Grafton Anti-Rent Mutual Protection Association
Records, 1824-1867

Historical Note:
There appears to be little known about this organization. It seems to have been active from about 1843 until 1867, although it may have been active previous to and after those dates. The members appeared to have been assessed fees based upon a cost per acre of land owned (at one time, 3 cents per acre) and among other functions, the fees were used to fund the costs of attorneys in lawsuits related to the anti-rent crisis.
On December 20, 1844, Elijah Smith and his uncle Plumb Martin, lumbermen in Grafton, were surrounded by about fifty “Indians” and during that incident, Smith was shot by Norman Goyer and died later. There is a receipt for payment by Goyer to the Grafton Anti-Rent MPA in the papers. In 1854, the Van Rensselaer family sold most of their remaining lands to Walter S. Church. Church brought hundreds of lawsuits to eject tenants for non-payment of rent and many tenant families who had worked the land for generations lost their lands. The receipts for payment for counsel, particularly to attorney, Anson Brigham, indicate that the MPA was fighting lawsuits for their lands until at least 1867.

Scope Note:
These records are chiefly financial and include receipts and lists of residents of Grafton who were supporting the organization. They provide one of the scarce sources of the names of those who may have been “Indians” in the anti-rent dispute that continued for nearly three decades.

Item List:
Folder 1:
Two receipts from the Rensselaer County Mutual Insurance Company to Henry Hydorn, April 21, 1842 and Sept. 20, 1843

Folder 2:
Lists of member of the Grafton Anti-Rent MPA with amounts of money received from them as part of their dues as members, 6 lists, four undated, one dated Nov. 5, 1861 and one dated March 12, 1859 (assessment for this was 3 cents per acre). Surnames such as Wagar, Hydorn , Lawler, McChesney, Littlefield, Dunham, Clickner, Hayner, Emerson, Bonesteel, Goyer, Coonradt, Shaver and others.

Folder 3:
Two receipts for subscriptions to the Albany Freeholder; to Peter T. Hydorn, dated Nov. 19, 1846 and July 6, 1847, signed by A.G. Johnson for C. F. Bouton.

Folder 4:
Promises to pay and receipts to individuals for payments of the Grafton Anti-Rent MPA, 1843-1863. Receipts made to the following persons, who it probably can be assumed were members of this semi-secret Association.

Folder 5:
Eight receipts to Executive Committee of the Grafton Anti-Rent MPA for payments to Bennajah Allen, Treasurer of the MPA, 1843-1844

Folder 6:
Orders (7) to Peter T. Heydorn, Treasurer from William Heydorn to pay various sums of money to various members of the MPA, 1853-1861.
One receipt of money received from Peter Hydorn for blacksmithing, 1853.

Folder 7:
Receipts of payments made to Peter Hydorn and others related to payment for counsels in “Indian suits,” and other actions, 1853-1867.

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