful soldier who had served under him to settle upon the estate. Mr. Carr and his wife with their servants, were for a long series of years the only white inhabitants of the Unadilla valley. During the Revolution, Mr. Carr, it is believed, was friendly to the British Government. The following letter by [[w:Joseph Brant|Brant]] to Mr. Carr, in the Indian's own orthography, we extract from Campbell's "Annals of Tryon County" : 
[[w:1778|1778]].
That Mr. Carr was in sympathy with the cause of his countrymen and against that of the Colonies, can hardly be doubted, though there is no account that he at any time actually engaged in the struggle pending. There is no doubt, however, about one thing; that the Unadilla bore from this estate supplies to the British and Indian armies. The subjoined seems to confirm the view taken: — 
In Sep., 1778 [[w:Percifer Carr|Carr’s]] house was burned by a band of British Indians despite his loyalist leanings, and Carr was hauled off to [[w:Fort Niagara|Fort Niagara]]. Enroute he is said to have been curiously treated by the Indians, being forced to lie down and serve as a bridge at shallow streams. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References|"Mary E. Cunningham"]]
[[History of Edmeston, New York/People#Langworthy|George Langworthy]] bought the Carr farm from [[History of Edmeston, New York/People#DeLancy|Oliver DeLancy]] and found a large lead kettle buried in the ground and several large axes were recently found ["1926"] which by their appearance had been buried purposely. There has been speculation as to the leaving of Carr and his family at one time. Some have maintained he placed himself in the protection of the Indians as the [[w:Oneida tribe|Oneida Indians]] were very bitter toward the [[w:Tory|Tories]]. Others claim he was taken prisoner by the Oneidas. However, the writer thinks he was taken prisoner by hostile Indians who knew nothing of his Tory sentiments. 
[[History of Edmeston, New York/People#Russell|Robert E. Russell]] acted as agent for the Edmeston heirs at one time surveying lands and selling them off as other settlers wanted them. Some of the finest lands in [[w:Columbus, New York|Columbus]] were received by Russell for his services. He was at one time a very wealthy man. However, his dissolute habits and time spent at the tavern of "Greenwood and Champlin" proved his final ruin. Russell boarded with [[History of Edmeston, New York/People#Button|Silas Button]] who lived in a Carr house when [[History of Edmeston, New York/People#DeLancy|Warren DeLancy]] bought the Carr farm. A [[w:powder horn|powder horn]] was found on the Carr farm and owned by the [[History of Edmeston, New York/People#Hoxie|Solomon Hoxie]] family. It had the name of the maker, the date, and for whom made, with a map of the [[w:Hudson Valley|Hudson Valley]], the [[w:Mohawk Valley|Mohawk Valley]] and Albany and sketched at the top and bottom and forts and settlement in between New York and the upper lakes, etc. "Col. Timothy Bottles, owner; coat of arms;" the maker was Joshua Parmenow. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References|"Ethel Edwards"]]
The date is September 16, 1778 just one year and one month after the bloody [[w:Battle of Oriskany|battle of Oriskany]]. Since spring the western frontier in central New York has been subjected to raids and rumors of raids by Indian and [[w:Tory|Tory]] forces.
The enemy is centered around [[w:Onaquaga|Onaquaga]] ["near present-day [[w:Windsor, New York|Windsor, New York]] where Rt. 17 crosses the Susquehanna"] under the Indian chief, [[w:Joseph Brant|Joseph Brandt]] ['Brant']. General [[w:Nickolas Herkimer|Herkimer]] had met with Brandt at Unadilla, south of Edmeston on June 28, 1777 in a peace attempt to keep the Indians of New York neutral during the Revolution.
The attempt to make peace failed and raids on border areas were a severe hardship on farmers trying to produce enough food for their families and the new nation.
Scouts assigned by the militia to keep track of enemy movements were discovered as they encountered a raiding party of 500 Indian and Tories bent on destroying [[w:German Flatts, New York|German Flatts]], westernmost settlement in the Mohawk Valley.
All the Scouts were killed near Edmeston except [[w:Adam Helmer|Adam Helmer]] who began the 40 mile run to warn the settlers of the [[w:Mohawk Valley|Mohawk Valley]]. Revolutionary Scout Adam Helmer was 24 years of age when on September 16, 1778, he ran 40 miles from Edmeston to [[w:Fort Herkimer|Fort Herkimer]] to warn the settlers of an impending raid by 500 Indians and Tories under Chief Joseph Brandt. He was described by a descendant as thin, tall black haired, and a good runner.
Word of mouth, fact, and legend has it that Adam Helmer ran through 40 miles of wooded, hilly terrain toward ["present-day"] [[w:Schuyler Lake, New York|Schuyler Lake]], up the west side of [[w:Canadarago Lake|Canadarago Lake]] to ["present-day"] [[w:Richfield Springs, New York|Richfield Springs]] to warn the settlers of the impending raid. The settlement of [[w:Little Lakes, New York|Little Lakes]] may have been avoided because of the Tory sympathizers.
He continued running with Tories and Indians in pursuit to [[w:Andrustown, New York|Andrustown]] ["near present-day [[w:Jordanville, New York|Jordanville]]"] where two months before, on July 18, the settlement was destroyed in an enemy raid. The enemy killed five and captured others before burning the buildings. Andrustown had also been destroyed in the French and Indian wars twenty years before. Members of the remaining families now living in Fort Herkimer had returned to harvest the remaining crops when Adam arrived in Andrustown. Helmer ended his 40 mile run at Fort Herkimer, enabling the settlers to escape with their lives. A few hours later Tories and Indians completely leveled their homes and crops on September 17, 1778.
The Adam Helmer Run was immortalized in the historical novel "[[w:Drums Along the Mohawk|Drums Along the Mohawk]]" by [[w:Walter D. Edmonds|Walter D. Edmonds]] and made into a popular movie starring [[w:Henry Fonda|Henry Fonda]]. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References|"anonymous"]]
["The film version, directed by [[w:John Ford|John Ford]], omitted Helmer's run and a good deal else from the book."]
[[w:1779|1779]].
Col. Gardner and Alexander Parker coming down from [[w:Bennington, Vermont|Bennington]] joined [[w:John Sullivan|General Sullivan's]] army at [[w:Otsego Lake|Otsego Lake]], New York. [[w:James Clinton|General Clinton]] had been responsible for [[w:dam|damming]] up the [[w:Susquehanna River|Susquehanna River]], holding back the water which would later carry the troops down the river, surprising the Indians. Col. Gardner and Alexander were impressed by the countryside and in [[History of Edmeston, New York/1790s|1790]] returned as civilians to locate on the land. — [[History of Edmeston, New York/References#Winifred Wilcox Parker|"Winifred Wilcox Parker"]]
["John Sullivan himself was probably not at Otsego. James Clinton was Sullivan's second in command during the [[w:Sullivan Expedition|Sullivan-Clintion Expedition]] and was leading his men south from the [[w:Mohawk River|Mohawk River]] to meet Sullivan at [[w:Tioga, New York|Tioga]]."]