USA > New York > Sullivan County > Gazetteer and business directory of Sullivan county, N. Y., for 1872-3 > Part 23
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three were killed and six wounded and we have recovered three and twenty Christian prisoners out of their hands. We have also take" thirteen of them prisoners, both men and women, besides an old man wid accompanied us about half an hour but would not go farther. We took him aside and gave him his last meal. A Captive Indian child died us the way, so that there remained eleven of them still our prisoners. The enemy being conquered, we reviewed our men; found we had one wounded more than we had horses. Convened the Council of War ; sub- mitted to them what was now best for us to do relative to cutting down the maize. The Council of war decided that we could indeed cut it down, but were any more of our men wounded, how could they be removed her. ing already one more than we had horses, and this one must be borne, with great trouble, on a litter by two. Resolved to let the maize stand for :1.c present ; plundered the houses wherein was considerable booty, such as bear skins, deer skins, notasen, blankets, elk hides, besides several other smaller articles, many of which we were obliged to leave behind that we could not bring along with us, for we could well fill a sloop. We destroyed asmuch as we could ; broke the kettles into pieces ; got also twenty-four or five guns, more than half of which we smashed and threw the barrels here and there in the stream, backing and breaking in pieces as many as ye could. Found, also, several horns and bags of powder, in all about twenty pounds ; got also thirty one belts and some strings of wampum ; took the best of the booty along and resolved to set off. Placed the wounded on the horses and had one carried in a blanket on poles by two soldiers in turns. Set out thus in good order on our return and marched that day full two miles from the fort. The fort was a perfect square with one row of palisades set all round being about fifteen feet above, and three for: underground. They had already completed two angles of stout palisades, all of them almost as thick as a man's body, having two rows of portholes. one above the other ; and they were busy at the third angle. These angles were constructed so solid and strong as not to be excelled by
Christians. * * The Christian prisoners informed us that they were removed every night into the woods, each night to a different place, through fear of the Dutch, and brought back in the morning ; but on the day before we attacked them, a Mohawk visited them, who slept with them during the night. When they would convey the Christian captives acuia into the woods, the Mohawk said to the Esopus Indians-What ! do you carry the Christian prisoners every night into the woods ? To which they answered-yes. Whereupon the Mohawk said, Let them remain a: liberty here for you live so far in the woods that the Dutch will not come hither, for they cannot come so far without being discovered before they reach you. Wherefore they kept the prisoners by them that night. 13: Mohawk departed in the morning for the Manessings and left a new blanket and two pieces of cloth which fell to us also as booty ; and we came just that day and fell on them so that a portion of them is entirely annihilated. Wherefore praise and thanks be given to God Almighty. The course lies about month South West to the Indians new fort which is distin: shout It miles. *. The way is somewhat stoney and hilly, but the road fos the greater part is good."
During the French and Indian war the early settlers suffered much from the predatory incursions of the Indians, who were easily induced to espouse the cause of the French against the Hop- lish, upon whom they looked as the spoilers of their favorite hunt-
** This Hse lea's to shout Bloomingburgh, * * in the viclulty of which village It is presumed the above battle was fought."
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ing grounds, and the responsible party for the unjust exactions of the frontiersmen. During this period Michael Helm, a resident of Wawarsing, who, in company with a woman, had been on a visit to Minisink, stopped on his return at a tavern kept by Jacobus GunSallus (son of Mannel ;) while waiting, his presence was discovered by the Indians, who resolved to waylay him when he resumed his journey. Not knowing which direc- tion he would take, they headed him off both ways. When he continued his journey, he was fired upon by the concealed Indians and fell dead, while his companion, the woman, escaped uninjured. Mr. CunSallus, who went in the opposite direction, about the same time, was killed by the savages in ambush there.
Many incidents of a similar nature occurred at this period. Among them we are informed of one relative to Jacobus Devance and VanCamp. Devance was then living on the farm on which GunSallus had died, and around which the old Mam- akating fort was built; and VanCamp, who was a batchelor, lived a part of the time with him. They went in company to catch the horses which were in the pasture, east of the house, toward the mountain, and, while crossing the meadow, dis- coverd two deer. Devance returned to the house for his gun, leaving VanCamp to look after the horses. Some Indians, who had been secretly watching their movements, now sprung upon VanCamp and took him a prisoner to Niagara, where they kept him five years, after which he returned. It is prob- able that Devance, in going for the gun, saved his life, for, being a committee-man, a reward of $700 was offered for his scalp. .
At the time Van Camp was taken prisoner, a little girl by the name of GunSallus was also captured. She remained with the Indians until she had nearly arrived at womanhood. She became greatly attached to her captors, thoroughly imbued with their customs, and loved the wilderness far better than the homes of civilization. After she had passed many years in captivity, her friends learned her whereabouts and with diffi- culty persuaded her to return home. The Indians too, although willing to gratify the desires of her friends, loved her dearly and were loth to part with one they hoped to make the future bride of a warrior. In after years, she was often seen rambling in the woods, musing over the past, and singing the wild songs of the Indians. She finally became reconciled to the home of her friends.
We are indebted to Mr. Luther Pelton of Thompson for the substance of the following incident :
At the time of the French war there lived in the town of Mamakating, near where the village of Burlingham now stands,
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two brothers named Coleman, who, with their families, consist- ing of their wives and five children, occupied one log house. One Sabbath afternoon, just after harvest, one of the brothers, while absent looking for the horses, was shot and scalped by the Indians, who then proceeded to the house and shot the other brother, who was sick on his bed, by firing between the logs of the building where the chinking had fallen out. The Indians then entered the building, dragged their victim to the door, and scalped him, and, having fired the house, they started directly west, over the Shawangunk Mountain, with the rest of the families as captives. One of the women had recently been con- fined and, being unable to walk, she was put astride an old horse and her feet tied under its belly with a rope. Her child, about a week old, was given her, but the Indians, fearing its cries would reveal their whereabouts, soon took it from her and dashed out its brains against a tree. On coming to a stream of water the horse on which she rode was first driven through to ascertain its depth. But the news of the outrage spread rapidly, and by early dawn on the following morning a posse of white men were ready and started in pursuit, and toward night of the same day were close upon the heels of the Indians, who, finding that they were likely to be overtaken, with their cap- tives, made a short turn into the thicket. The pursuers passed so near that their voices were distinctly beard and recognized. Had the captives given an aların at this time they might in all probability have been saved ; but so great was their fear of their captors that they allowed their friends and the auspicious moment to pass. After their pursuers were fairly out of hearing. Mrs. Coleman was for the first time taken from the horse, and here they encamped for the night. On Tuesday morning they resumed their journey. Up to this time none of the party had eaten anything, the Indians fearing to fire a gun, but on that morning they shot a deer. They traveled very slowly, and on Wednesday night reached their camp somewhere west of the Delaware River. Here, with other Indians, they built a fire, and having stripped the children naked, whipped them round it and inflicted other cruelties. Mrs. Coleman, being worn out with fatigue and unable to endure the sight of her children's suffer- ings, which she was powerless to relieve, crept unobserved into the forest to die ; but seeing a light at a distance she was induced to make her way thither. The beacon light shone from a wig. wam in which an old squaw lived alone. This squaw had lived among the white people, spoke English and was somewhat civilized. She was called by the Indians Peter Nell. To her Mrs. Coleman told the story of her sufferings. The squaw received her kindly, made a bed of leaves and skins, and told her
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to rest, assuring her that the Indians should not harm her. She also made her some soup after the manner of the white people. Mrs. Coleman remained here for some time, and when expedient, Peter Nell, assisted her to return to her friends in Orange county, to whom she related the foregoing account. The fate of the others remains a mystery.
On the approach of the Revolution the Indians again became hostile, and several block houses were erected on the frontiers of Ulster county, one of which was at Wurtsboro. On account of the distress occasioned by the hostility of the Indians, the people were favored by the Supervisors in the apportionment of taxes. Many persons in those days accounted wealthy were re- duced to poverty, and but little that could be destroyed remained on the return of peace. In 1792 this town contained one hundred and eighty-two taxable persons, of whom thirty-four were in the present towns of Lumberland, Tusten and High- land .* From the town records we extract the following :
"Memorandum of Black Slaves Born free, agreeable to an act of the Legislature of the State of New York, Passed April 8th 1801.
Town of Mamakating-David Milliken, Yeoman, Master a female Child Born September twenty second 1501 Named Dean.
"Johanas Masten Yeoman Master A male Negro Servant Child Born April 11th 1802 Named Tom his Mother's Name Fillis.
"William Anderson Yeoman Master A Female Servant Child Born July 5th 1803 Named Ormende her Mother's Name Suke."t
We extract from the town records the following in regard to the King's Highway, which passes through this town :
"PEENPACK May 24th 1706
"To the Clerk of the peace or his Deputy in the county of Ulster. Sir, Whereas the freeholders and Inhabitants of Mamakating Precinct have made Petition to us the commissioners of the above Precinct to lay out a King's Highway to begin by the line between Ulster and Orange County by a Whiteoak tree from thence to the Clim Yough house [}] up dabargh or Little hunting house on the hill and according to their Desire or request we have Done which as follows. Beginning on the south east of a White oak tree standing on the Line of Ulster and Orange county, from thence with a straight Line to a stone set in the ground about thirty feet from the north corner of Jacob Gumaers House from thence all along the southeast side of the marked trees to a stone set in the ground about thirty feet from the north corner of Daniel Van Vleats House from thence all along the south east side of the inurked trees with creek down the valley to In- tervail the breadth of four rods, from thence all along the south east side of the marked trees to the line of Jacob Rulson Dewitt & so through the
*The following Isa copy of ono among many receipts given by the Treasurer of
Ulster Co., which then embraced anbivan Co., for fax montes :
" Received in Kingston 15th Dver it of Henry Putnam one of the Collectore of Mamacoting, by the hands of Albert Roossa, Ten pounds seven shillings and five pence, on the County Tax of the current year. E. Wm. Elmendorf, Co. Tress."
tFive other records of the kind appear on the books.
#Yager House on Santhior's map of 1779.
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lane to the Monchocamacks Creek the bredth of twenty feet, from thence through the Creek to a black oak stump and so along the south east side of the marked trees to the well of Jacob Stanton, from thence ou s straight line to a tall Pitch pine tree marked on both sides, the bredth of twenty feet from thence along the south east side of the marked trees, with crooks and turns as the road now runs to the north corner of Johan. naus Turners house the breadth of four rods, from thence to a pitch pine tree and so along the south east side of the marked trees to the south. corner of Terrick VanKuron Westbrook's Kitchen, from thence to & butternut stump just over bashas creek the breadth of four rods wide. from all along the south east side of the marked trees to the Clim Yaugh house, on the hill to a hickory tree marked with a cross, the breadth of four rods, We the Commissioners of the above Precinct in the county of Ulster and Province of New York Do certify that we have Laid out the above said road for a Kings highway according to Law this twenty fourth Day of May one thousand seven hundred and sixty six and desire the said Clark of the Peace in said county or his Deputy to record the same which we do interchangeably set our hands --
" Recorded the 31 Day of May 1766 at Kingston --- " June 29-1797 A true copy by me Samuel King, Jr. § Town Clerk."
Jacob R. Dewitt Benjamin Depuy Samuel GunSallus."*
The village of Wurtsboro is built upon a tract of 1,000 acres bought by Johannes Masten, who cleared the land and erected a saw mill. Westbrookville (formerly " Bashshusville,") was settled about the same time, by Tjerick Westbrook, by whom the first house was built, of stone, and used as a fort to shelter the settlers. The house is still standing.t Mr. Felton was & pioneer near Burlingham, and J. Newkirk at Bloomingburgh, where the first school was kept in 1784, by Mr. Campbell. Win. Harlow kept the first inn, two miles north of Bloomingburgh : Wm. Wighton opened the first store one mile south of the same place; and Joshua Campbellt built the first (grist) mill, on the Shawangunk Kill, within this town. The first white child born was William Harlow ; and the first death was that of A. Simpson.$ In 1376 there were carpenters, blacksmiths, basket makers and shingle makers, who came from the east up the North River, some to Neversink, some to Kingston, and thence
*A road was constructed at an early day, by Ananias Sacket, from Mamakating wer !. ward, pivsiniz a'na ! three-fourths of a mile south of Lords Pond, and continuing to Nathan Binge's Fiste, from which place Capt. Dorrance made a road to Cocheeron for 35 per mile. Ta- road opened a communication from the Hollow to the Delawan River, a distance of about thirty three miles. A portion of it is still in tee, but the greater part was taken up by the Newburgh & Cochecton Turnpike.
+Ch14. E. Stickney, in his history of Minisink, says that the Westbrook family lives here during the i Pones wir of 175, though he gives the name of John Weathe A : 1. who is our informant, and is sixty-five years old. ray .he di . bi Tien.ca'1. not a mother Maria and day mention made of an earlier settler than Therich.
: Written stateubat of Henry Newkirk.
§In 1776 there existed In the town a few Indian settlements -- one ahont & moffe son !? of Bloomingburgh, ruled over by a chief called Tot-a-pough ; another about a mile werth of Wurtsboro, known as the " hitle Yangh House;"' and a third near Westhtovky ;.. about four miles south of Wartsboro. - Statement of Cornelius Wood of Birmingham
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to Peenpack and Minisink, and along the east side of the Shawangunk Mountain .* David Smith, from Smithtown, L. I., settled on the east side of the Shawangunk Mountain, near New Vernon (Orange Co.) His son, Daniel C., who was raised from a youth in the town, was a soldier during the Revolution. Soon after the close of the war he moved into the Mamakating Val- ley, and settled about four miles south of Wurtsboro, on the farm now owned by Hector O. Smith. Johannes Masten, (grand- father of Major Masten) came into the town after the Revolu- tion and bought seven hundred acres of land around the present village of Wurtsboro. From the writings of J. V. Morrison we glean the following facts relative to the early settlement of the town:
"Joseph Ogden took two divisions from the county line to the north line of the property [since] owned by Stephen Caldwell Jr. It was sold to Elias Devance and John Caldwell, the father of Charity Eckert, Ogden was a lumberman owning a sawmill on the Sand-bar creek. The custom in those days was to cut as much timber west and east as they wished. Joseph's [Ogden] wife was a Bloomer, the sister of John Budd's wife, also of John Bloomer, the pioneer preacher. William Caldwell, known as ' Uncle Billy,' owned the next tract south. His sons were John, Thomas and ' Old Uncle Stephen.' Their tract run up to No. 5, at or near the District school house. The next property was owned by - who sold it to the Budd family. Elijah Budd, who settled on lot No. 4, bought the possessions of Conrad Bash, of a thousand acres. He came to Fishkill, Dutchess Co., with his sons John and Peter. Peter had nine sons. The law required a man to be the owner of 8250 worth of real estate to entitle him to vote, and Peter gave to each of his sons [sufficient] to insure them the right of franchise. The next purchase was in lot No. 3, by John and Philip Tice, sons of Joseph II. Tice, who died on ship- board on the way over from Germany. They purchased 250 acres of Dr. Hammersly of New York, [which comprised the north part of the village of Phillipsport. ] The next property, known as the ' Old Grist Mill', was quite celebrated. It was the only grist mill for many miles up and down the valley. [It] was built by Cook & Griffin. It was afterwards owned by Bloomer, the pioneer preacher, [and successively] by John Hill and Abram Topping, and finally it belongs to the D. & H. Canal Co., who use the dam for a reservoir. Ezrn Hill, son of John Hill, after his return as a soldier in 1812, sold out lot 2 in parcels to Philip, Gabriel and David Tice. The property where the M. E. church, [{] school house and parsonage now stand was a part of the Hill property. '
Samuel GunSallus, who lived in an old log house, on the Kingston road, between Wurtsboro and Phillipsport, where Samuel Norris' honse now stands, was very intimate with the Indians, with whom he spent most of his early life. He became very much attached to their customs, so much so as to prefer living with them. The Indians, it seems, were no less attached to him, and he became a great favorite among them.
*Written statement of Henry Newkirk.
+This church was built in the early days of Methodism, by Horace Weston, one of the pioneer preachers of the valley.
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On more than one occasion during the active hostilities of the Indians, did this spirit of amity which subsisted between him and them prove of service to him and others of the early settlers, many of whose lives he saved through his knowledge of the mystic force connected with the Algonquin word for friend, "mytap," which was imparted to him. He is the subject of many humorous anecdotes which are still current among the inhabitants .* But he who "stood by the dying bed of the old chieftain, who heard him chant his death song, and helped the old warriors to bury him by the foot of an aged pine that stood at the brow of western hills, near the old block house in Mamakating, has gone to the spirit land, and his bones rest in the quiet of the silent grave, with scarce a single stone to perpetuate his memory."
" The grand resort of the early hunters," says J. V. Morrison, " was the cabin at the Yaw House Spring, on what are now the lands of George H. Olcott, at Wurtsboro. The original sur- veys of the Hardenburgh and Minisink Patents made this spring one of their fixed monuments, and amid all the con- tested suits about the titles acquired under the different Patents, this point has never been disputed. * * * A short
distance north of it stood the old Mamakating block house. A little to the east is the field where Van Camp was captured, [see page 181] and [ nearer] the mountain is [according to tradition] where Brant and his warriors marched to the invasion of Minisink." In 1794, Capt. David Dorrance removed from Windham, Conn., and purchased one thousand acres im- mediately south of the site of Wurtsboro. John Dorrance. with Eli Perry, also from Conn., erected the first bark mill in this County.
The noble responso which Mamakating made to the exigency of the late war, proves that her heroes and patriots have no: passed away with the emergency of earlier times. Company E. of the 143 Regt. N. Y. Vols. was principally raised in this town
* It is told of him that he was one night hunting elk on Maaten Pond, and had been onececiseful. In the muruter the old man was greeted with " Uncle Sam," hallo ck from the Pond. and iramediately followed by a chorus of " Uncle Sams" in all :- toues of the chrom.she sante. Looking in the direction of the noise he saw a large ley "completely covere 1 with bull frogs,""and feeling chagrined at his non-success of t! e previone night, and tudirgant at the familiarity implied by the salutation, retorted. " Who the devil tady the your Uncle ?" "Uncle Sam! "Uncle Sam !" again thy crouked in churns, and the old man, unable longer to withstand the taunting greet'h .. raised his gon and fost Ament them. Another story is told of him, and though it con. seship for and attachment to the Indians, we give !! - 4 related to us. One word in walid the family were at breakfast, the cry of ta turkry was repeated.y !. and In the neighboring woods, and the young men were anty to start in pursuit ; the the " Lead of the house " seemed in no barry, though ... timsted his in:patton of jo bing in the sport, assuring his sons that there were F.a: different breeds of wild tarkeys about just then, aud that they might have a kind! + shoot that morning they were not looking for. The result of the day's sport wa gy the party succeeding in " bagging" Ave Indians, and thus proving the correctBeta va the old man's suspicions.
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und was the only full company raised in the town. Many others enlisted in other companies and regiments .*
The Reformed Church of Mamakating, located at Wurtsboro, was organized by Rev. Mr. Freleigh, as early as 1793, for it appears that the first house of worship was erected that year, and that Freleigh was the first pastor.t The exact date of its organization is not known. This is reputed to be the oldest church editice in the County, and Freleigh is supposed to have been the first pastor in the County. The old house was sold to the Catholic Society, and the present one was erected in 1845. It will seat four hundred persons. It has fifty members. The present pastor is Rev. Edward G. Acker- man. The present value of Church property is from $8,000 to $10,000. The first Deacons were Willhelmus Kuykendall, Lawrence Tierce and Peter Crance.
The Union Church, located at Bloomingburgh, was organized about 1800, and the first house of worship was erected about
*The following is & list of the names of those who enlisted and were credited to this town, who were killed, or who died while in service, as copied from the records made by the Town Clerk. There may be, and probably are, others whose names sbonid be added to this list. For further particulare in regard to this regiment, see page 98.
Imnac J. Bennett of Summitville, private Co. E, 143 Regt. N. Y. Vole., killed at the battle of Bentonville, N. C.
James H. Knifin of Wurtsboro, private 143 Regt. N. Y. Vois., died at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 24, 1864.
Peter Lewis Waterbury of Winterton, private 143 Regt. N. Y. Vols., who was mor- tally wounded at the battle of Peach Tree Creek, Ga., July 20, 1864, and died July 24, 18GŁ.
Silas B. Decker of Wurtsboro, corporal 143 Regt. N. Y. Vols., killed at the battle of Reenca, Gs .. May 13, 1804.
George Howard of Wurtsboro, private 143 Regt. N. Y. Vols., died at Lookout Valley, Tenn., Nov. 19, 1864.
Levi Leonard of Wurteboro, died while at home on sick furlough, Feb. 11, 1864.
Joseph W. Naline of Westbrookville, private 143 Regt. N. Y. Vols., died at Falls Church, Va., in 1853.
John M. Piart of Westbrookville, private 143 Regt. N. Y. Vols., died at Nashville, in 1864.
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