USA > New York > Ulster County > New Paltz > History of New Paltz, New York and its old families (from 1678 to 1820) : including the Huguenot pioneers and others who settled in New Paltz previous to the revolution, 2nd ed > Part 25
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In his old age Josiah moved from the old family residence in this village to the Plattekill. His wife was Sarah Decker. They had three daughters, Elizabeth, Jane and Maria, and one son, Levi, who occupied the Plattekill residence during his lifetime, as did his only son, Josiah, who died about 1885.
Col. Josiah's daughters married as follows: Elizabeth was Josiah DuBois' first wife, Jane married Joseph Hasbrouck of Guilford and Maria married Christopher Reese of Newburgh.
We have said that Col. Josiah had one brother, Jacob J., Jr. After his father's death he continued to occupy the house where Abm. M. now resides until in middle age when he gave up this house to his son, Maurice, and moved to Bontecoe and built the brick house which his grandson, Luther, now owns. 26
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He was twice married. His first wife, Margaret Hardenbergh,. died young, leaving one son, Louis, who went to Sullivan county when a young man and was never seen again. The second wife, Anna DuBois, left a large family of sons and daughters, as follows: Catharine, Maurice, Jacob J., DuBois, Huram, Asenath, Albina.
Coming back now to the village and to the ancient house which is now the Memorial House, we note that after Col. Josiah's removal to the Plattekill, near Jenkintown, the old homestead was occupied for a time by his son-in-law, Josiah DuBois, who had previously carried on the mercantile busi- ness in partnership with him, but discontinued it after a time, and about 1820 built the brick house now owned by Wm. H. D. Blake. After that date the old stone house, until its. purchase by the Huguenot Memorial Society in 1899, was occupied by tenants.
Col. Josiah Hasbrouck was quite certainly the richest man in New Paltz, perhaps the richest man in the county. His father before him was a rich man for those days. Yet it must be- noticed that although this old house was for successive gene- rations the residence of wealthy people it was a very plain edifice,
The people of those old days did not put all their money into houses. They lived, we dare say, in comfort, but had not as yet learned to be discontented with the plain, old stone- houses of their ancestors.
THE STONE RIDGE HASBROUCKS
Isaac Hasbrouck, son of Jacob, son of Jean the Patentee, was born in 1722. He married, in 1745, Mary, daughter of Jacobus Bruyn of Shawangunk. They moved to the town of Marbletown and lived in the house in which their son, Sev-
HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ 403
eryn, afterwards resided, which is still standing, about a mile east of Stone Ridge and now owned by James Pine.
Isaac Hasbrouck and his wife, Mary Bruyn, left a large family of children, as follows: Jacob I., John, Jacobus Bruyn, Severyn, Maria, Esther, Catharine, Benjamin and Louis.
The names of three of these sons appear as soldiers in the Revolutionary war: John, as captain, Severyn and Louis as privates. The name of Jacob I. appears among the signers of the Articles of Association, and so does that of Jacobus Bruyn.
Jacob I., the oldest son, who was born in 1746, married Sarah, daughter of Cornelius DuBois of Poughwoughtenonk, in the town of New Paltz. They located at the place, still known as the Colabargh, about a mile north of Stone Ridge. The property remained in the family for several generations, passing from Jacob I. to his son Josiah, and then to Josiah's son DuBois, and then to his son Dr. Josiah Hasbrouck, who was an only son, as was his father DuBois. On removing to Port Ewen he sold the farm to Lucas E. Schoonmaker.
Jacob I. had another son, Cornelius D., who married Hannah Van Wagenen, studied medicine and became a doctor. In the division of the estate of his maternal grandfather, Cornelius DuBois, Senior, of Poughwoughtenonk, he received the old stone house and about 120 acres of land. Dr. Hasbrouck moved to this tract about 1820, tore down the stone house, which had been built about 100 years before by Solomon Du- Bois, and built the frame house still standing and now occupied as a residence by the present owner of the farm, LeFevre Du- Bois. Dr. Hasbrouck resided on this place and practiced medi- cine about twenty-five years. He left one son, Hiram, who went to Michigan, and one daughter, Eliza, who married Peter Barnhart and lived on the place until in old age.
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Other children of Jacob I. Hasbrouck and Sarah DuBois were: Isaac, born in 1769; Margaret, born in 1773 (married Dr. Wm. Peters) ; Wilhelmus, born in 1775 (was the owner of Kingston Point) ; Jacobus, born in 1777; Cornelius, born in 1778; Jacob I., Jr., born June 7, 1780 ; Louis I., born 1785 ; Abraham, born in 1787; Maria, born in 1789.
Of this numerous family we have additional account of the following: Louis I. married Margaret Van Vleck. Maria married Dr. Matthew Dewitt of Stone Ridge and left no chil- dren. Jacob I., Jr., married, November 18, 1809, Catharine Knickerbocker. They had a large family of children, as fol- lows: Cyrus (killed in the civil war), Rufus, Sarah DuBois, Wm. Peters, Matthew Dewitt, Annie Ingraham, Maria Dewitt, Margaret Peters, Josiah Lewis, Anna Chittenden. The daugh- ter, Margaret Peters, married James C. Cornish. Rev. Marion Cornish of Kingston is their son. DuBois F. Hasbrouck, the noted artist, is the son of Josiah Lewis.
Benjamin, son of Isaac, wrote his name Benjamin I. He was born in 1764 and located at Kyserike, his old stone house, which is still standing, being on what is now the Matthew Steen place. Benjamin was twice married. His first wife was Catrina Smedes. After her death he married Rachel, daugh- ter of David Hasbrouck, whose home was what is now the Louis H. Deyo place, near Butterville. By the second wife there were four daughters, one of whom married Stephen Stilwell; one married James Tamney and one Daniel Has- brouck. The farm passed into the possession of his son, Alexander, who was a child by the first wife.
John, son of Isaac, the first Hasbrouck at Stone Ridge, mar- ried Mary, daughter of Jacob A. Hasbrouck of Kyserike, who was the son of Joseph Hasbrouck of Guilford. John located about one mile south of Stone Ridge at what was called Rest
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place and here he built a stone house. In the Revolutionary war he served as captain in the Third Ulster County Militia, of which John Cantine was colonel. The name of John Has- brouck, Jr., perhaps the same person, appears as a private in the Third Regiment of the Line, commanded by Col. Jas. Clinton. From one of the family, Mrs. James Oliver Has- brouck, residing in extreme old age at Washington, D. C., comes the following account of the services of Capt. John Has- brouck and his family in the Revolutionary war :
Capt. John inherited a homestead from his father, which was located in the county of Ulster, town of Marbletown. On it he built a stone house. When the war broke out he went himself and gave everything except his homestead for free- dom's cause. On this homestead or farm he left his wife and four small children; and she, taking up the burden of both man and wife, worked the land, which was in a splendid state of cultivation. Finally the Indians and Tories, who were all around them, became so troublesome and dangerous that it was necessary to have a fort for the safety of the families. So Capt. John's wife offered her house, which was turned into a fort. It had to be guarded day and night by the soldiers- even men who worked in the fields had to have a guard with them or they would be shot while at work. At this fort the people were cared for and given a place where they could sleep in safety, and besides the table was always on the floor for those that were hungry. The homestead was handed down from generation to generation until it came to Gross Has- brouck, grandson of Capt. John. Capt. John Hasbrouck's descendants likewise have an account of his presence at the capture of Burgoyne's army, also in Sullivan's expedition against the Indians.
Severyn, son of Isaac Hasbrouck, the first of the name at
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Stone Ridge, was born in 1756. He lived about a mile east of Stone Ridge on what is now the James Pine place. He was twice married. By his first wife, Maria Depuy, he had one son, Isaac S., born in 1786. By his second wife, Maria Conk- lin, he had one son, Henry C., and one daughter, Maria. Isaac S. studied for a doctor and practiced medicine for a time, and afterwards carried on the mercantile business at Stone Ridge. His wife was Matilda Barnes. Their children were Severyn, Edgar, Charlotte and Matthew. The two first named sons continued their father's business as merchants at Stone Ridge. Henry C. Hasbrouck lived on a farm about a mile east of Stone Ridge. His wife was Nancy Barnes. Their children were Lorenzo, who died when a young man, and Elmira, who married Abm. V. N. Elting of New Paltz.
Jacobus Bruyn, son of Isaac Hasbrouck, the first of the name at Stone Ridge, was born in 1753, married Ann Abeel. They resided at High Falls. Their children were: Neltje who married Abraham Sahler, Anthony who married Rachel De- puy, Isaac L. who built Norton's cement mill at High Falls, David who married Rebecca Brodhead, Jacob R. who mar- ried Catharine Davis, Anna M. who married Robert Mckay, Catharine who married Joseph Bevier, Maria B. who mar- ried Jacob S. Bloom.
Louis, the youngest son of Isaac, was born in 1767, mar- ried Catharine Decker of Shawangunk, and located at Stone Ridge. They had sons as follows: Garret who lived in New York, Cornelius who lived at Stone Ridge, Benjamin who occupied the homestead, and Jacob who lived at Monticello and was a doctor. The homestead at Stone Ridge was occu- pied by Benjamin during his life time and after his death by his son John C. Hasbrouck who greatly enlarged and im- proved it and resided there until his death.
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CHAPTER XXXIII
THE LEFEVRE FAMILY IN AMERICA
Among the Huguenots who settled in America at an early date we have accounts of six different families of LeFevres, namely at New York, in New Paltz, in New Jersey, in Penn- sylvania and at New Rochelle. We have no certain evidence that these families were related, although it is quite probable that Isaac LeFevre, the ancestor of the Pennsylvania tribe, was the nephew of Andre and Simon LeFevre, of New Paltz, and quite possibly all these Huguenot families bearing the name of LeFevre were nearly related.
For our account of the LeFevre family outside of Ulster county we are mainly indebted to the researches of Mrs. C. A. Weber Lindsay, of Pittsburg, Penn.
The first LeFevre in America of whom we have any record was Peter LeFevre, who was in New Amsterdam in 1653. His name appears on the records at subsequent dates during the next few years in New York and Brooklyn as an owner of real estate. It is thought that he or his widow moved to New Jersey. Hippolytus LeFevre settled at Salem in western New Jersey and was one of John Fenwick's council in 1676. He had brothers, Jean and Jacques, residing in the vicinity, He became a large landholder and his descendants are believed to have been engaged in navigation, as nearly half a century afterward vessels bearing the name of members of the LeFevre family were running from this part of New Jersey to the New England coast. In 1683 another LeFevre, Isaac by name, crossed the ocean and settled in New Jersey. His son, Myn- dert, in 1731, advertised his father's farm for sale, between
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Perth Amboy and New Brunswick. These New Jersey Le- Fevres have moved to other states or become extinct in the male line, as the name has been lost a long time in that country.
Isaac, the ancestor of the Pennsylvania LeFevres, has a numerous line of descendants and the family history has been carefully traced. A brief statement is as follows: Isaac was. born in France in 1669. When he was a youth of fourteen his parents, brothers and sisters were massacred on account of their religion. He escaped and fled to the Palatinate, carrying with him the family Bible, which is still in existence and is now the property of Samuel T. LeFevre of Iowa City, Iowa. It is about 300 years old, was printed at Geneva and contains the- name of Isaac's brothers and sisters, but not of his parents. Isaac fled from France to the Palatinate in company with the family of Madam Ferree and married the daughter, Catharine- Ferree. One son, Abraham, was born to them in the Pala- tinate. In 1708 they emigrated to America and in 171I were. in Kingston, when their second son, Philip, was baptized April I, 17II, Isaac DuBois and Rachel DuBois, both of New Paltz, being sponsors. In 1712 Isaac went with his wife and two sons to Lancaster county (then Chester county), Pa., nine- miles from the present town of Lancaster, where he made pur- chases of land amounting to 2,200 acres, and here in 1713 their son Daniel was born, being the first white child born in the. Pequea Valley. Philip's son George, born in 1739 served as an officer of distinction in the Revolutionary War. After the war he with other Huguenot friends left Lancaster County and settled in Cumberland County, Maryland, and his son Jacob. moved to Lebanon, O. Isaac LeFevre, of Pennsylvania, has a highly respectable line of descendants. In 1896, an organization of the LeFevre and Ferree families was formed for historical purposes.
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The New Rochelle LeFevres came to this country at a much later date than the others of the name. They are descended from John LeFevre, a native of Havre de Grace in France, who went from his native country to St. Domingo. His son John, born in 1752, died in 1837, emigrated to New Rochelle, N. Y. John left a family of seven children, of whom the eldest was the late Peter E. LeFevre, captain of one of the Atlantic steamers sailing from New York.
With this brief notice of other families of Huguenot descent bearing the name of LeFevre we take up the history of the two brothers, Andre and Simon, who settled at New Paltz.
THE LEFEVRE FAMILY AT NEW PALTZ
The old people, in noting the family characteristics of the LeFevres, said they lacked the energy of the Hasbroucks and DuBoises ; they would not work hard themselves, nor make their slaves work hard; they were not so noted for book learn- ing as the Beviers; they could not talk well; but on the other hand they knew when to keep the mouth shut. This is a most important quality, meaning prudence and oftentimes good sense and judgment. The LeFevres certainly held their own very well among the other settlers ; when the church sought release from Holland rule and when the country sought release from British rule they were on the right side; in building each of the old stone churches they contributed a full share, and in the war of the Revolution did not waver; no feuds or family quarrels are reported among the LeFevres in the olden days.
Simon and Andre LeFevre, after leaving France, resided in the Palatinate. They arrived at Kingston at an earlier date than most of the New Paltz Patentees and united with the church at that place in April, 1665. The LeFevre family has a large share of well-preserved traditionary lore and ample
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documentary evidence concerning its later members, but of these two brothers we have little knowledge. Probably they were mere boys when they came to Kingston, and that is the reason their names do not appear on the records for the next twelve years, and that would also explain why there have been found no certificates of their church membership in the Pala- tinate, as have turned up in the case of others of the Patentees. We have been told that Grandfather Peter LeFevre had a French testament and, according to the best recollection of our informant, the word "Lyons" was on the flyleaf. This testa- ment can not now be found. We think it probable that the Le- Fevre brothers were of the kindred of Jas. LeFevre, the great French Reformer and Bible translator, who was born at Calais, from whence came the Hasbrouck brothers. Lille, the home of Louis DuBois, was not far off. Louis Bevier was a cousin of the Hasbroucks. It is probable that all the Patentees were from the same portion of France. In 1635 Adam LeFevre, who may have been a relative, went from Calais to Leyden. Thirty years afterwards Andre and Simon are in Kingston, but probably we shall never know the place of their birth or who were their parents, as the baptismal records of Hugue- not families were destroyed by order of Louis XIV.
At the granting of the New Paltz Patent in 1677 the names of the LeFevre brothers appear with the other Patentees. Simon married Elizabeth Deyo, daughter of Christian, the Patentee. Their first born child, Abram, who died young, was baptised at Kingston in 1679; their son Isaac, the ancestor of the Bontecoe tribe, was baptised at New Paltz, October 28, 1683, and their son Jean (Jan in Dutch, John in English) was baptised October 28, 1685. We find no record of the baptism of the son Andre (in English Andrew, in Dutch Andries). He is first mentioned as joining the church here in 1700.
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Of Simon and Andre, the Patentee, we find but little account in the early records of New Paltz. Neither of them lived very long after the settlement here. In 1680 Andre sold to Hyman Albertson Rosa a house at Hurley, which he had bought of the executors of Cornelius Wynkoop. In 1681 his name appears as godfather at the baptism of Andre, son of Louis Bevier, and in 1694 as godfather at the baptism of Daniel, son of Abra- ham Hasbrouck. Andre was the only one of the Patentees who did not marry. He doubtless made his home with his brother, whose children at his death inherited his property. He certainly outlived his brother, but we can not give the date of his death. An ancient tombstone in the old graveyard, bearing simply the initials A. L. F., marks the grave either of the Patentee or of his nephew who bore his name.
Simon, the Patentee, built his house in the northern part of the present churchyard, where it stood until the present church was built, in 1839. In 1678 Simon, acting for his father-in- law, Christian Deyo, transferred a house at Hurley to Cornelius Wolverson. In 1689 the names of the LeFevre brothers and the other Patentees, except Christian Deyo (who was dead), appear in the list of persons taking the oath of allegiance.
The only family paper in existence, so far as we know, re- lating to Simon is an agreement between the son and four sons- in-law of Christian Deyo in 1687 for an equitable division of his property. Simon must have died about 1690. His widow married Moyse (Moses) Cantain, a French Protestant, whose wife had died on the passage to America. In 1693, May 21, they had a son, Peter, baptised and he is the ancestor of the Cantine family.
Cantain occupied the house until the LeFevre boys were grown and then moved to Ponckhockie. In 1700 we find his name as lieutenant in a military company, the rest of whose
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officers were New Paltz men. He probably left our village shortly after that date. In the tax list of 1712 the property is assessed to "Andre LeFevre & Co.," meaning, of course, the three brothers and their sister Mary, who married Daniel DuBois, son of Isaac, the Patentec.
The LeFevre property in this assessment roll is valued at £270 and is the largest assessment on the roll, except those of Louis Bevier and Abm. DuBois.
In 1713 a division was made among the children, who had until that date jointly owned the one-sixth of all the lands in the patent, which they had heired from their father Simon and their uncle Andre, and likewise the one-fifth of the share of Christian Deyo, which had come to them from their mother. The paper containing the apportionment to the sister Mary, who had married Daniel DuBois, has come down among the papers of that family and is as follows, certain portions being illegible and marked with stars :
To all Christian people to whom this present writing shall or may come Andre Lefevre of the town of new palls in the County of Ulster and province of New York in America Isaac Lefevre of the same place Jean Lefevre of the same place the heires of Andre Lefevre and Symon Lefevre both late of the new palls Deceased Send Greeting Whereas the said Andre Lefevre and Symon Lefevre in theire lifetime were possessed & seized of two-twelfths and of the one-fifth part of a twelfth part of all the land and appurtenances within the bounds and limmitts of the Pattent of the Town * afore- said and whereas the Partners of the said lands of the * by theire certain deed or instrument in writing under their hand * the twenty-fifth day of Jany anno Domini Did convey unto the said Andre LeFevre Isaac Lefevre Jean Lefevre and Mary Lefevre now wife of Daniel Du-
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Bois of the new palls aforesaid all their lotts and parts of the Lands within the bounds and Limmitts of the new palls afore- said as in and by the said deed or instrument in writing there- unto being had doth and appear and whereas by the division of the said parts and lotts of the said new palls afore- said The Lotts and parts hereafter in these presents more par- ticularly mentioned and expressed are fallen unto the said Daniel DuBois and Mary his wife Now for a confirmation of the same unto them the said Daniel Dubois & Mary his wife their heirs and assigns forever Know Yee that the said Andre Lefevre Isaac Lefevre and Jean Lefevre Have given granted conveyed assured Ratified Released and confirmed and by these presents for themselves and their heirs Do freely and Clearly give grant convey assure Release Ratifie and confirme unto the said Daniel Dubois and Mary his wife & to their heirs and assigns forever all that certain lott lying and being on the north side of the palls creek on a certain piece of land call avienjer or piece of oates Between the lotts of Jean Hasbrouck and the said Daniel Dubois and also a certaine lott lying on the north side of the palls creek on a piece of land called pasture between the lotts of Jean Hasbrouck and Abram Du- Bois allso a certaine lott of land on the northeast of the high bridge so called between the lotts of Daniel Dubois & Lewies Bevier and also a certaine lott of land lying on the north of the palls creek on a piece of land called the Little bontekow between the lotts of the said Daniel DuBois and Pieter Doyo and also a home lott and pasture land thereunto adjoining lying in the Town of the new palls on the east side of the
* * Lewies Beviere being in length from the street to the
pas- * Lefevre equal with the said lotts & pastures in length Beviere and also to a certain parcell of land lying to the north of the new palls and to the east of
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the waggon path between the Dubois and Jean Has- brouck and also to a just fourth part of two twelfth parts & one fifth part of a twelfth part of said new palls aforesaid which is nott yett devided and layd out to have and to hold the said lotts parts and parcels of lands with all and singular the appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining unto them the said Daniel DuBois and Mary his wife their heirs and assigns forever to the sole and only proper use benefit and behof of them the said Daniel Dubois and Mary his said wife their heirs and assigns forever they paying rendering and yielding yearly and year forever the just fourth part of the quit Rent due to her majestie for the above mentioned two twelfth parts & one fifth part of a twelfth part of the said land in the new palls in witness whereof the said Andre Lefevre Isaac Lefevre and Jean Le- fevre have hereunto put their hands and seals this twenty- second day of October annoy domini 1713.
Andre le Fevre. isaac le Fevre. jean le Fevre.
Sealed and delivered in the presence of us Joseph Hasbrouck. solomon hasbroucq. Jacob hasbroucq.
In the presence of me Joseph Hasbrouck justice of the peace W. Nottingham Clerk.
Recorded in libra
W. Nottingham Clerk.
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It is interesting to note that the names of "little (in Dutch klein) bontekow" and "avienjer," which have come down to the present day, were at that early date applied to certain tracts- of land along the Wallkill, "little bontekow" being the Beaver place, near Springtown, and "avienjer" a piece of land on the west side of the Wallkill a short distance from our village. It is also worthy of note that the name Bontekow, applied to lowland along the Wallkill, is at a date when the French lan- guage is still the common speech of the people. This would seem to indicate that the name was of French origin, and in that case it means "neck of good land," if written "Bon- ter-cou."
Jean LeFevre, son of the Patentee, was one of the volun- teers who marched to the invasion of Canada in 17II. The next year, November 20th, he was married by Dominie Peter Vas at Kingston, to Catharine Blanshan of Hurley. They located on the Paltz Plains.
Isaac was married at Kingston, May 16, 1718, by Dominie Peter Vas, to Marytjen Freer, daughter of Hugo Freer, Sen. They located at Bontecoe, about four miles north of this. village.
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