Christopher Yates (1737-1785) of Schenectady was a surveyor by trade, a job that brought him into the frequent employ of Sir William Johnson. When the French and Indian War began in 1755, Yates joined the Second Albany Militia, serving under Johnson at some of the most crucial battles.
He was among the British troops defeated at Ticonderoga early in the contest during the July 8, 1758 Battle of Carillon, the bloodiest event of the war, with over 3,000 causalities. He later participated in the successful siege of Fort Niagara in July 1759. [Read more…] about The Christopher Yates Papers Reveal Revolutionary Details
Constructed around 1767, the “Brick House” located at Mabee Farm Historic Site in Rotterdam Junction, 
Before the United States flag took its official and now more familiar form in 1777, several other flags served to protest infringements on liberties in the British colonies. One popular design, long before independence, simply proclaimed “Liberty.”
