History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 101

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1336

USA > New York > Orange County > History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 101

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The death of Christopher J. Mould occurred May 24, ISSI, in his sixty-fifth year. His memory is cherished not less by the community than by an

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HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

MICHEL GEDNEY SNYDER.

The earliest representatives of the Snyder family emigrated from Germany, though few facts regarding their first settlement in America are preserved. William, the grandfather of Michel G., resided one mile east of St. Andrew's, in the township of Mont- gomery, where he followed farming employments during his life. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Redmond, and had children,-Catharine, John, Wil- liam, Elizabeth, Abram, Jane, Michel, Phebe. His death occurred Sept. 12, 1829, in his sixty-seventh year.

Michel Snyder, the father of the subject of this bi- ographical sketch, was born July 28, 1804, in Mont- gomery, the scene of his lifetime labors and later of his death. He was during the year 1824 united in marriage to Miss Priscilla Mullenix, of Newburgh, to whom were born children, -William, Henry, Michel Gedney, Abram, and John James, of whom but two, Abram and Michel Gedney, survive.

The death of Mr. Snyder occurred Jan. 11, 1873, in his sixty-eighth year.

His son, Michel G., was born on the home farm in Montgomery, Aug. 7, 1833, where he remained during his early manhood. The school of the district offered opportunities for education while a lad, and later years were busily occupied in labor upon the farm. Mr. Snyder was on the eighth day of October, 1861, married to Mrs. Catharine Louisa, daughter of John and Frederika Moadinger, of New York City, and widow of the late Alexander Gedney, to whom was born by the first marriage one daughter, Alice Gedney, now Mrs. Henry Seeley. Mr. Snyder is a Democrat in his political sentiments, but gives little time to the excitements of public life. He is better known as a thrifty and very successful farmer, whose cultivated lands and attractive surroundings bear witness to his enterprise. Both Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are supporters of the Reformed Dutch Church of Walden, at which they are regular worshipers.

CRAWFORD.

I .- SITUATION, BOUNDARIES, AREA, TITLE.

THIS is the northernmost town of those which border upon the county of Sullivan. It is bounded north by that county and the county of Ulster, east by Ulster County and the town of Montgomery, south by Wallkill, west by Wallkill and the counties of Sullivan and Ulster.

The area of the town, as stated in the supervisors' equalization table of 1879-80, is 24,6933 acres. The assessed valuation of the town was $950,180, and the total tax paid upon that basis was $12,591.21.

Crawford was a part of the original John Evans Patent. After this was set aside, the territory in this section was disposed of in various smaller grants to Philip Schuyler and others.

in discussing titles in Crawford are the "8000 acre ; is drained by a small stream flowing north to Dwaars

Among other parcels of land frequently mentioned tract" on which Pine Bush is situated, and the " 10,000 acre tract" next south of the "8000." The patents represented in Crawford are the following :

1. Thomas Ellison and Lawrence Roome, Nov. 12, 1750.

2. Frederick Morris and Samuel Heath, Jan. 24, 1736.

3. Jacobus Bruyn and Henry Wileman, April 25, 1722.

4. Philip Schuyler and others, 8000 acres, July 7, 1720.

5. l'art of the patent to Jeremiah Schuyler and others, Jan. 22, 1719.

6. Part of Thomas Noxon's l'atent, Feb. 21, 1737.

II .- NATURAL FEATURES.

The surface of this town may be described as a hilly npland, broken by several high ridges that extend northeast and southwest. Collaburgh and Comfort

Hills, along the border, rise from 100 to 200 feet above the valleys. The principal stream is the Shawangunk, which flows along the northwest border, forming the boundary line of Sullivan County ; and lower down, of Ulster County. It is a rapid stream and has a large number of valuable water privileges, many of which have been utilized. The principal branch of the Shawangunk in this town is the Pakadasink, which flows northeast and also supplies power for various mills. In the eastern part of the town, and flowing through a valley somewhat parallel to that of the Shawangunk, is the Dwaars Kill. It has its sources in this town and farther south in Wall- kill. There are several swamps of considerable ex- tent,-one northwest from the Sinsabaugh neighbor- hood and one southeast from Searsburgh. The latter Kill. (See General History.)

III .- EARLY SETTLEMENT.

The early settlement of this town is very largely blended with that of the old precinct of Wallkill and the subsequent town of Montgomery, from which Crawford was taken; and reference is made to the chapters upon those towns for much interesting ma- terial relating in part to the territory now constituting Crawford. Especial attention is called to the Weller settlement, which in part was upon the territory of what is now Crawford. In the vicinity of Searsville

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there was an early settlement made by Johannes Snyder, where he owned a large tract of land, situate on both sides of the Dwaars Kill. This stream at the time furnished a greater water-power than at present, in the cleared-up condition of the county. At this place he erected a log mill, which was known on the town records as Snyder's Mill in 1768. This is in the present town of Crawford. Mr. Snyder, being a man of means, built a log church, also known as Snyder's Church, at the above period. The preaching was in Dutch, and the church worn out before the Revolu- tion. The family is Dutch, and settled here as early s 1740.

The western boundary of the town, at the time we speak of, was the Shawangunk Kill. On this Mr. made in Ulster County.

Robert Milliken erected a saw-mill, called Milliken's Mill on the town records in 1768. This appears to be the earliest mention of a saw-mill on this stream. The following mills formerly were on this kill, within the breadth, though not all within the limits of the town. Beginning at the south, and counting down the stream, we have first the old flour-mill of Pat. Boice; next was Milliken's saw-mill; next, Sears' grist-mill; next, Abraham Bruyn's flour-mill; and ast, Cornelius Slott's saw- and grist-mill. This last vas afterwards owned by his son, Arthur Slott, who gathered around him, on his own property, a village of a dozen tenements.

The ancestors of Mr. Slott were among the most ineient in the State. The family came from Holland o the city of New York in 1670. This is proved by family records. On arriving at New York they lo- cated at Hackensack, in New Jersey. After a number of years they removed to Rockland County, N. Y., and from there to Montgomery, on the Tinn Brock, at what has been called Slott town. By this time the above named, was the active member of this branch of the family. Though understanding several of the mechanic arts, he confined himself to agriculture. When the militia were ordered out to defend Fort Montgomery, in 1777, Mr. Slott went with his com- pany as an orderly sergeant. The fort was taken, and Mr. Slott made prisoner. He was taken to New York and put in the old Sugar-House, where he was confined ten months. When set at liberty he returned to his farm with a constitution injured by the service und hard and cruel treatment while in prison. He sold is farm in 1785, and moved to the city of New York. In 1790 he moved back to Orange, and made a pur- chase of the mill site at Pine Bush, and in the same year put up a saw-mill on the Shawangunk Kill, just below the mouth of the little Pakadasink. In 1791 he erected the grist-mill near the site of Arthur Slott's mill of modern times. When he first settled it this place there was no public road leading to his mill, and he called the commissioners of the town, vho laid out a road from Hopewell north to his mill, then across the stream to intersect the old Shawan-

gunk road that led to Albany. The sons of Cornelius were Arthur, Johannes, and Cornelius.

There was a settlement near Graham's Church that deserves notice. The residents were Mr. Abraham Dickerson, John Robinson, and Philip Decker. The last two were from Holland; the first, of Irish descent. Mr. Dickerson had a saw-mill on a small stream near his house, which was worn out and gone about the beginning of this century.

The valley of the Wallkill throughout the town was among the earliest portions settled. This was effected by Germans, Hollanders, and a few Huguenots, some of whom came directly to the town on arriving in the country, and others from the settlements previously

From William Jordan,-residing at the time of his death at Bloomingburgh,-the following items were obtained :

His father's name was Robert Jordan, and he came from Ireland to this country in 1771. He worked for a few years with various persons in the town of Wallkill. He married Mary Bull, daughter of the second William Bull. At that time she was the widow Wilkin, her first husband, George Wilkin, having been taken prisoner by the British in the Revolution, and died in the infamous "Sugar-House Prison." About 1784 or 1785, Robert Jordan settled at Bullville, in the town of Crawford. His children were Moses, who lived and died in the north part of Wallkill ; John, who settled in the same neighbor- hood ; and William, who was born April 4, 1793.

The wife of the latter was Cornelia Bull, daugh- ter of Thomas Bull. He settled at Bullville and spent a large portion of his life there, serving as justice of the peace for thirty-two years. For the last seventeen years he resided at Bloomingburgh, old generation had died early, and Cornelius Slott, Sullivan Co. The pioneer, Robert Jordan, had a

brother, John Jordan, who came over with him. There was also another brother, Jonathan Jordan, who had been at Bullville for four years preceding, so that he must have settled there in 1767. Among the neigh- bors of Robert Jordan at the time of his settlement at Bullville or a little later were Joseph Elder, James Barclay, Samuel Barclay, John Martin, and Daniel Bull. Jonathan Harris, before the Revolution, owned the place upon which Robert Jordan afterwards set- tled. Thomas Turner owned 300 acres of land at Bullville. Mr. Jordan recalls the name of several early teachers who taught in Crawford in his boy hood, viz. : John Hardcastle, William Brown, Mr. Reed, Mr. Crosby. A pioneer at Searsville was William Snider, who owned a large tract of land, and lived there before the Revolution. There is a tradition that he buried a sum of money to save it during the Revolutionary troubles, and that a faithful negro alone knew the place of deposit. For his faithfulness in not betraying it to the enemy the negro received his freedom after the war was over. An early settler be- fore the Revolution is said to have been one Wiltsey,

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HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

and there is an uncertain tradition that he was shot as a Tory during the war. Joseph Elder was a black- smith. Nathan Johnson was an early shoemaker and went around from house to house to make up shoes, a business known as "whipping the cat." Johnson was brought up by Mr. Mills, who had lived in Little Britain and made shoes for the army before coming to Wallkill. At Bullville there was an old orchard set out before the Revolution, all gone some years ago. William Jordan stood several drafts in the war of 1812, but was not drawn at any one of them. He was afterwards a colonel of the Shawangunk regiment of militia. He lived under every President of the United States, and had been a voter for sixty-six years. He voted for DeWitt Clinton for Governor. He first voted directly for Presidential electors in 1828. He voted the regular Democratic ticket in unbroken succession from that time to his death; voted for the success- ful candidates, Andrew Jackson, 1828 and 1832; Mar- tin Van Buren, 1836; James K. Polk, 1844; Frank- lin Pierce, 1852; James Buchanan, 1856; and for the unsuccessful candidates, Martin Van Buren, 1840; Lewis Cass, 1848; Stephen A. Douglas, 1860; Gen. MeClellan, 1864; Horatio Seymour, 1868; llorace Greeley, 1872; Samuel J. Tilden, 1876; and Gen. Hancock, 1880.

The following notes upon a few prominent citizens are partly upon the authority of Mr. Samuel W. Eager, the historian, confirmed and enlarged by present inquiry :

BENJAMIN SEARS,-This gentleman was rather a remarkable man. Nature had done a good deal for him ; and if his natural talents had been cultivated and enlarged by a suitable education, few men in the county would have excelled him in business opera- tions. The reach of his mind was extensive, and he could see the end from the beginning. But his edu- cation was very limited, and his memory his account- book. His power of recollection was astonishing ; somewhat owing, perhaps, to great cultivation and exercise. Whatever he once knew he never forgot, so deeply was it engraven on his memory.

Mr. Sears, in the early period of his life, had been a constable of the town of Montgomery, then includ- ing Crawford. Of the hundreds of executions in his hands during that time, thirty years afterwards he could tell by the force of memory every person he had had one against, and the amount marked by the justice on the back of it in pounds, shillings, and pence. Mr. Sears kept store for many years, and in the fall was in the habit of taking cattle from his enstomers in payment of their accounts. One hun- dred head might be delivered to him in this way in the course of a few days, and if they were passed through a pair of bars singly, so as to be distinctly seen, he could tell the precise age, the person from whom purchased, and the one or more lost, if any, with the color, age, and a minute description of each. We need not be astonished at this, for every faculty,

if daily cultivated and depended on as this was, is capable of exhibiting the same wonderful results. Let all appreciate the truth of this remark and be benefited thereby.

Of this family there were five brothers, Benjamin, Samuel, John, James, and Elnathan, all of whom were among the early settlers of Montgomery, and performed military duty during the Revolution. Their descendants are numerous, and found in every call- ing and pursuit of life.

JOSEPH ELDER .- This individual was of Irish origin, but at what time the family came into the country or town we are not informed. During the Revolution he was a young man, and some militia troops to which he belonged were ordered to the north. At a fixed time they were to be at Newburgh or New Windsor, and transported up the river on board a sloop provided for the purpose. Mr. Elder, for some cause, did not arrive at the place of rendez- vous till too late to take his passage ; the sloop had left with a fair wind and out of sight above the Dan- skammer. Go he must or be called a Tory, and there was no recourse left him but to try the distance on foot. Elder, young, patriotic, and of an iron frame of body, buekled on his knapsack, shouldered his musket, and started. Though the sloop made a good passage for those times and had the best of the start, Elder beat her to Albany by several hours.

The farm on which he lived was quite stony, though when cleared the land was productive, and Elder, like the rest of his neighbors, converted his useless stones into wall to fence his farm. In building these he scarcely ever used a team to gather and convey the stones to their destination. With a large leather apron girt about his loins, holding the end gathered up in one hand, and tumbling the stones into it with the other, when full he would raise himself erect, and, without apparent effort, carry them off to the wall and put them in place. This course he would pursue from time to time till the walls were finished. He was industrious and eminently robust and powerful. Looking on his muscular and giant frame he re- minded one of ancient Milo, who could lift a grown bullock over an ordinarily high fence. His children, of whom several were sons, partook of the magnitude and physical character of the father, with great family similitude in other respects.

Mr. Elder had received but a very limited educa- tion, yet possessing strong natural good sense, he was fitted to discharge the duties of the various town offices to public satisfaction. He was many years a magis- trate of the town, and if he erred at any time, the fault was of the head and not of the heart, for he was proverbially an upright and honest man.

DANIEL BULL .- We cannot in this place omit an honorable mention of Mr. Bull. He was the son of Thomas Bull, who was the son of William Bull, the early settler at Hamptonburgh. His father lived at the old stone mansion in the present town of Hampton-

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burgh, on the road from Montgomery to Goshen, and known as the Cad Bull stone house. He removed to this town before he was of age, upon a large tract of new rough land, then owned by his father, and located himself. His father, Thomas, was infirm towards the latter part of his life, and when about to make his will and settle his worldly affairs had thoughts of selling his land in Crawford, which was then worth about $2.50 per acre, and for which he had an offer, and asked his son Daniel, then a lad of about fifteen years of age, whether he had better settle it or let him take care of it. Daniel replied that if he would give it to him he " would try to take care of it." His father concluded to try him, and made his will accord- ingly. This gave the young man confidence and in- creased his pride ; and the community at this day can judge of the manner in which he fulfilled this early filial promise. In 1780, when nineteen years of age, he married Miss Catharine Miller, who was younger still, and forthwith commenced clearing up his new estate.

The winter of 1780 was celebrated all over this country for its length and the depth of its snow. It was so deep and hardened by the severity of the weather that for some time the people of the county, in transacting their necessary or pleasure business, drove their horses and sleighs in any and all direc- tions across the fields irrespective of the fences. Mr. Bull and Miss Miller went to Goshen to be married by Mr. Carr, of the Presbyterian Church, and that day a fall of snow commenced, which, with previous ones, deepened the road so much there was no traveling the next day. There the new-married pair spent two weeks of the honeymoon.

Thirteen children were the fruits of this early mar- riage, the most of whom grew up and were married. Their names, and to whom married, are as follows : Thomas, married Sarah Mills; Hannah, married Alex. Thompson ; Abner, married Maria Brinson ; David C., married Maria Barkley; Keturah, married William Bull; Catharine, married James H. Crawford ; Mary, married Rev. John Johnston; Henry, married Jane Stitt ; Milton, married Esther Crawford ; Sarah, mar- ried Denton Mills ; Miller, not married ; Daniel, mar- ried Sarah Thompson ; John, died young.

Mr. Bull was an industrious farmer from his early days. As an evidence of his practical agriculture, we refer the reader to the list of prizes awarded him by the society, which we think are more numerous than those awarded to any other family in the county. Few individuals have cleared up and subdued more wild land, and placed it in a good agricultural condi- tion for their children. The obligations of parent, citizen, and friend, imposed on him through the course of a long life, were duly and faithfully dis- charged; while those of a superior and more holy character equally shared his careful attention and pious regard. He was an early friend to the construc- tion of the Newburgh and Cochecton turnpike-road,

and, with an interval of one year, continued a direc- tor from the organization of the company, upwards of forty years. This company had semi-annual meet- ings, and, with one or two exceptions at furthest, he was always present. This fact proves two things,- good health and a virtuous discharge of public duties.

The Crawfords of this section are descendants of John Crawford, who purchased land in New Windsor Oct. 18, 1737. They were very early residents of this town, and their descendants are numerons and now widely scattered. The names of James, John, Wil- liam, and Samuel appear upon the old military roll of 1738 for " Wall-a-kill," and the family name repeat- edly occurs in all subsequent records of this territory down to the present time. We are not in possession of data that will enable us to connect the families of later years to those of a century and a half ago. A few notes upon one branch throw some light upon the modern names in this town. Robert I. Crawford was a prominent man in the early part of this cen- tury. His homestead was near the old Hopewell Church. Of his children, Robert and Theron settled in Crawford, Addison in Crawford, near Searsville, Leander and George at Middletown, Albert, another son, died in early life ; daughters were Mrs. Stansbury Gillespie, Mrs. Hill Harris, Millicent, who died un- married, Esther and Emeline, also unmarried. Robert I. Crawford had a brother Israel, and he had two sons, Israel and Leartus. Mrs. Crawford Gillespie was a sister of Robert F. Crawford, and Mrs. Daniel Shafer also. Nancy, another sister, died unmarried. The records of Montgomery and those of the town of Crawford furnish many other names of this family, in whose honor this fertile town was named.

THOMPSON BROTHERS .- The settlement of the Thompson brothers was made at an early day, prob- ably during the Revolutionary war, about 1776. They were from Ireland, county Longford. After coming to this country they lost a part of what funds they had by the depreciation of Continental currency. The three-Alexander, Andrew, and Rob- ert A .- came to Crawford, with good judgment selected a fine location, and purchased 500 acres on what is now known as Thompson's Ridge. They divided the tract into three equal farms, each brother having one of them. Alexander's homestead was the north farm, now owned by the present Alex- ander Thompson, and on a part of which Hopewell Church stands. Andrew's was the next south, being the farm now occupied by Nathan T. Thompson, , a great-grandson of Andrew. The homestead of Robert A. was the south farm of the three, now oc- cupied by Wm. H. and Robert I. Thompson, great- grandsons of the original owner. These three farms have been owned by the Thompsons from the time of the first settlement to the present. For the first time in about one hundred years of occupancy the middle farm of the three is now offered for sale. The children of the pioneer Alexander were Alexander,

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Jr., one daughter who died young, and one who became the wife of Col. Moses Crawford, near Colla- burgh. The children of Alexander, Jr. (whose wife was a daughter of Daniel Bull), were Albert, of On- tario County, a physician; Augustus, of Crawford ; Daniel, the supervisor of the town for a long series of years, and superintendent of the Crawford Railroad ; John Alexander, a lawyer of Monticello; Mrs. Hon. Alex. C. Niven, Monticello; Mrs. W. W. Jackson, Hamptonburgh; Mrs. Hiram Phillips, Hampton ; Mrs. S. Sherman, Davenport, Iowa ; and Mrs. Samuel C. Brush and Mrs. Wm. H. Smith, of New York City.

The sons of the pioneer Andrew were James, Wil- liam, Robert R., Alexander, and George, all of whom settled in Crawford. There were two daughters, Mrs. Nathan Young and Mrs. Isaac Schultz. The sons of the pioneer Robert A. were Robert A., Jr., and An- drew, the latter of whom became a minister and died at Mount Hope. There were'two daughters, Mrs. Hugh Bareley and Isabella, the latter of whom died in early life. The family, as a rule, were long lived. Robert died at the age of ninety, Alexander at the age of seventy-five, and Alexander, Jr., at the age of eighty- five.

RAINEY FAMILY .- David Rainey was probably in Crawford before the Revolution. He settled on the homestead now owned by A. R. Taylor, and known as the " Brock House Farm," near Pine Bush. His children were David, Jr., James, William, and Mrs. Crane. Two others, Susan and Jane, died young.

A sister of David Rainey, Sr., married James Mc- Burney, a Revolutionary soldier. Their children were Mrs. John Taylor, Mrs. John Wool, William MeBur- ney, David McBurney, Elizabeth, Mary, and James.

The present Theron Hill place was settled by his ancestor at an early day.

OTHER PIONEERS,-Mr. Whitten, an early pioneer, located where Jacob Whitten now lives.

Mr. A. R. Taylor, now for more than thirty years intimately connected with Pine Bush and the north part of Crawford, was from Ulsterville. His ancestor was a British soldier, who espoused the American cause about the time of Montgomery's unsuccessful expedition to Canada. He served in the American forces, and finally settled in Shawangunk.

The town officers chosen in 1823, as given under the head of organization, below, are all dead except Ira Clark, an illustration of how complete is the work of death in a single half-century upon those who at its beginning have already attained manhood.

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History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 101

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1336

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1336