128 



The Palatine Emigration. 



not covered with forests like the hills around. In the 

 autumn of 1712, and the spring of 1713, about seven hun- 

 dred and fifty persons left East and West camps by the 

 way of Albany and Schenectady for their new home. A 

 large number of them remained in these two towns over 

 the winter on account of anticipated hardships. The six 

 settlements which they founded on the banks of the river 

 extended from what is now Middleburgh on the south, 

 northward through Schoharie Court House to the point 

 where Cobleskill creek empties into Schoharie river. 1 

 During their stay in Albany and Schenectady, and after 

 they reached Schoharie, the Dutch residents were profuse 

 in their charities to them. The consistory of the Dutch 

 church in lew York city sent up a large store of provi- 

 sions which they had collected, and enjoined upon the 

 other consistories to distribute them. 2 



After undergoing great privations during several years, 

 the sheriff of the county in behalf of gentlemen in New 

 York and Albany endeavored to dispossess them of the 

 land, they having become its purchasers. Notices were 

 posted up warning them off, and making them subject to 

 imprisonment if they remained. They were forbidden to 

 plow or sow. Some think that they were extremely ig- 

 norant of their own rights and the rights of others, and 

 acted in an impatient, headstrong and foolish spirit. 3 For 

 in consequence of these harrassing attempts, at least one- 

 half of them set out a third time to settle elsewhere. The 

 whole number settling in Schoharie during these first years 

 was probably never as high as 700, and the whole number 

 that remained in 1723, not more than 300 persons. 



The most marked and largest body that separated from 

 them went to Pennsylvania settling without leave on 



1 Kobel was the name of one of their list-men. 



2 Munsell's Annals of Albany, v, 7 . 



3 Brown's Sketch of Schoharie, 1823. 



