History of Duchess county, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 100

Author: Smith, James H. (James Hadden); Cale, Hume H; Roscoe, William E
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 868

USA > New York > Dutchess County > History of Duchess county, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 100

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5º7

TOWN OF FISHKILL.

school age residing therein Sept. 30, 1881, was 3,509, of whom 1,961 attended school, the average attendance during the year being 1,446.740. The number of licensed teachers employed at the same time during the year was five males and twenty- four females. There were two thousand volumes in the district libraries, valued at $600. There were three frame and five brick school-houses in the town, which, with their sites, comprising seven acres and eighty rods, valued at $6,800, were valued at $49,800. The assessed value of taxable property in the districts was $3,908,000.

December 1, 1873, the fire which destroyed the principal part of the business portion of Fishkill village, also destroyed the town house and the early town records,-nearly all indeed, prior to that date. But one volume of town minutes, we believe, was saved, and that of comparatively recent date. This is a fact much to be regretted, as it removes from the materials of the historian a val- uable source of authentic information.

The Rombout Patent, which is elsewhere de- scribed,* covered the original town of Fishkill and a portion of Poughkeepsie. In 1708, by authori- zation of the Supreme Court, a partition was made of the lands embraced in this patent lying between the Fishkill and Wappingers Creek, the lands to the north and south of those streams being still held in common by the patentees or their repre- sentatives or heirs. In this division the southern third fell to the lot of Catharine, wife of Roger Brett, daughter and sole heir of Francis Rombout, and the intermediate third to the children of Gulian Verplanck.

T. Van Wyck Brinckerhoff, in his History of Fishkill, supposes that, though the patentees came in full possession of their purchase in 1685, several years must have elapsed before any real settlement was made on the patent ; but inasmuch as the con- ditions of the patents required the settlement or improvement of the lands to which they gave title in a given number of years,-usually three,-it is probable that active measures to induce settlements were instituted soon after the issuance of the patent.

The unfavorable opinion carly entertained of the lands in this vicinity, which certain Dutch burghers from Ulster county reported were not worth crossing the river for, doubtless had the effect to retard settlement ; for as late as 1710, says Mr. Brinckerhoff, the number of families on the patent did not exceed a dozen. That portion of

the patent which fell to the lot of Rombout's daughter was settled at an earlier period than that which fell to the Verplancks, for the minor heirs interested in the latter were an additional obstacle to the settlement of those lands ; hence for many years, it is probable, there were few if any others than those located on the former. The exceptions specified in a mortgage deed given by Roger Brett and Catharine his wife, to Robert Watts and Rob- ert Surting, executors of Gylob Shelly, June 3, 1713, afford some indication of the sparseness of the settlements at that time. That deed covered all the land secured to them by the division refer- red to, " excepting and reserving always out of said premises, one tcnement, grist-mill and water course thereunto belonging, together with three hundred acres of land adjoining the said mill, now or late in possession of said Roger Brett, or his assigns, and also, one hundred and fifty acres now or late in possession of John Terboss ; one hundred acres of such land, now or of late in possession of John Buys ; one hundred acres of said land now or late in possession of Casper Prime ; eighty acres of said land, now or late in possession of Peter De Boys ; sixty acres of said land, now or late in possession of Yowreb Springstead. Also, five thousand acres lying and being in any part of the hereby reserved premises." Inasmuch as these are the only persons named in that instrument it is fair to presume that few if any others were located on the lands covered by it.

Francis Rombout, from whom the first titles to lands in Fishkill were derived by the settlers, was a native of Holland and was sent as an apprentice to New Amsterdam (New York) by the Dutch East India Company. At the expiration of his apprenticeship he engaged in business in that city with Gulian Verplanck, forming a co-partnership which lasted several years. He was for several years alderman of New York and mayor of that city in 1679. In September, 1683, he married the widow Helena VanBall, (nee Teller, ) whose first husband was named Bogardus. The only fruit of this marriage was one daughter-Kathar- ina (Catharina) who was born in New York, and at the age of sixteen marricd Roger Brett, an Englishman, and a merchant of that city. A few years later she and her husband took up their residence in Fishkill, on the lands which, after the death of her father, in 1691, became her heritage.

The precise year of their settlement here is not known ; but Jan. 10, 1709, they gave a joint bond (they had previously partitioned the tract between

* See pages 49 and 50.

508

HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.

themselves so as to hold it in severalty) to Capt. Gylob Shelly, of New York City, to secure the payment of £399, 6s., with which, it is believed, they built a dwelling house and grist-mill the fol- lowing year. That house is still standing in Mat- teawan, opposite the Dibble House, and is known as the Teller mansion from having been for many years the residence of Hon. Isaac Teller and his sisters. It is a long, low, one-story building, eighty-seven by thirty-six feet, its sides and roof having originally been covered with cedar shingles. An extension roof and wing have been added to it ; otherwise it remains the same. During the Revolution when it was owned by a wealthy gen- tleman named de Peyster, who succeeded Madam Brett in its occupancy at her death in 1764, it was often filled with officers and soldiers, and salt was stored in its cellar for the army. It is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Margaret VanKleeck, widow of Rev. Robert B. VanKleeck, a well known Epis- copal clergyman in this vicinity, who died in 1880. Mrs VanKleeck is the only representative left of her father's family.

The grist mill was located at the mouth of the Fishkill, on its north bank. Its site is now marked by the ruins of the Newlin mill, which was destroyed by fire Sept. 9, 1862. It was the first institution of its kind in the town or county, and exerted an immense and beneficial influence on the settlements in this locality. It was a promi- nent point in geographical descriptions at an early day, for it was the center from which diverged roads in various directions. It ministered to the necessities of a wide section of country and vastly meliorated the harsh conditions of pioneer life.

Orange county long paid tribute to Madam Brett's mill, as it was familiarly called. As tending to establish the date of its erection, approximately at least, we may state that April 6, 1711, Roger Brett and his wife, then of New York City, condi- tionally conveyed to Thomas George of that city, in consideration of £250, three hundred acres of land with its appurtenances, including the "tene- ment" and grist mill. This indenture was not recorded in the clerk's office in Poughkeepsie until May 17, 1867.

The name of Verplanck is one of great import- ance in the annals of this State, and the old Ver- planck mansion is one of great historic interest to this town. Philip Verplanck, who was a son of Jacobus Verplanck and a grandson of Gulian, was a native of the patent, but his public life graced

other fields. He was an engineer and surveyor, and a man of great ability and attainments. Ver- planck's Point, in Westchester county, (opposite Stony Point,) on which Fort La Fayette was erected during the Revolution, was named after him. He represented the Manor of Cortlandt in the Colonial Assembly from 1734 to 1768. Wm. B. Verplanck was a Member of Assembly from this County from 1796 to 1798. Daniel C. Verplanck, who was likewise a native of Fishkill, was a Representative in Congress from this County from 1803 to 1809, and was appointed Judge of this County March II, 1828. He was a man of much liberality and amiability of character. He was the father of Gulian C. Verplanck, who was born in Fishkill August 6, 1786, and, though most of his life was spent in New York City, is justly deserving of a prominent place among the representative men of this town. He represented New York in the As- sembly from 1820 to 1823 ; in Congress from 1825 to 1833; and in the State Senate from 1838 to 1841.

The Verplanck homestead, situated on a bluff overlooking the Hudson, about one and one-fourth miles above Fishkill Landing, is rich in historic as- sociations, and is one of the few old houses re- maining in the town. It was built a little before 1740, with the exception of an addition to the north end, which is of more modern construction. It is built of stone, and is still in an excellent state of preservation. The roof, which is long and steep, descends to the first story, and is supplied with dormer windows. A winding carriage road leads to it from the highway through a broad and undu- lating lawn, shaded by venerable trees. It was oc- cupied until recently by the widow of Samuel Ver- planck, brother of Gulian C. Verplanck. It is made famous by having been for a time the head- quarters of Baron Steuben during the Revolution, and still more so by the fact that under its roof was organized, in 1783, the Society of the Cincinnati,

of which Washington was the first president, an office he retained till his death. The meeting for that purpose was held in the large square room on the north side of the passage, which is carefully preserved in its original style; and there, too, a committee consisting of Generals Knox, Hand, Huntington, and Captain Shaw, formulated and adopted its constitution.

One of the principal tracts of land deeded by the Verplanck's, and, indeed, one which comprised the major portion of their lands in this town north of the Fishkill, was that purchased by Johannes

500

Coerten Van Voorhees* of Philip Verplanck, of the Manor of Cortlandt, which was deeded June 20, 1730. It lies north of and adjoining the lands of Madam Brett, and projects across the north line of the town into the town of Wappinger.

For many years the progress of settlement was very slow ; and not until about 1720 was there a

there were only 195 taxable inhabitants in the County, forty-seven of whom were in the South Ward. Among them were the Mousiers, Lassinks, Lownsberrys, Scholtens, Walderns and Dinges. In that year, says Mr. Brinckerhoff, Jacobus Swart- wout was elected Supervisor ; Peter Dubois and Thomas Ter Boos, Assessors ; John De Larger and

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Blackomich within the Limits of the County. tan Mr. Bailey. The nearest blacksmith to the Fi- "kill settlers was at Whilemyck, (Hingiso ) In 1; 23

the add on of he hener resulence of asy ma then the fixperowor ; Johannes Ter Pem aol Clerk; Francis Drake Maggior of the King

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TOWN OF FISHKILL.

510

HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.

Madam Brett's mill; and Cornelius Bogardus, Surveyor of Madam Brett's bridge. The period of 1740 was one of much progress and improve- ment. The population increased more rapidly than at any prior time. The names of the follow- ing freeholders attached to a petition Aug. 1, 1739, to have "the highway that used to run from Wec-

opee along the south side of the Fishkill * *

altered and turned over said Fishkill at east end of Judge Ter Bushes' land, in the County road lead- ing along the north side of the Fishkill," are worthy of preservation, as indicating many of the settlers of that period. They are as follows :---

his

Jacobus Swartwout, John X Schouten, mark. Johannis Wiltsie, his

Symon Schouten, his

Johanes X Sorin, mark.

Jarry X Schouten, mark. Peter Monfoort,

Garret Nooststraud,

Phillip Smith,

William Drake,

Henerick Rosecrans,

Theod. Van Wyck,

Samuel Hallsted,

Stephen Ladoae,

John Montross,

Jon. Van Vleekeren, his

Francis Brett,

Johannis X Middowe,

Masten Schenck, Jacob Brinckerhoff, his

Robert Brett,

Wm. X. Leston, mark.

Chamas Hauve,

Johanis Brevort,

Aendris Schenten,

Wikham Brorwin,

W. Ver Planck,

Hendereck Van Tossell,

Willem Suchat,

Tho. Stillwill,

Nathaniel Yeuming, his

Henry Wright, his

Johanis X Young, mark.

Peter X Ostrander, mark.

Henry Monfort,

Joshaway Griffen,

John Flenwilling,

Cornelius Hegeman,

Johannis Roosenkraus,

Dirck Hegeman,

Joseph Houson, Isaih Dalsen,

Isaac Lossing,

Jacob De Beysteur,

John Mills,

Cornelius Wiltsie,

Tunis Schouten,

Benj. Hoybrook,

Marc Ostrander.

We need not reiterate the events succeeding the occupation of New York by the British in 1776, which brought to Fishkill a large number of refu- gees from that city, and made it. for a time the seat of the fugitive Legislature, an important depot of military supplies, necessitating its defense by troops and fortifications for their protection, and to pre- vent a flank movement by the British through the Highland passes on the stronghold at West Point, and which made it a veritable hospital and burial place for the hundreds of patriot soldiers who lan- guished and died here from wounds and disease .*

Here, too, was the retreat for naked soldiers, to which they were sent when their clothing, patched until nearly every substance of originality was lost, was no longer fit for duty; rather when it ceased to provide a decent covering. How little can we imagine the sufferings and privations of those he- roic men, who,-wrote Washington, eat at one time every kind of horse-food but hay. The Marquis De Chastellux bears testimony to the fact that the number occupying this encampment in the woods were counted by hundreds, and that they "were not covered even with rags." He also testifies to their courage and patience.

The barracks and "huts" occupied by the sol- diers stationed here were located on the level plateau south-east of Fishkill village, between the residence of Isaac E. Cotheal and the mountains. The former were given to the inhabitants at the close of the war, and were taken down and the material used in the construction of dwellings. The soldiers committed many depredations in the neighborhood says Mr. Bailey. "They robbed hen roosts for miles from their barracks, and every fence rail along the highway from Fishkill to Brincker- hoffville they took for fuel. They stripped the siding off the old Presbyterian church as high as they could reach, to boil their camp kettles." The offi- cers' quarters were at the " Wharton House," made memorable by its association with the hero of Cooper's story of the Spy, and now the residence of Sidney E. Van Wyck. Washington also quar- tered here, likewise at the house of Mathew V. B. Brinckerhoff. It stands in the angle formed by the old post road and the new road to Fishkill Hook, and care has been taken to preserve as nearly as may be its original appearance. It is one of the few buildings in the town which ante-date the Rev- olution and has been owned by the Van Wyck fam- ily every since its erection. On the opposite side of the road, a little to the south, and near the foot of the mountains, is the soldiers' burying ground, neglected and almost unknown, where moulder the remains of hundreds of patriots, whose devotion and blood secured for us the inestimable boon of liberty. Near it, along the old post-road, is a row of venerable black walnut trees, nearly two feet in diameter, in which, it is said, are iron rings, now buried by successive annual growths, to which re- cusant soldiers were tied while undergoing punish- ment.

There are various documents extant having ref- erence to the military stores located here, but they are of too fugitive a character to possess much his-

* See chapter XIV, pages 129-142.

mark. Geo. Brinckerhoff,

Benj. Roe,

51I

TOWN OF FISHKILL.

toric interest, except as corroboratory evidence, if that were needed, and do not warrant the devotion of space to their production here. Denning's Point, just north of Duchess Junction, is memora- bly associated with the Revolutionary period, from having been the place of residence of Captain William Denning, who was a member of the Provincial Convention of New York, and in that position contributed his influence to those measures which carried forward the operations of the war. In 1780 he was elected one of the Board of Com- missioners of Finance of the United States, and associated with Robert Morris in the management of the public finances. The stately oaks on the Point, known as the Washington oaks, sheltered Washington and his generals, who found a generous hospitality in the Denning mansion. The present residence on the Point, now the property of Homer Ramsdell, was built in 1813, by W. Allen.

When the British force which destroyed Kings- ton ascended the Hudson they showed their animos- ity by firing a few shots as they passed Fishkill Landing. Some of these it is supposed, have since been found and are now preserved as relics of that period in the Washington Headquarters at Newburgh. We observed there two cannon balls which were discovered in digging the foundation of the Duchess Hat Works at Fishkill Landing in the spring of 1875. One is four inches in diame- ter and weighs eight and a half pounds; the other is five inches in diameter and weighs eight- een pounds. There also is a grape-shot found in the bank of the river near Fishkill Landing; a spontoon or half-spear used by Lieut. Van Wyck in hunting Cow-boys and Skinners in the Fishkill Mountains during the Revolution-a weapon which Gen. Charles Lee regarded as superior to the bayonet in close action ; the sword won by Capt. Abm. Brinckerhoff, one of Fishkill's most gallant sons; an old pocket book which belonged to Col. Abm. Schenck, of Fishkill; the razor of John O'Neil, father of the late John O'Neil, of Fishkill Landing, who was a camp barber among the Jersey Blues, and is said to have often used it in shaving Washington, LaFayettc and other officers, and various other interesting relics from different parts of the county .*

* Prominent among these we noticed the cannon ball which was fired through the Livingston house below Poughkeepsie by the ship of war Asia, while on her way up the river with the British fleet in October, 1777, and another taken from its bed in the slate rock near that house ; charred wheat, from a quantity burned by the British at Red Hook on the same expedition ; and two powder-horns made by Samuel Moore, at Poughkeepsie, in 1705, one " May ye 11th," and engraved with the cities of New York and Albany and other devices. The other has an engraved map of the villages and forts from New York to Fort Stanwix.

We pass over for a little the varied industries and institutions which Fishkill developed during the intervening eighty years to the period when her citizens were called upon to re-assert with the force of arms the principles of liberty and unity, and to perpetuate and amplify the legacy of free- dom. It is to be regretted that, owing to the partial destruction of the town records and the incompleteness of the files of the local papers during that period, we are unable to give as fully and connectedly as might be desired her share in the great rebellion.

Fishkill's patriotism found expression almost simultaneously with the echo of the first notes of war which reverberated through the land. The Denning Guards of Fishkill Landing offered their services in a body to Gov. Morgan, and measures were instituted to form a volunteer company in that village. At a meeting held April 22, 1861, over which Judge Davis presided, the roll of the Fishkill Landing volunteers was filled, and on the 23d the officers were elected. Henry Wiltsie a young lawyer, was chosen captain. On the 25th, $600 had been subscribed for the support of their families. The company left on the cars for Albany on the 26th of April, and became Co. C of the 18th Regiment, which enlisted for two years.

About the middle of August the companies of Capt. DeWint and Capt. Samuel Adams each numbered forty-three men. These companies be- came Cos. F and H of then 128th Regt., a history of which has been given .* We give the list of officers of these companies and the names of the privates from Fishkill, which then, it should be remembered, included Wappinger.

Co. F .- Captain, Arthur De Wint; ist Lieut. John J. Williamson ; 2d Lieut., Charles A. Ander- son ; Sergeants, numbered from Ist to 5th in the order named, Henry Rotherby, Charles Van Tine, Daniel Warren, David H. VanAmburgh and Fran- cis H. Brett ; Corporals, numbered from Ist to Sth in the order named, Augustus M. Myers, Joseph Seymour, Samuel Speedling, Lewis Pearshall, Aus- tin H. Terry, Jeremiah Boice, William Bailey and Robert Pickels; Privates, William Carnes, John Worden, Peter Williams, Alfred J. Smith, David Hawks, George N. Wood, John Matthews, Jr., Jacob Palmer, Augustus Eyth, Henry Gerard, Isaac Sevine, James E. Post, John W. Hughes, Leonard Lawson, William J. Lester, Delaney L. Meyers, John M. Farrell, John Boone, John Din- geer, Joseph O'Malley, E. Augustus Brett, Isaac P.

*See pages 148 to 155 of this work.

512

HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.

Ball, George W. Hauver, Theodore Y. Smith, John Raferty, Sylvester H. Brady, William Agnew, God- frey Lodge, Owen Hall, George V. Hall, Cornelius Ireland, Charles Lawrence, James Rogers, George W. Brower, George H. Pollock, Silas Partington, Solomon Lawson, William Partington, Charles W. Brower and Frederick Schuff.

Co. H .- Captain, John A. VanKeuren ; 1st Lieut., Henry H. Sincerbox ; 2d Lieut., Sylvester H. Mase ; Sergeants, Columbus S. Keys, Charles Davidson, Benjamin T. Benson, Caleb S. Hoat- ling, Garrett Dillon; Corporals, Hiram Rons, Ben- jamin F. Chamberlin, Abner B. Mase, George N. Culver, John S. Fosbay, Mark Sheperdson, Charles S. Wilber, Walter Hicks; Privates, Francis Marston, Frank Stephens, John Cherry, Edwin H. Bogardus, Thomas Mahan, Joseph Doxey, Joseph Cherry, John F. Keys, S. F. Churchill, George W. Swords, William Conklin, George W. Farrington, George Van Voorhis, Joseph E. Depew, William Odell, Benjamin T. Benson, Charles Weller, Will- iam Althouse, James Hervy, John P. Way, Stephen Yeomans, James E. Munger, Dwight Cotterel, George F. Deacon, William Townsend, George F. Falconer, William Bartley, Valentine VanNostrom, Benjamin Crowther, James Green, Anthony Vin- cent, Stephen Farrington, C. L. Keys, John Ger- mond, Jeremiah D. Wood, James Armstrong, Joseph Ambler, Theodore Bowne, A. B. Hartson, John Stotesburg, Wilder N. Marsh.

The following named persons in other companies are assigned to Fishkill : Thomas Flinn, Charles A. Smith, W. J. Monfort, J. T. Eckert, H. Vande- water, Cornelius Williams.

Fishkill issued two hundred and thirty-six County bonds, at $500 each, amounting to $118,000. They are being paid off at the rate of $5,000 per annum. The last become due in 1884.

FISHKILL.

Fishkill, though the oldest, is one of the least populous of the many villages in the town. It is situated northeast of the center of the town, near the creek from which it derives its name, about five miles from the Landing, with which it is connected by rail and stage. Few villages surpass it in beauty of location ; and while the construction of railroads has detracted from its importance by withdraw- ing its business to other centers, it will ever possess strong attractions as a place of residence to those who desire a retired situation combined with scenic beauty. The historic associations which

cluster around it will ever give it a prominence in the town's history.

It is a station on the Newburgh, Duchess & Connecticut Railroad, and the New York & New England Railroad, by which it is distant 5.94 miles from Duchess Junction, and 6.7 miles from Fish- kill Landing. The Newburgh Transfer Co.'s stages connect it with the latter place. It con- tains four churches, (Dutch Reformed, Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal and Catholic,*) a union free school, two hotels, (the Mansion House, kept by I. J. Kern, and Kniffen's Hotel, kept by John L. Kniffen,) a newspaper office, (the Fishkill Journal, George W. Owen, publisher,) the Fishkill Savings Institution, a paper bag manufactory, eight stores, two blacksmith and wagon shops, (kept by J. Wil- ber and John Mitchell,) two shoe shops, (kept by N. Lane and E. B. Allen,) a marble shop, (kept by James E. Dean, who is also the postmaster,) and had in 1880, a population of six hundred and eighty-two.

During the Revolution it was one of the largest villages in the County, though even then its size must have been very inconsiderable ; for DeChas- tellux tells us that in 1780 there were not more than fifty houses in the space of two miles, while Anbur- ey tells us that in 1777 there were not more than that number in " near three miles." The first settle- ment was made about the beginning of the eighteenth century ; the first house still exists, says Mr. Bailey, in 1874, and is now owned by the Southard family. Zebulon Southard, the grandfather of the present occupant, purchased his farm of Madam Brett, in 1760. It is the first farm east of the creek in the west end of the village. Southard was the brother of Daniel, Richard and Gilbert Southard, and was the captain of the first company of militia in Rombout Precinct in 1776.

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History of Duchess county, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 100

Author: Smith, James H. (James Hadden); Cale, Hume H; Roscoe, William E Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co. Number of Pages: 868

Author: Smith, James H. (James Hadden); Cale, Hume H; Roscoe, William E
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 868