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 49
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About 1835 Dr. Hart taught the village school and also practised medicine with Dr. Jacob Wurts and his son Dr. David Wurts, then a young man.
Aaron Tuthill succeeded Dr. Hart as teacher and then came John Hammond, Augustus Rogers, Gilbert DuBois, John Howland.
A notable event about 1856 was the removal to the school- house of the old church bell, which had remained in the base- ment of the new brick church ever since its erection in 1839. John C. Deyo and his brother Aaron overhauled the public school building and put in the cupola. This old bell remained at the school-house until 1874, when it was taken to the new. school building, just erected.
Among the teachers half a century ago were a number of able and energetic young men, who afterwards rose to promi- nence.
Nathan Williams taught the school, about 1850. He was a good disciplinarian and a good teacher. He also was the town superintendent of schools. In 1864 he was elected county clerk. He still resides at Highland.
Easton Van Wagenen taught the school for a time about 1852. Later in life he was postmaster in our village and carried on the drug store and insurance business.
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Shortly after this time Marvin Parrot of Milton taught the school. He was afterwards for a long time deputy county clerk.
About 1857 Mathusalem DuBois was the teacher. He was afterwards for a long time in the National bank at Ellenville and cashier in the Huguenot bank at New Paltz. Edward DuBois a brother of Mathusalem, also taught the school for a short time and so did Mathusalem Deyo.
In those days the necessity of enforcing good order was perhaps the most important requirement in the teacher and vigorous corporal punishment was considered an essential. It is related that one of these teachers had a regular schedule of the number of lashes to be inflicted for every offense and kept a book account against the offender, settling up the ac- count, occasionally. Two cuts with the whip was the penalty for whispering, two cuts for throwing crumbs of bread and other offenses against the rules were punished in a similar manner. The whip was procured of the harness maker in the village and its application was no joke. Another incident re- lated of those stirring times was that a number of the large boys had formed a plot to whip the teacher. But he learned of the plan and calling on one of the boys to come forward dealt him a stinging blow on the face with the flat of his hand and then called on the other boys to come on, but none responded.
The upper story of the school building was used for a term of years, ab't 1853-4 as the meeting place of the "Know Nothing " Lodge, a political organization that sprung up like Jonah's gourd in a night, all over our country and flourished for several years. This organization had for its object the prohibition of the elective franchise to immigrants, at least until they had been 21 years in this country.
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HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ
From about 1840 to 1853 there was a "Select School" in one of the cottages still standing north of the Reformed church. Miss Rebecca Elting was the originator of the " Se- lect School." She bought the lot, put up the building and charged no rent. The public school was crowded at this time, and the "Select School " helped to relieve the congestion. Some also, altho not advanced in their studies and quite young in years were sent by their parents to the Academy, where the advantages for learning were supposed to be better than in the district school. The "Select School " was taught for quite a long time by Melissa DuBois, who afterwards became the wife of Rev. Benjamin Relyea. Afterwards it was in charge of Sarah Van Orden, who subsequently was Daniel A. Hasbrouck's first wife.
The public school was taught for a time, about 1860 by Miss Antoinette Howland, who had previously taught else- where in the vicinity and is still remembered as a good teacher. Corporal punishment did not bear so important a part in her day in the discipline of the school as under certain of her predecessors. For quite a long time after this nearly all the teachers were women. Among the number were Ann Van Wagenen, Jane DuBois and Jennie M. Schoonmaker, the last named of whom was teacher for a number of years before the new school-house was built in 1874 and was principal for some time afterward.
THE CLASSICAL SCHOOL
The Classical School was organized in 1828 and was the forerunner of the New Paltz Academy, which was started six years later. The Classical School held its sessions in the upper story of the old stone school house, now the residence of John Drake on North Front street.
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A book of eight or ten pages entitled "Records of the New Paltz Classical School " has come down among the papers of the New Paltz Academy. These records begin with the statement that "At a meeting of the citizens of the town of New Paltz, which was held at the house of Benjamin VanWagenen on the 19th day of April, 1828 a plan for establishing a Classical School was adopted." This plan is set forth at length in the "Records." It is stated that the primary object of the school should be to teach the classics. In the admission of students classical ones should have the preference, but in case a sufficient number of classical scholars could not be obtained English ones should be admitted. Tuition for classical scholars was fixed at $25 a year and for English scholars $15 a year. A subscription list was started at once, the sums subscribed to be paid annually for two years for the wages of a teacher. The list is as follows :
Jacob Wurts $60
Wm. R. Bogardus 40
Peter Eltinge 40
Jacob J. Hasbrouck 30
Daniel DuBois 25
Solomon E. Elting I5
Jacob Elting I5
Josiah R. Elting
I5
Mary DuBois
15
John Bogardus
I5
Zachariah Freer
IO
Peter Deyo
IO
Philip Deyo
IO
Daniel A. Deyo
IO
Nathaniel LeFevre IO
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Roelif Hasbrouck IO
Maurice Hasbrouck IO
Cornelius D. Hasbrouck. IO
Jonathan J. LeFevre
IO
James Jenkins
5
Nathan Harlow
5
James McCullogh
5
Ezekiel Deyo
5
Daniel R. Bond.
5
Crines Jenkins 5
Benjamin Van Wagenen
5
Elias Ean 5
Andrew P. LeFevre 4
In a subsequent subscription list for fitting up the room and the purchase of globes are the names of Abm. Pells, Garret LeFevre, Joseph Poyer, and J. K. Webb. The board of trustees elected was drawn from the list of contributors with the addition of Jacob I. Schoonmaker. The next year Wm. R. Bogardus was elected president of the board of trustees and Benjamin Van Wagenen, secretary.
The list of contributors is valuable as showing who were citizens of New Paltz and vicinity in 1828, having the means and inclination to provide opportunities for a classical educa- tion for the children. The names of a great portion of the subscribers to the list will be recognized by old people as the grandfathers of the New Paltz people of to-day.
Jacob Wurts and John Bogardus were the New Paltz doc- tors. Wm. R. Bogardus was the dominie of the Dutch church. Most of the others were New Paltz farmers. Jacob I. Schoonmaker had a store and blacksmith shop at Liberty- ville. Roelif Hasbrouck lived at Springtown. Cornelius D. Hasbrouck was a doctor, residing near the present county
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poor house. James Jenkins was a miller at Jenkintown and Nathan Harlow a miller at Tuthill. James McCullogh was a merchant at Tuthill. Crines Jenkins and Daniel A. Deyo were farmers in the present town of Gardiner. Daniel R. Bond (father of the late Samuel D. Bond of Highland), carried on the wool carding and cloth dressing business at Tuthill. Benjamin Van Wagenen attended to legal business, such as drawing wills, deeds, etc., in New Paltz. James K. Webb was for many years the New Paltz village tailor, living on Huguenot street in the house now occupied by Cyrus D. Freer. He had a large family of girls. Joseph Poyer (father of Benjamin Poyer) lived in the Levi Hasbrouck house (now the Memorial House) and cultivated the farm. Abm. Pells owned and occupied the farm south of our village, now the John Carroll farm. Mary DuBois was the widow of Garret Du Bois.
The first teacher at the Classical School was T. McClaury. Another was named Easton. He married a daughter of Josiah DuBois. Rev. Mr. Qua was the last teacher at the Classical School and the first teacher at the Academy.
THE NEW PALTZ ACADEMY
Our account of the Academy in its early days is drawn mainly from the paper read by Mr. Edmund Eltinge at the Semi-Centennial celebration in 1883.
In 1832 the subject of establishing an Academy received earnest attention. During that year and the early part of 1833 subscriptions to the amount of several thousand dollars were raised for a suitable building, which stood for a half century as the central part of the Academy building.
The Academy was incorporated by act of the Legislature, April 12, 1833.
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HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ
The lot which was called " Kill Bogert " or Creek Orchard was bought of Daniel DuBois for $322.
Rev. Douw Van O'Linda, Jacob J. Hasbrouck, Dr. John Bogardus, Benj. Van Wagenen, Levi Hasbrouck, Solomon E. Elting, Peter Eltinge, Josiah DuBois and Jesse Elting were named as trustees. The capital was $2,500.
Rev. Douw Van O'Linda is given the credit by the old people generally as the main mover in the enterprise.
Peter Eltinge presented the chairs for seats for which he received a vote of thanks. It is related likewise that Peter Eltinge's oxen trod the clay for the brick, which were manu- factured on the premises as was the custom to a great extent in those days when brick buildings were erected.
By an act of the Legislature in 1835 the Academy trus- tees were continued in office and empowered to increase the capital to $10,000. The first president of the board of trus- tees was probably Rev. Douw Van O'Linda, but this can not be stated with certainty, as the early records are lost. There have been few changes in the trustees or officers, most having served long terms. Edmund Eltinge was treasurer from 1834 to 1878, a period of forty-four years. He was succeeded by Philip D. Elting, who served until 1884, when Josiah J. Hasbrouck was elected. He served during the strenuous period when the money was being raised to rebuild the insti- tution after the fire in February, 1884 and still holds the office. Dr. David Wurts was secretary for a number of years. Roelif Eltinge was secretary for a few years and Solomon Deyo filled the office from 1865 till the time of his death, a period of thirty-eight years. Derick W. Elting was president of the board of trustees from about 1850 to 1865, when Alfred Deyo was elected and served until 1881, since which period Ralph LeFevre has held the position.
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With this statement of those who have been officers of the board of trustees we return to the history of the school.
Eliphaz Fay succeeded Rev. Mr. Qua as principal of the Academy in the spring of 1834 and filled the position for seven years; then, after an interval of three years, while he was president of Waterville College in Maine, and Mr. Parker principal of the Academy, Mr. Fay returned to New Paltz and was for three years more at the head of the Academy.
Never in its subsequent history did the Academy again enjoy so great a degree of renown and there were doubtless at that time few better schools in the country. George Gif- ford of Dutchess county was an assistant instructor during a portion of these ten years and Miss Scovil, Miss Crocker and Miss Cornelia Dewitt were at different times teachers in the female department under Mr. Fay.
The great prosperity of the school and the demand for more room led the trustees to build the north and south wings of the building. This entailed a debt of $2,462 as stated at a meeting of the board in April, 1840. Shortly afterwards in 1841 Mr. Fay left the school to become president of a college at Waterville in Maine. The papers read at the Semi- Centennial of the Academy in 1883 consisted largely of pleas- ant memories of New Paltz Academy and New Paltz village in those days.
From a paper prepared for that occasion by Washington Hasbrouck, principal of the New Jersey State Normal School at Trenton, we quote :
" It is now more than forty years ago, when I, a lad of thirteen years entered the New Paltz Academy, then under the care of Eliphaz Fay. I well remember that cold winter ยท morning, when I left the old school house in Middletown,
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THE OLD ACADEMY
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to engage in study in my Alma Mater. I distinctly recollect the noble form of him under whose instruction I was to sit during the next four years. The school at this time was in the height of its prosperity.
" The attendance of day pupils at this time was very large. I recall to-night, as I sit at my study table, the names of LeFevre, Deyo, Bogardus, Hoornbeck, Wurts, Elting, Van Olinda, DuBois, Hardenburgh, Van Wagenen, Fay, Fanning, Innis, Naudain, Viele, Northrop, Johnson, Southwick, Thomp- son, Hasbrouck and Freer. Nearly all these names were numerously represented.
" Our yearly examinations stood prominently among the first in importance. These lasted for several days and were exhaustive and thorough. I can now see Mr. Fay in blue dress coat, with brass buttons, buff vest and black pants, with ruffled shirt bosom and high standing shirt collar, his hair gray and cut short, standing at right angles to every part of his large head ; and as he moved among us on examina- tion day, a man of 200 pounds avoirdupois, and of noble mien, we were proud to call him master. These examinations were held in the school room, situated in the south wing, of the Academy. They were largely attended by the citizens of the surrounding country. Let it be said with pride by the young men and women of New Paltz to-day that their fathers in those days took a deep interest in the welfare of our dear old Alma Mater and in the education of their sons and daughters.
" I must not forget to mention our exhibitions which were held in the old stone church, which long since has given place to the large brick edifice now standing upon nearly the same foundations. What crowds gathered here to witness juvenile oratory! Here were rehearsed many a serious, dramatic and
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humorous dialogue. These were great occasions, never to be forgotten."
Wm. Parker, who succeeded Mr. Fay as principal of the Academy in 1841, had a good school for three years. His assistants were Mr. Dean and Miss Ehle. From a paper prepared for the Semi-Centennial by Mr. S. W. Merritt we quote the following concerning the Academy in those days :
" Years rolled on. It was now near the end of 1842. I was about to realize my long cherished hope of being an 'Academy boy.'
"Mr. Fay, my great ideal, was, indeed, no longer there- he was now president of the Waterville College in Maine-so a portion of fairy land crumbled from under my feet at the threshold. I could not have Mr. Fay for teacher-that was a great disappointment-but the building was there yet and that was a great comfort.
"One dreary, stormy winter's morning 'in the bleak De- cember ' I think it was, with fear and trembling, I approached the much desired, but yet awful presence. Several times I was tempted to 'turn and flee,' but I kept bravely on and at length stood within the dread arcanum
" I will not detain you with particular incidents or other occurrences of school life: suffice it to say that under the guidance of the benign and gentle Mr. Parker, the principal ; the good and patient Mr. Dean, male assistant and in the fellowship of such genial spirits as Ira Deyo, Jonathan Deyo, Philip A. Deyo and a small host of other good fellows who were there as students, I spent the winter and early spring in a very pleasant and profitable manner.
"Among the students, in addition to the three already named, I remember Ezekiel Deyo, Alex. Deyo and Theodore Deyo, brothers of Philip A .; Josiah Deyo, brother of Ira,
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Wm. H. Seaman, Owen and Henry Van O'Linda, Wm. H. Bull, and another of the name of Bull, Lewis Schoonmaker, Easton and James Van Wagenen, Lorenzo Hasbrouck, Theo- dore Schoonmaker, Jacob and John Wurts, Courtlandt and Duryea Van Wyck and Abm. DuBois. Among the gentler sex I remember Sarah Van O'Linda and a younger sister, Elizabeth Wurts, Anne Van Wagenen, Laura Decker, and one or two Misses Jansen.
"I left the Academy in the latter part of March, 1843, and returned to it on the 16th of November, 1846. In the meantime Mr. Fay had returned to 'the Paltz ' and was again principal. Mr. James Devine, a fine man and superior teacher, from the State Normal School of Albany, was male assistant. Mr. Parker had gone to New Jersey and was now principal of an academy at Middletown Point."
From a reminiscent article in The Huguenot (a periodical published by the Academy students) in December, 1883, we quote the following account of our village and the Academy in 1836:
New Paltz village was much smaller and more quaint look- ing then than now. Most of the houses were along the street leading down the hill past Budd's Tavern towards and past the old stone Dutch Reformed Church on towards Middle- town. These houses are, most of them, there yet; though some have since been, in part, remodeled. The present brick church had not yet been built and the Methodist church had probably not then been even thought of.
Solomon E. Elting "kept store" on the hill, just above the present Huguenot bank, where Oscar C. Hasbrouck at present holds forth; and George Wurts kept the store at the bridge. Budd's Tavern was the principal hotel. It stood on the site of the present Wallkill House.
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HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ
Ezekiel Elting, father of Solomon E. Elting, lived in the " brick house " on the street leading along the Kill, past the Academy. George Wurts lived in the house between the Academy and the bridge; and "Dr. Jake," his father, resided where Capt. Cornelius Wurts now lives. I do not remember who kept the tavern near the present Huguenot bank, but Benj. Smedes kept it a few years later. The Huguenot bank building was erected not far from this time and Hardenburgh DuBois, who was its first owner, kept a store in it a while. Aldert " Ollie " Schoonmaker was the tailor and Moses Freer the " village blacksmith."
Daniel DuBois lived in the "1705" house; " Mariche " Hasbrouck lived in the stone house standing side to the street opposite the present brick church; and the Poyer family resided at the forks of the road between the " 1705" house and the old grave yard. .
The old stone Dutch Reformed church stood nearer the street than the present building and nearer the southeastern angle of the church enclosure. Dominie Van O'Linda was pastor and lived at the present parsonage. Mr. Eliphaz Fay was chorister of the church and principal of the Academy, which was three years old, a little toddler in years, but a giant, even then, in influence. The writer was a small boy, of not much account, except in his own estimation. Mr. William Parker succeeded Mr. Fay as principal of the Acad- emy in 1841 and it was during his incumbency that I first entered the institution as a student-in 1842. In 1844 Mr. Fay returned and again took charge and in 1846-7 I attended under him. He left, finally, in April, 1847, and went to Poughkeepsie."
In 1845, while Mr. Fay was principal the second time a financial crisis was successfully met. The building of the
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wings had entailed a debt of about $2,500. This was held by Mr. Jacob J. Hasbrouck, who had a mortgage on the property. The mortgage was foreclosed and bid in by Mr. Hasbrouck in January, 1845 and he was for the period of two months its owner. Then a determined effort was made to pay off the debt. Subscriptions for stock in the Academy were sold and the debt paid, Mr. Hasbrouck deeding to thirty-five persons, including himself, the Academy property. The names of the stockholders, who thus became the owners of the Academy, comprises, no doubt, a pretty full list of people of that period, interested in the cause of education. The names are as follows:
Mathusalem Elting, Maurice Hasbrouck, David Wurts, Jacob J. Hasbrouck, Clinton Hasbrouck, Solomon LeFevre, Jacob G. DuBois, Sarah Elting, Andries P. LeFevre, Elijah Woolsey, Ezekiel Deyo, Jr., Roelif Elting, Moses P. LeFevre, Stephen Stilwell, Josiah P. LeFevre, Henry I. DuBois, Abra- ham D. B. Elting, Edmund Eltinge, Moses Elting, Maria Wurts, Maurice Wurts, Derick W. Elting, Jacob Elting, Dan- iel DuBois, Andrew Deyo, Abraham A. Deyo, Jr., Abraham J. Elting, Josiah DuBois, Peter Deyo, Wm. W. Deyo, Aldert Schoonmaker, Abraham Elting, Levi Hasbrouck, Jonas N. LeFevre and Charles B. Hasbrouck.
For about a dozen years these persons owned the property, individually.
In 1856 the board of Academy trustees was again organized and the individuals or their heirs deeded to them their title to the institution. . The consideration mentioned is $1.
The money received from the State Literature fund amounted to a large sum, annually, in the early years of the Academy. In 1840 it was $373.78. The next year it was
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HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ
$246.65. This fund diminished from year to year on account of the increase of classical students in the state.
When Eliphaz Fay left the Academy the second time, in 1847, he was succeeded by Mr. Munsell, who remained only one year.
He was succeeded by Mr. Butler, whose wife was his assistant. They remained until 1851. One event of this period is to be set down to Mr. Butler's special credit; that is the planting of the maple grove in front of the Academy, which remains until the present day.
John B. Steele of New York became principal of the school in 1851 and filled the position three years, resigning in the spring of 1854.
In the fall of the same year the term began late, Oct. 30th, with J. H. Sinclair as principal and Miss Sarah Tooker as assistant.
In 1855 Mr. Sinclair was principal and Miss Sinclair and Miss Mary Keeler assistants. In this year a loan of $1,000 was obtained from the state funds and a mortgage placed on the Academy property. At this time and for a long period afterwards Derick W. Elting was president of the board of trustees and Dr. David Wurts, secretary. Other members of the board at about this time were Roelif Elting, Edmund Eltinge, Josiah P. LeFevre, Aldert Schoonmaker, Moses P. LeFevre, Jacob G. Dubois, Abm. A. Deyo, Jr., Clinton Has- brouck, Maurice Hasbrouck, Jacob Elting, Josiah DuBois, Mathusalem Elting, Moses Elting.
In the report to the regents of the university in September 1855 the value of the Academy grounds is stated at $900 and the value of the Academy building at $7,000. The value of the library is stated at $372 and the value of the philosophical apparatus at $359. The number of students on the first of
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September 1856 is stated at thirty-two. The highest rate of tuition is $7 per quarter and the lowest rate $4 per quarter.
In the summer of 1857 Frederick R .. Brace became prin- cipal of the Academy and his brother, Robert J. Brace, assistant. The first named was a member of the senior class in college and his brother a freshman. The Braces continued in charge of the school for two years and Frederick R. Brace received the degree of A. M. from Princeton College while teaching at New Paltz.
The list of students and their ages is given each year. The list in 1858 is as follows :
Peter Eltinge, Peter A. LeFevre, Solomon DuBois, Peter D. Elting, Abm. A. Deyo, Josiah Elting, Sol. Elting, Evert Hasbrouck, Josiah J. Hasbrouck, Solomon E. Hasbrouck, Egbert Hoornbeck, Luther LeFevre, Ralph LeFevre, Nath- aniel Deyo, P. Nichol Mitchell, Jacob D. Wurts, Matthew J. LeFevre, Henry C. DuBois, John B. Elting, Elizabeth Bruyn, Mary Elting, Kitty Elting, Cornelia Deyo, Maggie LeFevre, Anna Wurts, Cornelia Wurts, Catharine Deyo, Sarah Ann Deyo, Jane Freer, Jane DuBois.
The salary of the principal of the school, F. R. Brace, is stated at $552, and that of his assistant, Robert J. Brace, at $400.
In the fall of 1859 Mr. Post was employed as principal of the school. His sister filled the position of assistant.
At a meeting of the board of trustees in 1860 it is stated that $130 had been subscribed toward paying the interest on the mortgage held by the state on the Academy property. Shortly afterwards this mortgage of $1,000 was remitted by an act of the Legislature through the efforts of Hon. Jacob LeFevre, who then represented this district in the Assembly.
12
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HISTORY OF NEW PALTZ
In the fall of 1860 M. McN. Walsh became principal of the Academy. Alfred Deyo was elected trustee to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Moses Elting.
Mr. Walsh resigned his position in the summer of 1861 to enter the army, becoming a captain in the 44th (Ellsworth) Regiment. When he left the trustees owed him $240. This amount was raised mainly by the proceeds of a festival at the Academy.
In the fall of 1861 D. M. Dewitt became principal of the school. A year later he resigned having been elected district attorney of the county.
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