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 63
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The old society now soon began to show decid- ed signs of prosperity ; the last year of Mr. Los- sing's presidency showing a decided increase in the
attendance, receipts and general interest. The years 1880-'81, find the society eminently success- ful, the receipts each year amounting to over $4,000.
The following is a list of the officers of the asso- ciation since its organization : 1841-'44, Henry Staats, president, George Wilkinson, treasurer, Obadiah Titus and Edgar Sleight, secretaries ; 1845, Stephen Thorn, president, George Wilkinson, treas- urer, and Henry Mesier and Edgar Sleight, secreta- ries ; 1846-'47, Stephen Haight, president, George Wilkinson, treasurer, Henry Wyck and Henry Mesier, secretaries ; 1848, Cornelius Dubois, pres- ident, George Wilkinson, treasurer, and Barclay Haviland and James Wilkinson, secretaries ; 1849, Cornelius Dubois, president, Henry A. Field, treasurer, Barclay Haviland and James Wilkin- son, secretaries ; 1850-'51, Cornelius Dubois, president, George Wilkinson, treasurer, Barclay Haviland and Samuel T. Tabor, secretaries ; 1852-'53, Elnathan Beekman, president, Bar- clay Haviland, treasurer, and S. T. Tabor and John Bloom, secretaries ; 1854-'55, Edgar Thorne, president, G. W. Coffin, treasurer, and G. W. Payne, secretary, (removed and George Sweet appointed to fill his place ;) 1856-'57, Dan- iel B. Haight, president, S. C. Clinton, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary; 1858-'59, Peter R. Sleight, president, John G. Halstead, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary ; 1860-'61, James Haviland, president, C. S. Wainright, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary ; 1862-'63, Abram Staats, president, W. H. Beekman, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary ; 1864-'65, John C. Halstead, president, W. W. Haxton, treasurer, George Sweet, secretary ; 1866-'67, John U. Able, president, W. W. Haxton, treasurer, George Sweet, secretary; 1868-'69, W. W. Haxton, pres- ident, Thomas Jaycox, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary ; 1870-'71, John W. Storm, presi- dent, Thomas Jaycox, treasurer, George Sweet, secretary ; 1872-'3, Stephen Angell, president, Thomas Jaycox, treasurer, George Sweet, sec- retary ; 1874-775, David Barnes, president, Thom- as Jaycox, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary; 1876-'77, Thomas Jaycox, president, Henry Bost- wick, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary ; 1878-'79, Benson J. Lossing, president, Henry Bostwick, treasurer, and George Sweet, secretary ; 1880-'81, Edward Gridley, president, Henry Bost- wick, treasurer, George Sweet, secretary.
The last exhibition of the society was its fortieth. Like all other associations of the kind it has had
V
SUMMER RESIDENCE OF HON. JAG
Etten
B B. CARPENTER, LITTLE REST, N. Y.
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TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
its successes and its reverses. The Eastern Duchess association still holds its fairs, but its grounds are far removed from those of the society, and they interfere but little with each other. It has always been the aim of its managers to treat all branches of industry alike. Mere sporting has not been en- couraged. Trotting has been allowed for small premiums, but only so far as it has been thought necessary to encourage the production of an im- proved class of animals.
Thus it encourages improvements in all kinds of farm stock, farm machinery and farm productions of every kind, the useful and the ornamental. It is believed that the systeni so far followed is in the true interests of agricultural industry. In its efforts it has ever had the cordial support of the true farmer. With the continuance of that support it cannot fail to succeed. From its small beginning it has reached its present proportions. With the present good feeling, with the State aid, with its ample grounds, its exhibition buildings, its stables, sheds, its many other fixtures, all in good order ; the steadfast support of its many friends, the expe- rience of the past, it is believed that its future career will be one of permanent success, usefulness, and honor.
PHYSICIANS .- It is impossible, at this time, to tell who were the first physicians of the town. Un- doubtedly the settlers near Washington Hollow, who were the earliest, had a physician previous to the coming of Dr. Ely at Pleasant Valley, who at- tended to all the inhabitants. Dr. Ely was long the attending physician of many of the old inhabi- tants throughout the town and during the last year of his practice he was contemporary with Dr. La- throp, who located in this section about the year 1790. With Dr. Lathrop was Dr. Benj. De- lavergne, and later still Dr. Treadwell. Drs. La- throp and Delavergne were the leading practitioners of the county for several years. They were of the allopathic school, which was known in those days as " Pothecary," and much against the custom of to-day, carried a high hand in bleeding and vom- iting their patients, or as a comic writer once said :-
" Physic, bleed and sweat 'em, Then if they choose to die, Why, verily, let 'em."
Dr. Orton, Dr. Ensign, Dr. Charles Haight and Dr. Thorn followed each other in succession, and added to the corps ability and respectability. Dr. Ranker came next and was followed by the present practitioners, Dr. Sydney Henry, of Mabbettsville, Dr. J. O. Pingry and Dr. J. F. Goodell, of Mill-
brook, and Dr. C. H. Tripp of Washington Hol- low.
EARLY SETTLERS .- Among the early settlers were the Harts, who built the first grist mill in the town about the year 1755. In 1760, Tripp Mo- sher built a large grist mill with all the "modern conveniences," upon or near the site of the pres- ent "Haight mill." The old building stood till the year 1858, two years before it reached its cen- tennial anniversary, when it was torn down by Geo. P. Tompkins to give room for the present "Haight mill," which he immediately built. Mr. Tomp- kins' father was for a number of years the "Miller" in the old mill, commencing his labors about the year 1815.
The Harts as we notice built their mill back of the present "Anson mill," down by the brook and it was reached only by driving down the steep bank. It was a small affair at first, but in 1790, was en- larged by Philip Hart, who had then become the owner of the property.
Mr. Hart was an energetic man and took a very active part in the church and town business, besides doing much for the small settlement he drew around his place, and which is one of the most pleasant retreats to be found in the county. He died at his home on the 30th of September, 1837, at the age of eighty-eight, and was buried in the Friends' cemetery, where his ashes lie with many of his kindred.
In 1809, a fulling-mill was erected here and was followed by an establishment for the cutting of dye- woods by Gifford, Sherman & Innis about the year 1820. Soon after that date quite an interest was awakenened throughout the county in manufacture- ing, especially of cotton goods. The Yankee genius had awakened to the utilizing of the numerous streams for such purposes, and whenever a " privil- ege " could be found, it was brought into action, if not in an extended, most surely in a small way, and the stream at this place presenting required facili- ties, a cotton mill was built about the year 1830, and for a while bid fair to be a success, but at last the firm failed, and the mill was closed.
The building was divided and a portion used in the construction of the flouring mill, now owned by the heirs of Benjamin Anson. The latter mill was erected in 1856. For many years the people throughout the surrounding country did their trad- ing at Mechanic, there being no other store nearer than Pleasant Valley, but about the time the "Dye- wood works," were in progress, Dr. Treadway com- menced the mercantile business in one part of his
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HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
house and continued a number of years. He also practiced medicine, but took greater pleasure in attending to the store, as it brought him in contact with the ladies to whom he showed great respect and never allowed one to leave his store without "treating " her to some liquor. Many of the old residents still remember his generosity and regards to the ladies. That store was made by circum- stances subject to the usual changes experienced in stores of this kind, until the business was con- ducted by George P. Tompkins and Wm. E. Smith as partners, who removed it to Millbrook in July 1870, as the first "store" in the new village. They were soon followed by Eugene Andrew as the first druggist.
MILLBROOK.
Upon the building of the Newburgh, Duchess & Connecticut Railroad, in 1869, the enterprise gave birth to a village a little to the south of Hart's, named Millbrook, which is fast robbing the former of its ancient business. Doubtless, ere long, both settlements will be included in one, and bear the modern appellation, regardless of old time associa- tions. Millbrook owes its existence as does the Railroad in a great measure, to the enterprise and liberality of Mr. George H. Brown a gentlemen of wealth and culture who settled in this town in 1864.
One of the first projects established at the new centre for the advantage of the farming com- munity was the condensing of milk. A company was formed under the title of "United States Con- densing Company," with a capital of $40,000. The property changed ownership and was con- ducted by another firm known as "The National Condensing Company of New York City. In the fall of 1881, Henry T. Canfield purchased the concern and again changed its name to " Canfield Condensing Factory." The milk is purchased of the dairymen in the surrounding neighborhoods at an average price of three cents per quart, through the year, and delivered daily at the factory in a sweet and pure condition. About 125,000 quarts are condensed each month and put in the market in two ways,-condensed and plain condensed. The former is prepared with the aid of the finest sugars, and sealed in one-half and one pound tin cans, and intended to be capable of being trans- ported to any part without being affected by either climate or time. The latter, or "plain," is simply the milk condensed without mixture for immediate use, and is shipped daily to New York City in forty-quart cans. The power is both steam and
water. The former is used principally for con- densing, which requires a boiler of ninety horse- power. The whole process is conducted in a tidy manner, the greatest caution observed in the purity and cleanliness of the milk and vessels used.
Hart's village is upon the Sharon branch of the old Duchess turnpike, chartered in 1805. Here we may, perhaps refer, without digressing too far, to the fact that after the bill was passed granting a charter to the Turnpike Company, several per- sons through whose lands the road passed, peti- tioned to have it changed at several points, and the change being made, in some of the law books only the statute so changing the road is noticed. The change was made within a few days of the statute granting the charter.
Millbrook lies between that and the Dover branches chartered at the same time, and consists of two churches, Episcopal and Roman Catholic, several stores and about fifty houses, besides rail- road buildings, etc.
Another monument to the generosity of Mr. Brown, that adds greatly to the appearance of the neighborhood, is the Millbrook Reformed Church.
The Millbrook Reformed Church was organized in 1864. Mr. Brown first organized the two Sab- bath Schools, one at Washington Four Corners, the other at "Titus' Factory " or " Anson's Hill." The former, from a few, soon numbered sixty schol- ars, with eleven teachers, and held their services in Mrs. Samuel Brigg's parlor, both growing to such proportions that it became necessary to build a church edifice. Those who clung to the reformed faith being scattered over a large territory, it was agreed to centrally locate the building and place it at Washington Hollow. In February, 1865, about forty families assembled to take in consider- ation the building and expense to be incurred, when Mr. Brown agreed to furnish the necessary funds. Upon the Ist day of April following, the ground was first broken, and on the ist of June the walls were ready for the laying of the corner stone. A delegation from the churches of Drs. Hegemans and McEckeson, of Poughkeepsie, with their choirs, attended on the day the corner stone was laid. The edifice was finished during the sea- son. Mr. James Brown gave the parsonage grounds to the society, besides donating liberally toward the parsonage and church. In fact, the church has been blessed by having members of large generosity, whose culture is shown in the taste displayed in the edifice and its surroundings, as well as in the business transactions relating to the
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TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
church. A circulating library of one hundred volumes was given to the society by Mr. George H. Brown, which he afterwards increased to three hundred.
From 1864, to November, 1865, Rev. J. L. Zab- riskie supplied the pulpit, and from January, 1866, to May, 1867, Rev. Henry L. Cobb. On the 12th of the latter month Rev. Mr. Cobb was received as the pastor. Rev. A. P. Stockwell officiated as assistant from June, 1869, to December, 1871, and William J. Hill as missionary, from September, 1872 to 1875. In May, 1881, Rev. H. N. Cobb's pastorate ceased, and in October following, Rev. J. Edward Lyall was ordained as the present pas- tor.
Roman Catholic Church .- The spacious and costly Roman Catholic Church located here was built in 1872, and is connected with the Church of Amenia in pastoral charge. It is one of the strong- est societies of the faith in the county, and a proud mark of the energy and magnanimity of the organization.
Grace Church .- A prosperous and earnest Epis- copal organization of which Rev. J. C. F. Weills in a communication says: "About the year 1849, occasional services were held in Hart's village, by various clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal church." In 1863, the Rev. E. C. Pattison, rector of St. Peter's church of Lithgow, commenced regu- lar services, once a Sabbath. On the 6th of Sep- tember, 1864, he organized a parish and the follow- ing persons were elected as vestrymen: Henry Peck, Senior Warden ; Isaac Haight, George N. Brown, James Mastin, Samuel Thorne, E. C. Cur- tis, Howard Tripp, Silas Tripp and George P. Tompkins, vestrymen.
Sept. 13, 1866, the corner-stone of a church was laid and during the year 1867, the building was erected and consecrated. It was of wood, with slate roof, forty feet in length by twenty in width, with a chancel about twelve by fifteen feet. This church was burned on the 28th of September, 1870. A new lot in a more central location was secured and a new church was built during the latter part of that year and the fore part of 1871, which is gothic in style, sixty-four feet long by thirty in width and cost about $6,000. It was consecrated by the Right Rev. Horatio Potter, D. D., D. C. L., LL D., Bishop of the Diocese of New York, on November 23, 1871, Its rectors have been as follows: Rev. E. C. Pattison from 1864 to '68; Rev. B. F. Mil- ler from 1869 to '75; Rev. J. C. S. Weills from
1876 to '78 ; Rev. J. H. Nimons, 1878 to '81, and J. C. S. Weills the present pastor. Connected with this church in pastorship is "St. Peter's Church" of Lithgow, which is one of the oldest parishes of the Episcopal church in the State of New York. Rev. Mr. Weills says :-
"It existed under Royal Charter. The land upon which the first church was erected was given to the parish by one of the Nine Partners. In its earliest days, services were held in private houses and a church edifice was erected in 1834, which was destroyed by fire on the 22nd of March, 1880."
A new church was built upon the site and was consecrated August 4, 1881. It is a gothic structure and though smaller than the one destroy- ed is much more ornate and better suited to the services of the church. The first services were held by rectors residing in the State of Connecticut. Since its consecration it has been under Rev. J. C. S. Weills, as rector.
Between Millbrook and Washington Hollow, Beriah Swift established a coffee-mill factory in 1845, which was the first and only enterprise in this part of the county. Attached to his works was a small foundry to cast such parts of his invention as were required. He associated with him his son, and upon the father's death in 1866, the firm be- came " Swift & Brothers," and continued in the manufacture of the same line of goods, and at present with more extended facilities, are turning out the largest line of any firm in the United States. In 1875 they began in addition, to man- ufacture horse wheel-rakes of Mr. W. J. Lane's in- vention, one of the members of the firm. In the rake enterprise, is connected Mr. Fields, after whom the rake is named.
MABBETTSVILLE.
In the fore part of the present century, James Mabbett, long a resident of New York city, and a commission auctioneer, purchased a tract of land at that hamlet and settled upon it as a farmer. Soon a small settlement sprang up around him and the name of Mabbettsville was given to it. An " Inn " or house of entertainment was built, and for the convenience of the neighborhood a post- office was established. Whether James Mabbett was of the family that settled at Mechanic or not we are unable to say, positively, but think he was a nephew of Joseph S., who sold the old Mabbett dwelling and store to the Quakers. He was elect- ed to various town offices and represented the county in the Assembly, in 1834. It will not be out of place, to here mention, that the settlement
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HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.
of " Mabbetts" when referred to at a date previous to 1820, does not, or should not refer to Mabbetts- ville of to-day, but to Mechanic, which at an early day was spoken of as "Mabbetts." We have found several documents that spoke explicitly of " Mabbetts " as a place, and referred to Mechanic, which was understood to mean the present loca- tion of Mabbettsville. Therefore we present the fact, that the places may not be confounded.
MECHANIC.
Upon the Dover branch of the Duchess Turn- pike, at or near the hamlet of Mechanic, a settle- ment was made by Friends or Quakers, about the year 1750. They were intelligent, thorough-going people, and upon their coming were in very com- fortable circumstances, financially speaking, which enabled them to push their settlement forward, and establish such enterprises and conveniences as were necessary for their comfort and prosperity. The families that settled here and near, were the Thornes and Tituses from Long Island, Coffins, Mitchells and Pinkhams from Nantucket, the Com- stocks, Allens, Rogers, Hulls, Colemans, Ricket- sons, Willetts, Congdons, Haights and Talcotts. from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Westchester County, N. Y., and elsewhere.
There were three brothers of the Thornes, of whom Isaac was the eldest, and we are led to think, the possessor of the most land. He built a gambrel- roofed house upon the hill east of the Brick Meet- ing-house, and was a very energetic, business and straight firm meeting-man.
In 1760, or a short time previous, one Samuel Mabbett, a Quaker, came to this place and opened a small store and inn for the accommodation of the townsmen and the travelling public. It must be remembered that the immigration from the Eastern States, to the counties bordering the river, espec- ially upon the west side, began to be of respectable proportions at this time, and the travelling being done with horse and ox teams, made quite a brisk trade along the thoroughfares of the day, and this hamlet being upon one of the rude routes usu- ally taken, accommodations for such travellers were necessary ; and who would learn the fact sooner than a Yankee ?
Mabbett became ambitious, and in 1762 pur- chased of Isaac Thorne, ten acres of land, upon which he intended to erect a large building to meet the demands of his trade. The building was forty by fifty feet, and was to be a dwelling, inn and store. The prospective expense was greater in amount than
he could readily command, and he was forced to de- lay the undertaking for some time. He visited New York city, and pictured to his monied friends, a " bonanza" from which wealth would be produced, and they formed a company to carry out his plans. The building when completed was two stories in height, with a stone basement and gambrel roof. The dwelling part was finished off at great expense and was the finest dwelling in that part of the State. Here Mabbett did a large mercantile business, as it was the first and only store in the town or for many miles around.
Among the commodities from which he derived the greatest profit was liquor, chiefly rum, an arti- cle that was considered indispensable in those days. The reader will, doubtless, imagine such a trade was rather poorly patronized in a Quaker settlement, but it is not unlikely that many of their members may have fallen into the then prev- alent custom of partaking sparingly for the "stom- ach's sake." We find that his trade was not con- fined to this particular locality, but for a number of miles around. The free-and-easy Dutch and German settlers found near the river, were Mab- bett's substantial customers; and when the Revo- lution broke out, and during that eventful period, "Mabbett's" was the rendezvous of a certain class whose loyalty to the Crown could only be measured by the long draughts of "Flip and Nod" they dis- posed of. The patriots were watchful of the ren- dezvous and their vigilance drove the proprietor to make an excavation near the fire-place in the basement, in which he retreated occasionally to avoid arrest. The cellar or basement of his building was arranged so that he could drive a team and wagon within and unload, and many aged people remember their fathers telling of the num- berless hogsheads of rum that were there drawn at the close of the war.
The Nine Partners Boarding School .- At the close of the war, the foregoing property became that of a son, Joseph Mabbett, and the father re- moved to Lansingburgh, N. Y. The son contin- ued the business until the 1st of May, 1795, when he sold the building and ten acres of land belong- ing to it, to a committee of Trustees appointed by the Friends' Yearly Meeting, for the purpose of establishing a boarding school. The considera- tion was £1,600, New England money. The committee was composed of Isaac Thorne, Tripp Mosher and Joseph Talcott. The building after undergoing some alterations was opened in the fall of 1796, as a boarding
AANNO
FRIENDS' BRICK MEETING HOUSE AT NINE PARTNERS.
NINE PARTNERS BOARDING SCHOOL. (FROM A SKETCH BY ALEX. H COFFIN, 1820.)
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TOWN OF WASHINGTON.
school, under the superintendence of Tripp Mosher, as stewart, and Jonathan Talcott as principal teacher. The basement was changed to a dining room, the attic to sleeping apartments, and the west part, formerly the store, to a school room.
The structure having been lengthened by the erection of a considerable addition at its eastern end of the same height and style as the original portion, presented an imposing front of ninety- nine feet to the main street of the modest little vil- lage. We have the authority of one of the venerable mothers of the place, for the allegation that Joseph Mabbett was wont to state as a fact that ninety- nine feet instead of one hundred, was fixed upon as the extreme length " because it sounded longer" to him.
The engraving of the " Old Quaker Gaol," as it was sometimes called, which accompanies this ar- ticle, is a faithful representation of it as it appeared at that period. The illustration is taken by us from a drawing made by Alexander H. Coffin, Esq., now a resident of Poughkeepsie, when a student at the old school in 1820.
The school was well patronized by the society of Friends and was opened especially for those who were in indigent circumstances. The pupils numbered as high as one hundred and were trained in a thorough academic course. Samuel Mab- bett, the father, still owned land adjoining the ten acres upon which the building stood, and in 1796 sold to Tripp Mosher, John Allen and Matthew Com- stock, a committee appointed by the Society of Friends, fifty-six acres for the use of school. This was deeded to Tituman Hull, Charles Coleman, Jethro Coleman and Shadrach Ricketson, as Trus- tees of the Nine Partners School, on the 18th of May, 1797, and in the fall following, the ten acres with buildings, were also conveyed to the same trustees.
The institution prospered remarkably well for those days until 1828, when the Society of Friends was divided by reason of differences in religious belief, which resulted in what was called the " Separation." While there may have been ruffled feelings in the breasts of those good old fathers, a quiet division of the meeting and school property was ultimately made.
The so-called "Orthodox" portion held the ten acres with the school buildings, while the other branch, the so-called " Hicksites," remained in pos- session of the fifty-six acres and the brick meeting house. In 1820 or '30 the Orthodox branch built another house of worship, and purchased eighty
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