178 M. FORT JOHNSON, Pop. 680.
(Train 51 passes 12:18; No. 3, 1:15; No. 41, 5:23; No. 25, 6:33; No. 19, 9:56. Eastbound: No. 6 passes 5:03; No. 26, 5:36; No. 16, 11:03; No. 22, 12:59.)
This village is named for the house* and fort erected here in 1742, by Sir William Johnson, one of the most remarkable of the early pioneers.
Sir William Johnson (1715-1774) distinguished himself not only for the prosperous settlements which he built up along the valley of the Mohawk, but also for his military ability and his remarkable influence with the Iroquois Indians. Born in Ireland, he came to America in 1738 for the purpose of managing a tract of land in this valley belonging to his uncle, Admiral Sir Peter Warren. The fort which he built on the site of the present village bearing his name soon became the center of trade with the Indians, and likewise a strategic point for Johnson's military ventures. The Mohawks adopted him and elected him a sachem. He was at various times superintendent of the affairs of the Six Nations, commissary of the province for Indian affairs, and major-general in the British army. As a commanding officer he directed the expedition against Crown Point (1755) and in September of that year defeated the French and Indians, at the battle of Lake George. For his success he received the thanks of parliament and was created a baronet. He took part in a number of other expeditions against the French and Indians, and as a reward for his services the king granted him a tract of 100,000 acres of land north of the Mohawk River. It was in a great measure due to his influence that the Iroquois remained faithful to the cause of the colonies up to the time of the Revolutionary War. In 1739 Johnson married Catherine Wisenberg, by whom he had three children. After her death he had various mistresses, including a niece of the Indian chief Hendrick, and Molly Brant, a sister of the famous chief, Joseph Brant. It is said that he was the father of 100 children in all. After the French and Indian War he retired to the present Johnstown.
Joseph Brant, Thayendanegea (1742-1807)
(From original painting by Romney in collection of Earl of Warwick)
Chief Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant) of the Mohawk tribe was an unusual character, combining the savage traits of an Indian Warrior and the more civilized qualities of a politician and diplomat. Born on the banks of the Ohio River, he was sent to an Indian charity school (now Dartmouth College) at Lebanon, Conn., by Sir William Johnson. He fought with the English in the French and Indian War and with the Iroquois against Pontiac in 1763. Subsequently he became a devout churchman and settled at Canajoharie or Upper Mohawk castle, where he devoted himself to missionary work and translated the Prayer Book and St. Mark's Gospel into the Mohawk tongue. In the Revolutionary War he led the Mohawks and other Indians friendly to the British against the settlements on the N.Y. frontier, even taking part, despite his religion, in the Cherry Valley Massacre. After the war he aided the U.S. in securing treaties of peace with the Miamis and other western tribes. Subsequently he went to Canada as a missionary, and in 1786 visited England, where he raised funds with which was erected the first Episcopal Church in Upper Canada. Brant sat for his picture several times in England, once in 1776, at the request of Boswell (the author of the "Life of Johnson"), and during the same visit for the Romney portrait, at Warwick's request. In 1786 he was painted for the Duke of Northumberland and for a miniature to present to his daughter.
After 1763 the fort was occupied by his son Sir John, who, during the War of Independence organized a loyalist regiment known as the "Queen's Royal Greens," which he led at the battle of Oriskany, and in raids on Cherry Valley (1778-1780) and on the Mohawk Valley. The house, once used as a fort, is described by an early writer thus: "Col. Johnson's mansion is situated on the border of the north bank of the River Moack. It is three stories high (two with an attic) built of stone, with port-holes and a parapet, and flanked with four bastions on which are some small guns. In the yard, on both sides of the mansion, are two small houses; that on the right of the entrance is a store, and that on the left is designed for workmen, negroes and other domestics. The yard gate is a heavy swing-gate, well ironed; it is on the Moack River side; from this gate to the river is about two hundred paces of level ground. The high road passes there." The place, now somewhat remodeled, is owned by the Montgomery County Historical Society and many curious historic relics are on exhibition here. It is open to the public daily.