History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 136

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 136

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585

BEDFORD.

where he has sinee resided, and with his other pur- suits has been a careful farmer. Mr. Lyon has been eolleetor of the town, was inspector of election for many years successively and was a deputy sheriff for nine years. In polities he is a Demoerat and took an aetive part during the war in filling the town quota of troops by contributing liberally.

He is a man of well-known stability of character, of great independence in thought and aetion, and of honest and upright life. He has been for half a cen- tury an influential member of the Bedford Baptist Church.

He has been twice married,-the first time, on Jan- uary 9, 1834, to Miss Amanda A. Miller, daughter of John Miller, at Bedford, who died in 1847. By this marriage he had five children, of whom three are now living,-John M., of Port Chester ; William P. and Jere M., of Katonah, He has two grandchildren, M. Amanda and Stephen D., who are the children of William P. Lyon. Mr. Lyon was married the second time, in October, 1851, to Miss Amy A. Wheeler, of Sing Sing, who is still living.

During the first year the proprietors of Bedford voted to receive eleven inhabitants into the Hop Ground in order to the settlement of a town. "Under the laws of Connecticut it was necessary that a plantation should consist of a sufficient body of freeholders in order to be dignified by the name and be admitted to the rights of a town."1 In addition to the five men- tioned, the following was received : Thos Hyat, Stephen Clason, Theoph. Balden (Baldwin), Thomas Wildman, Joseph Green, Daniel Simkins. When the proper number had thus been acquired, appliea- tion was made to the General Court at Hartford, and their petition was granted by the following order :

" May 16, 1682, Vpon the petition of the people of Hop Ground, this Court doth grant them the priviledge of a plantation, and doe order that the name of the towne shall hencefort be called Bedford. And this conrt doe appoynt Joseph Theale to be the present cheife military officer for the Train Band of said Bedford ; and Abram Ambler is impowered by this court to grant warrants, to swear officers and witnesses, and to joyne persons in marriage according to law ; and they doe free the sayd towne of Bedford from the county rates for the space of three yeares] next ensneing." 2

The town had now received its permanent name, a chief military officer and its first magistrate. The names of Theal and Ambler werc doubtless suggested by the petitioners, for their respective duties. Ambler was eonspieuous among the pioneers for his learning and was elected the first town clerk and recorder of lands. The earliest records are in his careful hand- writing.

It is eurious to note the attempts of the little colony to retain the ownership of the land as common property. October 11, 1681 were enaeted the follow- ing :

"6th. It is agreed by the proprietors and by them concluded that not withstanding what inhabitants they shall [receive] in the hop ground,

yet they hohl the full power in their owne hands of disposing lands, and the inhabitants shall not have any voice in disposing any lands.

" 7th. It is voted that not any inhabitant they shall receive into the 84 hop ground shall have any power to sell, alinate or any other way dispose any land or lands that shall be layd out to him or them, or any part of such lands, without ye consent and abrobation of the proprietors upon the penalty of forfiting the said land unto the proprietors."

A year later we find this :

" 8th October, 1682, whereas it testified that John Slason, being one of the proprietors, and hath sold his right in this place, contrary to ye order without consent of ye town, therefore ye town taks ye sd right into theire owne hands."

This aetiou apparently led to trouble, for on " May 2, 1683, at a town-meeting ye town by vote doth re -- peale that Act of forfiting John Slason's right of his said lands here in Bedford" only his house lot excepted, and he to have another house lot in lue of the sd lot." This, however, was special legislatiou ; the original enaetment was made more stringent not long afterward. But in 1690 the march of publie improvement de- manded that the "great northe plain " as far as David's Hill be fenced in and allotted for plowing land, and we find that the people would no longer eonsent to the forfeitare elause, for on March 8, 1692, " the town by vote both order and agree that this above said great plain that is layed out unto every in - habitant it shall be free from any secwest [sequest, liability to be sequestered, or forfeited], and to be forever unto them and theyrs at theyr dispose, as other lands ear."

The town records for the first few years contain a wealth of quaint and curious history of which but little ean be compressed into a sketch like this. In " ienwary 1687-88" there were eighteen men at a town meeting who voted "that every one here presant at the town-meeting shall have a pees f land con- taining four akers aded unto theyr former dividens for theyr faithfulness at the attending of town-meet- ings." Whether this " salary grab " was carried into etfeet, we do not know. In 1690 the town voted a bounty on wolves. The annual meeting in March chose a "elark, two sezars" (assessors), two " fence vewars " and two "sonairs " (surveyors). In 1691 they made "chois of Daniel Simkings for head man for ye town of Bedford to end any contravercy be- tween indians and inglish according to the best of his skill." There is abundant legislation about the "yearley reate " of the minister, and who shall " geather " it for him, for the support of the minister, was as much a part of the civil government as laying out of lands and highways. In 1687-88 eolleetors were appointed to gather Mr. Denham's rate for this year aud were also empowered to "gather the re- mainder that is behind of the former years, and make payment of it to Mr. Denham."

On December 16, 1692, David Mead was chosen " to keep the town drumn, to keep it in repair and to beat it when necessary, and to be allowed ten shil-

1 Baird's " History Bedford Church."

2 Colonial Records of Connecticut.

3 This is the first instance in which the place is called Bedford in the records.

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

lings yearly." In 1698 it was agreed that " every acre of land and meadow within the bounds of Bed- ford that is alooted unto pertickler persons, both im- proved and not improved that is what every man doth possess for their one (own): that man or person shall pay three pence an acre, yearly for every acre, to- wards the maintaining of a minister amongst us." In 1699 the town voted "to exchange with Stephen Clason four acres of swamp and give him four acres of upland if he will beat the drum until this day twelve month, the town to keep the drum in repair." 1

About 1690 an effort was made to keep a register of marriages and births after the English custom, but it soon fell into disuse.

After a short time the settlers began to increase in number, and to select homes a little out of the village. Then they found it convenient to sell and exchange the house-lots and their varions scattered interests so as to consoli- date their property near the places chosen for resi- dences. The books of the town about the last of the century are full of the records of these deeds, con- veying tracts varying from three acres, or the house lot, to twenty or more in the field being the tract or "lotments " which fell to each proprietor in the original division. The boundaries were usually the lines of the adjacent lotments, on "the street," or the "cartway," on one side where it was so bounded. None of these can now be iden- tified, except in rare instances where a stream became a boundary. It is not likely that any land has remained in the possession of the same family from the settlement until now. The families, however, are still here in unbroken descent, of many of the original settlers of 1680 and 1681. From that day to this the names of Ambler, Bates, Barrett, Canfield, Clark, Green, Holmes, Joncs, Seeley, Slawson, Stevens,

Weed, Wescot and others have remained among us, while others, like Theal, Simpkins and Roberts, who had prominent parts in the organization of the town, either returned whence they came after a few years, or went still farther into the new country. 2

Benjamin Isaacs Ambler is the eighth lineal de- scendant of Richard Ambler, "the leader and patriarch " of the twenty-four Stamford men by whom Bedford was settled in 1681, who was born in Lincoln- shire, England, in 1609, came to Watertown in 1637, to Stamford in 1641, and lived till 1699. From him more than four-fifths of the Amblers in this country are descended. His only surviving son, Abraham, was another of the pioneers.

He was born September 22, 1642, and on Christmas day, 1662, married Mary Bates, a sister of John Bates, another of the set- tlers. Abraham Ambler was one of the most influential members of the little colony. He was empowered by the General Court of Connec- ticut (for Bedford was at first uuder that prov- ince) " to grant warrants, swear officers and wit- nesses, and joyne per- sons in marriage," and was elected by his fellow- settlers as town clerk and recorder of deeds. He also was one of those " gifted brethren " who were chosen by their neighbors "to carry on the Lord's day," in the absence of the minister. His son Abraham, the third in the line, was born January 5, 1665. The fourth in descent was Abraham, the third of that name, born September 6, 1693.

Benjamin d. ambler

The fifth was Joshua, an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Bedford, and its frequent representative at Presbytery from 1768 till the end of his life. It is recorded that on May 9, 1770, " Mr. Ambler, being an elder in the church at Bedford, yet living much nearer to Pound Ridge, his circumstances being some- what critical, and he in doubt where to join, begs the advice of Presbytery; who having considered the matter, advise him, upon the whole. to remain where he is." His son Benjamin was born in 1749 and died in December, 1811. The seventh in descent was

1 " New England's Sabbath dny Is heaven-like, still and pure ; Then Ismael walks the way, l'p to the temple's door. The way we tell When there to come By Iwut of drum Or sounding shell."

" Roberts died about 1707, and his sons went to Stamford. Theal went to Putnam County.

587

BEDFORD.

Joseph, who was born May 23, 1804, at the old Ambler homestead, now known as the Whelpley Place. The family had for several generations owned a large tract of land in that section, lying partly in Poundridge. On May 23, 1827, he married Maria Rodgers, of Patterson, Putnam County, a niece of Benjamin Isaacs, of Bedford, and a member of his family. For several years after his marriage lie oc- cupied a part of his father's property in the town of Poundridge, and Benjamin I. Ambler was born there on July 27, 1830. His only brother, Joseph Augustus, was born in 1833, and died in infancy. In 1835, after the death of Judge Isaacs, for whom he was named, his father bought the Isaacs farm in Bed- ford village, and resided there till his death, on August 15, 1876. The house, which stands front- ing "The Green," is sup- posed to have been the first one erected in the village after the place was burned in 1779. It was long occupied by Benja- min Isaacs, who was town clerk from 1804 to 1831, and many years county judge, and has been the home of the present own- er for fifty-one years.

Benjamin I. Ambler received his education under the care of Samuel L. Holmes, who kept a select school in Bedford ; at the Bedford Academy under Mr. Close, Mr. Williamson and others ; and at Union Academy. In 1853 he entered the mercantile business in

a Mead Clark

male Institute for somc fifteen years, during the period when it was most successful. Mr. Ambler is a gentleman of dignified and courteous address, care- ful and accurate in business matters, of genial tem- perament and kind disposition. He was married, on September 23, 1863, to Miss Anna M. Lounsbery, daughter of James Lounsbery, of Bedford. He has no children.

It is quite certain that all the different Clark families of Bedford and vicinity are descended from William Clark, one of the first proprictors of Bedford in 1681. His father, Samuel Clark, was born in Devonshire, England, in 1619, came to~ Wethersfield in 1636, and was one of the "com- pany of restless and dissatisfied men" who forsook that colony and settled Stamford in 1641. Wil- liam Clark was born in Stamford in 1645, and died in 1712. The tra- dition is that his house was near John Green Clark's present resi- dence; but it could not have been his first abiding-place Bed- ford, for the three-acre " home-lots " of the set- tlers were all where the village is now.

His son Nathan was born in Stamford in 1676, and came to Bedford with lıis father, being then five years old. His will, dated April 29, 1726, making various bequests to his numer- ous children, is in pos- session of one of his descendants, Mrs. Albert William- son, of Bedford, a daughter of

Bedford, in part- nership with the late Hezekiah D. Robertson, under the firm-name of Ambler & Robertson. In 1858 the ; partnership was dissolved and he continued the busi- ness until 1863, since which time his occupation has been that of a farmer.

In his earlier life Mr. Ambler took an active in- terest in politics, and in 1854 was elected super- visor, being the second Democrat in many years to achieve that distinction. He was again chosen to that office in 1862. From 1853 to 1863 he was postmaster of Bedford, and was deputy sheriff from 1852 to 1855. In the fall of 1858 he was the candidate of the Democratic party for sheriff, but though he ran largely ahead of his ticket, he was defeated by a small majority. He was the president of the board of trustees of the Bedford Fe- |

Jeremiah Clark. He lived, however, several years after making his will. His wife was Sarah, daugh- ter of Jacob Smith.

His son Joseph was the fourth in the linc. The fifthi was named Joseph, also, and his lifetime comes down to the memory of those now living. He was born in 1753, and died in 1821. He married Hannah Clock, of Greenwich. His son John was born in 1789. He spent a part of his carly life in Duchess County, but returned to Bedford and resided many years on the old Clark homestead, now owned by his son, John Green Clark. He married Lucy Mead, daughter of Abel Mcad, of Bedford, but formerly of Greenwich. He was a man of solid worth, of strong religious character, and was thorough-

588

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

ly respected wherever he was known. He died in 1863

His oldest son, Abel Mead Clark, the seventh in direct descent from Samuel Clark, of Devonshire, was born September 28, 1820. Like most boys in his cir- cumstances, he learned at an early age to do his part in the work of the farm. His education was obtained at the district schools, and later at Union Academy, of which Alex. G. Reynolds was principal. On Sep- tember 10, 1850, he married Mrs. Mary A. Bell, daughter of Robert Knowlton, and soon after pur- chased and occupied the farm of James Lounsbery, and remained there for seven years. He then bought of John T. White the place near his father's, known as the Joshua Raymond farin, and has resided there until this time. He is a representative Westehester County farmer. He has devoted himself to his occu- pation with energy, intelligence and enthusiasm, and has made it a success. He was for several years president of the Bedford Farmers' Club, and has frequently been its delegate to various State Agricul- tural Fairs. The only public office he has held is that of town auditor. Mr. Clark, like all his ances- tors in the direct line, back to William Clark, is a member of the Bedford Presbyterian Church. He has two children,-Robert K., and Margaretta,-and three grandchildren,-Mary Augusta, Albert Mead and Katharine Bell Clark.

The proprietors first found it necessary to enlarge their borders two years after their arrival, when they made the Koamong purchase, described in the second deed. It was not important in extent or quality, and concerning the manner of its division and allotment there is but scanty record. It is probable that it was used chiefly for pasturage. It was situated, as has been said, southwest of the first purchase, extending probably from the west turn of Mianus River to Chestnut Ridge. The name is perpetuated in Coman Hills. Nine years later Daniel Simkins, availing himself of his position of "head man " to settle dif- ferences with the Indians, bought a half-mile square (one hundred and sixty acres) lying along the west bank of Broad Brook, now the farm of Richard Nolan, and established his home there. It is a tra- dition that his son, Vincent Simkins, who was after- ward prominent in town affairs, was the first white child born in the town. This farm was included in the deed for the West purchase in 1700 without men- tion of the prior purchase, but was not included in the division, being frequently referred to as "Vincent Simkins'-half-mile square." 1

It does not appear that there was much in the way of settlement upon Cross' vineyard purchase, made July 24, 1700. In November of that year the town voted to sell it to "John Tomson, merchant at Stam-

ford," for "eight pounds, four pounds in money and four pounds in goods at money prices." Tomson did not become a purchaser, however, and in February, 1701, the town-meeting voted to sell it to John Dibell "for eighteen pounds, three pounds in money, and fifteen pounds in indian truck equifelent to money in ease that the town hath the indian purchase west- ward of the town which they formerly bargained for."

In November, 1699, the town received as a resident Mr. John Copp, of Norwalk, a surveyor and a man of more than usual attainments. He was at once wel- comed with great cordiality, and given a " home loot, twenty acres of out land, sixteen of plow land and four acres of medow land. He was also to have " the use of ye toune loot and ye toune land and medow in ye feild this next yeare, without they want of it for a minister." The next month " the town by a maigor vote chuse Mr. John Copp to put things to vote in theyr meetings if he is present." They also bought of "ye said Copp " a "grindle-stone," for which they paid the modest price of "six aeres of pastur land." For a time he rivaled Zachariah Roberts in importance. They soon elected him town treasurer, and put him on a committee to agree with the Indi- ans for the land westward of the town.2

This was the largest of all the purchases except the first. It comprised lands lying nearer the town than any other, stretching for several miles along their western boundary (Broad Brook) and for several years it is likely that they had viewed it with longing eyes. The terms of the purchase were arranged by the com- mittee and the deed was made September 6, 1700. What misunderstanding or delay occurred in relation to it we do not know, but there was an obstacle of some sort, for at a town-meeting held in Bedford, October 4, 1701, " the town by major vote doth order the committe to proceed with ye Indians about pur- chaseing ye lands westward of ye old purchase form- erly bought of ye Indians," and at a town-meeting, November 3, 1701, "the town by major vote doth agree that ye land westward of ye first purchase shall be paid by heads, and every head that payeth ye In- dians for it shall have every one of them an equal [right] according to what they pay." Also,

" The town by majr. vote doth chuse Zachariah Roberts, Sen'r, John Holms, Jun'r and Jonathan l'ettet for their conuuittee, and giveth them full power to take care in ye Tonne's behalf, to see ye Indians satisfied for ye land they formerly bought of ye Indlaus, which Is west of our first purchase, and every man that huth land in ye toune hath Hberty to put in a head, and they ure to pay twenty shillings to ye purchase, aud to Defray Charges."

As there were thirty-six " head-rights" or shares in the company, it is evident that the stock of this early land association amounted to thirty-six pounds. Out of this, charges were to be defrayed, so that the

1 There is reason to believe that others beside Simkins bought small tracts from the ludians and settled on them, but there are no deeds of that kind on record except his .- Deed Recorded Bedford Ilook, No. 1, p. 152.

" The committee was as follows: "John Miller, Senar, Cornellus Serly, Senar, Richard Ayers, Senar, Zachariah Roberts, Seuar, Mr. John Copp, them five."

"MAPLEHURST," BEDFORD, N. Y. RESIDENCE OF JAMES LOUNSBERY.

FMG

"JOCUISTITA HALL," BEDFORD, N. Y.

RESIDENCE OF RICHARD P LOUNSBERY.

589

BEDFORD.

price paid to the Indians was less than this, but there was no record of the sum paid. The committee very soon succeeded in their negotiations, however, and the conformatory grant was made April 20, 1702, being signed by the same six Indians1 as the pre- vious deed, and witnessed by the same two men on behalf of the town-Zachariah Roberts and John Holmes.

On September 28, 1702, the town-meeting directed that the new land should be laid out in thirty-six lots of fifty acres each, or sixty " if ye land will hold out," and ordered that convenient highways be made. The committee for this important work consisted of Zach- ariah Roberts, John Copp, Stephen Clason, Nathan Clark, John Miller, Jr., Jonathan Miller, John Wascot and Richard Wascot. Any three of them were to have power to act, and they were to have five shillings a lot for their labor.

We are indebted to the accurate and methodical John Copp for a complete record of the survey and division of this tract. It is in a book evidently pur- chased for the purpose, in Copp's careful and hand- some handwriting, and abounding in his quaint and elaborate sentences. He was designated by the com- mittee to make the survey of lots and highways, " they to find hands needful to assist him from Day to Day until sd work be finished. And that the sª Copp do make a Return of his Doeings unto ye proprietors of sd Purchase ; and Prepair a lot upon ye Thirty-six lots when laid out, numbering themu from one to Thirty-six in order for a Draught upon ye same, that shall determine unto whom ye Respective Lotments shall Appertain."

Copp began his work at Broad Brook Swamp, at a place ealled Cohansey, 2 and laid out a "ten rod highway," westward to Kisco Brook. Then going a mile north along Broad Brook he laid out another highway, "full ten rods wide," to Kisco Brook. These roads are now only of ordinary width. The highways north and south, from where Simeon Wool- sey's and Stephen Knowlton's houses now are, eame next. All these remain substantially as originally surveyed, and show Copp's rectangular plan. Then he divided the land into fifty-acre lotments, and numbered them, making a map to go with the book, which cannot now be found. There were occasional " waist lots" left, where it was thought that the lay of the land or the quality of the soil did not justify him in including them among those to be drawn for by the owners. There was also a large traet about Chestnut Ridge left undivided and smaller tracts in other parts of the purchase. Lot No. 1 was south of the road at Cohansey, and No. 36 was on Miry Brook, where it flows into Beaver Dan River.

It was not until April 30, 1708 that the work was completed and the share-holders met to draw the lots.

Copp prefaces his statement of the drawing by the following :

"At sd Meeting:

"A copy of ye account of ye proprietors of ye aforend new Purchase in sª Bedford, as it was found left by Justice Zachariah Roberts, Deceased, who was yo Principal actor abont yo same, and according to his way of Expressing their Rights in ye same by head Rights are, viz :

"Zachariah Roberts, 2 Ilead Rights; John Copp, 2; John Miller, Senr., 1 (sold by lon» David Miller to lohn Dible) ; Zachariah Roberts, .Innr., 1 ; Richard Wascot, 1 ; Richard Holmes, 1 ; John Holmes, Jnur., I; Cornelus Seely, Senr., 2; David lohnes, 1; Jonathan Ilohnes, 1; Richard Ayers, 1 (sold to John Dible) ; lohn Wascot, Seur., 1 (sold to Richard Ilolmes and by him sold to Richard Scofiekl and Peter Demilt) ; Joseph Palmer, 1; John Holmes, .Inur., 1; John Wascot, Inur., 1; Stephen Clasen, 1 (sold to Jolin Dible) ; Jonathan Petit, 1 (sold to John Dible and by sd Dible to Zachariah Roberts) ; Richard Ayers, Junr., 1 (sold to Tho. Wood, sold to John Dible) ; Caleb Web, bought of Zach." Roberts, 1 (sokl to Tho. Wood, sold to John Dible) ; Nathan Clark, 1; Jonathan Miller, 1 ; David Mead, 1; Abraham Wead, 1; David Miller, 1 (sold to Jolin Holmes, Junr.) ; Richard Web, bought of Zach. Roberts, 1 (sold to John Dible) ; Jobn Miller, Junr., I ; John Dible, 1; Cornelius Seely, Junr., 1 ; Ephraim Palmer, 1 (sold to Tho. Wood, sokl to John Dible); Robert Williams, 1; llezikiah Roberts, 1; Daniel Jones, I ; Joseph Hunt, 1 ; the number of Rights, 36."

During the five years and a half which have elapsed since the work began, ten of the thirty-tliree share- holders have relinquished their interests, one, Jolın Miller, Sr, by death, and the others doubtless tired of the delay or in need of the money invested. Seven of these shares, we observe, were acquired, in addition to his original right, by John Dibble, the owner of the mill on the Beaver Dam, and an invet- erate speculator, and sold by him to Jacobus van Courtland. Roberts had died also, but his orig- inal shares, with one bought by him, still stood in his name, as appears by the next memorandum, showing the "present proprietors at the time of the drawing :

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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 136

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