USA > New York > Ulster County > Kingston > The history of Kingston, New York : from its early settlement to the year 1820 > Part 48
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114. On the west corner of John and Dove streets was one of the old stone houses, the old homestead of Oke Sudam, father of John Sudam. It is still standing. It was in 1820 owned and occupied by Wilhelmus Tremper.
115. Directly east on the opposite corner of Dove (usually called " Dover Straatje") and John streets stood a long, one-story frame building, the Chipp homestead. In 1820 it was owned and occupied by James Chipp, the west end as a dwelling, the east end as a carpenter shop.
116. Dove Street then was a very narrow street (and for that reason called Dover straatje), extending from this point in John
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Street to North Front Street. There was one building in the street ; that was a small frame house standing about midway on the east side, occupied for many years by John Dumond, after- ward by William Shaw.
117. Next to and adjoining the Chipp house on the east was and is still standing one of the old stone houses. In 1820 it had been owned and occupied for many years by Jacob Eaman. There was a frame addition on the east end used by him as a saddle and harnessmaker shop.
118. The only building in 1820 on the south side of John Street, except the corner houses and blacksmith shop already mentioned, was the old stone house still standing, but altered with a brick front, nearly opposite the Eaman house. It was the homestead of Henry J. Sleght, and at the date above mentioned was owned and occupied by Henry Chipp.
119. Passing over to Main Street and commencing at Green beyond the corner house already mentioned, stood and still stands one of the old stone buildings, owned and occupied in 1820 by Jacobus Elmendorf.
120. Nearly opposite on the south side of the street stood one of the old stone houses, which had been the dwelling of John Van Steenbergh, the elder, and subsequently and in 1820 was occupied by his son, Peter Van Steenbergh, a watchmaker. His shop was in a small frame addition at the east end. It has been of late altered and a brick front given by D. E. Brodhead, its then owner. In Revolutionary times it was the property of Tobias Swart.
121. Passing to the east, the first house beyond the parsonage was a two-story frame double house, occupied in 1820 by Conrad C. Elmendorf, Jr., a tailor, commonly known as " Crepler Coon." It was afterward occupied by the widow of James Hasbrouck, and subsequently torn down to make room for the new parsonage of the First Dutch Church. At the burning of Kingston the place was the homestead of Johannis Van Keuren.
122. Next, and about midway to Fair Street, stood a small frame building, gable to the street, occupied by Samuel Elmendorf, a painter.
123. On the north side of the street, nearly opposite the last- named house, was one of the old stone houses, occupying a square lot apparently carved out of the southeast corner of the burying- ground. It was a small stone house, and at the time of the Revo- lution was the homestead of Jacobus Low. In 1820 it was occupied by Mrs. Weller as a dwelling and millinery.
124. A few feet east of the last-named building was one of the old stone houses. In the Revolution it was the homestead of Petrus Bogardus, and afterward occupied by Johannis Low. In
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1820 it was owned and occupied by John Chipp, who subsequently tore it down and put up a frame two-story double house in its stead. That is also now removed.
125. Next east, and only four or five feet distant, stood what was known as the " Molly Elmendorf ruin ;" and there it stood, walls firm and solid, by no means " crumbling," until about 1836, when it was torn down at the opening of Fair Street through to North Front Street. It had evidently, before it was burned by the British, been an uncommonly large and commodious two-story stone building. It was not rebuilt; there had been only a few rooms finished in the kitchen part in the rear. They were occupied in 1820 by Bela Brewer, a stone-cutter.
126. Next east stands one of the old stone houses, which in the early part of the century was occupied by Major Dezeng, who had been a Hessian officer in the British army in the Revolution. He remained in this country, and after peace married a Miss Lawrence, from Long Island, and moving here he occupied that house for a number of years. Subsequently it was occupied by Mr. Severyn Bruyn, and in it was kept for several years the office of discount and deposit of the branch of the Middle District Bank. It from that circumstance acquired the name of the " Bank House." Mr. Bruyn continued there until his removal to the corner of Pearl and Fair streets. About 1820 it was occupied by Hon. A. Bruyn Has- brouck, who remained there until his removal to the Eltinge house, corner of Fair Street and Maiden Lane. After that it was occupied a short time by a man by the name of Williamson, who proved to be an English fugitive from justice. When the officers came after him, upon the principle that " his house was his castle," he held himself locked up, and kept the officers at bay for some time, but was finally forced to surrender, and was carried off.
In that building also, in the year 1826, was commenced the pub- lication of the Ulster Sentinel by the Hon. Charles G. De Witt. During his editorship it was one of the most ably conducted papers ever published in the county. He was a man of much talent and a ready writer. He was a son of Charles De Witt, so frequently mentioned during the Revolutionary period. He was a member of Congress in 1829, and was sent by General Jackson on a mission to Central America.
127. A short distance farther east, and on the south side of the street, stands a frame dwelling. It was originally built some years prior to 1820 by Andrew Story as a store. It was afterward con- verted by him into a dwelling, and occupied for several years as a residence by Christopher N. Kiersted prior to his removal to New York.
128. In Pearl Street, commencing at Green, the first house
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reached not already noticed is one of the old stone houses, situated about one hundred feet east of Wall Street. It is a small one-story stone building with a frame addition at the east end. In 1820 it was owned and occupied by Edward Green, the west part as a dwelling, the east end, or frame part, as a shoe shop. In colonial times it was the homestead of Thomas Houghteling.
129. The next building in the street not already noticed was a one-story frame building situated on the north side of the street a short distance east of Fair Street. It was in 1820 owned and occu- pied by Thomas G. Van Steenbergh.
130. A little farther to the east on the opposite side of the street is one of the old stone houses. It was owned and occupied in 1820 by Truman Cowles. In that building Jesse Buel com- menced the publication of the Plebeian in 1802, and continued its publication there until his removal to Albany and the establish- ment by him of the Albany Argus in 1813. The building is now owned by the Sahler family.
131. Passing to Maiden Lane and Green Street, the first build- ing to the east not already noticed was one of the old stone houses. It is still standing, and in 1820 was owned and occupied by Solo- mon Hasbrouck. In the Revolution it was the homestead of Dr. Thomas Jones.
132. Passing to the eastward, the next building not already noticed which was standing in 1820 is the two-story double frame house standing on the west corner of Maiden Lane and Pine Street. It was owned and occupied by John Hitt as a dwelling-house and store, originally built about 1812.
133. Nearly opposite, a little farther to the east, is a large two- story double stone house, one of the old stone houses, and in 1820 it was owned by Justus Burr and occupied by J. & J. W. Baldwin for painting and cabinet and chair manufacturing.
134. Passing to the east a short distance beyond the Vosburgh house, fronting the first plains, stood two small frame buildings, the one occupied by Philip Dumond and the other by Abraham Post.
135. A little farther to the eastward, and what was in 1820 the corner of Maiden Lane and the second plains, stood the frame store-house and dwelling of Philip Van Keuren, the dwelling part of which is still standing. (By error on map marked 133.)
136. On the southeast corner of Maiden Lane and Pine Street stood the small frame dwelling of James Fairbanks, with his black- smith shop standing a few feet farther eastward.
137. Returning to Green Street at its junction with St. James' Street, there was a small frame building on the south side of St. James' Street and directly fronting Green Street, occupied by a tenant. It belonged to the Du Bois tannery property. 30
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138. Passing eastward beyond Wall Street, a short distance beyond the Hamilton house, stood two small frame buildings on the south side of the street. One was the Benjamin Sawyer home- stead, and the other was occupied by a tenant.
139. Next was a small stone house standing on the south side of the street and directly in front of the then terminus of Fair Street. It was one of the old stone houses and the homestead of Benjamin Elmendorf. In 1820 it belonged to the Isaac De Witt estate, and was occupied by a weaver named Sleght.
140. The next building on the same side was a one-story frame house, owned and occupied by Henry Houghteling. It stands on the southwest corner of Pine Street
141. On the opposite and southeast corner of Pine and St. James' streets stands one of the old stone houses, gable on St. James' and fronting on Pine Street. It was the old homestead of Teunis I. Houghteling, and was occupied by him in 1820 with a frame wagon-maker's shop at the south end thereof on Pine Street.
At this place Pine Street terminated in 1820, about two hundred and fifty feet south of St. James' Street, in a cul-de-sac, with the colored burying-ground on the west side thereof, in the rear of the Henry Houghteling property.
142. On the northeast corner of St. James' and Pine streets stood a small house, claimed and occupied by Robert Johnston, a printer.
143. On the south side of St. James' Street, a short distance to the east of the Teunis Houghteling house, stands one of the old stone buildings, and is the old Van Keuren homestead, and in 1820 was occupied by the widow of Matthias Van Keuren.
144. Passing on to the east beyond Clinton Avenue, a short dis- tance from the Johannis M. Van Keuren house, stood an old frame building, the homestead of John Hermance.
145. A little farther east stood a small frame building, the homestead of Jeremiah Plass. It is still standing.
146-147. Farther to the east, on the south side of the street, was\ another cul-de-sac extending southerly about two hundred feet. Within the cul-de-sac and on the west side thereof stood the resi- dence and blacksmith shop of Adijah Dewey. The residence is still standing. It was at that point that Prospect Street was opened, and extended at a subsequent period.
148. On the north side of St. James' Street, nearly opposite the cul-de-sac Prospect Street, stands a two-story double stone house. In 1820 and previously it was the homestead of Henry V. Masten.
149. On the easterly corner of the cul-de sac and St. James' Street stands a one-story frame house, for a number of years the homestead of a part of the Thomas Van Gaasbeek family.
150. East of the last house and on the corner of Union Avenue
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stood three frame buildings compactly built, the one on the corner owned and occupied by John Chollett for a dwelling, store, and bakery. Next toward the west was the dwelling of one Marsh, and next to that the dwelling of Garret Krom.
The two last-named houses stood fronting the open, unenclosed commons, called and known as the second plains. This plains was bounded on the northeast by what is now known as Albany Avenue, on the west by the Philip Van Keuren store, standing at the end of Maiden Lane, and the Masten house in St. James' Street, and the fence extending in a direct line from one to the other ; on the south by St. James' Stret, and southeast by the fence, as it then stood, running in a straight line from the fence on the east bounds of the Albany road to the Cornelius Burhans house, which is still standing, and thence the same course continued to the Strand Lane, now Union Avenue. St. James' Street then extended northerly across the commons to the Albany road by a simple wagon track, and so did the Strand road to the Philip Van Keuren store.
151. A little to the west and on the opposite side of the first plains in 1820 stood the homestead of Peter Dumond. It is still standing. At that time there was no other house standing on the north side of either the first or second plains. In that house, beneath its large cellar or basement window, stood a weaver's loom, upon which most, if not all, the rag carpets then in uni- versal use in the village were woven. Erroneously marked on map 136:
152. The Burhans house above mentioned was a one-story frame house, and is still standing. In 1820, and for many years prior and subsequent, it was the homestead of Cornelins Burhans.
153. Passing from the Burhans house northward, at or about the point where the Burhans fence struck the Albany road, stood a small frame house, the homestead of Matthew Van Keuren.
154. Passing up the Albany road a short distance, there is standing on the west side thereof a large two-story double stone house, built by: Jacob Ten Broeck in 1803, and occupied by him as his homestead until his death.
155. Beyond the Jacob Ten Broeck house, standing some dis- tance west of the Albany road, was an old stone house, occupied in the Revolution by Mr. Lefferts, a Tory. It was spared from the conflagration. In 1820 it was owned by Leonard Kip, of New York, and occupied by George Ingraham and his sisters.
156-157. Passing again to Green Street at the junction of Pearl . Street, and going toward the west, at the bottom of the hill stood an old tannery not in use. A little farther on the left side of the road stood and still stands an old stone house, in 1820, and thence-
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forward until his death the homestead of the old school-teacher, William H. Dederick.
158. A short distance farther on, at the left-hand side of the road, stood and still stands an old stone house, the homestead of Johannis Masten. It was in 1820 occupied by his two unmarried children, John and Eliza.
159. Returning toward the village on the north side of the road, but a short distance therefrom, and nearly in range of the Dederick house, stands one of the old stone houses. It was the homestead of Cornelius Masten.
Wall Street on the south end terminated in the highway leading to Twaalfskill. After leaving Kingston village the first building was situated on the west side of the road at the foot of the hill, where the brook leading from Jacob's Valley crossed the road. It was the dwelling-house of and occupied by Jeremiah Du Bois, and there was a small carding machine situated on the brook upon the opposite side of the road. Next a little farther on was reached the Pine mill-pond, at the foot of which, on the right-hand side of the road, was the grist-mill of James Pine, on the opposite side of the road a small building connected with the mill, and a short distance farther down the Pine dwelling-house. A very little farther on ·was reached the De Witt mill-pond ; at the foot of that was the De Witt grist-mill, and directly on the opposite side of the road a small one-story stone house, the residence of the De Witt family. At the junction of the Twaalfskill with the Rondout, standing directly by the creek, was a frame house called the Ricketson house. A few hundred feet farther up the creek the road termi- nated at a scow ferry across the creek kept by John Hamilton, his house standing on the bank above. That is all there was of Twaalfs- kill (now called Wilbur) at that time.
160. Taking the Strand road, what is now called Union Avenue, and passing over it to what is now called Rondont, then called by some the Strand, by some Kingston Landing. The first building, after leaving St. James' Street, was a two-story unfinished double frame house, with cellar under the whole. The roof was on and building sided up and window-frames in ; some of the floor tim- bers were in, but in other respects it was entirely unfinished. It had the appearance of having stood so for a number of years, and was called " Ketchum's folly."
161. Next was a small single one-story building, still standing, occupied by a man by the name of Thompson, a shoemaker, as a dwelling and shop.
162: Next, a short distance farther down, was a similar build- ing, still standing, occupied by William Van Buren. There was a blacksmith shop standing near. After that there was no building
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on the right-hand side until you came to the Margaret Smedes house, which was just beyond the O'Reilly house. On the left- hand side there was but one house between St. James' Street and Margaret Smedes. That was the one-story building which stood near where the West Shore Road now crosses Union Avenue. It was formerly owned and occupied by some of the Schepmoes family.
After leaving Margaret Smedes's there were only three small frame buildings on the right side of the road and none on the left before reaching the forks of the road. At the forks of the road was the house which still stands there. It then had an addition running toward the Strand road. It was occupied by a man by the name of Kendall, and he had up a tavern sign. Then, passing on toward the Strand, on the right-hand side at the top of the last hill was a small frame house occupied by Peter Van Gaasbeek, Jr. After passing that house there was no other until the foot of the hill was reached ; there, adjoining the road on the right, was the dwelling of William Swart ; on the left was a large two-story frame house called the Jewel house ; at the foot of the road on the dock was a heavy stone storehouse of William Swart. A short distance below on the dock stood a dwelling-house occupied by a man by the name of Wood, gable to the street ; next came the two store- houses of Abraham Hasbrouck.
The dock projected a few feet beyond the lower storehouse, and next to that was the landing on the flat of the scow ferry from Esopus, across the creek.
The house of Mr. Abraham Hasbrouck, the proprietor of the freight line and the owner of the lands on the east of the road to Kingston, stood up from the dock about opposite to his store- houses, and on a line with the Jewel house. Farther in the rear and on a back road stood his farm-house and his flouring mill. That is all there was then of the Strand or Kingston Landing.
There was not any road along the shore down the stream, but the road passed to the east over a narrow dug way about midway up the mountain to Ponckhockie. There existed a small dilapi- dated dock, with a red unoccupied storehouse fast going to ruin. On the hill was the homestead of William Tremper (usually styled " the Citizen"). That was a two-story double stone house, which is still standing, having of late years been thoroughly repaired and enlarged by Mr. George North.
At the place where the Rondout road, through Ponckhockie, struck the Kingston road to Columbus Point. and on the north side of the road, stood a one-story old stone house, the old homestead of Moses Yeomans, then, in 1820, owned and occupied by Wil- helmus Hasbrouck.
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Thence proceeding eastward toward Columbus Point, and de- scending the steep clay hill, there could be seen a short distance to the north of the road a small red cottage behind a row of tall pop- lars. There old " Toontje" and his wife reigned supreme. There it was that they manufactured the molasses candy with which they gladdened the hearts of the children, once or twice a week, at the rate of a penny a stick. The candy was always noted for its invit- ingly delicate yellow hue. That was obtained by skilfully stretch- ing it across the thumb-latch of their door, and occasionally during the process anointing the palms of their hands in the usual way, to hold fast. After reaching the bottom of the hill, and thence traversing the pole road laid across the swamp, to reach the rocky bluff, there were only to be found some seven or eight stone houses, at least one half of them unoccupied and falling in ruins, besides two dilapidated frame storehouses unoccupied on the dock. That is all there was at that time of Columbus Point, and the imaginary castles which beamed out in the fancy of Moses Cantine and his purchasing friends, when examining the map made of that rocky bluff and level marsh by Christopher Tappen in 1796 for Mr. Can- tine, dividing it up into avenues, streets, squares, and corner lots, and the beach into water lots reaching to the channel of the river. Although founded on rocks, the airy castles had crumbled and dwindled, as if their foundation had been nothing but sand.
The dock formed a passable landing place for the steamers pass- ing up and down the river, by small boats sent ashore and drawn in by tow-lines. It also furnished a landing place for the ferry- boat running to and from Rhinebeck. Until about that time the ferry-boat in use was a periagua. In November, 1819, the Ulster Plebeian contained the following editorial relating to the ferry :
" A horse-team boat, between Poughkeepsie and the opposite shore in New Paltz, is now daily in successful operation ; similar institutions, have been established between New Burgh and Fish- kill, and Hudson and Athens. It only remains for us to lament, that a like boat was not also instituted between Rhinebeck and Cantine's Dock."
At Eddyville, the head of navigation upon the Rondout Creek, a portion of the water-power was utilized in driving the machinery of a cotton factory then standing just below the falls, now in ruins In addition there were in the vicinity three or four convenient build- ings for the accommodation of the proprietor and his operators. A few hundred feet below the falls, and at the head of navigation, was a dock on which was located a large storehouse.
There was no road at that time down the stream from Eddyville on the shore of the creek, and the only road to Kingston was directly across the mountain, striking the Greenkill road at the
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southerly end of the Black farm, between two and three miles from the then village.
Such is a truthful account of the condition of Kingston at the time at which this history closes. The great and wonderful changes which have taken place since that time in the character and condition of the place can only be fully appreciated by those who can claim familiarity with the place then and now. The men of to-day know the enormous trade and business now centering at this point, which almost every working day in the year, except during the suspension of navigation, exceed the commercial trans- actions of the entire year in the second decade of this century.
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CHAPTER XXVI.
ANCESTRAL NOTES.
TN the preparation of this chapter the writer is indebted to Cornelius H. Van Gaasbeek, Jr., of this city, for much of the material contained in it. It is regretted that there are omissions and that it is not more perfect in detail than the writer has been able to make it. Unable to procure access to needed records, he asked for information through the public press, which met with only a single response.
BEEKMAN .- The ancestor of the Beekman family was Wilhelmus Beekman, who was born April 28th, 1623, at Hassett, a town in Belgium. The names of his parents were Hendrick Beekman and Maria Bandartius. Wilhelmus came to this country in 1647, and on the 5th of September, 1649, at New York he married Catalina De Boog, from Amsterdam. His children were :
Maria, who married, May 5th, 1672, Nicholas William, son of Governor Peter Stuyvesant.
Hendrick married, June 5th, 1681, Johanna Lopers.
Gerardus married, October 25th, 1677, Magdalena Abeel.
Cornelia married, September 19th, 1674, Isaac Van Vleck.
Johannis married, March 4th, 1685, Altje Thomas Popinga, daughter of Thomas Laurensen Popinga and Maritje Janse. He came to Kingston in 1699, and was the direct ancestor of the King's- ton branch of the Beekman family. His grandson, Johannes. who married Lydia Van Keuren, October 20th, 1750, was the father of Tjerek Beekman, and his other grandson, Cornelis, married, July 17th, 1757, Katrina Schoonmaker.
BLANSHAN .- Matthys Blanshan, from Artois, embarked with his wife, Madeline Jorisen, and three children on the 27th of April, 1660, in the ship Gilded Otter for this country. On his arrival he came to Esopus. He subsequently moved to Hurley and followed his occupation as a distiller. Of their children
Katryn married Louis Du Bois.
Matthys married, March 30th, 1679, Mary C. Van Schoonhoven.
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Magdalena married, September 28th, 1667, Jan Matthysen Jansen.
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