Historic image of Fonda, New York
Historic image of Fonda, New York.

Fonda is a village in Montgomery County on the Mohawk River and the Barge Canal, west of Amsterdam, New York. The village was incorporated in 1850 and was named for Douw Jellis Fonda (1700–1780).

Family connection

Douw and his family settled in Caughnawaga in 1751. The family’s presence in the region—and the story of the 1780 raid—makes the place more than a namesake: it is a geographic anchor for an important branch of Fonda family history.

Family-history connection: Fonda, New York links people, places, burials, military history and related stories from several generations of the family.

Historical context

The village record brings together its description, family connections, photographs, citations and related stories in one place.

Related regional history

Local-history references also note Fonda Speedway at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds and the nearby historical name “Fonda’s Bush,” associated with an area now known as Broadalbin.