CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY nlln 3 1924 028 853 327 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028853327 -Vl^tM^a. 'Jil^ A^rt^e^ ' ij, J-'t ■'I' i iH fi ffi'. THE HISTORY OF DUTCHESS COUNTY NEW YORK Edited by FRANK HASBROUCK Puhluhed hy S. A. MATTH lEU POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. 1 909 THEA.V.HAICHTDI). PRINTEHS roUCHKEEPSie HEW YORK PREFACE. The year of the tercentennial celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River seems an eminently fit time for the publication of a history of one of the most important counties whose shores are washed by its waters. The early establishment of trading posts, at its mouth, Manhattan (New York), at the head of navigation, Fort Orange (Albany), and at the mouth of the Rondout, half way between these two places, Esopus (Kingston), determined the first locations along the river's banks for permanent settlements, but as immigrants came in larger numbers it was not long before they were attracted by the water powers of the Fishliill, Wappingers, Caspers Kill, Fallkill, Crum Elbow, Landsman's Kill and Roeliff Jansen's Kill, and the fine farm- ing lands in the valleys of these streams, to seek new homes and begin the settlement of our county. Along the river, naturally, the predominant race of the original settlers was Dutch, with a sprinkling of French Huguenots, while later a considerable number of Palatines were settled in the northern part of the county. The early settlement of the eastern part of the county through the length of the Harlem Valley was made by people from the New Eng- land Colonies, aU that part of New York State being originally claimed as belonging to and embraced within the New England grants of land. The Quakers, forming a large element in the settlement of the east- ern and northeastern bounds of the county, were among those who came from New England, seeking to escape the intolerance of their narrow minded neighbors, and to secure freedom for religious opinion and expression and practice, insistence upon which has been a noted characteristic of the Dutch people for centuries. It win be seen also from the pages of this history that there was an infusion of the Irish Catholic element into the county long before the time of the great Irish famine, to which period, to be sure, most of the Irish Catholic immigration must be assigned, for it appears 10 PREFACE. that there were many Irish Catholic soldiers in the armies of the Revolution quartered in this vicinity, some of whom, with their fam- ilies, settled here at the end of the war. It will appear from the Church history, which has been most care- fully compiled for this work, that in early times there were even more creeds and denominations in the county than there were different nationalities; and it will be quite apparent to the thoughtful student that while certain settlements along the river, as particularly Pough- keepsie, at the earliest dates, were somewhat homogeneous in race and religion, and might have been truly designated as Dutch settle- ments, the county as a whole, started as a cosmopolitan community. Dutchess County does not present a virgin field for the historian. It has already been cultivated to a considerable extent. In 1877 Philip H. Smith, of PawHng, N. Y., published a "General History of Dutchess County from 1609 to 1876 inclusive." His book, which is now somewhat rare, shows an immense amount of work of investigation, a great fund of general information and tradition gathered by its author, and it has preserved many valuable facts and documents relating to the history of the county. Frequent use has been made in the preparation of the present work of the material gathered by Mr. Smith in his history, and due rec- ognition is made to him for the same. Mr. Smith has also written several of the chapters on the different towns, and no one in the community is as well qualified as he to do the work that he has contributed to this volume. In 1882 there was published by D. Mason & Company, of Syracuse, a "History of Dutchess County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers," by James H. Smith; and in 1897 there was published by J. H. Beers & Company, of Chicago (no author) a "Commemorative Biographical Record of Dutchess County, N. Y., containing Biographical Sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families." The latter was merely a compilation of sketches, mostly autobiographical. The historical matter of James H. Smith's book was taken mostly from Philip H. Smith's history. There have been published too, several histories of localities or towns. In 1874 John W. Spaight, publisher of the Fishkilt Standard, PREFACE. 11 printed a little book entitled "Local Tales and Historical Sketches" by Henry D. B. Bailey. This is merely a compilation of a few old woman tales and local traditions of no historical value. Mr. Bailey, in his preface, stated that "he intended to write a history," but he never did. Prior to this in 1866, Dean & Spaight published for T. VanWyck Brinkerhoof, a "Historical Sketch of the Town of Fishkill," which is quite rare, but is full of accurate and interesting information. In 1875, DeLacey & Wiley, printers at Amenia, published an *'Early History of Amenia" by Newton Reed, containing much genealogical and historical information well worth preservation. In 1897, Charles Walsh & Company, printers at Amenia, published Volume 1 of a "History of Little Nine Partners of Northeast Pre- cinct and Pine Plains, New York, Dutchess Coufety," by Isaac Huntt- ing. Pine Plains, N. Y. This is said by its author to be "A compilation and revision of sketches published in the Amenia Times, Dutchess Farmer, Pough- heepsie Telegraph and Pine Plains Register." There are many documents of the early times published and pre- served in this valuable work, and a great deal of accurate historical information concerning the early history and families of the locality, mixed with some tradition. The author very modestly prints as a prefatory motto, "A little preserved is better than all lost." Unfortunately, as we are informed, his book did not meet with such appreciation as its author seemed to think that it deserved, and as it really did deserve, and so in a fit of pique, he is reported to have burned a large part of the edition which was left upon his hands. Volume II never appeared. In 1881, Edward M. Smith, as author, published a "Documentary History of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, N. Y., embracing Biographical Sketches and Genealogical Records of our First Families and First Settlers, with a History of its Churches and other Public Institu- tions." This is a creditable and useful work, worthy of the historical importance of Rhinebeck Precinct. Only last year the eminent lawyer, Howard H. Morse, now of Tarry- town, N. Y., formerly of Rhinebeck, published a volume entitled "His- 12 PREFACE. toric Old Rhinebeck," which is a handsome book, full of interesting information concerning his old home town and its people. Richard Francis Maher, the Town Clerk of Dover, has recently privately published a pamphlet entitled "Historic Dover." The historical matter contained therein has been made the basis of the chapter on the Town of Dover, written by Mr. Maher. AH of these previous works, both county histories and town his- tories, have been freely laid under tribute in the preparation of the present work, due credit in all cases being given ; and the editor desires to acknowledge his obligation to their authors and publishers. He desires to say, however, that all matters of tradition have been ahnost wholly ignored, for it is his experience, gained in long years \ of historical and genealogical research, that tradition is mostly in- . accurate, if not wholly false. It has been his intention in the preparation of this history to go only to authentic sources and to publish only facts, backed up in all possible cases by documentary evidence. For that purpose not only have the records of the County Clerk's office been searched, but those of the office of the Secretary of State, the War Office at Washington, and the collections of the Historical Society of New York in an en- deavor to publish a true history. The desire and purpose have been to make and to present through this history a veracious record of the people and of the events of the past, showing the very earliest settlements, the various patents and grants, who were the pioneers, who were the earliest inhabitants, who began the settlement and cultivation of the county, who fought the battles of their country in the Colonial, the Revolutionary and later periods, who were prominent in civil life and took part in the govern- ment of the county and management of town affairs and controlled the policies of their times, as the actors in the religious, military, political and business affairs of the county. It is to be hoped that the book will prove a useful reference work for all who wish to trace back their lineage to earlier times and to learn of the doings of their ancestors. A new map of the county has been prepared from the most authen- tic sources of government surveys upon which, through the kind assistance of Mr. Adrian C. Rapelje, County Engineer, all the main improved highways, mostly State roads, are shown. PREFACE. 13 It will be interesting to compare the showing of roads upon this latest map with the plates of CoUes' road map published in 1789 which, through the kindness and courtesy of Mr. Stuyvesant Fish, the pub- lisher of this history has been allowed to reproduce. The chapter translating from the French original the account of the early travels of the Marquis de Chastellux through our county, down the Harlem Valley and up along the Hudson, made in 1780 and 1782, should be interesting as giving the views of a keen observer in that early time of the beauties and possibilities of our lovely county, which have materialized even beyond the most optimistic prophesies of this observant and far-seeing French sympathizer with our new country. The special articles in the history on the various towns, on the bench and bar, on the medical profession, on the churches, on Free- masonry and on the Quakers, have been entrusted to and written by the men in each case most eminently fitted for the task. For their interest and assistance they are entitled to and have the sincere thanks of both publisher and editor. Accuracy and veracity have been the constant aim of the editor, and he desires to express his appreciation of his invariably pleasant relations with the publisher, Mr. Samuel A. Matthieu, who, in the most liberal spirit, has met and fully satisfied all the demands and requirements made upon him by the editor, to the attainment of that end. No doubt a better history could be made, but this work is put forth with the confident expectation that the subscribers and readers will confirm the sincere belief that the conscientious and faithful efforts of its publisher have produced the best history of the County of Dutchess up to the present time. Frank Hasbrotjck. Poughkeepsie, July 26, 1909. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Exploration of Hudson's River 17 CHAPTER II. The Aboriginal People 24 CHAPTER III. Topography and Geology 38 CHAPTER IV. Indian Deeds. Land Patents 33 CHAPTER V. Pioneer Settlements and Early Inhabitants 44 CHAPTER VI. Civil Organizations and Divisions 57 CHAPTER VII. Dutchess County Civil List 67 CHAPTER VIII. Colonial Military Organizations 80 CHAPTER IX. The Revolutionary War 93 CHAPTER X. The Revolutionary War. Continental Line 120 CHAPTER XI. The Revolutionary War. Muster Rolls 136 CHAPTER XII. The Revolutionary War. Local Events 171 CHAPTER XIII. De Chastellux's Travels Through Dutchess County 181 CHAPTER XIV. Dutchess County in the Rebellion jgo Contents. 15 Chapter xv. page Tofliof and City of Poughkeepsie, By Edmund Piatt 199 CHAPTER XVI. TlW Town of Amenia By S. R. Free 258 CHAPTER XVII. Tto Town Of Beekman 367 CHAPTER XVIII. The Town of Clinton 272 CHAPTER XIX. The Town of Dover By Richard F. Maher 278 CHAPTER XX. The Town of East Fishkill 293 CHAPTER XXI. The Town of Fishkill By William E. Verplanek 299 CHAPTER XXII. The Town of Hyde Park By Rev. Amos T. Ashton, D. D 353 CHAPTER XXIII. TJte Town of La Grange 363 CHAPTER XXIV. The Towniof Milan 369 CHAPTER XXV. The Town of Northeast By PhiUp H. Smith 374 CHAPTER XXVI. 'm^.^Bwa of Pawling By Philip H. Smith 389 CHAPTER XXVII. Tki-^sm of Pine Plains By Philip H. Smith 405 CHAPTER XXVIII. The Town of Pleasant Valley 419 CHAPTER XXIX. The Town of Red Hook 426 CHAPTER XXX. 'me Tt)wn of Rhlnebeck 437 16 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXI. 'AOE The Town of Stanford By PhiUp H. Smith 4S1 CHAPTER XXXII. The Town of Union Vale By Philip H. Smith 460 CHAPTER XXXIII. The Town of Wappinger By CUnton W. Clapp 465 CHAPTER XXXIV, The Town of Washington By Rev. John Edward Lyall 476 CHAPTER XXXV. The Bench and Bar of Dutchess County. .By Frank B. Lown 498 CHAPTER XXXVI. The Medical Profession By Guy Carleton Bayley 538 CHAPTER XXXVII. The Masonic Fraternity ..•• 597 CHAPTER XXXVIII. The Catholic Church 608 CHAPTER XXXIX. Friends' Meetings in Dutchess County. . . .By John Cox, Jr 661 APPENDIX. The Milton Ferry By Captain C. M. Woolsey 659 The Clinton House in the Revolution 665 Persons Registering Brand Marks in Poughkeepsie Precinct. 668 A Surrey of the Roads of the United States of America, 1789. By Christopher CoUes 670 PART II. Biographical and Genealogical 681 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS CHAPTER I. EXPLORATION OF HUDSON'S RIVER. FROM an account given by John de Verazzano, a Florentine, sail- ing in the service of France, it is believed he entered the harbor of New York in 1524. No results followecyhis voyage, and it is not known that New York was again visited by Europea,ns till 1609* when Henry Hudson, an Enghshman by birth, set sail from Amsterdam, Holland, April 4th, 1609, under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company, with a commission to discover the Northwest Passage, or to verify the dream of geographers of that period of a short cut between Europe and China. His vessel, a yacht of eighty tons burden called "Halve Maan," the "Half Moon," was manned by a crew of twenty sail- ors, partly Dutch and partly English. In the month of July Hudson reached Newfoundland, and passing to the coast of Maine, spent some days in repairing his ship, which had been shattered in a storm. Sail- ing thence southward, he touched at Cape Cod, and by the middle of August found himself as far south as the Chesapeake. Again he turned to the north, determined to examine the coast more closely, and on the 28th of the month anchored in Delaware Bay. From thence he proceeded northward, and appears to have crossed the bar now called Sandy Hook on the third day of September. He remained in the bay several days making surveys and trafficking with the Indians. On the sixth, five of the crew were sent in a boat to examine the channel. They sounded the Narrows and proceeded to Newark Bay, but on the re- turn, for some unexplained reason, were attacked by the natives in two canoes, and John Colman, who had accompanied Hudson in his Polar explorations, was killed by an arrow shot in his throat, and two of his companions were wounded. Colman was buried at Sandy Hook, and 18 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Colman's Point, where his remains were interred, perpetuates the mem- ory of the first European victim of the natives in these waters.^ On the eighth Hudson permitted two Indians to board his vessel, whom he detained and dressed in red coats. The following day he moved cau- tiously through the Narrows, and anchored In New York harbor on the eleventh. September 12th he commenced the memorable journey up the picturesque river which bears his name. In the journal m which he recorded his daily doings, are found the following interesting notes of his voyage and his intercourse with the natives.^ "The thirteenth, faire weather, the wind northly. At seven of the clocke in the morning, as the floode came wee weighed, and turned four miles into the river. The tide being done wee anchored. Then there came four canoes aboord, but we suffered none of them to come into our ship. They brought great stores of very good oysters which wee bought for trifles. In the night I set the variation Of the compasse and found it to be thirteen degrees. In the afternoone wee weighed and turned in with the floode two leagues, two leagues and a half further we anchored all night, and had five fathoms of soft ozie ground, and had a high point of land which showed out to us bearing north by east five leagues of us. "The fourteenth, in the morning being very faire weather, the wind southwest, we sailed up the river twelve leagues, and had five fathoms and five fathoms and a quarter lesse and came to a straight between two points, and had eight, nine and ten fathoms, and it trended northwest by north one league, and we had twelve, thirteen and fourteen fathoms. The river is a mile broad; there is very high land on both sides. Then wee went up northwest a league and a halfe, deepe water, then northwest by north five miles, then northwest by north two leagues and an- chored. The land grew very high and moimtainous. The river is full of fish. "The fifteenth, in the morning was misty until the stmne arose; then it cleared. So wee weighed with the wind at south and ran up the river twentie leagues passing by high mountains. Wee had a very good depth, as six, seven, eight, nine, twelve and thirteen fathoms, and great store of salmons in the river. This morning our two savages got out of a port and swam away. After wee were under saGl they called to us in scome. At night wee came to other mountains which lie from the river's side. There wee found very loving people and very old men, where wee were well used. Our boat went to fish and caught great store of very good fish. "The sixteenth faire and very hot weather. In the morning our boat went again to fishing, but could catch but few by reason their canoes had been there all night. This morning the people came aboord and brought us ears of Indian come and pompions and tobacco, which we bought for trifles. Wee rode still all day and filled fresh water, at night wee weighed and went two leagues higher and had shoaled iwater so wee anchored all day. 1. History of New Netherlands, Tol. I, S6. 2. The Jaurnal of Hudson's voyage up the North River, will be found In N. Y. Biat *8oc. Trans. I, IK. EXPLORATION OF HUDSON'S RIVER. 19 "The seventeenth, faire sunshining weather and very hot. In the morning as soon as the sun was up, wee set sail and run up six leagues higher and found shoals in the middle of the channel and small islands, but seven fathoms water on both sides. Towards night wee borrowed^ so near the shore that wee grounded, so we layed out our small anchor and heaved off againe. Then wee borrowed on the bank in the channel and came aground againe. While the flood ran wee hoved off and anchored all night. "The eighteenth in the morning was faire weather, and wee rode still. In the afternoone our master's mate went on land with an old savage, a governor of the countrie, who carried him to his house and made him good cheere. "The nineteenth was faire and hot weather. At the floode, being near eleven of the clocke, wee weighed and ran higher up two leagues above the shoals, and had no lesse water than five. Wee anchored and rode in eight fathoms. The people of the countrie came flocking aboord and brought us grapes and pompions which we bought for trifles. And many brought us bever skinnes and otter skinnes which wee bought for beades, knives and hatchets. So we rode there all night. "The twentieth in the morning was faire weather. Our master's mate with four men more went up with our boat to sound the river, and found two leagues above us but two fathoms water and the channel very narrow, and above that place be- tween seven or eight fathoms. Toward night they returned and wee rode still all night. "The one-and-twentieth was faire weather and the wind all southerly. We de- termined yet once more to go further up into the river, to try what depth and breadth it did beare, but much people resorted aboord, so we went not this day. Our carpenter went on land and made a foreyard, and our master and mate de- termined to try some of the chief men of the countrie whether they had any treacherie in them. So they took them down into the cabin and gave them as much wine and aqua-vitae that they were all merrie, and one of them had his .wife with him who sat as modestly as any of our countrie-women would do in a strange place. In the end one of them was drunke which had been aboord of our ship all the time we had been there; and that was strange to them for they could not tell how to take it. The canoes and folks went all on 'shore, but some of them came again and brought stropes of beades, some had six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and gave him. So he slept all night quietly. "The two-and-twentieth was faire weather. In the morning our master's mate and foure more of our companie, went up with our boat to sound the river higher up. The people of the countrie came not aboord tiU noone, but when they came and saw the savages well they were glad. So at three of the clock in the aften- noone they came aboord and brought tobacco and more beades, and gave them to our master, and an oration, and showed him the countrie all around about. Then they sent one of their companie on land, who presently returned, and brought a great platter full of venison, dressed by themselves, and they caused him to eat with Ihem. Then they made him reverence and departed, all save the old man that lay 1. Borrow, — nautical term, "take shelter." To approach either land or the wind closely. Century Dictionary. 20 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. aboord. This night at ten of the clocke our boat returned in a shower of raine, from sounding Of the river, and found it to be at an end for shipping to goe in. For they had been up eight or nine leagues and found but seven foot water and un- constant soundings. "The three-and-twentieth faire weather; at twelve of the clocke wee weighed and went down two leagues, to a shoal that had two channels, one on one side and an- other on the other, and had little wind, whereby the tide layed us upon it. So there wee sat on the ground the space of an hour, till the floode came. Then we had a little gale of vidnd at the west. So wee got our ship into deepe water and rode all night very well. "The four-and-twentieth was faire weather and the wind at the northwestj wee weighed and went down the river seven or eight leagues, and at hal^e ebb wee came on ground on a bank of oze in the middle of the river, and sate there tUl the floode. Then wee went on Vaad and gathered good store of chestnuts. At ten of ^:he clocke wee came off into deepe water and anchored. "The five-and-twentieth was faire weather, and the wind at south a stiffe gale. Wee rode stiU and went on land to walke of the west side of the river, and found good ground for corne and other garden herbs, with a great store of goodly oakes, and walnut-trees, and chestnut-trees, ewe-trees and trees of sweet wood in great abundance, and great store of slate for houses and other good stones. "The sixth-and-twentieth was faire weather, and the wind at the south a stifFe gale. Wee rode stiU. In the morning our carpenter went on land with the master's mate, and foure more of our companie, to Cut wood. This morning two canoes came up the river from the place wee first found loving people, and in one of them was the old man that had layen aboord of us at the other place. He brought an- other old man with him, which brought more stropes of beades, and gave them to our master, and showed him all the countrie thereabout, as though it were at his command. So he made the two old men dine with him, and the old man's wife^ for they brought two old women and two young maidens of the age of sixteen or seventeene yeares with them, who behaved themselves very modestly. Our master gave one of the old men a knife, and they gave him and us tobacco. And at one of the clocke they departed down the river, making signes that wee should come down to them, for wee were within two leagues of the place where they dwelt. "At seven-and-twentieth in the morning was faire weather, but much wind at north; wee weighed and set our foretop sayle, and our ship would not flot, but ran on the ozie bank at halfe ebbe. Wee layed out anchor to heave her off but could not, so we sate from halfe ebbe to halfe floode; then wee set our fore sayle and main top sayle and got down six leagues. The old man came aboord and would have had us anchor and go on land to eat with him, but the wind being faire wee would not yield to his request, so he left us being very sorrowful for our departure. At five of the clocke in the afternoone the wind came to the south- south-west. So wee made a board or two and anchored in fourteen fathoms water Then our boat went on shore to fish, right against the ship. Our master's mate ,and boat swaine and three more of the companie went on land to fish, but could EXPLORATION OF HUDSON'S RIVER. 21 not find a good place. They tooke four or five and twenty Mullets, Breames, Bases and Barbils, and returned in an hour. Wee rode still all night. "The eight-and-twentieth being faire weather, as soon as the day was light, wee weighed at halfe ebbe and turned down two leagues bylowe water. At three of the clocke in the afternoone wee weighed, and turned down three leagues until it was dark; then wee anchored. "The nine-and-twentieth was dry, close weather, the wind at south and south by west; wee weighed early in the morning and turned down three leagues by lowe water and anchored at the lower end of the long reach,i for it is six leagues long. Then there came certain Indians in a canoe to us but would not come aboord. Af- ter dinner there came the canoe with other men, whereof three came aboord us. They brought Indian wheat which wee bought for trifles. At three of the clocke in the afternoon wee weighed as soon as the ebbe came, and turned downe to the edge of the mountains and anchored, because the high land hath many points, and a narrow channel, and hath many eddie winds. So wee rode quietly all night in seven fathoms water. "The thirtieth was faire weather and the wind at southeast a stiffe gale between the mountains. Wee rode still the afternoone. The people of the countrie came aboord us and brought some small skinnes with them which wee bought for knives and trifles. This is a very pleasant place to build a towne on. The road is very near and very goode for all winds, save an east-north-east wind. The mountaynes look as if some metal or mineral were in them. For the trees that grow on them were all blasted, and some of them barren with a few or no trees on them. The people brought a stone aboord like to emery (a stone used by glasiers to cut glass), it would cut iron or steel. Yet being bruised small and water put to it, it made a colour like blackeleade glistening. It is also good for painters colours. At three of the clocke they departed and wee rode still all night. "The first of October faire weather, the wind variable between the west and north. In the morning wee weighed at seven of the clocke with the ebbe arid got downe below the mountaynes which was seven leagues. Then it fell calme and the flood was come, and wee anchored at twelve of the clocke. The people of the mountaynes came aboord us, wondering at our ships and weapons. Wee bought some small skinnes of them for trifles. This afternoone one canoe kept hangjing under our sterne with one man in it, which wee could not keep from thence, who got Up by our rudder to the cabin window and stole out my pillow and two shirts and two bandeleeres. Our master's mate shot at him and strooke him on the brest and killed him. Whereupon all the rest fled away, some in their canoes arid some leapt out of them into the water. "Wee manned our boat and got our things againe. Then one of them that Swamme got hold of our boat, tUnking to overthrow it. But our cooke took a 1. The stretches of current between the ditferent points and bends of the shore of the Hudson, were named "reaches" or in the Dutch Vernacular "racks." The Long Reach — also termed Fisher's (Vischer's) Reach — extended from the northern gate of the High- lands to Crom Elbow, a distance of about twenty miles. This, undoubtedly, is the earliest reference to the reaches of this river that occurs in any European language. [Editoe.] 22 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. sword and cut one of his hands, and he was drowned. By this time the ebbe was come, and wee weighed and got downe two leagues, by that time it was dark, so we anchoijed io foftr fathoms water and rode well. ' "The seconde, f aire weather, at break of day wee weighed the wind being at northwest and gqtr flown seven leagues; then the flood was come strong so wee anchored. Then came one of the salvages that swamme away from us at our going up: the river, with, piany other, thinking to betray us, but wee perceived their in- tent and suffered none of them to enter our ship. Whereupon two canoes full of men with their bowes and arrow's shot at us after our steme; in recompence where- of wee discharged; sdx musketsi and killed two or three of them, then about an hundted of themcame to a point of land to shoot at us. There I shot a falcon at them and killed ;tSTO of them, whereupon the rest fled into the woods. Yet they m^un^d off another .canoe, with nine or ten men which came to meet us. So I shot at it also a f alcott, and shot it through and killed one of them. Then our men with Itoir, muskets killed, three or four more of them so they went their w^y within a while after wee got downe two leagues beyond that place, and anchored in a bay, oleere from all danger of them, on the other side of the river -where wee saw a very good, piece of ground, and hard by it there was a cliffe, that looked of the colour of a white green as; though it were either copper or silver mayne, and I think it to be ope, of them by the trees that grow upon it for they be all burned, and the other places; are greene a? grasse, it is on that side of the river that is called Manna-hatta. There wee saw no people to trouble, us, and rode quietly all night; but had much wind and rains. "The third was very stonnie; the wind at east-north-east. In the morning in a gust of wind and ralne, our anchor came home, and wee drove on ground; but it was ozie. - Then as , we were about to have out an anchor, the wind came to the north- northwest and drove us off agajnct Then wee shot an anchor and let it fall in foure fathoms water and weighed the other. Wee had much wind and raine, with thick weather, so wee rode still, all night. "The fourth, was faire weather, and the wind at north-northwest, wee weighed and came out of the river into which wee had runne so farre. Within a while after. \vee came out also of the great mouth of the great river that runneth up to the. northwest,; borrowing upon the norther side of the same, thinking to have deepe water;,, for wee had sounded a great way with our boat at our first going in, and found seveuj six, and five fathoms. So wee came out that way but wee were- de- ceived,, for wee had but eight foot and a half water, and so to three fathoms and a halfe. And then three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten fathom's. And by, twelve of the clocke wee were cleere of all the inlet. Then wee tooke in our boat and set our main sayle and sprit sayle and our top sayles, and steered away east southea^st and southeast by east, off into the mayne Isea; and the land on the souther side of the bay did beare at noone west and south foure leagues from us. "The,. fifth wa)s faire weather and the wind variable between the north and the east. Wee held on our course southeast by east. At noone I observed and found our height to be thirty-nine degrees thirty minutes. Our compasse varied six de- grees to the west. EXPLORATION OF HUDSON'S RIVER. 23 "Wee continued our course toward England, without seeing any land by the way, all the rest of this month of October. And on the seventh day of November, stilo nouv, being Saturday by the grace of God, wee safely arrived in the range of Dart- mouth, in Devonshire, in the yeere 1609." In 1610 a second vessel was sent over by the shrewd merchants of Amsterdam, and a successful trade was opened with the natives along the river.^ Other vessels followed in the three succeeding years, all of which returned with rich cargoes of furs. In 1614 the States General of Holland granted a charter to the merchants engaged in these ex- peditions under the title of United New Netherlands Company, giving exclusive privileges of trade for four years. Foremost in these busi- ness ventures were Captains Hendrick Christiansen, John DeWitt, Adrian Block and Cornelius Jacobsen Mey. Block and Mey directed their explorations along the coasts of Long Island and New Jersey, while Captain DeWitt sailed up the North River and gave his name to one of the Islands near Red Hook. Hendrick Christiansen ascended the stream to Castle Island where he established a trading post. At the expiration of their charter so profitable had the fur trade become, that the States General refused to renew it, giving instead a temporary license for its continuance. The energies of the Dutch were directed more to commerce than colonization, and up to 1628 no systematic attempt at colonizing was made. Settlements commenced at New Amsterdam, Paulus Hook and adjacent neighborhoods resulted in conflicts and massacres. These hostilities, however, have no direct reference to this County, which had not a single white settler during the whole period of Dutch occupancy. 1. This river was called by the Iroquois the Cohatatea, while the Mohicans and the Lenapes called it the Mahioanituk. The Dutch gave it the name of Mauritius river, as earl; as 1611, in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau. The English, in recognition of the work of the explorer, conferred the title of Hudson's River. 24 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER H. THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. WHEN European explorers penetrated into the valley of the Hudson, they found it peopled by sub-tribes of the great Algonquin nation. The Mohicans occupied the country along the east bank of the Hudson, from a site opposite Albany down to the Tappan Sea, and eastward a distance of ten or fifteen miles along the streams wich formed the pathways of aboriginal commerce. They were, says Rev. John Heckewelder, who spent forty years among the Indians as a Moravian missionary, a branch of the Lenni Lenape or Delaware family, who occupied the west side of the Hudson from its mouth up as far as the CatskiU, and westward to the headwaters of the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers. The territory of the Wappingers,^ a tribal division of the Mo- hicans, covered the major portion of Dutchess County. Their govern- ment scarcely differed from that of the Mohicans and other branches of the Delawares. Each tribe had its sachem and counsellorsj who made their own laws, treaties, etc. These, says Loskiel, "were either experienced warriors or aged and respectable fathers of families." Likewise each had its specific device or totem denoting original con- sanguinity. Although the prevailing totem of all the Hudson River cantons was the Wolf, borne alike by Minsis, Wappingers and Mo- hicans," the particular symbol of the Wappingers was the opossum, tatooed on the person of the Indian, and often rudely painted on the gable-end of his cabin. I The Wappingers were a peaceful tribe, and manifested a friendly feeling toward the white settlers at Rondout in Ulster County, whom they visited frequently, their canoes ladened with fish and venison 1. A corruption of wabun, east and ocfti^ land, which as applied hy the Indians them- selves, may be rendered Eastlanders. The Dutch historians are responsible for Wwfpina- ers, perhaps from their rendering of the sound of the original word, and perhaps as expressing the fact that they were, In the Dutch language, wapen, or half-armed Indians. IniUan Tribes of Hudson's River, SlO-Sni. ,2. Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, 50. THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. 25 which they traded for powder, lead and brandy. They took no gen- eral part in the Esopus wars, except to act as mediators, and to as- sist in effecting a satisfactory exchange of prisoners between the Dutch and the Esopus Indians. Of the chief sachems of this tribe four names appear in official documents. One is that of Goethals, who was present at a treaty of peace concluded with certain tribes of River Indians, March 6, 1660, by Peter Stuyvesant. At the last treaty con- cluded by Stuyvesant with the Indians, May 16, 1664, Tseessaghgaw, a chief of the Wappingers participated in behalf of that tribe. The name of Megriesken, sachem of the Wappinger Indians, appears in an Indian deed, dated August 8, 1683, for lands embraced in the Rom- bout Patent, while Daniel Ninham, who was made chief sachem of the Wappingers in 1740, distinguished himself not l^s by his persistent effort to recover lands included in the Philipse Patent, of which his tribe were defrauded, than by his tragic death at the battle of Court- land Ridge, Westchester County where he and some forty of his fol- lowers, including his son, were killed or wounded August 31, 1778, by the Britishj against whom they had espoused the cause of the Colonists.^ The location of the principal village of the Wappingers tribe is not positively known, but presumably near the falls on the creek which perpetuates their name. Van der Doncks map locates three of their villages on the south side of this stream. From Kregier's Journal of the "Second Esopus War" (1663), it is learned that they had a castle in the vicinity of Low Point, and that they maintained a crossing place to Dans Kamer Point. Tradition locates other villages in various parts of the country. Their burying ground is a familiar spot to many of the residents of Wappingers Falls. It was just south of the Episcopal church, known as the "gravel bank," the property of the Garner Company. In this bank was recently found a ball of clay containing nine flint spear heads, four of which are in possession of the Roy brothers of that village. Of the possessions of the Wappingers on the Hudson there is but one "perfect title on record," says Ruttenber, that being for the land in- cluded in the Rombout Patent, dated 1683. This deed, however, covers 1. Simcoe's Military Journal. 26 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. a tract of land secured from the Indians by Arnout Viele in 1680, men- tion of which appears in a subsequent chapter. The Indians pa,rted with their lands for a small, yet an apparently satisfactory, consider- ation, but did not immediately vacate the premises. They continued to hunt and fish, and the squaws to till their fields of com and beans for at least fifty years after the above deeds had been recorded. Their numbers were gradually diminished in consequence of the introduction of spirituous liquors among them. They became scattered and addict- ed to wandering, removing to different parts, mingling with other nations. Remnants of difi'erent clans chose a hunting ground in the vicinity of the present hamlet of Shekomeko,^ and it was on this spot that the evangelization of the aborigines in Dutchess county was begun in 1740, by that zealous Moravian missionary. Christian Henry Rauch.^ Arriving August 16th of that year, he was received by the Indian chiefs Tschoop and Shabash, whom he had previously met in New York. They announced him as the man they had appointed to be their teacher, and he addressed them on the subject of his mission, and the means of redemption, to which they listened "with great attention." In subsequent exhortations he perceived that his words excited deri- sion, and finally, they "openly laughed him to scorn." He persevered in his eflForts, however, and at length his zeal and devotion was re- warded by the conversion of Tschoop, "the greatest drunkard among them." Shabash was soon after awakened "and the labor of the Holy Spirit became remarkably evident in the hearts of these two savages." Such was the success of this missionary that many Indians not only in Shekomeko but other neighboring settlements became convinced of the truth of the gospel. In January, 1742, Gottlob Buttner, another Moravian missionary, joined Ranch, as the spiritual harvest at Shekomeko demanded more laborers; In the summer of the same year Count Zinzendorf visited the mission, baptized a number of converts, and here formed the first con- gregation of Indians estabhshed by the Moravians in North America. Other brethren who subsequently arrived to engage in the work were 1. She com eko from she "great' and oomaco "house," "the great lodge or -village" Dr. Trumbull. 2. See writings of George Henry Loskiel, and Eev. Sheldon Davis, concerning Morayian •Missions in New York. THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE. 27 Martiii Mack, Joseph Shaw, Christopher Pyrlaens, Gottlob Senseman and Christian Frederick Post. At the close of the year 174.3, the congregation of baptized Indians consisted of sixty-three persons. The success and peace of the Shekomeko mission was disturbed in 174i4i by grave difficulties. Malevolent white settlers who had been accus- tomed to make the dissolute life of the Indians, especially their love for liquor, subservient to their advantage, branded the missionaries as papists and enemies of the English colonists. The civil authorities were urged to interfere. After several examinations before a court in "Pickipsi" the missionaries showed clearly that they had no affihation with papacy. Thereupon a law was passed by the Assembly, Sep- tember 21st, 1744), forbidding any person "to reside amongst the In- dians under the pretense of bringing them over to the Christian faith, without the license of the Governor and consent of the council," No- vember 27th, 174)4, the Governor, directed the Deputy Clerk of the council to write to the sheriffs of the counties of Albany, Dutchess and Ulster, "to give notice to the several Moravian and vagrant teachers among the Indians in their respective counties * * * * to .de- sist from further teaching or preaching, and to depart this Province."^ December 15th of the same year the sheriff and three justices arrived at Shekomeko, and commanded the missionaries to . again appear be- fore the court at "Pickipsi," where they were edified by the reading of the act in question. The brethem decided to remove to Bethlehem, Penn., — all but Buttner, whose health had become impaired. He died February 23rd, 174*5, in the presence of the Indian converts, and was buried at Shekomeko. A monument erected by the Moravian Histori- cal Society, July 11th, 1859, marks the grave of this martyr to the cause of aboriginal salvation. After the burial of Buttner, although the Indians were without a missionary, they continued for a time to meet as usual. They oc- casionally visited Bethlehem, and ten families comprising forty-four persons finally removed there. Others formed a settlement on the east border of Indian Pond in the town of Sharon, Conn. It seems a harsh condition that the Indian was thus driven from his country, where he had ever been hospitable and friendly to the white pioners. 1. Doe. Biat. III. 1019-1020. 28 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER III. TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. THE County of Dutchess, in the State of New York, lies upon the east bank of the Hudson along which it extends for a distance of about forty-five miles, thence eastward to the Connecticut line. It is bounded on the north by Columbia county, and on the south by the County of Putnam. The area included in these limits is 4<74!,68S acres. The surface of the county is generally hilly, presenting in the southern and eastern portions a battlement of mountainous elevations. The Fishkill mountains upon the south border, form the northern ex- tremity of the Highlands, and extend across the southern part of the county. The highest summits. Old Beacon, and North Beacon or Grand Sachem, are respectively 1471 and 1685 feet above tide, and are intimately identified with the military history of the country. They derive their names from beacons placed upon their summits dur- ing the revolution, to flash intelligence to the patriots, and warn them of the approach of the British. A break in the southeast part of these mountains, opening toward the south, is known as Wiccopee Pass, a name applied to a settlement of the Highland Indians. This pass was guarded in revolutionary times to protect military supplies at Fishkill. The Taconic or Taghkanic mountains, occupy the eastern border of the county. They rise from three hundred to six hundred feet above the valleys, and from one thousand to thirteen hundred feet above tide. These elevations, like the Fishkill mountains, are in many places rocky and precipitous. Other lofty peaks are Clove Mountain in the town of Union Vale, 1,403 feet high; Stissing Mountain in the town of Pine Plains, with a height of 1,380 feet; and Dennis iJill in the town of Dover, rising 1,365 feet above tide. These, with other hills, will be noticed more particularly in the town histories. • In the western part of the county, between the streams, are rolling TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 29 ridges which terminate abruptly on the river, and form a series of bluffs, from one hundred to two hundred feet in height. The principal streams of the county, in the drainage arrangement are the FishkiU, Wappinger, Casper, Fall Kill, Crom Elbow, Lands- man and Saw Kill, tributaries of the Hudson, all flowing in a south- westerly direction. Ten Mile riyer, near the eastern border of the county, receives Swamp river from the south, and discharges its waters into the Housatonic. Croton river has its source in the southeast part of the county, and Roeliff Jansen's Kill flows for a short distance with- in the northern border. There are a great variety of smaller streams, tributaries of those above mentioned, which rise in springs upon the miountain slopes. FishkiU Creek. The headwaters of this stream^ for the most part, drain the western slope of Chestnut Ridge mountains. From a cen- tral point in the town of Beekman, it flows in a southwesterly 'direction through the towns of East FishkiU and FishkiU, emptying into the Hudson, near the south border of the latter town. It is rapid in the upper and lower parts of its course, but sluggish through the Fish- kiU plains. Between FishkiU Village and the Landing, a distance of five miles, it makes a descent of nearly two hundred feet, over slate and limestone ledges, thus affording valuable hydraulic power. In its course it receives many small streams, the principal of which is Sprout Creek, which forms the boundary between East FishkiU and Wap- pinger. Wappinger Creek, a highly picturesque stream, and the largest in Dutchess, rises in Stissing Pond, in the town of Pine Plains, at an elevation of eight hundred feet above tide, and traverses the county for a distance of about thirty-five miles, in a southerly direction. It passes diagonally through the towns of Stanford and Pleasant Valley, thence it forms the boundary between the towns of Poughkeepsie, La- Grange and Wappinger, flowing into the Hudson at New Ham- burgh. It receives several branches that water the rich agricultural region through which it passes. Casper Creek. This stream has its source in the southeastern cor- ner of the town of Hyde Park. It flows southerly, through the cen- tral portion of the town of Poughkeepsie, reaching the Hudson some two miles north of the viUage of New Hamburgh. In early documents 30 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. it bears a variety of Indian names, and is identified by the statement : "Knowne by the Christians for Jan Casperses Creek." The Fall Kill Creek rises in the southwest corner of the town of CHnton. In its upper course, for a distance of six miles, it flows rap- idly over a gravel bed, between high and rocky hills, thence passing through swampy and low meadow lands in the town of Hyde Park, it winds its way to the Hudson, through an improved channel within the limits of the city of Poughkeepsie. Crom Elbow Creek is a crooked stream, some nine miles in length, rising among the hills at the intersection of the towns of Milan, Clinton and Rhinebeck. It flows in a southwesterly direction, forming the bound- ary between Rhinebeck and Clinton. At East Park, it turns in an abrupt elbow to the west, uniting with the Hudson, near the village of Hyde Park. Landsman Kill which at one time propelled several valuable mills, rises in the northwest part of the town of Rhinebeck. At Fritz mill pond it is joined by the Rhinebeck creek. Just below this junction, the stream descends over a rocky precipice some sixty feet, forming a beautiful cascade, known as Beechwood Falls. It empties into the Hudson at Vanderberg Cove. The Saw Kill flows through the centre of the town of Red Hook, from Spring Lake or Long Pond, whence it has its source in the northeast corner of the town, reaching the Hudson at South Bay. Ten Mile River rises by several branches in the east part of tKe county, and flows south through the towns of Amenia and Dover, to the village of South Dover, where it txirns eastward, emptying into the Housatonic between Schaghticoke mountain and Ten Mile hill. Its principal tributaries are Swamp River, Wassaic and Webatuck Creeks. In the central and eastern portions of the county are numerous little lakes, of which Whaley Pond, in the town of Pawling, and Sylvan Lake in the town of Beekman, are the largest. A mere outKne of the rock groundwork underlying the county so far as it necessarily bears upon the economic interests and historical associations, is all that properly seenis to come within the scope of this work.^ In the Highland region, and in a narrow belt along the east bor- 1. Authorities consalted.: Professor William W. Mather, and Heinrlch Rles. TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 31 der of the countjj the metamorphic rocks of the Primary system obtain. Extending thence westerly to Hudson's River and beyond it, are classed the rocks of the Champlain division of the New York system, consist- ing of a series of slates, shales, grits, limestones and siliceous and calcareous breccias and conglomerates. The rocks of the Hudson River group composed mostly of dark brown, blue and black slates and shales, and bluish-grey thick-bedded grits, are remarkably well developed in the county. Together with those of the Champlain di- vision they range through the towns of Red Hook, Milan, Rhinebeck, Clinton, Hyde Park, Pleasant Valley, Poughkeepsie, LaGrange and Wappinger. The prevailing types of crystalUne rock composing the strata of the Fishkill and Taconic mountains are gneisse^ granites, granulyte,. quartz-syenite and mica-schist. The varieties under these heads are very numerous, since the constituent minerals are present in so vary- ing proportions. The ore deposits are in two principal ranges and limestone valleys- First, the Fishkill-Clove belt, stretching northeast from the High- lands of the Hudson across the towns of Fishkill, East Fishkill, Beek- man and Union Vale; second, the north-south valley, traversed by New York and Harlem Railroad. The limonite, or hematite ore, is found in small pockets of irregular shape, and also in large deposits, which are associated with ochreous clays, and in some cases, with a gray carbonate of iron, in beds underlying it. These ore bodies are wholly in the limestone or between the limestone and the adjacent slate or schist formations. Near Fishkill and at Shenandoah, the deposits are at the border of the Cambrian sandstone and at the foot of the Archaean ridges.^ The limestones in the eastern part of the county are a continuation of those found in Westchester county, while those found in the central and western portions of the county are a continuation of the Orange county Cambro-Silurian limestone belts. The former are meta- morphosed limestones and partake of the nature of marble, being highly crystalline, while the latter are not. Although there are out- crops of the limestone at a number of points in the valley followed by the Harlem Railroad, only two large openings have been made. These are at Dover Plains and South Dover. 1. 1898 Report Nevfr York State Museum, Vol. IV, 220. 32 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The limestones in the western part of the county, are usually a hard fine grained bluish-gray rock, containing less magnesia than the whiter phases to the southeast and east. It has been used for lime, but on the whole is so silicious that the resulting lime would be lean. The western belt has been quarried in large quantities at Clinton Point, two miles north of New Hamburgh. "The great mass of the limestone," says Professor W. B. Dwight,^ "along the Wappinger Creek from Willow Brook to New Hamburgh appears to be calciferous and shows its fossils in many places all along this line. The Trenton rock and fossils are much more limited in their exposures, and yet there are long stretches of this formation usually lying on the eastern side of the limestone ridges. A little Trenton crops out at a quarry, near Salt Point, ten miles northeast of Pough- keepsie. It appears largely at Pleasant Valley, then at Rochdale, and for about one mile south of that place. Fossiliferous Trenton forms the eastern edge of the limestone ridge from this point, for at least three miles south. It also appears in the parallel ridges to the west of Cliffdale, and further south." Extensive and important clay formations occur in southern Dutchess, along the bank of the Hudson. The clay is chiefly blue, but where the overlying sand is wanting or is of slight thickness, it is weathered to yellow, this weathering sometimes extending to a depth of twelve feet below the surface. At some localities the layers of the clay are very thin, and alternate with equally thin layers of sandy clay. Several brick manufacturers having yards near Dutchess Junction obtain their clay from the escarpment of an eighty foot terrace. The clay has a fairly uniform thickness, the upper four to eiglit feet are yellow, the rest blue. The greatest thickness of clay known, for this locality, is at Aldridge Brothers' yards, where a well was sunk sixtv- five feet through the clay, which added to the height of the bank (sixty-five feet) gave a total thickness of one hundred and thirty feet at this point. The varied character of the soil of this county, adapts it to mixed farming, and all of the branches of agriculture, possible in the climate have been more or less followed. Stock raising has also received con- siderable attention. In more recent years dairying has increased in many of the interior towns, and has been followed with much success 1. Transactions Vassar Brothers' Institute 1883-'84, Vol. II, 149. ' A^Mn-f-thieti. PtitiLsHsir INDIAN DEEDS. LAND PATENTS. 33 CHAPTER IV. INDIAN DEEDS. LAND PATENTS. THE early divisions of the territory embraced within the limits of Dutchess county, and other lands in this vicinity, pos- sessed many peculiarities, and led to uncommon experiences by the pioneers. While the Dutch authorities sometimes made land grants to colonists regardless of the Indian rights, the English after they came into power adopted a different policy, and first aimed to extinguish the Indian title by treaty. When the Province of New Netherlands was surrendered to the English, September, 1664, the third article of the terms of capitulation stipulated that "All people shall continue free Denizens, and shall enjoy their Lands, Houses, and goods, wheresoever they are within the country, and dispose of them as they please." Many of the old Dutch grants were upheld by con- firmatory English grants, issued previous to 1674, when English possession was forever established by the treaty signed at West- minster. In June of that year the Duke of York, obtained a new grant of the same territory included in that of ten years earlier. The duke through his appointed governor of the province, made many grants in fee, and after his accession to the throne continued their issue under seal of the province through authority given to the gov- ernors, who acted under instructions from the crown. In only two instances were grants of land made under the seal of Great Britain. Purchases made from the Indians were held not to give legal title, the King only being considered the true source of title. Governor Tryon in his report to the Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of the Province of New York, in 1774, says, "Purchases from the Indian natives, as of their aboriginal right, have never been held to be a legal title in this province, the maxim obtaining here, as in England, that the King is the fountain of all real property, and from this source all titles are to be derived." Colonial grants were broad in their terms, indefinite in their boun- 34 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. daries, and a common condition was the payment of an annual quit- rent, sometimes in money but more frequently in furs, grain or some other article that merely represented the acknowledgment of indebted- ness. Following the division of the Province of New York into counties in 1683 all the lands in Dutchess county were taken up in large tracts, less than a dozen in number, by men of influence or capital who under- took "to settle, build up and cultivate the new county" and let them whoUy or in part for a term of years, at a nominal rent, or merely for the payment of taxes. Francis Rombout and Gulian Verplanck took the initial step in securing the immense tract embraced in the Rombout Patent, granted October 17, 1685. This was followed by the patent granted to Robert Sanders and Myndert Harmense October 24, 1686. Schuyler's Patent, in two tracts, one near Red Hook and one south of Poughkeepsie, June 2, 1688. On the same date a patent was granted to Artsen and Co. for a small tract. The Nine Partners' Patent (Great or Lower) May 27, 1697. Rhinebeck and Beekman Patents June 25, 1703. Little or Upper Nine Partners' Patent, April 10, 1706. The Oblong Patent, covering a narrow strip along the east borders of Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties, was ceded to the State of New York by Connecticut, May 14, 1731. These patents, with the excep- tion of the Oblong, were granted under Colonial Governors, Dongan, Fletcher and Cornbury. The Rombout Patent covered a tract of 85,000 acres, which em- braced the present towns of FishkiU, East Fishkill and Wappinger, the westerly part of LaGrange, and nine thousand acres within the southern limits of the town of Poughkeepsie. A license to purchase the above named tract of the Wappinger Indians, was given to Francis Rombout and Gulian Verplanck by Governor Thomas Dongan, February 8, 1682. The purchase was consummated and the native title extinguished August 8, 1683 and a patent issued therefor October 17, 1685, but prior to the latter date Verplanck died, hence Stephanus Van Courtlandt became asso- ciated with Rombout, and Jacobus Kipp became the representative of Verplanck's children. In 1708, by authorization of the Supreme Court, a partition was INDIAN DEEDS. LAND PATENTS. 35 made of the lands embraced in this patent lying between the Fishkill and Wappingers Creek, the lands to the north and south of those streams being still held in common by the patentees or their repre- sentatives or heirs. In this division the southern third fell to the lot of Catherine, wife of Roger Brett, daughter and sole heir of Francis Rombout, and the intermediate third to the children of Gulian Ver- planck. The patentees were required to pay to the governor for this im- mense tract "six bushels of good and merchantable winter wheat every year." The Indian deed for this purchase is an interesting document, recorded on page 72, volume V, Book of Patents, in the Secretary of State's office, an exact copy of which follows: "To AU CHRISTIAN PEOPLE To Whom This Present Writeing ShaU Come, Sackoraghkigh for himselfe, and in the name of Megriesken, Sachem of the Wap- pinger Indians, Queghsijehapaein, Niessjawejahos, Queghout, Asotews, Wappege- reck, Nathindaeniw, Wappappee, Ketaghkainis, Meakhaghoghkan, Mierham, Pea- pightapeieuw, Queghitaeuw, Minesawogh, Katariogh, Kightapiuhogh, Rearowogh, Meggrek, Sejay, Wienangeck Maenemanew, and Ginghstyerem, true and Lawful Owners and Indian proprietors of the land herein menchoned, send Greeting. KNOW YEE — ^that for and in Consideracon of a Certain Sume or Quantity of Money, Wampum, and diverse other Goods in a ScheduU hereunto Annexed Per- ticularly Menconed and Expressed to them the said Indians, in Hand Payed by Mr. ffrancis Rumbouts and Gulyne Ver Planke, both of the Citty of New York, Merchants, the Receipt whereof they, the said Indians, Doe hereby Acknowledge, and herewith ownes themselves to be fully payed. Contented and Sattisfied, and thereof of every Parte and Parcell, Doe hereby Acquitt, Exonerate and Discharge them, the said ffrancis Rumbouts and Gulyne V. Planke, their Heires and As- signes, have Given, Granted, Bargained, Sold, Aliened, Enfoeffed, and Confirmed, and by these Presents Doe fully Cleerly and Absolutely Give, Grant, Bargaine, Sell and Alien, Enfeoffe, and Conflrme unto the said Francis Rinnbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, All that Tract or Parcel of Land Scituate, Lyeing and being on the East side of Hudson's River, at the north side of the High Lands, Beginning from the South side of A Creek Called the fresh Kill, and by the Indians Matteawan, and from thence Northward along said Hudson's River five hund Rodd bejond the Great Wappins Kill, caUed by the Indians Mawenawasigh, being the Northerly Bounds, and from thence into the Woods fouer Houers goeing, always Keeping five hund Rodd Distant from North side of said Wapinges Creeke, however it Rimns, as alsoe from the said fresh Kill or Creeke called Matteawan, along the said fresh Creeke into the Woods att the foot of the said High Hills« including aU the Reed or Low Lands at the South side of said Creeke, with an Easterly Line, fouer Houers going into the. Woods, and from thence Northerly to the end of the end of the fouer Houers Goeing or Line Drawne att the North side of the 36 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. five hund Rodd Bejoyond the Greate Wappinger Creek or Kill called Mawenawasigh, together with all the Lands, Soyles, Meadows, both fresh and Salt, Pastures, Com- mons, "Wood Land, Marshes, Rivers, Rivoletts, Streames, Creekes, Waters, Lakes, and whatsoever else to the said Tract or Parcell of Land within the Bomids and Limitts aforesaid is Belonging, or any wise Appurteining, without any Reservation of Herbage, Trees or any other thing Growing or Being thereupon. To have and to hold said Tract or Parcell of Land, Meadow, Ground, and Primisses, with their and every of their Appurtennces, and all the Estate, Right, Title, Interest, Clayme and Demand of them the said Indian proprietors and each and every of them, of, in, and to, the same, and Every Parte thereof, unto them the said ffrancis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, their Heires and Assigns, to the Sole and only Proper use, Benefitt and Behoofe of them, the feaid ffrancis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, their Heires and Assignes, to the Sole and only Proper use. Benefit and Behooffe of them, the said ffrancis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, their Heires and Assignes for Ever, And they thes said Indians Doe for themselves and their Heires and every of them Covenant, Promise and Engage that the said ffrancis Rumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, their Heires and Assignes, shall and may henceforth for ever Lawfully, Peacably, and Quietly have, hold, Possesse, and En- joy the said Tract or ParceU of Land, and all and Singuler other the Primisses, with their Appertences without any Lett, Hindrance, or Interrupeon whatsoever of or by them, the said Indians, Proprieters or their Heires, or of any other Person or Persons whatsoever clayming or that hereafter shall or may Clayme by, from, or imder them, or Either of them. And that they shall and wiU, upon Rea- sonable Request and Demand made by the said Francis Rumbouts and Gulyne Ver Planke, Give and Deliver Peaceably and Quiettly Possession of the said Tract or ParceU of Land and Primisses, or of some Parte thereof, for and in the Name of the whole, unto such Person or Persons as by the said ffrancis Kumbout and Gulyne Ver Planke, shall be Appointed to Receive the same. In witness whereof, the said Sackoraghkigh, for himselfe and in the Name of Megriskar, Sachem of Wappinger Indians, Queghsjehapeieuw, Niesjawehos, Queghout, Asotewes, Wap- pergereck, Nathindaew, Wappape, Ketaghkanns, Meakaghoghkan, Mierham, Pea- pithapaeuw, Queghhitaeuw, Memesawogh, Katariogh, Kightapinkog,; Rearawogh, Meggiech, Sejay, Wienangeck, Maenemaeuw, Guighstierm, the Indian Owners and Proprietors aforesaid, have here unto sett their Hands and Seals in N. Yorke the Eighth Day of August, in the 36th Yeare of his Maties Reigne, Anno Dom, 1683. "The marke of X SAKORAGHUCK, (L. S.) "The marke of X QUEGHSJEHAPAEIN, (L. S.) ' "Signed Sealed and Delivered in the psen of us "Antho BrockhoUs, "P. V. Courtlandt, "John West. "The marke of CLAES the Indian Inter. (Verite.) "The marke of X MERHAM, (L. S.) "The marke of X PEAPIGHTAPAEW, (L. S.) ^"Siiir INDIAN DEEDS. LAND PATENTS. 37 "The marke of X QUEGHHITABMm (L. S.) "The marke of X MBINESAWOGH, (L. S.) "The marke of X KOTARIOGH, (L. S.) "The marke of X KIGHTAPINKOJH, (L. S.) "The marke of X REAROWOGH, (L. S.) "The marke of X MEGGENKSEJAY, (L. S.) "The marke of X WIENARGECK, (L. S.) "The Marke of X MAENEMANEW, (L. S.) "The marke of X GUIGHSTJEREM, (L. S.) "The marke of X KETAGHKANNES, (L. S.) "The marke of X MEAKHAJH, (L. S.) "The marke of X OGHKAN, (L. S.) "The marke of X NIESSJAWEJAHOS, (L. S.) "The marke of X QUEJHOUT, (L. S.) "The marke of X SJOTEWES, (L. S.) "The marke of X WAPPEGERECK, (L. St) "The marke of X NATHINDAEUW, (L. S.) "The marke of X WAPPAPE, (L. S.) "A Schedull or Perticuler of Money, Wampum and other goods Paid by ffrands Rumbout and Gulyne "Ver Planke for the purchase of the Land in the Deed here- unto annexed. "One hund Royalls, One hund Pound Powder, Two hund fathom of Wirite Wam- pum, one hund Barrs of Lead, One hundred fathom of Black Wampum, thirty tobacco boxes ten holl adges, thirty Gunns, twenty Blankets, forty fathom of Duffills, twenty fathom of stroudwater Cloth, thirty Kittles, forty Hatchets, forty Homes, forty Shirts, forty p stockins, twelve coattis of R. B. & b. C, ten Drawing Knives, forty earthen Juggs, forty Bottles, forty Knives, fouer ankers rum, ten halfe fatts Beere, Two hund tobacco Pipe?. &c.. Eighty Pound Tobacco. "New York, -August the 8th, 1683. "The above Perticulers were Delivered to the Indians in the Bill of Sale Men- coned in the psence of us "Antho. Brockhalls, "P. V. Courtlandt, "John West. "I do hereby certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the Original Record, com- pared therewith by me. "Lewis A. Scott, Secretary." There is, however, another Indian deed which antedates the above, and covers a portion of the same tract.^ It conveys land consisting of three flats, to Arnout Cornelissen Viele, as a present, by the Indian owners Kashepan alias Calkoen, Waspacheek alias Spek, and Phil- lipuwas, having power of attorney from Awannis, one of the owners, 1. Colonial Hist. N. T. XIII. 545. 38 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. and bears date of June 15, 1680. Through this land flows the Wynachkee'^ "opposite Danskammer," which is none other than Wap- pinger Creek.^ The tract includes the woodland adjoining this stream, from the river to Matapan fall, "and stretching about two English miles to the North and one mile to the South." It wiU be noticed there is no similarity in the names of the Indian owners of this tract and those appearing in the Rombout purchase, executed nearly three years later. Viele in 1704 petitioned Governor Cornbury for a patent covering this land. Although it had been patented to others, the reverse side of his petition bears the following minute : "Read in council 15 April, 1704, ordered to lay on the table 4th May, 1704, granted." The boundaries of the land conveyed to Robert Sanders and Myn- dert Harmense, known as the Minnisinck Patent, dated October 24, 1686, are very indefinite. Beginning at a point on the Hudson "north of the land of Sovryn aHas Called the Baker with the arable and Wood Land Marshes with the Creeke Called Wynachkee with Trees Stones (or Tones) and further Range or out Drift for Cattle and the fall of Watters Called Pondanickrien and another marsh to the north of the fall of Watters Called Wareskeechen." Schuyler's Patent, dated June 2, 1688, grants to Col. Peter Schuy- ler two tracts, the boundaries of which are thus defined: First tract "Situate, lying and being on the east side of Hudson's river in Duchess county, over against Magdalene Island, beginning at a certain creek called Metambesem (now the Sawkill) ; thence run- ning easterly to the south-most part of a certain meadow called Tauquashqueick, and from that meadow easterly to a certain small lake or pond called Waraughkameek ; from thence northerly so far till upon a due east and west line it reaches over against the Sawyer's Creek; from thence due west to the Hudson's river aforesaid; and thence southerly along the said river to the said creek called Metam- besem." Second tract, "Scituate, Lying and being on ye East side of Hud- son's River in Dutchess county at A Certaine Place Caled ye Long Reach Slenting Over Against JufFrow's Hook, At a Placed Called 1. "Wynogkee, Wynachkee and Winnakee are," says Euttenber. "record forms of the na&e of a district of country, from which it was extended to streams. The derivatives are Winne 'good, flna, pleasant,' and acM 'land'." Z History of Poughheepaie, 11. INDIAN DEEDS. LAND PATENTS. 39 the Rust Plaest. Runs from Thence East Ward into the wood to A Creek Caled by The Indians Pietawickquasick Knowne by the Chris- tians for Jan Casperses Creek Northwarde to a Water fall where the Saw Mill belonging to Myndert Harmense Stands Upon and so South- warde Alongst Hudson's River Aforesaid to said Rust Plaest.'" In 1689 Col. Schuyler sold to Harme Gansevoort, a brewer, of Albany, one-half of what he estimated to be one-fourth of the former tract. He also conveyed August 30, 1699, to Messrs. Sanders and Harmense all the land embraced in the second tract. The uncertain boundaries and ambiguous descriptions of land patents in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie evidently caused much confusion for Sanders and Harmense had prepared for settlement a portion of the land included in Schuyler's patent at least two years previous to the above trans- fer. It also led to the practice of fraud, evidenced by the granting of the so-called Poughkeepsie Patent, May 7, 1697, to Henry Ten Eyck and eight associates, by Governor Fletcher. The grant in- cluded the greater portion of the town, and proved to be fraudulent, as the land was covered by previous patents. This could hardly have been the result of ignorance, inasmuch as Governor Fletcher was re- garded as one of the most corrupt officials the Province ever had. Lord Bellamont complains of him, that he made grants to persons of no merit. The patent granted Gerrit Artsen, Arie Rosa and Jan Elton, June 2, 1688, covered twelve hundred acres in the southwest part of the present town of Rhinebeck. The Indian title was extinguished by deed dated June 8, 1686. This patent was granted with the under- standing that adjoining lands deeded to Hendrick Kip by the Indians, July 28, 1688, were to be covered by the same Royal Patent. The Pawling patent granted to Neiltie, widow of Henry Pawling, and her seven children. May 11, 1696, contained four thousand acres north and west of Crom Elbow Creek. The forming of associations to obtain large grants was a frequent occurrence in different counties, often composed mainly of those hold- ing official positions under the government. The men composing the co-partnership of the Nine Partners' Patent (Great or Lower) were: Caleb Heathcote, Major Augustus Graham, James Emott, Lieut. Col. Henry Filkins, David Jamison, Hendryck Ten Eyck, John Aar- 1. Dutchess County Deeds. Liber A, p. 276. 40 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. etson, William Creed, and Jarvis Marshall. Governor Fletcher granted this patent May 27, 1697, described by the following boundaries : "A Tract of Vacant Land Situate, Lying and Being on Hudson's River in Dutchess County. Bounded on the west by the said Hudson River Between the Creek called Fish Creek (Crum Elbow.?) at the marked Trees of pauling (Including the said Creeke) and the Land of Myn- dert Harmensen & Company then Bounded southerly by the Land of the said Myndert Harmense and company as far as their bounds goes westerly by the Land of the said Harmense and until a southerly line runs so far south until it comes to the south side of a certain Meadow wherein there is a White Oak Tree markt with the Letters H. T. then southerly by an east and west Line to the Division Line between the province of New York and the colony of Connecticut and so Easterly to the said Division Line and Northerly by the aforesaid Fish Creeke as far as it goes and from the head of said Creeke by a parallel line to the south Bounds east and west Reaching the aforesaid Division Line." The tract covered that portion of the present town of Hyde Park, south and east of Crom Elbow creek, the greater portion of the towns of Clinton and Stanford, the entire towns of Pleasant Valley and Washington, and that part of Amenia and the southern section of North East not included in the Oblong. This great tract was divided into thirty-six principal lots, and nine "water lots," the latter front- ing upon the Hudson. The "Calendar of Land Papers" says that in 1695, Henry Beek- man, the son of William, petitioned the government for a patent for land in Dutchess county, lying opposite Esopus Creek. He obtained the patent April 22, 1697, and also secured a grant of all the land east of Rombout's Patent to the Connecticut line. These are known as the Rhinebeck and Beekman Patents. For each of these tracts he was to pay an annual rental of forty shillings to the crown of England. Concerning the grants Lord Bellamont writes Secretary Popple July 7, 1698, as follows: "One Henry Beekman, a Lieut. CoU, in the Militia, has a vast tract of land as large as the Midline county of England, for which he gave Fletcher a hundred dollars abgut twenty-five pounds in English, and I am told he values his pur- chase at £6,000." INDIAN DEEDS. LAND PATENTS. 41 As the boundaries of the first tract were not as definite as Mr. Beek- man desired he obtained another patent in its place granted June 25, 1703, which sets forth the boundaries as follows: "All that tract of land in Dutchess County aforesaid, situate, lying and being on the east side of Hudson's river, beginning at a place called by the Indians Quaningquious, over against the Klyne Sopus Effly, being the north bounds of the lands called Pawling's purchase, from thence extending northerly by the side of the Hudson's river aforesaid, until it comes to a stone creek, over against the Kallcoon Hoek, which is the south- erly bounds of the land of Colonel Peter Schuyler; from thence so far east as to reach a certain pond called by the Indians Warangh- keemeek; and from thence extending southerly by a hue parallel to Hudson's river aforesaid until a line run from the place where it first began easterly into the woods does meet the said parallel hne, and southerly by the line drawn from the place where it was first begun, and meeting the said parallel line, which is the northern bounds of the said land before called Pawling's Purchase." Mr. Beekman also surrendered the grant for land east of Rombout's Patent, receiving a new patent therefore granted June Si5, 1703. It embraced the northeast half of the present town of LaGrange, all of the towns of Union Vale and Beekman (except a few hundred acres in the southern angle of Beekman), about 8000 acres of the northwest portion of Pawling, and the western part of Dover. A strip one and three-eights of a mile wide along the east side of the two latter towns formed a portion of the Oblong. Little or Upper Nine Partners' Patent, granted to Broughton & Company, April 10, 1706, was bounded as follows: "Beginning at the North Bounds of the Lands And then lately purchased by said Richard Sackett in Dutchess county, and runs thence South Easterly by his north bounds to Wimposing thence by the mountains southerly to the south east comer of the said Sackett's Land and thence Easterly to the Colony Line of Connecticut and thence Northerly by the said colony Line and Wiantenuck River to the south bounds of lands pur- chased by John Spragg &c. at Owissetanuck thence westerly by the said purchase as it runs to the south-west corner thereof thence to the Manor of Livingston and by the south bounds thereof unto the lands purchased and patented to Coll. Peter Schuyler over against Magdelons Island and so by the said purchase and patent To the 42 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. patent of Coll. Beekman for Land Lying over against Clyne Esopus Fly and thence by the said Land to the said south east corner and thence to the place where it begun." This tract comprised the present towns of Milan and Pine Plains, the north half of North East, and the small portions of Clinton and Stanford not included in the Great Nine Partners' Patent. It was confirmed September 25, 1708, by Queen Anne to the following patentees: Samson Broughton, Rip Van Dam, Thomas Wenham, Roger Mompesson, Peter Fauconier, Augustus Graham, Richard Sackett, and Robert Lurting. A law authorizing its partition was passed by the Colonial Assembly in 1734. The Oblong Patent, termed in Colonial documents "Equivalent Land," led to much controversy between the States of New York and Connecticut. It covers a narrow strip along the east borders of Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties, containing 61,440 acres. It was in dispute between the officials of New Netherland and the United English Colonies. An effort to adjust the difficulty was made at Hartford, September 19, 1650, by representatives of both govern- ments, but agreements then arrived at were not adhered to. When the English superseded the Dutch in 1664, commissioners were ap- pointed by Charles II of England, who determined on a line parallel with the Hudson and twenty miles distant from it on the east. This Hue gave rise to a dispute respecting the right of government over the towns of Rye and Bedford in Westchester County. Another agreement was concluded in 1683, and these towns were adjudged to be subject to New York government, and confirmed by the Crown March 28, 1700. "Nineteen years afterward" says Smith in his His- tory of New York "a probationory act was passed, empowering the Governor to appoint commissioners, as well to run the line parallel to Hudson's River, as to re-survey the other lines and distinguish the boundary. The Connecticut agent opposed the King's confirmation of this act, totis viribus ; but it was approved on the 23d of January 1723. Two years after, the commissioners and surveyors of both colonies met at Greenwich, and entered first into an agreement re- lating to the method of performing the work. The survey was im- mediately after executed in part, the report being dated on the 12th or May, 1725, but the complete settlement was not made till the 14th . DIAGRAM Sluwdn^theTdaliscposiiinii aCvaninKline!* re/bred' ta fn the' , REPORT OFTHECOMMISSIONERSONTHE NEWYORK& CONNECTICUT BOUNDARY. , ^ Lhu'.'ti-mibyS u r vtyuiy in.lfi&l niidTvmn!v(!^ III * %i s 09 440 768 780 1449 29 52 510 847 951 1682 11 106 696 1173 1112 2115 31 176 88S 1366 1290 2643 41 601 914 1437 1540 2851 41 63 600 839 863 1597 22 80 676 1031 1068 2098 91 42 331 517 593 942 2 25 371 617 573 1092 48 199 514 875 756 1544 66 421 141 231 241 433 3 13 740 1267 1295 2494 20940 55 78 6718 10968 11062 440 1856 e 3078 3597 4607 5941 5932 3401 4330 2079 2539 366S / 921 5189 45260 Details of settlements are remanded to the histories of the towns in which they came to be included, a sufficient number of persons hav- ing been named who wrought the evolution of the county in the pioneer era. Fortunately these pioneers were not harassed by Indian wars which desolated other counties, but their herds and flocks did not enjoy equal immunity from the savage denizens of the forest. In 1726 and 1728 laws were passed by the State Legislature for the destruction of wolves in Albany, Dutchess and Orange counties. Again in 1741 an act was passed "to encourage the destroying of wolves and panthers in Dutchess county." 56 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Contrary to the unfavorable opinion entertained of lands in the western portion of the county, which certain Dutch burghers from Ulster county reported were not worth crossing the river for, the soil possessed a fertihty unknown to the lands in many portions of the State, responding generously to the exertions of the pioneers. dpc-c^ c:P<^ '^ S. ^.y^^z///.. i^u. /'''': hhs/! a CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS AND DIVISIONS. 57 CHAPTER VI. CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS AND DIVISIONS. WHEN Col. Thomas Dongan was appointed Governor of the province in 1682, he was instructed to organize a Council, to be composed of not exceeding ten of "the most eminent inhabitants," and to issue writs to the proper officers for the election of "a general assembly of all th* freeholders by the persons who they shall choose to represent them," in order to consult with him and his council "what laws are fit and necessary to be made and established" for the good government of the province "and all the inhabitants thereof." On the t7th of October, 1683, the assembly thus authorized met at Fort James in New York. It was composed of delegates from all parts of the province, and during its session of three weeks passed fourteen several acts, which were assented to by the Governor and his Council. Among these laws was one "To Divide the Province and Dependencys into Shires and Countyes," passed November 1st. Twelve counties were erected as follows: Al- bany, Cornwall, Duke's, Dutchess, Kings, New York, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster, and Westchester. The county of Corn- wall consisted of what was known as the district of Penaquid (now in Maine), and Duke's county consisted of several islands on the coast of Massachusetts. These counties wtjre included in the patent to the Duke of York. They were detached on the reorganization of the government in 1691. The boundaries of Dutchess were thus defined: "to be from the bounds of the County of Westchester on the South Side of the High- lands along the east side of Hudson's River as far as Roelof Jansens Creeke and eastward into the woods twenty miles." This territory included the present county of Putnam and the towns of Clermont and Germantown in Columbia County. The latter were a part of Livingston's Manor and were annexed to Albany county May 27, 58 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1717. Putnam was constituted a separate county June 12, 1812. Although thus organized in 1683 it was only a county in name, — a district in the wilderness with boundaries upon paper; supposed to be uninhabited by white men ; and October 18, 1701, "having very few inhabitants," was provisionally annexed to Ulster county, where its freeholders were entitled to vote. It retained that connection until October 23, 1713, when having increased in population, a provincial act empowered the Justices of the Peace to issue warrants for an election to be held "at any time before the first Tuesday in Septem- ber next (1714), to make choice of one Free-holder to be supervisor, one Treasurer, two Assessors and two Collectors," for each ward. Although no records can be found of such election, it appears to have been held within the specified time, as evidenced by the following receipt, which names the collectors in the south ward.^ New Yorke 13 Augts: 1715. Then Received off John D: graeff & John Schouten Col- lectors off ye South ward In Dutchess County on ye Tenn thousand pound Tax the Summe off Seventeen pounds three pence halfe penny & Eight Shillings Eight pence halfe penny for ye Treasurers Salary I say Receved by ye hands of Mr. Richd: Saccatt. A. D. Peyster treasur Further indication of civil organization in the county at that period, is apparent from the fact that the name of Leonard Lewis is men- tioned in the civil list, as representing the County of Dutchess in the Fifteenth Assembly, 1713-1714; and Capt. Richard Sackett was ap- pointed the first county clerk in 1715. Lewis was a resident of Pough- keepsie and received the first appointment of the Court of Common Pleas in the county. Sackett, the pioneer settler of Amenia, lived in New York City until 1704. In 1711-12 he was assisting in the man- agement of the affairs of the Palatines at East Camp, and was prob- ably living in Amenia at the time he became county clerk. Records appear of elections held at Poughkeepsie the first Tuesday in A|)ril, 1718 and 1719, at which there was but one Supervisor chosen 1. First Book of the Supervisors, 1718-1722. CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS AND DIVISIONS. 59 — Henry van Der Burgh — presumably for the Middle ward. Various other officers were elected for the three wards. In the election re- turns of April 5, 1720, the officers for each ward are thus given :^ Att an Ellection held at Pocapsing the first Tusday In April It being on the Sth of the Same Instant for the Year 1720 These are Officers Chosen for Dutchis County In Every Ward For the Middel Ward Pocapesing are Chousen Henry Van Der Burgh Supervisor Coll Leonard Lewis Treasurer Johannes Van Den Bogart Constable & Collector Johannes Van Kleck & Thomas Lewis Assessors. Fransoy Van Den Bogart Over Sere of the Kings High Way Peter Veley & Hendrick pels Survayors of the fencess For the South Ward the fSsh Kill are Chosen • James Hustey Constaple & Collector Johannes buys & Johannes Terbos Juner Assessors Johannes TerbosS Supervisor Robert Dingen Oversere of the Kings High Way Frans De Lange Oversere of the Way for pagquaick Gerrett Van Vledt & Jan Buys Survayors of the ffences For the North Ward are Chosen Jurie Priegel Constable & Collector Lourens Knickerbacker & Falentyn benner Assessors William Trophage Supervisor Tunnes Pier Oversere of the Kings High Way. William Trophage & Tunnes Pier Survayors of the ffences Ponnder for ofending beasts Jacob Ploeg Colonial act of June 24, 1719, legalized the division of the county into the Southern, Middle and Northern Wards and defined their boundaries. From the receipt previously quoted, and from the tax list given in a preceding chapter it is evident this division existed as early as 1715. The South Ward extended from the southern border of the county below the Highlands north to Wappinger Creek; the Middle Ward thence to Cline Sopus Island (Esopus Island opposite the central portion of the town of Hyde Park) and the North Ward thence to RoelaiF Jansens Kill. Although no eastern boundaries are stated, these wards probably extended to the Connecticut line. Each ward was entitled to one supervisor, chosen annually, of which the following is a complete list: 1. First Book of the Supervisors, 1718-1722. 60 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. '■1720 Johannes Terboss 1729 Jacobus Du Poyster 1721 Peter Du Boys 1730 do do 1722 Jacobus Swartwout 1731 do do 1723 do do 1732 James Hussey SOUTH. 1724 do do 1733 do do 1725 James Hussey 1734 do do 1726 Peter Du Boyes 1735 do do 1727 Jacobus Swartwout 1736 Cornelius Van Wyck 1728 Abraham Brinckorhoif 1737 do do 1719 Henry Van Der Burgh 1729 Isaac Titsoort 1720 do do do 1730 do do 1721 do do do 1731 do do J 723 Barent Van Kleeck 1732 Frans Filkins ^Tr\T>T f? 1723 do do 1733 do do l.l.UULdlU< 1724 Jacobus Van Den Bogert 1734 do do 1725 Johannes Van Kleeck 1735 do do 1726 Myndert Van Den Bogert 1736 do do 1727 Peter Parmantor 1737 do do 1728 Hendrick Pells -1720 William Trophage 1729 Hendricus Heermanse 1721 do do 1730 do do 1722 Hendricus Beekman 1731 do do 1723 do do 1732 Barent Van Benthuysen NORTH' 1724 Barent Van Wagenen 1733 do do 1725 do do 1734 Hendricus Heermanse 1726 Barent Van Benthuysen 1735 do do 1727 Hendricus Heermanse 1736 do do 1728 do do 1737 do do By Colonial act of December 16, 1737, Dutchess county was divided into seven Precincts — designated Beekman, Crom Elbow, North, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, Rombout and South, with municipal regu- lations similar to those of towns. Beekman's covered a tract nearly corresponding with the boundaries of that patent. Crom Elbow cov- ered a portion of the Great Nine Partners grant and continued its existence until 1762, when it was divided into the precincts of Char- lotte and Amenia. North comprised the Little Nine Partners tract, and in 1746 was designated North East after its extension across the Oblong. Poughkeepsie corresponded with the present town of that nam% Rhinebeck included the towns of Red Hook, Rhinebeck and the northern half of Hyde Park. Rombout comprised the territory S3 S s ft ^ t; c o '^ en 1— ( 4> ffi > t; H jj c r! as o H -3 c >5 O O O «fH 43 J o -H 1— 1 CO =fH c uu O w o en I— ( >^ K -a c ■w 4» CO f) HH h rn n fe M) ?3 rl W !z -< 1—1 1— 1 1-1 & m . t3 4) 'a in O > 1 n "3 C g S ^ P3 1—1 S sw -H o I— 1 s 4-> T-l ii ^ C r. o C8 r^ ^ P c ffl -A ,iK CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS AND DIVISIONS. 61 of the Rombout patent; and South extended below the Highlands to the southern border of the county. A reorganization of South in 1772, created the precincts of Philipse, Frederickstown and South East within the present limits of Putnam county. Other divisions of the original precincts were North East, December 16, 1746, comprising the territory of the present towns of Milan, Pine Plains and North East; Pawling, set off from the east- ern half of Beekman's, December 31, 1768, including the present towns of Pawling and Dover; Charlotte, March 20, 1762, consist- ing of the western portion of the Great Nine Partners tract ; Amenia, March 20, 1762, consisting of nine of the easternmost lots of the Great Nine Partners tract and of that part of the Oblong between these lots and the Connecticut line. By the act of 1737 the inhabitants of the Precincts were required to elect annually supervisors, assessors, collectors, etc., but Precinct clerks were not authorized until 1741. They neglected, however, to report a record of elections, and in 1748, Arnout Viele, Justice of the Peace, holding Court of General Sessions at Poughkeepsie, "ordered that all and every precinct clerk in this county * » * * make due return of the election of their respective precincts of the officers chosen * * * * unto the clerk of the peace, under penalty of thirty shillings to be paid by every such precinct or town clerk omit- ting." Whether the clerks in all precincts complied with this order cannot be ascertained. The earher records, which undoubtedly would contain much of historical interest, have, through the frequent changes of officials and their removal from place to place, been lost or destroyed, and those records now in possession of the towns, with a few excep- tions, are fragmentary and disconnected. The first record of Precinct Officers in the County Clerk's office be- gins with the year 1754. Officers of Poughkeepsie Precinct are com- plete from 1742, and the record book is preserved in the Adriance Memorial Library. From the records of Supervisors' Meetings beginning with the year 1738, a hst of the Supervisors who were present appears as follows: 1738 Francis Filkin, Hendricus Heermanse, Francis de Lange, Isack Filkin, John Montross. 1739 Johannes Van Kleeck, Hendricus Heermanse, John Montross, Isack Filkin, John Carman. 62 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESSv 1740 Henry Heermans, John Van Kleeck, John Montross, John Carman, Henry Filkin, Francis Nellson. 1741 Henry Heermans, John "Van Kleeck, Francis Nellson, John Carman, Henry Filkin, John BrinckerhofF. 1742 Henry Heermans, John Van Kleeck, Francis Nellson, John Carman, Henry Filkin, John Brinckerhoff. 1743 John Van Kleeck, Henry Heermans, Henry Filkin, Francis Nellson, John BrinckerhofF, George Ellsworth. 1744 John Van Kleeck, Francis Nellson, Henry Filkin, Jacob Rutsen, John Brinckerhoff, Thomas Barker. 1745 John Van Kleeck, Henry Brinckerhoff, Samuel Field, Jacob Rutsen, Henry Filkin, Isaiah Ross, Thomas Barker. 1746 John Van Kleeck, Henry Filkin, Samuel Field, Henry Ter Boss, Jacob Rut- sen, John Carman. 1747 John Van Kleeck, Samuel Field, Henry Filkin, Henry Terboss, James Dun- can, Arnout Viele, Martin Hoffman. 1748 John Van Kleeck, Henry Filkin, Samuel Field, James Dunean, Martin Hoffman, Arnout Viele. With the exception of Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck Precincts, the supervisors for the years 1749, '50, '51, '52 and 53 cannot be given, as diligent search and inquiry fails to locate the "Fourth Book of the Supervisors" covering that period. The following list classifies the supervisors according to Precincts: RHINEBECK. 1763— '65 Caleb Smith 1749— 'SI John Van Dense 1766 Elisha Colven I7S2— '56 Gerrett Van Benthuysen 1767- '69 Andrus Bostwick 1756— '58 Petrus De Witt 1770 James Attwater 1759- '60 Gerret Van Benthuysen 1771— '74 Morris Graham 1761 Petrus De Witt 1775— '76 Israel Thompson 1762 Peter Van Benthuysen 1777— '78 Hugh Rea 1763— '66 Peter Ten Brook 1779— '81 Lewis Graham 1767— '71 John Van Ess 1782 Hugh Rea 1772— '74 James Smith 1783 Uriah Lawrence 1775 John Van Ness 1784 Lewis Graham 1776— '80 Peter De Witt 1785— '87 John White 1781— '85 Anthony Hoffman CROM ELBOW. 1786— '87 Peter Contine 1754— '55 Isaac Germond NORTH EAST. 1756— '58 William Doughty 17S4r-'55 Arnont Viele 1759— '61 Charles Crooke 1756— '60 James I. Ross Divided into Precincts of Amenii 1761 • No record given and Charlotte, 1762. 1762 James I. Ross CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS AND DIVISIONS. 63 AMENIA. 1762 Capt. Stephen Hopkins 1763 Edmund Perlee 1764— '66 Stephen Hopkins 1767 Edmund Perlee 1768— '75 Ephraim Paine 1776 Silas Marsh 1777— '78 Roswell Hopkins 1779— '80 Dr. John Chamberlain 1781 Colbe Chamberlain 1783— '83 Ephrlam Paine 1784 — '86 Isaac Darrow 1787 Barnabus Paine CHARLOTTE. 1762— '67 Tobias Stoutenburgh 1768— '70 James Smith 1771 No record given 1773 Lewis Barton 1773 Cornelius Humfrey 1774 Jonathan Lewis 1775 Cornelius Humfrey 1776— '80 James Smith 1781— '82 James Talmage 1783 No record given 1784— '85 Isaac Bloom Divided into Precincts of Washington and Clinton, 1786. WASHINGTON. 1786 James Talmage 1787 No record given CLINTON. 1786 Cornelius Humphrey 1787 Richard Cantillon POUGHKEEPSIE. 1742— '52 John Van Kleeck 1753— '58 Lawrence Van Kleeck 1759 Capt. Teimis Tappen 1760 Gabriel H. Ludlow 1761— '67 Leonard Van Kleeck 1768 Richard Snedeker 1769 Gilbert Livingston 1770— '71 Richard Snedeker 1772_'76 Zephaniah Piatt 1777_'79 Samuel Dodge 1780— '82 John Bailey, Junr. 1783 Peter Tappen 1784 Gilbert Livingston 1785 Lewis Du Boice 1786 Lewis Duboys 1787 John Van Kleeck BEEKMAN. 1754— '58 John Carman 1759— '60 No record given 1761— '62 Bartholomew Noxon 1763 William Humfrey 1764— '69 Bartholomew Noxon 1770— '74 Joshua Carman 1775— '79 James Van Der Burgh 1780— '83 Jonathan Dennis 1784— '86 Ebenezer Cary 1787 Jonathan Dennis ROMBOUT. 1754 — '55 Thomas Langdon 1756— '58 Dirck BrinckerhofF 1759 — '60 No record given 1761— '67 Dirck Brinckerhoff 1768 — ^'73 Henry Rosekrans, Junr. 1774 — '75 Jacobus Swartwout 1776 Daniel Ter Boss, 1777— '79 Abraham Brinckerhoff 1780 Martin WUsie 1781— '86 Abraham Brinckerhoff 1787 William B. Alger SOUTHERN. 1754— '56 Samuel Fields 1757- '59 Petrus Du Boys 1760— '62 PhiUp PhiUpse 1763— '65 Beverly Robinson 1766 Philip Philipse 1767— '69 Beverly Robinson 1770— '71 TertuUus Dickenson Divided into Philipse, Fredricksburgh, and Southeast in 1772. PHILIPSE. 1772 Beverly Robinson 1773 Moses Dusenberry 1774 Beverly Robinson 64 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 177S Joshua Nellson 1773 Joseph Crane, Jr. 1776— '85 No record given 1774— '78 John Field 1786 George Lane 1779— '80 William Mott 1787 John Hyalt 1781 Joseph Crane FREDRICKSBURGH. 1772— '75 TertnUus Dickenson 1776— '78 Henry Ludington 1779— 'S4 Ruben Ferris 1782 1783— '87 1770 Isaac Crosby Joseph Crane PAWLING. Nathan Pearce 1785 No record given 1771— '73 John Kane 1786 Capt. John Drake 1774— '75 Andrew Morehouse 1787 Ruben Ferris 1776— '80 Jeremiah French SOUTH EAST. 1781— '83 1783— '86 Isaac Talman William Pearse 1773 No record given 1787 No record given The following assessment table shows the relative wealth of pre- cincts at different periods: PRECINCTS. 1747 1757 1767 1771 Southern £ 742 £ 813 £1,113 £1,377 Rombout 1,970 2,441 3,027 1,888 Beekman 931 1,490 1,834 786 Poughkeepsie 895 933 801 808 Crom Elbow 891 2,175 Charlotte 1,807 1,908 Amenia 840 816 Rhinebeck 2,366 2,893 3,303 1,971 North East 106 436 485 547 Pawlings 923 Total 7,791 11,180 11,109 11,024 A general organization act passed March 7, 1788, divided the State into fourteen counties, which were subdivided into townships instead of Precincts. Dutchess then comprised the following towns: Amenia, Beekman, Clinton, (formed March 13, 1786, from portions of Char- lotte and Rhinebeck Precincts) Fishkill, North East, Pawling, Pough- keepsie, Rhinebeck and Washington. The towns of Kent, Philipstown and South East, now in Putnam county, were also qrected by this act. Towns were formed by the Legislature until 1849, when power was given to the several Boards of Supervisors (except in New York County) to divide or erect new towns when such division does not place CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS AND DIVISIONS. 65 parts of the same town in more than one assembly district. Towns 'erected subsequent to the general organization act are: Stanford, March 12, 1793; Carmel and Patterson (now in Putnam) March 17, 1796; Dover February 20, 1807; Red Hook, June 2, 1812; Milan, March 10, 1818; Hyde Park, January 20, 1821; Pleasant Valley, January 26, 1821 ; La Grange (formerly Freedom) February 9, 1821; Pine Plains, March 26, 1823; Union Vale, March 1, 1827; East Fishkill, November 29, 1849; W^appinger, May 20, 1875. A list of Town Supervisors will be found in connection with the various town histories. The construction of a county house and prison in Dutchess county was authorized by an act of the General Assembly passed July 21, 1715. It directed the freeholders to elect two ^of their number to supervise its erection at such "place as to them shall be meet and con- venient, for the most ease and benefit of the Inhabitants of the said County." It further directed that a tax be levied on the county not to exceed "the Sum of Two hundred and fifty Ounces of good Mexico, PiUar or Sevill Plate," to defray the expense ; and that the building be constructed "within two years after the publication thereof." Ap- parently no action was taken by the freeholders at that time, and a second act passed May 27, 1717, directed the construction and com- pletion of the building within three years "at or near the most con- venient place at Poughkeepsie." Pursuant to the latter act the free- holders met at Poughkeepsie, June 22, 1717, near the house of Leon- ard Lewis, and chose "by plurallety of Voyses Capt. Bareendt Van Kleeck & Mr. Jacobes Van Den Bogert Tow Be the Supervisors and Direcktors for building & finisching the County house and presin att pochkeepsen." Subsequent records^ indicate that the first court house and jail were completed within the required time, and not in 1745 as stated in French's State Gazetteer. Taxes were collected in 1718 and 1720 towards payment of the cost of this building, and the report of County proceedings in 1722, state that meetings were held in the court house. Colonial act passed December 17, 1743, authorized "the Justices of the Peace in Dutchess County to build a Court House & Goal or to enlarge and Repair the old one." This building was erected in 1746 ; the assessment of $18,000 being distributed among the vari- 1. First and Second Books of the Supervisors and Assessors. 66 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. ous precincts according to their population and valuation. The pre- cinct of Rhinebeck and Rombout paid one half of this assessment. The money was received and disbursed by Mr. Henry Livingston, chief of the Board of Commissioners, appointed to supervise its construction. It was in this Structure that the Legislature frequently held Sessions during the Revolution. Early in 1785 the building was destroyed by fire, and April 4th the Sheriff was directed to transfer his prisoners to the Ulster county jail. April ll, 1785, the sum of £1^500 was ap- propriated for its reconstructi6n,,and in 1786 arid 1787 a further tax amounting to £3,300, was levied. In 1788 the Legislature resumed its session in the new Court House. This building was also doomed to destruction by fire, which originated in one of : the lower apartments of. the jail, the night of September 35th, 1806. Despite these fires, it is noteworthy that the public docu- ments were saved. Prepafa^tions for rebuilding were soon begun, and by act of March 24j 1809, $12,000 was set aside for that purpose; this sum was supplemented in 1810 by an additional $13,000. The building was erected on the same site, although many favored rebuild- ing in a new location. This court house and jail was succeeded in 1902, ,by;the construction of the present commodious building, which the growth of the county necessitated. On the east side of this edifice a tablet was erected, in 1904), by the Daughters of theAmerican Revolution, in commemoration of the con- stitutionar convention of 1788, inscribed as follows: THE PEOPLE Of The STATE OF NEW YORK By Their Convention Assembled In a Former Court House Which Stood On This Ground RATIFIED The Constitution Of The United States of America July 36, A. D. 1788. Asi account of this most important event in the history of the State of New York, will be found in Chapter XII. GEN. JOHN HENRY KETCHAM. DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 67 CHAPTER VII. DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 1713-1909. Represeittatives iir Colonial Assembly, 1713-'14 Leonard Lewis 1737-'43 1715 Leonard Lewis Baltus Van Kleeck 174,3-'S1 1716-'26 Leonard Lewis Baltus Van Kleeck 1752-'S8 Johannis Terbosch Henry Beekman 17S9-'68 1726-'37 Henry Beekman Johannis Van Kleeck 1768-'7S Henry Beekman Jacobus TerBoss Henry ^eekman Johannis Tappen Henry Beekman Henry Filkin Robert Livingston Henry Livingston Leonard Van Kleeck Dirck Brinckerhoff COUKCIL OF THE CoLOlfT OF NeW YobK. One member from Dutchess, John Johnson, 1716-1722. Delegates to PaoviifCLAL Conventiok, 177S. Egbert Benson, Morris Graham, Robert R. Livingston. Deputies to Pboviitcial Congbesses. . First Congress, 177S. Dirck Brinckerhoff Anthony Hoffman Zephaniah Piatt Richard Montgomerie Ephraim Paine Gilbert Livingston Jonathan Landon X Gysbert Schenck r Melancton Smith Nathaniel Sackett Second Congress, 177S-'76. Petrus Ten Broeck Beverly Robinson Cornelius Humphreys Henry Schenck ■^ Gilbert Livingston John Kaine Jacob Everson Morris Graham Robert G. Livingston Third Congress, 1776. Robert R. Livingstdn James Livingston Gilbert Livingston Jonathan Landon Morris Graham Henry Schenck ^ Theodorus Van Wyck John Schenck "^ Anthony Hoffman Paul Schenck / Nathaniel Sackett Cornelius Humphreys Zephaniah Piatt James Vanderburgh Benjamin Delavergne John Field Fourth Congress, 177e-'77. Zephaniah Piatt Nathaniel Sackett Gilbert Civingston Doctor Crane Henry Schenck James Livingston John Schenck / Anthony Hoffman Robert R. Livingston Jonathan Landon 68 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. First Council of Safety. May to September, 1777, Zephaniah Piatt. Second Cousrcii, or Safety. October 8, 1777, to January 7, 1778, Egbert Benson, Jonathan Landon. Council of Appointment. Zephaniah Piatt, appointed October 17, 1778, re-appointed October 25, 1781. Ephraim Paine, September 11, 1780.1 Jacobus Swartwout, January 31, 1784, re-appointed January 19, 1786. Anthony Hoffman, January 18, 17S8. Thomas Tillotson, January 14, 1791. Abraham SchencKf January 7, 1796. Abraham Adriance, February 7, 1804. Robert Williams, January 31, 1810. Peter R. Livingston, January 31, 1810. Stephen Barnum, February 3, 1819. FEDERAL OFFICERS. Sechetahies of War. John Armstrong, appointed by President MadisoA 1813; Daniel S. Lamont, appointed by President Cleveland 1893. Secretaries op the Navt. Smith Thompson, appointed November 9, 1818. James K. Paulding, appointed June 35, 1838. VlCE-PfiESmENT or THE UNITED StATES. Levi 'P. Morton, 1889-1893. Judge op the Supreme Court op the United States. Smith Thompson, appointed September 21, 1833. Judge of the United States Circuit Court. Egbert Benson, appointed February 30, 1804. Minister Plenipotentiary to France. John Armstrong, appointed June 30, 1804. Commissioner of the District of Columbia. John Henry Ketcham, appointed by President Grant 1874-1877. United States Senators. John Armstrong, appointed November, 1800. Theodorus Bailey, 1803. Nathan- iel P. Tallmadge, 1833, re-appointed 1840. Representatives in Congress. 1789-'93 Egbert Benson 1817-'19 James TaUmadge, Jr. 1793-'97 Theodorus Bailey 1819-'21 RandaU S. Street 1797-'99 David Brooks 1821-'2S WilUam W. Van Wyek 1799-'03 Theodorus Bailey 1835-'27 Bartow White 1803-'— Isaac Bloom 1827-'29 Thomas Taber 1803-'09 Daniel C. Verplancka 1839-'31 Abraham Bockee 1809-'13 James Bmott 1831-'33 Edward H. Pendleton 1813-'15 Thomas J. Oakley 1833-'37 Abraham Bockee •1815-'17 Abraham H. Schenck^ 1837-'39 Obadiah Titus 1. Vacated by expulsion from the Senate, Marcb 15, 1781. 2. Blected October 8, vice Bloom, deceased. DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 69 1839-'41 Charles Johnson 1863-'65 Homer A. Nelson 1841-'4S Richard D. Davis 186S-'73 John H. Ketcham 184,S-'4,7 William W. Woodruff ].873-'7T John O, Whitehouse 18S1-'S1 Gilbert Dean 1877-'91 John H. Ketcham 1854-'S5 James Teller 1897-'05 John H. Ketcham 18S7-'S9 John Thompson 1906-'08 Samuel P. McMillan 1861-'63 Stephen Baker 1909-'— Hamilton Fish STATE OFFICERS. JtrDOE OP THE Court of Appeals. Charles H. Ruggles, elected June 7, 1847, re-elected November 8, 18S3. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Smith Thompson, appointed February 3, 1814. Puisne Justices op the Supreme Court. Morgan Lewis, appointed December 24, 1792; Egbert Benson, appointed Janu- ary 39, 1794; Smith Thompson, appointed January 8, li03. Circuit Judges (Secoxtd Circuit). James Emott, appointed February 21, 1827; Charles H. Ruggles, appointed appointed March 9, 1831; Seward Barculo, appointed April 4, 1846. Justice of the General Term of the Supreme Court. Joseph F. Barnard (Second Dept.), appointed December 25, 1870. Justices of the Supreme Court. Seward Barculo, elected June 7, 1847; Gilbert Dean, appointed June 26, 18S4; James Emott, elected November 6, 1855; Joseph F. Barnard, elected November 3, 1863, re-elected 1871 and 1885, retired 1893; Joseph Morschauser, elected 1906, term expires 1920. Governors. Morgan Lewis, elected April 1804; Levi P. Morton, elected November 6, 1894, Lieutenant-Governobs. James Tallmadge, elected November 1, 1834; Peter R. Livingston, elected February 16, 1828; Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler, elected November 6, 1906. Adjutant General op the State. J. WatiSs de Peyster, appointed January 1, 1855. Secretaries of State. Thomas Tillotson, appointed August 10, 1801, re-appointed February 16, 1807; Robert R. Tillotson, appointed February 12, 1816; Homer A. Nelson, elected November 5, 1867. Treasurers of the State. Joseph Howland, elected November 5, 1865; James Mackin, elected November 6, 1877. Attorneys-General. Egbert Benson, appointed May 8, 1777; Morgan Lewis, elected November 8, 1791; Thomas J. Oakley, elected July 8, 1819. 70 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. State Tax Cosimibsiod'ebs. James L. WiUiams, appointed April 18, 1883; William H. Wood, appointed January 10, 1893; Martin Heermance, appointed January 20, 1896. Caxal Commissioners. James Hooker, appointed February 8, 1842. Fbisos' Inspector. James Teller, appointed April 1, 1811, re-appointed March 7, 1815 and Feb- ruary 24, 1821. Board of Regents. First Board, Anthony Hoffman, Cornelius Humphrey; Second Board, Gilbert Livingston; under system adopted 1787, Smith Thompson, appointed March 13, 1813. Commissioners State Board of Charities. Harvey G. Eastman, appointed June 17, 1867, re-appointed March 19, 1873; James Roosevelt, appointed February 12, 1879; Sarah M. Carpenter, appointed January 21, 1880. Ptrntic Service Commissioner. James E. Sague, appointed 1907; re-appointed 1909. DELEGATES TO STATE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS. 1788 — Jonathan Atkins, John De Witt, Gilbert Livingston, Zephaniah Piatt, Mel- ancton Smith, Jacobus Swartwout, Ezra Thompson.^ 1801 — Jonathan Akin, Isaac Bloom, Caleb Hazen, Peter Huested, Edmund Farlee, Smith Thompson, Joseph Thorn, John Van Benthuysen, .Theodorus Van Wyck, Ithamer Weed. 1821 — EUsha Barlow, Isaac Hunting, Peter R. Livingston, Abrahai^ H. Schenck, James Tallmadge. 1846 — Peter K. DuBois, Charles H. Ruggles, James TaUmadge. 1867— B. Piatt Carpenter, Wilson B. Sheldon, Homer A. Nelson.2 1894--Charles W. H. Arnold. State Senators. 1777-'79 Jonathan Landon 1777-'83 Zephaniah Piatt 1779-'81 Ephraim Paine 1782-'8S Ephraim Paine 1784-'95 Jacobus Swartvifout 1787-'89 Cornelius Humfrey 1788-'90 Anthony Hoffman 1791-'99 Thomas Tillotson' 1796-'99 Abraham Schenck 1798-'01 Peter Cantine, Jr. 1800-'02 Isaac Bloom 1801-'02 David Van Ness 1803-'06 Abraham Adriance 1804-'07 Robert Johnston 1808-'ll Robert Williams 1811-'1S Morgan Lewis 1812-'1S William M. Taber 1816-'22 Peter R. Livingston 1818-'21 Stephen Barnum 1826-'29 Peter R. Livingston 1." Atkins and Swartwout voted against the Constitution. Thompson did not vote. 2. Dele(?ate-at-Iarge. 5 (b Cu^iaJIo^ DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 71 1830-'33 Nathaniel P. Tallmadge 1834-'37 Leonard Maison 1838-'41 Henry A. Livingston 1842-'4S Abraham Bockee 1848-'49 Alexander J. Coffin 18S2-'S3 John H. Otis 1856-'S7 William Kelly 1860-'61 John H. Ketcham 1864-'6S John B. Dutcher 1868-'69 Abiah W. Pahner 1870-'71 George Morgan 1873-'73 Abiah W. Palmer 1876-'77 B. Piatt Carpenter 1882-'83 Homer A. Nelson 1884-'85 Thomas Newbold 1892-'93 Edward B. Osborne 1909-'— John F. Schlosser MEMBERS OP ASSEMBLY. 1777-'78 Egbert Benson Dirck Brinckerhoff Anthony Hoffman Gilbert Livingston Andrew Moorhouse John Schenck Jacobus Swartwbut 1778-'79 Egbert Benson Dirck Brinckerhoff Joseph Crane, Jr. Samuel Dodge Anthony Hoffman Andrew Moorhouse Jacobus Swartwout 1779-'80 Egbert Benson Dirck Brinckerhoff Annanias Cooper Samuel Dodge Henry Ludenton Brinton Paine Nathaniel Sackett 1780-'81 Egbert Benson Ebenezer Cary Samuel Dodge Henry Ludenton Brinton Paine Guisbert Schenck Jacobus Swartwout 1781-'82 Dirck Brinckerhoff Jonathan Dennis Cornelius Humfrey Ebenezer Husted Abraham Paine Thomas Storm Jacobus Swartwout 1782-'83 Benjamin Birdsall Jonathan Dennis Corneliuls Humfrey Ebenezer Husted Matthew Patterson Thomas Storm Jacobus Swartwout 1784 Dirck Brinckerhoff Jonathan Dennis Anthony Hoffman Cornelius Humfrey Ebenezer Husted Matthew Patterson Thomas Storm 1784-'85 Adam Brinckerhoff Dirck Brinckerhoff Ebenezer Cary Cornelius Humfrey Brinton Paine Matthew Patterson James Tallmadge 1786 Dirck Brinckerhoff John De Witt Lewis Duboys Jacob Griffin Henry Ludenton Brinton Paine Matthew Patterson 1787 Dirck Brinckerhoff John De Witt, Jr. Lewis Duboys Jacob Griffin Henry Ludenton Brinton Paine Matthew Patterson 72 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1788 Egbert Benson Isaac Bloom Peter Cantine, Jr. John De Witt, Jr. Morris Graham Matthew Patterson Thomas Tillotson 1788-'89 Jonathan Akin Samuel A. Barker Isaac Bloom John De Witt Jacob Griffin Gilbert Livingston Matthew Patterson 1789-'90 Samuel A. Barker Isaac Bloom Joseph Crane, Jr. Jacob Griffin Ebenezer Husted Isaac J. Talman Thomas Tillotson 1791 Jonathan Akin Samuel A. Barker Isaac Bloom James Kent Henry Schenck James Tallmadge David Van Ness 179S Jonathan Akin Samual A. Barker Isaac Bloom Daniel Graham Morgan Lewis Matthew Patterson James Tallmadge 1792-'93 Jonathan Akin Josiah Holly James Kent Ebenezer Mott Matthew Patterson Barnabas Payen WUliam Raddift 1794 Samuel A. Barker James Bockee David Brooks John De Witt Jesse Oakley Jacob Radclift Isaac Van Wyck 1795 Samuel A. Barker Jacob Brockee David Brooks Jesse Oakley Jacob Radclift Jacob Smith Isaac Van Wyck 1796 David Brooks Richard Davis Jesse Oakley Jacob Smith Solomon Sutherland Jesse Thompson Isaac Van Wyck 1796-'97 Samuel A. Barker Jacob Bockee Joseph Crane, Jr. Richard Davis Jesse Oakley William Pearce Jacob Smith Jesse Thompson William B. Verplanck William Wheeler 1798 WilUam Barker Lemuel Clift Luther Holly Joseph Potter Philip J. Schuyler Jacob Smith John Thomas Jesse Thompson Samuel Towner WUliam B. Verplanck 1798-'99 Abraham Adriance Lemuel Clift Henry Dodge Robert Johnston Ebenezer Mott William Pearce Piatt Smith DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 73 Jonathan Soule William Taber John van Benthuysen 1800 Abraham Adriance William Barker William Emott Joseph C. Field Robert Johnston Ebenezer Mott Isaac Sherwood William Taber Samuel Towner John Van Benthuysen 1800-'01 Abraham Adriance Benjamin Akin EUsha Barlow Nichtdas H. Emlgh Robert Johnston Ebenezer Mott Zalman Sanford Isaac Sherwood Smith Thompson John M. Thurston 1803 Abraham Adriance Benjamin Akin Theodorus Bailey Elisha Barlow Nicholas H. Emigh Harry Garrison Alexander Spencer John Thompson John M. Thurston 1803 Joseph C. Field John Jewett John Martin Thomas Mitchell Philip Spenoer, Jr. Theodorus R. Van Wyck James Winchell 1804 Joseph E. HafF John Martin Thomas Mitchell Zaimon Sanford Wiliam Taber Benajah Thompson Theo. R. Van Wyck 1804-'05 Job Crawford Isaac Hunting John Patterson tCbraham H. Schenck Isaac Sherwood John Van Benthuysen John M. Thurston 1806 Barnabas Carver Joseph C. Field Benjamin Herrick Abraham H. Schenck Jno. Van Benthuysen William D. Williams Veniah Wooley 1807 John Haight Aaron Hazen Theron*Rudd John Storm TobiaS L. Stoutenburgh Martin E. Winchel Veniah Wooley 1808 Albro Akin Devoue Bailey George Casey Cyrenus Crosby John Haight Tobias L. Stoutenburgh Martin E. Winchel 1808-'09 Samuel A. Barker George Bloom Derick A. Brinckerhoff Ebenezer Haight Benajah Thompson Jesse. Thompson, 1810 David Brooks Lemuel Clift Koert Dubois Ebenezer Haight Alexander Neely Isaac Van Wyck 1811 Samuel A. Barker Lemuel Clift Koert Dubois Alexander Neely Shadrach Sherman Isaac Van Wyck 74 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1813 Joseph Arnold Cyrus Benjamin Isaac Bryan Henry Dodge John Warren Robert Weeks 1812-'13 Joseph Arnold John Beadle Cyrus Benjamin Isaac Bryan Henry Dodge John Warren 1814 William A. Duer James Emott Samuel Mott Joseph Potter Jesse Thompson 1814-'15 John Beadle Joel Benton William A. Duer James Emott James Grant 1816 William A. Duer Zachariah HofPman Thomas J. Oakley Isaac Smith John B. Van Wyck 1816-'17 Joel Benton WUliam A. Duer James Emott Nathaniel Pendleton Abiel Sherman 1818 Benjamin Haxton Thomas J. Oakley Andrew Pray Jehiel Sackett John W. Wheeler 1819 John Beadle James Ketchum Thomas J. Oakley Jesse Thompson Dayid Tomilinson 1830 Abraham Bockee Jacob Doughty Matthew Mesier Thomas J. Oakley John W. Wheeler 1830-'21 Albro Akin Benjamin H. Conklin Coert Dubois Israel Harris Joseph I. Jackson 1833 John Cox Daniel Northrup Philo Buggies Benjamin Sherman George Vandenburgh 1833 Wheeler Gilbert Prince Hoag Peter R. Livingston Samuel M. Thurston 1834 John Klapp Alfred S. Pell James Tallmadge Gilbert Thome 1835 Eli Angevine John Armstrong, Jr. Enos Hopkins Gilbert Thome 1836 Isaac R. Adriance Daniel D. Akin Martin Lawrence Thomas Tabor 1837 Egbert Cary Jacob C. Elmendorf Samuel B. Halsey Henry A. Livingston 1838 Taber Belding Francis A. Livingston George W. Slocum Nathan P. Tallmadge 1839 Elijah Baker, Jr. Stoddard Judd Tobias Teller Stephen D. Van Wyck 1830 James Hughson George P. Oakley Jacob Van Ness Philo M. Winchell 1831 Joel Benton Samuel B. Halsey' William Hooker DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 75 ]832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1843 1844 184S John E. Townsend Robert Coffin Eli Hamblin 1846 Michael S. Martin Israel Shadbolt Daniel D. Akin 1847 Joel Brown Henry Conklin George LambSrt 1848 1st Theo. V. W. Anthony 2d Wm. H. Bostwick 3d Henry Conklin 1849 list James Mabbett 3d Theodore V. W. Anthony 3d David BarneJs, Jr. 1850 1st Stoddard Jndd 2d Stephen Thorn 3d Abijah Benedict 1851 1st Cornelius H. Cornell 3d WiUiam Eno 3d Stoddard Judd 1852 1st Taber Belding 3d John R. Myer 3d David Sheldon 1853 1st Cornelius Dubois 2d Freeborn Garretson 3d Jacob Sisson 1854 1st Henry Conklin 3d Jacob Sisson 3d Daniel Toffey 1855 1st Amos Bryan 3d Henry Conklin 3d Daniel Toffey 1856 1st Jonathan Akin 3d Edmund Elmendorf 3d John Thompson 1857 1st Peter K. Dubois 3d John M. Ketchara 3d Richard C. Van Wyck 1858 1st Gilbert Bentley 3d John Elseffer 1859 1st John M. Ketcham 2d Alexander H. Coffin 1860 1st John K. Mead 2d Ambrose L. Pinney 1861 1st Epenetus Crosby 2d Freeborn Garretson Walter Sherman Elnathan Haxton George T. Pierce Daniel Sherwood Epenetus Crosby Walter Sherman Aves I. Vanderbilt Edgar Vincent David Collins, Jr. James Hammond Edgar Vincent Wesley Butts James Hammond Charles Robinson Minor^C. Story Stephen Haight Charleis Robinson Howland R. Sherman William H. FeDer John S. Emans John M. Keese Augustus Martin John S. Emans James H. Weeks Augustus Martin Peter P. Montfoort George W. Sterling Wm. H. Bostwick Albert Emans Joseph E. Allen Ambrose Wager John H. Ketcham Daniel O. Ward Jacob B. Carpenter John H. Ketcham Franklin Dudley Cornelius N. Campbell Albert Emans Ambrose Wager James Mackin Samuel J. Farnum Abiah W. Palmer Richard J. Garretson John B. Dutcher Samuel J. Farnum 76 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1862 1st 3d 1863 1st 3d 1864 1st 3d 1865 1st 3d 1866 1st 3d 1867 Ist 3d 1868 1st 2d 1869 1st 3d 1870 1st 3d 1871 1st 2d 1872 1st 2d 1873 1st 2d 1874 1st 3d 1875 1st 3d 1876 1st 2d 1877 1st 2d 1878 1st 2d 1879 1st 2d 1880 1st 3d 1881 1st 3d 1882 1st 3d 1883 1st 3d 1884 Isl; John B. Dutcher 1885 1st Edmund Green 2d Luther S. Dutcher 1886 1st Joseph C. Doughty- 2d James Howard 1887 1st John N. Cramer 2d James Howard 1888 1st Mark D. Wilber 2d Abiah W. Palmer 1889 1st Mark D. Wilber 3d Joshua Smith 1890 1st George C. Gibbs 3d Augustus A. Brush-. 1891 1st Alfred T. Ackert. 3d David R. Gould 1893 1st Wm. W. Hegeman 3d James A. Seward 1893 1st David H. Mulford 3d Jam^s A. Seward 1894 list David H. Mulford 2d Edward M. Goring 1895 1st Harvey G.. Eastman 2d James Mackin 1896 1st Jacob B. Carpenter 2d James Mackin 1897 1st Harvey G. Eastman 3d James Mackin 1898 1st Benjamin S. Broas 2d Thomas Hammond 1899 1st De Witt Webb 2d Thomas 'Hammond 1900 1st De Witt Webb 3d Obed Wheeler 1901 1st Peter Hulme 3d Obed Wheeler 1902 1st Cornelius Pitcher 2d Isaac S. Carpenter 1903 1st Cornelius Pitcher 2d Isaac S. Carpenter 1904 Ist James E. Dutcher 3d Alfred Bonney 1905 1st John O'Brien 2d Storm Emans 1906 1st Edgar A. Briggs 2d James Kent, Jr. 1907 1st Edward B. Osborne 2d Joseph H. Storm Edward B. Osborne Joseph H. Storm John I. Piatt Willard H. Mase John I. Piatt Willard H. Maise John I. Piatt WiUard H. Mase Johnston L. De Peyster Willard H. Mase Johnston L. De Peyster Willard H. Mase Edward B. Osborne Obed Wheeler John A. Vandewater E. H. Thompson John A. Vandewater E. H. Thompson Augustus B. Gray E. H. Thompson Augustus B. Gray John A. Hanna Augustus B. Gray John A. Hanna Augustus B. Gray John A. Hanna William A. Tripp John T. Smith William A. Tripp John T. Smith William A. Tripp John T. Smith Francis G. Landon John T. Smith Francis G. Landon John T. Smith Francis G. Landon John T. Smith Robert W. Chanler John T. Smith Augustus B. Gray Myron Smith Augustus B. Gray Myron Smith Fred. Northrup C5 ^^COx^^^^-'^^^^^^i^le.^.-.^^ . DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 77 19081st : Myroft Smith 1909 1st Myron Smith 3d Fred. Northrup 2d Everett H. Travis COUNTY OFFICERS. Judges. 1813 Philo Ruggles 1716 Leonard Lewis 1815 Derrick B. Stockholm 1739 Jacob Terboss 1819 John Brush 1749 Martinus Hoffman 1831 Ebenezer Nye 17SS Jacobus Terboss 1838 James Hooker 1769 Beverly Robinson 1840 Robert Wilkinson 1778 Bphraim Paine 1844 Virgil D. Bonesteel 1781 Zephaniah Flatt 1847 John P. H. Tallman 1795 David Brooks 1855 Edgar Thorn 1807 John Johnstone 1860 Peter Dorland 1817 James Emott 1866 Milton A. Fowler 1823 Maturin Livingston 1873 Pet^ Dorland 1838 Daniel C. Ver Planck 1878 Collins Sheldon 1830 Edmund H. Pendleton 1884 Horace D. Hufcut 1840 Joseph I. Jackson 1890 Cyrenus P. Dorland 1845 Seward Barculo 1896 Cyrenus P. Dorland 1846 Abraham Bockee 1903 Willet E. Hoysradt 1846 John Rowleyi 1908 Charles A. Hopkins 1847 John Rowley DiSTHICT Attobhets. 1851 lEgbert Q. Eldridge 1796 Jacob Radcliff 1855 Homer A. Nelson 1801 Smith Thompson 1859 Homer A. Nelson 1810 Randall S. Street 1863 Charles Wheaton^ 1813 Randall S^ Street 1866 Allard Anthony 1815 George Bloom 1873 Henry M. Taylor 1818 George Bloom 1878 B. Piatt Carpenter 1819 Philo Ruggles 1884 Daniel W. Guernsey 1821 Francis A. Livingston 1890 Daniel W. Gue'rnsey 1836 Stephen Cleveland 1896 Samuel K. Phillips 1836 George A. Schufeldt 1903 Samuel K. Phillips 1843 E. M. Swift 1908 Frank Hasbrouck 1845 William Eno StibrogAtes. 1847 Joseph T. Lee 1778 Gilbert Livingston 1849 James Eraott, Jr. a 1785 Anthony Hoffman 1849 Thomas C. CampbeU 1787 ■Gilbert Livingston 1855 Silas WodeU 1804 James Tallmadge, Jr. 1858 B. Piatt Carpenter 1810 James J. Oakley 1860 Allard Anthony* 1811 George Bloom 1865 Allard Anthony 1. OfiBce made' elective in 1846. 2. Appointed vice Nelson resigned. 3. Appointed vice Lee deceased. 4. Appointed vice Carpenter resigned, elected in 1861. 78 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1868 William I. Thorn 1822 1871 Tristram CofiSn 1825 1874 James L. Williams 1828 1877 William R. Woodin 1831 1880 William R. Woodin 1834 isas John Harkett 1837 1886 John Hackett 1840 1889 Martin Heermance 1843 1892 Horace D. Hufcut 1846 1895 George Wood 1849 1898 George Wood 1852 1901 William R. Lee 1855 1904 William R. Lee 1858 1907 John E. Mact 1861 SSEHIFFS. 1864 1721 J. Van de Voert 1867 1731 William Squire 1870 1737 James Wilson 1873 1743 Henry FiUdn 1876 1748 William Barnes 1877 1749 Isaac Brinckerhoff 1880 1754 Clear Everit 1883 1761 James G. Livingston 1886 1769 Henry Rosecrans, Jr. 1889 1772 Philip J. Livingston 1892 1777 Melancton Smith 1895 1781 Lewis Dubois 1898 1785 Harmon Hoffman 1901 1789 John De Witt 1904 1793 John Van Benthuysen 1907 1794 John De Witt Couirrsr 1797 WiUiam Radcliff 1715 1801 Robert Williams 1721 1805 Joseph Thorn 1742 1807 John Van Benthuysen 1777 1808 Joseph C. Field 1789 1810 John Van Benthuysen 1804 1811 Joseph C. Field 1807 1812 D. A. Brinckerhoff 1809 1813 John Radcliff 1810 1817 William Griffin 1811 1819 Gilbert Ketchum 1813 1819 R. C. Van Wyck 1815 1821 William Griffin 1815 William Griffin John A. Wood Obadiah Titus Abraham Myers Thomas N. Perry S. D. Van Wyck Thomas N. Perry Alonzo H. Mory David N. Seaman Alonzo H. Mory Henry Rikert Moses C. Sands James Hammond Judah Swift George Lamoree Richard Kenworthy Cornelius Pitcher John G. Halstead David Warneri James E. Dutcher Sylvester H. Mase James E. Dutcher Charles W. Belding J. W. Van TasseU William H. Bartlett J. S. Pearce Myron Smith Allan H. Hoffman James H. Kipp Robert W. Chanler Clerks. Richard Sackett Henry Vanderburgh Henry Livingston Henry Livingston Robert H. Livingston Gilbert Livingston David Brooks Philip Spencer, Jr. David Brooks Philip Spencer, Jr. David Brooks Philip Spencer, Jr. Jacob Van Ness 1. Appointed March 7, vice Halstead, deceased. DUTCHESS COUNTY CIVIL LIST. 79 1819 John Van Benthuysen 1820 John Johnston 1831 Jacob Van Ness 1833 Jacob Van Nessi 1836 Clapp Raymond 1829 Henry S. Traver 1838 Daniel W. Beadle 1841 Robert Mitchell 1847 Joseph T. Adriance 1853 George H. Tompkins 1859 Wilson B. Sheldon 1865 Edgar Vincent 1871 John W. Vincent 1874 Andrew C. Warren 1877 William A. Fanning 1880 Wilson B. Sheldon 1883 William A. Fanning 1886 Edward B. Osborne 1889 Theodore A. Hoffman 1892 Storm Emans 1895 Theodore A. Hoffman 1898 Theodore A. Hoffman 1901 Frederick Bostwick 1904 Frederick Bostwick 1907 John M. Ham COUKTY TaEASTTBEBS. 1738 John Tappen 1745 Henry Livingston 1771 Robert Hoffman 1795 William Emotta 1848 Albert Van Kleeck 1851 Leonard B. Sackett 1854 James H. Seaman 1860 John F. HuU 1863 Joseph C. Harris 1866 Joseph C. Harris 1869 Walter S. Fonda 1872 Walter S. Fonda 1875 Frederick W. Davis 1878 Seneca V. Halloway 1881 Seneca V. Halloway 1882 Georgfe W. Chases 1883 George W. Chase 1886 George W. Chase 1889 Isaac W. Sherrill 1892 Isaac W. Sherrill 1896 William Haubennestel 1898 William Haubennestel 1901 William Haubennestel 1904 William Haubennestel 1907 Charles H. Slocum. 1. Office made elective. 2. Served until 1811, from whicli year tbe records are missing until 1848, the office becoming elective under the Constitution of 1846. 3. Appointed January 19, 1882^ vice Halloway, who failed to qualify ; elected Novem- ber, 1882, for full term. 80 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER Vni. COLONIAL MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. AS early as 1715, according to the military records in Colonial Archives (Vol. LX, page 78) in the possession of the State Library, Dutchess County, with a total population of less than five hundred, had a military force of sixty-three men, as follows: Dutchess County 1715 Novemb 21 A List of the Military Fooiises V'l Capt Barend Z Van Kleeck Lt Johannes Ter Boss Ens Jacobes Van den Bogard Sar'ts Johannes Van Kleek pieter Lasseng Corp'r Harmon Ryndert John Schoute .pieter Van Kleek Lowrens Van Kleek Myndert VandenBogrt John I Van den Bogert fransois Van den Bogert John De Graef goose Van Wagene frans La Roy Hendrick oostrom Roelef oosterom Pieter fielee Jonas Slodt Hendrick pels Jacob Fit soor Isaac Fit soor Damen Falmetier Magiel palmetier Pieler palmetier Willem Lasseng Jacob Schoute Timon Schouten Andries Schouten Johannes Bos Jacobes Bos Johannes Buys Abraham Buys Johannes Hussie John Montras Hendrick Buys Thomas Shadwick Lowrens Oosterhout Evert Van Wagene Matias Slecht -J Hendrick Kyp Isaac Kyp pieter Ostrander William Ostrander William Trophage peeck Dewitt Jacob Kool adam Bresie Corneleus Knickerbacker Jacob Hooghteling Evert Aersen Hendrick Vandeburg Isaac Lasseng William Schudz Aert Masten frans De Langen pieter Du Boy Roger Britt Isaac Hendrickse John Brion Jurean Springsteen Jacobes Harckse Joseph Crieger Judge Henky Beekmak. Col. Henby Beekman, Jr. Gen. Richard Montgomery. Chancellor Livingston. Edward Livingston Gen. Morgan Lewis. COLONIAL MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 81 In the Archives for the year 1737 (Vol. LXXII, page 35) appear the names of the oiScers for each of the eight Companies! from this county, and the number of enlisted men, but the names of the latter are not of record. In the same Volume (page 146) appear the names of the regi- mental officers arranged according to Precincts, but the names of the privates in these regiments are also missing. Further reference to the records (Vol. LXXXI, pages 74 and 94) furnish a complete enrollment of the men under command of Captain Peter Van Denburgh, in 1755, contained in the muster rolls of July 11th and August 4th. A List of the Militie Ofpicees &c &c : of Dutchess County Viz TO 21 Dece'r 1737 Henry Beekman, CoUo Bar"! Vancleek x Lu't Coll Gilb't Livingston, Major Elias Van Bnntshote, x Capt 1 Lowrens "Van Cleek, Lut Baltiis Van Cleek, Ins This Comp'y Cons't of 60 Mn Evert Van Wagen, x Capt Jacob Kipp, Lut Gerrit Van Wagen, Ins'n Henry Heermans, Capt Larance Knickerbacker, x Lut John Van Benthuyse, Ins Frances De Lang, Capt John Montross, Lut Frances Brit, Ins'n Lowrens Oosterhout, x Capt James Van Etten, Lut Wouter Westfaal, remov'd x Ins'n Frances La Roy, Capt Micheel Van Cleek, Lut Abraham Swartwout, Ins'n James Hussey Dece'd x Capt Hendrick Ter Bos, Lut Lowrans Lossey, Ins'n Jacob Van Campen, Capt Jacob De Witt, Lut John Oosterhout, Ins'il Do. 49 Do. Do. .100 Do. Do. Do. Do. 63 70 64 51 82 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. These with this x marke will not sairve any longer and are dead or removed — By the best information I could get this being a true State Henkt Beekman. List op the Militaey Oeficees or Dutchess Cottnty, 17S9. Gilb't Livingston, Lut Coll, In the room of Lu't Coll, Bar't: Van Cleck, who declins Elias Van Buntschote, Maj'r, In the Room of Gilb't Livingston. 1st Compa' of the Regiment of Beekman Precinct Johannes Dolsen, Lut. In the Room of John Montross under Capt Frans De Lange. In Beekman Precinct George Elsworth Ensign. Rynebeek 2d Compa' of the Regiment. Gisbert Westfale Ens. In the Room of Wouter Westfale who is moeved under Capt Lowrens Osterhowt. In Rhynbeek Preoeinct. All Remain as they are in Rhynbeek Preceinct. Abraham Swartwout, Lieut't in the Roomie of Meigle Van Cleck Dece'd, under Capt Frans La Roy. In Poghkeepsie Preceinct Symon Frere, Insign under Do. All Remaine as they are — In Beekman Preceinct 6th Compa' of Regiment LowernS Van Cleek, Captain, in the Room of Elias Buntschote pret'd to be Maj'r. In Poghkeepsie Preceinct > Baltes Van Cleck, Lut Barent Luis, Ensign. 7th (Co) of Regiment Jacob kip Captain In the Rome of Evert Van Wagen who dedins by Reason of his adge. In Rynbeck Preceinct Gerit Van Wagen Lu't't Aart Van Wagen Ens'n 8th & 9th Companys, by this distinguished Hendrick Terbos In the Roome of James Hussey Dece'd In Rombout Preceinct Lowerens Loosey, Lut't John Brinckerhof Ens'n Frances Brit, Capt. Robert Brit, Lut Tunis Buntschote, Ens In Crom Elbow Preceinct. A New Company Isaac Tietsoort, Capt Henry ffilkins, Lut, Astyn Creed, Ens'n Martinus Hoof man Adjutant for the Reg't of Dutchess County. This last Dat'd 1st Nov'r the rest the 24th 1739. Mtistee Roll Captain Peteb. Van Denburgh's Company. July 11th, 1755. A List of a Company of Foot Raised in Dutchess County under the Command of Peter Van Denburgh Captain • Joshua Champlin iirst Lieuten't Zebulon Mead Second Lieu't COLONIAL MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 83 Jacob Weaver Simeon Bowlen Eliphalet Stevens Johan Hendrick Specer Stephen HuU Lewis Bennet Amos Bennet Joseph Parish Jonathan PoUey Stephen Mead William Mills James Carrel Thomas Ingerson John Clemens John Wieler John Wood John Franklin,, Jun'r Simeon Oosterhout Increase Win • James Morey John Lewis Nathaniel Dunham, Jun'r Michael Walter William Steenbergh Joseph Steel Greorge Bondy PRIVATE SIEK Edward Hall John Ryan Ebenesar Merreck, Jun'r Ezra Kenny Daniel Davison Ebenezer Owen Samuel Reed Joseph Reed, Nathaniel Chapwell Jacob Brill Simeon Terbos — Clerk James Green — Serjeant Jacob Sutton William Johnston James Weeks Daniel Aldrich Timothy Larkin Michael Brown Ichabod Stockwell Elijah Harvey William Moore Michel McDannel Edward Dunfy John Roberts Daniel Lane Silas Bobbet Elijah Curry John Gellit Richard Nicholson Peter Caswell John HefFy, Jun'r Fletcher Smith John Crooke John Herrick Elkanah Cook Jeffery Nees Philip Whelply Robert Cook Jeremiah Binckham Francis Sawwood James Finly Samuel Johnson Thomas Champlin John Mass Jeames Dowle Roelif Sherrer Johannes Coenraetkerl Benjamin Utter Patrick Quin Jedediah Wells Nathaniel Rennie Henry Lewis Att a Muster of a Company at Poghkeepsie in Dutchess County on Friday the Eleventh day of July One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Five, Raised by Capt. Peter Vanderburgh in Dutchess County Wee Mathew Dubois and Louwerins Van Kleek Two of his Majesties Judges of the Court of Comon Pleas for said County and Nicholas De Lavergne and Bartholomew Noxon Two of his Majesties Justices of the peace for said County Doe Certifie that the Men whose names are above written amounting to Seventy Eight Affective men, appeared at said Muster in our presence, who are all Inlisted' in the Company to be the said Vanderburgh as Captain thereof, as by the Certificates taken before and produced by severall Justices of the peace for County may appear In Testimony whereof we have hereunto set our Hands the day & year above written. Matthew Duboys LouwEEENs Van Kleeck Nicholas De Laveegne Baetho. Noxon 84 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. List op Each Opficee and Sotjldtek Inlisted in Cap't Petek Van- DENBUEGH COMPANY EKOM JuLY 11 TO JtTI-Y 31 InCLUSEE 1755. Capt. Lieuts. Corprils ils ) Peter Vanderburgh^ Joshua Champlin Zebulon Mead Peter Casley S. Ebenezer Merrick Daniel Lane f Jacob Brill ! James Green Sargants ^ j^^^^^^^ p„Uey i John Lewis Drummor, Silas Mather James Tinley timothy Larkin James Weaks James Dowdel WiUiam Gonson Jeremiah bringham John moss Jeremiah Wells Daniel holdredg JefFiy Nase Joseph Reed Ebanezar owin Mikel Walter Halimass' Stealbark Elisha Haruey WiUiam Moore Stephen meed Kain McKinney Mikel Brown Flitcher Smith Hazakiah Kinney Richard Balis Nathaniel Rappel Deserded July 35 Day 1755 and Carried of all his Cloaths Elkany Cook John herrick John Ryne John Gillit Eliga Currey James Carrel Stephen Hull Patrick Quin John Wheeler John Wood Wait Weeks John Franklin Simon Ousterhouse Increse Winn Philip Welsee Thomas Ingerson John Clemmans Joseph Steal George Bunday Thomas Champlin Simon Terbush Samuel Read Fransis Sawwood John Andrews (carpenter) Edward Dunfee Mike McDaniel John Roberts Thomas Green Ichabod Stockwell John Hendrick (spicer) Joseph Parrish William Mills James mory Henry Lewis Nathaniel Dunham Jacob Weauour Simeon broughling Elifelet Stephens Amos Bennett John maburey Nathaniel Tinney Chisher Wandle John Ha£Fey Roulf Sherred Johanis Coonrot Karel John Thompson Jonathan Linsey Richard Nichoson Robert Cook Ben j amine Tidd Nathaniel Lane Daniel Dauison John Smith Silas Bobbet 1. Captain Tanderturgh died AuguBt 21, 1755. COLONIAL MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 85 MusTEE Roll of a Company of Peovincials in ye Pay of ye Peov- iNCE OF New Yoek foe Dutchess County Commanded BY Joseph Ceane Esa'E (1758)^ Captain Joseph Crane, Esq'r Lieutenants Richard Ray Philip Paddock Non Commission'd Officers Benjamen Higgins John Cannon Simon Calkins Jonathan Vickry John McCrerey Eleazer Baker Stephen Fenton Eliphalet Whefeler John Bennett Phineas Woodward John Frankland Samuel Cogswell James Pingry Thomas Inckly James Lovelace Charles Barsleys Andrew Cowley Michal Tenry George Clasen David Hodges George Dickenson Caleb HiU Gilbert Clap David Vickry Eneos Nicholson Asa Cummins Joshua Barnum Jacob Ellis Bennoraia Graj Daniel Townsend David Sturdyvent* Corporals John House Joseph Parish Nathaniel Green Drum Nathaniel Wescoat PBIVATES William Allen WiUiam Earl* Rossel Frankland Mathew Standish* Abner Edie Zachariah Huntington Edward Popple Stephen Hull John Martin Samuel Blackman' Simon Scouten" John Willm Loudenburgh Samuel Brewster* Cornielus Fuller Joseph Barlow* Noah Jelett Joseph HoUester Joseph Philips Amos Allen Moses Allen Daniel Allen Jeddiah Carley Samuel Boynton John Ashton , Daniel Atwood Matthew fuller Ruben Rapeljea Bethual Baker John Gray William Calkins* Stephen March Ebenezer Gage Enoch Seers Rowland Rosall Azariah Parish Daniel Cash Abel Sherwood Thomas Cole Jezediah Frost John Perry John Franklin Jacob Leonard Henry Gray Thomas Evans* Benjamen Harringtoa Benjamen Shaw Isaac Harrington* John Barber John D. Pew Conrad Sarenbergh* Philip Pear Andrew Silvernail* Reuben Crosby* In the above Company of Provincials the birthplace given In the records Is Great Britain or Ireland, excepting the names followed by an asterisk (•) which Indicates native of Dutchess County. 1. Colonial Archives Vol. LXXXV. p. 132. 86 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. MxJSTEE Roll of the Men Rais'd in ye County of Dutchess and Pass'd foe Capt Peter Hareis's Company May ye 1 : 1760 Captain Peter Harris Joseph Power Isaac Conclin Lieut'ts Bartho'lo Hoogeboom Marcus Snyder Thimoty Hewmans Tobias Steenbergh Capt Peter Harris Peter Cole John Buys John Tompkins Samuel Matthews Asa Perkins Natha'U Washburn Myndert V.D. Bogert Isaac Parmetier Richard Memyon -John Van Denbogert Dannlel Moore Isaac German Elisah Ballard Moses Prindle John House Samuel Benedict Amos Turner Jeremiah Steanburgh Jeremiah Wood Benjamin PhUlips William Buys Henry Buys Peter Ostrander Joseph Lott John Wording John Stone Isaac Beazel Benjamin North Christopher Smith Solomon Seaman FBIVATES William Pangborn Jacob Ladew Nucomb Smith A'braham Vredinborgh John Murry Leonard Hunold Jacob Shever Robert Cane Martin Simon Major Pawling Stephen Crons Garritt Van Ness Jacob Mare Peter Freden Burgh Anthoney Turtr Benj: Freden Burgh Daniel Welts George EUiout John Ferguson WUliam Tompkins WiUhelmus Steenbergh Israel Chllson Henry Rundel Indian Zacharias Snyder John Lassen Martin bush Peter Johnson Gedion Turner Abra'm Swartwout Isaac Burnet William Corkeren John Dandey James Webb Abraham Burrows James Allsworth Elisiah Powel Timity Harris Samuel Hoges Abraham Van Amborgh Darmon Bartley John Benndigen George Nease Joseph Hegman John ' Hickey Tunis Cole Peter Simson Jacob Jones Isaac Wanson John Graham John Lake WiUiam Conaly John Lake Jur Peter Wasfall Comb Wood Andrew Myers John Vredingbourgh Cyrenivs Newcomb Fransis Mathitt Peter Van Nallen Peack DeWitt Peter Cammell Al'abartis Sickner James Hobs Peter Lowdlwick John Ostrander Jacob Boice William Shilly Mattaves Freden Burgh Peter Weaver Jacobus Keep Fielx Layster The above Contains one Captain two Lieutts : & one hundred & four privates Musterd by me Barthow : Le Roux Muster Mastr of Dutchess County. ^J^tim^, COLONIAL MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 87 Capt John Van Ness His Mustek Roll, May 1760 Capt John Vi in Ness Samuel Simeon Whelpley ) ^ . , Barber } ^leuts. PIIIVATES Oliver Ecker'^ Simeon Barber Lieut John Sharp Moses Barber Samuel Wheeler Isaack Betherton Roswell Nettleton Philip Johnson Jacob Miller Leonard Farguson Teznis Cover Benjamin Streater John Daly Peter Buckle Abraham Johnson John Sharp Junr Elisha Blin Nicholas Luyk Junr John Joshling Samuel Richards Nicholas Cramer Daniel Fenny William Willeby Jacob Cline MikeU Bnrk James Hurd Henry Kiefer John Gray Caleb Reynolds Isaac Cole Jun'r Eli Runnels Charles McCarty ^Nicholas Huygh John Richardson Michael Stilwel Michael Lush David Sturdiwint Jacob Miller Jacobus Ostrander Isaack Betherton Jun Benjamin Brownel Adam Ostrander John Paddock Enos Ferguson Philip Tuff Jacob Spaner Bergh Henny Joshling Benedick Frits Johannes Lones William Ferris Elija Buttles Jseph Cooe Solomon Kinery William Powell Robert Willess Ebenezer AUwater Domeny Digers John Williams John Wilman Miles Grissil Adam Wolferron Silvanus Willibus Hendrick Ostrander John Morris Samuel Moore Adam Slouter The above Contains one Captain two Lieut'ts and sixty five privates Mustered by me Bartho'w Le Roux Muster Mast'r of Dutchess County. A Muster Roll of the Men Rais'd in the County or Dutchess AND Pass'd Muster eob Capt Rich'd Rea's Company May ye 1 : 1760 Captain Richard (Rea) John Cannon Samuel Terry Lieutenants Oliver Fox Jeramiah Parmer Tilton Eastman James Richards Joshua Hill Capt. Rich'd Rea Samuel Terry Lieut't Solomon Cole Joseph Flee Natha'U Earl Thimoty Pierce Benjamin Franklen George Bundy Joseph Odel Benjamin Beamus Daniel Allen Thomas Wilcoks Joshua Loveless 88 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Stephen Hull Ebenezar Balie David Cash Asa Cummings Jesse Fairchild Austin Wright Benjam'n Higgens Natha'Il Green Lamuel Hopkins David Vlckrey Joseph Robins Cumfort Loudinton Obadiah Chace James Lovelace Ephaiiam Jones Isaac Wllcocks Caleb Worden John Sunderling Simon Covel Samuel Spalding Elamuel Fuller John Dean James Shaw Elijah Hamlen Stephen Fenton Natha'U HoUester Plagley Sprague Mahn Daggett John Barber Junr Ebenezer Robertson William Day John Canndn Lieut't William Eastman Samuel Dalie Isaac Ter Busch Lieut't Joseph Beavans Josiah Hall James Covee Benjamin Bennett Daniel Parks Samuel CoKwell Ephraim Darling Ichabud Parmiter Zeth Covel Wmiam Stephens Phineas Woodward James McNeal Joseph Ashcraft Abr'm Hartwell Theodoras Crosbie George Guage John Frost Richard Murch John Roberts Abner Doughty Thomas Merrick Benjamin Hopkins James Cowen Asa Loudinton Isaac Craw Jacob Pepper Abner Goodspeed John House John Bennet Jacob Burges Samuel Fox Gideon Hollester Zephaniah Little Jeradiah Davis Jonathan Lawrence John Hlames James Ravel je Lazures Ellis Andrew Atwood Samuel Nelson John Nelson Samuel Dimmuck William Roe The above Contains one Captain two Lieut'ts and Ninety three pri- vates mustered by me Bartho'w LeRoux Muster Master for Dutchess. Muster Roll of Men Rais'd in the County op Dutchess and Pass'd FOB Capt. Jacobus Swabtwout's Company May ye 1st 1760 Capt Jacobus Swartwout Nicho's Emanuel Gabriel I Shadrack Baker John Schouten Henry Wright Joshua Barker Anthony CofiSn Henry Gray Daniel Nettleton William Prichett Amos \llen William Clark Isaac T'r Bush PEIVATE3 f Lieut'ts Samuel Clark Benjamin Cummins Hans Jere Weatman Oliver Cromwell Solomon Schouten William Green Wm. Woodford Robt. Shearer James Plckket Stephen Bedford Philip Smith Thomas Frost Zebulon Hosier Ezekel Gee John Conet Benjamin Hedger Nath'U Brock Edward Rose Henry V. Heynen Gedion Fitshoudt COLONIAL MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 89 Ruben Mentor Junr Ebenezar Burliegh John Jordan Adam Miller William Ingram Joseph Mesner WiUiam Branderkin William Lent Capt. Jacobus Swart- wout John Weys Indian Comelus Willsie William MeMunnser Jacob Penner Esekiah Brown John Holms Jerediah Grare Benjamin Dailef John Thurston John Smawling John Johnson Simeon Schouten Jacob Schouten George Hicks Joseph Hornett James Bennit Thos. Coffin Joseph Mclntoch James Draper Ebeneazer Cummins John Adam Wert James brooks Ephariam Bartley Haramanus House Henry Wiltsie Evert Valker Mingo Lango Thomas Meridet Peter Storm William Camble Patrick Mitchel Azariah Parish Daniel Mead Lewis Mead David Richards William More Joseph Tucker James Doudle Danel Calagohun John Bradshaw Herculus Stanley- Benjamin Darling Jun Dennis Christie Hans Jere Hoftgood Thomas Carskaden Benjamin Post John Ames Lieut't Gabriel Eman- uel & Nicholas Myer David Carlie Bzecial Spicer B»rnabus Chapman Mathew Strait John Lougy Ga;shem Jones Jefferey Nearce Timity Barke Elkenney Cooke James Grees The above Contains one Captain two Lieut'ts and Ninety Eight privates Mustered by me Bartho'w Le Roux Muster Mast'r for Dutchess County A Mttstee RoLii OF THE Men Raised and Pass'd in the County of Dutchess for Captain Isaac Tee Bush Company, 21st June 1761 Isaac Ter Bush Captain Tunis Corsa 1 Samuel Whelpley f Lieutenants Nehemiah Smith Edward Coffin Abraham Eynman Andries Schouten Robert Shearer Henry Wright Jonas Parks Christopher Stevens Phenias Woodard Joseph Langdon Isaac Craw Matthew Wineter William Fergison Benjamin Hedger Joseph Sutten David Young Francis Miller Robert Cain Nicholas Wager James Mansfield James Louden 90 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. William Lant Elijah Dowee Thomas Knap Samuel Richards James Dowdle Daniel Hogan Ebebneizer Allien Andrew Ross William Watson Adam Miller Hugh Gamble Benjamin Cahoon Thorn's Green Peter Osterout John Kennedy Jeremiah Ness John McKenney Peter Avery Volentine Earnest George Scutt Moses Gee Robert Wier William Delaway John Schouten John Langdon William Cummings William Barken David Hammans David Smith Elijah Crosby Henry Webber Abraham Walker Jacob Van Tassel Christopher Stevens De Owen Le Flower Matthew Felix Peter Ostrander David Cash Daniel Sheepherd EUis Vinson Daniel Willcocks Martin Dowee Elisha Pain George Anderson John Jackson Anthony Sheniew Loudawick Creeles Myer Earn Jonathan Woodard Andrew Myers Daniel Callahon Abraham Johnson Peter Miller Joseph Worden John Burke Laurance Schael Gabriel Menter Robert Menter The above being one Captain two Lieutenants and Seventy nine men where Mustered and approved off for Capt Isaac Ter Bush's Company in the County of Dutchess Geo'e: Brewerton jun'r Coll. While the militia of Dutchess were called on to render services dur- ing the Colonial Period, the county was not the scene of active military operations. During the French and English war (1744 to 1748) the colonists of these respective nations were involved in these hostilities. A letter from Col. Beekman to Colonial Governor George Clinton was laid before the Council May SO, 1746, relative to the raising of men in Dutchess. The Governor was advised by that body to engage two hundred men from this county and to recommend the Assembly to pro- vide ammunition pay and subsistence for them. Nothing more than a petty warfare, however, followed the arrangements for the reduction of Canada. The war was terminated by the treaty of Aix la Chapelle in 1748, and the disbandment of the provincial forces followed in Sep- tember of that year. But peace was of short continuance, a final struggle between France and England for colonial supremacy in America was inevitable. In this conflict, begun in 1755, and known as the French and Indian war. COLONIAL MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 91 the military forces of Dutchess were again called into requisition, and continued in the service until the final overthrow of the power of France in Canada in 1760. The forts at Oswego were surrendered to a French force under Gen. Montcahn, August 14, 1756, and September 6th of the same year, Gov. Hardy directed the Colonels of the militia of Dutchess and Ulster counties to repair immediately with their regiments to Albany, and thence to co-operate with Lord Loudon at Lake George. This cam- paign served as a training school for many who were destined to take a prominent part in the struggle then impending for colonial inde- pendence. The so-called "Anti-Rent War," of 1766 which distressed the in- habitants of Dutchess and other counties in the Hudson Valley, and necessitated the presence of the British troops ^28th Regiment) at Poughkeepsie and Pawling in July of that year, may be appropriately introduced in this chapter. The source of this insurrection was the granting of large tracts of land at the beginning of the century to favored persons, so that actual settlers could not become owners but only tenants. Popular discon- tent was emphasized in the armed refusal of settlers to pay the rents exacted. William Pendergast, who hved about a mile south of the village of Pawling, on the farm now occupied by William H. Arnold, was the leader of the insurgents in this county. The assemblying of his fol- lowers on Quaker HiU was so formidable that the grenadiers at Pough- keepsie waited for reinforcements of two hundred troopers and two field pieces from New York before proceeding against him. After a skirmish Prendergast surrendered, and with several others, was brought a prisoner to Poughkeepsie to be tried for high treason. So great was local excitement that to forestall an attempt to rescue, he was speedily removed to New York. Two companies of the regiment re- mained in Poughkeepsie "to guard the prison and prevent further commotions until the prisoners are tried." Prendergast was returned to Poughkeepsie for trial which occurred the first fortnight in August. Although ably assisted in his defense by his wife (nee Mehitabel Wing) treason was proved, and the prisoner was convicted and sentenced to be hanged in six weeks. Then the ef- forts of his valiant wife became more determined. She obtained an 92 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. audience with Gov. Moore, and returned about the first of September with a reprieve. Her arrival was timely, for a company of fifty mounted men had ridden across the county to rescue her husband from jail. She convinced them of the folly of their contemplated act, and turned to the task of procuring a pardon from the King. In a letter dated October 11, 1766, from Governor Moore to the Earl of Shel- burne, the pardon of Prendergast is recommended, and George HI granted it in December of the same year. Prendergast finally acquired title to his farm, as is shown by a deed now in possession of Thomas J. Arnold, bearing date of 1771, by which the land was conveyed to him by the heirs of Frederick Philipse. He later sold this property to Humphrey Slocum and removed to the western part of the State. His son James settled, with other Prender- gasts, near Chautauqua Lake, and became the founder of Jamestown, where his family, now extinct there, presented a library to the city. DANIEL VAX DE BOGART. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 93 CHAPTER IX. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. THE War of American Independence was an event of vast imo- ment, affecting the destines of all nations. The question de- cided by the conflict was this: Whether the English colonies in America, becoming sovereign, should govern t hemselves or be ruled as dependencies of a European Monarchy. The decisTon was rendered in favor of separation and independence. The immediate cause of the Revolution was the passage by Parlia- ment of a number of acts destructive of colonial liberty. England de- manded that the people of the Colonies should be taxed to defray, in part at least, the expenses of the French and Indian War, which had been concluded by the signing of the Treaty of Paris February 16, 1763. To this end a tariff was imposed on teas imported by the Col- onists. This was followed in March of 1765 by the odious Stamp Act, which required, after the first day of November of the same year, that every note, bond, deed, mortgage, lease, license and legal document of whatever sort used in the colonies, be executed on paper bearing an English stamp. This paper, furnished by the British government, cost from three pence to six pounds according to the nature of the doc- ument. Every colonial pamphlet, almanac and newspaper was required to be printed on paper of the same sort for which the value of the stamps ranged from a half-penny to four pence. The news of this act was received in America with indignation, and the day it went into effect ten boxes of the stamped paper were seized by the people of New York and openly destroyed. The act was repealed March 18, 1766, and in June 1767 an act was passed imposing a duty on glass, paper, painters colors and teas, imported into the colonies. Various other acts of Parliament affecting more particularly the people of Massachus- setts, aggravated the antagonism toward the Mother country, and in the Colonial Congress assembled at Philadelphia September 1774, it was unanimously agreed to sustain Massachusetts in her conflict with 94 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. a wicked ministry. The people of New York, however, were eminently conservative and hopeful of a peaceful solution of the pending con- troversy, though not less earnest in their convictions. That the in- habitants of Dutchess inclined toward a peaceful adjustment of colonial grievances is shown by the following extracts from resolutions adopted at a meeting, held in Poughkeepsie August 10th, 1774: "That letters of instruction be directed to the Members of the General Assembly for the County of Dutchess, desiring that at the next meeting of the Gen- eral Assembly for the Province of New York, they will lay before that honourable House the dangerous consequences flowing from several late Acts of the British Parliament imposing duties and taxes on the British Colonies in America, for the sole purpose of raising a revenue, and that they use their influence in the said House, and with the several branches of the Legislature, to lay before his Majesty an humble Petition and Remonstrance, setting forth the state of our several griev- ances, and praying his Royal interposition for a repeal of the said Acts." "That they ought, and are willing to bear and pay such part and proportion of the national expenses as their circumstances will admit of." "That like sentiments, adopted by the Legislature of other Colonies, will have a tendency to conciliate the affections of the Mother country and the colonies, upon which their mutual happiness, we conceive, principally depends." In March 1775, the "Committee of Sixty," composed of the inhabi- tants of the city and county of New York invited a meeting 'of dele- gates from the counties of the Province, to serve in Provincial Conven- tion to be held in New York City, April 20, 1775, for the purpose of choosing delegates to represent the colony in the Continental Congress. Dutchess County was represented in its deliberations by Egbert Benson, Morris Graham and Robert R. Livingston. The following delegates were appointed to represent the Province of New York in the Congress at Philadelphia May 10th, 1775 : John Alsop, Simon Boe- rum, George Chnton, James Duane, William Floyd, John Jay, Francis Lewis, Philip Livingston, Robert R. Livingston, Col. Lewis Morris, Col. Philip Schuyler, and Henry Wisner . The Convention adjourned April 22nd, and the day following New York learned of the battle of Lexington. The people of this province THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 95 were then thoroughly aroused. The "Committee of Sixty" was in- creased to a "Committee of One Hundred," and April 29, 1775, "the freeman, freeholders and inhabitants of the city and county of New York," met and formulated "Articles of Association" sometimes called the "Revolutionary Pledge." A call was issued for a new Provincial Convention or Congress and in volume I of the Calendar of Revolution- ary Papers in the Secretary of State's Office appears the following, relative to Dutchess County : "At a county meeting in consequence of notifications for that pur- pose on the 16th of May, Dirck BrinckerhofF, Anthony Hoffman, Zep- haniah Piatt, Richard Montgomery, Ephraim Paine, Gilbert Living- ston and Jonathan Landon Esqurs., and Messrs. Gysbert Schenck, Melancthon Smith and Nathaniel Sackett were by a majority of voices Elected Deputies for the term of Six months to represent the county of Dutchess in the Provincial convention to be held at the city of New York on the 22nd instant." One of the first acts of the Provincial Congress, to which the above delegates were elected, was the endorsement of the "Articles of Asso- ciation" and copies of the documents were placed in the hands of com- mittees to circulate through the counties for signatures. The pri- mary purpose of this "Pledge" was to bring the people up to the point of associated effort, and had no direct reference to an appeal to arms and separation from the English government. The "Pledge" itself reads : "Persuaded that the salvation of the rights and liberties of America depend, under God, on the firm union of its inhabitants in a vigorous prosecution of the measures necessary for its safety, and convinced of the necessity of preventing anarchy and confusion which attend a dis- solution of the powers of government. We, the Freeman, Freeholders, and Inhabitants of Dutchess, being greatly alarmed at the avowed de- sign of the Ministry to raise a revenue in America, and shocked by the bloody scene now acting in Massachusetts Bay, do in the most solemn manner resolve never to become slaves, and do associate, under all the ties of religion, honor, and love to our country, to adopt and endeavor to carry into execution whatsoever measures may be recommended by the Continental Congress, or resolved upon by our Provincial Con- vention, for the purpose of preserving our constitution and of opposing the several arbitrary acts of the British Parliament, until a reconcilia- 96 UNTY OF DUTCHESS. tion beween Great Britain and America, on constitutional principles (which we most ardently desire) can be obtained, and that we will in all things follow the advice of our General Committee respecting the pur- poses aforesaid, the preservation of peace and good order and the safety of individuals and property." In Dutchess County there were 1820 signers, and 964 persons who refused to sign. Some qualified their signatures by certain restric- tions. Lists were recorded of those who signed and of those who re- fused to sign, and are preserved in the American Archives. They show a radical difference in the views even of members of the same family, and in some of the Precincts, almost an equal division in numbers. For convenient reference the lists of signers and non-signers are now intro- duced, arranged alphabetically: AMENIA PRECINCT. The signers to the "Articles of Association," June and July, 177S. Adams, Elisha Adams, Abraham Adams, Williams Adams, Abraham, Jr. Adams, Jonas Adams, Joseph AUen, James Allerton, Jonathan Alsworth, William Ailey, Thomas Armstrong, Solomon Atherton, Corns Atwater, Levi Atwater, John Backus, Joseph Barnet, John, Jr. Barnet, James Barker, James Barker, William Barnes, Henry Barnes, Jonah Barry, John Barry, Henry Barlow, Nathan BaAow, Moses Bartow, John Beadle, James Beard, Elibu, Jr. Bennet, John Benedict, Samuel Benedict, John Besse, Ellas Besse, Ephraim Betts, James Blaksly, Daniel Blust, William Bosse, Ebenezer Boyd, John Brace, Jared Brack, Jonathan Bramball, Edmund Brown, Benjamin Brown, David, Brown, Moses Brown, Zedekiah Brunson, John Bruster, David Brunson, John, Jr. Brush, Lemuel Brush, Richard Brush, William Bryan, Ezra Buck, Israel Buck, Zadock Buel, Grover, Jr. Bull, Grover Burton, Isaac, Jr. Burton, Isaac Burton, Eli Burton, Judah Carter, Ebenezer Cariow, Elisha Castle, Daniel Castle, Gideon Chamberlain, William Chamberlain, John Chamberlain, Colbe Chapman, James Charts, Ledyard J. Child, Increase Cleaveland Josiah Cleaveland, Ezra Cline, John Cook, Simeon Cook, Simeon, Jr. Cook, Jacob TU^i^ ^LLCnyyi^eA^ fkh^d.i% THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 97 Cook, Nathaniel Cole, Barnabas Collin, David Collins, John Connor, John Cornwell, Thomas Cornwell, William Cornwell, Samuel Coy, John Crofoot, Benjamin Crosby, Enoch Crippin, Jabez Crippen, Benjamin Curry, John Daily, Elijah Davis, Squire Davison, Daniel Dakin, Caleb Darrow, Isaac DeLavergne, Joseph DeLavergne, Lewis DeLametter, John DeLamater, Isaac Delamater, Martin Delane, Benjamin Delano, Stephen Denton, John Denton, Benjamin, Jr. Denton, Joel Denny, John, Jr. Dickson, Gabriel Dickson, James Dickinson, Versal Dodge, Samuel Doty, Joseph Doty, Reuben Doty, David Doty, Reuben Douglass, John Drake, John Dunham, Nehemiah Dunham, Samuel Dunham, Seth Elliot, Jacob Elow.th, James, Jr. Farr, Archibald Farr, John Finch, William Fish, Jonathan Ford, William Ford, John Ford, James Ford, Ephraim Fort, Asa Foster, Nathaniel Fouler, Benjamin Fowler, Joseph Freeman, John Freeman, Robert Freehart, Robert Freeman, Elijah French, Abraham Ganong, Thomas Gamsey, Daniel Gates, Nathan Gates, Gerardus Gates, Nathaniel Gillet, Abner Gillet, David Gillet, Gardner Gillet, Moses Gillet, Joseph GQlet, Barnabas Gilson, Eleazer Gray, Samuel Gray, Jeduthau Grey, Joseph Green, Timothy Handley, Sylvester Hammond, Jason Hall, William Harris, Moses, Jr. Harvey, Obed Harvey, Obed, Jr. Harvey, Daniel Hebbard, James Hebbard, Abel Hebard, Robert Hellsy, Simson Herrick, Rufus Herrick, Samuel Herrick, Nathan Herrick, Benjamin Herrick, Stephen Herrick, Stephen, Jr. Hinns, Ebenezer Hinns, Elijah Holmes, Elijah Holmes, Benjamin Holmes, Ichabod Holmes, Abner Holmes, John Holmes, Samuel Hollifer, Elisha Hollister, Benjamin Hopkins, Noah Hopkins, Roswell Howard, John Himt, William Hunter, Jonathan Hewson, Alexander Jarvls, Samuel Johnson, Robert Johnson, Samuel Johnson, Ezekiel Johnson, Paul Johns, Benjamin Jones, John Jones, Eben Judson, Samuel Kelly, Seth Ketcham, Joel King, Samuel, Jr. King, William King, Samuel Kinne, Jesse Klyn, Peter Knapp, Zadoc Knapp, William Lamb, Isaac 98 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Lamb, Thiel LaTiabe, Richard Larrabe, Ebenezer Latimore, Elisha Latimer, Ebenezer Lathrop, Walter Lawrence, Thomas Levitli Lot Lloyd, John Lockwood, Theoph Losd, Joshua McCoIlough, William McNeil, John Marks, Isaac Marsh, Josiah Marsh, Silas Mathews, Obadiah May, Daniel Mayhew, Levi Maxam, Benjamin Mead, Job Mead, King Mead, John Mead, Isaiah Mead, John Mead, James Mears, John Merchant, John Minns, Stephen Mitchell, William Morse, Peter Morey, Thomas Mordack, John Morton, Eleazer Mott, Abiah Monlton, William Mygatt, Thomas Nye, Sylvannus Osborne, John Osbum, Isaac Orton, Levi Paine, Ichabod Paine, Barnabas, Jr. Paine, Ichabod, Jr. Paine, Abraham Paine, Elihu Paine, Brinton Paine, Barnabas Payne, David Palmer, James Palmer, Samuel Palmer, Nathan Parks, Isaac Park, Ebenezer Patrick, Robert Penoyer, Joseph Penoyer, Amos Perlee, Edward Pike, Jonathan Pinney, Nathaniel Porter, Elijah Power, Joest Power, Jacob Purdy, Moumouth Putney, Thorn Randle, David Reed, Ezra Reed, Elijah Reed, James Reed, C^roham Reed, Simeon Reed, EliaMm, Jr. Reynolds, Stephen Reynolds, William Reynolds, Jacob Roe, Silas Roe, Elijah Rogers, Jehea Rogers, Ichabod, Jr. Row, Nicholas Rowe, James B. Rudd, Zebulon Rudd, Barzillai Rundel, Jared Rundel, David Sackett, Ezekiel Sackett, Jolui Sackett, John, Jr. Sage, Benjamin Sage, Daniel • Seymour, John Shabalier, Abner Shavilier, Elias Shavelean, Solomon Sherwood, Parrock Sherwood, Asahel Shepherd, Samuel, Jr. Shepherd, Daniel Shepherd, Jonathan Sheppherd, Israel Shirtliff, Lemuel Slason, Bower Slavebean, Peter Slocum, Abraham Smith, Joseph Smith, Elijah Smith, Jesse, Jr. Smith, Thomas Smith, Elijah Smith, Piatt Smith, James, Jr. Sniter, Samuel Southworth, Samuel Somburgh, George Sornburgh, Frederick Spalding, Elnathan Spuer, Nathan Spuer, Jacob Stevens, Mathew Stephens, Andrew Stephens, Elkanah St. Johns, Ezra Swift, Nathaniel Swift, Samuel Scott, John Talcut, Joshua Thayer, John Thompson, Samuel Thompson, Sam'l Thomas, Thomas THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 99 Thomas, Beriah Thurston, Ezra Thurston, John Thurston, Joel Tilson, Timothy Torner, John Trusde!, David Trowbridge, Seelye Tubbs, Adin Tyler, Shulel Vendeusen, Mathew Vaun, Benjamin Wanning, Thed Ways, Ebenezer Waters, Samuel Waters, David Washburn, Joel Warren, Stephen Webster, Daniel Webb, Josiah West, Samuel Welch, Thomas Wilk, Job Willeman, Weight Wilson, Reuben Wilson, Robert Wilson, Justus Wiltsie, Laurence Wilsey, William Winegar, Conrad Winegar, Garrett Winegar, Henry Winegar, Asahel Willett, GUbert Wood, BUjah Wood, Robert Wheeler, Seth Wheeler, Solomon Wheeler Noah Wyants, William, Jr. Young, William AMENIA PRECINCT. A list of the persons who refused to sign. Barlow, Nathan Benson, Joseph Benson, John Briggs, Ellis Bump, Edward Dorman, Jacob Dunham, John Dunham, Samuel, Sr. Finch, Albert Gates, John Gates, Stephen Green, Joseph Hamilton, Richard Heart, Samuel Mays, Elisha Marchant, Abell Reed, Silas Roberts, William Row, Garret Sackett, Richard Seeton, Rufus Swift, Judah Swift, Seth Washburn, Daniel Williams, Joseph Winegar, Samuel Winegar, Henry WWtcomb, Simon Woodworth, Dier RoswELi, Hopkins, Chairman. Silas Marsh, Samuel King, Assistants. BEEKMAN PRECINCT. The signers to the "Articles of Association," July, 1775. Abbet, David Amey, Nuklus Barber, William Acker, Johannes v' Andrews, John Beam, John Adriance, Albert Arnold, John Beckwith, Matthew Alger, William B. Gently, William, Jr. Alger, Jonathan Baker, Thomas Bently, William Alley, EUas Bailey, Henry Bently, Taber 100 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Bently, John Bentiy, Tillinghest Birdsell, Henry Birdsell, Benjamin Bockus, Addom Bouler, Joseph Brewer, William Brown, Zephaniah Brown, David Brill, David Bull, Peter Bush, Judiath J. Bullock, Thomas Burcfa, Joshua Calton, Isaac Carman, Andrew Carman, Joseph Carman, Joshua Carman, Joshua, Jr. Cartwright, Peter Cary, Ebenezer Cary, Nathaniel Carr, Joseph Carr, Joseph Champlin, Joshua Champlin, Elisha Champlin, William Champlies, Joshua, Jr. Clark, William Clark, Thomas Clements, Tobias Cash, David Cash, Sylvanus Cockrane, Andrew Conger, John Coon, Mathew Cooper, Obadiah, Jr. Compter, John Cornell, Henry Cornell, Martin Cornell, Thomas Comwell, Samuel Crandel, Samuel Crandell, Amos Greedy, James M. Cronkkill, George Dakin, Woos Delong, Johannes Denne, Joseph Denne, Abraham Dennis, Jonathan Dennis, Isaac Doxie, Thomas Eagles, John Eastwood, James Edget, Joel Eldredge, Casy, Jr. Edwards, Salmay Esmond, Jacob Everett, Clear Ewery, Samuel Fish, Daniel Fish, John Fish, Pardon Flagler, Zachariah Force, Timothy Force, Solomon Force, Benjamin Forgason, Benjamin Forgason, Elijah Forgason, Elijah, Jr. Forgoson, Stephen Forguson, John /Gardner, Samuel ' Green, Job Hall, Gideon HaU, WiUiam Hall, Benjamin Halloway, Joseph Harris, Peter Harris, Peter Harris, Myndert Heayelton, Charles Hegeman, John Hicks, John Hm, John Hopins, John Howard, Edward Hubbard, Ezekiel Huling, Walton HuUng, John Humphrey, William Humphrey, Wm., Jr. Humfrey, James Hutchins, Jacob, Jr. Hyatt, Abraham IngersoU, Josiah Jenkens, Judiah Jenkins, John Jenkins, Jonathan Jenkins, Jonathan, Jr„ Johnson, Stephen KeUey, WiUiam Kelley, John Kimmee, Digmus Koons, Nicholas Lamb, John Lain, Jacob Lawless, Joseph, Jr. Lain, Johannes Lawrence, Daniel Leavens, Peter Lester, Nehemiah Lewis, Samuel Ley, Thomas Losse, Francis Losse, George Losse, John Lossing, Johannes McClus, Peter McDowell, William McLees, James McNeal, William Markes, Aholyab Maynard, Cornelius THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 101 Mackrill, Richard Melony, John Miller, Jacob M'CoUom, James Mill, Garret Moon, John Mowry, Joshua Mowery, Stephen Mosher, Abraham Nethaway, Thomas Newton, Charles Noxon, Benjamin Noxon, Peter Oakley, Jesse Oats, John Parker, Abel Parkes, "Whiten Parks, Jonathan Pamer, David Pearsall, Henry Piatt, Charles Pleas, Morris Potter, Nicholas Randall, Amos Reinsoner, John Reynolds, Joseph Reynolds, GrifBn Reynolds, Arnold Rogers, Ezekiel Rogers, Hezekiah Ross, Zebnlon Rogers, Nathaniel Rouse, Jacob Rush, Benjamin J. Adams, Edward Akerbry, John Atherton, Jonathan Ball, John Rush, Isaac J. Shear, Henry Shear, Peter Shear, Peter, Jr. Simpson, Abel Smith, Henry Smith, Ezekiel Smith, Nathaniel Smith, William Smith, Maurice Smith, John Smith, Seth Shear, Lewis Shear, WiUiam Shearman, Job Sol, Ebenezer Sol, Nathaniel Spargue, Seth Spencer, Benjamin Spencer, Jabez Spencer, Thomas Spencer, William Stevenson, Nathaniel Stafford, Rowland Storm Peter Storm, David Storm, David, Jr. Sweet, Benoni Sweet, John Sweet, Samuel Sweet, David Sweet, Theophilus Sweet, John, Jr. Sweet, Lodrick Sweet, George Sweet, Nathaniel Tabor, William Tanner, Job Tanner, James Taylor, Joseph Thorn, Gershom Tomson, Samuel Totten, GUbert Townsend, Stephen Townsend, Caleb Tredwell, Edward Tripp, Nial Uhl, Daniel Vail, Isaac Vail, Israel Van Wyck, Cornelius Vincent, Philip Vinton, John Vosburgh, James Wait, Christopher Weaver, John Weaver, Edward West, F. West, Jonathan Wells, James Whikmon, Henry Whitman, Samuel Wicks, Nathaniel Wiltse, James WUtse, France Wightman, John Wooley, John Yerrington, Isaac Youmans, Elial Young, Samuel BEEKMAN PRECINCT. A list of the persons who refused to sign. Beadle, Daniel Brundage, Thomas Booker, William Bowman, Ichabod Brill, Jacob Brown, John BuU, Josiah, Jr. Burtice, James Burtis, Garret Burnit, John 102 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Buyce, Peter, Lieut. Buyce, Peter, Jr. Buyce, Abraham Byce, Abraham, Jr. Chatterton, Peter Cole, Myndert Collins, Hey, Lieut. Cornell, Richard Cornell, Richardus Crandle, Samuel Crandle, Samuel, Jr. Davis, Charles Dayton, Comberry Dearstine, John Dean, Stephen Deeyo, Peter Delong, Francis Delong, Arey. Dope, Peter Easterly, Martine Emory, Rowland Emory, Rowland Emigh, Yerry, Captain Emigh, Lawrence Emigh Philip Emigh, Nicholas (ison of of Philip) Emigh, Hendrick Emigh, Peter Ferris, Daniel Ferguson, Jacob Flagler, Philip Fish, Preserved, Fullmore, Jasper Gaslin. James Gidley, Henry Giles, William Gifford, William, Jr. Gifford, WilDam Golder, John • Harris, William Harris, Joseph, Capt. Hasver, Jacob Haxstum, Jeremiah Hegeman, Cornelius Heliker, Richard Hoag, Nathan Hogoboom, Peter Horton, Ephraim Hunt, Steph., Ensign Hutchings, Thomas Hyatt, Nathan Johnson, Peter Kedney, Peter Kenyon, Benjamin Ketcham, Abijah Klyn, Hendrick Lake, Crapo Langdon, Thomas Lasey, Aaron Levins, Peter St. Leuderbeck, Jeremiah Lockwood, Stephen Lossing, Yerry Losee, Laurence Losee, Joseph McDonald, John Miller, Philip Miller, Johannes Moon, Robert Morey, Roger Mosher, Nicholas Moyer, Christopher Noxon, James Noxon, Barthol, Jr, Overhaiser, Causper Overaker, Martine Paley, Peter Palmer, Elias Pettet, James Pine, Amos Richmond, Sylvester Rossell, Peter Shear, Johannes Shearman, Michal Shapher, Frederick Simson, Peter Skidmore, Andrew Sleeves, William Smith, Samuel Smith, John Stover, "Valentine Striker, James Stringham, Samuel Thomas, Charles Thorn, Gilbert Thorn, Jesse Thorn, Robert Thorn, Jonathan Tripp, Richard Tripp, Richard, Jr. Tripp, Israel Tripp, Smighting Titus, James Titus, Israel Valentine, Mathias Valey, Byndert Veal, Isaac Veily, Baultis Veily, Barnt, Ensign Vincent, Charles Vincent, Richard Vincent, Michael, Capt. Waterman, Oliver Way, Daniel Whipple, Samuel Wilkenson, John Woolf, Michel Woolf, William Wood, Bartholomew Worden, Ebenezer DiRCE G. BEiis'CKEttHorp, Chairman. THE DUTCH CHURCH, FISHKILL VILLAGE. Erected in 1731. Provincial Convention met liere in 1776. Militarj' Prison during the Revolution. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 103 NORTHEAST PRECINCT. The signers Atwater, Stephen Atwater, Benjamin Atwater, James Atwood, Nathan Ashley, Alden Avery, Edward Avery, John Baker, Daniel Bartel, John Beach, Ebenezer Bishop, Ebenezer Bishop, Asa Bostwick, John Brown, John Brownell, Jeremiah Bulkley, David Bullock, Asa Bull, John Burnett, John Buttolph, John Calkin, Elijah Calkin, David Calkin, Moses Calkin, Seth Carter, Jared Carpenter, John Campbell, Christian Casey, John Case, Seth, Jr. Case, Ichabod Case, Seth Clapp, Gilbert Close, Jonathan Coan, Ebenezer Colpland, John Colvin, John Colver, Elisha Conger, Samuel Conger, Benjamin Cornall, Jesse Covel, James to the "Articles of Association," July, 1776. Flnke, Wilhelm Foster, Joseph Foster, Vinant Fuller, Cornelius Fulton, John Covey, Benjamin Crandell, Samuel Crandle, John Crandell, Joseph Crandell, John Crandell, Samuel, Jr. Crandell, Samuel Crandel, Benjamin Crary, Joseph Craw, Ebenezer, Jr. Crosby, Thomas Crosby, ThomaiSi Sr. Crosby, Benjamin Cuthbert, Benjamin Dakin, Simon Dakin, Joshua Darling, Aaron Delamater, Cornelius Delis, Claudius Denton, Samuel Denton, Richard Dolph, Jonathan Dolph, Moses Dusenberry, Gabriel Edsed, Edward Edget, Stephen Edget, George, Jr. Egelston, Samuel R. Eggelston, Benjamin Egelston, Samuel Enery, Robert Estes, Richard Far, John Ferris, Jesse Ferguson, Orra Field, Michaelmas Fish, Moses Fish, Seth Fish, David Finch, Caleb Gifford, Jeremiah Gifford, Simeon Gray, Richard Graham, Morris Graham, Augustine Graham, Charles Grenell, Jonathan Hartwell, Abraham Hartwell, Ebenezer Harvey, David Hamblin, Joshua Hamblin, Joshua, Jr. Hagen, William Hayes, John Hawley, Luther Hawley, Josiah Hamblin, David Head, George Head, John Hedding, James Hedding, Marcus Hibbard, John Hill, Thomas Hitt, James Hoff, John Holmes, Sheubel Holmes, John Hommel, Petrus Horton, Peleg Housdell, John How, Libbens How, Charles Husted, John Jackson, Abner Jackson, Joseph 104 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Jofanston, Archabel Jones, EphTaim, Jr. Ketchum, Hezekiah Ketchuin, Joseph Ketchum, Joseph, Jr. King, Ebenezer Knapp, Thomas Knickerbacker, Benj. Knickerbacker, John Knickerbacker, Benj., Jr. Knickerbacker, James Knickerbacker, Lawrence Knickerbacker, Peter Knickerbacker, Peter, Jr. Lamb, Isaac Lake, Elijah Latton, John Lawrence, David Lawrence, Jonathan Lawrence, Uriah Lesh, Jacob Lennon, John Leggat, Joseph Lewis, Jonathan Link, John Love, David Lothrop, Nathaniel Lot, Philip Louinbery, Nathan Louisber}'', Epanetus May, John Mansfield, "William Mapes, Jonathan Mead, Titus Mead, Jonathan Mead, Nathaniel Mead, Elisha Mead, Jahiel Merritt, Ebenezer Merritt, Thomas Merritt, Stephen Melham, John Miller, Samuel Morehouse, George Mott, Samuel Myer, Simeon J. More, Samuel McDaniel, Cornelius McMuUin, Alexander Neely, Samuel Nehr, Carel Newcomb, James Norton, Caleb Norton, Winthrop Orr, David Orr, John Orr, Hugh Orr, Matthew Orr, Robert Orr, William Ostrim, Barnard Owenell, Asahel Palmer, Joseph, Jr. Palmer, Daniel Palmetor, John Parks, Daniel Parks, William Peck, Joseph Perry, Seth Perry, Benjamin Perry, Josiah Perry, William H. C. Piatt, Eliphalep Porter, John Quick, Andrew Rawlee, Levi Ralston, Janus Randall, Joseph Rea, William Rea, Hugh Reed, Lemuel Reynolds, Joseph, Jr. Reynolds, Caleb Rice, Phineas, Jr. Rice, Phineas RUe, Ezekiel Robins, David Robins, William Robins, John Robinson, Wheaton Robertson, George Rouse, John Rouse, Casper Rogers, Isaac Rogers, Joseph Row, Samuel Row, Samuel L. Row, Bastain Row, John Row, Michael, Jr. Salisbury, Gideon Sarlsbuiy, Joseph Schermerhorn, John Schneyder, George Seeton, Reuel Seeton, Willard Seton, John Sherburne, Henry Shaw, Jeremiah Sharer, John Sliter, Godwin Smith, Samuel Smith, Isaac Smith, Peter Smith, Peter, Jr. Smith, William Smith, Philip Smith, William, Jr. Smith, Jonathan Simmonsi J. Simmons, Smith Sinunons, Ensley Snider, Adam Soaper, Timothy Soule, Daniel Soule, Benjamin Southard, Benjamin Spencer, Philip THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 105 St. John, David Stickle, Andrus Stuart, John Stalker, Levi Stalker, Joseph Stalker, Comfort Stickles, Frederick Stephens, James Stewart, William Stuart, James Stevens, Adam Ter Bush, Benj'n Thompson, Israel Tovrasend, Thomas Trowbridge, Absalom Truesdall, Charles Truesdel, Stephen Vandusen, Peter Vanery, Anthoe Van Luven, Peter Viller, Cornelius Wadleigh, Theophilus Wells, Cornelius Weaver, Jacob Winans, Ira WUtse, Motsie Wilkes, John Wiltsie, John Winchell, James Winchell, Lemuel WincheU, James, Jr. Wilcox, Abner WUcox, Josiah Williams, John Williams, Lemuel Wood, Isaac Woodward, Caleb Wager, James WeUdien, Benoni Wilson, James Wilson, James, Jr. Wilson, John WUson, Robert Wilson, Daniel Winans, Isaac Winans, William Young, Isaac Young, Ebenezer Young, James NORTHEAST PRECINCT. A list of the persons who refused to sign. Allen, Isaac Allen, Peter Austin, Oliver Aveiy, Amos Amos, Nemiah Backer, John Bassoin, Peter Bathridk, Jonathan Bathrick, WiUiam Bearry, John Bill, Casper Bous, John Bous, Peter Brown, Asa Brimstool, Jacob Brjan, James Buttolph, Daniel Clark, Cornelius Clum, Philip Clum, William Colbox, Andrew CoUson, Andrew Colony, Michael Couse, Hontise Couse, Jacob Couse, Peter CrandeU, Laban Ciilver, Elisha Destin, Frederick Davis, Elisha Davis, William Deuell, Jonathan Doucher, Jacob Drum, Jacob Drum, John, Jr. Drum, John Eastis, Philip Eavery, Richard Embury, Robert Emet, Valentine Feeler, Leenes Fendik, Dirck Ferguson, Elijah Ferguson, Jeremiah Fillips, John Frothingham, George Gray, Thomas Green, William GifFord, Obadiah Gri£Sn, Jonathan Hapeman, John H^rtuf, John Hawley, John Herrick, John G. Holsop, Gerret Honk, Andrus Hoffman, Hendrick Hom, Frederick Honk, John Houghtaling, John Houghtaling, Isaac Houghtaling, Jacob Hover, Jacob 106 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Keefer, Hendrick Kiefer, Yerre Kilmer, Simeon, St. Knapp, Peter Kresser, Marts Krister, John Lindsey, Darby- Link, John Loucks, Jacob Loiike, Jacob Mead, Daniel Melious, Jacob, Jr. Melious, William Melham, Coonrod Merrifield, WUliam Miner, George Mills, WiUiam Mott, Joseph Mortain, Greorge Miltmore, Jacob McAlpine, John McAlpine, Daniel McAlpine, Walter McConnely, Daniel Mcintosh, Lockland Mcintosh, Alexander Mcintosh, William McQueen, Niles, Nathaniel North, Daniel North, Robert Ostrander, Abraham Philips, Zachariah Pitcher, Adam Pitcher, Peter Pitcher, John Pulver, Andrus Pulver, John Pulver, Wandel Rector, WiUiam ■Row, Motice Row, Michel, Sr. Row, Hendrick Row, John P. Row, John Row, Nicholas Row, Jacob Row, Hendrick Yost Scouten, Abraham Shaw, Aaron Shauer, Honeyfelt Sheridan, John Shaver, Jacob Silvemail, Nicholas Simmons, Michael Smith, John Smith, Tice Smith, Michel Smith, Nicholas Smith, Hontice Smith, Hontice, Jr. Smith, Leonard Snyder, Philip Stickle, John Stickle, Frederick Teal, Christopher Tiets, Henry Tiets, Zachariah Vanbramer, Jacob Van Kamp, John Vanleuvan, Benjamin Vanleuven, Isaac Weaver, John Weaver, Harvey Weaver, Peter Weaver,) Wanant White, John Wilbur, Benjamin Wilsey, Tice WUde, John Wildci Richard Winter, Matthew Younkhaus, Hendrick Charles Gbaham, HeKBY SHEBBmtlTE, George Morehouse, WiLUAM Stewart, J. SiHUOira, Nathaxiel Meau, Joseph Ketchum, Uriah Lawrence, Peter Kniceerbacker, JoHAirms Reiveitberoer, Daxiel Wilson, Hugh Orr, > Committee. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 107 POUGHKEEPSIE PRECINCT. The signers to the "Articles of Association," June and July, 177S. Ackerman, Geleyn Adams, Ephraim Anneley, William Ashford, Nathaniel Bailey, John, Jr. Baily, John, Jr. Banlay, Abraham Bartley, Simon Bartly, Isaiah Beckwith, Silvanus Benschoten, Jacob V. Berner, Hans Billings, Andrew Bliss, Henry Boyce, Gideon Bout, Thomas Briener, John Brooks, George Brisby, James Brisleen, James Burnett, Matthew Burnett, Thomas Burnett, William Bush, Hendrick Bush, Martin Bush, Christian Burwell, Zachariah Carmen, Caleb Carmen, Caleb, Jr. Chaucer, Alex. Cooper, Ezekiah Cooper, Ezekiel Conner, Dorthir, Jr. Conlding, Matthew Conkling, John Conklin, Nathaniel Corey, Samuel Cooke, Samuel Davis, Richard Davis, John Denburgh, Richard, V. Denburgh, Jacob V. Dodge, Samuel Dodge, Henry Dubois, Lewis Dubois, John Dubois, Nathaniel Dubois, Jeremiah Dubois, Matthew Dubois, Joel Duteher, David Elderkin, James ElUs, Henry Everitt, Richard Ferden, Abraham Ferris, Jacob Ferris, Omar Forman, William Fort, Abraham Fort, Joharmus Freer, John Freer, Jacobus Freer, Jacobus, Jr. Freer, Simon Freer, Elias Greatwaks, Sylvanus Grigs, Alexander Haire, Alexander Hannes, Tunis Hegeman, Henry Hemsted, Nathaniel Hendrickson, Stephen Hill, John C. Hoefman, Carel Hoff, Henry Hoffman, Robert Holmes, Thomas Horn, Peter Howell, Lemuel Jacockes, Thomas Jaycock, Francis Jaycock, Benjamin Johnson, Jonathan Johnson, John Jones, William KeUey, William Kelley, Jones Kidney, Johannes Kingsland, John C. Kip, Henry Kip, Benoni Kornine, Isaac Jr. Lansing, Peter, Andes Lawson, William D. Lawson, William Jr. Leroy, Simon Leroy, Simon, Jr. Lewis, James Lewis, Barent Livingston, Henry, Jr. Livingston, James Livingston, Henry Lossing, Peter Lossing, Simon W. Lossing, Lariline, Jr. Low, Peter Low, Peter, Jr. Low, Jacob Luckey, James Luckey, Samuel Maxfield, John Mott, John Moss, Joshua Mullin, Peter Noa, Robert Noble, Cornelius 108 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. North, Robert Pells, Hendrick Pells, Hendrick, Jr. Pilgrit, John Pitt, Abraham Piatt, Zephaniah Ploegh, Wilhelmus Poole, Isaac Poole, Thomas Reed, Aaron Reed, John Read, £11 Read, James Ringland, John C. Roach, Wmiam Roades, Jacobus Robinson, John Romyne, John Rowse, Thomas Sands, George Saunders, John Sawckes, William /Schenck, John, Jr. ^chenck, Paul Schryrer, Jacob Seabury, John Seabury, John, Jr. Shanhan, George Sharp, Mathias Smith, Samuel Shedeker, Richard Storm, Ck)rus Swartwout, Johannes Swartwout, Bamadus Swartwout, Minnard Swartwout, John Swartwout, Abraham Symmonds, Edward Sypher, Lodovick Tappan, Peter Tappen, Tennis Tappen, John Terry, William Ter Bush, John Townsend, John Tray, Nathan Travis, Thomas Van Bunschten, E. V. Van Bunschoten, J. Van Bunschoten, E. Van Blercome, Henry Van Denbogart, M. Van Denbogart, PI. Van Den Bogart, Jac. Van Denburgh, S. Van Dewater, Peter Van Keuren, M. Van Keuren, Abraham Van Keureij, Mat., Jr. Van Kleeck, Myndert Van Kleeck, Jac. Van Kleeck, John Van Kleeck, Law Van Kleeck, Pieter Van Kleeck, P. B. Van Kleeck, L. J. Van Kleeck, J. L. Van Kleeck, John T. Van Kleeck, Leonard Van Vliet, Gerrit Van Voorhees, S. Van VUet, Frederick Van Vliet, Peter Valleau, Peter F. Vielie, Cornelius Van Wagenen, Garrit Waddel, Hobert Waterman, John Wattles, Andrew Warner, Richard Westervelt, Casperos Westervelt, C. R. Westervelt, C. B. Weeks, Andrew WaterveU, Albo Westervelt, Enyamen Westervelt, Cornelius WUlsie, Henry Willsie, John WUsey, William Winchester, Azariah Winens, James Yerry, Michael POUGHKEEPSIE PRECINCT. A list of the persons who refused to sign. Ame, George Babcock, Nathaniel Badger, Ebinezer Baldwin, George Baldwin, Isaac Baldwin^ Isaac, Jr. Barnes, Henry Barnes, William Beyex, Henry Bogart, John V. D. Boman, John Byndirs, Myndert Chaddirdon, Joseph Chiirehell, Robert Coopman, John Crannell, B. Crud, Axistin De Graff, John Douglass, James Dubois, Jeremiah Dubois, Peter JOHN I. PLATT. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 109 Emons, Eli Emons, John Emmott, William Ferdon, John Ferdon, Jacob Ferdon, Esguire Ferdon, Zachary Frair, Abraham Frair, Abraham, Jr. Frair, Simon, Jr. Freer, Thomas Hull, Samuel Himt, John Kelly, James Kidney, Jacobus Kidney, Myndert Kidney, Robert Kipp, Matthew Laroy, Peter Lassing, Isaac J. Lassing, William Lasting, James Lewis, Felix Lewis, Melancthon Low, John Low, WUliam Meddlarj Arie Miller, Hendrick Miller, John Morey, Jonathan Noxen, B. Noxon, Simon Olmstead, Aaron Palmitear, Francis Palmitear, John Pelts, Evert Pelts, Francis Pelts, Michel Pinckney, Ezekiel Pinckney, John Pinkney, Thomas Pinckney, Samuel Polmatier, Jacob Read, Eli Rutsen, Michael J. Steenburgh, Flenmiing Thompson, Elias Van Deburgh, John Van Deburgh, H. J, Van Deburgh, Peter Van Denburgh, H. Van Denburgh, H.,Jr, Van Kleeck, Baltus •Van Kleeck, Peter P. Veal, Nehemiah Wellding, Michael Williamson, Tunis Wood, James Yelverton, Gail RHINEBECK PRECINCT. The signers to the "Articles of Association," June and July, 1775. Adams, James Backer, Zacharias Backer, Petrus Backer, Jonnes Backer, Christeaun Balist, John Bates, Uriah Beam, William Beekman, Henry Bemiger, William Berniger, Conrad Bemiger, Isaac, Jr. Berniger, Jacob Bender, John Berrger, Herrick Benson, Egbert Banks, John Benner, Frederick Benner, Johannes Benner, Henrich Benner, Johannes Benner, Jacob Binestal, Nicholas Binestal, Philip, Jr. Blair, John Bogardus, Benjamin Bouastcal, Philip Bovardee, Everardus Bowan, Andrew Brown, Peter Bull, George Bull, Henry Bunscoten, S. V. Burger, Martines Burgess, Henry, Jr. Campbell, Alexander Carney, William Chember, Joshua Coel, Simon, Jr. Cole, Peter Cole, John Cole, Isaac Cole, Abraham Cooper, Ananias Cowles, John Deninarh, Christ Dennes, John Demond, Cornelius De Witt, Peter Dillman, William Douglass, James Duncan, Herman no THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Blemendorph, Jacob Elmendorpfa, Jan Elmendorph, Corn^ ElmendoTuh, Samuel Ellsworth, Joseph Ensell, Lodowick Everett, James Fero, Christian Fisher, Jacob Fitch, Christopher Fradenburgfa, V. Freligh, Henry, Jr. Folant, Jacob Fuller, Philip Garrison, John Gay, Godfrey Gisselbergh, Henry Green, Samuel Gruber, Paul Greves, Thomas Haass, John Haberlan, Casper Haines, Samuel Hannule, Johannes Harrison, William Hebart, Joseph Hendrick, Godfrey Hermanse, Jacoc Hermanse, Andrias Hermanse, Peter Hermanse, Nicholas Hermanse, Jacob Hermanse, John Hermanse, Plulip Hermanse, Evart Hermanse, John Hermans, Reyer Heermanse, Helmes Hinneon, Elias Hoffman, Herman Hoffman, Zacharias Hoffman, Zacharias, Jr. Hoffman, Nicholas Hoffman, Peter Hoffman, Martine Hogan, Patt Huffman, John Humphry, Thomas Jones, Levi Kierstead, Hans Kipp, Isaac Kipp, Jacob J. Kip, Jacob Kip, Jacob A. Kip, Jacobus Kip, R. J. Kip, Abraham Klum, William Klum, Henry, Jr. Klum, John Knickerbocker, H. I. Kod, Simon Lawrence, Joseph Ledervyck, Peter L«scher, Coenradt Lewis, John Lewis, Thomas Lewis, Jacob Lewis, James Litmer, Henry Livey, Hendrick Livingston, P. G. McClure, William McFort, John Mardin, Goetlieb Mardin, Hendrick Martin, David Mares, John Mares, Isaac Maul, Jacob Meyer, Jeab Miller, Hendrick Miller, Christeaun Miller, Johannes MUler, Cornelius Michel, Andres Mitchell, John MUlham, Simon Millham, Jacob Millham, Laurence Mulford, Lemuel Mulford, David Mohr, Christian More, Jacob, Jr. Moore, John Moore, Philip J. Moul, Frederick Moul, Jacob Sen. Moon, Henderick Neer, Zach Ogden, Daniel Osterhoudt, C. Osterhoudt, Benjamin Ostrander, James Pawling, John Pitcher, William Pitcher, William, Jr. Pitcher, Wilhelmus Pitcher, Petrus Powell, Solomon Powell, William Radcliff, Peter Radcliff, William Reystorf, George Richter, Johannes Rogers, Joseph Rogers, John Root, Zacharias Rydders, Everhart Sater, John Schermerhorn, Reyer Schermerhorn, Jacob Schermerhorn, C. Schermerhorn, John THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Ill Schneyd, Christoff Schatzel, Michael Schultzs, William Schoot, Simon, Jr. Schoot, William, Jr. Scoot, Peter Scoot, Jonathan Scott, Abraham Scriver, Jacob N. Scutt, Johannes Sears, Stephen Sharp, George Sheldon, George Sheffel, Michael Shop, Henry Shopf, Peter Shiiltz, Jacob Sickner, Albartus Sickner, Jacob Sickner, Jacob, Jr. Simon, Andrew Skepmus, William Slaats, Philip Smith, Wilhelmus Smith, Johannes Sole, Simon C. Staats, John Staats, Peter Stetling, George Stickle, Nicholas Stickle, Nicholas, Jr. Swart, Cornelius TeU, John Teter, Hendrick Ten Broeck, Petrus Thomas, Jacob Traver, Peter Tremper, Jacob Tremper, John Troophage, William Tuttle, WiUiam Turck, Johannes Van Fradenburgh, P. Van Keuron, Johns Van Keuron, Tobias Van Nauker, Peter Van Ness, John Van Ness, David Van Steenburgh, B. Van Vredenburgh, B. Van Vredenburgh, W. Vhoevanburgb, R. Vosburgh, Evart Vosburg, Jeab Waldron, WiUiam Wagenen, Barent V. Weaver, John, Jr. Weir, Frederick Wenneberger, C. Westfall, Abraham Wood, Johannes P. V. Walwork, Isaac Waterman, Henry, Jr. Waterman, Jeab Wagner, Evert V. Wagener, Art. V. Waldom, William Waldorn, Stoffle Waldorph, H., Jr. Weaver, Christopher Westfall, Simon Westfall, Peter, Jr. Whitbeck, Harmen Wheeler, Edward Whiteman, Zacharias White, John, Jr. Williams, John Younck, Joseph RHINEBECK PRECINCT. A list of the persons who refused to sign. Allemten, John AUemten, John F. Anderson, George Asher, Adam Asher, John Bander, John, Jr. Banmias, Coenradt Bargh, Christian Bargh, Christian, Jr. Barker, Johannes Barker, Martner Barker, Laurence Bennet, George Boutcher, Tunis Boutcher, Casper Bruce, Michael Bruce, Christian Brown, John Briant, Thomas Burgh, Adam Burger, Stephanus Bunchoten, Egbert Bunchoten, Harmanus CarneU, John Chafer, Jacob Cole, Jacob Cole, John J. . Cram, Petrus Cramer, Zacharias Cramer, Johannes Dedrick, Gerrit Dederlck, Christian Dericks, John Doom, Zacharias Doughty, Timothy Ecker, Adam Ecker, Peter Ecker, Johannes 112 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Ecker, Adam, Juiy Ecker, Hendk. Jr. Elen, Jacob Elkenbergh, Peter Elshaver, Lodowick Evans, Jacob Fero, Petnis Fradenburgh, Peter Fraver, Johannes Freligh, Peter Freligh, Stephanus Freligh, Peter Frusam, Peter Fuller, Corns., Jr. Fuller, William Fynhout, Cornelius Hallick, Zebulon Hallock, John Heermans, Hendrick Hendericks, Joseph, Jr. Holmes, John Hoffman, Juery Hoffman, Nicholas Kelder, Jacob Kattyman, John Kip, Jacobus, Jr. Kip, Jacob S. Kip, Jacobus Kip, John Kip, John B. Kip, Abraham Kip, Peter Kipp, Arent Kiselbargh, Jacob Lament, George Landen, Hugh Leister, Mordecai Lewis, Gradus Lewis, Henry Livingston, Phil. S. Loune, Philip Loune, Bashan Loune, Anderis Loune, Jacob town, David Lown, Johannes, Jr. Lown, Jacob Luych, Andris Mackay, William Marguet, John Marguet, George Meyer, Hendrick Miller, Jacob Miller, John G. Neer, Jose Nehis, Francis Nehis, Charles Nehis, Francis, Jr. Nile, Peter Pawling, Henry Pelts, Hendrick Pihek, Philip Pinek, John Pinek, Philip, Jr. Polver, Conradt Presses, Peter Prongh, Peter Prough, Powlis Puis, Michael Puis, David Puis, Christuffal Puis, Daniel Puis, George Puis, Michael Richart, Henry Richart, Dowie Richart, PhUip Richart, Johannes Righpenbergh, John Righpenbergh, Petrus Ring, Christopher Ring, George Ring, Johannes Ring, David Rysdorf, Johannes Rysdorf, Petrus Rysdorf, Laurence Sager, Johannes Schryver, Peter, Esq. Schryver, Hendk. A. Schryver, Marthen Schryver, Marthynes Schryver, John Schryver, David Schever, Joest Schever, Frederick Schever, Henry Scriver, Peter Seeman, Jeremiah, Jr. Seeman, Michael Seeman, Abraham Seeman, Jacob Seeman, John Seeman, Jacob, Jr. Seeman, David, Jr. Shook, Hendrick Shook, Christian Shook, Cobus Shook, George Shomaker, Jacob Shaver, David Shever, Adam Shults, Christian Shults, John Shufelt, Jury A. Shewfelt, Laurence Sickner, John Shewfelt, Petrus Shewfelt, Adam Slays, Frederick Smith, Jacob Streght, Lodowick Stover, George Strant, Anthony Stienburgh, Benj., Jr. Steenburgh, John V. Ted, Martha Teel, Laurence, Jr. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 113 Tennis, John Threecarter, Martin Tibbie, Adam Tibbie, Jacob Tile, John Traver, Philip Traver, Bastian Traver, Peter Traver, John Traver, John Traver, Peter H. Traver, John H. Traver, Frederick Traver, Jacob Van Alen, Peter Van Benthysen, B. Van Benthuysen, P. Sr. Van Benthuysen, J. Van Benschoten, T. Van Benschoten, E. Van E'sten, Jacob Van Esten, Johan, Jr. Van Etter, Matthew Van Eter, Cobus Van Etter, Isaac Van Etten, Benjamin Van Etten, Jacobus B. Van Etten, Jacobus Van Etten, Jacobus J, Van Etten, Abraham Van Etten, Benj., Jrj Van Etten, John Van Etten, Jacob Van Wagoner, Johan , Van Wagoner, Barent Vradenburgh, B. V. Vradenburgh, Jacobus Vradenburgh, Jacs., Jr. Wallace, William Wallace, Henry Waldron, William Wagor, Bashan Wagor, Powlis Wederwaks, Henry Wederwacks, Abraham Wels, John J. Wels, Benjamin Westfall, Benjamin Westfall, Peter Witterwax, Bastian Yager, Jacob Zipperley, Hans Egbert Bexsox, Chairman. ROMBOUT PRECINCT. The signers to the "Articles of Association," June and July, 1775. Ackerman, John Adriance, Isaac Adriance, Ham J. Adriance, John Adriance, George Adriance, Cornelius Akerly, Moses Anning, James Anning, Daniel Appleye, Coewradd Ardem, William Atwater, Benjamin Avery, Richard Barnes, James Barry, John Barber, Moses Balding, Jacob Bedell, Moses Bedell, Jease Belding, Joseph Bailey, Nathan Baker, Jesse Baker, William Bailey, Nathan, Jr. Baker, John Barker, William Bates, Stephen Backer, Jacob BedeU, Jeremiah Bennitt, John Bennitt, David Bell, Henry Bishop, Joshua Bise, Simon Boss, Zachariah Beourem, Hendrick Bogert, Adriance Boss, Johannes Bogart, Peter Bogardus, John Bogardus, Peter, Jr. Bennaway, Garret Bloom, George Bloodgood, John Brower, Nicholas, Jr. Brewer, Charles Brower, Adolphus Brower, Jacob Brinckerhoff, Johannes Briggs, Caleb Brinckerhoff, Dirck Brett, Theo. Brinckerhoff, John Branckerhoff, D. G. Brinckerhoff, Abm. Brinckerhoff, J. A. Brinckerhoff, J. G. Brinckerhoff, George Brinckerhoff, Stephen Brinckerhoff, Jacob Brinckerhoff, G. J. Brinckerhoff, Corns. 114 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Brower, David Brower, Cornelius Brown, Aaron Brown, James Brett, Robert Brown, Aaron, Jr. Brock, William Brocks, William, Jr, Bush, John, Jr. Bump, George Bump, Thomas Bump, Thomas, Jr. Bump, George Buys, Henry Buys, Jacob, Jr. Burhanse, Henry Bloom, George Bums, Nathan Cauniff, Johannes Canfield, Daniel Carley, Albert Carpenter, Henry Cease, Abraham Churchill, Edward Chase, Seth Climip, Peter Clump, Peter, Jr. Clark, Ebenezer Cospman, Jacob ComweU, Clement Cornell, Caleb Cornell, Jesse Conklin, Lawrence Conklin, Elias Conner, Hugh Cooper, James Cooper, John Cooper, John, Jr. Cooper, Obadiah Cooper, Myndert Coopeo, O. W. Cooper, O. J. Cooper, Myndert, Jr. Co£Bn, John Comfort, Richard Cole, Jacob Cole, Isaac Culver, James Culver, Dennis Culver, James, Jr. Culbert, John Cushman, WiUiam Cronckheit, Abraham Dates, Adam Darlon, John Davison, James Davis, John David, Daniel Du Bois, Jacob, Jr. Du Bois, Tunis Deets, Peter Depung, Peter Devoe, John De Graef, Jacobus De Groff, Jacobus De Groff, Jacobus, Jr. De GrofF, Moses De Grout, John De Foreest, Abm. De Witt, Johanns, Jr. De Witt, Abraham Dewitt, Johanns D'oxey, Stephen Du Bois, Elesa Du Bois, Tunis, Jr. Duncan, James Dutcher, David Dutcher, Barent Duryee, Abraham Earls, WiUiam Ellsworth, George Elsworth, Charles Emans, Jacobus Emmitt, Elihu Fairchild, Nathaniel Fitzmonns, Peter Fowler, Joseph Fowler, Austin Fowler, Austin, Jr. Fowler, William Gabriel, N. E. Gershom, Martine Godwin, Henry Golph, Moses Gosline, Samuel Gray, John, Jr. Gray, Abraham Graham, Dimcan Green, James Green, James, Jr. GriflSn, Jacob GrifFen, Joseph Griffin, Richard Griffin, Cornelius Griffin, William , Griffin, Joshua Griffin, John Griffin, Isaac Gulnack, Caustine Halstead, Josiah Hardenburgh, Hendk. Hardenburgh, Dirck Hardenburgh, Garret Haines, Henry Haight, Jonathan Haskin, William Hegeman, Isaac Hegeman, Francis Hegerman, Dirck Heyer, Walter HefF, Lawrence Hevan, Godfrey Hicks, Joshua Hill, Andrew Higby, Hemming Horton, Jacob Horton, Joseph Horton, Peter Horton, Mathias Howard, James Horton, David Holmes, WiUiam THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 115 Holmes, Isaac Hoffman, Jurrie Hoffman, Michael Houghteling, J. Hogelandt, William Hogland, Dei-iah Hogeboom, Barthol Hulst, Peter Hutchins, John Hutchins, Isaac Hutchins, Jacob Innes, James Jackson, Richard Jewell, John Jewell, Isaac Jewell, Isaac, Jr. Jewell, John, Jr. Jewell, Richard Jewdl, George Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Peter, Jr. Johnson, John Johnson, Thomas Jones, Jeremiah Killboume, James King, Richard King, Jacob KnifBn, Israel Kniffln, Daniel Kniffin, Jnoathan Kip, John Langdon, John Langdon, Jonathan Lane, William Lane, William, Jr. Lane, Jacob Lane, Gilbert Ladn, Abraham Laughin, Hugh Lawrence, A. J. Lawrence, John Lawrence, Lawrence Lee, Joseph Lent, Abraham A. Lent, Peter Leroy, Francis Leroy, John Leroy, John, Jr. Leroy, Simon Lewis, Thomas Leyster, John Losee, Abm. L. Losee, John L. Lounsberry, Nathan Lyons, David Mabie, Tobias Marten, Henry Martin, Jeremiah, Jr. Main, Sabure May, Francis, Jr. Mayer, John Maynema, John Mead, Ezra Mead, Jeremiah Meyer, Peter Miller, James Miller, James, Jr. Moody, Walter, Jr. Morris, Harvey M. Morrell, Abraham Monfort, Peter Monfort, Peter JJ Monfort, Deminicus Monstress, Peter Mount, Timothy Moury, David Munfort, Elbert McBride, John McCord, Joseph McCutchin, Robert McKeeby, Edward McSheeby, Dennis Nan Voorhis, Jerome Nettlaton, Amos Niffer, Jacob Nichkilson, Robert Noorstrant, Peter Noorstrant, John Ostrander, Corns Ostrander, Thomas Ostrom, John Ostrom, Andrew Osboi-ne, Cornelius Osborne, Stephen Osborne, Richard Osburn, James Odgen, Joseph Outwater, Peter Outwater, Daniel farks, John Parker, Joseph Patterson, Alijah Pellet, David Pelts, Henry Pendy, Stephen Piatt, Eliphelat Pine, Philip Pine, Silvinus Pine, Silvinus, Jr. Philip, John Phillips, Ralf Phillips, John, Jr. Pinkney, Thomas Pudney, Thome Pudney, Francis Pudney, John PuUick, John Purdy, Jesse Polmetier, Peter PiiUick, John, Jr. Ranny, Jeremia Raun, Christopher Rathbun, Andrew Renvells, Andrew Reyner, Daniel Reynolds, James Reynolds, James, Jr. Roberts, Samuel 116 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Robinson, Peter Rosekrans, Frederick Rosekrans, James Rosekrans, Henry Rosekrans, Benjamin RoseKrans, John RoseKrans, John, Jr. Roe, Benjamin Rosekrans, H., Jr. Rogers, Robert Rogers, Flatt Runnels, John Rmmels, John, Jr. Rynden, James Rynden, Herman Saikryder, Timothy Saikryder, Moses Saikryder, Solomon ■Schenck, Abraham Schenck, Martin Schendc, Roelef Schoonhore, Peter Scenck, Daniel ■Schenck, Henry Schultz, Christopher, Jr. Schnltz, Christopher Schultz, Abraham Scouten, John Scouten, J. (son of Jerry) Scouten, William, Jr. Scouten, Simon S. Scutt, Frederick Sebring, Cornelius -Sebring, Isaac ■Sebring, Cornelius, Jr. Sherburne, Henry Shaw, Daniel Shaw, Moses Shear, Abraham Sharrie, Johannes Simonton, Thomas Shute, Aaron ■Sleght, Abraham ISleghV John H. Sleght, Jacobus Smith, Joshua Smith, Samson Smith, John Smith, Cornelius Smith, Isaac Smith, Martin Snyder, Peter Snider, Isaac Somes, Nathan Somes, Samuel Soaper, Timothy Somerdike, William Southard, Isaac Southard, Jonas Southard, John Southard, Zebulon Stanton, William Stienbergh, Peter Storm, Isaac Storm, Thomas Storm, Gores Storm, Garret Swartwout, Jacob Swartwout, Samuel Swartwout, John Swartwout, Jacob Swartwout, William, Jr. Swartwout, Cornelius Swartwout, Dalf Swartwout, James Swartwout, Jacs. Snediker, James Swart, Evart T. Skeet, Tunis Tappen, John Talmagee, Jonathan Talman, Timothy Ter Boos, Luke Ter Boss, Daniel Ter Boss, Isaac Ter Boss, Abraham Ter Bush, John Ter Bush, Peter Ter Bush, Isaac H. Ter Bush, Simon Ter Bush, John, Jr. Ter Bush, C. Terum, Albert Terry, Jonathan Teatsort, William Thaiker, Stephen Thurston, James Tirhum, John Tirhum, Daniel Tisdale, William Tood, Robert Tooten, Joseph Todd, Samuel Turner, Alexander Van Amburgh, Abm. Van Amburgh, A. H. Van Benschoten, L. E. Van Benschoten, M. Van Benschoten, J. Van Benschoten, P. Van Benschoten, T. Van Bunschoten, J. Van Bunschoten, E. E. Van Deursen, Peter Van Dewater, Peter Van Dewater, Francis Van Dewater, James Van Devort, P., Jr. Van Devoort, Jacob Vandevoort, John Van Kleek, B. J. Van Kleek, Peter, Jr. Van Kleek, Baltus Van Kleek, Barent Van Kleek, Sevaris Van Keuren, Charreik Van Voorhis, J., Jr. Van Voorhis, Henry Van Voorhis, Jacob Van Voorhis, Stephen Van Voorhis, Zach., Jr. Van Voorhis, Daniel Van Tyne, Abram Van Voorhees, Z. Van Voorhis, Abm. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 117 Van Voorhls, J., Jr. Van TjTie, Abm. Van Wyck, Theods. Van Wyck, Richard Van Wyck, William Van Wyck, T., Jr. Van Wyck, T., Jr. Van Wyck, Abram Van Wyck, Isaac Van Tyne, WiUiam Van Werkeren, George Van Wackere, Abm. Van Hyning, Andrew Van Tasel, Jacob Van Sulen, John Ver Velon, Gideon Var Velen, Jeremiah Ver Valin, John Vanelin, Moses Verrie, Cornelius Vlaikren, Merinus Vermillie, John Veal, Isaac Ward, William Ward, Daniel Walters, John Watts, John Way, Gideon Way, Thomas Way, Francis Weeks, James Westervelt, Abm. Westervelt, Jost. Wiltse, Johannes Wiltse, Martin Wiltse, Cornelius Wiltsey, Henry T. Wilsen, Teunis Wildee, James Wilde, Isaiah Winslow, William Wright, John Wright, Daniel G., Jr. Wright, William Wright, Thomas Wright, Daniel Yeumans, Thomas yurkse, John ROMBOUT PRECINCT. A list of the persons who refused to sign. Capt. Heganan'g Co, Baker, William Burhans, Peter Cailen, Henry Cock, Michas Cole, Daniel Crandle, John Medagh, Jas. Middagh, Jores Monfoort, Albert Rogers, William Snider, John J. Tarpanning, John Terwilger, Urean Van Kleek, Barent A. Capt. 8. Brinkerhoofs Co. Baker, Jessey, Jr. Baker, Thomas Boss, Peter Brown, Silas Carman, Thomas Cure, William Devoe, Johannis Doty, Benjamin Ellis, Benjamin Ferinton, Joseph Goodfellow, William Gray, Zebulon Haasbroock, Daniel Halsted, Joseph Hoisted, John, Lieut. Kranchite, Tunis Lee, Jonathan Losee, Semeon Main, Ezekel Martin, Thomas Merritt, Joseph Miller, John Morss, Joseph Morss, Philip Peck, Oliver PeUit, Ebenezer Robison, Joseph Roe, David Roens, Philips Smith, Joseph Snyder, Benjamin Stolker, Stephen Storm, Johannes Odle, Joshua Ogden, Richard Winter, Christopher Winter, Levi Winter, Joseph Wright, Isaac Wright, Jacob Yeats, Richard Ca^t. Southard's Co. Adams, Neliah Bogardus, Robert Britt, Francis R. Brogardus, Peter Cooper, Jeremiah Covert, John Gibson, Thomas Green, Jeremiah Green, Joseph Halsted, Jonas Miller, Thomas Mills, Henry Mills, Increase 118 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Mills, Robert Mills, Samuel Munger, Benjamin Nostrand Gerret FhUps, Abraham Philps, Henry Philps, Jacobus Philps, Peter Poyer, Thomas Purdy, Jesse Rider, Jacob Shoaf, Philip Southard, Daniel Southard, Gilbert Southard, Thomas Southard, Richard Southard, Richard, Jr. Sprage, Thomas Van Voorhees, EUas Vealey, Isaac Voorhees, Johannes Ca^t. John BedWi Co. Aulgelt, John Bailey, Sutten Bedele, John, Capt. Bounds, Gessom Brown, Samuel Buis, Matthew Burroughs, Joseph Carey, John, Jr. Carey, Joseph Carey, John, Sr. Caunef, John Craft, Thomas Cure, Matthews Cure, Samuel Daily, Lawrence Dubois, Peter Gerox, Benjamin Gerroson, Reuben Gerrison, Abraham Gildersleeve, Nathaniel Giou, Isaac Goslin, William Hasbrouck, Benjamin Hasbrook, F., Lieut. Hett, Jeremiah Kichim, Samuel Laduex, Nathaniel Laine, Joseph Lating, Ambrose LangdoD, John S. Larduex, Oliver I^core, Isaac Linabeck, John Light, Henry Lisk, Benjamin Lisk, John Mabee, Simeon Maley, Abraham Nefuss, Abraham Nefuss, George Peck, John Post, Joseph Purdy, Abraham Purdy, Enoch Rowland, Marvin Schutt, John, Lieut. Schutt, Jacobus J Schouten, Andrew J. Schouten, John J. Scouten, Ephraim Sloot, John Storm, Peter Storm, Nicholas Swartwout, Johannes Swartwout, Thomas Thomkins, Gabriel Travis, Abraham Van Hyning, Abraham Van Nostrand, George Van Vlaren, M. J. Venson, Charles Way, James F. Weekes, Stephen Winn, William Winn, Joseph Wood, Joseph Wood, Isaac Wood, John Wood, Thomas Wood, John J. Washboum, Isaac Young, Abraham Capt. Matthias Lyster't Co. Barnes, Gilbert Bancker, Stephen Besship, Joshua /Brogardus, Francis Buchout, John Burch, Andrew Carnell, John Churchill, John Cook, John Dubois, Johannes Dubois, Jacob J. Duryee, Stephen Duryee, Abraham Haboun, John Harremens, Will H. Herremans, A., Lieut. Herremans, Andr., Jr. Herremans, John Hicks, James Hoff, Peter Hogeland, Abraham Hudson, John Huff, John Huson, Walter Keniff, John Lent, Abraham Livingston, Samuel Lyster, Matthias, Capt. Lyster, Dirck Lyster, Cornelius Lyster, Gerret Manfort, Adrian Manfort, John Monfoort, Albert Morgan, James Nostrand, Cornelius Ses, John Somes, Timothy Strong, Gilbert Strong, Undrel Tichout, Gideon THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 119 Thorne, John Thome, Stephen Theale, Joseph Vanbrare, Thomas Vanderbilt, A., Ensign Van Cramer, Peter Van Sickler, Cornel Van Vleck, Hendrick Capt. Horton'g Co. Aulgett, Adam Brevoort, John Brush, Joseph Clapp, Benjamin Clapp, John Clapp, Thomas Delany, Peter Depue, Peter Depue, Abraham Duly, Joshua Hoff, Paule Hougen, Edward Huff, Abraham Jewill, Jacob Juell, William Lent, Isaac Lewis, Jacob McCrade, Chas. Snedeker, John Van Vlaeron Vermilyer, David Vermilyer, Gerradus Weel, John Wilddey, John Wiltsee, John Capt. Griffin's Ce. Ackerly, Benjamin Anderson, Joseph Bloom, Benjamin Bishop, Caleb Churchill, John Covenhoven, Adrian Dubois, Peter Griffin, Thomas Jay, John Miller, Philip Nostrand, George Obriant, Matthew Philps, Henry C. Purdy, Joshua Schouten, Andrew Thurston, Benjamin Thurston, Joseph Underwood, Henry Van Tessel, Henry, Jr. Verplanck, Philip Ward, Daniel Ward, James Ward, Jacob Woods, Solomon "FishkiU, August 23, 177S. Sir; Enclosed is the return of the persons who have signed the Association, and of those who have refused. In the latter you find many erasures, occasioned by their signing afterwards. This affair has been delayed thus long on account of pursuing lenient measures. I am by the order of the Committee, your most obedient servant, DiBCK G. Beinckerhoff, Chairman." The list of non-signers in Rombout Precinct is composed solely of members of military companies in the service of the Crown of England, and their signatures to the "Revolutionary Pledge" would have been a treasonable offence. 120 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER X. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Continental Line. THE first Provincial Congress of New York met May 22, 1775, in New York City, to devise measures for the general safety, and to authorize the recruiting of men. County Committees of Safety were formed and their duties were numerous and important. The following gentlemen composed the Dutchess Committee: Egbert Benson (Chairman), John Collen, Samuel Dodge, Elnathan Gregory, Jacob Grifiin, Herman Hoffman, Frederick Jay, Nathan Pearce, James Weeks. Precinct Committees were also formed, and one of their first duties was to visit the Tories in the county, and request in a friendly manner that they surrender their firearms for the use of the Con- tinental forces, at a reasonable price. In case of refusal the firearms were taken forcibly. A considerable number of guns were thus ob- tained, a total of 431 being delivered to the State by the Committee of Rombout Precinct alone, in 1776-'77. The Provincial authorities of New York in 1775, authorized the organization of four regiments, known as the Continental Line, to serve for six months, and thus designated: First New York, Second Albany, Third Ulster, Fourth Dutchess. The regiments were com- manded respectively by Alexander McDougal, Goose Van Schaick, James Clinton, and James Holmes. Zephaniah Piatt, Gilbert Liv- ingston and Melancthon Smith constituted the Military Committee for Dutchess county, and received the warrants for raising men for the Fourth or Dutchess regiment, which, when organized, June 30th, 1775, had the following field and company officers: James Holmes, Col. (from Westchester dounty) ; Philip Court- landt, Lieut. Col.; Barnabas Tuthill, Major; Benjamin Chapman, Quarter-Master.^ 1. C<4. Holmes and Major Tuthill became diaaatisfled with the arrangement In the rank of field officers of the four regiments and resigned. Col. Holmes joined the Tories. He was succeeded in command of the Fourth by Henry B. Livingston. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 121 Captains — Henry B. Livingston, Jonathan Piatt, Rufus Herrick, Daniel Mills, Ambrose Horton, Nathaniel Woodward, John R. Liv- ingston, Henry G. Livingston, Jacobus WynKoop, Joseph Benedict, Jr. First Lieutenants — Jacob Thomas, David Daw, Charles Graham, Elijah Hunter, David Palmer, Abraham Ricker, Leonard Ten Broeck, Samuel Van Vechten, Anthony Welch. The organizations composing the Continental Line were under pay of the Continental Congress, and in the service as the regular army and liable to duty in any part of the country, while the militia as such could not be taken outside of the States in which they resided. Wash- ington learned very early in the war that the militia was not a force which could be relied upon — ^that there must be a regularly consti- tuted army. For the making of an army no better material was ever found than the men drawn from the Militia of Dutchess. The follow- ing officers and privates composed the Fourth Regiment (Dutchess) of the Line, at various times during the whole period of the war: Colonel James Holmes Quarter-Master James Barrett Colonel Henry B. Livingston Quarter-Master Nememiah Carpenter Lieut. Col. Pierre Regnier Quarter-Master Gelston Lieut. Col. Frederick Weissenfels Quarter-Master Job Mulford Lieut. Col. Frederick Wiessenfels Quarter-Master Peter Vonk Major John Davis Paymaster John Franks Major Benjamin Ledyard Chaplain John P. Testard Major Joseph McCracken Surgeon Caleb Sweet Adjutant Peter Sacket Surgeon John Francis Vache Adjutant Samuel Tallmadge Surgeon John F. Vasher Adjutant John Tuthill Surgeon John Francis Vasher Captains — Joseph Benedict, John Davis, Henry Dodge, Edward Dunscome, Peter Elsworth, Theodorus Fowler, Silas Gray, Eufus Herrick, Ambrose Horton, William Jackson, Benjamin Marvin, Daniel Mills, Nathaniel Norton, David Palmer, Jona- than Pearsee, Jonathan Perry, Jonathan Piatt, Reeve, Daniel Roe, James Rosekrans, Samuel Sacket, Israel Smith, Nathan Strong, Nathaniel Strong, Jona- than Titus, Benjamin Walker, Nathaniel Woodard. LiEUTEiTAifTs — ^William B. Alger, James Barrett, Cornelius Becker, Ben- jamin, Leonard Bleecker, Gould Boughten, Henry Brewster, Brush, Man- ning Bull, Peter Bunshoten, Edward Conklin, Sylvanus Conkling, William Crane, David Dan, Daniel E. Deniston, Daniel Denniston, Henry Dodge, James Dow, Peter Elsworth, Peter C. Elsworth, William Theodosious Fowler, Joseph Frilick, Charles Graham, William Havens, Thomas Hunt, Elijah Himter, Abraham Hyatt, 'John Lawrence, Thomas Lee, John Lloyd, William Matthewman, Miles Oakley, Isaac Paddock, 122 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Samuel Tredwell Pell, AbTaham Riker, Isaac A. Rosa, Sayer, George Smith, Isaac Springer, Gilbert Strang, Jacob Thomas, Jesse Thompson, Daniel Topping, William Troop, Robert Troup, Azariah Tuthill, John Van Antwerp, Peter Van Bunschoten, Rudolph Van Hoevenbargh, Isaac Vanwart, Roswell Wilcocks, Yoimgh. EusiSifs — John Barr, Caleb Bruister, Simon Cregier, Simon Crygier, Samuel Dodge, Joseph Froilick, Stephen Griffin, Joseph Morrill, John Punderson, Samuel Talmadge, Ephraim Woodruff. Acker, Henry •^ Acker, Jacob / Ackerson, C. Adams, Daniel Adams, Ebenezer Adams, James Adams, Jesse Adams, Major Adorns, Samuel Adurns, Thomas AUen, Samuel Allison, Richard Allport, John Alport, John Amberman, Cornelius Ambler, Benjamin Ambler, Stephen Ammerman, Cornelius Anderson, James Andress, Joseph Anson, James Anthony, Simon Antone, John Armstrong, Jonathan Ashford, Nathaniel Ashley, William Aston, Benoni Atkins, Robert Atwater, John Austin, Holmes Austin, Lockwood Avery, Nehemiah Avout, Philip Aymes, Francis Backus, Jacob Bailey, Elias ENLISTED MEN. Baker, Anthony Baker, Benjamin Baker, Elijah Baker, Henry Baker, John Baker, Joshua Baker, Pierce Balding, Jehial Balding, Nathaniel Baley, Jonathan Baley, Leonard Ball, Samuel Banker, Jacob Banker, William Baptist, John Barber, Reuben Baremore, Edward Barkens, William Barker, Jonathan Barlow, Nathan Bamhart, David Barnhart, Jeremiah Barns, Glean Barns, John Barns, Peter Barrows, James Barry, Charles Barlley, Andrew Barto, John Bartoe, Morris Basely, Cornelius Bassett, William Biayless, Richard Bayley, Daniel Beaty, Hugh Bebee, Benorger Becker, Peter Beckwith, Silas Beebe, Bonarges Beedle, WiUiam Beel, Matthew Bellamy, Silas Benedict, Ambrose Benjamin, David Benjamin, Stephen Bennadict, Benjamin Bennadict, Nathan Bennadict, Peter Bennet, James Bennet, William Bennett, Jacob Bennett, Timothy Benschoten, Elias Bentley, William Begordus, Peter -^Berrnard, Samuel Berry, Charles Berry, Jabez Berry, James Berry, John Bertley, Andrew Betson, Thomas Betts, Nehemiah Bingham, Abisha Bishop, Ebenezer Black, David Black, Richard Black, William Blank, Jasper Blaze, Christopher Blendberry, Elijah Blonck, J. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 123 Blonk, Jesper Bockus, Jacob Bodley, Andrew Bogardus, Henry Bogg, John Bogurdus, Nung Boice, James Boiles, James Boncher, William Bond, John Bonker, William Houghton, Moses Boughton, Simeon Bourne, William B'outen Samuel Bouton, Joseph Bouton, Joseph, Jr. Bower Bowers, Isaac Bowers, James Bowman, Bacchus Bowne, Rodman Boyles, James Bradt, John Brady, John Bragame, John Brainerd, Ruben Braney, Lowring Brant, John Brant, William Brewer, Jeremiah Brewland, Johiel Briggs, Jacob Briggs, Jeremiah Brock, Robert Brooks, Daniel Brooks, Jedlah Brooks, John Brooks, Robert Brooks, Thomas Brown, David Brown, Deliverance Brown, Eliphelet Brown, Hubbard Brown, John Brown, Joseph Brown, Samuel Brown, Stephen Brown, William Brown, Zephanlah Brundage, Nathan Brunson, Samuel Brush, Selah Brush, Simeon F. Brustler, Daniell Bruton, Arthur Bryan, Thomas Buchannan, Samuel Buckingham, Stephen Buckleman, Henry Budd, John Budin, Francis Budine, Francis Bump, Joseph Sunday, Jeremiah Bunker, William Burch, Henry Burch, Jonathan Burd, Jeremiah Burdick, EUsha Surges, Stephen Burgess, Archibold Surget, Mlllbury Surhans, Fjerrick Burhans, John Surhans, Thirh Surhans, Yerlck Surkstaff, David Burnet, Ebenezer Surnet, Squire Bumham, William Surnhart, David Burns, Edward Burr, DanieU Burrance, John Surrit, William Burrows, James Surrows, Samuel Bush, Simon T- Sussing, John Bustee, Peter Camby, James Cammerson, Alexander Camp, Asa Campbell, Andrew Campbell, Jacob Campbell, James Campbell, John Canaday, John Canady, James Canby, James Canfield, Amon Canfield, Daniel Cankhert, Henry Carby, Richard CarU Carney, Barny Carney, William Cskny, Thomas Captenter, James Carr, Anthony Carr, James Carrey, John Carrion, Green Case, Ichabod Casey, James Cashan, William Cashln, William Cato Cato, Tunis Gavins, Patrick Chapman, Daniel Chappel, Benjamin Chappel, Benjamin, Jr. Charlesworth, John Miles Chase, Isaac Chatterton, James Cherry, John Chesley, John Chevalier, John Chlnander, John Chrlstee, J. Christen, Peter Cisco, Dick Clackson, George Clark, Barnabas Clark, Cornelius Clark, David 124 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Clark, Ephraim Clark, James Clark, John Clark, Joseph, Jr. Clark, Peter Clarke, Joshua Clements, John Cliff, Joseph Clift, Joseph Close, Christopher Closs, Peter Closser, Christopher Coats, Joseph Coe, Benjamin Cole, Aaron Cole, Abraham Cole, Barnabas Cole, Oliver Cole, William Coleman, Samuel CoUins, Edward Collins, John Colly, Henry Colver, Joseph Colvin, James Conden, Philip Conington, Joseph Conkling, Daniel Conkling, Edward Conkling, Nathan Conkling, William Conkright, Henry Conn, William Conner, Joseph Connerly, Dennis Connoly, James Connor, James Connor, John Connor, Patrick Connor, Timothy Constable, Garret Converse, Samuel Cook Cook, Alexander Cook, Hanas Cook, George Cook, Moses Cook, Nathan Cook, Nathaniel Cook, Obadiah Coon, Jacob Coon, Peter Cooper, David Cooper, John Copinger, Walter Coppenger, John Corkangs, Eli Cornell, Caleb Cornwall, Caleb CornweU, Thomas Cortright, Henry Corwine, Edward Corwine, Gersham Cossington, John CottreU, Richard Couchoover, William Couray, Michael Cowan, Isaac Cox, John Cox, Simon Cozard, Richard Craft, Nathaniel Craig, John Crane, Josiah Crannell, Isaac Crawford, John Crawford, Thomas Cregear, John Crissler, John Gristle, William Cronch, James Cronk, Hendrick Cronk, Timothy Crosby, Enock Crosby, Isaac Crosby, Thomas Grossman, Dan ' Cross, John Grossman, Daniel Growfot, Nehemiah Cummers, Jonathan Cunningham, Archibald Cunningham, Henry Cunningham, John Cunningham, Shubal Curaw, Michael Curby, John Cure, William Curry, Elijah Gurry, Michael Cursor, Tunis Curtis, Naniad Curtis, Niard Curtis, Solomon Gurwin, Edward Curwin, Gersham Gurwine, Gersham Cuzard, Richard Daggett, Mahew Dale, Richard Daley, John Dalton, Walter Dan, Abijah Dan, Jonathan Danavan, Peter Daniels, John Dannolds, John David, Isaac Davids, William Davies, Chapman Davies, Joseph Davis, Caleb Davis, Chapman Davis, Henry Davis, John Davis, Joseph Davis, Joshua Davis, Patrick Davis, Peter Davis, Richard Davis, Thomas Davison, John Dawson, John Day, Aaron Day, Isaac Day, Jonathan Day, Lewis Dalley, John THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 125 Dayton, Bennet Dayton, Samuel Dayton, Samuel, Jr. D'Bushe, Anthony Dean, Abram Deaton, Frederick Decker, George Decker, Jacobus Decker, James B. Decker, John Decker, Jonathan Decker, Michael Decker, Yerry Deen, Isaac Deen, John Deen, William DeFrees, Ebenzer DeFrees, Reuben Delaney, Dennis Demerest, John Demerest, Nicholas Demorest, John Demott, Peter Deniereft, Nicholas Dennis, Mydert Dennison, Thomas Denniss, Miner Denniston, Thomas Denny, Peter Depont, Bosteon Depue, George Derby, Thomas De Rusha, Anthony Desert, John Dew, Francis Dick, Henry Dick, Thomas Dickerson, Abraham Dickerson, Benjamin Dickerson, David Dickerson, Jeduthan Dickerson, John Dickson, Andrew Dickson, Gabriel Dickson, Nathan Dickson, Richard Dickson, William Dieson, John Dieson, Nathan Dimond, Jonathan Dodge, Samuel, Jr. Dodge, Stephen Dole, John M. Dollaway, Andrew Dolph, Jonathan Donnalds, John Dose, Richard Doty, John Dougherty, Mark Doughty, Elias Doughty, George Dowd, Isaac Downing, Andrew Doxey, Stephen Doyle, Hugh Doyle, John Drake, Benoni Drean, Patrick Drenning, Hamilton Duall, Samuel Ducher, Adam Duff, Peter Duguid, John Dunbar, William Duncan, Thomas Dunk, Henry Dunmore, Caesar Dunnavan, John Dunnavun, Peter Dunnivan, John Dunscomb, Edward Dupont, Bosteon Duran, Francis Dutcher, Bornt Dutcher, John Dwire, Simon Eaddy, James Earl, John Easton, Henry Eastwood, Benjamin Edgit, George Edwards, David Egberts, John Elker, Emmer Elliot, John Elliot, John, Jr. Elliott, Archibald EUis, John EUison, Isaac EUison, Richard Ellison, Thomas Elsworth, Ezekel Elsworth, John English, John Ennls, Peter Ephram, Ebenezer Epton, Benjamin Erwin, John Esmond, Isaiah Esmond, James Essmond, John Evalt, Philip Evens, William Everit, Francis Every, Nehemiah Fairly, William Fansher, John Fardon, Samuel Farrier, Thomas Fegan, Timothy Ferbush, Simon Ferdon, A. Ferdon, Thomas Ferdone, Samuel Ferguson, Samuel Ferris, John Ferris, Jonah Ferris, Joseph Ferris, Ludowick Ferris, Samuel Fichett, Abraham Filer, Thomas Finch, Eliatham Finch, Elnathan Finch, William Finton, Amos Fish, Ebner Fisher, James 126 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Fitch, James Fitzgerald, Christ" r Mille Flemming, Patrick Fletcher, Lawrence Flinn, John Flood, Cilas Forbush, Alexander Ford, William Forgison, Jeremiah Forsey, Josh. Fosburgh, Peter FosdidE, Samuel Foster, John Foster, Nathaniel Foster, Vincent Foster, William Fountain, Stephen Fowler, Philip Foy, Edward Fralick, John Francis, John Franke, Michel Franke, Peter Franks, Michael Frasier, Jeremiah Frayer, Simon Fredenbergh, James Freeman, Nathaniel Freeman, Robert Fross, Stephen Frye, Benjamin Fuller, Josiah Fulre, Thomas Furdon, Thomas Furman, Samuel Galasby, James Gantly, Patrick Gardner, Jesse Gardon, Andrew Garrisson, Abraham Garrisson, Peter Gates, Nathaniel Gee,. David Gee, Ezekiel Gee, John Geers, Benjamin Gibbons, John Gibson, John Gibson, Robert GUchrist, WiUiam Gillaspy, James Gillcrist, John Gillcrist, William Gillet, Joseph Glover, Thomas Gold, William Gdlden, Isaiah Golden, Thomas Croldsmith, Ezra Goldsmith, John Croodin, George Croodspeed, Hosia Goodwin, George Gordon, WUliam Gorman, Richard Gosper, John Gosper, Peter Graham, Alexander Graham, John Granger, John Graves, Josiah Graves, Seldon Gray, Benjamin Gray, James Gray, Samuel Greatman, John Green, Ebenezer Green, James Greer, David Gregeer, John Gregory, Jehiel Grey, Robert GrifSn, Barney Gri£Sn, Benjamin Grinnel, Amasa Grumman, Ephraim Guin, Michael Guy, Edward Guyre, Luke Haight, Jager Hains, Joseph Hains, Saunders Halenbeek, Abraham Hall, Isaac Hall, James Hallet, Jonathan Halsey, Abraham Halsey, Ethan Halsey, Job Halsey, Stephen Halsey, Thomas Hambleton, John Hanmion, Shason Hammon, Isaac Hand, Joseph Hanley, James Hanmore, Jabez Hannah, James Hannevan, Rice Hanries, William Happer, John Hardy, David Harmancy, John Harner, Nicholas Harper, William Harris, Abijah Harris, Cilas Harris, David Harris, Evans Harris, Moses Harris, William Harris, Zach Hartness, Andrew Hartnys, Andrew Hartshorne, John Harvey, David Hatt, Frederick Haukins, Samuel Hawkins, David Hawkins, Noah Hawkins, Zachariah Hawkins, Zopher Haynes, Joseph Hazard, James Heartness, Andrew Hedges, Nathan Helmer, John Henderson, Alexander THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 127 Hennesey, John Henry, David Hermance, John Hermans, Edward Hermanse, Edward Herrick, Amos Herrick, Samuel Herrick, William Herrington, John Hicks, Jacob Higby, Samuel Higgins, Moses High, Benjamin Hike, John Hill, Asse Hill, Thomas Hill, William Himes, Joseph Hinkley, Thomas Hissam, John Hitchcock, John Hodges, Joseph Hoff, Bastian Hoff, Henry H. Hoff, William Hogarty, Bernard Hoit, Job Hoit, Silvanus Holloway, Joseph Holly, John Holly, Samuel Holmes, Asa Holmes, Becker Holmes, Daniel, Jr. Holmes, James Holmes, John Holmes, Nathan Holmes, Thomas Homan, John Hooker, John Hopkins, Eli Hopkins, James Hopper, John Hopper, Samuel Horsford, Ithamer Horton, David Horton, Frederick Hosport, Samuel House, Jacob House, Zachariah How, Libeous Howe, John Howe, Silas Howell Howell, George Howell, Jehiel Howell, Seth Hoyt, Thomas, Jr. Hubbard Hubbard, Abel Hubbard, John Hubbard, Kzekiel Huber, Jacob Hubert, John Hudman, Charles Hudson Huff, WilUam Huffman, John Hufman, Gabriel Hughes, John Hughson, WiUiam Humphrey, John Humphrey, Samuel Hunt, David Hunt, Solomon Hunt, Theophilus Hunter, Benjamin Hunter, Ezekiel Hunter, Jonathan Huson, William Hutchings, Gabriel; Hyatt, Abraham Hymes, Joseph Hyser, Henry Ice, Daniel Impson, Elias Impson, Robert Indian, Thomas Ingalls, Elihu Inglish, John Israel, Aaron Jacklin, Samuel Jackson, Thomas Jamerson, WilUam James, Ebenezer James, Richard Jane, Jotham Jarman, David Jarvis, Nathaniel Jarvis, Thomas Jay, David Jay, John Jeffries, John Jeyne, WiUiam Jillet, Joseph Jillon, P. Johns, Silas Johns, Thomas Johnson, Davis Johnson, Isaac Johnson, James Johnson, John Johnson, Joseph Johnson, Samuel Johnson, Uriah Johnson, William Johnston, Benjamin Johnston, Samuel Jones, David Jones, Evans Jones, Jacob Jones, James Jones, John Jones, Sguire Jones, Thomas Joy, Samuel June, Stephen Kader, Adam Kader, John Keaffer, WiUiam Keder, Stephen Keefe, Arthur Keefer, William Keeler, David Keeler,j Ebenezer KeUey, Dennis KeUey, Isaac KeUey, Robert 128 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Keljy, Maurice Kelly, Morris KeUy, Robert Kennedy, John Kenner, Jonathan Kenney, Charles Kenney, Jese Kenny, Charles Ketcham, John Ketcham,, Samuel Keynon, Robert Kiff, John Kilsey, John King, William Kinner, Jonathan Kinney, Charles Kinney, Elijah Kuffen„ James Ladoo, John Ladow, John Lamb, Isaac Lamb, Joshua Lambert, Cornelius Lambert, Joseph Lane, Jeremiah Lansing, John Larable, Elias Laraby, Elisha Lashier, Abraham Latham, John Lawrence, John Lawrence, Uriah Lawrence, W. Leak, J. Leawrance, Richard Lee, James Lee, Japath Lee, Seth Lee, William Lent, Hendrick Lent, Jacob Leonard, David Leonard, Edward Leopard, John Lepper, John Leveraga, Samuel Leverage, William Levey, Jacob Lewis, Henry Lewis, Jabez Lewis, Samuel Lhommedieu, Mulford Light, John Light, Lemuel LUey, John Linch, John Lincfa, Laurence Lines, Hosea Link, Henry Lion, Hosea Liscomb, Isaac Liscomb, Samuel Little, William Livingston, Dick Livingston, Richard Lloyd, James Loanis, John, Lock, John Lockwood, Azariah Lockwood, Hezekiah Lodcwood, Israel Lockwood, Jonathan Lockwood, Nathan Lockwood, Reuben Lodovick, Peter Loeson, Laurence Longworth, Isaac Looper, James Loper, Abraham Love, John Love, Waiiam Love joy, Andrew Lovelis, George Lovelis, Jeremiah Lownsberry, Nathaniel Lowree, William Ludliun, Daniel Ludlum, John Lufberry, Jonathan Lupton Lusee, E. Lusk, Jacob Lusk, Michael Lusk, William Lwinas, Herry Mabee, Tobias McAlester, William Macaulay, Charles McCaffety, James McCarty, Dennis McCauley, Charles McCharlesworth, John McCIain, John McClarien, David McCIean, Neal McClow, Joseph McColister, WiUiam McCollem, John McCollum^ Malcom McColum, John McCracken, John McCuIlough, Andrew McDaniel, John McDole, John McDoll, John McDonald, John McDonald, Michael McDougall, D. McDowal, WiUiam McDowel, John McElley, John McEntach, WiUiam McEvers, John McFairley, WiUiam McFaU, David McGUles, Hugh McGUori, Fergus McGowin, Duncan McGready, James Mcintosh, WiUiam McKee, Michael McKiel, Adam MackrUl, Richard McLain, Hugh McMannuss WilMam McMicken, Ebenezer McNeal, Charles McNeil, Charles THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 129 McNeil, Thomas McOlister, Alexander McPherson, Lawrence McWhorster, John Mahane, Patrick Mahone, James Mahony, Cornelius Main, Robert Makraback, Dyke Maloy, John Mapes, John Marchant, Able Mark, G. Marks, Aholiab Marling, Deliverance Marr, James Marray, Warren Marsh, Benjamin Marshal, Amon Marshall, James Martin, Archibald Martin, James Martin, Michael Martin, Samuel Marvin, Stephen Mason, Francis Mason, Thomas Masson, Francis Masters, Jonathan Matthews, Henry Mattlson, Aaron Maxwell, ComeUus Mead, David Meaker, Daniel Medler, Chri'stian Medler, Christopher Meed, Ezekeel Meeker, TJzual Meesy, Benjamin Merrill, Joseph Merrit, Ebenezer Merrit, Luke Merry, Benjamin Metzger, John Midler, Christ'r MiUer, Benjamin Millar, John Miller, Frederick Miller, George Miller, Jesse Miler, Jack MiUer, John MiiUer, Justus Miller, Lewis Miller, Peleg Miller, Peter Miller, William Miler, Zephaniah Milles, Jesse Mills, Andrew Mills, James Mingos, Haronlmus Mink, Johannes Minks, John Mires, John Mitchel, Greorge Mitchel, Samuel Mitchel, William Money, WilUam Moody, James Mooney, William Moore, Frederick Moore, John Moore, Joseph Moore, Robert Moore, Thomas More, Martin More, Robert More, Thomas Moreign, Alex Morpeth, William Morrel, James Morrel, Jesse Morrel, John Morrell, WiUiam Morris, Edward Morris, Robert Morrison, Dimcan Morse, John Mosher, John Moss, David Moulton, Cato Moulton, Josiah Moulton, WiUIam Mount, Thomas Mow, James Mucklow, Joseph Mulford, Samuel Mulliner, Moses Munday, James Munn, Benjamin Munroe, Peter Murfe, John Murn, Muhel Murphy, Daniel Murphy, James Myer, Christ'r G. •Myers, David Myers, Zach Nail, Henry Neal, Henry Neder, John Neelson, W. Neilson, Thomas Nelson, Thomas Neves, W. Newman, Abraham Newman, Jeremiah Newman, Joshua Nevraian, N. Nichols, James Nickols, Isaac Nicols, Simon Nipper, John Nogert, John Norstrandt, James Norton, Abel Norton, Calvin Norton, George Norton, Sible Nostrander, James Nostrant, George Notingham, Lewiis Nucom, Thomas O'Brien, James O'Brion, Paul Ogden, David Ogden, John 130 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Ogden, Jonathan Ogilsvie, John OgstrandeT, Peter O'Kie, A. Olden, Daniel Onderdunck, Abraham O'Neal, Thomas Orr, William Orsor, Abraham Orsor, Edward Osbom, Abraham Osborne, Henry Osburn, D. Osterout, Gilbert Ostrander, Henry Ostrander, James Ostrander, Peter Owen, Moses Owens, Ameziah Owens, Elisha Owens, Terrence Pain, Silas Palmer, Amaziah Palmer, Isaac Palmer, James Palmer, Jonathan Palmer, Silas Palmiteir, John Pangbourn, John Fangbourn, William Pangbum, John Pangburn, William Pardy, Nathaniel Parent, Nathaniel Parisoneous, J. Park, John Park, Robert Parker, Ebenezer Parker, Joseph Parks, John Parks, WiUiam Parsells, Matthew Parshall, James Parsong, Charles Paterson, Simon Paid, Joseph Peck, Nathan Peirce, Thomas Peirson Pell, John Pembrook, W. Pemderson, John Pendle, Jonathan Pennear, Peter Penney, John Pennoyer, Jesse Penoyer, Israel Penton, Amos Perkins, Thomas Perlee, Edmond Perry, David Pershall, James Persons, John Peterson, Simeon Pettit, Abraham Pettit; Daniel Pettit, Samuel Phillips, David PhUlips, Jonathan Pickle, Henry Pickle, John Henry Pierce, Thomas Pierson Piggs, Richard Pinyard, WiUiam Place, Christopher Place, James Plank, Nicholas Plass, Michel Plans, Peter PUmley, William Plosser, Peter Plumb, Stephen Poimer, Peter Polamater, John Pollard, Thomas Pdlly, Hugh Pond, Samuel Post Post, Samuel Potter, George Potter, William Poular, John Powd, Vinson Presher, Abraham Presher, WUliam Preston, Benjamin Pride, J. Prim, Azariah Prime, Peter Primm, Peter Prior, Abner William Futman, William Quant, Henry Quinded, David Quinn, Thomas Racket Racket, Noah Raigins, William Raimond, Benjamin Rainey, Jeremiah Ramis, James Randall Nathaniel Randle, Moses Randle, Seith Raney, John Ransier, George Ray, Charles Raymond, James Raynor, Ichabod Reader, Jacob Reed, Gceorge Reed, James Reed, John Reeve, Luther Reeves, Israel Reives, Nathaniel Renny, Jesse Reymond, lisaac Reynolds, Briggs Reynolds, David Reynolds, Ebenezer Reynolds, Eli Reynolds, James Reynolds, John Rejmolds, Timothy Rice, Ezekiel Rice, Samuel THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 131 Rich, Henry Richards, David Richards, John Riggs, Daniel Ritchie, Alexander Ritchie, Isaac Roader, Jacob Roads, Jacob Roberds, Edmun Roberts, Amos Roberts, John Robertson, James Robins, Evans Robinson, Andrew Robinson, D. Robinson, James Robinson, Matthias Robinson, Peter Rockwell, Ebenezer Rodgers, Own Roe, John Roe, Lemon Roe, SiUeman Roe, Simon Rofft, Aaron Rogers, John, Sr. Rogers, John, Jr. Rogers, Owen Rogers, William Romer, Benjamin Romer, Peter Roome, Benjamin Roomer, Hendrick Rose, Andrew Rose, Jonathan Rosman, Adam Rosman, Henry Rosman, Philip Ross, Aaron Ross, Nathaniel Ross, Waiiam Rossell, Thomas Rough, Conrade Row, John Row, Simon Rowland, Philip Rowland, Thomas Ruland, Jehiel Rundle, David Runnels, Abijah Runnels, Joseph Russsell, Jonathan Russigue, Abraham Russle, W. Sage, Allen Sagor, John St. Lawrence, George Salmon Salmon, Absalom Salyer, Zaccheus Sanderson, James Sandford, Daniel Sandford, John Sanford, Daniel Sattally, Richard Saxton, Gilbert Sayrs, Nathaniel Scantling, Jeremiah Scates, James Schofleld, Samuel Schofleld, Silas Schofleld, Smith Schouten, Henry Schouten, John Schriver, Jacob N. Schut, Frederick Schui^ James Schut, Tennis Scott, Alexander Scott, Elijah Scott, Henry Scott, James Scott, John Scott, "William Sloulen, H. Scriver, Christian Scriver, Henry Scutt, William Sealey, Joseph Seaman, Moses Seaton, Rufus Seeds, George Seers, Joseph Seward, John Shannon, Robert Shatton, David Shaw, John Shaw, Michael Shaw, Peleg Shay, M. Shea, Philip Shear, Lodiwick Shelp, Joseph Sherkeys, J. Sherwood, Micajah Shevalier, John Sibbio, Thomas •Sickler, Coonradt Sickler, Mitthias Sicknar, Jacob Simmons, Caleb Simmons, E. Simmons, John Simmons, Joshua Simmons, Samuel Sinnott, Patrick Sisco, Dick Sisco, Philip Sitzer, Barrant Size, Gilbert V. Slason, Stephen Slosson, Ambs Slutt, A. Slutt, M. Slutt, W. Sly, William SmaUy, Timothy Smith, Benjamin Smith, Caleb Smith, David Smith, Ebenezer B. Smith, Ebner B. Smith, Ezekiel Smith, Gersham Smith, Gideon Smith, liSaac Smith, James Smith, John 132 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Smith, Joseph Smith, Josiah Smith, Moses Smith, Nathan Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Obediah Smitd, R. Smith, Samuel Smith, Solomon Smith, Thaddeus Smith, WiUlam Snadiker, Moses Snedeker, Moses Snowden, John Snyder, Peter Southerland, James Speed, George Speed, Henry Spicer, Jacob Sprage, Alexander Spring, Nathaniel Springer, Isaac Springston, Jacob Squire, Jacob SquirreU, Jacob Stagg, Adam Stagg, John Stalker, S. Standish, Amos Stanford, John Stanley, Daniel Staples, Nathan Stebbins, Lewis Steen, William Steenborgh, Peter Steeples, Nathan Stephans, Jessee Stephens, John Stephens, Justice Stephens, Thomas Stewart, John Still, James Still, John Stitt, iohn Stokes, William Stone, Asa Stone, David Storms, Abraham Stratten, Samuel Streat, H. Streat, W. Stringham, Henry Strong, John Strong, William Stuard, John Sturdifent, Jonathan Suckinut, John Suffrin, George Suitt, William Sullivan, James Swan, Robert Swartwout, Henry Swartwout, John Swartwout, William Sweed, William Sweet, Amos Sweet, Benoni Sweet, George Sweet, John Sweet, John, Jr. Sweet, Nathan Sweet, Robert Swift, Ambrose Talmadge, John Talmage, Joseph Tappen, Daniel Tappen, N. Tarrent, Thomas Tattenton, Jeptha Taylor, Jasper Taylor, Joseph Taylor, Oliver Taylor, William Teatter, John Teller, J. Ter Boss, J. Terboss, Simon Terbush, C. Terbush, Simon Terry, Elijah Terry James Terry, Samuel Thaire, J. Thomas, G. Thomas, John Thomas, Richard Thompson, Benjamin Thompson, EUas Thompson, James Thompson, John Thompson, Richard Thompson, WiMiam Thomson, Zebulon Thorp, Peter Tice, John Tice, Joseph Tieman, Peter Tinkler, Henry Titus, Isaac Titus, James Titus, Jonathan Tompkins, Edward Tompkins, Nathaniel Tool, John Topping, Daniel Town, Jacob Townsend, Absolom Toy, Samuel Traver, Francis Traver, Nicholas Travess, Jacob Travis, Silvanus Travis, Robert Trewilleger, J. Trim, Azariah Trowbridge, James Tubbs, Stephen Tubee, John Tucker, John Tucker, Joishua Tucker, Samuel Turn, David Tuman, David Tuman, Peter Tuman, Peter, Jr. Turner, Joseph Turrel, Jones Tuthill, James THE REVOLUTIONAHY WAK. 133 Tuttle, Moses Tyler, Shuble Underdunk, T. Unter, Josiah Upton, Benjamin Utley, Ase Utter, Joseph Utter, William "Vail, Thomas Vallentlne, Gab'r Valts, Coonrod Van Allen, J. Vanarter, James Van Benscoten, Elias Vandebogart, John Van Debogart, Minard Van DeBogart, Myndert Vandemark, G Vandervort, Jacob Vandevour, John Vandu'Sen, Peter Van Etten, Peter Van Gelder, Isaac Vanhoosen, Rinier Van Hooser, Rynier Van Horn, John Van Houten, John Van Hoven, Ryner Vanlene, R. Vanline, J. Van North, John Vancore, Philip Van Size, Gilbert Van Steenbergh, Peter Vantassellj Isaac Van tassell, John Van Volkenborgh, Francis Van Wicklen, Fred- erick Vanworma, Cornelius Vanna, Vincent Venier, Peter Vise, Daniel Voh, Peter Vonck, Henry Vredenburgh, James Wade, Elia Wait, Christopher Walker, Edward Walker, Mathew Walker, Matthias Wall, John Wallace, Benjamin Wallice, Uriah Waner, KiUean Ward, Abijah Ward, Jadoc Ward, Robert Ward, Zedock Warden, Benard Waring, Newman Warner, Martin Warson, Thomas Washburn, Joel Waterbury, Ely Watkins, William Watson, Thomas Watson, William Wattaker, Edward Wattles, William Weaver, John Webb, Ebenezer Webb, Silvanus Webster, Joseph Weed, Abijah Weed, Gilbert Weed, John Drew Weed, Nathan Weed, S. Weeks, James Weeks, John Weeks, Jonathan, Jr. Weeks, Macejah Weiss, Daniel Welch, Elijah Welch, Ephraim Welch, Henry Welch, Isaac Welch, James Welch, John Welch, Joseph Welch, Luke Welch, Thomas Welch, William Wells, Calvin Wells, Elijah Wells, P. WeUs, William Wentworth, James West, Ase West, Jacob West, Joseph West, William Westfall, Levi Whaley, Samuel Whaley, Timothy Wheeler, James *Wheeler, John Wheeler, S. Wheeler, Thomas Whipple, Nathan White, Ephraim White, George White, Henry White, John White, Samuel Curran White, Stephen White, Thomas Whitehead, Aaron Whitehead, Isaiah Whitehead, William Whitman, John Whitney, Jacob Wickham, Stephen Wicks, James Wicks, Jonathan Wiggins, WiUiam Wilcout, W. Wildley, Edward Wiley, Edward Wilkinson, Robert Wilks, Willis Williams, Aaron Williams, Abiah Williams, Adam Williams, Charles Williams, David 134 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Willams, John Williams, Peter Williamson, James Willis, Abraham Willis, David Willis, W. WiUis, J. Wilsee, H. Wilson, John WUson, Michael Wilson, Nathaniel Wilson, Samuel WUson, W. WUson, Walter WOtice, Joseph Winass, Silas Winchall, Samuel WincheU, James Witteker, Edward Wood, Jacob Wood, John Wood, Matthew Wood, Nathan Wood, Samuel Wood, William Wood, Zopher Woodruff, David Woodruff, Jeremiah Woodruff, Joshua Woodruff, William Word, Abijah Worden, Darious Worden, James Wordin, Shubel Worpeth, WiUiam Wright, John Wyer, Jeremiah Yarrington, WiUiam Yeoman, EUezer Youmans, Eleazer Youmans, Jonas Youmans, Jones Young, Isaac Young, John Young, Thomas Yurks, Harmanus Zedmond, Bartho'w The four regiments composing the Continental Line were brigaded under that gallant officer, General Richard Montgomery of Rhine- beck, and in September of '75 marched away to Canada with orders to secure possession of the Canadian government. After capturing St. John and Montreal, Montgomery garrisoned the conquered towns, and proceeded with his regiment, now reduced to three hundred men, against Quebec. On the march he was reinforced by the troops lead by Col. Benedict Arnold. Montgomery assumed command of the whole force, which did not exceed nine hundred eifective soldiers. For three weeks he besieged the town with his handful of men. Before daybreak on the 31st of December, 1776, he determined to stake every- thing on an assault. Dividing his little army into four columns, he led the first division in an attack on the Lower Town in the neighbor- hood of the citadel. A battery lay just before, and it was thought the gimners had not discovered the assailants. "Men of New York," said the brave Montgomery, "you wiU not fear to follow where your General leads ! Forward !" As the Americans rushed forward, the battery burst forth with a storm of grape-shot. Montgomery and both his aids fell dead. The men, heartbroken at the death of their beloved General, staggered a moment, then fell back, and returned to Wolfe's Cove, above the city. Arnold who attacked the town on the north was also severely wounded. Of the men from Dutchess who lost their Hves in this cam- paign there is, of course, no record. The worst calamity was the THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 135 death of General Richard Montgomery. Even in England it was men- tioned with sorrow. Born of an illustrious Irish family, he became a soldier in his boyhood. He had shared the toils and the triumph of Wolfe. To the enthusiasm of a warm and affectionate nature he joined the highest order of mihtary talents and the virtues of an exalted character. In July, 1773, he married Janet, eldest daughter of Rob- ert R. and Margaret (Beekman) Livingston of Rhinebeck. Some years after the death of Gen. Montgomery, his widow erected a mansion just south of Annandale in the town of Red Hook, and, in 1818, from a portico of this building she watched the remains of her husband, which had been disinterred and borne from Canada under a mihtary escort, conveyed by the steamboat Richmond, to the final resting place beneath the chancel of St. Paul's Church in New York City. 136 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER XI. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. MtrsTEB, R01.1.S. ACCORDING to the rolls of the State, Dutchess county had seven regiments during the war, which included a regiment of "Minute Men," under command of Col. Jacobus Swart- wout. Ezekiel Cooper also commanded a company of sixty-six men, known as Cooper's Rangers. The militia was called out when wanted, kept as long as wanted, and the soldiers then sent to their homes. Sometimes a regiment would be called out half a dozen times in the course of a year, and for half a dozen days at a time, and again it might not be needed in the entire year. The regiment of Minute Men and the Sixth Regiment, com- manded respectively by Colonels Jacobus Swartwout and Morris Gra- ham, took part in the battles of White Plains and Harlem. Officers and men seem to have often served in different organiza- tions. A change in the arrangement of the miUtia caused many transfers of officers of the regiments and in their companies during the two years following the original organization in 1775; numerous resignations followed. This has led to much confusion in the records. The names of the officers and enlisted men of the regiments raised in Dutchess as they stand on the pubhshed roll in "New York in the Revolution," follows — except the privates in Col. Frear's regiment, of which no record can be found. These names were compiled by the State from that highest of sources, the original muster and pay-rolls, and are the same as have been transcribed and placed in the records of the War Department at Washington. The orthography in the original manuscript has been adhered to, and a blank line inserted where uie letters were undecipherable. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 137 REGIMENT OF MINUTE MEN, JACOBUS SWARTWOUT, COLONEL. Captains — Stephen Duryee, Henry Goodwin, George Lane, Comfort Ludington, William Mott, William Perce, Abraham Schenck, Barnardus Swartwont, Israel Veal, Cornelius Van Wyck. " ^ ^ LiEUTEifANTs — Henry Bailey, John Berry, Nathaniel Butler, William Colkin, Jon- athan Crane, Benjamin Elliot, Joseph Garrisqn, Abraham Hiat, Jacob Horton, John Langdon, Andrew Lawrence, John Manroe, Henry Mott, Thomas Ostrander,. Charles Piatt, Nathaniel Smith, Isaac Townsend, Peter Van Bunschoten, John T. Van Kleak. Adoms, Jesse Adreanse, Thead VAkerby, Benjamin Allen, Jorge Anderson, eth Appleyee, Coonraad Ashbe, Zebulon Askin, WiUiam Aslen, Abm. Aubley, William Babcock, eph Bailey, Daniel Bailey, Ebenezer Bailey, Elias Baker, Eleazer Baker, Elisha Baker, Joshua Baker, Francis Ball, Elephalet Barker, Richard Barkins, avid Barnes, Henry Bamhard Barns, Will Barse, Zebulen Bartley, hall Pels Baxter, Thomas Bell, Henry Bennet, Elihu Benny, John Bently, Joseph Berger, Andrew Berry Beugus, Thomas Billings, John EKLISTED MEN. Birdall, Jacob Bishop, Joshua Bishop, Livy Boga — —, Peter Bokardus, Lewis Bolt, Moses Bonker, Dolf Boyd, mes Boyington, Solomon Bozworth, Hezekiah Bradley, Nathan Branah, James Brill, Jacob, Jr. Brinckerhoff, Hen Brisbend, James Brock, William Brower, Charles Brower, Hindrick Brower, Lazareth Brower, Rodolphus Brown, Stephen Brumsfleld, James Brustead, William Bimschout, Elias C. Burbanks, Noah Burch, David Burch, Jeremiah ' Burch, Silas Burdsill, Jacob Burges, Thomas Burlonon, Feamot Burnet, Isaac Burnett, Peter Byington, Solomon Camfield, James Carl, Joseph Carman Carman, John Champenois, Daniel Champlin ^hamplin, Joshua, Jr. Chapman, Enoch Chapman, Samuel Chase, Seth Christian, Zechariah Christie, John Clapp, Benjamin Clark, Joshua Clark, Stephen Cole, Andrew Colkens, Eli Conner, John Cornell, Samuel Cornwell, Sylvenus Corsa, Abrah Corsa, Isaac Courtright, John Craft, Caleb Crane, Ira Croft, Jacob Crowfoot, William Crumwell, Aac Currer, Elijah Curtis, Andrew Dart, Hozell Davids, John Davis, David Davison, James Davison, John Dean, Stephen 138 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Degrote, John Dervoort, Sam L. Dimmick, Shubal Disbrow, David Dodge, Will Dollaway, Jerem DoUaway, WiUiam Downen, Cornelius Doxey, Amos Draper, John Draper, Joseph Drew, WiUiam Dmiekin, John Dutcher, David Edams, Joseah Ede, Joshua Edget, John Egelston, James Elderkin, James Eldige, Jonathan Eldridge, Elisha Eldridge, Michael EUembatz, Eman'l Elliott, Abn. ElweU, Ezra ElweU, Jabes, Jr. Emegh, Jeremiah Evens, John Evens, Thomas Fairchild, Nathaniel Fetch, Jerry Fileow, Enoch Fileow, Phineas Finch, Ruben Force, Timothy Forgason, Abram Forguson, Samuel Foster, David Poster, John Foster, Thomas Fowler, Austin Fowler, Isaac Frear, raham, Jr. Frear, Thomas Frost, *rhomas, Jr. Frost, William Fuller, Isaac Fullmore, Jasper Garrison, Abraham Gedeons, Joseph Gee, John Gielwack, Michel Gifford, Samuel GifFord, William Goldin, Rob GoodfeUow, Wffl Griffen, Isaac GrifFen, William Giigory, Daniel Grigory, Josiah Halsted, Thomas Halsted, WiU Harris, Peter Harriss, Mendt Hawkins, James Hawkins, Samuel Hayburn, John Heacock, John Hempstead, Nathaniel Henkly, Josiah Hervy, Peter Heucldy, Isaac Hicks, Jacob Hicks, Nathaniel Higbee, William Hill, Antiney Hill, ^bert Hitchcock, Joseph Hoeg, Nathan HofF, Abraham HojEFman, Charles Hopkins, Thacher Howe, William Howes, Moody Hoyt, Michael Hubbard, Joseph Huff, Gamaliel Huling, Walter Hunt, Jessee Hunt, William Hutchings, John Hyatt, Steve Ingersol, ^pheus Jewet, John Johnson, James Johnson, Sabin Jones, Jeremiah Jones, ^lias Jones, Nathan Jordan, John Judd, Ebenezer Keating, Isaac Keelar, Ezra, Jr. KeUy, Shubal King, Jacob King, Richard Kipp, Hanry Kipp, Matthew Kipp, Pater Kirkem, Seth Koonts, Nicholas, Jr. KsnifSn, Amos Laine, Jacob Lake, Benjamin Lamb, Joseph Lane Latson, James, Jr. LaughUn, Hugh Lawrance, John Lawson, Isaac Leggett, Abraham Lent, Ab'm Lent, Abraham A. Lent, James Lent, Peter Lewis, Thomas Lossen, And Lossen, Richard Lossing, Pater Q. Loveless, Joseph Ludington, Stephen Lyons, James McCavey, Edward McChucking, Thomas McColm, ^mes McCreedy, James, Jr. McCullough, And McCutchen, Rob EDWARD M. GORING. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 139 McGragor, unian McLoud, Alexander McNeil, ry Malties, — ^m'l Manrow, Justice Maston, Ezekiel Mathews, Justice Merrick, Done Merritt, David Miles, John Miles, Noah Miller, Godfrey Miller, John Miller, Solomon Mitchell, George Moe, Isaac Morehouse, John Morehouse, Samuel Morehouse, Stephen Morey, Lotrip Morfort, Peter Morgain, James Morgan, Reuben Morison, ^bald Morse, Phil Moure, David Murray, James Nelson, Paul Nichels, Epraim Nickerson, Eliphalet Nickerson, Mulfort Nicolls, Thomas Nikeson, Thomas Noortshant, Peter Noortsrant, George Nostrant, Johanes Oats, James Ockerman, Casparus Olmstead, Ebenezer Ornes, George Osborn, Peter Ouslin, Thorn Parker, Nathaniel Parks, Andrew Parks, John Parks, John ye 2d Parrash, Azariah Parrish, Silas Peacock, Peet, Abraham Pelse, hn Pelse, oen Perce, "William, Jr. Persons, Moses Philipse, Hen Pindle, Jonathan Plugh, Ihamus Point Polhamus, dan Polmeteer, Peter Pooler, Joseph Post, Absolom Potter, Gilbert Potter, Samuel Pudney, Francis Purdy, Abraham Rainey, John Recorde, Wetmore Reed, Aaron Reed, ohn Reynolds, hardson Reynolds, Jesse Rhynhart, Johanes Richards, James Robbards, Benjamin Roberts, Peter Robinson, Andrew Robinson, John Robinson, Jones Robinson, Lewis Robison, Andrew Roe, Benjamin, Jr. Romer, , Jr. Romyne as Roschrans, Peter Runals, David RuneUs, James Runnels, Jonathan Rush, Frederick Rynders, James Sabin, Elijah Saminds. Jacob Saris, Nathaniel Saunders, John Schonover, Peter Schonter, Andrew Scott, Timothy Serherve, John Shapprong, Jan Shared, William Shaw, Daniel Shaw, James Shear, Henry B. Shear, Lodwich Sherwood, Nathan Shutt, Fradrick Shutt, Simes Sickle, Fard C. • Sickler, George Simkins, Daniel SJack, ^ile »''^iecht, Ab SmaUee, James Smith, David Smith, Eph Smith, John Smith, John, Jr. Smith, Joseph, Jr. Smith, Joshua Smith, Nemiah Smith, Samson Smith, William Snedeker, James Snedeker, John Snider, Isaac Snyder, ^hn Soatpard, Benjamin Somes, Nathaniel Storm, Jacob Strickland, Samuel Surrine, Charles Swartout, Jacobus C. Swartout, Cornelius Sweet, John Sweet, Robert Talmen, ^kim Tanner, John Taylor, Gamiliel 140 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Taylor, John Ter Boss, Simon Terbus, Peter Tevinis, John Thomas, Daniel Thompson, Thomas Thorn, horn Totten, ^mes Townend, Joseph Townsend, Daniel Townsend, James Travis, Abrm. Travis, Silvanus Tripp, Othenial Underwood, Hen Utter, Amos Van Cleck, Bardard P. Van De Burg Van Deburgh, Henry I. Van De Burgh, Stephen Van Der Bogert, Peter Van Der Vort, Paul Van Devaters, Jacobus Van Devaters, James Van Stern Bergh, Simeon Van Tassel, John Van Vlerken, Benja- min Van Wagenar, John Varmiliah, John Vasdawl, Disak Virmilyan, William Wagoner, Tobias Wait, Christopher Ward, Daniel Ward, Samuel Wareing, Thadeus Waron, Tedes Way, Giddeon Weaver, Edward Weaver, Peter Weaver, William Webb, Henry Weddle, Robert Weeks, Abraham Weeks, Micajah Western, John Westervelt, Benjamin Westervett, Caspau- rac C. White, Daniel Whitney, Josiah Wickson, Solomon Wilis, Reuben Willcocks, Stephen WiUcox, Barnabas Willis, Thomas WilUss, Hen Wilsee, Grandus Winstead, Charles Wood, eph Wood, Solomon Wood, Timothy Woodard, Ephraim Woodard, Samuel Wooden, John Worden, Shuble Wester, William Wright, Daniel Wright, Gabriel, Jr. Wright, John Wright, Thomas Yames, Reuben Yeomans, John Yeomans, Jonas Young, Jacob DUTCHESS COUNTY MILITIA— SECOND REGIMENT. Colonel Abraham Brinckerhoff Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Griffen Major Andrew HiU Major Richard Van Wyck Adjutant Jacob Brinkerhoff Quarter Master William GoseUne Quarter Master Uriah Hill Quarter Master Isaac Sebring Quarter Master Cornelius Van Wyck Captais-s — George Brinkerhoff, George G. Brinkerhoff, John G. Brinkerhoff, Nicholas Brower, Joseph Horton, Abraham Lent, John Schutt, Thomas Storm, Evert W. Swart, James R. Swartwout, John Van Bunschoten, Matthew Van Bun- schoten, Isaac Van Wyck. Lieutenants — Cornelius Adriance, Robert Brett, John Cooper, Johannes Dewitt, Christian Dubois, Stephen Osborne, Benjamin Rosekrans, Jacobus Scautt, Abraham Schultz, William Swartwout, Robert Todd, Barent Van Claeck, Isaac Van Cleef, Barent Van Kleeck, Abraham Van Wyck, Francis Way, Johannes Wiltsie. Ensigns — ^Moses Barber, Jacob Bisse, Lawrence Haff, Charles Hoffman, Abra- ham Hageland, Abraham Ladue, Daniel Schenck, Jacob S. Swartwout, Jacobus Swartwout, James P. Swartwout. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 141 Ackarman, John Adriance, Cornelius Adriance, George Adriance, Isaac Adriance, John Adriance, Ram., Jr. Adriance, Rem Adriance, Theodorus Aldyck, John Algatt, WilUam Atgelt, John Algelt, William Altgelt, WiUiam Ammerman, Albert Annin, Daniel Annin, James Appelge, Coenrad Appilye Applee, Coenradt Atgelt, John Avery, John Backer, Jacob Bailey, John Bailey, Nathan BaUey, Sutton Baker, James Baker, Jesse Baker, Peter Baker, Thomas Baker, William Baldwin, Joseph Barber, John ^ Barber, Moises Barber, Stephen Barker, John Barker, Samuel Barkins, David Barnard, Thomas Barnes, Solomon Barnes, William Barns, John Bates, Stephen Bedel, Jesse Bedle, Jesse Beedle, John EITLISTED MEN. Bell, Henry Bell, John Benjamin, Chester Bennet, Joseph Berkinis, David Bernard, Thomas Berry, Nicholas Berry, Peter Bigbey, Christopher Bise, Simon Biship, Levi Bishop, Caleb Bishop, Joshua Bisse, Jacob Bloom, Benjamin Bloom, Sylvester Bocker, Adolph Boerum, Hendrick Boerum, Nicholas Boerum, William Bogardus, Cornelius Bogardiis, Francis Bogardus, Mathew Bogardus, Peter Bogardus, Shibboleth Bogart, Daniel Bogart, Ort Bogart, Peter Boice, Henry Boice, Simon Bomp, Joseph Boncker, Nathaniel Boncker, Stephen Bower, Daniel Bown, Joseph Brandage, James Brannah, James Brett, Francis B. Brett, Rambout Brett, Robert Brett, Theodorus Brewer, Charles Briggs, Caleb Brinckerho, Abraham J. Brinckerhoff, Abraham Brinckerhoff, Abra- ham I. Brinckerhoff, Abra- ham J. Brinckerhoif, Daniel BrinckerhofP, DerickJ. Brinckerhoff, Dirck BrinckerhofP, Dirck, Jr. Brinckerhoff, Dirck T. Brinckerhoff, George Brinckerhoff, Henry Brinckerhoff, Isaac Brinckerhoff, Jacob Brinckerhoff, John S. • Brock, Francis Brooks, William Brower, Daniel Brower, David Brower, Garret Brower, William Brown, Aron Brown, Jacob Brown, James Brown, Samuel Brown, Stephen Bruck Bruer, Wilam Brumfield, James Brush Budd, John Bump, Jacob Burhans, Peter Burlyson, Ferenot Burnet, Isaac Burroughs, James Bush, John Bush, Peter Bush, Zachariah Bussing, Abraham Butcher, Robert Byce, Henry Canfield, Daniel Canfield, James Canfield, Titus Canniff, John 142 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Canniff, Levi Carman, John Carman, Thomas Carpenter, Henry CaT7, John Cary, Joseph Chatfidd, WUUam Chnrchill, Edward Churchill, Isaac Churchill, Jacob Churchill, John Churchill, Jonas Churchill, Joseph Clapp, John Clark, Samuel Clarke, Matthew Cleyland, William Cochran, William CofSn, John Cole, Aaron Cole, Jacob Cole, Aron Comfort, Richard Compton, John Concklin, Elias Concklin, John Concklin, Lawrence Concklin, Matthew Concklin, William Connor, James Connor, John Connover, Benjamin Cook, John Cook, William Coons, Philip Cooper, Cornelius Cooper, Cornelius, J. Cooper, Jacob Cooper, John Cooper, Minderd Cooper, Obadiah Cooper, Obadiah I. Cooper, Obadiah J. CoOpma)!, Jacob Coopper, Doct Cooper, Obadiah Corker, John Rynas Cornell, John ComweU, Clement ComweU, Silvester Covenhoven, Adrian Covert, John Covint, John Cowenhoven, Benjamin Cowinhoverd, Adrjian Craft, Thomas Crandel, Abraham Crawford, William Crinck, Abraham Cronck, Abraham Cronck, Lawrence Cronk, Valam Cuer, Nathaniel Cuer, Samuel Cuer, William Culver, Dennis Cure, Matthew Currie, Archibald Currie, John Cushman, William Dannels, James Darlon, Jacobus Dates, John Datin, Corrinbary David, Henry Davis, John Davison, James Dayton, Hezekiah Dean, Stephen Deboisi Christian Deets, John Degraff, Moses Degraff, Simeon Degrutia, Elias Delamater, William Delaway, Jeremiah Demilt, Garret Demilt, Isaac Demitt, Garret Depue, Peter Devine, Asher Devoort, Samuel Dewitt, John Dewitt, Peter Dickinson, John H. Diness, Mynard DoUoway, Jeremiah Donalds, James Doxey, Stephen Dubois, Cornelius Dubois, Gideon Dubois, Jacob Dubois, Koert Dubois, Peter Dubois, Tennis Dubois, Thomas Duboys, Jacob T. Durtwater, Daniel Duryce, Abraham, Jrj. Duryee, Charles Duryer* Abraham Dutcher, Barnt Dutcher, David Dycker, David Eldred, William Ellis, Henry Elsworth, Ahasserus Eleworth, Alexander Emans, Jacobus Enness, James Every, John Farington, Joseph Parrel, Daniel Fawlor, Austin Ferhone, John Ferrington, Joseph Fitchout, John Flegler, Zachariah Flowers, Benjamin Flynn, Patrick Forbes, John Forguson, Samuel Fowlar, Joseph Garrison, Reuben Gault, Matthew Gauslin, William Gee, Jno. Gerow, Benjamin THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 143 Gerow, Daniel GUdersleeve, James Gildersleeve, Joseph GUdersleeve, Nathaniel Giles, WiUiam Godfellow, WiUiam Golnack, Michael Goodfellow, William GoTsline, Samuel GorsUne, WiUiam GosUng, Samuel GosUng, WiUiam Green, Ezekiel Green, Gilbert Green, Isaac Green, James Green, James, Jr. Green, Jeremiah Green, John Green, Joseph Green, Joseph, Sr. Green, Joseph, Jr. Green, Stephen GrifiSn, Cornelius Griffin, Isaac Griffin, Jacob Griffin, John Griffin, Joseph Griffin, Joshua Griffin, Peter Gue, Isaac Gulnack, Jacob Gulnecfc, Michael Haasner, Jacob Hageman, Francis Hageman, Jeremiah Hageman, Peter Haines, John Hair, Amos Hallett, R. Halstead, Thomas Halstead, William Halsted, Josiah Hames, John F. Hanly, Matthew Hanson, Aurt Hanson, John Hardenbergh, Dirck Hardenbergh, Garret Harris, Minderd Harsincise, Isaac Hart, Michal Hasbrook, Jacob Haskins, WiUiam Hasner, Jacob Hawk, John Baron Hayburn, John Heeremans, Henry Heermans, John Hegamen, Peter HeUker, John Hicks, John Hicks, Joshua Higbee, Flemming Higbee, Lemuel Higby, FlimmewiU Higby, Lemuel HUl Hilton, Joseph Hodge, Abraham Hoffman, Daniel Hogjaboom, Bartholo- mew Hogan, Edward Hoghtalen, John Holmes, Issac Holmes, William Homes, WiUiam Honson, John Hoogeboom, Barthol- omew Hoogland, Derick Hoogland, William Hoogtalen, John Horsuer, Jacob Horton, Gilbert Horton, Joseph Horton, Joseph P. Horton, Joshua Horton, Matthias J. Horton, Peter Hosher, Stephen Howard, Joseph Huff, Angel Huff, Lawrence Huffman, Daniel Hughson, Gabriel Hughson, John Hughson, WiUiam Hulst, Peter Humfrey, Henry Hutchings, Jacob Hutchins, Benjamin Hyer, Walter Innes, James Innis, Peter •Isaac, Burnet Jackson, Joseph Jarepenning, John Jarow, Daniel Jarowe, Benjamin JerwiUinger, Jerean JeweU, Abraham JeweU, George JeweU, John Johnson, James Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Robert Jones, David Kappelye, Issac KeUy, WiUiam Kennedy, Henry KerriUy, Daniel Kershon, Isaac Ketcham, Titus King, WUliam Kip, John Kipp, Abraham Klump, Zachariah Knapp, Shadrack Kniffen, Jonathan Kniver, Jacob Kronk, James Ladeau, Daniel Ladeu, Nathaniel Ladeu, Oliver Ladew, Abraham 144 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Ladua, William Ladue, Peter Lane, Gilbert Lane, Gilbert, Jr. Lane, Jacob Lane, Jesse Lane, Joseph Lane, Joshua Lane, William Lane, WiUiam, Jr. Landgon, Jonathan Lany, William, Jr. Larry, Jno. Lattemore, Thomas Lattin, Ambrose Lawrence, John Lean, Joseph Lieavy, John Ledeau, William, Sr. Ledue, Daniel Lee, Jonathan Leghtatn, John Lent, Abraham, Jr. Lequiere, Abraham Leroy, Francis Leroy, Peter Leroy, Simon Lerye, WiUiam Light, William Light, Woilsey Linderbeck, John Lisk, Benjamin Losee, Abraham Losee, Abraham L. Losee, Jacob Losee, John A. Losee, Simeon Low, Jno. Low, John Luckey, Samuel Ludenton, Steapen Ludington, Stephen Luord, Josiah Luyste^ Dirck Luyster, Peter Lyster, Garret McBride, John McCaby, Edward MacCrady, James McCredy, James McCudgeon, Robert McKaby, Dennis McKeeby, Darius McKeeby, WiUiam McKeely, Edward McKeUy, WUliam MeManness, Michael McNeal, Henry Major, James Mannery, WiUiam Marcius, C. Marston, Aurt Marten, Aert Marten, Peter Martense, Adrian Martin, Ezekiah Martin, Gershom Martin, Jeremiah Martin, Thomas Masten, Aert Mastin, Ezechiel Maxfield, James Mead, David Meddagh, Aurt Medew, Lewis Meed, Jeremiah Meger, WilUam Menema, John Meritt, Joseph Mestin, Aurt Meyer, Abraham Meyer, James Meyer, Peter Middagfa, Aurt Middagh, James Miels, Bennajah Miels, Noah Miles, John Miles, Noah MiUer, Ezra MiUer, James Miller, PhiUp Mills, Benajah MUls, Robert Mogar, Caleb Moger, William Monfoort, Albert Monfoort, Domenicus Monfoort, Elbert, Jr. Monfoort, John Monfoort, John C. Monfoort, Peter Monfort, Elbert Monfort, John P. Monger, William Monson, George Montanye, Benjamin Morse, Joseph Mortisa, Adriaan Munfort, Adrian Myer, Abraham Myer, Adolph Myer, Jacob Myer, John Myer, John, Jr. Myer, John Dikman Meyer, Peter Myer, William Myers, Abraham Naddue, Lewis NeaUy, Samuel Neeley, Rolette Neepes, Abraham Nelson, Paul Nettleton, Amos Newton, Charles Nifer, Jacob Noorstrant, John Noorstrant, Peter Norstrand, Cornelius Norstrand, Jacobus Norton, Peter Nostrand, George OdiMa, WiUiam Oestrande, Cornells Ogden, Benjamin Ogden, Joseph Osbern, Richard THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 145 Osborn, Doct Osborn, James Osborn, Peter Osborn, Richard Osborn, Samuel Ostram, John, Jr. Ostrander, Cornelius Ostrander, Henry Ostrom, John Outwater, Daniel Paddock, Peter Palen, Hendriek Palen, Peter Paling, Peter Palm, Hendriek Palmetier, Petrus Pardon, Thomas Parker, Joseph Parker, Nathaniel Pating, Hennery Patterson, Abijah Peck, Joseph Peck, Oliver Petet, Ebenezer Pettit, David Phlips, James Philips, Ralph, Jr. Philips, Roelof Philips, William Philips, WiUiam C. Phillips, Abraham Phillips, David Phillips, Henry Phillips, Jacobus Pierce, Richard Pine, Philip Pine, Robert Pine, Silvanus Pine, Thomas Pollock, William PoUom, Tice Post, Joseph Potten, Danel Pudney, Cornelius Pudney, Francis Pudney, John PuUick, John PuUick, William Purdy, Elisha Purdy, Gilbert Purdy, Joseph Purdy, Nathaniel Quan, John Rantsier, Andrew Rapalgee, John Rapelsee, Isaac Rayer, Daniel Raynor, Daniel Reynolds, Andrew Right, Daniel Robinson, Jonas Roe, Benjamin Roe, Daniel Roe, David Rogers, Joseph Rogers, Micah Rogers, Michael Rogers, Piatt Rogers, Robert Rogers, Uriah RoU, Henry Romer, John Rosekrans, Benjamin Rosekrans, John Rosekrans, Peter Rosekrans, Thomas; Roukrans, Dirck Rowland, Mai^n Runnels, Andrew Ryce, Peter Rycel, Peter Ryder, Caleb Ryer, Tunis Ryndass, John Ryness, Abraham Ryness, Andrew Ryness, John Sackett, Ananias Santon, William Schenck, Daniel Schenck, Philip Schenck, Roeloff Schounhover, Peter Schouten, CorneUus Schouten, Ephraim Schouten, John Schouten, Simon Schouten, William Schouter, Cornelius Schutt, Abraham Schutt, James Schutt, John, Jr. Schutt, Joseph Schutt, Stephen Schutt, Tennis Scofield, Silvanus Scot, Walter Scouten, Andrew Scouten, Andris Scouten, Ephraim Scouten, Johannes Scouten, John Scouten, Simon Scouten,William Scutt, Dennis, Scutt, Joseph Sebring, Cornelius Sebring, Isaac Secord, Isaac Secord, Josiah Seton, Heskieh Shaff, Frederick Shear, Abraham Sherer, James Shevling, John Shults, Christopher Shute, Aron Sickles, John, Jr. Skutt, Teunjs Slack, William -Sleight, Abraham ^Sleight, John flight, Abraham, Jr. Sloot, John Smith, Isaac Smith, Jacob Smith, John Smith, Joseph 146 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Smith, Joseph, Jr. Smith, Joshua Smith, Martin Smith, Maurice Smith, Morris Smith, Richard Smith, Sylvester Smith, WilUam Snider, George Snider, Moses Sodem, John Soden, John Somendyke, Jacob Somemdike, William Somes, Nathaniel Somes, Richard Somes, Stephen Southard, Gilbert Southard, Henry Southard, Isaac Southard, John Southard, John, Jr. Southard, Richard Southard, Thomas Southerd, Jones Spence, John Spencer, John Stanton, William Storm, Isaac Storm, John Sutton, Joseph Swartwort, James Swartwout, Cornelius Swartwout, John Swartwout, Richard Swartwout, Samuel Swartwout, Thomas TaUman, Timothy Tanner, Zopher Tarpennye, John Taylor, Stephen Teller, Oliver Terbosh, Abraham TerBush, Luke Tercoss, William Terhune, John Terhune, Daniel Terpanning, John Terwilger, Juryan Thatcher, Stephen Theal, Joseph Thomas, Johnson Thompson, Ezra Thorn, Gershom Thurston, Benjamin Thurston, James Totten, Daniel Traverse, Nathaniel Tremper, Michael Turhune, Abraham Turhune, John Turner, Alexander Turner, Elljck Vail, Isaac VaU, Jesse Van Amburgh, Abra- ham Van Banech, Jacob Van Benchoten, , James Van Bomal, Christo- pher Van Bomelj Peter Van Bonnel, Christ- offel Van Bosnel, Peter Vanbumble, Stuffl Van Bumbler, Peter Van Bunchoten, Jacob Van Bunchoten, Tennis Van Bunchoten, Teu- nis, Jr. Vanclackren, Mari- nus T. Van Cleck, Boltis B. Van Cleef, Michael Van Cots, John Van Cott, Daniel Van Crob, Abraham Vancuran, Casparus Vandeburgh, Abram Van Der BUt, Aart Van Derbilt, P. Vandervoort, Jacobus Vandervoort, John Van Der Voort, Sam- uel Vander Water, John Vande Water, Adolph Vandewater, Harman Van Dewater, James Vandewort, Peter Van Duwnter, John Vand Water, James Vandworter, Jacobus Van Erway, Jacob Van Every, Edde Van Every, Jacob Van Flack, Henry Van Kerse, John Van Keuren, Matthew Van Kleack, Bar- rant B. Van Kleeck, Baltus Van Kleeck, Barent A. Van Kleeck, Barn- ard C. Van Kleeck, Bamet Van Kleeck, Michael Van Kuren, Caspowres Van Leyse, I. Van Norstrant, John Van Nortstrant, Cor- nelus Van Siclen, John Van Steenberger, Cor- nelius Van Steenbergh, Cor- nelius Vantassel, Henry Vantassil Jacob Van Tassill, John Vantiers, William Vantine, Abraham Vantine, Cornelius Van Tine, William Van Valen, Daniel Van Valen, Jeremiah Van Valen, John JOHN P. RIDER. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 147 Van Valer, Moses Van Velen, Ede Van Veler, Daniel Van Vlack, Baient Van Vlack, John H. Van Vlack, Merinus Van Vleck, John Van Vleck, Merine Van Vleckren, Abra- ham Van Vleckren, George Van Vleckren, Henry Vanvleckren, Marinus Van Vleckren, Marin- us T. Van Voorhees, Stephen Van Vooheis, Jero- nimus Van Voorhis, Abraham Van Voorhis, Jacob Van Voorhis, Jero- mus Van Voorhis, John Van Voorhis, Zacha- riah Van Wey, Cornelius Van Wyck, Abraham Van Wyck, Cornelius Van Wyck, John Van Wyck, John B. Van Wyck, Theodorus Vandle, James Vermilier, Benjamin Vermilya, John Vermuly, David Vermuly, Geraduis Vervalin, Daniel Vervalin, Jermiah Vervalin, John Vervalin, Moses Vestervals, John Voorhis, Jerom Waldron, Benjamin Waldron, Daniel Waldron, David Waldron, John Waldron, John P. Waldron, Peter Ward, Daniel Ward, James Ward, William Washburn, Isaac Waters, John Watts, John Way, Frederick Way, George Way, Gideon Way James Way, John Way, Joost Webard, John Weed, John Wenn, William Westervalt, Albert Wesftervalt, John Westervelt, Elbert Westervelt, George Westervelt, Jacobus Westervelt, John Wibard, John Wille, James Wilsee, William Wiltse, Cornelius Wiltse, Joseph Watse, Peter Wiltsee, Hendrick Wiltsey, Geradus Wiltsie, WiUiam Wiltzee, Harmery Winn, Johnson Winn, Joseph Winslow, Samuel Wood, Isaac Wood, Jesse Wood, John Wood, Joseph Wood, Solomon Wood, Thomas Wool, Joseph Worshboum, Isaac Wright, Daniel Wright, Daniel, Jr. Wright John Wright, Thomas Wyckoff, John Yeomans, John Yerks, John Young, Abraham Young, John Zachrider, Moses DUTCHESS COUNTY MILITIA— THIRD REGIMENT. Colonel John Field Colonel Andrew Morehouse Major Jonathan Paddock Major Isaac TaUman Adjutant Solomon Crane Quarter Master Reuben Crosby Surgeon Joseph Crane, Jr. Captains — Azor Barnum, William Calkin, William Chamberlain, Peter Coon, Joseph Dykeman, David Hecock, James Marten, William Pearce, William Pine, Ichabod Ward. 148 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Lieutenants — Joshua Crosby, Daniel Doane, Elijah Oakley, Uriah Parrish, Ed- ward Penny, Thomas Sears, Valentine Wheeler, Luke Woolcut Ensiox — Nathan Green. Additional names on state treasurer's pay hooks. Lieut. Joseph Chandler, Lieut. Asa Haines, Ensign Benjamin Slocum. Anow, WiUiam Ashhy, Anthony Baker, Elisha Bald-win, David Barleson, Joel Bamum, Eliakum Barnum, Jonah Bamum, Noah Barnum, Stephen Benedict, Ebenezer Benedict, Stephen Benit, Amasa Bennet, Amacy Benson, William Birdsall, Elemuel Birdsall, Thomas Birlisson, Joel Bishnite, Frances Bradshaw, John Brewster, Pdatiah Brewster, PeU Brown, Israel Brown, Moses Bruster, Samuel Bumpus, James Burch, George Burch, Josiah, Sr. Burch, Josiah, Jr. Burch, Silas BuTJes, Thomas Burkler, Jabez Burlasand, Joel Burleson, Joel Burling, Gilead Burtch, Benjamin Cable, Piatt Calkin* Elias ENLISTED MEN. Campbell, Robert Cannon, Abraham Carle, John Carter, Jabez Chamberlain, John Chapman, Enoch Chapman, Thomas Chase, Bary Chase, Seth Chase, Thomas Clark, John Clinton, WiUiam Closson, Wilber Closson, William Codsshuer, Jonas Cole, Benjamin Cole, Sylvenus Concklin, John Cook, Moses, Sr. Cook, Moses, Jr. Coon, Jacob Coon, John Cornwell, David Covey, Joseph Covey, Walter Crandle, Jeremiah Crane, Ira Crane, William Croker, Timothy Crosby, Abner Crosby, David, Jr. Crosby, Elemuel Crosby, Elezer Crosby, Eli Crosby, James Crosby, John Crosby, Joseph Crosby, Josah Crosby, Lemuel Crosby, Moses Crosby, Obadiah Crosby, Reuben Crosby, Samuel Davis, Paul Dean, Elijah Dehnarter, Marting Doane, Elnatban Dyckman, Benjamin Ellis, Elijah EUis, Thomas Ellwell, Ezra Elwell, Jabez Elwell, John Elwell, Tabis, Jr. Evans, Thomas, Sr. Evens, Thomas Evens, Thomas, Jr. Ferris, Justus Field, Jesse Foster, David Foster, James Foster, John Foster, Samuel Fister, Seth Fox, Oliver, Jr. Franklin, Nathaniel Fuller, Jesse Gage, Alden Gage, Anthony Gage, Justus Gage, Mark Gage, Moses Gage, Silvanus Gay, Jason THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 149 Gilchrist, Samuel Gilchrist, Thomas Goodshed, Abner Grajr, Samuel Grean, John Green, Caleb Green, Isaac Green, Jeams Griffith, Done Hains, Asa HaU, Benaijah Hall, Benjamin Hall, Jesse HaU, John Hall, Martin Hall, Morten Hall, Samuel Hayden, Alpheus Hazard, Samuel Heaveland, John Hecock, Noah Hecocks, John Hempsted, Nathaniel Henman, Zachariah Heverland, John Higgins, Thomas, Jr. Hinckley, Elkanah Hinckley, Reuben Hinkley, Josiah Hoecee, Tademas Holladay, John HoUaway, Joseph Holley, Joseph Holliday, John Holliday, Simeon Holms, Joseph Honeyall, Mathias Hopkins, Berry Hopkins, John How, Garret Hunewill, Mathew Hunt, Thomas Johnston, Joseph Jones, Ebenezer Jones, Elias Jones, Ephraim Jones, Isaac Jones, Joseph Jones, Levi Jones, Nehemiah Jones, Samuel Jones, Thomas Kelley, David Kelley, Shoubel Kelly, Jonathan Kelly, Reuben Kelly, Sylvenus Kent, Moses Ketcham, Daniel Killey, Reuben Killey, Silvenas King, Caleb King, Myrick King, Nathaniel KUne, John Lincoln, Isaiah Lindsay, David Lockwood, Henry Lockwood, Solomon Marks, Holiab Marsee, Andrew Marsh, Elnathan Mash, Elnathan Mash, John Massy, Andrew Merick, Benjamin Merjerson, Thomas Mills, Benijah MiUs, WilUam C. Mirit, Gilburt Morehouse, Stephen Morrell, Abraham Mosh, John Mosiher, Johial Moshoell, Isaac Mott, Jacob Mott, Joseph Mott, Thomas Mott, William, Jr. Murch, George Murch, William Myrrick, Benjamin Nash, David Nicholsone, James Nickerson, James Nickerson, Thomas Nickerson, Thomas, Jr. Notter, William Nubery, Joseph Gates, James Olmstead, Ebenezer Osborn, Ezekiel Osterhout, Gideon Paddock, Nathan Palmer, Nickelous Palmer, William Penney, Ammiel Penney, John Penney, William Perkins, Elijah Perry, Samuel Perry, Simeon Petson, Andrew Philips, Joseph Philips, Joshua Pitcher, Benjamin Ragon, Thomas Raymond, Uriah Reed, Jacob Richardson, Isaac Rider, Christopher Rider, David Rider, John Rider, Simeon Rider, Simeon, Jr. Rinnalds, David Robert, Benjamin, Jr. Roberts, Benjamin Rockwell, Stephen Runnels, David Russel, Roland Ryder, Zenous Sabens, Billings Sackett, John St. John, Thomas Sampson, Abner Sealy, William Sears, Benjamin 150 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Sears, Enoch Sears, Peter Sears, Seth Sears, Seth, Jr. Sears, Stephen Shaw, Ichahod Sherman, Darius Slocum, Benjamin Slocmn, George Smith, Alpheus Smith, Jonathan Smith, Joseph Snider, Samuel Snow, William Spencer, Samuel Stark, Aamos Stark, Aaron Stark, John Starke, Henry Start, Aaron Stevens, Thomas Stone, David Stow, William Termillear, Phillip Thomas, Thomas Thompson, Daniel Thompson, Thomas Thornton, Thomas Townsend, Isaac Townsend, John Townsend, Solomon Tubbs, Benajah Twitchel, Benoni Utter, Aamos Utter, Ebenezer Vickrey, Thomas Wairing, John Webb, Noah Weed, John Wickson, Elijah Wickson, Elijah, Jr. WJkson* Ebenezer Willcocks, Rosel Willis, Charles Willis, Thomas Wilson, John Winger, Hendrick Winger, Samuel Wixon, Elijah Wixson, Isaac Wposter, William Wright, Edmund Young, Elkany Young, Shaw Youngs, Samuel DUTCHESS COUNTY MILITIA— FOURTH REGIMENT. Colonel John Frear Captaiits — Isaac Conklin. -Hageman, Elijah Herrick, Low, David Ostrand, Samuel Smith, Luke Stoutenburgh, nardus Swarthouse, Hugh Van Kleeck, John Van Kleeck LiEUTENAifTs — Abraham Fort, Jonas Weeks. EirsiGNS — Alexander Furman, (Reuben) Spencer. (No Enlisted Men Found.) — Kilsey, Straight, Ber- DUTCHESS COUNTY MILITIA— FIFTH REGIMENT. Colonel William Humfrey. Adjutant John Budd. Colonel James Vandeburgh. Adjutant Jeremiah Clerk Major Benjamin Birdsall. Quarter Master Henry Bailey. Major William Clerk. Quarter Master James Ellsworth. Captains — Caleb Bentley, John Boyd, Josiah Burton, Joshua Champlin, William Clark, John Clum, Jonathan Dennis, Abraham Hartwill, David Hecock, Job Mead, Joseph Rurnids, John Scut, Barardus Swartwout, Is Vail, Francis West, Valen- tine Wheeler. LnEUTENANTS— Stephen Akins, Silas Anson, Tabor Bentley, Tilling Bentley, Jacob Blatner, Joseph Chandler, Andrew Heermance, Jacob J. Heermance, AH Houghland, Daniel Hule, James Humfrey, McClees , Peter Magee, Roger THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 151 Morey, Jr., Theoph Sweet, Brt. Van Kleeck, Moses Van Vranka, Solomon Wheeler, Gilbert Wording. Ensigns — David Tmsdal, Abraham Van Curah, Peter Van Valklnburgh. Abbet, David ^Acker, Adam Adams, Ebenezer Allin, Thomas Alsworth, William Ames, I. Anen Asseltine, Jacob Atwearter, Benjamin Andriance, J. Aulandorph, Christian Babcock, David Babcock, Enoch Babcock, John Babcock, John (1) Babcock, John (3) Backer, John Bailey, Elias Bailey, Elisha Baker, Elnathan Baker, J. Baker, Jonathan Baker, William Ballim, Matthew Bannam, James Barger Barkman, George Bamnm, Bethuel Barnnm, William Barringar, Conradt Barringar, William Bartlee, Abraham Bartlee, Jacob Bartlett, Jacob Bayley, S. Beckett, Sylos Bell, Robert Benjamin, Cyres Bennet, Timothy Bentley, Joseph ENLISTED MEN. Bently, John Benton, Moses Berry, Nicholas Berry, P. Bigraft, George Bigraft, Jonathan BiUings, Increase Billings, John Birdsall, Daniel Birdsall, Jeremiah Bishop, Borgordis Bosehonce, Isaac Bouker, Thomas Brenkroff, Brewer, D. Brewer, V. Brill, Solomon Brinkorff, I. Brown, Jonathan Brown, Peter Brows, Zepheniah Brnmfleld, J. Brnster, Peltias Buck, Zadock Budd, Undril Bugbee, George Bump, I. Bump, Joseph Bumbler, P'h Bunsehoten, Solomon Bunt, Leasero Burley, Elijah Cady, Elisha Cahoon, Ben Carle, Andrew Carley, John Carley, Peter Carman, Andrew Cary, Stephen Cash, Jonathan Celey, WiUiam Chadwick, WiUiam Chahart, Jacob Champlin, Thomas Champlin, William Chapman, Josiah Chase, Berry Chavilear, Peter Christian, Cornelius Clark, J. P. Coberstine, John Cole, Benjamin Cole, Jacob Cole Moses Colerell, Henry Coller, Norres Coltman, William Conroo, Darling Conroo, William Coock, I. Coock, W. Cook, Jere Cook, John Cook, Mathew Coon, Alexander Cooper, William Corkins, Joel Cornell, Benjamin Cornell, John Cornell, Lewis Cornell, Samuel Cornwill, Caleb Comwill, Sylvan's CorwiU, Benjam Cott, D. Cranfoot, James Crankite, Frederick Crankite, Herciilus Crankite, John 152 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Creed, Austin Crook, Waiiam Crosby, Eliezer Crosby, Obediah Cudbuth, William Cunningham, John Curry, Elisha Daggitt, Mayhue Dannels, J. Darling, Peter David, I. Davis, George Davis, Squire Davison, Alverson Davison, Daniel Debons, Math'w Delong, Richard Demsey, Thomas Denney, Charles Devow, John Dewkine, I. Dickson, I. Hanse Dimond, Math'w Dodg , I. Douty, Elias Dowing, I. Downing, Andrew Doxey, Thomas Draper, John Draper, Joseph Dumon, Cornelius Duteher, D. Dutcher, Simon Eda, Joshua Egail, Jo'n Eldred, William Ellott, Christian Elwell, Jabez Ennis, P. Estrus, Benjamin Evans, John Everit, Clear Evins, Amos Evins, Oliver FUlow, En Pillow, Fimus Finch, Comfort Fish, Joseph Flinn, David Fonda, Cornelius Forbus, John Forbush, William Force, Benjamin Forgerson, Gllb't Forgerson, Jeremiah Foster, Seth Fox, Jonathan Freeh, John Frier, Peter Frier, Simeon Gage, Elihu Gage, Moses Gale, Nob Gardner, Simeon Gewel, I. Gewel, T. Gibson, John Gideon, Joseph GUbert, Ep'm GUbert, Thad Gillitt, Barny Gones, Seth Gooden, Robert Goodfeller, W. Goodwin, I. Green, Caleb Green, E. Greves, Thomas Grey, John Griflfin, Barney GrifSth, Solomon Hale, John Hall, Benjamin Hall, Gideon Hamlin, Epraim Haner, John Hanes, I. Hangedoren, John Hannaburgh, Christ- yaun Haping, David Harrick, Joseph Harrington, William Harris, Noah Hartwill, Ebenezer Hassiem, Jdhn Hatch, Cradius Heermance, Jacob Helmes, John Hendrickson, Jacob Henry, Elick Heracer, Emanuel Herrick, Isriel Hewit, Edmond Hewit, Gidion Hicks, Nathaniel Hicks, W. Hoard, Isaac Hodge, K. Hoffman, Patrus Hightailing, Abraham Holmes, Alkany Holmes, Ben Holmes, John Honssinger, Frank Horton, D. Hoisher, Thomas Houck, William Howard, Jonathan Howlin, Obediah Hudson, Asa Huff, I. Hulin, John Hull, Justus Humfrey, Thonias Hutchens, A. Hutchings, Jacob Irish, BenjamSn Irish, Isaac Jaycocks, Thomas Jinkins, Jerry Johnson, Alexander Johnson, Joseph Johnson, Nehemiah Johnstones, I. Jones, Isaac Jones, Nathan Jones, Robert CHARLES M. WOLCOTT. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 153 Jones, Roger Jones, Rufus Jones, Seth Judard, H. Kelly, Jonathan Klme, Lourance King, Hezeklah King, Nathaniel Kip Kipp, Prank Knognard, John Kool, Isaac Koons, Adam Koonts, Nicholas Lake, Henry Lake, Stephen Lamb, Daniel Lamb, David Lane, J. Lane, John Lanson, Garrlt Lant, Jurry Laroy, John Lawrence, Isaac Lawrence, Oliver Lawrence, Riichard Lawsin, Mathew Lawsin, Peter Lean, John Lerue, I. Levy, Jacob Lewis, Felix Lewis, Gil Linn, Aaron Loop, Peter, Jr. Losie, Francis Luis, Grawdus Luke, John Lus, Miehal Lus, William McCreedy, Charles McCreedy, James Mackeny, I. McKiney, Joseph McLees,< James McLees, Peter McNeel, Henry Marchant, Abel Marchel, Benjamin Marta, David Martin, Elemuel Mason, Francis Mathews, Justice Mayhue, Ebenezer Mayhue, Levi Mead, King Mead, Zebulin Miller, Jacob Moon, John Moor, Nicholas Moore, Poulis Moran, William Mordock, Zimri Mott, Jacob MuUer, Stephen Mumford, P. Myer, Benjamin Myer, Henrey Near, Charles Nelson, Frank Neutun, John NewlU, Joseph Newman, Joshua Nichols, Silas Norton, Richard Noxon, Benj amin O'Cane, Edward Odell, Crershom Odell, Jonas Odle, Abiather Okla, Thomas Olmsted, Elijah Orborn, John Orsborn, Com'l Ostrander, Henrey Ostrum, Gilbert Owen, Anenias Owens, Robert Pack, I. Paddock, Peter Padock, Henry Palmer, Sylvanus Patterson, Ab'm Pelts, Evert Perce, John Pettitt, Jacob Phillip, Adam Phillip, Christyan Plass, Hendrick Post, J. Potter, Rowland Prope, George Prust, Martin Randel, I. Reesoner, David Reise, Jonas Reynolds, Era Riccord, George Richardson, Isaac Richardson, William Rines, I. Robinson, Andrew Robinson, Stephen Rogers, Ezekiel Rolitts, John Romer, Aron Rosacrance, I, Row, D. Rowlee, Daniel Rowley, Nathan Rumm, George Runnels, I. Ryder^ John Ryley, Phillip Sabins, Joshua Sage, Selah Sarmerhorn, Cor- nelius Saxton, Ebenezer Schoulen, Schouten, E. Schryver, Bartle Seberry, John Sharks, Thomas Sharts, David 154 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Shaw, Benjamin Shede, George Sheer, William Shephier, Isreal ShoS, Andrew Shuter, Samuel Shuts, Ab'm Shnttis, John Sickler, Coonrod Siekler, George Sickle^ Mathias Simmons, John Sitcher, Andrew '^laght, T. Slut, John Smith, Daniel Smith, Ephraim Smith, Ezekiel Smith, Henry Smith, John Smith, Phillip Smith, Thomas Soper, Bart'n Soper, Henry Soper, Timothy Server, Peter Sparker, Andrew Spencer, Abner Spencer, Jabus Spencer, James Spencer, Rufus Spencer, William Springer, John Stanton, Thomas Stark, Aaron Stark, Nathan Steed, Richard Stinebergh^ Grandus Stockhohn, D. Stone, David Stubbelbane, Michal Swartout, T. Sweet, Amos Swider, M. Swortout, C. Swortont, I. Talor, Gamal Talor, John Tamph, Frederick Tanner Taylor, Gamalial Taylor, Joseph Thompson, John Thompson, Thomas Thorington, Thomas Thorn, Benjamin Toboys, C. Tolks, John Tommes, Benjamin Torboss, L. Tott, James Townsend, Able Turhoon, I. Tyler, John Umphey, William Uree, John Valentine, Benjamin Van Cleak, John Van Cott, John Vanderhoof, Jacob Vanderhyder, Abraham Vandevort, John Vandevort,! S/ Van Dusan, John Van Dusan, London Van Loan, Peter Van Luvan, Zacharias Van Nette, Isaac Van Slyck, Tunas Van Tasel, J. Van Valkenburgh, Peter Vanvlack, H. Van Voris, L Van Wicke Van Wogner, John Vel^, Peter Vermillia, S. Vessher, Christopher Vincent, Philip Vradenburgh, Abraham Vradenburgh,' Peter Walker, John Ward, David Ward, Eben Warner, Richard Warreuj Samuel Weeks, William Weiley, William Welch, Thomas WeUer, Amos WeUer, William Wells, Silas Wesee, Abraham Welsey, I. West, Daniel West, Elijah Whiper, I. Whipple, Nath Whitcomb, Simon White, John White, Solomon Whitmarch, Ezra Wickson, Elijah Wilcox, John Wilcox, Stephen Willey, Thomas Willkason, Jon Wistiveltt, James Wolven, William Wood, Silas Young, Benjamin THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 155 DUTCHESS COUNTY MILITIA— SIXTH REGIMENT. Colonel Morris Graham. Colonel Roswell Hopkins. Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Griffin. Major Peter Fell Major Jonathan Landon. Major Brinton Paine. Adjutant John Graham. Adjutant David Hunt. Adjutant Daniel Shepherd. Quarter Master John Else. Quarter Master Nathan Fish. Quarter Master Ezra Payne. Quarter Master Abraham Van Wart. Pay Master Edmtmd Perlee. Surgeon William Adams. Surgeon Roswell Hopkins, Jr. Captaixs — Sybert Acker, John Barnes, Azor Barnum, John Bell, John Brad- rick, George Brinkerhoff, Charles Brodhead, Moses Cantine, Colbe Chamberlain, John Drake, Andries Heermans, Elijah Herrick, Henry Humfrey, John Klum, George Lane. Daniel Martin, William Pearce, William Radclift, John Rouse, Rich- ard Sackett, Frederick Strait, Smith Sutherland, James Tallmadge, Elijah Town- send, John Van Benschoten, David Van Ness, Samuel Waters, Noah Wheeler, Daniel Williams. LxEUTENAS-TS — Stephen Adsit, Frederick Benner, John Berry, Phillipp Bowne, Wright Carpenter, Samuel Crandle, Daniel Delavan, Christian Dubois, Abner Gil- lett, Abraham Smith Hadden, Stephen Haight, Philliph Harimanse, Andries Har- mans, Joel Haskins, John Heermanse, Adam Helmer, Abram Hogeland, Solomon Hopkins, Stephen Hunt, Elihu Ingalls, William Martine, William Mattemen, Mead, James Moore, Francis Nelson, Elijah Park, Jonas Parks, Bezaleel Rudd, Abraham Schultz, John Smith, Frederick Stevenson, William Swartwout, Teunis Talman, Isaac Townsend, Jacob Trimper, Resolvent Van Houton, Wright White, Zophar WiAes, Robert Wood. Eirsieirs — William Becker, John More. Abbett, David Abboth, Abiel Abler, James Acker, Abraham Ackerman, Arie Ackerman, John Adair, William Adams, John Adams, Major Adsit, George Adsit, Silas Aldridge, Jonathan Allen, Asa Allen, Caleb [ Allen, Jonathan EITLISIED MEX. Allendorph, Hendridk Allsworth, Thomas Ambler, Charles Ambler, James Andres, George Annes, Peter Anson, James Armstrong, Benjamin Armstrong, Gabril Armstrong, Robert Arnold, Peleg Asten, Robert Aston, Martin Aulomdorph, Hendrick AusoT, Nicholas Austin, Robert Babcock, James Backer, John Badeau, Jacob Bader, Michael Baker, Jesse Baker, Joshua Baker, Judah Baker, Richard Bailey, Elias Banker, Stephen Barber, Nathan Barber, Reuben Barber, Solomon Barber, Thomas 156 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Barker, James Barnhard, Henry Barns, Jacob Barniim, Noah Bariinger, Conradt Barringer, David Barringer, William Barton, Gilbert Bartow, John Bates, Daniel Bates, Hickey Bayley, Samuel Beaty, John Becker, John Beecher, Nathan Bell, Jacob BeU, WiUiam R. BeU, William W. Benner, Hendrick, Jr. Berger, John Beringer, ^acob, Jr. Berry, Jabez Berry, John Berry, Peter Berry, Samuel Betts, Gideon Bishop, John Blaau, Henry Blaurelt^ Ckimelius Blauvelt, Isaac Bodsee, Jacob Bogardus, Egbert Bogardus, Henry Bogardus, Peter Bogart, Hendrick Bogart, Jacob Bonasteal, Nicholas Bonker, Stephen Bonnell, Jonathan Booth, Isaiah Bouton, Moses Boyce, John Boyd Robert Boyd, Samuel Bradshaw, William Brewer, William Brewster, John Brickell, George Briggs, Casparus Briggs, Lawrence Brinckerhoff, Daniel Brinckerhoff, Isaac Brinckerhoff, John S. Brink, Cornelius C. Brinkerhoff, John Broadwell, Moses Brodhead, Samuel Brooks, John Brower,^ Samuel Brower, William Brown, Cornelius Brown, Deliverance Brown, James Brown, James H. Brown, John Brown, Noah Brown, Noah, Jr. Brown, Peter Brown, Stephen Brown, Tower Bruce, Robert Bruster, David Buck, Israel Buck, Israel, Jr. Buckhout, John Buel, Samuel Bugbe, Samuel Bugbee, John Buill, John Bullis, Peter Bun, John Bunschoten, John Burel, Jesse Burgh, Jonathan Burley, Ebenezer Burling, Burlinsonj Fearnot Burlinson, Joel Burlsona, Grover Burns, Edward Burtis, James Bush, Peter Bush, Tryertar Butler, Stephen Byce, Abraham Byce, John Byington, Nathaniel Cable, Piatt Cakbel, Plat Calkins, Eli Calkins, John Calkins, Moses Camberlin, Thomas Gamble, Charles Campbell, James Campbell, Robert Canfield, Aaron Canfidd, Amos Canfield, Titus Canniff, Levi Carle, John Carlee, Jonathan Carpenter, Clark Carson, Samuel Carter, John Carver, Barnabes Cash, David Casher, William Castle, Daniel Castle, Lemuel Chambers, Thomas Champanois, Harman Chandler, Jonathan Chapman, Samuel Chapman, Stephen Chapman, Thomas Charpanard, Simon Chase, Elijah Chase, Gedaliah Chase, Richard Chase, Robert Christman, John Church, Medad Churchill,j Edward Clapp, Joseph THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 157 Clark, John Clark, Othaniel Clason, Wilber Clawater, Jacob Clement, Charles Clement, James Close, Caesar Closson, Wilber Cocktel, Timothy Coe, Samuel Coenhoven, WiUiam Cohler, Leonard Cokler, Leonard Colbreath, Thomas Cole, Abraham Cole Joseph Collard, Abraham Collins, Solomon CoUins, William Colly, Matthew Colwell, James Cone, Ben j amis (col- ored) Conel Conklin, Abraham Conklin, John Conklin, Matthew Conklin, Nathan Conkling, Jacob Conly, Charles Conner, Patrick Conory, John Conroy, John Converse, James Cook, Darius Cook, James Cook, Job Cook, John Cook, Simeon Cooke, Benjamin Cooke, Samuel Cooper, Cornelius Cooper, Garret Cooper, Jacob Cooper, Nicholas Cornell, James Cornwell, Clement Cott, John Cowen, Isaac Craft, Caleb Craig, Francis Craw, John Crawford, Nathan Crompton, John Cronk, Abraham Crosby, Lemuel Crosby, Samuel Crouch, David Cuch, Phillip Cudbeth, Benjamin Cuff, William Cumfort, Josiah Cunnin, John Cunningham, James Cunningham, John Curry, Charles Cushman, William Dagaettjun, Mayhugh Dagget, Mahu Dannells, Thomas Daten, Cornelius Daton, Cornbary Daton, Jonah Daton, Joseph Davids, William Davies, Nathan Deal, George Dean, John Deboise, Peter Debuy, Peter Decker, Reuben Declark, James Decoine, Edward De Graff, Moses Degrove, William Delamatter, Jacob Demmon, Samuel Denemark, Stoffel Denham, Samuel Deniston, John Denney, Charls Denney, Richard Denton, Isaac Depue, Abraham De Pue, Peter Derue, William Deuce, William Devoe, William Dewit, John Dicker, Ephraim Diel, Samuel Dill, John Dimmick, Samuel Dimmick, Shubell Disbey, Andrew Disbrow, Andrew Dixson, Thaddeus Dodge, Stephen Dolf, John DoUoway, Jeremiah Douey, Samuel Dowling, Andrew Drake, William Dubois, Cornelius Dubois, Jacob Dubois, Jacob J. Duel, Wilber Dun, Coenradt Duncan, John Dunham, Joseph Dusenbery, Charles Dutcher, Abraham Dutcher, Jacob Dutcher, John . Edinger, Christopher Elmendorph, Samuel Elseworth, Philip Esters, Benjamin Fairchild, Amos FairchUd, Oliver Fanbramer, Peter Farnell, Danel Ferguson, John Feriss, John Feriss, Silvanus 158 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Ferrell, Daniel Ferris, Seth FerriSj William Field, Jesse Field, Nathan Fields,. Thomas Finch, Amos Pinch, Comfort Finch, Elithan Finch, Gilbert Finch, John Finch, Jonathan Finch, Philip Finch, SUvanus Finch, Sj-c Finchout, Aurent Finchout, Cornelius Finton, Amos Fish, Joseph Fish, Levi Fish, Moses Fish, Pardon Fish, Seaburjr Fisher, Daniel Fisher, Daniel, Jr. Fisher, Jacob Flagler, David Flagler, John Flanders, James Foot, John Foot, Samuel Forbosh, Abraham Forbus, Samuel Ford, James Forgeson, John Forster, Joseph Foster, Thomas Fowler, Caleb Fowler, Caleb, Jr. Fox, Xenophon FrankUn, Benjamin Frantz, Jacob Frederick, Charles Fuller, David Furma^, Cato Furman, Samuel Fjler, Seasor Gage, Mark Gale, Samuel Gambell, Allexander Ganong, Marcus Gardner, David Garret, Benjamin Garrett, Isaack Gatty, John Gaul, Stephen Gay, Daniel Geaty, Robert Gedawale, Elisha Gegory, Rusel Geray, Allexander Germain, David German, James Germond, Peter Gero, Daniel Gifford, Elisha GifPord, Samuel Gilcrease, Thomas Gildersleeve, Joseph Gillaspy, Greorge GiUaspy, James Gillaspy, William Gillet, Charles Gillit, Barnabes Goetchins, John Gold, Elijah Golnack, Michal Goodrich, Elisha Gordon, Cornelius Gorum, Jeams Gould, Elijah Graham, James Graham, Jonathan Gray, Jeduthun Greek James Green, Caleb Green, Ezekiel Green, Henry Green, Joseph Green, Samuel Green, Tobias Grefes, Thomas Gregory, Joshua Gregory, Roswell Griffen, Joseph Griffen, Peter GrifiSn, John Griffin, Michael Grigeory, R. Guin, Michel Gulneck, Michael Haborn, John Hadley, Greorge Hadley, WiUiam Haff, Jacob Haff, John Haight, Samuel Haight^ Samuel, Jr. Haines, Samuel Hall, John Hallister, Elisha Hanna, William Hansen, Jacob Hardenburgh, Derick Harper, Godfrey Harris, Joseph Harris, Squire Harris, William Hase, John Havenner, John Hawkins, James Hawkins, Samuel Hawley, Henry Hebard, Reuben Heermana, Andries Heermana, John Heermance, Andrew C. Heermance, Evans Heermance, Evert Heermance, John Helmer, John Helmer, Peter Heltz, Lawrence Henry, Robert Hermans, Simen THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 159 Herrick, Jonathan Herrington, James Herrington, John Hess, Christian Hess, Christopher Hibbard, Reuben Hicks, Benjamin Higgins, Ebenezer Higgines, Joseph Hill, Isaac Hill, John Hill, William Hiltz, Laurence Hinkley, Elkanah Hinman, Zachariiah Hiser, Martinus Hitchis, Benjamin Hoffman, Daniel Hoffman, Jacobus Hoffman, Nicholas Hogaboom, Barthol- ama Hogan, Edward Hogan, Path Hogins, Edward Holems, John Holkins, Samuel Holley, Henry- Holmes, Elkanah Holmes, James Holmes, Joseph Holmes, Nathan Hopkins, Benjamin Hopkins, Frederick Horton, David Horton, George Horton, Joseph Horton, Peleg Horton, Samuel House, John How, John How, Thomas Howard, Joseph Howard, Richard Howel, Frederick Howel, WiUiam Howes, John Howes, Thomas Hoy, William Hoyt, Abijah Hoyt, Enoch Hubbard, Ezekiel Huffman, Daniel Hume, William Humfrey, William Humphreys, James Hunsdon, John Husted, Peter Hutchens, Benjamin Hutchons, Absalom Hutton, John Hyatt, Eben Hyatt, Elias Idare, William Ittig, Coenradt Ittig, George Jackson, George Jacobs, Abraham Jacobs, Cornelius Jakways, Daniel Jansen, Benjamin Jero, Daniel Jewel, Ezekiel Jewell, George Jewell, Herman Jewitt, John Johnson, James Johnson, John Johnson, Josiah Johnson, Paul Johnson, Robert Johnson, Samuel Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Timothy Johnston, Robert Jones, Isaac Jones, Levi Jones, Ransom Joslin, Anthony Julaf, Zachariah Keator, Benjamin F. Keator, John Keator, William Keeler, Ezra Kellee, Jeremiah Kelley, Jonathan Keltz, Coenradt Kenney, Henery Kern, John Kershaw, John Kesler, Nicholas Kickam, Solomon Kill, Christopher Killey, Jaramiah Kilpatrick, Samuel (Kimmans, John Kip, Abraham Kip, Abraham R. Kip, Aurent Kip, Igness Kip, John Kip, Petrus Kip, Racliph Kirkun, Solomon Klyne, Jacob Knapp, Jeremiah Knapp, Joel Knapp, Nathaniel Knickerbacker, John Knickerbacker, Law- rence Kniffen, John Koch, Andrew Kohler, Leonard Kolb, John Kole, Jacob P. Kole, Simon P. Kool, Abraham Kool, Elias Kool, Jacob Kool, Simon Kremer, John Krum, Peter Ladue, WUliam Lamb, David 160 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Laml^ Jehial Lamberts, Cornelius Lane, Joseph Lane, Thomas Lane, William Langin, Benjam Lanphier, John Laquire, Abraham Larcy, John Larrejr, J. Lason, Joseph Lasure, Samuel Lawrence, Samuel Learry, John Lee, Jonathan Legget, WUliam Leonard, Robert Lepper, Frederick Lesher, Conradt Levy, Henderick Lewis, Hendrick Lewis, James Lewis, Lewis Linderman, Cornelius Linningt»n, Timothy Litfle, James Lockard, David Locknnt, John Lockwood, Daniel Lockwood, David Lockwood^ Ebenezer Losee, John Losee, John A. Loux, William Loveless, Elisha Loveless, Joshua Lucas, Israel Luddington, Elisha Ludenton, Elisha, Jr. Luquer, Abraham Luther, Eseek Lyttle, William , MeCabe, Benjamin McCoy, Daniel McCreary, Robert McCutchen, Robert McDonald, Cornelius McDonald, John McDonnals, Thomas McGuire, Hugh Machan, Robert Machoney, James McKiel, John McKlennen, Andrew McKlue, James McNight, Robert McNitt, Alexander McPherson, Daniel MafFet, John Maffite, John Maher, Levy Marchant, Abel Markell, Henry Marshall, William Marshill, Josiah Marta, David Martin, John Martin, Robert Martin, Roledt Masten, Ezekiel Mayer, Henry Mayer, John Mayer, Joseph Maxsam, Benjamin Mead, Ezekiel Mead, Isaiah Mead, Marshal Meashurcall, Cornelius Melangdon, Benjamin Menoma, John Merrick, Ben j amin Merrinan, Titus Merrit, Ebnezer Merritt, Luke Mestan, Ezekiel Meyer, Benjamin Middagh, Art Middledough, Aert Miels, Noah Mildun, Daniel Miller, Christyann Miller, David Miller, Henderick Miller, John Miller, William MUIs, James MiUs, John Mingo, WiUiam Minner, James Moe, Abraham Money, Absolum Monfoort, Peter Monfoort, Peter, Jr. Mongomire, Elijah Mooney, Absalom Moor, Jacob Moor, PhUlip Moore, John Moore, Martin Mopes, Frederick More, Abraham Morehouse, Isaac Morehouse, Stephen Morris, Elijah Morris, John Morris, Peter Mosier, WUliam Mott, William Mouer, Henderick Moul, Jacob, Jr. Mount, Andrew Mountain, Andrew Mumford, James Munrow, Justice Murphy, Thomas Myer, Abraham Myer, Benjamin Myles, Benajah Myles, John Nairn, James Neer, Charles Neer, Jost Neer, Zacharies Nelson, Absolum Nelson, M. HENRY WINTHROP SARGENT. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 161 Nelson, Paul Newcomb, Daniel Newcorab, James Newcomb, Thomas Newel, Joseph Newnon, Zebulun Nickerson, Isachar Nickerson, Joshua Nickerson, Justia Nogard, John Nooney, Zebulun Nootnagle, Frederick Northrop, Stephen Norton, Peter Nostragel, Frederick Oakley, Cornelius Odle, Aaron Ogden, Richard Olmsted, Ebenezer Onderdonk, Garret Onderdonk, Thomas Orchard, John Orim, Robert Orsor, Nicholas Osborn, Peter Ostrander, Jacobus Ostrom, Gilbert Otterson, Andrew Paine, Ichabod, Jr. Paine, Samuel Palmer, Benjamin Palmer, James Palmer, Jesse Palmer, John Palmer, Nicholas Pangnut, John Pardee, Thomas Pardy, Samuel Parish, Daniel Park, Joseph Parker, Joseph Parker, Nathaniel Parks, Nathaniel Parks, Samuel Parrish, Azariah Parrish, Cypria Parrish, Daniel Pattison, Michael Paul, James Paulding, John Pawling, Henry Peck, Joseph Pelham, Elisha Pellam, Frances Pellum, Abijah Penfold, William Penny, John Penoyer, Amos Perry, James Perry, John Perry, Abadiah Perry, Samuel Petcher, Peter Peters, John Pettit, David Phelps, Abner Phelps, David Phenton, Amos Phillips, David PhuUick, David Pifer, Adam Pike, Ezra Pike, Jarvis Pike, Jesse Pine, Thomas Pink, Jacob Piatt, Caleb Piatt, Eliphalet Plymit, Benoni Polhemus, Theodorus Pollock, William Post, Wilhalmis Powell, Abraham Price, Ebenezer Pullock, William Punderson, John Purdy, James Purdy, Jonathan Purdy, Josiah Purdy, Samuel Purdy, Stephen Quackinbush, Abraham Randals, Hugh Ray, Isaac Ray, Zachariah Read, David Reanolds, Jacob Reed, James Reed, Samuel Reed, Simon Reguaw, Abraham Rema, Jacob Reynolds, Abijah Reynolds, Benoni Reynolds, Caleb Reynolds, David Reynolds, Elias Reynolds, Ezra Reynolds, Joel Reynolds, Shubel Rhaad, Richard Rhodes, Richard Rhyne, Timothy RiaU, Peter Richard, Moses Richards, Jacob Richards, Moses, Jr. Richter, Hendrick Rider, Christopher Rip, Rulef Robins, Ebenezer Robinson, Ebenezer Robison, Ebenezer Rockwil, Enos Roe, Benjamin Roe, William Rogers, Piatt Rogers, Reuben Romer, Henry Romer, James Roola, Jacob, Jr. Roosa, Aldert Roosa, John Rose, James Rosekrans, Thomas 162 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Rosekrans, John Rowley, Weeks Rundel, Abraham Riumels, Ezra Runnels, Joseph Rusel, James Rycel, Peter Rysedorph, George Salkeld, Isaac Sammon, Cornelius Sauffield, John Sayers, Benjamin Schermerhorn Cornelius Schofield, Henry Schofield, Smith Schoonmaker, John Schouten, Cornelius Schouten, John Schouten, Simon Schultz, Abraham Schutt, Joseph Schutt, Stephen Scott, John Scott, Thomas Scott, WilUam Sciyver, Albartus Scutt, Abraham Scutt, Joseph Scutt, Stephen Seacord, Andrew Seacraft, William Seaman, Jacob Seaman, John Seaman, Willett Sears, Stephen Sedore, Isaac See, David Seelee, Lodwick Seely, James Seely, Sylvanus Selvester, John Servine, James Servis, John Shampinway, Honnay Sharwood, Abraham Shavellar, William Shaw, James Shaw, John Shaw, Joshua Shay, V. Shea, Lodowick Shear, Lodewick Shearman, William Sherman, William Sherwood, Isaac Sherwood, Lucam Sherwood, Samuel Sherwood, Thomas Shidler, John Shoemaker, Christopher Shomper, Horrima Shorter, John Shults, Jacob Simma, Willet Simmons, Aaron Simons, Insolo Simons, Willet Simpkins, Reuben Simpson, Andrew Simpson, John Sinkin, Reuben SitutseU, Michel Slason, Amos Slason, Ebenezer Sleight, Abraham ^^Ught, Abraham, Jr. Small, Isaac Small, James Smith, Abraham Smith, Alpheous Smith, Asa Smith, Daniel Smith, Garret Smith, Isaac Smith, Israel Smith, James Smith, John Smith, Joseph Smith, Joshua Smith, Martin Smith, Michael Smith, Philip Smith, Samuel Smith, Stephen Smith, Thomas Smith, Zackerias Sniffen, Shubel Sniffen, James Sniffin, John Snyder, John Sodon, John Somerndike, Jacob Sonamet, Isaac Soper, Burtis Southard, John Southard, Richard Spalding, Olirer Sparks, Robert Spencer, John Spicer, Jeremiah Springsteen, James Springsteen, amuel Stagg, John Stanton, William Start, Nathan Stauts, Peter Stauts, Philip Stebbins, Lewis Steenberg, Cornelius Stephend, Timothy Stevens, Edward Stevens, John Stevens, Peter Steverson, Frederick Stewart, Thomas Stockam, Reuben Stokum, Jonathan Stokum, William Storm, Abraham Storms, Closs Stuart, John Sturdefant, Jonathan Sturdivent, David Surine, James Suthard, John THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 163 Suthard, Jonas Suthard, Richard Sutherland, Joseph Sutherland, Solomon Swart, Isaac Swinnerton, James Talman, Abraham Talman, Douwe Tarbill, Salvanus Tater, John Tayler, John Taylor, Oliver Teller, Oliver Terpanning, John Terwilleger, Abr'm Terwilleger, James Phenix TerwUleger, Matthew Teunis, John Tharston, Josiah Thomas, Beriah Thomas, John Thomas, Thomas Thompson, Caleb Thompson, Joel Thompson, Joseph Thomson, James, Sr. Thomson, James, Jr. Thomson, Richard Thomson, Samuel Tobias, John Townsend, Charles Townsend, James Townsend, Zephaniah Trapp, James Travis, William Trim, Ezra Tul, Hendrick Tunis, Peter Turner, Alexander Turner, Stephen Twitchell, Benoni Yail, John Van Benthuysin, Abraham Van Bomel, Peter Van Camp, Isaac Van Cleef, Garret Van Cock, Boltis R. Vandeburgh, John Vandemark, Solomon Vanderbilt, Derrick Vanderdunch, Garret Vanderdunch, Thomas Vander Vort, Garret Vandewater, Adolph Van Dewater, Herman Vandewater, Jaeobus Van Dewater, Joseph Van Etten, Jacobus Vanflacken, Alexander Van Houten, Abraham Van Houten, John Van Houten, John R. Van Keuren, Matthew Van Kleek, Baltus Van North, John Vanocker, Peter Van Orden, Andrew Van Orden, Henry Vatiosdol, James Vanscoy, Abel Van Scoy, Henry Vansickle, Peter Van Steenbergh Cornelius Van Steenbergh Gradus Vantasel, Benjamin Van Tassel, Cornelius Van Tassel, Isaac Van Tassel, John Van assel, Stephen Van Vleckren, Abraham Van Voorhis, Abraham Van Voorhis, Daniel Vanvoorhis, Henry Van Voorhis, Jeromus Van Vradenburgh, Petrus Van Wagenen, Barrant Van Wagenen, Garret Van Wart, Garret Var Wart, William Vanwort, Benjamin Van Wyck, John Van Wyck, John B. Van Wyck, Theodorus Varnel, Daniel Veal, George Veal, John Verber, John Vermillier, David Vermillier, Isaac Vermilya, David Vickrey, Ichibod Vom Brocklin, James Voorhis, Jeromus Vorchase, Abraham Vradenburgh, Abraham Vradenburgh, Jacob Vradenburgh, William Wade, Morris Waggoner, George Waisemillar, Hendrick Walalter, Benjamin Walbridge, Elijah Waldorph, Hendrick Waldradt, Adolph Walron, Simeon Walsh, Samuel Ward, Israel Ward, Joshua Waren, Theodorus Waring, Michael Warman, Phinas Warters, Benjamin Wasfalle, Gilbart Waters, Cornelius Waters, Isaac Way, Frederick Way, John Weaver, Adam Weaver, George Weaver, George M. Weaver, Jacob Webb, David Webber, Oliver Webber, William Webbers, Isaac 164 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Weed, Gideon Weed, Jonathan Weeks, Nathaniel Welch, David Westervalt, George Westfall, Abraham Westfall, Benjamin WestfaU, GiUbet WestfaU, Levi Wheaton, Benjamin Wheaton, Isaac Wheeler, Ezra Whily, Matthew Whjtaker, Abraham Whitcom, Simon White, John White, Nathaniel Whitney, Ezekel Wickes, Silas Wickham, Benjamin Wickham, Benjamin, Jr. Wickham, Daniel Wickson, Ebenezer Wilbert, John Wilcox, Isaac Wilde, Bartholomew Wile, Nathan Wilkinson, John Wilkinson, Thomas Willcox, Aaron Williams, David Williams, Stephen Williams, Thomas Williams, Warren Williamson, Nicholas WUlson, Amos Wilson, Andrew Wilson, John Wiltse, Cornelius Wiltse, WilUam Wiltsee, Matthew Winans, Silas Winegar, Henry Winslow, Samuel Winston, Joseph Winter, Moses Withbeck, Harmon Wolson, Simeon Wood, Henry Wood, Jesse Wood, John Wood, Samuel Wood, Solomon Wood, Thomas Woods, EU Woods, Jotham Woolsey, Nathan Word, Israel Workman, Phineas Worth, Richard Wright, Joseph Yarns, Nathan Yoemans, Jonas Yerkes, Aaron Young, Abraham Young, Benjamin Yoimg, Elkanah Young, Garret Young, John Young, John Christian Young, Jonas Young, Robert Young, Thomas Youngs, John DUTCHESS COUNTY MILITIA— SEVENTH REGIMENT. Colonel Henry Ludenton Lieutenant Colonel Reuben Ferris Major Ebenezer Robinson Major Wyckoff Adjutant Elijah Townsend Quarter Master Elezer Baker Captains — Edmund Baker, Noah Bouton, Calken, John Crane, Du- senbury, Haight, Alexander Kidd, Israel Knapp, George Lane, David Marick, Hezekiah Mead, Joel Mead, Richard Sackett, Nathaniel Scribner, Morton, Joshua Myrick, Ward, David Waterbury, Pierce, Winne. LiBtJTEifANTS — Jonas Auser, John Berry, Charles CuUin, Timothy Delevan, Elliott, Ellijah Fuller, Josiah Gregory, Solomon Hopkins, David Porter, John Robinson, Thomas Russell, Elliah Sears, David Smith, Isaac Townsend, Israel Vail, Abram Van Wert, Danil Willee. EnsiGirs— Josiah Baker, William Calkin, James Egelston, Joseph Gregory, Caleb Hazen,*Jacob Mead. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 165 A ^cker, Abram Adams, Gilbert Adams, John Adams, William Addems, John Addems, Major Addems, Thomas Adriance, George Aliet, Elijah J. Angevine, Joseph Anim, Azra Armstrong, Gabriel Armstrong, Jacob Armstrong, Jacob, Jr. Armstrong, John Arnold, Peleg Arnold, Seymour Astin, Joab Astin, John Astin, Smith Astin, Robert Auser, Abram Austin, Job Austin, Robert Austin, Smith Auston, John Baker, Joshua Baker, Stephen Baldwin, Elisha Baldwin, Henry- Baldwin, James Baley, Elias Ballard, Caleb Ballard, Peleg Ballard, Tracy Baly, Joseph Banker, Nicholas Barber, Samuel Barber, Stephen Barger, Peter Barit, John Barret, Isaac, Jr. Barret, Samuel Barret, William EXLISTED MEir Barrett, Isaac Barrett, Justus Barton, Aijdrew Barton, Elisha Barton, Gilbert Bartow, Andrus Basby, Olirer Baset, Edmund Bashford, James Bayley, Peleg Begal, Stephen Bemy, Samuel Benjamin, Darius Benjamin, Elijah Bennet, Isiah Berry, Jabez Berry, Jabez, Jr. Berry, Samuel Beyea, Isaac Bice, John Binton, Samuel Birdsall, John Bisbey, Oliver Blackman, Ephraim Bolding, Elisha Bolding, Henry Bolding^ James Bonker, Jacob Bostwick, John Boughten, Samuel Boyd, Isaac Brewer, Hendrick Brooks, William Brown, Cornelius Brown, Deliverance Brown, Ebenezer Brown, Josiah Bruce, Robert Brundage, Jeremiah Brundage, John Bruster, John Bruster, Samuel Buckbee, Sylvester Buckout, John Buckley, Jabez Bugbee, Ezekiel Bugbee, Silvester Bulkley, Jabez Burdick, Amos Burdick, Caleb Byington, Samuel Byington, Solomon Calwell, James Calwell, William Cambell, James Carey, John Carle, Jonas Carley, John Carly, Abert Carver, Barnabas Carver, Timothy Caton, Isaac Cayton, Isaac Certain, James Chadwick, Comfort Charlick, Henry Chase, Jabez Chase, John Chase, Judah Chase, Obadiah Chase, Robert Christian, Charles Christian, George Christian, John Christian, Richard, Jr. Christian, Ritchard Christian, William Clason, William Closson, William Colberth, Thomas Colberth, Thomas G. Cole, Daniel Cole, Ebenezer Cole, Elisha jCole, Elisha, Jr. ''I Cole, Joseph "Cole, Reuben ^ Colly, John 166 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Colwell, Joseph Conklin, Nathan Conklin, Samuel Cornelius, Ever Cornwell, Daniel Covart, Silvenus Covey, Walter Cowen, Isaac Cowin, David Crab, John Praft, Caleb Craft, Charles Crane, Samuel Crosby, Enoch Crosby, Solomon Crosby, Thody Culbreth, Thomas Cushman, Consider Daily, Lawrence DaJdn, Elisha Dakln, Johnson Dan, Thadus Daniels, James Dann, William Davis, Albert Davis, John Davis, Samuel Davis, William Dean, Benjamin Dean, Caleb Dean, Ezekiel Dean, John Dean, Joseph Delanay, Abram Delevan, Timothy, Jr. Delivan, Abraham Demerce, David Deusenberry, Moses Deusenbery, WiUiam Deyenbeg, Jarvis Dian, Joseph Dickson, James Dickson, Theodorus Dimmic^, Shubel Din jab, Elijah Disbrow, Andrew Disbrow, David Disbrow, Nathan Disbrow, Nathan, Jr. Dixson, James Donmee, David Doten, William Downer, Israel Drake, John Drew, Gilbert Drew, Isaac Drew, Samuel Drew, William Dusenbnry, Charles Dusenbury, Jarvis Dutcher, Abram Dutcher, Jacob Dykeman, Hezekiah Eakly, Benjamin Edy, Joshua Egelston, James EUwell, Jabez Elsworth, John Evans, Samuel Evens, Thomas Everitt, George Everitt, Isaac Ferguson, John Ferguson, Thomas Ferris, Ezra Ferris, Jonathan Finch, Jonathan Finch, Nathaniel Finch, Reuben Finch, Silvanus Piniche, Reuben Fish, Nathan Fisher, Nathaniel Porgason, John Porgason, Thomis, Jr. Forman, Joseph Fostor, David Frost, David Fuller, David Fuller, Isaac Fuller, Robert Furman, Joseph Furman, Samuel Gage, Ebenezer Gage, Moses Gage, Nathaniel Ganog, Markus Ganong, Isaac Ganong, John Ganoung, Jacob Ganung, Reuben Gaul, Stephen GifFord, Elisha GifFord, Samuel Golding, Amoss Goodfellow, William Gomey, John Green, Thomas Gregory, Daniel Gregory, Ezra Gregory, Joshua Gregory, Rusel Gregory, Samuel Gregory, Thomas Gregory, Timothy Griffet, Lazarus Griffeth, Wiliam GrifSth, Joshua Hadley, Moses Hadley, William Hadley, William, Jr. Hager, Robert Hager, Thomas Haight, Samuel HaU Hall, Elisha Hall, John HaU, Thomas Hambler, Benjamin Hankkey, Richard Harris, William Hasen, Aron Haul, Elisha Hawkins, James Hawkins, Joseph THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 167 Hawkins, Samuel Hays, William Hazelton, David Hazen, Caleb Hazen, Eleazer Hazen, Hoses Heazeltine, David Heazelton, Daniel Hedger, Joseph Heger, Robert Higgins, Ebenezer Hill, Thomas Hill, William Holley, Daniel Holmes, David Holmes, Joseph Hopkins, Ely Hopkins, Isaiah Hopkins, Jeremiah Hopkins, Jonathan Hopkins, Jonathan, Jr. Hopkins, Joseph Hopkins, Thatcher Hopkins, Thomas Horten, Thomas Horton, Thomas, Jr. How, Jesse How, John Howes, Daniel Howes, Job Howes, Moodey, Jr. Hughson, Jeremiah Hunt, Jesse Huson, Aron Huson, Robert Hyatt, Alvan Hyatt, Elias Hyatt, Minan Hyatt, Sminah Hyattjj Stephen Jean, John Jedd, Jonathan Jenkins, Nathaniel Jenkins, Samuel Jenkins, Solomon Johnston, Thomas Jones, Amos Jones, Ananias Jones, Nehemiah Jones, William June, Ezra Kane, John Keifl, Andrew Keley, Jonathan A. Kelley, John KeUey, Judah Kelley, Silvanus Kerley, Albert Kickem, Solomon Killey, John Killey, Judah Killey, Silvenus Killey, Zebedee King, Barzilla KingJ Bazley King, David King, Heman King, Heman, Jr. King, Obadiah King, Stephen Kircum, Solomon Knap, Gabriel Knapp, Benjamin Knapp, Danniel Kniffen, Amos Kniffen, Samuel Knott, Nathaniel Lake, Stephen Lambert, Connelius Lane, Nathan Langdon, Benjamin Lasher, Samuel Lawdue, Ambres Leddoo, Ambros Leonard, Robert Light, Henry Lockwood, Ebenezer Lockwood, Peter Lorens, Isaac Loveless, William Ludinton, Comfort Lupuye, John McCabe, Benjamin McCale, Benjamin McCormick, Haxel McFadden, James Mclntyre, Jaims McLean, John McShosen, Peter McTassel, Peter Maybee, Peter Maconth, Arlen Mahoon, James Maibe, Tobias Maker, Solomon - Mane, Sebeus Maner, Salvus Marchous, Elijah Marick, Isaac Martine, James Martine, Samuel Mason, Jerred Mazer, Abraham Mead, Abner Mead, Bille Mead, Eli Mead, Isaac Mead, James Mead, Moses Merick, John Merrick, Isaac Merrick, Seth Miller, Ebenetus Millerd, Solomon Mills, Titus Moes, William More, William Moris, Eliga Morse, William Morten, Samuel Myrick, John Myrick, Seth Nelson, Absalom Nelson, Elijah Newman, Jeremiah 168 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHElSS. Newman, Joseph Nickerson, Aron Nickerson, Isaachar Nickerson, Thomas Nickerson, Uriah Noriis, Ezra Nott, Nathaniel Oakley, Robert Oakley, Timothy Odal, John Odall, Amors Odel, Amos Odell, Isaac OdeU, John Odle, Isaac Ogden, Benjamin Osborn, Denvis Owens, Jesse Paddock, David Paddock, Judah Paddock, Peter Paddock, Seth Paddock, Stephen Parce, Daniel Park, John Parrish, Daniel Parrish, Silas Parse, Daniel Paulding, John Peace, Isaac Pearce, Isaac Pell, Philip Pelton, PhiUip Perse, Isaac Petton, Philip Pinfold, Waiiam Pinkney, Frederick Pinkney, Isariel Pinkney, Jonathan Pinkney, Luis Piper, Isaac Piatt, John Piatt, Richard Porter, David Post, llennery Price, Ebenezer Price, James Purdy, James Ransier, Gieorge Raymond, Eben Raymond, Ebenezar Raymond, Thadeus Raynolds, Moses Read, Jacob Reed, Frederick Reed, John Reed, Samuel Requa, James Requa, James, Jr. Requa, Joseph Rewel, James Rhead, Jacob Rhoad, Richard Rhoades, Isaac Rhoads, Isaac, Jr. Rhodes, John Rhodes, Richard Rice, Edward Rice, Samuel Richards, David Richards, Ezra Richards, Moses Richards, Thomas Rider, John Rill, Samuel Robenson, Asakar Roberts, Peter Robinson, Issachar Robinson, Peter Rods, John Roe, William Romer, Henry Rorcom, Solomon Runald, Moses Russel James Russel, Robert Russel, John Rush, John Sackett, John Sackett, Solomon Sampson, George Same, Jolel Scofield, Ezra Scribner, Nathaniel Scutt, Peter Sears, Willard Shaddick, Comfor Shadrick, Comfort Sharpenard, Simon Shaw Shaw, Joshua Sherwood, William Simkins, John Simkins, John, Jr. Simkins, Robard Simkins, Robert Simmons, Jonathan Simons, Aron Simpkins, John Slrrine, Isaac Sloot, Isaac Sloot, John Slut, Isaac Slut, John Small, James Small, James, Jr. Smally, James Smally, Zachariah Smith, Abraham Smith, Asa Smith, Bennajah Smith, David Smith, Edward Smith, Elisha Smith, Gideon Smith, Gilbert Smith, James Smith, Jeremiah Smith, Jesse Smith, John Smith, Nehemiah Smith, Phaiip Smith, Richard Smith, Samuel Smith, Seth THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 169 Smith, Solomon Smith, Thomas Sniffen, Sam., Jr. Sniflen, Amos Soddore, Frederick Soddore, Isaac Sorine, Charles Sorine, Israel Sprage, Elijah Sprage, Jaben Sprage, John Sprague, Jeremiah Spreg, Jeremiah Stats, John Steward, George Stirdevent, Richard Storm, James Swift, Isaiah Tannors, John Taylor, Daniel Terry, Samuel Tiler, Ezekial Tomkins, Cornelius Tomkins, Cornelius, Jr. Tomkins, James Tomkins, Jeremiah Tomkins, Stephen Tounesend, Levi Townsend, Amos Townsend, Charles Townsend, Charles, Jr. Townsend, Daniel Townsend, Daniel, 3d Townsend, Eber Townsend, Isaac Townsend, James Townsend, John Townsend, Zephaniah Travis, George Travis, James Travis, Titus Travis, William Tucker, Samuel Turner, Elisha Turner, John Turner, Nathan Turner, Stephen Utter, William Vail, John Vanpett, Henry Vanpett, John Van Scoy, Abel Van Scoy, Jacob Van Wert, William Veal, John Vermilya, William Vermilyea, John Walter, Daniel Ward, Finnes Waring, Thaddeus Waterbury, David Waterbury, Enos Weeks, Jonathan Weeks, Stephen Whaley, James White, Stephen Willcox, Stephen Williams, Ichabod Williams, Thomas Wilsie, Daniel Wilson, Daniel Wilson, Thomas Wiman, Jeduthan Wixsom, Daniel Wixsom, John Wood, Israel Wood, John Wooden, John Wright, William Wright, Zebulon Yarnes, Nathan Young, John DUTCHESS COUNTY MILITIA— COOPER'S RANGERS. Capt. Ezekiel Cooper, Lieut. Jasper Fulmore, Lieut. Martin Ray. Ammerman Dirick Baily, John Bakehorn, Jacob Bogg, John Boyce, Hendrick Boyce, James Bunt, Lodewick Clink, Frederick Cooper, James Curry, Samuel Darling, John ENLISTED MES". Davison, John Delong, Jonas Depew, Abraham Depew, Peter Doty, Jacob Ferguson, James Ferguson, Jeremiah Frayer, Thomas Hart, James Hicks, Jacob Hinckom, Eliga Honse, Tunis Horton, Matthias Hurly, James Jackson, Hyland Jackson, James Jackson, Robert Kinscom, Elisha Knifer, Jacob Lemon, John Lent, Hercules Lent, Moses 170 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Love joy, Andrew Love joy, Nathan Mandigo, Jeremiah Medlar, Aure Messenger, Andrew Nichols, Isaac Norris, Henry Norton, Ahel Norton, Sebe Scott, James Sickler Simpson, Garret Smith, Deliverance Smith, Israel Smith, Philip Spencer, Amos Stark, James Steenbark, Peter Stork, James Straghan, John Taylor, Gamaliel Van Hoosen, Francis Van Kleek, Jeremiah Van Steenbergh, Peter Van Valkenburgh, Levi Vermillia, Benjamin Vorce, David Welding, Jeremiah Wheeler, William Williams, Richard Willis, Henry Wilsey, WUliam Wood, Isaac THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 171 CHAPTER XII. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Local Events. THE second and third Provincial Congresses convened in the city of New York, the former November 14, 1775, and the latter May 14, 1776. The fourth Provincial Congress met at White Plains, July 9, 1776, in consequence of the British having possession of New York, and in the forenoon of that day a letter enclosing the Declaration of Independence which had been adopted by the Continental Congress on the fourth, was received from New York's delegates in that body, and unanimously approved. On the day following, July 10th, it was "resolved and ordered that the style and title of this house be changed from that of the 'Provincial Con- gress of the Colony of New York' to that of 'The Convention of the Representatives of the State of New York.'" But the situation of affairs had become too alarming for a lengthy deliberation. The seat of war had been transferred to New York, and the "Convention" — afterwards so called — was occupied in raising troops and supplies and providing for the immediate public wel- fare. British ships of war were anchored off Tarrytown, within six miles of where they were then sitting. July 27th they found it necessary to move to Harlem, thence to King's Bridge, and August 29, 1776, the Convention removed to Fishkill, where it held sessions at different times, first in the Episcopal church and later in the Dutch church until February 11, 1777, when it adjourned to Kingston. During the recesses of the Convention the government powers were exercised by the Committee of Safety, which held its sessions at Fish- kill, at intervals, from September 2, 1776, to February 14, 1777. Nathaniel Sackett, a resident of Fishkill, and secretary of the Com- mittee, was authorized by that body, January 3, 1777, "to employ such detachments of the militia of Dutchess County as are not in 172 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. actual services, as he may deem expedient, for inquiring into, detect- ing and defeating all conspiracies which may be found against the Liberties of America." Although Dutchess County was not invaded by the British, it never- theless became of paramount importance during the Revolution. In population and taxable wealth it exceeded the other counties of the State. In addition to the large numbers of troops as evidenced by the lengthy muster roUs of Dutchess regiments, it furnished a very large proportion of army provisions. Early in the spring of 1776 materials arrived at Poughkeepsie for the construction of the frigates Congress and Montgomery for the Continental navy. They were staunch vessels of good model, the for- mer of twenty-eight and the latter of twenty-four guns. The fate of these frigates is contained in a letter dated October 9th, 1777, from Gov. CUnton to Gen. Washington which reads: "I have to add that by some fataUty the two Continental frigates were lost, they having been ordered down by General Putnam to the defence of the chain; but being badly manned, they could not be got ofF in time, though I ordered the ship Congress to proceed to Fort Constitution (opposite West Point) the day before the attack, lest she should meet with a disaster; and the ship Montgomery, which lay near the chain, having neither anchor nor cables to secure her, it being the ebb of tide and the wind failing, fell down so near the chain, that Captain Hodge was constrained to set her on fire to prevent her from falling into the hands of the enemy. The Congress, unfor- tunately getting aground on the flat near Fort Constitution, shared the same fate." Fire rafts were also built at Poughkeepsie, fourteen of which were launched in July, 1776. Immediately following the adoption of the State Constitution at Kingston April 20, 1777, one of the secretaries was directed to pro- ceed to Fishkill and have printed 500 copies of the Constitution with the preamble, and 2,500 copies without. The document was printed by Samuel Loudon, a whig printer of New York, who set up his press in Fishkill, when Washington's army evacuated the city. Fishkill, from its secure position at the head of the Highlands, was se- lected at an early period of the war, as the natural depot of supplies for this section, being on a direct route of communication with the New THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 173 England States. Large quantities of stores from Dutchess and adjacent counties, as well as from the eastern States, were there accumulated for the use of the Continental army. A sergeant and fourteen men from each regiment within the county were detailed to erect barracks there. They were located on the level plateau southeast of Fishkill village. Frequently large bodies of troops were stationed there. The officers' quarters were at the "Wharton House," made memorable by its association with the hero of Cooper's story of "The Spy." These barracks became the retreat for wounded and naked soldiers. After the battle of White Plains, the wounded were conveyed to Fishkill where, in addition to the barracks hospitals, the churches were used for that purpose. Of the many who died, it is asserted, their bodies were piled up as high as cord wood in places between the Dutch and Episcopal churches. Near the base of the mouiftain a short distance south of the village is the soldiers' burial ground, where moulder the remains of hundreds of patriots, whose devotion and blood helped to se- cure for us the inestimable boon of liberty. Small-pox which broke out in the camp added the bodies of many more. The sufferings and priva- tions of those heroic men, who, wrote Washington, ate at one time every kind of horse food but hay, and whose clothing was patched until nearly every substance of originality was lost, is further em- phasized by the Marquis de Chastellux, who remarks that they "were not even covered with rags." Gen. Washington made his head- quarters in Fishkill village for brief periods, stopping at the house of Col. John Brinckerhoff. /'' The town of Pawling is also made memorable by its revolutionary associations. In the fall of 1778 a portion of the Continental army was cantoned within its borders on the slopes of Purgatory Hill. Washington spent several weeks with these troops. On his arrival September 19th, he was entertained for six days at the house of Reed Ferris, about two miles southeast of the present village of Pawling. He then moved a few miles southwest to the place designated as his Headquarters on his maps by Erskine. His letters written during his residence here are all dated from "Fredericksburgh," the name at that time of the western and older part of the town of Patterson. Washington's general officers were quartered in the homes of various residents of the neighborhood. The Oblong Meeting House the larg- est available building was appropriated by the army officers for a hos- 174 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. pital, and so utilized for about four months. The only oflScial record, says Mr. Lewis S. Patrick in "Washington Headquarters at Fred- ricksburgh," is that of Washington's order of October 20th, "No more sick to be sent to the Hospital at Quaker Hill, without first inquiring of the Chief Surgeon there whether they can be received, as it is already full." The Quakers were not in sympathy with their Meeting House being used for a hospital and literally "froze out" the doctors and soldiers by leaving them alone in the bitter winter and let- ting them starve. Dr. James Fallon, physician-in-chief of the sick who were left on Quaker Hill after the departure of the Continental army, wrote Gov. Clinton that he could hire no one to draw wood to the hospital; that he could buy no milk without paying in Continental money, six for one, and denounced most of the residents as Tories. Many of the soldiers who lay sick are said to have died, but Dr. Fallon's letter to Gov. Clinton furnishes the only account known to' exist: "Out of the 100 sick, Providence took but three of my people off since my arrival." The Ferris House in PawUng is further made notable by the trial there October 1, 1778, of Gen. Philip Schuyler, by courtmartial, on the general charge of neglect of duty while in command of the North- ern Department in 1777, especially for his absence at the capture of Ticonderoga July 6th of that year. Gen. Schuyler was honorably acquitted and pending the action of Congress on the verdict of the court, he was appointed to that body by the Legislature of New York, then in session at the court house in Poughkeepsie. October 4, 1777, Sir Henry Clinton, then in command of the British troops in New York started a force, estimated to number 4000, up the Hudson, presumably to co-operate with Burgoyne, who was ■struggling with Generals Schuyler and Gates for the supremacy of the upper Hudson. Arriving at the Highlands the superior numbers and generalship of the British quickly captured Forts Montgomery and Clinton in the afternoon of October 6th. These forts were more strictly batteries for the defence of the famous chain which had been stretched across the Hudson from Fort Montgomery. The batteries taken the chain amounted to nothing. The second obstruction to navigation, the chevq,ux-de-frise from Nicoll's Point proved more formidable and the English fleet was detained here several days. They passed up the < < H H <1 en O A M be o PS 3 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 175 river on the 15th, firing several shots at Fishkill and Poughkeepsie, and on the 16th, destroyed Kingston. The defence of the Hudson on the east shore was entrusted to the ineflScient General Israel Putnam. Encamped at Peekskill with 600 regulars and several companies of militia, he retreated to the stronger Highlands before an insignificant force sent by Sir Henry CHnton to conceal the advance of his forces on the west side of the river. Oc- tober 7th he wrote to Gates who was opposing Burgoyne in the north: "I cannot prevent the enemy's advancing; prepare for the worst." Following the English fleet he led his army northward as far as Red Hook, arriving too late to prevent the burning of many buildings at this place, as well as at Rhinebeck, by a detachment of British soldiers. The presence of his army, on the eastern shore, however, prevented the further destruction of villages and property* along the river in Dutchess County, by the English as they sailed down on the 24th. Shortly after the burning of Kingston, the newly formed State government was removed to Poughkeepsie. December 15th^^JJ.77, Gov. George Clinton issued his proclamation summoning the Senate and Assembly to meet at Poughkeepsie, Monday the 5th day of Jan- uary 1778. Three sessions were held here that year and the winter session of 1779. After that it met at irregular intervals at Kingston, Albany and Poughkeepsie; the subsequent Poughkeepsie sessions con- vening September 7th to October 10th, 1780 ; June 15th to July 1st, and October 10th to November 3rd, 1781; February 23rd to April 14th, and July 8th to 25th, 1782; January 11th to March 22nd, 1788; December 11th, 1788 to March 3, 1789; and January 6th to IMh, 1795. Hundreds of Gov. Clinton's letters were written in Poughkeepsie indicating that he made his home here for several years, but there is ;no positive evidence what house was the gubernatorial Mansion. The «tone house built by Clear Everitt, who was sheriff of the county from 1754 to 1761, was used for important purposes during the Revolu- tion, and it is quite probable that Clinton occupied it for a time as his residence. Through the efforts of members of Mawenawasigh Chap- ter, Daughters of the American Revolutibn, the State in 1900 appro- priated $5,000 for the purchase of this building, and it is now in the custody of this society and known as the Gov. Clinton House, where is maintained a Museum. 176 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. In December 1778, General McDougall in command of the High- lands was greatly in need of shelter for his troops of the Continental army. Two regiments were in tents at Fishkill, and some four hun- dred men occupied the hospitals. He accordingly ordered a regi- ment of two hundred men to Poughkeepsie where they could be pro- tected from the storms of rain and snow. Gov. Clinton at first was opposed to the Continentals being stationed here, fearing they might interfere with the Legislature, whose members were afforded but in- different accommodation. However, in February of '79, when the regiment was about to be withdrawn, he wrote that the troops had be- haved in a most orderly manner ; had repaired their barracks, and laid in ample firewood to make their quarters very comfortable. When the struggle for American independence was virtually termi- nated by the surrender of Comwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781, the Legislature was in session at Pougkeepsie and, according to local historians, on receipt of this joyful news, both houses, with the Gov- ernor, proceeded to the Dutch Church and there offered thanksgiving to God for the great deliverance. The crowning event of historical interest to the citizens of Dutchess was the ratification, in their court house, of the Constitution of the United States, by the State of New York. The State Convention as- sembled at Poughkeepsie, June 17th, 1788, to consider and act on the proposed Constitution recommended by the General Convention at Philadelphia, September 17th, 1787. The State delegates elected to attend, numbered sixty-five, of whom sixty are recorded as present and voting.^ Governor Clinton, who was one of the delegates from Ulster County, was unanimously elected president, and it soon de- veloped that he was opposed to ratification, and that a large majority of the delegates shared his opinion. In fact Clinton is said to have been "the bitterest hater of the Constitution that could be found any- Iwhere in the thirteen States." Other conspicuous leaders in opposi- tion were Melancton Smith of Dutchess, and Robert Yates and John Lansing. Robert R. Livingston, then chancellor of the State of New York, and afterwards Minister to France, led the majority in favor of ratifi- cation. Warmly supporting him were John Jay, who became the first • 1. For delegates from DntchesB and their vote, see Civil List, Chapter VII. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 177 Chief Justice of the United States, and "foremost of all, Alexander Hamilton, whose name alone is his best eulogy." Among the arguments advanced by Melancton Smith was, that no power worth speaking of, would remain to the Legislatures of the States, and that it was impracticable to govern a country so widely extended as this, by the plan proposed. To these and all other ob- jections, Hamilton and his coadjutors replied with sohd reasoning and consummate tact. For many days the discussion continued, the spec- tators enjoying a mental feast, and it is safe to say, that in no State was the Constitution more powerfully opposed, and more ably defended. Of local interest is the following letter written in Poughkeepsie, un- der date of July 1st, 1788, by Hon. Isaac Roosevelt, a member of the Convention, to Hon. Richard Varick of New York: "I wish it was in my Power to inform you that our Convention had agreed to adopt the Constitution or Even what the Propable Event will be Our oponents keep themselves much at a distance from us and we Cant Collect any of their Sentiments Either out or in Doors by any means whatever In our discussions on the Constitution we have got only to the 8th Section of the first Article. The time is mostly taken up in reasoning on the impropriety of their Proposed amendments. I now only Can sugest that the Event of Verginia may influence their determination, should they reject I think it Propable our Convention •will, but should they adopt, I am not Clear ours will, they may then Propose an Adjournment to Collect the Scence of their respective Constituents, Tho all will depend on their Leaders, Hope shall be able to Write you more by Saturday next." "While the logic of discussion was thus going on," says the Rev. A. P. Van Gieson, D. D., in an address delivered January 30th, 1895, in Vassar Brothers' Institute, "there intruded into it the logic of events. The plan was, that when the Constitution should have been ratified by nine States, it should go into effect. When the Convention of the State of New York met, eight of the States had already ratified and the Con- ventions of New Hampshire and Virginia were in session. On Thurs- day the 24th of June a courier arrived at Poughkeepsie from the Cap- 178 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. itol of New Hampshire, bringing to Mr. Hamilton the welcome news that the Convention of that State had ratified. This made the re- quisite nine States, and seriously changed the face of affairs. The question for the remaining States was not whether they would con- tribute to the forming of it, but whether they would enter into or stay out of a Union already formed. But by the opposition in the New York Convention, the accession of New Hampshire was not deemed decisive. It was a border State, and consisted mostly of a wilderness with no population except that of bears and panthers. Virginia, the foremost of all the States still held out, and without her and New York the new Union could not be a success. Mr. Smith spoke not only for himself but for his party when he said, on the day after the news came from New Hampshire, that the change in circumstances made no change in his views." July 2nd a courier arrived at Poughkeepsie with a package con- taining a despatch from the president of the Virginia Convention at Richmond, and a letter from Madison to Hamilton, announcing that Virginia had, on the 26th day of June, unconditionally ratified the constitution. The accession of Virginia caused great enthusiasm among the Federalists in the Convention, and proved a severe blowl to the opponents of ratification, who, however, continued to stubbornly contest their ground, insisting that the Constitution was radically de- fective. After many days of lengthy debate and eloquent speeches, which won over several of the Anti-Federalists, Saturday July 26th, was appointed for the final vote, which stood SO to 2T for uncon- ditional ratification. By the small majority of three. New York de- cided to become a member of the American Union. The final ratifi- cation might have been unanimous had Governor Clinton consented to vote for the Constitution. It seems to the Editor that the great credit rightly given Hamilton for his brilliant and persistent fight in the Constitutional Convention in favor of its adoption has partially eclipsed the credit that should be given to Clinton and his followers, and that history has made scant acknowledgement of the true patriotism and far-seeing statemanship that actuated Clinton in his opposition. Besides the criticism justly made that in certain regards the consti- tution did not give proper recognition to the great State of New York as compared with smaller and less important states, was the objection JOHN PETER SCHENCK, M. D. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 179 based upon the fact that in other respects the constitution was crude, and failed to guarantee proper protection to both personal rights and to State rights. This latter fact was recognized even by those who favored the adoption of the constitution as proposed. The oppon- ents finally insisted that the constitution should be adopted only upon the expressed condition of the immediate adoption of necessary amend- ments. This course was seen to be impracticable, and finally the op- ponents patriotically agreed to the adoption with only an implied promise, or a tacit understanding, that these amendments should be adopted as soon as possible. The sequel of events justified their action, for at the first Congress held at the City of New York on the 4th of March, 1789, there were proposed ten articles of amendments, and thejj were subsequently adopted by the requisite number of States. These articles were called the American "Bill of Rights" and prop- erly so, for they safe-guard the most valuable rights of person and of property : Such as freedom of religion; freedom of speech and of press; the right of assembly and petition; the right of the people to keep and bear arms; the prohibition of quartering troops on house-holders in time of peace, or in time of war, "but in a manner to be prescribed by law" ; the right of the people to be secure in their persons and property against unreasonable searches and seizures and from arrest without warrant supported by oath; the right not to be held for trial for a felony unless on indictment of a grand jury, and not to be put in jeop- ardy of life or limb twice for the same offense ; not to be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against oneself, nor to be de- prived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor to have one's property taken for public use without just compensation; the right of the accused in all criminal prosecutions to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of his locality, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with the witnesses against him, and to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his de- fense. It was prescribed that excessive bail should not be required nor ex- cessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Article nine of the amendments provided: 180 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. "The enumeration in the constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The right of trial by jury was preserved in suits at conunon law, where the value in controversy should exceed $20. Finally, regarding States' rights, as distinguished from personal rights, article ten of the amendments provided that: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respec- tively or to the people." In the working out of our history as a Nation under the Constitution it has been found that the provisions of this Bill of Rights have been the bulwarks of the liberties of the people. They were worth con- tending for and insisting upon, and the men who contended for and in- sisted upon them are worthy of all honor and of all praise by the suc- ceeding generations of a free people living under the constitution, as amended; for we would in no sense have been a free people without these amendments, and the sufferings and struggles of the Revolu- tionary patriots in behalf of liberty might have been in vain. By their success in the aAitrament of arms, the American patriots had sustained their contention that "taxation without representation" was oppression; and they had justified their Declaration that "these united colonies are, and of right ought to be jree and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." They were, moreover, heritors of all the rights of the people of Great Britain — all that had been won through battle and bloodshed, wrested from King John and guaranteed by Magna Charta ; all that had been claimed in the original Enghsh "BiU of Rights" and secured through the "glorious Revolution" in England, the infringement of which had cost Charles I his head, and James H his crown; and the wise men of this new nation, who had vivid memories of the struggles of the past and clear foresight for the dangers of the future, and who insisted that these hard won rights should be guaranteed to the people by the government about to be formed, should have all honor and glory. TRAVELS THROUGH DUTCHESS COUNTY. 181 CHAPTER XIII. De CHASTELLUX'S TRAVELS THROUGH DUTCHESS COUNTY. IN the year 1786 there was published at Paris in two volumes the "Voyage De M. Le Marquis De Chastellux, Dans L'Amerique Septentrionale, Dans les annes 1780, 1781 and 1782," the "Travels of the Marquis of Chastellux in North America in the years 1780, 1781 and 1782." * By the kind permission of Mr. Reginald W. Rives, the editor of this work has been allowed to examine and have translations made from the rare original books in French, owned by him. The Marquis was a French general officer under Rochambeau and one of that group of French noblemen, sympathizers with the Ameri- can cause, who took such an active interest and gave such valuable assistance in our struggle for liberty during the Revolutionary period. Having landed at Newport, R. I., in July 1780, he was detained there some time by reason of the presence of the English fleet before that place. Admiral Rodney, however, having undertaken nothing up to the beginning of October, and the season being far advanced, after the Marquis had seen the troops properly installed in winter quarters, on the 11th of November, he started upon a "long tour upon the Continent." He was accompanied by two Aides de Camp, M. Linch and M. de Montesquieu, each of whom had a servant. The Marquis had three, one of whom looked after a led horse and another drove a little cart upon which was carried his baggage. It was very cold and snow covered the land. Proceeding across Connecticut and stopping at various places, on the 19th of November he left Litchfield and pursued his journey, trav- elling through the mountains; passing Washington, whose name "de- clars its recent origin," and New Milford, he found himself "upon the bank of the Housatonic, otherwise called the river of Stratford. It is not necessary to remark that the first name is the true one, that 182 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. is to say, the one given to it by the Savages, the ancient inhabitants of the country." We shall proceed to quote the Marquis's own words of the narrative of his further journey, as he enters and proceeds through Dutchess Comity, translating them literally: "That river (the Housatonic) is not navigable, and you cross it easily at a ford near the forges of Mr. BuU (Bvdl's Iron Works). You turn next toward the left, and follow its banks; but if you are sensible to beautiful nature, if you have learned in looking at the pictures of Vernet and of Robert, to admire examples of it, you will pause, you will forget yourself in looking at the charming country which forms the surroundings of the forges, the water fall which serves to work them and the accessories of trees and of rocks with which that picturesque scene is embellished. Scarcely have you gone a mile, when you cross again the same river, but upon a wooden bridge; you find another soon, which etapties itself into it, called Ten Miles River. You follow that for the space of two or three miles and see next many pleasant houses which form part of the district called the Oblong. It is a long and straight tract of land ceded by Connecticut to the State of New York in consequence of an exchange made between those two States. The Inn where I was going is in the Oblong, but two miles further along. It is kept by Colonel Moorhouse; for in America nothing is more common than to see a Colonel an Inn keeper. They are for the most part Colonels of Militia, chosen by the Militia itself, which rarely fails to intrust the command to the most honest and best accredited citizens. I urged my horses and hastened to arrive to get ahead of a traveller on horse-back, who had joined me on the road, and who would have had the same right as myself for lodging, if we had arrived there together. I had the satisfaction to see him continue on his way; but soon afterwards I had the misfortune to learn that the fair sized Inn, where I had counted upon passing the night, was occupied by thirteen farmers and two hundred and iif ty cattle, which had come from New Hampshire. The cattle were the least troublesome of the whole company. They had driven them some distance from there into a meadow, where they left them free at their own will, without leaving any guard with them, not even that of a dog; but the farmers, their horses and their dogs were the possessors of the Inn. I informed myself of the reason which caused them to journey thus, and I learned that they were conducting to the Army a part of the contingent of subsistance which New Hampshire furnished it. That contingent is a kind of tax which is divided among all the inhabitants, who are taxed, some at the rate of 150, others at 100 or 80 pounds of meat according to their means, so that they agree among themselves to furnish a steer, more or less heavy, it makes no differ- ence, because each animal is weighed. The driving of the herd is then intrusted to several farmers and servants. The farmers have a little more than a dollar a day; tmd their expenses as well as that of the herd are repaid them upon their return according to the receipts which they have taken care to get from all the m > o Q O Z o iJ H en & O iU P3 O p. o C9 3 6 V .S 00 3 '^ _- ° tc O < H c" . 5 S CO 4-> ^^ CO ^2 C3 cd a TRAVELS THROUGH DUTCHESS COUNTY. 183 Inns where they stop. They pay ordinarily from 6 to 10 French sols for each of the cattle for one night; the supper is in proportion. I informed myself of these details while my men sought lodging for me, hut all the rooms, all the beds were occupied by the drovers of the cattle, and I found myself in the greatest distress, when a large and fat man, the leader among them, having learned who I was, came to me and told me that neither he nor his companions would ever suffer that a French General Officer should want a bed, and rather than consent to that they would all sleep upon the floor, which they were accustomed to, and that that would not cause them the least discomfort. I answered them that I was a soldier and was just as accustomed as they to have the ground for my bed. A grand debate of politeness upon that point; on their part rough but cordial and more touching than the best turned compliments. The result was that I had a room and two beds for myself and for my Aides de Camp. But our acquaintance did not rest there. After we had separated each for his own affairs, I to fix myself up and to rest, they to continue to drink of grog and of cider, I saw them re-enter my room. I was then occupied in verifying my route upon a map* of the country. That map excited their curiosity. They saw there with surprise and satisfaction the routes by which they had come. They asked me if they knew them in Europe, and if it was not in that part of the world that I had bought my maps. They appeared very much pleased when I assured them that we knew America as well as the countries that were nearest neighbors to us; but their joy had no bounds when they saw on my map New Hampshire, their country. They immediately called those of their companions who had remained in the other room and mine found itself full of huge men, the most strong and most robust which I have yet seen in America. I expressed surprise at their height and their stature. They told me that the inhabitants of New Hampshire were strong and vigorous; that that came from several reasons, because the air there was excellent and because agriculture was their sole occupation, and especially because their blood was not mixed, that country being inhabited by the families of the original emigrants who came from England. We separated very good friends, touching, or rather shaking, hands in the English manner, and they told me that they were happy to have had occasion 'to shake hands with a French Greneral.' The horse that carried my baggage having failed to travel as quickly as myself, did not join me until the next morning. Therefore on that day, which was the 20th of November, I was not able to start until ten o'clock. Three miles from Moorhouse Tavern you find a very high mountain, you next descend, but a little less than you ascend; then you follow the road upon an elevated plain, leaving the high mountains upon the left. The cotmtry is well cultivated, and you see there some beautiful farms and some mills and notwithstanding the war they are building there again, especially at 'HopeV township, principally settled by the Hollanders, as for the most part the State of New York is, that State having be- longed to the Republic of Holland, which exchanged it afterwards for Surinam. My intention was to sleep five miles this side of FishkiU at a tavern of Colonel Griffin. I found him cutting and shaping wood to make fences. He assured me that his house was full which I did not hesitate to believe because it was very small. I continued then my journey and arrived at FishkiU toward four o'clock 184 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. in the afternoon. That village where you count scarcely more than fifty houses in the space of two miles, has for a long time been the principal depot of the American Army. It is there that they have placed the magazines, the hospitals, the work-shops, &c., but all these establishments form a village by itself, composed of fine and large barracks which they have constructed in the woods at the foot of the mountains; because the Americans, like the Romans in many regards, have for their winter quarters only these villages of wood or barrack camps, which one can compare to those which the Romans called Hiemalia. As to the position of Fishkill, the results of the campaign of 1777 have proved how important it was to occupy it. It was dear that the plan of the English had been, and could again be, to get possession of the whole course of the North River, and to separate thus tne States of the east from those of the west and the south. It was necessary to make sure of a post on this river. They chose West Point as the most important to fortify, and Fishkill as the most convenient place to es- tablish the principle depot of provisions, ammunition, etc.; these two positions are connected. I will speak presently of that of West Point; but I will observe here that Fishkill has all the necessary conditions for a place for a depot, because that village is situated on the main road from Connecticut, and near the North River, and because at the same time it is protected by a chain of inaccessible mountains, which occupy a space of more than twenty miles between the Croton river and that of Fishkill. The approach of Winter quarters and the movements of the troops that this circumstances occasioned rendered lodgings hard to find; I had trouble enough to find any; but finally I established myself in a mediocre Inn, kept by an old Madam Egremont. The house had not the cleanliness that one commonly finds in America; but the greatest inconvenience was that several panes of glass were lacking. In- deed, of all repairs, those to the windows are the most difficult, in a country where, the houses being so scattered and separated from one another, it is necessary some- times to send twenty miles to get a glasier. We used everything which came to hand to fill up to the best of our ability the cracks, and we made a good fire. A moment afterward, the doctor of the hospital, who had seen me pass, and who had recognized me as a French General Officer, came with much politeness to find out if I had need of anything, and to offer me everything which he could supply. I am using the English word "Doctor" because the distinction between Surgeon and Doctor of medicine is no more known in the army of Washington than in that of Agamemnon. One reads in Homer, that the Doctor Macon himself dressed all the wounds; but our Doctors, who are not Greeks, are not willing to follow this example. The Americans conform to the ancient usage, and are well pleased with it; they are well satisfied with their Doctors, for whom they show the greatest consideration. Doctor Graig, whom I knew at Newport, is the intimate friend of General Washington; and lately M. Lafayette had for Aide de Camp Colonel MacHenry, who, the past year, acted as Doctor in the same army. The 21st, at 9 o'clock in the morning, the Quarter-master of Fishkill, who had come in the evening watch with all possible politeness, to offer me his services and fo place two sentinels at my door, an honor that I refused in spite of all his insistence, came to my house; and after having partaken of tea, according to cus- TRAVELS THROUGH DUTCHESS COUNTY. 185 torn, he conducted me to the barracks where I saw the quarters, the magazines and the work-shops of the different workmen attached to the service of the army. These barracks are in fact houses of wood, well constructed, well covered, and having garre^^to store grain and even cellars; of such a kind that one gets a very false idea, if one judges of them by those which one sees in our army, when we put our troops in barracks. The Americans make them sometimes more like ours, but only to put the soldiers under cover, when they are more in reach of the enemy. They give to these latter the name of huts, and they are very clever in constructing both kinds. It takes only three days to construct the firsi^ count- ing from the moment when they commence to cut down the trees; the others are finished in twenty-four hours. They consist of low walls, made of piled up stones, the chinks of which are filled with earth mixed with water, or simply with mud; some planks form the roof; but that which makes them very warm, is that the chimney is on the outside and one enters only by a little side door, practically at the side of that chimney. The army has passed whole winters under such huts without suffering and without sickness. As to the barracks, or ^rather as to the little military village of Fishkill, they have so well provided for all which the service and discipline of the army can need, that they have constructed there a Provost house and a prison which are surrounded with palisades. There is only one door by which to enter into the enclosure of the Provost and before that door they have placed a body-guard. Through the bars with which the windows of the prison are guarded, I distinguished several prisoners wearing the English uniform; these were a band of thirty soldiers or enlisted Tories. These wretched men had fol- lowed the Savages in an invasion that they had just made by Lake Ontario and the Mohavdi River. They had burned more than 300 houses, killed the horses and cows, and destroyed more than 10,000 bushels of wheat. The gallows ought to be the price of such exploits; but the enemy having also made several prisoners, they feared retaliation and contented themselves vrith guarding these robbers in a close and narrow prison. After having passed some time in visiting these different establishments, I mounted my horse, and conducted by a guide of the State that the Quarter-master had given me, I pushed on into the wood and followed the road to West Point, where I wished to arrive in time for dinner. Pour or five miles from Fishkill, I saw several trees cut down and a clearing in the wood; having approached nearer, I perceived it was a camp, or rather Isome huts inhabited by several hundred invalid soldiers. These invalids were all in very good health; but one must know that in the American Army one calls all those soldiers invalids who are not in a condition to do service, or those who have been sent to the rear, because their uniforms are in truth 'invalid.' These honest people, for I will not say these un- happy ones (they know too well how to suffer abd suffer for a cause too noble) have not in fact coverings, not even rags; but their assured mien, their arms in good condition, seem to cover their nakedness, and allow one to see only their courage and their patience. It was near this camp that I met Major Liman, Aide de Camp of General Heath, whom I had known very well at Newport, and M. de ViUefranche, a French ofScer, serving at West Point, in the rank of an engineer. General Heath had been informed of my arrival by a dispatch that the Quarter- 186 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. master of Fishkill had sent him on my arrival, and he had sent these two ofBcers to meet me. I continued my way through the wood and on a road shut in on two sides by some very steep mountains, which seemed made expressly for bears to live in and where in truth they make frequent excursions during the Winter. One profits by a pass where the mountains are a little lower to turn toward the west and approach the river; but one does not see it yet. I descended these mountains slowly, when all at once at a turn of the road, my eyes were struck with the most magnificent view that I have seen in all my life; it was that which the North River presents, flovidng in a deep gap formed by the mountains through which it had long ages ago forced a passage. The fort of West Point and the formidable batteries with which it is defended fixed the attention on the west side of the river; but if one raises one's eyes, one sees on all sides lofty summits bristling with redoubts and batteries. I leap down from my horse and remain a long time looking through my spy-glass, the only means which one can use to comprehend the whole of the fortifications with which this important post is surrounded. Two high summits, on each of which they have cons,tructed a great redoubt, protect the river on the east. These two works have not received any names except those of the 'North Redoubt' and 'South Redoubt'; but from the fort of West Point properly speaking, which is on the bank of the river, up to the top of the mountain, at the foot of which it has been built, one counts six different forts all in an amphitheatre and protected by one another. They induced me to leave that place, where I would willingly have passed the entire day; and I had not gone a mile before I saw why they had urged me to come. In fact I per- ceived a body of infantry, more than two thousand five hundred men, very near, which was in battle array on the bank of the river. They had just crossed it to march at once toward Kings Bridge, and to cover a grand foraging raid that they were proposing to make toward the White Plains and up to the very gates of New York. General Starke, he who whipped the English at Bennington, com- manded these troops, and General Heath was at their head; he wished to have me see the troops before they set out on the march. I passed before their ranks, saluted by all the ofScers with their swords, and the drums beating 'to the field,' an honor that they show in America to Major Generals, whose rank is the highest in the Army, although it corresponds only to that of Marshal of the camp. The troops were badly dressed, but they made a good appearance; as for the officers, they left nothing to desire, either in respect to their appearance or their manner pi marching and commanding. After I had passed down the front of the line it broke, and marched before me and continued on its way. General Heath conducted me to the river bank, where his barge awaited him to carry me to the other side. It was then that a new scene opened to my view, not less sublime than the first. We descended, our faces turned toward the north; in that side one saw an island covered with rocks which seemed to close the channel of the river; but soon across the kind of opening that its bed had formed in separating the immense mountains, one perceived that it flowed obliquely from the west »nd made a sudden turn around West Point, to open a passage and hasten to rejoin the sea, without making from there on the slightest detour. One's glance turning towards the north above Constitution Island (this is the island of which TRAVELS THROUGH DUTCHESS COUNTY. 187 I have just been speaking) sees again the river, distinguishing New Windsor on its left bank, then resting on different amphitheatres formed by the Appalachians, the furthest summits of which close the scene and are more than ten leagues away. We embark in the barge and cross the river which is nearly a mile wide. As we approach the opposite bank, the fort of West Point which, seen from the east bank appeared situated low down at the foot of the mountain, lifted itself up before our eyes and seemed to be the summit of a steep rock; this rock was how- ever on the bank of the river. When I had not remarked that the openings which pierced it in different places were not else than embrasures for cannon and for formidable batteries, I had my attention drawn to them by thirteen shots of 241- pound cannon, fired one after the other. This was a military salute, with which General Heath wished to honor me, in the name of the thirteen states. Never had honor been more imposing or more majestic; each shot of the cannon, after a long interval, was reechoed from the opposite bank with a noise almost equal to that of the discharge itself. If one remembers that two years ago. West Point was a wilderness almost inaccessible, that this wilderness has been covered with fort- resses and artillery, by a people who, six years before, had never seen a cannon; if one reflects that the fate of the thirteen states has depended on this important post, and that a horse trader changed into a general, or rather become a hero, always intrepid, always victorious, but buying victory always at the price of his blood; that this extraordinary man, at the same time the honor and disgrace of his country, had sold and thought to deliver to the English this Palladium of American liberty; if finally one groups together so many wonders, both of the physical and of the moral world, one would easily believe that my thoughts were indeed fully occupied and that 1 was not bored by my journey. On landing, or rather on climbing up the rocks which rose on the border of the river, and the feet of. which the river wa«hed, we were received by Colonel Lamb and Major Bowman, both artillery ofBcers, by Major Fish, a young man of fine figure, refined and in- teUeetual, and by Major Frank, formerly Aide de Camp to General Arnold." After a visit to Philadelphia, the Marquis returned in December, 1780, and stopping at Newburg, was entertained over night by Gen- eral Washington at his headquarters at that place. After an interesting account of this visit the Marquis proceeds: "I greatly wished that it were possible for me to yield to the importunities which he (General Washington) made me to agree to pass some days with him. I had made at Philadelphia a solemn engagement with the Vicomte de Noailles and his travelling companions to arrive twenty-four hours after them at the head- quarters, if they should stop there or at Albany, if they should go straight on. We wished to see StiU-water and Saratoga. It would have been difficult for us to make a proper observation of that country if we should not be together, because we counted upon General Schuyler, who should not have to make two trips to satisfy our curiosity. I had been faithful to my promise, because I had arrived at New Windsor the same day that they had left West Point. I hoped that I should accompany them to Albany and General Washington seeing that he could not 188 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. detain me, wished to conduct me himself in his barge to the other side of the river. We landed at 'Fishkill Landing Place,' to take the road on the east which travellers prefer to that on thBJ west. Arriving at the river bank, I parted from the Greneral, but he insisted that" Colonel Smith should accompany me as far as 'Pokepsie.' The road which leads to that village passes sufficiently near to Fish- kill, which you leave upon your right. From there you travel upon the high land, where the view is beautiful and extended; and traversing the township which they call 'Middlebrook,' you arrive at the Creek and the 'Fall' of 'Wapping.' There I stopped some moments to take in, under different points of view, the charming landscape which that stream forms, as much by its cascade, which Is rushing and picturesque, as by the groups of trees and of rocks, which united with the saw mills and other mills made a picture most pleasing and agreeable. It was not yet half past three o'clock when I arrived at Pokepsie. Although I had the intention to sleep there, yet having found that the Court of Sessions was assembled there and that all the taverns were full, I took advantage of the little of the day that remained for me to reach an Inn, which someone told me of, three miles further on. Colonel Smith who had business at Pokepsie stayed there and I thought myself very happy to find myself again that night with my two Aides de Camp. In truth it was always a new pleasure for me, when free by ourselves, and in per- fect liberty, we could render to ourselves a mutual account of the impressions which so many different objects had left upon us. I regretted only not to have seen Governor Clinton, for whom I had some let- ters of introduction. He is a man who governs with all the vigor and firmness possible, inexorable toward the Tories, whom he makes tremble although they are in great number. He has been able to maintain in loyalty that vast province of which one end borders on Canada and the other the City of New York. He was then at Pokepsie, but occupied by the Court of Sessions. Besides, Saratoga and the different fields of battle of Burgoyne were henceforth the sole object of my trip. I tried always to advance in the hope that the snows would not prevent me and render the roads impracticable. Arriving at 'Pride's Tavern, I put some questions to my host upon the probable signs which he found for the continuation of good weather, and perceiving that he was a good farmer I asked him about agricvflture and I learned the following details. The land is very fertile in the County of the Duchesse ('Dutchess County'), of which Pokepsie is the capital, as much so as in the State of New York; but they let it remain fallow one out of two or three years, less from necessity than because they have always more land than they can cultivate. They sow upon an acre of land only a bushel of wheat, at the most, and the sowing yields 20 and 25 for one. Certain farmers sow oats, on the land which has borne corn the year before, but more often that kind of grain is reserved for land newly cleared. Flax is also a quite considerable object of culture. They plough with horses, and they harness three or four to one plough, sometimes even a greater number, when it is necessary to break up new ground, or that which has for a long time lain fallow. Mr. Pride informed me of these details, and made me hope for good weather TRAVELS THROUGH DUTCHESS COUNTY. 189 for the next day. I went to bed perfectly satisfied with him, and his prognosti- cations. Nevertheless in the morning when I awoke I saw the land already all white with snow, which continued to fall in abundance, mixed with hail. What should 1 do under such circumstances? That for which I decided without hesita- tion. It was to continue my journey, as if it were pleasant, and only to breakfast little more heartily than I would have done otherwise. That which caused the most annoyance was the £^ow, or rather the hail, which struck me in the eyes, and prevented me from seeing the country. As far as I was able to judge, I found it beautiful and well cultivated. After I had gone nearly ten miles, I crossed the township of 'Straabourg,' which the inhabitants of the country called '8trattt- borough.' That township is five or six miles long, yet the houses are not at a distance from each other. When I saw one sufficiently fair looking and attractive, the proprietor came out, without doubt from curiosity, and asked me in French, if I would dismount from my horse, enter his house and dine with him. Nothing was more tempting, because of the bad weather, than such a proposition, but also nothing is more cruel when one has taken shelter than tojeave a second time the corner of the fire, to expose oneself anew to the cold and to the snow. I there- fore refused the dinner which the polite man offered me, but I did not refuse to answer the questions which he put to me. On my side 1 asked him if he had seen some French officers pass. I would speak of the Yicomte de Noailles, Comte de Damas and Chevalier de Mauduit, who having with them three or four servants and six or seven horses would have been remarked upon the road. My Hollander, for 1 have since learned that he was called Mr. LeRoy and that he was a Hol- lander, born in Europe and knew France, where he had lived some time^— My Hollander answered then as a man who knew France and who spoke French: 'Monsieur, it is very true that M. le Prince de Conty has passed here this after- noon with two other officers going to Albany.' I did not know whether it should be to the Vicomte de Noailles or to the Comte de Dames that I should pay my respects for his Princeship, but as they are both my cousins, I answered very truly that my cousin having wished to take the advance, I was glad to know at what hour he had passed and when I should be able to join him; so that, if Mr. LeRoy consulted his Almanach, as I have no doubt he did, he will conclude that I was the Duke of Orleans or the Duke of Chartres, that which would seem all the more probable, as I had nine horses with me, while the Prince de Conty, a little further removed from the Crown, had only seven. As soon as you leave Strasbourg, you enter the township of 'Rhynbeck.' It is useless to remark that all these names disclose the German origin. At Rhynbeck, no one leaves his house to ask me to dinner, but the snow mixed with hail was so cold, and I was so fatigued keeping up my horse upon the ice, that I should have stopped at that place even if I had not been invited by the good appearance of the Inn, called 'Thomas' fnn.' Although it was only half past two o'clock, seeing that I had so far made twenty-three miles, that the house was good, the fire well lighted and the pro- prietor a big man of good mien, a hunter, a horse merchant and disposed to talk, I decided, according to the English expression, to 'dispense with' the rest of my journey. 190 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Here is all that I learned from the most interesting part of my conversation with Mr. Thomas: In time of peace he carried on a large trade in horses, which he bought in Canada and which he sent to New York to transport them to the West Indies. It is nearly nnbelievable with what ease one carries on that trade in Winter. He assured me that at one time he had taken only fifteen days to go to Montreal and in driving back seventy-five horses which he had bought. The reason is that one travels straight across Lake Greorge upon the ice, and the wilderness which is between that lake and Montreal upon the snow. The horses of Canada travel usually eighteen or twenty hours a day, and two or three moimted men are enough to drive a hundred before them. 'I am the man,' added Mr. Thomas, 'who made, or rather who reestablished the fortunes of that scoundrel Arnold. He had badly conducted his affairs in the small business that he had carried on in New Haven. I per- suaded him to buy some horses in Canada and to go and sell them himself in Jamaica. That one speculation sufficed to pay his debts and to put him afloat.' After we had talked commerce, we talked agriculture. He told me that all the land about Rhynbeck was of extreme fertility, and that for one bushel of wheat that is sown, they gather thirty and forty bushels. The wheat is so abundant that they did not take the trouble to reap it, but they mowed it like hay. Certain dogs of a beautiful breed, which were running about revived my passion for the chase. I asked Mr. Thomas what use he made of them. He told me that they were used only to chase the fox. That roebucks, deer and bears were sufficiently common in the country, but that they killed them only in Winter, either by follow- ing their tracks in the snow or by drawing the woods. Every American conver- sation is apt to finish with politics. The politics of Mr. Thomas were a little bit doubtfuL He was very rich and he complained too much about the supplies of flour he had to furnish for the Army, for him to appear to me to be a good Whig. Nevertheless he held himself out as such; but I observed that he was very much attached to an opinion which I have found spread throughout the State of New York. It is that there is no expedition more useful and more easy than the conquest of Canada. The reason of it is that their country is so fertile and so happily placed for commerce that they are sure to become rich, provided they have nothing to fear from the savages, but the savages are only redoubtable be- cause they are backed up and inspired by the English. The 23rd (December, 1780,) I left the Thomas Inn at eight o'clock in the morn- ing and travelled for three hours, always in the district of Livingston (Livingston Manor). The road is beautiful and the country rich and well cultivated. You go through many quite considerable hamlets. The houses are fine and commodious, and everything there announces prosperity. In leaving that district you enter into that of Claverack, where you descend the mountains and approach the Hud- son River." Two years afterwards, in 1782, the Marquis, on his way from Mas^chusetts to Pennsylvania, again passed through the lower part of the County of Dutchess. He says : TRAVELS THROUGH DUTCHESS COUNTY. 191 "The 4ith (December) I departed (from Litchfield, Connecticut,) at half past eight in the morning. I stopped at Washington, after I had admired once again the picturesque tableau which the two falls and the two mills presented, which you find half way on the road between Litchfield and Washington. It was not with- out much pleasure that I observed the great change which two years had pro- duced in a country that before was wild and savage. When I passed that way two years ago there was only a bad public-house. At the present time one can choose between four or five Inns, all fit and habitable. That of 'Morgan' passed for the present for the better, but a mistake caused me to alight at another, which I think was not less good. This is so because the war, by stopping the growth of commerce, has been advantageous to the interior of the country. It has not only forced many traders to leave the coasts and to seek peaceful habitations among the mountains, but it has forced commerce to resort to land transportation, and to frequent the roads, which before people made only a little use of. I arrived at 'Moor House'i Tavern' about five o'clocl^ in the afternoon. This time, as I crossed the river at 'Bull's Works' stopping again to behold that beau- tiful scene, I was convinced that I had not made too great an eulogy upon it in my first journal. The river, which was swollen from the thaw, was itself more imposing in its cataract, but they had let a charcoal pit tumble down, and that made the view of the mills less pleasing. On this occasion, I had no reason to praise the Inn of Moor House. The Colonel, who had given it his name, kept it no longer, but had conveyed it to his son, who was absent, so that there were only some women in the house. M. DiUon, who had gone a little in advance, had all the trouble in the world to make them kill some chickens. Our supper was poor, and after it weu finished and we had withdrawn to the chimney corner, we saw the women, to the nimiber of four, seat themselves at the table in our places, and eat the rest of our supper, with an American dragoon, who was stationed there. This caused us some anxiety on account of our men. We learned afterwards that the women had left them only a very little portion of the supper." Two of the women in the house were young girls, refugees from the Wyoming massacre, and they gave to the Marquis of Chastellux a very interesting account of their escape, all of which he sets forth in his journal. "On the Sth, I leave at 9 o'clock, and go straight to Fishkill, where I arrive at half past two, after I had made twenty-four miles over very bad roads. I alighted at the Tavern of Mr. 'Boerbm,' which I recognized was the same where I had lodged two years before, and which was kept then by Madam Egremont. I found the house changed to its advantage, and had a, very good dinner. I crossed the North River at night-fall and arrived at six o'clock in 'Newborough' where I found Madame Washington, Colonel Tighman, Colonel Humphreys and Major Walker. 192 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The headquarters at Newborough consist of a single house, and that house is constructed in the Holland style. It is neither large nor commodious. The larg- est room which it contains is that where the family of the proprietor lives and which General Washington made his dining room. It is, to be sure, sufficiently Spacious, but it has seven doors and only one window. The chimney, or to speak more correctly, the back of the chimney, is against the wall, so that there is in fact only a flue of a cMmney, and the fire is in the room itself. On arriving 1 found the company assembled in a rather small room which served for a parlor." The Marquis goes on to recount a very pleasant visit with Wash- ington and the officers whom he met at the Colonel Jonathan Has- brouck house, Washington Headquarters at Newburgh. On the 7th of December, 1782, he took his leave of Washington and proceeded on his journey to Philadelphia. SAMi!ff/i>,!u. nihUiAe DUTCHESS COUNTY IN THE REBELLION. 193 CHAPTER XIV. DUTCHESS COUNTY IN THE REBELLION, IN the Civil war of 1861-'65 the people of this county proved them- selves worthy representatives of a heroic ancestry. In all the larger towns meetings were held immediately upon the fall of Fort Sumter. Men and money were freely tendered for the defense of the Union. Enlistments commenced forthwith, and the action of the citizens was everywhere prompt and enthusiastic. At a later period when it became necessary to raise large sums to fill the several quotas, these were voted without hesitation. On the 16th of April, 1861, meetings of the officers of the 21st Regiment and the American Citizens' Corps were held to put those organizations on a war footing and prepare them for any emergency. Within a few days from the issuance of the Governor's call on the 18th of April, companies were raised and organized in many of the towns of the county, and united with various regimental organizations. Many joined the 20th Regiment, which was raised at Kingston. Com- pany A of this Regiment, commanded by Captain James Smith, was raised in Poughkeepsie. Theodore Van Kleeck was sergeant-major of this Regiment, and Dr. Robert K. Tuthill went as assistant sur- geon. Others imited with the SOth Regiment, forming Company E, commanded by Captain Harrison Holliday. Eleven battlefields wit- nessed the devotion to the Union of the SOth Regiment. In the battle at Gainesville and second Bull Run, the Poughkeepsie company lost its captain, and the Regiment its colonel. Company I of the 74th Regiment was raised in Poughkeepsie in the summer of 1861, by Captain Arthur Wilkinson; and in Septem- ber of the same year 135 men were enlisted in the county by Lieut. Broom for Col. Ramsey's Regiment, then stationed at Dobb's Ferry. About the same time,^ Edward Titus, of Little Rest, in the town of Washington, was authorized by Col. De Forest to recruit a company of cavalry; fifty-five men, mostly from the interior and eastern part 194 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. of the town, were accepted, and joined the Ira Harris Guard then rendezvoused in New York. August 19, 1861, Pawling sent six young men to the "People's Elsworth Regiment" at Albany. In the same month a company was raised at Fishkill Landing to join the 19th Regiment, whose headquarters were then at Newburgh. Nearly an entire company of the Washington Greys, recruited from the towns of Stanford, Pine Plains and Chnton, under command of Col. Henry Moore, joined the 47th Regiment in New York the latter part of August. In September, 1861, a recruiting office was opened at the comer of Main and Bridge Streets, Poughkeepsie, by Captain Charles Bohrer, who recruited twenty-eight men for the Morgan Rifles, com- posed entirely of Germans, and commanded by Col. Andrew Leutz. Thirty men were enlisted by William H. Wheeler for Captain Crom- well's company of the First New York State Cavalry. They left Poughkeepsie for the encampment at Troy on the 24th of September. Thus the bone and sinew of the yeomanry of Dutchess County were represented in detached fragments in these and various other military organizations, exceeding in the aggregate a thousand men, who re- sponded to the President's first call for troops. The prospects of an early peace in the spring of 1862 induced the government to suspend the organization of new regiments; but on the 2d of July of that year, the President realizing the severe losses sustained by the federal armies in recent campaigns, issued a call for an additional 300,000 men, to serve for three years or during the war. New York's quota was 59,705 men, and to facilitate the labor of rais- ing them the State was divided into military districts corresponding with the senatorial districts. Dutchess and Columbia counties formed the 11th district, in which the raising of a regiment was authorized, and TivoH was designated as the regimental camp. Hon. William Kelly of Rhinebeck was appointed chairman of a joint committee from the two counties, which met at Poughkeepsie July 17, 1862, when it was resolved to request the Governor to change the camp for this district from Tivoli to Hudson. The change was authorized July 25, 1862. Early in August more than a thousand men were rendesvoused in Camp Kelly at Hudson, and the organization of the district regi- ment, designated the 128th, was soon completed, with the following officwrs from Dutchess: Lt. Col. James Smith, Poughkeepsie; Quar- termaster, Alexander Annan, Fishkill; First Asst. Surgeon, C. H. DUTCHESS COUNTY IN THE REBELLION. 195 Andrus, Poughkeepsie ; Commissary Sergeant, E. Augustus Brett, Fishkill; Quartermaster Sergeant, George S. Drake, Amenia; Ordi- nance Sergeant, John Matthews, Jr., Matteawan; Color Sergeant, James M. Braley, Rhinebeck. Companies B, C, D, F, H, and I were raised in this county. September 4, 1862, the regiment was mus- tered for three years. The 128th bore a conspicuous part in the movements in Louisiana, comprising a part of the second brigade of Sherman's division. In the assault on the rebel works at Port Hudson, near Baton Rouge, May 27, 1863, this regiment lost twenty in killed, and seventy-nine in wounded. In 1864 the regiment was sent to the Shenandoah Val- ley, participating in the brilliant engagements which distinguished their intrepid commander, Sheridan. ^ The 128th was mustered out in Savannah, July 12, 1865, and sent to Albany to be paid off. The regiment went out with 993 men and returned with only five hundred. Their return was appropriately welcomed by the towns from which the several companies went. THE DUTCHESS COUNTY REGIMENT— 150th.^ In response to a resolution passed by the district war committee, the Board of Supervisors met August 22nd, 1862, and adopted meas- ures for the raising of a Dutchess County Regiment, so that the county's full quota of troops could be raised without a draft. After obtaining the required permission from the Governor, the war com- mittee on the 26th of August, selected Hon. John H. Ketcham for Colonel of this regiment, Alfred B. Smith for Major, George R. Gay- lord for Quartermaster and William Thompson for Adjutant. The regiment was designated the 150th, and recruiting offices were opened by Joseph H. Cogswell, Robert McConnell, Henry A. Gildersleeve, William R. Woodin, Andrus Brant, John Green, Edward Wickes, Edward Crummey, Benjamin S. Broas and John S. Schofield. As soon as eighty men were enrolled by any one of these gentlemen, he went to Albany and received his commission as Captain ; the com- panies receiving their alphabetical designation, commencing with A in the order in which their respective Captains were commissioned. 1. A history of the Dutchess County Regiment, edited by S. G. Cook, M. D., an4 Charles E. Benton, published In 1907, contains a detailed and interesting account ot the organiza- tion of the 150th, and Its participation in the various campaigns ; also a complete roster of the regiment. 196 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Platte M. Thorne of Company H filled the place of Edward Crummey, who had recruited the company for him. The regimental camp was located at Poughkeepsie, just north of the old Alms House farm, and was named "Camp Dutchess." At this camp on Saturday, October 11th, 1862, the 150th was mustered into the service of the United States for three years, and that night left for Baltimore, where the regiment was stationed until June 25th, 1863. The part borne by the 150th in the battle of Gettysburg may be briefly told. It arrived on the field of Gettysburg between 4 and 5 o'clock on the morning of July 2d, 1863, and was assigned to the 2d brigade, first division, of the 12th corps. It was held in reserve until the afternoon of that day, when, with the first division of its corps, it was marched to the support of Gen. Sickles, who had in- judiciously posted his forces in an untenable position and was forced back with the loss of half his troops to the position originally de- signed for him by Gen. Meade. The 150th returned during the night to the position of the 12th corps, on the extreme right of the National line, at the barb of the hook formed by Cemetery Ridge, on the crest of which from Gulp's Hill to Round Top, Meade's army was posted. While the contest for the possession of Little Round Top was in progress, Ewell, who had discovered that Gulp's HiU was weakly defended, from the withdrawal of troops from Slocum's command to the left of the line, made a vigorous attack late in the afternoon and succeeded in getting a foothold within the exterior entrenchment, but was dislodged at the point of the bayonet early the next morning. This was the first actual fighting in which the 150th regiment en- gaged. Its casualties were 8 killed and 23 wounded. Some 200 of the rebels surrendered to it. The regiment then joined in Meade's pursuit of Lee's army, march- ing and countermarching until August 1st, when it crossed the Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford, and supported as skirmishers the cavalry, who drove the enemy. During the month of August the regiment lay in camp and many of the men were sick with acchmating fever. There were 250 cases in the hospital with typhoid and malarial fever. Late in September the 150th was transferred to the army of the Cumberland. In April of '64 it participated in the battle of Resaca, where one ofllcer and eight men were wounded. During the Atlanta DUTCHESS COUNTY IN THE REBELLION. 197 campaign, in which it was next engaged, the casualties of the 150th where 1 officer and 18 men killed; 4 officers and 83 men wounded. In Sherman's memorable march from Atlanta to the sea, the Dutchess County Regiment was a part of the first division of the 20th Army- Corps. They left Atlanta November 15th, 1864, and arrived at Savannah just one month later. In a skirmish on Argyle Island, near Savannah, December 20th, 1864, Col. Ketcham was seriously wounded, and was unable to join his command again in active cam- paign service. While at Atlanta, he had been promoted to be Brigadier-General by Brevet, and subsequently for conspicuous bravery, to the rank of Brevet Major-General. The 150th was discharged from the United States service, June 8, 1865, near Washington, D. C, and June 12tji was formally wel- comed home by a public celebration in Poughkeepsie. The following is a list of the forty-seven members of the Dutchess County Regiment who were killed in battle, or died from wounds re- ceived in battle, arranged by companies and in order of occurrence. In addition to this list of fatal casualties, sixty-one deaths occurred from disease. Company A — John Van Alstyne, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Charles Howgate, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Levi Rust, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. John P. Wing, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Henry L. Stone, killed near Marietta, Ga., June 11, 1864. Henry C. Winans, wounded near Pine Hills, Ga., June 11, 1864, and died in Nashville Hospital July 12, 1864. First Lieutenant Henry Gridley, kiUed in action at Gulp's Farm, Ga., June 32, 1864. John Hart, killed on picket near Marietta, Ga., June 24, 1864. WiUis D. Chamberlain, kiUed in front of Atlanta, Ga., August 23, 1864. John Cass, killed at Averasboro, N. C, March 17, 1865. CoMPAiTT B — Stephen Simmons, killed at Peach Tree Creek, Ga., July 20, 1864. Folsom Richardson, died of wounds, Cumberland Hospital, Nashville, Tenn., Au- gust 8, 1864. Wounded at Resaca, Ga., June IS, 1864. James M. Chambers, wound- ed before Atlanta, Ga., August 2, 1864. Died in hospital, Jeffersonville, Ind., December 28, 1864. William J. Wallin, killed on skirmish line near Averasboro, N. C, March 17, 1865. CoMPANT C — TaUmage Wood, woimded at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Died of wotmds, July 14, 1863, at Baltimore, Md. George Lovelace, killed by Guerillas between Mulberry and TuUahoma, Tenn., February 11, 1864. Henry W. Story, killed in action at Dallas, Ga., May 25, 1864. William A. Palmatier, killed in action at Savannah, Ga., December 20, 1864. 198 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Company D — Daniel Glancey, wounded in action, June 16, 1864. Died at Pine Knob, Ga., June 17, 1864. James Todd, wounded in action, June 22, 1864, at Gulp's Farm, Ga. Died at Nashville, Tenn., July 26, 1864. CoMPAiTT E— Judd Murphy, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. James Elliott, killed in action at Dallas, Ga., May 25, 1864. Samuel Myers, killed in action at Dallas, Ga., May 25, 1864. Isaac I. Blauvelt, wounded in action May 25, 1864. Died May 27, 1864, at Dallas Ga. John Sweetman, wounded in action at Gulp's Farm, Ga., June 22, 1864. Died at Ghattapooga, Tenn., July 3, 1864. James E. Davidson, wounded in action at Gulp's Farm, Ga., June 22, 1864. Died at Ghattanooga, Tenn., July 10, 1864. Bernard Gonnolly, killed in action at Peach Tree Creek, Ga., July 20, 1864. CoMPAirr F — John E. Odell, kiUed by guerillas between Mvilberry and TuUa- homa, Tenn., February 11, 1864. Isaac Smith, wounded at Dallas, Ga., May 25, 1864. Died at Peach Tree Greek, Ga., June 4, 1864. Henry Sigler, killed on picket near Marietta, Ga., June 16, 1864. Cornelius G. Sparks, killed in action at Golgotha, Ga., Jime 16, 1864. Nathan C. Hedden, wounded in action before Atlanta, Ga., July 20, 1864. Died at Cumberland Hospital, Tenn., September 2, 1864. John E. Pultz, wounded in action at Peach Tree Greek, Ga,, July 20, 1864. Died September 20, 1864. John Simon, wounded in action at Gulp's Farm, Ga., June 22, 1864. Died at Ghattanooga Hospital, July 9, 1864. GoMPAUT G — Barnard G. Burnett, killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Thomas Burnett, wounded in action, July 20, 1864, at Peach Tree Greek and died July 30, 1864, near Atlanta. James Horton, wounded in action at Peach Tree Greek, Ga., July 20, 1864. Died August 9, 1864. Thomas W. Wright, wounded in action in Resaca, Ga., May 15, 1864. Died at Atlanta Hospital, October 22, 1864. Benj. A. Harp, wounded in action at Resaca, Ga., May 15, 1864. Died Septem- ber 7, 1864. Company H — John Grad, killed in action at Dallas, Ga., May 25, 1864. Noah Wixon, killed in action near Savannah, Ga., December 20, 1864. Company I — Henry Barnes, wounded at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Died July 4, 1863. Charles LeClaire, killed at Dallas, Ga., May 25, 1864. William R. Phelps, killed in action at Golgotha, Ga., June 16, 1864. Henry Dykeman, wounded at Peach Tree Greek, Ga., July 20, 1864. Died at Ghattanooga Hospital, Septem- ber . 13, 1864. First Lieutenant David B. Sleight, killed in action at Averasboro, N. G., March 16, 1865. Company K — Richard Hyde, wounded in action in front of Atlanta, Ga., July 23, 1864. Died July 25, 1864. POUGHKEEPSIE. 199 CHAPTER XV. TOWN AND CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. By Edmund Platt. AUTHOR'S NOTE. A few words in regard to the arrangement of tl^s chapter on Pough- keepsie are perhaps necessary. The chief events which go to make up the history of the town, village and city of Poughkeepsie are car- ried down chronologically from the earliest settlements to very nearly the present time. Following this comes the history of the churches, of the schools, of the manufacturing and other industries, of the banks and financial institutions, of the "newspapers, politics and public men," each under its own heading, with something about the development of each institution from its beginnings to the present. The institutions which are thus treated under separate headings are not referred to in the main story, except where something in their development was of great importance in the history of the town or city. The military history of the County of Dutchess is to be found in chapters by itself, elsewhere in this book, and therefore I have made but brief references to the enlistments of men or to the regiments that served either in the Revolution or in the Civil War. As the bench and bar are also given a separate chapter, I have said no more than is necessary about the lawyers. In the history of the churches only brief reference is made to the Catholics because a separate chapter is also devoted to them. The short history of Poughkeepsie contained in this volume is not a mere synopsis of my History of Poughkeepsie. Certain problems which could not be solved at the time that book was written have been re-examined from the records, some of them have been solved and con- siderable new matter has been obtained. Edmund Platt. March, 1909. 200 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE. THE towns of Poughkeepsie, Fishkill and Rhinebeck are the three oldest political divisions of the County of Dutchess, dating back at least to 1717, as the first book of the Super- visors and Assessors shows, though the division does not seem to have been definitely authorized by colonial law until June 24<, 1719. That act refers in its first clause to a previous act of the "Twelfth year of the reign of the late Queen Anne," evidently the act of October 23, 1713, directing "the freeholders and inhabitants in the respective precincts thereof to assemble and meet at the most convenient place" to elect a supervisor, treasurer, two assessors and two collectors. Probably when these officers had been elected they made the first division of the county themselves for convenience, calling the sections wards. The record shows that the middle ward was called "Pockep- sing" as early as 1718 and the lower ward Fishkill, while the northern a little later came to be called Kipsburg. In the act of 1719 the word "ward" is not used, but they are called merely divisions, and the mid- dle division was given practically the same boundaries along the river as the present town of Poughkeepsie, namely, from Wappingers Creek to Esopus Island. The next division into a greater number of towns or precincts was made in 1737, when the Poughkeepsie precinct had a small slice taken off its northern end and was given a definite east- ern boundary. It included "All the lands to the northwest of Wap- pingers Kill, or Creek, from the mouth thereof and up along the said kill or creek and Hudson's River until it meets the patent granted to Heathcote and Company, called the Lower Nine Partners." The creation of the towns of Clinton and of Hyde Park made only a slight change in this northern boundary, for the Lower Nine Partners Pat- ent extended to the Wareskeechen, the stream which crosses the Post Road this side of Teller Hill, and the present boundary is only a mile or so further south. The name Poughkeepsie dates far back of definite political divisions. It is first found in an Indian deed, dated May 5, 1683, still on file in the Fort Orange records at Albany, granting to Pieter Lansingh and Jan Smeedes each a farm and to the latter "also a waterfall near the bank of the river to build a mill thereon. The waterfall is called PooghJcepesingh and the land Mmnismgh, situate on the east side of POUGHKEEPSIE. 201 the river." This word "Pooghkepesingh," according to authorities on Indian nomenclature, means "where the water breaks through or falls over." In this deed it plainly refers to the fall at the mouth of the Fall Kill. The first grant of land in the town of Poughkeepsie is dated October 24, 1686, and refers to an Indian deed dated one year earlier. This was made to Robert Sanders and Myndert Har- mans. It contains no mention of Poughkeepsie, though the land is called Minnisink, but in 1697 Sanders and Harmans conveyed to Bal- tus VanKleeck a tract of land called by the Indians "Mennisink and Poghkepesing." This appears to be the last use of the word "Minni- sink" in local records, but Poughkeepsie, with a great variety of spell- ings, soon came into general use to describe the neighborhood. Just who the very first white settler in the limits of the town of Poughkeepsie was remains unknown, but the first deed dated June 15, 1680, was of land between the mouth of Wappingers Creek and the Caspar Kill, granted by five Indians to Arnout Cornelissen Viele, a well-known interpreter of Indian languages. As a general thing some one was usually already living, camping or squatting in a neighbor- hood for which the warrant of a title to land was sought, and prob- ably Viele or someone else was living near the Caspar Kill at that time. Two years later, in 1682, there is record of a "bond and mort- gage given by a Highland Indian, Tapias, to Laurence van Ale and Gerrit Lansing, secured by his land, situate upon Hudsftn's River on the east side, nearly opposite Danskammer, * * * where Arnout Cornelissen's land ends." This gives strong ground for the suppo- sition that several families had been living near the mouth of the Wap- pingers for some time. The land granted to Viele soon afterwards came into the possession of Pieter Lansing, or Lassing, and some of his descendants lived there for many years. In fact, we may say that some of them are still living there, for the Lawsons, of New Ham- burg, are undoubtedly the same family, as Lauson was one of the early variations of the spelling of the name. With the granting of the Sanders-Harmans patent the site of the City of Poughkeepsie began to acquire settlers enough to determine the location of a center or hamlet. By 1697 there were at least six families here. The first settler, who is merely referred to in a deed as "Sovryn the Baker," was on the ground as early as 1686, and the others were Myndert Harmans, the patentee, Balthazer Barnse, Hen- 202 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. drick Ostrom, Simon Scoute and Baltus VanKleeck. These with oth- ers who came soon afterwards formed a small Dutch village com- munity. Their deeds from the patentees included the right to cut wood in 'the forests and the right to pasturage in common lands. A saw mill may have. been built by Jan Smeedes at the Pooghkepesingh waterfall as early as 1683, when he obtained his deed from the Indians, though no further record of Smeedes has been found. A miU, at any rate, had been built there by 1699, for it is mentioned in a deed from Col. Peter Schuyler, the ^second patentee, to Sanders and Harman^. This deed conveyed land between the Rust Plaest, the stream that flows through the Poughkeepsie Bural Cemetery, and the Fall Kill, and was probably given to straighten titles and make more definite boundaries between the two patents. Schuyler's patent, granted in 1688, con- veyed land "Bounded on the north by the lands of Robert Sanders and Myndert Harmense," and "on the south by a certain creek that runs into Hudson's River on the north side of a certain house now in the possession and occupation of one Pieter the Brewer." The "certain creek" was the Caispar Kill and Peter the Brewer was undoubtedly the Peter Lansing above referred to. Schuyler's land included, therefore, almost the whole town of Poughkeepsie south of the city limits. The settlement of the town proceeded slowly. There was good lands along the streams and a comparatively level tableland stretching north and south for some distance in the neighborhood of the present city limits. Probably some of the land along the Fall Kill as well as along the Wappingers and the Caspar Kill was natural meadow land, free from trees, only occasionally flooded and very fertile. By 1703, when the first Post Road act was passed, settlements in the County of Dutchess had not yet warranted the Legislature^ in requiring the in- habitants to "clear or maintain any other path or highway than for horse and man only," but by 1712 there was reference in a deed to "the waggon path leading to Pokepsink," and the highway law of 1713 provided that "If the commissioners for the County of Orange and Dutchess County see cause to have any roads laid out for a waggon road, the inhabitants of said counties shall be hereby obliged to clear the same." This act named Barent VanKleeck, Jacob Vos- burg and Johannes Busch commissioners for Dutchess. 1. "Tlie Sanders-Harmans and the Schuyler grants covered nearly all of the town of Poughkeepsie, except a strip included In the Rombout patent along the Wappingers Kill. Later grants were made but declared fraudulent. a ui I (0 J s 111 D POUGHKEEPSIE. 203 It is impossible to tell where the original line of the Post Road, or King's Road, was, but in Poughkeepsie it must have been about where it is now by 1716, when the first church, the Dutch Church, was or- ganized, for the land then conveyed by Jacobus Van den Bogert to the trustees of the church is still owned by the church and was de- scribed by the deed, December 26, 1716, as "butted and boundett, Vz., on the Nort side to the Rood that runs to the Eastward to the fore said Captain Barent VanKleeck's and on the west along the Rood that runs to the Sout." That was clearly the southeast corner of Main and Market streets, and on the opposite side of the road that runs to the south the first court house was built by 1720. The Legislature first made provision for the building of a county house and prison in Dutchess County by an act, July 21, 1715, but did not indicate where the building was to be located. A second act, passed May 27, 1717, provided for its location "at or near the most con- venient place at Poghkepse." As a county seat, therefore, Poughkeepsie dates from May 27, 1717, and there is evidence that general county meetings previous to that time had usually been held here. A court house and a church and a blacksmith shop make a good nucleus for a village any- where, but Poughkeepsie grew with rather more than true Dutch de- liberation and it was not until about eighty years after the building of the first court house that the place had become large enough to necessitate incorporation as a village. It should be noted that, like Fishkill and Rhinebeck, Poughkeepsie made its early growth, not on the river bank, but on the King's Road, or Post Road. The river, of course, must have been the great highway to the outer world during most of the year, but the road was undoubtedly the chief avenue of intercourse between scattered settlements and was doubtless available also for longer horseback journeys. As early as June 30, 1717, a payment of six shillings is recorded "for carrying an express to Fish- kill for his Magesty's sarvis," and "To James Hussey for ye same Express as fare as Croten River." Evidently the road was in use all the way to New York, despite the statement in some histories that Lord Loudon opened it through the Highlands when he marched his troops northward during the French and Indian War. There must have been some kind of a road to a landing place at the river and also a road leading to the eastward before 1716, but there 204 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. is no indication in the early records as to how far it extended and no evidence of the appointment of an overseer or pathmaster for it for a considerable number of years. The first Book of the Supervisors and Assessors, bringing the records down to 1722, mentions only overseers of the King's Road, but in 1730 the Second Book of the Supervisors contains an account of an election for the middle ward of an assessor and a collector, Arrye Rosa and Richard Sackett, Jr., for Dover and pochquayeck, and also the election of Hendrick Neess "surveyor of ye road from Dover, and Arrye CooU surveyor of ye road from Pochquayeck." It seems that these roads both ran to Poughkeepsie. The first mention I have found in the records of a road leading to the river is the 'following: And Whereas we the hereafter Named Commissioners of pooghkeepsing and the Neighborhood of Wassayck Called Dover at the Request of Many persons free- holders and Inhabitants of said County & Two Neighborhoods have on the fourth day of November 1736 Concluded & agreed that the Bridge where it Now Stands Erected over the Wappingers Creek is the most Convenient place for the passing and Repassing for Travelers; and the Road is to Contineu from Said Bridge as it Now Goes to a Swinging Gate of Mr. Franc Filkins Land Now in the Tenure of Mr. Johannes Lewis from thence Straight over the land of Mr. Moses De Graeff till it meets with the Road that Leads through the Land of Mr. Johannes Van Cleeck and so through the same Land as it Now Goes quite Down to the Landing at Pooghkeep- sinck as the said Road Now Leeds. A considerable number of new roads were laid out after the pas- sage of an act in 1732 "for the better clearing and further laying out public high roads in Dutchess County," and in 1738 it is stated that the commissioners "have viewed a road that leads from Pokeepsinck Church to Mr. Johannes Van Kleeck's," etc., and found the same very inconvenient and proceeded to alter said road as follows: "From Po- keepsinck Church eastward along the fence now in the possession of Mr. Francis Filkins until the end of the Lane and so along to the street line of the west end of the Lane of Col. Barent Van Kleeck's land, and so along the line as the same now is to the end thereof by Hendrick Ostrom's, then along the road as is there used to the end of the fence of Myndert Van Den Bogart. * * « And we said commissioners hope this may be conformable and agreeable to law and that this road be tfce King's High way or road from said Church at Pokeepsinck until the Wappingers Creek by the bridge aforesaid and no other, and POUGHKEEPSIE. 205 also that there be a publick high way from the said Church as the road now goes until Hudson's River at a place called the Call Rugh Landing." This mention in 1738 is the first mention I have seen of the Kaal Rock landing, which appears many times, however, in the later records of the precinct or town of Poughkeepsie. It is almost impossible to tell from the early surveys just where the old roads ran, but the road above mentioned was apparently the main road to the eastward from the Kaal Rock landing, passing by the Poughkeepsie Church (that is the Dutch Church) and so out across Wappingers Creek. The records of elections for the precinct of Poughkeepsie begin in 1742 and the first page mentions four roads, as follows: Barent Lewis, overseer of ye road to ye northward. Benjamin Van Keuren, do to ye southward. John Tappen, do to ye eastward. John Maxfield, do to ye northeast. The next year the roads to the eastward and to the northeast come out and in their places are the "road to DuBois's," and "road to ye Nine Partners." In 1744 the last mentioned road becomes the "road to Filkintown," while the road to the eastward, or to DuBois's, becomes "from Lewis DuBois's to Callrugh," and a new road is mentioned "from Lassing's to Du Bois's mill." In 1745 the roads are simply, "Post Road North," "Post Road South," "Filkintown," "Simeon LeRoy," "Lewis Du Bois." Now where did Simeon LeRoy and Lewis DuBois live? In 1751 these roads are designated as "DuBois's Bridge," and "LeRoy's Bridge," while another is mentioned "from Perdon's to P. Lansing's." LeRoy's Bridge, sometimes called Simeon LeRoy's Bridge, comes aU the way down the records to 1755, when a pathmaster is appointed for a road "from Callrugh to Simeon Le- Roy's Bridge," and in 1754 we find the following in the record: "It was voted that the men from Boudewyn Lacount's, himself included, to Johannes VanKleeck's, himself included, shall work upon the road leading from the Callrugh landing to Simeon LeRoy's Bridge, and likewise those living at Crary Fly." This road running from the river to Wappingers Creek is evidently the same one mentioned in the earlier 1738 record. ^Simeon LeRoy had purchased land on the east 1. Simeon LeBoy was a son of Frans, or Francois LeRoy, who came to Poughkeepsie as early as 1719. He was the ancestor of the LeRoy family in Dutchess County and Is the only French Huguenot, so far as I know, who came to this neighborhood hy way of Canada. He hought land In the neighborhood of Smith Street on the Fallkill. 206 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. side of Wappingers Creek, about in the neighborhood later known as Titusville, not far from the time these road records began. The puzzling thing about the town of Poughkeepsie records is that they seem to indicate that Lewis DuBois lived in the same neighborhood and, in fact, we have maps showing that at a later period he did live on this side of the Creek opposite the site of Titusville. It is not easy to conclude, however, that DuBois's Bridge and LeRoy's Bridge were the same, because they occur together in the same records in 1751. Matthew, Mathys or Matthias DuBois bought a tract of some 1,S00 acres of land on this side of the Wappingers, opposite Titus- ville, in 1730, and his descendants lived there for a long time. The county records show that a road was laid out "from Lassen's to Mathys Du Boys mill" in 174(3, and this record also mentioned Lewis DuBois, which proves that he was living somewhere in the same neigh- borhood along the Wappingers. Li 1771 the Matthew DuBois estate was settled by Peter DuBois, Edward Schoonmaker and Zephaniah Piatt, who made a map of the property. This shows a bridge across the stream, just back of the house now owned by Hon. A. B. Gray, and it appears from this and subsequent maps that Mr. Gray's house was built certainly as far back as 1771 and was the mansion of the various owners of the property for many years. The ^place was called "Anne's Field" in the early days, but by 1791 had become "Greenvale," the name it still bears. The neighborhood was evidently a center of some importance, the main road to the eastward crossing the stream there, and another road passing on to the southeast, marked on the maps of 1791 as "the road to Fishkill." It is possible that there were as early as 1750 two bridges across Wappingers Creek in that neighborhood, one near Mr. Gray's house and the old Titusville mill and the other near or at the site of the present Red Oak Mills. If so, one of them was doubtless LeRoy's Bridge and the other Du- Bois's Bridge. The road laid out in 1743 and mentioned in the Poughkeepsie town records in 1744 as "from Lassing's to DuBois's mill" probably indicates the present Spackenkill Road, for it comes down in the records finally as "the road to Van Keuren's" and some- times as "the road to Anthony's," evidently referring to the neighbor- 1. *hiB house and property belonged to several well known-men. Including James Des Brosses In 1771, Francis Ingram, Abraham Adrlance (1813) and John E. Varick (1833). POUGHKEEPSIE. 207 hood of the old ^Milton Ferry, where Captain Van Keuren and Theopilus Anthony lived before the Revolution. The ferry crossing the river there may have been established as early as 17.50. It should be stated that the road from Kaal Rock Landing past the Dutch Reformed Church and so on to Wappingers Creek and to the eastward did not follow the present Main street from the Post Road westward. Main street was not put through to the river until 1800. The road wound up the hill, crossing the lines of the present North Clover and Mill streets, reaching the Post Road to the north west- ward of the Dutch Church, then following Main street out to the neighborhood of Arlington, where it turned to the southward, following nearly the lines of the present Raymond avenue and winding around over the limestone ridge, called the Hornberg, and so on to Dubois's place and the bridge over the Wappingers. Additional evidence that this was the case is found in a statement in one of the surveys of this road where the "Fountaine KilHtie" is mentioned. This was ap- parently the "spring brook" that flows through Vassar College Lake. The earliest road to the northeast apparently branched off from this road at Arlington and was probably the same as that now called the Back Road to Pleasant Valley. A little later, certainly before 1771, another road branched where the Manchester Road now leads off and went around into the Wappingers valley, crossing the stream at the Zephaniah Piatt (now Frank DeGarmo) place. The bridge at this location may possibly have been one of the very early ones. It seems as if it should have been the LeRoy's bridge referred to above, but all the evidence I have found is to the contrary. The existence of several old stone houses on the road east of the Wapping- ers suggests that the bridge may possibly have been built before the present line of the turnpike across the flats on the west side of the stream. The short cut over the swamp and the brickyard hill was laid out by the Turnpike Company at the time of its organization in 1802, when the road to Pleasant Valley was taken over and much improved. This short cut is not shown in the town map made in 1798, nor is the Manchester road. The latter appears to have been put through about 1811. 1. The ferry at Milton was not only a very old one, but it was the last on the river to run a horseboat, the old boat remaining in service till about the time of the Civil War. See Appendix for history of this ferry by C. M. Woolsey, of Marlborough. 208 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Neither the county, nor the town of Poughkeepsie, grew very much until about 1740, when there was a continuous immigration from the south, much of it from Long Island. In 1745 a new and more commo- dious court house was built and in 1756 the English population had so much increased as to call for the occasional services of a missionary of the Church of England. The river trade gradually increased in importance as the farms were cleared and settled and a storehouse was built about 1761 at the foot of Pine street, and a few years later at the foot of Union street. The last named street or road was laid out by the town authorities in 1767 on petition of John DeGraff and his son-in-law, James Winans. It was in part an old road then, how- ever, but is not mentioned as requiring the services of a pathmaster before the Revolution. There was doubtless also a very early road to the mill at the mouth of the Fall Kill. Pine street was for a long time known as Richard Davis's Road, or the road to Richard Davis's land- ing, and was apparently a private road until nearly the close of the century. The "Caulrugh" road was still the only one in the limits of the City of Poughkeepsie mentioned in the records and even that is not distinctly shown on the map made in 1770 by WiU Cockburn. In that year there were some fifty or sixty houses in Poughkeepsie within the pi'esent city limits, twenty-five or thirty of which were on the main roads, iiot far from the center. A good deal of the land adjacent to these roads had already been divided into lots so small as to suggest that their occupants could not have been depending wholly upon farm- ing for their living. Though scarcely deserving the name of village in 1756, by 1776 the town had become one of some importance. In colonial times the houses of this neighborhood belonging to peo- ple of wealth were many of them stone houses, not handsome but of great durability. Few of them, however, remain, only two in the City of Poughkeepsie — ^the house on Main street now known as the Grov. George Clinton House and probably one of the residences of Clinton while in Poughkeepsie, and the old Noxon House on the east side of Market street. The last mentioned has been remodeled at the present time with a brick front and does not look like an old house, but it probably dates fnfem the neighborhood of 1741. Of the houses along the Post Road the only ones remaining in good preservation in the town of Poughkeepsie are the Davies House, opposite the Spackenkill Road, and the Abraham Fort House, about five miles below the city, GEORGE M. HINE. POUGHKEEPSIE. 209 near the Caspar Kill. This house has been much altered and en- larged by the present owner. The old Judge Piatt place, now occu- pied by Frank DeGarmo, near the Wappingers Creek above Man- chester, is perhaps more nearly than any of the other stone houses in the town in its original condition. Another house, probably older, is that occupied by A. B. Gray and referred to in the discussion of the roads leading to LeRoy's Bridge and DuBois's Bridge. The Theoph- ilus Anthony House, later the Gill House, on the river front at the mouth of the Spackenkill, is another notable house of colonial days. DUaiNG THE REVOLUTION. The leading people of the town of Poughkeepsie were conservative and not inclined at first to take much part in the agitation over the stamp act and tea taxes that so greatly aroused the dwellers in some of the seaport cities. The agitators worked very systematically to stir up the country, sending letters far and wide, asking the people everywhere to call meetings, pass resolutions, appoint committees, etc. In response to a letter from Isaac Low, chairman of the committee of correspondence in New York City, a meeting was held in Pough- keepsie, August 10, 1774, a report of which has been handed down. The people decided not to comply with the request of Mr. Low to appoint a committee, but adopted resolutions stating that they "agree fully in opinion with the many respectable bodies who have already published their sentiments in declaring that the unlimited right claimed by the British Parliament, in which we neither are or can be repre- sented, of making laws of every kind to be binding on the colonies, particularly of imposing taxes, whatever may be the name or form under which they are attempted to be introduced, is contrary to the spirit of the British Constitution and consequently inconsistent with the liberty which we as British subjects have a right to claim." The only action this meeting would take in the matter, however, was to instruct its members of the General Assembly to urge the Legislature "to lay before his Majesty an humble Petition and Remonstrance, setting forth the state of our several grievances and praying his royal interposition for a repeal of the said Acts." The resolutions also cited that "In the opinion of this meeting they ought and are willing to bear and pay such part and proportion of the national expenses as their circumstances will admit of, in such manner and form as the General Assembly of this Province shall think proper." 210 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. This was the legal, orderly way to go to work to have grievances redressed, but the General Assembly of the Province of New York was not in sympathy with the revolutionary spirit of the times and noth- ing could be immediately expected from an appeal to it. Other meet- ings, perhaps held elsewhere in the county, did appoint correspon- dence committees and chose delegates to the Continental Congress at about this time. Certain leading Poughkeepsians, most of them mem- bers of the English Church (now Christ Church) refused to consider the acts of the First Continetal Congress binding and called them- selves "Friends of Constitutional Liberty." As the spirit of resent- ment against the mother country grew and as the revolutionary or- ganizations became more aggressive, these Friends of Constitutional Liberty were considerably harassed and a few were finally driven out of the county. They were strong enough in March, 1775, neverthe- less, with the aid of the Tory sheriff, "a judge of the inferior court, two of His Majesty's justices of the peace and a constable" to cut down a liberty pole erected near the house of John Bailey, two or three miles from Poughkeepsie. The Poughkeepsie precinct early in April refused to elect delegates to the Second Continental Congress, but only a few weeks later, when the news of the battles of Lexington and Con- cord reached here, the people became thoroughly aroused and the rep- resentatives sent to the Provincial Congress to meet in New York May 22, included Gilbert Livingston and Zephaniah Piatt, of the Pough- keepsie precinct. This Provincial Congress promulgated the "Pledge of Association," which aU citizens were asked to sign In support of the measures of the Continental Congress. There were 207 signers and eighty who refused to sign in this town or precinct. The latter included some of the most substantial people. Some forty or fifty of these adhered so strongly to the king that their personal property was confiscated and sold, probably after they had fled from their homes, and Bartholomew Crannell's farm, wholly within what is now a closely built up part of the City of Poughkeepsie, was also con- fiscated and sold. Crannell street perpetuates his name and is a little west of the center of his farm of 102% acres. He entered the Brit- ish army and afterwards settled in Canada. Two of his daughters, however, married leaders of the Revolutionary party, Gilbert Liv- ingsfbn and Peter Tappen, and broke with their father. The Eng- lish Church suspended services when the Declaration of Independence POUGHEEEPSIE. 211 was promulgated and the rector, Rev. John Beardsley, entered the British service as chaplain of Beverly Robinson's regiment of Loyal Americans, the same regiment that Crannell had entered. When the war was fairly under way Poughkeepsie became a center :^r the meeting of committees arranging for the defense of the Hud- son River, for furnishing provisions for the army and for recruiting service. Here were built the two frigates assigned to the State of New York for the American navy, and here was forged much of the great iron chain stretched across the River from Fort Montgomery, at the lower entrance of the Highlands. The frigates were launched in the autumn of 17T6, but never got to sea, for both had been sent to the defense of Fort Montgomery and they were destroyed during the raid of Vaughn and Wallace, in October, 177J. It may be well to repeat here that the chain stretched across the river at West Point at a later period was not made at Poughkeepsie but in Orange County. Poughkeepsie had its only actual taste of war at the time of Vaughn's raid. The British sent about thirty ships up the river, most of them gunboats, but some transports filled with troops. As they passed the town they fired a few shots, one of which went through the house of Henry Livingston, a house still standing, and another of which buried itself in the neighborhood between North Bridge stteet and Vassar street. The British are said also to have fired at the storehouse of James Winans, near the foot of Pine street. Nd con- temporary account of these incidents has been found, excepting as they are referred to in the letters of Gov. George Clinton and of General Israel Putnam. There were apparently but two companies or bodies of mihtia here at the time, one commanded by Col. Jacobus Freer of 171 men and the other by Col. Zephaniah Piatt of 120 men. It is said that they fired at the ships and had a cannon which was used from what we now call Reynolds HiU. This is probably true, but there is no evidence to show whether the firing was during the ad- vance or retreat of Vaughn or at both times. There was great alarm throughout the whole neighborhood at this time and Gov. Clinton sent his wife out to the neighborhood of Pleasant Valley for safe keep- ing. Gen. Israel Putnam followed the ships with a considerable body of Continentals by the Post Road, and it was probably knowledge of the fact that kept the British from attempting any serious depreda- tions on this side of the river. 212 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. After the destruction of the forts that guarded the Highlands and the wanton destruction of Kingston (Oct. 16, 1777), Poughkeepsie became much more than ever before the center of revolutionary activity. The newly formed state government had scarcely organized in Kingston when the enemy arrived. After the retreat of the British, Gov. CHnton came to Poughkeepsie and the Council of Safety soon followed. Accommodations in the little town were scanty, but were the best to be had in any reasonably safe neighborhood and a number of pretty good houses belonging to ^Tories, who had been driven away, were available as residences, while the court house and perhaps the two churches could be used for legislative sittings. By proclama- tion dated December 15, 1777, Gov. Clinton called the Legislature to meet in Poughkeepsie on January 5, 1778. The first laws of the State of New York were passed here, and though the Legislature held two sessions in Kingston a few years later and two in Albany, most of its sessions were held here until after the evacuation of New York. A very large number of Gov. Clinton's letters are dated Poughkeepsie and show that the state offices were fixed here and that his residence remained here even when the Legislature met elsewhere. John Holt's paper, which had been removed from New York to Kingston and from Kingston to Poughkeepsie, contained the following notice. May S, 1778 : ' "The Court of Probate of the State of New York is now open at Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, and the office kept at the house of Captain Ezekiel Cooper, of that place." This is signed, "Thomas Treadwell, Judge of the said Court." In the winter of 1778-1779 a regiment of Continentals was quartered in Poughkeepsie and bar- racks were erected on the south side of the village. An interesting matter concerning Poughkeepsie's connection with the Revolution was the fact that the first American flag used in battle after the adoption of the stars and stripes, at the defense of Fort Stanwix or Schuyler in the summer of 1777, was made in part from a blue coat belonging to Captain Abraham Swartwout, of Pough- keepsie, the rest of the flag having been made also from such similar materials as could be obtained from the soldiers. This statement is substantiated by the following letter: 1. Becord bas recently been found in Holt's Journal for June 19tb, 1780. of tbe In- dictment of Richard Everltt along with Bartholemew Crannell, Key. John Beardsley, Bamuft Finknej, Isaac T. Lasslng and others for "adhering to tbe enemies of this State," ■0 It Is certain that Everltt's bouse as well as Crannell's was available for Governor Clin- ton's use. POUGHKEEPSIE. 213 Poughkeepsie, 39 Aug. 1777. Colonel Peter Gansevort, Fort Schuyler. Dear Sir; — The great distance which your duty calls us apart obliges me at this time to give you this trouble which otherwise I would not — ^You may remember, agreeable to your promise, I was to have an order for eight yards of broadcloth on the commissary for clothing of this state in lieu of my blue cloak which was used for colors at Fort Schuyler. An opportunity now presenting itself, I beg you to send me an order enclosed to Mr. Jeremiah Renseler, pay master at Albany, to Mr. Henry Van Vaughter, Albany, where I will receive it, and you will oblige me, who will always acknowledge the same with true gratitude. Please make my compts to the other officers of the regiment. I am, dear sir. Your Hble. servt., Ab&aham Swabtwotjt, Captain. • Until the capture of Stony Point by General Wayne, in July, 1779, and the transfer of the seat of war to the south there were frequent rumors that the British were planning another raid up the Hudson and the authorities at Poughkeepsie were constantly on the alert, with an eye upon the Fishkill beacons, where it was expected that a big fire would notify them of impending invasion. At the commissary headquarters in Poughkeepsie there was great activity in collecting and forwarding stores and ammunition to the army and there was also a storehouse at Wappingers Falls. During the severe winter of 1779-1780, when New York harbor became frozen over and all the mill streams of Dutchess froze solid, it was only with the greatest difficulty that enough provisions could be gathered to keep the garrison at West Point from starving. In September, 1780, the treason of Ar- nold created another scare along the Hudson and at the same time the constant depreciation of the Continental currency made the purchase of supplies and, indeed, the carrying on of any business more difficult than ever. The newspapers of the day, including both John Holt's Journal, published in Poughkeepsie from May, 1778, to November, 1783, and Loudon's New York PacTcet, published in Fishkill, were filled with reports of meetings and discussions over the best means of regulating prices and preventing further depreciation of the currency. The Legislature was in session at Poughkeepsie when the news of the surrender of Cornwallis was received, in October, 1781, and both Houses immediately adjourned and went over to the Dutch Church, where a service of thanksgiving was conducted by Rev. John H. Liv- 214 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. ingston. The following account of this celebration is given in John Holt's Journal for November S, 1781: "On Monday, the 39 ultimo, when the first certain intelligence of the above glorious event (capture of the British army) arrived here, his Excellency, the Governor, the members of the Senate and Assembly, and many other persons, at- tended divine service in the Dutch Church, where the Revd. Dr. Livingston officiated in a solemn manner, to express their joy and gratitude to the Almighty for this signal interposition in our favor. The members of the Legislature then waited on his Excellency the Governor at his house with their congratulations and the voice of the cannon 13 times proclaimed the general joy, spreading the happy tidings; at night all the houses in and near the town were beautifully illuminated, a large bonfire was lighted, 13 skyrockets and other fireworks were played off and the evening concluded with social mirth and every decent demonstration of joy." Poughkeepsie received considerable renown and some growth from the Revolution and became a rendezvous and place of residence for a good many famous men. It attracted particularly young men who wished to study law, and among the first of these was James Kent, afterwards the famous chancellor and the author of Kent's Commen- taries. He entered the law office of Egbert Benson, the first State Attorney General, in November, 1781, and was admitted to the bar in 1785. He married a Poughkeepsie girl, Elizabeth Bailey, and lived here, practicing law and studying, until 1793. He hved in "a snug and endearing little cottage and cultivated an excellent garden," as he tells us in his Memoirs, located about where the Morgan House now stands. He was a law partner of Gilbert Livingston, who Hved in the next house to the east, while across the street, on the comer of what is now Academy street, lived Andrew Billings, the well-known silversmith of the day, who did work for Washington, Lord Sterling and other famous men. Kent was a strong Federalist and supporter of Hamilton and Jay, and though once elected to the Legislature, he was defeated for Congress in 1793 by his brother-in-law, Theodorus Bailey, and thereupon removed to New York. Other men afterwards distinguished, who were law students in Poughkeepsie or began their careers here soon after the Revolution, were James Tallmadge, Jr., James Emott, the elder, CadwaUader D. Colden, Thomas J. Oakley and Jonas Piatt. EATIFYING THE CONSTITUTION. The only really great event that has taken place in Poughkeepsie was the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. It was POUGHKEEPSIE. 215 a great event because New York's ratification was essential to the success of the nation, and also because ratification was obtained only after a memorable forensic struggle in which such great men as Ham- ilton, Jay, George Chnton, and Chancellor Livingston took part. The court house in which the Legislature had met during the Revolution was burned in the spring of 1785 and a new one was built in 1787. The Legislature, after a long absence, returned in 1788 to hold its winter session in Poughkeepsie and appointed this place for the con- vention to act upon the Constitution. Gov. Clinton was very stropgly opposed to ratification and his influence determined the election of a large majority of the delegates against it. In ability, however, the majority was no match for the minority, which included Hamilton, Jay and Livingston. The delegates assembled June 17th and elected Gov. Clinton chairman. The debates dragged on until Virginia, the eighth state, and New Hampshire, the ninth, had ratified, and finally on July 15th Melancthon Smith, of this county, partly convinced by the eloquence and reasoning of Hamilton and Jay, moved that the Constitution should be ratified upon condition that a new convention of the states should be called to pass amendments. A ratification "upon condition" would not have been really a ratification at all, and Hamilton devoted all his energies to obtaining a change in the form of Smith's motion. At length Samuel Jones, of Queens County, one of the anti-federal members, was prevailed upon to move to substitute the words "in full confidence" for "upon condition." Melancthon Smith and Zephaniah Piatt agreed to and spoke in favor of this change and the victory was won, though only by the nairowest kind of a majority, the vote upon the ^ Jones motion being thirty-one to 1. The delegates who yoted for Mr. Jones's motion, and they were practically the eame as those who voted for the final ratification, were John Jay, Richard Morris, John Sloss Hobart, Alexander Hamilton, Robert R. Livingston, Isaac Roosevelt, James Duane, Richard Harrison and Nicholas Low, comprising the complete delegation of the County of New York; Henry Scudder, Jonathan N. Havens, John Smith, of Suffolk; Samuel Jones, John Schenck, Nathaniel Lawrence and Stephen Carmen, the complete delegation from the County of Queens; Peter Lefferts, Peter Vandervoort, the delegates from Kings; Abraham Bancker and Gozen Ryerss, of Richmond ; Lewis Morris, Philip Livingston, Rich- ard Hatfield, Philip Van Cortland, Thaddeus Crane and Lott W. Saris, of Westchester; Zephaniah Piatt, Melancthon Smith, Gilbert Livingston and John DeWitt, of Dutchess, and John Williams, one of the delegates from Washington and Clinton Counties. Those who voted in the negative were Robert Yates, John Lansing, Jr., Israel Thompson, An- thony Ten Byck, of Albany; Thomas Tredwell, of Suffolk; George Clinton, John Cantine, George C. Schoonmaker, Ebenezer Clark, James Clinton, Dirck Wynkoop, the complete delegation from Ulster; John Haring, Jesse WoodhuU, Henry Wisner and John Wood, of Orange; Jacobus Swartwout, Jonathan Akins, of Dutchess; William Harper, Christopher 216 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. twenty-nine. The final vote was thirty to twenty-seven. Smith, Piatt and Gilbert Livingston, of Dutchess County, the last two of Poughkeepsie, saved the day. The story of the convention has been fully told in an address delivered by the late John I. Piatt at the centennial of the ratification, June 26, 1888, and in an address by the late Rev. A. P. VanGieson, which has been published. The Journal of the Convention has also been recently republished by Vas- sars Brothers' Institute in fac simile form, of the original printed re- port of "The Debates and Proceedings of the Convention," in 1788. After the notable men of the convention had departed to their homes the little village of Poughkeepsie continued to reach out and grow. A map made in 1790 shows that some twenty houses in the central sec- tion were built between 1770 and 1790. The town of Poughkeepsie, also, must have been by that time pretty well settled and probably the area of cleared land was almost as great as it is at present. The limekilns at Barnegat were beginning to flourish certainly at this time. C. M. Woolsey's history of Marlborough publishes a map made in 1797 by Dr. Benjamin Ely, which shows limekilns on this side of the river at Barnegat and also at the mouth of the Wappingers. New Hamburg, first called the Hook Landing, afterwards Wap- pingers Landing, had made some progress and there was certainly by 1789, and probably much earlier, a ferry at Captain VanKeuren's, or Theophilus Anthony's, about three miles below the village, at the neighborhood that was later called Milton ferry and still later Came- lot. It is called "Lewis's Ferry" in one of the early maps. (The present Camelot railroad station, it should be remembered, was moved from its old location a few years ago to Barnegat, where it now stands.) The ferry at the village of Poughkeepsie was regularly established by 1798 and had probably been running irregularly for a long time before that. Poughkeepsie's first real home newspaper, first called the Covmtry Journal and Poughkeepsie Advertiser, a name soon p. Tates, John Frey, John Winn^ Volkert Veeder and Henry Staring, of Montgomery; Ichahod Parker, David Hopkins and Albert Baker, of Washington and Clinton ; Peter Van Ness, John Bay, Matthew Adgate, of Columbia. It cannot be said that the eflCorts of George Clinton, John Lansing, Melancthon Smith and the other Anti-Federalists In the convention were without important results, for they may be said to have succeeded, in spite of the final form of New York's latlflcation, In forcingt upon the states the first series of amendments to the Constitution which em- bodied the bill of rights. THE "CLINTON HOUSE." Owned and preserved by the State as a Revolutionary Memorial, in the care and cnstody of Mawenawasigh Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. The top picture shows the hiiilding before alteration. Copyrighted lf)04 hy Helmus W. Barrett. POUGHKEEPSIE. 217 changed to the Poughkeepsie Journal, was established by Nicholas Power in 1785. It is still published, one hundred and fourteen years later, as the Poughkeepsie Eagle. It became at an early date a Fed- eralist newspaper, supporting Washington and Hamilton, and toward the close of the century opposition papers made their appearance, though all were very short Uved until the establishment of the Political Barometer, in 1802. Isaac Mitchell, a writer of some note, was the editor of this paper for several years and author of the popular novel, "Alonzo and Melissa," which was published first in its columns as a continued story in 1804. THE VILLAGE OF POUGHKEEPSIE. March 27, 1799, Poughkeepsie was incorporated as a^ village, the charter providing for a board of five trustees to be elected on the third Tuesday in May. That, however, was only for the first election, all subsequent elections for many years coming in April. The boundaries of the village as then fixed remain the limits of the City of Pough- keepsie to-day. The first trustees were James S. Smith, Valentine Baker, Andrew BiUings, Ebenezer Badger and Thomas Nelson. The extant records of the village begin in 1803, when Andrew BiUings was president. The village then had something like 1,500 inhabitants and the population of the whole town in 1800 was 3,246. In 1810 the town had 4,669 inhabitants and the village 2,981. In 1855, when the city had been taken out, the town had left but 3,110 people. The town added population very slowly down to 1900, when the growth of one of the suburbs of the city, called Bull's Head, East Pough- keepsie and more recently Arlington, had made much progress, chiefly because of the growth of Vassar College. ChanjiingviUe, that part of Wappingers Falls north of the creek, accounts for several hundred of the town's population. The earliest recorded act of the trustees authorized the digging of wells for a village water supply. There was already a fire company in existence with a fire engine. The citizens were required to turn out to fires and and assist in extinguishing them by forming bucket hues and passing water from the nearest well or other source of supply to the engine. The buckets were the property of the people individually and after each fire were collected at the dourt house where their owners came to pick them out. The most notable fire of the early village days was the burning of the court house, September 25, 1806, and 218 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. on that occasion the difficulty of procuring water was a subject of comment. A new court house, the one torn down in 1903, was built in 1809 and the village trustees at a meeting held May 25th of that year warned the commissioners who had the work of construction in charge that "they do not build the said public building further east- ward on Market street than the ground in range of the houses of Joseph Nelson, John Forbes and Valentine Baker, situate on said Market street — also that the said company of commissioners be notified not to put unslacked lime adjacent to the market so as to cause injury to the village." The market at that time stood in the middle of Mar- ket street, at the junction with Main. It was frequently the subject of controversy and stood for a while adjacent to the Dutch Burying Ground — ^that is on the corner north of the present building of Smith Brothers. The graveyard remained there until 1830, when the prop- erty was leased for a hundred years and the Brewster block, still standing, was erected By 1830 the village had begun to grow very rapidly and land was considered too valuable to allow a burying ground on its most prominent comer. It is perhaps rather too bad that this open space in the center of the city could not have been pre- served, and it is certainly to be regretted that the court house was not built in the center of the square, between Main, Market and Washing- ton streets, where the land in 1809 was worth little. Washington street, I think, had not at that time been extended through to Union, and on the plot where the City Hall stands was the residence of Ebenezer Badger. West of the court house on Union street there was only a small frame building or two, one of which was the fire engine house. The village market remained in the center of Market street for a number of years after the construction of the court house, but had been removed for some time when the new market building, now the City Hall, was erected in 1831. The new market building, the upper floor of which was used as a village hall and the lower floor as a market, cost $7,200. Before the time of the Civil War its use as a market had been given up and it was rented to the United States Government for a postoffice during the early years of the war. The postoffice remained there until the present government building was erected in 1886 under the first postmastership of Robert H. Hunter, ^mong the memorable events in Poughkeepsie during the early part of the nineteenth century was the visit of General LaFayette, Septem- POUGHKEEPSIE. 219 ber 16, 1824. Many people must have stayed up all night to greet the famous Frenchman, for the steamboat James Kent on which he was a passenger arrived at about 2:30 A. M., and was welcomed by a great bonfire and a military salute from the Kaal Rock. LaFayette landed early and was greeted with an address of welcome at the Forbus House (on the site of the Nelson House) by Col. Henry A. Livingston, who compared the occasion to the visits of Washington to the village and to the ratification of the Constitution. Gen. LaFayette in reply re- ferred to his own former visits to Poughkeepsie and to the "great and astonishing changes" he beheld in the place. An official breakfast, for which the village trustees appropriated sixty-five doUars, was held at the Poughkeepsie Hotel, then called the Myers Hotel, and the breakfast room had been elaborately decorated foB the occasion by a committee of ladies. George P. Oakley described it as an apartment of "Portraits and Banners and Emblems and Evergreens and Flowers and Festoons and Garlands and Temples and Plate and Porcelain and Arches and Mottoes." Ten years later, or July 3, 1834, the village mourned the death of LaFayette. There were public services, a gun was fired every half hour all day from "Pine's HiU on Mansion Square," while a long pro- cession wound through the village and the bells were tolled. An important event was the establishment of the first central village water supply by the building of the reservoir on top of Cannon street hill in 1836, at a cost of $30,000. Water was pumped from the Fall Kill and was used only for fire extinguishing purposes, pipes being laid only on the main streets. The reservoir happened to be empty on May 12, 1836, when Poughkeepsie was visited by the greatest fire in its history, a fire which burned nearly all the buildings on the south side of Main street, between Liberty and Academy streets. At one time the destruction of a very large section of the village seemed in- evitable, as buildings on the north side of the street were several times on fire, but the force pump which supplied water to the reservoir had been started and water came down through the pipes at the critical time, so that the flames were controlled. Between 1830 and 1837 the village grew rapidly and a remarkable real estate boom was inaugurated by the Poughkeepsie Improvement Party, which included such men as Paraclete Potter, editor of the Poughkeepsie Journal, Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, United States Sena- 220 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. tor, Matthew Vassar, Walter Ctinningham, George P. Oakley and Gideon P. Hewitt. Many acres of land were plotted and sold in lots, two chief centers of development being around Mansion Square and the old French farm, south of the English Burying Ground, that is, south of the present location of Christ Church. The industries and schools estabhshed by these enterprising men are described under spe- cial headings. Some of their enterprises were daring in the extreme. Among them may be noted here a locomotive factory, started long before there was any railroad in the neighborhood. They did much more than establish enterprises ; they made Poughkeepsie an up-to- date, model village according to the light of the times. The streets in the central section were aU paved with cobblestones and the sidewalks paved with brick. Trees were planted and efforts were made to make the town as attractive as possible. In the lower part of the town Delafield street was expected to become a leading residence street and land was sold under the restriction that all houses should be placed fifty feet back from the street, which was named after John Dela- field, a New York capitalist who backed many of the local financial enterprises. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge built there his own mansion, a fine house, still standing. The real estate boom was so notable as to attract considerable attention in New York and it is mentioned in many contemporary letters, particularly in those published by Free- man Hunt, who says, under date September 25, 1835, "Lots which were sold eighteen months ago for $600 have been sold for $4,000. A plot of fourteen acres in the suburbs of the village which was pur- chased ten months since for $4,000 was recently sold for $14,000. Another plot which could have been purchased nine months ago for $10,000 was sold a few days ago for $24,000." The many buildings still standing about town, ornamented by Grecian columns and por- ticos, all date from this period. The panic of 1837 ruined nearly all the members of the improvement party, except Matthew Vassar, who was able to buy what others had to sell and is believed to have made substantial additions to his fortune by doing so. Several of the lead- ing men of the time went west after the panic to retrieve their for- tunes. Senator Tallmadge was appointed Governor of the territory of Wisconsin in 1844 and Paraclete Potter had been made registrar of the United States Land Office in Milwaukee in 1841. Gideon P. Hewitt and Henry Conkhn were among others who went to Wisconsin. POUGHKEEPSIE. 221 The collapse of the real estate boom and of several enterprises es- tablished by the improvement party retarded the growth of the vil- lage only temporarily, for the schools founded at this time continued to flourish and gave the place a wide reputation. In 1830 the village population was 5,0S3, in 1840 it was 7,710, in 1856, after incorpora- tion as a city, it was 12,763. The rate of growth was evidently not less after 1841 than between 1830 and 1840. The Hudson River Railroad was built through from New York to Poughkeepsie in 1849, and for a time trains ran to the lower part of the city, where passengers were transferred to steamboats, the heavy rock cutting beyond that point proving a source of delay. The first train, however, came through to the station on January 4, 1850. The Hudson River Railroad was distinctly a Poughkeepsie enterprise. Isaac Piatt had been advocating it for a long time in the Eagle and had taken a great deal of interest in obtaining subscriptions for the stock. In March, 1842, a convention of delegates from river towns was brought together at the village hall in Poughkeepsie, and though there were not very many outsiders present, the meeting ajppointed a central executive finance and correspondence committee, made up whoUy of Poughkeepsians, Matthew Vassar, Thomas L. Davies, Isaac Piatt and E. B. Killey; and the Poughkeepsie Telegraph in describ- ing the completion of the enterprise in 1850, gives the chief credit to this committee, which as early as 1842 opened subscription books and raised $1,450 for preliminary expenses of obtaining a complete sur- vey and a charter. New York City was very much inclined to oppose the railroad at first and took little interest in it until after it had been practically assured. When the charter was passed its enemies succeeded in incorporating in it a requirement that $3,000,000 must be subscribed before March 1, 1847, with ten per cent paid in. The newspapers of the day contained urgent appeals to the people to "save the charter," and the Eagle on February 27 printed the announce- ment that the amount had been raised, together with a historical sketch of the progress of the enterprise and the difficulties encountered by the original promoters. So rejoiced were the people at the announce- ment that bonfires were lighted and salutes were fired and there was a formal celebration with a splendid spread at the Poughkeepsie Hotel, of which Mr. Rutzer was then the landlord. While the efl'orts to 222 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. raise money for the railroad were in progress the first ^telegraph office in Foughkeepsie was opened, October 19, 1846. This office was of peculiar interest to the people of Foughkeepsie because Frof. Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, lived in the town of Fough- keepsie, only two or three mUes south of the village, in the place now owned by William H. Young. Frof. Morse was known to every resi- dent of the village and was an officer in the Fresbyterian Church. In 1850, besides its first railroad, the village also had its first gas lights and 1852 saw the establishment of its first daily newspaper, the Press. THE CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. The City of Foughkeepsie was incorporated by the act of the Legis- lature, March 28, 1854, and the first city election was held the follow- ing April, when James Emott, Jr., became the first Mayor. He re- signed in 1856 to become a Justice of the Supreme Court, as his father had been before him. One of the early aldermen was Henry W. Shaw (Josh Billings). The second mayor was Charles W. Swift. Apart from some notable political meetings on Forbus Hill, the space which remained open for many years between Union and Church streets, back of the Forbus House, nothing of great importance took place in Foughkeepsie down to the Civil War. In October, 1856, fifteen steamboats ran excursions to bring people to a great Democratic rally on Forbus Hill. In the same month a cavalcade of eight hundred horsemen came into town to attend a Republican rally. The cam- paign of 1860 was even more memorable, when the Wide Awakes and Little Giants paraded the town night after night. The outbreak of the Civil War, of course, caused intense excitement in Foughkeepsie and there were many war meetings to aid the re- cruiting. After the first companies had gone and the enthusiasm to volunteer had worn away the city voted large sums of money and in- curred considerable debt for bounties. The story of the regiments is told elsewhere in the military history of the county. During the war a scarcity of small change occurred in this city, as elsewhere, and the 1. The telegraph line was laid from Buffalo to Foughkeepsie before It was extended to New York City, as Is shown from the following Item found In a Foughkeepsie paper of the date of May 1, 1850, by Theodore W. Davis : "The office of the Magnetic Telegraph will be removed this day from Its former location In Garden street to rooms over the store of Mr. Adam Henderson, corner of Main and Market streets. Wires are now stretched from Buffalo to this place and will soon be completed to New York. Mr. Curtlss Is the op- erator." It Is said that messages were sent from Buffalo to Foughkeepsie for a. while and were here put Into the mall for New York. POUGHKEEPSIE. 223 city issued its own shinplasters, as did also a number of business firms, until they were forbidden to do so by law. One of the leading events of the war years was a Sanitary Fair, held at 178-180 Main street, then an unoccupied building owned by Matthew Vassar, March 15 to 19, 1865. The whole city was interested in it and the net proceeds were more than $16,000. The close of the war brought celebrations over the return of the soldiers and a great throng of students to East- man College, which added much to the prosperity of the city. Harvey G. Eastman soon became a leading citizen and in 1865 purchased and beautified the property which became known as Eastman Park and has just been purchased (February, 1909,) by the city to become a per- manent city park. Vassar College, opened in September, 1865, brought at first but 853 students, but was destinednto become a most important factor in the life of the city. It had grown to 1,000 soon after the close of the century. More will be found about these insti- tutions under the heading of "Schools." Before 1870 the second great period of growth, comparable to that of the days of the old improvement party between 1830 and 1837, was in fuU sway. This later period of improvement included the building of the new water works, pumping from the Hudson river with sand filtration, the installation of a complete sewerage system, the Fall- kill improvement by which the old mill ponds on the kill were abohshed and the stream was walled in, the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad, the building of the city railroad and the beginning of the Pough- keepsie Bridge. Harvey G. Eastman, George Innis, Mark D. Wilbur and George P. Pelton were leaders in this latter improvement era. The Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad had been long advocated by the Eagle and at one time, just before the war, there seemed a chance of its construction. Whatever chance there was, however, was destroyed by the panic of 1857 and the project was not again taken up until after the war. The railroad was finished to the Connecticut hne in 1872, but the difficulty of procuring capital was so great that it could not be completed until the city had added $600,000 to its own in- debtedness to push the work through. The waterworks and the Fall- kill improvement together with the P. & E. bonds and the bounty bonds increased the debt of the city to about two million dollars, which at seven per cent interest imposed a burden so great that almost a quar- ter of a century was to elapse before the people felt free to go ahead with needed improvements again. 224 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The sand filter beds installed with the new water system in 1872 were the first successfiil sand filters in the country and are still in use, though rebuilt and much enlarged. The most important and far reaching enterprise of the period suc- ceeding the Civil War was the Poughkeepsie Bridge, and it stands to-day a monument to the energy and perseverance of Harvey G. Eastman and John I. Piatt. In the earlier movement Eastman was the leader. He was both mayor and member of Assembly and ob- tained the legislation necessary to allow the placing of piers in the river. John I. Piatt obtained from tlie Pennsylvania Railroad presi- dent, J. Edgar Thompson, the necessary financial backing and the cornerstone was laid with great ceremony December 17, 1873. The panic of that year had already occurred, however, and the death of Mr. Thompson caused the Pennsylvania Railroad to repudiate its subscription. After that nothing could be done for a long period but keep the charter alive and wait for better times, and meanwhile, in 1878, Mr. Eastman died. The bulk of the work then fell upon Mr. Piatt, who became member of Assembly in 1886. He obtained the charter extensions necessary and succeeded in defeating the rival Storm King project, and also in enlisting new financial support from New Eng- land and from Philadelphia. A group of Philadelphia capitalists finally financed the enterprise to completion and the first train crossed the bridge in December, 1888. The ideas of its promoters, however, that it was to become a great link between the coal fields of Pennsyl- vania and the factories of New England and that it would make a large city of Poughkeepsie, hardly began to be realized for another twenty years. The capitalists who furnished the money for the building of the bridge were unable to make satisfactory arrangements for the pur- chase of the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad and consequently built a line paralleling it and connecting with the Hartford & Connecticut Western Railroad. On the west side of the river a railroad was built to Campbell Hall, where it made connections with the Ontario & West- ern and the Erie, and soon afterwards a connection was made there also with the Lehigh. After several financial vissicitudes and re- organizations the bridge and its connecting railroads, against which the irunk lines of the country seemed to combine, became known as the Central New England system, and in 1904< came into possession POUGHKEEPSIE, 22? of the powerful New York, New Haven & Hartford system. Mean- time, soon after the completion of the bridge a railroad was built from Poughkeepsie to Hopewell Junction, connecting the bridge with the Highland division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford, pre- viously the New York and New England Railroad. It is this branch which now carries the bulk of the business. One of the first results of the consoUdation with the New Haven road was the running of the Highland division passenger trains to Poughkeepsie instead of Fish- kill Landing, and the abandonment of the car ferry freight transfer at Fishkill Landing followed. In 1907, the old Poughkeepsie & East- ern having passed through a number of bankruptcies, was purchased by the New York, New Haven & Hartford and joined with the Central New England, a system which now includes all railroads reaching the Hudson from the east in Dutchess County. In 1907 the bridge was strengthened by the addition of a central girder, which in- volved almost a rebuilding. The first indication of increased business came in 1908, when a large amount of freight, previously trans- ferred by car ferry through the East River and New York Harbor, was routed, by the New Haven road via the Poughkeepsie Bridge. Plans were then made to double track the railroad from Hope- well Junction to Poughkeepsie and from Poughkeepsie westward to Campbell HaU, and the work is now (March, 1909,) actively in prog- ress. Meanwhile, the bridge lines have already furnished locations for most of the new factories that have been brought to Poughkeepsie and have taken all but one or two of the lumber and coal firms away from the river front. Largely through the efforts of an active Chamber of Commerce, the city appears to be entering upon a new period of growth and the bridge furnishes the central impetus. The prediction of Eastman that we should some time have a population of fifty thousand seems likely to be verified. The expansion of municipal activity incident to the improvements inaugurated before 1873 and the great debt accumulated led to an important revision of the City Charter in 1874, by which the present system of government by boards was fully established, with a common council having supervisory power over all expenditures through sub- mission to it of the estimates of each board. This Charter also abolished the spring election, which had been in existence from the time the village of Poughkeepsie was incorporated. The revision of 226 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1874 was made as the result of a number of meetings organized by a committee from the wards, appointed by Judge Barnard and Judge Taylor, and the Charter itself was largely the work of John I. Piatt and Allard Anthony. The city boards were aU elected by the people until 1883, when the mayor was given power to appoint the water board and also a police board, then created. In 1896 the water board was abolished and a board of public works was created to have charge of the streets and parks as well as the water and sewer systems. Its members were elected until 1901, when the centralization of all power in the hands of the mayor was completed and he was given authority to appoint aU boards and executive officers. In 1902 the offices of recorder and justice of the peace were abolished and a city court was established with Joseph Morschauser as its first judge. Since that time the only important Charter change was one made in 1906, giving authority to place all wires under ground on the main streets. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. In view of the fact that Poughkeepsie has so long been known as a city of schools it is interesting to record that the first state law "for the encouragement of schools" was passed in 1796 at a legislative session held in Poughkeepsie. This act was passed in response to a recommendation from Gov. George Clinton and became the foundation of the state system of aid to schools and of the state regents. It did not give rise at once to a pubhc school system in the modern sense, meaning free schools, and aid was extended mostly to incorporated schools or academies, though there were also a few schools of lower grade that may have received aid. The Dutchess County Academy was already well established in Poughkeepsie when the act was passed. This long famous institution had been originally founded at Fishkill and it is said that the frame work of the building was removed to Poughkeepsie in 1792, when it was erected on the southwest comer of Cannon and Academy streets, giving Academy street its name. The lot, 130% feet on Academy street and 112% on Cannon, extended westward to that on which the Young Women's Christian Association building now stands. The old building is still in part in existence, as it was removed in 1837 to the northeast corner of North Clinton and Thompson streets, where it still remains, though much altered from its original appearance. A large new building had been erected in 1836 on South Hamilton street, corner of Montgomery, the same building POUGHKEEPSIE. 227 which is now the Old Ladies' Home. Many well-known men and women obtained their education in the Dutchess County Academy. Its sec- ond record book, beginning with 1840 is preserved in the Adriance Memorial Library and begins with a report of the trustees to the regents for the year ending October 9, 1839. The first pages con- tain a description of the new building and property, which was valued as follows: Value of lot for Academy Building $ 2,000.00 " " building thereon 11,128.15 library 169.00 Philosophical Apparatus 167.60 " Academy Furniture 800.00 cc ei (C « • Total $13,758.65 There was a debt of $5,540.51 for the payment of which, with in- terest and insurance, a fund of $400 was set apart from the receipts each year, while the balance went to the principal, who paid from it the assistant teachers. That the principal made no great fortune from the arrangement is evident from the statement that the receipts for the year amounted to $1,514.12. There were all together five teachers during the year, but only four at any one time. R. E. Rob- erts, a graduate of the University of Cambridge, England, taught languages. For the first three months he received $66. "For the next six months his compensation was $200 for five hours' service each day. About two weeks from the close of the term Mr. Roberts was removed from the Academy by his death in the twenty-seventh year of his age. He had been a teacher about two years." Ansel H. Tobey, aged thirty-one, taught penmanship and natural sciences. He re- ceived $125 per term of twenty-two weeks and had been a teacher about five years. Darwin Canfield, aged twenty-two, taught English and Arithmetic and received $400 a year. Luther Northrup, forty- three, taught history and geography and was paid $400 a year for teaching one-half of the hours. William Jenney, the principal, was a graduate of New York University, twenty-nine years of age, and of fours years experience. He was the first principal in the new build- ing. One of the last in the old building was Eliphas Fay and he and William MacGeorge were perhaps the most notable of the principals 228 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. of the Academy. Fay afterwards conducted a private school in Union street. Following were the rates of tuition in the Academy in 1839- 1840, per quarter: The Common Branches, including reading, spelling, writing, gram- mar and arithmetic $4.50 The Common Branches with history 5.00 The above with chemistry, book keeping, philosophy and Algebra 6.00 The higher branches of Mathematics 7-00 Greek and Latin 8.00 French and Drawing, extra per quarter 5.00 The terms were of twenty-three weeks and began the first Wednes- days of May and November, each preceded by a vacation of three weeks. Board in the family of the principal, including stationery and aU necessary expenses, was $90 a term, and it was stated that good board in families in the vicinity of the Academy could be obtained at $3.00 a week. The report was adopted by A. G. Storm, John Brush, Alexander Forbus, Thomas L. Davies, Richard D. Davis, Peter P. Hayes, Frederick Barnard and Leonard Maison, trustees. The Academy finally had to be given up on account of the progress made by the High School. In 1866 the Academy building was rented to the city, and the High School, after having been discontinued a year, was re-opened there. It is a matter of some regret that the city authorities did not see fit to continue it in the old building, but a more central location was demanded and in 1870 the building was sold to Jonathan Warner, founder of the Old Ladies' Home, and the money received was donated by the Academy trustees to the Board of Edu- cation to be used in the construction of the present High School. The reputation of being "the City of Schools" came to Pough- keepsie mostly through the institutions founded during the improve- ment party's best days, and the Poughkeepsie Collegiate School, founded in 1835, was the greatest of them and has left the most con- spicuous monument — the Grecian temple which still crowns College Hill. This school was opened in 1836 with Charles Bartlett as prin- cipal and it was soon attracting boys from aU parts of the state and nation. Mr. Bartlett ranked as a leading educator of his time and, the Collegiate School was regarded in its day as quite as impor- tant and quite as much an object of local pride as Vassar College is POUGHKEEPSIE. 229 to-day. Charles Bartlett died in 1857 and the school was continued by Otis Bisbee and Charles B. Warring, who had been among his lead- ing teachers. Soon after the outbreak of the Civil War Mr. Bisbee and Mr. Warring dissolved partnership and the latter erected a build- ing on Smith street and opened the Poughkeepsie Military Institute, the first military school in Poughkeepsie. Mr. Bisbee introduced the military drill on College Hill a year or two later and remained there until 1867, when the property was sold to settle the estate of Charles Bartlett. He then erected the present Riverview Academy in the southwest part of the town and it has continued an excellent and popu- lar school under the management of his son, Joseph Bartlett Bisbee. The Warring School continued for a considerable number of years and its building is now a public school. R,iver\Bew is the only sur- vivor of the institutions of the Improvement Party, but Lyndon Hall dates almost to their time. It was organized in 1848 as the Pough- keepsie Female Collegiate Institute by Dr. Charles H. P. McCleUan, who conducted it for about ten years. His successor was Rev. C. D. Rice. Prof. G. W. Cook bought the property in 1870 when the school became known as Cook's Collegiate Institute, a name which it retained until purchased by its present principal, Samuel Wells Buck, who christened it Lyndon Hall. The Poughkeepsie Female Academy, one of the most important in- stitutions of the improvement party, erected the large building on Cannon street, now owned by the Women's Christian Temperance Union. This academy was founded in 1836 and was for many years the largest of the boarding schools for girls in the city. The last principal was Rev. D. G. Wright, who discontinued the school in 1885. There have been probably not less than fifty private schools at various times in Poughkeepsie, some of them rather large institutions. The Cottage Hill Seminary, on the east side of Garden street where the Shwartz block now stands, was an important school for girls for many years and the building was last used as a boys' school under the principalship of John Miley for a few years in the early eighties. Lydia Booth, a step niece of Matthew Vassar, was one of the early proprietors of the girls' school there. A school of some renown was conducted by the Friends for a number of years in a building still standing on Mansion Square. It was one of the places visited by Henry Clay when he came to Poughkeepsie in 1839. The present 230 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Putnam Hall School for girls occupies a building erected soon after the war by Mr. and Mrs. Edward White. It was for a long time known as Brooks Seminary. Space will permit only mere mention of other private schools long since gone, like the Pelham Institute, Bish- op's or Leslie's for boys. Miss Bosworth's School, Butler's and Bockee's for girls and the Quincy, the latter only recently given up. An institution of much importance for a time was the "State and National Law School," brought to Poughkeepsie from Ballston in December, 1852. Its president was John W. Fowler, a man of con- siderable prominence as a lecturer, and was located in the building at 233-235 Main street. A good many lawyers of wide reputation were educated there, including several who became prominent on the bench. Judge Conklin, of Utica, father of Roscoe Conklin, Judge Henry Booth, of Chicago, and Matthew Hale were for a time among its professors. This institution was crippled by the Civil War and soon closed. Eastman College was started in a very small way by Harvey G. Eastman in the autumn of 1859. Its first quarters were in the same Main street building, then called the Library Building, where the law school was located. Eastman was a wonderfully clever advertiser and soon drew students, although he had almost no equipment. He made a specialty of reaching the young men whose terms of enlistment were expiring in the army and at the close of the Civil War so many of them had come here that they taxed his abihty and the resources of the city to care for them. Two or three old churches, the upper floor of the City Hall and all the unoccupied rooms that could be ob- tained were rented and fitted with desks, and the 1,800 students were scattered all over town wherever they could find a place to board. Though his equipment was scanty, Eastman infused some of his own energy into his students and brought the most eminent men of the day here to lecture to them. The number of students never again approached the crowd that came here following the war, but the college has always been a most important institution and seldom has less than four or five hundred students. After Mr. Eastman's death it was conducted by Ezra White, who erected the present college build- ing on Washington street. Clement Carrington Gaines has been the president since 1884 and has considerably widened the course of study. Away back before 1830 Poughkeepsie had a Lyceum Association POUGHKEEPSIE. 231 and a Mechanics' Literary and Benevolent Association. The latter had a library of about 270 volumes and a cabinet of minerals. These Associations were united and incorporated in 1838 as the Pough- keepsie Lyceum of Literature, Science and Mechanic Arts." The Ly- ceum Association was for many years a very active and important educational force. It did not attempt to make money and the price of the lectures was put so low as to be in the reach of nearly every- body, but it brought here many of the leading men of the times. It is still in existence, though its lecture course was given up in 1889 and its annual income, now about $126, is devoted to the purchase of books for the City Library. The Public Library, which brought together the books of this older Association and of earlier circulating libraries, was moved into what was called the Library Building, already mentioned, 23S-235 Main street, early in December, 1852. The Library had been formed under the school district library law in 1835. With the exception of a year or two in the court house, it remained there until the Library and High School building was erected in 1872 and gradually grew to be a large library. In October, 1898, it was removed to the beautiful Adriance Memorial Library building, which had been erected and pre- sented to the city by the children of John P. Adriance as a memorial to their father and mother. The Library soon afterwards was taken out of the control of the board of education and given to a board of library trustees, first appointed in 1899. In 1872 the Library con- tained not quite 5,000 volumes and the number of books loaned was less than 20,000 per year. In 1908 the number of volumes was 44,577 and the number loaned about 112,000. The public schools are now, of course, the schools in which the citi- zens are most interested, but they were not among the first. There was a school of some kind in Poughkeepsie certainly as early as the Revolution, and on a map made in 1790 the Church street lot, on which public school No. 2 now stands, is marked "the school house lot." A school building has been located there ever since. It was the site for many years of the Lancaster School, founded in 1811, a school which in a sense was the forerunner of our present public school system, though it was only partly a free school. A few free pupils were educated in the Dutchess County Academy and in the other incorporated schools and there were at an early date what were 232 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. called "common schools," partly supported by subscription. The free public schools of Poughkeepsie, entirely supported by taxation, date from 184S, when the first board of education was created by act of the Legislature. David L. Starr, Ira Armstrong, Thomas Austin, Benjamin Gile, Isaac Piatt, Egbert B. KiUey, George C. Marshall, Bamett Hawkins, James Reynolds, Jr., William P. Gibbons, Christo- pher Appleton and Matthew J. Myers constituted the first board. They were given authority to borrow $12,000 and to raise $6,000 by taxation. On January 29th, 1844, the first grammar school for boys was finished and opened on the corner of Mill and Bridge streets. Josiah I. Underbill was its principal. The public school system de- veloped slowly, the private schools and academies receiving for many years most of the patronage of those who were able to pay. Until the incorporation of the city in 1854 the village constituted only a single school district and received but small share of the state money. The collection of school taxes up to that time remained with the town authorities. Under the city administration the High School made a beginning in 1859, but it was moved about to several locations until the sale of the Dutchess County Academy when the present High School building was erected in 1872. The central Grammar School addition was made to the building in 1899. New school buildings have since been erected on Lincoln avenue, on Delafield street and in place of the old No. 1 school on Mill street. Important improve- ments have been made in the courses of study and the High School some years ago was made a college preparatory school. A few words should be said about what was widely known as the "Poughkeepsie plan." This had reference to two school buildings erected by the Roman Catholics for parochial schools. They were taken by the city at nominal rental. The teachers in them were nearly all members of religious orders, but were paid by the city. Outside of school hours the buildings were used for religious services. The plan worked well enough during most of the long and able pastorate of the Rev. James Nilan at St. Peter's Church, but was finally given up in 1898, at a time when there was much turmoil in the school board. For a few years after this one of the buildings was rented to the city for $1,000, but has recently again been made a parochial school. POUGHKEEPSIE. 233 VASSAE COLLEGE. Vassar College, the first of woman's colleges, founded by Matthew Vassar, was chartered by the Legislature, January 18, 1861. There were twenty-eight trustees, of whom about half were residents of Poughkeepsie. Benson J. Lossing and others have so fully written the history of the college that it is unnecessary to go into details here. Matthew Vassar at the beginning gave the site, about two hun- dred acres of land, part of which had once been a race track, and he added some $400,000. James Renwlck, Jr., was the architect of the main building and William Harloe, of Poughkeepsie, the contractor. As the work of construction was done during the war, at constantly rising prices, Mr. Harloe lost heavily by his venture. The college was opened in September, 1865, with 353 students. There were no college preparatory schools for girls at that time and these first students were of all grades, a few of them pretty well advanced, but by far the greater number not qualified to enter according to the present standards. It took most of the first year to clasify them, and when the second catalogue came out, 1866-1867, four had been found fit to rank as seniors and they constituted the class of 1867, the first class to graduate at Vassar. Even in that catalogue seventy- eight students were put down as unclassified and 189 as "specials." During that year, however, the preparatory department was organ- ized and it numbered seventy-five students in the third catalogue. The fact that Vassar maintained a preparatory department won her the enmity for a number of years of all the proprietors of higher grade collegiate and classical schools for girls. It was deemed necessary, however, to maintain the department and it was not abolished until 1887, the year after President James M. Taylor took charge. Under his vigorous management the growth of the college has been con- tinuous, until in 1905 the trustees found it necessary to limit the number of students for a term of five years to one thousand. That number has been several times slightly exceeded. The college has been almost completly transformed, so that the early graduates hardly know it when they return to reunions. Five new dormitories, a chapel, library, recitation hall, infirmary and two science buildings have been erected during Dr. Taylor's term. The death of Matthew Vassar occurred in June, 1868, when he was addressing an annual meeting of the trustees. His nephews, Matthew Vassar, Jr., and John Guy Vas- 234 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. sar, continued his interest in the institution. The former died in 1881 and the latter in 1888. Both left the college considerable sums of money and John Guy Vassar made it one of his residuary legatees. His estate was in litigation until 1891, when the college obtained a large addition to its endowment. Others came forward to take the place of the Vassars, and John D. Rockefeller and Frederick F. Thompson have been large benefactors. The new chapel, erected in 1904, was the gift of two graduates, Mrs. Mary Thaw Thompson, '77, and Mrs. Mary Morris Pratt, '80. The magnificent library is the gift of the widow of Frederick F. Thompson, the infirmary of Mrs. Edward S. Atwater, of Poughkeepsie, the New England Build- ing of the New England Alvmmae and the latest building completed in February, 1909, is the Sanders Memorial Laboratory for Chemistry, given by Henry M. Sanders, one of the trustees, in memory of his wife. TEADING AND KANUFACTUEING. Soon after the incorporation of the Village of Poughkeepsie there was considerable activity on the part of the town authorities in laying out new roads and streets. Main street was extended through to the river "at or near the place commonly called Caul Rock Landing." Li 1800, and in 1802 the eastern end of the street, beginning at the court house, was surveyed as a part of the new Dutchess Turnpike, leading to the eastern boundary of the county. The maps made by the turnpike surveyors are still in existence. About 1806 the Post Road north and south was re-surveyed and its location changed in many places as the Highland Turnpike. It continued as a turnpike until 1838 and there was once a toUgate on the South Road, about at the present city limits. The Dutchess Turnpike became at once a most important stage route from Connecticut, bringing much trade to Poughkeepsie. Great loads of country produce were brought here for shipment to New York and the freighting business on the river made much progress. In 1813 eight sloops were sailing weekly to New York from Poughkeepsie and three steamboats also landed each week at the foot of Main street. In 1814 Poughkeepsie became a steamboat terminal, the Firefly, the smallest boat of the Fulton and Livingston fleet, sailing three times a week from "Pardee's dock" at the foot of Main street. The Main street landing seems to have been called by several names, but most of the land around it had been pur- POUGHKEEPSIE. 235 chased in 1800 by William Davies. The upper landing had been the site of a mill since the first settlements, as we have seen, and the ferry- was estabUshed there as early as 1798. A group of industries grew up about the neighborhood soon after 1800. The Oakley, Hoffman, Reynolds and Innis famihes were engaged in freighting, milling and manufacturing there and the mills afterwards became the Gifford, Sherman and Innis Dyewood Mills, one of the most important of the city's industries, but discontinued some fifteen years ago. The Ferry Company was incorporated in 1819 and at that time the old periauger, or sail ferry, was superseded by a "team ferry," or horse boat, which in turn gave place to a steamboat in 1830. The ferry landing was moved to Main street in 1879, by which time the upper landing had lost most of its business. Two of the old Dyewood,buildings remain, one of them in use as a chair factory. The mill itself was sold to the railroad company and was torn down. The old wooden building, originally Oakley's nail factory and afterwards for many years Ar- nold's chair factory, was burned in 1908 and replaced by a brick building. The power house of the electric lighting company was erected on the site of one of the old upper landing storehouses in 1894. The lower landing, foot of Pine street, and the Union landing, foot of Union street, were for many years very busy places, particularly the former, and there was also in early days a landing still further south, in the neighborhood of the Separator Works, called John Reed's Landing and later Holthuysen's. Sloops ran from all of these for the first quarter of the nineteenth century, when they began to be super- seded by "towboats," or barges, towed to New York by steamboats. The New York and Albany steamboats selected Main street as their point of call from the first and gradually drew business from the other landings. As time went on, however, lines of steamboats were es- tablished with their headquarters at the upper, lower and Main street landings, and there was at one time also a steamboat from the foot of Union street. The lower landing was abandoned as a terminus in 1872 and the upper landing in 1873 by a consolidation of the various local freighting interests. The Union street landing in 1848 had passed into the hands of the Poughkeepsie Iron Company, when the first local blast furnace was erected there. William Bushnell, Joseph Tuckerman and Edward Beck were early proprietors of this furnace, with Albert E. Tower as superintendent. The ores were brought 236 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. from Sylvan Lake, in Dutchess County, and fluxed with Barnegat limestone. Mr. Tower afterwards became owner of the furnace, which was long called the Lower Furnace. The Upper Furnace, still stand- ing, was built in 1859, near the old Whale Docks. The lower fur- nace was dismantled in 1885 and the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club House now stands on its once busy wharf, in old times piled high with coal, limestone and pig iron. The Fall Kill for many years was an important factor in the business development of Poughkeepsie. The first large mill pond was that above Smith street, known as the Red Mill pond, and known in later years as Winnikee Pond. Possibly the first dam was constructed there as early as 1730 by Frans LeRoy, though there seems to be no definite record of it until it came under the ownership of Bartholomew CranneU, as shown on a map made in 1770. There was a small mill pond above the falls, near the mouth of the stream before 1800, but the first large storage reservoir there was built by George Booth about 1803. This was later known as Pelton's Pond and was the last sur- vivor of the Fall Kill mill ponds. This dam was finally taken down in 1899. Booth is said to have brought from England the first wool carding machinery used in this country. He conducted a woolen fac- tory also near Wappingers Falls. Not far above Booth's pond on the Fall Kill a cotton factory was established about 1811 by David and Benjamin Arnold, and just beyond the Post Road bridge was Ellison's miU, afterwards Parker's. There were a number of cotton and woolen factories in the town of Poughkeepsie down to the close of the war of 1812, but most of them were ruined by the period of free trade that followed the declaration of peace, in 1815. Spafford's Gazateer says that there were also fifty looms in families producing 20,000 yards of cloth, and says there were fourteen ^grain mills in the town at that time. Not more than four or five of these mills could have been in the village. One Was at the mouth of the Spacken Kill and is still stand- ing; several were on the Caspar Kill and most of the rest probably on the Wappingers, though very small streams like the one flowing through Vassar College Lake turned mills in those days. 1. Spafford speaks of the success of Dutchess County agriculture as due largely to the fact that this county was one of the first to use gypsum as a fertilizer. Old residents say.that the gypsum was Imported In rock form from Nova Scotia and ground in the same mills that ground grain, the mills grinding the rock for "land plaster" part of the year, then cleaning out and grinding grain later In the season. JOHN E. MACK. POUGHKEEPSIE. 237 There was an iron foundry in Poughkeepsie as early as 1814, located on the corner of Main and Washington streets, and opposite, on the west corner, was Ebenezer Badger's tannery. Later foundries were established from time to time further up Main street, and one of them, started in 1831 by Solomon B. Frost and Benjamin Vail, survives to-day as the Poughkeepsie Foundry and Machine Company, with a large new plant north of the Central New England Railroad. The first Vassar Brewery was built about 1802 by James Vassar and was burned in 1811. A larger building took its place and the management fell to James Vassar's son, Matthew Vassar. This brew- ery was on the site of Vassar Institute, but extending through to Bridge street. By 1830 it had become a very profitable industry, occupying a group of buildings, and in 1836 the brewery at the river, still standing, was erected. It was here that most of the fortune was accumulated that went to the founding of Vassar College. The for- tunes of Matthew Vassar, Jr., and John Guy Vassar, nephews of Matthew Vassar, were only partly made in the brewing business, most of them resulting from fortunate investments in outside enterprises. The improvement party founded a number of large industries, most important of which were the whaling companies and the silk factory. The Poughkeepsie Whaling Company was incorporated in 1832 and the Dutchess Whaling Company a year later. James Hooker was president and Alexander Forbus treasurer of the former and Isaac Merritt and George P. Oakley held similar ofllces in the latter. These two companies in 1841 owned as many as seven ships, which went on long cruises, some of them almost around the world. They brought men here from New Bedford, Mass., and other New England whaling ports, built ships, storehouses, cooperages, candle factories, etc. The Dutchess Company located at the neighborhood still sometimes called the Whale Dock, foot of Dutchess avenue, and had the largest estab- lishment. Apparently the losses of ships as well as the increasing scarcity of whales caused the failure of these companies. Other towns on the river, notably Hudson, were engaged in the whaling industry at about the same time. The Poughkeepsie Glass Works, started in 1879, occupies the site of the Dutchess Whaling Company's buildings. Just north of the whale dock the improvement party started an enterprise that might have been of great importance, if it had not been so far ahead of the times. It was a locomotive factory, founded 238 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. just after the panic of 1837, but twelve years before there was any railroad in this neighborhood. It was described by Benson J. Loss- ing, who made a woodcut of the building for the FamAy Magazvne, as "Much the most extensive of the kind in America," and is said to have cost almost $100,000. One locomotive was built there and was shipped away by boat. It should be said that a railroad across the county was projected at that time, but the project was little more than a dream until after the Civil War. The locomotive factory building was used as a chemical factory for a while, but stood empty much of the time and was torn down in 1859, when the upper furnace was built. The silk factory, above mentioned, incorporated in 1835, erected the building on lower Mill street, which in 1850 came into the possession of Charles M. Pelton and was used for many years as a carpet factory. The promoters of the silk factory purchased several farms on which it is said they intended to raise silk worms. The enter- prise proved an early failure. Carpet manufacturing and also pin making were carried on in 1840 by several firms in Poughkeepsie. Among the industries that flourished for many years was ship build- ing, which was conducted at several points along the water front, notably at the Whale Dock, after the abandonment of the whaling business. Several large steamboats, including the Reliance and the propeller Joseph F. Barnard, were built here before the war. Wagon and carriage manufacturing were carried on by several firms until recent times. The tanning industry flourished from an early date up to the last quarter of the nineteenth century and brought several well- known families to Poughkeepsie, including the Southwicks and Boyds. The manufacturing industry by which Poughkeepsie is best known to-day, that of the Adriance harvesting machinery, had its beginnings somewhere about 1850, when John Adriance became interested in the inventions of mowing machines. He had been in the iron foundry and hardware business and had begun to build on a small scale a mow- ing machine called the Forbush. His son, John P. Adriance, who was in the hardware business in New York, saw the possibilities of the new machines and investigated several of them, spending a number of years in Worcester, Mass., where he was interested in the manufactureing of one of them. In 1859 he returned to Poughkeepsie and leased the factory buildings at the Red Mills, comer of Smith and Mill streets, having accumulated patents and rights to use the essential features of POUGHKEEPSIE. 239 a successful mower, the Adriance Buckeye. Thomas S. Brown had been associated with Mr. Adriance before this and had much to do with the development of the machine. In 1865 the company removed to its present location on the river, where it has continued to expand year by year. In 1892 the general offices of the company were brought here from New York and since then several large buildings have been added to the plant. A recent improvement was the in- stallation of a factory railroad, connecting all buildings and depart- ments. A complete machine is turned out now every five minutes. The factory of Adriance, Piatt & Company is the largest and most im- portant in the city, but the DeLaval Separator plant is a close second. This is a branch of an industry whose original factory was in Stock- holm, Sweden, and was brought here in 1892 by offer of a subscrip- tion of ten thousand dollars from the citizens fo? the purchase of a site. The investment was a good one. The first shop occupied less than half an acre, now the factories of the company have five acres of floor space and half a mile of water front has been purchased. The property now extends to the foot of Pine street, once the site of ex- tensive lumber, coal and freighting business. The DeLaval employs about seven hundred men in the busy season. Several large industries were started soon after the war, includ- ing the Eureka Mowing Machine Works, which was not very suc- cessful and moved away, the Rolhng Mill, which after a time passed into the hands of the Phoenix Horseshoe Company, and Whitehouse's Shoe Factory. The latter was very successful for many years, but failed in 1891 and its buildings are now used as a cigar factory. The Dutchess Manufacturing Company, making trousers, is a large and growing concern, built up under the management of the late J. Frank Hull. It was originally a consolidation of several smaller clothing factories established not long after the war. The present location was purchased in 1888. Several underwear factories have recently been located in Poughkeepsie by the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce, and the Seneca Button Works was brought here in 1907 from Seneca Falls. The Anchor Bolt and Nut Company, originally established as the Chapinville Wheel Company, on Mill street, has a good sized plant on Parker avenue nearly opposite the Central New England Railroad. The cooperage business, which was built up to considerable propor- tions at the time of the whaling companies, still continues, though on 240 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. a somewhat smaller scale. This industry brought the Lown family to Foughkeepsie. There is one brewery, that of V. Frank's Sons, in successful operation. BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. The first chartered bank in Foughkeepsie was a branch of the Manhattan Bank of New York, established at least as early as 1811. In that year an act was passed in Albany chartering the Middle Dis- trict Bank, which had its main banking house in Foughkeepsie and a branch in Kingston. Fourteen of the trustees were required to be i-esidents of Dutchess and seven of Ulster. Levi McKean, one of its first presidents, was postmaster of Foughkeepsie from 1802 to 1819. He was at one time also a private banker, probably before the Middle District Bank was opened. Henry Davis conducted a private bank, which he called the Exchange Bank, in 1819, and two or thiee notes signed by him as president and Walter Cunningham, cashier, are stiU in existence. Davis became the first president and Cunningham the first cashier of the Dutchess County Bank, chartered April 12, 1825. This bank occupied the same site as the Merchants' Bank, the present cashier of which is Walter Cunningham Fonda. The Dutchess County Bank was placed in liquidation at the expiration of its char- ter in 1845 and the Merchants' Bank was organized to take its place. The old bank had a capital of $600,000, three timies larger than the capital of any bank since that organized in Foughkeepsie. Matthew J. Myers was the first president of the Merchants' Bank and James H. Fonda, cashier. The Middle District Bank failed in 1829 and was the only bank that has ever failed in Foughkeepsie. It had a capital of $600,000, a majority of which was controlled by Feter Everitt, son of Richard Everitt. Note holders and depositors were paid almost in full after a long period of liquidation. The Foughkeepsie Bank was organized in 1830 with a capital of $100,000. Thomas L. Davies was its first president and Reuben North was for many years its cashier. The solid old bank building with its portico of heavy plastered columns was built the same year and stood until 1906, when it was torn down to give place to the build- ing of the Foughkeepsie Trust Company, into which the Fough- keepsie Bank and the City Bank had previously been merged. The Farmers' and Manufacturers' Bank began business in its present building, February, 1835. James Hooker was the first president, but THE FOURTH COURT HOUSE, POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. Built in 1809, replaced by present building in 1903. The old "Lawyers' Row" of wooden buildings beyond was demolished in 1885 to make room for the present Post Office. Photograph taken about 1870. POUGHKEEPSIE. 241 served only during the organization and when business began Matthew Vassar was elected president. James Grant, Jr., was the first cashier, but Fred W. Davis served in that capacity longer than anyone else. The Poughkeepsie Savings Bank was chartered in 1831 and began business in 1833 in what was known as the Burritt Building on Main street. Col. Henry A. Livingston was its first president and served until 1856. His successors have been John B. Forbus, Henry D. Varick, David C. Foster and Edward Elsworth. The Savings Bank building was erected in 1871. This bank now has deposits of almost twelve million dollars. The Fallkill National Bank began business in 1852 in its present building with William C. Sterhng as its first president and John F, Hull, cashier. The City Bank was organized in 1860 and Joseph F. Barnard, afterwards for so many years justice of the Supreme Court, was its first president. The name generally associated with this bank is that of Hudson Taylor, who was elected president in 1879 and served until the consolidation with the Pough- keepsie Bank, prior to the organization of the Trust Company. The First National Bank, the last started, owes its name to the fact that it was the first bank organized under the national bank act in 1864. The older state banks reorganized as national banks about a year later, when the law had been amended so that they could retain their original names. Harvey G. Eastman and John P. Adriance were early directors of this bank. Zebulon Rudd and Frank E. Whipple served long terms as cashier and Jacob Corlies as president. The Dutchess Insurance Company dates back to 1836, when it was chartered as the Dutchess Mutual Insurance Company. James Em- mott, father of the first mayor, was its first president. It is one of the few old mutuals that have survived all changes and disasters, hav- ing been made at comparatively recent period a stock company. Its present building was first occupied in 1855. POLITICS NEWSPAPEKS PUBLIC MEN. As soon as there were political parties in the United States it is safe to say that there were parties in the town of Poughkeepsie. As nearly as one can tell from the scanty records of early election returns and from the names in the civil list. Gov. Clinton controlled the town down to the time of the convention which ratified the Constitution in 1788. Clinton was first an Anti-Federalist and then a Jefi'ersonian Republican. Soon after the Constitutional Convention, at which the 242 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. delegates broke away from his influence, there is evidence that Feder- alists were occasionally elected members of Assembly, though the Anti-Federalists seem generally to have been successful in electing Congressmen and returned Theodorus Bailey, of Poughkeepsie, to the National House of Representatives several times. He became a United States Senator in 1803, but soon afterwards resigned with De- Witt Clinton and became postmaster of New York City. In 1798 John Jay, Federalist candidate for Governor, carried the town of Poughkeepsie by ninety to eighty-two votes and from that time the Federahsts appear to have been generally successful. William Emott, father of the elder Judge James Emott, Jessie Oakley, James Kent and David Brooks were among the prominent Federalists of the day. Zephaniah Piatt and Gilbert Livingston were leading Repubhcans and continued to be supporters of Clinton, although they voted for the ratification of the Constitution. Piatt was judge of the Court of Common Pleas, corresponding to our present county court, and left Poughkeepsie about 1795 with his brothers to take up lands on Lake Champlain, where they became the founders of Plattsburg. The first distinctly local paper, the Poughkeepsie Journal, was es- tablished in the spring of 1785 by Nicholas Power, who became the first postmaster of Poughkeepsie in 1792. Early copies of the Journal do not quite give clear evidence of any particular political leanings, as communications of all shades of opinion were published, but Power appears to have been a Federalist and efforts were made to estabKsh opposition papers, evidently in the interest of the party of Jefferson, before 1800. The first to obtain a real foothold, as already stated, was the Political Barometer, under the able editorship of Isaac Mitch- ell. The Barometer, though a pretty good paper, led a rather pre- carious existence and changed hands many times. It was sold in 1806 to Thomas Nelson and son and again sold in 1811, when its name was changed to the Republican Herald. In 1812 Michell returned from Albany and re-purchased it, changing the name to the Northern Politician. He died a few months later and it became the Republican Herald again. There were many factions in the politics of the state of New York in the first few years of the nineteenth century and the Republi- can Herald represented one of them, and evidently the losing one. It wa» in opposition to James Tallmadge, Jr., one of the strongest men of the day, and was discontinued in 1823. In 1806 Paraclete Potter POUGHKEEPSIE. 243 obtained an interest in the Poughkeepsie Journal and remained for many years the leading editor and one of the leading men of the town and county. He conducted a considerable book and job printing es- tablishment and also a book store which was long the rallying place of the literary lights of the town. In 1815 Charles P. Barnum and Richard Nelson established the Dutchess Observer as an organ of one of the factions of the Republican (later Democratic) party, and in 1824 another paper, the Republican Telegraph, was established with WiUiam Sands and Isaac Piatt in charge. The Observer and the Telegraph were combined in 1828 and the paper has come down to the present times as the News-Telegraph, absorbing all rivals repre- senting the same party until a recent period. The year 1828 was a most important one in the pt)litics of the state. It was the first real presidential election, that is, the first election at which the people of this state had a right to vote directly for electors, and it was the election at which Andrew Jackson, the popular idol, was the leading candidate. The Poughkeepsie Journal came out in support of Jackson, even before the Telegraph did, and carried most of the Federalists with it. That marked the final collapse and break- up of the old parties. There were, however, many supporters of John Quincy Adams in Dutchess, who believed he should be re-elected, and they, of course, needed a newspaper. The result was the establishment of the Dutchess Intelligencer, with Isaac Piatt as editor. This paper had hard sledding for a number of years, as nearly everywhere the people were shouting for Jackson. The Adams men, however, were strengthened locally somewhat by the fact that Judge Smith Thomp- son, whose home was where the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery is now located, was their candidate for Governor. He was beaten by Martin VanBuren, partly because of the outbreak of the anti-Masonic agita- tion in the western part of the state. It is hardly necessary to name all of the short lived newspapers of the day, but the opposition to Van Buren's Albany regency rule caused the establishment of the Dutchess Republican, 1831, by Thomas S. Ranney, and the anti- Masons had a paper for a few years called, first, the Dutchess In- quirer and afterwards the Anti-Mason. In 1833 Messrs. Piatt and Ranney united their papers and finding the Intelligencer-Republican too awkward a title, changed it in 1834 to the Poughkeepsie Eagle. By that time the opponents of Jackson, who had been calling them- 244 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. selves National Republicans, were beginning to call themselves Whigs under the leadership of Henry Clay, and the Eagle at once came to. the front as the organ of the new party, while the Journal had drifted into a secondary position as a Democratic organ and did not fully support all of Jackson's policies. Egbert B. Killey and Aaron Low were publishing the Telegraph at this time, but in 1835 Benson J. Lossing bought Mr. Low's interest and became prominent as an editor. Leaders among public men of the early part of the century were Gen. James TaUmadge, Randall S. Street, James Emott and Thomas J. Oakley. Of these the greatest was Gen. TaUmadge, who lived in a house which stood on the comer of Garden and Main streets. He was a man of national reputation and it was he who offered in the House of Representatives in 1819 an amendment to the act for the admission to the Union of the State of Missouri prohibiting "the further intro- duction of slavery" there. This amendment was adopted by the House, but rejected by the Senate and led to the famous Missouri Compromise. A little later Smith Thompson and Nathaniel P. TaUmadge became prominent. The latter was not only a United States Senator but be- came widely known as the leader of the Conservatives, a faction of the Democratic party that opposed Jackson's bank poUcy. The Pough- keepsie Journal supported him and as his attitude gradually led him into full union with the Whig party, the Journal became a Whig or- gan. Nathaniel P. TaUmadge was much talked of as a candidate for Vice President in 1838, and iii 1839 he actually was offered the nomi- nation with William Henry Harrison. He had by that time become so warm a friend of Henry Clay that he declined because Clay had not received the nomination for President. Thus TaUmadge lost his chance of becoming President. Walter Cunningham, already many times mentioned, was a prominent Whig leader, particularly active in conventions and is frequently referred to in Thurlow Weed's Auto- biography. Richard D. Davis was one of the most prominent Demo- crats and was elected to Congress in 1840 and in 1842. After Nathaniel P. TaUmadge had come into the Whig ranks there were two Whig papers in Poughkeepsie and it was natural that they should combine. Joseph H. Jackson and William Schram were then pub- UsMng the Journal and in 1844 Jackson retired and Mr. Schram formed a partnership with Isaac Piatt, of the Eagle. The double POUGHKEEPSIE. 245 title, "Journal and Eagle," was retained until 1850, when the name Journal was dropped. Mr. Schram continued a partner in the Eagle firm until 1865, when he was succeeded by Mr. Piatt's eldest son, John I. Piatt. Another son, James B. Piatt, came into the firm in 1869. The paper is now in control of a third generation of the same family. In 1839 both Henry Clay and Martin VanBuren visited Pough- keepsie. VanBuren lived in Columbia County and had many times stopped in Poughkeepsie and his visit in 1839 was chiefly significant because he was President at that time and was accorded a big recep- tion. Judge Charles H. Buggies, Gen. Leonard Maison and Col. Henry Pine were among the prominent local Democrats who welcomed him. Henry Clay's visit was only about a month later In the same summer. He made an address to the people from* the veranda of the Poughkeepsie Hotel, and then was taken to see the sights of the town, including College Hill. In 1845 Daniel Webster spent several days in Poughkeepsie trying a law case. His summing up was referred to in the local papers as a masterpiece of, oratory. As every important cause had to have its newspaper, the Temper- ance movement of the early forties brought out the Temperance Safe- guard, edited by G. K. Lyman, and in 1845 the Native American, or Know Nothing movement gave rise to the Poughkeepsie American. The last mentioned paper came into the hands successively of Isaac Thompkins and of Edward B. Osborne and was made an organ of the "hard shell" branch of the Democratic party. Its name was changed to the Dutchess Democrat and it was absorbed by the Telegraph, Mr. Osborne becoming a partner of Egbert B. Killey, Jr., in 1856. Al- bert S. Pease, who edited the Telegraph for a while, purchased the Press, the first Poughkeepsie daily, at about the same time. He con- tinued it until 1863, when Mr. Osborne brought the Telegraph and Press together. The Press had been a morning paper up to Decem- ber, 1860, when the Daily Eagle was started, but soon afterwards changed to an afternoon paper and so remained until 1883, when James W. Hinkley purchased both the Telegraph and the Press and combined them with the News. This brings us down to recent times. The News had been estabUshed in 1868 as a morning paper by Thomas G. Nichols. It had a short career as an independent, then as a Demo- cratic paper, and was purchased in 1872 by John O. Whitehouse to 246 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. support his campaign for Congress. In that year Mr. Nichols es- tablished his third paper, the Swnday Courier, now one of the leading papers of the city. The Enterprise was started in 1883 after Mr. Hinkley had consolidated the Press with the News, leaving the field open for an afternoon paper. W. C. Lansing, Edward Van Keuren and Derrick Brown were its founders, the two former having pre- viously purchased the Dutchess Farmer, an agricultural paper, which became the Weekly Enterprise. This paper was independent, with Democratic leanings, until about a year ago, when it was purchased by a stock company of which Edward E. Perkins is president, and was made the oiBcial Democratic organ. The Evening Star dates from 1889, but was for a short time called Poughleeepsie. It has been independent in politics until the past two or three years, when its present editor^ A. A. Parks, made it Republican. When the anti-slavery agitation, before the war, brought forth the new Republican party, the Eagle at once became its exponent in Dutchess County, a position in which it has remained. There were some pretty warm times during the progress of the anti-slavery agita- tion and Matthew Vassar, Jr., in his diary teUs of the breaking up of two meetings at which abolitionists were speakers. The year the Re- publican party was organized in Dutchess brought out John Thomp- son, of Poughkeepsie, as successful candidate for Congress. B. Piatt Carpenter's career began only a year or two later. In the campaign of 1860, which has already been referred to as a memorable one, Ste- phen Baker was elected to Congress and such men as Alfred B. Smith and John I. Piatt were making their first political speeches. Albert VanKleeck was political manager of the day. Homer A. Nelson had been elected county judge by the Democrats in 1855 and was elected to Congress in 1862, Charles Wheaton taking his place as county judge. James Bowne and George Innis were mayors of Poughkeepsie during the war, the latter serving three terms. Of H. G. Eastman's career as a political leader enough has perhaps been said elsewhere. The most notable political campaign in Poughkeepsie was the White- house campaign in 1872, when Eastman was a candidate for mayor, and John H. Ketcham candidate for Congress against Whitehouse. Stories are still told of the fabulous sums expended in that campaign, which is said to have nearly ruined Mr. Whitehouse, althou^ he was successful. He carried Poughkeepsie by 379 majority and the city GEORGE H. WILLIAMS. POUGHKEEPSIE. 247 came within eleven votes of giving Horace Greely for President a majority. This is the nearest the Democrats ever came to carrying the city for a presidential candidate. George Morgan was the first Democratic mayor of the city, elected in 1869. There have been but four since that time — William Harloe, Edward Elsworth, William M. Ketcham and John K. Sague. ^, CHUKCHilS OF POUGHKEEPSIE. The first church in Poughkeepsie was, of course, the Dutch Church, which was organized October 10, 1716, by Rev. Petrus Vas, pastor of the Church at Kingstpn, who installed Michael Parmenter and Pieter DuBoise as elders and Elias VanBenschoten and Peter Par- menter as deacons. The history of this church has been pretty fully written by the late Dr. A. P. Van Gieson, who translated many of the Dutch records.^ No complete list of baptismal and marriage records, however, has ever been published. Subscription books for the first church building were circulated in 1717 and the church was finished in 1723 and is said to have been of stone. There are some records that make it appear that it was not continliously occupied and was allowed to fall considerably out of repair. The first deed in Liber A in the Dutchess County Clerk's office is that which conveys the title to the lot on which it was built from Jacobus VandenBogert to Cap- tain Barendt VanKleeck, Myndert VandenBogert, Peter Velie and Johannes VanKleeck. It is dated December 26, 1716, and is copied in full in Dr. Van Gieson's book. The ^ first minister was Rev. Cor- nelius Van Schie, who came from Hffl:and in 1731 to take charge of the congregation both at Fishkill and Poughkeepsie for the princely salary of £70 (about $175) of New York money. He was, however, furnished also with firewood for summer and winter and was presented with a brown horse, which cost £4 and 10 shillings, also a house, "three morgens of pasture" and a garden suitably fenced. Dominie Van Schie was free to locate either at Poughkeepsie or Fishkill and chose Poughkeepsie, and the two congregations jointly purchased the land on which the present church stands and built the first parsonage about 1732. The first church was located on the southeast corner of Main and Market streets and the land around it was used as a burying ground and continued to be so used, as is stated in another 1. First Reformed Church of Poughkeepsie. Rev. A. P. Van Gieson, D.D., 1893. 248 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. part of this chapter, until 1830. Meanwhile, however, the second church was built, somewhere about 1760, land having been purchased for it from Gale Yelverton on the north side of East Lane, as Main street was then called, opposite the end of Market street. Around this church also burials were made and a considerable number of stones Are still standing there, in the rear of the Nelson House Annex. The church just previous to the erection of the second building had been badly divided between the Coetus and Conferentie parties, the first of which held that ministers could be ordained in America, while the sec- ond maintained that the only authority was in Holland. The fourth pastor of the church. Dominie Henricus Schoonmaker, was a member of the Coetus party and on his arrival here, in 1764, for ordination, he found the church in possession of the opposite party and the ser- vices of ordination took place under a tree not far from where the present church is located, the officiating minister, Rev. John H. Goet- schius, standing in a wagon. The Conferentie party called another minister. Rev. Isaac Rysdick, from Holland, and from 1765 to 1772 the churches had two pastors. Dr. Rysdick left Poughkeepsie to take charge of the Fishkill, Hopewell, and New Hackensack churches in 1773, after which time the Poughkeepsie church always had a pastor of its own, separate from Fishkill. Dr. Van Gieson notes that Mr. Schoonmaker, who was a most eloquent preacher in the Dutch lan- guage, left Poughkeepsie in 1774 chiefly because he could not preach well in English. There had been occasional preaching in the Eng- lish language in the church ever since 1740, and from that time the Dutch lost ground while the English continued to gain. The Dutch language was not officially given up until pretty nearly 1800, and its long continuance was the cause of considerable losses of the younger element in the church. In 1789 the church was incorporated, with Henry Hegeman, Peter Tappen, Isaac Romine, John Frear, Myndert VanKleeck, Henry Livingston, Jr., Abraham Fort and Benjamin Westervelt as elders and deacons. During and just after the Revo- lution the church was in charge of Rev. John H. Livingston, after- wards president of Rutgers College. At the close of his pastorate there was a period of interregnum and there appears to have been a time, while the atheistic agitators of the French Revolution were at theif height, when religion in America was at a rather low ebb and all the churches had some difficulty in maintaining themselves. After POUGHKEEPSIE, 249 the Dutch language had been officially given up the church seems to have tried to hold as many of the English speaking people not affiliated with the Episcopal Church together as possible and an effort was made even to drop the Dutch name, which, however, did not succeed fully until much later. The Dutch Church appears to have taken the place of the Presbyterian Church in Poughkeepsie, however, for a consider- able period. In 1822 the church on the north side of Main street was abandoned and a new building was erected upon the site of the pres- ent church, then a part of the parsonage lot. A part of the church property on the north side of Main street had long before been sold and the Poughkeepsie Hotel had been built upon it. The rest was then leased for a long term and the Main street frontage was held by the church until 1908, when the two properties occupied by Robert KnOx's Sons and Drislane as grocery stores were sold and the money applied to the purchase of the present parsonage on Mill street. Ill 1830 the property on the south side of Main street, corner of Market, known then as the Dutch Church Cemetery, was leased for one hun- dred years, and the Brewster Block was erected. This block has been somewhat altered so that the roof lines and fronts do not exactly cor- respond as they formerly did, but it is still possible to trace from the general character of the buildings the extent of the church property. The building of the third church and the leasing of the property on Main street for long terms was all done under the able pastorate of Rev. Cornelius C. Cuyler one of the notable ministers of the church, 1809-1833. Another notable minister of the church was Rev. A, L. Mann, under whose pastorate, in 1847, the congregation had so in- creased that the accommodations of the spacious building appeared to be too small and a second church was organized with Tunis Brincker- hoff, Charles P. Adriance, Abraham G. Storm and Joseph H. Jack- son as elders and James W. Bogardus, Casper D. Smith, Albert Brett and John P. Flagler as deacons. They erected the present Second Reformed Church on the corner of Mill and Catharine streets and it was dedicated on Washington's Birthday in 1849. Its first pastor was Rev. Charles Whitehead, installed October 2, 1849. On Sunday, January 18, 1857, the first Dutch Church was burned and the fire was one of the most memorable events in the history of Poughkeepsie. The thermometer, it is stated, was thirteen degrees below zero at noon and a strong north wind was blowing which forced it down to twenty 250 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. degrees before dark, when a fierce snow storm had set in. The fire started in the roof of the church just at the close of the Rev. Dr. Mann's morning sermon, and was discovered soon after the dismissal of the congregation. There are still living a few old firemen who re- member the event and they agree in declaring that water froze in the air as it left the hose pipes. It is certain that hydrants were frozen and that one or two of the old piano box fire engines froze up so that they could not be used. The burning of the steeple, according to the account in the Poughleeepsie Eagle of the day, "presented a fearful column of fire ascending far up toward the clouds." After it had fallen the mass of burning material was so great that the entire space inside the walls seemed filled with flame until ten o'clock at night, in spite of the water the hand engines could pour upon it. The present church was erected soon after the fire and was dedicated September 7, 1858. It had originally a lofty spire, which was condemned and taken down in 1878. One of the most notable pastorates of the church was that of Rev. Dr. Acmon P. Van Gieson, which began in 1867 and continued until his deatliSin the spring of 1906. The first English Church in Poughkeepsie, the Presbyterian Church, was organized as early as 174<9, but failed to maintain itself on a per- manent basis or to erect a building. Services were conducted first in connection with Fishkill and afterwards in connection with Char- lotte precinct, which included Washington Hollow and Pleasant Val- ley. After 1772 there appears to have been only occasional sermons until some time in the nineteenth century. The Church of England, the predecessor of the present Episcopal Church, owes its beginning to the missionary work of Rev. Samuel Seabury, who occasionally visited Poughkeepsie as early as 1755, preaching to the people who belonged to his faith. The church started with a vigorous organization in 1766 and erected its first building on the corner of Church and Market streets, where the Armory now stands. The first church building remained standing until 1883, when the old Christ Church, still well remembered, was erected. During the Revolution most of the prominent members of Christ Church, in- cluding its minister. Rev. John Beardsley, who had come here from Groton, Conn., remained loyal to the king and the feeling against them»was so great that the church for a time was closed. Mr. Beards- ley originally had charge of the Fishkill church as well as the Pough- POUGHKEEPSIE. 251 keepsie church, but like the Dutch dominie, he elected to make his home here, and eighty-seven acres of land were purchased for him on th^ Filkintown road, where the old Glebe House, now generally known as the Fricker House, still stands. A royal charter was granted the church March 3, 1773, by King George III and a grant of two hun- dred acres of what had previously been regarded as common land was added to the Glebe. This land afterwards caused the church consid- erable htigation and an attempt was made to confiscate it during the Revolution. After the prejudices of the Revolutionary times had somewhat softened, the church was reopened and a new rector, bear- ing the Dutch name Henry VanDyke, came to take charge m. 1787. In 1797 Trinity Church, of New York, assisted it with a gift of five hundred pounds for a parsonage house and two years later the house still standing on the southeast corner of Cannon and Academy streets was purchased for that purpose and used for a short time. The prop- erty on Montgomery and Academy streets, where the present church stands, and so long known as the old English Burying Ground, was purchased in 1828 and remained a cemetery until 1871, when the common council forbade further interments there. By that time it had grown up into a forest and was for a long time much neglected. A high picket fence surrounded the property, but did not prevent the small boys in the neighborhood from getting in and creating a cer- tain amount of damage to tombstones and the railings which sur- rounded many of the plots. When the present beautiful new church was built all this was cleared up, many of the graves were removed to the Rural Cemetery and the smaller stones which used to be studded thickly throughout the whole plot have been mostly laid flat on the ground so as not to interfere with the running of a mowing machine. The cornerstone of the new church was laid September 25, 1887, and it was consecrated May 15, 1888, by Bishop Scarborough, who had been the first rector of the Church of the Holy Comforter. Albert Tower, proprietor of the iron furnaces which for so many years were a leading Poughkeepsie industry, contributed more than half of the total cost of the building, which has been stated at $120,000. This was during the notable rectorship of Rev. Henry L. Ziegenfuss, who served the church from 1874 to 1894. The second Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, St. Paul's, w;as or- ganized in August, 1835, and was built originally of wood in Grecian 252 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Doric style, in 1837. It was built by the real estate boomers of the day as one of the attractions of Mansion Square neighborhood. The present church was finished and opened in May, 1872, during the rectorship of Rev. S. H. Synnott. The Church of the Holy Comforter owes its existence to WiUiam A. Davies, who inherited from his father, William Davies, a large amount of land, including a part of the Main street dock property. He resided in the house nearly opposite the railroad station, after- wards the home of Hon. George Innis. William A. and Thomas L. Davies gave the church a lot 125 feet square, May 10, 1859, and the church was consecrated October 25, 1860, Rev. John Scarborough be- coming the first rector. He remained until 1867, when he was suc- ceeded by Rev. Robert Fulton Crary, who remained in active service until 1907. The first new denomination to organize in Poughkeepsie after the Revolution was the Methodist. Rev. Freeborn Garettson preached the first Methodist sermon hete in 1796 in the Dutch Church. The Methodists organized in 1804 and by 1805 were strong enough to build their first church, which was located on the east side of Jefferson street, a few hundred feet south of Church street, the plot being stiU open and one of the oldest of several little abandond graveyards in the city. This church, we are told in "Vincent's Methodism in Pough- keepsie," was about fifty by forty feet, with galleries, but was left un- plastered above the galleries until 1814, when Poughkeepsie became a Methodist station with a settled minister, Rev. J. M. Smith. In 1826 they had outgrown the Jefferson street church and purchased for $650 a lot on Washington street, where Eastman College now stands, and a new church was dedicated on December 27th of that year. It is stated that the Methodists at that time had but 182 members and were $900 in debt on their old church, but by 1837 they had increased to 616 and in 1840 they decided to form a second congregation, which five years later built the Cannon street Methodist Church at a cost of $8,650. This church long remained one of the most prominent in the city and the congregation continued to grow until a new building became necessary, and in 1892, in the pastorate of Rev. C. H. Gregory, the present Trinity Church was dedicated on the corner of South Ham- ilton street and Hooker avenue, the old church having been sold to the Masons, who extended its front out to the sidewalk and remodeled GEORGE V. L. SPRATT. POUGHKEEPSIE. 253 it into the present Masonic Temple. Meanwhile, in 1847, a German Methodist Church had been organized under Rev. Daniel Duerstein and the first building was dedicated September 22, 1850, on the site of the present German Methodist Church in South Bridge street. The present Washington street Methodist Church, on the corner of Mill street, was built in 1858, and a few years later the old church was purchased by H. G. Eastman for his growing commercial college. In 1843 the members of the colored Methodist Church, who had separated from the congregation of the first church in 1837, erected a building on the site of their present church in Catharine street, and in 1853 the Methodists sent out still another congregation, when the Hedding Church was erected. The Quakers, it is said, had established a meeting house somewhere on Clover street not long after 1800. The Quakef families had been numerous in Dutchess County for some time and had gradually come in and settled in the village, many of them becoming very prominent citizens. In 1820 they erected a new meeting house on the rear of a deep Washington street lot, a part of which is still occupied by the Hicksite meeting house, built in 1894, now fronting on Lafayette Place. The old meeting house building is still in existence, but has been altered into a double dwelling. After the separation of the Hicksite and Orthodox Friends the later purchased a lot on the north side of Mill street, not far above Garden, and there built a meeting house, which was used for a number of years, but finally also was con- verted into a dwelling house and now stands on Conklin street. The Montgomery street meeting house was built by the Orthodox Friends in 1863, being the only church in the city built during the war. It has since been enlarged somewhat and considerably changed in ap- pearance. The Baptists organized in 1807 and their records are complete and well preserved, a short, well-written history of the church having been published by Rev. Rufus Babcock in 1841. The first building was erected on Mill street, not long after the organization, on the site of the present Baptist Church, the lot having been donated by Col. James Tallmadge, one of the prominent citizens of the day. In 1839 the Lafiayette street Baptist Church, now the Polish Catholic, was built at a cost of $20,000, one-half of which was donated by Matthew Vas- sar, and the old church in Mill street was rented to the new Methodist 254 THE COTJNTY OF DUTCHESS. congregation which afterwards erected the Cannon street church. The building of this Lafayette street church was one of the causes of a division in the congregation, one of the branches returning to the old Mill street church. These remained apart until 1867, when they came together in the Lafayette street church until the building of the pres- ent church in Mill street in 1879, when the Lafayette street church was abandoned. John Guy and Matthew Vassar, Jr., were leading contributors to the new building, as their uncle had been to the one abandoned, and the church was at the time very much the finest in the city. The colored people who had maintained a Baptist congre- gation in Poughkeepsie for some ten years erected a building on the comer of Winnikee avenue and Smith street, about two years ago, known as the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The Presbyterians, as we have seen, organized the first English speaking congregation in Poughkeepsie long before the Revolution, but were unable to maintain themselves. Apparently Scotch inuni- gration and immigration from the north of Ireland was mostly into the interior of the county rather than to the river towns. It was not until 1817 that the Presbyterians were able to form a permanent organization in Poughkeepsie, and not until 1826 that they purchased the property next west of the original Dutchess County Academy, on Cannon street, and built their first church on the lot where now stands the Young Women's Christian Association building. There were then eighteen members, and Joseph Allen, David Hibbard, William Wil- hams and Marquis de Lafayette Phillips were chosen as ruling elders. This church stood for a long time and was used for many purposes. The Presbyterians gave it up in 1850 and built a new church on the corner of Cannon and Hamilton streets in the pastorate of Rev. Henry G. Ludlow. This second building in turn, has been superseded by the finest and most costly church in the city, dedicated April 5, 1908. This beautiful new building cost, with its memorial windows, organ and equipment, pretty nearly $200,000, a large part of which was donated by William W. Smith and a considerable sum also by Mrs. John F. Winslow. At the time the first church was built the contro- versy which a few years later divided the denomination into a New School and Old School was raging and resulted in 1831 in the or- ganijation of the Second Presbyterian Church, which erected a build- ing on the corner of Mill and Vassar streets, now the Jewish Syna- POUGHKEEPSIE. 255 gogue. When the Presbyterians built on the corner of Cannon and Hamilton streets the original church on Cannon street was sold to the Universalists, who maintained services in Poughkeepsie for a number of years, but were never very strong. They rented the building as a sort of village hall for lectures and entertainments for a considerable number of years and later it became and remained for a number of years St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. The history of the Catho- hc Churches is written in a separate chapter, so need not be further referred to here, except to say that St. Peter's congregation was the first organized and dates from about 1839. German immigration became important enough to require occa- sional services in that language about 1840. The first German church organized, as has been already stated, was the Methodist, and the Lutherans were not organized until 1856, nor able* to own a place of worship until 1858, when they purchased and fitted up what is prob- ably the oldest building in town, the old Noxon House, on the east side of Market street near the corner of Noxon. The German Lutheran Church in Grand street was the first church in the city built after the war and was dedicated in 1866. In 1901, so many of the second generation of Germans had begun to prefer the English lan- guage and were drifting into other churches that an English Lutheran Church was organized and purchased property at 176 Church street in 1903. The Congregational Church, an outgrowth of the Second Presby- terian Church, was organized in 1837, and for a time made use of the building on the comer of Vassar and Mill streets.. The present Con- gregational Church, on Mill street, below Garden, was dedicated June 5, 1860, and the old church was sold to the Hebrews, who had main- tained an organization here under the name of the Children of Israel since 1848. A second Hebrew congregation was organized a number of years ago with a place of worship on Noxon street. T. M. C. A. AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. The Young Men's Christiaa Association was organized August 21, 1863, with John H. Matthews, president; James S. Case, vice presi- dent; Frank L. Stephens, corresponding secretary; John I. Piatt, re- cording secretary, and William B. Fox, treasurer. It was an out- growth, however, of an older association, organized in 1856, called the Young Men's Christian Union, the president of which was Alfred B. 256 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Smith. The Association held meetings in a room over the City Bank, on the corner of Main and Market streets, until in 1872 it felt itself strong enough to purchase the present building, then the great place of lectures and amusements in the city known as Pine Hall. The build- ing was remodelled and has from time to time been improved, until last year it was decided to abandon it, as Mr. William W. Smith had offered to erect a new building on the site of the old Hooker House on Market street. The cornerstone of the new building was laid Novem- ber 16th 1908, after the building had already been partly erected. It will probably cost in the neighborhood of $200,000. Mr. Smith was also the chief donor of the new building for the Young Women's Christian Association, erected in 1904, on Cannon street on the site of the old church building which served so many denominations. The Young Woman's Association was organized in 1881 and incorporated in 1884. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union also has a build- ing on Cannon street, the old Poughkeepsie Female Academy, pur- chased in 1889. This organization was founded in 1873 in aid of the Woman's Crusade, then in progress in Ohio. The Union Rescue Mission was organized in 1894 and started in what was formerly an old saloon at 42 North Clover street. The cornerstone of the present building was laid in October, 1896. This work has been, since started, under the superintendence of Charles H. Madison. During the past year the local board of trustees handed it over to the Federation of Rescue Missions, which is now in control. CHAEITABLE INSTITUTIONS. Poughkeepsie is unusually well provided wjth charitable institutions. The oldest of these is the Women's Union Bible and Tract Society, which dates back at least to 1840, when its first president was Mrs. Frederick W. Hatch, wife of the rector of St. Paul's Church, and it seems to have been the successor of organizations formed in the early part of the century. It has no building, but employs regular visitors who go into the homes of the poor and ascertain their needs. The Home for the Friendless on the corner of South Hamilton and Franklin streets, was built in 1887, the result of the work of a society organized earlier, known originally as the Poughkeepsie Female Guar- dian Society. The building of this orphanage has been considerably enlarged and it provided a home in 1908 for about fifty children. The Old Ladies' Home was founded by Jonathan Warner, who pur- DR. H. F. CLARK. POUGHKEEPSIE. 257 chased, in 1870, the building originally erected by the Dutchess County Academy. William W. Smith, about 1905, considerably en- larged this building and it has been made a very attractive and cheer- ful place for those who spend their dechning years there. The Vassar Brothers' Home for Aged Men, which occupies the site of the residence of Matthew Vassar, corner of Main and Vassar streets, was erected by John Guy Vassar and Matthew Vassar, Jr., in 1880. This was one of the many benefactions of the Vassar brothers, another of which was the Vassar Brothers' Institute, also located on Vassar street on the site of the early Vassar Brewery. The Institute has an endowment fund and carries on popular lectures and class work in arts and crafts, mechanical drawing, etc., during each winter. The building was erected in 1882 to provide a home for |wo local societies, the Poughkeepsie Literary Club and the Poughkeepsie Society of Natural Science, which had been in existence for a number of years and had been very successful. They have now, however, practically ceased to exist as separate organizations. A second home for old men, the Pringle Home, designed for men of literary tastes, was founded in 1900 on Academy street in a house formerly the residence of Col. O. T. Beard. Vassar Brothers' Hospital was founded by Matthew Vassar, Jr., and the main building was erected in 1884 in the south part of the city overlooking the river. It was made one of the residuary lega- tees of the estate of John Guy Vassar and thereby came into the pos- session of a large endowment. Additions nearly doubling its capacity were built a few years ago and a library and laboratory building was erected in 1899. There had been an earlier hospital, known as the St. Barnabas, using a building on North Clinton street. The St. Barnabas fund is still in existence and used for home relief, and there is now talk of building with it a new St. Barnabas Hospital for tuberculosis patients. The House of Industry was an outgrowth of the Woman's Re- lief Associations formed during the Civil War. It was organized in the fall of 1865 with Mary Ferris as president. In 1873 it purchased its present home on Liberty street. Its aim is to furnish work to women who need it. Note — See Appendix for list of the farmers and land owners of the town of Poughkeepsie who registered cattle brands under the colonial law, and also list of Supervisors from 1788 to 1854. Ward and Precinct Supervisors in Chapter "VI. 258 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER XVI. THE TOWN OF AMENIA. By S. R. Fbee. THE township in Dutchess County tnown as Amenia, embraces something over forty square miles. This territory comprises a part of the eastern portion of the tract of land originally owned by the Great Nine Partners, and lots numbers 43 to 72 of the Oblong. It lies on the extreme eastern border of the county, and has for its northern limit the town of North East; for the southern, the town of Dover; for the western, the towns of Stanford and Washington; for the eastern, the towns of Sharon and Kent, in Connecticut. Stretching along the entire eastern border of the town are the Ta- conic mountains. Near the middle of the town is a broken range of hills that extend southward to the Fishkill mountains. The valleys skirting these elevations are very fertile and well adapted to grain and grass culture. The production of milk is prob- ably the largest industry in the town. The principal streams of water are Ten Mile River, often called the Weebutook, which was the Indian name; the Wassaic Creek; West Brook and their tribu- taries. For many years the mining of iron ore has been extensively carried on in several parts of the town. At this writing, the mines are all silent; but interested parties say that the old mine near the village of Amenia wiU soon be operated again. History and tradition appear to agree in making Richard Sackett the first white settler in the Town of Amenia. The old records show that on March 11th, 1703, Richard Sackett petitioned the Colonial Government for a license to purchase a tract of land in Dutchess Coflnty, east of the Hudson River, called "Washiack," now softened into Wassaic. TOWN OF AMENIA. 259 The same records tell us that the petition was granted in October of the same year. The precise date of Mr. Sackett's entry upon his vast domain is not known, but there is tradition to show that within three or four years of the above date he built a house near the place which has been known since the days of the Revolutionary War as the Steel Works, where he lived and died. The old records also show that Mr. Sackett was not able to make good his title to said lands, as the British sovereign was not willing his possessions in the New World should be disposed of without his consent. The unfortunate Mr. Sackett died in poverty in 1746, and was buried not far from the house he built. Mr. Newton Reed, in his valuable history of Amenia, quotes from a manuscript of Barnabas Payne, in which the author says he has "several times visited the grave of Mr. Sackett at the Steel Works, but at this writing no stone re- mains by which the grave can be identified." The order of succession by which the town was settled has not been well preserved. From about the middle of the eighteenth century the town began to fill up rapidly. Mr. Reed has furnished a long list of early settlers, which includes the following names : Uldrick Winegar and his son Captain Garrett Winegar, Lieut. Samuel Sny- der, Henry Nase, Captain Isaac Delamater, Baltus Lot, Adam Show- erman, the families of Knickerbocker and Van Deusen, Hezekiah King, Abraham Paine, Stephen Kinny, Benjamin Hollister, Peter Klein (Cline), Justus Powers, Elijah Park, Joel and Abner GiUett, Cap- tain Stephen Hopkins, Abraham Bockee, Captain Thomas Wheeler, Col. William Barker, Deacon Moses Barlow and his brother Nathan, Daniel C. Bartlett, Zera Beach, Caleb Benton, Silas Belden, Captain John Boyd, Lemuel and William Brush, Judah Burton, Ezra Bryan, Benjamin Carpenter, Joseph Chamberlain, James Reed, Judah Swift, Jeremiah Ingraham, Nathan Conklin, David Collin, Rev. John Corn- wall, Jacob Evartson, John Gamsey, Roger Gale, Deacon Asa Hol- lister, Samuel Jarvis, Thomas Mygatt and John Balis. The sturdy German came from the early settlements along the upper Hudson; and the Dutch came from their "New Amsterdam" (New York) ; arid the stern Puritan came from Connecticut and Rhode Island. A blending of these vigorous elements made up the early society of Amenia. The Colonial boundaries of the Precinct of Amenia embraced a 260 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. large part of the present town of North East. The Amenia of to-day was determined in the year 1823. There are in the town six villages. Amenia, the largest, a station on the Harlem railroad has above a hundred dwelling houses. Wassaic, the next in size, has above eighty dwellings. Smithfield, Amenia Union, South Amenia and LeedsviUe are small, pleasant villages. Amenia and Wassaic have both lost and gained since the publication of the last history of Dutchess County. From Amenia Village have gone the old historic Seminary and the Methodist Episcopal Church; but in the place of the Seminary is a well furnished and officered High School, with an average attendance of 175 pupils. For the loss of the Church there appears to be no substitute. There remain, however, three Churches, Presbyterian,, Baptist and Roman Cathohc, with ample sittings and a cordial welcome for all who desire to attend religious services. In a commercial way Amenia has made very substantial gains in the last forty years. We note first the Willson & Eaton Company, organized in 1878, wholesale and retail dealers in lumber, coal, lime, cement, all kinds of grain and stock foods. An extensive manufacture of bricks, and a wood working plant, well fitted with the most improved machinery for the most elaborate architectural designs. When this company was organized thirty years ago it did a business amounting to about $75,000 a year. Its sales at this writing reach the enormous sum of a million five hundred thousand dollars annually. The company em- ploys in its varied departments upwards of eighty men. Next in the order comes the Iron Foundry, owned and operated by Mr. B. H. Fry, a native of Amenia, furnishing employment for forty men. For the next we have the Shefiield Farms Slosson Decker Company for the production of caseine, requiring for the process something above ten thousand quarts of milk per day. This enterprising com- pany has factories scattered along the Harlem railroad from Hills- dale to Patterson. Last but not least is the Harlem Valley Brick and Supply Com- pany, located here in 1906, for the manufacture of ornamental brick. The stiff mud process is used, and the product is a very superior article. The present drying capacity is 30,000 brick per day. The TOWN OF AMENIA. 261 main office of the company is located at White Plains, where a large business is carried on in the sale of sewer pipe, paving brick, fire brick, and ornamental building brick. Amenia Village may also boast of a complete water system with hydrants located on the principal streets, a well organized fire and hose company, an acetylene gas plant which furnishes Hght for the streets, the dwellings and the churches, and an imposing granite foun- tain, the gift of Mrs. Joseph Guernsey, in memory of her husband, who was a native of Amenia. Wassaic has lost the old Gridley furnace and the Pendelton sash and blind factory, but has gained the Borden condensed milk factory, employing about seventy-five men. The village has a graded school, and a Presbyterian Church. . A modest hamlet lying about three quarters of a mile southeast from Wassaic, long known as the Steel Works, demands some notice here. A half dozen houses make up the hamlet, yet it can boast a carriage making and general repair shop, a sale and exchange stable, with all sorts of horse furnishings, and the Smith Stevens & Benton Motor Company. So the old historic Steel Works, which maintained a forge and worked pig iron into steel for the use of the Colonial army, in the war for liberty and independence, bids fair, after the sleep of the century, to be heard from again. The villages of South Amenia, Amenia Union, Leedsville and Smithfield appear to the casual visitor to change but little as the years go by. The inhabitants change, but the stately residences, well preserved and set in the midst of charming landscapes, seem almost as enduring as the hills that surround them. Leedsville, once the conunercial center of the township of Amenia, is now a quiet hamlet, much appreciated by those who would find relief in summer from the noise and heat of the great cities. Nestled in a sweeping curve of the Weebotuck, are the vine em- bowered cottages once occupied by the Bentons, long famed as poets and lovers of art. The Bentons are not there, but the moral and intellectual atmosphere which they created still lingers about the place and gives it an air of distinction. As late as 1832, when a seminary for Amenia was seriously under consideration, many of the influential citizens of the town favored Leedsville as the most suitable 262 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. location. From an address given in Amenia in 1875 by George W. Ingraham (now deceased) we quote the following: "In 1832 this commvmity became enthusiastic on the subject of education, and resolved to have a seminary located somewhere in the town. The three prominent places named were Amenia, Leedsville and Amenia Union. For beauty of situa- tion Leedsville stood first, and a power was brought in favor of that place which was hard to overcome. Two full years were spent in fruitless controversy. How- ever, in the month of May, 1834, a committee was appointed, with Rev. Phineas Rice as chairman, to determine the location of the prospective seminary. In early June the committee rendered a sealed verdict, which was not to be opened for twenty-four hours after the conmiittee had left the place. The following day the seal was broken, the verdict read, when to the surprise of some and the joy of others. Cook's Hill in the Village of Amenia, was named as the favored spot. The most active in this new educational movement were George Ingraham, J. Williams, Dr. L. W. Stanton of Amenia, Selah North, Joseph D. Hunt and William A. Benton of Leedsville, and the whole community of Amenia Union. Work was immediately begun on Cook's HiU to construct a foundation for the new edifice. This was accomplished by cutting down the Hill some sixteen feet and grading the grounds to their present proportions. In the summer of 1835 the seminary was built and the school opened in the autumn of that year, with Rev. C. K. True as principal." In the year 1888 the Amenia Seminary closed its remarkable his- tory. During its existence of fifty-three years students were enrolled from every State in the Union, and at one time there were students from the island of Cuba and South America. The advent of the graded schools rendered the existence of such an institution as the seminary unnecessary. The vacant and time-worn buildings still stand on Cook's HiU, but the halls and class rooms no longer echo with the footsteps of young men and maidens in the pursuit of knowledge. To the multitude who knew and loved the old seminary there is a feeling that the head should be uncovered, and the footsteps be made soft and slow, as one passes over these historic remains. In the early part of the year 1906 some of the old students ex- pressed a desire for a reunion of the Alumni of the once famous insti- tution. The 22d day of August, 1906, was the day appointed for the event. The day was sultry and threatening, but in spite of heat and clouds, fully a thousand people gathered to celebrate the occasion. Several persons came who attended the seminary at its opening (1835), Tlie exercises opened with an address by the venerable Bishop Cyrus D, Foss of Philadelphia, who was an early pupil of the seminary, and TOWN OF AMENIA. 263 later was principal. He was followed by the Hon. G. G. Reynolds of Brooklyn, a native of Amenia, in a felicitous address. An original poem and short address by Joel Benton, another of Amenia's sons, now of Poughkeepsie ; a paper by R. B. Taylor of Brooklyn, and a short address by Rev. D. H. Hanaburgh of Carmel, constituted the afternoon programme. The evening exercises consisted of an address by Prof. S. T. Frost, of Mount Vernon, N. Y. Address by Mrs. Mary Mead Clark of Amenia. Address by Rev. A. K. Sanford, D. D., Pleasantville, N. Y. The Rev. Denis Wortman, D. D., of East Orange, N. J., and The Hon. H. C. M. Ingraham were also on the programme, but the hours took wings and would not fold them even for our pleasure, New- man's orchestra and two soloists. Miss Carrie Newman and Mrs. A. F. Conklin added a delightful feature to the occasion. The above outlined programme with the addition of two or three extempore speeches by Dr. S. G. Cook and Rev. C. S. Harrower, D. D, both of New York city made an occasion long to be remembered by the citi- zens of Amenia. The first movements in the direction of religious organization in Amenia are much involved in obscurity. Mr. Reed says, the first Church was organized near the center of the town in 1748, and was named Carmel in the Nine Partners. Ten years later we discover a more distinct historic trail in the erection of the old "Red Meeting House." We have a very complete record of this early institution to- gether with a hst of its membership and the cost of the house of wor- ship. Reliable tradition determines the exact spot where the old his- toric church was erected. About fifteen rods north of the "Old iBurying Ground," on land now owned by Mrs. Cora Morgan once stood the famous old "Red Meeting House." This church organization appears to have been undenominational. Men and women of all faiths made up its membership; and preachers from the several protestant denominations at various times dispensed the gospel message. Tradition says that the celebrated George Whitefield preached in the old "Red Meeting House" in the summer of 1770 to a vast crowd gathered from all parts of the country. The great war which was waged to decide the liberty of the Colon- ists drew sharp lines of distinction in the social order. Men who had 264 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. fought and suffered for liberty could not easily tolerate those who had been lukewarm and indifferent. Then too, as the spirit of personal liberty increased among the people, dogmatic questions of a religious character soon began to agitate the popular mind. In 1790 the Baptists organized a separate society, and about the same time the Methodists took up the same role. The Baptist people erected their house of worship nearly opposite the Red Meeting House, on land now belonging to John Haskins, and the Methodists built further north on land then belonging to Thomas Ingraham, now best known as the Frost estate. The building was erected almost directly opposite the dwelling now owned and occupied by Mr. I. N. Bristol. Some fragment of broken brick and mortar stiU remain to mark the site of the first Methodist Episcopal Church in Amenia. The separation of the Baptists and Methodists from the parent society greatly weakened it ; but there is evidence to show that regular services were maintained in the old Red Meeting House for some years thereafter. In the year 18S3 the Presbyterian element in the Society of the Red Meeting House built a house of worship on east Main street in the village of Amenia. Between thirty and forty years later the society found a generous friend in the Hon. A. W. Palmer, who donated a beautiful site for a church and parsonage on North street. On this site the society built and dedicated their new house of worship in the month of June, 1867. This society has of late found a friend in the person of Mrs. H. S. Chapman, formerly of Amenia now of Glen Ridge, N. J., who in the summer of 1903 sent her check of several hundred! dollars to be used in the building of an addition to the lecture room. In the year 1851 the Baptist society pulled down the old structure that stood about a mile north of the village, and converted whatever was useful into a new church building which they located on South street. This house has been repaired, enlarged and beautified from time to time, and is today, with the adjoining parsonage, one of the attractive features of the village. The Methodists also came down from the north, and worked the old ma^rial into a new church, which they located on west Main street in the year 1845. For many years this church was very prosperous, but TOWN OF AMENIA. 265 with the decline of the Seminary its mission seemed to be ended. The property was finally sold, and the few remaining members united with other churches, or were removed by that power that shapes all human ends. If one inclines to country hfe Amenia offers as many attractive features as any town in the county. In the first place the land is very fertile and the scenery is unsurpassed. The drive from Amenia village around the mountain via. Wassaic, South Amenia, Amenia Union and Leedsville, a distance of ten miles, can hardly be equaled in the Harlem valley. In summer the fields are strikingly green, the streams clear and pebbly, and the air, fresh from the mountains, very invigorating. Another highway is Ukewise noteworthy, viz. from Amenia village over De Lavergne Hill and thence to Wassaic via. ^'Turkey Hollow." This drive, for wildness of iScenery is not sur- passed by anything we have seen in the far-famed Berkshire Hills of Mass. The highway follows a stream that leaps and plunges, roars and dashes, foams and splashes like Southey's cataract that came down so mightily from Lodore. Good roads also add greatly to the comfort of country life. The roads in Amenia are not perfect, but they are being much im- proved and are likely to be much more improved in the near future. A movement has been recently inaugurated to put down stone or con- crete sidewalks in the village of Amenia, and a considerable sum of money has already been secured for this purpose. Amenia has its full complement of stores, a hve weekly newspaper, a National bank,^ and two first-class hotels. These together with an enterprising and intelligent people should insure future prosperity. The names of the Precinct Supervisors wiU be found in Chapter iVI, The succession of Town Supervisors since its organization in 1788 has been as follows : 1T87— '93 Barnabas Paine 1809 Isaac Smith 1794r- '97 Edmund Perlee 1810 Benajah Thompson 1798— 1800 Cyrenus Crosby- 1811— '18 Elisha Barlow 1801— '02 Philip Spencer, Jr. 1819 Abraham Bockee 1803 Elisha Barlow 1820 Joel Benton, Jr. 1804 Benjamin Herrick 1821 Thomas Barlow 1805— '08 Benajah Thompson 1822 Abraham Bockee See Part II of this work. 266 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1833 Joel Benton 1865 John H. Cline 1824 David Nye 1866— '67 Milo F. Winchester 1825— '27 Tabor Belden 1868 Isaac H. Conklin 18S8 Joel Brown 1869 Charles M. Benjamin 1829 Joseph D. Hunt 1870 Isaac H. Conklin 1830— '31 Philo Cline 1871 Charles M. Benjamin 1832 Walter Perlee 1872— '73 Hiram Cooper 1833— '35 Philo Cline 1874— '75 George Williams 1836— '37 William A. Benton 1876 Ambrose Mygatt 1838— '40 Philo Cline 1877— •78 John W. Putnam 1841 John K. Mead 1879 Milo P. Winchester 1842— '43 William N. Merritt 1880 John W. Putnam 1844^ '45 Hiram VaU 1881— '82 MUo F. Winchester 1846— '47 Noah Gridley 1883— '84 William H. Tanner 1848— '49 John H. Perlee 1885— '86 Albert Cline 18S0 Philo CUne 1887— '88 Isaac H. Conklin 1851— '52 George H. Swift 1889— '90 William H. Bartlett 1853— '54 John C. Paine 1891 William H. Tanner 1855— '56 Robert Grant 1892 James S. Chaffee 1857— •58 Judah Swift 1893 William B. Nelson 1859- '60 Walter P. Perlee 1894— '96 William A. Sherman 1861 MUo F. Winchester 1896— •97 James S. Chaffee 1862 Charles E. Bostwick 1898— •05 Miles K. Lewis 1863 William H. Grant 1906— •09 Henry N. Winchester 1864 Benj. F. Carpenter Mr. Newton Reed published in 1875 an excellent little local history of Amenia containing much valuable information respecting the early history of the town and of its people, the original settlers and their descendants. It is not within the scope of this History of Dutchess Coimty to go into the local histories of the various towns with the particularity that in a special town history would be appropriate and expected. If one desires more intimate information of Amenia and its people than can be found in the foregoing article, he is referred to "Early History of Amenia by Newton Reed, Amenia, DeLacey & Wiley, Printers, 1876." The book can be found in the public library of Poughkeepsie in the Adriance Memorial Library Building. — (EniroB.) TOWN OF BEEKMAN. 267 CHAPTER XVII. THE TOWN OF BEEKMAN. THIS is one of the southern tier towns of Dutchess, its southern angle extending almost to the north line of Putnam county. It is bounded on the north by Union Vale; on the east by Pawling and Dover; on the west by East Fishkill, and for a short distance on the northwest by La Grange. The present area is placed at 18,162 acres. The surface of the town is generally hilly and in the southern angle mountainous. In the central portion is a good agricultural region, and directly northward are found extensive deposits of hema- tite ore, which have been mined considerably. The streams are mere creeks, tributaries to the Fishkill which flows southwesterly through the center of the town. Near the western border is Sylvan Lake, a beautiful sheet of water, covering over one hundred acres. The name of the town is derived from Col. Henry Beekman, who, in 1697, obtained a grant of all the land east of Rombout's Patent to the Oblong. This embraced the present towns of Beekman, Union Vale, a portion of La Grange, and nearly aU of Pawling and Dover with the exception of a strip along their eastern border. For this grant Col. Beekman was obliged to pay to the Crown of England an annual rental of forty shillings. He therefore surrendered the patent and petitioned for a new grant to the same property on more favor- able terms. The new patent was issued June 26, 1703. By Colonial Act of December 16, 1737, Beekman's Precinct was formed, the territory corresponding with that embraced in the patent. An act was passed May 20, 1769, by which Beekman's was divided into two precincts, the second to be called Pawling's, which included the present towns of Pawling and Dover. March 7, 1788, Beek- man became one of the original eight towns in the county. This was practically a continuation of the precinct^ the territory remaining 268 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. the same until 1821, when the town of Freedom (now La Grange) was set off. Beekman was further reduced in 1827 by the erection of the town of Union Vale. Settlements within the present town limits are supposed to have been made early in the eighteenth century, but records relating thereto have been lost or destroyed. A man by the name of De Long is credited with keeping an inn near the present village of Green Haven as early as 1725, but his name does not appear in the list of free- holders of 1740. The location of the tavern on Colles map of 1789 places it about a mile and a half southeast(tof Sylvan Lake. James De Long, who was town clerk in 1802-'03, is said to have been a descendant of the settler of that name. The families of Carman, Brill, Noxon, Baker, Pleas, Uhls from Germany, Cary, Dennis, Hax- tun. Sweet and Gardner, were among the earliest known settlers. John Carman represented the precinct at Supervisors' meetings from 1739 to '42. His name appears in the official record of Supervisors in 1754, and that of Bartholomew Noxon in 1761. William Humphrey held this office in 1763. The town records contain proceedings of precinct meetings from April 7, 1772, to the formation of the town in 1788. The following officers were elected in 1772: Joshua Carman, Supervisor; Maurice Pleas, Town Clerk; Samuel Dorland, James Vanderburgh, Assessors; Simeon Noxon, Constable and Collector; Thomas Clements and Maurice Pleas, Lispectors of Litestate Estates. Additional records of Beekman Precinct will be found in Chapter VI. The Highland Division of the N. Y., N. H. & H. Railroad, run- ning east and west through the central part of the town, has stations at Green Haven and Poughquag. The Clove Branch Railroad Company was chartered November 21, 1868, with a capital of $150,000, to construct a road from Clove Branch Junction, on the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut Rail- road, to Sylvan Lake, a distance of 4.25 miles, which was built and opened in 1869. April 28, 1870, the company was allowed to extend its road by a branch to any of the iron mines in the surrounding towns. A branch was accordingly opened in 1877, from Sylvan Lake«to Clove Valley, a distance of 4.01 miles. This enterprise in- creased mining operations in northern Beekman, but with the abandon- CHARLES H. SLOCUM. TOWN OF BEEKMAN. 269' ment of the mines in 1883, the railroad service in the course of a few years also ceased. There are no incorporated villages in the town. Poughquag, Green Haven, Clove Valley and Beekmanville are hamlets. Poughquag, which derives its name from "A-po-qua-gue," the Indian name for Sylvan Lake, is a pretty little village with a population of about two hundred. It contains a Methodist church, a district school, and the stores of Charles Brill and GrifBn Miller. Mr. Miller is the present postmaster, succeeding, in 1908, John H. Draper, who was appointed in 1894. Other merchants of this village in times past,, were Hamilton ColweU, F. S. Merwin, Charles F. RasseU and Charles H. Slocum, the present County Treasurer, Nearby is the grist mill of William A. Murphy, town clerk, who bought the, property in 1898, effecting many improvements. The edifice of the Methodist Society here was erected in 1839, and dedicated January 15, 1840, the Rev. Mr. Cochran officiating. The present pastor is Rev. Charles Sager. A short distance northeast of Poughquag was the home of Col. Vanderburgh, an officer of some prominence in the Revolution. He enjoyed the friendship and confidence of Washington, who in his diary mentions stopping with him to take dinner, when on a hasty visit to Hartford. The village of Green Haven, near the southwestern border, con- tains the store of Irving Dutcher, who is also postmaster and Super- visor. In Revolutionary times there was a grist mill here conducted by one Vincent. The Bogarts from Holland were among the early settlers in this neighborhood, and in precinct records is found the name of Richmore Bogart, Justice of the Peace. At Clove Valley is the store and creamery of David V. Moore, who has held the office of postmaster since 1895. In 1831 the firm of Elisha Sterling & Co. built here a charcoal furnace, and the locality is famiHarly known as "Beekman Furnace." The charcoal furnace had a capacity of about twelve tons per day, and the iron made wa& of superior quality. The Clove Spring Iron Works was organized in 1873. This company, in addition to operating the charcoal fur- nace, erected an anthracite furnace, with a capacity of some twenty- five tons per day. The industry gave employment to many men, and for several years Clove Valley had a population exceeding two hun- 270 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. dred; but the enterprise did not prove a financial success and in 1883 was discontinued. At the hamlet of Beekmanville is located the Baptist church, which was bmlt in 1839, and dedicated December 25th of that jear, by Rev. Daniel T. HiU, who remained as its pastor three years. The edifice cost $3,000 and was paid for largely through the efiForts of Nicholas German and Abner Osbom. The pulpit is now supplied from Pawling. May 11th, 1861, Beekmanville was the scene of a large gathering of patriotic citizens who assembled to formulate plans for the enlist- ment of volunteers in defense of the Union cause. The meeting was addressed by District Attorney Allard Anthony of Poughkeepsie, Rev. Mr. King of Yonkers, and Mr. Benson J. Lossing, who was a native of the town, and whose speech on this occasion was prophetic of the ultimate triumph of the Union arms. During the Rebellion the town of Beekman raised and expended nearly $35,000 for volun- teers and substitutes. The Beekman Iron Mine in this neighborhood was discovered in 1846 by William E. Haxtun. It was opened in 1869 by Albert Tower, who owned and operated it for many years, giving employment to thirty hands. Another ore mine nearby, owned by the Sylvan Lake Ore and Iron Company, was also extensively worked, but these mines, like the fur- naces at Clove Valley, have long been abandoned. Dr. Clark A. Nicholson, for several decades the only resident phy- sician of the town, located in Beekmanville in 1847, and became largely interested in the development and sale of the adjoining iron mines. He died in 1885, and was succeeded by Dr. D. C. Tripp. Roman Catholic churches are situated at Sylvan Lake and Clove Valley, an account of which appears in another chapter. The Supervisors from the organization of the town in 1788, have been as follows : 1788— '91 Jonathan Dennis 1830 John Wilkinson 1793— '96 Jesse Oakley 1831— '32 Egbert Gary 1797— '04 Ebenezer Gary 1833— '34 Thomas Lee 1805— '13 Samuel A. Barker 1825— '36 Egbert Gary 181« Thomas Flagler 1827— '38 John Gooper 181S Samuel A. Barker 1829— '31 Egbert Gary 1816— '19 Egbert Gary 1832— '33 James De Long TOWN OF BEEKMAN. 271 1834. Egbert Gary 1869 William W. Haxtun 1836— '39 Elnathan Haxtun 1870— '72 George T. Doughty 1840 Egbert Gary 1873— '74 James E. Dutcher 1841— '42 James H. Denton 1876 David Ludington 1843 Egbert Gary 1876— '77 John H. Draper 1844 Gilbert B.^Noxon 1878 Edwin L. Williams 1845 Joseph C. Doughty 1879— '80 Joseph H. Storm 1846 Gilbert B. Noxon 1881 Isaac "Vail 1847 Joseph C. Doughty 1882 Daniel Luddington 1848— "49 Wilson B. Sheldon 1883— '84 John Jones 18S0— 'SI William A. Holmes 1885 Gharles H. Slocum 1862— '53 James F. Dakin 1886 John Van Wyck 1864r-'56 Elnathan Haxtun 1887— '88 Daniel Luddington 1866— '67 Wilson B. Sheldon 1889 James H. Russell 1858— '69 Smith Gronk 1890— '91 Kromline Andrews I860— '61 De Witt C. Gary 1892— '93 David*V. Moore 1862— '66 Jeremiah Sheldon 1894— '96 Wilson B. Storm 1866— '67 WiUiam W. Haxtun 1896— '06 David V. Moore 1868 George Tabor 1906— '09 Irving Dutcher 272 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER XVni. THE TOWN OF CLINTON. THIS town, which was named for Governor George Clinton, originally extended westward to the Hudson, and as far south as the northern boundaries of the present towns of Pough- keepsie and La Grange, comprising over 66,000 acres, with a popu- lation according to the Federal Census of 1790, of 4,607. The division of the county into precincts in 1737, created Crom Elbow, which passed into Charlotte in 1762. Clinton was formed from the precincts of Charlotte and Rhinebeck, on the 13th day of March, 1786, two years prior to the civil reorganization of the county, whereby precincts became towns. Cornelius Humphrey, who had served as Supervisor of Charlotte in 1773 and '75, was elected Supervisor of the new town, and in 1787 was succeeded by Richard de Cantillon. The territory of Clinton was reduced January 26, 1821, by the cre- ation of the towns of Hyde Park and Pleasant Valley, to its present area of 23,4!87 acres, bounded as follows: On the north by Milan; east by Stanford and Washington; south by Pleasant Valley, and west by Rhinebeck and Hyde Park. There are four small lakes within its borders, of which Long Pond is the largest. Little Wappinger creek flows southerly through the center of the town. Schultz Mountain, the principal elevation, rises 780 feet above the tide. The town contains no village of commercial importance. Clinton Comers, Clinton Hollow, Schultzville and Pleas- ant Plains are hamlets. The precinct records shed some light upon the names of the first dwellers in the original town. Among those recorded from 1748 to 1756 are Nathan Bull, Moses Harris, Isaac Germond, Dirck Van Vliet, Jacob Spricor, John Earll, Lieut. Lewis, Jonathan Lyon, Isaiah Sherman. The earliest settlers within the present town limits were the families of Van Vliet, Schultz, Sleight, Garrison, Cookingham and TOWN OF CLINTON. 273 Traver, some of whose descendants reside upon the ancestral acres. Further reference to these families will be found in Part II of this work. Inscribed on field stones in the old cemetery near the Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Plains have been deciphered the names of Geritj^e Masten Van Vliet, wife of Aurie Van Vliet, and Capt. Joost Garrison and Magdalena his wife, buried in the year 1779. "^^ Henry Sleight, a native of Long Island, is credited with being the first innkeeper. He built his tavern, which is still standing, about the year 1768, on the A. C. Briggs farm. Another early innkeeper and merchant was Abel Peters of Clinton Corners. His tavern and store were erected during the Revolution, and in 1792 he built a brick residence ; the brick was manufactured on the premises, the materials being thrown togethw in a mass, and mixed by means of oxen treading in it. The grist mill at Pleasant Plains, which has been operated by water power over one hundred and thirty years, is an interesting landmark. It was built in 1775 by John De Witt, son of Captain Petrus and Rachel (Radclifi^) De Witt. It later became the property of John LeRoy, who with his son Abraham, ran it for upwards of forty years. It was afterwards owned by George Cookingham, Harris & LeRoy, Frost & Cookinghom, and since 1877 by J. Z. Frost. It is a frame building S5 by 55 feet, three stories high, and cost about $8,000. John De Witt was a prominent man in the official affairs of Dutchess County. He was a member of the State Convention which adopted the Federal Constitution in 1788 ; and Sheriff of the county from 1785 to '89 and from 1794 to '97. He also represented the county in the Assembly in 1786 '88 and '89, and again in 1793 and '94. Clinton has sent many of her townsmen to the Assembly, including Isaac Bloom, Morgan Lewis, Ebenezer Mott, John M. Thurston, Wil- liam D. Williams, Tobias L. Stoutenburgh, John Beadle, Samuel Mott, Israel Shadboldt, Gilbert Bentley and Wesley Butts. Their years of service will be found in Chapter VII, devoted to the Civil List. Hon. John H. Otis of Clinton Corners was also a resident of the town during his term of office in the State Senate, 1852 and '53. The earliest physician in the town was Dr. Nathaniel Marvin, who located at Pleasant Plains in 1794. He was succeeded by Dr. John Dodge about 1820. A sketch of Dr. Edwin Barnes^ who began prac- 274 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. tice here in 1866, and was active in the councils of the Medical Society, wiU be found elsewhere in this work. A landmark of pioneer times is the Quaker Meeting House at CUn- ton Comers, built in 1777, in which year the Society was organized. Among the first members are found the names of George Harris, Isaac HaUock and Paul Upton. A separation in the Society occurred in 1828, owing to the dissension of EUas Hicks. Those who. did not adhere to him were termed Orthodox Quakers. They formed a new Society, and in 1829 built a church nearby the original stone meeting house. In the "Book of Records of the Trustees for Providence Society, in Charlotte Precinct," is found the earliest recorded effort for the establishment and maintenance of religious worship within the origi- nal town. A deed bearing date of September 15, 1784, reads in part: "In consideration of the good will and affection he bears unto the inhabitants in this neighborhood of Lot No. 4 of the small division of the Great Nine Partners, in Dutchess County, for the encouragement of reUgion and vital piety, and for the encouragement of education, Richard Alsop, of Newtown, Queens County, New York, gave, granted, conveyed and confirmed unto Timothy Doughty, Henry Humphrey, and John De Witt, Trustees for a Society of the Reformed Church of Holland, as now constituted in America, or, agreeably, to the constitution of the Kirk of Scotland, to them and their successors forever, trustees of said Society, in this neighborhood of said Lot No. 4, for the express purpose of having a house erected for the worship of Almighty God, and a school house for the education of youth on the premises — a certain parcel of land, being part of said Lot No. 4, to contain two acres." Over a year elapsed before any definite action was taken by the above mentioned trustees to avail themselves of the provision of Mr. Alsop. At a meeting held December 5, 1785, an organization was formed to be known as "The Trustees of the Presbyterian Society," of which the following persons were elected trustees: John Lawrence, Cornelius Van Vliet, David Knapp, John De Witt, Jesse Bell and Timothy Doughty. Some difficulty was encountered in securing from the County Pres- bytery a stated supply for one quarter of his time. It was not until 1787 that an arrangement was made' whereby the Rev. Wheeler Case TOWN OF CLINTON. 275 was to devote one-^third of his time to this Society, beginning July 1st of that year, in consideration of the annual payment of £23, 7s. The Society evidently did not prosper and was terminated, according tb the. records, in October, 1789. Divine services were continued, however, at the residence of John LeRoy and' in the school house, then on the site of the present Pres- byterian Church, as often as a supply could be obtained. The recordfe in connection with the present church state that the Presbyterian Church of Pleasant Plains was organized on the 28th day of March, 1837, by Rev. Alonzo Welton of Poughkeepsie, and consisted of the following thirteen persons, viz. : John LeRoy, Isaiah Van Keuren, John Piatt, William Odell, Stephen LeRoy, Thomas De- Witt LeRoy, Hannah LeRoy, Gertrude Van Keuren, Malinda LeRoy, Welthy LeRoy, Jane M. Odtell and Phebe Ann McAvery. These per- sons were formerly members of the Presbyterian Church of Pleasant Valley. The church began its organization with twenty-one members, and secured Rev. William N. Sayre for its first stated supply. The present building was erected in 1837 and enlarged in 1859. The parsonage was built in 1866. The Rev. Sherman Hoyt was the first' settled pas- tor. He was called in 1843, and remained eighteen years. His min- istry is represented as having been one of great power, and the mem- bership of the church rapidly increased. At Schultzville is located the First Christian Church of Clinton, organized in the spring of 1863. Christian services were held in the hamlet as early as 1846, at which the Rev. Philetus Roberts officiated. David H. Schultz, Benjamin Conger, Dr. Peter Denny, Edward Pultz and Smith J. Gildersleeve were active members of the congregation. In 1866 the present church building was erected on land donated by Theodore A. Schultz, who also contributed $3^000 towards the cost of the edifice. In 1869, during the pastorate of Rev. J. Q. Evans, the parsonage was built. Theodore A. Schultz also donated funds for the purpose of pur- chasing a site and erecting a hall at Schultzville for Warren Lodge, F. & A. M. This is one of the oldest lodges in the State, an interest- ing account of which appears in the chapter devoted to the Masonic fraternity. Extensive slate deposits in Schultz Mountain, a short distance west 276 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. of SchultzvLUe, have at diflFerent times afforded considerable industrial activity. In 1798 slate was quarried here for roofing the house of Mrs. Richard Montgomery of Rhinebeck. Operations were continued successfully for about twenty-five years, when it was discovered that the grade of slate was too heavy for durable roofing purposes, and the quarries were abandoned. Slate from this mountain which had been' placed on the roof of the cotton mill at Pleasant Valley in 1815, had to be removed in 1845, and the building recovered with Vermont slate. In 1866 the industry was revived by a Mr. Smith from Vermont. Sev- eral buildings were erected, and about thirty men given employment. Efforts were made to utilize the product both for roofing and mantel purposes, but in neither instance was the result satisfactory, and since 1874 these quarries have been in idleness. The official records of the town have been carefully preserved, and are in the possession of the town clerk, together with some of the pre- cinct records, beginning with the year 1771, at which time Wilham Doughty was clerk. Subsequent clerks were Peter Germond, 1772; John Allen, 1792; David Traver, 1796; Jonathan Owen, 1799 to 1805; Koert Dubois, 1808 and '09, and Henry Vanderburgh, 1811 to '1'5. John De Witt was Supervisor from 1800 to 1802. The succession of Supervisors since the organization of the town in 1821 has been as follows:^ 1821— '32 John F. Schultz 1850 Stephen H. Smith 182a— '25 John Dodge 1851 Fred C. Filkins 1826— '27 John Wooley 1852 Gilbert Bentley 1828— '29 John Dodge 1853— '54 Robert D. Cornell 1830 John Wooley 1856— '56 Jonathan P. Sheldon 1831— '33 Welcome Arnold 1857— '58 John G. Halstead 1834— '35 Alanson Wildey 1859— '60 Fred B. Schultz 1836— '38 Alfred Duell 1861 Wilson Hicks 1839— '40 Daniel H. Schtdtz 1862— '63 John S. Wing 1841— '42 Daniel Sands 1864 Egbert C. Butler 1843 David Curtis 1865 J. F. S. Stoutenburgh 1844— '45 Isaac I. Piatt 1866 Philip Cookingham 1846 TiUey Grouse 1867— '69 David B. Haight 1847 EInathan Gazley 1870— '71 Jacob Z. Frost 1848 Wesley Butts 1872— '73 Henry R. Van Vliet 1849 Daniel H. Schultz 1874— '76 John H. Otis ; ir Obtained through Mr. George S. Tan VUet of Pleasant Plains, together with many other Interesting facts concerning the town's history. TOWN OF CLINTON, 27.7 1877 Mandeville Burger 1878 Timothyr'G. Palmer 1879 Duane Story 1880 Smith Sherman 1881 Duane Story 1882 Henry R. Van Vliet 1883 Charles B. Doughty 1884 Hiram Stoutenburgh 1885— '87 Rowland W. Hicks 1888 John J. Rymph 1889— '90 Edward Herrick 1891— '92 Llewellyn Lent 1893 Jacob Z. Frost 1894— '97 Pedro Sweet 1898— '99 Duane Story 1900— '01 George B. Welch 1902— '07 Charles W. Carpenter 1908— '09 Charles "W. Wright 278 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER XIX. THE TOWN OF DOVER. By Richakd Fkancis Mahek. THE Town of Dover lies on the southeastern border of the county. It is bounded on the north by Amenia and Wash- ington ; on the south by Pawling ; on the east by Connecticut, and on the west by Union Vale and Beekman. The town abounds in wild and beautiful scenery. On the eastern and western borders are ranges of hiUs almost mountainous in their dimensions, while the center forms a valley, some four hundred feet above tidewater, containing thrifty farms and pleasant villages. The principle streams are Ten Mile River and Swamp River. Dover was formed as a town from Pawling, February 20, 1807. It is not definitely known by whom the town was first settled, but it is supposed that the first settlements were made by the Dutch who came here from the vicinity of Hudson's River. Among the early home makers in this region we find the old Dutch names of Ouster- hout, Van Dusen, Dutcher and Knickerbocker. It is said that the first named — ^the Ousterhouts — and the Wilcoxes, Dutchers and Ben- sons were the first settlers, and that they located under the East Mountain; but there are no dates accessible to define the time of their incoming. In the cemetery at Dover Plains are a considerable number of moss covered tombstones, fast hastening to decay, on which are inscribed the names of those who were undoubtedly among the earliest to seek a home in this pleasant valley. The inscriptions, nearly obliterated, read: "In memory of Mr. John Ousterhout, who died Jan'y 39, 1759. . 55 years." "In memory of Denton Woolsey, who died May 30, 1777, in the 36th year of his age." "^p memory of Deborah, wife to Nathaniel Gray, died June 13, 1770, . 31." "In memory of Ephriam Wheeler, who departed this life May 10, 1808, in the 100th year of Ws age." RICHARD F. MAKER. TOWN OF DOVER. 279 "Capt. Valentine Wheeler, died Aug. 11, 1T82. 43 years." "Matthew Van Dusen, died Sept. S, 1806. 65." *♦ Jemima Burlinggame, wife of Benjamin Burlinggame, died June 8, 1790, in the *lst year of her age." "Hanna:h, wife of William Taber, died June 9tl), 1792. 81." "Hannah, wife of Job Tabor, died May 1, 1800. 57." "Silas Balding, died April 6, 1786. 69." "Elizabeth, wife of Gabriel Dutcher, died April 23, 1793, 73." "In memory of Mrs. Hannah French, wife of Mr. Jeremiah French, who de- parted this life Oct. 39, 1776. 61." Other early settlers were: Hans Hufcut and Martin Preston, who settled on what is known as Preston Mountain, and the latter is said to have been the first settler on the "Equivalent Land," or the Ob- long. Thomas and Alice Casey, from Rhode Island, emigrated here about 1750, and located on what is now known as Chestnut Ridge. Derrick Dutcher and Jacob VanCamp came here previous to 1731, and located near Plymouth Hill. One^pf the first mills in this section of the country was that known as the Preston Mill, which in early days had an extensive reputation. " The original structure has long since passed away, and the building which now occupies its site was built about a hundred years ago. Ebenezer Preston built three grist mills on Ten Mile River. The present oi^e is now owned by William A. Sheldon, at South Dover. Previous to the erection of the town the annual meetings were held in the tfivern of Jackson Wing, grandfather to Sheldon Wing. The name of Dover was given to the town at the Wing Tavern in 1807. DovEH Plains: This village is the most important settlement of the town and contains a population of 721. It is situated in the midst of charming scenery and has in its immediate vicinity natural curiosities which have attracted thousands of visitors. One of these, a rocky ravine, worn deep in the mountain west of the village, whose arched opening resembles the entrance to some cathedral of mediaeval times, is known as the "Dover Stone Qhurch." Within this entrance is a somewhat spacious cavern, roofed and walled by massive rocks, while beyond, pierced deep in the mountain, stretches a mile or two of picturesque ravine. The vicinity looks as though there had been at some time a great convulsion of nature which had lifted the rocks and hurled them into their present fantastic and suggestive shapes. It is claimed, however, that the conformation is due wholly to the 280 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. action of water, which, even now, in a goodly stream courses down the gully. History tells us that Sassacus, sachem of the Pequod tribe, with many of his followers, found refuge in this watery cavern when he encountered a band of Mohegan hunters upon the site of the village of Dover Plains. He had fled from Connecticut, following the defeat of his army by English troops under command of Captain Mason. In 1802 the village contained less than a dozen buildings, and among the few residents at that time were Cornelius Dutcher, Jona- than Mabbett and James Ketcham. Among the first merchants in this vicinity — if not the pioneers in business — ^were Stephen, Justus and Uriah Gregory. They rented from Lawrence Belding a piece of ground some eight rods square, at the foot of Plymouth HiU, upon which they erected a store and blacksmith shop. For this ground they paid a yearly rental of forty shillings, their lease — ^which was dated April 1, 1790 — ^to continue five years. From this place they removed and commenced business in Pawlingstown, now Dover Plains. Not long after the removal, Stephen Gregory withdrew, and Justus and Uriah M. conducted the business some time and failed, and with their brothers, Ebenezer and EUas, moved to Sand Lake, Rensselaer County. Luther HoUey succeeded the Gregorys in the business, and for some years was a successful merchant. He removed to Salisbury, Conn. James Ketcham, Lawrence and Joseph Belding were the next merchants, beginning as partners, first in the store of the Gregorys, and then in Holley's store, where for eight years they did a prosperous business. James Ketcham was for many years a prominent man of the town. He was bom July 31, 1777, at Little Rest, in the town of Washing- ton, this county. In his infancy his parents removed to Hunting, L. I., where his father kept a small country store. In 1789, the famih' returned to the town of Washington, locating near the farm of the late Judge Isaac Smith, where the elder Ketcham opened a small store. In 1790, the father died, and James was placed in the store. He had some advantages of a common school education, and after his father's death worked for a time on the farms of WiUiam Cornwall and a Mr. Pugsley, for the sum of one shilling per day. His father, however, had expressed a wish to have him engage in mercantile pur- suits. His uncles, Titus and Jonathan Mabbett, were merchants. TOWN OF DOVER. 281 fl,nd built the house now owned by Walter Haight, in which they had a store. Justus and Uriah Gregory had a store near Lawrence Bel- ding's, and, failing about this time, the Mabbetts hired the store of Lawrence Belding and installed James Ketcham as their clerk. In 1797 Lawrence and Joseph Belding purchased the stock of Jonathan Mabbett, — ^who had previously purchased the interest of Titus Mab- bett, — and James Ketcham became one of the firm of Lawrence Bel- ding & Co. In 1797 he married Lois Belding, and on May 6, 1799, Lawrence Belding bought from Luther HoUey the house and store at Dover Plains, to which they removed their stock, and where a pros- perous business was done up to 1806. Afterwards Jonathan Mab- bett purchased with James Ketcham the interest of the Beldings, and the firm became Mabbett & Ketcham, remaining ag such to 1810. In that year John Mabbett retired from business, and James Ketcham became sole proprietor. When the town of Dover was formed from -Pawling he was chosen first town clerk. George Casey became the first postmaster. The mail was carried on horseback once a week. After Mr. Casey left the town, James Ketcham was appointed post- master, and held the oflSce for thirty successive years. Under the administration of Polk he was removed, and Joshua Rodgers was ap- pointed in his stead, holding the office four years. Mr. Ketcham afterward held the office four years. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, supervisor of the town five years, and a member of the State Legislature in 1814. He was a merchant up to 1827. He died Sat- urday, November 11, 1871. General John H. Ketcham, late Member of Congress from this district, was a grandson of James Ketcham. General Ketcham died in 1907. William S. Ketcham, the old Democratic war horse of east- «m Dutchess, is another grandson. The Dover Plains Hotel was built by Belden Dutcher about 1848, by whom it was kept a number of years. The present proprietor is William T. Elliott. Preston's Hotel was also built in 1848 by George Robson. The property is now owned by the heirs of George H. Losee, who died November 25, 1881. WiUiam Whalen is the proprietor. Reed's Block (Masonic Hall Building) was built by Mrs. David B. Reed, of New York, in 1868. David Maher, the proprietor of the Dover Plains Marble Works, 282 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. has been in business here since 1867. He was born in Ireland in 1845, and came to Dover Plains in 1862. Among the early physicians was Dr. Thomas Hammond, who began his practice here in 1824, and continued it to 1869. He was a sur- geon in the war of 1812. He died in Port Huron, Mich., in ]\Iay, 1880. Previous to him a Dr. Delavan was a practitioner of the town for a number of years. Dr. Hooker was also an early physician, in the south part .of the town, contemporaneous with Dr. Hammond. Dr. Thomas Hammond, Jr., began to practice here in 1844, and con- tinued in the profession until 1869, when he entered the mercantile business, in which he remained three years. He then resumed his medical practice, which he continued three years, and again entered the mercantile business under the firm name of Belding & Hammond. The physicians now practicing are Dr. C. F. Roberts, Dr. Cook and Dr. C. L. Fletcher. George Hufcut was admitted to practice in 1848, and followed his profession here for some forty years. He died in Dover Plains in May, 1880. Horace D. Hufcut, a native of Dover, was born October 12, 18S6. He received his education at Poughkeepsie and in the Amenia Semi- nary, studied law with his father, George Hufcut, and was admitted to the bar in 1860. He died in 190S. The village had one newspaper, the Dover Press, which was es- tablished by S. B. Shaw, editor and proprietor, in 1878. The first number was issued November 29th of that year. It was a weekly, pubUshed every Friday for a year or two. Seth Deacon started a paper here ten years ago, the "Dover Plains. Review." It only ran about a year. The Dover Plains Bank was organized in 1857 as a State Bank. The officers were: David L. Belding, President; John H. Ketcham, Vice President; George T. Ross, Cashier. In 1865 the bank was re- organized as a National Bank with the following officers: David L. Belding, President ; John H. Ketcham, Vice President ; W. S. Morgan, Cashier. The present officers are: George W^. Ketcham, President; Edward Vincent, Vice President ; E. J. Reynolds, Cashier. The capi- tal of the bank is $100,000; surplus $35,000. The bank building was erected in 1867. The Military School at Dover Plains was established by Arthur E. Bangs in 1880. "CM' 4|M«4. --<«»> 1 4 H ^ '^ "STONE CHURCH," DOVER PLAINS, N. Y. Hiding place of Sassacus, Sachem of the Pequod tribe, 1637. TOWN OF DOVER. 283 The Dover Plains Library was established ten years ago and is in a prosperous condition. About one thousand volumes are on its shelves, comprising historical works, classical works, and fiction. The entertainments given from time to time are the social events in this section. Mr. Seeley A. Johnson is the Librarian. The officers are: Mrs. A. H. Cook, President ; Mrs. D. B. Haight, Vice President ; Mrs. Irving Wheeler, Secretary ; Miss Rebecca Chapman, Treasurer. The Trustees: George B. Chapman, M.D., Richard F. Maher, Mrs. Hora- tio Benson, Mrs. Seeley Johnson. Book Committee: Mrs. A. H. Cook, Mrs. H. S. Benson, Richard F. Maher, Seeley A. Johnson. A new Union Free School at Dover Plains was established March 19, 1908. The building will cost about $10,000 and the land, pur- chased from Mr. Hanna and Mr. Wing, about $1200, with $1500 voted for furnishing. In naming the members of the Board of Edu- cation, we take the following from the impartial columns of the Amenia Times: The members of the board are well known, and as they will go down in town history as the first Board of Education established in Dover Plains we give a short notice of each member. George B. Chapman, M.D., was Dover's leading physician until a few years ago, when he retired and took up scientific farming. He owns the Midfield Dairy Farm, one of the most successful certified milk plants in the State. Dr. Chapman was recently appointed health officer of the town. Mr. Edward G. Reynolds, cashier of the Dover Plains Bank, is a native of Amenia and al- though a new member of the community, his friends recognize in him sound, prac- tical business ideas. Mr. David Maher, proprietor .of the marble and granite works, is a lifelong resident of Dover, and his election to the board was conceded to he a compliment to his ability, honesty and fitness to serve the interests of the public. Mr. John Dutcher is a retired locomotive engineer, and at all times a kindly, affable, pleasant gentleman, who has the welfare of the village at heart. Mr. John A. Hanna is as widely known as any man in Dutchess 'County, and his varied experience in the Assembly, Board of Supervisors, and as postmaster and merchant makes him a valuable member of the educational board. Mr. Charles Wyman, owner of the electric light plant and the coal and feed business, is re- garded as a thorough and satisfactory business man and upright in all dealings. Mr. Thomas P. Whalen is well known locally, having held town office for upward of twenty years. He is the present Commissioner of Highways and takes a deep interest in the success of the town. Dr. Chapman recently resigned and Mr. J. Edwin Benson was appointed in his place. Professor H. S. Benson is Principal. The J. H. Ketcham Hose Co. was organized July 20, 190S, and the following were the first officers: J. A. Hanna, Chief; Edward Blanshan, Foreman ; G. W. Polhemus, First Assistant Foreman ; 284 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. George T. Record, Second Assistant Foreman; Horatio S. Benson, Secretary ; R. P. Ketcham, Treasurer ; Charles Wyman, Steward. The company comprises about sixty, members ; they are uniformed and have a fine meeting room. The McDermott Milk Co. have a large factory here, handling about 100 cans of milk per day. Hall & Ferguson's large cold storage plant is located here. Dur- ing the warm months of summer the machinery at this plant is covered with a white frost. They have a capacity of 15,000 barrels of fruit. Mr. George W. PoUiemus is the buyer of the fruit and also general manager of the building and refrigerating plant. The Elm Stock Farm, located about one-half mile east of Dover Plains, is owned by Horatio N. Bain, proprietor of the Nelson House, Poughkeepsie. The farm consists of 250 acres of land and the build- ings are commodious and extensive. Mr. Bain has 100 head on this farm, comprising trotters, pacers, brood mares and colts. The Dover Plains Lodge, F. & A. M., was organized August 13th, 1867. It has a membership, according to the last report, of 116. The Dover Plains Lodge, I. O. G. T., was organized November 17, 1881. The Lodge disbanded a few years ago. Dover Plains contains four churches, the Baptist, Methodist, Catho- lic, and Episcopal, organized in the order named. In 1774 a Society of Friends was organized in the town, and was known as the Branch Preparative Meeting. It was an offspring of the Friends Society at what is now known as Quaker Hill. A small church edifice was erected soon after the organization. The society is nearly if not quite extinct. The Second Dover Baptist Church was organized in 1794. In the old burial ground at South Dover may be found an old time worn tombstone with the following inscription: "Samuel Waldo, Died Sept. 10, 1793. Aged 62 years." To this man, perhaps more than to any other, belongs the credit of stimulating the people of the Baptist persuasion, then living in this section, to organize as a church. The earliest records known of this society are dated April 21, 1794. At that date the following persons signed and presented a petition to the Baptist Church of Patelingstown, now known as the South Dover, or First Dover Church: Edward Southworth, David Simmons, Joseph Belding, Benjamin Allis, TOWN OF DOVER. 285 Moses Haight, Reuben Allen, Caleb Barnum, Mary Talman, Freelove Crandell, Mary Haight, Eliphalet Belding, Dorcas Gregory, Lydia Benson, Jerusha Simmonds, Samuel Elliott, Alse Casey, Elizabeth Koon, Hannah Benson, Jerusha Woolcut, Susanna Benson, Catie ElHott. The early meetings of this society were held in a house situated in what is now the Valley View Cemetery, which was built previous to the Revolution for the Dutch Reformers, and by them deserted before its completion. In this house all denominations met for worship. It was badly out of repair, with rough slabs for seats, and with no facilities for heat, or light at night. The frame of this building was torn down some years since. A Union Church was built on the same ground about 1844!, which has since been taken dc^wn and converted into a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, now standing on Mill street in this village. On the 17th of December, 1832, a subscription paper was circu- lated to raise $2,500 with which to build a suitable church edifice. The desired amount was raised, and James Ketcham, Ebenezer Stevens and Thomas Hammond were appointed a Building Committee, and the building of the present house was begun. It was finished at a cost of nearly $6,000, Mr. Ketcham and Mr. Stevens meeting the deficiency. The church was dedicated in December, 1833, by Elder Perkins, who had become the pastor. He remained with the church until 1835, when, through internal dissensions, he resigned the pas- torate, and was succeeded by Elder P. Roberts. Elder Roberts' min- istry lasted but one year. The present pastor is Rev. Mr. Ringrose. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Dover Plains was organized in 1852. The board of trustees consisted of the following persons: William H. Belding, Darius B. Talhnan, Will McKoy, William Sands, Samuel H. Tompkins, J. P. H. Tallman, James G. DeForest, David L. Belding, Darius Tallman. The erection of the church was begun and completed under the pastorate of Rev. William Ostrander in 1853, at a cost of $5,500. The church then numbered about forty persons. The present number is about one hundred. A convenient parsonage, costing about $2,500, is owned by the church, and the entire property is free from debt. A sketch of the Roman Catholic Church will be found in another chapter. 286 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. St. James' Episcoparl Church was built in 1904. Previous to the erection of the church the EpiscopaUans held their meetings in the hall. Rev. Alexander Hamilton was the rector who built the church. The present pastor is the Rev. William Harris. Other ministers who have been in charge of the mission were as follows: Rev. Albert Bur- dick, Rev. Mr. Wayne and Rev. Mr. Ashton. The congregation numbers about forty. Three miles west of Dover Plains, on an elevation known as Chest- nut Ridge, is another Methodist Church, which was organized some years previous to 184J91 The church edifice was erected in that year. Among the early members were Robert Van Wyck and wife, James McCord and wife, Catharine Shears (now White) , George Van Wyck and wife, Mariette Hustus, Catharine Tompkins, Isaac Benton. The pastors, as a rule, have ministered to this church from Verbank and Dover Plains. Chestnut Ridge was also the home of Benson J. Lossing, the his- torian, who owned here an excellent farm of some three hundred' and fifty acres. Mr. Lossing was a native of Beekman, born February 12, 181S. At an early age he was left an orphan and was compelled to rely upon his own resources. A dweller in a rural district, he naturally gravitated to farm work, doing for a year or so such labor as a boy was capable of performing. At the age of thirteen he went to Poughkeepsie to learn the trade of a watchmaker, and in 1833 en- tered into • partnership in that business with his former employer. But the mind of Mr. Lossing was bent in a different direction. He had early imbibed a taste for literature, a taste gleaned from stolen inter- views with a scanty stock of books ; and in 1835 he became part owner of the "Poughkeepsie Telegraph," and entered upon his career as a literary man. The next year, in company with E. B. Killey, he began the publication of a semi-monthly paper, more in unison with his tastes. This was the "Poughkeepsie Casket," in the management of which he first essayed the art of wood engraving, in order to illustrate his work. In 1838 he became editor of the "Family Magazine," the first illus- trated work of that kind ever published in this country. His first historical venture was "An Outline History of the Fine Arts," in 1840-41. His next work, "Seventeen Hundred and Seventy-six: or The War for Independence," was written in 1846-47. The works on which his fame chiefly rests are the "Field-book of the Revolution" SHELDON WING. TOWN OF DOVER. 287 and "Our Country." The former was published in series by Harper & Bros., from June 1, 1850, to December, 1852, and had an extensive sale. Mr. Lossing died in 1891. Dover Furnace: To the south of Dover Plains, on the Harlem Railroad, lies the station of Dover Furnace. Here are located the ruins of the works of the South Boston Iron Company, established in February, 1881. The buildings of the company were erected in the summer of that year, and the principal business done was the manu- facture of iron for government cannon. Wm. B. Cutler is the only merchant. He conducts a general store that was built by Preston & Coyle, 1881. Edwin Vincent, the largest land owner in the town, resides at Dover Furnace. His son, Charles W. Vincent, is a graduate of Columbia School of I^ines and a mem- ber of the present town board. Other old residents of Dover Furnace are Charles Cutler, Frank Cutler, Gilbert Tabor, Eleazer Cutler. Shapparoon Lake, noted for pike,, perch and pickerel, is west of the station. South Dover: The hamlet of South Dover lies in the southern part of the town, on the Harlem Raili-oad. The depot at this point is known as Wing's Station, and the settlement here consists of the station, one hotel, two stores, postoffice and a few dwellings. The postoffice was established about 1852. The merchants are J. S. Wing, and Oscar Hasbrouck, of whom further notice will be found in Part H of this work. The hotel at Wingdale was built in 1858 by John Cornwell, who died in 1864. It is now conducted by Egbert Slocum. South Dover proper lies to the east of the station some two miles. This is also a hamlet of but few inhabitants, and is quite picturesquely located. The postoffice was established here about 1828, and the first postmaster is said to have been Mott Titus. John Ragan is the pro- prietor of a grist mill and the only merchant is George Trowbridge, who has been in business here three years. He had previously been engaged in business at Webatuck six years. Webatuck, or, as it is often spelled, Webotuck, is a small settlement about three miles distant from Wingdale. William C. Camp con- ducted a store here for several years, and in 1881 was appointed post- master. Cleveland Titus was his successor from 1885 to 1906, when the postoffice was discontinued. 288 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Jacob Harrington, it is said, was about the first settler in the locality of South Dover. A house which he built had in it a stone marked 1763. In that year his wife died, whose tombstone yet stands in the cemetery. His house was torn down some fifty years ago, and the residence of the late Alfred Wing stands on its site. The Wings, the Prestons, the Rosses and Sheldons were also early settlers here, and the Deuels were pioneer settlers in the hollow which bears the family name. South Dover has two churches, the Baptist and the Methodist Epis- copal. The society of the latter denomination was organized some years previous to 1855 ; but there exists no records to show the precise date of its origin or to shed light upon its progress. The church edifice was erected in 1855. For some years the society worshipped in the Union Church, which stood where the Baptist Church now stands. The succession of pas- tors previous to 1854 is unknown. The First Baptist Church of Dover was organized in 1757, and is the oldest church in the town. On the 9th of November, 1757, Mr. William Marsh, from the Philadelphia Baptist Association, visited South Dover, by request, and explained to the people of the Baptist persuasion who met with him the nature of a covenant, to which, "in the most solemn manner," a number subscribed, and were by him con- stituted into a church. On the first of December, 1757, Ebenezer Cole was chosen as clerk of the church. On the 4th of January, 1758, Samuel Waldo was chosen as pastor and was ordained by Elders Marsh and Willard. At a conference meeting held September 3, 1758, it was voted to build a meeting house thirty by forty feet. To see to the accomplishment of this work, Peletiah Ward, Manasseh Martin, Benjamin Seeley, Ebenezer Cole and Eliab Wilcox were appointed a building committee. That building was for many years the only place of worship in the town of Dover. From 1757 to 1794, during the pastorate of Elder Waldo, there were about 250 members admitted by letter and baptism. From 1794 to 1885 other pastors were Elders Freeman Hopkins, Detherick Elisha Booth, Job Foss, Elijah Baldwin, Nehemiah Johnson, Johnson Howard, John Howard, T. W. Jones, William G. Hoben, G. F. Hendrickson, William P. Decker, Rev. Isaac N.»HiIl and Rev. Edward S. Merwin. Rev. J. G. Dyer is the present pastor. TOWN OF DOVER. 289 The march of progress, aided by natural decay, is fast sweeping away all architectural traces of our forefathers, whose pioneer homes in this locality were constructed first of logs, and later when it became possible, of rough timber and boards, which could be had for the cutting. Foremost of the noted hostelries in the county during the Revolu- tion was the "Morehouse Tavern" at Webatuck. It was located on the then chief highway from Hartford to Fishkill. Under its roof many of the general officers of the Continental army slept. There Washington, Putnam, Arnold, LaFayette and other distinguished leaders have been entertained, and there Rochambeau and his officers have lodged. An interesting account of the sojourn of the Marquis de ChasteUaux at this tavern will be found in Chapter XIII, Bene- dict Arnold had his last friendly talk with his Commander-in-Chief at the Morehouse Tavern before he attempted to betray the American cause. The Red Lion Inn, another notable tavern, was located at Weba- tuck, and part of the original building still stands. The old house north of Phihp Hoag's was built in 1751, as shown by date on chimney, by Hendrick Dutcher. When Washington evacu- ated Boston he passed with a portion of his command, so tradition says, by the road leading west from Wing's Station. His troops encamped for the night on the hill across the brook, west from Philip Hoag's, on both sides of the road. Washington took up his head- quarters in the old house just mentioned. Elder Waldo, a Baptist preacher, lived at that time where the Misses Hoag now reside. He carried all the milk produced by several cows into camp, together with other provisions, and distributed the articles among the soldiers. He invited them to come to his house and get whatever they wanted to eat. Many of them did so and partook of his generosity, and, to their credit be it said, nothing about the premises was in the least disturbed by them. A family by the name of Elliott lived on the place now occupied by Frank Hoag. They were less free with their provisions than Waldo and went to the officers with the request that the soldiers be entirely kept off their grounds. The result was that not a chicken or scarcely any other eatable was left about the premises, the troops making a clean sweep of everything the Elliotts possessed, and, notwithstanding their earnest entreaties, the officers paid no heed to their complaints. 290 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS, In the year 1821 the New York and Sharon Canal was projected. Many enterprising men took a lively interest in it, though some looked upon it as a visionary scheme. The canal was proposed to be con- structed from Sharon Valley down by the Ten Mile River, and by the Swamp River to the sources of the Croton in Pawling, and by the Croton either to the Hudson or to the Harlem River. The pre- liminary survey was made and sixty thousand dollars contributed. The money was deposited with a broker in New York, who failed, and the project was abandoned. In 1826 the project was renewed and a report of the Canal Commissioners was made to the Legislature. The estimated cost of the canal to the Hudson was $599,232, and by the route to the Harlem it was $1,232,169. This included the whole ex- pense of locks, excavation, aqueducts, . bridges and everything essen- tial to the completion of the work. There is no record of the project after this. The projectors were': Cyrus Swan of Sharon, Joel Ben- ton and Thomas Barlow of Amenia, William Tabor of Pawhng, and Mark Spencer of Amenia. The Harlem Railroad, which traverses very nearly the proposed canal route, was built through the town of Dover in 1849. VaUey View Cemetery was dedicated October 7th, 1871. It con- sists of twenty acres of beautiful, undulating meadow. The grounds were laid out by Mr. J. I. Wanzer. The first directors: John H. Ketcham, G. T. Belding, J. K. Mabbett, George, Allerton, Thomas Hammond, M. D., Joseph Belden and Horace D. Hufcut. The succession of Supervisors from the erection of the town in 1807,, are as follows: 1840 John M. Ketcham 1841 Egbert Sheldon 1842 William Hooker 1843 J. W. Bowdish 1844— '45 David Vincent 1846— '47 Edgar Vincent 1848 Ebenezer A. Preston 1849 S. Wheeler 1850— 'SI Edward B. Somers 1852 John M. Tabor 1853 George Hufcut, Jr. 1854— '55 John H. Ketcham 1856 WiUiam Hufcut 1857 John B. Dutcher 1807 George Crary 1808— '10 Andrew Pray 1811— 'IS James Ketcham 1816— '30 James Grant 1821 William Hooker 1822 James Grant 1823— '28 Absalom Vincent 1829 William Hooker 1830— '33 John M. Ketcham 1834 William Hooker 1835 Joel Hoag 1836— '37 John M. Ketcham 1888 Absalom Vincent 1839 Egbert Sheldon ^^^^^^^^^^^^^BfT "'"""^f^^St V H ^^^^^^^^B^K^ ^H^k ^HB ^^^^^B sH 1 "■ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^m '^W ,^^E£^^*^B^^^^^H^H I ^^^^^^|H||^ffiB[vJP'^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^^^k. PJK""",'-'/!l!i!'r"- '^^^^BtK^Bjl^^ ^^^K^^^^^^^^^^^Kf^JUf^-^c M ^^^I^^^^H^^':^^' ■^^m ^^^■^^ H^H ^^^^^l^^i W^^K^^S^^^^^^^M (.. -^ W|»ii| JT^'^^'ilT^W^^^B JOHN A. HANNA. TOWN OF DOVER. 291 18S8 Thomas Hammond, Jr. 1880 Edwin Vincent 1S59 Wm. S. Ketcham 1881 Andris Brant 1860 AUen H. Dutcher 1883— '83 Albert Fry 1861— '63 Obed Wing 1884 George T. Belding 1863 Baldwin Stevens 188S Ebenezer Preston 1864— '65 Edwin Vincent 1886 Geo. T. Belding 1866— '67 Wm. S. Ketcham 1887 Charles W. Vincent 1868 Cyrus Stark 1888 William Record 1869 Horace D. Hufcut 1889— '90 Sheldon Wing 1870 George W. Ketcham 1891 John A. Hanna 1871 Edwin Vincent 1893— '93 Theo. Buckingham 1873 Obed Wing 1894— '95 John A. Hanna 1873 Myron Edmunds 1896— '97 Roselle Mead 1874 Cyrus Stark 1898— '99 Myron Edmonds 187&— '76 Myron Edmonds 1900 Wilson Sheldon 1877 Andris Brant 1901— '03 Edward A^ Brush 1878 William H. Boyce 1904— '07 George V. Benson 1879 George T. Belding 1908— '09 Edward A. Brush 292 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER XX. THE TOWN OF EAST FISHKILL. THE historical account of the early settlement of the land and of the title to the soil now included in the town of East Fish- kiU is embodied in the succeeding chapter devoted to Fishkill, of which this town was originally a part, and from which it was set off as a separate town. The division was effected November 29, 1849, by act passed by the Board of Supervisors, under authority of a previous act of the Legis- lature. The survey of the new town was made by Elnathan Hasten of Beekman, and John Ferris of Pawling. Benjamin H. Strang, Janjes A. Emans, Garrett Deboise and Hasbrook Deboise were chain and flag-bearers. J. Wesley Stark of Pawling, Wilson B. Sheldon of Beekm9,n, and Alexander Hasbrook of Fishkill, Supervisors of the three towns, were a committee to superintend the survey. The land set off embraced about 33,000 acres, and formed the second largest town territorially in the county, being exceeded only by the town of Wash- ington. It is bounded on the north by La Grange ; east by Beekman ; south by Putnam County, and west by Fishkill and Wappinger. The first town meeting was held at the house of Jacob Tompkins, in Stormville, on the last Tuesday in March, 1850, at which the follow- ing officers were elected: Supervisor, Benjamin Hopkins; Clerk, Wil- liam Hasbrook; Justice, Morgan Emigh, John S. Emans, Rushmore G. Horton and William Homan; Collector, Orry N. Sprague; Com- missioners of Highways, John Anderson, Charles Ogden and George Van Nostram; Assessor, Lewis Seaman; Sealer, Jacob Wiltsie; Over- seers of the Poor, Abraham Pullings and Abraham Adriance; Con- stables, Daniel Weeks, Jacob Wiltsie, John Van Vlack; Inspectors of Election, David Knapp, Orson H. Tappan, John K. Vermilyea, Peter Adriance, William B. Ashley and Abraham S. Storm. , Hopewell Junction is the only village of importance in the town. About the middle of the eighteenth century, Aaron Stockholm, a native TOWN OF EAST FISHKILL, 293 of Long Island, settled on a farm in this neighborhood, and previous to the Revolution built a grist mill at Hopewell. Thomas Storm, one of the county's leading business men, was for many years engaged in trade here. He was a member of the Precinct Committee of Safety in 1777, and in 1781-'82-'83 and '84 was elected to the Assembly, When the railroad extending from Dutchess Junction to Pine Plains was completed in 1869, a hamlet sprang up near Hopewell station, and when the New England road was built, intersecting the Dutchess & Connecticut at this point, the hamlet was called Hopewell Junction, As a natural consequence the Junction has become the business center of the town. A coal and lumber yard was established in 1869 by R. C. Horton, and the following year Lawrence C. Rapelje built a hotel, which he leased to Edward Lasher, The village cfntains several stores, mechanical shops, and the Borden creamery. Settlement at Stormville, a hamlet near the east border of the town, was begun as early as 17S9. Derick Storm was the first to take up land here, and was soon followed by Isaac, George and Thomas Storm, whose descendants are stiU to be found upon the lands thus early pur- chased. The Carmans and Arkles settled near them, about the year 1758, and to the north, Isaac Adriance, "of Nassau Island, Queens County," purchased two hundred and fifty acres of land in May, 1743, and shortly thereafter George and Abraham Adriance purchased and settled. During the Revolution an American force was encamped for a short time just north of Stormville, This force was one of many that was posted back of the river to oppose the suspected inland march of the British to the upper Hudson, Theodorus Van Wyck was an early purchaser of land now included in this township, settling at Fishkill Hook, He was a true patriot, and being greatly molested by Tory neighbors, he removed, in 1775, to New York, where he was elected a delegate to the Second Pro- vincial Congress, As the patriots became more aggressive, he re- turned to his farm in the early part of 1776, and was again elected to Congress in that year from Dutchess County. In 1801 he was one of the ten delegates representing Dutchess in the State Constitutional Convention. Aaron Van Vlackren was the pioneer settler in the neighborhood of Gayhead. He was a native of Holland and removed to this county 294 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. from Long Island, purchasing several hundred acres from Madam Brett. His son, Tunis Van Vlackren, built the first mill at Gayhead about 1768. Like all grist mills of that period, it lacked a "bolting cloth," and the ingenuity of the housewife was taxed to separate the flour from the bran, which was done, in a new country, by either a fine splitit sieve, or a very coarse cloth, through which the flour was pressed by the hand. The Emans family were early settlers in this town, and several of their descendants have been identified with public affairs of the county. James Emans obtained a grant of 137 acres of land from Madam Brett, near the present hamlet of East Fishkill. His grandson, John S. Emans, who was born in 1824, represented the town repeatedly in the county board of Supervisors. Li political views he was a Demo- crat, and was elected to the State Legislature in 1852 and '53. Al- bert Emans was elected to the Assembly in 1855, and again in 1858. Storm Emans was also elected Member of Assembly in 1883, and from 1891 to 1894 held the office of Clerk of Dutchess County. In the list of iijhabitants of the county in 1740 are found the names of Jacobus, Rudolphus, Barnardus and Abraham Swartwout. This family was the first to settle in the vicinity of Johnsvillej and was con- spicuous in the early days of this county from an official point of view. Jacobus was Member of Assembly from 1777 to '83, and State Senator from 1784 to '95. Johnsville was the birthplace and home of Henry D. B. Bailey, author of "Historical Sketches of Dutchess County." He was bom in 1813, and commenced his literary labors in 1855. His grandfather, Nathan Bailey, was bom in Fishkill in 1738, a son of John Bailey, a native of Westchester County. The Montfort family were early settlers in the vicinity of Fishkill Plains. In the preciact records from 1738 to 1760, the name bears a variety of spelling. Peter Montfort bought 370 acres of land here in 1735. His son, Peter, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and the family was active in the establishment of the Reformed Churches' at Hackensack and Hopewell. The oldest monument to the faith and energy of the pioneer settlers in this town is the Reformed organization of Hopewell, which dates back to the year 1757. They had previously attended divine service at Fishkill and Poughkeepsie. For seven years the new church had S A.M'atrii isu. I^ubli^A bj-. TOWN OF EAST FISHKILL. 295 no building for public worship, and no settled pastor. Services were held in private houses and in the large barn of Jacob Monfort, says the Rev. Addison C. Bird, the present pastor, to whose researches We are indebted for the historical data concerning this organization. In 1762 the congregation decided to build a church, and Garrett Storm, Johannes Wiltsie, Isaac Lent, Henry Rosecrans, Joseph Har- ris and Aaron Van Vlackren were appointed a building committee. Mr. Lent declined to serve, and Johannes Schult filled his place. The first church building, which was partly on the present site, was a wooden structure 40 by 50 feet. Seats were made by placing boards upon the ends of timbers around the church. Services were held twice on Sabbath, with only a half hour's intermission. Singing was con- ducted by the clerk, and this office was filled for mqjiy years by Isaac Adriance, father of CoL Isaac Adriance. Cornelius Van Wyck was also clerk for several years. Interments were usually made to the east and southeast of the church. Near the east wall, in 1768, were laid the remains of Englebert Huff, a Norwegian, who was once a member of the life guard of William Prince of Orange, King William III of England. During his residence in Rombout Precinct, he be- came identified with the Fishkill church. He died at the advanced age of 128 years. A few years after the erection of the church edifice, pews and gal- leries were built in. Among the pew holders are found the names of Stockholm, Luyster, Montfort, Flagler, Rapelje, Bogardus, and Col. Derick BrinckerhofF. Col. Brinckerhoff' was a member of the Colonial Assembly and of the First Provincial Congress. This organization was the recipient of several bequests in early times, one of which was ten acres of land, from Samuel Verplanck, bearing date of March 23, 1779. A congregational meeting to consider the erection of a new house of worship was held February 12, 1833. Jacob Swartwout was called to the chair, and John Storm was appointed secretary. It was re- solved that a substantial brick building be erected, and that the com- mittee for that purpose consist of the following gentlemen: H. D. Stockholm, Abram Adriance, Abram D. Van Wyck, Jacob Horton and Jacob Montfort. The building was finished in 1834! during the pas- torate of Rev. Charles B. Whitehead, and is the dignified church edifice of the present day. 296 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. In 1765 Hopewell church received its first pastor, the Rev. Isaac Rysdyck. He came from HoUand to take charge of the congrega- tions of Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, New Hackensack and Hopewell. He was a thorough scholar, an able theologian, and a very effective preacher. It was said that he could write in Greek and Latin equally AS well as in his native Dutch; and with Hebrew he was as much at liome as in his mother tongue. He kept the records of Hopewell church an Dutch exclusively until 1781, and exclusively in English after 1784. He was probably the first Dutch minister to begin using the English language. During the greater part of his ministry he hved in Fish- kill, but later he moved to New Hackensack. In 1790 he resigned from the pastorate on account of the infirmities of old age. In about a year he died, and was buried beneath the New Hackensack church. The Rev. Isaac Blauvelt, who assisted Dr. Rysdyck in the last few years of his ministry, became the second pastor at Hopewell. It was under his pastorate that the church was incorporated according to the laws of the State of New York. Rev. Blauvelt remained but a short time, accepting a call to another field. The church was without a pastor for one year ; then it called the Rev. Nicholas Van Vranken. As he spoke Dutch and English fluently, preaching was conducted in both languages. He died in 1804, after a pastorate of only thirteen years. He was the last pastor of the associated churches. The classis dissolved the relationship, and Fish- kill became a separate charge. Rev. John Barkalo succeeded the Rev. Van Vranken. He resigned after a pastorate of five years. In 1812 the Rev. Dr. Thomas De Witt was called to the charge of Hopewell and New Hackensack churches. During his pastorate these churches, in 1825, became separate and independent congregations. For fifteen years he continued his ministrations at Hopewell, during which time the recently sold parsonage was built. Dr. De Witt re- moved to New York City in response to a call from the Middle Colle- giate Church. He was elected a trustee of Rutgers College in 1840; and for twelve years was editor of the Christian Intelligencer. He died May 18, 1874. From 1828 to 1835, Rev. Charles B. Whitehead was pastor of this church; and from 1835 to 1857, the Rev. Abraham PoUiemus, D.D., officiated. Both pastors were much beloved by their congregations. CHARLES A. HOPKINS. TOWN OF EAST FISHKILL. 297 Rev. Dr. Oliver Cobb was then called, and remained fifteen years. He was followed by the Rev. Graham Taylor, who left Hopewell in 1880, and is now Professor of Sociology in Chicago University. He is also the founder and resident warden of the social settlement known as the Chicago Commons. Rev. Cornelius H. Polhemus, who was called in 1881, continued ten years. A call was then extended to the Rev. Ernest Clapp, who re- mained until 1903. The present cemetery of the Reformed Church of Hopewell is not as ancient as the church. Neighborhood burying grounds were in use before the church was organized. The oldest tombstone inscription in the present cemetery is in Dutch, and reads as follows: "Heir Leydt Begraven Her Lichhaam Van Lutisha Van \C*yck huis Vrouw, Van Isaac Adriance, Oveleden Den 6. Dagh Van December Anno Dom 1763. Oudt Zynde 33 laar 10 Maande en 37 Daagen." Other early burials here are those of Cornelia, relict of Benjamin Moore, Sr., died June 8th, 1781 ; Catharine, wife of John Boughbum, died 1785; Francis Hasbrook, died 1789; Tunis Brinkerhoof and Gorus Storm, died 1790 ; Abraham Hasbrook and John Adriance, died 1792 ; Thomas, son of John and Elizabeth Walden, died 1794 ; Sarah, wife of Thomas Humphrey, died 1794 ; Anna Montfort John M. Shear and Rem Adriance, died 1795; Jacob Horton, died 1793; George Brinkerhoof, died December, 1797, aged 71 years; Isaac Adriance, died 1797, aged 76 years; Gilbert, son of Francis Hasbrook, died April 15th, 1798; Burgune Van Alst, died 1803; Catharine Herren, died 1807, aged 78 years ; Nicholas Bogart and his wife Alida Ritz- ma, daughter of Rev. Johannis Ritzma. Nicholas was born in New York in 1729, and died in 1811. Alida was born in Holland in 1742, and died in 1813. Another early church organization in the town was the Baptist Church of Fishkill Plains, which bears the date of 1782. It was an offshoot of the Pleasant Valley Church, and early in the nineteenth century had a live and earnest working congregation. The pulpit was supplied for a long term of years by Pleasant Valley and Beek- man. As most of the families of the early settlers were strict adher- ents to the Reformed faith, the growth of this church was retarded. Services were finally discontinued and the church property sold some fifteen years ago. 298 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The Methodist Church of Johnsville was organized in 1826, through the labors of James Taylor, William, Samuel, Jacob and Oliver Ladue and Cornelius Ostrander. Its first pastors were Revs. Hunt, Selleck and Collins. In this locality, as in other sections of the country, the Methodists were very active in promulgating the Gospel, through the mcessant labors of their "circuit riders" and local preachers, and the Johnsville Church has accordingly prospered. The Bethel Baptist Church at Shenandoah, over which the Rev. Mr. Bastain has presided for the past five years, was dedicated in Decem- ber, 1835, and the church duly incorporated in 1837. Elder George Horton was in charge of the services from 1835 to '41. The records contain no account of the cost of erecting the building, but Abram Pulling and Isaac Knapp are given credit for contributing generously. The Episcopal Church at Hopewell Junction was built in 1888. There is also a Roman Catholic and a Pentecostal Church in this village. Stormville and Fishkill Plains contain chapels. The following list contains the names of those who have been elected to the office of Supervisor: 1850— 'SI Benjamin Hopkins 1878 Charles W. Horton 18S3— 'S3 John V. Storm 1879 Peter A. Baldwin 18S4^'SS Nicholas H. Stripple 1880 Charles W. Horton 1856 Benjamin Seaman 1881— '82 Storm Emans 18S7 Edmund Luyster 1883 Leonard V. Pierce 1858 John V. Storm 1884r-'8S Lawrence C. Rapelje 1859— '60 Benjamin Hopkins 1886— '87 Storm Bmans 1861— '62 Lawrence C. Rapelje 1888 Francis S. Van Nostrand 1863— '64 John S. Emans 1889— '90 Isaac S. Genung 186S— '67 Benjamin Hopkins 1891— '92 Lawrence C. Rapelje 1868— '69 Nicholas H. Stripple 1893 Adriance Barton 1870 John S. Emans 1894— '97 J. Wesley Van Tassell 1871— '73 Charles W. Horton ] 898— '03 Prank Fowler 1874— '7S Peter A. Baldwin 1904— '09 Lewis H. Wright 1876— '77 John S. Emans TOWN OF nSHKILL. 299 CHAPTER XXL THE TOWN OF FISHKH^L. By William E. Vekplanck. THE Town of Fishkill as constituted to-day is situated at the southwesterly corner of the county, ajd extends along the river northward from the tunnel at Breakneck mountain to a point about half a mile south of the village of Chelsea^ — ^the southerly boundary of the present town of Wappinger; thence the township extends eastward to the westerly boundary of the town of East Fish- kill; and it is bounded on the south by Putnam County. At one time the town of Fishkill included the towns of Wappinger and East Fishkill, or in other words the whole of the territory cov- ered by the Romboudt Patent. This territory was called Romboudt Precinct, as the towns of the State were formerly known. The area of the town was afterwards enlarged when Putnam County was established, in 1812, by cutting off all that part of the township of Philhpstown which lay north of Breakneck and west of the moun- tains and adding it to FishkiU. This change of territory in the vicinity of what is now Dutchess Junction, was made for the con- venience of the early settlers — Van Amburgh, Du Bois, Cromwell, B'rinckerhoff and other families. The title to such land south of the Romboudt Patent, in the town of Fishkill, was derived from deeds made by the Commissioners of For- feiture in the proceedings against Col. Beverly Robinson, whose wife was one of the heirs of the Phillipse Patent. Samuel Dodge and Daniel Graham were such Commissioners for the "Middle District," appointed in pursuance of an act of the Legislature of the said State, entitled, "an act for the forfeiture and sale of the estates of persons who have adhered to the enemies of this State and for declaring the sovereignty of the people of this State in respect to all property within the same." In 1788 an act was passed by the State of New York for dividing 300 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. the counties of the State into towns. Under this act Romboudt Pre- cinct became known as the town of Fishkill. This was really the re- vival of the old Dutch name, and of this we have evidence from an old tombstone in the yard of the Dutch Church at Fishkill. The inscrip- tion is on the tombstone of the Rev. Jacobus Van Neste, who was the pastor until his death, April 10th, 1761, and reads as follows : "Hier Leydt Her Lighaam Van Jacobus Van Neste Bedienaar Des Heylige Evangelum Op Pochkeepsie En De Viskil In Dutches Comity Zynde In De Heere Geiust de 10 April 1761— Oudt Zynde 26 Jaar 2 Maad En 3 Daage." The Romboudt Patent above mentioned was a grant made by James n, in 1685, confirming the deed of the land made to Francis Rom- boudt and Gulian Verplanck by the Wappinger Indians in 1683. At the time of the cession of New Netherland by the Dutch to the English in 1664, aU the land hereabouts was in the possession of the Wappinger Indians. This tribe was part of the confederacy of the Five Nations, and had its home along the east bank of the Hudson, extending from RoelofF Jansen's creek (now in Columbia County) as far south as Manhattan Island, and eastward to what is now Con- necticut. Throughout this region the Wappingers roamed and hunted unmolested, so that all that the Dutch government actually ceded to the English was the bare sovereignty. Dutchess County and other political divisions were yet to be. Not long after the English occupation, Francis Romboudt, or Rom- bout,^ as the Dutch and English called him, a man of French extrac- tion, who was a merchant in New Amsterdam, with his partner, Gulian Verplanck, who were engaged in fur trading, conceived the idea of getting possession of land, for many people of influence with the Eng- lish , governors were taking up land freely, and on easy terms. Rom- boudt and Verplanck, following the law of the colony, obtained from the government, a license to purchase from the Indians (the original of which is still preserved among the State Archives at Albany), with a view of obtaining a patent from the Crown confirming the same. Whereupon the partners met the Indian Chiefs and came to an agree- ment with them as to the value of the land, and obtained a deed of conveyance, in 1683, which the chiefs signed and sealed, or at least 1. He signed his name Francois Bombouts. JOHN PETER DE WINT. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 301 they affixed their totem marks to it/ A copy of this document which sets forth the consideration, boundaries, etc., will be found in Chap- ter IV. Before the patent was issued in 1685, Verplanck had died and Jaco- bus Kip married his widow, and became co-patentee with Francis Rom- boudt and Stephanus Van Cortlandt. Van Cortlandt had advanced one-third of the consideration money given to the Indians, and was therefore entitled in equity to one-third interest. The territory comprised in the patent was to a great extent a for- est, as an old map drawn on parchment, in the possession of the writer shows. Indeed it was looked upon by its owners as merely a place for trapping beavers and other fur bearing animals, and it was many years before- it was opened to settlers. The trappers were Indians, whose huts could be found in the neighborhood of Stormville until comparatively recent times. The above mentioned map was made in 1689 by one Holwell, a surveyor and his affidavit" made before one of the aldermen in New York, in 1689, indorsed on the original map, establishes the identity of the old document beyond question. The only white man living on the patent at the time was "Ye French- man" whose house, according to the old map, stood near the mouth of Wappinger creek. Local historians assert that this man was either Nicholas Emigh or Amout Viele. By authorization of the Supreme Court a partition was made, in 1708, of the lands embraced in the Rombout patent lying between the Fishkill and Wappinger creeks. While this lands to the north and 1. Facslmilies of the signa- tures of Verplanck and Eomlioudt on the deed from the Wappinger Indians to them In 1683. 2. "New Tort, 20th day of April, 1689. Then appeared hefore me Paiilus Richard Alderman, Mr. Jno. Holwell Surveyor who took Oath upon the Holy Evangelists that this Map or Draught on the other Side is according to his hest Skill and Capacity ye true Draught or Map of a certain tract of Land, lying on ye East side of Hudson's Elver above ye High Lands so as ye same is described ( ?) • and sett forth in a Patent granted by ye late Governor Coll. Thomas Dongan to Stephanus Van Cortlandt, Francis Kombouts and Jacobus Kipp trustee etc. ^Dated October 17th ye first year of His Majestys Eeign being ye year of our Lord 1685. •This word is not entirely legible. Paul Richard, Al'dn." 302 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. south of these streams respectively were left to be held in common by the patentees or their representatives or heirs. In this division the southern third fell to the lot of Catharine, wife of Roger Brett, the daughter and only child of Francis Romboudt; the intermediate third to the children of Guhan Verplanck; and the northern third to Ger' trude, widow of Stephanus Van Cortlandt. In 1709 Roger Brett and his wife built the house now standing in Matteawan on the south side of Main street, since known as the Teller House, and now occupied by their descendants. Dr. and Mrs. Robert Fulton Crary. Not long after building this house Roger Brett was drowned from a sloop. He was buried in a small cemetery at BymesviUe, near the Newhn homestead. He left the entire care of his estate consisting of many thousand acres to his widow, who subsequently became known as "Madam Brett." She proved equal to the task, and set about establishing mills, and inviting settlers from Long Island and elsewhere, to come upon her land and develop it. Madam Brett had three sons, Francis, Robert and Rivery. Rivery was named from the fact that he was bom on the river while his mother was on the way from New York on the sloop. He died at the age of seventeen. Madam Brett died at an advanced age and her body lies buried under the pulpit of the Dutch Church at Fishkill. A few years ago a beautiful stained glass window, made by Tiffany & Co., of New York, was placed in her memory in the church by the Brett family and others interested in the history of Fishkill. Madam Brett's will was proved before the Court of Common Pleas of Dutchess County, March I*, 1763. She bequeathed to her eldest son, Francis, the major portion of her estate, including the Frank- ford storehouse and five farms containing two hundred acres each. To her son Robert's five children she bequeathed each a farm of two hun- dred acres. Among the families that came in response to Madam Brett's invita- tion to settlers were the Van Wyck, Brinckerhoff, Swartwout, Wiltse, Hasbrouck, Ter Bos (Terbush), Adriance (originally Adriaense), Van Voorhis and DuBois. Madam Brett also established the first mill — a grist mill. It stood near the mouth of the Fishkill creek, aboul^ on the site now occupied by the Tompkins Hat Factory at Tioronda. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 303 In 1743 the farming and milling industries of the precinct having largely increased, Madam Brett in company with about twenty other persons, entered into an agreement for the building of what after- wards became known as the Frankfort Store House, which stood close to the water at what was formerly known as the "Lower Landing," north of Denning's Point, where the old Wiltse houses are now stand- ing. This was the origin of river freighting. The old contract or agreement between Madam Brett and her asso- ciates is in the possession of one of her descendants. Miss Kathleen MacKinnon of New York, and is in a fair state of preservation. A facsimile of the signatures to the document appears on a subsequent page. The contract reads as follows: "To all Christian people to whome tlus present Writing %aU or may Concern, Catharine Brett, James Duncan, Theodorus VanWydi, Cornelis Van Wyck, Cor- nells Wiltse, John Brinkerhof, John Carman, Joshua Carman, Jun'r, Benjamin Haesbrook, Theodorus Van Wyck Son of Cornelis, Abraham Blom, Hendrik Ter- bush, Isaac Brinkerhof, Lawrence Locy, Jacob Brinckerhof, Joris Adriaense, John Van Vlockeren, Abraham Adriaense and Isaac Adriaense, all of Dutchess County in ye province of New York, Abraham Van Wyck and Joris Brinkerhof of the Citty of New York and Thomas Storm of West Chester County and Province afore- ^id. Sends Greeting, Whereas the persons above Named have Jointly purchased from Francis Brett a Certain Lott or parcell of Land Scituate on the East Side of Hudsons River Adjoining to other Land of ye said Brett between Johanis Van Voorhees and Mathewes DuBois in w'ch purchase Every mans Share & proportion thereof is particularly Expressed, as by the deed of Conveyance may fully and at Large appear on which said Land the partners above named have built & Erected a Com'ys Store house and Dwelling house and for the better Convenience of all the parties Concerned they have agreed & Concluded to Divide the Same into Twenty Separate rooms or Divisions Equall to the rights and Number of whole Shares, for which there were Lotts fairly drawn. * * * At all times for Ever here- after. The, major part of the owners & Possessors of the Said Lands & prem- ises according to the Number of their Severall rights & Shares, Shall have the power to manage order & direct all the affairs relating to the Same (so as not Designedly to hurt or Damage any one of the partys Concerned) and to make & Establish such rules & Regulations as they Shall Judge beneficial for using & Improving the Same, And When Ever the Said Majority Shall Judge it proper & beneficial to make further Division or to Sell & Dispose of any part thereof, We do hereby Give & Grant unto them full power so to do. And Such Division or Divisions, or Deed of Conveyance by them made & Lawfully Executed, Shall be good and Valid in the law to all Intents and purposes whatsoever. And we & Each of us our heirs and assigns Shall be thereof & Therefrom for Ever Debarred & Excluded, and the moneys arising by such Sale to be accounted for when re- quired. And it is further Agreed that in all Cases the Majority of Votes Shall be 304 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. reconed According to Each of their Several rights and Shares in ye Lands & prem- ises aforesaid that is to say that Every one who hath or hereafter shall have one two or more Whole Shares Shall have as many Votes, those who have one Share to have one Vote & where two or more are Joined or Concerned in one Share, Each of their Votes to be reconed according to their Several rights; and if it so happen that any of the partners be at a great Distance when any Vote or Regulation is to be made Every Such absent person Shall be allowed to give his Vote in Writing & the same with all other Transactions shall be Entered into a book to be kept for that purpose which Vote so given in Writing Shall be taken & allowed as good as if the person was there present In addition to the above document there is preserved a small account book giving the transactions of the company from its organization in 1743 up to 1790. The business was then being conducted as usual, but how much longer it lasted cannot now be ascertained. The first part of the book is given up to financial transactions with the share- holders, the rest of it with the records of the annual meetings. Here are the minutes of an annual meeting in 1763 : "January ye 14th, then chose Abraham Adriance for Clarck for Franckfords store at the meeting at Richard Van Wyck's for the insuing year. Daniel ter Bush boatman for the year sixty three tiU the first of may in the year sixty four at twelve pounds and keep the Store House, Dock and Dwelling House in sufficient Repair, and the said Daniel ter Bush is to fence the orchard land and bringh in a, just account and the said Bush is to receive his pay out of the Rent Don by major voat, and the said Bush is to frate as useyd and find salt as useyel Chosen managers for the Insuing year — ^Theodores Van Wyck and Col. John Brincker- hoff to manige and rectiphy all affairs, and to Demand the Land that peter Bo- gardus has in possession. By major voat. The meeting to be at Richard Van Wyck the first day of January if Sunday then the next Day." There are no minutes of the proprietors between January S, 1776, and January 1, 1781, as there were probably no meetings because of the interruption of business and the disturbed conditions due to the Revolutionary War, although at the annual meeting in January, 1776, the proprietors resolved to meet in the following year after having ap- pointed Richard Van Wyck, clerk, and Daniel Ter Boss, boatman for the ensuing year. The following is a transcript of the meeting in 1781: "Dutchess County, Jan? 1st, 1781. "Att a Meeting of the Majority of the proprietors of Frankfort Store House — ^Voted that Theod" Van Wyck be Clerk of sA Meeting. Voted also That Major Terbos Continue in possession of said Estate to "the first of May 1783 att Twenty pounds p" Annum, Voted also that Major Terbos pay for the Said Estate from the year 1777 to the year 1780 Sixteen w ''6iu!i''^ ^ ^ "^^;'-- r/^./'-^^:^:;^'';^'^:.) c^^ 1^^ Jori^ti/0^4^ -m (^jtu^t^i '^%' .%s:ti in ^. JmcrfJrr^fyC^. •9091 t^ aruiVaf^S^f;^ h^unty called Mount Gulian with all the Buildings thereon erected and all and every the slaves, stock, household furniture, farming utensils &c." WILLIAM S. VBRPLANCK. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 311 To Samuel is also given all the testator's other lands in Dutchess County. Both devises to Samuel are on condition that he lives to the age of twenty-one or has lawful issue; failing which the two proper- ties shall go to the daughter, Aryentie, for life, and on her death to the heirs of her body. Several of the life-leases made by Gulian and his son Samuel of their lands in the Rombout Patent are still in ex- istence and in the possession of the writer. They were carefully drawn on printed blanks. For an illustration, the lease made by Gulian to "Henry Philips and his present wife Deborah," May 1, 1751, may be taken. The lot consisted of two hundred acres from which "£6 and two couples of fowles" were reserved as annual rent, to be paid May 1st, besides the payment of all taxes. For the first six years, how- ever, there was to be no rent, and for this privilege the tenant agreed to build "one framed or stone dwelhng. house of at ieast eighteen foot square with a Lento on one end thereof, with one framed Barn, all to be well shingled." Within the first year, also, the tenant agreed "to set up stone land marks at the corners of the Lott," and to further, "once a year thereafter in Easter week carry his children (if he hath any, otherwise his white servants or four of his nearest Neighbours) and show them the land marks." The tenant also agreed to make "a nursery of fruit trees, to be some Apels, Pears, Cherries & Peaches * * * of forty foot square" and to set out an "orchard of at least One Hundred Aple Trees" and to prune them or graft the trees, "provided the grafts or inoculations be furnished by the landlord." The landlord was to have the fruit of three trees. The tenant agreed not to cut or dispose of the wood, timber, stone or dung made on the premises; also to "keep six acres in meadow for grass and hay," and to "stand Bound to work with a Team of cattle or Horses and wag- gon or Cart one day annually" * * * as required by the land- lord. It was largely through such leases as these that the Verplanck property was developed. In other words their policy was quite diifer- ent from that of Madam Brett, who owned one-third of the Patent to the south, and from that of the Van Cortlandts, who owned the other one-third to the north. It was the policy of these latter to sell out- right to settlers; the result being that large industrial towns have grown up along the Fishkill and Wappinger Creeks, while the Ver- planck property still remains largely agricultural, owing to their 312 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. reluctance to sell. This state of affairs continued until the death in 1834 of Daniel C. Verplanck, who, as sole heir of Samuel above men- tioned, was the largest land owner in Dutchess County. He had been County Judge for several years prior to 1812 and subsequently was a Member of Congress for several terms. He was the first of the family to make his permanent home at Mount Guhan at Fishkill, and as he had a large family, he enlarged the house in 1804 by building an addition to the north. The Mount Gulian farm at that time con- sisted of upwards of three hundred acres extending along the river for nearly two miles and thence eastward to the homestead farm of Garret Brinckerhoff, who was another large land owner in the neigh- borhood. _ In addition to his homestead farm, Daniel Crommelin Verplanck had several thousand acres in the county, which were divided into farms of about two hundred and fifty acres each. After his death the land was "actually" partitioned. The Rev. John Brown, of St. George's Church, Newburgh, Robert Gill, and Dr. Bartow White, of Fishkill, were the commissioners. The notes of Dr. Brown are now in my pos- session by gift from John Brown Kerr, Esq., of New York, a grand- son of Dr. Brown. From these notes the following facts are gathered : The commissioners were chosen by the parties to make partition of all the Dutchess County property except that of Mount GuUan. The first "view" was made on the 10th of November, 1836. Soon after a heavy snowstorm interfered with the work, which the commissioners were not able to take up again, owing to the severity of the ensuing winter, until the 23d of May of the following year. The whole num- ber of farms viewed was thirty-five, besides two commons, in all, 6,475 87-100 acres, which were appraised at $320,913.39, or $45,- 844.77 for each of the seven heirs, after deducting the widow's dower and the value of the life leases which were running on most of the farms. On the 6th of July the commissioners completed their appraise- ments, and in August, 1836, the partition deeds were recorded. The names of the heirs were James deLancey, Elizabeth V. P. Knevels, William Walton, Gulian C, Samuel, Anne Louise and Mary Anna. Daniel C. Verplanck was one of the directors and a principal share- holder in the Middle District Bank of Poughkeepsie. In 1830 this bank failed, Daniel C. losing heavily. He deemed that the credit of the bank had been to a great extent dependent on his name, and he TOWN OF FISHKILL. 313 made good out of his own funds the losses sustained by the depositors and other creditors. He died suddenly March 29, 1834. His son, Gulian C, spent the greater part of his life in the city of New York where he was active in political life. He represented the city in Congress for several terms, and was influential in securing the enactment of copyright laws. As State Senator he sat in the old Court of Errors and Appeals, where he rendered several opinions in important commercial and financial disputes. He edited an edition of Shakespeare which took high rank with scholars. He died in New York at the age of eighty-four, and was buried in Trinity church- yard, Fishkill Village. James de Lancey and William S., son and grandson of Daniel C. Verplanck, continued to live on the family property until they died, the former in 1881, and the latter in 1885. Wilham S. Verplanck, though educated for the bar, soon dropped this calling to take up agriculture. About ten years after his mar- riage with Miss Anna Newlin, he built "New Place," overlooking the Hudson. He was one of the founders of the Mechanics Savings Bank, on its incorporation in 1866, and on the retirement of General How- land in 1868, he became president. He was also one of the incor- porators, and until his death in 1885, a director of the First National Bank of FishkiU Landing. Mount Gulian, owned by WiUiam E. Verplanck, is the only one now standing of three old homesteads^ built in the early part of the eighteenth century on the land set off to the heirs of Gulian Ver- planck. The old part is of stone, and stuccoed; over it is a curved roof with dormer windows. This house was for a time the head- quarters of Baron Steuben during the Revolution, and under its roof was instituted, in May, 1783, the Society of the Cmcmmati, of which Washington was the first president, an ofiice he retained until his death. A singular and interesting character who lived for many years in Fishkill, was James F. Brown, born a slave in Maryland in 1783. At the age of thirty years he escaped and came north, and from 1829 to 1. The two others were the Lawrence Lawrence, and the John Van Voorheea houses. Lawrence was a nephew of Gulian Verplanck. His house stood on the river alwut a mile south of Low Point, and was later the home of Garrett Brinckerhoff. The Van Voorhees stood on the Poughkeepsie road, about two miles north of Fishkill Landing, on a tract of land of nearly 3000 acres, sold to him early In the eighteenth century by Philip Verplanck. 314 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1864 was the gardener at Mount GuiKan. During this period he kept a diary, in which he made a record not only of the weather, the con- dition of the garden, etc., but also of the visitors to the house, local news and items of more than family interests When his whereabouts were discovered by his southern master, his freedom was purchased, and he was soon joined by his wife Julia, whom he had married in Baltimore in 1826. Brown died in 1868, and Juha made her home in the village until her death in 1890. FisHKELL-ON-HuDsoN. This village has grown up around the original Five Corners, and become a place of importance within the last thirty years. In 1864! it was incorporated under the Act of 1847, the first general act for the incorporation of villages through- out the State, and was given the name of Fishkill Landing. Samuel Bogardus was chosen its first president. In 1878 the village was reincorporated in accordance with the Act of 1870, under the pro- visions of which it still continues. In 1804 a postoffice was established imder the name of Fishkill Land- ing, and Egbert Bogardus appointed first postmaster. Five years later he was succeeded by Peter Folsom. During the Civil War, when Nehemiah Place was postmaster, the name of the postoffice was changed to FishkiU-on-the-Hudson. The early impetus of the village was largely due to the enterprises of John Peter DeWint,^ a man of great energy and activity. His operations were not confined to this side of the river alone, but he was a property owner and interested in the industries of Newburgh. He had a shipyard on the river bank just 'south of the Long Dock, and was interested in the freighting business which for many years was conducted by sloops from the Long Dock, as well as from the Lower and Upper Landings. Towards the end of his life he was thought to be rather indifferent to the growth of the village, and was, as I think, unjustly criticised for standing in the way of further improvements in the village. He died in 1870, appointing for his executors the late William S. Verplanck, J. De- Wint Hook and James Mackin. Mr. Mackin was a prominent man in Fishkill; he was President of the National Bank from 1870 to 1886; chairman of the Railroad Committee of the Assembly for several terms, and State Treasurer. He was also a close friend of Mr. Tilden, and 1. For biographical sketch of Mr. DeWlnt, see Fait II. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 315 had Tilden been inaugurated there is every reason to believe that Mr. Mackin would have received an appointment of distinction in the federal government. Under the direction of the will, Mr. DeWint's executors began to Settle the estate, and by judicious sales made throughout the village, which were mutually advantageous both to the estate and the pur- chasers, and largely through the co-operation of the late Lewis Tomp- kins,^ who built several hat factories and houses here, the village be- gan to grow rapidly. Mr. Tompkins not only built a fine residence for himself, but he also laid out that part of the village through which Dutchess Terrace and other streets and avenues now run, in a judi- cious and tasteful manner, making this part of the village both attractive and valuable. Spy Hill about the same J;ime had been laid out and several handsome houses built by the Hon. John T. Smith, Mr. W. A. Jones and others. In consequence of this the village was greatly improved in its general appearance, and ceased to have the somewhat squalid appearance which it had in former times. Before the advent of the railroad, the river was largely used as a means of reaching points north and south, sloops being employed for this purpose. Travel between Albany and New York by stagecoach, which passed through Fishkill, was wearisome. It took from ten to twelve hours to make the trip from Fishkill to New York. Much pleasanter was travel by sloops. They were fitted up as packets, and many of them had accommodations for twenty-five passengers. They made the run to or from New York and Fishkill inside of twelve hours, and now and then a great run was made. For instance, the sloop "Caroline," owned by John P. DeWint and named for his daughter, Mrs. Monell, sailed from the Battery to the Long Dock in five hours. After the introduction of steamboats by Fulton, a disaster which afFected Fishkill was the burning of the "Henry Clay" in 1852. She was racing with the "Armenia" and when a short distance north of Spuyten Duyvil she took fire. Several of the passengers who were in the stem were either burned or drowned. Among the number was the wife of John Peter Dewint, and his son-in-law, Andrew J. Dowjiing. From Mr. John Place, treasurer of the Fishkill Savings Bank, I learn that in 1857 he went into the freighting business with the late 1. For biographical sketch of Mr. Tompkins, see Part II. 316 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Walter Brett and Joseph Cromwell. This firm had the barge "Inde- pendence," which was towed to New York by the Kingston steam- boats. At one time the steamboat "William Young" of which Charles Adriance, of Low Point, was captain called at the Long Dock and took its freight. This was the genial "Captain Charley," who succeeded to the old freighting business formerly done from Low Point by sloops. One of them was the famous "Matteawan," which was built on the shipyard at Low Point, belonging to Cornelius Car- man. Two trips a week were made. On the death of Joseph Crom- well, the firm of Brett & Matthews was formed, which ran the steamer "Walter Brett." Later the firm built the "River Queen." She was the old "Mary Benton," which was rebuilt at a cost of $60,000, being fitted up with staterooms, saloons, etc. She proved too expensive for the business and was sold at a great loss to Garner & Company of Wappingers Falls and Newburgh, who ran her in connection with their factories. At this time Captain Walter Brett retired, and the firm of Brundage & Place was organized. They made an arrange- ment with the late Homer Ramsdell of Newburgh to carry their freight on the steamboats owned by him, and for that purpose the firm employed a small barge to run between Dutchess Junction, the Long Dock and Newburgh, where the freight was transferred to the RamsdeU boats. Now all this freighting business has passed under the control of the Central Hudson Steamboat Company. The Hudson River Railroad in early days felt the competition of the steamboats, and made every effort to meet it, sharp rivalry exist- ing between the two enterprises for many years. After the com- pletion of the Hudson River Railroad in 1851, no other railroad enter- prises were started until after the Civil War. In 1866 the Dutchess & Columbia Railroad Company was organized for the purpose of build- ing a line from a point at the mouth of the Fishkill Creek northeasterly through the county to the village of Millerton on the Harlem Rail- road, in the town of Northeast. This company was largely promoted by the firm of Brown Brothers, bankers in New York, who had large interests in the town of Washington. Several towns along the pro- posed line, FishkiU among them, bonded themselves in aid of the con- struction of the railroad, and the road was accordingly built and fin- ished in 1868, Mr. Oliver W. Barnes being its chief engineer. It was unprofitable and soon passed into the hands of its bondholders. Ten years later the lower end of the road from Hopewell Junction to LEWIS TOMPKINS, TOWN OF nSHKILL. 317 Dutchess Junction was purchased by the New York & New England Railroad Company, and has since been absorbed by the Central New England. The house now occupied by Dr. Kittridge, on Ferry street, was for- merly owned by A. King Chandler, who built the house and laid out the adjacent grounds, all in a somewhat pretentious style. It was a conspicuous object from the river, with peaks and gables and many outbuildings. All the land in front was open as far as Beekman street, then a mere country road, and generally called the Old Plank Road. Mr. Chandler kept a large dry goods and variety shop in Newburgh, somewhat on the order of the department store of to-day, and did a profitable business for many years. PiiANK Road. The certificate of the FishkiU ancj Beekman Plank Road Company was filed August 22, 1851. The company was or- ganized by about seventy-five persons, with a capital stock of $30,000, divided into shares of $50 each. The subscribers each took from Railroad Co., the successor of the original Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad. FishkiU John S. Thayer John B. Rosa Samuel A. Hayt Jacob G. "Van Wyck Guernsey Smith Bartow White Lewis B. White H. F. Walcott James B. Brinckerhoff Walter Brett Catherine E. Kapalje James B. Vandervoort Chauncey DeLavan Richard B. Horton Wm. HasBrook Alfred Storm Isaac Sherwood Abraham Brinckerhoff Peter H. Schenck-^ D. S. Ackerman W. B. Sheldon Charles Davies Louis Meyer James E. Member S. A. Benson New York East FishkiU Matteawan Beekman FishkiU Landing 5 shares 10 3 10 5 10 318 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. It was proposed to build a line from Fishkill Landing to Storm- viUe, via Matteawan, Fishkill ViUagey Johnsville, Gay Head and CourtlandviUe, a distance of fifteen miles. The two roads leading to the river through Fishkill Landing were considered too steep for such a line, and a new road was laid out over the lands of J. P. DeWint, Martin Wiltse, Louis Meyer, Russell Dart and others. This is now Beekman street. The company also occupied an extension of Main street by continuing it straight to Matteawan over the low and swampy lands of the Teller estate instead of following the Old Road to Fishkin Village, which still passes over the higher ground to the north, where now are St. John's Church and the Methodist cemetery. The company thereupon began building the road and extended the same for about seven miles eastward into the township, setting up toll- gates at certain intervals in pursuance of the charter, the most east- erly one being at BrinckerhoffviUe. The company failed, however, to complete the road and otherwise comply with the terms of its char- ter. The road, too, was never kept in good order or repair and the people became exasperated and annoyed at the condition of things. The people, too, were used to the free road laid out by Madam Brett over her property from the river eastward to the limits of her lands, that is the road now in use through Matteawan, Glenham and Fish- kill Village along the west side of the creek, and they looked upon the Plank Road Company as an attempt to pervert the ancient highway of Fishkill. Litigation ensued, and according to tradition, on one occasion a mob, made up of many of the respectable people of the neighborhood, assembled on a certain night and smashed the toUgates and otherwise put an end to the further exaction of toU along the road so far as the same was built. Thereafter the road again became free. When the electric railroad was being built over the line of Beekman street in Fishkill Landing many of the old planks were brought to the surface. The late Samuel A. Hayt of Fishkill was president of the Plank Road Company at one time and meetings were held at his store, and Augustus Hughson was secretary. Later A. J. Vandewater of Matteawan, who had been an original subscriber to the Stock, became president, and made unsuccessful attempts to revive the project. ^Matteawan. The name of this village was originally restricted to the mills. It was incorporated in 1886,^ and now includes within 1. WiUard H. Mase was the first president of the village. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 319 its limits Byrnesville, Wiccopee and Tioronda. Local names fot other neighborhoods were Glory Hill, where the Sargent Industrial School now stands, and Pancake HoUow on the east side of the creek oppo- site the railroad station. The first factory in Matteawan was established in 1814! by Philip Hone (at one time Mayor of New York), and Eetfer A. Schenck, who had married Margaret Brett, granddaughter of Matfam Brett. Hone and Schenck built the mill now belonging to the Matteawan Manufacturing Company. It was a cotton mill. Peter A. Schenck built the house now owned by the Green Fuel Economizer Co., formerly the Larch house and earlier the Joseph Blossom house. He left no children. His brother, UeMg^: -Schenck, married and lived in what is now known as the Teller house, built by Roger Brett in 1709. Henry Schenck bought this house, together with a large tract of land adjacent, from his brother-in-law, Theodorus Brett. Joseph Blossom came to Matteawan from New York, and married Emerette, daughter of Henry .Schenck, and granddaughter of the Henry Schenck above mentioned. Joseph Blossom made a fortune in the lumber trade in the South before the war. Peter H. Schenck was a nephew of Peter A. Schenck, and succeeded his uncle to the ownership and management of the miU. Peter H. Schenck married a Miss Courtney of Philadelphia. Their son, the late John P. Schenck, M.D., built the house now occupied by the Sargent Industrial School. He was a famous physician of southern Dutchess, and his professional record appears in the Medical chapter in this book. Byrnesville. This district of Fishkill is now better known as Tioronda. From the county records it appears that William Byrnes bought a tract of land comprising 274 acres, from Isaac DePeyster Teller, in June, 1792, and soon after entered into a partner- ship as millers with Cyrus Newlin, to whom, in September of the same year, he conveyed an undivided half interest. The deed described the property as beginning at "Fishkill Bay, adjoining the land of William AUen" (who then lived on Denning's Point) and running up the Fish- kill on each side about half a mile, together with the mills and other water rights. In 1811, the partnership seems to have been dissolved, for in that year the property was partitioned between its two owners, Cyrus Newhn taking the lower mill property with fifty-one acres and 320 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. other land adjoining consisting of forty-seven acres more, excepting a small lot of one-half an acre reserved by the Tellers for a burial place. Cyrus Newhn, in the deed, is described as "of the county of Newcastle and State of Delaware." He never lived in Fishldll, though he often came there to visit his son Robert, who was the manager of his interest in the partnership and succeeded him after Cyrus died in 1824.. Both WiUiam Byrnes and Cyrus Newlin were of the "Society of Friends," commonly known as Quakers. The house where Cyrus New- lin's sons Robert and Isaac made their home was built by Madam Brett for her sister who married a DePeyster. The Newlins enlarged the house, each brother with his family having separate apartments, and there they lived until Isaac died. Robert Newlin's daughter Anna married the late William S. Verplanck.. The Newlin homestead with the adjoining land passed temporarily into the possession of the Bos- ton, Hartford & Erie Railroad, a company which was organized soon after the Civil War. A deep cut was made across the property close to the house, making it undesirable for a residence. This company failed before rails were laid to Denning's Paint, and later was re- organized under the name of the New York & New England Railroad Co. and the terminus changed to Fishkill Landing. WiccoPEE is an adjoining neighborhood. The name was applied to the district along the creek between Wolcott bridge and Tioronda. Daniel Annan, a lieutenant in the War of the Revolution, bought a tract of land from the Brett estate. His purchase extended east of the creek from a point opposite the present Tioronda bridge, north- easterly along the creek to a point near the railroad station in Mat- teawan, thence it extended eastward into the mountains to "Solomon's Bergh" (North Beacon), thence southerly to a point in range with Tioronda — ^in all a tract of about 750 acres. The Daniel Annan home- stead stood on the road leading to Cold Spring, east of the residence of the late Joseph Howland. The house afterwards fell into ruin, and there was built on its site the house known as "Mountain Rest," where the Misses Wagner had a boarding school for girls for a number of years, and which was discontinued about twenty years ago. Daniel Annan was buried in the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church at Buinckerhoffville. Lieutenant Annan's first wife was a Miss Van Wyck. By his second wife. Miss Allen of Quaker Hill in the town of TOWN OF FISHKILL. 321 Pawling, he had a son, Daniel Annan, Jr., who married Margaret, daughter of Theodorus Brett. This Daniel Annan was a surgeon in the War of 1812, and he was buried in what is now St. Luke's ceme- tery, Matteawan. Their children were: Mrs. James W. Andrews, Mrs. Samson Adolphus Benson, and two sons,. William and Alexander, the latter a captain in the Civil War. The Oil Groimds. The district lying between the villages of Mat- teawan and Fishkill-on-Hudson known as the Oil Grounds takes its name from the circumstance that about 1865 petroleum oil was found flowing on the surface of the swampy land then quite extensive here. Oil and mining schemes were then rife all over the country, so it was not surprising that the people of Fishkill should become seized with the craze. An examination of the oil proved that it was the genuine article. The land was soon sold and a company Organized, and there- upon pumping operations begun. The result was a complete failure. Investigation showed that the genuine petroleum had been surrepti- tiously brought to the spot in cans and sunk into the ground. The result was such that when prospectors walked about or ran poles down here and there, oil would constantly rise to the surface. The person who actually did this became known as the "Swamp Angel." He con- fessed in order to secure exemption from prosecution. A few people of prominence were implicated and several reputations suffered, but no one seems to have been sent to prison. The house now occupied by Mr. Winthrop Sargent, known as Wodenethe, was begun by Robertson Rodgers of New York, who sold the property, before the house was fuUy completed, to Mr. Henry Elliott of New York. He had married a sister of Samuel Whittemore, mentioned below. In 1840 Mr. Elliott sold the property to the late Henry Winthrop Sargent, who enlarged the house and greatly em- bellished the grounds, which when he bought the property were a rough, somewhat sterile piece of land partially covered by a poor growth of trees. The opportunities of the place were obvious to a person of Mr. Sargent's discernment. Although an amateur, he may justly be called the originator of landscape architecture in the United States. He was a friend of Andrew J. Downing, who lived at Newburgh, where he wrote several books that made an impression in connection with the development of landscape gardening and horticulture in this country, and where he conducted numerous experiments in horticulture and 322 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. floriculture. An ingenious feature of the laying out of Wodenethe is tlie concealment of the boundary line, thus giving the effect of much larger area. The river, too, although nearly a haK mile distant, seems to reach the grounds. Vistas were made through- the trees giving superb views of the Highlands and the river. A neighbor of the late Henry Winthrop Sargent, whose place, Rose- neath, also has superb views of mountain and river was the late Charles Moseley Wolcott, born 1816. He married first, Mary, daughter of Samuel C. Goodrich, who died without issue. He married second, Catharine, daughter of Henry A. Rankin, a merchant of New York. Mr. Wolcott had extensive real estate holdings in Fishkill, includ- ing farms and village property, as well as interests in rnanufacturing, in which he was at one time associated with Robert G. Raitkin, who also lived at Fishkill some years and built there. Mr. Wolcott, by his second marriage, had three children who lived to maturity. His son, Henry Goodrich, married Julia, daughter of the late Waldo HutchMns ; and his daughter, Katherine, married Samuel Verplanck and they now occupy Roseneath. This house was built by Lieutenant Ward of the United States Navy about seventy-five years ago. His wife was a sister of Samuel Whittemore, who married Louisa, daugh- ter of John Peter DeWint, and Hved in the Wren's Nest, a cottage with attractive grounds on the river a short distance south of the Long Dock. The place had two entrances, whence the name. Nearby were the homes of the brothers, Davies- — ^Henry E. at one time Judge of the Court of Appeals of this State, and Charles, a dis- tinguished professor of mathematics at West Point and iafteirwards at Columbia College. The houses built by them are both standing, Prof. Davies's house being now occupied by the Wilson School, and Judge Davies's house by Daniel W. Bumham. The house now occupied by Mrs. Douglass W. Burnham was for- merly the home of William Kent, many years Judge of the Supreme Court of this State. Jiidge Kent was the son of Chancellor Kent. He died in 1861 and is buried near his father in St. Luke's Cemetery. Other former residents of Fishkill were the preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, Dr. De LaMontague and Dr. James Sykes Rumsey. The Denning family occupied the old house on Denning's Point, built by WiUiam Allen about a century ago. He had married Maria, the daughter of Gulian Verplanck, who had purchased the property JOHN T. SMITH. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 323 from the DePeyster family. This property wa» then known as the "Island in Fishkill Bay," as the records at Poughkeepaie attest. From this it can be inferred that ori^nally the Pwit had been an island. It is probable that it was the Denniags who built a causeway, thus converting the island into a point, for tli*ey gave it the name "Pres- quile" (almost an island). The Denmngs rem^tined nt the Point until the death of Miss Jane Denning atout fifteen years ago. Joseph Howland, who married Ehza N. Woolsey, came to Fishkill about 1855. He bought the Freeland property of over a hundred acres lying on the slope of the mountains east of the creek, where he built the house "Tioronda." On the breaking out of the Civil War Mr. Howland went to the frent, where he soon attained distinc- tion and rose to the r9,nk of General. He was much interested in the development and improvement of the two neighbering villages, par- ticularly Matteawan, where he established a library which bears his name. He also took an active part in the establishment of the National Bank at Fishkill-on-Hudson, as well as the Savings Bank. Smith T. Van Buren, a son of the President, lived at Fishkill for many years. Mr. Van Buren had been Secretary of Legation under Washington Irving when he was Minister to Spain. GiiENHAM takes its name from Rocky Glen, a wild and picturesque part of the creek between Matteawan and Fishkill Village, where the water rushes through a gorge. It was here that the factories were built about 1811, and a village sprang up which soon absorbed the little hamlet of Red Rock nearby. An interesting and well-known character of days past, who lived here, was Joe Tom, a coal black negro, a fish peddler through the week, and on Sunday a preacher. He had a stentorian voice, and possessed a fund of anecdotes, humorous as well as pathetic. Joe was an expert in smoking hams and herrings. The AUard Anthony house on the east side of the road between Glenham and Fishkill Village, now known as the Knapp house, was built by Heinrich Knapp in 1737. The initials "H. K." could at one time be deciphered on the gable of the house. This house and adjoin- ing farm afterwards came into the possession of the late Frederick Sc®field, the uncle of Mrs. Charles Bartow. Miles Scofield, one of three brothers, came from Stamford, Conn., soon after the Revolu- tionary War, and settled in the Highlands below Fishkill Village. 324 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Another brother, Lebeus, the ancestor of Mrs. Bartow, bought this land near Glenham. FisHKii,!, Village dates from a period long prior to the Revolu- tionary War, and it sprang up like many of the old villages of New England, from houses being built along a thoroughfare near a cross road. Though picturesque with its old churches and houses of past days, its two broad, slanting streets, shaded by overhanging trees, and uniting near the Dutch Church, it lacks the "Green" of a New Eng^ land town. But this want is more than offset by its proximity to the mountains, its situation at the north gate of the Highlands, through the narrow defiles of which the old turnpike passes between Albany and New York. This road was laid out two centuries ago and foUows the line of the old Indian trail. Along it the stage coaches rumbled in years long past, by the old mile stones, some of which are still standing. To the west is the "Green Fly" (Dutch Vly), a large swamp, although it is much reduced in size since the days of the early settlers. In former times the line of the Post Road to Albany, via Wappinger's Falls and Poughkeepsie, was carried over high ground, once known as Osbom's Hill, to avoid the swamp, and it is this hill which shelters the village from the westerly winds, — cold in winter, dry and hot in summer. Just beyond Trinity Church, the road through the village branches- in two, one eastward toward Brinckerhoff and Johnsville, passing sev- eral old homesteads, and the other, the Post Road, southward through the Highlands, past the Rapelje homestead, soon to cross the Put- nam County line. The village has always been quiet and secluded, the creek even lend- ing itself to such repose. Rapid and impetuous, above and below, yet so slow and placid is this stream as it passes through the village that it lacks the energy to turn the wheel for a mill. The coming of the Dutchess & Columbia Railroad forty years ago roused the old place from its slumbers and a few factories sprang up, but they soon languished and finally gave up the ghost. In 1876 a great fire rav- aged the town, destroying many of the old style wooden buildings, which have since been replaced by brick ones. Fifty years ago Ben- jamin Aymar, Judge Jackson and other families from the city of New York spent the summer months at the village. Later the Aymar plac* was occupied by the distinguished engineer, Oliver W. Barnes, until his death. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 325 Other residents of two or three generations back were : J. W. Oppie, counsellor-at-law, and Miss Oppie ; Mrs. Chatterton ; Hon. J. L. Jack- son, whose house was on the corner of the Post Road where it turns west ; C. A. Jackson lived further down the road leading to Matteawan and the river; I. E. Cotheal lived in the Rapelje house of his ances- tors, now owned by Mr. W. T. Blodgett. There was a boarding school for girls, and another for boys. Dr. Lewis H. White was prac- ticing medicine, and J. E. Van Steenburgh was cashier of the bank, then a prosperous concern. Samuel Hajrt was a wool dealer with a large county business, and Charles Burnham was a carriage maker. Baxtertown is a small hamlet on a by-road two miles to the west of Fishkill Village. It is mostly occupied by negroes, in whom flows blood of the Wappinger Indians, As the settlters came in and occupied the best of the land the Indians were relegated to the poorer land of the interior, for they did not take to agriculture, and inter- marrying with the negroes who were originally brought into the country as slaves they merged with them, and thus lost their identity. Many of the Fishkill negroes bear Indian features and some of them Indian traits. The Catskill family of Baxtertown is an illustration of this — old Harry was a well-built and handsome man with straight hair and almost no negro features. Harry would work on the farm for a few days in the "hay and harvest," then the blood of the old Wappinger would begin to stir, and he was off to stream and forest with rod and gun, leaving his wife Maria as the bread winner to do cooking in the kitchens of some of the old families. About two miles south of Fishkill Village on the old Post Road is a monument, erected October 14, 1897, by the Melzingah Chapter Daughters American Revolution, to mark the spot where were buried the soldiers who died in large numbers, of diseases, while in camp here during the Revolution. The tablet on the monument reads as follows : 1776-1783 IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE BRAVE MEN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND WHOSE REMAINS REPOSE IN THE ADJOINING FIELD. Washington expected that the British would force their way north- ward through the Highlands, so he reinforced himself strongly against them in this neighborhood. A short distance below, on the Post Road, 326 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. where the valley is narrow, earth-works were thrown up against the enemy's advance. They, too, have been marked by an appropriate tablet, viz. : ON THE HILLS BACK OF THIS STONE STOOD THREE BATTERIES GUARDING THIS PASS 1776-1783 MELZINGAH CHAPTER DAUGHTERS AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1903. The "Battle of Fishkill" never took place, however, and other places reaped the glory in the achievement of our independence. West of this road, on the mountains, is the monument on North Beacon to commemorate the burning of signal fires on North and South Beacons during the War of the Revolution, erected by Melzin- gah Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, July 4!ti[, 1900. Beinckeuhopf. About two miles northeast of Fishkill Village is the hamlet of Brinckerhoff, named from the family which had two homesteads in the neighborhood, that of Derrick being near the old Pitfesbyterian Church and the Star Mills, while John BrinckerhofF's was further up the Fishkill near its confluence with the Sprout. At the gate of the Derrick Brinckerhoff homestead, now owned by his descendant, Mr. Frank BrinckerhofF, formerly stood the Presby- terian Church, built in the eighteenth century. It was here that Chancellor Kent's father used to preach frequently on his way from his home in Putnam County to Poughkeepsie. The church in those days, and until it was destroyed by fire about forty years ago, had a considerable congregation, but with its destruction the congregation scattered among other churches in the neighborhood and no new build- ing was erected. The adjacent grJaveyard, now known as the Rom- bout cemetery, contains the old graves of early settlers of the neigh- borhood. In 1902 Melzingah Chapter, D. A. R., erected a tablet with an in- scription as follows: ON THE KNOLL STOOD THE "MIDDLE CHURCH" (PRESBYTERIAN) . BUILT 1747— RE-BUILT 1830— BURNED 1866. USED AS A MILITARY HOSPITAL DURING THE JlMERICAN REVOLUTION. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 327 The same chapter of D. A. K.., in June, 1905, erected a tablet to preserve the story of the old mills, which reads : STAR MILLS. BUILT BY ABRAM BRINCKERHOFP BURNED ABOUT 1777 AND RE-BUILT BY THE ORDER OF GENERAL WASHINGTON WHILE THE TROOPS WERE ENCAMPED AT FISHKILL. Near the graveyard is a monument erected May 30th, 1898, by the Lafayette Post, N. Y. G. A. R., to commemorate Lafayette's illness and sojourn during the Revolution when he was the guest of Colonel BrinckerhoflF. General Daniel Butterfield and Henry Tremain, Esq., made addresses on the occasion of the dedication. CHURCHES. The Dutch Church, Fishkill Village. According to the late T. Van Wyck BrinckerhofF, the Dutch Church at Foughkeepsie was the first church that was built in Dutchess County. The exact year of building is not so apparent. Probably about 1720. The writer adds that the church at Fishkill was built in 1731. "The petition to his excellency, John Montgomery, Esq., states 'that the members of said congfej^ation have agreed amongst themselves to erect and Iniild a convenient church, to the public worship of God, nigh the said Fish- kill Creek.' The glebe land for the first church at Fishkill, which by the way was the first church built on the Romboudt Patent, was given by Madam Brett and by Johannis Terboss. For twenty years it was the only church in the Patent. It was attended on alternate Sabba,th mornings, by people living far in the interior beyond Hopewell and Hackensack. For, beside Poughkeepsie, there was no other church, at that day on the east side of the Hudson, above the Highlander unless in the vicinity of Albany. Whenever, therefore, the preacher lifted his voice at Fishkill, it was the only voice, the only open pulpit in all that land. Rev. Cornelius Van Schie was the first pastor of the churches of Fishkill and Poughkeepsie. He was duly iinstalkd over this field of labor on the 4th of October, 1781. He removed to Albany in 1788. He was succeeded by the Rev< Benjamin Meinema^ the sec- ond pastor of the two churches. * * * Mr. Meinema was suc- ceeded by Rev. Mr. Van Nist, in November, 1758. But little is known of Mr. Van Nist. He only lived to retain his charge three years, and 328 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS, died in early manhood in 1761. He was buried in the ground adjoin- ing the church." Rev. Reginald Duffield is the present pastor. A dominie of the Dutch Church, FishkiU, of the eighteenth century, who should not be forgotten was Dr. Rysdyck (or Rysdike) ; he was pastor of the church there from 1772 to 1790. BrinckerhoiF says of him: "About this time Dr. Rysdike discontinued his charge over the Poughkeepsle congregation, devoting his tinie to Fishkill, Hopewell and New Hackensack. He died in 1790, and was buried under the spire of the church at New Hackensack, the floor being removed for that purpose. He was considered in his day one of the most accomplished preachers and scholars in America. The classics were as familiar to him as his own Holland tongue, and he was, also, a thorough Oriental Hebrew scholar. Educated in the best universities abroad, the accomplishments of the gentleman and the scholar were so blended as to be inseparable. His affa- bility and address are to this day spoken of, and his appearance is said to have been very • imposing. In person the Doctor was rather stoutly made, and, as was the custom of that day, rode through his charge on horseback. He always wore a cocked hat and wig, and invariably lifted his hat from his head in passing any- one, and gave them a friendly salutation. Upon Sabbath mornings he would ride to the church door and dismount, handing his horse to the sexton, who stood in readiness waiting his coming." From the tablet on the Dutch Church, placed on the occasion of the one hundred and sevienty-fifth anniversary, we learn that it was or- ganized in 1716 — Building erected in 1731 — Provincial Convention met here 1776' — Mihtary Prison during the Revolution — ^Enlarged 1786— Remodeled 1806-'20-'54-'82. The graveyard of the Dutch Church contains many interesting tombstones. The inscription on the earHer ones are in old Dutch. They mark the graves of the families of Van Voorhis, Brinckerhoff and others. Here, too, lies the bodies of the Rapelje, Swartwout, Verplanck, DuBoiis and Mesier and other early settlers of the Town- ship. The late Elias Van Voorhis, in his family history, has written on this graveyard, and later Miss Laura Rosa of Fishkill also pub- lished a valuable article on the same subject. Many of the inscrip- tions on the early Brinckerhoff gravestones, tending to become ruinous were placed on the walls inside the church by the late Abram DuBois, a noted physician of New York. Dr. DuBois was a native of Fish- kiU *and much interested in its history and development. He was a libera] donor in aid of the Rural Cemetery. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 329 Trinity CHtrncH, Fishkill Village.^ To find the origin of this par- ish we must go back to the year 1756, when this State was a province under the sovereignty of Great Britain. At that time the Rev. Sam- uel Seabury was one of the Missionaries of the Society for the Propa- gation of the Gospel (a body estabhshed in this country by the Church of England). He had settled at Hempstead, Long Island, for more than ten years when he rode on horseback up into Dutchess County to found the church in this region. He had been a student at Yale, but ended by taking his degree at Harvard in 1724, and in August, 1780, he was ordained a priest by the Bishop of London. After staying in England two years he went by appointment to New London, Connecti- cut, his native place, there he remained ten years before taking up his charge at St. George's Church, Hempstead. Ow^g to the acrimony which existed on Long Island at that time between the various sects, in which Dr. Seabury took no part whatever, he decided to leave that part of the country and become a missionary. Dutchess County in 1756 had a population of 14!,157 people, and included within its boundaries all of Putnam and a good part of Columbia counties. On Dr. Seabury's arrival he was entertained for several days at the house of Judge Terbos, and afterwards by the courtesy of the Dutch minister and the deacons he held services in their church. As many as three hundred people attended, coming from many miles away, several of whom offered to aid Dr. Seabury in the purchase of a glebe and the erection of a church. An unfor- tunate dispute arose with the churchmen at Poughkeepsie over the right to use these subscriptions. It was settled, however, in favor of FishkiU, whereupon the building which is now standing was erected. The land on wMch the church stands was given in September, 1767, and pledges for the erection of a church were not fully completed until 1769. The tablet placed on Trinity Church on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its foundation tells us: Founded by Samuel Seabury in communion with the Church of England, 1756 — Building erected about 1760— Rev. John Beardsley, first rector, October 26, 1776. Occupied by New York Provincial Convention which removed from White Plains, September 3, 1776.— Used as a Hospital by the Army of Washington until disbanded, June 2, 1783. 1. Extracts from an historical address by Rev. Joaepli Ivle, a former rector. 330 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. At a vestry meeting of Trinity Church, Fishkill, held November 2, 1796, the following vestrymen were present: Jeremiah Green, Ben- jamin Snider, John F. Carman, John Southard, Greenlief Street, Francis Peyer, Daniel C. Verplanck. The present rector is the Rev. Clinton Durant Drumm. The Reformed Dutch Chubgh at Fishkill-on-Hudson, was estab- lished in 1813, as an offshoot of the present church at Fishkill Village, which the growth of population on the river warranted. Among the principal donors of land and money was John Peter DeWint, also the Wiltse, Brett, Van Vliet, Verplanck, CromweH, Bogardus, Crosby, Brinckerhoff, Purdy and other families. The name of the first pastor does not appear on the recordis, but the Rev. Cornelius Westbrook was in charge from 1819 to 1823. His successors were Rev. William S. Heyer, 1823-''51 ; Rev. J. Howard Suydam, 1852-'63; Rev. Joseph Kimball, 18e3-'65; Rev. Martin L. Berger, 1865-'70; Rev. Charles W. Fritts, 18Tl-'99; Rev. Edward A. MacCuUum, 1899 . In 1860 the old church was replaced by the present building, during the pastorate of the Rev. J. H. Suydam, who was very active during the Civil War in arousing the patriotism of the people of this neigh- borhood, and instrumental in organizing relief societies of various kinds. Within the past year a tablet has been placed in the church in mem- ory of Dr. Fritts, testifying to his long, useful and honored services both for his church and the community. Methodist Episcopal Churches. The following review of the Methodist Episcopal Society in Matteawan and Fishkill Landing was furnished by the Rev. Arthur Thompson, recently pastor at the for- mer place. In 1819 a surveyor, afterward editor of the Poughheepsie Eagle, found Methodist societies of considerable strength along the eastern border of Fishkill, and in the adjoining towns of Kent and Patterson in Putnam County. Already a large camp-meeting had been estab- lished in the vicinity. For several years prior to 1819, meetings were usually held in the Tillbtt and Ketchum neighborhood, a short distance from Matteawan, on the east side of the creek. An old stone house, formerly occupied TOWN OF FISHKILL. 331 by the family of John Tillott, was appropriated to that purpose. Ser- vices were held occasionally at the house or barn on the farm of Mr. Ketchum, now owned by Mr. John R. Maddock. In 1819 the usual meeting place was changed to the school house west of the creek, and located on the old road about midway between Matteawan aiid the Landing near the old Methodist cemetery. During the earlier years this field was included in the Dutchess Circuit, which required a six weeks' journey of its pastors in order to cover the field. In 1819 it was changed to a four weeks' appoint- ment. On the opening of the new road or Main street, a site was selected for a church edifice. On March 29th, 1824, a meeting was held in the school house, and a boai^d of trustees was elected for the Methodist Episcopal Church in Fishkill, consisting of Gerardiiis De Forest, John Tillott, Henry McDonald, Jacob Cooper, and William Doughty. The building was erected and dedicated in the fall of 1824i. On the day of dedication sermons were preached by Rev. Mr. Washburn of Poughkeepsie ; Rev. Mr. Cochran, one of the circuit preachers, and Rev. William S. Hyer, pastor of the Reformed Church. The con- sistory of this society closed their own church for this occasion. In the spring of 1825 this appointment was made a station. Ser- vices were held in the Main street church until after the division of the society in 1860. The last service was held Sunday, February Srd, 1861. The building was sold to Horatio N. Swift, and used as a public hall for many years. It was while occupied by the Roman Cathohcs and known as St. John's Church that it burned, February 12, 1890. Previous to the division of the church in 1860, the society came to be known as the Matteawan Methodist Church. The Fishkill Land- ing portion of the divided society purchased a Presbyterian Church which was to be sold at foreclosure, and improved it for their church home. The Matteawan people secured a lot where the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut station now stands. The corner stone was laid October 13, I860, and the building dedicated January 16, 1862. This was a brick structure seating four hundred persons in the audi- torium, having lecture and class rooms below, and cost $7,000. The new Matteawan society began with a rdll of 115 members. In 1869 the building of the N. D. & C. railroad compelled the abandonment of 332 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. the church building, which was sold to the company. St. Anna's Episcopal Church building was then purchased and torn down. The comer stone of the present structure was laid August 3, 1869. The building was completed at a cost of $37,000 and dedicated May 7, 1870. Toward the cost of the property $10,000 net proceeds from the sale of the former church was apphed. Nearly $10,000 was pledged on the day of dedication. A substantial reduction was made in the indebtedness during the pastorate of Rev. Thomas Loge (1871- '72). There yet remained a mortgage of $12,000, when Rev. J. J. Dean began the securing of pledges October 16, 1878. The whole amount was finally secured and the mortgage was paid under the pastorate of Rev. C. R. North, August 18, 1880. The parsonage is located on North street, and is free of aU in- debtedness. The church building on Main street is one pf the finest specimens of semi-Gothic architecture along the Hudson river. The membership numbers about three hundred and seventy. The Pkesbyterian Chuech, Matteawan. In August, 1907, this church celebrated its "Diamond Jubilee." On this occasion a historic address was delivered by the Rev. Paul Stratton, and Mr. Joseph N. Badeau wrote a historic sketch, both of which were published in the Fishkill Standard soon afterwards. From these sources the following information is gathered: Seventy-five years ago the Presbyterian Church began when the "Presbytery of North River" met in the little schoolroom over the Mat- teawan store. The existence of the society goes back much further than this for it appears, according to the early records, that "a num- ber of the inhabitants of Matteawan and its vicinity met and formed a society by the name of the First Presbyterian Society at Mattea- wan." On this occasion twenty-four persons signed their names to the roll and these became charter members. They continued to meet in the upper part of the old Matteawan store and were first preached to by the Rev. Mr. Armstrong. These quarters soon proving too small, "the Presbytery of North River" met on the 27th of August, 1833, and organized the first Presbyterian Church in Mattewan, and thereupon, in response to a petition which was subscribed by a great number of people, a building was erected on the same ground on which the present building now stands — a building which stood for thirty- eight years thereafter. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 333 About 1870 it became evident that the old building was no longer large enough to suit the increased size of the congregation and steps were thereupon taken for the erection of another building. Plans were prepared by the celebrated architect, Richard M. Hunt, of New York. The committee to raise the funds consisted of Miss Violet Gordon, Messrs. James M. Taylor, Robert Gordon, William H. Laurens and Mrs. Thomas J. Way. The result was that on the 17th day of July, 1872, the building was completed and dedicated. Among those who subscribed hberally to the fund were Gen. Joseph Rowland, Robert H. Halgin and WiUard H. Mase. The last pastor of the old church was the late Dr. F. R. Masters, who, however, to the regret of all was never able to preach in the new church. The first minister who officiated there was the Rev. J. L. Sgott. The Rev. Dr. Wickham was the first pastor ; Dr. Irenaeus Prime was pastor for one year, being followed by the Rev. Sylvester Eaton. Then came Dr. Van Zandt, who was followed by the Rev. James Harkness, D.D., and later Mr. Davies and Dr. Carver. Mr. Theodore Van Vliet was a trustee of the church for thirty-four years. On the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the church the Rev. Thomas Reeves was then pastor, when the occasion was appro- priately recognized by services in the church. The Rev. Frank M. Carson succeeded Mr. Reeves, remaining for five years. The Rev. Plato T. Jones succeeded him, remaining for eleven years, and he in turn was succeeded by the Rev. Paul Stratton. The Rev. Mr. Carr has recently become pastor of the church- Si. Luke's Church, Matteawan. The church of the parish which is now known as St. Luke's was built in June, 1870, under the rector- ship of the Rev. Henry E. Duncan. The land consisting of twelve acres was given by Judge Henry E. Davies, in memory of his son. Colonel C. T. Davies, and the ground for the building was broken on the 10th of August, 1868. On the 17th of October of the same year a corner stone was laid by the Rev. Dr. J. J. Robertson, a former rector of the parish, when it was known as St. Anna's, and on the 16th of December of the following year the church bell was first rung. The architecture of the church and the laying out of the grounds were intrusted to the late Henry W. Sargent, to whose good taste and judgment the parishioners readily deferred. The late Frederick C. 334 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Withers, whose first wife was Miss Emily DeWint, was selected as the architect. Owing to the great cost of the church a large debt was carried for several years; but during the rectorship of Dr. Bartlett these incumbrances were discharged so that on the 17th of October, 1879, the church was consecrated by Bishop Potter. On the completion of the church in 1870 the officers were: Rev. Henry E. Duncan, Rector; James S. Rumsfey and John B. Seaman, Wardens; Cornelius Van Tine, John J. Monell, John VanderBurgh, Adrian V. Knevels, Henry Slack, James Wade, Smith T. Van Buren and Winthrop Sargent, Vestrymen, During this year a school house and rectory also were built on the new grounds. In 1887 the new rectory was burned and the rector, Rev. Henry Bedinger, and his family barely escaped with their lives. A great part of the parish records and other property were lost in this fire. It followed imme- diately after the great affliction which the rector was compelled to suffer in the death of two of his children within a few days of each other. On the 9th day of June, 1895, the parish appropriately commemo- rated the twenty-fifth anniversary of completion of the church. As a matter of fact, however, the parish was then nearly sixty-three years old, for St. Luke's is but the successor to, or rather the same as, St. Anna's parish, for when the vestry of the latter church determined to move from the center of the village in Matteawan, owing to the build- ing of the Dutchess and Columbia Railroad, it seemed wise to give a new name to the parish. When St. Anna's was torn down and St. Luke's was built no other change took place in the parish or among the communicants. St. Anna's stood on the site of the present Metho- (Kst Church. It was built of brick and about sixty-five feet long and thirty-six feet wide. It was in the Grecian temple style of archi- tecture, with six white coliimns on the front, and faced north. The new parish of St. Anna's was one of the daughters of old Trin- ity, at Fishkill Village, and the work of establishing this parish was begun before 1832 by Miss Hannah Teller and her sister Margaret, who afterwards married Robert Van Kleeck, the first rector. These good women lived in tlieir ancestral home, the Brett house, and there had a Sunday-school, which afterwards assembled over the Matteawan st^re. Services were soon held there. Mr. Robert Van Kleeck was the lay reader for the new parish and he continued with them until ^HP^^^rf^liri Pi K s£M 1^. y <«#9 ^^^^B^" iT^BBBI Hnfl .^^^H ^^^HVP^I^^K^^^^^^^^^H ^■hmi^K _ '.O^ IBJ ^kTT^ ^H ^^B^fe^L^^^v?^ 'yj|0? ^ S ^^^^H^ '* ^^i^^^^^^^^l ^^^^^^Hh^^^^^^H^B^^KA^2^^^H ^^K ^^-3^^ir ^^m is^^^^t ^^^^^^^^^^^HlHnB^ ^^Br si^^H ^^^^V^J|' ^H H. iili-'- '~^^M ^^^^^Kj -A,^ ^^^H ^^KKSBSkSk^ '<' ^^^^1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^£ ' ' ^r^C&J •^^^^^^^1 ^^^^^npF^^^^H ^^^^^■L^ .'"JH n OLIVER WELDON BARNES. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 335 October, 1832. During the succeeding winter Professor Hackley, of West Point, took his place. Mr, Van Kleeck was afterwards ordained and became the first rector. The present rector is the Rev. George Herbert Toop. St. Andeew's Church, Fishkill-on-Hudson. "The beginning of the movement which resulted in the establishment of this church," says Rev. Mr. George A. Green, the present rector, "takes one back to the year 1870, when the Rev. Henry E. Duncan, rector of St. Luke's Church, Matteawan, held a service over the First National Bank, on January 6th. May 15th, 1870, saw the formation of a Sunday-school which became incorporated under the name of the 'Teachers' Associ- ation of Fishkill Landing.' This organization developed into a self supporting parish. The Sunday-school, under the direction of the late George A. Seaman, was most successful, the books at times con- taining the names of 170 scholars and 16 teachers. The Sunday- school removed from the bank building in October of 1875, to what became known as the DeWint street chapel. Nineteen years later the property on South avenue between Main and Beacon streets, with a building thereon, was purchased for $3,500, and the first service held December 2, 1894. During the occupancy of both these buildings the work (of a 'mission' sort) was conducted under the oversight of the rectors of St. Luke's." "In 1898 definite efforts were made to organize an independent parish, and in the spring of 1899, St. Andrew's Church obtained its charter from the State. July 3rd its first vestry was elected. Church Wardens, James M. DeGarmo, George H. Williams, M.D. ; Vestry- men, John P. Rider, Ralph S. Tompkins, John F. VanTine, Charles H. Seaman, Ferris C. Shahan, Andrew Bleakley. Its first rector. Rev. Joseph Cameron, entered upon his duties September 21st of the same year. Almost immediately steps were taken looking to the erec- tion of a church, and May 4th, 1900, the first sod for its foundation was turned. January 6th, 1901, the new church was opened for divine service. Through the kindness of Mr. John P. Rider, a rec- tory became possible and was built in 1903, adjoining the church. The whole property represents an outlay of $27,000." An historical sketch of the CathoUc churches wiU be found in an- other chapter. 336 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. INDUSTEIES OF FISHXIIiIi. Mention has already been made passim of the various enterprises of the town since the days of Madam Brett, who may justly be called the founder of them. It is now proposed to give a brief history of the other and later industries, banks, etc., that have tended to develop the town. Matteawan and Fishkill Landing are now supplied by water from the mountains, the ponds, dams, pipes and plant generally, having been purchased by the village of Matteawan about five or six years ago, when the private enterprise failed. This was the Fishkill and Matteawan Water Company, which about fifteen years ago began operations in the vaUey south of the North Beacon, by building reser- voirs on the stream which passes into the river over the beautiful cas- cade and glen known as Melzingah. A few years afterwards, the company acquired land on the mountains on the north slope of the North Beacon and there impounded a considerable body of water on the stream which passes through Matteawan under the name of Dry Brook. When the village of Matteawan took over both these prop- erties, an arrangement was made with the village of Fishkill Landing to take part of the water and purvey it to the inhabitants at cost. On the whole the scheme has worked well, and when the contemplated improvements are made to the entire plant there wiU be a satisfactory solution of the water question, and a most important one it has be- come, owing to the system of sewers which the two villages have re- cently installed. Events of this kind are tending to bring them to- gether, and many years will not elapse before they are consolidated into one municipality. The gas and electric light works are operated by private capital. Principally through the enterprise and activity of the Hon. John T. Smith an electric railroad was opened about ten years ago, connecting the ferry at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson with Matteawan and Fishkill Vil- lage. The power is taken from the creek, supplemented by steam. The electric light plant, which is also largely due to Mr. Smith, has since been consolidated with the electric railway and the combined companies furnish power to several of the industries of the neighbor- hood. The historic beacons of the Fishkill mountains have recently been made easily accessible by the building of an inclined railway, such as TOWN OF FISHKILL. 337 has been in successful operation on the Catskill mountains for several years past. The construction of commodious buildings for a summer pleasure resort has brought large numbers of tourists to the moun- tains and also enabled them to be readily enjoyed by the inhabitants of the town, and the increase in the number of tourists has warranted the opening of a firstclass hotel within the past year. For the incep- tion and successful operation of this enterprise the town is indebted to Mr. Weldon F. Weston, his brother, the late W. H. Weston of Newburgh, and to Mr. Eugene S. Whitney and some others from New Hampshire. The following historical review of the industries, banks and trans- portation is from the pen of Mr. Theodore Brinck&rhoff, president of the Matteawan National Bank. The first mill was erected by Madam Brett near the mouth of the Fishkill Creek. This mill served not only all the inhabitants of the Rombout Patent, but also a portion of Orange County, grain being brought across the river in boats to be ground at that mill. The next mill was erected on the BrinckerhofF lands a few miles east of Fishkill Village. Two brothers of that name came from Long Island in 1718, and purchased two thousand acres of land of Madam Brett. During the Revolutionary W^r this mill was owned and oper- ated by Derick BrinckerhofF, who was very prominent in organizing and supplying the Continental troops with provisions and forage. Washington, in passing to and from the department of the east, made his house his stopping place, and LaFayette was confined to his hos- pitable mansion by illness for six weeks. The room which he occupied was kept intact when the rest of the house was torn down to make room for a more commodious mansion. This incident has been com- memorated by the erection of a monument on the lawn by Lafayette Post, G. A. R., of New York, who dedicated it with appropriate cere- monies on Decoration Day, 1898. It is said that Colonel Derick became somewhat inquisitive in regard to the movements of the troops, when Washington asked him "if he could keep a secret." On being assured that he could, Washington repKed that he also could. This mill was burned during the war and tradition relates it was rebuilt by the soldiers stationed near Fishkill, 338 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. for the purpose of supplying flour for the troops. This mill is stiD in esistence, and is owned and occupied by Alexander Dudley. Colonel Derick Brinckerhoff, like all others of the name in America, was a descendant of Joris Brinckerhoff and Susannah, his wife, who came from Flushing, Holland, and settled at Newton, L. I., in 1638. Five hundred acres of this purchase of the Brinckerhoffs still remain in the family, being owned and occupied by Frank Brinckerhoff'. Another of the old Brinckerhoff houses was the homestead of Colonel John Brinckerhoff, now owned and occupied by Myers Brownell. Its date of erection as indicated by large iron letters inserted in a stone inj3i6 wall, was 1738. r^ The ;iext mill was the Schenck mill, erected by Abraham H. Schesack in the year 1800.) This mill did a large business grinding grain, and much of its product in early days was shipped to New York. It is still, in existence, near the railroad station. Later, Joseph Byrnes and Robert Newlin erected a mill on the navi- gable waters of the Fishkill Creek. They dug a canal from the old Madam Brett dam, nearly a quarter of a mile, to convey water to their wheel. This mill burned in the late thirties. Messrs. Byrnes and Newlin dissolved partnership and each built a brick structure, Mr. Newlin continuing in the milling business and Mr. Byrnes' miU being used for the manufacture of white lead. The presidential campaign of 1840 was carried on with great zeal and earnestness, the principal dividing hne being the tariff, the Whigs advocating a. high protective tariff and the Democrats one for revenue only. The Whigs had nominated General William Henry Harrison for President, mainly on account of his popularity as an Indian fighter. He had subdued Tecumseh, the ablest Indian of his genera- tion, at the battle of Tippecanoe, and for that reason the admirers of Harrison had given him the name of that battle. The country rang with the plaudits of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," and from the fact that General Harrison was bom or supposed to have been born in a log cabin, that was made the emblem of the party. The Whigs of Fishkill had erected their log cabin and had met to dedicate it. Speak- ers and music (and it was said hard cider too) were provided in abundance, but a little incident occurred that placed a damper on thfir enthusiasm. Some one, supposed to be of the opposite political party, had procured the bladder of a skunk and placed it in the cabin, TOWN OF FISHKILL. 339 and whea it was stepped on, aAyane acquainted with the pungency, aril perTadingism and pePsisteiicy of that perfume caU imagine the deep disgust and indignation of the partisans in and aroUnd that cabin. The Whigs won that election, and as they had been for twelve long years outside the breastworks, they hastened to carry out their prin- ciples. A high tariff was soon enacted and then came a wild tush to get into manufacturing, largely the spinning and weaving of cotton goodtS. New mills were erected wherever water power could be pTo- cured, as steam had not as yet been used to any extent oU lafld as a source of power. Flouring mills were dismantled and cotton machin- ery installed. Both the Newlin and Byrnes mills underwent this ti^ari'S- formation, George Pine and associates in the one, and John BroWn and Epenetus Crosby in the other. They had hardly got in opera- tion when the Democrats came into power in 1844 and with them the reduction of the rates of duty. This fact, together with the over- production, drove many of these new ventures to the wall and among them the Pine and Brown mills. They were again stripped of their machinery and laid idle for a number of years, when Mr. Sleight fitted them up as fliouring mills. He brought his Wheat frtoi the West in canal boats and elevated it directly into the mills, as the raising of wheat had been largely discontinued in the Hudson Valley, having followed the Star of Empire, and Rochester was the largest producer of flour in the United States, the magnificent water poWer of the Genesee River being used for this purpose. Mr. Sleight's enterprise did not prove a success and he was succeeded by Mr. Coleman. Dur- ing his occupancy, which was not a long one, the mills burned, Sep- tember 9th, 1862, and have never been rebuilt. During the cotton craze of 1841 and '42 Robert G. Rankin and Mr. Freeland, his brother-in-law, erected a dam and factory at Wiccopee, about a quarter of a mile south of the Matteawan Works. During the' collapse of the cotton spinning business this factory was turned over to Charles M. Wolcott. He sold it in 1858 to the New York Rubber Company. This coftcern was organized in 1852 for the pur- pose of making rubber belting and toys, under the Goodyear patents, and removed to this point from Staten Island. It has been excellently managed, has paid good dividends to its stockholders, and been very liberal to its employees. Mr. John P. Rider is president of the com- pany. 340 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The Glenham mill was organized by Peter H. Schenck, John Jacob Astor, Philip Hone, Dr. Bartow White and others in the year 1822. They built a factory for the manufacture of woolen goods. Mr. Schenck was its first president and was succeeded by his son-in-law, Russell Dart, Sr., and he in turn was succeeded by his son, Russell Dart, Jr. The company operated their factory with varied success until the breaking out of the Civil War, when the demand for indigo blue goods to clothe the army became so great that the company were compelled to enlarge their mill to many times its former capacity. In addition many tenements were built during the inflated period. Be- tween 1862-18T3 or soon after the latter date, the company having expended a large share of their profits in brick and mortar and costly machinery, was unable to stand the shock of the financial panic and the general drop of prices in rough material and finished goods and was compelled to make an assignment September 29th, 1873, with liabihties of $700,000, assets $300,000 in stock and material. B. Piatt Carpenter, a lawyer of Poughkeepsie, was the asignee, but sub- sequently a commissioner in bankruptcy was appointed, and under his direction the property was sold to A. T. Stewart, the noted New York dry goods man, for $190,000 — only a portion of its cost. This sale included not only the original Glenham factory, about one hundred tenements and a farm on the east side of the creek, but also the site of the former Rocky Glen Cotton Mills which had been acquired from Gamer & Co. by the Glenham Company, and also several smaller fac- tories at GroveviUe. Mr. Stewart kept the mills in operation and also built at GroveviUe in 1876 large and costly factories for the manu- facture of carpets. These buildings were equipped with the best and most modem ma- chinery that money could buy. They had hardly got in successful operation when by the death of Mr. Stewart the property by some means came into the possession of Judge Hilton & Sons. Soon after the Hilton blight fell on, all this property, the original factory at Glen- ham was allowed to fall into ruins, the machinery sold for junk, and where was once heard the whirl of the looms and the voices of hun- dreds of operatives earning their daily bread, is now heard nothing but the crash of falling ruins and the roar of the waters of the creek as ihey pass on unused and unutilized. The GroveviUe mills, owing to their newness and strength, have sO' JAMES G. MEYER. TOWN OF nSHKILL. 341 far escaped a similar fate. They ceased operations in the fall of 1893 and have never resumed; the machinery for the most part has been sold for junk. How long, O men, how long is this Dog in the Manger policy to be continued? How long are these natural resources of the town to be wasted and the splendid property which A. T. Stewart built up allowed to go to decay and ruin? The Matteawan Company, organized in 1812 by Peter H. Schenck, J. J. Astor, Philip Hone and others, erected the stone cotton mill in 1814, as attested by the inscription in the wall. The company was reorganized in 1826, and shortly thereafter they built the machine shop and foundry on the east side of the creek, devoted largely to the production of cotton machinery. In 1848 and '49 they built two locomotives for the Hudson River Railroad Company. The company made an assignment to Robert G. Rankin and Robert Carver. The property and assets were sold in the same year by John A. C. Gray, the receiver, to the Matteawan Manufacturing and Machine Co., of which Samuel B. Schenck was president and manager. The property on the east side of the creek was sold under a mortgage held by Charles M. Wolcott, and purchased by him. This sale was set aside by the court in justice to the creditors. At a second sale Mr. Wol- cott purchased the stone cotton mill and the property known as the Clay mill farther up the creek, together with several outbuildings. Mr. Wolcott disposed of the property to John Falconer, who operated it under the name of the Seamless Clothing Manufacturing Co., in which he was associated with Mr. William Carroll. The company failed in 1876, and the concern subsequently resumed business under the name of William Carroll & Co. Mr. Carroll was obliged to sus- pend payment in 1883, but a few years later liquidated all claims at one hundred cents on the dollar, and has since continued successfully in the manufacture of wool and straw hats. The Rothery File Works was established in 1835 by John Rothery, who came from Yorkshire, England. Mr. Rothery was the first to manufacture new files in America. After the business had outgrown several shops, Mr. Rothery, in company with his sons John and Wil- liam, purchased property in Tioronda avenue, and erected a commo- dious plant. In 1873 they erected another large building, which was destroyed by fire October 28, 1886. It was rebuilt and leased by the Rotherys to Messrs. Rockwell & Son for a silk factory. The Roth- 342 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. erys had no faith in machine-made files, and refused tp thus equip their plant. They were eventug,Ily compelled to give up the business, as they could not compete in price with the machine-made file. The Fishkill Landing Machine Co. was incorporated February 17, 1853, to engage in the manufacture of stationary and marine engines, and a general machine business. The original capital was $25,000. The company was composed of some seventeen individuals, mostly resi- dents of Matteawan, who had been employed by the Matteawan Co. as irpn workers. The Matteawan Manufacturing Co. was organized in 1864!, with a capital of $150,000, for the manufacture of fine wool hats. This in- dustry is one of the largest of its kind in the State, and is fully described in Part II of this work, together with various other indusT tries of the town, including the New York Rubber Co., the Green Fuel Economizer Co., the Fishkill Landing Machine Co., the Dutchess Hat Works, the Dutchess Tool Works, and the A. V. Rockwell Silk Mills. The Fishkill and Matteawan Water Works was organized in 1885, the late Wm. H. Van Vliet being its promoter, and Taintor & Holt, bankers of New York City, its financial agents. They purchased twenty acres of land of Catherine and Theodore Brinckerhofi^, and built a dam across the Melzingah stream nearly four hundred feet above tidewater, laid mains to the villages and two years later con- structed another dam farther up the stream. These two reservoirs not being sufficient to meet the growing necessities of the villages, another one was constructed on the east side of Mt. Beacon with an independent outlet. Qn the morning of the 14th day of July, 1897, about 2 A. M., after several days of rain, a cloudburst struck the upper dam at Melzingah and tore a great hole in it. The imprisoned waters rushed down the gorge, breaking through the lower dam and carrying everything before it — rocks weighing ten tons that had laid iq the ravine since the glacial period were hurled like pebbles before the rush of waters to a distance of five hundred feet. Bridges were carried away, and at TimoneyviUe tenements were wrecked and seven persons drowned. This disaster crippled the company, and after re- pairing the lower dam they pfi'ered it for sale, and it was purchased fey ,4a syndicate in the name of Eugene Whitney, and was subsequently turned over to the villages. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 343 BEICK INDUSTBIES. In the late thirties of the nineteenth century John Gillies and Henry Churchill of Breakneck, Isaac Brinckerhoff of what is now Dutchess Junction, and John Gowdy on the Wiltse property at Fishkill Land- ing, established brick yards. These men were the pioneers in a busi- ness which has since grown to great proportions and has been a source of employment for many and of great profit to the town. They used the circular pit and wheel for mixing the materials and a hand press for moulding the brick. Previous to that time the clay and sand were mixed by driving oxen through it and moulding it by hand—a slow and laborious process. In the early forties Mr. Adams invented a machine, that bore his name, which was used in connection with the circular pit and wheel for many years, and which mixed and moulded the brick in one operation. On the advent of the Hudson River Rail- road in 1847 the Gillies, Churchill and Brinckerhoff yards were dis- continued, the railroad running through them. Mr. Gowdy continued to operate his yard and on his retirement was succeeded by Mr. Joseph Lomas, who, in connection with Stephen Saunters, rented and afterwards purchased the property from a concern who had acquired it for the purpose of installing a Chambers machine. This machine mixed the materials and ran it through a die in a continuous stream and the brick was cut off the right length by a knife on a large wheel. During the hard times succeeding the panic of 1873 Mr. Lomas be- came financially involved and the property was acquired by Mr. Wel- ler of Newburgh, who sold it to the New York & New England Rail- road Company and the plant was discontinued. In 1852 Thomas Aldridge, a shrewd and successful manufacturer, purchased of John Van Vliet and Isaac Brinckerhoff forty-six acres of clay property and established a small yard thereon. This has been gradually enlarged and now has a daily capacity of four hundred and eighty thousand brick. The property is all operated under leaseholds under control of the Aldridge Brothers Company. About 18S5 Joshua Jones, of the noted insurance family of that name, purchased of Peter C. DuBois forty acres of what was known as Plum Point. Mr. Jones estabhshed a yard and at his death it was 344 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. acquired by Daniel R. Weed and was afterwards purchased by George H. Brown for a terminal for the Dutchess & Columbia Railroad. That part of the property not used by the railroad was rented and after- wards purchased by W. D. Budd, and at his death the property de- scended to his two daughters, who have successfully operated and enlarged it. It has a daily capacity of about one hundred and ten thousand brick. The Misses Budd were the first to introduce elec- tricity as a mode of conveying power from the engine to the machines. About 1856 Daniel Gurnee and relatives purchased of Isaac Brinck- erhoff thirty-six acres of clay adjoining the Aldridge property and built a yard. This plant has been run by different tenants with varied success and is now operated by William K. Hammond, with a daily capacity of ninety-six thousand. This was one of the properties purchased by the American Brick Company and on the failure of that scheme reverted to its original owners to their large profit. About 1870 George Wade and the Van Amburgh family built a yard on their premises adjoining the Gurnee yard, and after operat- ing a year or two, sold it to a syndicate of New Yorkers who had a contract for furnishing brick for the Fourth Avenue Tunnel. In consequence of the depreciation in the price of brick and by mis- management the company failed and it was acquired by Samuel R. Piatt, of the Buckeye Mowing Machine Company of Poughkeepsie, which had large claims on the company. At his death the property was purchased by Francis Timoney, whose heirs stiU own it. The daily capacity is about two hundred and twenty thousand. In the late fifties William H. Van Vliet started a small brick plant in connection with his saw miU on the tide water of the Fishldll Creek. Mr. Van Vliet was one, if not the very first, to attempt drying brick by artificial heat. He used hot air. It was not a success, and owing to the distance from the main channel of the Hudson River and the absence of harbor tugs, the yard was discontinued. Mr. Van Vliet was the first to use wheel trucks for conveying brick from the machines to the drying yard. By this means one man carried from thirty to forty brick, while by the old way one boy or man carried only five. In the late fifties Benjamin Gardner built a yard on the Rumsey property at Fishkill Landing. This yard was run by different ten- ante until the New York & New England Railroad was built in front of it, when it was discontinued. m *^ WHK^ttB^^^tk ^j^ A. H. BLACKBURN. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 345 In the early eighties Alexander McLane built for Mr. Homer Rams- dell a yard on the John Wiltse property near Denning's Point. This property, together with a part of Denning's Point, the Newlin Mills and the Newlin homestead, had been acquired by Mr. Ramsdell by virtue of a mortgage which the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad Company had given him to secure the purchase price of his ferry and some Newburgh property. On the failure of the company, Mr. Rams- dell came into possession of the whole. This yard has been enlarged at different times and now has a capacity of about two hundred and fifty thousand per day. In the late nineties Messrs. Hammond & Freeman established a yard next south of the Timoney plant, with a daily capacity of about ninety thousand brick. « In the late fifties Mr. Gilbert CoUins built a yard on his property near Chelsea, then known as Low Point. At his death it was pur- chased by Thomas Aldridge, who afterwards sold the property to James V. Mead, who operated it until the clay at a workable distance from the surface was exhausted, when the yard was abandoned. In the eighties Charles Griggs built a yard on the Hunt property at Chelsea. It has since been run by different tenants. It has a capacity of about seventy thousand. The Brockway Brick Company, about half way between Chelsea and Fishkill Landing, occupies the site of the seventy-acre property formerly the country seat of the late William Y. Mortimer, from whom Edwin Brockway bought it in 1886. By extensive filling in along the front the yard has become the largest in output on the east bank of Newburgh Bay. The death of William S. Verplanck in 1885 brought several addi- tional yards into existence which have been operated under leases and are adjacent to the Brockway Brick Company. Among the tenants were O'Brien & Vaughey, William Lahey, Clayton C. Bourne, Thomas Dinan, WiUiam H. Aldridge and John Paye. Part of these clay prop- erties were incorporated under the name of the Verplanck Brick Com- pany. All together they have a daily capacity of over 400,000 bricks. BANKS. The First National Bank of Fishkill Landing was organized August 10, 1863, with a capital of $50,000, which was increased in 1864 to 346 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. $100,000, and in 1872 to $150,000. July 1, 1876, the capital was reduced to $100,000, at which figure it has since remained. This hank was among the very earliest to organize under the National Bank Act, as evidenced by its charter number, 35. Captain Walter Brett was its first president, and Conrad N. Jordan its first cashier. Janu- ary 1, 1870, Mr. Brett was succeeded by James Mackin, who con- tinued at the head of this institution until 1886, when the Hon. John T. Smith was chosen president and has held that office to the present time. Mr. Thomas Aldridge, for many years paying teller, has re^ cently become cashier, through the death of Mr. Milton E. Curtiss, wlio had been cashier for upwards of thirty-five years. The Mechanics' Savings Bank of Fishkill Landing, of which the Hon. John T. Smith has been president since 1883, was chartered March 5, 1866. Joseph Howland was elected its first president, and was succeeded in 1868 by WiUiam S. Verplanck. Silas G. Smith accepted the presidency in 1873, holding the office until his death in 1883, The Matteawan Savings Bank was chartered March 21, 1871, with twenty-one trustees. It opened for business in April of that year in the office of the National Felt Works. David Davis was its first president and was succeeded by Willard H. Mase. For the past fifteen years the Hon. Samuel K. Phillips has been at the head of this institution. The Matteawan National Bank was organized in 1893, with eapi-' tal of $100,000. It opened its doors for business on the 23d of May of that year. Mr. Theodore BrinckerholF was chosen president, and Mr. David Graham cashier, both of whom still hold these positions. The Bank of Fishkill was incorporated June 1, 1850, with a capi- tal of $120,000. Samuel A. Hayt was its principal promoter, and for several years its president. April 1, 1863, it was converted to a national bank and the capital was increased to $200,000. In 1877 the bank was obliged to close its doors on account of extravagant loans made to unscrupulous business adventurers. The failure in- volved the Itoss of the capital, $200,000, and an assessment of seventy per cent on each share. Fishkill Institute for Savings was incorporated February 25, 1857. The "first officers were: Alexander Hasbrouck, president; James E. Van Steenbergh, treasurer; Samuel H. Mead, secretary. Mr. Has- TOWN OF FISHKILL. 347 brouck removed to Poughkeepsie in 1861, in which year he resigned from the office of president, and was succeeded by T. V. W. Brincker- hoff. In 1869 James E. Dean was elected president, aild held the office twenty-two years, when he resigned and was chosen treasurer, resigning the latter office in 1904. During the period of litigation with the receiver of the National Bank of Fishkill the business of the Savings Institute suffered considerably from loss of confidence, but passed through the crisis triumphantly, and now stands on a firm foun- dation. Its present officers are: Franklin R. Benjamin, president, and Charles R. Montfort, treasurer. TRANSPORTATION. Martin Wiltse & Son succeeded the Frankfort Association at the lower Fishkill lan<&g. They ran a line of sloops to New York, carry- ing freight and passengers. Sometimes these vessels would make the trip in less than twenty-four hours ; at other times with high adverse winds they might be nearly a week on the passage. The passengers furnished their own bedding and provisions. One of these vessels, the "Hope," Captain George Wiltse, being struck with a sudden squall at the mouth of the Highlands, capsized, a-nd some of the pas- sengers were drowned. This accident created a profound sensation in that rural community, who were not yet satiated by the daily press with steamboat, railroad and automobile accidents throughout the civilized world. The Wiltses, in addition to the New York route, conducted a ferry to Newburgh by means of a row boat and a piragua, a two-masted vessel without a jib. Quam, a negro slave, was the ferry man. The darkey loved his New England rum and was deathly afraid of being kidnapped and sent south, so when he ventured to the village after nightfall in pursuit of his favorite tipple, the practical jokers of that time were sure to bring up the doings of the kidnappers, and, to im- press it on his mind, would pursue him in a lonely piece of road be- tween the village and the landing. The tracks that darkey would make made the sprinters of that day turn green with envy. A few years later, after the Matteawan factory was started, Mar- tin Wiltse, the son of the first Martin, started a freighting establish^ ment at the Upper Landing, and being a brother-in-law of Peter H. Schenck, the principal man in the Matteawan enterprise, he received 348 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. all their freight, which had become of considerable importance. Both of these concerns were in operation until John Peter DeWindt had completed the long wharf to the main channel of the Hudson, in 1816. Peter Brett, Epenetus Crosby and John MacKinnon placed the steamboat "Norfolk" on the New York route. This boat was very staunch and very slow, and it was a common joke among the boatmen that with a head wind and tide the Norfolk would race for hours with Pollipel's Island. Messrs. Brett & Crosby were succeeded by James Rankin, W. H. Van Wagenen and John McKinnon. They made improvements on the Norfolk by placing staterooms on the upper deck, as previously most of the sleeping accommodations were below deck the same as on the sloops. After a year or two Mr. Rankin assumed the whole busi- ness and carried it on for a time alone, when the troubles in the Matteawan factory and the competition of the railroad and the con- sequent loss of freight compelled him to suspend. The Norfolk was sold and went to that graveyard of steamboats, Rondout Creek. He was succeeded by Walter Brett and Joseph Cromwell, under the name of Brett & Cromwell. They ran the barge "Independence," and Mr. Cromwell having died, Captain Brett associated with him Mr. Matthews. They purchased the steamboat "Ansonia," renamed her the William Kent, and soon after, the war having broken out, re- ceived a very lucrative charter and afterwards sold her to the govern- ment at a greatly increased price. This boat, under another name, is still running to an up-river port. Mr. Matthews having retired, Captain Brett associated with him Captain C. W. Brundage and John Place, under the firm name of Walter Brett & Co. They purchased the steamboat "Mary Benton" from the government, the war having closed, renamed her the "Walter Brett," enlarged her and placed her on the New York route. This venture was not a success and the boat was sold. Captain Brett hav- ing retired, Messrs. Brundage and Place carried on the business by means of a transfer barge by which their freight was carried to New- burgh and placed on the Ramsdell line of barges and steamers. This arrangement continued for several years, when Mr. Place retired and Captain Brundage carried on the business alone. Mr. Ramsdell in the mealitime had purchased the Long Dock, and on the death of Captain Brundage his concern assumed the whole control. On the completion TOWN OF FISHKILL. 349 of the Long Wharf, Messrs. Carpenter, Lawrence and DeWindt built a horse boat for the Newburgh ferry from that point. This boat was sixty-two feet long and forty-two feet wide, probably a catamaran, as that was the usual style of ferry boat of the period, that is, two hulls joined together at their decks with a wheel between the hulls. This boat was named the Moses Rogers, in honor of the Captain who took the first steamship — the Savannah — across the Atlantic. The ferry- boat was propelled by eight horses on "sweeps" and was said to have been capable of carrying ten loaded teams and made the distance of one mile in ten or twelve minutes. It was soon after the advent of the horse boat in 1828, that Thomas Powell, a successful and energetic steamboat man of New- burgh, bought up all the ferry rights of the Wiltsies and DeWindts and placed a steam ferry boat on the route. The first boat of which the writer has any knowledge was named the Goldhunter. She ran many years and the business becoming so great on account of the Newburgh ferry and the Cochecton Turnpike being the favorite route to the southern tier of counties of New York and Northern Pennsyl- vania, the Erie Railroad and Delaware & Hudson Canal not yet being constructed, Mr. Powell was compelled to get a larger boat to accom- modate the traffic. The Williamsburgh was placed on the route, and after her the Union, which was burned, and the Fishkill-on-Hudson and City of Newburgh. This ferry has always been the most impor- tant one between New York and Albany and has been a mint of money to its owners, the Ramsdell family, Mr. Ramsdell, Sr., being a son-in- law of its original proprietor, Thomas Powell. During the early days vast droves of cattle and sheep were driven down the Cochecton Turnpike and across this ferry to be fattened on the rich pastures of Dutchess and Westchester Counties, and the valleys of the Housatonic and Connecticut rivers. In the fall of 1849 the Hudson River Railroad was completed. It was considered by most of the inhabitants of the Hudson River towns a wild and chimerical project, and prognostications of its fibtiancial failure were abundant. It was thought to be the height of madness to lay rails along the shore of the magnificent Hudson, the only river which penetrated the Appalachian chain of mountains on the whole Atlantic Coast with tide water from the sea. Previous to the completion of the railroad an efi'ort was made to 35G THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. keep na^'igation open during the winter months. The steamer Utiea was furnished with a false bow, which enabled her to fun upon and erush the ice with her weight. This was partially successful, and a year or two later the Highlander of Newburgh and Norwich of Rondout were fitted out in a similar manner. They were successful in keeping the river open as far as Newburgh, where they connected with stages on both sides of the river. By this arrangement a pas- senger could leave New York in the morning and be in Albally the following morning. The Norwich at this time gained a reputation as an ice breaker, which she has ever since retained. The Dutchess & Columbia Railroad, opened for traffic between Pine Plains and Dutchess Junction in 1869, was operated for a time by the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad. On the failure of that company, the Dutchess & Columbia Company used its own rolling stock and operated the road themselves. It placed a ferry boat on the route to Newburgh in 1871, and also car floats to the same place. The Dutchess & Colum- bia was reorganized in 1877 as the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut Railroad. It was sold to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- road July 1, 1905, for one million dollars. The New York & New England Railroad, the successor of Boston, Hartford & Erie, opened from Waterbury, Conn., to Hopewell Junc- tion December 12, 1881, leased trackage from the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut to Wiccopee and built a spur from that point to Fish- kill Landing. It established a car ferry from that point to New- burgh, and carried large quantities of freight from the Erie, Ontario & Western and West Shore Railroads. Later it was absorbed by the New York, New Haven & Hartford, and the car ferry was discon- tinued THE PRESS. The New York Packet, the initial number of which was issued at Fishkill Village, October 1, 1776, was the first newspaper pubhshed in Dutchess County. Samuel Louden, its editor, came out boldly as an uncompromising patriot. He fled from New York with his press and material when that city came into the possession of the British. While in Fishkill he printed the journals of the Legislature, and also the erders for the army while it lay at Newburgh, In 1777 he was instructed to print three thousand copies of the State Constitution. Shortly after the close of the war he returned to New York. WELDON F. WESTON. TOWN OF FISHKILL. 351 The first distinctly local newsjmper was the Free Ftess, established in 1841 at Fishkill Village by Fred W, Ritter. A year later it was removed to Poughkeepsie. The next paper published at the village was the Fishkill Journal, started in 1863 by H. A. Guild, and dis- CQutiniied in 1855. It was followed in 1857 by the Dutchess Covmty Timea, of which J. Carpenter Milfe was editoir. Alfred W. Lomas soon succeeded Mr, MiUs, and changed the name of the paper to the FishhUl Journal. In 1860 it passed into the hands of Caleb M. Hotal- ing, and in 1862 into thoise of Charles S. Wilber, who s«)ld it that year to James E. Dean and Milton A. Fowler. In August, 1865, George W. Owen became its publisher, and continued the paper in the village until 1882, when he removed the plant to Matteawan. In November of the same year the Fishkill Weekly Times was established by the Fishkill Printing Association, which was subsequently absorbed by James E. Dean. His son, Herman Dean, has edited the paper since 1888. It is a hve, four-page, eight-column sheet, independent in politics. The Fishkill Standard. This paper was started at Fishkill Land- ing about the time the Free Press was discontinued at Fishkill Village. It is the oldest paper in the town, and although it has frequently changed ownership, its title remains the same. The first number was issued August 2, 1842, by William R. Addington, who published it imtil 1860. A Vanderwerker & Co. and Reed & Vanderwerker con- ducted it until 1862, when it passed into the hands of John W. Spaight, who continued it until 1907. It is now published by his son, Charles E. Spaight. The Matteawan Evening Journal is a live, democratic paper, edited by Morgan H. Hoyt. There have been frequent changes in the press of Matteawan since the time of the Daily Herald, which was started in 1869 by Charles G. Coutant. It was soon changed to a weekly, and in 1872 was succeeded by the Matteawan Enterprise, published by James H. Woolhiser. The plant was destroyed by fire in 1875. The Matteawan Observer was started in the fall of 1876 by Peter H. Vos- burgh, who sold it in '77 to George W. Owen. Mr. Owen conducted the plant as a job printing office in connection with the Journal, which he published at Fishkill Village. He combined the two establishments at Matteawan in 1882, and in 1885 started the Daily Journal. The Fishkill Daily Herald was established at Fishkill Landing in 352 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1892, by Adams & Still. In less than a year it was sold to Thomas Pendell, who continued the paper until July 1, 1897. It was then bought by George F. Donoghue, the present editor. Records of the meetings of precinct and town boards were de- stroyed by fire in 1876. A list of the Supervisors of the South Ward and of Rombout Precinct from 1720 to 1787 will be found in Chapter VI. The following is the succession of town Supervisors from 1848: 1848— '49 Alexander Hasbrook 1875 Lyman Robinson 1850— 'S3 Henry Mesier 1876-'77 Charles W. Tompkins 1860 John Jaycox 1878— '79 Sylvester H. Mase 1861 John R. Phillips 1880 John F. Gerow 1863 James Markin 1881 Thomas S. Judson 1863 John R. Phillips 1883— '85 John T. Smith 1864 John Rothery 1886— '87 John P. Rider 1865— '66 Augustus Hughson 1888 William H. Wood 186T— '68 James E. Shurter 1889 Samuel H. Sanford 1869 James Mapkin 1890 Samuel B. Rogers 1870— '71 Edward M. Goring 1891 Frank G. Rikert 1873— '73 Lyman Robinson 1893— '01 James E. Mtmger 1874 Henry H. Hustis 1903— '09 B. Frank Greene REV. AMOS T. ASHTON, D. D. TOWN OF HYDE PARK. 353 CHAPTER XXII. THE TOWN OF HYDE PARK. By Rev. Amos T. Ashton, D.D. THE Town of Hyde Park occupies a central position upon the west border of the county. It is bounded on the north by town of Rhinebeck; east, by Clinton and Pleasant Valley; south, by the town of Poughkeepsie, and west by^the Hudson river. It has an area of 22,295 acres, principally rolling and hilly upland, the highest point being Lloyd Hill in the northeast part of the town, which has an elevation of 608 feet above tide. Crum Elbow and Fallkill creeks flow through the town in a south- westerly direction. The former reaches the Hudson near the village of Hyde Park, where it makes a sudden beiid between rocky bluffs and in a narrow channel. On this account the Dutch called the stream Krom Elebogue, — ^crooked elbow. The town was formed from the western section of Clinton, by an act passed January 26, 1821, which after defining the boundaries, states that it "shall be known and distinguished as a separate town by the name of Hyde Park, arid that the fitst town meeting * * * shall be held at the house of Philip Bogardus on the first Tuesday of April next." Title to a portion of the soil dates back to a gra:nt made "by cer- tain letters patent bearing dsite of April 18th, 1705, to Jacob Re- quier, Peter Faueonier, Benjamin Ask, Bame Cousens and John Per- sons." Peter Faueonier who was one of the Little Nine Partner patentees, became sole Owner of this grant. The names of the others were doubtless added to evade the law prohibiting grants of more than one thousand acres to one person. Faueonier was a Frenchman who left France on account of religious persecution. He became the private secretary of Sir Edward Hyde, Governor of the Province of New York at the beginning of the eigh- teenth century. He named his patent "Hyde Pafk," which was 354 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. bounded on the north by the Pauling or Staatsburg patent, the line corresponding with the present north boundary of Mr. F. G. Lan- don's property ; on the east and south by Crum Elbow creek, and west by the Hudson river. About 17S5, Jacob Stoutenburgh, a Hollander and trader from Westchester, became interested in lands now comprised within the bounds of this town. He purchased the ninth "water lot" of the Nine Partners patent, on which the village of Hyde Park is now situated. This land he gave to his son Luke in 1758. Dr. John Bard,^ the earliest physician in this locality, bought out the heirs of Fauconier, of whom his wife was a descendant. Crum Elbow creek formed a natural division between the property of the Bards on the north, and the Stoutenburghs on the south. In early times there was much trouble over water privileges, and June 4th, 1789, Dr. Samuel Bard deeded four small parcels of land to Richard de Cantillon and James Stoutenburgh, which may have settled the matter. At this time the familiar designations of the settlements were the Upper and Lower Comers, of which the latter had more business. The Stoutenburgh store was the pioneer trading place, built on the site now occupied by Hopkins's drug store. Another store stood at the south comer of the road leading east (north of Albert Jones' house) kept by Ambrose Cook a Quaker, who carried on a large busi- ness in pork. He was succeeded by Ephriam Stevens and John Cas- well. Other early merchants in the south part of the town were Henry Gale and Hiram Nelson. Here were situated the houses of Luke and John Stoutenburgh. On the east side of the post road, on a ledge of rocks, was built a district school house. Nearly opposite was the house of Andrew Phillipe, built early in the century. Of the buildings mentioned there alone remain to-day the one owned by Mr. Dickenson. The old Red Reformed Dutch Church stood just south of the grave- yard. Northward were the houses of Henry Bush, wagon-maker, and Samuel Upton, who carried on a carding mill, while a fulling mill was conducted by Henry Dusenbury at the Mill pond. Flax dressing was also carried on here. On the northwest corner of the post road and the road crossing it 1. Biographical sketches of Dr. John Bard and his son, Samuel Bard, M.D., appear- In the chapter devoted to the medical profession of the County. TOWN OF HYDE PARK. 355 from the Upper Landing, stood the village inn. Joseph Carpenter was the first landlord. His successor was an Englishman named Miller, who put up a sign which read "Hyde Park Hotel." It was probably the first time the name of Hyde Tark was used south of Crum Elbow creek, and it incurred the displeasure of Dr. Bard, who wished the name to be applied to his country seat only. He remonstrated and offered to buy the sign, but Miller was obdurate. When a post- office was established. Miller was the means of having it called Hyde Park. A few years later when the town of Clinton was divided, the name was given, in 1821, to the new town. Philip Bogardus was then the landlord, and the first town election was held in this building, April 24th of that year, which resulted as follows: James Duane Livings- ton, Supervisor; Reuben Spencer, Town Clerk; Tobias L. Stouten- burgh, Peter A. Schryver, Christopher Hughes, Assessors ; Isaac Beld- ing. Collector. At a meeting of the town officers May 19th, 1821, Charles A. Shaw was appointed "a discreet and proper person" to take the census. He returned the following statistics : Population, 2,300 ; electors, 431 ; taxable property, $547,106. An extensive freighting business was done at the Lower Landing (near the present freight house of the Hudson River Railroad) about the close of the eighteenth century. Jonathan Owen operated two sloops between this point and New York ; one sailed by Captain David Braman, and the other by Captain David Wickes. After 1807 James Wilson succeeded Owen in this business. Richard de Cantillon gave his name to the Upper Landing. His sloops sailed as far south as the West Indies, to which he shipped great quantities of corn in exchange for sugar and rum. In 1770 he married Mary, daughter of Tobias, the eldest son of the first Jacobus Stoutenburgh. Peter de Reimer and his son-in-law, Robert Gilbert Livingston, suc- ceeded de Cantillon in business at the Upper Landing. Later William Ellsworth and Miles Fletcher operated the line. The barge "Lex- ington," made weekly trips to New York, from 1840 until the rail- road was built. The eastern part of the town adjoining Pleasant Valley and Clin- ton was settled at an early day by Quakers from New England and Long Island. Among them were the Marshalls, Bakers, Briggs, 356 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Hoags, Halsteads, Moshers, Stringhams, Waiters, Lamorees, Nel- sons and Williams. The Friends' house of worship here was for many years called the "Crom Elbow Meeting House," erected about the year 1774. The early members have long since passed away, leaving their descendants to unite with and to conform to the manners and discipline of other sects. On the west border of the town, overlooking the Hudson, are sev- eral magnificent country seats of families prominent in the social and business world. The most southern of these is the residence of John A. Roosevelt, a descendant of James Roosevelt, who owned Mount Hope, now the property of the Hudson River State Hospital. Near Teller HiU was the house of Moses S. Beach, now owned by Mr. Weben- dorfer. Further north are the estates of Mrs. James Roosevelt and J. R. Roosevelt, the latter also a descendant of James Roosevelt of Mount Hope. "Belfield," now the home of Hon. Thomas Newbold, originally be- longed to the Crook family, descendants of one of the original Nine Partners. It was subsequently in possession of the Kneelands, Judge Johnston, and his grandson. Dr. F. U. Johnston. North of "Belfield" is an estate which has been in the possession of Mr. Archibald Rogers for the past twenty years. In 1842 it was owned by Elias Butler who gave the place the name of "Crumwold." The houses of Dudley B. FuUer and General James J. Jones now form part of this immense estate. The Miller and HoflFman families also lived on this property. Adjoining Hyde Park village on the north is the country seat of Mr. F. W. Vanderbilt, who purchased this property in 1895. This is the estate to which the name of "Hyde Park" originally applied, and which was^for many years the home of Dr. John Bard and his son Samuel, both of whom erected dwellings on the premises. In 1827 the estate of Hyde Park was purchased by Dr. David Hosack, an eminent New York physician, who greatly improved the property, planting many rare and beautiful trees. He built the "Farm House," long the home of John A. De GrafF; also the bridge on the drive from the south entrance to the place. Dr. Hosack died in 1835, and the estate was sold to Walter Langdon, Sr. His wife, Dorothea, was a daughter of John Jacob Astor. Their son Walter inherited and occu- pied "the estate to the time of his death, September 17, 1894). Mr. Vanderbilt, the present owner, removed the Langdon house, and built TOWN OF HYDE PARK. 357 a stone mansion, considered the finest example of Italian renaissance in this country. Nathaniel Pendleton, a native of Virginia, married Susan, daughter of John Bard, and built a residence north of the Bard place, known as "Placentia." Their eldest son, Edward H., inherited the property. He was elected to Congress, and was County Judge. "Placentia" was long the home of James K. Paulding, a name intimately associated with that of Washington Irving. It was also the home of N. Pendle- ton Rogers. It is now owned by J. S. Huyler. Cyrus Braman bought lots 2 and 3 of the Hyde Park patent. The estate was known as "Belgrove." This property was subsequently conveyed to William Ellsworth, who married Ruth, daughter of Cyrus Braman. After the death of Mr. Ellsworth, it passed into the hands of Mr. N. P. Rogers. The Rymph family have been landowners in this section for a longer period than any other except the Bards. November 10th, 1768, John Bard sold to George Rymph lot No. 5 of the Hyde Park patent, con- taining 215 acres. It is now the property of James Rymph, grand- son of George ; the latter died in 1791, leaving a wife and ten children. The Broughtons were the original settlers of the Inwood property. The will of Francis Broughton, dated October 22, 1790, leaves the place to his son Joseph. In 1809 Joseph Broughton sold that part of his farm west of the post road to Rev. John McVickar. The Mc- Vickars sold "Inwood" to Alfred L. Pell, who in turn sold it to Rob- ert M. Livingston. The place finally passed into the hands of Alex- ander H. Wickes. It is now owned by Hon. Francis G. Landon. Staatsbtjrgh, a village in the northern part of the town, derives its name from the Staats family, who settled here about 1720. Other early settlers were the Hughes, Mulford and Russell families. Here was the residence of General Morgan Lewis, the second son of Francis Lewis, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in New York city in 1754, and graduated from Princeton in '73. During the Revolutionary War young Lewis was Major of a company of volunteers which entered the Continental service as the Second New York. He was appointed Quarter-master General of the Northern Department of the Army, and was mentioned in reports for bravery at Bemis Heights. In 1778 and '80 he was with General Clin- ton. At the close of the war he was admitted to the bar. He repre- 358 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. sented New York City in the Assembly, and soon after Dutchess Coun- ty, to which he had removed. He was next elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and in 1791 was appointed Attorney General of the State. In 1792 he was raised to the Bench of the Supreme Court, and next year became Chief Justice. In 1804 he was elected Gover- nor of the State of New York. During the War of 1812 he was made a Major General and served throughout the campaign on the Canadian frontier. General Morgan Lewis, in 1779, married Gertrude, daughter of Robert Livingston. He died in 1844! in the ninetieth year of his age. For many years he was one of the wardens of St. James' Church, Hyde Park, and is buried in the churchyard. His estate at Staatsburgh is now owned by his great-granddaughter, Mrs. Ogden MiUs. Among his descendants still resident at Staatsburgh is the family of the late Lydig M. Hoyt. North, of this property is "The Locusts," the estate of the late Wil- liam B. Dinsmore, now owned by his widow and children. Since 1857 this estate has been under the general supervision of Timothy Herrick, who at diffierent times has served the town as Supervisor. In the village of Staatsburgh is situated St. Margaret's Church. This was formerly a mission, or rather a part of the Parish of St. James, and not until the rectorship of Dr. Cady did it become an independent parish. A Methodist Church and St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church are also situated here. In 1858 Mr. J. H. Bodenstein established in Staatsburgh a shop for the manufacture of ice cutting implements. The plant has been enlarged at different times, and is now conducted by his son, John G. Bodenstein. ScHOpxSy In 1806 Captain David Braman taught school in the stone h(We opposite the gateway of D. S. Miller. The first district school was built soon after this time, nearly opposite the house of Andrew Phillips. The teacher was WiUiam Prince Williams. A larger building was erected in 1829 on the corner of Albany and Al- bertson streets. In 1869 a two-story brick school house was built in front of the old one. Benjamin Allen, LL.D., was long at the head of a classical school at this place which he opened about 1815. A few years later Miss AletBa Gibbs opened a boarding and day school for girls, which was RICHARD A. SCHOUTEN. TOWN OF HYDE PARK. 359 considered as being one of the best of that day, and with Dr. Allen's nearby, gave Hyde Park an enviable reputation for educational ad- vantages. Others who had private schools here in later years were Miss Emily Nelson, Joel Nelson, Evan T. Griffiths, Wesley Doughty, Miss Anna Phillips, Miss Ellen Wallace, Miss Catharine A. Cooly. The Bard Infant School was founded according to the provisions of the will of Miss Susan Mary Bard, dated August 4th, 1831. She left the interest of $4,000 in trust for its maintenance. The trustees bought a lot from the heirs of Joshua Laurence, and erected a frame building, and the school was conducted successfully for many years, the income being sufficient inducement for a competent teacher. After the school was discontinued the room was used foj St. James' Guild. A public reading room and library was established by the Guild and is now supported by the parish. Chueches. In 1780 there was formed in Hyde Park the Stouts- burgh Religious Association. Its members were composed of ad- herents of the Church of England, and of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church. An agreement was made to this effect, that any min- ister of any orthodox church whose services could be procured should be allowed to preach before the association and friends, and that when- ever either Dutch or Enghsh felt that they alone could support a minister of their own persuasion, that party was to receive the church building and all other property belonging to the association, and a church should be established and worship continued according to the rites and forms of the prevailing party. The old Reformed Dutch Church stood south of the graveyard where now stands the chapel of the Reformed Church. It was a frame building painted red, and looked very much like a bam. A great sounding board was over the pulpit. There were no buildings between the church and the East Road. Among Dutchess County deeds is found this record: "Monday, December 21st, 1789, Election at the Church of Stoutsburgh in the County of Dutchess of Trustees for the Society called the Stoutsburgh Religious Society, — ^Elected: John Stoutenburgh, Sr., Isaac Conklin, Thomas Banker, Joshua Nelson, Jacob Schryver, John A. Lee." The Society continued until the early part of the nineteenth century, when the Dutch organized a church and received, as per agreement, the church edifice and all other 360 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. church property. The present building was erected in 1826. The list of pastors is as follows : Cornelius Brower, of Poughkeepsie, sup- plied the church from 1794-1812, and was in full charge from 1812- 1815. Peter S. Wynkoop officiated from 1817-'20, and had charge of Hyde Park, and Pleasant Plains 1820-'22. Ferdinand H. Van Der Veer, 1823-'29. William Cahoone, 1829-'3S. Simon D. Westfall, 1834-'37. He was the first one to Uve in the present parsonage, which was built in 1833. Next came John C. Cruikshank, 1837-'43. Anthony Ehnendorf, 1843-'48. William H. Ten Eyck, 1848-'53. Henry Dater, 1853-'77. George R. Garrettson was installed Feb- ruary 19, 1878, and was succeeded by Rev. Cornelius R. Blauvelt, 1880-'83. Rev. Frank E. Kavanagh, September 26, 1883-'84. He was of Irish extraction and was at first intended for the priesthood. He married a niece of Bishop Niles and became a member of the Epis- copal Church, then a Presbyterian minister, and then Reformed Dutch. His ministry here, owing to his eccentricities, was very brief. Rev. John F. Shaw was installed November 11, 1885. He resigned Feb- ruary 1st, 1893. Rev. John F. Harris was installed June 27, 1893, and served imtil 1898. Soon after he died. The Rev. Mr. Hamlin served from 1898 to 1908, and was succeeded by the present pastor, the Rev. Mr. Ficken. In 1811 there were some fifty members of the Episcopal Church living in Hyde Park. It was decided to build a house of worship. Dr. Samuel Bard gave the central part of the present churchyard for the purpose. The church was erected in 1811 by subscription. The Bard family were the largest contributors. Other contributors were the following: Gov. Morgan Lewis, who contributed, besides money, a "Pew" in St. Paul's Church, New York; John McVicker, William Bard, John Johnston, Sarah Barton, Magdalen Murisson, T. de Can- tillon, Jacob Bush, Jotham Post, Samuel Mead, Hunting Sherrill, Richard de Cantillon, Tobias Stoutenburgh, L. Ring, Timothy Steven- son, Titus Dutton, Reuben Spencer, N. Pendleton, Baron S. Hutchins, Isaac Russell, Cyrus Braman, George Gillespie, James Duane Livings- ton, Christopher Hughes, David Mulford, Lemuel Hyde and others. The edifice was built of brick and stone. It had a short, square tower at the west end. Inside, the ceiling, walls and woodwork were white. On^the wall was a tablet to the memory of Dr. John Bard. Later were added tablets to the memory of Dr. Samuel and Mrs. Mary Bard, and Nathaniel Pendleton. TOWN OF HYDE PARK. 361 At a meeting of the congregation held on the 30th day of March, 1812, the rector, Rev. John McVicker, presiding, the following per- sons were unanimously elected as wardens and vestrymen of the par- ish: Wardens, Dr. Samuel Bard and Morgan Lewis; vestrymen, Joha Johnston, Nathaniel Pendleton, WilUam Broome, William Bard, Christopher Hughes, James D. Liviiigston, Titus Dutton, William Duer. At this meeting it was resolved that St. James' Church at Hyde Park, should be the name by which the church should be known. About 184)3 it was found that the church needed a new roof, and that other repairs were necessary. A committee appointed advised taking down the church and rebuilding it. This plan was adopted and in 1844 a new church, but substantially the old chujch, was rebuilt on the same site. During the time that changes ware made services were held in the rectory, on the north side of the church, which had been built in 1836. The mural tablets were replaced, and two others, to the memory of Morgan Lewis and William Bard, were added. Dr. Daniel Hosack increased the churchyard by giving land on the south end. In 1873 Mr. Walter Langdon gave a large addition on the east. The rectors of St. James' Church from its organization in 1811, when the parish was received into union with the diocese of New York, have been as follows : Rev. John McVicker, D.D., Rev. David Brown, Rev. Samuel Roosevelt Johnson, Rev. Reuben Sherwood, D.D., Rev. Horace Stringfellow, D.D., Rev. James S. Purdy, D.D., Rev. Phi- lander K. Cady, D.D., Rev. R. H. Gesner, Rev. A. T. Ashton, D.D. The Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1833, upon ground given by John Albertson, Sr. The first Board of Trustees was com- posed of Joseph Williams John Giles, WiUiam Armstrong, Alonzo F. Selleck and Henry S. Backus. Mr. A. F. Selleck, a local preacher, held services here in 1829, and continued until 1834. He afterward became a useful member of the New York Conference. In 1835 Rev. Denton Keeler occupied the pulpit of this church. In 1840 John Al- bertson, Jr., presented the trustees of the church a lot adjoining it, for a parsonage. The building which cost $2,200 was not erected until 1856, at which time Rev. A. C. Fields was pastor. In 1896, during the pastorate of Rev. E. Miles, the old church was removed and the present edifice built. A sketch of the Roman Catholic Church, which is in charge of Rev. J. P. Lonergan, will be found in a subsequent chapter. 362 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The Baptist Chuech was organized at the house of Garret P. Lansing, April 18, 1844, and the church built in 1846. Mrs. Susan Van Wagner was a large contributor. Rev. David Morris was the first pastor. He was succeeded by Rev. Charles Van Loon of the First Baptist Church of Poughkeepsie, who officiated as "a supply." Services were held very unfrequently, as many of the active members moved away. Some years ago Mr. John S. Huyler purchased the building and fitted it up as a gymnasium under the auspices of the Methodist Church. The following is the list of Supervisors elected In the town and the date of serving: 1891— '2S James D. Livingston 1861— '62 John M. Friss 1826— '28 John Johnston 1863 Elias Tompkins 1829 James D. Livingston 1864 John Russell, Jr. 1830— '31 Elijah Baker 1865— '66 Joel N. De Graff 1832 James D. Livingston 1867 Elias Tompkins 1833 David Barnes 1868 David H. Mulford 1834n-'37 Luke S. Stoutenburgh 1869— '70 Albert S. Schryver 1838 William W. Woodworth 1871— '72 James Roosevelt 1839— '40 James Russell 1873— '74 Timothy Herrick 1841 William W. Woodvcorth 1876— '76 John A. Marshall 1842— '43 Nelson Andrews 1877— '79 Henry K. WUber 1844 James Russell 1880— '81 Edward H. Marshall 1845 Elias Tompldns David CollinA 1882 Edgar A. Briggs 1846— '47 1883 Henry K. Wilber 1848 TsRac Mosher 1884^'85 Casper Westervdt 1849— 'SO Louis T. Mosher 1886— '87 Timothy Herrick 1851 Henry Green 1888— '92 David E. Howatt 1852— '53 Elias Tompkins 1893 Lount Lattin 1854— '55 David H. Mulford 1894— '97 Henry M. Barker 1856 Brooks Hughes 1898— '99 Henry K. Wilber 1857— '58 Morris G. Lloyd 1900— '03 H. Fremont Vandewater 1859 A. V. W. Tompkins 1904— '05 Fred Bodenstein 1860 Morris G. Lloyd 1906— '09 Harry Arnold ^^^'^M^yCi^^^^^^ S .A..MbtiAieu ^uif/isJit/jr. TOWN OF LA GRANGE. 363 CHAPTER XXIII. THE TOWN OF LA GRANGE. THE territory comprising the town of La Grange was formed from portions of the towns of Fishkill and Beekman, Feb- ruary 9, 1821, under the name of Freedom. A strip of about five thousand acres was taken from it March 1, 1827, to form part of the town of Union Vale. . The town is bounded on the north by Pleasant Valley ; east by Union Vale and Beekman; south by Wappinger and East Fishkill, and on the west by the town of Poughkeepsie, from which it is separated by Wappinger Creek. The area thus embraced comprises 25,443 acres, mainly devoted to agriculture. The original description of the bounds reads as follows: "That part of the town of Fishkill, lying north of a line commencing at the fording place on the Wappingers Creek, nigh the honse of the late Samuel Thome, deceased, from thence rvmning easterly to the division line between Fishkill and Beekman towns, ten chains southerly of the house formerly owned by Palmer and now in part occupied by John Arthur; and all that part of the town of Beekman lying west of a Une commencing at the point on the division line between Fishkill and Beekman, where the east and west line aforesaid in Fishkill will inter- sect said division line of Beekman and Fishkill, rvmning from thence north- easterly to a point two chains distance due east from the northeast corner of the house of Seneca Vail, built by Dr. Soffin (provided it includes the house of Blisha C. Barlow, if not, thence commencing at the point aforesaid, and running from thence to and including the house of Nicholas Tyce; from thence to the point aforesaid, two chains distance, due east from the northeast corner of the house of the said Seneca Vail), from thence on either of the courses last aforesaid, as may be determined by actual survey, to the Washington town line." The act authorizing the erection of the town, directed that the first town meeting be held at the house of William Wolven, on the first Tuesday in April, 1821, at which the following ofiicers were elected: John Wilkinson, Supervisor; John Clapp, Clerk; Isaac B. Clapp, Silas Pettit, Reuben Tanner, Israel Fowler, and John Van de Belt, Assessors ; Leonard Nelson, Collector ; John Billings, Mynard B. Velie, 364 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Overseers of the Poor; Baltus Velie, Elias Vale and Henry Dates, Commissioners of Highways; Ezekiel Velie, John D. Brown and John G. Dunkin, Commissioners of Schools ; James Congdon, John G. Dun- kin, Samuel Petit, Henry D. Sleight, Thomas H. Potter, and Avery L. Herrick, Inspectors of Common Schools; Jacob Culver, Daniel StiUweU, James Coles and Peter Hageman, Constables. The name of Freedom was given to the town by Enoch Dorland, a Quaker preacher. As this name caused confusion in the delivery of mail, it was changed in 1829, by the Board of Supervisors, to La Grange, after the ancestral estate in France of the Marquis d' La- fayette. Settlement in the southern part of the town began as early as 1754!, and the names of Shear, Clapp, Brundage, Swade, Dean, Weeks, and Townsend are recorded among the pioneers. Arthursburg and "Morey's Comers," now La Grangeville, were early neighborhoods. The families of Ver VaUn, De Groff, Sleight, Nelson and Cornell set- tled in the western part of the town previous to the Revolution. The following is the inscription on a field stone in La Grange Rural Cemetery, near Manchester: "I. V. Died Dbr. 12, 1762." This is the earliest known grave in this cemetery, and is supposed to mark the burial place of Isaack Ver VaKn, as other members of the family are buried nearby. A mile north of the cemetery stands the Sleight homestead, built in 1798 by James Sleight, son of Abram and Ariantj (Ehnendorf) Sleight, and now occupied by their descendants. James Sleight was a soldier in the Revolution, served through three cam- paigns, and took part in several of the battles of that struggle. Reu- ben Nelson, Jr., was an innkeeper at Manchester. His hotel was located on the property now owned by the Van Wyck family, de- scendants of Theodorus Van Wyck, of FishkiU, an active patriot in the Revolution, and prominent in the oiEcial afiFairs of the county at that period. Grist mills and fuUing mills were in operation within the present town limits before the close of the eighteenth century. Moses De Groff owned the miU at Manchester ; Stephen Moore operated one at Moore's Mills, and John and Daniel Hosier built another at Morey's Corners. Jacob Morey, from whom the hamlet received its name, was a black- smith by trade; he also conducted a tavern for several years. Upon the meadow just south of Morey's Comers, during the Revolution, TOWN OF LA GRANGE. 365 was an encampment of a Tory band, which took part in the raid upon Washington Hollow in the summer of 1777. This field has since been known as the "Camp lot." In the latter part of the eighteenth century, Jonah Coshire and his squaw, Lydia, two pure blooded Schaghticoke Indians, a branch of the once powerful Pequod tribe, settled on a ridge in the north part of the town. This couple and their children, Steve and Han- nah, became known as "the Jonahs," and their few acres of rough land was termed "Jonah's Manor." HANNAH COSHIRE OR "JONAH," Last of the Schaghticoke Indians in Dutchess County. 366 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Steve lived here until his death, after which Hannah lived many years, having a home with one of the families of the neighborhood, her services being much in demand as a nurse in sickness throughout the surrounding country. The Jonahs possessed, or claimed to possess, knowledge of an herb that was a certain antidote to the poison from the fangs of the copperhead and rattlesnake, but nothing could ever induce them to divulge the secret, which was carried to the grave about thirty years ago, with the remains of Hannah Jonah, the last of the Schaghticokes of Dutchess County. We are indebted to Mrs. Sarah Chatterton, of Newburgh, N. Y., for the accompanying portrait of Hannah Jonah. Mrs. Chatterton had knowledge of Hannah for many years, and can vouch for the photograph as being authentic. The oldest religious organization in the town is that of the Society of Friends of Arthursburg. At this place was built a Friends meet- ing house, and Oswego monthly meetings were held here as early as 1761. Samuel Dorland and wife, Allen Moore and wife and Andrew Moore are recorded as being present at this meeting. Several Quaker families resided in this vicinity. Following the division in the Society in 1828 the Hicksites built a meeting house at Moore's Mills, where meetings are regularly held. The Methodists were next in the field in missionary work, but the Presbyterians were first in organizing a church, which they did at Freedom Plains in 1828. The records of the Presbyterian Church of Freedom Plains state that "On the 26th of July, 1827, sundry persons of Freedom did meet at the house of Mary Nelson and chose the following trustees: Ben- jamin H. Conklin, Baltus Overacker, Eleazer Taylor, Baltus Velie, Rickertson Collins, John D. Brown, Abram S. Storm, Isaac B. Clapp and John Clapp." The church was regularly organized on the 14th of May, 1828, by the following committee, appointed by the Presbytery of the North River, viz. : Messrs. John Clark, James P. Ostrom and Alonzo Welton. The organization took place in the barn of Baltus Overacker, with thirty-nine members. Benjamin H. Conklin, Baltus Overacker, Abram S. Storm and Samuel Thurston were elected elders, and Eleazer Tay- lor and Henry Disbrow, deacons. Services were held in the barn dur- ing the most of that year, and the church edifice was completed in the TOWN OF LA GRANGE. 367 latter part of 1828, and dedicated on New Year's Day, 1829, the original cost of which was $2,169.38. In 1831, twelve acres of land were purchased from Baltus Velie, for $650, and a parsonage erected thereon. The church has been the recipient of several bequests including $500.00 from Mrs. Celia Taylor in 1842, and $200.00 from Adrian Montfort in 1871. The first pastor was the Rev. Milton Buttolph. He was succeeded in 1838 by the Rev. Sumner MandeviUe, who continued in his pastoral office twenty-three years. At present there is no settled pastor, ser- vices being conducted by a supply. The organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church of La Grange was eflFected July 14, 1849. Previous to this date meetings were held occasionally in different neighborhoods by "circuit riders," and the inhabitants of the Morey vicinity attended chiefly at Potter's Hollow, where the first church edifice was built, and from which it was removed to Morey 's in 1866, and called the "Trinity Church of La Grange." The minutes of the society contain no records of the early pastors, except for the year 1851, when Rev. Loren Clarke officiated. Union Chapel at Manchester Bridge was originally situated at TitusviUe, and moved to its present location in 1884. Services are conducted regularly by ministers of various denominations. At the outbreak of the Civil War several meetings were held in the town to stimulate interest in enlistments. Addresses were made by Albert Emans and Gilbert Dean. The town furnished seventy-seven men for the army, and thirty-five men enlisted in the navy. Most of the volunteers joined the 128th Regiment of Infantry, and did ser- vice in Louisiana. The following has been the succession of Supervisors since the or- ganization of the town : 1821— '23 John Wilkinson 1834^'3S William Storm 1823 John Clapp 1836— '37 Treadwell Townsend 1824— '25 Jonathan Lockwood 1838— '39 E. T. Van Benschoten 1826 John Wilkinson 1840— '42 Gideon Van Valin 1827 John Clapp 1843 Tunis BrinckerhofF 182&— '29 Jonathan Lockwood 1844— '45 Joseph Wicks 1830 B. T. "Van Benschoten 1846— '47 Silas Sweet 1831 Jonathan Lockwood 1848— '49 Treadwell Townsend 1832— '33 E. T. Van Benschoten 1850— '51 Albert Emans 368 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 18S2— '63 John G. Pells 1877— '78 John W. Storm 18S4 James Howard 1879— '80 Stephen H. Moore 1855— '56 Jacob Velie 1881 John D. Howard 1857— '58 Abraham W. Storm 1883 Charles Cole 1859 James Howard ^^83— '84 Alexander W. Sleight 1860 Hemy Van Benschoten 1885 Henry R. Hoyt 1861 John S. Brown 1886— '87 Albert Emans 1863— '63 Albert Emans 1888— '90 William H. Austin 1864— '67 John W. Storm 1891— '93 Towsend Cole 1868 George Ayrault 1894^'9S Alexander W. Sleight 4869— '70 Alexander W. Sleight 1896— '97 Joseph Van Wycfc 1871— '72 James A. Stringham 1898— '03 John E. Townsend 1873— '74 John D. Howard 1904.-'06 Alexander W. Sleight 1875— '76 Alexander W. Sleight 1906— '09 Clark Barmore JOHN E. TOWNSEND. TOWN OF MILAN. 369 M' CHAPTER XXIV. THE TOWN OF MILAN. ILAN was formed from the town of Northeast, March 6, 1818. Stissing Mountain was a barrier to any communication east by highways, and it was reasonable and right that Milan should be set off from the parent town. The division seems to have been anticipated for two years or more, and hSghway work mean- while came to a comparative standstill. The town lies on the northern border of Dutchess County, and comprises the western portion of that tract of land originally em- braced in the Little Nine Partner' patent. It is bounded northerly by Columbia County; east by Pine Plains; south by Clinton and Stanford; and west by Red Hook and Rhinebeck. It covers an area of 22,452 acres, with an assessed valuation of real and personal prop- erty placed by the Board of Supervisors in 1907 at $369,324. La- fayetteviUe, Milan and Rock City are hamlets. In the year 1760, Johannes Rowe, a German by birth, located in this town north of what is now LafayetteviUe, on nine hundred and eleven acres of land which he purchased of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston. For this land he paid £750, on which, in 1766, he built a stone homestead. Much of the land is still in possession of the Rowe family. Johannes Rowe died in 1771, and was buried in the family ground across the road from the church which bears the family name. He had four sons — John, Sebastian, Philip and Mark, who settled around on the land of their father's purchase, and to each of whom he gave a farm. The sons built the Methodist Church there, and were generous supporters of local enterprises. Philip had a son, William P. Rowe, who served as a soldier in the war of 1812. Other early settlers at LafayetteviUe were Maltiah and Macy Bow- man (Bowerman) who came from Connecticut to Dover in 1780, and to Milan in 1790. Maltiah is the ancestor of the Milan families of that name. He had three sons — Joseph, Otis E., and Sands. Otis 370 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. E. was a surveyor, and for twenty years a lawyer of some note. The Wilburs, Briggs, Whites, Pells, Hicks, Martins and Motts settled near the east part, while the Links, Holsopples, Rhyfenburghs, KiU- mans, Fultons, Stalls, Fellers, Hopemans, Philips, Teats and Fra- ziers took up land in the north part of the town. A description of the town and some statistics pubUshed in Spaffords Gazetteer of 1824!, six years ^fter the division from Northeast, says in part: "It is a good Township of land, though considerably uneven, but with rich arable sweUs, hills and ridges, and some flats. The soil is principally a warm productive loam. The inhabitants are principally farmers, and there are no villages, as yet, to demand the application of a, microscope, or tire a topographer's patience. Its streams are some small head branches of Wappingers creek, and a, short distance of Ancram creek, with a branch that puts into it, but the town is well supplied with miUs. There are plenty of roads. The centre, always meant, when I speak of distances in this way, is about 8 miles E. of the Hudson, at Red Hook. Popu- lation, 1797: 358 farmers, 77 mechanics, 3 traders, 49 free blacks, 18 slaves; tax- able property, $370,794; 11 schools; 15,392 acres of improved land; 1834 cattle, 679 horses, 3618 sheep, 17,866 yards of cloth made in the household way; 7 grist mills, 4 saw mills; 1 JFuUing mill, 1 carding machine; 1 trip hammer, and one dis- tillery." The oldest miU in the town was built by Robert Thorne some two miles west of LafayetteviUe. This hamlet was on the post road from Northeast to Rhinebeck, and before the birth of railroads in northern Dutchess was a place of some business importance. Wilham Walter- mier conceived the idea of building a hotel here for the accommodation of the travelKng public. He conducted it successfully for ten years, when he disposed of the property to Jacob Knickerbacker. The hamlet of Milan, also on the old post route near the center of the town, was originally called "West Northeast." In the Dutchess Observer of September 2, 1818, this notice appears: "The name of the postoffice heretofore called 'West Northeast' in this county, of which Stephen Thorne, Esq., is Post Master, has been changed to Milan. Persons directing that office will notice alterations for the future." The first town meeting for Milan was held at the house of Stephen Thome on the first Tuesday in April, 1818. Apart from the election of the following officers, the proceedings of this meeting relate to the raising of money for the support of the poor, and for building and repairing bridges. TOWN OF MILAN. 371 Supervisor, Stephen Thorne; Town Clerk, John F. Bartlett; Asses- sors, Jonas Wildey, John Fulton, Jr., John Stall; Commissioners of Highways, Everet N. Van Trogner, Daniel Morehouse, James Tur- ner; Commissioners of Schools, Henry Peck, John Thome, Jr., Jeptha Wilbur; Overseers of Poor, Jacob Shook, James I. Stewart; Inspec- tors of Common Schools, Joshua CoUeres, John Darling, James Adams, John R. Heermance, Peter Snyder; Constable and Collector, Philip Rider; Constable, Henry Witherwax; Fence Viewers, Tobias Green, in the southern neighborhood, Obediah Quimby in the northeast, and Jacob Bachman in the northwest. The poor was the principal matter in common to the two towns to be settled. Northeast took ten persons, Milan twelve, and three were left to be supported by both towns jointly in prdportion to the tax list. Northeast to pay at the ratio of seven to five. The next year a general settlement was made. In the summer of 1818 new bridges were built over a stream at Mount Ross and at Hoffman's Mill, which cost $195 and $185 re- spectively. In the War of the Rebellion the town of Milan not only responded generously to the call for volunteers, but kept a complete and interest- ing record of its proceedings, relating to enhstments, in a manner greatly above the average towns. At the first meeting to raise a war fund held at the house of Nelson Motts, November 29, 1862, it was "Resolved, That the sum of $3,265.66 be levied on the town, and the same be assumed as a debt upon the town and the taxable property therein. "Resolved, That the sum of $900.00 be levied on said town, to be paid to the volunteers who enlisted previous to the 36th of August, 1862, the said $900.00 to be paid to John Ferris, Alonzo CarroU and Philo Sherwood, to be kept by them for the benefit of the volunteers who enlisted previous as above stated." August 9, 1864, a special town meeting was held at the house of Ambrose L. Smith at which it was "Resolved, That the Supervisor of the town shall have the power to borrow money on the credit of the said town sufBcient to pay volunteers to fill the quota of the town under the call of the President for 500,000 men. "Resolved, That to every man who shall volunteer and be mustered into the United States service for the term of three years shall be paid as a town bounty the sum of $500.00, and to every man that is drafted under the present call shall be paid, as a bounty from this town, the sum of $400.00." 372 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. A further resolution appointed Supervisor Lewis M. Smith and H. B. Sherwood to procure volunteers, for which they were allowed three dollars per day and expenses. The town voted a bounty of $600.00 for one-year men, $700.00 for two-years' men, and $800.00 for those who entered the service for three years, following the call of the President December 19, 1864, for 300,000 men. In the record of enhstments seventeen men served in the 128th Regiment; twelve in the 150th; seven in the 20th; five in the 91st; three in the 159th; three in the 4i7th; two each in the 32nd and 87th Regiments, with a scattering of seven others. The Methodist Society here was organized mainly through the efforts of the Rowes, who built the first house of worship on their farm near LafayetteviUe about the year 1800. This was succeeded in 1838 by a substantial structure near the site of the old building, and was erected chiefly through the generosity of John Rowe, who also built the parsonage. His home had been the stopping place of all the itinerant Methodist preachers. The "Christian Denomination" originated from three of the more popular sects, the Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists, about the beginning of the nineteenth century. Among the first to break this denominational ground in the town were Levi Hathaway and Daniel Call, who organized the First Christian Church in Milan in the autumn of 1820. Elder John L. Peavey of New England was called to the oversight of the church. His circuit of labor embraced this and three other congregations, located in Stanford, Union Vale and Beekman. His friends assisted him in purchasing a home near Rock City, and Elder Peavey divided his time between pastoral work and itinerant labors. He was not only a talented man, but a kind and successful pastor. Other early pastors of the Christian Church were Dr. Abner Jones, Rev. Joseph Marsh and Rev. John N. Spoor. The following has been the succession of Supervisors since the or- ganization of the town: 1818— '30 Stephen Thome 1839 Stephen Thorne 1821— '33 Jacob Shook 1830 Ephraim Fulton 1824— '35 Richard Thorne 1831 Stephen Thorne 1886— '37 Stephen Thorne 1833— '34 Ephraim Herrick, Jr. 1838 Henry Pulton 1835— '36 Leonard Rowe TOWN OF MILAN. 373 1837- -'38 John Thome 1871 1839- -'40 John P. Teats 1873 1841- -'42 George White 1873 1843- -'44 Stephen Thorne 1874 1845- -'46 Clinton W. Conger 1875 1847 Otis E. Bowman 1876 1848 Leonard Rowe 1877— '78 1849 John Ferris 1879— '80 1850— 'SI Rensselaer Case 1881— '83 1852- -'63 Benjamin S. Thorne 1883 18S4— '55 William Ferris 1884— '85 1856- -'57 John Teats, Jr. 1896— '87 1858 Rensselear Case 1888— '89 1859- -•60 Alexander Best 1890 1861- -'63 Herrick Thorne 1891 1863 Peter Rissebbrack 1893— '93 1864 Lewis M. Smith 1894 1865 John W. Stickle 1895 1866 Alexander Best 1896— '97 1867 Herrick Thome 1898— '01 1868 Heniy A. Fellers 1903— '07 1869- -'70 Harmon B. Sherwood 1908— '09 Horatio Rowe Albert Bowman Nicholas PhUlips Ezra L. Morehouse William E. Shoemaker James Herrick Uriah Teator Horatio Rowe John W. Stickle Adelbert Husted James Herrick Adelbert Husted John W. Stickle Cyrus F. Morehouse Irving B. Crouse Cyrus ^. Morehouse Irving B. Crouse Uriah Teator Cyrus F. Morehouse George A. Boice Cyrus F. Morehouse Charles B. Simmons 374 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER XXV. TOWN OF NORTHEAST. By Philip H. Smith. THE Little Nine Partner Patent granted in 1706, the North- east Precinct, constituted in 1746, and Northeast Town, erected in 1788, and the present towns of Northeast, Pine Plains and Milan, taken collectively, comprised approximately the same territorial limits. Huntting says that this section of the county, originally embraced in a single town, was by creation separated into three geographical divisions before a surveyor was thought of or needed. The Winchell Mountain is a barrier between the Harlem Valley and Stissing Basin, while Stissing Mountain divides the latter from the valley of Milan. Thus are situate the three towns side by side, each occupying a natural basin, with mountain ridges for boun- daries. In 1818 Milan was set off by itself. Until 1823 letters addressed to Northeast were received at what is now Pine Plains. Some of the pioneers who settled in Salisbury, Conn., died in the State of New York on the same farms they cleared. A man from Westchester bought a farm in the town of Northeast. His brother some years later visited him on this identical farm in the town of Milan. These paradoxical statements are made possible by reason of the changes in the town and state boundaries. The Harlem Railroad, when first built, ran through a corner of Massachusetts. Now the trains pass a half mile west of the state line — Massachusetts having receded that distance — ^but this will be told of more fully elsewhere. In 1823, Northeast was shorn of Pine Plains, but had annexed a liberal slice of Amenia to its southern border at the same time, thus preserving its equilibrium among its sister towns by this compensa- tion in wealth and population. Before the town of Northeast was divided, all Northeast and Milan, as towns now stand, went to the Stissing House in Pine Plains to vote. TOWN OF NORTHEAST. 375 The town records of the present Northeast previous to 1823 were kept in the Town Clerk's office at Pine Plains. Under these circum- stances it is not always easy to make historical statements clear to the reader. Northeast received its name from its geographical position in the county. A tongue of land approximately two miles in width, extends along the Connecticut border into the town of Ancram, Columbia County, about four miles beyond the remaining portion of the town. Northeast is bounded on the north by Columbia County, east by Litchfield County in Connecticut, south by Amenia and west by Stan- ford and Pine Plains. A lofty range of the Taconic Mountains extends along the eastern border, with the Winchell Mountain on the west. Rudd Pond and Indian Pond are the principal bodies of water, 'the latter lying for the most part, in the State of Connecticut. The "Ten Mile" River, some eighteen miles in length, runs south through the eastern part of the town, through Amenia and into Dover, where it forms a con- fluence with the Housatonic. The Shekomeko runs in a northerly di- rection through its western portion. The first town meeting in Northeast as at present constituted was held at Northeast Center. The following is the earliest record: Pur- suant to an act of the Legislature of the State of New York, passed March 9,6, 182S, for dividing the towns of Amenia and Northeast in the County of Dutchess, and erecting a new town therefrom by the name of Northeast, and directing the first town meeting to be held at the house of Alexander Neeley in said town. A town meeting was held at the house of the aforesaid Alexander Neeley, on the first day of April, 1823; the above act was read; Enos Hopkins was chosen Moderator, Charles Perry and Alanson Pulver, Clerks. Among the regulations, or town laws, passed for the town of Northeast at this meeting are these: Voted, that a fence, to be considered lawful, shall be four feet and a half high ; that the materi- als shall be laid no more than five inches apart for two feet above the ground. Voted, that no hogs shall be suffered to roam in the high- ways after three months old without a ring in their nose. Voted, that proper persons shall be employed to run the line between the towns of Amenia and Northeast. At the annual town meeting of Northeast on the 6th of April, 1824, 376 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. John H. Wilson, Alexander Colver and Eli Mills were elected Com- missioners of Common Schools; Charles Perry, Peter Mills and John Buttolph, Inspectors of Schools. Each town, by this system, was the supreme judge of the requisite qualities of the teachers, and the sole arbiter of the curriculum of the schools. At the annual town meeting in 1824, Voted, that the town raise the sum of six hundred dollars for the support of the poor. In con- nection with the preceding, the following entry explains itself: "We, Joel Benton, Supervisor and Solomon Cook and Joel Brown, Over- seers of the Poor of the town of Amenia, and Philo M. Winchell, Super- visor, and Eben Wheeler and Enos Howkins, Overseers of the town of Northeast, being convened for the purpose of dividing the poor and money of the town of Amenia." It will be recollected that Northeast had just annexed a part of Amenia, and the territory annexed carried with it its quota of the poor of the entire town. Those early legislatures could not agree as to what would be a proper division, and public feeling was aroused to such an extent that the matter was taken to the Court of General Sessions at Poughkeepsie for adjudication. By direction of the court eighteen persons (named in the record) were by these town officials, assigned to Amenia and twelve others allotted to Northeast. At this time each town was required to take care of its own poor, and the officials sometimes were not proof against the temptation to be rid of objectionable citizens at the expense of other towns. The question was a continual source of bitter jealousy and wrangling until the state passed a law which mitigated the condition. The follow- ing is among the entries: "We have set to the town of Pine Plains (naming fifteen persons), and set to the town of Northeast (naming six persons), and there are still six persons that are not divided, and are a subject of future arrangement." There were other sources of friction, owing to the changes in town lines, such as the division of school and highway moneys, and the settlement of quit rents, the latter having reluctantly been permitted to survive until about 1823, when this vestige of English manorial customs was banished from American soil. The earliest settlements in Northeast were made in the Oblong tract. One jeason for this was that better titles could be given to the prop- erty, which were guaranteed by the state; and, being contiguous to TOWN OF NORTHEAST. 377 New England where most of the early settlers came from, these prob- ably located at the first desirable place they came to; the iron mines were another and perhaps stronger attraction. Spencers Corners or "Clearing" was among the oldest settled parts of the Oblong. The history of the Baptist Church built here in 1777, during the Revolutionary War, is given on other pages. Their church edifice in Northeast stood near the present cemetery, opposite the brick house now occupied by Walter Wilcoxson. The well used by those early Baptist worshipers still supplies the sweetest and purest water for miles, and is located in the Wilcoxson yard. This well was originally partially enclosed in a "well house," and was provided with seats around the sides. The farmers came from distance, on Sunday mornings, with their families in wagons drawn hy oxen, remaining all day and listening to the sermons, and adjourning to the "well house" for their noonday repast. North of Spencers Corners a short mile, stands the old-fashioned, rambhng, small-windowed, many-roomed dwelling house of the Dakins. Orville Dakin, the ancestor of the Dakins, and owner of the mine and furnace adjacent, built this house when the country was a wilderness. There was a line of ore beds from here to Boston Corners and beyond, of which the Dakins were either sole or part owners. To the west of this line, at Irondale, are the buildings of the Millerton Iron Com- pany, now sadly fallen to ruin. This was once a busy hamlet, having a mill employing over one hundred hands, with grist mill, store and postofllce. Now nothing but a school and a few families remain. In fact the digging and smelting of ore constituted the leading in- dustry of this part of Northeast for the better part of a century. During this early period other lines of business occupied their neigh- bors over the mountain, in the southwest part of the town. The fol- lowing advertisement shows the nature of the business referred to, and tells of its decadence: "MILL FOR SALE.— The subscriber offers for sale his mills, situate in Amenia (now Northeast), four miles north from the Federal Store. The neighborhood consists of wealthy farmers, and the surrounding country very productive of wheat. The machinery of the grist mill and fulling mills are in tolerable good order, and the stream which supplies them very durable. There is adjoining fourteen acres of good wheat land, and a comfortable dwelling house, garden, &. The terms of payment will be made easy. A good title and possession given inmiediately by applying to the subscriber living near the premises. May 4, 1807. Matthias Row." 378 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. At one time the "Federal Store" referred to was a busy place. Some years previously a stock company had made this point a nucleus for general exchange and merchandising in this vicinity, their shipping point being Poughkeepsie. This Association was called the Federal Company, and the store the Federal Store. There was also a grist mill, a carding machine and fulling mill; also a factory for the manu- facture of farm implements. The store ceased as a place of business before 1850. The invasion of the Harlem Railroad into the vicinity about 1852 wrought a great change in the town. Carding machines, fulling miUs and family looms are things of the past, and the shipping of milk to the New York markets has become the great industry of Northeast. In the early years of our local history the system of carrying the mails was very inadequate and unsatisfactory. Oftentimes letters would be trusted to a friend, who happened to be traveling to the vicinity of the letter's destination. Important messages usually were sent by special carrier. In old documents the person who is deputed to be the bearer of the communication is frequently mentioned by name. Some fifteen or twenty years after the close of the Revolution, private parties undertook the carrying of letters and papers on their own account, the sender or receiver of the letter paying the carrier therefor. In 1796 Alexander Neeley, of Northeast Center, started a post route in the upper part of the county, and it is said that for several years after the war of 1812 with England, he carried the gov- ernment mails from Pine Plains to Sharon. At first the postman took for his own all the income of the business; later, after the route was established, the government assumed its control, reimbursing the carrier for his interest. Spencers Corners was early a postofEce; an- other was Northeast Center, where, in 1823, Alexander Neeley was both postmaster and merchant. At the outbreak of the Revolution there was a great demand for lead for bullets. An Indian used to bring quantities of lead to Ezra Clark at about this time; he said he got it on Indian Mountain, but would not teU where. No one was ever able to find the place. The requirements of the new governments also called for sulphur and flint. Near the present hamlet of Shekomeko, in the southwestern part of th»town, one John McDonald, a miner from Scotland, under instruc- tions from the Provincial Congress, began to excavate where a mine TOWN OF NORTHEAST. 379 had been worked some quarter of a century before by some Hollanders. McDonald was directed to open the pits or shafts which Van Hook and Tiebout formerly worked, doing the labor with only four assist- ants, and await further orders from Congress, at whose expense the mining was to be done. In the first pit a small quantity of lead was discovered in three places, but not in a continued vein. The second pit contained lead in several places, but not in an unbroken vein. The bottom was void of the appearance of ore. He next cleared a pit about fifty feet in depth. These pits were on the hill or knoll near the present railroad depot. Ezra Thompson, who then resided at the "Federal Square," was superintendent, and furnished the necessary tools to McDonald, and also advanced money to prospect the mining ojperations. Not meet- ing with ore deposits in paying quantities they abandoned working in pits and commenced at the northeast end of the 'hill near the highway bridge, where they dug a trench "eighteen foot length and about three foot deep." Making further excavations, during which they "opened thirty feet in length and in some place digged three feet deep, and in other places have sunk six foot, in there discovered a vein about two or three inches in breadth, and raised about fifteen hundred weight of ore." October 16, 1776, McDonald entered into a further contract with the Committee of the Provincial Congress to sink the lead mine which he had lately opened, "twelve feet in depth from its present state, and extend the same thirty feet in length in such direction as he shall think best, and deliver the ore to the order of this convention." He was to furnish everything, and was to receive ten pounds for every six feet in depth, six feet in length and three feet in breadth, which he should sink in said mine. At the final settlement it was found that McDonald had dug six hundred and ninety cubic feet, which at the rate of ten pounds for every one hundred and eight, amounted to sixty-three pounds, seven shillings and nine pence, which the Provincial Congress paid, and discontinued the mining operations. That the McDonalds were a wealthy and important family is evi- dent, as there is a spacious burial ground north of Shekomeko, oppo- site the schoolhouse, where many of that name are buried. The grounds have been walled in at considerable expense, the stones com- posing the fence having been hauled from the vicinity of The Square. 380 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The McDonalds were slave owners, but would not consent to their slaves being buried inside the enclosure where there was ample room, but were content to have them placed in graves contiguous to the tombs of their masters, so long as they were outside the walls. For a period of nearly three-fourths of a century the lead mines at Shekomeko were unmolested, but in 1853 attention was again drawn in their direction. On the 29th of August of that year W. H. Hughes of New York secured a mineral lease of the mine hill, and mining was again resumed. The lease was given by Ward W. Bryan (grand- father of the present owner of the farm), and was to remain in force for a period of twelve years with the privilege of renewal. It read in part: "If no mineral or fossil substance be mined within the period of eight months from the present, or any time afterwards in eight months, then these presents and everything contained therein shall cease and be free." Hughes for a time worked the mines under this lease and then sud- denly left. The reason of his action was subsequently explained. Hughes had been operating as agent for a company, and he struck a vein of ore of uncommon richness. The lease terminated by its own con- ditions, for eight months elapsed during which no mineral was raised. At the expiration of that time Hughes put in an appearance and made application for a new lease from Bryan in his own name; but he died suddenly before the business was consummated. The rich "find" was not disclosed until after his death, and its location, if such there was, is not now known. Experts claim that indications point to a rich vein of ore somewhere in this range of mountains. In 1862 the Bryan farm was again leased, this time to Gust. A. Sacchi, who represented a mining company in New York with a capi- tal of $600,000. Heretofore the work had been done by hand labor, drainage of the pits being affected by drifts or tunnels from the loca- tion. But this new company did the work of pumping and hoisting by steam. The company bought a farm nearby, on which was wood for fuel and a building for a boarding house. At one place a shaft was sunk seventy-five feet with lateral tunnels at the bottom. After some $300,000 of stock was sold work was stopped and the farm re- verted back to the owners, Calvin C. and Ehhu W. Bryan, father and uncl9 of the present owner. Ezra Bryan emigrated to Shekomeko from the Connecticut or New TOWN OF NORTHEAST. 381 Haven Colony. The family came from the same branch as did Hon. William Jennings Bryan, to whom the early Shekomeko emigrants bear a family resemblance, it is said. The Bryans for three-fourths of a century furnished Dutchess County and adjacent territory with fanning mills ; a part of their factory is still in existence, and is now a wagon house in the hamlet of Shekomeko. The history of the Baptist Church of Northeast dates back to the first day of May, 1773, when the first covenant meeting in this Pre- cinct was held at Brother Dakin's house near Spencers Clearing; and in 1777, on land in the vicinity of the old graveyard at Spencers Cor- ners, their house of worship was erected. A dissension having arisen in relation to some matters of church government, a council was called, composed of Elders Waldo, Drake, Gano, Moss, Kellogg and Ferris, who advised the release of the dis- senting members. Then successively follow the names of Eastman, Hopkins, Allerton, Winchell, Buttolph, Thompson, La Grange and others, beloved and consecrated elders of the church, serving well and faithfully their pastorships while the church grew and prospered. In 1829 a new and commodious house of worship was dedicated. It was of brick, and cost about $5,000, of which James Winchell con- tributed $1,700. Rev. Thomas Winter preached the dedicatory ser- mon. Dr. Rufus Babcock assisting at the services. About the close of the Civil War the society voted to sell the old brick church at Spencers Corners, purchase a new site in the growing village of Millerton, and build another house of worship nearer the business center of the town. In pursuance of this decision, on the 4th of November, 1867, the church met to lay the cornerstone of its new house of worship. The edifice is situated at the head of the main village street, and the church is prospering under the pastoral care of Rev. George C. Kiernan. Congregational Chuech, Northeast. The first meeting to con- sider the question of building a Congregational House of Worship in the town of Northeast was held at the house of Nicholas Holbrook at Northeast Center, October 17, 1827. A resolution was adopted in favor of building such a house, and a committee of five was appointed to solicit subscriptions. December 2nd, a building committee was named to proceed with the work. During the summer of 1828 the 382 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. house was built, and on December 2Srd was formally delivered to the society by the committee. The cost of the building in money, aside from the labor contributed and the site given by Mr. Holbrook, was $2100. January 15th, 1829, the house was dedicated and the church con- stituted. There were nine members, as follows: Ehhu Payne, Ezra L. Barrett, Rhode Barrett, Philip J. Jenks, Julia Ann Jenks, John I. Douglass, Elizabeth Clark, Mary Hotchkiss and Myra Coleman. The society was incorporated in June, 1829. The first pastor to minister to this church was Rev. Thomas Fletcher, who was installed January 14, 1830. At the end of his pastorate three years later, the church had on its roUs about one hundred mem- bers. In 1873 this church was affiliated vdth the Presbyterian denomina- tion. In 1866, $4000 was subscribed to tear down the church building at Northeast Center and rebuild at Millerton. The second house of wor- ship was dedicated February 17th, 1867. The entire cost of this building was $10,473.79. November 8, 1904, a meeting was held to consider the remodelling of the church or the building of a new one. After repeated sessions, the trustees in September, 1905, voted to build a new church, award- ing the contract to the local builders, Beers and TrafFord, for the sum of $7,800, not including the leaded glass windows, seats, light, heat, or any of the furniture. An oflFer of $500 for the old church building was accepted, and a subscription list of about $7,200 re- ported. The cornerstone of this, the third house of worship of the society, was laid on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1905, the pastors of sister churches. Revs. H. Y. Murklaiid and E. F. Charles, participat- ing in the service. Methodist Episcopal Church or Northeast. The Methodists were the first to hold religious services here after the departure of the Moravian Missionaries, but records of the church are very meagre. The first record of which anything is known bears date of 1842, in part as follows: "The subscribers, being appointed judges by a majority of the members present do find that Daniel Lee, John I. Hull and Nathaniel Gridley were elected by a plurality of voice to TOWN OF NORTHEAST. 383 serve as trustees of the Northeast Center Methodist Church in the town of Northeast, Dutchess County, N. Y., in witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and sedls this seventh day of February, 1842. Daniel Lee, Jr., (L, S.) LoBEN^o Gilbert, (L. S.) The second quarterly meeting for the conference year 1847, for Salisbury and Northeast, was held at the church at Northeast Center, February 23. Presiding Elder, Denton Keeler; Preacher in Charge, D. C. Benjamin; Clerk, J. S. Caulkins. At a quarterly meeting in 1850, Rev. Phineas Rice, Presiding Elder, a committee having been appointed to estimate the table expenses of the preacher for North- east, Rev. J. L. Dickerson, they allowed him $100 and his fuel. At a quarterly conference held at the M. E. Churcn, Northeast Center, Rev. J. Z. Nichols, Presiding Elder, the subject of a district associa- tion was proposed. In 1855 Rev. P. C. Oakley is mentioned as Pre- siding Elder, and Rev. A. H. Ferguson as Preacher in Charge. An important change in the society was made about this time. At a meeting of the male members of the Methodist Church and society of Northeast, held at the hall at Millerton, that being the regular place of worship of said society, March 2nd, 1857, for the purpose of electing sworn trustees for the incorporating of said society, the meeting was called to order by Rev. W. G. Browning, when the follow- ing trustees were elected: Nathaniel Gridley, Alexander W. Trow- bridge, Nicholas D. Eggleston, John S. Caulkins, Horace S. Kelsey, Douglass Clark, Jr., and Perry Vroman. A certifiaate was duly signed and recorded in the County Clerk's office, and thus a second Methodist Society was constituted and located at the growing village of Millerton. The preacher in charge at the later place also held ser- vices at the Center for a time, but these were finally discontinued. Under date of April 2nd, 1859, is found the following : "The trus- tees of Millerton beg leave to report that they have purchased a lot on which they have erected a church edifice which costs, with the said lot, the sum of $4,500. That they have paid $3,700. That there is now in subscriptions $450." March 23rd, 1861, conference was held at Northeast Center, and again in July of that year at Millerton, indicating that both com- munities were enjoying church privileges. The society is now meeting in a commodious house of worship, of 384 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. an attractive and modem design, and are enjoying the ministrations of Rev. Angelo Ostrander. The village of Millerton^ was incorporated June 30, 1875, with N. C. Beach, President; O. Wakeman, H. B. Eggleston, W. B. Grey, Trustees; J. M. Benedict, Treasurer. At a public meeting held at the Nickel Plate Rink, January 19, 1891, it was voted to raise money to procure a water supply for the village of Millerton, authorizing the bonding of the village for a sum not to exceed $15,000. Previous to this the Village Board had met and organized a Board of Water Commissioners as follows: E. H. Thompson, President; J. W. Pulver, P. N. Paine and Nicholas Best, Trustees. In the following year the village was bonded for $18,000, and a fire department was organized, with spacious quarters and adequate apparatus. The Millerton Telegraph, a weekly publication, was started Novem- ber 1, 1876, by Cooley James, who sold it to Van Scriver and Deacon after conducting it about three months ; subsequently Colvin Card pur- chased Van Scriver's interest, later assuming the sole proprietorship, continuing its publication until his death. Its present proprietor is W. L. Loupe. The Millerton National Bank was organized in 1882. G. S. Frink was its first President, and W. M. Dales its first Cashier. The pres- ent bank building was erected in 1903, and is equipped with modern vault and safe deposit boxes. The Bank has a capital stock of $50,- 000, with individual deposits according to the statement of February 14, 1908, of over $299,000. Its present officers are Frank A. Hotch- kiss, President, and W. C. Denny, Vice President and Cashier. There is a natural phenomenon connected with the lofty range of the Taconic Mountains, forming the border line between Northeast and the State of Connecticut, that has aroused the wonder of scientific minds, and the inhabitants who spend their lives in the valley at its foot are by this strange happening often put to their wits end. High up among the crags, says Landon, is the hatching place of great wiads. With this high mountain range lying along the east side for miles, the valley would seem to be the best protected region 1., This Tillage derived Its name from Sidney G. Miller, one of the contractors and builders of the extension of the New Tork & Harlem Railroad from Dover Plains to Chatham. TOWN OF NORTHEAST. 385 from easterly gales that could be imagined. There are more east winds of typhoon power right here than in any other place this side the Rocky Mountains — and that is what puzzles those who are ever trying to explain the weather. Hours before the gales reach the vaUey their roar is heard on the mountain top, not unlike the moan of the ocean heard at a distance. Gradually they work down the mountain side, their voice becoming more menacing as they gather momentum in their descent; then the beholder notes the forest trees bending and swaying before an unseen force upon the mountain side, while at its foot the leaves hang motionless. And when the winds at the moment of their greatest fury reach the mountain's base, and rush howling and screaming across the narrow valley, it behooves man and beast Jo seek shelter. In- stances have been recorded of passenger trains, with their load of human freight, being lifted from the rails. When the survey of the Massachusetts State boundaries were made, a comer of that commonwealth extended over the Taconic range to the west. This corner comprised about four hundred acres of arable land, and some fifteen hundred of mountain land, and was completely isolated from the rest of the state by a practicably impassable moun- tain. By traversing a roundabout way some twelve to fifteen miles in another state one might get from this fragment of nowhere into Mas- sachusetts. Here for years lived and prospered a little community, a virtual Republic. They paid no taxes to the State, went to no polling place to vote, but governed themselves, supported a school, kept up religious services, and had they been left to themselves, there had been no blot on their escutcheon. One day an enterprising Yankee came and opened an inn. Then a stranger came and took lodgings, and soon went away. Soon others appeared, were entertained, and presently departed, without making their business known. Then the people of Boston Corners be- gan to open their eyes. These transient guests were refugees from the constables of the three commonwealths, whose territory joined near this point, who were wanted for chicken stealing, or some other local offenses. Also the eyes of law-breakers from the outside world were drawn to this haven of criminals. In 1811 John Armstrong fought a duel 386 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. here, where he was immune from the enforcement of the laws of either state against dueling. While a Massachusetts constable might have made an arrest, the moment he stepped into New York or Connecticut with his prisoner he would lose jurisdiction, and there was neither judge nor jail at Boston Comers, For half a century things went on, when an event occurred which led to concerted action being taken by New York, Massachusetts, and the National Government. October 12, 1852, a heavily loaded train from New York City dis- charged its load at Boston Comers, a station on the newly completed railroad. Other train loads from Albany and Troy were dumped off at the same point, as rough a set of rowdies as ever set foot on any soil. People from the country came in wagons, until the crowd was immense. Two men seemed to be the center of attraction. One was forty-one years of age, and looked old enough to be the father of the other who was twenty-two, but was three inches taller, looking hke a giant be- side the older man. The latter was Yankee Sullivan, long the cham- pion prize-fighter of America, while the giant was John Morrisey, just then on the threshold of his world-wide notoriety. Morrisey's seconds were Tom O'Donnell and "Awful" Gardiner ; Sullivan was es- corted by Billy Wilson and another friend. The purse was $2,000 a side. Forcibly pre-empting the first convenient dwelling house, the prin- cipals were quickly dressed for the battle. In an adjacent field was an abandoned brickyard. In a large level plot, that had been care- fully prepared for the drying of the bricks years before, the grounds were selected, and the ropes of the arena drawn, while hundreds of spectators looked on from points of vantage. Thirty-seven bloody rounds were fought with bare fists. Sullivan seemed to have the better of his opponent all through the fight until the last round, when he was thrown violently against the ropes, and failed to recover before time was called. Morrisey, who had never left his place, was proclaimed victor. But the point of interest for the people of Northeast, and one reason for the introduction of the event in this chapter, is the raid of the hungry hordes on Millerton after the battle was over. This was then a mere hamlet, and was tight-shut when the invasion came. But locks were nothing; the pri- TOWN OF NORTHEAST. 387 vacy of pantries was not respected; nothing was respected that came between the invaders and anything that could be eaten. Hogs were killed and roasted in the highway. MiUerton never forgot that prize fight at Boston Corners. This event broke the independent spirit of the Boston Corners "Re- public." The people clamored to be annexed to some civil authority able to cope with the powers of evil, to the end that never should such scenes be repeated. Massachusetts, in May of the year following the fight, ceded the triangle to New York; the concession was accepted by New York July 21, 1853; the transfer was confirmed by Act of Congress January 3d, 1855. The soil of Boston Corners has been respected ever since. The following has been the succession of Supervisors from 1775 to 1908: * 177S— '76 Israel Thompson 1839- -'31 Douglass Clark 1777— '78 Hugh Rea 1833 Alanson Colver 1779— '81 Lewis Graham 1833— '34 Eli Mills 1782 Hugh Rea 1835— '36 David Seldon 1783 Uriah Lawrence 1837- -'38 John H. Conklin 1784 Lewis Graham 1839- -'40 Moses Clark 1785— '87 John White 1841- -'42 Eben Wheeler 1788— '93 Josiah Holly 1843 Jeduthan Roe 1793 Ebenezer Dibblee 1844— '45 Hiram Wheeler 1794— '96 Josiah HoUy 1846 Abraham Bockee 1797— '98 Ebenezer Dibblee 1847 James Hammond 1799— '00 Peter Husted 1848 Abner Brown 1801 (No record of this year.) 1849 George Douglass 1802— '03 Isaac Sherwood 1850 Geo. R. Winchell 1804— '05 Martin B. Winchell 1851 Gerard Pitcher 1806 Jonathan Deuel 1852 John Winchell 1807 Benj. R. Bostwick 1853 Edgar Clark 1808— '09 Jonathan Deuel 1854 Jeremiah W. Paine 1810— '11 Enos Hopkins 1855 Piatt A. Paine 1812— '13 Isaac Sherwood 1856 Hiram Rogers 1814— 'IS Uri Judd 1857 Edw'd W. Simmons 1816— '17 Martin Lawrence 1858 John F. Wheeler 1818— '19 Fyler Dibblee 1859 Phoenix Bodiee 1820— '21 Philo M. Winchell 1860 Greorge Clark 1823 Israel Harri? 1861 David Bryan 1833 Philo M. WincheU 1862 John Campbell 1834— '35 David Seldon 1863 George F. More 1836 Amos Bryan 1864— '67 Edw'd W. Simmons 1827— '28 Abraham Booker 1868 William H. Barton 388 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1869 WilUam L. Pratt 1885 Wm. Angevine 1870 James Collins 1886— '87 John Scutt 1871— '72 James Collins 1888— '89 John W. Pulver 1873 George Dakin 1890 John Scutt 1874— '75 Daniel McElwell 1891 Hoffman Sweet 1876 Michael Rowe 1892 Edward H. Thompson 1877 Jeremiah W. Paine 1893 Daniel B. McElwee 1878 Hiram Rogers 1894— '97 Charles A. Cline 1879 James M. Winchell 1898— '99 Frank A. Hotchkiss 1880 George E. Crane 1900— '01 Charles A. Cline 1881— '83 Wheeler Rowe 1903— '07 Lorin J. Eggleston 1883— '84 George WiUiams 1908— '09 Gideon M. Slee TOWN OF PAWLING. 389 CHAPTER XXVI. THE TOWN OF PAWLING. By Philip H. Smith. THE Town of Pawling is universally described as the southeast corner town in Dutchess County. A range of high hiUs, which range is locally known as Quaker Hill, ^tends along the east border. Another range known as the West Mountain occupies the west part. A broad and fertile valley runs through the central por- tion. Swamp and Croton Rivers take their rise here, the former flowing north into the Housatonic, the latter south into the Hudson. Pawling is bounded north by Dover, east by the town of Sherman in Connecticut, south by Patterson in Putnam County, and west by the town of Beekman. Pawling Precinct was taken from Beekman Precinct by an act passed December 31, 1768, and erected into a town in 1788, when the State government was subjected to general revision in many of its details ; the town limits were then greater than at present, as Dover was taken off and made into a separate town- ship in 1807. The ancient Pawling town records, which covered a period previous to the division of the town, were destroyed by the fire of 1869. There are four considerable natural bodies of water in the town, the dimensions of most of them having been considerably increased by artificial means. These are known as Whaley Pond, Lake Nor- ton, Green Mountain Lake and Lake Hammersley. All these lakes aff'ord excellent fishing, having been stocked from various hatcheries, and provided with boats and fishing appliances. In summer the islands and shores of these picturesque inland water basins are dotted with the tents of city campers. Many authorities have described the limits of the town as being included in the patent granted to Henry Beekman June 26, 1703. This is only partly true, as the south line of the Beekman Patent was 390 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. approximately that which was afterwards known as the Willis Line, or the line advocated by some for the division line when Putnam County was taken off in 1812. This hne was run through what is now the incorporated limits of the village of Pawling, and is thus described: "Beginning on the Oblong line at a large heap of stones set up which bears north 25 degrees, west 38 links from a large rock on which are cut the letters H. B., B. B,-, and P. P. ; a new house built by Adam Chase bears the same course that the rock does. From thence due west, the hne runs about 12 feet south of WiUiam Hunt's spring, where Col. Henry Beekman made the letters H. B. on the rock out of which) the water of the spring runs. Said hne also crosses a pretty large pond in the mountains a Httle south of the middle. On the east shore a monument is set up about two chains south of one Baker's house situated in a hoUow." Now as to the location of these monuments. The large rock, with the letters cut in, may be seen in the meadow north of Martin Leach's residence as described in the colonial records, with the exception that the initials "B. R." have been torn away by a blast set off by some workmen who did not know the rock was a monument of the ancient patent line divisions. The house built by Adam Chase referred to was the one destroyed by fire one winter's night many years ago, and occupied the present site of Martin Leach's dwelling. William Hunt owned land on which PawHng village stands, and "Hunt's Spring" is the one in rear of H. S. Wanger's residence. The large pond in the mountains is Whaley Pond. This line can be traced by the remains of an old wall leading over the south end of Purgatory, and also by the stone and rail fence extending along the southern declivity of Mount Tom. This rock at Martin Leach's was the southeast corner of the Beek- man Patent, and this monument until 1731 was in the boundary line between Connecticut and New York, at which time the Oblong strip was taken off, and the New York State hne established nearly two miles further to the eastward. The territory comprised in Putnam County was by some styled Philipsburgh Manor from the fact that its proprietor, Adolph Philipse, was granted certain manorial rights and privileges. It bounds the town'bf Pawling on the south. Thus we have a wedge-shaped piece of land extending from the TOWN OF PAWLING. 391 Beekman Patent line to the Patterson line, the head of the wedge, nearly three miles across, abutting against the Connecticut line, with the point marked by a clump of bushes on the Hudson, known as "Plum Point." This wedge comprised a mere bagatell of territory, say fifteen thousand acres, more or less, that had been overlooked in the allottment of lands to the original patentees. Starting from the same point on the Hudson, the lines were run, without chain or com- pass, "four hours' going into the woods," diverging more and more the further the lines were extended. The Beekman and the Philipse heirs both laid claim to territory within this "gore," which lay outside their lines; and its division was the subject of bitter controversy for many years. The dispute was finally settled in 1771, and two ancient deeds of land in this town bear that date, given by the Philipse heirs, one to Reed Ferris and one to William Prendergast — the Dodge- Arnold farm and the Arnold homestead. Fredericksburgh was at the time of the Revolution a village, after- wards called "The City," located near the present residence of Dr. Banks in Patterson. The appellation of this village gave the name to a large extent of territory, the residence of John Kane being within it. Among the old documents. Pawling is referred to by the name of Kingston. The road leading south from Pawling village, now called the State Road, was originally laid out in 1745, and is described as running from Beekman's Patent into Westchester. The road running diag- onally up the hill toward Mr. Conger's was first built as a turnpike, and known as the Philipstown turnpike. The road from Patterson through Reynoldsville was called the FIshkill turnpike. Spafford's Gazateer, published in 1813, gave the number of looms for the weaving of cloth in private families in Pawling as one hundred and two. In fact, at a much later date, nearly everything used by the farmers was made in town. Abram Thomas made the nails that went into the construction of the Hicksite Meeting House. Hiram Sherman made coffins and wagons. John Hays was a tailor. Isaac Ingersoll carried on the tannery business. Jeptha Sabin was a sad- dler and harness maker; and that the most essential needs of the ladies should have due recognition, Peter Field, the silversmith, opened a shop. John TofFey and Joseph Seely were hatters, while Amos 392 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Osborn made jugs. Stephen Briggs was a shoemaker, and there is the tradition of a forge on the glen stream on Quaker Hill. Miss Alicia H. Taber, in "Glimpses of the Past," from which some of the foregoing are quotations, says revolving hay rakes were first made in this town. There were two carding machines, one at Cole's MiUs and the other at the Cyrus Tweedy mill. The Lattimer Iron Foun- dry was built later, but was washed away in a freshet. It stood on the stream north of Cole's Mill. The population of the town in 1810 was 1756. Outside of the vil- lages it must have been more thickly inhabited than now. About 20,000 yards of cloth were produced from the family looms in the town that year. Patterson had a fuUing mill, two carding machines and a distillery of grain and fruit spirits. The fattening of cattle, says Miss Taber, constituted the chief business of most farmers in this vicinity. Live cattle were the only produce that did not have to go to the river to reach the market. The road through Pawling was the main thoroughfare from points as far north as Vermont. Monday was the market day in the city, and all started in time to reach their destination by Saturday. The cattle were started from Pawling on Thursday, taking the better part of three days to reach the city. It used to be remarked by cattle dealers that they could teU what the Monday's market would be by taking note of the droves that passed through Pawling on Thursday. The cattle were purchased by drovers, and by them disposed of in the city. The drover was something of a personage in those days. Inns or taverns were kept, located every few miles along the route, for the cattle required feeding every few miles. There was John Preston's, near Dover plains ; the Morehouse tavern at South Dover ; there was a stopping place at Hurds Comers; next the hostelry at Gideon Slo- cum's in Pawling; next an inn at Akins Comers, and another at Benjamin V. Haviland's, and so on to the city. The books of the latter tavern show that in one year there had been kept 27,784 cattle, 30,000 sheep and 700 mules; and it is said there would at times be as many as 2,000 head between this and the tavern at John Preston's. It is many years since public whippings were practiced in this vicinity, although in one instance the post itself remains. This par- ticular post is the Sycamore tree near the residence of Charles Rob- erts, on the John Kane place. This was the one used by Washington TOWN OF PAWLING. 393 for military punishments, and was probably used for the civil as well. It was the army custom to administer one-half the number of blows ordered, say fifty or so, then wait two or three days until the wounds had festered, and then deUver the remainder. Some economic writers aver that public whipping was the best antidote for petty thieving of any invention of man; but pubHc sentiment could no longer brook the cruelty of the practice, even if chicken roosts were the oftener looted. Another custom, the "Putting out of the Poor," is happily dis- continued. This was no less than selling the unfortunate indigent into slavery, at times as abject as ever fell to the lot of the negro on a southern plantation. The poor people would be delivered into the custody of the lowest bidder, and he in turn would compensate himself by getting the most work out of his subjects with the least outlay of food and clothing. It is intimated that the officials of the different towns were not above ridding themselves of their own poor at the expense of their neighbor. At any rate a state law was passed forbidding the renting of a house to any person from another town without the consent of the Overseers of the Poor. The first attempt to provide public transportation was the survey- ing of a route for a canal through the Harlem Valley; it is said the project was abandoned because some of its professed friends mis- appropriated the funds. The section of the Harlem railroad from Croton Falls to Dover Plains was opened December 31, 1849, teams being used to haul the train over a short stretch of road to its des- tination in order to meet the requirements of the charter. Wilson, in his "Quaker Hill," has given some curious items culled from the ledger of the John TofFey store. The principal goods kept in stock in those primitive times were cloth, indigo, thread, cambric, penknives, "nittenneedles," plaster, fine salt, rum, molasses, tea, apple trees, nutmegs and shad. There was hardly an entry of goods sold without the item of "rum" was included. During the years 1814!-'16, owing to war prices, molasses sold for $2 a gallon ; "tobago" at $2.75 the pound; flour $18, boots $9, and tea at $2.75 per pound. Ten years later molasses sold at 35 cents a gallon, and tobacco at 63 cents the pound. Pawling has suffered from many conflagrations. Two church edi- fices have been burned, and the corner now occupied by the Ferris 394 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Block has twice been devastated. The first fire on the corner occurred in 1859, when E. I. Hurd kept a general store there ; the next took place in October of 1&92, when the feed store, of Ehnore Ferris, the Pawhng Journal printing office, and six other buildings were de- stroyed. The principal industry of Pawling now is that of the milk business. There are three milk factories, so-called, — ^the Sheffield Farms, Woody- crest and the Mutual, — at each of which the milk is received from the farmers, bottled for shipment or sent in cans to the metropohs. The normal output of the three institutions is about five hundred cans daily. Pawling lays claim to being the largest milk receiving station in the county. As the commodity is brought into the town in the early morning, the streets present a busy appearance with the multi- tude of loaded wagons from the country and the groups of happy children going to school. Pawling village, incorporated in 1893, has about 800 inhabitants. Quaker Hill, Reynoldsville or Holmes, and West Pawling are hamlets. The high elevations of Quaker HiU and the West Mountain were probably settled long before the lands in the valley between were occupied. The "Swamp fevers" were greatly feared by the pioneer settlers, and they avoided setthng on the low grounds. Three brothers named Moshier emigrated to America long before the Revolution; one died soon after; another ran a mill in the town of Stanford, while a third settled somewhere on the West Mountain. That the west part of the town was at one time thickly inhabited is evident from the numbers of old cellars that one meets with here, during a day's ramble, each with tumble-down chinmey, its old well, remains of garden walls and beds of "tansy" to fortify against the Swamp fever. Not unfre- quently one comes unexpectedly upon neglected burial places in the forest, and there is not a tradition of the people buried there. On the other hand it is said there was no house on the post road between Alfred Wing's and the Taber homestead; thus Pawling and Hurds Corners were not even in embryo. Among the settlers on the east side we find the names of Sherman, Merrit, Birdsall, Irish, Akin, Craft, Chase and Osborn. Of the valley there occur Shaw, Cary, Hunt, Sabin, Salmon, Pearce and Slocum. On the west there once dwelt the ancestors of the families by the name of Worden, Moshier, Dentory, Dibble, Davis and Turner. It is said there was quite an TOWN OF PAWLING. 395 influx into the town, about 1740. As these who immigrated here were not of the "Standing Order," rehgiously speaking, that is to say, they were Baptists and Methodists, and came from the east, it may be presumed they were attracted here by the promise of freedom of church worship. This however, hardly accords with tradition which says these early settlers were addicted to drinking, gaming, horse racing, cockfighting and wrestling. As the military history of the town is embodied in the general his- tory of the county, more than a few local incidents of that time would be out of place here. The official Headquarters of General Washington during his so- journ with his army in Pawling in 1778, were at the house of John Kane, now the site of the Roberts residence. In September, 1905, a copper tablet with an historical inscription was affixed to a large sycamore tree near by the house, and was unveiled with interesting and appropriate ceremonies. Mr. L. S. Patrick, of Marinette, Wis., delivered the historical address. The tablet was draped in the folds of a Union Jack intermingled with the Stars and Stripes, and Mrs. Laura Sherwood, 97 years of age, officiated at the ceremony of un- veiling. Mrs. Van Rensseleer Schuyler, of Sharon, Conn., a descend- ant of John Kane, was present by invitation to represent the former owner of the soil. Mr. Wilson followed Mr. Patrick's address in some remarks on the life and character of John Kane. This gentleman was a man owning considerable landed property in this vicinity. His sympathies were decidedly in favor of the patriots; but, having little faith in the ultimate success of their cause, was moved by considera- tions of self interest to side with the loyalists. He, however, took occasion to speak favorably of the Whigs on all public occasions, which greatly incensed the friends of the King. So when his estate was confiscated by the patriot authorities, he petitioned the King to reimburse him for his loss, but was met with the charge, "You talked too well of the King's rebellious subjects to receive favors at 'his hands." Disowned by both sides he was dispossessed of all his prop- erty, — ^the officers even stripping the pillows and blankets from a cradle in which his youngest child lay critically iU with pneumonia, and was drummed out of town. The shock and exposure proved fatal to the sick child, while the family suffered all the indignities that could be inflicted on the bitterest Tory. The good words he had spoken 396 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. for them had been forgotten by the patriots, so inflamed they were by passion. The Arctic explorer of that name was a descendant of this same John Kane. The following is the inscription on the tablet: THE RESIDENCE OF JOHN KANE ON THIS SITE WAS HEADQUARTERS OF WASHINGTON FROM SEPTEMBER TWELFTH TO NOVEMBER TWENTY-SEVENTH, 1778, WHILE THE SECOND LINE OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY WAS ENCAMPED ON QUAKER HILL AND IN THE VALLEY NEAR. The residence of a Quaker by the name of Birch in the south end of Quaker Hill was robbed during the Autumn of 1778, by some sol- diers. On his promise not to follow them that night, they offered him no bodily harm. This promise, though made under duress, he kept on the honor of a Quaker, but at the hour the time hmit expired he was on their track with a posse. He traced them to the army lines, where he recognized the villains, and identified his property on the person of one of them. The evidence was so conclusive, that the cul- prit was convicted before court-martial, and hung despite the pro- tests of Birch, who had no desire to push the matter to that extremity. Nathan Pearce, Jun., who lived in the house standing, at the time of the Revolution, but since razed, on the bank nearly opposite the residence of O. A. Dykeman, was collector of military fines, — an office that was as distasteful to the public as could well be imagined. One night some robbers broke into the house, struck him with the butt of a musket, beat and kicked him into insensibihty, and finally suspended him, lacerated and bleeding, by his thumbs to the chamber floor. Then after rummaging the house, they left him to be rescued by the family. He never saw a well moment thereafter, and survived the ordeal but six weeks. Some nights subsequent to this, his brother, Capt. William Pearce, with some followers, surprised this robber gang at their rendezvous in a cave on Quaker Hill. The robber chief, Vaughn by name, had on his person the clothes taken from his brother Nathan, and William had the satisfaction of running a sword through the body of his enemy in revenge for the murder of his brother. Benjamin Sherman came from Massachusetts to Pawling in 1764!, TOWN OF PAWLING. 397 and probably lived in the tenant house on the Dodge- Arnold farm at the foot of Quaker Hill. The Shermans were proverbially wagon makers and drovers as well as farmers. The "Sherman wagon, the box of which was rounded up at both ends, with paneled side boards, and half as high again in rear as in front," as I well remember, was built by Benjamin. This tenant house has somehow escaped the notice of local antiquarians, which is the more singular as it has a "room with six doors and one window," lacking only a single door to be on a par with its illustrious rival at Newburgh. In this house some of Sherman's children were born. No taint of Toryism, or even neutrality, ever attached to Sherman or his sons, three of whom were in the Continental service. I am inclined to the opinion that Benja- min Sherman was Magistrate Sherman of whom, Dr. Fallon speaks of so highly in his letter to Governor Chnton. It is a tradition that Vaughn and his night riders on one occasion, under cover of dark- ness, paid this family a visit, but found the old gentleman and his sons so well prepared to receive them that they were glad to depart after exchanging a few shots. The Shermans had a keg of gun- powder arranged with a train, in readiness to be fired in case they were overpowered, with the view to launch friend and foe alike into eternity, preferring death to falling into the hands of these "minions of the moon." The money then in circulation was mostly gold sovereigns. As a place of security Sherman bored holes in the bottom of his bedposts, into which the sovereigns were dropped until the holes were nearly full, then a plug would be nicely fitted into each hole, and the bedr stead returned to its place. The family afterwards removed to the farm at present owned by Mr. Georgfe Ketchum. On a rising knoll to the north of the house is a monument marking the last resting place of Benjamin Sherman and Deborah his wife, erected to their memory by their appreciative grand- son, David H. Sherman. Pawling Baptist Church. There is a tradition of a log church once standing near the Camp Meeting woods. There are evidences of a burial place on the west side of the road at the point, and a marble slab with the name, "Sarah, wife of Nathan Cary," may yet be seen on the farm. This confirms the supposition that Elder Henry Cary preached in this log structure, and that the dead of this community were buried in the graveyard contiguous to it. From the record of a 398 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. marriage ceremony solemnized by Elder Gary in 1766, it is presumable this was the period of his residence in this vicinity. Elder John Lawrence began preaching here in 1770, and was pas- tor of a church organized before the Revolution. In 1775 he was succeeded by Elder Phineas Clark. One of Elder Lawrence's con- verts was Nehemiah Johnson ; the latter was ordain&l and commenced preaching when Elder Clark left, and served the Pawling church as its minister fifty-three consecutive years. The pastorate of Elder Johnson is not more remarkable for its length than for the peace and harmony that prevailed over the entire period. The writer of this chapter remembers the deep veneration with which the people of this vicinity regarded this sainted man. He had never enjoyed the advantages of a hberal education, and his language might not have been always grammatical, as measured by modem rules, but "he could remember nothing he said after announcing his text, and at the close of the sermon his audience Was frequently found in tears." During the period of his ministry he labored with his own hands for his tem- poral support while administering to the spiritual needs of his people. The earliest meeting house of this society was at the top of the West Mountain, where the Dug Way road intersects the Penny road that follows the crest of the mountain into the town of Dover. This was always known as the Johnson Meeting House, and is still remem- bered by some of our oldest citizens. Large congregations were ac- customed to gather there, and "they found it easy breathing in prayer on that high ground where they worshiped." The church at this time had a membership of ninety. Azariah CrandeU was chosen deacon at its formation, holding the office until his death in 1808. In 1842 Benjamin Burr and Elijah Booth were deacons. In August, 1841, Elders Johnson and Kirby were required to revise the church records up to that date, and ascertain how many of those whose names were on the church books ought to be considered under the care of the church. Unfortunately those records cannot now be found. At this period the society were holding meetings half the time in the Union Meeting House (the church "over the swamp" as spoken of in the Methodist records), that edifice having been completed about the year 1839. July 10th, 1841, at a service in this building. Elder Johnson gave a summary of his ministerial labors and asked the society to relieve him and appoint Elder Seth Higby as his successor. The minutes of this church record that meetings were held in two TOWN OF PAWLING. 399 neighborhoods in the spring of 1842 "with evident token of Divine Approbation." The first in the Reynolds school house in March; the next a month later "near Elder Higby's." The Elder at this time lived on the Daniel Dodge "home farm," in the big yellow house after- ward torn down. The meetings were held in the upper part of a wagon house on the premises. I well remember the seats of rough planks supported on pieces of logs sawed to the right length, and stood on end. A large accession to the church was made during these meetings, the baptisms taking place in the mill-pond near Willet Ferris, who, together with his wife and daughter, were among those baptized. In the Spring of 1852i Elder J. W. Jones began to preach in the Temperance Hall (now the residence of Mrs. ^aulding) over the store of Robert Wetts, a hotel being conducted in the other end of the building. That same year a second church in Pawling was or- ganized, to be known as the Central Baptist Church of Pawling. Elder Jones agreed to preach for the term of one year on the stipu- lated guarantee of Richard Haynes of $50, with use of house as a parsonage. That same year Daniel Dodge, Alex Allen, Jr., and Orwin Theall were appointed a building committee to buijd a house of worship. In the foEowing year the church edifice was dedicated. Jones served as pastor two years in the new church; he was suc- ceeded by Reverends A. W. Valentine," S. L. Holman, G. W. Barnes, and D. T. Hill; Elder Hill began his pastorate in 1870. In the fol- lowing year the second Son, David J. Hill (now U. S. Minister to Berlin), was licensed to preach the gospel. In 1876 the church edi- fice was removed to a central location within the village, and re- dedicated. In 1879 this meeting house was destroyed by fire, and in 1880 the present beautiful edifice was completed on the site of the former church. At the present time the society is prosperous and enjoying the ministry of Rev. W. W. Barker, formerly of New York. Methodist Episcopal, Chuech. The first entry on the minutes is of a Quarterly Conference on Pawlingville Circuit held at the church in New Fairfield, July 7, 1838. Here the names of Sanford and Reynolds first appear. Pawlingville Circuit had recently been taken off the Courtlandt Circuit, which included Carmel, and other "classes" below. That there was a constant change in boundaries and jurisdic- tions is evident from the fact that Archibald Campbell was at one time chosen to attend a District Steward's Meeting at Jbhnsville; 400 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. later Jesse Scudder was appointed to represent the Pawlingville Cir- cuit at a similar meeting in Poughkeepsie ; and again James Holmes and D. C. Green were sent for a like purpose to Pleasantville. Note, too, the change in the names of localities and stations. Pawlingville was then the hamlet now known as Hurds Corners. That quaint little square structure, standing on a hill, without a gable, the four sides of the roof coming to a point in the center, filled the double office of a place of secular and of religious instruction for the community, and was known far and wide as the "Bellcona." In it the Quarterly Conference Meetings dated at Pawlingville were held, and it was sacred to the memory of a Rice, a Reynolds, a Martindale and a host of pioneer Methodists. What is now Pawling was called Cen- terville, and later Pawling Center. Then there was the church "Over the Swamp," later known as the Union Church, now used as a bam; there was also the old Methodist Church standing on the corner be- low the village, its erection having been begun about 1813, but never completed. The station at Reynoldsville was designated as Fishkill Turnpike. There were meetings held at private houses, making in all quite a number of stations, at which the "preacher in charge" was expected to hold religious services. The following were the official members on Pawling's Circuit, July 27, 1844. Ministers: William Jewett, Presiding Elder; George C. Bancroft, Preacher in Charge; Uriah Mead, Local Preacher; Archi- bald Campbell, 8d, recommended to travel. Jesse Scudder, Abraham Brown and Henry Ward, Stewards ; Theodorus B. Sheldon, John Nick- erson, Isaac Scudder, Talmon Meade, B. S. Trowbridge, Nelson Por- ter and John Jewett, Exhorters; Warren Cary, Stephen P. Sher- wood, John Adams, Montgomery S. Piatt, William St. John, Heze- kiel Wildman, Amos R. Stevens and Enoch Wheeler, Class Leaders. About this time the question of repairing the old Methodist Church was brought up, and a plan voted on, but the project fell through. The next we learn of a committee, composed of Cushing Green and Stephen P. Sherwood, being appointed to sell the building. I am in- formed that the committee were put to a deal of trouble in giving title, but it was finally disposed of to parties in Patterson. Since 1889 the Methodists had ceased to make use of the old Meeting House, and thgir services were held in the church Over the Swamp, which is desig- nated in their minutes as the "New Church," and indicates the time of its erection. About the year 1853 the society built a church at OBLONG MEETING HOUSE. QUAKER HILL, TOWN OF PAWLING, N. Y. MEMORIAL STONE AND TABLET. TOWN OF PAWLING. 401 "Pawling Centei-," as the minutes termed the village about the depot. At a Quarterly held March 25, 1865, the Trustees at Pawling report that they have sold the old church, receiving $1,176 net therefor, and have applied the proceeds toward building a new church at a cost of $6,809. The last entry in this book is a record of a Quarterly Con- ference held June 26, 1869, at South Dover, Presiding Elder A. M. Osbom in chair. Revs. Culver J. Burch and M. R. Lent, Preachers in Charge. These old records show the interest taken by the early Methodist denomination in the education of the young. At every Conference Meeting the question was brought up : Has the rule concerning the in- struction of children been faithfully attended to? and this duty must have formed no small part of work of those upon* whom it devolved. After the year 1855 the minutes are silent on this subject; which seems to indicate that the present public school system had become so per- fected as to provide for the secular instruction of the young. At a Conference in March, 1866, Brothers Henry Ward's and Archibald Campbell's claims for house rent were taken up; Ward's for $19, Campbell's for $50. Each gave up his claim, and exonerated thie: Circuit. February 28, 1862, Benjamin H. Burch, age 24, not iii debt; Phineas R. Hawxhurst, age 24, not in debt, were examined and recommended to travel. The present pastor is' Rev. Robert L. Ross. The church has recently renovated and decorated the interior of their house of worship, and installed a new church organ. The unveiling of the copper tablet commemorating the events which have served to render the Oblong Meeting House notable took place on the grounds in front of the edifice in September, 1904. A huge boulder of gneiss had been removed to the church grounds from a farm in Connecticut, and fixed to this stone was the memorial tablet containing these words : OBLONG MEETING HOUSE Of The Society Of Friends Erected in 1742 South of This Road. Present Meeting House Erected in 1760. First Effective Action Against Slavery Taken Here in 1767. Occupied As Hospital in 1778 By Revolutionary Soldiers Many of Whom Are Buried South of This Road. Meeting Divided in 1828. Meetings Discontinued in This House 1885. 402 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. The address was delivered by Mrs. Phebe T. Wanzer, herself a member of the society who last held meetings in the old meeting house. A large concourse of people were present on the occasion, the cere- mony having in it an especial interest. Akin Hall Association, founded by Albert John Akin,^ was consti- tuted under the laws of the State of New York, the Certificate of Incorporation being filed August 10th, 1882. The objects of the society are the "promotion of benevolence, charity, literature, science and mutual improvement in rehgion and all kindred cultivation and knowledge and the providing and maintaining of a place or places of education, moral training and worship." The number of trustees shall be sixteen, its place of business and principal office at Quaker Hill, with power to fill vacancies. August 15th, 1892, a reorganization was efi'ected, adopting all the aforesaid features of the Association, except that the number of trustees to manage the business affairs of the organization be hmited to five members. It was further provided that when sufficient means shall have come into their hands, the trus- tees were authorized to construct, in addition to the Hall, a free hbrary and provide for its maintenance. This Hbrary is now com- pleted, and a librarian is present stated days of the week. The Asso- ciation holds real estates as follows : Akin Hall and Manse, the Library Building, Mizzen Top Hotel and cottages adjacent. A liberal en- dowment has been provided for the maintenance of the various objects of the Association. The official board is now composed as follows: Albro Akin, President; George W. Chase, Treasurer; William H. Os- born, Secretary. The Bank of Pawling was constituted under the laws of New York State in 1849. Its chief originator was Albert J. Akin, who for forty-four consecutive years held the office of President. In 1865 it was changed from a State to a National Bank, with the name National Bank of Pawhng. The present officers are : John B. Dutcher, President; Theron M. Green, Vice President; J. Gerow Dutcher, Sec- ond Vice President; George W. Chase, Cashier; Joseph F. Haight, Assistant Cashier. The Pawling Savings Bank was incorporated in 1870, receiving its first deposit in 1871. The first President was David R. Gould, who was conspicuous in its organization, and was indefatigable In his 1. See Part II of this work for Wograplcal sketch of Mr, Akin. TOWN OF PAWT^ING. 403 fendeavors for its advancement. William J. Merwin was the first Treasurer, who was succeeded by H. A. Holmes. Its present officers are: William H. Taber, President; George A. Daniels, Treasurer; Benjamin F. Burr, Secretary. Pawhng has a fine water system, the construction of which was be- gun in 1895. The reservoir is some two miles distant, located on a hill about 220 feet above the village level, and gives a pressure of 120 pounds to the square inch. The viUage was bonded for its con- struction to the amount of $45,000, to be paid in yearly installments, all to be liquidated in 1927. Not only is water furnished for house- hold purposes, but the fine pressure is made serviceable in the driving of water motors and for other mechanical uses, and also for supply- ing the locomotives of the New York Central Railroad. Eight of the bonds have now (1908) been paid off. The annual income to the village from the system is about $2,200, of which the New York Cen- tral pays $1,000. A fire company is maintained, with a hose house well equipped for the fighting of fire. Publication of the Pawling Pioneer was begun in 1870 by Philip H. Smith, and by him sold to George W. Tice in 1882. Subsequently it was purchased by William Downing, then by Horace Sague, Jr., afterward coming into the possession of Dr. F. M. Robinson, when the name was changed to the Pawling Journal. It was destroyed in the fire which burned the block on which the Ferris Building now stands. In 1891 publication of the Harlem Valley Chronicle was commenced by Philip H. Smith, sold to William T. Chapman in 1894, who conducted it one year, changing the name to the Pawling Chroni- £le, and sold the business to Charles Walsh, who is still its proprietor. The public school districts of the town, originally ten in number, have been reduced to eight; one having been discontinued, the school house sold, and the territory divided among districts contiguous to it ; and another having been merged into that of the High School at Pawling. Two outlying districts — Hurds Corners and Quaker Hill — have modern buildings ; the others have school houses more or less par- taking of the architecture of the past. The books in the office of the town clerk contain no records of yearly elections previous to 1854. Many valuable records relating to the early days of the town and precinct were destroyed by fire on the 404 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. night of May 4th, 1859. The succession of Supervisors from 1854 to 1909 has been as follows: 1854 Sherman Howard 1877— '78 William J. Mervin 1855 James Craft 1879— '83 Albert W. Corbin 1856 Sherman Howard 1884 Edwin B. Dodge 1857 WilUam H. Taber 1885 James S. Pearce 1858 Theron M. Green 1886 Edwin B. Dodge 1859 James Craft 1887— '88 Jeremiah S. Pearce 1860 Asa B. Corbin 1889 Albert W. Corbin 1861- -'63 Samuel A. Barnum 1890 George F. Lee 186S— '65 David R. Gould 1891— '93 Jeremiah Mead 1866 J. Wesley Stark 1894— '95 Morton Haynes 1867- -'68 John J. Vanderburgh 1896— '98 William R. Lee 1869— '70 J. Wesley Stark 1899— '04 Henry A. Holmes 1871- -'72 John B. Dutcher 1905— '06 William Downing 1873— '74 William B. Ross 1907— '09 Charles C. Stark 1875— '76 Jedediah I. Wanzer TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. 405 CHAPTER XXVII. THE TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. By Philip H. Smith. THE town of Pine Plains is one of the northern tier of towns in Dutchess, bordering the county of Columbia. It is bounded on the east by Northeast; on the west by Milan; on the south by Stanford and Northeast. Extensive plains originally covered by pine forests gave the town its name. The territory was included in the Little ,Nine Partners' Patent; together with Milan and a portion of present Northeast it was in 1788 erected into a town, the three being known as Northeast. Milan was taken ofiF in 1818, and Pine Plains was erected into a separate township in 1823. Before these townships were divided the seat of government was at the present village of Pine Plains; here the town records were kept; hither the voters from Spencer's Corners and Northeast Center had to come over the "West Mountain, which is a high ridge of fertile country, well inhabited, stretching from north to south, steep in ascent and descent, and is about three miles over;" in short, the people of the vicinity of MiUerton had to traverse about fifteen miles to reach the place of their annual town meetings, with the result that this duty was almost whoUy neglected. The farmers of Milan, on their part, were obliged to pass over Stissing Mountain to and from the polls, and to transact other necessary business ; hence the division of the towns was resolved upon as a matter of general convenience. The "house of Israel Reynolds" (Stissing House) was designated in the early records as the place where town business was transacted, and where the first town meeting for Pine Plains was held. In the western part is Stissing Mountain, rising to the height of nearly a thousand feet above the adjacent valleys. At its foot on the east are Thompson's, Stissing and Halcyon Lakes; the principal streams are the Wappingers, flowing south, and the Shekomeko, flow- 406 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. ing north. Roeliff Jansen's Kill crosses the extreme northwest cor- ner of the town. As indicated by the nomenclature of its mountains and streams, the territory was occupied by remnants of Indian tribes when the first white people settled here. By reason of inability to secure a good title to lands, the settlement of Pine Plains was retarded for years; when, therefore, in 1744, or thereabouts, the territory of the Little Nine Partners was surveyed, and divided among the several proprie- tors, so that titles could be legally conveyed, the rights of the Red man to the soil were scarcely recognized. In fact, there is no record in the early deeds of lands in Pine Plains of Indian titles having been first extinguished as a preliminary to the conveyance of property — a specification so frequently met with in the deeds of other parts of the county. In short, the vices and greed of the white man had con- spired to obliterate all traces of the rightful owners of the soil. Among the early settlers are the names familiar at the present time — ^Winans, Smith, Harris, Reynolds, Hoffman, Pulver, Deuel, Dibblee, Husted, Stevenson, Rau (Rowe), Seldon and others. The eastern portion of Pine Plains was settled by the Palatines, remnants of a colony of German religious refugees, who had sought the pro- tection of England, and by that power had been given over into the tender hands of land monopolists, who transported them to the vicinity of Rhinebeck and the Catskills, and there set them to work to make tar, pitch, turpentine and resin from the pitchless, dwarfed white pines on Livingston's land grants. Of course the poor Palatines could not create what did not exist, and left to themselves to provide for themselves, they scattered to various points, some seeking homes in Pine Plains. About 1760 a settler moved into this toiwi and built a cabin on the north side of Little Stissing, near a spring still known as "Hubbell Spring." This was on the road to Mount Ross. When the Tories from the west of Stissing Mountain raided Pine Plains through this pass, Hubbell's cabin was a rallying point for beating them off. His was said to have been an important frontier post, and he had many an exciting chase after the Tories. When Hubbell came he brought with him, on a sled, a cannon which housed with effect against the armed Tory lads, and which for half a century was on every Fourth of July utilized in all patriotic cele- TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. 407 brations. It was finally taken to the Hotchkiss foundry at Sharon Valley and exchanged for a smaller one, which has long since gone. It was not until the close of the Revolution that immigration to Pine , Plains set in to any great extent, when settlers began to flock in from the Oblong, Dover, Amenia, Pawling, and from other points. There were Lutherans and Dutch Reformed from the vicinity of the Hud- son ; there were Baptists and Methodists from the Oblong ; there were Episcopalians and Congregationalists from the Connecticut Colonies; then the society of Quakers was established and a house of worship erected; and later the denomination of Christians organized a church and held stated worship; in a word, nearly every Protestant organi- zation is now, or has been, represented in the religious history of the town. At first one house of worship might sufiice for more than one de- nomination, where the congregations would be composed of members of distinct societies, who would listen in turn to the exjponents of diverse creeds. This did not always tend to unity of heart and belief, and as soon as was practicable, each sect worshiped in its own church with a stated pastor. The prosperity of Pine Plains has been retarded by an adherence to that relic of England's custom of land tenures, that is to say, life lease-holds. The stranger on his first stop at the village of Pine Plains is sure to be impressed with the sight of a prosperous village built on one side of the principal street. On account of lease-hold tenure the land on the other side was not available for building lots. Happily that condition of things is no more, and the abnormal growth of the town to one side will in time be remedied. At the first town election of Pine Plains, Tuesday, April 1, 1823, Israel Harris was elected Supervisor, Reuben W. Bostwick, Town Clerk; Samuel Russell and Isaac Sherwood, Overseers of the Poor. The company business of the town of Pine Plains and Northeast- was settled as far as could be before the spring elections. The Legis- lative act authorizing their separation provided for the disposition of the highway money, leaving the school money and the division of the town paupers and the poor fund to be determined by the towns inter- ested. Those constituting the board for the settlement of the latter- question were: for Pine Plains, Israel Harris, Supervisor; Samuel Russell and Isaac Sherwood, Overseers; for Northeast, Philo M/ 408 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Winchell, Supervisor; Eben Wheeler and Enos Hopkins, Overseers. The settlement was based upon the tax list of the territory before the division. The early settlers of Pine Plains, such as were of the Lutheran and German Reformed creed, were perforce required to attend service at points on the Hudson, whither they went in primitive fashion, twenty miles and more, on horseback, with a child in front and one or more seated behind. Once a settler from Carman's Mill, in fording the Shekomeko, met with a mishap, and a child intended for baptism at the distant church, fell into the stream and was drowned. Under such difficulties were church relations kept up until about the year 1746, when the "Old Round Top," so named from the shape of its roof, was built at what is now "Bethel." This was at one time a business center; here is located the oldest cemetery in the town, where the forefathers of the hamlet sleep. Here stood the "bark church," built by the Moravians, and where those early self-sacrificing preach- ers ministered to the Indians — ^when permitted to do so by the Sheriflp of the County. To this mission people often came from Rhinebeck to hear these missionaries, and the audiences often numbered two hundred. The deed for the land on which the "Old Round Top" was erected, granted in 1769, twenty-three years after the edifice was built, states that the building was designed "for the worship of Almighty God as practiced by the Lutheran Evangelical Churches." At the dedica- tion in 1840 of the Union Bethel Church, which stands near the site of the old building, the Rev. A. Wackerhagen, a Lutheran, was pres- ent, and said: "We are on interesting ground; a hundred years ago a church was erected to Almighty God on this spot, and to-day, after the passing of a century, we have dedicated another to His Most Holy Name." The road now runs through the land described by this deed, and makes two cemeteries; that west of the road being used for a general burying ground. The old church site was in the cemetery on the east side, where the present monument to William A. Rowe — a de- scendant of one of the grantees in the deed — is erected. In 1753, Abraham Reinke, a Moravian, was sent to preach to the white people at Sharon, at their urgent request. He preached at Sali|bury, at Oblong (Amenia Union), in the Round Top at Nine Partners (Bethel), and at Livingston Manor. TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. 409 In its day Round Top was widely known. It is now ascertained that Dr. Quitman of Rhinebeck preached here in the years previous to 1816, at which time the Presbyterian church at Pine Plains was completed; then he preached in the latter church, the Lutherans hav- ing one-fourth interest in the building. This drew away the interest in Round Top as a special center. The old second church was never completed inside; benches were used for seats; after a time repairs were needed, and money for that purpose was subscribed, but the re- pairs were never made. The next year the clapboards were torn off and the frame sold at auction. The business of the town had drifted to Pine Plains, where was afterward to be the religious center as well. The old Red 'Church at Pulvers is of interest in this connection. As has been stated, the Lutheran and German. Reformed elements came into Pine Plains with the Palatine settlers. At first both used the Round Top church. In 1772 the Reformed church built a meet- ing house on the present Herman Pulver farm, which was painted red, and was known far and wide as the Red Church. Rev. G. D. Koch was the first preacher in this building, hence it was called "Koch's Meeting House." Like Round Top, it was never finished inside ; beside, it was also ,distant from the religious and commercial center of the town; which contributed towards hastening the end of the old Red Church. This building ceased to be about the year 1823. The chief mover in the establishment of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, as they were more commonly called, was Charles Hoag, who settled on a farm near Bethel, on which a Quaker church was after- wards built. Quite a number of associate Quakers living within go-to- meeting distance of each other were "allowed" to hold meeting twice a week at the house of Charles Hoag. The parent society that exercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction over "The Northeast Society of Friends," — as the meeting at Charles Hoag's was officially termed — ^was located at Stanfordville. A committee had been appointed by the "Quarterly Meeting" at Nine Partners to attend the meeting "allowed" at Hoag's, which committee reported to the ecclesiastical head that they felt "freedom to propose a continuance of the same, under the care of a suitable committee." They were therefore allowed to hold meetings on the "first' and "fourth" days of the week, except monthly prepara- tion and quarterly meeting weeks. 410 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. In due time they set about building a meeting house. On the "19th of the fourth month," 1806, a building committee advised that a house be built "30 by 20 feet, and 10 feet posts," which was com- pleted by the 20th of June following. Ezra Bryan, one of the early members of the Society, was its builder — a plain building with long steep roof and high gables. There were two doors for entrance, the right for "mankind," the left for "womankind." There were long seats with comfortable back rails, the distinguishing feature being the high wood partition running through the center to "hide the women from the men and the girls from the boys." A small raised platform was at the rear and with seats facing the audience; these were for the oiBcials and preachers. It was about this time that Elias Hicks appeared on the arena; but the doctrine he advanced, which rent the society in twain finally, did not do its full work until some years later. Thomas Ellison was a prominent Quaker preacher here. There was a pleasing melody in his voice, and this together with that jpeculiar "chaunt" in the Quaker preacher's custom of speaking in meeting, made him popular with the public. This manner of speaking is de- scribed as a kind of singing oratory, so natural to some people, and hence pleasant to listen to. In 1812 Charles Hoag opened a boarding school for boys and girls at his own dwelling. Jacob Willett and his wife, Deborah Rog- ers, were employed by him as teachers. These instructors afterward became prominent in the county as leaders in education; the Nine Partners School is still spoken of with the highest esteem; Willett's Arithmetic had a high place in the curriculum of the schools of that day. As has been said, there were not, among the various adherents of the several rehgious denominations, in early Pine Plains, enough of any one sect to biiild and support a church; hence, "Articles of Asso- ciation for the building of- the Union Meeting House on Pine Plains" were entered into. A lot was purchased at the price of one hundred and fifty dollars on which to build it. Silas Harris and William Woodin were chosen to go to Catskills to purchase lumber and material, for which purpose they were on February 13, 1815, paid $222. Great was the enthusiasm over the building of the church; it was the special enterprise of that year. The building was begun in April. Ten steps were required to get JACOB S. HINSDALE. TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. 411 into the high pulpit. A •window was in the rear of this to facilitate the reading of the scripture and the written sermon. This window was removed, as it was unpleasant for the pew-sitters to gaze at the preacher in its glare. As was then the custom, there was a gallery on three sides, and the heating was by stoves. The pews were offered at public sale February 14<, 1816, and the proceeds amounted to over $4,000. In March of that year a meeting was called, at which the following was passed: Resolved, That the ministers hereafter to be employed to preach in this meeting house shall be selected either from the Presbyterian Society, from the Dutch Reformed Church, from the German Lutheran Church, or from the Episcopal Church, and no other. This exclusiveness was subsequently relaxed, inasmuch as a min- ister of any denomination was allowed to preach in this house, but the "preached to" must pay the preacher. In 1836 the first church bell in Pine Plains was hung in the square belfry of this church. It was rung on all occasions of celebration, and tolled the age of each citizen at his death, in addition to the call for church services. Previous to 1840 a church organ was pur- chased at $400 ; this organ is still doing service after the lapse of over half a century. The church underwent extensive repairs in 1879. Huntting says there were mingled feelings of regret and joy, at the last service in the old edifice. Its antique internal architecture, hallowed by asso- ciations of more than a generation, was to be marred by vandal hands ; something "modern" in structure and convenience was to take its place. Dr. Bevan of New York preached the sermon at its rededica- tion. The drift of his discourse was to the effect that the building was no longer a union meeting house; that it was to be thereafter strictly a Presbyterian Church. In June, 1833, William N. Sayre and Sarah A. Marshall were married. Shortly after he was ordained to preach by the North River Presbytery. On the way to fill an appointment he stopped at the Stissing House, where he learned there was no stated preaching in this church. He made an appointment for Pine Plains, with the result that in September of 1833 he preached the first sermon of an unbroken pastorate of fifty years. When Mr. Sayre first came the building was used by four denomi- 412 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. nations, so he occupied the pulpit but one Sunday in each month, unless a vacancy occurred. In 1847 the resolution was passed "that Rev. W. N. Sayre occupy the pulpit of the Pine Plains church state(My every Sabbath." June 24th, 1883, Mr. Sayre preached his fiftieth annual sermon, when he resigned. In this, his semi-centennial sermon, he said that during his min- istry he had united in wedlock 700 persons, and conducted service at 800 funerals. In three houses on adjoining farms in Ancram he had attended 21 funerals. Three-fourths of the village had been built since he began to preach. The greater part of his congregations of the first years of his ministry have died or removed. Two heads of families only survive who were here in 1833< The church now enjoys the ministrations of Rev. C. E. Doane. It was through the influence of Freeborn Garretson that Methodism received its first impetus in Pine Plains and adjoining towns. Meet- ings in these early years were held in farm houses and in groves, in the old Round Top Church, and wherever opportunity offered. Their prayers were none the less pleasing to their Maker because they had no church home. They had no privileges in the Union Meeting House. "So they took to the school houses and work shops in winter, and to the groves in summer, where they could have camp-meetings, free air, a free gospel, free grace and a free shout." In 1835, with thirteen members, the building of a Methodist church in Pine Plains was commenced. The house was dedicated in 1837. In 1891 the building was repaired and enlarged, and an excellent pipe organ placed in the choir gallery. The present pastor is Rev. W. C. Oliver. The meeting for constituting the Baptist Society of Pine Plains was held in a log building, then the home of Alfred Brush, May 4th, 1836. Some early Baptists who had been identified with the church at Spencers Corners (near present Millerton), having removed to Pine Plains in the earlier years of that century, united with some others in establishing a society of Baptists. These brethren con- tributed to the erection of the "Union Meeting House," — now Presby- terian — ^with the understanding that they were to occupy it one- fourth of the time. Elder John Buttolph, of Spencers Corners, serv«d the church some two years, Rev. R. G. Armstrong, of the Pres- byterian Society, also preaching from the same pulpit one-fourth of the TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. 413 time. In those days the diverse church doctrines were plied with vigor, and the advocacy of immersion and sprinkling from the same pulpit is probably one of the causes which led to the withdrawal of the Baptists. Elder Luman Burtch succeeded Buttolph, and came up from Bangall once in four weeks. At this time the Baptists set about building a house of worship. A lot was purchased for six hundred dollars, the frame of the edifice was put up and enclosed, the roof and belfry nearly completed, when late one Saturday afternoon in June a cyclone passed through Pine Plains leaving destruction in its wake. The new church edifice was directly in its path, and when the storm had passed those early worshipers beheld thie work of their hands leveled with the ground. This was disheartening to the struggling SQciety. In this ex- tremity Elder Burtch came to their assistance. Through his influ- ence the churches of the county contributed liberally of their means towards rebuilding. -^ The Baptist churches at Bangall, Spencers Comers, Amenia, Dover, Stanford, Fishkill and Pleasant Valley each sent substantial tokens of their good will, and after persistent effort the building was com- pleted, and in May of 18S8 was formally dedicated. Next year Elder Nathan D. Benedict, of Connecticut, accepted a call from the church, and became its first settled pastor. His salary was three hundred and fifty dollars a year and house rent. Up to this period the society had been considered as a sort of branch of the Stanford church. But in May of this year the neigh- boring Baptist- organizations were convened in ecclesiastical council and the Baptist church of Pine Plains was organized with twenty-six constituent members. Since that time ,the church has supported a number of able and self-sacrificing ministers, and maintained during the succeeding years religious services that have led to the saving of souls. The primitive Episcopal Society of Pine Plains is closely identified with the Dibblee (Dibble) family, who were among the staunch pioneer settlers. The Episcopalians at first aflSliated with the church in Sharon, Conn., whither they w^ent twenty miles to enjoy religious ser- vices in accordance with their belief. They, too, held a part interest in the "Union Meeting House" so frequently referred to in the pre- ceding pages, and they maintained service there. Their number hav- 414 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. ing suffered depletion by the death of some and the removal of others, Episcopal services in the town nearly ceased for a considerable time. Mainly through the efforts of Theron Wilber, who moved into the town about 1850, the dormant society was revived. In this work he was assisted by Rev. Sheldon Davis, a missionary of the county. Rev. Homer Wheaton, of Lithgow, held services for a time in the Union Bethel Church, followed by Rev. Frederick Sill, of Red Hook. On the evening of July 9, 1858, Dr. Potter visited this place, when three persons received the rite of confirmation — ^the first solemnization of this rite in the town of Pine Plains. Owing, doubtless, to jealousy, the "Union" church doors then were closed to them; but the seed was kept aUve, and a Parish was organized according to statute in No- vember of 1859, the title to be the Church of the Regeneration. In May, 1860, subscriptions were first sohcited for a church build- ing, and the edifice was completed in the spring of the following year. At the laying of the corner stone a paper was deposited, bearing among other interesting matters the following chronological facts: "At the time of the laying of this corner stone James Buchanan is President of the United States, and Edwin D. Morgan is Governor of New York. The Right Rev. Thomas Church Brownell, D.D., LL.D., is the presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America ; the Right Rev. Benj amin Tredwell Onder- donk, D.D., is Bishop of the Diocese of New York, and the Right Rev. Horatio Potter, D.D., LL.D., is provisional Bishop of the same." Rev. Henry L. Ziegenfuss was among the Rectors who have been in author- ity over this church. The present incumbent is Rev. Thomas Burrows. The Bethel Church was built on the old Round Top property, less than ten miles below the village of Pine Plains, a few years after the old meeting house was removed. It was in 1838 that the first tan- gible effort was made towards the erection of the new. In March, 1840, the church was ready for dedication. Although undenomina- tional in its avowed purposes, it was deemed altogether appropriate that a Lutheran should dedicate it, because of the associations with old Round Top, whose rightful successor it was. Rev. J. Berger, of Mellenville, Columbia County, accepted an invitation to conduct the services. Religious affairs moved smoothly for some twenty years v/heft the disadvantages of a "Union Church" were made unpleasantly manifest. Friends and families were estranged over questions un- TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. 415 worthy of notice, and the church, instead of constituting itself a mental and moral "uplift" to the community, may have been rather a vehicle of harm. As previously stated the present village of Pine Plains was the seat of government of the original town of Northeast. It had an oiBcial name as a postoffice a few years prior to its organization as a town, Dr. Israel Reynolds receiving the appointment of postmaster in 1818. Dr. Reynolds was instrumental in establishing a post route, in 1796, from Rhinebeck to Sharon, passing through the hamlets of Pine Plains and North Amenia. In 1830 a direct stage route twice a week was established from Poughkeepsie to Pine Plains, by way of Pleasant Valley. Since the construction of the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut railroad, in 1869, the mail has bee^ carried by steam. One of the institutions in which Pine Plains takes a pardonable pride is the Seymour Smith Academy. This school was established in 1877, and a building erected capable of accommodating forty boarding pupils. Rev. Abraham Mattice, A.M., was the first and only prin- cipal, and conducted the school successfully seventeen years. The higher standards attained by our Union Free Schools have placed the old time Academy in the background, and the Seymour Smith Acad- emy, as such, was forced to close its doors. The trustees have placed the building under charge of the State Board of Regents, and a Union Free School with an academic department is now conducted in it, with Mr. Emery Ricart as principal. The Seymour Smith Academy was erected through the generosity of Seymour Smith, a former resident of the town, who left his entire estate to the town of Pine Plains for that purpose. A special act of Legislature was necessary to make the bequest available. Mr. Smith was a bachelor. He raised a company in the War of 1812, and was stationed at Staten Island. His subsequent life was spent as a far- mer. He died November 26, 1863, and was buried in Evergreen cemetery. As stated in the chapter on Northeast the family of Bryans were the original makers of fanning mills, and supplied the demand for them within a radius of many miles. In like manner the Harris fam- ily were the originators of the famous Harris scythe. Strange to say, the factories of these two pioneer industries were located at the same place at the same time, at, or near, Shekomeko station. John Harris, 416 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. the founder of the scythe industry, commenced making scythes here by hand on an anvil. He learned the art from a mulatto slave be- longing to his uncle. John afterward married and removed to the vicinity of Fort Ann, N. Y. In constant fear of Indians, some special alarm caused him to place what household goods he could collect on an ox sled and start for Dutchess County. He was not out of sight of his house when he saw the savages had already applied the torch to his doomed dwell- ing. He had taken the precaution to send away hfs wife and two daughters a day or two before. On his return John Harris resumed the business of scythe making, taking others into partnership with him. The iron which finally be- came the component factor of his scythes was carted in pigs from Livingston's Ancram Furnace to the Steel Works at Wassaic, and the refined steel conveyed from thence to Hammertown, near Pine Plains village, where the business was carried on for many years. In 1814! the business was left to Seth Harris and his two sons, John and Silas. Two years later a stove shop was built and a second finish- ing trip hammer added to the plant. The works had an annual out- put of about five hundred dozen. The Harris Scythe Works long since went into decay. Stones from the crumbling walls do duty in adjacent foundations. Pine Plains has a public library of nearly 3,000 volumes. A meet- ing for its establishment was held at the Stissing House December 14, 1797. Subscription papers were drawn up and circulated. The shares were estimated at two dollars and a half. Forty-seven shares were taken, the library was incorporated under the laws of the State, trustees were chosen, by-laws passed, and the institution fully estab- lished. This was in the eighteenth century. Now, in the twentieth century, the library continues on its mission of enlightment, spreading its benefits among all who come within its influence. The first meeting for the organization of the Pine Plains Bank was held at the Stissing House February 15, 1839. Aaron E. Winchell was Chairman, and F. I. Curtis, Secretary. Seventeen directors were named. In March articles of association were adopted. Reuben W. Bostwick was the first President; William Eno, Vice President; F. W. Davis, Cashier, at one thousand dollars salary and house rent. It began with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars. This bank TOWN OF PINE PLAINS. 417 closed business in 1857j voluntarily, but maintained its good name to the last. ; May 29tli of the followiiyg year the Stissing Bank was organized, capital stock to be one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, Justus Boothe, President, and Reuben Bostwick, Cashier. In 1865 it was changed to the National Bank and the stock reduced to eighty thou- sand dollars. Reuben Bostwick was cashier until his death in 1870, when his son Frederick was chosen as his successor. The bank at present has a capital stock of $45,000, and individual deposits of more than $115,000. The present officers are: President, Wm. Bost- wick; Vice President, Edward Bryan; Cashier, J. H. Bostwick. Mount Ross received its appelation from a resident of that name. The splendid water power afforded by the Roeliff <|^ansen at this place made it a point much sought after by those desiring to locate mills. Saw miUs, grist mills, carding machines, and cloth-weaving and full- ing mills were established there at different times. Huntting mentions a weaver there named Matthew Winter who sued a dehnquent customer for weaving forty-four yards of cloth at eight pence a yard. This was in 1788. Early in 1800 Stephen Carroll was a blacksmith here, and Isaac Parsons hooped barrels and casks. The following has been the succession of Supervisors since the or- ganization of the town: 1833 Israel Harris 1853— '54 Anthony Pulver 1824— '25 Reuben W. Bostwick 1855 Walter Herrick 1826— '27 Israel Harris 1856 John Righter / 1828 Ely Hamblin 1857 John H. Hosier 1829 Samuel RusseU 1858 Harman W/Pulver 1830— '33 Reuben W. Bostwick 1859— '60 Eli Knapp 1RS3 Daniel Sherwood 1861 John Thompson 1834 Edward Huntting 1862— '63 Cornelius Pitcher 183S William H. Bostwick 1864 Walter W. Husted 1836 Daniel Sherwood 1865 Cornelius Pitcher 1837 William H. Bostwick 1866— '67 A. D. MiUer 1838— '39 Abraham Dibble 1868— '70 Caleb H. Reynolds. 1840 Backus Culver 1871 John A. Herrick 1841— '42 Henry R. Hammond 1872 Phoenix N. Deuel 1843 Frederick T. Ham 1873 John A. Herrick 1844.-'46 William Eno ' 1874 Henry H. Ham 1847— '49 John H. Mosher 1875— '77 William Toms 18S0— '52 Edward Huntting 1878— '80 William B. Jordan 418 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. 1881— '83 James T. Germain 1892 Ja«ob S. Bowman 1884 Isaac P. Carman 1893 Jacob S. Hinsdale 1885— '87 John A. Herrlck 1894— '96 Isaac P. Carman 1888 Albert Bowman 1897— '02 William B. Jordan 1889- '90 John A. Herrick 1903— '09 Jacob S. Hinsdale 1891 Albert Bowman In 1897 Isaac Huntting published a compilation and rcTision of sketches that had been printed on different occasions in the Amenia Times, the Dutchess Far- mer, the Poughkeepsie Telegram and the Pine Plains Register. He states in his preface that "A little preserved is better than all lost," and he did some excellent work in preserving and publishing various documentary evidence and maps, as well as many traditions of the neighborhood of Northeast and Pine Plains. His book is entitled "History of Little Nine Partners of North East Precinct and Pine Plains, New York, Dutchess County. By Isaac Huntting, Pine Plains, N. Y. Vol. I. Amenia. Chas. Walsh & Co., Printers, 1897." It can be found in the public library of Poughkeepsie in the Adriance Memorial Library Building. — (Eduob.) TOWN OF PLEASANT VALLEY. 419 CHAPTER XXVIII. THE TOWN OF PLEASANT VALLEY. THE town of Pleasant Valley, as a separate municipality, dates from 1821, when the Legislature took territory from Clinton and formed the new town. The town of Clinton being Ifirge, and political objects and interests becoming weightier, it was con- sidered advisable by the citizens of the villages of Pleasant Valley and Hyde Park, in union with those in the y^cinity of each, to petition for the division of the town. Accordingly upon the 26th day of January, 1821, a bill was passed by the State Legislature creating the towns of Hyde Park and Pleasant Valley, which, after defining the bounda- ries of the former town, reads : "And be it further enacted that the remaining part of the said town of Clinton shall be divided into two separate towns by the fojlowing division line to, wit: Beginning on the west line of the town of Washii^gton in the corner made by lots nmnber five and six in the great division of the Nine Partners Patent and running westerly along said lot line until it intersects the east line of the aforesaid town of Hyde Park, and that the north of the two last mentioned towns shall be known by the name of Clinton, • * * and that the south of the two last men- tioned towns shall be known by the name of Pleasant VaUey, and that the first town meeting in said town last mentioned shall b? held at the house qf Cyrus Berry, on the first Tuesday of April next." The surface of the town is a rolling and hilly upland, covering 20,255 acres. This territory is almost equally divided by Wapping- er's Creek, which flows in a southwesterly direction. The town is bounded on the north by Clinton; east by Washington; south by La- Grange; west by Hyde Park, and for a short distance on the south- west by the town of Poughkeepsie. The village of Pleasant Valley, with a population of about seven hundred, is the commercial center of the town. Salt Point and Wash- ington Hollow are hamlets. The settlement of Pleasant Valley took place during the time it was a part of Crom Elbow precinct^l737-1762. Among the pioneers 420 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. who located in the vicinity of Washington Hollow were the New- combs, FiUdns, Humphreys, Halls and Jacksons. These families were Presbyterians, and in IT*? erected a substantial meeting house at the Hollow, which during the Revolution became the headquarters of numerous bands of Tories. The next settlement of importance within the town was near the village of Pleasant Valley, about the year 174>0, by both Presbyterians and Quakers. Among the earhest names recorded were the Aliens, Flaglers, Formans, MarshaUs, Beadles, Deans, Sellecks and Abbotts, who began to make use, in a primitive way, of the mill privileges afforded by the Wappinger creek. The famihes of Van Voorhees, Harris and Frost settled in the north part of the town in 1765. A fulling mill east of the village of Pleasant Valley was built by John Kenyon in 1808. It was later operated by Wilham Buckley. The carding mill of Thomas Carpenter and the woolen miU of George Evarson were erected in 1809. The same year Robert Abbott estab- lished a cotton factory near the bridge. He erected two buildings, one a grist and cotton miU, the other for mechanical shops. Both buildings were destroyed by fire in 1815. They were immediately rebuilt by De- lavergne & Thwing, who, either as owners of the property, or building contractors, failed. The property was purchased in 1820 by Gib- bons & Evartson, and. from that time to the purchase by Garner & Company it oscUlated from individual to stock control. The cloth manufactured here compared favorably with other American products of the kind. It was printed at Wappingers Falls. For several years the plant has been in idleness, which somewhat retarded the growth of the village. In the spring of 1909 it was reopened, and the 3,500 spindles again set in motion. The village becoming quite a manufacturing center, and increasing in population, the inhabitants in 1818 petitioned the government for a postoffice, which was granted. Another petition went to the Legis- lature for an act of incorporation. By this act the following village trustees were appointed: John Robert Abbott, John Beadle, Israel Dean, Hubby Adee and Joshua Ward, to serve until the second Tues- day of May, 1815. Apparently httle attention was given to the official affairs of the village following its incorporation, as there is no record of elections until May 9, 1843, when William Thorne, Franklin Dudley, Zachariah »?■'■' jb -'--^^B^i r^#% ' ' '^'^'HHI^^^^IrP!^! 1 GEORGE LAMOREE. TOWN OF PLEASANT VALLEY. 421 S. Flagler, Gilbert Noxon and Joel Terrill were elected trustees. A meeting of the freeholders was called in 1844! for the election of vil- lage officers. The attendance was so small that the election was postponed. When the excise law was passed in 1862, it required that "special proceedings should be taken in incorporated villages." Zachariah Flagler was then the only member left of the 1843 board. He called a meeting, and the following were duly elected: David L. Jackson, William Patton, Joel O. Hohnes, John C. Vehe and George W. For- man. The next election was held May 13, 1863, when the excise law was acted upon. John B. Duncan was chosen village president and Albert Devine, clerk. The village was re-incorporated March 21, 1903.» Charles L. Cole was elected president, and Wright Devine and Edward C. Drake trus- tees. Isaac J. Noxon is now village president. A free hbrary was organized July 1, 1903, as a voluntary associa- tion. A site for a new building at the corner of Main street and the South road has been donated, and the village has voted the removal of the old No. 4 school building to this location for the purpose of a library hall. A number of farms in the neighborhood of the village, containing limestone from which cement can be made, have recently been pur- chased by the American Cement Company. A force of one hundred men will be required to quarry the rock, which will be shipped to Poughkeepsie to be ground. s, CHURCHES. Among the ancient religious associations in the county was the "Pittsburgh Church" at Washington Hollow. This edifice was erected in 1747, pursuant to the following resolution: "Crom Elbow Precinct in Dutchess County, September 19th, 1746, we the sub- scribers do Covenant and Promise for ourselves Heirs and Assigns to pay towards Building and Erecting of a Presbyterian meeting house the sum or sums annexed to each of our names Under Written and it is to be understood that said meeting house is to stand about twenty or thirty rods to the south east from Henry Fil- kins Sherifi and said money is to be paid to Mr. Jacob HaU, Capt. Samuel Jack- son, Joseph Barber, Esqr. Henry Lott and Thomas New Court who being a com- mitty chosen to Receive said money and it to be understood that any of the Subscribers Under Written have liberty to pay what they subscribe in work accord- 422 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. ing to the acceptance of the said committy and Said Committy are Obliged to Render a true account of their disbursements of the money to a committy which shall be hereafter chosen." No record can be found of the early pastors, but there is evidence that one Deliverance Smith ministered to this congregation previous to 1763, in which year Joseph Hoff was chosen "Clark to Keep the Records of the Society's Proceedings." At a meeting of the trustees held August 30, 1769, it was agreed that John Piatt, John Carpenter and Melancthon Smith "be chosen to carry on, seat and repair said meeting house, and that after said work be accomplished the seats be sold at PubUc Vendue to the highest bidder." Among those who pur- chased pews at the sale held in December following were Simon Flag- ler, £5, 10s; Frederick Ham, £6; Israel Piatt and Wilmott Oakley, £4, 10s ; William Beedle, £4 ; William Allen, £4 ; Eliphalet Piatt and Jacob Everson, £4, and Samuel and Melancthon Smith, £3, 15s. The building was again repaired in 1805, and with that year the records close. Shortly thereafter the society united with the Presbyterian Church at Pleasant VaUey. The old building stood Until the year 1858, when it was taken down, and the Methodist Society purchased the property. It was in this church building that a band of Tories, in the summer of 1777, assembled. They numbered about four hundred, and came principally from the southern part of the county. Parties were sent to the bordering settlements to intimidate the patriots, and obtain supplies for the British army. While the Tories were thus showing authority, they were surprised by a company of American soldiers from Sharon, Connecticut. Upon their attempt to escape, the Yankees gave them a broadside and killed several. About thirty in iluiiiber were captured and marched to Sharon, from whence they were taken to New Hampshire and held until the close of the war. PK.ESBYTEEIAN Chuech OF Pleasant Valley. This organization dates from 1765, and is an outgrowth of the "Pittsburgh Church" at Washington Hollow, and the one that absorbed it, through the village becoming the business ceiiter. Their edifice, which was a wooden struc- ture, was not erected until 1770. The church site and ground for burial purposes was deeded to the society, April 10, 1770, in consid- eration of ten shillings, by Jacob Everson and his wife, neither of Whom appear to have been members of this congregation at the time. TOWN OF PLEASANT VALLEY. 423 The society was incorporated under the name of the "Presbyterian Congregation of Pleasant Valley," January 28, 1785, and Cornelius Humphrey, Eliphalet Piatt, Lemuel Conklin, John M. Thurston, John Everson and Joshua Ward were chosen trustees. In 1812 the first house of worship was enlarged and improved at a cost of $2,500. The present brick edifice was erected in 1848. The congregation secured a parsonage with about twenty acres of land attached, in 1801, and in 1840, a new parsonage was built on the site of the old one. This farm was sold in 1870, and in the same year the present parsonage near the church was erected at a cost of $4,500. Upon the organization of the society in 1765, the Rev. Wheeler Case was installed as pastor. His labors with this congregation extended over a period of twenty-six years, u^til his death, which Occurred August 31, 1791. Succeeding pastors were: Reverends Methusaleh Baldwin, 1792- '99; John Clark, 1800-'29; Benjamin F. Wile, 1829-'67; Henry J. Acker, 1868-'73; William Whittaker, 1873-'79; Augustus B. Pritch- ard, 1800-'87; Edgar Beckwith, 1887-'01 ; George T. Galbraith, stated supply, 1901-'04 ; Frank W. Townsend, 1904-'08 ; Rev. R. H. Steams, 1908. The Baptist Chukch. The settlers in the vicinity of Salt Point were principally of the Baptist faith, and organized a society previous to the Revolution. It was not until 1790 that their first house of worship was built, on a half acre of ground given by John Van Voor- hees. The records begin with the year 1793, and Elder John Dodge became the first pastor. He continued until 1813, and was followed by Elder Roberts, who officiated seven years at difi'erent periods. The membership has dwindled and with the exception of a few years the pulpit has been filled by "supplies." The Methodist Episcopal Church. It is not known when Meth- odism was introduced in Pleasant Valley, but probably about 1788, the year the Dutchess drcuit was formed. Meetings were held for several years in a school house on the hill one mile east of the village. In 1825 the society bought of James Odell for $150.00, one acre of land situated on the "Dutchess Turnpike" and proceeded at once to build a church. In 1845 the edifice was removed from the hill to the village, during the pastorate of Rev. Jeremiah Ham. Tliis church 424 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. and the Methodist Church at Washington Hollow are now supplied by the Rev. Mr. Hawley, of Poughkeepsie. St. Paul's Chuech, Pleasant Valley. This society was organized through the efforts of Rev. F. W. Hatch, Mr. Homer Wheaton and Bishop Onderdonk in 1837. A lot was obtained from James Odell and John Newcomb in 1842, and a church edifice erected, which was consecrated January 25, 1843. Up to this time the Rev. Mr. Hatch was in charge of the parish. He was succeeded in 1842 by the Rev. Sheldon Davis, who remained until 1862. He held services in various parts of the county, and left to this parish a rectory and $600 in trust. The church has been repaired and improved under the rector- ship of the Rev. Dr. Richard Russell Upjohn, who has been in charge since 1903. The Westminster Pkesbtteman Chukch at Salt Point was or- ganized December 20, 1860, by seventeen members of the Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Valley, who had requested their dismissal from the parent society for that purpose. A church site was donated by Mr. Charles Brown, and the edifice erected in 1862. Rev. A. C. Frissell was installed the first pastor. The church is now prospering under the care of the Rev. J. A. Mac- Growan. According to the Friends' records which occupy a chapter in this work, the Quaker meeting house at Pleasant Valley was erected in 1802. Among the early members were the Deans, Flaglers, Drakes, Stringhams, Hicks and Farringtons. Regular meetings were dis- continued in 1856. The following have been the successive Supervisors of the town since 1824: 1824— '25 Samuel M. Thurston 1826— '27 Peter K. Du Bois 1828— '32 Anthony Badgley 1833 — '34 Robert Laurence 1835 Charles Brown 1836 Thomas Welling 1837— '39 Charles Brown 1840— '41 John H. Newcomb 1842 — '43 Isaac Van Wagner 1844 — '46 OUver Devine 1846 • Daniel O. Ward 1847— '48 George Holmes 1849— '50 Franklin Dudley 1851— '62 Isaac P. Smith 1853— '54 Isaac Van Wagner 1855 Isaac P. Marshall 1856— '58 (Records lost) 1859 William H«rrick 1860 Gteorge Lamoree 1861— '62 John W. Lattin 1863— '64 V. M. Townsend 1865 Thomas Alley TOWN OF PLEASANT VALLEY. 425 1866 V. M. Townsend 1888— '89 John W. Edwards 1867 Dewitt Webb 1890— '91 E. Wright Vail 1868— '70 Isaac P. Marshall 1893 Edward C. Drake 1871— '73 George E. Brower 1893 Calvin Coon 1873 Anthony Briggs 1894 Anthony Briggs 1874— '78 John M. Bowman 189fi Samuel Lynch 1879— '80 Abram Devine 1896— '97 William H. Bower 1881— '83 Prank L. Akerley 1898— '99 Benjamin Van Wagner 1883— '84 Theron H. Marshall 1900— '03 Joseph Doty 1886— '86 Edward C. Drake 1904— '05 William G. Lary 1887 Theron Marshall 1906— '09 Charles L. Cole 426 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. CHAPTER XXIX. THE TOWN OF RED HOOK." THE town of Red Hook was formed from Rhinebeck, June 2, 1812, and its early history is more or less blended in that of the latter town. It lies in the extreme northwest comer of Dutchess, bordering Columbia County, which forms its northern boundary. It is bounded on the east by Milan; on the south by Rhinebeck; while along the western border flows the matchless Hudson. The surface of the town is a rolling upland, and the soil chiefly a gravelly loam, except in the broad and fertile valleys of the Sawkill and Stony creek, where it is clayey. Spring Lake, in the eastern part, formerly called Long Pond, is the largest body of water in the town, and forms the source of the Sawkill. Overlooking the Hudson are several beautiful country seats of historic interest; while the interior of the town is devoted principally to agriculture and the cultivation of fruits. The town has changed but little since the publication of the last history of Dutchess County. The villages of Red Hook and Tivoli- Madalin continue to be the chief centers of population, and Barry- town maintains its importance as a railroad depot for the surround- ing country. Tradition relates, and has been supported by some evidence, that about the year 1700 an aboriginal battle was fought on Magdalen, now Cruger's Island, between fifty chosen warriors of each of the tribes composing the "Six Nations," namely, the Oneidas, Onondagas, Mowhawks, Cayugas, Senecas and the Tuscaroras. It was arranged that but one man from each tribe should enter the conflict at a time. 1. We are Indebted to Mr. John N. Lewis, of Annandale, for tlie greater portion of the material embodied In thia chapter. TOWN OF RED HOOK. 427 At its close there were only a few of the Mohawks and Tuscaroras left, with the advantage in favor of the latter. The Mohawks fled in their canoes to the island about a mile north, then called Shpsteen, now Goat Island. There they lighted their camp fires and spread their blankets over sticks of wood and stones, expecting the visitors to fall upon them during the night. As they imagined, the vic- torious Tuscaroras came and proceeded to attack, as they supposed, their sleeping enemies. But they sprang from their hiding places behind the rocks, and in turn vanquished the Tuscaroras. The Mo- hawks thus went home victorious, and held the supremacy of the Six Nations, over which the dispute had arisen. The last accounts of Indians located in this vicinity were of those in the Northwest portion of the town facing the North Cove. There they remained long after it was settled by the white people. In some of the deeds of the early settlers the lands are described as bounded on the north and west by the Red Man's Corners, and from this, it is presumed, originated the name of Red Hook. The land they occu- pied being hook shaped, and in possession of the red men, the Dutch settlers called it Roed Hoek. In 1688 Col. Peter Schuyler obtained from Governor Dongan a patent to lands in this neighborhood, the boundaries of which are defined iii Chapter IV. The following year Schuyler disposed of a portion of his patent to Harme Gansevoort, who in turn sold it to the Knickerbacker family in 1704. Other divisions of the patent Col. Schuyler sold to Tierk De Witt of Ulster County, Joachem Staats of the manor of Rensselaerswick, and Barent Van Benthuysen of Dutchess County, in 1719. The reservation of mill sites on the SaWkill, which was found to [have three falls of water, and the right to cut and haul timber there- for over any of the adjoining lands, all of which is clearly set forth in the deeds, would indicate that there were no mills in this vicinity in 1720, nor highways, except the Post Road. Magdalen Island (now CrUger's), which was included in the Schuy- ler grant,' was sold to the Van Benthuysens. When Hudson sailed up the river, in the Hali Moon, he anchored oflF the north end of the island aild passed the night there. Dr. John Masten, of Kingston, purchased the island from the Van Benthuysens. He built a house at the south end and gave himself up to a life of ease and luxury on 428 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. this island until 1835, when he removed to Buffalo, where his sons were engaged in the practice of law. Mr. John C. Cruger then purchased the island, but did not spend much of his time there for the first few years, though his father, Mr. Peter Cruger, was there most of the time. The Crugers were a noted New York family. In 1739 John Cruger was Mayor of New York City, and his son subsequently was also Mayor. Another son was a colleague of the celebrated Edmund Burke, a representative in Parlia- ment for the city of Bristol, England. Mr. John C. Cruger died in New York, November 16, 1879, a few days after his return with his family from Europe, beloved and lamented by everyone. His wife, the daughter of Stephen Van Rensselaer of Albany, died April 27, 1888, and was buried beside her husband, beneath Trinity Church, New York. The mills that were built subsequent to 1725 on the Sawkill and the White Clay Kill (now Stony creek) were a prominent feature of the earlier times. On the former stream at one time stood Judge Livings- ton's mill at the river; General Armstrong's mill at Cedar HiU; Van Benthuysen's mill, and a woolen factory in the same place; the Chan- cellor's mill, in the interior, and Robert G. Livingston's miU on the Rock City branch. At the mouth of Stony creek was the miU of Jannetje Bradt, Park's mill at Myersville (MadaUn), Cook's factory, and Zachariah Hoff- man's mill. Several of the above mentioned mills and adjoining build- ings were burned by a detachment of British troops immediately after the destruction of Kingston in 1777. The only dwelling spared was the home of Gilbert Robert Livingston, who remained loyal to the crown during the Revolutionary War. A large portion of the land about what is now known as Tivoli was owned by the Hoffmans, who built the Hoffman mills northeast of Tivoh, nearly a century and a half ago. They were freighters, store- keepers, and millers before and after the Revolution. Nicholas Bonesteel and Anna Margretha Kuhn, his wife, with some of their children, were among the early settlers. A portion of the village of Red Hook is now on the easterly part of their farm. Of their descendants, Philip N. Bonesteel was a merchant, magistrate and postaaster in Red Hook for many years. His son, Virgil D., was Surrogate of Dutchess County in 1844. TOWN OF RED HOOK. 429 Peter Contine and his wife Eleanor, daughter of Jacob Heermance of Kingston, lived at Upper Red Hook previous to the Revolution. In 1791 he kept a store at what is now Barrytown Landing. John, James, Daniel and Robert Wilson, four brothers, settled in the vicinity of Upper Red Hook before 1770, and engaged in farm- ing. The two eldest married the Kuhn sisters, daughters of Simon Kuhn. Another early resident of the town was Hendrick Weidman, after- wards written Whiteman. He came from Zurich, Switzerland, about 1736, and ten years later settled on a farm here, acting as land agent. His son Jacob, in 1796, purchased the fee of the farm. Both father and son warmly supported the cause of the Colonists during the Revolution, and the night of October 15, 1777 ,» a band of Tories attacked the Whiteman homestead, but were effectually repulsed. The history of the fine old estates bordering the Hudson is linked with prominent families of revolutionary days. The Montgomery place, which is identified, in a measure, with our national history, was the home of the widow of General Richard Montgomery, as well as of Edward Livingston. Shortly after Montgomery married Miss Janet Livingston, he settled on his wife's estate, "Grasmere," near Rhinebeck. When hostilities commenced between England and the colonies he warmly espoused our cause. When he was ordered to join Arnold at Ticonderoga and proceed to Canada, his wife accompanied ihim as far as Lake Champlain. His last words in bidding her good- bye were: "You shall never blush for your Montgomery." She was never permitted to see him again, for he fell within a few weeks while leading the advance on Quebec. His widow then bought of Abram Van Benthuysen the estate now called "Montgomery Place." She im- mediately built the house at present occupied by Carleton Hunt, Esq., and sisters, where she spent the rest of her days in quiet and comparative seclusion. She died in 1828, leaving the place by will to her youngest brother, Edward Livingston, who at that time was in the United, States Senate. He had previously served two terms in Congress, and in 1801 was elected Mayor of New York. Almont was built by General John Armstrong, who helped to cap- ture Burgoyne at the battle of Saratoga. The mansion was destroyed by fire thirty years ago, and the beautiful and extensive forest of giant white oaks and chestnuts will soon be converted into timber for 430 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. the New York market. A corporation, in 1908, paid $10,000 for the lumber rights of this property. The estate was purchased from General Armstrong about 1800 by Col, Andrew De Vaux, a native of South Carohna. After the death of Col. De Vaux in 1812 his widow and her two daughters resided at Almont until 1816, when the place was purchased by John C. Stevens for his brother-in-law, Robert Swift Livingston, who held the prop- erty tmtil his death. It then passed to his two sons, Frank and and Clarence. They sold it in partition to Gen. James H. Van Alen, but the transaction was not completed and Almont remained in the Livingston family, and finally passed to the two sons of Frank Liv- ingston, Robert and Charles, who sold it a year ago to Cord A. Meyer, of Brooklyn, the present owner. The estate known as "Rokeby," now owned by Mrs. Richard Al^ drich, and containing some three hundred acres, was first established under the name of "La Bergerie" by General John Armstrong, who built the house and so named the place after he returned from France, where he was American Ambassador, 1804-1811. Mrs. Armstrong was the daughter of Robert Livingston, of Clermont, in Columbia County, and a grand-daughter of Henry Beekman, of Rhinebeck. General Armstrong employed to build the house a Scotch carpenter, named Warner Richards, whom he moved from Cedar Hill to a cot- tage near the site. There was a quantity of panelling in the ample halls and many of the twenty rooms, all of which this skillful work- man made and placed, besides being the master builder. No archi- tect's name has been connected with the plans, but there is a tradition that one or more French country houses were freely copied by the General. Letters and bills of lading relating to the material, which came in sloops, are in the house; but the records are incomplete; it is impossible to arrive at any conclusion as to the relative cost of build- ing then and now. The War of 1812, during which General Armstrong was Secretary of War, his two grown sons being engaged upon the Canadian fron- tier, delayed the building, and placed the responsibiHty of its slow progress upon Mrs. Armstrong, who received many letters concern- ing flooring and beams, cellars and farm buildings, from her absent husband. On March 18, in 1816, General Armstrong wrote to Judge Ambrose Spencer: TOWN OF RED HOOK. 431 "I have bpen entirely occupied devising ways and means to make my family comfortable in their new quarters. We were driven out of our old ones rather prematurely, and with a loss, the extent of which every day makes us better ac- quainted with. Of my papers all were saved excepting one box brought from France. Most of its contents was literary lumber, but my memorials of conver- sation with French functionaries, some of which were very curious, and might have been useful in illustrating the character of Buonaparte and his Ministers, are lost, and no exertion of memory can now replace them. We are tolerably lodged in the new house, and have the music of saws and hammers to wake us at daybreak, and to keep us awake through the day. In another month we shall have the additional felicity of mortar within and without." As the name La Bergerie implies, this plaqe was designed to be a sheep-fold. The Armstrongs imported merinos from France, on the advice of Napoleon, and sheep of this breed brougjht good prices in the hands of a lady who understood them, for Mrs. Armstrong sold five for fifteen hundred dollars. It is commonplace in the talk of the neighborhood that the Erie Canal ruined the husbandry of Bed Hook. Once the central part of the State could reach New York's market, a rich and more virgin soil produced better crops, animials and fruit. The peach crop, long very successful, lost its security of ripening, whether owing to changes in the soil, as it was longer under , constant cultivation, or to changes in the climate, is not certain, but after this last staple passed from the neighborhood the estates ceased to be productive, and have been sold by all who could not afford to run them without employ- ing labor regardless of what its return might be. General and Mrs. Armstrong were the parents of five sons and one daughter. The latter married William B. Astor, and in 1836 the house and grounds of "La Bergerie" were sold to Mr. Astor, the French Empire furniture which it contained, as well as the price, being reserved for the brothers. In 1813 was pubhshed Sir Walter Scott's poem of Rokeby. Just when a resemblance between the scenery of this poem and that of "La Bergerie" was first fancied, we do not know, but because of such re- semblance the name was changed to Rokeby. Mr. and Mrs. Astor lived to enjoy their inheritance until after their golden wedding, Mr. Astqr dying in 1875, three years later than his wife. Rokeby was bequeathed by him to the child of their long-deceased eldest daughter Emily, wife of Samuel Ward, Esq,, namely to Margaret Astor Chan- 432 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. ler. Mrs. Chanler only outKved her grandfather a few weeks. In December, 1875, her ten children, among them the present owner, inherited Rokeby, and there lived during a long minority. The place was again a sheep-fold. It was at Rokeby that Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler, formerly Lieu- tenant-Governor of the State of New York, and brother of Mrs. Aldrich, received the official notification of his nomination by the Democratic party in 1908, for the high office of Grovemor of this State, and it was here that he delivered his speech of acceptance. Others members of this family who have been prominent in public affairs of the State and Nation are WiUiam Astor Chanler, formerly Congressman from New York City, who, during the Spanish-American war presented the United States Government with a mountain battery, fully equipped, for use in the Philippine army; and Robert Winthrop Chanler, member of the State Legislature in 1904, and the present Sheriff of Dutchess County. Mrs. Aldrich (Margaret Astor Chanler) rendered faithful service to her country as an army nurse in the Cuban campaign. Her sister, Elizabeth, is the wife of John Jay Chapman. Their country seat, "Sylvania," occupies a portion of the Rokeby estate. The chateau of Tivoli, now occupied by Mrs. J. L. de Peyster, was built shortly after the Revolution by a Frenchman who spelled his name Delabegarre, but tradition says this was an Americanism for L'Abbe de Seguard, which would indicate that he was a waif of the French Revolution. He was ambitious, and in 1795 laid out his farm of sixty acres into lots for a proposed city. His enwalled dwelling was styled "Le Chateau de Tivoli," and from this chateau and illusory town, the name of the present village was derived. This old home in time came into the possession of Col. Johnston Livingston de Peyster, who remodeled it so that merely the original octagon center remains. The CaUendar House was built by Henry Gilbert Livingston, who, in October, 1795, sold it to Philip Henry Livingston. Mr. Livings- ton and his wife called this seat "Simning Hill," and occupied it until 18S8, when it was purchased by Robert Tillotson, who sold it to Richard T. Auchmuty in 1835. It passed into the hands of William E. Toler in 1854, and ten years later into those of Jacob R. LeRoy, who presented it to his daughter, the wife of the Rev. Henry de Koven. In 1860 it became the property of Mr. Johnston Livingston, who, TOWN OF RED HOOK. 433 with his son-in-law, Mr. Geraldwyn Redmond, at present occupy it. A portion of the homestead at Annandale now occupied by Mr. Jolin N. Lewis, president of the First National Bank of Red Hook, was built by his grandfather, Thomas Lewis, in 1754<, who occupied it until his death. It then passed to his son Peter, who married Mary Neher, the parents of John N. Lewis. Blithewood, the country seat of Captain Andrew C. Zabriskie, was formerly the property of Mr. John Bard. After the death of Mr. Bard the estate was sold to St. Stephen's College. Li 1904 Captain Zabriskie purchased the property, and the old house was replaced by the present mansion. Annandale was originally only the name of Mr. Bard's estate. It has now come to designate the site of St. Steph^'s College and the immediate neighborhood. The College grew out of the Church of the Holy Innocents and its parish school, of which the Rev. George F. Seymour was the rector in 1855. In connection with his parochial work he gave instruction to several young men who were preparing themselves to enter the General Theological Seminary. Through the interest and financial aid of Mr. and Mrs. Bard it became possible to make this class the nucleus of a training school, where young men looking forward to Holy Orders might obtain their preparation for the study of theology at a minimum cost, and amidst healthful surroundings. The need of such an institution had been keenly felt by both Bishop Wainwright and Bishop Potter. Mr. Bard agreed to convey to the proposed college the Holy Inno- cents Church which he had erected, the parish school house, some eighteen acres of land, and other property, valued in all at sixty thousand dollars, and to pay an annual subscription of one thousand dollars during his hfe and ability. In recognition of this gift the Diocese of New York, assembled in convention in 1859, adopted reso- lutions recognizing the training school as a Diocesan institution, and tendering the thanks of the Church to Mr. Bard. March 20, 1860, the Hon. John V. L. Pruyn, LL.D., obtained from the Legislature a charter which conferred upon the trustees of St. Stephen's College full collegiate powers and privileges. The trustees organized under the charter April 11, 1860, and appointed the Rev. George F. Seymour warden. He was succeeded in 1861 by the Rev. 434 THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS. Thomas Richey. Two years later the Rev. Robert B. Fairbairn, who had been professor of mathematics and natural philosophy the previous year, was chosen as his successor. During his able warden- ship of thirty-five years, the college increased in numbers and influ- ence. Valuable buildings were erected, endowments were secured, and students were attracted to the college from all parts of the country. He was succeeded in 1899 by the Rev. Laurence T. Cole, Ph.D., who resigned in the summer of 1903, and was followed by the Rev. Thomas R. Harris, D.D., who held the wardenship for three years and a half. The Rev. George B. Hopson, D.D., D.C.L., professor of the Latin language and literature, became acting warden until the spring of 1909, when Rev. Dr. Rogers was elected warden. CHUaCHES. Methodist Episcopai, Chukch. Red Hook was originally an appointment on the Milan circuit, supplied with only occasional preaching. In the year 1840 this appointment was made a station, and was called the Red Hook Mission. The church edifice was erected in 1849. Among the earliest and most active members were Samuel Fancher, Mrs. Christian Mowl and Mrs. Jane Nicks. The first min- ister stationed here was Albert Nash. He was succeeded in 1841 by Rev. Bartholomew Creagh, who drew to the church some of the wealth- ier and aristocratic families of the neighborhood and town, including Mrs. William B. Astor and Mrs. Col. Armstrong and daughter. Mr. Creagh's labors were also blessed with a revival, and this favorable combination of circumstances gave the church a standing which it has since maintained. The Rev. W. T. Brush is the present minister. St. Paul's Evangelical Church is an butgrowth from the old "Pink's Corner" Church, which was the parent body and was German Reformed. The baptismal record runs back to 1730. About the year 1800 a new church was built at Lower Red Hook village, and its members being largely affiliated with the Lutherans by association and intermarriage, it became a Lutheran church, during the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. N. W. Goertner. The present pastor is the Rev. George Hipsley. Christ Church, The edifice of the Episcopal society was erected in J854 during the rectorship of the Rev. Henry de Koven, who was in charge of St. Paul's Church at Tivoli. The building was conse- S.^-.M'art/'.ie^z. /-''"&? (s A. iir TOWN OF RED HOOK. 435 crated July 21, 1855, under the name of Christ Church, Lower Red Hook, by Bishop Potter. The Rev. Frederick Sill was appointed Dr. de Koven's assistant, and was succeeded in 1861 by the Rev. John W. Moore. In 1867 Dr. de Koven, who was sole trustee of the church property, resigned his trust and deeded the same to the following trustees: Rev. John W. Moore, Hon. John W. Chanler, William Chamberlain, Henry Astor, Andrew Crane, John H. Lord, and Dr. John Bates. Rev. R. V. K. Harris is the present rector. St. Paul's Chtjech, Tivoh. This church was admitted into the Union of the Protestant Episcopal Church, October 21, 1817. It was until 1820 under the charge of Rev. Henry Anthon, afterwards rector of St. Mark's, New York City. On the 27th of May, 1819, St. Paul's was consecrated by Bishop Hobart,