FINAL SKOHERE VOLUME FEATURES PALATINES IN SCHOHARIE VALLEY

SCHOHARIE - Historian Jeff O’Connor announces the third and final installment in his Skohere and the Birth of New York’s Western Frontier 1609-1731 series.  Volume III 1703-1731 is now available.  Inquiries about the book can be made by emailing colonialny@turningpoint1777.com or calling 518 823-4307

The first two volumes established the network of people and events that impacted the century of Schoharie Valley history preceding the arrival of the German Palatine refugees in 1712.  Volume III traces the Palatine journey to, and experiences in, the valley and the circumstances that caused many to leave.

The author says, “The Palatine journey is one of the great immigration stories, but it is also part of the foundational history of Schoharie Valley and County.  This story is not theirs alone.  They impacted other lives and pushed frontiers along the way.”  

The Palatines began arriving in the Schoharie Valley in 1712.  Two small Mohawk communities were in the Valley before them.  Adam Vrooman, a Dutchman from Schenectady, arrived not long after the Palatines.  Volumes I and II, according to O’Connor, connect an extensive network of people and events to the Schoharie Valley.  Many become key parts of the Palatine narrative.

Volume III begins in Europe, during the War for the Spanish Succession that causes the exodus of over 13,500 German refugees, the Palatines, to seek England’s help toward a better life.  The journey of about 3,000 leads them from England to New York to produce naval materiel for the British Navy.  A portion of this group ends up in the Schoharie Valley.  O’Connor states, “The group that came to the Schoharie Valley depended on the Mohawk people for land and survival.  A unique relationship developed. The problem was that the Palatines had no legal right to the land and struggled to keep it.”

The sometimes violent fight to retain land in the Schoharie Valley failed, leading many to remove to the Mohawk Valley or Tulpehocken, Pennsylvania.  Those who left for the Mohawk Valley, according to the author, pushed the western frontier of New York further and faster than previously.  “It took about 100 years to move the frontier 40 miles west of the Hudson, but just a decade more to move it another 40.  That happens directly because of the Palatines who lived in the Schoharie Valley.”

Although a familiar story, many aspects don’t hold up to scrutiny. Author Jeff O’Connor presents a narrative that questions much of what has previously been written and understood about the Palatine experience in the Schoharie Valley. “The narrative challenges the standard telling of how they obtained land in the Schoharie Valley from the Mohawks, their removal from the Hudson Valley naval store camps, the dorfs, the nature of the roads they cleared, and so much more. The comprehensive approach features fresh analysis of the documentary record, as well as exploration of new angles and perspectives  that will shake up Schoharie Valley history a bit,” O’Connor adds. 

All three volumes can be found at The Apple Barrel in Schoharie, Catnap Books in Cobleskill, Schoharie Valley Farms in Schoharie, The Old Stone Fort Museum in Schoharie, and the Fort Plain Museum. They can also be found through the author’s online store at www.turningpoint1777.com.  

Jeff O’Connor is an accomplished historian who has a deep connection to the Schoharie County historical community.  He and his wife Pam team up as Turning Point 1777 to provide guided walking and driving tours in Schoharie County, authentic historic flag reproductions, and publications.  For more information, please visit www.turningpoint1777.com or Facebook.com/turningpoint1777