Frederick Becraft
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: 29 Feb 1824 - Schoharie, Schoharie Co, NY 1
Christening: 27 Jun 1824 - Schoharie Reformed Church, Schoharie, Schoharie Co, NY 1
Death: 24 May 1893 - Morehouse, Hamilton Co, NY 1
Burial: 26 May 1893 - Mountain Home Road Cemetery, Morehouse, Hamilton Co, NY
Cause of Death:
AFN :
Events
• Biography
"Tales of the Adirondack Foothills", Howard Thomas; 1971 Prospect Books, Prospect, NY.• Baptism, 27 Jun 1824 in Schoharie, Schoharie Co, NY
pp 107-108
" Fredrick Becraft built the first place on the West Canada Creek near Morehouse in 1850, but "Mountain House" did not achieve fame until 1881, when Orsemus Benajah Matteson of Utica bought it from Becraft, enlarged it, put a tower on one end, and started catering to hunters, fishermen and folks who merely wished to rest in the healthy air of the Adirondacks." (Hereafter, it would be called "Mountain Home") "Mountain Home was operated by the Helmers until 1923, when it burned to the ground, thus closing a fabulous ere in the history of the Adirondacks."
"Morehouse Past & Present", Carol Ford
"Fredrick married Mathilda Rickard and together, for a number of years, they ran Becraft's Place, later known as Mountain Home".
Town of Morehouse records, misc.-
Frederick Becraft served as Morehouse Town Clerk - 1860
• Census, Federal, 1850 in Hamilton Co, NY
341, 350• Land, Book 4, page 280, 5 Sep 1853 in Hamilton Co, NY
Becraft, Frederick, age 25, M,, Farmer,, NY
Matilda, age 20, F,,,,NY
Elizabeth, age 46, F,,,NY
Houghtailing, Peter, age 2,M,,,NY
Grantor Grantee Book Page Date• Census, Federal, 1870 in Morehouse Twp, Hamilton, NY
Morehouse, Andrew K. Becraft, Francis F. 4 280 5 Sep 1853
Frederick Becraft, age 47, farmer, property 1000, born NY; Matilda, age 41, keeping house; Giles, age 19, laborer; Idora, age 15; Emma Jane, age 11.• Probate, Appraised estate of Frederick William Remonda, 16 Sep 1874 in NY
listed as one of the appraisers for the estate of Frederick William Remonda, father of Theodore Remonda who married his daughter Idora.• Probate, Will of Frederick William Remonda, 24 Mar 1877 in NY
Justice of the Peace• Census, Federal, 1880 in Morehouse Twp, Hamilton, NY
Frederick Becraft, age 56, hotel keeping, born NY; Matildy, age 51, wife, keeping house, born NY; Betsey, age 80, mother, born NY.• Land, 20 Jun 1881 in Morehouse, Hamilton Co, NY
Giles, age 28, son, farming, born NY; Margarite, wife; age 30, keeping house, born NY; William, age 1, son, born NY.
Catherine Tucker, age 60, sister, nursing, born NY.
Book 14, pg. 254• Census, NY State Census, 1892 in Morehouse Twp, Hamilton, NY
Indenture made 20 June 1881
Frederick Becraft & Matilda his wife of Morehouse
To Milton J. Griffith of Remsen, Oneida Co.
For $1450.00; 52 1/10 acres (lot #40) near Gideon Rickard's land
{This property was deeded:
(1) From A.K. Morehouse to Peter Becraft, 24 November 1840; Book 2 ½, pg. 108 for $300
(2) From Peter Becraft to Jacob Henry Becraft & Frederick Becraft, 26 February 1842; book 2 ½, pg. 131 for $500
(3) From Jacob H. Becraft & Syrena Becraft his wife to Frederick Becraft, 1 January 1856; book 5, pg. 14 for $300 quit claimed}
Book 14, pg. 254
Same date and people above named
For $25 quit claimed, 50 acres
Bounded on the west by land owned by Joseph Lane.
"Grantors have been in possession of said lands and paid taxes thereon for about or over 20 years. Entered by verbal agreement by John S. Houtaling and it is supposed that a deed of said premises to said grantors is somewhere in existence."
Fredrick Becraft M 68 US C Laborer• Obituary, Hamilton County News, 1893
Matilda Becraft F 65 US C
Giles Becraft M 40 US C Farmer
Margarete M Becraft F 42 US C
Fredy G Becraft M 12 US C
Elca A Becraft F 10 US C
John F Becraft M 7 US C
Rebecca M Becraft F 5 US C
Fred Becraft, 69, an old-time resident of Morehouseville, died after a long illness. Funeral was Fri. May 26, 1893.
Parents
Father: Peter Becraft
Mother: Elizabeth Miller
Spouses and Children
1. *Matilda Rickart 1
Marriage: 1847 - Morehouse, Hamilton Co, NY
Status:
Children:
1. Giles Becraft 1
2. Idora Becraft 1
3. Jennie Emma Becraft 1
Notes
General:
IGI Hardcopy Ancestry.com, William Knox, wknox1@msn.com On 1880 census with sister living with him.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyhamilt/bios/becraft1.html
Frederick moved from Schoharie County New York to Morehouseville with his family when he was bout 16 years old. Two years later, he and his brother, Jacob, bought their father's property. When he was 23, he married 16-year-old Mathilda. About three years later, and for the next 30 years, they ran a hotel called "Becraft's Place", located on the West Canada Creek on Mountain Home Road in Morehouse. In 1881, they sold the hotel to Orsamus Benajah Matteson, an attorney from Utica. Matteson added a tower on one end of the building and furnished it like a first class hotel. From then on, it was known as "Mountain Home". Ironically, Frederick claimed farming as his occupation until a year before he sold the hotel, when he listed his occupation as 'hotel keeping'.
In 1856, Frederick's brother, Jacob, sold his interest in the Morehouse property they had acquired from their father to Frederick. Four years later, Frederick served as Morehouse Town Clerk. By 1870, Frederick, Matilda and their descendants were the only Becrafts remaining in the town. Once a thriving community, the population of Morehouse steadily declined until only 36 families remained, making a total population of 105, in 1953. Some of Frederick's descendants remained in the town and were living there when Morehouse became the last town in New York State to receive electric power from a utility in December 1953.
Frederick died in 1893 and was laid to rest in Mountain Home Road Cemetery. Matilda seems to have gone to live with her daughter, Jennie, in Ilion, Herkimer Co. after his death and died 8 years later. "The funeral was held at the home of her daughter-in-law, Maggie Becraft, the Rev. Fulton officiating. Burial was in Spruce Hill Cemetery."
1
Sources
1. Joanne Murray (lajkam@gmail.com), The Becraft Family of Morehouse (http://hamilton.nygenweb.net/bios/Becraft1.html).