History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 51

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 51

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MOUNT HOPE-formed as the town of Calhoun, from the towns of Wallkill and Deerpark, Feb. 15, 1825 ;* name changed to Mount Hope, March 14, 1833. Boundaries, 1825 : " All that part of the town of Deerpark lying southeasterly of the before-mentioned line (see note), and that part of the town of Wallkill within the following bounds, to wit : beginning at the easterly corner of the town of Deerpark, and at the southeasterly corner of the county of Sullivan. and runs thenee due east to the easterly line of the Deer- park Patent, thence along said line to the town of Minisink, thence west to the town of Deerpark, to be a separate town, by the name of Calhoun, and the first town-meeting to be held at the house of Joseph Conklin, in said town.'

HAMPTONBURGH-formed from Goshen, Blooming-

Grove, New Windsor, Montgomery, and Wallkill, April 5, 1830. Boundaries : "Beginning at a point where the new northwest line crosses the old county line and runs thence along said new northwest line south forty-nine and a quarter degrees east, two hun- dred and eighty chains to within twenty-five chains of the southeast corner of the Bull's and Gerard's Patents; then north sixty and a half degrees east, three hundred and twenty-two chains to a heap of stones in Samuel Brewster's field ; then north seven- teen degrees east, thirty-six chains and seventy-five links to the aforesaid old county line ; then north six- teen and a half degrees west, one hundred and ninety chains to the northwesterly corner of the farm of Stephen King, deceased ; then north fifty-six and a quarter degrees west, two hundred and thirty chains to the middle of the Wallkill stream; then up the middle of said Wallkill as it runs four hundred and seventy-three chains and fifty links to opposite a bass- wood-tree standing on the east branch of said Wall- kill stream; then south fifteen and a half degrees east, ninety-five chains to the aforesaid old county line, and at the corner of the lands of Grant and Derick Smith, Nathaniel Tuthill, and the lands for- merly owned by Isaac Germond; then east along said old county line seventy-one chains to the place of beginning." First town-meeting held at the house of Charles Heard on the first Tuesday in April, 1831.

CHESTER-formed from Goshen, Warwick, Bloom- ing-Grove, and Monroe, March 22, 1845. Bounda- ries : "Beginning on the line between the towns of Goshen and Blooming-Grove, near a brook at the intersection of the line of Cromeline's Patent with the aforesaid line, and running thence along said town line north four degrees east, twenty-two chains, then south twenty-three degrees west, one hundred and twelve chains to a chestnut-tree ; then south fifty- five degrees west, three hundred and twenty chains to the line between the towns of Goshen and War- wiek at the creek below Thompson's mills ; thence south twenty-five degrees east, one hundred and ninety-five chains to a heap of stones; thence south forty-seven degrees east, three hundred and forty-six chains to the line between the towns of Warwick and Monroe; thence north thirty-two degrees east, one hundred and sixty-six chains to the junction of three roads near the head of Little Long Pond; thence north nine degrees east, two hundred and thirty-five chains to four chestnut-trees; thence northi twenty- one degrees west, two hundred and twenty chains to the place of beginning." The first town-meeting at the house of Benjamin R. Conklin on the first Tues- day in April, 1845.

WAWAYANDA-formed from Minisink, by the Board of Supervisors, Nov. 27, 1849. Boundaries : " All that part of the town of Minisink, in the said county of Orange, commencing on the old Ulster County line and in the centre of the Wallkill River, also in the line of the town of Wallkill, and runs

* This act is entitled " An act to divide the towns of Wallkill, Minisink, and Deerpark." That part relating to Minisink and Deerpark is as fol- lows: "That from and after the passage of this act, all that part of the towns of Minisink and Deerpark, lying westerly and north westerly of the following lines, to wit : beginning on the line of the town of Deerpark, and the line of the county of Sullivan, where the west line of the second division of the Minisink Patent crosses the same, thence sonthwesterly along the said west line of second division of the Minisink Patent to the old Jersey claim line and southwesterly corner of snad division ; thence sontherly along said Jersey claim line thirty chains ; thence southwest- erly through the town of Minisink to the New Jersey State line, to strike or intersect the same one hundred chains from the Delaware River, at Station or Carpenter's Point, to be a separate town, by the name of Deerpark, and that the first town-meeting be held at the house of Cor- nelius Cuddeback, in said town, on the first Tuesday of March next (1826) ; and all that part of the town of Minisink lying southeasterly of said line be and remain a separate town, by the name of Minisink, and that the first town-meeting be held at the house of Gabriel Sayre, in said town."

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TOWN BOUNDARIES.

near due west to the corner of the town of Mount Hope and Wallkill; thence along the same course twenty-four chains and seventy-five links to the centre of the highway leading from Ketchum's Mills to Mount Hope village ; thence south thirty-seven de- grees west, twenty-one chains along the highway ; thence south along the same forty and one-half de- grees west, twenty-five chains and fifty links ; thence south sixty-five chains to an old road near Robert Robertson's; thence along the same south forty-four degrees west, twenty chains; thence south thirty-five degrees west, fifteen chains and fifty links; thence south forty-three and a half degrees west, sixteen chains and fifty links; thence south fifty-two degrees west, fifty-six chains along the road leading through the Milford neighborhood; thence along said road south sixty-two and one-quarter degrees west, thirty- six chains to Robert Robertson's, Jr. ; thence south forty degrees east, twenty-two chains; thence south six and a half degrees east, thirteen chains to the old Minisink turnpike; thence across the same south forty-eight and three-quarter degrees east, twenty-two chains; thence south forty-three and three-quarter degrees east, twenty-four chains to William Canfield's; thence south twenty-seven three-quarter degrees east,

grees west, four hundred and twenty-eight chains and fifty links to a station on the south line of the town of Minisink, which station is a black-oak-tree on the line between the States of New York and New Jersey, on the east side of the highway leading to the village of Salem from the house of John W. Elston."

HIGHLANDS-formed from Cornwall, by the Board of Supervisors, Dec. 3, 1872. Boundaries : " All that part of the town of Cornwall lying to the south of a line drawn from Sherwood's Rock, on Hudson's River, running thence westerly to a house now or recently occupied by William Lancaster ; thence in a direct line to the house of William Chatfield ; thence to the house of John Odell; thence to the highest peak of Mount Rascal to the line of the town of Monroe."

CITY OF NEWBURGH-chartered by the Legislature as the village of Newburgh, March 25, 1800; as the city of Newburgh, April 22, 1865. Boundaries, 1872: " Beginning at the mouth of Chamber's Creek, on the west side of the Hudson River, and at the northeast corner of the town of New Windsor, and runs thence along the north line of the town of New Windsor to an old oak-tree on the west slope of Snake Hill, and twenty-two chains measured eastwardly along the six chains; thence south fifty-eight and a half de- , town line from the east line of the reservoir lot; grees east, thirty-eight chains to the bridge across the branch at Rutger's Kill; thence along the said (branch) stream to its intersection with Rutger's Kill; thence along Rutger's Kill to the Wallkill River, and thence following the same to the place of beginning." First town-meeting at house of De Witt C. Hallock. thence in a straight line through lands of estates of W. Chapman, G. F. Wisner, and others, to the inter- section of the Gidneytown Creek with the west side of the road leading from the Newburgh and Ellen- ville plank road to Gidney Avenue; thence north- wardly along said creek to a point due west from the northwest corner of the village of Newburgh ; from GREENVILLE-formed from Minisink, by the Board of Supervisors, Dec. 2, 1853. Boundaries : " All that part of the town of Minisink which lies west of a line between the towns of Minisink and Wawayanda, which is about twelve chains northwest of the dwelling-house of William Canfield, said sta- tion being twenty-five links northwest of the centre of an arched stone bridge across said road to said Canfield's, and running thence south forty-eight de- thence eastwardly to the said northwest corner of the village of Newburgh ; and from thence eastwardly along the north line of the village of Newburgh to the west side of the Hudson River ; thence due east to the east line of the county of Orange, being the centre of said river ; thence southerly along the east line of the county of Orange to a point due east from the place of beginning, and from thence to the place of beginning."

TOWN HISTORIES.

NEW WINDSOR.

I .- GENERAL.

LOCATION, PHYSIOLOGY, ETC.

NEW WINDSOR, originally the extreme southeast- ern precinct and town of the county of Ulster, and, under the reorganization of the counties of Orange : and Ulster in 1799, the central northeastern town of the county of Orange, is bounded on the north by the city and town of Newburgh and the town of Mont- gomery, on the west by Montgomery and Hampton- burgh, on the south by Blooming-Grove and Cornwall, and on the east by Hudson's River. Substantially in the same latitude, and of corresponding elevation, its mean temperature may be accepted as the same as that of Newburgh, viz. : 50° 10'. The surface of the town is rolling and hilly. The soil from the Hudson to Muchattoes Hill is gravelly; more immediately adjoining the Hudson deposits of clay underlie the sand. The southern spur of Muchattoes Hill is rough and hilly. West from this ridge and until near Rock Tavern, a rolling upland prevails, while the extreme western part is more or less broken by slate ridges. Muchattoes Hill, or Snake Hill, as it is more gener- ally called, on its northern border, the only consider- able elevation in the town, rises six hundred feet above tide-water. The creeks and streams are Mur- derer's or Moodna, Silver Stream and Beaver-dam, Goldsmith and Colemantown Creeks. Quassaick Creek constitutes a portion of the northern boundary of the town, and gives to it several valuable mill privileges. Its marsh or swamp land is the Big Swamp, in the northwestern part of the town. Wash- ington Lake, for many years known as Little Pond, lies midway on the northern border; it has an eleva- tion of two hundred and thirty feet, and covers, in- cluding overflowed swamp, an area of one hundred and seven acres. The Newburgh water-works take its waters, as well as the waters of Silver Stream, with which it is connected by conduit. The princi- pal agricultural products are rye, wheat, corn, oats, hay, butter, and milk ; paper, woolen goods, and brick are the almost exclusive manufactures, although mill- ing, cotton goods, snuff and tobacco, and iron imple- ments and glass, have at different times been prose-

cuted with more or less success. The local divisions of the town are New Windsor village. Moodna or 'Orangeville, Vail's Gate or Mortonville, Little Brit- ain, the Square, and Rock Tavern. Hunting-Grove, a division so called in its early history, is now in Hamptonburgh. It has twelve school and joint school distriets, and five churches. The Newburgh Branch of the Erie Railroad, and the Newburgh and New York Railroad, pass through the eastern part of the town. The town has an area of 20,871 acres, of which about 17,500 are improved. Its population in 1790 was 1819; 1830, 2310; 1865, 2697 ; 1875, 2455.

CIVIL ORGANIZATION-NAME.

The district of which the town now forms a part had its first local government under the patent to Capt. John Evans, who, being vested with the privi- leges and powers pertaining to a lordship and manor, had authority to establish a manorial court. In 1709 it was included in the "Precinct of the Highlands" and attached to New Paltz. In 1743 more definite bounds were given to this precinct, which was made to embrace the present towns of New Windsor, New- burgh, Marlborough, Plattekill, etc. The precinct meetings were held " at the house of John Humph- rey, Jr., on the first Tuesday in April, annually, for the election of precinct officers." In 1762 the pre- cinet was divided into the precincts of New Windsor and Newburgh, "by a line beginning at the mouth of Quassaick Creek, and running thence west to the east bounds of Wallkill Precinct," all the lands thereto- fore comprehended " within the said Highland Pre- cinet lying to the southward of the said dividing line to be called by the name of New Windsor Precinct."

The name of the town is from Windsor, England, with "New" prefixed. At what precise period or by whom it was conferred cannot now be ascertained. Its earliest record, however, is 1728, in connection with the "Society for Propagating the Gospel in For- eign Parts," in which connection it is employed to define a specific portion of the district which, with " parts adjacent," became the parish of New Wind- sor. In 1755 it is spoken of as " the Southern Divis-

210

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NEW WINDSOR.

ion of the Precinct of New Windsor, otherwise called the Highlands." In 1749 it was applied to the " town- ship," now the village, and in 1762 to the precinct.

TOWN 'RECORDS.

The records of the town begin with the precinet meeting hekl on the first Tuesday of April, 1763, when. "agreeably to the directions" of the act con- stituting the precinct, a meeting was held at the house of Judah Harlow, at which the following officers were chosen, viz .: Joseph Belknap, clerk ; George Harris, supervisor; Samuel Brewster, George Den- niston, James Humphrey, assessors ; Alexander Den- niston, constable and collector; Judah Harlow and Capt. James Clinton, overseers of the roads ; David Crawford and John Nicoll, overseers of the poor ; Andrew Crawford and William Lawrence, fence- viewers.

ROADS.

The earliest roads of the town were the King's high- way, better known locally as the Goshen road, and the highway now known as the Little Britain road. The first extended through the town from north to south, and the second from east to west. In 1766 the roads of the town were defined in the appointment of overseers as follows: " Moses Fowler, overseer from Mr. Falls' saw-mill to New Windsor ; George Dennis- ton, from the west line of Johnson's patent to Mr. Falls' saw-mill ; Thomas King, from the west line of Johnson's patent to the north line of the precinct." This was the Little Britain road. "Francis Mander- ville, for Goshen road and the roads about Murderer's Creek,"-a line which included what is now known as the Forge Hill road. In 1769 the road districts and overseers were: "John Galloway, overseer from William Mulliner's to the top of Snake Hill; The- ophilus Corwin, from the top of Snake Hill, through New Windsor to Hudson's River, and up Goshen road as far as the road that leads off to Arthur's mill, and to take all the inhabitants on the north side of Murderer's Creek as high as they are to work ; Sam- uel Arthur, at the creek and the rest of the road up- wards, and to take the remainder of the inhabitants left therein." Patrick McClaughry, James Mc- C'langhry, and George Clinton, commissioners under the act of 1770, divided the town into road districts as follows : "The first, or New Windsor district; the second, or Creek district ; the third, or Middle dis- trict ; and the fourth, or West district." The dis- tricts so designated were generally known and called, and so entered on the precinct records, as: 1. The New Windsor district ; 2. The Creck district ; 3. The Little Britain district ; 4. The Hunting-Grove dis- triet. In 1772 the Creek district was divided. In 1774 the Middle and the Hunting-Grove districts were divided, and a new district, called the Silver Stream district, established; and in 1781 the Little Britain district was divided and a new district estab- lished, called the Stonefield district. The roads and

streets of the village of New Windsor, which were included in the New Windsor district, were dedicated to public use by the proprietors of the plot in 1749, a faet which establishes their date. The Little Britain and Goshen roads were the first in the town, the Forge Hill the third, and the Ridge road probably the fourth. The Newburgh and New Windsor turn- pike, the New Windsor and Cornwall turnpike, the Snake Hill turnpike, and the New Windsor and Blooming-Grove turnpike, which have been fully no- ticed in another connection,* materially changed the roadways of the town, and, with the public roads pre- viously opened, gave to it substantially its present facilities.

SCHOOLS.

The first entry in regard to public schools is at the annual election in 1796, when David Dill, John Dill, Daniel Borden, John Denniston, and Francis Craw- ford were elected school commissioners. The same persons were reappointed in 1797, but no further entry appears until 1813, when, on the 10th of May, at a special election, Joseph Morrell, Thomas King, and William Mulliner were elected commissioners of schools, and Thurston Wood, David Dill, and Thomas Fulton inspectors of schools. On the 18th September, 1814, the commissioners named divided the town into nine school districts, viz .: No. 1, village of New Windsor district ; No. 2, Murderer's Creek district ; No. 3, Good Hope district ; No. 4, Centre district ; No. 5, Square district ; No. 6, Little Britain Meeting- house district; No. 7, Union district ; No. 8, Good- will district ; No. 9, Hunting-Grove district. In 1816 one of the districts was divided, making ten. The first report of attendance and distribution of public money is recorded as follows: Number of children between five and fifteen years of age, 597 ; amount of publie money, $258.75. There were probably some private schools in the town as early as 1740. Dr .. Joseph Young writes in regard to the education of his older brother, Thomas : "Our grandmother, Jane, was a good English scholar and learned us to read. As there were but few children in their new settle- ment (Little Britain) they had no schoolmaster; but my father, who was a tolerable arithmetician, under- took to teach him, with the assistance of Cocker's Arithmetic." This was written of Thomas when he was six or seven years old, and as he was born in 1731, it shows that there was no school at that time. He adds: "Some time after, Mr. John Wilson, a famous mathematician, opened a school about four miles distant, to which the young self-taught student was sent. Mr. Wilson's mathematical fanie soon pro- cured him an invitation to open a school in New York, where he removed." Rev. John Moffat was probably Mr. Wilson's successor, as the authority already quoted continues : "Fortunately there came a minister to the parish who was a good linguist, un- der whom he completed his Latin education." The

* See " Trade and Commerce."

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HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

description and the period to which it refers alike elsewhere in this work. Silver Stream rises near the Square, and is fed by a number of springs north and south of the main road. It crosses the New Windsor turnpike at the old Alexander Falls saw-mill, and from thence in a southeast direction through what are called the "Continental Meadows," and crosses the Snake Hill turnpike north of Vail's Gate. East of this road there is another old saw-mill on the Morton place, where the creek crosses the New Windsor turn- pike, and supplies power to the Morton ( formerly John Ellison) grist-mill. From thence flowing south it point to Mr. Moffat, who was the pastor of Goodwill Church from 1751 to 1765, and whose last years are known to have been employed as an instructor. His school was known as " Moffat's Academy." It was situated on the road leading from Little Britain to Washingtonville, on the farm now (1880) owned by Robert Shaw. The house was one story and a half with basement. The school was kept in the upper rooms, Mr. Moffat and his family occupying the base- ment. It was partly, if not wholly, broken up during the Revolution. While the probabilities favor Mr. ! unites with Murderer's Creek. The only mill privi- Moffat, we find it written, in connection with the education of James and George Clinton, that the latter attended a school conducted by Rev. Daniel Thain, a minister from Scotland.

SUPPORT OF POOR.

The support of the poor of the town was in the manner provided by law. The first publie tax appear- ing on record was under the act of the Assembly, passed Dec. 31, 1762, when the sum of twenty pounds was raised to pay expenses of previous years. In 1770, twenty shillings only was raised ; in 1778, eighty ponnds ($200) ; in 1779, one hundred and fifty pounds; 1780, five hundred pounds ($1250) ; but this amount probably represents depreciation in currency rather than an increase in pauperism. In 1782 the practice of selling the support of paupers to the lowest bidder was introduced and followed for many years. The town is now included in the county system.

LICENSES.

Licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors have been issued from the earliest recorded period, James McClaughry having been an excise commissioner in 1763. In 1796 the town received the fees for licenses, which then amounted to $65. In 1815 the sum of $88 was received, and nine tavern and six permit or store licenses were granted. These figures are intro- duced merely as the foundation of comparative sta- tisties. The local travel of half a century ago re- quired a far greater number of taverns than at the present time, or since the introduction of railroads.

POST-OFFICES.

The first post-office in the town was at Little Britain. It was established May 29, 1824, Hamilton Morrison, postmaster; Charles Palmer, postmaster, 1834. The second, the New Windsor post-office, was established Feb. 19, 1829, Abraham Schultz, postmaster; John Hall, postmaster, 1834. The third, Mortonville, was established April 10, 1850; John D. Vail, postmaster. The fourth, Moodna; date of establishment not as- certained.

CREEKS, STREAMS, SWAMPS, ETC.

Murderer's or Moodna Creek, on the southern bor- der of the town, and Quassaick Creek, on the north, require no further description than has been given

leges on it are those that have been mentioned, of which the Morton mill is the most important. It is not a certain stream, but being fed by a water-shed of not less than two thousand aeres, it is quick to respond to rain-falls. The right to its surplus waters is now in the city of Newburgh as a part of its water supply. Beaver-dam Creek has been claimed as the original outlet of Orange Lake. It crosses the Cochecton turn- pike between Alexander Beatty's place and the old stone house formerly owned by the Howells ; runs south through New Windsor and empties into the Otterkill west of Salisbury mills. There were several saw-mills on it in former times, of which only one remains, viz .. on the old Belknap farm, now owned by Robert Mor- rison. Its claims as the outlet of Orange Lake were disputed in the courts many years ago and a decision obtained in favor of Quassaick Creek. Goldsmith Creek rises on the Burnet homestead in Little Britain. runs south through the Clinton homestead, and emp- ties into the Otterkill at Washingtonville. Coleman- town Creek, another small stream in the west part of the town, also flows to the Otterkill. Big Swamp, or Great Swamp, is in the northwest part of the town, and extends into Montgomery. It commences within a quarter of a mile of the main road in Little Britain, runs thence north to near the Cocheeton turnpike. The north part of it has been redeemed and is now under cultivation. Its outlet forms a branch of the Tinn Broek, although it does not take that name until after it crosses the Cochecton turnpike. There is little doubt that this part of the town was onee filled with water, presenting a pond or lake.

II .- PATENTS AND FIRST SETTLEMENTS.

Originally covered by the patent to Capt. John Evans, the precinct embraced, when constituted in 1762, patents and portions of patents issued as follows: 1. Patrick MacGregorie, 160 acres, Aug. 24, 1721 ; 2. William Chambers and William Sontherland, 1000 acres, Sept. 2, 1709; 3. Charles Huddy and Philip Brooks, 4000 acres (in part), Feb. 20, 1709,-subse- quently included in a grant to Mary Ingoldsby and her daughter, Mary Pinhorn, Aug. 12, 1720 ; 4. John ITaskell, 2000 acres, April 9, 1719, and 2000 acres, Aug. 24, 1721; 5. Vincent Matthews, 800 acres, June 17, 1720; 6. John Johnson, Jr., 1000 acres, Feb. 3,

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History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 51

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