Where in the world is Conrad Seckner?

Dear Reader,

My father was Jacob Seckner, Sr and his father was Conrad Chauncey Seckner, for whom I was named.  Conrad was born in Albany County, New York in 1764. He was helping his father on the family farm in Tryon County in 1772.  He married my great-grandmother, Margaret Pfeiffer in Montgomery County in 1786 and died in German Flatts, Herkimer County some years later.

I don't want you to become confused by all his moving about during those years.  In fact - he never left the house in which he was born. He didn't move - the counties just up and changed their names as the number of people in the area grew.  Towns did the same thing--more on that later. So if you're following my family around in the following diary entries, it will help to know how and when those changes came about....

HISTORY OF NEW YORK COUNTIES

1665   Cornwall - Abolished in 1686 - became part of Maine

1683   Counties of the Province of New York

     1.      Albany         4.   Dukes           7.   Orange         10.   Suffolk

     2.      Cornwall       5.   Kings            8.   Queens         11.   Ulster

     3.      Dutchess       6.   New York    9.   Richmond     12.   Westchester

1766   From Albany - Cumberland - Abolished in 1777 - Became part of Vermont

1770   From Albany - Gloucester - Abolished in 1777 - Became part of Vermont

1772   From Albany - Charlotte and Tryon

1784   Name Changes

                              Charlotte  renamed Washington

                              Tryon renamed Montgomery

1791   From Montgomery

                              Herkimer, Tioga and Otsego

After 1791, we all stayed in Herkimer County - while in fact we were in that general area from the time of the Seckner arrival in the Mohawk Valley.

Submitted by your most humble servant,

Chauncey Sherman Seckner

  

How We'll Proceed

Welcome to the history of my pioneer family, the Seckners.  I have decided to divide my narrative into two sections with the story line coming to you from historically opposite directions.

  

In Section One, I will tell you of my family's 18th and 19th century lives in the Mohawk Valley of central New York.  I will take you back as far as the time of my GG-Grandfather, Johon Jacob Sickner, the first Seckner immigrant into the valley.   

In Section Two, we will begin back in 1709 during a frightful winter in the Palatine region of Germany.  From there we will follow the momentous journey of my ancestors as they made their way through Amsterdam, London, New York City, the camps on the Hudson River, the Schoharie Valley and finally into the Mohawk Valley to once again meet with my granddaddy Johon Jacob Sickner.

The tale of this journey has already been written by my GG-granddaughter, Kay Ellen Gilmour, MD. (see Palatine Books) on the front page. 

Regretfully, I must take my leave in 1899 but I will encourage my children and grandchildren to lead you forward into their 20th century lives.  

So -- let's  begin.