The Great Comet of 1680

In reading some of our colonial history of New York State, I found that in the year 1680 there was a comet sighted at Albany, NY.

On January 1, 1680 the Commissionaires of Albany wrote a letter to Captain Brockholes about the sightings of "ye dreadfull commett starr". This is what was written regarding this unusual event:

"undoubtedly God Threatens us wh Dreadfull Punishments, if wee doe not Repent, wee would have caused ye Domine Proclaim a Day of fasting and humiliation tomorrow to be kept on Weddensday ye 12 Jan in ye Town of Albany & Dependencies if wee thought our Power & autority did extend so farr, and would have been well Resented by Yourself, for all persons ought to humble Themselves in such a Time, and Pray to God to Withdraw his Righteous Jugements from us, as he did to Nineve Therefore if you would be pleased to graunt your approbation wee would willingly cause a day of fasting & humiliation to be kept, if it were monthly; whose answer wee shall Expect with ye Bearer."

Today the weather man announces this occurrence on our evening news, promoting all to watch.

1812 Equipment Claims

The following soldiers requested reimbursement for supplies for their service during the War of 1812. They reported their residence as Mentz and Port Byron at the time of their claim:

Mentz:
William Allen
Charles Clapp
John De Groff by Administrator
Marvel Eldridge
William Forshee
Jacob Guilfers
Joel Halsted
Martin Harker by widow
Silas Hopping
Thomas Kerns
Daniel K King
Richard King
Meigs Kirtland
Job May
Simeon Mott
Philip A Munroe
Aaron Murphy by Administrator
Thomas Rems
John W Sawyer
Samuel Seaman
Jacob Stahlnecker
Richard Sutton
John A Taylor
Casper D Tryon
Elias Wethy
Robert Whaling
William S Willis
Tilly Gilbert

Port Byron:
John Hughson
Horace Perkins
Joseph Shotwell
Isaac Snow by Administrator
Nathan Upham

Source: Ancestry.com

Family History Seminar April 24th

Military Records: Unlocking Your Family History

Port Byron and Mentz Historian Dawn Roe will be hosting a training seminar at the Port Byron Library on Saturday April 24th at 11:00 AM. The class will highlight how to obtain the various records from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and the Civil War. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of pension applications, equipment claims and land bounty applications. These files often contain hidden clues to help you unlock mysteries in your family lineage. Examples of prior mysteries that were solved with the use of military records will be presented.

Computers are available after the class. Library card is required. Don’t have one? Fill out a free application.

Date: April 24, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM
Class Length: 1 Hour (approx)
Location: Port Byron Library
Address: 12 Mentz Drive, Port Byron, NY 13140
Contact: Dawn Roe
Email: beatatune@tds.net

Cost: FREE