USA > New York > Westchester County > Westchester county in history; manual and civil list, past and present. County history: towns, hamlets, villages and cities, Volume II > Part 3
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According to the published schedules, the 1790 census shows the several States to have population as follows: Virginia, 474,610; Pennsylvania, 434,373; New York, 340,120; North Carolina, 393,751; Maryland, 319,728; South Carolina, 249,073; Connecticut, 237,946; New Jersey, 184,139; New Hampshire, 141,885; Maine, 96,540; Vermont, 85,539; Georgia, 82,548; Ken- tucky, 73,977; Rhode Island, 68,825; Delaware, 59,094.
The census enumerators of this early date, who were assistant United States marshals, were, evidently, permitted to exercise their own judgment as to the form in which they made their returns, except that a table was provided which they were required to follow. It was made up of five columns, and the headings were as follows: Names of heads of families; free white males of 16 years and up, including heads of families; free white males under 16 years; free white females, including heads of families; all other free persons; slaves. The assistant marshals acted in taking following census enumerations, includ- ing that of the 1820 census. They in their work used no special forms, in fact the stationery used was such scraps of writing paper as they found close at hand, regardless of form or quality ; their records were usually kept on merchant's account paper, and quite frequently the returns, to give them the appear- ance of " official importance," were bound in fancy figured wall paper.
The total number of negro slaves in the United States in 1790 was 697,897; the census of that year showed 21,324 negro slaves in the State of New York; 1,419 slaves in Westchester County.
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
The cost of the 1790 census was $44,377, and 650 persons were engaged in its taking; contrast this with the estimated expense of the 1910 census-$19,000,000, and the employment of about 110,000 persons. The returns published of the 1790 census fill one small volume; the published returns of the twelfth (1900) census fill ten large quarto volumes, containing 10,400 pages in all.
Under a special act of Congress, the 1790 census returns were republished, in book form, in 1907. The volume devoted to the State of New York contains a map of the State at that period. On this map there are no lines designating West- chester County, one of the original counties of the State. But old towns of our County, to a limited number, are shown. Bed- ford was then the principal township, next came Cortlandt, giving evidence that the greater number of population had centered in the northern section of the County; this has been accounted for by the report that many people of the County removed from the lower to the upper section of the County to escape persecution by the British, then in New York city, dur- ing the Revolutionary War. Westchester and Morrisania then covered the territory now occupied by the Borough of the Bronx, New York city. Yonkers has no place on the map; in its stead is mentioned the town of Phillipsburg, which name in later years gave way to that of Yonkers; Eastchester, built around the spot where now stands the old St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is mentioned on this old map. On the green in front of this church was the place where the county militia met to drill. New Rochelle, later a haven for banished Huguenots, is also given a place on the map, as is Rye, containing the homes of many Revolutionary patriots and where our County's Board of Super- visors was first organized. White Plains, the present County seat, " is not on the map " of that early day.
Westchester County is mentioned as one of the counties of the state in the published schedules of the 1790 census, and the population of the County is given as 24,003, of which number 1,419 were negro slaves.
The total population of the towns in the County was shown to be as follows:
Bedford, 2,470; Cortlandt, 1,932; Eastchester, 740; Green- burg, 1,450; Harrison, 1,004; Mamaroneck, 452; Morrisania, 143; Mount Pleasant, 1,924; New Rochelle, 694; North Castle, 2,478; North Salem, 1,058; Pelham, 199; Poundridge, 1,062; Rye, 986; Salem, 1,453; Scarsdale, 281; Stephen (now known
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
as the town of Somers), 1,297; Westchester, 1,141; White Plains, 605; Yonkers, 1,125; York (now Yorktown), 1,609.
CENSUS OF 1820.
A census taken in 1820 stated the population of Westchester County, by towns, to be as follows :
Whites
Slaves
Totals
Bedford.
2,427
5
2,432
Cortlandt.
3,402
19
3,421
East Chester.
1,001
20
1,021
Greenburgh
2,039
25
2,064
Harrison .
982
12
994
*Mount Pleasant .
3,668
16
3,684
Mamaroneck.
878
0
878
New Castle.
1,366
2
1,368
New Rochelle
1,129
6
1,135
North Castle.
1,477
3
1,480
North Salem
1,164
1
1,165
Pelham.
283
0
283
Poundridge.
1,356
1
1,357
Rye.
1,329
14
1,343
Scarsdale.
322
7
329
Somers.
1,834
7
1,841
South Salem
1,427
2
1,429
West Chester
2,136
26
2,162
White Plains.
667
8
675
Yonkers
1,550
36
1,586
Yorktown
1,986
5
1,991
Totals
32,423
215
32,638
* The town of Ossining was then included in that of Mount Pleasant.
Yonkers had 36 slaves, the largest number, and Mamaroneck and Pelham had none.
CENSUS OF 1825.
The census of 1825 gave the County a population of 33,131; 16,692 male persons and 16,439 females. Also showed that there were in the County the year preceding 193 marriages, 941 births, and 391 deaths; that the County contained 239,458 acres of improved land; 30,933 head of cattle, 6,566 horses, 38,042 sheep and 39,293 hogs. Manufactured 36,0033/4 yards of domestic fulled cloth, 35,6321/4 yards of flannel and woolen cloth-not fulled, and 97,3491/2 yards of linen, cotton and thin cloth, were produced in the year 1824. In the County there were, at this time, 71 grist mills, 74 sawmills, 5 oil mills, 26 fulling mills, 3 cotton factories, 3 woolen factories, and 22 distilleries.
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
The population of the county, as shown by the several census enumerations, taken in 1698 and subsequently, was as follows:
In 1698, 1,063; in 1703, 1,946; in 1712, 2,815; in 1723, 4,409; in 1731, 6,033; in 1737, 6,745; in 1746, 9,235; in 1749, 10,703; in 1756, 13,257 ; in 1771, 21,745 ; in 1790, 24,003 ; in 1800, 27,347; in 1810, 30,272 ; in 1814, 26,367 ; in 1820, 32,638; in 1825, 33,131; in 1830, 36,456 ; in 1835, 38,789 ; in 1840, 48,686 ; in 1845, 47,394; in 1850, 58,263; in 1855, 80,678; in 1860, 99,497; in 1865, 101,197 ; in 1870, 131,348; in 1875, 103,564 *; in 1880, 108,988; (no census taken in 1885) ; in 1890, 146,772; in 1892, 147,830; (no census taken in 1895) ; in 1900, 183,375; in 1905, 228,950; in 1910, 283,055.
The population of Westchester County, by minor civil divi- sions, from 1860 to and including 1905, was as follows:
Town
1865
1875
1880
1890
1892
1900
1905
Bedford.
3,465
3,744
3,731
3,291
3,267
3,497
4,759
Cortlandt
9,393
11,928
12,664
15,139
14,039
18,703
21,079
Eastchester
5,615
8,294
8,737
15,442
17,763
3,040
3,986
Greenburgh.
8,463
10,943
8,934
11,613
11,630
15,564
18,635
Harrison .
1,380
1,431
1,494
1,485
1,444
2,048
2,922
Lewisboro .
1,653
1,598
1,612
1,417
1,369
1,311
1,542
Mamaroneck.
1,393
1,425
1,863
2,385
2,470
3,849
5,655
Morrisaniat
11,691
21,228
25,006
Mount Vernon City Mount Pleasant .
4,389
5,411
5,450
5,844
5,870
8,698
9,728
New Castle
1,879
2,242
2,297
2,110
2,187
2,401
2,956
New Rochelle.
3,968
4,678
5,276
9,057
9,990
14,720
20,479
North Castle
2,198
1,961
1,818
1,475
1,403
1,471
1,483
Ossining
6,213
8,533
8,769
10,058
8,814
10,895
10,316
Pelhamt
1,043
1,538
2,540
3,941
2,696
1,571
1,841
Poundridge.
1,299
1,008
1,034
830
841
823
798
Rye
4,675
5,936
6,576
9,477
9,680
12,861
18,077
Scarsdale.
557
529
614
683
594
885
1,018
Westchester±
3,926
6,560
6,789
10,029
8,326
West Farmst
7,333
White Plains
2,122
2,749
4,094
4,508
4,952
7,869
12,129
Yonkers§
12,756
Yonkers City
17,232
18,892
32,033
31,419
47,931
61,716
Yorktown.
2,559
2,610
2,481
2,378
2,241
2,421
2,294
*The apparent decrease in 1875 is owing to several towns in the southern section of the county being annexed to New York city and the taking away of several thousands of population.
t Towns of Morrisania, West Farms and Kingsbridge annexed to City of New York, by Legislature, Chap. 613, Laws of 1873.
¿ Town of Westchester and parts of Eastchester and Pelham annexed to City of New York, by Legislature, Chap. 934, Laws of 1895.
§ City of Yonkers erected from town of Yonkers by Legislature, Chap. 866, Laws of 1872, and town of Kingsbridge erected from town of Yonkers by Supervisors, December 19, 1872.
New Rochelle City
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
States in order according to population run as follows: New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Texas, Massachu- setts, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Tennessee, each with over 2,000,000 population. Nevada has the smallest population.
The largest county in the United States is Custer County, in Montana, which has 20,490 square miles. The smallest county is Bristol County, Rhode Island, which has 25 square miles.
In considering the census reports we are informed, as to proportion of sexes in the United States, that there are more males than females in this nation. As a rule, sparsely settled regions have an excess of males and densely settled regions an excess of females. Cities have more females than males. Increasing proportion of girls among school children. Women live longer than men. Death rate higher for males than females.
The population of New York city is 40.4 per cent foreign born.
Under provisions of Congress, act of July 2, 1909, the Thir- teenth Census was directed to be taken in 1910, commencing April 15. The office clerical force was increased to 4,000 employees; 330 supervisors of the census and nearly 70,000 enumerators were appointed. In June, 1909, Congress appro- priated $10,000,000 to meet the expenses of this last census, and it was estimated that more than half as much again addi- tional would be needed to meet the expense of finishing the census and putting it in shape for presentation to the public.
The total white population of the original area of the United States in 1610 was but 210 persons. In 1900 the twelfth census showed a population in our territory at that time of over 76,000,000. In 1910 we find it to be 92,000,000. The taking of the census every ten years is somewhat of a task, as can well be imagined, when it is taken into consideration that in 1900 it cost Uncle Sam no less than $13,000,000, and in 1910 much more. Since former date it is figured that his family has in- creased by about 16,000,000 members. The enumeration had to be finished within two weeks in the cities that had 5,000 popu- lation or over at the last census, and within 30 days in all other areas. To perform this task promptly the United States employed the services of 75,000 men, outside the Washington Bureau force. The cost of the census of 1910, it is estimated, will be about $19,000,000.
But it is expected that these figures will be reduced, owing
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
to the economical and improved methods installed in the Census Bureau. Much saving has been effected by the introduction of semi-automatic electrical card-punching, tabulating and sorting machines. The permanent force of the Census Bureau includes 700 clerks.
The figures and facts of the new census, already sifted out and analyzed, have produced much valuable information. The work on the whole is of the utmost importance, and affords us data for the solution of national problems that we cannot do without if we are to make intelligent progress.
CITIES IN THE COUNTY.
Incor- porated
Population
1900
1905
1910
*Yonkers, in town of Yonkers, was incorporated as a village in 1855, and as a city in.
1872
47,931
61,716
79,803
*Mount Vernon, in town of East- chester, was incorporated as a vil- lage in 1853, and as a city in . .
1892
21,228
25,006
30,919
*New Rochelle, town of New Rochelle, was incorporated as a village in 1858, and as a city in
1899
14,720
20,479
28,867
These cities were chartered by special acts of the Legislature.
Yonkers has become a second class city, as provided for by general act of the Legislature; a position earned by its rapidly increasing population.
INCORPORATED VILLAGES IN THE COUNTY.
Population
Incor- porat- ed
1900
1902
1905
1910
Ardsley, town of Greenburgh. ..
1896
404
392
470
53'
Briar Cliff Manor, towns of Ossining and Mt. Pleasant . .
1902
381
417
950
Bronxville, town of Eastchester.
1898
579
611
994
1,863
Croton, town of Cortlandt.
1898
1,533
1,421
1,599
1,806
Dobbs Ferry, town of Greenburgh
1873
2,888
2,780
3,515
3,455
Hastings-on-Hudson, town burgh . .
1879
2,002
2,171
3,060
4,552
Irvington, town of Greenburgh .
1872
2,231
2,236
2,480
2,319
Larchmont, town of Mamaroneck.
1891
945
989
1,760
1,958
Mamaroneck, towns of Mamaroneck and Rye.
1895
4,722
3,988
5,090
5,699
.
.
828
Elmsford, town of Greenburgh.
1910
of Green-
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
Population
Incor- porat- ed
1900
1902
1905
1910
*Mount Kisco, towns of Bedford and New Castle.
1875
1,346
1,535
1,850
2,802
North Pelham, town of Pelham ..
1896
684
693
850
1,311
North Tarrytown, town of Mt. Pleasant
1874
4,241
4,165
4,750
5,421
*Ossining, town of Ossining
1813
7,939
7,793
7,135
11,480
*Peekskill, town of Cortlandt.
1827
10,358
12,448
13,200
15,246
Pelham, town of Pelham.
1896
303
368
349
681
Pelham Manor, town of Pelham
1891
594
638
852
Pleasantville, town of Mount Pleasant. .
1897
1,204
1,246
1,585
2,207
*Port Chester, town of Rye
1868
7,440
8,631
11,198
12,809
Rye Village, town of Rye.
1904
4,076
3,964
Sherman Park, t town of Mount Pleasant
1906
288
423
Tarrytown, town of Greenburgh
1870
4,770
4,961
5,370
5,600
Tuckahoe, town of Eastchester.
1902
1,111
1,580
2,722
*White Plains, town of White Plains.
1866
7,899
11,579
15,949
* The star indicates the villages incorporated by special act of the Legis- lature.
+ Name changed to Hillside.
Port Chester, from April 23, 1823, to .March 11, 1837, was known by the name of " Saw-Pit;" on the latter date the name " Port Chester " was adopted. West Mount Vernon and Cen- tral Mount Vernon were incorporated as a village in 1869; in 1875, by vote of the citizens, this village decided to consolidate and become a part of the village of Mount Vernon. Ossining was formerly known as the village of Sing Sing; because the latter name was deemed objectionable owing to its connection with the State Prison located within the village, a special act of the Legislature was secured permitting the change of name as to the village and leaving the old name in sole possession of the prison.
THE PROBLEM OF GOVERNING.
We of this present day cannot fully realize the difficulties that confronted the founders of the Nation when they discovered themselves liberated from control of the mother country and privileged to devise ways for the government of themselves.
Writers of American history dwell with considerable emphasis upon the serious conditions prevailing during the period embrac- ing the fifteen years which intervened between the meeting of the First Continental Congress, in 1774, and the beginning of government under our present Constitution. During these years the country's future was often imperiled, not only by the suc- cesses of the British Army in the early stages of the Revolu- tionary War, but at all times by the inefficiency of our own central government, and later, after our arms had been victori- ous and the power of Great Britain had been banished from our shores, by the petty jealousy, suspicion and rivalry which pre- vailed among the respective Colonies.
There had been no permanent union of the Colonies prior to 1774, but each had been careful to preserve its political identity. Attempts at union had been viewed with distrust by the colo- nists and regarded with disfavor by England. A defensive alliance between the New England Colonies for the purpose of protecting their settlements from attacks by hostile Indians had been effected, but this union did not contemplate a plan for the government of all the Colonies by a central authority. In 1754 Benjamin Franklin and others succeeded in getting together a meeting of representatives from many of the Colo- nies, in what is known as the " Albany Convention." Here an attempt was made to perfect a union of the Colonies, but the lack of harmony on the part of the colonists and the oppo- sition of England proved the attempt a failure. The " Stamp Act " and the increased oppression of Great Britain succeeded in making a union necessary. Delegates from eight Colonies formed, in 1765, what was known as " The Stamp Act Con- gress." The continued aggressions of the English government finally led to the formation of the First Continental Congress, to which all Colonies agreed to send delegates.
33
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
The First Continental Congress met in September, 1774. Laws enacted by the British Parliament, which the colonists regarded as oppressive, roused the people and caused the formation of this Congress. These obnoxious laws are referred to as the Boston Port Bill, virtually closing the port of Boston to com- merce; the Transportation Bill, whereby in certain cases per- sons accused of murder in resisting the laws might be sent to England for trial; the Massachusetts Bill, an attempt on the part of England to modify the charter of Massachusetts; the Quartering Act, providing for the quartering of British soldiers upon the people; and the Quebec Act, depriving the Colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia of the vast North- western Territory claimed by them between the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and annexing the same to the Province of Quebec. The indignation aroused by the pas- sage and attempted enforcement of these laws was such that, under the lead of Massachusetts and Virginia, a body composed of delegates from all of the thirteen Colonies, except Georgia, assembled in Philadelphia to take such action as might be deemed necessary to obtain a redress of their grievances. This assembly is known in history as the First Continental Congress. It remained in session in Carpenter's Hall, in Philadelphia, from September 5, 1774, to October 26, 1774.
In these sessions the Congress, on behalf of the people of the Colonies, adopted a " Bill of Rights " (setting forth certain inalienable rights of the people, in the enjoyment of which they are to be forever protected by the Government, and thereby placing well defined restrictions upon the powers of the Gov- ernment and its officers), and formulated addresses to the people of the Colonies and to the king and people of Great Britain, for the purpose, as it was hoped, of bringing about a better understanding between the parties to the controversy, and thus avoiding further conflict. It is to be noticed that at this time the people of the Colonies were still loyal to England and had no thought of becoming an independent nation, but sought only to obtain what they conceived to be their rights as Englishmen. The acts of the First Continental Congress are important in the political history of our country because, by its proceedings, the sentiment in favor of union between the Colo- nies was strengthened and developed, and at that time general laws were first enacted commanding the respect and obedience of the entire country, and, being ratified and approved by
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
the respective Colonies, they had all the dignity of national laws.
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May, 1775. At this time the battle of Lexington and Concord had taken place and the authority of Congress was recognized as the supreme power of the land. Congress at once assumed management of the Continental Army, raised money for prose- cuting the war with Great Britain, and, on behalf of the united Colonies, entered into negotiations with foreign countries. The exercise of such powers as these is one of the attributes of sov- ereignty, and, with the creation of a central government repre- senting the entire country, the history of the American Union commences.
The Continental Congress has been called a revolutionary body, because there was no legal authority for its existence. Its organization was the spontaneous act of the people, caused by the pressing necessity for some central government. It assumed to act with an authority which it did not really pos- sess, because no powers had ever been conferred upon it expressly by the people, and its existence was due solely to the necessity of meeting the crisis occasioned by the war with Great Britain. Most of its acts had the effect of general laws, as they met with the consent and approval of the people; otherwise Con- gress would have been powerless to enforce its own commands.
Such a government as this could not be otherwise than ineffi- cient and unsatisfactory, and with the Declaration of Inde- pendence the need of a stronger central government was more apparent than ever, for then the Colonies assumed a place among the sovereign, independent nations of the world and required a government having at least power to enforce the obedience of its own citizens.
In 1777, the Articles of Confederation were prepared and submitted to the people of the Colonies for approval. The object of the Confederation was stated to be the formation of a " league of friendship " between the States " for their com- mon defense and the security of their liberties and their mutual and general welfare." The Articles of Confederation were finally adopted in 1781, when the war with Great Britain had practically ceased; but the government under them was a failure, because their plan, while contemplating the creation of a national government, still did not deprive the States of their sovereign powers and left them undisturbed in the exercise
1
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
of powers inconsistent with the theory of a strong central government.
A well-known writer, speaking of our nation's early govern- ment and referring to the failure of the Articles of Confedera- tion to accomplish what was intended, owing to the want of power to do certain things necessary for the government's maintenance, says :
" For example, it is impossible for any government to exist unless it has the power of raising money with which to meet its obligations. This must be done by taxation, which is simply a method of taking a certain amount of the private property of citizens and applying the same to the payment of the expenses of the government incurred for the common good of all.
" Under the ' league of friendship ' the expenses of govern- ment were to be paid out of the common treasury, supplied by the States in proportion to the value of all land within each State, but the taxes for paying that proportion were to be levied by the Legislatures of the several States, not by Congress con- taining representatives from all States. Consequently, no mat- ter how seriously Congress might need money, it could obtain none unless the States carried out their compact and levied the necessary taxes, a thing which they generally failed to do. Hence, at the very outset, we find the national government absolutely without the power of taxation, probably the most necessary and fundamental prerogative for any government to possess.
" Another of the inseparable attributes of sovereignty is the power to make treaties with foreign nations for the purpose of regulating trade between the countries. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had no such power, and consequently Spain and Great Britain refused to make any commercial treaties with the new government, and, in addition, did all they could to hamper the commerce of the States by exacting burden- some taxes upon imported goods and by other restrictions upon trade. This condition of things imposed great hardship upon the people of this country, because they were neither able to purchase abroad many articles of necessity not manufactured here, nor could they dispose of their agricultural products, which constituted their chief wealth.
" A short experience with the scheme of government furnished by the Articles of Confederation served to show that numerous amendments were required to promote the efficiency of the gov-
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MANUAL AND CIVIL LIST.
ernment, and that without such amendments the union of the States, instead of being perpetual, as the Articles had planned, was in constant danger of complete disruption. When this con- clusion was reached another glaring defect was found, in that it was provided by these Articles that no amendment could be made unless agreed to in a congress and afterward confirmed by the Legislatures of all the States, thus rendering it extremely difficult, if not in many cases absolutely impossible, to secure any alteration in the government system.
" Many other defects in the Articles of Confederation might be mentioned, but these few will serve to show how imperfect was the system. After the close of the Revolutionary War, and from 1781 to 1789, the condition of the country was deplorable. This has been called ' the critical period of American history,' because then the chances for the success of popular government in this country were about evenly balanced. It was, indeed, 'a time that tried men's souls,' as had been said of the Revo- lutionary period.
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