USA > New York > Ulster County > The history of Ulster County, New York > Part 22
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The present area is placed at 53,647 acres. In 1905 these acres were valued at $90,104, or an average of $1.68 per acre. These people were assessed for only $600 personal property last year.
The town is bounded on the north by Delaware county and the town of Shandaken, on the east by Shandaken and Denning, on the south by Shandaken and Sullivan county, and on the west by Delaware county. It was formed from Denning and Shandaken in 1859, and named after Johannes Hardenburgh, who was the original patentee of a vast moun- tain tract which covered large parts of this and adjoining counties. The average elevation of the town is about 1,800 feet, and there are three lofty mountain peaks within its limits. These are Graham Mountain, 3,886 feet, Balsam Mountain, 3,601, and Eagle Mountain, 3,566 feet above tide. The principal streams flowing south and southwest, to the Delaware Valley, are the Beaverkill, Mill Brook and Dry Brook. All
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TOWN OF HARDENBURGH.
these afford excellent trout-fishing. Expert anglers are attracted here in large numbers and they are rewarded with fine sport. But large parts of the best streams are controlled by private fishing clubs.
The town was settled at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and even before this it is believed there were a few sturdy pioneers of the white race who were courageous enough to locate in these remote valleys. Samuel Merwin of Connecticut, was one of these early settlers, and he located in Dry Brook valley on the place afterward known as the Dyer- Todd farm. Derrick Haynes soon followed him there, and Hiram Seager came in about the same time, between 1800 and 1810. Next came Samuel Todd and his sons Lyman and Burr Todd, and other members of that family, which soon intermarried with the Seager family. Among other Dry Brook settlers in 1820 were Alfred Ackley, Oren Baker, Peter Hayes, Hezekiah Platt, Barney Rider, Harmon Utter, Robert Utter, Edward O'Neill and Thomas O'Kelly. The first settlers in Mill Brook valley included David Delemater, Samuel Gavitt and Blasel Gavitt. There was an old Quaker who located near Balsam Lake, on the upper Beaverkill, soon after the Revolution. The Messrs. John, Harry and Joseph Banks also located there a few years later, also Nicholas and John Barnhart.
Small specimens of coal and lead have been found near the sources of the Dry Brook and Mill Brook, and it is said the Indians used to carry out lead there during their occupancy of the region. But diligent search has thus far failed to reveal any deposit of either of these valuable minerals.
The first town meeting was held May 31, 1859, at the house of James Close, and Samuel M. Seager was then elected the first Supervisor. He served the town in that capacity also in 1860-68-72-79-81. Marcus A. Marks served in 1861-62 and 1880. Philo Flint, 1863-64; Hiram D. Cook, 1865-66-82-85-86; Amos Wamsley, 1867-69-71-73-74-77; James Murdock, 1878-83-84-87; Revilo H. Molyneaux, 1888; Robert S. Jones, 1889-93-96-99; Hiram D. Haynes, 1894-95; George F. Marks, 1900-01; Robert J. Hoag, 1902-3 ; Stratton D. Todd, 1904-05-06.
There are no incorporated villages in the town, but several small ham- lets where post-offices have been established, as follows: Belleayre, Hardenburgh, Dry Brook, Seager and Turnwood. Dry Brook is the oldest of these, and it was formerly known as West Shandaken. There was a post-office there over sixty years ago, and the mail comes in by way of Arkville on the Ulster & Delaware Railway, which has long been the
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THE COUNTY OF ULSTER.
best point of egress to this mountain town. Previous to the construction of this railway the region was indeed much more remote and difficult to reach. This Dry Brook hamlet contains a Methodist church, a school- house, blacksmith shop, store, and several dwellings. It is the site of the pioneer schoolhouse established probably 75 years ago. There are eight other school districts in the town, one in the upper Dry Brook region, another in Mill Brook valley, also at Turnwood, and on the upper Beaver- kill, and one at Shin Creek.
Previous to the erection of the Dry Brook Methodist church in 1868, religious meetings were held in the schoolhouse by the Methodist people. Among the early preachers there were Daniel Morrison, Daniel Bullock, and John Beagle. They were assisted in the active Christian work by Burr Todd, Eber Merwin, Hiram Seager and Derrick Haynes. The first cost of this little Dry Brook church was $2,600, and there were fifteen members. Religious meetings were also held in some of the schoolhouses. After 1870 the Rev. James Beecher, brother of the noted Henry Ward Beecher, took up his residence on what was afterward known as Beecher's Pond, living at first in a tent. He afterwards built a neat and comfortable cottage there. Of this he said: "I have done all the work myself and there are associations connected with every clap- board and shingle even, that is laid." He seemed fascinated with the rare scenic charms of the place and said he could live there on $300 a year more comfortably and enjoyably than he could in New York on $3,000. Rev. Thomas Beecher, his brother, often spent the summer with him, and he was also visited by his distinguished sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and his brother Henry Ward Beecher. He usually preached in the old Shin Creek schoolhouse every Sunday, and the people traveled miles to hear him.
The principal pursuit in the town is lumbering, and there are many mills on the different streams. The Seager mill on Dry Brook was built about fifty years ago by Hiram Seager, and rebuilt in 1880. Further down this stream Hiram D. Cook built a sawmill in 1860. Soon after that the Todd mill was started further down. Then on the Beaverkill are other mills, including those of Jones, Wamsley, Jackson and Murdock.
The record shows that 36 of the Hardenburgh citizens served in the Union army in the Civil War, in which nearly one-third of this number lost their lives.
Daniel B. Stow.
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TOWN OF HARDENBURGH.
Much might be said of the beautiful lakes in Hardenburgh. Furlough Lake, near the center of the town, is a circular sheet of mountain spring water that is much admired. It was formerly owned by Thomas Cornell of Kingston, who sold it to George J. Gould some years ago. Mr. Gould has built an elaborate summer home there, and he always spends a part of every summer there with his family. His property covers 3,258 moun- tain acres, only fifty of which have been cleared. Most of this primeval forest has been fenced in for an elk and deer park, and the enclosure con- tains one of the finest herds of these beautiful animals to be found in the country. Various other highly bred animals, such as rabbits, pheasants, ducks, geese, peacocks and other poultry are raised by experts there. He has also a fine stable of blooded horses, Jersey cattle, sheep and swine, and an extensive dovecote for pigeons. Mr. Gould's dog kennels contain some of the most valuable specimens of the canine species in the country, especially of the Russian wolf-hound. The Lodge building and residence is quaintly designed and partly rustic, with bark logs below and shingles on the upper story; with broad piazza all around. The inside finish and fittings are, however, quite elaborate. The barns and other buildings are also extensive and most elaborately fitted. The lake and stream for several miles, are well stocked with brook trout, but the fish are care- fully guarded from poachers. This fine lake is an eight-mile drive from the railway station at Arkville.
Balsam Lake is another choice bit of mountain water some four or five miles south of Furlough Lake. But this is also practically private property, being controlled by a club of New York gentlemen for its fishing privilege. They have a commodious clubhouse, and their lease covers several miles of the Beaverkill stream.
The "Salmo Fontinalis" is another old club on the Beaverkill, com- posed of elderly New York bankers and business men of wealth and prominence. Their clubhouse is also quaint and attractive. The Beecher Pond, before alluded to, is a small secluded lake near the western town line, made famous by the Beecher family occupancy.
Alder Lake is a beautiful sheet of water near the Beecher Pond, and one of the largest in the county. Samuel D. Coykendall, of Kingston, is now the owner of this charming lake, which is most picturesquely sur- rounded by lofty mountain peaks.
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THE COUNTY OF ULSTER.
CHAPTER XX.
TOWN OF HURLEY. By CHARLES E. FOOTE.
T HE title to the territory of the present town of Hurley is derived from the original treaty of the Dutch with the Indians, and the grants given to the settlers which were later confirmed by the English government, and a number of other grants made. Among the early grantees are the following :
1667-Philip Pieters Schuyler, Matthew Blanchar, (probably Blansham), Cornelius Wynkoop, Roeloff Swartwout, Jan Thommassen, Peter Stuyvesant, Crespel,
Louis DuBois, Jan Valckert, Goosen Gerritse, Thomas Hall, Nicholas Varlett & Co., Heynear Albertse Roose.
1685-Waldron Dumont. 1686-Henry Pawling, John Jost. 1687-J. Cornelisen.
1693-Anthony Crispell.
1685-Wyrtje Allards Heymaus and her children.
1708-Cornelis Cool, Adrian Gerritse, Matthias Ten Eyck, Jacobus DuBois, Johannes Schepmoes, Roelof Swartwout, Cornelius Lamestre, Pieter Pisterre, Lawrence Osterhout, Jannittie Newkirk.
The original grants by the Dutch government were made in 1660-1664, so the earlier grants among those noted above seem to be simply a con- firmation of title to the settlers and original grantees; the 1708 grant, to Cornelis Cool and others, appears to have been that large tract which was given to trustees for the benefit of the inhabitants, and which was divided and distributed one hundred years afterward.
Hurley is bounded on the north by Woodstock, on the east by Wood- stock, Kingston and Ulster, on the southeast by Rosendale, on the south- west by Marbletown, and on the west by Olive. It is irregular in shape,
James Millard.
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TOWN OF HURLEY.
and has an area of approximately 18,175 acres. It is upland, ranging from undulating to moderately hilly. It is supposed to have been named in honor of the Barons Hurley of Ireland, of which family Governor Love- lace was a member.
The waters of the town are the Esopus, which crosses the southeastern part of the town on its northward course, and several small streams which enter it. In the northwest is the Beaver-Kill, formed by a number of small streams which flow through the town of Olive and into the Esopus on its southerly course. The Beaver-Kill is the outlet of Temple Pond, a beautiful sheet of water in the northwestern portion.
In its early settlement the region was known as Niew Dorp. It was made by the spreading out of the people from Kingston after the treaty of Peace with the Indians following the first Esopus war, to take advan- tage of the fine lands further to the west, and to secure larger areas for cultivation. The village thus formed, about 1661 or 1662, was about three miles west of Kingston. On June 7, 1663, while most of the men were at work in the fields, the village was attacked by the Indians and burned, only an unfurnished barn remaining. Members of every family are said to have been killed or taken prisoners. The list is as follows:
Killed :- Martin Harmensen, found dead and stripped, near his wagon. Jocques Tysson, found dead near ruin of Barent's house. Derrick Ariaensen, shot from his horse.
Prisoners :- Jan Gerritsen.
Wife and three children of Louis DuBois.
Two children of Matthew Blanshan.
A woman and two children from the family of Anthony Crispell.
A woman and two children from the family of Lambert Huybertoon.
A woman and four children from the family of Marten Harmenson.
A woman and two children from the family of Jan Joosten.
A woman and one child from the family of Barent Harmensen.
A woman and three children from the family of Grietie Westercamp. A woman and one child from the family of Jan Barents. Two children from the family of Michael Frere (probably Freer).
One child from the family of Hendrick Jochems.
One child from the family of Hendrick Martensen.
One child from the family of Albert Heymans.
Nearly all of the prisoners were finally recovered, though some of them were for several months in the hands of the Indians, and endured many hardships. It does not appear, however, that they were treated with cruelty, further than the nomadic habits of their captors made necessary. They were generally taken to camps and placed in the hands of squaws for safe keeping.
a
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The people of Hurley resumed possession of their farms soon after this, and after the recapture of the prisoners, and the re-uniting of the families, the work of rebuilding the houses proceeded, and the crops were har- vested. The large force of soldiers sent into the territory made work safe, and it is presumed that those settlers who were not with the militia, were pushing the work of restoration.
The early records of Hurley exist only in fragmentary form, and are not sufficiently complete to make a connected story. According to some of the old State documents, the population in 1703 was one hundred and seventy-four. From an old record it appears that the first trustees of the town or public lands, granted in 1708, were not appointed until 1719. The following appears :
"Whereas Colle Peter Schuyler, late president of the council of New York, by the letter pattents or a confirmation under the great seal of said province of New York, bearing date the 3d day of September 1719, did appoint Cornelis Kool, Arien Gerritse, Jacob DuBois, Barnardus Swartwout, Jacob Rutse, Nicholas Roosa and Charles Wyle to be the first trustees of Hurley and to continue to the first Tuesday of April, 1722."
The above record was evidently made as an explanation for the election of a trustee in 1720, which meeting is the first for the election of municipal officers of which there is any record. It is known, however, that as early as 1674 Louis DuBois was a magistrate in Hurley, but at that time the administration of Hurley may have been included in that of Kingston.
The Elmendorph or Van Elmendorph family was one of the early ones in Hurley. The original members of this family seem to have been Heer- manse, Pieter and Jacobus, the first two came with their wives, and settled in Kingston about 1664, Jacobus married Griete Aertsen in 1677, and some of his children intermarried with the families of Hurley, and his son Conraed, settled there. The Koenraedt, Jr., named in the conveyance was a grandson of Jacobus Van Elmendorph and a son of the Hurley settler. He married Sarah DuBois, granddaughter of Louis DuBois, in 1736 and raised a large family, many of whom are still residents of the town.
There were ninety-four persons in Hurley to affix their signatures to the Articles of Association in 1775, previous to the opening of the War of the Revolution. Eight of those were said to belong to other towns, and were on duty in the town with the militia company to which they belonged. It has been stated that there was not a dissenter in the town.
When Kingston was burned in 1777 the State records were removed
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TOWN OF HURLEY.
to Hurley and for a time it was the headquarters of the executive officers of the State. The Committee of Safety met there, and the Governor made it his headquarters, when not in the field. It was practically the capital of the State until they adjourned to Poughkeepsie, December 17, where the Legislature was called in session January 7, 1778. The spy, Taylor, who had convicted himself by demanding to be taken before "General Clinton," and finding him not the General Clinton he expected, was hanged at Hurley, October 18, two days after the burning of Kingston. The troops, who had so narrowly missed being able to protect Kingston, were present at the execution. The village was crowded to its utmost to accom- modate the refugees from Kingston. The people rose to the occasion, however, and the very unusual sight was presented of a town of five or six hundred people sheltering and feeding the people of a destroyed town of seven times its size, besides providing for a State government.
An interesting communication, evidently a report, is found :
Hurleytown, Oct. 20, 1777. Headquarters.
"A morning report of the officers of the day, who visited the guards and pickets. "Col. Webb's pickets, Col. DuBois and Col. Sutherland all sufficient.
"Col. Hasbrouck's and Ellison's deficient in Arms and Ammunition.
"By report of officer of the main guard, countersign "New York." The sentinels being frequently visited, found alert on their posts, and the guard consisting of"- (Here follows a tabulated statement of guards.)
"The number of prisoners confined in the main guard, 27 with the crimes given, and nine without crimes.
"Given under my hand "JOHN HARDENBERG, "Col." "P.S .- The guard at Kingston deficient in Light Horse and guides."
So far as can be learned, Louis DuBois was the first merchant of Hurley, having been among the original settlers who pushed forward after the first Esopus War with the Indians. It was from here that he organized the New Paltz theory into a practical result, being said to have based the idea on a knowledge of the region of the Wallkill valley, gained while with the soldiers looking for and finally recapturing the pris- oners of the second war, among them were his wife and children. At his death he left considerable property in Hurley, and many of his de- scendants still reside there. There seem to be about twenty or thirty of the early families whose names have followed through the entire history of the town from its earliest settlement to the present, and a glance at the old church records of Kingston and Hurley shows that they are so per-
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THE COUNTY OF ULSTER.
plexingly intermarried, that only the professional genealogist can untangle the snarled threads of relationship. It is asserted that fully fifty per cent. of the modern population of the town of Hurley are related to each other in varying degrees of consanguinity-practically one large family.
A careful comparison of this list of seventy-five families, with all the names of residents obtainable, indicate that practically every family of any considerable standing held slaves at that period. Sometimes they were sold and purchased as is indicated by the following :
"The bearer, Sym, his wife, a young healthy wench, and a negro boy of about two years old, are for sale. The negro man has Permission to look a master for himself and his wife and child." The Terms of the Payment will be made easy to the Purchaser. Whoever is inclined to purchase is desired to apply to
"COENRADT ELMENDORPH. "Hurley, March 12, 1785."
In this particular case the negroes were not sold, as is shown by some old papers given to his son Jonathan some years afterward for love and affection.
On the fourth of April, 1806, the General Assembly enacted a law providing for the distribution of the lands belonging to Hurley in com- mon. The basis of the distribution was that every freeholder having an estate valued at three hundred dollars, and being resident of the town at the time of the enactment, should have one certain tract or lot of land and every resident freeholder with an estate valued at less than $300 was to have a proportionate share of one such tract. The lands were surveyed into 168 lots, or tracts, and the book of description and bounds is carefully preserved, as is also a map of the survey.
November 13, 1806, the commissioners who were to make the distribu- tion, met at the house of Peter Elmendorf to make the necessary arrange- ments. It was finally decided to make the distribution by drawing. The commissioners were John S. Dewitt, Levi Jansen and Andrew Snyder. Levi Jansen was appointed to make the drawing, which was done the next day at the tavern of Gerret H. Newkirk, at Bloomingdale.
No record is found of the persons from Hurley who were in the War of 1812. There are various legends, and probably many of them are true, but the verification is lacking.
In the Civil War there were about one hundred and seventy-five vol- unteers from the town, according to the best available figures. They were distributed throughout the various regiments and took part in the heavy
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TOWN OF HURLEY.
work of the Army of the Potomac. The record shows a number of pro- motions, and several instances of serious suffering and fatal results from imprisonment in southern military prisons.
In Hurley, as in other towns in Ulster County, the records of early schools seem to be missing, and the legendary information vague. In 1812 the district system was put into effect and the list of commissioners and inspectors to 1844 furnish the names of the same families as those previously given, as does also the list of town superintendents from that time to 1856. It is beyond question, however, that there must have been good schools from a very early day, as there are a sufficient number of ancient autographic documents extant to show that practically the whole population were educated. Probably many attended school at Kingston.
The population of the town in 1905, according to the State census report of that year, was 1,677. This was a decrease of 844 since 1880, and 1,337 since 1875. If this count was accurately made, it seems difficult to account for this loss during the last thirty years; although the decline in the blue- stone industry in the northern part of the town, known as West Hurley, during that period will account for some of it.
This ancient historic hamlet, known in modern times as "Old Hurley," which in the early history of the State was for at least one month vir- tually the Capital of the State, has changed little in outward appearance since that time. Most of the quaint old stone houses, some of which were built in the last half of the seventeenth century, are there today in a good state of preservation and with little change in their form or size. Many visitors are attracted by these sentinels of the past.
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THE COUNTY OF ULSTER.
CHAPTER XXI. TOWN OF LLOYD. BY JOHN H. COE.
T HE town of Lloyd, as a separate municipality, dates from 1845, when the Legislature took territory from New Paltz and formed the new town. Previous to that the records of New Paltz covers its history.
The surface of the town is principally hilly upland, sloping to a bluff, which averages about two hundred feet in height, along the Hudson River. It is bounded on the north by the town of Esopus, on the east by the Hudson, on the south by Marlborough and Plattekill, and on the west by New Paltz. It has an area of 18,573 acres, exclusive of the public properties, highways, churches, school lands and grave-yards. West of the town flows the Swartekill, northward through the town of Esopus, emptying into the Wallkill a short distance above the junction of that stream with the Rondout.
Early school records are vague and scarce. It is stated that the early preachers on the Methodist circuit, which was established shortly after the close of the Revolution, taught the rudiments of education to the rising generation for four or five days of each month. Another statement is that Rev. James I. Ostrom, who organized the Presbyterian Church at High- land, came to that place as a teacher, after concluding his theological studies, and finally succeeded in establishing the church in 1808. These are not supported-neither are they denied-by any known records. It seems probable there were schools, and good ones, from the very earliest settlement. The intervening period, from the earliest occupation, to the maturity of those who studied under the public school system in later years, shows no great ignorance. There are practically no documents signed with "his mark." The development was along lines of educated intelligence, and there is every indication that the children of those days were taught in some way, whether at home, by their parents, or by regular masters, who could wield the rod.
The first record of value is dated in 1813. There seems to have been a
Harcourt J. Pratt.
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TOWN OF LLOYD.
school conducted by Quakers in the vicinity of Clintondale, but in which town as at present organized is not known. That year the town voted one hundred dollars to assist in supporting the school, which was attended by pupils from all the country around. There were also district schools at Highland and Riverside, the next district north of Highland.
Among the largest land owners in the town of Lloyd were the Has- broucks and Eltings. Zachariah Hasbrouck (son of Daniel, grandson of Abraham of the patent) was born in 1749, and according to the division of the Paltz grant in 1774, was given one one-hundred-and-twentieth of the tract as his share. As the members of this family always had "good heads for business," it seems probable that this amount had been aug- mented by the purchase. He and his family lived in the southwestern part of the town and were classed among the wealthiest men of the region.
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