USA > New York > Queens County > History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals. > Part 13
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From 1847 to date: Francis H. Baldwin, 1870; George E. Bulmer, 1877.81; B. Valentine Clowes, 1880; Town- send I). Cock, 1870, 1880; Isaac Coles, 1862; Obadiah J. Downing, 1866; Charles T. Duryea, 1863, 1864; Henry D. Hall, 1862; John S. Hendrickson, 1858; David R. Floyd Jones, 1877, 1878; John Keegan, 1878; Edward A. Lawrence, 1858, 1859; Henry S. Lott, 1863; Charles McNeill, 1864, 1865; John B. Madden, 1868, 1869; James Maurice, 1851, 1866; Robert 1. Meeks, 1859; James M. Oakley, 1871-75; Alvin T. Payne, 1876; James B. Pear- sall, 1869, 1870; William E. Pearse, 1879; John l'ettit, 1850; L. B. Prince, 1871-75; James Rider, 1855; John A. Searing, 1854; Francis Skillman, 1867, 1868; Sylvanus S. Smith, 1852, 1853; Wessell S. Smith, 1848, 1849; John S. Snedeker, 1850; Seaman .V. Snedeker, 1856; Stephen Taber, 1860, 1861; John D. Townsend, 1861; William Turner, 1865; William B. Wilson, 1867; William Jones Youngs, 1878, 188c.
State Senators .- 1777 to 1846: De Witt Clinton, 1799- 1802, 1806-11; Henry Cruger, 1793-96; John D. Ditmis, 1817-20; Elbert H. Jones, 1813-15; David R. Floyd Jones, 1844-47; Henry Floyd Jones, 1836-39: Dr. John Jones, 1777, 1778; Samuel Jones, 1791.99; John A. King, 1823; John Lawrence, 1788-90; Jonathan Lawrence, 1777-79, 1790-95; Andrew Onderdonk, 1797; John Schenck, 1793-96, 1799-1806; John I. Schenck, 1828-31; Samuel Townsend, 1784-90.
From 1847 to date: John Birdsall, 1880, 1881; William Horace Brown, 1850, 1851; Townsend D. Cock, 1872, 1873; Monroe Henderson, 1862, 1863; John A. King, 1874, 1875; Edward A. Lawrence, 1860, 1861: James M. Oakley, 1878, 1879; L. Bradford Prince, 1876, 1877; James Rider, 1856, 1857.
Delegates to the Provincial Congress and Convention: Jacob Blackwell, Joseph French (declined), Thomas Hicks, Rev. Abraham Reteltas, Jonathan Lawrence, Daniel Rapelye, Joseph Robinson, Benjamin Sands, Waters Smith, Richard Thorne, Nathaniel Tom, Dr. James Townsend, Samuel Townsend, Cornelius Van Wyck, John Williams, Zebulon Williams.
Delegates to Constitutional Conventions .- 1801, to fix the nuniber of senators and assemblymen: De Witt Clinton, James Raynor, John Schenck, John W. Seaman. 1821, to amend the constitution: Elbert H. Jones, Rufus King, Nathaniel Seaman. 1788, to ratify the federal constitu- tion: Stephen Carman, Samuel Jones, Nathaniel Law- rence, John Schenck. 1846, John L, Riker. 1867, to revise the organic laws of the State: Solomon Townsend. 1872, constitutional commission, John J. Armstrong.
United States Senators .- John Lawrence, appointed November 9th 1796; De Witt Clinton, appointed Febru- ary 9th 1802; Rufus King, appointed February 2nd 1813, and January 3d 1820.
Representatives in Congress .- Thomas B. Jackson, 1837-
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EARLY SCHOOLS.
41; John Lawrence, 1789-93; John W. Lawrence, 1845- 47; James Lent, 1829-33; Samuel Riker, 1807-09, 1813- 15; George Townsend, 1815-19; Dr. James Townsend, 1791-93; Luther C. Carter, 1859-61; James W. Covert, 1877-81; John A. King, 1849-51; James Maurice, 1853-55; Stephen Taber, 1865-69; Dr. William W. Valk, 1855-57; Perry Belmont, 1882.84.
Presidential Electors .- 1860, William C. Bryant (at large), John A. King 'latter also in 1872); 1876, Parke Godwin.
Governor, John Alsop King, 1857, 1858.
Lieutenant Governor, David R. F. Jones; also secretary of state 1860, 1861.
CHAPTER II.
EARLY SCHOOLS AND STUDIES-THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMIES.
T and long after the settlement of Queens county education was left to take care of itself. No public recognition of its utility or any act enforcing or encouraging it is any where recorded. The teachers, or " masters " as they were then called, were usually single men from the "old country," England, Scot- land or Ireland. They were itinerants, hired for a quarter or so in one place and then passing on to another. Too often they were given to drink and kept “ blue Monday." They were usually good penmen and arith- meticians. Grammar, geography and history were not then thought of. They were professors of the "three R's," Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithemetic. The alphabet was taught the tyro by naming the letters in the column from A to Z, the master pointing to each with his pen- knife, and boxing the ears of dunces who could not re- collect the names after being told a score of times. In- deed one or even two quarters were often spent before the learner had mastered the alphabet. The child was next put to joining letters, as a-b, ab; b-a, ba; and thus he went on in his spelling book for a quarter more, wear- ing out the leaves as he proceeded. If he was not a dull fellow at the end of a year he began to read, and then school life was more enjoyable; but the memory was cultivated to the neglect of the understanding, and that for long years after; and in some schools almost to the present time.
churches and school-houses, yet around them cling many pleasant and happy memories. Money paid out for education was paid too often grudgingly. It was felt, like other taxes, to be a grievance that could not be avoided. The school-houses then were not painted in- side or out, nor were the walls or ceiling plastered. The wide old-fashioned fire-place was after a while supplanted by a close Dutch stove, which strove-sometimes in vain -to overcome the cold that rushed in with the wind through many a crevice in the floor and wainscot. The wood for fuel was supplied in a loose way. Usually each parent in rotation carted a load, which the larger boys were expected to cut up as wanted from day to day. The smaller boys carried it in. The fire was started in the morning by the first comer, who borrowed the coals in a foot-stove from the nearest house. In cold weather the boys huddled around the stove till nearly noon, when the room would begin to get comfortably warm. In winter, when the larger boys (some of them 19 or 20 years old) attended school, the larger girls staid at home; but in summer they went to school with the smaller boys. The girls were required to sweep the school-room about once a week; and once a month (or not so often) there was a grand scrubbing time, the boys bringing the water and the girls cleansing the floor with brooms. Two boys with a pail suspended from a stick between them usually troubled some neighboring well for water twice a day.
The marked peculiarity of those days was the respect and deference with which children were taught to treat their " superiors " or elders. As soon as a respectable person was seen approaching on the road the boys and girls arranged themselves in distinct rows by the road- side and "made their manners " to him, who returned the salutation with an inclination of the head and an ap- proving smile, often adding some pleasant words. One of the by-laws of the academy at Jamaica (in 1792) re- quired that " when the tutor or any gentleman comes in or goes out of the school-room, every scholar shall rise up with a respectful bow; and they shall treat all men, especially known superiors, with the greatest modesty and respect."
The boys sat separately, but usually recited in one class, so far as classes were formed (which was chiefly in spelling and reading); for in those days classification was hardly attempted and not so much needed as at present, for the circle of knowledge was confined mostly to reading, writing and arithmetic. But the limited range of the sciences was the cause of their being well taught. The old proverb said: " Beware of a man of one book." As school books were not various there was but little choice, and thus one book was a text book for successive gener- ations of children. Indeed, one girl, who went to a boarding school in Brooklyn in 1812, afterward went to Oyster Bay Academy and found the same text books used in both schools.
In these days of academies, union schools, high schools and institutes the modern schoolboy loses the chance of those pleasant reminiscences of schoolboy days that have been the theme of many a sentimental story. The poetry, the romance is all gone save in a very few se- questered nooks of our county. In olden times the school-house was the least pretentious of all buildings. No idea of ornamentation or embellishment of any kind seemed to occur to our forefathers in the erection of |abruptly from spelling to reading (and was originally in.
The elementary book used was the primer (so named from the Latin primarius, first book),_but_as that had a scanty supply of spelling lessons, and led the learner too
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HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.
tended for a book of religious teaching., Dilworth's spell- ing book took its place. Thomas Dilworth's speller was a good book in its day, but after the Revolutionary war Noah Webster's spelling book was gradually adopted; not that it was better, but because it was American. Dilworth was a pious teacher at Wapping, in England, about 1740. He was the author of a system of book- keeping and an arithmetic also, which after a 30-years struggle was supplanted by Nathan Daboll's arithmetic.
Arithmetic was not taught in classes, but each scholar plodded on by himself and when his slate was full of sums he showed it to the master. They were then copied into a " ciphering book." Originally the teacher alone had the printed arithmetic, which was therefore called the " Schoolmaster's Assistant," as it supplied him with examples and their solutions or answers. After a while the scholars gradually for convenience bought their own arithmetics, which relieved the teacher of the labor of setting the scholar's sums on a slate. In many cases the master wrote out the wording of the sum in the ciphering book, and when the scholar had performed it correctly he copied the figures into the ciphering book.
The reading books were more varied. After the easy lessons of the spelling book had been well learned there came the Psalter, Testament and Bible. The Old Testa- inent was for more advanced readers. The other books were: the Child's Instructor, the Young Gentleman and Lady's Monitor; then came the American Preceptor and Lindley Murray's series of readers, viz. the Intro- duction, the English Reader and the Sequel. Noah Webster published a Grammatical Institute of the English language in three parts, the spelling book, reader and grammar. Only the first kept its ground.
The " spelling class " was a feature of those days. All the scholars were arranged or stood in a long room and " went up and down " according as they spelled. The practice seemed to produce good spellers and fed the ambition of the school as nothing else did.
The "old country " masters were succeeded by those from New England, who if not so good arithmeticians were of a more religious turn of mind, and introduced some novelties, such as writing compositions, the study of English grammar and elocution. Some of these knew enough of music to start singing schools and could take part in a prayer meeting. In this way many had the entree into respectable farmers' families.
School usually commenced at 8 o'clock in summer and 9 in winter, and, with a noon spell of one hour, was let out at 4 P. M. An intermission or recess during school hours was not yet in fashion. When a boy wished to go out of doors he said to the master: " May I go out?" He then passed out, first turning a "block " that hung by the door, marked on its opposite sides " In, " ' " " Out."
was a treatise on grammar by questions and answers printed at the end of Dilworth's & Webster's spelling books but written on the basis of Latin grammar. In the stat- utes of the academy at Jamaica, in 1792, it is ordered that "the text book for English grammar shall be Web- ster's, to be read or repeated by memory."
Navigation as well as surveying) was taught in some of those old common schools, for many of the young men in those days went to sea, some as supercargoes and some as sailors; some studied medicine, sailed to the West Indies, practiced there till they accumulated a fortune, and then returned home.
Latterly geography was taught, but almost always without maps or globes, or if maps were to be found in the books they were of one color, very small and indis- tinct in boundaries. The ponderous and clumsy octavos of Guthrie and Salmon were the first text books used. In time they were superseded by Morse's. Dwight's geog- raphy by questions and answers was used, and did good service as a reading book. Next came in succession Willett's grammar of geography, Woodbridge & Willard's, where the pictorial element was found to be valuable. In 1792 the use of globes (a pair having been imported from London), book-keeping, oratory, logic and chronology, with Blair's "rhetorick," Stone's Euclid, Martin's ge- ometry, and Warden's mathematics are named as subjects of study in the academy at Jamaica.
The sports of schoolboy days were ball playing, tag, puss-in-the-corner, playing horse, racing, jumping, hop- ping, pitching quoits, tetering, skating, sliding on the ice, running down hill on sleighs and snowballing, for then we had notable snow stormns. The roads were drifted full, and the fences covered with snowbanks drifted in grace- ful curves and fantastic forms by the fickle winds.
The girls in summer had their innocent sports too. At noon-spell, if they did not saunter over the fields and along the hedges for flowers and berries, they would play " keeping house and returning visits." They had their " baby houses," enclosed with a row of stones, as may be seen on the roadside even at this day in remote districts. They also joined in some of the gentler sports with the boys. When it rained they made "mud pies " along the road.
The school-boy at his studies sat on an oaken bench without back, swinging his feet to and fro for want of a foot rest. The master kept a hickory whip or some pliant twig lying on his desk, which was usually applied across the back or shoulders. Some had a long, broad ruler called a " ferule," which being smartly slapped on the palm of the hand left a stinging sense of pain. The more civilized punishments, such as standing on one leg, holding out a billet of wood at arm's length, wearing a fool's cap, committing some lines to memory, or deten- tion after school hours had not yet come in vogue. Pulling the hair, pinching the ear, or giving a fillip with the middle finger were favorite punishments with some masters.
Grammar was not taught in those days intelligently, for the master did not comprehend the science. He set the pupil at memorizing the words all the way through the book. The nature of parsing or analyzing was a mystery to him. The scholar often could recite the words of his There were then no steel pens, no ruled paper, no grammar by heart, and there his knowledge ended. There ready-made writing books. The master had to keep a
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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMIES-RACE COURSES.
sharp knife to make, mend and nib the pens made from goose-quills; also a leaden pluinmet and ruler to rule the writing books. Each writer contributed a penny to buy a paper of Walkden's famous ink powder, which, mixed with a gill of vinegar and three gills of rain or river water, made a pint of ink, which was distributed in pewter or earthen inkstands.
Beside these common schools, which were pretty evenly dotted about the country, there were in the more thickly settled villages classical and boarding schools, where boys could learn the higher branches of education and be prepared for college. Such were kept at Hemp- stead by the successive rectors of the Episcopal church from 1760 to 1816, and at Newtown and Jamaica also. Parish schools were supported at irregular periods by the help of the British Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In these the church catechism was taught.
Thus, while the well-to-do people had their children well educated, it is to be supposed the poorer classes grew up in ignorance. Yet some of them who could neither read, write nor cipher managed their business very well and prospered, for we know of one who filled the office of sheriff very creditably, and that recently.
After the Revolutionary war academies were incor- porated on the island-one at Easthampton in 1784, one at Flatbush in 1787 and one at Jamaica in 1792. The last was named Union Hall, from being built by a joint subscription of Newtown, Flushing and Jamaica. At Oyster Bay an academy was established in 1802, with Marmaduke Earle as principal. In 1806 Hamilton Hall was opened in Flushing; in 1818 Christ Church Academy was erected at Manhasset. In 1828 the Flushing Insti- tute was started by the Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg. That was followed in 1840 by St. Paul's College; in 1838 by St. Thomas Hall, under Rev. Dr. Hawks, and in 1839 by St. Ann's Hall for girls, under care of Rev. Dr. Schroeder.
For female education the facilities were limited. There were indeed " dames' schools " scattered here and there, under irresponsible teachers and usually short- lived. They taught the smaller children of both sexes, sewing and needle-work being sometimes added. But for a thorough education the girls had to resort to the public schools or academies and be classed with the boys. The richer sort either had teachers in their families or sent their daughters to select boarding schools in New York or Brooklyn, where they could learn dancing, music, drawing and embroidery, with all other accom- plishments.
The first female academy in Queens county was estab- lished at Jamaica in 1816, under Mrs. Barnum and Miss Bartlette, and it has continued to this day. Since then private schools for girls have rapidly spread throughout the county.
In 1813 the towns of Queens county were divided into school districts, with trustees who raised a sum at least equal to that given by the State for the support of a qualified teacher. The supervision of the schools was
cumbersome, each town selecting three school commis- sioners and three inspectors. The teacher by conniv- ance was often allowed (or soon forced) to take the school " on his own hook."
In 1843 the office of county superintendent of com- mon schools was created. Pierpont Potter held the office till October 6th 1845, when Timothy Titus jr. suc- ceeded him. In 1856, the office of county superintendent having been abolished, commissioners of common schools were elected. Soon after the county was divided into two districts.
The Queens County Sunday-school Association was formed in 1871. The present officers are: President, A. H. Downer; corresponding secretary, Joseph Bern- hard; treasurer, Adam Seabury.
CHAPTER III.
THE CRADLE OF AMERICAN HORSE-RACING-COURSES AND COURSERS OF OLD.
HE county of Queens has been of old famous for its two race-courses, New Market and Beaver Pond. . Daniel Denton before 1670 says : " Toward the middle of Long Island lyeth a plain 16 miles long and 4 broad, where you shall find neither stick nor stone to hinder the horses' heels, or endanger them in their races; and once a year the best horses in the Island are brought hither to try their swiftness, and the swiftest rewarded with a silver cup, two being annually procured for that purpose." A London book (1776) says: "These Plains were celebrated for their races throughout all the Colonies and even in England. They were held twice a year for a silver cup, to which the gentry of New England and New York resorted."
The first course was established on Salisbury Plains, near the present Hyde Park station. Governor Nicolls in 1665 appointed a horse-race to take place in Hemp- stead, " not so much for the divertisement of youth as for encouraging the bettering of the breed of horses, which through great neglect has been impaired." Governor Lovelace also appointed by proclamation, about 1669, that trials of speed should take place in the month of May in each year, and that subscriptions be taken and sent to Captain Salisbury, of all such as were disposed to run for a crown of silver or the value thereof in wheat. This course, named New Market (and in 1764 called " the new course ") from one in England, was in the course of years (perhaps in 1804) removed under the same name to a large level field east of the old court- house, and there continued till about 1821, when horse- racing was transferred to the Union course, on the western borders of Jamaica, after the passing of an act by the Legislature allowing of trials of speed in Queens
8
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HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.
county for a term of years, during the months of May and October. In 1834 the time was extended for 15 years more, the racing to be between April ist and June 15th and from September Ist to November 15th yearly. This course, over a mile in circuit, was on a level sur- face, with a nearly oval track. Connected with it was a jockey club of above 250 members, who contributed $20 each yearly to the "jockey club purses." This course was afterward owned by the "Union Associa- tion," capital $100,000, formed upon the act of the Legislature of August 2nd 1858.
On the 27th of May 1823 was run over this course a match race of four-mile heats for $20,000 a side, between "Eclipse," 9 years old, bred by General Nathaniel Coles, of Dosoris, and carrying 126 pounds, and "Sir Henry," 4 years old, carrying 108 pounds, bred in North Carolina. " Eclipse" won in three heats. It is supposed that $200,000 was lost and won on the exciting occasion, and that from forty to sixty thousand people were at the race. On May 10th 1842 there was another match for $20,000 a side on this course, between the Virginia horse " Boston," 9 years old, and carrying 126 pounds, and the New Jersey mare " Fashion," 5 years old, and carrying 11 1 pounds. " Fash- ion " won in two heats. From fifty to seventy thousand spectators were computed to be present, including a great many ladies.
There was a trotting course formed in 1825 at Centre- ville, a mile southeast of the Union course. A railroad now runs through it. Here on October 4th 1847 "Albany Girl " was matched for $250 to perform 100 miles in har- ness in 10 consecutive hours. She broke down after traveling 9772 miles in 972 hours.
May 31st 1854 the National Association or "National Race-course," with a capital of $250,000, was formed ; and November 26th 1855 the "Fashion Association " was formed at Newtown, under the act of the Legislature for improving the breed of horses, passed April 15th 1854.
The " Fashion course " was broken up in 1865 by hav- ing the Flushing Railroad pass through it.
There was a famous race-course of a mile in length around Beaver Bond in Jamaica. The date of its first establishment seems unknown ; but it was before 1757, for in that year, on June 13th, the New York subscription plate was run for and won by Lewis Morris junior's horse " American Childers." These races were held spring and autumn yearly till or after the close of the last century.
There were other inferior race-courses; one at New- town (1758), one (1781) at Timothy Cornell's Poles, Hempstead, and another at Captain Polhemus's, New Lots, 1778. There were also several races of the "Huckleberry Frolic " in Hempstead, and they are con- tinued to this day.
We annex some old advertisements which will show something of the spirit and tastes of the earlier sporting characters.
1750, June 4th .- On Friday last there was a great horse-race on Hempstead Plains, which engaged the at- tention of so many of the city of New York that upwards
of seventy chairs and chaises were carried over Brooklyn ferry the day before, besides a far greater number of horses. The number of horses on the plains, it was thought, far exceeded one thousand .- N. Y. Postboy.
1758, November 10th .- A purse of gio is to be run for at Newtown on December 5th, the best of three heats, one mile each. Entrance, one dollar, to be paid the day before the race to Daniel Betts .- N. Y. Mercury.
1763 .- New York Free Masons' Purse of Sioo to be run for April 25th, the best two of three heats, each heat three times round Beaver Pond, Jamaica, each horse to carry nine stone weight and to be entered with Mr. Thomas Braine, paying 305. entrance. The entrance money to be run for next day-the whole to be under the inspection of three Free Masons .- New York Mer- curv.
1764 .- To be run for, April 12th, on the new track on Hempstead Plains a purse of $50, the best of three four- mile heats, each horse carrying nine stone and paying 50s. entrance or double at the post. On Friday a purse of f20 and upwards, fre mer hilf-bred horses only, six years old and under, carrying eight stone, the best of three two. mile heats. Horses to be entered with Mr. John Comes, Jamaica. Not less than three reputed horses to start, and to be subject to the King's plate articles. Judges will be appointed to terminate all disputes. - N. Y. Mercury.
1764 .- New Market Races-To be run for, over the new course, Monday October 8th, a purse of £50, free for any horse carrying nine stone, the best of three two-mile heats. On Tuesday a purse of £20, free for any horse bred in the province of New York. Entrance at Mr. John Combs. Jamaica. Certificates, under the hands of the breeders, must be produced, of the ages and qualifi- cations of the horses that run on Tuesday .-. V. Y. Mer- cury.
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