Fitz Green Halleck, left, and 2nd Lieutenant Esbon W. Hindes, Company F (Vermont) Berdan's 1st U.S. Sharpshooters. Photo taken sometime between Aug. 1862 and Feb. 1863 when Hindes held the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Brian White Collection. FindAGraveBorn: August 10, 1840

Died: October 13, 1919

Married: Mary Albin Throop, born August 17, 1838; died March 13, 1900

Children:

Fitz Green Halleck, sometimes spelled Hallock, was a guide at Paul Smith's Hotel. He was a War of 1812 veteran, having served from 1812 to 1815.

He was one of Dr. E. L. Trudeau's guides. "Fitz-Greene Hallock" is listed as one of 18 incorporators of the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium in 1889. In 1885 he was briefly the Postmaster at Saranac Lake, from February 16 until July 20 that year.

It is likely that he was named after American poet Fitz Green Halleck (1790-1867), sometimes called "the American Byron". He was the first president of the Adirondack Guides' Association in 1891. 1

In 1875, he was a boarder at the Milo B. Miller home. After 1875, he lived on Bloomingdale Avenue, in the original Ensine Miller house, facing the Baker Bridge.

Near the end of Trudeau's life, Halleck is said to have carried Trudeau to the deer runways on W. Seward Webb's Nehesane preserve; Halleck became Nehesane's caretaker. 2

76 Bloomingdale Avenue is known as the Fitz Green Halleck house.

Hallock was apparently a son of Joshua Hallock (Dec. 23, 1795-May 30, 1879), who is buried in the Quaker Union cemetery, Keese Corner. As 10-year-old "Fely G. Hallock," he was living with his father in the household of Anderson Keese in Ausable, Clinton County (1850 census). In the 1860 census, 21-year-old "Fitzgreene Hallock" was still in the same household, now listed as Ausable/Keeseville, Clinton [Co.].

"Fitzgreene Hallock" enlisted in Civil War service on September 13, 1861, from St. Armand, as a private in the 1st NY Infantry, Co. F, a unit that may also be known as the "1st US sharpshooters Company F." He was discharged September 13, 1864, at p. o. Saranac Lake. During his service, he apparently suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg for which he received $6.00 in October 1870 (this, from an 1883 list of Franklin County pensioners).

In 1870, he was still listed in the census as in Ausable, apparently along with his sister Emily, age 40; but by the 1880 census "Fitz G. Hallock" was a 39-year-old boarder in the Harrietstown, Franklin County, household of Lucius Evans, 51, guide.

From: Betty J. Pratt's typescript dated January 2001 and titled "Civil War Veterans" in the Adirondack Collection of the Saranac Lake Free Library.

Sources: Phil Gallos card file, citing the following:

See also E. L. Trudeau, An Autobiography, pages 86 and 106-107. (Change to "Order by pages")

Essex County Republican, March 5, 1885

As Fitz Hallock was dipping up water from the river opposite his house; the ice gave away and he was plunged into the water –- neck yoke and pails went under the ice and were lost, but Mr. Hallock, not being partial to cold baths, picked himself up and went home.

From the Malone Farmer, October 22, 1919

Fitz Greene Hallock, Splendid Type of Adirondack Guide, Takes the Long, Long Trail.

His Affection For Dr. Trudeau.

Fitz Greene Hallock, one of the most famous of the old Saranac Lake guides, a veteran of the Civil War and a man of fine mind and character, has taken the long, long trail. He died at the home of his daughter in Keeseville last week, aged 79 years. Hallock was a man clean in mind and body who had trained his intellect with much reading and was easily the leader of his craft in Saranac Lake nearly 40 years ago as an all around citizen. And Saranac Lake at that time was made up entirely of the families of guides and a few invalids who had been sent to Dr. Trudeau to care for. In the summer and fall the place was composed largely of women and children, as the guides were out in the woods, with parties and the invalids were mostly in camps along the Saranacs and St. Regis chain of lakes. In the winter the invalids all flocked to the village for its shelter against frigid winds and to be near their physician. In the winter of 1882-3 there were about 75 of them, including their families, where there are now hundreds. The guides also all came home and lived till spring on what they had made in the summer and fall, with the exception of an occasional wood or lumber job in which they could find employment. They were experts in their craft, knowing forest trails, forest lore and the habits of trout and deer thoroughly, and they received $3.00 a day and keep, munificent pay—in those days, when at ordinary jobs an able-bodied man received $1.00 per day. The population of the village in winter was about double that of summer; houses were scattered, except along a short section of the Main street, and were mostly log structures.

Detail from an undated Henry Beach post card showing Little Rapids at right.
From Frank Cary at Adirondack History and Legends
See also Navigating Stillwater ReservoirThere was no railroad then within 40 miles of Saranac Lake, and the stage-coming with the mail and passengers and supplies was the chief excitement late every afternoon. In the long winter evenings the guides would sit in a circle around three sides of Milo Miller's store and tell stories.There was little for amusement in winter except hunting foxes and rabbits with hounds in the day time and an occasional dance or donation in the sparsely settled neighborhood in the evening. Everybody wore wool boots and rubbers to business, to church and to school. Dr. Trudeau, for health and pleasure, spent portions of almost every winter day hunting rabbits and foxes, and Fitz Greene Hallock was his guide and companion. Mr. Hallock was a man of fine tastes and gentle heart, extremely solicitous of the health and welfare of his charge, and a fit comrade as well as a most competent woodsman. A great affection grew up between these men which time never dimmed. When Saranac Lake grew and developed and the Doctor established his sanatorium and laboratory and the village spread out over the old rabbit and fox grounds. Mr. Hallock became head gamekeeper at Dr, Webb's Ne-ha-sane preserve and guided at Little Rapids for E. H. Harriman, the railroad magnate, and Dr. Walter James, the celebrated New York physician. Dr. Trudeau was wont to visit Fitz there in the deer hunting season and they spent many happy hours together.

As the doctor's strength failed Fitz cut little paths all through the hunting grounds to make it easier for him to walk through them, and when he could no longer walk Fitz made a chair in which he was carried to the old runways and shot deer until he became too ill to make the journey to Little Rapids.#

New York Times, April 8, 1894 New York Times, April 8, 1894

A DAY IN THE ADIRONDACKS EARLY SPRING OUTING OF A PARTY OF NEW-YORKERS.

[...]

Nehasane Park is in charge of Fitz Greene Halleck, a native of the Adirondack region and an athletic, earnest, good-natured, and whole-souled man. He knows all about the woodlands, and is a character in his way. His picture, which is presented here-with, represents him as he appeared in his boat on Lake Lila. The smile is a perennial one. The disproportionate size of his feet is due, no doubt, to the fact that they were nearer to the camera than was the rest of his body. Mr. Halleck was named after the American poet, and he has men at work for him who bear such names as Shakespeare, Milton, Napoleon, St. Peter, St. Paul, &c. The natives of the Adirondacks are fond of wearing impressive names. Mr. Halleck is Superintendent, Forester, and Fire Warden of Nehasane, and Special State Game and Fish Protector. Nehasane is an Indian name, meaning "Beaver crossing on a log."

[...]

 

See also: E. L. Trudeau letter to C. M. Lea

 

Footnotes

1. Plattsburgh Sentinel, July 17, 1891
2. Charles Brumley, Guides of the Adirondacks: A History, p. 125

Add tags