1599: Fort Plank Revolutionary War Genealogy with Ken D. Johnson

What this episode covers

Most people learn American history through famous battles, the founding fathers, and well-known landmarks, but some of the most powerful stories come from small, forgotten places that never make it into textbooks. In this episode, Fort Plank historian Ken D. Johnson reveals the hidden Revolutionary War history of Fort Plank and New York’s Mohawk Valley, and how one obscure frontier fort shaped the lives of families, soldiers, and communities for generations. Ken shares how a simple genealogical curiosity about his own ancestors turned into a decades-long mission: preserving the stories of the ordinary men, women, and children who defended and rebuilt the Mohawk Valley. What began as researching family roots led him deep into merchant ledgers, military orders, land claims, church records, and personal journals, evidence that allowed him to reconstruct the true story of Fort Plank and its people with remarkable precision. Rather than rewriting history with modern opinions, Ken focuses on documented facts and first-person accounts, which he compiles in works like “In Defense of the Facts: An Ongoing Search for Fort Plank” and “The Bloodied Mohawk.” You’ll hear why Fort Plank was far more than just a military outpost. Built on the remnants of a French and Indian War site, it became a critical commissary fort, supplying food, candles, and essentials to Revolutionary troops based on complex ration systems. After the war, when local families returned to burned-out farms and ruined homes, they didn’t leave the fort to rot, they repurposed its materials to rebuild barns, houses, and livelihoods, turning a symbol of war into the foundation of a renewed community. Ken also explains how financial records and account books can unlock family and local history in ways birth and death records never could. By tracking payments, debts, and land transfers, he has uncovered relationships and corrected long-standing genealogical assumptions, like tracing a supposed “Bowman” connection back to the more accurate “Bauer” family through a single, telling transaction. His work shows how genealogy and local history are inseparable, and how understanding one brings the other into focus. https://youtu.be/WXxHZQGAEM4?si=XWLGjiuo8Qn6I_53 If you’re interested in genealogy, Revolutionary War history, the Mohawk Valley, or simply understanding where you come from, this episode will change how you think about the past. Ken shares practical starting points for tracing your own roots, why talking to grandparents and elders matters, and how knowing your family’s story can give you deeper identity, pride, and perspective. To explore further, visit FortPlank.org, where you’ll find research links, contact information, and details on Ken’s books and ongoing discoveries about Fort Plank and the Mohawk Valley. Quotes: “In my mind it’s not really genealogy, and in my mind it’s not really history; it’s just this is the way it was, and this is how it happened.”  “You will never, not ever, ever understand your family until you understand the history;  and you’ll never understand the history until you understand the families.”  “No one else studies this place, no one else wants to maintain it, nobody else wants to preserve the memories, and so it’s kind of a self‑imposed duty.”  Contact Details: Explore Ken D. Johnson's Official Website Visit Ken D. Johnson's Facebook Page Get a Copy of The Bloodied Mohawk on Amazon Get a Copy of In Defense of the Facts: An Ongoing Search for Fort Plank on Amazon