USA > New York > Rensselaer County > Landmarks of Rensselaer county, New York, pt 1 > Part 45
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The Hoosiek patent was granted June 3, 1638, by Governor Thomas Dongan to Maria Van Rensselaer of Albany, Hendrick Van Ness of Albany, Gerrit Teunis Van Vechten of Kaatskill and Jacobus Van Courtlandt of New York. This patent covered between 65,000 and 20,000 acres and is described as follows:
All that tract of land with its appurtenances situate, lying and being above Albany, on both sides of a certain creek called Hoosick, beginning at the bounds of Schackoock, and from thence extending to the side creek to a certain fall called Quequick, and from the said fall upwards along this creek to a certain place called Nochawickquaak, being in breadth on each side of the said creek two English miles; that is to say, two English miles on the one side of said creek, and two English miles on the other side of said creek, the whole breadth being four English miles; and as in length from the bounds of Schackook aforesaid to the said place called Nochawiekquaak.
The Walloomsac patent lay north of the Hoosick patent but extended farther east, This grant was made June 15, 1739, to Edward Collins,
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S. S. STEVENS.
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TOWN OF HOOSICK.
James De Lancy, Gerardus Stuyvesant, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Charles Williams and Frederick Morris. Its area was about 12,000 acres along the Walloomsac river, partly in what is now Washington county and partly in Rensselaer county.
The Schneider patent was issued March 24, 1762, upon a petition presented July 8, 1761, by Ilendrick Schneyder, John Watteck, Hen- drick Lake, John Johnson, Garret Williamson, Nathaniel Archerly, Benjamin Abbott, William Taylor, Martinus Voorhees, all of New Jer- sey, and Daniel Hallenbeck of Albany. This patent was "bounded northwardly by the patent of Wallumshack, southwardly by the patent of Rensselaerwyck, westwardly by the patent of Hoosick and east- wardly by other vacant lands, containing about the quantity of 10,000 acres."
The town of Hoosick is the most northern in the county. It is bounded on the north by Cambridge and White Creek in Washington county; on the east by Bennington in Vermont; on the south by Petersburgh and Grafton and on the west by Pittstown. The revised statutes of the State describe the town as follows:
The town of Hoosack shall contain all that part of said county bounded northerly and easterly by the bounds of the county, southerly by Petersburgh and Grafton and westerly by Pittstown.
The surface of the town consists of the mountainous regions of the Taghkaniek range on the east and those of the Petersburgh on the west, with the narrow valleys of the Hoosick and Walloomsac rivers. Fonda's hill in the southeast and Potter's hill in the southwestern part are said to be about 900 feet above the level of the sea. The Hoosick river runs through the centre of the town. The northern por- tion of the town is drained by the Walloomsac river, which flows from the east line in a generally westerly course to the Hoosick. The Hoo- sick river runs through a valley which was the warpath along which the French and Indians marched upon the villages of New England in the earlier French and Indian wars, and it was also a part of the famous so called "eastern trail," over which the Iroquois and Algon- quin tribes marched in their long series of wars of extermination long before America was settled by the white men. It does not appear that the original grantees of the town of Hoosick took any very early steps for the settlement and cultivation of their lands. For more than half a century the sole inhabitants of these lands were a few Dutch families and some Mohican Indians,
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The capture of Fort Massachusetts, located near North Adams, Mass., then known as East Hoosiek, occurred August 20, 1646. This expedi- tion passed along the old warpath over the ground now occupied by Hoosick Falls, and upon its return destroyed every settlement in the Hoosiek valley. At this time these settlements must have been wealthy and prosperous, for the loss in that neighborhood alone by this incursion was estimated at 50,000 pounds, New York eurreney.
Among the pioneer settlers of the town of Hoosick was Jan Oothout, who prior to 1754 had built a home just inside the present boundaries of the village of Hoosick Falls on lands subsequently owned by Henry Barnhart. Soon after Pitt Ilogle built a residence about two miles farther south. Near the junction of the Little Hoosick and Hoosick rivers was a settlement known in colonial times as Hoosack. It lay between Hoosick Corners and North Petersburgh and was partly within the limits of the town of Petersburgh and in the manor of Rensselaer- wyck.
Among other early settlers were the families of Breese, Fonda, Ouderkirk, Bovie, Vanderrick, Huyck, Brimmer, Roberts, Cott and Barnardus Bratt. The latter married Catherine Van Veghten, daugh- ter of Johannes Van Veghten and granddaughter of Gerrit Teunis Van Veghten,1 one of the original grantees of the patent of Iloosick, ac- quiring by this marriage and by later purchases from other heirs a large interest in the lands held under that patent. His great owner- ship of lands and his assumption of manorial rights gave him a high social position and he was generally referred to as the "patroon of Hoosick." The first grist mill and the first saw mill in the district were built by hin.
Near the junction of the Walloomsac and Hoosick rivers in the north part of the present town was a hamlet called St. Croix in colonial times, probably so named by French missionaries who evidently ex- plored the country as far south as the Hoosick river and there estab- lished a mission. Aside from this mission the first permanent settle- ment here probably was made by Gerrit Cornelis Van Ness, a descendant of the family named as one of the grantees in the patent. Other settlers following soon after Van Ness were Jacob A. Fort, John Van Denberg, Arendt Van Corlaer, John Fonda, David Van Rensse- laer, Stephen Van Rensselaer, William Nichols, Robert Laeke and families named Van Veghten and Norwood.
I Sometimes also spelled Van Vechten.
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TOWN OF HOOSICK.
Early settlers in the northern portion of the patent were Peter Sur- dam, Isaac Bull, Samuel Hodges, Stephen Kellogg, Francis Bennett, Thomas Sickels, Joshua Gardner and William Waite. Early settlers of what is now known as West Hoosick included Thomas Brown, David Cass, Joseph Guile, Samuel Stillwell and others, some of whom had made settlements before the first French and Indian war. Joseph Guile was a noted scout in the early Indian wars.
Among the early settlers of the Schneider patent were several of the grantees. John Quackenbush of Schaghticoke settled on this patent about 1765. Among others who were early settlers were Peter Os- trander, John Palmer, Benjamin W. Randall, William Helling, John Patten and others.
In 1772 Jonathan Fuller leased from Augusta Van Horne of New York for a term of twenty-one years, 220 acres of land on the Hoosiek patent, which included practically all of the present village of Hoosick Falls south of the old homestead of J. Russell Parsons and east of Main street. Mr. Fuller doubtless was the first settler at this point.
Henry Northrup subsequently purchased the entire tract of Mr. Van Horne and settled there, where he remained until his death in 1797. Isaae Turner and Joel Abbott settled at the Falls about 1274. Mr. Turner conducted the first store in Hoosick Falls. Phillip Haynes came from Connecticut in 1783 and located about a mile west of the falls. Deacon Goff made an early settlement on the west side of the road leading to North Hoosick. Joseph Dorr came from Connecticut in 1778 and worked in the mill of Stephen Kellogg on White Creek, where he soon afterward established fulling and carding works in con- nection with the mills, An early cabinet maker was Comfort Curtis. Among other earlier settlers in the latter days of the eighteenth cen- tury were John Pease, Jacob Pease, Benjamin Walworth, John Com- stock, John Chase, Thomas Osborn, Dr. Aaron D. Patehin, Nathaniel Bishop and Isaac Webb.
Henry Breese of Greenbush located near Hoosick Corners in 1765. Ilis farm subsequently became the property of Moses Warren, for several years surrogate of Rensselaer county, and later of Gideon Reynolds, one of the most prominent residents of the county and at various times member of assembly, congressman and internal revenue collector. The Breese family was prominent in the history of the town. Hendriek Schneider, one of the original patentees, settled about 1762 in the southern part of his patent. At an earlier date, perhaps 1749 or
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1750, Jacob Ouderkirk removed from Albany and located on a large farm two and one-half miles south of the Falls on the west bank of the Iloosick river. About 1780 Elijah Wallace came from Connecticut and settled in Hoosick Falls. Thomas Lottridge, Jonathan Eddy, John Carpenter and Henry Clark were other early inhabitants of this locality.
Among the earliest tavern keepers of the district of Hoosick were Jacob Van Ness, Henry Brown, William Roberts, jr., Daniel Kimball, Godfrey Stock, Jonathan Twiss, John Bovee, Caleb Hill, John Mattison, Joseph Ellsworth and Morris Pearce, all of whom were in business prior to or during 1791. Later proprietors in the eighteenth century included Simeon Hiscock, Luke Frink, Daniel Lyon, Reuben Baldwin, John Potter, Freclove Aylesworth, Jehial Fox and Cornelius Van Vechten.
The first bridge built over the river in Hoosick Falls was constructed in 1791. The old "rainbow bridge, "a mile above, had been destroyed prior to that year, and for a time thereafter a ferry had been maintained opposite the residence of Col. Dorr.
The first physician in Hoosick Falls was Dr. Thomas Hartwell, who came from New London, Conn., in 1228. He was one of the founders of Federal lodge, No. 33, F. & A. M., organized in 1752. Dr. Gleason came from Pittstown in 1806 and after practicing medicine a short time began the study of law. Dr. Salmon Moses 1 removed to Hoosick Falls in 1818.
In the legal profession among the earliest in practice in the town was the famous lawyer, Reuben II. Walworth. George Rex Davis, later in life one of the most prominent lawyers and honored residents of Troy, came to Hoosick Falls about 1699 and opened a tailor shop. Four or five years later he began the study of law and entered upon its practice in the village about 1810. Nineteen years later he removed to Troy to become a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Hezekiah Munsell, jr., practiced law in Hoosick Falls for many years. Lyman Sherwood practiced for a short time and then removed to Wayne county. Later on Lorenzo Sherwood, brother of Lyman; James W. Nye, John Fitch and Charles M. Dorr had offices in the village of Hoosick Falls.
The district of Hoosick was formed March 24, 1722. Its boundaries were not identical with those of the present town and are not clearly
I See history of the Medical Profession.
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TOWN OF HOOSICK.
defined. Hoosick remained a district sixteen years and was organized as a town March 7, 1788, three years before the erection of Rensselaer county. While a district it enjoyed all the privileges of a town, except that of having a representative in the State Legislature. The annual meetings of the district were held at the old settlement of St. Croix, now North Hoosick, and many of the earlier town meetings were also held there. The records of this district are not in existence. The town records are complete only from the year 1789, when the full list of offi- cers was :
Supervisor, Thomas Sickels; town clerk, Zachariah W. Sickels; assessors, Jacob Van Ness, Henry Breese, Nicholas Snyder, Reuben Thayer, Isaac Bull, John John- son, Zachariah W. Sickels; collector, Henry Brown; commissioners of highways, Thomas Siekels, William Kerr, Nicholas Snyder; overseers of the poor, Ebenezer Arnold, William Kerr; constables, Henry Brown, Squire Read, Henry Walker, Samuel Latham; fenceviewers, James Williamson, Henry Snyder, John Van Buren, Henry Breese, John Van Ness, Zachariah W. Sickels, Godfrey Stark, Asel Gray; poundkeepers, Squire Read, Harper Rogers, Timothy Graves, Benjamin Waite; pathmasters, John Milliman, Samuel Latham, John Ryan, Anthony V. Surdam, George Nichols, Samuel Surdam, Garret Van Horne, Isaac 11 Lansing, Daniel Rogers, John Bovee, Godfrey Stark, Jonathan Case, Ezekiel Hodges, Jonathan Moasby, William Briggs, William Mellen, jr., David Brown, John Johnson, Luke Frink.
The first recorded publie action regarding the common schools was taken at the town meeting of 1796, when John Comstock, Sylvester Noble, Peter Van Dyck and Joseph Dorr were elected school commis- sioners. Under the law of 1812-1813 reorganizing the public school system of the State, Joseph Slade, Nathaniel Bishop and Daniel Rogers were elected school commissioners in the spring of 1814. In 1844, un- der the law providing for town superintendents, Simeon Curtis was elected to that office for Hoosick. One of the earliest school houses in the town was built in 1788 at the expense of Edmund Haynes, Joseph Dorr, Isaae Bull and others on the south side of the river near the bridge. Among the names of the earliest teachers appear those of Waterman Dailee, Field Dailee and Elam Buel. There have been numerous excellent private schools in the village, one of the earliest of which was conducted by the Rev. David Rathbun.
The assertion has been made, and it is now accepted as a faet by most persons, that the "Leatherstocking" of James Fenimore Cooper's novels was Nathaniel Shipman, one of the earlier settlers of the north- eastern part of the town of Hoosick. He was a noted trapper and
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hunter, a close friend of the Mohican Indians, and fought with them against the French and the Canadian Indians. He was a Tory during the War of the Revolution and was tarred and feathered for his disloy- alty. Soon after he disappeared and nothing was heard of him for years. Mr. Shipman's daughter Patience married John Ryan of Hoo- sick. Mr. Ryan became acquainted with the novelist Cooper while the former was serving in the State Legislature about 1804 or 1805, and in their conversations it was found that the missing hunter had been liv- ing in the forest near Otsego lake for some time. He was finally in- duced to return to Iloosiek and reside with his daughter and her hus- band, though he frequently returned to his western home at intervals. lle died in 1809 at the house of Mr. Ryan and was buried in the village churchyard.'
One of the most important battles of the War of the Revolution was fought entirely within the present limits of the town of Hoosick, yet that great event is recorded in history as the Battle of Bennington! The battle ground is one of the most interesting of the many historic points in the county, and many of the spots are so plainly marked that they are at once evident to the visitor who has read a detailed account of the fight, which is found in preceding pages of this work, carefully compiled from the best authorities. "
The interest taken by the patriotic residents of Hoosick in the war of 1812 and the events leading up to it was very marked. In few com- munities was the cause so warmly espoused before events had so de- veloped that it was seen that recourse to anything but war was impos- sible. As early as 1808 a meeting was held in Hoosick in pursuance of a call signed by Seth Parsons, Joseph Dorr, Benjamin Walworth, Heze- kiah Munsell, jr., John Ryan, J. N. Northrup, Benjamin Lewis, J. C. Walworth, Aaron Haynes, John Palmer, Asher Armstrong and Thomas Osborne, "to deliberate on the embarrassment which foreign nations and the advocates of rebellion and insurrection have brought upon the country." As a result of the meeting a letter was sent to the president of the United States offering the services of the patriotic men of Hoosick in the event of war. Other public meetings followed and the patriotie sentiment of all the inhabitants was kept at high pitch. When troops were required to enforce the embargo acts, a military company
1 The statements here contained, regarding Shipman and " Leatherstocking," are according tothe story told by Judge Ball, father of L. Burke Ball of Hoosick Falls, in his "Annals of Hoosick." ? See Chapter V, history of Rensselaer County.
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TOWN OF HOOSICK.
was formed in Hoosick Falls, with Gideon Gifford as captain, Gilbert Barnes as lientenant, Samuel Tappan as ensign and John B. Dickenson as orderly sergeant. In 1808, soon after the first meeting referred to, Ebenezer Cross, upon receiving a captain's commission from General Dearborn, secretary of war, raised a company and when war was de- clared performed two years' service. Others who served included Wil- liam Palmer, John H. Haynes, Captain John Walworth, Reuben II. Walworth, afterwards chancellor, Benjamin G. Sweet, Captain Lem- uel Sherwood, Ensign John Hallenbeck, Benjamin Baker, Solomon Wilson, Stephen Chapman, Clark Baker, Gerrit Hallenbeck, Jacob Haight, Job Cass, Jacob Case, Sergeant Watkins, Jacob Vandenburgh, - Ouderkirk, Tallman Chase and William Coon.
In 1814 there were three companies of militia in Hoosick-an artil- lery company commanded by Captain Thomas Osborne, a company of . infantry commanded by Captain Abram Keach and a company of in- fantry commanded by Captain Nathaniel Bosworth. One hundred and twenty-eight volunteers under George R. Davis joined these organiza- tions, and all marched from Troy to Plattsburgh, but the battle at that place had been fought before they reached there.
The men of lloosick furnished one company for the Thirtieth regi- ment New York Vols., which went to the front during the early days of the War of the Rebellion. The first meeting was held at the Bap- tist church April 24, 1861, when more than forty men signed the enlist- ment roll, the first being L. Burke Ball of Hoosick Falls. Money was voted liberally and soon the full company was ready for the field, hav ing been designated as Company H. New recruits were received from time to time during the war, and 416 all told left Hoosick for the front during that memorable struggle. Those who died in the service 1 were:
William Sears, ? Frank Wilhams, Martin Barrel, Jedediah Varnum, Matthew Dwyre, David E. Conger, Pardon S. Fuller, Edward Conger, James Riley, James Van Acker, James Congdon, William A. Callen, Bartholomew Carmody, Jesse T. Dunham, David Donahue, Albert S. Hall, Jeremiah Kimball, George W. Kenyon, Jason Love, Robert Patterson, Jesse Potter, Ralph Selby, John Cumber, Henry C. Link, Thomas Hall, Charles II. White, John J. V. Grover, Robert Robinson.
The largest and most important village in the town of Hoosick is
" The records are not perfect. The figures and names are from the town records and Judge Ball's " Annals of Hoosick."
2 Killed at Harper's Ferry September 15, 1862; first man killed in the, Thirtieth regiment,
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Hoosick Falls. It is located on the lloosiek river at the falls, and has one of the finest water powers in the State, Early settlements in the village and its immediate vicinity have been described in preceding pages. Through the influence of Seth Parsons, who conducted a ma- chine shop there, a post-office was established in Hoosick Falls in 1822 and Mr. Parsons became its first postmaster, Ile located the office in his shop and appointed David Ball as his deputy. Mr. Parsons wasre- tained in the office nineteen years, during which time the development of the village was very rapid In its early days the post route to Iloo- sick Falls, or " the Falls," as the village was first known, was a branch of the route from Albany to Brattleboro, Vt., and the mail was carried to and from Hoosick Corners by a boy, who walked.
Iloosiek Falls was incorporated as a village in 1827, and Mr. Parsons, who evidently was one of the most public-spirited men of his day, was chiefly instrumental in bringing this about, At the time of the incor- poration of the village it had a population of two hundred, The first village was one mile square, with the old Caledonian cotton factory as the centre.
A new charter was granted the village of Hoosick Falls March 26, 1859. Some of the most important scetions read as follows:
All that part of the town of Hoosick in the county of Rensselaer contained within the following limits shall constitute the village of Hoosick Falls, to wit; Beginning at a point due north, one hundred and sixty rods from the southwest corner of the brick building known as Gordon's or the Caledonian factory, in said village, and running thence due east one hundred and twenty rods; thence due south three hun- dred and twenty rods; thence due west two hundred and forty rods; thence due north three hundred and twenty rods; thence due east one hundred and twenty rods, to the place of beginning ; and the inhabitants residing therein are hereby constituted and declared a body politie and corporate, by the name of the village of Hoosick Falls.
The officers of the village shall be as follows: A president, four trustees, a police justice, one or more police constables, a collector, a chief engineer of the fire depart- ment, a treasurer, a clerk, a superintendent of streets, a poundmaster, a fire warden.
'The law further provided that the president and trustees should be elected by the people; that the chief engineer and twoassistants should be elected by the fire department, subject to the approval of the board of trustees; that the elerk, police constables, street superintendent, treasurer, collector, fire warden and poundkeeper should be appointed annually by the board of trustees; that the police justice should be ap. pointed by the board of trustees, The village was also prohibited from
ELMER E. BARNES.
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borrowing money, and any village officer incurring any liability on be- half of the village was made personally liable for the same.
The Hoosick Falls Gazette, formerly the Cambridge Valley News, which was moved from Cambridge to Hoosick Falls about 1862, and of which A. C. Eddy was proprietor at the time, was the first paper pub- lished in the village. It continued but a year. Soon afterward Botsford established the Hoosick Falls Independent, but this too died at the end of a year. The Rensselaer County Standard was established November 15, 1873, by James H. Livingston, and since that time it has been one of the representative papers of the county.
The first school of high grade in the village was Ball seminary, which was incorporated by the Regents of the University April 11, 1843. The work upon the building was begun the previous summer. Judge Chandler Ball donated a large portion of the money necessary to its construction, and the institution was named in his honor. The first board of trustees consisted of 1. Chandler Ball, Seth Parsons, Lyman Wilder, Harvey Patterson, Adin Thayer, Hial Parsons, Thomas Gordon, Andrew Russell, John White, William Palmer, Willard Herrington and John Renwick. The seminary was eventually closed by reason of the lack of funds to carry on the good work auspiciously started, and in 1863 the property was conveyed to school district No. I for the purpose of founding a free school. Of the new school the first trustees were Walter Abbott Wood, Charles H. Merritt and the Rev. A. De Witt.
The early history of the schools of Hoosick Falls is embodied in the school history of the town of Hoosick, which appears in preceding pages of this chapter. Since the early days the schools of the village have risen to a high rank in the State. The educational facilities of the village are now equal to any found in any village of its size in the State. The affairs of the district are administered by a board of edu- cation composed of three trustees. The community is quite particular into whose hands it commits its educational interests and hence there are selected for this important office men who are prominent for busi- ness capacity and enterprise, executive ability and intellectual attain- ments. The trusteeship has been graced by such names as Hon. Wal- ter A. Wood, J. M Rosebrooks, Joseph Buckley, Ilon. J. Russell Par- sons, M. J. Earley, William llyland and Ambrose Carr. The district owns and uses four large buildings. For many years Mrs. Julia M. Dewey, a scholarly lady, was principal of the schools. She resigned in 1887 and has since held responsible positions in the educational
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world. John E. Shull became her successor and continued serving as principal for three years, at the expiration of which time the board of education elected him superintendent. Mr. Shull was succeeded by Prof. Arthur G. Clement, who was followed by Prof. H. H. Snell, the present superintendent. An able corps of twenty-five teachers is em- ployed. Many have had the benefit of normal school, college, and high school training. Nearly all have had considerable experience in the school room. A teachers' training school is in connection with the school, in charge of Miss Tuthill. The district is under the su- pervision of the Regents of the University of the State of New York. The number of pupils in attendance in 1896 was over 1,500, and the average daily attendance was about 90 per cent. of the enrollment. The district owns a large and well selected library open to the public and pupils. In 1887 the free text book system was adopted.
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