Author: Victor J. DiSanto

Victor J. DiSanto is a Museum Associate at the Iroquois Museum in Howes Cave. He is a retired New York State Historic Preservation Program Analyst and a former member of the Bureau of Museum Education and Visitor Services at the NYS Museum in Albany. He received his B.A. and M.A. in American History from the State University of New York at Albany and his Ph.D. from Binghamton University.

 Critical Thinking Posted on

Quotes About or By Native Americans, 1751 to 1793

Quotes about indigenous Native Americans are brimming with paradoxes. Benjamin Franklin praised their martial skills and the political structure of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy yet labeled them “ignorant savages.” John Adams chastised the French utilization of native warriors in the French and Indian Wars while Philip Schuyler wooed Oneida warriors with false promises of equality and […]

by Victor J. DiSanto
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Exhibits Posted on

The Fidelity Medallion

The Fidelity Medallion awarded to Isaac Van Wart has been donated to the New York State Museum in Albany by the estate of Rae Faith Van Wart Robinson, late of Westchester County and a direct descendant of Van Wart, in accordance with Robinson’s stated wishes.[1] Ms. Robinson passed away on October 19, 2020 at the […]

by Victor J. DiSanto
Memorials Posted on

The Benedict Family of Salem, New York

David Williams was one of the three New York State Militiamen who captured Major John André on September 23, 1780.[1] In June 1780, Williams left his father’s farm in Tarrytown, crossed the Croton River, and moved out of the neutral zone between British and American forces into the northern part of Westchester County. By this time […]

by Victor J. DiSanto