History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 93

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 93

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was very active in procuring the charter for the New- burgh and Cochecton turnpike, and afterwards in pro- curing the stock to be taken and the road built. For years he was the soul and body of the company.

Though himself not an educated man, Mr. Miller was a patron of learning as far as a liberal appropria- tion of means could accomplish it. His own wants and deficiencies may have induced and stimulated him to this course. Just notions upon the subject doubt- less impelled him to supply others with that denied to himself. In 1791, with many others, he was in- strumental in founding the Montgomery Academy, then but five in the State. Farmers' Hall, in Goshen, was one of them, and chartered in 1790. It was no mean commendation to the citizens of the county that out of five academies in the State, Orange should have founded and nourished two of them. Mr. Mil- ler was the leading and efficient man in this enter- prise, so valuable and honorable to his native town.

Mr. Miller was not a man of impulses in anything, and did not encourage and give aid to a measure to- day, and when the fit was off, permit it by neglect to go down to-morrow, to be finished at a future period. What he did was executed with all his might, sparing neither time nor money till his object was satisfac-

torily accomplished, then he adopted it as his own, called it his, and took care of it as if it were his own child. Something of this kind seemed essential to his well being.

The old academy in process of time became worn out and unfit for the purposes intended, and the trus- tees judged it prudential to replace it by a new one. The great question was, How could it be done? Where could the funds be procured ? At this time (1817) the State was commuting the quit-rents when the inhabitants of the patents asked for it. Mr. Mil- ler, knowing they remained uncommuted on two or three patents in the county, and ever-fruitful in ex- pedients, suggested the propriety of asking the Legis- lature to grant them for the erection of a new academy.

took to raise $1500 by subscription, which they accom- plished. The building of the academy and raising the 81500 became hobbies with Mr. Miller, and he rode them night and day. The subscription papers were prepared by Mr. Miller, and made in the form of a little book convenient to carry in the pocket, and put into the hands of several of the trustees. Some short time after they had been in circulation he met Mr. H., a gentleman of wealth and a bachelor, who resided about six miles from the village of Montgomery, in the town of New Windsor. Mr. Miller leisurely took out of his pocket a large pocket-book, put on his glasses deliberately, untied the string, and produced HI., saying that the old academy was worn out, that it had done good service in the infancy of the country, that the interests of education required that it should be replaced by a new and larger one, which would confer honor on the town and county, that the funds for the purpose being small, the trustees threw them- selves and the cause of education upon the patriot- ism and liberality of their fellow-citizens to raise about $1500, which they expected to do in a few months, that every gentleman who had been asked had willingly subscribed according to his means, and that he was happy in having the opportunity to pre- sent him with the subscription list thus early as they wished all the large subscribers to sign first, etc., and at the same time handed him the little book to see what others had signed and what he wonld. Mr. H., rather slowly and with apparent reluctance, received it, and after a moment's examination handed it back, saying that such matters were out of his line of busi- . ness, that he had no children to educate, and if he had the academy was too remote from his residence to avail himself of its benefits, and asked to be excused. Mr. Miller received his little hook with much courtesy, and expressed himself under many obligations to Mr. H. for his politeness in looking over it, deliberately

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put it back in the pocket-book, which he tied up and replaced in his pocket.

Some two or three weeks afterwards, Mr. Miller ac- cidentally met Mr. II. in the same office, and after the usual compliments of the day were passed, Mr. Miller deliberately put on his "specs," drew from his pocket a large pocket-book, untied it, and produced his sub- scription list, and addressing himself to Mr. H. recited the same identical speech previously delivered, word for word, sentence for sentence, as if stereotyped for the occasion, with this addition,-that he was very sorry he had not had the pleasure of presenting to him the subscription at an earlier day, as he wished certain friends of influence to head the list. A spec- tator would never have suspected that Mr. Miller had ever seen Mr. H. before on the subject, and Mr. H., being a modest man of few words, said nothing to contradict such an impression. The book was re- turned accompanied with about the same reply as before made. The scene was rich. Not long after this second interview business again caused these gentlemen to meet for the third time, and Mr. Miller, with all the gravity and politeness conceivable, pro- duced his big and little book as before, and went over the same speech, word for word, with the least possi- ble variation. When through he handed the sub- scription list over to Mr. H., who received it, rose from his chair, and said to a friend, " Lend me ten dol- lars : I might as well pay first as last."

Mr. Miller was a practical farmer, and did all that he could to advance that interest. His lands were among the most beautiful in the county, and laid on both sides of the road leading to Goshen, between the village of Montgomery and the Wallkill. In the old act, passed 1793, "for the promotion of agri- culture, arts, and manufactures," Mr. Miller's name appears as one of the petitioners asking for the act of incorporation. Some of these gentlemen were Robert R. Livingston, Samuel L. Mitchell, Ezra L'Homme- dieu, James G. Graham, Matthew Clarkson, George Clinton, Egbert Benson, Richard Varick, with several others from various parts of the State, and John Nich- olson, Andrew King, John Barber, Joseph Barber, Jo- hannes Miller, and William Thompson, from Orange County. This was the earliest attempt made in this State by individuals to promote these objects.

Mr. Miller was president of the Agricultural Society of Orange County, and addressed Gen. Lafayette in Newburgh in 1825, in a short and pertinent speech. This was appropriate, as the general was known, both at home and abroad, as a practical farmer.

Mr. Miller, by the request of friends and neighbors, was appointed to lay the corner-stone of the First Presbyterian Church in the village of Montgomery. He was entitled to this honor not only by virtue of his age and respectable standing, but by exertions and liberal donations towards its erection. He died Dee. 17, 1834, aged seventy-four. He had but two children who grew up to age, John and Maria.

John married Miss Oliver, daughter of Judge Oliver, of Marbletown, Ulster Co. ; and Maria, David Hunter, Esq., of Bloomingburgh.

Another prominent citizen of the olden times was John Blake (properly John Blake, Ir.), whose father, John Blake, purchased (May 1, 1761) 477 acres of the Patrick MeKnight Patent. Ile was of English descent, the genealogy of the family being traced back to Robert de Blakeland, of Wiltshire, 1286. ITis mother, Mary Morris, of Coldenham, however, was from Ireland. Mr. Blake was not an educated man, but received only such elementary instruction as the common schools of the country offered after the war and before 1790. At the time of the division of Ulster County and the forma- tion of Orange, Mr. Blake was deputy sheriff of Ulster and resided at Kingston. After this, and when his official period of service expired, he returned to Neely- town. In 1800 he was appointed sheriff of the new county of Orange, served its term, and executed the office to the general satisfaction of his fellow-citizens. In 1806 he was elected by the Republican party-the class of politicians to which he had ever been attached since entering into publie life-to represent the county in the General Congress of the United States. Some years subsequently he was again elected to the same office, and on both those occasions his votes were cast agreeably to the wishes of his constituents. Mr. Blake was very modest and diffident, and therefore never trusted himself to speak in public while a member. Montgomery, his native town, had unlimited confi- dence in his judgment and discretion as a town officer, and so well were they satisfied with the care he took of their interest in the county board of supervisors that he held the office for fifteen years in succession, and until he requested to be excused as a personal favor. While a member of the board they were en- gaged in settling the ratio of valuation of the respec- tive towns in the county, and those members who knew the quality of land on the public highway from Mont- gomery to Goshen and the valley of the Wallkill were of the opinion that Montgomery was being rated altogether too low. They inferred the whole town, then including Crawford and reaching west to the Shawangunk Kill, was of the same equally good grade of land, notwithstanding the assurances of Mr. Blake to the contrary. On the adjournment of the board, before completing their annual business, Mr. Blake invited one of the board to ride home with him who had been among the most clamorous in favor of the high standard of Montgomery fanns. At this time the hills beyond the village of Montgomery were but slightly cleared up and badly cultivated, and a large district of the town for several miles in an unenviable agricultural condition. On leaving Goshen, Mr. Blake, without disclosing his object, saw proper to leave the ordinary good highway leading homeward, and conveyed his unsuspecting guest through and over the district of town above referred to. Before they arrived at the end of their ride the supervisor candidly

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remarked that he did not before believe there was so much rough and worthless land in the town, and that he was now satisfied Montgomery was rated full high at the value proposed by Mr. Blake. Under this valua- tion the town remained a number of years, no one attempting to change it, under the belief it was reasonably high.

In addition to the offices named, we further state that he was several times returned a member to serve in the Assembly of the State, for many years a judge of the Common Pleas of the county, and justice of the peace.

Mr. Blake married Elsie, daughter of William Eager, of Neelytown. He died January, 1826, in his sixty-fourth year.

Among the noted characters of early times was Christian Coon. He was a soldier, tinker, and trump- eter. He had been in the war, and could produce the loudest blasts from his wonderful brazen horn. He is said to have been one of the Hessian troops hired by England and sent out here to fight her battles. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Trenton, Dec. 26, 1776, where many of his fellows shared the same fate, and subsequently entered the American service, and remained in the army until the war ended. In some engagement he received a sabre-cut on the arm, for which he drew a pension during life, without which he could not have supported himself.

At one time there was an association of young men, some residing in Crawford and others in Shaw- angunk, Ulster Co., who had banded themselves to- gether to commit all kinds of deviltry. The longer the association continued their operations the bolder and more pestilent they became, till finally they did deeds worthy of indictment and prison.

Among other subjects for fun and deviltry, two members of the club selected Coon ; in which, how- ever, as things turned out, they waked up the wrong customer. It roused the dormant energies and lion courage of the old soldier, which had slumbered within him for a quarter of a century, and he seized his musket, captured his assailants, and at the point | their resting-place marked by a substantial monument. of the bayonet drove them like craven dogs before him on the publie highway for several miles till he came to the first justice, to whom he delivered them up. The officer received them, penned up like so many cattle in the corner of a horse-shed. This heroic act of trumpeter Coon, while it gained him much credit and applause, derided and deeply mortified the prisoners, and fairly turned the tables of fun and trick upon themselves. The cream of the joke was the musket was not loaded, nor had it been in twenty years. The young men were asked why they did not run off and escape. They answered, "We did not know what the old devil would do."

Another prominent citizen was Arthur Parks, who died Aug. 11, 1806, in the seventieth year of his age. He was a member of the Provincial Congress, a mem- ber of the convention that formed the State constitu-

tion, and during eleven years he represented the middle district in the Senate.

Among the old Revolutionary soldiers may be men- tioned Teunis Van Arsdell. This gentleman lived near the Goodwill church, and was at Fort Mont- gomery when taken in 1777. The English entered the fort after dark, and all the American troops es- caped that could find egress from the place. As they entered the fort they continued the slaughter by bayoneting our troops. At the time when Van Ars- dell attempted to escape the entrance was pretty well blocked up; but in a few minutes, as an English sol- dier held a militiaman bayoneted against the wall, he let himself down, and slyly passed through between the legs of the British sohlier and escaped. He then took off his clothes and tied them with the gun upon his back, swam the river, and afterwards returned home in safety.

A sad incident of the war period was the death of Col. Francis Barber :

"Fishkill, February 7, 1783 .- It is with pain and regret that we men- tion the death of Lieut .- Col. Barber, who was unfortunately killed at camp on the 11th of Jannary. The circumstances which led to the un- happy catastrophe, we are told, are as follows : Two soldiers were cutting down a tree; at the instant he came riding by it was falling, which he did not observe till they desired him to take care; but the surprise was so sudden and embarrassed his ideas so much that he reined his horse to the unfortunate spot where the tree fell, which tore his body in a shocking manner, and put an immediate period to his existence."

In Barber's "Historical Collections" this is told under the head of Duchess County, as if it happened there, whereas it took place in New Windsor, in Orange, while the camp was there. He was led into the error by finding it in a paper of that county. Col. Francis Barber was one of the most elegant young men that wore the Continental uniform, and the son of old Patrick Barber, of Neelytown. The whole county, from far and near, attended his funeral, especially from the towns of New Windsor and Mont- gomery, and deeply lamented the death of their friend and neighbor, as well as of the gallant soldier. His remains were interred in Goodwill Cemetery, and

We add the following notice of the Eager family : William Eager, the progenitor of the family, came from Monaghan, Ireland, about the year 1728; went into Westchester County, where he stayed thirteen years, and then removed to Neelytown. At this day very little is known of him. He married Elsa Mc- Grada in Ireland, aud had two children before emi- gration, and one (William) born on the passage. The MeGrada family were originally Scotch, but had lived perhaps one hundred years in Ireland. He lived and died on the farm where his son William and grand- son, Thomas Eager, lived and died. His children were Mary, who married William Monell ; Thomas, who married Martha McNeal ; William, who married Miriam Butler and Ann Bull; Elizabeth, who married James McMunn; Ann, who married John Davis; Jane, who married John Harlow.

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William Eager (the second), son of the first settler of that name, was thirteen years old when the family came to Neelytown. He went to school but one quarter. He married, quite early in life, Miriam Butler, by whom he had one child, and both died early. Afterwards he married Ann, the daughter of William and Sarah Bull, of Hamptonburgh, then in the town of Goshen. Nine children were the fruits of this marriage, all of whom grew up and were mar- ried except Anthony, who died young. The de- scendants of the first settler are now very numerous and widely dispersed. William married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Watkins, Esq., of Wallkill; Thomas married Margaret, daughter of John Blake, Esq., of Neelytown ; Sarah married Capt. James Mc- Bride, of Neelytown ; Elsie married Jolin Blake, Esq., of Neelytown; Mary married Charles Bodine, of Montgomery ; Esther married Samuel Dunning, of Wallkill; Elinor married Mr. Philip Mowbray, of Wallkill; Ann married Elijah MeMunn, of Mont- gomery ; Anthony died young.

Alexander Kidd settled probably about 1736, on land adjoining that of Archibald Hunter on the north. His wife was Jane Calderwood. His, children were Robert, Alexander, James, Mrs. Samuel Crawford, and Mrs. Alexander Wilson.

Patrick Barber settled in Montgomery about 1764, three miles south of Goodwill church. His children were Margaret (Mrs. John Davison), Francis, John, William, and Joseph. Three others died in child- hood,-Archable, Jane, Samuel.

Matthew Rhea (the younger) was born Aug. 6, 1719. His wife was Catharine Hunter. His children were Mrs. Jolin Barber, Frances, Stephen, James, Matthew, John, Martha, Robert, William, and David.

David Jagger was an early settler, date not ascer- tained. His children were John, Stephen, David, Mary.

Abraham Dickerson settled here just before the Revolution. His wife was Annie Mould. His children were Mrs. Jacob Alsdorf, Mrs. Jacob Millspaugh, Mrs. Wm. Soper, and Adam Dickerson.

Nathaniel Hill was an early settler of Crawford, near the Dwaars Kill. He had three sons-James, William, and Peter-and six daughters,-Mary, Cath- arine, Martha, Margaret, Susanna, and Eleanor.

The entire population is very accurately shown about the time of the war of 1812-16 by the follow- ing catalogue of road districts, with the names com- prised in each :

District No. 1, from the town line to the Mont- gomery and Minisink turnpike on the west side, and from the turnpike to the town line on the east, Henry Goetchius (overseer), Wm. White, Matthew Goetchius, Adam Crist.

Weller, George I. Sears, James Bodine, John Wallis, Phillimy Wade.

District No. 3, from the town line, past Andrew Embler's, to Mayhar Wyton's, Philip Mould (over- seer), Adam Newkirk, Andrew Embler, Daniel Tears, Stephen Rockafellow, Jacob Newkirk, Abraham New- kirk, Johannes Mould, Henry Daly, George Peck.

District No. 4, from the new road from the Shun- pike to George Pitt's, past Mahar Wyton's to the Shun- pike, Daniel Shafer (overseer), Frederick Shafer, Jonathan Miller, John A. Newkirk, - Fenton, John Stephens, Moses Bodine, Joseph Caldwell, Joseph Pitts, Rufus Weed, John McGregor, Lead.

District No. 5, from the main road to the town line, and from John Smith's to the town line south- east, Lawrence Crans (overseer), George Pitts, Adam Shafer, Abraham Smith, Henry Smith, Alexander Barnard, John Crans, Adam Crans, William Embler, Adam Embler, Adamı Crist, John Rushford.

District No. 6 (perhaps joint with Crawford), from Barkley's Rock, past Daniel Comfort's to the Shun- pike, James W. Crawford (overseer), John Whitesides, John McCurdy, Moses Crawford, Daniel Pool, Daniel Comfort, Archibald McCurdy.

District No. 7, from the town line, near the Widow Millspaugh's, to Barkley's Rock, and from that to the turnpike, James McCurdy (overseer), John P. Crist, Charles Millspaugh, Bartlett Clement, Adam Book- staver, Nicholas Yorks, George Brown, Daniel Wind- field, Samuel Stephens, Josiah Monroe, Moses Mills- paugh.

District No. 12, John A. Newkirk, Moses Bodine, Daniel Shafer, Jonathan Miller, John Puff, William McCord, David Hardenbrook, John Mould, Henry Daley, Philip Mould, Adam Newkirk, Peter New- kirk, Henry P. Weller, Lawrence Crist, Stephen Crist, Henry D. Crist, James Bodine, John Wallace, Joseph Decker, Henry Gutcher, Andrew Embler, Catharine Puff, Benjamin Crist, George Peck, Alex- ander McGregor, Daniel Clearwater, Benjamin Clear- water, John Clearwater, George Shars, Benjamin Rogers, Joseph Caldwell, Jacob Newkirk.

District No. 13, Matthias Kimbark, Philip Decker, John Robertson, Arthur T. Stansbury, Peter B. Mills- paugh, Daniel Wilkin, Jason Wilkin, John Wilkin, Joseph Whitten, John Wilson, Hugh MeMullen, David Rainey, William R. Wiley, James Hill, Na- thaniel Hill, Joshua Crawford, Henry Weller, Ann Cahill, John Cahill, Thomas Tate, John Tate, An- drew N. Williams, Abraham Dickerson, Adam Dick- erson, William Wilkin, Thomas Tate, James Raney, Samuel Raney, Erwin Galatian, Peter Crowell, Wil- liam Whigham, Daniel M. DeWitt.

District No. 22, Lawrence Crans, John Crans,

District No. 2, from the school-house at Adam New- . Abraham Smith, Henry Smith, James Warner, Geo. kirk's to the old stone house at the State road, Joseph Decker (overseer), Henry D. Crist, Daniel Mills- paugh, Stephen Crist, Lawrence Crist, Henry P.

Pitts, John Whiteside, James W. Crawford, John Stephens, George Peek, Archibald McCurdy, Abra- ham Peck, Jacob Sherman, Jr., Jacob Rumph, Abra-

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ham Miller, Isaac Sears, John Hardenbrook, Henry Miller, Jacob Pitts, Joseph Morris, Joseph Caldwell, Matthias Warner, Daniel Comfort.

The other districts are given in the chapter upon the town of Crawford. As the town was not divided until some years later, we have been obliged to sepa- rate the districts according to the opinion of old citi- zens to whom they have been submitted. It may be found that some of the districts are joint, considered with reference to the present town line.

Of the early physicians some notes appear in the story of early settlement, and other names are in the chapter upon the medical profession of the county.

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR CADWALLADER COLDEN.

Under the head of early settlement some notice of this distinguished man should be given, though the more important points in his career are already sketched in the General History.

He settled at the place named Coldenbam, which still bears this houorable designation. In the most ex- citing times that preceded the Revolution, the known honesty of the Lieutenant-Governor as a man and his integrity of character as a public officer saved him from all personal violence, though his property in New York City was sacrificed at the hands of a mob.

The buildings erected by the Coldens may be sum- marily stated as follows : the old stone academy house ; the Coldenham stone house on the turnpike ; the long, low house east of the stone house at the foot of the hill ; ; lived, and of the west portion of New Windsor as far the house known as the Thomas Colden mansion north of the turnpike; the two dwellings east of the The name of Hanover Precinct continued till 1782, when it was changed to "Montgomery Precinct." This name continued till 1789, when it was changed to the "Town of Montgomery." by which it continues to be called. The name was in honor of Gen. Mont- gomery, who was killed in the assault on Quebec in 1775. last one named, owned in later years by David Col- den ; and the dwelling on the hill south of the turn- pike, occupied in later years by Mr. John Scott. The homestead was subsequently deeded by Gover- nor Colden to his son, Cadwallader, Jr. Both are noticed elsewhere in this work. (See History of New Windsor ; also General History-Physicians.) EXTRACTS FROM TOWN RECORDS.

IV .- ORGANIZATION.

This town was organized under the name of Han- over Preeinet in the year 1772. Its territory, in- cluding Crawford, was set off from the old precinct of Wallkill. The records of Wallkill from 1743 to 1767 had been already lost, or were left at Mont- gomery, and subsequently disappeared.

Mr. Eager, writing in 1846, quotes as the first town- meeting the records of 1768. But these were the records of Wallkill, and should have remained in the office of that town. The book was, however, de- stroyed by fire some years ago. We cannot obtain the first meeting of Montgomery, but, what is exceed- ingly rare, we give (as Mr. Eager did) a meeting fire years earlier than the first. Some of the names men- tioned therein belonged to the present territory of Montgomery, including that of Crawford, and we therefore catch at least a faint glimpse of that far-off period, one hundred and thirteen years ago.

The loss of valuable records is occurring every year, and few are aware, until called upon to notice the fact, what important historical materials are lying in the town clerks' offices of the State of New York exposed to the accidents of fire. Stowed away in old chests or dry-goods boxes, without order or system, often purposely destroyed to get them out of the way, the materials that would have shown the name and very nearly the location of every citizen have been yearly diminishing.

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History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 93

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