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 39
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We, the undersigned, consistory of the Reformed Walloon Church at New Paltz, having a short time ago placed our- selves under the direction of the Rev. Coetus at New York, and so under that of your Reverences, wish your Rev. Assem- bly blessing and life forevermore.
Since it has come to our ears that your Rev. Assembly does not consider the action of the Rev. Coetus regarding us as worthy of praise, we feel impelled to present to your Rever- ences as clearly as possible, the whole matter of our con- tention with the consistory of Kingston, asking your Rever- ences, in a fraternal spirit, to give us a patient hearing, as indeed we expect you will.
For their most holy faith, our ancestors fled from France to this wilderness, to escape the Roman Antichrist. Having bought a land-patent from the Indians, they settled in this locality in the year 1677. This place of residence was guar-
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anteed to them by the Duke of York (subsequently James the Second, King of Great Britain), through Governor Andros. And until the present time, they, and we their descendants, have, without political interference, enjoyed protection and privileges, as French Protestant Refugees.
As far as their strength allowed, which was indeed small at first, they saw to it that, besides maintaining Family Worship, they should have in their midst the public service of pure Religion. In the village of the Paltz they built a church about the year 1718 and worship was conducted there every Sunday in the French language by French ministers whenever they were to be had; such as Rev. De Pierre d'Alje (Daille) and Rev. Bon Repos, who in the year 1683, appointed a consistory. Several others also officiated, of whom Molinaer, who was minister at New Rochelle, was the last, in the year 1739. Whenever there was no minister a sermon was read in French.
Meanwhile Dutch families came to take up their residence, here and there, among us. About the year 1727 services of worship began to be held afternoons in the Dutch language. Because there was no more French ministers to be had, we employed also provisionally some German ministers. Some of us also contributed something toward the salaries of the ministers of Kingston; because, when we had no minister of our own, we did sometimes trouble that church and its minister, as being nearest to us, for the baptism of our children.
Many of us, who understood the Dutch language, did at times go to church there. As well disposed neighbors, we also contributed toward its church building and church expenses. Some Dutch families, having removed from the
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Kingston community and its villages, as also from some other places, to take up their residence among us, still con- tinued their connection with the Kingston church. Some while dwelling among us, were received on confession there, because we had no minister.
Finally the Kingston church attempted to draw us entirely to itself and to make us a part of itself, in order that we might supply a permanent perquisite for its ministers. In our continuous opposition to that attempt, we diligently sought to keep our greatly increasing church in combination with one or two of the neighboring churches nearest to us, but west of us, for the settlement of a minister. Kingston, how- ever, always tried to prevent this. It was in a condition to make many inroads upon us and to draw away many of our residents, because we were as yet too weak to support a minister of our own; for we lacked the living voice of preach- ing as well as the administration of the sacraments-privileges which the neighboring Kingston always enjoyed.
Upon the advice, and what seemed to us the well-founded reasonings of Rev. Petrus Van Driessen, minister at Albany, concerning the ordination in New England of Jan Van Dries- sen (whose conduct in these regions had not yet then become open to remarks), we, as a French church, which, by the statutes of England, had a right to correspond with any Protestant churches which are in the King's dominion, in the year 1733, thought proper to call this Jan Van Driessen to be our minister. Kingston had very much to say against this, under the ridiculous pretext that we were a part of its church. But what reason had we, Walloon Refugees, who at the time were under no obligation, either to Kingston, nor under the jurisdiction of any other Dutch church, to believe Rev. Peter
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Vas, of Kingston, rather than Rev. Peter Van Driessen. Both were outsiders and simply advisers. But alas! What happens? Our neighbor, Kingston, to whom we had done so much good and whose church burdens, out of pure benevo- lence we had helped to carry, unfortunately goes to work and puts us under discipline. Why! because we, poor French Refugees, a Walloon church, had made use of our rights and of the country's liberties, which had been granted us by our gracious King. We did not know that a Dutch church had the power to put under the ban a Walloon church. Nor can we yet account for it; for it looks so utterly incomprehensible to us.
Upon the advice of Rev. Goetschius we have now gone over to you, having by the Rev. Coetus been reorganized and accepted as a church independent of Kingston. May it please God, now and hereafter, to reward a thousandfold the Chris- tian compassion manifested by the ministers and elders of the Rev. Coetus. The above mentioned Mr. Mancius, as long as he has been a resident of Kingston, has done his best to divide us; yea, indeed, to make us appear as Schismatics under discipline, both before your Revs. as also before the Rev. Coetus, notwithstanding the fact that our whole condi- tion is perfectly known to the Rev. Coetus and that many of its worthy members are intimately acquainted with us. And to our great grief and agitation we must hear him daily revile and treat with despite these (Coetus) members, with his slanderous tongue. Indeed, even the Rev. Classis does not escape his inconsiderate remarks, because that body assured us by letter of the 15th of November, 1749, as well as by the mouth of Rev. Freymuth [Freyenmout], who had been authorized thereto, that it had received us under its protection.
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Men, Fathers and Bretheren do but think how painful this must be to us. Although our parents escaped from under the ban of the Roman Antichrist, we in this day, should still encounter obstruction, and that from a consistory and minister who count themselves as belonging under the juris- diction of your Reverences; and that they have done such a shameful deed as though it were by your Reverences con- nivance.
And now in the fear of God, we are ready, if necessary, by clearest argument and with mathematical precision, to demonstrate to the Rev. Coetus and also to your Reverences, and to convince even our greatest enemy if he has still a spark of human conscience left, that from our earliest occu- pancy of our Patent (which is older than the Kingston's Patent), we have been a complete French church, with con- sistories of our own, and independent of Kingston; and that, therefore, we have been wronged and offended in this Kingston discipline, in the most unchristian manner, and par- ticularly by the action of Mr. Mancius.
We make this further request of the Rev. Classical Assem- bly. In case this letter should be delivered before brother Vrooman (whom we expect to be our minister, and who has the affections of the whole church), presents himself to the Rev. Classis, ordain him, in accordance with Church Order and usage, to be the regular minister of our church in com- bination with those of Shawangunk and Walkill. Thus that matter on which so much depends for the welfare of our church, will no longer be retarded by unreasonable opposi- tion and our poor church will not be put to greater incon- venience.
With all due submission to your Reverences, We the Elders and Deacons, chosen and installed by order of the Rev.
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Coetus at New York, by authority of our church at New Paltz, subscribe our names:
DANIEL DUBOIS [Col.] JOHANNES HARDENBERG [of Rosendale] JOHANN GEORGE RANK [of New Hurley] EVERT TERWILLIGER [of Shawangunk] New Paltz, Dec. 10, 1751, O. S.
The foregoing communication, which has slumbered in the archives in Holland for 150 years shows that the New Paltz church did not give in its allegiance to the Classis of Amster- dam until 1751 and then only because they had not been able in many years to obtain a French minister and were now assured that they, with Shawangunk, should have a minister of their own and not form part of the Kingston church.
This communication shows certain other facts: that when the people had no minister a sermon was read in French; that about 1727 services began to be held in Dutch in the afternoon ; that family worship was maintained; that because no more French ministers were to be had they had employed, provisionally, some German ministers, who had come over, doubtless, in the great Palatine emigration. There is no record on the church book of any marriages or baptisms by any such minister, but probably they performed marriages and baptisms and failed to record them or recorded them on loose sheets of paper, which have been lost. Most of the children were baptized at Kingston during the period from 1700 to 1733 and again from 1736 until 1749 while New Paltz was without a minister.
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CHAPTER III
THE BOOKS OF THE DUZINE
There are two books which have come down to us from the Duzine. One narrates the divisions of land which they made; the other gives an account of the lawsuits in which they were engaged concerning the boundaries of the Patent. There are no records of other action which they may have taken concerning other matters, though there is reason to believe that some action was taken and no permanent record kept.
THE FIRST DIVISION OF LAND IN THE NEW PALTZ PATENT
On the 25th of August, 1703, the surviving New Paltz Patentees and representatives of those who were dead signed and sealed documents apportioning to each Patentee or his heirs his just part of land in the Patent.
The paper assigning to the children of Simon LeFevre their inheritance is as follows :
To all Christian people to whom this present writing shall 'or may come: Abraham Hasbrouck, Jean Hasbrouck, Abra- ham DuBois, Louis Bevier, Antoine Crispel, Peter Deyo, Mary DuBois, wife and executor of Isaac DuBois deceased, and Hugo Frere, eldest son of Hugo Frere deceased, all of New Paltz, in the County of Ulster, send greeting :
Whereas there is a patent obtained by Lewis DuBois, Chris- tian Deyo, Abraham Hasbrouck, Andries LeFevre, Jean Has- brouck, Peter Deyo, Lewis Bevier, Antoine Crispel, Abraham DuBois, Hugo Frere, Isaac DuBois and Simon LeFevre from Sir Edmund Andros, late Governor of this province, bearing
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date ye 29th day of September, 1677, for a certain piece of land at the Esopus, in the county aforesaid, lying and being on ye south side of ye Rondout creek or kill, beginning from ye high hills called Moggonck, from thence stretching south- east near the Great River to a certain point or hook called Juffrous Hook, lying in the long reach called by the Indians Magaatramis, then north alongst the River to an island in ye crooked elbow in the beginning of the long reach called by the Indians Raphoos, then west to the high hills to a place called Waratahoes and Tawaratagu and so along the said hills south- west to Moggonck, aforesaid and we the said owners and pro- prietors of said land being desirous to convey to each partner his share of ye land aforesaid, Now Know ye that we ye said Abraham Hasbrouck, Jean Hasbrouck, Abraham DuBois, Louis Bevier, Antoine Crispel, Peter Deyo, Mary DuBois, Daniel DuBois, and Hugo Frere do by these presents convey, transfer, alienate and set over to Andries LeFevre, Isaac LeFevre, Jean LeFevre and Mary LeFevre all the lots and parcels of the above said land befallen unto them from their father, Simon LeFevre and from their uncle, Andries LeFevre and one fifth part of their grandfather's land, Christian Deyo as it is layed out divided, all now in their possession, together with two twelfths - parts and one-fifth of the twelfth part of the whole Patent, being of their said grandfather of all the land not yet laid out or divided to have it in such place and part as they with their partners, their heirs or assigns, shall from time to time think fit to divide and lay out the same to have and to hold the said lots and parcels of land and tracts not yet laid out with their hereditaments and appurtenances to the said An- dries LeFevre, Isaac LeFevre, Jean LeFevre and Mary Le- Fevre, their heirs and assigns, forever, provided they their
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heirs and assigns forever pay their proportion of ye quit rents in the above said Patent, according to ye part of their land.
In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and unchangeably affixed our seals at the New Paltz, this 25th day of August, 1703.
Abraham Hasbrouck,
Peter Deyo,
Mary DuBois,
Jean Hasbrouck,
Daniel DuBois,
Abraham DuBois,
Hugo Frere,
Louis Bevier,
Antoine Crispel.
In presence of us
John Briellane,
Samuel Bevier.
In presence of me W. W. Nottingham, Justice of the Peace.
DIVISIONS OF LANDS IN THE PATENT
In old papers allusion is found to a division in 1703 by the Patentees and their children, by parole without deed, of the land lying along the Wallkill, which had previously been cleared by the united labor of the settlers. At a still earlier date there was individual ownership in houses and home lots. In the Books of the Duzine however, we have no account of what transpired previous to the organization of that body in 1728; nor has any document been found telling just how the land was divided in 1703.
The first meeting of the Duzine for division of lands, of which account is given in their book, now in the town clerk's office, was held Oct., 1738. This was not an original division
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of the land, but rather a confirmation to the owners of their title to the tracts which had previously been divided by parole without deed. This division, no doubt, defined the boundaries more accurately than the previous agreement had. A great portion of the land in the immediate valley of the Wallkill was occupied and under cultivation in 1738.
No surveyor was employed by the Duzine (or Twelve Men, as they are frequently called) in making this division. Some stones were set in the ground and the place where some brook flowed or emptied into the Wallkill, served to some extent in marking the division lines between the different tracts.
The record in the book begins as follows :
" Whereas the Freeholders of the Township of the New Paltz on the first Tuesday in April in the year of our Lord Christ 1728 did meet then and there, according to an amicable agreement, appearing by an instrument in writing under their hands and seals, dated the 21st day of April, 1728 did elect and chuse twelve able and sufficient men, freeholders and inhabitants, who have an interest in the Paltz Patent, repre- senting the twelve Patentees, every one of them all owners and occupyers and a right of each Patentees share respectively, to wit: Jacob Hasbrouck, Roelif Eltinge, John LeFevre, Dan- iel DuBois, Samuel Bevier, Daniel Hasbrouck, John Ter- pening, Solomon Hasbrouck, Abraham Dojou, John Een, Isaac LeFevre and Josiah Eltinge, who are all, or the major part of them, authorized and invested [with] full power to settle the several Divisions and partitions that have hitherto been made between them by paroll, without deed, reference being had unto aforesaid instrument in writing [from which it] may more and at large appear what power and authority the aforesaid Twelve elected men have got."
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With this introduction the record in the book of the Duzine goes on to say that at a meeting, Oct. 9, 1738, divisions and partitions of the lots that had previously been divided by parole, without deed, were settled as follows: Beginning at the south bounds of the Patent, at the north bound of Solo- mon DuBois, on the west side of the Wallkill, the owners of the lots comprising the Grote Stuck or Grand Piece shall continue to hold and enjoy their lots to the Killtje bridge, except that the northernmost lot in said Piece, belonging to Abraham Deyo, extends along the south side of Grote Stuck Killtje, till it meets a lot of Daniel Hasbrouck.
Then, going on north the bounds of lots are settled as follows: The lot of John LeFevre on the north side of the "Grote Stuck Killtje, called in Dutch" to a lot of Daniel Hasbrouck upon the "Avenjier " [oatsfield] ; also the lots of Daniel Hasbrouck upon the "Avenjier;" the bounds of every lot upon the "Rompassy " from the brook that divides the lot of Daniel Hasbrouck and that of Andrew LeFevre, deceased, to the "maree" of Samuel Bevier and "every respective owner of said lots shall hold and enjoy said lots as they have them in their actual possession to them and their heirs and assigns, forever " and the maree [swamp] which belongs to Samuel Bevier shall run from the last mentioned stone along the brook as it winds to the Wallkill where it empties itself. The lot of the heirs of Andrew LeFevre is described and it is said that it ranges along a swamp to the lot of Roelif Eltinge and all the other lots from thence to the "Dryhech " [swing gate] being the north bound of a lot of Jacob Hasbrouck and bounded on the east by the Wallkill and on the west by a swamp and stones set in the ground all along said swamp. Next are mentioned two lots on the north side of the High Bridge creek [Humpo] belonging to Daniel DuBois and Sam-
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uel Bevier. This closed the work for the day as we find it recorded in the book of the Duzine.
The next day, Oct. 10, the record of their action is resumed as follows, going on northward from what is now Spring- town : " The Twelve Men came to a voting to settle the north- ern and southern division and partitions of the Klein Bontekoe [now the R. V. N. Beaver farm] and the majority of them ordered that the southern line of the said Klein Bontekoe is to begin by the Paltz River [Wallkill] at a ditch by a stone set in the ground, by the banks of the River and running from thence westerly to another stone on the west side of the King's highway and from thence as them two stones ranges to the high mountain; and on the north side of the Klein Bontekoe aforesaid to begin by the River side by a stone, standing in the ground, on the west side of the King's highway, by a bridge, called John the Hollander's bridge and a swinging gate, and from thence westerly to another stone set in the ground and from thence as the two stones ranges to the high mountain and lots lying between the north bounds and south bounds of the Klein Bontekoe shall remain unto the respective owners to them and their heirs and assigns forever hereafter."
"And it is further agreed at this present meeting by the twelve elected men or the major part of them that the lots lying on the Groet Bontekoe shall be and remain to the respec- tive owners as follows: beginning at a lot of Daniel DuBois and extending northerly along a small ridge to a swamp near the Bever kill and along the Bever kill to the Wallkill."
The record, then, without saying anything about further divisions to the north on the west side of the Wallkill crosses to the east side of the stream and proceeds as follows: "And it is further ordered and agreed by the twelve elected men
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or the major part of them for settling the limits and bounds between the Commons and the divided lots lying on the east side of the Paltz River, called in French Bouree Wallron, beginning at a stone set in the ground on the bank of the Wallkill, where said River makes a turn to the high falls at a lot belonging to John Terpening " and from thence, describ- ing the route, but not mentioning the names of any owners to "Bontekous kill; thence as the kill winds westerly to stone set in the ground near the bridge and from said stone to a mark on a rocky hill near John Een's house."
The Twelve Men next proceed to the " lots called Solomon Hasbrouck's, Roelif Eltinge's and Jacob Hasbrouck's bouerys from the " pature a coshon [Hog Pasture] of Roelif Elting." The bowerys are set aside for the persons above named.
Next the pature a coshon of Roelif Eltinge is set aside to him and his heirs forever. Then, passing by all the lots in" the village without any mention, as their bounds were already definitely settled, the record next says, "And further the elected men proceeded to settle the division between the bowereys [farms] lying at the south side of the New Paltz called formerly Plat Campaine and now by the name of the Plane [Paltz Plains] and the Common and undivided land, to begin at the mouth of a small run, where it empties itself into the Wallkill, known by the names of Hugoes Frere's Mill Creek [the brook at the brick yard], and running along the mill creek as he winds southerly as far as the creek makes a turn into the woods and from thence to a stone set in the ground at the gate of Roelof Eltinge [now the Edmund Eltinge place] by the wood side and from thence to another stone set in the ground, near the division line of Solomon DuBois and the New Paltz and from thence running along the bounds of Solomon DuBois to the Wallkill, aforesaid, and
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from thence as the River winds to the mouth of the small run or Mill Creek first mentioned, comprehending the lots of Roelof Eltinge, Daniel DuBois, John LeFevre and Louis Bevier, within these bounds and the lots shall be and remain unto the respective owners as they have got them in their actual possession.
Having finished, the Twelve Men return to the Klein Bontekoe to give a more complete description of the small lots there as follows : "And it is further agreed by the majority of the twelve elected men on the Klein Bontekoe that the owners of the respective lots shall run from the Wallkill and extend from thence westerly the full breadth of each lot as the stones range so far westerly as the west side of Jonah Freer's house, except the division line between Jonah Freer's lot and the heirs of Catharine Danielson [Donaldson] the run shall be the division between the two lots."
" It is also further ordered that there shall be twelve stones set at the mountain of an equal distance and that every lot shall run from the stone set in the ground the distance from ye creek as Jonah Freer's house is and then to run every lot with a direct line to the mountain and every lot shall be to them and their assigns, forever."
" In testimony whereof the twelve elected men or the major part of them have set their hands the tenth day of October, in the twelfth year of his majesty's reign of George the sec- ond, over Great Britain, France and Ireland, Anno Domini, 1738."
This document shows the method of procedure taken by the Duzine in reference to lands along the Wallkill in cases where the bounds of lots had not been previously located or defined with exactness. A considerable portion of the lots are not mentioned at all, for the reason, no doubt, that the
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bounds were already exactly understood. Some of the names of localities mentioned in this paper have come down to the present day-Klein Bontekoe, Grote Bontecoe, Bontekous kill, Rompassy, Avenjier. But the brook passing through the southern part of our village is no longer known as Hugo Freer's Mill brook or the brook on the north side of James E. Deyo's farm as the Bever kill.
Following the account of the action, in 1738 in the division of lands along the Wallkill comes a memorandum, in 1755, stating it had been found that a mistake had been made in the division between the bowery of Solomon Hasbrouck and others north of the village and that there were still undivided lands lying at what is now known as Middletown, between the lands of Solomon Hasbrouck and those of Geesje Ean, widow of Jan Ean; therefore the action of the Twelve Men was ordered revoked as far as this particular division was concerned.
Following this memorandum comes an account of the draw- ing made by the Duzine in 1739 of lands on the west side of the Wallkill, west of the old divided lands and extending from the Grote Stuck bridge to the Humpon [Humpo] the whole tract being divided into twelve lots and each lot being drawn by one of the Duzine, descended from that one of the original Patentees whom he represented in the Duzine.
The first lot commencing at a run of water " which run- neth through the olinut [Butternut, the ancient name of the Butterville neighborhood] running to the extent of the Patent on the Great Hill, was drawn by Daniel Hasbrouck and fell to the Patentee's share of Christian Deyo, deceased (known as Grandpere's lot)."
"Lot No. 2, being on the west side of the old land as aforesaid and extending westerly to the extent of the Patent
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