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Colonel John Glen
Johannes Glen was born July 2, 1735, in Albany, New York. He was the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Cuyler) Glen. He married Catherine Veeder ca. 1760. They had seven children. Jacob was the eldest, who became a Loyalist and moved to Chambly, Canada in 1806.
John Glen served in the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars, as Quartermaster with the rank of Colonel. He was stationed in Schenectady, N.Y.
He bought land from Daniel Parke on the south side of the Hudson River. He rebuilt mills that were destroyed in the Revolution and manufactured lumber. Mr. Glen apparently lived in Schenectady most of his life, but stayed at the Parke family cottage when he was in this area attending to business and entertaining.
"Tradition has it, that in 1788, Abraham Wing consented to give up the name of Wing's Falls in payment for a wine supper for mutual friends. The next day, Col. Glen had handbills announcing the change from Wing's Falls to Glen's Falls distributed to taverns along the road from Queensbury to Albany. In 1808, the hamlet was called Glen's Falls by the Post Office. The apostrophe was dropped in later years by the Glens Falls Insurance Company as too bothersome to use. Glen's Falls was incorporated as a village on April 12, 1838"
The Colonel, at the close of his life, became poor and was supported by kind friends. His financial embarrassments are thought to have resulted from his connection with public affairs and the consequent neglect of his private interests.
John Glen died September 23, 1828.
Sources:
History of Queensbury, N.Y. by A. W. Holden
The History Of The Glens Falls, N.Y. City School District 1762 - 1993 by Dr. Robert N. King