In 1845, Amasiah Ford of Ballston Spa wrote a multi-page manuscript for his application seeking a veteran’s pension. The account of his military experience 30-plus years earlier would be used 150 years later as references in several books on the War of 1812. [Read more…] about Hard Times For War of 1812 Veteran Amasiah Ford
Saratoga County History Roundtable
Tour Clute’s Dry Dock at Vischer Ferry June 26th
The Saratoga County History Roundtable has announced a tour of Clute’s Dry Dock on the Erie Canal at Vischer Ferry, set for Saturday, June 26th. [Read more…] about Tour Clute’s Dry Dock at Vischer Ferry June 26th
Medberry & Mann: Saratoga County’s Paper Collar Kings
Although no trace remains today, the Glen Paper Collar Company was a visible presence in the Saratoga County community of Ballston Spa 150 years ago. It was located in what was known as the “Blue Mill” on the north side of Milton Avenue, built as one of the area’s first grist mills. The collar company was one of the largest of its kind in the country and its owners, Horace Medbery and Henry Mann, were prolific inventors. [Read more…] about Medberry & Mann: Saratoga County’s Paper Collar Kings
Walking the Sanford Horses to Saratoga
Born in 1826, Stephen Sanford worked with his father John and then on his own to create the Sanford carpet mills in Amsterdam. He went to West Point, served in Congress and was a friend of Ulysses S. Grant.
In the early twentieth century, thoroughbred horses owned by Sanford were walked each summer to Saratoga from Sanford’s Hurricana Farm. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Hollie Hughes, who served three generations of Sanfords, recalled the annual trek in Alex M. Robb’s book, The Sanfords of Amsterdam. [Read more…] about Walking the Sanford Horses to Saratoga
Memories of a Childhood at Mount McGregor
My father was employed as an administrator at the Mount McGregor Veterans Rest Camp, Saratoga County, 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 two years of my age lived on Mount McGregor during that time. We were a loosely knit mostly outdoor group. [Read more…] about Memories of a Childhood at Mount McGregor
The 1921 Trail of Saratoga’s District Attorney That Turned Into A Riot
On May 11th, 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. [Read more…] about The 1921 Trail of Saratoga’s District Attorney That Turned Into A Riot
Ballston Anchor-Diamond Park History Tour
The Saratoga County History Roundtable will host their first member event of 2021, “Take a Walk in the Park — with History,” on Saturday, May 8th. [Read more…] about Ballston Anchor-Diamond Park History Tour
Sanbun Ford: An American Revolutionary Rediscovered
In 1976, as the nation prepared to celebrate its 200th birthday, my parents were already a year into the hunt for records of an elusive ancestor: Sanbun Ford, a founder of the town of Milton, in Saratoga County. [Read more…] about Sanbun Ford: An American Revolutionary Rediscovered
Egbert Ludovicus Viele: Engineer, Soldier, Politician
Egbert Ludovicus Viele died on April 22nd, 1902 at the age of 77 in the city of New York 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. [Read more…] about Egbert Ludovicus Viele: Engineer, Soldier, Politician
The Short Eventful Marriage of Henry and Eliza Vrooman
On April 15th, 1842, Henry A. Vrooman, a forty-one-year-old farmer living in West Charlton, Saratoga County, 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. [Read more…] about The Short Eventful Marriage of Henry and Eliza Vrooman