USA > New York > Ulster County > History of Ulster County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers. Vol. I > Part 5
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I .- THE NORTHMEN.
There is considerable evidence, amounting almost to a demonstration, that the continent of North America was visited by the Danes as early as the tenth century. This evidence consists principally in extracts from the composi- tions of some eighteen writers, chiefly Icelandie, which have been published by the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries at Copenhagen. If these writers are correct in their statements, then, about the year 986, one Biorne sailed from Iceland for Greenland in search of his father, who had preceded him thither. He was overtaken by fous and lost his way. When the fog cleared and he recovered his lost reckoning, he was surprised to see ou his larboard side, although he was sailing in the wrong direction, a low wooded shore. This low wooded shore must have been the eastern shore of the continent of North America.
This discovery was talked of for thirteen years, when, in the year 1000, Lief Ericson, with a single ship and a crew of thirty men, went in search of the " new-found-land." Lief found it, and, landing, gave it the name of IL luland, mening " the land of slate." Re-embarking and sailing southerly along the coast, he came to a country " well wooded and level," which he called Markland, in allusion to its wood. This may have been Nova Scotia. Again sailing in a southwesterly direction, for two days out of
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HISTORY OF ULSTER COUNTY, NEW YORK.
sight of land he came to an island, along who-e northerly shore he passed westwardly, and, reaching the mainland, went on shore, built huts, and passed the winter there. One of his noen wandered in the woods and found a pro- fusion of wild grapes. From this circumstance he called the country Finland. This, it is probable, was the south- ern shore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Vinland is said to have been visited by other navigators in the years 1003 and 1003.
II .- THE CABOTS.
In the year 1497 the Cabots-father and son-discov- ered and explored the coast of North America. The Cabots, by their letters. patent, were to occupy, subdne, possess, and govern such regions as they might discover for their own behoof, but in the name of England, the king to have one- fifth part of the profits of the enterprise. This was the first patent for discovery issued by the British crown.
It was in the month of May, in the year 1497, that Cabot, with his sou Sebastian, set out on his voyage. His fleet consisted of two, or perhaps five, ships, with three hun- dred men on board. The expedition first touched at Ice- land, and from thence bokliy sailed into the unknown, mys- terious western ocean, which had borne no trace of white men since the coming of the Danish navigators of nearly five centuries before. They were the first adventurers who went in search of the still nodiscovered " Northwest pas- sage" to the " harbor of far Cathay" which was supposed to lie on the eastern coast of Asia, and they were all-uncon- scions of the mighty continent which lay between them and the object of their desire. The Cabots probably saw nothing but the bays aud headlands along the shores, but upou the priority of their discovery rests England's claim to her North American possessions.
In the year 1500 the Portuguese admiral, Gasper Cor- tereal, made his voyage to North America, sailed along the coast some six or seven hundred miles, and returned with a number of Indian captives, giving glowing accounts of the country. On some old maps, particularly that made by Abram Van Ortelius, the distinguished geographer of Philip II., of Spain, in the year 1570, what is now known as Lab- rador is laid down as Terra Corterealis, in honor of this old navigator.
III .-- THE FIRST EXPLORERS OF THE HUDSON.
The first white man of whom we have any account who entered upon the waters of the Hudson River was Johu Verrazzano, a Florentine gentleman sailing in the service of France. In the year 1524, Verrazzano made a voyage to America, which was followed by results as important to France as Cabot's was to England. During this voyage Verrazzano lay at anchor for fifteen days in what is now the harbor of Newport, and sailed into the mouth of the Hud- son River more than eighty years before it was entered by Henry Hudson, the explorer whose name it bears.
Abont this time, in the year 1524 or 1525, Stephen Gomez was fitted out at the joint expeuse of the emperor, Charles V., and some merchants of Coruña and sent on a voyage in quest of the " Northwest passage." Gomez first
touched at Newfoundland, and then, passing Cape Cod. sailed through Long Island Sound and cast anchor in the waters of the Hudson River, which he named the Rio de San Antonio.
In the year 1535, Jacques Cartier, the eminent mariner of St. Malo, in Brittany, on the 10th day of August of that year, it being the festival of St. Lawrence, discovered the bay and river of that name, and laid the foundation for the settlement of New France in the early years of the next century.
These discoveries opened a large field for industry and tempting sources of profit to European adventurers. Az carly as 1503, only three years behind Cortereal, fishing- vessels from Brittany began to arrive at Newfoundland and along the coast of the continent, and by the year 1517, only twenty years after the voyage of the Cabots, no less than fifty ships-French, Spanish, and Portuguese-were en- gaged in those American fisheries.
IV .- THE ENGLISH OCCUPATION.
Henry VIII. paid little attention to American diseovery. It was not until the year 1548, during the reign of Ed- ward VI., that Parliament took the matter in hand aud passed laws protecting English fishermen on the American coast. But the first permanent settlement of the American continent was not begun by the English until the last half of the reign of Elizabeth, when in the year 1583, Sir Hunphrey Gilbert made his fruitless attempt. After Gil- bert's death his patent was renewed to Sir Walter Raleigh, who, in 15544 and the following year, made his attempt to colonize Virginia, so named in honor of England's virgin qneen.
In the year 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold, a mariner of the west of England, set sail for America with the view of planting a colony: His enterprise resulted in a failure at the time, but was fruitful in consequences, for out of it may be said grew the permanent settlement of New England.
In the year 1603, Richard Hakluyt, the learned cosmog- rapher, took active interest in American colonization, and in the mean time, between the years 1603 and 1608, the French, through Sieur de Monts, came near planting a colony in New England in the vicinity of Cape Cod.
These voyagers were followed in 1604 by Sir Fernando Gorges, and led to the establishment of the London and Plymouth companies by the British crown for the perws- nent settlement of America. The London Company had assigned to it South Virginia, being the territory extend- ing between the thirty-fourth and forty-second degree- north latitude from sea to sea, as set forth in the patent. The Plymouth Company was authorized to plant in North Virginia, which was described in its patent as lying between the thirty-eighth and forty-fifth degrees north latitude.
It will be seen that the territory of these two companies lapped, but it was provided in both patents, to save confu- sion, that, in case either should first plant a colony iu terri- tory common to both, the other should not plant within a hundred miles of it.
It will also be seen that the territory afterwards compris- ing the province of New York was included within these two patents. The Dutch, however, in settling the Hudson,
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EARLY NAVIGATORS.
chimed by right of prior discovery; and when New Am- sterdam in 1664 was wrested from them by the English aurel their territory granted to the Duke of York and Al- buy, King James disregarded the provisions of the Lon- don in :! Plymouth patents. Out of this state of things crew the long land disputes in after-years between New York and New England, which are hardly settled at the present day.
V .- FIRST EXPLORATION OF THE HUDSON AND CHAMPLAIN VALLEYS.
We now come to two important events connected with the great northern valley reaching from the Atlantic at New York City to the St. Lawrence at Montreal. in which valley the county of Ulster is situated. The one important. event was the discovery and exploration of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain, afterwards the first governor-gen- oral of New France, in the early summer of 1009, and the other was the exploration of the Hudson River, up as far as the mouth of the Mohawk, by Henry Hudson, an English mariner sailing in the interest of the Dutch East India Company, in the early autumn of the same year. The story of the voyage of Champlain relates to a distant part of the State, forming a part of the great valley, and is hardly ger- mane to this history. Our interest centres in the voyage of Iludson.
VI .- HENRY HUDSON.
Notwithstanding so many failures, a shorter passage to China and " far Cathay" by way of the northern ocean continued to be a favorite theory with the navigators and explorers of England, Holland, and Demark, and attempts to find it continued to be made.
In the year 1607 the London Company made a final «fort on its part to make such a discovery. The company intrusted the command of its expedition to Henry Hudson, who was a tiative of England, and a friend of John Smith, the Foun ler of Virginia.
Of Henry Hudson little is known, except that he in his youth received a thorough maritime education, and in later year- became a distinguished seaman.
Dining the years ICO7 and 160S, Hudson made two voyages for the London Company in search of the " North- west passage," and, that company discontinuing further . #Forts in that direction. Hudson turned his attention 1 wards Holland.
The celebrated truce between the Dutch and Spaniards had about this time been completed, and the Dutch, a Bring maritime power, beenme ambitious of conquest iu Amerien. Hudson applied to the Dutch East India Com- Jaby. The directors of the Zealand department opposel the Englishman's proposals ; but the Amsterdam Charsber rtmiraged the enterprise, and furnished for this important voyage a yacht or " Vi-boat" called ' de Halve Maan," 11 . .. Half- Moon." The " Hat-Moon" belonged to the com- jony. She was of eighty tous burden, and was equipped Of the voyage by a crew of twenty sailors, partly Dutch and partly English.
The command was intrusted to Hudson, and a Dutch " under-chipper" or mate was second in command. In-
structions were given to Hudson to explore a passage to China by the northeast or northwest.
THE VOYAGE.
The " Half-Moon" left Amsterdam on the 4th day of April, 1609, and on the sixth left the Texel. Hudson donbled the Cape of Norway on the 5th of May, but found the sea so full of ice that he was obliged to change his course. Early in July, after cruising around farther north, Hudson arrived ou the banks of Newfoundland, where he was becalmed long enough to catch more cod than his "small store of salt could eure." He next went west into the Penobscot, where he remained a week cutting timber for a new foremast. He hext shaped his course to the southward and entered the Chesapeake Bay .- He next anchored in Delaware Bay. He soon left the Delaware and proceeded along the coast to the northward, and on the evening of the 2d day of September arrived in sight of the " high hills" of Navesink. Ou the evening of the 3d of September, Hudson arrived in the lower bay, where he cast anchor and lingered for a week. At length, after being visited by numerous Indian bands in their canoes, and burying one of his companions, John Coleman, who was killed by an arrow shot, Hudson, on the 12th of September, entered the mouth of the beautiful stream that was destined to bear his name through all coming time.
So interesting was Hudson's voyage up the river that we copy his journal entire :
" The thirteenth, faire weather, the wind northerly. At seuen of the clocke in the morning, as the flund came, we weighed, and turned faure miles into the river. The tide being done wee anchoredl. Then there came foure canoes aboard : but we suffered none of them to come into, our ship. They brought great store of very good oysters aboard which wee bought for trifles. In the night I set the variation of the compasse, and fount it to be thirteen degrees. In the afternoone, we weighed and turned in with the flood two leagnes and a halfe further, and anchore all night and bad fine fathoms of soft ozie ground, and had a high point of land, which showedl out to us bearing north by ' cast fine leagues of us.
" The fourteenth, in the morning being very faire weather the wind southeast, we sayled up the riuer twelue leagues and had fiue fathoms and tine fathoms and a quarter lesse, and came to a streight between two points, and had eight, nine and ten fathoms: and it trended northeast by north Que league, and we had twelue, thirteene, and four- treue fathoms. The riner is a mile broad; there is very high land on both sides. Then wee went vp northwest a. league and a halfo deepe water; then northeast by north fue miles, then northwest by porth two leagues, and anchored. The land grew very high and mountainous. The river is full of fish.
" The fifteenth, in the morning, was misty until the sunne arose; then it eleerel. So we weighed with the wind at South, and ran np the riuer twentie leagues, passing by high mountains. Wee had a very good depth, as six, seuon, eight. nine, twelue, and thirteen fath- oms, and great store of salmons in the river. This morning our two sauages got out of a port and swam away. After we were under savie they called to us in scorne. At night we came to other moun- tains which lie from the river's side. There wee found very louing people and very old men; where we were well vsed. Our boat went to fish, aad caught great store of very good fish.
"The sixteenth faire, and very hot weather. In the morning ovr hvat went againe to fishing, but could catch but few by reason their canoes had beene there all night. This morning the people came aboord, ant brought ys cares of Indian corne and pompions and to- bacco, which wee bought for trifles. Weo rode still all day and filled fresh water; at night wee weighted and went two leagues higher and had shoaled water ; so we anchored till day.
" The seuenteenth, faire suu-shining weather and very hot. In the morning as soon as the sun was vp we set sayle and run vp six
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HISTORY OF ULSTER COUNTY, NEW YORK.
leagues higher, and found sheales in the middle of the channel and small ilawels but seuen fathotus water on both sides. Toward night we burrowell so neere the shoare that wee grounded, so wee layed out our small anchor and heaved off againe. Then we borrowed on the lashe in the charged and cause aground; againe. While the flowd rau we hound of againe and anchored all night.
" The eighteenthed, in the morning was faire weather, and wee rode still. In the afternoone our master's mate went on land with au old zanage, a gaueruver of the countrey, who carried hitu to his house and made him gowie cheere.
" The nineteenth was faire and hot weather. At the flow.le, being neere cleuen of the elocke, wee weighed and ran higher vp two leagues above the shoals and had no lesse water than five. We anchored and rode in eight fathoms. The people of the countrie came tlocking aboord and brought vs grapes and pompione which wee bought for trilles. And many brought vs bevers' skinnes and otters' skinnes, which wee bought for beades, kniues, aud hatchets. So we rode there all night.
" The twentieth in the morning was faire weather. Our master's mate with four mien wore went vp with our boat to sound the riner, and found two leagues ahoue vs but two fathoms water and the elian- nyH very narrow, and above that place between seuen or eight fathoms. Toward night they returned and we rode still at night.
"The one-an I-twentieth was faire weather, and the wind all south- erly. We delerinined yet once more to gue farther rp into the riuer, to trie what depth and breadth it did beare; but much people resorted aboord, so we went nut this day. Our carpenter went on land and made a foreyard, and our master and his mate determined to trie some of the chiefe men of the eouutrie whether they ha-l any trench- erie in them. So they took them down into the enbin and gave them as much wine an I aqua-vitte that they were all merrie; and one of them had his wife with him, who sat as modestly as any of our countrie-women would do in a strange place. In the end one of them was drunke which had been aboonl of our ship all the titue we had been there; and that was strange to them, for they could not tell how to tike it. The cannes and folke went all on shore, but some of them caime again and brought. stropes of beads -some had six, seven, cight, nine, ten-and gaue bim. So be slept all night quietly.
" The two-and-twentieth was faire weather. In the morning our master's mate and foure more of the companie weut vp with our boat to sound the river higher vp. The people of the country came not aboord till noone; but when they came and saw the sanages well, they were glad. So, at three of the elbeke in the afternoone. they enme aboord and brought tobreed and more brades, and gane them to our master, and an oration, and showed hin the country all around abont. Then they sent one of their companie on land, who presently returned and brought a great platter full of venison, dressed by them- selves, and they caused him to eat with them. Then they made himn reverence and departed,-all save the old man that lay aboard. This night, at ten of the clocke, our bont returned in a shower of raine from soutling of the river, and found it to be at an en I for shipping to gor in. For tiny had been vy ci ht of nine leagues, and found but seuen-foot water and nhe misaist soundings.
" The three-ai .. 1.twentieth, faire weather, at twelve of the clocke, wee weighed and went downe two leagues, to a should that had two cannelle, one on one side and another on the other, aial Lad little wiud, whereby the tide layed vs upon it. So there wee sa'e on the ground the space of an hour, till the foud came. Then we had a little gale of wind at the west. So wee got our ship into deepe water, und rode all night very well.
" The fonr.and.twentieth was faire weather, and the winde at the northwest, wye weighed and went downe the Riner senen or right leagues, and at halle ebbe wee came on ground on a bank of oze in the middle of the liur, and sate there till the Bond. Then wee went on land, and gathered good store of chestnuts. At ten of the clocke wee came off iuto deepe water and anchored.
" The five-and twentieth was faire weather, and the witel at south a stifle gale. We role still, and went on land to walky of the west side of the River, and Gun I good ground for Corne, and other garden beabs, with great store of goodly oakes, and walnut-trees, and chest- uit trees, ewe-trees, and trees of sweet wood in great abundance, and grea' store of sinte for houses, and other goud stones.
"The rise-and twentieth was faire weather, and the wind at south a stiffe gale, we rode still. In the morning our carpenter went on
land with our Master's Mate, and foure more of our companie, to cut wood. This morning two candes eamne vp the River from the place we first found louing people, and in one of them was the old man that had lyen aboord of vs at the other place. ile brought auother old man with him, which brought more stropes of beades, and gave them to our Master, and showed him all the country thereabout. as though it were ut his command. So he made the two old men dine with him, and the oll inan's wife; for they brought two old women and two young maidens of the age of sixteene or seventeene yeares with them, who behrwel themselves very modestly. Our Master gaue one of the old men a Knife, and they gaue him and vs Tohaceo. An 1 at one of the clocke they de parted down the River, making signes that wee should come down to them ; fore wce were within two leagues of the place where they dwelt.
" At scuen-and-twentieth, in the morning, was faire weather, but much wind at the north ; we weighed and set our fore top sayle, and our ship would not flot, but ran on the ozie bank at halfe ebbe. Wee layed nut anchor to heave ber of, but could not. So we sate from . halfe ebbe to halfe floud : then we set our fore sayle and mayne top. sayle, and got downe sixe leagues. The old man came aboord, and would have had vs anchor, and goe on land to cate with him; but the winde being faire, wee would not yeeld to his request. Su hee Jeft vs, being very sorrowful for our departure. At five of the elocke in the afternoon the wind came to the south-south-west. So wee made a board or two, and anchored iu fourteene fathoms water. Then our Dont went on shore to fish right against the ship. Our Master's mate atul boat-swaine, and three more of the companie went on land to fish, but could not find a good place. They took foure- or five-and- twenty Mullets, Breames, Bases, and Barbils; and returned in an houre. Wee rode still all right.
" The eight-and-twentieth,-being faire weather, as soon as the day was light,-we weighed at halfe ebbe, and turned downe two leagues belowe water ; for the streame doth runne the last quarter ebbe. Then we anchored till high water. At three of the clock in the afternoon wee weigbed, and turned downe three leagues, votil it was darke ; then we auchored.
" The nine-and-twentieth was drie, elose weather : the wind at south, and south by west; wee weighed carly in the morning, and turned downe three leagues by a lowe water, and anchored at the lower end of the long reach, for it is six leagues long. Then there came certain Indians in a canoe to vs, but would not cotue aboord. After dinner there came the eanoe with other men, whereof three came aboord us. They brought Indian wheat, which we bought for trifles. At three of the elocke in the afternoon we weighed, as soon as the ebbe came, and turned downe to the edge of the mountaines, or the northernmost of the Mountaines, and anchored, beenase the high laud bath many points, and a narrow channell, and bath many eddie winds. So weo rode quietly all night in seuen fathoms water.
"The thirtieth was faire weather, and the wind at south-east a stiffe . gale between the Mountaynes. We rode still the afternoonc. The people of the countrey came aboord vs, and brought some small skinnes with them, which we bought fer kuines and trifles. This a very pleas- ant pence to build a towne on. The road is every neere, and very good for all winds, sane on enst north east wind. The Mountaynes look as if some metal or mineral were in them. For the trees that grew on them were all blasted, and some of them barren, with few or no trees on them. The people brought a stone aboord like to emery (a stone used by glasiers to cut glasse) ; it would cut iron or steele. Yet being bruised small, and water put to it, it male a colour like blacke lead glistening ; it is also good for painters' colours. At three of the clocke they departed, and we rode still all night.
" The of October faire weather, the winde rariable betweene the west and north. In the morning we weighed at seuen of the elocke with the ebbe, and get downe below the Mountagnes, which was seten leagues. Then it fell calme, and the flood was come, nud wee anchored at twelve of the clocke. The people of the Mountaines came aboord vs, wondering at our ship and weapons. We bought some small shinnes of them for trifles. This afternoone one canbe kept banging un.ler our sterne with one man in it, which we could not keepe from thence, who got up by our rudder to the cabin window, and stole out my pillow and two shirts and two bandelecres. Our Master's Mate shot at him, and strooke him on the brest, and killed him. Where- upou all the rest fled away, yotue in their canoes and some leapt out of them into the water.
" We manned our boat and got our things againe. Then one of them
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EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
that an andine got hold of our bear, thinking to overthrow it. But our en ke took a sword and ent one of his hands, and he was drowned. By this time the obhe was come, and we weighed and got downe two i agnes, by that time it was darke. So we anchored in foure fathomes water, andl ro le well.
"The secondle, furo weather. At break of day we weighed, the wind being at northwest, and got downe seven leagues; then the dad was come strong, so we anchored. Then came one of the vanages that swamme away from vs at our going vp the riuer, with many other, thinking to betray vs; but we perceived their inteut, au l svffered none of them to enter onr ship. Whereupon two canoes full of wien, with their bowes and arrowes shot at vs after our sterne, in recompence whereof we discharged six muskets, and killed two or three of them. Then ahoue an hundre l of them came to a pount of find to shoot ut vs. Then I shot a falcon at them and killed two of them ; whereupon the rest fled into the woods. Yet they manned off another eande with nine or ten men, which came to meet vs. Fo I shot at it also a fileon, and shot it through, and killed one of themn. Then our men, with their muskets, killed three of foure more of them. So they weut their way. Within a while after, we got downe two leagues beyond that plice, and anchore I in a bay, eleere from all dan . ger of theu. on the other side of the river, wire we saw a very good piece of ground, and harl by it there was a chiffe that lookel of the colour of a white greene, as though it were either copper or silver moyne, and I think it to be one of them by the trees that grow upon it. For they be all burned, and the other places are greene as grasse. It is on that side of the river that is cafel Mnom-Butta. There we saw no people to trouble vs, ant role quietly all night, but had manch win I an I raine.
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