SIDNEY — The Sidney Historical Association will host a presentation exploring the region’s earliest settlers, Revolutionary War-era conflicts and the founding of Sidney at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 13, at the Sidney Public Library, 8 River St., Sidney.
Historian Terry McMaster, a sixth-generation direct descendant of Sidney founder Rev. William Johnston, will present “Rev. Wm Johnston and His Gang of Villains: A Loyalist Perspective,” a look at the complex history of settlement along the upper Susquehanna River during the late 18th century.
The program will examine colonial immigration, the challenges faced by settlers on what was then the edge of the known frontier, and the violence that marked life in the region during the Revolutionary War. McMaster will also discuss Johnston’s role in establishing a community at the confluence of the Unadilla and Susquehanna rivers, a settlement that would eventually become the village of Sidney.
McMaster’s own family history is deeply intertwined with the region. His ancestors helped settle the Mohawk Valley and upper Susquehanna before the Revolution. Among them was Capt. David McMaster, who fought in the Battle of Oriskany, while he and his father, James McMaster, served on the Tryon County Committee of Safety. Members of the family were also living in Cherry Valley at the time of the infamous 1778 massacre.
The presentation is free and open to the public.
