Oliver Rising Sr. Diary, 1797-1851

Oliver Rising (1775-1855) lived in Herkimer County, New York. He is buried in Cedar Lake Cemetery, Cedar Lake (part of the town of Litchfield) in Herkimer County, with his wife Hannah (1780-1855) and his son Oliver Rising Jr. (1817-1861).

Diary of Oliver Rising Senior,1797-1851

A diary and account book of Oliver Rising Senior, of Herkimer County, New York. The diary includes a black and white photograph of Esther Rising Myers and one of Rev. John Myers pasted onto the pages. Oliver recounts his travels into Canada through Chippawa, Niagara Falls, and the garrison at Little York in 1797 (p. 61-62). He also describes the British invasion of Sacket’s Harbour in 1812 (p. 100).

Thomas Millard Senior land grant, 1797

Thomas Millard Senior was born in Middlesex, Connecticut, in 1728. He served as a Private with Butler’s Rangers. In July 1784, Thomas and his wife Mary, along with their 4 children, were on a list “to settle and cultivate the lands opposite Niagara”. He took the oath of allegiance at Niagara around 1784-85.

Power of Attorney of Colonel John Butler for Robert Hamilton and Robert Addison, January 4,1797

John Butler (1728-1796) was originally from Connecticut but settled with his family in the Mohawk valley of New York around 1742. His father was a Captain in the British army and well acquainted with William Johnson (superintendent of Northern Indians). Butler impressed Johnson with his aptitude for Indian languages and diplomacy. He began to work with Johnson in 1755, and received several promotions in the department, until his apparent retirement in the early 1770s. At the onset of the Revolutionary War in 1775, Butler relocated to Canada to join the British forces, settling in Niagara. During the War, Butler was instrumental in maintaining the alliance with the Indians. After the War, Butler became prominent in local affairs in Niagara, but failed to secure any important offices when the province of Upper Canada was formed in 1792. In an effort to recoup some of the financial losses his family suffered during the War, Butler illegally attempted to supply trade goods to the Indian department with his son Andrew, his nephew Walter Butler Sheehan, and Samuel Street, a Niagara merchant.