Percifer Carr (also given variously as ''Parsifer'', ''Persifor'', ''Persefer'' and ''Persafor'' Carr) (died 1804) was a British allied

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

living in what is now Otsego County, New York around the time of the American Revolution. Carr served as a

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

with Colonel

William Edmeston General William Edmeston (died 1804) was a British Army officer who owned an estate in New York State. As a captain in the 48th Regiment of Foot, he was posted to North America in 1755 with his brother, Lieutenant Robert Edmeston, to fight in t ...

in the French and Indian War and was later employed as an agent for Edmeston and his brother Robert in establishing claims on tracts of land on the eastern bank of the

Unadilla River The Unadilla River is a river in the Central New York Region of New York State. The river begins northeast of the hamlet of Millers Mills and flows generally south to the village of Sidney, where it converges with the Susquehanna River, which d ...

just west of George Croghan's Otsego patent near what is now the hamlet of South Edmeston in the Town of Edmeston. Carr was then made caretaker for these tracts, which became known as '' Mount Edmeston'' (also known as ''Edmeston Plantation'', ''Edmeston Manor'', ''Carr's Garden'', and commonly ''the Carr farm''). The Edmeston brothers returned to England, but sent a number of settlers, likely including some Irish indentured servants, back to their estate. In 1773, William returned to Mount Edmeston to personally supervise its development, and by 1775, its population was nearing 100. With the advent of the Revolutionary War, Edmeston, now a British

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, was detained by American patriots in the eastern part of the state and Carr continued to manage Mount Edmeston. But, as a known Tory, he was suspected by patriots at Cherry Valley and

German Flatts German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,258 at the 2010 census. The town is in the southern part of Herkimer County, on the south side of the Mohawk River, across from the village of Herkimer. T ...

of selling provisions to

Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk people, Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York (state), New York, who was closely associated with Kingdom of Great Britain, Great B ...

. In September 1778, a group of Native Americans who were allied with the British, mistakenly set Carr's house on fire and carried him and his wife to Canada through the

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

region. At least one account has stated that Carr was treated very poorly, having been forced to lie down in steams to allow his captors to use his body as a footbridge. Carr and his wife returned to Mount Edmeston in 1783. Major Edmeston who had returned to duty in Europe, hired Carr to rebuild his estate, but in 1788, Robert Edmeston returned to America and fired Carr.

John Tunnicliff John Tunnicliff ( – January, 1800) was a prominent landowner and presumed Tory in Otsego County, New York. He was born in Derbyshire, England, the eldest son of George and Mary Tunnicliff. He married Elizabeth in 1747 and later married Mary ...

, an influential farmer in the area, tried to mediate the dispute, but, as Tunnicliff reported in a letter to William Cooper, his efforts proved fruitless, even though Carr's friends and neighbors signed an affidavit testifying to his "frugal & industrious" dealings on behalf of his landlord. Carr's direct appeal for relief to William Edmeston, on the grounds of old age and a "State of absolute Penury", was equally without success. Finally, however, a small piece of property was secured for him, and Carr remained in Otsego County until his death in 1804, when he was buried on

's farm near Schuyler Lake.

References

Pioneers of Edmeston, Otsego County, New York.
* William Edmeston's 1767-1769 letters to Percifer Carr * Joseph Brant's 1777 and 1778 letters to Percifer Carr {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Percifer Year of birth missing 1804 deaths People from Edmeston, New York Northamptonshire Regiment soldiers British Army personnel of the French and Indian War