USA > New York > Schenectady County > Gazetteer and business directory of Albany & Schenectady Co., N.Y., for 1870-71 > Part 13
USA > New York > Albany County > Gazetteer and business directory of Albany & Schenectady Co., N.Y., for 1870-71 > Part 13
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but also to the Manor, but failed to obtain either. This caused some difficulty in the Colony, but it was finally referred to the Consistory of the Dutch Church at Albany, for decision. Col- lections were taken in the church for the support of the poor. and though they supported a poor house, the funds accumulated so that at one time there was more than 13,000 guilders in the treasury. This money was used to build the church and par- sonage. Sometimes money was loaned to the Patroon, as the following note shows :
" I the undersigned, Anthonie de Hooges, have, on the part of the nobie Patroon of the Colonie Rensselaerwyck, borrowed from the Diaconie of the aforesaid place, for the term of one year, to be repaid in cash at the op- tion of the lenders with ten per cent interest per annum, the sum of three hundred guilders in seawan, whereof one hundred and twenty is in ordi- nary seawan, promising thankfully to produce at the aforesaid time, in stated specie aforesaid, to the Diaconie of the aforesaid place.
In testimony whereof, have I subscribed this Acte with mine own hand. Actum R. Wyck, 9th May, 1647."
In 1656 a church was erected at the corner of Jonkers and Handlaers Streets, known now as State and Broadway. This church was built of stone and served the congregation until 1715, when another one was erected on the same site, similar in all respects except in size. The foundation was laid around the old one, and the walls were carried up, enclosing the old church, which was not removed until the new one was so near completion that services were suspended only three Sabbaths. The corner stone of the church erected in 1656 was laid br Rutger Jacobson, one of the magistrates, in presence of the au- thorities both of the town and Colonie, and of the assembled inhabitants. A temporary pulpit was at first erected for the use of the minister, but the settlers subscribed twenty-five beav- ers to purchase a more splendid one in Holland. The Chamber at Amsterdam added seventy-five guilders to this sum, on ac- count of the beavers being greatly damaged, and "with a view to inspire the congregation with more ardent zeal," presented them the the next year, with a bell " to adorn their newly con- structed little church." The Patroon and Co-directors sub- scribed 1,000 guilders, and 1,500 were appropriated from the fines imposed by the Court at Fort Orange, towards the erection of this church. The new church, erected in 1715, was furnished with the same pulpit that had been imported from Holland. and was retained in its place until the church was taken-down in 1806. This pulpit was constructed of oak, octagonal in form. and about four feet high and three feet in diameter. The win- dows of the church contained the armorial bearings of several of the wealthy families of the City. The land upon which the church stood was sold to the City in 1805 for 85,000. The cus-
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toms of the worshipers at this church would be regarded novel at this day. The men sat with their hats on during the service. The collections were taken up by means of a pole with a small bag and bell attached to it. In the midst of the sermon the Dominie would stop, the Deacons would rise up, take the imple- ments for the collection, bring the poles to a perpendicular against the shoulder, and await an address from the Domi- nie, explaining the object of the collection. The Deacons would then present the bag, the little bell arousing the sleepy burgh- ers, and after the collection was taken, the choir sang a hymn and the sermon was then concluded. The form of the collect- ing implements was such as to conceal the amount of the contribution, and sometimes on examination there proved to be a variety of coin unrecognized by the statute, anything that would fall into the bag with a chink answering the purpose. To rid themselves of this kind of contributions, the Deacons procured some open plates, but to their surprise, on presenting them to the honest burghers, some of them turned their backs in indignant scorn. The plates were however retained and have continued to this day. In those early days when the money in circulation consisted of beaver skins and wampum, and the wealth of the citizens was very small compared with the present, 225 guilders were sometimes taken up on the Sab- bath, equal to ninety dollars.
The funeral ceremonies of the Dutch were quite singular. No person attended without a previous invitation. At the ap- pointed hour they met at the neighboring houses or stoops un- til the corpse was brought out. Ten or twelve persons were ap- pointed as pall bearers and took the bier. The clerk would then invite the gentlemen to fall into the procession. They re- turned from the grave to the house in the same order. Here they found the tables handsomly set and furnished with spiced wine, tobacco, pipes, candles, paper, &c. The conversation soon turned upon general subjects and the house of mourning soon became a house of feasting and merriment. Ladies never went to the grave except to that of a near relative. They would re- main at the house, eat cakes and drink spiced wine until the return of the men, and then leave. The best room in the house was set apart as " the dead room," and was rarely opened except to be aired and cleaned. A bill of expenses for burying a church pauper amounted to about forty dollars, some of the most pro- minent items being for rum and beer. Wealthy citizens pro- cured a cask of wine during their lifetime and preserved it for their funeral.
A conflict of jurisdiction arose between the officers of the garrison at Fort Orange and the agents of the Patroon. Direc-
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tor Stuyvesant claimed jurisdiction for the Fort over a circle the radius of which was equal to the range of a cannon shot. and estimated at about one hundred and fifty rods. As the hamlet of Beverwyck at this time [165]] was chiefly within that circuit, the authorities of Rensselaerwyck not only opposed this jurisdiction but c'aimed that the Fort stood upon the Pat- roon's land, and could have no jurisdiction outside of its walls. While the controversy was at its hight, Jean Baptiste Van Rensselaer was elected one of the magistrates, and shortly after an order was issued for all the inhabitants to take the cath of allegiance to the Patroon and his representatives. The oath was as follows: " I promise and swear that I shall be true and faithful to the noble Patroon and Co-directors, or those who re- present them here, and to the Hon. Director, Commissioners and Council, subjecting myself to the Court of the Colonie; and I promise to demean myself as a good and faithful inhabitant or Burgher, without exciting any opposition, tumult or noise ; but on the contrary as a loval inhabitant, to maintain and support, offensively and defensively against every one, the Right and Ju- risdiction of the Colonie. And with reverence and fear of the Lord, and uplifting of both the first fingers of the right hand, I say-so truly help me God Almighty." On New Year's night, 1652, some soldiers sallied out and fired a number of shots at the Patroon's house. Several pieces of ignited wadding lodged upon the roof, which was of reeds, and set it on fire, and would have caused its destruction had not the inmates been on the alert. The next day a collision occurred between the soldiers and citizens, resulting in the severe beating of several children and others. The difficulties continued, and a placard was dis- patched to Dyckman, the Commissary of the Fort, declaring that the jurisdiction of Fort Orange extended within a circum- ference of 600 paces of said Fort, "and in order that no man shall plead ignorance, we further charge our Commissary, after publication hereof, to erect on the aforesaid limits, north, south, and west of the aforesaid fortress, a post marked with the Com- pany's mark, and to affix on a board nailed thereto a copy here- of." Within these bounds no house was to be erected except by the consent of the Director and Council, or those authorized to act for them. This violent and illegal act separated Beverwyck from the Colonie of Rensselaerwyck. It was in direct violation of the 6th article of the Charter, and was afterwards so ac- knowledged.
Killian Van Rensselaer, the first Patroon, died in 1647, leav- ing the property to his son Johannes, a minor. The manage- ment of the Colonie devolved upon the executors, who appoint- ed Brant Arent Van Slechtenhorst, "Director of the Colonie,
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President of the Court of Justice and Superintendent of all the houweries, farms, mills and other property belonging to the Patroon, at a salary of 750 florins ($300) per annum, to reckon from the date of his arrival out, together with a house, four milch cows, two horses, four morgens of tillage and four mor- pens of pasture land." He arrived in the Colonie in March 1648. From the commencement of establishing colonies by Patroons, the Directors of the Amsterdam Chamber became jealous of their existence and opposed their continuance. In the prosecution of their policy they endeavored to induce the Patroon of Rensselaerwyck to cede to them his rights, privileges and possessions, but failing to effect their object, they endeav- ored to circumscribe his jurisdiction as much as possible. Pe- ter Stuyvesant, the Director-general on the part of the Amster- dam Chamber, and Brant Van Slechtenhorst, the representative of the Patroon, were the champions of the opposing interests. The former claimed to be supreme ruler of the whole country, irrespective of the special rights and feudal privileges granted to the Patroon. The latter recognized no authority within his limits except that of the Patroon and his legal representatives. He maintained that whatever orders might be issued by the Di- rector-general, they were powerless unless indorsed by his com- mander and executed by the officers of his court. Under such circumstances it was not strange that in a very short time a col- lision occurred. On the 26th of April a copy of a proclamation, ordering a general fast to be observed on the first Wednesday in May, was received at Rensselaerwyck and strongly protested against by Van Slechtenhorst. This was not pleasing to Stuy- vesant and he resolved to visit the Colonie, accompanied by a military escort, and correct the abuse. His arrival was greeted by a salute from the Patroon's artillery.
In 1749 Peter Kalm, a naturalist of one of the Swedish universities, visited this country for the purpose of making scientific investigations. In speaking of the means of transpor- tation between Albany and New York, he says, all the yachts which ply between these two cities belong to Albany. "They go up and down the River Hudson, as long as it is open and free from ice. They bring from Albany boards or planks, and all sorts of timber, flour, pease and furs, which they get from the Indians or which are smuggled from the French. They come home almost empty and only bring a few merchandises with them, among which rum is the chief. This last is absolutely necessary to the inhabitants of Albany. They cheat the In- dians in the fur trade with it; for when the Indians are drunk. they will leave it to the Albanians to fix the price of the furs. The yachts are pretty large and have a good cabin, in which
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the passengers can be commodiously lodged." * " The canoes which the yachts have along with them are made of a single piece of wood hollowed out; they are sharp at both ends. frequently three or four fathoms long and as broad as the thick- ness of the wood will allow. The people in it do not row sit- ting, but commonly a fellow stands at each end with a short oar in his hand, with which he governs and brings the canoe forward." " Battoes are another kind of boats which are much in use at Albany. They are made of boards of white pine. The bottom is fiat that they may row the better in shallow water; they are sharp at both ends and somewhat higher towards the end than in the middle. They have seats in them and are rowed like common boats." In speaking of the water of the wells, Kalm says, "I found an abundance of little insects in it, which were probably monoculi." He says : "I think this water is not very wholesome for people who are not used to it, though the inhabitants of Albany who drink it every day, say they do not feel the least inconvenience from it." " The houses in this town are very neat and partly built with stones covered with shingles of the white pine. Some are slated with tiles from Holland, because the clay of this neighborhood is not reckoned fit for tiles. Most of the houses are built in the old way with the gable end towards the street; a few excepted which were lately built in the manner now used." "The street doors are generally in the middle of the houses, and on both sides are seats on which during fair weather the people spend almost the whole day, especially on those which are in the shadow of the honses. In the evening these seats are covered with people of both sexes, but this is rather troublesome, as those who pass by are obliged to greet everybody, unless they will shock the polite- ness of the inhabitants of this town. The streets are broad and some of them are paved, in some parts they are lined with trees. The streets upon the whole are very dirty because the people leave their cattle in them during the summer nights."
"The inhabitants of Albany are much more sparing than the English. The meat which is served up is often insufficient to satisfy the stomach, and the bowl does not circulate so freely as amongst the English. The women are perfectly well acquainted with economy : they rise early, go to sleep very late, and are al- most over nice and cleanly in regard to the floor, which is fre- quently scoured several times in the week. The servants in the town are chiefly negroes. Some of the inhabitants wear their own hair, but it is very short, without a bag or queue, which are looked upon as the characteristics of Frenchmen ; and as I wore my hair in a bag the first day I came here from Canada, I
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was surrounded with children, who called me Frenchman and some of the boldest offered to pull at my French dress.
"Their meat, and manner of dressing it, is very different from that of the English. Their breakfast is tea, commonly without milk. About thirty or forty years ago, tea was unknown to them, and they breakfasted either upon bread and butter or bread and milk. They never put sugar into the cup, but take a small bit of it into their mouths whilst they drink. Along with the tea they eat bread and butter, with slices of hung beef. Coffee is not usual here: they breakfast generally about seven. Their dinner is buttermilk and bread, to which they sometimes add sugar, and then it is a delicious dish for them ; or fresh milk and bread ; or boiled or roasted flesh. They sometimes make use of buttermilk instead of fresh milk, to boil a thin kind of porridge with, which tastes very sour, but not disagree- able in hot weather. To each dinner they have a great salad, prepared with abundance of vinegar and very little or no oil. They frequently eat buttermilk, bread and salad, one mouthful after another. Their supper is generally bread and butter, and milk and bread. They sometimes eat cheese at breakfast, and at dinner ; it is not in slices, but scraped or rasped, so as to re- semble coarse flour, which they pretend adds to the good taste of cheese. They commonly drink very small beer, or pure water."
In 1789 a writer in the Gazette gives the following account of the condition and prospects of the City: "Every thinking man' who takes a prospective view of this City and contemplates what it was seven or eight years ago, and what it now is, will be astonished at the improvements in the City and the increase of commerce, manufactures &c., since that period. Then some of the principal streets were shamefully neglected, without a pavement sufficient even for a foot passenger to walk on, with- out annoying himself with filth. "We have a prospect, ere another year shall transpire, of seeing the principal streets not only comfortably, but elegantly paved. In addition to which the wharves have been repaired and enlarged and the City alorned with several new private buildings which would not disgrace some of the principal cities of Europe and would ornament any in America. At that period a competent Eng- lish teacher was scarcely to be found. We now have an Acad- emy which flourishes under the direction of Mr. Merchant, a gentleman who has always given such proofs of his abilities as to render encomium entirely superfluous. At that period not more than seventy, at the utmost calculation, shops and stores were kept in this City. Now we behold Market and State Streets crowded with stores, and rents in those streets enhanced
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to such a degree as to put houses out of reach of the incon- siderable traders. Nor had we manufactories of any kind, but depended on importation entirely for every manufactured ar- ticle. Now we see the citizens stimulated by motives of public spirit daily promoting them. Messrs. Stevenson, Douw & Ten Eyck have erected a nail factory, in which nails of every description are manufactured as cheap and pronounced to be superior to any imported. Much praise is also due to James Caldwell, of this City, merchant, for his spirited exertions in promoting the manufacture of tobacco of every description, snuff, mustard and chocolate. for which purpose he has at great expense, erected milis which are ranked among the first in America." The tobacco factory of Mr. Caldwell is described in the Gazette in 1790, as follows : " The buildings belonging to these works extend on & line along the front about 200 feet. That part which contains the machinery of the mills is forty- two feet front. One water wheel of three and a half feet wide with one and a half inches water, by an upright shaft, puts in motion the snuff mill, which consists of four mortars, sixteen rollers and a snuff bolt. A mustard mill with two large rollers, four mortars and stampers, a charcoal mill with a run of stones and cocoa roaster; an engine for cutting smoking to- bacco ; a machine for cutting tobacco for the snuff mill and a large grindstone for the use of the works. It likewise gives motion to an elegant colossal figure of a man, represented in the act of turning a winch, from which all the machinery ap- parently receives motion." On the 12th of July, 1794, these extensive works were entirely consumed by fire, together with stock to the value of $12,000 or $15,000. The entire loss was over $30,000. The works were soon after rebuilt.
The following is from the " Random Recollections of Albany." The writer is describing the appearance about the beginning of the present century : " Pearl Street was in those days the west end of the town, for there the town ended, and there resided some of the most aristocratic of the ancient burghers. There a little after sunrise, in a mild spring morning might be seen sitting by the side of their doors the ancient and venerable mynheers, with their little sharp cocked hats, or red-ringed worsted caps as the case might be, drawn tight over their heads. There they sat like monuments of a former age, still lingering on the verge of time, or like milestones upon a turnpike road solus in solo, or in simple English unlike anything I had ever seen before. But there they sat smoking their pipes in that dignified silence and with that phlegmatic gravity, which would have done honor to Sir Walter Van Twiller, or even to Putfendorf himself. The whole line of the street, on either side was dotted by the little clouds of
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smoke that issued from their pipes and after curling round their noddles, rose slowly up the antique gables and mingled with the morning air, giving beauty to the scene and adding an air of life to the picture. But the great charm was in the nov- elty of the thing. I had seen a Dutch house before, but never till then had I seen a row of Dutchmen smoking in a Dutch City. Albany was indeed Dutch in all its moods and tenses, thoroughly and inevitably Dutch, in style, attitude and aspect. The people were Dutch, the houses were Dutch and even the dogs were Dutch. If any confirmation were wanting as to the origin and character of the place, it might be found in the old Dutch church which was itself always to be found in the middle of State Street, looking as if it had been wheeled out of line by the giants of old and there left, or had dropped down from the clouds in a dark night and had stuck fast where it fell. All the old buildings in the City, and they constituted a large ma- jority, were but one story high with sharp peaked roofs, sur- mounted by a rooster, vulgarly called a weather-cock. Every house having any pretentions to dignity, was placed with its gable end to the street with huge iron numerals, announcing the date of its erection, while from its eaves long wooden gut- ters or spouts, projected in front some six or seven feet so as to discharge the water from the roof, when it rained, directly over the center of the sidewalk. This was probably contrived for the benefit of those who were compelled to be out in wet weather, as it furnished them an extra shower bath free of expense. But the Yankee, who considers that the earth belongs to him, in- truded into the old Dutch City, whose inhabitants awoke one morning to learn that he had gained a majority in the City gov- ernment, and then came the order with a handsaw to cut off those spouts." Great was the consternation of the honest burgh- ers at this announcement, and it could hardly have been exceeded had they been forbidden to speak their mother tongue. But the Yankees continued to increase and soon their influence be- gan to be felt among the dogs, who "began to bark in broken English, many of them indeed had already caught the Yankee twang," so rapidly was the progress of refinement. In the course of a few years, nearly all that was venerable in the eyes of the ancient burghers, disappeared.
In 1803 there was but one first-class hotel in the City, that was the "Tontine Coffee House," in State Street, kept by Mr. Gregory. This house was the resort of the respectable portion of the community and was always full. Here the leading politi- cians and distinguished men of the State congregated and laid their plans for future campaigns. The house had no bar, and
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no liquors were furnished to any except guests of the house, and to those only at their meals.
The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, connecting the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, at Albany and Schenectady, was the first constructed in the State. It was commenced in 1830, and a double track completed in 1833. It was originally constructed with an inclined plane at each end of the road, the one at Al- bany a little more than half a mile in length, and both of them having a rise of one foot in eighteen. The track was laid in the following manner: stone blocks were placed three feet apart, from center to center, laid on broken stone, and cross sleepers of wood, seven inches in diameter and eight feet long, rested upon them, supporting the timber rails, on which were placed iron bars, three-fifths by two and a half inches, with the upper corners rounded to one and a half inches width. The width between the rails was four feet nine inches. The road constructed in this manner cost $1,100,000, or over $70,000 per mile for the double track. The stock at one time sold for 30 per cent. premium, and afterwards went down to 25 cents on a dollar. It finally passed into other hands, the inclined planes were abandoned, and by a more circuituous route and the use of heavy locomotives the road became a profitable one. In 1843 the road was laid with heavy rail, and in 1853 it was con- solidated with the New York Central.
The earliest traveled route between Albany and New York was by the Hudson River. For many years schooners plied at intervals between these two cities, and when great dispatch was required, a canoe was the means of conveyance.
In 1785 the Legislature granted to Isaac Van Wyck, Talmage Hall and John Kinney, the exclusive right "to erect, set up, carry on and drive" stage wagons between Albany and New York, on the east side of the Hudson River, for the term of ten years. The journey was at first performed in two days, at three pence per mile, but in the fall, " for the ease of the passengers," the time was extended to three days and the price raised to four pence a mile. They were to have at least two covered wagons, each drawn by four able horses, and perform the trips once a week, under penalty of forfeiture of charter. At this time the Post Office at Albany served for the adjoining towns, and for Orange and Dutchess Counties, Cherry Valley, &c., and letters Were advertised for Vermont. By the Post Office arrangements of January 1786, the New York mail arrived twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays. There was at this time a mail once a week from Springfield, Mass. Communication with the neighboring counties and States was kept up by post riders, who
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