Johan Host Herkimer
Encyclopedia
Johan Jost Herkimer was born in 1732, the second of five sons of Johan Host Herkimer and Catherine Herkimer of German Flatts, New York
. He was the younger brother of the American Patriot General Nicholas Herkimer
. Like his brother, he was an established landowner and an officer in the Tryon County
militia. Unlike his brother, he decided to stand for the British King when the American War of Independence broke out.
This was no frivolous decision. It alienated him from his elder brother Nicholas who sided with the new Continental Congress
and he was sorely tested by social ostracism. He spent time in patriot jails between 1775 and 1777 and was subjected to house arrest
. In March 1777 he managed to escape and made his way to the British post at Niagara
. His popularity with the Indians and his knowledge of native customs resulted in his being attached to the Indian Affairs Department with the rank of Captain.
In the summer of 1777 he returned to New York
as part of the British assault on Fort Stanwix
(near present day Rome
) under the command of General Barry St. Leger
. He participated in the expedition as overseer of boats, and he and Captain Rouville of the Canadians successfully broke up the Patriots’ blockade of Wood Creek
. He was also present at the notable battle of Oriskany
on 6 August 1777 where the British and their Mohawk
allies ambushed American forces on their way to relieve Fort Stanwix. His Brother, Nicholas, was severely wounded at this battle as he commanded the American Militia and died ten days later.
Johan Host Herkimer lived to see several more years and found permanent refuge in Canada
. His wife, Mary, applied for permission to join him in his new country but New York Governor George Clinton
refused, saying that no Loyalist
women or children would be permitted to leave until the captives taken by Butler and Brant in their raids had been returned. The New York Legislature
passed laws in October 1779 confiscating the property of Loyalists. Johan Jost Herkimer was declared a traitor and his lands declared forfeited to the state. He was banished from New York on pain of death.
In February 1780, at the command of General Haldimand, Herkimer served as boat-master in the Commissariat
at Coteau du Lac, providing stores and supplies for the British Army
posts. Despite an inauspicious start, where he hired the wrong people for the job and allegedly spoke too familiarly with an American prisoner regarding affairs of state, it was reported that he rendered good service.
Captain Herkimer and his family settled at Cataraqui (modern Kingston, Ontario
) in the mid 1780s. For his service to the Crown he was granted an estate of 3,450 acres. The rest of his days were spent in prosperity and peace and he and Mary had seven children.. His four sons were George, Lawrence, Nicholas, and Jacob; and his three daughters were Mary, Jane and Catharine. He died in Kingston in 1795; his wife Mary died ten years later.
Today, Herkimer street in Hamilton, Ontario
bears his family name
. This came about when his daughter Mary married Robert Hamilton of Queenston
and thereby became the stepmother of John George Hamilton, the founder of the city of Hamilton, Ontario. When George Hamilton
was building the city that bears his name in the early 1800s, he named one of the new streets Herkimer Street in her honor. Thus the Herkimer name lives on in Johan Host Herkimer’s adopted home of Canada
.
German Flatts, New York
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer on the south side of the Mohawk River, and southeast of Utica.-Herkimer:This...
. He was the younger brother of the American Patriot General Nicholas Herkimer
Nicholas Herkimer
Nicholas Herkimer was a militia general in the American Revolutionary War, who died of wounds after the Battle of Oriskany.-Career:...
. Like his brother, he was an established landowner and an officer in the Tryon County
Tryon County, New York
Tryon County, New York was a county in the colonial Province of New York in the British American colonies. It was created from Albany County on March 24, 1772. It was named for William Tryon, the last provincial governor of New York. Its boundaries extended far further than any current county...
militia. Unlike his brother, he decided to stand for the British King when the American War of Independence broke out.
This was no frivolous decision. It alienated him from his elder brother Nicholas who sided with the new Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and he was sorely tested by social ostracism. He spent time in patriot jails between 1775 and 1777 and was subjected to house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. In March 1777 he managed to escape and made his way to the British post at Niagara
Niagara
-Niagara Falls and nearby places:*In both the United States and Canada**Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River**Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canadian border**Niagara Escarpment, the cliff over which the river forms the falls...
. His popularity with the Indians and his knowledge of native customs resulted in his being attached to the Indian Affairs Department with the rank of Captain.
In the summer of 1777 he returned to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as part of the British assault on Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwix was a colonial fort whose construction was started on August 26, 1758, by British General John Stanwix, at the location of present-day Rome, New York, but was not completed until about 1762. The fort guarded a portage known as the Oneida Carrying Place during the French and Indian War...
(near present day Rome
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
) under the command of General Barry St. Leger
Barry St. Leger
Barrimore Matthew "Barry" St. Leger was a British colonel who led an invasion force during the American Revolutionary War.Barry St. Leger was baptised on May 1, 1733, in County Kildare, Ireland. He was the son of Sir John St...
. He participated in the expedition as overseer of boats, and he and Captain Rouville of the Canadians successfully broke up the Patriots’ blockade of Wood Creek
Wood Creek
Wood Creek is a creek in central New York and flows from Rome, New York to Fish Creek in Sylvan Beach . It is the west-flowing waterway of the Oneida Carry, an important portage in the early history of New York...
. He was also present at the notable battle of Oriskany
Battle of Oriskany
The Battle of Oriskany, fought on August 6, 1777, was one of the bloodiest battles in the North American theater of the American Revolutionary War and a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign...
on 6 August 1777 where the British and their Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
allies ambushed American forces on their way to relieve Fort Stanwix. His Brother, Nicholas, was severely wounded at this battle as he commanded the American Militia and died ten days later.
Johan Host Herkimer lived to see several more years and found permanent refuge in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. His wife, Mary, applied for permission to join him in his new country but New York Governor George Clinton
George Clinton (vice president)
George Clinton was an American soldier and politician, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the fourth Vice President of the United States , serving under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He and John C...
refused, saying that no Loyalist
Loyalist
In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....
women or children would be permitted to leave until the captives taken by Butler and Brant in their raids had been returned. The New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
passed laws in October 1779 confiscating the property of Loyalists. Johan Jost Herkimer was declared a traitor and his lands declared forfeited to the state. He was banished from New York on pain of death.
In February 1780, at the command of General Haldimand, Herkimer served as boat-master in the Commissariat
Commissariat
A commissariat is the department of an army charged with the provision of supplies, both food and forage, for the troops. The supply of military stores such as ammunition is not included in the duties of a commissariat. In almost every army the duties of transport and supply are performed by the...
at Coteau du Lac, providing stores and supplies for the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
posts. Despite an inauspicious start, where he hired the wrong people for the job and allegedly spoke too familiarly with an American prisoner regarding affairs of state, it was reported that he rendered good service.
Captain Herkimer and his family settled at Cataraqui (modern Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
) in the mid 1780s. For his service to the Crown he was granted an estate of 3,450 acres. The rest of his days were spent in prosperity and peace and he and Mary had seven children.. His four sons were George, Lawrence, Nicholas, and Jacob; and his three daughters were Mary, Jane and Catharine. He died in Kingston in 1795; his wife Mary died ten years later.
Today, Herkimer street in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
bears his family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
. This came about when his daughter Mary married Robert Hamilton of Queenston
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is located 5 km north of Niagara Falls, Ontario in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The community is bordered by Highway 405 and the Niagara River; its location on the Niagara Escarpment led to the establishment of the now-defunct Queenston Quarry in the area...
and thereby became the stepmother of John George Hamilton, the founder of the city of Hamilton, Ontario. When George Hamilton
George Hamilton (politician)
George Hamilton was a Canadian merchant and politician, who founded the city of Hamilton, Ontario.Hamiliton was born on October 1788 in Queenston Heights...
was building the city that bears his name in the early 1800s, he named one of the new streets Herkimer Street in her honor. Thus the Herkimer name lives on in Johan Host Herkimer’s adopted home of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Additional Reading
- Foote, Allan D, Liberty March - The Battle of Oriskany. North Country Books Inc. Utica, New York, 1998. pages 102, 130
- Houghton, Margaret, Hamilton Street Names. James Lorimer & Co. Publishers, Toronto. 2002