THE LOSS-CLAIM OF JOHANNES VEEDER
"The following information pertains to our ggg-greatgrandfather Johannes Veeder, who
suffered considerable losses in those same mentioned raids on the Mohawk Valley. Johannes Veeder
not only contributed his services and substance to the cause of liberty but suffered much pecuniary
loss through the destruction of a great amount of valuable property at the two raids of Sir John
Johnson on the Mohawk Valley which occurred on May 22, and October 18, 1780. His claim for losses
sustained thereby, as filed against the State and on record in the office of the State Comptroller
in Albany, New York is by far the largest amount of any of the many claims (2225 lbs. 13 shillings)
which were filed for reimbursement. No recompense, however, was secured by any of the claimants for
the losses. The following is a copy of the original loss-claim, certified by the State
Comptroller."
Joan Veeder [Note: 12/3/03: we haven't heard from Joan in several years. There is a woman listed on the Social Security Death Index who resided where Joan did, and we believe that Joan passed away not long
after we last heard from her.]
An account of the Damage which Johannes Veeder sustained by the Enemy under the command of Sir John Johnson, the 22d of May, 1780 at Caughnawaga.
Articles
One Dwelling House and Kitchen Burnt L S. D. [ = pounds] 300 0 0
of One Barn and Sheep Stable and Two Buildings Barracks and a Fanning Mill do* 250 0 0
One Griss Mill and Two Bolts do 400 0 0
One Brew House and Kittle do 200 0 0
One Saw Mill With Two Sets of Saws do 200 0 0
One Fueling Mill and Shop with all the Tools do 100 0 0
Two Dwelling Houses and a Currying Shop do 55 0 0
One Cyder Mill and Press do 7 0 0
One Three Banded Batteaux do 8 0 0
Articles
One Negro man and wench carried off 295 0 0
of Four Horses do* 50 0 0
Live Stock Eight Horn Cattle Killed 20 0 0
Four Hogs Killed 7 0 0
Thirty-Five Sheep and Seventeen Lambs Burnt 30 0 0
Articles
Black Smith Tools Burnt 7 0 0
of One Cross Cut Saw and other Different Carpenter's Tools do 5 0 0
Tools Shoemakers Tools and all sorts of Lasts do 4 0 0
Four Bushels of Salt do 10 0 0
One hundred Pounds of Sugar do 5 0 0
Twenty Pounds of Alum do 1 0 0
Twenty Pounds of Copperas do 1 10 0
Fourty Pounds of Hemp do 2 0 0
Fifty Pounds of Flaax do 2 10 0
Fifty Pounds of Wool do 5 0 0
Two sets of Gears for Slays do 8 0 0
One do for a Plough do 1 0 0
One slay do 3 0 0
Household
One Clock do 32 0 0
Three Looking Glasses 13 0 0
One MeHoggany Table 4 0 0
Five Cherry do 8 0 0
Two desks 10 0 0
One Cherry Slaw-Blank 4 0 0
Five Bedsteads 4 0 0
One Easing Chair and Pot 3 0 0
One dozen and an Half other do 6 0 0
Three Saddels 7 0 0
Articles
One hundred Skipples of Wheat 20 0 0
of Eighty Skipples of Peas 16 0 0
Grain Thirty Skipples of Barley 5 0 0
Ten Skipples of Rye 2 0 0
Thirty Skipples of Oats 3 0 0
Burnt Eighty Skipples of Corn 14 0 0
Cloth dresd for others** 10 0 0
Clothing Leather of Different Sorts 20 0 0
Bedding and Sundry other Articles too tedious to mention 100 0 0
***October 18, 1780. The Loss Sustained by the Enemy under the command of Sir John Johnson***
Articles
Two Hundred Skipples of Wheat 40 0 0
of Two Hundred do of Peas 40 0 0
Grain Two Hundred do of Oats 30 0 0
Burnt Seventeen Loads of Hay 20 0 0
___ ____ ____
Total 225 13 0
Simon Veeder
State of New York
Comptroller's Office Albany April 14th, 1897
I hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the original on file in this office. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of my office.
James A. Roberts
(Seal)
Comptroller
Most researchers have never seen a loss-claim. The manner of listing assets is similar in format to that seen in some Revolutionary War pension applications. Joan had just completed typing up the large profile of Montgomery County, which discusses the severity of Sir John Johnson's raids against the residents of the Mohawk Valley. Johannes was a very wealthy man in his day but this itemization of the destruction of his property shows types of material possessions the early settlers had on their farms.
Note: "Do" was a convention which is the equivalent of quotation marks indicating "same as above" or "ditto".
Joan's Veeder line was through Johannes' second-born son Abraham Veeder. According to Joan, "This information has been re-written numerous times and I believe a culmination of several articles, which made it next to impossible to determine where the original source came from."
JOHANNES VEEDER
Johannes of Johnstown or Fonda, New York was born to Volkert and Jannetje (Schermerhorn) Veeder on April 8, 1714 in Schenectady, New York. He was baptized on May 23,1714 in Albany.
On March 16, 1738 Johannes married Catharine Mebie (Mabie), daughter of Abraham Mebie and Annatje Vedder. Catherine was Johannes' first wife and the mother of their eleven children. He was about twenty-three at the time of their marriage. Their children were:
Annatie - - - Born January of 1739
Baptized October 14, 1739
Married Johannes Van Antwerp March 4, 1755
Died January 20, 1806
Volkert - - - Born or Baptized December 14, 1740, in Schenectady, NY
Married (1st) Elizabeth Smith March 4, 1762
(2nd) Maria Hardenberg
Died February 22, 1813
Jannetie - - - Baptized August 21, 1743 in Scenectady
Married John Davis June 4, 1763
Abraham - - - Born 1743
Baptized November 17, 1745 in Schenectady
Married (1st) Sarah Vedder February 14, 1768
(2nd) Annatie Fonda June 7, 1773
Died January 25, 1814 in Fonda
Simon - - - Born May 31, 1748 and baptized June 5, 1748 according to Schenectady Church records, but his tombstone says he was born June 11, 1748.
Married Margaret Terwiinger October 30, 1774
Died December 18, 1836
Maria - - - Born November 10, 1750
Baptized December 9, 1750 in Schenectady
Married Jan (John) Barent Wemple November 1, 1767
Died April 17, 1785
Catalina - - - Baptized August 5, 1753 in Schenectady
Eva - - - Baptized April 22, 1756
Catalyntje - - - Baptized December 10, 1758
Eva - - - Born April 2, 1761 in Fonda
John J. - - - - Born May 1 or 31, 1766
Married Maria A. Fonda May 11, 1788
Children
Died November 20 or 22, 1836
Until Johannes was thirty-six years of age in 1750, he resided at his native place, Schenectady. He then moved to Caughnawaga (Fonda, New York) where he became a prominent and influential citizen taking an active and leading part in every movement which had as its object the uplifting and advancement of the community. This was especially true with respect to his attitude toward the Colony of New York during the critical period of the Revolutionary War. It is at his house that the first public meeting in the Caughnawaga township was held for the purpose of denouncing the British Government. At this meeting a liberty pole was raised and it was this occasion which caused the first bloodshed in Tryon Co. That has become historically famous through the act of Col. Guy Johnson striking one of the persons present, Jacob Sammons, who was Johannes' son-in law.
Johannes Veeder was not only an illustrious citizen of Tryon County but he also had an exceptionally distinguished family. In fact, it is almost without parallel in the territory embraced within the bounds of old Tryon County, even to the present day. He himself, was not only a member of the State Legislature, but of a family of four sons, one was a member of the Provincial Congress and Lt. Col. of Militia in the Revolution; three were members of the Legislature for long periods; two were Presidential Electors and one was a County Judge.
Volkert Veeder - - In 1776 and 1777 Volkert was a member of the
Congress of the State of New York at the third and fourth sessions. He was also a member of the Assembly at sessions 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13. Volkert was a member of the 1788 Constitutional Convention and was a presidential elector in 1792, which George Washington won. George Washington was later inaugurated in New York City at Federal Hall on April 30, 1789.
Abraham Veeder - - A Captain of militia in the Revolution and Major General subsequently.
Simon Veeder - - A member of Assembly at the 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, and 23rd
sessions and elected County Judge in 1802.
John Veeder - - A state senator at the 29, 30, 31, and 32nd sessions and a presidential elector in 1832.
The descendants of such a family should certainly feel proud of their ancestry.
The following statement in writing was left by the late Simon I. Veeder, son of John and grandson of Johannes, viz:
"Johannes Veeder was by occupation a tailor, but after his removal to Tryon, or Montgomery County, about 1750, he became a large land owner, having 1400 acres in one tract adjoining the village of Caughnawaga, on which he built several mills, some of which were burned by the Indians and Tories in the time of the War of the Revolution, together with a brewery, tannery, four farm buildings, together with barns and out buildings attached. His losses were also large in personal property, as were those, too, of his sons. One or more of them being employed by the Gov't to buy commissary stores, such as boots, shoes, etc., and having a large stock on hand, they were all destroyed by the enemy, being a total loss to them, as the Gov't never refunded their cost."
"Johannes Veeder was of genial habits, strictly pious, a member of the Reformed Dutch Church, a large contributor towards building the old stone church of Caughnawaga (erected about 1763) and one of the first Elders chosen on the formation of that society and ever after, during his life, was one of its leaders and main supporters. He was the father of a large family, having four sons and four daughters who were married and left numerous offspring, so that at the death of the aged father there were 102 living descendants of the second and third generations, 29 having died before his decease. "
"Of his landed estates, there was a partition made some years before his death, into four equal parts, as to value, etc. and deeded to his sons. The eldest, Volkert, was given the land on the west; Abraham, the next; and John on the east, he being the youngest. Their farms were all bounded on the south by the Mohawk River."
"He was one of the very foremost citizens of that whole section, an enterprising man, zealous in all that pertained to the welfare of the country and what was considered wealthy for those times. He was a member from Tryon County of the first Session of the State Assembly for 1777 and 1778."
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