USA > New York > Putnam County > History of Putnam County, New York : with biographical sketches of its prominent men > Part 66
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The father of this family came to Carmel and bought a farm about a mile and a half north of the village, containing about eighty acres, and gradually increased it until his possessions exceeded 300 acres. As his sons grew up and were married he gave them portions of his estate, and they all settled around hin).
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D. R. Nichols
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TOWN OF KENT.
Joseph C. Nichols, the oldest son, married Loretta, daughter of John Northrup, and their children were : William, John F., Hannah E., Susan R., wife of John T. Barrett, and Ida J.
Lewis Nichols, who is now living at an advanced age, married Adah, daughter of Reuben Cole, and has children : Chauncey, Edgar, Edwin, Zillah, wife of Tillott Cole, and Henrietta, wife of Matthias Newman.
Henry B. Nichols lived in Patterson, where he married Julia, daughter of Edmund Haines. His children were: John H., Albert E., David C., Edmund, and Antha J., wife of George Hazen; Achsah, wife of Charles Towner; and Melinda, wife of James Towner.
Mr. Daniel R. Nichols, the subject of this sketch, was born August 12th, 1812. His early life was spent on the farm with his father, and he inherited part of the homstead from him, but by various judicious purchases he has greatly increased his possessions until he has now more than 300 acres of excellent farming land which, by his care and skill and with the able assistance of his son, has been made one of the finest farms in this section of the country.
In 1857, Mr. Nichols built a new residence, which was burned in 1870, and upon the site he erected his present elegant and commodious home. For many years Mr. Nichols held the offices of town superintendent of schools and assessor. For several years he has been a deacon of the Carmel Baptist Church; the same position has been held by his brothers, Lewis and Perry G.
Mr. Nichols married Sarah, daughter of James Hughson. They have one son, James H. Nichols, who was born June 4th, 1837. With the care and energy of a thorough and skilled agriculturalist Mr. James Nichols has also made farming the business of his life with good and well merited success. He is a stockholder and director of the Putnam County Agricultural Society, and his choice herd of fine blooded stock never fails to attract marked attention. He married Lydia, daughter of Isaac Kelley. After her decease he married Miss Emma A., daughter of Thomas Hazen. They have one son, Homer Hazen Nichols, born April 30th, 1885. Mrs. Nichols died in the same year.
In conclusion it may be said that Mr. Nichols and the family of which he is an honored member are good representatives of
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
the honest and enterprising farmers of Putnam county, whose fame and credit they have helped to sustain.
THE TOWNSEND FAMILY .- Among the early settlers of Queens county, Long Island, were John and Henry Townsend, who were the progenitors of a very extensive family. The first of the name who appears in Putnam county was David Town- send, who, in 1735, was the owner of Lot No. 6 on the Oblong, which was the extreme southeast corner of the county. His son, Elihu Townsend, was born in Oyster Bay, Long Island, August, 1704, and moving to the Oblong, lived on the Lot No. 6, as above described. His house stood in the town of North Salem, a short distance south of the county line, and he died there in July, 1805.
His son, Uriah Townsend, was born in 1732. His homestead was in the original lot but north of the county line in the town of Southeast. He died in 1804, leaving five sons : Abijah, born 1780, died November 5th, 1838; Elihu, Samuel, Abraham and Stephen. Elihu Townsend gave his farm to these grandsons by deed in 1801. Abijah Townsend lived in Southeast. He had a son, Uriah, whose son Keeler was a well known citizen of the town. Elihu went to Canada. He had two sons, Henry and James. Abraham left no descendants. Stephen went to Sus- quehannah.
Samuel Townsend was born November 25th, 1772, and died May 20th, 1853. His homestead, during the greater part of his life, was the tract in the town of Kent, which has long borne the name of Townsend's Ridge. The farm was originally in the possession of Nathan Crosby, who held it as a tenant of the Philipse family, and it was afterward purchased by Samuel Townsend. Mr. Townsend married Keturah, daughter of Nathan Crosby. Their children were : Polly, born May 7th, 1792, mar- ried Lewis Ludington; Zillah, born May 9th, 1794, married Peter Smith; Anna, born November 5th, 1797, married Ward Haviland; Coleman, born November 5th, 1797, and now living at Brewster; Warren, born September 23d, 1802, died May 10th, 1859; Horace, born December 20th, 1804, died February 2d, 1852; and Samuel A., born May 20th, 1810, now living in Carmel.
Coleman Townsend, who is a well-known resident of Brewster, married Malinda Ogden. She died in 1870. Their children were:
6 6 Townsend
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TOWN OF KENT.
Zillah, wife of Alanson Robinson; Elihu, who died at sea July 2d, 1858, aged 38; and Peter B., deceased.
Warren Townsend was a prominent citizen of Carmel. He married Betsey, daughter of Thomas Caldwell. Their children were: John, who is now living in Pawling; Marriette, wife of George M. Hughson, of Carmel; Edgar, now living in Patterson; Thomas, deceased; Samuel K., deceased; Charlotte H., wife of David C. Hughson; and Eli, now living in Kent.
Horace Townsend was a resident of Farmer's Mills, and was a prominent citizen when that village was in the days of its glory. He married Philinda, daughter of Daniel Kent, and had two children: Laura, wife of Peter Smith, and Coleman K., now liv- ing near Brewster.
Mr. Samuel A. Townsend was born on the old homestead on Townsend's Ridge, and the early part of his business life was passed on the farm in the town of Kent, now owned by Putnam Light. About 1852 he went to reside on the homestead of his father, and continued there till 1868, since which time he has passed a life of retired leisure in the village of Carmel. Besides conducting his extensive farm he was in earlier years an exten- sive dealer in cattle. Mr. Townsend married Hannah, daughter of Thomas Caldwell. Their children were: Henry, born April 30th, 1832, died August 5th, 1871; Mary A., Cyrus C., Zillah and Susan.
Mr. Cyrus C. Townsend, who is well known as an extensive farmer of the town of Kent, was born on his father's farm March 17tlı, 1837. When fifteen years old he came with his father to reside on the old homestead of his grandfather, on Townsend Ridge, and this has been his residence till the present time. The original farm has been largely increased till it now embraces 280 acres and is one of the finest in the town and county. On this homestead, near the present barn, was, in the middle of the last century, an enclosure known as the " Horse Pound," which gave its name to the principal road through Kent and Carmel. It was made for the purpose of securing the large numbers of stray horses which ran at large in early times. Long lines of of fence converged to the pound, and between these the horses were driven to the enclosure.
Mr. Townsend married Eunice, daughter of Alexander Penney. They have two children, Ethel Glenn and Bessie.
Henry Townsend, brother of Cyrus C. Townsend, married
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
Angeline, daughter of Stephen R. Barrett. Their children are: Arthur, Wilbert, Byron, Cassie (wife of Coleman T. Henion), and Emily.
Besides the family of Elihu Townsend, whose descendants have been traced above, there are several other families of the name, the exact relationship of whom is unknown. On the assessment roll of 1777, the names of Daniel, Charles, Benja- min, Robert, Christopher, James, John, Levi, Elijah, Isaac, Zebulon and Uriah Townsend are found. Charles Townsend is supposed to have been a brother of Uriah and son of Elihu. He had sons, James and Elijah (mentioned above) and Eber. Of these Gen. James Townsend was born in 1756, and died March 13th, 1832. He was a prominent man of Carmel, and once owned the land where the Court House now stands. He married Priscilla, daughter of Elihu Cole, 1st, and his children were: James, Alvah, Charles (who had sons Albert, David and others), Ardillio, Susannah (wife of Stephen Waring), Naomai, (2d wife of Dr. Robert Weeks), Mercy (wife of Issacher Merrick) and Priscilla (wife Levi Bailey).
Elijah Townsend (brother of General James) died in 1823. He had sons, James, Melankie, Charles and Joshua. The last died November 9th, 1858, aged 70 years, 11 months and 11 days. He had sons: Stephen, born 1810; Harvey, Alonzo, Coleman and Hamilton. Stephen has children: Isaac, Orville, James, John, Freeman, Augustus and Coleman S., who lives in Carmel, near Long Pond.
Benjamin Townsend was living near Lake Mahopac in the early part of this century. His house stands about a quarter of a mile east of the railroad station. The first Methodist meetings were held there. He died May 2d, 1838, aged 79. He had a wife Anna, and a daughter who married Nathaniel Crane.
Isaac Townsend was living on Lot 6 on the Oblong, near Uriah Townsend, in 1791. Nothing is known of his family.
Christopher Townsend is supposed to have been the father of John Townsend, who married Jemima Travis. Among his descendants may be mentioned Professor Cleveland Abbe of Washington, D. C.
COLEMAN ROBINSON .- The first of the Robinson family of whom we have any knowledge was Isaiah, who came from Cape Cod and settled in Carmel on a place which was west of the
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TOWN OF KENT.
reservoir, near the Tilly Foster Mine. In the assessment roll of 1777 the names of Ebenezer and John Robinson occur. The latter probably lived in Patterson and is mentioned as living "near Robinson's store." They were brothers of Isaiah Robinson.
Isaiah Robinson married Amy Chapel. Their children were: Peter; Zelotas, who went to Danbury, Conn .; Isaiah, who moved to Vermont; Ebenezer, who went to Chenango county; Noah, who moved to Tompkins county: Andrew, who lived in Kent on the place now owned by Eben Wixom; and Chapel, who also removed to Tompkins county. There was one daughter, Lydia, who married Joshua Morse.
Peter Robinson was born March 8th, 1761, and died May 21st, 1849. He was a soldier in the Revolution, and was at West Point at the time of Arnold's treason. During the latter part of his life he received a pension from the government, the prin- cipal witness in his behalf at the time of his application being Enoch Crosby, the original of "Harvey Birch," the hero of Cooper's "Spy." His residence was on a farm in Kent near the place where his grandson, Coleman Robinson, now lives. He was well known as a good and worthy citizen.
Peter Robinson married Phebe Haight. Their children were: Huldah, wife of Squire Robinson; James, who moved to Tomp- kins county; Nathaniel; Meliza, wife of Abel Shaw, of Wiscon- sin; Ira, who also went to that State; Carle, who went to Illinois; Lydia, wife of Abijah K. Barrett; Betsy, wife of Major Mead; and Amy, wife of Joseph McCargar, of Orleans county, N. Y.
Elder Nathaniel Robinson, the third child of this family, was born April 6th, 1788. When four years old he moved to Kent with his father, and lived in a log house near the present resi- dence of Coleman Robinson. His father at first held a large farm as tenant of Frederick Philipse, and afterward purchased it. Mr. Robinson was for many years an elder and minister of the Baptist Church. From a church record book, which is now in possession of his descendants, and a highly prized relic, we learn that he commenced preaching June 20th, 1819. During the rest of his life he preached in various places, as Carmel, Patterson, Fishkill, Farmer's Mills and Putnam Valley. The number of marriages solemnized by him was five hundred, and he officiated at the funerals of more than one thousand persons, and his services on such occasions were so highly appreciated
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
that he was called to distant places to perform the last sad rites which accompany the closing scene of man's career on earth. The house which he built more than sixty years ago is yet standing on the farm of his son, Coleman Robinson. After a long life of great usefulness Elder Robinson died August 20th, 1865, in the 81st year of his age, and a neat monument in the burying ground by the Baptist church at Farmer's Mills marks his last resting place.
Elder Nathaniel Robinson married Adah, daughter of Seth Kelley. She was born May 11th, 1791, and died October 9th, 1883. They were the parents of three children: Coleman Robin- son, born May 2d, 1816; Laura, born June 5th, 1818, married Eben Wixom, and resides in Kent; and Olive, who died in infancy.
Mr. Coleman Robinson, who is one of the best known citizens of Kent, resides on a farm in the northern part of the town. This farm was formerly owned by his grandfather, Peter Robin- son, and was given by him to his son Carle, who sold it to Elder Moseman Barrett, a prominent citizen of former days. His sons sold it to John Henion, from whom it was purchased by Mr. Robinson. To the original farm he has greatly added by judi- cious purchases, and it now includes 255 acres. A line of stone wall about three rods west of his house is the original line be- tween Lots 5 and 6 of the Philipse Patent, and from this point an unbroken line of fence marks the line to its northern ex- tremity on the top of a mountain a short distance north of the county line. Mr. Robinson has held the office of supervisor of Kent, and was justice of the peace for many years, and justice of Sessions. He has also held the office of commissioner of schools, and was appraiser of lands in many instances. In all these positions his sound and discriminating judgment was fully recognized.
Mr. Robinson married Chloe Jane, daughter of John Henion. Their children are: Watson D., Emily B., wife of Charles B. Peck of Patterson (who has children, Coleman, Annie L. and Chloe May), and Coliette, wife of Emory C. Hufcut of Fishkill, who has one son, Ralph W.
Mr. Watson D. Robinson, who resides in Kent with his father, has also been supervisor of the town, and is justly regarded as one of the rising young men of the county.
JOHN HENION came from Rhinebeck, and lived near Boyd's
Coleman Robinson
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TOWN OF KENT.
Corners in Kent. He married Mercy Smalley, and had children: Elias, who married Betsey Clawson; Zachariah, who married Margaret Hagar; John, jr., who married Chloe Hagar; Hannah, wife of Edmond Knox; Elizabeth, wife of Hiram Light; Julia, wife of Barnum Hazelton; Chloe Jane, wife of Coleman Robin- son; and Mary, wife of Lee McDonald.
John Henion, jr., had children: David, Julia, wife of Coleman K. Townsend; Kent, a well-known citizen of Patterson; Hannah, wife of William J. Robinson; Laura, wife of Lewis G. Robinson; Coleman T .; and Carrie, wife of John M. Penny.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
TOWN OF PUTNAM VALLEY.
Establishment and Boundaries .- Change of Name .- Settlement .- Cemeteries .-- Peekskill Hollow Methodist Church .- Oscawana Lake .- Canopus Hollow .- Baptist Church, Croft's Corners .- Methodist Church, Croft's Corners .- Hempstead Huts .- Mountain Chapel .- Oregon .- Solpew Pond .- Change of Boundary .- Supervisors .- Walter N. Wood .- Hon. Saxton Smith .- George William Lane.
T HIS town, formerly a portion of Philipstown, was estab- lished in 1839. The territory embraced within its limits is that part of Lot 4, of the Philipse Patent, which lies south of the Philipstown Turnpike, and a small tract taken from the town of Carmel, and which lies west of the Peekskill Hollow Creek. The surface of this town is rugged and mountainous; the principal geographical features are two valleys, which ex. tend the whole length of the town, from northeast to south- west, and are known as the Peekskill and Canopus Hollows. These valleys are bounded on either side by rugged hills, which might well be called mountains, and they are separated by a wide extent of hilly, rocky and broken ground. The original lot, when the patent was divided in 1754, was probably deemed less valuable than the others, as it contains a greater number of acres. The width of the town is five miles, not including the part taken from Carmel, and its length is about nine miles.
The following is a copy of the Act by which the town was established; it was passed March 14th, 1839.
" An Act to divide the town of Philipstown.
" I. All that part of the town of Philipstown in the County of Putnam, comprised within the following boundaries, to wit, Beginning at the Southeast corner of Beverly Robinson's water lot, and in the dividing line between the counties of Westchester and Putnam, thence along the water lot line north
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TOWN OF PUTNAM VALLEY.
eight degrees and thirty minutes east seven and a half miles to the center of the Cold Spring turnpike road; thence along the middle line of said road to the division line between the towns of Philipstown and Kent; thence south eight and a half degrees west along the west line of the towns of Kent and Carmel to the division line between the counties of Westchester and Putnam, aforesaid, nine miles; then running in said line south eighty- nine degrees west to the place of beginning, shall be a separate town and called and known by the name of Quincy; and the first town meeting shall be held at the house of Matthias Croft in the said town of Quincy on the first Tuesday of April next, and annually thereafter, at such place as a majority of the electors of said town shall determine, pursuant to the Revised Statutes.
" II. All the remaining part of said town of Philipstown shall be and remain a separate town by the name of Philips- town and the next town meeting shall be held at the place where it was last voted to be held, in said town, on the first Tuesday in April next and annually thereafter the said town meetings shall be held at such place as a majority of the electors of said town shall fix upon, in pursuance of the Revised Statutes. This Act shall take effect immediately."
It is said that the people of the town, always strong sup- porters of the democratic party, became dissatisfied with the name so strongly identified with the opposing party in politics, and it was soon proposed to change the name to something more to their liking. However this may be, we find that on Feb- ruary 13th, 1840, the Legislature passed the following:
" Act to change the town of Quincy, in the County of Put- nam.
" I. All that part of the County of Putnam, now known as the town of Quincy, shall hereafter be called and known by the name of Putnam Valley.
"II. Nothing contained in this Act, shall in any way affect the rights of any inhabitant, or any officer of said town, or of the town itself.
"III. This Act shall take effect immediately."
Lot No. 4 of the Philipse Patent was the property of Beverly Robinson and his wife, Susannah, after the division in 1754. Previous to that time, it was the undivided property of the heirs of Frederick Philipse, who inherited the whole patent
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
from his uncle Adolph Philipse, the original patentee. The earliest information we have of any settlement in this town is in the record of highways, April 20th, 1747. " A highway laid out Beginning at Abraham Smith's and by marked trees to the highway that leads from Kirkham's mills to ye peakskills, four rods wide." Tradition states that Abraham Smith came from England, about 1716, and settled on Long Island, where he re- mained some years. He is said to have come to this part of the county about 1720, but this is doubtful, as no such name oc- curs in the list of inhabitants of Dutchess county made in 1724. He was probably one of the first who came in with the tide of migration about 1740. The place which he selected for his home was a tract of land one mile square, which he " took up" on the east side of what was afterward the Beverly Robinson Lot, and tradition says that he gave a farm to one of his chain bearers for his services. Upon this tract he lived and died and his children after him, as tenants of Beverly Robinson, and after the Revolution, when the estate of Colonel Robinson was confiscated and sold, they became the owners, by deed from the commissioners of forfeitures. Hon. Saxton Smith, grandson of the first settler, still lives on the ancestral domain. The east boundary of the farm is the original line between Lots 4 and 5 of the Philipse Patent, and from this it can be traced in either direction.
Soon after the coming of Abraham Smith, a number of fami- lies began to arrive. Among these were Thomas Bryant, who settled near Mr. Smith, and gave his name to Bryant Hill and Bryant Pond, which they have ever since retained.
The Bargers, whose name shows their German origin, have left a very numerous line of descendants in the town. The original settler of the name was probably Peter Baragar, who bought 213 acres of land of the commissioners of for- feitures in 1780. The old homestead is now owned by George Barger.
Previous to the Revolution there were several families settled in Peekskill Hollow. This valley begins at the headwaters of the Peekskill Creek, which rises in a spring at Boyd's Corners, in the town of Kent, and only a narrow ridge of land separates its fountain head from the Croton River. Flowing southwest, it empties into the Hudson River above Peekskill, and at its mouth is known as the Annsville Creek. It derives its name
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TOWN OF PUTNAM VALLEY.
from Jan Peek, an early Dutch navigator, who sailed into the creek supposing it to be the continuation of the river, and gave it his name. The Peekskill Hollow was probably once the bed of a glacier, which flowed its way down in a long past geological age, and in after times a stream of water must have flowed through the valley, compared with which the present brook is but a inere rivulet. At intervals along the valley are found small hills of sand, which were probably deposited in eddies, at a time when the stream was a river, which may have swept the rocky heights on either side. This hollow, which is per- haps a mile across, from the rocky hills which bound it, was divided into farms, which ran across it from side to side.
At the lower end of the valley, near Adam's Corners, a family named Dusenbury settled. William Dusenbury, the ancestor of the family, came from Westchester county. He had here a farm of 300 acres, which embraced the land around Adam's Corners and extended up the valley to what is now the north line of the farm of Daniel D. Tompkins. This farm was sold to William Dusenbury, by the commissioners of forfeitures after the Revolution. The homestead was on the east side of the road and is now owned by Gilbert Hadden, who married a granddaughter of the original owner. The old house stood a few rods east of Mr. Hadden's present residence. On the west side of the road, opposite the house, is a slight eleva- tion of land, and here is said to have been an Indian burying ground at the time William Dusenbury came to the valley.
North of the Dusenbury farm was a tract of about 90 acres, which was held by one Nathaniel Jagger. Tradition says he lost his farm through taking more than legal interest. James D. Tompkins is the present owner. Next north of this came a tract owned by the Tompkins family, who appear to have been here for some years previous to the Revolution. Na- thaniel, Joshua, Cornelius and Reuben Tompkins were here in 1777, but what relation they were to each other, we do not know. Nathaniel Tomkpins lived on the place now owned by George F. Barmore, Esq., the late supervisor of Putnam Valley. The Buckbee family also lived in the valley in later years. Edward Bnckbee was sheriff, 1819-22. He died December 14th, 1839, aged 71. He had a wife, Elizabeth, and sons, John, Monmouth, Hyatt, and Lewis. Monmouth Buckbee was supervisor of this town for several years. His homestead, on the west side
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
of the Peekskill Hollow road, is now owned by his daughters, Elizabeth and Mary.
Cornelius Tompkins lived and kept a store, at the place where the main road crosses Peekskill Creek, and where Gould Sellick now lives. Still farther north, up the Wicopee road, lived Reuben Tompkins. The descendants of these families have been and still are numerous. Joshua Tompkins, after the Revolution, pur- chased his farm from the commissioners of forfeitures. It was a tract of 300 acres, bounded east "by the line between Philips- burg and Fredericksburg," that is, between Lots 4 and 5 on the Philipse Patent. This was probably near the Methodist church, and representatives of the family are still here. The junction of the Peekskill Hollow and Wicopee roads is generally known as Tompkins' Corners.
In the appointment of highway masters, in 1772, as found in the records of Philipstown, occurs the following: "William White, Highwaymaster for the Road from William Dusenbury's up Peekskill Hollow to the Bridge near Lewis Jones, which bridge he is to make with his own hands and to continue up the hollow, to the line of Fredericksburg Precinct."
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