History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 56

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 56

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" The army returned to the camp at Phillipsburg, on the 23d, at 11 o'clock in the morning,

" This reconnaissance was made with all the care imaginable. We had been exposed to six or seven hundred cannon shots, which cost the Americans two men. We had taken twenty or thirty prisoners from the English, and killed fonr or five men. Sixty horses had also been taken from them. I cannot repeat too often how greatly I have been sur- priscd at the American army ; it is inconceivable that troops almost naked, poorly paid and composed of old men, negroes and children, should march equally well on the road and under fire. I have shared this aston- ishment with M. de Rochambeau himself, who continned to speak of it to us on the return march. I hardly need to speak of the coolness of General Washington ; it is known ; but this great man is a thousand times greater and more noble at the head of his army than at any other time.

" From the 23d of July to the 14th of August, the army remained quietly in camp at Philipsburg. The legion of Lauzun alone was in active and very difficult service.

" The celerity of the march of the French troops, and their discipline, had the best influence upon that of the Americans. The union of the allied armies produced all the effect that could be expected. It held General Clinton in New York, who had orders to embark with a corps of troops, in order to separate Washington from La Fayette and to compel the formor to keep the left bank of the 1Indson, It contributed to cause

Lord Cornwallis to retreat from the position he had taken in the interior of Virginia, in order to march to Chesapeake Bay to establish and fortify a permanent post there according to the same instructions. It was only a few days after the junction of the armies before l'hilipsburg, that the French and American generals learned that Cornwallis had fallen back by the James River, upon Richmond, whither La Fayette had gone to he siege him."

Great changes have passed over the whole region within the last fifty or sixty years and they ean prob- ably be understood and appreciated in no way so fully as by setting in contrast the neighborhood as it now is, with what it was in the earlier years before it re- eeived its new impulse. With a view to do this, the writer has been kindly furnished with the subjoined statement prepared at his request by Mr. George E. ' Carpenter, surveyor and eivil engineer, of the firm of Ward, Carpenter & Son. In the course of his profes- sional pursuits Mr. Carpenter has become familiar with the history of all the land in this vicinity, and, as will be seen by his statement, beginning at Sunny- side Brook, the corporate limit of Tarrytown on the south, it moves northward along the Hudson River to the Andre Brook, the corporate limit on the north. Mr. Carpenter's statement is as follows :

TARRYTOWN AFTER THE REVOLUTION.

"1. JACOB VANTASSEL, 190 acres, conveyed Dec. 6, 1785. It may be remarked in passing that this is the date of a large numbr of the decds herein cited, especially of the farms. The smaller parcels were con- veyed during 1786, which last year witnessed the consummation of cvery sale with which we are now concerned, except that to the old Dutch Church in 1787. No. 1 is the land lying along the north side of the brook, now known as the Sunnyside brook. The Vantassel, or Van Texel house, is that rebuilt and occupied by the late Washington Irving.

" 2. STEPHEN ACKER, 160 acres. With the preceding farm, with which it is now almost inextricably mixed, this extended back to land of Cornelins Vantassel. The two together comprised lands now or lately belonging to J. II. Banker, Roswell Skeel, H. R. Worthington, E. S. Jaffray, William Moller, Cronise, Bierstadt, Halstead, Mann, and others, taking in a large part of East Irvington, a very pretty and thriving settlement, which is fast cntgrowing the old name of 'Dublin.'

"3. GLODE REQIA, 300 acres. Afterwards divided between two of his sons, William taking the south half, now owned intact by Jay Gould, and Glode taking the north half, of which the part west of Broadway now helongs to John T. Terry, and the part east by W. S. Gurnee and by Myer, the last named piece being the extreme east end. The old Requa house stood east of Broadway, near Jay Gould's spring, until within 8 or 10 years, and the house built after the division between the two sons, stands on Mr. Terry's land near another fine spring.

"4. Drren CheRen, of Phillipse Manor, 100 acres, given to the old Church as glebe or farm land. It was occupied by George Ilepworth. The old house is probably the one that stood 10 or 12 years ago cast of Broadway about 25 rods north of Mr. Gurnce's upper gate, The part of this farm west of Broadway now forms the southern portion of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum Grounds, and the east part included the Robert Graves property and the land lying between the latter and Broadway. The farm was very long and narrow, its width being abont 600 feet, and its length over a mile and a half. The tall tower or observatory seen from Broadway stands on this property near the south line, and not much more than half-way back to the rear line.

"5. JOHN VAN WART, 240 acres. Occupied nuder Phillipsc by Gercdit. Van Wert, or Van Wart, who was the father of John. This farm covers nearly all of the north part of the Asylum Grounds, the south part of B. S. Clark's land, all of "Penny Bridge," the north part of W. S. Gurnee's land, the Embree, Snyder, Cromwell, and llall premises, and that part of Jay Gould's extensive meadow and woodland that lies south of Sheldon Brook, back as far as the piece recently pur- chased by him of the Estate of Elisha Purdy, deceased. This meadow land, together with a similar prece lying north of the brook, once formed a vast swamp, almost impenetrable and fathomless, Mr. Gould, at great expense, has, within the last few years, thoroughly drained all

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

this tract, by excavating to a depth of 20 feet through the rock, and leading the waters through a capacious culvert of heavy masonry at that depth, thereby converting the uuwholesome marsh into beautiful and fertile fields.

" The old Geredit Van Wart honse was on the site of the Henry Shel- don cottage, now owned by the officials of the Deaf and Dumb Asylin. The brook here formed the southern boundary, while further east, as we have seen, it formed the northern. This stream was formerly of suffi- vient power to turn u mill wheel, and its old name was Mill Brook. Now its average flow is wholly insufficient, the diminution being appreciable even to the present generation, especially at the once beautiful falls, near its ontlet into the Hudson, which are slowly but surely losing their charms.

"6. WILLIAM HUNT, 270 acres. Embraces the lots on both sides of Paulding and Van Wart Avennes, and the Robert Hoe property, west of Broadway, and, east of Broadway, the north half of B. S. (lark's place, and the strip of land between the White Plains Road and Sheldon's Brook, as far back as the William Jeffers, or McCormick farui, which strip now belongs to Jay Gould ; also the lands north of the White Plains Road, now or lately belonging to Lewis Roberts, Dr. . I. Barron, Frederick Sheldon, and all of Gleuville, together with the southeast part of the late J. S. Mitchell property, and the five or six houses beyond Glenville. It com- prised also about 40 acres of woodland, now belonging to the Estate of Jacob Storm, deceased, and running up behind the two parcels next to be described.

" The old farm house stood on the site of the present Robert Hoe mansion. "7. WILLIAM and JAMES VAN WERT, 230 acres. In 1850 it belonged to Stephen B. Tompkins. At that time it was laid out in large building plots, substantially as'they now exist. The principal divisions are the Holmes (or Lewis) Dodge, Orr and Copcutt premises, west of Broadway, and on the east side, Meldrum (Beach), Cleveland, Pritchard, Bacon, Sewell, Schieffelin, Lewis (Crave), ('rook, Redfield (Barron), Whittmore, Mildeberger, Albert, a large part of "Waldheim," Mr. Wm. II. Webb's place, and a swamp field, now a part of the Benedict tract.

"S. JAMES HAMMOND and GEORGE (OMBS, 280 acres. Occupied under the manor by Thomas Wylde, who, it seems, also farmed the other Iam- mond farm, now the County lands adjoining on the east. Conveyed by Hammond and Coombs in 1790, to Roelof (or Ralph) Van Houter. Early in this century it was owned by an Englishman named Cimberford, who tried the experiment, on a large scale, of raising sheep, of course, with- ont success. In 1826 it was owned by Barnardus Swartwont, who, in that year, conveyed it to the late General James Benedict. Formerly it extended as far south as Holmes's brook. The land lying between that brook and the present line of Benedict property was set offby Ralph Van Ilouter to the old Dutch church. I'pon the separation of what is now known as the 2d Reformed church from the mother church, this prep- erty came into possession of the first-named, and was by it laid out into building lots, which ure even to this day sometimes referred to as Mid- dletown.

" Ralph Van Honter lived in the Swartwout honse, on the northwest corner of Franklin and Washington Streets. The farm originally took in ahont half an acre on that side of the landing road, and that was then the only dwelling on the entire premises.

"9. TARRYTOWN LOTS .- The Benedict farnt, like all those thus far described, extended back about 8000 feet from the River, or some distance beyond the ridge. We now come to some smaller divisions clustered around the Tarrytown Landing, which, up to the commencement of the 19th century, was in the vicinity of Requa's Dock, though much further inlaind. There were about twenty of these smaller parcels, of which twelve were regularly laid out and numbered, and known as the Tarry. town lots. These comprised the block between Franklin Street, the lower Road to the Lunding, and Main Street, the Upper Road, which came together at Requa and MartiIng's Dock. The boundary on the east was the old Albany Post Road. What is now known as Washing. ton Street ran north and south through the middle. The last-named street was laid out at the same time as the Lots, viz., in 178.1.

" The following will enable the reader to indentify the location of these parcels :

" No. 1. George Coombs, Thomas Dean, corner Broadway and Main.

" No. 2. James Requa, Washburne place, formerly occupied by Rev. Thomas G Smith.

"No. 31. Daniel Martlingh, S. E. corner of Main and Washington.

"No. 4. Mary Van Wert, S. W. corner Main and Washington.

" No. 5. Aun Conenhoven, Windle Property, on Main Street.

. No. 6. Wilham Ilunt, the Leonard aml White lots, on Main Street, and Its on White Street, which lust was the ohl Landing Road.

"Nos. 7 to 12 fronted on Franklin Street and were much deeper than the Main Street tier. The rear line ran up the hill from lequa or Dock Street to the north end of Jolin Street, und so on east to Broadway. Nos. 4, 8, 9 and 10 were sold to Glode Requa in 1786. They extended as far cast as the rear line of the Lockwood, Requa and other lots on the east side of Washington Street.

" Nos. 11 and 12 extended thence east to Broadway. They went to David Storm, a deacon and at times an elder in the old Dutch church. Stormi's purchase included also a much larger tract east of Broadway, there being in all as much as 25 acres. This is the John Archer Prop- erty. It extended up in a wedge shape into the Vantassel farm, next to be described, as far as Castle Avenue.

" Besides the twelve numbered lots referred to there were the follow- ing : Stephen Carpenter, where Thos. T. Boice lived at the time of his death ; Peacock, next north, or the John De Revere lot ; Isaac Martlingh, or the Williaut De Revere lot ; Daniel Martlingh, or the Ightman, Brundage and Requ lots; Abraham Martlingh or the Widow Child, or J. Q. Fowler property ; Mordecai Ilale, or the Meeker and Dammon lots, which used to udjoin the water, and Anu Couenhoven, wife of Edward Couenhoven, this tract being larger again, containing about 6 or 7 acres, known as the Martin Smith property. The Couenloven (or l'onover) house stood on the northwest corner of Broadway and Main, the present builling there standing having been remodeled from it. There were also several pieces of salt-meadow along Andre brook, one piece at its mouth belonging to Ralph Van Ilouter, and another, further up, to Williant IInnt. West of Andre brouk, which here ran south, was a piece that belonged to Conenhoven at the beginning of this century, and by him the Point Dock was built at about that time.

"10. JOHN VANTASSEL, 160 acres, Iying east of the parcels included under No. 9, and north of the Hammond and Coombs or Benedict farm. The latter was bought by Ralph Van Houter, Sr., and the Van Tassel farm adjoining by Ralph Van Houter, Jr. From the latter it was trans- ferred to Austin, then to Jonathan (dell, who bought from the commis- missioners direct two large farms near Irvington ; from Odell it went to Lamonroux, the father of Carney Lamouroux ; from Lamouroux it came into possession of the Motts. From an early period it seems to have been in two divisions running east and west ; the south half belonged to Jacob L. Mott,and the north half to Jarob Mott, his son, who still oc- cupies the portion remaining unsoll, living in the old Van Tassel house. This is said to be one of the oldest buildings remaining in the vicinity. It was built by Martliugh as early as 1712. During the Revolutionary war it was a noted tavern-stand, and it was here that a party of British refugees wus surprised and captured by Major Hunt.

" 11. MICHAEL MIEKEEL, 330 acres, cut off from the river by Conen- hoven, Ilant and Beekman. It extended back ulong the Van Tassel farm, both reaching as far as the John Hammond farm, this part of which lately belonged to Joseph Kuapp. Its principal boundaries on the north were Andre Brook, which separated it from the Beckman farm, mul the brook that runs eastward through a remarkable lateral extension of the Saw-Mill River. Narrow in front, this farm widened, out very considerably on the ridge, covering many fine villa residences, some of them being occupied or owned by Prof. Robert C. Flack, F. Brown, Wilson, W. Smith Brown, Grant and Kingsland. Andre Brook, which forms so conspicuous a boundary of this old farm, is also the di- viding line between the towns of Greenburgh and Mount Pleasant, and between the villages of Tarrytown aud its sister, North Tarrytown, so that we have now covered every foot of the Hudson River watershed, within the corporate limits of Tarrytown, on the north and south, a a section of territory that, for the value of the land, the beauty of the scenery, the wealth of the proprietors and the intelligence of the peo- ple, is surpassed by no other in the State or in the I'nion."

TARRYTOWN FROM 1835 .- In the foregoing state- ment of facts, relating chiefly to the past, there is necessarily, for the purpose of identification, a pass- ing glanee at the present. But many of the places within the district referred to are worthy of mention with something more of detail.

Sunnyside, the farthest southern point within the corporate limits of Tarrytown, is of world-wide fame as the residence of Washington Irving. He, himself, describes the place in " Wolfert's Roost " as having first been the headquarters of a great chieftain, who

"GLENMARY."

RESIDENCE OF GEORGE LEWIS, JR.,

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GREENBURGH.

"was not merely a great warrior, but a medicine- man, a prophet or a conjurer," and ruled the adjacent country "from Yonkers quite to Sleepy Hollow." The name of Sleepy Hollow, indeed, according to Mr. Irving, is owing to the wonderful effects of a medicine or charm by which this great wizard put the hostile sachem and warriors of Sing Sing to sleep among the rocks and recesses of the valley. lle thus won an easy triumph, and he left his foes in a heavy slumber, which has not been broken until this day. Hence the name of Sleepy Hollow.

Later on this " seat of empire of the wizard sachem eame into the possession of Wolfert Acker, one of the privy counsellors of Peter Stuyvesant." Afterwards it became "the keep or stronghold of Jacob Van Tassel, a valiant Dutelman of the old stoek of Van Tassels, who abound in Westchester County." It was in his time, during the Revolutionary War, a rallying- place for the patriots "of Tarrytown, Petticoat Lane and Sleepy Hollow," who formed a brotherhood for mutual defense and safety. Jacob was a leader in all daring enterprises, and, as Mr. Irving says, was " ready to take a part in any scout or scrimmage by land or water." The portentous "bang " of his great goose gun earried terror to the heart of the marauding foe. Up to the time of the Revolution the place had formed a part of the old Manor of Philipsburgh, and was occupied by Jacob Van Tassel as a tenant under his feudal lord, Frederick Philipse, but when the latter went over to the King the land was forfeited to the State, and on December 6, 1785, the place was eon- veved to Jacob in fee-simple by the Commissioners of Forfeitures. The following is a copy of the original deed, now the property of Benson Ferris, Esq., presi- dent of the Westchester County Savings-Bank :

THIS INDENTURE made the Sixth Day of December in the Tenthi Year of the Independence of the State of New York, and in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-Five, between Istne Stoutenburgh and Philip Van Cortlandt, Esquires, Commissioners of Forfeitures for the Southern District of the said State, appointed in pursuance of an Act of the Legislatureof the said State, entitled An det for the Speedy Sale of the confiscated and forfeited Estates within this State, and for other purposes therein mentioned, passed the Twelfth Day of May, One thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-Four, of the one Part, and Jacob Van Tassel, of the County of West Chester, Farmer, of the other part, WITNESSETHI. That the said Isaac Stoutenburgh and Philip Van Cortlandt Commissioners as aforesaid, by Virtue of the Power and authority to them in and by the said Act granted ; and for and in con- sideration of the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, Lawful money of the said State, to them in hand paid by the said Jacob Van Tassel, the Re- ceipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have granted, bargained, sold, Enfeoffed and confirmed, and by these Presents DO Grant, Bargain, Sell, Enfeoff, and confirm unto the said Jacob Van Tassel and to his Heirs and Assigns, ALL that equal half part as the same is now in the pos- session of the said Jacob Vantassel, of That certain Farm of land situ- ate, lying and being in the Manor of Philipsburgh and County of West Chester BOUNDED Northerly by Land now or late in the possession of Glole Requa, Easterly by land now or late in the possession of Cornelius Van Tassel, Southerly by Land now or late in the possession of Abraham Acker, and westerly by Hudson River, CONTAINING One hundred and eighty-five Acres More or less, FORFEITED to the people of the said State by the Attainder of Frederick Phillips, late of the said County, Esquire ; And all and singular, the Estate, Right, Title and Interest, whether in Possession, Reversion, or Remainder of, in or to the said l'remises, which, in Consequence of any Conviction or Attainder is be- come forfeited, or attached to, or vested in the People of the said State,

TO HAVE and TO HOLD all and singular the said Premises hereby Granted, Bargained, Sold, Enfcoffed and Confirmed, with the Appur- tenances, unto the said Jacob Van Tassel and to his Heirs and Assigns to the only proper Use, Benefit and Behoof of the said Jacob Van Tassel and his Heirs and Assigns forever. IN WITNESS WHEREOF the Par- ties to these Presents have hereunto interchangeably set their Hands and Seals, the Day and Year first above written.

Sealed and Delivered

ISAAC STOUTENBURGII. SEAL

in the Presence of ns,

ISAAC STOUTENBURGHI, JUNR. PII V CORTLANDT. SEAL

The place remained in Jacob Van Tassel's possession until March 31, 1802, when it was conveyed by deed, together with another parcel of land near by, to Oliver, Ferris of Greenwich, Fairfied County, Connecticut, the whole containing one hundred and fifty aeres of land, for the sum of five thousand dollars. Oliver Ferris was the father of the late Benson Ferris, at one time elcrk of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, who assisted the dominie by reading the Scriptures and giving out the hymns in public worship, and who afterwards was for many years an honored elder in the Second Reformed Church of Tarrytown. Benson Ferris, Esq., president of the bank already referred to, is a son of Benson, and a grandson of Oliver Ferris. His mother, Maria Aeker, was a lineal deseendant of Wolfert Aeker, the founder of Wolfert's Roost.

The first of the Aeker family name concerning whom we have any definite knowledge was Abraham Acker (or, as he spelled the name, " Eckar "), who was living on the Phillipsburg Patent in 1742. His wife, Mar- garet, is supposed to have been a sister of John Har- mensc, who died about 1740, and in his will left his estate to his grandsons-John, Peter, Jacob and Harmse-who were sons of Harmse Montross. He also left small legacies to Rachel, wife of Jacob Bancker, and Margaret, wife of Abraham Eckar. Abraham Acker was the father of Abraham Acker (seeond), whose wife, Catharine, was sister of Jacob Van Tassel. He, in turn, had a son Abraham (third), who was born February 23, 1770, and died in 1825. He married Jemima Duteher, who was born in 1766. Their children were Catharine, born 1790, died 1862, unmarried ; James, born 1793, died 1869 ; Maria, born February 27, 1797, married Benson Ferris, and died March 14, 1881; Margaret, who married Sylvester Mandeville, dicd 1859 ; Letty, wife of Isaac Lent, born 1806, died 1849; and William D., born 1810, died, un- married, 1838.

The old homestead of the Acker family was on the west side of the old Post road, at Irvington, and was the farm next south of the Van Tassel farm, of which "Sunnyside" is at the southwest corner. The old house was a noted tavern and stage-house after the Revolution. It stood a few feet south of the Lodge, at the entrance to the grounds of F. O. Mathieson, Esq., and many famous men found entertainment there. Among the papers of the Acker family is a deed, dated September 29, 1693, by which Cornelius

234

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

Claasen Cuiper (the ancestor of the Cooper family, of Rockland County) and his wife, Altie, sell to John Harmense one-sixteenth part of the Orangetown Patent, in what is now Rockland County. This, with his other property, was left to his grandsons-John, Jacob, Peter and Harmse Montross (as mentioned above) ; and John sold his share to his brother Peter January 10, 1742-43.

Captain Abraham Acker, who died in 1825, was a prominent man in the county and held many impor-

Tarrytown and its neighborhood, was strongly attach- ed to this locality along the Hudson, and as early as November, 1832, he wrote to his sister, Mrs. Paris: "I am more and more in the notion of having that little cottage below Oscar's' house, and wish you to tell him to endeavor to get it for me. I am willing to pay a little unreasonably for it, and should like to have it in time to make any alteration that inay be advisable as early as possible in the spring."

The first mention of the purchase, as having actual- tant positions. Commissions, granted to him by Gov- | ly been made, is in a letter to his brother, Peter

"SUNNYSIDE," THE HOME OF WASHINGTON IRVING.

ernor De Witt Clinton and Daniel D. Tompkins, are now in possession of Benson Ferris, his descendant.

Abraham Acker (second) also had two daughters- Margaret (wife of Benjamin Brower) and Catharine (wife of John Woolsey). Tombstone inscriptions in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery state that Abraham Acker (second) died July 9, 1811, aged seventy-one years, ten months and nine days. His wife, Cathar- ine, died April 11, 1806, aged seventy-three years, one month and twenty-one days.

Mr. Irving, having a great many associntions with

Irving, then at Havre, France, under date of "New York, July 8, 1835," in which he says : "You have been told, no doubt, of a purchase I have made of ten acres,? lying at the foot of Oscar's farm, on the river-bank. It is a beautiful spot, capable of being

1 Oscar Irving, third son of his brother William, who owned and occt- pied the mljoining house and lands on the east. It is the place now owned and occupied by Edward S. Jatfray, Esq.

2 Mr. Irving must either have been mistaken as to the number of acres, or else have added to the original purchase, for the place is said at the present time to contain abont fifteen acres.

235

GREENBURGH.

made a little paradise. There is a small stone Dutch cottage on it, built about a century since, and inhab- ited by one of the Van Tassels. I have had an archi- tect up there, and shall build upon the old mansion this summer. My idea is to make a little nookery somewhat in the Dutch style, quaint, bnt nnpretend- ing. It will be of stone. The cost will not be mnch." The purchase took place, in fact, as early as April, 1835, although the deed bears datc on the 7th of Jnne.

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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 56

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