John O'Hanlon wrote: > > Sylvester's map shows "Bemis Heights Post Office" (circa 1840) to be > located about 2.5 miles north of Stillwater Falls, on the Hudson River. > Alternatively, it is 5.5 miles north of Mechanicsville. About a mile and a > half W-NW of Bemis Heights P.O., are imprinted the words "Bemis Heights." > About one mile north of the words Bemis Heights are imprinted the words > "Battleground." Though I know not what battle was fought there. Since > Sylvester's book was published in 1860, it probably refers to a > Revolutionary War battle. > Why, you're right! It's there on the DeLorme Atlas, but wasn't indexed. It's the "Saratoga Battlefield", at the north end of Stillwater. > By the way I saw the surname BOYCE on the tagline... > > Jerome Boyce is listed in the 1850 Census of the Town of Moreau, and in > 1856, his name is listed in a deed of sale of what would become our farm > from Minerva Lewis to John Thompson. He lived just to the south of our > home on the Fort Edward to South Glens Falls Road) I'm not really up on BOYCEs, but I know that, like the SEEs, they settled early on in Philipsburgh (Tarrytown) down in Westchester and spread northward. The Sees of that town were originally French. The name Boyce, or Buys, sounds Dutch. As for the Kay-der-oss Patent (I forget how to spell it, but I was told how to pronounce it; there's a Kay-der-oss deli in Rensselaer) -- when I visited Ballston, I went briefly to the historical society house there, and there was someone doing research on the Patent. Said that tracts were sold by lottery. They would use a young boy to pull the slips out of a hat, and whoever's name was pulled out would get the tract. At the time, it didn't seem that relevant to what I was researching, so I didn't pursue the conversation. (that's the trouble with doing a research trip with a precise focus and limited time). The point, though, is that maybe someone at the society now could say more about the Patent and it's early settlers. I sure haven't seen anything in print about early records, though. Good luck! David See who owns three cats and a dog, and don't tell *me* there's "nothing" to vacuum!