USA > New York > Greene County > Dear old Greene County; embracing facts and figures. Portraits and sketches of leading men who will live in her history, those at the front to-day and others who made good in the past > Part 5
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
Serne of Indian Raid
Abeel
CATERS KILL
Fiera
V Johanes Deidrich
Old Calskill
w-Section
Salisbury DR Manor: 1739
Deidrich
Milligan
Bergen 729
1705-
Kings Road
OVERBAUGH
Benj
DUBOISE 1730.
ROADI
pLeeds Bridge
LEEDS
STREEKE
CATSKILL C
Sam
. 4
1
*
Smith
EL van Vechten 1690
LO
ERIDGEIPATENT
LOT 2
915 acres
Crossing
-
1
0, -
Dumond
LOT: S 1515 acre Saxe Trumpbou
L. CREEK
Huybartus DU BOIS
1.
1.
= =
1762
CATSKI
Owners of Property About 1770
Barger
HOP NosB
Jane 23 Dies 1768
Isaac Dubois
1728
VLY
Fomen Hook
Showing location of residents and houses about 1777. Also
000 estimated. Most of the Du Bois family are buried on ground section at Leeds, formerly Old Catskill. Present value over $2,500,-
marked Du Bois plot.
129
* Old burial Grounds Sce Cut
DuBois Plot
HUDSON RIVER-
Spaan
KYKVIT
9
Cornelius Dubois
1215 acres
Moguas Hook
LOT Y 1415 acres Van Orden :- ROAD
1575 acres
VO
LOT 5
0
=
=
LEEDS
RAND most of Goods
Van
Salisbury
Salisbury. Milh
MAP OF LOVERIDGE PATENT
1
Indijan
DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
one knows, but it was not far from 1800. An older building of stone was located where Mr. Charles Story now lives, and this was built in the early 1700's. The store building was the outcome of a trade that was first started by a pedlar who traveled with a sled and later with a wagon.
. PATRUNS & INDUSTRY KISKATON ASSACIATHIA Nº 572
Group of Kiskatom Grangers, 1904.
John Bach Mc Master, an old writer covering the period of 1800, following the war, says that "there was great complaint of demoralization of morals that resulted from the war. That levity, profaneness, idle amusements and Sabbath breaking increased with fearful rapidity. Before the war nobody swore, nobody used cards. Now every lad is proficient in swearing and knows much of cards. Then apprentices and young folks kept the Sabbath and until sundown never left the house but to go to meeting. Now they go out more on the Sabbath than any other day of the week. They say it is better than sitting in church for two hours and hearing about hell."
Referring to religious custom of that period, "The minister would rise and read two lines of a psalm, the deacon would repeat
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
them, the percenter would pitch a key and the congregation join in the hymn, very discordant. The prayer and a two hour ser- mon followed. There were no stoves. The worshippers came from distances of many miles.
The Sabbath commenced Saturday at sundown. Sunday at sundown work was resumed There was a demand for a 36 hour Sunday but they did not get it.
Peter Schutt at one time had an Inn on the Saugerties road near the old stone house. Mrs. Legendre, one of his descendants, who lives in Catskill, informs us that she has often heard her grandfather tell of Indians visiting at this old Inn. Whether it was before or later that Peter Schutt ran the West Catskill Hotel we are unable to discover. At any rate he purchased a great tract of land, which at that time included the Kaaterskill falls lands and built the falls shanty.
Peter Schutt.
Peter V. Overbaugh also a grandfather of Mrs. Legendre was the owner of 800 acres of land and saw mills that subseqeunt- ly passed to J. L. Schutt, father of Louis P. Schutt, who has been for years connected with boarding houses at Haines Falls, the Laurel House, Antlers, and other houses including the Inn, which he has been managing for the Twilight Park Company very suc- cessfully.
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
KIATERSKILL FALLS.
Greatest Mountain Cascade.
Part of Great Section Owned by Peter Schutt.
DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
The Grand Old Bronks
Leonard Bronk, fifth in descent from Jonas Bronck, was born in Bronk House (still standing and occupied) on Bronk Pat- ent, about two miles and a half west of Coxsackie village, May 11th, 1751 or 1752. His first ancestor in this country was Jonas Bronck of Westchester County, after whom Bronck's Manor, Bronck's River and Bronck's Borough were named, the ck's being changed to "x" on account of euphony.
1
A Type of the Hollander.
In 1639 Jonas Bronck, liberally educated and rich-with his friend Jochiem Pieterson Kuyter, a Danish officer-sailed in his own private armed vessel named the Fire of Troy, from Hoorn, Holland. taking their families, farmers, female servants and stock, for New Amsterdam, reaching that place in July, 1639. The arrival of the ship was hailed by the colony "as a great pub- lic good." Where Jonas Bronck came from originally is yet a matter of dispute.
He secured a "Grand Brief," a tract of land of 500 acres north of the Harlem River, and became the first white settler in that section. He was not content with the deed from the authori-
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
ties of New Amsterdam, but in addition made an honest purchase from the Indian Sachem, Tackamack, and his associates.
The tract of land purchased by him was called by the Indians Ranachqua. It lay between the Harlem River and the river Abquahung, now known as the Bronx. Here Bronck made his improvements and began his life.
Of his life here we have but few details. We know this, Kuyter came and settled near him and delighted in his friendship. And we know this also, that the Indians trusted him, when they were suspicious of and at actual war with the New Amsterdam au- thorities.
Jonas Bronck died in 1643. He left a widow and one son, Pieter Jonassen Bronck. The widow married Arendt van Corlear, Sheriff of Rensselaerwick, and removed with him to Albany.
It was this Peter Bronck, the only son of Jonas, who in 1662 purchased from the Indians a tract of land and secured for it from the Dutch authorities what is known as Bronck's Patent.
On this patent by the terms of the grant, a house was built in 1663. Judge Leonard Bronk, said many years before he died that that part of the house was a good deal more than 200 years old. He died in 1872. The brick house was built in 1738. The date is cut in the foundation on the north side of the house. The kitchen extension was rebuilt in 1792.
The house, the mills and the land descended to his son Jan Bronck, and from the date of the original purchase the home- stead and many acres of the original grant have never been out of the hands of the lineal descendants .
The immediate ancestor of Judge Leonard Bronk was John L. Bronk, who married Elsie van Buren. He inherited the old home and the traditions, and he was worthy of both. He was the most influential man in his section in his time. In 1770 he was commissioned Captain of Militia by Lieut. Gov. Cadwallader Col- den. On Oct 20th, 1775, he was commissioned Major of the 11th Regt. N. Y. by the Provincial Congress. In 1778 he was com- missioned 2nd Major by Gov. Clinton. In 1778 he is still absorb-
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
ed in the struggle for independence. In this year he was appoint- ed 1st Lieut. by Governor Clinton.
Among the papers of Judge Bronk in the possession of the family there are two letters from Valley Forge, dated in April. But in none of these letters is there any mention of the suffering and hardship so vividly pictured in the histories of our Revolution, of the suffering of our soldiers in that camp during the winter of 1778.
During the year of 1787 he received from his correspond- ents letters of great public interest. The first is in reference to Gen'l Gates' defeat, and the second is in reference to Benedict Arnold.
Headquarters Stone Arabia, Sept. 8, 1780.
Dear Sir:
The news from the Southward is very unfavorable indeed. Gen'l Gates I believe is certainly totally defeated. The Militia in in them parts betrayed the confidence he reposed in them and ran and by this means the chief of the Continental troops were either killed or taken.
I believe it may now be depended on that the second divi- sion of the French fleet is on their way to the Continent, as we have advice from them, the reason of their not coming before was because they have been blocked up. By what means they have got relieved I am not at present able to inform you.
I am Dr Sir your sincere friend and very humble serv't T Van Wagenen.
The other letter is from his most intimate friend and con- stant correspondent, Leon. Gansevoort, Jr. It is as follows:
Albany, Oct. 6, 1780.
Dear Sir:
As I know that good news is always acceptable to a Person so warmly interested in the Country's welfare as yourself, I have now thought proper to sit down to give you a small Piece of News we yesterday received by one of Col. Van Schaick's Officers.
Col. Malcolm with the three months men was going up to
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
relieve the Garrison at Fort Schuyler and being with the main Body of his troops on one side of the river he sent an Officer with a party of men on the other side who fell in with about sixty In- dians. They were fired upon by the Party who Killed two Indians. The rest ran off leaving behind them thirty blankets with their Packs, Kettles and other articles.
What think you of Arnold-what an infamous dirty villan- ous detestable Rascal he is-if ever there was one deserved hang- ing he does, and I sincerely hope he may yet get it. I think that in no one instance during this war has the Interposition of Divine Providence so remarkably been manifested as in this, we were just upon the Precipice of Destruction and would have been inevitably gone had not a Kind Deity interposed and warded off the Blow. This must convince our Enemies, even the most hardened of them that our Cause is just and while engaged in it we will, we must, prosper. Conquered we never can be by Great Britian.
Your friend,
Leon Gansevoort, Jr.
On Nov. 4th he receives a long and triumphant letter from his friend Leon Gansevoort, Jr., on the surrender. It begins:
"Dear Friend, I Heartily congratulate you on the great and glorious news of the surrender of Cornwallis, etc."
Judge Bronk in 1782 and 1783 was Supervisor for Albany County. In 1784 and 1785 he is Member of the Assembly and Supervisor of Albany County. In 1785 he is also appointed Com- missioner of Excise. In 1786 he is still in the position of Super- visor and in the Assembly.
He was in the Assembly in 1781, 1783, 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1789, 1792 and 1795. In 1796 he was elected to the State Senate and was in the Senate in 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800. In 1801 he was again named for the Senate, and once more in 1803.
When the agitation for a further division of Albany County was at its height Mr. Bronk was in the Senate, with an almost impossible task of pleasing his divided constituents. He was
136
DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
named for Senator in 1801 and again in 1803. And when the new County of Greene was a fact accomplished Leonard Bronk was selected by the Council of Appointment for the place of honor as First Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He held this position from March 29th, 1800, until April 3d, 1810.
He died April 22, 1828.
See picture under surrogate court judges.
His grave is just beyond the old house to the south and west on a little knoll at the bend in the creek. In the little in- closure is a plain slab with this inscription: "In memory of Leon- ard Bronk, who died April 22d, 1828, aged 76 yrs. I am the Resurrection and the Life." And beyond the inclosure, crowding all the rest of the knoll, are the graves of the faithful servants who trusted him while he was alive and wanted to be buried near him when they were dead.
The Old Mill at Coxsackie, Oldest in County.
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
The Chase Family Pioneers
0 0
It is interesting to note that among the pioneers of the western section of Greene county was Zephaniah Chase, great grand- father of Emory A. Chase of Catskill, Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals.
There are seven generations from Thomas ('hase to Judge Emory A. Chase. Thomas Chase came from Hundrech Parish Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England in 1636, and settled at Hampton, New Hampshire.
Isaac Chase, his son, was born at Hampton, N. H. in April 1647, and died at Martha's Vineyard, May 19, 1727.
Joseph Chase, his son, was born at Martha's Vineyard, Feb. 26, 1689, and died in May 1749.
Abel Chase, his son, was born at Martha's Vineyard, Oct. 9, 1719, and died at the home of his son Zephaniah, this county. Zephaniah Chase, his son, was born at Martha's Vineyard, March 14, 1748, and died at Jewett Center, May, 30, 1828.
Benjamin Chase, his son, was born at Martha's Vineyard. Jan. 21, 1774, and died at Jewett Center Feb. 29, 1862.
Albert Chase, his son, was born at Jewett Center, Jan. 4, 1819, and died at Hensonville, Oct. 18, 4902.
Emory A. Chase, his son, was born at Hensonville, Aug. 31, 1854.
A relative of Zephaniah Chase owned considerable land at Binghamton and offered to give Zephaniah a farm if he would begin a settlement there.
Zephaniah owned some real property at Vineyard Haven, which he sold for $250, preparatory to seeking a home in the then western wilds. With the proceeds of his real property, he took his second wife, Love, and their son David, then a little more than a year old, and his sons by his first wife, Benjamin, aged thirteen, Joseph, aged eleven, and Thomas, aged nine, and started on his long journey. He reached Hudson, N. Y., proba- bly by means of a slow sailing sloop from Martha's Vineyard.
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
From a document now in the possession of his descendants, it ap- pears that he was in Hudson, August 1, 1787. At Hudson, they learned that the difficult part of the journey lay before them; a journey through forests infested with wild animals and over a crude road through the forest. Indians yet roamed the forest of eastern and southern New York. He purchased a yoke of oxen and a wagon and started on his journey to Binghamton, taking his wife and children and such tools and personal property as he had with him in the primitive conveyance. How he crossed the Hudson river is not known, but it was probably by boarding some sailing vessel and landing at Catskill. From Catskill to Bingham- ton, the road lay over the Catskill Mountains and the entire jour- ney was through an almost unbroken forest with only a few set- tlers' cabins along the way. They proceeded to the valley of the Batavia-kill, west of the eastern range of the Catskills and, while resting near a well known high rock standing within what is now the village of Windham, at a cabin built against said rock in which lived an early settler, a man, who had come from Bing- hamton on foot, informed them, that owing to an unusual wind, many trees were blown across the road and that it would be im- possible to get through with a wagon. While waiting somewhat undetermined what to do, he met one Thomas Harriott, who offer- ed to sell him his farm situated on the Schoharie-kill, at a point ten miles up that stream from its junction with the Batavia-kill at a point ten miles below where they were, at what is now Pratts- ville. He concluded to buy this farm and agreed to give, on reaching the farm, the oxen, as part payment for the same. How he reached the farm is told hereinafter. The house, they found, was only two logs high covered with bark, but a block house was in course of erection and this Zephaniah and his sons finished be- fore the cold winter, and here, shortly afterwards, their son West was born the first Chase born in the Catskills.
There was no saw mill within twenty miles of the farm at which logs could be sawed into material adapted for use in com- pleting the house, and from which to make furniture, so all such material were made by Zephaniah and his sons by hewing the logs
139
DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
into blocks or splitting them, and by shaving and planing them into boards by the use of axes and other tools brought from Mar- tha's Vineyard. Some of the furniture made by Zephaniah is now in the possession of his descendants. The deed from Thomas Harriott is dated Aug. 19, 1787. The family continued to live upon the farm and they cleared away the forests which covered the valley as well as the highlands and here all of the children of the second marriage except David were born. Zephaniah later built a more pretentious house which is still standing. The homestead farm in 1787 was in the town of Woodstock, Ulster county, N. Y., it was subsequently included in the new town of Windham and in Greene county. In subsequent divisions of the territory it became successively a part of the towns of Lexington and Jewett. It is now a part of the town of Jewett, Greene county, and the post-office is Jewett Center, N. Y.
Zephaniah was a Baptist, but few of his descendants are of that faith, many being Methodists or Presbyterians. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary Army. He is buried in the family burial plot in the cemetery on the hill north of the house which he built, and which is known as the Chase cemetery.
When Zephaniah and his family, on the westward journey, reached the point on the Batavia-kill mentioned, where the farm was purchased, Benjamin (then a lad of thirteen years) was sent with the oxen and goods down the Batavia-kill ten miles until he reached the Schoharie-kill and he was directed then to follow up that stream ten miles to the farm that was to be their future home. Zephaniah took his wife and the three youngest children, includ- ing David, the baby, and crossed the mountain range on foot, through what is now Jewett Heights, a route about half as long as the one taken by Benjamin with the oxen and wagon. Zephaniah was guided to his destination by marked trees described to him by the man from whose cabin they started.
BENJAMIN CHASE
Benjamin's life was spent at the homestead farm and a
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
farm near it which he purchased. He engaged in farming, lum- bering and tanning,and was also an officer of the local militia. He lived to be eighty-eight years old.
ALBERT CHASE
Albert, the father of Judge Chase, lived with his parents until the death of his mother, January 12, 1829, after which he went to live in the family of his uncle, Charles Chase, on a farm two miles below what is now the village of Hunter. where he at tended the district school, and when twenty years old returned to the town of Lexington and acquired the carpenter's trade, which he followed for twenty-five years, becoming one of the largest con- tractors in that part of the county. He married Sept. 1, 1844, at the Methodist church in East Jewett, Laura Orinda daughter of Abner and Betsey (Judson) Woodworth. After their marriage, they resided for about one year in the town of Lexington. Then they moved to Hensonville (1845), and he there carried on an extensive lumber and contracting business for many years. Sub- sequently he purchased a large farm on the outskirts of the vill- age and, after erecting new buildings thereon, made it his home for the rest of his life. He was a Republican in politics and held the office of Justice of the Peace and other offices in the town. He was an active supporter of the Methodist Church at Hensonville and for twenty-six years the superintendent of its Sunday School.
EMORY A. CHASE
Emory A. Chase Associate Judge of the Courr of Appeals of the State of New York, was born at Hensonville, N. Y., Aug. 31, 1854, and resides on Prospect avenue, Catskill, N. Y.
Judge Chase was educated at the village school and at Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, after which he taught school for sev- eral years, in the meantime preparing for the legal profession. On March 27, 1877, he entered the law offices of King & Hallock at Catskill, N. Y., was admitted to the bar, May 6, 1880. In that year Mr. King retired and a new legal firm was formed by Mr.
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
Hallock and W. Irving Jennings under the name of Hallock & Jennings. Mr. Chase was given an interest in the business, but his name could not appear as a member of the firm at that time as he had not been admitted as an attorney-at-law. The firm name was afterwards (in 1882) changed to Hallock, Jennings & Chase. On September 22, 1890. Mr. Hallock retired, but the firmed continued in the name of Jennings & Chase. They became well known as able, conscientious lawyers and had a very large and profitable clientage. Mr. Chase was successively admitted to the United States District and Circuit Courts and the United States Supreme Court. His practice frequently took him before the State and Federal Courts and he was everywhere recognized as a successful lawver and a man of the highest character
In 1880, the year he was admitted to the bar, he was the candidate of his party for district attorney of Greene county, but althouhg he ran far ahead of his ticket, he was defeated by 211 votes. In 1882, he was elected a member of the Catskill Board of Education and served continuously in such Board until 1896, the last five years being its president. He also served one term as supervisor of the town of Catskill and for many years was the vil- lage counsel. In 1896, Mr. Chase, who had now been in active political and professional life since 1880, was nominated by the Third Judicial District Republican Convention for a justice of the Supreme Court of New York. He was opposed by the Democratic candidate, Frank H. Osborn. At the election following, he re- ceived a majority of 12,680 votes and was the second Supreme Court Justice ever elected by the Republican party in that Judicial District. Before assuming the duties of his office, he retired from the law firm of Jennings & Chase, his place being taken by his opponent for the judgeship, Frank H. Osborn.
Judge Chase made his first appearance on the trial bench at the January trial term of 1897 at Schoharie, and at the close of his first trial term received an engrossed copy of complimentary resolutions adopted by the Schoharie County Bar. As he went from county to county as a trial justice he won the highest en- coniums from the lawyers and the press for his fair, impartial rul-
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
ings, his unfailing courtesy and rapid methods of disposing of business. January 8 , 1900 he was designated an associate justice of the appellate division of the Supreme Court, third department, by Governor Odell; December 31, 1905, he was designated, by Governor Higgins, as an associate judge of the Court of Appeals under the constitutional amendment of 1899. At the expiration in 1910, of his term of fourteen years, Judge Chase was unani- mously renominated by the Republican convention of the Third Judicial District held October 5, 1910. At the Democratic con- vention held a few days later, he was paid the high and unusual compliment of a unanimous nomination by his political oppon- ents, the nominating speech being made by the unsuccessful can- didate of fourteen years earlier, Frank H. Osborn. He said of Judge Chase in part: "He is a man of irreproachable character, an able lawyer and an ideal judge."
During that part of his term in which he was engaged as a trial justice, he frequently by invitation presided over Courts in New York City and other parts of the state outside of his judicial district, and many noted cases were tried before him. While he has been a justice of the Appellate Division and a judge of the Court of Appeals, hundreds of opinions have been written by him which appear in law reports and make a part of the judicial his- tory of the State. The New York Bar Association, in endorsing his nomination, said: "his judicial career both in trial and appel- late courts, and especially as a member by designation of the Court of Appeals, is and has been distinguished for and character- ized by, such eminent judicial qualification and great legal learn- ing and ability, as to make it most fitting and desirable that his services be retained by the public. Therefore, the New York State Bar Association by its duly authorized committee, hereby urges the unanimous renomination and election of Mr. Justice Chase, irrespective of party, to the end that the judiciary may, as far as possible, be kept free from politics, that the public may retain the services of a tried, upright and most worthy judge and as we hope, if not expect, that if re-elected, he may continue to adorn the bench of the Court of Appeals as one of its appointed members."
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DEAR OLD GREENE COUNTY.
At the election on November 8, 1910, Judge Chase received the vote of the two great political parties, and was re-elected for another term of fourteen years, and the first act of Governor Dix on taking office, January 1, 1911, was to re-designate Judge Chase, together with former Associate Judge, Frank H. Hiscock of Syra- cuse, N. Y., to the Court of Appeals, pursuant to said provision of the State Constitution. Judge Chase is now engaged in the per- formance of his duties as a judge of that court.
In 1912 Judge Chase was nominated by the Republican party for election to the Court of Appeals. His candidacy was endorsed by the State Bar Association and the Associated Bar of the City of New York. While the Republican vote for governor was 444,- 105, the vote for Judge Chase was 467,743 but he was defeated.
He was the candidate of the Republican party for Judge of the Court of Appeals in the fall of 1914, and received nearly 2000 plurality in Greene county, most flattering indeed, but was de- feated by a few thousand votes. He will continue to serve the state by appointment, and is without doubt one of the ablest jurists in the country.
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