In 1779, responding to increased attacks and harrassments by members of the pro-British Iriquois Federation (also known as the Six Nations), General George Washington ordered a campaign through New Jersey and central New York. The result was the complete collapse of a generations-old Native American confederation and the wide displacement of the New England tribes. Another result was the opening of new lands for white settlers. Having endured the ravages of war themselves, a large contingent of Washington County, NY settlers, including members of Thomas McClaughry's(2.4) family, chose to make a new home in the area that would come to be called Delaware County. At times carving a road through virgin forests to reach it, the settlers forged a thriving community in the Catskill foothills. |