USA > New York > Orange County > Deerpark > A history of Deerpark in Orange County, N.Y. > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
From this time, a term of thirteen years elapsed in
159
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
which these congregations had no regular preacher, but probably had a few supplies before the Revolu- tionary War commenced, during its continuance, and after it ended.
In the year 1785 the Rev. Elias Van Benschoten en- tered on his ministerial services for the three congrega- tions of Mahackemeck, Minisink and Walpack, in each of which he preached every third Sunday, in both the Dutch and English languages and generally performed half in each tongue ; and required of the young peo- ple as their duty, to commit to memory in the English tongue the Heidelberg catechism, in such portions as he directed to be answered at each time of his preach- ing in the congregation, either on the same Sunday or on one of the days of the same week, at which time he gave explanations of that portion of the catechism. He retired in 1795, * and removed to a farm or tract of land he had purchased, situated east of the Shawan- gunk mountain,in the northerly part of New Jersey, on which he made great improvements and granted it to Mr. Cooper, a nephew of his by marriage, subject to payment by installments, and his money he bestowed for educating youths for the ministry, &c. ($17,000 given to the General Synod of Reformed Dutch Church for this purpose in 1814.)
·
Van Benschoten was a man well calculated for the rudeness of the time in which he officiated in those congregations.
After Van Benschoten's services were ended, a term
Mr. V. B. moved to his farm in the Clove near Deckertown, N. J., in 1792, where he preached to the church organized under his ministry. He likewise preached occasionally to the churches in this valley until 1799. He died at the Clove in 1815.
160
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
of about four years elapsed before another regular preacher served this congregation. In, or about the winter of 1803 and 1804, the Rev. John Demarest commenced his services for the congregations men- tioned and performed one-half of his preaching in the Dutch tongue, and the other half in English. He continued until about the year 1806. * After this a term of about ten or eleven years elapsed in which no regular preacher officiated in this congregation, but supplies were sometimes had.
On the 25th of January, 1817, the Rev. Cornelius C. Elting was installed pastor of the two congregations, Mahackemeck and Minisink, and performed his ser- vices in the English language. He died the 24th of October, 1843.1
All religious services have since been performed in the English tongue in our congregation. Within the term of his services a new church was built in Port Jervis, after which the name of " Mahackemeck Church " was altered by an act of the Legislature, in 1838, to that of " The Reformed Dutch Church of Deerpark." The materials of the old church were re- moved after the new one was finished, and the spot where the first and second churches had stood during a term of about one century, from the time the first was erected until the last was taken down, became vacant, and the ancient and latter occupants who for- merly repaired to it for the worship of their Creator now generally sleep in their graves.
On the 29th of February, 1844, the Rev. George P.
* Mr. Demarest died in New York city in 1837.
7 Mr. Elting is the only minister of this Church who has died during the pastorate of the Church.
161
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
Van Wyck was ordained and installed pastor of the Reformed. Dutch Church of Deerpark, unconnected with the congregation of 'Minisink, and his services were generally had every Sunday in this church, which he continued until in May, 1852 .* On February 22d, 1853, the Rev. Hiram Slauson was installed pastor,and continued his services until in October 1857.+
In the year 1853 the church edifice at Cuddeback- ville was built at a cost of $2,500, principally borne by the inhabitants of that place and its vicinity. A church was organized March 12th, 1854,(by a committee of the Classis of Orange) consisting of thirteen members, twelve of whom were received from the Reformed Dutch Church of Deerpark, and one from the Episco- pal Church of Middletown. The Rev. Henry Morris was installed as the first pastor of this church the third Tuesday of September, 1855. +
On the first Sabbath in February, 1858, the Rev. Samuel W. Mills commenced his pastoral services for the Dutch Reformed Church at Port Jervis :*
As we now generally have preaching every Sabbath, our reading meetings have been discontinued. The exercises of those meetings were prayer by one of the communicant members, and singing before and after reading a sermon from a book of sermons.
The greatest supporters of those meetings were Ben- jamin Depuy, Esq., within his time of action, and af- terwards Joel Whitlock. In the early part of Depuy's
* Mr. Van Wyck is now (1889) living at Washington, D. C.
+ Mr. Slauson is still (1889) living at Whitehall, N. Y.
Mr. Morris remained pastor of this Church until 1861 when he re moved to Port Jervis, and subsequently, in 1867, to Binghamton, N. Y ., where he died, in 1881, at 78 years of age.
Mr. Mills continued pastor until Nov. 1871.
162
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
life he, and sometimes Jacob R. Dewitt, performed the reading in Dutch, but in the latter part of his life and afterwards it was done in the English language and continued to be done in that tongue.
Since the construction of the Delaware and Hudson canal and the New York and Erie railroad this town has received an additional population, who have built up the large and flourishing village of Port Jervis. These are from different parts of our country and from different countries in Europe and are of different religious denominations.
The greatest proportion of these are of English ori- gin, and some of them are the most opulent in it. This village, commenced about the year 1828, now contains six churches, all of which are generally occupied every Sunday for religious worship, to wit : A Dutch Re- formed as mentioned, and a Baptist, Methodist, Pres- byterian, Episcopalian and a Roman Catholic, (and now in 1890 a German Lutheran). The different opinions of men in religion and politics have always had a tendency to create enmity ; but as men have become enlightened, those causes have gradually ceased to have such violent effects as in former times, especially in religion. . The members of the different denominations in our town now harmonize in their business transactions, and their different opinions in religion do not effect their social intercourse in other respects. But in politics we must always expect to have times of great contention, if we continue to have the liberty of speaking our respective sentiments, for people will always disagree, both honestly and dis- honestly in respect to certain matters which will, from time to time be introduced for legislative action and
163
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
determination ; and our inability to judge correctly in relation to all the numerous matters which will con- tinually occur for such decision, together with many selfish views, will always cause strife in our political affairs, and these will continue to have a great effect in opening the eyes of the people in relation to our po- litical matters.
In religion it is probable that the different denomi- nations will generally continue to become freed from that enmity which formerly existed in consequence of their religious opinions, the folly of which is now ap- parent to the best informed pårt of mankind. The use of force and arms in former times to compel men to unite or keep united with certain religious sects,. had a tendency to produce hyprocisy, for self preser- vation, but not to alter men's opinions. Convincing proofs are the only means to alter erroneous opinions, but the great evil of ancient times consisted in organ- izing men to answer selfish purposes by religious and political subjugation ; the most numerous and power- ful of each of these becoming united, created a power to tyranize over their opposers.
The acts of men which have emanated from the influence of serving God have been directed in many different ways, some of which have been very erro- neous and contrary to the spirit of Christianity, al- though transacted by its professors. Such have been all the instigators of wars for selfish purposes, without a just cause, and all unjust impositions for whatever objects.
Within the present century much has been done to enlighten mankind and improve their condition, and we are under great obligations of gratitude to all the
164
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
scientific men of our country for the vast improve- ment and discoveries they have made within my own time of life, most of which has been done by descen- dants of English origin, whose ancestors generally came into this country poor, to enjoy liberty in the wilds of the Eastern states, where they had to suffer the hardships of procuring a livelihood in a wilderness country, among the hazards of being exterminated by the numerous Indians who inhabited it. Now, not- withstanding their privations and all the hazards which attended their situations, they persevered, improved the country wherever they settled, defended themselvei against Indian hostilities, and, as soon as practicable, introduced religious worship, literature and the study of the arts, and sciences, and became the most enlight- ened people in our country.
Many of their descendants have emigrated into the different States of the Union, and, wherever they have located, they have generally introduced religion, liter- ture, and the study of the arts and sciences. They occupy the greatest part of the most important stations of life in our country, and we are indebted to them for a vast amount of improvements, and for many manu- facturing establishments in different parts of our coun- try. In religion they do not all unite. Their spirit of liberty generally dictates the individuals to join such Christian denomination as they respectively prefer, in consequence of which they have become divided gen- erally among the different Christian denominations in our country. These different opinions in religious sentiments generally create no enmity between the most enlightened professors, who so differ in opinion where no apprehensions of evil consequences exist,
165
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
but indications of these have not become wholly ex- tinguished, and may or may not prove an injury to the welfare of our country.,
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.
.' For about 60 or 70 years the inhabitants of that part of the present town of Deerpark, which formerly was in the town of Mamakating in Ulster County, had no nearer Justice of the Peace than in Rochester, in the same. County, which was about 35 or 40 miles dis- tant from the Peenpack , neighborhood ; and the ser- vices of that officer were nnnecessary for the inhabi- tants of that neighborhood during that time, in which they had the honesty and prudence to adjust all mat- ters relating to their mutual dealings. And the inhab- itants of the lower neighborhood, who were in the County of Orange, and had settled there about 20 years after the settlement was made at Peenpack, must have resided there about 40 or 50 years before any Justice officiated in that neighborhood.
I presume that Jacobus (James) Van Auken was the first Justice of the Peace in the present town of Deer- park, and that he received his office from the authori- ties of the State of New Jersey before the line between the States became settled. He resided in the lower neighborhood. It was said that he was entirely illit- erate, and that the wife of his son Daniel Van Auken, Leah Kittle, had been educated and could read and write, and did the same for her father-in-law when it
166
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
became necessary for transacting his official business, in consequence of which she received the name of Justice in his time of life.
Benjamin Depuy and Philip Swartwout, Esquires, officiated as Justices of the Peace for the County of Ulster before the Revolutionary War commenced, and Anthony Van Etten and Solomon Kuykendall,Esquires, officiated as Justices of the Peace for the County of Orange, also before the commencement of the war,how long previous thereto I cannot determine, but think they must have come into office after the French war ended and before the year 1770. After the decease of Swartwout, Van Auken and Van Etten, which occurred, as has been mentioned, in the time of the war, Har- manus Van Inwegen became a Justice of the Peace of the County of Ulster and Levi Van Etten of Orange County. The former was a resident of the old town of Mamakating, and the latter of the former town of Min- isink. Afterwards Peter G. Cuddeback became a Jus- tice of the Peace of Ulster County, and officiated until he removed to Cayuga County.
After this time several individuals held the office in succession for the County of Orange, which became so altered, together with an alteration of the towns, as to include the present town of Deerpark in which Cudde- back resided. When the first and second churches of Mahackemeck congregation were built, a bench with a roof over it was made in each of those churches for a seat of such magistrates in time of divine service .* When those civil officers were first introduced into this part of our country they were more highly esteemed
* This was very common in the Dutch Churches in this country at that time.
167
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
than at present, though it did not require as good abilities and as much law knowledge to discharge their duties honorably in former times as at present, in con- sequence of the great increase of their business and a more general diffusion of law knowledge, also by hav- ing become familiarized among the people in a much greater degree than formerly.
The descendants of the first settlers in the two neighborhoods mentioned have generally settled all their mutual dealings without the process of law, which has so continued to the present time ; and before the Revolution the Justices must have had only a mere trifle of business. After the war ended law prosecu- tions and trials began, and their increase a few years thereafter made a great addition of business for the resident Justices in the towns mentioned, which rap- idly augmented until the County of Sullivan was formed and became established out of a part of the old County of Ulster, and a part of the latter added to the old County of Orange, which transferred a great amount of law business from the present County of Ulster into the County of Sullivan.
After the Reuolutionary War, the large forests of wild lands then in Ulster County contained a great amount of valuable pine, oak and hemlock timber, both near the Delaware river and for some miles distant from it. This valuable property became an object of enterprise for people to get and con- vey to market, first generally in the form of logs. Few owners of the land were in this part of the country, which gave people the opportunity to get it where they saw fit, but as the business extended owners were found and many people became engaged
168
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
in manufacturing the timber into boards, scantling,&c., and into hewed timber, staves and shingles for mar- ket. Among these quite a great proportion of the residents in the former and present towns of Deerpark engaged, in which some did a small business, others on a medium scale, and some to a very great extent. This, with few exceptions, was done on a credit sys- tem, by running in debt to merchants and farmers for the necessary supplies the individuals wanted for their business, which generally was made payable every en- suing spring and fall, at which time the lumber was run down the river to market. In progressing in this manner many disappointments occurred which caused failures in making payments according to agreements, in consequence of disasters on the river, unsteady prices of lumber and of the produce necessary for that business, wages, &c., and many other causes of failures contributed to make business for justices. and con- stables of the old County of Ulster, who resided in the former town of Mamakating. As early as 1792 when I was constable and a resident of that town, I had to travel several times a distance of between 15 and 40 miles to serve processes for recovery of debts from persons who resided along the river between Pond Eddy and Cochecton, and who were in poor circum- stances to pay debts. These lumbered under great disadvantages in getting round timber from the moun- tains bordering on the river, which business they had commenced after the war ended.
After the war terminated, boards and other sawed timber were much wanted for building purposes within the present town of Deerpark, where the enemy had burned the buildings of the inhabitants, and these
169
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
materials were not manufactured in this vicinity at that time. It became necessary to build saw mills to furnish those articles, and three men, Capt. Abraham Cuddeback, Benjamin Cuddeback and Capt. Abraham Westfall, built a saw mill on a brook at that time termed Bush-kill, at or near the present tanning estab- lishment of Mr. O. B. Wheeler, near the bridge across the Neversink river on the Mount Hope and Lumber- land turnpike ; and three other men, Benjamin Depuy, Esq., Elias Gumaer and Samuel Depuy, built a saw mill on the present premises of Abraham Cuddeback, Esq., on the same brook on which his present saw mill stands.
Near the Bush-kill saw mill at that time was much pine timber, and that mill continued to do considera- ble business for several years, and the same, and a few ·other mills west of it, manufactured the greatest part of the boards formerly used for the buildings in Orange County, and the shingles for roofing the same were generally made in the vicinity of those mills. All of which, during a certain period of time, made a great business, and some addition to that of our Justice's courts originated from it.
A great trading intercourse generally creates many causes of contention and fills our courts with a great amount of business, all of which has its bad and good effects, and while some bear the burdens of contention others receive the benefit of transacting the necessary business for adjusting matters of dispute. All the consequences resulting from such an intercourse of mankind, have a tendency to enlighten them, and, according to the old saying " It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good."
ANTERIOR PRICES OF LIVE STOCK, GRAIN AND OTHER FARMERS' PRODUCE, WAGES, &C.
For many years the prices of those productions, wages, &c., were about stationary. At what time or times these were established is uncertain, but I pre- sume it must have been as early as 1740, when the same became regulated according to the discretion of the people throughout this valley or by the Esopus merchant, and continued until about the year 1790. The farmers generally paid mechanics and laborers with the produce of their farms, and the latter paid what they bought of the former in labor, and very little money was in circulation among them.
CURRENCY AND MEASURES. -
Previous to the Revolutionary War, and for a few years after it ended, the currency in circulation here was that of the Colony of New York, afterwards termed
171
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
State of New York, which was calculated in pounds, shillings, pence and farthings.
1 pound was 20 shillings. $2.50
1 shilling was 12 pence .12}
1 penny was 4 farthings .01 1-25
The grain measure was a skipple, and held 3 pecks. The cloth measure was an ell, & of a yard long.
For brevity, the prices annexed to the following ar- ticles, wages, &c., is in our present currency, and the measures are those now in use.
LIVE STOCK.
Horses, from about. $20.00 to $50.00
Cows, 66 "
7.50 to 12.50
Sheep, 66 66
1.00 to 1.50
GRAIN. .
Wheat, per bushel. $0.75
Rye, per bushel .50
Corn, per bushel. .50
Buckwheat, per bushel .31
MEAT.
Beef, per cwt. $2.50
Pork, per cwt. 4.00
CLOTHS.
For man's every day wear linen, unbleached, per yard $0.44
For man's every day wear linen, bleached, per yard . .50
Finer qualities for Sunday wear at higher prices,
linsey-woolsey, fulled and colored. 1.00
172
HISTORY DEERPARK.
Unfulled plain colored linsey-woolsey for woman's wear .75
These cloths were all woven five-quarters of a yard wide.
FLAX.
Unhatcheled, per lb. $0.09
Tow, per lb. .06
WAGES.
For labor on a farm, per year, from ... $50.00 to $75.00 For labor on a farm, per month, from .. 5.00 to 7.50
For labor on a farm, per day, except in harvest and haying, from. .25 to .371
Per day for cradling grain $0.622
Per day for mowing grass. .50
Raking and binding after a cradler .621
Raking only after a cradler .25
Binding after a cradler. .37}
Cutting timber and splitting it into rails, per . hundred .37₺
Splitting rails, per hundred. .18ª
Crackling or breaking flax per hundred handfulls. .121
Swingling flax per lb. about .03
Spinning it for common wear per 1b. (women's work) .121
Weaving linen for every day wear per yard about. .04
Linsey-Woolsey per yard about. .07
CARPENTER'S WORK.
Per day from . $0.50 to $0.72
For making the woodwork of a wagon. $25.00
Of a lumber sleigh 1.50
-
173
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
Of a plow. 1.00
Of a fanning mill. 12.50
MASON'S WORK.
Per day from $0.50 to $0.75
The sums paid for the mason and carpenter's work of the dwelling house of Peter Gumaer, done about the year 1753,will show how cheap those mechanics worked at that time.
The house was 45 by 40 feet on the ground, with a cellar under the same, divided into four cellar rooms and four dwelling rooms. The walls were of stone, masoned with clay mortar and were about two feet thick, pointed outside of the house and inside of the cellar rooms with lime and sand mortar, and plastered inside of the rooms and chamber with mortar of lime, &c. The mason work of this house was done by three masons, by the job, for £30, equal to $75 ; and the carpenter's work was also done by the job, by a Mr. Wells, for the like sum of £30, equal to $75.
To show how cheap these mechanics worked, I have thought proper to give a further description of this house, being as follows, to wit : The two side walls were about 20 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to the plates, and the two end walls were about 28 feet high. The two walls, which divided the cellar and dwelling house each into four apartments, were about 16 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to the cham- ber floor. The two chimneys, with the supporting walls in the cellar and forming the fire-places, were about 40 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to their tops,and were each about 10 x 6 feet square above the upper floor, from which they were tapering towards
174
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
the top of the roof, and above it were about 4 or 5 feet square.
The carpenter's work consisted of hewing, fitting and laying the cellar beams, which were about one foot square, and reached from the outside to the inside walls, also hewing, planing and laying the beams of the upper floor, which were of pitch pine timber and about 14 x 10 inches square, also hewing and planing the plates on which the roof rested, also hewing the rafters, which were about 8 x 6 inches square at the lower ends and about 5 inches square at the top end and those on the sides were about 32 feet long, and those on the two other sides, or ends, were about 26 feet long, and each pair of the long rafters contained a girth of about 25 feet long and about 8 x 6 inches square. The lath on which the shingles were nailed were of split timber, hewed 1} inch thick and about 5 inches wide, the shingles were of white pine timber 3 feet long and 1 inch thick at the butt end, shaved to near an edge at the other end ; the lower and upper floors were of pitch pine boards, 1} inch thick planed on the side within the rooms.
The house contained 7 inside panel doors, four out- side framed doors, and four cellar batten doors, five windows, which contained each 24 panes of glass, and panel window shutters to each window, four small windows above the outside doors and eight small chamber and cellar windows, and a large closet each side of one of the fire places. These two jobs were paid in money, which was of much more value at that time than at present.
Few country dwelling houses contain as great a weight of materials as were put into this building. It
175
HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
lasted until the year 1823, and, with a little repairing and a new roof, might have stood and been a good house until the present time. It contained all its first materials except a small repair of the floors before each fire place, and rebuilding the east wall, from which the pointing had been washed by northeast storms of rain and caused it to fall. The lower and upper floors, and the two end roofs, were yet water tight when the house was taken down. The roofs on the north and south sides had become leaky, and more on the north than south side. The two end roofs were very steep, and those on the sides were somewhat steeper than roofs of the present time.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.