Place:Fort Johnson, Montgomery, New York, United States

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NameFort Johnson
Alt namesAikensource: USGS, GNIS Digital Gazetteer (1994) GNIS36009519
Akinsource: USGS, GNIS Digital Gazetteer (1994) GNIS36009519
TypeVillage
Coordinates42.958°N 74.236°W
Located inMontgomery, New York, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Fort Johnson (formerly known as Akin) is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States located on the north side of the Mohawk River in the town of Amsterdam. The population was 490 at the 2010 census.[1]

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Around 1710, early Palatine Germans began trying to settle here. Most were working in an English camp along the Hudson to pay back their passage by ship from London. In 1716, the Mohawk sold a portion of the land to Philip Groat (it is now in the eastern part of the Town of Amsterdam). This part of New York was Mohawk territory for centuries before European colonization. In 1739, William Johnson, an influential Anglo-Irish colonist who had previously lived closer to Amsterdam, purchased land including the site of the village. He established a mill in 1744. The original name of the settlement was "Mount Johnson."

The community was the original seat of power of William Johnson before he moved on to found the City of Johnstown further west. He rose to become the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the northern colonies and was highly influential because of his strong relationships with the Iroquois, especially the Mohawk. His former home here is preserved as Old Fort Johnson. Johnson had Molly Brant, a Mohawk woman, as his longtime .

Old Fort Johnson was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

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