The New York History Blog

Historical News and Views from the Empire State

Civil War

First To Volunteer: The Conflicting Civil War Claims

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Josias R. King Statue When rumbles of impending Civil War rolled through the North, New Yorkers were roused to volunteer even before Fort Sumter was taken and the President rallied troops.

After Sumter fell and Lincoln issued his proclamation, more New Yorkers offered their service to the Union. Likewise, men in other states sought to join the Union army both before and after the proclamation.

After the war, some of those early, quick volunteers also battled to be named the first volunteer for the Union. Months, years, and decades after the war, numerous claims and accolades for who had been the first volunteer began emerging across the North. [Read more…] about First To Volunteer: The Conflicting Civil War Claims

Rev. L. M. Hobbs: Teacher, Chaplain, Thief?

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Third Regiment USCTLewis Merwin Hobbs was born in 1824 in the Delaware County town of Bloomville. He became a teacher in New York State before relocating to Lancaster County, Pa., where, in 1854, he became a moving force in the creation of the teachers’ academy which would one day become Millersville University.

During the Civil War, Rev. Hobbs served as the chaplain of the Third Regiment United States Colored Troops, labored for the Freedman’s Bureau, wrote a school bill for freedmen in the south and later became a circuit preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia Conference. [Read more…] about Rev. L. M. Hobbs: Teacher, Chaplain, Thief?

1000th Historic Marker Grant Awarded by Foundation

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Schule Bell marker casting provided by Pomeroy FoundationAn intriguing piece of North Country folklore with Civil War origins will be featured on the 1,000th historic roadside marker funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, a private grant-making foundation based in Syracuse, NY.

Passed down for generations, this local lore describes an inventive plot carried out by a few Union soldiers in Virginia. Under the cover of night, the soldiers snuck to a derailed Confederate train and made off with its bell. They hid their acquisition inside a coffin labeled “Schule Bell” and successfully sent the rigged casket to Theresa, NY, where one soldier had family ties and knew the community needed a bell for its schoolhouse. [Read more…] about 1000th Historic Marker Grant Awarded by Foundation

2020 Annual Lincoln Remembrance Day Events

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lincoln day events

The State of New York during the American Civil War was a major influence in national politics, the Union war effort, and the media coverage of the war. New York was the most populous state in the Union during the Civil War, and provided more troops to the Union Army than any other state, as well as several significant military commanders and leaders. [Read more…] about 2020 Annual Lincoln Remembrance Day Events

Everyone Knows Elsie: A Short Borden Company History

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WelcomeBackElsieWhen you enter the hamlet of Wallkill, you are greeted by the happy face of the Borden Company’s mascot, Elsie the Cow. The company’s website states that this mascot dates to the 1930s.

Underneath Elsie is a sign stating that the Hamlet of Wallkill was the location the “Home Farm” of John G. Borden. Thus, many commonly believe that Borden Condensed Milk was in fact invented in the Hamlet of Wallkill; however, its origins can be traced to Burrville, Connecticut and Gail Borden, Jr. Actually, the business was not originally called Borden at all – that title would come later. [Read more…] about Everyone Knows Elsie: A Short Borden Company History

Civil War Actor Maggie Mitchell in NYC

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maggie mitchellCaitlin Hawke, long time Bloomingdale resident is set to give a presentation on Civil War actress Maggie Mitchell on Tuesday, January 14th, at Hostelling International, 891 Amsterdam Avenue (at 103rd St.), in Manhattan.

Hawke will tell the story of the St. Andoche, a building constructed for beloved Civil War actor Maggie Mitchell who lived there for two decades until her death at the age of 81 in 1918. [Read more…] about Civil War Actor Maggie Mitchell in NYC

New Captial District Civil War Round Table Podcasts

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capital district civil war round table podcastThree new episodes of the Capital District Civil War Round Table Podcast are now available.

Author Joseph Collea talked about his book New York and the Lincoln Specials. In the winter of 1861, President-elect Lincoln traveled across New York State on his way to Washington, D.C., as the secession crisis unfolded. In 1865, Lincoln’s body retraced that route before burial in Springfield. Collea covers both journeys including Lincoln’s reception in Buffalo, Albany, and New York City in 1861 and the outpouring of support for the deceased president in 1865. [Read more…] about New Captial District Civil War Round Table Podcasts

Fort Plain Museum’s Christmas at the Fort

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Fort Plain Museum Holiday EventThe Fort Plain Museum is set to hold its annual Christmas at the Fort holiday event on Saturday, December 7th, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Back this year is the local author book fair featuring local authors from the Mohawk Valley and Capital Region. Authors will sign and discuss their books on Mohawk Valley history, the American Revolution, the Civil War, Science Fiction/Horror, Politics, and more nonfiction/fiction works. [Read more…] about Fort Plain Museum’s Christmas at the Fort

U.S. Grant Talk Planned for Schoharie Crossing

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President Grant writing his memoirs during his final days Ben Kemp from Grant Cottage State Historic Site is set to speak on the final days the Civil War General and U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant on Tuesday, November 5th, at the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site. This will begin the fifth annual Tuesday Talk series to recognize New York State History Month. [Read more…] about U.S. Grant Talk Planned for Schoharie Crossing