It has been a busy week here in Scipio. The lilacs are in bloom, the trees are leafing out, and the dairy farmers are disposing of the winter's accumulation by spreading it on the fields and then planting. Ah, Spring!
Scipio has some of the best farmland in NY, and has always attracted farmers of all kinds. Our Revolutionary War veterans who drew lots in Scipio, Township # 12 in the Military Tract, and actually came and settled here discovered that despite the hard work of clearing the then- forested land and planting their crops, they could prosper due to the rich and fertile soil.
Many veterans sold or traded their land sight unseen, and never discovered what a good area they missed out on. I have a copy of a list of 100 Revolutionary War Soldiers who drew lots that was published in Tree Talks in 1969, contributed by Mrs. Laurence Tanner of Scipio. Tree Talks is a publication of the central NY Genealogy Society, based in Syracuse. You can visit their website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nycnygs/. Many of these names do not appear in our 1800 census, nor are they in the Town Meeting book.
I thought that I would post these names 25 at a time. Tree Talks shows, in addition to the names, their rank, Regiment and Company. A few have additional comments.
These are by Lot #, beginning with Lot #1:
Gospel
John Ralja
Joseph Hunt
Joshua Philips
Charles Van Note
Gospel
Andreas Christopher
Ebenezer Stevens
Jacob Spelsbury
Timothy Campfield
Gospel
Thomas Pemberton
Finch Guildersleeve
John Pearce (Pierce)
Gospel
George Flemming
Joshua Kethcum
Nathaniel Higgins
Thomas Smith
Elbert Crouse
Peter Fuller
Johnathan Russell, 2nd
John Smith
Alexander M'Dougall
Samuel Pribble
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The Revolutionary War veteran listed as "George Flemming" having an allotment in Scipio appears to be Brigadier General George Fleming (that rank achieved in 1816) as described in "The Township of Fleming Cayuga County, New York 1823-1973" by Sheila Saft Tucker (pp. 27-32). Sheila's biographical sketch of Fleming shows that he achieved the rank of Captain during the Revolution and later was appointed by New York Governor DeWitt Clinton as a surveyor of the military tract that formed the basis for the military allotments. Sheila states (p. 28), "The long awaited soldiers land balloting occurred in September of 1790 and Fleming, having served as a captain, received 1500 acres. He drew lot #6 in Locke, #95 in Aurelius (later Fleming) and #16 in Scipio. The same month he sold the Scipio lot and also land in New Windsor and Newburgh." Fleming later settled on lot #95 in Aurelius and posthumously lent his name to the new Township of Fleming (adjoining Scipio) when it was taken off from Aurelius in 1823.
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