Our Heritahe

THE UTICA FREE ACADEMY
It's our Community's Heritage

When Utica Free Academy was closed in 1987 there was very little known about the origin of it’s predecessor, The Utica Academy. Just as Moses Bagg is the only name most Uticans identify as an original Utican, the only thing known about The Utica Academy was that it started in 1814. This is due to the fact that very few if any Uticans have ever seen the original Charter of The Utica Academy and therefore, they never knew who the founders were. Today we take great pleasure in introducing 25 citizens of the Village of Utica, who in the midst of the War of 1812, took time to establish a vital part of our educational system that is still functioning almost 200 years later.

This history was finally revealed when we received a microfilm copy of the original Charter from Albany. Every name listed on the Charter of 1814 was eventually found in Moses Bagg’s book entitled The Pioneers of Utica. This book is a three-generation effort by the Bagg family, beginning with Moses Bagg, who arrived in Old Fort Schuyler in 1794. The book provides information on the people who first settled our area starting in the 1780’s. This compilation of information was carried on by Moses Bagg, Jr., after his father’s death and finalized by Moses M. Bagg, MD and published in 1877. An additional source of information about the Charter Members was Annals and Recollections of Oneida County”by Pomroy Jones, published in 1851.

The first permanent building used by The Utica Academy was located on
Chancellor'd Square, Circa 1818.

Historical Marker installed on Acadeny Street, site of the original Utica Academy.

The Citizens of the Village of Utica in 1814 were:

Mostly from New England.

Mostly long term Americans, with one man, a 6th generation American.

For a large part, Veterans of the American Revolution.

The people listed on the 1814 Charter of the Academy:

Were all listed in Bagg’s book, The Pioneers of Utica as first settlers of the area.
Include men who fought in the Revolutionary War - John Bellinger & Talcott Camp.
Include one man who fought at Oriskany in 1777 and 35 years later, as a Colonel of Militia, lead the Utica detachment to Sacketts Harbor - John Bellinger.
Include the man who submitted the name Utica for the lottery to rename Old Fort Schuyler in 1798, and the man was an Associate of Alexander Hamilton - Erastus Clark.
Include the first President of the Village and 5 other men who later were Village Presidents. This man was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, a Village Trustee and one of the original Board Members of the Academy - Talcott Camp
Includes 18 men who held offices in the Village government.
Include a man who was the Village Treasurer, a Village Trustee, the County Clerk, the Secretary of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and a NYS Senator - Francis A. Bloodgood
Includes three men who were United States Congressmen - Jeremiah Van Renssellaer, Joseph Kirkland and Nathan Williams.
Includes the first Mayor of the City of Utica in 1832 - Joseph Kirkland.
Include a man, a hatter by trade, who became one of the main suppliers for John Jacob Astor’s world trade in furs. He was also a Village Trustee and Academy Board member - Samuel Stocking.
Include a man who was the Father-in-Law of President John Adams’ granddaughter, Abigail Adams Johnson. Abigail and her husband, Alexandre Bryan Johnson lived in Utica.
Include a saddle and harness maker, a carpenter, a tailor, a manufacturer of material for clothing, a printer, a physician, and a druggist.
Includes a man who was an Attorney, became a district attorney, a NYS Assemblyman and a Congressman. This man closed his law practice in 1812 to lead his Company of Militia to Sacketts Harbor - Nathan Williams.
This man is not on the Charter as a citizen of Utica but he signed the Charter as the Chancellor of the Board of Regents and he became a Governor of NYS and a Vice President of the United States in President Monroe’s term - Daniel D. Tompkins.