USA > New York > Putnam County > Garrison > History of St. Philip's church in the Highlands, Garrison, New York, including, up to 1840, St. Peter's church on the manor of Cortlandt > Part 9
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Store at 33 Casks Cornel 85 do @ 17/ 72- 5-0
Peeks Kill. 2 Hhds Hams 1215 lbs @ 10d 50-10-0
40 Barrels Beef 58/ 116- 0-0
56 do Pork
100/ 280- 0-0
30 Firkins Butter 1080 lbs 1/ 54- 0-0
Left in the Mill & Store at Philips Town & seized for the use of the Rebel Army.
3584 Bushels Wheat
8/-
1433
12
279
Indian Corn
5/-
69
15
107
Flax Seed
8/-
42
16
231
Oats
2/6
28
17
6
209
Buck Wheat
2/6
26
2
123
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212 Barrels fine flour 375 cut
24/- 100/-
450
12
79 Pork
395
1 Hhd. Hams 592 lbs @
9d
22
4
31 Firkins Butter 1102 lbs
1/-
55
2
12 Barrels Beef
58/-
34
16
3 Tons Pearl Ash £55 ton
165
8 Barrels Potash 114 £45
56
5
The goods left in Store were valued at 300 bushels Wheat & other grain rec'd for Toll vald at 5/- p
75 0 0
From a Memorand expressed these "Goods Notes
& Bonds exceeding £10 due to Messrs Morris & Robinson's Store at Philips Town 1 Mar 1777 amounting to
1382
10
£6081 18 6
In addition to his large commercial interests Mr. Robinson filled almost every public office in the com- munity. He was the first Colonel of the Dutchess County Militia. On May 4th, 1769, he became Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, of which office he testifies, "There was no salary attached to it; it was chiefly a place of respect."1 This position he occupied until his departure from the Highlands, his successor, Ephriam Paine, not being appointed until 1787. Nor was he indifferent to local civic duties. In 1763-5 he served as Supervisor for the South Precinct of Dutchess, and in 1772 and 1774 he filled the same office in the newly
1 The Court of Common Pleas for Dutchess County was established by Order in Council under Governor Burnet in the seventh year of the reign of George III. It was ordered that "it shall be held and kept at Poughkeepsie, near the Center of the County on the third Tuesday in May, and the third Tuesday in October, yearly and every year for- ever." (Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. III, p. 588.)
124 The History of St. Philip's Church
created Philipse Precinct. In 1763 he was one of the Commissioners and Paymasters to the forces raised in the Colony of New York, having for colleagues John Cruger and Peter Van Brugh Livingston.1
As befitted the son and grandson of Virginia Vestrymen Beverly Robinson was a loyal and devoted son of the Anglican Church in the American Colonies. Under God, he was the founder of St. Philip's Chapel in the Highlands. His gift of one acre of land made possible its erection, and there is a tradition that he was also the donor of the lumber out of which the building was constructed. Without his generous benefaction of 200 acres of land for a glebe a minister could not have been called and supported. Honored by election as the first Church Warden of the united parish, on more than one occasion he personally collected funds for the support of the Rector and entertained him at Beverly until such time as the parsonage was built. The last recorded attendance of Mr. Robinson at a Vestry meet- ing was on April 12th, 1774, "being Tuesday in Easter week."
Into this placid life came the bitter strife which pre- ceded and culminated in the memorable conflict between the American Colonies and Great Britain, a conflict which cost Beverly Robinson his fortune and his estate, and drove him from the land of his birth an attainted exile. For nearly a century and a half the tradition has per- sisted that the Colonel took the King's side with the greatest reluctance, and then only after a strong effort to remain neutral. How that tradition was born it is hard to say. President Dwight of Yale, who, as chap-
1 Colden Papers, Vol. I, p. 229.
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The Wardens and Vestrymen
lain to the American troops, resided at Beverly in 1778, writes: "When the Revolutionary War broke out Colonel Robinson was induced, contrary as I have been informed to his own judgment and inclination, by the importunity of his friends, to take the British side of the question. To him it appeared safer to act a neutral part and remain quietly on his estate. The pressure, however, from various sources was so strong against him that he finally yielded."1 A careful examination of documentary evi- dence fails to afford the slightest proof of such statements; on the contrary, there is ample evidence that Mr. Robin- son actively supported the cause of the King from the moment that the conflict became acute in the Province of New York.
In the year 1784, when living in London, the Colonel presented an elaborate memorial to the Royal Commis- sioners appointed to assess the losses and services of the American Loyalists. This document, which has never been published, sets forth at considerable length his claim for pecuniary compensation, supported by the testimony of various witnesses given under oath. Mak- ing due allowance for the fact that it was to his interest to magnify both his loyalty and his service, a perusal of the documents places his sympathies with England beyond question. He says, "That your Memorialist from the very earliest period of the Rebellion exerted himself in the discharge of his duty by endeavoring to stop its progress . he never signed any Asso-
1 Dwight's Travels in New England and New York, Vol. III, p. 429-30.
126 The History of St. Philip's Church
ciation, took any oath to, or in any degree countenanced the measures of the Americans."1
It will be interesting to trace the sequence of the events which led to his flight from the Highlands to enter the military service of the Crown. Prior to the battle of Lexington, which formally ushered in the War of the Revolution, there was much political unrest throughout the Colonies. The excitement spread to Dutchess County, where, on March 21, 1775, a liberty pole was erected two or three miles from Poughkeepsie, near the house of Mr. John Bailey. The next day, in his capacity as Judge of the Inferior Court, Mr. Robinson, together with the Sheriff (Philip Livingston), two Justices of the Peace, a Constable, "with some other friends to Consti- tutional Liberty with good order," proceeded to the place "and cut down the same as a public nuisance."2
Two months later came the proposal to send dele- gates from Dutchess County to a Provincial Congress for New York. Beverly Robinson strongly opposed the step. He says, "Upon the first breaking out of the Rebellion, on the proposal of sending members to the Provincial Congress, he opposed that Measure in the County wherein he lived, but was over-ruled by the Majority-and from that period to the time he quitted home he exerted all his influence in behalf of the British Cause." The meeting to elect the delegates was held at Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, May 16th, 1775, and the certificate of election was signed by Bev. Robinson
1 The Proceedings of the Commissioners are contained in 46 Folio MSS. volumes in the Public Library, New York. The case of Bev- erly Robinson is in Volume XLIII, pp. 203-286.
2 American Archives, Fourth Series II, 176.
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and eight others-some of them Whigs.1 This Congress was dissolved on November 14th, and Mr. Robinson was elected a Deputy to the second Congress:
The Deputies of the County of Dutchess produced a certificate from the committee of the said County dated Novr 8th, 1775, and signed by Egbert Benson2 chairman, whereby it appears that Petrus Ten Broeck, Beverly Robinson, Cornelius Humphreys, Henry Schenck, Gilbert Livingston, John Kane, Jacob Everson, Morris Graham and Robert G. Livingston Esqrs, were elected Deputies for the said county, with power to them to represent the said county in Pro- vincial Congress for the Colony of New York.3
There is nothing to prove that Mr. Robinson accepted this election; and the records show that he never sat in the Provincial Congress. As might be expected from the position he held in the County as a great land- owner, strong and persistent efforts were made to secure his active support for the American cause. Already Colonel commanding the Dutchess Militia, it is evident from the following letter that a proposal was made to him to accept a commission in the troops being raised in defence of the Colonies, but in vain. He writes:
Highlands, Sept 13th, 1775.
Sir, Yesterday our precinct held a meeting and chose a committee of twelve persons, out of which number
1 American Archives, Fourth Series II, 834-5.
2 Egbert Benson was Assemblyman from Dutchess County; Attorney- General for the State of New York and Commissioner of Conspiracies for Albany and Dutchess Counties. In later years he was sent to Congress and afterwards became a Justice of the Supreme Court of New York.
3 Calendar of Hist. MSS .- War of Revolution, Vol. I, p. 190.
128 The History of St. Philip's Church
three are to attend the county committee, and suppose they will soon as they conveniently can, proceed to the choice of militia officers. As to the commission you proposed to me, though I shall always be ready to serve my country in any way in my power, yet for the present I must decline accepting of it.
I have seen the person I mentioned to you as a major and believe he will also decline taking that commission, though he did not give me a positive answer.
I am, Sir, y' most hum. serv. Bev: Robinson.
Six days after the writing of the above letter the Com- mittee of Safety appealed to the Colonel "at his seat in the Highlands" to put a price on Martlaer's Rock,1 where a fort was then being built "by order of the Continental Congress." On October 2d he replies that the property is that "of Mrs. Ogilvie and her children; was it mine, the publick should be extremely welcome to it."2
Events in the State and the county were rapidly mov- ing towards a crisis which was to force men to take a definite side in the conflict. The American authorities have sometimes been accused of harshness in their treat- ment of the Loyalists, and in the heat of the strife there were doubtless things done which were afterwards regretted, for after all, as Sherman declared, "War is Hell." But it should be remembered that the Provincial Congress gave the Loyalists full opportunity to leave the State, carrying with them their personal property. Those, therefore, who disregarded that warning had no legitimate ground of complaint when their goods were
1 Constitution Island.
2 American Archives, Fourth Series, III, p. 1274.
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The Wardens and Vestrymen
confiscated. In Dutchess County grave difficulties were experienced in raising Continental troops, and the Tories proved both active and obstinate. The County Committee complained that three most material wit- nesses had "refused to be sworn and contemned the authority of the committee." Whereupon the Provin- cial Congress resolved "that any person male or female who shall refuse (to testify) shall be committed into custody at his expense there to remain until he does qualify & testify."1 No wonder, under such circum- stances, that Beverly Robinson asserts that "his position was a very unpleasant one though he was not personally molested."
At length the State took drastic measures "against the wicked Machinations and Designs of the Foreign and Domestic Foes thereof." The situation was critical. The British were in possession at the south and invasion was threatened from the north. Toryism was rampant, and it became necessary to stamp out conspiracies against the State. After various experiments a body was created in 1778 entitled “Commissioners for Detect- ing and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York."2 The Commissioners were endowed with the powers of a Star Chamber. They were authorized to send alike for persons and papers; administer oaths and to imprison those whose liberty threatened the safety of the State. On the 20th of February, 1777, the Committee for
1 American Archives, Fourth Series, IV, p. 403.
2 For a full and admirable account of this Body see the Introduction to Minutes of the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Con- spiracies in the State of New York, Albany County Sessions, edited by Victor Hugo Paltsits, Vol. I, pp. 1-61.
130 The History of St. Philip's Church
Dutchess County summoned Beverly Robinson to appear before them for the purpose of taking the following oath:
We the subscribers do most solemnly swear on the holy evangelists of Almighty God, that we do verily believe in our Consciences that no Allegiance is due from us to the King and Crown of Great Britain, and we do accordingly disclaim and renounce all Allegiance to the said King and Crown, and we do fur- ther most solemnly swear that we consider ourselves Subjects of the State of New York and that we will in all Things demean ourselves as good & faithful subjects of the said State ought to do; and as good subjects of the said State, we will do our duty in pro- moting its Safety, Independency & Honor. And we do further most solemnly swear, that as good Subjects of the State of New York we will do our Duty in supporting the Measures of the General Congress of the United States of America for the Establishment of the Liberties & Independence of the Sd States in opposition to the Arbitrary Claims, wicked usurpa- tions and hostile Invasion of the King & Parliament of Great Britain, their Agents & adherents, and that we will make known and as good subjects of the said State of New York do our duty in suppressing all Treasonable Plotts or Conspiracies against the said American States in General, or the State of New York in particular which may come to our knowledge, and we do further most solemnly swear on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God that we severally do take this Oath voluntarily & mean to perform it, without any mental reservation or equivocation what- ever.1
1 "A True Copy from the Minutes
Henry Peckwell, Secy to the Comm's for Conspiracies &c."
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Obviously Beverly Robinson could take no such oath and he writes, "They gave him till May following to give his answ as to taking his Oath-but he declared he would never take it." Remain in the county without subscription he could not; all that he could do for the King he had done, and "finding he had made himself obnoxious to the Leaders, and that he could no longer be of service to the King's cause in the County; he, on the 5th of March, 1777, left his Family (except his eldest Son who had made his Escape some months before) and repaired to the City of New York."
Immediately on his arrival in the city he addressed a letter to John Jay, "President of the committee before which he had been summoned," presumably setting forth his reasons for adherence to the Crown. That interesting communication has not been found, but Mr. Jay's answer, addressed to Mrs. Robinson in the Highlands, exists in manuscript, though it has never been published. It reads as follows:
Kingston, 21 March 1777.
Dear Madam,
Mr. Robinson's Letter directed to me as one of the late Committee at Fish Kills, was delivered to the Commissioners appointed for the like purpose at that Place; from whom I have received a copy of it. As I presume you cannot be unacquainted with its Con- tents, many Reasons conspire in persuading me to take the Liberty of troubling you with a few remarks on that Subject.
Among the various Exertions of Power dictated by self Preservation in the Course of the present war, few give me more pain than those which involve whole famelies without Distinction of age or sex in Calamity-and among the number of families threat-
132 The History of St. Philip's Church
ened with these Calamities, permit me to assure you Madam that I feel for none more sensibly than yours.
When your Friends reflect, that not only Mr. Rob- inson's Estate, but the reputation and Influence he has justly acquired; wd become the Inheritance of children who promise to do honor to their parents; they can entertain few Ideas more painful, than those which Arise from the Danger of your family's being deprived of Expectations so well founded & so val- uable; and of a Lady's being subjected to all the an- guish of misfortune & Disappointment, who hath so uniformly promoted the happiness & prosperity of others. Pardon my calling attention to subjects so delicate though interesting. Mr. Robinson has put his own, and the happiness of his family at hazard, and for what? For the sake of a fanciful regard to an Ideal Obligation to a prince, who on his part disdains to be fettered by any obligation, a prince who with his Parliament, arrogating the attributes of Omnipotence, claims a right to bind you and your children in all cases whatsoever.
Persuaded that all former Oaths of Allegiance were demolished by his usurpation, does he not daily at- tempt to bind the Inhabitants of this Country by new ones? If he deemed the former Oaths valid, why this Exaction of new obligations of Allegiance. Can you on such principles think of quitting a people who re- spect you, a Habitation and a Country which afford you every Necessary every Convenience? Remember that should you carry your numerous Family to New York, Famine may meet you & incessant anxiety ban- ish your peace. The fortune or Policy of War may induce and oblige your Protectors to remove from that place to some other part of the Continent, per- haps to Europe. Picture to your Imaginat" a city beseiged, yourself & children mixt with contending armies-Should it be evacuated, where & with whom
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& in what manner are you next to fly-can you think of living under the restless wings of an army-Should Heaven determine that America shall be free, in what country are you prepared to spend the remainder of your days & how provide for your children. These things it is true may not happen, but don't forget that they may-admit they shod not-suppose Heaven unjust-Britain Victorious, and the Americans bound in all cases whatsoever, will you ever Madam be able to reconcile yourself to the mortifying Reflection of being the Mother of Slaves. For who are slaves but those who in all cases without Exception are bound to obey the uncontrolable Mandates of a Man-whether stiled King or called Peasant.
Slaves Madam can have no property-they toil not for themselves, but live mere Pensioners on the Bounty of their Masters. And how contracted will be the Bounty of those Masters, who know but too well, that Poverty will be necessary to ensure Subjec- tion. For the sake of everything dear to you Madam be persuaded to prevail on Mr. Robinson to return, and advise him to take an open, decisive part with his Country. His attention to subjects in which Honor as well as Duty may be concerned merits Commenda- tion; and I still flatter myself that the same Atten- tion to honor as well as Duty will yet render his Character as distinguished by an Attachment to the Interest and Rights of his Country as it has hitherto been eminent for other Virtues. Be pleased to assure him that I shall always think myself happy in being useful to him in every occasion consistent with the Duties I owe to that important cause to which after the most mature consideration, I have chearfully de- voted myself, Family & Fortune,
I am my dear Madam,
with perfect Esteem & Respect
Your Friend & obt Servant John Jay.
134 The History of St. Philip's Church
This noble and lofty appeal, breathing as it does the spirit of truest patriotism, came too late; Beverly Robin- son was already in New York raising a regiment for the service of the King.
The powerful influences which had hitherto shielded him from pecuniary loss were of necessity withdrawn. Immediately on his departure his personal property was seized by the Commissioners of Sequestration and ordered for instant sale. A strong but vain appeal was made by Mr. Samuel Verplanck to James Duane, then sitting in Provincial Congress, to use his influence either to delay the sale or suffer the family "to depart previous to it, as you may well conceive their situation must be very uncomfortable when stripped of everything necessary for their subsistence." In the absence of Mr. Duane, Governeur Morris writes that they are "so engaged in the perusal of Dispatches from Congress & with some important matters which more immediately claim their attention that I cannot possibly obtain an Answer this day, and the Vandue is it seems to commence tomorrow." The sale therefore took place on April 21st, 1777, and included the household furniture, live stock, farming implements and the growing crops of fruit and grain. Mrs. Robinson and her children departed from their Highland home never again to return.
Even then the cup of their suffering was not full. On the 22d day of October, 1779, the New York Legislature passed an Act of Attainder, drafted by John Morin Scott. By this Act the persons named therein were, without a hearing of any sort, attainted, and their estates, real and personal, confiscated. Their declared crime was "adherence to the enemies of the State." The
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second section of the Act decreed that "each and every of them who shall at any time hereafter be found in any part of this State, shall be, and are hereby adjudged and declared guilty of felony, and shall suffer Death as in cases of felony, without Benefit of Clergy."1
In the long list of persons mentioned are found the names of Beverly Robinson and his eldest son. Included in the attainder were three women: Susannah, wife of Beverly Robinson; her sister Mary, wife of Colonel Roger Morris, and Margaret, wife of the Rev. Charles Inglis, rector of Trinity Church, New York."2
By the provisions of this Act Beverly Robinson lost his entire landed estate of 60,000 acres, together with his two mills and well stocked stores. To this must also be added his house in New York, which was destroyed by the great fire of 1776, which started in a Whitehall grogshop and consumed more than four hundred houses, including Trinity Church, Rectory and Schools.3 Mr. Robinson, in a detailed and careful statement, estimated his loss at £79,980-3-0 Sterling.
We must now return to the military service of Beverly Robinson in the War of the Revolution. Immediately on his arrival in New York in March, 1777, he offered his service to Sir William Howe, the British Commander, and craved permission to raise a regiment for his Majes- ty's service. The necessary authority was issued on
1 History of New York in the Revolution, Thomas Jones, Vol. I, p. 371.
2 There were many loyal supporters of the Revolution who strongly disapproved of the Act of Attainder. John Jay, then Minister to Spain, writes, May 6th, 1780, "If truly printed, New York is dis- graced by Injustice too palpable to admit even of palliation." (Public Papers of George Clinton, Vol. V, p. 685.)
3 Dix, History of Trinity Church, Vol. I, p. 390-1.
136 The History of St. Philip's Church
March 14th, and so rapidly did the recruiting proceed that he and his men were ordered on duty the 13th of May following. According to the official returns, the Loyal American Regiment consisted of 10 companies, numbering 33 officers and 394 men. Colonel Robinson, who commanded the regiment says, "The Regiment he raised was to have consisted of 500 Men, but he believes he had no more than 250 Men fit for duty at a time as they expended many." He also adds the interesting fact, which is corroborated by Sir Henry Clinton, that "many of these were his own Tenants and most of them from his own Country." His own family was well represented in the list of officers. Beverly, the younger, was appointed a Captain in March, and on October 7th was gazetted Lieutenant-Colonel.1
1 Beverly Robinson, the younger, who was born March 5th, 1751, graduated at King's College and studied law under James Duane. He married, at Flushing, Ann Dorothea Barclay, daughter of the late Rev. Henry Barclay, formerly Rector of Trinity Church. He served in the Loyal American Regiment throughout the War of the Revolution. On the evacuation of New York in 1783 he went to Annapolis, Nova Scotia, but soon removed to Nashwaaksis, opposite Fredericton, New Bruns- wick. In 1790 he was appointed a member of the King's Council for the Province. On the outbreak of the War of 1793 between France and England he was appointed to the command of the King's New Bruns- wick Regiment by Governor Thomas Carleton. In the Collections of the N. B. Historical Society (1894) Mr. Jonas Howe writes: "To the Commander-Lieut. Col. Robinson-was due the greater share of credit for the discipline that marked the conduct of officers and men, either at regimental headquarters, or the numerous posts along the frontiers of the Province at which detachments were stationed. Honorable, humane, just, Colonel Robinson acquired the respect of officers and men under his command." At the close of the war he retired in com- parative poverty to his farm. Whilst on a visit to his two surviving sons in New York he died on October 6th, 1816, and was buried in St. Paul's Churchyard.
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The second son, Frederick Phillipse, was made an Ensign in August, 17781; Morris became Captain on October 7th, 17772; and John, the fourth son, was only fifteen years of age when he joined the regiment as Ensign in November of the same year.3
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