History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 135

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898,
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

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. II > Part 135

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).

farthings.

acres.

Old Purche .

18,415

7673

19. 3. 7-3

New P .

14,376

5990

14.19. 6

N. W. Corner

6,865

2865

7. 3. 0-1

N. E. Corner . .

4,26616

1:36

4. 8.10-2

Vineyard & Dibble.

4,26616

1736

4. 8.10-2

50. 4.1-0

A part of Simsbury, Conn., is still called Hop Meadow. The region bad long been ealled the Ilop Ground, presumably from its natural pro- duet, and was so known for the first year or two.

4 At a town-meeting, held February 4, 1702, it was voted to sell the Cross Vineyard Purebase to Jolin Dibble for eighteen pounds, " 3 pounds

580

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

It appears that Katonah and his associates were recognized în 1680 as the proprietors of the lands lying northwest of Stamford bounds, which Turner had bought of Ponus and Wascussne in 1640, and which Ponus and his ellest son, Onax, had confirmed to the Stamford men in 1655. What had become of the descendants of Ponus in the mean time, or how Katonah got possession, it is not easy to determine. Finding lim here, the settlers could only deal with him, and apparently they had no difficulty in per- suading him to ratify the grant of his predecessors. It is to be borne in mind that the Indian deeds were indefinite in bounds and extent ; that they were written by the purchasers, often with but a meagre knowledge of the region they sought to deseribe, and it was not unusual, after a few years, to find it necessary to obtain a second deed confirming the first, in order remove uneertainties which had arisen.

The lands comprised in Bedford were released by the Indians under eight deeds :

First, that given above.

Recorded this 22 Day of Trebat 174

July 19:1732 John Holmes 0 July 6th ,1709 De John ( de

Town Clark

March 3 Day 1747/8 px Reuben Holmes

Clark

EARLY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS OF DEEDS.

Second, the deed "to the proprietors of Bedford " for the Koamong purchase, "which land and Mid- dow lyes at the southwest of the bounds of the said proprietors of Bedford, bought of ye Indians, as ap- pears by a former bill of sale," May 2, 1683.1

Third, the deed to Daniel Simkins for a "Sertaine pees of land lying west of the bounds of Bedford," known afterward as "Simpkins half mile square,"2 May 25, 1692.

Fourth, the deed " to ye inhabitanee of Bedford of a sertain track of medow and upland northerd from ye town, bounded by a small brook east, which runs neer ye west sid of potiticus path and west by Bever dam River, north by ye Cross River and south by Bedford's land," 3 July 24, 1700. This tract was known as Cross's Vineyard.

Fifth, the deed " to ye inhabitance of Bedford " for land " as followeth : namely, to begin whaire bever dam river and cros river meets, and so to run on ye norwest side of a brook ealled miry brook, and then to run eross the hills west, on ye west side of Cisqua medow, until it meets the river called Cisqua and a great swamp : and so to run up the brook, and by marked trees to the north end of Birum pond and so to ye south end of Cohamong pond, and then to a great read oake tree formerly marked by the Indians for Bedford's suthermost bounds, which stands on the west sid of the west turn of meanons river."+

This became known as the " New " or " West Pur- chase," the most important for purposes of settlement since the Old Purchase. Its boundaries are more carefully stated than those in any of the other deeds, and may be followed with accuracy at this day. It seems certain that this purchase had been the subject of nego- tiation with the Indians some years before. Even by this deed, possession was not ob- tained, nor was the matter settled until April 20, 1702, when a confirmatory deed was given.

Sixth, the deed "to mr. Jacobus Van Cortlandt, of ye eity and province of New York, and Zachariah Roberts, sen'r, of Bedford, a sertain track of upland medow land and swamps . . to begin where Bever dam river and ye Cross River meets and so to run westwardly by Bedford's marked trees until it comes to a black oak tree marked upon a high hill, and then to run west to Cisqua River, and then down said river until it runs into Muscotah river,5 and then to keep ye south side of Museotah river until it meets the aforesaid river, and to keep the said Cross River until it meets ye aforesaid Bever dam river,"6 July 21 1703. This purchase was known as the Northwest Corner.

Seventh, the deed to John Dibell, of Bedford, for land " bounded by marked trees, from one branch of Bever Dam River southward of Ston hills, and so to run westward of Ston hills, northward by marked trees, until it meets with a brook coming out of Ston hills, and so to be bounded by sd. brook until it meets ye Cross River, and bounded by the said Cross River until it meets a small brook. and then bounded west-

In money and 15 pounds in Indian truck equifalent to money, in case that the town hath the indian purchase westward of the town." On March 2d, following, the same vote was repeated, the phrase " Indian Day " being used. One werk later it was resolved "that if Capt. Mathews can and will help the town with some indian truck, they will give him full satisfaction next paye time or fall of the year."

1 Bedford Records, book I. p. 115. This purchase was not very import- aut. It does not appear in Copp's memorandum, being probably in- cluded lu the old purchase. It may be that the deed wne intended to confirm the ohl one In respect to that part of the boundary, or to rectify omte misunderstanding.

" Records, book 1, p. 13.

3 Records, vol. I. p. 141.

4 Records, vol. i. p. 160,

§ Evidently ('roton River is meant.

6 Records, vol. I. p. 170.

581

BEDFORD.

ward by Bedford's Cross Vineyard Purchase, and theu bounded by Bedford's first purchase south- wardly and eastwardly until it meets the aforesaid braneli," 1 dated January 4, 1704. This is ealled the Dibble purchase. The boundaries are somewhat obseurely stated, but it was praetieally bounded north by the Cross River, east by the brook that flows uearly parallel with the present town line, and empties iuto Cross River, near George Ruseo's, west by Spruee Brook and south by the Old Purchase.

Eighth, the deed to Joseph Seeley, of Bedford, for a traet of land laying "on ye north side of ye Cross River, so ealled, and bounded as followeth : easterly by a brook that Runeth in to sª River, westerly by a brook y Runs to ye Cross River, northerly by two black ash trees and southerly by ye above sd Cross River," 2 Jan- uary 23, 1722. This was called the Northeast Cor- ner. The consideration named in the deed was twenty pounds.

kalo Snak Litmark Jayaguy Rit nurko fanda Qquid bio mark quevanchio mark

January & 24:115 Zach mills fler

chick Chage manta

This about written Bill of SaleNachno

Boo for the Day of may 1683

Abraham Ambla comisionation

INDIAN AUTOGRAPHS.

This"last deed marks the end of Indian rule in Bedford. It is the only one of all the deeds which'is not signed by Katonah, Sagamore, and henee it is to be inferred that he died between 1704 and 1722, aud was spared the pain of seeing the last aere of his happy hunting-grounds pass out of the possession of his raee. Tradition tells us that he lies buried beside his favorite wife on the heights of Cantito3 (Katonah's own land), and two immense boulders near the house of Mr. Henry E. Pellew are shown as marking the spot where, with his face toward the rising sun, lies all that was mortal of the great chieftain.+

The various deeds of land ineluded within the pres- ent town, given from 1640 to 1722, are signed by thirty-five different Indians, counting the original deeds to the Stamford men-Ponus, Owenoke, Was- eussue, Onax (eldest son of Ponus), Katonah, Rock- away, Sepotah, Jovis, Tomopalı or Tomocoppah, Pan- naps, Kakenand, Papiag, Tandaquid, Queranoy, Chiekheage or Chiekheog, Nonama, Wappowam, Pummesehom, Wewonapoage, Toyebeakeep, Rarohq- nosh, Wackemaue, Caearaeo, Mangakom, Aratom or Aratoma, Simon, Mauaqui, Mushato, Wequaeom, Wapapon, Mantoro, Anhoock, Papariuuk, Withams.

These unpronounceable names were never written by their owners, of course, and the eonveyaneer spelled them as he could best judge by the sound. Hence it is uot strange that we find many of them written variously in different deeds, sometimes in the same deed.

The Indians were here in seattered groups or fan- lies as late as 1760.5 Arrow-heads and other relies are often found, and some of their proper names are per- petuated. Katonah (the station of the Harlem Rail- road, in the northwest corner of the town) eommem- orates the name of the chieftain, Peppeneghek is sometimes revived as the former name of Cross River, Cantito has been referred to, Cisqua and Kiseo are possibly the same, Cohamong is shortened to Coman, Noname's Hill still bears his name, Sueeabonk has beeu derisively anglieised as Suek-a-bone, Cohansey (the neighborhood about Aaron Sutton's) is nearly forgotten, Aspetong is still the nanie of the mountain northwest of Bedford village (the highest point of land in the town), and the Mianus River is still so known.

THE SETTLEMENT AND THE SETTLERS -The twen- ty-two "proprietors of the hopp-ground," whose names are given in the first Indian deed of 1680, be- gau their settlement by holding a meeting at Stam- ford (whenee they eame) on the 10th of March, 1681, " to ehuse and appoint and fully empower Jos. Theale, Abra. Ambler, John Miller, Daniel Jones and John Cross to lay out the house lots" and also "one lotment to every propriator, in the field on the east side of the plain ; " "and it shall be in the discresion of these men to make each man's lot proportionable in quan- tity to what it laeks in quality, but no man's house lot shall be less than three aeres."

On March 17th the committee made the division by drawing lots, and on the 23d of March the "propria- tors agree that what the committee have done shall stand ;" "and the meeting house shall be set upon the eomman so layd out, namly, the roek ealled Bates, his hill." At this meeting John Bates and Nathaniel Cross were received as "propriators," they paying

: 1 Records, vol. i. p. 181. 2 Bedford Records, vol. ii. p. 111.

3 In one of the Indian dialects Kanda-town signified "a high ridge of land." Was not this the origin of the word Cantito ?

4 It must be confessed that there are no records to substantiate this ; but, in the absence of any better evidence as to the great Sagamore's place of sepulture, this is recommended for belief. It is, doubtless, as authen- tic as that which has hallowed the graves of more famous men.

5 Mrs. William Benedict, of Pleasantville, remembers that her grand- in other used to relate that, when a little girl, she visited Indians in their wigwam, a short distance southeast of Bedford, and was invited to stay to dinner, which consisted of a woodchuck, baked in the ashes. She was a daughter of Jolin Ferris and was horn in 1752.

582

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

their share of the charges and being equal in all re- spects with the others.

These twenty-four men were nearly all the sons of English Puritans, founders of the colony of Mas- sachusetts Bay. There is no authority for the state- ment that they came from Bedfordshire, in England, and from that circumstance gave the name to the new town. The name of " Bedford " was probably given by the General Court of Connecticut "in accor- dance with a principle adopted many years before, 'in- tending,' as they quaintly expressed it, 'thereby to keep and leave to posterity the memorial of several places of note in our dear native country of England.' " 1

John Holmes is the only one of the number whose English home is known. He was born in Beverly, Yorkshire, in 1639, and came to this country in 1640. |

Muscolah R

Croton River

River

Crocon

Cross

VINEYARD

River

PURCHASE

Brook

DIBBLE

PURCHASE

arog

PURCHASE

THE OLD

PURCHASE

Kisco.

Hop Ground -

Arvon

River

THE NEW or WEST

Davids

Bedford Three Miles Square

Broad

Including

più

Mianus

Cchar7mong Pond

MAP OF BEDFORD.

" The little company has its leader and patriarch in Richard Ambler, now seventy years old, a representa- tive of the first generation of New England men. He was of Watertown as early as 1637. His only son, Abraham Ambler, accompanies the expedition, of which, indeed, he is one of the most influential mem- bers. The men thus associated are not only from the same town, and the same religious society, but there are ties also of kinship and marriage uniting them. Daniel and Samuel Weed are brothers. So are John and Nathaniel Cross and Joseph and Benjamin Stevens. John Miller and Jonas Seely are half- brothers, while Abraham Ambler and John Bates, John Cross and Join Bates, Nicholas Webster and David Waterbury are brothers-in-law." 2

1 " History of ledford (Church, " Charles W. Baird, D. D., 1882. 2 laird's " Ilistory of Bedford Church."

The first official notice or recognition of the new set- tlement is the grant from the General Court of Con- nectieut Colony, at Hartford, which is as follows :

" At a generall court held at Hartford, May 12, 1681.

"This court being moved to grant liberty to errect a plantation upon the hopp-ground and adiacent lands abont Twelve milds to ye north- wards of Stamford, doe grant their request and appoint Captain Richard Olmstead, Lient. Jonath. Bell, Lient. Jonathan Lock wood and Mr. Joseph Theall to be a committee to entertain sluch persons as shall plant there, and to manage, order and dispose of ye affayrs of that plantation according to their best skill, so as may best advance ye well- fur and groth of ye said plantation, and they ear to tacke care yt there be a sutable loot laid out for the first minister of ye place and a loot for ye ministry to be and belong to ye ministry forever.

"This is a trew coppey tacken out of the records of Hartford.

" Vera Copia,

" llartfrd, Jan'y 21, 1696." 3

" Test, ELEAZAR KIMBERLY, Secretry.

At this time it was supposed that the Hop Ground was within the bounds of Connecticut by the colonial lines of 1664, but in 1683 a line was agreed on by New York and Connecticut, reluctantly enough by the latter, which left Bedford within the colony of New York. The new settlers, being by all their associations essentially a part of Connecticut, never assented to Z this arrangement, and, finally, repudiated it. "For twenty years the people re- mained in a state of ehronic uneasiness and disaffection. It was not only that 5 their sympathies, social and religious, leaned toward Connecticut, but their material interests were in jeopardy. Under the chartered government of the colony they were secured in the posses- sion of their lands, which they had honestly bought from the Indians and diligently improved. But no sooner had their town been annexed to New York, than notice came to them from the sheriff of Westchester County, bidding them show what right and title they had to their lands. Instead of obeying this summons, the inhabitants applied to Connectient for a patent confirming their ter- ritory to them under the laws of the colony." 4 In 1697 Connecticut issued the patent and took the town under its protection, but in 1700 the matter was settled by an order from the King, and Connecticut released Bedford from all allegiance. A copy of this release is in the town records. 5 The early town-meetings were frequent, and the minutes were kept with great care, the paragraphs being num- bered from " firstly," as far as the case required-in one case to " fourteenthly." At the meeting of March 22, 1681, when the common and a site for the meeting-

" The certified copy of the record, taken as the date shows, in 1696, is In possession of John C. Hlulines, of Cross River, seventh in descent from John Holmes, of Beverly.

4 Bainl'a " llistory of Bedford Church." 6 Vol. I. p. 132.

NORTH WEST CORNER

NORTH EAST CORNER

River

Miry

: Spruce Brock

Brood

Misco

Sarars.

Brvok

Brook

Purchase

Cohamonq

583

BEDFORD.

house were provided for, a committee was designated to lay out all the plains and meadows westward and eastward of the town, and " other lands and meadows they see convenient." These things were accordingly done. Each proprietor had a house lot of three aeres upon the village street, they judging it safer to keep their dwellings near each other in case of difficulty with the Indians. This lot was to be forfeited unless built on within three years. The common, originally three acres in extent, like the home lots, has 110w dwindled to but little more than one-third of that size. Besides his house lot, each pioneer was allotted a quantity of land in the " east field," whichi extended to where the house of the late Phineas Lounsbery is ; a smaller tract in the " meadows," or low lands along the Mianus, Beaver Dam and other streams; and, thirdly, in the " west plain " and in the "great northe plain," lying north of the village toward where the Baptist Church now stands. The committees were always enjoined, in dividing these lands, to make up in quantity what the lot might lack in quality, and it came to be the practice, which was in vogue many years later, to describe a tract of land as "six and three-quarter aeres sized for six acres, or " 23 acres sized for 18 acres."

The committee reported, March, 1681, that,-

" they cast lots first for the east field ; 2dly for the meadows ; 3ªly for the plains, and the lots being solemnly drawn were as follows:

Field lots. Meadows. l'lains.

" Rich. Ambler .

Abraham Ambler

Jos. Theale

Dan. Weed

Elea. Slason

J. Wescot

Jonah Pettit

. 19

John Cross

Jo. Miller .

. 16

Nickolas Webster

Rich. Ayres

Jonas Seely

Jos. Stevens

Dan. Jones

Thos. Panoyr

Jo. Homns

Ben. Stevens

Jo. Green

David Waterbury

Sa. Weed

Jonh Kilborn

. 22

John Bats

. 23

Nathaniel Cross

. 24

William Clarck

As may be seen from the deed for the Hop Ground the cost was forty-six pounds, or, in round numbers, two pounds for each man. It was on this basis that the meeting voted, on October 11, 1681, any inhabit- ant, on paying forty shillings, should have an equal share with the proprietors in all the undivided land. In December, 1681, Zachariah Roberts, Samuel Bar- rett and Thomas Canfield were received as inhabitants. Roberts was chosen town clerk, afterward justice of the peace, and for several years was prominent in

town affairs. He lived near David's Hill, 1 and gave his lands along David's Brook to his sons Zachariah, Jr., and Hezekiah. In " december, 1681, Joshua Webb is reseived an inhabitant, in case they shall agree with him to build a Grist Mill in ye place." A committee was appointed to confer with Webb, and a mill and dan were built by him and the town jointly, he to furnish the iron-work, and the town to cart and furnish the timber and millstones; "and then the mill, when finished, is to be the sd Joshua Webb's, his proper right and tytle, only he is not at any time to sell, alinate, or any other way dispose of ye said mill, except it be to him or them that the town shall appoint, and the said Joshua doth bind himself and his to find the town at hop-ground with good meale, they finding good corne; the tole, as in the law, is expressed."

This mill was on Mianus River, about a quarter of a mile above where James Miller's mill now is. In 1701 the town " doth agree to buy " the mill of Rich- ard Webb, son of Joshua, for the use of the town, for the sum of fifteen pounds. Another mill seems to have become necessary at this time, for, in November, 1701, " the town, by a maigor vote, doth agree that their corne-mill shall be set upon Beaver Dam River, at the first conveniant place below David's brooek, and that there shall be thirty acres of land layed out to the mill, and to lye to it for ever ; thiat the lawful oners of the mill shall enioy the said thirty acres of land for ever, not else." Very stringent " artickells of agreement " were made with John Dibell to build the mill, he, as in the former case, "to finde ye towne with good sofisiant meale, they finding good sofisiant corne," and lie to have both mill and " thirty acres of land " forever. This mill was where Mathews mill is now .. There is some reason for believing that the old mill was removed to this site.

The following will serve as an example of the vote by which new settlers were received into the colony. The date is "december, 1681." They "give unto william Sturdevant, upon his acceptance and sub- mitting to their order of reseving inhabitants: they give him a house lot, containing three accres, and six aceres of land in the east feild and three acercs of meadow, he paying twenty shillings to ye company, and to take twenty rod of fence in ye coman field for ever." From this it appears that every inhabitant was expected to maintain his share of the fence sur- rounding the "field " or plow-land, the individual shares not being separated by fences. The cattle were pastured on the undivided lands and on lands not yet bought from the Indians, this last fact appearing from the clause in the first Indian deed, which recites that the purchasers were to have " full liberty of timber and herbedge for them and theire creatures upon our

I The names David's llill and David's Brook are found in the earliest records, but their origin is unknown. It is conjectured that David was an Indian who had acquired the English name-not a very unusual cir_ cumstance.

584

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

adiacent lands for ever." A brander for the town was, therefore, appointed, and cattle were branded with the owner's mark. Entries like the following appear in the town books: " Zachariah Roberts mnaketh entry of his ere marck for his marckable creatures, namely, a swalow forck on ye toop of each ere (1683)." "The mark of Roger Lyon is a step the under side of the near ear, and a half penny the upper side of the off" (1766). These marks are found on record as late as 1813.

The records of Greenwich, Conn., show that pre- vious to 1676, Thomas Lyon had obtained a grant of a " sartaine parsell of Land on the lower end of Byram Neck, by estemation three hundred acres." It is supposed, but not definitely known, that he came from England not long before that year and settled in Greenwich. He was an inhabitant in 1688, and his will, dated Sept. 6, 1689, is in the records of the town of Fairfield, where the nearest Probate Court was at that time. He had nine children,-John, Thomas, Samuel, Joseph, Mary, Abigail, Elizabeth, Sarah and Deborah. To his oldest son, John Lyon, he left "the mill at Rhyc." He died between 1689 and 1691, as appears by a re- lease recorded in Green- .wich, in which his daugh- ter Mary and her husband, John Wilson, release Jno. Lyon from all claims, as executor of his father's will. John Lyon also lived at Greenwich and was a considerable land-holder. In June, 1696, he and six other Greenwich men bought of the Indians, Crawamateen, Nepawhenn and others, a tract of land a mile and a half long and a mile wide, on the west bank of Byram River. The records contain a deed of gift for a parcel of land to his "son, John Lyon, Jun'r." His will, probated in 1730, is recorded in Stamford, a Court of Probate having been established there in 1728.

His son, John Lyon, the third in descent, continned to live in Greenwich and was evidently an active and thrifty man. He is described as "Ensigne Jolin Lyon." He owned at various times many pieces of land in Stamford, Greenwich and Westchester County. His children were John, Roger, Elizabeth, James and perhaps others. Roger Lyon was born December 15, 1715, and in early manhood removed to North Castle,

Stephen Lyon

where he bought an extensive estate, part of which is still occupied by his descendants, and kept a store near where S. A. Lyon now lives. He was a captain in the American Army during the War of the Revo- lution. It is related that General Washington and his staff once dined at Captain Lyon's house, and the silver cup which the general used on that occasion is still preserved by the family. Some of his old ac- count and memorandum books in the possession of Mr. S. A. Lyon, of North Castle, contain quaint items of business affairs, and in one of them is the following statement of his death, evidently written by one of his sons : " In the 834 year of his age, the 13th of May, 1797, Saturday, about Sunset, Departed this life, Capt. Roger Lyon, of North Castle, and was in- terred Monday afternoon, the 15th. A funeral ser- mon was preached by the Rev. A. Brown. Text was in Deuteronomy, 32 chapter, 29 verse."

Roger Lyon had eleven children. Justus Lyon, the fourth son, was born July 6, 1744, and removed to Bedford in early life. He resided on the place just west of the Baptist Church, owned by his family until a few years ago, and died there about 1815. He had two sons, William and John. William Lyon married Rachel Robertson, daugh- ter of Jabez Robertson, Sr., and continued to reside with his father for a number of years. He had six children,- three sons and three daughters, -of whom Stephen Lyon, the sev- enth in lineal descent from Thomas Lyon, was the oldest. He was born October 29, 1810, at the Robertson homestead in Cantito, which was then the dwelling of his moth- er's father. He lived until about 1830 with his parents on the old Lyon place, above referred to, when his father removed to the farm now owned by the heirs of his younger brother, Ferris Lyon. Shortly after this time he began the marketing business, making weekly trips to Port Chester to sell farm produce. This enterprise he carried on without interruption for more than forty years. For a large part of this time he also engaged in buying and selling small stock, sheep, calves, ete., in the same market. In 1835 he purchased and occupied the farm

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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. II, Part 135

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898,
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1286