History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 20

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703

USA > New York > Queens County > History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals. > Part 20

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

So large a number of entries have been reproduced that the reader can gain a general idea of the prices of nearly all classes of mechanical, agricultural and professional labor that found a market in those primitive times.

THE FRENCH AND REVOLUTIONARY WARS.

The hostilities between the French and English at- tracted much attention, and Queens county was called on to furnish a regiment of militia, to which, of course, Flushing contributed her quota. During the administra- tion of Governor George Clinton this place was his res- idence, and that fact brought the most prominent of its citizens into a more close relationship with the surround- ings and associates of a high official of the British gov- ernment than they would otherwise have been, and may have had much to do in shaping their policy at a later date. The transfer of the scene of conflict to the Cana- dian frontier and the successful termination of the French war brought relief and joy to the people of this vicinity, whose location made them particularly exposed to danger had a French fleet entered the sound. A newspaper clipping reads as follows: " November 17th 1759 .- A great celebration was held at Flushing over the reduction of Quebec, that long-dreaded sink of French perfidy and cruelty. An elegant and sumptuous entertainment was served, at which the principal inhabitants of the town were present. Toasts celebrating the paternal tenderness of our most gracious sovereign, the patriotism and integ- rity of Mr. Pitt, the fortitude and activity of the generals, &c., were drunk with all the honors. Every toast was accompanied by a discharge of cannon, which amounted

HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

to over 100. In the evening a bonfire and splendid il- luminations."

Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden owned and occupied the place now known as the Brower property, called by him Spring Hill. He retired to it on the ap- pointment of Andros, and died there, September 20th 1776. His son David figures somewhat in the events of the Revolution, as a strong and active loyalist.

The people of Flushing united with their fellow col- onists in resenting and protesting against the aggressions of the mother country, but when rebellion was decided upon by the colonies many felt that nothing could be gained and much lost by precipitate action. The open- ing act of the Revolutionary drama was the pursuit of one Zacharias Hood, a stamp officer, to the residence of Lieutenant Governor Colden, where he had taken refuge, by a party of Liberty Boys from New York, accompanied by their sympathizers in this vicinity. The badly fright- ened revenue officer was ordered out, placed in a car- riage, escorted to Jamaica, and made to take an oath of loyalty to the colonies, and then with three cheers the party disbanded. This was on December 5th 1765. The events of 1776 and 1777 were peculiarly trying to the in- habitants. Families were divided, some of the younger members joining Woodhull's Continentals, while the older members clung to the cause of King George. Marriages with families in England, the large property interests involved, the long stretch of unprotected sea- coast, and the non-combative principles of the Quaker population, are all to be considered in judging, at this day of the causes which led to the toryism of a great por- tion of the people of Queens county, and should have their weight with the unprejudiced reader.

The abortive campaign of 1776, resulting in the defeat of the colonial forces at Brooklyn, led to the occupancy of this portion of the territory by a part of General Howe's army, DeLancy's brigade being quartered in a district extending through Jamaica and Flushing, and so placed as to guard the roads and protect the island from invasion from Connecticut. A large body of Hessians was quartered in this town, many of them being billeted at the houses of the citizens, who were not entirely unacquainted with foreign soldiers, as some of them had boarded French prisoners of war in 1656-58. The head- quarters of the quartermaster were at the Aspinwall homestead; other officers were quartered at the old Bowne house, a stone house south of the cemetery, and the Bowron place on Whitestone avenue. The old Quaker meeting-house was used at various times for a hospital, for a guard house, and for storing hay. Troops were encamped at Fresh Meadows, near the Duryea place, on the Bowne property near the Manhasset road, and in a barn on the Hoagland farm. Loyalists from the mainland flocked here in considerable numbers as refugees, and, in turn, any one suspected of strong sym- pathy with the cause of the colonists soon found it advisable to leave.

During the early years of the war but little loss was s istained by the well-known predatory proclivities of the

Hessians, and the inhabitants soon learned to make good such losses by reports to the proper quarters. The influence, however, of the forced association with the clegraded mercenaries was deeply felt, and did much to weaken the sympathy with the royal cause; and there is but little doubt that the people of Flushing were heartily glad to speed the parting guest when the evacuation of New York withdrew the British army from their soil.

In a pecuniary sense the British invasion was proba- bly a profitable one, as the officers paid promptly and liberally in gold for their requisitions, and the increased demand for farm products for the army here and at New York was a source of considerable revenue. There were, however, many individual instances of rapine; not all, however, chargeable to the enemy, as the Connecticut whaleboats made frequent incursions by night and, under the protection of letters of marque from the federal authorities, degenerated at last to mere pirates, robbing friend and foe alike.

A few of the more interesting incidents of the five years' experience of Flushing with a foreign army have been gleaned from the records of those days, published works and the recollections of old settlers.

On the 4th of April 1775 an annual town meeting elected John Talman a deputy to the convention which was to form a Provincial Congress. He was present at the convention and acquiesced in its action. On May 22nd of the same year a county meeting at Jamaica elected Thomas Hicks, of Little Neck, and Nathaniel Tom, a captain of militia, deputies to another colonial convention. Hicks, who was chosen to represent Hemp- stead, declined to serve, as he was "informed that the people wished to remain in peace and quiet." Captain Tom afterward joined the continentals. The county committee appointed as a sub-committee for Flushing John Talman, John Engles, Thomas Rodman, Thomas Thorne, Edmund Pinfold and Joseph Bowne. In No- vember 1775 a county election was held to decide the question of sending deputies to Congress, and Flushing decided against the measure, as did the county at large. Next followed the raid of Colonel Heard in January 1776, for the purpose of disarming loyalists and seizing the ringleaders. He visited this town and seized some arms.

The Flushing committee were, although in the minor- ity, not entirely idle; for when Rev. C. Inglis, rector of Trinity Church in New York, found it necessary to retire to this place after Washington's entry, a meeting of the committee discussed the propriety of seizing him; and so alarmed his friends that they removed him to some more retired quarters, and kept him secluded for some time.

Capt. Archibald Hamilton was summoned by Congress to show cause why he should be considered a friend of the American cause; he expressed his love of country, but said he could not unsheath his sword against his king, or against his brother and other near relations in the British armies. He was paroled, and, violating his parole, became an active tory officer.

June 24th 1776 Cornelius Van Wyck of this town was

FLUSHING OCCUPIED BY THE BRITISH.

elected one of the representatives in the Provincial Con- gress, and Congress granted £200 to Flushing for the care of Whig refugees who had been driven from New York and had become objects of the town charity.

The first entry of British troops was about 2 o'clock on a fine day in the last of August 1776, when a body of light horse galloped into the village and inquired at Widow Bloodgood's for her sons. On being told they had already fled one of the troop seized a firebrand and threatened to burn the house, but was prevailed on to desist. Thomas Thorne, James Burling and one Van- derbilt were arrested and carried off to the prison ship, the first named dying there. Congressman Van Wyck

was also seized and sent to the new jail. Most of the leading Whigs had already fled on hearing of the battle of Brooklyn. Many of them afterward returned and ac- cepted the protection of the British. Capt. Nathaniel Tom accepted the captaincy of a company of continentals raised at Kingston, and fought through the war, after- ward dying at Kingston at the age of 73 years. The 71st Highlanders were the first troops quartered at or near the village. Before the battle of White Plains one wing of the army passed through Flushing to Whitestone, and on the 12th of October crossed over to the mainland. It is said to have occupied half a day in passing a given point. The road from Hempstead and Jamaica was constantly traversed by bodies of troops carrying supplies from the landing at Whitestone, and it was in opening a lane to shorten the distance that the name Black Stump was given to the locality, the intersection of this improvised route with the highway being marked by the charred and blackened stump of a tree. The farmers were impressed as cartmen, but usually fairly paid for their services. After the occupancy of the town a system of signals was established by which alarms were transmitted from Nor- wich Hill to Beacon Hill, thence to Whitestone and so on to New York. An alarm pole was set up where the old Methodist church stood. It was wound with straw and terminated in a tar barrel.

Some idea of the profitable market for farm produce can be gained from a general order of Howe, which fixed the price of fuel and food to prevent extortion, and also made offers for forage. Walnut wood was made £5 per cord; all other wood £4. The wood of proprietors re- fusing to sell to boatmen at moderate prices was to be seized and confiscated. The price of wheat was fixed at 12 shillings per bushel of 58 lbs .; wheat flour, 35 shillings per cwt .; rye, 20s .; corn, 17s. Farmers were ordered to make a return to the commanding officer of the quantity they had and how much they required for their own use. prices, delivered at Flushing or Brooklyn, were stated as follows: Upland hay 8s., salt hay 4s., straw 3s. per cwt .; corn ros., oats 7s. per bushel; carting or boating 25. 6d. per ton. Forage of delinquents to be taken without pay.

In a requisition for forage September 10th 1778, the barnyard, and on raising his window received a musket

In the last month of 1778 Archibald Hamilton was ap- pointed commandant of the militia of Queens county, and aide-de-camp to Governor Tryon, despite his parole of two years previous. It was to this perjured official | perate characters.

that many of the indignities suffered by the people were due. The officers of the regular army had been careful to avoid offense, and had punished depredations severely. Under Hamilton there were a body of Maryland loyal- ists and what was known as the Royal American regi- ment quartered in this vicinity, and their depredations were in many instances unnoticed if not even sanctioned by him. He was a passionate, ill-bred tyrant, and within a short time after his appointment a number of respecta- ble citizens entered complaints to Governor Tryon against him. Among the complainants were the following: Thomas Kelley, who alleged that Hamilton entered a house where he was, and, because he did not remove his hat, beat him over the head and repeated the offense soon after; John Willet, who remonstrated with him for sending a negro to steal his fence rails, and was chased into his yard by the gallant officer, who endeavored to run him through with his sword, and called God to wit- ness that he would cut in pieces any one who opposed him; James Morrel, who was wounded by him; Walter Dalton, who, having been arrested for no offense, was knocked down twice with a heavy club, and after being put under guard was followed to the road by the colonel and struck " with about thirty blows, which disabled him from labor for some weeks "; and eight others who made affidavits to sin,ilar outrages. The governor ordered David Colden to investigate the matter, but no punish- ment was inflicted, and Hamilton had the impudence, at the close of the war, to petition for the privilege of citizen- ship. It was refused, however, and he set sail for England in 1783.

Benedict Arnold's legion lay for a time near Black Stump. The Hessians were from the Jager corps-a higher order-and were quartered on the north side for three winters. Sir Robert Pigot's 38th regiment was quartered at Fresh Meadows.

Mandeville relates that civilians when passing the offi- cers' quarters were required to dismount and proceed on foot until a certain distance had been passed.

Samuel Skidmore, near Black Stump, was shot through a window. No traces of the perpetrator were found. Some of Fanning's tories entered the house of Willet Bowne at night, and, tying him to his bed-post, tortured him by holding a candle to the tips of his fingers, to in- duce him to disclose where his money was hidden. He however, remained firm, and, fearful of discovery, they were compelled to leave without having attained their object. The old Quaker recognized his assailants, but out of mercy for them never revealed their names. James Bowne was awakened one night by a disturbance at his ball in his arm.

Recruits to a tory regiment, " the Prince of Wales's, Loyal American Volunteers, quartered at the famous and beautiful town of Flushing," were given £5 bounty and promised 100 acres of land on the Mississippi, and were thus drawn in squads of twenty or more from the New England colonies-many of them jailbirds and des-

HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

In 1780 Yankee whaleboats from New Rochelle visited Bay Side, and plundered several houses, among the rest that of John Thurman, a New York merchant. In 1781 Thomas Hicks, of Little Neck, was robbed of his law books and a large amount of personal property ; and later in the summer eight of these boats made a land- ing at Bay Side, but, finding the tory militia on the look- out, the crews re-embarked without a contest.

On the 20th of April 1782 a party of soldiers with their faces blackened attacked James Hedger, shot him dead in his bedroom, and robbed him of £200 in coin and a large amount of clothing and silver plate. Col. Hamilton offered £150 reward for the detection of the criminals, and £100 and free pardon to any accomplice who would give the necessary evidence. It was this offer probably that induced a soldier named Perrot to confess that the crime was committed by himself and five other members of the 38th and 54th regiments. The other guilty men, suspecting Perrot, attempted to escape, but three of them were arrested at Lloyd's Neck and brought back to Flushing village, where their regiments had been stationed. They were then taken to Bedford- the quarters of their regiments at that time-tried, and two of them hanged on a chestnut tree in the presence of the entire brigade, the notorious Cunningham and his mulatto acting as executioners. Hedger was the pro- prietor of the grist-mill located on the J. P. Carll prop- erty, about four miles east of Flushing village, and lived with his sister, a Mrs. Palman, in a house near the mill. He had once before been awakened by a noise, and found two men choking his sister. In a hard fight he beat them off, killing one and marking the other in the face with shot. The wounded man was arrested at Southold, found to be a British soldier, and punished by the infliction of 999 lashes; and the body of his com- panion was hanged in a iron frame on a gibbet on the Hempstead Plains.

The people of the town, despite the murder of Hed- ger, seem to have been pleased with the conduct of the regiments named above, as on their departure an address was presented to Lieutenant Colonel A. Bruce, of the 54th regiment, who was in command, thanking him for his vigilant attention, the honor and politeness of his officers, and the orderly behavior of the men. This paper was signed by forty-seven of the prominent citizens.

The house of Benjamin Areson, at Fresh Meadows, was robbed by some of Simcoe's tories, who beat Areson severely and kept Benjamin Nostrand and his father under guard until the house was rifled. Three of them were afterward identified, but Simcoe declined to punish them. Mr. Areson had a new house unfinished when the Jagers encamped at Frame's farm. They tore it down to use in building their barracks. Fences were destroyed without mercy, and when the army left there were but few fence rails to be found for miles around their encampments, and the loss inflicted by the reckless waste in felling tracts of timber was a serious one; as, although some compensation was received, it was by no means adequate.

The 7th of August 1782 witnessed the only visit ever made to Flushing by a royal personage. On that day Prince William Henry, afterward King William IV., in company with Admiral Digby, presented a stand of colors to the king's American dragoons, under Colonel Thomp- son, at their camp on the James Lawrence place, not far from Bay Side. The young prince was at that time a vol- unteer on board the Admiral's flagship " Prince George."

The old guard-house at Flushing was torn down by the soldiers and burned for fuel. Perhaps the most satis- factory fire that occured was the burning of Colonel Hamilton's residence, on the place now owned by the Mitchells on Whitestone avenue, on Christmas eve, 1780. Everything it contained was destroyed-“ elegant furni- ture, stock of provisions, various sorts of wine, spirits in- tended for the regalement of his numerous friends, the military, and other gentlemen of the neighborhood, at this convivial season". It might have been saved had not his folly in storing a cask of cartridges and a lot of loose gunpowder in the garret been known, and prevent- ed any exertions to save it. It is believed that some one who had been wronged by his brutality took this method of avenging himself. If so it was quite effectual, as Hamilton suffered severely by the loss, and when he was compelled to emigrate his farm was found to be heavily mortgaged.

In 1780 the Hon. Mrs. Napier, wife of Captain Napier, who was absent with the fleet on the Charleston expe- dition, died at the residence of Jeremiah Vanderbilt, aged only twenty-three years, leaving two infant daugh- ters. Her remains were deposited in a vault on Gover- nor Colden's place, attended by the officers of three reg- iments. She was said to have been an estimable lady, and loved by all who knew her. This is the only record attainable of any of the families of British officers at this place, although it is understood that many of the officers were accompanied by their wives and children; while a certain number of the privates and non-commissioned officers were allowed to be accompanied by their wives, who acted as laundresses and in other capacities about the officers' quarters.

The fort at Whitestone was an important strategic point. It was located east of the creek, on a bank at Bogart's Point, and the redoubt, which Mandeville attributes to Washington's troops, was probably a part of the defenses. There is no evidence that any fortifica- tion of this locality was attempted by the American commander.

The exit of the troops was as sudden as their entrance. A writer says: "In the morning the place was crowded, and barns all full; now all are gone, and it seems quite lonesome."

There followed the usual day of reckoning. Every insolent act, harsh word or instance of treachery had been treasured by the Whigs, and no sooner had the courts opened, in 1784, than they were thronged with suitors seeking damages against the tory residents. David Colden, to whose influence more than that of any other was due the ill-timed loyalty of the town, peti-

RAVAGES OF THE HESSIAN FLY-DESTRUCTION OF TOWN RECORDS.

tioned for the rights of citizenship, but in vain; his beautiful estate was confiscated, and he joined the tory hegira to Nova Scotia. A large number of farms and residences changed hands, and a new class of settlers took the place of those who, although they had enriched themselves in many instances, had done so at the expense of their country.

One of the most serious blows which befell the farmers here and elsewhere at the time of the Revolution, and thought to be traceable to it, was the almost total destruction of the wheat crop by the ravages of the Hessian fly, which is believed to have been brought to the island in grain imported for the British troops from Germany. Flushing had become famous for its wheat, and the loss was keenly felt here. That it was serious can readily be seen from the fact that, while in 1777 wheat flour was rated at 35s. per cwt., the price list made out by the commanding general in December 1779, which contained the prices at which farmers must sell their surplus produce, rates it at 8os. per cwt., and offers 26s. per bushel for wheat. When the pest was at its worst one of the Burlings, who at that time owned a grist-mill and farm, saw some southern wheat on board a coasting vessel at New York, and, actuated by a desire to experiment with it, purchased a few bushels, and sowed it. Of the success of his experiments the New York Packet of July 20th 1786 says:

"The insect that has destroyed the wheat many years past continues to spread, but it has no effect on the white-bearded wheat raised on Long Island. This wheat was brought here from the southward during the war, and a few bushels sown by a Flushing farmer grew well, and afforded a fine crop. He kept on, and has supplied his neighbors. It grows twenty bushels to the acre, and weighs over sixty pounds. It is of a bright yellow color, and makes fine flour. The straw is harder, and resists the poison of the fly, and supports the grain, while bearded and bald wheat were cut off."

Thus it will be noticed a Flushing farmer makes dis- coveries that save the wheat culture of the entire coun- try. Apropos of this, the writer, when a child, heard his grandfather relate how, after the close of the war, he was sent by his neighbors, central New York farmers, from the Genesee valley to Long Island, to test the truth of the story that had reached them, that the farmers on the island had found a wheat that would ripen in spite of the " fly;" and that on his return he took with him a quantity, which he believed to be the first amber winter wheat ever sowed in central or western New York.

The most important event of the closing years of the last century was the destruction of the town records by the burning of the residence of the clerk, Jeremiah Van- derbilt. It was set on fire by Nellie, a slave girl belong- ing to Capt. Daniel Braine, who had been hired to work in the family, and who, conceiving a dislike for her new mistress, took this way to revenge the fancied injury. She was arrested in company with Sarah, one of Vander- bilt's slaves, and on their own confession they were sen- tenced to be hanged. Sarah was afterward reprieved on condition that she be removed from the island. Nellie

was hanged at Jamaica, after having been in jail fifty weeks. Aaron Burr, then attorney-general for the State, conducted the prosecution.

The celebration of the adoption of the Constitution, held August 13th 1788, was another interesting incident, participated in by many prominent men from New York, and lasting an entire day and evening. In 1790 General Washington dined here, and was enthusiastically re- ceived, and in 1792 the people co-operated with the citi- zens of Jamaica in raising funds to found an academy at the latter place.

No untoward event marred the peace and prosperity of the people, and the tide of improvement had set in that was destined to make of the little hamlet an im- portant village, and to found thriving villages where but an isolated farm house then stood. The population had grown to an aggregate of 1,818, and commercial ventures with foreign parts, as well as a coastwise trade with Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, had been carried on to some extent.

OLD FAMILIES AND PROMINENT CITIZENS.

The Van Zandts .- Walter Barrett's "Old Merchants of New York " contains so complete a history of the several generations of this substantial Knickerbocker family that any mention of the progenitors of the last Wynant Van Zandt would be superfluous here. Intermarried with some of the best of the old Huguenot families in the last century, the survivors of the Van Zandts possess the sterling qualities of both the Hollandish and Huguenot stocks.

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History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 20

Author: Publication date: 1882 Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co. Number of Pages: 703

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703