Peter Burger (abt. 1738 - abt. 1778)

Descendants

Died about Sep 1778 at about age 40 in At the Mill Brook, Pakatakan, Ulster County

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Biography

Peter Burger was born about 1738. His parents have not been positively identified. Numerous family trees say he is the same Pieter Burger who was born 8 Jan 1738 to Pieter Burger and Rebecca Ploeg; however, no source has been provided. ^[1]

Peter Burger is believed to have married about 1761 to Margaret Sluyter. She has not been positively identified but it seems likely that she was related to Albertus Sluyter who settled near Peter Burger. Peter and Margaret baptized one daughter in the New Paltz (Ulster County) NY Reformed Church in 1762; their other children were baptized in the Kingston (Ulster County) NY Reformed Church.

The history books report that a party of eleven Dutchmen from Hurley, Ulster County, NY, led by Johannes Van Wagenen, Peter Hendricks and Harmonus and Peter Dumond, explored the area along the East Branch of the Delaware River in 1762. They negotiated with Chancellor Livingston to buy the land for 20 shilling an acre and early in 1763 moved their families there. Between 1763 and 1778 at least forty families joined them to form the community of Pakatakan, and among them was Peter Burger. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

“The names of the heads of these first families in the vicinity of Margaretville were Harmanus Dumond, Petrus Dumond, Johannes VanWagenen, Peter Hendricks, Peter Burger, John Burrows, Johannes Deyo, Peter Hynpagh, Frederick Kittle, James Markle, Albertus Sluyter, Simeon VanWagenen, and William Yaple. The first four came in 1763 and were the first white settlers on the soil of Delaware County."

During the years 1777-1780 the frontiers of Ulster County were continuously raided by Indians led by Joseph Brant a war chief of the Six Nations. Pakatakan was being protected by the Ulster County Militia commanded by Col. John Cantine; however, in many cases, the settlers of Pakatakan became victims of the forces on both sides. The area became more dangerous and on 26 August 1778 a guard was sent from Great Shandaken to remove the inhabitants who would leave. Harmonus Dumond and his neighbor John Burrows stayed to load a wagon. They intended to follow the others but instead met trouble.

“The guard with its convoy of women and children had scarcely arrived at Great Shandaken when Peter Hendricks came hurrying down with the news that two hundred Tories had raided Pakatakan, shot Harmonus Dumond “Through the Belly,” and taken away all of the cattle and removable property of those inhabitants who had not left with the guard. In addition to Peter Hendricks, it appears that Peter Burger, Albertus Sluyter, Simeon VanWaggenen and Frederick Kittle and their families had chosen to remain at Pakatakan.”

On 4 Sept 1778, John Cantine, from Marbletown, wrote to Governor Clinton to explain the circumstances surrounding the death of Harmonus Dumond. In part, he wrote:

I whould only mention that Dumon was & has Been the Cheif man we Depended on for Intelligence from that Quarter, and Petter Burger and Albartus Sluyter were Never known or held to Be Enemys to their Cuntry, who have Been Plundered by them of all ye whearing apparal Belonging to their families. I have Distroyed and Brought of all kind of provisions in that place, Leaving None of ye families or their affects, But ye aforesaid Sluyter and Burger and one Fradrick Kittle (with Bearly So much grain and milk Cattle as to maintain their families) they Solesited it as a favour of me, to Let them Stay. I told them I was willing to Do any thing for the good of their, But, that I Exspected that ye favour they askt whould prove their Ruin. Kittle has promised me to give Intelligenc if I Send to him persons who he Can Depend will Not Deceive him. . .^[5]

The fate of Peter Burger shows that Colonel Cantine’s advice should have been followed; for very soon after, while gathering his crops, he was shot by an Indian and his eldest son was taken a prisoner to Niagara and remained in captivity until the end of the war. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Another account:

In the fall of the same year, 1778, Peter Burgher returned with his son, a small boy and others, to secure his crops. He had incurred the displeasure of the Indians by piloting the troops from Pakatakan, and they sought this opportunity to ambush and destroy him. He was shot, it was said, by a Seneca Indian named Abraham, while threshing buckwheat, and his little son was taken prisoner, carried to Niagara, and sold to a British officer. He afterwards returned, and was drowned while crossing the Delaware, near where his father was killed, in the neighborhood of Mill Brook. ^[10] [no other references to a drowning could be found]

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It is possible that Peter Burger was also the same Petrus Burger who enlisted and served in Ulster County Militia in the Third Regiment, under Colonel Levi Pawling and Colonel John Cantine. ^{[11] [12]}

Sources

1. ↑ Baptismal and Marriage Registers of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston, Ulster County NY; Transcribed and Edited by Roswell Randall Hoes, 1891; #4858, Pieter 8 Jan 1738; parents: Pieter Burger, Rebekka Ploeg; witnesses: Daniel Burger, Catrina Konfert [Komfort?]; parent’s marriage: 2 Jul 1737; Pieter Burger, j.m., born in “N-Jork”, and Rebekka Ploeg, j.d., born in Kingston, and both resid. Here [Kingston]. Banns registered, 12 June
2. ↑ The Complete History; Delaware County; http://www.barkaboomlodge.com/delaware_county.html
3. ↑ Chapters in the History of Delaware County, NY, John D. Monroe; Delaware County Historical Association, 1949 (text online at Ancestry.com) Page 29-30
4. ↑ Pakatakan place name: http://historysfaces.blogspot.com/2013/12/davis-flat-delaware-co-new-york.html
5. ↑ Letters relative to the killing of Harmonus Dumond, 26 August 1778 http://harmonusdumond.tripod.com/dumondfamily/id2.html
6. ↑ Delaware County History; Chapter III, In the Revolution; page 54-61; http://www.dcnyhistory.org/monroepages42_86.pdf
7. ↑ History of New Paltz, New York and its old families (from 1678- to 1820); Chapter XIX, Guarding the frontier from Tores and Indians; page 183
8. ↑ A Tribute to the Memory of Harmonus Dumond; Settlement and death of Harmonus Dumond at Pakatakan; http://harmonusdumond.tripod.com/
9. ↑ The Dumond Family at Pakatakan; http://rarowe14617.tripod.com/
10. ↑ History of Delaware County, by Jay Gould, 1856; Chapter III
11. ↑ New York in the Revolution as Colony and State; Office of the State Comptroller; Albany, NY 1904; Transcribed by Coralynn Brown; http://dunhamwilcox.net/ny/ny_rev_levies_ulster.htm
12. ↑ New York, Genealogical Records, 1675-1920 Petrus Burger, Residence 1776 Ulster, New York, Third Regiment; source: Ancestry.com