Deerfield

I grew up at the bottom of a hill just two blocks from "Specks" development (yes it was Levittown cape cods) in the town of Deerfield.  And in the center of the development was barn (now a playground) where my great great grandparents James Irving and Lucinda Klock Roberts lived.  Of course, as a child I had no interest in genealogy or history, so this little bit of my ancestry was overlooked.  Oh how I wish I had explored and taken photos of the area.  Interesting tidbit while looking at old maps.  Buchanan Road was named for the family that lived there in the late 1800's

located on the north west corner of Ashland Ave and Riverside Drive in what is now North Utica

In 1773,  George J. Weaver, Captain Mark Damuth, and Christian Reall and their families settled into an area now known as Deerfield Corners. In 1776, these same families, with the forewarning of a friendly Native American "Blue Back," escaped a pending attack by the Brittish on their settlement.  Their escape brought them to Little Stone Arabia, a small fort located in the present day Town of Schuyler.  Subsequently, Captain Damuth lived in Herkimer over the next few years.  George J. Weaver was taken prisoner near Herkimer by the Brittish and Indians and was removed to Canada and then England.  He was later released and returned to the area.

In 1784, all three settlers and their families moved back to the area of their original settlement.  Christian Reall built a log cabin on the bank of what is now know as Reall's Creek.  Soon after the original settlers returned, they were followed by Peter, Nicholas, and Geoge Weaver, distant relatives of the original Weaver family.  George Damoth and the Harter families also settled in the area.

In 1798, both the Town of Deer"s"field and the County of Oneida were formed by an act of the State Legislature.  It boundaries were from the West Canada Creek in the north to the Mohawk River in the south (present day location of the railroad tracks north of Union Station), the Town of Schuyler and Herkimer County were to the east, and the area near the current State Route 12 to the west.  The land within the town consisted of two primary tracts of land known as "Gage's Patent" and "Cosby's Manor."  The former, consisting of about 18,000 acres of land, was granted by King George III of England to General Thomas Gage.  The latter was 22,000 acres of land aquired by Governor William Cosby.  The first town meeting was held at the home of Ezra Payne.

The hamlet of Mechanicsville (Brown's Gulf) was a thriving community on the edge of the Deerfield ravine in the first half of the 19th century, but later diminished due to the growth of a new city called "Utica."  The area later served as a Boy Scout camp.  North Gage was a bustling community on the northern edge of town, and Deerfield Corners remained a center for commerce. The Town of Deerfield also was home to many churches including the North Gage Presbyterian Church (North Gage), Church of the Holy Cross (Bell Hill Road), St. Peter's Church (Deerfield Corners), Deerfield Baptist Church (First Baptist Church, Herkimer Road) and many others.  Deerfield once hosted two Post Offices located at North Gage and Deerfield Corners.

(taken from town of Deerfield's web site)

The Town of Deerfield formed in 1798 from land of two Royal grants. The first, known as Cosby's Manor, amounted to 43,000 acres of land acquired by New York Governor William Cosby. The second grant occurred in 1769 when King George awarded 18,000 acres to General Thomas Gage, His Majesty's Commander of troops in North America. Thus land from the Mohawk River to the West Canada Creek joined to become the town of Deerfield.