History of German Flatts, New York, USA

In 1722–1723, Governor William Burnet granted Palatine German immigrants leases to purchase land from the Mohawk, the powerful eastern nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. It was the first land sold to Europeans west of Schenectady.

German Flatts, now known as Herkimer, was left virtually undefended by Patriot troops prior to the raid.

The Iroquois and Loyalist raiders captured hundreds of head of cattle and sheep before setting fire to every house, barn and mill in German Flatts. Despite the complete destruction of the town, including 63 houses, 57 barns, three gristmills and one sawmill, only three men were killed. The day before, four Patriot scouts had run into the Loyalists while on reconnaissance. Though only one, Adam Helmer, survived the encounter, he ran the 9 miles (14 km) back to the village of German Flatts to warn the residents.

As a result, the vast majority of the town's people were able to seek safety in the area's forts, Herkimer and Dayton, and survived the destruction of their town.

GERMAN FLATS, a Post-Township on the S. shore of the Mohawk, in Herkimer County, 5 miles SE of Herkimer, and 75 miles from Albany; bounded N. by the Mohawk, or by Herkimer, E. by Danube, S. by Warren and Columbia, W. by Frankfort. The extensive alluvial flats in this Town, as well as those in Herkimer, were settled at any early period by German families, and have now been known as the German Flats, about 100 years, from which the town has its name. The soil of these flats is remarkably rich, nor is its fertility hardly diminished by German husbandry, through such a long series of years. The uplands are rich and productive, and the whole is under cultivation. A canal has been cut around the Wolf Rift in the Mohawk, which is 5 miles above the Little Falls. This canal is 1 1/ 2 mile in length, and affords sites for water-works, and there are 2 small mill streams. There are 7 grain mills, 10 saw mills, 2 carding machines, 2 fulling mills, 1 oil mill, and 1 ashery. There is one...