History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 202

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 202

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).

The next reetor was Rev. Thomas Standard, whom the society sent over in 1725. Governor Burnett's mandate, inducting him to the Westchester parish was issued July 8, 1727. In his report of November 5, 1729, to the society, he relates that there are nut above three or four families well affected to the Church of England, the majority of the people being Quak- ers, but he had thirty communicants, and under the most favorable eireumstances, in summer, one hun- dred attendants upon services. In the spring of 1735 he had some trouble with Schoolmaster Foster, who, in 1744, was superseded by Basil Bartow. In 1745 his church was "in a peaceable and growing state." He died in 1760, and the parish was vaeant until the appointment of Rev. John Milner, June 12, 1761. In Governor Colden's letters of institution it is first officially spoken of as st. Peter's Church, the nanie which it still retains. Things had changed so much that on June 29, 1762, he was able to write to the society that there were no dissenters, except a few

Quakers, in his parish. A year later he wrote that the number of communicants had inereased to fifty- three and that he had baptized eighty-seven persons sinee his arrival.

On May 12, 1762, on petition of John Miller, John Bartow, J. Willett, Lewis Morris, Jr., Peter De Lancey, N. Underhill, James Graham and James Van Cortlandt, they were incorporated, with the rest of the inhabitants of the town, in communion with the Church of England, by royal charter, as "The Rector and Inhabitants of the Borough Town of Westches- ter." By this instrument Isaac Willett and Nathan -

ing are now zealous professors of the ordinances of ' iel Underhill, Sr., were appointed church wardens,

and Peter De Lancey, James Graham, James Van January 10, 1709, Joseph Hunt, Jr., and Jeremiah | Cortlandt, Lewis Morris, John Smith, Theophilus Bartow, Cornelius Willett and Thomas Hunt vestry- men. A house for the minister was purchased with a glebe of thirty acres not far from the church. MIr. Milner appointed Nathaniel Seabury schoolmaster, and was so successful in his ministrations that many families of Quakers joined his church. In 1765 he resigned because the vestry refused to refund him any of the money he had expended on the glebe, and in the fall of 1766, Rev. Samuel Seabury was settled as his successor. The latter found that the communi- cants had fallen to twenty-two in number, and that the general condition of church affairs was very un- satisfactory. He was a partisan of the crown and attributed to the growing spirit which culminated in the Revolution " unbounded licentiousness in man- ners and insecurity to private property." In April, 1775, he was one of the signers of the White l'lains protest against " all unlawfull Congresses and Com- mittces," and the pledge of royalty to the King. On November 22, 1775, a party of Connecticut troops carried him to New Haven, where he was imprisoned for a month. In September, 1776, he fled to the pro- tection of the royal troops on Long Island, abandon- ing his pulpit and his school, in which he had a fair number of scholars. He kept, for the remainder of the war, under British protection, and in 1784 be- came the first bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in this country.

The church was utterly disorganized during the Revolution. On February 15, 1788, it was recreated by a meeting of the citizens of Westchester town, who elected as trustees Henry Lewis Graham, Joseph Browne, Thomas Hunt, Israel Underhill, John Bartow, Philip 1. Livingston and Samuel Bayard. Under the act of Assembly of April 6, 1784, they or- ganized as " The Corporation of the Protestant Epis- copal Church of St. Peter's, in the Town of West- chester," and the act of incorporation was duly acknowledged, April 19, 1788. On August 2, 1795, the parishioners assembled for the purpose of a sceond incorporation under the aet of Assembly " for the re- lief of the Protestant Episcopal Church." The trus- tees of 1788 sold the old church to Sarah Ferris for £10, who removed it, and they sent around a sub-

812

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

scription paper to obtain money to build a new church on or near the site of the old one. They also obtained from the Gospel Propagation Society a grant from the legacy of St. George Talbot, and on January 26, 1789, contracted with John Odell to build a church for £336. On January 2, 1792, they chose as rector Rev. Theo- dosius Bartow, who was followed on January 20, 1794, by Rev. John Ireland. In 1795 they obtained from the trustees of the town a release for the site of the church and cemctery, and Israel Underhill and Philip I. Livingston were elected wardens, and John Bartow, Jr., Thomas Bartow, Oliver De Lancey, Warren De Lancey, Jeseph Brown, Jonathan Fowler, Robert Heaton and Nicholas Bayard, vestrymen. Mr. Ireland served as rector until 1797, during which period the new church building was finished and consecrated. March 9, 1798, Rev. Isaac Wilkins succeeded him, and in 1806 reported forty communicants and eighteen baptisms. Rev. William Powell was elected his as- sistant July 12, 1829.

Mr. Wilkins served until his death, February 5, 1830, and Mr. Powell was called to the rectorship. He died April 29, 1849, and was succeeded by his as- sistant, Rev. Charles D. Jackson. A new parsonage was built in 1850, and a new church in 1855, at a cost of sixty thousand dollars. This was burned to the ground January 9, 1877, during the incum- bency of Rev. Christopher B. Wyatt, who succeeded Mr. Jackson. October 26, 1871. The present church was built upon the site of that destroyed by fire, which itself occupied a portion of the church erected in 1790. Near by is the parochial school-house, and adjacent to it the church-yard, which dates back to the settlement of the village. It has many mon- uments and stones erected to the memory of men- bers of the De Lancey, Bayard, Honeywell, Liv- ingston, Post, Doty, Hunt, Bartow, Baxter, Lewis Adee, Findlay, Tucker, Reed, Burnett, Ludlow, Timpson, Wilkins, Lorillard, Morris and other promi- nent families who arc interred therein.

THE FRIENDS .- The very numerous clement of Friends among the early population of Westchester has been referred to in the preceding pages. It ap- pears, indeed, that they held religious services within the town almost or quite as soon as did the Puritans, and that the old meeting-house already spoken of as having fallen into decay in 1696 was built and used by them. There is a tradition that the first meeting of the Friends in America was held in Westchester, and that George Fox preached here in 1672. Monthly Meeting was appointed by the Yearly Meeting at Flushing, L. I., to be held at Westchester on the 9th day of Fourth Month, 1725. In 1723 the Friends built the meeting-house which is still standing south of St. Peter's Church, and is now in possession of the Hicksite branch ; nearly opposite stands the meeting house of the Orthodox Friends, which was erected in 1828.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH .- On the 8th of

October, 1808, the congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the town of Westchester met in pursuance of the act to provide for the incorporation of religious societies, passed March 27, 1801, and elected the following trustees: William Johnston, Gilbert Lewis, Abraham Secord, Benjamin Morgan, Moses Hunt and Gilbert Shute. They assumed the name of the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church of the town of Westchester. Other articles of incorpora- tion, dated October 26, 1826, seem to have been filed with reference to this church, for on that day, at a meeting held in their place of worship, the congrega- tion elected John Westfield, Andrew C. Wheeler, Joseph Smith, Frederick Titus, John F. Fay and Isaac Lounsbury trustees.

Zion Church became dissolved by reason of non- user, and therefore, to effect a re-incorporation, on February 7, 1835, the congregation assembled at the church near the village of Westchester, where they were accustomed to attend for divine worship, and elected Isaac Lounsbury, Thomas Bolton, Samuel R. Munn, William H. Lounsbury and Thomas J. Phil- lips trustees, and resolved that the society should be thereafter known as the Methodist Episcopal Church of Zion, in the town of Westchester. The church editice was erected in 1818.

Another Methodist Episcopal Church is situated at Olinville, and was known as Olin Chapel. It was in- corporated August 29, 1854, the first trustees being Smith H. Platt, John Pratt, Alexander Ramsey, W. P. Janes, W. S. Dodge, Christopher Knaucr and Gar- rett Burgess. On September 23, 1871, other articles of incorporation were filed, under the name of " The Olinville Methodist Episcopal Church." The trus- tees then chosen were Charles C. Von Benschoten, Stephen Barker, Walter P. Jayne, Burton Bradley, William S. Dodge, W. W. Niles, John T. Briggs, Daniel Burgess and Levi H. Mace.

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH .- The First Presby- terian Church of Throgg's Neck stands at the top of. a hill, just opposite the causeway crossing Westches- ter Creek, at the village of Westchester. It is not far from the sitc of the British batteries, which were erected on that hill. The congregation was incorpor- ated June 6, 1855, and George S. Robbins, Edwin D. Morgan and James E. Ellis were its first trustees.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS-The Protectory, etc .- Within the limits of the town of Westchester, on its western border and near the Harlem and Port Chester Railroad Station, is the New York Catholic Pro- tectory. It grew out of the solicitude of a number of laymen and clergy of the church for the welfare of the street gamins of the great city. Projects previ- ously mooted by the Society of St. Vincent proved barren of results because of the lack of funds, but in the latter part of 1862 a meeting of prominent gentle- men in the parochial residence of the Church of the Annunciation, Manhattanville, then in charge of the late Rev. John Breen, resolved upon taking practical

813

WESTCHESTER.

steps, and, as an earnest of their intentions, subscribed, in sums of $5000, $2500 atid $2000, enough money to assure the financial success of the undertaking. Dr. Levi Silliman Ives, formerly Protestant Episcopal bishop of North Carolina, who was converted to Catholicity in 1852, volunteered his services for the supervision and guidanee of the institution. Rev. Brother Patrick, of the Order of Christian Brothers, tendered the services of that order for its immediate management, whereupon Archbishop Hughes gave his approval of the work and set upon it the seal of his official authority.

On January 2, 1863, a number of the twenty-five gentlemen selected by the arehbishop presented the " Articles of Organization of the Society for the Pro- tection of Destitute Children." February 11th another meeting was held at the residence of Rev. Monsignor Quinn, then rector of St. Peter's Church, New York City, who was participating most zealously in the project, and with whom for two years Dr. Ives was in daily consultation. At this meeting there were pres- ent Dr. Henry J. Anderson, Charles O'Conor, Charles M. Connelly, Eugene Plunkett, Dr. Donatien Binssc, Dr. L. S. Ives, Rev. William Quinn, Joseph Fisher, Daniel Devlin, John Mullen, Lewis J. White, John McMenomy, Florence Escalante, Eugene Kelly, Heury L. Hoguct and Edward C. Donnolly. These gentlemen discussed the fact that, year after year, thousands of Catholie children were lost to that faith through a system which ignored such a principle as religious rights in the helpless objects of its charity.

A committee of seven was appointed to seek a charter from the Legislature, and on April 14th this was granted under the title of "The Society for the Protection of Destitute Roman Catholic chil- dren in the city of New York." The corporators were Felix Ingolsby, Charles A. Stetson, Eugene Kelly, Charles M. Connelly, Daniel Devlin, Andrew Carrigan, L. Silliman Ives, Edward C. Donnelly, Edward Frith, Henry J. Anderson, Joseph Fisher, Eugene Plunkett, Jolın McMenomy, Donatien Binsse, Lewis J. White, John O'Brien, John Milhau, Ber- nard Amend, John E. Devlin, Florcneio Escalante, John O'Conor, Henry L. Hoguet, James Lynch, Frederick E. Gilbert and Daniel O'Conor.

In the charter it was provided that the Protectory inay takc and receive into its eare :

their future benefit and advantage; and any person to whom any such child shall be bound shall execute a bond to the said corporation in a sufficient penal amouut, conditioned for the good treatment of such child, and to instruct, or cause to linve him or her instructed, in reading, writing and arithmetic, and to give such child, at the expiration of his or her apprenticeship, at least une new snit of clothes and five dollars in money, and the sald cor- poration may insert in the indentures of apprenticeship such clauses and agreements as the poor officers, authorized to bind out children, are empowered or required to insert in like indentures.

" Children intrusted to the corporation by the voluntary act of their parents or guardians shall be deemed to be in the lawful charge and custody of said corporation ; and such intrusting shall be evidenced by writing in form.

.. Whenever any child above the age of seven and under the age of fourteen years shall be brought by any policeman of the city of New York before any magistrate of said city. upon the allegation that such child was found in any way, street, highway or public place in said city, in the circumstances of want and suffering, or abandonment, ex- posure or neglect or of beggary, . and it shall be proved to the

satisfaction of such magistrate by competent testimony, or by the examination of the child, that by reason of the neglect or vicions habits of the parents, or other lawinl guardian of such child, it is a proper object for the care of this corporation, such magistrate, . by warrant in writing under his hand, may commit such child to this corporation, to be and remaiu under its care until therefrom discharged in manner prescribed by law.

" Whenever the parent, guardian, or next of kin of any child be- tween the nges of seven and fourteen years, about to be finally con- mitted for any of the canses specified in the preceding sections of this act, shall request the magistrate to commit such child to said corpo- ration, it shall be the duty of such magistrate so to commit such child.

" If, at any time after a child shall have been committed to said corporation, as above provided for in the act, it shall be made to ap- pear to the satisfaction of the said corporation that such child was, on insufficient cause, or otherwise wrongfully so committed, the said cor- poration shall, on the application of the parents, . . discharge the child from the said asylum, aud restore it to snel pareuts. . If, after a child shall have been properly committed, any circumstances should occur that, in the judgment of said corporation would render expedient and proper a discharge of such child from the asylum, having a dne regard to the welfare of the child and the pur- poses of the asylum, the said corporation may, at discretion, discharge the child from the said asylum

. on such reasonable conditions as the said corporation may deem right and proper.

"This corporatiou shall be the guardian of every child, bound or held for service, by virtue and in pursuance of the provisions of this act . . . and it is hereby made its special duty to inquire into the treatment of every such child, and redress any grievance in manner prescribed by law."

An appeal for financial aid met with generous rc- sponse, and the Protectory began its earcer of useful- ness in two private dwellings in Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Streets, near Second Avenue, where, under the pastoral care of Rev. Father Clowry, who attended to their spiritual wants, the boys found their first home and shelter. The Christian 1 Brothers as- sumed charge.

Notice of these partial arrangements had only time to reach the poor, or the benefactors of the poor,

" Children under the age of fourteen years, who, by consent in writing of their parents or guardians, may be entrusted to it for protection or reformation.

"Children between the ages of seven and fourteen years of age, who may be committed to the care of suchi corporation as idle, truant, vic- ious or homeless children, by order of any magistrate in the city of New York empowered by law to make committal of children for any such cause.

" Children of the like age who may be trausferred, nt the option of the Commissioners of Public Charity and Correction of the city of New York, to such corporation.

" The Society has power to place the children in their care at snitable employments, and cause them to be instructed in suitable branches of useful knowledge, to bind out the children, with their consent. as ap- prentices or servants during minority or any less period, to learn such proper trades and employments as shall be judged most conducive to

1 Rev. B. L. Pierce, chaplain of the llouse of Refuge, in his book en- titled " llalf a Century with Juvenile Delinquents," makes the following statement :

"The officers of the Boys' Protectory belong to the order of Christian Brothers. They give theinselves to the Church when they take the vow of the order, to be teachers wherever they may be appointed to Inbor. They will never be priests ; they are expected to pursue no form of bus iness lierealter, but for life will remain in the office of instructors Their salaries nro simply the requisite provision for their living, sick or well. These men are constantly with the boys In school, work, recreation and in the dormitory

814

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

when applications in behalf of unprotected children becanie so numerous and pressing as to compel the executive committee, in view of their necessarily limited means and accommodations, to restrict the number of inmates to such boys as might be commit- ted from the courts or transferred to their care by the " Commissioners of Public Charities and Correction." Hence the records of their office show that, but for the want of sufficient room, at least double the num- ber which they now report might be enjoying the blessing of the institution.

Owing to the difficulty of renting suitable build- ings, the committec were unable to make provision for the reception of girls before the 1st of October. About that time, however, they succeeded in pro- curing a building at the corner of Eighty-sixth Street and Second Avenue, well suited to the purpose. This they were enabled to place under the direction of the Sisters of Charity, a religious order whose members, by their noble and generous self-devotion, in the care of the sick, forlorn, the destitute and helpless in every form, age and condition in life, have been the theme of praise in story and song in every clime and tongue, and from persons of all shades of belief, race and religion.

The houses in Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Streets were soon found to be inadequate for the ac- commodations of the daily increasing numbers, and the managers, were within eight months of the day of opening, forced to seek other and more commodious quarters. Two buildings were then rented in Eighty- Sixth Street, ncar Fifth Avenue, and so soon as con- venient the boys moved into thiem.

The difficulties experienced in providing accommo- dation, in obtaining the considerable sums necessary in the inauguration of so vast a work, were but a minor portion of the onerous task placed upon the managers' shoulders. The far more difficult problem of "what to do with the abandoned child," and "how to do it " had now to be directly solved.

Most of the children received, particularly during the first few ycars, were the victims of indolent or vicious habits. Experience taught that, to succeed in this work of reformation, constant occupation, pleasantly diversified, was essential, and space for play-grounds, out-door labor, and places wherein trades could be learned was required.

In the earliest reports of the Protectory we find,-

" In the course of five mouths, in the shoe department, where 32 boys are employed, there lias been expended the sum of $1737.12, including . machinery, material and instruction, with the result of $2197.26 produce, which nets us a profit of $460.14 and the machinery. In the tailoring department the training of the boys requires more time, and hence a less expeditious profit."

While the New York Catholic Protectory thus pur- sned its mission, each day's experience more fully proved the necessity of moving out of the city. Apart from the fact that it was impossible to secure suffi- cient accommodation in the heart of a great metrop- olis, the managers became daily more convinced that

the influence of the surroundings in a vast city like New York was against their work. The problem which then propounded itself was to secure " proper location elsewhere." In the minutes of one of the regular meetings held at this time the president said,-

"In view of the circumstances, and in firm conviction of the prosper- ity, if not tbe very existence, of our institution, depends upon tbe im- mediate erection of a building somewhere, every exertion possible has been made by the Executive Committee to discover a suitable place for this purpose. We have visited all the islands in East River and found in tbem all some fatal objections. We tben turned our attention to the mainland, and could discover nothiug within the limits of the city wbich seemed to promise any better accommodations. After cousult- ing our legal adviser we felt gratified in looking beyond these limits. An advertisement of the sale of a farm, near the village of Westchester, induced us to visit and examine it in respect to its suitableness to meet our object in view. Four members of the Executive Committee,-Dr. Anderson, Mr. Hoguet, Mr. White and the President,-with the Most Rev. Archbishop, tbe Advisory Chaplaiu and a number of the clergy, have visited the farm, and, after a thorough examination, have unanimously come to tbe conchision, taking everything into consideration, that we are not likely to secure a more favorable site for our institution. Your President, therefore, after making himself master of the facts relating to this property and to the terms of sale, recommends its purchase by the Managers."

It will be remarkcd that thus far the managers of the New York Catholic Protectory have relied chiefly upon private generosity to sustain the work. But, beginning with 1864, we find that the State and other authorities recognized the work as of public utility, and assisted it accordingly.

It has already been remarked that want of proper space and accommodation alone prevented the ac- complishment of the full measure of success which the managers hoped to attain.

It was, therefore, with no little satisfaction that they announced the purchase, on the 9th day of June, 1865, of a valuable farm of about one hundred and fourteen acres, with commodious barns and out- houses, near the village of Westchester, for forty thou- sand dollars, upon which they have completed a spacious brick building, designed to accommodate from six hundred to eight hundred destitute boys, and another of equal dimensions for the accommoda - tion of girls.

St. Raymond's Catholic Church is located on the road leading from Westchester to West Farms, and is not distant from the Protectory. Attached to it is an extensive cemetery and a fine, large parochial school- house. It has a numerous congregation.

HIGHWAYS, BRIDGES, ETC .- From the Sautier Surveys (Doc. Hist. of N. Y.), printed in London by Fadden in 1779, we find a main highway running from Morrisania via de Lancey's Mills (West Farms) to the village of Westchester, but by an entry on the 13th day of the Ninth Month, 1722, in the county road-book, on file in the office of the county clerk, it appears that on June 8th of that year Commissioners Lewis Morris, Jr., John Stephenson, Joseph Drake and John Hoit made return that they had laid out a public road in the town of Westchester,-

815

WESTCHESTER.

" From the bridge that lies across the brook that runs between Under- hill Barns's land and runs westerly as the way has usually beon run, four rods wide between said Barns's land, including the watering place lying by ye sido of Underhill Barns's home lot, according to the bounds now sett up and marked, till it meets with a public road laid ont by the Com- missioners through the sheep pasture."

The road through the sheep pasture was probably the one which was discontinued in 1727. It began at the "Northerly corner of the Quaker meeting-house," and after passing through "ye common land " and skirting the properties of Peter Ferris, the Widow Colyer and John Maphis, terminated at "the town landing by the Mill." In 1723 a road was run "from the corner of John Huestis' garden " to the country road " by the house that John Packer lives in." In 1726 a road was built to "Jethamar Polton's saw-mill upon Brunck's River ; " and on July 29, 1727, the highway " from the road yt goes to Brunx's River, where Joseph Hallstead now lives, from the causeway by Col. Heath- vote's Mill, between the land then of Israel Honey- well, Senr., since deceased, and the land of Thomas Hadden to the said Ferris' land," was ordered to be closed. November 21, 1728, the commissioners re- viewed a highway "from Joseph Hallstead's land southerly, to be an open road; he (the said Hall- 'stead) to build a good stout bridge over the low ground against the house where Abigail Reed liveth, at his own cost." April 10, 1729, they closed the road " already laid out through ye Frog's (Throgg's) Neck," but in 1731 revoked their action, and the high- way was again established from the ferry through Augustine Baxter's land.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 202

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