Uncovering the Past: The William B. Nelson Farm and Historic Mill Site

Lieutenant James Bain: Scottish Officer and Early Landowner in White Creek

Stock photo, no known paintings of Bain exist.Imagine standing on the banks of the Walloomsac River in 1765, as a survey party of former British officers and their guides marks out vast tracts of wilderness for new claims. Among them was Lieutenant James Bain, a Scottish veteran whose 2,000-acre grant would help shape the early landscape of what is now White Creek, New York. This story ties White Creek to the colonial push for settlement after the Seven Years' War, illustrating how military service translated into land ownership on the American frontier.Context & SignificanceIn the wake of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), the British Crown encouraged settlement in its North American territories by granting land to officers and soldiers who had served. This policy aimed to secure the frontier against French and Native American threats while rewarding loyal troops. White Creek, then part of the larger Cambridge District in Albany County, was on the edge of this expansion, straddling the New York-Vermont borderlands. Bain's involvement highlights how such grants drew European military men to the region, influencing local development amid competing claims from New York and New Hampshire. Evidence & NarrativeJames Bain, sometimes spelled Bean or Bayne, was born in Scotland in 1733. He arrived in America as an ensign in one of the 77th Regiment's additional companies in spring 1758. Records show he resigned his commission in Montreal on September 17, 1760, before taking a lieutenant's role in Captain Joseph Hopkins' Independent Company, known as the Queen's Royal American Rangers, on December 11, 1761. The unit disbanded on December 24, 1763, placing Bain on half-pay. In 1772, he exchanged his half-pay status with Francis Pfister to become a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion of the 60th Foot (Royal Americans) on May 2, "in room of" Pfister. He advanced to captain-lieutenant on May 2, 1778, and captain on December 25, 1778, before returning to half-pay on October 10, 1782. Bain rejoined as captain in the 2nd/60th on April 16, 1788, but is absent from the British Army List by 1795.On May 8, 1764, Bain joined other officers in petitioning for a land grant, following an earlier letter on April 11. The memorial requested 2,000 acres on the Batten Kill, bounded west by Isaac Sawyer's tract (the Cambridge Patent), north partly by Ryer Schermerhorn's lands, east by vacant land, and south by the Walloomsac (now in White Creek, Washington County). A return of survey was noted on July 11, 1765, with the official grant dated July 12, 1765. In actuality, his land was bounded to the west by John Gregor's Patent, to the east by Ann Gordon's, to the north by Grant and Campbell's, and to the south by the Van Corlaer/Lake Patent. Bain likely participated in the survey that spring, alongside figures like Duncan MacVicar, Ann Gordon, John Small, and William and John Gregor, possibly with soldiers and according to Anne MacVicar Grant, with Native American guides.The grant was roughly one mile wide and three miles long, slanting southwest to northeast. It lay east of Lieutenant John Gregor's similar grant (dated June 10, 1765), bounded north by the Grant and Campbell patent and south by the Lake and Van Corlaer patent. The western end included areas around what later became Herbert Niles' home, and extending northeast into Shaftsbury, Vermont, north of Briggs Corners, encompassing the Jermain place and much of the "New Road" from White Creek village to Pumpkin Hook.Whether Bain settled the land is uncertain; records suggest he may have managed or sold portions between 1765 and 1772, given his return to military service that year. Pfister, who lived in Hoosick by 1777, had ties to the area through marriage to Ann Macomb in 1770, and her father John Macomb owned 100 acres in White Creek plus land in Shaftsbury. Both Bain and Pfister were members of Albany's Masonic "Master Lodge" in 1768-69, and Pfister lived in Albany in early 1772, so Bain might have resided there too. During the Revolution, Bain served in the 1st/60th, stationed in Jamaica rather than America, possibly on the 1780-81 Nicaragua expedition or in recruiting. He likely returned to America briefly before Yorktown, left the service before 1795, and died in June 1800 in Broughton Loan, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland.Unlike officers who sold their grants unseen to speculators like James Duane or John Tabor Kempe, Bain appears to have stayed in the region initially. However, after 1772, land from his patent was sold by John Munro, suggesting Bain sold to Duncan MacVicar. MacVicar combined Bain's 2,000 acres with Ann Gordon's and his own to form a 6,000-acre "Clarendon Township," split between present-day Shaftsbury and White Creek. MacVicar had returned to Scotland in 1768 for a short visit, leaving Munro in charge. He never returned, having obtained a new position on Loch Ness, and seemingly sold his American property to Munro, though no records have been found. These officers often envisioned feudal estates with tenants, but settlers preferred owning "pitches" outright, typically clearing land for three years before negotiating purchases, often with mortgages.Local ImpactBain's grant played a key role in White Creek's early settlement, even if he never lived there permanently. By integrating into MacVicar's larger holdings under Munro's management, it facilitated the division and sale of lots to farmers, contributing to the hamlets and roads that define the town today, such as the "New Road" area. This process attracted families to the fertile lands along the Walloomsac and Little White Creek, boosting agriculture and community growth. If Bain did reside briefly, he would count among White Creek's earliest European settlers, linking the town to broader Loyalist and Revolutionary-era networks through figures like Pfister and Munro.ConclusionLieutenant James Bain's story reveals how post-war land policies transformed White Creek from frontier wilderness into a settled community, though uncertainties remain about his personal presence. His military career and grant underscore the town's ties to colonial history, from Scottish immigrants to border disputes. Readers with family ties to early White Creek patents are encouraged to share deeds or stories that might clarify these connections.Sources & NotesMcCullough, Ian Macpherson. Sons of the Mountains, Vol. 2. Fleischmanns, NY: Purple Mountain Press, 2006 (for Bain's military biography).Calendar of Colonial Manuscripts, p. 338 (May 8, 1764 memorial) and p. 372 (July 11, 1765 survey return).Moscrip, Amos. Old Cambridge District. 1941 (for detailed grant boundaries, dates, and locations in White Creek and Shaftsbury; confirms July 12, 1765 grant date).The Scots Magazine or General Repository of Literature, History, and Politics. July 1800, p. 432 (death notice).Memorial of Simeon Covell, 1784 (for context on post-1772 land sales by Munro, though no direct Bain mention; supports sales patterns in the area). Notes: Grant date varies slightly between sources (July 11 vs. 12); used July 12 from Moscrip for precision. Bain's settlement is possible but unconfirmed; records suggest likelihood based on timeline but lack direct evidence. No modern embellishments added; claims based on primary colonial records and local histories.Last edited by Ted Rice on 6 December 2025. This was changed somewhat by AI, but it seemed mostly accurate so I just checked it over and edited a few things.