USA > New York > Delaware County > Delaware County, New York, history of the century, 1797-1897, centennial celebration, June 9 and 10, 1897 > Part 22
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Early settlers were accustomed to grind their corn in small mills, which by reason of their peculiar construction were called tub-mills. Prior to the Revolution William Rose had such a mill at the falls on the little brook above Downsville, and it was from this that "Tub-mill Brook " received its name.
Those who have known about shad fishing in the East branch may be interested in the following extracts from affidavits used in 1785 in the investigation into the title to the land between the branches of the Delaware river:
Joshua Pine, junior, aged twenty-four years being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that his father having purchased lands in John Walton's Patent. on the west side of Cookquago branch of the Delaware river, he, the deponent. went with his father to settle there in the month of May in the year 1 5; that sometime in the month of June in the same year the deponent went down the Pawpacton, or East branch of the Delaware river, with a canoe, from the settlements at Pawpacton to Schehawken ( Hancock ), and thence up the West branch to Walton's Patent, to the knowledge of any of the settlers, but that the shad came up to about Cookhouse ( Deposit ) ; and also that the people of Pawpacton told deponent that they had caught thirteen hundred shad the year before, at one haul, in Pawpacton river; that deponent never heard of any such quantity being caught in the West branch.
Peter Dumond also testified:
That during the time he lived on the East branch of Delaware, near Paughkatacan ( Margaretville), beginning in 1763, he frequently fished for
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
shad below Papaeunk during their season, as also above the mouth of the Beaverkill, or Whelenaughwemack, when he caught large quantities of shad. This deponent remembers the time when the white people settled at Paparunk caught as many shad at one fishing, about three miles'below their settlement, as served the whole of their families for that season, as this deponent was informed.
The following is a complete list of the supervisors of the town, showing the years in which they were elected. Joseph S. Bliven was elected at a special town meeting held in September, 1822, in place of Abel Downs, incapacitated by sickness. Begin- ning with 1894, supervisors were elected for two years: William Horton, 1793-97; Adam Doll, 1798; Abel Downs, 1799, 1801 04, 1814-22; Roswell Bradley, 1800; Jonas Lakin, 1805; Adam I. Doll, 1806; Lewis Hait, 1807-10; John Moore, 1811; Anthony Lloyd, 1812-13; Joseph S. Bliven, 1822. (To fill vacancy). Ben- jamin Pine, 1823-24; George W. Paige, 1825-27; Hezekiah El- wood, 1828-29, 1833-34; Charles Knapp, 1830, 1835-36; Alexander Cole, 1831-32; Jolm H. Gregory, 1837-38; James W. Knapp, 1839-40, 1845; Rensselaer W. Elwood, 1841, 1844, 1852, 1855-57; Barna Radeker, 1842-43; Robert M. Hammer, 1846-47; William Holiday, Jr., 1848; Alfred Hunter, 1849, 1853 54; Enoch Horton, 1850-51; George W. Downs, 1858-59; Alexander Elwood, 1860; Elbridge G. Radeker, 1861; William B. Champlin, 1862-63, 1865-68; Edwin D. Wagner, 1864; E. L. Holmes, 1869; Edwin H. Downs, 1870-71; Alston W. Hulbert, 1872-73; William H. Hitt, 1874; George P. Bassett, 1875-77; David Anderson, 1878: Charles L. Elwood, 1879-80; Charles K. Hubbell, 1881-82; James M. Radeker, 1883-85; Milo C. Radeker, 1886; J. Arthur Montgomery, 1887; Charles S. Elwood, 1888; Charles E. Hulbert, 1889-90; Frank W. Hartman, 1891-92; Henry J. Williams, 1893- 94; Edward T. Smith, 1896-97.
TRADITIONAL HISTORY.
Prior to 1766, the date of the first settlement, the Pawpac- ton valley was the home of the Wappinger Indians, and within the territory that is now the town of Colchester were two
Village of Arena.
Alleda and Varit; .
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TOWN OF COLCHESTER.
Indian villages, Pawpacton and Papagouck, the former located on the flat near the mouth of Cole's Clove, the latter is believed to have been located on the westerly side of the river about two or three miles below Downsville, but it seems the Indians had ceased to make their home in this vicinity before the white settlers came.
Soon after the commencement of the war the Indians, whose headquarters at that time were on the Ouleont, began to harass and worry these settlers, and encouraged by the tories, they erected a kind of fort on middle hill, on the westerly side of the river. about two miles below Downsville, which they made their headquarters while committing their depredations. About the year 1778 an incident occurred that compelled these settlers to abandon their homes along the East Branch and seek safety within the American lines on the Hudson River. The Indians. had captured two patriot scouts, who, in charge of three Indians, were being taken to the Canadian line, their hands being securely tied with strong thongs. One night while the Indians slept. a prisoner, whose name was Anderson, discovered that one of the Indians had partially turned over in his sleep and uncovered his tomahawk. ( On such occasions the Indian always slept on his tomahawk ). Anderson carefully rolled himself over until he- reached the uncovered tomahawk, and with it rolled away again. With the aid of the tomahawk he managed to cut the thongs that bound him and was soon free. He crept to where his com- panion lay and awoke him, and quickly cut the thongs with which he was bound, and giving his companion the tomahawk instructed him to kill the Indian to whom it belonged at a signal from Anderson. Anderson then went stealthily to the other two Indians and succeeded in obtaining his tomahawk from one of the Indians without waking him. Anderson's companion weakened and did not want to kill the Indians, claiming it would be safer to make their escape and leave the Indians sleeping, but Ander- son, who was a firm believer in the adage that "There is no
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
good Indian but a dead Indian," was determined to carry out his purpose and insisted that his companion should kill one while he killed the other two. At the signal from Anderson each buried his tomahawk in the head of an Indian, and like a flash and before the third Indian could spring to his feet, al- though he was awakened by the noise, Anderson's tomahawk again descended and this Indian followed his companions to the happy hunting ground. The men then took the corn which the Indians had with them and started east. The main body of In- dians in that vicinity almost immediately discovered their dead companions, and set out upon the trail of the scouts. They knew the two men could never reach the Hudson without aid from the white settlers; that without snch aid they must subsist upon the little corn they took from the Indians and the roots they might dig. The Indians therefore sent swift runners ahead and informed the settlers that whoever harbored, aided or fed these men would be killed by slow torture. Among the settlers thus warned were those residing in Pawpacton. Anderson and his companion succeeded in reaching the East Branch, and from the top of the high mountain below Downsville they looked down upon the log cabin of Timothy Gregory. They waited till night and under cover of the darkness they descended and crossed the river and went near the house of Gregory. Fearing that the inhabitant of this house might be a tory they dare not knock at the door, but lay down by the side of the path that led from the house to the spring, and soon Mrs. Gregory came towards the spring for water, and Anderson cautiously accosted her and told their story. She informed her husband. The two men were nearly dead from hunger and exhaustion. Gregory acquainted the men with the terrible threat of the Indians against anyone who should aid them, and told them it would be unsafe to conceal them in the house. He brought them food, and then directed them down the river about three miles and hid them in the rocks on the mountain between the river and Fuller Hill.
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TOWN OF COLCHESTER.
Here they remained concealed about one week, Gregory bring- ing food to them in the night time, and when they had gained sufficient strength, early one morning before it was light. he directed them to the line between Lots tive and six of the Har- denbergh Patent, which line strikes the river near Gregorytown, and runs east to the Hudson, and along the line of blazed trees they set out for the east and reached the Hudson in safety. The mountain on which these men were concealed is known to this day as "Anderson's mountain." Soon after leaving these men at the line mentioned. Gregory met three Indians, and they inquired of him why he was so far from home at that carly hour. He told them he had come down with his dog and gun to see if he could start a deer-that they frequented the river at that place in the early morning. But the Indians wore sus picious that all was not right and they questioned him closely as to whether he had seen the two white men, whom they described. Fortunately, while they were talking, Gregory's dog began barking, and a large deer dashed down the hill into the river, which Gregory shot and killed, and which he divided liberally with the Indians. This completely allayed the suspicions of the Indians, and they believed that Gregory had told the truth as to his business there at that early hour. The Indians soon learned that Anderson and his companion had reached the Hudson. They had succeeded in following their trail to the vicinity of the Colchester settlement, and knew the scouts had received aid from someone there, though everyone denied having any knowledge of the matter. A council was held and the In- dians decided to reek a terrible vengeance upon these settlers unless they could learn who the guilty parties were. Their plan was to begin at Frederick Miller's, the farthest up the river, and take every member of the family to the next house below, and so on, taking every member of the family to the next house below, and at cach house they were to give the settlers an op- portunity to divulge the names of the persons who had given
.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
aid to Anderson and his friend, and when they reached the last house, that of Timothy Gregory, if they could not obtain the required information, they would then massacre every mall,. woman and child. A friendly Indian informed the settlers of this plan and they lost no time in seeking safety in the eastern settlements. It was in the fall of the year, and a part of the corn had been out and stacked. This the settlers burned, and destroyed what of their other crops they could. Their cooking utensils and tools and iron ware they buried, or sunk in the river and binnekills, and along the line of blazed trees between Lots five and six they started for the Hudson. They had left none too soon, for on the second day of their journey they were overtaken by an Indian's dog, ( They knew it was an Indian's dog by its being closely cropped, as was the Indian custom ), and that night they sent the women and children some distance from the line, and the men lay in ambush and waited for the approach of the Indians, who they felt certain were on their trail. But morning dawned and no Indians had been seen. They then resumed their journey and reached the Hudson in safety. The next spring a few of the men ventured back to see their homes. They found that some of the houses had been burned, that the Indians had gathered what corn had not been destroyed, and bad wintered in the little ravine or gulf about two miles below Downsville on the west side of the river, and directly back of the residence of C. A. Warren.
In 1779, shortly after the battle of the Minisink, two scouts were employed, Bowker and Osterhout, to watch the East branch of the Delaware and report if any Indians eame up the river. It was thought that if Brant sent a detachment against the Susquehanna settlement they would probably take that route. These men were to receive a bushel of wheat each for their services. They took up a position on the point of land between the East branch and Beaverkill, and on the second day after their arrival, they saw a band of Indians coming up the river in canoes. They remained
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TOWN OF COLCHESTER.
long enough to make an estimate of the number of Indians, and then started up the Beaverkill, which they frequently crossed. in order to render it ditheult for the Indians to pursue them in case their camp at the point should be discovered. The Indians landed at the place where the scouts had been eneamped, and lost no time in sending a small detachment in pursuit. Notwithstanding the precautions of the men they were overtaken and captured while crossing the Willowemock river. But they succeeded in making their escape and carried the news to the eastern settlements. About thirty soldiers were immediately sent to aid in protecting the settlement upon the Susquehanna. They struck the head waters of the East branch and descended that river. When near Pepaeton their scouts informed them that Indians were encamped a short distance down the river, and not wishing to encounter them, they turned up Cole's Clove, crossed the notch in the mountains and descended Downs' brook which empties in the river at Downs- ville. When the soldiers were about where the village now stands, they suddenly came upon the Indians and were received with a volley. The soldiers deployed and scattered among the heavy timbers on the mountain side, and then the battle began in true Indian fashion, every one for himself, shielding himself behind trees, or rocks as best he could. The Indians were about the same in numbers as the whites. The battle lasted from five o'clock in the afternoon until night. When darkness came all was silent. In the morning the soldiers found that the Indians had abandoned the field, but had left four of their dead behind. The soldiers buried their own dead in that vicinity, but the exaet spot is not known. They then proceeded on their way to the Susquehanna.
Davenport.
By Walter Scott.
T FTHE westward march of civilization probably had not reached the territory embraced in the present town of Davenport prior to the Revolutionary war. The frontier of New York being exposed to the depredations of a race of savages more fierce and warlike than those inhabiting any other state, of course no settle- ments were made during the time of that struggle. But as soon as peace was established, the "Star of Empire" resumed its westward course, and as early as 1786, the enterprising pioneer had made his way into the Charlotte valley.
An old publication states that the first settlers were Daniel Farnsworth and - Pross, who settled at Davenport Centre. But they could not have much preceded Daniel Olmstead, who settled on the farm now occupied by the widow of Chauncey Olmstead, for Mr. Alexander Shellman informs me that his grandfather settled near the old Emmons hotel, three miles east of Oneonta, about 1790, and that in making the journey to Schoharie, the Olmstead settle- ment was the first one passed. The orchard on that farm is said to be the oldest in town. Mr. Shellman says that for several years it was the custom in his grandfather's family to make periodic trips on horseback, along the Indian foot path to the nearest grist mill, which was at Schoharie, to have grinding done for the family. As the family consisted of twelve persons and the grist was only about one and one-half bushels the interval between trips could not have been very long.
Among the other early settlers were Humphrey Denend, Har- mon Moore, George Webster, Elisha Orr and a Mr. Van Valkenburg, whose given name I have been unable to learn. The first physician
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TOWN OF DAVENPORT.
was Daniel Fuller, who settled in the town about 1796. The first mill dam built in the town was across the Middlebrook at the site now occupied by J. T. Yerdon, a saw mill and grist mill was erected there about 1793, Daniel Prentice being the builder.
The first marriage taking place in the town was that of Harmon Moore and Mary Orr, in 1791. Miss Orr was a distant relative of Robert J. Orr, now a resident of West Davenport. The young couple went to housekeeping in a log house on the site of a frame house now owned by Chauncey Houghtaling. The latter house replaced the log one abont sixty years ago. Mrs. Moore was also the first adult to die in town, as one of her children had been the first person. Richard Moore and a Miss Banker were also married on the same day as Harmon Moore. Hannah Dodge was the first school teacher. Daniel Prentice was the first inn keeper and Ezra Denend the first store keeper.
The old Indian trail from the earlier settlements at Schoharie. and Harpersfield to those upon the Susquehanna, leading along the Charlotte, must have been the scene of many an encounter between the pale faced scout of the Revolution and his dusky foes. It often served as a war-path for the noted Timothy Murphy, whose descendants still live in town. But at this late day, it is impossible in the limited time at my disposal to separate facts from fiction concerning some of the incidents which occurred in the Charlotte valley during the Colonial period, and the early days of the Republie.
The march of Colonel Harper on the occasion of his capture of a band of fifteen Indians, was through the town of Davenport, and the capture itself occurred within gunshot of its border. The facts as to the event were given by Colonel Harper, himself, to Rev. Mr. Fenn, late of Harpersfield, who narrates them as follows: In the year 1777 Colonel Harper had command of the fort in Schoharie, and came out through the woods to Harpersfield in the time of making sugar, and from thence laid his course for Cherry Valley to investigate the state of things there, and as he was pursuing a blind
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
kind of Indian trail and was ascending what are now called the Decatur Hills, he cast his eye forward and saw a company of men coming directly toward him, who had the appearance of being Indians. He knew that if he attempted to flee from them they would shoot him down; he resolved to advance right up to them, and make the best shift for himself he could. As soon as he came near enough to discern the white of their eyes, he knew the head man and several others; the head man was Peter, an Indian with whom Colonel Harper had often traded at Oquago, before the Revolution began. The Colonel had his great coat on, so his regimentals were concealed, and he was not recognized. The first word of address on Colonel Harper's part was, " How do you do, brother?" The reply was, "Well. How do you do, brother? Which way are you bound, brother?" "On a secret expedition. And which way are you bound, brother ?" "Down the Susque- hanna to cut off the Johnstone settlement." ( Parson Johnstone and a number of Scotch families had settled down the Susquehanna at what is now called Sidney Plains, and those were the people whom they were about to destroy.) Says the Colonel, "Where do you lodge to-night?" " At the mouth of the Seheneva's creek," was the reply. Then shaking hands with them, he bade them good speed and proceeded on his journey.
He had gone but a little way from them before he took a circuit through the woods, a distance of eight or ten miles, to the head of the Charlotte river, where were a number of men making sugar; ordered them to take their arms, two days' provision, a canteen of rum and a rope, and meet him down the Charlotte, at a small clearing called Evans' place at a certain hour that afternoon. Then he rode with all speed through the woods to Harpersfield, collected all the men who were making maple sugar, and being armed and vietualed, with each man his rope, laid his course for the Charlotte. When he arrived at Evans' place, he found the Charlotte men there in good spirits, and when he mustered his men, there were fifteen, including himself, exactly the same number as there were of the
Viaje of Daven port Center.
Vilage of West Davenport,
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TOWN OF DAVENPORT.
enemy; then the Colonel made his men acquainted with his enterprise.
They marched down the river a little distance, and then bent their course across the hill to the mouth of the Schenevus creek, and when they arrived at the brow of the hill, where they could overlook the valley, where the Schenevus flows, they cast their eyes down upon the flat and discovered the fire around which the enemy lay encamped. "There they are," said Colonel Harper. They descended with great stillness, forded the creek, which was breast deep. After advancing a few hundred yards, they took some refreshments, and then prepared for the contest-daylight was just beginning to appear in the east. When they came to the enemy, they lay in a cirele with their feet toward the fire, in a deep sleep. Their arms, and all their implements of death, were stacked up according to the Indian custom, when they lay themselves down for the night. These the Colonel secured by carrying them off a distance, and laying them down; then each man taking his rope in hand, placed himself by his fellow. The Colonel rapped his man softly and said: "Come, it is time for men of business to be on their way," and then each one sprang upon his man, and after a severe struggle, they secured the whole number of the enemy. After they were all safely bound, and as the morning had so far advanced that they could discover objeets distinctly, the Indian, Peter, exclaimed, "Ha! Colonel Harper, I know thee now-Why did I not know thee yesterday?" The Colonel marched the men to Albany, delivered them up to the commanding officer there, and by this bold and well executed feat of valor he saved the whole Scotch settlement from wanton destruction.
Among the incidents of pioneer life which occurred within the town of Davenport, and which have probably never appeared in print, I will mention: On one occasion a deer being chased by a small dog, near where E. F. Sherman now resides, ran on to a field of ice and slid down against the house of Peter Shelhnan, who then resided there. Mrs. Shellman went out, and before the deer could
18
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
regain its footing she killed it with an ax. A little Dutch girl who resided on the top of the mountain just south of West Davenport, while playing near the house, made the acquaintance of two little animals who were as full of play as she was, and all three enjoyed themselves immensely. When the girl's mother found the girl she recognized in the new-found playmates two bear cubs! That hap- pened about the beginning of the present century. The girl lived until the present decade. If the cubs' parents had discovered the newly made acquaintanceship before the girl's parents did, it is bearly possible that some other historian might have been selected to write this sketch, as the girl lived to be the grandmother of the present writer.
The greater part of the town of Davenport was embraced in a tract of 26,000 acres granted to Sir William Johnson, the Indian Superintendent of the British Government. Sir William was a man of superior talents and of great exceutive ability, and was much respected by all who knew him. It is thought by some that at heart he was friendly to the American cause; but believed that his allegiance belonged to the British crown, and it was asserted that he ended his own life to avoid the struggle in his mind between his inclination and what he conceived to be his duty. His estate descended to his children, all of whom were Tories, and it is said that their patent was the only portion of Delaware county which was confiscated for disloyalty of its owners, during the Revolution- ary war. I have not had the time since I was assigned the duty of writing this history to trace the chain of title from the Johnsons to the settlers; but in the earlier deeds of land in the patent, the name of "John Jacob Astor, Merchant, of New York City," frequently appears among the grantors. Later, the patent came into the con- trol of Peter Smith, and after him, his son Gerrit Smith, the celebrated Abolitionist.
The present town was formed from parts of Kortright and Maryland, on the 31st day of March, 1817. The law was passed during the four months that John Taylor acted as governor, Isaac
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Ogden at that time representing the county of Delaware in the Senate and Martin Keeler and Asahel E. Paine in the Assembly. The town was named in honor of John Davenport, who became the first Supervisor. A portion of the town was annexed to Meredith in 1878. Among the noted institutions of by-gone days was the Fergusonville Academy, founded in 1848, by Rovs. Samuel D. and Sanford 1. Ferguson. It afterwards came under the management of Hon. James Oliver, who had previously been a preceptor of Jay Gould's. This was one of the last schools to succumb to the com- petition of schools supported by the public.
The population of Davenport is perhaps more cosmopolitan than that of any other town in the county. Representatives of many nations have settled here and amalgamated, and the result is a good specimen of the true American race. Many of her sons have risen to eminence; but I refrain from mentioning their names lest I be accused of partiality, through the accidental omission of some names that should be mentioned. .
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