Excerpts from Aboriginal Occupation of the Lower Genesee Country by George Henry Harris - 1884 The discovery of several tall, 7 and 8 foot skeletons in multiple burial mounds around Western New York Near the top of a high ridge of sand hills, in the town of Pittsford, south of the Irondequoit valley, and about one mile east of Allen's creek, stands a great heap of limestone boulders, evidently of drift origin. They are the only stone of that character in that vicinity, measure from two to three feet in diameter, and are heaped one upon the other in a space about twelve feet square. They occupied the same place and position sixty or seventy years ago, and old residents say the heap existed in the same form when the ground was cleared. Indians who passed that way in early days regarded the stones with superstitious awe, stating, when questioned, that a people who lived there before the Indians brought the stones to the hilltop. "On the shore of Lake Ontario, on a h...

Nancy Ann Hart (née Morgan) was born in 1735 in North Carolina to her parents Thomas and Rebecca Morgan (née Alexander). She came from a family line of well-known figures in our nation's history, including General Daniel Morgan (her cousin and Revolutionary War hero) and Daniel Boone. Around the year 1760, she met and married Benjamin Hart. Nancy Hart's Childhood Not much is known about her childhood, but it is clear that she was raised in a family of proud and independent frontier people. Nancy Hart was a spirited and fearless young woman, and she would need all of her courage in the years to come. Nancy Hart - The Heroine In her mid-30s, the 1770s, she and her family moved to Georgia , to the region of Elberton. This was after Nancy and Benjamin Hart were married in 1760. Their home was near the Broad River and they owned more than 400 acres of the land, with some of it along the banks of the Wahatchee Creek. The name of the creek, meaning War Woman, was said to be named for ...

While the Revolutionary War is often remembered for the bravery of men who fought on the frontlines, countless women and even children played critical roles in supporting the war effort. Their contributions, though often overlooked or lost to history, were vital to the fight against British rule. These unsung heroes cared for soldiers, volunteered their time, and risked their lives, leaving an indelible mark on the nation’s history. Sybil Ludington   is one of the most celebrated women of the Revolutionary War, earning the nickname " The Female Paul Revere " At 16, Ludington undertook a daring night ride to alert militia forces about British troop movements. On a rainy night in 1777, she rode 40 miles through rural New York, stopping at multiple locations to rally troops. Her efforts enabled the militia to organize and repel British forces, forcing them to retreat to their ships near Long Island. Though her story is less widely known than Revere’s, her bravery and determinat...

The Underground Railroad in New York State played a big part in helping slaves escape and throughout NYS, many smaller towns served as stops for escaped slaves to make the way on to Canada. The Town of Elba's involvement isn't well-documented and that's somewhat due to the secrecy of its participation at the time. The route in Western New York passed through Rochester from Farmington. From Rochester, they would either continue on to Gaines and on to Lockport or to Elba on to LeRoy. These escaped slaves would make their way to stop points under the cover of night. Marking these stops, one such stop being in Elba, were tree branches. The branch markers would be around 2 feet in height and inconspicuously stuck in the ground near a fence near a roadway. They were also stuck on a street corner in such a way to also tell the direction for them to turn and head to find their stop. In Elba, three buildings were used to shelter and hide escaped slaves before they continued...

Queen Aliquippa (also spelled Allaquippa) was the leader of the Mingo band of Seneca. Many places have been named for her, including the town of Aliquippa in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. She'd also lived in that region prior to the 1750s. It is believed that one of her children, as son, was named Canachquasy (Kanuksusy). She and her husband visited the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, at New Castle, Delaware prior to him leaving for England, for the final time, in the autumn of 1701. Washington and Gist visit Queen Aliquippa. 1756 By Rogers, John, ca. 1808-ca. 1888 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons It wasn't until the summer months of 1748 when Queen Aliquippa was mentioned again. Conrad Weiser, who was in the region of Logstown was looking to enter tribes into a treaty with Pennsylvania. At the time, Queen Aliquippa was living in a village on the north bank of of the Allegheny River and a short distance from the Monongahela River. She is mentioned in an Au...

Anthony22 at the English language Wikipedia [ GFDL , CC-BY-SA-3.0 or Public domain],   via Wikimedia Commons Sybil Ludington, whose father was Colonel Henry Ludington , is not know to most. On the night of April 26, 1777, word got out that British troops were preparing to invade Danbury, Connecticut. The 16-year-old Ludington took off on horseback that and traveled first to Danbury to warn its citizens. From there, she continued on to alert the militiamen under her father's leadership. The whole trip was around 40 miles and more than twice the distance that Paul Revere had to travel on horseback. Thanks to her, she may have saved the lives of many in Danbury. The afternoon after Sybil traveled through Danbury, the British troops reached the city and burned down three buildings and an unknown number of houses. Unfortunately, some citizens in Danbury were killed by the British. According to family recollections, as written by her great grandson, she left at 9 PM and didn...

By Jacques Reich  (probably based on an  earlier  work by another artist)  [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Born around 1690 in New York State, Shikellamy (sometimes spelled Shikellimy, also known as Swatane) was originally a member of the Susquehannock tribe. Though Susquehannocks referred to themselves as Andastes. When the tribe settled at Conestoga, they gave up war and disagreeing members left the tribe and joined other tribes. Shikellamy was one of the individuals to leave the Andastes and joined up with the Oneida. He became a part of the Oquacho (Wolf Tribe). It's said that he rose quickly within the tribe and was a leader amongst the tribe. By the year of 1728, he was the representative of the Six Nations in dealings with the proprietary colonial government. He even became favorable amongst the English. In the summer of 1745, Shikellamy visited Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and spent three weeks there. During the time, he met with many men and ma...

The Standing Stone Trail  ( 2 ) , once known as the Link Trail, began its planning stages, and was 'constructed' between 1978 and 1982. Its creation was headed a group of dedicated hikers. Once finished, the trail was 68 miles long. It was that length up until 2014 when the Greenwood Spur became part of the trail and increased the length of the trail to around 80 miles. The trail has varying altitudes ranging from around 660 feet up to 2380 feet at its highest place. The Standing Stone trail is also connected to the Tuscarora Trail and the Mid State Trail . Furthermore, the trail is one section of the massive, 1,800 mile Great Eastern Trail that begins near the border of Florida and Alabama all the way to the large Finger Lakes Trail in New York State. The trail goes through four State Game Lands, the state forests of Rothrock and Buchanan , and Rocky Ridge (near Mapleton). It also passes through the countries of Huntingdon, Mifflin and Fulton. Some sections of the tr...

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons The Waxhaw Massacre went by many names, The Battle of Waxhaws , Buford's Massacre and the Waxhaws. It was a battle that occurred while the Revolutionary War was in full-swing, on May 29, 1780. The battle took place around the area of Lancaster, South Carolina. Abraham Buford was the leader of the Continental Army forces and Banastre Tarleton led the Loyalist forces. British officer Tarleton sent forward a demand for Buford and his forces to surrender and Buford refused. Tarleton's calvary attacked Buford's men and some of them began to surrender. There was a truce and Buford tried to surrender. That truce ended when a shot hit Tarleton's horse and Tarleton was trapped under his now dead horse. The shot caused the Loyalists and the accompanying British troops to begin an attack. This kept going as Tarleton was still trapped and had no control over his men. Continental soldiers, including those who previously...