History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 34

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 34

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The sight and study of the eity of Yonkers, with its magnificent distanees, have stirred wonder in the minds of visitors at the fact that it has no horse rail- road. There is now much agitation of this subject, and it cannot be long before something will be done to supply this useful convenience. There was a horse railroad about twenty years ago, starting at the Main

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Street station, following up Main Street to Getty Square and then running off in two branches along North Broadway to the north line of the village of that day (see map of 1868), and along South Broadway as far as Mosholu. The ten-eent fare charged by the com- pany possibly hurt that road. At any rate, its pa- tronage was not such as to encourage it projeetors. In 1866 or '67 the whole of Broadway, northward and southward, being upturned for widening and regrading, the rails had to be taken up, and the company did not think it worth while to relay them. There has been no horse railroad in Yonkers since. There is now, however, much talk of laying roads along many prominent streets. And especially we understand that a company has been formed for the laying of an east and west road across the county from the Hudson River at Yonkers to Long Island Sound. It is said that such a road is likely to be an early realization.

FREIGHTING .- No railroad system or wagon ex- press for Yonkers ean ever supersede the advantages of the Hudson River for freighting. While speed is growingly a first consideration for passengers, and especially for commuters, cheapness and assnranee of careful handling are of far greater importance to freight. Freighting between Yonkers and New York by the river is, of course, as old as our settlement. Yet we have no account of the sloops or other freight-boats of the days before the present century. One of the first sloops now reniem- bered was the "Emeline," sailed by Captain Isaac Ruton, already mentioned as at one time the keeper of the old Yonkers tavern. The farmers and store- keepers of the vicinity held shares in this sloop. About the same time also the sloop " Belvidere " was run between Yonkers and New York, by Oliver Read and Benjamin Areher. The exact time of these sloops is not known, but it was before 1825.

Captain Ruton, it appears, after a time gained a controlling interest in the " Emeline," and put up the rates of freight, which so displeased the other owners that, about the year 1825, they built the sloop " Inde- pendence," and put her on the route under the com- mand of Captain John Garrison. The owners of this new sloop were the most prominent men of Yonkers. Among them were Captain Benjamin Fowler, Isaac V. Fowler, Samuel Lyon, John M. Lyon, Win. W. Dyckman, John Dyckman, John Bashford, Judge Aaron Vark, Oliver Read, Benjamin Brown, James H. Blackwell, Garret Ackerman, Elijah Valentine, Joseph Odell, Oliver C. Denslow, David Horton, Thaddeus Rockwell, Anthony Archer, Obed Paddock, William Kerr, Prinee W. Paddock, James Haynes, Abram Lent, William P. Jones, Benjamin Haynes, Valentine Odell, Samson Dyekman, Garret Garrison (father of Captain John Garrison), Hezekiah Nichols, William D. Smith, Caleb Smith, Benjamin Lent and Captain John Garrison. The latter, who was put in command of the sloop, was born at Kingsbridge in 1783.

The cargoes of the sloop consisted chiefly of farm produee on her down-trips, and of merchandise for the farmers and store-keepers on her returns. The " Independence " must have been kept on the river about six years, when she was sold. Her snecessor was the now long-known "Ben. Franklin," which fixed her name permanently upon the line. This was a sloop of fifty-seven tons, built for the company and launched July 4, 1831. Captain John Garrison's re- lations were now transferred to the " Ben. Franklin," of which he remained captain for many years, the boat continuing, during her first eight years of ser- vice, to be owned by the stock company just named. Yearly, from March 1st to about the middle of August, she made but one trip a week. Then for a short time, during the pressure of the pickle trade, at that time one of the most important Yonkers farm industries, she made two or three trips. The farmers generally accompanied their own shipments, carrying their provisions with them and making their home on their boat in their absenee. The New York landing- place of the boat was a wharf at the foot of Murray Street. Its Yonkers wharf is marked on our map of 1847. It was about a hundred yards up the Nepper- han. The creek or river has since been so filled that, without the information of this map, no stranger would imagine that a boat could ever have come up to the real old landiug-place of this sloop. In late years the railroad company has closed the mouth of the ercek altogether. But the map makes the old conditions plain.

Captain John Garrison bought out the other owners ofthe "Ben. Franklin " in 1839. In this year began the connection with this line of a gentleman now one of the oldest and most prominent business men of Youkers, and within whose family the line has now for many years been owned. We refer to Captain Joseph Peene.

When he came to Yonkers, Captain Peene, accord- ingly, after busying himself in various activities for a time, found employment on the "Ben. Franklin " in 1839, the year in which Captain John Garri- son became her sole owner. Before 1851 he had married Miss Caroline A. Garrison, daughter of the captain, and, his father-in-law having retired, had himself become captain of the boat. In 1851 he nnited with his brother-in-law, Hyatt L. Garrison, who had been with him on the "Franklin," in the purchase of the " Elias Hicks," a sloop of thirty-eight tons, and at once Mr. Garrison beenme the captain of this sloop. In 1852 the " Hicks," after being run one year in transient business, was united with the " Frank- lin " to form one line of two boats, commanded re- spectively by Captain Peene and Captain II. L. Gar- rison. In 1855 Captain Peene left the line, bought a small tugboat, and towed vessels around New York harbor for one year. In 1857 he purchased the " Martin Hynes," and the same year he and Captain H. L. Garrison bought the " Ben. Franklin " of Cap-

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tain John Garrison, while, at the same time, Captain H. L. Garrison bought one-half of the "Martin Hynes " of Captain Peene. By this involved process, Captain Joseph Peene and Captain Hyatt L. Garrison became equal owners in boat property, and at this time (1857) they started the line of boats which now for so many years has been known as the " Ben. Frank- lin " line. It began at this date with three vessels, the "Franklin," the "Hynes " and the "Hieks," as mentioned. To this, about 1862, was added the tug- boat "J. H. Gautier," subsequently nieknamed "The Lizzie," and better known in Yonkers by that name.

The partnership of Captain Peenc and Captain H. L. Garrison continued till 1864, when the former bought ont his partner, and obtained sole control of the busi- ness. In subsequent years, under his management, the propeller, " John H. Hammiit," and the barges, " William Lawrence," "Aunt Mary" and " Aunt Kate " were added to the line, and the wharf which had been previously rented, was purchased and became the property of Captain Peene. It is the wharf, though uow very much enlarged and lengthened, which is represented on our map of 1847 as built by Mr. Leur- uel Wells in 1831.

About 1873 Captain Peene gave up the business to his three sons, John G., Joseph, Jr., and George, who formed the partnership since known as " Peene Bros." These brothers have sinee added to the linc the lighter " City of Yonkers," the steamer "Caroline A. Peene " (named in honor of their mother), the barge "Hudson River " and the tugboat " Frank A. Sears." These boats all make daily trips, the "Caro- line A. Peene " with passengers and freight, and the others with freight aloue. Instead of the ten tons per week which the " Ben. Franklin " carried in 1831, they carry about twelve hundred tons per week. They transport almost all the produce of the Yonkers fac- tories, mills, markets and stores. The business is very large and prosperous, and its founders and owners exert a commanding business influence in and over the city.

The old " Beu. Franklin," now fifty-four years old, is still in good repair, and employed on the line.

Captain Joseph Peene, whose name is so inti- mately connected with the business of river naviga- tion, was born in the village of Lydd, Kent, England, where his father Joseph was also born and where his family had lived for many generations. Brought up to a seafaring life, his first visit to America was as a sailor on a passenger vessel, which landed in New York in 1834. The next year he came again aud re- solved to make this country his home. His first em- ployment was as a hand on board of a sloop. In 1839, as we have stated, he first commenced boating from Yonkers.

Captain Peene married Caroline, daughter of Cap- tain John Garrison, and they are the parents of seven children,-John G., Joseph, George, William (de-

ceased), Emma (wife of Thomas Moore), and Mary A. (wife of Benjamin W. Stillwell) and Katie.

The sons have succeeded to their father's business, and are among the well-known citizens of Yonkers. Captain Peene, without being a politician, in the common acceptation of the terni, is intimately eon- nected with public affairs and has for several years held the positions of police commissioner and street commissioner, which duties he has performed to the satisfaction of his fellow-eitizens. Starting in life with very moderate means, he has attained a handsome competence, and enjoys the leisure which has been well earned by a life of continued labor. Having been for many years previous a resident of this eity, he built the mansion where he now lives, on Warbur- ton Avenue, in 1870. The same year he went to Europe, and, in company with Mrs. Peene, made an extensive tour through Great Britain. Captain Peene is a member and officer of the Reformed Church of Yonkers, and is recognized by all who know him as a useful and respeetcd eitizen.

SECTION XXIII. The Cemeteries.

Approaching as we are to the end of our history, we are reminded that a large number of the past people of Yonkers have died here, and are sleeping, as to their mortal remains, within our city limits. It is not our business here to moralize, yet we approach this subject with deep thought. The earliest burying- grounds here, as elsewhere over our country, werc, first of all, family plots within the individual farms. Later on, neighborhoods would unite in selecting and owning plots for general use. And then church-yards eame to be employed as bnrial-grounds. At first the spots of burial were not marked with slab or stone, except by prominent families, and when stones eame to be commonly used they were stones that soon crumbled. As for the farm and neighborhood plots, the majority of them have now been plowed over and lost to identification, and even many of our Westchester County church burial-grounds do not to-day any longer indieate by stones the graves of the earlier dead. Within the city of Yonkers there never were more than five church burial-grounds, viz., those of St. John's, on Broadway ; St. John's, at Tuckahoe ; the Methodist Episcopal, at Tuckahoe ; St. Mary's and St. Joseph's. Yonkers has now six cemeteries, two of which, both at Tnckahoe, are still church-yards, their churches standing within the grounds. To these grave-yards we have made sufficient reference already in the histories of their churches. Of the other four we shall speak more at length and in the order of their earliest dates.

ST. JOHN'S CEMETERY .- This is the oldest public burial-płaee in Yonkers. It was provided for by the bequest of Frederic Philipse (Second) to St. John's Church. How soon after it was opened for use, how- ever, does not appear. Bolton (Church in Westchester

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County, p. 525) says the first interment on reeord in this cemetery took place in 1783. It is said that its oldest existing tombstone, still legible, bears date of 1791. The ground is on a high and beautiful elevation on the east side of the Saw-Mill River road, immedi- ately adjoining Oakland Cemetery on the north. It comprises 7.6 acres, and is still the property of St. John's Church and under its control. The carriage entrance to it from the Saw-Mill River road is on the northwest corner of the grounds. The foot entranee, further to the south, is by sixteen steps of very abrupt aseent. On the grounds are several family vanlts, some of which are very old, and several quite impos- ing obelisks and other monuments. The most notice- able of the obelisks are those of the Baldwin, War- ing and Disbrow families. The ground is now beeom- ing very eloscly filled with graves. There must be a time, and it cannot be far distant, when its room will be wholly taken np.

ST. MARY'S CEMETERY (R. C.) was opened about the year 1855. It lies along the valley of the Sprain, about a mile and a half north from St. John's Ceme- tery, and contains 5.4 acres of ground. Part of it was a gift from Mr. John Murtha from his own farin. Within this part Mr. Murtha had already had his own family burial-plot. At first the cemetery had no entranee from the Sprain road, but was accessible only by a lane on the east side. The portions of the present grounds south of the gateway to the Sprain road, and including the site of the gateway itself, were purchased at a later date. This eemetery has a number of handsome momments. Of eourse, it is not for general nse, but only for the people of the Roman Catholic Church.

OAKLAND CEMETERY .- This lies in the angle in- elosed by Ashburton Avenue and the Saw-Mill River road, and extends northward to St. John's Cemetery and eastward over the high ledge seen from the road just named. Its ground is part of the glebe devised by the second Lord Philipse. in 1751, to St. John's Church. That church early set off as a burial-ground the northern part of their glebe, which is now known as St. John's Cemetery. The rest it appropriated as a farm, and on this it built its first rectory. Part of that farm is now Oakland Cemetery. The rectory once standing within it no longer exists, as our his- tory of the church has shown. Oakland Cemetery is a new name given in 1882. The cemetery was first established by the Yonkers Cemetery Association of the 3d of December, 1866, under the provisions of a general act of 1847. The first board of trustees were Thomas W. Ludlow, Isaac H. Knox, Charles W. Bathgate, Leonard W. Jerome, Adolphus Smedberg, Richard Lawrence (in place of William W. Serugham, who had been elected, but had died soon after), Rob- ert P'. Getty, Henry Bowers, Jantes C. Bell, William H. Anthon, William G. Ackerman and John T. Waring. By permission of the Supreme Court, the vestry of St. John's Church had sold a large part of

their glebe, and this land was now seeured by this association for a cemetery. The land eovers what had once been in three farins,-the Seymour farm, the Biggs farm and the Beebe farm,-together comprising about one hundred aeres. All this land, just before the company obtained it, was in the hands of Leonard W. Jerome, who conveyed it to the company for eer- tificates, to the redemption of which one-half the re- eeipts for the sale of lots was pledged. The aggregate amount of these certificates was two hundred thou- sand dollars. In 1870 a settlement was effeeted with Mr. Jerome, in which he surrendered all certifieates remaining in his hands in exchange for the Biggs farm, containing about forty aeres and valued at eighty-one thousand dollars. This settlement left the cemetery with an area of sixty-five aeres. The con- struction of roads, a receiving vault and other im- provements were provided for by the issue of seven per eent. bonds. The amount of these bonds that had been issued in 1880 was sixteen thousand five hundred dollars and the interest had fallen in arrears. In 1882 the association was reorganized under the name of the "Oakland Cemetery Association," and the for- mer bondholders became stockholders to an equal amount. The amount of stock issued was twenty-six thousand six Imundred and seventy-five dollars. The oflieers elected at the time of reorganization still hold. They are Edward Weston, president ; Frederie Shon- nard, vice-president ; J. Christy Bell, Jr., seeretary ; J. Harvey Bell, treasurer. The other trustees are Henry Bowers, Cyrus Cleveland, William L. Heer- mann, James Stewart, John W. Alexander, John Eylers, Robert P. Getty and William F. Cochran.

It is peenliarly appropriate that this land, onee set apart by Lord Philipse for church purposes, should thus carry out the pious intentions of its donor, though in a way he never could have foreseen. From the valley of the Nepperhan the land rises gradually to the east, culminating in a considerably extensive platean, covered with groves, containing some of the finest old forest-trees growing in this part of the State. The level ground is admirably adapted for burial- plots, while the hillside affords ready facilities for the construetiou of vanlts and tombs. Abundant springs of water gush forth at several points among the rocks, which add much to the life of the ground. By action of the board of supervisors the traet is exempted for- ever from taxation. No road or street can be eon- structed through it, and every owner of a burial-plot holds his property by a title, which can never be as- sailed, even by his creditors in the event of his be- eoming unfortunate in business. Many plots have been sold and many have been beautifully adorned. Among the latter, those of Alexander Smith, Thomas W. Ludlow, Jr., Judge William W. Serngham, the Dyckman family and the Peene family are prominent. A receiving vault, built in the side of the hill, about a quarter of a mile baek from the entrance, is of gray stone and cost about eight thousand dollars. The

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entrance to the ecmetcry is a particularly easy one, at the southwest corner of the grounds.

ST. JOSEPH'S CEMETERY (R. C.) is the youngest of all. It is the larger of the Roman Catholic cemeter- ies, located on the western side of the Saw-Mill River Valley, between three and four miles north from Getty Square and containing about twenty acres. The land was bought of Mr. Ethan Flagg in August, 1877. About three hundred interments have already been made in it. A monument erected by Rev. A. A. Lings, down to this date (1886) the only pastor of St. Joseph's Church, is one of the most conspicuous objects in the grounds.

SECTION XXIV. The Bi-Centennial Celebration. (October 18, 1882.)

During the mayoralty of the Honorable William A. Gibson, the Yonkers Common Council, on the 19th of December, 1877, adopted the following preanible and resolutions, offered by Alderman Frederie Shon- nard :

" Whereas in the present City llall, formerly the hall of the ancient manor of Philipse, the city of Yonkers possesses one of the most inter- esting of such relics of onr antiquity in the state, if not in the nation -- a building and a site which have been rendered interesting in history hy the generous hospitality of the Philipse family to the distinguished people of their day, among whom was General Washington-a building, part of which dates back to 1682, is now nearly two hundred years old, and has been a silent witness of the growth of this place from a rude settlement trathicking with the Indians, to its present prosperity and beauty as a city,-

" And Whereas the possession of such a relie of the past as the seat of our city government is a matter of local interest and pride, and can be made very advantageons in adding to the romantie attractiveness of our city, and whereas to this end it is desirable in every way to stimulate the public appreciation of this and other places and things of local interest, therefore

" Be it resolved, that a permanent committee he constituted, whichi shall be called the 'Committee on llistory and Historical Relics '; that said committee shall consist of seven members ; that the mayor and chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds shall be ex-officio members of said committee (the former to be ex-ofheio ehair- man of the committee) ; that the remaining members shall consist of a member of the Common Conneil to he appointed each year and who shall hold his office for one year, and of four citizens to he appointed hy the mayor, who may or may not be members of the Common Council, who shall hold otuce without term ; and that as vacancies occur among the latter class, i. e., of private citizens, such vacancies shall be filled by the re- maining members of the committee.

" And be it further resolred, That public-spirited citizens be invited to contribute relics of antiquity having a local interest, to the end of form- ing a representative collection, to be kept and snitably arranged for pub- lic inspection in the Manor Hall, and that the said committee be and hereby are instructed to from time to time prepare plans therefor, and report then to the Common Council for action and to make such other recommendations as may seem to them proper,

" And be it further resolved, That in all matters relating to the said Manor llall building and grounds, referred to the Committee on Publie Buildings and Grounds, the said committee are directed to consult with this 'Committee on llistory and Historical Relies,' and further that no action in reference to said Manor llall building and grounds shall be taken by the Common Conneil without first giving an oppor- tunity to the said committee on history to be heard thereupon.

" And be it further resolved, That the said committee are hereby au- thorized to expend a sum not to exceed fifty dollars in procuring the necessary printing and stationery." 1

1 The first of these four resolutions was afterwards twice modified - once by a resolution passed April 8, 1878, dispensing with the second member

Under these resolutions the following persons, dur- ing the preparations for the Bi-Centennial Celebra- tion of 1882, constituted the Committee of the Yonkers Common Council on History and Historical Relics :

Hon. Samuel Swift, M.D., mayor of the city and chairman of the committee, e.c-officio ; Alderman Thomas Egan, chairman of the Common Conneil Committee on Publie Buildings and Grounds, ex- officio ; and Mr. Frederie Shonnard, Rev. Henry M. Baird, D.D., LL.D., Rev. David Cole, D.D .; Mr. "Robert P. Getty and Ralph E. Prime, Esq.,2 perma- nent members.

From December, 1877, the date of the committee's appointment, till the summer of 1882, the committee held periodical meetings, giving its attention to the property with the supervision of which it is intrusted, and to the collection to some extent of historical relies. It is due to Mr. Frederie Shonnard to say that to his great interest in Yonkers history the eity is indebted for the earliest thought of a commemora- tion of the founding of our Manor Hall. Mr. Shonnard had noted and borne in mind the date of its founding, and early in the year 1882 he directed the attention of the editor of the New York World to it. The result was the appearance of stirring articles in that journal upon carly Yonkers history, particularly the history of the Philipses and Manor Hall.3 The World sug-

of the Common Council and extending the number of private citizens on the committee from four to five, and again hy a resolution passed after the Bi-Centennial, October 23, 1882, further extending the num- ber of private eitizens from five to seven. During the preparations for the Bi-Centennial, the ex-officio members of the ec unittee were the mayor and chairman of the Common Conneil Committee on Pub- lie Buildings and Grounds, and the number of private citizens on the committee was five.

2 The committee to-day (1885) remains the same as to its permanent members, except that Duncan Smith, Esq., and Mr. Benjamin Silliman, Jr., have been added under the amendment of Oetoher 23, 1882.

3 The prominence of Mr. Shonnard, in the arrangements for the Bi- Centennial, justifies a recall of his very honorable Civil War record. The facts have been gathered for ns hy ex-Judge Ellis, and as given below, may be added to his family history given in another part of this work.

Frederic Shonnard was innstered into the United States service Septem- ber 2, 1862 ; commissioned as first lieutenant Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth New York State Volunteer Infantry (afterwards changed to Sixth New York Heavy Artillery), with rank from August 27, 1862; commissioned captain October 7, 1863 ; commissioned major January 20, 1864 ; commissioned eolonel and aid-de-camp to the Governor of the State of New York September 7, 1864 ; mnstered out United States service Jan- nary 28, 1865 ; commissioned as major and inspector of rifle practice in National Gnard State of New York, September 13, 1875 ; commissioned colonel by brevet April 13, 1876.

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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 34

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