Suffield, in 1802, and came here with his parents when he was nine years of age. He first married Roxie Balcom, of Hague, who died in 1846. He afterward married Cynthia Balcom, who died in 1862. They had nine children, of whom probably the best known here is Joel W. Rising, now proprietor of Rising's Hotel, at Chestertown. The present supervisor from Hague is nephew to Abel Rising, jr., and son to Rufus Rising. Another well-known family are the Balcoms. Isaac Balcom was born in Massachusetts in 1777. He married Sally Green, of his native place, and removed, a little before the beginning of the present century, to a place about one and a half miles from the lake, in what is now Hague, now being the farm occupied by Mr. Moss. Two of his brothers, Uriah and Caleb, came with him and settled on farms almost adjoining. Mrs. Hosea Remington, the writer's informant, was the youngest of the thirteen children of Isaac Balcom, all but four of whom are now dead. She was born on the 9th of September, 1823. Of the other early settlers named, the following brief statements have been ascertained as true: Elijah Bailey lived until about 1840 or later, at Sabbath Day Point, with Captain Sam Patchin (of whom more will be said). Uriah Balcom lived about two miles south of Hague post-office, where Miles E. Morehouse now lives. Uri Waiste lived about a mile south of the village on Law's Patent, on property now owned by L. Burgess. Rufus Rising lived in the west part of the town, where his son, Rufus Rising, now lives.
A lead mine has been worked for the past ten years about five miles west of Hague village. It is said that the mine was discovered by Samuel Ackerman while he was skidding logs. The mine is owned by New York parties, and superintended by George Hooper, of Ticonderoga.
The richest portion of the town in historic incident is Sabbath Day Point. On this sandy point, in 1756, a party of Provincials, under Generals Putnam and Rogers, defeated a superior force of French and Indians. Here, on the 5th of July, 1758, Abercrombie employed the successful ruse of landing with his army of fifteen thousand men, resting until near midnight, and then moving north—leaving behind a hundred blazing piles to delude the enemy into the belief that they were still there. In September, 1759, General Amherst landed with a force of twelve thousand men and passed the Sabbath with saintly punctilio.[1]
One of the most important personages who inhabited Sabbath Day Point in early times was Captain Sam Patchin. An anecdote related of him in Mr. S. R. Stoddard's excellent descriptive guide book of Lake George, and verified as thoroughly as may be by ourselves, can be told no better than in Mr. Stoddard's own language (p. 106 et seq.):—
"Vicar's Island is just north of the Harbor Islands. Here on its northern
- ↑ Although it is generally believed that this event gave the Point its name, there is really little ground for the belief, as the point is mentioned by that name in Rogers's Journal June 28th, 1758, the preceding season.
