Crossroads is a one-day symposium that will bring together leading historians, scholars, and public history professionals to explore different aspects of the American Revolution in upstate New York, with a particular focus on Schenectady as a crossroads of conflict and supply.

While the stories of generals and founding fathers are well known, this symposium will examine the experiences of everyday folks who made their home in and around Schenectady County. How did patriots and loyalists, farmers and merchants, and men, women, and children see their lives changed by the fight for independence? How did geography, community, and the environment influence the Revolution in this region, including the Mohawk River? Through two presentations and a panel discussion, the symposium will discuss Schenectady as a crossroads during the American Revolution.

This event will take place in Covenant Hall at First Reformed Church on Church St, Schenectady. Light refreshments and coffee will be provided during the event.

Speakers:

Russell Shorto – Keynote Speaker
Claire Bellerjeau – Speaker
John Gearing – Panelist
Donald F. Johnson – Panelist
Sean Kelleher – Panelist
Kiersten Marcil – Moderator

Russell Shorto is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at The New York Historical and senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute. He writes books of narrative history, which have been published in fourteen languages and have won numerous awards. In 2009, Shorto was given a knighthood by the Dutch government for advancing Dutch-American historical awareness. In 2018, he was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. Some of his books include “Revolution Song,” “Taking Manhattan,” and “The Island at the Center of the World.”

Claire Bellerjeau is the co-author of “Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth”, published in May of 2021. Bellerjeau is also the co-founder of a 501(c)3 non-profit organization called Remember Liss, with the mission to educate the community about the extraordinary life and times of an enslaved Black woman from New York named Elizabeth, or Liss.

John Gearing is a historian and author whose works focuses on Schenectady during the colonial and Revolutionary periods. His most recent publication is the seminal “Schenectady Genesis Volume II: The Creation of an American City from an Anglo-Dutch Colonial Town, ca. 1760-1800.”

Donald F. Johnson is Associate Professor of History at North Dakota State University, where he teaches courses and advises graduate students on early America, memory studies, and historical research and writing. He also has expertise in public history and material culture studies. Johnson is the author of “Occupied America; British Military Rule and the Experience of Revolution,” which chronicles the everyday experience of ordinary people living under military occupation during the American Revolution.

Sean Kelleher has served as the Town of Saratoga Historian for over 20 years. He is also an ACE award-winning television producer, and has spent over a decade working on national productions, including PBS’s “American Experience”. In addition, Sean has served as a commissioner of the New York State French and Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission, and as the Director of the Washington County Fair Farm Museum.

Kiersten Marcil is an author of historical fiction and the chair of the Schenectady Celebrates 250! committee for the Schenectady County Historical Society. In 2024, she received a DAR America 250! Commendation by the National Society of the DAR, and was the recipient of the NSDAR American Heritage: Women in the Arts Recognition Award. Her published works include the Enlightened saga: “Witness to the Revolution” and “The General’s Watch.” She is currently working on the third installment of the saga.