History of Duchess county, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 97

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 97

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Following is a statement of the receipts and disbursements for school purposes during the year :-

Amount on hand Oct. 1, 1880, . $ 394.76

66 apportioned to districts, . 2,819.08

66 raised by tax, . . 4,334.97

66 received from other sources, 99.00

Total, $7,647.81

Paid for teachers' wages, $6,177.59

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66 libraries, .

52.32

66 school apparatus, .

46.41

66 school houses, sites, fences, out- houses, furniture etc., . .. 304.16

66 other incidental expenses, . 545-47

Amount on hand, Sept. 30, 1881,. 521.86

Total, $7,647.81

In conformity with the requirements of the statue by which the town was erected, the first town meeting was held at Brower Bros.' wagon shop in the village of Wappingers Falls, March 7, 1876, and the following named officers were elected : James A. Seward, Supervisor; Denis W. VanWyck, Town Clerk; Andrew Jackson, Col- lector; Isaac Hall, Cornelius W. Hignell, Charles P. Adriance and Benjamin Vail, Justices of the Peace ; Wm. H. Pulling, John DuBois and Wm. H. H. Stoutenburgh, Assessors ; Richard B. Hor- ton, Wm. Seward and Willis Dean, Commissioners of Highways; John B. Jones, Anthony Underhill and John N. Hayte, Town Auditors ; Thomas Crosier, George H. Abbott, Jacob S. Ackerman and Alson Scofield, Constables ; Thomas Crosier, Game Constable ; Daniel Hayes and Gilbert B. Wood, Overseers of the Poor ; Nicholas Disbrow, Edward M. Pier and Leonard DeGroat, Inspectors of Election ; Wm. Halliwell, John H. Alley and Isaac C. Secore, Commissioners of Excise.

The following have been the successive Super- visors and Town Clerks since the formation of the town :--

Supervisors. Town Clerks.

1875-'76. James A. Seward, Denis W. Vna Wyck. 1877. J. W. P. Lawson, do do

1878-79. do do Wm. A. Brewster. 1880. Elias Brown, G. D. McGregor.

188 г. Isaac O. Norris, do do.

The town lies wholly within the limits of the Rombout Patent, which was granted Oct. 17, 1685, to Francis Rombout, Stephanus VanCourt- landt and Jacobus Kip, the latter, the represen- tative of the children of Gulian Verplanck, to whom and to Francis Rombout, a license was given Feb. 8, 1682, to purchase it of the Wap- pinger Indians, whose name the town perpetuates. Gulian Verplanck died before the patent was issued. This was the first patent granted within the limits of the county, and the Indian title to

493

TOWN OF WAPPINGER.

lands it covered was extinguished by purchase Aug. 8, 1683, the price paid being an inconsider- able quantity of inexpensive merchandise, which, however, to the untutored savage, possessed an in- finitely exaggerated value.

Nevertheless, the settlement of this town was not, it is believed, commenced till many years later ; although the locality of the first projected settlement in the county,-by New England colon- ists, in 1659,-was at the mouth of Wappingers Creek. When, where, and by whom the first settle- ment was made is not positively known, and we doubt if it is possible at this late date to deter- mine these facts. The early history of the town is measurably lost in that obscurity in which the early overshadowing importance of the southerly part of the town from which it was formed buried it. The oldest and best informed of the present inhabitants have only the vaguest traditions re- specting it. Its settlement was probably much later than that of the present town of Fishkill, a cir- cumstance which was influenced by the fact that the existence of minor heirs to the Verplanck portion of the patent, to which it largely belonged, delayed a division until 1722.

March 6, 1695, Jacobus Kip, and his wife, Henrica, the widow of Gulian Verplanck, con- veyed to the children of the latter,-Samuel, Ja- cobus and Hannah, wife of Andries Teller,-one- third part of the Rombout tract ; and about the 20th of March, 1722, that portion, which had been previously surveyed and laid out into lots, was divided by the representatives of Verplanck's children by casting lots. Among other lots, "the Reer lott number one" came to the share of Gu- lian, Mary and Anne Verplanck, in right of their deceased father, Samuel Verplanck, son of the aforesaid Gulian Verplanck; and August 15, 1728, they conveyed three hundred acres of this tract to "John Muntross," of Duchess county, the consideration being £83. This three hundred acres was bounded on the north by the land of Wm. Verplanck, on the west by the land of Philip Verplanck, on the south by the land of Gulian, Mary and Anne Verplanck, and on the east by " the spruyt." This is the earliest land transfer affecting this town which has come under our ob- servation, It is probable, however, that settle- ments were made at a somewhat earlier period.

During the Revolution the town was made memorable by the presence of portions of the American army, and at one period the Brincker- hoff mansion at Swartwoutville was the headquar-

ters of Gen. Washington. During the war of 1812, a ship yard was in active operation on Wap- pingers Creek, and many vessels were built there.

WAPPINGERS FALLS.

Wappingers Falls is the only important village in the town ; but it is one of the most important and enterprising in the county, and in the magni- tude and value of its mechanical industries and the facilities it enjoys for prosecuting them, as well as in those features which make it attractive and desirable as a place of residence, it is surpassed by but few villages along the Hudson. It challenged the admiration of the French tourist DeChastellux in 1780 .* It is delightfully situated at the head of navigation on Wappingers Creek, from the falls of which it derives its name, about one and one-half miles above its confluence with the Hudson, and the same distance from the little village of New Hamburgh, a station on the Hudson River Rail- road, with which it is connected by stage, and with all trains and boats stopping there. A daily stage also connects it with Poughkeepsie. It is sur- rounded by rich and productive farm lands and many beautiful sites in its vicinity have been select- ed as residences by persons of wealth and refine- ment. The village is rapidly increasing in pop- ulation, having nearly doubled its population within the last decade. In 1860, its population was stated to be 1,819, of whom 1,139 were in the town of Wappinger; in 1870 it had increased to 2,263, of whom 1,612 were in Wappinger and 651 in Poughkeepsie ; while by an enumeration finished June 22, 1880, the population had increased to 4,210, about one-third of whom are in the town of Poughkeepsie.

The village which is a mile square, lies on both sides of the creek, having, by its incorporation, September 22, 1871, been made to include the vil- lage of Channingville, in the town of Poughkeepsie, for a more particular account of which the reader is referred to the history of that town in this work. The first board of village trustees was composed of Samuel Brown, Joseph D. Harcourt and R. W. Nelson. Matthew Cottam was chosen president, and J. W. Bartrum, clerk of the board. The fol- lowing have been the successive presidents and clerks of the village since its incorporation :-

Presidents. Clerks.

1871-'73. Matthew Cottam, J. W. Bartrum.

1874-'75. Hugh Whitehill, do

1876. A. W. Armstrong, do clo

* See page 68 of this work.

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HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.

1877. Elias Brown,

J. W. Bartrum.

1878. Henry Hargreaves,

George Wood.

do do

1879. Edward M. Goring,

1880. Henry Hargreaves,

Bernard J. Tinney.

1881. Nicholas U. Disbrow, do do

"In 1780," says a writer in The Daily Graphic, of New York, under date of July 18, 1878, "the present Mesier mansion, the county buildings at Clump's Corners and the flour mill were the only buildings in the place." Peter Mesier, though not the first settler on the site of Wappingers Falls, was the first of much importance and the first whose family name has been associated with its history to the present time. He was a native of New York, and a descendant of a Huguenot family, who fled to this country on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, to escape the bitter persecutions to which they were subjected in their native France during the reign of Louis XIV. Mr. Mesier mar- ried in New York Miss Catharine Slate, and acquired a valuable property by his mercantile operations in his native city. In 1776, shortly before the British took possession of the commer- cial metropolis, he fled thence with his family, and, like many others during that eventful period, found refuge in Fishkill. He purchased a large tract of land, said to have contained nearly seven hundred acres, which lay on both sides of the creek and coniprised most of the present village of Wappin- gers Falls. The purchase included the house on Main street at the head of South avenue, which has since been occupied by the Mesier family ; and a flouring-mill, which occupied the site now marked by the ruins of the Clinton cotton-mill, and was pulled down about the close of the Revolutionary war, having gone to decay, when the old yellow grist-mill, known to the older of the present inhab- itants, was erected on its site by Peter Mesier. The latter was torn down to make way for the Clinton cotton-mill. Matthew Mesier, a son of Peter's, was a Judge of this county, which he also represented in the Assembly in 1820. He suc- ceeded to the homestead at the death of his father and was succeeded at his death, Sept. 2, 1838, aged sixty-nine years, by his son Henry, who also died there, Jan. 26, 1881, aged sixty-eight years. Abram Suydam Mesier, a brother of Henry's, and his sisters Johanna and Maria, are the present owners of the homestead.

The growth of the village, which has been mainly influenced by its manufactories, in which its present importance centers, was slow till about the opening of the late war, and since that period has been pro-

moted as much by the increased magnitude as by the increased number of its manufacturing estab- lishments. It now contains five churches, (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Catholic,) all brick or stone structures, two fine brick school- houses, three hotels, the extensive print-works and cotton factory of Garner & Co., the extensive works of the Independent Comb Co., two overall factories, one of them, that of Sweet, Orr & Co., of great magnitude, one newspaper office, The Weekly Chronicle, the Wappingers Savings Bank, and sev- eral stores and mechanic shops. It is lighted with gas, and supplied with water for fire purposes.

Merchants .- As late as 1832 there was only one store in Wappingers Falls. It was built and owned by Benjamin Clapp, and was erected about 1830. It was located on Market street, and is now occu- pied by Wm. J. Dawson & Co. It was kept by Cook & Low and managed by Eleazer D. Sweet, father of Clayton E. Sweet. Sweet & Barlow is the present firm. In 1847, the business was re- moved from the store first occupied to that now occupied by the latter firm.

Joseph D. Harcourt, on withdrawing from the firm of Harcourt & Sweet in 1870, resumed busi- ness and continued it until May, 1879, when he engaged in the milling and ice business at the Faulkner Mill, near Hughsonville. He was suc- ceeded in the mercantile business by his sons, J. and J. T. Nichols Harcourt, who had been associ- ated with him for a few years previously, and still continue the business of general merchandise.

John Du Bois was a prominent merchant from about 1847 until his death in 1876, and was suc- ceeded by John B. Scofield, who continued until his death in 1879, when John C. Du Bois, a son of the former, succeeded to the business and still con- tinues it, dealing in dry goods and groceries.

William G. King commenced mercantile busi- ness about 1846. He was the first to occupy the building now occupied by John H. Brown. Samuel Brown succeeded Mr. King in the former store and did business until his death, Jan. 22, 1876, at the age of seventy-two years, when he was succeeded by his son, John H. Brown, who still carries on the business.

Prominent among the other merchants now en- gaged in business here are: A. W. Armstrong, dealer in house furnishing goods, who opened the first stove store in the town in 1846, in which year he commenced business here ; James S. Roy, drug- gist, who succeeded in 1868, on the death of his father, James Roy, to the business established by

495

TOWN OF WAPPINGER.

the latter in 1848-the first drug store in the vil- lage; C. W. Hignell, merchant tailor and dealer in hats, caps and trunks, who erected the store he now occupies in 1869, and as long ago as 1850 was a successful merchant tailor and clothier in this village; Edward M. Goring, druggist, who is a na- tive of Manchester, England; J. H. Redfield, fur- niture dealer and undertaker, who succeeded to the business established by his father, at the death of the latter; Dr .: Sylvester Roe, Jr., druggist, a native of Flushing, L. I., who commenced business here in 1871 ; Manning & Smith, and D. B. Whit- ney, grocers; Thomas Dawson, dry goods dealer ; and John L. Shrader, druggist. *

Manufactures .- The manufactures of Wappin- gers Falls are of pre-eminent importance among its industries. They give employment to nearly 1,600 persons, considerably more than one-third of the entire population. Hence it will readily be seen how vital they are to the continued growth and prosperity of the place. Wappingers Creek, which flows centrally through the village, has a fall within its limits of seventy-five feet, and affords a most valuable water-power, which has been utilized to a limited extent from a very early period.

Previous to the Revolution two flouring mills were in operation at the Falls, both of which were owned at that period by the Mesiers. One of them stood on the site now marked by the ruins of the Clinton cotton mill. It was pulled down about the close of the Revolutionary war, and a yellow building, used for the same purpose, was erected on its site by Peter Mesier. The latter building was torn down on the erection of the Clinton cot- ton mill, which was built in 1846 and destroyed by fire July 19, 1855. The other stood on the same (east) side of the creek. Its site is occupied by the print works. It was purchased in 1819, at sheriff's sale, by Benjamin De La Vergne and John Givens. The purchase also included sixty-six acres of land on the east side of the creek, and a some- what less quantity on the west side. On the par- tition of the property that year, Givens took that part lying on the west side of the creek, and De La Vergne that on the east side. Givens erected on his portion the same year (1819) a stone build- ing for a cotton factory, which was partially de- stroyed about 1840 by a freshet, which also swept away the large dam of the print works. The build- ing was not rebuilt by those who owned it. The Duchess Company acquired the site and erected on it the building now used as a dye-house. De

La Vergne rented the flouring mill to Joshua Hal- leck, and in 1824, to his grandson, Edwin De La- Vergne, who purchased it of his grand-father in 1826.

In 1829,* Mr. De La Vergne rented the build- ing to James Ingham, a native of Manchester, England, who established that year the present print works, which are said to have been the first of the kind in America. In 1835, Mr. Ingham purchased the building which was subsequently torn down to make room for improvements.

In the meantime, Mr. Ingham, who died July 8, 1872, at the advanced age of ninety-five years, had become associated with James Leslie, who died July 19th, 1870, aged sixty-eight. In 1835 the es- tablishment was sold to the " Duchess Company," a principal owner in which was Thomas Garner, an Englishman, who came to this country about the time of the establishment of the works and shortly after became Mr. Ingham's agent. Mr. Garner's associates were D. R. Mangam and L. M. Thorn. In 1866 Messrs. Mangam & Thorn withdrew and were succeeded by S. W. Johnson as partner. Shortly afterwards Mr. Garner died and his real estate and business interests were transferred by will to his son, Wm. T. Garner, who was drowned by the capsizing of his yacht, the Mohawk, in June, 1876. The business was continued by S. W. John- son, associated with Messrs. Lawrence & Thorn as trustees of the estate of Wm. T. Garner, until the death of Mr. Johnson, Dec. 12, 1881, and is now as then, carried on under the name of Garner & Co., no change having been niade since Mr. John- son's death.

The works, which originally occupied but a single building of small dimensions, now cover about twelve acres of ground, new buildings and additions thereto having been repeatedly erected in response to the increased demands for their pro- ductions. The principal buildings are located on the east side of the creek, only the fancy depart- ment-the bleaching and dye works-being on the west side. The most improved patterns of ma- chinery known to the trade are employed. The production of the works is about eighty millions of yards of cloth per annum. The works, which were formerly run on cloth manufactured by the house, now print largely on commission for other houses. 'This naturally decreased the production somewhat, owing to the intricate combination of shades which they are required to imitate. This vast production Statement of Edwin De La Vergne, of Hughsonville, who says that the date 1825, which has been assigned to the establishment of the print works, is incorrect.

* For an account of other merchants see history of Channingville.

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HISTORY OF DUCHESS COUNTY.

requires the services of about 900 persons, about one-third of whom are females. The works have, however, given employment to some 1,200 persons, when driven to their full capacity. The motive power is furnished by both water and steam, the former by an eighteen feet fall which gives a power equal to about eighty horses. The combined ca- pacity of the several engines in use is about 2,300 horse power. Some forty large boilers are used, and about a hundred tons of coal consumed daily in generating steam for their propulsion.

The first superintendent was James Ingham. The principal superintendent under the Duchess Company was Josiah Faulkner, who held the same position under Mr. Ingham, and until his death in April, 1876, with the exception of a brief period during which it was held by John Wilde. William Bogle, the present superintendent, succeeded Mr. Faulkner at his death.

The Franklindale Cotton Mill is also the proper- ty of Messrs. Garner & Co., by whom it was pur- chased in 1844, and was the first mill of the kind owned by them. This site and water-power was first utilized by Benjamin Clapp, who was born in Norton, Mass., Oct., 31, 1789, and removed to Wappingers Falls in 1827. He purchased the site of the Mesiers and erected a building, the lower story of which he occupied in the manufacture of mahogany veneering, while the upper story was used as a drying room for the print works, and the in- termediate one was rented to Cook & Low, who were engaged in the manufacture of combs. Ben- jamin Clapp was one of Wappingers Falls' most active business men. He died Sept. 19, 1872.

The building erected by Mr. Clapp was burned in the fall of 1832, and rebuilt by him the following year. That building now forms the northerly por- tion of the Franklindale Cotton Mill, the southerly portion of which was erected by him soon after. In 1844 these two buildings were connected by means of a central addition made by the Franklin- dale Company, which was incorporated that year, and took possession of the building in the interest of Messrs. Garner & Co.

This cotton mill contains 10,000 spindles, and is supplied with the most approved machinery. It is run to its full capacity and produces 250,000 yards of print cloths per week, giving employment to about 125 persons, about one-half of whom are females. The machinery is propelled entirely by water-power, which was improved and increased in 1872 from an eighteen feet to a twenty-eight feet head. The overflow these produced covers forty-

three acres-thirty acres more than it formerly did.

Peter Mckinley, a native of Scotland, was the first agent after the mill came into the hands of the Franklindale Co., and his brother Daniel was super- intendent. Both filled these positions till their deaths, the former Feb. 28, 1859, and the latter, having also acted as agent after the death of his brother, in 1870. Matthew Cottam succeeded to the agency and still retains it. Hugh Whitehill, who was con- nected with the mill in a subordinate capacity from 1847, succeeded to the superintendency, under Mr. Cottam, and held the position until 1881, when Wm. J. Brown, the present incumbent, received that appointment.

The Clinton Company is one of the four repre- sentatives of Garner & Co., at this place, each of which is conducted as an entirely distinct and separate establishment. It supervises the water-works and the tenement houses-460 in number-which are mainly rented to the opera- tives in the print works and cotton-mill, and are mostly two-tenement buildings, though some con- tain as many as ten tenements.

The Independent Comb Co., was formed in 1828, and was composed of Levi Cook and Emery Low, the latter of whom came here from Leominster, Mass., at the suggestion of Mr. Cook, who was a New York capitalist, and advanced funds to enable Mr. Low, who was then advanced in years, to enlarge his comb business, which, like many other establishments, he had carried on in a small way in Leominster. Mr. Cook sold the goods for him in New York. Mr. Low first occupied the middle floor of a building erected by Benjamin Clapp on the site of the Franklindale Cotton Mill, and after- wards in the building erected on its site, which is now the northerly portion of that structure. In 1836, Eleazer D. Sweet, I. T. Nichols and James Shields succeeded Messrs. Cook and Low in the Comb business, which they conducted under the name of Sweet, Nichols & Shields. In 1844, they removed the establishment to a wooden building erected by them near the site of the Clinton Cot- ton Mill, which was torn down in 1848, when the latter was got in operation ; and in 1848, to the upper story of the building now used as the dye mill of the Dutchess Print Works, which was erected by the Franklindale Cotton Co. that year, and the lower story of which was rented to Henry Hughson for a grist mill. In 1854 they discontinued the comb business and sold the establishment to Elias Brown, Abel Gray, Thomas Stevenson and John

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TOWN OF WAPPINGER.

Barlow, who removed it to the island back of the Clinton Cotton Mill, renting a building owned by the Franklindale Cotton Co., a part of which is still standing and in use as a carpenter shop. These gentlemen conducted the business one year, when, in 1855, Mr. Brown purchased the interest of his partners.

In 1861, Mr. Brown associated with himself as partner, I. T. Nichols, a former proprietor, under the name of Nichols & Brown, and in 1864, re- purchased Mr. Nichols' interest, since which time he has carried on the business alone. In 1867 Mr. Brown removed the establishment from the building on the island to one 90 by 30 feet erected by him that year on the site of the central portion of his present building on the corner of Prospect and Market streets. That building was destroyed by fire January 26, 1868, and a new one of like size was erected within three weeks. In 1879 Mr. Brown enlarged the building by an addition on both ends to its present size, one hundred and fifty by thirty feet, with a wing of forty feet on each end.

Sweet, Orr & Co.'s Overall Factory was estab- lished in the fall of 1871 by the present firm, which is composed of Clayton E. Sweet, James Orr and Clinton W. Sweet for the manufacture of overalls, sack coats and jackets. Operations were com- menced on the west side of the creek on an upper floor of Stevenson & Barlow's tin store with less than a dozen machines and operators. But the excellence of their goods soon created a demand which neces- sitated increased facilities and substitution of steam for foot power. Consequently the works were re- moved in 1872 to the building on Mill street occu- pied by the Chronicle office. But these humble quarters were soon outgrown, and the building with its subsequent additions is now 100 by 112 feet, the rear and main portion, including the operating rooms, being three stories high, while the number of machines has increased to 195, and the number of operators to 300, fully two-thirds of whom are females.

The firm have recently commenced the manu- facture of woolen goods, a feature of the business which is increasing in magnitude and importance.

Physicians .- Dr. Peter D. Schenck is believed to have been the first physician who located at Wap- pingers Falls. He was a son of Paul Schenck, an early merchant in Poughkeepsie, and a Deputy to the third Provincial Congress from this county in 1776. He had previously practiced in Fishkill, whence he removed to this place about 1820. He

was a distinguished physician and continued in practice here till his death.

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History of Duchess county, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 97

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