District 9 - Knappville School House Stratford

 

 

The Knappville School on Piseco Rd.

Known as the District 9 Knappville School house, the School was made of 2 x 4s from the Knapp Sawmill. The school house was also used for church services and sabbath school.

The school was consolidate when the Stratford Central School was built in 1930 . It was later sold as a private home. The school house was destroyed by fire in 1969. 

 The property for the school was conveyed by Wheeler Knapp and his wife for a school on December 23, 1867.

In a special meeting held at the Knappville School house on September 1943 it was decided to sell the school house and property. The property sold in 1943 for $69.00.

The House that Helterline built

  

 

David Helterline, at the age of 21, emigrated with his family from Bavaria to Stratford in 1852. Census records note that he was a farmer and engaged in lumber and bark.  He married Margareta Lorse and together they had 11 children.  

 

 By 1882 he owned a saw mill in Oregon at the north end of Stratford, and one on the western shore of Canada Lake.  By 1897 he had purchased land around Pleasant Lake including the saw mill at the south east corner of the lake.   His other businesses were  a tub factory and a general store.  

 

David held different town positions through the years; 

    Highway Commissioner for 7 terms, 

    Town Supervisor for 4 terms, 

    One of two Postmasters.   

 

In an 1896 newspaper article David Helterline was noted to be the wealthiest man and most extensive landowner in Stratford.   At the time of the article he owned 5,183½ acres of land.   

 

Prior to 1890, he built the house that now stands at the corner of Piseco Rd and 29A.  Upon his retirement in 1891 he moved his family into the new house.  A newspaper article from 1902 shows a photo taken for the Golden Wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. David Helterline with the Stratford house in the background. This house still stands today in Stratford.

 

Emmonsburg (Stratford, NY) and Delos White Emmons

 

The area that we know today as Emmonsburg, has in the past been known by other names.  The area names were usually in reference to an influential person that lived in the area.    Early Stratford town minutes referred to the area as Hart’s Bridge and later Whitesburgh.   Today we know the area as Emmonsburg.  Who was the Emmons that gave Emmonsburg its name?

 

Delos White Emmons was born in Oneonta, New York in 1828.  He moved with his family to the Stratford area in about 1858 – 1859, settling on the Herkimer side of the East Canada Creek.  He was in partnership with Israel Corse, and Edmond Thompson in a tannery also located on the west side of the creek.  The business was described as “tanners of sole leather and general dealers in merchandise”.   Also on this property was a store.

 

Delos Emmons also owned two lots of land on the Stratford, Fulton County side of the East Canada Creek.    Assessment records for his Stratford properties show that on these properties were two houses and a barn.

 

In 1859 Delos Emmons moved the post office from Stratford, Fulton County to Herkimer.    In 1872 it was moved back to Stratford, Fulton County.  In 1892 the Post office changed the name from Emmonsburgh to Emmonsburg removing the H.  

 

Delos left the Herkimer/Stratford area in about 1870.  As per the book West Virginia and its People,  Volume 2, page 126,  Emmons later went on to join his brother in law, Collis P. Huntington  in a real estate venture in West Virginia.   The book continues to indicate that he selected the site of the present city of Huntington, West Virginia and named it after Mr. Huntington.  It was in West Virginia he acquired great wealth. 

 

Bringing farming back to Stratford - Scott Seeley’s Fictitious Farm

 

Farming had been one of the main occupations listed for Stratford residents since the town was founded in 1805.  But as many know farming is not easy in the Adirondacks.  Short growing seasons, a terrain that is rocky and unforgiving and unpredictable weather all provide challenges to those that have farmed this area.   Stratford’s farms began dwindling in the 20th century.   But there are those that have a vision of forest farming.  Scott Seeley is one of those farmers. 

 

Scott Seeley founded his 85-acre Fictitious farm in 2015.   Scott is assisted by his wife Amy, and children Katelyn and Hayden.  Scott studied wildlife biology as an undergraduate in Montana before returning to this area.    Scott farms cows, chickens, turkeys and pigs.  His livestock are raised on his farm’s forestland.  His goal was to make the farm as sustainable as possible and the livestock to coexist with wildlife.   Scott follows an old Adirondack farming practice called Silvopasture.  Silvopasture is used in mountainous terrains and involves the integration of trees into grazing of livestock.   This type of farming provides animals with a nutrient-rich diet.

 

Scott sells his products at the Spa City Farmers’ Market on Sundays from 10 to 2 p.m. all year round, Speculator Farmers’ Market on Thursdays 2-5 and Canada Lake Store & Marina in Caroga Lake.  

 

Scott also offers a Chicken CSA where customers who sign up will receive a chicken a week.    Fresh turkeys are available at Thanksgiving, and delicious hams are for sale during the year.  This year he is offering half hog’s cut to your specifications.   

 

It is very comforting to know that the food you are eating comes from a sustainable farm.  It is even better to know that it comes from your town.

 

If you are not able to get to one of the farmers markets Scott does sell from the farm by appointment only.   His number is 518-752-9083.    He is hoping to set up a store soon. 

 

Follow Scott and Fictitious Farm on Facebook, and  Instagram or come see him at one of the many area events where he sells delicious chicken on a stick, burgers and sausage . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edward Ellice - Landowner in Stratford and New York State

 As I was reviewing the 1862 Stratford Town Assessment records, I came across a notation made by the Stratford Assessor in the nonresident section.   The note stated that a list of debits owed  by the inhabitants of the Town of Stratford, County of Fulton, NY to the Honorable Edward Ellice, a resident of London in the Kingdom of Great Britian.  There were two names mentioned, and the amounts that were owed shown on the page.  The two individuals  listed leased property in Stratford from Edward Ellice.  Unfortunately, the total acerage that that Edward Ellice owned in Stratford is not listed in these records.

 Who was Edward Ellice and why did someone from Britian own property in Stratford?

The story of Edward Ellice and his father Alexander is extensive and far too large to write in this post.   For this post I’ll provide a condensed version of their accomplishments and property ownership.

 Alexander Ellice completed his schooling for law at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.  Upon completion of his training he was admitted to the Scottish Bar. 

 With little opportunities in the legal profession in Scotland, Ellice came To North America with his four brothers and settled in Schenectady, NY in 1765.   There the Ellice men  joined in a partnership with a fellow Scotsman named  James Phyn.  With Phyn they engaged in the fur trade and general merchandising business in upstate New York and the lower Great Lakes.  The company later expanded their financial base and took contracts to provision military posts and the  the grain trade. 

 Alexander Ellice wisely invested his profits from these endeavors in mortgages and land in northern New York.  One such site was a mill acquired from Sir William Johnson in Little Falls.    In 1770 Ellice was granted a royal patent for 40,000 acres near Cooperstown.  He owned property in Montgomery and Herkimer County was extensive and most of the property was leased.  These holdings included Stratford.     On Alexander’s death his son Edward bought out the interests of the property holdings from his siblings becoming sole owner.

 

Samuel Bennett - Stratford's first Town Supervisor

We have been working on the background for Samuel Bennett, Stratford’s first town Supervisor.   We were surprised to find out that our first supervisor came with previous supervisor experience from a town near Stratford.

The first time we see a reference to Samuel Bennett is on April 4^th, 1797, in the Salisbury, New York town minutes.  This date is significant as it was when Salisbury was established.  Samuel is listed as an Assessor in the Salisbury Town  minutes.      In 1800 he becomes Salisbury Town Supervisor.  He also held the post as Commissioner of Excise for Salisbury.  

On April 4^th, 1804, Samuel was appointed Justice of the Peace for Palatine, Montgomery County.  This moves us up in Stratford's timeline  that a petition was filed to establish Stratford.   In 1805 Stratford is established and Samuel becomes Stratford’s first town Supervisor. 

The Gazetteer of the State of New York notes that in 1800 the first settlement in an area of the  Town of Palatine,  which would become Stratford was started by Samuel Bennett.   This settlement was known as Bennett’s Settlement. 

The Stratford Town minutes provide the location of Bennett’s Settlement when describing the laying out of a common highway.   “The highway is in the back part of the town called Bennett’s Settlement and begins and runs as follows.  Begins at the house of Joseph Mallett on the road leading from Johnstown to Salisbury, beginning at the line between lots 7 & 8 in Glen Bleeker Patent Great lot 91”.   This road would be what we now know as Hwy 119.

Samuel’s involvement in the town government did not stop with his 1805 supervisor position.  He also held the following positions in Stratford:

1806    Town Supervisor

1807    Town Supervisor

1808    Town Supervisor, Inspector of Elections

1813     Overseer of Highways

1816     Assessor

1817     Assessor, Inspector of Elections

1818      School Inspector

1820      Inspector of Common Schools

 

Beer’s history notes that Samuel Bennett ran the first tavern in Stratford.

 There is much more than we can present here for Samuel Bennett at this time.   We’ll continue with his history at a later date.