Blog 1- Situate Family by Victoria Myers     

Molly Brant’s household is located in Johnson Town, New York, in the county of present-day Futon. Molly Brant, who was one of the leaders in the Mohawk Tribe and stood as a mediator for the British and the Iroquois during the Revolutionary War. She lived in The Johnson Hall with Sir William Johnson. Sir Johnson was the first Baronet for the British, and also founded the town of Johnson in New York, where their home was located at. Johnson Town was a Rockland area on the southern border of the country. The Johnson/ Brant household lived a well-off life in Upper New York, in the colonized Mohawk area, as they served King Charles and remained Loyal to the crown.
After the passing of Sir Johnson’s first wife, Catherine Weisenberg, Molly Brant then moved into the Johnson Hall with Sir Johnson sometime in the year of 1759-1760. Although it is not clear if Molly and Johnson ever married, they lived with their eight or nine kids (the number is not exact). It is understood that Sir Johnson, refer to Molly as his consort or head housemaid. Their first born, Peter Johnson, was sent to Canada to study business. Johnson Hall was a Georgian style house built in 1763, the house was quite large, and Sir Johnson was actually known for being “The largest single landowner in the Colonial Mohawk Valley”. In the Johnson Hall, the household lived well off in Luxury for the 1700s, as Sir Johnson could provide for his many children and family. Sir Johnson and Molly Brant were well like, to their fellow men and would offend host parties and entertain guest in their home. Molly was also known around as a kind and giving Lady, as she would donate and share the wealth to the Mohawk tribe. The Indian Castle Church in Herkimer County, New York was made by the Brant and Johnson Household. Molly and her brother Joseph donated the land, and Sir William erected it in 1769.
In the year 1774, right on the eve of the Revolutionary War, Sir Johnson past away, and Molly Brant was pressure to leave the Johnson Hall who was inherited by Sir Johnson first son by his first wife, John Johnson. Molly Brant and her kids then moved backed, to Canajoharie, the family was left a little money, but they were not living as well off as they once were with Sir Johnson. Molly had grown up in Canajoharie, with her mother and her father, a Mohawk Tribal Chief, Peter Tehonwaghkwangeraghkwa. Canajoharie is a village in the town of Canajoharie, which was where the wolf clan of the Mohawk tribe settled. Canajoharie is located in Montgomery County, New York, it also had the nickname of “The Upper Castle” by the English Colonist. Molly’s Brother, Joseph Johnson, who was a military leader for the Mohawk, live in the village as well. Joseph had inherited almost 300 Arcs of land from his Step-dad, Nickus Brant.
When Molly and her family moved back, it sets the scene up for the Brants to play a crucial part for the British, in the Revolutionary War. Where both Joseph and Molly stayed true to the British and remained loyalist. Upper New York served as a good location for them because it was assessable to the Mohawk tribes and close to the British Forts.

Citations
Britannica, T. E. (2019, April 12). Mary Brant. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Brant
Huyck, H. (2017, April 02). Molly Brant. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/12/molly-brant.html