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The
name pops up daily—Montgomery County this and Montgomery County that…
It’s easy enough
to describe geographically. It straddles the Mohawk River from Cranesville
westward to out St. Johnsville way, wedged between Fulton and Schoharie
counties.
But how did the county
come to be known as Montgomery? And just who was Montgomery anyway, and
what did he do to get this chunk of land named after him?
His name was Richard
Montgomery, and he was a major general in the Continental Army during
the American Revolution. He got himself killed in a snowstorm as he led
a charge against Quebec in December 1775.
After the war, patriotic
folks in these parts started casting about to rename the county in which
they lived. It was still called Tryon in honor of British colonial governor
William Tryon, and that would never do.
It took an act of
the Legislature to change a name, and on April 2, 1784, the county—at
that point it included what is now both Fulton and Montgomery—was
renamed to honor Montgomery.
Local groups would
generally get together to come up with a name, said Edmund Winslow, senior
historian for the New York State Museum in Albany.
In the case of Montgomery
County, the name may have been debated by local residents, but historical
accounts make no reference to the process, says county historian—that’s
Montgomery County historian—Violet Fallone.
It was a popular choice.
Today, 18 counties and 13 cities in the United States are called Montgomery,
according to the Columbia-Littincott Gazetteer of the World.
Nobody gets to name
places around here much anymore. It was all done a long time ago. Here’s
how some spots in the valley came to be called what they are today:
Amsterdam
The town of Amsterdam was divided into five districts around 1772 soon
after the creation of Tryon County, the present Montgomery County. In
1788, Mohawk was divided and the portion north of the Mohawk River was
organized into a town called Caughnawaga, named after an ancient Indian
village near Fonda. What is now the city of Amsterdam was originally called
Veddersburg, after pioneer Albert Vedder. It was changed to Amsterdam
after a big fuss in the early 1800s.
Hagaman
The Hagaman family, contemporaries of the Vedder clan, built a cluster
of buildings up the Chuctanunda. Their name stuck, however.
Cranesville
Named after David Crane, who settled in the area in 1804.
Tribes Hill
Named because Indian tribes liked to get together there.
Rockton
Originally called Rock City.
Fort Johnson
Named after Sir William Johnson, a land agent and merchant who in 1740
established his home, business and mill in the area. Johnson built a large
stone mansion on the west side of the Kayaderosseras, 3 miles west of
Amsterdam, see Veddersburg. The building was later fortified and named
Fort Johnson. Hence, the territory, then known as Mount Johnson, was changed
to Fort Johnson.
Broadalbin
Formed on March 12, 1793, the town was named by Daniel McIntyre, an anti-revolutionary
pioneer who lived in what is now Perth.
He named the town
after his home in Scotland.
Ephratah
The town was formed on March 27, 1827, as one division of Palatine. Resident
Anthony Beck named the area after a biblical term meaning “abundance”
or “bearing fruit”.
St. Johnsville
The town was formed from Oppenheim on April 18, 1838. Some historians
say the territory was named after St. Johns Church, built in the village
by early settlers. Others, however, say no church existed by that name.
Instead, they claim the town was named after Alexander St. John of Northampton,
a well-respected surveyor and road builder. The town was originally called
Timmerman’s but area merchants Henry Lloyd and Christian Graff Jr.
named the first post office St. Johnsville.
Perth
Formed as a town on April 18, 1838 from Amsterdam, it was named Perth
Center by William Robb, one of its early settlers and a native of Perthshire,
Scotland.
Fort Hunter
The Indians named the town I-ca-de-ro-ga or Te-on-de-lo-ga, meaning “two
streams coming together.” White settlers knew it as Fort Hunter when
a fort was built on Oct. 11, 1711.
Fultonville
Named in honor of Robert Fulton, the site was known as Van Eps Swamp in
the late 1700s.
Canajoharie
Derived from the Indian name Ga-na-jo-hi-e, the word is said to signify
“a kettle shaped hole in the rock,” or “the pot that washes
itself.” According to historical accounts, it refers to a deep hole
worn in the rock at the falls on Bowman’s creek, a mile from its
mouth.
Fonda
Named after Douw Fonda, who came from Schenectady and settled in the area
in 1751. During the Revolution, he lived on flats near the river and became
friends with the William Johnson farmer. In 1780, at age 84, Fonda was
murdered by Indians under Sir John Johnson, a British Indian agent. Apparently,
the Johnson savages spared neither friend nor foe. The Indians called
the area Ga-na-wa-da, meaning “on the rapids”, or “stone
in the water”, and it became a popular resort for the Mohawks.
Johnstown
Formed from Caughnawaga on March 12, 1793, the town was named after Sir
William Johnson.
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