History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 161

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354

USA > New York > Westchester County > History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I > Part 161

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The next venture was the building up of the Gould railroad system in the South and West. It began with purchase of the Missouri and Pacific from Commo- dore Garrison. Other roads were purchased and connections were made to different points. Mr. Gould said that he had at this time passed the point where money-making was an object, and his only idea was in carrying out the system to merely see what could be done by combinations. The lines now spread through Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mis- souri, Arkansas and Indian Territory, Texas, Louis- iana and Mexico. There are central connections at Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago and New Orleans. All the construction of this system of roads was com- pleted in 1882, and represented about ten thousand miles of road. The earnings of the lines when he

took possession of them were about seventy thousand dollars a month. The earnings for the month of August, 1883, were five million five hundred thousand dollars. In building up this system, the Southwest has been opened up and the country thrown open to civilization. Mr. Gould stated that he was a director in the Chicago and Northwest, Chicago and Rock Island, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, New York and New England and several other smaller lines.

Incidental to his railroad interests he has become largely interested in the telegraphic business. This was ou account of the intimate connection between the two industries. He was instrumental in starting the American Union to make it a competing line with the Western Union. He found it would be impos- sible to accomplish this on account of the extent of the latter's connections. He then turned his attention to getting control of Western Union by buying stock when it was low. Finding it a paying investment, he had been constantly increasing his interest. His subscquent history as a successful business man, and finally as one of the greatest magnates of Wall Street, is well known, but has little to do with the literary annals of Westchester County.

Another Westchester County littérateur, Mr. Fred- erick Whittaker, is a prolific writer of stories, and widely known for his "Life of Custer." Mr. Whit- taker is the second son and fourth child of Henry Whittaker and Catharine Maitland, and was born in Sloane Street, London, on December 12, 1838. His father was a solicitor with a large practice, but was ruined by indorsing for a noble client, Lord Kensing- ton, the original of Thackeray's " Lord Crabs " in the " Yellowplush Papers." Mr. Whittaker was compelled to flee from England to escape imprisonment for debt. For some years he wandered from place to place with his family on the Continent, and finally, in 1850, came to this country, settling in New York, where he obtained a good practice as a lawyer, and wrote the first book on practice, under the code. "Whittaker's Practice " was a standard book until superseded by later decisions and later books. Frederick Whit- taker's education in the mean time was of a desultory character, and his attendance at school was limited to six months at a Mr. Walker's private school in Brooklyn. His father tried to make a lawyer of him, but the boy's tastes inclined to literature. At sixteen he entered the office of N. Dane Ellingwood, a law- yer, as office-boy, and two or three years later ob- tained a position in the office of Henry G. Harrison, architect. A defect in his eyesight, however, which was now discovered, put an end to his efforts to become an architect. In the mean time he had made many boyish attempts at literary composition, and finally succeeded in getting into print in a magazine, now extinct, called The Great Republic Monthly. When the Civil War broke out he joined a cavalry regiment, and on his return obtained employment as

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LITERATURE AND LITERARY MEN.

a book canvasser, and afterwards as a school-teacher. After repeated failures to secure the publication of some of liis writings he attracted the notice of Mayne Reid, who published a little song "Starlighted Mid- night" from his pen in his (Reid's) magazine, Onward. Reid gave him some good advice, and pointed out the course he should pursue in order to succeed. Mr. Whittaker's next step was the publication by Frank Leslie of some stories of adventure which he had submitted. In 1870, with some money inherited from English relatives, he was enabled to buy his present home at Mount Vernon. He also married and set to work in earnest to earn a living by his pen. This lie succeeded in doing by writing serials and dime novels for Munro, of the Fireside Companion, Beadle and others. He also contributed a set of papers to the Army and Nary Journal, called " Volunteer Cavalry; the Lessons of the Decade." These attracted much attention, and in 1874 Mr. Whittaker became the first National Guard editor, and afterwards assistant editor of the Journal. In 1876 he left it for a time and wrote the "Life of General Custer." In the following ycar he returned to the Journal and also wrote a good deal for the Galaxy magazine. He also published a novel, "The Cadet Button," about this time. Since then he has been engaged in writing serials for a living, and has also written a play, "Napoleon," intended for Edwin Booth, but never acted. He compiled for this work the chapter on " Civil War" in Westchester County.

Eliza W. Farnham, philanthropist and author, was born at Rensselaerville, November 17, 1815, and died in New York City, December 15, 1864 Her maiden- name was Burhaus. She went to Illinois in 1835, and was married there in the following year to Thomas J. Farnham. In 1841 she returned to New York, and was employed in visiting prisons and lecturing to women. In the spring of 1844 she accepted appointment as matron of the Female De- partment of the State Prison, at Sing Sing. In 1848 she was connected with the Institution for the Blind, in Boston, and from 1849 to 1856 resided in California. She returned to New York and published "California, in Doors and Out." She was also the author of several books, and was active in promoting social re- forms and the rights of women.

Rev. William James Cumming, author of the his- tories of the towns of Cortlandt and Yorktown in this work, and compiler of the Civil List, was born in New York City, July 22, 1847, and is the son of John Pollock Cumming and Isabella Pollock, both of Ban- gor, Ireland. He was cducated at the public schools of New York City and in the College of the City of New York, where he graduated in 1867. He studied for the ministry at the Union Theological Seminary, graduating in 1871 and was ordained August 8, 1876, since which time he has been pastor of the Presby- terian Church at Yorktown. Previous to that time, 1872-75, he taught school at Norwalk, Conn., and in

New York City. His literary work has comprised a number of historical papers and newspaper articles, and he is a member of the Westchester Historical Society and secretary of the Westchester Bible So- ciety.

Mr. Charles E. Culver, author of the town histories of Somers and North Salem in this work, was born on the 6th of April, 1842, in the town of Somers, in the house now owned and occupied by James P. Teed. His father was Edward W. Culver, the son of Joshua Culver, and he was born in the house directly oppo- site Mt. Zion Church. The Culver family are of Welsh descent. Charles E. Culver's mother was Sarah J., daughter of Samuel Teed. She was born in the Teed homestead, now. the residence of her brother, James P. Teed. The Teed family are of French ex- traction. His parents removed to New York City when he was a child, and among the earliest of his recollections is the attendance at a private school in Amos, (now West Tenth) Street. Owing to continued ill health in childhood and by advice of a physician, his father disposed of his business in the city, and re- moved to North Salem on a farm. Charles then at- tended the preparatory department of the North Salem Academy. John F. Jenkins, A.M., was the principal, his daughter, Miss Mary Jenkins, having charge of the preparatory department. The family then removed to Whitlockville, (now Katonah,) and Charles attended the private school of Mrs. Miller and Miss Mitchell, near that place. He continued his studies, after the close of the latter school, at the public school and under tutors. In 1860 he began the study of dentistry in New York, intending to complete the course at the Baltimore Dental College, but the approach of the war and excitement of the times turned his attention to other than civil pur- suits. In 1861-62 -- 63 he was engaged in various government employments, both under the State and nation. He was married in New York City in 1863, and removed to West Farms, where he carried on the manufacture of writing ink. In 1864 he removed to Northern Illinois and remained West ten years, being a resident of Chicago during the memorable fire of 1871, where liis publishing business, as well as his home and everything he possessed, including a fine library, were completely destroyed, his family and himself escaping with but the clothing they wore. In 1869 he started the publication of the Chicago Dis- patch, a weekly Sunday paper, under the firm-name of Culver, Harris & Wilson. Charles E. Harris (Carl Pretzel) is now the publisher of Pretzel's Weekly. Col. T. B. Wilson was from Alabama, and had charge of the Masonic department of the paper. After the firm had sold out the publication, Mr. Culver became connected with the daily press of Chicago, having began to write for the press when a mere lad. His first real newspaper work was done for the late Horace Greeley about 1861, since which time he has been more or less actively engaged as correspondent or in

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

an editorial capacity. He has had two children, both now deceased. In politics he is a Democrat.

Rev. David Cole, D.D., of Yonkers, who has con- tributed so much towards this history of Westchester County, has furnished us with the following interest- ing sketch of a few of the authors and writers in his locality :

Pastors, editors and newspaper correspondents have, of course, in Yonkers, as in other places, written volu- minously. We have already spoken of all editors and conductors of papers who live in the city, and will not bring them in here. But, among paper cor- respondents, many facile Yonkers pens, driven both by ladies and gentlemen among us, have been driven to purpose upon articles that have appeared in our own and in outside papers and periodicals. We can- not mention these, but confine ourselves, in the fol- lowing catalogue, to writers who have published pam- phlets or books.

Lyman Cobb, Sr., born in Massachusetts in 1800, and one of the greatest educators and most indefati- gable authors of his time, spent the last five years of his life in Yonkers. Mr. Cobb began teaching at sixteen, and published his famous "Cobb's Spelling- Book " at nineteen years of age. This book went into all the schools of the country. His subsequently published books were very numerous. They included five reading-books, a speaker, a dictionary, an expos- itor, a miniature lexicon and extended to many other volumes. At his death he left unfinished a concord- ance, a national dictionary and a pronouncing Testa- ment. Mr. Cobb was as active in humane enterprises as he was in educational and literary work. He was a member of each of many benevolent societies of prominence, and a leader in them all. He was noted for intelligent zeal, for promptness in action, for kind- ness of heart and for simplicity of conduct. His death occurred on October 26, 1864, and he left in Yonkers four children, two of whom are prominent in Yonkers business life, and have both been men- tioned in their places in this work.

J. Henry Pooley, M.D., who has been spoken of among the Yonkers physicians, was, during his long residence and practice in Yonkers, a frequent writer of pamphlets and fugitive articles upon professional subjects, some of which at least attracted wide notice. These were his diversions. He did not make writ- ing a profession.

Several leading business men of Yonkers have done more or less amateur writing, now and then throwing their productions into pamphlet form. Among these, one is Mr. Robert P. Getty, whose overflowing life has made itself felt in so mauy and such various direc- tions. Mr. Getty's home delight has been in his library, within the walls of which he has collected and systematically filed newspapers and other regis- ters of passing events, with which he has kept up familiarity to such a remarkable degree that he is al- most an encyclopedia of the history of New York and

its vicinity. He has grappled with history, with science and with social, political aud financial econ- omy, and has written considerably on them all, and many articles he has printed. One little waif of his, in doggerel verse, will keep his memory alive. It is entitled, " Chronicles of Yonkers." It was published in 1864 without name, and thrown upon the tables of a fair held in the interest of the New York Sanitary Commission, to be sold for the benefit of the fair. It is sprightly aud pungent, full of caustic allusions to the early history of Yonkers, as well as hits at the living men and the usages of the place at the time in which it was written. But, most of all, it helps to reveal the mind and vivacity of the writer, who has himself been one of the institutions of Yonkers since 1849.

Hon. G. Hilton Scribner, who came to Yonkers about twenty years ago as a practicing lawyer, and who, from 1871 to 1873, was Secretary of State, has now long confined himself to the management of a New York City railroad. He is, however, another of the amateur writers of Yonkers. His most not- able production is a monograph, published about two years ago, entitled " Where did Life Begin ?" It has attracted wide attention for its subject, for the way in which the subject is treated, and from the fact that several minds on both sides of the Atlantic seem al- most simultaneously to have set forth its theory, which is, that all life of all varieties began at the poles. Mr. Scribner does not make writing a pursuit, but writes in a neat, self-controlled and pleasant style, which always insures respectful attention for what- ever he prints.

Foremost among the writers of Yonkers is the Rev. Henry Martyn Baird, Ph.D., D.D., LL.D., an accomplished linguist, and one of the best read and most scholarly of men. He has been professor of Greek in the University of the City of New York since 1859. His writings have been numerous. A list of them may easily be obtained. It is enough here to cite his last and greatest work, entitled “ Rise of the Huguenots of France," published in two vol- umes in 1879. Dr. Baird was widely known before, but this masterly work gave him a greatly increased reputation. Its style is a model, it thrills with in- terest, its grasp is profound, and altogether it is a masterpiece. The uotices of it by foreign as well as home journals, while independent and in many cases ably critical, have been most flattering, and some have not hesitated to rank the work with the great histories of Prescott and Motley. Dr. Baird is still prosecuting his researches into his great subject, and further volumes, we understand, may be expected in due time.

Dr. Dio Lewis, the author and teacher of physical culture, died at his residence in Youkers, in 1886, from erysipelas. A couple of weeks before his death he fell from his horse and received an injury to his left leg, below the knee. On Wednesday following he came to New York, and in returning home was

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CIVIL HISTORY.

carried past Yonkers to Hastings. He walked home, a distance of about four miles. The exertion proved too much for his injured leg, causing erysipelas to set in.

Dr. Lewis was a native of Auburn, N. Y., and was sixty-three years old. He studied medicine in the Harvard Medical School, and began the practice of his profession in Auburn iu 1845, at the age of twenty-two. Two years later he removed to Buffalo, where he practiced five years, and wrote and pub- lished a number of papers on the causes and treat- ment of cholera, which ravaged that city in 1849 and 1851. Dr. Lewis during those years of practice be- came impressed with the necessity of physical culture to prevent disease, aud in 1855 he gave up the prac- tice of his profession, and began a course of lecturing and writing on the subject of public and personal hygieue. During four years he lectured almost every night, giving his days to the invention of his new system of gymnastics.

In 1860, having perfected this system, he aban- doned the platform and settled in Boston, where hc established his uorwal school for physical training. He was assisted in teaching by the cele- brated Dr. Walter Channing, Dr. Thomas Hoskins and other well-knowu medical scholars, and within seven years more than four hundred persons had been graduated from his normal school, and were spreading the principles of his system of physical training throughout the land. He next established a seminary for girls in Lexington, Mass., his object being to illus- trate the possibilities in the physical development of girls'during their school-life. This seminary rapidly became popular, and attracted pupils from all parts of the country and even from Central America and the West Indies. Dr. Lewis remained in Boston until 1882, when he removed to Yonkers and established a maga- zine in New York devoted to sanitary and social science, and known as Dio Lewis' Monthly.

Dr. Lewis published a number of books on physical culture which had a wide circulation, the most promi- nent of them being "Our Girls," "Our Digestion" and " Weak Lungs."

Besides the authors mentioned, the celebrated nov- elist Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth has been a resident of Youkers since 1876. She was born in Washing- ton, D. C., December 26, 1819, her parents being Charles Le Compte Nevitte, a merchant of Alexan- dria, Va., and Susannah George Wailcs Nevitte, of St. Mary's, Md. She married Frederick H. South- worth, of Utica, N. Y., in 1840. Her first story was written in the latter part of 1846, and published iu the Baltimore Saturday Visitor of that ycar. From 1847 to 1857 all her writings were issued in the Wash- ington National Era. Her first novel in book-form was published by the Harpers of New York, in 1849, after having been run through the Era. From 1857 she has been writing for the New York Ledger.

Since the latter year she has published throughi the New York Ledger only. She is at present (Deceni- ber, 1885) writing her sixty-seventh novel. Her works have been republished in England, and trans- lated into German, French and Spanish. Mrs. South- worth is a lady of refinement, of great intelligence and extensive reading, especially familiar with all the characters and phases of Washington life, and a most interesting conversationalist. She is so devoted to her work as to be seldom seen in public. She is under- stood to be an admirer and perhaps a disciple of Swedenborg. Her disposition is one of great amia- bility, and she is noted for her practical sympathy with and ready hand for all who are in trial and need.

It would not be possible to give the names of all Yonkers men and women who have simply published pamphlets or been active in newspaper correspond- ence. Among the latter have been several Yonkers ladies, some of whom have been professional paper and magaziue contributors, writing under assumed names. We have tried to recall at least all writers of books, and hope that to this extent our effort has been a success.

J. Thomas Scharf

CHAPTER XIV.

CIVIL HISTORY.

BY REV. WILLIAM J. CUMMING, Of Yorktown.

OCTOBER 3, 1642, John Throgmorton (or Throck- morton) and some friends, who had suffered in the persecution against Roger Williams, obtained permis- sion of the authorities of the New Netherlands to settle thirty-five families in what is now the town of Westchester, and doubtless the settlement was made shortly after this date. This territory had been pur- chased of the Indians in 1640, and bore the name Vredeland-land of peace. 1 This grant was con- firmed by William Kieft, director-general, July 6, 1643. Johu (or Jan) Throckmorton was to receive the land in fee-simple and to be allowed the free ex- ercise of religion, on condition that he, his associates and successors should "acknowledge as their lords and patroons" the Dutch authorities. This grant really made John Throckmorton the patroon of the portion of Vredeland grauted to him. The settle- ment was designated by the Dutch Oostdorp and by the English Easttown. This is the first civil division in what is now Westchester County, 2 in which, doubt-

1O'Callaghan's "History of the New Netherlands," vol. ii. p. 312. 2 See " Ilistory of Town of Westchester," below.

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

less, English ideas and government, subject to the supremacy of the Dutch, prevailed.

August 3, 1639, the Dutch purchased a large tract of land on the Hudson, north of Manhattan Islaud, from the Indians. In 1646, Adriacn van der Donck received a grant of this tract, called Nepperhaem, where Yonkers now stands, from the Dutch. 1 This grant was made uuder the " Charter of Privileges aud Exemptions," issued June 7, 1629, " which provided that any member of the company who should pur- chase of the Indians, aud found in any part of New Netherland (except Manhattan) a colonie of fifty persons over fifteen years of age, should be in all re- spects the fendal lord and patroou of the territory of which he should thus take possession." ? This colony bears the name of Colen Donck. Here we have the second civil division.

In 1655, Thomas Pell, of Fairfield, Conn., laid claim to Vredeland under color of an Indian conveyance $ of November 14, 1654, and called it Westchester. Settlement took place shortly after by the English from New England. April 2, 1655, the Dutch or- dered them off. March 6, 1656, an order was issucd by the director-general and Council for the arrest of the English intruders. A force, sent for the purpose, arrested twenty-three persons and brought them to New Amsterdam. Ou the 16th the prisoners offered to submit to the Dutch authority. Their offer was ac- cepted. They requested the privilege of choosing their own officers and of making and administering their own laws. They were granted the same privi- leges as the freemen of the villages of Middleborough, Brenkelen, Midwout and Amersfoort. They were allowed to nominate double the number of persons, from whom the executive would make selections. These officers were called "Schepens."4 5 The civil designation originally given to Throckmorton's set- tlement Oostdorp or Easttown, was continucd.

"In the municipal government of these settlements two systems, 08- sentially different in principle obtained. In the 'Colonies ' the superin- tending power was lodged in one individual, who, though the immediate vassal of the sovereign authority from which hel derived his lands, was himself lord paramouut in his manor, where lie uot only represented the sovereign, but exercised feudal jurisdiction over his colonists, who stood towards him in the same relation he occupied towards the supreme head of the State. . . . In return for this obedience the patroon was bouud to protect the colouists, who had the additional right to address themselves hy appeal to the supreme authority at Amsterdam, in case they were either aggrieved or oppressed. . . .

"Towns or communes sometimes acquired independence of these fendal lords, and held their privileges directly from the crown. They were incorporated and held land in fee, and possessed the rights of patroons. They named persons from whom the executive selected offi- cers called 'schepens.' These constituted a hoard of communication with their sovereign lead, were a local court of justice, and liad a schout or sheriff, a secretary and a marshal. Their official term was one year. One hundred years before the Dutch settlement there were in Holland

300 such municipalities. Both ideas came with the people and were found here.

"Strange as it may seem, while every colonie, and almost every hain- let, had its local magistracy, the citizens of New Amsterdam [ New York City], the capital of the whole province, continued, greatly to their dis- content, without a voice in the management of their municipal affairs. The government of the city still remained in the hands of the Director- General and his council." 6

Colendonck, (Yonkers) was under the government of a patroon, such as is described above ; and the fol- lowing statement gives some idea of the " Charter of Privileges and Exemptions" issued by the West India Company's College of Nineteen, June 7, 1629, in accordance with which the graut was made to Van der Donck :

"The Patroon had power to appoint officers and magistrates in all towns and cities on his lands ; to hold manorial courts, from which, in cases where the judgment exceeded fifty guilders, the only appeal was to the Director-General and Council ; in short, to hold and govern his great manor with as absolute a rule as any baron of the Middle Ages. The power of the Patroons over their tenants was almost unlimited. No man or woman, son or danghter, man-servant or maid-servant could leave a Patroon's service during the tiune they had agreed to remain, except hy his written consent, no matter what abuses or breaches of con- tract existed on part of the Patroon. This charter prescribed regula- tions aud granted privileges with regard to trade, gave to the freemen all the land they could cultivate, and exempted them from taxation for ten years. Churches and schools were required to he established, and the manufacture of cloths was prohibited. The company retained the fur trade and fettered commerce. Several directors of the company availed themselves of the advantages offered. The Patroou of Reus- selaerswyck, however, was the only one who established a manorial court, and he rendered the privilege of appeal nugatory by exacting of his tenants, as a condition to the occupation of land, that they would not avail themselves of it. This monopoly had a disastrous effect upon the colony. Differences arose between the company and the Patroons, and a new policy was, therefore, inaugurated. In 1638 free emigration was encouraged, and in 1640 (July 19) the College of Nineteen passed an or- dinauce materially modifying the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions. The policy of free emigration, free lands and free trade, incomplete as it was, increased at once the prosperity of the colony." 7

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History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 161

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co. Number of Pages: 1354

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354