Dear Wayne,
Thank you for the information you forwarded.  It surely will be helpful.
Pierre Couture.
Wayne Miller wrote:
>
> Dear Pierre,
> I took some time to research your question and there appears to be no
> information in print about your Nathaniel Douglass. I have checked Clinton
> County (Champlain is in Clinton Co.), Champlain, and Rouses Point
> histories which, although they do a thorough job of detailing the early
> shipping industry, make no mention of him. I also checked the cemetery
> records and while there are several Douglass' buried in Champlain, the
> earliest birth date is 1802, and no Nathaniel appears. A quick check of
> our manuscript collection also failed to turn over any info.  While you
> may want to venture down to Plattsburgh to conduct a more thorough search,
> I suggest that you exhaust sources north of the border first.  One
> thought: given the time frame of your home's construction, if it contains
> any brick or stone, there is a good chance that material came from 'Fort
> Blunder.'  In 1818, a fort being constructed by the U.S. was found to be
> north of the border, construction was abandoned, and locals were allowed
> to carry of the building materials. Many buildings on both sides of the
> border built at that time took advantage of the free brick and stone.
> Another fort, Montgomery, was constructed on the same site after
> completion of the Webster-Ashburton treaty restored possession of the
> place to the U.S.
> Wayne Miller
>
>