Nicholas Pickard (bef. 1701 - aft. 1776)

Born before 23 Feb 1701 in Schenectady, Albany, Province of New York

Ancestors

Husband of Anna Barbara (Weiser) Pickard — married 1722 in New York

Descendants

Died after 1776 after age 74 in Fort Plain, Montgomery, New York, United States

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Nicholas Pickard was a New Netherland Descendant 1674-1776. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Biography

Nicholas Pickard was born in 1701 in Schenectady, New York, a son of Bartholomew and Eechje (Classez) Pickard. He was baptized on February 23, 1701 at the Dutch Reformed Church in Schenectady. Johannes Wemp and Geertse Slyk were witnesses at his baptism. He grew up on the family farm at Verrebergh on the King’s Highway, six miles west of Albany. Nicholas married Anna Barbara Weiser about 1722 in Schenectady.

They soon moved to the Mohawk Valley where they raised their family. There were very few white people in the area and due to Anna Barbara being the sister of Conrad Weiser, they felt safe. They had a total of seven children, John, William, Bartholomew, Conrad, Leah, Jacobus, and Rachel.

On April 6, 1742, Nicholas inherited his father’s interest in the Stone Arabia Patent of 4 lots, each with 50 acres. He sold his land to John Jost Snell. Conrad Weiser kept a journal in which he mentioned Nicholas and Anna Barbara in 1750:

“Sept. 2. About 10 o’clock, I left Colonel Johnson’s and came to Cana Johary to Barthol Pickert, 25 miles. My horse got lame this day. Sept 2. Came to Nicholas Pickert, about 5 miles, my horse very lame, was obliged to leave him and hire another, and a man to guide us to the road to Onondaga.”

“Sept 19. Came to Buret’s Field in rainy weather on the 20th to upper Castle of the Mohawks called “Canawadagy” I recommended John Pickert, my sister’s son, to then to learn the Mohawk tongue perfectly among them, to serve as interpreter for Penn., etc. after I am grown old and no more able to travel. They promised to do what they could, the young man speaks their language tolerably will now, and can write and read English, Dutch and Indian. His father lives about a mile from Canawadagy, and has the best opportunity to learn the Indian language perfectly.”

Nicholas Pickard was one of the original members of a company of 19 men, later expanded to 22 men, that received a tract of 45,000 acres of land known as the Schuler Patent, now known as the Otsego Grant, located in what is now Otsego County, New York. Nicholas and the Schulers acted as go betweens for themselves and other investors in New York City, in negotiating with the Mohawks and the colonial government of New York. The negotiations and purchase of this land began on June 27, 1753, when they petitioned Governor George Clinton for a license to purchase a tract of vacant land on the west side of Canadarago Lake. Allocation of the Patent was by drawing lots. Nicholas Pickard drew Tracts #78, #46, #25 and #18. Because of his knowledge of the Mohawk language, Nicholas was often called on to negotiate with the Indians. In 1754, he and Jacob Christmann signed the Indian deed for the Snell-Zimmerman Patent. One of the Indian signers was Mohawk Head Satchem, King Hendrick Peters. He signed with the totem of his clan, the wolf. Nicholas signed with his initials, "NP."

In July of 1776, Nicholas was named as executor of the will of Frederick Condernman of Canajohary. Nicholas probably died in Fort Plain, but when he died and where he is buried is unknown.^[1][2]

Nathan's name has been found on The Roster for the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777. He is noted as having survived.

Sources

1. ↑ Pickard and Allied Families by Anna Carpenter Waite and Marilyn Ford Anderson
2. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial #110318601

• Nicholas Pickard - Familypedia
• Pearson, Jonathan. "Extracts From the Doop-Boek, or Baptismal Register of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Schenectady, N. Y." In The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Vol. XVIII. Albany: J. Munsell, 78 State Street, 1864.
• The Source of African Ancestry in the Young Family - Some Genealogical Evidence, by Dr. David Faux.
• Identification of the Hypothesized African Ancestry of the Wife of Pvt. Henry Windecker Using Genomic Testing of the Autosomes, by Dr. David Faux.
• from the book, "Finlayson-Gordon Family History"
• A fairly detailed summary of this branch of the Pickard family appears in The Michael Shoemaker Book, authors Williams T. Blair and Jacob I. Shoemaker (published 1924 by International Textbook Press of Scranton, Pennsylvania), pp.162-164:
  • https://archive.org/details/michaelshoemaker00blai/page/162/mode/2up