USA > New York > Rockland County > The history of Rockland County > Part 40
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
Warren No. I Engine Company, was organized May 15th, 1854, with G. S. Myers as Foreman, and obtained its hand engine in September, of that year. In 1881, the company was disbanded by the Board of Trustees, because of personal ill will among its members. On December 13th, 1881, Warren Company was re-organized with Fred. Glassing, Jr., Foreman; John Braham, Assistant Foreman.
Lady Warren, Steam Fire Engine Company, was organized in July, 1869, with James H. Fleming, Foreman. It was re-organized February 20th, 1871, and a steamer obtained; this engine was rebuilt in 1876. The engine house of the company stands on Division street.
Triumph Hose Company was organized September 11th, 1878, with Daniel De Groot, Foreman ; John Bernhart, Assistant Foreman. By the act of 1859, a Chief and two Assistant Engineers of the Fire Department are elected. The first chief was Samuel A. Ver Valen. Besides the great fire of 1850, there have been few destructive conflagrations in the village.
The distance between Haverstraw and the church grave yards at Tap- pan, Clarkesville, or Kakiat, rendered interments in local burial places a necessity. The Allison and DeNoyelles families located places of sepul- ture for the dead of their families on their farms. The earliest record in the DeNoyelles ground is that of John DeNoyelles, who died January
378
IIth, 1775. The Waldron cemetery, situated by the side of the present " West Shore " Railroad, about half-way between Haverstraw station and Stony Point, was used as a general place of burial. The earliest record I have seen is that of Charlotte Ming, August 10th, 1792. On the north side of the road from Haverstraw to Ramapo, opposite the residence of the heirs of David Burns, and about midway between Mead's and Felter's corners is a burial place, donated by Colonel David Burns to the public. The oldest stone found there is that which marks the resting place of Phebe Smith, April 19th, 1803. Besides these places of interment, the church yard at the present Garnerville, was opened in 1790; and many bodies were laid at rest on private farms.
At length, John S. Gurnee, John D. Gardner, John R. Mckenzie, Isaiah Milburn, Lewis R. Mackey, Walter S. Johnson, Silas D. Gardner, Leonard Gurnee, and Asbury DeNoyelles purchased thirteen acres of land of Asbury DeNoyelles for $1,200 as a cemetery for the Methodist Church. On Thursday, July 7th, 1853, this spot was dedicated as Mount Repose Cemetery, with appropriate ceremonies.
The ground was laid out in lots, and Isaiah Milburn and John S. Gur- nee were authorized to give deeds for them. At a later period trouble arose, and a partition suit was begun. The land was sold at auction by order of the Court, and was bid in by Clarence Conger, who gave G. G. Allison power of attorney to sell the lots. Such is the present condition of the cemetery.
The first newspaper published in the old County of Orange was the " Goshen Repository," from which I have quoted in this work, issued at Goshen as early as August 14th, 1778. The first paper published in Rockland County was the North River Palladium, which was started in January, 1829, by Ezekiel Burroughs, in West at the head of North street. It had but a brief existence. The next paper was attempted in 1829. It was owned by J. T. Smith, and was called at first the Rockland Register. This sheet was brought out by Smith, who was then District Attorney, to aid him in his aspirations for a higher office, and was edited by Burroughs. After the election, in which Smith was defeated, the name of the paper was changed to the Rockland Gazette. In 1833, the Rockland Advertiser was started by John Douglass, and a year later, this paper and that of Smith's were combined under the name of the Rockland Advertiser and Family Gazette. Soon after the paper ceased to exist. In 1834, Alex- ander H. Wells began the publication of the North River Times. This paper also had an ephemeral life. During the existence of the two last- named rival papers, the public was kept interested by the spicy articles
379
which appeared in one or the other, from the pens of contributors. One of the most incisive of the local writers was Dr. Mark Pratt.
In 1844, a paper called the Rockland County News was begun by John L. Burtis. Thirty-two numbers of this sheet were issued ere it died. The Rockland County Messenger was started by Robert Marshall, May 17th, 1846. Until 1852, the paper remained under Marshall's manage- ment. It was then taken by its present veteran editor and proprietor, Robert Smith, and for four and thirty years has been ably conducted by him. Since Mr. Smith has owned the paper a complete file has been pre- served.
In 1879, the Haverstraw Herald was begun for political purposes. It lasted through a campaign. In April, 1883, the Sentinel was started by the efforts of Rev. R. Harcourt, as a temperance advocate. At first printed by the Rockland County Journal presses, in Nyack ; it was at length moved to Haverstraw in April, 1884, and in the autumn of that year was bought by its present editor, B. A. Farr. It is still conducted in the interest of the temperance cause.
The post office at Haverstraw was established July Ist, 1815, with George Smith as first postmaster. On Jan. Ist, 1817, Smith was followed by Epenetus Wheeler and his successors have been : Samson Marks, May 18th, 1818; Abraham Marks, May 3d, 1819; Peter De Noyelles, April 9th, 1834; Lawrence De Noyelles, December 19th, 1840; Isaac Sherwood, June 24th, 1841 ; Sylvester Clark, January 23d, 1845 ; John S. Gurnec, January 19th, 1849; Isaac Sherwood, January 29th, 1850; Samuel C. Blauvelt, July 30th, 1853; Isaac Sherwood, May 7th, 1861 ; Richard A. Ver Valen, October 22d, 1877; Isaac M. Purdy, April 17th, 1882.
At the close of 1853, the residents of this village made preparations for incorporation. A petition was presented to the County Court by Henry P. Cropsey, Samuel C. Blauvelt, Abraham De Baun, Garret De Baun, Lewis R. Mackey, John C. Coe, James Creney, D. C. Springteen, John De Baun, Ezra Mead, A. E. Suffern and Samuel A. Ver Valen, pray- ing for the incorporation of the village. A survey of the proposed limits was made February 6th, 1854, and the boundaries were as follows :
"Commencing on the bank of the Hudson River at a willow tree standing at the southwest corner of the brick yard of John Gardner, running thence south 61g degs. west 10 chains ; thence north 2414 degs. west 20 chains 38} links ; thence north 51 degs. west 7 chains to a Hickory tree ; thence north 38} degs. west 10 chains 23 links to a fence running east and west ; thence north 48+ degs. west 39 chains 50 links to a chestnnt tree ; thence north 28} degs. west 25 chains 18 links, to a large rock ; thence north 7} degs. east 25 chains 53 links; thence north 74 degs. east 4 chains 50 links to Peck's railroad, and crossing of highway leading to Grassy Point; thence along said railroad north 88 degs. east 48 chains ; thence south 51 degs. east, still along said railroad and the bank of the Hudson River, 18 chains 60 links to dock ; then along the west shore of Hudson River, southerly 111 chains to the place of beginning."
380
The area embraced within the limits marked by this survey was 493 acres, and the number of inhabitants was 1,760
Pursuant to an order of the Court, held February 14th, 1854, incorpo- rating all that part of the township of Haverstraw, described in the order, as a village by the name of Warren, provided a majority of the electors of the proposed village should assent thereto ; an election was held at the residence of John Begg, on March 11th, 1854. At this election 187 votes were cast of which 179 were for incorporation and 8 opposed to it.
An election for village officers was held at the house of John Begg, April 8th, 1854, and resulted in the following men being chosen :
Edward Pye, President.
Trustees.
H. P. Cropsey,
George De Noyelles,
H. G. Prall,
R. A. Ver Valen.
Samuel C. Blauvelt, Clerk.
Josiah Milburn, Treasurer.
George S. Myers, Collector. Peter Titus, Pound-Master.
Assessors.
Isaac Sherwood, Daniel G. Smith, Andrew De Baun.
Following that first election, the Presidents of the village have been :
Edward Pye, 1855. John L. De Noyelles, 1858-70, 1877-78.
Cornelius P. Hoffman, 1856. Richard A. Ver Valen, 1871-74, 1883-84. John I Cole, 1857. James Osborn, 1875-76, 1879-82.
In 1855, the village charter was amended by an act of Legislature, so as to make it a road district, which included the Long and Short Clove roads. In 1859, gas was introduced by E. V. Haughwout, of New York. Trouble between the citizens and the gas company soon began, and con- tinued till 1865, when a mass meeting was held to demand a reduction of rates, and some other radical changes. A conference between the citizens' representatives and Haughwout followed, and mutual concessions occurred.
Haverstraw has a complicated record of names. In another place, I have quoted an Act in which she is called Waynesburgh, and will take an extract from this Act, passed April Ist, 1814, again : " from thence, in a direct course as nearly as may be, to such a point in the village of Waynes- burgh, late Warren, as the Commissioners, etc."
For what reason the name Waynesburgh was given to the hamlet, and the length of time it remained in force, have escaped my search. Warren,
381
the hamlet had already been called, and to Warren it was changed again. But this name was never a popular one. People had long been accus- tomed to blend the name of the township and village in one, and call the latter, Haverstraw. At the establishment of the present Stony Point post office in 1847, it was named North Haverstraw. Commerce was carried on, not with Warren, but Haverstraw, and the name of the village post office was Haverstraw from its organization. Influenced by these and other less important reasons, the residents of the village appealed to the Legislature for relief, and, on April 14th, 1874, that body passed the fol- lowing act :
"SECTION I. The name of the Village of Warren in the County of Rockland, incorporated under the provisions of the Statute of the State of New York, authorizing the incorporation of vil lages, is hereby changed to ' Haverstraw.' All proceedings now pending by or against the said Village of Warren shall be continued in the name of Haverstraw.
"SECTION 2. This act shall take effect immediately."
On June Ist, 1874, fire limits were established for the village which still govern the place. Under the rule of the village officials this place increased in population and material well-being. In 1865, the number of residents had increased to 2,150 and the proportion of increase still con- tinucs.
In 1854, the second floor of S. C. Blauvelt's drug store was enlarged and fitted up as a public hall, called Warren Hall. This was first used Oct. 26th, 1854, for a temperance meeting, at which Judge Allison pre- sided and D. B Loomis was secretary. Addresses in the interest of tem- perance were made by Edward Pye and the clergymen of the village. The question of temperance had become one of vital interest in this section of our County before this meeting. As early as the Spring of 1851, H. G. Prall and some thirty others had issued a call for a mass meeting to take action on the illegal selling of liquor on the Sabbath. In response to that call a large gathering of citizens took place in the Academy and the meeting resulted in the formation ofa vigilance committee and the swearing in of ten special constables for the purpose of detecting and bringing to justice such people as violated the law.
Since that time the fight against the traffic had continued and resulted in the year of which I speak, 1854, in the election of John I Suffern as Member of Assembly, on the Temperance Ticket. From that period till 1882, the subject of temperance was agitated time and again. In this latter year it broke out with renewed violence, and reached a vital stage in the " ballot-box outrage " of March 20th, 1883.
I may be permitted to give a brief account of this affair. In the elec-
382
tion held for town officers at the time mentioned, two party tickets were in the field-one, the regular Democratic ticket, the other, a Citizen's ticket. Two ballots were cast by the voters of each party-one, the General Town Ticket, containing the names of all the town officers, except that for Excise Commissioners, this latter being on a separate ballot. The voting pro- ceeded quietly, and at sunset at the close of the polls, the proper officers began counting the ballots. The General Town Ticket was counted first, and the result found to be in favor of the Citizens' Party.
The Excise Commissioner ballot was next prepared for canvassing. During the computation of the result of the Town Ticket, the room in which the election had been carried on was gradually filled with people who had entered by oncs and twos. The canvass of the Excise Ticket had but just fairly started when the lights were extinguished, the stove overturned and dragged to the door, burning coals falling on the floor ; the table holding the ballots was smashed and overset. Instantly there followed a rush for windows and door; missiles were thrown, chairs and stools broken ; in fact, the room was wrecked so thoroughly by riot and fire, that the completion of the canvass was impossible.
Every attempt was made by the proper officials to bring those con- nected with this outrage to justice, but by one means or another all es- caped punishment. It was from the feeling growing out of this affair. that the Sentinel newspaper was established.
To return again from a digression, which for the sake of sequence, it seemed wise to make; the next mention I find of Warren Hall, is on Saturday, November 18th, 1854, when Warren Lyceum was organized in it with A. E. Suffern, President; and Edward Pye, Secretary. Among those who lectured during the first season were: A. E. Suffern, Rev. A. S. Freeman, Rev. J. West, Edw. Pye, Wm. E. Haeselbarth, Rev. Van Zandt, Rev. J. Cory, R. J. Ianvooski, L. B. Hardcastle, Rev. P. J. H. Meyers, Rev. W. Van Doren, Prof. Schumacher and Samuel Osgood. Among those who took part in the debates were: R. A. VerValen, C. P. Hoffman, and Messrs. Brower, Lilienthal, Penfield, Coleman. Previous to the opening of this public hall, gatherings of the people for entertain- ment were usually held in some one of the churches. Business or political gatherings seem to have often been held in the Union Hotel. In 1860, the Wigwam was built on the common, south of the Central Presbyterian Church, and opened to the public on July 27th, of that year. This be- came the headquarters for public meetings, and, later, for volunteers, en- listed to save our Nation.
383
In 1871, the Haverstraw Bank was organized as a State institution, with a capital of $100,000. The first board of directors were :
Isaac Odell, President. Ira M. Hedges, V'ice-President. George S. Smith, Cashier.
George S. Allison, Richard A. Ver Valen,
George S. Wood, John I. Cole,
John W. Gillies.
The bank opened its doors for business on Main street, April 15th, 1871. The institution continued a State bank till February 27th, 1875, when it was changed into a National Bank, with a capital of $50,000. The first board of directors under the change were :
Ira M. Hedges, Theodore Fredericks, George S. Wood,
Jacob Odell, George S. Allison, Richard Ver Valen,
R. Redfield, John W. Gillies, John I. Cole.
The institution has been well conducted, and, though two periods of great business depressions have occurred since its start and institutions of trust have been swept down around it, its reputation stands well for care- fulness and wise management.
The Haverstraw Savings Bank opened its doors for business in 1871, with the following officers and trustees, who composed the various com- mittees :
A. E. Suffern, President. William Govan, First Vice-President. Richard A. Ver Valen, Second Vice-President. Garret O. House, Secretary and Treasurer.
G. G. Allison,
D. R. Lake,
Theo. Frederick,
E. W. Christie, Geo. R. Weiant,
Peter E. Lee,
Jno. Turnbull,
Frederick Tomkins,
J. M. Nelson, Louis Hohn,
Wm. Call, Jr.,
Levi Knapp,
Robert Smith, Theo. Gardiner,
Wm. H. Wiles,
John Taylor, Jno. Connley, Jas. A. Barnes,
Chas. Kreuder, Denton Fowler, John Keenan,
Thos. Burke,
Amos Briggs, Belding Barnes,
Wm. E. King.
The institution paid five per cent. interest on deposits and seemed in a prosperous condition till 1879, when it failed. The depositors in the de- funct institution were paid 65 cents on the dollar.
384
Projecting well out in the river, with a bay on each side, is Pullen's Point, more generally known as "Peck's dock." The original name of this point is said to have been derived from one William Pullen, who was Sheriff of the County from 1730 to 1731, and who, it seems, by his liberal views on religious topics excited the ire of John Allison and Thomas Hughs, for in 1731, these men entered com- plaint against him for saying, " that the Pope of Rome was a good Christ- ian." When Mr. Peck started the works at Samsondale, this point was the most convenient place on the river for the shipment of his productions. At it he built a dock and to it extended a railroad from his works. Here was built the only marine railway in Haverstraw, in 1851, by Henry Gar- ner. It was at first carried on by Mr. Wiltsea, then by G. W. Snedeker, and at present by Henry Rodermond & Son. And here, owing to the depth of water and ease of access from the channel, the early Albany day boats, Armenia and Daniel Drew, landed for several years on their trips up and down the Hudson. The decadence of the industries at Samson- dale, and the opening of railroads, changed the tide of travel. . Pullen's Point is too difficult of access from the village to make it the regular land- ing, and now this once famous dock is relegated to the shipment of bricks, and to the ship yard artisans.
This village has been visited on several occasions by storms of extraor- dinary violence which have caused great damage. On July 9th, 1853, a storm of tornado character struck the place. During its continuance, an old frame building, formerly used as the weaving shop of Higgin's carpet factory, and after the cessation of that business, turned into a tenement house, was blown down. It was occupied by the families of brick yard laborers, who worked for Peck, Rutherford & Knapp. In this accident six people were killed and many wounded. Besides this house, many other buildings were damaged, and great injury was done to the brick yards along shore. In October, 1846, another storm visited Haverstraw, and among other injuries blew down the unfinished walls of the Central Presbyterian Church.
On March 27th, 1870, a terrible easterly gale swept along the Atlantic coast doing great injury. The exposed position of Haverstraw rendered the effects of the storm here exceedingly damaging. Seventeen vessels were either sunk at their anchorage or driven ashore, one at Grassy Point was driven up into the streets; five brick yards were washed away; two lumber yards were destroyed and a coal yard passed from existence. The total loss was estimated at $200,000.
We have seen that before the building of the Hudson River Railroad,
385
the inhabitants of Haverstraw, who wished to reach New York City in winter, were compelled to ride to Piermont, and that to accommodate these travellers, Charles P. Snedeker, ran a stage between the two places. I have also mentioned the number of ferry charters which were granted after the Hudson River road was built.
While these ferry boats were of value in open weather, they were use- less after ice had formed ; and the residents of the village were then as distant from the Metropolis as ever, unless the river was solidly frozen. 1857, was one of the many severe winters that closed the Hudson River firmly, and during that season, Silas G. Mackey, ran a regular line of stages to Cruger's Landing on the ice.
Stony Point Lodge, No. 313, F. & A. M., was established in the vil- lage June 17th, 1853. The first meeting was held in the old tavern kept by A. Van Tassel. The first officers were: Henry Christie, W. M .; John Hunting, S. W .; Samson Marks, J. W .; A. H. Richmond, T .; Edward Payson, S.
Iona Lodge, No. 128, K. of P., was organized December 7th, 1874, with the following charter members: Alonzo Bedell, Louis Echstein, Ed- ward Bedell, Cyrillus Myers, J. R. Smith, M. Washburn, John Gordon, George S. Myers, Charles Sears, M. Richmond and E. M. Newman.
The Ancient order of Hibernians, was established April 5th, 1882, with the following officers. Nicholas Murphy, County Delegate; Wm. P. Bannigan, President; Thos. Finnegan, Vice-President; Edw. Ryan, Recording Secretary; Thos. Sweeny, Financial Secretary; James Mc- Laughlin, Treasurer.
THIELL'S CORNERS.
In the latter half of the past century, a Dane, named Jacob Thiell, arrived at Haverstraw, and following the Minisceongo till he reached the location which now bears his name, he bought some 3,000 acres of land and settled. In a short time, Thiell utilized the water power which the creek afforded, and started, in this secluded spot, a forge upon his property.
Little can be learned of this industry, except that it is reported to have been in operation during the Revolutionary War. Jacob Thiell died before the beginning of this century.
The spot on which he had settled slowly grew. In 1793, a grist mill was started further down the creek by Thiell, and carried on in conjunc- tion with the forge. In 1862, a mill or factory, which stood some half mile east of Thiell's by the highway, was used by William McGeorge as a
386
tannery and candle factory, and carried on till 1866. The increased popu- lation led, as we have scen, to the building of a Methodist church at this place, and further life was given to the hamlet by the advent of the N. J. and N. Y. Railroad, in 1874. It was made a post-office village in 1874, with Levi Knapp as first post-master ; he was succeeded by Sylvester Knapp.
In 1850, Henry Essex, who eight years before had occupied part of the Samsondale works, leased the site of the old forge, and carried on the manufacture of needles. This occupation he abandoned in 1880, and the works are now dismantled. In his busiest years, Essex employed seven hands in this industry.
GURNEE'S CORNERS OR MOUNT IVY.
About four and three-quarter miles west of Haverstraw on the road to Ramapo, formerly stood the residence of W. F. Gurnee. At this place a road, known as the King's road, runs south to Hempstead and Spring Valley. Not far from the Corner is the house, formerly owned by John Hewitt and his wife-Anna Gurnee-in which Hon. A. S. Hewitt was born. Like many other places in the County called "Corners " with the prefix of the nearest resident property owner to designate the locality, this spot calls for no special mention. On the opening of the N. J. and N. Y. R. R., it was made a station and called Mount Ivy.
Not far west of Gurnee's Corners, John Anderson started a file factory and continued work for some years. The plant was then bought out by its present proprietor, John H. Secor, and is still continued, furnishing employment for four or five men.
GARNERVILLE.
As early as 1760, Cornelius Osborn erected a grist mill on the bank of the Minisceongo, where the Calico Works now stand. From the time of this mill till 1828, no further attempt seems to have been made to use the water power at that spot. Further up the creek, however, near the bridge, over which the road to Mead's Corner passes, a rolling mill and a nail factory were established early in the present century by John I. and George Suffern,
Previous to the building of these works, a grist mill occupied their site and at a later period the buildings were used in the manufacture of vari- ous products, their last use being that of a paper mill. This industry was carried on by John I. Suffern from 1850 to 1858, for the manufacture of coarse wrapping paper.
387
In 1828, John Glass, a Scot by birth, bought 45 acres of land on the south side of the Minisceongo, at the present village of Garnerville, and be- gan the erection of buildings for calico printing, a business he had been engaged in in his native land. By the spring of 1831, the industry had obtained a firm start and gave every prospect of future success. On June 7th of that year, Glass took the first load of his goods to the dock at Grassy Point for shipment to the city. Violent opposition existed at this time between the owners of the steamboats Waterwitch and General Jackson. The first named boat had scarcely left the landing, and the goods were rapidly being loaded on the Jackson when her boiler exploded, killing fourteen people among whom was John Glass.
Until 1835, little was done at these works. Then they were purchased by William Cowdrey and held by him till May Ist 1838, when James Garner, Thomas Garner and Charles Wells bought the property. Under this new management, the print works rapidly grew. From time to time, as the business extended, additions were made to the buildings, and a village sprang up about the factory which was given the name of Garnerville. In 1853, the Rockland Print Works Company was incor- porated, with a capital of $100,000, for the purpose of "Printing, and Dyeing Woolen, Cotton, or Linen goods."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.