• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • RSS
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

Saratoga County History Roundtable

The Saratoga County Family That Lost 2 Of 6 Sons During WWII

May 10, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The Gagnon brothers of Saratoga from The Saratogian in the Summer of 1944On July 1, 1944, as the Second World War raged in Europe and the Pacific, a Western Union telegram arrived at the Saratoga Springs home of Aurora Asheych notifying her of the death in combat of her 21-year-old son, U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Joseph Leonard Gagnon. Two months later, she received word that another son, Army Pvt. Victor Francis Gaynor, 19, was reported killed in action in France. Earlier that year, all six of Aurora’s sons were in the military. [Read more…] about The Saratoga County Family That Lost 2 Of 6 Sons During WWII

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Genealogy, Marine Corps, Military History, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Springs

361 Votes: Saratoga County’s 1898 Leadership Battle

April 2, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Saratoga County Supervisors 1898The recent battle for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives left many astounded that it took so many votes to reach a conclusion. However, Saratoga County once went through a situation that makes the House of Representatives battle look like very small potatoes. [Read more…] about 361 Votes: Saratoga County’s 1898 Leadership Battle

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Ballston, Charlton, Edinburg, Galway, Halfmoon, Malta, Mechanicville, Milton, Political History, Providence, Saratoga, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Springs, Stillwater, Waterford

James Bailey: A Confederate Guerrilla in Saratoga County

February 15, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas in March 1862 by Kurz and AllisonThe Civil War claimed more Americans than any other conflict involving the United States. This is the story of how James Bailey, a staunch Confederate once in armed revolt against the United States, found himself in Saratoga County.

At about 5 am on August 10, 1861, an attack ordered by United States General Nathaniel Lyon was launched against the Confederates at Wilson’s Creek, near Springfield, Missouri. The Battle of Wilson’s Creek, in which about 5,400 United States troops faced about 12,00 Confederates, was the first major conflict west of the Mississippi River. [Read more…] about James Bailey: A Confederate Guerrilla in Saratoga County

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Ballston Spa, Burnt Hills, Civil War, free, Military History, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable

Ben Brotherson’s Bank Scheme

February 1, 2023 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

New York Herald, March 24, 1858Around 1800, Philip and Catharine Brotherson arrived in Blue Corners on the western edge of Charlton in Saratoga County. Over the next 40 years, their five children grew to maturity, the last being Benjamin Kissam Brotherson, born in 1819.

At the age of sixteen, Benjamin was hired as a clerk for the dry goods merchant James Winne in Albany, New York. During his time in Albany, he was known as an upstanding young man of good moral character. Three years later, in 1838, he moved to the city of New York and took a job at Union Bank, where he would work for the next twenty years. [Read more…] about Ben Brotherson’s Bank Scheme

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, New York City Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, Charlton, Crime and Justice, Financial History, Gambling, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Vice, Wall Street

Sam Hill: Folklore & History Of A Saratoga Resident

January 22, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Sam Hill Painting - Laurence White PhotographyThough perhaps a dying proverb, “What in Sam Hill?!” used to be commonplace as an expression of exasperation. A quick internet search will point to several possible origin stories that explain where this phrase came from but the definitive truth remains elusive.

Could it be that a Saratoga County resident known by this common moniker contributed to this once-popular phrase? [Read more…] about Sam Hill: Folklore & History Of A Saratoga Resident

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Abenaki, Folklore, Greenfield, Indigenous History, Mohawk, Saratoga, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Springs

Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

January 4, 2023 by Guest Contributor 10 Comments

Twin Bridges I-87 NorthwaySince it opened to traffic on April 11, 1960, millions of vehicles traveling the I-87 Northway have passed over the Mohawk River on what they think are called on “The Twin Bridges.” That bridge however, is really named for a Polish-American hero of the American Revolution – Taddeus Kosciusko. [Read more…] about Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: American Revolution, Army Corps of Engineers, Battle of Saratoga, Engineering History, Essex County, Fort Ticonderoga, Hudson River, I-87, Immigration, John Burgoyne, Lake Champlain, Lake George, Military History, Mohawk River, Mount Defiance, Polish History, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Schuylerville, Taddeus Kosciusko, Warren County, Washington County, Waterford, West Point

A Special Christmas At Saratoga County’s Poorhouse

December 25, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Saratoga County PoorhouseThe end of 1873 ushered in change at the Saratoga County Poorhouse in the form of a brand-new building, along with a novelty the residents had never before enjoyed – a Christmas tree. [Read more…] about A Special Christmas At Saratoga County’s Poorhouse

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Christmas, Milton, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable

Christmas On The Home Front: Corinth During The Second World War

December 25, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Town of Corinth World War II Roll of Honor stood at Schoolhouse Hill on Palmer Avenue and was later removed, stored for some time and later disposed ofThe Christmas Season is one of sharing and giving. During the Second World War the generosity of the Corinth community in Saratoga County, NY was much like that of small towns around the country. Children as well as adults were active participants in supporting activities on the home front. [Read more…] about Christmas On The Home Front: Corinth During The Second World War

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Christmas, Corinth, Saratoga, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, womens history

Henry Knox, Phillip Schuyler and Lake Champlain’s Cannon in Boston

December 25, 2022 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Knox Artillery Train courtesy National Archives CollectionOne of the iconic stories of the American Revolution is the laborious trek of a contingent of newly-minted patriots, led by Henry Knox, lugging cannon from the fort at Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights, forcing the British to abandon Boston, an important early victory is our long fight for freedom.

Few may realize that important decisions while the expedition was in Saratoga County were key to the success of the mission. [Read more…] about Henry Knox, Phillip Schuyler and Lake Champlain’s Cannon in Boston

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: American Revolution, Boston, Columbia County, Essex County, Fort Ticonderoga, Henry Knox, Lake Champlain, Military History, Philip Schuyler, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Warren County

‘Ever & Affectionally your Daughter’: The Flora Jewett Letters

December 22, 2022 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

Flora Jewett Letter to her father April 14, 1808 (courtesy William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)Over 200 years ago a young woman picked up a quill and wrote of her happiness, success, sadness, and loss as she embarked on a new life far from family and friends. The woman was 24-year-old Flora Jewett and the place was Galway, a small community in rural Saratoga County, New York.

Flora Baldwin had married Thaddeus Jewett in early 1807 and soon after they left Newtown, Connecticut for Galway where Thaddeus’ family resided. It was shortly after arriving in Galway that the letters begin. [Read more…] about ‘Ever & Affectionally your Daughter’: The Flora Jewett Letters

Filed Under: Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Connecticut, Galway, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Writing

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 14
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Help Support The Almanack

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • arc skuta on MicroHistory and Migration: From Moltrasio to London, New York and Montreal
  • Nancy Robinson on Former Saratoga and North Creek Railway Purchased
  • Bernard McCann on Zoar Valley Improvements Update
  • Arlene Steinberg on Record Broken for Oldest Bear Hunter
  • Pam Malcolm on Raines Law, Loopholes and Prohibition
  • Ron Crawfordi on Raines Law, Loopholes and Prohibition
  • Don S on Rangers Make 16-Hour Adirondack Rescue in Deep Snow
  • Gene Porter on 19th Century Northern NY Railroad News
  • J F Sefcik on Did George Washington Burn New York City?
  • T on Rangers Make 16-Hour Adirondack Rescue in Deep Snow

Recent New York Books

The Motorcycle Industry in New York State
Unfriendly to Liberty
weeds of the northeast
Putting Out the Planetary Fire: An Introduction to Climate Action and Advocacy
Seneca Ray Stoddard An Intimate Portrait of an Adirondack Legend
rebels at sea
The Great New York Fire of 1776
politics of trash
Indivisible
Virginia Venture Misha Ewen

Secondary Sidebar

Mohawk Valley Trading Company Honey, Honey Comb, Buckwheat Honey, Beeswax Candles, Maple Syrup, Maple Sugar
preservation league